In order to provide a thermo-siphon chiller refrigerator for use in cold districts which performs natural refrigerant-circulation refrigerating cycle and also can perform a forced refrigerant-circulation refrigerating cycle when outside air temperature is high by using an indoor heat exchanger, an outdoor heat exchanger, and a compressor, and combining them with refrigerant piping, the thermo-siphon chiller refrigerator for use in cold districts of the invention has a compressor (10) additionally installed to a natural refrigerant-circulation refrigerating system comprising an outdoor heat exchanger (12), an indoor heat exchanger (11) located at a position lower than that of the outer heat exchanger (12), and an expansion valve (18). When the refrigerating capacity of the natural refrigerant-circulation refrigerating system is not sufficient, the additional compressor (10) is operated to perform a forced refrigerant-circulation cycle i.e. a vapor compression refrigerating cycle.

Large scale buildings in cold districts may need cooling even in the condition the atmosphere is cold in winter, particularly in a data center, etc. where a large amount of heat is generated by communication service equipment. Therefore, generally, room coolers are operated there even in winter.
The air conditioning system generally used for air conditioning of a building is composed of, as shown in FIG. 2, an outdoor heat exchanger 102 functioning as a condenser, a receiver 108, an indoor heat exchanger 101 functioning as an evaporator, a compressor 110, and an expansion valve 104. The system performs a vapor compression refrigerating cycle which is an energy consuming refrigerating cycle.
However, in a cold district where the atmospheric temperature is low in winter, a natural refrigerant-circulation system is used as an energy-saving air conditioning system.
Said natural refrigerant-circulation system utilizes the phase-change of the refrigerant to effect natural circulation of the refrigerant based on the thermo-siphon principle caused by the effect of temperature difference of the refrigerant. By the system, energy saving and reduction of running cost are achieved.
Among a variety of natural refrigerant-circulation system proposed in the past, a system proposed recently will be explained hereunder with reference to drawings.
Said proposal is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No.10-300128 as "Natural refrigerant-circulation chilling and dehumidifying apparatus and air-conditioning system combined with the apparatus". The proposal relates to air-conditioning or dehumidification or indirect air conditioning utilizing outside cold air of a house or office building, and was made to solve the problems that a conventional air-conditioning apparatus which works on a vapor compression refrigerating cycle consumes a large amount of energy and enhances environmental pollution. There are disclosed a first, second, and third embodiment in the proposal.
The first embodiment of said proposal is, as shown in FIG. 3, composed of an indoor heat exchanger 101, an outdoor heat exchanger 102, and a refrigerant piping 103. The indoor heat exchanger 101 is provided in a room for exchanging heat with the air in the room. The outdoor heat exchanger 102 is provided in the outside of the separating wall A for changing heat with the outside air and located at the position higher than that of the indoor heat exchanger 101. The refrigerant piping 103 connects the indoor heat exchanger and outdoor heat exchanger so that the low boiling point refrigerant (HCFC-22, HFC-23) in the system circulates through the indoor heat exchanger 101 and outdoor heat exchanger 102.
With the configuration, the low boiling point refrigerant enclosed in the refrigerant piping is heated in the indoor heat exchanger 101 by the heat of the air in the room to be boiled and evaporated. The evaporated low boiling point refrigerant gas flows upward in the refrigerant pipe 103 and cools and dehumidifies the air passing through the indoor heat exchanger 101.
The low boiling point refrigerant gas flew upward in said refrigerant piping is introduced into the outdoor heat exchanger 102 and thereby cooled by the outside air to be condensed to a liquid state. The liquefied low boiling point refrigerant flows downward in the refrigerant piping by the effect of gravity to be again returned to the indoor heat exchanger 101 to be evaporated. Thus the evaporation condensing cycle is reiterated.
When outside air temperature is lower than the air temperature in the room, the pressure in the evaporator is higher than that in the condenser, so that refrigerant-circulation occurs without enforcing power. Thus, the heat in the room can be transferred to the outside of the room without enforcing power, and the air in the room can be dehumidified. As a result, substantial energy-saving can be attained. That is, the characteristic of the proposed natural refrigerant-circulation chilling and dehumidifying apparatus is determined by the difference in specific gravity of the low boiling point refrigerant caused by the phase-change thereof, difference in height of the liquid column of the low boiling point refrigerant, refrigerant piping system, the characteristics of the indoor heat exchanger and outdoor heat exchanger.
Next, the second embodiment of the proposal will be explained with reference to FIG. 4.
As shown in FIG. 4, the second embodiment of the natural circulation chilling and dehumidifying apparatus comprises an indoor heat exchanger 101, an outdoor heat exchanger 102, a refrigerant piping 103, an expansion valve 104, and a separate forced refrigerant-circulation refrigerating apparatus (a vapor compression refrigerating apparatus).
The vapor compression refrigerating apparatus 105 comprises an evaporation heat exchanger 150, a condensing heat exchanger 151, a compressor 152, and an expansion valve 153. The evaporation heat exchanger 150 of the vapor compression refrigerating apparatus 105 is in close contact with the outdoor heat exchanger 102 in order to efficiently take away heat from the outdoor heat exchanger 102. Reference symbol A denotes a wall, the left side thereof being a room and the right side thereof being the outside.
With the above configuration, said vapor compression refrigerating apparatus 105 is operated only when the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the room becomes small and cooling ability is reduced, in order to backup the heat exchanging ability of the outdoor heat exchanger 102.
Next, the third embodiment of the proposal will be explained with reference to FIG. 5.
As shown in FIG. 5, the third embodiment of the natural refrigerant-circulation chilling and dehumidifying apparatus consists of a vapor compression refrigerating/heat pumping apparatus 106 of prior art and the natural refrigerant-circulation chilling and dehumidifying apparatus 107 shown in FIG. 3.
Said vapor compression refrigerating and heat pump apparatus 106 works on a conventional energy-consuming vapor compression refrigerating cycle and comprises an indoor heat exchanger 160, an outdoor heat exchanger 161, a compressor 162, an expansion valve 163, and a refrigerant piping 164 connecting them in a loop. Reference symbol A denotes a wall, the left side thereof being a room and the right side thereof being the outside.
The compressor 162 is for compressing the low boiling point refrigerant filled in the system. The refrigerating cycle and heat pump cycle can be switched to each other according to whether the compressed refrigerant gas is introduced to the outdoor heat exchanger 161 or to the indoor heat exchanger 160.
In above configuration, the vapor compression refrigerating/heat pumping apparatus 106 is an air conditioning apparatus provided besides the natural refrigerant-circulation chilling and dehumidifying apparatus 107. When the natural circulation of the refrigerant occurs sufficiently, energy-saving operation with the vapor compression refrigerating cycle operation stopped can be performed, or the heat pumping cycle operation of the vapor compression cycle to warm the room can be performed while dehumidifying by the operation of the natural refrigerant-circulation cycle. The two systems work independently.
When considering the case the proposal disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No.10-300128 is used in a cold district, the second and third embodiments can accommodate enough to the environment, however, two sets of indoor heat exchangers, outdoor heat exchangers, and refrigerant pipe lines are necessary to be provided, and there is a problem of the high cost of equipment.
Further, one of the two systems is the equipment for backing-up when outside temperature is high, so the utilization factor of the equipment is low and accordingly the investment efficiency is low.

Thermo siphon chiller refrigerator for use in cold district


A sliver-knit material is formed from a base including at least one thread having a first material and a second material. The first material has a melting point lower than the second material. A sliver material is secured to the base. A portion of the sliver material is encapsulated by the first material.

None.
The present invention relates generally to the field of sliver-knit material and more particularly, to sliver-knit paint roller fabric. Sliver-knit material is a well known product that is used in a number of different applications, including floor coverings, apparel, cleaning mitts, pet beds and as a paint roller material.
A sliver-knit material typically includes a knitted base and a plurality of fibers captured between the stitches of the knitted base. The fibers may be synthetic or natural and are often blended to achieve the desired color and desired physical characteristics. The blended fibers are oriented in a single direction on a carding machine and formed into a continuous rope of sliver that is fed into the knitting machines.
Depending on the size and type of the knitting machine, a number of different knitting heads may be used in the knitting process. Each knitting head receives a separate spool of thread. As the threads are knitted, sliver material is pulled into a knit, so that a loop is formed about the stitch and the sliver is captured in the knitted material. The free ends of the sliver extend upward away from the knitted material.
If the slivers are off center or if the slivers are not tightly captured within the knit, some slivers may work their way free of the knitted material and shed as the sliver-knit material is used. The fibers that are not securely captured in the knitted material are removed in a combing operation. In order to further reduce the shedding of the slivers that are not removed during the combing operation a binder material such as latex or acrylic is applied to the bottom side of the knitted material opposite the free ends of the slivers. The binder material serves to encapsulate the looped portion of the slivers and the knitted material. However, since the binder material is applied only to the bottom of the knitted material it is not possible to fully surround the slivers. After repeated use of the sliver material, a certain amount of the slivers will work their way free of the binder and shed. Shedding of slivers is undesirable for a number of reasons. If the sliver-knit material is being used as an apparel, any significant shedding may result in the degradation of the material, or unsightly deposit of slivers on adjoining materials.
Shedding of slivers when the sliver-knit material is being used as paint roller fabric may result in slivers being deposited onto a painted surface. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a sliver knit material and a method to produce the sliver-knit material in which shedding of slivers was minimized.
One embodiment of the invention relates to a sliver-knit material in which at least a portion of the threads of the knitted based are melted about the slivers.
Another embodiment of the invention relates to a sliver-knit material comprising a base including at least one thread having a first material and a second material. The first material has a melting point lower than the second material. A sliver material is secured to the base with a portion of the sliver material being encapsulated by the first material.
A further aspect of the invention includes a method for forming a sliver-knit material. A base material is knitted with a thread having a first material with a predetermined melting point and a second material having a melting point higher than the first material. Slivers are captured within the base material. The captured slivers and knitted base material is heated to a temperature at least as high as the predetermined melting temperature for a period of time sufficient to melt at least a portion of the first material to flow about a portion of the slivers. The first material is cooled thereby securing a portion of the slivers within the first material.


A vehicle seat includes a seat back having a support frame coupled to a seat foundation. The seat back also further includes a deformable seat shell adapted to assume various shapes between initial position and final positions in response to variable rearward loads applied by a seated passenger. The seat shell is coupled to the support frame by a compliant shell-motion controller via upper and lower motion-control links. The motion-control links allow pivotal motion, and at least one of the links includes a spheroidal joint. A link foundation extends between and interconnects the upper and lower motion-control links and is coupled to the support frame so that the link foundation does not move during seat shell deformation. The shell-motion controller may be pre-assembled as part of a backrest or the motion-control links may be formed after the link foundation is attached to the support frame.

Vehicle seats typically include a generally horizontal seat bottom and a generally upright seat back. Vehicle occupants are seated on the seat bottom, which normally includes cushioning for comfort. The seat back may also include cushioning for comfort, but because of the upright position of the seat back, the occupant's weight is not always useful to ensure a comfortable, conforming fit of the seat back with the occupant's body. Further, not all vehicle occupants sit with the same posture. Some occupants sit in a relatively upright position, while others may sit in a slumping position. These different postures place parts of the occupant's body in different physical locations from each other. Thus, a seat back with a fixed shape or contour is likely to properly fit and support only a small portion of possible occupants. While some seat backs are constructed with a user selectable contour, there are typically only a finite number of contours to select from, which may or may not be suitable for a particular occupant. In addition, an occupant may shift in his or her seat from time to time. This shifting can resulting in changes in posture so that even a properly adjusted seat back contour becomes improper without additional adjustment to suit the occupant's shifted position.

Controllable comfort shell for vehicle seat


A data transmission network is disclosed which includes a plurality of nodes each adapted to send a packet of data. A controller, or hub, is connected to each of the plurality of nodes for immediately relaying a packet from one of the nodes to a desired destination when it is the only packet received by the controller means. However, when a plurality of packets are simultaneously received by the controller from plural nodes, the controller immediately relays a selected packet, and temporarily stores the other packets for subsequent transmission.

The present invention generally relates to a data transmission system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for efficiently controlling the exchange of data packets within an active star-configured local area network.
In local area networks, there are increasing needs for the transmission of multiple information such as voice and video images along with data traffic. To cope effectively with the associated need of integrating information, large capacity (high speed) is required. This requirement can be satisfied by the construction of local area networks.
Local area network applications of, for example, optical fiber systems have generated a considerable interest in recent years, this being due to the unique characteristics of the optical fiber such as wide bandwidth, low loss, electromagnetic immunity and the potential for supporting new services on installed fibers for future expansions. One of the popular topologies in fiber-optic local area networks (FOLAN's) is the star topology which can be either passive or active in design.
An active star-configured FOLAN has the following features: (1) all the network nodes (e.g., access controllers) are interconnected via a controller, or hub, with each node being connected to the hub by two optical fiber-links--one for transmitting to the hub and the other for receiving from the hub; (2) interconnection is point-to-point, which of course makes it suitable for fiber-optic based implementation; (3) data loss due to numerous connectors (prevalent in bus-configured FOLAN's) can be avoided, thus a reasonably large number of nodes can be supported; (4) simple cost-effective optical-electronic devices such as light emitting diodes (LED's) and PIN diodes can be used at the network nodes thus implying less circuit design complexity and lower cost and (5) the hub contains some intelligence which means the network access protocol becomes simplified.
The star-configured FOLAN is analogous to a system consisting of a single resource which is shared by a number of independent users and the main problem is how to effectively share the hub (i.e., the resource) among the nodes in the star network. To achieve effective hub sharing, the network nodes and the hub must adopt a set of rules known as protocols for governing data transmission.
The first study of protocols for active star-configured FOLAN's was made by Schmidt et al. and was called "Fibernet II". "Fibernet II" is based on the carrier sense multiple access with collision detection (CSMA-CD) protocol. Collisions occur when two nodes attempt to transmit data signals to a shared central controller simultaneously. In such an event, all of the data being transmitted becomes garbled (i.e., undecipherable) and must be re-transmitted after randomly selected delays. A well-known problem inherent in the CSMA-CD is the network instability under heavy traffic due to a large number of collisions. Hence, the "Fibernet II" is not very efficient.
The second protocol developed for active star-configured FOLAN's assumes the controller is intelligent so that collisions are avoided. One such example of an active star-configured FOLAN which includes such an intelligent controller is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,162 to Boulton et al. In this patent, a data transmission network is disclosed which includes a number of access controllers (i.e., nodes) connected to a central hub. Each access controller is connected to a hub by both a transmission link and a reception link. The hub includes a selection means connected to the hub end of each access controller transmission link. The hub also includes a broadcast means connected to the reception link of each access controller.
In accordance with the operation disclosed in the Boulton et al. patent, the selection side of the hub receives a single packet of data from a selected access controller, and passes it through a link to the broadcast means. The broadcast means then transmits that particular packet to all of the access controllers connected to the hub. Each access controller monitors the packets which it receives from the hub in order to retain packets intended for it, and in order to determine whether the packet it previously transmitted was the packet selected by the hub for transmission. If the access controller determines that its packet was not the one selected for transmission by the hub, it will again try to have the hub broadcast its packet by re-transmitting the packet to the hub.
Because the data packet of only a single access controller is selected for transmission, a data transmission network as discussed with respect to the aforementioned patent avoids the potential occurrence of destructive collision. Although such a system thus provides a collision-avoidance protocol which yields an improved network performance over the "Fibernet II", it is still possible to have unbounded packet delays, especially under heavy traffic. An unbounded packet delay occurs when there is large, potentially unlimited delay in the transmission of a particular packet of data from one location in a network to another location in the network. These large delays can occur for two reasons: (1) when two or more network access controllers simultaneously contend for transmission during a free state of the hub, only one of the contending network access controllers is allowed to successfully transmit and the other contending network access controllers must retry after a timeout interval; thus, it is possible for a network access controller to be involved in a contention at every try/retry and as it may continually not be the one selected to successfully transmit, an unbounded delay for its packet will result; (2) when a network access controller attempts to transmit during a busy state of the hub (i.e., when the hub is already in the process of transmitting other data packets), the network access controller will back off and retry at a later time; thus, a network access controller may always attempt to transmit/retransmit at a time when the hub is busy such that an unbounded delay for the network access controller's packet could again result.
Thus, a need exists in the prior art for a more efficient active star-configured local area network.

Active star-configured local area network


The present invention discloses an improved method of LED reflector manufacturing process where the method includes providing a substrate, wherein said substrate comprises a reflector unit, and a Light Emitting Diode; providing a shield member with ferromagnetic property; placing said shield member over the desired area of over the substrate; providing a magnet where said shield member is attracted to; placing said magnet immediately below the substrate wherein said magnet is capable of immobilizing the shield member over the substrate; performing a vacuum deposition coating; and removing the magnet and the shield member.

In the past, LED was used as signal(s), instead of being utilized as a lighting source (e.g. flashlights). Recent technological advancements enable LED (Light Emitting Diode) to have better reflection. In general, LED (light emitting device) uses reflection to guide light into a direction. The reflection of light is made by the surrounding/cover material to push light in certain direction(s). The quality of the reflection would be dependent on the shape of the surrounding. Such surrounding is collective referred as reflection unit.
Today, LED and the reflection surrounding (reflection unit) can be made separately or together. The reflection unit is generally made of plastic material. To achieve reflection capability, the unit is either formed by mixing TiO2 powder or other power with reflective property as such powders maintain certain reflective qualities or the reflection unit made of plastic material is coated with metal thin film such as aluminum and silver thin film. The layers may be as thin as several atoms and the thickness is generally less than one micron. It is well known in the art that such aluminum and silver thin film generate the most efficient reflection power.
There are two processes present in which one can use to plate the reflection unit. One is coating by electrical plating and the other is coating by vacuum coating. Electrical plating is not desirable in that the liquid is likely to sip into the crevice of the cover. This is true because in electrical plating, one will need to have all the crevices covered, and it is often difficult to do so. Therefore, vacuum coating process is preferred over electrical plating.
Specifically, vacuum coating is a process used to create a thin layer of a substance on a solid object. The object is placed into a vacuum chamber and a small amount of the coating material is vaporized into the chamber. The molecules or atoms of vapor condense onto the solid object, forming a uniform coating of controllable thickness.
Nevertheless, this vacuum coating process, especially as used in the context of coating the LED reflection unit, is in need of improvement. Specifically, in order to plate the area that needs to be not coated with metal thin film (non-coating area) in a vacuum plating process, one would need to cover the area that does not need to be coated. Thus, the quality of the cover plating or shield and how it is secured over the non-intended coating area will determine the quality of the coating.
Traditionally, the cover plate (shield) is held over the non-coating area by pressing the cover plate (shield) over the non-coating area with an external application. This method is not desirable. Specifically, this use of external application such as clip to secure the cover plate (shield) is also not desirable because such external application will have to be designed to avoid blocking the intended coating area as metal thin film deposes over the intended coating area and clip may inadvertently block the intended coating area. Further, because the size of the cover plate is now becoming increasingly small, the strength of the clips would need to be uniform or else the structure of the cover plate will be distorted.
As a result, it is desired that a method of vacuum deposition is available where cover plate (shield) can be held in place during vacuum deposition process without the presence of clips or clamps. Specifically, it is left to desire an improved method of vacuum deposition for coating the reflection unit of a light emitting diode (LED) chip substrate where the cover plate (shield) can be held in during vacuum deposition process without the presence of clips or clamps.

Light emitting diode vacuum coating by magnetized mask


A gaming system implements a method of gaming. The gaming system includes one or more gaming devices configured to enable a player to place a wager for play of a wagering game, and each gaming device includes a player tracking/marketing module (PTM). A plurality of avatars are selectable by a player, and after receiving one or more inputs from the player relating to the avatars selected and credit allocation for each selected avatar, one is designated as the active avatar for game play. The system receives, via a credit input mechanism, a credit wager to initiate play of a wagering game, and in response to a user input triggering game play via the gaming device, the PTM records credit wagered for game play against the active avatar. Moreover, in response to a winning outcome occurring in a game outcome for the triggered game play, the PTM records any award for the game outcome against one or more avatars in accordance with allocation criteria.

The present invention relates to computer system based gaming devices and systems, and more particular, to gaming systems having player tracking functionality.
It is known to provide a gaming system including a gaming controller arranged to randomly select symbols for display from a predetermined set of symbols and determine a game outcome based on the displayed symbols. Some systems also provide player tracking functionality to allow a player to utilize an account for allocating credit to use for game play and accumulating winnings.
While such gaming systems provide players with enjoyment, a need exists for alternative gaming systems in order to maintain or increase player enjoyment.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Computer system based gaming device, system and method

ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED


The present invention discloses a backlight driving circuit applied to an electronic device. The backlight driving circuit includes a light-emitting diode unit, a photosensitive element, and a control circuit. The light-emitting diode unit has an anode terminal and a cathode terminal. The photosensitive element is coupled between the cathode terminal of the light-emitting diode unit and a ground, wherein the resistance of the photosensitive element changes with the ambient light level around the electronic device. The control circuit includes a sensing terminal and an output terminal. The sensing terminal receives a feedback voltage. The output terminal provides a power source to the anode terminal of the light-emitting diode unit according to the feedback voltage to control the luminance of the light-emitting diode unit, wherein the feedback voltage is decided by the resistance of the photosensitive element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a backlight driving circuit, and in particular relates to a backlight driving circuit which can automatically adjust the luminance according to the ambient light level.
2. Description of the Related Art
The development of electronic devices such as mobile phones is increasing rapidly. Typically, in a place with high luminance such as under intense sunlight, images, particularly color images, on the display of a portable device like a mobile phone can be difficult for the user to see. The user may need to adjust the backlight or move to a more suitable location. Adjusting the backlight or moving to another location may sometimes be inconvenient for the user. Moreover, the electronic apparatus used indoors will likewise experience the same problems due to changes in indoor lighting.

Backlight driving circuit and backlight driving circuit


An apparatus for cancellation of vibrations in a device. A first matrix (51) combines the vibration signals from a plurality of locations to produce mode signals indicative of individual modes of vibration of said device. An adaptive element in response to said mode signals generates mode vibration attenuation signals corresponding to said mode signals. A second matrix (56) combines the mode vibration attenuation signals to produce vibration attenuation signals for generating vibration attenuation forces.

The present invention relates to the cancellation of vibrations in devices such as machinery. Many machines or machine elements have a periodic disturbing force applied to them which excites vibrations therein. For example, the imbalance in the rotor of a rotating machine will cause a periodic disturbing force to be applied to the stator. The disturbing force is transmitted through the bearings at the frequency of revolution of the rotor. In fact, the disturbing force can be, and usually is, much more complicated. Typically, the disturbing force also excites vibrations in the stator at frequencies which are harmonics of the frequency of revolution of the rotor (the fundamental frequency). Another example of a device in which a periodic disturbing force excites vibrations is an electrical transformer caused to vibrate at the frequency of the alternating currents flowing therein and at harmonics thereof.
It has been known to attempt to cancel or compensate for the periodic disturbing force applied to a vibrating system in order to attenuate the vibrations therein. In the most simple of systems, a compensating force is applied between a reacting mass and the vibrating device. The theory can be explained with reference to FIG. 1., A periodic disturbing force F.sub.D (.omega.t) acts upon the vibrating mass M which is supported on an elastic foundation K. The vibrations or periodic movements of the vibrating mass M take place in the direction of the arrow X. If a force F.sub.2 (.omega.t) equal and opposite to the disturbing force acts between the vibrating mass M and an auxiliary reacting mass M.sub.2, the vibration of mass M can be attenuated. Of course, the reacting mass will have a reciprocating motion X.sub.2. One method of creating the compensating force F.sub.2 (.omega.t) is with an electromagnet actuator placed between masses M and M.sub.2. FIG. 2 schematically illustrates the use of auxiliary reacting masses M.sub.R positioned between electromagnets 10 in the stator 11 of a rotating machine for cancellation of vibrations caused by disturbing forces transmitted to the stator from the rotor 12 through the bearings 13, 14.
It is not necessary to use auxiliary reacting masses. The mass causing the disturbing force may itself be used as the reacting mass. This is especially the case where the rotor of a rotating machine is supported by active electromagnetic bearings. FIG. 3 illustrates a rotating machine having active magnetic bearings 15, 16. The rotor 12 is used as the reacting mass. This approach has the advantage of attacking the vibration at the source. In a variation of this scheme, the rotor is supported in its normal location by fluid bearings and the electromagnets are simply used to generate the compensating forces to attenuate the vibrations in the stator.
The compensating force (F.sub.2 (.omega.t) in FIG. 1) must be applied at the correct amplitude and phase if the vibrations in the vibrating mass are to be attenuated. If vibrating devices were perfectly rigid and perfect accelerometers and actuators existed with fixed gain and no phase delay, then finding the correct amplitude and phase for the signal applied to the actuator to generate the compensating force would be a simple matter--at least if only the fundamental frequency need be considered. The dynamics of the system which includes the actuator, the vibrating mass and the accelerometer are not so simple. For every system there exists a transfer function which defines the relation between the input signal to the actuator and the output signal of the accelerometer. The transfer function defines a unique gain (ratio of the amplitude of the input signal to the amplitude of the output signal) and phase shift (electrical degrees between the input signal and the output signal) for every frequency of the input signal. FIG. 4 is a graph of an input signal and an output signal for the purpose of illustrating gain and phase shift. FIG. 5 illustrates a hypothetical transfer function showing the relation of gain and phase delay versus frequency. The transfer function for a vibrating device would most certainly be more complicated. As a practical matter, the transfer function may be difficult to calculate from measured system parameters. In general, however, as frequency increases beyond a certain threshold, the output signal will lag the input signal, and beyond another threshold the amplitude of the output signal will decrease.
The manner in which the dynamics of the system complicate the generation of the compensating force becomes apparent when considering that a compensating force must be created for vibrations at the fundamental frequency and each harmonic. The gain and phase delay are different for each compensating signal applied to the actuator, and the transfer function cannot be defined by calculation. This problem, however, was solved by the adaptive vibration control circuit or adaptive controller.
An adaptive controller is described in Chaplin and Smith U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,841 entitled "Method and Apparatus for Cancelling Vibrations." The adaptive controller accepts as an input signal, a signal generated by an accelerometer which contains components at the fundamental frequency and all harmonics at which vibrations have been excited. A reference signal at the fundamental frequency of the disturbing force is also accepted by the adaptive controller. The adaptive controller first performs a Fourier Transform upon the accelerometer signal to identify the amplitude and phase of the spectral components of the signal corresponding to vibrations at the fundamental frequency and each harmonic (say the first four or five harmonics). For each spectral signal the adaptive controller modifies the amplitude and phase in an attempt to generate an input signal to the actuator (electromagnet generating the compensating force) that will attenuate the vibrations at that frequency. The modified spectral signals are combined by an inverse Fourier Transform and are applied as a drive signal to the actuator. By successive trial and error, the adaptive controller finds the correct modifications for each spectral component to reduce the vibrations corresponding to that frequency. The trial and error method applied separately to each spectral component eliminates any need for prior knowledge of the complex transfer function of the device. If only vibrations at the fundamental frequency are of concern, the adaptive controller can be greatly simplified. The Fourier Transform to identify spectral components can be eliminated.
FIG. 6 schematically illustrates the application of an adaptive controller to compensate for the horizontal vibrations transferred to a stator from a rotor journaled in a magnetic bearing. The magnetic bearing comprises four electromagnet poles 20, 21, 22, and 23 mounted in the stator (not shown) and spaced at 90 degrees to each other surrounding the rotor 12. The rotor has a ferrous (magnetic) outer ring in close proximity to the poles. The attractive force of each magnet is controlled by the currents Iy.sub.1, and Iy.sub.2 flowing in the magnet coils 24, 25. By carefully adjusting the currents in each magnet coil, the forces on the rotor can be brought into balance and, in theory, the rotor could stay at rest in a levitated state. However, this balanced condition represents an unstable equilibrium because the attractive forces of each electromagnet varies inversely with the distance between the pole and the rotor. Consequently, if the rotor moves an infinitesimal distance in any radial direction, the forces will become unbalanced. Thus, in order to maintain a stable state, it is necessary to use a feedback control circuit. The position of the rotor relative to the magnet poles is detected by position sensors. Only the position sensors 26, 27 and feedback control circuit for the vertical direction are shown in FIG. 6. Typical position sensors comprise inductive or eddy current type devices in combination with a high frequency source 28 of excitation and a demodulator 29 as schematically shown in the figure. The vertical shaft position (the "Y" position) is subtracted from a vertical reference signal at summing junction 30 to generate an error signal. The error signal drives the current applied to the magnet coils in the direction to reduce the error signal to near zero. The compensation block 31 in the forward path of the control circuit is a common device to overcome the problems introduced by the destabilizing inverse-force relationship in the electromagnets.
The adaptive controller 33 receives the acceleration signals from the accelerometers 34 (only one shown) mounted at the location where vibration is to be reduced. In this case the accelerometers are mounted to sense accelerations in the vertical direction. It also receives a speed signal which is representative of the frequency of rotation of the rotor (the fundamental frequency of the periodic disturbing force). The adaptive controller determines the amplitude and phase of the fundamental and each harmonic as high as, say, 600 Hertz. It then computes the cancellation wave shapes to inject into the magnetic bearing system (at summing junction 35) by a trial and error method to eliminate vibrations. Reductions on the order of 100 to 1 (40 dB) have been observed.
In a rotating machine wherein the rotor is suspended by two spaced radial bearings and one axial thrust bearing, there are five degrees of freedom addressed by the bearing system. Referring to FIG. 7, the degrees of freedom comprise perpendicular diametral displacements (X and Y displacements) at each radial bearing and an axial or Z displacement. Therefore, the magnetic bearing suspension system must comprise five independent position feedback control loops. The five degrees of freedom of the rotor 12 may be identified with five disturbing forces applied to the stator through the magnetic bearings each of which individually or in combination excite vibrations in the stator. To cancel all of the vibrations, accelerometers and adaptive controllers must be associated to some extent with each oppositely-positioned pair of electromagnets for each radial bearing. Such a system could effectively cancel the rigid body modes of vibration of the stator structure if the relationships between disturbing forces at the bearings and the vibrations sensed by the accelerometers at the bearings were substantially decoupled amongst the various axes of control. Unfortunately, in real life systems, there is a significant amount of cross-coupling amongst the axes of control. For example, a vibration-cancelling force introduced in the X.sub.1 axis may cause the vibration at X.sub.2, Y.sub.1, and Y.sub.2 to increase.
Cross-coupling can exist for many reasons, e.g., nonsymmetrical stator geometry relative to the rotor; center of gravity not on the axis of rotation; cantilevered support at the base; and nonsymmetrical stiffnesses in apparatus structure.
For example, in a rotating machine of the type being described with five degrees of freedom, there exists cross-coupling of forces applied to the rotor by each electromagnetic pole pair and the change in the gap of all pole pairs. This cross-coupling does not have a substantial effect on the bearing suspension system but is an impediment to the reduction of vibrations. The Chaplin and Smith patent discloses two approaches to multiple interacting systems. One involves an iterative process of considering one accelerometer actuator pair at a time. The other comprises premeasuring the cross-coupling coefficients between each actuator (electromagnet pair in the example of FIG. 6) and sensor and performing matrix operations to deduce the required cancellation signal on each cancelling actuator. A single adaptive controller is then associated with each actuator. This approach does not adequately address the dynamic nature of the cross-coupling.
The prior art fails to adequately address the dynamic cross-coupling in the vibrating device. Hence, cancellation of vibrations in complex systems cannot be achieved.

Active vibration reduction in apparatus with cross-coupling between control axes


The invention relates to a method which is used to operate an injection molding machine for processing plastics, which has a mold closing unit (F) for opening and closing an injection mold (M) having at least one mold cavity (12) in order to produce an injection molded part (13), an injection molding unit (S) for plasticizing and injecting new plasticizable material into the mold cavity (12), and a control system (11) for operating the injection molding machine (10). Stored in the control system is expert knowledge (E) about the operation of the injection molding machine and the peripheral devices (P) of the latter which may possibly be present and about the production of injection molded parts (13) using injection molding technology, in order to produce an injection molded part (13) using interactive contact as needed by an operator by using injection molding parameters. The fact that, in further steps, information about the component or the mold cavity (12) is provided to the control system (10) means that the plant and process parameters required for the production of the injection molded part (13) can be calculated by the control system (10) before the first injection molded part is produced, such that an alternative procedure for the operator-friendly setting of a machine for processing plastics is made available.

Such a method is known from EP 0 573 912 B1. In a data processing unit of the machine control there is located basic knowledge about an operation of an injection molding machine and the peripheral devices thereof. The machine offers the machine setter a sequence editor for generating a machine sequence. On the basis of the knowledge about sequences and the machine present in the data processing unit, the operator is only ever presented during input with a visual display on the screen of a selected subset of input options which may be compatibly incorporated with regard to the machine and injection moulid into already existing parts of the already existing sequence. Input of operating sequences is simplified and facilitated as a consequence.
WO 2010/057231 A1 discloses a setting method for setting an operational basic setting for an injection molding machine for processing plastics. An interactive start-up assistant integrated in the controller guides an operator step-by-step through subsections of the setting process, during which values for process parameters of relevance to the system are defined, such that basic settings are quickly and reliably obtained. At the start of a testing phase, relevant parameters such as the flow characteristics of the molding mass, injection speed or melt temperature are provisionally established and used as the basis for defining a flow behavior parameter. Further basic settings are made on the basis of this parameter.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,546,311 B2 discloses a method in which components already produced by the machine are measured and have their physical properties tested, an association being established with a plurality of process parameters such as nozzle pressure and nozzle temperature. The pre-existing injection molding sequence is optimized on the basis of this information. Basic settings of the injection molding process must therefore be programmed before this optimization process can take place.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,900,259 A discloses a method in which injection molding conditions are optimized by plastics flow analysis on a virtual model of the injection molding. The injection molding is simulated, wherein prior knowledge may be available regarding the moulid, cavity and gate or also material properties. The injection molding process is thus determined on the basis of flow analyses which are carried out on a simulated molding. The plastics flow analysis thus determines moulid design, i.e. the geometric data of the molding are not the starting point.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,658,319 B2 discloses a further method in which injection molding conditions are optimized in a virtual optimization process. A molding is, however, firstly manufactured under provisional injection molding conditions in order to obtain actual profile data with regard to pressure and injection molding conditions. In other words, the machine is preset for injection molding and then the injection molding process is optimized in order to obtain suitable, good injection moldings. An operator is thus required initially to establish basic settings of the machine.
DE 10 2011 016 712 A1 discloses the use on an a injection molding machine of a touch-sensitive screen which permits input by contact with the operator interface.
The methods known in the prior art have in common that usually all, but at least some parameters or parameter variables such as speed, pressure, volume or temperature must be individually specified by programming the controller, such that an expert machine setter is in principle required.

Method for operating a machine for processing plastics, utilizing embedded expert knowledge and 3D geometry data


A vehicle navigation system having an input device, a storage device, a processor, and an output device. The storage device stores a database of geographical locations, such as the names of states, cities, streets, or countries. The database has a data list that includes data sub-lists, where the data sub-lists may have one or more data sub-list elements. Each data sub-list may have an assigned unique name. The data sub-lists also may be divided into parts, such that each part is assigned a unique name. The processor is operative to index the data sub-lists or the parts of a divided data sub-list. The processor may be further operative to search the database for a data sub-list element given an input from a user, and the output device may output one or more data sub-list elements from the database based on the search performed by the processor.

1. Priority Claim
This application claims the benefit of priority from European Patent Application No. 06010675.4, filed May 23, 2006, which is incorporated here by reference in its entirety.
2. Technical Field
This invention relates to a system and method for indexing big word lists in databases. In particular, the invention relates to a system and method for indexing big word lists where sub-lists of data entries are indexed, and the sub-lists are further indexed.
3. Related Art
Navigation systems are increasingly prevalent in vehicles such as mid- and high-class automobiles. Navigation systems perform route guidance to a pre-determined destination input by a user. Such systems may verbally provide both route guidance and operation by the user using a speech control/recognition system or a display device.
Current navigation systems usually use large databases managed by a database management system that store lists of entries representing geographic data, such as cities, streets, points of interest, etc. These lists of entries may become very long for practical applications, for example, when the user uses the speech control recognition system or a tactile input device, such as a keyboard or touch-screen liquid crystal display. Consequently, management of these lists becomes difficult, especially when considering the limited computer resources available in navigation systems.
Current navigation systems often allow the user to choose from different entries of lists during separate operation stages. For example, in the route planning stage the navigation system may prompt the user to input a city and then a street name. The user may perform the input manually or verbally.
Usually, the lists are presented by displaying entries in alphabetical or lexicographic order. The user may scroll through displayed lists until he finds a desired entry. The user may then mark this entry or may directly input text using a keyboard, touch-screen LCD, or the speech-recognition system. Where the user uses the keyboard, the database management system will often perform an incremental search on the other entries in the list. The incremental search may require the input of only the first significant characters of an entire word, such as the name of a city the user wants to be guided to. Following unique characters may be automatically added.
In order to accelerate the selection process of geographical location, such as a city or a street, after the entry of one or more characters the navigation system may present the user the next characters of stored entries from which to choose. When the user has entered a predetermined amount of characters to identify a desired entry, the input may be automatically completed and the user may be prompted to confirm the identified entry.
In current navigation systems, databases may be indexed. Indexing may allow for faster database operations, such as selecting, deleting, and updating data entries. Indexing also may serve for sorting the data entries in lists. In traditional databases, indices are transparent to the application using the database. For example, during an index-supported search of the database by the navigation system, the navigation system is usually unable to access the indexed data contents.
Indices of a database are usually implemented as a tree structure, such as a binary tree, assuming a pre-defined sort order of the managed data. Alternatively, the indexing itself may establish a sort order. A search for an entry of a list may be performed in accordance with the implemented tree structure. Current methods of indexing use indices that range over all the data entries of a particular data class. For example, current methods may use indices that range over the entire set of city names or street names. Reference to sub-sets of the street names, such as street names corresponding to a particular city, may be made by using two-dimensional indices. This technique is generally known as column indexing. The first columns of an index may represent a city and the second column of an index may represent a street. Multi-column indices range over the entirety of data entries may be stored as different data types.
Additionally, indices may be used to calculate the remaining alphanumeric characters for a partial alphanumeric input previously entered by the user. Alternatively, the remaining alphanumeric characters may be calculated and stored in a predetermined tree structure.
However, current indexing techniques often lead to a huge data structure for each index that ranges over all the data entries for a data class stored in the database. Thus, where the computer and storage resources are rather limited, such as in current navigation systems, it is often difficult to transfer the entire index into a main memory. Information about possible characters following a partial alphanumeric input by the user may further require additional storage capacities and techniques, such as virtual memory and memory swapping. Access to these additional storage capacities and techniques during runtime of a search for a data entry often leads to an extensive computational load accompanied by delays in processing the user's input. Extensive computational loads and delays further lead to an undesirable waiting time by the user.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for indexing entries in databases that allow for faster access to data entries. In addition, there is a need for a system and method that manages and recognizes data entries in data lists that works effectively where limited computer resources are available.


A cooling system for an engine. The cooling system includes a flow control element including an inlet in fluidic communication with an outlet of a cylinder head water jacket, a first outlet port in fluidic communication with a heat exchanger, and a second outlet port in fluidic communication with an inlet of an engine block water jacket.

Internal combustion engines may include engine blocks and cylinders heads. Each of the engine block and the cylinder head may be traversed by separate coolant circuits or at least predominantly separated cooling circuits. This engine cooling arrangement may be referred to as a split cooling system. In this way, the cylinder head, which may be thermally coupled to the combustion chamber wall, the intake manifold, and the engine block, which is thermally coupled to the friction points, can be cooled differently, if desired. The split cooling system (e.g., split coolant circuit) may attempt to cool the cylinder head during a warm-up period while reducing or in some cases inhibiting cooling of the engine block so that the engine block may achieve a desired operating temperature more quickly. In other words, the split coolant circuit may be thought of as a single cooling circuit for an engine in which the water jacket in the cylinder head is separated from the water jacket in the engine block via suitable mechanisms. In some embodiments, however, there may be low levels of leakage from the cylinder head water jacket to the engine block water jacket, wherein the leakage quantities are so small that one can nevertheless refer to this as a split coolant circuit.
FR 2 860 833 A1 discloses a cooling circuit of an internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder head and a cylinder housing, said cooling circuit being composed of at least three cooling passages. The circuit has a heat exchanger, a driver for a heat exchange medium, and at least one controller for controlling the flow of heat exchange medium through the cylinder head, the cylinder housing or the heat exchanger. The cooling circuit has at least three independent passages for engine cooling, wherein the first and second passages are arranged in the cylinder head and the third passage is arranged in the cylinder housing, and wherein the passages are independent of one another and comprise at least one inlet and one outlet, such that they permit an independent flow of the heat exchange medium through each of the passages of the cylinder head and of the cylinder housing. FR 2 860 833 A1 discloses that three controllers (e.g., valves) are provided in order to be able to regulate different circulations of the heat exchange medium. One controller is arranged at the inlet side and one controller is arranged at the outlet side. The third controller is connected to the other two controllers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,123 discloses a split coolant circuit having a single thermostat which, in one embodiment, is arranged in an outlet line of the outlet side of a cylinder head to a pump, the line of which opens out at the inlet side in the cylinder head. A bypass and a block line branch off from the outlet line and extend into the engine block. The bypass leads to the pump. In the aforementioned embodiment, the thermostat is arranged in the branch of the three lines. During the warm-up phase, the thermostat closes the block line, wherein the bypass is fully open. When the thermostat is closed, the coolant flows through the bypass to the pump, and from there into the cylinder head. As the coolant temperature rises, the thermostat successively closes the bypass, such that the direct flow in the direction of the pump is continuously reduced, and is completely shut off when the bypass is completely closed. The coolant then flows out of the cylinder head through the outlet line and the block line into the engine block, which is connected to a cooler, and from there to the pump.
The Inventors have recognized several disadvantages with the split cooling design in U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,123 and the cooling system disclosed in FR 2 860 833. Firstly, the cooling systems disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,123 and FR 2 860 833 may be bulky, thereby reducing the engine's compactness and increasing the size and cost of the engine. As a result, the cost of the engine may be increased. Moreover, the control system for controlling the 3 independent engine cooling passages in FR 2 860 833 may be complex and costly.
To solve at least some of the aforementioned problems a cooling system for an engine is provided. The cooling system includes a flow control element having an inlet in fluidic communication with an outlet of a cylinder head water jacket, a first outlet port in fluidic communication with a heat exchanger, and a second outlet port in fluidic communication with an inlet of an engine block water jacket.
In this way, the coolant may be flowed from the outlet of the cylinder head water jacket to the inlet of the engine block water jacket during some operating conditions and/or from the outlet of the cylinder head water jacket to a heat exchanger during other operating conditions. As a result, coolant may be flowed in series through the cylinder head and the engine block bypassing the heat exchanger, enabling a heater bypass line to be omitted from the cooling system, if desired. Moreover, the flow control element may be used to separately adjust the coolant flow through both the cylinder head water jacket and the cylinder block water jacket based on the engine's operating conditions.
The above advantages and other advantages, and features of the present description will be readily apparent from the following Detailed Description when taken alone or in connection with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.
The figures are described in greater detail below.


An anilox offset printing unit includes a short inking device mounted between side walls with a screen roller which can be doctored and immersed in an ink reservoir, an inking roller, and a plate cylinder for inking a rubber blanket cylinder, and a damping device acting on the plate cylinder. An adjusting device having two degrees of freedom serves to adjust the distance between the axes of the inking roller and the screen roller and/or the distance between the axes of the inking roller and the plate cylinder, wherein the adjustment is carried out by the adjusting device in accordance with a measurement value determined by a measuring element which interacts with the adjusting device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an anilox offset printing unit with a short inking device. The inking device is mounted between side walls and includes a screen roller which can be doctored and can be immersed in an ink container, an inking roller, and a plate cylinder for inking a rubber blanket cylinder, wherein the plate cylinder interacts with a damping device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Anilox offset short inking devices of the above-described type do not have zone screws, but a fixedly mounted screen roller which can be doctored, so that the quantity of ink to be transferred can no longer be influenced directly. The quantity of ink to be transferred depends primarily on the type of the screen of the screen roller, and on the physical properties of the ink which is being used.
Tests have shown that the transfer width from the inking roller to the screen roller also influences the ink transfer, so that metering of the quantity of ink can be influenced by the width of the contact zones between the rollers. In addition, the transfer width from the inking roller to the plate cylinder influences the emulsifying behavior of the ink. The compulsive forces between the rollers, the quantity of damping agent emulsified into the ink, and the amount of damping agent required for being able to print without tint, all increase as the transfer width increases.
With increasing operating time of the machine, the temperature increase caused, inter alia, by the squeezing or pressing work of the rollers of the inking device, leads to a thermal expansion of the machine. The transfer widths of the inking roller to the plate cylinder and to the screen roller change as a result and deviate from the adjusted desired values.
The temperature increase of the machine additionally causes an increase of the temperature of the ink, so that the physical properties of the ink change. Among other changes, the tendency to emulsify increases, so that it is necessary to keep small the mechanical values which influence the formation of emulsions, i.e., primarily the squeezing or pressing forces in the gap between the inking roller and the plate cylinder.
British patent no. 620,148, which generally relates to an inking device of a printing machine, deals with the problem of the influence on the ink properties caused by a temperature increase. To take this value into consideration, British patent 620,148 proposes to change the gap between an ink well roller and the ink accepting roller. The change of the distance between the rollers is effected by means of an eccentric support of the ink accepting roller. Since the results of such a subsequent control can be checked only during the production sequence, variations of the ink on the print carrier are almost inevitable. In addition, the supply of damping agent is not taken into consideration when the ink properties are changed because an ink density regulation by changing the transfer width independently of the temperature is not being considered. Thus, the possibility of adjustment proposed in British patent 620,148 does not provide a solution for changing the transfer width of the inking roller to the screen roller and/or the inking roller to the plate cylinder.

Anilox offset printing unit with a short inking device


A contact lens with a central portion, an iris portion, and a peripheral portion disposed about the iris portion; an effect band in or just outside the iris portion helps to provide the lens with a halo effect when worn on eye.

Contact lenses can be colored or tinted to provide a variety of effects to the appearance of the eye. This can be done to correct a problem with the appearance of the eye or for other cosmetic purposes. Enhancements of a particular aspect of one's appearance or even one's overall appearance are possible. However, it is challenging to produce lenses for this purpose without also introducing some unnatural aspect to the eye's appearance. The lenses and methods of this invention provide such enhancements while presenting a natural appearance.


Disclosed herein are techniques for performing memory access. In one embodiment, an integrated circuit may include a memory device, a first port to receive first data elements from a memory access circuit within a first time period, and a second port to transmit second data elements to the memory access circuit within a second time period. The memory access circuit may receive the first data elements from the memory device within a third time period shorter than the first time period and transmit, via the first port, the received first data elements to a first processing circuit sequentially within the first time period. The memory access circuit may receive, via the second port, the second data elements from a second processing circuit sequentially within the second time period, and store the received second data elements in the memory device within a fourth time period shorter than the second time period.

Artificial neural networks are computing systems with an architecture based on biological neural networks. Artificial neural networks can be trained, using training data, to learn about how to perform a certain computing task.
A neural network may include a set of processing nodes. Each processing node can perform computations on an input data element to generate an output data element, and the final decision can be generated based on a combination of the output data elements generated by the set of processing nodes. As part of the processing, each processing node can perform a set of arithmetic operations such as floating-point multiplications and additions to generate an intermediate output. Each processing node can also perform post-processing operations on the intermediate output to generate a final output. A neural network may be implemented by an integrated circuit with arithmetic circuitries and data paths to perform the arithmetic operations and post-processing operations, as well as memory devices to store the input data, intermediate outputs and final outputs to support the arithmetic and post-processing operations. Different components of the circuitries and data paths may access the memory devices to read the input data, to store and read the intermediate outputs, and to store the final outputs for the arithmetic operations and post-processing operations.

Memory access for multiple circuit components


In an electronic part mounting apparatus provided with first, second and third beam members 31, 32 and 33, all supported by a common Y-axis frame at both ends thereof, holding a chip 6 by suction from an electronic part feeding unit 2 by means of a mounting head attached to the first beam member 31, and mounting the chip onto a substrate held by first and second substrate-holding units 10A and 10B, a supporting mechanism for the substrate-holding unit (an SHU-supporting mechanism) 10 is provided which supports a slide table 50, on which the first and second substrate-holding unit 10A and 10B are arranged, in such a manner that the slide table is movable between an operating position P1 and a maintenance position P2. With such configuration, the slide table 50 can be moved to the maintenance position P2 easily accessible for maintenance, leading to the improvement of working efficiency.

Semiconductor chips which are cut off from a semiconductor wafer into individual pieces and are in the state of being adhered to a wafer sheet are detached from the wafer sheet by an electronic part mounting apparatus to be implemented on a substrate such as a lead frame. As a type of the electronic part mounting apparatus performing transport and mounting operations for electronic parts, there is a known one with a configuration that arranges in series an electronic part feeding unit which holds a wafer sheet and feeds semiconductor chips and a substrate-holding unit which holds a substrate, and a moving beam which is equipped with a working head holding a semiconductor chip by suction above these units whereby the moving beam is configured so as to be freely movable (See, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2003-188194).
In this example of patent literature, in addition to the movable beam equipped with the above-cited working head, two movable beams are provided, one having a camera for substrate recognition and the other having a camera to recognize a semiconductor chip at the electronic part feeding unit, whereby these movable beams are supported by a supporting frame at both ends thereof. The apparatus is designed so as to achieve efficient part mounting operations by moving these three movable beams in cooperation all together.


The present invention relates to a device and method that enable a security key to be shared using security key exchange between two terminals, and a system that supports the same. To achieve the above, an in-house generated public key is divided into two, said two public keys that have been divided are delivered to counterpart devices via different pathways, and the two public keys delivered from counterpart devices are used to predict the public key of the counterpart device. In addition, said predicted public key is verified, and said verified public key is used to form a master key. Subsequently, said generated master key is verified, and said master key that has been verified is used to exchange data with the counterpart device.

Advancement of the communication industry has created various value-added services utilizing networks which are represented by the Internet. The network based value-added services permitted many users to easily share information through its collections and deliveries.
Using the network based services frequently involves deliveries of personally classified information which is increasingly vulnerable to be exposed to third parties. Therefore, there is a practical need to provide different protection methods for securing personal information transmitted on the networks.
A generally used security measure of protecting the personal information is to encrypt and send it by a security key prearranged between the sender and the receiver. Other security techniques being used are based on a certificate issued from public offices or others for the purpose of banking and payment services over the Internet.
In the above example to protect the personal information using the security key, the security key for use between the sender and receiver is necessarily prearranged. For this purpose of making an agreement for the usable security key between the parties, there is a required procedure for the key sharing.
This sharing of the security key involves an indispensable procedure of transmitting information needed for the security key sharing to and from the sender and receiver. This may open an opportunity for intermediate attackers or men in the middle attack to snatch the security sharing information off the networks.
So, in order to provide diverse value-added services worry free, a scheme for the security key sharing that can provide the users with a convenience as well as the elimination of an exposure of personal information is urgently needed.

Device and method for security key exchange and system pertaining to same


Apparatus for transmitting location based messages from vehicles (10) to a stationary infrastructure (14, 16), including at least one transponder (20) installed on a vehicle (10), at least one stationary base (18) in the form of a transceiver for exchanging signals with the transponder (20), a device (22) for measuring run times of the signals and for calculating the distance between the base (18) and the transponder (20), and an evaluation system (24) for evaluating the messages contained in the signals from the transponder (20) on the basis of the measured distance.

The invention relates to an apparatus for transmitting location based messages from vehicles to a stationary infrastructure, comprising at least one transponder mounted on a vehicle, and at least one stationary base in the form of a transceiver for exchanging signals with the transponder.
In public local traffic there is frequently a need to transmit messages from the vehicles to a stationary infrastructure. As examples, the transmission of point actuating commands from trams to a point adjusting device or the transmission of priority requests from busses or emergency vehicles to a traffic light system may be mentioned. These commands and requests are location based in the sense that they are admissible only when the corresponding vehicle is present at a certain location or within a certain area.
Conventional apparatus of this type use transponders and transceivers that have only a very short range. For rail vehicles, the transceiver is typically installed within the track, whereas the associated transponder is mounted in the vicinity of the bottom of the vehicle. Then, communication is possible only at the moment at which the vehicle passes over the transceiver. In this way, it is assured that the point actuating command, for example, can only be issued when the vehicle is found at the specified location.

Apparatus for transmitting location based messages from vehicles to stationary infrastructure


A method is disclosed for reading a machine-readable optical code encoding information formed in an image that is presented to a user. The method includes using a processor to receive the image with the machine-readable optical code; using a graphic user interface to visually present the received image on a display; using the graphic user interface to receive a user selection of the machine-readable optical code; using a processor to decode the selected machine-readable optical code; and using the graphic user interface to present information referenced by the decoded information on the display.

Barcodes printed on the surface of product packages, posters, signs, bill boards, and the like have enabled consumers to find additional information about various products and services. For example, a consumer can now take a digital photograph of a barcode with, for example, a digital-camera-equipped cellular telephone, personal digital assistant (PDA), or mobile tablet computing device. These devices, in additional to having a camera, typically also have a network connection, for example by way of a wireless (802.11) connection or cellular network connection, to connect to the internet. Having captured an image of a sign or product having a barcode, software applications in the device are currently available to extract and decode the barcode, connect to the internet, retrieve additional information related to the barcode, and display the information to the consumer.
This capability can be performed using many different types of common barcode formats, such as Universal Product Code (UPC) barcodes or Code 39 type barcodes which are one-dimensional (1D) bar code. A problem with 1D barcodes is that such barcodes can only store limited amounts of data. Some computer network addresses on the internet, in the form of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) can be over 100 characters long. One solution to this problem as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,978,773 and 6,199,048 is to provide a remote networked database to convert barcode values into URL strings. However, this approach requires a remote database and limits the number of possible URLs to the number of available 1D barcodes. More recently, two dimensional bar (2D) codes have become more widely used. For example, Quick Response codes (QR Codes) have become a popular barcode format for this purpose due to their ability to store large strings of data in a two-dimensional array. A QR barcode reading system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,494,375.
Users can also encounter barcodes when viewing electronic documents. For example, an image of a barcode or of an item having a printed barcode can be embedded in an electronic document, such as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file, a web page document encoded into hypertext markup language (HTML) or the like. A user wishing to retrieve information about the barcode can print the electronic document to a hardcopy output, for example by using an inkjet printer. The user can then capture an image of the printout using a camera device as described above and retrieve information over a communication network. Alternately, the user can capture an image with the camera device of the electronic document as displayed on an electronic monitor. These methods require the user to have access to a camera device. An improved method of retrieving information about the barcode present in an electronic document is therefore needed.

Information retrieval using decoded machine-readable optical codes


The present invention relates to a video processing method and a video processing apparatus. An embodiment of the present invention provides a video processing method comprising the steps of: transmitting display related information on a display device to a source device through an interface; receiving video option information on a UHD video processed according to a video expression function of the display device through the interface; receiving the processed UHD video through the interface; and expressing the received UHD video on the display device.

With the increase of a video signal processing speed, ultra-high definition (UHD) video encoding/decoding schemes are under study.
UHD content aims to provide improved image quality in various aspects. To this end, UHD video elements are under study and development in various fields including broadcasting. There is increasing demand for enhanced viewer experience with respect to colors and brightness which were not provided by previous content.
Accordingly, efforts to provide high definition images by extending presentation ranges of colors and brightness from among various elements constituting UHD video have continued.
UHD display devices are discriminated from conventional display devices in color and brightness presentation.
However, technology for viewing UHD content through various display devices in an optimal environment has not been developed.
For example, when UHD content is provided while next-generation display devices are being propagated, users cannot fully enjoy the UHD content due to color or brightness restrictions according to physical characteristics of the display devices.
To adapt colors and brightness of content to a display device, the content needs to be converted on the basis of accurate analysis of characteristics of the display device. However, if UHD content is provided through a device outside of the display device, the characteristics of the display device are restrictively delivered.

Video processing method and video processing apparatus


A water device that can display predetermined patterns that form letters, numbers, pictures or other visually apparent figures. The water display has a shallow pool of water with a flat bottom surface, that has a plurality of holes spaced apart in a grid like fashion. The holes are connected to a source of air that introduces bubbles into the pool. The air exits the water in such a manner as to leave a visually distinguishable mark or impression in the pool. The bubbles are combined and patterned into an identifiable figure such as a word or a set of numbers. Each hole has a solenoid valve that allows air to flow into the pool when the solenoid is energized. The valves are connected to a computer that selects which holes are to release air and when the bubbles are to be released. The actuation of the valves can be selected and sequenced in accordance with the operating instructions of a computer program, that produce a pattern of bubbles to create the desired form on the surface of the pool.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to water displays, in particular a pool of water that can produce a visually apparent predetermined pattern.
2. Description of Related Art
Water displays have been typically installed on the grounds of public buildings, to improve the aesthetic features of the surrounding area. Usually the devices are falling fountains or directed streams of water located within a pool. Occasionally fountains will incorporate means to vary the height or trajectory of the water, thereby changing the appearance of the display. Such systems are typically limited to two or three different displays, or may have a continuously varying stream that is repeated over time. Changing the display usually requires shutting down the fountain and manually adjusting the nozzles that direct the water.
Digital displays such as the message boards found on the outside of banks, are a common way of providing information to viewers. Such boards are usually constructed with a plurality of individual light bulbs, wherein the bulbs are illuminated in a pattern to form the desired number or letter. In addition to relaying the time and temperature, such displays can also provide other information including advertising and the news. Such message boards are popular among institutions because of their size and their ability to attract the attention of the viewers. Therefore it would be desirable to provide a water display that can create visually apparent predetermined patterns that can relay time and other information, without turning off the display or manually adjusting the device.

Numerically controlled water jet display pool


A system and method is provided for data classification to control file backup operations. An exemplary method includes sampling metadata of one or more files on a computer at a predetermined time interval, determining whether the metadata has changed over time after a predetermined amount of metadata is collected, deriving a model of the change of the metadata over time when the metadata has changed over time, wherein the model of change is a snapshot of dynamically sampled attributes of the one or more files and reflects a state of the computer, performing an analysis of the model of change by determining features of the one or more files comprising at least file usage dynamics of the computer and a user associated with the one or more files based on the model; and selecting a backup plan for the one or more files according to the file usage dynamics.

Continuing advances in storage technology provide the ability to backup or store significant amounts of digital data cheaply and efficiently. Nevertheless, when backing up data, computer systems, administrators, and the like, are often faced with the problem of data prioritization because the amount of user data to be backed up continues to grow. This increasing amount of data is a contributing factor to the increasing costs of data backup. These costs can be prohibitively expensive for many individuals and businesses.
It is also well known that portions of the user data are more critical than others—in other words, some data is highly prioritized for back-up while other data is comparatively less prioritized. Thus, there is a need for reliable storage that provides a greater guarantee for the preservation of the more critical data than existing solutions. In typical scenarios, a user (or an administrator) can designate storage priorities for various data. However, for significant volumes of data typical in modern businesses, manual designation is an ineffective way to solve the problem.
Accordingly, a system and method is needed that provides an automated solution to address the problem of data backup for high volumes of data based on a smart data classification methodology.

System and method for data classification during file backup


Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are provided for performing actions in response to gestures made by a user in captured images. In accordance with one implementation, a computer-implemented system is provided that includes an image capture device that captures at least one image, a memory device that stores instructions, and at least one processor that executes the instructions stored in the memory device. In some implementations, the processor receives, from the image capture device, at least one image including a gesture made by a user and analyzes the at least one image to identify the gesture made by the user. In some implementations, the processor also determines, based on the identified gesture, one or more actions to perform on the at least one image.

Computing devices include graphical user interfaces and input mechanisms to allow the entry and display of data. For example, a desktop PC may include a keyboard and/or mouse to enable a user to enter text and other data. As new device form factors have emerged, manufacturers have focused on replacing traditional input mechanisms to fulfill nominative functions. For example, smartphones and tablets may include touchscreens with virtual keyboards for data entry and display. Voice recognition technology is also being increasingly used to allow hands-free text and other data entry.
New device form factors may prompt different device uses. Further, new device form factors may result in compromised input mechanisms, such as smaller, less responsive keyboards.

Systems and methods for performing actions in response to user gestures in captured images


A method is described for recovering resources from a microbe supporting environment such as a water treatment system, comprising the steps of using microbial DNA sequencing to analyze the microbiome of the microbe supporting environment and identifying adjustments to the microbial content of the microbiome that will be useful in extracting resources from the microbe supporting environment such as a water treatment system, wherein the resources extracted can include, for example, methane released by microbes, nitrogen, phosphorus, or other contaminants generated by microbes, and/or clean water obtained by removing contaminants in a water treatment system.

The present invention relates to a DNA-based method of identifying beneficial microbes (especially bacteria) for treatment of contaminated substances (especially polluted water such as wastewater). The identification of these beneficial bacteria is then used to isolate and enrich these bacteria to produce probiotics to improve and enhance remediation such as wastewater treatment.
The vast majority of probiotics sold for wastewater treatment (and other purposes) contain just a few different strains of bacteria. Bacillus-related bacteria are some of the most commonly used for probiotics for wastewater treatment and even for human gut health. These bacteria have been used as probiotics not because they have been proven to provide tangible benefit but rather because they are easy to grow and turn into a product because they survive well in dry spore form. A probiotic can include one or more microorganisms that can have a beneficial effect on a system, such as a water system or wastewater system or the like.
Many studies have shown that the human gut contains little to no Lactobacillus, even if a person is actively taking it as a probiotic. Likewise, similar studies in wastewater treatment plants have shown that the vast majority of microbes coming into a plant from the sewer do not survive in the treatment plant and the microbiome in the plant has little semblance to the microbiome in the sewage. Additionally, studies have shown that Bacillus is relatively uncommon in wastewater treatment plants as it appears not to be a conducive environment to its growth. Additionally, studies have shown that adding Bacillus (which is the most common probiotic available commercially) does not impact the process beneficially and Bacillus is not detected in the system even while actively adding the probiotic. The microbiome is determined by environmental conditions (substrates, nutrients, temperature, solids retention time, biofilm presence, oxygen content, etc.) rather than the addition of probiotics.
Probiotics have some promise in the area of wastewater treatment, especially industrial wastewater treatment. Industrial wastewater treatment plants such as those at pulp and paper plants, oil and gas plants, food and beverage plants, etc., typically treat highly variable flows with unique compositions (such as, for example, phenols, methanol, etc.) that may only be degradable by certain types of microbes or by specific microbes. These plants also experience rapid environmental changes, shock loading, and toxicity that cause upsets and can require shutdown of the wastewater treatment plant which causes shutdown of the production facility, resulting in costs sometimes exceeding one million dollars. These upsets may kill some or most of the biomass in a system or they may provide an overload of wastewater which the existing amount of biomass is not sufficient to treat.
One potential method to alleviate a treatment plant upset is to add beneficial bacteria to quickly increase the active biomass and accelerate treatment and return to a steady state healthy condition.
The current industry method of adding Bacillus to help with these issues is likely not the most effective method since Bacillus does not typically live in these systems and is obviously not the microbe most adapted to consuming and degrading the compounds present in these waters.
As can be seen, there is a need for an improved method of identifying microbes that can provide beneficial impact in remediation systems and isolating, cultivating and transplanting these microbes.

Method of using microbial DNA sequencing in recovering renewable resources from wastewater and other waste streams


An image forming apparatus includes an automatic document conveying apparatus including a table, first and second conveyance paths, a scanning device, and first and second switchback mechanisms. A document of the document bundle set on the table is reversed and conveyed by the first conveyance path through the scanning device with its first surface facing the scanning device, guided to the first switchback mechanism by the second conveyance path, switched back by the first switchback mechanism, reversed and conveyed to the second switchback mechanism by the second conveyance path, and switched back by the second switchback mechanism to detect a size of the document based on information sent from a sensor included in the first conveyance path. Thereafter, the document is reversed and conveyed by the first conveyance path to the scanning device to have its first surface scanned. A method of automatically conveying documents is also described.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming method and apparatus capable of automatically conveying documents, and more particularly to an image forming method and apparatus capable of duplex (i.e., double-side) scanning at an increased speed and of automatically conveying documents in a convenient manner.
2. Discussion of the Background Arts
In a background image forming apparatus or image scanning apparatus, such as a copier, a printer, and a facsimile machine, various types of document conveying devices are used for conveying documents to be scanned. In a commonly used background document conveying device, a pick-up device such as a pick-up roller picks up documents set on the document conveying device, and one of the documents is separated from remaining documents and conveyed by a separation belt and a reverse roller provided at downstream positions of the pick-up roller in a document conveying direction.
The document thus separated from the remaining documents is conveyed onto a contact glass and scanned. In this background document conveying device, however, there is a time loss before a scanner carriage returns to its scanning start position. This time loss reduces CPM (copies per minute, i.e., the number of copies output in one minute by a copier), compared with in a case in which a printing operation is exclusively performed. Further, to discharge scanned documents in a page order, the documents are discharged on an external tray. As a result, a size of the image forming apparatus is increased.
In light of the above, an image forming apparatus using a sheet-through system of conveying documents over a fixed scanner carriage is expected to become mainstream. According to the system, an interval between one document and its subsequent document can be controlled. If this interval is reduced to the minimum value, therefore, the CPM can be increased up to a CPU value obtained in the printing operation. In addition, the documents are discharged to a document discharging and stacking mechanism provided under a document table on which the documents are set. Therefore, the external tray is unnecessary, and the image forming apparatus can be reduced in size.
In an image forming apparatus such as a copier, for example, productivity of duplex copies, as compared with productivity of simplex (i.e., single-sided) copies, is an important factor, as well as an output speed of the simplex copies. To increase the productivity of the duplex copies, reduction in a time interval between scanning one document and scanning its subsequent document is a key issue.
In a copying operation of a duplex document, after a back surface of the duplex document is scanned, the duplex document needs to be discharged with its front surface facing downward so that discharged documents are arranged in the page order. In a typical sheet-reversing and switchback operation, both surfaces of the duplex document are scanned, and then the duplex document is conveyed once again over a scanning position before being discharged. That is, the duplex document is conveyed over the scanning position not for being scanned but for being reversed. Therefore, the duplex document needs to be reversed three times in total, i.e., for scanning both surfaces of the duplex document and for arranging the duplex document in the page order.
In light of this, there is another background image forming apparatus which increases the productivity of duplex copying operation by combining a sheet-reversing and switchbacking device and a sheet-reversing and discharging device provided at downstream positions of a scanning mechanism, without reversing each duplex document three times. With this configuration, duplex documents are discharged with each of them reversed and arranged in the page order without being conveyed through the scanning mechanism.
To reverse and switch back one document in this image forming apparatus, however, the document needs to be discharged before scanning of its subsequent document starts. Thus, a time interval between scanning of the document and scanning of its subsequent document may not be sufficiently reduced. Further, as a size of a document increases, a longer time is taken before scanning the front surface of its subsequent document starts.

Image forming method and apparatus capable of automatically conveying documents