The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 26, 1999
Filed:
Jan. 20, 1998
Robert B Chipper, Allen, TX (US);
Raytheon Company, Lexington, MA (US);
Abstract
This patent teaches a low cost imager. The imager has an refractive objective lens 10 having a surface with a color correcting diffractive pattern 16 and an infrared transmitting polymeric field lens 18 having a substantially flat surface with a first field-correcting diffractive pattern. In this imager, the first field-correcting diffractive pattern operates to reduce aberrations of an image. In some embodiments, the imager further has a second field-correcting diffractive pattern on the field lens, where the first and second field-correcting diffractive pattern cooperating to reduce aberrations of the image. Additionally, this patent teaches a refractive/diffractive achromatic lens group 30. This achromat 30 can be used in the disclosed imager or in other optical devices. The achromatic group 30 has a refractive lens 10 and a lens 28 having a substantially flat surface with a surface diffractive pattern 16, the surface diffractive pattern cooperating with the refractive lens to reduce chromatic aberrations. Preferably, the second lens is formed from a polymeric sheet. These optics of the present invention can be used in infrared or visible optical devices.