Patents Examined by Andrew Israel
  • Patent number: 6232610
    Abstract: A dosimeter analysis system provides the capability to easily handle the radiochromic pieces of film which are commonly employed as dosimeters and make an accurate analysis of the amount of radiation received in an irradiation process. The dosimeter is constructed through use of one or more layers of a material such as paper, cardboard or non-woven material between which a piece of radiochromic film may be positioned. Through at least one of the layers, an aperture is formed which provides for the direct viewing of the radiochromic film. This dosimeter card may then be placed in a dosimeter card holder and placed in an analysis device such as a spectrophotometer. Also included on the dosimeter card may be a unique marking which provides a reference to unique information pertaining to the piece of radiochromic film employed in the dosimeter card.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Assignee: GEX Corporation
    Inventors: Gary M. Pageau, Steve Kruger
  • Patent number: 6225634
    Abstract: A method of determining coincidence correction for a radiation detector in the presence of a radiation source symmetrical around the axis of the radiation detector, including: calculating the coincidence correction per the equation COI g = ϵ g ∫ ∫ ∫ ϵ ( g ) ⁢ x , y , z COI ( g )
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Canberra Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Valerii V. Atrashkevich, Vladimir P. Kolotov
  • Patent number: 6222188
    Abstract: A black-out curtain system (S) reduces undesired viewing by an external observer (O) through an opening (10) in a barrier (12) into an interior space (14). A filter sheet (16) that transmits Electro-Magnetic (EM) radiation (18) is adapted to intercept EM radiation originating in the interior space (14) from exiting the interior space (14) through the opening (10). The filter sheet (16) suppresses EM radiation below a selected cut-off frequency (C), and passes EM radiation above the selected cut-off frequency. An internal night viewer (20) detects only EM radiation having a frequency above the selected cut-off frequency (C). An interior illumination source (22) supplies the interior space (14) EM radiation having a frequency below the selected cut-off frequency (C).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Assignee: Litton Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: David Davis
  • Patent number: 6218669
    Abstract: A surgical probe apparatus incorporates a probe structure with a handle component and forward crystal mount wherein a cadmium-telluride crystal is rigidly mounted against movement. A cup-shaped window assembly is provided having an internal cylindrical tungsten shield which extends forwardly from the front face of the crystal to define an air gap as well as to support an aluminum window. The window assembly is threadably mounted upon the handle at a transition region forming an outwardly extending ramp. This ramp is used in conjunction with a polymeric retainer component with legs containing dog structures which hold a cylindrical tungsten collimator in biased position against the window when attached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2001
    Assignee: Neoprobe Corporation
    Inventor: John D. Call
  • Patent number: 6218667
    Abstract: A sensor element includes a light detecting section (2), a wiring section and a microlens section (7, 8). The light detecting section (2) is formed to be spaced from a substrate (1) to detect an incident light. The wiring section is composed of leg sections (3, 4) and outputting sections (11, 12) formed to be spaced from the substrate in a peripheral portion of the light detecting section. The wiring section connects the detecting result of the light detecting section to patterns on the substrate. The microlens section is formed to be spaced from the light detecting section to collect and output the incident light to the light detecting section. An area of the light detecting section is equal to or smaller than ¼ of an area of the sensor element. The sensor element may further include a reflecting film formed under the light detecting section to reflect the incident light which passes through the light detecting section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2001
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ken-Ichi Nonaka, Seiichi Yokoyama, Toshifumi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 6211523
    Abstract: A nuclear medicine gamma camera for diagnostic imaging includes a rotating gantry (16) which defines a subject receiving aperture (18). A support (10) supports a subject (12) being examined within the subject receiving aperture (18). A plurality of detector heads (20a-c) is movably attached to the rotating gantry (16). The detector heads (20a-c) are rotated about the subject (12) with the rotation of the rotating gantry (16). A plurality of radiation sources (30a-c) are mounted to the detector heads (20a-c) such that transmission radiation (32a-c) from the radiation sources (30a-c) is directed toward and received by corresponding detector heads (20a-c) positioned across the subject receiving aperture (18) from the radiation sources (30a-c). Translation means (22a-c) independently translates the detector heads (20a-c) laterally in directions tangential to the subject receiving aperture (18).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignee: Picker International, Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel Gagnon
  • Patent number: 6211522
    Abstract: An improved infra-red lens array for use in a passive infra-red intrusion sensor, which maintains high detection capability for intruders moving in the middle and near field, and yet discriminates well between the movement of intruders and of pets in the near field. The upper part of the lens array is composed of at least one row containing convex lenses, operative to focus the far and middle field radiation of the area to be protected onto the detector of the sensor. The lower part of the array has at least one row containing cylindrical lenses, with their axes of symmetry aligned vertically, operative to focus infra-red radiation from the middle and near fields onto the detector. Each cylindrical lens focuses a vertical curtain of the protected area onto the infra-red detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignee: Visonic Ltd.
    Inventors: Yaacov Kotlicki, Nachum Tchernichovski, Mark Moldavsky, Boris Zhevelev
  • Patent number: 6211515
    Abstract: A system and method adapted for use with a focal plane array of electromagnetic energy detectors to receive first and second frames of image data from electromagnetic energy received from at least a portion of a scene. The first frame is a focused frame and the second frame is a blurred frame. In a feed-forward path the system compares the first frame to the second frame and provides an error signal in response thereto. In a main path, the system multiplies at least a portion of the second frame of image data with the error signal to provide a noise error corrected output signal. In the preferred embodiment, a wavelet filter is used to remove dome shading effects from the frames of image data. In the best mode, the wavelet filter is disposed in the main path and blurred and focused outputs therefrom are weighted, averaged and stored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Hai-Wen Chen, Dennis C. Braunreiter, Harry A. Schmitt
  • Patent number: 6207968
    Abstract: For use with an optical scanning device, a reading head comprising a housing having at least one bore for accommodating therein a respective photo-multiplier tube and a non-intersecting lateral bore for accommodating therein a stimulating light source for producing a stimulating beam having a first wavelength. A focusing lens is mounted in association with the stimulating light source for focusing the stimulating beam on a film of the scanning device so as to produce stimulated fluorescent light having a second wavelength in the film at a point of contact by the stimulating beam. A window is provided within the housing for mounting therein a filter for transmitting therethrough the stimulated fluorescent light whilst substantially blocking reflections of the stimulating beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2001
    Assignee: Orex Computed Radiography Ltd.
    Inventor: Jacob Koren
  • Patent number: 6204506
    Abstract: An n-type buried channel, a silicon oxide film, a poly-Si transfer electrode, a PSG film as an insulating interlayer, an aluminum interconnection, and a silicon nitride film are stacked on one surface of a p-type silicon substrate to form a CCD. The other surface is protected by a silicon oxide film, and a p+-type accumulation layer is formed on the silicon oxide film, thereby forming a back-illuminated CCD on which light, electromagnetic wave, charged particles, or the like is incident through the other surface. A glass substrate is anodically bonded on the CCD via an insulating polyimide film, and a conductive aluminum film. Therefore, the mechanical strength of the device is kept high, and the sensitivity can be increased by thinning the silicon substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Akahori, Masaharu Muramatsu
  • Patent number: 6201243
    Abstract: The microbridge structure comprises a substrate layer provided with two first electrical contacts; a microstructure including a sensing area provided with two second electrical contacts; and a micro support for suspending the microstructure over and at a predetermined distance from the substrate layer. The micro support has two electrically conductive paths made of electrically conductive layers. The two electrically conductive paths connect respectively the two first electrical contacts of the substrate layer to the two second electrical contacts of the microstructure. The micro support extends generally underneath the microstructure, between the microstructure and the substrate layer. The invention also relates to a method for forming the microbridge structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2001
    Assignee: Institut National d'Optique
    Inventor: Hubert Jerominek
  • Patent number: 6198102
    Abstract: Apparatus for inspecting a container having an open mouth and a closed bottom spaced from the container mouth, while the container is hot from its manufacture, includes a light sensor disposed with respect to the container to view the container bottom through the container mouth. Infrared light energy emitted from the container bottom that travels through the container mouth is directed onto the light sensor, and the inside diameter of the container mouth is measured as a function of the light energy directed onto the sensor. The light sensor preferably comprises an area array sensor for developing a two-dimensional image of the container mouth, and the infrared light energy is directed onto the sensor by a telecentric lens arrangement. The area array sensor is disposed within a camera that has an entrance pupil and the telecentric lens arrangement has one focus at infinity directed toward the container bottom and a second focus at the entrance pupil of the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: Owens-Brockway Glass Container Inc.
    Inventor: William T. Shepherd
  • Patent number: 6194722
    Abstract: A method of fabricating an infrared detector, a method of controlling the stress in a polycrystalline SiGE layer and an infrared detector device is disclosed. The method of fabricating includes the steps of forming a sacrificial layer on a substrate; patterning said sacrificial layer; establishing a layer consisting essentially of polycrystalline SiGe on said sacrificial layer; depositing an infrared absorber on said polycrystalline SiGe layer; and thereafter removing the sacrificial layer. The method of controlling the stress in a polycrystalline SiGe layer deposited on a substrate is based on varying the deposition pressure. The infrared detector device comprises an active area and an infrared absorber, wherein the active area comprises a polycrystalline SiGe layer, and is suspended above a substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2001
    Assignee: Interuniversitair Micro-Elektronica Centrum, IMEC, vzw
    Inventors: Paolo Fiorini, Sherif Sedky, Matty Caymax, Christiaan Baert
  • Patent number: 6194715
    Abstract: A high-energy photon imaging system including an imaging head, a signal processor, a data acquisition system and an image processing computer. The imaging head includes a detector including a plurality of closely-packed detection modules. Each detection module includes a plurality of detection elements mounted to a circuit carrier. The detection elements produce electrical pulses having amplitudes indicative of the magnitude of radiation absorbed by the detection elements. The circuit carrier includes channels for conditioning and processing the signals generated by corresponding detection elements and for preparing the processed signals for further processing by a signal processor. Each conditioning and processing channel stores the amplitudes of the detection element electrical pulses exceeding a predetermined threshold. The detection modules employ a fall-through circuit which automatically finds only those detection elements that have a stored pulse amplitude exceeding the threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2001
    Assignee: Digirad Corporation
    Inventors: Clinton L. Lingren, Stanley J. Friesenhahn, Jack F. Butler, F. Patrick Doty, William L. Ashburn, Frank L. Augustine, Boris Apotovsky
  • Patent number: 6191420
    Abstract: In an infrared sensor including a compensating element and an infrared sensitive element, the main bodies of which consist of temperature-sensing layers of germanium and are supported on a single-crystal silicon substrate with bridge structures of silicon oxynitride layers; infrared protection layers individually made of aluminum and/or gold with a thickness of 0.1-1.0 &mgr;m formed on both sides of the main body of the compensating element via insulating layers of silicon oxynitride of about 0.1-10 &mgr;m for almost completely shielding the compensating element from incident infrared rays and improving the sensor's sensitivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2001
    Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Terumitsu Souma
  • Patent number: 6191422
    Abstract: A hand-held radiation probe is configured having a crystal thickness as well as a bias generated electrical field which have values to cause the semiconductor crystal to operate in a trapping-dependent operational mode wherein a trapping of substantially all carriers generated by radiation impinging upon the crystal forward face are trapped. The bias level voltage is selected to achieve adequate photopeak heights and to permit the windowing out of lower energy Compton scattering and other noise phenomena.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2001
    Assignee: Neoprobe Corporation
    Inventor: Marlin O. Thurston
  • Patent number: 6191421
    Abstract: A capnometer includes an airway adaptor for introducing a respiratory gas into the analyzer, an infrared radiation source emitting infrared radiation passed through the airway adaptor, a beam splitter for reflecting and transmitting infrared radiation that impinges on the beam splitter, first detecting means for detecting the infrared radiation reflected by said beam splitter and transmitting through said beam splitter, second detecting means for detecting the infrared radiation reflected by said beam splitter and transmitting through said beam splitter; a gas cell filled with CO2 gas, said gas cell being located between one of said first and second detecting means and said beam splitter and processing means for processing a concentration of carbon dioxide gas by using output signals of said first and second detecting means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2001
    Assignee: Nihon Kohden Corporation
    Inventors: Shinji Yamamori, Hidetoshi Dainobu, Hidehiro Hosaka
  • Patent number: 6188070
    Abstract: A two-dimensional photonic radiation detector based on a technique of hybridizing a detection chip onto a read chip through a micro-balls network making the electrical and mechanical inter-connection between two chips, the detection chip being composed of a two-dimensional structure of ixj pixels, an active layer (41) being epitaxed onto a substrate (40), each elementary photosensitive component consisting of an N/P or P/N diode formed in the active layer (41), the contact point on the N or P area being made at each pixel, the contact point on the other P or N area being common to all diodes, in which the detector includes a wide gap optically and electrically transparent intermediate layer (42) located between the active layer (41) and the substrate (40).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2001
    Assignee: Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique
    Inventors: GĂ©rard Destefanis, Michel Wolny
  • Patent number: 6180949
    Abstract: A single sheet photostimulable phosphor screen, characterized in that the screen contains in consecutive order (1) a support, (2) a continuous phosphor-containing layer, and permanently and contiguously united therewith (3) a grid structured phosphor-containing layer containing a phosphor different from the phosphor contained in the continuous phosphor-containing layer (2), the grid structured layer (3) containing parallel rows of phosphor-containing stripes or dots, and the different phosphors having a different X-ray absorption capacity with respect to different energy levels of X-ray radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: Agfa-Gevaert, N.V.
    Inventor: Paul Leblans
  • Patent number: 6175113
    Abstract: A thermal imaging system (10) which is accoupled and by scanning recreates a thermal image by superimposing measured variations in infrared emission from a scene (22) onto a reference level supplied by a light emitting diode (28). The diode (28) is both a positive and negative luminescent emitter. Emitted flux is current controlled to be equivalent to black body radiation at a range of temperatures which may be colder or hotter than ambient. A signal generated with the system (10) switches between scene and diode observation is a measure of the difference between the mean scene temperature and the diode effective temperature. In response to this digital, control means adjust the bias current through the diode (28) in order to reduce the temperature difference. The reference temperature converges towards the mean scene temperature as this process is repeated. Absolute temperature is thus restored and some image defects removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2001
    Assignee: The Secretary of State for Defence in Her Britannic Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
    Inventors: Timothy Ashley, Charles T. Elliott, Neil T. Gordon, Ralph S. Hall