Patent ID: 7327513
Filing Date: 2008-02-05
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for viewing a target scene remote from the apparatus, the apparatus comprising: a housing; a primary lens that produces an image of the target scene at the primary lens' image plane, the target scene being remote from and external to said housing; at least one optical element located between an exit pupil of said primary lens and a focal plane of said primary lens, said at least one optical element being configured for providing image plane duplication at each of first and second image planes beyond an exit aperture of said at least one optical element; an optical magnifier positioned for magnifying a region of an image at the first image plane while leaving at least another region of the image not magnified, thus producing a magnified image of a region of the target scene utilizing a high spatial frequency inherent in the primary lens' image plane; at least one collimator pair disposed between said at least one optical element and said optical magnifier; a first detector for receiving the magnified image; a second detector for receiving an image at the second image plane; wherein said primary lens is at least partially external to said housing, and wherein said at least one optical element, said optical magnifier, said at least one collimator pair, said first detector, and said second detector are internal to said housing.