Abstract: A planar magnetic driver includes covering plates that are maintained under tension to form a buckled or curved surface, thereby providing for a larger magnetic gap, and allowing for a larger excursion of the diaphragm and extended lower frequency response. Another aspect of the driver includes a corrugated region along the periphery of the diaphragm, which provides increased internal dampening.

Abstract: A planar magnetic driver includes covering plates that are maintained under tension to form a buckled or curved surface, thereby providing for a larger magnetic gap, and allowing for a larger excursion of the diaphragm and extended lower frequency response. Another aspect of the driver includes a corrugated region along the periphery of the diaphragm, which provides increased internal dampening.

Abstract: A transducer, a headphone and a method reduce noise and/or ambient sounds. The headphone has a microphone, a transducer and/or an electrical circuit for producing and/or for transmitting an anti-noise sound wave and/or a noise compensation signal inside an ear cup of the headphone. The anti-noise sound wave and/or the noise compensation signal cancels, dampens and/or reduces a sound wave of the noise and/or of the ambient sounds inside the ear cup. The transducer produces and/or transmits an audio signal which is received by an ear of a user. The microphone and the transducer are connected to, are attached to and/or are in communication with the electrical circuit within the headphone. The transducer has a double-sided diaphragm with concentric circular corrugations and/or foil spiral conductors on each side of the diaphragm. The microphone inside the ear cup is covered by and/or is connected to a sound absorbing material inside the ear cup of the headphone.

Abstract: A biplane line array speaker includes a line array of tweeters mounted substantially directly in front of a line array of woofers. The tweeter line array is arcuately shaped to provide controlled vertical dispersion above and below the boundaries of the speaker cabinet. The woofers are displaced from the tweeters in stepped manner. The speaker cabinet is a rectangular box, allowing efficient wall mounting in single or multiple unit columns. IN multiple unit columns, the individual units acoustically couple to each other.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a class of luminescent and conductive polymer compositions having chromophores, and particularly solid films of these compositions exhibiting increased luminescent lifetimes, quantum yields and amplified emissions. These desirable properties can be provided through polymers having rigid groups designed to prevent polymer reorganization, aggregation or ?-stacking upon solidification. These polymers can also display an unusually high stability with respect to solvent and heat exposures. The invention also relates to a sensor and a method for sensing an analyte through the luminescent and conductive properties of these polymers. Analytes can be sensed by activation of a chromophore at a polymer surface. Analytes include aromatics, phosphate ester groups and in particular explosives and chemical warfare agents in a gaseous state.

Abstract: A planar electro-acoustic transducer has an adjustable back cap option that provides a dipole/monopole radiation that has different roll-off characteristics. The planar electro-acoustic transducer includes a diaphragm and a plurality of front and rear magnetic bars. Each magnetic bar has a side facing the diaphragm and disposed adjacent thereto. The thickness of each rear magnetic bar is larger than the thickness of each front magnetic bar. The thickness of each front magnetic bar is less than a quarter-wavelength of a cavity resonance at 10 kilohertz. The planar electro-acoustic transducer also includes a non-magnetic acoustically transparent metallic mesh that is disposed coplanarly with the sides of the front and rear magnetic bars that face the diaphragm.

Abstract: A method for forming a photovoltaic cell which includes forming a nanostructured layer in a semiconductor material having a plurality of pores opening onto a surface, the plurality of pores having a depth greater than about 1 micron and a diameter between about 5 nanometers and about 1,200 nanometers, and disposing an organic charge-transfer material in the pores of the nanostructured layer. A first electrode is attached to the semiconductor material, and a second electrode is attached to the organic charge-transfer material. The semiconductor material has a thickness between about 5 microns and about 700 microns. Desirably, the nanostructured layer has a porosity of less than the porosity corresponding to the percolation threshold, and the organic charge-transfer material extends at least about 100 nm from the surface of the nanostructured layer.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a class of luminescent and conductive polymer compositions having chromophores, and particularly solid films of these compositions exhibiting increased luminescent lifetimes, quantum yields and amplified emissions. These desirable properties can be provided through polymers having rigid groups designed to prevent polymer reorganization, aggregation or ?-stacking upon solidification. These polymers can also display an unusually high stability with respect to solvent and heat exposures. The invention also relates to a sensor and a method for sensing an analyte through the luminescent and conductive properties of these polymers. Analytes can be sensed by activation of a chromophore at a polymer surface. Analytes include aromatics, phosphate ester groups and in particular explosives and chemical warfare agents in a gaseous state.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a class of luminescent and conductive polymer compositions having chromophores, and particularly solid films of these compositions exhibiting increased luminescent lifetimes, quantum yields and amplified emissions. These desirable properties can be provided through polymers having rigid groups designed to prevent polymer reorganization, aggregation or ?-stacking upon solidification. These polymers can also display an unusually high stability with respect to solvent and heat exposures. The invention also relates to a sensor and a method for sensing an analyte through the luminescent and conductive properties of these polymers. Analytes can be sensed by activation of a chromophore at a polymer surface. Analytes include aromatics, phosphate ester groups and in particular explosives and chemical warfare agents in a gaseous state.

Abstract: The invention is a loudspeaker for use in home theater or multi-channel sound systems that includes an enclosure, a wideband transducer, a sound absorbing pad and an aiming knob. The wideband transducer is rotatably mounted in the enclosure so that the wideband transducer can be rotated around its vertical axis and an aiming knob mechanically coupled to the wideband transducer. The wideband transducer has a front side and a rear side open so that said wideband transducer operates as a dipole transducer. The aiming knob controls the rotation angle of the dipole transducer. The loudspeaker uses the dipole transducer to create either a diffuse field or direct radiating surround sound.

Abstract: The proposed the multilayer optical disk with slant tracking grooves, which are similar to the blazed diffraction grating grooves. The different incline of the grooves in the neighbor layers of the multilayer optical disk considerably reduce the interlayer cross-talks. This allows to decrease the distance between the neighbor layers resulting in a high 3D capacity. Both consecutive and parallel information reading from the different layers are possible. Parallel reading in this case can be performed with enhanced speed. Also, the capacity can be increased due to the exclusion of the spaces between data recording grooves that exist in the conventional disks. This advantage is employed in the design of the proposed disk making it fully compatible with the standard reading system.

Abstract: A panel transducer includes a diaphragm with areas of multiple electrical conductors, two rows of magnetic bars, two metal plates and a clamping frame. The diaphragm is clamped in the clamping frame and is positioned between the two rows of magnetic bars. Each row of magnetic plates is in close proximity to the clamped diaphragm. Each metal plate has holes. The holes correspond to spacing areas between the magnetic bars and acoustically connect the diaphragm to outside media. The magnetic bars are sequentially located on the metal plates with spacing between the magnetic bars. The diaphragm is secured to the clamping frame and has an active surface area under tension spaced inwardly of the clamping frame. There are no side magnetic bars at the ends of each of the row. Absorbing strips are used in place of the absent magnetic bars filling the space between the side magnetic bars and the clamping frame.

Abstract: A planar ribbon transducer includes a mechanism that provides adjustable back cap options for allowing dipole/monopole radiation with different roll-off characteristics for different applications. The planar ribbon transducer also includes front magnet-bars and rear magnet-bars. The thickness of the rear magnetic bars is larger than the thickness of the front magnet-bars while thickness of front magnet-bars is less than a quarter-wavelength of the cavity resonance at 10 kHz, which is 8.5 mm.

Abstract: A fluorescence-based method for highly sensitive and selective detection of analyte molecules is proposed. The method employs the energy transfer between two or more fluorescent chromophores in a carefully selected polymer matrix. In one preferred embodiment, signal amplification has been achieved in the fluorescent sensing of dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) using two dyes, 3-aminofluoranthene (AM) and Nile Red (NR), in a hydrogen bond acidic polymer matrix. The selected polymer matrix quenches the fluorescence of both dyes and shifts dye emission and absorption spectra relative to more inert matrices. Upon DMMP sorption, the AM fluorescence shifts to the red at the same time the NR absorption shifts to the blue, resulting in better band overlap and increased energy transfer between chromophores.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a class of luminescent and conductive polymer compositions having chromophores, and particularly solid films of these compositions exhibiting increased luminescent lifetimes, quantum yields and amplified emissions. These desirable properties can be provided through polymers having rigid groups designed to prevent polymer reorganization, aggregation or &pgr;-stacking upon solidification. These polymers can also display an unusually high stability with respect to solvent and heat exposures. The invention also relates to a sensor and a method for sensing an analyte through the luminescent and conductive properties of these polymers. Analytes can be sensed by activation of a chromophore at a polymer surface. Analytes include aromatics, phosphate ester groups and in particular explosives and chemical warfare agents in a gaseous state.

Abstract: A fluorescence-based method for highly sensitive and selective detection of volatile organic compounds such as vapors of benzene, alcohol, chloroform, dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) that is a simulant of Sarin, Soman and other chemical warfare agents, is proposed. The method employs the effect of strong fluorescence change in thin films of aggregated porphyrins. In one preferred embodiment, the aggregation of porphyrin molecules leads to initial depression of chromophore emission due to self-quenching effect. The binding of analyte molecules to porphyrin sensitive layer forms porphyrin-analyte complexes, which destroy initial aggregate structure and induce the strong fluorescence enhancement. Aggregate-sensing films usually provide higher and faster response than porphyrins isolated in a polymer matrix. That results in strong enhancement of the florescence quantum yield and shift of the fluorescent spectrum in the direction of shorter wavelengths.

Abstract: A panel transducer includes a diaphragm with areas of multiple electrical conductors, two rows of magnetic bars, two metal plates and a clamping frame. The diaphragm is clamped in the clamping frame and is positioned between the two rows of magnetic bars. Each row of magnetic plates is in close proximity to the clamped diaphragm. Each metal plate has holes. The holes correspond to spacing areas between the magnetic bars and acoustically connect the diaphragm to outside media. The magnetic bars are sequentially located on the metal plates with spacing between the magnetic bars. The diaphragm is secured to the clamping frame and has an active surface area under tension spaced inwardly of the clamping frame. There are no side magnetic bars at the ends of each of the row. Absorbing strips are used in place of the absent magnetic bars filling the space between the side magnetic bars and the clamping frame.

Abstract: A fluorescence-based method for highly sensitive and selective detection of analyte molecules is proposed. The method employs the energy transfer between two or more fluorescent chromophores in a carefully selected polymer matrix.

Abstract: A fluorescence-based method for highly sensitive and selective detection of molecules of organic gases such as benzene, alcohol, chloroform, basic vapors including dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) that is a simulant of Sarin, Soman and other chemical warfare agents having basic properties, is proposed. The method employs the effect of strong fluorescence change in thin films of aggregated porphyrins. In one preferred embodiment, the aggregation of porphyrin molecules leads to initial depression of chromophore emission due to self-quenching effect. The binding of analyte molecules to porphyrin sensitive layer forms porphyrin-analyte complexes, which destroy initial aggregate structure and induce the strong fluorescence enhancement. Aggregate-sensing films usually provide higher and faster response than porphyrins isolated in a polymer matrix. That results in strong enhancement of the florescence quantum yield and shift of the fluorescent spectrum in the direction of shorter wavelengths.

Abstract: A fluorescence-based method for highly sensitive and selective detection of molecules of basic gases, such as dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP), Sarin, Soman and other chemical warfare agents, is proposed. The method employs the effect of strong fluorescence change in a solvatochromic dye isolated in a matrix of the hydrogen bond acidic polymer. In one preferred embodiment the dye and polymer matrix are chosen such that the hydrogen-bond interaction between them results in depression of the fluorescence yield of the sensitive material prior its interaction with the molecules of basic gases. The interaction between the molecule of basic gases and the acidic polymer matrix breaks the hydrogen bond of the dye with the polymer matrix “releasing” the dye and returning it back into the state with a low solute-solvent interaction. That results in strong enhancement of the dye florescence quantum yield and shift of the dye fluorescent spectrum in the direction of shorter wavelengths.