Microfluidic chips incorporating liquid level sensors for precise sensing of liquid levels in microfluidic system structures, e.g., channels, cavities or reservoirs without moving parts. The microfluidic system uses liquid level photosensors and use optical properties to measure liquid volumes. A light coupling emitter or waveguide transmits the light toward the fluid channel at a critical angle. Multiple light coupling emitters and photosensor array can detect light for a variety of scenarios (based on fluid refraction index) and exploit the phenomenon of critical angles to measure exact angles of reflection/refraction. The waveguide coupler(s) and photosensors are manufactured at the microscale, and use both reflected light and refracted light as monitor signals. A feedback control system (e.g., compensating for rate and tolerance drift) is devised using signals generated by the sensors upon detecting reflected or refracted sensed light for increased accuracy of detecting precise amounts of fluid volumes being dispensed.

An apparatus for detecting one or more properties of a downhole fluid includes a housing. The apparatus also includes a location-sensitive optical detector, arranged within a chamber formed by the housing. The apparatus further includes a light source, arranged within the chamber. The apparatus also includes a lens, positioned at an end of the housing, the lens preferably having a flat side and a curved side, the flat side positioned proximate the chamber to position the flat side closer to the light source than the curved side. The apparatus further includes a mirror, arranged outside the housing.

An identification apparatus includes a plurality of irradiation units disposed at different positions in a conveyance width direction to irradiate a specimen with a converging ray in different irradiation conditions, the specimen being conveyed in a predetermined conveyance direction by a conveyance unit, a plurality of light-capturing units configured to capture scattered light from the specimen, each of the plurality of light-capturing units corresponding to a different one of the plurality of irradiation units, an acquisition unit configured to acquire identification information for identifying a property of the specimen, based on the light captured by the light-capturing units; and a placement unit configured to place the specimen on a position corresponding to any one of the plurality of irradiation units in accordance with a characteristic value of the specimen at an upstream side of the plurality of irradiation units in the conveyance direction.

A process for detecting the sensitivity of one or more polymers and/or of one or more, mixtures of polymers to a compound, including the steps of exposing at least one lens-shaped micro-deposit, including the polymer(s) and/or the mixture(s) of polymers, to the compound, and detecting, by illuminating the surface of this micro-deposit, a change in the spatial distribution of the intensity of the light reflected or transmitted by this micro-deposit, linked to a variation in the dimensions and/or refractive index of this micro-deposit, under the effect of an interaction between the polymer(s) and/or the mixture(s) of polymers and the compound.

The present invention relates to a test system and method for a biomass-based blended fuel. The system comprises a feeding device, a mixing tank, a light-sensing device, and a control device; the feeding device comprises at least two fuel bottles; the fuel bottle is connected to the mixing tank by means of an oil pipe; the correspondingly connected oil pipe of each fuel bottle is provided with a flow valve; the light-sensing device comprises a laser disposed above the mixing tank, a light-reflecting mechanism disposed at the bottom in the mixing tank, and a light-sensing mechanism disposed at one side of the light reflecting mechanism; the output end of the light-sensing mechanism is signaled with the input end of the control device; the input end of the laser and the input end of the flow valve is separately signaled with the output end of the control device.

Methods, systems, and devices for wearing detection are described. A method may include directing light from a light source to a detector using an optical light guide of the wearable device, where the optical light guide includes an optical interface configured to allow at least a portion of the directed light to escape the optical light guide based on a refractive property of a material contacting the optical interface. The method may include measuring, via the detector, an amount of escaped light which escaped the optical light guide, where the amount of escaped light is indicative of a level of surface contact at the optical interface of the optical light guide. The method may further include controlling an activation of one or more sensors of the wearable device based on the amount of escaped light.

A flow cell for use with an analytical device having a measurement surface onto which a fluid sample to be measured can be received comprises: a housing comprising an interface for connecting to an analytical device; a fluid chamber provided in the housing, the fluid chamber comprising sidewalls at least partly defining an internal volume for receiving a multiphase fluid sample and an opening arranged so as to provide a multiphase fluid sample received in the internal chamber volume to a measurement surface of an analytical device when the housing is connected to the analytical device; and an agitation device. The agitation device comprises an agitation mechanism adapted to agitate a multiphase fluid sample within the internal volume of the fluid chamber and cause movement of the fluid through and within the opening thereby providing fluid to a measurement surface of an analytical device. The agitation mechanism is separated from the internal volume by a barrier wall.

A method to measure the refractive index of a sample, includes: providing a plasmonic sensor including a sensing surface in contact with the sample; providing an optical resonator, the plasmonic sensor being integrated therein as a reflecting surface; providing a first input field of electromagnetic radiation as a primary carrier; providing a second input field of electromagnetic radiation as a secondary carrier having a second frequency different from the first and defined as: second frequency=first frequency+Δv and having a TE and/or a TM polarized component; impinging simultaneously with the first and second input field the plasmonic sensor; tuning the frequency of the first field and/or the value of Δv; detecting a resonator output power corresponding to the first and second intra-cavity fields resonating; determining a difference between the first and the second resonating frequencies; and calculating the refractive index of the sample from the difference.

Configurable application, for scoring an object including: configuration interface to: receive configuration parameters for each object including: a. a list of attributes to be associated with an object; b. a maximum total score; c. for each attribute in the attributes list: minimum value, maximum value, and weight; and d. configuration type; and a processing unit to calculate scoring for the object according to the received configuration parameters, by: receiving a value for each attribute in the object's attributes list; comparing each attribute value against a predefined minimum and maximum; calculating total score according to a predefined formula, when the attribute value is within the range of the minimum and maximum; calculating total score based on configuration type, when the attribute value is outside the minimum and maximum range; displaying the total score to a user via a display unit. The calculating is performed only when all attributes have values.

A method for determining polymer concentration can include synthesizing a polymer in a reactor under a set of parameters, wherein the reactor comprises a solution mixture having a refractive index, and wherein the solution mixture comprises a solvent, a polymer, and optionally a monomer, wherein the solution mixture has a polymer concentration; measuring the refractive index of the solution mixture; comparing the refractive index of the solution mixture with a calibration curve; and identifying the polymer concentration in the solution mixture. A system for determining polymer concentration can include a reactor containing a solution mixture comprising a solvent, a polymer, and optionally a monomer; a flash vessel fluidly coupled to the reactor to receive the solution mixture from the reactor; and a first refractometer fluidly coupled to the reactor, placed between the reactor and the flash vessel, and configured to measure a refractive index of the solution mixture.