Abstract:
A wearable computing device includes an electronic display with a configurable brightness level setting, a physiological metric sensor system including a light source configured to direct light into tissue of a user wearing the wearable computing device and a light detector configured to detect light from the light source that reflects back from the user. The device may further include control circuitry configured to activate the light source during a first period, generate a first light detector signal indicating a first amount of light detected by the light detector during the first period, deactivate the light source during a second period, generate a second light detector signal indicating a second amount of light detected by the light detector during the second period, generate a physiological metric based at least in part on the first light detector signal and the second light detector signal, and modify the configurable brightness level setting based on the second light detector signal.
Abstract:
An instrument for determining the concentration of a particular gas that might be present in a sample has no moving parts and is extremely compact and inexpensive. A novel waveguiding structure serves both as an optical element and as the sample chamber. As an optical element, the waveguiding structure collects radiation from a blackbody source located at the entrance end of the waveguiding structure and conducts the radiation through the waveguiding structure, concentrating it on two infrared detectors mounted at the opposite end of the waveguiding structure. As a sample chamber, the waveguiding structure causes the radiation to undergo multiple reflections that result in the average path length being substantially greater than the physical length of the waveguiding structure. Each of the detectors has its own optical filter, and baffling assures that each detector responds only to radiation which has passed through its filter. One filter defines a spectral passband that coincides with the infrared absorption band of the gas to be measured. The other filter defines a non-absorbing or neutral passband. The electrical signals produced by the detectors are processed to provide a ratio, the value of which is related to the concentration of the particular gas to be detected.
Abstract:
The fire detector includes a carbon dioxide sensor and a microcomputer. When the rate of increase of the concentration of carbon dioxide at the sensor exceeds a threshold, an alarm is produced. The threshold is set at one of three possible levels by the microcomputer in response to the state of the atmosphere at the sensor as determined by the microcomputer based on several variables that are derived from the sensed concentration of carbon dioxide. The derived variables include the average concentration of carbon dioxide, the average rate of change of carbon dioxide concentration, the monotonicity of the increase or decrease of the carbon dioxide concentration and the range of concentrations sensed in each cycle of operation. The threshold setting is determined every ten seconds. In this way, the setting of the rate threshold is responsive to variations in the carbon dioxide level at the sensor that are caused by entities other than a fire, such as the presence or absence of people in a closed room.
Abstract:
A diffusion-type gas sample chamber for use in a gas analyzer consists of an elongated hollow tube having an inwardly-facing specularly-reflective surface that permits the tube to function also as a light pipe for transmitting radiation from a source to a detector through the sample gas. A number of filtering apertures in the wall of the otherwise non-porous hollow tube permit the sample gas to enter and exit freely under ambient pressure. Particles of smoke and dust of a size greater than 0.1 micron are kept out of the chamber by use of a semi-permeable membrane that spans the apertures in the hollow tube. Condensation of the sample gas components is prevented by heating the sample chamber electrically to a temperature above the dew point of the component of concern.
Abstract:
A reflectometer for measuring absorption of light in selected regions of the light spectrum by a diffuse reflector. The reflectometer is adapted to precisely measure absorption resulting from the constituents present in body fluids. The sample to be measured is illuminated by a focussed light source at an angle of 45.degree. to its surface. The light diffusely reflected about the normal to the sample falls on a small round bundle of optical fibers. At the opposite end of the bundle, the fibers are arranged into a narrow rectangle. This rectangle forms the entrance slit for a concave holographic diffraction grating. The grating forms images of this entrance slit spectrally separated over a flat field suitable for recording the spectrum on film or on an array of discrete detectors.
Abstract:
A reflectometer for measuring absorption of light in selected regions of the light spectrum by a diffuse reflector. The reflectometer is adapted to precisely measure absorption resulting from the constituents present in body fluids. The sample to be measured is illuminated by a focused light source at an angle of 45.degree. to its surface. The light diffusely reflected about the normal to the sample falls on a small round bundle of optical fibers at the opposite end of the bundle, the fibers are arranged into a narrow rectangle. This rectangle forms the entrance slit for a concave holographic diffraction grating. The grating forms images of this entrance slit spectrally separated over a flat field suitable for recording the spectrum on film or on an array of discrete detectors.
Abstract:
A respiratory CO.sub.2 detector (10) comprising an infrared lamp source (44) and an infrared detector (50) responsive thereto forming an optical path for detecting the change in CO.sub.2 concentration, or an obstruction in a cuvette (42). The output of the infrared detector (50) provides a high and low voltage signal to be applied to a feedback control loop (12) and to an output circuit (14).The feedback control loop (12) includes a peak detector (22), a contamination detector (24), a pulse-width modulator (26) and a low pass filter (28), the latter providing a DC bias on the infrared lamp (44). The peak detector (22) is connected to the pulse-width modulator (26) to maintain the lamp voltage constant and is connected to comparators (56,62) to compare both outputs of the peak and contamination detectors (22,24). The contamination detector (24) will respond to blockage in the cuvette (42).The output control circuit (14) includes a sample-and-hold circuit (30) and a subtractor (32) connected to the output of said infrared detector to receive the high and low voltage signal from the infrared detector, the outputs of which produce an output signal without the DC bias which is then inverted to provide a high quality waveform.
Abstract:
An improved grain quality analyzer, for analyzing the percentage concentration of various constituents, e.g. protein and water, in a grain sample, photo-optically measures the change in the optical density of the sample, .DELTA. OD, in a range of characteristic wavelengths and, for protein, in a range of neutral wavelengths and uses these measured values to compute the percentage concentration of the constituents.A grain sample is irradiated with light, the wavelength of which sweeps across the infrared light-spectrum including a range of wavelengths termed characteristic wavelengths, and, for protein, a range of wavelengths termed neutral wavelengths. The characteristic wavelengths are those wavelengths at which the optical characteristics of the irradiated sample, that is, the optical density, reflectivity, transmissivity, and/or absorption, are known to vary as a function of the concentration of the measured constituent, and, for the protein measurement, the neutral wavelengths are those wavelengths at which the optical characteristics are substantially independent of the concentration of the protein.In the preferred embodiment, photo-optical sensors measure the light reflected from the sample and provide output signals indicative of the optical density of the sample as a function of the wavelength of the irradiating light. Control and computing means sample the sensor output at spaced apart points in the range of characteristic wavelengths and in the range of neutral wavelengths to provide signals representative of the optical characteristics of the sample. Computing circuitry computes the percentage concentration of water and, for protein, computes the percentage concentration using an algorithm in accordance with the present invention which eliminates the inaccuracies introduced by light scattering from the sample.
Abstract:
An automatic test instrument for gaging the percentage of various constituents in organic substances by comparing the reflective optical density of the subject at various wavelengths. Narrow band optical filters are connected together in the form of a rotatable paddle wheel positioned so that the filters can be individually swept through the incident light path between the specimen and wideband light source. As the filter wheel turns, the band of light passed by each filter is progressively shifted with the changing angle of the filter relative to the light path. The filter wheel configuration includes opaque vanes extending from the ends of the filters to periodically interrupt the passage of light to the specimen. Photocells are positioned to sense the level of light reflected from the specimen. The output of the photocells is sampled at pedetermined times relative to the rotation of the filter wheel to yield values indicative of reflected intensity at certain wavelengths. Using these values, an electronic circuit in one embodiment calculates three optical density difference values corresponding to moisture, protein and oil content of the specimen. The difference values are automatically inserted in three linear equations which are solved to obtain readings representing the true percentages of oil, water and protein contained in the specimen. Each time a new specimen is loaded for testing, the instrument is automatically calibrated against a standard sample, preferably Teflon (Trademark). The output of the photocells is amplified in a special circuit which subtracts the level of dark period current from the output when the photocells are illuminated.
Abstract:
A wearable computing device includes an electronic display with a configurable brightness level setting, a physiological metric sensor system including a light source configured to direct light into tissue of a user wearing the wearable computing device and a light detector configured to detect light from the light source that reflects back from the user. The device may further include control circuitry configured to activate the light source during a first period, generate a first light detector signal indicating a first amount of light detected by the light detector during the first period, deactivate the light source during a second period, generate a second light detector signal indicating a second amount of light detected by the light detector during the second period, generate a physiological metric based at least in part on the first light detector signal and the second light detector signal, and modify the configurable brightness level setting based on the second light detector signal.