Patents by Inventor Luis W. Alvarez
Luis W. Alvarez has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 4911541Abstract: An inertial pendulum stabilizer is utilized for stabilizing the lens train of an optical instrument to be stabilized, such as a television camera, against accidental angular motion. A substantially spherical optical doublet having a leading negative lens element and a trailing positive element with both lens elements together being afocal is utilized. The leading negative lens element is fixed in front of the lens train of the optical instrument to be stabilized. An inertial pendulum has the positive optical element lens fixed to the front of the pendulum, this positive element being located between the leading negative lens and the lens train of the optical element to be stabilized. The inertial pendulum pivots on two intersecting and mutually perpendicular axes. The inertial pendulum is attached to the lens train to be stabilized so that the two mutually perpendicular and intersecting pivot axes intersect the lens train of the optical element to be stabilized.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 1988Date of Patent: March 27, 1990Assignee: Schwem Technology IncorporatedInventors: Luis W. Alvarez, Stephen F. Sporer
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Patent number: 4756866Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting concentrations of nitrogen between 20% and 30% by weight such as is common in explosives is disclosed. A microtron having an output electron beam at a level below 45 MeV is targeted onto a typically tungsten target to provide gamma radiation levels. Deflection magnets adjacent to the target deflect the electron beam of the microtron to cause it to scan. Articles placed on a container containing suspect nitrogen are systematically scanned and output gamma radiation of 511 keV detected from nitrogen. Nitrogen concentrations and consequently expected concealed explosives are easily mapped in two or three dimensions, quantitatively.Type: GrantFiled: October 9, 1985Date of Patent: July 12, 1988Inventor: Luis W. Alvarez
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Patent number: 4615590Abstract: An optically stabilized camera lens system includes an objective lens mounted to the lens case and an optical train defining an optical path between the objective lens and a camera image plane. The optical train includes first a Humphrey prism, second a light reversing, cube corner element, third a zoom lens. Provision is made for replacement of the cube corner with a prism and use of a parity inverting prism such as a Dove or preferably a Pechan to provide an alternate path. Roll stabilization is provided by coupling the Pechan, Dove or equivalent parity reversing prism to a gyroscope so the prism becomes a derotating prism. The derotating prism rotates about the optical path at half the speed the case rotates about the optical axis to produce roll stabilization preferred in camera and video applications. The Humphrey prism is inertially mounted to the case, using a stabilizer to compensate for small accidental tilt and pan motions of the case.Type: GrantFiled: July 17, 1984Date of Patent: October 7, 1986Assignee: Schwem InstrumentsInventors: Luis W. Alvarez, Arnold J. Schwemin
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Patent number: 4480310Abstract: A dead reckoning range finding device is disclosed for removably detachable mounting to a cart, such as a golf cart. The golf cart, having more than one wheel, is mechanically monitored as to wheel position of at least two wheels to provide at least two required outputs. The first output is the cart distance traveled; the second output is the radius of curvature of the track of the cart, which gives the change in direction per unit of path length traveled with respect to the bearing of a target, such as a golf hole. As specifically applied to the game of golf, at each tee, initialized parameters of range and direction of hole are input to a dedicated microprocessor. Thereafter, even though travel from the tee to hole occurs along a random path (typically a level as possible route following the random direction to which golf balls can be hit by one or two cart riders) a continuous read-out of range to the hole is provided.Type: GrantFiled: July 9, 1982Date of Patent: October 30, 1984Inventor: Luis W. Alvarez
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Patent number: 4417788Abstract: A stabilized binocular using a gimbaled and stabilized triple-reflecting compensator (such as that in Humphrey U.S. Pat. No. 3,475,073) having three reflecting surfaces for each binocular path is disclosed. Each of the binocular paths is in convergent light from an objective to and through gimbaled stabilizer assembly to a primary focus that is stabilized with respect to the case. The triple-reflecting surfaces disposed to reflect light in the manner corresponding to a single plane mirror at an effective mirroring plane with a displacement between the incident and reflected light beams. The compensator remains stabilized with respect to inertial space, while the instrument undergoes accidental angular motion. The reflecting property of the compensator brings the image back to the same place on the case despite the accidental angular motion. The displacing function of the compensator enables the image to be displaced to a location where the image does not interfere with the incoming light path.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 1980Date of Patent: November 29, 1983Assignee: Schwem InstrumentsInventors: Luis W. Alvarez, Arnold J. Schwemin
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Patent number: 4399455Abstract: A viewing system for use with a cathode ray tube display comprising an objective lens which focuses the display image onto a limited light diverging screen having orthogonally arranged lenticular lenses on its opposite planar surfaces and which diverts the projected light to produce an image of maximum brightness in a hypothetical ellipse having a major dimension of six inches and minor dimension of two inches at a viewing distance of sixteen inches.Type: GrantFiled: June 18, 1981Date of Patent: August 16, 1983Inventor: Luis W. Alvarez
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Patent number: 4316649Abstract: A stabilized binocular using a gimbaled and stabilized triple-reflecting compensator (such as that in Humphrey U.S. Pat. No. 3,475,073) having three reflecting surfaces for each binocular path is disclosed. Each of the binocular paths is in convergent light from an objective to and through gimbaled stabilizer assembly to a primary focus that is stabilized with respect to the case. The triple-reflecting surfaces disposed to reflect light inthe manner corresponding to a single plane mirror at an effective mirroring plane with a displacement between the incident and reflected light beams. The compensator remains stabilized with respect to inertial space, while the instrument undergoes accidental angular motion. The reflecting property of the compensator brings the image back to the same place on the case despite the accidental angular motion. The displacing function of the compensator enables the image to be displaced to a location where the image does not interfere with the incoming light path.Type: GrantFiled: November 26, 1979Date of Patent: February 23, 1982Assignee: Schwem InstrumentsInventors: Luis W. Alvarez, Arnold J. Schwemin
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Patent number: 4317119Abstract: A stand alone collision avoidance system is disclosed for mounting to a large passenger jet especially to avoid the collision problem common to such large jets colliding with small propeller driven aircraft. A bistatic radar antenna system is disclosed having a frequency in the range of 40 Giga Hertz (hereafter GHz). Paired bistatic antennas are used with each couplet of bistatic transmitting and receiving antennas searching one quadrant of a total forward hemisphere of search in the direction of plane travel. Paired transmitter antennas, one for each quadrant, are typically located above and below the nose located weather radar and are mechanically scanned side to side in the typical "beaver tail" scan with the beaver tail occupying 100.degree. of elevation and 0.71.degree. of beam width.Type: GrantFiled: December 12, 1979Date of Patent: February 23, 1982Inventor: Luis W. Alvarez
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Patent number: 4301468Abstract: In this hand-held color television viewing device, differently colored, side-by-side rasters are produced on the screen of a cathode ray tube from standard color television signals by the use of three pairs of serial delay lines.One delay line of each pair stores a horizontal scan line of color video information for a single color signal while the other delay line of each pair, each in succession, outputs the previously stored line in one-third of a line scan period to the control element of the cathode ray tube. The three side-by-side rasters are then optically combined into a single, composite colored, greatly enlarged, virtual image of high brightness.Type: GrantFiled: March 10, 1980Date of Patent: November 17, 1981Inventor: Luis W. Alvarez
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Patent number: 4251726Abstract: Deuterium tagging in an amount at least ten (10) times the natural abundance of the deuterium isotope occurrence is disclosed. A composition of matter, including the group consisting of hydrogen containing compounds having at least one atom which is not oxygen and at least about ten (10) times the naturally occurring deuterium is disclosed. Preferred use is set forth in tagging explosives. A method of detecting the tagged article, such as explosives concealed in airline luggage includes subjecting tagged compounds with energy quanta sufficient to carry out the reactionD.fwdarw.n+p-2.23 MeVand detecting the number of neutrons generated is disclosed where n is a neutron, p is a proton and 2.23 MeV is the threshold energy required for the reaction. The apparatus, including a conveyor and a vertically scanning shutter is disclosed in combination with a linear accelerator for generating the X-ray energy in the order of 4 MeV and a boron triflouride proportional counter for detecting neutrons.Type: GrantFiled: February 26, 1979Date of Patent: February 17, 1981Inventor: Luis W. Alvarez