Biocular viewing apparatus
AssigneePilkington P.E. Limited
InventorMichael H. Freeman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for biocular viewing of a distant scene or object especially under daylight conditions comprises an objective lens which produces an initial image, one or two relay lenses with associated reflectors which produce from that initial image a pair of tilted images, and a biocular magnifying eyepiece lens through which an observer views so that each eye receives light from a respective one of the tilted images. The system can be incorporated in a combined day and night viewing system employing common objective lens and eyepiece lens components for the day and night viewing paths.
Claims19
Optical apparatus for biocular viewing having an optical axis comprising an objective lens for receiving light from a distant scene or object and producing an initial image thereof in an image plane, a biocular magnifying eyepiece lens having an object plane, relay lens means disposed between said image plane and said object plane, first reflector means associated with said relay lens means so that light from said initial image travels via the relay lens means and said first reflector means to form substantially in said object plane a first image tilted with respect to the optical axis, and second reflector means associated with said relay lens means so that light from said initial image travels via the relay lens means and said second reflector means to form substantially in said object plane a second image tilted with respect to the optical axis, each of said first and second reflector means comprising a pair of reflecting faces with said faces being tilted with respect to each other and at least one of said faces being tilted with respect to the optical axis so that said second image is tilted in a sense or direction of tilt opposite to that of said first image.
Optical apparatus for biocular viewing having an optical axis comprising an objective lens for receiving light from a distant scene or object and producing an initial image thereof in an image plane, a biocular magnifying eyepiece lens having an object plane, a relay lens, a first pair of reflecting faces positioned at off-axis locations one between said image plane and the relay lens and the other between the relay lens and said object plane, and a second pair of reflecting faces positioned at off-axis locations one between the image plane and the relay lens and the other between the relay lens and said object plane, wherein the reflecting faces between the image plane and the relay lens reflect light from the initial image produced by the objective lens to produce a pair of off-axis virtual objects for the relay lens, and wherein the reflecting faces between the relay lens and said object plane are in tilted disposition with respect to the optical axis and with respect to each other so as to produce from the light transmitted through the relay lens from said respective virtual objects a pair of images tilted in opposite senses or directions with respect to the optical axis and substantially in the object plane of the eyepiece lens.
Optical apparatus for biocular viewing having an optical axis comprising an objective lens for receiving light from a distant scene or object and producing an initial image thereof in an image plane, a biocular magnifying eyepiece lens having an object plane, a first relay lens located at an off-axis position between said image plane and said object plane and to one side of a plane containing the optical axis, a first pair of reflecting faces associated with said first relay lens and located at an off-axis position to said one side of said plane containing the optical axis and in relatively tilted disposition such that light from said initial image transmitted through said first relay lens and reflected from said first pair of reflecting faces forms substantially in said object plane a first image tilted with respect to the optical axis, a second relay lens located at an off-axis position between said image plane and said object plane and to the other side of said plane containing the optical axis, and a second pair of reflecting faces associated with said second relay lens and located at an off-axis position to said other side of said plane containing the optical axis and in relatively tilted disposition such that light from said initial image transmitted through said second relay lens and reflected from said second pair of reflecting faces forms substantially in said object plane a second image tilted with respect to the optical axis in a sense or direction of tilt opposite to that of said first image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.