Abstract: A wide range tunable filter is provided. A randomly polarized incoming beam is converted into two orthogonally polarized beams. A ½ wave plate and filter block turns these two beams into four beams. Two of the four beams have a single range of wavelengths and two beams have the remaining wavelengths. Each pair of beams is orthogonally polarized. A ½ wave plate and birefringent crystal positioned after the filter block combine the two beams having the single range of wavelengths and combines the two beams having the remaining wavelengths. The invention includes a thermal compensator to correct the angle of the filter with respect to the incident light.

Abstract: A safety hypodermic syringe includes a barrel and a base is movably received in the barrel. A cylindrical connection piece is engaged with the engaging recess. A needle cannula unit is fixed connected to the base and extends out from the barrel. A plunger has an insertion which is inserted through the hole in the connection piece and into the passage in the base. The insertion is securely engaged with the connection piece. A breaking groove is defined in an outer periphery of the plunger and located close to the second end of the plunger. The base together with the needle cannula unit are pulled in the barrel after injection and the plunger is broken to leave the needle cannula unit in the barrel.

Abstract: A panel light source device comprises light sources, a light guide, and a reflector. The light guide defines a bottom surface and a top surface, and comprises grooves disposed on the bottom surface for receiving the light sources and pairs of first inclined surfaces disposed on the top surface and corresponding to the groove. The grooves and the first inclined surfaces cooperate with each other to transmit the light from the light source into the light guide. The reflector is disposed on the bottom surface of the light guide and covers the light source.

Abstract: This invention is an optical communication interleave device using a variety of optical interferometer configurations where one of the beams carries a linear phase and the other beam carries a non-linear phase such that the frequency dependence of the phase difference between these two beams has a step-ike function. The present invention uses a variety of non-linear phase generators to generate this step like phase difference.

Abstract: An opto-electronic device is provided wherein an optical assembly having a first coefficient of thermal expansion is connected to a substrate having a second, different coefficient of thermal expansion. A plurality of stakes are either separately inserted or integrally formed-in the optical assembly and extend through and are adhesively bonded to passageways formed in the substrate. The stakes reduce or prevent differential thermal expansion that would otherwise occur as the device heats up during operation. The substrate may be thermally connected to a metallic housing for the device to increase transfer of unwanted heat into the ambient atmosphere.

Abstract: Apparatus for detecting defects in a substrate comprises a laser for providing a laser beam, and a bi-cell photodiode comprising two cells. Circuitry coupled to the bi-cell photodiode provides a signal equal to (L−R)/(L+R), where L and R equal the signal strengths of the signals provided by the left and right photodiode cells, respectively. The photodiode is biased so that it exhibits reduced capacitance, and can provide increased output signal bandwidth.

Abstract: A cost-effective wavelength division multiplexer and demultiplexer for use in optical communication consists of three modules, including a fiber array, a lens array and a filter array/reflector. Each array is made in wafer level with very precise position control and is bonded to an adjacent wafer by conventional wafer bonding techniques. In addition to eliminating the need for active alignment in the manufacturing process of a wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) transceiver, the invention reduces the footprint of such a device to the order of a few millimeters and the process is suitable for low-cost, large quantity manufacturing. The fiber array is connected to the light sources, which optimally are fiber pig-tailed semiconductor lasers to enable repeatable and accurate placement in reference to the lens array.

Abstract: This invention is an optical communication interleave device using a variety of optical interferometer configurations where one of the beams carries a linear phase and the other beam carries a non-linear phase such that the frequency dependence of the phase difference between these two beams has a step-like function. The present invention uses a variety of non-linear phase generators to generate this step like phase difference.

Abstract: A wide range tunable filter is provided. A randomly polarized incoming beam is converted into two orthogonally polarized beams. A ½ wave plate and filter block turns these two beams into four beams. Two of the four beams have a single range of wavelengths and two beams have the remaining wavelengths. Each pair of beams is orthogonally polarized. A ½ wave plate and birefringent crystal positioned after the filter block combine the two beams having the single range of wavelengths and combines the two beams having the remaining wavelengths. The invention includes a thermal compensator to correct the angle of the filter with respect to the incident light.

Abstract: A variable optical attenuator comprises a collimating element for receiving a light beam originating from an input optical transmission medium, a focusing element opposing the collimating element and operative to substantially focus the light beam upon an output optical transmission medium, and a rotatable optical member (ROM) disposed in between the collimating element and the focusing element and capable of rotating to selectively attenuate the light beam. Attenuation of the beam is accomplished by laterally shifting the beam in the collimating space and producing a cone angle mismatch into an output fiber optic.

Abstract: An edge detection system for detecting pre-formatted marks on a disk surface using reflected beams of optical signals. The detector include at least two separate sensing areas to analyze the energy distribution of the reflected beam to generate an edge detecting signal.

Abstract: A near-field optical system having a mechanism to determine a spacing between an optical surface and a reflective surface that are spaced by less one wavelength by using coupled radiation energy that has an evanescently-coupled portion.

Abstract: There is disclosed an automatic white-balance correction method for digital camera, which divides a captured picture into multiple sampled regions for performing a white-balance correction. The image data of the captured picture is transformed form RGB format to YCrCb format. Then, the mean values of Y, Cr, and Cb are calculated for each sampled region based on the multiple sampled regions. Finally, Cr and Cb are used as two coordinate axes to define four quadrants, and the values of Cr and Cb of each sampled region are used to determine a corresponding quadrant for each sampled region, thereby determining a correction direction based on the number of sampled regions in each quadrant.

Abstract: The invention is a tunable light source. Techniques for multiplexing various wavelengths into one fiber are provided. A thin film deposition optical monitoring system is provided that utilizes a multiplexer according to the present invention. Light from a multiplexed light source is passed through a fiber optic and emerges from the fiber tip. The light beam is collimated and passes through the substrate where a lens then focuses the transmitted light into a photo-detector. After signal processing, information is sent to the deposition flux source controller to control the deposition rate, coating material and whether deposition should be terminated. An advantage of the present invention over tunable lasers is realized in the low cost of the present invention.

Abstract: An optical disk drive having a thermal control mechanism on the optical head to control the spacing between the optical head and the surface of the storage medium.

Abstract: An opto-electronic device is provided wherein an optical assembly having a first coefficient of thermal expansion is connected to a substrate having a second, different coefficient of thermal expansion. A plurality of stakes are either separately inserted or integrally formed in the optical assembly and extend through and are adhesively bonded to passageways formed in the substrate. The stakes reduce or prevent differential thermal expansion that would otherwise occur as the device heats up during operation. The substrate may be thermally connected to a metallic housing for the device to increase transfer of unwanted heat into the ambient atmosphere.

Abstract: A process for making PU air permeable nubuck sheets includes coating a separable release substrate material such an cloth, plastics, or paper with a polyurethane (PU) resin preparation before disposing the same in an impregnation tank to allow the PU resin to congeal into a sheet of minute pores attached to the release substrate material. The release substrate material together with the sheet is soaked in a wash tank to rinse off residual dimethyformamide (DMP) A beck surface of the release substrate material is coated with a water soluble resin (which may later dissolve in water and then be rinsed off) and the release substrate material is put into an oven to dry and then removed to a grinder for processing into a nubuck sheet with the feel and visual characteristics of real nubuck. The nubuck sheet is washed in a wash tank to rinse off the water soluble resin, dried, subjected to surface finishing, and than separated from the release substrate material to obtain a PU air permeable nubuck sheet.