Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
356342000 | Of back-scattered light | 34 |
20090015832 | MICROWAVE SCANNING SYSTEM AND MINIATURIZED MICROWAVE ANTENNA - A micro strip antenna comprising a planar substrate fabricated from a dielectric material and a pair of like elements arranged in mirror image on the planar substrate, each of the elements comprising a radiating portion comprising an elongate conductive strip of a constant thickness, the elongate conductive strip comprising first arcuate side edges mutually diverging between a narrow end and a wide end. | 01-15-2009 |
20090103091 | INTERFEROMETRIC DETECTION SYSTEM AND METHOD - Disclosed are improved optical detection systems and methods comprising interferometric detection systems, methods for determining a characteristic property of a fluid, methods for calculating a shift between at least two signals, computer program products encoded in a computer readable medium, and computational systems. Also disclosed are label-free, free-solution, and/or real-time measurements of characteristic properties and/or chemical events using the disclosed techniques. Also disclosed are various biosensor applications of the disclosed techniques. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. | 04-23-2009 |
20100053613 | Rain sensor - To improve detection performance without requiring precise positioning of a light-emitting element and a lens, a rain sensor | 03-04-2010 |
20100067007 | SYSTEMS FOR MEASURING BACKSCATTERED LIGHT USING FINITE SPEED OF LIGHT - A system for measuring backscattered light from a sample is given. Light is output from a light source towards a rotating mirror, and then reflected by the rotating mirror towards the sample. The sample reflects backscattered light back towards the rotating mirror, which, having moved during the time it took for the light to propagate from the mirror to the sample and back, reflects the backscattered light to a detector located at a physical separation from the light source. The detected backscattered light may be analyzed to determine various properties of the sample. | 03-18-2010 |
20100110431 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR IN-FLIGHT DETECTION OF AIRBORNE WATER DROPLETS AND ICE CRYSTALS - A device for optically detecting and distinguishing airborne liquid water droplets and ice crystals includes an illumination portion and a detection portion. The illumination portion outputs a circularly polarized illuminating beam. The detection portion receives circularly polarized backscattered light from moisture in the cloud, in response to the illuminating beam. The circularly polarized backscattered light is passed through a circular polarizer to convert it into linearly polarized backscattered light, which is split into two components. Each of the two components is optionally subject to further linear polarization to filter out any leakage-type orthogonal polarization. The two components are then optically detected and the resulting detection signals are used to calculate one or more parameters reflective of the presence or absence of airborne ice crystals and/or water droplets. | 05-06-2010 |
20100245821 | PARTICLE CHARACTERIZATION - In one general aspect, a method of measuring characteristics of particles in a liquid sample disclosed. The method includes supporting the liquid sample by surface tension and illuminating the supported liquid sample along an illumination axis with spatially coherent light so as to cause the coherent light to be scattered across a scattering zone. At least a portion of the scattered light is detected along a first predetermined scattering detection axis after it is scattered by the particles in the supported liquid sample. The illumination axis and the detection axis are oriented at an angle with respect to each other that allows substantially all of the light scattered at that angle across the scattering zone to be detected. | 09-30-2010 |
20100315639 | MICROPARTICLE MEASURING APPARATUS - A microparticle measuring apparatus which includes a flow channel through which a solution containing microparticles flows, an optical detecting unit configured to direct a laser beam to microparticles passing through the flow channel and detecting light for measurement emanating from the microparticles and converting the thus detected light into electrical signals, a solution feeding unit configured to feed the flow channel with either a sample solution containing microparticles of interest or a calibration solution containing reference microparticles that exhibit uniform optical characteristics, and an optical axis correcting unit configured to optimize the relative position of the flow channel with respect to the laser beam in response to the intensity of electrical signals from the reference microparticles. | 12-16-2010 |
20100328665 | FLUID-BORNE PARTICLE DETECTOR - There is disclosed improved apparatus and methods for detection of shape, size and intrinsic fluorescence properties of a fluid borne particle wherein the apparatus comprises a laser, two light sources, two detectors, and optionally a third detector. The apparatus is particularly suitable for detection of airbone biological particles. | 12-30-2010 |
20110001970 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING IMAGE DATA - A method and apparatus are disclosed for providing image data for generating an image of a region of a target object. The method includes the steps of providing incident radiation, focusing the radiation downstream or upstream of a target object and via at least one detector located downstream of a focusing element, detecting an intensity of radiation scattered by the target object at an observation plane offset from a back focal plane associated with the focusing element. | 01-06-2011 |
20110007315 | IMAGING CATHETER WITH INTEGRATED REFERENCE REFLECTOR - In part, the invention relates to a lens assembly. The lens assembly includes a micro-lens; a beam director in optical communication with the micro-lens; and a substantially transparent film. The substantially transparent film is capable of bi-directionally transmitting light, and generating a controlled amount of backscatter. In addition, the film surrounds a portion of the beam director. | 01-13-2011 |
20110019188 | In-Flight Multiple Field of View Detector for Supercooled Airborne Water Droplets - An airborne multiple field-of-view water droplet sensor includes an illumination portion and a detection portion. The illumination portion includes a first optical beam emitter configured to output a light beam. The detection portion includes a kaleidoscope configured to channel a first portion of the backscattered light towards an inner reflective surface of a circle-to-line converter, a multiple field of view subsystem having at least a first detector configured to receive light reflected by the circle-to-line converter, and a single field-of-view subsystem configured to receive a second portion of the backscattered light, the second portion not having been reflected by the circle-to-line converter. The single field-of-view subsystem may include a dual channel circular polarization detector for distinguishing between liquid water droplets and ice crystals based on information in the single field-of-view. | 01-27-2011 |
20110026025 | Drop Detection - In one embodiment, a drop detector includes a light source for illuminating drops passing through a drop zone and a light detector near the light source for detecting light scattered off the drops back toward the light source. In another embodiment, a drop detector includes a light source operable to emit a beam of light for illuminating drops passing through a drop zone and a light detector positioned near the light source to detect substantially only light scattered off the drops at a scatter angle θ in the range of 177° to 180°, where θ represents a direction of scattered light measured with respect to an axis of the light beam with θ=0° lying along the axis in a direction of travel of the light beam and θ=180° lying along the axis opposite the direction of travel of the light beam. | 02-03-2011 |
20110037980 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING ZETA POTENTIAL OF SUSPENDED PARTICLES - A zeta potential measurement system comprising: a cell having a cell wall and bottom for holding suspended particles; an optical measurement probe having a probe tip comprising a transparent and conducting thin film coating which prevents ionic current from accumulating charge on the probe tip, and wherein the optical measurement probe is inserted through the cell wall such that the probe tip is in fluid communication with the sample; a counter electrode inserted through the cell wall opposite to the optical measurement probe; a laser source which is disposed so as to deliver light to the optical measurement probe via an optical directional coupler and optical waveguide; wherein the optical measurement probe focuses the light onto a front surface of the probe tip, such that the light reflected from the front surface of the optical measurement probe and light backscattered from particles in the sample are collected by the probe tip, and thereafter focused to a optical waveguide and delivered through the coupler to a photodetector; an electrical output of the photodetector is connected to a filtering and amplification module, wherein an analog output of the amplification module is connected to an analog-to-digital converter, wherein the analog-to-digital converter creates a digital data stream which is stored in a first memory; and a computer or microprocessor which calculates the frequency power spectrum from the stored digital data stream and stores the frequency power spectrum in a second memory, wherein the first and second memories can be either the same or different. | 02-17-2011 |
20110051137 | Method and Apparatus for Measuring a Position of a Particle in a Flow - Aerosol and hydrosol particle detection systems without knowledge of a location and velocity of a particle passing through a volume of space, are less efficient than if knowledge of the particle location is known. | 03-03-2011 |
20110128543 | RAIN SENSOR USING LIGHT SCATTERING - A rain sensor using light scattering, and more particularly to, a rain sensor for detecting an amount of moisture particles, such as raindrops or fog, accumulated in a front windshield of a vehicle, and applying the amount of moisture particles to an operation of a wiper of the vehicle. | 06-02-2011 |
20110141470 | Servo-Controlled Bistatic Anemometric Probe - Bistatic anemometric optical probes include an emitting first optical head that illuminates a measurement region and a receiving second optical head. The probe includes: optomechanical movement means for moving one of the optical axes of the optical heads in at least one direction called the measurement direction, the optical axis moved being the movable optical axis; measuring means arranged so as to distribute the intensity of the beam backscattered from the measurement region in at least two directions located on either side of the measurement direction and denoted servo-control directions; and a servo-control device connected to the measuring means and to the optomechanical means of moving, said servo-control device including functions making it possible, on the one hand, to determine, from knowledge of the intensity of the backscattered beam in the two servo-control directions, the offset between the measurement direction of the movable optical axis and a direction, called the optimal direction, making it possible to maximize the intensity of the backscattered beam and, on the other hand, to servo-control the direction of said movable optical axis to the optimal direction. | 06-16-2011 |
20110141471 | OPTICAL ANEMOMETRIC PROBE WITH TWO MEASUREMENT AXES - An optical anemometric probe includes a laser source emitting a linearly polarized primary light beam and an optical block having splitting means for separating the primary beam, an optical reference pathway, an optical emission pathway and an optical measurement pathway. The optical block includes optical means of rotation of the polarization arranged at the output of the laser source and before the splitting means. The optical emission pathway has an optical circulator, a first optical emission/reception head illuminating a first measurement zone, and a second optical emission/reception head illuminating a second measurement zone. The optical circulator has four ports, e.g., a first input port, a second and a third input/ouput port linked respectively to the first optical head and to the second optical head, and a fourth port linked to the optical measurement pathway. | 06-16-2011 |
20110181881 | POLARIZATION SWITCHING LIDAR DEVICE AND METHOD - A polarization switching lidar device is arranged for remote detection and characterization of airborne aggregations of particulates. It includes a pulsed laser, a mirror, a polarizing beam splitter, an actively controlled retarder arranged to be controllably alternated between a zero retardation state and a quarter-wave retardation state such that the transmitted portion of the exiting laser light beam is linearly polarized in a predetermined direction when the actively controlled retarder is in the zero retardation state, while being circularly polarized in a predetermined rotational sense when the actively controlled retarder is in the quarter-wave retardation state. A directable telescoping assembly is arranged to collect photons backscattered by the airborne aggregations of particulates and to redirect the collected portion of depolarized backscattered photons onto the polarizing beam splitter. A photodetector is arranged to generate at least one electronic signal proportional to the collected portion of depolarized backscattered photons. | 07-28-2011 |
20110228272 | DEVICE FOR ANALYZING A POLYPHASE MIXTURE VIA A LIGHT BEAM BACKSCATTERED BY SAID MIXTURE - Device for analyzing a polyphase mixture via a light beam backscattered by said mixture, comprising: a vertical cell capable of containing the polyphase mixture; means for emitting a light beam in the direction of the cell, in such a way that the light beam lies in a vertical plane (PV) covering at least the height (hc) of the cell containing the polyphase mixture; means for receiving a light beam backscattered by the polyphase mixture, covering the height of the backscattered light beam, extending over the height (hc) of the cell containing the polyphase mixture; optical conjugation means placed between the cell and the means for receiving the backscattered beam, the receiving means comprising a matrix centre forming a surface for receiving the backscattered beam, lying in vertical and horizontal directions; and means for analyzing the backscattered beam received by the matrix sensor, the light beam emitted in the direction of the cell, adopting, at its interface between the internal surface of the wall of the cell and the polyphase mixture, the form of a vertical line the width of which is shorter, preferably very much shorter, than the free transport path of the polyphase mixture. | 09-22-2011 |
20110249263 | PARTICLE DETECTOR - A particle detector for evaporation flux is disclosed. The particle detector includes a light source and at least one reflective surface. | 10-13-2011 |
20120026497 | POLARIZATION SWITCHING LIDAR DEVICE AND METHOD - A polarization switching lidar device, arranged for remote detection and characterization of airborne aggregations of particulates, includes a pulsed laser, a mirror, a polarizing beam splitter, an actively controlled retarder arranged to be controllably alternated between a zero retardation state and a quarter-wave retardation state such that the transmitted portion of the exiting laser light beam is linearly polarized in a predetermined direction when the actively controlled retarder is in the zero retardation state, while being circularly polarized in a predetermined rotational sense when the actively controlled retarder is in the quarter-wave retardation state. A directable telescoping assembly is arranged to collect photons backscattered by the airborne aggregations of particulates and to redirect the collected portion of depolarized backscattered photons onto the polarizing beam splitter. A photodetector is arranged to generate at least one electronic signal proportional to the collected portion of depolarized backscattered photons. | 02-02-2012 |
20120057157 | IMAGING CATHETER WITH INTEGRATED REFERENCE REFLECTOR - In part, the invention relates to a lens assembly. The lens assembly includes a micro-lens; a beam director in optical communication with the micro-lens; and a substantially transparent film. The substantially transparent film is capable of bi-directionally transmitting light, and generating a controlled amount of backscatter. In addition, the film surrounds a portion of the beam director. | 03-08-2012 |
20120250019 | IMPROVED PARTICLE SIZE ANALYZER - The present invention is a device for measuring the intensity of the light scattered by a thin film of a colloidal medium, comprising a monochromatic light source, a convergent optical system focusing the source onto the thin film to be analyzed comprising a dioptric element with one of the faces thereof constituting a first wall defining the thin film, at least one photosensitive detector producing a signal representing light scattered or backscattered by the thin film and means for processing the signal. A second wall of the device has a plane surface at the end of a rod. | 10-04-2012 |
20120274938 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DETECTING AIRCRAFT ICING CONDITIONS - An apparatus for detecting icing conditions on an aircraft includes a laser system configured to direct a light signal into a cloud, a lens component configured to collect echo signals from a cloud caused by the light signal directed into the cloud, a beam splitter component configured to redirect signals received and passing through the lens component into at least first and second paths and a supercooled large droplet (SLD) detector to receive the redirected signals. The SLD includes a first signal detector component configured to perform a first color measurement on the first redirected signal, and a second signal detector component configured to perform a second color measurement on the second redirected signal. The SLD detector is configured to use the first and second color measurements to determine liquid water content and droplet diameter distribution for the cloud. | 11-01-2012 |
20130021608 | Nonaqueous Backscattering Interferometric Methods - Disclosed are improved optical detection methods comprising multiplexed interferometric detection systems and methods for determining a characteristic property of a non-aqueous sample, together with various applications of the disclosed techniques. | 01-24-2013 |
20130162994 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS PROVIDING EFFICIENT DETECTION OF BACK-SCATTERED ILLUMINATION IN MODULATION TRANSFER MICROSCOPY OR MICRO-SPECTROSCOPY - A microscopy or micro-spectroscopy system is disclosed that includes a first light source, a second light source, a modulator, an optical assembly and a processor. The first light source is for providing a first illumination field at a first optical frequency ω | 06-27-2013 |
20140016130 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR GAS MEASUREMENTS IN A COMBUSTION CHAMBER - The present invention relates to a method for determining at least one gas condition at a location in a combustion chamber of a power plant or a combined heat and power plant by means of a laser pulse. The method comprises emitting (S | 01-16-2014 |
20140085635 | DETERMINING A FLOW CHARACTERISTIC OF AN OBJECT BEING MOVABLE IN AN ELEMENT - A sensor device ( | 03-27-2014 |
20140146316 | OPTICAL SYSTEM, APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PERFORMING FLOW CYTOMETRY - An optical system includes a radiation source, a radiation-illuminating device, and a radiation-collecting device. The radiation source is configured to generate radiation. The radiation-illuminating device is optically coupled to the radiation source and configured to direct and focus the radiation obliquely with respect to an optical axis thereof onto a sample. The radiation-collecting device is configured to collect back-scattered radiation scattered from the sample and spatially separated from noise radiation. Associated apparatus and method are also described. | 05-29-2014 |
20140192356 | ARRANGEMENT AND METHOD FOR ICING DETECTION - A method for detecting atmospheric icing potential comprises emitting, by a lidar (light detection and ranging) entity ( | 07-10-2014 |
20140268143 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETERMINING CHARACTERISTIC PROPERTIES OF A TRANSPARENT PARTICLE - The invention relates to a method for determining the size d of a transparent particle, according to which method the particle is illuminated with light from a light source, a radiation detector measures a time-resolved intensity profile of light of the light source scattered by the particle, a reflection peak ( | 09-18-2014 |
20140300896 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OFDR-BASED ELECTROPHORESIS - An optical interrogation system, e.g., an OFDR-based system, measures local changes of index of refraction of a medium contained within a light guiding tube and includes an optical interferometric interrogator, optical detection circuitry, and a data processor. The data processor initiates a sweep of the light source and guide light from an interrogating light source into a medium contained by a tube which restricts movement of particles provided into the tube, where the medium is subjected to a driving force that overcomes resistance to movement of particles through the medium in the tube. The optical interferometric interrogator provides an optical interference pattern associated with a group of particles having moved in the tube as a result of the driving force. Based on the optical interference pattern, the data processor identifies a current location of the group of particles in the tube. | 10-09-2014 |
20140347664 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING DEFECTS WITHIN THE VOLUME OF A TRANSPARENT SHEET AND USE OF THE APPARATUS - An apparatus for identifying defects within the volume of a transparent sheet, such as a glass sheet, is provided. The apparatus includes an illumination device that directs incident light onto at least a portion of a surface of the sheet so as to illuminate the sheet, and an image detector onto which the light backscattered from the sheet is directed to image the sheet. The apparatus generates at least two interference images under different capturing conditions in order to perform identification of defects by evaluating the at least two interference images. | 11-27-2014 |
20150070700 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR IN-FLIGHT DETECTION OF AIRBORNE VOLCANIC ASH - A method of optically determining the presence of volcanic ash within a cloud comprises emitting a circularly polarized illuminating beam within a cloud and analyzing backscatter light to identify the presence of volcanic ash within the cloud. The method further includes determining the degree to which the cloud has altered the polarization state of the emitted beam. The index of refraction of the backscatter light and the opacity of the backscatter light are also analyzed. | 03-12-2015 |