Crossed cylindrical lens
AssigneeHoneywell Inc.
InventorNorman L. Stauffer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lenslet array for use in a distance determining system. The array utilizes a plurality of cylindrical lenslets arranged in parallel relation with a crossed cylindrical lens arranged transverse to the lenslets and lying in a plane parallel to the plane of the lenslets. The focal lengths of the lens and the lenslets are chosen so that they project an oblong image in a common image plane. Elongated radiation detectors are positioned within the oblong image.
Claims11
In apparatus for use in an optical system having an objective lens, the objective lens having an optic axis and producing an image of a remote scene at an image plane, lenslets means mounted proximate the image plane and operable to produce an image of the exit pupil of the objective lens and radiation detector means mounted within the image of the exit pupil, the improvement comprising:
- a first cylindrical lens forming a part of the lenslet means, said first cylindrical lens extending in a first direction on a first plane substantially perpendicular to the optic axis;
- and
- a plurality of second cylindrical lenses forming a part of the lenslet means spaced from said first cylindrical lens along the optic axis and extending in a second direction on a second plane substantially perpendicular to the optic axis and transverse to the first direction so that the image of the exit pupil is oblong.
Apparatus of the class described comprising:
- an objective lens having an optic axis and a first image plane;
- and
- a lenslet array mounted proximate the image plane and comprising a plurality of cylindrical lenslets arranged in side by side relation along substantially parallel axes, a cylindrical lens arranged proximate to said plurality of lenslets along an axis which is transverse to the axes of said lenslets and lying in a plane parallel thereto, said lenslet array producing at a second image plane a plurality of images of the exit pupil of said objective lens which images are oblong in shape.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.