IMAGING SYSTEMS AND IMAGING METHODS (iEdison 0685901-20-0040)
The microwave or millimeter-wave imaging systems and techniques described in this invention disclosure form the basis for highly effective, real-time, near-field, imaging systems that may be used for security screening of concealed objects and many other applications. The imaging array architecture uses a sparse array configuration that builds upon established multistatic boundary array methods to allow formation of high-resolution imaging arrays that require only a modest number of antenna elements and simplified signal distribution networks. Our approach differs from established methods by expanding the versatility of the approach to non-planar configurations, providing greater modularity, supporting very wide bandwidth operation, operating effectively in the near field of the arrays, while simultaneously providing more efficient image formation. This modular multistatic sparse array architecture coupled with the efficient image reconstruction algorithm has been demonstrated in a fully operational 2D array imaging configuration designed for personnel security screening. This real-time system produces high-resolution imagery at 23 frames per second.
FOOTWEAR SCANNING SYSTEMS AND METHODS
This invention uses a new scanning mechanism to significantly improve the performance, cost, and ease of integration of the millimeter-wave shoe scanner system. This invention modifies the original scanning arrangement by using rotationally scanned linear arrays. A rotational scanning configuration will allow integration into the floor of cylindrical mm-wave body scanners. The rotational scanning hardware can be reduced in height compared to other arrangements, allowing for integration into existing scanning form factors. A major advantage of this arrangement is that two arrays can be configured with a slight radial offset. When the system performs a full 360-degree scan, the effective sampling locations of the transmit and receive antenna pairs are offset radially. This method allows the sampling density to be effectively interlaced, or doubled, without additional cost or complexity. In addition, this new configuration allows a high-resolution array to be fabricated with a single row of transmit antennas and a single row of receive antennas. This eliminates the difficulty of fabricating an array with more than two rows, which would otherwise be required. This arrangement also allows the signal distribution to be conveniently routed on a printed-circuit board with transmit distribution on one side of the array and receive distribution on the other. This arrangement also allows greater spacing between physical antennas while preserving fine sub-wavelength sampling of the aperture. The rotationally scanned and offset antenna arrays require novel image reconstruction algorithms. This invention uses a novel backprojection method that uses exact antenna positions without requiring the data to be resampled to a uniform grid. Resampling causes substantial errors due to data interpolation inaccuracies. The new reconstruction method also uses a technique referred to as 'aperture weighting" to remove focusing errors caused by non-uniform sampling of the aperture.
Capillary absorption spectrometer and process for isotopic analysis of small samples
A capillary absorption spectrometer and process are described that provide highly sensitive and accurate stable absorption measurements of analytes in a sample gas that may include isotopologues of carbon and oxygen obtained from gas and biological samples. It further provides isotopic images of microbial communities that allow tracking of nutrients at the single cell level. It further targets naturally occurring variations in carbon and oxygen isotopes that avoids need for expensive isotopically labeled mixtures which allows study of samples taken from the field without modification. The method also permits sampling in vivo permitting real-time ambient studies of microbial communities.
ION MANIPULATION DEVICE TO PREVENT LOSS OF IONS
An ion manipulation method and device to prevent loss of ions is disclosed. The device includes a pair of surfaces. An inner array of electrodes is coupled to the surfaces. A RF voltage and a DC voltage are alternately applied to the inner array of electrodes. The applied RF voltage is alternately positive and negative so that immediately adjacent or nearest neighbor RF applied electrodes are supplied with RF signals that are approximately 180 degrees out of phase.
CONCEPT AND METHOD FOR LARGE ION POPULATION SPACE CHARGE DRIVEN ION (NIH GRANT No. GM103493, iEdison No. 0685901-23-0113)
An approach and method for the separation of extremely large populations of ions in the gas phase where the space charge created by the ions when accumulated in a defined volume (e.g., an ion trap) causes the ions to physically separate according to their mobility. The method involves first accumulation ions in a volume, which can be any type of trapping devise, such as a linear quadrupole ion trap, a stacked ring ion guide, or a Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulations (SLIM). The design uses ions directed into the device using any number of mechanisms, but most often a weak electric field at reduced pressure.The trapping volume confines the ions using some combination of fields generated e.g. using pseudo potentials from the application of RF voltages to electrodes and DC fields. The method and device would typically use a trapping volume that would have an extended linear path, with RF confinement on the sides, such as a multipole device or a SLIM ion path, and incorporate DC confinement at the end opposite the side where ions are injected.The injected ions move through the device along the path toward the end where there is barrier (gate) to the ions of some sort, typically from the application of a DC potential to one or more electrodes. The continued introduction of ions will cause ions to be accumulated in the device, while moving toward the gate at the end of the path due to the weak field, such as a low drift field gradient, or a low amplitude traveling wave. As the large ion population accumulates at some point the maximum number of charged species that be tolerated near the end of the device is reached (i.e. the space charge limit); i.e. the accumulating ion cloud reaches the point where the s extent of charge-charge repulsion causes undesired phenomena as well as preventing more ions from being added. Charge then continues to fill the device if still being introduced. The growing ion cloud will distort the electric fields in the volume. In this environment our data shows, surprisingly, that some significant separation of ions occurs due to the opposing weak (e.g. traveling wave) electric field and the repulsive field of the ion cloud. The ions appear to separate by their mobility, with the highest mobility ions penetrating deepest into the volume and its significant space charge ( and the region of highest charge density). The ion distribution evolves to give a somewhat better separations with time; i.e. ion actively rearrange, and move into stable distributions, rather than mixed due to diffusion as would normally be expected. The trapped large ion population can then be studied or analyzed by changing the electric fields in the volume to readout the distribution (providing information on the trapped ions). The readout can use traveling wave that cause ion a'surfing'. Key points: 1. A novel physical separation of ions have been observed 2. The separations occur due to differences in mobility of ions 3. The separation uses very large numbers of ions, such that they create substantial space charge effect; Analyses typically seek to avoid such conditions as they create problems and degrade measurement performance. 4. This work was facilitated by the use of SLIM, which makes such studies readily feasible, however, we envision implementations that use conventional technologies also; i.e. this is NOT tied to the use of SLIM
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DATA STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL
A method includes directing a probe beam to a target that includes an array of data portions in a data storage medium arranged so that a beam area of the probe beam extends across a plurality of adjacent data portions, the array including a data portion subset with each data portion of the subset responsive to the probe beam to produce a response illumination, receiving the response illumination at a detector, and determining data values corresponding to the plurality of adjacent data portions based on the received response illumination. Apparatus and systems are also disclosed.density.
Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Apparatus and Process for High-Resolution in Situ Investigation
A large-sample-volume constant-flow magic angle sample spinning (CF-MAS) NMR probe is reported for in situ investigating the reaction dynamics, stable intermediates/transition states, and mechanisms of a catalytic reaction. In our approach, the reactants are flowed into the catalyst bed using a fixed tube at one end of the rotor while a second fixed tube linked to a vacuum pump is attached at the other end of the MAS rotor to form a flow inside the catalyst bed by utilizing the pressure difference at both ends of the catalyst bed inside the sample cell space. The formation of the flow through the catalyst bed improves the diffusion of the reactants and products, allowing the use of large sample volume for enhanced sensitivity and thus permitting in situ 13C CF-MAS studies at natural abundance. As an example of application, we show that reactants, products and reaction transition states associated with 2-butanol dehydration reaction over heteropoly acids supported on mesoporous silicalite materials (HPA/meso-silicalite-1) can all be detected in a single 13C CF-MAS NMR spectrum at natural abundance. Coke products can also be detected at natural 13C abundance and under stopped flow condition. Furthermore, we show that the surface functional groups of HPA/meso-silicalite-1 can be identified under the condition of in situ drying using 1H CF-MAS NMR. We also show that the reaction dynamics of 2-butanol dehydration using HPA/meso-silicalite-1 as catalyst can be explored using 1H CF-MAS NMR.
ONLINE HEAT EXCHANGER TUBE GUIDED WAVE SENSOR
A relatively standard once-through shell and tube heat exchangers typically consist of a cylindrical shell with a 2 to 20 cm thick flat tube-sheet on either end of the cylinder. Two plenums are formed at the ends of the cylinder by the hemispherical shell-ends. These ends are half-sphere caps containing one or more nozzles that allow fluid to be introduced or extracted from the end plenums and they are typically designated as the inlet or outlet plenums with inlet or outlet nozzle depending on whether fluid is entering or exiting the heat exchanger. These two plenums are joined by hundreds to thousands of tubes (typically 1 to 3 cm diameter with 1 to 2mm wall thickness) that are seal-welded to the tube-sheets. The plenums and the tube inside volumes are connected as a single volume that can be filled with fluid at temperature T1. The shell volume between the two tube sheets and on the outside of the tubes may be filled with fluid at temperature T2. This allows heat to flow across the tube wall without the two fluids mixing. The same basic heat exchanger approach is achieved with a single divided domed cylinder where the tubes are formed in a U-shape extending from the inlet quarter-sphere plenum to the outlet quarter sphere plenum. This configuration is designated as a U-Bend heat exchanger. For light water nuclear reactor heat exchangers, the T1 and T2 temperatures are nominally 370 oC and 750 oC and oC respectively., A clamp-on high temperature piezoelectric sensor mounted near the union of the tube to the tube-sheet is envisioned to generate an axial and a torsional/axial guided wave ultrasonic signal that will travel the full length of the tube. When such an ultrasonic signal reaches the opposite tube end, the signal is reflected back and may be sensed by the same signal-generating piezoelectric sensor or a similar receiving piezoelectric sensor. If corrosion or crack anomalies occur in the tube, part of the signal will be reflected and will be detected by the receiving sensor at an earlier point in time than the reflected signal from the tube end. The expectation (based on experience and literature using sensors mounted to the tube ID and based on larger diameter and flat-plate sensors) is that anomalies originating from the tube ID or OD can be detected before they reach a 100% through-wall breach and ideally before exceeding 50% through wall., Normally a material such as PZT (lead zirconate titanate) is used for piezoelectric sensors. PZT however does not work well above 300oC. Other piezoelectric materials like lithium niobate (LiNbO3), lithium tantalite (NiTaO3), aluminum nitride (AlN), and other materials that have a lower piezoelectric coefficient but still perform up to and above 600-800 oC. The goal is not to get the strongest signal from the sensor - since the damage detection is simply based on detection of a signal above the noise floor of an indication corresponding to degradation at a point in time of interest, these lower sensitivity higher temperature materials can be used., The logistics of bringing signal and power to and from guided wave sensors mounted to the tube ID are complicated by not only the high temperature but also by the high flow forces associated with fluid flow in the end-plenums and through the tube IDs. Sensors mounted to the tube OD are still subject to high temperatures but typically the lower temperature T2s are on the tube ODs plus the flow forces are minimal in the stagnant area near the intersection of the tube and tube sheet. The wires must still be managed by a protective corrosion resistant structure and routed to or through the shell wall. This management is characterized as an embedded sensor. Moreover, the sensor is considered an embedded sensor because it must be installed as the heat exchanger is being fabricated. Spacing between the tubes may allow some periphery tubes to be instrumented after completing the tube/tube-sheet assembly but tubes away from the periphery are inaccessible after all tubes are installed. The primary invention considers that the sensor signals will be brought through the tube bundle near the tubsheet or within the tubesheet to a commercial grade qualified cable penetration (commercially available) through the heat-exchanger shell to a multiplexing instrument located away from the heat using high temperature ( ceramic or tungsten or other high-temperature insulation) cabling. The cable penetration challenge may also be mitigated with high temperature electronics that may reduce or eliminate conducting penetrations through the shell however this is not the focus of this invention disclosure., The specific innovative features of the invention are:, A high temperature sensor that can be clamp-mounted to the heat exchanger tube OD as an embedded sensor during the time of manufacturing., The location of the sensor near the stagnant flow region of the tube to tube-sheet interface has no influence on the heat exchanger performance and minimizes flow forces on the cable conduits., The sensor system provides advanced warning of tube degradation prior to a full through-wall breach thereby allowing an orderly shutdown for further assessment, repair/removal from service, or replacement of the heat exchanger before any fluid exchange / leak occurs., With corroborative data, this technique could justify extended inspection intervals or mandate shutdown and inspection only if the guided wave monitor showed an indication.
Method and device for ion mobility separations
Methods and devices for ion separations or manipulations in gas phase are disclosed. The device includes a single non-planar surface. Arrays of electrodes are coupled to the surface. A combination of RF and DC voltages are applied to the arrays of electrodes to create confining and driving fields that move ions through the device. The DC voltages are static DC voltages or time-dependent DC potentials or waveforms.
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INTEGRATING ION MOBILITY AND ION TRAP MASS SPECTROMETERS
Described herein are examples of systems and methods for integrating IMS and MS systems. In certain examples, systems and methods for decoding double multiplexed data are described. The systems and methods can also perform multiple refining procedures in order to minimize the demultiplexing artifacts. The systems and methods can be used, for example, for the analysis of proteomic and petroleum samples, where the integration of IMS and high mass resolution are used for accurate assignment of molecular formulae.