The present invention provides a reflective polarized-light separating diffraction-element usable in a wide wavelength region including an ultraviolet region, and an optical measurement device comprising the same. The reflective polarized-light separating diffraction-element comprises: a substrate (1); a reflection surface (2) formed on a surface of the substrate (1); and a lattice structured body assembly (3) that is provided on the reflection surface (2) and shows a form birefringence (Δn*). The lattice structured body assembly (3) consists of lattice structured bodies (3A, 3B, 3C and 3D) of four patterns having lattice structures of different azimuths. The lattice structured bodies (3A, 3B, 3C and 3D) of a plurality of patterns are aligned on the reflection surface 2 in a predetermined direction such that the azimuths of the lattice structures change in a structurally periodic manner.

The present invention provides a reflective polarized-light separating diffraction-element usable in a wide wavelength region including an ultraviolet region, and an optical measurement device comprising the same. The reflective polarized-light separating diffraction-element comprises: a substrate (1); a reflection surface (2) formed on a surface of the substrate (1); and a lattice structured body assembly (3) that is provided on the reflection surface (2) and shows a form birefringence (Δn*). The lattice structured body assembly (3) consists of lattice structured bodies (3A, 3B, 3C and 3D) of four patterns having lattice structures of different azimuths. The lattice structured bodies (3A, 3B, 3C and 3D) of a plurality of patterns are aligned on the reflection surface 2 in a predetermined direction such that the azimuths of the lattice structures change in a structurally periodic manner.

The present invention relates to a light line triangulation apparatus with a measurement space for receiving a measurement object, a light projector, adapted to project a light line into the measurement space and/or onto the measurement object, an imager for detecting the light line in the measurement space, wherein the imager comprises imaging pixels arranged in a plurality of columns and rows. The apparatus of the invention is characterized in that the imager comprises multiple identical sets of polarization filters, wherein each set of polarization filters comprises at least two polarization filters with different polarization directions, wherein a respective polarization filter covers one of the columns.

The present invention relates to a light line triangulation apparatus with a measurement space for receiving a measurement object, a light projector, adapted to project a light line into the measurement space and/or onto the measurement object, an imager for detecting the light line in the measurement space, wherein the imager comprises imaging pixels arranged in a plurality of columns and rows. The apparatus of the invention is characterized in that the imager comprises multiple identical sets of polarization filters, wherein each set of polarization filters comprises at least two polarization filters with different polarization directions, wherein a respective polarization filter covers one of the columns.

A method and system for stress engineering of a transparent material can include an imaging system that can visualize a spatial distribution of an internal stress in a transparent material, an actuator system that can induce stress in the transparent material, the actuator system comprising one or more actuator elements, and a feedback system that can communicate with the imaging system and the actuator system, and which can guide an internal stress distribution in the transparent material toward a preferred final state.

A method and system for stress engineering of a transparent material can include an imaging system that can visualize a spatial distribution of an internal stress in a transparent material, an actuator system that can induce stress in the transparent material, the actuator system comprising one or more actuator elements, and a feedback system that can communicate with the imaging system and the actuator system, and which can guide an internal stress distribution in the transparent material toward a preferred final state.

Apparatus are described herein related to augmenting human vision by means of adaptive polarization filter grids. A preferred embodiment is described as smart sunglasses, realized as see through head mountable device (HMD) configured to reduce glare originating from polarized light. Each eyeglass of the HMD is associated with a grid comprising a plurality of dynamically configurable polarization filters placed in the path of the light. A polarization analyzer module analyzes the polarization characteristics of a field of view and performs an optimization calculation. The polarization analyzer controls the said grid via a controller module in such a way that the filter state of each grid element can be addressed separately. The grid of polarization filters causes the polarization characteristics of the incident light to be adapted in such a way as to reduce glare and/or to provide a user of the said head mountable device with an enhanced visual perception of the field of view. The user of the described head mountable device has the option of selection between a plurality of polarization enhancement modes, such as horizontal or vertical polarization filtering only or a hybrid mode combining both horizontal and vertical polarization filtering on an individual basis for each grid element. Additionally smart window and smart mirror embodiments of the described adaptive polarization filter grids are introduced.

Apparatus are described herein related to augmenting human vision by means of adaptive polarization filter grids. A preferred embodiment is described as smart sunglasses, realized as see through head mountable device (HMD) configured to reduce glare originating from polarized light. Each eyeglass of the HMD is associated with a grid comprising a plurality of dynamically configurable polarization filters placed in the path of the light. A polarization analyzer module analyzes the polarization characteristics of a field of view and performs an optimization calculation. The polarization analyzer controls the said grid via a controller module in such a way that the filter state of each grid element can be addressed separately. The grid of polarization filters causes the polarization characteristics of the incident light to be adapted in such a way as to reduce glare and/or to provide a user of the said head mountable device with an enhanced visual perception of the field of view. The user of the described head mountable device has the option of selection between a plurality of polarization enhancement modes, such as horizontal or vertical polarization filtering only or a hybrid mode combining both horizontal and vertical polarization filtering on an individual basis for each grid element. Additionally smart window and smart mirror embodiments of the described adaptive polarization filter grids are introduced.

A method and system for imaging thermodynamic phase of clouds includes obtaining a spatially-resolved polarimetric image of a region of the sky containing a cloud using a multipixel image sensor having multiple channels corresponding to different wavelength bands, determining a value of the Stokes S.sub.1 polarization parameter of incident light on each pixel corresponding to a portion of the image containing the cloud for multiple channels corresponding to different wavelength bands, and determining the thermodynamic phase of the cloud within the image based on the values of the Stokes S.sub.1 polarization parameter. The Stokes S.sub.1 polarization parameter values determined for a first channel corresponding to a first wavelength band is used to determine a liquid thermodynamic phase, and the Stokes S.sub.1 polarization parameter values determined for a second channel corresponding to a second, shorter wavelength band is used to determine an ice thermodynamic phase.

The present invention relates to a normal incidence ellipsometer and a method for measuring the optical properties of a sample by using same. The purpose of the present invention is to provide: a normal incidence ellipsometer in which a wavelength-dependent compensator is replaced with a wavelength-independent linear polarizer such that equipment calibration procedures are simplified while a measurement wavelength range expansion can be easily implemented; and a method for measuring the optical properties of a sample by using same.