1. An optical system arranged to collect radiation emanating from an object space and deliver said radiation to an image surface in an image space along a common optical axis, comprising:
a first variable power optical component that is stationary on the common optical axis, comprising at least two liquids with different refractive properties and at least one contact surface between the two liquids, wherein the shape of the contact surface is varied to produce a change of optical power in the first variable power optical component, resulting in a variation of a chief ray angle approaching an image point on the image surface; and
a second variable power optical component comprising at least two liquids with different refractive properties and at least one contact surface between the two liquids, wherein the shape of the contact surface is varied to reduce the variation in the chief ray angle at the image point on the image surface caused by varying the shape of the first variable power optical component, wherein the shape of the first variable power optical component is varied to provide a zoom function and the zoom range is greater than about 3\xd7.
2. The optical system of claim 1, wherein the shape of the first variable power optical component is varied to provide a focus function.
3. The optical system of claim 1, wherein the zoom range is greater than about 4\xd7.
4. The optical system of claim 1, wherein the zoom range is greater than about 5\xd7.
5. The optical system of claim 1, further comprising a third variable power optical component comprising at least two liquids with different refractive properties and at least one contact surface between the two liquids, wherein the shape of the contact surface is varied to produce a change of optical power in the third variable power optical component which combines with the change of optical power in the first and second variable power optical components to result in the variation of the chief ray angle.
6. The optical system of claim 1, wherein the third variable power optical component is positioned between the first variable power optical component and the second variable power optical component along the common optical axis.
7. The optical system of claim 1, wherein the second variable power optical component is placed near the image surface and is the last optical component along the common optical axis that substantially affects the chief ray angle.
8. The optical system of claim 7, wherein the image surface is formed in the vicinity of at least one micro-lens configured to collect and focus light onto a photosensitive area.
9. The optical system of claim 1, wherein the second variable power optical component is configured to reduce the chief ray angle to be less than 10\xb0 from perpendicular to the image surface.
10. The optical system of claim 9, wherein the second variable power optical component is configured to reduce the chief ray angle to be less than 5\xb0 from perpendicular to the image surface.
11. A variable power objective optical system using no axially moving groups, comprising:
at least two variable power optical components that together provide zoom function with a fixed image surface, the variable power optical components comprising at least two liquids with different refractive properties and at least one contact surface between the two liquids, wherein the shape of the contact surface is varied to produce a change of optical power in the variable power optical component; and
at least one variable power optical component comprising at least two liquids with different refractive properties and at least one contact surface between the two liquids, wherein the shape of the contact surface is varied to at least partially compensate for changes in variation of a chief ray angle approaching an image point on the image surface caused at least in part by the variable power optical components that provide the zoom function.
12. The variable power optical system of claim 11, wherein the range of the zoom function is greater than about 3\xd7.
13. The variable power optical system of claim 11, wherein the range of the zoom function is greater than about 4\xd7.
14. The variable power optical system of claim 11, wherein the range of the zoom function is greater than about 5\xd7.
15. The variable power optical system of claim 11, wherein the at least one variable power optical component is configured to reduce the chief ray angle to be less than 10\xb0 from perpendicular to the image surface.
16. The variable power optical system of claim 15, wherein the at least one variable power optical component is configured to reduce the chief ray angle to be less than 5\xb0 from perpendicular to the image surface.
17. The variable power optical system of claim 11, wherein the at least one variable power optical component is positioned after the at least two variable power optical components along a common optical axis.
18. The variable power optical system of claim 17, wherein the at least one variable power optical component is placed near the image surface and is the last optical component along the common optical axis that substantially affects the chief ray angle.
19. The variable power optical system of claim 18, wherein the image surface is formed in the vicinity of at least one micro-lens configured to collect and focus light onto a photosensitive area.
20. The variable power optical system of claim 11, wherein the shape of the contact surface of one or more of the at least two variable power optical components is varied to provide a focus function.
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 fuel cell and electroosmotic pump system comprising:
a fuel cell anode;
a fuel cell cathode; and
at least one electroosmotic pump, wherein said electroosmotic pump is is disposed to draw liquid to or from said fuel cell cathode, wherein said electroosmotic pump comprises a first pump electrode and a second pump electrode, wherein said first pump electrode comprises said fuel cell cathode.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein said electroosmotic pump displaces water in a direction perpendicular to said oxidant flow path.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein said fuel cell anode is said electroosmotic second electrode, wherein a number of said electrodes in said system are reduced.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein more than one said fuel cell is connected in series.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein more than one said fuel cell is connected in parallel.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein said electroosmotic pump displaces water in a direction perpendicular to said planes of said fuel cell.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein said electroosmotic pump disposed adjacent to the cathode displaces water in a direction parallel to said planes of said fuel cell.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein said electroosmotic pump is disposed to draw liquid to or from said fuel cell cathode and further drives a reactant gas to said cathode.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein said electroosmotic pump is disposed adjacent to said fuel cell cathode further comprises hydrogen supplying integrated channels for supplying hydrogen to said fuel cell anode.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein said electroosmotic pump further comprises water removal integrated channels for removing water from the said hydrogen supplying integrated channels.
11. The system of claim 9, wherein said electroosmotic pump transports water to said hydrogen supplying integrated channels to humidify dry hydrogen.
12. The system of claim 1, wherein said system further comprises said electroosmotic pump that is in contact with said fuel cell anode to supply a liquid reactant mixture to said fuel cell anode.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein said electroosmotic pump in contact with said fuel cell anode has channels for supplying said liquid reactant mixture to said fuel cell anode.
14. The system of claim 1, wherein said fuel cell anode contains nonporous channel structures, wherein said nonporous channel structures said fuel cell anode with a liquid reactant mixture, wherein said system further comprises an electroosmotic pump for delivering said liquid reactant mixture to said nonporous anode channels, wherein said electroosmotic pump for delivering said liquid reactant mixture comprises a layer of said system.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein said electroosmotic pump for delivering said liquid reactant mixture pumps a liquid, wherein said pumped liquid displaces said liquid reactant mixture.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein said system further comprises an interface between said pumped liquid and said displaced liquid reactant, wherein said interface is an interface selected from the group consisting of a membrane, a gas bubble, a meniscus, a diaphragm and a piston.
17. The system of claim 1, wherein said fuel cell anode comprises a catalyst layer, a gas diffusion layer, and a current collection layer.
18. The system of claim 1, wherein said fuel cell cathode comprises a catalyst layer, a gas diffusion layer, and a current collection layer.
19. The system of claim 1 further comprises a fuel cell membrane, wherein said fuel cell membrane is an ion selective membrane.
20. The system of claim 19, wherein said membrane is a solid polymer electrolyte.
21. The system of claim 1, wherein said electroosmotic pump is disposed adjacent to said fuel cell cathode and has channels for supplying an oxidant to said fuel cell cathode.
22. The system of claim 21, wherein said channels are lined with a porous conductive layer.
23. The system of claim 21, wherein said channels are parallel to a plane, wherein said plane comprises an interface between said fuel cell cathode and said electroosmotic pump disposed adjacent to said fuel cell cathode.
24. The system of claim 1, wherein said electroosmotic pump comprises a porous glass frit.
25. The system of claim 1, wherein said electroosmotic pump comprises a glass fiber cloth.
26. The system of claim 1, wherein said electroosmotic pump comprises a porous polymer layer.
27. The system of claim 1, wherein said electroosmotic pump comprises a porous silicon layer.
28. The system of claim 1, wherein said electroosmotic pump comprises a porous aluminum oxide layer.
29. The system of claim 1, wherein cathode current is collected with a porous conductive layer, wherein said porous conductive layer is disposed as a lining to said fuel cell cathode.
30. The system of claim 1, wherein cathode current is collected with wires.
31. The system of claim 1, wherein cathode current is collected with a porous metallic foil.
32. The system of claim 1, wherein said electroosmotic pump is disposed adjacent to said fuel cell cathode and removes water directly from a gas diffusion layer.
33. The system of claim 1, wherein said electroosmotic pump is disposed adjacent to said cathode and transports water tofrom said fuel cell cathode, and wherein said electroosmotic pump disposed adjacent to fuel cell cathode displaces an oxidant stream.
34. The system of claim 33, wherein said oxidant is air.
35. The system of claim 33, wherein said oxidant is oxygen enriched air.
36. The system of claim 1, wherein at least part of an outside surface of said electroosmotic pump comprises a porous conductive layer.
37. The system of claim 36, wherein said porous conductive layer is porous platinum.
38. The system of claim 1, wherein said electroosmotic pump is hydrophilic and self priming.
39. The system of claim 1, wherein said electroosmotic pump is self regulating.
40. The system of claim 1, wherein reactant gases are hydrated with water vapor using water removed by said electroosmotic pump.
41. The system of claim 1, wherein said system is a direct methanol fuel cell, and reaction product water removed by said electroosmotic pump is combined with methanol as a reactant stream.
42. The system of claim 1, wherein said electroosmotic pump is proximate a product water outlet.
43. The system of claim 42, wherein a planar area of said electroosmotic pump disposed adjacent to said fuel cell cathode is a fraction of a planar area of a fuel cell membrane, wherein an electrical resistance associated with a current flowing from said system to a second stacked said system is minimized.
44. The system of claim 1, wherein said electroosmotic pump removes water through a porous cathode current collector layer.
45. The system of claim 1, wherein said fuel cell cathode comprises a cathode gas diffusion layer and cathode catalyst layer, wherein a fraction of a cathode gas diffusion layer and a cathode catalyst layer are directly exposed to ambient air.
46. The system of claim 45, wherein a hydrophilic layer is placed on top of said electroosmotic pump.
47. The system of claim 1, wherein a fuel cell cathode current is collected with a metallic wire mesh.