Abstract: A standardized inspection port system with common inspection port bodies and port plugs are incorporated in plural inspection locations within a gas turbine engine casing to facilitate internal engine inspection. The inspection ports preferably have identical internal diameter, stub flange dimensions and axial length from the gas turbine casing inspection seat to the stub flange for standardized mounting of inspection instruments at different locations about the turbine. The inspection port system components are preferably axially and radially aligned along the turbine casing for establishing a common reference position along all turbine blade/vane rows. The port plug incorporates a magnetically attractive pole piece for concentration or redirection of an attractive magnetic field circuit generated by an inspection port plug service tool during plug insertion or retrieval.

Abstract: A system and method tracks medical articles and containers by providing a robust electromagnetic (EM) field within an enclosure in which the articles and containers are stored. Respective data carriers, such as RFID tags, attached to each article or container respond to the electromagnetic field by transmitting unique identification data. A data base associates the data carrier identification data with data about the medical articles or containers including type of medicine, size of the dose, and expiration date. A processor notifies a pharmacy when a medical article is received and when removed. The processor also notifies the finance department regarding patient medical articles and administration to update the patient's Medication Administration Record. The processor also provides inventory level counts and expiration dates.

Abstract: In an optical probe (10) having an inner tube (30) arranged to house one or more optical elements (32), a method is provided which allows constructing the inner tube to have at least two corresponding inner tube sections (32, 34) separable from one another along a longitudinal axis of the inner tube. While corresponding inner tube sections (32, 34) are detached from one another, one or more of the optical elements may be disposed into either of the inner tube sections. The inner tube sections may be attached to one another by way of at least one removable affixing element to facilitate servicing of the probe.

Abstract: An optical probe (10) including one or more optical elements (32), and an inner tube (30) to house the optical elements. The inner tube may be made up of at least two cooperating inner tube sections (34, 36) separable from one another along a longitudinal axis of the inner tube.

Abstract: An optical probe (10) includes an inner tube (30), and a light-redirecting element (54) disposed at a distal end (56) of the inner tube. The light-redirecting element is supported at the distal end by an affixing structure (57) not attached to an optically-working surface (58) of the light-redirecting element.

Abstract: A blister pack is provided having a wireless identification device located at a predetermined position. A moldable blister web is mounted with wireless identification devices at selected positions corresponding to the size of the blister components to be molded from the web. When a cavity is molded in the web in manufacturing a blister pack, the pre-mounted wireless identification device will be located at a predetermined position in the blister pack. In one embodiment, RFID devices are used as the wireless identification devices. The RFID device is pre-mounted on the blister web so that it will be located at a flat surface of the blister pack or on a rounded surface. The RFID devices are pre-mounted, and then the blister is molded to have a cavity, the product is inserted into the cavity and a sealing package component is attached to the blister cavity to seal it.

Abstract: A telemetry system for use in a combustion turbine engine (10) having a compressor (12), a combustor and a turbine (16) and includes a sensor (118) in connection with a turbine blade (111) or vane (23). A transmitter assembly (117) includes a telemetry transmitter circuit/transceiver may be affixed on a turbine blade (111) or seal plate (115) proximate the turbine blade with a first connecting material (119) deposited on the turbine blade (111) for routing electronic data signals, indicative of a condition of the turbine blade (111), from the sensor (118) to the telemetry transmitter circuit/transceiver. An induction power system for powering the telemetry transmitter circuit/transceiver may include a rotating data antenna (116) affixed to the seal plate (115) with an electrical connection (122) between the telemetry transmitting circuit/transceiver for routing electronic data signals from the telemetry transmitter circuit/transceiver to the rotating data antenna (119).

Abstract: The monitoring system for a gas turbine engine including a viewing tube assembly having an inner end and an outer end. The inner end is located adjacent to a hot gas flow path within the gas turbine engine and the outer end is located adjacent to an outer casing of the gas turbine engine. An aperture wall is located at the inner end of the viewing tube assembly and an optical element is located within the viewing tube assembly adjacent to the inner end and is spaced from the aperture wall to define a cooling and purge chamber therebetween. An aperture is defined in the aperture wall for passage of light from the hot gas flow path to the optical element. Swirl passages are defined in the viewing tube assembly between the aperture wall and the optical element for passage of cooling air from a location outside the viewing tube assembly into the chamber, wherein swirl passages effect a swirling movement of air in a circumferential direction within the chamber.

Abstract: A telemetry system for use in a combustion turbine engine (10) having a compressor (12), a combustor and a turbine (16) and includes a sensor (118) in connection with a turbine blade (111) or vane (23). A transmitter assembly (117) includes a telemetry transmitter circuit/transceiver may be affixed on a turbine blade (111) or seal plate (115) proximate the turbine blade with a first connecting material (119) deposited on the turbine blade (111) for routing electronic data signals, indicative of a condition of the turbine blade (111), from the sensor (118) to the telemetry transmitter circuit/transceiver. An induction power system for powering the telemetry transmitter circuit/transceiver may include a rotating data antenna (116) affixed to the seal plate (115) with an electrical connection (122) between the telemetry transmitting circuit/transceiver for routing electronic data signals from the telemetry transmitter circuit/transceiver to the rotating data antenna (119).

Abstract: The monitoring system for a gas turbine engine including a viewing tube assembly having an inner end and an outer end. The inner end is located adjacent to a hot gas flow path within the gas turbine engine and the outer end is located adjacent to an outer casing of the gas turbine engine. An aperture wall is located at the inner end of the viewing tube assembly and an optical element is located within the viewing tube assembly adjacent to the inner end and is spaced from the aperture wall to define a cooling and purge chamber therebetween. An aperture is defined in the aperture wall for passage of light from the hot gas flow path to the optical element. Swirl passages are defined in the viewing tube assembly between the aperture wall and the optical element for passage of cooling air from a location outside the viewing tube assembly into the chamber, wherein swirl passages effect a swirling movement of air in a circumferential direction within the chamber.

Abstract: A system and method for patient-specific coronary territory mapping are provided, the system including an adapter unit for receiving three-dimensional (“3D”) image data, a modeling unit in signal communication with the adapter unit for fitting a geometric model to the received data and segmenting coronary vessels from the received data, and a mapping unit in signal communication with the modeling unit for mapping the segmented vessels to the surface of the model; and the method including receiving 3D image data, fitting a geometric model to the received data, segmenting coronary vessels from the received data, and mapping the segmented vessels to the surface of the model.

Abstract: A system and method for tree structure based two-dimensional to three-dimensional registration are provided for receiving three-dimensional (3D) data indicative of vessels, segmenting the 3D data with a vessel tree, simulating two-dimensional (2D) data responsive to the segmented 3D data to form a simulated 2D image, receiving 2D data indicative of vessels, segmenting the received 2D data with a vessel tree, finding a distance transform of the segmented 2D data to form a 2D distance map image, considering a set of poses as state vectors with the corresponding probability computed using the similarity measure computation, re-sampling the pose vector to find a set of most probable poses and considering them as hypothesized poses, recomputing the projection and re-evaluating the probability of the hypothesized poses and updating the state vector until the optimal pose is found.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for generating a two dimensional (2D) image of a structure (e.g., an organ) that has at least one pixel corresponding to at least one voxel of a three dimensional (3D) image of the structure. First, the surface of the structure in the 3D image is modeled by a geometrical volume such as an ellipsoid. Next, normal maximum intensity projection (MIP) rays are cast (i.e., projected) for voxels of the geometrical volume. The 2D image is then generated using the rays. The 2D image has at least one pixel that corresponds to at least one voxel of the 3D image.

Abstract: A method of segmenting tubular structures in digital images includes selecting a point in an image of a tubular object to be segmented, defining an initial state of the selected point, initializing measurement weights, a conditional probability distribution and a prior probability distribution of a feature space of the initial state, sampling the feature space from the prior probability distribution, estimating a posterior probability distribution by summing sample measurements weighted by the measurement weights, and segmenting a cross section of the tubular object from the posterior probability distribution.

Abstract: A system and method for artery-vein separation and vessel modeling are provided, the system including an adapter unit, a centerline locating unit in signal communication with the adapter unit, and a deformable modeling unit in signal communication with the centerline locating unit; and the method including receiving three-dimensional image data indicative of vessels, visualizing the received image data, selecting seed points on the vessels relative to the visualization, smoothing the image data with a non-linear filter responsive to curvature information of the data, initiating a deformable model for each selected seed point, modulating the propagation of each deformable model in accordance with at least one of local and global statistics, and growing an interconnected region for each model, where each model competes for classifying new points in its own region until convergence.

Abstract: A method of segmenting tubular structures in digital images comprises providing a digitized image, selecting a point within an object for segmenting in the image, defining an initial state of the selected point in the object, performing an initial segmentation of a 2D cross section of the object based on the initial state, predicting a new state of said object about a new point that is a translation of said selected point along the object tangent, correcting said new state prediction based on a measurement of said new point in said image, and segmenting a 2D cross section of said object based on said new state.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for visualizing volume rendered images relative to a viewing vector are provided, where the apparatus includes a processor, a detection unit in signal communication with the processor for detecting occluding contours of opacified structures in the image data, and a resampling unit in signal communication with the processor for generating curved multi-planar-reformat (MPR) resamplings that follow the occluding contours of the opacified structures; and the method includes receiving a volume rendered image, including distance values and surface normals for every pixel that is opacified, gathering all opacified pixels that are orthogonal to the viewing vector into a group of occluding points, and separating the group of occluding points into individual occluding contours.

Abstract: An inspection system formed at least from a viewing tube for inspecting aspects of a turbine engine during operation of the turbine engine. An outer housing of the viewing tube may be positioned within a turbine engine using at least one bearing configured to fit into an indentation of a support housing to form a ball and socket joint enabling the viewing tube to move during operation as a result of vibrations and other movements. The viewing tube may also include one or more lenses positioned within the viewing tube for viewing the turbine components. The lenses may be kept free of contamination by maintaining a higher pressure in the viewing tube than a pressure outside of the viewing tube and enabling gases to pass through an aperture in a cap at a viewing end of the viewing tube.

Abstract: A system and corresponding method for organ wall analysis are provided, the system including a processor, an imaging adapter in signal communication with the processor for receiving organ scan data indicative of an organ, a distance mapping unit in signal communication with the processor for providing a three-dimensional distance map of a segmented outer surface of an organ, and a ray-casting unit in signal communication with the processor for providing a maximum intensity projection substantially normal to the segmented outer surface for each of a plurality of rays, and for forming a ray collection by casting each of the plurality of rays from a center of the organ through the respective maximum intensity projection to the segmented outer surface; and the corresponding method including providing a three-dimensional distance map of a segmented outer surface of an organ, providing a maximum intensity projection substantially normal to the segmented outer surface for each of a plurality of rays, and forming a r

Abstract: An apparatus, method and program storage device are provided for co-registration of multi-modal images in a three-dimensional environment, where the apparatus includes a source of excitation light, an electromagnetic-ray source disposed relative to the source of excitation light, an electromagnetic-ray transparent mirror having a first surface disposed towards the excitation light and a second surface disposed towards the electromagnetic-ray source, a target location disposed towards the first surface of the electromagnetic-ray transparent mirror for locating a target and receiving the excitation light and the electromagnetic rays, an electromagnetic-ray detector disposed on an opposite side of the target location relative to the electromagnetic-ray transparent mirror for detecting electromagnetic-rays transmitted through the target, a second electromagnetic-ray transparent mirror having a light-reflective surface disposed towards the target location, and a light detector disposed towards the light-reflective