Abstract: An x-ray tube cooling system including a heat sink at least partially disposed within an evacuated housing of the x-ray tube and having a cooling block partially received within the bearing housing so as to absorb heat transmitted to the bearing assembly and bearing housing. Extended surfaces, are disposed in a coolant chamber cooperatively defined by the cooling block and a shell within which the cooling block is partially received. The shell defines a coolant chamber entrance and coolant chamber exit in fluid communication with the coolant chamber. The coolant chamber entrance and exit communicate with corresponding coolant inlet and outlet passageways, respectively, cooperatively defined by a pair of insulators which retain the heat sink in a predetermined orientation within an evacuated envelope of an x-ray device. A circulating coolant contacts the extended surfaces and thereby removes heat from various structures of the x-ray device.

Abstract: The presented invention concerns an apparatus for detecting the phase and amplitude of electromagnetic waves, comprising at least two modulations photogates which are sensitive to the electromagnetic waves, and accumulating gates which are associated with the modulation photogates and which are not photosensitive, and electrical connections for the modulation photogates and the accumulation gates so that the latter can be connected to a reading-out device and the former can be connected to a modulating device which increases and reduces the potential of the modulation photogates relative to each other and relative to the preferably constant potential of the accumulation gates corresponding to a desired modulation function. It is proposed in accordance with the invention that a plurality of modulation photogates and accumulation gates are provided in the form of long narrow parallel strips which group-wise form a PMD-pixel.

Abstract: An article comprising a support portion that is coupled to an element portion, both of which portions are formed from some of the layers of a multi-layer substrate. In one embodiment, the support portion comprises a torsional member, an actuating plate and a beam, wherein the beam mechanically links the actuating plate and the element portion. At least one torsional member attaches the support portion to the multi-layer substrate and allows the element portion to move independently of the substrate, such as when actuated by an underlying electrode. When actuated, the actuating plate of the support portion is drawn toward the underlying electrode while the element portion rises from a first (unactuated) position within the substrate toward a second (actuated) position outside of the substrate, in see-saw like fashion. The present article is useful in a variety of applications, such as, for example, optical applications where it can be used to form improved chopper switches and optical cross connects.

Abstract: An optical fiber splicer includes a pair of retainers for retaining optical fibers to be spliced, a block formed with a groove of V-shaped cross-section, and abutment and pressure-contact mechanism for sliding terminal portions of the optical fibers in mutually opposite directions along the groove, producing substantially equal elastic forces in the terminal portions, bringing the terminal portions into abutment, and bringing the abutted terminal portions into pressure contact. An optical fiber splicing method includes a step of sliding terminal portions of optical fibers to be spliced along a groove of V-shaped cross-section in mutually opposite directions and producing substantially equal elastic forces in the terminal portions, and a step of bringing the terminal portions into abutment and then bringing the abutted terminal portions into pressure contact.

Abstract: A photodetector array includes a plurality of photodetectors, preferably photodiodes, coupled to a respective plurality of addressable interface circuits. At each pixel, a switching circuit configures neighboring ones of the photodetectors into pixels by summing multiple photodetector signals into an aggregated pixel output signal. The switching circuit is electronically switchable to aggregate said photodetector signals according to at least two different selectable pixellization schemes with differing resolution.

Abstract: A slit structure of an encoder for preventing the position precision at high speed operation from deteriorating.

Abstract: A position measuring system for determining the relative position of a first object and a second object movable relative to one another that includes an incremental track, associated with a first object and having a periodic line structure that has individual lines and a scanning unit, associated with a second object movable relative to the first object, that scans said periodic line structure and that generates a corresponding incremental signal. A sensor system that generates absolute position information pertaining to the relative position of the first and second objects, wherein the width of the individual lines, as measured along a longitudinal direction of the incremental track, varies over at least a portion of the breadth of the incremental track, as measured in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction, in such a way that a structure with absolute position information is superimposed on the periodic line structure.

Abstract: A method for assembling a population of ferrules to minimize the eccentricity of the fibers typically includes the steps of selecting a set of ferrules, determining the eccentricity of the ferrules, selecting a fiber, inserting the fiber within the ferrule bore, orienting the fiber within the ferrule, and securing the fiber in place. The result is a population of ferrules that can be mated with little or no insertion loss.

Abstract: An optical switch operating on thermooptic effects has a branching section heater for heating a branching section of a core and a branched core heater for heating a branched core. The heaters are controlled separately so that the branching section and the branched core can be heated to respective temperatures so as to minimize insertion loss of inputted light and to prevent outputting light from a port not intended for light output.

Abstract: A gear-reduction device for measuring and transmitting the movements of a rotary object has a sequential arrangement of wheel/pinion pairs. Each wheel/pinion pair consists of a gear wheel and a pinion that are rigidly connected to a common gear axle. At least part of the gear wheels lie in different parallel planes that are inclined at an oblique angle in relation to the plane of rotation of the rotary object. The gear wheels are of equal diameter, and each of the pinions drives the next following gear wheel. The first wheel in the sequence of wheel/pinion pairs is driven by the rotary object, while the last of the pinions drives a swivel-mounted optical angle-measuring device.

Abstract: The vertical charge transfer paths 205 have portions (regions A) whose both sides are defined, by the device isolation regions 202 and portions (regions B) whose one side is defined by the device isolation regions 202. The impurity concentration of the device isolation regions 202a used to define both sides is set lower than that of the device isolation regions 202b used to define only one side such that a narrow channel effect in the portions of the vertical charge transfer paths 205, whose both sides are defined, can be reduced.

Abstract: A wavelength division multiplexer/demultiplexer (WDM) for use in an optical network and in an optical performance monitor that minimizes increases in insertion losses over temperature variations has a structure for holding at least one optical component. A diffraction grating assembly having a substrate is held in relation to the at least one optical component by the structure. A lens assembly having a focal length is held in relation to the at least one optical component. The coefficient of thermal expansion of the lens assembly and structure are approximately equal. The grating assembly has an angular dispersion that changes with temperature and the product of the focal length and angular dispersion remains constant over temperature. The WDM further comprises a prism having a change in index of refraction with temperature that is approximately equal to a negative of a coefficient of thermal expansion of the substrate.

Abstract: An X-ray CT apparatus comprises a large number of X-ray sources, a detector, and a collimator. The X-ray sources are arranged around an object P of inspection. The detector detects X rays emitted from the X-ray sources. The collimator is located between the X-ray sources and the object of inspection, and restricts the angle of emission of the X rays emitted from the X-ray sources so as to match the size of the detection surface of the detector.

Abstract: This invention provides an angled-dual-axis confocal scanning microscope comprising a fiber-coupled, angled-dual-axis confocal scanning head and a vertical scanning unit. The angled-dual-axis confocal scanning head is configured such that an illumination beam and an observation beam intersect optimally at an angle &thgr; within an object and the scanning is achieved by pivoting the illumination and observation beams using a single scanning element, thereby producing an arc-line scan. The vertical scanning unit causes the angled-dual-axis confocal scanning head to move towards or away from the object.

Abstract: This invention provides an angled-dual-axis optical coherence scanning microscope comprising a fiber-coupled, high-speed angled-dual-axis confocal scanning head and a vertical scanning unit. The angled-dual-axis confocal scanning head is configured such that an illumination beam and an observation beam intersect optimally at an angle &thgr; within an object and the scanning is achieved by pivoting the illumination and observation beams jointly using a high-speed scanning element. The vertical scanning unit causes the angled-dual-axis confocal scanning head to move towards or away from the object, thereby yielding a vertical cross-section scan of the object, while keeping the optical path lengths of the illumination and observation beams unchanged. By incorporating MEMS scanning mirrors and fiber-optic components, the angled-dual-axis optical coherence scanning microscope of the present invention can be miniaturized to provide a particularly powerful tool for in vivo medical imaging applications.

Abstract: A cooling device for an X-ray source arranged at a gantry rotatable around a rotational axis has a ring-like heat exchanger that is arranged at the gantry and is thermally conductively connected to the X-ray source. The cooling device is useable in a computed tomography apparatus having the X-ray source.

Abstract: A solid state radiation detector 20 is formed by stacking a first electrode layer 21, a recording photoconductive layer 22, a charge transfer layer 23, a reading photoconductive layer 24, and a second electrode layer 26 having a stripe electrode 26 consisting of main elements 26a, in the recited order. A large number of secondary elements 27a, for outputting an electrical signal which has a level proportional to a quantity of latent image charge stored in a charge storage portion 29 formed in the interface between the recording photoconductive layer 22 and the charge transfer layer 23, are provided so that the main and secondary elements are alternately arranged in parallel to one another.

Abstract: A plurality of slots, which incline in directions that focus toward a source of radiation, are formed in plates constructed of a radiation-absorbing substance. Similarly, a plurality of slots, which incline in directions that focus toward the radiation source, are formed in support members constructed of a radiation-absorbing substance. If the support members and the plates are combined by the engagement between the slots, a scatter-ray removing grid in the form of a lattice is constructed such that each support member and each plate incline toward the radiation source.

Abstract: The parallel radiation (12) emanating from a sample 4 in a known apparatus for X-ray analysis (for example, for diffraction) is analyzed according to wavelength and focused in a focus 20 by a parabolic multilayer mirror 14. A collimator 28 is positioned around said focus. The resolution of the apparatus can be enhanced by making the angular passage width of the collimator smaller than the maximum range of its reflection angle &agr;max. In accordance with the invention the resolution of the apparatus will be better defined and hence enhanced by implementing the exit collimator 28 in such a way that the angular value for the passage width from every reflecting point A or B of the mirror surface is substantially independent of the position of the reflecting points. Preferably, the exit collimator 28 is implemented in the form of two mutually parallel knife edges which are situated at different distances from the reflecting points of the multilayer mirror.

Abstract: An automatic distancing, focusing and optical imaging apparatus for optical imaging of an object is disclosed, having at least one lens, a distancing sensor adapted to receive light rays representative of the image that travel through the lens, an imaging sensor adapted to receive light rays representative of the image that travel through the lens, and at least one processor coupled to the distancing sensor and the imaging sensor, the processor for controlling the movement of the imaging sensor to a position for optimal imaging and for processing the image received by the imaging sensor.