US 6,980,379 B1 · Flat wide-angle objective

Abstract

A flat wide-angle objective of the invention consists of a first sub-unit that is located on the object side of the objective and includes an assembly of two conventional aspheric negative, plano-concave lenses, and a second sub-unit in the form of a set of four microlens arrays arranged on the image-receiving side of the objective. The microlenses of all microlens arrays have the same arrangement of microlenses in all the arrays. A diaphragm array with restricting openings can be sandwiched between a pair of the microlens arrays. The invention makes it possible to reduce longitudinal dimension of the objective. In operation, the first sub-unit creates an imaginary image of the object in its focal plane, which is located on object side of the objective, while the second sub-unit creates an actual image of the object in the image plane on the image-receiving side of the objective.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A flat wide-angle objective for creating a real image of an object, said flat wide-angle objective having an object side and an image-receiving side and comprising:

a first sub-unit located on said object side, said first sub-unit having a focal plane on said object side and comprising at least two negative aspheric lenses that create an imaginary image of said object in said focal plane;
and
a second sub-unit located on said image-receiving side having an image plane of said flat wide-angle objective on said image-receiving side and comprising a set of microlens arrays;
said second-sub-unit having an object plane that coincides with said focal plane of said first-sub-unit so that said second sub-unit forms said real image of said object in said image plane of said flat wide-angle objective.

1 more element

A flat wide-angle objective for creating a real image of an object, said flat wide-angle objective having an object side and an image-receiving side and comprising:

a first sub-unit located on said object side, said first sub-unit having a focal plane on said object side and comprising two plano-concave aspheric lenses that create an imaginary image of said object in said focal plane;
and
a second sub-unit located on said image-receiving side having an image plane of said flat wide-angle objective on said image-receiving side and comprising a set of microlens arrays;
said second-sub-unit having an object plane that coincides with said focal plane of said first-sub-unit so that said second sub-unit forms said real image of said object in said image plane of said flat wide-angle objective with an image-transfer ratio of 1:1.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Flat wide-angle objective

Life of this patent

Flat wide-angle objective

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20