Abstract: A diffractive optical filter comprises a bulk material (1) having a first refractive index, a volume diffraction grating structure (2,3) having a second, different, refractive index embedded in the bulk material (1), and a mirror (4) formed within or on the surface of the bulk material (1) behind the grating structure (2,3). By placing the mirror (4) immediately behind the grating structure (2,3) the diffractive structure is effectively doubled and consequently the number of effective optically active layer is doubled. Such diffractive optical filters may be used as diffractive identification devices bonded to articles whose authenticity needs to be established.

Abstract: A selective differential low-noise amplifier includes a pair of transistors, each transistor of the pair being connected by its source to a current source and by its gate and/or its source to a differential voltage source, a coupling circuit between the gate of each transistor and the source of the other transistor of the pair, and, for each transistor of the pair, at least one series resonance and parallel resonance resonator connected in series between the source and/or the gate of the transistor and the differential voltage source.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device (1) for calibrating a pipette or a dispensing system comprising a plate (2), said plate (2) comprising at least one channel (3) with a loading port (4) for receiving a test volume of a fluid at one end of the at least one channel and an opening (5) at the other end of the at least one channel, wherein the at least one channel (3) is constructed as a capillary.

Abstract: This clock generator comprises an oscillator for generating an alternating current pilot signal and a pulse formatting circuit which is intended to convert the pilot signal from the oscillator into a pulse clock signal having a duty factor of at least approximately 50%. According to one implementation, a series of at least two inverters is provided, the input of the first inverter being controlled by the alternating current pilot signal and the output of the second inverter supplying the clock signal. A power supply means may also be provided to supply the inverters with a regulated power supply voltage dependent on the signals appearing at the outputs of the inverters.

Abstract: A method for producing a fuel cell including: providing two identical subassemblies each including a substrate and a current collector removably arranged thereon, depositing an ionic liquid or pasty polymerizable membrane on at least one of the subassemblies in such a way that the collector thereof is completely covered, applying the subassemblies one against the other so as to obtain an assembly having a solidified membrane with the two collectors incorporated, face to face, in this membrane, and detaching the two substrates from the collectors.

Abstract: One or more zero-order diffractive pigments (ZOP) having both a particle distribution matrix material, and a layer of material in or on such a matrix material and having an index of refraction higher than that of the matrix material, and having a diffractive grating structure with a period in the range of 100 to 600 nm, which is smaller than the wavelength of light reflectable thereby in the zeroth reflection order. In such ZOPs the index of refraction of the matrix material is usually at least 0.25 less than that of the material of the layer, and the layer is typically of a thickness between 30 and 500 nm.

Abstract: Useful information taking the form of an analog or digital voltage is communicated between a transmitter and a receiver using UWB signals. The transmitter includes a subcarrier modulator, a high frequency oscillator and a transmission antenna and the receiver includes a reception antenna and an amplifier and a demodulator for discriminating the useful information in a signal received at the reception antenna. On transmission, the method generates a narrow frequency band high frequency carrier, modulates the high frequency carrier using a subcarrier with a modulation index at least equal to 10, and modulates the subcarrier using the useful information. On reception, the method demodulates the carrier to extract therefrom the subcarrier and demodulates the subcarrier to extract therefrom the useful information.

Abstract: A system for generating addresses for a digital signal processor in which the program instructions include a code for accessing a memory associated with said processor. An address calculation circuit calculates each access address to the memory on the basis of operation codes designated by the address generation code of one of the instructions and of the content of one address register selected from said address registers. Each address generation code defines an operation code to be sent to the calculation circuit. Each of the address registers is further associated with a configuration register designated at the same time as the address register by the address generation code, and each of the configuration registers contains a set of predefined operation codes, each adapted to command a predetermined calculation operation in the calculation circuit.

Abstract: Portable equipment including in combination a heart rate measuring device and a sound reproduction unit including means for supplying a signal representative of the sound reproduction and for supplying sound information to a sound transducer, wherein said measuring device and said sound transducer are mounted at least in part in an assembly adapted to be fixed to an ear of a wearer of the equipment and, wherein said sound reproduction unit includes means for optionally substituting for and/or superimposing on said signal representative of said sound reproduction a signal generated from signals from said measuring device and representative of said heart rate. The equipment can take the form of a walkman, for example, or a hearing aid for the hard of hearing.

Abstract: Methods of chemical and biochemical functionalization of yarn and textile products are described. A yarn or textile product is contacted with a linker molecule comprising two or more photochemically activatable chemical groups and a non-linker molecule having a desired property. Photochemical activation of the chemical groups causes covalent attachment of the non-linker molecule to the yarn or textile product by means of the linker molecule in a single step. The methods are particularly useful for immobilization to yarn or textile of biomolecules that are susceptible to denaturation. Use of linker molecules derived from proteins or polysaccharides further minimizes denaturation of the biomolecule.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of calculating the local contrast at each pixel (PC) in a network (Mp) of photosensitive pixels which are arranged in at least one dimension (x, y). The inventive method consists in, during successive image acquisition cycles, producing a signal which is representative of the local luminance at each pixel, said luminance-representative signals being integrated values of luminance values sensed by the respective pixels (pC, pG, pD, pH, pB). The inventive method consists in: sampling the integrated values of the signals representing the luminance values at the pixels adjacent (pG, pD, pH, pB) to a considered pixel (pC), said sampling taking place at an instant in the cycle when the integrated value of the luminance at the considered pixel (pC) is equal to a pre-determined reference value; and determining the local contrast at the considered pixel (pC) on the basis of values thus sampled.

Abstract: A neural network having layers of neurons divided into sublayers of neurons. The values of target neurons in one layer are calculated from sublayers of source neurons in a second underlying layer. It is therefore always possible to use for this calculation the same group of weights to be multiplied by respective source neurons related thereto and situated in the underlying layer of the neural network.

Abstract: The invention relates mainly to a hairspring intended to equip the balance wheel of a mechanical timepiece. It is in the form of a spiraled rod (10) cut from an {001} single-crystal silicon plate. Its structure and its dimensions are calculated so as to minimize the thermal drift of the hairspring/balance-wheel assembly by means of the first and second thermal coefficients of its spring constant.

Abstract: A method for fabricating optical MEMS (optical Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems or Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MOEMS)) is described. The basic process involves deposition and patterning of a sacrificial spacer layer and a combined molding and photolithography step. The method described allows the fabrication of micromechanical elements incorporating micro-optical structures such as lenses (diffractive or refractive), gratings (for polarizers or resonant filters), waveguides or other micro-optical relief structures fabricated by UV-curing replication processes.

Abstract: A device and method for spatially resolved photodetection and demodulation of temporally modulated electromagnetic waves makes it possible to measure phase, amplitude and offset of a temporally modulated, spatially coded radiation field. A micro-optical element (41) spatially averages a portion (30) of the scene and equally distributes the averaged intensity on two photo sites (51.1.51.2) close to each other. Adjacent to each of these photo sites (51.1) are two storage areas (54.1, 54.2) into which charge from the photo site can be moved quickly (with a speed of several MHz to several tens or even hundreds of MHz) and accumulated essentially free of noise. This is possible by employing the charge-coupled device (CCD) principle. The device combines a high optical fill factor, insensitivity to offset errors, high sensitivity even with little light, simultaneous data acquisition, small pixel size, and maximum efficiency in use of available signal photons for sinusoidal as well as pulsed radiation signals.

Abstract: The monolithic integration of all key photonic components (11–16) of an integrated-optical microsystem (1) based on organic semiconductors is disclosed. Examples of such components (11–16) are light sources (11), photodetectors (12), photovoltaic power generators (12), field-effect transistors (13, 14), resistors, capacitors (15), or waveguiding structures (11, 12). The components (11–16) are arranged on a common substrate (20), are compatible with each other, can be manufactured simultaneously and can be operated simultaneously. At least one of the components (11–14) comprises a layer (23) of organic semiconductor material. Each component (11–16) comprises a plurality of layers (21–26), at least one of which (21) has identical physical and chemical characteristics in at least two components (11–16).

Abstract: A timekeeper equipped with a radio reception device capable of decoding Radio Data System (RDS) information and including a time base, a display for displaying time data supplied by the time base, and an adjustment control for correcting the time data. The radio reception device includes a frequency locking loop for delivering RDS type data derived from a RDS spectrum received on a high-frequency carrier; and a controller which, on the basis of the delivered RDS type data, controls the adjustment control to ensure time setting of the timekeeper. The timekeeper is portable and the radio reception device rejects the spectrum received from a frequency modulated transmitter supplying RDS data, except for the frequency band containing RDS type data.

Abstract: Portable pulse rate detecting device for contact with human body tissue, including a light-emitting source for emitting radiant energy directed at through human body tissue; at least first and second light detectors for detecting intensity of radiant energy after propagation through human body tissue and for providing first and second input signals as a function of such propagation, a detecting device for providing a motion reference signal, and processing means for removing motion-related contributions from the first and second input signals and subtracting a calculated model based on the motion reference signal from each of the first and second input signals, wherein the processing means is also for removing measurement noise and residual non-modeled contributions from the first and second enhanced signals using a noise reduction algorithm.

Abstract: A method of detecting relative movement between a scene from which radiation emanates and a matrix of pixels observing the scene and capable of detecting the radiation, each pixel of the matrix measuring contrast vector information representative of the observed scene monitors the evolution of the contrast vector information in each pixel of the matrix During a first time interval, it detects among the pixels the pixel whose magnitude vector information value is greater than the magnitude vector information value of the adjacent pixels. During a second time interval consecutive to the first time interval it detects if the magnitude vector information of the pixel whose value was at a maximum during the first time interval has decreased. It generates output signals representative of the relative movement if a decrease is detected.

Abstract: The optical fiber coupling apparatus (1) for coupling light from a light-emitting device (3) into an optical fiber (4) in an optoelectronic package comprises a microactuator (8) for positioning the end of the fiber (4) with respect to the light-emitting device (3), and a control circuit (9) in which the manipulated variable is a position of the fiber end. The control circuit (9) comprises outcoupling means (41) for coupling out of the fiber (4) a well-defined portion of the light propagating through the core of the fiber (4) and a photodetector (5) for detecting the intensity of the outcoupled light portion. The controlled variable in the control circuit (9) is the light intensity detected by the photodetector (5), from which a microprocessor (6) calculates command signals for the microactuator (8). Thus, a remote control of the optical coupling without any external intervention is achieved.