Abstract: A variably curved reflector for projecting a luminous line on an object is used with a laser system which provides a laser beam. The variably curved reflector includes a variably curved reflecting surface and a pair of curved side surfaces and is located at a position subsequent to the laser system. The variably curved reflecting surface has a pair of parallelly disposed peripheral edges. Each curved side surface interects along one of the peripheral edges. The variably curved reflecting surface reflects the laser beam to form a plane of light which has an angular span which is determined by the radius of curvature at the point of contact along the variably curved reflecting surface.

Abstract: A beam shutter having a flexible ferromagnetic blade with an upright end flap and an electromagnet for flexing said blade into or out of a beam path. The shutter includes a housing having one or two sets of openings in opposed side plates thereof so as to define one or two beam paths. The blade is mounted in the housing at one end of the blade and has a diagonal fold at the opposite end to define the flap. The electromagnet comprises a core with a U-shaped cross-section defining poles and wire windings about the core. The poles have a surface with an arcuate profile which curves away from the blade toward the end with the flap. The blade is normally in a straight position but flexes into a flexed position abutting the poles whenever the electromagnet is actuated. In one normally closed embodiment the flap intersects the beam path when in the straight position. In another normally open embodiment the flap intersects the beam path when in the flexed position.

Abstract: A retroreflective tubing adapted to be interwined among spokes of a wheel, comprising a core material, retroreflective microspheres attached to an outer surface of the core material, and a protective encapsulating material surrounding the microspheres. In a preferred embodiment, the cross section of the core material is U-shaped to maximize the retroreflective performance of the tubing, and the encapsulating material provides a multiplicity of sealed airspaces between the outer surface of the retroreflective microspheres and the inner surface of the encapsulating material.

Abstract: A bearing bush with a side opening is mounted within a telescope barrel. The telescope thus may be easily mounted on a tilting axis by simply inserting an axle into the bush. Mounting and adjustment of the tilting axis within its bearings and of angular measuring systems is thus independent of mounting of the telescope.

Abstract: A mirror surface for deflecting an incident light beam is inclined to the axis of rotation and rotated for scanning the light beam. The incident light beam is applied to the mirror surface along the axis of rotation, and a reflected light beam is continuously deflected by the rotating mirror surface to scan a surface. When the incident light beam has an elliptical cross section in a direction normal to its optical axis, the cross-sectional shape of the reflected light beam varies due to the inclination of the mirror surface in response to rotation of the mirror surface. The varying shape of the reflected light beam obstructs proper reading and writing of an image with a light scanning device employing the above mirror surface. To avoid this problem, light beam shapers are provided in positions before and after the light beam is reflected by the mirror surface.

Abstract: A mirror scanning system comprises a single mirror mounted to rotate on a first axis that is substantially in the plane of the mirror reflecting surface and on a second axis perpendicular to and intersecting the first axis. Both the mirror and the first axis rotate around the second axis. An optical system is directed at a portion of the reflecting surface of the mirror at or adjacent to the intersection of the two axes and has a focal axis substantially aligned with the second axis. By aligning the reflecting surface in a direction so as to maximize a signal emanating from a source and detected at a selected position on a detector forming part of the optical system and measuring the angular displacement of the mirror around each of the first and second axes with the reflecting surface so aligned, the direction of a detected source can be determined.

Abstract: In a raster output scanning (ROS) printer, an overfilled polygon design is enabled by using a high power laser diode to compensate for low efficiency of an overfilled design and by using an aspheric lens assembly to provide a flat beam illumination profile at each polygon facet.

Abstract: The determination of the orientation parameters of a missile by means of a three-line scanner requires the generation of scanning traces which are oriented at a specific angle with respect to the direction of flight. In the present invention the scanning traces are produced with a two or four part scanning prism, whose reflecting surfaces are arranged at a specific angel .beta. with respect to the axis of rotation of the scanning prism.

Abstract: The present invention provides a retroreflective material which is efficient at high angles of incidence and which may be individually tailored so as to distribute light retroreflected by the material into a desired pattern or divergence profile.

Abstract: A light-scanning reader equipped with a rotary or oscillatory polyhedral reflector including at least two correlated reflecting surfaces each formed in an angular range of 180.degree. or less to generate a plurality of mutually non-parallel scanning loci. The polyhedral reflector is so disposed as to be rotatable or oscillatable on its axis and is capable of easily generating a plurality of directionally different scanning loci.

Abstract: A bifocal contact lens is made by cutting a first convex surface on the anterior surface of the lens, the first convex surface being a near distance corrective surface and the posterior surface being shaped to the eye, so that substantially the entirety of the anterior surface is formed by the first corrective surface. A second corrective surface is cut after the lens is eccentrically offset from the axis of rotation of the first surface, the second surface being of greater radius then that of the first surface and the two corrective surfaces forming substantially the entirety of the anterior surface of the lens with the lens being devoid of ballasting other than that provided by the eccentric thinning of the lens.

Abstract: The rotating mirror light deflecting system employs a non-circular dynamic gas bearing providing dynamic pressure to radially support the shaft. The bearing is provided internally with a multiplicity of grooves or embankments whereby dynamic gas pressure is increased to enhance rigidity. The bearing radially moves as a whole with damping according to a movement of the shaft, thus permitting nondestructive movement of the shaft and absorption of the resonant energy of the shaft. The shaft and the bearing will not come in contact with each other, and oscillation energy of the shaft is absorbed or dissipated by an external viscous or hysteresis resistance of the bearing therefore resonance oscillation is attenuated on the instant it occurs.

Abstract: A constant deviation beam scanning apparatus having a rotatable beam deflector with at least one reflective surface thereof lying in a plane that intersects the axis of rotation at an acute angle. One embodiment utilizes a rotatable, truncated, n-sided pyramidal mirror with at least one planar reflective scanning segment located on one of the n-sides of the pyramidal mirror. The pyramidal mirror's truncation surface lies in a plane normal to the mirror's rotation axis and contains at least one planar reflective segment. A constant deviation reflector having two reflective surfaces is positioned so that a collimated beam of light reflected by the truncation surface reflective segment is reflected by one of the constant deviation reflective surfaces to the other reflective surface and then to the at least one planar reflective scanning segment of the pyramidal mirror.

Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus includes a light source and a polygon lens. The polygon lens consists of a plurality of cylindrical lenses. Each cylindrical lens has an inner concave surface and an outer concave surface. A light beam emitted from the light source passes through the inner concave surface without deflection, and then passes through the outer concave surface with some deflection. An angle of deflection is changed in accordance with rotation of the polygon mirror. The polygon mirror produces a scanning light beam which moves linearly.

Abstract: A beam splitter combining the optical apertures of at least three optical (or electro-optical) devices to one optical aperture with respect to a beam of electromagnetic radiation passing therethrough, comprises a dichroic member effective to reflect part of the spectral range of the electromagnetic radiation and to transmit the remainder therethrough; and a grid effective to refract a narrow bandwidth of the electromagnetic radiation and to transmit the remaining electromagnetic radiation therethrough.

Abstract: A light beam scanning device for scanning an object to read image information therefrom or record image information thereon includes a reflecting-mirror light deflector for reflecting and deflecting a light beam in a plane, and a scanning lens for passing the light beam deflected by the light deflector toward the object. An optical element such as a glass plate has an entrance surface for allowing the light beam to pass therethrough to the light deflector, and directs the light beam from the light deflector therethrough to the scanning lens. The entrance surface is inclined at a predetermined angle to a direction normal to an optical axis of the scanning lens.

Abstract: An optical transmission spectrometer for transmission measurements of absorbing and scattering samples includes light sources mounted parallel to each other in a holder. The beams of light eminating from the light sources are directed through a beam-combiner. The beam-combiner includes a first refractive surface at an angle of incidence of 45.degree.. The first refractive surface refracts light toward a common axis. The beam-combiner includes a second refractive surface parallel to the first refractive surface for refracting the beam of light along a common axis parallel to the original direction of the beam of light. The beam-combiner can include additional refractive surfaces for other beams of light to combine the beams of light into a primary beam. The includes a collimating tube extending along the common axis for baffling stray light and directing the primary beam through a sample.

Abstract: A hand held laser scanner including a housing comprising a hand-grip portion and a body portion. The body portion is hollow and includes a self-contained laser scanner module releasable secured therein. The module is housed within a enclosure having a window, and comprises a source of laser light, a mechanism for sweeping the laser beam within the enclosure to produce a scan pattern comprising at least one line, a reflective beam folding system for projecting the pattern out of the window and onto an object, such as a bar code, and a system for receiving light reflected off the object to convert the reflected light into an electrical signal indicative thereof. The beam sweeping mechanism comprises an oscillating reflective member. The reflective beam folding system comprises at least two mirrors disposed generally opposite each other to receive the beam of light from the beam sweeping mechanism and to fold its path by reflecting it back and forth within the enclosure.

Abstract: An image derotator (10) uses five or a higher odd number of) mirrors mounted in two perpendicular planes. When used in scanning systems (14) that result in image rotation, the derotator (10) will derotate the image, thereby maintaining a constant image orientation. In addition, the derotator (10) permits a controlled amount of polarization sensitivity to be achieved, by adjusting the angles between the mirrors. Zero polarization sensitivity can also be achieved by proper adjustment of mirror angles.

Abstract: A base element (10) is fixedly mounted to a microscope. The upper surface (18) of an annular mounting portion (15) at the top of base element (10) is flat and forms a track which extends around the vertical centerline, i.e. the optical axis of the microscope. Movably secured to the upper surface (18) of the annular mounting portion (15) is a positioner element (28). The positioner element (28) includes a portion (46) which is movable toward and away from the centerline of the microscope (12). On the top surface of the movable portion (46) is a translator element (64) which is rotatable relative to the positioner element (28). A micromanipulator (73), which is a microscope accessory, is mountable on the translator (64). The apparatus as a whole provides a stable platform for support and movement of a plurality of micromanipulators.