Abstract: Polarizing glass articles, optical isolators including polarizing glass articles, and methods of manufacturing polarizing glass articles and optical isolators are disclosed. The methods manufacture can be used to manufacture isolators exhibiting improved contrast ratio.

Abstract: The present invention provides a polarizing film or a polarizer that has an elastic modulus of at most about 3500 N/mm2 and suppresses occurrence of warping, the polarizing film is obtained by adsorbing a dichroic material in a polyvinyl alcohol-based film 20 ?m in thickness and stretching the tilin. The polarizing film has a transmittance of at least 43% and a polarization degree of at least 98%. A transparent protective layer is laminated on at least one surface of the polarizing film to form a polarizing plate.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical polarizer and a method of fabricating such an optical polarizer. The optical polarizer includes a support member and an optical polarizing film supported by the support member. The optical polarizing film includes a number of carbon nanotubes. The carbon nanotubes are compactly aligned with and parallel to each other. The optical polarizing film constructed with carbon nanotubes can work at high-temperature and in moist environments and has excellent abrasion resistance properties. Furthermore, a diameter of a carbon nanotube is only about 0.4˜30 nm, so the polarizing ability of the optical polarizer can extend into the UV region. The degree of polarization in the UV region is 0.92.

Abstract: The present invention provides an outer mirrors installed in an automobile, that has a capability to be reset into a housing position, features to have auxiliary mirrors to percept and monitor the front wheels and thereabout, has a flexibility for well appreciated apparent design, has no reflection of head lamp lights of oncoming automobiles thereby and is capable to perform the function of the auxiliary mirror in the night or in the dark place. The outer mirror comprises a mirror base extending outward and a mirror housing, being capable to be reset into the housing position, suspended under the mirror base with a rotation capability thereunder and a separation distance from the automobile, wherein a first auxiliary mirror facing obliquely downward is attached to the mirror housing on the surface facing to the automobile body.

Abstract: An optical element such as a beam splitter for interferometer separates a heterodyne beam from the laser into separate beams having different the frequencies and orthogonal polarizations. Optical fibers can conduct the separate beams to a beam combiner for interferometer optics. The PBS and/or the beam combiner can use a coating to reflect one linear polarization and transmit an orthogonal linear polarization. To improve extinction ratios in the PBS or the beam combiner, a yaw angle for an input beam is non-zero and corresponds to a peak in the extinction ratio of a reflected beam.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for tilting a carrier for optical elements with two optical faces which are arranged together on a carrier and are fixed at a fixed angle to one another, the carrier being fastened on a base plate via articulated connections. The carrier can be pivoted about three tilting axes, a first tilting axis preferably being located in the plane of the first optical face and extending normal to the plane of the second optical face, the second tilting axis preferably being located in the plane of the second optical face and extending normal to the plane of the first optical face, and the third tilting axis being located parallel to the line of intersection between the two planes of the optical element.

Abstract: A wavelength blocker including an input port for launching an input beam of light, first dispersing means for dispersing the input beam of light according to wavelength, an array of independently addressable elements for selectively blocking a portion of the dispersed beam of light, second dispersing means for receiving the passed dispersed beam of light and for producing a single multiplexed beam of light therefrom, and an output port for transmitting a modified output beam of light. The array of independently addressable elements are designed such that the wavelength blocker is capable of blocking a variable number of non-consecutive channels without significantly affecting the unblocked channels.

Abstract: A multilayer film having two kinds of films of different refractive indexes alternately stacked on each other on a substrate composed of an optical element is formed in a plurality of parallel lines, and the adjacent lines of the multilayer film are connected to each other by means of a connecting multilayer film to reinforce them. This makes it possible to provide a highly reliable optical component which shows good polarization characteristic even for a visible light of a wavelength of 400 to 700 nm and in which even when designed to have a high aspect ratio, the linear multilayer film will not fall down. There is also provided a manufacturing method that enables a fine recess/protrusion shape to be surely formed using an inexpensive manufacturing apparatus without use of any organic solvent.

Abstract: An electrically operable pivoting actuator for a door mirror is disclosed. The pivoting actuator comprises a frame, an electromotor, and an annular coupling member secured onto a horizontally extended support of the door mirror, the coupling member comprising two diametrically opposite protuberances wherein one protuberance is adapted to engage with a stop on the frame for stopping a clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the coupling member relative to the frame so as to define a predetermined angle ? of the fold-in door mirror as an angle between an extreme position of the stop engaged with one protuberance and another extreme position of the stop engaged with the other protuberance. The invention can be produced in a large scale for reducing the manufacturing cost and is adapted to install in any of a variety of door mirrors of motor vehicles without further modifications.

Abstract: A mirror mount includes a mirror-head-attached first mount component, a window-attached second mount component, and a tubular connector. The first component includes a base defining an attachment plane, an angled stem, and a first ball section with a clearance area around the stem. A bore extends into the stem for receiving an attachment screw. A clearance area is formed around the stem near the ball section and extends at an acute angle to the attachment plane, thus providing increased angular adjustability of the mirror head in at least an upward direction. The second component includes a ball section and angled extended stem, and is connected to the first component by the tubular connector. The first and second ball sections define a distance less than a distance from a flat side of the second component to the second ball section, thus providing improved rigidity against vibration.

Abstract: The invention provides an optical switcing device, including a substrate having at least one polarization-selective multiplexing grating; at least one polarization-selective demultiplexing grating, and a polarization rotation element acting as a dynamic ½ ? plate, optically interposed between the optical path of said multiplexing grating and said demultiplexing grating. The invention also provides a method for producing an holographic plate having a plurality of holographic elements.

Abstract: A coating agent including photocatalyst particles dispersed in a titanium peroxide solution obtainable by causing titanium hydroxide (orthotitanic acid) gel to act with hydrogen peroxide being used as a material for the photocatalyzer film is used to a photocatalyzer film having photocatalyst particles supported therein. By forming a porous hydrophilic substance film on the photocatalyzer film, the defects of the film caused by the wiping can be prevented. Also, a film formed by using the coating agent including photocatalyst particles dispersed in a titanium peroxide solution at a temperature of from normal room temperature to 200° C. is of high porosity in comparison with a film formed at a higher temperature and with a film not having a photocatalyst particles dispersed therein. Consequently, the photocatalyzer film and the hydrophilic substance film have good adhesion property when use with each other.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods and apparatus for combining a pivoting mirror and support bracket such that the support bracket transmits little or no stresses to the torsional hinges of the mirror. The bracket includes an isolation slot extending from one edge toward a second edge and then preferably around the mounting areas of the hinge such that stresses applied to the mounting bracket will not be transmitted to each side of the mirror and thereby stress the mirror.

Abstract: An optical member comprising an at least one optical film, wherein an end face of the at least one optical film is covered with water-repellent materials, is useful to suppress occurrence of defects concerning the optical film, in particular, defects concerning polarizer, which are caused under an atmosphere with high temperature and high humidity.

Abstract: An automotive rear view mirror includes a primary flat reflective surface that generates an undistorted image, and three secondary reflective surfaces that are curved so as to increase the field of view laterally and also vertically. The curved reflective surfaces include a relatively large trapezoidal surface curved in the horizontal plane for increasing the field of view in the horizontal direction, and two smaller triangular curved reflective surfaces contiguous with the upper and lower boundaries of the trapezoidal surface for increasing the field of view in the vertical direction.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus are provided for preventing formation of dew and/or ice on an optical glass window, with which formation of dew and/or ice is easily and simply prevented while an air turbulent disturbance is minimized and a deformation is inhibited as little as possible. A protective tube (6) covering an external atmosphere of a cooled optical glass window (2) and thermally insulated from the optical glass window (2) is provided so as to prevent the external atmosphere from being cooled in order to prevent the optical glass window (2) from having dew and/or ice formed thereon.

Abstract: This invention has the polarizing function of polarizing an input beam and a non-reflecting function of suppressing reflection of the input beam, wherein at least one side of a light-transmissive substrate 1 has a polarizing portion 4 with a striped structure formed by multiple alternating light-transmissive dielectric layers 2a, 2b . . . and metallic film layers 3a, 3b . . . . Its characteristics are improved if the metallic film layers are very thin and flat, with a target thickness in the range from 5 to 20 nm and variation of film thickness within the range of ±10%.

Abstract: A polarization conversion system comprises a glass substrate; reflection type polarization plates, formed between top and bottom surfaces of the glass substrate and inclined at a predetermined angle, separating unpolarized incident light into two polarization directions where two directions are at a right angle to each other; polarization conversion plates coupled to the reflection type polarization plates, converting a polarization direction of polarization light by the reflection type polarization plates; and reflection plates positioned in parallel with the reflection type polarization plates, reflecting incident light from the reflection type polarization plates.

Abstract: A polarizing element having excellent scattering and polarizing properties is made from a stretched sheet composed of a continuous phase and a dispersed phase. The element has continuous and dispersed phases including different resins, and the refractive index differential between the continuous and dispersed phases along the stretched direction of the sheet differs from that perpendicular to the stretched direction. Incident light with a polarization state for which the refractive index differential is smaller is transmitted through the polarizing element, and incident light with a polarization state for which the refractive index differential is larger is scattered by the polarizing element. The continuous phase and the dispersed phase are bonded to each other substantially free from voids between their phases.

Abstract: An optical system includes multiple cubic crystalline optical elements and one or more polarization rotators in which the crystal lattices of the cubic crystalline optical elements are oriented with respect to each other to reduce the effects of intrinsic birefringence and produce a system with reduced retardance. The optical system may be a refractive or catadioptric system having a high numerical aperture and using light with a wavelength at or below 248 nanometers. The net retardance of the system is less than the sum of the retardance contributions of the respective optical elements. In one embodiment, all cubic crystalline optical elements are oriented with identical three dimensional cubic crystalline lattice directions, a 90° polarization rotator divides the system into front and rear groups such that the net retardance of the front group is balanced by the net retardance of the rear group.