Apparatus and methods for transmitting light are disclosed. In an implementation, an apparatus includes a collimator at an input end positioned to receive an input beam from a fiber beam source and to produce a collimated beam. The apparatus further includes a beam shaping group having one or more optical elements and positioned to receive the collimated beam from the collimator and format the collimated beam into a shaped propagation beam having a substantially rectangular cross-section in a far field. The apparatus further includes an objective stage for optically probing a sample, such as a flow cell, using substantially rectangular cross-section sampling beam, where fluorescence from the sample is captured by a line sensor for detecting properties of the sample, such as chemical reactions therein.

A diffractive optical element is configured to receive a first patterned light beams, and diffracts the first patterned light beams to project a second patterned light beam outwardly. The second patterned light beam is formed of combined arrangement of a plurality of first patterned light beams, and the combined arrangement includes periodic arrangement in a first direction and a second direction. The first direction and the second direction are not perpendicular to each other. By designing the performance of the diffractive optical element, the outwardly projected structured light pattern is periodically arranged in two directions, and the two directions are not perpendicular to each other, such that spot patterns are highly unrelated in multiple directions, improving accuracy.

A light modulating device 103 includes: a selective diffraction device (10, 10′) which generates diffracted light beams of a plurality of orders by diffracting illumination light into one of a plurality of directions, the illumination light being linearly polarized light having a polarization plane oriented in a first polarization direction, and which causes a phase difference between the diffracted light beams of the plurality of orders; and a polarization plane rotating device 14 which rotates the polarization plane of the diffracted light beam of each order so as to be oriented in a direction perpendicular to a direction radiating from an optical axis.

This disclosure describes optical systems for projecting an irregular or complex pattern onto a region of space (e.g., a two-dimensional or three-dimensional object or scene). A respective light beam is emitted from each of a plurality of light sources. The emitted light beams collectively are diffracted in accordance with a plurality of different first grating parameters to produce a plurality of first diffracted light beams. The first diffracted light beams then collectively are diffracted in accordance with one or more second grating parameters.

An example optical device for backlighting includes a receiver disposed in a mobile device to receive ambient light. The optical device also includes a concentrator to concentrate the received ambient light received through the receiver. The optical device further includes a channeler to direct the ambient light beneath a surface of the mobile device to a digital display of the mobile device.

An illumination optical system having a light source and a single convex lens with a diffractive structure, wherein the phase function of the diffractive structure is represented by $\varphi \left(r\right)=\underset{i=1}{\overset{N}{.Math.}}{\beta }_{2i}{r}^{2i}$
where r represents distance from the central axis of the lens, the relationship
|β.sub.2|.Math.(0.3R).sup.2<|β.sub.4|.Math.(0.3R).sup.4
is satisfied where R represents effective radius of the lens, the second derivative of the phase function has at least one extreme value and at least one point of inflection where r is greater than 30% of R, and the area of a surface of the light source is equal to or greater than 3% of the area of the entrance pupil when the light source side of the lens is defined as the image side.

An illumination system and method for operating the same is disclosed. The illumination system includes a spatial light modulator (SLM), first and second optical systems, a controller and a mask. The SLM is positioned to receive an incident light beam. The first optical system images light leaving the SLM onto the mask that blocks part of the light. The second optical system images light leaving the mask onto a sample to be illuminated. The controller causes the SLM to display an SLM pattern that generates an illumination beam and a spurious light beam from the incident light beam, the illumination beam passing through the mask, wherein the mask includes a fixed part having a plurality of openings and a moveable part that moves in relation to the fixed part and that includes an opening.

An image generation device comprises: a spatial light modulator; a source of light; a beam deflector; an illumination waveguide and an image transport waveguide, each waveguide containing at least one switchable grating; and a coupler for directing scanned light into a first set of TIR paths in said illumination waveguide. A switchable grating in the illumination waveguide diffracts light onto said SLM, a switchable grating in said image transport waveguide diffracting image-modulated from the SLM into a waveguide path.

A display apparatus includes: an output unit to form an image and output it to the front; a lens unit disposed in front of the output unit to transmit the image to be output and transfer the image to the front; a guide unit formed to be long and having at least one pair of total reflection surfaces, a part of which is disposed between the output unit and the lens unit, in which a transmission path through which the illumination light is incident to move to the other side through at least one or more internal total reflections is formed; and a diffraction unit which is disposed on the transmission path and transmits the illumination light incident with a predetermined pattern to the output unit at a predetermined angle.

A method, system and apparatus are provided in accordance with example embodiments for optically measuring workpiece features, and more particularly, to optically measure internal surfaces of round bores and countersinks. Methods include: advancing a probe through a bore and a countersink; and measuring dimensions of the bore and the countersink using a bore laser cone and a countersink laser cone, where the bore laser cone is received at the bore camera lens in response to reflecting from a first reflective surface of the probe to a surface of the bore to a third reflective surface of the probe and to the bore camera lens, and where the countersink laser cone is received at the countersink camera lens in response to the countersink laser cone reflecting from a second reflective surface of the probe to a surface of the countersink to a countersink beam reflector and to the countersink camera lens.