Patents Examined by Hoa Pham
  • Patent number: 10054549
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to the automatic measuring of such qualities of a printed sheet as reflectance excluding specular reflectance, reflectance including specular reflectance, e.g. gloss, transmittance, half-tone coverage, and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING, INC.
    Inventor: Luc Choulet
  • Patent number: 10053059
    Abstract: Method and apparatus are disclosed for detection and identification of opaqueness of vehicle windows. An example vehicle includes a window including an interior surface and an exterior surface, a light transmitter to emit light, and light sensors to measure the light. The light sensors include a first sensor offset from and a second sensor aligned with the interior surface. The light sensors also include a third sensor offset from and a fourth sensor aligned with the exterior surface. The example vehicle also includes a controller for detecting a source of opaqueness of the window via the light sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Reid William Kaufman Worthen
  • Patent number: 10048197
    Abstract: An optical measurement device includes a light source, first and second beam splitters, and first and second photodetectors. The light source that generates an emitted light beam. The first beam splitter that divides the emitted light beam into a compensation light beam and a measurement light beam. The first beam splitter directs the measurement light beam to a target. The second beam splitter that redirects the compensation light beam from the first beam splitter. A part of wavelength dependent characteristics of the first beam splitter and the second beam splitter are the same. The first photodetector that detects the compensation light beam redirected from the second beam splitter. The second photodetector that detects the measurement light beam reflected by the target and redirected by the first beam splitter. Another optical measurement device and an optical measurement method are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: TAIWAN BIOPHOTONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yu-Tang Li, Chang-Sheng Chu, Kuan-Jui Ho, Pei-Cheng Ho, Shuang-Chao Chung, Chih-Hsun Fan, Jyh-Chern Chen
  • Patent number: 10041888
    Abstract: A surface defect inspecting device for hot-dip coated steel sheets comprising: an illuminating unit for illuminating an imaging target portion on a hot-dip coated steel sheet; a specular reflection light imaging unit for imaging specular reflection light from the imaging target portion; a diffuse reflection light imaging unit for imaging diffuse reflection light from the imaging target portion; and an image signal processing unit for processing specular reflection image and diffuse reflection image signals, the specular and diffuse reflection light imaging units simultaneously imaging light reflected from the imaging target region, the image signal processing unit extracting a portion having brightness level lower than a predetermined threshold, as a defect portion, from the specular reflection image signal, and threshold processing the diffuse reflection image signal, with respect to a portion corresponding to an extracted defect portion, to determine a defect type by classifying the extracted defect portion
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: NISSHIN STEEL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Keita Fukui, Syunsuke Shiga
  • Patent number: 10039475
    Abstract: An intraoral three-dimensional measuring method, comprising: acquiring, with a handy scanner, wide range three-dimensional measurement information on a three-dimensional shape measured on a wide range in a desirable measurement range in an intraoral space; acquiring, with the handy scanner, a plurality of pieces of narrow range three-dimensional measurement information each on a three-dimensional shape measured on a narrow range narrower than the wide range in the measurement range; and locating, with a controller, the plurality of pieces of narrow range three-dimensional measurement information based on the wide range three-dimensional measurement information by use of, as a synthesis reference, intra-measurement range position information common to the wide range three-dimensional measurement information and each of the plurality of pieces of narrow range three-dimensional measurement information, and creating synthetic three-dimensional information on the measurement range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: J. MORTIA MFG. CORP.
    Inventors: Keisuke Sorimoto, Mikinori Nishimura, Tsuyoshi Tanaka, Masayuki Sano, Keiichi Tsuda, Ryosuke Kaji
  • Patent number: 10036629
    Abstract: An apparatus configured to measure at least one physical characteristic of a threaded surface (e.g., an internally threaded surface) of an object is provided. The apparatus uses optical triangulation to perform non-contact characterization of the threaded surface. The apparatus can be used to characterize various aspects of the threaded surface, including generating the measurements required to produce a longitudinal cross-sectional profile of the threaded surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: Quest Metrology, LLC
    Inventors: Phillip Dewayne Bondurant, David William Rook, David H. Bothell, Christian Robert Lentz, David Jack Savage
  • Patent number: 10031062
    Abstract: Various embodiments provide a particle sensor including: a first carrier, the first carrier including at least one heating structure and a light detecting structure, at least one spacer structure disposed over the first carrier, a second carrier disposed over the at least one spacer structure, the second carrier including a light emitting structure, wherein the first carrier, the second carrier and the at least one spacer structure are arranged to provide a channel for a fluid flow, wherein the light emitting structure is configured to emit light into the channel and wherein the light detecting structure is configured to detect light from the channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES DRESDEN GMBH
    Inventor: Thoralf Kautzsch
  • Patent number: 10030306
    Abstract: Apparatus and method of processing a substrate according to a PECVD process is described. Temperature profile of the substrate is adjusted to change deposition rate profile across the substrate. Plasma density profile is adjusted to change deposition rate profile across the substrate. Chamber surfaces exposed to the plasma are heated to improve plasma density uniformity and reduce formation of low quality deposits on chamber surfaces. In situ metrology may be used to monitor progress of a deposition process and trigger control actions involving substrate temperature profile, plasma density profile, pressure, temperature, and flow of reactants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Nagarajan Rajagopalan, Xinhai Han, Michael Tsiang, Masaki Ogata, Zhijun Jiang, Juan Carlos Rocha-Alvarez, Thomas Nowak, Jianhua Zhou, Ramprakash Sankarakrishnan, Ganesh Balasubramanian, Amit Kumar Bansal, Jeongmin Lee, Todd Egan, Edward Budiarto, Dmitriy Panasyuk, Terrance Y. Lee, Jian J. Chen, Mohamad A. Ayoub, Heung Lak Park, Patrick Reilly, Shahid Shaikh, Bok Hoen Kim, Sergey Starik
  • Patent number: 10018572
    Abstract: A surface inspection system, as well as related components and methods, are provided. The surface inspection system includes a beam source subsystem, a beam scanning subsystem, a workpiece movement subsystem, an optical collection and detection subsystem, and a processing subsystem. The optical collection and detection system features, in the front quartersphere, a light channel assembly for collecting light reflected from the surface of the workpiece, and a front collector and wing collectors for collecting light scattered from the surface, to greatly improve the measurement capabilities of the system. The light channel assembly has a switchable edge exclusion mask and a reflected light detection system for improved detection of the reflected light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Richard E. Bills, Neil Judell, Klaus R. Freischlad, James P. McNiven
  • Patent number: 10006852
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure include methods for producing an output laser beam having two or more angularly deflected laser beams (e.g., for irradiating a sample in a flow stream) with a predetermined intensity profile. Systems for practicing the subject methods having a laser, an acousto-optic device, a radiofrequency generator and a controller for adjusting the amplitude of the radiofrequency drive signals to produce an output laser beam of angularly deflected laser beams with a predetermined intensity profile are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: BECTON, DICKINSON AND COMPANY
    Inventors: Eric D. Diebold, Keegan Owsley, Matthew Bahr
  • Patent number: 10001438
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of sensing aerosol characteristic parameters using dual-wavelength light scattered signals and the application thereof, and belongs to the technical field of fire warning. The method procedures include measuring the scattered light power of two different wavelengths, calculating the surface area concentration and the volume concentration of aerosol, and obtaining the Sauter mean diameter of the aerosol the surface area concentration, the volume concentration and the aerosol Sauter mean diameter are compared with corresponding thresholds, and then corresponding fire alarm signals are emitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: Huazhong University of Science and Technology
    Inventors: Shu Wang, Tian Deng, Zheng Dou
  • Patent number: 10001366
    Abstract: A coating thickness inspection device (20) is provided with: a displacement gauge (25); a position calculation unit (28a); and a determination unit (28b). The displacement gauge (25) measures the external shape of a rectangular wire (30) across the lengthwise direction thereof (external shape measurement step). The position calculation unit (28a) determines the position of a rectangular conductor (31) within the rectangular wire (30) across the lengthwise direction of the rectangular wire (30) (position calculation step). The determination unit (28b) determines whether the thickness across the peripheral direction of a coating section (32) as calculated on the basis of the results obtained by the displacement gauge (25) and the position calculation unit (28a) satisfies a standard thickness across the lengthwise direction of the rectangular wire (30) (determination step).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignees: FURUKAWA ELECTRIC CO., LTD., FURUKAWA MAGNET WIRE CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuhide Matsumoto, Hirohiko Furuta
  • Patent number: 9977044
    Abstract: An optical velocity measuring apparatus which can restrict the effect of rotational motion of a moving object and estimate a velocity of its own with high accuracy, for a moving object with no wheels or a moving object of which the wheels slip includes an imager, provided in a moving object, for imaging a traveling surface such that a shift amount of each pixel at a time when an imaging target surface has shifted varies depending on a position of the pixel within an image, and the optical velocity measuring apparatus acquires a pixel shift amount gradient, which is a change in the shift amount of each pixel with respect to a predetermined axis, from a plurality of images captured by an image capturing device in a time series and a velocity of the moving object from the pixel shift amount gradient is acquired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: HITACHI LTD.
    Inventors: Taishi Ueda, Ryosuke Nakamura, Azusa Amino
  • Patent number: 9970754
    Abstract: A surface measurement device includes a rotating platform, a motion lever, a measuring module and a control module. The rotating platform rotates an object at a rotating speed. The motion lever is above the rotating platform. The measuring module moves to a variety of measuring positions on the motion lever. When the measuring module is at one of the measuring positions, the measuring module measures the heights of a plurality of sampling points on the surface of the object in a sampling frequency. The control module selectively modifies the rotating speed of the rotating platform or the sampling frequency of the measuring module according to the measuring position of the measuring module to make the distance between the sampling points in at least a region of the surface of the object match a sampling rule.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Chia-Hung Cho, Kai-Ping Chuang, Yi-Wei Chang
  • Patent number: 9970883
    Abstract: Disclosed are apparatus and methods for inspecting or measuring a specimen. A system comprises an illumination channel for generating and deflecting a plurality of incident beams to form a plurality of spots that scan across a segmented line comprised of a plurality of scan portions of the specimen. The system also includes one or more detection channels for sensing light emanating from a specimen in response to the incident beams directed towards such specimen and collecting a detected image for each scan portion as each incident beam's spot is scanned over its scan portion. The one or more detection channels include at least one longitudinal side channel for longitudinally collecting a detected image for each scan portion as each incident beam's spot is scanned over its scan portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Jamie M. Sullivan, Ralph Johnson, Evegeny Churin, Wenjian Cai, Yong Mo Moon
  • Patent number: 9964492
    Abstract: A surface-enhanced Raman scattering unit comprises a measurement board used upon measurement; a surface-enhanced Raman scattering element, secured to the measurement board, having a substrate and an optical function part, formed on the substrate, for generating surface-enhanced Raman scattering; and a pressing member, secured to the measurement board, having a ring-shaped contact part contacting a peripheral part of the surface-enhanced Raman scattering element and pressing the surface-enhanced Raman scattering element toward the measurement board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS K.K.
    Inventors: Masashi Ito, Katsumi Shibayama, Kazuto Ofuji, Hiroki Oyama, Yoshihiro Maruyama
  • Patent number: 9964401
    Abstract: A system for inspecting an object has at least one light projector and at least one camera jointly defining a field of view and a computer operatively connected thereto. The computer is configured to acquire object data representative of the outer surface of the object through projection of light thereon by the light projector and acquisition of return light by the camera. The object data relates surface points on the outer surface of the object to one or more source point of the light projector. The computer is further configured to generate inspection information data based on the acquired object data and project the inspection information data on at least some of the surface points of the outer surface of the object using the corresponding source points of the at least one light projector. A method inspects an outer surface of an object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: POLYRIX INC.
    Inventors: Jean-Daniel Deschenes, Philippe Lambert, Nicolas Martel-Brisson, Sébastien Quirion
  • Patent number: 9956559
    Abstract: An instrument and a method for the automated thermal treatment of liquid samples are disclosed. An inter-distance between a temperature-controlled receptacle for loading with a plurality of vessels for containing the samples and end portions of optical fibers can be varied, wherein the receptacle is configured to form a thermal communication with the loaded vessels and wherein the optical fibers have first and second end portions. The first end portion and the second end portion of each optical fiber is fixed with respect to each other for transmitting light, wherein the variation of the in-ter-distance allows the vessels to be loaded to or unloaded from the receptacle and to enable detection of light from the samples contained in the one or more receptacle-loaded vessels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: Roche Molecular Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Claudio Cherubini, Roger Iten, Emad Sarofim, Kurt Schildknecht
  • Patent number: 9952272
    Abstract: Systems and fixtures for mounting, under mechanical constraint, wire-like or fiber-like samples of a high aspect ratio and down to 100 micrometers in diameter are disclosed. A region of interest along the length of the sample resides between and beyond a mechanical constraint on either side, allowing access to the region of interest for a wide number of characterization probes. The fixture may provide electrical isolation between two retaining blocks by means of a dielectric support member. The design may achieve minimal thermal expansion along the length of the sample by the material selection for the dielectric support member. Electrical contact may be introduced to the sample through conductive constraints in the retaining blocks. The fixture may have a minimal size perpendicular to the length axis of the sample to facilitate high probe fluxes when a diverging probe is used. The fixture may provide high x-ray transparency between the retaining blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of Arizona State University
    Inventors: Nikhilesh Chawla, James E Mertens
  • Patent number: 9952151
    Abstract: Provided herein is an apparatus, including a photon emitter configured to emit photons onto a surface of an article at a number of azimuthal angles; and a processing element configured to process photon-detector-array signals corresponding to photons scattered from surface features of the article and generate one or more surface features maps for the article from the photon-detector-array signals corresponding to the photons scattered from the surface features of the article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: David M. Tung, Joachim W. Ahner