Abstract: An apparatus for enabling a user having a visual handicap indicative of a condition designated as double vision to obtain substantially binocular vision comprises a first prism associated with the left eye of the user and having a base and a first prismatic deviation, a second prism having a base and a second prismatic deviation different from the first prismatic deviation, and a rotating assembly for rotating the prisms until a binocular vision field is viewable through the prisms by the user. The prismatic deviations are selected so that rotation of the prisms aligns them in a manner which permits the brain to fuse the respective images viewed by each eye into a single image, thereby providing a binocular image field. If desired, corrective lenses which accommodate the far or near distance prescriptions of the left and right eyes may mounted in alignment with the corresponding prisms.

Abstract: A motor vehicle headlamp comprises a housing which encloses a lamp, a mirror cooperating with the lamp so as to define a light beam, and a cover glass, together with adjustable mounting means to enable the orientation of the beam to be varied, these mounting means comprising an adjusting member which is displaceable in translation with respect to a fixed part of the vehicle, together with an orientation indicating means. The orientation indicating means comprise a graduated element carrying a scale, together with an indicating element having a pointer, these two elements being adjacent to each other and both mounted on the outside of the housing; and means for carrying one of these two elements in such a way that it is displaceable in translation with the adjusting member, with a further means carrying the other one of the said elements on the fixed part of the vehicle. One of these carrier means is adjustable in the direction in which the adjusting member is displaceable.

Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a flux-recovering mirror for a motor vehicle signaling or lighting device a base reflecting surface is provided. Mutually spaced apart base points are distributed in at least one zone of the surface. A randomly determined correcting offset is attributed to each base point so that each base point is associated with a corrected point situated on the normal to the base surface at said base point and located at a random distance from said base point. A corrected smooth surface passing through the corrected points is thus defined in the zone to form a mirror whose reflecting surface in said zone is constituted by said correcting smooth surface. The invention also relates to a headlight fitted with a mirror having properties of distributing images randomly. The invention is also applicable to making light beams more uniform.

Abstract: A timing generator contains an oscillator section (10) formed with a plural number of stages (S.sub.1 -S.sub.N) for respectively producing a like number of stage signals (V.sub.S1 -V.sub.SN) that sequentially change signal values at a basic oscillator frequency (f.sub.O). The oscillator section is typically implemented as a ring oscillator. In response to the stage signals, a timing-signal generating section (14) generates one or more timing signals (V.sub.T1 -V.sub.TM), each having at least two transitions corresponding to transitions of two or more of the stage signals. A control section (12), preferably arranged in a phase-locked loop, causes the oscillator frequency and a reference frequency (f.sub.R) to have a substantially fixed relationship.

Abstract: A coupling cartridge and end cap for protecting an endoscope from contamination during use. The coupling cartridge provides fluid communication between a pair of external fluid conduits and respective channels formed in an endoscope insertion tube, and between a biopsy channel port projecting from the cartridge and an additional insertion tube channel. In one embodiment, fluid flow through the external fluid conduits is controlled by an external fluid control unit that is electrically controlled by respective switches mounted on the control handle of the endoscope. In another embodiment, fluid flow through the external fluid conduits is controlled by a valve mechanism in the coupling cartridge that is controlled by either an actuator on the cartridge or an actuator on the control handle that is mechanically coupled to the valve mechanism. The coupling cartridge may be removed from endoscope after an endoscopic procedure for disposal or rigorous cleaning.

Abstract: A lens aperture of an autostereoscopic camera is moved in a parallax scanning pattern through a plurality of disparity positions offset from the optical axis of the camera lens. Images of a scene being photographed, as viewed through the lens aperture in its various disparity positions, are recorded for subsequent display in three dimensional illusion when viewed with the unaided eye. The size of the lens aperture and the parallax scanning pattern are adjustable to suit conditions. The lens aperture may be defined as a through-hole in an opaque card or a planar array of cells switched between transparent and opaque states. In addition to stereoscopic imaging, the moving lens aperture principle of the present invention may be utilized in range-finding and camera image stabilization applications.

Abstract: An ophthalmic lens provides a cumulative ratio of distance to near focal length that is predominantly distance correction under high illumination, nearly evenly divided under moderate illumination, and favoring again distance vision correction under low level illumination. The lens is specifically adjusted to match the patient's pupil size as a function of illumination level, in the preferred embodiment by applying pupil size parameters as a function of age. This lens has the properties of matching both the distribution of near and distance focal vision correction to the type of human activity typically undertaken in various illumination conditions, as well as matching particular lens dimensions to suit the size of the pupil as a function of illumination intensity.

Abstract: An attachment member attachable to an existing compact fluorescent lamp socket includes a pair of sidewalls and an endwall defining an inclined surface. A pair of placement apertures are engageable with corresponding engagement apertures in an attachment surface of the compact fluorescent lamp socket. Additionally, the attachment member includes a pair of placement posts corresponding to second fixture engagement apertures in the attachment surface of the compact fluorescent lamp socket. The attachment member efficiently spaces a compact fluorescent lamp from the ballast relative to a plane parallel to the fixture engaging surface of the attachment member, thereby maximizing the illumination potential of the light fixture.

Abstract: A device for mounting a mobile part of an automobile vehicle headlight on a relatively fixed part comprises a generally spherical head joined to a first part by means of a rod. A substantially complementary cavity is fastened to the second part. The head is forced fitted into the cavity through an opening into the latter. At least one flexible tongue is provided in the vicinity of the cavity and is adapted to deform elastically to enable insertion of the head therein and, after such insertion, to impede extraction of the head from the cavity. The cavity defines a stable position for the head in which the flexible tongue(s) are not in contact with the head. The device is used to adjust the reflectors relative to the headlight units.

Abstract: A system and method according to the invention identify assignable overlay error sources contributing to pattern misregistration on a wafer. Specifically, this system treats the case where a single overlay field from a given layer is sufficiently large to cover two or more fields patterned on any other layer. This system identifies values of correctable coefficients, such that when these values are applied to corrective adjustment to the vector field of measured overlay misregistration, the result tends to reduce the sums of the vector magnitudes to a minimum.

Abstract: A support frame is coupled to a counterweight frame to form a mechanical oscillator in which oscillations of adjustable amplitudes are induced to produce parallax, oscillatory scanning motion of a camera rotatable mounted by the support frame. A spring assembly, acting on the support and counterweight frames, establishes an effective spring constant to tune the resonator to a particular resonate frequency. Rotatable motion of the camera relative to the support frame consistently directs the optical axis of the camera to a signal convergence point in the scene being photographed. Separate motors are selectively energized by a control system to regulate the amplitudes of resonator oscillation to a desired disparity setting, to tune the resonator to a desired resonant frequency setting, and to direct the camera to a desired convergence point setting.

Abstract: An apparatus for carrying an ophthalmic lens, particularly while the lens is being inspected, including a base member and a well connected to the base member. The well is substantially transparent, and includes a frusto-conical sidewall having a constant slope, and a hemi-spherically shaped bottom portion connected to an extending downward from the sidewall. The bottom portion of the well has curvature that is about 10% larger than the radius of curvature of the ophthalmic lens.

Abstract: Method and device for determining a position with respect to a reference plane of at least one lead of an electronic component, wherein said lead is illuminated from a first and respectively second position situated sideways and out of the plane wherein the electronic component is disposed and wherein a first and respectively a second shadow image is formed of at least a part of said lead on an image plane, which second position is different from said first position and wherein said first and respectively said second shadow image is located and a third and respectively a fourth position is determined to this end and said position is determined from said third and fourth position.

Abstract: A spectacle frame is provided with a pair of temples extending from the lens-holding front frame. The temples have swingable temple end pieces that swing relative to the rear portion of the temple. The swingable end pieces ensure that the spectacle frames do not slip down the nose, without increasing pressure on the nose or on the back of the ears.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus are disclosed for removal of an existing cannula from a patient and insertion of a replacement cannula into the patient, through the same passageway, by use of a guide rod which maintains the passageway intact. The guide rod is first installed through the existing cannula, and the existing cannula is removed. A hollow trocar, carrying a replacement cannula, is inserted into the patient over the guide rod, then the guide rod and the trocar are removed, leaving the replacement cannula in place in the patient. The guide rod can be fitted with an expandable anchor to hold the guide rod in place during removal of the existing cannula and insertion of the trocar.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for substituting a representation of a target, identified by a set of points of interest stored in a memory, with a matching representation of a predetermined stored pattern in successive TV frames are described. The apparatus has a buffer for storing successive frames of a sequence, constituting a first in-first out memory having a length sufficient for storing all frames over a period of some seconds. Points of interest in each current frame are extracted and an attempt is made to find at least a subset of the extracted points of interest matching with a respective subset of the stored set. Global motion of the image between successive frames is evaluated and the location of the target in the frames following and preceding a frame in which the pattern is found is predicted. A target finder locates the target in the frames where it is found, based on the prediction.

Abstract: A wireless remote control system is provided. The remote control system includes a remote unit and a receiver unit, and may be utilized in connection with a video game system or other controllable system. The receiver unit includes a plurality of detectors for detecting a signal transmitted by a remote unit. An angle-limiting device is coupled to each detector for limiting the signal which may be received by the particular detector to that signal which is transmitted from a particular location. In one embodiment, the angle-limiting device may limit the signal received by the detector to that signal transmitted from within a specified angular range relative to the detector. In a preferred embodiment, the angle-limiting devices coupled to the plurality of detectors may be arranged so that each angle-limiting device allows a signal to be received by the respective detector from a unique angular region. In another embodiment, the angular regions may be overlapping.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for making an ophthalmic lens pumps monomer into one end of a gas permeable tube along its interior length while a chamber surrounding the gas permeable tube is maintained at a subatmospheric pressure by means of a vacuum pump. Preferably, the gas permeable tube is made of silicon rubber. Static mixers introduce mixing into the flow of the monomer within the tube in order to expose the bulk of the monomer to the gas permeable walls of the tube. Under such conditions in the gas permeable tube, the majority of the dissolved gasses are removed from the monomer and continue to be drawn out of the chamber by the pump connected to the chamber. The degassed monomer is then transferred into a mold where it is polymerized into an ophthalmic lens.

Abstract: An indicating light unit for a motor vehicle has a support plate, an optic extending along the support plate, and a plurality of elementary luminous modules each comprising a light emitting diode. Each module comprises at least one light emitting diode mounted on a frame and covered with a cover element, the modules being juxtaposed to each other in predetermined positions on the support plate and being connected electrically to a common electrical supply source. The unit is of low thickness and gives a homogeneous light field.