Patent
1975-12-23
1978-06-06
Henry, Jon W.
350170, 350173, 350174, 350286, G02B 2717, G02B 504
Patent
active
040933547
ABSTRACT:
A method of forming two diverging beams of energy from a single beam of energy including the steps of splitting the single beam of energy into an externally reflected beam and an internally transmitted beam at a first surface on a wedge shaped energy beam splitting device; splitting the internally transmitted beam into an internally reflected beam and an externally transmitted beam at a second surface of the wedge shaped energy beam splitting device, and substantially totally reflecting the internally reflected beam between the first and second surfaces until the internally reflected beam reaches an end of the wedge shaped energy beam splitting device. The above method may further include steps paralleling the above steps wherein two diverging beams of energy are formed from a second beam of energy impinging on the second surface and then combining the two diverging beams with the two diverging beams formed from the beam of energy split by the first surface, to form first and second combined beams. The preferred apparatus for performing the method is an energy beam splitting device having a first surface for splitting an incident beam energy into an externally reflected beam and an internally transmitted beams, a second surface spaced from the first surface for splitting the internally transmitted beam into an externally transmitted beam and into an internally reflected beam, and the second surface intersecting the first surface at an angle that impinges the internally transmitted beam on the second surface at an angle of incidence that is less than the minimum angle necessary for substantially total internal reflection and impinges said internally reflected beam on the first surface at an angle of incidence that exceeds the minimum angle necessary for substantially total internal reflection. The above device may further be used as a beam combiner by having the second surface split a second incident beam of energy into two diverging beams of energy and combining the two beams produced by the first surface with the two beams produced by the second surface to form first and second combined beams.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2631498 (1953-03-01), Barkley
patent: 3001015 (1961-09-01), Weiss
patent: 3520594 (1970-07-01), Kurz
patent: 3806257 (1974-04-01), Amos
Franzen, Article in Applied Optics, vol. 14, No. 3, Mar. 1975, pp. 647-652.
Fletcher James C. Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
Leeb Walter Robert
Henry Jon W.
Manning John R.
Marchant Robert D.
Tresansky John O.
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