In 1608, Dutch eyeglass maker Hans Lipperhey filed the first patent for a working telescope. The patent was denied.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 4521683 | Pressure-actuated optical switch An optical switching element utilizes a spherical diaphragm mounted for snap-action movement between a concave and convex shape. A light beam is directed through a small aperture to impinge on the diaphragm. The aperture is positioned at a distance from t... | 06/04/1985 |
| 4503325 | Apparatus for detecting vibration by comparing the phase relation of portions of a divided light image A vibration detection apparatus detects the vibration of an optical system such as a camera by dividing the incoming rays of light and causing pairs of photosensors to receive the divided rays of light and then comparing the shifts in the phases of the si... | 03/05/1985 |
| 4485301 | Linear two-terminal integrated circuit photo sensor An integrated circuit includes a principal photo diode connected to the input of a multistage current mirror amplifier. Darlington cascode circuits are integrated into the output branches of the amplifying stages to obviate nonlinear sensitivity of those ... | 11/27/1984 |
| 4477726 | Position measuring apparatus utilizing flexible steel band containing grid divisions A digital electric position measuring apparatus shielded by a flexible covering band. The covering band is held against an elongated carrier body to form a protective seal. A scanning component, movable along the carrier body, lifts the covering band from... | 10/16/1984 |
| 4477724 | Photoelectric control device A switching device comprises two optical fibres disposed in two respective supports located one in line with the other. One of these supports is articulated about a transverse axis and loaded by a leaf spring which tends to space its free end from the adj... | 10/16/1984 |
| 4476383 | Photometering device for obtaining exposure information A multi-metering device comprises division of an object field into a plurality of areas and metering said plurality of areas and generating a plurality of photoelectric outputs corresponding to said plurality of areas, a binary circuit for standardizing s... | 10/09/1984 |
| 4473747 | Semiconductor structure for a fiber optical pressure sensing element The present invention relates to an optical sensor element of a solid material for sensing physical quantities such as pressure, which element is excitable to emit photoluminescence on excitation which constitutes a measure of the quantity being sensed. T... | 09/25/1984 |
| 4473743 | Motor drive lens shifting system for use in autofocus camera A motor drive lens shifting system includes a picture taking lens, a drive device for driving the lens, a light receiving element for receiving light which has passed through the lens and forming an image thereon, a focus condition detector for detecting ... | 09/25/1984 |
| 4471227 | Electronic addressing system to read mosaic matrices of optical-electronic elements An electronic addressing system to read matrices of optical-electronic elements, wherein the optical-electronic elements are of any type, for example photoresistors, photodiodes, light emitters, and the like. The matrices are bi-dimensional and comprise o... | 09/11/1984 |
| 4469941 | Parallel-in, serial-out fiber optic image scanner An optical image scanner utilizing an integral array of fiber optic launch couplers to direct an input light image to a selectively reflective termination and then to an output termination. The selectively reflective termination is sequenced to scan the b... | 09/04/1984 |
| 4467187 | Automatic focusing device which inhibits focusing when a low contrast scene is sensed In an automatic continuous focusing device, two detected images of an object formed by a distance detection optical system with a relative distance therebetween associated with the object distance are scanned, the obtained scanning signals are quantized t... | 08/21/1984 |
| 4467196 | Single fiber optic wand system A fiber optic scanner system for reading coded patterns is provided having a single optical fiber extending from the reading end of the scanner tip to a remote terminal. The remote terminal includes an optical signal generator for generating and driving l... | 08/21/1984 |
| 4467215 | Tape surface discriminating system A system for discriminating between the front and back surfaces of a tape over the entire length thereof, which comprises a device for discriminating the tape surfaces at least at one end of the tape, and a device for detecting any twisted section at an i... | 08/21/1984 |
| 4467191 | Photo diode with auxiliary photo diode regulator An integrated circuit photo sensor has a principal photo diode whose reverse voltage is maintained at a low and relatively invariant value by a circuit comprised of a biasing diode string in series with a small auxiliary photo diode and an emitter followe... | 08/21/1984 |
| 4467190 | Night-vision equipment A night-vision instrument for presenting a 1:1 image comprises an objective, an image intensifier or converter tube, an ocular, a flat double-sided input mirror, and an optical system adapted to transfer the image appearing on the phosphor screen of the i... | 08/21/1984 |
| 4465928 | Optically multiplexed encoder system In an optically multiplexed angular encoder system, encoder illuminators are sequentially enabled and detected signals are sequentially stored. Such sampling and storage of the code track signals is repeated in successive sampling windows under the contro... | 08/14/1984 |
| 4465939 | Image reading apparatus having a plurality of image sensors An image reading apparatus utilizing two one-dimensional image sensors arranged to have mutually overlapping sensing fields. A common fixed target provided in the overlapping portion of the sensing fields is viewed by two sensors and is utilized for autom... | 08/14/1984 |
| 4463253 | Time dispersion sensor tube A time dispersed sensor tube has a photocathode for receiving light images and converting them to photoelectrons. An anode adjacent the photocathode has a slit-diaphragm for accelerating photoelectrons and passing them to slit-jaws by way of a shutter ele... | 07/31/1984 |
| 4461955 | Isolated load switching with surge suppression Relay contacts provide the principal switching between a D.C. power source and the load. An SCR in series with a limiting resistor by passes the relay contacts during initial turnon to absorb the inrushing surge to capacitors of the load. Optical couplers... | 07/24/1984 |
| 4459488 | Photoelectric converting apparatus for delivering a compensated signal A photoelectric converting apparatus having photoelectric converting elements divided into plural groups and a scanning circuit for dynamically scanning the photoelectric converting elements. There is also further provided a shielded element for each of t... | 07/10/1984 |
| 4458147 | Apparatus for evaluating optical signals This invention relates to a device for use when evaluating optical signals by means of a chopper (2, 2'), i.e. a rotating shutter, and a photodetector (6, 6') for detecting the signal transmitted through the chopper (2, 2'). In order to improve the evalua... | 07/03/1984 |
| 4455941 | Detonating cord and continuity verification system A fuse or ignition conductor for conducting ignition from an igniter to a remotely located primer, as used in the detonation of explosives. The ignition conductor contains a light transmitting fiber optic cord bound to the ignition conducting material of ... | 06/26/1984 |
| 4454417 | High resolution light pen for use with graphic displays A high resolution light pen comprises a collimation tube slidably mounted within a housing. The collimation tube includes an axially extending channel having a non-reflective surface. A photodetector is fixably mounted within the housing aligned with the ... | 06/12/1984 |
| 4454419 | Photo-optical snap-on paper path sensor A snap-on unitary, one piece photo-optical item position sensor fabricated as a clothes-pin-like plastic member from a material which is substantially transparent to infra-red radiation obviating lenses. The sensor member is bifurcated at one end to form ... | 06/12/1984 |
| 4453083 | Apparatus for the determination of the position of a surface Apparatus is disclosed for determining the position of a surface in which radiation from an optical radiant source is applied to the surface and, by means of a lens system, an image of the radiation is produced on a photoelectric receiver. A laser serves ... | 06/05/1984 |
| 4451731 | Apparatus and method for modulating light to generate an index pulse An apparatus and method are provided to obtain a sharp index pulse with minium side lobes for an optical shaft encoder. By nonuniformly aligned multiple transmissive sections in the encoder wheel and phase plate of the shaft encoder, the transmissive sect... | 05/29/1984 |
| 4451730 | Optical measuring apparatus for measuring force or pressure An optical measuring apparatus for measuring force or pressure, having at least one light source, at least one optical fiber for passing light from and to a sensor, and one detector system. The sensor includes a material having pressure- and force-depende... | 05/29/1984 |
| 4450352 | Method and device for counting sheet material A laser beam, directed by mirrors at a conveyor belt with overlapping sheet products, is reflected against at least two measuring cells. Each paper edge passing the point of reflection is shown in the signals from the measuring cells, and by compositing t... | 05/22/1984 |
| 4450351 | Motion discontinuance detection system and method A motion detection system is disclosed which utilizes a lens or other imaging device to be responsive to motion in a particular field of view in a room, for example, and pass illumination to a photocell. The photocell or a screen in front thereof establis... | 05/22/1984 |
| 4447720 | Solid-state image pickup element and process for fabricating the same A highly sensitive and high-density picture element solid-state image pickup element. The image pickup element includes a picture element portion formed on a semiconductor wafer, a driving circuit for driving the picture element portion, a photoconductive... | 05/08/1984 |
| 4446367 | Pulse-producing transducer A linear or annular optical grating cooperates with a detector unit having two detectors on the front face of a carrier member of rotational symmetry and being either directly rotatable through a rear-face screwdriver slot, or via a cam-operated lever, th... | 05/01/1984 |
| 4443705 | Method for locating points on a three-dimensional surface using light intensity variations A method for locating points on a surface, in which the surface is irradiated selectively with an irradiating volume which has a varying intensity that defines a first pattern. After irradiating the surface with the first pattern, the surface is irradiate... | 04/17/1984 |
| 4443706 | Method for locating points on a three-dimensional surface using light intensity variations A method for locating points on a surface in which the surface is irradiated selectively with an irradiating volume which has a varying intensity that defines a first pattern. After irradiating the surface with the first pattern, the surface is irradiated... | 04/17/1984 |
| 4442348 | Solar tracking apparatus for a gimbaled body A solar tracking device is disclosed for detecting incident solar radiation and providing a means for orienting a gimbaled body relative to the solar radiation. The tracking apparatus is insensitive to movements of the gimbaled body caused by environmenta... | 04/10/1984 |
| 4442350 | Fiber optic sensor with enhanced immunity to random environmental perturbations A sensor is provided for sensing or detecting the presence of an environmental field condition such as acceleration, temperature change, magnetic or acoustic fields. The field is sensed by interference between two mutually orthogonal polarized eigenmodes ... | 04/10/1984 |
| 4442413 | Television receiver phase locked loop tuning arrangement In a channel selection system of a television receiver set using a frequency synthesizer system, the local oscillator output of a voltage controlled oscillator in a tuner is coupled to through a prescaler to a programmable frequency divider. To a frequenc... | 04/10/1984 |
| 4442349 | Circuitry for the generation and synchronous detection of optical pulsed signals Circuitry for the generation and synchronous detection of optical pulsed signals contaminated by additive background noise characterized by a high signal-to-noise ratio. The circuitry comprises a source for generating optical pulsed signals, a detector fo... | 04/10/1984 |
| 4439673 | Two terminal integrated circuit light-sensor In a silicon integrated circuit there is formed a silicon photo-diode connected to the input of a multiple stage current-mirror amplifier. The output branch of the amplifier is connected between the two power supply terminals. When voltage is applied to t... | 03/27/1984 |
| 4439674 | Prehension unit and manipulator apparatus including optical sensors A prehension unit suitable for use as a finger in a manipulator hand has a supporting body, a contact element carried by the supporting body through a resilient material and defining with the body a closed space. Optical sensors cooperate with a locally l... | 03/27/1984 |
| 4438407 | Integrable demodulator for digital signals modulated onto carriers In a demodulator the signal to be demodulated is applied to the information inputs of a shift register by way of a circuit, for example an RS flip-flop, which extends the signal duration and makes it possible to scan the signal with the shift register. Th... | 03/20/1984 |