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US 6,191,863 B1Granted
Device and process for extinguishing a source
AssigneeCentre National De La Recherche Scientifique
InventorJean Gay
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to a device and process for extinguishing a source. Said device comprises an interferometer (2) which receives an incident light beam (10) emanating from a central point source. The interferometer has a separator (4) separating the incident beam into two secondary beams (13, 14) with the same focal power, and two arms (5,6) each equipped with an optical system, and having optical paths of equal length. Combining elements (7) merge the secondary beam into one output beam (12).
Claims12
A device for extinguishing a source comprising:
- means (1) for receiving an incident light beam (10) emanating from a punctual central source,
- a beam splitter (4, 58) receiving the incident beam (10) from the receiving means (1) and separating the said beam (10) into two secondary beams (13, 14) having the same optical power,
- two arms (5, 6, 75, 76) each provided with an optical system and traversed respectively by the secondary beams (13, 14), whereas the arms (5, 6, 75, 76) have optical paths of the same length and whereas the optical systems have opposite enlargements causing pupil turn-up in one of both arms (76) with respect to the pupil of the other arm (75), and
- means (7, 58) to combine secondary beams (5, 6, 75, 76) into an output beam (12), so that the contribution of the punctual source is cancelled in the output beam (12),
- characterised in that the said optical systems having focuses (F1, F2, F′1, F′2, C′1, C′2, S′1, S′2), principal planes (31, 32, 103, 104) and antiprincipal planes (33, 34, 105, 106), each of the focuses, principal planes and antiprincipal planes of one of the two optical systems is respectively superimposed on a focus, an antiprincipal plane and a principal plane of the other optical system after formation of the output beam (12) and the arms (5, 6, 75, 76) each having a number of passages through at least one of the focuses of the optical system corresponding to the said arm, the number of passages differs by an odd number.
2 more elements
A device for extinguishing a source in which:
- an incident luminous beam (10) is received, coming from a punctual central source,
- the incident beam (10) is sent to an interferometer (2, 50) and the incident beam (11) is separated into two secondary beams (13, 14) of the same optical power,
- the secondary beams (13, 14) are made to travel in the interferometer (2, 50) over optical trajectories of the same length and opposite enlargements are generated for the secondary beams (13, 14), causing pupil turn-up for one of the secondary beams, and
- the secondary beams (13, 14) are combined into an output beam (12), so that the punctual source has an extinguished contribution in the output beam (12),
- characterised in that each of the secondary beams (13, 14) passing through an optical system having focuses (F1, F2, F′1, F′2, C′1, C′2, S′1, S′2), principal planes (31, 32, 103, 104) and antiprincipal planes (33, 34, 105, 106), each of the focuses, principal planes and antiprincipal planes of one of the two optical systems is respectively superimposed on a focus, an antiprincipal plane and a principal plane of the other optical system after formation of the output beam (12) and each of the secondary beams (13, 14) having a number of passages through at least one of the focuses of the optical system corresponding to this secondary beam, the number of passages differs by an odd number.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.