Other

United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Refractive Laser Research & Development Program, Ltd.

Alcor, Inc.

Refractive Laser Research and Development, Inc.

John Martin Taboada

Bruce R Altschuler

Louis A Tamburino

Robert H Poirier

Stuart Minica

Daniel R Peters

David C Brown

William Neil Robinson

Martin D Altschuler

Marvin H Lindsey

David R Carpenter

Methods and systems for sterilizing a tools and equipment are disclosed, including using a UV source to generate a pulsed UV light within or exterior to an enclosure having a highly reflecting diffuse inner coated surface; and absorbing the pulsed light to sterilize. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Method and apparatus for rapid sterilization

Methods and systems for sterilizing a room are disclosed, including using a laser to generate a pulsed laser beam; using a robotic arm to direct the pulsed laser beam to a scattering optical element and to change the position of the scattering optical element; and using the scattering optical element to substantially isotropically scatter the radiation of the pulsed laser beam to sterilize the room. The scattering optical element comprises a hollow fused silica bulb filled with solid fused silica spheres or a fiber optic bundle and in some embodiments the scattering optical element is rotated. The pulsed laser beam comprises a wavelength ranging between about 200 nm to about 320 nm and in some embodiments comprises nanosecond or picosecond light pulses. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Method and apparatus for rapid sterilization of a room

Methods and systems for sterilizing a room are disclosed, including using a laser positioned within a housing to generate a pulsed laser beam; and intercepting the pulsed laser beam with a scattering optical element to substantially isotropically scatter the radiation of the pulsed laser beam outside the housing to sterilize the room. The scattering optical element comprises a hollow fused silica bulb filled with solid fused silica spheres or a fiber optic bundle and in some embodiments the scattering optical element is rotated. The pulsed laser beam comprises a wavelength ranging between about 200 nm to about 320 nm and in some embodiments comprises nanosecond or picosecond light pulses. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Methods and systems for sterilization are disclosed, including placing one or more UV light sources located substantially at one or more foci of a substantially ellipsoidal reflecting surface coated enclosure; and generating UV radiation from the one or more UV light sources to sanitize one or more objects positioned between the foci of the substantially ellipsoidal reflecting surface coated enclosure; wherein the one or more UV light sources comprises a beam from a KrF Excimer laser being scattered by a spherically scattering sphere; wherein the KrF Excimer laser is configured to emit light pulses having a wavelength of about 248 nm; wherein the KrF Excimer laser is configured to emit nanosecond light pulses; and wherein the spherically scattering sphere comprises a hollow fused silica filled with solid fused silica spheres. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Method and apparatus for rapid sterilization of hazmat suits, surgical instruments and the like

An economical computer-controlled non-invasive laser apparatus and method to perform anterior segment surgery in an eye are disclosed. The laser source may include a pumping laser, a Nd:YAG laser cavity gain media, a stimulated Raman converter crystal, intracavity beam diameter-reducing optics, and an intracavity Q-switching crystal. The laser pulses have a selected wavelength for anterior segment surgery. A laser pulse delivery and treatment control mechanism and method for the practicing surgeon are also provided. The laser pulses and delivery system may be used in anterior segment surgery for cataracts, where the laser pulses may be used to form the capsulotomy, to form the corneal incision or to disintegrate contents of the capsule before removal. The laser and delivery system may also the used to treat a capsule and lens for correcting or preventing presbyopia and to treat a cornea to correct visual deficiencies in an eye.

Automated non-invasive capsulectomy and anterior segment surgical apparatus and method

Methods and systems for tuning an archery bow are disclosed, including providing a bow having a string, providing a laser plane, rotating the laser plane to be inline with the string and aligning the bow to the laser plane.

Archery bow plane alignment device and method

The laser targeting system of the present invention eliminates the problem of parallax between the arrow's path and the archer's line of sight. An embodiment is a laser integrated into an arrow such that the beam is projected down the axis of the arrow. Another embodiment is an arrow rest with an integrated laser, which can have an angular adjustment. By having the laser extend the axis of the arrow to the target, the laser spot produced on the target accurately represents where the arrow will hit once released, and eliminates the parallax angle between the archer's line of sight and the arrow's path. The present invention also provides a means for using a single laser beam to project a diffractive pattern onto a target, such as several spots or crosshairs. For advanced visibility of the laser spot, an optical filter or infrared vision optical sensors can be used.

Archery laser arrow

A cone-of-light projection system projects a shell of laser light (or other electromagnetic radiation) using a fiber-optic bundle. Incidence optics directs a laser beam to be incident to the fiber-optic bundle at a predetermined angle of incidence, resulting in the projection of a conical shell of light. For the exemplary embodiment, the angle of incidence is non-orthogonal to the fiber-optic bundle, resulting in the projection of a conical shell of light. Thus, the laser projection technique converts a beam of laser light (or other electromagnetic radiation such as UV, visible, IR or microwave radiation) into a conically extending shell of light that in the exemplary embodiment is substantially conical. In one application, the laser projection technique can be used in industrial applications to assist in joining a cylindrical element to another surface.

Cones and cylinders of laser light

A highly versatile optical mount fabricated from a single solid structural body provides accurately centered secured fixturing of a large array of optical components or objects. Fixturing is provided by a unique screw-tensioned strapping mechanism.

Highly versatile optical element mount

A ribbon-of-light projection system projects a substantially uniform ribbon of laser light (or other electromagnetic radiation) using a fiber-optic bundle, plano-mirrors, and a plano-cylindrical lens. Incidence optics directs a laser beam to be incident to the fiber-optic bundle at a predetermined angle of incidence, resulting in the projection of a sheet of light. The sheet of light is then projected towards the cylindrical lens where it is collimated into a ribbon. For the exemplary embodiment, the angle of incidence is orthogonal to the fiber-optic bundle. Thus, the laser projection system converts a beam of laser light (or other electromagnetic radiation such as UV, visible, IR or microwave radiation) into a collimated ribbon of light that in the exemplary embodiment is substantially uniform. In one application, the laser projection technique can be used in industrial applications to monitor the flow of fluids.

Laser ribbon

A substantially passive optical image processor providing image dissection into orthogonally polarized components each modulated on a pixel-by-pixel basis in one or more encounters with an included polarization-altering modulator element of electrical or optical nature. The modulation-processed images are recombined into an output image of the processor. Alternate arrangements of the invention are also described, arrangements including multiple modulation event processing in a plurality of forms and the accommodation of multiple input and multiple output processor images. Mathematical description of the processor's function is included along with identification of real world uses of the invention. Holographic uses of the invention are also disclosed. The underlying concepts of the invention are viewed as applicable to both present day slower and faster future optical materials.

Image analysis through polarization modulation and combination

A sheet-of-light projection system is projects a substantially uniform sheet of laser light (or other electromagnetic radiation) using a fiber-optic bundle. Incidence optics directs a laser beam to be incident to the fiber-optic bundle at a predetermined angle of incidence, resulting in the projection of a sheet of light. For the exemplary embodiment, the angle of incidence is substantially orthogonal to the fiber-optic bundle, resulting in the projection of a substantially planar sheet of light. Thus, the laser projection technique converts a beam of laser light (or other electromagnetic radiation such as UV, visible, IR or microwave radiation) into a radially extending sheet of light that in the exemplary embodiment is substantially planar. In one application, the laser projection technique can be used in the construction industry to project a uniform substantially planar sheet of light for use as a reference marker.

Projecting a sheet of laser light such as a laser reference plane using

A gamma ray imaging camera system and method for using it are described which in representative embodiments include a gamma ray collimator, a scintillator adjacent the collimator for converting gamma photons into visible photons, a low level visible photon detector including at least two optically coupled inverter tubes, a high-speed lens for imaging the visible photons onto the detector, a video imager for receiving, recording and storing sequential images of the visible photons defining the detector output, and a programmed computer for processing the images and determining the spatial distribution of the images.

Gamma ray camera method and apparatus

Apparatus is provided for effecting medical or dental surgery, and to a related method. A subject body on which surgery is to be performed has a reference thereon or therein identified, such as a layer in the cornea, or a surface of a tooth. A handpiece contains a variable focus lens, and a fiberoptic bundle is connected axially to the proximal end of the handpiece to illuminate the site. The image of the site is passed to a control apparatus for adjusting the variable focus lens so as to provide for focussing of the treatment laser beam at a predetermined distance from the reference. A method of performing surgery comprising determining by focus condition measuring equipment the distance of a reference in a subject body, adjusting a variable focus lens by control signals proportional to the focus condition measured, and passing a laser beam through the variable focus lens in the adjusted position. to provide a focus spot of the laser beam at a predetermined distance from the reference.

Handpiece and related apparatus for laser surgery and dentistry

System and method for tracking the gaze of the human eye are described which comprise directing an infrared light beam along an optical axis into the eye, and displaying the reflected optical light distribution on a position sensing detector to determine eye position, considering the differences in infrared reflectivities between the pupil and the surrounding iris and sclera.

Growing community of inventors

San Antonio, TX, United States of America

John Martin Taboada