Patents Examined by Maurice Smith
  • Patent number: 9791316
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for calibrating spectral measurements taken of one or more targets from an aerial vehicle. Multiple photo sensors may be configured to obtain spectral measurements of one or more ambient light sources. The obtained spectral measurements of the one or more ambient light sources may be used to calibrate the obtained spectral measurements of the target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: SLANTRANGE, INC.
    Inventors: Michael Ritter, Michael Milton
  • Patent number: 9772399
    Abstract: A LiDAR can include a laser, an avalanche photodiode, a splitter, and a processor. The laser can be configured to emit a narrow electromagnetic pulse. The avalanche photodiode can be configured to receive one or more electromagnetic pulses and output a response signal in response to said pulses. The photodiode can also be positioned to receive at least one reflected pulse, reflected by an object external from the LiDAR sensor and caused by the laser. The avalanche photodiode can also have a bias voltage applied to it affecting the response signal. The splitter can be positioned to receive the narrow electromagnetic pulse and split it into at least one external pulse directed toward the object external from the LiDAR sensor and at least one calibration pulse directed toward the photodiode. The calibration pulse directed toward the photodiode can be received by the photodiode before the pulse reflected by the object. The processor can be configured to receive response signals from the photodiode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Brent S. Schwarz, James A. Haslim, Nicholas M. Iturraran, Michael D. Karasoff
  • Patent number: 9762565
    Abstract: Unique methods and systems are introduced herein for the determination of unique spatial light modulator based optical signatures of intrinsic and extrinsic scattering surface markers. These techniques can be used to authenticate semiconductor components and systems at various stages during the manufacturing process by measuring and cross correlating the surface marker's unique optical signature. In addition, these techniques can be used with extrinsic surface markers which are added to existing hardware (e.g. containers, locks, doors, etc.). These markers can then be measured for their unique optical signatures, which can be stored and used at a later time for cross-correlation to authenticate the surface marker and verify the hardware's provenance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: Washington State University
    Inventors: Hergen Eilers, Benjamin Richard Anderson, Ray Gunawidjaja, Patrick David Price
  • Patent number: 9759604
    Abstract: A spectrometer comprises a package having a stem and a cap, an optical unit arranged on the stem, and a lead pin penetrating through the stem. The optical unit has a dispersive part for dispersing and reflecting light entering from a light entrance part of the cap, a light detection element for detecting the light dispersed and reflected by the dispersive part, a support for supporting the light detection element such as to form a space between the dispersive part and the light detection element, a projection projecting from the support, and a wiring electrically connected to the light detection element. The projection is arranged at such a position as to be separated from the stem. The lead pin is electrically connected to the second terminal part while being disposed to the projection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS K.K.
    Inventors: Katsumi Shibayama, Takafumi Yokino
  • Patent number: 9759608
    Abstract: A color measuring device includes a color difference meter module. The color difference meter module includes: a main detecting unit having an optical detecting unit configured to receive light introduced from an incident lens to generate a first current depending on a color, a first measuring unit configured to measure the first current, a sub-detecting unit having a dark detecting unit disposed adjacent to the main detecting unit and blocking the light to generate a second current in a dark state, a second measuring unit configured to measure the second current, a leakage measuring unit including a charging unit provided in the second measuring unit and charged with a predetermined set current, and measures a third current leaking from the charging unit, and a control unit that corrects the first current by reflecting the second current and the third current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: ANI. Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Byung Jun Oh, Kyu Ho Lee, Kyu Seok Kim, Sun Ho Cho
  • Patent number: 9752934
    Abstract: Provided is a method for performing a wavelength calibration of a monochromator with a diffraction grating by casting light from a standard light source whose emission intensity contains a change with a predetermined cycle onto the diffraction grating and measuring an intensity of light reflected by the grating. The method includes the steps of: measuring at least two times the intensity of the reflected light from the grating within the aforementioned cycle at each of the rotational positions of the grating corresponding to a range of wavelengths including a peak wavelength of a bright line spectral light generated by the standard light source; determining an intensity value 201 at each rotational position based on all the measured values obtained at the rotational position; and locating, as the peak wavelength of the bright line spectral light, a wavelength at which the intensity value 201 is maximized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Minato
  • Patent number: 9746349
    Abstract: An opto-electronic sensor module (e.g., an optical proximity sensor module) includes a substrate, a light emitter mounted on a first surface of the substrate, the light emitter being operable to emit light at a first wavelength, and a light detector mounted on the first surface of the substrate, the light detector being operable to detect light at the first wavelength. The module includes an optics member disposed substantially parallel to the substrate, and a separation member disposed between the substrate and the optics member. The separation member may surround the light emitter and the light detector, and may include a wall portion that extends from the substrate to the optics member and that separates the light emitter and the light detector from one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: Heptagon Micro Optics Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Hartmut Rudmann, Alexander Bietsch, Susanne Westenhöfer, Simon Gubser, Samuele Laffranchini
  • Patent number: 9736355
    Abstract: A variable focal length (VFL) lens system is utilized to determine surface Z-height measurements of imaged surfaces. A controller of the system is configured to control a VFL lens (e.g., a tunable acoustic gradient index of refraction lens) to periodically modulate its optical power and thereby periodically modulate a focus position at a first operating frequency, wherein the periodically modulated VFL lens optical power defines a first periodic modulation phase. A phase timing signal is synchronized with a periodic signal in the controller that has the first operating frequency and that has a second periodic modulation phase that has a phase offset relative to the first periodic modulation phase. A phase offset compensating portion is configured to perform a phase offset compensating process that provides Z-height measurements, wherein at least one of Z-height errors or Z-height variations that are related to a phase offset contribution are at least partially eliminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventor: Robert Kamil Bryll
  • Patent number: 9726573
    Abstract: To eliminate a need for polarization adjustment, to simplify a configuration, and to make a configuration at low cost. Wavelength swept light is provided to a measurement-target optical fiber having an FBG with a chirped grating interval. A polarization multiplexing unit generates polarization multiplexed reference light by multiplexing first reference light and second reference light, which are swept in a wavelength in the same manner as wavelength swept light and have polarizations orthogonal to each other. Polarization multiplexed reference light is input to combine means along with reflected light from measurement-target optical fiber and is made to interfere with reflected light. A signal processing unit performs Fourier transform processing on the digital signal by dividing a time domain into a plurality of periods, and synthesizes the Fourier transform results on a distance axis to obtain a measurement result of orthogonal polarization components of reflected light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: ANRITSU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takashi Mori
  • Patent number: 9719853
    Abstract: A handheld LIBS spectrometer includes an optics stage movably mounted to a housing and including a laser focusing lens and a detection lens. One or more motors advance and retract the optics stage, move the optics stage left and right, and/or move the optics stage up and down. A laser source in the housing is oriented to direct a laser beam to the laser focusing lens. A spectrometer subsystem in the housing is configured to receive electromagnetic radiation from the detection lens and to provide an output. A controller subsystem is responsive to the output of the spectrometer subsystem and is configured to control the laser source and motors. In this way, auto-calibration, auto-clean, and auto-focus, and/or moving spot functionality is possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: SciAps, Inc.
    Inventors: David R. Day, Konstantin Derman, John Francis Egan, Paul Edward Soucy
  • Patent number: 9709441
    Abstract: A spectrometer (100) for analyzing the spectrum of an upstream light beam (1) includes an entrance slit (101) and angular dispersing elements (130). The angular dispersing elements include at least one polarization-dependent diffraction grating that is suitable for, at the plurality of wavelengths (1, 2, 3), diffracting a corrected light beam (20) into diffracted light beams (31, 32, 33) in a given particular diffraction order of the polarization-dependent diffraction grating, which is either the +1 diffraction order or the ?1 diffraction order, when the corrected light beam has a preset corrected polarization state that is circular; and the spectrometer includes elements for modifying polarization (1100) placed between the entrance slit and the angular dispersion elements, which are suitable for modifying the polarization state of the upstream light beam in order to generate the corrected light beam with a preset corrected polarization state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: HORIBA JOBIN YVON SAS
    Inventors: Olivier Acher, Simon Richard
  • Patent number: 9709490
    Abstract: A test unit is formed by sandwiching a test lens by a first reference lens whose shape and refractive index are known, a second reference lens whose shape and refractive index are known, and a medium. A wavefront of light transmitted through the test unit is measured, and, by using the shape and the refractive index of the first reference lens, the shape and refractive index of the second reference lens, and the measured wavefront of the test unit, the refractive index distribution of the test lens is calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tomohiro Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 9696205
    Abstract: An array type light-receiving device includes a plurality of pixels two-dimensionally arranged in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, each of the pixels including a light-receiving layer having a responsivity to a wavelength of light. The pixels arranged in the second direction constitute a plurality of pixel lines extending in the second direction, the plurality of pixel lines being arranged in the first direction to form an array. The pixels in each of the pixel lines have different pixel areas from each other. In addition, the pixel area of each of the pixels included in at least one of the pixel lines is determined in accordance with the responsivity to a wavelength of light received by each of the pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Iguchi, Hiroshi Inada
  • Patent number: 9689799
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system and a method for measuring fluorescence of a sample. The sample may be a polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) array, a loop-mediated-isothermal amplification array, etc. LEDs are used to excite the sample, and a photodiode is used to collect the sample's fluorescence. An electronic offset signal is used to reduce the effects of background fluorescence and the noises from the measurement system. An integrator integrates the difference between the output of the photodiode and the electronic offset signal over a given period of time. The resulting integral is then converted into digital domain for further processing and storage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventor: Vincent J. Riot
  • Patent number: 9684092
    Abstract: A method of evaluating a shale source rock formation comprising: determining in situ partial pressures of a light hydrocarbon utilizing a downhole Raman tool and producing a map of spatial and vertical variations of the in situ partial pressures of the light hydrocarbon in the shale source rock formation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: SHELL OIL COMPANY
    Inventors: Lubomyr Taras Bryndzia, Saad Jamil Saleh, Calum Ian Macaulay, Neil Robert Braunsdorf, Theodericus Johannes Henricus Smit, Ronny Hofmann, Brian Harvey Hoffe, Ezequiel Francisco Gonzalez San Miguel
  • Patent number: 9684005
    Abstract: An apparatus for spectroscopic analysis of vinificition liquids features a sample holder for a sample container of vinification liquid, a light source for directing a beam of light into the sample supported by the sample holder, a spectrometer arranged for receiving and measuring the beam of light after interaction thereof with the sample in order to perform a spectroscopic scan of the sample and generate measured spectral data thereon, and a scanning device positioned for scanning a machine readable code on the sample container. A computing device in communication with the spectrometer and the scanning device applies a classification to the measured spectral data of the sample according to a classification code read from the sample container. The classification code is used to determine what parameters should be calculated from the spectral data for the particular sample in question.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: BL PHOTONICS INC.
    Inventors: Eugene Gussakovsky, Efim Gussakovsky
  • Patent number: 9677993
    Abstract: The present invention provides systems, devices, and methods for point-of-care and/or distributed testing services. The methods and devices of the invention are directed toward automatic detection of analytes in a bodily fluid. The components of the device can be modified to allow for more flexible and robust use with the disclosed methods for a variety of medical, laboratory, and other applications. The systems, devices, and methods of the present invention can allow for effective use of samples by improved sample preparation and analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Theranos, Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony Nugent, Daniel Young, Elizabeth A. Holmes, Michael Siegel, Ryan Wistort
  • Patent number: 9664561
    Abstract: Raman scattering, while a powerful and versatile technique, relies of the detection of weak signals. Detecting the signal can be difficult if there is interference, especially if the interference comes from scattered stray light of the laser used to generate the Raman signal. Described here is a frequency modulation technique in combination with heterodyne detection that simultaneously rejects interference from ambient light as well as from scattered stray laser light. This provides a means to detect Raman signal and discriminate against scattered light without using an expensive and bulky spectrometer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Board of Regents of the University of Texas System
    Inventors: Philip Varghese, Manfred Fink
  • Patent number: 9664612
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating three-dimensional image information is disclosed. The apparatus includes a lens having a single imaging path operable to direct light captured within a field of view of the lens to an aperture plane of the lens. The apparatus also includes a polarizer located proximate the aperture plane, the polarizer including a first portion disposed to transmit light having a first polarization state through a first portion of the single imaging path and a second portion disposed to transmit light having a second polarization state through a second portion of the single imaging path, the first and second portions of the single imaging path providing respective first and second perspective viewpoints within the field of view of the lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Steropes Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas N. Mitchell, Ichiro Shinkoda
  • Patent number: 9642531
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of systems and methods can be provided which can generate data associated with at least one portion of a sample. For example, at least one first radiation can be forwarded to the portion through at least one optical arrangement. At least one second radiation can be received from the portion which is based on the first radiation. Based on an interaction between the optical arrangement and the first radiation and/or the second radiation, the optical arrangement can have a first transfer function. Further, it is possible to forward at least one third radiation to the portion through such optical arrangement (or through another optical arrangement), and receive at least one fourth radiation from the portion which is based on the third radiation. Based on an interaction between the optical arrangement (or the other optical arrangement) and the third radiation and/or the fourth radiation, the optical arrangement (or the other optical arrangement) can have a second transfer function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation
    Inventors: Guillermo J. Tearney, Brett Eugene Bouma, Joseph A. Gardecki, Linbo Liu