Carl-zeiss-stiftung

Erwin Altenheiner

Joachim Hornschu

Volker Donn

Artur Jung

Walter Jachan

Willi Lehrmund

Gunther Schlicht

A new binocular telescope with a central pivot shaft or pin has a first adjustment knob at the eyepiece end of the shaft for joint focusing of both telescopes, and a second adjustment knob at the objective end of the shaft for focusing an individual one of the telescopes, to provide a correction or compensation for defective vision of the user of the instrument. With the exception of the adjustment knobs, all mechanical and optical elements are contained within the telescope housing. The telescope is characterized, in particular, by a slight depth of the hinge shaft to the ascending outer shape of the housing.

Binocular telescope with central control

The invention contemplates a binocular telescope wherein a bridge interconnects offset arms of separate individual telescope housings on spaced articulation axes, to enable compact folding of the telescopes along opposite sides of the bridge, when not in use. A first single control element provides ganged positioning control of corresponding focusing optical elements within both the respective telescope housings, and a second single control element provides independent adjustment of the focusing optical element within one to the exclusion of the other telescope housing. In the specific disclosed embodiment, a spring-loaded lost-motion connection between the ganged control structure and the mount for the focusing optical element enables the second single control element to provide for adjusted single-eye corrective accommodation without affecting the ganged focusing displacement produced by adjustment of the first single control element.

Binocular telescope having a double-joint connecting bridge

The invention contemplates an improved binocular telescope construction of the variety wherein a bridge provides articulated connection of the two telescope systems, so that by folding at least one of these articulated systems back against a side of the bridge, the instrument may be compacted when not in use. The invention is particularly concerned with provision of a single focusing drive for the focusing optical elements of both telescope systems, the drive being operative regardless of the extent of articulated expansion or contraction of the bridge-connected systems. The invention also features provision of such focusing by movement of optical elements contained within the overall telescope-housing length, so that such length does not change in the course of focusing. Various embodiments are described.

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Waldsolms, Germany

Erwin Altenheiner