Abstract: Lighting units and light fixtures incorporating lighting units having light-diffusing optical fiber are disclosed. Lighting units include a light source, at least one light-diffusing optical fiber optically coupled to the light source, and a support plate. The at least one light-diffusing optical fiber scatters light that is optically coupled into the at least one light-diffusing optical fiber from the light source. The support plate has a retention groove to which a portion of the at least one light-diffusing optical fiber is coupled. The support plate also includes a perimeter. A groove length of the retention groove is greater than the perimeter of the support plate.

Abstract: A beam-shaping optical system suitable for use with optical coherence tomography including a sheath defining a central cavity, a beam-shaping insert defining a beam-shaping element positioned within the central cavity, and an optical fiber having a core and a cladding. The optical fiber defines an angularly prepared fiber end configured to emit an electromagnetic beam toward the beam-shaping element with the core of the optical fiber locally expanded at the fiber end.

Abstract: Lighting units and light fixtures incorporating lighting units having light-diffusing optical fiber are disclosed. Lighting units include a light source, at least one light-diffusing optical fiber optically coupled to the light source, and a support plate. The at least one light-diffusing optical fiber scatters light that is optically coupled into the at least one light-diffusing optical fiber from the light source. The support plate has a retention groove to which a portion of the at least one light-diffusing optical fiber is coupled. The support plate also includes a perimeter. A groove length of the retention groove is greater than the perimeter of the support plate.

Abstract: A touch-screen assembly for performing pressure sensing or force sensing is disclosed. The touch-screen assembly includes a cover sheet having touch-sensing capability and a frame having an upper surface portion. Spaced-apart adhesive islands are disposed between the cover sheet and the upper surface portion of the frame. The adhesive islands serve to secure the cover sheet to the frame and have a Young's modulus of greater than 1 MPa so that the energy associated with the touching force is not absorbed by the adhesive island. This makes for more accurate pressure-based or force-based touch sensing.

Abstract: Cantilevered displacement sensors with enhanced displacement sensitivity and methods of determining touching forces for multiple touch locations are disclosed. The cantilevered displacement sensors support the touch screen adjacent a touch screen perimeter. A displacement of the touch screen is amplified by a cantilevered member that extends over a proximity sensor. Touching forces at multiple touch locations are determining by performing a fit to the measured displacements based on the touch locations to obtain displacements at all positions of the touchscreen, then relating the displacement of the touch screen at the multiple touch locations to applied distributed loads at the respective multiple touch locations, and then multiplying the applied distributed loads by the corresponding touch-location area.

Abstract: A fiber optic cable includes a core and a binder film surrounding the core. The core includes a central strength member and core elements, such as buffer tubes containing optical fibers, where the core elements are stranded around the central strength member in a pattern of stranding including reversals in lay direction of the core elements. The binder film is in radial tension around the core such that the binder film opposes outwardly transverse deflection of the core elements.

Abstract: A light collection and light guidance system including: a flat collecting sheet having a first roughened light receiving front surface; and a plurality of optical fibers attached to at least one edge of the flat collecting sheet, wherein the first roughened light receiving front surface of the sheet has a plurality of resonance coupling periodicities, a plurality of correlation lengths, or a combination thereof. Also disclosed is a method of light collection and light guidance using the aforementioned system, or a system including a flat collecting sheet and a solar converter, as defined herein.

Abstract: A fiber optic cable includes a core and a binder film surrounding the core. The core includes a central strength member and core elements, such as buffer tubes containing optical fibers, where the core elements are stranded around the central strength member in a pattern of stranding including reversals in lay direction of the core elements. The binder film is in radial tension around the core such that the binder film opposes outwardly transverse deflection of the core elements.

Abstract: Pressure-sensing touch systems and methods are disclosed for sensing the occurrence of a touch event based on pressure applied at a touch location. The touch system includes a light-source system and a detector system operably adjacent respective input and output edges of a waveguide. Pressure at a touch location on the waveguide gives rise to a touch event causes the waveguide to bend or flex. The waveguide bending causes a change in the optical paths of light traveling by FTIR, causing the light distribution in the output light to change. The changes are detected and are used to determine whether a touch event occurred, as well as the time-evolution of the touch event. The changes in the output light can include polarization changes caused by birefringence induced in the waveguide by the applied pressure applied. Various detector configurations are disclosed for sensing the location and pressure of a touch event.

Abstract: Touch screen systems and methods based on touch location and touching force are disclosed. The touch screen system includes an optical force-sensing system interfaced with a capacitive touch sensing system so that both touch location and touch force information can be obtained. A display that utilizes the touch screen system is also disclosed.

Abstract: A touch screen system configured to detect a displacement of a cover sheet when pressure or force is applied to the cover sheet upper surface. A light source and photodetector are configured to be in optical communication by reflection of light from the light source from the lower surface of the cover sheet. A displacement of the coversheet changes the amount of reflected light that falls upon the detector. The detector signal can be used to measure the amount of displacement, as well as the time-evolution of the displacement. The touch-screen system can be interfaced with a touch-sensitive display unit to form a display system having both pressure-sensing capability and touch-sensing capability.

Abstract: A method for fabricating electrode structures within a honeycomb substrate having a plurality of elongated channels is provided that is particularly adaptable for producing an ultracapacitor. In this method, the nozzle of a co-extrusion device simultaneously feeds a current collector along a central axis of one of the channels while simultaneously injecting a paste containing an electrode material so that the interior of the channel becomes completely filled with electrode paste at the same rate that the current collector is fed. Such co-extrusion as performed simultaneously at both sides of the ceramic substrate to rapidly form electrode structures within substantially all the channels of the substrate. The resulting ultracapacitor is capable of storing large amounts of electrical energy per unit volume in a structure which is relatively quick and easy to manufacture.

Abstract: A dual inlet microchannel device and a method for using the device to perform a flow-through kinetic assay are described. A microplate having an array of the dual inlet microchannel devices and in particular their specially configured flow chambers is also described. Several embodiments of the dual inlet microchannel devices and specially configured flow chambers are also described.

Abstract: A light collection and light guidance system including: a flat collecting sheet having a first roughened light receiving front surface; and a plurality of optical fibers attached to at least one edge of the flat collecting sheet, wherein the first roughened light receiving front surface of the sheet has a plurality of resonance coupling periodicities, a plurality of correlation lengths, or a combination thereof. Also disclosed is a method of light collection and light guidance using the aforementioned system, or a system including a flat collecting sheet and a solar converter, as defined herein.

Abstract: A dual inlet microchannel device and a method for using the device to perform a flow-through kinetic assay are described. A microplate having an array of the dual inlet microchannel devices and in particular their specially configured flow chambers is also described. Several embodiments of the dual inlet microchannel devices and specially configured flow chambers are also described.

Abstract: A non-spectroscopic, label-independent optical reader system is disclosed, where an exemplary system includes a broadband light source that generates broadband light made incident upon the resonant waveguide grating (RWG) biosensor. The light reflects from the RWG biosensor to form biosensor-reflected light. A photodetector receives the reflected light and generates a first detector signal representative of the reflected light intensity. An optical-edge filter can filter the broadband light, the reflected light, or both. A processor calculates a resonant wavelength for the RWG biosensor based on the detector signal.

Abstract: A method for fabricating electrode structures within a honeycomb substrate having a plurality of elongated channels is provided that is particularly adaptable for producing an ultracapacitor. In this method, the nozzle of a co-extrusion device simultaneously feeds a current collector along a central axis of one of the channels while simultaneously injecting a paste containing an electrode material so that the interior of the channel becomes completely filled with electrode paste at the same rate that the current collector is fed. Such co-extrusion as performed simultaneously at both sides of the ceramic substrate to rapidly form electrode structures within substantially all the channels of the substrate. The resulting ultracapacitor is capable of storing large amounts of electrical energy per unit volume in a structure which is relatively quick and easy to manufacture.

Abstract: A method for fabricating electrode structures within a honeycomb substrate having a plurality of elongated channels is provided that is particularly adaptable for producing an ultracapacitor. In this method, the nozzle of a co-extrusion device simultaneously feeds a current collector along a central axis of one of the channels while simultaneously injecting a paste containing an electrode material so that the interior of the channel becomes completely filled with electrode paste at the same rate that the current collector is fed. Such co-extrusion as performed simultaneously at both sides of the ceramic substrate to rapidly form electrode structures within substantially all the channels of the substrate. The resulting ultracapacitor is capable of storing large amounts of electrical energy per unit volume in a structure which is relatively quick and easy to manufacture.

Abstract: The present invention relates to lensed fiber stub assemblies and optical and optoelectronic packages including them. The fiber stub assemblies include a section of lensed fiber having a lensed end having a lens face, and a distal end having an endface, a lens alignment ferrule affixed to and holding the lensed end of the lensed fiber, and a package attachment ferrule having a distal endface and an exterior surface, the package attachment ferrule affixed to and holding the distal end of the lensed fiber. The lensed fiber stub assemblies of the present invention allow for hermetic packaging of optical and optoelectronic devices, good manufacturing throughput, facile package connectorization, acceptable device thermal performance, and ease of alignment in the packaging process.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for terminating the end of an optical fiber. In particular the present invention relates to a method for forming a low reflectance termination on an end of an optical fiber. The method including the step of tensioning the optical fiber between two spaced apart points thereon. The method further including the step of moving a ball termination torch from a given location in a given direction with respect to the fiber such that a potion of the flame therefrom intercepts the fiber and severs the fiber into two pieces each having a tapered end. The method further includes the steps of retracting at least one of the tapered ends a predetermined distance in a direction away from the other of the tapered ends and continuing to move the torch such that the flame heats the at least one of the tapered ends to cause it to become shortened.