IP Library Granted Patent US 12,313,648
Granted Patent B2
US 12,313,648 · App. 17/998,262 · Granted May 27, 2025

Structured-light velocimeter and velocimetry method

Inventors: Elizabeth F. Strong (Boulder, CO); Gregory B. Rieker (Boulder, CO); Juliet T. Gopinath (Boulder, CO); Alexander Anderson (Boulder, CO); Michael P. Brenner (Cambrdige, MA)
Assignees: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, A BODY CORPORATE; President and Fellows of Harvard College
G01P3/36G01P1/06G01P1/026G01P5/20G01S17/58
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,313,648
App. No.
17/998,262
Granted
May 27, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A structured-light-velocimetry method includes extracting one or more bursts from a time-varying signal generated by detecting scattered light from a tracer particle passing through a structured optical beam; fitting each of the one or more bursts to a multi-variable model to extract a plurality of fitted parameters; and executing a machine-learning model with the plurality of fitted parameters to predict an angular velocity of the tracer particle.

Claims (36)

1. A structured-light-velocimetry method, comprising:

extracting one or more bursts from a time-varying signal by:

(i) cross-correlating the time-varying signal with a reference function to obtain a cross-correlation signal;

(ii) comparing the cross-correlation signal to a threshold to identify one or more burst start times and one or more corresponding burst end times; and

(iii) cropping the time-varying signal based on the one or more burst start times and the one or more corresponding burst end times;

the time-varying signal having been generated by detecting scattered light from a tracer particle passing through a structured optical beam;

fitting each of the one or more bursts to a multi-variable model to extract a plurality of fitted parameters; and

executing a machine-learning model with the plurality of fitted parameters to predict an angular velocity of the tracer particle.

2. The structured-light-velocimetry method of claim 1 , further comprising outputting the predicted angular velocity.

3. The structured-light-velocimetry method of claim 1 , the reference function being either a rectangular function or a triangular function.

4. The structured-light-velocimetry method of claim 1 , wherein the multi-variable model includes one or more peaks, and the plurality of fitted parameters include a center, a width, and an amplitude for each of the one or more peaks.

5. The structured-light-velocimetry method of claim 4 , the plurality of fitted parameters further including a single offset.

6. The structured-light-velocimetry method of claim 1 , the machine-learning model being a neural network.

7. The structured-light-velocimetry method of claim 1 , further comprising generating the time-varying signal by detecting the scattered light from the tracer particle.

8. The structured-light-velocimetry method of claim 7 , further comprising injecting the tracer particle into the structured optical beam.

9. The structured-light-velocimetry method of claim 7 , further comprising generating the structured optical beam by interfering Laguerre-Gauss beams with orbital angular mode numbers +l and −l.

10. A structured-light velocimeter, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory communicatively coupled with the processor and storing machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, control the structured-light velocimeter to:

extract one or more bursts from a time-varying signal by:

(i) cross-correlating the time-varying signal with a reference function to obtain a cross-correlation signal,

(ii) comparing the cross-correlation signal to a threshold to identify one or more burst start times and one or more corresponding burst end times, and

(iii) cropping the time-varying signal based on the one or more burst start times and the one or more corresponding burst end times,

the time-varying signal having been generated by detecting scattered light from a tracer particle passing through a structured optical beam,

fit each of the one or more bursts to a multi-variable model to extract a plurality of fitted parameters, and

execute a machine-learning model with the plurality of fitted parameters to predict an angular velocity of the tracer particle.

11. The structured-light velocimeter of claim 10 , the memory storing additional machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, control the structured-light velocimeter to output the predicted angular velocity.

12. The structured-light velocimeter of claim 10 , the reference function being either a rectangular function or a triangular function.

13. The structured-light velocimeter of claim 10 , the multi-variable model including one or more peaks, and the plurality of fitted parameters include a center, a width, and an amplitude for each of the one or more peaks.

14. The structured-light velocimeter of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of fitted parameters further includes a single offset.

15. The structured-light velocimeter of claim 10 , the machine-learning model being a neural network.

16. The structured-light velocimeter of claim 10 ,

further comprising an optical detector configured to detect the scattered light;

the memory further storing additional machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, control the structured-light velocimeter to receive the time-varying signal from the optical detector.

17. The structured-light velocimeter of claim 10 , further comprising optics configured to transform an output of a laser into the structured optical beam by interfering Laguerre-Gauss beams with orbital angular mode numbers +l and −l.

18. The structured-light velocimeter of claim 17 , further comprising the laser.

Assignments (3)
PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT FORM Recorded Jun 4, 2025
From: BRENNER, MICHAEL
To: PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE
Reel/Frame 072200/0821 →
CONFIRMATORY LICENSE Recorded Jan 29, 2025
From: UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
To: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Reel/Frame 070054/0240 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 9, 2023
From: STRONG, ELIZABETH; RIEKER, GREGORY B.; GOPINATH, JULIET; ANDERSON, ALEXANDER
To: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, A BODY CORPORATE
Reel/Frame 062646/0958 →
Continuity (3)
Provisional Application 63161368 · Mar 15, 2021
Provisional Application 63022540 · May 10, 2020
Related Publication 20230236215A1 · Jul 27, 2023
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