Stories
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Briefs: Photonics/Optics
PC-based machine vision systems are becoming more powerful as the individual components that comprise them increase in performance. This has allowed for more complex algorithms to be developed...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
An improved version of an optoelectronic apparatus for measuring distances of the order of tens of feet with an error no larger than a small fraction of an inch (a few millimeters) has...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
The ability to detect the temperature differences of objects is vitally important to firefighters, who must often open doors that lead to fires and identify the seat and extension...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
An optical heterodyne interferometer that can be used to measure linear displacements with an error -20 pm has been developed. The remarkable accuracy of this interferometer is achieved...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Multi-scale retinex with color restoration (MSRCR) is a method of processing digital image data based on Edwin Land's retinex (retina + cortex) theory of human color vision. An...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
An instrumentation system that would include an ultraviolet (UV) laser or light-emitting diode, an infrared (IR) laser, and the equivalent of an IR Raman spectrometer has been proposed to...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Focal-plane arrays of quantum-well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) equipped with both light-coupling diffraction gratings and metal side reflectors have been proposed, and prototypes are...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Metallized Capillaries as Probes for Raman Spectroscopy
A class of miniature probes has been proposed to supplant the fiber-optic probes used heretofore in some Raman and fluorescence spectroscopic systems. A probe according to the proposal would include a capillary tube coated with metal on its inside to make it reflective. A microlens would be...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Next-generation thermal load sensors, or combo sensors, optimize climate control and lighting in "intelligent automobiles," thereby enhancing the comfort and safety of drivers and passengers....
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
According to a proposal, basic x-ray lithography would be extended to incorporate a technique, called "inverse tomography," that would enable the fabrication of microscopic...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Learning algorithms for machine vision are essential for many of the applications that require inspection and guidance. These algorithms typically require some type of learning...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Photovoltaic arrays of the rainbow type, equipped with light-concentrator and spectral-beam-splitter optics, have been investigated in a continuing effort to develop lightweight, high-efficiency solar...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
A method for correcting the aim of a beam-waveguide microwave antenna compensates for the beam aberration that occurs during radio tracking of a target that has a component of velocity...
Briefs: Materials
Curved mirrors of a proposed type would comprise lightweight sheets or films containing integral, biologically inspired actuators for controlling their surface figures. These mirrors could...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Deformable mirrors of a proposed type would be equipped with relatively-large-stroke microscopic piezoelectric actuators that would be used to maintain their reflective surfaces in precise shapes....
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
A class of lightweight, deployable, thin-shell, curved mirrors with built-in precise-shape-control actuators is being developed for high-resolution scientific imaging. This technology incorporates a...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Planar two-dimensional arrays of thermopiles intended for use as thermal-imaging detectors are to be fabricated by a process that includes surface micromachining. These thermopile arrays are...
Articles: Photonics/Optics
Many imaging applications in the near-infrared (NIR) region of the spectrum require sensors that see beyond the traditional charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor’s spectral range. A standard uncoated CCD detector...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Custom Software for Infrared Camera Image Acquisition and Control
Infrared cameras based on hybrid focal-plane array sensors are unlike consumer video products such as camcorders. They are complicated imaging devices that output very large amounts of digital image data at high speeds, require multiple levels of camera control, and produce imagery...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Brushlike arrays of carbon nanotubes embedded in microstrip waveguides provide highly efficient (high-Q) mechanical resonators that will enable ultra-miniature radio-frequency (RF)...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Optical-Quality Thin Polymer Membranes
A method of fabricating both curved and flat thin polymer membranes of optical quality has been developed. The method was originally intended to enable the fabrication of lightweight membrane imaging and interferometric optics, possibly with apertures multiple meters wide, for use in scientific instruments...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Electromechanical resonators of a proposed type would comprise single carbon nanotubes suspended between electrodes (see Figure 1). Depending on the nanotube length, diameter, and...
Articles: Photonics/Optics
Employing a leading-edge technology can fundamentally change the requirements on an optical design. This is true for a range of emerging technologies, including the curved electro-optical detector. Curved electro-optical...
Articles: Photonics/Optics
The adoption of reduced cladding thickness fibers by the telecom industry has greatly increased over the last year. In fact, almost every specialty fiber manufacturer has launched products aimed at the small form factor...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
An optoelectronic apparatus has been invented as a noninvasive means of measuring the concentration of glucose in the human body. The apparatus performs polarimetric and interferometric...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
An optoelectronic system has been developed for measuring heights, above a floor, of designated points on a large object. In the original application for which the system was conceived,...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
A method of detecting bacterial spores incorporates
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Miniature, relatively inexpensive microbioanalytical systems ("laboratory-on-a-chip" devices) have been proposed for the detection of hazardous microbes and toxic chemicals. Each system...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Pulsed-Source Interferometry in Acoustic Imaging
A combination of pulsed-source interferometry and acoustic diffraction has been proposed for use in imaging subsurface microscopic defects and other features in such diverse objects as integrated-circuit chips, specimens of materials, and mechanical parts. A specimen to be inspected by this technique...
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