Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Leland Stanford Junior University

Akiko Murata

Katsuya Ono

Gordon S Kino

Mitsunori Kubo

David L Dickensheets

An imaging optical system includes a liquid crystal lens including a first body formed of a substantially transparent birefringent liquid crystal member, a second body formed of a substantially transparent birefringent liquid crystal member, and two pairs of electrodes for adding an electric field or a magnetic field onto the first body and the second body. A rear face of the first body is aligned perpendicular to a front face of the second body, the first body and the second body have substantially symmetrical shape against a plane perpendicular to an optical axis and a plurality of optical elements are arranged front and after the liquid crystal lens. The liquid crystal lens has two distinct focal points. The system automatically switches between these focal points, based on the position of the lens with respect to the object being observed.

Imaging optical system

An imaging optical system is disclosed. The system comprises a liquid crystal lens including a first body consisting of a substantially transparent birefringent liquid crystal member, a second body consisting of a substantially transparent birefringent liquid crystal member, and two pairs of electrodes for adding an electric field or a magnetic field onto the first body and the second body. A rear face of the first body is aligned perpendicular to a front face of the second body, the first body and the second body have substantially symmetrical shape against a plane perpendicular to an optical axis and plurality of optical elements are arranged front and after the liquid crystal lens.

A light scanning type confocal optical device comprises a light source section, a light transmitting section, a light scanning section, and a processing section. The scanning section includes a movable mirror, a fixed mirror and a converging lens. The movable mirror has an opening at the center, and is supported to be swingable about at least one axis. The fixed mirror is fixedly supported by an optically transparent plate. Reflection surfaces of the movable and fixed mirrors are located opposed to each other. The transmitting section includes an optical fiber having a core, whose end face substantially functions as a confocal pinhole. The light from the end face of the core is, upon passing through the opening, reflected by the fixed mirror toward the movable mirror. The light from the fixed mirror is then reflected by the movable mirror, and is converged by the converging lens onto an object surface.

Growing community of inventors

Hachioji, Japan

Akiko Murata