Abstract: A device for reflecting an image to a user's eyes that includes a viewing member having an interior mirror positioned in angled alignment with the user's eye; and an exterior mirror positioned in spaced alignment to the interior mirror. The exterior mirror is adjustable with respect to the interior mirror. The device further includes a pair of interior mirrors positioned in angled alignment to the user's eyes; and a pair of exterior mirrors in spaced alignment to the interior mirrors.

Abstract: A part (1) made of transparent material that allows visible light waves to pass therethrough, said part comprising outer faces (11, 12) defining a solid body (10) made of transparent material, the part being characterized in that it further comprises light diffracting means (14) situated inside the solid body (10) at a distance from the outer faces (11, 12).

Abstract: A variable-shape mirror comprises a flexible film having a plurality of electrodes and a reflective surface whose shape varies when electrostatic forces are applied to the electrodes. The electrodes are divided in a circumferential direction and in a radial direction of the flexible film. The flexible film having a greater number of circumferential-directional divisions in a peripheral portion thereof then in a central portion thereof.

Abstract: A door mirror which is installed on a motor vehicle's body in such a manner as to project laterally from the vehicle's body so as to reflect on a surface of the mirror what is behind the vehicle's body, wherein the mirror surface of the door mirror is divided into?two parts, and thus divided mirror surfaces are respectively provided with reflection angle adjusting mechanisms so that reflection angles of the divided mirror surfaces can be independently and arbitrarily adjusted, and the divided mirror surface positioned on the outer side can be turned to project laterally from the door mirror to face outward.

Abstract: An optical member 7 is bonded, at its rear side 7b, to a holographic stereogram 6. The front side 7a of the optical member 7 consists of parallel triangular prisms. Illumination light 9 is applied to the front surface 7a of the optical member 7 at a predetermined angle of, for example, 60°. The optical member 7 is made of, for example, optical glass or transparent plastic. Each triangular prism has an incidence surface 8, to which the illumination light is applied at right angles. The illumination light is applied to the interface 22 between the optical member 7 and the holographic stereogram 6, at an incidence angle ? of, for example, 60°, thereby to suppress surface reflection of the illumination light 9 at the interface 22.

Abstract: A multi-view mirror assembly for a vehicle dimensioned to allow a driver to view people, vehicles and other objects positioned lateral and downwardly vertical to a rear end of the vehicle is disclosed. The multi-view mirror assembly is mountable on either an exterior or an interior surface of the vehicle. Furthermore, the multi-view mirror is maneuverable so as to compensate for varying vehicle sizes and dimensions.

Abstract: An optical member 7 is bonded, at its rear side 7b, to a holographic stereogram 6. The front side 7a of the optical member 7 consists of parallel triangular prisms. Illumination light 9 is applied to the front surface 7a of the optical member 7 at a predetermined angle of, for example, 60°. The optical member 7 is made of, for example, optical glass or transparent plastic. Each triangular prism has an incidence surface 8, to which the illumination light is applied at right angles. The illumination light is applied to the interface 22 between the optical member 7 and the holographic stereogram 6, at an incidence angle ? of, for example, 60°, thereby to suppress surface reflection of the illumination light 9 at the interface 22.

Abstract: An optical device including a beam splitter, polarization controller, and beam combiner is described. In some embodiments, the beam splitter and beam combiner are provided in a single element. An incoming light beam is split into two beams with different polarization components. The polarization of one or both of the beams is rotated using one or two polarization controllers such as fiber squeezers. The beams are then combined, so that a portion of each of the beams is provided to an output. The polarization dependent loss of the device can then be controlled by controlling the polarization rotation. In some embodiments, the rotation is dynamically controlled.

Abstract: An optical member 7 is bonded, at its rear side 7b, to a holographic stereogram 6. The front side 7a of the optical member 7 consists of parallel triangular prisms. Illumination light 9 is applied to the front surface 7a of the optical member 7 at a predetermined angle of, for example, 60°. The optical member 7 is made of, for example, optical glass or transparent plastic. Each triangular prism has an incidence surface 8, to which the illumination light is applied at right angles. The illumination light is applied to the interface 22 between the optical member 7 and the holographic stereogram 6, at an incidence angle ? of, for example, 60°, thereby to suppress surface reflection of the illumination light 9 at the interface 22.

Abstract: In one aspect of the invention, an apparatus operable to provide optical signal processing includes an inner conductive layer including an at least substantially conductive material and a plurality of at least partially reflective mirror strips disposed outwardly from the inner conductive layer and operable to receive an input optical signal, wherein none of the plurality of strips has a width greater than 40 microns. At least some of the strips are operable to undergo a partial rotation in response to a control signal, the partial rotation resulting in a diffraction of the input optical signal wherein a majority of the diffracted input signal is communicated in one direction.

Abstract: Fractional Fourier transform properties of lenses or other optical environments are applied to one or more positive-definite optical transfer functions at locations outside the Fourier plane to realize or closely approximate arbitrary non-positive-definite transfer functions varying in both amplitude and phase. Controllable filter elements can be employed to create controllable optical processors which may be used for image filtering and optical computations using complex-valued arithmetic for monochromatic, color, and wide-spectrum optical signals. Applications include integrated optics, optical computing systems, particle beam systems, radiation accelerators, astronomical observation systems, and controllable lens systems.

Abstract: A beam homogenizer that minimizes undesired intensity variations at the output plane caused by sharp breaks between facets in previous embodiments. The homogenizer includes a hologram made up of irregularly patterned diffractive fringes. An input beam illuminates at least part of the hologram. The hologram transmits a portion of the input beam onto an output plane. In doing so, the energy of the input beam is spatially redistributed at the output plane into a homogenized output beam having a preselected spatial energy distribution at the output plane. Thus, the illuminated portion of the output plane has a shape predetermined by the designer of the homogenizer.

Abstract: A polarizing plate which has a polarizing layer having a thickness of about 20 nm to about 1500 nm formed by rubbing at least one surface of a substrate, coating the rubbed surface of the substrate with an aqueous solution containing a dye having a tabular molecular shape, and drying the solution. This polarizing plate is a thinner polarizing plate with a high degree of polarization and suitably applicable to portable electronic equipment such as cellular phones, portable information terminals, smart cards and IC cards.

Abstract: A folding full length mirror and carry apparatus includes a foldable reflective surface support assembly which includes support panels connected together with panel-interconnection hinges. A non-folded reflective surface assembly is supported by the foldable reflective surface support assembly. Preferably, a handle is connected to the foldable reflective surface support assembly. A shoulder strap can be connected to the foldable reflective surface support assembly. Preferably, a folded condition locking assembly is connected to the foldable reflective surface support assembly for retaining the apparatus in a folded up, carrying condition. With one embodiment of the invention, the non-folded reflective surface assembly includes panel-mounted non-folded reflective surfaces mounted one side of each of the respective support panels.

Abstract: An optical filter is provided with a thin film having: a first laminated portion that is constructed by alternately laminating low refractive index layers that have a relatively low refractive index with high refractive index layers that have a relatively high refractive index, and in which the refractive index of the high refractive index layers gradually increases from the substrate side; a second laminated portion in which the refractive indices of the high refractive index layers are equal to or higher than the highest refractive index from among the high refractive index layers constituting the first laminated portion; and a third laminated portion in which the refractive indices of the high refractive index layers gradually decrease from the second laminated portion side.

Abstract: A reflection-type graduation having a silicon substrate. The silicon substrate has first subsections formed thereon. Each of the first subsections has etched oblique surfaces. The surfaces are positioned so that light beams directed incident to the surfaces cause no retroreflection. The substrate also includes second subsections having relatively higher reflecting properties as compared to the first subsections. The first subsections and second subsections are alternatively disposed on the substrate in a first direction.

Abstract: A tracking heliostat array comprises a plurality of optical elements. The tracking heliostat array further comprises a frame separated from the optical elements. Each of the optical elements has an orientation with respect to the frame. The tracking heliostat array further comprises a plurality of supports coupled to at least one of the optical elements. The tracking heliostat array further comprises a turnbuckle coupled to at least one of the supports and to the frame. Rotation of the turnbuckle causes the corresponding support to be displaced relative to the frame. The orientation of the optical element relative to the frame is adjustable. The tracking heliostat array further comprises a traveling actuator configured to rotate at least one of the turnbuckles. The tracking heliostat array further comprises a positioning mechanism supporting the traveling actuator. The positioning mechanism is configured to move the traveling actuator from a first selected turnbuckle to a second selected turnbuckle.

Abstract: Beamsplitters are frequently used in projectors based on reflective liquid crystal display for separating input and output light, and more recently for color management systems. Rather stack filters are used in such systems to orthogonally polarize primary colors, converting polarizing beamsplitters to color splitters and combiners. Geometric polarization rotations induced by beamsplitters at moderate f-numbers have the effect of significantly degrading performance. Because retarder stacks in general rely on a specific input polarization to perform properly, such skew rays are responsible for color cross-talk. Retarder stacks designed according to the present invention are sensitive to the symmetries that exist between input and output polarizer configurations. These stacks provide the polarization transformations that will compensate for skew rays, such that normal incidence performance is maintained for all incident light.

Abstract: Disclosed are color management architectures used in video projection systems including, for example, retarder stacks sensitive to the symmetries between input and output polarizer configurations that provide the polarization transformations that will comprise for skew rays, such that normal incidence performance is maintained for all incident light. Additionally, also disclosed are systems that utilize color selective polarization (CSP) filters and polarizing beam splitting elements such that an output analyzer is not required. One exemplary CSP architecture includes two CSPs, a single polarizing beam splitting element combination for splitting and combining light between two of the three panels, and an output polarizing beam splitting element used as an analyzer such that a single CSP is in the projection path.

Abstract: A compound objective lens is composed of a hologram lens or transmitting a part of incident light without any diffraction to form a beam of transmitted light and diffracting a remaining part of the incident light to form a beam of first-order diffracted light, and an objective lens for converging the transmitted light to form a first converging spot on a front surface of a thin type of first information medium and converging the diffracted light to form a second converging spot on a front surface of a thick type of second information medium. Because the hologram selectively functions as a concave lens for the diffracted light, a curvature of the transmitted light differs from that of the diffracted light.