347 results about "Low level light" patented technology

A multi-function, field-deployable resource harnessing apparatus 600 having, in its embodiments, an inflatable reflector apparatus 610 comprising a least one manufactured parabolic mirror made from a pressure-deformable reflective covering of an inflatable ring for focusing electromagnetic energy from radio frequency radiation (RF) through the ultraviolet (UV) radiation including solar energy for (1) heating and cooking, (2) electrical power generation, (3) enhancing the transmission and reception of radio signals, (4) enhancing vision in low-light environments, and / or (5) projection of optical signals or images. The device also has non-electromagnetic uses, such as the collection and storage of water, harnessing of energy from a fluid stream, and / or harnessing wave energy. A first main embodiment of the inflatable reflector apparatus 610 generally utilizes two pressure-deformable membranes, at least one of which is reflective. A second main embodiment utilizes a reflective membrane and a transparent membrane. In addition to the reflector apparatus 610, the modular apparatus 600 typically further includes modular assemblies to increase versatility, facilitate use, and / or enhance safety such as, for example, a modular support and orienting assembly 612, a separate support ring 614, a safety shield or cage 616, a focal point support assembly 618, a safety cover 620, a safety net or mesh 622, and a stabilizing assembly 624. Portability is enhanced by complete collapsing of the inflatable device.

A display (200) with aligned optical shutter and backlight cells (239, 289) uses a patterned polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) optical shutter material (230) and an electroluminescent (EL) backlight material (280) to provide a low-cost, low-current-drain display having good contrast in both bright-light and low-light conditions. The aligned, patterned optical shutter and backlight layers form pixel “windows” through which images printed on a background can be hidden or revealed. Specifically, a mask layer (250) bears the images and is inserted between the optical shutter and the backlight layers to show information images, cover inactive areas of the display, and cover electrode traces connecting active segments of the display. The display (200) is thin and flexible enough to be integrated with a touchscreen (290).

A light management system for controlling a load circuit is disclosed. The system preferably comprises a switch unit with a momentary switch for manually controlling the load circuit, a night light to provide low-level or reduced room lighting from the switch unit and a motion sensor for sensing motion from the switch unit. The motion sensor is configured to automatically control the load circuit and / or the night light based on detected motion. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the load circuit operates a room lighting system, the light unit comprises light emitting diodes to provide the low-level light. The switch unit is preferably programmable to customized modes of operation to suit a wide range of applications. In yet further embodiments of the invention, the system comprises a light sensor for controlling the load circuit or the night light in response to a level of detected room lighting.

A light source apparatus including light spectrum-converting materials that emit light primarily over large portions of the 360 nm-480 nm and the 590-860 nm spectral range is provided. This apparatus provides a cooled, high-luminance, high-efficiency light source that can provide a broader spectrum of light within these spectral ranges than has been cost-practical by using many different dominant peak emission LEDs. Up to 15% of the output radiant power may be in the spectral range 350-480 nm in one embodiment of this device, unless a specific separate source and lamp operating mode is provided for the violet and UV. Control methods for light exposure dose based on monitoring and controlling reflected or backscattered light from the illuminated surface and new heat management methods are also provided. This flexible or rigid light source may be designed into a wide range of sizes or shapes that can be adjusted to fit over or around portions of the bodies of humans or animals being treated, or mounted in such a way as to provide the special spectrum light to other materials or biological processes. This new light source can be designed to provide a cost-effective therapeutic light source for photodynamic therapy, intense pulsed light, for low light level therapy, diagnostics, medical and other biological applications as well as certain non-organic applications.

An illuminated sighting device includes a capsule with an integrally formed lens that is adapted to face rearwardly for viewing by a user. An elongate light collector is positioned within the hollow interior of the capsule and is formed such that light can be gathered along its length and transmitted to its ends. One of the light collector ends is located adjacent to the first lens and defines a sight point or dot. An artificial light source is located within the capsule hollow interior and is oriented for projecting radiant energy into the second light collector end so that the sight point is viewable during dark or low light conditions.

Methods of enhancing stem cell therapy through the administration of low level light energy are provided in several embodiments. Some embodiments comprise irradiating stem cells before or after implantation at a target tissue having loss of function due to damage or disease, with a resultant increase in the efficacy of the cell therapy. In some embodiments, light energy enhances one or more of the viability, proliferation, migration or engraftment of the stem cells, thereby enhancing the therapeutic effects of the irradiated cells during cell therapy.

The invention describes systems and methods for calibrating a low-level light imaging system. Techniques described herein employ a light calibration device that is placed within a low level light imaging box to calibrate the system and its constituent components such as the camera and processing system. The calibration device comprises an array of low-power light supplies each having a known emission. By taking an image of each low-power light supply, and comparing the processed result with the known emission, the accuracy of the imaging system and its absolute imaging characteristics may be assessed and verified.

The present disclosure relates to a basketball return machine which may be utilized with either a goal unit or a stand-alone basketball goal. Either or both of the basketball return machine and goal unit may be fixed in location or transportable. The machine collects basketballs that are shot in the direction of a basketball goal and returns them to the user at one or more locations around the return machine's perimeter. The present disclosure eliminates the need for persons or other means being deployed to capture and return balls to persons practicing or playing a game of basketball. The present disclosure also contemplates features that permit its use in low level light or even unlighted environments. Lastly, the present disclosure contemplates a fully functional basketball system that is adaptable to varying user skill levels.

A self-contained illumination device for illuminating medicine container labels in low-light level conditions is provided. The illumination means includes a light source component for illumination, an electrical switch component to control the light source, supporting circuitry components to energize the light source, and a housing structure for supporting and enclosing the components, directing the illumination to the label, and coupling the illumination device to a medicine container receptacle or a conventional medicine container cap.

The invention discloses a method and a system for infrared and low-level-light (LLL) / visible-light fusion imaging. The method relates to the field of image processing, and particularly relates to a method and a system for infrared and LLL / visible-light fusion imaging. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring an infrared image and an LLL image / a visible-light image, and enhancing the infrared image and the LLL image / the visible-light image, wherein the LLL image or the visible-light image is selectively acquired according to the light intensity of the current environment; and extracting a target area of the infrared image after enhancement, and fusing the target area and a corresponding area in the LLL image / the visible-light image after enhancement through scaling and translating, so as to complete fusion imaging of the infrared image and the LLL image / the visible-light image. According to the invention, the accuracy of target identification can be improved.

Safety garments and safety vests are for enhancing the visibility of a wearer in low-light conditions. The safety garment has a first layer, a reflective layer, and a plurality of lights electrically connected to a power source. The lights are attached to the reflective layer and positioned within an aperture of a protective cover such that the light does not protrude past an outer surface of the protective cover. The reflective layer may be removable. The lights may emit non-visible light. The garment may comprise an audible alarm, a pouch for packing and carrying the garment, a removable lighted patch for displaying any one of various messages or beacons, and fiber-optic thread to further illuminate the safety garment.

The invention discloses a polarization beam-combination device for a pulsed laser. The polarization beam-combination device comprises the pulsed laser, an input beam splitter, n laser amplifiers and n-1 polarization coherent beam-combination units. The pulsed laser outputs a beam of seed light. The input beam splitter divides the seed light into n sub-seed light beams. The n laser amplifiers respectively carry out power amplification to the n sub-seed light beams. The n-1 polarization coherent beam-combination units carry out pairwise polarization in-phase beam-combination for n-1 times to n laser beams output by the n laser amplifiers. N is a natural number which is bigger than or equal to two. An output end of the polarization beam-combination device is connected with an output beam splitter. A hard light output end of the output beam splitter is used as an output end of the polarization coherent beam-combination units. Light output from a low light output end of the output beam splitter shoots into a relative phase detection module of a drive phase control module, and the relative phase detection module enables phase positions of two laser beams to be consistent. Through adoption of a polarization detection method, the polarization beam-combination device detects the relative phase positions of the two laser beams, and is capable of achieving coaxial combination of a plurality of coherent light beams, high in combined efficiency and good in beam quality.

The invention relates to a visual detection method of longitudinal tear of a conveying belt, which belongs to the technical field of on-line monitoring of coal mine automation. The visual detection method is characterized in that in the condition of dim light or no light, a pyroelectric detector is used for detecting the temperature variation of the conveying belt due to the longitudinal tear, an infrared CCD (Charge-coupled Device) camera is controlled to take a photo, an obtained image is processed, and then an accident of the conveying belt can be accurately judged. According to the visual detection method, the simultaneous working mode of timing photo taking and triggering photo taking is adopted, omitted judgment caused by failure of the pyroelectric detector is prevented, and great energy of the infrared CCD camera, which is consumed by continuously taking photos for a long time, is saved. Additionally, negative effects that the service life of the infrared CCD camera is shortened and the working efficiency is reduced are avoided, wherein the negative effects are caused by the fact that the infrared CCD camera is continuously operated for a long time. A sharp image can be obtained by the infrared CCD camera when the conveying belt is moved at high speed, the obtained image is a grayscale image and is easily processed at a later period, and the position and the degree of the longitudinal tear can be visually reflected through finally processed information. The visual detection method has the advantages of high precision and reliable performance.

The present disclosure relates to a basketball return machine which may be utilized with either a goal unit or a stand-alone basketball goal. Either or both of the basketball return machine and goal unit may be fixed in location or transportable. The machine collects basketballs that are shot in the direction of a basketball goal and returns them to the user at one or more locations around the return machine's perimeter. The present disclosure eliminates the need for persons or other means being deployed to capture and return balls to persons practicing or playing a game of basketball. The present disclosure also contemplates features that permit its use in low level light or even unlighted environments. Lastly, the present disclosure contemplates a fully functional basketball system that is adaptable to varying user skill levels.

The invention describes systems and methods to obtain and present imaging data in absolute units. The systems and methods convert relative image data produced by a camera to absolute light intensity data using a compensation factor. The compensation factor accommodates for hardware and specific imaging conditions in the imaging system that variably affect camera output. The present invention determines the compensation factor based on assessing the output of the camera against a known light source for a specific set of imaging conditions in the imaging system. The compensation factor is then stored in memory corresponding to the specific set of imaging conditions. Upon subsequent imaging with the set of imaging conditions, the corresponding compensation factor is called from memory and applied to the camera output. A compensation factor may be determined and stored for each hardware state and imaging condition available to the imaging system.

The present invention relates to the optimization of human visual function by correcting and / or optimizing high-order optical aberrations in high performance optical devices. The optimization is particularly useful for high performance devices used under low light conditions such as binoculars, rifle scopes, telescopes, microscopes, night vision goggles and laser eye protection devices.

A system and method for non-invasive biomedical optical imaging and spectroscopy with low-level light is described. The technique includes a modulated light source coupled to tissue to introduce excitation light. Fluorescent light emitted in response to the excitation light is detected with a sensor. The AC intensity and phase of the excitation and detected fluorescent light is provided to a processor operatively coupled to the sensor. A processor employs the measured emission kinetics of excitation and fluorescent light to “map” the spatial variation of one or more fluorescence characteristics of the tissue and generate a corresponding image of the tissue via an output device. The fluorescence characteristic may be provided by exogenous contrast agents, endogenous fluorophores, or both. A technique to select or design an exogenous fluorescent contrast agent to improve image contrast is also disclosed.

Flyback power supplies require three chip integrated circuits to control the switching cycles on the primary of a transformer including a chip that detects when a voltage threshold and optionally when a current threshold has been crossed on the secondary side of the transformer, an opto-coupler to isolate the secondary to primary feedback from the first chip, and a switch control circuit that receives the feedback information from the opto-coupler and uses the information to modulate the primary pulses in order to regulate the secondary voltage and to optionally set a current compliance limit on the secondary current. This invention shows how these three integrated circuits can be combined into one package using silicon based LEDs. Furthermore, circuit techniques are presented that allow the detection of low level light produced by silicon based LEDs. These techniques include disconnecting the power supply from sensing circuits and using a charge capacitor for power and performing the sensing operation during a period of time when clocked digital circuits are inactive.

The present invention relates to a phantom device that simplifies usage and testing of a low intensity light imaging system. The phantom device includes a body and a light source internal to the body. The body comprises an optically selective material designed to at least partially resemble the optical behavior of mammalian tissue. Imaging the light source or phantom device may incorporate known properties of the optically selective material. Testing methods described herein assess the performance of a low-level light imaging system (such as the software) by processing light output by the phantom device and comparing the output against known results. The assessment builds a digital representation of the light source or test device and compares one or more components of the digital representation against one or more known properties for the light source or the test device.

It is an object to provide a photoelectric conversion device which detects light ranging from weak light to strong light. The present invention relates to a photoelectric conversion device having a photodiode having a photoelectric conversion layer, an amplifier circuit including a thin film transistor and a bias switching means, where a bias which is connected to the photodiode and the amplifier circuit is switched by the bias switching means when intensity of incident light exceeds predetermined intensity, and accordingly, light which is less than the predetermined intensity is detected by the photodiode and light which is more than the predetermined intensity is detected by the thin film transistor of the amplifier circuit. By the present invention, light ranging from weak light to strong light can be detected.

In an image taking apparatus having a mechanism for freely inserting / removing an IR cut filter on an optical axis of an image taking optical system of the image taking apparatus, the IR cut filter is made of one of film material and sheet material. Further the mechanism changes an image taking mode of the image taking apparatus between a first mode where the IR cut filter is located on the optical axis of the image taking optical system and a second mode, that is a low level light image taking mode where the IR cut filter is removed from the optical axis of the image taking optical system.

A phototherapy device for applying light from a plurality of low-level light sources, such as LEDs or laser diodes, to male genitalia. The plurality of light sources are located on the interior of a tube, cup or helical band or ribbon, which is then applied to some or all portions of the male genitalia. One or more straps or arms may be used to position the device and hold it in place. A control unit may be wired or wirelessly connected to the device to power and control the frequency and timing of the light therapy application.

An electrically powered sign is provided having a flat transparent sign display panel containing an alphanumeric sign message, a flat light source placed in close proximity, or directly affixed, to the sign display panel, a frame of varying configurations supporting the flat light source and the sign display such that the flat light source, when powered on, shines light through the sign display making the sign message visible in low light conditions, and a serviceable portable power source to provide electrical power to the flat light source, attached to the frame, whereby the electrically powered sign is self-contained and portable, and capable of being placed anywhere for displaying the sign displays alphanumeric sign message.

The embodiment of the present application provides a weak light image enhancement method and device. The method comprises respectively establishing a denoising network model, a color brightness conversion model and a detail enhancement network model, wherein the denoising network model, the color brightness conversion network model and the detail enhancement network model are all CNN models. The denoising network model, the color brightness transformation network model and the detail enhancement network model are trained respectively, and the denoising network model, the color brightness network model and the detail enhancement network model are trained jointly after the training is completed. After the joint training, the target low-light image data is processed by denoising network model, color-brightness transformation network model and detail enhancement network model, and the corresponding enhancement image is obtained. Thus, the image quality can be improved from denoising, colorbrightness transformation and detail enhancement.

Ocular devices are provided for placement in the upper fornix of the eye and having a body that encompasses a low-level light source, an energy source, a microcontroller, and an antenna for delivering a programmable, fade in-out, light therapy regimen to treat neurological and ophthalmic diseases and disorders. In one embodiment the ocular device delivers a programmable green light therapy to reduce elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) and retinal hypoxia during the nocturnal period, that is, when these risk factors are at their highest level especially in glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy patients.