Decentered optical system

• US 6,104,540 A
• Filed: 01/08/1999
• Issued: 08/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Togino, Takayoshi, Hayakawa, Kazuhito
• Primary Examiner(s): Epps, Georgia
• Assistant Examiner(s): SPECTOR, DAVID N
• Application Number:
  US09/227,212
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 359/631, 359/637, 359/206, 359/216, 359/217, 359/676, 359/720, 250/494.1
• US Class Current: 359/637
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/0816 off-axis or unobscured systems in which not all of the mirrors share a common axis of rotational symmetry, e.g. at least one of the mirrors is warped, tilted or decentered with respect to the other elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/086 wherein the system is made of a single block of optical material, e.g. solid catadioptric systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/011 comprising device for correcting geometrical aberrations, distortion

Abstract

An optical system capable of correcting aberrations due to three-dimensional decentration by using a rotationally asymmetric surface having no plane of symmetry. The optical system includes, from the ray bundle entrance side, a first surface (3) serving as both a first transmitting surface and a second reflecting surface, a second surface (4) as a first reflecting surface, and a third surface (5) as a second transmitting surface. The space between these surfaces is filled with a medium having a refractive index larger than 1. The first surface (3) is a three-dimensional surface having no plane of symmetry.

Claims

1. An ocular optical system comprising:

an image-forming member that forms an observation image; and

a decentered optical system that leads said observation image to a pupil;

said decentered optical system having at least one transmitting surface and at least one reflecting surface, wherein a space lying between these surfaces is filled with a medium having a refractive index larger than 1;

said decentered optical system having at least one optical surface formed form a rotationally asymmetric curved surface having no plane of symmetry.

2. An ocular optical system according to claim 1, wherein said rotationally asymmetric curved surface having no plane of symmetry is provided on at least one reflecting surface of said decentered optical system.

3. An ocular optical system according to claim 2, wherein said reflecting surface is reflectively coated with a thin film of a metal, for example, aluminum or silver, or a multilayer dielectric film.

4. An ocular optical system according to claim 2, wherein said reflecting surface is a totally reflecting surface.

5. A head-mounted image observation apparatus having an ocular optical system as defined in any of claims 1 to 4, and image-forming means for displaying the observation image in the form of an electronic image.

6. A camera having image-forming means including an image-forming optical system that forms an object image, and an ocular optical system as defined in any of claims 1 to 4, said ocular optical system being adapted to view said object image as an observation image.

7. A camera having image-forming means for displaying an object image in the form of an electronic image, and an ocular optical system as defined in any of claims 1 to 4, said ocular optical system being adapted to view said electronic image as an observation image.

8. An image-forming optical system comprising:

a decentered optical system having at least one transmitting surface and at least one reflecting surface, wherein a space lying between these surfaces is filled with a medium having a refractive index larger than 1,

said decentered optical system having at least one optical surface formed form a rotationally asymmetric curved surface having no plane of symmetry.

9. An image-forming optical system according to claim 8, wherein said rotationally asymmetric curved surface having no plane of symmetry is provided on at least one reflecting surface of said decentered optical system.

10. An image-forming optical system according to claim 9, wherein said reflecting surface is reflectively coated with a thin film of a metal, for example, aluminum or silver, or a multilayer dielectric film.

11. An image-forming optical system according to claim 9, wherein said reflecting surface is a totally reflecting surface.

12. An endoscope having an image-forming optical system as defined in any of claims 8 to 11, and an image pickup device that receives an object image formed by said image-forming optical system.

13. An endoscope having an image-forming optical system as defined in any of claims 8 to 11, and an image fiber guide that receives an object image formed by said image-forming optical system.

14. An endoscope having an image-forming optical system as defined in any of claims 8 to 11, and a relay lens that receives an object image formed by said image-forming optical system.

15. An electronic camera having an image-forming optical system as defined in any of claims 8 to 11, and an image pickup device that receives an object image formed by said image-forming optical system.

16. An electronic camera according to claim 15, which has a liquid crystal display monitor that observably displays the object image received by said image pickup device.

17. A camera where an object image produced by an image-forming optical system as defined in any of claims 8 to 11 is formed on a film plane to take a photograph of an object.

18. A camera having an image-forming optical system as defined in any of claims 8 to 11, and an ocular optical system for viewing an object image formed by said image-forming optical system.

19. A pair of binoculars comprising a right optical system for leading an object image to a right eye, and a left optical system for leading an object image to a left eye,

said right optical system including a right decentered optical system acting as a part of an image-forming optical system and/or as a part of an ocular optical system, said right decentered optical system being placed in an image erecting prism,

said left optical system including a left decentered optical system acting as a part of an image-forming optical system and/or as a part of an ocular optical system, said left decentered optical system being placed in an image erecting prism,

said right decentered optical system and said left decentered optical system each having at least one transmitting surface and at least one reflecting surface, wherein a space lying between these surfaces is filled with a medium having a refractive index larger than 1,

said right decentered optical system and said left decentered optical system each having at least one optical surface formed from a rotationally asymmetric curved surface having no plane of symmetry.

20. A microscope comprising an image erecting prism for erecting an object image formed by an objective optical system, and an ocular optical system,

said image erecting prism containing a decentered optical system acting as a part of said ocular optical system,

said decentered optical system having at least one transmitting surface and at least one reflecting surface, wherein a space lying between these surfaces is filled with a medium having a reflective index larger than 1,

said decentered optical system having at least one optical surface formed from a rotationally asymmetric curved surface having no plane of symmetry.