Patents Examined by Md A Rahman
  • Patent number: 9001324
    Abstract: A surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) probe apparatus and a method of SERS probing employ Raman-active surfaces of a plurality of nanoscale field concentrator (NFC) structures at a terminal end of an optical fiber. The SERS probe apparatus includes an optical fiber having an optical path and a terminal end that terminates the optical path. The SERS probe apparatus further includes a plurality of NFC structures and nanoparticles on surfaces of the plurality of NFC structures. First ends of the NFC structures are adjacent to the terminal end of optical fiber. The nanoparticles are Raman active to an analyte.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Zhiyong Li, Min Hu, Wei Wu
  • Patent number: 8994954
    Abstract: An optical coherence analysis system uses a laser swept source that is constrained to operate in a stable mode locked condition by modulating a drive current to the semiconductor optical amplifier as function of wavelength or synchronously with the drive voltage of the laser's tunable element based on stability map for the laser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Axsun Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Walid A. Atia, Randal A. Murdza, Peter S. Whitney
  • Patent number: 8994933
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for characterizing a replica tape which has been embossed, compressed or cast on a surface of a material to be measured to replicate that surface. The replica tape is secured between first and second holding components such that a compressible surface of the replica tape is secured against the first holding component. A light source transmits light through the second holding component, the replica tape and the first holding component. An image sensor measures intensity of the light respectively transmitted through at least two measurement points of the compressible surface of the replica tape. A processing unit converts the measured light intensity transmitted through the at least two measurement points into at least two data values each respectively relating to a measurement statistic of the replica tape at a corresponding one of the at least two measurement points, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: DeFelsko Corporation
    Inventors: Leon Vandervalk, Robert V. Stachnik, James Edward Davis
  • Patent number: 8988670
    Abstract: The fiberscope for inspecting and cleaning a fiber connector simultaneously includes a housing with a front panel, a microscope system, a connector holder mounted at a distance from the front panel for receiving a connector ferrule of a fiber connector, and a translation stage for moving the microscope system transversely to align its optical axis with the connector ferrule. The fiberscope further includes a hand knob attached to a fine screw through the connector holder for adjusting the vertical position of the connector ferrule, a mirror pivotally mounted between the connector holder and the front panel, an LED lamp, air nozzles attached to the front panel, and a cleaning air tube for supplying compressed air to the air nozzles. The cleaning air from the air nozzles spray sideways onto the fiber endfaces so that the cleaning air bounces off sideways to avoid secondary contamination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Lightel Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Ge Zhou, Shangyuan Huang, Pai-Sheng Shen
  • Patent number: 8988687
    Abstract: Provided is a device and method for detecting the presence of a material in a gaseous medium, including a reaction assembly including at least one detection unit including a matrix adapted for exposure to the gaseous medium, such that at least part of the gaseous medium comes into contact with the matrix; the matrix being configured for capturing a gas-born particle of a material carried by the gaseous medium, and for permitting a liquid or solute reagent to come in contact with the matrix, thereby enabling said liquid reagent to react with said particle to yield an optically altered reaction product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Aphelion Ltd.
    Inventor: Israel Hirsch
  • Patent number: 8988669
    Abstract: An optical power monitoring device includes a photodetector disposed in close proximity to the cladding of an optical fiber for measuring Rayleigh scattered light from the core of the optical fiber. To ensure only Rayleigh scattered light is measured, a cladding stripper is provided to remove any cladding light prior taking a reading with the photodetector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: JDS Uniphase Corporation
    Inventor: Kai-Hsiu Liao
  • Patent number: 8988683
    Abstract: A food analysis device includes a variable wavelength interference filter adapted to disperse light reflected by the food into a plurality of lights with respective wavelengths, an imaging section adapted to image the lights with the respective wavelengths obtained by the dispersion to obtain spectral images corresponding respectively to the wavelengths, and a control section adapted to obtain spectrum of each of the pixels from the spectral images corresponding to the respective wavelengths, and then detect a pixel including the absorption spectrum of water, and then detect a plurality of components based on the spectrum of the pixel detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corportion
    Inventor: Tatsuo Urushidani
  • Patent number: 8982350
    Abstract: An optical filter includes a first variable wavelength bandpass filter that extracts light of a first wavelength band and has first and second spectral bands and a second variable wavelength bandpass filter that extracts light of a second wavelength band adjacent to the first wavelength band and has third and fourth spectral bands. Part of the period during which the light of the first spectral band is extracted overlaps with the period during which the light of the third spectral band is extracted, and part of the period during which the light of the second spectral band is extracted overlaps with the period during which the light of the fourth spectral band is extracted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Takeshi Nozawa
  • Patent number: 8982361
    Abstract: A position measuring apparatus with at least one material measure comprised of an optical structure of an arrangement of 3-D reflectors, at least one light receiver arranged at a distance from the material measure, a light source arranged at a distance from the material measure and at a distance from the light receiver, and at least one transparent substrate present between the material measure and the light receiver, wherein the light receiver is deposited directly on the transparent substrate, on the side of the substrate opposite the material measure in the form of a thin-film structure consisting of several layers arranged one above another. A supporting plate is provided with circuit-board conductors, on which the substrate is arranged, wherein the transparent substrate and the supporting plate are joined solidly together by a Flip-Chip assembly process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Elesta Relays GmbH
    Inventor: Jean-Jacques Wagner
  • Patent number: 8976345
    Abstract: A fitting tip of fiber-optic connector endface inspection microscope for inspecting angled connector endfaces includes a relay lens fixed inside its internal channel and is designed such that when it is received in an intended connector adapter and mounted to the inspection microscope, the normal line to the connector endface forms an acute angle ? with the optical axis of the relay lens; the ray exiting from the relay lens and conjugate to the ray along the normal line is aligned with the optical axis of the inspection microscope; and as a result the connector endface is imaged on an imaging plane within the focusing adjustment range of the inspection microscope. The best image of the connector endface is obtained when the angle ? is half of the inclined angle of the angled connector endface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Lightel Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Ge Zhou, Shangyuan Huang
  • Patent number: 8976348
    Abstract: Wafer inspection method to perform wafer inspection based on photo map information. The wafer inspection method may include: detecting a sample center location on a wafer; compensating the detected sample center location to a compensated center location based on photo map information; and detecting defective dies included in the wafer based on the compensated center location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hwan-seok Jang, Jang-man Ko, Jun-seog Seong, Ho-bong Shin, Kil-su Lee, Chang-hun Lee
  • Patent number: 8976344
    Abstract: A live fiber identifier tool includes a head portion having a slot. A cable containing a pair of optical fibers can be inserted in the slot and forced to bend inside the head portion when a trigger is operated. Any light signal in a given fiber partially leaks from the fiber and exits the cable bend. Two photo detectors are located so that one of the detectors receives more light from the cable bend than the other detector depending on the signal direction in the given fiber. Processing components coupled to the detectors and the indicator define a threshold factor that corresponds to a determined difference between the outputs of the detectors. If the difference between the detector outputs does not exceed the threshold factor, an indicator on the tool reports that light signals are traveling in the pair of optical fibers in opposite directions along the cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: OFS Fitel, LLC
    Inventors: Yue Liang, Ryuji Takaoka
  • Patent number: 8976360
    Abstract: To provide a surface plasmon sensor for measuring a refractive index by which a refractive index can be easily measured with high accuracy without relying on an absorption curve. The surface plasmon sensor includes: a reflection plate which includes a metal layer having a periodic structure and on which a specimen is arranged; a light source which irradiates an incident light to the reflection plate; a light receiving part which receives a reflected light reflected on the reflection plate; and a measurement part which measures a refractive index of the specimen based on phase information on two kinds of waves which are included in reflected light reflected on a periodic structure surface and differ in polarization direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Institute of National Colleges of Technology, Japan
    Inventors: Toyonori Matsuda, Hiroyuki Odagawa
  • Patent number: 8976370
    Abstract: An measuring apparatus includes: a storage unit configured to store a relationship, regarding an irradiation condition predetermined based on a correlation between a characteristic of each of beams of reflected light obtained from a plurality of patterns different from one another in a thickness of a residual layer in a recessed portion and the thickness of the residual layer of each of the plurality of patterns, between the characteristic of the reflected light from each pattern and the thickness of the residual layer of the pattern; and a processing unit configured to, based on a characteristic of reflected light from a pattern formed on a substrate irradiated with light under the irradiation condition and the relationship stored in the storage unit, obtain a thickness of a residual layer in a recessed portion of the pattern formed on the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takahiro Miyakawa, Kazuhiro Sato, Ken Minoda, Hideki Ina
  • Patent number: 8970828
    Abstract: A method for authenticating an object, comprising determining a physical dispersion pattern of a set of elements, determining a physical characteristic of the set of elements which is distinct from a physical characteristic producible by a transfer printing technology, determining a digital code associated with the object defining the physical dispersion pattern, and authenticating the object by verifying a correspondence of the digital code with the physical dispersion pattern, and verifying the physical characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Copilot Ventures Fund III LLC
    Inventor: Jay Fraser
  • Patent number: 8970830
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to optical measuring methods and apparatus for determining the transmission and/or reflection properties of translucent objects with utility for process monitoring and quality inspection in the manufacture of surface-coated substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH
    Inventors: Joerg Margraf, Peter Lamparter
  • Patent number: 8947654
    Abstract: A flow cell assembly for use in a liquid sample analyzer including a radiation source, a sensing device and a liquid sample source to supply a liquid sample includes an entrance joint member, a liquid core waveguide, a liquid sample feed tube, and an input optical fiber. The entrance joint member includes a waveguide receiving bore and a feed tube receiving bore. The liquid core waveguide is mounted in the waveguide receiving bore and defines a waveguide bore. The liquid sample feed tube is mounted in the feed tube receiving bore such that the liquid sample feed tube is in fluid communication with the waveguide bore to fluidly connect the liquid sample source to the waveguide bore. The input optical fiber is mounted in the entrance joint member to transmit radiation from the radiation source to the waveguide bore, which radiation is transmitted through the waveguide bore and the liquid sample therein to the sensing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: PerkinElmer Health Sciences, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory Hanlon, Timothy Neal, Richard Edwards, Joseph L. DiCesare, David M. Aikens
  • Patent number: 8947668
    Abstract: A for traceably determining an unknown optical path length of a sample in an optical measuring device comprises the steps of: providing a drop analyzer connected to a standard spectrophotometer; providing a certified reference material contained in first and second closed high accuracy cuvettes; measuring absorbance of the certified reference material to obtain a first absorbance measurement for the first specified path length; measuring absorbance of the certified reference material for a second path length to obtain a second absorbance measurement; using a dropping device to drop a specified volume of the solvent on an optical surface so that the path length of the specified volume can be determined by reference to the first and second absorbance measurement; and using the dropping device to drop the same volume of sample as the specified volume of solvent on the optical measuring device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Starna Scientific Limited
    Inventors: A Keith Hulme, John Hammond, Nathan Hulme
  • Patent number: 8934089
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus for analyzing an electroluminescence sample, which comprises: a pulse generator for applying a pulse driving signal to the electroluminescence sample; an electroluminescence (EL) detector for receiving electroluminescence which is emitted from the electroluminescence sample according to the application of the pulse driving signal, thereby acquiring a light-receiving signal; a temperature controller for varying the temperature of the electroluminescence sample; and an electroluminescence transient spectroscopy (ELTS) analysis unit for analyzing a change in a time division section of the light-receiving signal delayed depending on a change of the temperature of the electroluminescence sample, and acquiring information on a defect-type charge trap which exists in the electroluminescence sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Dongguk University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation
    Inventors: Hoon Young Cho, Dong Wha Lee, Dong Wook Kwak, Hyun Yul Choi
  • Patent number: 8930007
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are set forth for modeling a coloring process in moving web manufacturing through dye response gain adaptation using measured sheet color spectrum; and dye response shape adaptation using measured color spectrum of the production sheet. The adaptation of colorant (dye) response gain uses the measured sheet color spectrum value at the value of maximum light absorbance of the dye. The adaptation of dye response spectrum uses the measured sheet color reflectance spectrum and sample sheet color spectrum with a corresponding response shape calculated using a formula to adapt the current sheet condition dye response shape using the dye response from the sample sheet on the assumption of a constant ratio of absorption change to dye concentration change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Metso Automation Inc.
    Inventors: Seyhan Nuyan, Calvin Fu, Tommi Loyttyniemi