Abstract: A collimating image-forming apparatus comprising a first linear polarizer is disclosed. A first quarterwave plate (14) is disposed adjacent the first polarizer (12) and has its fast and slow axes at substantially 45° to the plane of polarization of the first polarizer. The apparatus further comprises a beam-splitting curved mirror (16) having a convex surface adjacent the first polarizer and facing towards the first quarter-wave plate, a second quarter-wave plate (22) adjacent the concave side of the curved mirror, the second quarterwave plate having its having its fast and slow axes oriented with respect to the corresponding axes of the first quarter-wave plate at angles substantially equal to a first integral multiple of 90°, and a reflective-transmissive polarizing member (24) adjacent the second quarter-wave plate.

Abstract: Theory and design of a new electrical-mobility based instrument for measurement of aerosol particle size distributions in real time is presented. Miniature Electrical Aerosol Spectrometer has a rectangular cross-section with two main regions: the Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP) and Classifier sections. The ESP section enables charged particle injection into the classifier section in a narrow range of streamlines at the desired location. The injected charged particles are then segregated based on their electrical mobility in the classifier section and collected on a series of plates that are connected to electrometers. Real-time particle size distribution measurements can be inferred from the electrometer signal strengths with the knowledge of the instrument transfer function.

Abstract: A drag reducing device utilizing sealed aft cavities designed to limit interference with existing truck and trailer designs is described. The invention comprises one or more sealed aft cavities affixed to the rear of a traditional commercial straight truck or trailer, or any other blunt (or mostly blunt) aft faced vehicle. A means is provided by which the device is stowed to allow normal operation of the straight truck, trailer or vehicle. Drag is reduced by the streamlining of the rear of the vehicle, postponing and narrowing the flow separation downstream of the trailing edge as well as increasing the pressure on the back of the vehicle with the open to the rear, sealed aft cavity. The concept described focuses on the utilization of (a) sealed aft cavity(ies) to limit the effects of blunt body drag and the means for attachment and stowage for loading and unloading cargo.

Abstract: A tube reactor having a substantially tubular body portion including a conical section, an entry port, an opposing exit port, and an axis extending between the ports through the body portion. The tubular body portion being rotatable about the axis. At least one reactant can be fed into the tubular body portion and directed toward the conical section. An inner surface of the tubular body portion receives the reactants from the conical section, and processes the reactants. An insert may be positioned within the tubular body portion to further process the reactants along the inner surface. A rotating reservoir having a damper can be coupled to the rotating tubular body portion. The damper receives the processed reactants from the inner surface of the tubular body portion, and guides the processed reactants into the rotating reservoir to minimize turbulence. The rotating reservoir then separates the processed reactants by density.

Abstract: The invention is an apparatus and method including hardware and software, which allows collecting and analyzing data to obtain information about mechanical properties of soft materials in a much faster way. The apparatus can be used as a stand-alone device or an add-on to the existing AFM device. The apparatus allows collecting dynamical measurements using a set of multiple frequencies of interest at once, in one measurement instead of sequential, one frequency in a time, measurements.

Abstract: The invention relates to compact optical arrangement for a helmet mounted display. The arrangement is well suited to use with spatial light modulators which require front illumination such as LCoS modulators but can also be adapted to rear illuminated devices such as LCD's and to self luminous devices such as OLEDs. The device uses polarization and reflection to make dual use of both volumes and lenses.

Abstract: An apparatus for launching streamers is disclosed in which the streamers remain connected to the user's hand during and after launch.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a self-assembly templating of a cationic surfactant in the presence of a silica precursor that is free of an excessive variability of the assembled shapes and has a yield approaching one hundred percent. This disclosure describes a self-assembly process that includes cooling and keeping a resultant solution at cold temperatures during the synthesis.

Abstract: The present invention relates to educational and entertaining playing cards. The cards may be used alone or in combination with other hardware game accessories, such as board games, or software game accessories, such as compact discs and the Internet. Unlike other popular and heavily traded playing cards (e.g. Pokemon) which have limited social and educational value, an educational element has been added to the cards of the present invention without destroying the fun associated with the collecting, trading, and playing of the cards. Educational facts and information about a variety of topics are located on the playing cards, which may be used to play various games. Two different types of game cards are contemplated by the present invention: (1) standard cards and (2) fact cards. The present invention, however, is in no way limited to only these two types of game cards.

Abstract: The invention is an improved kiosk for a 3D display. A clear plastic or transparent band surrounds a ?Pol based 3D stereo flat panel LCD display system. The radius of the band is designed to provide the optimum viewing distance from all angles.

Abstract: A preferred embodiment of the invention permits a user to load two images into a computer system so that two images may be combined into a stereoscopic image pair. An additional embodiment permits a user to load a single 2D image into the system to be combined into a stereoscopic image pair. An additional embodiment permits a user load a single 2D image to be loaded into a computer to be morphed into a stereoscopic image pair. The term “morphing is derived from the term metamorphis. Morphing refers to the process of gradually changing one visual image to another or merging two or more images into a single image.

Abstract: The present invention provides a means to augment or upgrade a traditional single beam 2D x-ray system to produce 3D stereoscopic output. The system utilizes the cross-sectional beam divergence of a single source x-ray unit to generate perspective information. This is achieved by scanning the object twice where the object is shifted parallel to the cross-sectional beam plane between scans. The resulting two scans can be displayed on a 3D stereoscopic viewing system to produce a 3D stereoscopic representation of the object thus revealing all three-depth dimensions. The invention includes a method of converting a 2D x-ray system to a 3D x-ray system requiring no changes to an x-ray generation portion, optics portion or sensing system portion of said 2D x-ray system. The method includes coupling a 3D stereoscopic image processor to a 2D processor and installing a mechanical shift system and coupling said shift system to said 3D stereoscopic image processor and a object carrying device.

Abstract: Disclosed are super broadband circularly polarizing film materials and novels methods of fabricating and using the same. The circularly polarizing materials are made from a film of material, such as a CLC polymer having a cholesteric order, in which a liquid crystal material, such as a nematic liquid crystal material, is distributed in a non-linear fashion across the thickness of the film in a plurality of liquid crystal-rich and liquid crystal-depleted sites in the CLC polymer. The pitch of the helices of the CLC molecules in the polyermized CLC material varies in a non-linear (e.g. exponential) manner along the depth dimension (i.e. transverse to the surface) thereof. The resulting circularly polarizing materials have reflection and transmission characteristics over bands of operation approaching 2000 nm. Depending on the final spiral structure of the materials utilized, the CLC circularly polarizing materials reflect either left-handed or right-handed circularly polarized light.

Abstract: The preferred embodiment addresses the problem of delivering stereoscopic media in electronic form (images, videos, animations, object models, etc.). First, it provides a single format with independent right and left channels to represent the stereoscopic media. Second, it provides a means of displaying stereoscopic media inside a movable windowed area while eliminating pseudostereo conditions during movement. Third, it provides automatic and manual optimization adjustments (parallax shift adjustment, brightness control, color adjustment, and cross-talk reduction) to the stereoscopic media based on viewing hardware, monitor size, and media content for optimal viewing quality. Fourth, it provides seamless support for monoscopic (2D) viewing modes allowing delivery of said stereoscopic media in a normal 2D viewing mode.

Abstract: A first embodiment of the invention permits an extension of battery life through detection of the display synchronization signals of a computer and a power management system. The power management system also eliminates need for batteries through use of a 5V power source from pin 9 of the VGA port. A second embodiment improves the ease of use and the utility of the 3D system through removable glasses with improvements over the previous design. These embodiments have improved manufacturability through the use of design that is tolerant of poor quality, low cost components with low electrical tolerances.

Abstract: Electro-optical glazing structures having total-reflection and semi-transparent and totally-transparent modes of operation which are electrically-switchable for use in dynamically controlling electromagnetic radiation flow in diverse applications.

Abstract: The disclosed invention is a novel polarized light source. The polarized light source of this invention includes an organic electroluminescent (OEL) device or an organic photoluminescent (PL) device and a cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) polarizing device. The polarized light source of the present invention is an efficient, high purity, and bright source of polarized light. Further, the present invention enables a polarized light source to be custom designed with a polarization bandwidth and position across a wide range of wavelengths. Further still, the light source of this invention is made from low cost materials and is easily manufactured. Yet further still, this invention enables the production of ultra-thin and lightweight polarized light sources.

Abstract: Reflective color filters using layers of cholesteric liquid crystals with two different center wavelengths and bandwidths per layer are stacked in two layers to provide colored light for displays. With a two layer stack circularly polarized light of one handedness can be provided. With a two layer stack circulary unpolarized colored light can be provided. With a broadband polarizing filter overlapping other filters in the stack a black matrix can be provided by reflecting all colors and transmitting no light in the overlapping areas. When broadband reflective cholesteric liquid crystals are used two primary colors can be reflected in the same pixel of a display making reflective layers with two reflective portions per layer possible. Color displays having three linear sub-pixels with three primary colors or with four sub-pixels of white, blue, green, and red in a pixel with two colors in a top row and two colors on a bottom row can are made with two colors per layer in two layer stacks.

Abstract: The preferred embodiment a stereoscopic LCD shutter glass driver system requires only a total of 3 CMOS integrated circuit chips in order to convert horizontal and vertical sync signals into LCD shutter glass drive signals. A negative charge pump is used increase the LCD drive voltage thereby reducing 3D crosstalk in the image. The video signal input is shown with a passthrough connection intended for direct hook-up to a television or CRT monitor. A first flip flop detects vertical and horizontal sync and is used to drive the charge pump. A stable, predictable field ID signal is produced by the flip flop whose two complimentary outputs act as inputs to a second flip flop chip which produces the drive signals for the LCD shutter glasses. A third flip flop produces a LCD “common” signal that is sent to both LCD shutters. The second flip flop produces a drive signal for each LCD shutter. A field swap between the two shutters is implemented with a switch located at the output of the third flip flop.

Abstract: The invention is an apparatus and method including hardware and software, which allows collecting and analyzing data to obtain information about mechanical properties of soft materials in a much faster way. The apparatus can be used as a stand-alone deice or an add-on to the existing AFM device. The apparatus allows collecting dynamical measurements using a set of multiple frequencies of interest at once, in one measurement instead of sequential, one frequency in a time; measurements.