Abstract: A calibration method especially for calibrating a reflection spectrometric gauge, such as an oil film gauge. In the method, calibration is conducted by measuring the gauge response by means of a calibration unit and a solid, stable permanent sample (37) provided on it as a calibration sample. A change that simulates a certain substance concentration is generated by the stable permanent sample (37) in the reflection spectrum, and the gauge response is calibrated on the basis thereof. In the invention, the gauge response is calibrated by using at least two calibration samples (37, 39) having different absorption responses, said two calibration samples being said permanent sample (37) and a second calibration sample (39). For calibration, roughness compensation is performed, in which the gauge response is corrected on the basis of the measurement of the optical response of the surface to be measured and the known data on roughness dependence.

Abstract: A laser or laser amplifier apparatus has a diode pump source producing a polarized pump beam. A laser head includes a gain medium that produces an output beam. One or more optical fibers are coupled to the diode pump source and deliver the pump beam to the laser head. A depolarization device is coupled to the diode pump source, laser head or optical fiber and produces an depolarized pump beam. By depolarizing the output beam, movement, including rotation, of the pump source does not comprise the output beam produced from the laser head.

Abstract: A scanner window through which a laser beam is projected to define a scanning pattern comprises a substrate formed of light transmissive material which allows the laser beam to project through a light transmissive hard material layer deposited onto the substrate, and a light transmissive lubricous coating deposited onto the hard material resulting in the scanner window having improved resistance to abrasive wear. The present invention is also directed to a method of producing such a scanner window. The present method may incorporate various deposition techniques to form a wear resistant scanner window in accordance with the present invention.

Abstract: A mirror mount assembly has a base plate positioned at one end of a laser resonator, and a movable plate spaced from and positioned substantially parallel to the base plate. One or more elastic springs are connected between the base plate and the moveable plate to provide tip and tilt of the movable plate and translation of the moveable plate away from or towards the base plate. The elastic springs include a bushing made of an elastic material, and at least three elastic dimples formed in the bushing circumferentially in a plane across a bushing longitudinal axis. Further, the elastic spring has a bushing made of an elastic material capable of elastic expansion and contraction. The bushing includes a threaded interior side and a longitudinal axis from a first open end of the bushing to a second open end of the bushing.

Abstract: A laser system includes a laser diode source with a plurality of output facets. The laser diode source produces a divergent output along an emission path. A microlens is optically coupled to the diode source. The microlens receives the divergent output along the emission path and modifies the divergence of the output in a high numerical aperture direction of the microlens A power source is coupled to the laser diode source.

Abstract: An oscillator system which produces a single mode output from a multimode seed beam and a multimode optical power source. The seed source employed in the oscillator system produces a multimode seed beam that is used to injection seed a multimode optical power source. The optical power source has a short cavity such that the longitudinal modes of the multimode optical power source are sufficiently spaced apart that a mode of the optical power source can be positioned relative to the multimode seed beam such that the seed beam does not significantly overlap with neighboring longitudinal modes of the optical power source. By positioning a single longitudinal mode to overlap with the seed beam where the seed beam does not significantly overlap with neighboring longitudinal modes of the optical power source, a high energy single longitudinal mode output is produced. The multimode seed beam preferably has a bandwidth, defined as the full width half maximum of the spectral output, of between about 0.025 cm.sup.

Abstract: A diode pumped laser includes a resonator mirror and an output coupler, defining a laser resonator with a resonator optical axis. A strong thermal lens laser crystal with a TEM.sub.00 mode diameter is mounted in the resonator along the resonator optical axis. A diode pump source supplies a pump beam to the laser crystal in the laser resonator, and produces an output beam with a diameter larger than the TEM.sub.00 mode diameter to reduce thermal birefringence. A power source supplies power to the diode pump source. A polarizing element can be positioned in the resonator, along with a aperture stop The laser operates well over a large range of pump powers. Its slope efficiency in the TEM.sub.00 mode is greater than 40%, with an overall efficiency greater than 25%. One of the lasing crystals used is Nd:YVO.sub.4. This material exhibits high gain and a short upper state lifetime. These properties make it attractive in designing a Q-switched laser, or one that is insensitive to optical feedback.

Abstract: An optical system and method for data reading having a light source which generates an optical beam directed toward an object to be read and a focusing system in the outgoing light path which establishes multiple beam functions. In a preferred application, a scanning system includes a multifocal lens having a single lens element having an inner lens portion of a first focal length and an outer annular lens portion with a second focal length, the optical system of a bar code scanner therefore establishing two separate focal positions from a single light source. Alternately, the system includes a focusing lens system with an corrector element disposed in the outgoing optical path, the corrector element having a plurality of optical zones, each zone having a different optical characteristic for modifying a portion of the outgoing optical beam. A zone may be a refractive region, a reflective region, a diffractive region, an empty region, a window region, or combinations thereof.

Abstract: An interface selection and configuration system for a computer peripheral in which configuration for the peripheral and/or the host interface is at least in part accomplished by the interface connector cable. In a preferred embodiment, the computer peripheral is equipped with one or more hardware interfaces. The interface connector cable has a first end connector for attaching to the computer peripheral. The first end connector of the interface connector cable is typically a multiple pin connector constructed and arranged to be properly physically and electrically connectable only to a specific computer peripheral or class of computer peripherals, the first end connector including at least one electrical connection between two pins for completing a circuit within the computer peripheral thereby enabling the computer peripheral.

Abstract: The ellipticity of a thermal lens is controlled in a diode-pumped anisotropic crystal, such as Nd:YVO4. The crystal has two opposing optical end faces through which a pump beam and an output beam pass. The crystal also has opposing "c" axis crystal faces normal to a "c" axis of the crystal, and opposing "a" axis crystal faces that are normal to an "a" axis of the crystal. A mount supports the crystal and serves as a heat sink. A path is created to conduct heat from the crystal through the "c" faces, while the "a" faces are thermally isolated from heat conduction. The thermal lens ellipticity is controlled in order to produce a round, diffraction limited gaussian beam suitable for applications that require a high power, good quality beam from a simple, reliable laser source.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for measuring wear in the lining of a container provided with a pivoted axle and an opening, and a container. Fixing of the coordinate systems (16, 17) of a measuring device (1) and the container (6) is performed by measuring the position of fixing points (P1, P2, P3) in the coordinate system (16) of the measuring device, whereafter the i0 lining (10) on the inner surface of the container (6) is measured. The fixing is performed by measuring the position of the fixing points (P1, P2, P3) mounted in connection with the container in the coordinate system (16) of the measuring device (1) in a situation where the opening of the container faces away from the measuring device while the measuring device is directed towards the container bottom. The container (6) is rotated around its pivoted axle (11) to a position in which the opening (9) of the container (6) faces the measuring device (1). The fixing is performed utilizing the angle difference between angle data (.alpha..sub.

Abstract: A servo controlled laser system is provided which provides a laser output beam having reduced optical noise. The laser system may be any type of laser system and preferably is an ion laser system. The servo controlled laser system includes a laser head providing a laser output beam and a power driver coupled to the laser head which supplies input power to the laser head. The laser system also includes a light detector in the path of the output beam which generates an alternating current signal in response to the amount of optical noise detected in the laser output beam. A signal amplifier is coupled to the light detector for receiving and amplifying the alternating current signal. A wire couples the signal amplifier to power driver compensator circuitry which receives the amplified alternating current signal from the wire and, in response, adjusts the input power to reduce optical noise.

Abstract: A diode pumped laser system includes a laser cavity with an active laser medium. A laser diode, with an emitter region having an output facet that produces light at a frequency .lambda..sub.1, is the pump source for the laser medium. A coupling optics is positioned on an emission path of radiation from the emitter region and is optically coupled and spaced from the diode. The coupling optics produces stray radiation. An optical fiber, with a first end and a second end, is included. The first end of the fiber is oriented with respect to the coupling optics such that radiation from the emitter region is optically coupled into the optical fiber. The second end of the fiber is coupled to the laser cavity. A detector is positioned in a spaced, adjacent relationship to the coupling optics along an emission path of the stray radiation. The detector detects at least a portion of the stray radiation and produces a detected output in response to the stray radiation.

Abstract: A lens configuration integral with the output window of an enclosure at least partly surrounding a source of a beam is provided. In one embodiment, the beam is an anomorphic diverging beam, such as that produced by a diode laser, having differing angles of divergence along parallel and perpendicular axes, and the at least one lens is configured to at least partly equalize the angles of divergence along the perpendicular and parallel axes.

Abstract: In an optical scanning system, a method and apparatus for decoding labels of single or multiple block formats by stitching together partial label segments obtained from multiple optical scans across the label is provided. Partial scans are decoded into strings of character information which are assembled by locating sub-strings of common elements between two strings. Strings in which the common elements occur at the ends are merged by deleting one set of redundant common characters and joining the remaining characters in proper sequence. The method assembles strings in which the common elements occur in the middle of one or both strings by testing for valid string combinations made by deleting characters adjacent to the common sub-string, on opposing ends of each string, and merging the resulting strings. Feature characters, parity information, checksum digits, and other label structural characteristics are used to verify resulting strings and completed blocks and labels.

Abstract: A bar code scanning system such as for use in retail checkout in which the scanning system has a conveyor defining a first surface and a second surface disposed adjacent the first surface and arranged generally orthogonally thereto forming a scan volume therebetween; sets of pattern mirrors positioned adjacent the respective surfaces; and one or more laser beam sources associated with a rotating mirror polygon for producing scan patterns which are routed to the pattern mirrors and out through the respective surfaces into the scan volume.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for increasing the speed of scanners reading multiple bar code symbologies by changing the order of priority in which the various symbologies are tested by the decoder. After a particular symbology has been read a given number of times in a row, its priority is increased. A particular symbology will continue to advance in priority the more often it is read until it becomes the highest priority symbology.

Abstract: An optical system and method for data reading in which a light source generates an optical beam directed toward an object to be read and a variable aperture mechanism positioned in the outgoing light path establishes at least two separate focal planes. The variable aperture device may comprise a variable aperture system in which the size of the aperture is selectively varied about a range within the diffractive limit of the light beam. A preferred aperture mechanism is a liquid crystal aperture with one or more aperture regions which are selectively or consecutively activated. The optical system therefore establishes two or more separate waist locations from a single light source resulting in greater depth of field or multiple depths of field.

Abstract: An active etalon comprising a laser gain chip interposed between an input mirror and an etalon end mirror is provided. In an intracavity frequency-doubled solid-state laser, a pump source emits pump radiation which passes through the input mirror and into the laser gain chip. The laser gain chip lases in response to the pump radiation to produce fundamental laser light. The etalon end mirror reflects a portion of the fundamental laser light back into the laser gain chip and transmits the remaining portion of the fundamental laser light into the laser cavity. The input mirror reflects substantially all of the fundamental laser light into the laser gain chip. The portion of the fundamental laser light which passes through the etalon end mirror may be frequency doubled by a frequency doubler chip and a portion thereof transmitted through the front end of the laser cavity to form the output laser beam.

Abstract: A non-linear frequency conversion device is tunable over a wide tuning range. An input source provides a first input beam with a frequency .lambda.1. A first frequency conversion crystal has an input beam face that is cut at a phase matching angle .theta.1 and is positioned on a first stage at a stage angle .alpha.1. The first frequency conversion crystal provides frequency conversion of the input beam of frequency .lambda.1 to a selected frequency .lambda.2 of a first portion of the selected tuning range. A second frequency conversion crystal has an input beam face that is cut at a phase matching angle .theta.2 and is positioned on a second stage at a stage angle .alpha.2. The second frequency conversion crystal provides frequency conversion of the input beam from a frequency .lambda.1 to a selected frequency .lambda.3 of a second portion of the selected tuning range.