| Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
|---|
| 359573000 | Variable grating | 18 |
| 20110188119 | DYNAMICALLY VARYING AN OPTICAL CHARACTERISTIC OF A LIGHT BEAM - An apparatus for dynamically varying an optical characteristic of a light beam includes an optical element configured to receive a beam of light. The optical element includes at least one sub-wavelength grating formed of a plurality of lines. The apparatus includes at least one actuator connected to at least one component of the optical element and a controller for controlling the at least one actuator to dynamically vary a characteristic of the beam of light that is at least one of emitted through and reflected from the optical element. | 08-04-2011 |
| 20130038937 | TUNABLE OPTICAL DIFFRACTION GRATING APPARATUS AND RELATED METHODS - A tunable optical diffraction grating apparatus, such as but not limited to a tunable Fresnel zone lens apparatus, includes a plurality of symmetric repeating structures (i.e., typically concentric rings) located over a substrate and comprising a material susceptible to a transparent to opaque transition for a designated radiation wavelength. The tunable optical diffraction grating apparatus also includes a means for separately effecting the transparent to opaque transition for each of the plurality of symmetric repeating structures to provide a plurality of transparent zones each comprising a variable first sub-plurality of adjacent transparent symmetric repeating structures alternating and interposed between a plurality of opaque zones each comprising a variable second sub-plurality of adjacent opaque symmetric repeating structures. Also included are a method for fabricating the tunable optical diffraction grating apparatus and a method for operating the tunable optical diffraction grating apparatus. | 02-14-2013 |
| 20130027777 | SPACE-VARIANT POLARIZATION MANIPULATION OF THERMAL EMISSION - A method for space-variant manipulating of thermal emission from a surface of a material that supports surface waves includes providing a grating with a spatially varying grating parameter on the surface of the material. | 01-31-2013 |
| 20080218862 | Electronically controlled volume phase grating devices, systems and fabrication methods - Electrically controlled volume phase gratings and electrically controlled Bragg Gratings can provide variable diffraction gratings that can be operated in a transmissive and/or reflective mode. They can be made from electro-optic materials placed directly on glass or semiconductor materials, utilizing conventional Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS) processes and equipment. Highly efficient and/or small device form factors may be provided. | 09-11-2008 |
| 20090310221 | Tunable Diffraction Grating - The invention is directed to a tunable diffraction grating ( | 12-17-2009 |
| 20090296218 | Diffraction Gratings With Tunable Efficiency - The specification and drawings present a new method, apparatus and software product for modulation of the optical intensity using electro-wetting (EW) diffraction gratings in the electronic devices with an electrical control signal. The EW diffraction gratings can be components of an element (e.g., a display) of the electronic device. Applications may include but are not limited to color displays, projection displays, front illuminating displays, field sequential displays, auto-stereoscopic displays, etc. Also, applications in areas other than displays are possible. | 12-03-2009 |
| 20090180187 | System and method for using diffractive elements for changing the optical pathway - An apparatus for adjusting an optical pathway, comprising a diffractive optics element configured for diffracting a plurality of light waves passing in the optical pathway, and a diffractive optics element (DOE) manipulator configured for manipulating said diffractive optics element, thereby changing the optical pathway. | 07-16-2009 |
| 20120194912 | OPTICAL SYSTEMS IMPLIMENTED WITH THERMALLY CONTROLLED SUB-WAVELENGTH GRATINGS - This disclosure is directed to thermally controlled optical systems. In one aspect, an optical system includes a sub-wavelength grating having a planar geometry and a grating pattern associated with a particular shape of, and direction in which, a wavefront emerges from the grating, when the grating is illuminated by a beam of light. The system includes at least one heating element separately connected to a current source. The current source to inject a current into each heating element to heat a corresponding region of the grating and produce a desired change in the shape of, and/or direction in which, the wavefront emerges from the grating. | 08-02-2012 |
| 20110043918 | DEVICES AND METHODS FOR LIGHT CONTROL IN MATERIAL COMPOSITES - Grating structures adapted to support cavity modes (“CMs”), including CMs produced by waveguide modes (WGs) of TE-polarized radiation; and those produced by WGs or vertically-oriented surface plasmons (VSPs) on the groove walls of incident TM-polarized radiation are provided. Such grating structures include those that provide enhanced transmission for a predetermined polarization state at a predetermined wavelength, simultaneous TM and TE transmission, and those that provide light circulation and weaving. The grating structures can include wires, or arrays of holes in thin (metallic) films, and include multiple-groove-per-period structures. Methods for optimizing such grating structures are also provided. | 02-24-2011 |
| 20110069390 | ROTARY ENCODER, ROTARY MOTOR, ROTARY MOTOR SYSTEM, DISK, AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING ROTARY ENCODER - An encoder includes a disc-shaped disk disposed so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis and having at least one ring-shaped track in which a rotating grating is formed and at least one fixed grating which is fixedly disposed opposed to the disk so that the fixed grating and the rotating grating construct a diffraction interference optical system. Each of a plurality of slits included in the at least one rotating grating is formed along a curved line obtained by making each of a plurality of radial lines using the rotation axis as a center curved in the circumferential direction at a predetermined curve degree so that a pitch of the slits can be set to a predetermined value. | 03-24-2011 |
| 20110096401 | Split Exit Pupil Expander - The specification and drawings present a new apparatus and method for using a split exit pupil expander to provide general diffractive optics method that uses a plurality of diffractive elements for expanding the exit pupil of a display of an electronic device for viewing. | 04-28-2011 |
| 20120038987 | OPTICAL DEVICE USING DOUBLE-GROOVE GRATING - Optical devices using double-groove diffraction gratings having periodic sets of TiO | 02-16-2012 |
| 20100290120 | SLIT APERTURE FOR DIFFRACTION RANGE FINDING SYSTEM - A method and system for forming a focused image on an image plane of a diffraction range finder with a variable pitch diffraction grating. Diffracted light is propagated through a lens and slit assembly and onto an image plane of a camera, the diffracted light having been diffracted by the variable pitch diffraction grating. The lens and slit assembly includes lens elements and a slit. The slit is surrounded by opaque material that is opaque to the diffracted light passing through the slit. The slit has a shape characterized by a long dimension and a short dimension that is shorter than the long dimension. | 11-18-2010 |
| 20110181956 | OPTICAL DEVICE USING DIFFRACTION GRATINGS - A double-sided grating divider acts as a light switch where the upper and lower grating dividers are arranged to accommodate a relative lateral shift therebetween of about one-fourth of the period of the diffraction grating elements and where the critical refraction angles of the grating dividers are more than about 43.6°. Lateral shift may be achieved by various devices including MEMS and metal couplers having a known/calibrated thermal coefficient of expansion over a temperature range of interest. | 07-28-2011 |
| 20110181957 | OPTICAL LIGHT SWITCH USING DOUBLE-SIDED DIFFRACTION STRUCTURE - A light switch (or valve) made up of two mutually inverted, substantially identical diffraction gratings with a liquid medium therebetween, arranged to allow the grating substrates to be shifted laterally relative to one another so as to align and mis-align the grating elements. When aligned, incident-polarized light passes through the switch and when misaligned, light does not pass through the switch but is reflected. | 07-28-2011 |
| 20110188120 | BROADBAND OPTICS FOR MANIPULATING LIGHT BEAMS AND IMAGES - The objective of the present invention is providing optical systems for controlling with propagation of light beams in lateral and angular space, and through optical apertures. Said light beams include laser beams as well as beams with wide spectrum of wavelengths and large divergence angles. Said optical systems are based on combination of diffractive waveplates with diffractive properties that can be controlled with the aid of external stimuli such as electrical fields, temperature, optical beams and mechanical means. | 08-04-2011 |
| 20120075703 | OPTICAL DEVICE USING LATERALLY-SHIFTABLE DIFFRACTION GRATINGS - A double-sided grating divider acts as a light switch where the upper and lower grating dividers are arranged to accommodate a relative lateral shift therebetween of about one-fourth of the period of the diffraction grating elements and where the critical refraction angles of the grating dividers are more than about 43.6°. Lateral shift may be achieved by various devices including MEMS and metal couplers having a known/calibrated thermal coefficient of expansion over a temperature range of interest. | 03-29-2012 |
| 20120224264 | POLYDIMETHYLSILOXANE SHEET, OPTICAL ELEMENT INCORPORATING THE SAME, AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF - A PDMS sheet that ensures good adhesion, handleability and stability to metal thin films or metal patterns of any desired shape, an optical element that is kept against de-bonding or exfoliation of metal patterns and has high reliability as well as good handleability and stability, and manufacturing methods thereof. The inventive optical element comprises a polydimethyl-siloxane sheet having a pattern-formation surface defined by one surface and a base surface defined by another surface, and a plurality of metal patterns positioned on the pattern-formation surface. Given a low-molecular-weight siloxane of a cyclic structure represented by [—Si(CH | 09-06-2012 |
