Disclosed are methods that aid users, especially users temporarily staying in locations remote from home, in finding and accessing media content. A program listing tailored for the user's current location, and showing only services actually available at that location, is created and presented to the user. In some embodiments, the user interacts with the listing to access available media content items. If the user has expressed specific location-based preferences, then those preferences can be taken into account when creating the listing. If a service subscribed to by the user is not available at this remote location, then an alternate provider will be searched for, and, if found, the user's favorite shows can be added to the created program listing.

Industry reports show that viewers are spending more time than ever watching television and using other media-delivery services. In response, new services are developed almost daily. Interactive and social applications are added to the traditional "content-consumption" experiences (e.g., broadcast television programming). For example, a television screen can show an interactive user interface overlaid onto the television's traditional broadcast content, the user interface supporting an application that complements the broadcast content (e.g., an interactive sports interface overlaid onto a sports network feed).
At the same time, sources of media content are proliferating rapidly. User-stored programming and the Internet provide even more choices for a viewer. Keeping track of all of the content providers and of their diverse services has become difficult. Even finding the best source for a content item that the user has already decided to watch can be burdensome.
All of these issues are magnified for a traveler. Some media content items or delivery services familiar to the user may not be available in a location distant from the user's home. Even if the new location offers as many or even more sources of content than the user is accustomed to, the user may find it difficult to rationalize all of these new sources in order to use them effectively, especially when he has little time to learn how to navigate through the sources available in the new location.


A planar transformer includes a multilayer printed circuit board having a plurality of spiral windings formed by metalization on various surfaces of the printed circuit board. A ferrite core assembly includes first and second core sections disposed on opposite sides of the printed circuit board and completely confining the conductors of the spiral windings. Each core section includes a thin, flat plate. The two flat plates are integral with or abut thin post sections that are thick enough to allow the printed circuit board to be accommodated between the first and second core sections. In one embodiment of the invention, the planar transformer is incorporated on the printed circuit board with other circuitry to form a low noise battery charger which is encapsulated in a male power connector.

The invention relates to miniature transformers that are useful in hybrid integrated circuits, and more particularly to planar transformers having primary and secondary spiral windings imprinted on a circuit board, with a ferrite core formed by two ferrite sections, each including a thin, flat plate and separated from the other by two post sections and also supported by the circuit board.
Hybrid electronic integrated circuits often are constructed using transfer molded packaging techniques to produce low cost electrical/electronic functions in a single conventional package, such as a dual-in-line package (DIP). Inclusion of magnetic components such as transformers in hybrid integrated circuits has always presented a major challenge, because the transformer cores required usually have large cross-sectional areas. Such large cross-sectional areas are inconsistent with the need to provide circuit functions in small packages. Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,267, by Olschewski and U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,986, by Meinel, indicate prior successful techniques for including miniature transformers in hybrid integrated circuits. However, the torroidal transformer components disclosed in the two foregoing references are not small enough to fit within a DIP package or the like. Also, a large number of wire bonding steps are required to complete the windings of these references, increasing the time and cost of manufacture. Also, the large number of wire bonded connections reduces reliability.
A prior art transformer 10 that is formed on a conventional printed circuit board, typically used for isolation amplifiers and DC-to-DC converters, is shown in FIG. 1. Spiral windings 12A and 13A are provided around holes 14A on one or more surfaces of printed circuit board 11. A ferrite core for transformer 10 includes an upper U-shaped section 18A and a lower U-shaped section 20A. The cross-sections of both sections 18A and 20A are square and uniform. The corresponding faces 20D on the legs 20C are attached by metal clips. The prior art transformer of FIG. 1, occupies a volume of approximately 3/4's of an inch on each side. The transformer 10 of FIG. 1 is inherently too large to be used in a hybrid integrated circuit. Its cross-section is uniform, probably because any reduction in the area of the magnetic flux path through the core of a transformer increases the amount of heat dissipated in the core and decreases transformer efficiency.
There are a variety of electronic products which are powered by rechargeable batteries. The functional operation of some electronic products, including some powered by rechargeable batteries, is made unreliable by the presence of electrical noise. In other products the presence of electrical noise causes sounds which are distracting to the user. Portable cellular telephones are an example of a noise-sensitive product. Some such products contain integral battery chargers that convert AC line voltage to low DC voltage levels at which conventional integrated circuit components can operate. It is important that the integral battery charger not introduce sufficient electrical noise to interfere with the reliable operation of the portable cellular telephone. There is an unmet need for a smaller, high efficiency, high frequency, low noise transformer that can be incorporated as part of an AC-to-DC or other circuit converter in a small hybrid integrated circuit package, such as a DIP package, or in a power connecter assembly.

Hybrid integrated circuit planar transformer


A radial foil bearing includes: a cylindrical top foil disposed so as to face a rotary shaft; a back foil disposed outside in the radial direction of the top foil; and a cylindrical bearing housing accommodating the top foil and the back foil. The bearing housing is provided with a limiting member which limits movement of the back foil. A locking recess is provided in a central part in the axial direction of an inner circumferential surface of the bearing housing. In addition, the limiting member includes a locking protrusion and is fixed to the bearing housing by the locking protrusion being locked into the locking recess.

In the related art, as a bearing used for a high-speed rotating body, a radial bearing is known which is used in a state of encircling a rotary shaft. As such a radial bearing, a radial foil bearing is well known which includes a thin sheet-shaped top foil forming a bearing surface, a back foil resiliently supporting the top foil, and a cylindrical bearing housing accommodating the top foil and the back foil. A bump foil, in which a thin sheet is formed in a wave sheet shape, is mainly employed as the back foil of the radial foil bearing.
As such a radial foil bearing, Patent Document 1, particularly FIG. 4 thereof, or FIG. 2 of Patent Document 2 discloses a structure including a bar-shaped locking member (a limiting member) which limits the movement of the back foil in the axial direction in order to prevent detachment of the back foil from the bearing housing.
In the structure of Patent Document 1 or 2, in order to fix the locking member to the bearing housing, two side surfaces (end surfaces in the axial direction) of the bearing housing are provided with engagement portions (engagement recesses, engagement grooves), and the engagement portions are engaged with engagement portions (engagement arms, engagement legs) of the locking member. The locking member holds the back foil, whereby the movement of the back foil in the axial direction is limited, and the detachment of the back foil from the bearing housing is prevented.
Patent Documents 3 to 5 disclose a radial foil bearing which includes a top foil (an upper foil) and a back foil (a back spring, an under foil).


Transparent conductive element includes an optical layer provided with a wave surface that has an average wavelength smaller than or equal to a wavelength of visible light and a transparent conductive layer formed on the wave surface so as to follow the shape of the wave surface. When the average wavelength of the wave surface is λm and an average amplitude of vibration of the wave surface is Am, the ratio (Am/λm) is 0.2 or more and 1.0 or less; an average angle of sloped surfaces of the wave surface is in the range of 30° or more and 60° or less; and when a thickness of the transparent conductive layer at a highest position of the wave surface is D1 and a thickness of the transparent conductive layer at a lowest position of the wave surface is D3, a ratio D3/D1 is in the range of 0.8 or less.

The present invention relates to a transparent conductive element, an input device, and a display device. In particular, it relates to a transparent conductive element having an antireflection function.
In a display device such as electronic paper and an input device such as a touch panel, a transparent conductive element in which a transparent conductive layer is formed on a flat surface of a substrate is used. As the material for the transparent conductive layer used in this transparent conductive element, a high-refractive-index material (e.g., ITO (Indium Tin Oxide)) having a refractive index of about 2.0 is used. Accordingly, the reflectance is high depending on the thickness of the transparent conductive layer and the quality of the display device and the input device is sometimes degraded.
Conventionally, in order to improve the transmission characteristics of a transparent conductive element, a technique of forming an optical multilayer film is used. For example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-136625, a transparent conductive element for a touch panel, in which an optical multilayer film is provided between a substrate and a transparent conductive film, is proposed. This optical multilayer film is formed by sequentially stacking a plurality of dielectric films having different refractive indices. However, according to this technique, the optical adjustment function becomes wavelength-dependent. Here, the optical adjustment function refers to the optical adjustment function for the transmission characteristics and/or reflection characteristics. Moreover, in recent years, because transparent conductive elements are used in various display devices and input devices, excellent electrical reliability is desired.

Transparent conductive element, input device, and display device


The invention features dilute solutions of rigid rod or extended rod lyotropic liquid crystalline polymers prepared from high concentration polymerization mixtures. The invention also features methods of preparing such dilute solutions which utilize high mechanical shear to induce mix the high concentration solution with a diluent. The invention further provides articles of manufacture, including films and fibers, having a porous microstructure which are prepared from the dilute homogeneous solutions of the invention.

There is a considerable need in both the military and commercial sectors for quiet, efficient and lightweight power sources that have improved power density. Military applications include, but are not limited to, submersibles, surface ships, portable/mobile field generating units, and low power units (i.e., battery replacements). For example, the military has a strong interest in developing low range power sources (a few watts to a few kilowatts) that can function as replacements for batteries. Commercial applications include transportation (i.e., automotive, bus, truck and railway), communications, on-site cogeneration and stationary power generation.
Other interest exists for household applications, such as radios, camcorders and laptop computers. Additional interest exists in larger power sources or sources of higher power density that can be used in operating clean, efficient vehicles. In general, there is a need for quiet, efficient and lightweight power sources anywhere stationary power generation is needed.
Additionally, the use of gasoline-powered internal combustion engines has created several environmental, exhaust gas-related problems. One possible solution to these environmental problems is the use of fuel cells. Fuel cells are highly efficient electrochemical energy conversion devices that directly convert the chemical energy derived from renewable fuel into electrical energy.
Significant research and development activity has focused on the development of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells. Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells have a polymer electrolyte membrane disposed between a positive electrode (cathode) and a negative electrode (anode). The polymer electrolyte membrane is composed of an ion-exchange polymer (i.e., ionomer). Its role is to provide a means for ionic transport and prevent mixing of the molecular forms of the fuel and the oxidant.
Solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells (SPEFCs) are an ideal source of quiet, efficient, and lightweight power. While batteries have reactants contained within their structure which eventually are used up, fuel cells use air and hydrogen to operate continuously. Their fuel efficiency is high (45 to 50 percent), they do not produce noise, operate over a wide power range (10 watts to several hundred kilowatts), and are relatively simple to design, manufacture and operate. Further, SPEFCs currently have the highest power density of all fuel cell types. In addition, SPEFCs do not produce any environmentally hazardous emissions such as NOx and SOx (typical combustion by-products).
The traditional SPEFC contains a solid polymer ion-exchange membrane that lies between two gas diffusion electrodes, an anode and a cathode, each commonly containing a metal catalyst supported by an electrically conductive material. The gas diffusion electrodes are exposed to the respective reactant gases, the reductant gas and the oxidant gas. An electrochemical reaction occurs at each of the two junctions (three phase boundaries) where one of the electrodes, electrolyte polymer membrane and reactant gas interface.
Despite their potential for many applications, SPEFCs have not yet been commercialized due to unresolved technical problems and high overall cost. One major deficiency impacting the commercialization of the SPEFC is the inherent limitations of today's leading membrane and electrode assemblies. To make the SPEFC commercially viable (especially in automotive applications), the membranes employed must operate at elevated/high temperatures (>120° C.) so as to provide increased power density, and limit catalyst sensitivity to fuel impurities. This would also allow for applications such as on-site cogeneration (high quality waste heat in addition to electrical power). Current membranes also allow excessive methanol crossover in liquid feed direct methanol fuel cells (dependent on actual operating conditions, but is typically equivalent to a current density loss of about 50 to 200 mA/cm2 @ 0.5V). This crossover results in poor fuel efficiency as well as limited performance levels.
Several polymer electrolyte membranes have been developed over the years for application as solid polymer electrolytes in fuel cells. However, these membranes have significant limitations when applied to liquid-feed direct methanol fuel cells and to hydrogen fuel cells. The membranes in today's most advanced SPEFCs do not possess the required combination of ionic conductivity, mechanical strength, dehydration resistance, chemical stability and fuel impermeability (e.g., methanol crossover) to operate at elevated temperatures.
DuPont developed a series of perfluorinated sulfonic acid membranes known as Nafion® membranes. The Nafion® membrane technology is well known in the art and is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,282,875 and 4,330,654. Unreinforced Nafion® membranes are used almost exclusively as the ion exchange membrane in present SPEFC applications. This membrane is fabricated from a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) and a perfluorovinyl ethersulfonyl fluoride. The vinyl ether comonomer is copolymerized with TFE to form a melt-processable polymer. Once in the desired shape, the sulfonyl fluoride group is hydrolyzed into the ionic sulfonate form.
There are several mechanisms that limit the performance of Nafion® membranes in fuel cell environments at temperatures above 100° C. In fact, these phenomenon may begin at temperatures above even 80° C. Mechanisms include membrane dehydration, reduction of ionic conductivity, radical formation in the membrane (which can destroy the solid polymer electrolyte membrane chemically), loss of mechanical strength via softening, and increased parasitic losses through high fuel permeation.
The Nafion® membrane/electrode is also very expensive to produce, and as a result it is not (yet) commercially viable. Reducing membrane cost is crucial to the commercialization of SPEFCs. It is estimated that membrane cost must be reduced by at least an order of magnitude from the Nafion® model for SPEFCs to become commercially attractive.
In an effort to reduce costs and move toward potential commercialization of SPEFCs, ion-exchange membranes that are less expensive to produce also have been investigated for use in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells.
Sulfonated poly(aryl ether ketones) developed by Hoechst AG are described in European Patent No. 574,891,A2. These polymers can be crosslinked by primary and secondary amines. However, when used as membranes and tested in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells, only modest cell performance is observed.
Sulfonated polyaromatic based systems, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,528,858 and 3,226,361, also have been investigated as membrane materials for SPEFCs. However, these materials suffer from poor chemical resistance and mechanical properties that limit their use in SPEFC applications.
Solid polymer membranes comprising a sulfonated poly(2,6 dimethyl 1,4 phenylene oxide) alone or blended with poly(vinylidene fluoride) also have been investigated. These membranes are disclosed in WO 97/24777. However, these membranes are known to be especially vulnerable to degradation from peroxide radicals.
The inherent problems and limitations of using solid polymer electrolyte membranes in electrochemical applications, such as fuel cells, at elevated/high temperatures (>100° C.) have not been solved by the polymer electrolyte membranes known in the art. Specifically, maintaining high ion conductivity and high mechanical strength, resisting dehydration and other forms of degradation remain problematic, especially at elevated operating temperatures. As a result, commercialization of SPEFCs has not been realized.
Composite polymer membranes having an ion conducting material dispersed in a microporous substrate polymer have been the subject of substantial research. Several membranes are disclosed in, U.S. Pat. No. 6,248,469 in which an ion conducting membrane is incorporated into pores of a microporous membrane composed of a rigid rod or extended rod lyotropic liquid crystalline polymer. Microporous membranes were traditionally prepared from as-polymerized dope solutions in part because the no methods had previously been disclosed to prepare lower concentration dope solutions of high molecular weight lyotropic liquid crystalline polymers by either lower concentration polymerization or by dilution of a high concentration dope.
Lyotropic liquid crystal polymers such as polyphenylene benzobisoxazole (PBO) and polyphenylene benzobisthiazole (PBZT) can be formed into fibers that exhibit the highest tensile strength of any polymeric fiber (>500 ksi) These so-called "rigid rod" polymers when spun into fibers, coagulated and dried also exhibit excellent high temperature capability (up to 550° C.) and excellent resistance to organic solvents and most common acids. The spin dopes of these materials are supplied as high molecular weight (intrinsic viscosity >24 dL/g) nematic phase solutions of the polymer in polyphosphoric acid (PPA). The typical spin dope contains 12-15% polymer by weight.
High strength biaxially oriented thin films of these materials have been recited in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,963,428, 4,973,442, and 6,132,668 issued to Foster-Miller, Inc., which films are prepared using a modified blown film extrusion process using a novel counter-rotating circular die to impart shear orientation to the nematic phase polymer. It has also been demonstrated that these biaxially oriented films when coagulated in water or some other non-solvent can form extremely strong open membranes when preserved in the wet, swollen state. Using solvent exchange techniques it has been shown that a number of different materials such as sol gel glasses, polymers, including ion conducting polymers, and other materials etc. can be infused or imbibed into this membrane structure. When dried, the liquid crystal polymer network shrinks (consolidates) around the imbibed material forming a very high strength structure that preserves the functional properties of the imbibed material.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,248,469 recites composite membranes and various methods of making same wherein ion conducting polymers (ICPs) are incorporated into the microporous PBO structure to produce a microcomposite proton exchange membrane (PEM) that would overcome the cost/performance problems of perfluorinated PEMs based on Dupont's Nafion polymer. Nafion type solid polymer electrolyte membranes exhibit long term stability of >20,000 hrs but cannot meet the needs for an automotive fuel cell due to high cost (˜$770/m2) and serious degradation of mechanical strength at operating temperatures of greater than 100° C. The '469 patent recited various composite membranes having a relatively low cost sulfonated aromatic polymers, such as sulfonated polyether sulfones or sulfide/sulfones, imbibed into an appropriate PBO membrane support structure. These lower cost aromatic ion conductors address the PEM cost problem and the PBO support structure addresses the mechanical strength issues, permitting fuel cell operation at optimally efficient temperatures between 100 to 150° C. These higher operating temperatures improve fuel cell efficiency, increase specific power and reduce the negative effect of CO on membrane electrode (MEA) platinum catalyst activity. Although composite membranes prepared from commercially available spin dope of 14.6 wt % PBO in PPA can produce a membrane support film with outstanding mechanical properties and increased electrochemical performance, still greater electrochemical output is still desirable.
Initial theoretical calculations indicated that a dope containing approximately 6-8 wt % PBO in PPA would yield membranes with sufficient open pore volume while retaining sufficient mechanical strength to produce composite membranes suitable for use in high electrochemical density fuel cell applications. Unfortunately, attempts to dilute the extremely viscous 14.6% PBO/PPA dope with additional PPA were not successful. Heterogeneous mixtures of PBO in PPA were produced which were not suitable for quality film preparation. Similarly, attempts to prepare 8% dope solutions of PBO in PPA by polymerization at a reduced reaction concentration resulted in mixtures which were not suitable for film/membrane production.
Very low concentration (˜1 wt %) PBO solutions in methane sulfonic acid (MSA) have been prepared. MSA is a very strong acid and best known solvent for the lyotropic rigid rod polymers. PBO fiber can be dissolved in MSA using laboratory glassware and mixing equipment. This yielded a relatively low viscosity isotropic phase solution which could be used to make hand cast membranes with open pore volumes, e.g., membranes with greater than 90% porosity. Composite membranes comprising a variety of ion conducting polymers imbibed into PBO membranes prepared from the 1% in MSA dope solution have been prepared and exhibit electrochemical activity similar to Nafion membranes in single cell fuel cell test conducted at 80° C. Attempts to use composite membranes prepared from the 1% dope solution in fuel cells at temperatures greater than 80° C. were unsuccessful in part because the low concentration isotropic phase solutions in MSA did not have sufficient mechanical strength. Higher concentration PBO in MSA solutions cannot be obtained due to solubility and miscibility limitations of PBO above 1% by weight in MSA.
In view of these and other limitations observed in the art, it would be highly desirable to develop rigid rod or extended rod lyotropic liquid crystalline polymer dope solutions having a concentration less than that of the as-polymerized dope and greater than 1%. It would also be desirable to provide methods of making diluted dope solutions from high concentration as-polymerized solutions. It would also be desirable to develop improved solid polymer electrolyte membrane with high resistance to dehydration, high mechanical strength and stability to a range of operating temperatures of at least between at 80° C. and 150° C., more preferably between about 50° C. and 200° C. using diluted rigid rod or extended rod lyotropic liquid crystalline polymer dope solutions.

Dilute solutions of lyotropic liquid crystalline polymers, methods of making same and compositions prepared from same


A drive mechanism is provided for a tilting and telescoping steering column. The drive mechanism can selectively tilt the steering wheel or telescope the steering column in response to input from the driver. A single drive mechanism controls the tilting movement and the telescoping movement. The invention includes a locking device for locking the single drive mechanism in one of first and second modes of operation corresponding to tilting movement and telescoping movement. A pivoting device for engaging the locking device is provided. The pivoting device can be a lever arm or can be a solenoid mounted to the steering column.

Vehicles can be equipped with steering columns that adjust the position of the steering wheel to enhance the comfort and safety of the driver. For example, the steering column can telescope to move closer to and away from the driver. Also, the position of the steering wheel can be tilted relative to other components of the column. These features together operate to enable the driver to adjust the steering wheel to a desired, convenient position for operating the vehicle, and for enabling the wheel to be moved out of the way to provide greater access to getting into and out of the driver's seat of the vehicle.

Single-motor power telescope and tilt steering column


An associative memory for storing an n-bit stored vector in m different states comprises n first amplifiers connected between n input terminals and n output terminals, and m second amplifiers to feedback to the input side the designated states of the stored vectors. Synapses of the storing unit store the above mentioned stored vectors in the a binary 1 or 0; synapses of the label units couple the respective intersections between the input and output lines of the second amplifiers; and synapses of the vector units couple the intersections between the output lines of the first amplifiers and the input lines of the second amplifiers. According to the present invention, the outputs of the amplifiers are stabilized, so that stabilized operations can be obtained.

Computer memories can be divided into two kinds based on the method of designating the contents. The first kind of memory which is seen in the existing computers, is the method of reading out the stored data from the respective addresses after establishing a series of addresses for finding the target items. In such a case, even if a certain information is stored at a certain address, if the address is unknown, the information cannot be inputted or outputted to and from the address. That is, only method of accessing to the information is to know the certain address.
The other kind of memory which is similar with the human memory, functions in such a manner that a large quantity of information is found out by means of a small amount of information. Thus, the memory device in which the stored data is found out by means of data contents is called an associative memory, and is also called a content addressable memory (CAM), because the designation is made by means of the contents.
In such a method, the designations of addresses are not required, and data can be stored in the form of certain symbols instead of using numerals, with the result that combinations of infinite patterns are possible. Such an associative memory is based on the neural network model, and is applicable to the fields of the image recognition and the pattern recognition.
In 1988, the Bell Laboratory of the AT & T Company disclosed the possibility of formation of a VLSI based on a neural network model through the use of the associative memory of FIG. 2 and the pattern classifier of FIG. 1. (H. P. Graf, L. D. Jackel, and W. E. Hubbard; VLSI Implementation of a Neural Network Model, IEEE Trans. Computers; PP. 41-49, March 1988).
In FIG. 1, the pattern classifier includes an amplifier which consists of a label unit and a vector unit. Several vectors are stored in the circuit, and each of the vectors is connected to the input line of a label unit. The element of the vectors stored can have a value of -1 or +1, and an excitatory connection is marked by a value of +1, while an inhibitory connection is marked by -1. The input vector is provided by inputting vector units, and the elements of the input vector can have a value of 1 or 0. Each time a value of +1 is added to the input vector, the current is increased or decreased to the input line of the label unit, depending on the connection pattern. In this circuit, a stable state is formed when the total current flowing through the input line of the label unit becomes 0. If the input voltage exceeds the threshold value of the amplifier, then the output of the label unit will have a high state, while, otherwise, the output will be kept at a low state. The output of the label unit is governed by Formula (1) as specified below. ##EQU1## where .delta..sub.1 indicates the element of the input vector (+1,0), .mu..sub.1 indicates the element of the stored vector (-1,0,+1), and Ri indicates the connection resistance (R-,R+).
The input vectors are compared with the stored vectors in a parallel form, and thus, an inner product between the input vector and the stored vector is produced. The outputs of the label units corresponding to all the stored vectors which approximately resemble the input vector will have a high state. If the input vector has a value of +1 at the position where the stored vector has a positive value, then the sum of the inner product is increased, whereas, if the input vector has a value of +1 at the position where the stored vector has a value of -1, the sum of the inner product is decreased.
In this circuit, if the value of the connection resistance R is made to be larger than the value of the connection resistance R+, then the inner product of the mismatch state, in which an input value of +1 is fed to the position of a stored vector having -1, becomes larger than the inner product of a match state.
Accordingly, if an input value of 1 is added to the position where the stored vector has a value of -1, it can be seen that the input vector is mismatching to the stored vector. Then there arises the problem that the label unit outputs a match state regardless of the stored vector. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, if it is assumed that the stored vectors hold the values of (-1,+1,0,+1) and (+1,+1,-1,+1), and in this state, if (0,+1,0,0) are inputted, the two label units will output a high state which is a match state.
The associative memory of FIG. 2 is constituted such that an inhibitory connection -1 is added between the label units in the pattern classifier of FIG. 1, and that the outputs of the label units are connected to the input lines of the vector units, with the result that it holds the above described disadvantages.

Adaptive associative memory comprising synapes of CMOS transistors


An outboard motor includes a case extending generally vertically and supported on a hull. An engine is supported at an upper end of the case. A propeller is supported by a lower end of the case. A drive shaft is supported within the case for rotation about a generally vertical axis. The driveshaft has an upper end operatively connected to the engine and a lower end operatively connected to the propeller. An upper portion of the case includes an elongate extruded portion having substantially the same cross-sectional shape along its length.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an outboard motor having a case that forms an outer shell of the outboard motor. More specifically, the present invention relates to an outboard motor in which the case comprises an extrusion.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typical outboard motors include an internal combustion engine adapted to drive a driveshaft, which in turn drives a propeller shaft. The engine usually is enclosed within a cowling, and a casing generally encloses the driveshaft and propeller shaft. The casing typically includes an upper case that is generally vertically-directed so as to generally enclose the driveshaft. A lower case generally encloses the propeller shaft, and often encloses gearing through which the driveshaft and propeller shaft communicate.
An example outboard motor is disclosed in Japanese Patent Document JP-A-Hei 8-34394. In this publication, the outboard motor includes a casing having a generally vertically-extending upper case. A driveshaft is contained in an internal space defined within the upper case. In the illustrated embodiment, the upper case is formed by casting a metal, and has a relatively complex, curved shape. A lower case generally contains the propeller shaft, and is also formed by casting a metal.
Components such as the upper and lower cases tend to be heavy. Also, casting metal can be a cumbersome process. Thus, typical upper cases formed by casting metal tend to be heavy and cumbersome to manufacture.
Further, typical outboard motors employ water-cooled engines. In such motors, water from below the surface is used as cooling water. Such cooling water is typically drawn into the lower case and then directed through a water passage formed in the internal space of the upper/lower cases to be supplied to the engine for cooling purposes. The water passage typically increases a cross-section of the case. Such a large-cross-section case tends to create a significant propulsion resistance for the associated boat.


A guide having passive gravity compensation via a magnet assembly for guiding a first body relative to a second body in a vertical direction has a spring guide which allows movements between a first and second body in the vertical direction and blocks the same in all other directions. The first body is connected to a first magnet and the second body to a second magnet. The second magnet has an opening within which the first magnet is configured, at least in part, so that a repulsion force, which counteracts the gravity of the first body, acts between the first and the second magnet that are each magnetized parallel to the vertical direction, but oppositely, the positive mechanical stiffness of the spring guide being at least partially compensated by a negative stiffness of the magnetic spring formed by the first and second magnets, and the first and second magnets being shaped such that a horizontal distance between the first and second magnet inside of the opening of the second magnet varies in the vertical direction. A platform supported by such guides is provided.

Many applications, such as machine manufacturing or semiconductor production, require that machine elements be held against the force of gravity while the exactly controlled vertical movement thereof nevertheless be allowed. A readily predictable performance of the gravity compensation and of the guidance is an important condition that must be met in order to achieve an accurate and rapid control of the machine element to the desired position.
The type of guide that can be used depends on the size of the required vertical positioning range. If this range is relatively small, then guides based on elastic deformation can be used. Such guides are generally referred to as spring guides. Specific examples are leaf springs or parallel spring guides.
Certain pneumatic systems for compensating for gravity are conventional, for example. However, such pneumatic systems exhibit inherent internal friction and hysteresis effects, which, moreover, can vary as a function of position and time. This makes it substantially more difficult to accurately control the position of the machine element.
Certain gravity-compensating systems based on preloaded springs are also conventional. In this case, however, the compensating spring force is dependent on the location, which, in turn, makes it difficult to accurately control the position.
A very advantageous approach for a gravity-compensated guide is the combination of a guide using leaf springs and a gravity compensation based on a passive magnetic mount.
Thus, PCT International Patent Application WO 2009/093907 describes a magnetic actuator where leaf springs having low stiffness in the axial direction and high stiffness in the radial direction form a straight guidance in the axial direction. A passive gravity compensation is achieved by an arrangement of magnets. The low positive stiffness of the leaf springs in the axial direction is compensated in the working point of the guide by a negative stiffness of the magnetic mount, so that the positional control only requires a slight compensation for gravity or for guide-induced influences.

Guide having passive gravity compensation and a vertically movably mounted platform


There is provided a cable position information management system, management method and program which efficiently perform cable position measurement, and manage the measurement information. Furthermore, there is provided a facility information management system and a facility information management program which allow a user to perform determinations relating to facility management immediately and accurately by the sharing and integration of individually managed facility information. In addition, there is provided a cable core wire management system, a cable core wire management method and a cable core wire management program which realize an improvement in efficiency and reliability of construction work performed on networks such as optical fiber networks.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cable position information management system, a cable position information management method, and a cable position information management program, which measure the position of a cable and manage the measurement information.
The present invention also relates to a facility information management server and a facility information management program, capable of managing visually in an integrated manner information on facilities which exist in a number of locations as information managed by individual facility managers, and relates specifically to technology which enables the use of such facility information over a network, using wireless communication terminals such as PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) and mobile telephones.
The present invention also relates to a cable core wire management system, a cable core wire management method and a cable core wire management program, which assign identification codes to optical fibers and the like, and manage the related facility information and work information in a database in a linked manner, to yield an improvement in construction efficiency and quality.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a buried cable surveying method described below is employed, to determine the cable type and installation conditions, and the like, and detect the position and depth at which buried transmission cables are laid.
First, a weak alternating magnetic field originating from an underground cable is measured from above the surface by a cable position measurement device which measures magnetic fields. Next, the distance from the point of measurement to the position of the cable is calculated based on these magnetic field measurement results (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2001-356177). The distance is then measured several times nearby the point of measurement, and the cable is determined to be lie directly beneath the point of measurement where the calculated distance is the shortest.
However, in order to perform cable position measurement efficiently, it is necessary to predict to a certain extent the point of measurement where measurement should next be performed, based on the cable position information determined to be the position where the cable is buried, and then perform the next measurement. However, in order to perform such a prediction at a measurement location, it is necessary for a person to determine empirically the vicinity from which measurement should next commence in order to narrow down the position of the cable, based on the measured numerical results.
Furthermore, when displaying over a map the route on which the cable is laid based on this cable position information, even though it is possible to know roughly the latitude and longitude information of the points of measurement determined to be directly above the cable position by viewing the map or the like, accurate latitude and longitude information cannot be obtained. Consequently, it was not possible to display an accurate position upon a map.
On one hand, conventionally as a system to reduce the costs involved in performing management duties, when there is a limited number of facilities to be managed, then for example instead of having custodians or the like stationed permanently at a plurality of buildings, remote management is often performed to reduce the management costs and the like of a building. This remote management is realized by a supervisor and a building side operator communicating with each other via a network, and by the supervisor performing management duties based on images taken by a CCD camera installed at the building (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2002-133559, for example).
When the facilities to be managed are provided in a plurality of locations spread over a wide area, facility management is performed based on drawing information such as facility record drawings, or character based databases.
However, in such cases as the facility management of optical transmission lines, the object of management is often widely spread and complicated.
For example, here we assume that road works are to be performed in the vicinity of an optical transmission line held by our company, and it is therefore necessary to determine the possibility of disruption of the optical transmission line (disruption determination). In such a case, because the on-site facility information is often managed based on different management systems, vast amounts of time are required to perform such tasks as verifying the on-site facility information (on-site verification), estimating the scale of the relocation construction operation when relocation is required (relocation determination), and planning the time of the switchover of the optical transmission line which accompanies the construction (construction determination). The costs involved in performing these determinations are specifically the labor costs involved in performing such tasks as the site verification, the disruption and relocation determination, construction determination, and the on-site direction, and the cause of the high cost is the fact that a plurality of personnel are involved in selecting the material on which to base their determinations, extracting the required material, and making their determination.
Furthermore, conventionally, drawing information such as facility record drawings, and character based databases are created manually, which entails a certain probability of human error, and as such the content thereof will differ from the state of the site. Consequently, the determinations above are performed based on drawing information which is created manually and therefore contains errors, sometimes in later steps work must be redone.
Moreover, in order to make the determinations under a variety of conditions using drawing information such as facility record drawings and character based databases, skill is required to interpret the drawings.
Furthermore, if a fault occurs such as the accidental severing of the optical transmission line, until now it was necessary to check drawings such as facility record drawings, bring the drawings to the site, and decide on the appropriate remedial measures while communicating with the contingency planning office.
On the other hand, because of the increase in scale of optical fiber networks, there is a need for an improvement in efficiency and quality of construction in the areas of the laying of optical fiber, and fault recovery. In order to realize an improvement in efficiency and quality of construction during the optical fiber core wire switching work which accompanies construction to lay optical fiber and the like, it is necessary to identify with greater accuracy and efficiency the core wire which is scheduled to be worked on from many similar optical fibers.
Conventionally, a method in which sheets on which are printed codes to which identification symbols arc assigned covers the optical fiber core wire, and these codes are read by a pen type code reader, is proposed as a technique for identifying mechanically the optical fiber core wire (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Applications, First Publication Nos. 2001-57683, Hei 11-295566, and Hei 9-184949). This method allows the identification of similar optical fiber core wires with very high accuracy.
However, when actually performing the work at the work site, the checking of work content which tells from which connector to which connector the identified core wire should be connected is not supported mechanically, and when incidents such as checking errors of the work content and the like caused by human error occur, they are likely to cause serious problems with regard to the reliability of the optical network.
Furthermore, conventionally, a scheme for linking mechanically the identification information assigned to the codes, the core wire information in the administration databases and the work information does not exist, and the keeping of work records and the updating of databases was performed manually. Consequently, as in the example described above, dealing with human error is a major problem.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a cable position information management system, management method and program, which can efficiently perform cable position measurement, and manage the measurement information.
Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a facility information management server and a facility information management program which allow even a user with no technical skills to more precisely grasp the facts of the site from any location, immediately and accurately, based on facility information ranging from the general state of the route as outline information to detailed cable core wire information, presented as image based spatial cross-section information, and perform the determinations relating to facility management, by the visualization, sharing and integration of individually managed facility information.
In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a cable core wire management system, a cable core wire management method and a cable core wire management program which realize an improvement in the reliability and efficiency of construction work relating to networks comprising optical fibers and the like.
A cable position information management system according to a first aspect of the present invention, comprising a portable terminal, and a server which performs data communication with the portable terminal, wherein the portable terminal comprising: a position information acquisition section which acquires position information including latitude and longitude information for a measurement point where a cable position is measured by communicating with GPS satellites; a cable position calculation section which at the measurement point receives electromagnetic waves emitted by a metal wire either integrated with or attached to a cable targeted for measurement, and based on intensity information of the electromagnetic waves, calculates a position of a cable with the measurement point as a reference point; a transmission section which links the position information for the measurement point and the position of the cable measured with the measurement point as a reference point, and transmits the position information and the position of the cable to the server as cable position information; and a display section which displays the cable position information and information received from the server, and wherein the server comprising: a receiving section which receives the cable position information sent from the portable terminal; a storage section which stores geographic information; a writing section which writes the received cable position information and the stored geographic information to the storage section in a linked manner; and a transmission section which receives a data request from the portable terminal, and retrieves the cable position information and the geographic information corresponding with the cable position information from the storage section and transmits the retrieved information.
A portable terminal according to a first aspect of the present invention, comprising: a position information acquisition section which acquires position information including latitude and longitude information for a measurement point where a cable position is measured by communicating with GPS satellites; a cable position calculation section which at the measurement point receives electromagnetic waves emitted by a metal wire either integrated with or attached to a cable targeted for measurement, and based on intensity information of the electromagnetic waves, calculates a position of a cable with the measurement point as a reference point; a storage section which links the position information for the measurement point and the position of the cable with the measurement point as a reference point, and stores the position information the position information and the position of the cable as cable position information; and a display section which displays the cable position information.
In the portable terminal, the storage section may further store facility information including cable path information, and of a plurality of pieces of the cable position information, may store cable position information positioned on the path of the cable so as to be linked with the path, and the display section may display the linked plurality of pieces of cable position information as either one of a lateral view and a longitudinal view of the cable.
A cable position information management method according to a first aspect of the present invention is a method in which cable position information is managed in an information management system comprising a portable terminal and a server which performs data communication with the portable terminal, comprising the steps of: the portable terminal acquires position information including latitude and longitude information for a measurement point where a cable position is measured by communicating with GPS satellites; the portable terminal receives electromagnetic waves emitted by a metal wire either integrated with or attached to a cable targeted for measurement, and based on intensity information of the electromagnetic waves, calculates a position of a cable with the measurement point as a reference point; the portable terminal links the position information for the measurement point and the position of the cable with the measurement position as a reference point, and transmits the position information and the position of the cable to the server as cable position information; the server receives the cable position information transmitted from the portable terminal; the server writes the received cable position information and geographic information stored in a storage section to the storage section in a linked manner; the server receives a data request from the portable terminal and retrieves the cable position information and the geographic information corresponding with the cable position information from the storage section and transmits the retrieved information; and the portable terminal displays the cable position information together with the geographic information received from the server.
A cable position information management program according to a first aspect of the present invention is a program which enables a computer to execute the processes of: a position information acquisition process which acquires position information including latitude and longitude information for a measurement point where a cable position is measured by communicating with GPS satellites; a cable position calculation process which receives electromagnetic waves emitted by a metal wire either integrated with or attached to a cable targeted for measurement, and based on intensity information of the electromagnetic waves, calculates a position of a cable with the measurement position as a reference point; a communication process which links the position information for the measurement point and the position of the cable with the measurement position as a reference point, and transmits the position information and the position of the cable to a predetermined server as cable position information; and a display process which displays the cable position information.
Another cable position information management program according to a first aspect of the present invention is a program which enables a computer to execute the processes of: a receiving process which receives, via a network, cable position information which links position information including latitude and longitude information for a measurement point where a cable position is measured, with the position of the cable having the measurement point as a reference point calculated based on intensity information output from a receiving section which receives electromagnetic waves emitted by the cable targeted for measurement at the measurement point; a writing process which writes the cable position information and geographic information stored in a storage section to the storage section in a linked manner; and a transmitting process which receives a data request from a predetermined terminal, and retrieves the cable position information and the geographic information corresponding with the cable position information from the storage section and transmits the retrieved information.
A cable position information management device according to a first aspect of the present invention comprising: a first receiving section which is provided at a predetermined distance from the earth surface and receives electromagnetic waves emitted from a metal wire either integrated with or attached to a cable targeted for measurement; a second receiving section which is provided in a different position from the first receiving section and receives the electromagnetic waves emitted from the metal wire; a third receiving section which is provided at a different position from both the first receiving section and the second receiving section and receives the electromagnetic waves emitted from the metal wire; a cable position calculation section which calculates the position of a cable using the measuring point as a reference point, based on intensity information of the electromagnetic waves received by the first receiving section, the second receiving section, and the third receiving section, respectively; and a display section which displays the cable position information.
The cable position information management device may further comprise a fourth receiving section which is provided in a different position from the first receiving section, the second receiving section, and the third receiving section and receives the electromagnetic waves emitted by the metal wire, and the cable position calculation section may calculate the position of the cable using the measuring point as a reference point, based on intensity information of the electromagnetic waves received by the first receiving section, the second receiving section, the third receiving section, and the fourth receiving section, respectively.
In the cable position information management device, the second receiving section may be provided at the same distance from the earth surface as the first receiving section, the third receiving section may be provided at a location a predetermined distance directly above the first receiving section, and the fourth receiving section may be provided at a location a predetermined distance directly above the second receiving section.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to efficiently perform the measurement and management of cable position information.
Furthermore, instead of only being able to check the position of a structure such as a duct on a map as in conventional systems, it is possible to identify the latitude, longitude and even the depth of the cable position with high accuracy.
Moreover, by linking the cable layout with geographic information during the cable construction and automatically transferring the information to plan view or longitudinal view, it is possible to prevent the human errors which occur during the recording or transcription of the information into drawings, which have conventionally been a problem, and perform a completion check which does not involve human adjustment.
Furthermore, in an on site construction review it is possible to immediately identify the cable position and prevent cable accidents from occurring.
A facility information management server according to a second aspect of the present invention, comprising: a database; a receiving section which receives a data request from a user terminal connected via a network; a data retrieval section which retrieves the requested data from the database, based on the data request; and a transmitting section which transmits the retrieved data to the user terminal, wherein the database stores: route management information including path information and route management numbers for a route from a predetermined point to another point; point facility information linked to each of the route management numbers, including a facility key provided for each of a plurality of point facilities provided on the route; section facility information linked with a predetermined two of the plurality of point facilities and including a plurality of section numbers indicating section facilities within a section between the two point facilities; relay facility information linked with the route management number and the section number and including in-route numbers indicating a plurality of relay facilities provided on the route; and at least one type of image information of the three types of image information, which are point facility image information linked with the facility key, section facility image information linked with the section number, and relay facility image information linked with the in-route number.
In the facility information management server, the point facility information may further include position information on the route, the section facility information may further include section position information on the route, the relay facility information may further include position information on the route, the database may further store geographic information linked to position information of the point facility, geographic information linked to section position information of the section facility, and geographic information linked to position information of the relay facility, the data retrieving section may further retrieve geographic information corresponding with the retrieved data, and the transmission section may transmit the retrieved data appended with the geographic information.
In the facility information management server, the section position information may include depth information indicating depth, the data retrieval section may retrieve the depth information when depth information corresponding with the retrieved data is available, and the transmission section may transmit the retrieved data appended with the depth information.
In the facility information management server, the point facility image information, the section facility image information, and the relay facility image information may be in the form of panoramic images.
In the facility information management server, the database may further store at least one type of video footage of the three types of video footage which are video footage linked to the facility key and showing the point facility, video footage linked to the section facility number and showing the section facility, and video footage linked to the in-route number and showing the relay facility, the data retrieval section may retrieve video footage corresponding with the retrieved data, and the transmission section may transmit the retrieved data appended with the video footage.
A facility information management method according to a second aspect of the present invention is a method which manages facility information relating to facilities on a route from a predetermined point to another point, comprising the steps of: storing in a database of a facility information management system, route management information including path information and route management numbers for the route, point facility information linked to each of the route management numbers, including a facility key provided for each of a plurality of point facilities provided on the route and position information of the point facilities on the route, section facility information linked with a predetermined two of the plurality of point facilities and including a plurality of section numbers indicating section facilities within a section between the two point facilities and section position information thereof on the route, relay facility information linked with the route management numbers and the section numbers and including in-route numbers provided for a plurality of relay facilities provided on the route and position information of the relay facilities on the route, point facility image information linked with the facility keys, section facility image information linked with the section numbers, relay facility image information linked with the in-route numbers, geographic information linked with position information of the point facilities, geographic information linked with section position information of the section facilities, and geographic information linked with position information of the relay facilities; receiving a data request from a user terminal connected via a network; retrieving requested data and geographic information corresponding with the requested data from the database based on the data request; and transmitting the retrieved data to the user terminal appended with the geographic information.
A facility information management program according to a second aspect of the present invention is a program which enables a computer to execute the processes for managing facility information relating to facilities on a route from a predetermined point to another point, the program comprising the processes of: storing in a database of a facility information management system, route management information including route information and route management numbers for the route, point facility information linked to each of the route management numbers, including a facility key provided for each of a plurality of point facilities provided on the route and position information of the point facilities on the route, section facility information linked with a predetermined two of the plurality of point facilities and including a plurality of section numbers indicating section facilities within a section between the two point facilities and section position information thereof on the route, relay facility information linked with the route management numbers and the section numbers and including in-route numbers provided for a plurality of relay facilities provided on the route and position information of the relay facilities on the route, point facility image information linked with the facility keys, section facility image information linked with the section numbers, relay facility image information linked with the in-route numbers, geographic information linked with position information of the point facilities, geographic information linked with section position information of the section facilities, and geographic information linked with position information of the relay facilities; receiving a data request from a user terminal connected via a network; retrieving requested data and geographic information corresponding with the requested data from the database based on the data request; and transmitting the retrieved data to the user terminal appended with the geographic information.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, because the individually managed facility information is presented to the user in an integrated form, it is possible to immediately and accurately perform the determinations relating to facility management.
Furthermore, because the individually managed facility information is presented to the user in a form integrated with geographic information, it is possible to ascertain the relationship of the position of point facilities and the position of section facilities to the road circumstances and the surrounding environment of the optical transmission line route at a glance, for example, and it is possible to perform the determinations relating to facility management immediately and accurately.
Furthermore, when there is neighboring construction such as road works near the route of the optical transmission line, because the user knows in advance the status of the cable laying position which shows at what depth the optical transmission line is buried, the task of checking the laying position while reviewing the construction on site can be performed efficiently.
A core wire management system according to a third aspect of the present invention, comprising: a server which manages core wire information; and a portable terminal which performs data communication with the server, wherein the server comprises: a first storage section which stores existing core wire information comprising a first core wire identifier which is a core wire identifier for an existing core wire and a first identification code corresponding with the first core wire identifier, switching target core wire information comprising a second core wire identifier which is a core wire identifier for a switching target core wire and a second identification code corresponding with the second core wire identifier, and work information on the switching over of the existing core wire to the switching target core wire; and a first transmitting and receiving section which receives a data request from the portable terminal, retrieves the requested data from the first storage section and transmits the requested data, and the portable terminal comprises: a second transmitting and receiving section which transmits to the server a request for the work information and a first identification code and a second identification code for an existing core wire and a switching target core wire shown by the work information to be targeted for work, and receives the work information, the first identification code and the second identification code; an identification information reading section which reads a third identification code and a fourth identification code assigned to the existing core wire and the switching target core wire, respectively; a determination section which when the first identification code and the third identification code match, and the second identification code and the fourth identification code match, determines that the core wires from which the identification code were read are scheduled for switching work, and when the identification codes do not match determines that the core wire from which the identification code were read are not scheduled for switching work; and a display section which displays results of the determination.
In the core wire management system, the identification codes may be two-dimensional codes.
In the core wire management system, the portable terminal may further comprise an updated information creation section which upon receiving input indicating that work is finished creates updated facility information after the existing core wire is switched over to the switching target core wire, and the second transmitting and receiving section may transmit the updated facility information to the server, and the server may further comprise: a second storage section which stores facility information on facilities which accommodate the existing core wire and the switching target core wire; and a facility information updating section which updates the facility information stored by the second storage section based on the updated facility information.
In the core wire management system, the updated information creation section may further create the facility information linked with fixed asset quantities and acquisition dates.
A portable terminal according to a third aspect of the present invention is a portable terminal which performs data communication with a server which manages core wire information, and the server comprises a storage section which stores existing core wire information comprising a first core wire identifier which is a core wire identifier of an existing core wire, and a first identification code corresponding with the first core wire identifier, switching target core wire information comprising a second core wire identifier which is a core wire identifier of a switching target core wire and a second identification code corresponding with the second core wire identifier, and work information on the switching over of the existing core wire to the switching target core wire, the portable terminal comprises: a transmitting and receiving section which transmits to the server a request for the work information, a first identification code and a second identification code for an existing core wire and switching target core wire shown by the work information to be targeted for work, and receives the work information, the first identification code, and second identification code; an input section which by means of an identification information reading section which reads a third identification code and a fourth identification code assigned to the existing core wire and the switching target core wire, respectively, receives the third identification code and the fourth identification code; a determination section which when the first identification code and the third identification code match, and the second identification code and the fourth identification code match, determines that the core wire from which the identification code were read are scheduled for switching work, and when the identification codes do not match, determines that the core wire from which the identification code were read are not scheduled for switching work; and a display section which displays results of the determination.
A core wire management method according to a third aspect of the present invention is a method, in which a portable terminal sends a request to a server which manages core wire information and which comprises a storage section which stores; existing core wire information comprising a first core wire identifier which is a core wire identifier of an existing core wire and a first identification code corresponding with the first core wire identifier, switching target core wire information comprising a second core wire identifier which is a core wire identifier of a switching target core wire and a second identification code corresponding with the second core wire identifier, and work information on the switching over of the existing core wire to the switching target core wire, for the work information and a first identification code and a second identification code for an existing core wire and switching target core wire which are shown by the work information to be targeted for work, the method comprising the steps of: the server receives a data request from the portable terminal, and transmits the requested data; the portable terminal receives the work information, the first identification code and the second identification code; the portable terminal, by means of an identification information reading section which reads a third identification code and a fourth identification code assigned to the existing core wire and the switching target core wire, respectively, receives the third identification code and the fourth identification code; the portable terminal determines when the first identification code and the third identification code match and the second identification code and the fourth identification code match that the core wire from which the identification code were read are scheduled for switching work, and when the identification codes do not match determines that the core wire from which the identification code were read are not scheduled for switching work; and the portable terminal displays results of the determination.
A core wire management program according to a third aspect of the present invention is a program executed in a portable terminal which performs data communication with a server, wherein the program allows a computer to execute the processes of: a process which sends a request to the server which manages core wire information and which comprises a storage section which stores: existing core wire information comprising a first core wire identifier which is a core wire identifier of an existing core wire and a first identification code corresponding with the first core wire identifier; switching target information comprising a second core wire identifier which is a core wire identifier of a switching target core wire and a second identification code corresponding with the second core wire identifier; and work information on the switching over of the existing core wire to the switching target core wire, for the work information and a first identification code and a second identification code for an existing core wire and a switching target core wire which are shown by the work information to be targeted for work, receives the work information, the first identification code and the second identification code; a process which by means of an identification information reading section which reads a third identification code and a fourth identification code assigned to the existing core wire and the switching target core wire, respectively, receives the third identification code and the fourth identification code; a process which determines when the first identification code and the third identification code match and the second identification code and the fourth identification code match that the core wire from which the identification code were read are scheduled for switching work, and when the identification codes do not match determines that the core wire from which the identification code were read are not scheduled for switching work; and a process which displays results of the determination.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, such incidents as checking errors of the work content caused by human error can be prevented, and an improvement in the reliability and efficiency of construction work relating to networks comprising optical fibers and the like can be realized.

Cable position information management system, facility information management system, cable core wire management system, and methods and programs thereof


A scanning microscope possesses at least one illumination source for emitting an illuminating beam that is conveyed via a beam deflection device and an optical system to a specimen and scans the latter, the beam deflection device defining at least one illuminating beam rotation point. A device for axial displacement in particular of the beam deflection device, or of a lens preceding the objective, is provided for imaging of an image of the illuminating beam rotation point into the pupil of the objective.

This application claims priority of the German patent application 101 39 920.0-42 which is incorporated by reference herein.
The invention concerns a scanning microscope and a method for scanning a specimen.
In scanning microscopy, a specimen is illuminated with a light beam in order to observe the reflected or fluorescent light subsequently emitted by the specimen, laser beams usually being used for illumination. A specimen is scanned by means of a finely focused light beam. The focus of the illuminating light beam is moved in a specimen plane by means of a controllable beam deflection device which generally comprises two tiltable mirrors that move in one specimen plane. The deflection axes are usually perpendicular to one another, so that one mirror deflects the incident beam in the X direction and the other in the Y direction. Tilting of the mirrors is achieved, for example, by means of galvanometer positioning elements.
With the galvanometer technology usually used at present, the maximally achievable scanning rates are limited, because of the inertia of the moving mechanical components, to a few hundred Hz for nonresonant galvanometers and a few kHz for resonant galvanometers. This ultimately results in relatively long measurement times for each sample.
Furthermore, the galvanometers are generally several centimeters long, the (usually round) mirrors having a diameter of approx. one centimeter. Beam deflection about two axes requires at least two galvanometer mirrors one behind another or nested in gimbal fashion within one another. This galvanometer assemblage requires a great deal of room in the microscope. It has therefore also already been proposed to use a beam deflection device having micromirrors for scanning a specimen; this considerably increases the scanning speed and scan quality.
DE 196 54 210 therefore furthermore proposes a particular embodiment of the scanning unit with which an incident beam can be deflected by mirrors in the X and Y directions and guided over the specimen to be examined. The scanning unit is constituted by three rotatable mirrors. The first and the second mirror are arranged in a fixed angular position with respect to one another, and are rotated together. The third mirror is rotatable independently of the first and second mirrors. With this arrangement it is possible to ensure a high image rate while at the same time eliminating serious imaging defects.
In confocal scanning microscopy specifically, the specimen to be examined is scanned in three dimensions with the focus of a light beam. A confocal scanning microscope generally comprises a light source, a focusing optical system with which the light of the source is focused onto an aperture (called the xe2x80x9cexcitation pinholexe2x80x9d), a beam splitter, a beam deflection device for beam control, a microscope optical system, a detection pinhole, and the detectors for detecting the detected or fluorescent light. The illuminating light is coupled in via a beam splitter. The fluorescent or reflected light coming from the specimen travels through the beam deflection device back to the beam splitter, passes through it, and is then focused onto the detection pinhole behind which the detectors (usually photomultipliers) are located. Detected light that does not derive directly from the focus region takes a different light path and does not pass through the detection pinhole, so that a point datum is obtained which results, by sequential scanning of the specimen, in a three-dimensional image.
A three-dimensional image is usually achieved by acquiring image data in layers. Scanning of the specimen in the axial direction (Z direction) is usually accomplished by so-called xe2x80x9cspecimen scanning,xe2x80x9d in which the specimen is moved in the Z direction using the specimen stage. It can also be performed, however, by displacing the objective in the axial direction, which is accompanied by a shift in the focus of the illuminating beam.
The reflected or fluorescent light emitted from the specimen upon illumination travels via a beam splitter and through a detection pinhole to a detector. The power level of the light coming from the specimen is measured as a function of the position of the scanning beam, preferably at fixed time intervals. The specimen can thus be scanned in three dimensions one grid point at a time, and at each scan point a reading that is representative of that specimen point can be ascertained.
The lasers usually used as illumination sources in scanning microscopes allow optimum illumination of the specimen in order to obtain the desired result. One important aspect regarding the quality of a scanning microscope is precise imaging of the rotation point of the beam deflection device into the pupil of the objective being used. In the case of beam deflection devices that, because of their geometry, have more than one rotation point, adaptation of the imaging in terms of image quality should be optimally adjustable. But because the location of the pupil depends on the one hand substantially on the objective being used and on the other hand on the wavelength of the illuminating beam, known microscopes do not offer a satisfactory solution to this problem. The illuminating beam is therefore mostly not tilted in the Pupil of the objective which leads to unwanted aberrations cause of non telecentric imaging.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to propose a scanning microscope which avoids the mentioned aberrations especially at different wavelength.
According to the present invention, this object is achieved by a scanning microscope comprising:
an illumination source for generating an illuminating beam;
a beam deflection device that defines at least one illuminating beam rotation point for deflecting the illuminating beam,
a means for imaging the illuminating beam rotation point,
an objective that defines at least one pupil,
a device for axial displacement of an image of the illuminating beam rotation point into the at least one pupil of the objective.
It is a further object if the invention to propose a method, which allows to scan a specimen especially at different wavelength and which avoids the problems of non telecentric imaging.
This object is achieved by a method for scanning a specimen with a scanning microscope comprising the steps of:
Generating an illuminating beam with an illumination source,
Transferring the illuminating beam to a beam deflection device that defines at least one illuminating beam rotation point,
Imaging an image of the illuminating beam rotation point,
Focusing the illuminating beam onto the specimen with an objective that defines at least one pupil,
Displacing the image of the illuminating beam rotation point into the at least one pupil of the objective with a device for axial displacement of the image of the illuminating beam rotation point.
The scanning microscope according to the present invention thus comprises an illumination source with which the illuminating radiation necessary in the scanning microscope is generated. Advantageously, a laser is used to generate the illuminating beam. With the beam deflection device present in the scanning microscope, it is possible to deflect the illuminating beam line by line, i.e. in the X and Y directions, so that the specimen to be examined can be scanned. This beam deflection device defines, at the deflection points, an illuminating beam rotation point. The illuminating beam rotation point is the virtual intersection point of the deflected illuminating beams. In order to influence the imaging of this illuminating beam rotation point, a device for axial displacement of an image of said illuminating beam rotation point into the pupil of the object is provided. With the use of the device according to the present invention for axial displacement, it is possible to adapt the location of the image of the illuminating beam rotation point to the particular objective and illuminating beam wavelength being used. This adaptation results in substantially perpendicular imaging of the illuminating light beam through the objective onto the specimen, since imaging of the illuminating beam rotation point into the pupil of the objective guarantees that even with line-by-line scanning, the illuminating beam is directed substantially perpendicularly onto the specimen at every point. In addition, with the microscope according to the present invention it is possible to use different illuminating wavelengths, since the difference in location (already described above) of the pupil at different illuminating beam wavelengths can be compensated for with the scanning microscope according to the present invention.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the device for axial displacement of the image of the illuminating beam rotation point is coupled to the beam deflection device itself. Advantageously, the beam deflection device is combined for that purpose into a module which is equipped with the aid of a manually adjustable mechanism or in motorized fashion can be modified in terms of its axial location in such a way that the image of the illuminating beam rotation point can be placed in the pupil of the objective. The device for axial displacement of the image of the illuminating beam rotation point is in a preferably embodied in such a way that a substantially continuous or stepwise displacement of the components to be displaced of up to 30 mm from their basic position is possible.
In a further preferred embodiment, however, lenses present in the microscope that are arranged in front of the objective and modify the focal length can also be equipped with a mechanism that modifies their axial position. With this as well, the respective lenses or even an entire lens system can be positioned in such a way that the image of the illuminating beam rotation point is imaged in the pupil of the objective. The properties of the particular objective and illuminating beam wavelength being used are taken into account in this context.
In a further embodiment, the entire scanning unit which substantially contains the illumination and detection pinholes, the main beam splitter, the beam deflection device, the detector, and certain optical systems for shaping and guiding the light beamsxe2x80x94can be displaced in such a way that the image of the illuminating light beam rotation point is imaged into the pupil of the objective (or at least into the vicinity of the pupil).
To allow this adjustment operation to be performed conveniently and easily, the pupil locations for each of the objectives and for the illuminating wavelengths used in the microscope must each be known. These can, for example, be determined in a previous working step for the various objectives and wavelengths used, and stored in a memory unit in the microscope. Advantageously, however, the manufacturer""s data are used. It is thereby possible to automate the operation of adjusting the axial displacement. For automatic adjustment, it is necessary merely to know the objective being utilized and the illuminating beam wavelength that is in use. From the data stored for the specific combination of objective and illuminating beam wavelength, the particular position required for the beam deflection device, scanning unit, or axially displaceable lenses can then be ascertained. A displacement travel is then determined by comparing the present position to the setpoint position, and the device for axial displacement is then activated so that the desired displacement occurs.
With the scanning microscope according to the present invention and the method according to the present invention for scanning a specimen it is thus possible to make a contribution toward automating the adjustment operation; this on the one hand reduces the error rate and on the other hand shortens the setup time prior to operational readiness of the microscope.

Scanning microscope and method for scanning a specimen


A system and method for the in situ discrimination of healthy and diseased tissue. A fiberoptic based probe is employed to direct ultraviolet illumination onto a tissue specimen and to collect the fluorescent response radiation. The response radiation is observed at three selected wavelengths, one of which corresponds to an isosbestic point. In one example, the isosbestic point occurs at about 431 nm. The intensities of the observed signals are normalized using the 431 nm intensity. A score is determined using the ratios in a discriminant analysis. The tissue under examination is resected or not, based on the diagnosis of disease or health, according to the outcome of the discriminant analysis.

This invention relates generally to diagnosis of disease. More particularly, the invention relates to in vivo diagnosis by optical methods.
Colonic polyps appear as two major types, neoplastic and non-neoplastic. Non-neoplastic polyps are benign with no direct malignant potential and do not necessarily need to be resected. Hyperplastic polyps, juvenile polyps, mucosal prolapse and normal mucosal polyps are examples of non-neoplastic polyps. Conversely, neoplastic polyps are pre-malignant, a condition requiring resection and further surveillance. Examples of premalignant neoplastic polyps are tubular adenoma, villous adenoma and tubulovillous adenoma.
Conventional laser-induced fluorescence emission and reflectance spectroscopy can distinguish between neoplastic and non-neoplastic tissue with accuracies approaching about 85%. However, typically these methods require that the full spectrum be measured with algorithms dependent on many emission wavelengths.
The invention provides in vivo diagnostic methods based upon the normalized intensity of light emitted from tissue. In particular, it is an observation of the invention that relevant diagnostic information is provided by comparing the intensities of light emitted from a tissue at two different wavelengths, both normalized over the intensity of light emitted from the same tissue at about 431 nm.
Thus, according to the invention, a comparison of the intensities of two different wavelengths normalized using the intensity at about 431 nm provides diagnostic insight. Preferred methods of the invention comprise obtaining a fluorescent emission having a first intensity at a first wavelength and a second intensity at a wavelength; normalizing the first and second intensities with respect to an intensity at a wavelength of about 431 nm to produce first and second normalized intensities; and determining a state of health of the tissue based upon a comparison of the first and second normalized intensities.
In one embodiment, methods of the invention comprise determining the state of health of the tissue using a classifier function in which the first and second normalized intensities are inputs. In one embodiment, the classifier function is a discrimination function, preferably a linear discrimination function. In other embodiments, the discrimination function is a non-linear discrimination function.
The invention can be applied to analyze a broad range of tissues. Preferably, the tissue to be analyzed is a tissue comprising epithelial cells. In one embodiment, the tissue is selected from the group consisting of cervical tissue, colonic tissue, esophogeal tissue, bladder tissue, and bronchial tissue.
Classifying or comparing normalized intensities into one or more groups may be performed by any acceptable means. There are numerous acceptable approaches to such classifications. For example, one general method of grouping the two normalized intensities is a Bayesian-based classifier using Mahalanobis distances. The Mahalanobis distance is well-known in statistical analysis, and is used to measure a distance between data in a multidimensional space based on characteristics that represent a degree of relationship among the data. Bayesian probabilities have been known in statistical analysis for many years. Specific Bayesian Mahalanobis-based classifier can be selected from linear discriminant analysis, quadratic discriminant analysis, and regularized discriminant analysis. As those familiar with statistical analysis will recognize, linear discrimination analysis and quadratic discriminant analysis are methods that are computationally efficient. Regularized discriminant analysis uses a biasing method based on two parameters to estimate class covariance matrices.
Other ways of comparing the normalized intensities include a binary tree classifier, and an unsupervised learning cluster classifier. Unsupervised learning is characterized by the absence of explicit examples showing what an input/output relation should be. Examples of an unsupervised learning cluster classifier include hierarchical clustering analysis, principal component analysis, fuzzy c-means analysis, and fuzzy k-means analysis. Each of the forgoing analytical techniques is well known in the statistical analysis literature. For example, the fuzzy c-means algorithm divides a data set having an integer number n data points into an integer number c fuzzy clusters, where n greater than c, while determining a location for each cluster in a multi-dimensional space.
In another aspect, the invention features systems for determining the state of health of a tissue. Systems of the invention comprise an illumination source for illuminating a tissue; a detector for receiving from the tissue light comprising a first intensity at a first wavelength and a second intensity at a second wavelength; a computational module for normalizing the first and second intensities with respect to received light having an intensity at a wavelength of about 431 nm to produce first and second normalized intensities; and an analysis module for determining a state of health of the tissue based upon a comparison of the first and second normalized intensities.
In a preferred embodiment, a system of the invention comprises an optical fiber as the illumination source. The detector may receive light from the tissue by way of a plurality of optical fibers. In a preferred embodiment, at least one of the optical fibers of the system is placed directly in contact with tissue. Preferably, the light received from the tissue is fluorescent light. The analysis module of a system of the invention may comprise a Bayesian Mahalanobis-based classifier function. The Bayesian Mahalanobis-based classifier may be selected from the group consisting of linear discriminant analysis, quadratic discriminant analysis, and regularized discriminant analysis. The analysis module may also comprise a binary tree classifier function or an unsupervised learning cluster classifier. In some embodiments, the unsupervised learning cluster classifier is selected from the group consisting of hierarchical clustering analysis, principal component analysis, fuzzy c-means analysis, and fuzzy k-means analysis.
Systems and methods of the invention are useful in examining a tissue comprising epithelial cells. A method of the invention comprises laser-induced fluorescence using light around 337 nm and a threshold classification model that depends on two fluorescence intensity ratios normalized by the intensity of fluorescence at about 431 nm.
The invention enables determining whether a polyp is neoplastic. Systems and methods of the invention enable such determination at the time of endoscopy particularly for diminutive polyps. In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides for identification of polyps (or other features) under about 10 mm in size. In a further preferred embodiment, the invention provides for identification of polyps (or other features) under about 10 mm in size in real time.
The combination of a new design of a fiberoptic probe for making measurements, an analytic method based on a small number of data points, and a simple method of obtaining a normalization factor for the data used provides enhanced diagnostic accuracy in distinguishing between neoplastic and non-neoplastic polyps.
The invention provides methods that reliably distinguish between neoplastic and non-neoplastic tissue at the time of endoscopy, colonoscopy, colposcopy, or other similar examinations. As a result, patients with non-neoplastic lesions are not subjected to the risk, discomfort and expense of biopsies or excisions. Patients with neoplastic lesions can be identified immediately and treated.
The foregoing and other objects, aspects, features, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following description and from the claims.

Fluorescent fiberoptic probe for tissue health discrimination and method of use thereof