Teledyne Scientific and Imaging, LLC

Teledyne Licensing, LLC

Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated

Rockwell Scientific Licensing LLC

Innovative Technology Licensing LLC

Dong-Feng Gu

Bruce Kevin Winker

Donald J Taber

Milind Mahajan

Bing Wen

David J Benard

Robert C Addison

Jian Jim Ma

Young J Chung

Jeffrey T Cheung

John Mansell

Brian Wesley Gregory

Paul H Kobrin

Tallis Y Chang

Weiya Zhang

Ya-Chi Chen

Sung J Choi

Len Hale

A multi-spectral lens comprises a circular polarizer and a tunable cholesteric filter having an associated reflection band. Incoming light is circularly polarized to one handedness by the circular polarizer, and the tunable cholesteric filter transmits the circularly polarized light and reflects the opposite handedness of the circularly polarized light if within the reflection band of the filter, with the reflection band of the tunable cholesteric filter varying with a control voltage. In a preferred embodiment, a mirror is arranged to receive light transmitted by the tunable cholesteric filter and reflect it back towards the filter with flipped handedness, with the reflected light with flipped handedness that is within the reflection band of the tunable cholesteric filter reflected by the tunable cholesteric filter back toward the mirror. The architecture described effectively converts the reflection band of a tunable cholesteric filter into a tunable bandpass filter for a multi-spectral imaging lens.

Tunable multi-spectral lens

A method of fabricating a voltage-tunable liquid crystal-based notch filter requires filling at least two LC cells with cholesteric LC material to create LH and RH LC cells while applying heat to the cell substrates such that their temperatures are raised to near, but below, the clearing point, such that the LC material remains in the cholesteric state. An AC voltage is applied and turned off repeatedly while the LC cells cool down to room temperature, to cause the LC molecules to temporarily deviate from their intrinsic helical alignment. The cells are passed under a UV light sufficient to create cross-linked polymer networks, and self-compensation is used to compensate for in-band retardation. The resulting LH and RH LC cells are stacked such that the electrodes on adjacent substrates are connected to form a common electrode.

Voltage-tunable liquid crystal-based notch filter and method of fabricating

A moving platform roll sensor system comprises an ellipsometric detector capable of detecting a polarized beam within the detector's line-of-sight, and measuring the beam's polarization state, such that the polarization state indicates the rotational orientation of the moving platform with respect to a predefined coordinate system. The ellipsometric detector comprises a venetian blind component through which the polarized beam passes, arranged such that the intensity of the exiting beam varies with its incident angle with respect to the moving platform, a polarizing beamsplitter which splits the exiting beam into components having orthogonal circular polarizations, the relative intensities of which vary with the relative polarization vector of the beam, and first and second detectors which receive the first and second orthogonal circular components and generate respective outputs that vary with the intensities of their received components. The beamsplitter preferably comprises a quarter wave plate and a polarization grating.

Moving platform roll sensor system

A laser target board apparatus is provided for detecting spatial and temporal intensity distribution of high energy laser beams. The laser target board apparatus may include a panel having a plurality of openings and a plurality of optical rods placed therein. The laser target board apparatus may further have an optic fiber array positioned substantially parallel to and behind the panel and separated from the panel by a predetermined distance. At least one lens is configured to receive photons emitted from a second end of each optic fiber unit of the optic fiber array, and at least one camera is configured to detect the photons. A processor is configured to analyze temporal and spatial distribution of intensity of the received high energy laser beam based on data generated by the at least one camera.

High energy laser target board apparatus

A two-stage drive waveform switches a DFLC from a high tilt state to a low tilt state quickly and without scattering. A relaxation voltage is applied to delay the onset of the high amplitude high frequency kick voltage when switching from a high tilt state to a low tilt state. The relaxation voltage allows the molecules to 'relax' in accordance with their own elasticity towards their low tilt state in the direction of the average azimuth angle of the low tilt state. The kick voltage is then applied to drive the molecules quickly to the low tilt state. Optimal switching time and the desired molecular response is achieved by delaying the onset of the large kick voltage via application of the relaxation voltage. The relaxation voltage may constitute a lower amplitude holding voltage, a small or zero DC voltage or a smooth windowing of the kick voltage.

Two-stage drive waveform for switching a dual frequency liquid crystal (DFLC) at large tilt angles

This disclosure relates to a real-time, hybrid amplitude-time division polarimetric imaging camera used to derive and calculate Stokes parameters of input light.

Real-time, hybrid amplitude-time division polarimetric imaging camera

A cadmium oxide (CdO) film doped with any of the Group III elements is substantially transparent to radiation between about 0.7 &#x3bc;m and 12 &#x3bc;m. A film made according to the invention having a sheet resistance of &#x3c;600&#x3a9;/&#x25a1; will also have exceptionally low optical absorption throughout the IR range. The film is suitably employed as transparent, electrically conductive electrodes, and can be used in devices such as liquid crystal cells for beam steering, spatial light modulators, optical switches for fiber optical communications, switchable and/or tunable polarization modification components, and top transparent electrodes for SWIR (1.3 and 1.5 &#x3bc;m) VCSELs.

Thin film infrared transparent conductor

A spatial light modulator has a transmissive window with a transparent conductive film forming a ground plane and a direct drive backplane with a plurality of voltage gradient pixels. Each of the voltage gradient pixels has (a) resistive film, (b) resistive metal conductor frame on a boundary of the resistive film, and (c) conductive metal leads between a substrate of the direct drive backplane and the resistive metal frame. Differential voltages applied to the metal frame via the conductive metal leads generate a selective two-dimensional linear voltage gradient across the resistive film. A layer of liquid crystal material is disposed between the transmissive window and the voltage gradient pixels. Liquid crystal material of each voltage gradient pixel is responsive to an electric field generated by the voltage gradient to two-dimensionally alter phase of a wavefront incident thereon.

Spatial light modulator employing voltage gradient pixels, and associated methods

An optical fiber coupling, for example, an optical switch, for coupling a light source with a light-receiving end face of an optical waveguide comprises a lens for focusing a light beam emitted from the light source at a focal point on the light-receiving end face of the optical waveguide. An adaptive coupler positioned in the optical path is responsive to a beam steering control signal for steering and aligning the focal point relative to the light-receiving end face of the optical waveguide.

Optical fiber coupling having liquid crystal adaptive coupler

Apparatus for optically coupling a light source with an optical waveguide

A plurality of acoustic wave transducers are coupled to a substrate at predetermined spaced apart locations. At least one of the transducers is operative to emit an acoustic wave that propagates along the substrate, with the other transducers operating as receivers of acoustic waves. The receivers are coupled to a control system that is operative to determine a location at which the substrate is perturbed based on time associated with travel of an acoustic wave from a transmitter, to the location of the perturbation, and from the perturbation to each of the respective receivers.

Touch screen using echo-location

An inexpensive polyimide-free alignment layer comprising a mixture of an epoxy and a reactive liquid crystal material is used for fabricating liquid crystal displays (LCDs). The alignment layer can be cast onto a previously aligned layer, without destroying the alignment of the underlying layer, thus allowing for monolithic fabrication of compensator stacks, without film transfer lamination.

Polymide-free alignment layer for LCD fabrication and method

An apparatus for optically coupling a light source with a light-receiving end face of an optical waveguide comprises a lens for focusing a light beam emitted from the light source at a focal point on the light-receiving end face of the optical waveguide. An adaptive coupler, positioned in the optical path, is responsive to a beam steering control signal for steering and aligning the focal point relative to the light-receiving end face of the optical waveguide. In one form, the adaptive coupler comprises a pair of transparent substrates having confronting, parallel inner faces, the inner face of one of the pair of substrates carrying a beam intercepting, optically transparent, constant potential electrode and the inner face of the other of the pair of substrates carrying an electrically resistive, beam intercepting, optically transparent film. A pair of spaced apart electrodes in electrical contact with the film apply a linear voltage gradient along the film. An electro-optical phase shifting medium is disposed between the confronting inner faces of the substrates. The application of selected voltages to the electrodes creates a linear voltage gradient along the aforementioned film on the inner face of the one substrate resulting in a linearly varying electric field between that film and the constant potential electrode creating a corresponding linear variation in the refractive index of the liquid crystal medium and a linear wavefront tilt in the intercepting optical beam.

Growing community of inventors

Thousand Oaks, CA, United States of America

Dong-Feng Gu