Author: claimsbot

1. A spectral decomposition device, comprising
a substrate stack in which an optical functional element comprising a spectrally decomposing effect and optics are formed such that in the substrate stack a convolved optical path is formed which extends between an optical entry window formed in the substrate stack and an exit window or a detector zone formed in the substrate stack, wherein
the spectral decomposition device additionally comprises an entry-side component which is mounted to the substrate stack such that it at least partially covers the optical entry window and which defines an optical entry aperture of the spectral decomposition device, andor
the spectral decomposition device additionally comprises an exit-side component which is mounted to the substrate stack such that it at least partially covers the optical exit window and which defines an optical exit aperture of the spectral decomposition device.
2. The spectral decomposition device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate stack comprises a first substrate comprising the optical functional element comprising a spectrally decomposing effect and the optical entry window, and comprises a second substrate comprising a collimating reflective functional element comprised by the optics and arranged in the convolved optical path between the optical entry window and the optical functional element comprising a spectrally decomposing effect.
3. A spectral decomposition device, comprising
a substrate stack in which an optical functional element comprising a spectrally decomposing effect and optics are formed such that in the substrate stack a convolved optical path is formed which extends between an optical entry window formed in the substrate stack, and an optical exit window formed in the substrate stack, wherein the spectral decomposition device additionally comprises an exit-side component which is mounted to the substrate stack such that it at least partially covers the optical exit window and which comprises a detector which is implemented to detect electromagnetic radiation propagating through the optical exit window along the convolved optical path, wherein a projection of a beam-blocking part of the exit-side component along a layer thickness direction to the substrate stack is spaced apart laterally from the optical entry window and an edge of the substrate stack.
4. The spectral decomposition device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate stack comprises a first substrate comprising the optical functional element comprising a spectrally decomposing effect and the optical exit window and a second substrate comprising a focusing reflective functional element comprised by the optics and arranged in the convolved optical path between the optical functional element comprising a spectrally decomposing effect and the optical exit window.
5. A spectral decomposition device, comprising
a substrate stack made of structured substrates in which a buried optical path space with an optical entry window and an optical intermediate window are defined; and
a component with an optical functional element which is mounted to the substrate stack and which at least partially covers the optical intermediate window such that the optical functional element abuts on the buried optical path space via the optical intermediate window, and in the buried optical path space a convolved optical path forms which is defined by optics and an optical functional element comprising a spectrally decomposing effect and extends between the optical entry window and an optical exit window or a detector zone which is or are formed in the substrate stack, wherein the optical functional element is arranged at a bend of the convolved optical path and forms a first part of the optics, while a second part of the optics is formed in the substrate stack or comprises the optical functional element comprising a spectrally decomposing effect.
6. The spectral decomposition device according to claim 5, wherein the optical functional element is a reflective optical functional element.
7. The spectral decomposition device according to claim 5, wherein the optical functional element comprises a reflective entry aperture, a reflective exit aperture, a plane minor, a concave minor, a convex mirror, a grating, a dispersive optical element or a photonic crystal.
8. The spectral decomposition device according to claim 1, wherein the component is mounted to a level portion of a main side of the substrate stack and the main side is formed such that, when releasing the mounting, a translational lateral movement at least along a lateral dimension, along which the convolved optical path is directed from the window at least partially covered by the component, would be possible along the level portion to and fro by more than 1 \u03bcm.
9. The spectral decomposition device according to claim 1, wherein the component is mounted to the substrate stack via at least two components stacked onto each other comprising a wedge-shaped height profile, wherein the components extend in a substrate stack direction and, in a projection along this direction in an overlapping area to each other and to the window at least partially covered by the component, comprise overlapping window openings.
10. The spectral decomposition device according to claim 1, wherein a dimension of the optical entry window of the substrate stack along a lateral dimension, along which the convolved optical path is directed from the optical entry aperture, is at least double the dimension of the optical entry aperture along the lateral dimension.
11. The spectral decomposition device according to claim 1, wherein the component is mounted to the substrate stack by means of a chemically, physically or reactively binding adhesive.
12. The spectral decomposition device according to claim 11, wherein the adhesive is an adhesive curable by radiation energy or thermal energy or a combination of both, a system of an adhesive and a hardener or a system of an adhesive and an activator or a combination of the same.
13. The spectral decomposition device according to claim 11, wherein the adhesive is filled with fillers which function as spacers.
14. The spectral decomposition device according to claim 1, wherein the optical functional element comprising a spectrally decomposing effect comprises a rotatably mounted grating which is arranged in the convolved optical path such that the optics causes a beam parallelization from the entry window to the rotatably mounted or suspended grating and a beam focusing from the rotatably mounted suspended grating to the exit window, and a spectrally fanned entry aperture image in a to-and-fro movement scans an exit aperture or detector zone location at the exit window.
15. A method for manufacturing a spectral decomposition device, comprising:
manufacturing a plurality of substrate stacks from structured substrates in which a buried optical path space is defined, wherein the optical path space comprises at least one window; and
subsequent substrate stack-individual mounting of a component to the substrate stacks so that the respective component at least partially covers the at least one window, and so that an optical functional element comprising the component is adjacent to the buried optical path space via the at least one window in the substrate stack and helps to define a convolved optical path which forms in the buried optical path space and is defined by optics and an optical functional element comprising a spectrally decomposing effect, which are formed in the respective substrate stack with the mounted component.
16. The method according to claim 15, which is executed such that the spectral decomposition device is a spectral decomposition device comprising
a substrate stack in which an optical functional element comprising a spectrally decomposing effect and optics are formed such that in the substrate stack a convolved optical path is formed which extends between an optical entry window formed in the substrate stack and an exit window or a detector zone formed in the substrate stack, wherein
the spectral decomposition device additionally comprises an entry-side component which is mounted to the substrate stack such that it at least partially covers the optical entry window and which defines an optical entry aperture of the spectral decomposition device, andor
the spectral decomposition device additionally comprises an exit-side component which is mounted to the substrate stack such that it at least partially covers the optical exit window and which defines an optical exit aperture of the spectral decomposition device.
17. The method according to claim 15, which is executed such that the spectral decomposition device is a spectral decomposition device, comprising
a substrate stack in which an optical functional element comprising a spectrally decomposing effect and optics are formed such that in the substrate stack a convolved optical path is formed which extends between an optical entry window formed in the substrate stack, and an optical exit window formed in the substrate stack, wherein the spectral decomposition device additionally comprises an exit-side component which is mounted to the substrate stack such that it at least partially covers the optical exit window and which comprises a detector which is implemented to detect electromagnetic radiation propagating through the optical exit window along the convolved optical path, wherein a projection of a beam-blocking part of the exit-side component along a layer thickness direction to the substrate stack is spaced apart laterally from the optical entry window and an edge of the substrate stack.
18. The method according to claim 15, which is executed such that the spectral decomposition device is a spectral decomposition device, comprising
a substrate stack made of structured substrates in which a buried optical path space with an optical entry window and an optical intermediate window are defined; and
a component with an optical functional element which is mounted to the substrate stack and which at least partially covers the optical intermediate window such that the optical functional element abuts on the buried optical path space via the optical intermediate window, and in the buried optical path space a convolved optical path forms which is defined by optics and an optical functional element comprising a spectrally decomposing effect and extends between the optical entry window and an optical exit window or a detector zone which is or are formed in the substrate stack, wherein the optical functional element is arranged at a bend of the convolved optical path and forms a first part of the optics, while a second part of the optics is formed in the substrate stack or comprises the optical functional element comprising a spectrally decomposing effect.
19. The method according to claim 15, wherein the subsequent substrate stack-individual mounting is executed by adjusting the optical functional element of the component, i.e. by active adjustment, wherein an influence of the adjustment onto the convolved optical path is evaluated at an exit aperture or detector zone location, or by passive adjustment, wherein the adjustment comprises an alignment regulation with respect to edges andor corners of the substrate stacks.
20. A method for manufacturing a spectral decomposition device, comprising:
manufacturing a plurality of substrate stacks in each of which an optical functional element comprising a spectrally decomposing effect and an optics are formed such that in the optical path space a convolved optical path is formed which extends from an optical entry window formed in the respective substrate stack to an optical exit window or a detector zone which is formed by the substrate stack, in substrate stack parts each comprising disjunct amounts of substrates of the respective substrate stack and which may each be combined into a respective substrate stack, wherein an optical entry aperture andor an optical exit aperture is formed in a substrate stack part of the respective substrate stack in which neither the optical functional element comprising a spectrally decomposing effect nor the optics is formed; and
subsequent substrate stack-individual connecting of the substrate stack parts into a respective substrate stack.
21. The method according to claim 20, wherein manufacturing is executed such that a first substrate stack part comprises an optical substrate in which one or several reflecting zones are formed to form a collimator and a focusing element, and a second substrate stack part comprises a carrier substrate which carries on one of its main sides a rotatably mounted grating and in which the entry aperture andor the exit aperture is formed, wherein the subsequent substrate stack-individual connecting is executed such that the first substrate stack part is connected to the second substrate stack part by connecting the carrier substrate to the optical substrate, whereupon the rotatably mounted grating is located in an optical path space which is defined by the first and second substrate stack parts.

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.-30. (canceled)
31. A side-edge trimming station (3) for use with book trimming apparatus wherein the side-edge trimming station (3) contains a knife assembly (52, 53, 55) arranged to trim a stack (1) of collated sheets folded at a spine along edges perpendicular to the spine and a clamping system (50, 52, 55, 60) for holding the stack during cutting, characterised in that the clamping system comprises a spine clamp (52) with profiled spine-engaging surface, the surface being shaped such that, when the clamp (52) is moved towards the stack, the spine is engaged first at its apex, which is moved towards a knife bed plate (55), and then engaged progressively across the stack as it thickens, thereby deforming the spine such that it is compressed onto the bed plate (55).
32. Trimming station according to claim 31 wherein the clamping system also comprises a book clamp (50) for pressing the bulk of the stack (1) against the bed plate (55) once the spine clamp (52) is in its clamped position.
33. Trimming station according to claim 31 wherein the knife assembly comprises an upper knife (53) and the knife bed plate (55).
34. Trimming station according to claim 33 wherein the knife assembly (52, 53, 55) and clamping system (50, 52, 55, 60) are part of an integral unit.
35. Trimming station according to claim 33 wherein the upper knife has a profiled cutting edge.
36. Trimming station according to claim 35 wherein the profiled cutting edge of the knife is similar to the profile of an upper surface of the spine, when clamped, such that when the knife (53) is moved towards the clamped stack, the spine is cut first at its apex and then progressively across the stack as it thickens.
37. Trimming station according to claim 31 wherein the upper knife cutting edge is substantially similar to the profiled surface of the spine clamp (52).
38. Trimming station according to claim 31 wherein the knife assembly (52, 53, 55) is further arranged to cut the stack along at least one inner line in a direction perpendicular to the spine and the clamping system (50, 52, 55, 60) is further arranged to hold the stack in the vicinity of this inner line during cutting.
39. A method of trimming a stack (1) of collated sheets folded at a spine along at least one edge perpendicular to the spine, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a spine clamp (52) with profiled spine-engaging surface above the stack in the vicinity of the edge to be trimmed;
(b) moving the clamp (52) towards the stack wherein the profile of the clamp is such that the spine of the stack is engaged first at its apex, which is displaced towards a knife bed plate (55);
(c) continuing depressing the clamp such that the stack is engaged progressively as it thickens, thereby deforming the spine, until the deformed spine is compressed onto the bed plate (55); and
(d) trimming the edge of the clamped stack.
40. A method according to claim 39, the method including providing two spine clamps (52) for clamping opposite side-edges of the stack, and trimming both side-edges.
41. A method according to claim 40, the method including providing at least one additional spine clamp (52) for clamping the stack along at least one inner line in a direction perpendicular to the spine and cutting the stack in the vicinity of this inner line.
42. Book trimming apparatus comprising a transport system (10) for transporting a stack (1) of collated sheets folded at a spine through a side-edge trimming station (3) in accordance with claim 31.
43. Book trimming apparatus according to claim 42 wherein the stack (1) is oriented such that it is transported spine-first through the side-edge trimming station (3).
44. Trimming station according to claim 32 wherein the knife assembly comprises an upper knife (53) and the knife bed plate (55).
45. Trimming station according to claim 34 wherein the upper knife has a profiled cutting edge.
46. Trimming station according to claim 32 wherein the knife assembly (52, 53, 55) is further arranged to cut the stack along at least one inner line in a direction perpendicular to the spine and the clamping system (50, 52, 55, 60) is further arranged to hold the stack in the vicinity of this inner line during cutting.
47. Trimming station according to claim 33 wherein the knife assembly (52, 53, 55) is further arranged to cut the stack along at least one inner line in a direction perpendicular to the spine and the clamping system (50, 52, 55, 60) is further arranged to hold the stack in the vicinity of this inner line during cutting.
48. Trimming station according to claim 34 wherein the knife assembly (52, 53, 55) is further arranged to cut the stack along at least one inner line in a direction perpendicular to the spine and the clamping system (50, 52, 55, 60) is further arranged to hold the stack in the vicinity of this inner line during cutting.
49. Trimming station according to claim 35 wherein the knife assembly (52, 53, 55) is further arranged to cut the stack along at least one inner line in a direction perpendicular to the spine and the clamping system (50, 52, 55, 60) is further arranged to hold the stack in the vicinity of this inner line during cutting.
50. Trimming station according to claim 36 wherein the knife assembly (52, 53, 55) is further arranged to cut the stack along at least one inner line in a direction perpendicular to the spine and the clamping system (50, 52, 55, 60) is further arranged to hold the stack in the vicinity of this inner line during cutting.

1. A method of processing at least first and second images of an image flow of an object to determine a relative displacement map of elements of the image flow over a predetermined time interval, the method comprising:
recording a first array of pixel values associated with the first image of the image flow;
recording a second array of pixel values associated with the second image of the image flow;
defining a first plurality of interrogation regions on the first array of pixel values, each of the first plurality of interrogation regions including a first number of pixels indicative of a first resolution at which to correlate the first and second images;
determining a first correlation plane formed from correlations between each of the first plurality of interrogation regions and at least one associated region in the second array of pixel values, the first correlation plane including a maximum correlation value for each of the first plurality of interrogation regions indicating which of the at least one associated regions each of the first plurality of interrogation regions are most highly correlated with;
determining a direction and magnitude associated with each of the maximum correlation values which represents the relative displacement between each of the first interrogation regions and the respective most highly correlated associated region in the second array of pixels over the predetermined time interval;
for each of the determined directions and magnitudes that are resolved, adding each resolved direction and magnitude to the displacement map at a location associated with the respective first interrogation region;
for each of the determined directions and magnitudes that are unresolved, expanding the associated first interrogation region to form a second plurality of interrogation regions, each of the second plurality of interrogation regions having a second number of pixels, greater than the first number of pixels, indicative of a second resolution at which to correlate the first and second images and determining a second correlation plane formed from correlations between each of the second plurality of interrogation regions and one or more associated regions in the second array of pixel values, the second correlation plane including a maximum correlation value for each of the second plurality of interrogation regions indicating which of the at least one associated regions each of the second plurality of interrogation regions are most highly correlated with, and determining a direction and magnitude associated with each of the maximum correlation values which represents the relative displacement between each of the second interrogation regions and the respective most highly correlated associated region in the second array of pixels over the predetermined time interval; and
for each of the determined directions and magnitudes that are resolved, adding each resolved direction and magnitude to the displacement map at a location associated with the respective second interrogation region.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein for each of the determined directions and magnitudes that are unresolved, the method further includes:
expanding the associated second interrogation region to form a third plurality of interrogation regions, each of the third plurality of interrogation regions having a third number of pixels, greater than the second number of pixels, indicative of a third resolution at which to correlate the first and second images.
3. The method of claim 2, further including:
determining a third correlation plane formed from correlations between each of the third plurality of interrogation regions and one or more associated regions in the second array of pixel values, the third correlation plane including a maximum correlation value for each of the third plurality of interrogation regions indicating which of the at least one associated regions each of the third plurality of interrogation regions are most highly correlated with.
4. The method of claim 3, further including:
determining a direction and magnitude associated with each of the maximum correlation values which represents the relative displacement between each of the third interrogation regions and the respective most highly correlated associated region in the second array of pixels over the predetermined time interval.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein expanding the plurality of interrogations regions includes doubling the number of pixels that form each of the plurality of interrogation regions.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein
determining the second correlation plane includes combining corresponding portions of the first correlation plane.
7. The method of claim 3, wherein
determining the third correlation plane includes combining corresponding portions of the second correlation plane.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein expanding the associated first interrogation regions includes grouping at least two interrogation regions of the first plurality of interrogation regions to form one of the second plurality of interrogation regions.
9. The method according to claim 2, wherein expanding the associated first interrogation regions includes grouping at least two interrogation regions of the second plurality of interrogation regions to form one of the third plurality of interrogation regions.

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. Dynamic oxidation of hazardous gases comprising:
admitting hazardous gases to a chamber,
heating the gases in the chamber to auto ignition temperatures,
introducing oxygen to the heated gases and auto igniting the hazardous gases with the oxygen,
combusting the hazardous gases and producing non hazardous combustion gaseous products,
cooling the combustion products,
cleaning particulate matter from the combustion products, and
exhausting the cooled and cleaned combustion products.
2. The dynamic oxidation of claim 1, wherein the heating comprises heating the hazardous gases with rods or cylinders extending into the chamber.
3. The dynamic oxidation of claim 2, wherein the rods or cylinders extend partially into the chamber.
4. The dynamic oxidation of claim 1, wherein the introducing oxygen to the heated gases occurs near or at an open end of the chamber.
5. The dynamic oxidation of claim 1, wherein the introducing oxygen to the heated gases occurs in the chamber before an open end of the chamber.
6. The dynamic oxidation of claim 1, wherein the admitting hazardous gas to the chamber further comprises admitting the hazardous gas through multiple inlets near a closed end of the chamber.
7. The dynamic oxidation of claim 1, further comprising adding combustible gases to the chamber.
8. The dynamic oxidation of claim 1, wherein the cooling the combustion products comprises introducing cooling air following the combusting of the hazardous gases.
9. The dynamic oxidation of claim 9, wherein the cleaning particulate matter from the combustion products comprises introducing the cooling air at an angle and creating a vortex in a cyclone separator and collecting particles flung outward from the vortex.
10. The dynamic oxidation of claim 8, further comprising flowing the combustion products and cooling air over a heat exchanger.
11. The dynamic oxidation of claim 8, wherein the cleaning further comprises filtering the combustion products and cooling air through a filter before the exhausting.
12. Dynamic oxidation apparatus comprising:
an inlet for connection to a source of hazardous gases,
a heating chamber connected to the inlet,
heating rods or cylinders mounted in the chamber for heating the hazardous gases to auto ignition temperatures,
a combustion chamber connected to the heating chamber for flowing the heated hazardous gases into the combustion chamber,
an oxygen source connected to the combustion chamber for introducing oxygen to the hazardous gases that have been heated to the auto ignition temperatures and combusting the heated gases in the combustion chamber,
a cooling chamber connected to the combustion chamber for cooling the combusted gases,
a particulate separation chamber connected to the cooling chamber for separating particles from the combusted gases, and an exhaust connected to the separation chamber.
13. The dynamic oxidation apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a heat exchanger jacket on the exhaust for cooling gases in the exhaust.
14. The dynamic oxidation apparatus of claim 12, wherein the cooling chamber and the particulate separation chamber are combined in a cyclone separator connected to the combustion chamber and the exhaust for mixing air with the combustion gases and spinning the combustion gases to accelerate and fling particles centrifugally outward to a collector.
15. The dynamic oxidation apparatus of claim 12, wherein the combustion chamber is continuous with the heating chamber and wherein the heating rods or cylinders terminate at the combustion chamber and wherein the oxygen source is connected laterally to the combustion chamber for introducing oxygen transverse to the auto igniting hazardous gas for complete mixing of the oxygen and hazardous gas.
16. The dynamic oxidation apparatus of claim 12, wherein air is flowed into the cooling chamber transverse to the combustion chamber for complete mixing with the combusted gases for diluting and cooling the combusted gases.
17. The dynamic oxidation apparatus of claim 16, wherein the separation chamber comprises an outer chamber and a star-shaped filter inward from the outer chamber, and wherein the exhaust is connected to a center of the filter, the mixed air and combusted gases flow into the outer chamber, inward through the star-shaped filter and into the exhaust.
18. The dynamic oxidation apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a cooled heat exchanger between the cooling chamber and the particulate separation chamber.
19. The dynamic oxidation apparatus of claim 12, wherein the oxygen source is a pressurized combustion air source and wherein the hazardous gas inlet comprises plural hazardous gas inlets and wherein the cooling chamber has a cooling air inlet.
20. The dynamic oxidation apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a cabinet having openings at the top for the hazard gas inlets, the pressurized combustion air and the cooling air.
21. The dynamic oxidation apparatus of claim 20, further comprising a cylindrical housing, and wherein the heating chamber and the combustion chamber comprise a continuous cylinder, having open upper and lower ends having an upper annular flange connected to the upper end of the cylinder and to the housing and having a recess in the upper annular flange around the open upper end of the chamber, wherein the hazardous gas inlet comprises plural inlet pipes extending through the annular flange to openings in a side of the chamber near the upper end, bolts fixed in the recess and extending upward therefrom, wherein the heating rods or cylinders have upper ends connected to a plate for fitting in the recess and closing the upper end of the continuous cylinder, wherein the plate has holes for receiving the bolts, and securing the plate in the recess, wherein the heating rods or cylinders terminate downward above the open lower end of the cylinder, providing the combustion chamber between the lower open end and the lower ends of the heating rods or cylinders, a lower annular flange extending outward from the open lower end of the cylinder to the cylindrical housing for supporting the continuous cylinder in the housing and forming an upper surface of the cooling chamber, wherein the cooling air inlet is connected to the cylindrical housing below the lower annular flange, and the pressurized combustion air source comprises a valved pipe extending downward in the cabinet external to the cylindrical housing and radially inward through the cylindrical housing to a radial combustion air opening in the combustion chamber.
22. The dynamic oxidation apparatus of claim 21, wherein the cylindrical housing has an upper part and a lower part connected by a quick disconnect clamp, wherein the continuous cylinder and the cooling chamber are in the upper part, and the particulate separation chamber is in the lower part, the separation chamber further comprising an outer annular plenum receiving cooling air and combustion products from the cooling chamber, a complex-shaped filter inward from the annular plenum, upper and lower bypass prevention plates mounted above and below the filter, and wherein the exhaust is connected to a center of the filter.