Patent ID: 8081291

Claim:
An electro-optical zoom lens system, comprising: a linear polarizer that receives input light and outputs linearly polarized light; a first wave plate positioned to receive said linearly polarized light and to output circularly polarized light; a second wave plate positioned to receive said circularly polarized light and to output linearly polarized light; a polarization rotator positioned to receive said linearly polarized light from said second wave plate, said polarization rotator being rotatable from a first position to a second position when activated and arranged such that it transmits linearly polarized light having a first polarization state when in said first position and transmits linearly polarized light having a second polarization state which is orthogonal to said first polarization state when in said second position; and a zoom lens system positioned to receive said linearly polarized light from said polarization rotator and arranged to magnify said light to a first power when said light has said first polarization state and to a second power different from said first power when said light has said second polarization state.