This invention relates to CMOS based micro-photonic systems comprising an optical source, means for optical transmission, and a detector, wherein the optical source is capable of emitting light having a wavelength being in a range in which a nitride comprising layer of said means for optical transmission is transparent and being below a detection threshold of said detector so as to enable the generation of a micro-photonic system in silicon integrated circuit technology.

This invention describes the structure and function of an integrated multi-sensing system. Integrated systems described herein may be configured to form a microphone, pressure sensor, gas sensor or accelerometer. The system uses Fabry-Perot Interferometer in conjunction with beam collimator, beam splitter, optical waveguide and a photodetector integrated. It also describes a configurable method for tuning the integrated system to specific resonance frequency using electrostatic actuators.

An accelerometer is included within the confined space and limited volume of a distal portion of a surgical instrument. The surgical instrument includes an end component, a joint coupled to the end component, a shaft coupled to the joint, and a force transducer and accelerometer apparatus. The force transducer and accelerometer apparatus is coupled between the joint and the shaft. The force transducer and accelerometer apparatus includes a force sensor and an accelerometer. The accelerometer includes an optic fiber having a Fiber Bragg Grating. Information acquired from the Fiber Bragg Grating is used to drive a vibro-tactile haptic feedback output device coupled to a master control arm surgeon grip.

An accelerometer is included within the confined space and limited volume of a distal portion of a surgical instrument. The surgical instrument includes an end component, a joint coupled to the end component, a shaft coupled to the joint, and a force transducer and accelerometer apparatus. The force transducer and accelerometer apparatus is coupled between the joint and the shaft. The force transducer and accelerometer apparatus includes a force sensor and an accelerometer. The accelerometer includes an optic fiber having a Fiber Bragg Grating. Information acquired from the Fiber Bragg Grating is used to drive a vibro-tactile haptic feedback output device coupled to a master control arm surgeon grip.

The invention relates to a method for the individual pitch control of the rotor blades of a wind turbine. The method comprises: measuring an acceleration by means of an acceleration sensor in a rotor blade of the wind turbine; high-pass filtering of a signal of the acceleration sensor in order to determine a time-variant variable; and setting the pitch of the first rotor blade of the wind turbine using the time-variant variable, said pitch setting being part of an individual pitch control.

An optical velocity measuring apparatus which can restrict the effect of rotational motion of a moving object and estimate a velocity of its own with high accuracy, for a moving object with no wheels or a moving object of which the wheels slip includes an imager, provided in a moving object, for imaging a traveling surface such that a shift amount of each pixel at a time when an imaging target surface has shifted varies depending on a position of the pixel within an image, and the optical velocity measuring apparatus acquires a pixel shift amount gradient, which is a change in the shift amount of each pixel with respect to a predetermined axis, from a plurality of images captured by the imaging means in a time series and a velocity of the moving object from the pixel shift amount gradient is acquired.

An optical velocity measuring apparatus which can restrict the effect of rotational motion of a moving object and estimate a velocity of its own with high accuracy, for a moving object with no wheels or a moving object of which the wheels slip includes an imager, provided in a moving object, for imaging a traveling surface such that a shift amount of each pixel at a time when an imaging target surface has shifted varies depending on a position of the pixel within an image, and the optical velocity measuring apparatus acquires a pixel shift amount gradient, which is a change in the shift amount of each pixel with respect to a predetermined axis, from a plurality of images captured by the imaging means in a time series and a velocity of the moving object from the pixel shift amount gradient is acquired.

A vibration sensor includes a mass block supported with the aid of at least one spring in a manner allowing movement relative to a frame in a measuring direction, a displacement of the mass block in the measuring direction relative to the frame being detectable by a position-measuring device. The position-measuring device includes a measuring standard and a scanning head aligned with the measuring standard. One of these two components is secured on the mass block, and the other is secured on the frame.

A vibration sensor includes a mass block supported with the aid of at least one spring in a manner allowing movement relative to a frame in a measuring direction, a displacement of the mass block in the measuring direction relative to the frame being detectable by a position-measuring device. The position-measuring device includes a measuring standard and a scanning head aligned with the measuring standard. One of these two components is secured on the mass block, and the other is secured on the frame.

An optical sensor having one or more sensing interference elements is disclosed. A first detector function generates a coarse optical path difference signal for example using a discrete Fourier transform of a detected interference spectrum, and a second detector function generates a refined optical path difference signal using the coarse optical path difference signal and for example a cross correlation of the interference spectrum with one or more sets of periodic transfer functions.