Image stabilizing instrument

• US 6,067,194 A
• Filed: 09/29/1997
• Issued: 05/23/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Leica Camera AG (Lisa Germany Holding GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Leica Camera AG (Lisa Germany Holding GmbH)
• Inventors: Stroemberg, Rolf
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THONG Q
• Application Number:
  US08/937,592
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: 359/554-557, 359/407-412, 359/900, 359/480-482, 396/52-55, 348/208
• US Class Current: 359/557
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/18 for binocular arrangements focusing binocular pairs G02B7/06; adjusting pupillary distance of binocular pairs G02B7/12
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/646 compensating for small deviations, e.g. due to vibration or shake movement of one or more optical elements for control of motion blur in cameras, projectors or printers G03B2205/0007; image stabilisation in cameras peculiar to the presence or use of an electronic image sensor H04N23/68

Abstract

An image stabilizing instrument, for example for a binocular, in which synchronous image stability is achieved by fastening two objectives (2, 2'"'"') and two attached first reflecting optical elements (3, 3'"'"') to a stabilized frame (22), uni-axially pivoted in a cardanic part (11). Second optical elements (4, 4'"'"') in each of two parts of the binocular are fastened to the cardanic part (11), which in turn is uni-axially pivoted in the binocular housing (9). The front window fastened to the housing is designed as a color-correcting lens (106) to correct for color aberration.

Claims

1. An image stabilizing optical instrument, comprising:

a housing (9;

     43);

a cardanic part (11;

     49) connected to the housing via a suspension for rotary motion about a first pivot axis (12;

     50); and

an objective lens system (2;

     37), a first optical element (3;

     38) including a reflecting surface, and a second optical element (4;

     40) including at least one reflecting surface, along a light path, wherein at least some part of the objective lens system (2;

     37) and the first optical element (3;

     38) are fastened together to constitute a unit (22;

     58) that is connected to the cardanic part (11;

     49) via suspension for rotary motion about a second pivot axis (25;

     44), the second optical element (4;

     40) being fastened to the cardanic part (11;

     49);

the objective lens system having an unstabilized part (106) and a stabilized part, wherein the unstabilized part (106) has a difference in focal length between two wavelengths to at least partly compensate for chromatic aberration caused by refraction in the instrument when said stabilized part of the instrument is decentered.

2. An instrument according to claim 1, comprising:

two objective lens systems each having an unstabilized part (106, 106'"'"') and a stabilized part (2, 2'"'"';

37, 37'"'"');

two realizations of the first optical element (3, 3'"'"';

38, 38'"'"'), each realization having at least one reflecting surface; and

two realizations of the second optical element (4, 4'"'"';

40, 40'"'"'), each realization having at least one reflecting surface;

wherein at least part of the objective lens systems (2, 2'"'"';

37, 37'"'"') and the two first optical elements (3, 3'"'"';

38, 38'"'"') are connected together to comprise said unit (22;

     58), which is connected to the cardanic part via a suspension for rotary motion about said second pivot axis (25;

     44), both second optical elements (4, 4'"'"';

40, 40'"'"') are fastened to the cardanic part, and the unstabilized part of the objective lens system (106, 106'"'"') is fastened to the housing.

3. An instrument according to claim 2, wherein incident and exit central rays of each of the two first optical elements differ by an angle of at least 15 degrees.

4. An instrument according to claim 3, wherein both exit central rays from the two first optical elements are aimed at one and the same point.

5. An instrument according to claim 2, wherein each one of the two first optical elements is a mirror, and each one of the two second optical elements is a mirror.

6. An instrument according to claim 5, further comprising a positive lens (5, 5'"'"') following each one of the two second optical elements.

7. An instrument according to claim 6, wherein the reflective surface of each one of the second optical elements is concave.

8. An instrument according to claim 2, wherein each one of the two first optical elements is a mirror (38, 38'"'"') and each one of the two second optical elements is a Schmidt prism (40, 40'"'"').

9. An instrument according to claim 8, wherein each of the two Schmidt prisms is followed, as seen along the light path, by a prism (41, 41'"'"').

10. An instrument according to claim 1, further comprising a uni-axially suspended unit (10) having two parallel reflecting surfaces and an ocular.