Optical system for imaging an object

• US 9,581,828 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2013
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carl Zeiss AG (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Carl Zeiss Sports Optics GmbH (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Inventors: Tautz, Volker, Mutz, Erhard, Bach, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): FONT, FRANK G
• Application Number:
  US14/372,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20160011433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• Field of Search: 359/407, 359/431, 359554-557, 359/813
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/02 involving prisms or mirrors G02B23/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 25/001 Eyepieces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 25/004 having binocular arrangement
• 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 optical system for imaging an object has at least a first objective, at least a first image stabilizing unit and at least a first eyepiece, wherein, as seen in the direction of the first eyepiece from the first objective, the first objective is arranged first along a first optical axis, then followed by the first image stabilizing unit and then followed by the first eyepiece. The first image stabilizing unit is rotatably mounted in cardan-joint fashion about a first hinge point, and the first hinge point is arranged between the first objective and the first eyepiece. The optical system is distinguished by virtue of the fact that the first image stabilizing unit comprises a first lens unit and at least a further optical element, wherein the first lens unit and the optical element are arranged such that the first lens unit is, together with the optical element, rotatably mounted in cardan-joint fashion about the first hinge point.

Claims

1. An optical system for imaging an object, comprising:

at least one first objective disposed along a first optical axis;

at least one first eyepiece disposed along the first optical axis; and

at least one first image stabilizing unit disposed along the first optical axis between the at least one first objective and the at least one first eyepiece, wherein the at least one first image stabilizing unit is rotatably mounted in cardan-joint fashion about a first hinge point, and wherein the first hinge point is disposed between the at least one first objective and the at least one first eyepiece, wherein the at least one first image stabilizing unit comprises at least one first lens unit and at least one first optical element, wherein the at least one first lens unit and the at least first optical element are disposed such that the at least one first lens unit is, together with the first optical element, rotatably mounted in cardan-joint fashion about the first hinge point, and wherein the at least one first optical element is embodied as first prism erecting system.

2. The optical system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first lens unit is disposed between the at least one first objective and the at least one first optical element.

3. The optical system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first lens unit has a first focal length, wherein the at least one first objective has a second focal length, and wherein the following relationship applies to the first focal length and the second focal length:

|f₁|>

2·

f₂,

wherein f₁ corresponds to the first focal length and wherein f₂ corresponds to the second focal length.

4. The optical system according to claim 1, further comprising one of the following features:

the at least one first lens unit only has a single lens;

or

the at least one first lens unit has at least two lenses.

5. The optical system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of the following features:

the at least one first lens unit has negative refractive power;

the at least one first lens unit is embodied as a first meniscus lens;

or

the at least one first lens unit is embodied as a first meniscus lens, wherein the first meniscus lens has a first concave side, which is oriented in the direction of the at least one first objective.

6. The optical system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first housing, wherein the at least one first objective, the at least one first image stabilizing unit and the at least one first eyepiece are disposed in the first housing.

7. The optical system according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one second objective disposed along a second optical axis;

at least one second eyepiece disposed along the second optical axis; and

at least one second image stabilizing unit disposed along the second optical axis between the at least one second objective and the at least one second eyepiece, wherein the at least one second image stabilizing unit is rotatably mounted in cardan-joint fashion about a second hinge point, wherein the second hinge point is disposed between the at least one second objective and the at least one second eyepiece, and wherein the at least one second image stabilizing unit comprises at least one second lens unit and at least one second optical element, wherein the at least one second lens unit and the at least one second optical element are disposed such that the at least one second lens unit is, together with the at least one second optical element, rotatably mounted in cardan-joint fashion about the second hinge point.

8. The optical system according to claim 7, wherein the at least one second lens unit is disposed between the at least one second objective and the at least one second optical element.

9. The optical system according to claim 7, wherein the at least one second lens unit has a third focal length, wherein the at least one second objective has a fourth focal length, and wherein the following relationship applies to the third focal length and the fourth focal length:

|f₃|>

2·

f₄,

wherein f₃ corresponds to the third focal length and wherein f₄ corresponds to the fourth focal length.

10. The optical system according to claim 7, further comprising one of the following features:

the at least one second lens unit only has a single lens;

or

the at least one second lens unit has at least two lenses.

11. The optical system according to claim 7, further comprising at least one of the following features:

the at least one second lens unit has negative refractive power;

the at least one second lens unit is embodied as a second meniscus lens;

or

the at least one second lens unit is embodied as a second meniscus lens, wherein the second meniscus lens has a second concave side, which is oriented in the direction of the second objective.

12. The optical system according to claim 7, further comprising:

a second housing, wherein the at least one second objective, the at least one second image stabilizing unit and the at least one second eyepiece are disposed in the second housing.

13. The optical system according to claim 7, further comprising one of the following features:

the at least one second optical element is embodied as second erecting system,

the at least one second optical element is embodied as second prism erecting system;

or

the at least one second optical element is embodied as second lens erecting system.

14. The optical system according to claim 12, further comprising:

a first housing, wherein the at least one first objective, the at least one first image stabilizing unit and the at least one first eyepiece are disposed in the first housing, wherein the first housing is connected to the second housing via at least one folding bridge, wherein the at least one folding bridge has a first hinge part disposed on the first housing, and wherein the at least one folding bridge has a second hinge part disposed on the second housing.

15. The optical system according to claim 6, wherein the first housing is embodied as a tube.

16. The optical system according to claim 12, wherein the second housing is embodied as a tube.

17. The optical system according to claim 1, wherein the optical system is embodied as binocular field glasses, as spotting scope or as telescope.

18. The optical system according to claim 1, wherein the optical system is embodied as monocular field glasses.

19. The optical system according to claim 1, wherein the optical system has a magnification in the range from 8 to 80.

20. An optical system for imaging an object, comprising:

at least one first objective disposed along a first optical axis;

at least one first eyepiece disposed along the first optical axis; and

at least one first image stabilizing unit disposed along the first optical axis between the at least one first objective and the at least one first eyepiece, wherein the at least one first image stabilizing unit is rotatably mounted in cardan-joint fashion about a first hinge point, and wherein the first hinge point is disposed between the at least one first objective and the at least one first eyepiece,

wherein the at least one first image stabilizing unit comprises at least one first lens unit and at least one first optical element, wherein the at least one first lens unit and the at least one first optical element are disposed such that the at least one first lens unit is, together with the first optical element, rotatably mounted in cardan-joint fashion about the first hinge point,

wherein the at least one first lens unit has a first focal length, wherein the at least one first objective has a second focal length, and wherein the following relationship applies to the first focal length and the second focal length;

|f₁|>

2·

f₂,

wherein f₁ corresponds to the first focal length and wherein f₂ corresponds to the second focal length.

21. An optical system for imaging an object, comprising:

an objective disposed along an optical axis of the optical system;

an eyepiece disposed along the optical axis; and

an image stabilizing unit having a lens unit and a prism erecting system that move as a unit, the image stabilizing unit being disposed along the optical axis between the objective and the eyepiece and rotatably mounted in cardan-joint fashion to rotate about an axis that is perpendicular to the optical axis.