Other

USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Axsun Technologies, Inc.

Excelitas Technologies Corp.

Goldberg, Brian

Kuznetsov, Mark E.

Johnson, Bartley C.

Larson, Noble G.

Noble G Larson

Matthew T Mason

Mark E Kuznetsov

Bartley C Johnson

John A Purbrick

Brian Goldberg

Kent A Stevens

Real-time swept source OCT data is most often sampled using a specially cut hardware k-clock. The present invention involves mathematically resampling signals within an FPGA-based data acquisition board based on data sampled from a wide free spectral range reference interferometer. The FPGA can then multiply up the reference clock rate to achieve greater imaging depth. The Nyquist fold-over depth can thus be programmed from a standard reference to an arbitrary depth, much as PLL frequency synthesizer can produce many frequencies from a standard stable reference. The system is also capable of real-time performance.

Real time FPGA resampling for swept source optical coherence tomography

A ring-structured network allowing bidirectional, point-to-point, communications between a plurality of nodes (200A-E), some of them equipped with a computing element (210) and a local memory element (221), and others, possibly, serving as input/output devices. In addition to clocks and miscellaneous signals, the network is divided cross-sectionally into two pipelined busses, or pipes: one (995A-B) to signal node selection, and another (996A-B) to convey data. Values, termed tags, sent over the selection pipe are interpreted, as they arrive, at the nodes, by means of lookup tables. Several varieties of selection can be represented in these tables, some, e.g., signalling read or write transfers between the data pipe and local memory element (221). Other varieties may signal the loading of local memory address pointers (223, 224, or 225) from the data pipe. Tags are generated by a specialized node (100), which thus serves as a traffic controller. A key feature of this network is that individual tags may signal selection of a plurality of nodes, some perhaps for reading, and others possibly for writing. In this way, concurrent transfers between multiple pairs of nodes are induced on the network, in a systolic manner. Such transfers can be organized to effect a variety of statically-routed communications, including those between adjacent partitions in embedded two-dimensional rectilinear and hexagonal grids. Extensions to support dynamically-routed communications are also disclosed.

Bidirectional systolic ring network

A system for the accumulation of detailed moment-to-moment information concerning the movements of players and of the ball in a sporting contest. One or more cameras (11, 12, 14) are situated so as to cover the entire playing area (10) of the event. The output of at least one of these cameras is provided to a digital image processor (22), which tracks the movements of the images, or silhouettes, of players in the camera images. By employing multiple camera views of the same playing area, the tracking processor can, in most cases, resolve ambiguities arising from overlaps in any one view. For the remaining, unresolved, cases, one or more human operators, provided with the same or similar camera views, are employed, through an interactive interface. The operators are provided with apparatus (30) for identifying players, through a query/response method, as requested by the tracking processor (22). The operators also provide initial player identification at the start of the event, and following breaks in the action, using the same apparatus. A varient system is described wherein the player identification task of the operator is performed, instead, by electronic tracking devices, such as radio transmitters, in conjunction with off-field electronics (60, 61, 67, 68), incorporating telemetry and triangulation in order to obtain identity and approximate position of all game participants.

Automated camera-based tracking system for sports contests

An analog Gaussian convolver for performing high speed convolutions of arrary functions (e.g. image arrays) with masks or operators which uses two units of 2-dimensional Gaussians G(u,v) and the like. The output of the two units are subtracted to obtain difference of Gaussian operators (DOG), a very important parameter in computer vision. Input data in the form of a 2-dimensional digital array representing image pixels from the image array is converted into analog form and is then convolved with a 1-dimensional Gaussian operator in a first direction and the result is clocked into a tapped analog delay line. The outputs of the analog tapped delay line are also convolved with another (normally identical) 1-dimensional Gaussian operator in a direction normal to the first direction. The results so obtained represents the convolution of the image with a 2-dimensional Gaussian operator in a channel. By duplicating the two 1-dimensional convolvers and driving a second channel with the same rastering window, the image can be simultaneously convolved with another Gaussian operator and obtaining convolution with a DOG which is useful in a computer vision system for edge detection and binocular stereo.

Analog Gaussian convolver

A stepping motor control system which uses a closed-loop lead angle control technique wherein a programmably selected lead angle signal is combined with a signal representing the position of a step motor shaft so as to provide a coil state excitation signal for the coils of the stepping motor, the shaft thereof being rotated in response to the coil state excitation signal. The lead angle signal can be modulated in accordance with a selected duty cycle so as to assume two adjacent lead angle values during each modulation cycle. The system can also be arranged to permit the use of open-loop control using a suitably programmed externally supplied coil state excitation signal, the latter being capable of similar modulation as described above with reference to lead angle modulation.

Stepping motor control system

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Arlington, MA, United States of America

Noble G Larson