Compact electro-optical sensor assembly having single aperture for multiple detectors
First Claim
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1. An apparatus, comprising:
- a focusing mirror arrangement which is operative to receive radiation traveling along a first optical path, and to focus the received radiation to travel along a second optical path;
a part defining an aperture, wherein the first optical path extends through said aperture;
a beam splitter disposed along the second optical path and operative to cause a first portion of the radiation which has a first wavelength to be directed along a third optical path and to cause a second portion of the radiation which has a second wavelength different from the first wavelength to be directed along a fourth optical path different from the third optical path;
a first detector disposed along the third optical path and operative to detect radiation at the first wavelength;
a second detector disposed along the fourth optical path and operative to detect radiation at the second wavelength;
a first lens arrangement disposed along the third optical path between said beam splitter and said first detector; and
a second lens arrangement disposed along the fourth optical path between said beam splitter and said second detectors;
wherein a region is bounded by a length dimension less than 1.5 times a transverse dimension of said aperture and by transverse dimensions less than the transverse dimension of said aperture, the region having therein said focusing mirror arrangement, said beam splitter, said first and second detectors, and said first and second lens arrangements.
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Abstract
A sensor assembly (10) includes first and second focusing mirrors (21, 22) which direct converging radiation to a tilted beam splitter (31) through an opening (23) provided in the first mirror. The beam splitter passes selected infrared radiation, which then passes through a lens system (33, 34, 41) to an infrared detector (16). The beam splitter reflects other radiation, which then passes through a different lens system (46, 56, 58, 61, 62, 67, 68, 69) to a second beam splitter (73). The second beam splitter passes laser light, which travels through a lens (77) to a laser light detector (18). The second beam splitter reflects near-infrared radiation, so that it travels to a further detector (17).
42 Citations
33 Claims
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1. An apparatus, comprising:
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a focusing mirror arrangement which is operative to receive radiation traveling along a first optical path, and to focus the received radiation to travel along a second optical path;
a part defining an aperture, wherein the first optical path extends through said aperture;
a beam splitter disposed along the second optical path and operative to cause a first portion of the radiation which has a first wavelength to be directed along a third optical path and to cause a second portion of the radiation which has a second wavelength different from the first wavelength to be directed along a fourth optical path different from the third optical path;
a first detector disposed along the third optical path and operative to detect radiation at the first wavelength;
a second detector disposed along the fourth optical path and operative to detect radiation at the second wavelength;
a first lens arrangement disposed along the third optical path between said beam splitter and said first detector; and
a second lens arrangement disposed along the fourth optical path between said beam splitter and said second detectors;
wherein a region is bounded by a length dimension less than 1.5 times a transverse dimension of said aperture and by transverse dimensions less than the transverse dimension of said aperture, the region having therein said focusing mirror arrangement, said beam splitter, said first and second detectors, and said first and second lens arrangements. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22)
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19. An apparatus comprising:
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a focusing mirror arrangement which is operative to receive radiation traveling along a first optical path and to focus the received radiation to travel along a second optical path;
a part defining an aperture, wherein the first optical path extends through said aperture;
a first beam splitter disposed along the second optical path and operative to cause a first portion of the radiation to be directed along a third optical path and a second portion of the radiation to be directed along a fourth optical path different from the third optical path;
a first detector disposed along the third optical path and operative to detect radiation at a first wavelength;
a first lens arrangement disposed along the third optical path between said first beam splitter and said first detector;
a second beam splitter disposed along the fourth optical path and operative to cause respective portions of the radiation traveling along the fourth optical path to be respectively directed along fifth and sixth optical paths which are different;
a second detector disposed along the fifth optical path and operative to detect radiation at a second wavelength different from the first wavelength;
a third detector disposed along the sixth optical path and operative to detect radiation at a third wavelength different from each of the first and second wavelengths;
a second lens arrangement disposed along the fourth optical path; and
a third lens arrangement disposed along the fifth optical path;
wherein a region is bounded by a length dimension less than 1.5 times a transverse dimension of said aperture and by transverse dimensions less than the transverse dimension of said aperture, the region having therein said focusing mirror arrangement, said first and second beam splitters, said first, second and third detectors, and said first, second and third lens arrangements. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. An apparatus comprising:
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a part defining an aperture, wherein a first optical path extends through said aperture and wherein the first optical path is free of refractive and diffractive optical elements;
a focusing mirror arrangement which is operative to receive radiation traveling alone a first portion of the first optical path prior to said focusing mirror arrangement, and to focus the received radiation to travel along a second portion of the first optical path subsequent to said focusing mirror arrangement;
a beam splitter responsive to radiation traveling along the second portion of the first optical path and operative to cause a first portion of the radiation which has a first wavelength to be directed along a second optical path and to cause a second portion of the radiation which has a second wavelength different from the first wavelength to be directed along a third optical path different from the second optical path;
a first detector disposed along the second optical path and operative to detect radiation at the first wavelength;
a second detector disposed along the third optical path and operative to detect radiation at the second wavelength;
a first lens arrangement disposed along the second optical path between said beam splitter and said first detector; and
a second lens arrangement disposed along the third optical path between said beam splitter and said second detector;
wherein a region is bounded by a length dimension less than 1.5 times a transverse dimension of said aperture and by transverse dimensions less than the transverse dimension of said aperture, the region having therein said apertures, said focusing mirror arrangement, said beam splitter, said first and second detectors, and said first and second lens arrangements. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33)
a further beam splitter disposed along the third optical path between said second detector and said second lens arrangement and operative to cause the second portion of the radiation having the second wavelength to continue traveling along the third optical path and to cause a third portion of the radiation having a third wavelength different from each of the first and second wavelengths to be directed along a fourth optical path which is different from the third optical path;
a third detector disposed along the fourth optical path and operative to detect radiation at the third wavelength; and
a third lens arrangement disposed along the fourth optical path.
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33. An apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the radiation traveling along the first portion of the first optical path is collimated radiation;
- and wherein the region has therein said further beam splitter, said third detector, and said third lens arrangement.
Specification