Abstract: A real mirror image forming optical system is constructed from a half-mirror, and from a retroreflector placed in a position where it recursively reflects either the light passing through or reflected by that half-mirror, so that light emitted from an object to be projected placed behind the half-mirror can pass through either a first light path consisting of passing through the half-mirror, recursive reflection by the retroreflector, and reflection by the half-mirror; or a second light path consisting of reflection by the half-mirror, recursive reflection by the retroreflector, and passing through the half-mirror; thus by one or both of these light paths a real mirror image of the object to be projected is formed at a planar symmetric position with respect to the half-mirror surface.

Abstract: A system for providing a two-position zoom-focus capability in a video inspection device comprising, in one embodiment, a focus lens cell and primary aperture attached to a set of fixed rails and connected to a zoom lens cell. In one embodiment, the focus lens cell is moveable into a first position along the rails through activation of a proximally located lens movement mechanism, and moveable into a second position through relaxation of a tensioned focus spring. In one embodiment, movement of the focus lens cell between first and second focus positions causes movement of the zoom lens cell and a secondary aperture between corresponding first and second zoom and aperture positions to provide unmagnified and magnified images of a target object.

Abstract: Solid state lenses, lens blanks, and lens components formed of compressible mixed powders of two or more optical substances where the mixing ratio has been deliberately varied from place to place within the volume of the optical component to produce optically useful variations in the local refractive. The compressible mixed powders are ground as fine powders having mechanical properties that make them capable of being formed into cohesive monolithic masses that are low in scattering. The fine powders may be admixtures of host matrix materials and others which, when combined, provide preferred optical properties such as index and dispersion. Parts possessing transmission from within the range from the ultraviolet to the infrared are possible. The materials are suited to low temperature formation of aspheric lenses transmissive in the near and far IR.

Abstract: The addition of DMD illumination modulator(s) 702 in series with projection SLM(s) 706/709 to produce high-performance projection displays with improved optical efficiency, reliability, and lower maintenance requirements. This approach eliminates the vibration, audible noise, and safety problems associated with high speed rotating color filter wheels 203 commonly used in SLM projectors and controls the light applied to individual areas of the projection SLM(s).

Abstract: To easily combine a lens holding barrel with a mobile barrel, or separate the lens holding barrel from the mobile barrel, and to protect the lens holding barrel in an assembling process, a lens barrel and an optical device including the same are provided. The lens barrel includes: a first barrel including: a first cylinder that includes a lens and is cylindrical, and a first flange formed around an outer surface of the first cylinder; and a second barrel including: a second cylinder that is cylindrical and aligned with respect to the first cylinder, a second flange that is formed on an inner surface of the second cylinder and supports one surface of the first flange, and a plurality of supports that protrude from the inner surface of the second cylinder in a direction parallel to a surface of the second flange and support another surface of the first flange.

Abstract: An interference-based MEMS device having a lower substrate including a substrate electrode; a lower membrane spaced apart from the lower substrate by a lower gap, the lower membrane including a lower membrane electrode; an upper membrane located on a side of the lower membrane opposite the lower substrate and spaced apart from the lower membrane by an upper gap, the upper membrane including an upper membrane electrode; and control circuitry configured to provide control voltages to the electrodes of the lower substrate, the lower membrane and the upper membrane to change the dimensions of the lower gap and the upper gap to control the reflective properties of the device with respect to light incident upon the lower substrate.

Abstract: Long-distance transfer of a super-resolution near field can be performed with a wavelength condition of high degree of freedom. Not only an image in same size can be merely transferred, but also a magnified image can be transferred. Thus the processing technique of a near-field image is improved. Small rods are erected at predetermined spacing with one another on a two-dimensional plane. At least the exterior surface of each small rod is made of a predetermined material having a dielectric constant ?m meeting the condition “?m???d” where ?d is the dielectric constant of the surrounding medium. The axes of the small rods can be extended to a predetermined direction with respect to the two-dimensional plane. An optical near-field is incidented to one end of each small rod.

Abstract: A lens apparatus includes a first lens unit and a second lens unit each of which is configured to move in an optical axis direction, a first cam tube that includes a first cam part and a second cam part respectively on an outer circumferential surface and an inner circumferential surface and moves the first and second lens units respectively in the optical axis direction using the first and second cam parts as the first cam tube rotates around an optical axis, and a linearly moving guide tube that is arranged on an inner circumferential side of the first cam tube and configured to guide the first and second lens units in the optical axis direction.

Abstract: Electro-optical display systems are disclosed. An electro-optical display system may include a plurality of electrodes; a display volume containing a fluid having a plurality of colorant particles; a layer adjacent to or part of at least one electrode of the plurality of electrodes and configured to at least one of (i) reflect at least one wavelength of light and (ii) absorb at least one wavelength of light; and recessed regions configured to contain the plurality of colorant particles, wherein the plurality of electrodes are configured to selectively move the plurality of colorant particles between a compacted position in which all or nearly all of the plurality of colorant particles are in the recessed regions, and a spread position in which the plurality of colorant particles are spread across the display volume.

Abstract: A system for positioning an eye of a patient, for example, for laser ophthalmic surgery includes a reflectometer adapted to receive as input a reflected beam from an anterior surface of a cornea of an eye of a patient. The interferometer is calibratable to a desired position of the corneal anterior surface. A comparator is in signal communication with the interferometer and is adapted to calculate from the input a difference between an actual position and the desired position of the corneal anterior surface. A device is in signal communication with the comparator for moving the patient a distance in a direction for matching the actual position to the desired position of the corneal anterior surface.

Abstract: There is provided an information display panel capable of maintaining a uniform gap between substrates and preventing migration. An undivided member for ensuring the gap is arranged as a pattern in a region where wiring electrodes are arranged, of a region between an information display region of the information display panel and a sealant forming portion provided in an outer edge portion of the information display panel and a plurality of divided members for ensuring a gap are arranged as a pattern in a region where the undivided member for ensuring a gap is not arranged, of the region between the information display region of the information display panel and the sealant forming portion provided in the outer edge portion of the information display panel.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of electrochromic devices (10) includes the steps of providing a first and second sheet including a first (22) and second (24) plastic substrate, respectively, at least partially coated with a first (12) and second (14) electron conducting layer, respectively. The first sheet is at least partially coated with a first electrochromic layer (16). The second sheet is at least partially coated with a counter electrode layer (18). The first and second sheets are laminated with an electrolyte layer (20) interposed in-between into an electrochromic laminate sheet (30). The electrochromic device is at least partially defined by forming a seal (50) through the electrochromic laminate sheet (30) at a distance (D) from a peripheral edge (31). The distance (D) is preferably larger than the mean diffusion lengths of oxygen, water or an electrolyte component in the electrolyte during a predetermined time period.

Abstract: A lens barrel includes an imaging optical system having front and rear optical elements with a spring installed therebetween; a reference barrel which includes a forward-facing limit surface and a rearward-facing limit surface; a first position control mechanism which includes a first rotational member and a first limit member, and varies a position of the front optical element in the optical axis direction relative to the reference barrel; and a second position control mechanism which includes a second rotational member and a second limit member, and varies a position of the rear optical element in the optical axis direction relative to the reference barrel. The first limit member is brought into contact with the rearward-facing limit surface by a forward biasing force of the spring while the second limit member is brought into contact with the forward-facing limit surface by a rearward biasing force of the spring.

Abstract: One embodiment of an micromechanical device includes a first contact surface, a moveable component having a second contact surface, and a coating of liquid or solid lubricant on at least one of the contact surfaces, where the second contact surface interacts with the first contact surface during device operation, and a gas-phase lubricant is disposed between the first contact surface and the second contact surface, where the gas-phase lubricant is adapted to increase the usable lifetime of the liquid or solid lubricant coating on the contact surfaces. One advantage of the disclosed device is that a gas-phase lubricant has a high diffusion rate and, therefore, is self-replenishing, meaning that it can quickly move back into a contact region after being physically displaced from the region by the contacting surfaces of the device during operation.

Abstract: The invention relates to a reflective display (1) comprising a substrate (4) and a reflective layer (3), e.g. comprising microcapsules (2) with an electrophoretic suspension arranged to reflect incident light (12) passing through the substrate (4), wherein the substrate (4) is structured so as to form a plurality of funnel-shaped protrusions (7) with reflective walls (8), the protrusions being oriented with a top end (72) facing towards the reflective layer and a base end (71) facing away from the reflective layer. According to this design, light that is reflected at sufficiently large reflection angles will experience one or more reflections by the protrusion walls (8). At each reflection the angle of propagation of the light (11) traveling through the substrate is decreased by twice the angle alpha between the wall (8) and the normal of the reflective layer (3).

Abstract: The invention relates to a device, for measuring the contrast of fringes in a Michelson interferometer at full field, comprising a Wollaston prism for diverting two perpendicular incident polarizations into two different emergent directions, said diverting means being arranged within the interferometer as substitute for a single polarizer. The device is of application to a Michelson interferometer used in an OCT tomographical system and comprising means for obtaining interferometric contrast without use of a modulation technique or synchronous detection methods.

Abstract: Ink jet printing can be used in the production of electro-optic displays for (a) forming a layer of a polymer-dispersed electrophoretic medium on a substrate; (b) forming a color electro-optic layer; (c) forming a color filter; and (d) printing electrodes and/or associated conductors on a layer of electro-optic material.

Abstract: An image display apparatus including: two substrates at least one of which is transparent; and display particles that are sealed between the substrates in a powder state so that by generating an electric field between the substrates, the display particles are moved to display an image; wherein, of contact surfaces with the display particles in a gap between the substrates, both of the surfaces on the substrate sides have oxide layers of the same metal, and the display particles include positively chargeable display particles and negatively chargeable display particles, and both of the positively chargeable display particles and the negatively chargeable display particles have structures obtained by successively forming oxide layers of the same metal as that of the metal oxide layers possessed by the surfaces on the substrate sides and organic layers on the surfaces of base particles that contain at least a resin and a colorant.

Abstract: A plurality of reflective spatial light modulator arrays combined together to form a larger display. Each array can include a plurality of light modulating elements disposed on a substrate. Dead space may exist between active areas and/or at a perimeter of the light modulating elements. A plurality of optical elements each having an input aperture and an output aperture can be used to reduce the effect of the dead space. The input apertures are disposed distally and the output apertures are disposed proximally respectively to the light modulating elements such that light received propagates exits the output apertures to the light modulating elements. The input apertures are larger than the output apertures thereby reducing the amount of dead space between active areas of light modulating elements seen be a viewer.

Abstract: A zoom lens comprises, from object to image side: a positive first-lens unit; a negative second-lens unit; a positive third-lens unit; and a positive fourth-lens unit; the third-lens unit comprising a negative 3a?th-lens sub-unit and positive 3b?th-lens sub-unit from object side; the second-lens unit and fourth-lens unit moving on the optical axis during zooming; the 3b?th-lens sub-unit moving in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis, thereby displacing an image perpendicular to the optical axis; the 3a?th-lens sub-unit comprising a negative-lens element G3an whose both surfaces are spherical, and a positive-lens element whose both surfaces are spherical; the 3b?th-lens sub-unit including a positive-lens element G3bp including an aspherical lens surface, and a negative-lens element; wherein, assuming that the indices of the materials of the negative-lens element G3an and the positive-lens element G3bp are NG3an and NG3bp respectively, 0.21<NG3an?NG3bp is satisfied.