A minimum frequency synchronization discriminator for use in providing a clock signal for a switch mode power supply automatically detects when the frequency of a sync signal is above a minimum frequency and causes the sync signal to serve as the clock signal for the controller. If the frequency of the sync signal is below the minimum frequency, the minimum synchronization frequency discriminator causes the output signal of the internal oscillator to serve as the clock signal.

Switch mode power supplies (SMPSs) are used in many electrical devices to receive electrical energy with one set of parameters (e.g., from a power source) and transform and regulate the received electrical energy to another set of parameters, typically for use by other components of the electrical devices. For example, SMPSs can be used to perform DC-to-DC power conversion in both stepping up and stepping-down an input voltage.
Some SMPS implementations use a controller circuit to control the activation of the switch used to regulate the output voltage of the SMPS. Typical controller implementations include an oscillator frequency for timing and control functions of the SMPS. In some implementations, the oscillator is user-programmable by providing a mechanism for the user to connect circuitry (e.g., a resistor) to the control circuitry of the oscillator. Further, in some applications, it is desirable to synchronize the oscillator output signal(s) with a system or master clock signal of the SMPS.

Minimum synchronization frequency discriminator


A vehicle lock-up clutch control device includes a torque converter, a fuel cutoff control unit and a lock-up release/transmission cooperative control unit. The torque converter is disposed between an engine and a continuously variable transmission. The fuel cutoff control unit is configured to prevent fuel injection to the engine while in a coasting state with the driver's foot away from the accelerator, and configured to restart the fuel injection based on a fuel recovery permission. The lock-up release/transmission cooperative control unit is configured to carry out a cooperative control of a lock-up release control for reducing the clutch engagement capacity of the lock-up clutch and a transmission control for shifting the transmission. Then, if there is an accelerator depression operation while coasting with the lock-up clutch in an engaged state, the lock-up release timing and the shift timing are offset from one another.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lock-up clutch control device for a vehicle that carries out a cooperative control of a lock-up release control and a transmission control during an accelerator depression operation from a state of coasting.
Background Information
Conventionally, a slip control device executes slip control of a lock-up clutch in order to prevent vibration when depressing the accelerator pedal from a lock-up engaged state in an automatic transmission vehicle equipped with a torque converter (refer to, for example, the Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. Hei 8 (1998)-233098).

Lock-up-clutch control device for vehicle


Various embodiments of a bio-inspired robot operable for detecting crack and corrosion defects in tubular structures are disclosed herein.

Tubular structures are commonly used in boilers and heat exchangers. Working under extreme conditions such as high temperatures, large stress loads, hot and high-velocity steam and pressure leads to corrosion, cracks, and stress-corrosion cracks in either the body or welded connections of these components. Regular inspection of these components is vital to avoid tube leakages. This task can be challenging, time-consuming and in many cases, impossible. Using robots for inspection is a promising solution to these challenges. Typical robotic systems show limitation in interacting with complex environments, however, bio-inspired robotics systems have proven helpful in overcoming these limitations. Tokay geckos, for instance, have one of the most effective and versatile attachment systems which enable them to attach quickly and reversibly to surfaces of varying chemistry and topography.
Detecting and characterizing corrosion and crack type defects on tubular structures is one of the major problems faced by the power generation industry. One approach for the measurement of remaining wall thickness and crack detection is to use ultrasound. Contact ultrasound testing (UT) based on bulk waves is time-consuming and requires prepared surfaces of adequate couplant for point-by-point scanning. Recent developments in couplant-free UT may remove a need for couplant in ultrasound technologies, and the development of advanced Lamb wave-based imaging may eliminate the need for point-by-point inspection of the cross-section of a tubular structure.
It is with these observations in mind, among others, that various aspects of the present disclosure were conceived and developed.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding elements among the view of the drawings. The headings used in the figures do not limit the scope of the claims.

Systems and methods for robotic sensing, repair and inspection

Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of Arizona State University


The rare earth borides are prepared at relatively low temperatures by reacting a rare earth halide with elemental boron in the presence of a reducing amount of aluminum metal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the preparation of rare earth borides.
By the expression "rare earth" according to this invention are intended the rare earth elements designated the lanthanides, having atomic numbers ranging from 57 to 71, inclusive, and yttrium, having an atomic number of 39.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The rare earth borides are known compounds having desirable electrical properties In particular, lanthanum hexaboride has excellent properties of thermionic emission and is used as an emissive cathode in high energy electrical devices.
At the present time, the industrial development of the rare earth borides is limited by the difficulty of producing a product of satisfactory purity by a process applicable on an industrial scale.
It is known to this art to prepare lanthanum boride by reducing lanthanum sesquioxide with boron carbide or elemental boron under reduced pressure (G. A. Meerson et al, Izv. Akad. Nauk. SSR Neorg. Mater, 3, No. 5, 802-806 (1967)). However, as these reactions are carried out at temperatures higher than 1,500.degree. C., not only is a graphite crucible required, but also a graphite lined furnace.
It has also been proposed, according to U.S. Pat. No. 3,902,973, to prepare rare earth borides by the electrolysis of a source of rare earths in a molten salt medium containing a cryolite and an alkali metal borate. Such a process is relatively complex in view of the electrolysis temperature of from 950.degree. to 1,050.degree. C. and the usual problem of the recovery of the rare earth boride at the cathode arises, with the latter also causing pollution because of the cryolite.
In the process described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,260,525, the same problem of separation of the rare earth boride is encountered. This process entails mixing a rare earth carbonate, nitrate or oxide with boron, in the presence of aluminum, to dissolve the boron at a temperature of from 1,200.degree. to 1,600.degree. C., next heating the reaction medium within this temperature range, cooling it, and then separating the rare earth boride from the aluminum oxide formed.
To eliminate the difficulties of separation and purification of the products produced by the above processes of the prior art, the assignee hereof, in FR 87/16,396, proposed a process for the preparation of a rare earth boride by heating a rare earth chloride together with elemental boron.
The process of this '396 application features directly producing a rare earth boride by heating a rare earth chloride with elemental boron, as the only secondary product formed is boron chloride, which is volatile under the conditions of the reaction.
Another advantage of the process described in FR 87/16,396 is that it can be carried out in conventional apparatus, e.g., in a furnace of alumina or aluminosilicate bricks, as the reaction temperature is relatively low; it may be less than 1,500.degree. C. and preferably around 1,200.degree. C.
As the reactions for the synthesis of the rare earth borides are carried out at a relatively high temperature, need continues to exist in this art for processes which can be conducted at even lower reaction temperature.


A crystal unit has a crystal blank provided with a pair of excitation electrodes and a pair of extension electrodes extended from the excitation electrodes, and a casing having a recess. A pair of connection terminals is formed on the bottom face of the recess. An inclined surface is formed at one end of a first principal surface of the crystal blank and the second principal surface of the crystal blank is flat-shaped. A conductive material is disposed between the connection terminals and the extension electrodes so that the extension electrodes are extended toward the end at which the inclined surface is formed and the second principal surface faces the mounting member, and the crystal blank is thereby held by the mounting member at the position of the end at which the extension electrodes are extended and electrically connected to the connection terminals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a quartz crystal unit, and more particularly, to a crystal unit having an excellent vibration characteristic and small dispersion in quality.
2. Description of the Related Arts
A surface mount crystal unit is widely used for an oscillator and the like as a reference source of frequency or time, especially in portable electronic devices since it is small and light. While miniaturization of a surface mount crystal unit is advancing more and more in recent years, the vibration characteristic of a crystal unit is required to be kept constant despite the miniaturization.
A conventional surface mount crystal unit shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B is realized by accommodating quartz crystal blank 2 in casing 1 made of laminated ceramics or the like, covering the opening of casing 1 with cover 3 and thereby hermetically sealing crystal blank 2 in casing 1. Casing 1 is suitable for surface mounting and provided with a recess having a substantially rectangular shape as a two-dimensional projected shape. A pair of connection terminals 4 used for an electrical connection with crystal blank 2 is provided at both sides of one end of the inner bottom surface of the recess. Connection terminals 4 are electrically connected to external terminals 5 provided on the outer surface of casing 1 via a conductive path (not shown) through the laminated plane of the laminated ceramics.
As shown in FIG. 2, crystal blank 2 has a substantially rectangular planar shape, and linear or curved inclined surfaces are formed on both principal surfaces of the crystal blank at both ends in the longitudinal direction of crystal blank 2. That is, both principal surfaces have so-called beveled surfaces or convex surfaces at both longitudinal ends of crystal blank 2. Excitation electrodes 6 are formed on the flat areas of both principal surfaces of crystal blank 2 and extension electrodes 7 are drawn out from excitation electrodes 6 toward both sides of one end of crystal blank 2 across the surface of the inclined surface at the one end. Extension electrodes 7 are folded over the principal surface on the opposite side at the position of the end face of crystal blank 2. Both sides of one end of crystal blank 2 to which extension electrodes 7 are extended are fixed onto the pair of connection terminals 4 through a conductive material, for example, conductive adhesive 8, and then crystal blank 2 is electrically and mechanically connected to casing 1 and held in the recess of casing 1. Then, by placing cover 3 so as to cover the recess, crystal blank 2 is hermetically sealed in casing 1. A crystal unit with inclined surfaces formed at both ends of a crystal blank on both principal surfaces and the crystal blank fixed to a casing by means of a conductive adhesive is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-196886 (JP, P2001-196886A).
Here, the process of fixing crystal blank 2 will be explained. As shown in FIG. 3, conductive adhesive 8 is normally applied to connection terminals 4 and then both sides of one end of crystal blank 2 on which the inclined surface is formed are positioned under a pressure indicated by arrow P. Then the assembly of casing 1 and crystal blank 2 is heated. Crystal blank 2 is thus secured through heating and hardening of conductive adhesive 8.
In the crystal unit manufactured through such a process, because of the inclined surfaces provided at both ends of crystal blank 2, vibration energy is trapped in the flat area in the center of crystal blank 2 and the vibration characteristic represented by crystal impedance (CI), etc., is thereby maintained satisfactorily.
However, the surface mount crystal unit in the above described conventional configuration has the following problems because the inclined surfaces of the crystal blank are fixed by means of conductive adhesive 8. That is, since both sides at one end of the inclined surface is pressed and then heated, the pressing force and pressing direction of the pressure applied to conductive adhesive 8 vary from one crystal blank to another depending on factors such as the positioning accuracy of the crystal blank. With such variations in the pressing force and pressing direction, the holding state and holding system also vary from one crystal blank 2 to another, causing variations in the holding state and thereby producing also non-uniformity in the vibration characteristic as the crystal unit. Furthermore, conductive adhesive 8 may wrap around from the inclined surface at the end of crystal blank 2 up to the flat area which is the vibration area and may deteriorate the vibration characteristic of the crystal unit as a consequence. These problems become noticeable because the influence of holding crystal blank 2 increases as the miniaturization of crystal blank 2 advances.
In the case of a crystal unit in a configuration with a crystal blank inserted between clamp type metal holding members, the configuration with inclined surfaces provided at both ends of one or both principal surfaces of the crystal blank is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 61-70425 (JP, 61-70425, U).


An apparatus for the organizing, storage, display and removing clothing accessories and the like, wherein the apparatus may be, optionally, hanged in a clothing closet or placed on a stand for easy access thereto. The apparatus may be characterized as a multi-layer, laminated structure comprising outer, rigid layers on either side of an inner, pliable layer. Apertures in the outer layers cooperate with slits in the inner layer to form garment holding channels suitable for placing clothing accessories. Clothing accessories such as ties, scarves, belts, and the like may be placed on the apparatus.

The invention is directed to an apparatus for hanging in a clothing closet or standing alone that is suitable for displaying and storing clothing accessories for easy selection and removal therefrom.
The present invention relates to an apparatus for storing and organizing clothing accessories. More particular, the present invention relates to an apparatus for storing and organizing clothing in the form of a hanger construction that may be economically manufactured as a multi-layered structure of polymeric materials. The apparatus of the invention is suitable for the storage, organization and display of clothing accessories, including but not limited to, belts, scarves, gloves, ties, stockings, socks, handkerchiefs, jewelry and the like.
Numerous prior art patents have dealt with the display of clothing accessory articles, but none have been particularly concerned with easy placement and removal of accessory articles. Many of the prior art references provide for easy placement of clothing accessories, while others provide easy removal thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,138,259, issued Jun. 23, 1964, to Sitt discloses a device for displaying ornamental articles. The display device can be characterized as a conventional hanger, suitable for hanging clothing garments from a closet bar, having a plurality of vertically positioned posts attached to the inclining segments of the hanger. Articles such as jewelry and clothing accessories can be draped over the vertical rods for storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,784, issued Jan. 30, 1979, to Knoel discloses a hanger for holding scarves and other suspendable fabric products therefrom. The hanger can be characterized as a wire or rod-like structure having a hook for hanging the apparatus from a closet clothing bar or the like and several rows of closely, configured, vertical-positioned rings of various diameter incorporated into the wire. The position and weight of the rings below the hook maintains the hanger in an essentially vertical plane on the clothing bar.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,838, issued Dec. 1, 1987, to Campbell discloses a multiple purpose hanger for hanging clothing articles and the like from a hanger bar of a clothes closet. The hanger can be characterized as having a swivel hook for placement over a hanger bar, and an elongated vertically extending article hanging means attached to the swivel hook. The hanging means can be further characterized as a series of vertically aligned, oppositely facing hooks, wherein every other hook faces the same direction. The hooks are upwardly facing so that clothing articles fitted directly thereover are prevented from accidental displacement.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,088, issued Oct. 18, 1988, to Miller, discloses a garment carrier suitable for holding scarves, mufflers, gloves, and the like. The carrier can be characterized as a conventional hanger adapted to be hung from a closet bar having attached thereto two sets of vertically, spaced rings of various diameter attached to one another, the sets of ring being closely positioned on the interior portion of the horizontal bar of the hanger. On either end of the horizontal bar, flanking the ring sets, is a series of vertically, spaced clamps attached to one another. The rings and clamps provide means for holding garments on the carrier.
U.S. Des. Pat. Nos. 407,564 and 407,565, both issued Apr. 6, 1999, to Wilcox disclose scarf hangers. The ""564 patent can be characterized as having hooking means for suspension from a closet bar with a vertically positioned, cylindrical rod attached thereto. The cylindrical rod has a plurality of equal diameter rings aligned in a horizontal plane and equally spaced around the rod. The ""565 patent can be characterized as a conventional hanger, suitable for suspension from a closet bar, having a plurality of equal diameter rings attached on either side of the horizontal-portion of the hanger and equally spaced in the horizontal plane thereof.
The prior art accessory hangers can be characterized as providing either ring or clamping means for organizing clothing accessories. While the ring means provide for easy storage and removal, accessories are loosely secured to the ring and a slight movement or touching of the accessory may cause dislodging from the ring. The clamping means, accessory hanger provides a more secure attachment for clothing accessories, however, clamping means are often difficult to operate. The spring action or resistance of the clamp to open can make it difficult to remove accessories therefrom and can leave impressions of the clamp in the article. Sometimes the accessory can be damaged by ripping or tearing if the clamp is not fully disengaged prior to removal of the accessory therefrom.
The present invention provides a clothing accessory, hanging apparatus suitable for hanging from a closet bar or placing on a stand, wherein the accessories are easily stored and removed therefrom. The apparatus of the invention is suitable for organizing, storing and displaying clothing accessories for quick access. Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description and drawings that follow.
The present invention is directed to an apparatus suitable for organizing, storing, displaying, and removing clothing accessories, comprising:
a) a multi-layer, laminated structure, comprising:
i. a first rigid, solid layer having top and bottom sides and a plurality of apertures therethrough, wherein the apertures are perpendicular to the plane of the solid layer;
ii. a resilient, pliable layer having a plurality of slits there through, wherein the slits are perpendicular to the plane of the pliable layer; and
iii. a second rigid, solid layer having top and bottom sides and a plurality of apertures there through, wherein the apertures are perpendicular to the plane of the solid layer;
wherein the plurality of apertures of the first and second, solid layers are of similar diameter and align with one another, wherein the slits of the pliable layer align with the apertures of the solid layers, wherein the solid layers abut either side of the pliable layer to form the multi-layer, laminated structure, and wherein the apertures and slits cooperate to form a plurality of garment holder channels suitable for organizing, storing and displaying clothing accessories;
b) hanging means attached to the top side of the laminated structure suitable for removable attaching the structure to a display means, i.e. closet bar; and
c) a plurality of hooking means attached to the sides of the laminated structure, wherein the hooking means are suitable for removably attaching clothing accessories, e.g. belts, ties, sashes, etc. thereto.


A cleaning apparatus is generally composed of a suction unit provided with a suction source, a suction nozzle equipped with a suction port adapted to suck dust or like from a surface to be cleaned, a suction hose connected at one end to the suction nozzle and connected at another end to the suction unit, a low-center-of-gravity support member provided for the suction hose so as to serve as a fulcrum when the suction hose is bent and deformed, a wire member supported at a distal end by the suction nozzle and arranged along the suction hose, and a control unit used to bend and deform the suction hose by manipulating the wire member with the low-center-of-gravity support member serving as a fulcrum. This cleaning apparatus is specifically usable for a bottom surface of a reactor pressure vessel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus, and more particularly, to a cleaning apparatus capable of cleaning narrow surfaces such as an inner surface of a bottom (i.e., reactor bottom) of a reactor pressure vessel in a boiling water reactor (BWR).
2. Description of the Related Art
The bottom portion of the reactor pressure vessel of a boiling water reactor has a hemispherical shape, and accordingly, in such a reactor bottom portion, it is unavoidable to accumulate dust or like containing radioactive substances. In order to clean the dust on the inner surface of the reactor bottom portion, it will be necessary to insert a suction hose in a reactor pressure vessel so as to extend to the reactor's inner bottom surface to thereby suck the dust together with reactor water.
As such a cleaning apparatus, there have been proposed a reactor bottom cleaning apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-354053: Patent Document 1) and an in-core cleaning apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 8-122484: Patent Document 2).
The reactor bottom cleaning apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a rotary suction device, which is equipped with a suction port facing the reactor bottom, and which rotates at a constant radius with respect to the body of the apparatus within a predetermined plane by using a rotary actuator, for example.
On the other hand, the in-core cleaning apparatus described in Patent Document 2 has an operating pole from which a support pole and a crown unit are brunched. When the operating pole is rotated around its axis, the support pole rotates within a predetermined plane at a constant radius around the crown unit mounted on a jet pump so as to move a suction hose attached to the support pole.
However, a large number of short stubs (CRD stubs) are installed in a protruding condition at predetermined intervals on the reactor bottom to allow penetration of a control rod drive mechanism (hereinafter referred to as a CRD or CRD mechanism). Furthermore, an in-core monitor housing (ICM housing) is also installed on the reactor bottom to insert an in-core monitor (hereinafter referred to as an ICM).
Consequently, it is extremely troublesome to thoroughly clean between CRD stubs or around the ICM housing by means of a suction hose, requiring a great deal of time and effort.
Both the cleaning apparatus described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 require to rotate the suction port or suction hose at a constant radius within a predetermined plane. Even with these cleaning apparatus, a large number of protrusions including the CRD stubs and ICM housing get in the way of cleaning, inevitably taking a great deal of time and effort to clean the inner surface of the reactor bottom.
For example, the apparatus described in Patent Document 1 may clean between the CRD stubs by rotating the rotary suction device equipped with the suction port within a range of movement. However, in order to thoroughly clean an area accessible to the rotary suction device, it is required to rotate the rotary suction device while attentively moving the body of the apparatus equipped with the rotary suction device.


An automatic gain control technique is disclosed for adjusting the gain of an IF amplifier in a communication system, such as an OFDM or DMT communication system. The gain of an RF amplifier is controlled by a known RF automatic gain control circuit that generates an RF gain value. The disclosed IF automatic gain control (AGC) circuit controls the gain of an IF amplifier in the receiver. The disclosed IF AGC monitors the RF gain value, as well as pre-FFT and post-FFT signal energy measurements performed before and after a fast Fourier transform (FFT) stage, respectively, to maintain a desired set point. The IF AGC adjusts the previous IF gain value by an amount opposite to the adjusted RF gain value, if any. If there is no RF gain adjustment, then the IF AGC will adjust the IF gain based on thresholds established for the pre-FFT and post-FFT measurements. If the pre-FFT measurement is within a desired tolerance of the pre-FFT threshold, then the IF gain will be lowered in stepped increments. Otherwise, the IF gain adjustment is the minimum of the difference between (i) the pre-FFT measurement and its threshold, or (ii) the post-FFT measurement and its threshold, multiplied by a loop gain constant.

Satellite broadcasting systems transmit digital music and other information from an uplink station to one or more mobile receivers. Satellite broadcasting systems typically include a plurality of satellites and terrestrial repeaters operating in a broadcast mode. The satellites are typically geo-stationary, and are located over a desired geographical coverage area. The terrestrial repeaters typically operate in dense urban areas, where the direct line of sight (LOS) between the satellites and the mobile receiver can be blocked due to the angle of elevation and shadowing by tall buildings.
Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) techniques have been proposed for use in such satellite broadcasting systems and other wireless networks. In an OFDM communication system, the digital signal is modulated to a plurality of small sub-carrier frequencies that are then transmitted in parallel. It has been found that OFDM communication systems do not require complex equalizers, even at high data rates and under multipath propagation conditions. Among other benefits, OFDM communication systems provide a guard interval that absorbs the multipath distortion into the guard interval duration. As long as the arrival times of the multipath signals differ from one another by less than the guard interval, an equalizer is not necessary.
OFDM communication systems are especially sensitive to clipping. In an OFDM communication system, automatic gain control (AGC) mechanisms are an important part of the system design. The automatic gain control mechanisms must provide an analog-to-digital converter with sufficient signal resolution capabilities so that the received analog signal can be represented with sufficient integrity in the digital domain. Designing an effective automatic gain control circuit for use in the environment of an OFDM communication system, however, is challenging due to the large range of channel gains that occur due to long-term or shadow fading. In addition, OFDM receivers often suddenly receive or lose a line-of-sight signal while turning a comer (causing a sudden power increase or decrease on the order of 20 dB). In addition, OFDM receivers often encounter significant interference from the terrestrial repeaters of competitors. Finally, temperature and device variations provide additional challenges.
A need exists for an automatic gain control technique that maintains the received signal quality after analog-to-digital conversion. A further need exists for an automatic gain control technique that performs automatic gain control that maintains linearity throughout the receiver components. Yet another need exists for an automatic gain control technique that performs automatic gain control that reduces clipping and underflow in the analog-to-digital converter.

Method and apparatus for adjusting the gain of an if amplifier in a communication system


The present invention relates to an image encoding method using an adaptive preprocessing scheme, including loading an input image for each frame, determining an encoding type of each of the frames, determining the size of a block to be encoded in each frame according to the determined encoding type, determining blocks that can be replicated from the blocks having the determined size and performing an intra-picture replication preprocessing or inter-picture replication preprocessing procedure on the determined blocks according to the encoding types of the frames, and encoding the frames on which the preprocessing procedure has been performed.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to an image encoding method, and more particularly, to an image encoding method using an adaptive preprocessing scheme, which compares an original image with the blocks of a reference image, encodes an image by replicating blocks having similarity within a threshold, and controls the threshold so that the picture quality of the encoded image remains within a specific range.
In order to transfer digital video from a source (e.g., a camera or stored video) to a destination (e.g., a player), core processes called compression (encoding) and restoration (decoding) are necessary. Through the processes, 'original' digital video that becomes a load of a bandwidth is compressed into a size that is easy to handle for transmission or storage and then restored again for display.
For the compression and restoration processes, the international standard ISO/IEC 13818, also known as MPEG-2, has been established for the digital video industries, such as digital TV broadcasting and DVD-video, and two compression standards: MPEG-4 Visual and H.264 have been developed in anticipation of the demands for an excellent compression tool. The H.264 standard, that is, a video compression technology standard established by ITU-T, is also called Moving Picture Experts Group-Phase 4 Advanced Video Coding (MPEG-4 AVC). The two compression standards have been subjected to the same creation process, and they have some common characteristics, but have different targets.
In general, an image encoding apparatus has been developed very effectively as the temporal or spatial entropy of an image to be encoded is reduced. The image encoding apparatus utilizes an image preprocessing scheme for processing an image so that better encoding is possible.
In an image preprocessing scheme for reducing the entropy of an image sequence, filtering and noise detection are used in order to remove pieces of noise distributed within an image. Representative examples for removing noise include a radiation correction scheme for reducing a radiation error occurring because the pixel value of an image is different from the radiation value of a real image and a geometric correction scheme for correcting the spatial distortion of an image having a twisted form.
In image compression, an object of image preprocessing is to reduce the amount of data of an image through a mathematical operation in order to increase efficiency and reduce a storage space when images are transmitted and received. Accordingly, in image compression intra-mode, a linear or non-linear filter for reducing or even removing high frequency components that account for most of image encoding costs is used.
A conventional technique, such as filtering for reducing the high frequency components, is problematic in that distortion is generated in an original image because a filter is used and thus a residual image is increased in an image compression process, thereby deteriorating compression efficiency.
A background technology of the present invention is disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2011-0014507 (Feb. 11, 2011).

Image encoding method using adaptive preprocessing scheme

Electronics and Teleommunications Research Institute


Apparatus and methods are disclosed for performing delayed hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) communications in the downlink (DL) to reduce power consumption for a user equipment (UE) during a connected mode discontinuous reception (C-DRX) cycle. An enhanced NodeB can be configured to monitor a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) for DL HARQ information to determine when the PUCCH contains a negative acknowledgement (NACK) message, and in response to determining that the PUCCH contains a NACK message, the eNodeB can wait until a next C-DRX ON duration to transmit a HARQ DL retransmission. The eNodeB can also determine whether or not to bundle the HARQ DL retransmission in consecutive transmission time intervals, based on a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) associated with the UE.

Fourth generation (4G) cellular networks employing newer radio access technology (RAT) systems that implement the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE Advanced (LTE-A) standards are rapidly being developed and deployed within the United States and abroad. LTE-A brings with it the aggregation of multiple component carriers (CCs) to enable this wireless communications standard to meet the bandwidth requirements of multi-carrier systems that cumulatively achieve data rates not possible by predecessor LTE versions.
One mechanism common to LTE and LTE-A, which allows these 4G telecommunication standards to reliably achieve high data rate throughputs is the Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (Hybrid ARQ or HARQ). LTE HARQ processes are achieved through the collaboration of an LTE base station, i.e., an enhanced NodeB or eNodeB, and a wireless mobile communication device, i.e., a user equipment or UE, at a time when error packets or transmission errors are received by a UE in the downlink (DL), or at a time when error packets or transmission errors are received by an eNodeB in the uplink (UL).
Hybrid ARQ is a combination of high-rate forward error correction (FEC) coding and ARQ error control. In standard ARQ, redundant bits can be added to data to be transmitted to a receiver using an error detecting code such as a cyclic redundancy check (CRC). Receivers detecting a corrupted message can thereby request a new message from the sender. However, in HARQ, transmission data can be encoded with FEC code, where corresponding parity bits are sent with the transmission data. Alternatively, corresponding parity bits may be transmitted at a subsequent time, upon request, when a receiver detects an erroneous transmission.
Further, LTE communications can also employ connected mode discontinuous reception (C-DRX) operations and semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) to allow 4G LTE enabled UEs to conserve local device resources (e.g. battery power, processing power, available memory, etc.) during various radio resource control (RRC) Connected mode operations, such as when a UE is engaged in low bandwidth application data communications, e.g. during periodic voice over LTE (VoLTE) communications. However, the power conservation benefits of C-DRX and SPS operations can be compromised by overlaying HARQ retransmissions thereon, which requires a UE to remain awake for extended periods of time in order for the UE to be able to transmit/receive HARQ acknowledgement (ACK/NACK) messages and then process corresponding DL or UL HARQ retransmissions.
For certain low bandwidth application data communications, such as VoLTE-type data communications, network-designated LTE HARQ timelines can require a UE to remain awake for longer periods of time than necessary. Accordingly, there exists a need for solutions that can conserve local UE device resources by eliminating or reducing various DL and UL HARQ requirements that necessitate a UE remaining active during time periods when the UE could otherwise enter into a C-DRX or an SPS power saving mode.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Delayed and bundled retransmissions for low bandwidth applications


A refrigerant distributor includes: a first introduction pipe configured to be open at a first end and closed at a second end and to cause refrigerant to flow from the first end toward the second end; a second introduction pipe configured to be closed in ends on both upstream and downstream sides and to cause the refrigerant to flow in a direction opposite to a refrigerant flow direction in the first introduction pipe; a plurality of branch pipes connected in series along a refrigerant flow direction on the second introduction pipe; and an adjusting pipe configured to connect the first introduction pipe and the second introduction pipe.

In general, an air-conditioning apparatus uses a refrigeration cycle formed by a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator connected in series via refrigerant pipes. In the refrigeration cycle, low-pressure gas refrigerant sucked into the compressor is compressed to predetermined high pressure, then led to the condenser, and turned into high-pressure liquid refrigerant by exchanging heat with air. The high-pressure liquid refrigerant is led to the expansion valve to be expanded therein, then sent to the evaporator as low-pressure, two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant, turned into low-pressure gas by exchanging heat with air, and sucked into the compressor and compressed again, thus circulating in the above-mentioned refrigeration cycle.
In some of such air-conditioning apparatuses, for example, a single outdoor unit is connected with two or more indoor units. In this case, it is necessary to distribute refrigerant equally to all the indoor units. In particular, during cooling operation of the air-conditioning apparatus, because the refrigerant introduced into an indoor unit equipped with an evaporator is in a two-phase gas-liquid state or in a liquid-phase state, it is important in maintaining performance of a heat exchanger to distribute liquid-phase refrigerant and gas-phase refrigerant equally to all the indoor units.
Thus, a refrigerant distributor is proposed in which notches are provided in end faces of plural branch pipes inserted into an introduction pipe through which refrigerant flows and the notches receive the flowing refrigerant, thereby allowing the refrigerant to be distributed equally to all the branch pipes (see, for example, Patent Literature 1).
On the other hand, a refrigerant distributor is proposed in which one end of an adjusting pipe is connected to a connecting member between a refrigerant pipe and a diversion pipe while an other end of the adjusting pipe is closed, which allows refrigerant to be stirred at the closed other end of the adjusting pipe, thereby equalizing the refrigerant flowing through the diversion pipe (see, for example, Patent Literature 2).

Refrigerant distributor and air-conditioning apparatus using the same


A system for protecting cluster mailboxes such as neighborhood delivery and collection box units (NDCBU""s) and Cluster Box Units (CBU""s)from vandalism or theft of the mail. A custom-fit protective gate is built and installed around the mail carrier access doors of a cluster mailbox. The protective gate is built to aesthetically blend in with the neighborhood environment and may include decorative accoutrements such as decorative screening. Further, the system provides a means to install USPTO locks thereby providing uniform access by mail carriers. Even further, the system provides for double nesting doors to access a flat wall unit collection box, such that users may have secured access to individual mailboxes and a mail person may have secured master access to all mailboxes.

This invention relates to providing a system for protecting mailboxes, such as neighborhood delivery and collection box units (NDCBU""s) and Cluster Box Units (CBU""s). Neighborhood delivery and collection box units (NDCBUs) and cluster box units (CBUs), all herein further referred to as cluster mailboxes, are examples of centralized mail delivery, also known as central point delivery. The conveniently located units provide for the delivery and collection of mail. The delivery compartments are individually locked and large enough to hold magazines, merchandise samples, and up to several days accumulation of mail. Outgoing mail is typically deposited in a separate designated compartment. In many areas, parcel lockers are also installed alongside cluster mailboxes to save the customer trips to the post office to pick up packages. With this service, customers enjoy greater mail security and convenience.
Typically, cluster mailboxes are freestanding, pedestal-mounted mail boxes containing, (e.g., 8, 12, 13, or 16, typically) individually locked mailboxes and parcel compartments. These cluster mailboxes typically have front mailbox compartments and single (or occasionally multiple) rear access doors that are locked with a Unites States Postal Service (herein referred to as USPO) keyed lock and allow access to all the mailbox compartments through the one rear door. Installations can be modified to blend with any community decor. A concrete slab normally secures such cluster mailboxes. The Unites States Postal Service has specific requirements for such installations. For example, Postal installed minimum-sized slabs are four feet wide and five feet front to back (4xe2x80x2xc3x975xe2x80x2) in 12xe2x80x3 deep concrete. This size slab will serve approximately eleven customers. One adds about three feet per about sixteen mailboxes (deliveries). For example, a 10xe2x80x2xc3x975xe2x80x2 slab will service approximately forty-five deliveries.
Apartments and commercial buildings are often served by cluster mailboxes installed within a wall of the structure. This type of cluster mailbox typically provides front access doors that are locked with one or more USPO keyed locks and allow access to all the mailbox compartments through one or more front access doors.
Cluster mailboxes such as those described above provide delivery and collection services to a number of residences from a centrally located installation. However, they also provide thieves with a central location for theft of the mail; and this has become a problem. Rural area mailboxes are vulnerable to vandalism because they are usually isolated, located on public thoroughfares, and frequently not visible to the box owners from their homes. City residential mailboxes are vandalized to a lesser degree, but the problem persists. Vandals need only break the single rear Postman""s access (or front or both) door lock on a cluster mailbox to gain access to all the individual mailboxes.
A system to prevent such theft of the mail and still allow easy access by Postal Employees would be of great benefit.
A primary object and feature of the present invention is to provide a protective gate system for restricting access and preventing theft from the rear (postman""s access) door of a cluster mailbox.
It is a further object and feature of the present invention to provide a protective gate system for restricting access and preventing theft from the front (users access) door of a cluster mailbox.
It is a further object and feature of the present invention to provide such a system that is custom-made to fit each cluster mailbox or a set of such cluster mailboxes.
It is a further object and feature of the present invention to provide such a system that blends in with the community decor.
It is yet a further object and feature of the present invention to provide such a system that may be securely attached to the concrete slab, which normally secures such cluster mailboxes.
It is yet a further object and feature of the present invention to provide such a system that may be securely attached to the structure of a building especially having wall mounted cluster mailboxes.
A further primary object and feature of the present invention is to provide such a system that is efficient, inexpensive, and handy. Other objects and features of this invention will become apparent with reference to the following descriptions.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment hereof, this invention provides a protective gate system for a cluster mailbox, having at least one postman""s access door and a plurality of individual mailboxes, comprising, in combination: at least one gate structured and arranged to protect entry to the at least one postman""s access door; and, at least one support to support such gate; wherein such at least one gate comprises at least one gate frame having at least one gate door comprising at least one gate lock; wherein such at least one gate frame is structured and arranged to frame the at least one postman""s access door; wherein such at least one gate door is adapted to permit entry to the at least one postman""s access door; and, wherein such at least one gate lock is adapted to lock such at least one gate door; and wherein the at least one postman""s access door is protected and may be selectively accessed by unlocking such at least one gate lock. Moreover, it provides such a protective gate system wherein such at least one gate door comprises at least one gate door hinge. Additionally, it provides such a protective gate system wherein such at least one gate door comprises at least one screen portion. Also, it provides such a protective gate system wherein such at least one screen portion comprises at least one decorative screen to decorate such at least one screen portion. In addition, it provides such a protective gated gate system wherein such at least one lock comprises at least one United States Postal Lock.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment hereof, this invention provides a protective gate system for at least one cluster mailbox having a first side comprising at least one postman""s access door and a second side comprising a plurality of individual mailboxes, comprising, in combination: at least one gated structured and arranged to protect entry to the at least one postman""s access door and the plurality of individual mailboxes; and at least one support to support such at least one gate; wherein such at least one gate comprises at least one first gate frame having at least one first gate door comprising at least one first gate lock; wherein such at least one gate comprises at least one second gate frame having at least one second gate door comprising at least one second gate lock; wherein such at least one first gate frame is structured and arranged to frame the at least one postman""s access door; wherein such at least one second gate frame is structured and arranged to frame the plurality of individual mailboxes; wherein such at least one first gate door is adapted to permit entry to the at least one postman""s access door; wherein such at least one second gate door is adapted to permit entry to the plurality of individual mailboxes; wherein such at least one first gate lock is adapted to lock such at least one first gate door; wherein such at least one second gate lock is adapted to lock such at least one second gate door; wherein the at least one postman""s access door is protected and may be selectively accessed by unlocking such at least one first gate lock; and, wherein the plurality of individual mailboxes are protected and may be selectively accessed by unlocking such at least one second gate lock. And, it provides such a protective gate system wherein: such at least one first gate door comprises at least one first gate door hinge; and such at least one second gate door comprises at least one second gate door hinge.
Further, it provides such a protective gate system wherein such at least one first gate door comprises at least one screen portion. Even further, it provides such a protective gate system wherein such at least one second gate door comprises at least one screen portion. Moreover, it provides such a protective gate system wherein such at least one second gate door comprises at least one screen portion.
Additionally, it provides such a protective gate system wherein such at least one screen portion comprises at least one decorative screen to decorate such at least one screen portion. Also, it provides such a protective gate system wherein such at least one first lock comprises at least one United States Postal Lock. In addition, it provides such a protective gate system wherein such at least one screen portion comprises 9-guage expanded metal.
In accordance with yet another preferred embodiment hereof, this invention provides a protective gate system for a cluster mailbox, having only one accessible side, comprising at least one postman""s access door and at least one mailbox located on the accessible side, comprising, in combination: at least one gate structured and arranged to protect entry to the at least one postman""s access door and the plurality of individual mailboxes; and at least one support to support such at least one gate; wherein such at least one gate comprises at least one first gate frame having at least one first gate door comprising at least one first gate lock; wherein such at least one gate comprises at least one second gate frame having at least one second gate door comprising at least one second gate lock; wherein such at least one second gate frame is nested within such at least one first gate frame; wherein such at least one first gate frame is structured and arranged to frame the at least one postman""s access door; wherein such at least one second gate frame is structured and arranged to frame the plurality of individual mailboxes; wherein such at least one first gate door is adapted to permit entry to the at least one postman""s access door; wherein such at least one second gate door is adapted to permit entry to the plurality of individual mailboxes; wherein such at least one first gate lock is adapted to lock such at least one first gate door; wherein such at least one second gate lock is adapted to lock such at least one second gate door; wherein the at least one postman""s access door is protected and may be selectively accessed by unlocking such at least one first gate lock; and, wherein the plurality of individual mailboxes are protected and may be selectively accessed by unlocking such at least one second gate lock.
Furthermore, it provides such a protective gate system wherein: such at least one first gate door comprises at least one first gate door hinge; and such at least one second gate door comprises at least one second gate door hinge. Further, it provides such a protective gate system wherein such at least one second gate door comprises at least one screen portion. Even further, it provides such a protective gate system wherein such at least one screen portion comprises at least one decorative screen to decorate such at least one screen portion. Still further, it provides such a protective gate system wherein such at least one first lock comprises at least one United States Postal Lock. In addition, it provides such a protective gate system wherein such at least one screen portion comprises 9-guage expanded metal. Even further, it provides such a protective gate system wherein the accessible side is flush within a mounting wall and wherein such at least one first gate frame comprises attachment tabs adapted to attach such at least one first gate frame to the mounting wall.


In a method for capturing non-blinking images of people using a camera device, the camera device includes an image capturing unit and a storage system. The image capturing unit captures a series of digital images of a group of persons. A face feature value and an eyes feature value of people are predefined, and are stored in the storage system. The number of faces is detected from each of the digital images according to the face feature value, and the number of eyeballs is detected from each of the face area according to the eyes feature value. The method calculates the ratio of the number of faces and the number of eyeballs, and selects the digital image of which the ratio of the face number and the eyeball number is 1:2 as a non-blinking image of the a group of persons.

1. Technical Field
The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to image capturing devices and methods, and more particularly to a camera device and method for capturing non-blinking images of people having no closed eyes.
2. Description of Related Art
People use camera devices to take digital images of one or more persons. Often, however, one of the subjects of the image may have his or her eyes closed as the shutter of the camera device is pressed, and the image is captured just as the subject is blinking his or her eyes. Thus, the digital images captured from the person may show his or her eyes were closed. Having one or more people in a digital image with their eyes closed makes for an unappealing image. Therefore, it is desirable to have a camera device and method for capturing non-blinking images of one or more persons having no closed eyes, so as to improve the image quality of the digital images.

Camera device and method for capturing non-blinking images of people


A solid phase extraction device has a solvent-compatible permeable membrane with a bubble point greater than the normal operating pressure differential used and a sorbent material retained by two disks or frits so that when pressure is applied, the sample to be processed will pass through the membrane, but the membrane will not permit air to pass therethrough, and the sorbent remains wet throughout the process. The device has an input port and an output port and operates to maintain a pressure differential between the ports. Sorbent material is entrapped between two disks or frits. Located above the sorbent material is a support having a grid surface. The support prevents the frit from "riding up" the column of the barrel. Ultrasonically welded to the support is a solvent-compatible permeable membrane. The membrane is hermetically sealed to the support and the support is self-locked to the interior barrel of the device. When wetted, the membrane allows for the passage of matter, but prevents air from passing therethrough to the sorbent material. The sorbent material remains wet. With the sorbent material retained by the frits, the sorbent material will not escape to contaminate the filtrate.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,474 relates to a device for immunological determinations including a housing carrying sorbent material in the form of gel particles and a porous barrier enclosing the gel particles. The barrier is located upstream from the sorbent and is in the form of a nylon fabric or net having openings which do not permit passage of the gel particles. Liquid is drawn into the syringe in an amount to fill the volume below the barrier and preferably in an amount to at least cover the net.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,031 relates to a staged filtration device for cytology and microbiological testing. Membrane filters having different porosity are placed in stackable containers. The membrane filters are made of cellulose or polycarbonate. Cell suspension is collected on the membrane. No sorbent is involved in the filtration device.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,891,134 and 4,990,253 relate to a sample filtration device employing differential pressure. Filter media are disposed near one end and retained within the core of the hollow plunger by friction means. The filter media include paper, glass fiber, cellulose, and nitrocellulose, the preferred media being fiberglass combined with polypropylene. Depth filters are generally preferred over membrane filters. No sorbent is involved in the filtration device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,680 relates to a device containing a time-delay filter, particularly useful in immunoassay. The filter is positioned between an upper and a lower compartment. The filter comprising the membrane has pores which retain agglutinated or complexed materials on the filter but which allow fluids and unagglutinized materials to pass through. The filter is constructed from glass, ceramics, fibers, or synthetic and natural polymers, the preferred material being cellulose esters, polyamides, and polyesters. The filter is overcoated with at least one water-soluble protein or carbohydrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,131,544 relates to a sorbent material encapsulated in a porous filter membrane composed of polypropylene or Teflon.RTM., also known as polytetrafluoroethlyene. The pore size of the encapsulating membrane is smaller than the particle size of the sorbent material.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,493,503 relates to a disposable and removable filter disposed downstream from the contents of a syringe to produce a protein-free fluid.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,276 relates to a filter assembly having compartments containing filter material.
In these devices, the sorbent material separates from the containment devices and contaminates the filtrate. The sorbent also dries out during certain processes in which it should be kept wet to obtain ultimate performance of the device.


An improved safety interlock is provided for operating a control switch which enables operator activation of a drive motor of a food processor. The safety interlock comprises an axially movable interlock rod for operating the control switch upon movement of the rod in a first direction. A coil spring is provided for resiliently forcing the interlock rod in the direction opposite to the first direction such that the control switch is normally unoperated. A generally U-shaped channel member receives the interlock rod and coil spring to properly align the interlock rod with the control switch. The channel member is removably connected to the food processor such that the channel member, interlock rod and coil spring can be removed for cleaning or replacement. The U-shaped channel member includes flanges outwardly extending from its open side which are received into first and second tracks on the food processor. Locking tabs at one end of the tracks are frictionally engaged by a notched extension on the channel member to secure the channel member to the food processor. Offset fingers extend beyond one or both surfaces of the flanges to stabilize the flanges within the tracks, yet permit movement and a rocking action within the tracks to facilitate assembly and removal of the channel member from the food processor.

This invention relates generally to food processors, and more particularly, to an interlock housing on a food processor which can be removed for cleaning or replacement of an interlock activating rod, an associated biasing spring or the housing itself.
Food processors are a well known convenience for preparing food by slicing, grating, shredding or similar food processing operations. A conventional form of food processor includes a working bowl having a motor-driven shaft projecting upwardly in the center of the bowl. A variety of food processing tools are coupled to the shaft and rotated to perform a corresponding variety of food processing operations as required by the operator of the food processor.
A detachable bowl cover is secured to the working bowl during operation of the food processor. The bowl cover defines a feed tube for introducing food items to be processed through the bowl cover into the bowl. Foods to be processed are placed into the feed tube and then pushed through the tube into engagement with a processing tool by means of a food pusher which is formed to be slidingly inserted into the feed tube.
A safety interlock is provided to prevent the food processor from operating until the bowl cover is firmly secured to the bowl in its proper operating position. While the interlock can be performed in a variety of ways, commonly a vertically movable rod is positioned within a channel formed on the side of the working bowl, and spring-biased to the upper end of the channel. When the bowl is properly positioned and secured to a food processor base, the rod is aligned with an actuating pin of an interlock switch such that when a bowl cover is latched or secured to the bowl, the pin is depressed against the force of the spring to operate the interlock switch.
If the food processor includes an enlarged feed tube, a feed tube cover is also provided and coupled into the interlock system such that the food processor cannot be operated unless the feed tube cover is also secured in its proper position. For operation with a feed tube cover, a second interlock activating rod may be positioned within a channel formed on the bowl cover such that the two interlock rods are aligned with one another to extend an operating cam to activate the interlock switch within the base of the food processor.
Generally, an interlock rod is recessed and protected by a portion of the bowl or bowl cover; however, the rod or rods can be extended while the bowl or cover are off the food processor. If the rod or rods are thus extended beyond normally protecting structure, they are vulnerable to being snapped off during handling. When this occurs, the working bowl or bowl cover must be replaced.
An additional problem associated with permanently enclosed interlock rods on presently available food processors is that juices or small portions of processed food can get into the interlock rods to discolor and contaminate them. Since the interlock rods cannot be thoroughly cleaned, such contamination can interfer with the proper operation of the interlocks. Of even more importance, this contamination can lead to various growths of mold, bacteria and the like which not only detract from the appearance of the food processor, but also may create a health hazard.
It is thus apparent that the need exists for an improved safety interlock for operating a control switch in a food processor which permits an enclosed interlock rod and the enclosing channel to be thoroughly cleaned, and further provides for the replacement of the channel, the interlock rod or biasing spring in the event one of these parts becomes damaged or worn during the life of the food processor.


A first embodiment of the present invention provides a vortex generator in the form of a flexible piezoelectric actuator blade disposed in a wall of a flowpath, such as an airfoil. Another embodiment provides a synthetic jet actuator in which a pair of bimorph piezoelectric plates are connected by a flexible hinge.

This invention relates generally to synthetic jet actuators and more particularly to synthetic jet actuators operated by piezoelectric actuators.
It is known to use a synthetic jet to influence the flow over a surface, for example to control flow separation from an airfoil. A typical synthetic jet actuator comprises a housing defining an internal chamber. An orifice is present in a wall of the housing. The actuator further includes a mechanism in or about the housing for periodically changing the volume within the internal chamber so that a series of fluid vortices are generated and projected in an external environment out from the orifice of the housing. Various volume changing mechanisms are known, for example a piston positioned in the jet housing to move so that fluid is moved in and out of the orifice during reciprocation of the piston, or a flexible diaphragm as a wall of the housing. The flexible diaphragm is typically actuated by a piezoelectric actuator or other appropriate means.
Typically, a control system is utilized to create time-harmonic motion of the diaphragm. As the diaphragm moves into the chamber, decreasing the chamber volume, fluid is ejected from the chamber through the orifice. As the fluid passes through the orifice, the flow separates at the sharp edges of the orifice and creates vortex sheets which roll up into vortices. These vortices move away from the edges of the orifice under their own self-induced velocity. As the diaphragm moves outward with respect to the chamber, increasing the chamber volume, ambient fluid is drawn from large distances from the orifice into the chamber. Since the vortices are already removed from the edges of the orifice, they are not affected by the ambient fluid being entrained into the chamber. As the vortices travel away from the orifice, they synthesize a jet of fluid, a xe2x80x9csynthetic jet,xe2x80x9d through entrainment of the ambient fluid.
However, the prior art devices have relatively limited capacity, in that they use only a single moving element or a moving element of limited deflection. It would be desirable to obtain increased performance of synthetic jet actuators.
Accordingly, there is a need for a synthetic jet actuator having greater capacity than previous devices.
The above-mentioned need is met by the present invention, a first embodiment of which provides a synthetic jet actuator in the form of a flexible piezoelectric actuator blade disposed in a wall of a flowpath, such as an airfoil. In another embodiment, a synthetic jet actuator is provided in which a pair of bimorph piezoelectric plates are connected by a flexible hinge.
The present invention and its advantages over the prior art will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings.


An electrical connector for providing a snap-lock connection and automatic disconnection from a second connector. The electrical connector has a housing, a plurality of contacts, a snap-lock latch and a movable outer hood. The snap-lock latch can automatically mechanically connect and retain the housing to a second connector. The movable outer hood can be pulled by a user after connection which disconnects the latch and results in the disconnection of the electrical connector from the second connector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to an electrical connector having means for providing a snap-lock connection to and quick release disconnection from a second connector and a method of disconnecting electrical connectors.
2. Prior Art
Various different electrical connectors exist in the prior art. One particular use of electrical connectors is in cable assemblies having connectors at opposite ends of a plurality of electrically discrete wires for transmitting signals between components, such as is common in the personal computer industry wherein cables connect components such as computers with monitors, printers, joy sticks, mouses, etc. The connectors in these cable assemblies are generally provided as disconnectable plug connectors which can be plugged into or connected to a second receptacle connector in a component. However, suitable means are usually provided for at least temporarily fixedly connecting a first plug connector in the cable assembly to a second receptacle connector in the component to prevent inadvertent disconnection. Some of these means for temporary fixation include screws on the side of the cable connector that screw into the second connector, wire loops on the sides of component connector that can be deformed and received in notches on the sides of the cable connector, and beam type members on the sides of the cable connector that, by depressing buttons on the sides of the cable connector, can be pivoted to open for connection or disconnection to the component connector.
However, problems exist with prior art connectors and cable assemblies. One problem is that a person attempting to temporarily fixedly connect a cable assembly connector to a component connector usually has difficulties because of the relatively small size of pieces that must be moved such as the screws, etc.
Another problem is that the types of means that allow for temporary fixed connection between a cable assembly connector and a component connector are relatively burdensome to connect and disconnect and can sometimes take a long time, especially for a person who is not mechanically orientated.
Another problem is that the types of means that allow for temporary fixed connection between a cable assembly and a component do not provide for a quick release of the connection in circumstances such as if a person were to trip on a cable. This can sometimes result in a component, that the cable is attached to, coming crashing down from a table top and damaging the component.
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide a new and improved electrical connector and cable assembly that can overcome the above problems in the prior art as well as provide additional features and advantages.

Snap-lock electrical connector with quick release


A method and system to render a graphic display that includes a color-coded risk indicator to facilitate the steering of a drill string during subterranean drilling. The system comprises a receiver to receive measurement data from downhole instrumentation forming part of the drill string during the drilling of a well bore in a geological formation, and an exit risk determining module to determine an exit risk value based at least in part on the measurement data. The exit risk value is indicative of a risk of exiting of the formation by the drill string. A display module is provided to render the graphic display of decision information, to assist steering of the drill string. The color-coded exit risk indicator comprises a colored area having a color indicative of the exit risk value, the color of the colored area being changeable in response to changes in the exit risk value. The graphic display may show a wellbore trajectory in relation to a formation boundary, with the color-coded risk indicator comprising an area extending between the wellbore trajectory and the formation boundary.

Well bores drilled through geological formations, such as reservoirs, to access hydrocarbons are often drilled along a path that extends through a formation, rather than merely passing through it in a vertical direction. One example of such wells are those having a substantially horizontal trajectory through the formation of interest, which may be used, for example, to increase the drainage area in the reservoir. Because such reservoirs are typically located in layered earth formations, the position of such well bores with respect to boundaries of the formation layers defining the reservoir or other zone of interest can be of critical importance to the productivity, and thus value, of the well. In many example situations, the well path will preferably be steered to remain within the formation layer or region of interest for an extended distance, and to change direction as needed to maintain that placement. Thus, visualization tools that can provide information to assist in evaluating drilling of a desired path would be very desireable.

Method and apparatus for determining and displaying geosteering information


A vehicle door trim for a motor vehicle with a head impact protection device for a vehicle occupant is provided. In one embodiment, the door trim includes a curb carrier, a head impact protection device, a foam layer over the curb carrier and a decorative layer on the side of the foam layer facing away from the curb carrier. The curb carrier may include at least one fixing attachment for fixing the head impact protection device in an area in the assembled position of the vehicle door trim that is close to the side window of the vehicle door as well as a cover area that covers the head impact protection device. The head impact protection device may include as a module, an airbag carrier, an airbag and a gas generator. The foam layer may be sufficiently elastic to deform on actuation of the head impact protection device. The cover area of the curb carrier may have a material weakening which may be adapted such that on actuation of the head impact protection device the cover area may tear open in the area of the material weakening.

1. Field
Aspects of the invention relate to a vehicle door trim for a motor vehicle with a head impact protection device and a method for the manufacture thereof.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Side impact protection devices (often referred to as side airbags) are used in motor vehicles. When actuated by sensor control, side impact protection is intended to protect the pelvic and thoracic areas of the occupant of a motor vehicle. Head impact devices are increasingly being used in motor vehicles as well. Such head impact protection devices (often referred to as headbags) serve to protect the head of a motor vehicle occupant from impacting with the side window.
Conventionally, head impact protection devices are built into the roof liner of vehicles and comprise one or more gasbags which deploy from the roof area of a vehicle on actuation of the protective device.
In motor vehicles where it is not possible to accommodate a head impact protection device in the roof area, such as in open-top convertibles, the gasbags or airbags of a head impact protection device must be built into the area of the door side trim.
The interior trim of a standard door structure comprises an armrest below which is found the area in which a storage pocket is often located. Above the armrest is what is known as the center section of the door trim. The transition area between the center section and the top side of the door trim (the curved area between the center section and the essentially horizontally disposed transition area between the door trim and the side window) is referred to as the curb.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,253 discloses a head impact protection device which deploys after opening of the door trim's center section.
DE 103 15 662 A1 discloses an airbag module attached in the body-in-white area of the door wherein a part of the body-in-white door area also serves as a firing channel for the gasbag being deployed. The gasbag's opening behavior does not depend on the position of the window. For this reason, the gasbag also has a partial constriction in order to stabilize the deployment process and to do away with the need to guide the gasbag along a surface, such as the window for example. The gasbag lid integrated in the vehicle door trim has specific weakening areas along which the vehicle door trim tears open or which serve as a hinge mechanism. The gasbag lid extends over the area of both the curb and also the center section of the vehicle door trim.
EP 1 445 156 A1 describes a side impact protection device for a vehicle occupant in which a prefabricated airbag module consisting of a gasbag with outer casing, gas lance and compressed air source is attached to a side wall of the vehicle door by means of screws. On actuation of the airbag module, the vehicle door trim tears open along its entire length wherein a defined weakening of the trim is provided in the face of the trim at approximately the height of the pivotable top edge area to support this movement. In this case, the weakening may be formed by several contiguous slot-shaped apertures or may be a continuous, v-shaped or semicircular indentation on the substrate part of the trim.

Vehicle door trim and method for the manufacture thereof


A loss calculation element calculates a loss of a feature vector for each class, the feature vector indicating a feature of data belonging to the class. A loss difference calculation element calculates a sum of differences of losses between the classes based on the loss calculated for each class. A recognition dictionary creation element creates a recognition dictionary based on a total sum of losses calculated for the classes and the total sum of loss differences between the classes. The recognition dictionary creation element corrects, on a basis of an input feature vector, a recognition dictionary so as to minimize a sum of the total sum of losses for the classes calculated by the loss calculation element and the total sum of loss differences between the classes calculated by the loss difference calculation element, and the pattern classification element classifies a pattern of data using the corrected recognition dictionary.

Known typical methods to categorize input data into two groups include techniques described in Patent Literature (PTL) 1 and Non Patent Literature (NPL) 1.
A soft margin classification system described in PTL 1 is configured to determine parameters including a weight vector and a bias in every data vector of a training set and determine a minimum non-negative value of slack variables for each data vector on the basis of a plurality of constraints. The soft margin classification system described in PTL 1 is configured to determine a minimum value of a cost function so as to satisfy a plurality of constraints.
A method described in NPL 1 is to, when input data cannot be linearly separated, map a pattern into a finite or an infinite dimensional feature space, and to perform linear separation on the feature space.

Pattern recognizer, pattern recognition method and program for pattern recognition


A perpendicular magnetic recording head capable of effectively inducing a recording magnetic field to a main magnetic pole front end portion and suppressing an occurrence of side fringing is provided. An auxiliary magnetic pole layer, which is a first magnetic portion, and a main magnetic pole layer, which is a second magnetic portion, disposed leaving a space to the above-described auxiliary magnetic pole layer are included, and a coil layer which applies a recording magnetic field to the above-described space between the auxiliary magnetic pole layer and the main magnetic pole layer is included. A yoke layer is disposed in contact with the above-described main magnetic pole layer, and the width dimension of the yoke layer is increased stepwise or continuously toward the rear in the height direction and the width dimension is increased stepwise or continuously from an upper surface toward a lower surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a perpendicular magnetic recording head for recording data on a recording medium, e.g., a disk having a hard surface, by applying a perpendicular magnetic field. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a perpendicular magnetic recording head capable of suppressing an occurrence of fringing in a recording pattern and improving a recording efficiency.
2. Description of the Related Art
A perpendicular magnetic recording head by using a perpendicular magnetic recording system is a device for recording magnetic data on a recording medium, e.g., a disk, with a high density. A general structure of this perpendicular magnetic recording head is configured to include an auxiliary magnetic pole layer made of a ferromagnetic material and a main magnetic pole layer made of a ferromagnetic material and disposed leaving a space to this auxiliary magnetic pole layer.
A front end of the above-described auxiliary magnetic pole layer and a front end of the above-described main magnetic pole layer appear on a facing-surface opposed to the recording medium and are magnetically coupled to each other at the rear in a height direction. A coil layer is disposed in between the above-described auxiliary magnetic pole layer and the above-described main magnetic pole layer. When a recording magnetic field is induced to the above-described auxiliary magnetic pole layer and the above-described main magnetic pole layer through energization of this coil, a leakage recording magnetic field is generated in between the above-described auxiliary magnetic pole layer and the above-described main magnetic pole layer on the facing-surface opposed to the recording medium, this leakage recording magnetic field passes through the recording medium and, thereby, a recording signal is recorded on the recording medium.
Here, the ferromagnetic material used for the main magnetic pole layer has a high saturation magnetic flux density, but in general, the magnetic permeability is low. Therefore, the recording magnetic field induced to the main magnetic pole layer is difficult to induce to the front end of the above-described main magnetic pole layer. Consequently, there is also a perpendicular magnetic recording head in which a yoke layer made of a material having a large magnetic permeability is disposed in contact with the above-described main magnetic pole layer with the intention of inducing the recording magnetic field easily to the front end of the main magnetic pole layer.
In the perpendicular magnetic recording head including the yoke layer disposed as described above, it is effective to bring the above-described yoke layer close to the facing-surface opposed to the recording medium in order to effectively induce the recording magnetic field to the front end of the main magnetic pole. However, if the above-described yoke layer is excessively brought close to the facing-surface opposed to the recording medium, a recording magnetic field tends to also flow from the front end of this yoke layer and, thereby, a so-called side fringing problem occurs.
A perpendicular magnetic recording head, in which a front-end surface 35a of a yoke layer is formed from a sloped surface or a curved surface that approaches a facing-surface opposed to a recording medium with increasing proximity to an upper surface from a lower surface, is disclosed in FIG. 3 and FIG. 14 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,687,084 as a perpendicular magnetic recording head capable of suppressing such a side fringing problem, while another type of sloped surface or curved surface is also disclosed in FIG. 1 and FIG. 10.
In the perpendicular magnetic recording head disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,687,084, since the yoke layer 35 made of a material having a large magnetic permeability is disposed in contact with a main magnetic pole layer 24, a recording magnetic field can be induced to the front end of the main magnetic pole layer 24. Furthermore, since the front-end surface 35a of the above-described yoke layer 35 is formed as a sloped surface or the like and the cross-sectional area is decreased, the magnetic volume of the yoke layer 35 is reduced in the neighborhood of the facing-surface opposed to the recording medium. Therefore, flowing of the recording magnetic field from the front-end surface of the yoke layer 35 to the recording medium can be suppressed and, thereby, an occurrence of side fringing can be suppressed.
In the perpendicular magnetic recording head disclosed in the above-described U.S. Pat. No. 6,687,084, a region in which the front-end surface 35a of the yoke layer 35 is disposed is formed in such a way that the thickness dimension is increased continuously toward the rear in the height direction. However, the height dimension is constant on the side behind the front-end surface 35a in the height direction. Furthermore, it is not clear whether the width dimension from the upper surface toward the lower surface of the above-described yoke layer 35 is constant or not. In the region in which the film thickness of the front-end surface of the above-described yoke layer is varied (inclined), it is not clear from the descriptions with respect to FIG. 1, FIG. 10, and the like whether the width dimension is varied in relation to the film thickness.
Therefore, the above-described yoke layer 35 in U.S. Pat. No. 6,687,084 is unsatisfactory to effectively induce the recording magnetic field to the main magnetic pole layer 24, since there is a limit in increasing the magnetic volume as a whole.

Perpendicular magnetic recording head including extended yoke layer


Certain example embodiments described herein relate to server-controlled display techniques for nested multi-level client dialog boxes. On the client side, standard dialog elements are shown in the dialog box. Client-side events, e.g., caused by user interaction with the dialog box, are converted to parameters for a function call to the server and are processed there. The dialog box display may be updated by transferring (possibly only) dialog item changes that result from the function call back to the client. The server may process separate threads and bundle dialog and sub-dialog data in one function, and the server may split the bundled data for dialog and/or sub-dialog box rendering, as appropriate. Thus, an advantage of certain example implementations is that no dialog-specific logic (e.g., data access, dialog specific functions, etc.) needs to exist on the client side. Instead, the client side may simply render a fixed set of dialog box items.

Dialog boxes in software applications are known to be useful ways of communicating information to users. Dialog boxes may be used to provide users with various forms of alerts including, for example, alerts to flag errors (e.g., in the execution or interpretation of underlying code), to indicate the need for more information (e.g., when filling out an online form), to prompt a user for a specific action (e.g., a Yes/No or other decision), etc. In many cases, only one dialog box can be opened at a time, and the simultaneous opening of a further sub-dialog box is not possible.
Limitations concerning the display of one dialog box at a time are not always troublesome. Indeed, in some instances, it is desirable to halt processing until user input is received, until a user is made aware of a possible problem, etc., thereby suggesting that the "one dialog box at a time" restriction is not really a problem in some contexts. However, this is not always the case.
Indeed, in some cases, it might be desirable to display nested or sub-dialog boxes, e.g., while processing is ongoing. As another example, it is not always possible to display sub-dialog boxes or even dialog boxes providing user hints while a first or "main" dialog box is open. In such a scenario, if a hint is desired for display (e.g., upon user request or automatic suggestion), the first dialog box has to be closed for the duration of the display of the new dialog box. The new dialog box can be displayed but, after the user is finished with it, the original dialog box has to be re-opened, potentially with the updated data. This scenario might arise, for example, when additional data based on user interactions has to be requested (e.g., to fill dialog box elements), which is quite common with today's applications. The programming therefore becomes quite complicated for the developer, as many different possibilities need to be handled and potentially hard-coded. Even dialog boxes that, for example, indicate incorrect entries to the user tend to be treated in this way and thus tend to require complicated programming.
There are approaches for displaying sub-dialog boxes in the client-server context. For instance, in some implementations, a complete JavaScript-script is created on the server and is transferred to the client. In such cases, the program logic for running the dialog box is completely on the client side. Oftentimes, these solutions run inside a web browser. A server call delivers HTML and/or JavaScript code, which is executed inside the browser environment on the client side. All dialog box code and handler functions are contained in the delivered code. When the dialog box needs to display data from the server, this data either has to be transferred in advance or by calling other methods from the client side handler functions. This approach is very often used in web applications. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,721,225, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
It is believed that multiple sever-controlled dialogs cannot be opened on the client side at present, without processing program logic on the client side. Instead, a browser environment that provides form elements (e.g., a subset of dialog box controls) is needed at runtime, as is a JavaScript interpreter that executes the code transferred to the client.
Moreover, transferring the entire dialog box logic to the client also typically requires all initial data (e.g., list content) to be contained in this code. This approach therefore mixes data and logic and leads to potentially expensive server calls, for example, when complex data needs to be updated and, thus, requested from the server (e.g., because of the "long way" between the code and data). Indeed, Internet research performed by Alexa Internet, Inc., on the world's top 100 websites shows web pages including JavaScript code load times are slower than those that lack JavaScript code by 31%. Thus, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that there are problems with high code complexity, data and program logic intermingling, expensive server calls that take up a good deal of processing resources, and/or the like.
Thus, it will be appreciated that there is a need in the art for improved techniques for displaying dialog boxes and sub-dialog boxes that overcome some or all of these and/or other problems.
One aspect of certain example embodiments relates to techniques for displaying dialog boxes and sub-dialog boxes simultaneously, where data (and not, for example, program logic) is transferred to make this possible.
Another aspect of certain example embodiments relates to implementing control logic on a server (and not, for example, on the client), thereby providing faster access to needed data.
Another aspect of certain example embodiments relates to the server-side management of nested dialog boxes that enable users to switch from dialog box to sub-dialog box and vice-versa while still keeping the information synchronized.
Still another aspect of certain example embodiments relates to the handling of separate threads on the server side, bundling dialog and sub-dialog box data in one function, and then splitting the data on the client side for dialog and/or sub-dialog box rendering, as appropriate.
In accordance with certain example embodiments, a method for displaying dialog boxes on a client computer system is provided. When it is determined by a server computer system that a first dialog box is to be displayed on the client computer system, first dialog box data and first dialog box state data are transmitted from the server computer system to the client computer system, in order to prompt the client computer system to display the first dialog box in accordance with the first dialog box data and first dialog box state data and to make the first dialog box a currently active dialog box. Current dialog box state data associated with the currently active dialog box is received, at the server computer system and from the client computer system, following a registered change event detected via the client computer system. A dialog box function associated with the received current dialog box state data is processed, via the server computer system and independent from the client computer system. When the current dialog box state data indicates that a new sub-dialog box is to be displayed, as determined by the server computer system, the server computer system is used to: create a new server dialog box object for the new sub-dialog box; create an entry for the new server dialog box object in a registry located on the server computer system; bundle together second dialog box data and second dialog box state data for the new sub-dialog box, with the current dialog box state data and current dialog box data; and transmit the bundled together data to the client system, in order to prompt the client computer system, after the client computer system has split apart and processed the bundled together data, to display the current dialog box in accordance with the current dialog box state data and the current dialog box data, to display the new sub-dialog box in accordance with the second dialog box data and second dialog box state data, and to make the new sub-dialog box the currently active dialog box. Otherwise, any updated dialog box data and dialog state box data is transmitted to the client system, in order to prompt the client computer system to correspondingly update the display of the currently active dialog box.
In accordance with certain example embodiments, a method for displaying dialog boxes on a client computer system is provided. A main dialog box is caused to be displayed on the client computer system. A plurality of sub-dialog boxes is caused to be displayed on the client computer system, with the sub-dialog boxes and the main dialog box being linked together in parent-child modal relationships. Changes to a child box are caused to be reflected in a parent box upon the child box being closed. The client computer system includes program logic for rendering a fixed set of dialog box elements but lacks dialog box specific program logic, and the dialog box specific program logic is provided to a server computer system in communication with the client computer system.
In accordance with certain example embodiments, a dialog box/sub-dialog box control system is provided. A client device and a server device are in communication with one another via a network. The client device is configured to (a) display a first dialog box in accordance with first dialog box data and first dialog box state data received from the server device, and (b) set the first dialog box as a currently active dialog box. The client device includes at least one processor configured to at least: detect registered change events made in respect of displayed dialog boxes and displayed sub-dialog boxes; and transmit to the server device current dialog box state data associated with the currently active dialog or sub-dialog box, following detection of a registered change event. The server device includes at least one processor configured to at least: transmit first dialog box data and first dialog box state data to the client device, in order to instruct the client device to perform (a) and (b); receive the current dialog box state data transmitted from the client device; process a dialog box function associated with the received current dialog box state data. When the current dialog box state data received from the client device indicates that a new sub-dialog box is to be displayed, as determined by the server device, the at least one processor of the server device is further configured to: create a new server dialog box object for the new sub-dialog box, create an entry for the new server dialog box object in a registry located on the server device, bundle together second dialog box data and second dialog box state data for the new sub-dialog box, with the current dialog box state data, and transmit the bundled together data to the client device, in order to instruct the client device, after the client device has split apart and processed the bundled together data, to update the currently active dialog box, display the new sub-dialog box in accordance with the second dialog box data and second dialog box state data, and set the new sub-dialog box as the currently active dialog box. Otherwise, any updated dialog box data and dialog box state data is transmitted to the client device, in order to prompt the client device to correspondingly update the display of the currently active dialog box.
In certain example embodiments, non-transitory computer readable storage media tangibly store instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computer, may perform one of these and/or other methods.
These features, aspects, advantages, and example embodiments may be used separately and/or applied in various combinations to achieve yet further embodiments of this invention.

Systems and/or methods for server-controlled display of nested multi-level client dialogs


A method for the provisional determination of the mass of a motor vehicle, for controlling a starting operation when the motor vehicle is at rest. The method determines the mass of the motor vehicle as a function of inclination information about the motor vehicle or the road on which the motor vehicle is located, and as a function of a force required for releasing an engaged parking lock while the motor vehicle is at rest.

For the optimum control of a starting operation of a motor vehicle from rest, it is necessary to know the mass of the motor vehicle. This is particularly important in the case of motor vehicles whose vehicle mass varies markedly, for example utility vehicles such as trucks. Only when the vehicle mass of the motor vehicle is known can a starting operation be chosen correctly.
Since motor vehicles such as utility vehicles do not as a rule have any sensor with the help of which the mass of the vehicle can be detected by measurement-technological means, it is necessary to determine the vehicle's mass by computation. Thus, from DE 10 2007 015 356 A1 a method is known with the help of which, while driving, a dynamic vehicle mass value is determined and when the control unit is de-initialized that value is stored in a data memory. Since while a motor vehicle such as a truck is at rest its mass can change substantially due to loading and/or unloading, in DE 10 2007 015 356 A1 it is provided that when the control unit is initialized an axle load of a rear axle of the motor vehicle is determined and from that a stationary vehicle mass value is determined. If the mass values determined differ from one another by more than a specified tolerance range, the statically determined vehicle mass value is used as the relevant vehicle mass value for controlling the starting operation.

Method for determining the mass of a motor vehicle