Decentered prism optical system

• US 6,034,823 A
• Filed: 02/25/1997
• Issued: 03/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Togino, Takayoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafer, Ricky D.
• Application Number:
  US08/805,465
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: 359/629, 359/630, 359/631, 359/633, 359/833, 359/834, 359/720, 359/668, 359/669, 359/726, 359/730, 359/732
• US Class Current: 359/629
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 25/001 Eyepieces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/04 Prisms

Abstract

A decentered prism optical system has a first surface at a side thereof closer to a pupil. The first surface has a transmitting or reflecting action and also has a wide effective area. The first surface is formed from a rotationally symmetric spherical or aspherical surface. The optical system has at least three surfaces (3, 4 and 5), and the space between these surfaces (3 to 5) is filled with a transparent medium having a refractive index larger than 1.3. A bundle of light rays from an object first passes through a pupil (1) of the optical system (7) along an optical axis (2) and enters the optical system (7) through a first surface (3) having both transmitting and reflecting actions. The incident light rays are reflected toward the pupil (1) by a second surface (4) which is at a side of the optical system (7) remote from the pupil (1) and which has only a reflecting action. The reflected light rays are then reflected away from the pupil (1) by the first surface (3). The reflected light rays pass through a third surface (5) having only a transmitting action, and reach an image plane (6) to form an image thereon. The first surface (3) is a rotationally symmetric surface, e.g. a spherical surface, and the second surface (4) is a rotationally asymmetric surface.

Claims

1. A decentered prism optical system comprising at least three surfaces which are decentered with respect to each other, wherein a space between said at least three surfaces is filled with a transparent medium having a refractive index not smaller than 1.3,

wherein at least two of said at least three surfaces are reflecting surfaces arranged so that at least two internal reflections take place in said optical system, and

wherein said at least two reflecting surfaces are disposed such that light rays reflected by these surfaces do not intersect each other in said optical system, and

wherein one of said at least two reflecting surfaces is a rotationally asymmetric surface having no axis of rotational symmetry and only one plane of symmetry, and at least one other of said reflecting surfaces is arranged such that at least an effective surface thereof having an area that transmits and/or reflects a bundle of light rays in an entire area of the effective surface is formed from a rotationally symmetric surface having an axis of rotational symmetry intercepting the effective surface.

2. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 1, wherein said at least three surfaces include at least a first surface, a second surface, and a third surface,

wherein said first surface has both a transmitting action through which a bundle of light rays enters said optical system or exits therefrom after passing through said first surface, and a reflecting action by which said bundle of light rays is bent in said optical system, said first surface being said rotationally symmetric surface, and

wherein said second surface is disposed to face said first surface, said second surface being said rotationally asymmetric surface, and

wherein said third surface has a transmitting action through which said bundle of light rays exits from said optical system after passing through said third surface or enters said third surface, said third surface being disposed to face in a direction approximately perpendicular to a direction in which said first surface and said second surface face each other.

3. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 2, wherein said first surface is arranged such that a transmitting region and a reflecting region overlap each other in at least a region of said effective surface thereof, and that at least said reflecting action taking place in the region of the effective surface of said first surface where the transmitting and reflecting regions overlap each other is total reflection.

6. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein said rotationally symmetric surface as said first surface is a rotationally symmetric aspherical surface.

7. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein said second surface is an anamorphic surface.

8. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 7, wherein said first surface and said second surface are disposed such that an axis of rotational symmetry of said rotationally symmetric surface as said first surface lies in at least one of two planes of symmetry of said anamorphic surface.

10. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 2, 3, 5 or 9, wherein said first surface and said second surface are disposed such that an axis of rotational symmetry of said rotationally symmetric surface as said first surface lies in the plane of symmetry of said rotationally asymmetric surface having only one plane of symmetry.

11. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein said first surface, said second surface and said third surface are arranged such that a bundle of light rays enters said optical system through said third surface, the bundle of light rays is reflected by said first surface, and the bundle of light rays reflected by said first surface is reflected by said second surface so as to exit from said first surface.

12. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 11, which is used in an image observation apparatus wherein said third surface is disposed at a position where a bundle of light rays from an image display device enters said optical system, and said first surface is disposed at such a position that the bundle of light rays exiting from said first surface is led to an observer'"'"'s eyeball, thereby enabling observation of the image formed by said bundle of light rays.

13. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein said first surface, said second surface and said third surface are disposed such that a bundle of light rays enters said optical system through said first surface and is reflected by said second surface and then reflected by said first surface, and the bundle of light rays reflected by said first surface exits said prism optical system from said third surface.

14. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 13, which is used in an image observation apparatus wherein said first surface is disposed at a position where a bundle of light rays from an object enters said optical system, and said third surface is disposed at such a position that the bundle of light rays exiting from said third surface is led to an observer'"'"'s eyeball, thereby enabling observation of the image formed by said bundle of light rays.

15. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 13, which is used in a photographic optical apparatus wherein said first surface is disposed at a position where a bundle of light rays from an object enters said optical system, and said third surface is disposed at such a position that the bundle of light rays exiting from said third surface is led to means for receiving an object image, thereby enabling photographing of an object image formed by said bundle of light rays.

16. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein, a Z-axis is defined by a straight line along which an axial principal ray passes through a center of a pupil of said decentered prism optical system until it intersects said first surface, and an axis perpendicularly intersecting the Z-axis in a decentration plane of each surface constituting said decentered prism optical system is defined as a Y-axis, and further an axis perpendicularly intersecting both the Z- and Y-axes is defined as an X-axis, the following condition is satisfied:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0.7<

FA<

1.3

where FA is Fx/Fy, said Fx and Fy being defined such that, in ray tracing of a light ray which passes through a point that is a slight distance H away from the pupil center in a direction of the X-axis in parallel to said axial principal ray, and which enters said optical system parallel to said axial principal ray, a value obtained by dividing said distance H by an NA of said light ray exiting from said optical system, NA being a value of a sine of an angle formed between said light ray and said axial principal ray, is defined as a focal length Fx in the direction X of an entire optical system, and in ray tracing of a light ray which passes through a point that is the distance H away from the pupil center in a direction of the Y-axis, and which enters said optical system parallel to said axial principal ray, a value obtained by dividing said distance H by an NA of said light ray exiting from said optical system is defined as a focal length Fy in the direction Y of the entire optical system.

17. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein, a Z-axis is defined by a straight line along which an axial principal ray passes through a center of a pupil of said decentered prism optical system until it intersects said first surface, and an axis perpendicularly intersecting the Z-axis in a decentration plane of each surface constituting said decentered prism optical system is defined as a Y-axis, and further an axis perpendicularly intersecting both the Z- and Y-axes is defined as an X-axis, the following condition is satisfied:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0.8<

|PxB|<

1.3

where PxB is Pxn/Px, said Pxn and Px being defined such that, in ray tracing of a light ray which passes through a point that is a slight distance H away from the pupil center in a direction of the X-axis parallel to said axial principal ray, and which enters said optical system parallel to said axial principal ray, a value obtained by dividing said distance H by an NA of said light ray exiting from said optical system, NA being a value of a sine of an angle formed between said light ray and said axial principal ray, is defined as a focal length Fx in the direction X of an entire optical system, and in ray tracing of a light ray which passes through a point that is the distance H away from the pupil center in a direction of the Y-axis, and which enters said optical system parallel to said axial principal ray, a value obtained by dividing said distance H by an NA of said light ray exiting from said optical system is defined as a focal length Fy in the direction Y of the entire optical system, and that refracting powers in the directions X and Y of said second surface at a position where said axial principal ray strikes said second surface are denoted by Pxn and Pyn, respectively, and reciprocals of said focal lengths Fx and Fy in the directions X and Y are denoted by Px and Py, respectively.

18. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein a Z-axis is defined by a straight line along which an axial principal ray passes through a center of a pupil of said decentered prism optical system until it intersects said first surface, and an axis perpendicularly intersecting the Z-axis in a decentration plane of each surface constituting said decentered prism optical system is defined as a Y-axis, and further an axis perpendicularly intersecting both the Z- and Y-axes is defined as an X-axis, the following condition is satisfied:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0.8<

|PyC|<

1.3

where PyC is Pyn/Py, said Pyn and Py being defined such that, in ray tracing of a light ray which passes through a point that is a slight distance H away from the pupil center in a direction of the X-axis in parallel to said axial principal ray, and which enters said optical system parallel to said axial principal ray, a value obtained by dividing said distance H by an NA of said light ray exiting from said optical system, NA being a value of a sine of an angle formed between said light ray and said axial principal ray, is defined as a focal length Fx in the direction X of an entire optical system, and in ray tracing of a light ray which passes through a point that is the distance H away from the pupil center in a direction of the Y-axis, and which enters said optical system parallel to said axial principal ray, a value obtained by dividing said distance H by an NA of said light ray exiting from said optical system is defined as a focal length Fy in the direction Y of the entire optical system, and that refracting powers in the directions X and Y of said second surface at a position where said axial principal ray strikes said second surface are denoted by Pxn and Pyn, respectively, and reciprocals of said focal lengths Fx and Fy in the directions X and Y are denoted by Px and Py, respectively.

19. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein a Z-axis is defined by a straight line along which an axial principal ray passes through a center of a pupil of said decentered prism optical system until it intersects said first surface, and an axis perpendicularly intersecting the Z-axis in a decentration plane of each surface constituting said decentered prism optical system is defined as a Y-axis, and further an axis perpendicularly intersecting both the Z- and Y-axes is defined as an X-axis, the following condition is satisfied:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0.8<

CxyD<

1.2

where CxyD is a ratio of a curvature Cx2 in an X-axis direction to a curvature Cy2 in a Y-axis direction of said second surface in respective planes containing a line normal to said second surface at a position where said axial principal ray strikes said second surface.

20. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein, a Z-axis is defined by a straight line along which an axial principal ray passes through a center of a pupil of said decentered prism optical system until it intersects said first surface, and an axis perpendicularly intersecting the Z-axis in a decentration plane of each surface constituting said decentered prism optical system is defined as a Y-axis, and further an axis perpendicularly intersecting both the Z- and Y-axes is defined as an X-axis, the following conditions are satisfied:

space="preserve" listing-type="tabular">______________________________________ -0.05 <

C ×

MinE (l/millimeter) C ×

MaxE <

0.05 (l/millimeter) ______________________________________

where CxMinE and CxMaxE are defined such that, in ray tracing of a light ray which passes through a point that is a slight distance H away from the pupil center in a direction of the X-axis parallel to said axial principal ray, and which enters said optical system parallel to said axial principal ray, a value obtained by dividing said distance H by an NA of said light ray exiting from said optical system, NA being a value of a sine of an angle formed between said light ray and said axial principal ray, is defined as a focal length Fx in the direction X of an entire optical system, and in ray tracing of a light ray which passes through a point that is the distance H away from the pupil center in a direction of the Y-axis, and which enters said optical system parallel to said axial principal ray, a value obtained by dividing said distance H by an NA of said light ray exiting from said optical system is defined as a focal length Fy in the direction Y of the entire optical system, and that reciprocals of said focal lengths Fx and Fy in the directions X and Y are denoted by Px and Py, respectively, and further that a curvature in the direction X and a curvature in the direction Y of said second surface in respective planes containing a line normal to said second surface at a position where said axial principal ray strikes said second surface are denoted by Cx2 and Cy2, respectively, and further that an effective area of said second surface is defined by points at which said second surface is struck respectively by a principal ray passing at a field angle zero in the direction X and at a maximum field angle in a positive direction of the Y-axis, a principal ray passing at a field angle zero in the direction X and at a maximum field angle in a negative direction of the Y-axis, a principal ray passing at a maximum field angle in the direction X and at a maximum field angle in a positive direction of the Y-axis, a principal ray passing at the maximum field angle in the direction X and at a field angle zero in the direction y, and a principal ray passing at the maximum field angle in the direction X and at the maximum field angle in the negative direction of the Y-axis, and a curvature in the direction X and a curvature in the direction Y of said effective area at each of positions where said principal rays strike said second surface are denoted by Cxn and Cyn, respectively, and further that maximum and minimum values of (Cxn-Cx2)/Px are denoted by CxMaxE and CxMineE, respectively, and maximum and minimum values of (Cyn-Cy2)/Py are denoted by CyMaxF and CyMinF, respectively.

21. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein, a Z-axis is defined by a straight line along which an axial principal ray passes through a center of a pupil of said decentered prism optical system until it intersects said first surface, and an axis perpendicularly intersecting the Z-axis in a decentration plane of each surface constituting said decentered prism optical system is defined as a Y-axis, and further an axis perpendicularly intersecting both the Z and Y- axes is defined as an X-axis, the following conditions are satisfied:

space="preserve" listing-type="tabular">______________________________________ -0.1 <

CyMinF (1/millimeter) CyMaxF <

0.1 (1/millimeter) ______________________________________

where CyMinF and CyMaxF are defined such that, in ray tracing of a light ray which passes through a point that is a slight distance H away from the pupil center in a direction of the X-axis parallel to said axial principal ray, and which enters said optical system parallel to said axial principal ray, a value obtained by dividing said distance H by an NA of said light ray exiting from said optical system, NA being a value of a sine of an angle formed between said light ray and said axial principal ray, is defined as a focal length Fx in the direction X of an entire optical system, and in ray tracing of a light ray which passes through a point that is the distance H away from the pupil center in a direction of the Y-axis, and which enters said optical system parallel to said axial principal ray, a value obtained by dividing said distance H by an NA of said light ray exiting from said optical system is defined as a focal length Fy in the direction Y of the entire optical system, and that reciprocals of said focal lengths Fx and Fy in the directions X and Y are denoted by Px and Py, respectively, and further that a curvature in the direction X and a curvature in the direction Y of said second surface in respective planes containing a line normal to said second surface at a position where said axial principal ray strikes said second surface are denoted by Cx2 and Cy2, respectively, and further that an effective area of said second surface is defined by points at which said second surface is struck respectively by a principal ray passing at a field angle zero in the direction X and at a maximum field angle in a positive direction of the Y-axis, a principal ray passing at a field angle zero in the direction X and at a maximum field angle in a negative direction of the Y-axis, a principal ray passing at a maximum field angle in the direction X and at a maximum field angle in a positive direction of the Y-axis, a principal ray passing at the maximum field angle in the direction X and at a field angle zero in the direction Y, and a principal ray passing at the maximum field angle in the direction X and at the maximum field angle in the negative direction of the Y-axis, and a curvature in the direction X and a curvature in the direction Y of said effective area at each of positions where said principal rays strike said second surface are denoted by Cxn and Cyn, respectively, and further that maximum and minimum values of (Cxn-Cx2/Px are denoted by CxMaxE and CxMinE, respectively, and maximum and minimum values of (Cyn-Cy2 )/Py are denoted by CyMaxF and CyMinF, respectively.

22. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein, a Z-axis is defined by a straight line along which an axial principal ray passes through a center of a pupil of said decentered prism optical system until it intersects said first surface, and an axis perpendicularly intersecting the Z-axis in a decentration plane of each surface constituting said decentered prism optical system is defined as a Y-axis, and further an axis perpendicularly intersecting both the Z- and Y-axes is defined as an X-axis, the following condition is satisfied:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">-0.05<

CyG<

0.5

where CyG is defined such that, in ray tracing of a light ray which passes through a point that is a slight distance H away from the pupil center in a direction of the X-axis parallel to said axial principal ray, and which enters said optical system parallel to said axial principal ray, a value obtained by dividing said distance H by an NA of said light ray exiting from said optical system. NA being a value of a sine of an angle formed between said light ray and said axial principal ray, is defined as a focal length Fx in the direction X of an entire optical system, and in ray tracing of a light ray which passes through a point that is the distance H away from the pupil center in a direction of the Y-axis, and which enters said optical system in parallel to said axial principal ray, a value obtained by dividing said distance H by an NA of said light ray exiting from said optical system is defined by a focal length Fy in the direction Y of the entire optical system, and that reciprocals of said focal lengths Fx and Fy in the directions X and Y are denoted by Px and Py, respectively, and further that Cy1 denotes a curvature in the direction Y of an effective area of said second surface at a position where said second surface is struck by a principal ray passing at a field angle zero in the direction X and at a maximum field angle in a positive direction of the Y-axis, and Cy3 denotes a curvature in the direction Y of the effective area of said second surface at a position where said second surface is struck by a principal ray passing at a field angle zero in the direction X and at a maximum field angle in a negative direction of the Y-axis, and further that a value obtained by dividing a difference between the curvatures Cy1 and Cy3 by said Py is defined as CyG.

23. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein a Z-axis is defined by a straight line along which an axial principal ray passes through a center of a pupil of said decentered prism optical system until it intersects said first surface, and an axis perpendicularly intersecting the Z-axis in a decentration plane of each surface constituting said decentered prism optical system is defined as a Y-axis, and further an axis perpendicularly intersecting both the Z- and Y-axes is defined as an X-axis, the following condition is satisfied:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">-0.01<

CxH<

0.1

where CxH is defined such that, in ray tracing of a light ray which passes through a point that is a slight distance H away from the pupil center in a direction of the X-axis parallel to said axial principal ray, and which enters said optical system parallel to said axial principal ray, a value obtained by dividing said distance H by an NA of said light ray exiting from said optical system, NA being a value of a sine of an angle formed between said light ray and said axial principal ray, is defined as a focal length Fx in the direction X of an entire optical system, and in ray tracing of a light ray which passes through a point that is the distance H away from the pupil center in a direction of the Y-axis, and which enters said optical system parallel to said axial principal ray, a value obtained by dividing said distance H by an NA of said light ray exiting from said optical system is defined as a focal length Fy in the direction Y of the entire optical system, and that reciprocals of said focal lengths Fx and Fy in the directions X and Y are denoted by Px and Py, respectively, and further that Cx1 denotes a curvature in the direction X of an effective area of said second surface at a position where said second surface is struck by a principal ray passing at a field angle zero in the direction X and at a maximum field angle in a positive direction of the Y-axis, and Cx3 denotes a curvature in the direction X of the effective area of said second surface at a position where said second surface is struck by a principal ray passing at a field angle zero in the direction X and at a maximum field angle in a negative direction of the Y-axis, and further that a value obtained by dividing a difference between the curvatures Cx1 and Cx3 by said Px is defined as CxH.

24. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein a Z-axis is defined by a straight line along which an axial principal ray passes through a center of a pupil of said decentered prism optical system until it intersects said first surface, and an axis perpendicularly intersecting the Z-axis in a decentration plane of each surface constituting said decentered prism optical system is defined as a Y-axis, and further that an axis perpendicularly intersecting both the Z- and Y-axes is defined as an X-axis, the following condition is satisfied:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0<

CyI<

5

where CyI is defined such that, in ray tracing of a light ray which passes through a point that is a slight distance H away from the pupil center in a direction of the X-axis parallel to said axial principal ray, and which enters said optical system parallel to said axial principal ray, a value obtained by dividing said distance H by an NA of said light ray exiting from said optical system, NA being a value of a sine of an angle formed between said light ray and said axial principal ray, is defined as a focal length Fx in the direction X of an entire optical system, and in ray tracing of a light ray which passes through a point that is the distance H away from the pupil center in a direction of the Y-axis, and which enters said optical system parallel to said axial principal ray, a value obtained by dividing said distance H by an NA of said light ray exiting from said optical system. NA being a value of a sine of an angle formed between said light ray and said axial principal ray, is defined as a focal length Fy in the direction Y of the entire optical system, and that reciprocals of said focal lengths Fx and Fy in the directions X and Y are denoted by Px and Py, respectively, and further that Cy1 denotes a curvature in the direction Y of an effective area of said third surface at a position where said third surface is struck by a principal ray passing at a field angle zero in the direction X and at a maximum field angle in a positive direction of the Y-axis, and Cy3 denotes a curvature in the direction Y of the effective area of said third surface at a position where said third surface is struck by a principal ray passing at a field angle zero in the direction X and at a maximum field angle in a negative direction of the Y-axis, and further that a value obtained by dividing a difference between the curvatures Cy1 and Cy3 by said Py is defined as CyI.

25. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein, a Z-axis is defined by a straight line along which an axial principal ray passes through a center of a pupil of said decentered prism optical system until it intersects said first surface, and an axis perpendicularly intersecting the Z-axis in a decentration plane of each surface constituting said decentered prism optical system is defined as a Y-axis, and further an axis perpendicularly intersecting both the Z- and Y-axes is defined as an X-axis, the following condition is satisfied:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">0<

CxJ<

1 (J-1)

where CxJ is defined such that, in ray tracing of a light ray which passes through a point that is a slight distance H away from the pupil center in a direction of the X-axis parallel to said axial principal ray, and which enters said optical system parallel to said axial principal ray, a value obtained by dividing said distance H by an NA of said light ray exiting from said optical system, NA being a value of a sine of an angle formed between said light ray and said axial principal ray, is defined as a focal length Fx in the direction X of an entire optical system, and in ray tracing of a light ray which passes through a point that is the distance H away from the pupil center in a direction of the Y-axis, and which enters said optical system parallel to said axial principal ray, a value obtained by dividing said instance H by an NA of said light ray exiting from said optical system, NA being a value of a sine of an angle formed between said light ray and said axial principal ray, is defined as a focal length Fy in the direction Y of the entire optical system, and that reciprocals of said focal lengths Fx and Fy in the directions X and Y are denoted by Px and Py, respectively, and further that Cx1 denotes a curvature in the direction X of an effective area of said third surface at a position where said third surface is struck by a principal ray passing at a field angle zero in the direction X and at a maximum field angle in a positive direction of the Y-axis, and Cx3 denotes a curvature in the direction X of the effective area of said third surface at a position where said third surface is struck by a principal ray passing at a field angle zero in the direction X and at a maximum field angle in a negative direction of the Y-axis, and further that a value obtained by dividing a difference between the curvatures Cx1 and Cx3 by said Px is defined as CxJ.

26. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein said first surface is arranged such that at least an effective surface having an area that transmits and/or reflects a bundle of light rays in an entire area of the effective surface of said first surface is formed from a rotationally symmetric spherical surface having an axis of rotational symmetry in the effective surface, and the following condition is satisfied:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">5°

<

α

<

30°

where α

is a tilt angle of the surface of intersection between a rotation center axis of said symmetric spherical surface, which passes through a point at which an axial principal ray passing through a center of a pupil of said optical system is reflected by said first surface, and a straight line along which said axial principal ray travels after exiting from said pupil until it intersects said first surface.

27. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 1, wherein said rotationally symmetric surface and said rotationally asymmetric surface having only one plane of symmetry are disposed such that the axis of rotational symmetry is positioned in a plane of symmetry of said rotationally asymmetric surface having only one plane of symmetry.

28. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 1, wherein said rotationally symmetric surface is a rotationally symmetric aspheric surface.

4. A decentered prism optical system comprising at least three surfaces which are decentered with respect to each other, wherein a space between said at least three surfaces is filled with a transparent medium having a refractive index not smaller than 1.3,

wherein at least two of said at least three surfaces are reflecting surfaces arranged so that at least two internal reflections take place in said optical system, and

wherein said at least two reflecting surfaces are disposed such that light rays reflected by these surfaces do not intersect each other in said optical system, and

wherein one of said at least two reflecting surfaces is a rotationally asymmetric surface having no axis of rotational symmetry, and at least one other of said reflecting surfaces is arranged such that at least an effective surface thereof having an area that transmits and/or reflects a bundle of light rays in an entire area of the effective surface is formed from a rotationally symmetric surface having an axis of rotational symmetry in the effective surface,

wherein said at least three surfaces include at least a first surface, a second surface, and a third surface,

wherein said first surface has both a transmitting action through which a bundle of light rays enters said optical system or exits therefrom after passing through said first surface, and a reflecting action by which said bundle of light rays is bent in said optical system, said first surface being said rotationally symmetric surface, and

wherein said second surface is disposed to face said first surface, said second surface being said rotationally asymmetric surface, and

wherein said third surface has a transmitting action through which said bundle of light rays exits from said optical system after passing through said third surface or enters said third surface, said third surface being disposed to face in a direction approximately perpendicular to a direction in which said first surface and said second surface face each other

wherein said first surface is arranged such that at least an effective surface having an area that transmits and/or reflects a bundle of light rays in an entire area of the surface of said first surface is formed from a rotationally symmetric aspherical surface having an axis of rotational symmetry in the effective surface, and the following condition is satisfied:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">5°

<

α

<

30°

where α

is a tilt angle of the surface of intersection between a rotation center axis of the rotationally symmetric aspherical surface constituting said first surface and a straight line along which an axial principal ray passes through a center of a pupil of said optical system until it intersects said first surface.

5. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 4, wherein said first surface is arranged such that a transmitting region and a reflecting region overlap each other in at least a region of said effective surface thereof, and that at least said reflecting action taking place in the region of the effective surface of said first surface where the transmitting and reflecting regions overlap each other is total reflection.

9. A decentered prism optical system according to claim 4, wherein said second surface is a rotationally asymmetric surface having only one plane of symmetry.

29. In a decentered prism optical system having at least three surfaces decentered with respect to each other, wherein a space between said at least three surfaces is filled with a transparent medium having a refractive index not smaller than 1.3, and wherein a bundle of light rays from an image plane is received to form an exit pupil,

the improvement wherein said optical system comprises at least a first surface formed from a rotationally symmetric aspheric surface having both a transmitting action through which the bundle of light rays entering said optical system exits from said optical system and a reflecting action by which said bundle of light rays is bent in said optical system;

a second surface formed from a rotationally asymmetric surface disposed to face said first surface and having an action by which the bundle of light rays entering said optical system is reflected toward said first surface in said optical system; and

a third surface disposed to face said image plane and having an action through which the bundle of light rays from said image plane enters said optical system,

wherein said third surface is disposed to face in a direction approximately perpendicular to a direction in which said first surface and said second surface face each other,

wherein said first surface has a convex surface directed toward said second surface,

wherein said first surface, said second surface and said third surface are arranged to constitute said optical system such that at least the bundle of light rays entering said optical system through said third surface passes through an inside of said optical system and is reflected by said first surface, and the bundle of light rays reflected by said first surface passes through the inside of said optical system and is reflected by said second surface so as to exit from said first surface, which faces said second surface, toward the exit pupil, and

wherein said first surface is tilted with respect to a straight line along which an axial principal ray emanating from a center of the image plane of said optical system and reaching a center of the exit pupil travels after exiting from said first surface until it enters said exit pupil in a ZY-plane in which light rays are folded such that a distance from said exit pupil to said first surface in a direction parallel to said straight line is shorter at an image plane side of said straight line than at a side of said straight line remote from said image plane.

30. In a decentered prism optical system having at least three surfaces decentered with respect to each other, wherein a space between said at least three surfaces is filled with a transparent medium having a refractive index not smaller than 1.3, and wherein a bundle of light rays from a pupil plane is received to form an image plane,

the improvement wherein said optical system comprises at least a first surface formed from a rotationally symmetric aspheric surface disposed to face said pupil plane and having both a transmitting action through which the bundle of light rays from said pupil plane enters said optical system and a reflecting action by which said bundle of light rays is bent in said optical system;

a second surface formed from a rotationally asymmetric surface disposed to face said first surface and having an action by which the bundle of light rays entering said optical system is reflected toward said first surface in said optical system; and

a third surface disposed to face in a direction approximately perpendicular to a direction in which said first surface and said second surface face each other and having a transmitting action through which the bundle of light rays entering said optical system exits toward said image plane,

wherein said first surface has a convex surface directed toward said second surface, and

wherein said first surface, said second surface and said third surface are arranged to constitute said optical system such that at least the bundle of light rays entering said optical system through said first surface is reflected by said second surface, which faces said first surface, and then reflected by said first surface, which faces said second surface, and the bundle of light rays reflected by said first surface exits from said third surface toward said image plane, and

wherein said first surface is tilted with respect to a straight line along which an axial principal ray passing through a center of the pupil plane of said optical system and reaching a center of the image plane travels after exiting from said pupil plane until it intersects said first surface in a YZ-plane in which light rays are folded such that a distance from said pupil plane to said first surface in a direction parallel to said straight line is shorter at an image plane side of said straight line than at a side of said straight line remote from said image plane.

31. A decentered prism optical system comprising at least three surfaces which are decentered with respect to each other, wherein a space between said at least three surfaces is filled with a transparent medium having a refractive index not smaller than 1.3,

wherein at least two of said at least three surfaces are reflecting surfaces arranged so that at least two internal reflections take place in said optical system,

wherein said at least two reflecting surfaces are disposed such that light rays reflected by these surfaces do not intersect each other in said optical system,

wherein one of said at least two reflecting surfaces is a rotationally asymmetric surface having no axis of rotational symmetry, and at least one other of said reflecting surfaces is arranged such that at least an effective surface thereof having an area that transmits and/or reflects a bundle of light rays in an entire area of the effective surface is formed from a rotationally symmetric surface having an axis of rotational symmetry intercepting the effective surface,

wherein said at least three surfaces include at least a first surface, a second surface, and a third surface,

wherein said first surface has both a transmitting action through which a bundle of light rays enters said optical system or exits therefrom after passing through said first surface, and a reflecting action by which said bundle of light rays is bent in said optical system, said first surface being said rotationally symmetric surface,

wherein said second surface is disposed to face said first surface, said second surface being said rotationally asymmetric surface,

wherein said third surface has a transmitting action through which said bundle of light rays exits from said optical system after passing through said third surface or enters said third surface, said third surface being disposed to face in a direction approximately perpendicular to a direction in which said first surface and said second surface face each other,

wherein said first surface, said second surface and said third surface are disposed such that a bundle of light rays enters said optical system through said first surface and is reflected by said second surface and then reflected by said first surface, and the bundle of light rays reflected by said first surface exits said prism optical system from said third surface, and

said decentered prism optical system being used in a photographic optical apparatus wherein said first surface is disposed at a position where a bundle of light rays from an object enters said optical system, and said third surface is disposed at such a position that the bundle of light rays exiting from said third surface is led to means for receiving an object image, thereby enabling photographing of an object image formed by said bundle of light rays.

32. In a decentered prism optical system consisting of a one-element prism having at least three surfaces decentered with respect to each other, wherein a space between said at least three surfaces is filled with a transparent medium having a refractive index not smaller than 1.3, and wherein a bundle of light rays from an image plane is received to form an exit pupil,

the improvement wherein said optical system comprises at least a first surface formed from a rotationally symmetric surface having both a transmitting action through which the bundle of light rays entering said optical system exits from said optical system and a reflecting action by which said bundle of light rays is bent in said optical system;

a second surface formed from a rotationally asymmetric surface disposed to face said first surface and having an action by which the bundle of light rays entering said optical system is reflected toward said first surface in said optical system; and

a third surface disposed to face said image plane and having an action through which the bundle of light rays from said image plane enters said optical system,

wherein said third surface is disposed to face in a direction approximately perpendicular to a direction in which said first surface and said second surface face each other, and

wherein said first surface has a convex surface directed toward said second surface, and

wherein said first surface, said second surface and said third surface are arranged to constitute said optical system such that at least the bundle of light rays entering said optical system through said third surface passes through an inside of said optical system and is reflected by said first surface, and the bundle of light rays reflected by said first surface passes through the inside of said optical system and is reflected by said second surface so as to exit from said first surface, which faces said second surface, toward the exit pupil, and

wherein said first surface is tilted with respect to a straight line along which an axial principal ray emanating from a center of the image plane of said optical system and reaching a center of the exit pupil travels after exiting from said first surface until it enters said exit pupil in a ZY-plane in which light rays are folded such that a distance from said exit pupil to said first surface in a direction parallel to said straight line is shorter at an image plane side of said straight line than at a side of said straight line remote from said image plane.

33. In a decentered prism optical system consisting of a one-element prism having at least three surfaces decentered with respect to each other, wherein a space between said at least three surfaces is filled with a transparent medium having a refractive index not smaller than 1.3, and wherein a bundle of light rays from a pupil plane is received to form an image plane,

the improvement wherein said optical system comprises at least a first surface formed from a rotationally symmetric surface disposed to face said pupil plane and having both a transmitting action through which the bundle of light rays from said pupil plane enters said optical system and a reflecting action by which said bundle of light rays is bent in said optical system;

a second surface formed from a rotationally asymmetric surface disposed to face said first surface and having an action by which the bundle of light rays entering said optical system is reflected toward said first surface in said optical system; and

a third surface disposed to face in a direction approximately perpendicular to a direction in which said first surface and said second surface face each other and having a transmitting action through which the bundle of light rays entering said optical system exits toward said image plane,

wherein said first surface has a convex surface directed toward said secondsurface, and

wherein said first surface, said second surface and said third surface are arranged to constitute said optical system such that at least the bundle of light rays entering said optical system through said first surface is reflected by said second surface, which faces said first surface, and then reflected by said first surface, which faces said second surface, and the bundle of light rays reflected by said first surface passes through an inside of said optical system and exits from said third surface toward said image plane, and

wherein said first surface is tilted with respect to a straight line along which an axial principal ray passing through a center of the pupil plane of said optical system and reaching a center of the image plane travels after exiting from said pupil plane until it intersects said first surface in a YZ-plane in which light rays are folded such that a distance from said pupil plane to said first surface in a direction parallel to said straight line is shorter at an image plane side of said straight line than at a side of said straight line remote from said image plane.