Abstract: A method for measuring and determining a pulse arrival time (PAT) value of a user using a sensor device having a photoplethysmographic (PPG) multichannel sensor formed from a plurality of PPG sensor channels and being adapted to measure a set of PPG signals, each PPG signal being measured by one of the PPG sensor channels when the multichannel PPG sensor is in contact with the user; having: measuring the set of PPG signals; extracting a plurality of features from each of the measured PPG signals; selecting a subset from the set of PPG signals based on the extracted features; and processing the selected subset of PPG signals to determine the PAT value. The disclosed sensor and method can be embedded into a chest belt and do not need skilled supervision. They can represent a potential candidate for the implantation of PWV measurement campaigns in the ambulatory setting.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing a timepiece comprising at least one first part produced by a microfabrication or microforming method in at least one first material, said method comprising at least: a step of depositing, on said first part, without moulding, at least one second part of said timepiece in at least one second material, and a step of treating the second material in order to connect together the components on the first part.

Abstract: A photovoltaic device is proposed comprising a silicon-based substrate (2) having a p-type or n-type doping, with an intrinsic buffer layer (4) situated on said substrate. A first silicon layer (6) of a first doping type is situated on predetermined regions (4a) of the intrinsic buffer layer. The first layer has interstices (5) between said predetermined regions (4a). The first silicon layer comprises at least partially a microcrystalline layer at its side away from the substrate. A microcrystalline silicon layer (8) of a second doping type is situated on said first silicon layer (6). A third silicon layer (10) of the second doping type is situated on said intrinsic buffer layer at the interstices, the third silicon layer being amorphous at its side facing said silicon-based substrate and comprising an at least partially microcrystalline layer portion to the side away from the intrinsic buffer layer.

Abstract: Measurement device for measuring a bio-impedance and/or a bio-potential of a human or animal body and adapted to be worn on the body, including: at least two electrode sensors. Each of the at least two electrode sensors includes a first electrical contact configured to be in electrical contact with the skin of the body when the system is worn, and a second electrical contact. A single electrical connector electrically connects the at least two electrode sensors with each other via the second electrical contact. An active device is configured to cooperate with a subset of the at least two electrode sensors such that the potential of the electrical connector is substantially equal to a projected potential determined from the potential of the first electrical contact of each electrode sensor of the subset when the measurement device is worn.

Abstract: A positioning system, in particular, six-dimensions positioning system of a shadow sensor with respect to a constellation of light sources is provided. The sensor can be a shadow sensor and has a mask and a 2D imager. By recording the shadow of the mask cast by each light source on the imager, and by properly multiplexing the light sources, the system can compute the 6D position of the shadow sensor with respect to the constellation of light sources. This computation is based, in part, on treating the shadow of the mask cast on the imager as the equivalent of the projection of light in a pinhole or projective camera. In one embodiment, the system is applied in a surgical domain. In another embodiment, the system is rapidly deployed.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for precisely dispensing liquid fluid from a container are disclosed. The apparatus comprises a metering unit having a gas feedthrough channel with a first end extending in a gas containing part of the chamber and a second end opposite the first end extending outside the chamber, the metering unit further comprising a flow sensing assembly configured to measure a gas pressure differential ?p and/or gas flow V{dot over ( )} within the gas feedthrough channel and to introduce or release a determined volume of gas in the chamber to dispense a controlled volume of liquid from the chamber.

Abstract: Embodiments relate to an X-ray interferometer for imaging an object comprising: a phase grating for effecting in correspondence with the phase grating geometry a phase shift to at least a part of X-ray incident onto the phase grating; and an absorption grating for effecting in correspondence with the absorption grating geometry absorption to at least a part of X-ray incident onto the absorption grating. The grating period of the phase grating, and the grating period of the absorption grating may be dimensioned such that a detector for X-rays can be placed at a relatively large distance away from the absorption grating such the phase contrast sensitivity of the image of the object detected by the detector remains substantially unaffected.

Abstract: The present disclosure concerns a method for determining a heart-lung interaction factor of a subject, comprising: measuring a heart activity-related signal comprising heart activity-related information; from the heart activity-related signal, calculating a frequency of cardiac cycle and a frequency of respiratory cycle; from the heart activity-related signal, determining a cardiac cycle energy at the frequency of cardiac cycle, determining a respiratory cycle energy at the frequency of respiratory cycle, and determining a heart-lung interaction energy at an intermodulation frequency corresponding to the difference between the frequency of respiratory cycle and the frequency of cardiac cycle, or the sum of the frequency of respiratory cycle and the frequency of cardiac cycle; and determining a heart-lung interaction factor from the ratio of the heart-lung interaction energy and one of the cardiac cycle energy and the respiratory cycle energy. The heart-lung interaction factor can be determined non-invasively.

Abstract: A tamper seal includes an optical waveguide arranged to guide a propagating light-beam along a propagation direction. First and second portions of the tamper seal are configured to be arranged on first and second parts, respectively, which are movable relative to each other. The first portion has an input coupler arranged to couple incident light into the optical waveguide, and the second portion has at least one output coupler arranged to couple out of the optical waveguide at least partially light guided in the optical waveguide. The input coupler, the optical waveguide, and the output coupler are configured to transmit light from the input coupler to the output coupler. The waveguide is configured to be disruptable and includes a layer having a distinctive appearance that is changed in response to an at least partial disruption of said optical waveguide.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for measuring a pulse transit time (PTT) value of a subject, comprise measuring a first arterial pressure pulse arrival time (PAT) and measuring a second PAT value; calculating a PTT value from the difference between the first PAT value and the second PAT value; processing a sequence of electrical impedance tomography (EIT) images to identify at least one region of interest (ROI); and estimating at least one of the first and second PAT value from the variation of impedance value determined from the at least one ROI. The method allows for the non-invasive and continuous measurement of the PTT value and arterial blood pressures.

Abstract: A guided mode resonance device, comprising—a substrate,—a waveguide,—a grating structure associated with said waveguide, said grating structure being arranged to an incident surface of said substrate, said incident surface being intended to receive an incident light beam provided by at least one light source, said incident light beam having an incident angle, defined relative to the normal of said waveguide, said grating structure comprising at least one elementary structure comprising at least a first-type grating structure and at least a second-type grating structure,—wherein:—said waveguide is arranged to transfer light from the first-type grating structures to the second-type grating structure and also to transfer light from the second-type grating structures to the first-type grating structure,—said first-type grating structure is arranged to couple out a first light beam,—said second-type grating structure is arranged to couple out a second light beam,—said first light beam having a different spectral d

Abstract: An imaging system suitable to provide an image of a surface portion of an object is disclosed. The system includes a light source arranged to provide a light beam, at least a first optical waveguide having a first face and having a second face opposite to the first face, the first face having an incoupling surface. The optical waveguide includes an outcoupling surface, a first diffraction grating arranged on the optical waveguide, and an imaging subsystem arranged to the outcoupling surface. The first diffraction grating is arranged to outcouple at least a fraction of the light beam.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a display module including a fixed frame and at least two substantially rigid display organs. The display organs each include a portion displaying a pattern, said display portions being complementary to one another such that it forms said pattern in at least one relative position of said display organs. Furthermore, at least one of the display organs is secured and movable relative to the frame via a deformable link at least between a first resting position, in which the display portions are separate from one another, and a display position, in which said display portions are counter-affixed to one another to form and display said pattern. Lastly, said display organ(s) movable relative to the frame cooperate with an actuating push-piece arranged to transmit a movement force of this display organ by elastic deformation around its deformable link(s) from said resting position toward said display position.

Abstract: A white light source includes an array of light emitting elements arranged to a light guide. A light in-coupling array is arranged so that each light emitting element faces a light in-coupling element to incouple in the light guide a portion of the divergent light beams so that the in-coupled angle of at least a part of the light rays of the in-coupled light beam is higher than 45°. An array of light homogenizing elements is arranged so that each light homogenizing element faces a light incoupling element and so that the deflection angle of at least a fraction of the incident part of the in-coupled light beam incident on each of said homogenizing elements is higher than 45°. The white light source provides a uniform outcoupled white light beam.

Abstract: Method for bio impedance measurement on a skin surface of a living body, using a bio impedance measurement device having a sensing electrode and a pilot electrode, includes the steps of placing the sensing electrode and pilot electrode on the surface of the body; providing a guard electrode adapted to separate the surface in at least two zones, among which a sensing zone including the sensing electrode and a current injection zone including the pilot electrode; providing a controller, electrically connected to the electrodes, adapted to control the current source; and controlling the potential of the guard electrode, at least at given stopping frequencies, in order to stop current from flowing from one zone to the other.

Abstract: A method of treatment of outdoor equipment for reducing ice adhesion thereon, the outdoor equipment defining a substrate on which a layer of linkers is intended to be coupled, the linkers being bi-functional and including: a first reacting group able to couple in a stable way in environmental conditions with the substrate, and a second reacting group able to generate a covalent bond stable in environmental conditions with polysaccharides, the method includes the steps of: coupling the linkers on at least an area of the equipment to obtain a layer of linkers coupled stably in environmental conditions with the substrate; and making react some polysaccharides on the layer of linkers to bind them with a covalent bond stable in environmental conditions with the second reacting group of the linkers and forming a layer of polysaccharides on the layer of linkers.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a micromechanical part from a substrate in which the part is fabricated by providing a plurality of fasteners between the part and the substrate, the fasteners being sacrificial, characterized in that the fasteners include at least one hinge at the end of each fastener located beside the part, and in that the method includes a step of breaking the sacrificial fasteners. The micromechanical parts employing this type of sacrificial fastener are also described.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for constructing a light coupling system wherein a grating is manufactured on the surface of a multimode waveguide and defines the entrance of the waveguide for an incident light beam, said grating comprising a repetition of patterns. The grating is defined by a set of parameters comprising: •grating period (P), separating two adjacent patterns, •grating depth (d) between the highest and the lowest point of the pattern, •incident angle mean value (?) of the incident light with respect to the waveguide. The method comprises a step of optimization of the set of parameters to obtain an optimized second set of parameters, in order to obtain a transmission efficiency (Ce) of the incident light into said waveguide for the first or the second diffractive order exceeding 35% for unpolarized light, or exceeding 50% for polarized light, at a given wavelength of the incident light.

Abstract: An imaging system suitable to provide an image of a surface portion of an object is disclosed. The system includes a light source arranged to provide a light beam, at least a first optical waveguide having a first face and having a second face opposite to the first face, the first face having an incoupling surface. The optical waveguide includes an outcoupling surface, a first diffraction grating arranged on the optical waveguide, and an imaging subsystem arranged to the outcoupling surface. The first diffraction grating is arranged to outcouple at least a fraction of the light beam.

Abstract: A positioning system, in particular, positioning in six dimensions of a sensor with respect to an assembly composed of a multitude of LEDs, is provided. The sensor is a shadow sensor and has a mask and a 2D imager. By recording the shadow of the mask cast by each LED on the imager, and by properly multiplexing the LEDs, the system can compute the 6D position of the LED assembly with respect to the shadow sensor. This computation is based, in part, on treating the shadow of the mask cast on the imager as the equivalent of the projection of light in a pinhole camera.