Abstract: A wellness apparatus consisting of elastic material in which vibrations can be stimulated. Weights can be added to the ends of the object to allow different exercise purposes. The apparatus is provided for the fitness, wellness, leisure sports and aerobics field.

Abstract: A vehicle with a plurality of individually addressable light sources, preferably semiconductor laser light sources or light emitting diodes, each of which produce a beam of light, are optically coupled to a fiber optic waveguide. The laser light sources are grouped together preferably at a single location within the vehicle for easy access and conveniently located within the vehicle. Fiber waveguides distally transmits the beams to the optical loads of the vehicle, including the brake lights, taillights, instrumentation lights and turn signals. Each fiber optic waveguide may be a single optical fiber, such as a multimode fiber, having a numerical aperture large enough to receive illumination from a plurality of light sources. In cases where some optical loads require a larger flux or brightness of light, such as vehicular headlights, which may greater than a single optic fiber can transmit, the waveguide may comprise of a bundle of optical fibers.

Abstract: A laser marking system includes a high power fiber laser with a double clad fiber having a doped core surrounded by an inner pump cladding and providing an optical output for marking; a high power laser diode source for pumping the double clad fiber laser via an input into the inner pump cladding; an optical scanner coupled to receive the marking output from the double clad fiber laser to scan the output over a surface of an article to be marked by sweeping the marking output in one, two or three dimensions to form strokes, the completion of which comprises indicia to be marked on the article surface; and a controller to control the operation of the scanner synchronized with the modulation of the laser diode pump source to initiate the marking output and sweep and modulate the marking optical output in one, two or three dimensions to form strokes comprising the indicia.

Abstract: A redundant package for optical components includes an inner package enclosing the optical component, and an outer package enclosing the inner package. A heater may be disposed in the inner package proximate the optical component to control its temperature, and to maintain this temperature control, the outer package creates an isolated air pocket around the inner package which thermally insulates the inner package from the outside environment. The outer package is formed of a material having low thermal conductivity, to promote this insulating function. This package is especially useful if the optical component comprises a planar lightwave circuit (PLC), e.g., an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG), which requires tight temperature control and structural integrity to maintain the integrity of the optical paths.

Abstract: A technique for fabricating a plurality of thin film filters (“TFFs”), and other optical devices, from a wafer. A device or TFF wafer is affixed to a carrier having a pattern of notches formed thereon corresponding to a pattern into which the wafer is to be diced to form the TFFs. The notches are sized to allow clearance of a dicing apparatus. The wafer is diced at least partially into the notches to form the TFFs, and the TFFs may be individually optically tested with a light source aligned thereto, while they remain affixed to the carrier. The TFFs are removed from the carrier for operation, and the carrier can be re-used. To facilitate re-use, a releasable adhesive is applied to the wafer and/or the carrier, and the notches receive any excess adhesive when the wafer is being affixed to the carrier.