Patents Examined by Iyabo S. Alli
  • Patent number: 8102538
    Abstract: Provided is a device for determining the surface topology and associated color of a structure, such as a teeth segment, including a scanner for providing depth data for points along a two-dimensional array substantially orthogonal to the depth direction, and an image acquisition means for providing color data for each of the points of the array, while the spatial disposition of the device with respect to the structure is maintained substantially unchanged. A processor combines the color data and depth data for each point in the array, thereby providing a three-dimensional color virtual model of the surface of the structure. A corresponding method for determining the surface topology and associated color of a structure is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Cadent Ltd.
    Inventor: Noam Babayoff
  • Patent number: 8094293
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for measurement of the stress in and thickness of flat glass or curved glass segments is disclosed that uses fluorescence to quickly and accurately ascertain both the thickness of the stress layers and the wall thickness in addition to the stress curve in flat glass or curved glass segments. The apparatus and method may be used to quickly and accurately measure both the stress in and the thickness of flat glass or curved glass segments at a plurality of various locations therein. The apparatus and method are adapted for large scale flat glass or curved glass segment manufacturing, and are capable of high speed measurement of the stress in and the thickness of the flat glass or curved glass segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Emhart Glass S.A.
    Inventors: William J. Furnas, Sarath K. Tennakoon, Gary C. Weber
  • Patent number: 8085405
    Abstract: A detecting element used for a detecting device for detecting a target substance in a sample by utilizing plasmon resonance. The detecting element includes a substrate and a plurality of metal members provided on the substrate, the metal member constituting a columnar structure and being oriented in a long axis direction thereof. The detecting element can improve sensitivity of the detecting device for detecting a target substance utilizing plasmon resonance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Miki Ogawa
  • Patent number: 8085398
    Abstract: A concave cell for the collection of radiated light including a body with a concave surface and an unmodified flat surface opposite thereto, and a reflective surface coupled to the body across from the concave surface, said reflective surface including an opening and a photo detector operatively coupled thereto. A method of collecting light by reflecting light inside the concave cell, striking the light at the concave surface, scattering the light at the concave surface, and registering the scattered light with the photo detector. A method of increasing uniformity of light registered in a photo detector. A method of making a concave cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Northern Illinois University
    Inventors: Alexander S. Dyshkant, Vishnu Zutshi, Phillip Stone
  • Patent number: 8085404
    Abstract: A gas analyzer capable of measuring a concentration of a gas component in gas at sensor units provided at a plurality of positions in real time by decreasing the number of signals input from the sensor units to an analyzer so as to reduce a data amount input to the analyzer and a gas analyzing method. The gas analyzing method includes the steps of: demultiplexing laser light by a demultiplexer into measurement laser light and reference laser light; letting the measurement laser light pass through gas to be received by a photoreceiver; finding an absorption spectrum absorbed by a gas component in the gas based on a light intensity of the received measurement laser light and of the reference laser light; and analyzing the absorption spectrum to measure a concentration of the gas component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Yamakage, Katsutoshi Goto, Kenji Muta, Yoshihiro Deguchi, Shinichiro Asami, Satoshi Fukada
  • Patent number: 8085396
    Abstract: Properties of turbid or scattering samples are determined using Raman spectroscopy with probe light delivered to and subsequently collected from the sample using a transmission geometry. The technique may be applied to pharmaceutical products such as tablets, diagnostic tests such as lateral flow diagnostic strips, and elsewhere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: The Science and Technology Facilities Council
    Inventors: Pavel Matousek, Anthony William Parker
  • Patent number: 8081311
    Abstract: A system (10) for multispectral imaging includes a first optical filter (24) having at least two passbands disposed in different spatial positions on the first optical filter, a second optical filter (20) having another at least two passbands, and processor (32) adapted to identify an intensity of light in the at least two passband of the second optical filter (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignee: General Hospital Corporation
    Inventor: George Themelis
  • Patent number: 8077307
    Abstract: Apparatus for optical inspection includes an illumination assembly, including multiple parallel rows of light sources for emitting light and illumination optics associated with each row for directing the light onto an object under inspection. The multiple parallel rows include at least a first row with first illumination optics including a first array of prisms that are configured to reflect the light emitted by the light sources in the first row, and at least a second row with second illumination optics including a second array of prisms that are configured to refract the light emitted by the light sources in the second row. An imaging assembly is configured to capture an image of the object under illumination by the multiple parallel rows of the light sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Orbotech Ltd.
    Inventors: Ehud Pertzov, Michael Matusovsky, Yaron Bar-Tal, Ilia Lutsker, Ofer Ish-Shalom
  • Patent number: 8072597
    Abstract: Conventionally, a particle/defect inspection apparatus outputs a total number of detected particles/defects as the result of detection. For taking countermeasures to failures in manufacturing processes, the particles/defects detected by the inspection apparatus are analyzed. Since the inspection apparatus outputs a large number of detected particles/defects, an immense time is required for analyzing the detected particles/defects, resulting in a delay in taking countermeasures to a failure in the manufacturing processes. In the present invention, an apparatus for optically inspecting particles or defects relates a particle or defect size to a cause of failure in an inspection result. A data processing circuit points out a cause of failure from the statistics on the inspection result, and displays information on the inspection result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Electronics Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Minori Noguchi, Yoshimasa Ooshima, Akira Hamamatsu, Kenji Watanabe, Tetsuya Watanabe, Takahiro Jingu
  • Patent number: 8072589
    Abstract: An IREM image of an IC is obtained. The emission intensity at each emission site is measured/calculated and is compared to reference intensity. The calculated intensity may be plotted against reference intensities. In general, the majority of the plotted intensities would lie in a given range within a straight line. However, for devices that exhibit an abnormal emission, the plot would result in an easily observable deviation from the line. The calculated intensity is used to make a determination of logical “1” or “0” for each device, which is automatically stored together with the corresponding test vector. The calculated logical states are then tabulated and compared against tabulation of reference logical states.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: DCG Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Neeraj Khurana
  • Patent number: 8072613
    Abstract: A system and method for measuring the inner space of a container provides for the measurement of the wear of the lining of a container such as a torpedo ladle optionally while the ladle is still hot. The interior lining of the container is scanned by a scanner head from a first position in the container which is at an angle relative to the vertical axis of the container. The scanner head is placed in a second position in the container at an angle relative to the vertical axis of the container and from the second position the scanner head scans the portions of the interior lining of the container which were not scanned during the first position scan. By comparing the scanning measurements of the lining from the first position scan and the second position scan after the container has been loaded and unloaded with an initial reference measurement of the lining the wear of the lining can be measured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Specialty Minerals (Michigan) Inc.
    Inventors: Joerg Schmitz, Rolf Lamm, Christoph Carlhoff
  • Patent number: 8064058
    Abstract: A disclosed optical testing apparatus comprises: a plurality of optical fibers, each optical fiber having a collection end in optical communication with an output end; and a support member supporting the collection ends of the optical fibers so as to simultaneously view an examination region from different angles. A disclosed optical testing apparatus comprises a plurality of optical fibers having collection ends arranged to simultaneously view an examination region from a plurality of different angles. A disclosed optical testing apparatus comprises a plurality of optical fibers, each optical fiber having a collection end, the collection ends of the optical fibers arranged in fixed spatial relationship respective to one another to simultaneously view an examination region from different angles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: GE Lighting Solutions, LLC
    Inventors: Boris Kolodin, Emil Radkov, Mark J. Mayer
  • Patent number: 8059282
    Abstract: A reflective film thickness measurement method includes reading an original spectral image of a thin film measured by a broadband light source passing through a measurement system, transforming the original spectral image into a broadband reflectance wavelength function and then into a broadband frequency-domain function, dividing the broadband frequency-domain function by a single-wavelength frequency-domain function to obtain an ideal frequency-domain function, inverse-transforming the ideal frequency-domain function into an ideal reflectance wavelength function, and performing a curve fitting on the ideal reflectance wavelength function and a reflectance wavelength thickness general expression, so as to obtain a thickness of the thin film. A spectral image spatial axis direction processing method is performed to eliminate optical aberration in a deconvolution manner, so as to obtain spectral images of high spatial resolution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
    Inventor: Fu-Shiang Yang
  • Patent number: 8049871
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for measurement of the stress in and thickness of flat glass or curved glass segments is disclosed that uses fluorescence to quickly and accurately ascertain both the thickness of the stress layers and the wall thickness in addition to the stress curve in flat glass or curved glass segments. The apparatus and method may be used to quickly and accurately measure both the stress in and the thickness of flat glass or curved glass segments at a plurality of various locations therein. The apparatus and method are adapted for large scale flat glass or curved glass segment manufacturing, and are capable of high speed measurement of the stress in and the thickness of the flat glass or curved glass segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: Emhart Glass S.A.
    Inventors: William J. Furnas, Sarath K. Tennakoon, Gary C. Weber
  • Patent number: 8049895
    Abstract: Values for one or more particle properties, such as an aerosol asymmetry parameter g, can be measured directly using a detector that measures scattered light. The detector can comprise two or more diffusers coupled to optical sensors responsive to scattered light that is incident on the surfaces of the diffusers. One or more weighing functions can be obtained based on diffuser geometry. In an example, the diffusers correspond to quadrants of a circular toroid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education, on behalf of the Desert Research Institute
    Inventors: Hans Moosmüller, W. Patrick Arnott
  • Patent number: 8045181
    Abstract: An inspection system is provided. The inspection system comprises a light source, a grating, a phase shifting unit, an imager, and a processor. The light source is configured to generate light. The grating is in a path of the generated light and is configured to produce a grating image after the light passes through the grating. The phase shifting unit is configured to form and reflect a plurality of phase shifted patterns of the grating image onto an object surface to form a plurality of projected phase shifting patterns. The imager is configured to obtain image data of the projected phase shifted patterns. The processor is configured to reconstruct the object surface from the image data. An inspection method and a phase shifting projector are also presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Gil Abramovich, Kevin George Harding, Ralph Gerald Isaacs, Guiju Song, Joseph Benjamin Ross, Jianming Zheng
  • Patent number: 8045184
    Abstract: A method for making a sample for evaluation of laser irradiation position and evaluating the sample, and an apparatus which is switchable between a first mode of modification of semiconductor and a second mode of making and evaluating the sample. Specifically, a sample is made by irradiating a semiconductor substrate for evaluation with a pulse laser beam while the semiconductor substrate is moved for evaluation at an evaluation speed higher than a modifying treatment speed, each relative positional information between pulse-irradiated regions in the sample is extracted, and stability of the each relative positional information between pulse-irradiated regions is evaluated. The evaluation speed is such a speed that separates the pulse-irradiated regions on the sample from each other in a moving direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryusuke Kawakami, Miyuki Masaki
  • Patent number: 8045145
    Abstract: Systems and methods for acquiring information about a defect on a specimen are provided. One system includes an optical subsystem configured to acquire topography information about the defect. The system also includes an electron beam subsystem configured to acquire additional information about the defect. One method includes acquiring first data for the defect using an optical technique and second data for the defect using an electron beam technique. The first and second data is acquired while the specimen is disposed in a single vacuum chamber. The method also includes determining topography information about the defect from the first data. In addition, the method includes determining additional information about the defect from the second data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Dave Bakker, Gabor Toth, Varoujan Chakarian
  • Patent number: 8031340
    Abstract: An optical system for a flow cytometer having a flow channel with an interrogation zone and an illumination source that impinges the flow channel in the interrogation zone includes a lens system and a detection system. The lens system preferably includes at least two lens surfaces located on opposite sides of the flow channel and configured to collect and collimate light from the interrogation zone. The detection system, configured to detect light from the lens system, preferably includes first and second detectors, a first filter that passes a first wavelength of light and reflects a second wavelength of light, and a second filter that reflects the first wavelength of light and passes the second wavelength of light, wherein the first and second filters are aligned such that light reflected from the first filter passes into the second detector and light reflected from the second filter passes into the first detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Accuri Cytometers, Inc.
    Inventors: Collin A. Rich, Nathaniel C. Bair
  • Patent number: 8027037
    Abstract: In a measuring system, a method for evaluating parameters of a workpiece includes measuring a periodic structure, such as a grating, on the workpiece to produce image data. An orientation of features in the image data, produced by higher order diffractions from the periodic structure, is identified. An orientation of the periodic structure is determined based on the orientation of the features in the image data. The image data is then modified, based on the orientation of the periodic structure, to correlate with, and for comparison to, simulated image data to ascertain parameters of the workpiece. Alternatively, optical components in the measuring system, or the workpiece itself, are adjusted to provide a desired alignment between the optical components and the periodic structure. A microstructure on the workpiece may then be measured, and the resulting image data may be compared to the simulated image data to ascertain parameters of the microstructure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: Nanometrics Incorporated
    Inventors: Mike Littau, Darren Forman, Chris Raymond, Steven Hummel