Patent ID: 7092167

Claim:
A system to produce orthogonal beams, the system comprising: a light source for generating a beam of laser light; a collimating lens and aperture arrangement producing at least three collimated, apertured parallel beams of laser light; and an optic to receive the three collimated parallel beams of laser light, reflecting and transmitting the three collimated parallel beams of laser light to produce at least four orthogonal beams of light, said orthogonal beams of light being oriented and positioned so as to appear to have originated at a single coincident point, and said four orthogonal beams of light being generally equal in power, wherein said optic comprises: a right angle triangular solid component, wherein the right angle triangular solid component hypotenuse face is positioned and coated with a reflective material both to reflect and to transmit one of said collimated parallel beams of laser light; at least two right angle trapezoidal solid components, wherein the right angle trapezoidal solid components are each positioned to reflect one of said collimated parallel beams of laser light, said two right angle trapezoidal solid components reflecting beams in opposite directions; and a right angle trapezoidal solid component that is positioned adjacent to the hypotenuse face of the right angle triangular solid component coated with the reflective material, wherein the right angle triangular solid component and right angle trapezoidal solid component have the same refracting index and wherein the right angle trapezoidal solid component transmits without refraction the portion of the beam which is transmitted through said right angle triangular component.