Abstract: A receptacle-like or plug-like optical connector has a body with a rear end and an end face that is opposite from and forward of the rear end. A longitudinal direction is defined between the rear end and the end face, and the end face extends generally perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The end face has opposite first and second edges, and opposite third and fourth edges that extend between the first and second edges in a lateral direction. A plurality of arrays of optical terminuses are positioned at the end face and, and each array extends in the lateral direction across the end face. The optical connector includes one or more relatively large alignment members. A first alignment member is proximate to the third edge of the end face and extends in the longitudinal direction and a second alignment member is proximate to the fourth edge of the end face and extends in the longitudinal direction.

Abstract: An improved bushing for securing the position of the protective jacket of a jacketed optical fiber with respect to an optical component is provided. The improved bushing includes an elastomeric structure having a first end, a second end, and a jacketed fiber receiving surface. First and second flanges for engaging corresponding cavities within the optical component are attached to opposite sides of the elastomeric structure. The elastomeric structure further defines a cylindrical internal pathway for receiving a jacketed optical fiber, which includes the protective jacket(s) to be secured. The internal pathway runs approximately along the longitudinal centerline of the elastomeric structure from the first end to the second end and has a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of the jacketed optical fiber. The elastomeric structure also defines a channel from the internal pathway to the jacketed fiber receiving surface and which extends along the entire length of the internal pathway.

Abstract: A pixellated diffractive device includes a multiplicity of pixels (12,22) in turn divided into multiple sub-pixels (13,23). The device is related to one or more pixellated diffraction surface structures which when illuminated generate respective corresponding optically variable images. The sub-pixels (13,23) of each pixel of the diffractive device include diffractive elements (13a,23a) arranged in one or more groups, the diffractive elements of each group matching diffractive elements of a corresponding single pixel of the respective pixellated diffraction surface structures. In each pixel of the device the diffractive elements (13a,23a) of the or each said group are intermixed with other sub-pixels and cooperatively contribute a single element of the corresponding optically variable image which is generated on illumination of the diffractive device.

Abstract: A confocal microscope has a light source, an optical system, a rotating disk, an image capturing device such as a CCD camera, a subtracting section, a detector, and an adjusting device. The rotating disk has a transparent portion transmitting a light beam emitted from a light source and a light-permeable portion which includes transparent and opaque areas. The image capturing device alternately captures a composite image and a bright field image while the rotating disk is rotating. A subtracting section performs subtraction between a newest captured image and a last captured image, whenever a newest captured image is captured, so as to extract the confocal image. The detector detects at least once whether the captured image is the composite image or the bright field image. The adjusting device adjusts the plus/minus sign of the confocal image on the basis of a result detected by the detector.

Abstract: An ultraviolet microscope optical system includes a light source emitting light in a region of wavelengths shorter than 300 nm; an illumination optical system; an objective lens system; an imaging optical system; and a photographing device. The ultraviolet microscope optical system further includes a wavelength selective device, which satisfies the following condition: (To·&dgr;)/(Tm·&Dgr;)>2 where To is a transmittance at the center of a selected wavelength region, &dgr; is a half width at full maximum expressed in nanometers, Tm is an average transmittance in the region of wavelengths longer than 300 nm, and &Dgr; is a sensitive wavelength region of the photographing device, expressed in nanometers, in the region of wavelengths longer than 300 nm.

Abstract: A panoramic periscope includes a central body (3, 3A) and a rotating head-piece (9) supported on the central body. Inside the central body, an optical path (21, 23, 101, 105, 109, 111, 113) for an optical beam (F,) coming from the head-piece (9) is provided. A viewing module (17) receives the optical beam, for observing the external scenery. A laser telemeter (19) is provided and, along the optical path, a separator element (10S) with an inner dichroic surface (105A) is passed through by the optical beam coming from the head-piece (9). The inner dichroic surface (105A) separates a laser beam coming from the head-piece (9) and deviating it towards a separate optical path (107) which conveys the laser beam towards the laser telemeter (19). The separator element (105) has an entry surface (105I) and an exit surface (105U) which are parallel with one another and passed through by the optical beam (FV), the surfaces being perpendicular to the optical beam (FV).

Abstract: An anti-reflection high conductivity multi-layer coating for CRT products includes three layers coating created by vacuum sputtering and a fourth layer coating created by wet coating process. A first layer, nearest to the substrate, is made of a transparent conductive oxide material having a refractive index within the approximating range of 1.85 to 2.1 at a wavelength of 520 nm. The second layer is formed from an oxide material having a refractive index within the range of 1.45 to 1.50 at a wavelength of 520 nm. The third layer is formed of an oxide material having a refractive index within the range of 1.85 to 2.2 at a wavelength of 520 nm. The fourth layer has a refractive index within the range of 1.45 to 1.55 at a wavelength of 520 nm.

Abstract: A stereomicroscope has a left and a right stereo radiation path and an adjusting device for selecting a stereo base. A main lens is arranged between an object to be observed and the adjusting device, which may be designed as an opto-mechanical switching device. The arrangement allows an integrated structure with low light losses.

Abstract: The invention relates to a system comprising a series of data carriers, in particular identity cards, papers of value or the like, whereby the data carriers belonging to the system exhibit diffraction structures containing standard information and parts of the series are changed by additional measures in the area of the diffraction structures or combined with other elements and they differ from the rest of the series in optically recognizable fashion, whereby the change in the diffraction structures and/or the combination with other elements convey an esthetic overall impression and the change and/or combination with the other elements cannot be undone without destruction of the diffraction structures.

Abstract: A gear is formed on the outer circumference of the disk unit 20a of the zoom operating member 20 and on the outer circumference of the right zoom drive member 18, and an intermediate gear 19 that engages and connects with each of these gears is located between them. In other words, the zoom operating member 20 and the right zoom drive member 18 are connected to each other in a non-integrated fashion. When the zoom operating member 20 is manually rotated around the eye distance adjustment axis 22, the right zoom drive member 18 rotates via the intermediate gear 19 and the left zoom drive member 21 simultaneously rotates via the connecting member 11.

Abstract: The optical transmitter/receiver apparatus of the invention includes: an optical fiber for transmitting/receiving an optical signal therethrough; and a first base including mutually spaced optical signal transmitting and receiving regions and a fiber end supporting region located between the optical signal transmitting and receiving regions. A semiconductor laser device for emitting the optical signal to be transmitted is secured to the optical signal transmitting region of the first base. A fiber end supporting portion for supporting one end of the optical fiber, to which the optical signal emitted from the semiconductor laser device is incident, is formed in the fiber end supporting region of the first base. A second base for supporting the body of the optical fiber is secured to the optical signal receiving region of the first base.

Abstract: A protected optical switch matrix having N inputs and N outputs and including an optical switching fabric (S2-S2′), an input interface (S1) performing wavelength conversion and an output interface (S3) performing wavelength filtering. The input interface (S1) and the output interface (S3) are protected by redundancy provided by r redundant units for E working units where r is a number very much less than E.

Abstract: A tray or holder for tissue specimens, especially of excised tissue, such as biopsied specimens, is used with a confocal imaging system, especially a laser scanning confocal microscope system. The tray may be disposable after imaging of the specimen carried therein or may archive the specimen. A window supports the specimen. Clamps mounted inside the tray restrain the tissue. A compliant bag is mounted outside the tray on one side of a window of the tray on which the specimen is disposed. During imaging the specimen is immersed in a liquid contained in the tray having an index of refraction which closely matches the index of refraction of the tissue. The bag also contains an index matching liquid preferably having the same index as the liquid in the tray. A stabilizing plate is attached to a surface of the bag which faces the window.

Abstract: A backlighting unit for planar and homogeneous illumination has a cold-cathode fluorescent lamp that is mounted one narrow side of a waveguide plate. The light emitted from the backlighting unit is emitted from one of the two large surfaces of the waveguide plate. The light is deflected from one narrow side to one large surface by prisms which are also mounted on one large surface. To homogenize the emitted light, the prisms are arranged in irregular fashion. Homogenization is advantageous in particular if an L-shaped or U-shaped lamp, which illuminates several narrow sides of the waveguide plate, is used as the lamp.

Abstract: A method of producing a switchable hologram generally comprises providing a substrate comprised of a liquid crystal material and having two generally opposed surfaces and recording a plurality of holographic fringes composed of liquid crystal droplets in the substrate with one or more of the plurality of holographic fringes positioned such that a surface of the fringes is angled relative to one of the substrate surfaces. The substrate is subjected to an electrical field during recording of the holographic fringes. The electrical field varies across the surface of the substrate so that the liquid crystal droplets are all oriented generally in a common direction.

Abstract: An optical element switching device is provided wherein a plurality of optical elements are held by a guide mechanism for guiding them to move straight or rotate and arranged on a turret, and positioned by a positioning part comprising a spring for pushing a ball into V grooves formed at a rotarys shaft of the turret rotated by a first motor wherein, a selected one of the optical elements is stopped in an optical path (i.e. an optical axis of objectives), and wherein the optical element is moved by a second motor along a direction in which it is guided by the guide mechanism, so that corrections such as adjustment of the contrast and the like are automatically executed at switching operations.

Abstract: A light microscope with lenses projecting the rear aperture of an objective lens at a location remote from the objective lens enhancing high power stereoscopic viewing and photographing with a binocular (two eyepiece) viewing system and when combined with an iris in close proximity to the projected image of the rear aperture of the objective lens, controls flare.

Abstract: A video-type stereoscopic microscope is composed of a close-up optical system which emits object light rays from an object as parallel rays, a pair of zoom optical systems which converges the object light rays having passed through different parts of the close-up optical systems and a relay optical system which relays images formed by the respective zoom optical systems to a CCD. Zoom lens barrels which hold the respective zoom optical systems individually are fixed in a zoom housing such that the position thereof can be adjusted in the axial direction. This zoom housing is fixed in a casing of the stereoscopic microscope such that the position thereof can be adjusted in the direction of the optical axis of the close-up optical system.

Abstract: A variable magnification optical system comprises at least three optical units which are a first moving optical unit, a fixed optical unit and a second moving optical unit. The three optical units are arranged in that order in a propagation direction of light, and a variation of magnification is effected by a relative movement between the first moving optical unit and the second moving optical unit.

Abstract: The invention is a seamless projection lithography system that eliminates the need for masks through the use of a programmable Spatial Light Modulator (SLM) with high parallel processing power. Illuminating the SLM with a radiation source (1), which while preferably a pulsed laser may be a shuttered lamp or multiple lasers with alternating synchronization, provides a patterning image of many pixels via a projection system (4) onto a substrate (5). The preferred SLM is a Deformable Micromirror Device (3) for reflective pixel selection using a synchronized pulse laser. An alternative SLM is a Liquid Crystal Light Valve (LCLV) (45) for pass-through pixel selection. Electronic programming enables pixel selection control for error correction of faulty pixel elements. Pixel selection control also provides for negative and positive imaging and for complementary overlapping polygon development for seamless uniform dosage.