1. A system for imaging at least a portion of a sample, comprising:
a source arrangement generating at least one source electro-magnetic radiation forwarded to the sample and a reference; and
at least one detection arrangement including a plurality of detectors, at least one of the detectors capable of detecting a signal associated with a combination of at least one first electro-magnetic radiation received from the sample and at least one second electro-magnetic radiation received from the reference, wherein the signal is at least one of frequency components of the combination;
at least one spectral separating unit which separates spectrum of at least one of the first electro-magnetic radiation, the second electro-magnetic radiation or the combination into the at least one of the frequency components,
wherein at least one particular detector of the detectors has a particular electrical integration time, wherein the at least one particular detector receives at least a portion of the signal for a time duration which has at least one first portion with at least one first power level greater than a predetermined threshold and at least one second portion immediately preceding or following the at least one first portion, the at least one second portion having at least one second power level less than the predetermined threshold, and wherein the at least one second portion is extended for a time period which is approximately at least 10% of the particular electrical integration time; and
at least one processing arrangement which is configured to generate at least one image associated with the sample based on the detected signal which is provided for the particular electrical integration time, the at least one image including at least one portion associated with the sample below a surface thereof, and the at least one portion of the at least one image illustrates the sample at multiple depths thereof immediately below a surface location at which the forwarded radiation impacts the sample.
2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the signal has frequency components of the combination.
3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the source arrangement is a pulsed broadband source.
4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the detection arrangement includes at least one charged-coupled device.
5. The system according to claim 2 1, wherein the at least one particular detector receives the at least one of the frequency components.
6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the source arrangement is a pulsed broadband source.
7. The system according to claim 5, wherein the source arrangement includes an optical gating switch.
8. The system according to claim 5, wherein a frequency of the at least one source electro-magnetic radiation varies over time.
9. The system according to claim 5, wherein the detector arrangement further includes an electrical shutter that is adapted to gate a transmission of photoelectrons associated with the combination of the first and second electro-magnetic radiation, wherein a time period for the gating to allow the transmission of the photoelectrons is less than approximately 90% of the particular electrical integration time.
10. The system according to claim 5, wherein the sample is a biological sample.
11. The system according to claim 5, wherein the detection arrangement includes at least one charged-coupled device.
12. The system according to claim 5, further comprising at least one spectral separating unit which separates spectrum of at least one of the first electro-magnetic radiation, the second electro-magnetic radiation and the combination into the at least one of the frequency components.
13. The system according to claim 6, wherein the at least one source electro-magnetic radiation generated by the pulsed source is a single pulse per the particular electrical integration time.
14. The system according to claim 6, wherein the at least one source electro-magnetic radiation generated by the source arrangement is a burst of radiation that extends for at most approximately 90% of the particular electrical integration time.
15. The system according to claim 6, wherein the at least one source electro-magnetic radiation generated by the pulsed broadband source has a spectrum with a center wavelength between approximately 700 nanometers and 2000 nanometers.
16. The system according to claim 6, wherein a duration of the burst of radiation is approximately shorter than 1 \u03bcsec.
17. The system according to claim 8, wherein a mean frequency of the at least one source electro-magnetic radiation changes substantially continuously over time at a tuning speed that is greater than 100 terahertz per millisecond.
18. The system according to claim 8, wherein the mean frequency changes repeatedly with a repetition period that is less than approximately 90% of the particular electrical integration time.
19. The system according to claim 8, wherein the at least one source electro-magnetic radiation generated by the source arrangement has a tuning range with a center wavelength between approximately 700 nanometers and 2000 nanometers.
20. The system according to claim 8, wherein the at least one source electro-magnetic radiation generated by the source arrangement has a timing range of approximately greater than 1% of the center wavelength.
21. The system according to claim 8, wherein the at least one source electro-magnetic radiation generated by the source arrangement has an instantaneous line width and a tuning range, the instantaneous line width being less than approximately 10% of the tuning range.
22. The system according to claim 8, wherein the source arrangement includes a tunable laser.
23. The system according to claim 8, wherein the source arrangement includes a tunable filter.
24. The system according to claim 8, wherein the source arrangement includes a medium, and wherein the source arrangement generates the at least one source electro-magnetic radiation based on a non-linearity associated with the medium.
25. The system according to claim 8, wherein the frequency varies substantially linearly with time.
26. The system according to claim 8, wherein the frequency varies substantially sinusoidally with time.
27. The system according to claim 13, wherein the pulsed source includes at least one of a Q-switched laser, a cavity-dumped mode-lock laser, and a gain-switched laser.
28. The system according to claim 13, wherein the at least one source electro-magnetic radiation generated by the pulsed broadband source has a pulse width approximately shorter than 1 \u03bcsec.
29. The system according to claim 14, wherein the burst of radiation includes multiple pulses.
30. The system according to claim 15, wherein the at least one source electro-magnetic radiation generated by the pulsed broadband source has a spectrum with a spectral width of approximately greater than 1% of the center wavelength.
31. A method for imaging at least a portion of a sample, comprising:
generating at least one source electro-magnetic radiation forwarded to the sample and a reference; and
detecting at least a portion of a signal associated with a combination of at least one first electro-magnetic radiation received from the sample and at least one second electro-magnetic radiation received from the reference using at least one detector of a plurality of detectors of a detection arrangement, wherein the signal is at least one of frequency components of the combination;
separating spectrum of at least one of the first electro-magnetic radiation, the second electro-magnetic radiation or the combination into the at least one of the frequency components,
wherein at least one particular detector of the detectors has a particular electrical integration time, and wherein the at least one particular detector receives at least a portion of the signal for a time duration which has a first portion with a first power level greater than a predetermined threshold and a second portion immediately preceding or following the first portion, the second portion having a second power level less than the predetermined threshold, and extending for a time period which is approximately more than 10% of the particular electrical integration time; and
generating at least one image associated with the sample based on the detected signal which is provided for the particular electrical integration time, the at least one image including at least one portion associated with the sample below a surface thereof, and the at least one portion of the at least one image illustrates the sample at multiple depths thereof immediately below a surface location at which the forwarded radiation impacts the sample.
32. The method according to claim 31, wherein the signal has frequency components of the combination.
33. The method according to claim 31, wherein the generating step is performed by a source arrangement which is a pulsed broadband source.
34. The method according to claim 31, wherein the detection step is performed by a detection arrangement which includes at least one charged-coupled device.
35. The method according to claim 32 31, wherein the at least one particular detector receives the at least one of the frequency components.
36. The method according to claim 35, wherein the generating step is performed by a source arrangement which is a pulsed broadband source.
37. The method according to claim 35, wherein the source arrangement includes an optical gating switch.
38. The method according to claim 35, wherein a frequency of the at least one source electro-magnetic radiation varies over time.
39. The method according to claim 35, wherein the detector arrangement further includes an electrical shutter that is adapted to gate a transmission of photoelectrons associated with the combination of the first and second electro-magnetic radiation, wherein a time period for the gating to allow the transmission of the photoelectrons is less than approximately 90% of the particular electrical integration time.
40. The method according to claim 35, wherein the sample is a biological sample.
41. The method according to claim 35, wherein the detecting step is performed by a detection arrangement which includes at least one charged-coupled device.
42. The method according to claim 35, further comprising the step of separating spectrum of at least one of the first electro-magnetic radiation, the second electro-magnetic radiation and the combination into the at least one of the frequency components.
43. The method according to claim 36, wherein the at least one source electro-magnetic radiation generated by the pulsed source is a single pulse per the particular electrical integration time.
44. The method according to claim 36, wherein the at least one source electro-magnetic radiation generated by the source arrangement is a burst of radiation that extends for at most approximately 90% of the particular electrical integration time.
45. The method according to claim 36, wherein the at least one source electro-magnetic radiation generated by the pulsed broadband source has a spectrum with a center wavelength between approximately 700 nanometers and 2000 nanometers.
46. The method according to claim 36, wherein a duration of the burst of radiation is approximately shorter than 1 \u03bcsec.
47. The method according to claim 38, wherein a mean frequency of the at least one source electro-magnetic radiation changes substantially continuously over time at a tuning speed that is greater than 100 terahertz per millisecond.
48. The method according to claim 38, wherein the mean frequency changes repeatedly with a repetition period that is less than approximately 90% of the particular electrical integration time.
49. The method according to claim 38, wherein the at least one source electro-magnetic radiation generated by the source arrangement has a tuning range with a center wavelength between approximately 700 nanometers and 2000 nanometers.
50. The method according to claim 38, wherein the at least one source electro-magnetic radiation generated by the source arrangement has a timing range of approximately greater than 1% of the center wavelength.
51. The method according to claim 38, wherein the at least one source electro-magnetic radiation generated by the source arrangement has an instantaneous line width and a tuning range, the instantaneous line width being less than approximately 10% of the tuning range.
52. The method according to claim 38, wherein the source arrangement includes a tunable laser.
53. The method according to claim 38, wherein the source arrangement includes a tunable filter.
54. The method according to claim 38, wherein the source arrangement includes a medium, and wherein the source arrangement generates the at least one source electro-magnetic radiation based on a non-linearity associated with the medium.
55. The method according to claim 38, wherein the frequency varies substantially linearly with time.
56. The method according to claim 38, wherein the frequency varies substantially sinusoidally with time.
57. The method according to claim 43, wherein the pulsed source includes at least one of a Q-switched laser, a cavity-dumped mode-lock laser, and a gain-switched laser.
58. The method according to claim 43, wherein the at least one source electro-magnetic radiation generated by the pulsed broadband source has a pulse width approximately shorter than 1 \u03bcsec.
59. The method according to claim 44, wherein the burst of radiation includes multiple pulses.
60. The method according to claim 45, wherein the at least one source electro-magnetic radiation generated by the pulsed broadband source has a spectrum width a spectral width of approximately greater than 1% of the center wavelength.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A computer assisted method to inventory batteries, comprising:
detecting battery identification information associated with one or more batteries in a battery string;
querying a user as to whether the battery string being inventoried is a first battery string at a location;
if a reply is yes, then reading and recording the battery identification information;
if the reply is no, then requesting and receiving an identity of the battery string being inventoried;
determining a voltage magnitude for each of the one or more batteries in the battery string;
aggregating the voltage magnitudes of the one or more batteries in the battery string,
if the aggregate of the voltage magnitudes of the one or more batteries does not equal a required voltage then generating a first error message;
if the aggregate of the voltage magnitudes of the one or more batteries equals the required voltage then saving the battery identification information; and
if the battery string being inventoried has previously been recorded, then generating a second error message.
2. The computer assisted method of claim 1, wherein the battery identification information data includes a model identification data, wherein further the battery voltage is a component of the model identification data.
3. The computer assisted method of claim 2, further comprising:
comparing the model identification data to a data record;
if the model identification data does not match the data record then generating a third error message;
if the model identification data matches the data record then accepting the battery identification information.
4. The computer assisted method of claim 1, wherein the first error message is an under voltage error message if the aggregate of the battery voltages in a string is less than 48 volts and an over voltage error message if the aggregate of the battery voltages in a string is more than 48 volts.
5. The computer assisted method of claim 1, wherein determining a voltage magnitude for each of the one or more batteries includes looking up the voltage magnitude in a data record.
6. The computer assisted method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of battery identification data is accomplished by a computing device equipped with one of a 2D scanner, an infrared scanning wand and a laser scanner.
7. A computer readable medium comprising processor executable instructions for performing a method, the method comprising:
detecting battery identification data associated with a battery in a battery string, the battery identification data comprising a model identification data;
determining a voltage magnitude for the battery as a component of the model identification data;
if there is more than one battery in the battery string, repeating the detecting and determining instructions for each battery in the battery string until all batteries in the battery string have been detected and their voltage magnitude determined;
aggregating the voltage magnitudes associated with each battery in the battery string,
if the aggregate of the voltage magnitudes does not equal a required voltage then generating a first error message;
if the aggregate of the voltage magnitudes equals the required voltage then storing the battery identification data associated with the one or more batteries in the battery string;
comparing the model identification data to a data record;
if the model identification data does not match the data record then generating a second error message; and
if the model identification data matches the data record then accepting the battery identification data.
8. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the first error message is an under voltage error message if the sum of the battery voltages in a string is less than 48 volts and an over voltage error message if the sum of the battery voltages in a string is more than 48 volts.
9. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein determining the voltage magnitude for each of the one or more batteries comprises looking up the voltage magnitude in a data record.
10. The computer readable medium of claim 7, further comprising instructions for:
querying a user as to whether the battery string being inventoried is a first battery string at a location;
if a user reply is yes, then readies and record the battery identification information;
if the user reply is no, then request and receiving an receive the identity of the battery string being inventoried;
if the battery string being inventoried has previously been recorded, then generating a third error message.
11. The computer readable medium of claim 7, further comprising instructions for scanning the battery identification data.