Systems and methods for enhanced link adaptation are provided. In some embodiments, a method of operation of a network node includes calculating an actual RE efficiency based at least in part on an actual TBS obtained from a specification. The TBS may be obtained from a specification based on LA result and actual buffer data volume. The method also includes determining a real BLER from a searchable repository, based on the actual RE efficiency and an actual BLER. The method may further include calculating an actual outer-loop adjustment (OLA) step based on the actual BLER. The method may further include a dynamic outer-loop up/down step adjustment based on the actual OLA step.

Link Adaptation (LA) is an important Radio Resource Management (RRM) function in wireless communication systems, such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) and 5G (Fifth Generation) NR (New Radio), for reliable communication. The purpose of link adaptation is to determine the appropriate modulation and coding scheme (MCS) to maximize user throughput. If MCS is too conservative, instantaneous channel capacity is not fully exploited. In contrast, if MCS is too aggressive, block error rate (BLER) increases and radio link efficiency is impaired. In an inner loop step of link adaptation, the appropriate MCS selection depends on the current channel quality signal-to-interference and noise ratio (SINR) indicated by CSI (channel system information) reported from user equipment (UE). Additional adjustment based on the HARQ feedback are done in an outer-loop step of link adaptation. For example, SINR is increased by an upward step when a HARQ ACK is received, which indicates successful transmission for a transport block (TB). On the other hand, SINR is decreased by a downward step when a HARQ NACK is received, which indicates failing transmission for a TB. The upward and downward adjustment steps are determined based a target BLER. For example, one downward step is set to nine upward steps with a target BLER of 10%. In other words, for a target BLER 10%, the upward step is set to the 1/9 of downward step. For example, if the upward step is 0.1 db, then the downward step is 0.9 db, which means when a ACK is received, SINR is only incremented by 0.1 db. However, once a NACK is received, the SINR will be dramatically dropped by 0.9 db.
Typically, an LA procedure has three main related elements, illustrated in FIG. 1: SINR, BLER and RE efficiency. SINR is a physical parameter referring to the UE's channel quality, BLER is a configurable parameter referring to bearer's QoS requirements, and RE efficiency is the LA result referring the transmission performance and successful decoding probability. Once any two out of three elements are given, the remaining one is also derivable.


A wiper connector which includes a connector body and at least one retaining plate, where the connector body has at least one through structure, and one end of the elastic fin is defined as a fastening portion for establishing secure coupling with the connector body. The elastic fin has an opening formed thereon which correspondingly aligning the through structure so that an inserted bolt is retained in the connector body by the retaining plate. The wiper connector is applicable on all bolt-type wiper arms, therefore, fewer disturbances are brought to the users in selection of the wiper connectors. Furthermore, the wiper connector has a simple structure which can be assembled and dismantled easily, where other advantages includes a low damage rate, a high adaptability, and a significant reduce in the expense. Thus, overcoming disadvantages of conventional wiper connectors such as having a complex structure and a poor adaptability.

1. Field of the Instant Disclosure
The instant disclosure relates to a wiper connector; in particular, to a universal wiper connector for accommodating different bolt-type wiper arms.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, the bolt-type wiper arms have been widely applied in modern cars, where typical bolt-type wiper arms usually have an engaging structure designed proximate to the bolt for connection to the wiper connector. Nevertheless, the bolt-type wiper arms from different manufacturers across the industry do not share an universal standard for their engaging structure design, and therefore, consumers have to consider if his/her current engaging structure is suitable before purchasing a new wiper blade. Thus, bringing disturbances to the consumers in selection of the products.
In order to be applicable on the various wiper products, high adaptability bolt-type wiper arms are being researched and invented. These bolt-type wiper arms usually have a stopping member arranged adjacently to the bolt, such that after the bolt is inserted into the wiper connector, the stopping member will prevent the wiper connector from detaching during operation. Good enough, such type of bolt-type wipers are applicable on nearly all insert-type wiper products. However, some cars have their particularly designed bolt-type wiper arms which do not have the aforementioned high adaptability. Thus, the designers have to research new adaptable wiper connectors to meet the demands where this has turned out to be economically inefficient.


A biotransaction system. In an example embodiment, the biotransaction system includes a bio scanner that provides a first signal as output; a first device at a first location; and machine-readable instructions adapted to trigger transfer of data from a second location to a third location in response to receipt of the first signal by the first device. In a more specific example embodiment, the first location and the third location represent similar geographic locations. The first device is included in the bio scanner. The second device is positioned at the second location. A third device is positioned at the third location. The machine-readable instructions are adapted to facilitate transfer of the data from the second device to the third device.

1. Field of Invention:
This invention relates to transactions. Specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for facilitating transactions, such as information exchange or delivery, via use of biometrics.
2. Description of the Related Art:
Biometric systems are employed in various demanding applications, including e-passports, smart cards, keyless entry systems, and so on. Conventionally, biometrics are employed to facilitate user authentication, i.e., to verify identity and to enable a user to view data, enter physical locations or spaces, and so on.
An example biometric system enables viewing data in a database in response to a fingerprint scan. After authentication, a user may access controls to search for data select data and/or to enable transfer of data from the database. However, limited use of biometrics to merely grant access to data (as opposed to modification privileges) may limit functionality of accompanying systems, resulting in inefficiencies and excessive user input requirements. Such input may be time consuming and undesirably susceptible to human error, which can be especially problematic when used for facilitating financial transactions and other transactions where time and accuracy are important.
Such biometric systems are widely employed in smart cards, e-passports, and so on. Unfortunately, certain smart cards and passports have proven undesirably susceptible to hacking. For example, the chips on certain passports may be readily replaced with fake chips to enable thwarting certain passport verification systems and methods. Furthermore, including biometric information and functionality and additional information (e.g., identity information, electronic cash, etc.) in such tokens (e.g., passports and smart cards), may be particularly problematic when the tokens are lost or stolen.


A method of performing proximity discovery for a network entity and a user equipment (UE). In one of the exemplary embodiments, this disclosure is directed to a generating method that is applicable to a network entity and includes at least but not limited to receiving a discovery request message comprising a ProSe application identifier (ID) and a UE identity, obtaining a discover code for performing the proximity discovery according to a target group of the UE identity, and transmitting a discovery response message comprising the discovery code in response to the discovery request message. The ProSe application ID indicates the target group of the UE identity.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure generally relates to a method of performing proximity discovery for a network entity and a user equipment (UE).
2. Description of Related Art
In the field of device to device (D2D) communication which is often referred to as a Proximity-based Services (ProSe) communication, a UE typically may discover another UE and subsequently performs D2D communication with another UE with or without the assistance of a core network such as an Evolved Packet Core (EPC). The aforementioned case such as discover another UE by using direct radio signal, without assistance of core network is called "direct discovery". When a proximity discovery procedure occurs in direct discovery, an announcing UE and a monitoring UE may send discovery request to a network entity such as a ProSe function in the EPC network for announcing and monitoring the proximity discovery, respectively. The ProSe Function could be thought of as a collective logical function that implements network related actions required for ProSe. The ProSe Function may play different roles for each of the features of ProSe. Subsequently, the monitoring UE would check whether a match event occurred. An announcing UE could be a UE which announces certain information that could be used by a UE in proximity that has permission to discover. A monitoring UE could be a UE that monitors certain information of interest in proximities of announcing UEs.
There could be at least two kinds of ProSe direct discovery, namely an open discovery and a restricted discovery. The open discovery may predominate where there is no explicit permission that is needed from the UE being discovered, whereas the restricted discovery may only take place with explicit permissions from the UEs that are being discovered. For example, when a user wants to find his/her friends on a social network application, his/her device will likely perform the restricted discovery.
A direct discovery procedure may involve different types of discovery codes. A discovery filter of Discovery Response message may contain ProSe application code and ProSe application mask, and a ProSe application code of Discovery Response message or PC5 discovery message may contain ProSe application code. The ProSe application code may contain parameters not limited to public land mobile network (PLMN) ID of a ProSe function that assigned the ProSe application code and a temporary identity corresponding to the ProSe application ID name. The ProSe application code could be used by a monitoring UE for full or partial matching of PC5 Discovery messages received on PC5 interface. The ProSe application ID name could be used for identifying application related information for the ProSe-enabled UE. The ProSe application mask is a bitmask provided by the ProSe function in order to allow the monitoring UE to perform full or partial matching of PC5 Discovery messages received on the PC5 interface.
FIG. 1 shows a general call flow of a ProSe direct discovery procedure which is consistent with 3GPP TS 23.303 for example. In step S110, service authorization for ProSe direct services is performed for ProSe direct discovery. If the UE is authorized to announce, the UE would perform an announce request procedure (S130) to obtain a ProSe Application Code to be announced over the PC5 interface upon a request for announcing from upper layers. In step S131, when the UE is triggered to announce then it sends a discovery request for announcing to the ProSe Function in Home PLMN (HPLMN). In step S135, if the request is successful and is provided with ProSe Application Code then it starts announcing on PC5 interface. On the other hand, if the UE is authorised to monitor, the UE (such as an announcing UE) would perform a monitor request procedure (S150) to receive and process PC5_DISCOVERY messages upon a request for monitoring from upper layers. PC5_DISCOVERY message is transmitted from an announcing UE to a monitoring UE. In step S151, when the UE (such as a monitoring UE) is triggered to monitor, it sends a discovery request for monitoring to the ProSe Function. In step S155, if the request is successful and the UE is provided with a Discovery Filter consisting of ProSe Application Code(s) and/or ProSe Application Mask(s), the UE would start monitoring for these ProSe Application Codes on the PC5 interface. In step S170, when the monitoring UE detects that one or more ProSe Application Code(s) that match the discovery filter, the UE would send a match report including the ProSe Application Code(s) to the ProSe Function. There is a match event when, for any of the ProSe Application masks in a Discovery Filter, the output of a bitwise AND operation between the ProSe Application Code contained in the PC5_DISCOVERY message and this ProSe Application mask matches the output of a bitwise AND operation between the ProSe Application mask and the ProSe Application Code in the same discovery filter.
However, the aforementioned ProSe direct discovery procedure does not describe how the restricted discovery functions in detail as the discovery codes assigned for the restricted discovery is not described. The assignment of the discovery codes would be very important for the restricted discovery because only the target UEs that an announcing UE wants to discover would achieve the match event. Accordingly, there would be need to provide a method for assigning those discovery codes for the restricted discovery and a restricted discovery procedure.

Method of performing proximity discovery for network entity and user equipment


A box-type camera housing having a four-piece structure which allows an external interface connector to be provided in an arbitrary face among five faces except a front face is configured by a lens mount, a board mount frame, a tri-face cover, and a connector metal bracket attached with an external interface connector. In addition, the camera functions are integrated by containing, in an imaging chamber in the camera housing, a control board for controlling a sensor substrate and a power supply board for controlling supply of an operation power for the sensor board and control board, in addition to a sensor board.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a small industrial electronic imaging camera comprising a connection mechanism for connecting an external interface cable, which is preferably applied to a machine vision system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a small electronic imaging camera having a box type housing structure having edges which are, for example, about 20 to 30 mm long, i.e., a so-called microcamera in a machine vision system, a large pace is occupied by external interface connectors in the housing, and therefore, there is a difficulty in maintaining spaces for mounting external interface connectors at a plurality of portions in the housing. An external interface connector is therefore provided and fixed to one portion of the housing. A specific example will be an external interface connector provided in a back face (rear face) part of a box-type camera housing in a manner that an external interface cable is led from a back face (rear face) of the box-type camera housing. Therefore, according to the prior art, the external interface cable has to be led in one leading direction, and the leading direction of the cable cannot be changed. Therefore, for example, a degree of freedom is insufficient for changing camera configuration settings, such as changes to mount positions, a change of a monitor target, and changes to a camera configuration. Further, a position where the external interface connector is attached is fixed, and cause a problem in general versatility of products. Further, in order to simplify a connection. configuration of an external interface cable (or to integrate camera functions), the aforementioned small electronic imaging camera called a microcamera is demanded to have a mount structure which contains, in one single camera housing, each of a control board for controlling a sensor board and a power supply board for controlling supply of an operation power for the control board, in addition to a sensor board where a solid-state imaging element (area image sensor) is mounted. However, the small electronic imaging camera called a microcamera having the box-type housing structure, an imaging chamber formed in the camera housing is very narrow, and there is a difficulty in maintaining a mount space for containing the aforementioned control board and power supply board.
There is a video camera in which a connector pivot mechanism which can be pivoted about two axes perpendicular to an exterior housing is provided as a variable mechanism which can change a cable leading direction of a camera so as to provide a degree of freedom for a cable connection direction of a connector (see Patent Literature 1). Although the video camera provided with the connector pivot mechanism allows the cable leading direction to be changed, a mechanism which pivotally supports a connector provided with wires is complex and causes a problem in economy and reliability. When the video camera is applied to a microcamera having a box-type structure as described above, there is a difficulty in maintaining mount spaces. Further, even if leading directions of the cable are changeable, mounting parts of the connector are fixed to predetermined positions of the housing, and cause a problem in the degree of freedom and the general versatility as described above.

Small industrial electronic imaging camera provided with external interface cable


There are provided a spindle motor and a hard disk drive including the same. The spindle motor includes: a sleeve installed on a base member and having a circulation hole; a shaft inserted into the sleeve; a rotor hub installed on an upper end of the shaft; and a thrust member installed in an installation groove formed in an upper portion of the sleeve and forming a connection part, the connection part allowing the circulation hole to be in communication with a sealing part formed by the sleeve and the rotor hub and having a liquid-vapor interface of a lubricating fluid disposed therein, wherein the connection part is formed between the sleeve and the thrust member in a circumferential direction, and at least any one part of a radial outer portion of the connection part has an axial gap smaller than that of another part thereof in the circumferential direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spindle motor and a hard disk drive including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a small spindle motor used in a hard disk drive (HDD) serves to rotate a disk so that a magnetic head is able to write data to the disk or read data written on the disk.
In addition, the spindle motor is provided with a hydrodynamic bearing assembly, and a bearing clearance formed in the hydrodynamic bearing assembly is filled with a lubricating fluid.
In addition, during rotation of a shaft, the lubricating fluid filled in the bearing clearance is pumped to form fluid dynamic pressure, thereby rotatably supporting the shaft.
However, pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, that is, negative pressure, may be generated in the bearing clearance due to the pumping of the lubricating fluid during rotation of the shaft.
In this case, air contained in the lubricating fluid expands, such that air bubbles are formed. When such air bubbles are introduced to a groove pumping the lubricating fluid, deterioration of rotational characteristics such as the generation of insufficient fluid dynamic pressure, the generation of vibrations, and the like, is caused.
Therefore, a circulation hole for decreasing generation of the negative pressure is formed in a sleeve to suppress the generation of the negative pressure.
In the following Related Art Document (US 2009-0080819), a configuration in which a circulation hole for decreasing generation of negative pressure is formed to be inclined and connects a bearing clearance formed by a sleeve and a cover member and a bearing clearance in which a liquid-vapor interface is formed to each other has been used.
However, it is difficult to process the circulation hole and a defect of the sleeve may occur at the time of processing the circulation hole.
In addition, even in the case in which the circulation hole is formed, it may still be difficult to discharge air bubbles contained in the lubricating fluid.

Spindle motor and hard disk drive including the same


A method and apparatus for measuring central venous pressure (CVP) is disclosed, along with an improved transducer (50) for measuring CVP in infants. Changes in CVP may also be monitored by employing the method and apparatus of the invention. According to the invention, a transducer is disposed on the neck of a subject (or on the head in the case of infants), and the signal from the transducer is processed to obtain the cardiac component. Thereafter, the vertical distance from the transducer to a reference level is adjusted until the position is located at which the signal transitions between a venous configuration and an arterial or mixed venous-arterial configuration, at which position the vertical distance approximates CVP.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to non-invasive monitors, and more particularly to non-invasive monitoring of cardiac function.
2. Prior Art
The prior art teaches transducers placed on the neck for detecting internal jugular and carotid pulse waveforms. See, for example, Tavel, Clinical Phonocardiography and External Pulse Recording, Year Book Medical Publishers, Inc., 3d Ed., 1978, pp. 25-32. Transducers placed on the neck have also been used by the present inventor for obtaining carotid pulse waveforms and for monitoring respiratory events, as described in U. S. Pat. No. 4,452,252, which suggests use of a particular transducer, denominated the neck inductive plethysmograph. This patent, at column 6, also suggests placing two such transducers about the neck for obtaining both respiratory and cardiac waveforms, depending upon the type of filtering used.
While the cardiac information derived from such transducers is useful, it is not substitutable for venous pressure measurements. Venous pressure measurements are a widely recognized diagnostic tool for assessing cardiac function. Elevation of venous pressure is common in congestive heart failure and may precede other signs such as peripheral edema, ascites, pleural effusion and liver enlargement. For obvious reasons, venous pressure trends are more valuable than a single value of the absolute venous pressure level.
Measurement of peripheral venous pressures have long been utilized to follow the course of congestive heart failure, but peripheral pressures may be altered by local venoconstriction. Therefore, measurement of venous pressure within the central venous system, i.e. superior vena cava, has become the preferred site of measurement for assessing overall hemodynamic function, and numerous investigations have confirmed the clinical usefulness of central venous pressure (CVP) for hemodynamic monitoring. Further, CVP generally reflects the degree of hypovolemia (low circulating blood volume) thereby providing a guide to fluid replacement therapy.
A review of the invasive and visual methods for determination of peripheral venous pressures is found in Burch, A Primer of Venous Pressure, Lea & Febiger, 1950. For both invasive and visual methods, errors due to improper selection of a reference level for the influence of gravity need to be considered. In order to overcome such errors, a point in the venous system must be utilized at which the venous pressure is equal to that of the atmosphere. Since none of the points of reference is always at "zero" or atmospheric pressure, it is important to employ a satisfactory standard level of reference which all observers can utilize to obtain comparative values. Burch, supra, selected the phlebostatic axis or "heart level"--defined as the line of junction between (1) a transverse plane of the body passing through the points of junction of the lateral margins of the sternum and the fourth intercostal space of the rib cage and (2) a frontal plane of the body passing through the midpoint of a line extending from the outermost point of the anterior surface of the sternum and the outermost point of the posterior surface of the chest--as a satisfactory reference point for venous pressures.
Many techniques have been advocated for invasively measuring the venous pressure in peripheral veins. Burch, supra. Trends in such pressures generally agree with central venous pressures (CVP) in the high ranges but diverge in the low ranges. In hypovolemia (low circulating blood volume), peripheral venous pressures largely reflect local influences upstream from their site of measurement and inaccurately estimate the degree of hypovolemia. See Shoemaker et al., Textbook of Critical Care, W. B. Saunders Company, 1984; Rippe et al., Intensive Care Medicine, Little Brown and Company, 1985.
For direct measurement of CVP, invasive CVP monitoring (continuous measurement of superior vena cava pressure) by insertion of central venous catheters is routinely employed, and CVP derived from such catheters is used to guide fluid therapy after hemorrhage, accidental and surgical trauma, sepsis, and emergency conditions associated with blood volume deficits Shoemaker, supra; Rippe, supra.
A healthy ambulatory person in the supine posture may have CVP values up to about 6 cmH.sub.2 O. Ten to 12 cmH.sub.2 O is frequently used as the upper limit of normal for acutely ill patients. However, critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), who require fluid volume to maintain arterial pressure, may develop CVP values of 20 to 25 cmH.sub.2 O. Shoemaker, supra; Rippe, supra.
CVP measurements are highly useful during early resuscitation from acute cardiac injury Increased CVP usually indicates that fluids have been administered too rapidly. CVP is most helpful when there is failure of only one organ system, such as cardiac failure or uncomplicated blood loss. Change in CVP in response to a fluid volume challenge over a prescribed time period reflects the reserve capacity of the heart.
From a simplistic point of view, the CVP level appears to be determined by blood volume and right heart function. Large fluid infusions produce only small changes of CVP in the hypovolemic patient, but increased blood volume elevates CVP in the overtransfused stressed patient. Fluid overload precipitously increases CVP in patients with cardiac disease. However, despite the apparently simple relation between CVP and blood volume, it is inadvisable to rely solely on CVP as a reliable measure of circulating blood volume, as there are several factors which influence CVP values, not the least of which are cardiac performance, blood volume and vascular tone, intrinsic venous tone, increased intra-abdominal or intrathoracic pressures, and vasopressor therapy. Shoemaker, supra; Rippe, supra.
Four sites are commonly utilized for insertion of central venous catheters: the antecubital veins, internal or external jugular veins, femoral vein, and subclavian vein. Central catheters have considerable risks, and at least one of the routes carries a significant morbidity rate comparable to that of an appendectomy. The internal jugular, subclavian, and femoral vein approaches should not be used in patients with trauma in the region, local infection, previous thrombosis, or any anatomic anomaly. Although systemic infection is a relative contraindication to central venous catheterization (in general, any invasive instrumentation should be avoided in a septic patient), the patient with septic shock requires rapid fluid and medication administration, and peripheral cannulation may prove impossible thereby necessitating central venous catheterization. Shoemaker, supra; Rippe, supra.
To obtain a valid central venous pressure, the catheter tip should be placed within the right atrium or one of the great veins of the thorax (e.g., the superior vena cava, the innominate vein, or subclavian vein). The most desirable site for the catheter tip is the distal innominate or proximal superior vena cava. The right atrium itself should be avoided since many complications can occur at this site including: (1) perforation of the atrial wall with resultant potentially lethal cardiac tamponade (hemorrhage into the pericardium), (2) irritation of the atrial wall producing arrhythmias, and (3) migration of the catheter tip to the inferior vena cava, hepatic veins, right ventricle, or pulmonary arteries Shoemaker, supra; Rippe, supra.
There are a variety of complications that may result from central venous catheterization performed through the antecubital veins. These include sterile phlebitis, infection, and deep venous thrombosis (of subclavian or internal jugular veins). Other rare complications included tamponade, puncture of central veins, air embolism, catheter embolism and limb edema.
The most common complication with internal jugular venous (IJV) cannulation is carotid artery puncture, and unrecognized arterial puncture is potentially life threatening. Accordingly, if there is any doubt whether venipuncture or arterial puncture has been performed, catheters should not be threaded over the guide wire. Nonvascular complications also occur from internal jugular venous catheterization. Pneumothorax and hydro- and hemothorax may rarely occur, as may chylothorax when the left IJV approach is used. Other rare complications include catheter tip migration out of the vasculature, air embolism, erosion of a venous wall and hydrothorax, thrombophlebitis, and pulmonary embolism. Shoemaker, supra; Rippe, supra. While, external jugular venous (EJV) cannulation avoids some of these problems, the success rate of this route is substantially lower than the IJV route.
Three main complications are associated with femoral venous (FV) cannulation: arterial puncture, infection, and thromboembolic events. Inadvertent femoral arterial puncture has been reported in up to six percent of cannulations with most of these occurring in patients with pulseless femoral arteries. Shoemaker, supra; Rippe, supra.
The subclavian venous approach to central venous catheterization has received the greatest attention of all routes used for central venous access However, the rare occurrence of serious or potentially life-threatening complications renders the technique dangerous in clinical situations where complications are more likely to occur (e.g., prior surgery in the subclavian area), or in patients who cannot tolerate the complication of pneumothorax (e.g., patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or acute respiratory distress syndrome).
The complications reported from subclavian venous catheterization and indwelling catheter placement include malposition of catheter tip, local cellulitis, pneumothorax, pleural effusion, hemo- or hydrothorax, subcutaneous emphysema, hydromediastinum, mediastinal hematoma, suppurative mediastinitis, clavicular osteomyelitis, subclavian artery puncture, brachial plexus injury, myocardial perforation with or without tamponade, phrenic nerve injury with diaphragmatic paralysis, arteriovenous malformations, endotracheal tube cuff rupture, catheter embolism, air embolism, infectious complications, venous thrombosis, innominate or SVC perforation, thoracic duct injury with or without chylothorax, venobronchial fistula, and internal mammary artery injury. Shoemaker, supra; Rippe, supra.
Most reports indicate 0 to 5 episodes of infection per 100 catheters, regardless of the route of insertion or length of time the catheter is in place. This assumes that a standardized protocol is used to insert all central lines, and that maintenance of the catheter (bandage changes) is carried out by an "intravenous team," an important factor in reducing the number of such episodes The incidence of catheter-associated infections generally increases proportionally with (1) the duration of the catheter use, (2) number of catheters inserted into the central circulation versus peripheral location, (3) number of catheters placed by surgical cutdown, (4) number of breaks in technique, and (5) number of "unauthorized" manipulations of the catheter. Shoemaker, supra; Rippe supra.
As the foregoing demonstrates, invasive access to monitoring of CVP carries a high risk of both immediate and late complications. Where such catheters are required solely for monitoring trends in CVP rather than for administration of fluids and drugs, non-invasive monitoring is highly preferred, since complications are nil.
A non-invasive visual method for estimating venous pressure is based upon the clinical observation that in normal erect subjects, the veins of the neck are collapsed and cannot be seen, while in patients with congestive heart failure who have elevated venous pressures, the jugular veins located in the neck are distended by the increased pressure within these veins. It has been stated that the vertical distance from the suprasternal notch to the top of the column of blood visible in the external jugular vein reflects the degree of venous pressure elevated above the normal. Burch, supra.
It should be noted, however, that distension of the internal jugular veins, though less obvious than distension of the external jugular veins, more accurately reflects the central venous pressure, as the internal jugular vein is contiguous with the superior vena cava (the site for central venous pressure), and there are no intervening valves to interrupt blood flow. While visualization of the top of the column of blood in the internal jugular vein would therefore provide a more accurate measure of CVP, the internal jugular is typically visualized only with the aid of specialized lighting, and its visualization is difficult even for highly skilled physicians. In many cases, the internal jugular vein is so deep that its blood column cannot be visualized by even the most skilled physicians. This is particularly the case in obese patients and patients with highly developed neck muscles.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a non-invasive method and apparatus for measurement of central venous pressure which is not dependent on visual inspection of the jugular veins.
Intracranial pressure, like central venous pressure, has major diagnostic and managerial significance, particularly in neonatal neurological disorders. For example, intracranial pressure may prove useful in evaluating infants with intraventricular hemorrhage, posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, bacterial meningitis, and a variety of other pathological states, and also for evaluating the effects of certain interventions such as external ventricular drainage or lumbar puncture for treatment of posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus. Intracranial pressure alterations per se may lead to adverse consequences by disturbing cerebral blood flow and, less frequently, by shifting neural structures in the brain. J. Volpe, Neurology of the Newborn, 2d Ed., W.B. Saunders Company, 1987.
Since central venous pressure approximates intracranial pressure, monitoring of intracranial pressure also provides information about central venous pressure and, as described above, such information is valuable in the diagnosis and management of a variety of disorders. Salmon et al., The Fontagram: A Noninvasive Intracranial Pressure Monitor, Pediatrics, Vol. 60, No. 5, November, 1977. Ordinarily, intracranial venous pressure is coupled to intracranial pressure since, in order for the veins to remain patent, their pressure must be slightly higher than the surrounding pressure. This coupling has been shown to occur over a wide range of pressures when intracranial pressure is altered. Since the cerebral venous pressure cannot be less than the systemic venous pressure, the cerebral venous pressure and the intracranial pressure only become uncoupled when the latter is lowered below the systemic venous pressure. Welch, The Intracranial Pressure in Infants, Journal of Neurosurgery, Vol. 52, May, 1980.
Though invasive techniques are available, they are not suited to continuous monitoring or even frequent intermittent determinations. Accordingly, non-invasive techniques are preferred. Known non-invasive monitors rely on the anterior fontanel as an indicator of intracranial pressure. More particularly, these devices rely on the applanation principle, which recognizes that when the anterior fontanel is flat, the pressure on both sides of the fontanel is equal, and therefore that the pressure required to maintain the fontanel flat should equal intracranial pressure. Several devices exploiting the applanation principle have been developed, all of which incorporate means for applying a positive pressure to the anterior fontanel sufficient to flatten it and means for measuring that pressure. Volpe, supra, Salamon et al., supra. While some studies have reported good correlation between actual intracranial pressure and intracranial pressure as measured with these devices, it is possible that the pressure required to flatten the fontanel does not match intracranial pressure, as depressing the fontanel may simply bulge other intracranial sites, such as the sutures and the occipital fontanel.
A non-invasive visual approach to measuring intracranial pressure, which also relies on the applanation principle, is disclosed in Welch, supra. With the infant in the dorsal recumbent position, the fontanel is observed and palpated. If it is flat, the vertical distance between the level of the fontanel and the level at which venous pressure is thought to be atmospheric (e.g. the midpoint of the clavicle) is measured, and this height, in centimeters, is said to approximate intracranial pressure in cmH.sub.2 O. If the fontanel is not flat, the head is raised or lowered until the fontanel becomes flat, whereupon the vertical distance measurement is made. The potential inaccuracies of this visual approach are obvious.
A further difficulty of measuring intracranial pressure in infants is that any transducer applied to the infant, particularly at the head, must be both comfortable and secure, otherwise the infant will continuously attempt to remove the transducer, with obvious adverse consequences to long term monitoring.
It is accordingly another object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for monitoring intracranial pressure, and also to provide an improved transducer therefor which is specifically intended for use with infants.

Method and apparatus for non-invasive monitoring of central venous pressure


A road-sweeping machine designed to be towed behind a truck for removing road debris, including motor vehicle tires and tire fragments, includes a brush assembly that engages the roadway surface and sweeps debris from the roadway onto a first conveyor belt that transports the debris away from the brush. The debris is then constrained between the first conveyor and a second conveyor for delivery to debris receptacle. Both conveyor belts are entrained about a series of rollers supported by related frame structures including rollers mounted on pivotable links that allow the two confronting conveyor belts to move toward and away from one another in response to the size of the debris being constrained between the two conveyors. The tension on the self-adjusting conveyor belts is controlled by a pivotally mounted roller that maintains tension on both belts while self-repositioning in response the separation between the belts caused by the size of the debris being accommodated.

The present invention relates to road-sweeping machines and, more particularly, to road-sweeping machines designed to sweep debris of varying size, including vehicle tires and fragments thereof, from road surfaces.
Common highway debris includes consumer packaging, bottles, cans, and paper and plastic materials. Additionally, common road debris includes fragments of automobile and truck tires that are left on the road surface because of accident, delamination and fragmentation of re-treaded tires, blowouts, and similar misadventures. The tire fragments can include long strips of delaminated tread, rubber "chunks" of varying size, portions of the sidewall, irregularly shaped and sized portions of the bead and sidewall, and fragments with a multitude thin steel strands extending from the rubber compound. Occasionally, intact passenger car and truck tires are intentionally discarded on the roadway surface.
Highway debris is unsightly and, in the case of tires and tire fragments, an acknowledged road hazard. The governmental agencies responsible for highway maintenance have developed various strategies for the collection of highway debris. At the most basic level of maintenance, collection trucks and their crews patrol assigned areas with the crews manually picking-up and removing larger pieces of debris. As can be appreciated, the crews and their vehicles are exposed to on-going traffic as part of their work, and the capital and labor costs associated with debris collection can be relatively high in view of the amount of material that is collected.
Various types of machines have been designed to remove debris from roadways used by motor vehicles. In general, these designs include machines that can be towed behind a truck and designs that include their own engine and drive train. Many prior designs use some type of cylindrical brush that engages the road surface and which is rotated to brush road debris from the road surface onto a conveyor for delivery into a receptacle. In some cases, a second conveyor belt confronts the debris-carrying belt to effectively capture the debris between the two belts as it is transported to the debris receptacle.
In general, prior art road sweepers are reasonably effective in removing smaller, lightweight debris that falls below a recognized size and weight limit, such debris being represented by bottles, cans, paper goods, and plastics. However, prior art machines are generally not adept at sweeping large irregularly shaped debris, such as tire fragments, or entire tires, from the road surface. Tire fragments and tires represent a particular problem since the debris can vary in size from a few centimeters to a meter or more and can vary in weight from a few ounces to many pounds (in the case of an intact truck tire). Additionally, many tire fragments do not have a substantial shape-sustaining characteristic, for example, long strip-like sections of delaminated treads. Lastly, any high-strength steel strands in the bead and in the tread portion of a tire fragment can interfere with the mechanical components of prior art sweepers.


A right angle connector for connecting conduit to a junction box having an opening therein. The connector includes a base and a cap. The base may include a tab for establishing a snap fit connection with the cap. According to another aspect of the invention, the base may include a plurality of spring members for resiliently retaining the conduit at approximately a right angle to the opening in the junction box. According to another aspect of the invention, the base may include a plurality of resiliently deformable elements configured to establish a snap fit connection with the opening in the junction box. The deformable elements may extend from an annular bottom portion of the base defining an opening through which wires in the conduit may pass to enter the junction box.

The present invention relates to connectors for securing helically grooved flexible electrical conduit to housings, such as junction boxes, fixtures, and the like.
Flexible electrical conduit is frequently used in residential and commercial wiring in order to satisfy building codes, and because of the versatility imparted by the flexible nature of the conduit. All of the wiring typically originates at a central fuse box, or junction box, and may terminate at, or pass through, a variety of fixtures or other various housings requiring electrical connections. In order to prevent the wire from being pulled free at any of these locations, the electrical conduit may be secured to the junction box and any fixture along the way.
Conventionally, when it is desired to approach a junction box along its side, i.e., with the axis of the flexible conduit perpendicular to the axis of a knockout hole through which the wiring in the conduit must pass, a right angle die cast connector is employed. Right angle die cast connectors typically include several parts, e.g., a body, a locking nut, a cap, and screws. The body is inserted into the knockout hole and secured therein using the locking nut. The flexible conduit is then laid in the open body and the cap is attached using the screws, thereby clamping the conduit between the body and the cap.
This style of connector requires time and patience to install. As junction boxes are often located in areas to which access is limited, a great deal of dexterity is required to simultaneously hold the conduit in place, apply the cap, and hold the cap in place while the screws are threaded through often mis-aligned holes in the cap and the body. The difficulty of installation makes such die cast connectors undesirable. In addition, the multiple parts of these connectors require undesirable manufacturing cost and complexity.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a right angle connector that may be quickly and easily installed. There is a further need in the art for a right angle connector that may be efficiently and cost-effectively manufactured.
In one embodiment, a connector for connecting conduit to a junction box having an opening therein consistent with the invention may include: a base for receiving the conduit at approximately a right angle to the opening, and a cap configured to cover at least a portion of the base with a portion of the conduit disposed between the cap and the base. The base may include at least one cap retainer tab extending therefrom. The cap may include a slot configured to receive the retainer tab to establish a snap-fit connection between the base and the cap.
According to another aspect of the invention, the base may include a plurality of spring members for resiliently retaining the conduit at approximately a right angle to the opening in the junction box. According to another aspect of the invention, the base may include a plurality of resiliently deformable elements configured to establish a snap fit connection with the opening in the junction box. The deformable elements may extend from an annular bottom portion defining an opening through which wires in the conduit may pass to enter the junction box.

Connector for flexible electrical conduit


Provided is the following charging member of an electrophotographic apparatus. The charging member suppresses the occurrence of each of a streak-like image, a spot-like image, and a rough image that occur when image formation is performed over a long time period. Also provided are a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus each having the charging member. A compound having a siloxane dendrimer structure at a vinyl group or a side chain of a vinyl polymer is incorporated into the surface layer of the charging member comprising a conductive substrate and the surface layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a charging member, a process cartridge, and an electrophotographic apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following construction has been generally adopted for a contact-type charging member in an electrophotographic apparatus. The charging member has an elastic layer for securing a nip width. A problem of such charging member is a compression set (hereinafter, referred to as "C set") that occurs when the charging member is left to stand in a state of being brought into abutment with an electrophotographic photosensitive member over a long time period. The C set becomes more remarkable as the temperature and humidity of the environment under which the charging member is left to stand become higher. In the case where the electrophotographic photosensitive member is charged with the charging member in which the C set has occurred, a uniform micro-discharge gap cannot be maintained when a portion where the C set is occurring (hereinafter, referred to as "C set portion") passes a discharge region.
Thus, there arises a difference in the charging ability of the charging member between the C set portion and a non-C set portion. As a result, streak-like unevenness may occur at the position of an electrophotographic image corresponding to the C set portion of the charging member. The unevenness is apt to occur in such image particularly when only a DC voltage is used as a voltage to be applied to the charging member. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H09-244348 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H08-69148 each disclose an invention relating to the alleviation of such C set.

Charging member, process cartridge, and electrophotographic apparatus


A wind energy installation connected to a network. The installation includes a tower and a pod having a wind rotor and a generator driven by the wind rotor. The installation further includes a converter configured to output electrical power, a control device provided with a temperature sensor and a heating device, and a preheating module. The preheating module includes a thermal switch configured to monitor a temperature of at least one component of the wind energy installation and a monitoring unit having an output device. The monitoring unit operates the heating device until the thermal switch reaches a threshold, whereupon the output device transmits an enable signal to start the wind energy installation. Operational reliability of the wind energy installation in low ambient temperatures can be thus improved.

In order to ensure good operating conditions, wind energy installations are frequently installed in exposed positions, where the wind is stronger, but where the environmental conditions are also worse. This also includes coastal areas or mountainous or hilly areas beyond the temperate latitude zones, in particular in subarctic or arctic regions. Because of this choice of location and because of the fact that many components of the wind energy installation are arranged at high altitude, this therefore results in the problem of protection against low temperatures. This is particularly applicable to the sensitive electronics which are used in control devices.
It is generally known for wind energy installations for installation at extreme climatic locations to be provided with a climate-control device for the pod and for the components arranged therein. A climate-control device such as this, which may include both heating and cooling, uses an extremely large amount of energy, however, and therefore considerably reduces the efficiency of the wind energy installation. This is true even if the cooling is dispensed with, and only heating devices are provided instead. Although this is adequate for installation in relatively cool climatic environments, a considerable amount of energy is still required for heating, thus correspondingly reducing the efficiency.
In order to overcome this, it has therefore been proposed that a switchgear cabinet with a dehumidification installation be provided in order to accommodate the electronics of the control device. This is designed to reduce the humidity in the switchgear cabinet to such an extent that condensation cannot form, even in relatively cool temperatures. This protects the electronics against the negative consequences of moisture precipitation without having to heat the entire switchgear cabinet to relatively high temperature values to do so, as is traditionally necessary in the case of a pure heating device. This reduces the energy consumption.
One disadvantage of the known methods and apparatuses is their behavior when the network fails. Since the heating device and the dehumidifying device are fed with network power, they fail when the network fails; they are switched on again in a corresponding manner when the network returns. One problem in this case is that if the external temperatures during the network failure are relatively low, the wind energy installations and their components may have cooled down to such an extent that defects may occur if the wind energy installation and its heating devices are simply switched on again, to be precise defects in particular in the sensitive control electronics.

Wind energy installation with a heating device


A semiconductor-inspection method is performed by a semiconductor-inspection system. In the method, user input is received that specifies a swath across a semiconductor die for inspection. The swath has a width that is less than a width of the semiconductor die and that corresponds to a field of view of the semiconductor-inspection system. The swath of the semiconductor die is inspected based on the user input. Data from inspecting the swath is processed to identify defects in the swath.

Semiconductor inspection tools may use time-delay integration (TDI) to inspect semiconductor die, in order to identify defects on the die. Such inspection tools use TDI to scan TDI swaths across the die, with respective TDI swaths being scanned and thus inspected sequentially. The inspection results may be compared to inspection results for other semiconductor die of the same type, to identify defects. Successive scanning of multiple TDI swaths is performed because the field of view of the inspection tool, and thus the TDI swath width, is typically less than the width of the die.
The swath layout is traditionally fixed for a given semiconductor die. For example, FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a semiconductor die 100 for which an inspection tool has a fixed layout of TDI swaths 110, starting from the top of the die 100. The inspection tool focuses on the center of each TDI swath 110, as indicated by the center lines 112.
Such focusing is problematic, however, because the height of different portions of the semiconductor die 100 may vary. For example, FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the semiconductor die 100. The die 100 is a flash memory die that includes a plurality of flash memory-cell arrays 102. Each memory-cell array 102 has adjacent associated row-decoder ("X-Dec") circuitry 104 and an adjacent page buffer 106. The die 100 further includes peripheral logic circuitry 108. As FIG. 2 shows, the memory-cell arrays 102 are higher (e.g., 3-5 um higher) than the peripheral logic circuitry 108 (e.g., at a time during fabrication before a planarizing inter-layer dielectric has been deposited above the circuitry of FIGS. 1 and 2). This height difference exists because the flash memory cells of the memory-cell arrays 102 include oxide-nitride-oxide stacks that are absent from other circuitry such as the peripheral logic circuitry 108. Circuitry immediately adjacent to the memory-cell arrays 102, such as the row-decoder circuitry 104, occupies a transition region in which the die height transitions from a first value for the memory-cell arrays 102 to a second, lower value for the peripheral logic circuitry 108.
As seen in FIG. 1, the center lines 112 representing the locations on which the inspection tool focuses may not pass through the row-decoder circuitry 104. As a result, the inspection tool may perform its scans with a focus that is not ideal or even suitable for the row-decoder circuitry 104, making it difficult or impossible to detect defects in the row-decoder circuitry 104. Furthermore, this problem may make it necessary to perform multiple passes along each TDI swath 110 using different focus offsets, thus increasing inspection time, decreasing inspection throughput, and increasing the time for setting up inspection recipes.

Swath selection for semiconductor inspection


Methods, non-transitory computer readable media, and accessibility analysis devices are disclosed that identify a web page context box. A hash function is applied to properties of elements to generate a semantic layer hash value for a semantic layer for the context box. The properties or elements are identified based on a semantic layer type. A determination is made that the context box is equivalent to another context box of another web page with respect to the semantic layer based on a match of the semantic layer hash value to another semantic layer hash value generated during a prior accessibility evaluation of the other web page. A review of an accessibility issue associated with one of the elements is retrieved based on the other semantic layer hash value. An issue report comprising the accessibility issue, the review, and the one of the elements is then generated and output.

Web site accessibility issues can be identified based on a failure to comply with one or more published guidelines relating to usability and accessibility of web pages (e.g., the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, W3C World Wide Web Consortium Recommendation, Dec. 11, 2008, which is incorporated herein by reference and referred to herein as "WCAG 2.0"). Rule sets have been developed to evaluate web pages according to such guidelines that can be applied to web pages and associated source code to identify potential accessibility issues. However, the process of evaluating web site accessibility is currently an inefficient task with the rule sets applied to equivalent and recurring aspects of different web pages of a web site, and duplicative manual review of the identified accessibility issues.
In a web site, parts of the information, and the user interface organizing the information flow, are frequently repeated across the associated web pages. In fact, maintaining a coherent interface across a web site is a key accessibility goal. Web sites are not static collections of web pages, but are rather dynamic sets of information that change for any number of reasons (e.g., a breaking news web site changes continuously and a commerce web site may periodically change its catalog, offers, and/or inventory). Even user interfaces may change as a result of updating branding policies, flow optimizations based on usability studies, and/or changes in customer behavior, for example.
Thus, web site accessibility evaluation results are particularly valuable when compared with previous web site versions, where changes involve only a part of the web site and accessibility issues occurring in unchanged parts are flagged as duplicative (or already identified) as a result of a previous evaluation. Identifying accessibility issues of repeated web page fragments across a web site, and marking them as duplicates, would improve the evaluation workflow for both evaluators of a web site and consumers of evaluation results.
However, identifying recurring issues is complex because web page fragments that look equivalent might be very different in terms of their source code (e.g., with respect to auto-generated HTML attributes, tracking parameters, and/or duplicated but equivalent source code). Additionally, many accessibility issues are not related to a single piece of source code or rendered information, but are instead related to the associated context (e.g., the quality of a paragraph title is measured based on the way it describes the content of the associated paragraph and whether a link label is meaningful can only be based on the labels of surrounding links).
FIGS. 1A-B are screenshots of an exemplary web page 100 with a navigation bar 102, a title section 104, and a description section 106. To determine that "Our Story" is a meaningful or valid title, an evaluator would need to compare it with the text in the associated description section 106. FIGS. 2A-C are screenshots of exemplary web page navigation bars, which are typical shared components that can be found in a web site in different positions (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 2B below banner 200) or with different style (e.g., as illustrated by the highlighted link 202 in FIG. 2C). In this example, the links are considered good (i.e., not accessibility issues) in the context of the whole navigation bar 102.
In another example, FIGS. 3A-D are screenshots of an exemplary web page 300 with various content sections 302, 304, and 306. The content sections 302 and 304 include titles that can only be evaluated based on the associated text. Additionally, the content section 306 includes a "More Resources" link 308 that is only meaningful in the context of the whole content section 306. Accessibility considerations are not restricted to a relationship between text labels and content. For example, the "More Resources" link 308 should use background and foreground colors with appropriate contrast, and the link 308 should be separated from other graphical elements in its context with appropriate space and contrast. Many other accessibility guidelines with associated rules can be followed in order to improve usability and accessibility of web sites for an increased number of users.
Identifying context fragments, which are referred to herein as context boxes, can be based on heuristics related to graphical layout or HTML grammar, for example, but determining that two context boxes are equivalent is a challenge. Current attempts at determining context box equivalency are too lazy, and therefore produce false positives, and too selective for many accessibility issues (i.e., a pixel-by-pixel comparison). Absent accurate identification of equivalent context boxes and associated issues, current evaluation systems are inefficient, requiring duplicative evaluation of equivalent web site fragments and manual review of accessibility issues across sequential evaluations of web pages in the same web site.

Methods for identifying recurring web site accessibility issues and devices thereof


A crosslinkable resin composition is provided which can be a forming material having excellent adhesion to metals and excellent heat resistance. The crosslinkable resin composition comprises; a cycloolefin resin (A) obtained through metathesis polymerization of a cycloolefin monomer in the presence of a compound having two or more vinyl groups in the molecule, and a radical generating agent (B). A crosslinked resin molded product is obtained by crosslinking such a crosslinkable resin composition through heating.

Since a cycloolefin resin obtained by polymerizing polymerizable monomers including a cycloolefin monomer in the presence of a metathesis polymerization catalyst is excellent in electric characteristics, mechanical characteristics, impact resistance, weather resistance and the like, the resin has been in progress on the way to practical applications of molded products in wide open fields.
A cycloolefin resin has been preferably employed as an electric insulating material of a printed wiring board or the like due to its excellency in electric characteristics. In recent years, the printed wiring board has been multilayered and high-density. When a wiring layer of such printed wiring board is formed with a solder or the like, an electric insulating material requires solder dip resistance. The solder used for forming the wiring layer is desirably of a lead free material from the viewpoint of environmental safety. Since the lead free solder contains a metal higher in melting point than lead, requirement for heat resistance of an electric insulating layer has further enhanced.
For instance, disclosed in WO 98/05715 A1 is a crosslinked resin molded product excellent in heat resistance obtained in a procedure in which a crosslinkable resin composition containing a thermoplastic norbornene resin, an organic peroxide and a crosslinking assistant is dissolved into a proper solvent if necessary, the composition is molded into a film or a prepreg, which is a resin molded product, then, the film or the like is laminated on a substrate such as a metal foil, and thereafter the laminate is heat-press molded, crosslinked and heat fused.
Submitted in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-72859 is a suggestion that in a polymerization of a cycloolefin monomer in the presence of a metathesis polymerization catalyst, a compound having one vinyl group in the molecule such as a styrene derivative is mixed in the monomer for the purpose of adjusting a molecular weight.

Crosslinkable resin composition and resin formed body produced therefrom


A measurement system for determining an energy usage parameter of an electronic device under test is described. The measurement system includes a thermal chamber and an analysis circuit. The thermal chamber includes a housing, a temperature regulator and a thermal control circuit. The housing encloses an interior space of the thermal chamber, wherein the interior space is configured to accommodate the device under test. The thermal control circuit is configured to control the temperature regulator to keep a temperature of the interior space at a predefined reference temperature. The thermal control circuit is configured to determine a power consumption of the temperature regulator, wherein the power consumption is associated with keeping the temperature of the interior space at the predefined reference temperature. The analysis circuit is configured to determine at least one energy usage parameter of the device under test based on the determined power consumption. Further, a method of determining an energy usage parameter of an electronic device under test is described.

Measurement systems for testing properties of electronic devices under test are known in the state of the art. Usually, there are two different types of measurements that are performed on the device under test.
In a first type of measurements, the device under test is subjected to an external stimulus signal and the response of the device under test (tethered or wireless) is measured. In a second type of measurement, the device under test generates a tethered or wireless signal, which is received and analyzed by the measurement system.
An analysis circuit analyzes the response signal of the device under test and/or the signal generated by the device under test in order to assess whether the device under test is working correctly.
However, in some situations, it may be advantageous to additionally determine other properties of the device under test in order to check whether the device under test is working correctly. For example, it may be advantageous to determine a thermal radiation power of the device under test.
Thus, there is a need for a measurement system as well as a method that allow for determining a thermal radiation power of an electronic device under test.

Measurement system and method of determining an energy usage parameter of an electronic device under test


A game apparatus calculates a reference direction of each boat by combining a velocity vector and a front direction vector of each boat at a predetermined rate. Next, the game apparatus calculates an average direction by performing weighted averaging of the calculated reference direction of each boat in accordance with a distance from the front boat. Then, the game apparatus calculates the imaging direction of the virtual camera based on the calculated average direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage medium having stored thereon a game program, and a game apparatus, and more particularly, to a storage medium having stored thereon a game program, and a game apparatus, which cause a plurality of objects in a virtual space to be displayed on a display device.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally, there has existed a game apparatus that causes a plurality of objects to be displayed on a display device. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H10-165647 discloses a game apparatus that sets the fixation point of a virtual camera at the midpoint between two enemies for displaying the two enemies.
However, the technology described in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. H10-165647 has the following problem. By setting the fixation point of the virtual camera as described above, a plurality of objects appearing in a three-dimensional virtual space can be included in the display range of the display device, but the objects are not necessarily displayed so as to be easily operated by a player.

Storage medium having stored thereon game program, and game apparatus


An optical system is presented for use in an augmented reality imaging system. The optical system comprises a light directing device, and a projecting optical device. The light directing device is configured for directing input light, including light indicative of an augmented image to be projected and input light indicative of a real image of an external scene, to propagate to an imaging plane. The projecting optical device has a fixed field of view and has a plurality of different focal parameters at different regions thereof corresponding to different vision zones within the field of view. The projecting optical device is configured to affect propagation of at least one of light indicative of the augmented image and light indicative of the real image, such that, for each of the different regions, interaction of a part of the light indicative of the augmented image and a part of the light indicative of the real image with said region of projecting optical device directs the parts of augmented image light and real image along a substantially common output propagation path, corresponding to the focal parameter of said region.

The present invention is generally in the field of augmented reality techniques, and relates to an optical system and method for projecting light in augmented reality systems. In particular, such optical system may be incorporated within a see-through near-eye display, or head-mounted display (e.g. helmet- or eyeglasses-mounted display), which has the capability of reflecting projected images as well as allowing the user to see through it.
A near-eye display is a wearable device that creates a display in front of a field of vision of a user. Near-eye displays include such main components as an image generator and an optical combiner. The image generator provides digitally reproduced images, e.g. utilizing a spatial light modulator (SLM) or similar devices typically including a pixel matrix which is imaged to infinity by a collimating lens and is transmitted into the eye of the viewer by reflecting or partially reflecting surface(s) acting as a combiner for, respectively, non-see-through and see-through applications. For an augmented reality display, the optical combiner works to combine light from the external world and from the image generator into a single presentation of visual data to the imaging optics and eyes.
A near-eye display presents image information to a viewer within viewing pupils (also referred to as "eyeboxes"), which when aligned with the pupils of the eyes of the viewer, produces virtual images within the field of view of the viewer. Combiners, or waveguides, of near-eye displays convey image information toward the eyes of a viewer from positions outside the field of view of the viewer.
Various example of such waveguides suitable for use in augmented reality systems are described in the following patent publications, all assigned to the assignee of the present application: U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,098,439; 7,643,214; 8,000,020; 7,724,442; 8,004,765; 7,577,326; 6,829,095; US2015138451; WO16075689; WO16103251; U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,513,481; 9,551,880; 9,551,874. In such waveguides, light carrying an augmented image is guided by total internal reflection to a partially reflective surface from which it is reflected to a viewer.


A system for document management and information processing including a plurality of databases, a plurality of data processing parts, a user interface part, and connecting parts. The connecting parts include respective interfaces corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of databases and common interfaces corresponding to the user interface part, even when the respective interfaces are different from each other. The system also includes a display part for displaying data concerning the plurality of databases, and an instructing part for the user to give instructions for processing data of the plurality of databases.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a document management system, an information processing apparatus, a document management method, and a computer-readable recording medium, and, in particular, to a document management system and an information processing apparatus which integrally manage a plurality of document management databases which belong to a plurality of computers, respectively, connected by a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), and a computer-readable recording medium in which programs for achieving such functions are record.
The present invention further relates to a document management system, a documents management method and a computer-readable recording medium, in particular, to a document management system by which operations of decomposing a document consisting of a plurality of sections into the respective sections, which is treated as individual documents, and, then, coupling the thus-produced plurality of documents together into the original document can be performed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, document data stored in a document management database is managed and manipulated as a result of the document management database belonging to a server computer connected to a network such as a LAN is accessed through a client computer also connected to the network.
FIG. 1 shows contents of display on a display monitor (CRT or the like) obtained as a result of an access being made to a document management database belonging to a server computer connected to a network from a client computer also connected to the network.
This page shown in FIG. 1 includes three regions (M1, V1 and V2), the region M1 displays a menu through which a user inputs instructions to the computer, the region V1 displays a data management tree (a tree-like structure of cabinets/folders) of the accessed document management database (document management 1), the region V2 displays documents (document 1 through document 8) stored in the cabinet or folder F1 selected from the region V1 by the user. The user uses a mouse or the like against the page to select a document/folder, perform dragging and dropping, and input instructions for various operations to the document management database by selecting (through a mouse click) menu buttons of the menu.
Specifically, as a result of a document manipulating client software installed in the client computer is started up, instructions are sent to a server software existing in the server computer from the client software in accordance with instructions by the user, and, accordingly, the server software processes data of the document management database.
However, in the above-described system, when a user accesses a plurality of different document management databases existing in a plurality of server computers, respectively, it is necessary to start up a plurality of document manipulating client software corresponding to the respective ones of the plurality of different document management databases. That is, a corresponding document manipulating client software 1 should be started up in order to access a document management database 1 existing in a server computer 1, and a corresponding document manipulating client software 2 should be started up in order to access a document management database 2 existing in a server computer 2.
Because respective document management databases are different in style of data storage (a tree-like storage style, a time-series storage style, and so forth), in interface (system/measure through which information is sent between the document manipulating client software and server software), in type of data handled (image data, numerical data, and so forth), it is not possible to access a document management database unless a document manipulating client software specifically designed for the document management database is used.
Such a phenomenon is the same as a phenomenon that, for example, where there are a database produced using the database software Access™ of Microsoft and a database produced using the database software Approach™ of Lotus, the Access cannot be used for accessing the database produced using the Approach, and, similarly, the Approach cannot be used for accessing the database produced using the Access.
Further, transferring data between different document management databases may not be achieved due to difference in software specifications.
FIG. 2 shows a state in which documents are managed by one example of document management software in the related art.
This document management software manages the documents by a tree hierarchical structure as shown in the figure. Information regarding the structure shown in the figure is stored in a predetermined recording medium orderly.
In this structure, first, roots for document management are provided, are branched into folders, subfolders, and, documents exists in each subfolder. One document consists of minimum units for document management, called sections, coupled to each other. Each section is a draft produced using a word processor, an image input using a scanner, and, thus, ones having different forms are allowed. These sections have the attribute of order or sequence in each document.
In general cases, each section comprises a unit of file (for example, a WORD™ (Microsoft) file, an EXCEL™ (Microsoft) file, or the like), and, is a minimum unit on an OS (operating system), and exists individually on the OS. These files cannot be coupled to each other so as to have a relationship therebetween on the OS unless they are collected in a unit of folder, or the like. However, there are cases where these are needed to be related to each other so as to be gathered, in view points of actual working by an operator and/or performing file management. For this purpose, a document management software is used for coupling a plurality of sections (files) into a form of 'document'.
Here, it is possible to name the above-mentioned folders, subfolders, documents and sections with names desired by an operator. However, it is standard that, in order to reduce a load borne by an operator, when sections are registered as a document, the name of each section is produced from the original file name of the section, and, a name of the document is produced from the name of the first section of the sections constituting the document.
One example of such document management software is 'Ridoc Desk Ver. 2.0', a product of the applicant.
However, in accordance with such a standard management system, a section name is produced from an original file name, and will not be changed. Thereby, when performing document coupling (gathering sections) and document decomposition (separation into particular sections), an operator has difficulty in recognizing which sections (documents) were coupled as the same document, and, thus, have a relationship previously.
In order to relating sections together, it can be considered to newly produce some section attribute so as to solve this problem. However, this method is not easy for an operator to recognize the relation, and, also, produces troublesome in management.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System for document management and information processing


The present invention provides a time recorder with a card feed rate adjustment function making it possible to print data for arrival and departure times to and from a job side at a correct position within a print column by adjusting a feed rate for a time card according to extension or shrinkage of the time card or characteristics of the time card such as a printing state within the print column. An adjustment value is computed by reading a start point and an end point printed on a time card TA or TB inserted into the time recorder with the mark sensors 10, 11 and counting a feed rate for the time card TA or TB from the start point to the end point with the encoder sensor 12, and a feed rate for the car is adjusted according to the computed adjustment value.

The present invention relates to a time recorder with a card feed rate adjustment function making it possible to correctly print one""s arrival or departure time in a print column by adjusting a card feed rate even when a card feed rate changes due to a processing error by or a seasonal change of a card carrier roller or when the print column changes due to shrinkage or extension of the time card as well as to a time card adapted to use in this time recorder.
The time recorder with a card feed rate adjustment function as described above is disclosed, for instance, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 8-101935.
The time recorder disclosed in this publication has the configuration in which a test mark is provided on a maintenance card exclusively used for maintenance, and a mark sensor counts a number of pulses generated from an encoder, while this card is being fed, from a point of time when a lower edge of the card is detected by the card sensor until a point of time when the test mark is detected and compares this number of counted pulses to a preset standard number of pulses to calculate a correction value, and a time card is fed according to the number of pulses corrected according to this correction value.
In the conventional type of time recorder as described above, as a correction value for adjusting a card feed rate is computed by using a maintenance card exclusively used for adjustment which is completely different from a time card used for printing one""s arrival or departure time, when a time card is actually inserted and the card is fed according to the correction value computed as described above, an error may occur in feeding the card, which in turn may disadvantageously make it difficult to correctly print the time data in a print column.
Namely, in the conventional technology, a maintenance card and a time card which is used daily are generally produced by different manufacturers through different production processes respectively, and even if the maintenance card and time card are produced based on the same specifications, there are usually some differences between the two types of cards, and especially a copy product may be produced and used as a time card, or those produced in different factories are sometimes used in the same time recorder, and in that case paper qualities of the cards may be different, and the cards extend or shrink from season to season, and therefore it is very difficult to uniformly control a feed rate of each of the time cards having different properties and characteristics respectively according to a correction value computed using the maintenance card, and as a result even though a feed rate for the cards is adjusted, sometimes the printed letters are sometimes partially or wholly off from the print column of each time card, which makes it disadvantageously difficult to beautifully print time and date within the print column.
Therefore a technological object of the present invention is to provide a time recorder with a card feed rate adjustment function capable of printing one""s arrival or departure time to and from a job site always at a correct position within a print column by adjusting a feed rate of each time card according to such parameters as a paper quality or a degree of extension or shrinkage or a printing state within the print column.
Another technological object of the present invention is to provide a time card well adapted to use in the time recorder with a card feed rate adjustment function described above.
The technological objects described above can be achieved by the features of the present invention described below.
(1) The present invention provides a time recorder with the operation mode capable of being switched between a print mode and a set mode and feeding a time card inserted therein up to a data time data stamping step position for stamping a current date with a card carrier motor and stamping the date when the operation mode is switched to the print mode is set and also adjusting a feed rate for the time card when operation mode is switched to the set mode, and this time recorder comprises a sensor for reading a start point and an end point for measurement of a feed rate provided on an inserted time card, an encoder for counting a feed rate of the time card fed from a point of time when the start point is read until a point of time when the end point is read, an adjustment value computing means for computing an adjustment value for adjusting the feed rate by comparing the counted feed rate to a preset basic feed rate, and an adjustment value registration means for registering the computed adjustment value as step pitch adjustment data, each of which is each enabled when the operation mode of the time recorder is switched to the set mode, and the time recorder further comprises a feed rate control means for adjusting a feed rate of the time card by the card carrier motor according to the registered step pitch adjustment data to carry the time card to the time data stamping step position for the current data when the operation mode is the time recorder is set to the print mode. (claim 1)
(2) The present invention provides a time recorder with a card feed rate adjustment function capable of feeding an inserted time card to a time data stamping step position with a card carrier motor for stamping a current date, and this time recorder comprises a sensor for reading a start position and an end position for measurement of a feed rate provided on the inserted time card, an encoder for counting a feed rate for a time card fed from a point of time when the start point is read until a point of time when the end point is read, an adjustment value computing means for computing an adjustment value for adjusting the feed rate by comparing the counted feed rate to a preset basic feed rate, a print position computing means for computing a time data stamping step position for stamping the current data according to the computed adjustment means, and a feed rate control means for controlling the card carrier mote to carry the time card to the computed time data stamping step position. (claim 2)
(3) In the time recorder with a card feed rate adjustment function according to the present invention, there is further provided an update and registration means for updating and registering a feed rate counted by the encoder as new step pitch adjustment data. (claim 3)
(4) In the time recorder with a card feed rate adjustment function according to the present invention, a start mark and an end mark printed with a space therebetween in a lower section and an upper section of a time card respectively are used as a start position and an end position for measurement of a feed rate.(claim 4)
(5) In the time recorder with a card feed rate adjustment function according to the present invention, a start mark and an end mark for ID code printed on a time card are used as a start point and an end point for measurement of a feed rate. (claim 5)
(6) In the time recorder with a card feed rate adjustment function according to the present invention, either one of a start mark or an end mark of an ID code printed on a time card is used as a start point for measurement of a feed rate for the time card and an end mark printed in an upper section of a time card at a position corresponding to the ID cord is used as an end point for measurement of a feed rate. (claim 6)
(7) In the time recorder with a card feed rate adjustment function according to the present invention, either one of a ruled line or a pattern printed along a lower edge of a time card or in a lower section thereof is used as a start position for measurement of a feed rate, and either one of a ruled position and a pattern printed along an upper edge of the time card or in an upper section thereof is used as an end point for measurement of the feed rate. (claim 7)
(8) The present invention provides a time card used in the time recorder with a card feed rate adjustment function, in which a start mark as a start position for measurement of a feed rate is printed in a lower section of the card and also an end mark as an end position for measurement of a feed rate is printed at a position corresponding to the start mark in an upper section of the card. (claim 8)
(9) The present invention provides a time card used in the time recorder with a card feed rate adjustment function, in which either one of a start mark and an end mark for an ID code printed on one side of a card is used as a start point for measurement of a feed rate and an end mark used as an end point for measurement of the feed rate is printed at a position corresponding to the ID code in an upper section of the card. (claim 9)
With the invention according to claim 1 described in (1) above, as a feed rate for a time card can be adjusted by using the same time card as that usually used, different from the case of printing one""s arrival or departure time on a time card after adjustment of a feed rate performed by using a specific maintenance card like in the conventional technology, as there occur no displacement between the adjusted feed rate and actual printing due to differences in paper qualities of used time cards or those in the production processes or due to extension or shrinkage of the time cards, the data for one""s arrival or departure time to and from the job site can clearly be printed within the print column.
With the invention according to claim 2 described in (2) above, a feed rate for a card is adjusted each time a time card is inserted into a time recorder, and then data for one""s arrival or departure time is printed, so that the card can be fed based on the considerations to extension or shrinkage of each card or other parameters which vary according to the humidity from day to day and the data for one""s arrival or departure time can always be printed at a correct position within the print column.
With the invention according to claim 3 described in (3) above, the step pitch adjustment data is updated each time printing is performed on a time card, so that it is possible to print data for one""s arrival or departure time accurately within a print column for the current day.
With the invention according claim 4 described in (4) above, as a start mark and an end mark for measurement of a card feed rate are printed on a time card which is used every day and the time card can be used as a card for adjustment of a card feed rate as it is, and as a result, it is possible to print data for one""s arrival or departure time at a correct position within the print column by accurately adjusting a feed rate for the card according to the computed feed rate.
With the inventions according to claims 5, 6, and 7 described in (5), (6) and (7) respectively, a time card with an ID code, a ruled line or the like printed thereon, which is used every day, can be used as a card for adjustment of a feed rate for the card, and as a result it is possible to carry the time card according to the computed feed rate and beautifully print data for one""s arrival or departure time within the print column.
With the inventions according to claims 8, 9 described in (8) and (9) above respectively, it is possible to provide a time card adapted to use in the time recorder with a card feed rate adjustment function according to claims 4 and 6 Described in (4) and (6) respectively.

Time recorder with a card feed rate adjustment function and time card for use in the same


The invention relates to a process for the carbonylation of an olefinically or acetylenically unsaturated hydrocarbon compound by reaction with carbon monoxide and a hydroxy compound in the presence of a catalyst system comprising a source of cationic palladium, a source of phosphine and a protonic acid, which reaction is carried out in the presence of a free radical inhibitor.

A carbonylation process of olefinically or acetylenically unsaturated hydrocarbon compound with carbon monoxide and hydroxy compound provides a versatile tool for the economic production of various chemicals starting from readily available unsaturated hydrocarbon feedstock. The carbonylation reaction may be represented by the equation: ##EQU1## where A represent the unsaturated hydrocarbon compound and BOH represents the hydroxy compound, such as water (B.dbd.H), alcohols (B.dbd.R), and carboxylic acids (B.dbd.RCO). Generally, olefinic precursors provide saturated products, whereas acetylenic precursors provide olefinic products; multiple carbonylations such as producing saturated products from acetylenic precursors not being excluded. Depending on the nature of the hydroxy compound BOH, various functionalized products, including carboxylic acids, esters, and anhydrides can be obtained.
It has been found that catalytic systems containing cationic palladium, a phosphine ligand, and a protonic acid are well suited for carbonylation reactions. These catalyst systems allow the carbonylation reaction to proceed at high rate under mild conditions in respect of temperature and carbon monoxide pressure. By dedicated choice of the type of phosphine and the nature of the protonic acid, extremely high selectivities to specific desired product could be obtained. For further details of specific carbonylation reactions thus catalyzed reference is made to EP-106379-B, U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,109, U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,110, U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,787, U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,443, U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,062, U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,921, U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,576, U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,043, U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,921, U.S. Pat. No. 5,124,300, U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,411, U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,116, U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,253, U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,225. The low temperatures of these carbonylation reactions are particularly advantageous in that the usual problem of polymerization as side reaction in preparations and/or purifications involving vinylic precursors or products does not occur to an appreciable extent.
Generally, these catalyst systems should comprise a rather high ratio of moles of phosphine to gram atoms of palladium for securing high conversions at low palladium concentration. The high phosphine content disadvantageously attributes to the waste streams and the economics of the above processes, in particularly when using substituted phosphines for specific selective processes. Therefore, it would be desirable to reduce the phosphine/palladium ratio without affecting the performance of these catalyst systems.
The use of inhibitors in other carbonylation reactions and/or preparation processes for methyl methacrylate (MMA) has been reported. However, in such cases the inhibitor was added for its well-known function of inhibiting polymerization reactions of vinylic compounds, since the processes were carried out at temperatures of about 100.degree. C. or much higher. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,447,640 discloses the preparation of MMA by carbonylation of 1,2-dihaloalkanes in the presence of a supported palladium catalyst and an inhibitor at temperatures in the range of 150.degree.-300.degree. C. The specification mentions that homogeneous catalysts comprising a group VIII metal salt in conjunction with a triorganic phosphine can also be used, without providing further detail. The alleged effects of inhibitor addition as elucidated in column 4, lines 7-37, are prevention of polymerization of the product and increase of the active life of the catalyst by prevention of fouling of the catalyst through deposit of carbon thereon. The latter problem would clearly seem to be confined to heterogeneous catalysts. U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,116 discloses the preparation of MMA by acid hydrolysis of acetone cyanohydrin in the presence of 50-3000 ppm of specific inhibitors, particularly during the work up procedures. Again, the alleged effect is prevention of polymerization of MMA product, whereas this publication is silent on any effect on the life of the catalyst. In Example 22 of EP-A-386833, the carbonylation of 3-butynol is carried out in the presence of hydroquinone for preventing polymerization of the methylenolactone product formed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,823 discloses the dimeric hydroesterification of 1,3-alkadienes in the presence of a palladium/phosphine/thiol stabilized complex catalyst at preferred temperatures in the range of 80.degree.-120.degree. C. Preferably, the reaction is conducted in the presence of a vinyl polymerization inhibitor to avoid an increased incremental loss of 1,3-butadiene to polymeric byproducts. None of these publications give any hint to the reduction of a phosphine/palladium ratio in general carbonylation reactions, let alone the type of carbonylation reaction of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a process of carbonylating olefinically or acetylenically unsaturated compounds with carbon monoxide and a hydroxy compound in the presence of a catalyst system comprising a source of cationic palladium, a source of phosphine and a protonic acid with reduced phosphine/palladium ratio.

Carbonylation process using palladium phosphine catalyst