This invention provides a surface-coated cutting tool which exhibits excellent fracture resistance and wear resistance in high-speed cutting, such as high-speed gear cutting, high-speed milling, and high-speed drilling. The surface-coated cutting tool includes a hard coating layer composed of an alternately laminated layer structure of at least a thin layer A and a thin layer B formed on the surface of a tool substrate, such as a cemented carbide substrate, a cermet substrate, and a high-speed tool steel substrate. The thin layer A is an (Al, Cr, Si)N layer which satisfies a compositional formula: [AlXCrYSiZ]N (0.2≦X≦0.45, 0.4≦Y≦0.75, 0.01≦Z≦0.2, and X+Y+Z=1 in terms of atomic ratio). The thin layer B is an (Al, Ti, Si)N layer which satisfies a compositional formula: [AlUTiVSiW]N (0.05≦U≦0.75, 0.15≦V≦0.94, 0.01≦W≦0.1, and U+V+W=1 in terms of atomic ratio).

As the coated tools, the tools;    an insert, which is detachably attached to a edge portion of a holder, used for turning or planing various workpieces made of steel and/or cast iron;    a drill and a Printed Circuit Board drill used for drilling the workpieces;    an end mill used for face milling, slotting and shoulder milling the workpieces; and    a solid hob cutter and a shaper cutter used for gear cutting a tooth profile of the workpieces;are generally known.
Further, a coated tool: wherein    its tool substrate, namely, tool body, is made of, for example,            a tungsten-carbide (hereinafter shown by WC) based cemented carbide,        a titan-carbonitride (hereinafter shown by TiCN) based cermet, or        a high-speed tool steel (hereinafter referred to as high-speed steel);            to improve its thermal resistance and wear resistance, at least one or more layers of hard coating layers composed of a complex nitride layer of Al, Cr, and Si (hereinafter shown by an (Al, Cr, Si)N layer) are provided on the surface of the tool substrate; and    when expressing a composition of the complex nitride layer as a compositional formula [AlXCrYSiX]N, each X, Y and Z satisfies the relations,0.75≦X≦0.95, 0.05≦Y≦0.25, and X+Y+Z=1            (where all of X, Y, and Z are atomic ratios);is specifically known.
Also, a coated tool: wherein    to improve its oxidation resistance and wear resistance, at lease one or more of hard coating layers composed of a complex nitride layer of Al, Ti, and Si (hereinafter shown by an (Al, Ti, Si)N layer) are provided on the surface of the tool substrate; and    when expressing a composition of the complex nitride layer as a compositional formula [AlUTiVSiW]N,            each U, V and W satisfies the relations,0.05≦U≦0.75, 0.01≦W≦0.10, and U+V+W=1        (where all of U, V, and W are atomic ratios);is known.
Further, a process for manufacturing the above conventional coated tool is known.
This process is:                the above tool substrate is placed into an arc ion plating apparatus that is one type of a physical vapor deposition apparatus, for example, shown in the schematic explanatory view of FIG. 2:        under a condition that the inside of the apparatus is heated up to a temperature of 500° C. for example, arc discharge between a cathode (evaporation source) and an anode is generated with an electric current of 90 A for example, wherein the cathode has a component composition according to the type of hard coating layer to be vapor-deposited and formed on the tool substrate:        simultaneously, a nitrogen gas, which is a reaction gas, is introduced into the apparatus to create a reaction atmosphere of 2 Pa:        further, a bias voltage of −100 V, for example, is applied to the above tool substrate:        the above hard coating layer is formed on the surface of the tool substrate.            [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-175569    [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent No. 2793773


A spool valve includes a valve housing and a spool. The valve housing includes a spool hole, a first oil passage, and a second oil passage. The first oil passage has a first port, a second port and a third port that are open to the spool hole. The second oil passage has a fourth port, a fifth port and a sixth port that are open to the spool hole. The spool includes a first oil groove, a second oil groove, a third oil groove, a fourth oil groove, a first communication passage, and a second communication passage. The spool is slidable in the spool hole to switch communication of the third oil groove with the second port and the third port and to switch communication of the fourth oil groove with the fifth port and the sixth port.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a spool valve.
2. Description of the Related Art
Spool valves have configurations in which spools are slidably placed in spool holes of valve housings. Such spool valves have often been used for various applications including pressure control valves and flow rate control valves. Such a known spool valve includes a valve housing having a substantially cylindrical spool hole, a spool placed in the spool hole and having a substantially cylindrical columnar shape, and a spring for biasing the spool in the spool hole. The spring is located at an end of the spool in the spool hole, and biases the spool toward the other end along an axial direction. The valve housing has an oil passage having a plurality of ports that are open at the inner peripheral surface of the spool hole. The ports of the oil passage communicate with oil grooves formed in the outer peripheral surface of the spool. The valve housing has a control pressure supply passage through which a control hydraulic pressure for operating the spool is supplied.
The spool valve as described above supplies the control hydraulic pressure through the control pressure supply passage, and thereby, performs control such that the Spool slides toward the end facing the spring against a biasing force of the spring. In this manner, a communication state between the ports open to the spool hole and the oil grooves in the spool is switched, and the distribution path in the oil passage is controllably switched. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-206651 is an example of related art.


Electrodepositable compositions comprising active hydrogen-containing ionic resins, capped polyisocyanate curing agents and triorganotin catalysts are disclosed. The catalysts are liquid, can be easily incorporated into the electrodepositable compositions and surprisingly exhibit good catalytic activity at low levels.

Electrodepositable compositions containing active hydrogen-containing ionic resins and capped polyisocyanate curing agents are well known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,050 discloses cationic resins which are prepared from reacting polyepoxide-containing polymers with primary and/or secondary amines and neutralizing the resulting reaction product with acid to form cationic salt group-containing polymers. The capped polyisocyanate curing agents for these polymers are polyisocyanates such as toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) alone or in admixture with other isomeric and analogous higher polyisocyanates (crude MDI).
To catalyze the curing reaction, an organotin catalyst such as dibutyltin oxide is usually present in the composition. Although effective as a catalyst, the dialkyltin compounds have certain shortcomings associated with them. They are solid materials at room temperature and are difficult to incorporate into the electrodepositable compositions. They are usually milled with a dispersing vehicle to form a catalyst paste and the paste added to the electrodepositable composition. The milling operation requires additional time, labor, equipment and adds to the cost of preparing the electrodepositable composition. Also, organotin compounds are expensive materials and somewhat toxic and can present environmental problems when used as a catalyst in the electrodeposition process. The materials can volatilize during curing and are often found in the ultrafiltration effluent. When attempts were made to minimize these problems by lowering the amount of dialkyltin catalyst in the electrocoating composition, the cured electrodeposited coating which resulted had poor cured coating properties and poor appearance.

Electrodepositable compositions containing triorganotin catalysts


A digital recording and playback system with built-in voice recognition capability for concurrent text generation. In one embodiment, the system comprises an audio capturing device configured to receive a voice input. The system also comprises a high compression encoder (HCE) coupled to the audio capturing device and configured to generate digital wave data corresponding to the voice input, as well as a voice recognition engine (VRE) coupled to the audio capturing device and configured to generate text data corresponding to the voice input. In this embodiment, the HCE and VRE are selectively coupled to a memory sub-system which is configured to store the digital wave data and the text data. In this embodiment, the VRE performs voice-to-text conversion using the high quality audio input signal rather than highly compressed voice data so that high quality conversion is achieved. In this embodiment, the HCE and the VRE are operable to concurrently generate the digital wave data and the text data in response to the voice input such that the digital wave data and the text data can be stored in the memory sub-system in a synchronized manner. As such, this embodiment of the present invention provides recording capability wherein text data is generated from a voice input without requiring post-recording conversion. In a specific embodiment, the present invention includes the above and wherein the system is battery-powered and is portable.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the design of digital recording and playback systems. More specifically, the present invention pertains to the processing of voice and concurrent generation of corresponding text in a portable digital appliance.
2. Related Art
The use of portable digital recording and playback devices are quickly gaining popularity in business and among individual users. In particular, one attractive feature of digital recording is the possibility of converting the voice messages into text, which can then be reviewed, revised and incorporated into documents or otherwise retrieved for use subsequently. Today, there are several models of portable digital recorder in the marketplace. These prior art recorders typically record voice messages as compressed digital data. In order to convert the compressed digital data to text data, a separate computer program is generally required. Thus, in the prior art, subsequent to a recording session, the user needs to post-process the compressed digital data to perform the voice-to-text conversion. This requires additional processing time, and in some cases even requires the user to transfer the compressed digital data from the portable device to a personal computer (PC) having the necessary software program before the conversion can be performed. It is desirable to eliminate the extra step of post-recording conversion from compressed digital data to text data in a portable digital recording and playback system.
These prior art devices are not well-suited for generating text data from the recorded voice data for an additional reason. In order to achieve good conversion from voice to text, a high quality voice input to the voice to text conversion engine is needed. In prior art portable systems, the voice data is subject to high compression because portable systems typically have limited memory capacity, and high compression allows more voice data to be stored into the limited memory resources. Since voice data is stored in a highly compressed format in these portable prior art devices, the text data generated directly from the compressed voice data by a conversion program is usually unsatisfactory. As such, it is highly advantageous to have a portable digital recording and playback system which provides high quality conversion from voice to text.
Furthermore, portable devices are typically battery-powered. Thus, the need to conserve power is a major design consideration. As such, while a high capacity stager can potentially be used in a large, non-portable device deriving its power from a power outlet to improve the quality of the conversion from compressed voice data to text data, it is not a viable option in a portable device. Therefore, there exists a need for a portable digital recording and playback system which provides high quality conversion from voice to text and yet does not require a high rate of power consumption.
In implementing a viable portable digital recording and playback system, it is highly desirable that components that are well known in the art and are compatible with existing computer systems and other appliances be used so that the cost of realizing the portable digital recording and playback system is low. By so doing, the need to incur costly expenditures for retrofitting existing computer systems and other appliances or for building custom components is advantageously eliminated.
Thus, a need exists for a portable digital recording and playback system which does not require post-recording conversion to generate text data from compressed digital data. A further need exists for a portable digital recording and playback system which meets the above need and which provides high quality conversion from voice to text. Still another need exists for a portable digital recording and playback system which meets both of the above needs and which does not require a high level of power consumption. Yet another need exists for a portable digital recording and playback system which meets all of the above needs and which is conducive to use with existing computer systems and other appliances.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a portable digital recording and playback system which generates text data from voice without requiring post-recording conversion from compressed digital data to text data. The present invention further provides a portable digital recording and playback system which not only provides voice to text conversion without post-processing but the conversion is also of high quality. Embodiments of the present invention perform voice-to-text conversion using the high quality audio input signal rather than highly compressed voice data so that high quality conversion is achieved. Moreover, the present invention provides a portable digital recording and playback system which includes the above features and which conserves power for full battery operation. Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention utilize components that are well known in the art and are compatible with existing computer systems and other appliances, so that the present invention is conducive for use with existing computer systems and other appliances. These and other advantages of the present invention not specifically mentioned above will become clear within discussions of the present invention presented herein.
More specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention, a digital recording and playback system is provided. In this embodiment, the system comprises an audio capturing device configured to receive a voice input. The system also comprises a high compression encoder (HCE) coupled to the audio capturing device and configured to generate digital wave data corresponding to the voice input. The system further comprises a voice recognition engine (VRE) coupled to the audio capturing device and configured to generate text data corresponding to the voice input. Moreover, in this embodiment, the HCE and VRE are selectively coupled to a memory sub-system which is configured to store the digital wave data and the text data. In particular, in this embodiment, the HCE and the VRE are operable to concurrently generate the digital wave data and the text data in response to the voice input such that the digital wave data and the text data can be stored in the memory sub-system in a synchronized manner. Thus, in this embodiment, the present invention provides recording capability wherein text data is generated from a voice input without requiring post-recording conversion. In a specific embodiment, the present invention includes the above and wherein the system is battery-powered.
Additional embodiments of the present invention include the above and further comprise a decoder selectively coupled to the memory sub-system and configured to decode the digital wave data into decoded audio data, a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter coupled to the decoder and configured to convert the decoded audio data into an analog signal, and an audio output device coupled to the D/A converter and configured to generate a voice output corresponding to the voice input from the analog signal. Moreover, these embodiments also comprises a display sub-system selectively coupled to the memory sub-system and configured to display the text data. Thus, in these embodiments, the present invention provides simultaneous voice playback and text display.

Digital recording and playback system with voice recognition capability for concurrent text generation


A transparent batch file transfer is provided from a client to a server via a batch pool system. The batch pool system may be implemented by a proxy file server which is used to receive the file transfer from the client device and free the client device as soon as possible. The file transfer to an intended remote server is carried out by a batch transfer system at the proxy file server. The user of the client machine may then use their device to perform other tasks while the file transfer is completed by the proxy file server batch transfer system. The file transfer is coordinated by a background transfer module that is integrated with file system protocols. Hence, there is no new system or software for a user of the client to learn or operate.

As businesses utilization of network and "cloud" solutions for digital storage and processing increases, the performance required from the network and cloud solutions has increased as well. For instance, business operations may require storage or processing of files on a central file server, and as a pre-requisite may require collation of files on the central file server. Files may be transferred to the server using network file server protocols optimized for a LAN (local area network).
As a business grows geographically, some of these files may originate at remote locations with poor network connectivity and so uploading of files using LAN optimized file sharing protocols can be slow.
The slow upload performance can restrict the activities of personnel who must upload the files or whose equipment is in use until the transfer is completed and therefore have negative consequences for the efficiency of the business.
There is a need to reduce the time spent performing uploads so that personnel and equipment can be released for other activities, even while the transfer is still in progress.

Transparent deferred spooling store and forward based on standard network system and client interface


A retention apparatus, system and method of attaching items, panels or other devices to a rail formed in longitudinal lengths configured with a cross-sectional profile having multiple cooperating structures between the rail and a channel nut including a recess formed between a tooth and shelf on an interior first channel portion of the rail and a flange of the channel nut, between an anchor latch of the rail and hook flange on the channel nut, and cooperating forces and movement of the biasing element secured to the channel nut.

Solar panels are typically mounted over a surface of the structure such as residential or commercial building rooftops, or to the earth as in solar arrays, using solar panel mounting systems that are secured to the structure, for example, by rafters, support beams, anchoring posts, pads, and the like, in a portrait or landscape orientation. Typically, arrays of PV modules are installed in a portrait orientation having the rails running perpendicular to the support beam. However, arrays can be installed in a landscape orientation with the rails running parallel with the support beam, each portrait or landscape having the long side of the PV module running perpendicular to the rails. These mounting systems commonly include a series of longitudinal rails, that span the length of a rooftop, that are secured to the structure using a variety of fastener and mount system designs. Typically, each PV module rests on an upper edge of a plurality of rails so that a fastener assembly may securing the frame edges of the PV to the structure to maintain a spaced apart distance and/or inclined angle from the structure or earth.
Typical rails use attachment systems having a fastener and/or nut to engage the rail in several ways such as, for example, sliding into a rail opening directly accompanied by rotation of the fastener, nut and/or rail. In other fastener assemblies, a shape profile of the nut is a dimensioned to slide into an open end of lengths of the longitudinal rail. There are disadvantages to these attachment systems moving along the rail or disengaging therefrom during installation, whereby reduced safety on the structure may be result because of additional installation time, increases in materials used may result. There is a need for a rail mounting system having a fastener assembly that can be inserted directly into the channel of the rail and retained in a desired position so as to allow for placement of the fasteners and positioning on rail to assist the installers when operating on the structure. There is a need for a retention system for securing PV Panels and other devices quickly using a fastener assembly with a channel nut that can be inserted directly into the channel of the rail and retained in a desired position.

Rail mounting apparatus, system and method of securing devices to a structure


Examples are generally directed towards managing paginated data. A server receives a page-to-identifier query from a client. The page-to-identifier query includes an identifier of a selected object instance. The server generates an ordered list of object instances corresponding to at least one ordering criteria paginated into a set of pages. The server identifies a page in the set of pages including the selected instance to form a results page. The results page includes the selected instance. The server returns the results page to the client.

A server may return a result set to a client in response to a client query. Some result sets may contain a relatively small numbers of records. In which case, the server may return the entire result set to the client in response to the query. However, other result sets may include dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of records. In such cases, it is not practical for the server to return the entire result set to the client due to performance penalties.
An application programming interface (API) may use paging to limit the number of records returned to the client. Most APIs typically return one page at a time to a client and limit the number of records included within each page. For example, if a result set includes 100 records, the API may paginate the records into ten pages having ten records per page. The API then returns only the first page of the result set, which includes only records one through ten, to the client. If the client wants record eleven, the client graphical user interface (GUI) must request the next page from the server. The next page returned to the client, by the server in this example, would include records eleven through twenty.
Although pagination assists the server in limiting the number of records returned to a client at one time, a user associated with the client must scroll and/or page through each page of the result set one page at a time to locate a particular record of interest to the user. In cases where a first page returned to the client does not include the desired record, the user is typically required to scroll through result set one page at a time until the desired record is located. This process can be a time-consuming, tedious, and inefficient process for users.


The present invention relates to a blend of sulfo-modified copolyester wherein the diacid is aromatic or cyclic and polyglycolic acid. The blend of sulfo-modified copolyester and polyglycolic acid can be used to prepare containers with good transparency and high gas barrier properties. The preferred sulfo-modified copolyester composition comprises terephthalic acid, isophthalic acid and 5-sulfoisophthalic acid. A method of preparing a blend of sulfo-modified copolyester and polyglycolic acid is disclosed, as well as master batch processes. The present invention also relates to a method of making a container wherein the sulfo-modified copolyester is blended with the polyglycolic acid at an injection molding machine used to make preforms, which are then blown into bottles.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a polymer blend comprising an aromatic polyester composition and polyglycolic acid. The polyester composition according to the invention comprises sulfo-modified copolyester. This blend can be formed into articles that have improved gas barrier and good clarity. The invention also relates to various methods of making the blend, including using master batch processes. Additionally, the present invention also contemplates a method of making a preform or container from the blend.
2. Prior Art
In recent years, much activity and invention in the art of polyesters has centered on the development of articles made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Containers and films constructed of PET have found wide acceptance in the packaging of food stuffs, medicines, consumer products and in particular carbonated soft drinks.
As longer shelf lives are required and smaller carbonated soft drink containers are being used, PET requires an improvement in gas barrier properties, especially an improvement in carbon dioxide permeability.
One approach has been the use of multilayer bottles containing a layer of a high barrier polymer such as an ethylene-vinyl-alcohol copolymer (EVOH), partially aromatic polyamide, or the like. U.S. Pat. No. 6,673,403 discloses a multilayer container using polyglycolic acid as the barrier layer. U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,242 also discloses a multilayer packaging material using polyglycolic acid as a barrier layer between layers of PET.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,851 discloses a blend of 5 to 50% by weight polyglycolic acid and 50 to 95% by weight of PET. However it has been found that these blends form a hazy article.
US Pat. Application No. 2006/0100392 also discloses polyglycolic copolyesters with a minor amount of aromatic polyester resins, preferably 30%.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,927 discloses a blend of PET and a copolymer comprising 40 to 95 mole % of ethylene isophthalate units and 5 to 60 mole % polyglycolic acid units. There is no information on the haziness of the bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,309,718 relates to large containers, greater than 200 grams, that contain from 6 to 17 mol. % isophthalic acid. There is no disclosure relating to a blend of this copolyester with polyglycolic acid or a solution to the haze of the resulting blend.
EP 1 582 564 A1 discloses a copolyester of a hydroxy carboxylic acid and an aromatic dicarboxylic acid, exemplified by isophthalic acid, to be blended with a polyester resin. A specific molar ratio range of continuously bonded hydroxy carboxylic acid to isolated hydroxy carboxylic acid units is claimed which improves the transparency and gas permeability compared to the polyester resin.
There is a need for a simple blend of PET copolymer with a high barrier polymer, such as polyglycolic acid, that will give a clear monolayer article having improved gas barrier properties.

Articles having improved gas barrier properties


An improved pneumatic control valve apparatus which uses poppet valves as the primary valve components. The poppets are in a pair of poppet valve assemblies, each assembly containing a pair of spaced poppets on a shiftable shaft biased in one direction to cause the poppets to close respective valve seats and to open the valve seats when the shaft moves in the opposite direction. A roller diaphragm is used to couple the shaft to an adjacent support of the assembly. As the shaft moves in the opposite direction against a bias force, the roller diaphragms of each assembly flex in a rolling action to coordinate the movements of the poppets and the shaft. The poppets will simutaneously open their respective valve seats so that the same amount of fluid will flow through the valve seats and thereby assure precision movements of the shiftable parts of the work-producing device with which the poppet valve assemblies are coupled. The poppet valve assemblies of the present invention can be controlled by a control unit, such as a piezoelectric transducer operable as a function of the polarity and magnitude of a voltage applied to the transducer.

Control valves of the three-way and four-way types typically use machined spools which are axially movable in a housing to control fluid flow along paths to and from a work-producing device. Such a device may be a fluid piston and cylinder assembly having a piston rod as the work-producing component. Disclosures of servocontrol values of this general type are set forth in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,580,281; 3,878,765; 4,083,381, 4,516,604; and 4,523,513.
Control valves using shiftable spools are extremely expensive to manufacture because of the many machining steps which are required. The spools must be subjected to honing, lapping and fluid edge grinding, and material for such a spool must be a high grade, heat treated tool steel. Moreover, in use, a spool valve is in sliding contact with the metallic body having the bore in which the spool valve moves. This metal-on-metal contact gives rise to friction which militates against fast response time and precision movement of the spool valve. Also, the metal-to-metal contact over time causes wear of the spool valves which reduces the precision of the fluid edge tolerances, thereby giving rise to errors in the operation of the spool valves.
Because of the foregoing problems, there is a continued need for improvements in control valves, and the present invention is directed to a control valve assembly which avoids the problems mentioned above with respect to conventional control valves with machined spools.


A process comprising heating an aqueous dispersion of first structured polymer particles at a temperature of at least about 155° C., optionally in the presence of a base and/or a swelling agent, to produce an aqueous dispersion of heat treated structured polymer particles.

The invention relates to the heat treatment of structured polymers.
Structured particles, such as hollow particle latexes, are known to be useful as opacifying agents in coating applications such as architectural coating and paper coating. The use of structured hollow latexes in coatings reduces the need for expensive pigments, such as TiO2, without adding excessive and undesirable weight to the coatings. The hollow latex particle provides opacity in paints because the hollow center scatters light more efficiently than a corresponding solid particle. The light scattering properties of the hollow latex particle are related to factors such as: the particle wet void fraction, void size, the difference in refractive index between the particle polymer and the internal void, and the ability of the hollow particle to maintain its structure in a paint film. Gloss performance in paper coating applications is directly related to the particle wet void fraction. Hollow latexes have additional utility in areas other than coatings, such as in processes involving microencapsulation, low density bulking aids, and insulation.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,427,836 and 5,157,084 disclose two different processes for preparing hollow latex particles. U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,836 discloses a process for making hollow latexes by a multi-step process involving preparing a core phase composed of hydrophilic acid-containing polymers, encapsulating the core with hydrophobic shell polymers and subsequently swelling at temperatures below 120° C. with a base. U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,084 discloses a separate process for making hollow latexes by a multi-step process involving preparing a core phase comprising hydrophilic ester-containing polymers, encapsulating the core with hydrophobic shell polymers, and subsequently hydrolyzing the ester core at a temperature below 150° C. with a permanent base.
The known methods of preparing voided latexes yield particles with suboptimal performance due to the formation of structures with limited wet void fraction, and/or imperfections in the particle void and shell. In view of the shortcomings of known processes, it would be desirable to have structured polymers having superior performance, and it would be desirable to have a method for increasing the wet void fraction and/or reducing or eliminating imperfections in the particle void and shell.

Process of heat treating structured polymer particles


Translating between a first communication protocol used by a first network component and a second communication protocol used by a second network, where translating includes: receiving, by a network engine adapter operating independently from the first and second network components, data packets from the first and second network components; and performing, by the network engine, a combined communication protocol based on the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol, including manipulating data packets of at least one of the first communication protocol or the second communication protocol, thereby offloading performance requirements for the combined communication protocol from the first and second network components.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is data processing, or, more specifically, methods, apparatus, and products for translating between a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol.
2. Description of Related Art
Ethernet protocol refers to one type of network system protocol that a local area network (LAN) may employ. A conventional specification for a LAN often employs Ethernet protocols. The Ethernet standard provides the hardware and software interfaces for network devices in a network system. Ethernet also provides for connection of a network system to the Internet via a cable modem, a DSL modem, or other communications interface. The IEEE 802.3 standard defines the basic structure and protocol of Ethernet network systems. A network fabric is the physical infrastructure of a network that enables the connection of one network device to another network device. Network fabrics typically include connective cabling such as twisted pair wiring, coaxial cable, fiber optic cable or other connectivity structures. Network fabrics may also include network switches, network routers, network hubs and other connective network devices that share a common bandwidth and network protocol such as Ethernet, Fiber Channel, or other network protocol.
Ethernet network devices transmit data with Ethernet frames that are commonly known as Ethernet data packets. Ethernet data packets are variable length data transmissions that typically exhibit lengths from 72 to 1518 bytes or longer jumbo frames. Each Ethernet data packet includes a header with the addresses of the source and destination network devices, a data area, and a trailer that includes error correction data. Other network protocols such as IP (Internet Protocol) and IPX (Internetwork Packet EXchange) may fragment longer data transmissions through special use of Ethernet frames or data packets. In a similar process, Fiber Channel frames or data packets provide the data transmission mechanism for the Fiber Channel protocol. Fiber Channel is currently a multi-gigabit network technology that network systems employ primarily for use by storage devices. Fiber Channel is a standard in the T11 Technical Committee of the International Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITS) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Despite the name, Fiber Channel signals may operate over copper wire as well as fiber optic cables. Fiber Channel Protocol (FCP) is the interface protocol of the Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) in a Fiber Channel network system.
One problem that exists when supporting multiple network protocols in a server is a connectivity issue between a server and other network devices such as a client. A server requires multiple adapter types and cabling to handle each network protocol type. This multiple protocol network system requires the use of different fabric managers for each protocol type as well. In other words, if a server in a network system employs both Ethernet and Fiber Channel protocols, the server typically requires an Ethernet adapter and a Fiber Channel adapter, as well as respective fabric managers for each protocol. Such a server may also require respective cabling for the Ethernet adapter and the Fiber Channel adapter.
Fiber Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) is a protocol for tunneling Fiber Channel (FC) frames over Ethernet frames. It is a new approach towards I/O consolidation by preserving all FC constructs, maintaining the same latency, security and traffic management attributes of FC. Data centers typically configure their servers with a pair of FC Host Bus Adapters (HBA) and two or more Ethernet Network Interface Cards (NIC), but with FCoE support, they can now be converged in to a single adapter. FCoE enables the consolidation of both SAN's and Ethernet traffic onto a converged network adapter (CAN), thereby reducing the number of adapters, cables and power consumption.
There are multiple ways to implement FCoE on a system. The easiest way is to have a PCIe to FCoE adapter card added to the system. However this implementation is expensive, since there is a need to buy a new card, and will consume some portion of the PCIe bandwidth.
Another solution could be to replace the existing NIC (Ethernet card) with a Converged Enhanced Ethernet card and implement the FCoE stack in software. This method also adds cost in replacing the NIC with a CEE card and will use up a large amount of Processor bandwidth and can impact the performance of the system.
In the Patent Application Publication US 2009/0034522 A1 "Transporting Fiber Channel over Ethernet" by Hayes et al. a method of converting the Ethernet adapter to the FCoE adapter by reusing the existing Ethernet adapter card and adding a FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) as a hardware assist engine for implementing FCoE is disclosed. Fiber Channel data comprises Fiber Channel data frames, primitive signals and primitive sequences. Transporting Fiber Channel data over Ethernet enables existing Ethernet equipment including Ethernet switches and Ethernet network interface cards (NICs) to connect to, communicate with and provide services for SANs that are based on Fiber Channel technology or have Fiber Channel interfaces. All of the above can be accomplished by using an apparatus that transforms Fiber Channel data into Ethernet frames and vice-versa. This apparatus is called a Fiber Channel over Ethernet Transformer (FCOE Transformer). Methods of implementing the FCoE Transformer include using independent Ethernet and Fiber Channel interfaces connected by a network processor, by using a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), by using a special purpose ASIC, by software running on a Ethernet or Fiber Channel connected device, by hardware state machines, or by a combination of hardware and software. The FCoE Transformer can be placed on an Ethernet NIC, in an Ethernet MAC, in an Ethernet switch, in a Fiber Channel switch, in a Fiber Channel HBA, or any place in between a Fiber Channel device and an Ethernet device.
In the Patent Application Publication US 2009/0245791 A1 "Method and System for Fiber Channel and Ethernet Interworking" by Thaler et al. a method of reusing an existing Ethernet adapter card and embedding a Fiber Channel (FC) processor as an integrated chip in the Ethernet card for the FCoE implementation is disclosed. A network switch may be operable to perform Ethernet switching operations between a plurality of clients and server. The network switch may enable level 2 (L2) switching operations, for example. The network switch may be coupled to a host via a PCI root complex. The network switch may comprise one or more Ethernet ports, a MAC, a processor, a memory, a server provided MAC addressing (SPMA) table, an FC processor, and a plurality of FC ports. The processor and the FC processor may be a separate integrated chip embedded on a motherboard or may be embedded in a NIC. The FC processor may comprise suitable logic, interfaces, code, and/or one or more circuits that may be operable to receive and/or communicate FC packets via the plurality of FC ports from/to one or more FC switches, for example, FC switch via the Fiber Channel fabric. The FC processor may be operable to encapsulate FC packets into FCoE packets and/or encapsulate FCoE packets into FC packets.
In the Patent Application Publication US 2009/0052346 A1 "Method and Apparatus for Enabling an Adapter in a Network Device to Discover the Name of another Adapter of another Network Device in a Network System" by Brown et al. a network protocol translation between Ethernet and FCoE (CEE) via a FCoE bridge is disclosed. A method of positioning the FCoE Bridge in between server NIC and Ethernet switch adapter is also disclosed. Communication or transfer of network data from Fiber Channel devices such as Fiber Channel adapter to Ethernet devices such as enhanced Ethernet adapter requires Fiber Channel to Ethernet data packet translation. Here the FCoE Bridge acts as the translation mechanism for the transfer of data between Fiber Channel protocol and Ethernet protocol network data structures. The FCoE Bridge provides translation from Fiber Channel to Ethernet protocols in one direction. The FCoE bridge also provides translation in the opposite direction, namely from Ethernet to Fiber Channel protocols.

Translation between a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol

International Business Machines Corporation


An orthopedic device for correction of varus, valgus, or supinatus structural abnormalities of a subject's foot is provided. The device of the invention generally includes a compensatory wedge of a polyethylene foam material exhibiting a hardness in the range of 30 to 35 durometer. The wedge may be located between the subject's foot and footwear at the location of the recessed abnormality. In a preferred embodiment, the wedge is wedge-shaped laterally of the foot so as to compensate for a varus or valgus recessed structural foot abnormality. The polyethylene foam material preferably has a micro-structure comprised of fine, open cells, so as to allow for sufficient air flow and heat dissipation when in use to thereby reduce discomfort.

Orthopedic devices for the feet are well known, and have been used by laypersons and podiatrists for many years. Devices of this type range from a simple arch support to a custom formed orthotic to hold and control the foot. It has been estimated that 50% of the population could benefit from some form of device to improve function, stability, and balance for the super-imposed musculoskeletal system.
Foot misalignment can result in many forms of discomfort for the patient. Symptoms known to develop from such misalignment are plantar fasciitis, hammertoes, bunions, achilles tendonitis, and others. Misalignment can also cause or exacerbate knee, hip or back pain.
More particularly, structural malalignment of the foot is generally localized to either the fore foot, the rear foot, or combinations of both. These structural abnormalities may be generically classified as either of the varus or valgus type. The valgus abnormality refers specifically to a foot position, or any part thereof, wherein the joint is turned outward or everted, that is away from the body midline to an abnormal degree. The varus abnormality, on the other hand, is a condition of the foot, or any part thereof, being turned inward or inverted, that is towards the body midline to an abnormal degree.
Previous applications of prior art devices to a shoe, or insole in a shoe, that have been designed to correct structural abnormalities are known. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,333,472 and 5,345,701. However, the prior art devices have various drawbacks. As such, improvements of these devices are still needed.


An infrared communication device with an adaptive configuration controller for programming system parameter settings with command codes. The adaptive configuration controller comprises a number of shift registers and control circuits. The registers store command codes for configuring system parameters including bandwidth, sensitivity and LED drive current. The codes are obtained from an external source. The capability to program the system parameter settings allows the communication device to be adapted or reconfigured for optimal operation in response to changes in the environment without the need for removing or adding external components.

Infrared based systems have found widespread appeal in wireless communication systems including mobile point-to-point and LAN (Local Area Network) applications. Communication interconnections in a wireless communication system utilizing infrared are set up using infrared (IR)transceivers. A station, e.g. a personal computer (PC), notebook computer or mobile communication device, is connected/coupled to a transceiver. The infrared transceiver includes at least one infrared light emitting diode (LED), and typically comprises one or more photodiodes responsive to the output wavelength spectrum of the LED in the transceiver of the other party's communication station or device.
The performance and integrity of an infrared communication link will depend on the communication distance and communication protocol being utilized in addition to the operating environment, particularly the ambient light.
Known infrared communication transceivers comprise an infrared configuration controller and are typically implemented as one or more integrated circuits, i.e. chips. The configuration controller configures the system parameters such as bandwidth, sensitivity and drive current. In existing systems, external fixed components such as pull-up and pull-down resistors are utilized in conjunction with the configuration controller to set the system parameters, i.e. sensitivity, bandwidth, and drive current for the infrared light source (i.e. LED).
The known infrared communication chips suffer a number of drawbacks. First, it is difficult to optimize the infrared chip for operation on different communication protocols because one set of fixed external components sets the system parameters. Operation at a different communication protocol requires a new set of external components. For example, the well-known Apple Talk network communication protocol utilizes a conventional irDA chip and an external pull-down resistor of 2.7 kohm to set the optimal bandwidth. For other known IR communication protocols, a 130 kohm pull-down resistor is needed for optimum performance. One solution to this problem involves using one or more external analog switches for connecting/disconnecting the resistors. The drawback with this approach is the increase in footprint and larger PCB size required. Any increase in size is impractical for most applications, particularly a PCMCIA card.
Another problem with existing systems is the inability to change the system parameters "on-line", i.e. without changing the hard-wired or `jumpered` resistors. However, in practical applications the infrared communication system is called on to handle various operational environments. For example for an infrared mobile telephone the communication distance may vary from 1 cm to more than 1 meter, and the input signal amplitude range can span 5 orders. The problem which arises is the difficulty of finding a set of system parameters which meet the requirements for the various operational environments. In known systems, the LED driving current is typically set to the value which meets the requirement of the maximum communication distance. If the infrared communication interface is not operated at the maximum communication distance, then a wastage of electrical power results. In addition, the receiver becomes saturated when the actual communication distance is less than the maximum. For example, known infrared transceivers in an Apple Talk-based network can achieve a maximum distance of more than 1.5 meters, but at a distance of around 20 cm, a fading zone of 4 cm exists due to the very strong input optical signal. To eliminate the fading zone, the sensitivity control resistor must be changed from 162 kohm to 1.8 kohm. However, the maximum communication distance is also reduced from 1.5 meters to 0.56 meters. Thus, adapting the transceiver to short communication distances to eliminate the fading zone also eliminates the ability to operate at larger distances.
Another problem with existing infrared communication chips is the inherent unsuitability to automatic chip testing. Often it is desired to test the chips based on customer requests or quality requirements in order to find the optimal setting for some special communication conditions. To determine the optimal operational requirements, a set of external resistors are soldered to the PCB and connected to the infrared communication chip. The chip is then tested, and if not acceptable, the resistors are removed and a new set are installed and the test is repeated. It will be appreciated that this is a tedious and time-consuming exercise better suited to an automated system.
The present invention addresses these disadvantages and shortcomings with the prior art.

Adaptive infrared communication apparatus

International Business Machines Corporation


A plurality of battery pack blocks connected in series-parallel have their operation states monitored by battery ECUs, respectively based on detected voltage, current, and temperature. Detection outputs by current sensors provided at the charge/discharge circuits of the battery pack blocks are added up for the parallel-connected battery pack blocks in an analog data state before A/D conversion, so that the total charge/discharge current in the battery power source device is obtained.

The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in priority Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-365941, filed on Nov. 30, 2001, the contents of which is herein expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a battery power source device including a plurality of battery pack blocks, each of which is constituted by connecting a plurality of rechargeable batteries in series, and battery ECUs for controlling the operation state of the battery pack blocks. The plurality of battery pack blocks are connected with one another in parallel or by a combination of serial connection and parallel connection (in series-parallel). The invention also relates to a current detection method therefor.
2. Description of Related Art
A battery power source device applied as a power source for an electric vehicle or hybrid car must supply large electric power. The device is therefore configured as a battery pack system. In the system, a plurality of (six for example) rechargeable batteries are connected together in series to constitute a battery module, and a plurality of (30 for example) such battery modules are connected together in series to constitute a battery pack block. A battery ECU (Electronic Control Unit) is also provided in order to control the operation state of the battery pack block. The battery ECU detects the voltage, current, and temperature of each battery pack block and carry out abnormality detection and various control based on the detection results. To meet a demand for significantly large power for a large-sized vehicle, for example, connecting such battery pack systems together in series, parallel or in series-parallel has been considered.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a battery power source device having six battery pack systems connected together in series-parallel. The battery pack systems all have the same arrangement including a battery pack block 21 and a battery ECU 22. The battery pack blocks 21 connected in series-parallel are each connected with a positive electrode charge/discharge terminal 23 and a negative electrode charge/discharge terminal 24. The operation state of each of the battery pack blocks 21 is monitored and controlled by the corresponding battery ECU 22.
The battery pack block 21 is provided with sensors to detect voltage per battery module, charge/discharge current to/from the battery pack block 21, battery temperature per battery module, and the ambient temperature of the battery pack block 21, and the detection outputs of the sensors are input to the corresponding battery ECU 22. The battery ECU 22 monitors the operation state or abnormality of the battery pack block 21 based on the input voltage, current, and temperature detection outputs. Meanwhile, the battery ECU 22 controls a cooling device such as a blower fan provided at the battery pack block 21 based on the temperature detection output. The battery ECU 22 also calculates SOC (State Of Charge: accumulated electrical quantity relative to battery capacity) based on the voltage, current, and temperature detection outputs. The SOC and the detection output such as voltage are externally output as the operation state data of the battery pack block 21, so as to be input to a vehicle ECU in a hybrid car for example and used for controlling charge/discharge to/from the battery power source device.
For example in a hybrid car using the battery power source device having a plurality of battery pack blocks connected in series-parallel as described above as the power source, there is a request that the total charge/discharge current I in the battery power source device be known.
The total charge/discharge current I can be detected by a special current sensor for high current provided at a charge/discharge circuit connected with the positive electrode charge/discharge terminal 23 or the negative electrode charge/discharge terminal 24 of the battery power source device. However, not only the expensive current sensor is necessary, but also a processing circuit for processing and amplifying the detection output of the current sensor is necessary, which increases the cost.
Meanwhile, the battery pack blocks 21 are each provided with a current sensor 25, and the charge/discharge current is separately detected for each battery pack block 21 by the corresponding battery ECU 22. Consequently, when the charge/discharge current values at the battery pack blocks 21 connected in parallel are added up, the total charge/discharge current I should be produced. However, the detected current is used to calculate the SOC as described above. Thus, as shown in FIG. 4, once the current is input to the battery ECU 22, it is amplified by an amplification circuit 16, then A/D-converted by an A/D conversion circuit 17, and input to a microcomputer 18 for digital processing. The A/D-converted current data cannot be in synchronization with each other among the battery pack systems A1 to A6, and it is therefore impossible to produce the total charge/discharge current I simply by adding them up.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a battery power source device that allows the total charge/discharge current to be obtained using the current detection function provided at each of a plurality of battery pack blocks, and a current detection method therefor.
In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is directed to a method for detecting a total charge/discharge current in a battery power source device. The battery power source device includes a plurality of battery pack systems connected in parallel or series-parallel. Each of the battery pack systems includes: a battery pack block having a plurality of rechargeable batteries connected in series; a battery ECU that detects a current, a voltage, and a temperature and controls an operation state of the battery pack block based on the detection result; and a charge/discharge circuit for connecting the battery pack block. The method for detecting a total charge/discharge current includes: detecting currents at the respective charge/discharge circuits of the battery pack systems detected by the corresponding battery ECUs provided at the battery pack systems connected in parallel; and adding up the currents in an analog data state.
According to the current detection method, the total charge/discharge current in the battery power source device is obtained without having to provide current detection means and a processing circuit. Current data after A/D conversion may not accurately be added, while analog data before A/D conversion are accurately added. Consequently, charge/discharge currents detected by the battery ECUs in the battery pack systems connected in parallel can be added up to obtain the total charge/discharge current in the battery power source device.
A second aspect of the invention is directed to a battery power source device, comprising a plurality of battery pack systems connected in parallel or series-parallel. The battery pack systems each includes: a battery pack block having a plurality of rechargeable batteries connected in series; a battery ECU for detecting a current, a voltage, and a temperature and for controlling an operation state of the battery pack block based on the detection result; and a charge/discharge circuit for connecting the battery pack block, the circuit including a current sensor. The battery ECU includes an amplification circuit for processing and amplifying a current detection output from the current sensor, and an A/D conversion circuit for receiving and A/D-converting an output value from the amplification circuit for output as a detection value for the current to be used for controlling an operation state of the battery pack system. The power source device further includes an addition unit for adding up the output values of the amplification circuits of the battery ECUs in the battery pack blocks connected in parallel to detect the total charge/discharge current value.
When the output values in the amplification circuits of the battery ECUs in the battery pack systems connected in parallel are added up, the total charge/discharge current in the battery power source device is obtained.
In the above-described configuration, the addition unit collects and adds up the output values of the amplification circuits of the battery ECUs provided at the battery pack systems connected in parallel. The addition unit is provided as an addition circuit at each of the battery ECUs, and an arbitrary one of the battery ECUs serves as a master and the output values of the amplification circuits in the other battery ECUs serving as slaves are input to the addition circuit in the master battery ECU for addition. Thereby, all the battery ECUs can have the same arrangement. In this way, the production management is efficient and the output values are collected to the addition unit in the master battery ECU by the interconnection.
The master battery ECU A/D-converts the total charge/discharge current value produced by the addition by the addition circuit to be used as management data for the operation state. The total charge/discharge current data can be provided to equipment that uses the battery power source device.
While novel features of the invention are set forth in the preceding, the invention, both as to organization and content, can be further understood and appreciated, along with other objects and features thereof, from the following detailed description and examples when taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.

Battery power source device and current detection method therefor


In a tire vulcanizer configured to perform opening and closing of a mold using an efficient ball screw shaft or the like, a top mold mounting member holding a top mold is lifted and lowered by rotating the ball screw shaft with a driving mechanism to vertically lift and lower a ball nut, and the lifting and lowering of the top mold mounting member is stopped by fixing the ball screw shaft by the de-excitation of an electromagnetic brake connected directly to the ball screw shaft, independently from the driving mechanism. According to such a structure, the opening and closing of the mold can be stopped, even if abnormality of the driving mechanism or the brake occurs.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tire vulcanizer for vulcanizing and patterning a tire within an openable and closable mold. More specifically, the present invention relates to a tire vulcanizer provided with a motor and a mechanical brake for controlling the lifting and lowering of a top mold mounting member that holds a top mold, and a brake control method therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
A tire vulcanizer is a machine configured to vulcanize and pattern an unvulcanized green tire placed in a mold by heating from inside and outside the mold. Generally, the mold of the tire vulcanizer includes a two-piece mold divided into a top mold and a bottom mold. The top mold and bottom mold of the two-piece mold are held, respectively, on a top mold mounting member and a bottom mold mounting member, and opening and closing of the mold can be performed by lifting and lowering the top mold mounting member in a vertical direction relative to the bottom mold mounting member.
For example, a tire vulcanizer disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. H1-24048 has a mechanical elevating means such as a screw shaft and a screw nut screwed to the screw shaft in such a manner as capable of being lifted and lowered, wherein the opening and closing of the mold can be performed by rotating the screw shaft with an electric motor to vertically lift and lower a top mold that moves up and down integrally with the mechanical elevating means relative to a bottom mold.
A tire vulcanizer disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-228938 includes an elevating shaft erected on the upper side of the center of an elevating stand through a fixture, and a female screw cylinder formed of a screw nut, a ball screw nut or the like, which is engaged with and inserted through the elevating shaft, wherein the opening and closing of the mold can be performed by rotating the female screw cylinder with a driving body to lift and lower the elevating shaft, thereby vertically lifting and lowering a movable top mold attached to the lower surface of the elevating stand relative to a fixed bottom mold.
In the process of vulcanizing green tire, the lifting and lowering of the top mold may be stopped in mid-course in case of, for example, loading or unloading a tire, emergency stop or the like. As the screw shaft or elevating shaft used as the elevating means, an efficient ball screw or the like is generally used in order to minimize the output of the motor or the like for rotating it. If such an efficient screw is used, particularly during lowering of the top mold, the top mold may not stop by powering off the motor due to the inertia of the motor and that of a rising and lowering part such as the top mold. Further, reverse fall of the top mold may occur during lifting of the top mold. Therefore, a mechanical brake such as an electromagnetic brake is attached to the conventional motor to stop the lifting and lowering of the top mold with the mechanical brake. Here, if abnormality such as breakage of the electromagnetic brake occurs during stoppage of the top mold, the brake on the top mold goes out, causing a problem such as collision with the bottom mold due to fall. Further, abnormality such as breakage of a driving mechanism (the motor or a power transmission unit for transmitting drive power of the motor) during the lifting and lowering of the top mold causes a problem such as fall of the top mold or breakage of a guide part for guiding the lifting and lowering of the top mold due to imbalanced load. However, the tire vulcanizes disclosed in the literatures described above have no countermeasures to abnormalities as described above.


An ink jet printer includes an MPU for outputting 1 byte of reverse data. This reverse data is loaded onto a reverse data register. Low nibble data in 4 bits is set to a data switch in response to a "state 1" control signal from a status control. Responsive to a "state 6" control signal, high nibble data in 4 bits is set to the data switch. Thus, the reverse data, configured by 8 bits in the "state 1" and "state 4", is sent on a 4-bit basis to a host computer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to ink jet printers. More particularly, this invention is concerned with an ink jet printer, wherein a host computer supplies, through device drivers, print commands and print data to an ink jet printer so that they are processed by an MPU (Microprocessor Unit) and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) to thereby control ink jet nozzles, a carrier and a feed motor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Printers connected to a host machine generally require transmission of various data (reverse data) to the host machine through bi-directional communications according to IEEE1284. Particularly ink jet printers require transmission of reverse data to the host machine at least in a nibble mode.
There proposed is a technology disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laying-open No. H1-142924 (Jun. 5, 1989), etc. in order to meet these requirements due to a standard. In this technology, status signals are sent back to a host machine, under the control of an MPU, through a Centronics (commodity name) of an 8-bit parallel signal line.
In the prior art, however, the MPU suffers from a heavy burden because the reverse data is sent back to the host under the control of the MPU provided in the printer. Accordingly, there has been a necessity of mounting on a printer a high-speed, expensive MPU in order to achieve high-speed processing.


Systems, methods, software and apparatus enable linking of a wearable end user communication device (EUD) to an intermediate communication device (ICD) utilizing optical symbol sequence matching. Optical symbol reference data corresponding to an optical symbol sequence displayed on the EUD is obtained from the EUD by the ICD. Optical symbol input data is also acquired by the ICD (e.g., via user inputs, EUD device proximity data, image acquisition). The devices are linked if the optical symbol reference data and optical symbol input data match. The optical symbol reference data can be displayed, allowing user confirmation of a match with the optical symbol sequence displayed on the EUD. An ICD user interface touchscreen can present users with selectable color inputs to replicate the optical symbol sequence displayed on the EUD, for example using an LED array. Communications between the devices before and after linking can utilize Bluetooth low energy.

Various devices permit linking one communication device to another to permit communications between the devices. In some communication systems, an endpoint device in a communication system can be an end user device that allows a user to communicate with other endpoint devices via one or more intermediate communication devices and a communication network or the like. For example, a wearable end user device can be linked to an intermediate communication device (e.g., a cellphone, smartphone, gaming device, tablet, laptop or other computer) that in turn is connected to a communication network that permits a user of the end user device to communicate verbally or otherwise with other devices connected to the network. When both the end user device and its associated intermediate communication device are portable devices, external markings on the devices (e.g., serial numbers, media access control (MAC) addresses, etc.) may be printed in small type or be difficult to locate. Moreover, linking an end user device with an intermediate communication device in a crowded area (i.e., an area with many linking and/or linkable communication devices) may be difficult because a list of available device identifiers presented to a user on an intermediate communication device might include numerous potential connections and thus be difficult to manage.
As a result, it would be advantageous to facilitate linking an end user device to another communication device in a manner that is simple and reliable for users and that assists the user in connecting to the correct end user device.
Overview
Implementations of linking a wearable group communication device to another communication device utilize optical symbol sequence communication linking that can use lights, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and/or other optical symbol sequence-generating and/or displaying devices that provide users with visually perceptible symbols on both an end user device and the display system of an associated intermediate communication device. A communication application on the intermediate communication device can be configured to collect optical symbol reference data (representing an optical symbol sequence) derived from identifying data transmitted from an associated end user device (e.g., an end user device to which a user wishes to link the intermediate communication device). In some implementations the end user device displays the optical symbol sequence so that a user can match the displayed sequence by entering the same optical symbol sequence using a user interface on the intermediate communication device (e.g., as optical symbol input data). The communication application can compare the optical symbol reference data and the optical symbol input data and, if they match, can then enable and initiate a communication connection between the end user device and the intermediate communication device. In some implementations, the end user and intermediate communication devices can utilize Bluetooth low energy (one or more versions of which may be referred to as "Bluetooth LE," "BLE," and/or "Bluetooth Smart") to exchange information during pre-connection data exchange between devices in at least a portion of the linking process.
In other implementations the intermediate communication device has a display system that pre-populates a user interface graphical depiction of an optical symbol sequence corresponding to the identifying data (i.e., optical symbol reference data) from the nearest end user device. The user can confirm that the pre-populated optical symbol sequence on the intermediate communication device display system matches the optical symbol sequence displayed on the end user device to enable the intermediate communication device to initiate a communication connection with the end user device. In still other implementations the intermediate communication device includes an optical data acquisition device that can generate optical symbol sequence image data captured from the end user device's displayed optical symbol sequence. Optical symbol input data can be derived from this image data and compared to the optical symbol reference data received from the end user device to determine the correct end user device.
This Overview is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Technical Disclosure. It may be understood that this Overview is not intended to identify or emphasize key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Proximity-based linking for wearable group communication device


A controlled-environment entertainment system comprising a reclining chair entirely enclosed in a sound-proof rectangular enclosure, an audio-visual entertainment system, and a ventilation system. The enclosure is constructed of two modules arranged for quick disengagement. Retractable wheels on the enclosure provide an added measure of mobility.

The present invention relates generally to entertainment centers, and more particularly, controlled-environment entertainment centers.
Prior systems consist primarily of partially enclosed chairs either with built-in speakers and stereo systems. U.S. Pat. No. 3,762,767 granted to Powell describes a partially enclosed chair with built-in tape recorder, lights, and speakers. The speakers may be used in the interior of the chair or they may be swung outward to provide sound to those exterior to the chair. U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,249 granted to Abbeloos discloses a reclining chair that contains a large speaker mounted in a chamber formed under the thorax area of a person resting on the chair. A pair of arcuate members are mounted on the chair at the person's head and have four distinct loudspeaker chambers enclosed therein for directing multichannel or single channel sound into the ears of the person.


A method for programming a non-volatile memory system. The method includes programming a first non-volatile storage element on a first word line and a first NAND string to store “n” bits of data. A second non-volatile storage element on the first word line and a second NAND string is programmed to store n+1 bits of data. The second non-volatile storage element is a neighbor to the first non-volatile storage element. A third non-volatile storage element on a second word line and the second NAND string is programmed to store n bits of data. The third non-volatile storage element is a neighbor to the second non-volatile storage element. A fourth non-volatile storage element on the second word line and the first NAND string is programmed to store n+1 bits of data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to flash memory devices/systems, and more particularly, to programming multi-state flash memory cells.
2. Background of the Invention
Semiconductor memory devices have become popular for use in various electronic devices. For example, non-volatile semiconductor memory is used in cellular telephones, digital cameras, personal digital assistants, mobile computing devices, non-mobile computing devices and other electronic devices. Electrical Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) and flash memory are among the most popular non-volatile semiconductor memories.
One example of a flash memory system uses the NAND structure, which includes arranging multiple transistors in series, sandwiched between two select gates. A NAND array has a number of memory cells (or storage units, used interchangeably throughout this specification), such as 4, 8, 16, or even 32, connected in series string (NAND string) between a bit line and a reference potential through select transistors at either end. Word lines are connected with control gates of cells in different series strings. Relevant examples of NAND arrays and their operation are given in the following U.S. patents that are incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,570,315, 5,774,397 and 6,046,935.
Flash memory cells can be dual state or multi state. A dual state (2LC) memory cell stores 1 bit of data, while multi-state memory cells can store more data. Current NAND technology can support a 4 state (4LC) memory cell, which can store 2 bits of data. Briefly, two bits of data from different logical pages of incoming data are programmed into one of four states of the individual cells in two steps, first programming a cell into one state according to one bit of data and then, if the data makes it necessary, re-programming that cell into another one of its states according to the second bit of incoming data.
As technology improves, future NAND cells could handle 6 state (6LC), 8 state (8LC) or even 16 state (16LC) memory cells. Programming multi-state memory cells has challenges, especially for a 3 state or a 6 state memory cell. A 3 state memory cell could store 1.5 bits and a 6 state memory cell could store 2.5 bits. Complex calculation circuits will be required to maintain the book-keeping for storing 0.5 bit increments.
Furthermore, during the operation of a non-volatile memory, reading and writing of data in one memory will often disturb the data stored in other memory cells. One source of these disturbs is the field effect coupling between adjacent floating gates as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,429 of Jian Chen and Yupin Fong, which patent is incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference. The degree of these coupling increases as the size of memory cell arrays is being decreased as the result of improvements of integrated circuit manufacturing techniques. The problem occurs most pronouncedly between two sets of adjacent cells that have been programmed at different times. One set of cells is programmed to add a level of charge to their floating gates that corresponds to one set of data. After the second set of cells is programmed with a second set of data, the charge levels read from the floating gates of the first set of cells often appears to be different than programmed because of the effect of the charge on the second set of floating gates being coupled with the first. This is known as the Yupin effect.
To optimize programming speed/minimum Yupin effect, while maintaining simple logic in a high density multi-state memory cell storing data in 0.5 bit increments (for example, in 3LC and 6LC) is a challenge.

Method and system for programming multi-state non-volatile memory devices


A method for estimating blur degree of image and a method for evaluating image quality are revealed. First, an input image is transmitted to an image processing device for producing a synthesized blur image including a nonlinear image sensing function according to a pixel intensity distribution parameter of the input image. Next, the image processing device matches the pixel intensity distribution according to the input image and the synthesized blur image for producing a blur degree parameter; By the way, the image processing device further estimating an estimated blur result according to the blur degree parameter. The method for estimating blur degree of image can be further applied to estimate blur distribution for a plurality of regions of interest of a plurality of input images. Thereby, the blur distribution of the input images can be estimated, and thus further evaluating the image quality of the plurality of input images.

Image process can be distinguished into image pre-process and image post-process. People can use an image extraction device to shoot scenery for acquiring the digital image data thereof. The acquired image data is generally called raw data. The raw data further will be processed for generating specific image effects. The procedure of using an image extraction device to shoot and acquire raw data is named image pre-process; the image processing procedure afterwards is called image post-process. The pre-processing procedures include the controls during image extraction, for example, auto focus and auto exposure. On the other hand, the general image post-processing procedures include noise reduction on raw data, white balancing, color interpolation, color calibration, gamma correction, color space conversion, edge enhancement, saturation enhancement, and false color suppression for obtaining images of superior quality.
In addition, with the prevalence of the digital optical devices such as digital still cameras and digital video cameras, people's requests for the image quality become demanding increasingly. Nonetheless, many factors in digital optical devices, including imaging defects caused by optical design, errors in lens processing, nonlinear characteristics and noises in image sensors, affect the imaging quality. In particular, defocus in image sensors tends to produce image blur. Unfortunately, the post-processing method described above does not estimate the blur degree of image for blur images. Thereby, the blur situation of defocused blur image cannot be improved. For solving the defocus problem, a point spread function (PSF) is developed by researchers in the image processing field.
Generally speaking, a digital optical device can use a point spread function for representing an optical path or an imaging system, where each object distance has a corresponding PSF for representing the optical characteristics of the optical path at the object distance. Besides, the image extracted by an image sensor is the convolution of the target image and the PSF. Current PSF is a Gaussian PSF according to the Gaussian function, which is used for representing the optical imaging system of a linear sensing device. In other words, the Gaussian PSF is a point spread function in an ideal condition. Nonetheless, a digital optical imaging system is an image extracting system built on nonlinear sensing devices. Thereby, imaging based on Gaussian PSF cannot represent the real target image exactly.
Consequently, even in a focused condition, the scenery in focus cannot be imaged on the image sensor perfectly. For the objects at other object distances, the imaging quality deteriorates significantly owing to defocus. In a defocused image, there usually exist only minor differences among nearby pixels, making the image intensity uniformly distributed among a plurality of pixels after convolution between the target image and the PSF. Thereby, the image extracted by the image sensor is blur with uniform intensity. Currently, the Gaussian PSF is adopted as the main function for modifying blur in defocused blur images. Because the Gaussian PSF, which can only modify blur in a linear system, cannot build an imaging model of an optical system using nonlinear sensing devices and current image modification technologies cannot estimate the blur degree of image in a blur image with certainty, current image modification technologies cannot eliminate the image blur generated by defocus effectively.
Accordingly, the present invention provides an estimation method for blur degree of image and an evaluation method for image quality, which match the pixel intensity distribution by using a synthesized image related to a non-uniform image and the input image. Thereby, the estimation for blur is given, which can be further applied to evaluation of image quality.

Method for estimating blur degree of image and method for evaluating image quality


A brush mower head adapted to be carried by an articulating crane comprises:. (1) a casing, adapted to be mounted to a crane PA0 (2) a motor carried by the casing, and PA0 (3) a drum with a center shaft mounted for rotation in the casing and powered by the motor, the axis for rotation in the drum in use being generally parallel to the ground. The drum is a cylinder having a length at least twice its diameter and has at least two hammer shafts running end to end parallel to the axis of rotation and being in balanced relationship one to another to minimize rotational imbalance of the drum. Hammers are mounted on the hammer shafts for free rotation thereabout in each of said wells. The hammers when the drum is rotating for mowing protrude by a centrifugal force beyond the surface of the cylinder and present a cutting edge to the brush being engaged.

The following United States patents show various designs that have been developed in the past.
______________________________________ No. DATE INVENTOR ASSIGNEE ______________________________________ 2,691,262 10/12/54 Swertfeger 3,754,603 8/28/73 Bogie 4,041,996 8/16/77 Grover Ram Industries 4,259,834 4/7/81 Lambert, e.a. USA - Sec. of Agric. 4,338,985 7/13/82 Smith e.a. Georgia Pacific Corp. ______________________________________
None of these show or suggest the mowing head design of the present invention. Some are dual purpose, U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,996 supposedly can be used to chew up brush besides eradicating stumps. U.S. Pat. No. 4,259,834 is of interest because of its discussion of prior art devices.


A compound shift lever mechanism employs a noise and vibration damper assembly for isolating an upper shift lever from a lower shift lever of a transmission. In a preferred form, the levers are held in spaced, coaxial alignment for unitary movement in a plurality of planes by a damper which comprises two parts. The first part is a cylindrical elastomeric sleeve defining axially spaced female end portions comprising bores which frictionally overlie and snugly encase the two lever end portions which extend thereinto. The second part is a cylindrical metallic shell which circumferentially encapsulates the elastomeric sleeve which contains the respective ends of the upper and lower levers. The shell thus radially encapsulates both of the end portions, as well as the sleeve, which incorporates a midportion containing a radial internal barrier to prevent direct physical contact between the extremities of the levers. Finally, spaced female ends of the shell are crimped radially inwardly against the female end portions of the sleeve and, in turn, against both lever end portions, to frictionally retain the end portions in spaced, coaxial alignment.

This invention relates to mechanisms for coupling compound shift levers together for use in transmissions. More particularly, this invention relates to damper assemblies adapted to absorb, and hence to isolate, noise and vibrations which emanate from the transmission of a vehicle.
Numerous damper assemblies for absorbing noise and vibrations have been designed for compound shift lever assemblies, particularly for use in heavy trucks. It is well known to provide rubber or elastomeric materials in joints or connections between upper and lower levers of compound shift levers. A great number of such damper assemblies, however, employ such elastomeric materials between selective portions of relatively complex apparatus. For example, in one compound shift lever device a metallic female extension is attached to a lower portion of an upper male lever to co-axially fix the upper lever to a lower male lever. The metallic extension is threaded, and contains a bore lined with elastomer into which a lower extremity of the upper portion extends. Enshrouded about the coupled levers is an elastomeric boot to enhance vibration absorption capability. Such conventional devices are typical; yet they have been unsatisfactory for lack of simplicity. As a result, such damper systems are often prone to early failures; perhaps such failures have often been statistically introduced into their manufacture via mere complexity.
It would be desireable to provide a shift lever assembly with a vibration and noise damper to isolate noise from the cabin of a truck or other vehicle without the use of complex parts. It would be particularly desirable to completely isolate upper and lower shift levers from vibrations and noise inherent in metal to metal contact via employment of a simple two-piece damper assembly.

Damper assembly for shift lever mechanism


A method for detecting a plurality of object regions in an image, wherein the plurality of object regions having similar specific structural features, comprises: an estimation step for estimating a common initial value for the specific structural features of the plurality of object regions; and a determination step for determining, for each of the plurality of object regions, a final value for the specific structural feature of the object region and a final position thereof separately based on the estimated common initial value.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to method and apparatus for object detection in an image. More specifically, the present invention relates to method and apparatus for detecting a plurality of object regions with similar specific structural features in an image.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, object detection is popularly applied in the field of image processing, computer vision and pattern recognition and plays an important role therein. A common kind of object detection is detection for objects with similar and even the same features in an image, such as human pupils, etc, and there exists many type of techniques for such object detection.
Hereinafter, we would take pupil detection in a face image as an example to explain the current techniques for detecting a plurality of objects with similar and even the same features in an image in the prior art.
For pupil detection, since the pupil center is similar to the iris center and the shape of eye iris is approximately circular, the iris boundary is actually detected and used to estimate the pupil center. The best known and thoroughly examined algorithm is perhaps the algorithm based on the work described in J. Daugman, "High Confidence Visual Recognition of Persons by a Test of Statistical Independence", PAMI, 1993 (hereinafter to be referred as Daugman). The technique uses an integro-differential operator to find the circular boundary of an iris. Another well-known algorithm is based on the circular Hough transform employed by R. Wildes, "Iris Recognition: An Emerging Biometric Technology", Proc. IEEE, 1997.
However, the general methods mainly try their best to precisely localize the pupil center in a single eye image, that is, separately determine respective pupil centers in respective eyes, and do not pay much attention on the relation between the left eye and the right eye in a face image. Therefore, the results gotten by the general methods show the difference of the radius sizes of two pupils is very large, as shown in FIG. 13A.
Furthermore, another shortcoming in the general methods is that, when the uncertainty (e.g. uneven light) of photo environment and the local circular-like dark areas of surrounding objects (e.g. eyebrows, eyeglasses, and hair) appear in the image, the detection result of the general methods becomes unreliable.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,197,166 discloses an iris extraction method capable of precisely determining positions and sizes of irises in a digital face image. The method uses the relation between the left eye and the right eye in the face image to localize the iris, and as shown in FIG. 2 which shows the key flow chart of the method, the method comprises the following steps: roughly detecting the positions of two eyes in a face image, and measuring the distance between the two positions; defining two rectangular searching regions according to the distance (the scales of the two rectangles are related to the distance); and precisely localizing an iris for each of rectangular searching regions separately. Although the method employs the distance between the positions of two eyes to determine the rectangular searching regions of irises or pupils, the method does not consider the similar features (e.g. the same radius) of two irises. This might result in inaccuracy of the final iris location.
As describe above, there still needs a method capable of accurately detecting a plurality of object regions with similar features in an image.

Method and apparatus for object detection


A method, a system, an apparatus, and a computer program product for allocating resources of one or more shared devices to one or more partitions of a virtualization environment within a data processing system. At least one user defined resource assignment is received for one or more devices associated with the data processing system. One or more registers, associated with the one or more partitions are dynamically set to execute the at least one resource assignment, whereby the at least one resource assignment enables a user defined quantitative measure (number and/or percentage) of devices to operate when the one or more transactions are executed via the partition. The system enables the one or more devices to execute one or more transactions at a bandwidth/capacity that is less than or equal to the user defined resource assignment and minimizes performance interference among partitions.

1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to computer systems and in particular to virtualized environments within computer systems.
2. Background
In a virtualized environment, a layer of software called the hypervisor (also known as the virtual machine monitor) runs between the hardware and the operating system, and provides the appearance or illusion of multiple "virtual" machines (VM), also called partitions. A virtual machine is a virtual data-processing system that appears to have exclusive access of the machine's hardware, but whose functions are accomplished by sharing the hardware resources possibly among other virtual machines that co-exist in the machine. The hardware resources shared within the physical data-processing system include but are not limited to memory, processors, and input/output (I/O) devices.
Virtualized environments enable a plurality of operating systems to run concurrently on the same data-processing system, such that each virtual machine or partition runs exactly one instance of an operating system. Currently, the hypervisor allocates hardware resources such as processors, memory pages, and disks to one or more different partitions utilizing a virtual machine interface. The hypervisor allocates these resources to ensure the one or more partitions do not interfere with one another. Some resources, such as memory pages and CPU cores are allocated among different partitions so that there is no physical sharing of resources between partitions. Other resources, such as the memory bus, coherence bus, scalability ports or memory controllers, by nature cannot be allocated exclusively to any individual partition. The proliferation of multicore processor chips accentuates the problem of non-exclusive allocation. For example, there can be several partitions currently allocated to various cores on the same chip, each of the partitions effectively sharing the same data paths such as the aforementioned buses. Partitions sharing the same data path may suffer from severe performance interference when one partition runs a workload that saturates the shared resources, thereby starving other partitions. For instance, when a workload at the one or more partitions is heavily utilizing memory buses, coherence buses, scalability ports, and/or I/O buses, the performance of the other workloads running on different partitions are adversely affected.

Method and system for performance isolation in virtualized environments


This invention relates to an apparatus and retrofit method for integrating a safe into a security system, said apparatus comprising a wireless transmitter that transmits the condition of the safe to the receiver of a security system. The apparatus comprises at least one battery-operated transmitter in wireless communication with at least one receiver through an antenna concealed on the exterior surface of the safe and sensors connected to the transmitter. The design of the safe body and the integration with a wireless interface allows for flexibility and portability of the safe while maintaining strong security.

Conventional safes are generally of a stand-alone type that can perform only the functions set by the hardware and software originally equipped through the manufacturing process. This makes it impossible to expand the functions of the safe unless the safe itself is replaced as a whole, even if the user wishes to enjoy additional functions such as integration into a home or small business security system. While a number of different types of safe security systems have been designed or proposed which include a central system and a remote sensor installed on the safe and designed to respond to an intruder, the great majority of such systems are designed to be permanently installed with the central system permanently wired to the safe sensor.
Although some devices are available to integrate safes with security systems, they have generally met with limited success and share numerous weaknesses. For example, a problem that often arises with hard-wired after-market solutions is the prohibitive modification costs associated with embedding a sensor and related infrastructure for use in connection with an existing safe. Even if the owner is willing to pay these costs, modification such as this is sometimes not allowed in rental situations or may be prevented by the configuration or location of the safe within the home, business, or bank.
Additionally, it is desirable to hide the location of any sensors, as well as their connection to the central security system, to prevent a thief from discerning their location and defeating their operation. Unfortunately, installation of the prior art devices generally require installers to run new wiring. Extra wiring is a telltale sign to thieves that a security system is being employed to protect a safe. The extra wiring also provides a weak link in the alarm system by giving away the location of the sensor which is easily disabled by cutting the wires that connect to the central security system.
In order for a safe integration device to avoid these deficiencies it must be wireless with an antenna capable of communicating wirelessly with a central security system. If a smaller antenna is used with the existing lock assembly and cavity, the efficiency of the antenna's electromagnetic (EM) radiation will not be optimal. It is possible to create, such as with a router or other means, a larger cavity within the body of the safe so that a much larger antenna can be placed within the door in conjunction with the lock assembly, but commercial safes are almost universally made of strong metal, so retrofitting them can be costly. In addition, an antenna contained within a safe door's cavity, regardless of whether the cavity has been enlarged or not, has to penetrate the door's material which is acting as a barrier to efficient EM radiation. In light of this, on a standard metal safe, an external antenna is required for optimal performance.
Therefore, what is needed is a safe that integrates an unobtrusive antenna, made of a signal-conducive material and enclosed in a protective covering, into the external door construction such that the antenna sends a strong wireless signal and is hidden from obvious sight thus enabling an owner to easily integrate a safe into a central security system when desired and therefore add security functionality without any significant invasive, time consuming, and/or expensive modification to the safe or the building.

Security device for integration into a security system