Catoptric and catadioptric imaging systems
AssigneeZetetic Institute
InventorHenry A. Hill
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention features an imaging system for imaging an object point to an image point. The system includes: a beam splitter positioned to receive light rays from the object point and separate each ray into a transmitted portion and a reflected portion, the transmitted portions defining a first set of rays and the reflected portions defining a second set of rays; and a reflecting surface positioned to receive one of the sets of rays from the beam splitter and focus that set of rays towards the image point via the beam splitter.
Claims54
An imaging system for imaging an object point to an image point, the system comprising:
- a beam splitter positioned to receive light rays from the object point and separate each ray into a transmitted portion and a reflected portion, the transmitted portions defining a first set of rays and the reflected portions defining a second set of rays;
- and
- a reflecting surface positioned to receive one of the sets of rays from the beam splitter and focus that set of rays towards the image point via the beam splitter, wherein the reflecting surface comprises multiple curved facets each having a common center of curvature.
An imaging method for imaging an object point to an image point, the method comprising:
- receiving light rays from the object point and separating each ray into a transmitted portion and a reflected portion with a beam splitter, the transmitted portions defining a first set of rays and the reflected portions defining a second set of rays;
- and
- receiving one of the sets of rays from the beam splitter and reflecting that set of rays to focus them towards the image point via the beam splitter, wherein the reflecting comprises using a reflective surface comprising multiple curved facets each having a common center of curvature.
An imaging system comprising:
- a beam splitter positioned to receive light rays from an object point and separate each ray into a transmitted portion and a reflected portion, the transmitted portions defining a first set of rays and the reflected portions defining a second set of rays;
- a first reflecting surface positioned to receive the first sets of rays from the beam splitter and focus that set of rays towards a first image point via the beam splitter, wherein the first reflecting surface reflects the first set of rays back to the beam splitter, and wherein the beam splitter is positioned to reflect at least a portion of each ray received from the first reflecting surface to the first image point;
- and
- a second reflecting surface positioned to receive the second set of rays from the beam splitter and focus that set of rays towards a second image point via the beam splitter, wherein the second reflecting surface reflects the second set of rays back to the beam splitter, and wherein the beam splitter is positioned to transmit at least a portion of each ray received from the second reflecting surface to the second image point,
- wherein the first and second image points are separated spatially from one another.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.