Abstract: A system that has a remote control, e.g., a wand, equipped with a relative motion sensor that outputs data indicative of a change in position of the wand. The system also has one or more light sources and a photodetector that detects their light and outputs data indicative of the detected light. The system uses one or more controllers to determine the absolute position of the wand based on the data output by the relative motion sensor and by the photodetector. The data enables determination of the absolute pose of the wand, which includes the absolute position of a reference point chosen on the wand and the absolute orientation of the wand. To properly express the absolute parameters of position and/or orientation of the wand a reference location is chosen with respect to which the calculations are performed. The system is coupled to a display that shows an image defined by a first and second orthogonal axes such as two axes belonging to world coordinates (Xo,Yo,Zo).

Abstract: An apparatus and method for optically inferring an absolute pose of a manipulated object in a real three-dimensional environment from on-board the object with the aid of an on-board optical measuring arrangement. At least one invariant feature located in the environment is used by the arrangement for inferring the absolute pose. The inferred absolute pose is expressed with absolute pose data (?, ?, ?, x, y, z) that represents Euler rotated object coordinates expressed in world coordinates (Xo, Yo, Zo) with respect to a reference location, such as, for example, the world origin. Other conventions for expressing absolute pose data in three-dimensional space and representing all six degrees of freedom (three translational degrees of freedom and three rotational degrees of freedom) are also supported. Irrespective of format, a processor prepares the absolute pose data and identifies a subset that may contain all or fewer than all absolute pose parameters.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical navigation system for determining a pose, which includes the position and orientation of an object in an environment. The optical navigation system uses a number of beacons affixed at known locations in the environment to provide electromagnetic radiation in a sequenced pattern. An on-board optic images the radiation from the beacons onto an on-board centroid sensing device to obtain an imaged distribution of the radiation on the on-board centroid sensing device. The centroid sensing device determines the centroid of the imaged distribution and provides centroid information to a navigation unit for determining the pose of the object from the centroid. The navigation system is particularly well-suited for navigating hand-held objects.

Abstract: A method and system for medical analytics implemented on a computer and designed to aid a medical professional in diagnosing one or more diseases afflicting a patient. In contrast to prior art, the present method is based on using clinical data (m) that excludes subjective qualities of and also excludes prevalence of the one or more diseases (i). The method uses a knowledge base that contains disease (i) models exhibiting clinical data (m). Clinical data present (j) in the patient are input into the computer. Then, clinical data present (j) are matched with clinical data (m) in the knowledge base to enable the computer to compose a differential diagnosis list of ruled in diagnoses (k), where k=1 . . . n, for each of the disease (i) models that exhibits at least one clinical datum (m) that matches at least one clinical datum present (j) in the patient.

Abstract: A disk drive has timing marks (TMs) on the disk, that are chosen to reduce the probability of misidentification of a TM in the presence of read errors. The disk drive searches for TMs within a fixed TM search window which extends past the TM on the disk. A TM preferably maximizes the post-shift sliding distance for m post-shifts of the TM pattern, where m corresponds to the TM search window boundary. In this manner, the probability of a misidentification of the TM due to a post-shift having a small distance from the TM pattern is reduced. The TM pattern also provides pre-shift error resistance.

Abstract: A disk drive having a layer of lubricant on a disk surface, where an undesirable lubricant layer thickness modulation is reduced by varying ?/f during operation of the disk drive. Here ? is the angular velocity of the disk and f is a resonant frequency of a head assembly containing the head. In this manner, the amplitude of the lubricant thickness modulation is decreased, improving disk drive performance. The ratio ?/f is preferably varied by varying the disk angular velocity ?.

Abstract: The present invention provides improved optical switches in which only a spatial beam shifting of a small free space offset is required to direct optical pathways between plural fiber ports. This is achieved by spacing two fibers closely and collimating their beams with one imaging lens for compactness. Advantageously, the inventive switches incorporate beam correcting devices to render the beam propagations parallel, allowing light beams to be efficiently coupled into two fibers that share a single lens with substantially improved stability.

Abstract: The present invention provides improved optical switches in which no mechanical movement is required to direct optical pathways between plural fiber ports. Advantageously, the inventive switches incorporate two-stage polarization rotation to improve isolation depth, as well as temperature and wavelength independence. The inventive switches also incorporate light bending devices to allow two fibers to be coupled to the light beams using a single lens achieving small beam separation for compactness. In the inventive switch, an optical signal is spatially split into two polarized beams by a birefringent element, which passes through a polarization rotation device that comprises waveplates, walk-off elements, and electrically controllable polarization rotators, and recombine into an output fiber, achieving polarization independent operation.

Abstract: A network and method for routing optical signals through wavelength-coding of routing tags belonging to the optical signals. The routing tag preferably consists of one or more header pulses S.sub.i which are chosen from among header wavelengths .lambda..sub.hi. Preferably, the header wavelengths .lambda..sub.hi are different from wavelengths used by the data. The optical signal also has reset tag containing preferably one reset pulse R preferably having a unique reset wavelength .lambda..sub.r. The optical data is contained between the routing tag and the reset tag. The network has a splitter for dividing the optical signal into two or more split optical signals, which are copies of the original optical signal. A wavelength differentiating element is positioned in the path of one of the split optical signals to differentiate and preferably spatially resolve the header wavelengths of the header pulses.

Abstract: A single mode laser with a laser cavity consisting of an active medium and a first and second reflectors with an antiguide region or layer having a high refractive index positioned adjacent to the laser cavity to bleed off higher order lasing modes and preventing them from attaining the lasing condition. Specifically, light belonging to higher order modes leaks or bleeds into the antiguide region from the laser medium and from the first and second reflectors. When spacers for selecting the desired wavelength of laser light are provided, the light travelling through them leaks into the antiguide layer as well.Optimization of the bleeding of higher order modes into the passive antiguide region can be achieved by adjusting a taper angle of the laser cavity. Furthermore, by adjusting the ratio of the equivalent refractive index of the laser cavity and the passive antiguide region single mode operation at high current levels can be realized for apertures as large as 30 .mu.m.

Abstract: A protective coating [26] and a method for applying the same on an optically pumped solid state laser [10] having a lasing medium in the form of a slab [12] with at least two opposed parallel pumping faces [18, 20] between which a laser beam [11] propagates along a zig-zag path dictated by total internal reflection between these pumping faces. The slab [12] has an input face [14] for coupling in the laser beam and an output face [16] for coupling it out. The protective coating [26] is an organic synthetic, processed thermoplastic, or thermosetting polymer. Preferred materials include polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polyvinylidene chloride (PVC), polyethylene, polyimide, and Mylar.The protective coating [26] is applied onto the slab [12] from a solution in which the solvent is selected from the group of materials consisting of ketones, esters, and perfluorinated solvents.