Optical element

• US 6,616,287 B2
• Filed: 12/01/1998
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kumagai, Fumiaki, Sekita, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): CHERRY, EUNCHA P
• Application Number:
  US09/201,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20020041453A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,743 Days
• Field of Search: 359/834, 359/858, 359/859, 359/861, 359/633, 359/727, 359/631, 359/730, 359/731, 359/857, 295/271, 295/272, 295/273
• US Class Current: 359/858
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/0663 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 17/0848 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

Abstract

This invention has as its object to prevent deterioration of optical performance by suppressing the respective reflection surfaces from being decentered relative to each other in an optical element formed by placing a plurality of reflection surfaces having curvatures at neighboring positions. In order to achieve this object, an optical element according to this invention has a first reflection surface block formed by placing a plurality of reflection surfaces having curvatures at neighboring positions, and a second reflection surface block which faces the first reflection surface block, and is formed by placing one or more reflection surfaces at neighboring positions, and the first and second reflection surface blocks are formed by a metal mold.

Claims

1. A method for forming an optical element by using a metal mold which compensates for relative positions of plural reflection surfaces, said method comprising the steps of:

forming on a transparent member a first reflection surface group, comprising a plurality of reflection surfaces each having different curvature and arrayed in a predetermined direction, and a second reflection surface group, which opposes said first reflection surface group and comprises a plurality of optical surfaces including at least one reflection surface, each having different curvature and arrayed in the predetermined direction,

wherein said plurality of reflection surfaces of said first reflection surface group and said at least one reflection surface of said second reflection surface group are integrally molded by a metal mold having shapes each corresponding to each shape of said reflection surfaces.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein one or a plurality of reflection surface groups, which do not oppose said first and second reflection surface groups, are placed on the surface of said transparent member next to said first and second reflection surface groups.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein refraction surfaces for making light enter and leave said optical element are formed on the surface of said transparent member.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein a holding portion for fixing said optical element to a member to which said optical element is to be fixed is formed on said optical element, and wherein the metal mold compensates for the relative positions of said plurality of reflection surfaces of said first reflection surface group and said at least one reflection surface of said second reflection surface group and said holding portion.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said holding portion is formed on a portion other than effective light ray portions of the reflection surfaces.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein a hole for moving or fixing said optical element is formed in said optical element.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein said hole is formed on portions other than effective light ray portions of the reflection surfaces.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein said metal mold is constructed by metal mold units divided in units of the respective reflection surfaces of said first and second reflection surface groups and refraction surfaces, and said optical element is formed by said metal mold.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein said metal mold forms the neighboring reflection surfaces of each of said first and second reflection surface groups by a single, continuous surface, and said optical element is formed by combining that metal mold and another metal mold.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein said metal mold has the plurality of reflection surfaces and a neighboring portion which neighbors the plurality of reflection surfaces, and said optical element is formed by that metal mold.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein said metal mold is subjected to a light-shielding process on a portion other than an effective light ray portion corresponding to each of said first and second reflection surface groups.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein said metal mold is constructed by a plurality of mirror surfaces each having a rectangular shape of an arbitrary size, irrespective of circular and polygonal shapes and effective range sizes of effective light ray portions of said first and second reflection surface groups.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of reflection surfaces of said first reflection surface group includes neighboring reflection surfaces neighboring each other, wherein said metal mold adjusts sizes of the neighboring reflection surfaces by broadening mirror surface portions irrespective of a size difference of effective light ray ranges of the neighboring reflection surfaces.