Did You Know...
...that power steering was invented by independent inventor Francis W. Davis? As chief engineer in the 1920s of the truck division of the Pierce Arrow Motor Car Company, he saw how hard it was to steer heavy vehicles. So that he would be able to keep the profits from his future invention, Davis left his job, rented a small engineering shop in Waltham, Mass., and developed a hydraulic power steering system that led to power steering.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7812304 | Light guide having light scattering patterns with different light reflected directions A rod-shaped light guide which does not cause unevenness in color at the portion near an incident face is produced by injection-molding transparent resin such as acryl and its surfaces include a light-emitting surface, a bottom face, left and right sides and end fac... | 10/12/2010 |
| 7528362 | Pulse modulating photodetector and electronic device The invention provides a pulse modulation photodetector, which detects, by projecting pulsed light, presence or absence of a physical object based on whether the pulsed light is received or not according to passage of the physical object. The pulsed light has a puls... | 05/05/2009 |
| 7372014 | Corrosion-proof pool deck connector system A poolside connector system and method for use with swimming pool race timing systems and signaling devices. A deck plate or similar poolside signal junction is provided with an optical receiver terminal, and a cable connection from a poolside signaling device such ... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7371562 | Guided mode resonant filter biosensor using a linear grating surface structure Methods and compositions are provided for detecting biomolecular interactions. The use of labels is not required and the methods can be performed in a high-throughput manner. The invention also provides optical devices useful as narrow band filters. ... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7373050 | Optical communication module and connector A half region of an end face of an optical fiber is cut at an angle of 45° to form a reflecting surface. A light-emitting element is arranged so as to face the end face of the optical fiber. A photoreceptor element is arranged beside the optical fiber with the elem... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7356209 | Method and apparatus for optically powering and multiplexing distributed fiber optic sensors An optical power converting apparatus is provided that may be used with remote sensors. A plurality of remote sensors may be coupled to a backbone optical fiber with each sensor having an optical power converter that receives an optical signal from a head end of tha... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7347101 | Measuring strain in a structure using a sensor having an electromagnetic resonator The system (10) comprises a sensor (18) 90×90×90×30 mm as an electromagnetic microwave cavity (20) with a coupler (22) with a wire (40) and an antenna (42). Cavity (20) produces a response signal (26) in res... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7347110 | Tactile sensing device and an apparatus using the same The present invention provides a tactile sensing device comprising a tactile sensing layer, a pressure adjusting unit, at least one pressure sensing unit and a control unit. The tactile sensing layer includes a plurality of elastic elements, each of which has an inn... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7340118 | Fuel injectors with integral fiber optic pressure sensors and associated compensation and status monitoring devices Fuel injectors (10) for internal combustion engines are modified and equipped with fiber optic fuel pressure sensors (12) and fiber optic combustion pressure sensors (14). The combustion pressure sensors (14) are located in separate chann... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7330013 | Apparatus and method for charging and discharging a battery A method and apparatus for controlling the charge and discharge currents in a battery (2) as a function of temperature. When a battery (2) is charged or discharged in an environment that approaches its design operating temperature extreme, the currents... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7327454 | Method and apparatus for detecting biomolecular interactions Method and apparatus for detecting biomolecular interactions. The use of labels is not required and the methods may be performed in a high-throughput manner. An apparatus for detecting biochemical interactions occurring on the surface of a biosensor includes a light... | 02/05/2008 |
| 7323678 | Optical displacement transducer, displacement measurement system and method for displacement detection therefrom An optical displacement transducer includes a transducing element comprising at least a first optical fiber, having a first end face substantially aligned along an axis and positioned with a small gap between said first end face and a second end face of a reception ... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7312090 | Label-free methods for performing assays using a colorimetric resonant reflectance optical biosensor Methods are provided for detecting biomolecular interactions. The use of labels is not required and the methods can be performed in a high-throughput manner. The invention also relates to optical devices. ... | 12/25/2007 |
| 7300803 | Label-free methods for performing assays using a colorimetric resonant reflectance optical biosensor Methods are provided for detecting biomolecular interactions. The use of labels is not required and the methods can be performed in a high-throughput manner. The invention also relates to optical devices. ... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7301628 | Method and apparatus for detecting biomolecular interactions Method and apparatus for detecting biomolecular interactions. The use of labels is not required and the methods may be performed in a high-throughput manner. An apparatus for detecting biochemical interactions occurring on the surface of a biosensor includes a light... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7291504 | Assay involving detection and identification with encoded particles A method and apparatus for the manipulation of colloidal particles and biomolecules at the interface between an insulating electrode such as silicon oxide and an electrolyte solution. Light-controlled electrokinetic assembly of particles near surfaces relies on the ... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7292336 | Method and instrument for detecting biomolecular interactions Method and apparatus for detecting biomolecular interactions. The use of labels is not required and the methods may be performed in a high-throughput manner. An instrument system for detecting a biochemical interaction on a biosensor. The system includes an array of... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7281429 | Optical hydrophone for a shock-wave field with long service life An optical hydrophone for measurement of the acoustic pressure distribution in a fluid medium has a light source that illuminates an area of a boundary region between an optically transparent body and the fluid medium. A light receiver measures the intensity of the ... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7270970 | Point of care diagnostic systems Systems and methods for medical diagnosis or risk assessment for a patient are provided. These systems and methods are designed to be employed at the point of care, such as in emergency rooms and operating rooms, or in any situation in which a rapid and accurate res... | 09/18/2007 |
| 7263245 | Method and apparatus for optically powering and multiplexing distributed fiber optic sensors An optical power converting apparatus is provided that may be used with remote sensors. A plurality of remote sensors may be coupled to a backbone optical fiber with each sensor having an optical power converter that receives an optical signal from a head end of tha... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7263246 | Oxygen detection using evanescent fields An apparatus and method for the detection of oxygen using optical fiber based evanescent light absorption. Methylene blue was immobilized using a sol-gel process on a portion of the exterior surface of an optical fiber for which the cladding has been removed, thereb... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7259904 | Coarse spectrometer with a grating A quasi-monochromatic light beam carrier for a particular telecommunication channel is likely to experience drift because of age, temperature, or other factors, and may cause the centroid wavelength of the carrier to shift. Temperature adjustments by wavelength lock... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7255009 | Variable analog output pressure switch A variable analog output pressure switch having a diaphragm attached to a plunger, the plunger controlling the amount of light detected by a photocell or photodetector, the photocell or photodetector outputting voltage roughly proportional to an applied pressure on ... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7251395 | Systems and methods for a continuously variable optical delay line The present invention provides systems and methods that employ a continuously variable optical delay line to introduce a delay into a transmitted optical signal. The delay line comprises a holey fiber configured in a spiral layout, wherein one end of the fiber is op... | 07/31/2007 |
| 7245380 | Quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy Methods and apparatus for detecting photoacoustic signals in fluid media are described. The present invention differs from conventional photoacoustic spectroscopy in that rather than accumulating the absorbed energy in the fluid of a sample cell, the absorbed energy... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7245789 | Systems and methods for minimally-invasive optical-acoustic imaging This document discusses, among other things, an imaging guidewire that includes one or more optical fibers communicating light along the guidewire. At or near its distal end, one or more blazed or other fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) directs light to a photoacoustic tr... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7239771 | Method and system for controlling an optical switch using dynamic compensation A free space optical switch that uses both an open loop control mode and a closed loop control mode. The open loop control mode is used to transition to a state where at least some light is sensed at a destination port. A closed loop control mode is then used, where... | 07/03/2007 |
| 7236252 | System and apparatus for measuring displacements in electro-active materials A device designed to apply uniaxial pressure to the surface of an electro-active material while simultaneously applying a current to the material under controlled temperature conditions and then measuring the displacement of the material by means of a laser interfer... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7235774 | Optical module An optical module is provided with an optical waveguide array comprising plural optical transmission lines; a photoelectric element array comprising plural photoelectric elements for respectively receiving or transmitting optical signals from or to the optical trans... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7228017 | Fiber optic sensing device and method of making and operating the same A chemical sensing device comprises a fiber core and a fiber cladding. The fiber core comprises an index-modulated grating region having an apodized profile configured for increasing shedding of light into the fiber cladding, and the fiber cladding of the chemical s... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7217574 | Method and apparatus for biosensor spectral shift detection Performing high-resolution determination of the relative shift of the spectral properties of a biosensor. The shift in the resonance peak of the biosensor is indicative of the amount of material bound to the surface of the biosensor. A preferred biosensor is a Guide... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7209240 | System and apparatus for measuring displacements in electro-active materials A specialized containment cell with optically transparent apertures, in conjunction with a laser interferometer system provides the means for non-contact displacement measurements of electro-active (piezoelectric and electrostrictive) materials to be performed under... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7209605 | Packaged optical sensors on the side of optical fibers The present invention concerns an optical sensor located on a preferred azimuthal portion of the side of an optical fiber. An optical fiber having two opposite ends, a core and a cladding and at least one sensing area is disclosed. Each of the sensing areas is locat... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7198755 | Multichannel fluorosensor A multichannel fluorosensor includes an optical module and an electronic module combined in a watertight housing with an underwater connector. The fluorosensor has an integral calibrator for periodical sensitivity validation of the fluorosensor. The optical module h... | 04/03/2007 |
| 7196320 | Fiber optic encoder for position sensing A passive all fiber optic encoder that will be able to determine speed, position, and direction of movement of a movable object. The all passive encoder utilizes no electronics within the sensing part and therefore is deployable in harsh environments, electrical, el... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7193233 | Variable area flow rate meter using optical sensing of float position in the duct A flowmeter has a variable area, vertically-oriented duct through which flows fluid whose flow rate is to be determined. A float in the duct assumes a position in the duct that depends on the flow rate of fluid in the duct. A window is located at an end of the duct ... | 03/20/2007 |
| 7175980 | Method of making a plastic colorimetric resonant biosensor device with liquid handling capabilities Methods of producing liquid handling biosensor devices are provided. The liquid handling biosensor devices allow detection of biomolecular interactions in liquid. The use of labels is not required and the methods can be performed in a high-throughput manner. ... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7170606 | Multi-way LED-based surface reflectance sensor and spectrophotometer A light sensor circuit based on direct connection of LEDs to I/O pins of a microcontroller. The LEDs are reverse biased and the parasitic junction capacitance is charged in an output mode. Then, the I/O pins placed into an high-impedance input mode. The time for the... | 01/30/2007 |
| 7170599 | Method and instrument for detecting biomolecular interactions Method and apparatus for detecting biomolecular interactions. The use of labels is not required and the methods may be performed in a high-throughput manner. An instrument system for detecting a biochemical interaction on a biosensor. The system includes an array of... | 01/30/2007 |
| 7167615 | Resonant waveguide-grating filters and sensors and methods for making and using same Waveguide grating devices. One includes at least one waveguide having an end, the end having an endface; and a waveguide grating fabricated on the endface, the waveguide grating having at least one waveguide layer and at least one grating layer. The waveguide layer ... | 01/23/2007 |
