Abstract: A thin-film interference filter structure has a generally wavelength-dependent resonant response to incident optical energy in a predetermined range of wavelengths. The thin-film interference filter structure includes a thermally tunable layer having a thermally tunable optical characteristic such that a range of wavelength-dependent resonant optical responses of the thermally tunable layer are induced by a corresponding range of thermal conditions of the thermally tunable layer. The thin-film interference filter structure is configured to (1) receive a spatially varying pattern of thermal energy at the thermally tunable layer to impart a corresponding spatially varying pattern to the thermally tunable characteristic of the thermally tunable layer, and (2) receive the incident optical energy into the thermally tunable layer and output optical energy having spatial modulation corresponding to the spatially varying pattern of the thermally tunable characteristic.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a thin-film interference filter structure having a generally wavelength-dependent resonant response to incident optical energy in a predetermined range of wavelengths. The thin-film interference filter structure includes a thermally tunable layer having a thermally tunable optical characteristic such that a range of wavelength-dependent resonant optical responses of the thermally tunable layer are induced by a corresponding range of thermal conditions of the thermally tunable layer. The thin-film interference filter structure is configured to (1) receive a spatially varying pattern of thermal energy at the thermally tunable layer to impart a corresponding spatially varying pattern to the thermally tunable characteristic of the thermally tunable layer, and (2) receive the incident optical energy into the thermally tunable layer and output optical energy having spatial modulation corresponding to the spatially varying pattern of the thermally tunable characteristic.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for the production of synthetic fuels, wherein, in a first step, a gas mixture consisting of methanol and/or dimethyl ether and/or another oxygenate and water vapor is reacted at temperatures of 300-600° C. in order to form olefins with, preferably, 268 carbon atoms. In a second step, the olefin mixture thus obtained is oligomerized at an elevated pressure to form higher olefins with predominantly more than 5, preferably 10-20 carbon atoms. According to said method, a) the production of olefins in the first step is carried out in the presence of a gas flow which essentially consists of saturated hydrocarbons which are separated from the product flow of the second step and returned to the first step, and (b) the production of olefins is carried out in the second step in the presence of a flow of water vapor which is separated from the product flow of the first step and returned to the first step.

Abstract: A thermal imaging device including: a substrate; and an array of thermally tunable pixel elements for generating a thermal image, each thermally tunable pixel element including: a plurality of thermally tunable filter islands, each of which has a thermally tunable optical filter, wherein each of the plurality of tunable filter islands within that pixel element is thermally isolated from the other tunable filter islands within that tunable pixel element; an absorption structure for absorbing incident optical thermal energy; and a mechanical structure supporting the plurality of tunable filter islands and the absorption structure on the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a FIR filter process (1?) and to a respective FIR filter arrangement (1) wherein at least one multiplex mode is given which is characterized in that in the respective summation stage (30?) or summation block (30) partial summations are carried out and controlled in conformity with a multiplexed structure underlying a multiplexed input signal (MS) in order to obtain partial sums (?pk-1) as accordingly filtered single signals.

Abstract: An operator control system for a vehicle includes a visual display unit for displaying at least one operator control function; and at least one central manual operating device is associated with the visual display unit, for operator control of the at least one displayed operator control function. In addition, at least one further manual operating means, as well as at least one sensor which detects when an object approaches the at least one further operating means. The visual display unit displays an operator control function associated with the further manual operating means when such an approach is sensed.

Abstract: A thermally tunable pixel element includes a substrate; a thermally tunable filter island; a thermal absorption structure in direct thermal contact with and extending beyond the thermally tunable filter island; and a thermal isolation structure providing a thermally isolating path between the thermal absorption structure and the substrate.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a thin-film interference filter structure having a generally wavelength-dependent resonant response to incident optical energy in a predetermined range of wavelengths. The thin-film interference filter structure includes a thermally tunable layer having a thermally tunable optical characteristic such that a range of wavelength-dependent resonant optical responses of the thermally tunable layer are induced by a corresponding range of thermal conditions of the thermally tunable layer. The thin-film interference filter structure is configured to (1) receive a spatially varying pattern of thermal energy at the thermally tunable layer to impart a corresponding spatially varying pattern to the thermally tunable characteristic of the thermally tunable layer, and (2) receive the incident optical energy into the thermally tunable layer and output optical energy having spatial modulation corresponding to the spatially varying pattern of the thermally tunable characteristic.

Abstract: A thermo-optic system, which may be used for example in thermal imaging, includes an array of optical elements each having a thermally responsive optical property, the optical elements including signal elements and reference elements configured to provide (1) a common-mode response of the optical property to ambient temperature and (2) a differential-mode response of the optical property to a thermal signal appearing across the array of optical elements. The system also includes an optical readout subsystem configured to (1) illuminate the array of optical elements with optical energy at a readout wavelength corresponding to the optical property so as to generate a composite optical signal having common-mode and differential-mode signal components corresponding to the common-mode and differential-mode responses respectively of the signal and reference elements, and (2) filter the composite optical signal to generate a filtered optical signal being substantially the differential-mode image component.

Abstract: An operator control system for a vehicle includes a visual display unit for displaying at least one operator control function; and at least one central manual operating device is associated with the visual display unit, for operator control of the at least one displayed operator control function. In addition, at least one further manual operating means, as well as at least one sensor which detects when an object approaches the at least one further operating means. The visual display unit displays an operator control function associated with the further manual operating means when such an approach is sensed.

Abstract: An optical dispersion compensator including: a spacer element having a top surface and a bottom surface; a thin film, multi-layer mirror formed on the top surface of the spacer element, the thin film mirror having a thermally tunable reflectivity; a highly reflective mirror element formed on the bottom surface of the spacer element; and a heater element for controlling a temperature of the thermally tunable thin film mirror.

Abstract: A method of discovering at least one service being advertised in a communication system using at least one service ontology describing service characteristics with service attributes supports user-centered and personalized discovery of services. A discovery statement is formulated as a function of the query term and services with service attributes matching the discovery statement are discovered using the structure implied by the service ontology.

Abstract: An IR camera system includes an array of thermally-tunable optical filter pixels, an NIR source and an NIR detector array. The IR camera system further includes IR optics for directing IR radiation from a scene to be imaged onto the array of thermally-tunable optical filter pixels and NIR optics for directing NIR light from the NIR source, to the filter pixels and to the NIR detector arrays. The NIR source directs NIR light onto the array of thermally-tunable optical filter pixels. The NIR detector array receives NIR light modified by the array of thermally-tunable optical filter pixels and produces an electrical signal corresponding to the NIR light the NIR detector array receives.

Abstract: According to various embodiments and aspects of the present invention, there is provided a dynamically tunable thin film interference coating including one or more layers with thermo-optically tunable refractive index. Tunable layers within thin film interference coatings enable a new family of thin film active devices for the filtering, control, modulation of light. Active thin film structures can be used directly or integrated into a variety of photonic subsystems to make tunable lasers, tunable add-drop filters for fiber optic telecommunications, tunable polarizers, tunable dispersion compensation filters, and many other devices.

Abstract: The present invention aims at avoiding fragmentation during transmission of a structured document (10). This is achieved by a method of progressive transmission for a structured document (10). the structured document (10) comprising sub-documents (12, 14, 16, . . . ) with related relevance weightings. In particular, a fragmentation measure is determined according to the transmission sequence in an automatic manner using a formal expression of fragmentation. After comparison the fragmentation measure with a predetermined threshold value the transmission sequence is modified to reduce fragmentation when the fragmentation measure exceeds the threshold value.

Abstract: An optical instrument including: a thermo-optically tunable, thin film, free-space interference filter having a tunable passband which functions as a wavelength selector, the filter including a sequence of alternating layers of amorphous silicon and a dielectric material deposited one on top of the other and forming a Fabry-Perot cavity structure having: a first multi-layer thin film interference structure forming a first mirror; a thin-film spacer layer deposited on top of the first multi-layer interference structure, the thin-film spacer layer made of amorphous silicon; and a second multi-layer thin film interference structure deposited on top of the thin-film spacer layer and forming a second mirror; a lens for coupling an optical beam into the filter; an optical detector for receiving the optical beam after the optical beam has interacted with the interference filter; and circuitry for heating the thermo-optically tunable interference filter to control a location of the passband.

Abstract: An optoelectronic device including a header having an upper surface and including a plurality of conducting pins extending up through the upper surface; an optical device; a tunable optical filter, wherein the optical device and the tunable optical filter are arranged in a vertical stack mounted on and extending above the upper surface of the header and wherein the tunable optical filter is electrically connected to the plurality of conducting pins; and a cap affixed to the header and along with the header defining a sealed interior containing the optical device and the tunable optical filter, wherein the cap has a top surface with a window formed therein, and wherein the window is aligned with the tunable optical filter and the optical device.

Abstract: A method for optical stress analysis comprises the steps of directing an incident beam of polarized light to the sample to be analyzed and analyzing a light bundle exiting the sample in two detection channels extending perpendicular to one another with respect to the polarization direction, providing that the incident beam is elliptically polarized, carrying out the elliptical polarization with an elliptic shape having a comparatively large ratio of the large principal axis to the small principal axis, the direction of rotation of the elliptical polarization of the incident beam changing periodically and using two alternative states of the direction of rotation for each measurement process, adjusting the detection channels which extend perpendicular to one another corresponding to the position of the principal axes of the ellipse and carrying out the difference between two measurements consecutively with the same beam intensity of the incident beam and the same ratio of principal axes, but with opposite direc

Abstract: An IR camera system includes an array of thermally-tunable optical filter pixels, an NIR source and an NIR detector array. The IR camera system further includes IR optics for directing IR radiation from a scene to be imaged onto the array of thermally-tunable optical filter pixels and NIR optics for directing NIR light from the NIR source, to the filter pixels and to the NIR detector arrays. The NIR source directs NIR light onto the array of thermally-tunable optical filter pixels. The NIR detector array receives NIR light modified by the array of thermally-tunable optical filter pixels and for produces an electrical signal corresponding to the NIR light the NIR detector array receives.

Abstract: Materials suitable for fabricating optical monitors include amorphous, polycrystalline and microcrystalline materials. Semitransparent photodetector materials may be based on silicon or silicon and germanium alloys. Conductors for connecting to and contacting the photodetector may be made from various transparent oxides, including zinc oxide, tin oxide and indium tin oxide. Optical monitor structures based on PIN diodes take advantage of the materials disclosed. Various contact, lineout, substrate and interconnect structures optimize the monitors for integration with various light sources, including vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) arrays. Complete integrated structures include a light source, optical monitor and either a package or waveguide into which light is directed.