Abstract: Apparatus, products, and methods are described that relate to blending various disparate optical surfaces in a smooth and continuous manner. In cross section, the two disparate surfaces are represented as meridional profiles. A blend zone profile is described by a single third-order polynomial. In the case of rotationally symmetric optics, one cross-section suffices for the description of the entire surface. In the case of non-rotationally symmetric optics, an increased number of cross-sections are necessary to produce the desired three-dimensional surface, thus meridional profiles are calculated at selected azimuthal locations to describe the full surface.

Abstract: The invention relates to the determination of higher-order aberrations of an optical element over an optical zone that is larger than the typically limited measured zone over which the aberrations are measured. This is accomplished by apparatus, systems, and methods in which, preferably, the Zernike data from an aberration measurement is fit to a conic function. The conic function smoothly and continuously increases or decreases between the measured zone and the optical zone allowing the extrapolated data to accurately determine the aberrations over the optical zone. According to the invention, a plurality of independent conic plus piston sections that vary azimuthally can very accurately describe a wavefront aberration composed of defocus, astigmatism, spherical aberration, secondary astigmatism, and tetrafoil. The description of primary coma and trefoil will not be as good because they vary with the 3rd order of the radial component. However, the description error is relatively small.

Abstract: An image forming optical system especially suitable as a viewfinder system in an electronic or electronic/film (hybrid) camera includes an objective lens system, an electronic imaging channel, and a visual viewfinding imaging channel. The objective lens system is common to both the electronic and visual imaging channels, and provides a zoom function. The objective lens system is substantially afocal. The optical system includes an optical component that provides at least three reflections for the visual viewfinder image forming light.

Abstract: A reverse telephoto zoom lens particularly suitable for use in a compact digital camera preferably has two moving lens groups in which either the first lens group has a lens component having both positive and negative power in respective radial zones of the lens or the second lens group has a lens component closer to the image plane than any other lens component and this lens component has a concave surface facing the image plane, or both. The zoom lens delivers near telecentric performance and exhibits non-reversing motion of either lens group in going between a telephoto position and a wide angle position, and vice-versa.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the present invention, a method of making a lens assembly with a plurality of lens arrays having a plurality of lenslets and at least one spacer having a plurality of holes, includes the steps of (i) arranging at least two lens arrays and the spacer, such that the spacer is located between the two lens arrays and the lenslets of one of the two lens arrays overlay the lenslets of another one of the two lens arrays and, the holes of the spaces are located between the corresponding lenslets of the two lens arrays; (ii) fixedly attaching the lens arrays and the spacer to one another to form an array assembly; and (iii) dividing the array assembly to create a plurality of individual lens systems. According to another aspect of the present invention, the optical assembly includes at least two lens arrays and at least one spacer with a plurality of holes. The spacer is located between the two lens arrays and is fixedly attached to the two lens arrays. The spacer has a thickness of 0.

Abstract: A light source device includes a housing forming a cavity with a diffusely light reflective interior surface and an exit port; at least one LED on the interior surface; a light reflective layer and an electrically and thermally conductive layer between the LED and the housing; electrical contacts interconnecting the LED and the outside of the housing, such that electrical power applied to the contacts causes the LED to emit light.

Abstract: A hybrid, erbium doped fiber amplifier device has a dynamic gain tilt that is less than the gain tilt of any of the constituent fibers. The hybrid amplifying device has at most one less pumping source than the number of constituent waveguides of the device. The hybrid device automatically provides an effective change in the pump distribution among the constituent doped waveguide sections so as to achieve a readjustment of the relative gains of the constituent sections. As such, a change in the aggregate gain of the hybrid device will be as nearly spectrally uniform as possible over a range of gain values compared to the constituent doped waveguides. A method for constructing a hybrid optical amplifying device having improved dynamic gain tilt is also provided.