Producing time variation in emanating light

US7763856B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated · US

Inventors

• Peter Kiesel · Palo Alto, US
• Markus Beck · Scotts Valley, US
• Michael Bassler · Erlangen, DE
• Noble M. Johnson · Menlo Park, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 31, 2008
• Grant date: Jul 27, 2010
• Expiry date: Jan 31, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01N2021/6419
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An excitation component or arrangement can provide excitation to a moving object so that information is encoded in time variation of light emanating from the object. For example, in each of a sequence of segments, it can provide a respective non-binary excitation spectrum, and the spectra can be different with a non-interference-like transition between them; because the object emanates light differently in response to the different spectra, photosensing results can be obtained that include encoded information about the object. The non-binary spectra could be different intermediate intensities, such as different gray levels or different intensities of one color or could be different colors. The excitation can be provided in a pattern with non-interference-like transitions between regions, and object motion can also be controlled. In another approach, a trigger signal can cause a time-varying excitation in a region, with non-interference-like transitions between intervals of excitation, such as black/white, multiple colors, or gray levels.