The present invention pertains to systems and methods for the capture of information regarding scenes using single or multiple three-dimensional LADAR systems. Where multiple systems are included, those systems can be placed in different positions about the imaged scene such that each LADAR system provides different viewing perspectives and/or angles. In accordance with further embodiments, the single or multiple LADAR systems can include two-dimensional focal plane arrays, in addition to three-dimensional focal plane arrays, and associated light sources for obtaining three-dimensional information about a scene, including information regarding the contours of the objects within the scene. Processing of captured image information can be performed in real time, and processed scene information can include data frames that comprise three-dimensional and two-dimensional image data.

A handheld distance measuring instrument includes a first emission device, a first reception device and a second reception device. The first emission device is configured to emit an optical measurement radiation onto a target object. The first reception device is configured to detect the radiation returning from the target object. The second reception device is configured in order to detect a reference radiation internal to the instrument. The reception devices respectively include a first detector unit, a second detector unit, a first time measurement unit, and a second time measurement unit. The first time measurement unit is configured to be connected selectively to the first detector unit and to the second detector unit. The second time measurement unit is configured to be connected selectively to the first detector unit and to the second detector unit.

A defect inspection device has: an illumination optical system which irradiates a predetermined region of an inspection target with illumination light; a detection optical system which has a detector provided with a plurality of pixels by which scattered light from the predetermined region of the inspection target due to illumination light from the illumination optical system can be detected; and a signal processing portion which is provided with a correction portion which corrects pixel displacement caused by change in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the inspection target with respect to a detection signal based on the scattered light detected by the detector of the detection optical system, and a defect determination portion which determines a defect on the surface of the inspection target based on the detection signal corrected by the correction portion.

A system and method for mounting a section onto a substrate, the system comprising: a fluid channel including: a fluid channel inlet that receives the section, processed from a bulk embedded sample by a sample sectioning module positioned proximal the fluid channel inlet, a section-mounting region downstream of the fluid channel inlet, and a fluid channel outlet downstream of the section-mounting region; a reservoir in fluid communication with the fluid channel outlet; and a manifold, fluidly coupled to the reservoir, that delivers fluid from the reservoir to the fluid channel inlet, thereby transmitting fluid flow that drives delivery of the section from the fluid channel inlet toward the section-mounting region.

Spectroscopy apparatuses oriented to the critical angle of the sample are described that detecting the spectral characteristics of a sample wherein the apparatus consists of an electromagnetic radiation source adapted to excite a sample with electromagnetic radiation introduced to the sample at a location at an angle of incidence at or near a critical angle of the sample; a transmitting crystal in communication with the electromagnetic radiation source and the sample, the transmitting crystal having a high refractive index adapted to reflect the electromagnetic radiation internally; a reflector adapted to introduce the electromagnetic radiation to the sample at or near an angle of incidence near the critical angle between the transmitting crystal and sample; and a detector for detecting the electromagnetic radiation from the sample. Also, provided herein are methods, systems, and kits incorporating the peri-critical reflection spectroscopy apparatus.

A method of optically determining the presence of volcanic ash within a cloud comprises emitting a circularly polarized illuminating beam within a cloud and analyzing backscatter light to identify the presence of volcanic ash within the cloud. The method further includes determining the degree to which the cloud has altered the polarization state of the emitted beam. The index of refraction of the backscatter light and the opacity of the backscatter light are also analyzed.

A dual scanning and FTIR system for application in the Terahertz and broadband blackbody frequency range including sources for providing Thz and broadband blackbody range and electromagnetic radiation, at least one detector of electromagnetic radiation in the THZ and broadband blackbody ranges, and at least one rotating element between the source and detector.

An estimation device is configured to estimate a feature value of a specific component contained in a sample and includes: a spectral estimation parameter storage module; a calibration parameter storage module; a multiband image acquirer; an optical spectrum operator configured to compute an optical spectrum from a multiband image using a spectral estimation parameter; and a calibration processor configured to compute the feature value from the optical spectrum using a calibration parameter.

An apparatus for securing a diagnostic tool proximate to and in front of a display device between the corners thereof. A harness is adapted to releasably hold the diagnostic tool, a restraining bracket extends from the harness, and there is at least one elastic cord having a first end, an intermediate portion and a second end. The cord is threaded through the restraining bracket and is sized so as to impart elastic tension to the corners of the display device while concomitantly protecting the front surface from pressure due to the position of the harness and diagnostic tool.

A system and method for detecting analytes using a conformal filter. A conformal filter, which may comprise a tunable filter, is configured to filter interacted photons conforming to a spectral shape correlated with an analyte of interest. Conformal filter configurations may be selected by consulting a modified look-up table associated with an analyte. An iterative methodology may be used to calibrate a conformal design for an analyte of interest, refine a previous conformal filter design for an analyte of interest, and/or generate a new conformal filter design for an analyte of interest.

A system for characterizing crude oil fractions includes a maltenes sample reservoir, a first solvent reservoir, a second solvent reservoir, and a third solvent reservoir. The system further includes a valve in fluid communication with the first solvent reservoir, the second solvent reservoir, and the third solvent reservoir and a pump in fluid communication with the valve. The system further includes a packed bed in fluid communication with the maltenes sample reservoir and the pump, a flowthrough cell in fluid communication with the packed bed, a spectrometer operably associated with the flowthrough cell, and a computer operably associated with the spectrometer. A method for characterizing crude oil fractions includes providing a maltene sample, eluting saturates, aromatics, and resins of the maltene sample, determining an optical density of each, and determining a concentration of each of the saturates, aromatics, and resins based upon optical densities over time for each.

[Problem to be Solved] To improve the measurement accuracy of an interference measurement device which utilizes interference of light. [Means for Solution] An interference measurement device includes a light source 10 for emitting supercontinuum light (SC light), an optical fiber coupler 11 for splitting the SC light into measurement light and reference light, a dispersion compensation element 12, a drive unit 13 for moving the dispersion compensation element 12, and light-receiving means 14 for measuring an interference waveform produced as a result of interference between the measurement light and the reference light. A measurement object 15 to be measured is an Si substrate having a thickness of 800 μm. The dispersion compensation element 12 is an Si substrate having a thickness of 780 μm. Namely, the dispersion compensation element 12 is formed of the same material as that of the measurement object 15 and is 20 μm thinner than the measurement object 15. The interference caused by reflection on the back surface of the measurement object 15 and reflection on the back surface of the dispersion compensation element 12 has a narrow peak width because wavelength dispersion is cancelled almost completely. Thus, the accuracy in measuring the peak position improves. As a result, the accuracy in measuring temperature, etc., improves.

A method of compensating for sample misalignment in an optical measurement apparatus (40), comprises the steps of: determining an expected response from a detector (58) in said optical measurement apparatus given a particular set of parameters defining a path that light can take through the optical measurement apparatus from a source (42), via a sample (50), to the detector (58); measuring a response from the detector for the sample under test; and refining the set of parameters until the expected response and the measured response converge so as to determine the set of parameters giving rise to the measured response.

An optical system for occupancy sensing according to the invention includes a plurality of optical line sensors, each consisting of a linear array of light sensing elements; and an optical light integrating device that integrates light from rays with incidence angles subject to geometric constraints to be sensed by a light sensing element.

A system, that includes a hybrid sensor that comprises: a monochromatic portion that is arranged to obtain a monochromatic image of a first area of an object; a multiple-color portion that is arranged to obtain a multi-colored image of a second area of the object; wherein the monochromatic portion comprises monochromatic sensing elements that sense radiation of a same frequency band; wherein the multiple-color portion comprises color sensing elements of different types, wherein different types of color sensing elements are associated with different frequency bands.

A projection exposure tool for microlithography for imaging mask structures of an image-providing substrate onto a substrate to be structured includes a measuring apparatus configured to determine a relative position of measurement structures disposed on a surface of one of the substrates in relation to one another in at least one lateral direction with respect to the substrate surface and to thereby simultaneously measure a number of measurement structures disposed laterally offset in relation to one another.

There is provided a profile measuring apparatus which measures a profile of an object including: a projection unit which projects a pattern on the object from a projection direction; a measurement unit, which is displaced at a difference position for the projection unit and takes an image of the pattern from a direction different from the projection direction to measure a position on a surface of the object based on an image data obtained with the taken image; an object-rotation unit which rotates the object in two directions; and a pattern-rotation unit which is connected to the projection unit so as to be able to rotate the pattern relative to the object-rotation unit.

There is disclosed a polarization-modulating element for modulating a polarization state of incident light into a predetermined polarization state, the polarization-modulating element being made of an optical material with optical activity and having a circumferentially varying thickness profile.

A biochip for the integration of all steps in a complex process from the insertion of a sample to the generation of a result, performed without operator intervention includes microfluidic and macrofluidic features that are acted on by instrument subsystems in a series of scripted processing steps. Methods for fabricating these complex biochips of high feature density by injection molding are also provided.

A contact organizing system has a ring device and a hole punching device. The ring device is shaped for holding the business cards. The hole punching device for adapted punching holes in the business cards. The hole punching device includes a hanging aperture through the hole punching device for hanging the hole punching device on the ring device.

Provided is a document reading apparatus capable of suppressing a shock that may occur when a trailing edge of a tabbed sheet passes through a roller pair. In an image reading section, when a document to be read is the tabbed sheet, a timing to start separation of the roller pair in response to detection of a trailing edge of the document is delayed by a time period corresponding to a tab length with respect to the timing to start separation when a document other than the tabbed sheet is conveyed. Thus, it is possible to prevent the shock when the trailing edge of the tabbed sheet passes through the roller pair, and to thereby suppress image reading failure due to the shock.

A system, method, and apparatus for providing three level inverter modulation is disclosed. In one embodiment, control signals can be provided to control a three level inverter in a power converter based on at least one feedback signal.

An additional electric power receiving method replacing conventional grounding with a negative voltage source includes the step of transmitting electromagnetic wave or current from a power supply source to a rectifier, wherein a grounding end of the rectifier is in electrical communication with the negative voltage source, and the negative voltage source is selected from a negative potential intrinsic of an organism. A device applicable to the electric power receiving method includes a rectifier having an input end and two output ends, wherein the input end is in electrical communication with a power supply source, and rectified direct current is transmitted from the output ends. With the method and device, not only an increase in additional electric power obtained is achieved, but conversion efficiency and stability of current and electromagnetic wave is enhanced.

Methods and apparatus are presented for detecting phase loss and/or excessive ripple in a power converter, in which bandpass filters are used to obtain harmonic voltage amplitudes associated with the power converter DC bus, and phase loss is detected if a ratio of the second harmonic to the sixth harmonic and/or a ratio of the fourth harmonic to the sixth harmonic exceed predetermined threshold values.

A power supply can provide brown-out protection and overheat protection. The power supply includes a rectifier, a transformer, and a power management device. The rectifier is used for receiving an alternating current voltage. The alternating current voltage has a voltage cycle. The transformer coupled to the rectifier has an inductor coupled to a switch for supplying an output voltage. The power management device is used for controlling the switch to make the inductor save power or release power. The power management device has a multi-functional pin coupled to the rectifier for receiving a detection voltage corresponding to a positive half cycle of the alternating current voltage. The multi-functional pin is also coupled to a thermistor for receiving an overheat protection signal.

A power converter and a method for balancing voltages across input capacitors are disclosed in the present application. The power converter includes: two DC input terminals; a first input capacitor and a second input capacitor; a first bridge arm and a second bridge arm connected in series with one another; and an output circuit configured to generate a signal required by the power converter based on the signals at a midpoint of the first bridge arm and a midpoint of the second bridge arm. The power converter further includes: a first voltage balancing unit and a second balancing unit configured to reduce a voltage difference between the first input capacitor and the second input capacitor. The power converter provided by the present application solves the problem of imbalance in the voltages across the first input voltage and the second input voltage.

Embodiments include circuits and methods to determine peak current for current regulation. A control signal circuit monitors a current on the primary side of a transformer based a turn on time of a switch coupled to the primary side. The control signal circuit determines whether the monitored current exceeds an over-current protection threshold, and determines a duration that the monitored current exceeds the over-current protection threshold. The control signal circuit determines a peak primary current in the primary side based on the over-current protection threshold, the duration that the monitored current exceeds the over-current protection threshold, and the turn on time of the switch. The control signal circuit controls the turn on time for the switch based on the determined peak primary current.

A series resonant power converter includes a power stage comprising a switching circuit operating at least a resonant frequency. To achieve soft switching and provide current at a voltage through an inductive element. The power converter can also include a control circuit for controlling a phase angle of the current, for controlling a duty cycle of the switching circuit.

A switching power converting apparatus includes a coil unit, a bipolar junction transistor (BJT) controlling power transfer through the coil unit, and a current sensing resistor sensing a current flowing through the BJT so as to produce a sensed voltage thereacross. A switching controller includes a current source supplying a first current, a current generating module generating, based on an input voltage associated with the sensed voltage, a second current, which is proportional to the current flowing through the BJT, a multiplexing module selecting one of the first and second currents as an output current, and a driving module outputting, based on the output current, a driving current, which is proportional to the output current, to the BJT to thereby conduct the BJT.

Disclosed is a grid-connected inverter and a method for filtering AC output thereof. The grid-connected inverter includes an AC output filter which includes two or more switchable filtering modules, with the power capacity of each filtering module corresponding to a different output power of the grid-connected inverter; a monitoring module which is used to perform realtime monitoring on voltage and current outputted by the grid-connected inverter; and a control circuit which is used to calculate an output power grade of the grid-connected inverter according to the voltage and the current monitored by the monitoring module and control switching to the filtering module having a corresponding power capacity according to the power grade, the power grade being selected from a plurality of power grades which are divided according to power capacities of the filtering modules.

Methods and apparatuses for a soft-start function with auto-disable are described. Such methods and apparatuses can gradually increase a voltage towards a reference voltage using a ramp generator and a control loop and can disable the ramp generator and the control loop once the voltage has reached the reference voltage.

System and method for regulating a power converter. A system for regulating a power converter includes a controller, a first switch, and a second switch. The controller is configured to generate a first switching signal and a second switching signal. The first switch is configured to receive the first switching signal, the first switch being coupled to an auxiliary winding of the power converter further including a primary winding and a secondary winding. The second switch is configured to receive the second switching signal and coupled to the primary winding of the power converter. The controller is further configured to, change, at a first time, the second switching signal to open the second switch, maintain, from the first time to a second time, the first switching signal to keep the first switch open, and change, at the second time, the first switching signal to close the first switch.

An optical recording medium includes a recording and reading layer that is previously staked or formed afterword and has no concavo-convex pattern for tracking control, and a servo layer in which a concavo-convex pattern or a groove for tracking control is formed. Information can be recorded in the recording and reading layer while tracking is performed using the servo layer.

A digital jukebox (14) allows for playback of a first offering and a second offering. The contents of each offering are individually licensed for public performance at a particular location where the jukebox is found. The jukebox (14) displays advertisements that are selected in response to user interaction with the jukebox or a number of other factors. The jukebox (14) features a screen (18 and 20) that allows user to interact with the jukebox to select offerings, but also to respond to advertising. Jukebox can function in cooperation with a server (12), but in the alternate, can function as an independent and stand-alone device when connection (16) to server (12) is not available.

A method for copy protection in which an audiovisual or audio data is divided into a plurality of portions. The plurality of portions is at least partly scrambled and prepared so as to be stored on a record carrier in the scrambled order. This is done so that a physical position on the record carrier, e.g., a sector of the record carrier, where a respective portions of the divided data is stored depends on the scrambled order.

An optical disk device includes an optical pickup that directs light beams onto a recording surface of an optical disk and receives reflected light, a signal generating unit that generates playback signals based on reflected light received by the optical pickup, an equalizer adjustment unit that performs equalizer adjustment of the playback signals, and an adjustment control unit. The adjustment control unit controls the equalizer adjustment unit so as to perform equalizer adjustment of the playback signals according to the playback signals based on reflected light from a management information area on a recording surface of the optical disk, the management information area including predetermined management information recorded thereon.

Disclosed is an optical information recording and reproducing device capable of recording an interference fringe pattern as a hologram in an optical information recording medium, the interference fringe pattern being formed by a signal beam superimposed with signal information and a reference beam, and also capable of reproducing the signal information from the optical information recording medium, the device having a light source unit to emit light, a light splitting unit to split the light into the reference beam and the signal beam, a spatial light modulation unit to superimpose the signal information on the signal light, and a light detection unit to detect an image reproduced by the reference beam, wherein information about defects on the spatial light modulation unit is recorded in the optical information recording medium.

A wireless media player and a related system and methodology are disclosed. One aspect of the wireless media player system pertains to a virtual connector system, apparatus, and method for the automatic establishment of wireless connectivity with other electronic devices. In one embodiment, the media player device employs the use of integrated Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to exchange communication settings, media capability, and other parameters with an external device that also has integrated RFID technology. The automatic exchange of settings and other information via a proximity-based RFID data exchange allows a media player to quickly establish a secure communication link with another device via a commonly supported wireless protocol such as Ultra Wideband (UWB) or Bluetooth. Another aspect of the media player system pertains to a method of using the captured media capability of the connecting device to customize certain menu options and software parameters in the media player.

According to one embodiment, a multilayer optical recording medium including a substrate, a guide layer group that is provided on the substrate and has guide layers in which positional information in a radial direction is recorded, and a recording layer group that is provided on the substrate and has recording layers in which information can be recorded. In the recording layer group, positional information of the recording layers associated with the positional information recorded in the guide layers and control information of the optical device where reflected light volumes of the laser beams on the guide layers and the recording layers become maximum at the positions in the radial direction are recorded at the positions in the radial direction of the recording layers.

An optical disc having a region with pre-recorded data and a recordable region, a method of fabricating the disc, a stamper for forming a disc master, and a recording device for use with the disc are disclosed. Data recorded in the recordable region may be used for activation of the disc, providing unique identification or enhancing program content on the disc.

An apparatus for compensating for pixel distortion while reproducing hologram data includes an extraction unit, a determination and calculation unit, a table, and a compensation unit. The extraction unit extracts a reproduced data image from a reproduced image frame including the reproduced data image and borders. The determination and calculation unit determines position values of edges of the extracted reproduced data image, and calculates average magnification error values of pixels within line data from position values of start and end point pixels thereof, which are based on the determined position values of the edges. The table stores misalignment compensation values for the pixels within the line data, wherein the misalignment compensation values correspond to predetermined references for average magnification error values. The compensation unit compensates for pixel positions in the extracted reproduced data image using the misalignment compensation values that correspond to the calculated average magnification error values.

A mark having a length nT (n being an integer equal to or greater than 3 and T being a clock period) is formed by modulating irradiation laser power with three values of recording power Pw, erase power Pe, and bias power Pb (Pw>Pe>Pb). Constant strength periods (At) of the recording power Pw are set as AtT, A1T, . . . , and AmT and constant strength periods (B) of the bias power Pb are set as BtT, B1T, . . . , BmT, and CT (C=−1 to 3). The application of laser is divided into pulses in order of AtT, BtT, A1T, B1T, . . . , AmT, BmT, and CT (m=(n−k)/2, k=3 (if n is an odd number), or k=4 (if n is an even number)). (Here, the constant strength period of the recording power Pw for n=3, n=4, n≧5 (odd number), and n≧6 (even number) is set as At3, At4, Atod, and Atev, the constant strength period of the bias power Pb for n=3, n=4, n≧5 (odd number), and n≧6 (even number) is set as Bt3, Bt4, Btod, and Btev, and then, At3+Bt3=Atod+Btod=Am+Bm=2T and At4+Bt4=Atev+Btev=3T).

In an optical information recording device and optical information recording method for angularly multiplexing and recording data on pages on the same recording region on a hologram disk, data on each page is sequentially generated by sequentially dividing input data in predetermined units, the pages to be recorded on the same recording region are divided into page groups so that pages to be recorded adjacently by the angular multiplexing may not belong to the same group, each page group is individually subjected to inter-page coding processing for computing an error-correcting code and adding the computed error-correcting code, and data on the pages subjected to the inter-page coding processing is angularly multiplexed and recorded on the hologram disk.

An optical disc having a region with pre-recorded data and a recordable region, a method of fabricating the disc, a stamper for forming a disc master, and a recording device for use with the disc are disclosed. Data recorded in the recordable region may be used for activation of the disc, providing unique identification or enhancing program content on the disc.

The invention relates to recording on a medium, and in particular, to laser control during recording data on an optical medium. A laser control method for dynamically adjusting laser power during recording data onto an optical disc comprises: recording normal data onto the optical disc according to an initial laser power; stopping recording when a trigger is generated; reading back the recorded normal data and generating a first recording quality index; recording a test pattern at a test pattern starting point according to a selected laser power; reading back the test pattern and generating a second recording quality index; and determining an adaptive laser power to continually record the normal data according to the first recording quality index and the second recording quality index.

An near-field light device (100) is provided with: a first electrode layer (123) having a protruding portion (123a); a second electrode layer (121); and a light emitting layer (122), the protruding portion protrudes along a predetermined direction (Y axis direction) to be capable of extracting energy which is caused by emission of light at the light emitting layer, the predetermined direction intersects with a laminated direction (X axis direction) of the near-field light device, an edge surface of at least one portion of the projection portion is located at more outward side in the optical device than an edge surface of the second electrode layer is.

A machine readable information storage medium, a reproducing method and apparatus which reproduces data from the storage medium, and a recording method and apparatus for recording data on the storage medium. The information storage medium includes a control area which stores within a data structure information usable by the recording or reproducing apparatus to record or reproduce the data on or from the storage medium. The information stored within the data structure includes a version corresponding to a specification.

A device and method for using the device arranged to maintain anatomical alignment between a joint by creating a dynamic load around the joint to restore and maintain the anatomical alignment. The orthotic device uses a hinge to create a directed force on a tibia by maintaining misalignment of an instant center of rotation (ICoR) of the hinge at a position relative to an anatomical knee joint.

Orthopedic devices, systems, and methods of using the same are disclosed. In an embodiment, an orthopedic device intended for use with at least one moveable body part of a user may comprise a tubular body forming an interior surface and an exterior surface. The tubular body may include at least one opening and one or more shrinkable materials. The tubular body may be moveable between a first position, wherein the tubular body is configured to at least partially receive and at least partially surround the at least one moveable body part of the user, and a second position, wherein one or more portions of the tubular body are configured to generally conform to and at least partially restrict movement of the at least one moveable body part in one or more directions. The tubular body may be configured to move from the first position to the second position in response to a treatment.

Apparatus is described for measuring and displaying the magnitude of traction forces applied to a patient's lower limbs during surgery, and for measuring the direction and magnitude of counter-traction forces applied to the patient's body by the perineal post located at the patient's groin to oppose traction forces applied to the patient's lower limbs.