Abstract: A wide-angle illuminator for machine vision applications comprises a fiber optic bundle having a tail end defining a long narrow illumination line adjacent the workpiece and a head end defining a rectangular inlet adjacent the light source. The light source comprises a lamp located within a concave, elliptical cross-section reflector that is elongated in one direction. The elliptical cross-section is the same across the entire direction of elongation, thus defining a partial elliptical cylinder, which is preferably capped by flat, reflective surfaces at each end. The lamp, particularly the filament of the lamp, is aligned with one focus of the ellipse. The head inlet of the fiber optic bundle is aligned with the second focus of the ellipse so that the light emitted from the lamp is reflected to the second focus for transmission through the fiber optic bundle.

Abstract: A cardiac blood flow sensor includes a light source and a photodetector within a housing. The light source projects a beam through a fiber optic line having a first end optically connected to the housing and a distal tip positioned within the patient's heart. Light intermittently reflected off the moving blood cells is transmitted back through the optic line to the detector, which generates a varying signal proportional to the reflected light, and thus proportional to the blood flow rate within the heart. The flow sensor may be contained in a common housing with a defibrillator that is implanted in a patient. The sensor may remain inactive until a potentially unhealthy heart beat rate is detected, upon which the light source is activated. The defibrillator may be activated only if the flow sensor has detected a blood flow rate below a predetermined level.

Abstract: A cardiac blood flow sensor includes a light source and a photodetector within a housing. The light source projects a beam through a fiber optic line having a first end optically connected to the housing and a distal tip positioned within the patient's heart. A ruby positioned at the distal tip is heated by the beam, and fluoresces for a period of time after illumination ceases. The period of time depends on the temperature of the ruby, so that the fluorescent light is transmitted back through the optic line to the photodetector. The signal generated by the photodetector may be analyzed to estimate the blood flow rate, due to the thermal effect of blood flowing past the heated ruby. The flow sensor may be contained in a common housing with a defibrillator that is implanted in a patient. The sensor may remain inactive until a tachycardia or rapid heart rate is detected, upon which the light source is activated.

Abstract: Laser apparatus with an electro-optic Q-switch assembly comprises a lasing medium which produces an unpolarized light beam when pumped, a polarizing beam splitter dividing the unpolarized beam into two orthogonally polarized parallel sub-beams, and a totally reflecting turning element which returns each sub-beam to the beam splitter along the path of the other sub-beam. A Q-switch is located in the path of one of the sub-beams. When the Q-switch is energized, the reflected polarization-shifted sub-beams are recombined at the splitter and pass through the lasing medium and adjacent partially-reflecting element as the output. When the Q-switch is deenergized, the sub-beams are dumped at the splitter which prevents the laser from oscillating.

Abstract: The annular energy distribution in the output beam of a laser having an unstable resonator is evenly distributed across the entire beam profile by a synthesizer comprising a pair of mirrors adjacent to the output end of the resonator and operative on the output beam to redirect part of the beam from the annular outer portion to the energy-vacant central portion. One of the pair of mirrors is partially optically transmissive and concavely shaped and is disposed to reflect and converge part of the outer beam portion toward the other mirror and to transmit the balance. The other mirror is highly reflective and convexly shaped and is disposed to redirect and collimate the reflected beam part within the central portion toward the concave mirror parallel to the outer beam portion.