Abstract: A device and method of monitoring wavelength division multiplexed signals are disclosed. The device includes a user interface for defining channels of the wavelength division multiplexed signals to be measured, and graphically viewing measured signal characteristics of the wavelength division multiplexed signals. The user interface further allows for defining of alarm levels for signal characteristics to be measured, and indicating when a measured signal characteristic falls outside of the defined alarm levels.

Abstract: An optical monitor device and method are disclosed for measuring characteristics of optical signals in an optical communications network. The optical monitor device may include an array of optical detector elements on which the optical signals, each having a different wavelength, may be substantially concurrently imaged, and a processing element. The array of optical detector elements may be controlled so that for each optical signal, a plurality of measurements may be obtained, with each measurement occurring at a distinct optical sensitivity level. The processing element may select, for each optical signal, the measurement providing the most accurate measurement of the optical signal. In this way, the dynamic range of the optical monitor device is increased relative to the dynamic range of the array of optical detector elements.

Abstract: A bi-directional fiber optic jumper that connects two fiber optic system common wavelength fibers is disclosed. The retraction of the jumper exposes fiber connections and enables a system reconfiguration such as adding or dropping of common wavelengths into open fiber connections. A magnet is provided in the chassis of the jumper to engage a magneto-resistive device, such as a Hall effect sensor feature, that is contained on an optical add/drop device product chassis. The Hall effect sensor facilitates monitoring of insertion or withdrawal of the fiber channel jumper from the optical add/drop device.

Abstract: A method and device are disclosed for monitoring communication activity within an optical communications network. The device includes a pair of optical components for tapping optical signals transported across a fiber optic line in the optical communications network. At least one optical performance monitor (OPM) receives tapped signals from the pair of optical components. An optical switch, controlled by the OPM, selectively provides to the at least one OPM tapped signals corresponding to optical signals traveling on the fiber optic line in a first direction. The OPM measures the various signal characteristics of the tapped signals when the optical switch is opened and closed, and determines the direction of travel of optical signals on the fiber optic line based upon the measured signal characteristics.

Abstract: The invention corrects correspondence error among multiple images taken at different focal distances with non-telecentric optical systems, and is particularly useful in focal gradient analysis range imaging systems.

Abstract: The invention provides an apparatus and method for obtaining a uniform illumination reflectance image of an object, even though the object is illuminated only using periodic structured illumination. The uniform illumination reflectance image so-produced has precise geometric and photometric correspondence with images produced using the periodic structured illumination. To obtain the uniform illumination reflectance image, a sum of a spanning set of periodic structured illumination images is computed. The resulting summation image bears substantially no trace of periodic structured illumination. Various embodiments of the apparatus of the invention are disclosed employing illuminator motion, object motion, and ray deflection to obtain a plurality of periodic structured illumination images of different phase. The invention is useful with triangulation ranging systems using a striped periodic illumination mask, with depth-from-focus ranging systems, and with depth-from-defocus ranging systems.

Abstract: A depth-from-defocus optical apparatus is provided for use with a depth-from-defocus three-dimensional imaging system for obtaining a depth image of an object. The invention facilitates the formation of depth images of objects exhibiting specular reflection, either alone or in combination with diffuse reflection, thereby allowing the application of depth-from-defocus three-dimensional imaging to objects such as microelectronic packages. The optical apparatus of the invention generally includes an illumination source, a projection lens assembly for converging rays of incident light towards an object, and a viewing lens assembly for converging rays of reflected light towards an image plane. Importantly, the viewing lens assembly is of the same working f-number as the projection lens assembly.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided that includes a plate beamsplitter having a first surface coated with a partially reflective coating, and a second surface coated with an anti-reflective coating, and a polarizing filter, oriented with respect to the plate beamsplitter so as to substantially block light of substantially incompatible polarization that has traversed the plate beamsplitter, has been reflected by the object to be range imaged, and has been reflected by the plate beamsplitter towards the polarizing filter, thereby substantially preventing the formation of a ghost image of the object to be range imaged. Thus, the invention does not suffer from optical ghost images which commonly occur due to imperfect anti-reflection coatings used to make plate beam splitters. Also, the invention makes practical the use of plate beam splitters in depth from defocus and depth from focus range imaging systems employing coaxial active illumination and viewing.

Abstract: The invention provides a method and apparatus for obtaining a range image of an object. The method includes the act of "albedo normalization", i.e., removing the effects of object reflectance using a structured illumination image of the object and a uniform illumination image of the object to provide an albedo-normalized image. This image is then processed using a focus measure to provide a focal image, which image is then used to provide a range image. The invention substantially removes the effects of object reflectance from an image acquired using structured illumination, so that only the structured illumination pattern and its degree of focus/defocus remains. Albedo normalization is achieved by dividing an image of an object taken under structured illumination by a corresponding image of the object taken under uniform illumination.

Abstract: An image input device is provided in which an optical deflector is positioned to divide the image of an object into a plurality of sub-images and to deflect the sub-images to an image sensor via an imaging lens. The images sensed by the image sensor are stored in a memory and combined by an image processor to form a composite image of the object. A hybrid zoom arrangement allows the magnification of an image on a display to be adjusted both mechanically and electronically. Techniques and circuitry for image processing allow a user to remove undesirable motion blur from the real time image and allow an input image to be patch-wise warped into an output image. An optical encoder for accurately determining the position of a deflector such as a mirror has also been provided.

Abstract: A digital document magnifier for scanning and digitizing printed information, processing the information, and displaying the processed information on a display screen is provided. The digital document magnifier software analyzes the contents of a document and then automates presentation of the document to a viewer. The system includes a microprocessor for processing the scanned information, and displayable video memory for storing information to be displayed. The video memory is organized as a two-dimensional circular display buffer. The two-dimensional buffer is used to zoom incrementally an image to the display screen as necessary. The magnifier can provide either one data bit per pixel for a monochrome display, or four data bits per pixel for a color or greyscale display. Methods for scaling coordinates between a source image bitmap buffer and a two-dimensional circular display buffer also are provided.

Abstract: A high resolution hand held scanner is disclosed for use with a character recognizing and voice synthesizing reading machine for the blind or print handicapped people. The components for scanning swaths of printed text from single sheets or bound pages of bound volumes are housed in an elongated, dust-tight carriage. A broad roller is rotatably mounted on one edge of the carriage and a split roller is rotatably mounted on an opposite edge. The roller axes are coplanar and parallel with each other, so that when the carriage is manually moved across a page to be scanned, a window in the carriage floor is maintained a predetermined distance therefrom and the rollers guide the carriage in a substantially straight line without need of guide rails. A strobed LED array provides the illumination for a 1728 element per inch CCD array via a Selfoc.RTM. lens. Each four CCD elements are summed to synthesize over 400 pixels per inch resolution scanning, with each synthesized pixel having increased light gathering ability.