Abstract: A hybrid manufacturing apparatus utilizing both additive and subtractive manufacturing processes has a cutting mechanism, a magazine, and a deposition nozzle. A cutting mechanism engages and modifies material fed from a magazine, the finished material of this process to be positioned by a deposition nozzle. More specifically, the cutting mechanism provides a chamber supporting an inlet, an outlet, and at least one cutting head. The inlet receives fresh material, the cutting head is positioned within the chamber to create the desired contours in or on the material, and the material then exits the chamber via the outlet to be deposited according to instructions extracted from a digital model in a form of numerical control (NC) programming language. This model is natively subdivided into individual constructs each defining a set of values to guide creation of corresponding physical sections, and the placement thereof.

Abstract: A shower head water-saving switching structure and a shower head are disclosed. The shower head water-saving switching structure includes a water inlet seat, a water discharging body, a functional water switching member, a flow switching member, and a drive mechanism. The water inlet seat and the water discharging body are connected to form a water distribution chamber therebetween. The drive mechanism includes a ratchet wheel, a push rod in linked with the ratchet wheel, and a button linked with the push rod. The functional water switching member and the flow switching member are rotatably accommodated in the water distribution chamber and linked with the ratchet wheel. The structure is simple, and the operation is effortless.

Abstract: A shower head water-saving switching structure and a shower head are disclosed. The shower head water-saving switching structure includes a water inlet seat, a water discharging body, a functional water switching member, a flow switching member, and a drive mechanism. The water inlet seat and the water discharging body are connected to form a water distribution chamber therebetween. The drive mechanism includes a ratchet wheel, a push rod in linked with the ratchet wheel, and a button linked with the push rod. The functional water switching member and the flow switching member are rotatably accommodated in the water distribution chamber and linked with the ratchet wheel. The structure is simple, and the operation is effortless.

Abstract: A hybrid manufacturing apparatus utilizing both additive and subtractive manufacturing processes has a cutting mechanism, a magazine, and a deposition nozzle. A cutting mechanism engages and modifies material fed from a magazine, the finished material of this process to be positioned by a deposition nozzle. More specifically, the cutting mechanism provides a chamber supporting an inlet, an outlet, and at least one cutting head. The inlet receives fresh material, the cutting head is positioned within the chamber to create the desired contours in or on the material, and the material then exits the chamber via the outlet to be deposited according to instructions extracted from a digital model in a form of numerical control (NC) programming language. This model is natively subdivided into individual constructs each defining a set of values to guide creation of corresponding physical sections, and the placement thereof.

Abstract: A shower head flow control structure includes a water inlet assembly, a sealing seat, a primary flow restrictor, and a plurality of secondary flow restrictors. The water inlet assembly has a water inlet passage communicating with a water supply tube. The sealing seat haw a plurality of discharge holes. The inlet water passage communicates with one of the discharge holes. The primary flow restrictor is disposed in the water inlet passage. The secondary flow restrictors are disposed in the discharge holes, respectively. The primary flow restrictor has a flow rate greater than that of the secondary flow restrictors. The flow rates of the secondary flow restrictors are different from each other. The flow rate of the shower head can be controlled accurately and quickly.

Abstract: Systems and methods for correcting motion during medical imaging involve using a detector to track annihilation photons produced by one of (i) external emitting sources placed onto a body of a person being imaged or (ii) an object of interest in the body. Motion information is generated based on the tracking. A motion-corrected image is formed from recorded image data, using the motion information.

Abstract: Systems and methods for correcting motion during medical imaging involve using a detector to track annihilation photons produced by one of (i) external emitting sources placed onto a body of a person being imaged or (ii) an object of interest in the body. Motion information is generated based on the tracking. A motion-corrected image is formed from recorded image data, using the motion information.

Abstract: An apparatus and method to increase the sensitivity at the edge of radiation detector blocks is disclosed herein. Reduced sensitivity can result from photons entering a first detector block, escaping, and scattering into an adjacent detector, thereby depositing energy into two detectors blocks. Energy lost into adjacent detector blocks can be compensated with energy detected in the adjacent detector block. This can be done, for example, by processing channels from multiple detector blocks with one Field Programmable Gated Array (FPGA) on one Event Process Module (EPM) board. This can enable summing energy of one detector block with energy from an adjacent detector block when the initial interaction occurs at the edge of the first detector block. This can result in a better estimate of the amount of energy associated with the initial photon being detected.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of real-time crystal peak tracking for avalanche-photodiode (APD) detectors on positron emission tomography (PET) scanners that satisfies the need to compensate for the significant gain drifting due to thermal variations in APD detectors on PET scanners.

Abstract: A method, process and apparatus for compensating for changes to the gain of photo detectors in a nuclear imaging apparatus is disclosed. Specifically, embodiments detect positron annihilation event pulses using photo detectors. Changes to the gain of the photo detectors are compensated for by determining the relationship of a detected event pulse peak with a target event pulse peak. Based on the difference between these two peaks, a corrected gain is determined in a closed-loop control system. The corrected gain can be used to compensate for temperature changes that can affect the gain of the photo detectors.

Abstract: An apparatus and method to increase the sensitivity at the edge of radiation detector blocks is disclosed herein. Reduced sensitivity can result from photons entering a first detector block, escaping, and scattering into an adjacent detector, thereby depositing energy into two detectors blocks. Energy lost into adjacent detector blocks can be compensated with energy detected in the adjacent detector block. This can be done, for example, by processing channels from multiple detector blocks with one Field Programmable Gated Array (FPGA) on one Event Process Module (EPM) board. This can enable summing energy of one detector block with energy from an adjacent detector block when the initial interaction occurs at the edge of the first detector block. This can result in a better estimate of the amount of energy associated with the initial photon being detected.

Abstract: A crystal lookup table used to define a matching relationship between a signal position of a detected event in a PET scanner and a corresponding detector pixel location is generated using a neural network-based algorithm, and is implemented by a FPGA.

Abstract: A method, process and apparatus for compensating for changes to the gain of photo detectors in a nuclear imaging apparatus is disclosed. Specifically, embodiments detect positron annihilation event pulses using photo detectors. Changes to the gain of the photo detectors are compensated for by determining the relationship of a detected event pulse peak with a target event pulse peak. Based on the difference between these two peaks, a corrected gain is determined in a closed-loop control system. The corrected gain can be used to compensate for temperature changes that can affect the gain of the photo detectors.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of real-time crystal peak tracking for avalanche-photodiode (APD) detectors on positron emission tomography (PET) scanners that satisfies the need to compensate for the significant gain drifting due to thermal variations in APD detectors on PET scanners.

Abstract: A crystal lookup table used to define a matching relationship between a signal position of a detected event in a PET scanner and a corresponding detector pixel location is generated using a neural network-based algorithm, and is implemented by a FPGA.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the invention, a method for controlling the size of the molten pool in a laser based additive manufacturing process includes coaxially aligning an imaging device with a laser nozzle and imaging a molten pool, created by a laser, on a substrate with the imaging device. The method further includes comparing at least one characteristic of the molten pool with a respective characteristic of a target molten pool, and adjusting, in substantially real-time, a laser power of the laser based on the comparison in order to correlate the characteristic of the molten pool with the respective characteristic of the target molten pool.