What is claimed is:
1. An integrated optical fiber collimator, comprising:
a housing;
an optical fiber having an optical fiber termination, said optical fiber termination and an end portion of said optical fiber being in said housing;
a collimating lens system disposed at least partially in said housing being in optical communication with said optical fiber;
a photodetector; and
a beam splitter disposed at least partially in said housing diverting a portion of the light traveling in said housing to said photodetector.
2. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said collimating lens system is disposed in an optical path between said beam splitter and said optical fiber termination.
3. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said beam splitter is disposed in an optical path between said collimating lens system and said optical fiber termination.
4. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said collimating lens system comprises a lens.
5. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said collimating lens system comprises a plurality of lenses.
6. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 5, wherein, said beam splitter is disposed in an optical path between the lenses of said collimating lens system.
7. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said beam splitter comprises a plate beam splitter.
8. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said beam splitter comprises a cube beam splitter.
9. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said beam splitter comprises a Pellicle membrane beam splitter.
10. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said photodetector comprises a photodiode.
11. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said photodetector comprises a phototransistor.
12. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said photodetector comprises a photo-resistor.
13. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said photodetector comprises a charge coupled device.
14. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said photodetector comprises a CMOS sensor.
15. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said photodetector comprises a photo-multiplier.
16. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said photodetector is disposed inside said housing.
17. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said photodetector is disposed at least partially in said housing.
18. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said photodetector is disposed outside said housing.
19. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said beam splitter is disposed inside said housing.
20. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said beams splitter diverts a portion of the light in said housing that travels from the outside of said housing to said photodetector.
21. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said beams splitter diverts a portion of the light in said housing that travels from said optical fiber through said optical fiber termination to said photodetector.
22. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1 further comprises a second photodetector, wherein, said beams splitter diverts a portion of the light in said housing traveling from the outside of said housing to said photodetector and diverts a portion of the light in said housing traveling from said optical fiber through said optical fiber termination to said second photodetector.
23. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
a fiber ferrule in said housing mechanically supporting a portion of said optical fiber.
24. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 3, wherein, said beam splitter comprises a cube beam splitter.
25. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 24, wherein, said collimating lens system comprises a lens.
26. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 25, wherein, said beam splitter is disposed inside said housing.
27. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 26, wherein, said photodetector comprises a photodiode.
28. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 26, wherein, said photodetector is disposed inside said housing.
29. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 26, wherein, said photodetector is disposed at least partially in said housing.
30. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 26, wherein, said photodetector is disposed outside said housing.
31. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 26, further comprising:
a fiber ferrule in said housing mechanically supporting a portion of said optical fiber.
32. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 26, wherein, said beams splitter diverts a portion of the light in said housing that travels from the outside of said housing to said photodetector.
33. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 26, wherein, said beam splitter diverts a portion of the light in said housing that travels from said optical fiber through said optical fiber termination to said photodetector.
34. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1 further comprises a second photodetector, wherein, said beams splitter diverts a portion of the light in said housing traveling from the outside of said housing to said photodetector and diverts a portion of the light in said housing traveling from said optical fiber through said optical fiber termination to said second photodetector.
35. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said housing comprises a multipiece housing having at least two pieces.
36. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 35, wherein, said housing further comprises:
a first housing; and
a second housing.
37. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 36, wherein
said end portion of said optical fiber being in said first housing; and
said collimating lens system being at least partially in said second housing.
38. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 37, further comprising:
a fiber ferrule in said first housing mechanical supporting a portion of said optical fiber.
39. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 38, wherein, said beam splitter is disposed at least partially in said first housing.
40. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 38, wherein, said beam splitter is disposed at least partially in said second housing.
41. An integrated optical fiber collimator, comprising:
a housing means;
an optical fiber extending into said housing means having an optical fiber termination in said housing means;
a collimating means being at least partially in said housing means for collimating the light traveling from said optical fiber through said optical fiber termination into a substantially collimated light beam and collecting light from the outside of said housing means into said optical fiber;
a beam splitting means being at least partially in said housing means for diverting a portion of the light traveling in said integrated optical fiber collimator; and
a monitoring means for monitoring the light diverted by said beam splitting means.
42. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 41, wherein, said housing means comprises a housing.
43. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 41, wherein, said housing means comprises a multi-piece housing having at least two pieces.
44. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 43, wherein, said housing means comprises:
a first housing; and
a second housing.
45. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 41, wherein, said collimating means comprises a collimating lens system.
46. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 41, wherein, said collimating lens system comprises at least one lens.
47. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 41, wherein, beam splitting means comprises a broadband beam splitter.
48. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 41, wherein, said monitoring means comprises a photodetector.
49. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 42, wherein, said collimating means comprises a collimating lens system having at least one lens.
50. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 49, wherein, beam splitting means comprises a broadband beam splitter.
51. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 50, wherein, said monitoring means comprises a photodetector being disposed to monitor a portion of the light traveling into said housing means.
52. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 50, wherein, said monitoring means comprises a photodetector being disposed to monitor a portion of the light traveling from said optical fiber through said optical fiber termination.
53. The integrated optical fiber collimator as claimed in claim 50, wherein, said monitoring means comprises:
a first photodetector being disposed to monitor a portion of the light traveling into said housing means; and
a second photodetector being disposed to monitor a portion of the light traveling from said optical fiber through said optical fiber termination;
54. A method for monitoring the light traveling through an optical fiber that is terminated with an optical fiber collimator, comprising:
diverting a portion of the light traveling through said optical fiber collimator at an optical fiber termination of said optical fiber with a beam splitter in the light path inside the optical fiber collimator; and
monitoring the diverted portion of light with at least one photodetector.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A dentifrice composition comprising the following components (A), (B), (C) and (D):
(A) from 0.002 to 5% by mass of a fluoride ion supplying compound in terms of fluorine,
(B) from 25 to 65% by mass of a sugar alcohol, which is dissolved in an amount of 5 to 30 g in 100 g of an aqueous solution at 20\xb0 C.,
(C) from 10 to 25% by mass of water, and
(D) from 0.1 to 1.2% by mass of a binder,
wherein the mass ratio of the component (B) to the component (C), the mass ratio (BC), is more than 1 and 6 or less and the viscosity (20\xb0 C.) of the composition is 500 to 10000 dPa\xb7s.
2. The dentifrice composition according to claim 1, wherein the mass ratio of the component (B) to the component (C), the mass ratio (BC), is from 1.2 to 3.
3. The dentifrice composition according to claim 1, wherein when diluting the composition by adding 25% by mass of water in the mass ratio, the viscosity is 10% or less of the viscosity before dilution.
4. The dentifrice composition according to claim 1, wherein the fluoride ion supplying compound (A) is one or more selected from the group consisting of sodium fluoride and ammonium fluoride.
5. The dentifrice composition according to claim 1, wherein the fluoride ion supplying compound (A) is sodium fluoride.
6. The dentifrice composition according to claim 1, wherein the content of component (A) is from 0.05 to 1% by mass in terms of fluorine.
7. The dentifrice composition according to claim 1, wherein the sugar alcohol (B) is one or more selected from the group consisting of mannitol, \u03b1-D-glucopyranosyl-1,6-sorbitol, \u03b1-D-glucopyranosyl-1,6-mannitol and reduced palatinose.
8. (canceled)
9. The dentifrice composition according to claim 1, wherein the content of the component (B) is from 30 to 55% by mass and the mass ratio of the component (B) to the component (C), the mass ratio (BC) is from 1.5 to 3.
10. The dentifrice composition according to claim 1, wherein the content of the component (C) is from 10 to 20% by mass.
11. The dentifrice composition according to any one of claims claim 1, further comprising glycerin (E) in such an amount that the mass ratio to water (C), the mass ratio (EC), is from 31 to 13.
12. The dentifrice composition according to claim 1, wherein (D) the binder is one or more selected from the group consisting of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, carboxyvinyl polymer, xanthan gum, carrageenan, sodium alginate, hydroxypropyl cellulose and sodium chondroitin sulfate.
13. The dentifrice composition according to claim 1, further comprising (F) a sugar alcohol having the solubility of more than 30 g in 100 g of an aqueous solution at 20\xb0 C., in such an amount that the mass ratio to water (C), the mass ratio (FC), is less than 1.
14. The dentifrice composition according to claim 1, wherein component (F) is one or more selected from the group consisting of erythritol, xylitol, maltitol and sorbitol.
15. The dentifrice composition according to claim 1, wherein
the mass ratio to the component (B) of (F1) the sugar alcohol having the solubility of more than 30 g and 50 g or less in 100 g of an aqueous solution at 20\xb0 C., the mass ratio (F1B), is 1 or less;
the mass ratio to the component (B) of (F2) the sugar alcohol having the solubility of more than 50 g and 70 g or less in 100 g of an aqueous solution at 20\xb0 C., the mass ratio (F2B), is 0.2 or less; and
the mass ratio to the component (B) of (F3) the sugar alcohol having the solubility of more than 70 g in 100 g of an aqueous solution at 20\xb0 C., the mass ratio (F3B), is 0.1 or less.
16. A method for promoting the uptake of fluorine into teeth, comprising applying the dentifrice composition according to claim 1 to the oral cavity.
17.-19. (canceled)
20. The method according to claim 16, wherein the mass ratio of the component (B) to the component (C), the mass ratio (BC), is from 1.2 to 3.
21. The method according to claim 16, wherein when diluting the composition by adding 25% by mass of water in the mass ratio, the viscosity is 10% or less of the viscosity before dilution.