A method for determining a delay of a spread data symbol stream comprises the steps of at least partially correlating a signal, which comprises at least first and second spread data symbol streams (300, 301) that are obtained by spreading at least a first and second data symbol stream with a respective first (302) and second code, with said first code (302) to obtain at least two portions (303-1, 303-2) of a Cross-Correlation Function CCF (303), and combining said at least two portions (303-1, 303-2) of said CCF (303) to obtain a combined CCF portion from which a first delay of said first spread data symbol stream is determined, wherein said first code (302) and said second code are composed of chips and wherein the number of chips of said first code (302) is different from the number of chips of said second code. The invention further relates to a computer program, a computer program product, a device and a system.

In Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) such as for instance the Global Positioning System (GPS) or the upcoming European Galileo system, a receiver uses triangulation based on the distance to at least three satellites and plausibility considerations to determine its position. For the triangulation, at first the position of the satellites has to be known to the receiver. This information is stored in each receiver. Furthermore, the distance to a satellite has to be determined from the propagation delay of a signal that is emitted by said satellite and subsequently received at said receiver. In the Global Positioning System (GPS), this is achieved by correlation of a spread data symbol stream that has been transmitted by a satellite and received by a receiver with a replica of the code with which the spread data symbol stream has been spread. In the GPS, said data symbol stream corresponds to a navigation message, which has a bit rate of 50 bps, and the code is a Coarse/Acquisition (C/A) code, which is a Gold code appearing like a pseudo-random-noise (PRN) code with a chip rate of 1.023 MHz and a length of 1023 chips, wherein a chip is an element of the set {0,1} similar to a bit, but is not representing actual data. The duration of a chip is denoted as Tc.
Basically, the spreading operation is performed by modulo-2 addition of the high-chip-rate C/A code and the low bit rate navigation message, so that each bit of the navigation message is modulo-2 added with 20 repetitions of the C/A code of length 1023 chips or duration T=1 ms each.
The GPS navigation message, or, more general, a data stream composed of several data symbols, thus is spread with a code, obtaining a spread data symbol stream, wherein the term spreading refers to the spreading of the frequency bandwidth of the data symbol stream that is increased by a factor that equals the ratio of code chip rate and data symbol rate, which, in the above-mentioned GPS example, equals 20460.
In FIG. 1, said spread data symbol stream 100 is depicted as being composed of two portions 100-1 and 100-2, each corresponding to the duration T of the code. The spread data symbol stream 100 is depicted in discrete-time form, wherein Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) is exemplarily assumed as the modulation technique, so that the symbol alphabet of the spread data symbols is {−1,1}. The spread data symbol stream is transmitted by a satellite and received as received spread data symbol stream 101 at a receiver. The step of modulating and demodulating the spread data streams is omitted here for ease of presentation. The received spread data symbol stream 101, also in discrete-time form, basically equals the transmitted spread data symbol stream, apart from a propagation delay τ1. For the scenario of FIG. 1, it was assumed that the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) at the receiver is large enough and that channel distortions of the propagation channel such as attenuation, phase shift, Doppler shift and multi-path propagation have been compensated, for instance by means of amplification and equalization, so that the chips in both portions 101-1 and 101-2 of the received spread data symbol stream equal the respective chips in the respective portions 100-1 and 100-2 of the transmitted spread data symbol stream 100, apart from the propagation delay τ1.
At the receiver, the time instance at which the transmitter is starting the transmission of said transmitted spread data symbol stream 100 is known, and at the same time instance, the receiver generates a replica 102 of the code that is used to spread the data symbol stream in the transmitter. This requires the clocks in both the transmitter and receiver to be synchronized. Synchronization of the receiver clock is accomplished by processing the receive signals of at least four satellites, wherein the satellites use high-precision atomic clocks to fix a so-called universal time.
The receiver then computes the Cross-Correlation Function (CCF) 103 between the received spread data symbol stream 101 and the locally generated code replica 102. The CCF for two discrete-time functions f(n·Tc) and g(n·Tc) is defined as
                    φ        fg                          (                  m          ·                      T            c                          )              =                  1        L            ·                        ∑                      n            =            0                                L            -            1                                                        f                                      (                              n                ·                                  T                  c                                            )                                ·                      g                                      (                                                (                                      n                    +                    m                                    )                                ·                                  T                  c                                            )                                            ,wherein L denotes the length of the summation interval.
For the scenario of FIG. 1, the Auto-Correlation Function (ACF) φcc(m·Tc) of the discrete-time code c(n·Tc) 102 is defined as:φcc(m·Tc)=1 if m=0;|φcc(m·Tc)|≦Δ with 0≦Δ<<1 if m≠0i.e., it has an auto-correlation peak at m=0 and small values elsewhere.
With the received spread data symbol stream 101 in FIG. 1 consisting of two portions 101-1 and 101-2 that are shifted versions of the respective portions 100-1 and 100-2 of the transmitted spread data symbol stream, which in turn represent the spreading of a data symbol with the code of length T, respectively, wherein the respective data symbols of both portions 100-1 and 100-2 are assumed to be equal, the CCF 103 simply contains two times the ACFs φcc(m·Tc) of the code c(n·Tc), weighted with the respective data symbol, wherein said first weighted ACF 103a-1 φcc(m·Tc) of the code is shifted by the delay τ1 of the received spread data symbol stream 101 and the second weighted ACF 103a-2 is shifted by τ1+T. If further portions 100-3, 100-4 etc. followed the two depicted portions of the transmitted spread data symbol stream 100 (and corresponding portions 101-3, 101-4, etc. in the received spread data symbol stream), the CCF would show further weighted ACFs, each separated from the preceding ACF by a duration of T. The CCF thus is periodic in T.
Apparently, from the CCF, the propagation delay τ1, which is indicative of the distance between the transmitter and the receiver, can be determined from the position of the auto-correlation peak 103a-1.
The scenario as described in FIG. 1 assumed that the SNR at the receiver was high enough so that the received spread data symbol stream 101 equals a shifted version of the transmitted spread data symbol stream 100. However, at operating points where GNSS receivers are normally deployed, the SNR may be smaller, so that the received spread data symbol stream 101 does no longer equal the delayed transmitted spread data symbol stream 100, for instance some of the chips within the received spread data symbol stream 101 may be changed by an additive noise process in a way that they more resemble a different BPSK symbol. Furthermore, the received spread data symbol stream may become complex-valued due to the fact that both the amplitude and phase of its chips are altered by noise and channel distortion. Due to the random characteristics of the propagation channel and the noise process that adds to the received signal at the receiver, the errors in the spread data symbol stream 101 are different in different portions 101-1 and 101-2 of the received spread data symbol streams. The CCF 103 then no longer consists of the periodically repeated weighted ACF of the code, but may contain further small peaks at time instances different from the actual auto-correlation peaks at τ1+i·T, where is an integer with i=0, 1, . . . . Furthermore, the amplitude of said auto-correlation peaks may be smaller.
To combat this effect, which aggravates the proper detection of the propagation delay τ1, combining at least two corresponding portions 103-1 and 103-2 of the CCF 103 can be performed. It is the aim of the combining procedure to reduce the effect of the random distortions in the ACFs of the codes within the CCF 103 and to obtain a combined CCF that allows for a more precise and robust determination of the propagation delay τ1. For instance, the portion 103-1 of the CCF 103 from time instance τ=0 to time instance τ=T and the portion 103-2 of the CCF 103 from time instance τ=T to time instance τ=2T may be combined by integration or averaging. When integration (or summing) is used, the values of corresponding time instances of the different CCF portions 103-1, 103-2 are integrated to obtain an integrated value for each of said time instances, which then represent an integrated CCF portion. Due to the periodic character of the ACF peaks 103a-1 and 103a-2, i.e. the fact that the ACF peaks are always located at the same time instance within a portion 103-1, 103-2 of the CCF 103, the ACF peaks then are steadily enhanced during the integration, whereas the distortions, due to their random occurrence at different time instances, are not enhanced to the same degree as the ACFs. Consequently, the combined CCF portion has an increased sensitivity than the single CCF portions 103-1, 103-2 and the desired propagation delay τ1 is more securely detected from the position of the enhanced ACF peak in the combined CCF portion.
As already mentioned, the distances to at least three satellites are required in a GNSS system to accomplish triangulation. To this end, the transmitted spread data symbol streams of at least three satellites are received, as depicted in FIG. 2.
FIG. 2 depicts the reception of first, second and third received spread data symbol streams 200, 201 and 202, which are delayed with respective propagation delays τ1, τ2 and τ3. Each received spread data symbol stream 200, 201 and 202 has been generated from respective first, second and third data symbol streams by spreading with a respective first, second and third code, transmitted by a respective satellite and delayed by a respective propagation delay τ1, τ2 and τ3 due to the different distances between the transmitting satellites and the receiver. In contrast to the illustration in FIG. 2, the receiver does not separately receive said spread data symbol streams 200, 201 and 202, but only receives a signal that is a superposition of said three spread data symbol streams 200, 201 and 202.
The receiver then correlates the received signal with replicas of codes that are used by each transmitting satellite, respectively. In FIG. 2, exemplarily the generation of a replica 203 of the first code that is used by the satellite that transmitted the first spread data symbol stream and the correlation of this first code replica with the received signal is depicted. The resulting cross-correlation function 204 now does not only contain the periodically repeated weighted ACFs 204a-1 and 204a-2 of the first code, but also periodically repeated CCFs 204b-1 and 204b-2 between the first and second code and periodically repeated CCFs 204c-1 and 204c-2 between the first and third code, each weighted with the respective data symbols of the second data symbol stream and the third data symbol stream. The CCF 204 between the receive signal that comprises the first, second and third received spread data symbol streams and the replica 203 of the first code thus still is periodic in T, wherein T is the length of the first, second and third code, but the detection of the desired delay τ1 is aggravated in particular if the amplitudes of the CCFs 204b and 204c within the CCF 204 approach the amplitudes of the ACFs 204a. Note that, whereas random distortions in the received spread data symbol streams that stem from noise may be reduced by averaging over several portions 204-1, 204-2 of the CCF 204 as explained above, the influence of the CCFs 204b and 204c are of systematic character and can not be averaged out of the CCF 204.
When designing the GNSS, it is thus advantageous to select codes for the different satellites that have high auto-correlation peaks and low cross-correlation peaks, so that the delays τ can be securely detected.
The above-mentioned properties of the codes can be approached by increasing the length of the codes. However, increasing the length of the codes generally slows down the acquisition time and vastly increases the computational complexity of the receiver and thus its costs.
A different approach to reduce the cross-correlation uses scrambling codes that comprise significantly more chips than the spreading codes in addition to the scrambling codes. However, as it is the case with increased lengths of the spreading codes, the computational complexity of the receiver increases when scrambling is used.

Multiple access using different codes lengths for global navigation satellite systems


An apparatus and method of removing carrier from an article are provided. The apparatus includes a heater positioned to direct heat toward an article travel path. The heat has an emission spectrum with a peak emission wavelength and the carrier having an absorption spectrum with a peak absorption wavelength. The peak emission wavelength of the heat substantially corresponds to the peak absorption wavelength of the carrier.

Inkjet printing is a non-impact printing method that, in response to a digital signal, produces droplets of ink that are deposited on a recording element. Today, inkjet printing systems are used in a variety of capacities in industrial, home, and office environments. The quality of inkjet prints continues to improve, however, inkjet prints are disadvantaged because they lack durability, often being less stable relative to environmental factors (light, ozone, etc.) and more sensitive to water and abrasion.
One way of overcoming these disadvantages is to laminate or encapsulated inkjet prints. When an inkjet print is laminated, a transparent overlay is adhered to the inkjet print. Typically, this is accomplished using an adhesive activated by heat, pressure, or both. The transparent overlay physically protects the print and seals it from ingress of water. When an inkjet print is encapsulated, the print is positioned between two laminating sheets, at least one of which is transparent. Then some combination of the print and the laminating sheets are adhered usually using an adhesive activated by heat, pressure, or both. Typically, encapsulation is most effective when the laminating sheets extend beyond the print and are bonded to each other at the extremities, thus preventing ingress of water through exposed edges of the print.
Lamination and encapsulation both have disadvantages in that they are expensive processes requiring additional materials and handling by the user. Moreover, inkjet inks remained trapped within the recording element which can degrade image quality by causing stain or migration of the print on storage or exposure. Laminate materials and adhesives can often deteriorate over time causing surface defects including, for example, cracking. Laminates do not always adhere well to inkjet prints. The quality and uniformity of adhesion can depend on the material nature of the recording element, the type of ink, and the volume of ink printed per unit area of recording element (ink laydown). The latter is particularly significant when the inkjet print has photographic image quality because heavy laydowns of ink are necessary to achieve the necessary superb image quality.
As an alternative to lamination or encapsulation, inkjet recording elements having a nascent protective layer coated on a support are known. The nascent protective layer is really a special chemical layer designed such that during the inkjet printing process, the inks penetrate the layer, and after printing is complete, the layer is fused using heat and/or pressure so that it seals and protects the print. This process is often referred to as the incorporated approach because the nascent protective material is incorporated into the recording element during its production.
However, the incorporated approach is limited because it is difficult to obtain a final protected print that is uniform in gloss and clarity and free of surface defects such as blistering and cracking. Limitations are especially apparent when the final protected print must have superb image quality, e.g., when it is for photographic or medical diagnostic applications. A recording element for these applications may have one or more of these layers underlying the nascent protective layer to help manage a heavy laydown of ink. After printing, the bulk of the ink, commonly referred to as the carrier, is retained somewhere in the dual layer system. If too much carrier resides in the nascent protective layer during fusing, it will not fuse properly and any of the aforementioned undesirable effects may be observed.
This condition worsens when the carrier resides predominately in an ink-receiving layer during and/or after fusing of the nascent protective layer, and then migrates within the ink-receiving layer, or from the ink-receiving layer and into the fused protective layer. Migration of the carrier within the ink-receiving layer causes deterioration of image quality, e.g., loss of image sharpness and blotchiness, and migration into the fused protective layer causes any of the aforementioned undesirable effects.
Examples of inkjet printing methods that employ the incorporated approach are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,114,020, issued to Misuda et al., on Sep. 5, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,984, issued to Hasegawa et al., on May 23, 1989; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,313, issued to Higuma et al., on Nov. 15, 1988.
European Patent Application 1 284 186 A2 describes a fixing apparatus and an image fixing method for improving the gloss of an inkjet image recorded on an inkjet recording material. The inkjet recording material includes a porous top layer which can be thermally fixed. After the image has been printed, the recording material is held in "a suspended state" before it is passed between a pair of fixing belts or rollers that are held at some elevated temperature and pressure.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2002-283553 A describes an inkjet recording device for controlling the gloss and clarity of an image surface of a recording medium. The device includes inkjet printing means for generating a printed image on a recording medium and fixing means for heating and pressing the printed image. The recording medium has a thermoplastic resin layer that receives ink and is subsequently fixed.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2002/0027587 A1 describes an apparatus and method for forming prints. A recording medium having thermoplastic resin particles on a surface layer is printed. Subsequently the resin particles are made transparent by a heating and pressing device. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2002/0008747 A1 describes a similar method.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,871 B1 describes an inkjet recording medium and apparatus for preparing an inkjet printed product. The inkjet recording medium has a layer of fine particles of a thermoplastic organic polymer that are dissolved or melted after inkjet recording to form a layer wherein the particles are fused to one another. Fusing the particles involves a step of heating the layer followed by an impressing step of passing the recording medium between a pair of press rolls while the layer is still in a plastic state after the heating step.
All of the aforementioned art are disadvantaged in that the bulk of the ink, or carrier, is trapped within the recording element after the protective layer is formed which leads to the problems described above. Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus and method that removes carrier from an imaged and/or printed recording element before the recording element is fused.
Japanese Patent Laid Open Application No. 57-120447, discloses a heating and drying device using far infrared rays having a spectrum of 4 um to 400 um in an inkjet recording apparatus. The radiant energy intensity has a peak at a wavelength around 3.5 um followed by a broad emission band having a wavelength range from 4 um to greater than 50 um. However, if such a far infrared dryer is used, both the ink and the recording medium are heated, resulting in a low efficiency for heating the ink image. Here, only 50% of ink carrier can be dried at a recording medium feeding speed of 0.5 cm per second, yielding a very slow drying speed. Also, as most of the radiant energy is used to heat the recording medium, image artifacts such as yellowing and cockle would occur.
European Patent Application 0284215 A1 discloses a method and apparatus for uniformly drying ink on a paper after it is printed by an inkjet print head. In this method, an elongated infrared lamp with tungsten filament is used as the heat source and is located at the symmetry axis of a semi-cylindrical reflector forming a paper transport path. As the printed paper is fed along the interior cylindrical surface of the heat reflector, the paper receives a uniform heat flux and is dried uniformly. However, the color temperature of the tungsten-filament lamp is in general between 2300° K. and 3400° K., producing an emission spectrum in the near infrared range (the corresponding wavelength for maximum emission is between 0.85 um and 1.26 um). As the emission spectrum of the lamp does not match the absorption spectrum of the aqueous ink (for water the wavelength for maximum absorption is about 3.0 um), low drying efficiency is resulted.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,428,384 discloses a heater blower system in a color inkjet printer. This system uses a combination of air blowing over the image side of the medium, together with a radiant heater to heat the underside of the medium during the printing of an image, resulting in the evaporation of the ink carrier from the medium. In addition, an exhaust fan and duct system is used to effectively remove the vapor thus generated from the printer. However, the ink droplets adsorbing to the medium are caused to spread by the draft from the blower. Thus, ink mist flies to spread in the blowing direction and adheres to the circumference of the printed images, leading to the degradation of image quality. Also, since the radiant heater is located in the printing zone, facing the print head, the ink accumulated on the nozzle plate and/or near the nozzle would be dried out causing erratic ejection of droplets and possibly failure of ejection.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,700 B1 discloses an inkjet recording apparatus with a fixing heater that radiates infrared radiation having a maximum value within a range of wavelength from 4 um to 10 um. This heater is formed by coating a complex film containing Si, Fe, Zr, Ti, and Mn on the surface of a ceramic heater. The heater is arranged in a position, facing the print head, to heat the recoding medium and ink carrier from the reverse side (not the image side) of the medium through a screen grid supporting the medium. This method provides a compact and efficient heating device for drying and fixing the image with a lesser dissipation of power. However, as the heater is located in the printing zone, facing the print head, the ink accumulated on the nozzle plate and/or near the nozzle would be dried out causing erratic ejection of droplets and possibly failure of ejection. Moreover, although the heater provides a broad band radiation in the range of 2 um-34 um, the peak of radiation at about 7 um does not match the infrared absorption of aqueous ink having its main absorption peaks at around 3.0 um and 6.1 um. As a result, the heating effect on the ink in not optimal.
WO 97/01449 discloses a method of treating a coated medium after it has been printed by an inkjet print head. It first uses a stream of steam at a temperature of 100° C. or over and for between 0.1 to 100 seconds, and then applies heat on the printed medium for between 0.1 and 100 seconds so that the surface temperature of the medium is between 60° C. and 150° C. However, the hot steam and the subsequent condensation of water would perturb the ink droplets adsorbing to the medium resulting in severe image degradation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,199 describes an inkjet printing apparatus having a heating fixation unit and a fixing unit. The heating fixation unit includes a fan that blows heated air over the surface of an imaged recording medium in an attempt to dry the surface before it enters the fixing unit. While ink solvent is allowed to escape from the imaged recording medium, the amount of ink solvent removed cannot be adequately controlled. Therefore, the reliability of the apparatus is reduced.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,406,118 B1 discloses an inkjet recording apparatus having a post-printing heat fixing station that consists of both a conductive heating platen to heat the unrecorded face of the recording material and a fan blowing hot air generated by a halogen heater to heat the ink bearing face of the recording material. Consequently, both faces of the recording material are sufficiently dried to accelerate the ink penetration, and the fixing time is significantly reduced. However, the draft from the blower would perturb the ink droplets adsorbing to the recording material, resulting in the degradation of image quality.
There is a need for an apparatus and method that removes carrier from an imaged and/or printed recording element, and subsequently increases a durability characteristic of the imaged and/or printed recording element while optimizing and/or controlling the conditions for each depending on the requirements of the imaged and/or printed recording element being dried.

Apparatus and method of removing carrier from a recording element


A solid core fishing lure capable of causing a higher degree of disturbance in water is constructed of a generally spherical solid body, a metal shaft through the body, at least two hooks emanating from the metal shaft conforming substantially to the generally spherical body, at least one skirt tail mounted to and projecting away from a rear portion of the spherical body, two eye-like emblems positioned on a front portion of the spherical body, and an attachment means for a fishing line connecting to the metal shaft at the front portion of the spherical body.

Fishing lures of various designs have been available in the sporting goods store for many years. Generally, fishing lures are designed with bright color attached with a feather or a skirt tail for causing disturbance in water when dragged to attract the attention of fish. Most of the fishing lures are designed with a hollow cord construction for easier manufacturing at lower cost. These type of fishing lures, even though painted with a bright color and equipped with fins or skirt tails that flutter in water to attract the attention of fish, however, the lightweight lure itself does not cause a large degree of splash in the water when it is pulled or jerked as most fishermen do during fishing.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a fishing lure that does not have the drawbacks or shortcomings of the conventional fishing lures.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a fishing lure that would cause a higher degree of splash when jerked in the water in order to attract the attention of fish.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a fishing lure that is constructed of a solid-core spherical body capable of causing a higher degree of splash in water when jerked by a fisherman.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a fishing lure that is constructed of a solid core spherical body and equipped with at least one skirt tail painted in a bright color to attract the attention of fish.


A beer filtering device of a filter press type for filtering a beer stock. The beer filter device includes a plurality of filter plates (4) and a plurality of filter frames (6) arranged side by side in alternate relationship to each other. A filter element (28) is supported to each filter plate (4). A stock line (66) for supplying a beer stock and a filtrate line (68) for discharging a filtrate of the beer stock are so formed as to penetrate through the filter plates and the filter frames in the thickness direction thereof. The stock line and the filtrate line are sealed by a plurality of stock line seals (48) and a plurality of filtrate line seals (74), respectively, each interposed between the filter plate and the filter frame adjacent to each other in a filtering step. A plurality of washer liquid seals (76) are provided outside the stock line seals and the filtrate line seals in such a manner that each washer liquid seal is interposed between the filter plate and the filter frame adjacent to each other. In a washing step, a space defined by the filter plates and the filter frames is sealed by the washer liquid seals under the condition where the sealed condition of the stock line and the filtrate line by the stock line seals and the filtrate line seals is released. In this condition, a washer liquid is circulated in the sealed space defined by the washer liquid seals to thereby extensively wash and sterilize the interior of the beer filtering device.

The present invention relates to a beer filtering device to be used in production of beer, and more particularly to a beer filtering device having a structure of a multi-stage filter press type, which is characterized in a washing and sterilizing function before or after a filtering step.
In general, the production of beer is roughly classified into the steps of (1) making malt from barley; (2) making wort from the malt; (3) fermenting the wort with yeast and ripening the wort to make a beer stock; and (4) filtering the beer stock to obtain the beer.
The filtering step is carried out by passing the ripened beer stock through a filtering device to thereby remove the yeast, bacteria, protein, etc. and obtain a transparent amber beer. If the yeast or the bacteria resides in the beer, a yeast odor is left in the beer, or the beer becomes cloudy and unstable. Particularly in case of producing a draft beer which is not subject to heat treatment, the bacteria or the like must be sufficiently removed by filtration. Thus, the filtering step as the final step of the production of beer is important, and such filtration is called precision filtration since it is performed by using a very fine filter element with a high precision.
It is known that various types of filtering devices are employed for the filtration of beer. For example, a filtering device of a multi-stage filter press type is employed for the filtration of beer. In such a filtering device, a plurality of filter elements are arranged side by side with a plurality of filter plates and filter frames, and the whole is pressed. The beer stock is supplied to the filter elements in parallel to be filtered, and the filtrate of the beer stock is recovered from each filter element in parallel.
More specifically, the filter elements are respectively supported to the filter plates, and a filter chamber is defined in each filter frame so as to face each filter element. The filter plates and the filter frames are arranged side by side in alternate relationship to each other to form an array. In filtering the beer stock, a pressure is applied from press means to the array of the filter plates and the filter frames sandwiched relative to each other.
A stock line for supplying the beer stock to the filter elements and a filtrate line for recovering the filtrate are independently formed through the array of the filter plates and the filter frames. The stock line is constituted of a plurality of stock line holes penetrating through the filter plates and the filter frames, and the filtrate line is constituted of a plurality of filtrate line holes penetrating through the filter plates and the filter frames. The adjacent ones of the stock line holes are adapted to be sealedly communicated with each other through a stock line seal, and the adjacent ones of the filtrate line holes are adapted to be sealedly communicated with each other through a filtrate line seal.
In the filtering step, when the pressure is applied from the press means to the array of the filter plates and the filter frames, the stock line seals and the filtrate line seals are brought into a sealing condition to thereby liquid-tightly seal the stock line and the filtrate line and define a filter chamber between the opposed filter plates through the filter frame. In this condition, the beer stock is supplied from the stock line to each filter element, and the filtrate from each filter element is collected to the filtrate line. Further, in case of maintenance such as replacement of the filter elements, the pressure of the press means is removed to move the filter plates and the filter frames away from each other and thereby cancel the sealing condition of the stock line seals and the filtrate line seals.
Each of the stock line seals and the filtrate line seals is mounted on an outer peripheral portion or a central portion of each filter plate or each filter frame, and it is made of an elastic material such as rubber.
Meanwhile, it is very important to wash and sterilize the interior of the filtering device before or after the filtering step. If such a washing step is not performed, the filtrate is contaminated by bacteria residing in the interior of the filtering device, so that the filtration becomes insignificant.
The washing step is simply performed by forcing a sterilizing washer liquid into the filtering device instead of the beer stock. Accordingly, in the washing step, the washer liquid flows in a sealed passage for the beer stock and a sealed passage for the filtrate to thereby wash and sterilize these sealed passages.
However, the washer liquid cannot be circulated through a pressure-contact surface of the filter element between the filter plate and the filter frame adjacent to each other and in the peripheries of the stock line seals and the filtrate line seals. As a result, there is a possibility that bacteria residing in the peripheries of these seals enter the sealed passages to contaminate the filtrate in the filtering step.


An ozone delivery system, method, and apparatus are disclosed. Ozonated water can be used to disinfect and clean various surfaces, equipment, and animals in a dairy setting. Animals can be disinfected and protected from disease through the use of wash-pen and sprayer injections, and other footbath products. Ozone can be educted into a drop hose and a pre-dip line at periodic intervals and into a foot bath to provide refreshed ozonated water. The ozone delivery system and method sterilizes all equipment and floor surfaces without damaging diary equipment components. The system can incorporate computer-controlled options such as maintaining off gas levels, maintaining cleaning and disinfecting records, monitoring ozonated water levels, monitoring concentrations of ozone in said ozonated water, controlling entry and exit gates, controlling a drainage system, and monitoring and educting ozone in a foot bath and wash pen.

With increased globalization of agricultural markets, greater demands are placed on producers of milk and milk products. Milk is produced as inexpensively as possible while conforming to high quality standards. Large quantities of milk are produced in automatic or semiautomatic milking plants.
Dairy milking systems can include a cluster of teat cups matched with flexible teat cup liners. The teat cups are attached to a teat of a dairy animal with a vacuum to facilitate movement of the flexible liner to milk the dairy animals. Milk flows from the dairy animal through each flexible liner and then through a short milk tube to a milker unit collecting bowl assembly, which collects milk from all of the animal's teats. Milk from individual animals flow from each collecting bowl assembly through a long milk tube and into a milk line that receives milk from all of the milker units in the dairy. The milk is then chilled and stored in a milk tank. The milk lines and storage systems must not be contaminated with dirt, debris, chemicals, pathogens, or contaminated milk. This milker unit can be used to milk cows, sheep, goats, and other dairy animals. Each milker unit can be used to milk multiple animals, thus necessitating sanitization measures to prevent transmission of dirt and bacteria into the milk and diseases transmitted between animals.
A dairy's somatic cell count (i.e., "SCC") is the bacteria count in the final milk product. SCC levels are monitored to comply with state and federal milk quality standards. To avoid elevated SCC levels, dairies take disinfecting measures such as a teat pre-dip, for example. Broadened milk ducts in dairy animals' teats make the teats especially susceptible to infection from mastitis pathogens. The teats can be treated with a disinfectant solution, its application process known as pre-dipping. Prior automatic teat dip applicators and milker unit cleaner systems fail to adequately ensure that teat dip compositions and backflushing fluids do not enter the long milk tube and contaminate the dairy milk lines. Differential pressures between the milk lines, dipping, and backflushing devices can cause seepage into the milking system.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved ozone delivery system that uses ozonated water to safely disinfect dairy animal tissues, dairy equipment, and infrastructure, and reduce the need for harmful chemical disinfectants around a dairy.

Use and generation of ozone as a disinfectant of dairy animal tissues, dairy equipment, and infrastructure


A device (1) for determining the visual field comprises a screen (11) for displaying test patterns, an eye monitoring module (13) for capturing eye movements of a patient (20), and a processing module (10) for determining the visual field of the patient on the basis of the eye movements when the test patterns are displayed. The device (1) moreover comprises a mirror (12), which is aligned parallel to the bipupillary line of the patient (20) for determining the visual field, for deflecting the test patterns from the screen (11) to the eyes. The use of the mirror (12) aligned parallel to the bipupillary line of the patient results in a particularly compact design of the device (1) for determining the visual field, which device makes the same geometric and optical measurement conditions possible for both eyes.

The present invention relates to a device and a method for determining the visual field of a patient. The present invention more particularly relates to a device and a method for determining the visual field of a patient based on viewing directions of the patient that are determined when test patterns are displayed on a screen.

Device and method for determining the visual field


A cavity-backed slot antenna is disclosed that includes a stripline. The stripline includes a conductive strip between two ground planes separated by a dielectric. The conductive strip feeds the cavity-backed slot antenna. The stripline also includes a first segment and a second segment. The first segment has a first characteristic impedance. The second segment is proximate the cavity-backed antenna and has a second characteristic impedance different than the first characteristic impedance. The second characteristic impedance provides impedance for matching a load impedance of the cavity-backed slot antenna.

A display device, such as a tablet, monitor, or notebook computer, has a housing or a chassis to hold and protect the components of the device, such as its display. Device manufacturers are tending toward designing and building display devices with narrow bezels, which refers to the space from the edge of the viewable display to the outer edge of the housing.


A gas turbine engine that has a turbine (1) mounted downstream of a combustor (5), a compressor turbine (2) mounted downstream of turbine (1) for producing power for driving a compressor (3), a heat exchanger (6) having a first circuit (6.sup.1) connected to compressor turbine (2) and a second circuit (6.sup.2) connected between compressor (2) and turbine (1) and a fluid discharge device (7) between compressor (3) and combustor (5). The gas turbine engine has a reactor (8) that has a heating device (9), inlets (F, W) connected to sources of fuel and water and an outlet connected to combustor (5). Heating device (9) is connected the outlet of compressor turbine (2). The engine also has a system for keeping the temperature at the outlet of compressor turbine (2) constant.

This invention concerns variable speed gas turbine engines of a type that can be especially useful for driving electric generators or vehicles and in other applications where it is preferred to have a moderate power output, small size and high response speed. The efficiencies of variable speed turbines vary according to a number of variables, including engine speed. In prior art gas turbines of this type, when the turbine speed decreases and the power output remains unchanged, such as in the case of where a vehicle travels up a slope, the compressor speed will rise, its power will increase, and much more fluid than necessary will be supplied to the turbine. The engine consequently becomes "overcooled", the cycle temperature drops, and contraction of metal parts occurs. As a result, turbine power output decreases, and efficiency is reduced.
When turbine speed remains unchanged, and the power output decreases, such as in the case of where a vehicle travels down a slope, compressor speed decreases to a great extent and the turbine experiences a shortage of fluid. The engine thus becomes "overheated," which poses risks to turbine engine components due to excessive metal expansion.
During overcooling, the compressor turbine has an excess of power that floods the turbine with fluid. During overheating, there is a shortage of power at the compressor turbine, and the turbine receives less fluid than it needs, which leads to overheating. Thus, temperature is a critical parameter to control in engines of this type. Both phenomena can be counteracted by controlling fluid flow to the compressor turbine or by controlling fluid flow to the turbine. In both cases, such control is accompanied by losses.
In our pending application Ser. No. 09/161,170, filed Sep. 25, 1998, I disclose a gas turbine engine having a turbine mounted downstream of a compressor and a compressor turbine mounted downstream of the turbine for driving the compressor. The compressor turbine has a rotor disk that is mechanically coupled to the compressor and rotates in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the turbine rotor disk. A heat exchanger has a first circuit connected to the compressor turbine and a second circuit connected between the compressor and the turbine. An electric load for consuming a fraction of power produced by the compressor turbine includes an electric generator that is mechanically coupled to the compressor turbine. The electric load controller varies the electric load consumed based on temperature reading from the engine, thus changing the amount of power produced by the compressor turbine. This load is varied in response to changes in temperature and other operating characteristics in order to hold such characteristics within desired ranges. The above-described system allows the temperature at the exhaust of the compressor turbine to be kept stable. The stable temperature at the exhaust assures stable operating parameters and temperature conditions in the flow duct of the gas turbine engine. This enhances efficiency and reliability of the gas turbine engine and prolongs service life. However, the temperature in the combustor is about 1900K. It should be noted that formation of nitrogen oxides during fuel combustion starts from 1800K. Nitrogen oxide emissions are very harmful, and are subject to strict control in many jurisdictions. Further, to control CO levels, emissions of which are also of environmental concern, it would be desirable to have a maximum combustor temperature of 1500K. To achieve this, a very lean fuel and air mixture must be used, with an excess air factor of about 2.2. This is practically unachievable.
This emissions problem was addressed in a gas turbine engine (Electric Vehicles, PT58, 1997, Ed. By Ron Sims and Bradford Bates, Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc., Warrendale, Pa., p. 143-145) having a compressor, a turbine, a heat exchanger for heating air from the outlet of the compressor with the exhaust gases of the turbine before supplying the air to a combustor and a catalytic combustor. The catalytic combustor assures combustion of a very lean fuel and air mixture having an excess air factor of 6 to 8. Combustion with this excess air factor occurs at 1050 to 1100K, thus ruling out the formation of nitrogen oxides. The catalytic combustor is made as a catalytic thermochemical reactor containing a catalyst bed in a special screen casing and having a special heater for preheating the catalyst before starting the gas turbine engine. The reactors of this type require much space and have a complicated design. In addition, a certain time is required for heating the catalyst before starting the gas turbine engine. Another disadvantage of this gas turbine engine is contamination of the catalyst, which is aggravated when normal fuel containing sulfur and other impurities is used. As the catalyst becomes contaminated, its catalytic efficiency decreases, the combustion temperature rises, and the NO.sub.x level in emission also increases. It should be also added that catalysts are consumable materials and will add to the cost of operation of the gas turbine engine.
Another attempt to increase efficiency of a gas turbine engine with the use of a thermochemical reactor (Nosach N. G., Energiya topliva [in Russian] AN Ukr. SSR, Institut tekhnicheskoy teplofiziki. Kiev., Naukova Dumka, 1989, p. 78) involves mixing fuel with combustion products from the exhaust of the turbine after passing through a heat exchanger. The mixture of fuel with combustion products, which contain CO and water, is compressed in a special compressor and is then fed to a thermochemical reactor that is heated to about 900K with the exhaust gases from the turbine under normal operating conditions (full speed). The fuel and exhaust gases react in the thermochemical reactor and decompose into CO and hydrogen, the quantity of the combustible material increases, and the overall amount of energy available in the fuel increases by 40 to 44%. The resulting fuel from the thermochemical reactor is supplied to the combustor, which also receives air from a compressor of the gas turbine engine that is heated with the exhaust gases of the turbine. This cycle of the gas turbine engine should have resulted in an improved efficiency of the gas turbine engine. As the reaction of fuel conversion in the thermochemical reactor can occur only starting from the temperature of about 800K, this reaction cannot take place under low-power operating conditions of the gas turbine engine when the exhaust gas temperature can be as low as 500K. It should be also noted that a temperature of at least 1000K is required for the complete reaction to occur. In addition, there can be no oxygen in the mixture that is compressed in the special compressor before conversion in the thermochemical reactor. It is known that oxygen is always available in the combustion products (up to 10%). This oxygen will immediately oxidize the fuel in the compressor up to self ignition. As a result, a part of the combustible components of the fuel will be burned before reaching the thermochemical reactor. It will be understood that in a gas turbine engine that have to be used in vehicles or in electric generation sets operating under variable loads, this method cannot be used to the full advantage, and the desired increase in the overall efficiency cannot be assured. It should be also noted that the fuel obtained after conversion in the thermochemical reactor is burned in a conventional combustor with a combustion temperature of about 2200K, forming NO.sub.x.
These disadvantages are eliminated in a gas turbine engine according to the invention as described below.

Method of operation of a gas turbine engine and a gas turbine engine


Provided is a spray drying apparatus comprising a spray nozzle comprising a spray nozzle tip at the distal end of the spray nozzle, a liquid conduit for guiding a liquid to be spray-dried out through the spray nozzle tip, an atomizing component for producing a spray of droplets from the liquid exiting the spray nozzle; a drying gas conduit comprising an outlet for directing a drying gas to dry the spray of droplets; and a drying gas deflector positioned so as to deflect a flow of the drying gas away from the spray nozzle tip.

Spray drying involves atomization of a liquid, such as a solution, suspension or emulsion, for example by spraying through a spray nozzle while contacting with an atomizing gas to form spray particles; by two-fluid nozzle atomization, wherein spray is created by combination of a liquid flow and a gas flow, in which the atomization energy is provided by the gas flow; or by centrifugal atomization, wherein the solution is delivered in a rotating disc, such that spray is created by the energy created by the rotation of the disc. Alternatively, the liquid flow may be sprayed using a pressure nozzle in which the liquid flow is forced through a small aperture, the change in pressure transforming the liquid flow into spray of small droplets.
Formation of spray particles is followed by drying of the spray in a hot gas (e.g. air) flow provided by a drying gas conduit. The spray particles rapidly dry yielding a powder, which is then separated from the hot air flow in a cyclone device, and may be subsequently collected in a collection container, such as a vial. An example of a commercially available spray-drying apparatus 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1, comprising a drying column 12, having a spray nozzle 14 and a drying gas conduit 16.
Spray nozzle 14 has a proximal end 18 and a distal end 20, with a spray nozzle tip 22 at distal end 20. An atomizing component 25 (shown in FIG. 2, which is an enlarged view of spray nozzle 14) is provided at distal end 20 of spray nozzle tip 22, which is responsible for producing a spray from the liquid.
A liquid conduit 24, having a distal end at spray nozzle tip 22, is provided for carrying a liquid to be spray-dried to spray nozzle tip 22, through which the liquid is passed.
FIG. 2 shows a spray nozzle 14 comprising an atomizing component 25. An atomizer gas conduit 26 is provided for guiding an atomizing gas to atomizing component 25, which delivers the atomizing gas to the proximity of distal end of liquid conduit 24 at spray nozzle tip 22. The atomizing gas contacts the liquid during passing or exiting of the liquid out through spray nozzle tip 22, whereby a spray is formed from the liquid. Any suitable inert gas may be used as an atomizing gas including air, nitrogen and argon. Preferably, the atomizing gas is dry, having a relative humidity of no more than about 30%. Typically, the drying gas is heated to a temperature in the range of from about 100° C. to about 190° C.
Drying gas conduit 16 comprises a drying gas outlet 28 for providing a drying gas to dry the spray formed from the liquid upon exiting nozzle tip 22, thereby forming a powder.
The powder produced is separated from the drying gas by a cyclone unit 30, and is collected at the bottom of cyclone unit 30 e.g. in a collection container 32. The paths of the separated drying gas and of the powder are shown in FIG. 1 as 35 and 36, respectively.
As is known, proteins (e.g. fibrinogen) are generally sensitive to high temperature for example, human proteins are sensitive to temperatures of 45° C. or above. As a result, when a protein-containing liquid is spray dried, the resulting spray-dried protein may undergo denaturation and/or reduction or loss of potency. Also, sedimentation at the spray nozzle tip may occur, resulting in partial or full blockage of the spray nozzle tip, loss of material and/or protein aggregation.
In an attempt to reduce the temperature of liquid to be spray-dried in liquid conduit 24, it is known in the art to provide a heat exchange mechanism. One such mechanism is schematically depicted in FIG. 2, comprising two tubes for circulating cool water i.e. a first tube 34a for entry of cool water, arranged concentrically around liquid conduit 24, and a second tube 34b for exit of cool water, with cool water circulating into first tube 34a and out of second tube 34b to a water bath, using a circulation pump (not shown).
Background art include U.S. Pat. No. 5,227,017, U.S. Pat. No. 2,833,345, WO2014078694A1, U.S. Pat. No. 5,851,575A, EP0979377A1, RU2435118C1, DE202005015411U1 and EP2728288A1.

Spray-drying apparatus and method of use


An inline clamp system having a base, a shoe having a plurality of teeth and a scroll wheel having a helical feature on a cone shaped surface. The helical feature of the scroll wheel meshes with the teeth of the shoe such that rotation of the scroll wheel in a first rotational direction causes linear movement of the shoe in a first linear direction and rotation of the scroll wheel in a second rotational direction causes linear movement of the shoe in a second linear direction, the first rotational direction being opposite the second rotational direction and the first linear direction being opposite the second linear direction. The scroll wheel rotates around an axis of rotation at a slight angle to the linear plane of movement of the shoe such that the helical feature engages the teeth only on one side of the axis of rotation.

Clamps are well known in the art. There are many forms of clamps that are used to hold a workpiece in a stationary position so that an operation may be performed on the workpiece.
One well-known clamp design is known as a C-clamp. C-clamps include an upper arm and a lower arm that are connected to an operating mechanism, such as a handle that is used to tighten the upper arm and the lower arm against one another. In use, the upper arm is placed on an upper surface of the workpiece and the lower arm is placed on the lower surface of a benchtop, work bench or support surface that supports the workpiece (hereinafter "support surface"). Once in place, the operating mechanism is used to tighten the upper arm against the lower arm thereby holding the workpiece in a stationary position on the support surface.
While C-clamps are effective, they suffer from many disadvantages. One such disadvantage is that the conventional C-clamps have a limited reach which restricts their use to be near the edge of a support surface. As such, C-clamps cannot be used for many applications. Another disadvantage is that C-clamps are relatively difficult and time consuming to operate. As such, C-clamps are undesirable in many applications and for many users. Another disadvantage to C-clamps is that the upper arm covers a portion of the surface of the workpiece when the workpiece is clamped in place. This prevents certain operations such as sanding the entire upper surface of the workpiece. As such, C-clamps suffer from many disadvantages and are not suitable in many applications.
Another well-known clamp design is known as a bar clamp. Bar clamps, like C-clamps, include an upper arm, and a lower arm that are connected to an operating mechanism, such as a handle that is used to tighten the upper arm and the lower arm against one another. Unlike C-clamps, bar clamps include an elongated bar that allows for an increased travel between the upper arm and the lower arm. The elongated bar allows the bar clamp to clamp longer items.
While bar clamps facilitate clamping longer items, bar clamps suffer from many of the same deficiencies as C-clamps. One such disadvantage is that the bar clamps have a limited reach which restricts their use to be near the edge of a support surface. Another disadvantage is that bar clamps are relatively difficult and time consuming to operate and can be cumbersome to use due to the elongated bar. Another disadvantage is that the upper arm covers a portion of the surface of the workpiece when the workpiece is clamped in place which can prevent various operations such as sanding. As such, bar clamps suffer from many disadvantages and are not suitable in many application.
Another well-known clamp design is known as a bench clamp. Bench clamps, like bar clamps and C-clamps, clamp a workpiece against a support surface by pressing the workpiece against the support surface. Unlike bar clamps and C-clamps, bench clamps only include an upper arm and connect to the support surface through a connecting device such as a screw, bolt, post or other mechanism that connects to an opening, slot or feature in the support surface. Through the bench clamp's connection to the support surface, the bench clamp essentially replaces the lower arm with the support surface and presses the workpiece into the support surface. This connection between the bench clamp and the support surface allows for placement of the bench clamp wherever the bench clamp can connect to the support surface, which can in some applications, facilitate clamping in positions not accessible to bar clamps or C-clamps.
While bench clamps have some advantages over bar clamps or C-clamps, bench clamps suffer from many of many of the same deficiencies as bar clamps and C-clamps. One such disadvantage is that the bench clamps generally operate to press a workpiece into the work surface and therefore the upper arm of the bench clamp covers a portion of the surface of the workpiece when the workpiece is clamped in place which can prevent various operations such as sanding. In addition, bench clamps are relatively difficult and time consuming to operate due to the pressure required to clamp the workpiece against the support surface.
A lesser known form of a clamp or clamp design is known as a linear clamp, an in line clamp, a toggle clamp or a push clamp (hereinafter "push clamp"). Push clamps are similar to bench clamps in that they connect to the support surface and only include a single arm. Push clamps differ from C-clamps, bar clamps and bench clamps in that they only include a single arm that is configured to push a workpiece against another object, such as a stop member placed on a support surface. In this way, push clamps do not apply down pressure on the workpiece and therefore they do not encumber the upper surface of the workpiece in the same way that C-clamps, bar clamps and bench clamps do.
Various forms of push clamps are manufactured. Among others, these include:                The "Auto-Pro P7-IL In-Line Dog Clamp" manufactured by Armor Tool, LLC having an address of 4001 West Indian School Road, Phoenix, Ariz. 85019;        The "Auto-Lock T-Track Clamp" manufactured by Rockler Woodworking and Hardware having an address of 4365 Willow Drive, Medina, Minn. 55340;        The "Panel Clamp" manufactured by Veritas® Tools Inc. having an address of 1090 Morrison Dr., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K2H 1C2;        The "Clamping Elements 2-Pack—488030" manufactured by Festool Group GmbH & Co. KG based in Wendlingen, Germany, and is a subsidiary of TTS Tooltechnic Systems holding company.
While these push clamps provide certain benefits over C-clamps, bar clamps and bench clamps, the presently available push clamps suffer from many disadvantages. Namely, the presently available push clamps are unnecessarily or prohibitively expensive, which is due in part to their design and configuration. In addition, the presently available push clamps are not convenient to use, comfortable to use or intuitive to use. Another disadvantage of the presently available push clamps is that, due in part to their design and configuration they are not applicable in various applications.
Therefore, for all the reasons stated above, and the reasons stated below, there is a need in the art for an inline clamp system that improves upon the state of the art.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide an inline clamp system that provides improved functionality over prior art clamps.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide an inline clamp system that provides improved features over prior art clamps.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide an inline clamp system that is relatively inexpensive.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide an inline clamp system that is easy to use.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide an inline clamp system that is intuitive to use.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide an inline clamp system that is strong and robust.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide an inline clamp system that can be used in many applications.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide an inline clamp system that can be used with practically any support surface or workbench.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide an inline clamp system that provides unique functionality.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide an inline clamp system that is fast to use.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide an inline clamp system that is safe to use.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide an inline clamp system that saves time.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide an inline clamp system that has a compact size.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide an inline clamp system that has a low profile.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide an inline clamp system that has a long useful life.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide an inline clamp system that can be used to clamp straight workpieces as well as inside corners and outside corners.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide an inline clamp system that is high quality.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide an inline clamp system that improves efficiencies.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide an inline clamp system that is fun to use.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide an inline clamp system that improves the quality of the products made using the device.
These and other objects, features, or advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from the specification, figures and claims.


A server device collects traveling speed data from a first mobile device when the first mobile device is located within an area of potential traffic congestion; and records or updates a congestion factor, associated with the area of potential traffic congestion, based on the collected traveling speed data, where the congestion factor identifies an amount of traffic congestion associated with the area of potential traffic congestion. The server device receives, from a second mobile device, a request for traffic information, where the request includes information identifying a current geographic location of the second mobile device and a destination geographic location to which the second mobile device plans to travel; and provides information regarding the congestion factor, associated with the area of potential traffic congestion, to the second mobile device to permit the second mobile device to generate navigational directions based on the congestion factor.

Some mobile communication devices include navigation applications that display a map showing the location of a user of the mobile communication device in order to aid the user with navigation (e.g., when driving around an unknown location). Many navigation applications permit the user to input information, such as a starting point, a destination point, how a path between the starting and destination points should be calculated (e.g., shortest distance, shortest time, most use of highways, etc.), etc. A navigation application utilizes this information to calculate turn-by-turn instructions for traveling from the starting point to the destination point.

Traffic data collection in a navigational system


An athletic shoe has two independent, inflatable chambers, one in the sole and one partially forming the shoe upper. The former chamber cushions impacts and displaces solid material from which the sole would otherwise comprise, and the second tightens the fit of the shoe on a wearer's foot. Each chamber has independent inflation and outlet valves. Resilient pilings distribute a wearer's weight over the sole, protecting the first chamber from deformation during activity. A pump is detachably mounted on the shoe tongue. The pump has a ring for attachment to a key ring as an alternative to being secured on the shoe tongue when not in use. A preferred inflation medium is helium.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to shoes having built in inflatable members for cushioning and gripping the foot.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Provision of a fluid chamber in a shoe to cushion and grip the foot is well known. The fluid may be liquid or gas, and the chamber may be located in the sole or in the upper. German Pat. Document No. DE 3427644 A1, dated Jan. 1, 1986, discloses an inflatable member disposed about the upper of a ski boot or the like. A hatch is movable to uncover a pump and valve.
PCT international Application No. WO 89/10074, published on Nov. 2, 1989, discloses a shoe having a reservoir containing an incompressible fluid located in the sole of the shoe.
PCT International Application No. WO 91/10376, published on Jul. 25, 1991, discloses a shoe having a reservoir containing a fluid located in the sole, and communicating with at least one additional reservoir extending above the sole. When pressure in the first reservoir increases, that pressure acts on the additional reservoir to cause pressure to be exerted on that part of the shoe above the sole. This latter pressure improves grip of the shoe on the wearer's foot.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,397,104, issued to Clayton R. Doak on Aug. 9, 1983, discloses a shoe having an inflatable sole. Resilient members provide pilings supporting the weight of the wearer so as not to collapse an inflated chamber in the sole.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,932, issued to Tracy E. Grim on Mar. 19, 1991, discloses an inflatable shoe having plural bladders. However, the bladders are in fluid communication with one another.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,173, issued to I. Martin Spier on Feb. 26, 1991, illustrates basic pneumatic components used with inflatable shoes, including a bellows type pump; one way valves, an inflatable bladder, a pressure regulating valve, and a manual release valve.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,765, issued to Robert W. Pekar, describes typical construction techniques usable to fabricate pneumatic systems, as for shoes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,599, issued to Eric D. Cohen et al. on May 19, 1992, discloses an inflatable shoe having layers of foam material.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.

Inflatable athletic shoe with detachable pump


In an optometric apparatus of the present invention, optometric apparatus bodies 5l and 5r independently driven in right-and-left and up-and-down directions for optometry of an examinee 4, respectively, are provided on both sides of a face receiving device 6.

There is known an optometric apparatus constituted so that ocular refractivity of the right and left eyes of an examinee can be measured at the same time subjectively and objectively (See Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-83900).
This conventional optometric apparatus is so constituted that the examinee takes optometry following instructions of an optometrist.
However, optometric measurement of the examinee by the optometrist is not favorable in view of efficient management and cost reduction.
Also, recently, in the case of accommodative functional disorder such as near-vision disorder, asthenopia, sense of blear, etc. or in the case that abnormality of convergence and accommodation systems are suspected, when carrying out prescription of spectacles for reading or health management of VDT (video display terminal) workers and so on, accommodative functions such as accommodative near point, accommodative ability and accommodative dynamics are measured. For measurement of accommodative functions, subjective methods such as Ishihara's near point meter and accommodo-poly-recorder and objective methods such as infrared optometer and front-open type infrared optometer are used.
For measurement of subjective accommodative near point, 0.6 Landolt-ring targets and bar targets on near-distance optotypes are usually made to approach from the distance where an examinee can see the clearest at a constant rate of a target moving speed of 2.5 cm/sec to 5 cm/sec, and the distance where occurrence of even a slight blur is sensed is recorded as a near point.
The infrared optometer of the objective method has renovated a normal autorefractometer, in which an ocular refractive state of horizontal meridians when a target is moved at a constant speed is continuously measured so as to record dynamic characteristics of accommodation. The front-open type optometer records accommodation change of both eyes by moving a real space in front of the eyes with the target as an external target in the state close to natural vision.
However, in the subjective measurement of accommodative near point, after an examinee has learned blur of targets and subjective sensing standard of clear vision by practice, a distance where blur is sensed when a target is moved from a long distance to a short distance (disappearance threshold) and a distance where clear vision is enabled when the target is moved from the short distance to the long distance on the contrary (appearance threshold) are measured 3 times, respectively, and an average value of the both is set as a near point.
The measurement depends on subjective response and is subject to large fluctuation due to instability in subjective sensing standard between blur and clear visions of targets and uncertainty in target following motion and response of the examinee, which is particularly unsuitable for measurement of infants.
The measurement by the infrared optometer is carried out with one eye shielded and a target moved on the optical axis of one eye as accommodation stimulation, and it is different from daily relations between convergence and accommodation.
Accommodation and convergence are increased/decreased together in the daily life and in an unseparable relation with each other. Accommodation measurement with one eye shielded has a problem that accurate measurement of accommodative near point and accommodative ability is not possible.
With the measurement by the front-open type infrared optometer, external targets are utilized to present targets in the state closer to the natural vision, but it has a problem that a range of target movement is restricted and accommodative near point including far point can not be measured.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and its object is to provide an optometric apparatus which enables optometric measurement by an examinee himself/herself or an optometric assistant with less experience.
Also, an object of the present invention is to provide an optometric apparatus which presents targets to both eyes while maintaining the relation between accommodation and convergence, capable of measurement of accommodative functions in a wide target moving range, maintains the relation between accommodation stimulation and convergence constant, capable of easy measurement of accommodation regardless of refraction error of an examinee, and is suitable for diagnosis of cases such as near-vision disorder, asthenopia, blear, etc. and suspected abnormality in convergence and accommodation systems in the clinical ophthalmology as well as judgment when carrying out prescription of spectacles for reading and health management of VDT (video display terminal) workers, especially an optometric apparatus which can easily measure the relation between accommodation and convergence.


The present invention optimizes graphics performance during zone rendering by providing an automatic management of bin memory between the binning and rendering phases. Embodiments of the present invention provide a mechanism by which the binner and renderer automatically share a pool of physical memory pages in order to build bin buffers and recycle them after they have been used in rendering. This is performed in such a fashion that multiple binned scenes can be queued up concurrently, with no requirement for software intervention except under exceptional conditions. The need for software management of zone rendering bin buffer memory is thus eliminated. Multiple scenes for binning and rendering can also be queued without software intervention.

1. Field
The present invention relates generally to graphics systems and more particularly to graphics rendering systems.
2. Background Information
Computer graphics systems are commonly used for displaying graphical representations of objects on a two-dimensional video display screen. Current computer graphics systems provide highly detailed representations and are used in a variety of applications. In typical computer graphics systems, an object to be represented on the display screen is broken down into graphics primitives. Primitives are basic components of a graphics display and may include points, lines, vectors and polygons, such as triangles and quadrilaterals. Typically, a hardware/software scheme is implemented to render or draw the graphics primitives that represent a view of one or more objects being represented on the display screen.
The primitives of the three-dimensional objects to be rendered are defined by a host computer in terms of primitive data. For example, when the primitive is a triangle, the host computer may define the primitive in terms of X, Y and Z coordinates of its vertices, as well as the red, green and blue (R, G and B) color values of each vertex. Additional primitive data may be used in specific applications.
Image rendering is the conversion of a high-level object-based description into a graphical image for display on some display device. For example, an act of image rendering occurs during the conversion of a mathematical model of a three-dimensional object or scene into a bitmap image. Another example of image rendering is converting an HTML document into an image for display on a computer monitor. Typically, a hardware device referred to as a graphics-rendering engine performs these graphics processing tasks. Graphics-rendering engines typically render scenes into a buffer that is subsequently output to the graphical output device, but it is possible for some rendering-engines to write their two-dimensional output directly to the output device. The graphics-rendering engine interpolates the primitive data to compute the display screen pixels that represent the each primitive, and the R, G and B color values of each pixel.
A graphics-rendering system (or subsystem), as used herein, refers to all of the levels of processing between an application program and a graphical output device. A graphics engine can provide for one or more modes of rendering, including zone rendering. Zone rendering attempts to increase overall 3D rendering performance by gaining optimal render cache utilization, thereby reducing pixel color and depth memory read/write bottlenecks. In zone rendering, a screen is subdivided into an array of zones and per-zone instruction bins, used to hold all of the primitive and state setting instructions required to render each sub-image, are generated. Whenever a primitive intersects (or possibly intersects) a zone, that primitive instruction is placed in the bin for that zone. Some primitives will intersect more than one zone, in which case the primitive instruction is replicated in the corresponding bins. This process is continued until the entire scene is sorted into the bins. Following the first pass of building a bin for each zone intersected by a primitive, a second zone-by-zone rendering pass is performed. In particular, the bins for all the zones are rendered to generate the final image.
Conventional zone rendering systems are inefficient in that they require extensive software intervention and/or management for numerous functions, including but not limited to, bin memory functions and queuing of multiple scenes for binning and rendering.
What is needed therefore is a method, apparatus and system for automatic management of bin memory between the binning and rendering phases.

Automatic memory management for zone rendering


A flat panel display including a flat display device; and a window protecting the flat display device, the window transmitting light emitted from the flat display device, wherein the flat display device is in a concave recess on one side of the window.

1. Field
Embodiments relate to a flat panel display.
2. Description of the Related Art
A variety of portable electronic devices, e.g., mobile phone, PDA, and PMP, may include a display device for displaying an image. As the display device, flat panel displays, e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), and an electrophoretic display (EPD), which have excellent space efficiency, may be used. A flat panel display mounted on a portable electronic device may have a window to protect a display panel exposed to the outside.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.


A telescoping tower comprising a sensor for monitoring an environmental condition, a processor for comparing the monitored environmental condition to a predetermined value, and an actuator for automatically retracting the telescoping tower if the environmental condition is equal to or greater than the predetermined value.

Rapidly deployable telescoping towers are typically utilized to provide temporary communications, disaster recovery, testing, monitoring, surveillance, site survey and wireless data transfer functions to name a few. Such towers are generally constructed from aluminum or other lightweight materials for ease of transport and operation, and are often candidates for remote and/or unattended operations.
When such towers are deployed to areas where extreme inclement weather is prevalent, it is prudent to fully or partially retract the telescoping tower when winds rise to the point that the tower design limit is approached. If the tower is deployed in an unattended operation or the operator is temporarily away from the site, retraction of the tower will not take place and a potentially undesirable condition may develop. Once the retraction is made and the environmental (or other) danger has passed, it is desirable to have the tower to extend and return to its original operating condition.


A unitary molding or corner piece for drywalling applications includes a flange mounted at a right angle to a rectangular panel of a width selected to extend and position the flange so that the flange may receive the end of a wall panel and be nailed to a frame stud. In a second embodiment, a molding including a flange and panel surrounds the window and the window frame contains a conforming slot for receiving and holding the edge of the panel.

1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates generally to the building and construction industry and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for more efficiently and effectively installing drywall around windows.
2. Description of Related Art
The approach to installing drywall around window openings according to prior art is extremely cumbersome. Perhaps one-third of the time spent doing pick-up work on the interior of a dwelling is on window openings.
Typically, an elongated rectangular piece of drywall, known as a "return" or "reveal," is cut and nailed to a 2.times.4 stud frame member adjacent the window opening. The drywall wall panel is then aligned at a right angle with the return and nailed to the stud. The abutment of the wall panel and the return forms a linear rough outer edge, which is then covered with a piece of "cornerbead." The cornerbead must be cut to length and nailed into place. Material known as "mud" is then applied around the cornerbead to create a finished appearance.
Numerous problems exist with the prior art approach. The numerous steps involved are obviously labor intensive. Errors can be made at each step of the way. For example, sanding and texturing of the mud coats may scratch the window return and otherwise damage adjacent surfaces. The stud to which the return is nailed may be cocked-in causing the return to be misaligned. Typically, misalignment and other defects may not be discovered until the entire final assembly is inspected, requiring expensive and wasteful reconstruction of the drywall interface.


A lead shape measurement apparatus includes a first perspective imaging device for photographing external leads to be measured, from an oblique direction; a second perspective imaging device for photograping external leads to be measured, from an oblique direction different from that of the first perspective imaging device and so as to include a same photographic field of vision as the first perspective device; a first measurement point determination element for determining a center point of two intersecting virtual straight lines which intersect two ridges of the external leads to be measured in an image plane by photography of the first perspective imaging device; a second measurement point determination element for setting epipolar line in the image plane by the second perspective imaging device on the basis of sight lines when a measurement sampling point of the first perspective imaging device is photographed, and for determining a center point of two intersecting virtual straight lines which intersect two ridges of the external leads to be measured in an image plane and which exists upon the epipolar line; and a coordinate obtaining element for obtaining each of a plurality of the measurement sampling points which are set for measuring a three-dimensional shape of the external leads.

The present invention relates to lead shape measurement apparatus which are used in the measurement of shapes of the various types of external leads such as J-shaped external leads and curved external leads provided with crank shapes for QFP (a quadrivial-leads flat package which means flat packages with leads in four directions) and the like, and more particularly, relates to lead shape measurement apparatus which are used for the non-contact accurate measurement through image recognition of curved shapes across large areas from the vicinity of the root of an external lead to the distal end.
Conventionally, there have been apparatus which measure curves in the horizontal direction, lengths and curves in the vertical direction of external leads in semiconductor packages. The results of these measurements were then used to determine whether the product clears quality management standards for the products. Such results were also used in the adjustment of apparatus. For example, external leads have press processes executed so that they are made into the required shapes and the measurements are used to adjust the pressure, stroke and other parameters for the press, as well as for adjustment of the shape and contact status of molds.
Such lead shape measurement apparatus have included apparatus for measurement through recognition of an arbitrary positioning of a semiconductor package, such as the positions of a distal end of an external lead in the horizontal plane for example.
FIG. 1 shows one example of an apparatus which performs measurement of semiconductor package external leads which are curved in a crank shape in the horizontal plane.
In this figure, the numeral 1 is a semiconductor package to be measured, 1a is an external lead, and 2 and 3 are television cameras which are placed horizontally to the package 1 and which photograph the external leads 1a, 1a. One television camera 2 photographs a horizontal image of the external leads 1a, 1a from above, and the television camera 3 photographs a frontal elevation image of the external leads 1a, 1a of the package 1 from the side.
The numeral 4 is an image plane for the television camera 2, and the numerals 41a, 41a, . . . indicate the external leads 1a,1a in the image plane 4. As can be seen from the image plane 4, the image information from the television camera 2 enables measurement of the length and the curvature in the horizontal direction and which is called skew, for the external leads 1a, 1a.
The numeral 5 is an image plane of a television camera 3 and the numerals 51a, 51a, . . . indicate the external leads 1a, 1a in the image plane 5. In the same manner, as can be seen from the image plane 5, the image information from the television camera 3 enables measurement of the rise and fall in the vertical direction, for the external leads 1a, 1a.
The numeral 6 is an image processing apparatus and calculates the length and the curvature in the horizontal direction, and the rise and fall in the vertical direction on the basis of the image information from the television cameras 2, 3 from the respective image planes 4, 5.
However, what can be measured by this apparatus ultimately returns to the three-dimensional positions of the distal end portions of all of the external leads. This is to say that it is possible to measure only one quantity for the entire shape of the external leads, and for example, it is not possible to measure the entire shape of a radius of curvature of a curve, or the angle of each side of an external lead which is bent in a crank shape.
Because of this, an apparatus having the configuration shown in FIG. 2 has been proposed and is in practical use.
In this figure, the numeral 7 denotes a television camera 7, and a package 1 is placed horizontally, and an image of the external lead 1a when seen from the side of the package 1 is photographed by the television camera 7. The numeral 8 denotes that image plane, and the numeral 81a denotes the image of the external lead 1a inside that image plane 8, while the numeral 9 denotes an image processing apparatus 9 which calculates the related quantities on the basis of the image information shown in the image plane 8. As can be seen from the image plane 8, depending upon the image information from the television camera 7, it is possible to measure the entire shape of a radius of curvature of a curve, or the angle of each side of an external lead 1a.
However, in the case of this apparatus, there is the disadvantage that for all of the external leads 1a, 1a, it is only possible to measure the position of the frontmost portion with respect to the television camera 7, and it is not possible to have measurement for all portions.
Moreover, in the case when it is necessary to know the shape of all leads, this conventionally involved much trouble, and required inefficient work such as making measurements for one lead, and that external lead 1a being cut off after measurement and measurement being performed for the external lead 1a which was then positioned at the front.

External lead shape measurement apparatus for measuring lead shape of semiconductor package by using stereoscopic vision


A pipeline analog-to-digital converter (ADC) includes a first conversion stage of the pipeline ADC that receives an input signal and that comprises, in a first signal path, a first ADC that converts the input signal, a first digital-to-analog converter (DAC) that converts an output of the first ADC, a first subtractor that subtracts an output of the first DAC from the input signal, and a first amplifier that amplifies an output of the first subtractor and generates a first residue of the first conversion stage; and in a second signal path, a second DAC that converts the output of the first ADC, a second subtractor that subtracts an output of the second DAC from the input signal, and a second amplifier that amplifies an output of the second subtractor and generates a second residue of the first conversion stage. A control module selectively enables and disables the second path.

The background description provided here is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
A pipeline analog-to-digital-converter (ADC) includes multiple stages. An analog input is first sampled and held steady by a sample-and-hold (S&H) circuit while a flash ADC in a first stage (Stage 1) quantizes it to N bits. The N-bit output is then fed to an N-bit DAC, and an analog output of the N-bit DAC is subtracted from the analog input to generate a residue. The residue is amplified and fed to a next stage (Stage 2). The amplified residue continues through the pipeline, providing N bits per stage until it reaches an M-bit flash ADC in the last stage, which resolves the last M LSB bits. Because the bits from each stage are determined at different points in time, all the bits corresponding to the same sample are time-aligned with shift registers before being fed to a digital error-correction logic. When a stage finishes processing a sample, determining the bits, and passing the residue to the next stage, the stage can then start processing the next sample received from the sample-and-hold embedded within each stage. This pipelining action provides high throughput.

Reconfigurable multiple-path pipeline ADC architecture incorporating multiple-input signal-averaging MDAC


A multi-speed hub gear includes an axle, a planetary gear set, a clutch, a transmission member, a guide wheel, a compressed clutch spring, a shift mechanism and a torsional spring. While in switching a low gear to a high gear, the shift mechanism transforms a rotational motion into a linear motion for twisting the torsional spring. The compressed clutch spring pushes the clutch to displace from the transmission member toward the planetary gear set. While in switching the high gear to the low gear, the torsional spring drives the shift mechanism to transform the rotational motion into the linear motion, such that the clutch can displace from the planetary gear set toward the transmission member, and compress the compressed clutch spring.

A speed-variable bicycle allows its rider to choose between a low gear and a high gear by controlling a derailleur. Generally, the low gear is selected for riding uphill, and the high gear is selected for riding downhill. Thus, the bicycle riding can achieve a purpose of saving effort on an uphill ride and saving time on a downhill ride.
In the art, a variable speed hub structure for bicycle, disclosed in a Taiwan invention patent with a publication number TW I236445, includes mainly an axle, a driver, a hub shell, a planetary gear train, a clutch and a shift mechanism for manipulating the clutch. When the driver is purposely operated to pull a shift cable for rotating a rotate-control interface, then simultaneously a shift actuator fixed with the rotate-control interface would be rotated as well. At this time, a follower sleeve would proceed a linear motion along a sliding slot of the axle without any rotation. As such, gear shifting by pushing and displacing the clutch can be achieved. However, in this same invention patent, as the low gear is shifted to a high gear, a load-to-weight ratio for gear shift would be increased. Thus, the gear shift simply by displacing the clutch (i.e., by sliding the follower sleeve along the sliding slot of the axle) would easily result in a hindered shifting, from which wear upon the follower sleeve and the related parts would be somehow accelerated.
Thus, an improved multi-speed hub gear that can overcome the aforesaid shortcomings is definitely welcome and urgent in the art.


An electrical cable connector assembly comprises an electronics connector fitting having a first coupling portion and a second coupling portion, and a connector body having a connection portion coupled to the second coupling portion of the electronics connector fitting. The connector body has a sleeve interface portion formed about an outer surface of the connector body. An elongate compliant sleeve has a connector interface portion coupled to the sleeve interface portion of the connector body to form a coupling interface having a keyed profile. The elongate compliant sleeve has an electrical cable channel configured to receive a portion of an electrical cable electrically coupleable to an electronics device, and configured to relieve strain on the electrical cable in at least one radial direction relative to a longitudinal central axis of the connector body. The electrical cable channel is sized larger than the electrical cable to permit some movement of the electrical cable relative to the elongate compliant sleeve.

Overstraining a flexible line, such as an electrical cable, a hose, a pipe, a data line, etc., due to frequent movement, flexing, or rotation of the flexible line can cause portions of the flexible line to deform, break or otherwise fail, particularly at the area or point or interface at which the flexible line is coupled to a rigid connector or other rigid device, such as an electronics device or other assembly. In some examples, a flexible limiter or similar component can be coupled to or otherwise support the flexible line near such problem area or point in an attempt to reduce strain on the flexible line when being pulled, bent, or otherwise strained relative to the attached assembly. Oftentimes, such flexible limiters are inadequate to reduce such strain on the flexible line, and can therefore fail at preventing damage to the flexible line, which can result in the flexible line working improperly. This can have an undesirable effect on the operation of the assembly that the flexible line is coupled to, such as failure to effectively transfer electrical power an electronics assembly (in an example where the flexible line is a power cord).


Methods, devices and systems are provided for harmonizing output display characteristics of one component with those of other components onboard a vehicle, such as an aircraft. A line-replaceable unit (LRU) suitable includes a display driver to be coupled to a display command bus, a data storage element to maintain calibration information for the display driver, and a control module coupled to the display driver and the data storage element to identify a current state of an input command signal from the display command bus, identify an adjustment for the display driver based on the calibration information using the current state of the input command signal, and automatically operate the display driver in accordance with the adjustment.

Modern vehicles often include a multiple displays for presenting information to a vehicle operator. For example, flight deck displays (or cockpit displays) for an aircraft may include primary flight displays (PFDs), multifunction displays, lateral map displays, synthetic vision displays, and the like, in addition to any number of electronic flight instrument displays. Often, these displays are provided using line replaceable units (LRUs), which may vary from aircraft to aircraft depending on operator preferences. Depending on the particular configuration, the onboard LRUs may be provided by different manufacturers and exhibit different performance characteristics with respect to one another. Additionally, LRUs may be updated or replaced over time, such that newer LRUs may utilize different technologies or hardware than older legacy LRUs previously onboard the aircraft. The potential performance variations across onboard display LRUs complicates cockpit integration and fleet management for night vision operation when using a common control signal across all display LRUs. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide methods and systems for harmonizing display characteristics across LRUs in a manner that reduces the time or manual overhead required and does not require additional hardware components. Other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.

LRUs and related night vision display harmonization methods