Patents Examined by Marcus Taningco
  • Patent number: 9851296
    Abstract: A diagnostic system for measuring temperature, pressure, CO2 concentration and H2O concentration in a fluid stream is described. The system may include one or more probes that sample the fluid stream spatially, temporally and over ranges of pressure and temperature. Laser light sources are directed down pitch optical cables, through a lens and to a mirror, where the light sources are reflected back, through the lens to catch optical cables. The light travels through the catch optical cables to detectors, which provide electrical signals to a processer. The processer utilizes the signals to calculate CO2 concentration based on the temperatures derived from H2O vapor concentration. A probe for sampling CO2 and H2O vapor concentrations is also disclosed. Various mechanical features interact together to ensure the pitch and catch optical cables are properly aligned with the lens during assembly and use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: UT-Battelle, LLC
    Inventors: William P. Partridge, Jr., Gurneesh Singh Jatana, Ji Hyung Yoo, James E. Parks, II
  • Patent number: 9844353
    Abstract: For position sensors, e.g., a fiber-based system, that build a shape of an elongated member, such as a catheter, using a sequence of small orientation measurements, a small error in orientation at the proximal end of the sensor will cause large error in position at distal points on the fiber. Exemplary methods and systems are disclosed, which may provide full or partial registration along the length of the sensor to reduce the influence of the measurement error. Additional examples are directed to applying selective filtering at a proximal end of the elongated member to provide a more stable base for distal measurements and thereby reducing the influence of measurement errors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Hansen Medical, Inc.
    Inventors: Sean P. Walker, Serena H. Wong, June Park, Neal A. Tanner
  • Patent number: 9845334
    Abstract: A new family of neutron/gamma discriminating scintillators is disclosed that comprises stable organic glasses that may be melt-cast into transparent monoliths. These materials have been shown to provide light yields greater than solution-grown trans-stilbene crystals and efficient PSD capabilities when combined with 0.01 to 0.05% by weight of the total composition of a wavelength-shifting fluorophore. Photoluminescence measurements reveal fluorescence quantum yields that are 2 to 5 times greater than conventional plastic or liquid scintillator matrices, which accounts for the superior light yield of these glasses. The unique combination of high scintillation light-yields, efficient neutron/gamma PSD, and straightforward scale-up via melt-casting distinguishes the developed organic glasses from existing scintillators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC
    Inventors: Patrick L. Feng, Joseph S. Carlson
  • Patent number: 9841508
    Abstract: Three semiconductor detectors are installed at positions where incidence of radiation on a scintillation detector is not blocked, at equal intervals centered on a central axis of the scintillation detector and at equal angles with respect to a plane which is at a right angle to the central axis. An energy compensation factor is determined on the basis of an average pulse height value obtained from a second pulse height spectrum obtained by analog voltage pulses which are output from these semiconductor detectors, and energy characteristics of a high-range dose rate obtained by a direct-current voltage which is output from the scintillation detector are compensated for.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenichi Moteki, Toshihide Aiba
  • Patent number: 9841380
    Abstract: This invention concerns the field of sample identification, in particular a method and apparatuses for identifying or discriminating biological species from non biological species, both as individual particles and as components of a composition, by pump-probe fluorescence spectroscopy for time-resolved detection or imaging. The method uses the finding that the UV-induced fluorescence of biological molecules is varied, in particular is depleted, by the addition of visible radiation, whereas this does not occur with non-biological organic molecules. The invention discriminates the fluorescence signals of bio and non-bio particles or species using a differential approach, i.e. the comparison. of the total fluorescence recorded with and without additional visible radiation. This allows to discriminate biological particles comprising aromatic amino-acids (AA), like peptides, proteins, bacteria, viruses, pollens, spores, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: University of Geneva
    Inventors: Jean-Pierre Wolf, Luigi Bonacina, Gustavo Alexandre Subtil Sousa
  • Patent number: 9835742
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a neutron imaging detector and a method for detecting neutrons. In one example, a method includes providing a neutron imaging detector including plurality of memory cells and a conversion layer on the memory cells, setting one or more of the memory cells to a first charge state, positioning the neutron imaging detector in a neutron environment for a predetermined time period, and reading a state change at one of the memory cells, and measuring a charge state change at one of the plurality of memory cells from the first charge state to a second charge state less than the first charge state, where the charge state change indicates detection of neutrons at said one of the memory cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: RADIATION MONITORING DEVICES, INC
    Inventors: Vivek V. Nagarkar, Mitali J. More
  • Patent number: 9829587
    Abstract: A radiographing system includes a plurality of radiation imaging apparatuses and a control apparatus. The control apparatus includes a memory, a processor, a shifting unit, a determining unit, and a disabling unit. The shifting unit shifts the radiation imaging apparatus into the radiographing enabled state in which radiation is detected and a radiographic image is generated. The determining unit determine whether to disable shifting the radiation imaging apparatus into the radiographing enabled state based on control for radiographing using a different radiation imaging apparatus currently in the radiographing enabled state. The disabling unit disables shifting the radiation imaging apparatus into the radiographing enabled state based on a determination result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tadahiko Iijima, Hirokazu Ohguri, Shinji Yamanaka
  • Patent number: 9823121
    Abstract: A measurement wafer device for measuring radiation intensity and temperature includes a wafer assembly including one or more cavities. The measurement wafer device further includes a detector assembly. The detector assembly is disposed within the one or more cavities of the wafer assembly. The detector assembly includes one or more light sensors. The detector assembly is further configured to perform a direct or indirect measurement of the intensity of ultraviolet light incident on a surface of the wafer assembly. The detector assembly is further configured to determine a temperature of one or more portions of the wafer assembly based on one or more characteristics of the one or more light sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Mei Sun, Earl Jensen, Kevin O'Brien
  • Patent number: 9818887
    Abstract: An inspection system including an optical system (optics) to direct light from an illumination source to a sample, and to direct light reflected/scattered from the sample to one or more image sensors. At least one image sensor of the system is formed on a semiconductor membrane including an epitaxial layer having opposing surfaces, with circuit elements formed on one surface of the epitaxial layer, and a pure boron layer on the other surface of the epitaxial layer. The image sensor may be fabricated using CCD (charge coupled device) or CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) technology. The image sensor may be a two-dimensional area sensor, or a one-dimensional array sensor. The image sensor can be included in an electron-bombarded image sensor and/or in an inspection system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Jehn-Huar Chern, Ali R. Ehsani, Gildardo Delgado, David L. Brown, Yung-Ho Alex Chuang, John Fielden
  • Patent number: 9817159
    Abstract: A pattern projector disclosed herein generates and projects a structured light pattern suitable for use in a variety of active depth sensing technologies. In one implementation, a structured light pattern is generated by directing a coherent light beam through a pseudorandom diffuser element. Output of the pseudorandom diffuser element is received by a relay optic configured to spatially filter incident light to generate an output speckle illumination and to project the output speckle illumination to a three-dimensional scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Inventor: Josh Hudman
  • Patent number: 9810625
    Abstract: A method for detecting and quantifying fibrosis, which involves at least; positioning a non-colored fixed tissue sample on a support; carrying out infrared acquisition, by scanning, of points of the sample; converting the infrared spectrum produced by each acquired point into at least one spectral image; carrying out a digital processing operation on the spectral image by distinguishing between at least physiological collagen and pathological collagen from fibrosis, attributing, to each point, a spectral class defined by an algorithm classifying the spectra according to the spectral similarities % thereof, then attributing a status to each class by statistically comparing with a digital model of spectra; quantifying the relative surface area occupied by the points of each status; and recording the result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: UNIVERSITE DE REIMS CHAMPAGNE-ARDENNE
    Inventors: Vincent Vuiblet, Olivier Piot, Philippe Rieu, Michael Fere, Cyril Gobinet
  • Patent number: 9808218
    Abstract: Disclosed is a radiation image capturing system including a portable radiation image capturing apparatus and a portable console. The portable radiation image capturing apparatus can generate image data according to irradiated radiation and transmit the generated image data by wireless communication. The portable console includes a first wireless communication unit which can receive the image data transmitted from the radiation image capturing apparatus and a second wireless communication unit which can communicate with an external apparatus or system by wireless communication. The console gives priority to one wireless communication than the other between the wireless communication through the first wireless communication unit or the wireless communication through the second wireless communication unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Hidetake Tezuka, Yuuichi Nishijima, Akio Takagi, Koji Takemura
  • Patent number: 9810822
    Abstract: According to one aspect, the invention relates to an angular optical filtering element (Ei) optimized for angular filtering about a given operating angle of incidence (?i, 1) in a given spectral band. The angular filtering element (Ei) comprises a first nanostructured, band-pass, spectral filter (11i, 301) and a second nanostructured, band-pass, spectral filter (12i, 302). Each of the first and second spectral filters comprises, respectively, in said spectral band, a first and a second central filtering wavelength that respectively has a first and second angular dispersion curve defined depending on the angle of incidence (?inc) on the optical filtering element (Ei), the curves of angular dispersion being secant about the operating angle of incidence (?i, 1) of the optical filtering element. The invention applies to the production of a selective angular filtering device and to a multidirectional optical detection system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignees: CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE—CNRS, Office National d'Etudes et de Recherches Aérospatiales—ONERA
    Inventors: Emilie Sakat, Riad Haïdar, Jean-Luc Pelouard, Patrick Bouchon, Grégory Vincent
  • Patent number: 9809849
    Abstract: The present teachings relate to a method and system for normalizing spectra across multiple instruments. In an embodiment of the present invention, the method comprises at least one reference instrument and a test instrument. Each instrument comprises at least one excitation filter and at least one emission filter arranged in pairs. Each instrument further comprises a pure dye plate comprising a plurality of wells. Each well contains a plurality of dyes where each dye comprises a fluorescent component. Fluorescent spectra are obtained from each instrument for each dye across multiple filter combinations to contribute to a pure dye matrix Mref for the reference instrument and pure dye matrix M for the test instrument. The pure dye spectra can then be multiplied by correction factors for each filter pair to result in corrected pure dye spectra, then normalized and the multicomponenting data can be extracted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: Life Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Jeffrey Marks
  • Patent number: 9799817
    Abstract: A detector for detecting single photons of infrared radiation or longer wavelength electromagnetic radiation. In one embodiment a waveguide configured to transmit infrared radiation is arranged to be adjacent a graphene sheet and configured so that evanescent waves from the waveguide overlap the graphene sheet. In other embodiments a transmission line or antenna is coupled to the graphene sheet and guides longer-wavelength photons to the graphene sheet. A photon absorbed by the graphene sheet heats the graphene sheet. Part of the graphene sheet is part of the Josephson junction as the weak link, and a constant bias current is driven through the Josephson junction; an increase in the temperature of the graphene sheet results in a decrease in the critical current of the Josephson junction and a voltage pulse in the voltage across the Josephson junction. The voltage pulse is detected by the pulse detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: RAYTHEON BBN TECHNOLOGIES CORP.
    Inventors: Kin Chung Fong, Thomas A. Ohki
  • Patent number: 9796922
    Abstract: A scintillation crystal can include Ln(1-y)REyX3, wherein Ln represents a rare earth element, RE represents a different rare earth element, y has a value in a range of 0 to 1, and X represents a halogen. In an embodiment, RE is Ce, and the scintillation crystal is doped with Sr, Ba, or a mixture thereof at a concentration of at least approximately 0.0002 wt. %. In another embodiment, the scintillation crystal can have unexpectedly improved linearity and unexpectedly improved energy resolution properties. In a further embodiment, a radiation detection system can include the scintillation crystal, a photosensor, and an electronics device. Such a radiation detection system can be useful in a variety of radiation imaging applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN CERAMICS & PLASTICS, INC.
    Inventors: Peter R. Menge, Vladimir Ouspenski
  • Patent number: 9791576
    Abstract: The present invention provides a scintillator panel which is provided with a narrow barrier rib with high accuracy in a large area, has a high light emission luminance, and provides sharp images. The present invention provides a scintillator panel including: a plate-like substrate; a grid-like barrier rib provided on the substrate; and a scintillator layer containing a phosphor filled in cells divided by the barrier rib, wherein the barrier rib is mainly composed of a low-melting-point glass, and the substrate is formed of a material which is mainly composed of a ceramic selected from the group consisting of alumina, aluminum nitride, mullite and steatite.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Tsubasa Hamano, Takahiro Tanino, Yuichiro Iguchi
  • Patent number: 9792678
    Abstract: Assembly and quality of an electronic vaping device (“e-vaping device”) may be tested and verified using imaging techniques. Infrared (“IR”) imaging may identify whether a temperature is uniform in an vaping device during usage. Potential burning locations may be identified through the imaging by identifying locations whose temperature is unusually high or non-uniform. This temperature information may be used to calibrate the power of the e-vaping device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: SIS Resources, Ltd.
    Inventors: Eyal Peleg, Bernard Juster
  • Patent number: 9784856
    Abstract: A radiographic image capturing apparatus includes the following. A connector coupling detector detects coupling between an external connector and a connector of the radiographic image capturing apparatus. A power supply detector detects an available state of external electric power. A controller controls a turned-on and a turned-off state of the radiographic image capturing apparatus. At a timing when the power supply detector detects a change from the available state to the unavailable state of the external electric power, the controller turns off the radiographic image capturing apparatus if the connector coupling detector detects the coupling between the external connector and the connector of the radiographic image capturing apparatus, or the controller maintains the turned-on state if the connector coupling detector detects the uncoupling between the external connector and the connector of the radiographic image capturing apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Tetsuo Kubota, Akira Hiroshige, Takanori Kakigi
  • Patent number: 9784857
    Abstract: Focusing on a gamma ray detection phenomenon (event) in which a gamma ray from a gamma ray source is Compton scattered at a first-stage detector, the gamma ray is photoelectrically absorbed at a second-stage detector, the spatial distribution of the gamma ray source is imaged within a predetermined image space on the basis of measurement data for the interaction of the detectors and gamma rays. At this time, a probability parameter (vij) indicating the probability that Compton-scattered gamma ray arrived from within the image space and a detection sensitivity parameter (sij) indicating gamma ray detection sensitivity are set for each event and each pixel on the basis of the measurement data for each event, and these parameters are used to determine the pixel values (?j) for each pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: RIKEN
    Inventors: Takahiro Ida, Shinji Motomura, Shuichi Enomoto