Abstract: A terminal for an optical transmission cable, e.g., formed of a central optical fiber surrounded by a heat-deformable plastic coating, comprises a metallic body portion with an axial bore having a relatively small, fiber receiving aperture, an expanding tapered portion, and a cylindrical portion. A heat insulative sleeve is disposed about the bore end at the optical cable receiving face of the terminal.To affix the terminal to a cable end, the terminal body is heated, and the cable axially urged through the bore. The heated terminal body deforms the cable coating, locking the cable into place with the fiber projecting through the relatively small bore aperture, when the assembly cools. The insulative sleeve prevents cable deformation and attendant spurious optical misalignment about the end of the terminal by there separating the cable coating and the heated terminal body.

Abstract: A molded transparent plastic specimen slide for use in the microscopic examination of biological samples such as blood includes a molded slide having a pattern of micronsize projections extending from the surface which support a glass cover plate in spaced parallel relation to the slide to thereby precisely control the specimen thickness and facilitate the examination of uniform, extremely thin samples. The slide is molded of an optically clear, readily wettable rigid plastic material such as an acrylic resin. The optical clarity of the slide and cover plate materials coupled with the extremely thin cover plate and sample layer enables accurate viewing of the sample specimen on any interference phase contrast or bright field microscope.

Abstract: The disclosed optical fiber communication system employs a fiber with a core having an index of refraction graded in an approximately parabolic fashion and a light-emitting diode joined directly to the fiber to serve as the light source for the system. It has been found that the overall electrical efficiency of the system, at least with respect to drive power for the diode, is maximized when the ratio of the diode radius to the radius of the fiber core is about 0.2. More broadly, the ratio of radii is found advantageously to lie in the range between about 0.1 and about 0.8, not only for efficiency reasons but also to maximize the amount of light injected into the fiber.

Abstract: The invention contemplates an improved microscope having a partially transmitting mirror in the observation light path, the mirror deflecting some of the illuminating light path onto a first object, while a second object is located in the light path which passes through the mirror. In one form, the reflected and transmitted light paths are designed symmetrically, and each includes one microscope objective; one of these objectives is adapted to be inclined with respect to the direction of the light beam, and a stop is so positioned in the system that the two separately observed objects appear simultaneously and side-by-side in the field of view of a single eyepiece.

Abstract: A binocular comprising a bedplate provided with a pair of left and right objective lenses, a support frame standing on the bedplate, and a casing detachably attached to the bedplate in such a manner to cover the support frame. All of the optical members except the objective lenses are mounted on the support frame so that each of the optical members may easily be inspected and adjusted by removing the casing. The interval between the left eyepiece and the right eyepiece may be adjusted to the interval of the user's own eyes by moving one of the eyepiece members on either side, wherefore rectangularly shaped objective lenses which are deemed to be most suitable from a human engineering point of view to the visual angle of a human being's eyes to obtain a clean and wide view can be utilized.

Abstract: In an optical instrument such as a camera or a telescope, a first optical component is mounted to a housing and an inertially stabilized second optical component for compensation is mounted on gimbals. The gimbals are provided with an electric motor which has a rotor in the form of an annular magnet rotatably supported with the axis of rotation aligned with the optical axis of the optical instrument. The rotor serves as an inertial member to inertially stabilize the second optical component for compensation.

Abstract: The invention provides an optical device for use in microscopes and screen projectors comprising a screen formed with multiple lenticular surfaces mechanically traversed at a speed above persistence of vision in the light path between an object and an observation plane, the lenticular surfaces increasing the angle of light ray pencil egress from their angle of incidence to an extent rendering the use of eyepieces unnecessary.

Abstract: A precision slide positioning system is disclosed which is particularly adapted for rigid and repeated positive location of a microscope object specimen slide relative to the movable stage of a scanning automated microscope such that a predetermined field of view based on perpendicular axis in the plane of the slide carrier tray can be automatically recalled after removal and subsequent replacement of the slide on the slide carrier plate. A pair of oppositely disposed, resiliently held slide retainers are provided which, operating on the slide, urge the slide against fixed alignment registration guides on the slide tray to retain the slide in a predetermined fixed parallel relation thereto. The slide is, in turn, held in adjustable fixed alignment with the traverse plate of the microscope stage. A release mechanism mechanically linked to both of the retainers is provided to withdraw the resiliently held retainers for ease of slide removal and insertion.

Abstract: An automatically controllable microscope stage positioning system capable of repeatable, precise adjustment for use in an automatic scanning microscope is disclosed. The system includes a slide tray in which an object slide is mounted and which is adjustable in the x--y plane and along the z axis to achieve automatic scanning and focusing functions in the automated microscope system. The positioning is achieved by using x, y and z axially adjustable lead screws which operate through non-rotating contact nuts to apply a force to move the stage in one direction along each of said x, y and z axes. Return springs which apply a force vector opposite that of the lead screws maintains the stage against the reversible lead screws at all times. Guide means are also provided for maintaining the alignment of the slide tray in both the x--y plane and along the z axis. The drive is controlled by means of signals generated by the automatic microscope signal processing system.

Abstract: An ophthalmic glass lens can be prepared by exposing an alkali metal silicate glass to an ion exchange process in which the glass is chemically strengthened by an exchange of potassium ions for sodium ions in the surface layer of the lens at a temperature either above or below the strain point of the glass. The glasses prepared are essentially free of alumina, have adequate strength and substantially increased depth of pentration of the neutral zone even when up to about 6 percent lime is utilized in the preparation of the glass. The effect of lime as a diffusion-retarding agent during the ion exchange process can be overcome (1) by use of an appropriate amount of zinc or magnesium oxide or mixtures thereof so as to maintain an adequate rate of diffusion during ion exchange or (2) by preparation of the glass essentially free of alumina.

Abstract: A plurality of optical glass cores of selected refractive index and dimension are clad with a first glass of lower refractive index providing substantially total internal reflection within the cores. The clad cores are then clad with a glass displaying a lower viscosity than either the core or the first cladding and fused into a final assembly. The cross-sectional area of the second core cladding is selected to provide a minimum free space within the fused assembly.

Abstract: A colour-separating prism arrangement having surfaces which adjoin dichroic layers of mutually different colors with either the lower limit of the second dichroic layer which reflects the red light being substantially equal to the upper limit of the first dichroic layer, or the upper limit of the second dichroic layer which reflects the blue light being substantially equal to the lower limit of the first dichroic layer.

Abstract: A pointer projecting means arranged to project the light from a pointer, which is formed on a first reflecting mirror, by means of a projecting lens to a position near an image formed by a microscope after reflecting said light by a second reflecting mirror and further reflecting by the first reflecting mirror, the projecting position of the pointer being changed by rotating the first reflecting mirror.

Abstract: A lens hood device is provided for a zooms lens system for preventing light rays during the zooming operation (from any point outside the field angle of the zoom lens system) from coming into the focusing lens component thereof when varying the field angle. The lens hood comprises a lens hood ring which is moved along the optical axis relative to a fixed lens barrel in conjunction with movement during the zooming operation of a zoom lens component also along the optical axis relative to the fixed lens barrel. Also, the lens hood is capable of moving along the optical axis relative to the fixed lens barrel together with movement of the focusing lens along the optical axis relative to the fixed lens barrel during the focusing operation.

Abstract: A camera of the reflex type comprises a view finder with an achromatic finder objective, an eyepiece, and an interposed inverting lens group. The finder objective includes a negative-meniscus lens of relatively low Abbe number and a biconvex lens of relatively high Abbe number. The negative-meniscus lens, which has a concave forward surface, may be air-spaced from the biconvex lens or may be cemented thereto to form a doublet; in the latter instance the doublet is preceded by a positive, biconvex or planoconvex, front lens.

Abstract: A high performance binocular which, by accurately seating and housing four lightweight mirrors of each telescope in a lightweight shell that almost exactly encloses its extremely short optical system, results in an optical instrument which is much smaller and approximately eight times lighter than a conventional or standard prism-type binocular having the same optical characteristics. A novel positioning of the four mirrors within each telescope shell of the binocular serves to fold the optical space within such shell so that there is minimum mirror overlap along the direction of sight, thus resulting in an instrument in which the eyepiece and objective apertures are nearly coplanar so that the eyepiece and objective barrels are collapsed toward each other with the result that they are appreciably withdrawn into the over-all confines of the telescope shells in order to produce an extremely short instrument.

Abstract: An optomechanical apparatus is described which transforms a single laser beam into two parallel beams of adjustable spacing and intensity. The distance between the two output beams can be varied continuously over a wide range, and the distance between the output beams can be reduced to zero. By splitting a polarized laser beam into two beams of orthogonal polarization with a polarization beam splitter, by redirecting the reflected beam with a stationary roof prism, a stationary pentaprism, and a moveable pentaprism such that the reflected beam is rereflected by the opposite side of the polarization beam splitter, two beams of variable intensity and of nominal parallelism are produced. A suitably placed pair of counterrotating wedges permits alignment of the beams to a high degree of parallelism.

Abstract: A coupler for optically connecting two lengths of dielectric optical waveguide has a plug and a socket. The socket consists of a sleeve having a first capillary bore tube rigidly fixed in the sleeve and a second capillary bore tube slidable in the sleeve. A length of dielectric optical waveguide is threaded through the first tube and partially threads the second tube. The plug consists of a capillary bore tube of similar cross-section to the second capillary bore tube, with a length of dielectric optical waveguide partially threading, and rigidly attached to the capillary bore tube. When the plug is inserted in the socket the second capillary tube slide back along the length of the dielectric optical waveguide which is thus guided into the plug capillary bore. A modification of the invention provides a plug and socket connection for simultaneously joining a large number of dielectric optical waveguides.

Abstract: A zoom lens system of a color television camera is divided into a front lens component comprising a zooming lens system and a front part of a relay lens system, and three equivalent rear lens components each comprising a rear part of the relay lens system. A color separating prism system is located between the front and the rear parts of the relay lens system. The rear lens components are convergent so that the angle of light beams incident into the prism system may be smaller than that of the light beam incident into the image pick-up tubes.

Abstract: A high index of refraction, low softening point, low expansion segment glass is fused into a countersunk photochromic glass blank of lower index of refraction. The high index of refraction segment is primarily composed of SiO.sub.2, B.sub.2 O.sub.3, and PbO with lesser amounts of other oxides.