Trex Enterprises Corporation

Other

Embedded Designs, Inc

Todd Kent Barrett

Brett A Spivey

Donald Bruns

Hus Tigli

Dave Sandler

Douglas A Palmer

Eric John Korevaar

Peter J Martin

Mikhail Belenkii

Timothy Brinkley

Chris Sexton

Matthew Last

Ryan Wilshusen

Miles Moreau

Larry DiRuscio

Larry Fey

Andrew Daniel Goerzen

Yoshinoa Taketomi

Edward Davis

Hus Tigle

A system and method is provided for determining a speed of a belt moving along a transport axis in conveyor oven tunnel. The method includes providing a sensor module, capturing signals, processing the signals, and outputting least one speed estimate. The sensor module is disposed upon the moving belt. The sensor module includes a first optical sensor and a second optical sensor. The optical sensors are spaced apart by a distance D along the transport axis. Capturing signals includes capturing first and second signals from the first and second sensors respectively as they are transported along the belt and within the oven tunnel. Processing the signals includes determining a delay &#x394;T between the signals. The speed estimate is based upon D divided by &#x394;T.

Method of determining conveyor oven belt speed

A celestial compass kit. The kit includes an inclinometer, a camera system with a special telecentric fisheye lens for imaging at least one celestial object and a processor programmed with a celestial catalog providing known positions at specific times of at least one celestial object and algorithms for automatically calculating target direction information based on the inclination of the system as measured by the inclinometer and the known positions of at least one celestial object as provided by the celestial catalog and as imaged by the camera. The telecentric fisheye lens produces an image on the sensor located at or near the focal plane which remains spatially constant within sub-micron accuracies despite thermally produced changes in the focus of the lens.

Celestial compass kit

A large communication network suitable for nationwide or worldwide utilization. The present invention overthrows the conventional packet switching technologies with an all-optical network. The invention uses tunable laser sources to generate large number of highly stable narrow-band optical signals, each serving as a communication channel. With packet processing replaced by all-optical channels, the network become highly secure and scalable while harnessing the virtually unlimited capacity of fiber-optic. A large number of nodes (called area code nodes) are connected with all-fiber-optic links with all-optical switches. A routing algorithm provides one or more communication links from each area code node to every other area code node so that information never has to change carrier wavelength as it travels the network. Each area code node contains circuits that are provided to connect individual users to the network.

Optically switched communication network

A porous silicon filter for wavelength multiplexing and de-multiplexing. Preferred embodiments include rugate-type porous silicon filters with pores having continuously varying widths with pore depth an optical cross connect switch. In other preferred embodiments, the pores are filled with a material that changes index of refraction with changes in applied voltage, current or temperature. Important applications of these porous silicon filters are for multiplexing and de-multiplexing in fiber optic communication systems. For example, a preferred embodiment is an all optical fiber optic switch utilizing these filters.

Porous silicon filter for wavelength multiplexing or de-multiplexing

An optical cross connect switch. In this switch any optical fiber in an input set of optical fibers, each carrying a communication beam, can be cross connected to any optical fiber in an output set of optical fibers. An alignment beam is added to and aligned co-axially with the communication beam carried by each fiber in the input set of optical fibers to define a communication-alignment beam for each fiber. Each communication-alignment beam is directed within a confined optical pathway to a specific exit aperture in an input array structure. The exit apertures for all of the communication-alignment beams are arranged in a pattern defining an input array so that each communication-alignment beam can be identified by the location of its exit aperture in the input array structure. Each communication-alignment beam is formed into a cross-connection beam by a micro-lens in a first lens micro-lens array. Each cross-connection beam is directed to a lens in a second lens array by two mirrors, a first mirror in a first mirror array and a second mirror in a second mirror array. The lens in the second micro-lens array focuses the communication beams into a specific input aperture of a confined optical pathway, preferably an optical fiber, in an output array structure. Each of the confined optical pathways in the output array structure is optically connected to an optical fiber of an output set of optical fibers. A first detector array located near the second lens array monitors the position of each alignment beam and provides position information to a processor for control of the mirrors in at least one of the mirror arrays.

Optical cross connect switch with axial alignment beam

A method for attenuating an optical beam is provided, and in one embodiment, a communication beam and associated alignment beam are generated by a beam generating element. The alignment beam may later be sampled by a sensor that can provide a relative location of the alignment beam with respect to the sensor. The communication beam may then be positioned so that a desired percentage of the communication beam enters an output fiber. Information, such as alignment beam offset, may be used to position the communication beam. In another embodiment, optical beam attenuation may be provided by using one or more reflecting devices, such as a MEMS device. In this configuration, a MEMS device may position a focused communication beam in such a manner that a desired percentage of the communication beam enters an output fiber.

Method for providing variable optical attenuation

An optical cross connect switch having a beam generating, beam directing, and beam receiving portions is disclosed. In one embodiment, the beam generating portion receives a number of optical fibers and generates a communication and companion alignment beam for each fiber. The communication and alignment beams may be spatially separated, substantially collimated beams, and are aligned to propagate away from the beam generating portion in substantially parallel paths. The communication and alignment beams then strike a beam directing element where they may be redirected to the beam receiving portion. A beam receiving portion includes a plurality of optical output fibers, each having an associated position sensor. The location where the alignment beam strikes the position sensor provides position information regarding the corresponding communication beam. Using the position information, the beam directing elements may be finely adjusted to direct the focused communication beam onto an optical output fiber.

Optical cross connect switch

A method and system for detecting a power level of a communication light beam is disclosed. In one embodiment, a fiber optic switch beam generation element generates a communication light beam that may be received at a beam splitter. The beam splitter may be configured to produce a reflected light beam that reflects a portion of the communication light beam, while permitting at least a portion of the communication light beam to propagate through the beam splitter. A reflected light beam detector may be used to detect the reflected light beam. The power level (e.g., light energy) of the communication light beam may then be calculated based on the light energy of the reflected light beam.

Method and apparatus for sensing a power level of a communications beam in a fiber optic switch

A variable optical attenuator is provided, and in one embodiment, a communication beam and associated alignment beam are generated by a beam generating element. The alignment beam may later be sampled by a sensor that can provide a relative location of the alignment beam with respect to the sensor. The communication beam may then be positioned so that a desired percentage of the communication beam enters an output fiber. Information, such as alignment beam offset, may be used to position the communication beam. In another embodiment, the variable optical attenuator may utilize one or more reflecting devices, such as a MEMS device, to provide optical beam attenuation. In this configuration, the MEMS device may position a focused communication beam in such a manner that a desired percentage of the communication beam enters an output fiber.

Variable optical attenuator

A device and method for producing an image of a fluid moving through a medium. An acoustic wave insonifies the medium to produce Doppler shifted scattering from randomly located scatterers in the moving fluid. At least eight channels of acoustic detectors detect signals reflected from the medium and the amplitudes of the scattered signal is determined at each channel for at least one Doppler shifted frequency. Time averaged channel-to-channel amplitude correlations are produced using the Doppler shifted amplitude data from which the image of the moving fluid is calculated.

Growing community of inventors

San Diego, CA, United States of America

Todd Kent Barrett