Abstract: An angular viewing device is taught which enables the viewer to see, while looking downward, objects and scenery in front of him, to the right and left and also above and below the horizontal plane of the viewer's eyes. The viewing device and all of its reflective surfaces or mirrors are housed in a casing which is waterproof and also highly aerodynamically wind-resistant. The device is primarily for use as an optical visual aid for mounting on the handle bars of bicycles for forward vision purposes, safety, and easing of muscle strain associated with riding certain types of bicycles, such as English racer types.

Abstract: An underwater viewing system includes a dry and wet end. Illumination energy is provided to the wet end where it is scanned and the resulting scanned illumination is directed to a scene of interest. Energy reflected from the scene is received by the wet end where it retraces the path of illumination to the dry end. The received energy is directed to a detector and ultimately to a video processor. The wet end may be disposed in a remote piloted vehicle with optical waveguide payed out from the dry end to supply the illumination and to conduct the received energy. Communication information may be transferred between the dry and wet end may be over the same path followed by the illumination energy but at a different frequency. The illumination and communication energy may be separated based on their frequency. A polarization device may be provided for maximizing the amount of received energy that is provided to the detector.

Abstract: An improved electrical remote-control mirror assembly in which a externally threaded plunger (54) installed to a mirror body (3) is moved by a motor (102) to adjust the support angle of a mirror (4) secured to the mirror body. In addition to the drive system using the motor (102), another motor (103) is provided which operates independently of the motor (102) to quickly rotate the externally threaded plunger (52) forwardly and reversely. Thus, the mirror assembly according to the present invention is imparted the conventional function to adjust the mirror angle and a function to quickly tilt the mirror by means of the independent driving means. The above-mentioned independently driving means permits to quickly tilt down the mirror body for viewing the reflected image of the car rear wheel and also to quickly return the mirror body (3) to the initial position thereof.

Abstract: Improvements in optical scanning disks, and methods to maximize resolution and contrast of a viewed target object featuring a Nipkow type disk and methods to produce the disk which has a multitude of pinhole apertures located in a defined annular disk region where each pinhole is equidistantly spaced from its nearest neighboring holes.

Abstract: A device for driving a varifocal lens, includes a first group frame supporting the first group of lenses therein in a movable manner for focussing and supported with the lens barrel inside said fixed frame movably in parallel with said optical axis, a second group frame supporting the second group of lenses therein in a fixed manner and supported with the first group frame inside the first group frame movably in parallel with said optical axis, at least three driver screw members disposed within the fixed frame in parallel with optical axis, at least three driver gear members held in mesh with the driver screw members respectively, and a drive unit for driving the driver gear members to thereby move the lens barrel frame and the first group frame by a predetermined amount respectively.

Abstract: An infrared zoom illuminator is contained in a cylindrical housing which may be hand-held. Power is provided to an infrared laser light source from batteries contained in the housing, and a micro lens made of gradient index material is placed between a light exit opening in the housing and the laser light source. Provision is made for selectively interconnecting and disconnecting the light source from the power supply and for changing the distance between the laser light source and the lens. This changes the focus of light exiting from the device from a predetermined maximum divergence, for illuminating a zone, down to the collimated narrow beam of light produced by the laser light source.

Abstract: An optical system for illuminating an object, including an entrance pupil for receiving light from a light source, an exit pupil for passing the light received to an object to be illuminated, and an optical axis which extends through the optical sytem to the light source and the object respectively, wherein the entrance height of the light received in the entrance pupil is substantially proportioned to the tangent of the exit angle in the exit pupil.