Abstract: A system for identifying jewels comprises an automatic microscope 2, an automatic image-analyzing apparatus 3, an electric-resistance measuring apparatus 4, a weighing apparatus 5, a spectroscopic-analysis apparatus 6, and an electronic information processing apparatus 7. The microscope 2 forms an enlarged image of an identification number 11d marked on a jewel to be identified. The image-analyzing apparatus 3 receives the image of the identification number 11d from the microscope 2, and analyzes it. The measuring apparatus 4 measures the electric resistance between spots 11a and 11b marked on the jewel. The weighing apparatus 5 determines the specific gravity of the jewel to the nearest 0.001 gram. The spectroscopic-analysis apparatus 6 directs a beam of light of particular band on a spot 11c marked on the jewel, and determines the spectrum of the light reflected from the spot 11c.

Abstract: A system for recycling and tracking of reusable surgical instruments includes a remotely located instrument sterilization and maintenance facility, electronically linked to a shipping carrier and a hospital facility. Orders for surgical instrument kits needed during a predetermined surgical schedule are placed electronically from the hospital site and transmitted to a host computer at the remote sterilization and maintenance facility. Instrument kits are stored at the sterilization and maintenance facility which also receives used instrument kits from the hospital. Decontamination, inspection, repair, recycling, and sterilization stations at the sterilization and maintenance facility allows for rapid, efficient, and low cost maintenance and repacking of used instruments for reuse at the hospital.

Abstract: A computer based system for testing an optical monitoring system includes a program having program instruction and optical monitoring system parameters, for implementing a plurality of tests of an optical monitoring system. A computer includes at least one processor for executing the program instructions, storage components for storing program instructions and test data, including the optical system parameters, a user input for inputting commands, and a display for displaying a menu of available test commands, test results and other data. An interface is provided for interfacing the optical monitoring system to tile computer for exchange of control and data signals. A fixture is provided for mounting the optical monitoring system during testing.

Abstract: Bar code scan data is corrected for spot-speed variation by processing the data to determine a spot-speed profile having non-zero acceleration within at least some of the characters of the bar code symbol being scanned, and then using the speed profile to normalize the scan data. Preferably, average spot speeds across individual characters are determined, and a speed profile is fit to these average spot speed data points in such a manner that the curve is not forced to pass through every data point. In this way, a spot-speed profile is derived that does not incorrectly attribute, to speed variation, errors due to other sources, e.g., random edge errors from printing. Preferably, the spot-speed profile consists of a plurality of straight line segments. The segments may be slightly disjoint, and each segment is from two to four characters in length, depending on the density of the bar code symbol.

Abstract: A tristimulus colorimeter for color displays is required to remove measurement errors caused by deviations of the spectral responsivities thereof from the color matching functions. The colorimeter is provided with a light receiving unit having spectral responsivities close to the color matching functions, a tristimulus values operation unit for performing operations to calculate tristimulus values, and a chromaticity operation unit for performing operations to calculate a chromaticity. The colorimeter is further provided with a spectral distribution storage unit for storing spectral distributions of representative colored lights, a mixing ratio operation unit for performing operations to calculate a mixing ratio of a mixed light including colored lights of red, green, and blue. The colorimeter is also provided with a spectral distribution operation unit and a corrected chromaticity operation unit.

Abstract: A defined determination of the field of view observed through a surgical microscope is made. To achieve this determination, the relative current position of the plane of the field of view to the position of an object detail of interest is detected in a sighting method with the aid of a position detection system operating according to the laser triangulation principle. As soon as the plane of the field of view and the object detail are coincident, then with the aid of detected optical system data, the position of the object detail with reference to the surgical microscope is determined and, with the detected coordinates of the surgical microscope, the position of the field of view is determined in space. The position detecting system required for this purpose operates on an optical basis and can be integrated into the optics of the surgical microscope.

Abstract: A device and method are described for measuring changes association with a gap between a lead-in optical fiber and a lead-out optical fiber. A hybrid fiber optic sensor is created by inserting the lead-in and lead-out optical fibers into a small tube such that a gap is provided between the fibers. Laser pulses incident on the gap create two interfacial reflections that interfere with one another, thus providing a method of measuring changes in gap length in the same was as a typical Fabry-Perot type interferometer. Moreover, a reflection from the far end of the lead-out fiber gives gap information in the same way as typical intensity-based sensor. Together the two measurements overcome the limitations that occur when each technique is used separately, and are made possible by means of the above hybrid fiber optic sensor which contains both a Fabry-Perot interferometer portion and an intensity-based sensor portion.

Abstract: An optical time domain reflectometry method and apparatus that employs Hadamard transforms to increase the signal-to-noise ratio. A sequence of N pulses of light corresponding to a Hadamard derived code are launched down a fiber optic cable for each of N such codes. Selected combinations of pulses of reflected light are transformed by a Hadamard derived matrix to a set of equations that are solved simultaneously to determine the power reflected from each of N points. Where a Hadamard code is used the average mean square error is reduced by a factor of 1/N. Where a simplex code is employed the average mean square error is reduced by a factor of 4N/(1+N).sup.2. In addition, N measurements of the power reflected at each point are computed and averaged.

Abstract: An axis alignment detector for aligning axes of two birefringent components or fibers at forty-five degrees relative to each other. Polarized light is put into one axis of one of the two components or fibers to be aligned. The light goes from the one fiber through a junction where the two components or fibers are to be aligned at forty-five degrees, into the axes of the other component or fiber. The other component or fiber is temporarily connected to a third birefringent component or fiber wherein light moves on into the third component or fiber. The light from the third component or fiber goes on through a polarizer on to a mirror or integrated optic interferometer. The interferometer provides an interference output that reveals when the two components or fibers have a forty-five degree axis alignment. Also, the interferometer output may be used to measure other angles of axis alignment.

Abstract: A portable extended life metrology system is disclosed. The system is of the kind which includes means for generating an interference fringe pattern as a function of a parameter to be measured, transducer apparatus for simultaneously generating three intensity-modulated optical signals, I.sub.R, I.sub.S and I.sub.T that are related to the interference fringe pattern; signal processing apparatus for accurately determining an aspect of the interference fringe pattern form the three signals; means for accumulating phase information proportional to the aspect of the interference fringe pattern; and means for converting the accumulated phase and aspect information to desired outputs indicative of the parameter to be measured.