Common aperture vision system

• US 7,283,307 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2005
• Issued: 10/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Incorporated (BAE Systems Plc)
• Original Assignee: Oasis Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Plotsker, Vadim, Couture, Michael E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ben; Loha
• Application Number:
  US11/176,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20060245070A1
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 359629-634, 359637-640, 359/206, 359/207, 359/365, 359/366, 359/368, 359/385, 359/389, 359/353, 359/400, 359/651, 359/668, 359/618, 359/727, 359/728, 359/859, 359/245, 353/31, 353/69, 353/77, 353/99, 353/122, 353/20, 356/326, 356/417, 356/419, 356/401, 250/226, 250/330, 250/332, 250/458.1, 250/461.1, 250/461.2, 250/347, 345 7- 9, 348/E5.141, 348/E9.027
• US Class Current: 359/634
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/22 Telecentric objectives or lens systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/0808 on-axis systems with at least one of the mirrors having a central aperture
• 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 17/0852 having a field corrector only
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/0896 with variable magnification or multiple imaging planes, including multispectral systems systems with only refractive elements G02B15/14
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0025 for optical correction, e.g. distorsion, aberration

Abstract

An optical device comprises a dichroic beamsplitter for splitting an object beam into a reflected beam having a first waveband and a transmitted beam having a second waveband; an astigmatism-correcting lens element, disposed in the optical path of the transmitted beam; and a coma-correcting lens element, disposed in the optical path of the transmitted beam.

Claims

1. An optical device, comprising:

a dichroic beamsplitter for splitting an object beam into a reflected beam having a first waveband and a transmitted beam having a second waveband;

an astigmatism correcting lens element, disposed in the optical path of the transmitted beam; and

a coma correcting lens element, disposed in the optical path of the transmitted beam.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the astigmatism correcting element includes a toroidal lens element.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the astigmatism correcting lens element includes a cylindrical lens element.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the coma correcting lens element includes a decentered lens element.

5. The device of claim 1, further including a common aperture objective group.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the common aperture objective group includes a catadioptric assembly, comprising:

a front focusing element;

a primary mirror; and

a secondary mirror integral with the front focusing element.

7. The device of claim 1 further including a first focal point array detector for converting the reflected beam into a first electrical signal.

8. The device of claim 7 further including a display for converting the first electrical signal into a first image beam.

9. The device of claim 8 further including an image intensifier for intensifying and converting the transmitted beam into a second image beam.

10. The device of claim 9 further including a secondary beamsplitter for fusing the first and the second image beams.

11. The device of claim 8 further including a processor for processing the first electrical signal.

12. The device of claim 8 further including a second focal point array detector for converting the transmitted beam into a second electrical signal.

13. The device of claim 12 further including an additional display for converting the second electrical signal into a second image beam.

14. The device of claim 13 further including a secondary beamsplitter for fusing the first and the second image beams.

15. The device of claim 12 further including a processor for processing the second electrical signal.

16. The device of claim 7 further including:

a second focal point array detector for converting the transmitted beam into a second electrical signal;

a processor for converting the first and the second electrical signals into a fused image signal; and

a display for converting the fused image signal into a fused image beam.

17. A method of displaying images, comprising:

directing an object beam at a dichroic beamsplitter, thereby splitting the object beam into a reflected beam having a first waveband and a transmitted beam having a second waveband;

directing the transmitted beam at an astigmatism correcting lens element, thereby correcting the transmitted beam for astigmatic aberration; and

directing the transmitted beam at a coma correcting lens element, thereby correcting the transmitted beam for axial coma.

18. The method of claim 17 further including

directing the reflected beam at a first focal point array detector thereby converting the reflected beam into a first electrical signal.

19. The method of claim 18 further including

driving a display with the first electrical signal, thereby generating a first image beam.

20. The method of claim 19, further including

directing the transmitted beam at an image intensifier, thereby intensifying and converting the transmitted beam into a second image beam.

21. The method of claim 20, further including

directing the first and the second image beams at a secondary beamsplitter, thereby fusing the first and the second image beams.

22. The method of claim 21, further including processing the first electrical signal.

23. The method of claim 19 further including

directing the transmitted beam at a second focal point array detector thereby converting the transmitted beam into a second electrical signal.

24. The method of claim 23 further including

driving an additional display with the second electrical signal, thereby converting the second electrical signal into a second image beam.

25. The method of claim 24, further including

directing the first and the second image beams at a secondary beamsplitter, thereby fusing the first and the second image beams.

26. The method of claim 24, further including processing the first electrical signal.

27. The method of claim 18, further including:

directing the transmitted beam at a second focal point array detector, thereby converting the transmitted beam into a second electrical signal;

converting the first and the second electrical signals into a fused image signal; and

driving a display with the fused image signal, thereby converting the fused image signal into a fused image beam.