Patents Examined by Kara E. Geisel
  • Patent number: 9983056
    Abstract: An operating value of a first laser parameter of a laser device in a laser absorption spectrometer is optimized. The wavelength of laser device emitted light is adjusted by the first or a second laser parameter. The laser absorption spectrometer comprises a light intensity detector measuring the laser light intensity from the laser device. For each of multiple values of the first laser parameter: the light intensity detector measures light intensity obtained across a range of second laser parameter values, and an extremum in the light intensity measure and a peak position for the extremum are identified. A range of first laser parameter values is identified within the values of the first laser parameter for which there is a continuous trend in changes to the identified peak position with changes to the first laser parameter. The first laser parameter operating value is set to be within the identified range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Thermo Fisher Scientific (Bremen) GmbH
    Inventors: Ulf Froehlich, Eric Wapelhorst
  • Patent number: 9980789
    Abstract: A dental laser treatment system includes a treatment laser beam and a pilot (e.g., aiming/marking) laser beam sharing a collinear beam path, where the beam path is guided by a guidance system through a handpiece/main chamber assembly having a beam exit. A laser beam presence detector is removably affixed to or within the handpiece/main chamber assembly. The laser beam presence detector provides feedback to a computer which can control actuation of the treatment laser beam and the pilot laser beam, and the beam guidance system. The computer performs a search for determining the center location of the beam exit based on the feedback and controls the beam guidance system to guide the beam path approximately to the center of the beam exit, thereby providing automatic alignment of the laser beam with the beam exit or an optional hollow waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Convergent Dental, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher B. Courtin, William H. Groves, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9982991
    Abstract: A broadband spectroscopic analysis is used for controlling a distance (d) between a miniature solid immersion lens (SIL, 60) and a metrology target (30?). An objective lens arrangement (15, 60) including the SIL illuminates the metrology target with a beam of radiation with different wavelengths and collects a radiation (709) reflected or diffracted by the metrology target. A mounting (64) holds the SIL within a distance from the metrology target that is less than the coherence length of the illuminating radiation (703). A detection arrangement (812, 818) produces a spectrum of the radiation reflected or diffracted by the metrology target. The distance between the SIL and the metrology target or other target surface can be inferred from spectral shifts observed in the detected spectrum. Servo control of the distance is implemented based on these shifts, using an actuator (66).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventor: Nitesh Pandey
  • Patent number: 9976961
    Abstract: A SERS element comprises a substrate; a fine structure part formed on a front face of the substrate and having a plurality of pillars; and a conductor layer formed on the fine structure part and constituting an optical function part for generating surface-enhanced Raman scattering. The conductor layer has a base part formed along the front face of the substrate and a plurality of protrusions protruding from the base part at respective positions corresponding to the pillars. The base part and the protrusions form a plurality of gaps in the conductor layer, each of the gaps having an interstice gradually decreasing in the projecting direction of the pillar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS K.K.
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Maruyama, Katsumi Shibayama, Masashi Ito, Toru Hirohata, Hiroki Kamei
  • Patent number: 9971024
    Abstract: A LiDAR sensor can include a laser configured to output electromagnetic pulses and an optical splitter positioned to split each of the electromagnetic pulses into (i) at least one calibration pulse, and (ii) at least one external pulse directed toward an object external from the LiDAR sensor. The LiDAR sensor can further include a photodetector configured to detect the at least one calibration pulse and a reflected pulse based on the at least one external pulse reflecting from the object. The LiDAR sensor can further include a processor configured to adjust a bias voltage of the photodetector based on the at least one calibration pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Brent S. Schwarz, James A. Haslim, Nicholas M. Iturraran, Michael D. Karasoff
  • Patent number: 9970860
    Abstract: A polarization inspector for inspecting an inspection target, the polarization inspector having a polarization divider for spatially dividing at least a reflected beam of light from the inspection target by irradiating an illumination beam into divided beams of lights mutually different in polarization direction; one or more optical receivers for receiving the divided beams of lights and generating an image signal based on the divided beams of lights; and a processor for calculating at least one of an elliptical azimuth angle, a polarization degree and a polarization component intensity from the image signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Kodai Murayama, Tomohito Nohno, Toyoaki Hamaguchi, Soukichi Funazaki
  • Patent number: 9964482
    Abstract: A novel methodology for detecting cloud particles is disclosed herein. This methodology exploits the optical glory phenomenon. According to one embodiment, a method for detecting clouds includes receiving data from a sensor which is configured to measure polarization of scattered light in a direction substantially opposite to the direction of incident light, and identifying, from the received sensor data, a cloud based on the polarization of the scattered light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Wenbo Sun, Gorden Videen, Michael I. Mishchenko
  • Patent number: 9964432
    Abstract: Method and system for measuring vibration in two or three directions in objects (12) by using three illumination light beams (11A-C) for measurement of in-plane vibrations in two directions, where one of the three illumination light beams (11A-C) is common for the two in-plane measurements, and where the three illumination light beams (11A-C) are configured to provide free space at one side of the object (12) for easier access to the object. The method and system is further arranged for using two illumination light beams (30A-B) for measuring vibrations in the object (12) in a third direction, which third direction is out-of-plane direction, where one illumination light beam (30A) is illuminating the object (12) through an imaging objective (16) and one illumination light beam (30B) is used as reference beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: Optonor AS
    Inventor: Eiolf Vikhagen
  • Patent number: 9958255
    Abstract: An agile optical imaging system for optical coherence tomography imaging using a tunable source comprising a wavelength tunable VCL laser is disclosed. The tunable source has long coherence length and is capable of high sweep repetition rate, as well as changing the sweep trajectory, sweep speed, sweep repetition rate, sweep linearity, and emission wavelength range on the fly to support multiple modes of OCT imaging. The imaging system also offers new enhanced dynamic range imaging capability for accommodating bright reflections. Multiscale imaging capability allows measurement over orders of magnitude dimensional scales. The imaging system and methods for generating the waveforms to drive the tunable laser in flexible and agile modes of operation are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignees: THORLABS, INC., PRAEVIUM RESEARCH, INC.
    Inventors: Benjamin Michael Potsaid, James Yi Jiang, Vijaysekhar Jayaraman, Scott Barry, Anjul M. Davis Loiacono, Alex Ezra Cable
  • Patent number: 9958258
    Abstract: Portable device for contactless measurement of a size, such as the diameter, of small and medium sized objects, such as wires, bars or tubes, even in movement, which comprises a light beam generator (1), two light beam deflector elements (2, 4) located opposite each other, a measuring region (3), an enlarging lens (5), a light beam splitting device (6). The light beam is split into two parts to form two separate images of the object (14) to be measured, being perceived by two linear image sensors (7.1, 7.2) and processed by two electronic circuits (8.1 and 8.2) and by an electronic processing component (9).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: AEROEL S.R.L.
    Inventors: Antonio Spizzamiglio, Paolo Micossi, Luciano Bressan
  • Patent number: 9958265
    Abstract: A specimen measuring device includes: a light source device that irradiates a specimen surface of a specimen with illumination light from multiple illumination units at a plurality of illumination angles; a spectral camera device that is arranged above the specimen surface, spectrally separates reflected light from the specimen surface, and acquires 2D spectral information through a single image capturing operation; and a calculating unit that calculates deflection angle spectral information of the specimen surface used to measure a measurement value of a certain evaluation item of the specimen using a change in an optical geometrical condition of an illumination direction and an image capturing direction between pixels in an X axis direction and a Y axis direction of the spectral information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Sho Nagai, Kensuke Masuda, Go Maruyama, Yuji Yamanaka, Naohiro Kamijo, Kenji Kagitani
  • Patent number: 9958256
    Abstract: A system to digitally scan an object in three dimensions is disclosed. The system includes a server system, a memory system, a website and a scanner that scans an object and transfers any number of scanner data to the memory system, the scanner data resides on the digitally scan an object in three dimensions non-transitory storage media and includes any number of object dimensions such as length, width and height of the object, a three-dimensional object file and any number of raw video or any number of images of the object. The system includes a corresponding method for digitally scanning an object in three dimensions and a non-transitory computer storage media having instructions stored thereon which, when executed, execute the method for digitally scanning an object in three dimensions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Inventors: Jason Joachim, Jeremy Joachim, Michael Glombicki, Shai Bernstein, Todd Richard Goodall
  • Patent number: 9958322
    Abstract: A device for a device for preventing the intensity reduction of an optical signal, an optical emission spectrometer, an optical instrument, and a mass spectrometer including the same are provided. The device for preventing the intensity reduction includes a shielding filter which has a mesh structure capable of blocking RF electromagnetic waves radiated from a plasma field for a wafer processing, is installed in the front of an optical window of an optical emission spectrometer for measuring the plasma field from an emission spectrum image of the plasma field, and collects charging particles passing through the mesh.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: INDUSTRY-ACADEMIC COOPERATION FOUNDATION YONSEI UNIVERSITY
    Inventor: Jae Won Hahn
  • Patent number: 9958400
    Abstract: A pill inspection apparatus of the present invention includes: an illumination portion 30 for irradiating light to a medical envelope 20 in which at least a translucent pill 22 is enclosed; an imaging portion 11 for acquiring a transmission image of the irradiated medical envelope 20; and an image processing portion 12 for detecting, as the translucent pill 22, a pill having a brightness value of its outer periphery lower than that of its center using the transmission image, the illumination portion 30 includes a light emitting portion 31, and a light-collecting portion 33 for collecting light is provided between the light emitting portion 31 and the medical envelope 20. By obtaining a uniform outline of the translucent pill 22 irrespective of a shooting position, it is possible to inspect the translucent pill 22 irrespective of a permeation rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC HEALTHCARE HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takanobu Tanimoto, Hitoshi Yamashita, Hiroshi Ehara
  • Patent number: 9961253
    Abstract: A system for providing an automatically focused image comprises an imaging system including a high speed periodically modulated variable focal length (VFL) lens, a VFL lens controller, a VFL-projected light source, a focus determining portion, an exposure timing adjustment circuit, and an exposure strobe time controller. The focus determining portion comprises an optical detector that inputs reflected VFL-projected light that is projected to, and reflected from, a workpiece through the VFL lens, and provides a focus deviation signal. The exposure timing adjustment circuit provides an exposure timing adjustment signal based on the focus deviation signal, which indicates a time when the imaging system focus Z-height approximately coincides with the workpiece surface Z height. The exposure strobe time controller uses the exposure timing adjustment signal to adjust the image exposure time so the imaging system focus Z-height coincides with the workpiece surface Z height at the adjusted image exposure time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Kamil Bryll, Mark Lawrence Delaney
  • Patent number: 9952100
    Abstract: A handheld LIBS spectrometer system features an optics stage moveable with respect to a housing and including a laser focusing lens. A laser source is mounted in the housing for directing a laser beam to a sample via the laser focusing lens. A detection fiber is mounted in the housing and is fixed relative thereto. A first mirror is fixed relative to the housing and includes an aperture for the laser beam. This mirror is oriented to re-direct plasma radiation for delivery to the detection fiber. A controller subsystem is responsive to the output of a spectrometer subsystem and is configured to control the laser source and the optics stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: SciAps, Inc.
    Inventors: David R. Day, Konstantin Derman, John Francis Egan, Paul Edward Soucy
  • Patent number: 9945656
    Abstract: A multi-function spectroscopic device includes a first lens installed in an emission direction of parallel light and focusing the light in a center portion thereof, a second lens disposed to face the first lens and, a reference mirror installed to face the second lens, a beam splitter installed between the first lens and the second lens, a third lens focusing light which moves through the beam splitter onto a measurement object, a fourth lens focusing light which is reflected by the measurement object and reversely moves through the third lens and the beam splitter, a fifth lens converting light which is diffused through a second focus of the fourth lens into parallel light, and a diffraction grating obliquely disposed with respect to a light axis of the fifth lens and diffracting parallel light which moves through the fifth lens and split the parallel light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: KOREA INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Ho Jae Lee, Sang Seon Lee
  • Patent number: 9945773
    Abstract: A flow cell (2) includes a plate-shaped body 21 that is almost rectangular in a plan view, an introduction portion (22) that is made of a concave portion formed in the upper surface of the body (21), a channel (23) that is formed inside the body (21) and has one end connected to the lower end of the introduction portion (22), and a delivery portion (24) that is made of a concave portion formed in the body (21) and has the lower end connected to the other end of the channel (23). The introduction portion (22) is formed to cause the meniscus of a liquid introduced from an opening to apply, to the liquid, a positive pressure or a negative pressure whose absolute value is smaller than that of a negative pressure applied to the liquid introduced into the channel (23) by the meniscus of the liquid. The channel (23) is formed to cause the meniscus of the liquid introduced into the channel (23) to apply a negative pressure to the liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsuyoshi Hayashi, Yuzuru Iwasaki, Suzuyo Inoue, Nobuaki Matsuura, Tsutomu Horiuchi, Emi Tamechika
  • Patent number: 9939383
    Abstract: An analysis (e.g., LIBS) system includes a source of radiation, an optical emission path for the radiation from the source of radiation to a sample, and an optical detection path for photons emitted by the sample. A detector fiber bundle transmits photons to the spectrometer subsystem. At least one fiber of the fiber bundle is connected to an illumination source (e.g., an LED) for directing light via at least a portion of the detection path in a reverse direction to the sample for aligning, sample presence detection, localizing, and/or focusing based on analysis of the resulting illumination spot on the sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: SciAps, Inc.
    Inventor: David R. Day
  • Patent number: 9933354
    Abstract: A substrate for surface-enhanced Raman spectography includes a support including an upper surface; a multilayer deposited on the upper surface, with the multilayer including at least two metal layers separated from each other by an intermediate layer, the intermediate layer being selectively etchable with respect to the metal layers, the multilayer being passed through by at least one trench delimited by ends of each one of the layers of the multilayer, each end of each intermediate layer being set back with respect to the end of each metal layer adjacent to the intermediate layer in such a way that the ends of two successive metal layers form metal pins separated by a cavity; a reflective optical system arranged in each trench, with the reflective optical system being arranged to direct inside the cavities an incident light arriving according to an angle with respect to the upper surface of the support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: COMMISSARIAT À L'ÉNERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ÉNERGIES ALTERNATIVES
    Inventors: Stefan Landis, Vincent Reboud