1792 results about "Reflective surfaces" patented technology

A microresonator is provided that incorporates a composite material comprising a polymer matrix and nanoparticles dispersed therein. The microresonator includes the composite material having a shape that is bounded at least in part by a reflecting surface. The shape of the microresonator allows a discrete electromagnetic frequency to set up a standing wave mode. Advantageously, the polymer matrix comprises at least one halogenated polymer and the dispersed nanoparticles comprise an outer coating layer, which may also comprise a halogenated polymer. Methods for making composite materials and microresonators are also provided. Applications include, for example, active and passive switches, add/drop filters, modulators, isolators, and integrated optical switch array circuits.

Substrate-guided relays that employ light guiding substrates to relay images from sources to viewers in optical display systems. The substrate-guided relays are comprised of an input coupler, an intermediate substrate, and an output coupler. In some embodiments, the output coupler is formed in a separate substrate that is coupled to the intermediate substrate. The output coupler may be placed in front of or behind the intermediate substrate, and may employ two or more partially reflective surfaces to couple light from the coupler. In some embodiments, the input coupler is coupled to the intermediate substrate in a manner that the optical axis of the input coupler intersects the optical axis of the intermediate substrate at a non-perpendicular angle.

A method for analyzing gas concentration using doubly resonant photoacoustic spectroscopy, and a doubly resonant photaoacoustic gas detector comprising: i) a continuous wave light beam whose wavelength coincides with an absorption wavelength of a gaseous analyte; ii) a closed path optical cavity having at least two reflective surfaces; iii) an acoustic resonator chamber contained within said optical cavity, and comprising an acoustic sensor for detecting sound waves generated by a gaseous analyte present within said chamber, the light beam passing sequentially into, through and out of said chamber, and being repeatedly reflected back and forth through said chamber, and being modulated at a frequency which is equal to or equal to one-half of an acoustic resonance frequency of said acoustic resonator chamber.

A smoke detector that includes at least one image-forming reflective surface, at least one light source and at least one light sensor. In operation, at least one light source emits light from a first area thereon and the reflective surface focuses the light onto a second area that includes at least one light sensor, wherein the first area is smaller than the second area.

There is provided an optical system, including a light-transmitting substrate (20) having at least two major surfaces (26) and edges, an optical prism (54) having at least a first (58), a second (56) and a third (60) surface, for coupling light waves having a given field-of-view into the substrate by total internal reflection, at least one partially reflecting surface located in the substrate, the partially reflecting surface being orientated non-parallelly with respect to the major surfaces of the substrate, for coupling light waves out of the substrate, at least one of the edges (50) of the substrate is slanted at an oblique angle with respect to the major surfaces, the second surface of the prism is located adjacent to the slanted edge of the substrate, and a part of the substrate located next to the slanted edge is substantially transparent, wherein the light waves enter the prism through the first surface of the prism, traverse the prism without any reflection and enter the substrate through the slanted edge.

Interferometric scanning method(s) and apparatus for measuring rotationally and non-rotationally symmetric test optics either having aspherical surfaces or that produce aspherical wavefronts. A spherical or partial spherical wavefront is generated from a known origin along an optical axis. The test optic is aligned with respect the optical axis and selectively moved along it relative to the known origin so that the spherical wavefront intersects the test optic at the apex of the aspherical surface and at radial positions where the spherical wavefront and the aspheric surface intersect at points of common tangency. An axial distance, ν, and optical path length, p, are interferometrically measured as the test optic is axially scanned by the spherical wavefront where ν is the distance by which the test optic is moved with respect to the origin and p is the optical path length difference between the apex of an aspherical surface associated with the test optic and the apex of the circles of curvature that intersect the aspherical surface at the common points of tangency. Coordinates of the aspherical surface are calculated wherever the circles of curvature have intersected the aspherical surface and in correspondence with the interferometrically measured distances, ν and p. Afterwards, the shape of the aspheric surface is calculated. Where the test optic comprises a refracting optic a known spherical reflecting surface is provided upstream of the refracting optic for movement along the optical axis and a known wavefront is made to transit the refracting optic, reflects from the known spherical surface, again transits the refracting optic traveling towards the known origin after which the interferogram is formed. In another aspect of the invention, a spherical reference surface is provided to form a Fizeau that is used to generate phase information for measuring spheres, mild aspheres, and multiple mild aspheres.

Disclosed is an optical unit wherein a rotating reflector rotates about a rotation axis in one direction, while reflecting light emitted from a light source. The rotating reflector is provided with a reflecting surface such that the light reflected by the rotating reflector, while rotating, forms a desired light distribution pattern, said light having been emitted from the light source. The light source is composed of light emitting elements. The rotation axis is provided within a plane that includes an optical axis and the light source. The rotating reflector is provided with, on the periphery of the rotation axis, a blade that functions as the reflecting surface.

Provided are: an optical device for shape and gradient detection and/or measurement which has a simple structure, is robust to external disturbance, and enables accurate measurement of the gradient angle of an object surface, including a human body; a method for optical shape and gradient detection and/or measurement; and a circularly polarized light illumination device. The optical device for shape and gradient detection and/or measurement uses the optical reflection characteristics of the surface of an object to detect and/or measure the surface shape or gradient of an observed object, and is provided with an illumination device and a polarized light image detection device. The illumination device makes the incident light, which surrounds the periphery of the object and is essentially a known perfect polarized light, fall uniformly. The polarized light image detection device detects a polarized light ellipse of the perfectly polarized light component of a light beam group, which is specularly reflected by the object surface and radiated at a particular azimuth angle. The optical device measures the gradient angle with respect to the radiated light beam of the reflection surface in a step 1 in which the orientation of the incident plane is detected from the observed azimuth angle value of the polarized light ellipse for the reflecting surface of the object which forms an incident point for each reflected and radiated light beam, and a step 2 in which the incident angle is detected from the ellipticity logic value of the polarized light ellipse. The method for optical shape and gradient detection and/or measurement is carried out using the same operation.