A wedge shaped security door block having a door engaging side raked at a low angle with respect to a planar floor engaging side. A device is provided at the apex end of the wedge for manually and selectively truncating the wedge so that it can be used with doors of different thicknesses and doors hung at different spacings between the lower edge of the door and the floor. When the floor is uncarpeted, the door engaging side is preferably inclined at an angle between about 5 and 7 degrees with respect to the floor engaging side and when the floor is carpeted, the angle is preferably between about 7 and 10 degrees to prevent the lower edge of the door from passing over the wedge too far, or passing over it entirely.

It is known in the prior art to use wedge devices to prevent doors from opening or closing. Most such wedges are designed to hold a door open and are raked at an angle above 10 degrees. As such, they are designed to hold the weight of the door, but not to withstand a force applied by an intruder.
There have been various wedge devices patented to burglar-proof a door but most of them are also raked at an angle above 10 degrees. Resistance to unwanted entry is developed by means of teeth (serrations, spikes, nails and the like which dig into the floor under the force applied by an intruder. The previous burglar-proof wedge devices also tend to mar the floor when the device is installed by a user.
In view of the above, there is a need for a security door block which does not mar the floor but which provides sufficient resistance to withstand the force applied by an intruder. It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a security door block which does not mar the floor but which is effective at burglar-proofing a door. Other objects and features of the invention will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter. The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafter described and their equivalents, the scope of the invention being indicated in the subjoined claims.


A link setup method for a wavelength-division-multiplexing passive optical network (WDM PON) system. The system includes a service providing device, a local node, and a plurality of subscriber devices. The link setup method includes assigning an initial wavelength for communication between the service providing device and a new subscriber device to be installed in the local node. The assigning of the initial wavelength may be performed as a part of process for activating the subscriber device, and this procedure may be performed between a physical layer of the service providing device and a physical layer of the new subscriber device.

1. Field
The following description relates to a Passive Optical Network (PON), and more particularly, to a link setup method in a Wavelength Division Multiplexing Passive Optical Network (WDM PON) system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In response to the development of optical communication technology and a sharp increase in the demand of Internet services, basic research on an optical subscriber network has been conducted since the early 2000s, and currently the introduction of a broadband subscriber network, such as Fiber To The Home (FTTH) and Fiber To The Office (FTTO), which connects a remote station or a central office (CO) with a subscriber through an optical fiber, is actively in progress. Recently, research on technology for the next-generation, high-speed, high-capacity optical subscriber network has been actively carried out in response to the phenomenal traffic growth due to the proliferation of mobile Internet protocol (IP) terminals, such as a smart phone and a tablet computer, the commercialization of IPTV services, and the spread of multimedia broadcasting/streaming services over the Internet.
The methods used for efficiently providing a service to as many subscribers as possible using a limited amount of network resources are Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) and Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) schemes, and, in recent years, many attempts have been made to integrate various schemes for mobile communications, such as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), to optical subscriber network technology. A WDM scheme which assigns a unique wavelength to each subscriber for communications can provide the individual subscribers with high-speed communication services, as well as easily increase communication capacity and a number of subscribers and also have excellent communication security. Thus, more attention is paid to a hybrid WDM scheme for the next-generation high-speed, high-capacity optical subscriber network technology.
In a Wavelength Division Multiplexing Passive Optical Network (WDM PON), data transmission/reception between each subscriber and a central office (CO) is performed using a unique wavelength assigned to the each subscriber. Basically, a WDM PON system includes a service providing device (hereinafter, referred to as an "optical line terminal (OLT)") at a CO side, a user terminal device or a plurality of subscriber devices (hereinafter, referred to as optical network units (ONUs)) around the user terminal device, and a local node or optical distribution network (ODN) in which one or more optical multiplexers/demultiplexers (Mux/Demux) or optical intensity splitters are placed. A network configuration may vary depending on a type of light source, for example, a spectrum-sliced light source, a wavelength-locked light source, or a wavelength-independent light source. Other types of hybrid WDM scheme may have different network configurations.
Wavelength assignment to ONUs is prerequisite to link setup for communications between the OLT and each ONU in a WDM PON system. The procedures for link setup between OLT and ONUs, including the wavelength assignment, may differ according to the network configuration which may vary depending on the type of a light source and/or whether the system is a hybrid type or not. Since elements or devices for use in establishing the WDM-PON system are not compatible with each other, the change of the wavelength assignment process according to the network configuration may lead to an increase of price. Furthermore, the link setup process that differs depending on the network configuration may hinder the development of hybrid WDM schemes.

Link setup method for wavelength division multiplexing wavelength passive optical network(WDM PON) system

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


According to various embodiments, an electronic device includes a plurality of microphones, and a processor electrically connected to the plurality of microphones, wherein the processor may obtain audio signals through the plurality of microphones, estimate a probability of existence of a voice signal included in the obtained audio signals, obtain correlation information between the audio signals based on the probability of existence of the voice signal and/or the obtained audio signals, obtain voice blocking information based on the correlation information or a direction of arrival (DOA) estimation, obtain a first signal among the audio signals based on the audio signals, the correlation information, and the voice blocking information, obtain a second signal including the voice signal among the audio signals, and obtain a noise-removed voice signal by removing the first signal from the second signal. In addition, it is possible to implement various embodiments understood through the disclosure.

With the development of information technology (IT), various types of electronic devices such as smartphones, tablet personal computers, and the like have been widely used. The electronic devices may include microphones to obtain audio signals. In an embodiment, an electronic device may include a plurality of microphones to efficiently obtain audio signals incident in various directions.
An electronic device may obtain an arbitrary audio signal as an input by using a microphone. For example, the electronic device may obtain an audio signal of a call of a user as an input, and may obtain audio signals of conversations of a plurality of users as an input. The audio signal may include a human voice and other sounds, for example, various kinds of noise such as wind noise, object hitting sounds, and the like.

Method for acquiring noise-refined voice signal, and electronic device for performing same


A new and distinct Nemesia cultivar named ‘Dannemes4’ is disclosed, characterized by having clear white flowers flowers, upright plant habit, early flowering, and a high temperature tolerance. The new variety is a Nemesia, normally produced as an outdoor garden or container plant.

The new Nemesia cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the inventor, Gabriel Danziger, in Moshav Mishmar Hashiva, Israel. The objective of the breeding program was to produce new varieties of Nemesia for commercial introduction. The seed parent is the unpatented, proprietary seedling variety referred to as Nemesia fruticans 'NE-Z-21.' The pollen parent is unknown as the new variety is the result of an open pollination in which the male parent cannot be identified. The new variety was discovered in April 2006 by the inventor in a group of seedlings resulting from that crossing, in a commercial greenhouse in Moshav Mishmar Hashiva, Israel. Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar 'Dannemes4' by vegetative cuttings was first performed at a commercial greenhouse in Moshav Mishmar Hashiva, Israel in September 2006. Subsequent propagation has shown that the unique features of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type on successive generations.


An example method of user identity tracking is performed by an application server. The Application server receives first telemetry data and second telemetry data. The first telemetry data indicates at least a first usage of a first user device. The second telemetry data indicates at least a second usage of a second user device. The Application server stores the first telemetry data and the second telemetry data to one or more databases and analyzes the telemetry data. Analyzing the telemetry data includes determining one or more usage patterns clustered by identity of a user. The Application server receives a request to query the one or more usage patterns for an identity of one or more users associated with the one or more usage patterns, where the application server provides the identity of the user in response to the request.

Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as, voice, text, data, and so on. Typical wireless communication networks may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmission power, etc.). Earlier examples of such multiple-access systems may include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, and more recent examples include orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, and the like. Additionally, the systems can conform to specifications such as third generation partnership project (3GPP), 3GPP long-term evolution (LTE), ultra-mobile broadband (UMB), evolution data optimized (EV-DO), etc.
Generally, wireless multiple-access communication systems may simultaneously support communication for multiple wireless devices. Each wireless device may communicate with one or more base stations via transmissions on forward and reverse links. The forward link (or downlink) refers to the communication link from base stations to wireless devices, and the reverse link (or uplink) refers to the communication link from wireless devices to base stations.
The wireless communication network is controlled and operated by a mobile network operator (MNO). In some scenarios, access to the wireless communication network is granted to all users associated with an active account with the MNO. For example, users comprising the family or group for an account may be granted access to the wireless communication network.
In some scenarios, the MNO may track activities associated with an account, such as which services were utilized, the types of content consumed, and/or how their wireless devices were used. However, the boundaries between user devices and users are blurring. For example, different members of a family plan may use the same device and certain members of the family plan may use different devices. In another example, the same device may be used to make purchases by different users covered under the same plan. In yet another example, a user may use different device types when accessing various services. Accordingly, it is difficult to determine with a high degree of confidence that the behavior on a certain device and/or with a certain account can be accurately mapped to a specific user.

User identification for digital experience controls


A method and an apparatus are provided for measuring a change in blood pressure caused by respiration control. A number of respirations per minute is measured based on a heart rate when a respiration exercise begins. Respiration of a subject is induced until the number of respirations per minute reaches a predetermined number of respirations per minute. A pulse transit time is calculated during the respiration exercise, a blood pressure value associated with the pulse transit time is calculated, and the blood pressure value is outputted.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a blood pressure measuring method and apparatus, and more particularly, to a blood pressure measuring method and apparatus capable of measuring a change in a blood pressure by respiration control.
2. Description of the Related Art
Regular blood pressure measurements may be used to diagnose and treat hypertension and the like.
Most automatic electric blood pressure meters are based on an oscillometry method. The oscillometry method is a scheme for measuring blood pressure based on oscillation generated when an artery is pressurized/depressurized using a cuff. A cuff pressure, when a pulse from a heartbeat has a maximum amplitude, is estimated as an average blood pressure.
For a subject having hypertension, a method for decreasing blood pressure is also important. A method that is generally used to decrease blood pressure includes medication, dietary treatment, exercise, and the like. It is also known that a method of inducing a decrease in blood pressure through respiration control is effective and does not cause side effects. Accordingly, a device for decreasing blood pressure through respiration exercise has been utilized. A sensor strip, which senses a strain on a person's abdomen, is used to measure respiration by sensing movement of the sensor strip. In addition, a number of respirations may be measured based on air-flow exiting the person's mouth, using a non-contact microphone.
Conventionally, a scheme for measuring blood pressure and a scheme for measuring respiration are performed by separate measuring devices. Therefore, although blood pressure is decreased by adjusting respiration, the current blood pressure measuring method does not consider applying the scheme for measuring respiration. A cuff-type blood pressure meter operates by pressurizing a cuff once and depressurizing the cuff and thus, may have difficulty in continuously measuring blood pressure during respiration. Therefore, to measure effectiveness of an exercise in decreasing blood pressure, different devices, such as a blood pressure meter, a respiration measuring device, and the like, are used, which may be inconvenient for a subject. The subject may not directly compare an initial blood pressure measurement result and a blood pressure measurement result after respiration control and thus, may not directly recognize the effectiveness associated with a change in blood pressure through the respiration control. Accordingly, the subject has difficulty in determining a degree of a change in blood pressure occurring in the body a predetermined time after the respiration exercise begins.

Method and apparatus for measuring change in blood pressure by respiration control


The invention relates to a method for doping a semiconductor material with Cesium, wherein said semiconductor material is exposed to a cesium vapor. Said Cesium vapor is provided by Cesium sublimation from a Cesium alloy. There is also provided an organic light emitting diode comprising at least one layer of a Cesium doped organic semiconductor material, wherein said at least one layer of said Cesium doped organic semiconductor material is doped with Cesium provided by Cesium evaporation of Cesium from a Cesium alloy. The Cesium vapor is preferably provided by Cesium sublimation from a standard organic material deposition evaporator.

Such doped semiconductor layers are for example used in organic light emitting diodes. Doping of electron transport layers (ETL) in organic light emitting diodes using alkali metals is an established technique to improve the power efficiency of such devices. Due to the unavailability of sufficiently strong molecular donors, alkali metals are used as donor atoms. Among the alkali metals, Cesium (Cs) is frequently used because it gives the highest stability of OLED with such doped ETL. Organic semiconductors are referred to as electron transport materials if whether their electron mobility is higher than their hole mobility, or their electron mobility is bigger than 1E-6 cm2/Vs (in the relevant field range of around 1-100E5V/cm). The ETL materials needs to be stable against reduction to support electron current over a long time. The energetic position of the lowest unoccupied molecular level (LUMO) is in the range from 2.4 eV to 3.8 eV, preferably 2.4 to 3 eV.
Currently, the only possibility to provide Cs vapor for doping purposes is the use of so called getter sources provided by S.A.E.S. getters. In these sources, Cs2CrO4 or Cs2MoO4 salts are decomposed by thermolysis and the released vapor guided through getter materials which removes the oxygen from the gas phase. After passing the getter, pure Cs vapor is released.
There are several drawbacks combined with this type of source. The sources need very high operating temperatures to carry out thermolysis. The container of the source achieves temperatures above 400° C. during operating, while the content is heated even more. This causes extra effort for cooling of the vacuum chamber. Due to strong gas adsorption at the getter material, severe degassing is observed during heat up, especially when the source was exposed to air beforehand. It takes a long time (ten min) until the Cs dispenser releases Cs vapor. Another ten minutes has to pass before the Cs evaporation rate is sufficiently stable. No rate is observed at quartz microbalances placed over the dispenser even when the former is water cooled. This is a major obstacle to process control. Checks for the proper operation of the source have to be carried out on a regular basis, which reduces the throughput of the vacuum chamber and adds to maintenance time and effort. Due to the complicated arrangement of the various components of such a source, it geometry flexibility is restricted, resulting in space demanding set-ups and limited evaporation characteristics. Finally, at least for Cs2CrO4, health and environmental risks are imminent due to the high toxicity of that compound.

Method for electrical doping a semiconductor material with Cesium


A resistive film attenuator element comprised of a dielectric-mounted resistive film distributed ladder network having tuning stubs, combined in a coplanar structure, to provide a wide band attenuator having a substantially flat frequency response over a wide range of frequencies, for example, from D.C. to 40 GHz.

This invention relates to attenuators for altering the amplitude of an electrical input signal and, more particularly, to a distributed network resistive film attenuator. Specifically, one embodiment of the invention provides a resistive film attenuator element comprised of a dielectric-mounted resistive film distributed ladder network having tuning stubs, combined in a coplanar structure, to provide an attenuator having a substantially flat frequency response over a wide range of frequencies, for example, from D.C. to 40 GHz.
A distributed network resistive film attenuator is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,227,975 issued to Hewlett-Packard Company and entitled Fixed Coaxial Line Attenuator with Dielectric Mounted Resistive Film. This attenuator has a substantially constant attenuation over a wide range of frequencies, for example, from D.C. to 18 GHz.
Considered in more detail, U.S. Pat. No. 3,227,975 discloses a fixed coaxial attenuator comprising a dielectric plate supported within a cylindrical outer conductor between sections of a coaxial inner conductor. A rectangular sheet of resistive material having a predetermined width and a predetermined length is positioned on the dielectric plate between first and second pairs of electrodes. The first pair of electrodes provides electrical contacts between the outer conductor and the lengthwise sides of the rectangular sheet along the full length thereof. The second pair of electrodes provides electrical contacts between the sections of the coaxial inner conductor and a central portion of the lateral sides of the rectangular sheet.
Resistive film attenuators of this type suffer from several known limitations. Most importantly, in order to achieve a desired attenuation or a desired impedance throughout the operating frequency range of the attenuator, the resistive film may have to be made long in order to maintain a desired attenuation and impedance, and this may affect attenuation characteristics at higher frequencies.
Furthermore, distributed network resistive film attenuators are also incorporated into cascade attenuators of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,319,194 issued to Hewlett-Packard Company and entitled Variable Attenuator Employing Internal Switching. This high frequency signal attenuator provides discrete steps of attenuation using separate attenuator elements which are all disposed in a transmission line configuration adjacent a common and continuous ground plane. An attenuator of this type obviates the need for complex mechanisms for switching both the signal and ground plane conductors of the transmission line structure and thus eliminates the introduction of unknown contact impedances in the ground plane conductor at the junctions of attenuator sections.
Considered in more detail, the step attenuator for high frequency signals disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,319,194 comprises a strip line structure formed in a continuous ground plane conductor using a number of switchable sections, each including a resistive card attenuator and a straight-through conductor. Selection of either of the two signal paths is accomplished by deflecting the signal conductor from contact with one signal path to contact with the other signal path using magnetic or mechanical actuators.
In both the case of the fixed coaxial line attenuator disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,227,975 and in the case of the resistive card attenuators included in the cascade attenuator disclosed in U.S. Pat No. 3,319,194, different values of attenuation in nepers may be selected by altering the length of resistive film. This is especially difficult in a cascade attenuator wherein changes in the lengths of the resistive card attenuators, vis-a-vis the lengths of the straight-through conductive elements, can adversely affect the alignment of the resistive card attenuators with the switches and degrade the quality of electrical connection when the resistive card attenuators are switched in and out of the electrical circuit.
Accordingly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,521,201, also issued to Hewlett-Packard Company and entitled Coaxial Attenuators Having at Least Two Regions of Resistive Material, discloses a distributed network resistive film attenuator having a substantially constant attenuation over a broad frequency range comprised of two aligned rectangular areas of resistive film disposed a selected distance apart on a substrate supported within an outer coaxial conductor, each area having small aligned rectangular apertures therein to provide selected values of resistivity per unit area within selected portions of the film. The resistive film areas are connected by a connecting electrode of a selected length which is less than one-half of the wavelength of the highest frequency electromagnetic wave energy being attenuated to prevent resonance. A first pair of electrodes provides electrical contacts between the outer conductor and opposite edges of both rectangular areas of resistive film, and a second pair of electrodes provides electrical contacts between sections of a coaxial inner conductor and the resistive film areas, thereby interconnecting both areas between the coaxial inner conductor sections.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,521,201 discloses that the shape and location of the apertures within the resistive film determine resistivity per unit area of the film. By providing aligned equally-spaced rectangular apertures of different length and width dimensions, the resistivity per unit area can be varied along a selected direction in the plane of the resistive film. The portions of the resistive films having square apertures provide in effect a series resistance between inner conductor sections, while the portions of the resistive films having rectangular apertures therein provide in effect a shunt resistance between the central portion of the resistive films and outer conductor. Other patterns of apertures may be used to provide logarithmic or exponential or other desired variations with length in the resistivity per unit area of the resistive film. The disclosed apertures are rectangular holes and square holes disposed in a grid pattern on a substrate, but, in general, these apertures may have any shape or be arranged in any suitable pattern which provides the required resistivity per unit area of the resistive films. The desired values of resistivity per unit area in these portions of the resistive films may thus be obtained by selectively varying the size, shape, and spacing of the apertures. It is readily apparent that this technique to provide the desired resistivity per unit area is quite complex.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 3,521,201 discloses that the length of the connecting electrode is selected for greatest linearity of attenuation with frequency over a broad frequency range from D.C. to about 18 GHz. Specifically, the connecting electrode is not longer than one-half of a wavelength at the highest operating frequency of the attenuator. Signal delay along the length of the connecting electrode between the two, otherwise isolated, resistive sheets improves the linearity with frequency of the attenuation at frequencies from about 12.4 GHz to about 18 GHz. It is readily apparent that fabrication of the two resistive film areas connected by a connecting electrode also adds to manufacturing complexity.
In view of the structural complexity of the type of resistive film attenuator disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,521,201, the structure of resistive film attenuators has evolved to the configuration shown in FIG. 1. The resistive film attenuator shown in FIG. 1 comprises a resistive film distributed ladder network having resistive film 1 patterned on a dielectric material 2. The respective ends of the series resistive film portions 1A are connected to respective contacts 4 that interconnect to respective inner coaxial contacts, and the shunt resistive film portions 1B are connected to respective contacts 3 that interconnect to a coaxial outer conductor or opposing walls of a ground plane housing. Unfortunately, the flatness of the frequency response of this resistive film attenuator is controlled by changing the separation of the contacts 4. As in the case of the resistive film attenuator disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,319,194, however, this is especially difficult in a cascade attenuator wherein changes in the lengths of the resistive card attenuators, vis-a-vis the lengths of the straight-through conductive elements, can adversely affect the alignment of the resistive card attenuators with the stitches and degrade the quality of electrical connection when the resistive card attenuators are switched in and out of the electrical circuit. Accordingly, there is a need for an economical, easily manufactured resistive film attenuator which has readily controllable values of attenuation and flat frequency response over a broad range of frequencies.

Coplanar attenuator element having tuning stubs


A slide hatch for a bulk carrier vehicle for removing a hatch cover from an access port on the top of a carrier tank on the vehicle, the slide hatch including a slide carriage connected to the hatch cover and to an actuator which displaces the slide carriage and back cover with the slide carriage mounted on a track and connected to a cam mechanism for forcing the cover against the access port when the cover is displaced over the port for sealing the tank.

This invention relates to a slide hatch for a bulk carrier, in particular for a vehicle carrier for dry cement. The slide hatch can be used on any bulk carrier vehicle of the type used for transport of dry powdered or granular material that is free flowing in a hopper style container. This description utilizes a cement carrier as a preferred example of the transport carrier contemplated. Bulk transport of dry cement is accomplished utilizing a gondola-style trailer that is loaded with cement from a top port by means of a hose or chute. Typically, the gondola has a tank with sloping sides that converge to a bottom discharge for gravity feed of the cement to a discharge hose that is used to pneumatically deliver the bulk cement to a destination for storage or mixing. To assist in the discharge of the fine powder cement, the gondola tank is pressurized to both compensate for volumetric displacement by the discharging cement and to assist in moving the cement to the discharge pump.
To maintain a pressure within the gondola tank, the hatch cover must have a sealed engagement with the hatch port at the top of the tank. Typically, the hatch cover is connected to the tank with a hinge and a series of threaded dogs mounted around the hatch cover. When the tank is refilled, the hatch cover must be opened which has customarily required that the driver or assistant climb to the top of the trailer and manually disengage the tie-down dogs to open the hatch. Not only is this task time consuming, but because of the configuration of the tank and carrier trailer the task is dangerous as well.
The slide hatch for bulk carriers of this invention is designed to enable removal of a hatch cover by an automatic or manual actuator. The system for displacing the hatch cover is designed to not only position the hatch cover over the access port but to forcibly seat the hatch cover on the port rim to create a hermetic seal for allowing internal pressurization of the gondola tank. In this manner removal and replacement of the hatch cover can be accomplished automatically with a piston type actuator operated from inside the vehicle cab, or manually from the end of the trailer without having to climb on top of the tank.


A method is provided for controlling electrical components in a vehicle including multiple traction voltage systems, wherein each traction voltage system includes at least one electrical component, and which electrical component has the same function in each traction voltage system, the method involving the steps of monitoring and registering the state of health of each electrical component over time; predicting a predetermined parameter for each electrical component, which parameter is related to a future operating state inhibiting the use of the components; determining a control strategy for each electrical component based on the state of health of the electrical components to balance the parameters towards a common value; and controlling the electrical components based on the determined control strategy.

The invention relates to a method and device for controlling the operation of similar components in the electrical system of an electric or a hybrid electric vehicle to improve the life time of the components used in the system, and for optimizing system performance in real-time using the state of health information.
Electric or hybrid electric vehicles comprise an electrical system comprising a set of interacting and/or interdependent components functioning as a whole. Over time, each of the various components in a given system may degrade at different relative rates. Moreover, as some components tend to serve a more critical role than others in the overall function of the system, the degradation of a given component can uniquely impact system performance relative to degradation of the other components in the same system. For instance, a gradual degradation of an energy storage unit, such as a high voltage battery pack or a super-capacitor can cause an appreciable degradation in overall vehicle performance, while degraded electrical components, such as power electronics components or switches, may significantly reduce the vehicle's ability to start or function in some operating modes.
Electric or hybrid electric vehicles can be provided with on-board diagnostic systems for measuring variables representing the state and/or the performance of a particular component relative to predetermined values or calibrated thresholds. For instance, it is common to measure a battery output voltage and compare this value to calibrated high/low voltage thresholds. Battery voltage measurements can also be used for calculating the current state of health of the battery. An operator may be made aware of the need to repair a given component when the component is no longer functioning properly with respect to such thresholds. System function typically improves when a severely degraded component is eventually repaired. However, immediate repair is not always a convenient or desirable option.
Larger electric or hybrid electric vehicles, such as buses or trucks can comprise several identical or substantially identical components. For instance, an articulated vehicle can be provided with a traction battery for each driven axle. In a conventional hybrid electric vehicle, individually controllable driven axles are controlled to provide desired traction properties for the vehicle. During normal operation, an on-board diagnostic system can monitor the state and/or the performance of multiple individual components, alerting the operator when any one component malfunctions.
It is desirable to provide an improved method for monitoring the state and/or the performance of multiple individual components of the same type.
In the subsequent text, the term "life time" is used to denote the useful life time of a component, from the time of installation in a vehicle until such a time when an operational state requiring replacement of the component is detected. The term "remaining operating time" is mainly used to denote the useful life time of a component, from the time of installation in a vehicle until such a time when an operational state requiring repair of the component is detected. However, the "remaining operating time" can also be the life time of a component. Both terms indicate a parameter relating to a future point in time when the vehicle becomes inoperative due to component degradation or failure.
According to preferred embodiment, the invention relates to a method for controlling electrical components in a vehicle comprising multiple traction voltage systems, wherein each traction voltage system comprises at least one electrical component, and which electrical component has the same function in each traction voltage system. The vehicle can be an electric or a hybrid electric vehicle.
The method involves performing the steps of:                monitoring and registering the state of health of each electrical component over time;        predicting a predetermined parameter for each electrical component, which parameter is related to a future operating state inhibiting the use of the components;        determining a control strategy for each electrical component based on the state of health of the electrical components to balance the parameters towards a common value;        controlling the electrical components based on the determined control strategy.
The above method steps are carried out continuously in a loop or intermittently at constant or variable intervals during operation of the vehicle. A central controller is provided for collecting sensor data from components to be monitored, for performing required calculations, and for carrying out control strategies for the monitored components.
This method allows two or more identical or substantially identical components of the same type to be monitored so that the state of health (SOH) for each respective component be maintained between common upper and lower limits required for achieving the common parameter. The upper limit is determined by the component or components having the relatively higher SOH values. Hence, if the SOH for one component falls below a predetermined lower limit, which limit can be set as a percentage or a number of percentage points relative to the component having the highest SOH or relative to an average SOH for two or more components having the highest SOH, then the component or components having higher SOH values are operated so that the SOH of all such electrical components are maintained between the upper and lower limits. Ideally, the predicted parameter of the component having the lowest SOH can be moved up to the predicted parameter of the component having the highest SOH. In this example, the higher of the predicted parameters is deemed to be the desired common value. If this is not achievable, then the SOH of the electrical components are maintained between the upper and lower limits to balance the parameters towards a common value between the highest and the lowest predicted parameters. This ensures that all identical or substantially identical components of the same type are worn or degraded at the same or substantially the same rate.
According to one example, the method involves determining a control strategy for each of the electrical components using a current derivative of the state of health for each of the at least two electrical components.
Alternatively, or in addition, the method involves calculating a predicted parameter relating to the life time or remaining operating time for each electrical component based on a current value of the derivative of the state of health for each electrical component. Subsequently, the two or more electrical components are controlled based on the determined control strategy to equalize the predicted remaining operating times of the electrical components. According to the method a control strategy is selected that reduces the loading on at least the electrical component having the shortest predicted remaining operating time. Consequently, the selected control strategy increases the loading on at least the electrical component having the longest predicted remaining operating time.
In this context, the predicted remaining operating time can be the remaining time to a functional state requiring repair or replacement of either component. Alternatively, the predicted remaining operating time is the remaining life time of the electrical components. In both cases, an operating state inhibiting the use of the components is detected.
The method according to the invention can be used for monitoring and controlling two or more identical or substantially identical traction battery packs or super-capacitors. Alternatively, the electrical components can be two or more traction motors each connected to an individual driven axle one or more pairs of traction wheel motors, each motor being connected to a wheel on a driven axle. For instance, if the components comprise electric traction motors then the central controller can monitor one or more of average power consumption, peak current, resistance measurements, rotor speed, temperature, magnetic field strength or motor fault data for each of the motors. If the components comprise high voltage battery packs then the central controller can monitor one or more of internal resistance, capacitance, state of charge for any or all of a set of battery cells battery pack, charging rate, temperature or peak power.
According to a further alternative, the electrical components can be two or more power electronics components for controlling the traction voltage, such as inverters, DC/DC converters, AC/DC converters, pre-charge circuit components, battery chargers, or similar.
The central controller can include a set of aging models for the respective component. In this context, the term "aging model" refers to any device or software approach which estimates or predicts the degradation or deterioration of a given component over time, e.g., curves, formulas, lookup tables, recorded in a memory in the central controller. The set of aging models can model historic maintenance or contain statistical data describing the past performance of substantially identical components. The central controller can use such models and/or detected data for calculating and monitoring the SOH of the respective components, in order to estimate the degradation rate and remaining useful life of the individual component.
The present invention also relates to a computer program comprising program code means for performing the above method steps for controlling electrical components in a vehicle traction voltage system when said program is run on a computer. The invention also relates to a computer readable medium carrying a computer program comprising program code means for performing the above method steps for controlling electrical components in a vehicle traction voltage system when said program product is run on a computer. Further, the invention relates to a control unit for controlling electrical components in a vehicle traction voltage system, the control unit being configured to perform the above method steps.
The present invention also relates to a computer program, computer program product and a storage medium for a computer all to be used with a computer for executing the method as described in any one of the above examples.
The present invention also relates to a vehicle comprising multiple traction voltage systems, and where a control unit is arranged to perform the steps of the method as described in one of the above examples.

Method and device for controlling an electric or a hybrid electric vehicle


An iterative Turbo decoder in which soft bits of a received signal are repetitively subjected to the process of decoding by a first decoder associated with a first encoder in the transmitter, interleaving by an interleaver associated with an interleaver in the transmitter, decoding by a second decoder associated with a second encoder in the transmitter, and deinterleaving by a deinterleaver associated with the interleaver in the transmitter. The improvement is to scale the signal after each decoding by a predetermined value in the vicinity of 0.7 to 0.8. At a signal Eb/No in the vicinity of 1.0 db., an improvement of about 0.2 db. in coding gain is attained while very little complexity is added. Decoders may be according to the max Log MAP algorithm instead of the more complex Log MAP algorithm with only slight degradation of performance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to Turbo decoding of digital data transmission received over a noisy channel, and particularly to use of scaled feedback in Turbo decoding.
2. Description of the Related Art
The paper xe2x80x9cA Mathematical Theory of Communicationxe2x80x9d (C. E. Shannon, Bell System Technical Journal, 27:349-423, 623-656, October, 1948) set forth xe2x80x9cThe Noisy Channel Coding Theoremxe2x80x9d, which stated that so long as the rate at which information is transmitted over a channel is less than the channel capacity, there exist error control codes that can provide arbitrarily high levels of reliability at the receiver output. However, the paper did not provide any actual coding methods for achieving arbitrarily high reliability.
The effectiveness of a code is usually expressed in terms of coding gain; i.e., the difference between the Eb/No (energy per bit over noise, a signal-to-noise ratio) required to achieve a given BER (bit error rate) in the coded system and the Eb/No required to achieve the same BER without benefit of coding.
Improvements in coding gain were made slowly. An early factor was the introduction of Golay code in the early 1950""s, followed by some NASA-inspired uses of Reed-Solomon Code and Viterbi Code in the 1980""s. Some of these implementations required very complex hardware, and yet, forty-five years after the publication of Shannon""s paper, a gap of almost 2 db. continued to separate the performance of the most advanced error-control systems from the theoretical limit (the xe2x80x9cShannon limitxe2x80x9d).
A new coding method was announced in the paper xe2x80x9cNear-Shannon-Limit Error-Correcting Coding and Decoding: Turbo Codesxe2x80x9d (C. Berrou, A. Glavieux, and P. Thitmajshima, Proceedings of the 1993 International Conference on Cominunications, pages 1064-1070, 1993). (See generally Turbo Coding, Heegard and Wicker, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Norwell, Mass., 1999, ISBN 0-7923-8378-8.)
Although Turbo Codes have effected significant advances in coding gain, additional advances, closing even further the gap with the Shannon limit, are still desirable. In space communication, for example, transmitter power is inherently limited; in terrestrial wireless communication, a steep increase in the kinds of services available and in the demand for them is making bandwidth scarce. It has been estimated in the Deep Space Project that one db. of coding gain is worth eighty million dollars in spacecraft equipment costs (Turbo Coding at page 5).
The Turbo decoder of the present invention has improved coding gain over the prior-art Turbo decoders.
The invention is an improvement to iterative Turbo decoders of the prior art. In a prior-art Turbo decoder, a Turbo-coded signal is repetitively subjected to the process of decoding in a first decoder, interleaving, decoding in a second decoder, and deinterleaving. The improvement of the present invention is to scale the signal after each decoding step by a predetermined value. Predetermined values in the vicinity of 0.7 to 0.8 are found to improve coding gain.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.


A γ-radiation detection system that includes at least one semiconductor detector such as HPGe-Detector, a position-sensitive α-Detector, a TOF Controller, and a Digitizer/Integrator. The Digitizer/Integrator starts to process the energy signals of a γ-radiation sent from the HPGe-Detector instantly when the HPGe-Detector detects the γ-radiation. Subsequently, it is determined whether a coincidence exists between the α-particles and γ-radiation signal, based on a determination of the time-of-flight of neutrons obtained from the α-Detector and the HPGe-Detector. If it is determined that the time-of-flight falls within a predetermined coincidence window, the Digitizer/Integrator is allowed to continue and complete the energy signal processing. If, however, there is no coincidence, the Digitizer/Integrator is instructed to be clear and reset its operation instantly.

Gamma-radiation ("γ-radiation") imaging is a well established imaging technique in the fields of nuclear medicine and astrophysics. In recent years, the outstanding ability of γ-radiation detectors to image and characterize any known as well as unknown γ-radiation source has been applied to other fields, such as biomedical research and investigation of suspicious target materials at airports. γ-radiation imaging can be used to gain information from concealed targets, such as explosives, drug- or nuclear-based contraband, and the like, or malignant tumors in the human body by accurately detecting the emitted signal from the target material.
One technique known for obtaining information from concealed targets via γ-radiation imaging utilizes neutron activation. Neutron activation is a process in which neutron radiation induces a radioactivity in the target material. Neutron activation is performed by irradiating neutrons into an area of the target material of interest, thereby exciting atomic nuclei within the target material. The excited nuclei are subsequently relaxed by emitting subatomic particles and/or γ-radiation. Appropriate detection of the γ-radiation and analysis of the detected spectrum facilitates the identification of a particular substance within the designated location of the target material.
Scintillation detectors such as sodium iodide (NaI) scintillators coupled with a photomultiplier tube (PMT) have been used for detecting γ-radiation induced from the target material by neutron activation. While scintillation detectors are known to have fast response times (in the order of nanoseconds) with relatively simple structure, they exhibit poor energy resolution of γ-radiation thereby causing, inter alia, a loss of information. Because γ emissions from different isotopes of the target material that have similar γ energy spectrums cannot be properly separated, there can be a loss of information.
Solid-state detectors such as silicon detectors, silicon-germanium detectors and high purity germanium detectors (HPGe) have been used in detecting γ-radiation of the target material irradiated by fast neutrons. Solid-state detectors include a substrate of semiconductor materials such as silicon, silicon-germanium, high purity germanium (HPGe) or the like, where each is placed between collecting electrodes. Semiconductor detectors are known to have a good energy resolution of the order of 0.1-0.3% for the HPGe detectors as compared to the scintillation detectors that provide an energy resolution on the order of 10%. The higher resolution of the semiconductor detectors are due primarily to the interaction of γ-radiation with the semiconductor material, which produces a charge that is directly collected by the electrodes. Semiconductor detectors, however, tend to have a relatively slow response time, of about 200 ns for the HPGe detectors, as compared to the scintillation detectors, which have a response time of about 1-2 ns. The slower response time of the semiconductor detectors are due primarily to the lag time of electrons drifting through the bulk thickness of the semiconducting material, before generating a detectable signal. As a result, the signals from the semiconductor detectors are usually shaped and integrated over a period of time of up to several microseconds.
Integrating the signal of semiconductor detectors over several microseconds tend to add high background levels of γ-radiation signals to the detected spectrum, thereby causing severe background noise. For example, additive γ-radiation signals coming from uncorrelated scattering events that are not directly related to the interaction of the neutrons with the target's nuclei are often generated during the relatively long integration time. Since the signal-to-background ratio (SBR) determines the quality of the detected spectrum, high background radiation signal levels are undesirable in γ-radiation imaging.
In view of these foregoing and other considerations, there is a need to develop novel imaging mechanisms that can provide high-resolution spectra with fast response times and improved signal-to-background ratios.

Detection system for high-resolution gamma radiation spectroscopy with neutron time-of-flight filtering


A method is performed at an electronic device with a display, one or more processors, volatile memory, and non-volatile memory that stores one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors. The method includes periodically comparing an amount of free volatile memory to a threshold level. The amount of free volatile memory is compared to the threshold level with a first periodicity when the display is off and with a second periodicity that is shorter than the first periodicity when the display is on. The method also includes, in response to a determination that the amount of free volatile memory does not satisfy the threshold level, deallocating volatile memory by terminating one or more processes based on priority levels of the one or more processes.

Social networks provide a convenient way for a large number of people to interact with each other. The evolution of social networks has resulted in increased sharing of large multi-media files (e.g., music files, photographs, and videos) and thus in increased memory usage. For example, volatile memory becomes a bottleneck while waiting for writes to non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory) to be performed when downloading files, since write to non-volatile memory are much slower than writes to volatile memory.
One solution for improving performance is to significantly increase the amount of volatile memory in the mobile device. But this would cause the devices to be prohibitively expensive.
Garbage collection is a form of automatic storage management which allows for portions of memory occupied with objects that are no longer referenced to be reclaimed. In some systems, however, garbage collection alone may not sufficiently or optimally free up memory.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods and systems for managing memory allocation


The field sampling method provides a mobile device, a central memory and a data transfer interface. The mobile device has a main storage, which contains GPS receiver, a mapping program, an external TSP algorithm program and at least one database. The mapping program displays a plurality of sampling point on the user interface of the mobile device. The user has the ability to select a set of sampling points on the user interface. The sampling points are written to a first database. The selected sampling points are processed by the external TSP algorithm program to determine an optimal route. The external TSP algorithm program sends the optimal route to the mapping program. The mapping program displays the optimal route on the screen of the mobile device such that the user can visit points and collect sampling data.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of natural resource management. More specifically, the present invention comprises a method and system for creating an efficient means of field sampling.
2. Description of the Related Art
A forested area is typically maintained by a public or private organization for timber production or some other need of society like water quality or wildlife conservation. In order to manage a forest one must consider the number of trees in a particular set area, or "stand." If a stand is overstocked, the stand may be thinned to allocate resources to remaining crop trees. In order to obtain information for decisions such as thinning, samples are taken from points in a stand since it is impractical to sample all trees and conditions.
Typically, a forester is sent out to a point or multiple points to retrieve data relating to the forest stand. Each point represents a certain area such as a tenth of an acre for statistical sampling.
Global Positioning System ("GPS") technology has allowed for the collection of data in the field. A forester carries a hand-held device and GPS technology provides positional data as he or she navigates the forest stand.
FIG. 1 shows a typical mobile device 22 used by a forester to collect data. The device 22 contains screen 12 and entry pad 14. Data can be entered using a stylus 13 on the screen or the entry pad. The graphical user interface displayed on screen 12 is illustrated in FIG. 2. The grid of sample points 18 on first graphical user interface 52 may correspond to the outline of a stand, tract or property. Sample point 18 is a position at which data will be collected for a particular portion of a stand. Typically a forester will need to visit a certain number of sample points 18 per day. As shown in FIG. 3, in order to visit each sample point 18, the forester must map out or choose a path of sampling 20. Generally, the forester will look at the points he wishes to visit and begin walking to each point 18 creating a path of sampling 20 as he or she goes, beginning at a starting point 17. It is desirable that the path of sampling 20 be as short as possible, while still visiting every point exactly once. In most instances the path 20 will pass back across points which have already been visited such as is shown in FIG. 3. Creating a path which maximizes point visits relative to travel is commonly known as the "travelling salesman problem" ("TSP"). TSP is a combinatorial optimization problem which an individual can rarely solve in the field. The end result is that foresters often do not take the most direct path of sampling 20 and thus travel farther and spend more time in the field per point than is necessary.
Therefore what is needed is a system and method of creating an efficient means of field sampling in natural resource management.


An emergency axle lift control for a vehicle having at least one supplemental load axle configured to provide supplemental support to the vehicle by moving from a stored position in which wheels of the supplemental load axle do not contact the ground surface to a deployed position in which the wheels of the supplemental load axle contact the ground surface. The emergency axle lift control may comprise a control bypass switch operable by an operator of the vehicle while driving the vehicle, with the control bypass switch being configured to cause all of the supplemental load axles of the vehicle to move from the deployed position toward the stored position when the operator actuates the control bypass switch.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to vehicle axle control systems and more particularly pertains to a new emergency safety system for vehicles with supplemental axles for assisting the operator in retaining control of the vehicle when a tire on one of the supplemental load axles fails.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Trucks that carry large loads may employ supplemental axles, sometimes referred to as lift, airlift or drop axles, that are not continuously used to support the vehicle on the ground and that are positioned as pusher or tag axles. The supplemental axles are typically raised and lowered by mechanical or pneumatic means in response to operator control input. Heavy tucks, such as dump trucks and ready mix concrete trucks often utilize multiple supplemental axles in pusher and tag locations, and each of the supplemental axles is individually controllable to provide a variable amount of supplemental support depending upon the weight of the load being carried at any one time and the desired reduction in load per axle.

Emergency safety system for vehicles with supplemental axles


A spinning reel spool for use on a spinning reel including a bail to reduce friction between the spinning reel spool and fishing line during casting and eliminate the formation of fishing line ‘birdnest’ snarls during casting that result from fishing line loops created during retrieval of the fishing line onto the spinning reel spool following a cast, the spinning reel spool comprising a fishing line support member to spool fishing line thereon having a proximal mounting member to mount the spinning reel spool on the spinning reel and a distal fishing line retaining member including a lip formed on periphery thereof having a plurality of teeth-like members extending outwardly therefrom to form corresponding fishing line retaining grooves at the root or intersection of the leading edge of each tooth-like member and the lip formed on the periphery of the distal fishing line retaining member such that fishing line is reeled in after a cast against the outer face of the distal fishing line retaining member by the bail the fishing line may engage the leading edge of two tooth-like members and forced to the corresponding fishing line retrieving grooves drawing the fishing line against the outer face of the distal retaining member to prevent the formation of loops in the fishing line on the spinning reel spool to eliminate the formation of ‘birdnest’ snares during subsequent casts.

1. Field of the Invention
A spinning reel spool for use on a spinning reel configured to eliminate "birdnest" line snarls caused by loops formed during retrieval of the fishing line as the fishing line pays out from the spinning reel spool during casting.
2. Description of the Prior Art
From time to time during the retrieval of line on a traditional spinning reel loops are formed when small increments of slack line are reeled onto the reel spool. A spinning reel spool has a spool lip with a smooth circumference where such loops often crawl together to form a hair pin or even a twisted loop that overhangs the spool lip. During a subsequent cast the line is pulled tight against the spool lip engaging the loop. The loop ultimately lifts the line spooled on top of loop from the reel spool forming a "birdnest".
As described hereinafter the present invention causes any loop to form across the face of the spool forcing the loop to exit and re-enter the spool through the paths of least resistance as a single tight loop. As a result, during a cast the line skims over the peaks formed on the spool lip never contacts the loops. Any loops then leave the spool in the normal sequence of the cast eliminating any birdnests.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,185 shows a conventional spinning reel having a second spool smaller in diameter attached to the outer face thereof and arranged concentrically therewith. The rear face abutts the front face of the main spool.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,012 relates to a spin casting fishing reel having a line spool including a flange positioned inside the spinner head. In order to prevent slack fishing line from becoming caught underneath the spinner head, the rim on the edge of the flange has a plurality of flocked fibers thereon.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,008 discloses a spinning reel comprising a spool rotatably supported by a spool shaft, a drag member for imparting a braking force to rotation of the spool and an adjusting member for axially pressing the drag member to thereby adjust the braking force. The spool includes a front face and an annular projection extending from the front face thereof to prevent water from entering the front face to reach the drag member.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,751 teaches a fishing reel of the oscillating or reciprocating spool type including a bifurcated drum separated into a large drum and a small drum. The line speed varies upon retrieval as the line is periodically or alternately switched between the different sized wind-up drums.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,567 shows a casting reel with a spool and a casting edge with a line guide where line is paid out from a stationary spool during casting and deflected to a direction parallel to the axis of the spool. The casting reel comprises a stationary spool carrying the line to be paid out. A casting edge member is disposed in fixed spaced relationship with the spool disposed rotatable about the spool axis. The casting edge member has a casting edge for deflecting line unwinding from the spool to the direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the spool.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,441 relates to an attachment for controlling the distance of a casting lure attached to an end of a fishing line including a pressure pad extending from and connected to at least a portion of a distal lip of a spinning reel spool. During casting of the lure and line, the line on each revolution of the reel passes along an outer surface of the pressure pad such that the fisherman can press his casting finger on the line against the pressure pad with varying intermittent finger pressure to increase and decrease drag on the line as the line spools off the spool and passes over the pressure pad.
Other examples of the prior art are found in U.S. Des. 353,869; U.S. Pat. No. 2,890,842 and French No. 918,571.


A portable beverage press mug is includes a vessel and a press head assembly. The press head assembly includes a screen (or filter) and a valve arrangement covering the screen. The valve arrangement is movable in response to fluid pressure to create a gap between the valve arrangement and the frame and permit fluid to pass through the screen and the gap.

Portable beverage press mugs, such as a press mug used for making a French press coffee, are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,510 describes a mug for making a beverage, such as coffee, by using French press techniques in a portable mug.
Ways to improve the flavor of coffee and other infused beverages, while maintaining the portability, are always desirable.


A system and method are provided for designing high-spread, high-distance interleavers for turbo-codes. The first approach is called high-spread random interleaving, and is based on a new and more effective definition of interleaver spread. The second approach is called dithered-diagonal interleaving. Both methods can be used to design interleaves of arbitrary length. The second approach can actually achieve the theoretical maximum spread for many specific block sizes, and at the same time include significant dither for the elimination of low-weight codewords. Both design methods are easy to implement and require very little processing. Also provided is a method for modifying any interleaver to improve the distance spectrum for a specific turbo-code. It is shown that, for a block size of only 512 data bits and for a code rate of ⅓, the flares in the packet error rate (PER) and bit error rate (BER) curves can be kept below 10xe2x88x928 and 10xe2x88x9210, respectively.

The present invention relates generally to methods of data encoding and decoding for error correction, and more particularly to interleaving for turbo-codes.
With the advent of modern information theory and the definition of Shannon""s Limit it was determined that any given noisy communications channel has a finite, non-zero threshold above which a message cannot be transmitted with a guarantee of error free transmission. The establishment of Shannon""s Limit was what is considered an existence proof, that is, it establishes that a coding method can be derived that reaches the defined limits for communicating over a noisy channel, but does not show how such a code may be derived.
In 1993, in a paper by C. Berrou, A. Glavieux, and P. Thitimajshima entitled xe2x80x9cNear Shannon Limit Error Correcting Coding ad Decoding: Turbo Codesxe2x80x9d, Proceedings of ICC""93, Geneva, Switzerland, pp. 1064-1070, May 1993, a new communications scheme referred to as turbo coding was disclosed. This communications code offered transmissions near Shannon""s Limit, as has in the ensuing years been modified numerous times to eke out any last performance advantage. Turbo codes (TC), like many other codes, used controlled redundant information, and interleaving to allow a decoder to correct for noise induced errors. The attention paid to turbo codes since 1993 is related to their powerful error correcting capability, reasonable complexity, and flexibility in terms of providing different block sizes and code rates.
One common turbo-code encoder consists of two 16-state, rate xc2xd recursive systematic convolutional (RSC) encoders operating in parallel with be data bits interleaved between the two encoders, as shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 illustrates a standard turbo code encoder 100, with a data stream di, which is provided to the modulator (not shown), RSC1102, and the interleaver 104. The interleaver reorders the bits of data stream di according to a predetermined set of indices, and provides its output to RSC2106. The outputs of RSC1102 and RSC2106 ci1 and ci2 respectively are sets of parity bits that are provided to a standard puncturing unit 108, whose output is provided to a modulator (not shown). The feedback and feedforward polynomials used herein are (23, 35) octal, respectively. Other polynomials and number of states could also be used. Without puncturing, the overall code rate is ⅓. This is because the systematic data bits, di, are only included once. Higher code rates can be achieved by puncturing the code parity bits ci1 and ci2. (In some cases it can be beneficial to puncture a small number of systematic data bits, di, to improve flare performance, as will be shown.) Good interleaver spreading properties are desirable for both fast convergence and good distance properties. High (Hamming) distance is desirable for both lowering the so-called xe2x80x9cerror floorxe2x80x9d or are and for making the flare as steep as possible. Hamming distance is the minimum number of symbols in a block that must be changed for a first codeword to become a second codeword. The further apart two blocks are, the more a block can be corrupted while retaining the ability for the decoder to properly decode the message. It is also important to reduce the number of codewords at or near the minimum distance.
RSC codes are often terminated with flush bits. Flush bits are employed because they increase the Hamming distance between codewords. The cost of the introduction of flush bits is a penalty in the code rate. A method of obtaining the benefits of the increased distances found in terminated RSC codes without the code rate penalty is to encode the RSC code in a circle. This technique is referred to as tail-biting. Tail-biting increases the distances of an RSC code without employing flush bits. If both RSC codes in a turbo encoder are either terminated or tail-biting the encoder is described as either dual terminating or dual tail-biting as the case may be. Though the design of dual terminating or dual tail-biting encoders must account for the presence of an interleaver, the design of the interleaves need not be varied.
Interleaving is a practice well known in the art. It is a method of arranging or permuting the elements within a block. In a turbo-code encoder the elements are typically data bits or data symbols. In a turbo-code decoder the data elements are typically soft data samples from the receiver.
Interleaving is a key component of turbo-codes, as shown in FIG. 1. Two interleavers that have been commonly investigated are the xe2x80x9crandomxe2x80x9d interleaver and the so-called xe2x80x9cS-randomxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cspreadxe2x80x9d interleaver. The random interleaver simply performs a random or pseudo-random permutation of the elements without any restrictions.
Golden relative prime, golden, and dithered golden interleavers have previously been applied to the design of turbo-codes. Good error rate performance has been reported for small to medium sized blocks (on the order of 1000 data bits). These interleavers can be generated quickly and have excellent spreading properties. Even though the worst-case low-distance codewords are usually eliminated golden interleavers can still produce a large number of low-distance codewords, related to the regular structure of the interleaver.
Another recent interleaver design method tries to select the interleaver indexes by minimizing the correlation between the extrinsic inputs. Not surprisingly, the designed interleavers tend to have high-spread characteristics. It is also true in general that interleaves with high-spread characteristics tend to produce extrinsic values with low correlation. This is because the new definition of spread is inherently well matched to providing low extrinsic correlation.
FIG. 2 illustrates the components of a conventional interleaver 104 in the context of the encoder 100. The input of the interleaver is stored in a memory 110, which is at least as large as the interleaver block size (K symbols). An indexing engine 112, re-orders the symbols stored in the memory 110 according to the order provided by the indices 114. The re-ordered symbols are stored in memory 116 and provided as output. In some cases the interleaver can provide the re-ordered symbols directly without the need for memory 116.
The following is a general review of S-random interleavers. Interleavers can be defined and implemented in a number of different ways. FIG. 3 shows the definition used herein. The interleaver reads from a vector of input symbols or samples, vin, and writes to a vector of interleaved or permuted output samples, vout. The output samples are written sequentially using the time index i, i=0 . . . Kxe2x88x921, where K is the size of the interleaver. Vector I defines the order that the samples in the input vector are read. That is, the i-th output, written to location i in the output vector, is read from location I(i) in the input vector. With this model, the interleaved is completely defined by the integer read vector I. This illustration is used for definition purposes only, and does not necessarily represent a preferred method of implementation. As another example, vector I could define the write order.
The xe2x80x9cS-randomxe2x80x9d interleaver is a semi-random interleaver. It is based on the random selection, without replacement, of K integers from 0 to Kxe2x88x921, but with the following constraint: each randomly selected integer is compared to the Jxe2x88x921 most recently selected integers. If the current selection is within Jxe2x88x921 of at least one of the previous Jxe2x88x921 integers, then it is rejected and a new integer is selected until the condition is satisfied.
This process is repeated until all K integers are extracted. The search time increases with J, and there is no guarantee that the process will finish successfully.
Note that J denotes the one-sided span of write indexes considered at each step, including the current index and ignoring edge effect. An appropriate (old) definition of spread, based on the S-random algorithm, for span J, and write indexes i and j, is as follows:
Sxe2x80x3old(J,i,j)=|I(i)xe2x88x92I(j)|,for|ixe2x88x92j| less than jxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(1)
The (minimum) spread associated with index i, for a given span J, is then defined as                                           S            old            xe2x80x2                                          (                          J              ,              i                        )                          =                              min                          lJ              =              1                                                      ⌊                                          S                old                xe2x80x3                                                          (                                  J                  ,                  i                  ,                  j                                )                                      ⌋                                              (        2        )
The (minimum) spread associated with the entire interleaver, for a given span J, is then defined as                                           S            old                                          (            J            )                          =                              min            l                                          [                                          S                old                xe2x80x2                                                          (                                  J                  ,                  i                                )                                      ]                                              (        3        )
For tail-biting turbo-codes all relevant operations should be performed modulo-K. With the above definitions, it is obvious, to one of skill in the art, that the spread of an interleaver designed using the S-random algorithm is at least the span J. That is, if the algorithm finishes successfully, then Sold(J)xe2x89xa7J. In practice, one finds that the spread achieved is almost always equal to J for large values of J. The theoretical maximum spread for an S-random interleaver is (typically) floor ({square root over (K)}), for a span of the same. (There are exceptions depending on the specific values of K and J, and the boundary conditions, but this is a good general approximation, especially for large values of K.) As a rule of thumb, however, the choice J less than {square root over (K/2)} produces a solution in a reasonable amount of time. As an example, with a block size of K=512 data bits, the maximum theoretical spread is 22, but it is difficult to obtain a spread higher than 16, using the S-random algorithm.
It would be disingenuous to claim that the performance of conventional interleavers is poor. Although performance of conventional interleavers is good, improvements to interleavers can be easily applied to many existing communication systems to yield added performance.
It is therefore desirable to provide a practical interleaving system and method with relatively lower packet error rate (PER) and bit error rate (BER). It is further desirable to provide a method for modifying any interleaver to improve the distance spectrum for a specific turbo-code.
It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least one disadvantage of prior art, specifically it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and system for interleaving elements to obtain a high spread.
In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method of determining interleaving indices for an interleaver, acting elements, comprising determining a minimum acceptable spread, spread being measured as the minimum of the sum of the distance between two elements prior to being interleaved, and the distance between the same two elements after being interleaved, over all pairs of elements, for each element, selecting an index from a predefined set of indices, the selected index maintaining the minimum acceptable spread and sorting the selected index elements to provide a quantized integer index vector. In an embodiment of the present invention the predetermined set of indices is a subset of the set of real numbers, such as (0,K), and the step of selecting an index includes randomly selecting an index from the predetermined set, and discarding any index if the minimum acceptable spreading goal is not maintained.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a a method of determining interleaving indices for interleaving K elements comprising the step of defining a set of at least K points, which are optionally arranged as rows and columns that are separated from each other by {square root over (K)} units, offsetting the points by varying the location of each point, defining the predefines set of indices as a subset of K point from the set of at least K points and determining a set of interleaving indices from the subset of K points. In a further embodiment, the rows and columns are parallel to the x and y axes, and the set of points is rotated, optionally by 45xc2x0 prior to defining the predefined set. In other embodiments of the present invention the distances that the points are offset is taken from a randomly distributed set of distances, the points are offset in a direction parallel to one of the rows or columns of the set, all the points in a row or column are offset by a same amount independent of other rows or columns. In yet a further embodiment, K is twice the value of a perfect square, and an equal offsetting distance is applied to all points in a given rows       K    2
away from the given row, and       K    2
is relatively prime to the repetition period of a feedback polynomial associated with the interleaving process. In another embodiment the set of determining includes sorting the selected index element to provide a quantized integer index vector.
According to yet a another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an interleaver for a communications system comprising an input memory for receiving K elements from an input, an output memory for providing K elements to an output and an indexing engine for interleaving the K elements received from the input memory, in accordance with a quantized integer index vector, and providing the interleaved elements to the output memory, the interleaving indices being determined by determining a minimum acceptable spread, spread being measured as the minimum of the sum of the distance between two elements prior to being interleaved, and the distance between the same two elements after being interleaved, over all pairs of elements, for each element, selecting an index from a predefined set of indices, the selected index maintain the minimum acceptable spread and sorting the selected index elements to provide the quantized integer index vector. In an embodiment of the present aspect of the invention the indices are determined by randomly selecting an index from a set of possible indices, the selected index maintaining the minimum acceptable spreading goal in combination with the previously selected indices.
In a further aspect, there is provided an interleaver for a communications system comprising an input memory for receiving K elements from an input, an output memory for providing K elements to an output, an indexing engine for interleaving the K elements received from the input memory, in accordance with a quantized integer index vector, and providing the interleaved elements to the output memory, the interleaving indices being determined by defining a set of at least K points offsetting the points by varying the location of each point by a distance, defining a set of possible indices as a subset of points in the set of at least K offset points and determining the quantized integer index vector from K selected points from the set of possible indices.
In yet a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of encoding a set of elements in a communication system comprising receiving a set of elements, encoding a first copy of the received set with a recursive systematic convolutional code, interleaving a second copy of the received set according to a set of interleaving indices providing a minimum spread, spread being measured as the minimum of the sum of be distance between two elements prior to being interleaved, and the distance between the same two elements after being interleaved, over all pairs of elements, encoding the interleaved copy with a recursive systematic convolutional code, puncturing the received set, the encoded first copy and the encoded interleaved copy, and transmitting the punctured set, the punctured encoded copy and the punctured encoded interleaved copy to a modulator.
Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.

Method and system for high-spread high-distance interleaving for turbo-codes

Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Industry through the Communications Research Centre


A system for securing a linear motion guide track (1010) to a support extrusion (1030) comprises an elongated wedge (1040) having a protrusion configured for insertion in a slit in one side of the well of the support extrusion for positioning the wedge in the well, the wedge having deformable teeth on a side opposite the protrusion such that insertion of the guide track in the well deforms the teeth of the wedge thereby securely holding the guide track in the support extrusion.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to assembling a linear track in a guided motion system. In particular, the invention relates to a track assembly that provides a quick and easy method of assembly of linear motion guide tracks to standard base extrusions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In manufacturing processes and within manufactured capital goods themselves, precise and repeatable motion is useful and often essential. For example, in manufacturing processes ranging from machining to textiles to electronics, tool heads or other items move back and forth and must do so precisely and repeatedly over enormous numbers of cycles. In other settings, specimens and instrumentation move relative to each other within laboratory analytic devices to collect data on the samples and must do so precisely and repeatedly.
Linear motion guides are used extensively in manufacturing processes and other applications to produce precise reciprocating motion cycles. Linear motion guides are typically supported on extruded support bases. For example, FIG. 1 shows a widely available aluminum extrusion support base 130 manufactured by the Parker Hannifin Corporation, located in Cleveland, Ohio. Similarly, guide tracks and guide wheels are widely available standard articles of manufacture. For example, DualVee® guide wheels and Single Edge guide tracks, both manufactured by Bishop-Wisecarver Corporation, are time-tested and ideal for a wide variety of applications.
Guide wheels attached to support bases and riding on rails are one class of guided motion technology that provides precise and repeatable kinematics. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,661,431 discloses guide wheels and tracks in which guide wheels cooperate with rails such that the guide wheels may move along the rails.
An exemplary guided motion assembly is shown in FIG. 1 and comprises a V-shaped guide track 120 and a DualVee® guide wheel 110 both manufactured by Bishop-Wisecarver Corporation, located in Pittsburg, Calif. The track 120 is coupled with a support base 130 using track clamp 125. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the support base 130 comprises an extrusion.
Known support bases are typically available in a standard sizes and configurations. For example, the support base 130 shown in FIG. 1 may be an extruded aluminum support base, such as that manufactured by Parker Hannifin Corporation.
Also widely used in the guided motion industry are track clamps for coupling the track with the support base. FIG. 1 illustrates a known track clamp 125 for coupling the V-shaped guide track 120 to a standard extrusion 130. Previous attempts of providing track clamps for standard support bases have been complicated, time consuming, difficult to assemble due to the need for fasteners, expensive to assemble, and unreliable due to the use of moving parts, among other shortcomings. Indeed, there are many disadvantages to the current state of the art.
Due to the deficiencies of the prior art, there is a need to provide a reliable, effective and easy-to-assemble guide track system for coupling guide tracks with linear motion support bases.
There is also a need for a method of manufacturing guide tracks that effectively couple with a standard support base without the use of fasteners. Additionally, there is a need to provide methods of assembling guided motion systems without using traditional fasteners.
Likewise, in applications in which the use of fasteners is preferable, there is a need for uncomplicated, easy-to-assemble, reconfigurable, and universally faster systems.
One drawback of the prior art is that linear guide tracks that use fasteners and track clamps are commonly designed for use with a specific base extrusion. For example, many known linear guide tracks are specifically designed to work with the various T-slot extrusions manufactured by Parker Hannifin Corporation. However, such specifically designed track assemblies cannot be used with other extrusion bases or configurations. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a guide track assembly that can be used with any extrusion having a T-slot configuration.
Another drawback to the prior art is that known solutions oftentimes require that the end user cut, drill, or otherwise machine a set of work pieces to initially configure a linear guide system. This is problematic for end users who do not possess a sophisticated machine shop or for those who do not possess the requisite skill to fabricate the required materials.
Furthermore, pre-drilled track is very expensive and requires a user to layout the substrate to which the track is to be assembled in advance. This too is problematic because the user must be especially precise and must have detailed plans well in advance. Moreover, once one particular setup is configured, it cannot be reconfigured without taking apart the entire system and re-drilling.
Another drawback to current linear motion systems is the width profile of a track assembly. For example, known linear motion guides are bulky.
Another significant drawback of the known art is that drilling track and attaching it to a substrate with a plurality of individual fasteners oftentimes results in undulations and imperfections in the linear track. These undulations can negatively affect the entire system.
Likewise, it is difficult to maintain parallelism of the tracks when fastening a guide track to a support base. Oftentimes, parallelism in the tracks is of the utmost importance. For example, a track that deviates even slightly from parallel can negatively affect the performance of an entire linear motion system.
Some other prior art solutions include simply placing a track directly into a T-slot of a base support extrusion. These known solutions oftentimes result in an unacceptably imprecise fit. For example, commercially available base support extrusions will vary in T-slot width for any given mill run. Therefore, a track having a uniform width will either fit too tightly or too loosely within the extrusion's T-slot. Therefore, there is a need to provide a track support extrusion that can reliably accommodate a standard-sized track despite the occasion of small size variances.

System for holding a linear motion guide track to a support base and method therefor


In a hose having a resin layer as an inner layer, a plasma treatment is performed on the inner surface of the inner layer and a connecting portion of an end part of the hose to thereby perform surface modification. Then, a sealing layer made of an elastic material is coated on and bonded to the inner surface of the connecting portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hose having a resin layer as an inner layer and is suited for transporting hydrocarbon, such as gasoline, light oil, compressed natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, and for transporting hydrogen, dimethyl ether, alcohol, warm water, and air-conditioning refrigerant. More particularly, the invention relates to a hose having a sealing layer, which is made of an elastic material, on the inner surface of a connecting portion at an end part thereof, to a direct-connect assembly formed by connecting this hose to a metal pipe, and to a method of manufacturing this hose.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, hoses each having a resin layer as an innermost layer have been used for piping of vehicles.
For example, a hose having a fluororesin layer as an innermost layer has been used as a hose for transporting an automotive fuel.
The gasoline permeability resistance of the hose for transporting fuel can be enhanced by providing the fluororesin layer as an innermost layer therein.
In a case where such a hose is connected to a counterpart metal pipe, a resin joint, which is what is called a quick connector, has hitherto been used.
For example, JP-A-8-270875 discloses a hose connecting structure using this joint.
FIG. 11 specifically shows this hose connecting structure. Herein, a resin joint 202 is preliminarily attached to an end part of a hose 200. Then, a counterpart metal pipe 204 is inserted thereto thereby to connect the hose 200 to the metal pipe 204 through the joint 202 so that the metal pipe 204 is prevented from slipping off the hose 200. O-rings 206 mounted in the joint 202 seal therebetween.
However, in a case where the hose 200 and the metal pipe 204 are connected to each other by using such a resin joint 202, there is a fear that the joint 202 hits against other components and gets crashed at automobile collision accidents. Thus, it has been studied that the metal pipe and the hose are directly connected to each other without using the joint 202.
This technique has an advantage in that the number of steps of an assembling process performed on an automotive assembly line can be reduced by one by preliminarily connecting the metal pipe directly to the hose to form a direct-connect assembly, in which the metal pipe and the hose are integral with each other, and then by assembling this direct-connect assembly to another component on the automotive assembly line. Also, this technique has another advantage that the number of components needed for assembly of an automobile can be reduced.
However, generally, the innermost layer of the hose, which layer is constituted by a resin layer, is poor in elasticity. Therefore, in a case where the metal pipe is connected to the hose by being press-fitted into the hose, it is difficult to ensure the sealability of the connecting portion.
Thus, it has been considered as a means for ensuring the sealability that sealing O-rings made of an elastic material are preliminarily mounted on the outer surface of the metal pipe, and that in this state, the metal pipe is connected to and press-fitted into the hose to thereby simultaneously seal between the metal pipe and the hose.
However, this sealing technique using the O-rings has encountered the problems that when the metal pipe is press-fitted into the hose, the O-rings may get out of position and that when an oscillating force is applied to the metal pipe and the hose, the O-rings may rotate in the connecting portion.
Thus, it has been considered as countermeasures that a sealing layer made of an elastic material is coated on and is bonded to the connecting portion between the metal pipe and the hose to thereby seal the connecting portion using the sealing layer.
At that time, there are two cases. In one of the cases, the sealing layer is coated on and is bonded to the outer surface of the metal pipe. In the other case, the sealing layer is coated on and is bonded to the inner surface of the hose, more specifically, the inner surface of the connecting portion at an end thereof.
However, in the case of a metal pipe used for piping of vehicles, the length of a long one of such a metal pipe is about 5 m. Therefore, it is difficult to actually form a sealing layer made of an elastic material on the outer surface of such a long metal pipe. Thus, it is advantageous to preliminarily form the sealing layer made of an elastic material on the inner surface of an end part of the hose.
The technique of forming the sealing layer made of an elastic material on the inner surface of an end part of the hose is disclosed in JP-A-9-144955.
Meanwhile, it is necessary for the hose having a resin layer as an innermost layer that the material of such a resin layer has high chemical resistance, such as low permeability of transported fluid so as to deal with various kinds of fluids.
However, such a high chemical resistance material is chemically inactive and is poor in adhesiveness. Therefore, this related technique has a problem that in a case where the sealing layer is simply formed by coating the elastic material of the sealing layer on the inner surface, the sealing layer is peeled when the metal pipe is press-fitted into the hose.

Hose with sealing layer, direct-connect assembly including the same and method of manufacturing the same