Transmitting/reflecting emanating light with time variation

US7701580B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated · US

Inventors

• Michael Bassler · Erlangen, DE
• Markus Beck · Scotts Valley, US
• Peter Kiesel · Palo Alto, US
• Alex Hegyi · San Francisco, US
• Tobias Buergel · Braunschweig, DE
• Noble M. Johnson · Menlo Park, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 1, 2008
• Grant date: Apr 20, 2010
• Expiry date: Feb 1, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01N2021/0346
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A filter arrangement can transmit and/or reflect light emanating from a moving object so that the emanating light has time variation, and the time variation can include information about the object, such as its type. For example, emanating light from segments of a path can be transmitted/reflected through positions of a filter assembly, and the transmission functions of the positions can be sufficiently different that time variation occurs in the emanating light between segments. Or emanating light from a segment can be transmitted/reflected through a filter component in which simpler transmission functions are superimposed, so that time variation occurs in the emanating light in accordance with superposition of two simpler non-uniform transmission functions. Many filter arrangements could be used, e.g. the filter component could include the filter assembly, which can have one of the simpler non-uniform transmission functions. Time-varying waveforms from sensing results can be compared to obtain spectral differences.