A method and apparatus is described for generating a standard software communication architecture (SCA) compliant waveform application for a software defined radio. An application shell generator is used to separate implementation of software radio software resources from implementation of software radio waveform functionality. In this manner, an additional layer of abstraction is defined and enforced between software resource objects that control access to a set of physical abstraction layer SCA core framework API's and waveform functionality. This additional abstraction layer assures that the physical abstraction layer API's only interact with architecture compliant source code. The source code, derived from software resource templates, also assures portability of the generated software radio waveform application to other SCA compliant platforms.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the development of software for programmable radios. In particular, the present invention pertains to generating standard architecture compliant waveform software applications for programmable radios.
2. Description of the Related Art
A software defined or programmable radio (SDR) is analogous to a computer in that users can tailor its capabilities to meet specific needs by using relatively generic hardware and loading multiple software waveform applications that meet identified requirements. A software defined radio or software radio is flexible, by virtue of being programmable, to accommodate various physical layer formats and protocols.
A software defined radio converts analog radio signals of different frequencies into digital data. The bits are processed by software running on a microprocessor. Software controls functionality such as frequency, modulation, bandwidth, security functions, and waveform requirements. Software-programmable, hardware-configurable radio systems provide increased interoperability, flexibility, and adaptability to support the varied operational requirements of specific user populations. Such software radios are typically built upon an open system architecture that supports technology insertion through evolutionary acquisition or preplanned product improvement. Software radios that support evolutionary acquisition or preplanned product improvement may be modularly upgraded with modified hardware and/or software modules. For example, modular upgrades can be used to expand data throughput rates per channel, to expand the number of communication channels supported, and/or to increase levels of reliability, availability, and maintainability supported by the software radio.
One example of a software radio is the Joint Tactical Radio (JTR) System (JTRS). A JTR is a software radio that is independent of the hardware platform employed and based upon the JTRS Software Communication Architecture (SCA). The JTRS SCA is an open architecture framework that tells designers how elements of hardware and software are to operate in harmony within the JTRS. An SCA Hardware (HW) Framework identifies minimum design specifications that must be met by SCA compliant hardware devices, or platforms. An SCA Core Framework defines a set of application programming interfaces (API's) that serve as an abstraction layer between a software defined radio waveform application and services provided by an SCA compliant hardware platform.
Unfortunately, although open software radio architectures, such as the JTRS SCA, support customized designs, evolutionary acquisition and preplanned product improvement, the architectures are typically complex. The complexity of such architectures poses unique challenges to software radio development projects attempting to develop software radios in compliance with the architecture. For example, implementation of a JTRS SCA compliant radio set using conventional software development techniques typically requires the development team members to have a working knowledge of multiple computer languages and technologies, including CORBA, IDL, POSIX, XML, C++, multithreading, and make-files.
Typically, developers experienced with a target waveform to be supported by a JTR under development must surmount this JTRS technology learning curve before they can contribute waveform specific knowledge to the development project. Understanding the intricacies of the JTRS standard and related technologies typically takes an experienced software engineer a daunting six months. Added to this learning curve are the technical demands and challenges posed by the execution and testing of the developed software in an event driven, real-time radio set.
Another drawback associated with the JTRS SCA, is the lack of an enforcement mechanism to ensure that software radio developers adhere to SCA guidance. For example, SCA guidance requires SCA compliant waveforms to be implemented in a manner that is logically separated from the services supported by an SCA compliant hardware platform. Although the SCA provides for such separation via the SCA core framework API's, there is currently no way to ensure that developers preserve the integrity of the API based abstraction.
For example, waveform engineers who are unfamiliar with designing software radios in compliance with the SCA open architecture typically experience difficulty visualizing the new radio set architecture because they are accustomed to envisioning radio set resources and radio set waveforms as integrated entities. As a result, SCA architecture API related guidance is often purposefully and/or inadvertently modified and/or bypassed thereby violating the SCA core framework abstraction of the services provided by the physical radio set to the software radio waveform application. As a result, portability of the software radio waveform application to other SCA compliant physical platforms is compromised.
Hence, a need remains for a method and apparatus that allows software communication architectures, such as the JTRS SCA, to deliver timely and cost effective software defined radio waveform applications that are modular, standard architecture compliant and portable to any standard architecture compliant hardware platform capable of providing the physical services required by the software radio waveform functions. Typically such physical services include receipt of input from a human computer input device or keypad, transmission/receipt of physical radio signals, physical audio input/output via a radio device microphone/speaker, physical modem access, physical network access, etc.
Preferably, such an approach would reduce the technical programming knowledge and standard architecture specific knowledge required of a waveform engineer to implement a standard architecture compliant software radio waveform application. Further, such an approach should provide a software radio development team with a structured development environment that assures that software radio application waveforms are implemented in a manner that complies with standard architecture guidance and preserves the integrity of defined standard architecture abstraction layers.

Method and apparatus for developing standard architecture compliant software for programmable radios


A method for controlling the operation of an electronically commutated motor (ECM) with an ECM control assembly is described. The method includes applying a single pulse width modulated (PWM) signal to a plurality of inputs of a power output module. The method also includes controlling the state of input/output (I/O) circuits to allow the PWM signal to pass through a respective one of the power output module inputs and into a respective winding of the ECM at a desired interval.

This invention relates generally to electronically commutated motors (ECM), and more specifically, to methods and systems for providing pulse width modulated (PWM) control signals to ECMs.
Power control systems for ECMs, also referred to as brushless direct current (DC) motors, may advantageously utilize pulse width modulation techniques for controlling motor operation. In general, such systems employ controllable power switching devices such as, for example, power transistors, silicon controlled rectifiers (SCR) or gate turn-off devices (GTO), serially connected between a power source and appropriate terminals of the motor. For a three phase motor, the system may utilize a three phase bridge arrangement with each of the three motor power terminals being connected to a corresponding leg of the three phase bridge. Each leg of the bridge may include a series connected pair of switching devices, one of the devices being operable to connect the motor terminal to a positive voltage source for supplying current to the motor and the other of the devices being operable to connect the motor terminal to a negative voltage source for allowing current to circulate out of the motor. Each switching device is responsive to a gating signal for becoming conductive and allowing current to pass in the associated winding phase of the motor. The gating signals are coupled to selected ones of the switching devices in an ECM control system in a manner to energize the windings of the motor in a predetermined sequence.
In a PWM system, either a current monitoring circuit or a voltage control circuit is effective to generate drive enable signals when motor current and/or voltage is less than a predetermined value. The drive enable signal, which is the PWM signal, and hereinafter referred to as the PWM enable signal, allows the gating signals to be coupled to the appropriate switching devices. Removal of the PWM enable signal inhibits coupling of the gating signals to the power switching devices.

Methods and systems for providing PWM control signals to an electronically commutated motor


A method of detecting and responding to a threat condition includes receiving, at a sensing module, an input acquired in proximity to a pipeline of a fluid distribution system, the input including data associated with a vibration measurement of the pipeline acquired by a sensor exterior of the pipeline. The method also includes determining whether the input indicates a threat condition by comparing the data to a previously recorded baseline vibration measurement. The method further includes automatically closing a first fluid transmission valve in response to a determined threat condition, thereby restricting flow of fluid through the pipeline in a vicinity of the first fluid transmission valve, and wirelessly transmitting a message for receipt by a control module that is remote from the sensing module, the message including indications of the determined threat condition, the first fluid transmission valve, and an identifier associated with the sensing module.

Fluid pipeline transportation systems or distribution systems can be used to transport fluids, such as liquids or gases. The fluids may be transported for long distances or short distances, through pipes that can be buried underground, or may be above ground. One example of a fluid that can be transported through a pipeline is natural gas. For example, an energy company may use a fluid pipeline transportation system to transport natural gas within a city, across a state, or across several states.
Fluid pipeline transportation systems may be susceptible to natural incidents such as earthquakes, floods, landslides, land collapses, and the like, especially because the systems may be dispersed across a wide geographic area. Additionally, the systems may be subject to accidents, such as a pipeline breach caused by an encounter with construction equipment. In some cases, acts of vandalism or terrorism may also threaten pipeline systems. Moreover, long-term degradation caused by corrosion, stress, or deformation accumulation can cause problems for pipeline systems. These natural incidents, accidents, destructive acts, or degradation can cause fluid leaks from the pipeline, which can lead to serious problems. For example, a natural gas leak or breach, when combined with a spark under certain situations, can produce an explosion that may injure or kill people, damage property, or pollute the environment.


The innovation disclosed and claimed herein, in one aspect thereof, comprises systems and methods of delivering cash to a subscriber of a cash delivery service by way of a courier. In another aspect, collection of cash from a subscriber by a courier is contemplated. Conversely, the subscriber prearranging to pick up cash at a kiosk is contemplated. For these and like embodiments, network servers host a cash delivery application and users/couriers utilize the application as clients.

Despite the transition to a largely cashless economy, there remains a need for paper money in a number of common daily situations. Travelers abroad may be in urgent need of local currency. Alternatively, one may patronize a shop only to find that automatic teller machine (ATM) cards or credit cards are not accepted forms of payment. In the event of a misplaced or lost wallet, one may be unable to secure cash through traditional means.
In the event that a traveler abroad has U.S. dollars and nearby money changers are charging unconscionable transaction fees, an alternative means of exchanging money is preferable.
A portable, secure, means of accessing cash virtually anywhere and at virtually any time is beneficial.


A method for testing a cell suspension comprises the steps of: (1) diluting a portion of the cell suspension such that the liquid of the diluted suspension has the same osmolality as the extra cellular liquid of the cell suspension (plasma), and (2) subjecting the cells in the diluted suspension formed in step (1) to a cell size measurement while suspended in said diluted suspension. The method involves the testing of cells at their in vivo osmolality, thereby minimizing the possibility of swelling over time and mimicking the cells in vivo condition in respect of its osmotic environment.

The automated testing of blood samples has become an important part of many medical investigations. Automated instruments' speed and ease of use has made them a preferred method of producing a complete blood count (CBC) in hospital laboratories. As well as producing values of the number of cells in a sample, the apparatus is used to measure the average size of the cells.
Electronic particle counters typically use a sensor which detects particles in a restricted flow, producing a measure of particle size and count for each particular type of particle. The sensor usually detects a change in an electrical field, an alteration in the light scatter from a laser, a change in the magnetic field density or magnetic flux, or changes in the optical, acoustic or other physical properties of the cells or cell suspension and/or suspending liquid. Whatever type of sensor is used, it produces a signal which is a product of a particle's size, shape, trajectory, number and other properties, some of which may be measured concomitantly. Electronic particle counters which use a direct or alternating current as a method to detect particles can be referred to as electronic particle sizing devices (hereinafter referred to as EPS), and produce a characteristic change in voltage or current, usually recorded as a voltage pulse as a particle passes through a restriction (aperture).
Electronic particle sizing relies on two electrodes suspended in a conducting solution which are isolated from each other except for a single conducting channel which is traversed by cells or other small particles in suspension. As a particle passes through the channel (aperture) the physical characteristics of the channel temporarily alters in proportion to the particle's size. By measuring the properties of these changes, the size and concentration of particles is determined. This is performed on red cells, white cells and platelets and any free cell suspension and may be combined with stains or other techniques to further is differentiate the cells by any means (i.e. optically, NMR etc).
Commercial EPS instruments do not use an isotonic diluent to produce a cell suspension, but instead use a hypertonic diluent typically phosphate buffered saline (PBS) fixed at 30 to 50 mOsm/Kg above the population's mean plasma osmolality. It is well known that there is a natural range of plasma osmolalities amongst individuals. It is also well known that for all permeable cells with non-rigid walls, cell size varies with the osmolality of the buffer in which it is suspended. When performing an automated cell test, such as a CBC, manufacturers test cells in a single fixed hypertonic osmolality that has no known relationship to the osmolality of the plasma of the patient being tested. This causes errors in the size estimates produced because cells tend to swell upon standing in hypotonic buffers and shrink in hypertonic buffers and because the amount the cell swells in any buffer is patient specific. Manufacturers reduce this source of error by using hypertonic buffers which induce the least change in cell size over time (ie aging before testing) at the cost of accuracy and usually results in smaller cell size.
The method of the invention overcomes the above problems by testing cells at their in vivo osmolality, thereby minimizing the possibility of swelling over time and mimicking the cell's in vivo condition in respect of its osmotic environment. The most accurate in vitro measures of in vivo cell size is possible if cells are tested in a buffer of the same osmolality as their plasma, as this removes the need for "correction factors" to adjust for incorrect buffer osmolality. In existing technology these correction factors are always fixed because the individual's plasma osmolality is unknown or is not used in existing tests. Since it is reported that patients sometimes have a plasma osmolality 50 to 100 mOsm/Kg below the population mean and since manufacturers use buffers up to 50 mOsm/Kg above the mean, gross errors are sometimes induced. Although these large deviations are uncommon, they tend to occur in patient with severe illness in whom errors can easily have serious consequences. The present method circumvents this problem in two ways; either by measuring the patient's plasma osmolality and adjusting the buffer osmolality to match, or by testing the cells in their own plasma.
It is known that cells, especially blood cells, act as osmotic devices. Reducing the osmolality of the solution surrounding a red blood cell below a critical level will cause that cell first to swell, then become spherical, and form a ghost cell which slowly loses its contents, almost entirely haemoglobin, into the surrounding medium. This process, called haemolysis, can be induced osmotically using water, or by detergents (eg soap), venoms or other chemical, thermal, mechanical or electrical agents.
It is known that the critical osmolality at which haemolysis occurs can be determined by subjecting aliquots of a red blood cell suspension to a concentration gradient which may include stepped or continuous changes in concentration, for instance as described in DE-A-3103792.
It has been recognised that the osmolality of the plasma may vary from individual to individual and, occasionally, within an individual over time. When a sample of blood of an individual having plasma with abnormal osmolality is subjecting to particle sizing, the value which is obtained for the cell size when diluted in isotonic saline will be different to the in vivo cell size. The present invention seeks to correct such errors.


A bamboo tile for decoratively covering a structure wall in a side-by-side arrangement and presenting a natural surface texture of a longitudinal section of a bamboo stem with at least one circular node, while minimizing the amount of bamboo waste. The bamboo tile includes a first generally planar layer formed by elongated sectors axially split from the bamboo stem and sequentially disposed in generally parallel relationship relative to each other to integrally reproduce the natural texture of the outside cylindrical surface of the bamboo stem section developed there into. A retaining wire inserted into transversal and registered through bores made into the successive sectors maintains the latter in the sequential relationship relative to each other. The present invention also refers to a method for manufacturing the above bamboo tile.

The present invention relates to materials used in furniture manufacturing and building construction, and more particularly, to a bamboo tile presenting a natural bamboo-like appearance for covering a structure wall and the method for manufacturing the same.
Bamboo has been extensively used so far, especially in the manufacturing of a wide variety of products in forming either a structural part or an exotic external finish thereof.
More recently, bamboo tiles were developed using slabs of bamboo machined out from sections of natural bamboo stems. These slabs, as those illustrated in European Patent No. EP 0 864 020 B1 issued to Simon et al. on Sep. 16, 1998, form at least two layers in the construction of the tiles and are positioned in a staggered relationship relative to the adjacent ones by taking into consideration the density of the wood fibers and the associated bending stresses built-in the raw product. Each of these slabs is faced out and machined on all surfaces to all have the same generally rectangular cross-section and same dimensions. They are assembled side by side in a random fashion since they are essentially identical to the others in shape and fiber density. In other words, all slabs are interchangeable.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,976,644 issued to Sanaee et al. on Nov. 2, 1999 also discloses bamboo slabs with squared edges used in the fabrication of bamboo articles made out of a plurality of layers of slabs such as veneers, boards and the like.
By using squared slabs of bamboo as shown in the prior art, it is not possible to render the natural aspect of the bamboo stem external surface on a tile, since part of the stem is wasted during the facing, or squaring process, of the slabs. Adjacent slabs are therefore not a continuity of each other, as required to fully represent the bamboo stem external surface.
The fact that the natural aspect of the bamboo is preserved, the thickness of a same xe2x80x9cnaturalxe2x80x9d slab usually varies through its length and width, and the thickness of the external layer of a tile, made out of a plurality of xe2x80x9cnaturalxe2x80x9d slabs positioned in a parallel relationship relative to each other, continuously varies in any planar direction. These non-uniform thicknesses of the different decorative tiles are not proper for their side-by-side positioning on a structure wall or the like since they would generate discontinuities at their mutual interfaces that would not be eye-attractive for the arrangement of the decorative tiles.
It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide a bamboo tile that obviates the above-mentioned disadvantages.
An advantage of the present invention is that the bamboo tile provides a preserved natural aspect of the bamboo with nice external appearance that can be mounted in a side-by-side arrangement with similar tiles even though its thickness is not uniform over its entire surface.
A further advantage of the present invention is that the manufacturing of the bamboo tile significantly reduces the amount of bamboo waste.
Still another advantage of the present invention is that the bamboo tile is relatively simple to manufacture compared to existing bamboo tile products.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the bamboo tile can be produced in various shapes and dimensions to suit a wide variety of applications, from covering furniture surfaces to building wall and even ceiling and the like.
Furthermore, the proposed bamboo tile can be easily mounted on the supporting structure without requiring special tooling or manual dexterity.
Still furthermore, the proposed bamboo tile can easily be tinted or varnished according to the need of the specific arrangement.
According to an aspect, the present invention consists of a bamboo tile for covering a structure wall and presenting a natural surface texture of a longitudinal section of a bamboo stem with at least one node, the section defining generally cylindrical outside and inside surfaces and a generally central axis, the section being axially split into a plurality of sequential and adjacent generally elongated sectors, each sector having a generally parallelepiped-shaped configuration and defining a sector first main surface, a sector second main surface, a sector first auxiliary surface, an opposed sector second auxiliary surface, a sector first side surface, an opposed sector second side surface and a sector longitudinal axis, the bamboo tile comprises:
a first layer defining opposed generally planar internal and external surfaces, the first layer being formed by the elongated sectors sequentially disposed in generally parallel relationship relative to each other with the sector first auxiliary surface of each sector being in abutment contact with the sector second auxiliary surface of an adjacent sector, the external surface being formed by the sector first main surfaces of the sectors positioned to integrally reproduce the natural texture of the outside cylindrical surface of the bamboo stem section developed into the generally planar external surface, each of the sectors defining at least one through bore extending from the sector first auxiliary surface to the sector second auxiliary surface, the through bores of the adjacent sectors being substantially in register with each other
a retaining wire inserted into the through bores of the successive sectors to maintain the sectors in the sequential relationship relative to each other so as to allow the generally planar external surface to integrally reproduce the natural texture of the outside cylindrical surface of the bamboo stem section developed thereinto.
Typically, the tile further includes:
a second layer bonded on the internal surface of the first layer, the second layer supporting the first layer so as to rigidify the bamboo tile, the first and second layers defining common peripheral surfaces; and
a chamfer extending between the external surface of the first layer and one of the peripheral surfaces.
Conveniently, the chamfer extends between the external surface of the first layer and two of the peripheral surfaces, opposed to each other.
Preferably, the chamfer extends between the external surface of the first layer and the peripheral surfaces.
Conveniently, each sector defines a sector thickness between the sector first main surface and the sector second main surface, the sector thickness continuously varying along the peripheral surfaces of the bamboo tile.
Conveniently, each sector defining a sector width between the sector first auxiliary surface and the sector second auxiliary surface, the sector width varying between about 1 mm and about 10 mm, preferably between about 2 mm and about 5 mm.
Preferably, the bamboo tile has a generally square-shaped or rectangle-shaped configuration.
According to another aspect, the present invention consists of a method for manufacturing a bamboo tile for covering a structure wall, the bamboo tile presenting a natural surface texture of a longitudinal section of a bamboo stem with at least one node, the section defining generally cylindrical outside and inside surfaces and a generally central axis, the method minimizes the amount of bamboo waste and comprises the steps of:
a) axially splitting the section into a plurality of sequential and adjacent generally elongated sectors, each sector having a generally parallelepiped-shaped configuration and defining a sector first main surface, a sector second main surface, a sector first auxiliary surface, an opposed sector second auxiliary surface, a sector first side surface, an opposed sector second side surface and a sector longitudinal axis;
b) sequentially disposing the elongated sectors in parallel relationship relative to each other with the sector first auxiliary surface of each sector being in abutment contact with the sector second auxiliary surface of art adjacent sector to form a tile first layer, the first layer defining opposed generally planar internal and external surfaces, the external surface being formed by the sector first main surfaces of the sectors positioned to integrally reproduce the natural texture of the outside cylindrical surface of the bamboo stem section developed into the generally planar external surface;
c) bonding the internal surface of the first layer on a tile second layer, the second layer supporting the first layer so as to rigidify the bamboo tile, the first and second layers defining common peripheral surfaces; and
d) making a chamfer between the external surface of the first layer and one of the peripheral surfaces.
Preferably, the step d) includes making a chamfer between the external surface of the first layer and the peripheral surfaces.
Preferably, each of the sectors defines at least one through bore extending from the sector first auxiliary surface to the sector second auxiliary surface, the through bores of the adjacent sectors being substantially in register with each other, the step b) comprises the steps of:
b1) inserting a retaining wire through the through bores of the successive sectors to maintain the sectors in the sequential relationship relative to each other;
b2) axially splitting each elongated sector into a plurality of sequential and adjacent generally elongated sub-sectors, each sub-sector having a generally parallelepiped-shaped configuration and defining a sub-sector first main surface, a sub-sector second main surface, a sub-sector first auxiliary surface, an opposed sub-sector second auxiliary surface, a sub-sector first side surface and an opposed sub-sector second side surface, the sub-sectors being maintained in sequential and substantially parallel relationship relative to each other by the retaining wire; and
b3) sequentially disposing the elongated sub-sectors in parallel relationship relative to each other with the sub-sector first auxiliary surface of each sub-sector being in abutment contact with the sub-sector second auxiliary surface of an adjacent sub-sector to form the tile first layer, the external surface being formed by the sub-sector first main surfaces of the sub-sectors positioned to integrally reproduce the natural texture of the outside cylindrical surface of the bamboo stem section developed into the generally planar external surface.
Preferably, the step c) includes facing the internal surface of the first layer so as to ensure a generally flat internal surface prior to bonding the internal surface of the first layer on a tile second layer.
Preferably, the method further comprises the steps of:
e) sanding and/or drying the bamboo tile.
f) finishing the first layer external surface of the bamboo tile by applying tinting and/or varnishing agent thereon.
Conveniently, the step a) includes facing out the node on the sector first main surface of each elongated sector so as to render the sector first main surface substantially flat.
Conveniently, the step c) includes trimming the peripheral surfaces of the tile to the required dimensions thereof.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided herein, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

Bamboo tile and method for manufacturing the same


A disclosed example is a server residing on a first network. The server has an observer. The observer receives observational data from a media processing device residing on a second network via a first persistent connection between the media processing device and the server. The observer provides, via the first persistent connection, a configuration file to the media processing device that defines a type of the observational data to be collected by the media processing device. The observer is prevented from communicating an operational instruction to the media processing device. The operational instruction is to control media processing hardware of the media processing device.

An example media processing device includes components that generate indicia on media. Entities associated with the media processing device, such as persons or machines tasked with maintaining and/or managing the media processing device, benefit from having data indicative of, for example, a condition of certain components, performance of the indicia generation, consumption of supplies, and/or any other desired information.

Method and apparatus to communicate data associated with media processing devices


A tourniquet for a limb may include an elongated band with first and second ends, a central portion between the first and second ends, and first and second edges extending between the first and second ends. The elongated band defines an opening between the first and second edges spaced from the first end for receiving the second end and the central portion, thereby forming a loop along the elongated band beginning at the opening and ending at a point on the elongated band passing through the opening.

Tourniquets may be used in case of severe injury to a limb to prevent blood loss. Tourniquets are placed around the limb and tightened. Some tourniquets are tightened as applied while others are applied and then tightened. Tourniquets are intended only for temporary use, and are often employed by emergency personnel prior to further treatment of an injury. Tourniquets are also carried by military personnel, hunters, hikers, etc., in case of injury in locations remote from healthcare providers.
Some tourniquets are designed to be applied by the person with the injury. In such devices, the tourniquets can be applied using one hand, for example, to stop bleeding on the arm opposite that hand.
While existing devices generally perform as required, some take longer than optimally desired to apply and tighten, require multiple steps to apply and tighten, do not deploy into a uniform configuration along the limb, and/or do not securely stay in a tightened position. Accordingly, a tourniquet addressing one or more of the above drawbacks, and/or providing other benefits, would be welcome.


In accordance with an embodiment, a post-processing apparatus comprises a memory that stores a threshold value and a first accumulated data of a physical quantity of one of a motor or a driven member driven by the motor; and a controller that acquires a predetermined data associated with a physical quantity of one of the driving motor or the driven member driven by the motor, acquires a second accumulated data by adding the predetermined data to the first accumulated data read from the memory, compares the second accumulated data with the threshold value, and transmits a request for increasing a discharge interval of the sheet if the second accumulated data is greater than the threshold value.

There is an image forming system equipped with a post processing apparatus for carrying out a post-processing on a sheet and an image forming apparatus. The post-processing apparatus is equipped with various driven members. Parts of the driven members are driven by a DC (Direct Current) motor. A rotational speed of the DC motor is reduced if the DC motor approaches the end of its lifetime.
If the rotational speed of the DC motor is reduced, a drive speed of the driven member is also reduced. If the drive speed of the driven member is reduced, there is a case in which a paper jam occurs or an alignment state of discharged sheets becomes faulty. In this way, if the rotational speed of the DC motor is reduced, there is a case in which a stable operation of the post-processing apparatus is not maintained.

Image forming system that adjusts a discharge interval from an image forming section according to an accumulated number of rotations of a driven member in a post processing section


A printing system includes: a control unit; and a printing device including: a supply unit configured to be attached with a supply roll configured by an ink ribbon; a winding unit configured to be attached with a winding roll for winding the ink ribbon fed out from the supply roll; a ribbon motor configured to rotationally drive at least one of the supply unit and the winding unit; a thermal head configured to perform printing by heating the ink ribbon transported from the supply roll toward the winding roll by driving the ribbon motor; and a head drive source configured to move the thermal head. The control unit is configured to control the ribbon motor to decrease tension of the ink ribbon when the thermal head is moved in a first direction, in which the tension of the ink ribbon increases, with the head drive source.

A background art discloses a thermal printer. The thermal printer includes a ribbon cassette, a printer main body, and a platen roller. The ribbon cassette holds a first ribbon core around which an unused ink ribbon is wound and a second ribbon core around which the ink ribbon after being subjected to printing is wound. The ink ribbon is transported along a predetermined transport path from the first ribbon core toward the second ribbon core. The printer main body is provided with a thermal head. The thermal head is movable between an initial position and a print position. The thermal head contacts the ink ribbon as the thermal head is moved from the initial position to the print position. The thermal head brings the ink ribbon into contact with a packaging film in a predetermined contact section, and presses the ink ribbon and the packaging film against a circumferential surface of the platen roller. Printing on the packaging film is executed by heating the thermal head in this state.
When the thermal head is moved from the initial position to the print position, tension of the ink ribbon may increase. In this case, there is a possibility that the ink ribbon is cut depending on magnitude of the increasing tension of the ink ribbon. Also, there is a possibility that a motor for transporting the ink ribbon by rotating the first ribbon core and the second ribbon core is stepped out. In these cases, there is a problem that the thermal printer cannot appropriately execute a print operation.
An object of this disclosure is to provide a printing system capable of appropriately executing a print operation by suppressing an increase in tension of an ink ribbon according to movement of a thermal head.


Provided is a polyacetal resin composition obtained from a raw material composition containing a polyacetal resin, a hydrazine derivative, and a compound for lowering the melting point of the hydrazine derivative, wherein a mixture of the hydrazine derivative and the compound satisfies both of the following conditions: T1<T2 and T1<T3, in which T1 is an apex temperature of an endothermic peak of the mixture having a maximum endothermic capacity by, with DSC, heating and cooling the mixture in accordance with a predetermined temperature program and then heating it at a predetermined rate until the mixture fuses; and T2 and T3 represent apex temperatures of endothermic peaks of the hydrazine derivative and the polyacetal resin having a maximum endothermic capacity, respectively by the similar treatment.

Polyacetal resins are well-balanced among mechanical strength, chemical resistance, and excellent frictional wear properties and at the same time, they can be processed easily. As typical engineering plastics, polyacetal resins are used over a wide range of applications mainly for electrical appliances, mechanism parts for electrical appliances, automotive parts, and other mechanism parts. With expansion of application fields, however, polyacetal resins are required to reduce generation of formaldehyde, have dimensional stability after aging, have hot water resistance, reduce an amount of mold deposit, reduce an amount of formaldehyde generated after sliding, and suppress crack generation under aging. Thus, there is an increasing demand for polyacetal resins having various properties at a higher level.
With a view to satisfying such requirements, particularly with a view to satisfying the requirement for reducing generation of formaldehyde, there are investigated a process of adding guanamine and a hydrazide compound to a polyacetal resin composition (refer to, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 5), a process of adding a carboxylic acid hydrazide compound (refer to, for example, Patent Documents 2, 3, and 4), a process of adding a hydrazide compound (refer to, for example, Patent Document 6 and 7), and a method of adding an aromatic dihydrazide compound and an aliphatic hydrazide compound (refer to, for example, Patent Document 8).
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2008-7676
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 4-345648
[Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 10-298401
[Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2007-91973
[Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2007-51205
[Patent Document 6] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-306944
[Patent Document 7] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-45489
[Patent Document 8] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-325225

Polyacetal resin composition and preparation process thereof


Vibrational Analysis technology translates acoustic/vibratory energy created by industrial processes into useful, process-related information. This invention enables a non-acoustical expert to easily collect and interpret the data.

A fluidized bed is a suspension of solid particles in a stream of gas or liquid of sufficient velocity to support the particle by flow forces against the downward force of gravity. Fluidized beds are critical components of important petrochemical processing units such as the catalytic cracking ("cat-cracking") of petroleum on catalytic particles to produce lighter and more valuable products as well as thermal cracking of heavy feeds on coke particles ("fluid bed cokers" or "flexi-cokers") to again produce lighter and more valuable feeds. In cat-cracking the regenerator where coke is burned off the catalyst to produce "fresh catalyst" contains a fluidized bed. The particles in the fluidized bed within the regenerator are approximately 60 micron diameter pellets of a zeolite. In the case of fluid bed or flexi-coking, fluidized beds can be found in the heater, reactor and in the case of flexi-coking, the gasifier. The particles in this case are approximately 100 to 150 micron particles of coke.
Other fluidized beds containing small solids suspended in a gas include advanced coal combustion units where small particles of coal are suspended and burned to produce heat with minimum pollution and maximum efficiency. Yet another example is found in separation processes in the chemical industry where a fine suspension of particles is suspended in a flowing liquid. In general, fluidized beds are used in many large scale processes where it is desired to maximize the interaction between the surface of a particle and a surrounding gas or liquid.
Fluidized beds can contain volume mass densities for the case of fluid bed cokers and regenerators of the order of 40 pounds per cubic foot and particle velocities of several feet per second. Fluidized beds of the order of 10 to 50 feet in diameter are found in coking and cat cracking. With bed heights of the order of 10 to 60 feet, the contained fluids range from less than a hundred to more than a thousand tons of particles.
It is desirable to be able to directly measure the characteristics of fluidized bed reactors. Such characteristics include bed level location, transfer line operation, feed-injector operation, flow uniformity through the bed, uniformity as a function of time, and, for cokers, wall-coke thickness as coke builds up on the interior wall of the unit.

Passive acoustics system to monitor fluidized bed systems


Novel human polynucleotide and polypeptide sequences are disclosed that can be used in therapeutic, diagnostic, and pharmacogenomic applications.

The present invention relates to the discovery, identification, and characterization of novel human polynucleotides encoding a kinase which share sequence similarity with animal kinases. The invention encompasses the described polynucleotides, host cell expression systems, the encoded proteins, fusion proteins, polypeptides and peptides, antibodies to the encoded proteins and peptides, and genetically engineered animals that either lack or overexpress the disclosed genes, antagonists and agonists of the proteins, and other compounds that modulate the expression or activity of the proteins encoded by the disclosed genes, which can be used for diagnosis, drug screening, clinical trial monitoring, the treatment of diseases and disorders, and cosmetic or nutriceutical applications.
Kinases mediate the phosphorylation of a wide variety of proteins and compounds in the cell. In conjunction with phosphatases, kinases are involved in a range of regulatory pathways. Given the physiological importance of kinases, they have been subject to intense scrutiny and are proven drug targets.
The present invention relates to the discovery, identification, and characterization of nucleotides that encode novel a human kinase and the corresponding amino acid sequence of this protein. The novel human kinases (NHK) described for the first time herein shares structural similarity with animal kinases, including, but not limited to, receptor tyrosine kinases and especially kinases of the membrane-associated guanylate kinase (MAGUK) family. The described NHK encoding sequences define a novel kinase having homologues and orthologs across a range of phyla and species.
The novel human polynucleotide described herein, encode an open reading frame (ORF) of 455 amino acids in length (see SEQ ID NO: 2).
The invention also encompasses agonists and antagonists of the described NHK, including small molecules, large molecules, mutant NHKs, or portions thereof, that compete with native NHK, peptides, and antibodies, as well as nucleotide sequences that can be used to inhibit the expression of the described NHK (e.g., antisense and ribozyme molecules, and open reading frame or regulatory sequence replacement constructs) or to enhance the expression of the described NHK (e.g., expression constructs that place the described polynucleotide under the control of a strong promoter system), and transgenic animals that express a NHK sequence, or xe2x80x9cknock-outsxe2x80x9d (which can be conditional) that do not express a functional NHK. Such knock-out mice can be produced in several ways, one of which involves the use of mouse embryonic stem cell (xe2x80x9cES cellsxe2x80x9d) lines that contain gene trap mutations in a murine homolog the described NHK. When the unique NHK sequences described in SEQ ID NOS:1-2 are xe2x80x9cknocked-outxe2x80x9d they provide a method of identifying phenotypic expression of the particular gene as well as a method of assigning function to previously unknown genes. In addition, animals in which the unique NHK sequences described in SEQ ID NOS:1-2 are xe2x80x9cknocked-outxe2x80x9d provide a unique source in which to elicit antibodies to homologous and orthologous proteins which would have been previously viewed by the immune system as xe2x80x9cselfxe2x80x9d and therefore would have failed to elicit significant antibody responses.
Additionally, the unique NHK sequences described in SEQ ID NOS:1-2 are useful for the identification of protein coding sequence and mapping a unique gene to a particular chromosome. These sequences identify actual, biologically verified, and therefore relevant, exon splice junctions as opposed to those that may have been bioinformatically predicted from genomic sequence alone. The sequences of the present invention are also useful as additional DNA markers for restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis, and in forensic biology.
Further, the present invention also relates to processes for identifying compounds that modulate, i.e., act as agonists or antagonists, of NHK expression and/or NHK activity that utilize purified preparations of the described NHK and/or NHK products, or cells expressing the same. Such compounds can be used as therapeutic agents for the treatment of any of a wide variety of symptoms associated with biological disorders or imbalances.

Human kinase and polynucleotides encoding the same


A motor control device that has a high-frequency component, and a DC bias component that has a magnitude which causes a motor to be magnetically saturated and take on a certain value over a predetermined period, and is positively and negatively symmetrical are impressed as an observation command on a d-axis current command. The polarity of the magnetic pole of a permanent magnet is identified based on a relationship of large and small magnitudes between a first amplitude, which is attained during a period during which a DC bias component takes on a positive certain value, among amplitudes of a high-frequency component contained in a d-axis response voltage computed based on a feedback current respondent to the observation command, and a second amplitude attained during a period during which the DC bias component takes on a negative certain value.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motor control device having a function of detecting a magnetic-pole position of a permanent magnet synchronous motor in a sensor-less manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a control method for a permanent magnet type synchronous motor, for example, a three-phase synchronous motor, a control method called vector control is known. In the vector control, a motor current flowing into three-phase stator coils of a motor is coordinate-transformed into vector components along a d axis, which lies in a direction of a magnetic field generated by a permanent magnet disposed in a rotor, and a q axis orthogonal to the d axis, whereby feedback control is carried out. For the coordinate transformation, it is necessary to highly precisely detect the position of the rotor (magnetic-pole position). For the magnetic-pole position detection, a rotation sensor such as a resolver is used. A sensor-less magnetic-pole detection technology of electrically detecting a magnetic-pole position by utilizing counter-electromotive force deriving from rotation of the rotor is also available. However, when the motor is stopped, since the counter-electromotive force is not developed, a high-frequency current or a high-frequency voltage is applied to the motor. Based on the response, the magnetic-pole position is estimated.
In JP-A-2008-79489, a motor control device having such a sensor-less magnetic-pole detecting function has been disclosed. According to the publication, an error between a magnetic-pole position obtained based on a q-axis current detected by applying an alternating voltage to a motor, and an estimated magnetic-pole position is corrected in order to obtain the magnetic-pole position. Further, a d-axis voltage command is obtained based on a d-axis current command on which a d-axis bias current of a constant wave that alternates positively and negatively symmetrically is superposed, and the d-axis voltage command is applied to the motor. The direction of a magnetic pole of a permanent magnet is identified based on the relationship of large and small magnitudes of the d-axis bias current between when the d-axis bias current is increased at the positive-to-negative switching timing of the d-axis bias current and when the d-axis bias current is decreased thereat.
The motor control device described in JP-A-2008-79489 has an excellent sensor-less magnetic-pole detection function capable of identifying the position of a magnetic pole as well as the polarity of the magnetic pole. However, at the positive-to-negative switching timing of the d-axis bias current, there is a possibility that a d-axis current may be in a transient state and a d-axis voltage may not be stable. As a result, there arises a possibility that the stability in identifying the polarity of the magnetic pole may be impaired and erroneous detection may be invited.
Therefore, it is desired that when a permanent magnet type synchronous motor is stopped, the polarity of a magnetic pole of the motor is stably identified without use of a rotation sensor.


A processor is provided which has a modular organization including at least one local store operable to store data and instructions for execution, at least one functional unit operable to execute instructions on data provided from the local store, and at least one issue logic unit operable to convert instructions provided from the local store into operations of the functional unit for executing the instructions. The at least one issue logic unit may be operable to decode a unitary instruction provided from the local store to simultaneously operate all of the functional units according to the unitary instruction. Each issue logic unit may be operable to decode multiple instructions to separately operate first and second subsets of the plurality of functional units according to respective ones of the multiple instructions.

The present invention relates to integrated circuits and their design.
In recent years, the design of integrated circuit processors has shifted from standalone proprietary designs to designs which support greater networking capability and interoperability with competing designs and legacy platforms. This coincides with a realignment of the computing world with network server computers, replacing the traditionally dominant standalone PCs.
Accordingly, it is no longer enough to provide a processor having the highest standalone performance. The processor must be adept at handling the computing job at hand, which means efficiently responding to processing calls. A processor design that supports calls arriving from a variety of differently designed processors of different vendors would be superior, as it would offer a greater degree of interoperability. However, among such designs, higher performance would be achieved when the processors in a network, be they large or small, server or client, share common design features, as described in commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/815,554, filed Mar. 22, 2001, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. Such common designs may utilize a common architecture having a common instruction set architecture (ISA) or subportions thereof, and a common design for data paths and addressing. Such common designs may also support high execution rates for jobs such as the serving and/or processing of graphics data. Such designs would support interoperability while promoting the high performance benefits of a shared design.
In designing processors for such purpose, an efficient processor organization and design method are needed. A relatively short design cycle should be realized, regardless of the size of the processor, or the computing job that it is designed to support. The processor design should be capable of being changed while continuing to implement a common instruction set architecture. Moreover, the processor design should be capable of being changed close to the time that it is released to manufacturing on an integrated circuit (IC) without requiring large-scale redesign of the processor and without requiring large-scale redesign of microcode and hardware to implement the instruction set on the changed processor.
FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a processor implementation method according to the prior art. As shown in FIG. 1, an initial step S01 in the design of a processor includes designing a new instruction set architecture and/or extensions to an existing instruction set architecture, both of which are collectively referred to herein as "ISA". The instruction set architecture is a collection of machine-language instructions that the processor is required to recognize and execute whenever such instructions are presented to the processor. An ISA typically includes instructions for storing and retrieving data, storing and retrieving instructions, and for mathematically, logically or otherwise manipulating operands and other instructions held in one or more registers of the processor. The ISA is typically detailed to a point in which only a particular processor or class or processors is capable of executing the instructions thereof. Details of the ISA include the data width of bits to be retrieved from storage per access, and types of fetch commands by which data bits can be accessed directly. In addition, support for movement of data between registers of the processor and different levels of storage, e.g. different levels of cache, are typically specific to a processor design or class of processors. As a further example, while processors having different organizations are capable of executing floating point operations, only processors belonging to a particular class of processors are capable of executing floating point operations in which the mantissa has a length of 32 bits, the exponent has length of 16 bits, and the two's complement is used to indicate the sign of a number.
In this method according to the prior art, after the ISA is designed, the processor is then custom designed (step S03) to have a fixed functional organization which supports the design of the ISA. The ISA including any extensions thereof is typically designed to such detail that it can only be implemented by processor hardware having a very specific functional organization. As discussed above, as an example, the bit width for transferring data to and from registers of the processor, and the bit width of operands capable of manipulation by the processor are typically fixed by the instructions included within the ISA. Accordingly, the design of the processor reduces to a process of designing fixed hardware and/or microcode support for the instructions of the ISA.
Thereafter, at step S05, issue logic and microcode are custom-designed to implement the instructions on the processor hardware designed therefor. Issue logic is used to convert an instruction having a symbol of limited bitwidth (e.g. 32 bits of character data) recognizable by the processor and by a human or machine-based programmer (compiler) to a set of electrical signals which turn on and turn off various elements of the processor hardware, as needed to execute the instruction. Such symbol to signal conversion is typically performed either by hardware or in firmware by look-up of stored data representing such signals. For example, a microcoded instruction is implemented by data stored in a control store which represents such signals. The stored data is fetched, as from a control store, upon recognition of the symbol for a particular instruction and is then used to provide the signals which execute the instruction on the processor. According to the prior art method, the design of the issue logic and the microcode are generally performed subsequent to the design of the hardware because they are dependent upon choices made during the hardware design.
However, in the design method according to the prior art, a problem exists when seeking to modify the design of the processor. At step S03, the processor is designed having a fixed functional organization to support the ISA. The issue logic and microcode are then custom-designed to implement the ISA on the custom-designed processor. However, because of their custom-design, when the design of the processor is modified, the issue logic and microcode previously designed therefor might no longer work in the modified processor design. Accordingly, whenever a decision is made to modify the design of the processor (S06), the process flow returns to the step of the processor design at S03, reflecting that a change in the processor design can require changes in the design of issue logic and microcode to implement the ISA on the modified processor design.
In addition to the above considerations, two existing methodologies are provided by the prior art for designing processors according to step S03 of the above-described method: synthetic design, and custom design. These design methodologies find particular application to the design of processor "cores", i.e., processor elements of integrated circuits that have additional function. An integrated circuit classified as a system-on-a-chip ("SOC") has a processor core.
In the synthetic design approach, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a library of reusable component blocks is developed a priori, as shown at S10, the library being available for designing many varieties of circuits for use in systems having a range of clock speeds and purposes. The reusable component blocks are defined by relatively high-level language, for example, a register transport level ("RTL") description. The designer then assembles the processor design by specifying the component blocks for use therein, as shown at S12. A compiler synthesizes a circuit layout from the component blocks specified in the RTL description. Synthetic design provides flexibility to modify essential features of the processor during the design cycle such as the instruction set, the width of pipelines, and the size of the cache. Such modifications are made by specifying a different set of reusable component blocks in the RTL description, as shown at S14. Synthetic design also allows designs to be created and ready for testing (at a pre-hardware stage) within a relatively short design cycle.
Custom design, on the other hand, is painstaking, requiring a relatively long design cycle. As illustrated in FIG. 3, in a full custom design of a processor, the elements of the processor are designed from the bottom level up, including all functional blocks, as shown at S20. Circuits are handcrafted to specific performance criteria, e.g., to support a minimum clock frequency, to consume less than a certain limit of power, or to occupy less than a certain limit of integrated circuit area. The layout and wiring between functional blocks are also carefully designed to meet the performance criteria, as shown at S22. Because of the greater attention given to each element of the design and the specific emphasis on meeting performance criteria, up to four times greater performance can be achieved when custom designing a processor versus creating the design synthetically. On the other hand, modifying the custom design poses difficulties, because it requires re-designing the processor again from the bottom level up, as shown at S24.
Moreover, as indicated above with reference to FIG. 1, a modification to the processor design forces reevaluation and redesign of the issue logic and microcode to implement the ISA on the modified processor design.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a processor having a modular functional organization having capabilities determined according to a number of modular elements provided in the processor.
It would further be desirable to provide a method of designing a processor which does not require redesign of the issue logic and microcode when a change is made in the processor design, for example, a change in the number of functional units of the processor.

Methods and apparatus for multi-processor pipeline parallelism


Steering angle sensor apparatus includes a disc, a circuit substrate and a sensor contained within a single cover. The disc has indications such as slits or lines and is mounted on one of a steering shaft that rotates during a steering operation and a stationary member such as a steering column. The circuit substrate includes circuit parts and is mounted on the other one of the steering shaft and stationary member. A sensor includes at least one element mounted on the circuit substrate and senses the relative movement of the disc caused by the steering operation. The circuit substrate is positioned to confront a surface of the disc.

Examples of a conventional sensor, of a kind as described above, for photoelectrically reading a steering angle include the steering angle sensors illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. The steering angle sensor of FIG. 5 is provided, in a casing for a slip ring, for transmitting to a controller the states of various switches provided on a steering pad. The steering angle sensor of FIG. 6 is configured such that a rotating disc called a detecting disc and a sensor for reading the rotating disc are accommodated in a common casing.
In the steering angle sensor illustrated in FIG. 5, a disc 14 having slits 13 formed therethrough for indicating a steering angle is attached, together with a slip ring (not shown), to a position between upper and lower covers 11 and 12 of the slip ring.
A sensor 16 for photoelectrically reading slits 13 and a circuit substrate 17 having circuit parts therefor are housed in an enclosure 15 attached to upper and lower covers 11 and 12.
In operation, slits 13 of disc 14, which rotates with the rotation caused by steering, are read by sensor 16 so that an electronically controlled suspension apparatus can be controlled on the basis of the steering angle detected through the circuit.
In the steering angle sensor illustrated in FIG. 6, a disc, similar to the above described disc 14 of FIG. 5, is housed in a casing 20 provided separately from a slip ring, such as described above, so that the disc can be attached, at a hub 21 thereof, on the steering shaft. A sensor for reading slits of the disc, and circuit parts and a circuit substrate are housed in an enclosure 22 provided at one side of casing 20.
The steering angle sensor illustrated in FIG. 6 detects the steering angle in the same manner as performed by the sensor illustrated FIG. 5, so as to enable electronic control of suspension apparatus on the basis of steering angle.
In either of the foregoing conventional steering angle sensors, the sensor for reading the slits of the disc and enclosure 15 or 22 for housing the circuit of the sensor occupy a large volume at the side of upper and lower casings 11 and 12 or casing 20.
The above described conventional steering angle sensors are therefore disadvantageous in that, as a result of their use, the steering column becomes large and it is difficult to attach levers for light control, for a windshield wiper, etc.

Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho


Systems and methods of assessing image quality are described. In one scheme for assessing image quality, a target object region is detected in an input image. An image quality feature vector representing the target object region in an image quality feature space is generated. The image quality feature vector is mapped to a measure of image quality. In one scheme for generating an image quality assessment engine, target object regions are detected in multiple input images. Image quality feature vectors representing the target object regions in an image quality feature space are generated. The image quality feature vectors are correlated with respective measures of image quality assigned to the input images. A mapping between image quality feature vectors and assigned measures of image quality is computed.

Methods of assessing image quality are used in many different image processing applications. For example, image quality measurements may be used to optimize and automatically adjust algorithms and parameter settings in components of an image processing system, such as pre-processing and post-processing components of a camera or a video teleconferencing system. Image quality assessment methods also may be used to determine which of multiple imaging systems is best for a particular imaging task.
Although person-based subjective image quality assessment methods are used for some applications, these methods tend to be too slow and expensive for most applications. For this reason, objective image quality assessment methods have been developed to automatically predict human subjective assessments of image quality. Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) and Mean Squared Error (MSE) are commonly used in automatic objective image quality assessment approaches. In some approaches, a test video sequence is compared to a reference copy of the same sequence to assess the quality of the test video sequence. Such a reference-based approach often accurately and robustly predicts human subjective assessments of video quality. In many applications, however, a reference copy of the image or video sequence is not readily available for performing a comparative image quality assessment. For example, in consumer digital imaging applications, such as browsing and managing large image databases, key frame selection for video, and automatic photo layout design, reference images are not available.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A method for colorization of images is presented. The method comprises the following steps: Displaying an image (102); applying multiple color markings (at least two colors are different) to the displayed image (104); automatically coloring the image by applying a constrained optimization to a cost function that is responsive to the marked colors and the intensity differences of the neighborhoods of some of all of the pixels (106); the resultant image is subsequently stored (110), displayed (108), or transferred (112).

Colorization is a computer-assisted process of adding color to black and white single images or movies. The process typically involves segmenting images into regions and tracking these regions across image sequences. Colorization is a term introduced by Wilson Markle in 1970 to describe the computer-assisted process he invented for adding color to a black and white movie or TV program. The term is now used generically to describe any technique for adding color to monochrome stills and footage.
Neither of these tasks can be performed reliably in practice, and consequently colorization requires considerable user intervention and remains a tedious, time-consuming, and expensive task. For example, in order to colorize a still image an artist typically begins by segmenting the image into regions, and then proceeds to assign a color to each region. Unfortunately, even automatic segmentation algorithms often fail to correctly identify fuzzy or complex region boundaries, such as the boundary between a subject's hair and her face. Thus, the artist is often left with the task of manually delineating complicated boundaries between regions. Colorization of movies requires, in addition, tracking regions across the frames of a shot. Existing tracking algorithms typically fail to robustly track nonrigid regions, again requiring user intervention in the process.
Thus, while the advantages and substantial commercial value of colorization in coloring black and white movies and television programs is self evident, only limited numbers of vintage movies and television programs have been colorized.
In Markle's original colorization process (Canadian Patent 1,291,260), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, a color mask is manually painted for at least one reference frame in a shot. Motion detection and tracking is then applied, allowing colors to be automatically assigned to other frames in regions where no motion occurs. Colors in the vicinity of moving edges are assigned using optical flow, which often requires manual fixing by the operator.
Although not much is publicly known about the techniques used in more contemporary colorization systems used in the industry, there are indications that these systems still rely on defining regions and tracking them between the frames of a shot.
BlackMagic, a software product for colorizing still images (NeutralTek, 2003), provides the user with useful brushes and color palettes, but the segmentation task is left entirely to the user.
Various tools are available for smoothing edges between objects on an image. In general such tools are applied globally to an entire image and not in the context of colorization or are applied to edges manually based on a perception of need by a user.
A paper entitled "Poisson Image Editing" by Perez, P., et al.; ACM Transactions on Graphics, August 2003 pages 313-318 and available at http://research.microsoft.com/vision/cambridge/papers/perez_siggraph03.pdf shows editing methods for images including a method for partial de-colorization of an image (FIG. 11).
Welsh et al. (Welsh, T., Ashikhmin, M, and Muller, K (2002) "Transferring color to greyscale images" ACM Transactions on Graphics, 21, 3 (July), 277-280, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference) describe a semi-automatic technique for coloring a greyscale image by transferring color from a reference color image. They examine the luminance values in the neighborhood of each pixel in the target image and transfer the color from pixels with matching neighborhoods in the reference image. This technique works well on images where differently colored regions give rise to distinct luminance clusters, or possess distinct textures. In other cases, the user must direct the search for matching pixels by specifying swatches indicating corresponding regions in the two images. While this technique has produced some impressive results, the artistic control over the outcome is quite indirect: the artist must find reference images containing the desired colors over regions with similar textures to those that she wishes to colorize. It is also difficult to fine-tune the outcome selectively in problematic areas. Also, the technique of Welsh et al. does not explicitly enforce spatial continuity of the colors, and in some images it may assign vastly different colors to neighboring pixels that have similar intensities.
It is understood that other types of images such as line images (cartoons and the like) are easier to colorize and that in a sense they come pre-segmented.
Two published US patent applications, 2003/0194119 to Manjeshwar et al, and 2003/0113003 to Cline et al, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, describe semi-automated methods of tissue segmentation. These publications describe the use of single-voxel seeds, chosen by the user as belonging to a body tissue of interest, which are automatically expanded to find the entire connected volume of that tissue, in this case a tumor found by a PET scan, and amyloid plaque found by MRI. General Electric also sells a product called Advantage Windows, which does fully automated segmentation of bone for CT scans. In practice, it is not possible to distinguish bone voxels from blood vessel voxels with 100% accuracy; even two different doctors, attempting to do this task manually, will generally not agree on all voxels.

Yissum Research Development Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem


A pass-through head assembly is provided. The pass-through head assembly may include a central shaft, a plurality of support bars, a seat, and a seat support plate. The central shaft may extend between a first end plate and a second end plate. Each end plate may define an aperture that aligns with an interior cavity of the central shaft. The plurality of support bars may extend from the central shaft and the second end plate. The seat and seat support plate may each be circumferentially disposed about the central shaft and define apertures that are sized to allow the seat and the seat support plate to pass over the central shaft and the plurality of support bars. The seat may be configured to support one or more beams. The seat support plate may be disposed between the seat and the second end plate.

When constructing buildings, parking garages, and other structures, grid shoring systems are often used to carry a load while structural concrete sets or permanent beams are fixed in position. The grid shoring systems may include platform supports that support multiple main beams on head assemblies that include seats. The main beams are typically installed by lowering each main beam onto the seats of adjacent head assemblies, and the main beams and seats may support a plurality of secondary beams extending between parallel main beams. One or more panels may rest on the main beams and secondary beams to form a platform that carries the load.
Typically, the platform support is raised or lowered to position the platform at the correct height for the structure that is being supported. Platform supports often utilize drop head assemblies that may ease the removal of the platform and the platform support. A drop head assembly typically includes a floating seat that is held in position by a seat support plate, which, in turn, is retained by a pin extending through the drop head assembly. When the seat support plate is rotated, both the seat support plate and the seat pass over the pin, dropping the platform and allowing for easy removal of the platform and platform supports.
Recently, platform supports have been developed include both upper and lower head assemblies, allowing the platform supports to position platforms at different heights and support structures at different levels, while reducing the total number of platform supports. Although drop head assemblies have been used for the upper head assembly, using such an assembly for the lower head assembly would typically prevent the platform support from being raised or lowered. This is because the pin that extends through the drop head assembly would prevent the use of a telescoping-type assembly that is commonly used to adjust the height of the platform support. Therefore, the lower seat is usually fixed in position on the head assembly. Although this arrangement does allow for both upper and lower platforms, the upper platform must be removed before the lower platform, which rests on the fixed heads, can be removed. Further, additional head assemblies must be purchased since the upper and lower head assemblies are not interchangeable.
What is needed, therefore, is a head assembly that can drop a platform independently of other platforms and be used as both an upper head assembly and a lower head assembly, allowing for a reduction in the number platform supports and heads that are used.

Pass-through head assembly for a grid shoring system