The subject invention relates to novel soluble forms of planar ring structured organic compounds including flavonoids, and their production. The invention also includes the use of these novel formulations of planar ring structured organic compounds in the preparation of formulations and products. The invention also relates to a wide variety of applications of the formulations of the invention. The subject invention includes novel soluble forms and various formulations of flavonoids. Further, the invention includes novel methods of manufacturing the flavonoid formulations. The invention also relates to a wide variety of applications of the flavonoid formulations.

Flavonoids
The principle plant-derived agents believed to provide protection against cancer are flavonoids and dietary fiber. (Patel, D, et al., Apigenin and cancer chemoprevention: Progress, potential, and promise, Intl. J. Oncology 2007 January; 30(1): 233-45.) Chemoprevention is a facet of oncology that focuses on the prevention of cancer through naturally occurring or synthetic agents.
Flavonoids have been shown to act as free radical scavengers, anti-oxidants, superoxide anions, UV absorbers, and lipid peroxide radicals. Flavonoid compounds are also known to be effective in strengthening collagen structures. Further, flavonoids have been shown to exhibit anti-mutagenic, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral effects.
All flavonoids have the same basic chemical structure, a three-ringed molecule. Individual flavonoids in a group differ from each other by the number and position of substituents (e.g.s the hydroxy, methoxy, or sugar groups). Flavonoids have the planar aromatic ring structures following general formulas:

Flavonoids comprise approximately 5,000 naturally occurring compounds. A multitude of other substitutions can be created synthetically, giving rise to the many types of flavonoids.
Many flavonoids are practically insoluble in water and almost all solvents suitable for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical (fortified foods and dietary supplements), cosmeceutical and medical food applications. Thus, there is a need for methods for enhancing the solubility and bioavailability of these flavonoids including flavones and other planar ring structured organic compounds by utilizing acceptable ingredients and methods.
Solubilization of Active Agents
An active agent is the substance in a composition that is biologically active. Solubility is one of the important parameters to achieve a desired concentration of an active agent in solution for a pharmacological response to be elicited. Solubility plays an essential role in drug disposition, since it is only that drug in solution that is able to diffuse through a biological matrix or passively transport across a biological membrane. The maximum rate for drug absorption is a product of permeability and solubility. Drug efficacy can be severely limited by poor aqueous solubility. It is commonly recognized in the pharmaceutical industry that on average more than 40% of newly discovered drug candidates are poorly water-soluble. Poor solubility properties of drugs leads to ineffective absorption from the site of administration; which has been designated as an important part of the high clinical failure due to poor pharmacokinetics (Liu, R., Introduction, In: Liu, R., (Ed.), Water-Insoluble Drug Formulation, 2nd ed., 2008, CRS press, New York).
There are many techniques that have been used to enhance the solubility of active agents. They include the use of complexing ligands such as cyclodextrins which increase the aqueous solubility of poorly soluble active agents by encapsulating them into the hydrophobic bucket shaped cavity of the cyclodextrin molecule; the nano-sizing of active agents to nano-sized crystals; the use of active agent salt forms (which tend to exhibit improved aqueous solubility and dissolution properties in comparison to the original active agent); and the alteration of the active agents pH microenvironment; etc.
When formulating topical drug products, the active pharmaceutical ingredient is typically added to solvent or solvent mixture to dissolve or disperse the ingredient with mixing or homogenation. Heat, typically in the range of 35° C. to 70° C., has been used to melt low melting point excipients of the formulation to aid in mixing. Heat is kept to a minimum to prevent decomposition, separation upon reaching the cloud point, or loss due to evaporation of any of the excipients or active ingredient.
When forming an emulsion, the active agent is added to either the aqueous or lipid phase of the formulation (generally that phase with the highest solubility for the active agent). One or both phases can be heated in the same range of temperatures noted above either prior to or during mixing of the two phases to make the emulsion.
Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) has been widely used in both in vitro and in vivo studies as a solvent for many water insoluble compounds including apigenin. However, due to toxicity and "taste" concerns, dimethyl sulfoxide is not widely used as a solvent when a topical formulation is considered for human applications. Nearly all apigenin animal studies devoted to anti-skin cancer topical treatments have utilized dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as the solvent of choice due to apigenin's poor solubility in water (<0.005 milligram per milliliter (mg/ml)) and other aqueous solvents. (Li et al, Evaluation of Apigenin and [G-3H], Apigenin and analytical method development, J. of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Vol. 86, No. 6, June 1997).
Skin Cancer
The development of skin cancer is a major global public health threat. Ultraviolet (UV), e.g., solar ultraviolet B (UVB) and solar ultraviolet (UVA), radiation are the main causes of skin cancer. The incidences of basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma continue to rise despite the advent and use of sunscreen agents with high SPF constituents. Early detection and treatment are essential in improving survival rates, yet skin cancer is a cancer that is largely preventable altogether. Current sunscreen formulations have proven inadequate for fully protecting persons from the DNA-damaging effects of UV radiation. Sunscreen usage may sometimes create a false sense of safety as individuals may over expose themselves to sunlight.
Studies have demonstrated that flavones possess anti-oxidant, anti-mutagenic, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, and anti-progression properties. (Patel, D, et al., Apigenin and cancer chemoprevention: Progress, potential, and promise, Intl. J. Oncology 2007 January; 30(1): 233-45.) In addition, Birt and coworkers used an in vivo mouse model to demonstrate that topical application of apigenin prior to UVB-irradiation significantly reduced, by up to 90%, the incidence of skin cancer. (Birt et al., Anti-mutagenesis and anti-promotion by apigenin, robinetin and indole-3-carbinol, Carcinogenesis, June 1986; 7: 959-963) Other groups have demonstrated apigenin's ability to protect mice against colon cancer. (Wang et al, Cell cycle arrest at G2/M and growth inhibition by apigenin in human cell colon carcinoma cell lines, Molecular Carcinogenesis, 28: 102-110 (2000))
Loss of G1/S and/or G2/M cell cycle checkpoint controls leads to transformation and cancer progression. Initiation and progression through the cell cycle is largely controlled by proto-oncogenes that promote cell proliferation and tumor suppressor genes that function to slow or halt cell growth. Mutations in either proto-oncogenes and/or tumor suppressor genes predispose cells to a compromised G1/S checkpoint by shortening the length of time spent in G1 or G2/M.
Researchers have found that apigenin induces reversible, cell-cycle arrests at G1 and G2/M phase of the cell cycle. It was further discovered that apigenin mediates an inhibition on the cell cycle through multiple mechanisms including direct and indirect inhibition of the mitotic kinase p34cdc2, as well as the induction of the cell cycle inhibitor p21WAF1 in a p53-dependent manner. Theoretically, the net effect allows UV induced DNA mutations to be repaired properly prior to cell division. (Lepley D M, et al., The chemopreventative flavonoid apigenin induces G2/M arrest in keratinocytes, Carcinogenesis, 17, 2367-75 (1996))
Other Skin Disorders
Kang, Ecklund, Liu & Datta, (Arthritis Research & Therapy 2009, Vol. 11) taught that increasing the bioavailability of dietary plant-derived COX-2 and NF-κB inhibitors, such as apigenin, could be valuable for suppressing inflammation in lupus and other Th17-mediated diseases like psoriasis. Apigenin, a non-mutagenic dietary flavonoid, suppresses lupus by inhibiting autoantigen presentation for expansion of autoreactive Th1 and Th17 cells.
Other Diseases
As is typical for phenolic compounds, flavonoids act as potent antioxidants and metal chelators. They also have long been recognized to possess antiinflammatory, antiallergic, hepatoprotective, antithrombotic, antiviral, and anticarcinogenic activities.
The flavones and catechins are very powerful flavonoids for protecting the body against reactive oxygen species (ROS). Body cells and tissues are continuously threatened by the damage caused by free radicals and ROS which are produced during normal oxygen metabolism or are induced by exogeneous damage. The anti-inflammatory activity of flavonoids in many animal models has been reported. Flavones/flavonols such as apigenin, luteolin, kaempferol, quercetin, myricetin, fisetin were reported to possess Lipoxygenase (LO) and Cyclo-oxygenase (COX) inhibitory activities. Jachak S M Natural products: Potential source of COX inhibitors. CRIPS 2001; 2(1):12-15.
PCT/US2006/020905 to Doseff discloses methods of treating inflammation with apigenin or its derivatives.
US Patent application US 2008/0227829 to Hammerstone discloses methods of treating subjects with a neurogenic compound including apigenin.
U.S. Patent application US 2007/0154540 to Park et al discloses the use of apigenin as a chondroregenerative agent for the treatment of osteoarthritis.
U.S. Patent application US 2007/0189680 to Bing-Hua et al discloses the use of apigenin for chemoprevention and chemotherapy combined with therapeutic reagents.
U.S. Patent application US 2006/0067905 to Lintnera et al discloses the use of apigenin as a vasodilatory agent for treating baldness.
Research studies have provided evidence that apigenin plays a critical role in the amelioration of the pathogenetic process of asthma. Recent epidemiological studies reported that a low incidence of asthma was significantly observed in a population with a high intake of flavonoids.
Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is an anionic, nonsulfated glycosaminoglycan distributed widely throughout connective, epithelial, and neural tissues. It is unique among glycosaminoglycans in that it is nonsulfated, forms in the plasma membrane instead of the Golgi, and can be very large, with its molecular weight often reaching the millions. One of the chief components of the extracellular matrix, HA contributes significantly to cell proliferation and migration.
Polysaccharides such as HA are relatively complex carbohydrates. Polysaccharides are polymers made up of many monosaccharides joined together by glycosidic bonds. The polysaccharides are therefore large, often branched, macromolecules. Polysaccharides have been useful in cosmetic and medical applications. For example, HA finds use as a structure stabilizing filler for dermal applications. Apigenin has antihyaluronidase activity; thereby inhibiting the breakdown of hyaluronic acid. (Kuppusamy et al., Structure-activity studies of flavonoids as inhibitors of hyaluronoidase, Biochem Pharmacol, 40, 397-401 (1990).
U.S. Patent application 2005/0271692 to Gervasio-Nugent et al discloses topical cosmetic compositions which include flavonoids and hyaluronic acid.
U.S. Patent application 2006/021625 to Morariu discloses topical formulation and methods of use for improving the appearance of aged skin. Preferred components include flavonoids such as apigenin and hyaluronic acid.
Polysorbate Surfactants
Polysorbates (commercially also known as Tweens) are nonionic surfactants and emulsifiers derived from polyethoxylated sorbitan and fatty acids. They are often used in foods and in cosmetics to solubilize essential oils into water-based products. The polysorbates are viscous, water-soluble pale yellow liquids. Polysorbates also help to form emulsions by reducing the surface tension of the substances to be emulsified. Polysorbates have been recognized for their ability to help ingredients to dissolve in a solvent in which they would not normally dissolve. Polysorbates function to disperse oil in water as opposed to water in oil. Polysorbates are produced by reacting the polyol, sorbitol, with ethylene oxide. The polyoxyethylenated sorbitan is then reacted with fatty acids obtained from vegetable fats and oils such as stearic acid, lauric acid, and oleic acid. Surfactants that are esters of plain (non-PEG-ylated) sorbitan with fatty acids are usually referred to by the name Span.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,329,797 to Gupta discloses antiaging cosmetic delivery systems which includes the use of flavonoids including apigenin as an anti inflammatory agent and polysorbate surfactants as emulsifying agents,
U.S. Patent Application 2006/0229262 to Higuchi et al disclose pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment of infections for treatment of infections with a drug resistant bacteria infections with agents including flavonoids such as apigenin as an active ingredient and polysorbates as emulsifying agents.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,566 to Behnam discloses non-alcoholic beverages and processes of making them. The patent discloses mixing ubiquinone Q10 and a polysorbate solubilizer.
Polyethylene Glycols
Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), otherwise known as poly(oxyethylene) or poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), is a synthetic polyether that is readily available in a range of molecular weights (MW). Materials with MW<100,000 are usually called PEGs, while higher molecular weight polymers are classified as PEOs. These polymers are amphiphilic and soluble in water as well as in many organic solvents. Low molecular weight (MW<1,000) PEGs are viscous and colorless liquids, while higher molecular weight PEGs are waxy, white solids with melting points proportional to their molecular weights to an upper limit of about 67° C. PEG has been found to be nontoxic and is approved by the FDA for use as a surfactant or as a carrier in different pharmaceutical formulations, foods, and cosmetics. Most PEGs with MW>1,000 are rapidly removed from the body unaltered with clearance rates inversely proportional to polymer molecular weight. This property, combined with the availability of PEGs with a wide range of end-functions, contributes to the wide use of PEGs in biomedical research: drug delivery, tissue engineering scaffolds, surface functionalization, and many other applications.
In view of the foregoing, it is most desirable to improve the solubility of poorly soluble compounds including flavonoids. It is also desirable to incorporate flavonoids, such as the flavones apigenin and luteolin, as part of topical formulations to aid in the prevention and/or treatment of skin damage or skin cancer resulting from the effects of sun exposure and also to provide a skin treatment composition useful in the treatment of a variety of dermatological conditions.

Methods of increasing solubility of poorly soluble compounds and methods of making and using formulations of such compound


The present application relates to a method, an apparatus and a storage medium for locating QR codes. For automatically locating a plurality of QR codes in image of any size, the invention provides an apparatus for locating at least one QR code in an image, comprising: characteristic ratio detection means for detecting the potential QR code location symbol areas by carrying out a plurality of detections for detecting the characteristic ratio of the QR code; critical edge detection means for detecting the critical edges of the potential QR code location symbol areas so that the false areas are excluded; location symbol grouping means for matching the detected QR code location symbol areas into potential QR codes; and verification means for excluding the false QR codes. The invention also provides a corresponding method for locating at least one QR code.

A QR code is a bi-dimensional "barcode". It is well know that a barcode expresses information with alternating black and white bars of different widths, and the black-white transition occurs along a direction crossing the longitudinal direction of the bars. When a barcode is to be detected and identified, it is scanned in said direction. That is, a barcode is uni-dimensional.
In contrast, a QR code expresses information with small bars distributed bi-dimensionally in a square area. If a barcode is considered to have one row of information, then a QR code has many rows of information.
As shown in FIG. 1, a QR code 52 comprises three location symbols 54, two timing cell lines 58 and one ending point 50. The location symbols 54, the timing cell lines and the ending point are used in detecting the QR code and in initialization of the information identifying process, and the square area defined by them is the content area 56 containing the information to be expressed by the QR code.
At the present, a timing cell line 58 is comprised of alternating black and white dots equally spaced, and a location symbol is comprised of a black square 54c surrounded by a white square frame 54b, which is further surrounded by a black square frame 54a. Any line crossing two opposite sides of the central black square 54c will be cut into 5 sections by the edges of the square and the frames, and the ratio of the 5 sections is 1:1:3:1:1, and hereinafter is referred to as the characteristic ratio. FIG. 2.1 shows three exemplary lines (a), (b) and (c) (including a diagonal (b)) crossing two opposite lines of the central square 54c, and FIG. 2.2 shows the waveform formed by scanning the location symbol along said lines, and the characteristic ratio is reflected therein.
When the information in a QR code is to be read out, the area containing the QR code is scanned and a binary image is obtained (or a binary image containing the QR code may already exist). Then the location symbols are detected, and thus the location of the QR code is determined with the location symbols together with the timing cell lines and the ending point. Consequently, the content area is identified and the content therein may be read out.
Conventionally, a QR code is used as a label or the like and functions to provide some brief information of the labeled object. The amount of such information is small. In such a case, generally there is only one QR code on an article and it is sufficient for the operator to scan the small area containing the QR code.
Correspondingly, the conventional method and apparatus for locating a QR code can only operate a small region image with the size of one or two inches during capturing or reading images, and the operator must manually or semi-automatically focus the scanner on the very portion of the QR code image to capture the right position of the QR code. Moreover, the conventional solution can only locate one QR code each time and it can only combine three location symbols.
However, as the latest development, the QR code now is used to express more and more information and an image will contain a plurality of QR codes, for example as shown in FIG. 3. In such a case, the conventional locating solution will no longer work.
Furthermore, just as shown in FIG. 2.1 and FIG. 2.2, the conventional locating solution uses center and corner scan lines to locate the QR code, and such a method is very unreliable.
Another defect of the conventional solution is that it can only locate main black color QR code that is positively oriented, just as shown in FIG. 1. If the QR code is reversed or is placed in any other orientation, or if the image is inverted in color, then the conventional solution will not work.

Method, an apparatus and a storage medium for locating QR codes


A self-localizing apparatus uses timestampable signals transmitted by transceivers that are a part of a distributed localization system to compute its position relative to the transceivers. Transceivers and self-localizing apparatuses are arranged for highly accurate timestamping using digital and analog reception and transmission electronics as well as one or more highly accurate clocks, compensation units, localization units, position calibration units, scheduling units, or synchronization units. Transceivers and self-localizing apparatuses are further arranged to allow full scalability in the number of self-localizing apparatuses and to allow robust self-localization with latencies and update rates useful for high performance applications such as autonomous mobile robot control.

Logistics and industrial automation increasingly rely on accurate localization to support and control manual and automated processes, with applications ranging from "smart things" through effective tracking and assistance solutions to robots such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs).
Ultra wideband (UWB) technology has been advocated as a localization solution suitable for asset tracking applications. Such applications are concerned with maintaining a centralized database of assets and their storage locations in a warehouse, hospital, or factory. When using UWB technology, assets, such as pallets, equipment, or also people may be equipped with tags that emit UWB signals at regular intervals. These signals may then be detected by UWB sensors installed in the warehouse, hospital, or factory. A central server then uses the UWB signals detected by the UWB sensors to compute the tag's location and update the centralized database.
Mobile robots are increasingly used to aid task performance in both consumer and industrial settings. Autonomous mobile robots in particular offer benefits including freeing workers from dirty, dull, dangerous, or distant tasks; high repeatability; and, in an increasing number of cases, also high performance. A significant challenge in the deployment of mobile robots in general and autonomous mobile robots in particular is robot localization, i.e., determining the robot's position in space. Current localization solutions are not well suited for many mobile robot applications, including applications where mobile robots operate in areas where global positioning system (GPS)-based localization is unreliable or inoperative, or applications that require operation near people.
Using current UWB localization solutions for robot localization would not enable a mobile robot to determine its own location directly. Rather, a robot equipped with a tag would first emit an UWB signal from its location, UWB sensors in its vicinity would then detect that UWB signal and relay it to a central server that would then compute the mobile robot's location, and then this location would have to be communicated back to the robot using a wireless link. This type of system architecture invariably introduces significant communication delays (e.g., latency) for controlling the mobile robot. This communication architecture also results in a relatively higher risk of lost signals (e.g., due to wireless interference) and correspondingly lower system robustness, which makes it unsuitable for many safety-critical robot applications (e.g., autonomous mobile robot operation). Furthermore, in this architecture the maximum number of tags and the tag emission frequency (i.e., the localization system's update rate) are invariably linked since multiple UWB signals may not overlap, which results in relatively lower redundancy (i.e., a limited number of tags allowed for an available network traffic load) and limited scalability (i.e., the system can only support a limited number of tags in parallel).
FIG. 2A is a block diagram overview of a centralized localization system as proposed in the prior art for use in asset tracking. In this system, tags 202 are moved within some environment, transmitting UWB signals 208 at various times. In this centralized system, mobile transmitters may operate independently and without synchronization. Stationary UWB sensors 204 are distributed throughout the environment. They have synchronized clocks. The UWB signals 208 transmitted by the tag 202 are received by the UWB sensors 204 that then communicate the signals' reception times to a centralized server 206. Based on the reception time at each UWB sensor 204, centralized server 206 computes the location of each tag 202. The system architecture shown in FIG. 2A is often advanced for asset tracking, where the location of all tags 202 should be known at a centralized location, and where tags 202 are not required to know their position. These properties make this system architecture unsuitable for situations where the objects being tracked are required to know their position; e.g., robots that make decisions based upon knowledge of their position. Furthermore, because each tag 202 is required to transmit signals 208, the update rate of the system is inversely proportional to the number of tags 202. This makes this system architecture unsuitable for situations where a large number of objects need to be tracked with a high update rate.
FIG. 2B is a block diagram overview of another localization system proposed in the prior art whereby mobile transceivers 252 communicate with stationary transceivers 254 through the two-way exchange of UWB signals 258. Such two-way communication with a stationary transceiver 254 enables the mobile transceiver 252 to compute the time-of-flight between itself and the stationary transceiver. In this architecture, communication between mobile transceivers 252 and stationary transceivers 254 must be coordinated, such that communications do not interfere. Knowledge of the time-of-flight to three or more stationary transceivers 254 enables each mobile transceiver 252 to compute its relative location within an environment using trilateration. Because each mobile transceiver 252 communicates with each stationary transceiver 254, the update rate of the system is inversely proportional to the number of mobile transceivers 252 and to the number of stationary transceivers 254. This architecture is therefore not suitable for systems where a large number of objects must be localized at a high frequency (e.g., tracking a group of robots, where position measurements are used in the robots' control loops to influence the robots' motions).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Distributed localization systems and methods and self-localizing apparatus


The present invention provides a file structure analyzing apparatus for analyzing a file including a group of structured data formed into a tree structure by having a plurality of distinct element packets referenced externally, each of the distinct element packets including a unique identifier for identifying the distinct element packet in question and an external referrer for indicating an external reference destination at which to reference externally another distinct element packet using the unique identifier of the latter packet, the file structure analyzing apparatus including: a distinct element packet input section; an external referrer holding section; a unique identifier holding section; and a reference relationship analysis section.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a file structure analyzing apparatus, a file structure analyzing method, and a program. More particularly, the invention relates to a file structure analyzing apparatus, a file structure analyzing method, and a program for analyzing the tree structure of files.
2. Description of the Related Art
Video materials are generally recorded to package media such as video tapes and are also captured and transferred by servers through diverse digital interfaces including SDI (Single Document Interface). Once captured by a server, a video material is handled as a file that may be transferred to or shared by other servers located on a network. In recent years, network-based data transmissions have taken place mostly through asynchronous transmission channels exemplified by the IP network. In such cases, the interchangeability between data files becomes critically important.
In view of the above circumstances, there have been proposed formats aimed at promoting file exchanges such as MXF (Material Exchange Format) based on the SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) 377M standard. An MXF file is a structured file made up of a file header, a file body, and a file footer. Metadata may be stored into any or all of the header, body, and footer as needed.
Specifically, the metadata stored into the file header is called header metadata. The header metadata is constituted not only by video edit information but also by metadata for content identification as well as metadata explanatory of scenes and shots. These kinds of metadata are used to express information typically constituting explanations of an entire program or descriptions of scenes on a scene-by-scene or shot-by-shot basis. Because the structure and content of an entire file can be grasped by referencing its header metadata, the header metadata may be detached from the file body and transmitted or analyzed.
When a file is transferred or handled otherwise, the header metadata of the file may be used to analyze the structure and content of the entire file. This makes it possible to verify or correct the consistency of the file. Generally, MXF files have their detailed logical structures expressed as a tree structure each. The header metadata of the MXF file is thus expressed as tree structure data illustratively for content identification. In the past, analyzing such tree structure data required that the entire header metadata be expanded collectively in an internal memory. Where the header data was enormous in size, as in the case of picture data or other huge information being stored as part of header metadata, it was often impossible to expand all header metadata simultaneously in the internal memory. That in turn made it impossible to analyze the tree structure data in question.
Illustratively, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2007-148751 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1) discloses a technique whereby the structural description elements of header metadata are separated from its data elements so that only the separated structural description elements may be expanded in an internal memory for tree structure analysis. The disclosed technique is intended to analyze the tree structure independently of the size of the data elements.

File structure analyzing apparatus, file structure analyzing method, and program


A photosensor includes a lower electrode formed of a metal film, an amorphous silicon film disposed on the lower electrode, an n-type amorphous silicon film disposed on the amorphous silicon film, an upper electrode that is disposed on the n-type amorphous silicon film, and receives a first reference voltage, a capacitive element connected between the lower electrode and a second reference voltage, a switch circuit that inputs a first supply voltage to the lower electrode in an on-state, and puts the lower electrode into a floating state in an off-state, and a detector circuit that detects a voltage change in the lower electrode after irradiating the amorphous silicon film for a given period with light when the switch circuit is on.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photosensor and a photosensor array, and more particularly to a photosensor array using a thick amorphous silicon film which is a light-dependent variable resistance element as a photosensor element.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ones of the present inventors have filed Japanese Patent Application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-162612) with respect to a photosensor and a photosensor array in which amorphous silicon (a-Si) films are used for photosensor elements. The amorphous silicon (a-Si) film of the photosensor in the invention disclosed in the filed Japanese Patent Application operates as the light-dependent variable resistance element in which a resistance is varied in response to an incident light.

Photosensor and photosensor array with capacitive element

Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Co., Ltd.


The invention provides compositions for preventing or treating inflammatory disease comprising one or more omega-3 fatty acids, one or more sulfur containing amino acids, and manganese and methods for preventing and treating inflammatory disease comprising administering such compositions to an animal susceptible to or suffering from inflammatory disease. In a preferred embodiment, the composition is admixed with one or more food ingredients to produce a food composition useful for preventing or treating inflammatory disease.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to compositions and methods for combating inflammatory disease and particularly to the use of food compositions for preventing and treating inflammatory disease.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are compounds reported to be beneficial for treatment of inflammation-related disorders such as arthritis. Omega-3 fatty acids are one type of PUFA that contain more than one double bond. They are called omega-3 fatty acids because the first double bond counting from the methyl end of the fatty acid is located at the third carbon atom.
Omega-3 fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids because they are essential to health but cannot be manufactured by the body. Therefore, omega-3 fatty acids must be obtained from food or food supplements. Omega-3 fatty acids are in fish and certain plant oils. There are three major types of omega-3 fatty acids in foods, i.e., alpha-linolenic acid (ALA; 18:3n-3), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3). ALA is considered an essential fatty acid because it is required for health but cannot be synthesized by mammals. Mammals can, however, synthesize other omega-3 fatty acids from ALA, including EPA and DHA.
Omega-3 fatty acids are known to have a wide range of nutritional and health benefits such as reducing inflammation and treating inflammation-related disorders. Omega-3 fatty acids are thought to be important in arthritis, brain function, visual acuity, and normal growth and development. Omega-3 fatty acids have also been reported to act as anti-inflammatory compounds. They are believed to competitively inhibit the conversion of arachidonic acid to pro-inflammatory eicosanoids. Omega-3 fatty acids are also precursors to the synthesis of prostaglandins that regulate inflammation in mammals.
Rheumatism and arthritis are general terms for acute and chronic conditions characterized by inflammation and pain. Rheumatism is a general category of conditions characterized by inflammation and pain in muscles and joints, including arthritis. Arthritis is characterized by inflammation of joints that causes swelling and pain. Types of arthritis include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Rheumatic conditions include infectious arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, arthritis due to rheumatic fever, arthritis due to trauma or degenerative joint disease, myositis, neurogenic arthropathy, bursitis, fibromyositis and hydroarthrosis. The cause of such diseases in not always fully understood but may be the result of other degenerative diseases, trauma, or auto-immune diseases such as SLE. Inflammation also occurs as a defensive response to host invasion by foreign agents and mechanical trauma that results in an immune response, e.g., microbial agents such as bacterial and viruses, toxins, and neoplasia.
What these diseases and conditions, both examples of inflammatory diseases, share in common is inflammation and the resulting pain. Prior methods for preventing and treating inflammatory diseases have generally focused on pain-killing and anti-inflammatory drugs. Typical methods have focused on oral medications such as steroidal cortisone derivatives and numerous non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Unfortunately, these drugs almost always exhibit undesirable side effects. Other efforts have focused on joint implants such as the knee or hip implants. These methods are lengthy and complicated surgical procedures that force the patient to undergo costly invasive surgery and a significant recovery period requiring a rigorous and costly regimen of physical therapy. There is, therefore, a need for new methods for preventing and treating inflammatory diseases that avoids the undesirable side effects and costly surgical procedures characteristic of previous methods for preventing and treating inflammatory diseases.

Methods and compositions for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory diseases


An electron emitting apparatus includes a lower electrode, an emitter section made of a dielectric material, a plurality of upper electrodes having micro through holes, and a collector electrode opposing the upper electrodes. In this electron-emitting apparatus, electrons are accumulated in the emitter section by controlling the potential difference (drive voltage) between the lower and upper electrodes with respect to the potential of the lower electrode to a negative predetermined voltage. At this time, the collector electrode of the electron-emitting apparatus is grounded. Thus, unnecessary electron-emitting is suppressed. Subsequently, the drive voltage is changed to a positive predetermined voltage. As a result, polarization reversal occurs in the emitter section, and accumulated electros are emitted through the micro through holes in the upper electrodes by Coulomb repulsion. At this time, a positive voltage Vc is applied to the collector electrode to give large energy to accelerate the electrons.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electron-emitting apparatus including an emitter section made of a dielectric material, a lower electrode disposed below the emitter section, and an upper electrode disposed above the emitter section.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, an electron-emitting apparatus including an emitter section made of a dielectric material, a lower electrode (lower electrode layer) disposed below the emitter section, and an upper electrode (upper electrode layer) disposed above the emitter section and having numerous micro trough holes has been known. According to this type of electron-emitting apparatus, a high-voltage pulse is applied between the upper electrode and the lower electrode to reverse the polarization of the dielectric material and to thereby emit electrons through the micro through holes in the upper electrode (e.g., refer to Japanese Patent No. 3160213, claim 1, paragraphs 0016 to 0019, and FIGS. 2 and 3).
This type of apparatus is applicable to displays. For example, as shown in FIG. 22, an electro-emitting apparatus applied to a display includes a transparent plate 17, a collector electrode 18, and phosphors 19 opposite to upper electrodes 14. According to this electron-emitting apparatus, the phosphors 19 are irradiated with electrons emitted from an emitter section 13 through micro through holes (not shown) in the upper electrodes 14, and thereby generate light. The collector electrode 18 is provided to accelerate the emitted electrons, and a predetermined positive voltage Vc is constantly applied to the collector electrode 18.
A control for light emission by electron emission is performed by, for example, a scheme shown in FIG. 23. Specifically, from time t10 to time t20, the electro-emitting apparatus sets a drive voltage Vin between an upper electrode 14 and a lower electrode 12 (i.e., the potential difference between the lower and upper electrodes with respect to the potential of the lower electrode 12) at a particular negative value so as to reverse the orientation of dipoles (polarization reversal) in the emitter section 13 and to thereby supply electrons from the upper electrode 14 to the emitter section 13. The electrons are thereby accumulated mainly near the upper portion of the emitter section 13. At the time t20, the electron-emitting apparatus sets the drive voltage Vin at a predetermined positive value so as to reverse the polarization of the emitter section 13 for the second time. This polarization reversal allows the electrons accumulated near the upper portion of the emitter section 13 to travel in the upward direction due to Coulomb repulsion. As a result, the phosphor 19 is irradiated with electrons and thereby emits light. Subsequently, at a time t30, the electro-emitting apparatus sets the drive voltage Vin at the predetermined negative value again so as to resume the accumulation of the electrons, and, at a time t40, sets the drive voltage Vin at the predetermined positive value to allow the electrons to be emitted in the upward direction, thereby achieving light emission.


An inductive absolute position sensor has a scale with planar conducting features on a pattern repeating every spatial period TC along a measuring path and a reading head with planar windings: multipolar sine and cosine sense windings of spatial period TF=TC/M, M an integer, a unipolar first drive winding surrounding the sense windings and a multipolar second drive winding of spatial period TC/N along the measuring path, with N=M±1. An electronic circuit makes a first mode measurement using the first drive winding and a second mode measurement using the second drive winding. The absolute position in a range TC is computed from both modes' measurements. The sensor may be as compact as the incremental sensor it replaces, as the scale pattern and second drive winding needed for making it absolute do not need extra space.

Inductive incremental position sensors usually consist of a reading head with drive and sense windings facing a scale with a periodic pattern of conducting or permeable features influencing the coupling between windings in function of the relative position of scale and reading head, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,698 to McMullin et al.
Current inductive absolute position sensors are a combination of two or more inductive incremental position sensors of different scale periods. The '698 patent suggests two variants, one combining an incremental sensor of fine period and another of coarse period, the other combining two incremental sensors of slightly different periods.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,886,519 to Masreliez et al. discloses an inductive absolute position sensor system having three inductive incremental position sensors/transducers, each one's drive and sense windings facing one of three tracks on a scale. The tracks' features are flux modulators or eddy current screens locally modulating the coupling from drive and sense windings. As mentioned in the specification of the '519 patent, accuracy is limited by crosstalk between tracks, requiring some minimum track separation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,400,138 to Andermo replaces the '519 patent scales' flux modulators with current-coupled flux coupling loops. Direct couplings between drive and sense windings are thus avoided, resulting in better accuracy. However, multiple scale tracks with a minimum track separation are still required.
Problematically, the above described devices are either be too cumbersome or not accurate enough for use in measuring instruments such as gauging probes, micrometers, dial indicators, etc., mentioned above.


In a method for producing a cover for a region of a substrate, first a frame structure is produced in the region of the substrate, and then a cap structure is attached to the frame structure so that the region under the cap structure is covered. Thus, sensitive devices may be protected easily and at low cost from external influences and particularly from a casting material for casting the entire packaged device, which results when a diced chip is cast.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to packaged devices and particularly to packaged devices containing mechanically sensitive components. A mechanically sensitive component or an active region, respectively, is, for example, an SAW or BAW filter or a micromechanical element.
2. Description of the Related Art
Micromechanical devices play an increasingly important role, particularly when considering rotation rate sensors, acceleration sensors, etc. Here, a mechanically active part such as a mass that is deflectable depending on acceleration, or a vibrator that may be put in stimulating vibration in a rotation rate sensor, or generally a sensor or actuator is packaged together with an integrated circuit for controlling and/or evaluating the device. Other elements whose characteristics are affected by a casting package, such as bulk acoustic wave filters (BAW filters) or surface acoustic wave filters (SAW filters), are also packaged either on their own or together with an integrated circuit for controlling or readout.
Typical packaging concepts, such as casting or molding in plastic or resin, are disadvantageous in that the mechanical properties of mechanically sensitive parts may be affected, or, like in the case of BAW or SAW filters, in that the material on the surface of the BAW resonators also has an influence on the characteristics of the filter.
For the protection of mechanical structures, wafers with corresponding structures, i.e. filters, resonators, sensors, or actuators, etc., have been bonded with a second wafer into which pits and holes are etched in the places of the structure, so that the pits of the second wafer form cavities over the sensitive structures of the first wafer and the holes in the second wafer (cap wafer) make contact pads of the first wafer accessible. Thereby the sensitive structures are protected. Alternatively, ceramic packages also are employed, which are, however, expensive.

Method for producing a cover, method for producing a packaged device


A device is provided which includes a first microprocessor core to generate a first output signal; a second microprocessor core to generate a second output signal; a switching fabric having a first input/output port; and lockstep logic, coupled between the first input/output port of the switching fabric and the first and second microprocessor cores, to detect whether the first output signal differs from the second output signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to microprocessor design and, more particularly, to techniques for implementing microprocessor lockstepping.
2. Related Art
Cosmic rays or alpha particles that strike a silicon-based device, such as a microprocessor, can cause an arbitrary node within the device to change state in unpredictable ways, thereby inducing what is referred to as a "soft error." Microprocessors and other silicon-based devices are becoming increasingly susceptible to soft errors as such devices decrease in size. Soft errors are transient in nature and may or may not cause the device to malfunction if left undetected and/or uncorrected. An uncorrected and undetected soft error may, for example, cause a memory location to contain an incorrect value which may in turn cause the microprocessor to execute an incorrect instruction or to act upon incorrect data.
One response to soft errors has been to add hardware to microprocessors to detect soft errors and to correct them, if possible. Various techniques have been employed to perform such detection and correction, such as adding parity-checking capabilities to processor caches. Such techniques, however, are best at detecting and correcting soft errors in memory arrays, and are not as well-suited for detecting and correcting soft errors in arbitrary control logic, execution datapaths, or latches within a microprocessor. In addition, adding circuitry for implementing such techniques can add significantly to the size and cost of manufacturing the microprocessor.
One technique that has been used to protect arbitrary control logic and associated execution datapaths is to execute the same instruction stream on two or more processors in parallel. Such processors are said to execute two copies of the instruction stream "in lockstep," and therefore are referred to as "lockstepped processors." When the microprocessor is operating correctly (i.e., in the absence of soft errors), all of the lockstepped processors should obtain the same results because they are executing the same instruction stream. A soft error introduced in one processor, however, may cause the results produced by that processor to differ from the results produced by the other processor(s). Such systems, therefore, attempt to detect soft errors by comparing the results produced by the lockstepped processors after each instruction or set of instructions is executed in lockstep. If the results produced by any one of the processors differs from the results produced by the other processors, a fault is raised or other corrective action is taken. Because lockstepped processors execute redundant instruction streams, lockstepped systems are said to perform a "functional redundancy check."
One difficulty in the implementation of lockstepping is that it can be difficult to provide clock signals which are precisely in phase with each other and which share exactly the same frequency to a plurality of microprocessors. As a result, lockstepped processors can fall out of lockstep due to timing differences even if they are otherwise functioning correctly. In higher-performance designs which use asynchronous interfaces, keeping two different processors in two different sockets on the same clock cycle can be even more difficult.
Early processors, like many existing processors, included only a single processor core. A "multi-core" processor, in contrast, may include one or more processor cores on a single chip. A multi-core processor behaves as if it were multiple processors. Each of the multiple processor cores may essentially operate independently, while sharing certain common resources, such as a cache or system interface. Multi-core processors therefore provide additional opportunities for increased processing efficiency. In some existing systems, multiple cores within a single microprocessor may operate in lockstep with each other.
In existing systems for enabling multiple microprocessor cores to operate in lockstep, the microprocessor typically connects to a single system bus, a portion of which is shared by two or more lockstepped cores in the microprocessor. Because only one core can access the shared portion of the bus at a time in such systems, such systems typically include circuitry for arbitrating between the multiple cores and for multiplexing the data from the current "bus master" core onto the system bus. In such designs, the lockstep circuitry is typically implemented at these points of arbitration and multiplexing. Implementing lockstep circuitry in this way can be very difficult, particularly because the requirements of the bus architecture and protocol may leave very little time to perform lockstep checking. Furthermore, in such systems all data from the bus is duplicated before being transmitted to the lockstepped cores.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A thermal printer includes a casing, a thermal head module and a guiding component. The thermal head module is detachably installed inside the casing, and the thermal head module includes a bracket, a thermal head and a pivoting component. The thermal head is installed on the bracket, and the pivoting component is disposed on an end of the bracket. The pivoting component is pivotally engaged with the casing. The guiding component is rotatably installed inside the casing and for guiding a printing medium. The guiding component includes a holding portion for holding the pivoting component of the thermal head module as the guiding component rotates in a first rotating direction relative to the casing, so as to drive the pivoting component to separate from the casing, so that the thermal head module is detached from the casing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermal printer, and more specifically, to a thermal printer having a thermal print head with easy assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional thermal printer includes a thermal print module for performing thermal print, and a thermal print head is disposed on the thermal print module. The conventional thermal print module is often fixed inside a casing of the thermal printer by fastening components, such as screws, so as to increase stability and to decrease errors in a procedure of thermal print. However, the thermal print head is easily damaged after being used for a long time, so that it has to detach the thermal print module from the thermal printer to repair. As the thermal print module is screwed inside the casing of the thermal printer, the thermal print module just can be taken out to be repaired after all of screws are removed, resulting in inconvenience of repair and wasting time of replacement. Therefore, it is an important issue to design a thermal printer with easy assembly.

Min-Sing-Sin-Jhuang Industrial District, Shang-Hai


A liquid crystal display module is provided including a liquid crystal panel for displaying an image; a backlight unit including a light source unit for providing light to the liquid crystal panel; and a packaging chassis which holds the liquid crystal panel and the backlight unit in a single module. The light source unit includes a plurality of light sources; a light source support board for supporting the light sources; a wavelength conversion member, disposed in front of the light sources, which converts wavelengths of light emitted from the light sources; and a fixing member which holds the wavelength conversion member in front of the light sources, defines a mounting space within which the wavelength conversion member is disposed and defines an accommodation space within which the plurality of light sources are accommodated.

1. Field
Apparatuses consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to a liquid crystal display module and a liquid crystal display apparatus having the same, and more particularly, to a liquid crystal display module including a fixing member for mounting a wavelength conversion member, and a liquid crystal display apparatus having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A Flat Panel Display (FPD) is an image display device which is thin and light. Recently, liquid crystal displays have been the dominant FPDs on the market.
There have been various attempts to enhance the image quality of liquid crystal display devices. According to one such attempt, a wavelength conversion member, which increases color expression, is mounted to the device.
However, a method is needed for stably mounting the wavelength conversion member and solving a problem caused by the heat of the wavelength conversion member.

Liquid crystal display module including a wavelength conversion member and liquid crystal display apparatus having the same


A removable modular control device for a contactor apparatus having in a casing, power switches actuated by an electromagnet, the coil of which is connected to two external connecting terminals accessible from the exterior through two respective openings provided on the upper face of the casing, each of these terminals having one clamping screw accessible through one opening formed in the front face of the casing. The control device includes a selector which is lodged in an insulating case provided with two rigid projecting pins adapted to be clamped in the connecting terminals, this selector being connected between the projecting pins and input terminals disposed on the upper face of the insulating case.

The invention relates to a removable modular control device for a contactor apparatus comprising power switches which are actuated by an electromagnet having an energization coil which comprises a first end permanently connected to a pole of a power supply source and a source end connected to a selector circuit capable of transmitting control signals of opposite polarity to that of the source. These control signals are provided either by an automatic device, or transmitted by a means independent of the preceding one.
Control systems known in the prior art generally require a cabinet or a board in which is usually disposed a function selector which able to orient either the signals emitted by the circuit of an automatism or the signals which must be applied independently of the preceding ones towards one of the ends of the coil, for checking for example the correct operation of a particular contactor by a manual forced operation and interruption order.
In one embodiment which is widely used, the selector is disposed not on the panel of a cabinet but on the front face of the cover of a small box containing the contactor with which it is connected by conductors going from the cover to terminals connected to the coil of the contactor, the latter being fixed on a face of this box.
In both cases, the member for controlling the selector, which is disposed accessibly, may be incorrectly manipulated or inadvertently moved, whereas its presence is only justified by the infrequent need to carry out an operating check.
Furthermore, it can be seen that in each of these cases it is necessary to use more or less long conductors which are themselves likely to be the cause of breakdowns or troubles.

Removable modular control device for a contactor apparatus


A blade drive device includes: a board that has an opening; a blade that opens and closes the opening; and a drive source that drives the blade. The drive source includes a rotor rotatably supported and a stator for applying a rotational force to the rotor. The stator, around which a coil for excitation is wound, has a fitting hole fitted with a projective portion formed on the board and has a rectangular shape.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to blade drive devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a blade drive device for a camera includes: a board having an opening; a blade opening and closing the opening; and a drive source, such as an actuator, driving the blade. Such an actuator includes a rotor rotatably supported, a stator around which a coil for excitation is wounded and which applies a rotational force to the rotator, and the like. Typically, the actuator is positioned and fixed on the board by abutting positioning pins with an outer periphery of the stator.
Incidentally, such a blade drive device is often installed into a mobile phone or the like, and there is a demand for further downsizing the blade drive device. For example, by reducing the size of the board as much as possible, the blade drive device can be reduced in size in the planar direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction. However, since the actuator is positioned and fixed on the board by abutting positioning pins with the outer periphery of the stator, the size equal to the space for providing the positioning pin cannot to be reduced in the planar direction particular to the optical axis direction.


A compact battery pack (1) for use with an electronic apparatus comprising a housing (2) having a wall portion (21) which is provided with a recess (8) to accommodate a substrate 6 having present thereon at least two electrical terminals 5 for contacting cells (4) provided in a cavity (3) within the housing. The substrate (6) is contained within the thickness of the recess (8) so that it does not extend into the cavity (3).

Increasingly there is a requirement for smaller and more ergonomic electronic apparatus adapted for comfort in use and ease of storage. This has led in many cases to apparatus becoming smaller and therefore more easily handled. This has in turn led to the miniaturization of electronic components and an increased awareness of space conservation in chip and circuit board design. The hand held radio telephone is one product which has profited from such miniaturization with radio telephones today being considerably smaller than those available even a few years ago. In order to continue this trend large sums of money and considerable time have been spent in electronics research in order to produce components which provide relatively small reductions in space.
Most portable electronic apparatus such as radio telephones require a power source generally in the form of one or more cells contained within the device or a detachable battery pack.
Battery packs are generally bulky, comprising a housing enclosing the cells. Therefore, regardless of the miniaturization of the electronic components within the actual telephone, the overall telephone size will be limited at least in part by the dimensions of the battery pack.


A diameter gauge is disclosed for measuring the outside diameter of a part having a circular cross-section. The gauge comprises two arms converging to form a channel, a light source and a light detecting device. The part to be measured is placed within the channel, partially blocking or reflecting the transmission of light from the light source. The diameter of the part is determined from the location of the part shadow or reflected light.

The present invention relates in general to diameter gauging apparatus and in particular to an apparatus and method for determining the outside diameter of an object or part having a circular cross section.
In machine shop practice, it is customary to use a micrometer to measure the outside diameter of a part having a circular cross section, e.g. a cylindrical shaft, as different steps of the machining process are completed. Difficulties may be encountered in accurately and reliably placing the micrometer in position on the part to be measured, itself a time-consuming procedure, and occasionally errors in measurement occur. Furthermore, a particular micrometer can generally only measure a given range of cross sectional sizes, so that a number of micrometers must be kept on hand for measuring parts of widely different diameters. Such a requirement not only increases the amount of capital tied up in equipment, but it also necessitates a certain amount of record keeping and equipment storage. Finally, the maintenance costs of the shop are increased since each micrometer must be periodically re-calibrated.


A method and apparatus of forming a preform (12) of structural fibers (14) includes a hermetically sealed housing (18) for controlling air pressures and flow therein. A perforated screen (28) is located within the housing (18) separating same into a high pressure chamber (34) and a low pressure chamber (36). Pressurized air is supplied to the high pressure chamber (34) to agitate and randomize fibers (14), and a vacuum (26) is provided in the low pressure chamber (36) to draw and compact the fibers against the screen (28). The pressure differential between the chambers (34, 36) provides significant compaction of the fibers against the screen. A binder (16) is applied to the fibers (14) to maintain the shape of the preform.

Structural preforms are necessary for liquid composite molding (LCM) process. Structural preforms must be formed in the three dimensional shape complimentary of the final desired part. The preform can then be placed in a mold cavity where resin is injected to provide the final form of the part.
The preform is formed by a combination of structural fibers, such as glass fiber reinforcement, and a resin or binder material. A preform must be dense and have little loft to facilitate a high weight percent of glass in the final part. The thickness of the preform must be controlled because the closing action of the mold can tear apart the preform on surfaces with orientations close to vertical. Factors in the cost of a preform include the source of the fibers, i.e., woven mats, continuous strand mats, or chopped roving. Cycle time as well as the amount of scrap generated during each cycle are also factors in cost.
Current process of forming preforms include thermoforming, directed fiber, and slurry methods.
The thermoforming process involves cutting a blank from a glass mat. Blanks are stacked to get the proper amount and orientation of glass, and the stack is passed through an oven and placed in a die cavity. The die is closed to form the glass to the desired three-dimensional shape, and excess material is trimmed. The die is cooled to set the thermoplastic binder in the preform shape. In general, mats are costly and trimming produces significant scrap material. Furthermore, the binder pre-exists within the glass mat and therefore allows no variation in amount or distribution of the binder.
The directed fiber method utilizes a glass chopper aimed at a screen which is shaped as the desired part. A blower draws air through the screen which holds the chopped glass in place. The binder is directed onto the screen along with the glass. The screen is moved into an oven to melt the binder. Exemplary of such process is U.S. Pat. No. 2,929,436 in the name of Hampshire, issued Mar. 22, 1960 which discloses a conventional manual spraying of chopped fibers onto a preforming screen. The problem with the process is that compaction force is limited to atmospheric pressure and has a lessening effect on the outer layers of the preform producing significant loft. Furthermore, uniformity is strictly dependent upon the spray pattern.
The slurry process utilizes a screen which is originally positioned at the bottom of a tank of water. Chopped glass and binder fibers are added to the tank and the mixture is agitated by compressed air. The screen is raised through the tank, filtering all water therethrough and the glass and binder are trapped on the screen. The preform is removed from the screen and placed in an oven to dry the preform. This process is illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,465, issued Aug. 13, 1991 in the name of Freeman et al. The problem with this type of system is that additional energy is needed to drive the screen through the water and in an added operation dry the preform. The time of drying can take up to two hours. Furthermore, the ability to produce consistent preforms time after time is unproven, as well as the ability to control the distribution of the glass fiber within a preform.
Other methods have been utilized to form preforms utilizing vacuums. Such is indicated by U.S. Pat. No. 2,725,601, issued Dec. 6, 1955 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,177,275, issued Apr. 6, 1965, both patents in the name of Brenner. In general, chopped fiber is introduced to a chamber and distributed by a fan or rotating blades at the chamber entrance. Binder may be sprayed therein. A partial vacuum is drawn behind the preforming screen to direct the fiber against the screen. The problem with this method is that there is minimal consolidation or compaction of the fibers of the preform, thereby producing significant undesirable loft.
Therefore, it is desirable to use a process which is low in cost, produces high compaction and consistency without the penalties discussed above.

Method and apparatus for hermetic pneumatic rapid preforming of chopped fibers

Automotive Polymer-Based Composites Joint Venture and Development Partnership


An electronic device includes a housing, a conductive foil, an elastomer body, and a strip composed of a non-elastomeric plastic. The conductive foil is electrically connected to the housing and has a functional section situated outside of the housing. The functional section of the conductive foil has a front side bearing sensors and/or display elements and is installable to a control panel. The elastomer body and the strip are positioned between an outer side of the housing and a back side of the functional section of the conductive foil.

Operating assemblies of motor vehicles and electrical household appliances often have control panels with display and switching elements. In modern control panels, switching elements are often designed as non-contact capacitive touch sensors having conductive surfaces situated on the rear side of a flat control panel.
DE 10 2006 039 133 A1 describes an operating device having a capacitive sensor button(s). The sensor button is an electrically conductive sensor element having a sensor surface. The sensor surface rests against the rear side of an electrically insulating cover plate. A circuit board is situated at a distance from the cover plate. The sensor element extends from the cover plate to the circuit board. A light box is between the cover plate and the circuit board. Via the lightbox the sensor element is fixed in a predefined position on the rear side of the cover plate, in parallel and perpendicular to the cover plate.
This operating device is a part of a household appliance such as a washing machine or dishwasher. In such household appliances, it is generally not a problem or even advisable to manufacture an operating device with an integrated electronics system and to mechanically connect the circuit board bearing the electronics system to a control panel.
More problematic are devices in which an electronic unit is pre-installed in a module housing and sensors and/or display elements are to be mounted on a separate control panel to, for example, the dashboard of a motor vehicle.
In principle, flexible circuit carriers such as conductive foils or films may be provided in order to mount sensors and/or display elements on the rear side of a control panel. In known applications, conductive foils bearing capacitive sensor surfaces as flat strip conductor sections are glued directly behind a control panel or attached to the control panel by extrusion coating. The sensor surfaces and/or display elements must be contacted and connected to an associated evaluation electronics system. This often results in difficulties in installation, especially in limited installation space. In addition, only after final installation is it possible to check or examine the overall functionality. It is also disadvantageous that such an arrangement is difficult to uninstall or dismantle if required.
Sensor surfaces on a conductive foil may, in principle, be fastened to a control panel by mechanical pressing. For example, the conductive foil may be mechanically pressed against the control panel via an elastically attached or resiliently mounted housing. Complicated fixing by gluing or extrusion coating is therefore dispensed with.
In regards to mechanically pressing conductive foils to control panels, it is problematic that control panels, and in particular the rear sides of dashboards, often have curvatures, uneven areas, bumps, bulges, etc. As a result of a control panel having such surface distortions, it is difficult to uniformly press the functional section of a flexible conductive foil, especially a relatively wide flexible conductive foil, onto the control panel. In particular, when the conductive foil having the sensor surfaces does not lie close against the control panel the function of the capacitive sensors may be impaired. The sensitivity and functional reliability of capacitive sensors may be significantly reduced by air inclusions between the sensor elements and the control panel on account of the very low relative permittivity of air compared to plastic.
Also, for multi-part or flat display elements situated on the rear side of a transparent or semi-transparent control panel, it is advantageous when the display elements maintain a small, uniform distance from the rear side of the control panel in order to avoid interfering uneven brightness distributions or regionally unclear displays.

Electronic device and operating assembly having an electronic device

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


A variable water pump control apparatus, may include a detecting portion detecting engine speed, operation of an idle stop and go system (ISG), coolant temperature, operation of a blower, and outside temperature, a variable water pump selectively circulating a coolant through an engine, and a control portion controlling the variable water pump according to the detected information including operating conditions and outside environmental factors, and a variable water pump control method may include detecting a driving condition and an environmental condition of a vehicle, and engaging or releasing a clutch of a variable water pump according to a detected condition so as to selectively circulate a coolant.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a variable water pump control system and a control method thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a variable water pump control system actively controlling a variable water pump and a control method thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
Vehicle manufacturers are currently attempting to improve fuel efficiency as well as exhaust gas quality through research processes thereof, and they have specifically increased a catalyst amount of the exhaust system or the capacity of the EGR cooler so as to satisfy emission regulations.
A coolant passage is formed between a cylinder block and a cylinder head of an engine, and a water pump circulates a coolant through the coolant passage so as to prevent overheating of the engine and sustain a regular temperature.
A conventional water pump is continuously operated to circulate the coolant regardless of a warmed up condition or a cold condition of the engine.
Accordingly, if the engine is started in a cold condition, the warming up time is delayed by the circulation of the coolant.
Also, since combustion efficiency is lower in a cold state of the engine, fuel mileage is lower, and the temperature of the exhaust gas is slowly raised, a light off time of a catalyst is delayed, and a harmful material of the exhaust gas is exhausted in a large amount.
A clutch is applied in a water pump so as to resolve the above problem, and the clutch is controlled according to engine RPM, coolant temperature, and an operation condition of a heater to selectively operate the water pump.
However, there is a drawback that the conventional variable water pump does not actively correspond to changing driving conditions and outside environmental factors.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

Variable water pump control system and the control method thereof


A method for providing a plurality of candidate inputs on a user device is provided. The method may include displaying a virtual keyboard in a first area of a display, receiving a text input via the keyboard, displaying the text input, and receiving a user request to enter a sentence-generating mode. The sentence-generating mode may inhibit display of the keyboard and display the candidate inputs in a second area of the display, the second area comprising the first area. The method may further include receiving a selection of one of the candidate inputs and displaying the received selection.

Mobile devices, such as smart phone devices, usually have virtual or physical keyboards in a small size. Due to the small keyboard, it takes more time for a user to enter text, and the user-entered text is prone to errors. To facilitate input of text by users, current mobile devices often provide functionalities of text prediction. The text prediction function allows a mobile device to present predicted text for a user to select and enter, thereby saving the user's time to manually type out the same word.
There are several disadvantages with current text prediction in mobile devices. First, it provides a limited number of predicted options for a user to select from. For example, usually predicted options are displayed in a row below the area in which the text is being inputted. Frequently the displayed predictions do not include the user's intended input, and the user still must manually type the desired input text. Second, current text prediction is based on the user's input in the past and does not allow a user to directly indicate how the text prediction should be performed. For example, the current text prediction does not include a user interface for a user to request text prediction for a certain category of inputs, such as punctuations, or certain verbs or nouns. It is therefore desirable to provide text prediction functions that include more text prediction options for user selection and that allow the user to request a particular type of predictions.

Methods and devices for providing candidate inputs


An illumination device for a vehicle is provided, and includes an optical device such as a reflector, with a dome and with a positioning pin. A light emitting assembly is also included with a printed circuit board and a semiconductor light source such as a light emitting diode. The light emitting assembly comprises a bracket with at least one spring for exerting a pretension force on the dome of the optical device. The printed circuit board comprises a positioning hole for receiving the positioning pin and to position the light emitting assembly relative to the optical device.

Semiconductor light sources such as light-emitting diodes and lasers are increasingly used in illumination devices for vehicles, in particular headlamps, signal lights, taillights and brake lights of cars. Semiconductor light sources have the advantage over traditional light bulbs, that they are more reliable, have a longer lifetime and that they consume less electrical power at the same light flux intensity. Traditional light bulbs radiate light in omnidirectional manner. Semiconductor light sources radiate light in a more directional manner and therefore the amount of light and electrical power needed is less. Nevertheless, in particular due to the more directional radiation of light from semiconductor light sources, an exact position relative to optical devices such as a reflector or a lens is critical and crucial. A placement of the semiconductor light source outside a designated position relative to the optical devices can lead to significant deviations in shape, direction and intensity of a light cone.
The US 2007/0268703 A1 discloses a vehicle lighting comprising a reflector, a heat dissipation base and a printed circuit board with a light-emitting diode. According to the teaching of the patent a positioning of the reflector relative to the printed circuit board with the light-emitting diode and relative to the heat dissipating base is achieved by pins and studs fitting in or protruding through holes in the printed circuit board and the heat dissipation base. According to the teaching the method for manufacturing the orienting studs allows precise dimensions and tolerances to be obtained.
The AT 51 44 03 B1 discloses an illumination device for a vehicle and a vehicle headlight. To avoid a deformation and a resulting deviation in the light cone when tightening a LED-light source to an optical device a temporary positioning means is proposed. A LED-light source carrier with the LED-light sources is positioned on the optical device. According to the teaching of the patent document a pin and a dome on the optical device is received by cut-outs of the LED-light source carrier. Holding springs on the optical device press the LED-light source carrier against the dome. The LED-light source carrier is thus positioned and temporarily fixed to the optical device by the dome and the pin. A fixed arrangement of the illumination device without screws is proposed. To realize that fixed arrangement, a cooling device is positioned on the LED-light source carrier and a fixation element with clamps is slid onto the cooling device, wherein receiving elements on the dome receive the clamps. By sliding the clamps of the fixation element under the receiving element of the dome a clamping force is generated. The cooling device, the LED-light source carrier and the optical device are pressed and held together by that clamping force.
Components of an illumination device such as the optical device, the dome, the pin, the light emitting assembly, the LED-light source carrier feature at least slight variations in dimensions from manufacturing. Consequently, it is inevitable to manufacture the components with slight tolerances to ensure that the components can be assembled together into the illumination device. A disadvantage of the tolerances is, that they lead to variations in position of the optical device, in particular the LED-light source, relative to the light emitting assembly and resulting in variations and possibly even a defective light cone.
A further disadvantage of an illumination device with many parts is, that the assembly is time consuming and complex.

Illumination device for a vehicle with positioning means


Accurate and rapid differentiation of the outbreak strain ribotype 027 from other possible Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) strains, using stool samples, facilitates decision making for treatment options. Cell wall protein V (CwpV) contains a cell wall binding domain conserved among C. difficile strains and a variable domain which is antigenically different among C. difficile strains. In embodiments, antibodies against the 027-specific region in CwpV are used in diagnostic tests to detect ribotype 027 in culture or fecal samples.

Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is the most common known cause of nosocomial diarrhea and accounts for about 3 million cases of diarrhea annually in the United Sates. The risk factors of C. difficile infection (CDI) include exposure to antibiotics, advanced age, and residence in hospitals or long-term care facilities. The symptoms of CDI range from mild diarrhea to pseudomembranous colitis and toxic megacolon. The average cost of treatment is about $10,000 per case. The mortality rate of CDI increased from 5.7 deaths per million population in 1999 to 23.7 deaths per million population in 2004 due to the emergence of hypervirulent outbreak strains. The ribotype 027 strain contributed significantly to the increased CDI incidence. The accurate differentiation of the outbreak strain ribotype 027 from other strains of C. difficile can facilitate decision making for treatment options.

Cell wall protein CwpV (CD0514) as a diagnostic marker for


In accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, systems and methods for transferring data over a network include communicating with a user via a portable communication device over the network, receiving a request for at least one instruction sequence related to a particular repair task of a machine from the user via the portable communication device over the network, processing the request from the user by accessing and retrieving the at least one instruction sequence from a database component, and transferring the at least one instruction sequence from the database component to the portable communication device.

Currently, there is no standardized method for conveying information about aircraft damage and/or malfunction to a centralized decision-making center in a manner efficient enough to enable quick dispatch or grounding-for-repair of an aircraft. Moreover, the methods in use today involve a combination of modes with much of the important data manually typed or verbally communicated. These methods of communication do not allow the information to be stored in a format that adequately captures history and allows forecasting. For example, a verbal telephone repot or an e-mail description can not be efficiently incorporated into a spreadsheet or relational database, or quantified, without a labor-intensive "translation" process by a human operator.
Certain operations on an airplane, though relatively simple, are highly critical and demand skilled workmanship. In heavy maintenance situations, where time is not as critical, individuals with a high skill level can be summoned and/or documents that describe how to do the operation can be reference on nearby computers. The situation is different for an aircraft in line maintenance or at an airport a loading gate. In these situations, it is often not possible to summon individuals with the needed training to the scene, nor is it possible for mechanics to quickly access guidance and/or instructions that describe how to properly perform the operation.
As such, some existing solutions for accessing guidance and/or instructions may require the user to obtain formal training before undertaking the operation and rely on this memorized training even though months or years may have passed. Other solutions may require a user to consult a manual, either via a communication network or in paper form, that is usually available only in central locations and not at the point-of-use.
Some guidance and/or instructions may be delivered to an airplane mechanic at a remote area with a wireless network connection, e.g., Wi-Fi connection. However, wireless capability for networked computers is not always present in remote areas. When present, it is rarely adequate to transmit high-bandwidth data and information, such as photo and video content. Accordingly, conventional solutions that rely on conventional wireless network connections suffer from inconsistent or non-existent wireless coverage in locations where point-of-use instructions are needed.
As a result, there is a need for a standardized, efficient system and method for transmitting data on damage and malfunctions of aircraft structures and systems for rapid decision-making and accumulation of statistical data for analyzing, identifying and forecasting damage trends for quality control and product improvement.

System and method for point-of-use instruction


A microprocessor having an instruction set architecture (ISA) that specifies at least one architected data format (ADF) for floating-point operands. The microprocessor includes a plurality of floating-point units, each comprising an arithmetic unit configured to receive non-ADF source operands and to perform a floating-point operation on the non-ADF source operands to generate a non-ADF result. The microprocessor also includes forwarding buses, configured to forward the non-ADF result generated by each arithmetic unit of the plurality of floating-point units to each of the plurality of floating-point units for selective use as one of the non-ADF source operands.

The x86 architecture specifies multiple data formats for floating point operands, namely, single-precision, double-precision, and extended double-precision. This implies that the floating point units have a different multiplier, adder, etc. for each architected data format. This is an inefficient use of space and power. So, to reduce the number of multipliers, adders, etc., the floating point units include a single multiplier, adder, etc. each capable of operating on operands that are in a single non-architected data format. The floating point units convert the received source operands from their architected data format to the non-architected data format, perform the operation on the non-architected data format operands to generate a result in the non-architected data format, and then convert the result back to the architected data format. The architected data format results are then forwarded to the floating point units as source operands, as illustrated by the conventional floating point units 112 shown in FIG. 4.

Fast floating point result forwarding using non-architected data format


Water proofing of a water-proof connector is achieved in such a manner that terminals (3) are inserted into a connector housing (1), the terminals (3) are locked inside the housing (1) by means of a retainer (9), and a rubber plug (5) is press fitted in the housing (1). At this time, a detection pin (10) of the retainer (9) is caused to be inserted in a hole (21) of the rubber plug (5), and the distal end of the pin (10) slightly projects from the hole (21). This allows one to see that the terminals (3) are properly received in the housing (1).

The present invention relates to a water-proof connector in which water proofing is achieved by press fitting in the inner periphery of a connector housing a rubber plug through which wires are put after the terminals of the wires have been connected to the connector housing, and more particularly to the locking structure of terminals to be connected to the water-proof connector.
One of such conventional locking structures of terminals to be connected to water-proof connectors is a double-locking structure which comprises a primary locking mechanism in which the lances of terminals when inserted are locked at a locking portion provided in terminal receiving cavities and a secondary locking mechanism in which a separate retainer is fitted in either from the front or rear side of the inserted terminals so as to prevent the terminals from coming off.
However, in a locking structure having such a secondary locking mechanism in which a retainer is fitted in from the rear side of the terminals to press against the rubber plug behind the terminals, if the terminals are inserted improperly they may not be pushed forward sufficiently to be located at a normal position, and imperfect insertion is thus likely to take place wherein the action of the primary locking mechanism cannot be expected to function. In contrast, in the case of a secondary locking mechanism in which the retainer is fitted in from the front side of the terminals, the retainer is easily fitted in, even if the terminals are inserted improperly, and this often makes it impossible to detect an error of imperfect insertion of the terminals. Thus, the action of the double-locking structure for the terminals often cannot be expected to function in either of the above cases.


The present invention relates to a low bit rate speech coding apparatus which performs coding on a speech signal for transmission, for example, in a mobile communication system. Excitation information is coded in multimode using both static and dynamic characteristics of quantized vocal tract parameters. Decoding includes postprocessing in multimode, thereby improving the quality of both unvoiced speech regions and stationary noise regions of the transmitted speech signal.

Used in the fields of digital mobile communications and speech storage are speech coding apparatuses which compress speech information to encode with high efficiency for utilization of radio signals and recording media. Among them, the system based on a CELP (Code Excited Linear Prediction) system is carried into practice widely for the apparatuses operating at medium to low bit rates. The technology of the CELP is described in "Code-excited Linear Prediction (CELP):High-quality Speech at Very Low Bit Rates" by M. R. Schroeder and B. S. Atal, Proc. ICASSP-85, 24.1.1, pp.937-940, 1985.
In the CELP type speech coding system, speech signals are divided into predetermined frame lengths (about 5 ms to 50 ms), linear prediction of the speech signals is performed for each frame, the prediction residual (excitation vector signal) obtained by the linear prediction for each frame is encoded using an adaptive code vector and random code vector comprised of known waveforms. The adaptive code vector and random code vector are selected for use respectively from an adaptive codebook storing previously generated excitation vectors and a random codebook storing the predetermined number of pre-prepared vectors with predetermined shapes. Used as the random code vectors stored in the random codebook are, for example, random noise sequence vectors and vectors generated by arranging a few pulses at different positions.
The CELP coding apparatus performs the LPC synthesis and quantization, pitch search, random codebook search, and gain codebook search using input digital signals, and transmits the quantized LPC (L), pitch period (P), a random codebook index (S) and a gain codebook index (G) to a decoder.
However, the above-mentioned conventional speech coding apparatus needs to cope with voiced speeches, unvoiced speeches and background noises using a single type of random codebook, and therefore it is difficult to encode all the input signals with high quality.

Multimode speech encoder and decoder apparatuses

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.