Abstract: A rear-view mirror comprises a holder and a housing adjustably supported on the latter. A mirror glass is tightly, but detachably disposed on the housing. The mirror glass is fixed on a support plate, its entire surface lying free. The support plate is detachably disposed on the housing, in particular by elastic locking.

Abstract: A method of machining a substrate to produce a cube corner element optical array. The method includes steps of directly machining a plurality of groove sets into a directly machinable substrate to form an array having a plurality of geometric structures including cube corner elements, and machining at least two of the groove sets along the same path in the substrate but at different depths of groove to produce a geometric structure side surface having both an optical portion and a non-optical portion.

Abstract: Apparatus for making a framed mirror includes a conveyor for moving a frame with the mirror seated therein to a film application and laminating station and a stop downstream of the laminating station. A cutter station serves the film applied from a roll supply. A control effects operation of the stop and stops unrolling of film from the roll supply. The framed mirror includes a frame with a peripheral portion having front and rear faces and defining an opening extending therethrough and a recess in the rear surface thereof providing a shoulder extending about the opening. The mirror having front and rear surfaces is seated on the shoulder. Synthetic resin sheeting extends over the rear surface of the mirror and over at least a portion of the rear surface of the frame peripheral portion, and is adhesively bonded to the rear surfaces of the mirror and the frame to secure the mirror on the shoulder and to provide resistance to shattering of the mirror.

Abstract: A triangular prism mirror mounted adjacent a driver of a vehicle to enable the driver to view the blind spot area without any distortion of vision. The triangular prism mirror unit has three plane surfaces, the rear surface being blocked. By blocking the rear surface of the prism, the image entering one of the front surfaces will appear on the other front surface. Therefore the triangular prism mirror, when properly mounted, provides a clear vision for the driver of a vehicle giving access to the blind spot area.

Abstract: A catadioptric optical system includes, in succession from the object side, a first partial optical system having positive refractive power and for forming the primary image of an object, and a second partial optical system having positive refractive power and for forming a secondary image by light from the primary image, and at least one aperture stop may be provided in the optical path of the first partial optical system and at least one aperture stop may be provided in the optical path of the second partial optical system.

Abstract: A telescope includes a master telescope whose aberration has been independently corrected and which has an objective lens and an ocular lens. A rear conversion lens is provided on the image side of the objective lens of the master telescope and is made of a single lens having a concave surface that faces an object side. The rear conversion lens meets the requirements defined by the following relationships: f.sub.o '/f.sub.o >1 and 0.5<(dx.sub.2 /dh.sub.2)/(dx.sub.1 /dh.sub.1)<1.3, wherein "f.sub.o " represents the focal length of the objective lens of the master telescope; "f.sub.o '" represents the resultant focal length of the objective lens of the master telescope and the rear conversion lens; "dx.sub.1 /dh.sub.1 " represents an inclination of an incident surface of the rear conversion lens at an incident point thereof, upon which light is incident at a height h.sub.1 ; "dx.sub.2 /dh.sub.

Abstract: A computerized slide encoder for use with microscope analysis and pathological studies. The slide encoder is attached to the movable microscope stage, whereby x-y direction plane movement and location, is correlated to examination of an identified slide, with information marking and location being directly correspondingly written, at pre-defined times, on computer storage media, during the examination. Subsequent use of the computer-stored information, coupled with the slide encoder, in a slide re-examination, permits independent retrieval of such information and location on the slide. The computer storage media includes digitized vocal transcription of history of the slide made during the original examination. An embodiment of the slide encoder includes a computer mouse pen affixed to the stage of the microscope and a rolling surface, for the mouse pen, being affixed to the movable slide holder.

Abstract: A high-reflectivity surface reflecting mirror is provided by sequentially forming, on a resin substrate, a silicon dioxide first under layer, a chromium sulfide second under layer, a silver reflecting layer and protective layers. According to a second aspect of the invention, a surface reflecting mirror is provided by sequentially forming, on a resin substrate, a silicon dioxide under layer, an aluminum reflecting layer, a silicon dioxide first protective layer, a second protective layer made of at least one of titanium oxide, tantalum oxide and zirconium oxide, and an aluminum oxide third protective layer.

Abstract: A motor vehicle rear view mirror comprising a housing, a mirror glass support supported by a pivot joint disposed in the housing to be pivotable relative to the housing and a mirror glass disposed on the mirror glass support. The mirror glass support defines an installation chamber sized to hold at least one servomotor for the remote-controlled pivotable adjustment of the mirror glass support and thus of the mirror glass relative to the housing.

Abstract: A beam expander suitable for use with laser machining apparatus comprises a convex paraboloidal surface 7 and a concave paraboloidal surface 8 formed from a single metal element 10. The expander has an optional zoom facility provided by a plane mirror 12, moveable along an input-output axis, for altering the position of an incident beam on the convex surface 7 thereby altering the magnification of the system.

Abstract: The microscope stand foot serves to accommodate an illumination device having optical components and having an aperture diaphragm and field diaphragm. The latter are assembled in a cylindrical tube held by a carrier, the tube being able to be fastened in the stand foot as a prefabricated unit. In this way, the assembly of the illumination device is simplified. When fastening the carrier in the stand foot, the tube rests under tension on mating surfaces, as a result of which an adjustment of the tube and thus of the optical components is dispensed with.

Abstract: Extensible mirror apparatus for a vehicle including an elongate arm having a rack gear thereon, a mirror housing mounted for moving longitudinally along the arm, and a driving motor and spur gear enclosed within the mirror housing operable to drive such along the arm for extending and retracting the mirror. An extensible and retractable flexible boot provides a cover between the vehicle and mirror housing for portions of apparatus which otherwise would be exposed upon extension of the mirror.

Abstract: A directional light screen and method of making the same are provided. The directional screen includes a plurality of transparent carrier members having opposing sides, the carrier members being arranged in a side-by-side manner. Thin lamellae can be placed between the carrier members, or the carrier members can be spaced by an air gap. The screen is mountable proximal to a light source. The screen directs light from the source in a direction generally parallel to the sides and lamellae. The sides can be smooth, roughened or contoured. Also, the lamellae can desirably be tinted, absorbing or reflective. Furthermore, the directional screen can be shaped to fully or partially surround a light source.

Abstract: A transflective optical filter comprises a single transparent or transluscent substrate; a colored slice made up of a plurality of layers, each corresponding to one color out of at least two colors; a light diffusing layer; and an opaque mask on which the marks to be displayed in color are represented by transparent zones, the colored slice and the mask consisting of photographic emulsions. A method for making that filter involves multiple exposures of a same film having a multi-colored "slice" and a monochrome photosensitive layer.

Abstract: A cube-corner retroreflector for laser telemetry corrects speed aberration .delta. and has three substantially orthogonal mirror surfaces defining three substantially orthogonal edges converging at an apex. Each edge is associated with the surface substantially orthogonal to it. The shape of each surface is at least approximately that of a portion of a cone whose axis is coincident with the associated edge. The generatrices of this portion of a cone have a non-null average generatrix slope relative to a plane perpendicular to the axis of the portion. The average .alpha..sub.0 of the average slopes of the surfaces at least approximately satisfies the equation:.alpha..sub.0 .about.0.2.delta./kwhere k is a predetermined parameter dependent on the number, the geometry and the refractive index or indices or the media constituting the interior volume of the retroreflector.

Abstract: An apparatus, which exposes the blind spot in the direction in which a vehicle makes a turn, to be installed at the back of mechanically or electrically operated side-rear view mirrors. A mechanical device, connected to a mirror unit and to the frame, having a diaphragm sealingly disposed therein. When a winker switch is activated, the diaphragm housing is activated by vacuum, causing the diaphragm to be sucked backwards, resulting in said mirror unit pivoting backwards to expose the blind spot, further, when there is no vacuum the mirror unit is returned to its original position by the returning means. The invention also operates where instead of one mirror, there are two mirrors hinged together, whereby the mechanical device pivots only one of the mirrors to expose the blind spot, such that the other mirror is left to expose the rear-view of the car. The invention can also operate by pivoting the mirror frame to expose the blind spot rather than pivoting the mirror unit.

Abstract: Night vision binoculars including an optical system for the projection of an incident light flux formed by an objective which is itself coupled through an image-reducing interface to detection means in matrix form where the image from the interface is converted into a video signal supplied to at least one miniature display coupled to an ocular. The binoculars may take the form of two modules that can be fitted into each other, a body module and a binocular visor module. Application to night vision by electronic imaging with overlay of additional information elements.

Abstract: An optical system is disclosed for improving the brightness symmetry of a beam emitted from a laser diode where the beam has a large width and a narrow height. The optical system includes a tilt plate for displacing one half of the width of the beam downwardly. A first beam steering prism functions to tilt the remaining, second half of the beam width in a plane parallel to the width dimension so that the second half travels towards the first half. A second beam steering prism is provided to tilt the second half of the beam so that its propagation axis is parallel to the propagation axis of the first half and wherein the second half is stacked above the first half. The optical system functions to improve the brightness symmetry of the beam by a factor of about five. The corrected beam can be used to improve the performance of a solid state laser which is end pumped by a broad area laser diode or a laser diode bar.

Abstract: A binocular apparatus body blank of sheet material and divided by fold lines includes a distal wall having a pair of spaced apart objective lens ports and two opposing lateral edges; a bottom wall extending from an edge of the distal wall and having a lateral fold line to permit the apparatus body to collapse; a top wall extending from an opposing edge of the distal wall and having a lateral fold line to permit the apparatus body to collapse; a proximal wall having an outer face and two opposing lateral edges and having a pair of spaced apart eyepiece ports and extending from an edge of said top wall opposite the distal wall; a bonding flap extending from an edge of the proximal wall opposite the top wall for bonding to the remote longitudinal edge of the bottom wall; two side walls extending from the opposing lateral edges of the distal wall, each side wall having a remote end and a lateral fold line to permit the side walls to collapse simultaneously with and top and bottom walls; and a side wall bonding se

Abstract: The present invention includes a confocal microscope having a piezoelectric bimorph cell x-y beam scanner. A single-mode optical fiber is used both to transmit the illuminating beam and to collect reflected or stimulated radiation. Image manipulation may be performed remotely from the sample area.