Abstract: Aspects relate to mechanisms for enhancing the coupling of scattered light from a sample under test into a spectrometer. An optical device can include a reflective surface positioned apart from the sample and configured to receive a first portion of scattered light from the sample and to redirect the first portion of the scattered light back to one or more discrete spots on the sample in a non-random manner to produce redirected scattered light from the sample. The spectrometer may then be configured to receive coupled light from the sample including at least a portion of the redirected scattered light.

Abstract: Aspects relate to a handheld spectroscopy scanner including an optical window configured to receive a sample and a housing having the optical window thereon. The housing further includes therein a light source and a spectral sensor including a light modulator and a detector. The scanner housing further includes a processor configured to receive a spectrum of the sample from the spectral sensor based on interaction of light produced by the light source with the sample on the optical window. The processor is further configured to produce spectral data based on the sample spectrum for input to an artificial intelligence engine to produce a result based on the spectral data. In addition, the scanner housing may include a flange holding the light source and a heat sink configured to dissipate the internal heat generated. The housing further includes a cavity forming a handle for easy operation of the handheld spectroscopy scanner.

Abstract: Aspects relate to an optical device providing a large spot size spectrometer. The optical device includes an optical head, an optical window, and a spectrometer. The optical head includes a plastic molded part having an aperture and a plurality of reflectors around the aperture formed therein. Each reflector may include a respective lamp assembled therein. The optical window is configured to receive a sample, to pass input light from the lamps to the sample and to pass scattered light from the sample towards the aperture. The aperture is configured to filter a first portion of scattered light containing unusable sample information and to pass a second portion of the scattered light to the spectrometer.

Abstract: A shadow mask having two or more levels of openings enables selective step coverage of micro-fabricated structures within a micro-optical bench device. The shadow mask includes a first opening within a top surface of the shadow mask and a second opening within the bottom surface of the shadow mask. The second opening is aligned with the first opening and has a second width less than a first width of the first opening. An overlap between the first opening and the second opening forms a hole within the shadow mask through which selective coating of micro-fabricated structures within the micro-optical bench device may occur.

Abstract: Mobile LiDAR platforms for vehicle tracking are provided. In various embodiments, a time-series of point clouds is received from a LiDAR sensor. Each point cloud of the time series of point clouds is projected onto a plane. The projected point clouds are provided to a convolutional neural network. At least one bounding box of a vehicle within each of the projected point clouds is received from the convolutional neural network. A relative speed of the vehicle is determined from the bounding boxes with the projected point clouds. A reference speed of the LiDAR sensor is determined from the GPS receiver. From the relative speed and the reference speed, an absolute speed of the vehicle is determined.

Abstract: Mobile LiDAR platforms for vehicle tracking are provided. In various embodiments, a time-series of point clouds is received from a LiDAR sensor. Each point cloud of the time series of point clouds is projected onto a plane. The projected point clouds are provided to a convolutional neural network. At least one bounding box of a vehicle within each of the projected point clouds is received from the convolutional neural network. A relative speed of the vehicle is determined from the bounding boxes with the projected point clouds. A reference speed of the LiDAR sensor is determined from the GPS receiver. From the relative speed and the reference speed, an absolute speed of the vehicle is determined.

Abstract: A shadow mask having two or more levels of openings enables selective step coverage of micro-fabricated structures within a micro-optical bench device. The shadow mask includes a first opening within a top surface of the shadow mask and a second opening within the bottom surface of the shadow mask. The second opening is aligned with the first opening and has a second width less than a first width of the first opening. An overlap between the first opening and the second opening forms a hole within the shadow mask through which selective coating of micro-fabricated structures within the micro-optical bench device may occur.

Abstract: A shadow mask having two or more levels of openings enables selective step coverage of micro-fabricated structures within a micro-optical bench device. The shadow mask includes a first opening within a top surface of the shadow mask and a second opening within the bottom surface of the shadow mask. The second opening is aligned with the first opening and has a second width less than a first width of the first opening. An overlap between the first opening and the second opening forms a hole within the shadow mask through which selective coating of micro-fabricated structures within the micro-optical bench device may occur.

Abstract: A device for producing energy from waste including a power generator, a digester, and .a generator utilizing biodiesel, active coal, tar, and ashes. The latter includes a purification chamber, a gas generator, a radiator, a compressor, and a reactor. The device includes an HMF producer comprising a primary treatment tank, a pump, a reactor, an extractor and a purification tank. The power generator may be at least one of a diesel motor, a gas turbine and steam cycle. The digester is structured to produce biogas.

Abstract: A micro-optical bench device is fabricated by a process that provides control over one or more properties of the micro-optical bench device and/or one or more properties of optical surfaces in the micro-optical bench device. The process includes etching a substrate to form a permanent structure including optical elements and a temporary structure. The shape of the temporary structure and gaps between the temporary structure and permanent structure facilitate control of a property of the micro-optical bench and/or optical surfaces therein. The process further includes removing the temporary structure from an optical path of the micro-optical bench device.

Abstract: A tool for deploying a wellbore plug in a well using flowable eutectic material is disclosed. A tool having a mandrel, an obstruction, and a flowable quantity of eutectic material in a solid state is positioned in the wellbore. The obstruction is actuated and the flowable material is heated to melt. The obstruction supports the flowed material as it cools to form a plug in the wellbore.

Abstract: A desktop display over a remote connection is updated by detecting, at their origin, changes in the desktop that reflect movement of an image, such as window scrolls, window moves and other movements of regions. For every frame of the desktop that is composed, moves can be detected. The offsets and regions of these moves are transformed into desktop space. A list of moves and other information about changed regions in the desktop display provide both an indication of moved image regions and move parameters, and image data that has otherwise changed. The moved image regions are moved at the destination by applying the move parameters, without transferring image data for the moved region to the remote device, while the remaining changed portion of the desktop is copied over the connection to the remote device.

Abstract: An integrated apertured micromirror is provided in which the micromirror is monolithically integrated with a micro-optical bench fabricated on a substrate using a lithographic and deep etching technique. The micromirror has an aperture therein and is oriented such that the micromirror is optically coupled to receive an incident beam having an optical axis in a plane of the substrate and to at least partially transmit the incident beam therethrough via the aperture.

Abstract: A tool for deploying a wellbore plug in a well using flowable eutectic material is disclosed. A tool having a mandrel, an obstruction, and a flowable quantity of eutectic material in a solid state is positioned in the wellbore. The obstruction is actuated and the flowable material is heated to melt. The obstruction supports the flowed material as it cools to form a plug in the wellbore.

Abstract: A micro-optical bench device is fabricated by a process that provides control over one or more properties of the micro-optical bench device and/or one or more properties of optical surfaces in the micro-optical bench device. The process includes etching a substrate to form a permanent structure including optical elements and a temporary structure. The shape of the temporary structure and gaps between the temporary structure and permanent structure facilitate control of a property of the micro-optical bench and/or optical surfaces therein. The process further includes removing the temporary structure from an optical path of the micro-optical bench device.

Abstract: A shadow mask having two or more levels of openings enables selective step coverage of micro-fabricated structures within a micro-optical bench device. The shadow mask includes a first opening within a top surface of the shadow mask and a second opening within the bottom surface of the shadow mask. The second opening is aligned with the first opening and has a second width less than a first width of the first opening. An overlap between the first opening and the second opening forms a hole within the shadow mask through which selective coating of micro-fabricated structures within the micro-optical bench device may occur.

Abstract: A technique for generating content for a stereo 3D display buffer having both stereo 3D graphic objects and non-stereo 3D graphic objects that may be utilized to render stereo 3D content onto one or more windows of a display. The technique incorporates content from stereo 3D application frame buffers into a composition tree that represents the graphic objects in each window displayed on a computing device. At each refresh cycle, the composition tree is traversed to generate content for a stereo 3D display buffer that is then used to draw one or more windows onto a display.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein relate to improving throughput of a CPU and a GPU working in conjunction to render graphics. Time frames for executing CPU and GPU work units are synchronized with a refresh rate of a display. Pending CPU work is performed when a time frame starts (a vsync occurs). When a prior GPU work unit is still executing on the GPU, then a parallel mode is entered. In the parallel mode, some GPU work and some CPU work is performed concurrently. When the parallel mode is exited, for example when there is no CPU work to perform, the parallel mode may be exited.

Abstract: Information is displayed on a device by writing data to a buffer in memory, the content of the buffer describing a screen display of the device at a particular point in time. A watermarked version of the buffer content is generated by watermarking the content of the buffer with data, such as data identifying a user of the device and/or a copy of a program (e.g., an operating system) running on the device. The watermarked version of the buffer content is then made available, such as in response to a screen capture request. The data embedded in the watermarked version of the content is undetectable (or nearly undetectable) to the human eye, but can nonetheless be extracted by other computing devices or data extraction systems.

Abstract: A MEMS-based swept laser source is formed from two coupled cavities. The first cavity includes a first mirror and a fully reflective moveable minor and operates to tune the output wavelength of the laser. The second cavity is optically coupled to the first cavity and includes an active gain medium, the first mirror and a second mirror. The second cavity further has a length substantially greater than the first cavity such that there are multiple longitudinal modes of the second cavity within a transmission bandwidth of the first cavity output.