Abstract: An improved illuminator with an adjustable beam pattern to be worn by medical and dental professionals includes a housing, a light-emitting diode (LED) disposed in the housing outputting light through a distal opening in the housing, an achromatic doublet lens mounted in the opening in the housing, and a singlet lens disposed between the LED and the achromatic lens. The distance between the singlet lens and the doublet lens may be adjustable, and/or distance between the LED and the singlet lens may be adjustable, through a threaded connections, for example.

Abstract: A head-mounted light source particularly suited to medical and dental applications includes a base unit with a source of illumination directed through a distal opening in the base unit, and a plurality of interchangeable beam-forming units, each separately attachable to the distal opening of the base unit to produce a different light spot size at a given distance. The preferred embodiment includes a wide-field beam-forming unit, an intermediate beam-forming unit and a high-intensity beam-forming unit, such that the diameter of the spot size progressively decreases from the wide-field to the intermediate to the high-intensity unit. The interchangeable beam-forming units are attached to the base unit through a threaded connection. Each interchangeable beam-forming unit may itself include a distal threaded connection for attachment of a UV or other filter. In the preferred embodiment, the base unit includes a clip adapted for attachment to an ocular mounting assembly.

Abstract: A medical/dental loupe assembly provides through-the-lens oculars with an inconspicuous interpupillary distance adjustment capability. The system includes a pair of lenses, each lens having a telemicroscopic ocular cemented therethrough, and an upper portion, one on each side of a wearer's nose. A generally horizontal slot is formed in the upper portion of one of the lenses, and a bridge member connects the upper portions of the two lenses. The bridge member has two ends, one end of which is coupled to the slot through a fastener that may be loosened and tightened, thereby allowing the distance between the oculars to be adjusted and locked into position in accordance with the interpupillary requirements of a user.

Abstract: A heat-dissipating headlamp assembly comprises a housing including a light source such as a light-emitting diode (LED) disposed therein, and a detachable heat shroud covering the rearward portion of the housing. In the preferred embodiment the housing includes a pair of opposing detents, and the detachable heat shroud includes a pair of opposing protrusions that cooperate with the detents to hold the shroud in position. The assembly further includes a mounting bracket extending downwardly from the rearward portion for attachment to a headband, spectacle frames, or other head-worn item, and the heat shroud includes an upper rearward notch to accommodate the electrical cable connected to the light source and a lower rearward notch to accommodate the mounting bracket. The heat shroud is generally cylindrical in shape, and so, too, is the housing, at least where the heat shroud attaches thereto.

Abstract: The present invention is a laser protection window for protection from uncontrolled laser illumination. This laser protection window includes a holographic optical element forming a reflection hologram at the wavelength of the expected laser threat. A set of channel plates opaque to the expected laser threat wavelength are disposed at right angles to the holographic optical element in order to block laser illumination arriving outside the cone of protection of the holographic optical element. These channel plates may be vertically disposed to provide protection against mostly horizontally disposed laser threats. In alternative embodiments, the channel plates include both horizontally and vertically disposed plates or plates disposed in polygonal cross section to cover the entire area of the laser protection window.

Abstract: An improved spectacle frame for use with a telemicroscope or similar optical instrument. The spectacle frame includes temple pieces which are angularly disposed with respect to the lenses mounted in the spectacle frame, nose pads which extend toward the tip of the user's nose, rather than the eyes, and a uniquely designed, elevated bridge assembly. Optionally, a second pair of conventionally mounted nose pads may be provided. These features combine to achieve a more favorable positioning of the telemicroscope with respect to both the lenses of the spectacles and the eyes of the user, both to maximize the field of view and to improve the pantoscopic angle, and also improve weight distribution to minimize chafing, soreness and fatigue.

Abstract: The present invention is a technique for construction of a laser protection window providing broadened angular protection. Plural modulated index of refraction filter elements are constructed to reflect incident light at a predetermined laser threat wavelength over a cone of protection. The plurality of modulated index of refraction filter elements are disposed in tandem at angles to a direction of primary view through the laser protection window which are symmetrical with respect to the direction of primary view. In a first embodiment, a first optional modulated index of refraction filter element is disposed perpendicular to the direction of primary view; the other modulated index of refraction filter elements are disposed in pairs at opposing angles to the direction of primary view. In an alternative embodiment, the angled modulated index of refraction filter element plates are formed of angled segments.

Abstract: Holographic optical elements relatively free of unwanted, secondary fringes are produced using light having a limited coherence. A photosensitive material of a predetermined thickness records the interference between two beams of light. The mutual coherence of the two illumination beams is sufficiently great to form high contrast interference fringes within some portion of the photosensitive medium. The mutual coherence is limited to prevent the formation of high contrast interference with reflections from the various parts of the construction optics. The two illumination beams may be incident from opposite sides of the photosensitive medium forming a reflection holographic optical element or from the same side of the photosensitive medium forming a transmission holographic optical element. A laser generates the first illumination beam. Control of the mutual coherence may be by passing the first illumination beam through a moving diffuser plate or by varying the wavelength of the laser during the exposure.

Abstract: Holographic optical elements relatively free of unwanted, secondary fringes are produced by passing the light beam from a laser through a rotating diffusing plate to generate a beam of light having a very limited coherence length and a spatial coherence which changes over a period of time. A photographic emulsion having a mirror supported on its reverse side is illuminated by the beam and interference occurs between this primary illumination and illumination reflected from the mirror, creating fringes. No other interference fringes are formed because of the lack of coherence between secondary reflections and other rays of the incident beam. The rotation of the diffusion plate time averages out speckle patterns which would otherwise occur. Alternatively, the illuminating beam has a high degree of spatial coherence but its temporal coherence is reduced and varied over a period of time by changing the wavelength of a tunable-dye laser.

Abstract: Holographic optical elements relatively free of unwanted, secondary fringes are produced by passing the light beam from a laser through a rotating diffusing plate to generate a beam of light having a very limited coherence length and a spatial coherence which changes over a period of time. A photographic emulsion having a mirror supported on its reverse side is illuminated by the beam and interference occurs between this primary illumination and illumination reflected from the mirror, creating fringes. No other interference fringes are formed because of the lack of coherence between secondary reflections and other rays of the incident beam. The rotation of the diffusion plate time averages out speckle patterns which would otherwise occur.Alternatively, the illuminating beam has a high degree of spatial coherence but its temporal coherence is reduced and varied over a period of time by changing the wavelength of a tunable-dye laser.

Abstract: The Raman scattering detector of this invention includes a source of collimated monochromatic illumination, a cube formed of two right angle prisms, a holographic optical element disposed between the prisms, a concentrating lens, a focusing lens and one or more photo detectors. The illuminating beam passes through the cube and is concentrated by the concentrating leans to a sample. Scattered light returned to the concentrating lens is substantially collimated upon return to the cube. The holographic optical element diffracts light at desired Raman wavelengths approximately 90 degrees without substantially affecting the original wavelength. The holographic optical element further disperses light at desired Raman wavelengths permitting them to be separated. The diffracted and dispersed wavelengths are focused on one or more detectors by the focusing lens.

Abstract: The present invention is an adaptive laser protection device which adaptively forms a reflection holographic optical element to reflect away incident laser radiation. The laser protection device includes a layer of a nonlinear optical material which has an index of refraction varying with light intensity, a transparent layer having a depth greater than the coherence length of the expected ambient illumination and less than the coherence length of the expected laser radiation, and a partially reflecting layer on the far surface of the transparent layer. Laser radiation incident on the laser protection device forms an interference pattern in the nonlinear optical material between directly incident light and light reflected from the partially reflecting layer. This interference pattern within the nonlinear optical material causes the formation of a holographic optical element due to varying indices of refractions.

Abstract: An on-axis thick phase holographic optical element for use as a lens is fabricated by incorporating two off-axis holograms of two point sources located on opposite sides of the plate made by use of reference beams having a common angle with respect to the photographic media and complementary curvatures in the two cases. The element may be formed either by forming the two holograms in a single photographic emulsion, incoherently relative to one another, using a double exposure technique, or by forming the holograms on two physically separated media and then joining them to one another with their emulsion sides in contact. The resultant elements enjoy the low dispersion and aberrations like a conventional on-axis thin holographic optical element and the high diffraction efficiency like a thick hologram and additionally provide an extremely high ratio of diffracted to undiffracted light energy in the on-axis image.