Optical information transmitting device and method of manufacturing same

Claim 2

An optical information transmitting device for transmitting pattern information on a light beam emitted by a light source, comprising: a substrate; a coaxial lens array of lenses spaced at equal intervals along an optical axis on said substrate, with conjugate focusing planes of said lenses being of equal magnification and disposed between adjacent ones of said lenses, wherein each of said lenses comprises a distributed-index rod lens having a rotationally symmetric refractive index distribution with the refractive index varying radially with respect to said optical axis; and said lenses and said conjugate focusing planes being arranged such that a light beam emitted by the light source along said optical axis focuses at said conjugate focusing planes, and when a transmissive optical pattern is formed in one of said conjugate focusing planes, images of said transmissive optical pattern are formed in the other conjugate focusing planes, respectively.

Claim 3

An optical information transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein each of said lenses comprises a distributed-index rod lens having a rotationally symmetric refractive index distribution with the refractive index varying radially with respect to said optical axis.

Claim 4

An optical information transmitting device according to claim 2, wherein each of said lenses comprises a telecentric optical system in which principal rays of light at all image points on each of said conjugate focusing planes lie parallel to said optical axis.

Claim 5

An optical information transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein each of said lenses comprises a telecentric optical system in which principal rays of light at all image points on each of said conjugate focusing planes lie parallel to said optical axis.

Claim 6

An optical information transmitting device according to claim 1, including at least two of said coaxial lens arrays arranged in rows.

Claim 7

An optical information transmitting device comprising: a coaxial lens array of lenses spaced at equal intervals along an optical axis, with conjugate focusing planes of said lenses being of equal magnification and disposed between adjacent ones of said lenses, wherein each of said lenses comprises a distributed-index rod lens having a rotationally symmetric refractive index distribution with the refractive index varying radially with respect to said optical axis; a mirror or a half-silvered mirror disposed on one end of said coaxial lens array; a light source disposed on an end of said coaxial lens array opposite said mirror or half-silvered mirror; and the arrangement being such that light emitted by said light source focuses at said conjugate focusing planes, is reflected by said mirror or said half-silvered mirror, and is then propagated through said coaxial lens array, that conjugate focusing planes which are formed during the light traveling in a forward direction from said light source to said mirror or said half-silvered mirror lie in the same planes as conjugate focusing planes which are formed during the light traveling in a reverse direction from said mirror or said half-silvered mirror to said light source again, and that conjugate images which are formed on said conjugate planes formed by the light traveling in the forward direction are inverted with respect to conjugate images which are formed on said conjugate planes formed by the light traveling in the reverse direction.

Claim 8

An optical information transmitting device comprising: a coaxial lens array of lenses spaced at equal intervals along an optical axis, with conjugate focusing planes of said lenses being of equal magnification and disposed between adjacent ones of said lenses, wherein each of said lenses comprises a distributed-index rod lens having a rotationally symmetric refractive index distribution with the refractive index varying radially with respect to said optical axis; a mirror or a half-silvered mirror disposed on one end of said coaxial lens array; a light source disposed on an end of said coaxial lens array opposite said mirror or half-silvered mirror; and the arrangement being such that light emitted by said light source focuses at said conjugate focusing planes, is reflected by said mirror or said half-silvered mirror, and is then propagated through said coaxial lens array, that conjugate focusing planes which are formed during the light traveling in a forward direction from said light source to said mirror or said half-silvered mirror lie in the same planes as conjugate focusing planes which are formed during the light traveling in a reverse direction from said mirror or said half-silvered mirror to said light source again, and that conjugate images which are formed on said conjugate planes formed by the light traveling in the forward direction are inverted with respect to conjugate images which are formed on said conjugate planes formed by the light traveling in the reverse direction.

Claim 9

An optical information transmitting device according to claim 6, wherein each of said lenses comprises a distributed-index rod lens having a rotationally symmetric refractive index distribution with the refractive index varying radially with respect to said optical axis.

Claim 10

An optical information transmitting device according to claim 7, wherein each of said lenses comprises a telecentric optical system in which principal rays of light at all image points on each of said conjugate focusing planes lie parallel to said optical axis.

Claim 11

An optical information transmitting device according to claim 6, wherein each of said lenses comprises a telecentric optical system in which principal rays of light at all image points on each of said conjugate focusing planes lie parallel to said optical axis.

Claim 12

An optical information transmitting device according to claim 6, including at least two of said coaxial lens arrays arranged in rows.

Claim 13

An optical information transmitting device for transmitting pattern information on a light beam emitted by a light source, comprising: a coaxial lens array of lenses spaced at equal intervals along an optical axis, with conjugate focusing planes of said lenses being of equal magnification and being disposed between adjacent ones of said lenses, wherein each of said lenses comprises a distributed-index rod lens having a rotationally symmetric refractive index distribution with the refractive index varying radially with respect to said optical axis; light sources disposed on respective opposite ends of said coaxial lens array; and the arrangement being such that light emitted by said light sources focuses at said conjugate focusing planes, and when a transmissive optical pattern is formed in one of said conjugate focusing planes, images of said transmissive optical pattern are formed in the other conjugate focusing planes, respectively.

Claim 14

An optical information transmitting device for transmitting pattern information on a light beam emitted by a light source, comprising: a coaxial lens array of lenses spaced at equal intervals along an optical axis, with conjugate focusing planes of said lenses being of equal magnification and being disposed between adjacent ones of said lenses, wherein each of said lenses comprises a distributed-index rod lens having a rotationally symmetric refractive index distribution with the refractive index varying radially with respect to said optical axis; light sources disposed on respective opposite ends of said coaxial lens array; and the arrangement being such that light emitted by said light sources focuses at said conjugate focusing planes, and when a transmissive optical pattern is formed in one of said conjugate focusing planes, images of said transmissive optical pattern are formed in the other conjugate focusing planes, respectively.

Claim 15

An optical information transmitting device according to claim 11, wherein each of said lenses comprises a distributed-index rod lens having a rotationally symmetric refractive index distribution with the refractive index varying radially with respect to from said optical axis.

Claim 16

An optical information transmitting device according to claim 12, further including a signal generator for applying a signal to said light sources to cause said light sources to emit intensity-modulated light.

Claim 17

An optical information transmitting device according to claim 11, further including a signal generator for applying a signal to said light sources to cause said light sources to emit intensity-modulated light.

Claim 18

An optical information transmitting device according to claim 11, including at least two of said coaxial lens arrays arranged in rows.

Claim 19

An optical information transmitting device for transmitting information on a light beam emitted by a light source, comprising: a substrate; a coaxial lens array of lenses spaced at equal intervals along an optical axis on said substrate, with conjugate focusing planes of said lenses being of equal magnification and disposed between adjacent ones of said lenses, wherein each of said lenses comprises a distributed-index rod lens having a rotationally symmetric refractive index distribution with the refractive index varying radially with respect to said optical axis; optical fiber means for applying light to be propagated through said lenses and receiving light propagated through said lenses; and said optical fiber means having entrance and exit ends, said entrance or exit end lying in a plane which is in optical conjugate relationship to said conjugate focusing planes.

Claim 20

An optical information transmitting device for transmitting information on a light beam emitted by a light source, comprising: a substrate; a coaxial lens array of lenses spaced at equal intervals along an optical axis on said substrate, with conjugate focusing planes of said lenses being of equal magnification and disposed between adjacent ones of said lenses, wherein each of said lenses comprises a distributed-index rod lens having a rotationally symmetric refractive index distribution with the refractive index varying radially with respect to said optical axis; optical fiber means for applying light to be propagated through said lenses and receiving light propagated through said lenses; and said optical fiber means having entrance and exit ends, said entrance or exit end lying in a plane which is in optical conjugate relationship to said conjugate focusing planes.

Claim 21

An optical information transmitting device--according to claim 16, further including a prism disposed in a gap defined between said lenses, and a distributed-index rod lens disposed on a side of said prism, said optical fiber means and said coaxial lens array being optically coupled to each other through said prism and said distributed-index rod lens, said distributed-index rod lens disposed between said prism and said optical fiber means.

Claim 22

An optical information transmitting device according to claim 16, wherein said optical fiber means comprises an array of at least two optical fibers, further including an array of microlenses disposed in confronting relationship proximate to ends of said optical fibers.

Claim 23

An optical transmission device comprising: at least two, substantially parallel coaxial lens arrays, each of said coaxial lens arrays comprising a plurality of lenses spaced at equal intervals along an optical axis, wherein each of said lenses comprises a distributed-index rod lens having a rotationally symmetric refractive index distribution with the refractive index varying radially with respect to said optical axis; said coaxial lens arrays being arranged such that conjugate focusing planes of said lenses of equal magnification are formed between adjacent ones of said lenses; and optical coupling means for optically coupling said coaxial lens arrays to transmit optical pattern information provided in one of said conjugate focusing planes in one of said coaxial lens arrays to at least one of the conjugate focusing planes in another coaxial lens array.

Claim 24

An optical transmission device comprising: at least two, substantially parallel coaxial lens arrays, each of said coaxial lens arrays comprising a plurality of lenses spaced at equal intervals along an optical axis, wherein each of said lenses comprises a distributed-index rod lens having a rotationally symmetric refractive index distribution with the refractive index varying radially with respect to said optical axis; said coaxial lens arrays being arranged such that conjugate focusing planes of said lenses of equal magnification are formed between adjacent ones of said lenses; and optical coupling means for optically coupling said coaxial lens arrays to transmit optical pattern information provided in one of said conjugate focusing planes in one of said coaxial lens arrays to at least one of the conjugate focusing planes in another coaxial lens array.

Claim 25

An optical transmission device according to claim 19, wherein said optical coupling means comprises at least two prism beam splitters each disposed between two lenses in adjacent lens arrays and at least one lens proximate one of said two beam splitters and disposed between said adjacent lens arrays.

Claim 26

An optical transmission device according to claim 20, wherein each of said lenses comprises a distributed-index rod lens having a rotationally symmetric refractive index distribution with the refractive index varying radially with respect to said optical axis.

Claim 27

An optical transmission device according to claim 19, wherein each of said lenses comprises a distributed-index rod lens having a rotationally symmetric refractive index distribution with the refractive index varying radially with respect to said optical axis.