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US 4,357,075 AGranted
Confocal reflector system
OwnerThomas M. Hunterinventor
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OwnerThomas M. Hunterinventor
Estimating the term…
A reflective focussing system comprises two concave reflectors. Each reflector is a surface of revolution generated by rotating selected quadratic conic sections about an axis. The first reflector has its first focus on the axis and the second reflector has its first focus on, or at least centered on, the axis, and located on the side of the second reflector remote from the first reflector. The second foci of the reflectors are commonly located. Alternative arrangements are disclosed in which the second foci of the two reflectors are not commonly located, but further means is provided to project radiation from the first reflector to the second focus of the second reflector; in which one or both of said foci are rings centered on the axis rather than points; in which adjacent pairs of reflectors are divided into portions, corresponding portions of the pair being confocal, but different portions sharing different common foci; and in which radiation projected from said two reflectors crosses the axis nil, one or a plurality of times.
A reflective focussing system for projecting an image of an object located at an object position on the axis of symmetry of the system to an image position along said axis, said system being characterized by two confocal concave reflector means, generated by rotating a quadratic conic section about said axis, of which the first reflector means is arranged with a first focus at said object position such that it receives radiation from the object travelling at angles between 30 degrees and 150 degrees to said axis, and the second reflector means is arranged with a first focus centred on said axis, the second foci of said reflector means being at least substantially common, the first focus of the second reflector means being located on the side of the second reflector means remote from the first reflector means.
A reflective focussing system for projecting an image of an object located at an object position on the axis of symmetry of the system to an image position along said axis, said system being characterised by two confocal concave reflector means, generated by rotating a quadratic conic section about said axis, of which the first reflector means is arranged with a first focus at said object position such that it receives radiation from the object travelling at angles between 30 degrees and 150 degrees to said axis, and the second reflector means is arranged with a first focus centred on said axis, further means being provided to project radiation focussed at the second focus of the first reflector means to a focus at the second focus of the second reflector means, the first focus of the second reflector means being located on the side of the second reflector means remote from the first reflector means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.