Patents Assigned to Ecole Polytechnique
  • METHOD TO DETERMINE A DIRECTION AND AMPLITUDE OF A CURRENT VELOCITY ESTIMATE OF A MOVING DEVICE
    Publication number: 20150293138
    Abstract: A new method for the estimation of ego-motion (the direction and amplitude of the velocity) of a mobile device comprising optic-flow and inertial sensors (hereinafter the apparatus). The velocity is expressed in the apparatus's reference frame, which is moving with the apparatus. The method relies on short-term inertial navigation and the direction of the translational optic-flow in order to estimate ego-motion, defined as the velocity estimate (that describes the speed amplitude and the direction of motion). A key characteristic of the invention is the use of optic-flow without the need for any kind of feature tracking. Moreover, the algorithm uses the direction of the optic-flow and does not need the amplitude, thanks to the fact that the scale of the velocity is solved by the use of inertial navigation and changes in direction of the apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2013
    Publication date: October 15, 2015
    Applicant: ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE (EPFL)
    Inventors: Adrien Briod, Jean-Christophe Zufferey, Dario Floreano
  • METHOD, COMPUTER PROGRAM AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING A DISTRIBUTION OF A PHYSICAL VARIABLE IN A REGION
    Publication number: 20150292957
    Abstract: Method for measuring a distribution of a physical variable in a region, comprising the step of: measuring an average value of the physical variable along each of a plurality of lines in said region; estimating the distribution of the physical variable in said region on the basis of the plurality of average values of the physical variable along the plurality of lines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2014
    Publication date: October 15, 2015
    Applicant: Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL)
    Inventors: Juri RANIERI, Amina CHEBIRA, Martin VETTERLI
  • Methods and systems for noise resilient, pin-efficient and low power communications with sparse signaling codes
    Patent number: 9154252
    Abstract: In bus communications methods and apparatus, a first set of physical signals representing the information to be conveyed over the bus is provided, and mapped to a codeword of a sparse signaling code, wherein a codeword is representable as a vector of a plurality of components, some of which are quiescent components and some of which are non-quiescent components, wherein the number of quiescent components and non-quiescent components meet a sparseness requirement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE (EPFL)
    Inventors: Harm Cronie, Amin Shokrollahi, Armin Tajalli
  • METHOD TO FABRICATE FINFET SENSORS, IN PARTICULAR, FINFET SENSORS FOR IONIC, CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS ON SI-BULK
    Publication number: 20150268189
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of producing a FinFET sensor device comprising the steps of: providing a silicon substrate; etching the silicon substrate to produce at least one upwardly extending Fin structure externally protruding from a surface of the silicon substrate; depositing a spacer layer on the at least one Fin structure; anisotropically etching a section of the spacer layer to expose the underlying silicon; isotropic etching of the exposed silicon surrounding the at least one Fin structure; and carrying out oxidation of the silicon surrounding the at least one Fin structure to produce a Fin structure of silicon inside the at least one Fin structure. The present invention also relates to FinFET sensor devices produced by the above method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2014
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Applicant: ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE (EPFL)
    Inventors: Sara RIGANTE, Adrian Mihai IONESCU
  • Method for Generating an HTML Document that Contains Encrypted Files and the Code Necessary for Decrypting Them When a Valid Passphrase is Provided
    Publication number: 20150270974
    Abstract: A computer implemented method for encrypting one or more files and wrapping them in an HTML document. The HTML document contains the encrypted files, the necessary code to decrypt the files, as well as user interface code to receive a passphrase input from a user. The HTML document can be opened using any modern web browser, to obtain the original files using the same passphrase with which the encryption was performed. This offers a convenient way of sharing encrypted files via email or cloud file sharing services using a platform independent file format (without having to install any additional software).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2015
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Applicant: Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL)
    Inventors: Thomas Lochmatter, Radhakrishna Shri Venkata Achanta
  • METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A PHOTOACOUSTIC PROBE USING A MULTIMODE FIBER
    Publication number: 20150265157
    Abstract: This invention is a method and apparatus to pick up a photoacoustic signal purely via optical means and via an endoscope. The photoacoustic endoscope invention relies only on optical excitation and detection methods. A light focus spot generates a photoacoustic signal at the distal end of a multimode fiber endoscope. A membrane is positioned at the distal end whose vibration is excited by the acoustic signal. A light beam brought at the distal end of the multimode endoscope via the single mode core of a dual clad multimode fiber is reflected by the said vibrating membrane. The light reflected is capture by the multimode core of the dual clad fiber and propagates to the proximal end. The speckle pattern thus generated at the proximal end depends on the membrane acoustic vibration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Applicant: ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE (EPFL)
    Inventors: Demetri PSALTIS, Christophe MOSER
  • Advantageous state merging during symbolic analysis
    Patent number: 9141354
    Abstract: A determination is made regarding whether to merge two symbolic analysis states. A first state corresponds to a first path through a program to a program location and a second state corresponds to a second path through the program to the program location. A set of variables of the program at the program location is determined. For each variable in the set: a) a first value of the variable in the first state is determined; b) a second value of the variable in the second state is determined; and c) a determination is made, based on the first and second values, regarding whether merging the first and second states would be advantageous. A determination is made, responsive to determining that merging the first state and the second state would not be advantageous for at least one variable in the set, not to merge the first state and the second state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
    Inventors: Volodymyr Kuznetsov, Johannes Kinder, Stefan Bucur, George Candea
  • METHOD FOR DETECTING ABNORMALITIES IN AN ELECTROCARDIOGRAM
    Publication number: 20150257668
    Abstract: A method for classification of ECG beats into normal and different categories of abnormal beats. The method comprises the following steps, performed on a computing platform: a. performing a training phase comprising taking as an input one or more ECG beats that are pre-classified into the different categories, with each ECG beat decomposed into multiple features and defining membership functions for each beat category for each feature; b.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Publication date: September 17, 2015
    Applicant: ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE (EPFL)
    Inventors: Ruben BRAOJOS LOPEZ, Giovanni ANSALONI, David ATIENZA ALONSO, Francisco RINCON VALLEJOS, Srinivasan MURALI
  • Device for forming drops in a microfluidic circuit
    Patent number: 9133009
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device (1) for forming droplets in a microfluidic circuit, the device comprising a chamber (3) containing a first fluid and defined by two opposite walls (10, 11) that diverge relative to each other in at least one given direction, and a microchannel (8) containing a second fluid and leading into a zone of said chamber (3) that is upstream relative to the given direction, the outlet of the microchannel (8) into the chamber (3) constituting an enlargement in the flow section for the second fluid, and the enlargement giving rise to droplets (14) of the second fluid forming within the first fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignees: CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE, ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE
    Inventors: Charles Baroud, Rémi Dangla
  • Method and device using nanoporous membrane for detecting and quantifying heavy metal ions in a fluid by anodic stripping voltammetry
    Patent number: 9134267
    Abstract: Method and a device for capturing heavy metal ions included in sewage sludge. The method includes steps of: a) placing in the fluid a functionalized radiografted track-etched membrane FRTEM which contains polymer nanopores; this membrane including a first electrode on one side of the membrane, b) selectively capturing heavy metal ions inside the polymer nanopores, c) applying an anodic stripping voltammetric ASV analysis on the membrane in order to differentiate and quantify captured metal ions, the first electrode being used as an ASV detection electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignees: ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE, COMMISSARIAT A L'ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES, CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE
    Inventors: Marie-Claude Laurence Clochard, Travis Lee Wade
  • Method and apparatus for retrieval of amplitude and phase of nonlinear electromagnetic waves
    Patent number: 9134242
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a method and its associated apparatus to retrieve the amplitude and, especially, the phase of nonlinear electromagnetic waves. The application field of the present invention is optical imaging. A sample is probed by coherent electromagnetic radiation, and by a nonlinear interaction such as harmonic generation a nonlinear object wave is emitted. A nonlinear reference wave is generated by interaction of the same nature with the coherent electromagnetic radiation, and an interference between the nonlinear object wave and the nonlinear reference wave is sensed by a detector array. As an example, the technique makes possible real-time nanometric localization and tracking of nonlinear field emitters, such as, but not limited to, nanoparticles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE (EPFL)
    Inventors: Etienne Shaffer, Christian Depeursinge
  • Controllable polarity FET based arithmetic and differential logic
    Patent number: 9130568
    Abstract: A logic gate with three inputs A, B, and C, and one output implementing a function MAJ(A,B,C)=A*B+B*C+A*C comprising two mutually exclusive transmission gates (TGs) connected in series, based on two parallel double-gate controllable polarity devices, a polarity of each being controlled by input A and a conduction being controlled by input B, or vice-versa, in opposite polarities, and that route either an input A or C from one side of the transmission gates to the output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE (EPFL)
    Inventors: Luca Gaetano Amaru, Pierre-Emmanuel Julien Marc Gaillardon, Giovanni De Micheli
  • Robotic system and method for spinal and other surgeries
    Patent number: 9125680
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method, such as a surgical method for assisting a surgeon for placing screws in the spine using a robot attached to a passive structure. The present invention also related to a method, such as a surgical method for assisting a surgeon for removing volumes in the body of a patient using a robot attached to a passive structure and to a device to carry out said methods. The present invention further concerns a device suitable to carry out the methods according to the present invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE
    Inventors: Szymon Kostrzewski, Philippe Berard, Charles Baur, John Michael Duff, Kishore Sandu
  • Device and method for improving leaky wave antenna radiation efficiency
    Patent number: 9124005
    Abstract: The present device and method improve radiation efficiency of a leaky wave antenna. The device and method collect non-radiated power signal from the leaky wave antenna, perform a passive operation on the non-radiated power signal to obtain a modified power signal, and radiate the modified power signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: CORPORATION DE LE'ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE DE MONTREAL
    Inventors: Van-Hoang Nguyen, Armin Parsa, Christophe Caloz, Samer Abielmona
  • 3D nano-electro-mechanical multiple-state carbon nanotube device structures and methods of fabrication
    Patent number: 9117889
    Abstract: A 3D M-CNT structure with at least one tri-state CNT NEM switch comprising at least an electrode as a source, an electrode as a gate and an electrode as a drain, a conductive carbon nanotube which is able to take three positions depending on a voltage application to said electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE (EPFL)
    Inventors: Ji Cao, Mihai Adrian Ionescu
  • PRIVACY-ENHANCING TECHNOLOGIES FOR MEDICAL TESTS USING GENOMIC DATA
    Publication number: 20150236849
    Abstract: In this invention, we propose privacy-enhancing technologies for medical tests and personalized medicine methods, which utilize patients' genomic data. Assuming the whole genome sequencing is done by a certified institution, we propose to store patients' genomic data encrypted by a patient's public keys at a Storage and Processing Unit (SPU). A part of the corresponding private key is also stored on the SPU. At the time of the test by a Medical Unit (MU), the patient provides the second part of the private key to the MU. A test with its associated markers is determined by the MU and sent to the SPU. The test is carried out on the encrypted values thanks to homomorphic operation and returned back to the MU. The latter uses the second part of the private key to access the result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2013
    Publication date: August 20, 2015
    Applicant: Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL)
    Inventors: Erman Ayday, Jean-Pierre Hubaux, Jean Louis Raisaro, Amalio Telenti, Jacques Fellay, Paul Jack Mc Laren, Jacques Rougemont, Mathias Humbert
  • GLAZING WITH EMBEDDED MICROSTRUCTURES FOR DAYLIGHTING AND SEASONAL THERMAL CONTROL
    Publication number: 20150225994
    Abstract: A glazing for daylighting and seasonal thermal control, the glazing including a pane defined between an outside-oriented interface and an inside-oriented interface, the pane comprising a first component and a second component, wherein the first component has a parabolic reflective surface with a focus point located on the second component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2013
    Publication date: August 13, 2015
    Applicant: ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE (EPFL)
    Inventors: André Kostro, Andreas Schüler
  • Apparatus and methods for treating excess intraocular fluid
    Patent number: 9101445
    Abstract: An ocular drainage system is provided for treating diseases that produce elevated intraocular pressures, such as glaucoma, wherein the system includes an implantable device and an external control unit. The implantable device includes a non-invasively adjustable valve featuring at least one deformable tube and a disk rotatably mounted within a housing, such that rotation of the disk using the external control unit causes the disk to apply a selected amount of compression to the deformable tube, thereby adjusting the fluidic resistance of the deformable tube and regulating the intraocular pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE (EPFL)
    Inventors: Stéphane Bigler, Nikolaos Stergiopulos
  • Recommendation Strategy Portfolios
    Publication number: 20150206220
    Abstract: A recommender system comprising at least one computing device which comprises one or more processors and one or more computer-readable storage media operatively coupled to at least one of the processors, wherein said computing device performs a method of assigning a user to one group of a set of groups, said set of groups comprising at least two distinct groups, and a method of providing said user with at least one recommendation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2014
    Publication date: July 23, 2015
    Applicant: Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL)
    Inventors: Claudiu-Christian Musat, Boi Faltings
  • Fourier tickling for homonuclear decoupling in NMR
    Patent number: 9086465
    Abstract: A method for high resolution NMR (=nuclear magnetic resonance) measurements using the application of excitation pulses and the acquisition of data points, whereby a dwell time ?t separates the acquisition of two consecutive data points, which is characterized in that one or more tickling rf (=radio frequency) pulses of duration ?p are applied within each dwell time ?t, and that the average rf field amplitude of each of the tickling rf pulses approximately fulfills the condition ?1=?1?p/?t=?J wherein J is the scalar J-coupling constant and ?1=?B1 with ? being the gyromagnetic ratio and B1 being the strength of the magnetic component of each tickling rf pulse. This method is effective in decoupling homonuclear couplings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignees: Bruker BioSpin AG, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérate de Lausanne EPFL-TTO
    Inventors: Geoffrey Bodenhausen, Diego Carnevale