Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for shaping plastic preforms into containers, having a transport device, which transports the plastic preforms to be shaped along a transport path, wherein the transport device has a rotatable transport carrier wherein a plurality of shaping stations are arranged. The shaping stations each have blow-molding devices which the preforms are shaped by applying a flowable medium. The shaping stations have application devices which apply the flowable medium to the preforms, wherein the shaping stations have stretching devices for stretching the preforms in a longitudinal direction. The stretching devices have at least one stretching rod which can be moved in the longitudinal direction of the preforms and can be inserted into the plastic preforms. The device has a clean room, which the plastic preforms are expanded into the plastic containers, and a sealing device to seal the clean room from a non-sterile environment, and closed with a cover device.

Abstract: A method for operating an optical measuring system including a wavelength-tunable temperature-stabilized laser light source for measuring the concentration of a target gas in a measured gas, wherein an instantaneous base current IDC_ZG,act corresponding to a wavelength ?ZG of a target gas absorption line is set so that a wavelength distance ??DC defined during calibration between a target gas absorption line for a target gas and a reference gas absorption line for a reference gas is maintained. During operation, a temperature difference in the laser light source, defined in advance during calibration, between the operating points selected at the time of calibration of the reference gas, with a base current IDC_RG,cal, and the target gas, with a base current IDC_ZG,cal, is maintained by determining the required instantaneous base current IDC_ZG,act for the target gas, as a function of an instantaneous base current IDC_RG,act for the reference gas.

Abstract: A method for operating an optical measuring system including a wavelength-tunable temperature-stabilized laser light source for measuring the concentration of a target gas component in a measured gas, wherein an instantaneous base current IDC_ZG,act corresponding to a wavelength ?ZG of a target gas absorption line is set so that a wavelength distance ??DC defined during calibration between a target gas absorption line for a target gas component and a reference gas absorption line for a reference gas component is maintained. During operation, a relative temperature difference in the laser light source, defined in advance during calibration, between the operating points selected at the time of calibration of the reference gas, with a base current IDC_RG,cal, and the target gas component, with a base current IDC_ZG,cal, is maintained by determining the required instantaneous base current IDC_ZG,act for the target gas component, as a function of an instantaneous base current IDC_RG,act for the reference gas.

Abstract: A method for operating an optical measuring system for measuring the concentration of a gas component in a measured gas, based on wavelength modulation spectroscopy, wherein a laser light source is operated in a current-modulated manner with a base current IDC and a modulation current IAC and a laser beam of the wavelength ?0 having a wavelength modulation amplitude ??AC is emitted, and the wavelength modulation amplitude ??AC of the laser light is kept constant by way of variable setting of the current modulation amplitude ?IAC. The method provides for keeping a modulated power ?PAC at an internal resistor RI of the laser light source constant at the operating point so as to stabilize the wavelength modulation amplitude ??AC.

Abstract: An optical measuring system and a method for gas detection, the optical measuring system including a light emitter and at least one light detector arranged in at least one housing, wherein the light emitter emits a modulated main light beam with a mean wave length ?0 with a modulation span ??. At least one opto-mechanical component, e.g. a housing window including optically effective boundary surfaces, is arranged between the light emitter and the light detector and causes scatter light beams which interfere with the main light beam so that self-mixing occurs and/or etalons are caused. According to the invention the at least one opto-mechanical component is arranged relative to the light emitter and/or the light detector at an optimized distance L which is a function of the wave length ?0 and the modulation span ?? of the main light beam.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method that makes the measurement of a trace gas concentration invariant or at least less affected to pressure variations in the gas and atmospheric pressure changes. This method neither requires a pressure sensor nor a pressure calibration routine. Furthermore, the method can be applied to other gas species present in the background gas or to the background gas itself that cross-interfere with the target gas of interest. This allows removing any pressure dependency of cross-interference parameters of other gas species and/or the background gas. The new method for accurately measuring a gas concentration is based on optimizing the wavelength modulation amplitude of the laser to minimum pressure dependency.

Abstract: Laser unit, preferably for gas detection, with a semiconductor laser chip comprising an output mirror with an exit zone for a laser beam and an optical element that reduces self-mixing which is arranged at the exit zone, wherein optical element and laser chip are connected with each other with direct physical contact over an entire surface, at least in the exit zone. Said optical element is connected to the laser chip positively or by means of an optical medium. Thereby optionally a beam-shaping element may be arranged on the optical element that is connected positively or by means of an optical medium with the optical element. Preferably beam-shaping element and optical element have similar or identical refractory indices and are connected with each other and with the laser chip by adhesive agents having corresponding refractory indices.

Abstract: Process and measuring equipment for improving the signal resolution in gas absorption spectroscopy, wherein the measuring equipment includes a laser light source, a light detector and a measuring chamber arranged in between, and furthermore a light source control unit and a light detector evaluation unit. To improve the signal resolution, the noise intensity of the measuring equipment is reduced by averaging over time the interfering signal portions caused by back-reflections, etalons respectively self-mixing effects. This is accomplished by a light modulator arranged downstream the laser light source that continuously periodically influences the optical path length of the light beam. Thereto the light modulator includes an optical element with an adjustable refractory index that continuously cyclically alters the phase of the laser light of the light beam.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method that makes the measurement of a trace gas concentration invariant or at least less affected to pressure variations in the gas and atmospheric pressure changes. This method neither requires a pressure sensor nor a pressure calibration routine. Furthermore, the method can be applied to other gas species present in the background gas or to the background gas itself that cross-interfere with the target gas of interest. This allows removing any pressure dependency of cross-interference parameters of other gas species and/or the background gas. The new method for accurately measuring a gas concentration is based on optimizing the wavelength modulation amplitude of the laser to minimum pressure dependency.

Abstract: In the case of a method for sensing a marking (2) of a running web of material (3), the web of material is optically scanned by an image recording device (6). This generates in successive measuring cycles image signals which are fed to an image processing device (7). This image processing device (7) determines the positional values of the marking (2) of the web of material (3). A validity signal is generated from these positional values by applying a position-dependent weighting function and is output. This validity signal indicates whether the currently determined positional value is valid.

Abstract: The present invention concerns an anti-reflection coating for semiconductor lasers, in particular a coating on the laser facet with advantageous properties resulting in improved reliability and reduced probability of specific breakdowns, especially so-called catastrophic optical damages (CODs). It is a quarter-wave coating with a predetermined reflectivity, preferably between 0 and 10% and consists of or comprises SiNx:H. It is preferably applied by a Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PE-CVD) process whose process parameters are controlled such that a desired optical thickness and refractive index of the coating are achieved. The PE-CVD process may be controlled to result in an Si/N ratio between about 0.5 and 1.5 and/or to produce a coating of essentially amorphous SiNx:H whose density approaches the density of crystalline Si3N4.

Abstract: In the case of a method for sensing a marking (2) of a running web of material (3), the web of material is optically scanned by an image recording device (6). This generates in successive measuring cycles image signals which are fed to an image processing device (7). This image processing device (7) determines the positional values of the marking (2) of the web of material (3). A validity signal is generated from these positional values by applying a position-dependent weighting function and is output. This validity signal indicates whether the currently determined positional value is valid.

Abstract: The present invention concerns an anti-reflection coating for semiconductor lasers, in particular a coating on the laser facet with advantageous properties resulting in improved reliability and reduced probability of specific breakdowns, especially so-called catastrophic optical damages (CODs). It is a quarter-wave coating with a predetermined reflectivity, preferably between 0 and 10% and consists of or comprises SiNx:H. It is preferably applied by a Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PE-CVD) process whose process parameters are controlled such that a desired optical thickness and refractive index of the coating are achieved. The PE-CVD process may be controlled to result in an Si/N ratio between about 0.5 and 1.5 and/or to produce a coating of essentially amorphous SiNx:H whose density approaches the density of crystalline Si3N4.