Abstract: A Cascaded Mirror Array optical scanning system applies an array of reflectors, with each reflector (called array reflector for convenience) movable between discretized angular positions and independently switched by digitized electrical signals, to process a light beam by cascaded reflections to generate desired deflection angle of the beam. The precision of the discretized angular positions of each array reflector is maintained by a support structure, which supports the reflector while allowing it to rotate or tilt, and a set of positioning limiting structure, which limits the allowable angular position of the array reflector between a finite number of angular positions corresponding to the discretized angular positions.

Abstract: This invention relates to processes and systems of rapid prototyping and production. Its features includes flexible material deposition along tangential directions of surfaces of a part to be made, thereby eliminating stair-shape surface due to uniform horizontal layer deposition, increasing width of material deposition to increase build up rate, applying the principles of traditional forming/joining processes, such as casting, fusion welding, plastic extrusion and injection molding in the fabrication process so that various industrial materials can be processed, applying comparatively low cost heating sources, such as induction heating and arc-heating. Additional features include varying width and size of material deposition in accordance with geometry to be formed and applying a differential molding means for improved shape formation and surface finishing.

Abstract: A mooring system for deploying flow kinetic power generation systems in a water flow and placing the power generation systems to a position across moving path of the water flow from an anchoring point, the mooring system comprises: a main tether; an anchor means attached to a first end of the main tether and fixed to the anchoring point; and a main sail means attached to a second end of the main tether and immersed in the water flow; wherein the power generation systems is attached to the second end of the main tether; and the relative to the main sail means creates a fluid dynamic lift force on the main sail means and pulls the power generation systems in a lateral direction with respect to the moving path of the water flow. The mooring system may also be applied to moor and deploy other payloads and devices transversely across a water flow.

Abstract: This invention relates to processes and systems of rapid prototyping and production. Its features includes flexible material deposition along tangential directions of surfaces of a part to be made, thereby eliminating stair-shape surface due to uniform horizontal layer deposition, increasing width of material deposition to increase build up rate, applying the principles of traditional forming/joining processes, such as casting, fusion welding, plastic extrusion and injection molding in the fabrication process so that various industrial materials can be processed, applying comparatively low cost heating sources, such as induction heating and arc-heating. Additional features include varying width and size of material deposition in accordance with geometry to be formed and applying a differential molding means for improved shape formation and surface finishing.

Abstract: This invention describes a small sized precision displacement sensor at sub-micron accuracy level with a cost of a fraction of those of existing commercial devices. The basic concept of the new sensor system is to apply a mechanical mechanism to magnify a sub-micron displacement to be measured by about 100 times so that the magnified displacement becomes within the measurement range of a low cost sensor such as a Hall sensor.

Abstract: A Cascaded Mirror Array optical scanning system applies an array of reflectors, with each reflector (called array reflector for convenience) movable between discretized angular positions and independently switched by digitized electrical signals, to process a light beam by cascaded reflections to generate desired deflection angle of the beam. The precision of the discretized angular positions of each array reflector is maintained by a support structure, which supports the reflector while allowing it to rotate or tilt, and a set of positioning limiting structure, which limits the allowable angular position of the array reflector between a finite number of angular positions corresponding to the discretized angular positions.

Abstract: A compact bearing system capable of variable load carrying capability and precision motion on a guideway includes a bearing body, a fluid medium, a sealing bearing member and a pressurizing actuation means installed as an integral part of the bearing body. The bearing body includes an internal pocket with an open side facing a surface of said guideway. The fluid medium is contained inside said internal pocket and is in contact with said surface of said guideway on said open side. The sealing bearing member is in contact with said surface of said guideway and seals a clearance between said bearing body and said surface of said guideway to limit leakage of said fluid medium. The pressurizing actuation means pressurizes the confined fluid medium through a small passage, and the pressurized fluid medium carrying a main portion of a load carried on said compact bearing system.

Abstract: A mooring system for deploying a payload in a fluid moving relative to the payload and placing the payload to a position across moving path of the fluid from an anchoring point, the mooring system comprises: a main tether; an anchor means attached to a first end of the main tether and fixed to the anchoring point; and a main sail means attached to a second end of the main tether and immersed in the fluid; wherein the payload is attached to the second end of the main tether; and the fluid moving relative to the main sail means creates a fluid dynamic lift force on the main sail means and pulls the payload in a lateral direction with respect to the moving path of the fluid.

Abstract: A compact bearing system is capable of variable load carrying capability and precision motion on a guideway. The compact bearing system includes a bearing body, a fluid medium, a sealing bearing member and a pressurizing action means. The bearing body includes an internal pocket with an open side facing a surface of said guideway. The fluid medium is contained inside said internal pocket and is contacted with said surface of said guideway on said open side. The sealing bearing member is contacted with said surface of said guideway and seals a clearance between said bearing body and said surface of said guideway to limit leakage of said fluid medium. The pressurizing actuation means pressurizes the confined fluid medium through a small passage by the principle of connected vessels, and the pressurized fluid medium carrying main portion of load carried on said compact bearing system.

Abstract: This invention relates to processes and systems of rapid prototyping and production. Its features includes flexible material deposition along tangential directions of surfaces of a part to be made, thereby eliminating stair-shape surface due to uniform horizontal layer deposition, increasing width of material deposition to increase build up rate, applying the principles of traditional forming/joining processes, such as casting, fusion welding, plastic extrusion and injection molding in the fabrication process so that various industrial materials can be processed, applying comparatively low cost heating sources, such as induction heating and arc-heating. Additional features include varying width and size of material deposition in accordance with geometry to be formed and applying a differential molding means for improved shape formation and surface finishing.

Abstract: This invention relates to volumetric 3D display systems based on a rotary reciprocating display surface. Layout of mechanical components and optical path are arranged to provide maximal viewing angle and minimal view-blocking, while keeping the whole system size compact and slim. Motion mechanisms, mechanical relief mechanism and 2-direction dynamic balancing are design to give smooth and quiet motion, while keeping the design simple and cost low. Backing structures and supporting frames for the display surface are designed to minimize deformation and stress in the display surface, while still satisfying requirements in optics and display. Mechanical and optical layout also considers the need for converting among multiple display modes. Image presentation methods for display occlusion effect and black and dark images are devised.

Abstract: This invention relates to volumetric 3D display systems based on a rotary reciprocating display surface. Layout of mechanical components and optical path are arranged to provide maximal viewing angle and minimal view-blocking, while keeping the whole system size compact and slim. Motion mechanisms, mechanical relief mechanism and 2-direction dynamic balancing are design to give smooth and quiet motion, while keeping the design simple and cost low. Backing structures and supporting frames for the display surface are designed to minimize deformation and stress in the display surface, while still satisfying requirements in optics and display. Mechanical and optical layout also considers the need for converting among multiple display modes. Image presentation methods for display occlusion effect and black and dark images are devised.

Abstract: This invention relates in general to methods and systems of a projection display that can be used in 4 display modes: (A) as a rear-projection 2D display, (B) as a volumetric 3D (V3D) display, (C) as an auto-stereoscopic 3D (as3D) display, or (D) as a projector. Conversion among the 4 display modes requires only 1 to 3 actions of adjustment by the user. The system can further contain an integrated touch pad for direct, barrier-free interaction with 2D, as3D or V3D images. The illumination and projection of the SLM is converted between a sub-panel mode and a full-panel mode. By using the sub-panel illumination/projection mode, the system can operate in V3D, 2D and as3D modes. By using the full-panel mode, the system can operate in 2D and projector modes.

Abstract: The volumetric 3D display system of this invention applies a moving display panel that sweeps a display space. The full volume swept by the active screen is used as display space. A 3D image to be displayed is first processed into slices of image data based on an orthogonal 3D grid structure. The slice data are then converted into image frames to be displayed on the active screen by mapping the location indices in the orthogonal 3D grid to the location indices on the moving screen. The preferred method of displaying an image frame is to convert each image frame into a number of “image shots” and then display those image shots in sequence. An image shot comprises a number of simple orthogonal patterns aligned in vertical or horizontal directions. Combination of a number of image shots approximates the corresponding image frame.

Abstract: This invention relates in general to methods and systems of rapid focusing and zooming for the applications in the projection of volumetric 3D images and in the imaging of 3D objects. Rapid variable focusing or zooming is achieved by rapid and repeated change of the object distance or the spacing between lens groups of the projection lens or a combination of both. One preferred approach inserts thin wedge prisms into the optical path and changes their positions relative to the optical path. This changes the thickness traveled through by the optical path and results in effective optical path length change. Another approach folds an optical path by mirrors and moves the mirrors to change the optical path length. For focusing purpose, small and precise displacement is achieved by moving a wedge-shaped optical device obliquely with respect to the optical path. The wedge-shaped optical device can be a thin wedge prism or a mirror on a wedge-shaped base.

Abstract: This invention describes methods of displaying both physiological and psychological depth cues in a volumetric image display. This added psychological visual depth can display a background image of infinite depth. The basic concept is to combine a skewed coordinate system with a 2D image plane and display the V3D object as a V3D image according to the skewed 3D coordinates if the object falls in the physical 3D space, but display the object as a 2D perspective image if it falls beyond the 3D space into the 2D plane's virtual space.

Abstract: This invention describes procedures for writing data to a spatial light modulator (SLM) to achieve the purpose of “sub-frame method”, i.e. increasing effective frame rate of the SLM, without the need of additional color switching means or modulation at illumination source. The purpose is to improve the resolution of V3D displays based on projectors. The method divides the pixels of the SLM into a number of groups and defines each group as a sub-panel. Frames of image data are then written in sequence to each of the sub-panels in a fixed order. An image frame written to a sub-panel is called a “sub-frame” when displayed on the sub-panel. The method then displays one sub-frame on one sub-panel at a time, with the rest sub-panels displaying blank (black). If the SLM has no memory buffer and image is displayed when it is written, then all data on the SLM must be erased after a sub-panel is being displayed and before the next sub-panel is written.

Abstract: The fundamental concept of expressing brightness level of a geometric primitive is to control the number of rendered display elements, representing desired brightness level, in the geometric primitive as a fraction of the maximum number of display elements, representing the maximum brightness level, that can be placed in it. There are two approaches to achieve this control: Point-based Rendering and Intersection-based Rendering. In Point-based Rendering, a geometric primitive is converted into a representation of sampling points and then the sampling points are rendered. In Intersection-based Rendering, the intersections of a geometric primitive with the frame slices are rendered. The basic procedure to render a texture-mapped surface is to divide the surface into a number of regions, each region having a different intensity range, and then render each region with a different density of display elements to represent different brightness level.

Abstract: This invention describes methods and systems for correcting frame position error on one category of volumetric 3D displays that generates volumetric 3D images by using a rotary mechanism to move a screen to sweep a volume and projecting 2D profile images on the screen. The screen motion is in general rotating or reciprocating and a mechanism of rotational nature is generally applied to drive the motion. The method has three major steps. The first step provides a measure of the frame position error with respect to the theoretical position. The error is a periodical function of the angular position of the moving screen, due to the nature of the mechanisms. The second step constructs a correction function that shifts the position of frame image of each frame with respect to the frame center to compensate the error. The error measurement and the construction of the correction function can be performed statically or dynamically.

Abstract: This invention relates in general to methods and systems of rapid focusing and zooming for the applications in the projection of volumetric 3D images and in the imaging of 3D objects. Rapid variable focusing or zooming is achieved by rapid and repeated change of the object distance or the spacing between lens groups of the projection lens or a combination of both. One preferred approach inserts thin wedge prisms into the optical path and changes their positions relative to the optical path. This changes the thickness traveled through by the optical path and results in effective optical path length change. Another approach folds an optical path by mirrors and moves the mirrors to change the optical path length. For focusing purpose, small and precise displacement is achieved by moving a wedge-shaped optical device obliquely with respect to the optical path. The wedge-shaped optical device can be a thin wedge prism or a mirror on a wedge-shaped base.