For Optical Transfer Function Patents (Class 356/124.5)
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Patent number: 8253931Abstract: An apparatus includes an optical system for illuminating an original, a measurement device which includes an image sensor arranged on a substrate stage, and is configured to measure a characteristic of the optical system based on a light intensity distribution that is formed on an image sensing plane of the image sensor via the optical system and a measurement pattern, a calibration pattern arranged to form a light intensity distribution having a known shape on the image sensing plane, and a controller configured to calibrate the measurement device based on the light intensity distribution by the calibration pattern, and a theoretical light intensity distribution that is expected to be formed on the image sensing plane by the calibration pattern, wherein the calibration pattern is arranged around a region where the measurement pattern is arranged.Type: GrantFiled: October 28, 2009Date of Patent: August 28, 2012Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Takafumi Miyaharu
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Patent number: 8254712Abstract: An image processing apparatus is provided that can quickly provide an image in which a main portion has a high image quality.Type: GrantFiled: March 27, 2008Date of Patent: August 28, 2012Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventor: Akira Yoda
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Publication number: 20120113413Abstract: The invention comprises a process for pre-aligning a lens with an optical system, the process comprising: providing a lens and an optical system having an optical axis, wherein the lens is apt to be aligned with the optical system to form on an image plane an image of a source object, the image having top, bottom, left and right edges; coarsely positioning the lens with respect to the optical system; and in a plane normal to the optical axis of the optical system, correcting the position of the lens until the values of four Combination Modulation Transfer Functions (C-MTF) are in predetermined ranges, the C-MTF being calculated at four coarse measurement locations situated close to the edges of the image along two coarse positioning axes crossing the center of the image, each for a combination pattern comprising a combination of a Sagittal pattern and a Tangential pattern.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 11, 2009Publication date: May 10, 2012Applicant: ETHER PRECISION, INCInventors: Cyril Miahczylowicz-Wolski, Jean-Pierre Lusinchi
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Patent number: 8149287Abstract: An imaging system is provided and includes an imaging lens and an imaging device such that the maximum diameter of an effective region of a point image becomes a size covering three or more pixels of light receiving pixels, the point image being projected onto a light receiving surface through the imaging lens from any position of X, Y, and Z directions. A signal processing unit in the imaging system executes restoration processing on first image data output from the imaging device that images an optical image of a subject projected onto the light receiving surface through the imaging lens, the restoration processing being executed to generate second image data equivalent to the first image data output from the imaging device when the resolving power of the imaging lens is higher.Type: GrantFiled: November 13, 2008Date of Patent: April 3, 2012Assignee: Fujinon CorporationInventor: Kazuya Yoneyama
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Patent number: 8085392Abstract: An ophthalmic device forming system includes an inspection station configured to receive a plurality of ophthalmic devices, a fluid supply fluidly connected to the inspection station, the fluid supply containing a working fluid, and a heat source fluidly connected between the fluid supply and the inspection station. The heat source includes a housing, a transfer element, and a low pressure gas region defined by the housing adjacent to the transfer element.Type: GrantFiled: November 14, 2008Date of Patent: December 27, 2011Assignee: Bausch & Lomb IncorporatedInventor: Kevin D. Beebe
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Patent number: 8085393Abstract: A mask pattern includes a first pattern having a line-and-space pattern extending in a first direction, a second pattern formed as a line-and-space pattern having a larger period than the first pattern and extending in the first direction, a third pattern having a line-and-space pattern extending in a second direction, and a fourth pattern formed as a line-and-space pattern having a larger period than the third pattern and extending in the second direction. Illumination light is obliquely incident on the first pattern and the second pattern from a first oblique direction, illumination light is obliquely incident on the third pattern and the fourth pattern from a second oblique direction, and a relative distance from the first pattern to the second pattern transferred on to an image receptor and a relative distance from the third pattern to the fourth pattern transferred onto the image receptor are measured and an optical characteristic of an exposure apparatus is ascertained based on the relative distances.Type: GrantFiled: September 4, 2009Date of Patent: December 27, 2011Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaInventors: Kentaro Kasa, Takashi Sato, Kazuya Fukuhara
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Patent number: 8085391Abstract: Methods and systems for forming a chief ray angle (CRA) profile of an imaging lens having a field of view (FOV) are provided. At least one CRA sensor is positioned between an edge of a pixel array and an edge of the FOV, at one or more predetermined lens height percentages. Light is transmitted through the imaging lens and detected by multiple detectors included in the at least one CRA sensor. Each detector is configured to detect a different predetermined CRA. For each CRA sensor, a largest amplitude of detected light among the multiple detectors is selected. The largest amplitude of light represents a CRA of the transmitted light. At least one data point of the CRA profile is determined, by using the selected predetermined CRA at the one or more predetermined lens height percentages.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 2007Date of Patent: December 27, 2011Assignee: Aptina Imaging CorporationInventors: Akihiro Machida, William George Gazeley
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Publication number: 20110205514Abstract: A measuring apparatus for measuring a pupil transmittance distribution of an optical system to be examined has a diffraction grating mounted on a first surface in an optical Fourier transform relation with a pupil of the optical system, an illumination optical system which makes a beam inclined relative to the optical axis, incident to a predetermined position on the first surface so that a +first-order diffracted beam, generated through the diffraction grating, passes through a first pupil partial region in an effective region of the pupil and so that a ?first-order diffracted beam, generated through the diffraction grating, passes through a second pupil partial region, and a measuring unit which measures an intensity of the +first-order diffracted beam, and an intensity of the ?first-order diffracted beam, and the measuring apparatus determines a ratio of a pupil transmittance in the first and second pupil partial regions.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 21, 2011Publication date: August 25, 2011Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Naonori KITA
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Publication number: 20110102776Abstract: An optical line monitoring apparatus and optical line monitoring system which can measure a reflectance distribution in an optical line with a high spatial resolution in a short time are provided. An optical line monitoring apparatus 14A provided in a station 10A comprises an OCDR measurement section 15 for carrying out OCDR measurement, an OTDR measurement section 16 for carrying out OTDR measurement, an optical switch 13 for selectively connecting one of the OCDR measurement section 15 and OTDR measurement section 16 to the optical coupler 12, a control section 17, and a storage device 18. The control section 17 performs a predetermined arithmetic operation according to an OCDR measurement result acquired by causing the OCDR measurement section 15 to carry out the OCDR measurement and an OTDR measurement result acquired by causing the OTDR measurement section 16 to carry out the OTDR measurement.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 25, 2009Publication date: May 5, 2011Applicant: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Takemi Hasegawa, Tetsuya Hayashi, Haruo Nakaji
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Patent number: 7876429Abstract: The evaluating apparatus evaluates a restoration-premised lens which is employed in an image forming system that converts an optical image into an electronic image and then enforces a restoration processing on the electronic image in order to obtain a sharp image, is actually manufactured based on such design as premised on the restoration processing. The evaluating apparatus includes an evaluating corrective optical system, measuring section and evaluating section. The evaluating corrective optical system, when it is combined with a lens manufactured just as designed, forms a sharp optical image. The measuring section measures the optical characteristics of a composite optical system provided by combining together the evaluating corrective optical system and the manufactured lens. The evaluating section evaluates the manufactured lens according to measured results provided by measuring section.Type: GrantFiled: July 17, 2008Date of Patent: January 25, 2011Assignee: Fujinon CorporationInventor: Ryoko Tomioka
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Patent number: 7869017Abstract: One embodiment of the invention provides an test apparatus having a plurality of combinations of object distances and being used for testing an optical device. The test apparatus comprises at least one reflector, at least one first target module and at least one second target module. The first target module is for forming a first patterned light beam being shed on the optical device. The second target module is for forming a second patterned light beam being reflected by the reflector and then shed on the optical device. The third target module is for forming a quasi-parallel third patterned light beam being shed on the optical device. The distance between the first target module and the optical device is smaller than the distance between the second target module and the optical device.Type: GrantFiled: August 14, 2009Date of Patent: January 11, 2011Assignee: UMA Technology Inc.Inventors: Chang Yuan Lee, Wen Wen Teng
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Patent number: 7812295Abstract: An imaging system is presented for use in multi-range imaging of an object scene by incoherent light. The imaging system comprises aligned a phase mask section, a single focus lens section, and a pixel detector array (PDA). The phase mask section has a generally non-diffractive, narrowly bounded, phase variation corresponding to a profile of a through-object Modulated Transfer Function (MTF) of the imaging system, where the profile has, at an at least one non-zero spatial frequency, at least two regions of growth leading to the MTF higher than 10%.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 2008Date of Patent: October 12, 2010Assignee: Xceed Imaging Ltd.Inventors: Zeev Zalevsky, Ido Raveh
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Publication number: 20100250171Abstract: The present invention is to provide a lens evaluation method capable of easily evaluating whether there is a difference which greatly changes locally in a lens, and evaluating the degree of the difference. According to the lens evaluation method of the present invention, first, power a distribution of a plurality of measurement point in an arbitrary direction. Next, a calculation power distribution (a design power distribution) is created. Further, a difference distribution between an actually measured power distribution, which indicates an actual power distribution, and a calculation power distribution is obtained. Further, the difference distribution is differentiated to obtain a difference index, and an evaluation is performed based on the difference index to evaluate whether there is a difference which greatly changes locally in a lens, and evaluate the degree of the difference.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 29, 2008Publication date: September 30, 2010Applicant: HOYA CORPORATIONInventor: Kazuma Kozu
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Publication number: 20100250173Abstract: The present invention is to provide a method for easily evaluating whether or not a relative positional shift generated between both surfaces of a bi-aspherical type lens is within an allowance during the manufacturing process of the bi-aspherical type lens. According to the evaluation method of the progressive-addition lens of the present invention, first, powers of the progressive-addition lens at a plurality of are measured to obtain an actually measured power distribution. Next, a comparison power distribution created based on the actually measured power distribution and a defective power distribution prepared in advance are compared with each other to perform similarity search between the both.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 29, 2008Publication date: September 30, 2010Applicant: Hoya CorporationInventor: Kazuma Kozu
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Patent number: 7777943Abstract: In a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an optical device comprises a telescope, a coronagraph device coupled to the telescope and having a focal plane occulting mask to provide a coronagraphic image, and a reticulate grid element arranged in a light path propagated through the telescope, at a location relative to the coronagraphic image, to create controlled fiducial spots in the coronagraphic image.Type: GrantFiled: March 1, 2007Date of Patent: August 17, 2010Assignee: American Museum of Natural HistoryInventors: Anand Sivaramakrishnan, Ben R Oppenheimer
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Publication number: 20100177303Abstract: Measurement result screen data indicative of an object image and an MTF curve image are generated in accordance with the object image data obtained by photographing the object and the MTF curve image data indicative of the MTF curve generated from MTF data that become an index to evaluate lens performance. The measurement result screen based on the generated measurement result screen data is displayed, so that the measurement result screen indicative of the object image and the MTF curve image can be displayed on a real time basis in the case of evaluation measurement operations of the lens performance. As a result, a user grasps necessity for a focus adjustment from the MTF curve image on the measurement result screen, if necessary, adjusts focus of the object displayed together with the MTF curve image, and at the same time can evaluate the lens performance from the MTF curve image.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 3, 2007Publication date: July 15, 2010Inventors: Takashi Masuda, Kouki Yoshida, Takaharu Aoki, Kenichiro Waki
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Patent number: 7705976Abstract: A Fourier transform optical detection system for use with a test assay that has a sensitivity pattern, the detection system including a lens having a Fourier transform plane and detectors located in the Fourier transform plane positioned in an arrangement of a Fourier transform pattern of the sensitivity pattern.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2006Date of Patent: April 27, 2010Assignee: Alverix, Inc.Inventor: Peter R. Robrish
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Patent number: 7701562Abstract: A method of measuring a front surface profile and a back surface profile of a target object includes: mounting the target object in such a posture that a first measuring surface (front surface) is measurable by a probe; first measuring a contour of the target object; measuring the first measuring surface of the target object; reversing the target object; second measuring the contour of the target object with the reversed posture of the target object being maintained; obtaining a measurement position of a second measuring surface by comparison of contour data obtained through the first and second measuring of the contour, the measurement position of the second measuring surface corresponding to a measurement position of the first measuring surface at which the measuring of the first measuring surface is conducted; and measuring a profile of the second measuring surface along the obtained measurement position of the second measuring surface.Type: GrantFiled: February 13, 2009Date of Patent: April 20, 2010Assignee: Mitutoyo CorporationInventors: Kentaro Nemoto, Masaoki Yamagata
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Publication number: 20100053601Abstract: To provide an optical device inspecting apparatus which can be set to take many objects at one time more freely compared with conventional apparatuses, and furthermore, can accurately inspect even an optical device wherein an optical sensor is offset from a microlens. [MEANS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS] Provided is an optical device inspecting apparatus having a probe card unit and a lens unit. The probe card unit is provided with a main substrate, a guide plate and a probe. Openings are made on the main substrate and the guide plate. The guide plate is fixed at a prescribed position from the main substrate, and is provided with a plurality of probe inserting holes. The probe is inserted into the probe inserting hole on the guide plate and fixed. The leading end portion of the probe protruding from the inserting hole has a shape of a cantilever.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 9, 2007Publication date: March 4, 2010Inventors: Shigemi Osawa, Kazuma Komuro
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Patent number: 7619722Abstract: A method for replacing a lens having refractive power in a first projection optical system includes measuring a wavefront of measuring light passing through the first projection optical system in a state in which the lens having refractive power or a master lens is mounted in the first projection optical system, measuring a wavefront of measuring light passing through a second projection optical system in a state in which the master lens or an alternative lens is mounted in the second projection optical system, processing the alternative lens in accordance with measurement results, and replacing the lens having refractive power in the first projection optical system with the processed alternative lens.Type: GrantFiled: August 20, 2008Date of Patent: November 17, 2009Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Jun Moizumi, Ryo Koizumi
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Patent number: 7617060Abstract: An adaptive optics system is provided, comprising a deformable mirror configured to receive an input beam with an aberrated wavefront and to reflect the input beam to a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor array. The system further comprises the Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor array configured to receive the input beam from the deformable mirror, and to generate a plurality of sub-images from the input beam. The system further comprises a processor configured to measure, for each sub-image, two linear coefficients corresponding to a local wavefront aberration of the sub-image and to estimate, for each sub-image, three quadratic coefficients corresponding to the local wavefront aberration of the sub-image. The processor is further configured to reconstruct the aberrated wavefront of the input beam based on the measured linear coefficients and the estimated quadratic coefficients, and to provide control signals based upon the reconstructed wavefront to the deformable mirror to mitigate aberrations in the input beam.Type: GrantFiled: July 26, 2007Date of Patent: November 10, 2009Assignee: Lockheed Martin CorporationInventors: Herbert E. Rauch, Dragos B. Maciuca, Gopal Vasudevan
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Patent number: 7609372Abstract: A system for measuring a total track length of a telescopic lens includes a testing chart, a light source, a processor, a display screen and a range finder. The lens and an image sensor are received in a holder. The testing chart has a frame pattern and a plurality of line pair patterns. The testing chart faces and aligns with the image sensor for allowing the image sensor to capture an image of the testing chart. The processor analyzes the image generated by the image sensor, so as to obtain a modulation transfer function value representative of a precision focal position of the lens. The range finder measures a first distance between the image sensor and the range finder, a second distance between the lens and the range finder, and calculates a distance difference between the first and second distances to obtain the total track length of the lens.Type: GrantFiled: December 3, 2008Date of Patent: October 27, 2009Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.Inventor: Kun-Jung Tsai
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Patent number: 7589830Abstract: A method for testing and positioning a lens includes determining whether a modulation transfer function (MTF) value of the lens for an object at a first object distance is not less than a first required MTF value and whether another MTF value of the lens for an object at a secondary object distance is not less than a secondary required MTF value. A first MTF curve is plotted according to optical resolution measurements for the object at the first object distance, and the secondary MTF curve is obtained by offsetting the first MTF curve. The secondary MTF curve can approximately represent optical resolution measurements for the object at a secondary object distance. The method can determine an ideal range of positions of the lens relative to an image sensor.Type: GrantFiled: September 2, 2008Date of Patent: September 15, 2009Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.Inventor: Kun-I Yuan
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Publication number: 20090185174Abstract: A method for testing and positioning a lens includes determining whether a modulation transfer function (MTF) value of the lens for an object at a first object distance is not less than a first required MTF value and whether another MTF value of the lens for an object at a secondary object distance is not less than a secondary required MTF value. A first MTF curve is plotted according to optical resolution measurements for the object at the first object distance, and the secondary MTF curve is obtained by offsetting the first MTF curve. The secondary MTF curve can approximately represent optical resolution measurements for the object at a secondary object distance. The method can determine an ideal range of positions of the lens relative to an image sensor.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 2, 2008Publication date: July 23, 2009Applicant: HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.Inventor: KUN-I YUAN
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Publication number: 20090180104Abstract: An optical projection system for use with a display surface includes at least one image source comprising an array of source image pixels, a projector to project a first projection of the array of source image pixels, and at least one mirror including at least one curved reflecting surface having a curved profile. The at least one curved reflecting surface is adapted to convert the first projection to a curved second projection directed onto the display surface to provide an array of displayed image pixels on the display surface corresponding to the array of source image pixels, wherein the array of displayed image pixels have constant pixel pitch among adjacent displayed image pixels.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 19, 2009Publication date: July 16, 2009Inventors: Suresh Balu, Jason Coposky, Ray Idaszak, Warren Ginn, Tim Fletcher
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Patent number: 7519940Abstract: An apparatus and method of compensating for lens imperfections in a projection lithography tool, includes extracting from a diffraction image created by the projection lithography tool a lens transmittance function, and then using the extracted lens transmittance function as a compensator in the lithography projection tool. Another preferred apparatus and method of synthesizing a photomask pattern includes obtaining a phase and an amplitude of a transmittance function of an imaging system; forming a computational model of patterning that includes the transmittance function of the imaging system; and then synthesizing a mask pattern from a given target pattern, by minimizing differences between the target pattern and another pattern that the computational model predicts the synthesized mask pattern will form on a wafer.Type: GrantFiled: August 13, 2005Date of Patent: April 14, 2009Assignee: Cadence Design Systems, Inc.Inventors: Hsu-Ting Huang, Abdurrahman Sezginer
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Patent number: 7511803Abstract: A method for displaying a result of measurement of eccentricity in an optical system is provided where an amount of eccentricity for each lens element's surface in a lens system can be displayed and where the amount of eccentricity displayed can be a magnified amount of eccentricity. Additionally a sectional view of the lens system can be displayed using scaling factor.Type: GrantFiled: May 26, 2005Date of Patent: March 31, 2009Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Yasunori Murata
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Patent number: 7510629Abstract: A method for analyzing in real-time in a paper machine or board machine the surface structure of a web (1) of paper or board which method comprises the direction of an imaging system towards a pre-determined area (3) of the web (1), the arrangement of an illumination system to illuminate the region from a pre-determined direction with obliquely incident light, and the arrangement of an image analysis system in association with the imaging system.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 2004Date of Patent: March 31, 2009Assignee: Stora Enso ABInventors: Magnus Ekberg, Per-Olof Ersson, Olle Henningsson, Karin Oldberg, Tomas Oldberg, Karl-Heinz Rigerl, Bosse Wigge
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Patent number: 7499600Abstract: A method for use in characterizing a digital imaging system (53) having an array of imaging elements (35), and in particular for measuring the modulation transfer function (sometimes called the spatial frequency response) even in directions (33) at large angles to both horizontal rows and vertical columns of the array of imaging elements (35), wherein at large angles compared to either horizontal rows or vertical columns of the array of imaging elements (35)—and even at angles other than for directions lying along a diagonal to the array of imaging elements—only non-interpolated readings of the imaging elements (35) are used in determining a supersampled characterization of the digital imaging system (53).Type: GrantFiled: May 25, 2004Date of Patent: March 3, 2009Assignee: Nokia CorporationInventors: Harri J. Ojanen, Ari Tervonen
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Patent number: 7440089Abstract: Disclosed is a measuring method which can measure the decentering of an axis by the measurement of a two-dimensional curved surface profile. This method has a first step of measuring a profile of a examined surface by a probe from a first reference position which is a position separate by a predetermined amount from a predetermined position on the examined surface of a subject lens, a second step of measuring the profile of the examined surface by scanning the examined surface by the probe from the second reference position which is a position separate by a predetermined amount from said predetermined position in a route opposite to the scanning direction of said first step after a rotation of the subject lens; and the step of obtaining the decentering amount of the examined surface by the use of the measurement results obtained at the first and second steps.Type: GrantFiled: March 17, 2006Date of Patent: October 21, 2008Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Yasunori Murata
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Patent number: 7379170Abstract: A system and method for characterizing an imaging system causes a diffraction image indicative of a test structure having a generalized line-grating to be formed and then extracts from a measurement of the diffraction image a lens transmittance function, a photoresist property or a defocus distance.Type: GrantFiled: August 13, 2005Date of Patent: May 27, 2008Assignee: Invarium, Inc.Inventors: Hsu-Ting Huang, Abdurrahman Sezginer
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Patent number: 7349078Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a method of characterizing a lens is provided. According to the method, an optical source such as a laser is configured to generate a collimated beam that is focused along an optical axis at a distance fext. A test lens is placed along the optical axis, wherein the test lens is characterized by an effective focal length fi that is substantially independent of incident irradiance. An output beam generated from the focused optical source and the test lens defines an output intensity profile at an observation plane located a distance Z0 from the focal point of the optical source. The on-axis intensity I of the output intensity profile along the optical axis at the observation plane is monitored as the placement of the test lens along the optical axis is varied. A z-scan signature of the test lens is generated from the monitored intensity I.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 2006Date of Patent: March 25, 2008Assignee: University of DaytonInventors: Partha P. Banerjee, Yasser A. Abdelaziez
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Publication number: 20070279620Abstract: A Fourier transform optical detection system for use with a test assay that has a sensitivity pattern, the detection system including a lens having a Fourier transform plane and detectors located in the Fourier transform plane positioned in an arrangement of a Fourier transform pattern of the sensitivity pattern.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 31, 2006Publication date: December 6, 2007Applicant: Avago Technologies General IP (Singapore) PTE. LTD.Inventor: Peter R. Robrish
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Patent number: 7289199Abstract: An electronic imaging apparatus includes a connecting section connected to an optical apparatus; an optical element having a preset transmittance with respect to light in a preset wavelength region, incident from the optical apparatus; and an electronic image sensor receiving the light transmitted through the optical element.Type: GrantFiled: December 7, 2006Date of Patent: October 30, 2007Assignee: Olympus CorporationInventors: Atsushi Yonetani, Yukio Nonoda, Kazuhiko Yamanouchi
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Patent number: 7280191Abstract: A lens meter that measures optical characteristics of lenses of an eyeglass unit and an inspection glass unit, including a glass unit support, light sources, light-projecting and -detecting optical systems, light detectors, and inspection glass frame adaptors for the inspection glass unit. The support includes two sandwiching members displaceable to sandwich an outer peripheral portion of the eyeglass unit, and the adaptors can be fitted to and detached from the sandwiching members. The adaptors include projecting sandwiching portions projecting toward opposite sandwiching members when the adaptors are fitted to the sandwiching members and which contact portions of the inspection glass unit's frame, other than movable areas of tabs of detachable lenses projecting from a frame of an inspection glass lens unit supported by the support as the eyeglass unit, whereas adaptor portions other than the projecting sandwiching portions do not interfere with the movable areas of the tabs.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2005Date of Patent: October 9, 2007Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TopconInventors: Eiichi Yanagi, Shinichi Nakamura
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Patent number: 7280193Abstract: Apparatus, and a related method, for eliminating the effect of speckle images caused by surface imperfections in a primary mirror of a stellar coronagraph. Depending on their size, mirror imperfections can result in speckles in a field of view that also includes an image of a distant target planet. By generating a traveling surface wave in the mirror surface, and then tuning the spatial wavelength of the surface wave to approximately match that of a surface imperfection, the speckle image corresponding to that surface imperfection is made to twinkle in irradiance. Tuning the traveling surface wave though a wide range of spatial wavelengths causes each speckle image in turn to be identified by twinkling, while the target planetary image remains unvarying. Accordingly, multiple speckles corresponding to different mirror imperfections may be conveniently eliminated by image processing.Type: GrantFiled: November 22, 2005Date of Patent: October 9, 2007Assignee: Northrop Grumman CorporationInventors: Peter M. Livingston, Jonathan W. Arenberg
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Patent number: 7164471Abstract: An electronic imaging apparatus includes a connecting section connected to an optical apparatus; an optical element having a preset transmittance with respect to light in a preset wavelength region, incident from the optical apparatus; and an electronic image sensor receiving the light transmitted through the optical element.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2003Date of Patent: January 16, 2007Assignee: Olympus CorporationInventors: Atsushi Yonetani, Yukio Nonoda, Kazuhiko Yamanouchi
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Patent number: 7071963Abstract: An optical write-in head for obtaining a clear image even in printing at a relatively high recording density without generating strip-like irregularities in most cases. The optical write-in head applies light carrying image information to a photosensitive substance. The optical write-in head includes an array light source having a plurality of dot light sources each of which selectively emits the light corresponding to the image information, and a lens array facing the array light source. The lens array has a plurality of lens elements which corresponds to the plurality of dot light sources respectively. An angular aperture ? of each of the lens elements is set in a range of about 14° to 18°.Type: GrantFiled: April 19, 2004Date of Patent: July 4, 2006Assignee: Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd.Inventors: Tomitaka Takagi, Koichiro Iki
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Patent number: 7068360Abstract: In order to provide an optical sampling waveform measuring apparatus which can measure an ultra-high speed optical signal accurately by using a stable, narrow pulse, and a low timing jitter sampling optical pulse, an optical sampling waveform measuring apparatus is provided with a passive mode-locked fiber ring laser for generating a sampling optical pulse and a cavity length varying device which adjusts the cavity length in a passive mode-locked fiber ring laser.Type: GrantFiled: July 16, 2002Date of Patent: June 27, 2006Assignee: Yokogawa Electric CorporationInventor: Hiroshi Ohta
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Patent number: 6989894Abstract: A lens evaluation method for calculating resolution evaluation value based on a detected luminance value in order to evaluate resolution of lens has a background luminance value acquiring step for acquiring a luminance value at a background part having no test pattern formed thereon, a maximum luminance value acquiring step for acquiring maximum luminance value in the test pattern image, a minimum luminance value acquiring step for acquiring minimum luminance value and an evaluation value calculating step for calculating a resolution evaluation value based on the luminance values obtained in the respective steps.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 2004Date of Patent: January 24, 2006Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Masashi Kitabayashi, Koichi Kojima, Shunji Umemura
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Patent number: 6975387Abstract: Before measuring a wavefront aberration of a projection optical system, an image formation position of an image of a pattern of a test reticle which is formed on a predetermined surface is detected by an AF sensor. Based on a result of this detection, the position of an incident surface of a wavefront aberration measurement unit is adjusted, and a position of an image of the pattern with respect to the incident surface is adjusted. After this adjustment, the image of the pattern formed through the projection optical system is detected by the wavefront aberration measurement unit, and a wavefront aberration detection section is used to obtain wavefront aberration information of the projection optical system based on a result of this detection.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2003Date of Patent: December 13, 2005Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventor: Yasushi Mizuno
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Patent number: 6961121Abstract: A method of evaluating optical disturbances occurring in a flow field around a solid body. The method includes performing a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculation to obtain a three-dimensional index-of-refraction field outside the solid body, and performing one or more ray tracing calculation based on the sindex-of-refraction field to botain a numerical estimater of the optical disturbances.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2003Date of Patent: November 1, 2005Assignee: Rafael-Armament Development Authority Ltd.Inventors: Evgeny Frumker, Ofer Pade
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Patent number: 6900884Abstract: A system and method are described for automatically determining the modulation transfer function (MTF) of an optical system. In accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention, optical information is collected from the optical system by imaging a bar target having at least one associated frequency to provide a bar target image for a first focus setting of the optical system. A first MTF of the optical system is determined for the at least one associated frequency at the first focus setting from the bar target image. The steps of collecting and determining are repeated by automatically selecting at least a second focus setting of the optical system to determine at least a second MTF for the at least one associated frequency. An MTF for the at least one associated frequency of the optical system is determined by interpolating the first and at least second MTFs.Type: GrantFiled: October 4, 2001Date of Patent: May 31, 2005Assignee: Lockheed Martin CorporationInventors: Timothy Alderson, Gene D. Tener
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Patent number: 6897948Abstract: An optical coupler 13, a reflection attenuation amount measurement photodetector 14, and an APC photodetector 15 are provided in a variable-wavelength light source apparatus 1 and the reflection attenuation amount can be measured simply by connecting a device under test without using any external optical power meter, etc, and when wavelength calibration is executed, an external wavelength calibration gas cell 18 and a total reflection termination 20 are connected, whereby the wavelength of an optical signal output from a variable-wavelength light source 11 can be measured and controlled with higher accuracy.Type: GrantFiled: August 21, 2001Date of Patent: May 24, 2005Assignee: Yokogaw Electric CorporationInventor: Nobuaki Ema
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Patent number: 6876443Abstract: In a process for automatically determining the modulation transfer function (MTF) of a focal plane array (FPA) cameras, a test grid is used to generate a beat whose amplitude corresponds to that of the grid image to be measured, without the sampling MTF. (The image of the test grid has a spatial frequency in the detector plane that is detuned with respect to the Nyquist frequency of the detector array. The test grid covers a range of at least half a beat period, and then, regardless of the actual phase position, the modulation amplitude is determined therefrom. Comparative MTF measurements are thereby permitted without the influence of the sampling effect of an FPA, and particularly the MTF measurement in real time suitable for the application to moving images.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2002Date of Patent: April 5, 2005Assignee: LFK-Lenkflugkoerpersysteme GmbHInventors: Jochen Barth, Michael Assel, Yvonne Polin
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Patent number: 6842297Abstract: Improved Wavefront Coding Optics, which apply a phase profile to the wavefront of light from an object to be imaged, retain their insensitivity to focus related aberration, while increasing the heights of the resulting MTFs and reducing the noise in the final images. Such improved Wavefront Coding Optics have the characteristic that the central portion of the applied phase profile is essentially flat (or constant), while a peripheral region of the phase profile around the central region alternately has positive and negative phase regions relative to the central region.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2001Date of Patent: January 11, 2005Assignee: CDM Optics, Inc.Inventor: Edward Raymond Dowski, Jr.
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Patent number: 6781681Abstract: A wavefront measuring system and method for detecting phase aberrations in wavefronts that are reflected from, transmitted through or internally reflected within objects sought to be measured, e.g., optics systems, the human eye, etc. includes placing a reticle in the path of a return beam from the object, and placing a detector at a diffraction pattern self-imaging plane relative to the reticle. The diffraction pattern is analyzed and results in a model of the wavefront phase characteristics. A set of known polynomials is fitted to the wavefront phase gradient to obtain polynomial coefficients that describe aberrations in the object or within the wavefront source being measured.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2001Date of Patent: August 24, 2004Assignee: Ophthonix, Inc.Inventor: Larry S. Horwitz
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Publication number: 20040156041Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for measuring an optical characteristic of a projection optical system such as wavefront aberration, for example, very precisely. In an embodiment of the present invention, the method includes a first detecting step for causing each of plural light beams from a pattern to pass a predetermined position on a pupil plane of the optical system and subsequently imaging the light beams separately, and for detecting an imaging position of each light beam upon the pupil plane of the optical system, a second detecting step for detecting error information related to a passage position as each light beam passes through the pupil plane, and a third detecting step for detecting wavefront aberration of the optical system on the basis of the imaging position of each light beam upon the pupil plane and of the error information related to the passage position of each light beam on the pupil plane.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 22, 2003Publication date: August 12, 2004Inventor: Yoshihiro Shiode
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Patent number: 6760097Abstract: A lens evaluation method for calculating resolution evaluation value based on a detected luminance value in order to evaluate resolution of lens has a background luminance value acquiring step for acquiring a luminance value at a background part having no test pattern formed thereon, a maximum luminance value acquiring step for acquiring maximum luminance value in the test pattern image, a minimum luminance value acquiring step for acquiring minimum luminance value and an evaluation value calculating step for calculating a resolution evaluation value based on the luminance values obtained in the respective steps.Type: GrantFiled: October 15, 2001Date of Patent: July 6, 2004Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Masashi Kitabayashi, Koichi Kojima, Shunji Umemura
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Patent number: 6703988Abstract: A display system or monitor arrangement for stereoscopic displaying of images includes a pair of displays for providing respective left eye and right eye images and arranged in perpendicular intersecting planes, a beam splitter for combining the images from the displays in a common light path, and a means to discriminate between respective images to present the respective left and right eye images to the eyes of a viewer for viewing. Image discriminating functions may be obtained using plane polarized light characteristics and/or circular polarized light characteristics. A package arrangement retains the display a system components for storage or use; and a cubical mount structure may provide alignment and positioning of respective parts of the display system. Display methods for displaying stereoscopic images in a common light path are included.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 2000Date of Patent: March 9, 2004Assignee: Fergason Patent Properties, LLCInventor: James L. Fergason