Abstract: A flat-panel projection display comprises a tapered transparent slab (1), a projector (2) adapted to inject images into the thick end of the slab, a translucent screen (3) over the face of the slab from which the display is to be viewed, and spacers holding the screen away from the slab so that light emerging from the face of the slab can spread to cover the area of the screen. In this way the gaps or blank strips that would otherwise be present at the points where the light bundles are being reflected off the rear surface of the tapered waveguide are eliminated.

Abstract: An achromatic flat-panel projection display comprises a video projector 2a, a condensing lens (26) and a tapered transparent slab spreading the image input from the projector over the area of the slab. To compensate for dispersion in the slab a dispersive prism is used at the input edge of the slab, whose dispersion cancels out the dispersion of the slab. The prism can be a separate part of simply a bevel in the input edge, i.e. the thick end of the slab.

Abstract: A wide-field-of-view projection display comprises a circularly symmetric lens and an array of light emitters, positioned along the focal circumference of the circularly symmetric lens so that light from each of the light emitters is substantially collimated by the lens in a different direction. A ray-diverting means, such as a slab waveguide or a reflector, ejects the collimated light out of the plane of the lens to the viewer. The planar circularly symmetric lens has no aberration, allowing adjacent views to be seamlessly joined because they can all be diffused by the same angular amount.

Abstract: A flat-panel camera comprises a tapered transparent slab 1, a prismatic sheet 3 for introducing light into one face of the slab at near the critical angle so that it is reflected along the slab towards the thick end, and a miniature camera 2 receiving light emerging from the thick end of the slab at an angle depending on where the light entered the slab. An image processor 7 eliminates distortion in the image such as gaps caused by the light missing the camera.

Abstract: A large-area collimated beam of radiation is formed by re-directing a beam of small projected area off one or two orthogonal surfaces which are faceted or have a non-specular reflection angle and which spatially distribute the incoming beam across their surface area. Preferably there are two expansion stages, one for each dimension. If the input beam is linearly polarised then the output beam will also be polarised. The polarisation will undergo a rotation through 90 degrees. The beam expander is compact and suitable for use in liquid-crystal flat-panel displays.

Abstract: A flat-panel display comprises a projector (21-23) illuminated by a collimate light source such as an infra-red laser, a waveguide (1) which ejects rays at a distance along the axis of propagation related to their angle of injection into the edge of the waveguide, an input slab (3) for magnifying the projected image in the width dimension in the plane of the panel perpendicular to the axis of propagation, and a phosphor output screen which converts the infra-red light to the visible. The use of monochromatic light within the waveguide reduces dispersion problems, and the use of a triad of projectors, each injecting at a different angle, makes registration relatively simple.

Abstract: Bread products derived from a dough having a continuous network of developable protein having levels of reducing sugar sufficiently low such that browning under frying conditions is substantially reduced.

Abstract: An optical waveguide system includes a generally planar waveguide 1 arranged so that light can be injected by a projector 2 into one edge at a range of out-of-plane angles. The waveguide 1 is tapered so that different out-of-plane angles, after being totally internally reflected for a certain distance, leave the waveguide at different respective points along the waveguide. This expands the image in the direction of propagation along the waveguide. Meanwhile the image is expanded transversely by a parallel-sided input waveguide 3. A large-area flat-panel display is thus created, or the planar waveguide can be used as a planar collimating light source or, using layers of controllable optical index, an optical switch.

Abstract: A component position indicating system which provides an indication when a first component is at the same position relative to a second component as it was at some historical reference time has a cable (11) fixed to the first component and a sheath (6) which surrounds part of the cable (11) and is connected to the second component. In this way relative movement between the first and second components produces movement of the cable within the sheath. One end of the cable (6) is wound around a cable drum (7) which is freely rotatably mounted in a chassis (2) such that movement of the cable (11) within the sheath (6) causes cable to wind onto or off of the drum (7), causing rotation of the drum (7) in the process. Sensing means senses the resulting movement of the drum (7) and records an output characteristic indicative of the position of the drum (7) relative to the chassis (2) so as to enable a particular relative position between said first and second components to be identified and accurately reproduced.

Abstract: A method for providing adaptive neighbor cell lists for a cellular radio network. In cellular radio networks, handovers are used to hand over a call from one cell to another. To identify possible cells for handovers, neighbor cell lists are used for each cell containing information on neighboring cells. Due to system limitations these neighbor cell lists sometimes do not contain all available neighboring cells. The present invention overcomes this disadvantage by providing a method that allows adapting the neighbor cell lists according to the actual location of a mobile station and the actual reception conditions at the time the mobile station is operative. The method provides a first part of the neighbor cell list containing information on fixed neighbor cells, and it provides a second part of the neighbor cell list containing information on varying neighbor cells.

Abstract: A method of controllable cooling of a boiler (10) and removing exfoliated magnetite from the boiler tubes (30, 31) employs flowing dry gas through the boiler tubes (30, 31) at a flow velocity above the terminal velocity of the magnetite flakes as the boiler (10) is cooled from a temperature above the temperature at which exfoliation occurs. A method of removing magnetite blockages (100) from boiler tubes (30, 31) is also disclosed.

Abstract: An optical waveguide system includes a generally planar waveguide 1 arranged so that light can be injected by a projector 2 into one edge at a range of out-of-plane angles. The waveguide 1 is tapered so that different out-of-plane angles, after being totally internally reflected for a certain distance, leave the waveguide at different respective points along the waveguide. This expands the image in the direction of propagation along the waveguide. Meanwhile the image is expanded transversely by a parallel-sided input waveguide 3. A large-area flat-panel display is thus created, or the planar waveguide can be used as a planar collimating light source or, using layers of controllable optical index, an optical switch.

Abstract: A video display for two or three dimensions has a flat liquid-crystal screen 2 which ejects light from the plane at a selectable line 3. One or, in the case of a 3-D display, several video projectors 1 project a linear image into the plane from an edge. A complete image is written on the screen by addressing the line with appropriate images as it is scanned down the screen. To screen a three-dimensional image the video projectors, each projecting an image as seen at a slightly different angle, combine to constitute a three-dimensional display which produces a three-dimensional image that is one line high.

Abstract: A polychromatic three dimensional display comprises a first (5) and second (8) image sources, the second image source (8) adapted to reduce selectively the field of view of the first image source to provide thereby a time multiplexed three dimensional autostereoscopic image. The display also comprises a switching color filter (12) disposed adjacent to the second image source which comprises a plurality of regions each switchable between different colors to enable color modulation of the generated image.