Methods and Systems for Synthesis of a D-Aminoluciferin Precursor and Related Compounds
Amy L. Gryshuk, Julie Perkins, John V. LaTour
U.S. Patent 8,586,759 B2
November 19, 2013
These methods are used to generate 6-amino-6-deoxy-D-luciferin precursor, 2-cyano-6-aminobenzothiazole, and related compounds and derivatives.
Enhancement of the Visibility of Objects Located below the Surface of a Scattering Medium
Stavros Demos
U.S. Patent 8,586,924 B2
November 19, 2013
Techniques are provided for enhancing the visibility of objects located below the surface of a scattering medium such as tissue, water, and smoke. Example objects include a vein beneath the skin, a mine below sea surface, and a human in a location covered by smoke. The image contrast of a subsurface structure is enhanced using structured illumination. For specific applications, such as imaging the veins in an arm or another part of a body, the issue of controlling the intensity when imaging a metal object (such as a needle) inserted into the vein is also addressed.
Full-Wave Receiver Architecture for the Homodyne Motion Sensor
Peter C. Haugen, Gregory E. Dallum, Patrick A. Welsh, Carlos E. Romero
U.S. Patent 8,587,472 B2
November 19, 2013
A homodyne motion sensor or detector based on ultrawideband radar uses the entire received waveform by implementing a voltage boosting receiver. The device includes a receiver input and output, with a first diode connected to the receiver output. A first charge storage capacitor placed between the first diode and the receiver output is connected to ground. A second charge storage capacitor is connected between the receiver input and the first diode. A second diode between the second charge storage capacitor and the first diode is also connected to ground. The dual diodes boost the voltage of a radio-frequency signal received at the input, thereby enhancing receiver sensitivity.
Radial Reflection Diffraction Tomography
Sean K. Lehman
U.S. Patent 8,588,891 B2
November 19, 2013
A wave-based tomographic imaging method and apparatus developed for nondestructive evaluation are based on one or more outward-oriented transmitting and receiving elements that rotate radially. At successive angular locations at a fixed radius, a predetermined transmitting element can launch a primary field, and one or more predetermined receiving elements collect the backscattered field in a pitch-and-catch operation. A Hilbert space inverse-wave algorithm constructs images of the received scattered energy waves using operating modes chosen for a particular application, which include improved intravascular imaging, borehole tomography, and nondestructive evaluation of parts with existing access holes.
Apparatus and Method for Deterministic Control of Surface Figure during Full Aperture Polishing
Tayyab Ishaq Suratwala, Michael Dennis Feit, William Augustus Steele
U.S. Patent 8,588,956 B2
November 19, 2013
This system for polishing a workpiece includes a lap that contacts the workpiece and a septum that contacts the lap. The septum has an aperture with a radius substantially the same as the workpiece radius. The centers of the aperture and the workpiece are disposed at substantially the same radial distance from the lap’s center, with the aperture along a first radial direction and the workpiece along a second. The two directions may be opposite directions.
Filter Casting Nanoscale Porous Materials
Joel Ryan Hayes, Gregory Walker Nyce, Joshua David Kuntz
U.S. Patent 8,602,084 B2
December 10, 2013
This method for developing nanoporous material includes steps to produce a slurry of liquid and nanoparticles, remove the liquid from the slurry, and produce a monolith.
Method and System to Measure Temperature of Gases Using Coherent Anti-Stokes Doppler Spectroscopy
Mark Rhodes
U.S. Patent 8,608,375 B2
December 17, 2013
This method is used to measure the temperature of a noble gas in a chamber. The noble gas is characterized by a pressure and a temperature. A first laser beam is directed into the chamber followed by a second laser beam. The first beam is characterized by a first frequency, and the second beam by a second frequency. At least a portion of the first laser beam and the second laser beam are converted into a coherent anti-Stokes beam. The Doppler broadening of the coherent anti-Stokes beam is then measured and used to compute the temperature.
Laser Heating of Aqueous Samples on a Micro-Optical-Electro-Mechanical System
Neil Reginald Beer, Ian Kennedy
U.S. Patent 8,610,032 B2
December 17, 2013
In this system, a sample is positioned within the microchannel flow channel of a microchip, and a laser directs a laser beam onto the sample to heat it. The microchannel flow channel has a wall section that receives the laser beam and allows it to pass through without appreciably heating the flow channel. The carrier fluid that moves the sample through the flow channel is also not appreciably heated by the laser beam.
Solar-Powered Cooling System
Joseph C. Farmer
U.S. Patent 8,613,204 B2
December 24, 2013
A solar-powered adsorption–desorption refrigeration and air-conditioning system uses nanostructural materials made of a high-specific-surface-area adsorption aerogel as the adsorptive media. Refrigerant molecules are adsorbed on the high surface area of the nanostructural material. A circulation system moves refrigerant from the nanostructural material to a cooling unit.
Radar Signal Pre-Processing to Suppress Surface Bounce and Multipath
David W. Paglieroni, Jeffrey E. Mast, N. Reginald Beer
U.S. Patent 8,618,976 B2
December 31, 2013
This method is designed to detect subsurface objects within a medium. In some embodiments, the imaging and detection system operates in a multistatic mode to collect radar return signals generated by an array of transceiver antenna pairs positioned across and traveling down the surface. The system preprocesses the return signal to suppress certain undesirable effects. It then generates synthetic aperture radar images from real aperture radar images that were generated from the preprocessed return signal. The synthetic images are postprocessed to improve detection. Peaks in the energy levels of the postprocessed image frame indicate whether a subsurface object is present.
High Surface Area Silicon Carbide–Coated Carbon Aerogel
Marcus A. Worsley, Joshua D. Kuntz, Theodore F. Baumann, Joe H. Satcher, Jr.
U.S. Patent 8,629,076 B2
January 14, 2014
This metal oxide–carbon composite includes a carbon aerogel with an oxide overcoat. The composite is made by immersing a carbon aerogel in a metal oxide sol under a vacuum, raising the aerogel with the metal oxide to atmospheric pressure, curing it at room temperature, and drying it to produce the composite. An activated carbon aerogel or a carbon aerogel with carbon nanotubes can be provided to make the aerogel mechanically robust. The aerogels can also be coated with solgel silica, which can be converted to silicon carbide to improve thermal stability.
Interface for the Rapid Analysis of Liquid Samples by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry
Kenneth Turteltaub, Ted Ognibene, Avi Thomas, Paul F. Daley, Gary A. Salazar Quintero, Graham Bench
U.S. Patent 8,642,953 B2
February 4, 2014
An interface for analyzing a liquid sample with carbon content by an accelerator mass spectrometer includes a wire with defects on it, a system for moving the wire, and a droplet maker, which places drops of a liquid sample onto the defects in the wire. The system converts the carbon content of the sample into carbon dioxide gas in a helium stream, and a gas-accepting ion source introduces the carbon dioxide gas into the accelerator mass spectrometer.
Electrostatic Generator/Motor Configurations
Richard F. Post
U.S. Patent 8,643, 249 B2
February 4, 2014
These electrostatic generator–motor designs may include a cylindrical rotor between two cylindrical stators. The stators and rotor are centered about a longitudinal axis and may be concentrically aligned. A magnetic field is also provided with field lines parallel to the longitudinal axis.
Contact Stress Sensor
Jack Kotovsky
U.S. Patent 8,646,335 B2
February 11, 2014
This method for producing a contact stress sensor includes one or more sensor elements fabricated by microelectromechanical systems. Each element includes a thin nonrecessed portion, a recessed portion, and a pressure-sensitive element adjacent to the recessed portion. An electric circuit connected to the pressure-sensitive element has a circuit element that provides a signal when the pressure-sensitive element moves.
Automated Diagnostic Kiosk for Diagnosing Diseases
John Frederick Regan, James Michael Birch
U.S. Patent 8,647,573 B2
February 11, 2014
An automated and autonomous diagnostic apparatus dispenses collection vials and kits to users who want to collect a biological sample and submit it to the apparatus for automated diagnostic services. The user communicates with the apparatus through a touch-screen monitor to enter information about his or her medical history, insurance, and copayment and to answer questions about his or her illness. This information is used to determine which assay will most likely yield a positive result. Physicians who are remotely located can communicate with users via video telemedicine and request specific assays to be performed. The apparatus archives submitted samples for additional testing. Users may receive results electronically and may allow diagnoses to be uploaded to a central databank for disease surveillance purposes.
High Voltage Photo Switch Package Module
James S. Sullivan, David M. Sanders, Steven A. Hawkins, Stephen E. Sampayan
U.S. Patent 8,655,125 B2
February 18, 2014
A photoconductive switch package module has a photoconductive substrate or wafer with opposing electrode-interface surfaces and at least one light-input surface. First metallic layers are formed on the electrode-interface surfaces. One or more optical waveguides with input and output ends are bonded to the substrate so that the output end of each waveguide is bonded to a corresponding one of the light-input surfaces of the photoconductive substrate. This setup forms a waveguide–substrate interface for coupling light into the photoconductive wafer. A dielectric material such as epoxy encapsulates the photoconductive substrate and optical waveguide so that only the metallic layers and the input end of the waveguide are exposed. Second metallic layers are formed on the first metallic layers so that the waveguide–substrate interface is positioned under the second metallic layers.
Zero Source Insertion Technique to Account for Undersampling in GPR Imaging
David H. Chambers, Jeffrey E. Mast, David W. Paglieroni
U.S. Patent 8,659,467 B1
February 25, 2014
A system for detecting the presence of subsurface objects within a medium is provided. In some embodiments, the imaging and detection system operates in a multistatic mode to collect radar return signals generated by an array of transceiver antenna pairs positioned across the surface and traveling down it. The system preprocesses the return signal to suppress undesirable effects. It then generates synthetic aperture radar images from real aperture radar images that were generated from the preprocessed return signal. The system postprocesses the synthetic images to improve detection and identifies peaks in the energy levels of the postprocessed image frame, which indicate the presence of a subsurface object.
Method and System for Powering and Cooling Semiconductor Lasers
Steven J. Telford, Anthony S. Ladran
U.S. Patent 8,660,156 B2
February 25, 2014
A semiconductor laser system has a diode laser tile. The tile includes a mounting fixture with a first side, a second side opposing the first side, and an array of semiconductor laser pumps coupled to the first side. The semiconductor laser system also includes an electric pulse generator thermally coupled to the diode bar and a cooling member thermally coupled to the diode bar and the electric pulse generator.
Estimating Atmospheric Parameters and Reducing Noise for Multispectral Imaging
James Lynn Conger
U.S. Patent 8,660,359 B2
February 25, 2014
This system for estimating atmospheric radiance and transmittance is divided into two phases. In the first phase, an observed multispectral image is input along with an initial estimate of the atmospheric radiance and transmittance for each spectral band. The system then calculates the atmospheric radiance and transmittance for each band, which can be used to generate a “corrected” multispectral image that is an estimate of the surface multispectral image. In the second phase, the observed multispectral image and the surface multispectral image generated by the first phase are input. Noise from the surface image is then removed by smoothing out change in the average deviations of temperatures.
High Surface Area, Electrically Conductive Nanocarbon-Supported Metal Oxide
Marcus A. Worsley, Thomas Yong-Jin Han, Joshua D. Kuntz, Octavio Cervantes, Alexander E. Gash, Theodore F. Baumann, Joe H. Satcher, Jr.
U.S. Patent 8,664,143 B2
March 4, 2014
This metal oxide–carbon composite includes a carbon aerogel with an oxide overcoat. The metal oxide–carbon composite is made by immersing the carbon aerogel in a metal oxide sol under a vacuum, raising the aerogel with the metal oxide to atmospheric pressure, curing it at room temperature, and drying it to produce the metal oxide–carbon composite. An activated carbon aerogel or a carbon aerogel with carbon nanotubes can be provided to make the carbon aerogel mechanically robust.
Spot Test Kit for Explosives Detection
Philip F. Pagoria, Richard E. Whipple, Peter J. Nunes, Joel Del Eckels, John G. Reynolds, Robin R. Miles, Marina L. Chiarappa-Zucca
U.S. Patent 8,669,115 B2
March 11, 2014
In this explosion tester system, a lateral flow membrane swab unit is connected to a unit with two reagent holders and dispensers. The first holder and dispenser contain an explosives-detecting reagent that can be delivered to the lateral flow membrane swab unit. The other holder and dispenser contain a second explosives-detecting reagent that can be delivered to the swab unit connected to the body.
Method and System for Compact and Efficient High Energy Pulsed Laser Amplifier
Alvin Charles Erlandson
U.S. Patent 8,670,175 B2
March 11, 2014
An optical amplifier system includes an input aperture that receives light propagating along an optical path in a first direction and a polarizer along the path. The polarizer passes light having a polarization state aligned with the polarization axis, and a Pockels cell receives this light. The system also includes an optical gain element, a second Pockels cell, and a second polarizer, all placed along the optical path. The second polarizer passes light having a polarization state aligned with the first polarization axis. One mirror receives light reflected from the second polarizer, and a second mirror receives light reflected from the first polarizer. An output aperture transmits the light passing through the second polarizer.
Physics-Based, Bayesian Sequential Detection Method and System for Radioactive Contraband
James V. Candy, Michael C. Axelrod, Eric F. Breitfeller, David H. Chambers, Brian L. Guidry, Douglas R. Manatt, Alan W. Meyer, Kenneth E. Sale
U.S. Patent 8,676,744 B2
March 18, 2014
This distributed sequential system detects and identifies radioactive contraband from highly uncertain (noisy) low-count, radionuclide measurements—that is, an event mode sequence (EMS). The system uses a statistical approach based on Bayesian inference and physics-model-based signal processing that represents a radionuclide as a monoenergetic decomposition of monoenergetic sources. The appropriate monoenergy processing channel is determined for a given photon event using a confidence interval condition-based discriminator for the energy amplitude. Interarrival time and parameter estimates are used to update a measured probability density function estimate for a target radionuclide. A sequential likelihood ratio test then determines one of two threshold conditions signifying whether an EMS is the target radionuclide or not. If it is not, the process is repeated for the next sequential photon event until one of the two threshold conditions is satisfied.