An apparatus and methods for high-speed non-linear spectrally encoded multi-photon imaging that are particularly suited for use in two photon fluorescence and fluorescence lifetime imaging. The system is capable of optical image compression and scale invariant digital zoom. A wavelength agile laser with digitally synthesized electro-optic modulation in a master oscillator-power amplifier configuration is combined with spectral encoding to eliminate the speed limitations of inertial scanning. The technique for fast two photon fluorescent imaging with simultaneous lifetime imaging independently detects the location, amplitude and lifetime of fluorescent emission by synthesizing a sequential excitation beam via digital electro-optic modulation of a quasi-CW swept source followed by time encoded detection. For fluorescent imaging, spectral and temporal mappings are employed separately, with quasi-CW spectral encoding used for pumping and time encoding for constructing the image at fluorescence wavelength.

A method of detecting a substance includes, for each position of a plurality of positions in a field of view of an environment: emitting from a light source a light beam including a predetermined wavelength that is absorbable by a constituent of the substance, controlling at least one mirror to direct the emitted light beam to the position in the field of view, detecting by a detector light resulting from the emitted light beam, and determining whether the constituent of the substance is present at the position in the field of view based on characteristics of the detected light; generating a detection map indicating a presence or an absence of the substance at the plurality of positions in the field of view of the environment; capturing, by an image capture device, an image of the environment; and identifying a portion of the captured image having the substance based on the detection map.

Provided is a mirror device including a mirror which is supported to be flappable around a fast axis and supported to be flappable around a slow axis and in which a resonance frequency of flapping thereof with respect to the fast axis is a first value and a resonance frequency of the flapping thereof with respect to the slow axis is a second value lower than the first value; a signal extracting portion configured to obtain from a slow axis coil a synthesized signal including an induced signal generated in the slow axis coil due to an operation of flapping the mirror around the fast axis and configured to extract the induced signal from the synthesized signal; and a signal generating portion configured to generates a driving signal so that the flapping of the mirror with respect to the fast axis is in a resonance state according to the induced signal.

There are provided a welding monitoring system which can multidimensionally monitor a welding portion with high accuracy and a monitoring method thereof, by using a relatively simple configuration. There is provided a welding monitoring system which monitors a subject, including: a mechanical portion; and an imaging portion, in which the mechanical portion includes a transport arm which transports the subject, a subject holding portion which holds the subject, and an energizing device which causes welding with respect to the subject to be performed, and in which the imaging portion includes imaging means for obtaining imaging data of the subject, a data recording portion which records the imaging data, an analyzing portion which extracts predetermined characteristics from the imaging data, a comparison determination portion which compares the extracted characteristics and normal characteristics to each other to determine the presence or absence of abnormality, and a determination result output portion which outputs a determination result by the comparison determination portion.

Provided is a mirror device including a mirror which is supported to be flappable around a fast axis and supported to be flappable around a slow axis and in which a resonance frequency of flapping thereof with respect to the fast axis is a first value and a resonance frequency of the flapping thereof with respect to the slow axis is a second value lower than the first value; a signal extracting portion configured to obtain from a slow axis coil a synthesized signal including an induced signal generated in the slow axis coil due to an operation of flapping the mirror around the fast axis and configured to extract the induced signal from the synthesized signal; and a signal generating portion configured to generates a driving signal so that the flapping of the mirror with respect to the fast axis is in a resonance state according to the induced signal.

Provided is a mirror device including a mirror which is supported to be flappable around a fast axis and supported to be flappable around a slow axis and in which a resonance frequency of flapping thereof with respect to the fast axis is a first value and a resonance frequency of the flapping thereof with respect to the slow axis is a second value lower than the first value; a signal extracting portion configured to obtain from a slow axis coil a synthesized signal including an induced signal generated in the slow axis coil due to an operation of flapping the mirror around the fast axis and configured to extract the induced signal from the synthesized signal; and a signal generating portion configured to generates a driving signal so that the flapping of the mirror with respect to the fast axis is in a resonance state according to the induced signal.

In a method and apparatus, a property of an optically diffuse medium including a first optical absorber having a first concentration and a second optical absorber having a second concentration is determined. A surface area of the medium is imaged at multiple wavelengths around an isosbestic wavelength of the first absorber and the second absorber. A reflectance spectrum of the medium at the surface area at the multiple wavelengths is determined. A derivative of the determined reflectance spectrum around the isosbestic wavelength is determined. From the derivative, a concentration ratio of the first concentration and the second concentration is estimated.

Disclosed is an operating method of a metal sorting system using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), which may include: analyzing a metal component distribution for various metals using LIBS library information; setting multiple clusters according to the metal component distribution; performing first regression component analysis with respect to spectral data of a metal sample; calculating a probability that the spectral data will belong to each of the set multiple clusters using the first regress component analysis result; performing second regression component analysis with respect to the spectral data which belong to each cluster; and discriminating a type of metal sample by a weighted sum of the calculated probability and the second regression component analysis result.

The invention relates to an image generation device comprising a laser light source (1); a mirror assembly having two parabolic mirrors (3, 6) via which a scanning light beam (1a, 5) generated by the laser light source is directed onto a sample surface (9); a deflection device (2), in particular a micromirror scanner, which is controllable such that the scanning light beam (1a, 5) scans points of the sample surface in a targeted manner; and a detector (10) which detects radiation emanating from a scanned point of the sample surface. The spatial resolution of the image generation device is substantially defined by the narrowest possible focusing of the laser beam, and the accuracy of the adjustable deflection angle is defined by the micromirror scanner.

An apparatus and methods for high-speed non-linear spectrally encoded multi-photon imaging that are particularly suited for use in two photon fluorescence and fluorescence lifetime imaging. The system is capable of optical image compression and scale invariant digital zoom. A wavelength agile laser with digitally synthesized electro-optic modulation in a master oscillator-power amplifier configuration is combined with spectral encoding to eliminate the speed limitations of inertial scanning. The technique for fast two photon fluorescent imaging with simultaneous lifetime imaging independently detects the location, amplitude and lifetime of fluorescent emission by synthesizing a sequential excitation beam via digital electro-optic modulation of a quasi-CW swept source followed by time encoded detection. For fluorescent imaging, spectral and temporal mappings are employed separately, with quasi-CW spectral encoding used for pumping and time encoding for constructing the image at fluorescence wavelength.