Optical System for Color Television Cameras

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to an optical system for a color television camera, and more particularly to an optical system for a color television camera provided with an interchangeable taking lens.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In a color television camera, a color separating prism block is located behind a taking lens system and three image pick-up tubes are located behind the color separating prism block for three colors, i.e. red, green and blue. The axial position of the three image pick-up tubes is controlled to always obtain sharp images on their image receiving face. In order to finely control the axial position of the image pick-up tubes, there have been employed tracking means in each tube in the conventional color television cameras.

The positions of the focal planes of the three different color images are different from each other due to the chromatic aberration. In other words, the focal planes of the three different color images are not optically conjugate with each other because of the difference in refractive indices for different wavelengths. Further, the difference in position of the focal planes is proportional to the focal length of the taking lens system. Therefore, even if the positions of the three image pick-up tubes are once axially determined to obtain sharp images on all the tubes for one taking lens of a focal length, the position must be readjusted when the taking lens is changed to one of a different focal length.

Therefore, in case of a television camera in which the taking lens is interchangeable, the axial position of the image pick-up tubes must be readjusted every time the taking lens is changed. However, it is very difficult and requires a complicated costly means to smoothly and accurately adjust the axial position of the image pick-up tubes.

In view of the above described drawbacks inherent in the optical system of the conventional television cameras, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide an optical system for color television cameras in which the compensation for the difference in chromatic aberration is easily conducted without axially moving the image pick-up tubes.

The optical system for color television cameras in accordance with this invention is characterized in that a plane parallel plate is inserted into some of the three different color optical paths. In more detail, in front of one or more image pick-up tubes are provided plane parallel plates to compensate for the difference in chromatic aberration. The plane parallel plate may be replaced by a combination of optical wedges.

FIG. 1 shows the principle employed in the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal view showing an embodiment of the present invention, and

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows the principle employed by the present invention. In the optical system in accordance with the present invention, a plane parallel plate 12 is inserted behind a taking lens 11 to displace the position P of the actual focal plane to the desired position P'. The desired position P' is the position of the image receiving face of the image pick-up tube in the color television camera. The amount of the displacement .DELTA. of the focal plane from the position P to P' is determined by the refractive index N and the thickness d of the plane parallel plate, which is represented by the following formula.

from the practical viewpoint, it is more preferable to change the thickness d than to change the refractive index N to obtain various degrees of displacement for the purpose of compensation or adjustment.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the optical system in accordance with the present invention. In this embodiment, plane parallel plates 23a and 23b of different thicknesses are inserted into the green and blue optical paths respectively while no plate is inserted into the red optical path. The reference characters 24R, 24G and 24B designate the image receiving faces of the image pick-up tubes for the three different colors, i.e. red, green and blue, respectively. The reference numeral 22 shows a color separating prism block, and 21 shows a taking lens. The thickness of the plane parallel plates 23a and 23b is selected to obtain the focal planes of the green and blue images accurately on the image receiving faces 24G and 24B of the image pick-up tubes. The plane parallel plates 23a and 23b are changeable to those of different thicknesses to accomplish the compensation for the taking lenses of various different focal lengths. In practical use, it is desirable to mount a plurality of plane parallel plates of different thicknesses on a turret so that a proper plate may selectively be put into alignment with the optical axis of the divided different color paths by simply rotating the turret.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a combination of optical wedges 25a is substituted for the plane parallel plate 23a of the first embodiment. Another combination of optical wedges 25b is used in place of the plane parallel plate 23b. Other elements shown in FIG. 3 equivalent to those shown in FIG. 2 are designated with the same reference numerals. The combination of the optical wedges is capable of varying the composite thickness thereof by simply sliding the wedge elements with respect to each other in the direction along the face of the wedges at which the wedges are in contact with each other. In accordance with this embodiment the thickness of the wedge combination substituting for the plane parallel plate can be continuously controlled. In use, the thickness of the wedge combinations 25a and 25b is properly adjusted to obtain sharp images accurately on the image receiving faces of the image pick-up tubes.

In the above two embodiments, the plane parallel plates 23a and 23b and the optical wedge combinations 25a and 25b are inserted in the green and blue optical paths. It should be noted, however, that the optical path or paths in which the plane parallel plate or plates should be inserted is not limited but may be properly determined.