European Community Represented by Commission of the European Communities

European Atomic Energy Community (euratom)

The European Community, Represented by the European Commission

Communaute Europeenne

European Atomic Energy Community (eurotom)

European Community Represented by Commision of the European Communities

The European Union, Represented by the European Commission

Maurice Whelan

Alfredo Carlo Lucia

Robert Patrick Kenny

John Sheridan

Joseph-Albert Miehe

Conleth Dennis Hussey

Malgorzata Sowinska

Artur Bednarkiewicz

Francine Heisel

Colin Forno

Paul F O'Sullivan

Pierre Marc Aprahamian

Elaine M O'Brien

Tomasz Sobanski

Antonio Novellino

Method of fluorescence imaging including: illuminating a sample to excite its fluorescence and acquiring an image thereof; based on fluorescence spectral and spatial information from the sample's fluorescence image, segmenting the image into regions of similar spectral properties; for each image segment, exciting the fluorescence of the corresponding sample region, and detecting the corresponding fluorescence; based on modelling, determining expected fluorescence parameters from the fluorescence signals detected for each region; scanning the sample and determining final fluorescence parameters based on said expected fluorescence parameters.

Method of fluorescence imaging

An interferometer ( ) is arranged to form a first interference fringe pattern comprising at least ten interference fringes; recording an image of said first interference fringe pattern; perturbing an optical path in the interferometer ( ) to form a second interference fringe pattern comprising at least ten interference fringes; and combining an image of said second interference fringe pattern with the recorded image of the first interference fringe pattern to produce a further image comprising a moir&eacute; fringe pattern arising from a difference or differences between the first and second interference fringe patterns. The combining step involves subtraction ( ) of digital images. Different wavelengths and interferometers are used: Michelson, Mach-Zehnder, Fizeau, Twyman-Green. In this new approach, all the errors of a poor quality, misaligned system are accepted and then eliminated by the combination process, producing a moir&eacute; fringe pattern. The method enables very large aperture optical systems for traditional and engineering interferometers to be constructed from inexpensive and basic components.

Combining interference fringe patterns to a moire fringe pattern

Sensors and sensing apparatus are described, based on fused tapered fiber optic couplers with the taper waist portion formed into a loop or cleaved to provide a reflecting end. Light is typically input to the taper waist portion along a single input fiber, and bending of the loop or cleaved taper waist portion causes changes in the coupling ratio between the output fibers. The taper waist portion may be formed into a loop with a small bend radius without loss, and sensors embodying the claimed invention are particularly suitable for in-vivo measurement of pressure, the taper waist portions advantageously being arranged in contact with a membrane which deflects according to surrounding pressure. Further embodiments are described which are suitable for measurement of fluid flow velocity and/or acceleration.

Fiberoptic coupler sensor and a measurement method

Strain sensors, and in particular strain rosettes, are described and claimed, in which the strain sensing elements are fiber Bragg gratings. Strain sensors in accordance with the described invention comprise first and second fiber Bragg gratings, and a length of optical fiber connecting the gratings in series, each grating being substantially straight and the two gratings being non-parallel and having different nominal Bragg wavelengths, the connecting length of optical fiber having a bend, characterised in that a portion of the connecting length is tapered, the tapered portion including an elongate waist portion having a reduced cross sectional area and said bend is formed in the waist portion.

Strain sensor with optical fibre Bragg gratings

A luminous intensity sensor element having a flat disk-shaped element ( ) made of material with a high thermal expansion coefficient and of low thermal conductivity, and in turn having, on opposite faces ( ), an optically absorbent layer ( ) and a reflecting layer ( ). On receiving excitation radiation (R), the optically absorbent layer ( ) is heated and transmits heat to the flat disk-shaped ( ), which in turn is heated internally in spatially nonuniform manner and is deformed together with the superimposed reflecting layer ( ). The reflecting layer ( ) receives an incident reference layer beam (S) to generate a reflected light beam having optical characteristics (&Dgr;&phgr;) depending on the aforementioned deformation (&Dgr;d) and varying in response to the excitation radiation.

Luminous intensity sensor element and light beam modulating method and device employing such a sensor element

A method for detecting and mapping inflamed zones in living tissues and a device for implementing the method. The method includes subjecting the tissues to be analyzed to a luminous excitation with a predetermined spectral domain, acquiring at least the raw fluorescence signal of the porphyrins for a plurality of measurement points, and in determining, for each measurement point, the intensity of the fluorescence for the wavelengths characteristic of endogenous porphyrins.

Detecting and mapping of inflamed zones in a living tissue

A device for measuring the deformation of a mechanical test specimen, and including a pressing member (,) for stressing a substantially flat specimen (,) in controlled manner by means of a punch (,); a Michelson interferometer having an optical branch (,) defined optically by a first face (,) of the specimen (,), and for generating interference images related to the deformation of the specimen (,); a telecamera (,) for acquiring and digitizing the interference images; and a processor (,) for processing the digitized images and controlling the measuring process fully automatically. The interferometer (,) may alternatively perform white light interferometry measurements, ESPI measurements, or ESPI profilometry measurements, by simply substituting the light source and control software.

Device and method for measuring deformation of a mechanical test specimen

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Angera, Italy

Maurice Whelan