Patents Issued in April 9, 2013
  • Patent number: 8416366
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display (LCD) and a back light module are provided. The back light module includes a light guide plate (LGP) and a plurality of light-emitting devices. The LGP has a plurality of partitioning grooves, a bottom surface, a light exiting surface, a first side and a second side. The bottom surface is opposite to the light exiting surface. The first side and the second side are located at the two opposite side surfaces of the LGP. The extension direction of each of the partitioning grooves extends from the first side towards the second side. Each of the partitioning grooves has an opening and the opening is located at the bottom surface. The plurality of light-emitting devices are disposed at least one of the first side and the second side. The liquid crystal panel of the LCD is disposed at the light exiting surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Chimei Innolux Corporation
    Inventors: Hsin-Wen Chang, Chi-Liang Chang, Yung-Kun Chen
  • Patent number: 8416367
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display module includes a liquid crystal display panel to display an image; a back light unit to irradiate light onto the liquid crystal display panel includes a luminescent lamp to emit light, a light guide panel to convert light emitted from the luminescent lamp into plane light and to emit the plane light, a lamp housing to fix the luminescent lamp to the light guide panel, the lamp housing condenses the light generated from the luminescent lamp, a reflection plate formed on the rear surface of the light guide panel to reflect light, and optical sheets formed on the front surface of the light guide panel; a main support to receive the liquid crystal display panel and the back light unit; and a reinforcing member formed on the rear surface of the light guide panel and overlapping the lamp housing and the reflection plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Nam Do Son
  • Patent number: 8416368
    Abstract: One or more embodiments of the invention provide an apparatus and method for producing an image on a display screen that extends to the pixels or image elements disposed at the edge of the display screen. The display screen has an optical element with a thickness and an index of refraction that are selected to direct light to pixels or image elements disposed at the edge of the display screen without passing through the portion of the optical element that is blocked by a support frame or other structural member disposed on the rear surface of the display screen. Positioning such display screens together into a single screen assembly produces a tiled display having a much less noticeable grid pattern visible to the viewer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Prysm, Inc.
    Inventor: Mikhail Kaluzhny
  • Patent number: 8416369
    Abstract: A polarizer protective film containing a cellulose acylate having a total acyl substitution degree of from 2.2 to less than 2.5 and a polymer prepared by polymerizing an acrylate ester or a methacrylate ester.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventor: Shigeki Oka
  • Patent number: 8416370
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a polarizer plate attached to at least one of outer surfaces opposed to the inner surfaces of a counter substrate and an array substrate between which a liquid crystal layer is interposed. Active areas are formed on the respective array and counter substrates to form a pixel matrix. A shield element surrounds the active area on the counter substrate and extends to a corner portion of the counter substrate where a polarizer plate fiducial mark is formed to check alignment error of the polarizer plate attached to each of the respective outer surfaces of the array substrate and the counter substrate, the fiducial mark formed by patterning of the material of the shield layer to produce a pattern defined by retained portions of the material of the shield layer and aperture portions where the material of the shield layer has been removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Japan Display Central Inc.
    Inventor: Akira Yokogawa
  • Patent number: 8416371
    Abstract: The wire grid type polarization device includes a substrate, and a metal layer formed on one face of the substrate in a substantially stripe shape in a plan view, a first dielectric layer provided on two side faces opposite to each other among a plurality of side faces of the metal layer and in a top part of the metal layer, and a second dielectric layer provided on the first dielectric layer. A substrate side end portion of the second dielectric layer is located between the one surface of the substrate and the top part of the first metal layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshitomo Kumai
  • Patent number: 8416372
    Abstract: The display device according to the present invention has a pixel, a TFT, a BM, and a colorant. A plurality of pixels are arranged in a matrix. The TFT is placed in the pixel. There are two kinds of positions of the TFT in the pixel. The position is common in each column. The BM has an aperture area and a TFT light-shielding part in the pixel. The TFT light-shielding part is placed to counter the TFT. The colorant is placed in the aperture area. Further, there are two or more kinds of the colors of the colorant. The color is common in each column. The shapes of the aperture areas in which the same color colorants are placed are the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Syuuichi Kira, Hisatomo Ota
  • Patent number: 8416373
    Abstract: A display device and a method for manufacturing the display device are provided. The display device includes a substrate and a color filter layer. A plurality of sub-pixel electrodes are formed on the substrate. The color filter layer is configured on the substrate. The color filter layer defines a plurality of color areas corresponding to the sub-pixel electrodes. Here, each of the color areas is partially overlapped with two of the sub-pixel electrodes adjacent to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Himax Display, Inc.
    Inventors: Yuet-Wing Li, Chien-Tang Wang, Kuan-Hsu Fan-Chiang
  • Patent number: 8416374
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display able to deal with high definition display and able to secure both of a transmission type display luminance and a reflection type display luminance, wherein light from backlights 71a and 71b are focused by a lens sheet 74, luminance of the backlights is improved, a transmittance can be set at 4 percent to 10 percent, a reflectance can be set in a range from 1 percent to 25 percent, and high definition display is handled while securing a display light luminance equivalent to that of a liquid crystal display performing only transmission type display and a reflection display light luminance required for the display without increasing a power consumption of the backlights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Masumitsu Ino
  • Patent number: 8416375
    Abstract: A process for producing a light-reflective film is disclosed. The process comprises (a) applying a curable liquid crystal composition to a first film having a thickness of d1; (b) drying the applied curable liquid crystal composition to form a cholesteric liquid crystal phase; (c) carrying out a curing reaction of the curable liquid crystal composition and fixing the cholesteric liquid crystal phase to form a lower layer; (d) repeating the set of the steps (a)-(c) three or more times on the lower layer to form a light-reflective multilayer having four or more layers of a fixed cholesteric liquid crystal phase; and (e) transferring the light-reflective multilayer, formed on the first film, onto a second film having a thickness of d2 which is smaller than d1; wherein the first film, fulfilling the condition of formula (1), is used. ( d 1 ) 2 × ( Y 1 ) ( d 3 ) × ( 1 - P 1 ) ? 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Oki
  • Patent number: 8416376
    Abstract: An in-plane switching type liquid crystal display comprising (a) first and second polarizing plates facing each other and spaced from each other; (b) a liquid crystal cell situated between said first and second polarizing plates; and (c) a compensation structure located between the liquid crystal cell and the first polarizing plate; wherein the director orientation of the liquid crystal layer being controlled by an electric field parallel to the polarizing plates; one said compensation structure is positioned between the liquid crystal cell and the first polarizing plate; the polarizing plates have transmission axes perpendicular to each other, and the compensation structure comprises at least one retardation layer of supramolecules involving at least one polycyclic organic compound with a conjugated ?-system and functional groups which are capable of forming non-covalent bonds between said supramolecules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Crysoptix KK
    Inventor: Serguei Petrovich Palto
  • Patent number: 8416377
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device that has a higher contrast ratio in a wide viewing angle and that can be easily produced at low cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akira Sakai
  • Patent number: 8416378
    Abstract: An LCD device comprises a liquid crystal display panel. The liquid crystal display panel comprises a first substrate that has a plurality of pixels divided into a reflective portion and a transmissive portion therein, respectively. The liquid crystal display panel further comprises a second substrate that faces the first substrate, and a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate. Light introduced into the reflective portion of the first substrate through the second substrate is reflected to the second substrate from the reflective portion, and light introduced into the transmissive portion of the first substrate transmits the first substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Do-Sung Kim
  • Patent number: 8416379
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device including a pair of substrates in a spaced relationship with one another. A pair of alignment films are provided, one alignment film being formed on each substrate such that the alignment films face one another. A liquid crystal layer, including plural liquid crystals, is inserted between the pair of alignment films, wherein the alignment films impart a given pre-tilt angle to the liquid crystals. The alignment films are composed of a material containing at least two types of polymers having a prescribed initial alignment and different alignment variation rates in response to ultraviolet ray irradiation. The pre-tilt angle being adjusted, without rubbing the alignment films, through ultraviolet exposure of the alignment films.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hidefumi Yoshida, Yasutoshi Tasaka, Takashi Sasabayashi, Yohei Nakanishi, Kenji Okamoto
  • Patent number: 8416380
    Abstract: Disclosed is a liquid crystal display panel which causes no gray scale inversion, even when obliquely viewed, and which realizes suppression of a gamma characteristics change and a chromaticity change. The liquid crystal display panel is made of a pair of substrates, at least one of which includes a plurality of pixel electrodes containing red, green and blue pixel electrodes, and a liquid crystal layer arranged between the pair of substrates. The liquid crystal layer is divided for each pixel into a first region and a second region, which have liquid crystal molecules different in the directions of inclination from each other. Both of the liquid crystal molecules positioned in the first region and the second region are oriented either vertically or horizontally when the pair of substrates is viewed in the front direction, and are oriented obliquely with respect to the substrate surface and symmetrically of each other when the pair of substrates is viewed in the cross-sectional direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihiro Yamamoto, Yusuke Nishihara, Iori Aoyama, Tokio Taguchi, Masumi Kubo
  • Patent number: 8416381
    Abstract: The present invention provides an anti-glare film which has not only <1> sufficient anti-reflection property but also <2> a high level of contrast and <3> strong anti-glare properties and can be applied on a surface of various display devices such as a note PC, a desktop PC and a TV monitor. The anti-glare film of the present invention includes an anti-glare layer which has concavities and convexities on the surface, a haze according to JIS-7105-1981 in the range of 1.0-5.0%, and an average interval between concavities and convexities on the anti-glare layer surface Sm according to JIS-B0601-1994 in the range of 10-150 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kae Tochigi, Yusuke Tochigi, Yasushi Yabuhara
  • Patent number: 8416382
    Abstract: A processing apparatus including a processing unit configured to process an object includes a conveying unit configured to convey an object between a transfer portion provided between an external apparatus and the processing unit, and the processing unit, a controller configured to output a request signal requesting the external apparatus to convey the object to the transfer portion, and an output unit configured to output a signal indicating a start of maintenance of the processing apparatus. The controller is configured to output to the external apparatus a signal for stopping the conveyance of the object to the transfer portion, based on the signal indicating the start of maintenance output from the output unit, after outputting the request signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shinichi Hirano
  • Patent number: 8416383
    Abstract: A lithographic apparatus is disclosed that includes a seal provided in a substrate table, the seal being actuatable from an open configuration to a closed configuration, the closed configuration being such that when a substrate is located on the substrate table, the seal closes a gap between the substrate and the substrate table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Hernes Jacobs, Eva Mondt, Alexander Nikolov Zdravkov
  • Patent number: 8416384
    Abstract: An exposing apparatus for a fabricating process of a flat panel display device includes a light source emitting a light; a beam edge cutter for improving an uniformity of the light from the light source; an exposing mask under the beam edge cutter and including a pattern; a gas jetting unit between the beam edge cutter and the exposing mask and jetting a gas through a space between the beam edge cutter and the exposing mask; and a stage, where a substrate for the flat panel display device is disposed, under the exposing mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Han Hee Kim
  • Patent number: 8416385
    Abstract: A lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method is provided in which exposure is carried out by projecting through a liquid having a pH of less than 7, the liquid being in contact with a substrate to be exposed. The liquid advantageously comprises an anti-reflective topcoat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Bob Streefkerk, Marcel Mathijs Theodore Marie Dierichs, Wendy Fransisca Johanna Gehoel-Van Ansem
  • Patent number: 8416386
    Abstract: Clamps are disclosed for holding an optical element relative to a support. An exemplary clamp includes first and second arms and a member connecting the arms such that a portion of a mounting feature of the optical element is between the first and second arms. The first arm applies a clamping force toward a respective portion of the mounting feature, and the second arm includes a seat. The seat has at least upper and intermediate portions. The upper portion engages the respective location on the mounting feature. The intermediate portion is situated between the upper portion and the second arm and has a lateral thickness less than the lateral thickness of the upper portion. The intermediate portion exhibits elastic and plastic deformability sufficient for any moment applied by the clamp to the mounting feature to be limited to less than a designated peak moment, while maintaining substantially full engagement of the upper portion with the respective location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher S. Margeson, Douglas C. Watson
  • Patent number: 8416387
    Abstract: A wavelength shift measuring apparatus of the present invention is a wavelength shift detection sensor (WLCD1) which measures a shift of a wavelength of a light beam emitted from a light source, and includes a beam splitter (BS2) splitting the light beam emitted from the light source into a plurality of light beams and to synthesize two light beams among the plurality of light beams to generate an interference light, a spacer member (SP) provided so that an optical path length difference of the two light beams split by the beam splitter (PBS2) is constant, and a plurality of photoelectric sensors (PD) detecting the interference light generated by the beam splitter (BS2). The plurality of photoelectric sensors (PD) output a plurality of interference signals having phases shifted from one another based on the interference light to calculate a wavelength shift using the plurality of interference signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ko Ishizuka
  • Patent number: 8416388
    Abstract: A fluid handling system for an immersion lithographic apparatus that has a fluid removal device to remove immersion liquid from an immersion space, and a droplet removal device to remove a droplet of immersion liquid, wherein: the droplet removal device is located further from an optical axis than the fluid removal device, and the droplet removal device comprises a porous member which faces, e.g., the substrate being exposed and/or the substrate table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Erik Henricus Egidius Catharina Eummelen, Koen Steffens, Takeshi Kaneko, Gregory Martin Mason Corcoran
  • Patent number: 8416389
    Abstract: An apparatus, which scans an original and a substrate relative to light slit-shaped on the original and on the substrate, comprises an adjusting device configured to adjust a distribution of a width of the light slit-shaped, the width being a width in a scanning direction, the distribution being a distribution in a perpendicular direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, and a controller. The controller is configured to obtain information representing a relationship between a position on the substrate and a target dose, calculate a distribution of the target dose in the perpendicular direction with respect to each of the shot regions based on the relationship represented by the obtained information, and control the adjusting device so as to achieve the calculated distribution of the target dose with respect to each of the shot regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiromi Kemmoku
  • Patent number: 8416390
    Abstract: An illumination system for illuminating a mask in a microlithographic exposure apparatus has an optical axis and a pupil surface. The system can include an array of reflective or transparent beam deflection elements such as mirrors. Each deflection element can be adapted to deflect an impinging light ray by a deflection angle that is variable in response to a control signal. The beam deflection elements can be arranged in a first plane. The system can further include an optical raster element, which includes a plurality of microlenses and/or diffractive structures. The beam deflection elements), which can be arranged in a first plane, and the optical raster element, which can be arranged in a second plane, can commonly produce a two-dimensional far field intensity distribution. An optical imaging system can optically conjugate the first plane to the second plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Markus Deguenther, Paul Graeupner, Juergen Fischer
  • Patent number: 8416391
    Abstract: A radiation source is configured to generate radiation. The radiation source includes a first electrode and a second electrode configured to produce an electrical discharge during use to generate radiation-emitting plasma from a plasma fuel. The radiation source also includes a fuel supply configured to supply a plasma fuel to a fuel release area that is associated with the first electrode and the second electrode, and a fuel release configured to induce release of fuel, supplied by the fuel supply, from the fuel release area. The fuel release area is spaced-apart from the first electrode and from the second electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Vadim Yevgenyevich Banine, Maarten Marinus Johannes Wilhelmus Van Herpen, Wouter Anthon Soer
  • Patent number: 8416392
    Abstract: There is provided an optical imaging arrangement comprising: a mask unit comprising a pattern, a substrate unit comprising a substrate, an optical projection unit comprising a group of optical element units, the optical projection unit being adapted to transfer an image of the pattern onto the substrate, a first imaging arrangement component, the first imaging arrangement component being a component of one of the optical element units, a second imaging arrangement component, the second imaging arrangement component being different from the first imaging arrangement component and being a component of one of the mask unit, the optical projection unit and the substrate unit, and a metrology arrangement. The metrology arrangement captures a spatial relationship between the first imaging arrangement component and the second imaging arrangement component. The metrology arrangement comprises a reference element, the reference element being mechanically connected directly to the first imaging arrangement component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventor: Yim-Bun Patrick Kwan
  • Patent number: 8416393
    Abstract: Provided is a lithography system operation to include a first aperture or a second aperture. Each of the first and second apertures has two pairs of radiation-transmitting regions where one pair of radiation-transmitting regions are larger than a second pair. For an aperture, each pair of radiation-transmitting regions are on different diametrical axis. In an embodiment, one aperture is used for x-dipole illumination and the second aperture is used for y-dipole illumination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hsien-Cheng Wang, Hung Chang Hsieh, Shih-Che Wang, Ping Chieh Wu, Wen-Chun Huang, Ming-Chang Wen
  • Patent number: 8416394
    Abstract: A lithographic apparatus includes a phase adjuster to adjust a phase of an optical wave traversing an optical element of the phase adjuster during exposure of a pattern on a substrate. In an embodiment, the optical element is a heat controllable optical element in a projection system of the lithographic apparatus. In use, the pattern is illuminated with an illumination mode including an off-axis radiation beam. This beam is diffracted into a number of first-order diffracted beams, one associated with a first pitch in the pattern, along a first direction, another associated with a second pitch along a different, second direction in the pattern. An area is identified where the first-order diffracted beam associated with the first pitch traverses the optical element. An image characteristic of an image of the pattern is optimized by calculating a desired optical phase of this first-order diffracted beam in relation to the optical phase of the other first-order diffracted beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventor: Jozef Maria Finders
  • Patent number: 8416395
    Abstract: A substrate table is disclosed in which heaters are provided to account for a heat load which may be applied to the substrate. The heaters are grouped in segments to improve control. A temperature sensor per segment may be provided. The temperature sensor may be embedded in the substrate table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Johannes Henricus Wilhelmus Jacobs, Martinus Hendrikus Antonius Leenders, Frits Van der Meulen, Joost Jeroen Ottens, Anko Jozef Cornelus Sijben, Wouterus Johannes Petrus Maria Maas, Hendrikus Johannes Marinus Van Abeelen, Henricus Petrus Versteijnen, Paula Steffens
  • Patent number: 8416396
    Abstract: The invention extends classical time-invariant optical design to include optical amplitude modulated light, using tools from communications theory. Effects of dispersion are derived from first principles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Inventor: David H. Parker
  • Patent number: 8416397
    Abstract: An apparatus in a motor vehicle for spatial detection of a scene inside and/or outside the motor vehicle has a LIDAR sensor, which is coupled to an electronic detection device, and an image sensor, which is connected to an image processing device for recording and evaluation of images of the scene. The detection device and the image processing device are coupled to a computer in order to determine spatial data of the scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignees: IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A., Adam Opel AG
    Inventors: Dirk Balzer, Guido Becker
  • Patent number: 8416398
    Abstract: Glucose measured in blood samples is distinguished from glucose measured in the control solutions used to test the optical instruments which make such measurements. The control solutions contain a labeling substance recognized by the optical instrument to distinguish glucose measurements made of control solutions from those made of blood samples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Bayer HealthCare, LLC
    Inventor: Karen L. Marfurt
  • Patent number: 8416399
    Abstract: A method for determining the surface topography of a coated object and for the simultaneous spatially resolved determination of the thickness of the layer on the coated object. It is provided that the surface topography is measured with the aid of white-light interferometry, the thickness of the layer is measured by the principle of reflectometry, and by using, for both measurements, a shared radiation source having an electromagnetic radiation spectrum, which is reflected from the layer surface in a first wavelength range contained in the radiation spectrum and which penetrates into the layer in a second wavelength range contained in the radiation spectrum. Also described is a corresponding optical measuring instrument. The method and the optical measuring instrument make simultaneous highly accurate surface measurement of the surface topography and of the layer thickness of coated objects possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Jochen Straehle, Steffen Rath
  • Patent number: 8416400
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to a wavefront imaging sensor (WIS) comprising an aperture layer having an aperture, a light detector having a surface and a transparent layer between the aperture layer and the light detector. The light detector can receive a light projection at the surface from light passing through the aperture. The light detector can also separately measure amplitude and phase information of a wavefront at the aperture based on the received light projection. The transparent layer has a thickness designed to locate the surface of the light detector approximately at a self-focusing plane in a high Fresnel number regime to narrow the light projection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: California Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Xiquan Cui, Changhuei Yang
  • Patent number: 8416401
    Abstract: An area dosimeter for measuring the ambient equivalent dose of photon radiation with a diffuser, and a detector card with at least one pair of detection elements, preferably LiF-chips. A first of the two detection elements is positioned between two filters in order to spectrally filter the photon radiation. A second of the two detection elements is not positioned between such filters in order that the photon radiation arriving at the second detection element will have a different spectral distribution from the spectrally filtered photon radiation arriving at the first detection element. The two measurement values are used to obtain a weighted sum in order to achieve an optimized response characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH
    Inventors: Georg Fehrenbacher, Johannes Georg Festag, Sebastian Grosam, Karsten Vogt
  • Patent number: 8416402
    Abstract: To provide a defect inspection apparatus for inspecting defects of a specimen without lowering resolution of a lens, without depending on a polarization characteristic of a defect scattered light, and with high detection sensitivity that is realized by the following. A detection optical path is branched by at least one of spectral splitting and polarization splitting, a spatial filter in the form of a two-dimensional array is disposed after the branch, and only diffracted light is shielded by the spatial filter in the form of a two-dimensional array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Yukihiro Shibata, Yasuhiro Yoshitake
  • Patent number: 8416403
    Abstract: A method and system for high-speed, high-resolution 3-D imaging of manufactured parts of various sizes at an imaging station having a measurement axis are provided. The part has a 3-D end surface and a length, a width and a part axis defined as being central to the part and parallel to its length. The system includes apparatus having a central axis substantially parallel to the measurement axis and a plurality of members having open and closed positions. The members have holding faces which are substantially equidistant from the central axis during movement between the positions to align a part disposed between the holding faces at the station so that the part axis is substantially parallel to the measurement and central axes. The holding faces releasably hold the aligned part in a holding position between the positions. The system further includes an actuator for moving the apparatus so that the end surface moves in a plane substantially perpendicular to the measurement axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: GII Acquisitiom, LLC
    Inventor: Michael G. Nygaard
  • Patent number: 8416404
    Abstract: A method and system are for measuring and correcting shifts in the boresight, effective focal length, and focus of an optical system that are caused by temperature variations. The method can be used for systems which can be expected to operate in situations where the temperature variations are large, e.g. a FLIR system of a fighter plane, and also where the temperature variations can be very small however high accuracy is needed. The invention is based on placing radiation emitting sources before and as close as possible to the first optical element of the optical system and measuring the thermally induced shifts of the locations of the images of the radiation emitting sources on the surface of the detector of the optical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd.
    Inventor: Ziv Attar
  • Patent number: 8416405
    Abstract: A system and method of determining an attribute of a biological tissue sample or a drug delivery device. A sample is illuminated with substantially monochromatic light to thereby generate Raman scattered photons. The Raman scattered photons are assessed to thereby generate a spectroscopic data set wherein said spectroscopic data set comprises at least one of: a Raman spectra and a spatially accurate wavelength resolved image. The spectroscopic data set is evaluated to determine at least one of: an attribute of a biological tissue sample and a drug delivery device. In one embodiment, the biological tissue comprises arterial tissue. In another embodiment, the drug delivery device is a drug-eluting stent. In another embodiment, Raman chemical imaging can be used to evaluate a sample and identify at least one of: the tissue, a drug, a drug delivery device, and a matrix associated with a drug delivery device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: ChemImage Corporation
    Inventors: Janice Panza, John Maier
  • Patent number: 8416406
    Abstract: A sensing device that produces a Raman signal includes micro-rods or nano-rods arranged on a substrate in a two-dimensional (2D) array, each of the rods having a length in a single row being substantially the same, with the rod length of each row being different from the rod length of each other row. Each row of rods has a respective resonant vibration frequency that varies from row to row. A source of vibration energy, operatively connected to the substrate, excites vibration in each of the rods such that a responding row resonates when an exciting frequency approaches the resonant vibration frequency of the responding row. A method includes exposing the 2D array to a light source and analyzing Raman scattering at each rod of the 2D array to render a Raman map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Michael Josef Stuke, Shih-Yuan Wang, Zhiyong Li
  • Patent number: 8416407
    Abstract: Various embodiments provide an optical system including an optical spectrometer, a first negative power mirror configured and arranged to receive radiation from a far-field object, a second positive power mirror configured and arranged to receive radiation reflected by the first negative power mirror, and a third positive power mirror configured and arranged to receive radiation reflected by the second positive mirror and to direct the radiation towards an entrance slit of the optical spectrometer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventor: Lacy G. Cook
  • Patent number: 8416408
    Abstract: The present invention relates to ellipsometer and polarimeter systems, and more particularly is an ellipsometer or polarimeter or the like system which operates in a frequency range between 300 GHz or lower and extending to higher than at least 1 Tera-hertz (THz), and preferably through the Infra-red (IR) range up to, and higher than 100 THz, including: a source such as a backward wave oscillator; a Smith-Purcell cell; a free electron laser, or an FTIR source and a solid state device; and a detector such as a Golay cell; a bolometer or a solid state detector; and preferably including a polarization state generator comprising: an odd bounce image rotating system and a polarizer, or two polarizers; and optionally including least one compensator and/or modulator, in addition to an analyzer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignees: J.A. Woollam Co., Inc., Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska
    Inventors: Craig M. Herzinger, Mathias M. Schubert, Tino Hofmann, Martin M. Liphardt, John A. Woollam
  • Patent number: 8416409
    Abstract: A method of obtaining information about a target by using an ellipsometric technique of illuminating the target with coherent light beams from moveable light sources and recording reflections from the target. By analyzing the reflections, the surface material refractive index or dielectric tensors may be classified to yield information about the surface material properties. The beams can be emitted at different polarities and/or different frequencies. Ultra-coherent lasers can be used to produce beams that illuminate targets up to 100 kilometers from the beam source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventor: Michael I. Jones
  • Patent number: 8416410
    Abstract: A lens system which allows easy relative adjustment of the position of at least two elements therein to minimize the effects of aberration, having particularly relevant application in ellipsometers, polarimeters, reflectometers and spectrophotometers finite size source is imaged onto a sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: J.A. Woollam Co., Inc
    Inventor: Martin M. Liphardt
  • Patent number: 8416411
    Abstract: Pulley alignment apparatus for aligning pulleys when the operating position of a variable sheave pulley of a pulley system has changed is provided. The pulley alignment apparatus has an adjustable laser light unit that can be adjusted to compensate for the resulting displacement of the centerline of the variable sheave pulley when the operating position is changed. The pulley alignment apparatus also has a set of gauges for determining the operating position of a variable sheave pulley and determining if a belt is adequate for the variable sheave pulley at the operating position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Inventor: Pius Ileogben
  • Patent number: 8416412
    Abstract: There is provided a method for determining residual errors, compromising the following steps: in a first step, a test plate comprising a first pattern is used, and in a second step, a test plate comprising a second pattern which is reflected and/or rotated with respect to the first step is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMS GmbH
    Inventors: Uwe Schellhorn, Matthias Manger
  • Patent number: 8416413
    Abstract: Products and methods for identifying rock samples based on an average color value for each rock sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Inventors: William Eugene Ellington, Jr., Jacob Cecil Moore, Mark Alan Smith, Grigory Leonidovich Dubinsky
  • Patent number: 8416414
    Abstract: A system (10) for multispectral imaging includes a first optical filter (24, 20) having at least two passbands disposed in different spatial positions on the first optical filter, a second optical filter (20, 24) having another at least two passbands, and processor (32) adapted to identify an intensity of light in the at least two passband of the second optical filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Inventor: George Themelis
  • Patent number: 8416415
    Abstract: A method and system for recreating a two-dimensional distribution of temperatures in an exhaust plane of a gas turbine engine. Light transmission and detection pairs may be arranged in the annulus of the exhaust of the turbine engine in such a way that the individual rays form a two-dimensional mesh of beams across a sector of the exhaust. Based on the absorption of the rays, the temperature of the sector of the exhaust thru which the ray passes may be determined. Based on these determinations, an image that corresponds to the operation of the turbine engine may be generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Mark Allen Woodmansee, Samit Kumar Basu, Vijay Kumar Yaram, Weiguo Chen, Yikang Gu, Kevin Michael Hinckley