Multiple imaging system and method for designing same
First Claim
1. An optical system comprising:
- a first optical sub-system;
a second optical sub-system;
an aperture stop optically disposed between said first optical sub-system and said second optical sub-system;
said first optical sub-system being capable of directing incoming electromagnetic radiation to a location of said aperture stop;
a beam separating sub-system capable of receiving electromagnetic radiation from said first optical subsystem and separating received electromagnetic radiation into a plurality of beams of electromagnetic radiation, a location of said beam separating sub-system being substantially coincident with the location of said aperture stop; and
said second optical sub-system being capable of imaging said plurality of beams of electromagnetic radiation received from said beam separating sub-system into a plurality of images on an image plane.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An optical system of the present invention produces multiple simultaneous adjoining images on a single image plane. The optical system includes a first optical sub-system, a second optical sub-system, an aperture stop located between the first optical sub-system and the second optical sub-system, and a beam separating sub-system located at a plane substantially coincident with the aperture stop. The beam separating sub-system can receive electromagnetic radiation from the first optical sub-system and can separate the received electromagnetic radiation into multiple beams of electromagnetic radiation. The second optical sub-system images the multiple beams of electromagnetic radiation received from the beam separating sub-system into multiple images on an image plane. The beam separating sub-system includes one or more beam separating components and a mid-system filter system. An output filter, overlaid on the imaging plane, prevents light from any one of the images from passing through to the portion of the image plane corresponding to any one of the other images.
22 Citations
34 Claims
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1. An optical system comprising:
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a first optical sub-system;
a second optical sub-system;
an aperture stop optically disposed between said first optical sub-system and said second optical sub-system;
said first optical sub-system being capable of directing incoming electromagnetic radiation to a location of said aperture stop;
a beam separating sub-system capable of receiving electromagnetic radiation from said first optical subsystem and separating received electromagnetic radiation into a plurality of beams of electromagnetic radiation, a location of said beam separating sub-system being substantially coincident with the location of said aperture stop; and
said second optical sub-system being capable of imaging said plurality of beams of electromagnetic radiation received from said beam separating sub-system into a plurality of images on an image plane. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method for producing multiple images of a single object scene comprising the steps of:
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delivering electromagnetic radiation from the single object scene to an aperture stop at a mid-plane;
separating into a plurality of beams of electromagnetic radiation the electromagnetic radiation delivered to the mid-plane;
focusing the plurality of beams of electromagnetic radiation into a plurality of focused beams focused onto an imaging plane;
forming a plurality of images on the imaging plane from said plurality of focused beams. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34)
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Specification