Methods and systems for communicating a patient medical file having personal demographic information, medical data and a diagnostic image include separating the file into layers including a demographic layer demographic information and a data layer. Medical data may be evaluated using an auto-analysis. The demographic layer may be encrypted with a first encryption key, and the data layer may be encrypted with a second encryption key different from the first. The encrypted demographic and data layers may be sent to a server capable of decrypting one of the layers but not both. The data layer may be decrypted at the server and an operation performed to select a second portion of the diagnostic image. The portion of the processed data layer including the selected second portion of the image may be re-encrypted and the encrypted demographic layer and re-encrypted data layer may be transmitted to a mobile device.

With the deployment of medical communication systems which transfer data from within the hospital to physician-carried mobile communication devices via public cell phone and other networks, the need for encrypting such sensitive data will become significant. In applications where patient medical data has to be further stored or processed outside the hospital, such as on a public or shared server or a cell phone system file server, there will be a need for file handling methods which preclude accessing or reassembling the patient's data other than by a password protected physician handheld.
While encryption and authentication technologies are currently available, such technologies only allow transmission of data from the encryption point to the decryption point, with no further protection offered post decryption. In instances, where data needs to be decrypted at an intermediate point for further processing (such as for message delivery or routing purposes), standard encryption techniques are not sufficient.
Current laws applicable to medical data in the USA, such as HIPAA, require that any server storing patient medical data be secure with access limitations and written agreements to control access to the data. However, in wide implementations, such controls, although systematically possible, are not fool-proof. A fool-proof system for managing such scenarios is required where, even if the security of a server is breached, data located within the server cannot be reassembled into meaningful parts.
Encryption techniques and privacy protection are primary concerns of treatment facilities as electronic data delivery improves efficient and effective emergency condition care. Treatment facilities, such as hospitals, clinics, and adult care centers, may routinely perform time-sensitive procedures related to emergency patient conditions, such as heart attacks, strokes, and other life or limb-threatening situations. Using many methods of medical data delivery to diagnose and treat the emergency conditions allows the treatment facilities to improve the timely communication of information to physicians, support teams, and transportation units, thereby improving the patient's outlook.
Treatment facilities may measure the efficiency of their actions by the time it takes medical care personnel to treat patients suffering from emergency conditions. For example, a hospital may measure the time in between encountering a patient with chest pains and treating for him/her for those symptoms. Treatment facilities may evaluate the management of patients having chest pains using a "door-to-balloon" time metric, which may represent the time period between identifying an emergency condition and abating the condition using inflated arterial balloons. Myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, is a serious condition that may often require relatively short door-to-balloon times to maintain a positive prognosis for a victim. Myocardial infarctions may be due to one or more occlusions of a coronary artery and may cause heart cells to die because of the interruption of blood supply. ST-Segment Elevated Myocardial Infarction (or "STEMI") is an especially dangerous type of myocardial infarction that, if not treated quickly, may pose a serious threat to a patient's life. Hospitals may improve a STEMI patient's outlook by decreasing "door-to-balloon" times through more efficient internal procedures.
Clinical and regulatory bodies create performance benchmarks to guide treatment facilities in improving the efficiency of acute condition treatment. For example, such benchmarks have set a standard of care for STEMI-related conditions at a "door-to-balloon" time of 90 minutes. As another example, a theoretical target treatment time for various life or limb-threatening emergency conditions may be within 60 minutes of the occurrence of an injury or illness (i.e., the "golden hour"). However, treatment facilities may exceed such benchmarks by improving internal procedures for electronic data delivery.
Currently, treatment facilities may utilize basic technologies, such as fax and e-mail, while treating patients with emergency conditions (e.g., STEMI). For example, ambulances may use fax and/or email transmissions to deliver data from a 12-lead resting EKG device within the ambulance to either an ambulance operation control center or a hospital emergency room. However, fax and email medical data communications are intrinsically non-auditable and HIPAA non-compliant. Hospitals may also employ the Internet to communicate medical data, such as EKG data, to hospital staff within hospital emergency rooms. However, hospital-based information systems, such as the General Electric Medical® Muse® or the Philips® Tracemaster MD® EKG management solution databases may not provide an efficient way to push data to a physician.
As manual aspects of emergency condition treatment are relatively constant, such as the time required for an ambulance to physically drive a patient to a hospital or the time needed to prepare a catheterization lab, treatment facilities may improve treatment efficiency of STEMI patients through intelligent uses of technology and automated data delivery systems.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Communication of emergency medical data over a vulnerable system


A playing method is executed in an electronic device. The electronic device plays information from a storage unit. The electronic device includes a non-volatile memory. The playing method includes steps of: receiving a first playing commands; obtaining information from the storage unit in response to the first playing commands; playing the obtained information; obtaining a playing position at a predetermined time interval; and storing the playing position into the non-volatile memory.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to electronic devices, particular to a playing method of an electronic device.
2. Description of Related Art
An electronic device, such as a disc player is capable of playing a disc. When the disc player abnormally turns off while the disc player is playing a disc, the disc player may play the disc from a start position, and not from the position where the disc player stopped playing when the disc player is restarted. As a result, a user will view or listen to repeated contents, and it is inconvenient for the user.
Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.

Electronic device and playing method thereof

Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd.


Techniques for localizing a device based on images captured by the device. The techniques include receiving, from a device via a data communication network, image frame data for frames captured by an imaging camera included in the device, the frames including a first frame, automatically detecting real-world objects captured in the image frame data, automatically classifying the detected real-world objects as being associated with respective object classes, automatically identifying object class and instance dependent keypoints for the real-world objects based on the object classes associated with the real-world objects, and estimating a pose of the device for the first frame based on at least the identified object class and instance dependent keypoints.

Localization of a mobile agent, such as a portable device, a robot, or an autonomous vehicle, in various real-world environments is an important capability for smart navigation, location-based services, and mixed reality (MR) experiences. Conventional localization techniques largely employ visual features such as SIFT, ORB, or DAISY to represent a scene and localize a mobile sensor in a scene or camera centered coordinate system. Such techniques include use of various flavors of SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) that have been implemented on smartphones, virtual reality (VR)/augmented reality (AR)/MR devices, and autonomous vehicles.
A fundamental problem with such feature-based methods includes the variance and instability of computed features for scenes encountered at different times of day, different times of year, different lighting conditions, changes in viewpoint, and/or features located on moveable or moving objects. Conventional localization techniques fail to provide robustness to such variations, which typically occur in common real-world environments. As a result, building effective and stable visual maps of the world that are robust in facilitating localization of mobile agents remains an unfulfilled dream.


An acoustic logging while drilling tool includes a single unipole acoustic transmitter longitudinally and azimuthally spaced apart from a single linear array of unipole acoustic receivers. In certain preferred embodiments, the linear array of unipole receivers is azimuthally spaced apart from the unipole transmitter by about either 90 or 180 degrees. A bipole logging while drilling tool includes two unipole acoustic transmitters and two linear arrays of unipole acoustic receivers.

The use of acoustic (e.g., audible and/or ultrasonic) measurement systems in prior art downhole applications, such as logging while drilling (LWD), measurement while drilling (MWD), and wireline logging applications, is well known. Such acoustic measurement systems are utilized in a variety of downhole applications including, for example, borehole caliper measurements, measurement of drilling fluid properties, and the determination of various physical properties of a formation. In one application, acoustic waveforms may be generated at one or more transmitters deployed in the borehole. The acoustic responses may then be received at an array of longitudinally spaced apart receivers deployed in the borehole. Acoustic logging in this manner provides an important set of borehole data and is commonly used in both LWD and wireline applications to determine compressional and shear wave velocities (also referred to as slowness) of a formation.
It will be appreciated that the terms slowness and velocity are often used interchangeably in the art. They will likewise be used interchangeably herein with the understanding that they are inversely related to one another and that the measurement of either may be converted to the other by simple and known mathematical calculations. Additionally, as used in the art, there is not always a clear distinction between the terms LWD and MWD. Generally speaking MWD typically refers to measurements taken for the purpose of drilling the well (e.g., navigation) whereas LWD typically refers to measurements taken for the purpose of analysis of the formation and surrounding borehole conditions. Nevertheless, these terms are herein used synonymously and interchangeably.
In the analysis of acoustic logging measurements, the received acoustic waveforms are typically coherence processed to obtain a time-slowness plot. In a time-slowness plot, also referred to as a slowness-time-coherence (STC) plot or a semblance plot, a set of several signals from the array of acoustic receivers is processed with the incorporation of separate time shifts for each received signal. The separate time shifts are based on a slowness value assumed for the purpose of processing the waveforms. The processing provides a result, known as coherence, which can signify the presence of a discernable signal received by the separate receivers. In this manner compressional and shear wave arrivals can be discerned in the received waveforms, leading to determinations of their velocities. The determined compressional and shear wave velocities are related to compressive and shear strengths of the surrounding formation, and thus provide useful information about the formation.
In acoustically slow formations, in which the velocity of formation shear waves is less than the speed of sound in the drilling fluid (mud), shear wave slowness determination is known to be complicated by poor transmission of shear wave energy across the boundary between the formation and the borehole. Various techniques have been developed for determining shear wave slowness in acoustically slow formations. These techniques commonly involve exciting relatively pure mode borehole guided waves (e.g., monopole, dipole, or quadrupole mode waves). The shear wave slowness is then estimated from the guided wave velocity of these pure modes.
Unfortunately, guided wave propagation tends to be highly dispersive in LWD applications. Although STC analysis is widely used, dispersive effects in the received waveforms can reduce the reliability of the STC analysis. By dispersive it is meant that the guided wave slowness depends on the frequency at which the wave propagates. Many factors contribute to the amount of slowness dispersion. These factors include, for example, tool body properties, eccentricity, borehole diameter, formation shear slowness and compressional slowness, and mud density and slowness. In order to obtain a suitably accurate shear slowness value, processing is required that relies upon values for these factors. This processing is commonly referred to in the art as "dispersion correction". In many applications, values for each of these other factors are not accurately known, which can in turn lead to errors in the shear slowness estimate.
Another drawback with the aforementioned techniques is that logging while drilling tools configured for transmitting and/or receiving relatively pure acoustic modes require highly complex transmitter and/or receiver configurations, which tend to be expensive. For example, transmitters configured to produce a pure acoustic mode typically include numerous (e.g., four, eight, or even more) distinct transducer elements deployed about the circumference of the tool body. In order to produce a pure mode and to suppress other modes, highly precise phasing (timing) of the various transducers is typically further required. The difficulty in generating such acoustic signals is also known to be further exacerbated by tool eccentricity in the borehole (e.g., in highly deviated wells in which the tool typically lies on the low side of the borehole). Moreover, the use of such complex transmitters and receivers in severe downhole conditions including extreme temperatures and pressures and severe mechanical shocks and vibrations tends to reduce tool reliability.
Therefore, there exists a need for an improved logging while drilling tool. In particular, there is a need for an improved logging while drilling tool suitable for determining shear wave slowness in acoustically slow formations.

Unipole and bipole acoustic logging while drilling tools


This invention provides a particle size distribution measuring apparatus, which has a function of informing an operator of a procedure of validation work of the particle size distribution measuring apparatus. A storage medium which records validation data providing a procedure of validation work for the particle size distribution measuring apparatus and a control unit which has a validation help function which successively reads a validation procedure from the validation data and controls the particle size distribution measuring apparatus according to a measuring procedure without any operation by an operator in the validation procedure while teaching the operator a work procedure requiring an operation by the operator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a particle (grain) size measuring apparatus, which detects a diffraction/scattered light or dynamic light scattering by irradiating a laser beam onto a particle group such as a dispersing powder sample or the like, and measures a particle size distribution of the particle group on the basis of a scattered light intensity signal or the like obtained by the detection and more particularly provides an automatic validation and instruction mode.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, a particle size distribution measuring apparatus using a light diffraction phenomenon or scattering phenomenon by a particle has calculated a particle size distribution of a sample particle in the following manner. More specifically, the above apparatus measures intensity distribution of a diffraction light or a scattered light, that is, a relation between a diffraction angle or scattering angle and a light intensity, and then, carries out arithmetic processing based on a Frauunhofer diffraction theory or Mie scattering theory with respect to the measured result. In the above manner, the above apparatus has calculated the particle size distribution of a sample particle. The above particle size distribution measuring apparatus has been used for research and development of raw materials in most mining and industrial fields such as the cement or the ceramic industry, and in a new material field mainly using ceramics.
For example, to give an example of the above apparatus, there is a particle size distribution measuring apparatus disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent publication No. 6-43950. FIG. 16 is a view schematically showing a construction of the particle size distribution measuring apparatus disclosed in this Publication. In FIG. 16, a reference numeral 10 denotes a cell comprising a transparent container for receiving a sample solution 11 dispersing a particle group of the measuring object in a proper dispersion medium, and a reference numeral 12 denotes a laser beam source provided on one side (backward side) of the cell 10. A parallel laser beam 13 emitted from the laser beam source 12 is enlarged by a beam expander (not shown), and then, is irradiated to the cell 10 in an enlarged state.
In FIG. 16, a reference numeral 14 denotes a condenser lens provided on the other side (forward side) of the cell 10, and a ring detector 15 is arranged at a focal position of the condenser lens 14. The ring detector 15 is constructed in a manner that a plurality of photo sensors having mutually different radii and a ring or semi-ring light receiving plane is arrayed concentrically around an optical axis of the condenser lens 14. Further, the ring detector 15 receives light scattered/diffracted at a relatively small angle to the optical axis of the laser beam 13 diffracted or scattered by particles in the cell 10 for each scattering angle, and then, measures their light intensity.
Moreover, a wide angle scattered light photo detector group 16 is provided at the vicinity of the cell 10. The wide angle scattered light photo detector group 16 individually detects light scattered/diffracted at a relatively large angle to the optical axis of the laser beam 13 diffracted/scattered by the particles in the cell 10 for each scattered light. Further, the wide angle scattered light photo detector group 16 is composed of a plurality of photo sensors 17 to 22 provided at an angle different from the condenser lens 14 and the ring detector 15. Thus, the photo detector group 16 can detect a wide angle scattered light exceeding a predetermined angle by the particles in the cell 10 in accordance with each oriented angle. In the photo detector group 16, the photo sensors 17 to 20 detect a forward scattering light, the photo sensor 21 detects a side scattering light, and the photo sensor 22 detects a backscattering light.
A reference numeral 23 denotes a pre-amplifier for amplifying an output of the photo sensors constituting the ring detector 15, and a reference numeral 24 denotes a pre-amplifier for amplifying each output of the forward scattering light photo sensors 17 to 20. Further, a reference numeral 25 denotes a pre-amplifier for amplifying each output of the side scattering light photo sensor 21 and the backscattering light photo sensor 22. A reference numeral 26 denotes a multiplexer for successively capturing each output of the pre-amplifier groups 23 to 25 and transmitting it to an A-D converter 27, and a reference numeral 28 denotes a computer which is used as an arithmetic processor for inputting an output from the A-D converter 27. The computer 28 stores a program for processing each output converted into a digital signal (digital data relative to light intensity) of the ring detector 15 and the photo sensors 13 to 22 on the basis of a Frauunhofer diffraction theory or Mie scattering theory, and obtaining a particle size distribution in a particle group.
In the above particle size distribution measuring apparatus, in a state that the sample solution 11 is received in the cell 10, when the laser beam 13 is irradiated from the laser beam source 12 to the sample cell 10, the laser beam 13 is diffracted or scattered by the particles in the cell 10. Of the diffracted light or scattered light, a light having a relatively small scattering angle is imaged on the ring detector 15 by the condenser lens 14. In this case, the photo sensor arranged on the outer side receives a light having a larger scattering angle; on the other hand, the photo sensor arranged on the inner side receives a light having a smaller scattering angle. Therefore, a light intensity detected by an outer-side photo sensor means a quantity of particles having smaller particle diameter (particle size); on the other hand, a light intensity detected by the inner-side photo sensor means a quantity of sample particles having larger particle diameter. The light intensity detected by each of these photo sensors is converted into an analog electric signal, and further, is inputted to the multiplexer 26 via the pre-amplifier 23.
On the other hand, of the laser beam 13 diffracted light or scattered by the particles, a light, which is not converged by the condenser lens 14 and has a relatively large scattering angle, is detected by the photo sensors 17 to 22, and then, its light intensity is measured. In this case, the forward scattering light photo sensors 17 to 20, the side scattering light photo sensor 21 and the backscattering light photo sensor 22 successively detect a scattering light from a particle having a small particle size. The light intensity detected by each of these photo sensors 17 to 22 is converted into an analog electric signal, and further, is inputted to the multiplexer 26 via the pre-amplifier groups 24 and 25.
The multiplexer 26 captures measurement data from the ring detector 15 and the photo sensors 17 to 22, that is, an analog electrical signal in a predetermined order. The analog electric signal captured by the multiplexer 26 is made into a serial signal, then, is converted by the A-D converter 27 into a digital signal in succession, and thereafter, is inputted to the computer 28.
Subsequently, the computer 28 processes the light intensity data for each scattering angle obtained by each sensor of the ring detector 15 and the photo sensors 17 to 22 on the basis of a Frauunhofer diffraction theory or Mie a scattering theory.
As described above, in the above particle size distribution measuring apparatus, a light intensity distribution of scattering light having a substantially larger particle size is measured by the ring detector 15 and a light intensity distribution of wide-angle scattering light having a mainly smaller particle size is measured by the photo sensors 17 to 22. Further, the output of these ring detector 15 and photo sensors 17 to 22 is processed by the computer 28. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a particle size distribution of particle group over a wide range from a relatively larger particle size to a micro particle size.
By the way, the particle size distribution measuring apparatus as described above requires periodically carrying out a validation work in order to make a decision whether or not its measuring accuracy is correctly made. In particular, in a pharmaceutical company, in the case where the above particle size distribution measuring apparatus is used for a quality control, the validation work must be correctly done at least once per year.
In order to correctly do the validation of the particle size distribution measuring apparatus, an operator must measure a predetermined standard sample according to a determined procedure. For this reason, in the conventional particle size distribution measuring apparatus, the operator prepares a validation manual recording procedures of the above validation work, and then, must carry out the validation work according to the determined procedures.
However, a measuring technique using the above particle size distribution measuring apparatus is complicated, and therefore, it is difficult for an inexperienced operator to memorize and operate all of the working procedures. For this reason, in the case where an inexperienced operator operates the above apparatus, the operator must operate a control unit while referring to a user manual. In fact, when an inexperienced operator performs the above operation while referring to a user manual, such an operator can easily make a mistake in the sequence of work, and may not notice the mistake. Therefore, validation cam be incorrectly carried out; and for this reason, the resulting numerical value has no reliability.
In such a case, the measurement procedure must be performed again. However, in order to again make a measurement, the following steps are required. More specifically, dispersion medium and standard sample in a sample supply apparatus are discharged, and the sample supply apparatus is washed, and thereafter, the dispersion medium and standard sample are charged in the supply apparatus. Excessive time and labor are spent for doing the above work, and in the case where the standard sample is valuable, there is a possibility that many standard samples are wasted.
After the validation work is completed, the operator makes a report based on the measurement result, and must store the report; however, there is the case where the operator forgets this work. For this reason, there is a problem that no record is stored in spite of carrying out the validation work.
In addition, the above scattering type particle size distribution measuring apparatus uses precision optical components, a laser beam source, a motor and the like; for this reason, there is a possibility that an accident happens in the case where a user disassembles the apparatus in error, or makes a handling mistake. In order to prevent such an accident, conventionally, caution procedures have been prescribed in a manual or the like, or a label describing handling caution matters have been stuck onto the apparatus main body. However, the aforesaid accident happens due to a user""s careless mistake and an erroneous operation by an inexperienced operator; for this reason, there is a possibility that the number of processes may be required on a maker side or user side.
The present invention has been made in view of the aforesaid problems in the related art. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a particle size distribution measuring apparatus, which has a function of informing an operator of a procedure of validation work of the particle size distribution measuring apparatus, and thereby, can prevent a generation of mistake in a complicated validation work.
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a particle size distribution measuring apparatus comprising: a storage medium which records a validation data indicating a procedure of validation work for a particle size distribution measuring apparatus, and a control unit which has a validation help function which successively reads a validation procedure from the validation data and successively carries out a control for the particle size distribution measuring apparatus according to a measuring procedure requiring no operation by an operator in the validation procedure while teaching the operator a work procedure requiring an operation by the operator.
Therefore, when carrying out the validation work, the operator can use the validation help function, and thereby, can operate the particle size distribution measuring apparatus according to the work procedure given from the control unit in a predetermined order without making a mistake. Moreover, the measuring procedure which is controlled by only a control unit is automatically carried out, by which the control unit controls the particle size distribution measuring apparatus according to an operation sequence previously stored as validation data.
The measuring procedure automatically carried out by the control unit includes a procedure for setting a setup value of a measuring object sample such as a refractive index of a standard sample used for the validation work. Therefore, the operator has no need of carrying out troublesome various setup operations for the validation work.
Accordingly, the operator can perform the complicated validation work without referring to a manual, and thereby, it is possible to reduce the responsibility of the operator to the minimum, and to successively carry out the work procedure made by the operator step by step without making a mistake. This serves to more accurately perform the validation work.
In the case where the control unit has a warning function of pointing out the operator""s mistake in the work procedure to the operator, and teaching a proper validation work according to a correct work procedure, when the operator makes an erroneous operation, a warning is given from the control unit. Therefore, the validation work is accurately performed, so that a measured result having a high reliability can be obtained.
The following matter is considered as a possible aforesaid mistake in the work procedure; more specifically, the operator charges a standard sample unsuitable for the measurement condition. For example, it is considered that concentration and temperature of the charged sample are outside a range of measurement condition predetermined as a standard sample. In this case, the concentration of the sample is previously measured by a light transmittance, and then, in the case where the measured result is different from the sample concentration condition, the control unit can give an instruction to adjust the concentration of the sample to the operator. Moreover, the control unit may have a warning function which confirms the measurement condition during measurement of particle size distribution, and gives an instruction to the operator to retry the measurement in the case where the measurement condition is beyond a range of a predetermined value.
In the case where the control unit has a speech (voice) output section for outputting an instruction to the operator by a speech signal, an operating instruction is given by machine generated speech; therefore, the operator can readily perform a validation work according to the spoken instruction without giving attention to reading a manual and the like.
In the case where the control unit has a monitor screen for displaying an instruction to the operator, the operator can obtain instructions for validation work via a display screen; therefore, it is possible to readily perform the validation work.
Moreover, in the case where the particle size distribution measuring apparatus of the present invention has an automatic charger for successively charging a standard sample used for the validation work into the above particle size distribution measuring apparatus, it is possible to reduce the work done by the operator to the minimum, and further, to easily handle the above apparatus. In this case, preferably, the control unit has a function of continuously measuring a plurality of standard samples.
The control unit has a judgment function of comparing an inspection result obtained from the validation work with a performance standard of the particle size distribution measuring apparatus, and making a judgment whether or not the comparative result is within the performance standard range. In this case, the operator has no need of collating the comparative result with a standard chart of the particle size distribution measuring apparatus, and making a judgment whether or not an error is within the performance standard range.
In the case where the control unit has a recording function of recording the inspection result obtained by the validation work, the inspection result is automatically stored after the validation work is performed. Even in the case where the operator forgets the output of the inspection result, it is possible to prepare a report using records of the inspection result automatically stored. Therefore, the record is not lost when carrying out the validation work. In this case, the record of the inspection result may be a result data stored in the storage medium, or may be an inspection result report outputted by a printer or the like.

Particle size distribution measuring apparatus with validation and instruction modes


A method of manufacturing surface relief patterns of variable depth in solid materials is disclosed, which patterns, when seen in cross-section, are of variable geometry. After determining the properties of the desired surface relief pattern and of the material to be etched, the steps used in the method include: depositing a layer of measured thickness of photoresist material on the surface of the material to be etched; applying a selected amount of radiation to specific areas on the photoresist, thereby sensitizing the photoresist, so that the amount of radiation on the photoresist is a function of the depth of the desired surface relief pattern in the solid material at that point; chemically developing the photoresist material to remove the sensitized material in proportion to the exposure which it has received; and finally, etching the combined photoresist and substrate through reactive ion etching until portions of the photoresist material have been removed, thereby leaving the desired pattern etched in the substrate. As an additional step, the etched substrate may be coated with a metallic film with protective and optically desirable properties.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of manufacturing surface relief pattern which are of specified and variable cross-sectional and surface geometry, in solid materials, and more particularly to methods of etching the surface of the solid through the use of selective exposure of a resist coating and subsequent bombardment of the resist and solid substrate with reactive ions. Such variable surface geometry is of particular use in the creation of diffraction type gratings, and particularly in the formation of blazed diffraction systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in the development of optical systems using optical elements having three-dimensional surface relief patterns. Because of relatively new interest in diffraction gratings with non-uniform geometries, efforts have been made to fabricate this type of grating, but with only limited success.
Fabrication has principally been based on photolithographic techniques using a standard photoresist material. Typically, the photoresist has been used as a recording medium for light which defines a light intensity pattern in the photoresist. A commonly used method is to expose the photoresist material to holographically interfering light, with subsequent development of the photoresist coating. A second method commonly used is to fabricate a so-called "binary" mask, which is a mask which is in some locations absolutely opaque to radiation, and in other locations, absolutely transmissive. This pattern is contact printed on the photoresist layer or holographically exposed on the photoresist layer. The photoresist material is then developed chemically, leaving a surface relief pattern in the photoresist which is directly related to the light intensity pattern allowed by the binary mask. Once the photoresist has been exposed and developed, it may be used as an integral part of the completed transmission medium, or can be used as a mask to transfer the pattern to the substrate using methods such as wet etching, ion milling or reactive ion etching.
As shown in FIG. 1, a binary mask contains a pattern of alternating areas, absolutely non-transmissive of radiation and absolutely transmissive of radiation. For many applications, a surface of variable cross section is preferable. In those cases, however, a high degree of variation in the transmission density of the mask is desired to transfer a similar surface relief pattern of continuously variable geometry to the substrate.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a sample or theoretical surface cross section is disclosed. In this example, it is useful to consider the percentage of light transmission in terms of visible light, to better understand the desired result. For example, at point A on the surface of a variable transmission density mask, the mask would be translucent, transmitting perhaps 80% of the available visible light. At point B, by way of further example, the mask would be absolutely opaque and non-transmissive of any visible light wavelengths. Points C and D are provided as samples of points between a pair of points disposed along the variable portion of a linear gradient in the sample mask. Point C, for example, shows a lesser degree, of slope than point D, indicating that the light transmissivity to visible radiation of the mask at point D is changing more rapidly in relation to the surface area of the mask than at point C.
None of the current methods of manufacturing of blazed surfaces or continuously variable surface relief patterns are adequate to produce such a continuously variable surface relief pattern in the substrate material, although such patterns have been successfully transferred to a photoresist coating ("blazed" is a term typically applied to diffraction gratings). In a blazed surface, the grooves in a diffraction grating are of a controlled shape, which give the diffraction grating unique reflection and refraction properties, typically, reflection of large percentages of incoming light into a particular order for a given wavelength. Because the typical photoresist thickness seldom exceeds two microns, there is a corresponding limitation in the depth of the relief pattern which can be created in the photoresist itself. While greater thicknesses of photoresist are attainable using newer techniques, as the thickness of the photoresist increases, likewise, difficulties in obtaining linearity in the desired surface pattern increase.
The use of holography light for exposure requires at least two coherent beams of light which are interfering. The interference pattern is dependent on a complex interference geometry and the resulting intensity of the interfering light pattern. Because the interference pattern is not fully controllable, it is impossible to form generalized surface relief patterns in the photoresist, without a source of coherent light. Moreover, because the pattern of interfering light is depth dependent, it is not possible to fully control the depth of the obtained surface relief pattern.
Referring now to FIG. 3, a previously known and tried method of solving the problem is presented. In an effort to approximate a blazed surface, binary masks have been used in succession, to progressively etch everincreasing areas of the substrate, through multiple applications and, developments of successive photoresist layers. This requires the fabrication of a multiple series of binary masks, and this requires numerous masking, exposing and fabrication steps. These steps consume substantial time and materials, and increase the possibility of error in the final product. The method generally requires the exposure of the surface with a first mask which contains a masking pattern whose features are defined by the width dimension W. Exposure of the substrate is made utilizing this mask, for a measured period of time. After which the photoresist is developed, the substrate etched, and the remaining unwanted resist removed without affecting the substrate. A second mask with a masking pattern width x is then prepared, to overlay precisely along the, previously exposed, substrate in relation to the first pattern in the substrate and the above steps are repeated. Successive masks of width y and z are likewise applied, the photoresist exposed, resulting in step like overall exposure of, the substrate and a subsequent step like pattern in the surface of the substrate. Of course, it can be readily seen that the sloped surface so created along points A, B, C and D on such substrate are merely an approximation of a smooth slope, with various undesirable transmission properties as well as the limitations outlined above.
Attempts to use variable optical density masks for exposing the photoresist have been attempted, on a limited basis. The attempts have been directed to storing optical images directly in the photoresist and then using the photoresist itself as the relief phase storage medium. However, the procedures to transfer an optical pattern, with its linear characteristics, to the underlying solid material substrate have not been attempted. Because of the inherent non-linear absorption characteristics of photoresist, it has been impossible to obtain precise surface relief pattern depths of more than one micron. Variable optical density masks are used to reproduce an image only, not a desired substrate pattern, and hence, the developing and exposing techniques have been unable to compensate for the inherent non-linear characteristics of the photoresist, particularly at large photoresist thicknesses.
Consequently, a need exists for the development of a simple, reliable method of manufacturing surface relief patterns of variable three-dimensional geometry in a solid material which will result in the ability to obtain a wider range of depths of relief in the surface, allow generalized surface relief patterns to be formed, while avoiding the errors which are inherent in the multiple binary masking techniques, all at reasonable cost and with predictable accuracy.

Method of manufacturing surface relief patterns of variable cross-sectional geometry

Environmental Research Institute of Michigan


A power steering apparatus for steering an outboard engine on a boat has a hydraulic cylinder unit for angularly moving a steering arm of the outboard engine, and a hydraulic pump actuatable by a motor for supplying a hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic cylinder unit. The motor is controlled by a motor driver which supplies a first amount of electric energy to the motor when the outboard engine is not steered, and supplies a second amount of electric energy, larger than the first amount of electric energy, to the motor when the outboard engine is steered.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hydraulic pressure generating device for generating a hydraulic pressure to be supplied to a hydraulic cylinder unit that is actuatable in response to turning of a steering wheel for angularly moving a steering arm to steer an outboard engine mounted on the back of a small boat.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Some known power steering apparatus for outboard engines on boats have a hydraulic pressure generating device which utilizes the power of the outboard engine for rotating a hydraulic pump such as a vane pump, a gear pump, or a trochoid pump to supply working oil to a hydraulic cylinder unit for angularly moving a steering arm.
Since the conventional hydraulic pressure generating device relies upon the engine power at all times, even when the power steering apparatus are not in operation, the engine power is consumed in rotating the hydraulic pump and hence suffers an energy loss. It is possible to actuate the hydraulic pump with an electric motor and to energize the electric motor only when the power steering apparatus operates to steer the boat. However. because the electric motor starts to operate with a delay when the power steering apparatus is brought into operation, the hydraulic pump cannot quickly supply a hydraulic pressure to the power steering apparatus, which is therefore poor in response.

Hydraulic pressure generating device for power steering apparatus for outboard engine


A portable, practice golf putting green presents realistic and challenging putting practice and in which all of the components can be formed into a convenient and compact storage position. The preferred putting green includes a flexible base of material presenting a playing surface providing two different resistances to the roll of a golf ball and realistically simulative of a putting green, a plurality of openings simulative of golf green cups defined in the playing surface, an elevated portion presenting one of the openings at an elevated level, and a pair of longitudinally and transversely adjustable wedges for selectively altering the contour of the playing surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a portable practice putting green or so-called "putting clock" having a sheet of flexible material simulative of a golf green surface with a plurality of openings defined therein simulative of golf green cups and which can be rolled into a compact coiled configuration for portability and storage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art discloses a variety of devices for putting practice by a golfer. None of the prior art devices, however, include all of the elements necessary to provide a portable practice putting green realistically simulative of an actual golf green and which is also configured for convenient and compact storage.
For example, a realistic putting green should include a cup which is elevated above the level of the starting surface because such is encountered with actual golf greens. Additionally, actual golf greens present variable contours which prevent a straight roll of the ball. A realistic practice putting green should also provide contours which can be selectively varied. Furthermore, a golfer encounters different putting distances and such should be provided by a practice green.


A system for storing and dynamically updating data represented in the Extensible Markup Language (XML) which separates the data values in at least some of the elements of an XML document and places those data values in relational database tables where they may be processed using conventional RDBMS techniques. The hierarchical structure of the XML document is saved separately in an XML skeleton object from which element data other than primary key values has been removed. The XML documents document type definition (DTD) is stored, along with additional property data used the RDBMS, in an XML Definition object. The additional property information includes the identification of primary key data values which are used to link the structural definition data to the value data stored in the tables, the designation of data types used for more efficient storage of data from predetermined XML elements, the designation of selected element data for indexing and for column storage, and the designation or relational integrity constraints which help insure that logically connected data is not inappropriately deleted or updated. The XML data as stored in the relational tables can be retrieved as a complete XML document, or selected XML elements can be retrieved by themselves, by merging the table data into the XML skeleton.

The relational database model provides a readily understood framework for representing, organizing and manipulating business data. Since its formal introduction by Dr. E. F. Codd in 1970 in the paper entitled "A Relational Model for Large Shared Data Banks," CACM 13(6) June, 1970, the popularity of relational technology has increased dramatically. Today, most organizations implement relational echnologies in some form, and highly effective relational database management systems (RDBMS) are available at low cost for many platforms.
In very recent years, a very different framework for representing data was created so that richly structured documents could be used over the World Wide Web. Called the "Extensible Markup Language" (XML), this new standardized data representation was developed by a group formed under the auspices of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in 1996, with the goals of creating a data model that would be easy to use over the Internet, would support a wide variety of applications, and would be formal and concise. Because of these and other attributes, XML is now being universally adopted as a standard data representation which is particularly suitable for exchanging data between disparate organizations and applications.
While database systems have been and are being developed which are specifically designed to store and retrieve XML data in its native form, there is a significant need for a mechanism which would permit XML data to stored and manipulated using existing relational database systems. By doing so, XML data might be more easily used in combination with the vast amounts of data that already exist in relational systems, powerful capabilities built into relational systems could be advantageously applied to XML data, and business-to-business data which are increasingly being exchanged in the form of XML documents could be dynamically stored and retrieved using existing relational database installations.
Unfortunately, XML data cannot be directly translated into relational form for storage in existing relational or object-relational systems. XML data is highly hierarchical, allowing it to represent data in deeply nested relationships which do not match well with the tables (relations) used by a conventional RDBMS. While XML permits and indeed encourages the organization of data into arbitrarily complex and heterogenous hierarchical structures, the relational model encourages the organization of data into well-defined tables containing typed data in defined columns and rows of tables, with defined relationships between tables. As a consequence, XML data is often structured in ways that can be mapped only with difficulty, if at all, into the relational model and, at the same time, may fail to conform to the data type and homogeneity requirements needed by an RDBMS.


The present invention provides an agent for promoting graft survival which can suppress rejection without use of existing immunosuppressants, an organ preservation solution capable of maintaining the freshness of an organ excised from a donor, and the like. An agent for promoting graft survival or an organ preservation solution is prepared, which comprises 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) or a derivative thereof, or a salt of ALA or the derivative and an iron compound as active ingredients. Preferable examples of the ALAs can include ALA and various esters such as methyl ester, ethyl ester, propyl ester, butyl ester, and pentyl ester of ALA, and their hydrochlorides, phosphates, and sulfates. Preferable examples of the iron compound can include sodium ferrous citrate.

Rejection after organ transplantation occurs when the immune system, which intrinsically defends the living body against bacteria, viruses, and so on, recognizes the graft as a "foreign substance". It is not an exaggeration to say that the success of medical transplantation hinges on how to take effective control of such rejection. The rejection control method reportedly includes a method involving locally controlling graft rejection and a method involving controlling systemic rejection response itself. The latter method is mainly practiced at present. The administration of calcineurin inhibitors (e.g., cyclosporin and tacrolimus) or steroidal drugs is widely carried out in order to suppress rejection after transplantation, but is also known to often cause adverse reactions.
In recent years, methods for artificially inducing immune tolerance have been developed for the purpose of reducing the doses of drugs. Such methods involve extracting T cells from donors or recipients, mixed-culturing the T cells with specific antibodies, and returning the resulting cells to their bodies. There have been proposed, for example: an agent for suppressing kidney transplantation rejection, containing recipient-derived T cells as an active ingredient, the T cells being obtained by collecting T cells from the recipient scheduled to receive kidney transplantation and stimulating the collected T cells with alloantigen from a kidney donor in the presence of an anti-CD80 antibody or its antigen-binding fragment and an anti-CD86 antibody or its antigen-binding fragment (see e.g., Patent Document 1); a method for reducing the influence of graft versus host disease, comprising the steps of: extracting, from a human donor, a sample comprising peripheral blood mononuclear cells comprising CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells; concentrating the CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in the sample to thereby form concentrated CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells; proliferating the population of the concentrated CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells; and administering a portion of the proliferated CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells to a human to treat the graft versus host disease (see e.g., Patent Document 2); and a method for inducing recipient cells so that rejection after transplantation is reduced, the method comprising a) isolating peripheral mononuclear blood cells from a recipient and a donor, b) mixing ex vivo the cells of the donor and the recipient, c) treating the resulting cells with a regulatory composition, d) increasing the number of the cells, and e) introducing the cells into the recipient (see e.g., Patent Document 3).
Other known techniques include: an organ preservation solution comprising flavonoid glycoside (see e.g., Patent Document 4); an agent for preserving an organ, containing 1,5-anhydrofructose or its derivative (see e.g., Patent Document 5); an agent for preserving an organ, containing fullerenes (see e.g., Patent Document 6); an organ preservation solution containing a hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) (see e.g., Patent Document 7); an organ preservation solution containing lecithinized superoxide dismutase (see e.g., Patent Document 8); and an agent for preserving an organ, comprising glucosyl-L-ascorbic acid or a salt thereof (see e.g., Patent Document 9).
Meanwhile, ALA is known as an intermediate in tetrapyrrole biosynthesis pathways present in a wide range of animals, plants, or bacteria. This acid is commonly biosynthesized from succinyl CoA and glycine by 5-aminolevulinic acid synthase. Photodynamic therapy using ALA (hereinafter, also referred to as "ALA-PDT") has also been developed and has received attention as a low invasive treatment method capable of maintaining QOL. For example, diagnostic or therapeutic agents for tumor comprising ALA and so on have been reported. In addition, ALA is also known to be useful as a preventing and improving agent or a therapeutic agent for adult disease, cancer, or male sterility (see e.g., Patent Documents 10 to 12).

Enhancer of survival of transplanted organ

National Center for Child Health and Development


System and methods for coordinating the control system of a switched power capacitor with an integrated resonance protection function. The coordination system coordinates the function of a switched power capacitor""s primary control system and resonance protection system to avoid duplication of tasks and on/off operation deadlock. The coordination system adjusting calculations made by the primary control system in response to a determination of a harmonic resonance condition by the resonance protection system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for coordinated control of a switched power capacitor with an integrated resonance protection system. More specifically, the invention relates to adjusting calculations made by the primary control system in response to a determination of a harmonic resonance condition by the resonance protection system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Existing switched power capacitor control systems may include a primary control system and a harmonic resonance protection system. The primary control system determines if a capacitor switching operation is needed by comparing actual control parameters to target control parameters and determining if a switching operation would make the actual control parameters closer in value to the target control parameters. Target control parameters are predetermined. Actual control parameters are calculated by the primary control system based on measurements of voltages and currents obtained with voltage and current transformers respectively. If a switching operation is required, the primary control system further determines which capacitor bank is to be switched based on other factors such as, for example, a capacitor""s size and whether a capacitor is connected or disconnected.
The resonance protection system monitors the circuit for harmonic resonance conditions. Harmonic resonance conditions may be due to capacitor switching operations or system changes such as, for example, a load change, a system source impedance change, or a network topology change. Harmonic resonance may cause significant harmonic distortion in the system voltages and currents, which may increase the losses in the circuit and cause damage to equipment operating in the system due to overheating and vibration. When a resonance condition due to capacitor switching operation is detected, the protection system performs additional capacitor switching operation to de-tune the circuit from the sustained resonance. If a switching operation is required, the harmonic resonance protection system further determines which capacitor is to be switched based on other factors such as, for example, a capacitor""s size and whether a capacitor is connected or disconnected.
Existing switched power capacitor control systems may contain both an independent primary control system and an independent resonance protection system. The independence of these two systems results in several drawbacks. First, the independent systems must duplicate certain functions such as, for example, determining whether a capacitor is connected and generating a signal to control a capacitor. Second, the independent systems may, under certain circumstances, force the capacitor banks into a constant on/off operation deadlock. For example, the primary control system may determine that a certain capacitor bank needs to be switched on. If switching on this capacitor bank tunes the circuit to a resonance condition, then the resonance protection system will perform additional capacitor switching operations to de-tune the circuit from the sustained resonance. It is possible that the resonance protection system may determine to switch off the same capacitor bank that the primary control system switched on. Once the capacitor bank is switched off by the resonance protection system, the primary control system will switch the capacitor bank back on. This operation deadlock can cause excessive wear to the capacitors and the switching apparatus. Thus, it would be a great improvement in the art to integrate and coordinate the primary control system and the resonance protection system to avoid duplication of functions and switching deadlock.
The present invention is directed to systems and methods for coordinated control of a switched power capacitor with an integrated resonance protection function. The coordination system receives control parameters calculated by the primary control unit. The coordination system also receives from the resonance protection system an input indicating whether a harmonic resonance condition is present. If a harmonic resonance condition is present, the coordination system adjusts the control parameters. If no harmonic resonance condition is present, the control parameters calculated by the primary control system are not changed. The coordination system then performs capacitor bank switching operations based on either the control parameters originally calculated by the primary control system or the adjusted control parameters.

System and method for coordinated control of a switched power capacitor with an integrated resonance protection system


The present invention relates to screen printing operation, and particularly a screen printing operation at a relatively high tension. The nominal thread diameter of the screen material as woven is contemplated to be essentially increased over that generally found in the prior art while substantially maintaining the standard mesh count arrangements as woven. The combination of high tension and increased thread diameter while maintaining the thread count results in a substantial improvement to the printed product and printing operation.

In the process of screen printing, the result achieved by the printing equipment is no better than the screen material utilized therewith. Even if a frame is stable and does not change during operation, inaccurate results can be achieved if the fabric screen material fails or stretches during the printing process.
New low elongation fabrics have been developed in recent years. However, even these fabrics begin to relax soon after the squeegee is first applied to transfer ink during the printing process. This is analogous to the tuning of a guitar with new guitar strings. The process is thus complicated by this initial relaxation during use. Loss in screen tension during any part of the printing process can result in image distortion, mis-registration, blurred edges, color shifts, ink penetration through porous or semi-porous substrates (such as uncoated paper or cloth garments), and ink build-up on the bottom of the screens. Manifestly, these changes in tension will require ink, squeegee and press adjustments during the printing operation. The result of this change in tension is a loss in quality, productivity and control over the printing process.
Roller type frames, such as those manufactured by Stretch Devices, Inc. of Philadelphia, Pa., may be utilized to meet the rigidity and stability requirements for accurate screen printing results. These roller type frames permit the retensioning of the fabric so as to maintain a constant tension over the entire printing operation. In a roller type frame, retensioning is performed by rotating (at least) one roller within the frame. This retensioning is performed after the fabric has received the stress exerted by the squeegee and has reacted to all of the inks and chemicals in the processes. This retensioning tends to restress or shock the polymer chains in the screen fibers and is essentially a work-hardening type process. During retensioning, the molecular chains become more and more highly oriented in the direction of the fibers while developing even greater bond strength. The more the screen is used and retensioned (restressed) after reclaiming, the stronger and more stable it becomes. Manifestly, screens that have been worked for an extended period of time will have consistency and repeatability in their printing.
Higher tensions in a screen can result in a faster squeegee speed during the printing operation. The squeegee speed is typically dictated by the speed at which the screen lifts off the substrate. In the lifting of the substrate, a "snap"-action or force is desired to assist in ink shear. Ink shear is important in order to provide accurate lines during the printing process. High tension gives a quicker and/or more forceful snap of the screen off of the substrate and thus a higher ink shear. This results in the ability to use a faster squeegee speed during printing, and thus a faster printing process.
Higher tensions also result in a more uniform application of the ink on the screen by the flood bar prior to the squeegee moving across the screen. Because of the higher tension, there is no build-up at the center of the screen material due to a downward bowing caused by the weight of the ink on the screen material. Moreover, because of the tension in the screen, the flood bar can move more quickly and at a greater force without resulting in the ink being pushed through to the opposite side of the screen material.
In the operating machinery, the off contact distance between the screen and the substrate can be lowered by using higher tension. The lower the off contact distance, the less force required in order to make contact between the screen and the substrate and the less stretching of the image. Off contact distance is also a consideration in determining the snap force by the screen away from the substrate. In higher tensions, the increased snap force is created by the tension in the screen as opposed to the stretching of the screen at a greater off contact distance.
Another advantage obtained by higher tension is permitting the edge of the image on the screen to be closer to the edge of the screen itself. Manifestly, relatively smaller frames may be used and the stroke length of the flood bar and squeegee can be reduced without affecting the resultant image.
Another advantage of the higher tensions in the screen relates to the consistency of thickness of deposit and to color control. These factors are a result of interface pressure between the screen and the substrate upon the application of the ink. With a high interface pressure, there is a significant likelihood of the spread of the ink on the printing substrate. With a higher tension, the amount of force needed to be applied to the substrate is substantially reduced. However, there is little reduction in the force being applied by the squeegee in causing the ink to pass through the screen material to receive a consistent coverage on the substrate.
Other advantages can also be achieved by a high tension printing process. However, these advantages have heretofore not been achieved at the rate possible with the present invention.

Screen material for and method of screen printing


An image pickup optical system includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit that does not move for focusing and has a positive optical power, a second lens unit that moves during focusing, an aperture diaphragm, and a third lens unit that does not move for focusing. The image pickup optical system includes a diffractive optical element, and an optical element NLF made of a solid material on the object side of an intersection between a paraxial chief ray and an optical axis. The predetermined conditional expressions are satisfied.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image pickup optical system and an image pickup apparatus having the same, suitable, for example, for a video camera, a digital still camera, a TV camera, and a surveillance camera, each of which uses an image sensor, and a film-based camera that uses a silver film.
2. Description of the Related Art
A so-called telephoto type image pickup optical system (telephoto lens) is known as an image pickup optical system having a long focal length, and includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a front lens unit having a positive refractive power and a rear lens unit having a negative refractive power. The "long focal length," as used herein, means, for example, a focal length longer than the size of an effective image pickup range. In general, as the focal length becomes longer in a telephoto lens having a long focal length, a large amount of a chromatic aberration, such as a longitudinal chromatic aberration and a lateral chromatic aberration, particularly occurs among a variety of aberrations.
JP H09-145996 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,757,555) discloses an (achromatic) telephoto lens in which a positive lens made of a low dispersion material that has an abnormal partial dispersion characteristic, such as fluorite or brand name S-FPL51 (Ohara Inc.) is combined with a negative lens made of a high dispersion material so as to correct these chromatic aberrations. This reference discloses a telephoto lens having a focal length of 294 mm to 392 mm and an F-number of about 4.08 to 5.6. In addition, as the F-number becomes smaller, large amounts of a spherical aberration and a coma particularly occur among a variety of aberrations in the telephoto lens having the small F-number.
In order to correct the spherical aberration and the coma in the telephoto lens having the small F-number, JP H08-327897 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,745,306) discloses a telephoto lens that has an increased number of lenses and an increased degree of freedom to the aberrational corrections. This reference discloses a telephoto lens having a large aperture ratio, an F-number of about 2.88 to 4.08 and a focal length of 294 mm to 588 mm, and increases the lens number so as to correct the aberration.
One known method uses a refractive optical element in which a refractive optical unit configured to provide diffractions is provided on a substrate, for a lens surface or part of an optical system, so as to correct the variety of aberrations containing a chromatic aberration of the optical system and to reduce the weight of the lens. JP 2009-271354 discloses an optical system that reduces an overall lens weight by using this method to correct the chromatic aberration, to shorten the overall lens length (distance from the first lens surface to the image plane), and to make a lens of a glass material having a comparatively small specific gravity.
This reference discloses a telephoto lens having a large aperture ratio, a focal length of 293 mm to 391 mm, and an F-number of about 2.9 to 4.1, thereby excellently correcting a chromatic aberration using a diffractive optical element. This reference shortens an overall lens length, corrects a monochrome aberration of a single color using an aspheric surface by an increased power of the first lens unit, and rectifies the chromatic aberration using a diffractive optical element. This configuration corrects various aberrations, and reduces an overall size and an overall weight.
In most image pickup lenses (optical systems), focusing from an infinitely distant object to the closest object is performed by moving all or part of lens unit(s) in the image pickup lens. The telephoto lens having a long focal length is likely to increase the overall lens size or the overall lens weight, and thus it is structurally difficult to move the entire telephoto lens for focusing.
Thus, the conventional telephoto lens usually moves part of lens units for focusing. Among them, an inner focus type focusing moves part of lens units which is comparatively small and lightweight and located at central rather than front in the optical system. Each of the telephoto lenses in the above three references includes, in order from the object side, a first lens unit having a positive refractive power and a second lens unit having a negative refractive power. The second lens unit is moved to the image plane side for focusing.
In general, the overall lens system becomes larger as a focal length becomes longer in the telephoto lens. It is therefore important for a telephoto lens to maintain a miniaturization of the overall lens system, and to properly and particularly correct the chromatic aberration among a variety of aberrations caused by the increased focal length. Moreover, it becomes important to provide faster focusing a small and lightweight lens unit other than the front lens unit and to lessen the burden of the driving unit.
In general, the front lens unit having a positive refractive power particularly becomes larger and heavier as the focal length becomes longer in a telephoto lens. It is thus important for the telephoto lens to properly set a lens configuration of the front lens unit having a positive refractive power in order to realize the small and lightweight configuration, to properly correct the chromatic aberration, and to obtain a high optical performance. The improper lens configuration of the front lens unit causes the overall system to be larger and amounts of the variety of aberrations to increase, and makes it very difficult to obtain a high optical performance.

Image pickup optical system and image pickup apparatus having the same


An acoustic sensor lengthens the portion of the beam portion not fixed with the anchor without lowering the strength of the beam portion and the supporting strength of the diaphragm. On an upper surface of a silicon substrate, a beam portion made of polysilicon is formed through a second sacrifice layer made of silicon dioxide film on an extended portion of a first sacrifice layer made of polysilicon. The extended portion is formed under a region excluding a distal end of the beam portion. The extended portion is removed by etching from a back chamber arranged in the silicon substrate to form a hollow portion in a region excluding the distal end of the lower surface of the beam portion, and then the second sacrifice layer is removed by etching. The second sacrifice layer remaining on the lower surface of the distal end of the beam portion forms an anchor.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to acoustic sensors and methods for manufacturing the same. Specifically, the present invention relates to an MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) type acoustic sensor, and a method for manufacturing the acoustic sensor using the MEMS technique.
2. Related Art
An electret capacitor microphone and an MEMS microphone are used for a miniature microphone, and embodiments of the present invention relate to an acoustic sensor (microphone chip) used in the MEMS microphone manufactured using the MEMS technique. First, the conventional acoustic sensor related to embodiments of the present invention will be described.
(General Acoustic Sensor MEMS Type of Prior Art)
FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view in a diagonal direction of a conventional acoustic sensor 11 of the MEMS type (cross-sectional view taken along line X-X of FIG. 1B), and FIG. 1B is a plan view in a state a back plate is removed in the acoustic sensor 11. The acoustic sensor 11 is mainly configured by a silicon substrate 12 made of monocrystal silicon, a diaphragm 13 made of polysilicon, and a back plate 14. A back chamber 15 is opened in the silicon substrate 12 to pass therethrough, and the diaphragm 13 is arranged on an upper surface of the silicon substrate 12 so as to cover the upper side of the back chamber 15. The diaphragm 13 has a substantially square shape, where a beam portion 16 extends outward in the diagonal direction from each corner. Each beam portion 16 is fixed to the upper surface of the silicon substrate 12 by an anchor 17 arranged on the lower surface of the beam portion, and the diaphragm 13 floats from the upper surface of the silicon substrate 12 by the anchor 17.
The diaphragm 13 is covered by the back plate 14 fixed on the upper surface of the silicon substrate 12, and a great number of acoustic holes 18 (acoustic perforations) for passing the acoustic vibration is opened in the back plate 14. The back plate 14 includes a fixed electrode film 20 made of polysilicon on an inner surface of a plate portion 19 having high rigidity made of SiN.
The acoustic sensor 11 is manufactured through the manufacturing processes, for example, as shown in FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D (line appearing on the far side of the cross-section is sometimes omitted to facilitate the understanding in the cross-sectional views after FIGS. 2A to 2D) using the MEMS technique. As shown in FIG. 2A, a sacrifice layer 21 (SiO2 layer) is stacked on the upper surface of the silicon substrate 12, a polysilicon thin film is formed thereon, and the polysilicon thin film is etched to a predetermined diaphragm shape to form the diaphragm 13.
The sacrifice layer 21 (SiO2 layer) is further stacked on the diaphragm 12 and the sacrifice layer 21 to cover the diaphragm 13 with the sacrifice layer 21, and then the sacrifice layer 21 is etched in accordance with the inner surface shape of the back plate 14. A polysilicon layer is formed on the sacrifice layer 21, and such polysilicon layer is etched to a predetermined fixed electrode film shape to form the fixed electrode film 20. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2B, a SiN layer is stacked on the fixed electrode film 20 and the sacrifice layer 21, and the SiN layer is etched to a predetermined shape to form the plate portion 19. A great number of acoustic holes 18 are opened in the back plate 14 including the plate portion 19 and the fixed electrode film 20.
Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 2C, a central part of the silicon substrate 12 is selectively etched from the lower surface side to pass the back chamber 15 through the silicon substrate 12, so that the sacrifice layer 21 is exposed at the upper surface of the back chamber 15.
Thereafter, the sacrifice layer 21 is subjected to wet etching through the acoustic holes 18 of the back plate 14, the back chamber 15 of the silicon substrate 12, and the like, so that only the sacrifice layer 21 under the beam portion 16 remains as the anchor 17 and the other sacrifice layer 21 is removed, as shown in FIG. 2D. As a result, the diaphragm 13 floats from the upper surface of the silicon substrate 12 by the anchor 17 and is supported to be able to film vibrate on the back chamber 15, whereby an air gap is formed between the fixed electrode film 20 and the diaphragm 13.
In such acoustic sensor 11, the beam portion 16 is extended from the diaphragm 13 and the beam portion 16 is fixed to the silicon substrate 12 by the anchor 17 formed by leaving one part of the sacrifice layer to increase the displacement of the diaphragm 13 due to sound pressure and enhance the sensitivity of the diaphragm 13. In order to further enhance the sensitivity of the diaphragm 13, the beam portion 16 is made longer and the anchor 17 is positioned distant from the edge of the back chamber 15, and the length of the portion of the beam portion 16 not fixed with the anchor 17 is made longer.
However, the sacrifice layer 21 is etched with an etchant infiltrated from the acoustic holes 18 or an etchant introduced from the back chamber 15 as shown with arrows in FIG. 3A, and the anchor 17 is formed by the sacrifice layer 21 left under the beam portion 16 as shown in FIG. 3B. The anchor 17 thus also becomes long if the beam portion 16 is made long, and hence, the length of the portion of the beam portion 16 not fixed with the anchor 17 cannot be increased. Furthermore, the anchor 17 becomes thin and short if the etching time is extended in an attempt to position the anchor 17 distant from the edge of the back chamber 15 because the sacrifice layer 21 under the beam portion 16 also gets etched from the side surface as shown in FIG. 3C, and hence, the beam portion 16 cannot be supported with the anchor 17.
(Acoustic sensor of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-89097)
The acoustic sensor in which the length of the portion of the beam portion not fixed with the anchor is increased is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-89097. In the acoustic sensor of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-89097, the length of the portion of the beam portion not fixed with the anchor is increased by opening a plurality of through-holes at the portion of the beam portion not fixed with the anchor, and increasing the area at the end of the beam portion.
FIGS. 4B and 4C are a cross-sectional view and a plan view schematically showing the beam portion 16 formed with a plurality of through-holes 22 at the portion not fixed with the anchor 17. If the through-holes 22 are formed in the beam portion 16, the sacrifice layer 21 at the lower surface of the beam portion 16 will be etched by the etchant infiltrated from the through-holes 22, as shown in FIG. 4A when the sacrifice layer 21 is etched. Therefore, the sacrifice layer 21 remains only at the end where the through-hole 22 is not formed, and the anchor 17 is formed at the end of the beam portion 16, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C.
However, if the through-holes 22 are formed in the beam portion 16, the mechanical strength of the beam portion 16 may decrease, and the beam portion 16 may break during a drop test or when a device incorporating the acoustic sensor is dropped.
FIGS. 5A and 5B are a cross-sectional view and a plan view schematically showing the beam portion 16 in which the area at the end 23 is increased. According to such structure, the sacrifice layer remains at the end 23 even after the sacrifice layer is removed in a region other than the end of the beam portion 16, and hence, the anchor 17 can be formed at the end 23 of the diaphragm 13.
In such structure, however, the miniaturization of the acoustic sensor may be inhibited as the area of the beam portion 16 increases. Furthermore, the area of the anchor 17 becomes small compared to the area of the end 23 because the sacrifice layer other than the end 23 needs to be completely removed, and hence, the support of the diaphragm 13 may become unstable.

Acoustic sensor and method of manufacturing the same


According to an aspect of the embodiment, an input/output device transmits a message to a first node controller of a parent node which is set in advance via a cross bar. At this point, the cross bar generates information based on node information of the input/output device, and adds the generated information to the message. The first node controller transmits, via the cross bar, the message to a second node controller of a parent node corresponding to an input/output device that is to receive the message. The second node controller transmits, via the cross bar, the message to an input/output device that is to receive the message. At this point, the cross bar transmits the message restored by deleting the generated information from the message to the input/output device which is set as a destination.

A server system includes system boards each of which is mounted with processors, a cross bar, IOCs (Input/Output component or input/output devices), and node controllers, for example. In the above server system, bit length of destination IDs used by the IOCs and so on is fixed. Therefore, there is a limit in the number of destination IDs. This is because, when the server system is installed, the number of bits of destination IDs is not necessarily secured assuming a large system.
When the number of bits of destination IDs is "3", the IOCs and so on can issue messages to only "8" kinds of destinations. When the number of connection destinations is "8" or less, the IOCs and so on can transmit messages to other all IOCs and so on.
However, there is a case, that the number of connection destinations increases from "8" or less when the server system is installed, but the number increases to nine or more, since necessity for expansion of nodes occurs after the installment. In this case, a message cannot be issued to IOCs and so on, to which destination IDs are not assigned in the server system, from the other IOCs and so on. Therefore, a user needs to change the overall structure of the server system.
A communication control apparatus between processors is known which can easily perform, within a specified number of ports, change and increase of housing positions for a processor and an input/output device housed in the apparatus.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-132527

Method for communicating between nodes and server apparatus


An information processing device includes a first calculation unit which calculates a score of each sample image including a positive image in which an object as an identification object is present and a negative image in which the object as the identification object is not present, for each weak identifier of an identifier including a plurality of weak identifiers, a second calculation unit which calculates the number of scores when the negative image is processed, which are scores less than a minimum score among scores when the positive image is processed; and an realignment unit which realigns the weak identifiers in order from a weak identifier in which the number calculated by the second calculation unit is a maximum.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing device and method and a program and, more particularly, to an information processing device and method which is able to more rapidly and more reliably detect a target object from an image, and a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, a technique of detecting a person from an image has been mainly researched and developed for security and on-vehicle use. As a main feature amount for detecting (recognizing) a person from an image, a feature amount obtained by edge extraction is used. In such a technique, various variations of a feature amount obtained by edge extraction are defined as new feature amounts so as to recognize a person. In addition, during recognition, a discriminator obtained by statistical learning of boosting may be used as a recognizer (see Paul Viola & Michael Jones US20040013304 A1 System and method for detecting objects in images, Paul Viola & Michael Jones US20020102024 A1 Method and system for object detection in digital images COMPAQ INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIE, Paul Viola & Michael Jones U.S. Pat. No. 7,099,510 B2 Method and system for object detection in digital images HEWLETT PACKARD DEVELOPMENT CO, and Paul Viola & Michael Jones U.S. Pat. No. 7,020,337 B2 System and method for detecting objects in images MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC RES LAB).

Information processing device and method, and program


An electric brake device that allows reduction of generation of an operating noise without impairing a function of a brake, is provided. The electric brake device includes a brake rotor, a brake pad, an electric motor (2), a linear motion mechanism, and a controller (9). Vehicle speed detector (44) configured to detect a vehicle speed, is provided, and the controller (9) includes: a motor angular velocity control section (40) configured to control an angular velocity of the electric motor (2); and angular-velocity-corresponding-to-vehicle-speed limiting section (41) configured to limit, in a no-load state where a clearance is between the brake pad and the brake rotor, the angular velocity by the motor angular velocity control section (40) such that the lower the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detector (44) is, the lower the angular velocity of the electric motor (2) in the no-load state is.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electric brake devices that convert rotary motion of electric motors into linear motion through linear motion mechanisms, and press brake pads against disc rotors.
Description of Related Art
To date, the following brakes have been proposed as electric brakes or friction brakes.
1. An actuator that converts a rotary motion of a motor into a linear motion through a linear motion mechanism by stepping on a brake pedal, and presses a brake pad against a brake disc, thereby applying a braking force (Patent Document 1).
2. A linear actuator in which a planetary roller screw mechanism is used (Patent Document 2).
3. A hydraulic brake mechanism that maintains a pad clearance so as to be constant (Patent Document 3).


User interfaces facilitate user interaction with virtual representations of anatomical structures that are displayed on computing systems. The user interfaces demonstrably reflect the relative impact of different medical conditions on the anatomical structures. The impact of the medical conditions can be reflected in real-time, as a slider object is manipulated to pull a slide transition screen over the anatomical object. Portions of the anatomical object that become overlapped by the slide transition screens are displayed with dynamic modifications that reflect the impact of the medical conditions associated with the slide transition screens.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to computing interfaces and, even more particularly, to computing interfaces that are capable of demonstrably reflecting the impact of various medical conditions on anatomical structures dynamically in response to user input.
2. The Relevant Technology
Many computing interfaces and systems are currently configured for providing medical information. However, there is an ongoing need for improved computing interfaces that are dynamically responsive to user input and that are also capable of providing medical information in a user-friendly and intuitive manner.

Interactive and dynamic medical visualization interface tools


A pump-dispensing atomizer includes a dispensing pump with a closure to engage with a container. The dispensing pump includes a pressing button with a booster chamber formed inside, a nozzle with one end extending from the pressing button and a probe formed with at least one section. An interior of the nozzle is formed with a guide chamber, and one end of the guide chamber is connected to the booster chamber. The guide chamber has at least one expanding sub-chamber. After the probe is disposed in the guide chamber, a boosting channel is formed between the expanding sub-chamber and the stepped section. Moreover, the pressure accumulator is mounted on the other end of the nozzle, which is formed with a spraying opening communicated to outer environment. As such, the pressure of liquid flowing in the nozzle will be increased effectively so that liquid is sprayed out with a higher pressure to increase the spraying speed of the liquid.

The present invention relates to a pump-dispensing atomizer, and in particular to an atomizer of reciprocating pump type that can increase liquid speed in the spout so that when the liquid is sprayed out by pressing on the pump, the liquid is pressurized to have a higher spraying speed.
Typically, trigger-action atomizers are operated by triggering a handle to produce a fine mist or an atomized spray, and pump-dispensing atomizers by pressing on a pump. The former are generally used for spraying water or cleaner; the latter are used for spraying throat medicine, perfume or hair aerosol.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,851,625 disclosed a trigger-action atomizer includes a triggering handle to actuate spraying liquid with high speeds. A booster chamber and a plurality of boosting channels are provided to pressurize the liquid to spray out in finer liquid particle sizes resulting in a referred atomization effect.
However, for an atomizer of reciprocating pump type, there is still no such design to sufficiently atomize liquid. Therefore, the spraying speed is too low for current pump-dispensing atomizer so that the atomizing effect is not preferred and effective spraying coverage will reduce for use in spraying throat medicine, perfume or hair aerosol.


A customization system for a vehicle includes a control operable to generate an output in a vehicle, with the output being a visual output, an audible output and/or a haptic output. An occupant recognition system is operable to recognize a particular occupant in the vehicle. The control accesses previously input occupant selections that are stored in a memory of the customization system. Responsive to the occupant recognition system recognizing a particular occupant of the vehicle, the control accesses previously input occupant selections associated with that particular occupant and, responsive to an accessed previously input occupant selection corresponding to a current date or vehicle status or location, the control generates a predetermined output for that particular occupant that corresponds to the current date or vehicle status or location.

Vehicles are commonly prepared to be personalized in limited manner such as the positions of the seating, steering wheel, mirrors and some comfort settings are bound to the individual driver by storing his or her settings and reproducing it as soon that driver reenters the vehicle. He or she may be identified by the key that is used, voice or body markers. Some vehicles may welcome the driver with a kind of welcome sound or short light show.


An electromagnetic stainless steel consists essentially of not more than 0.015 wt % of C, not more than 3.0 wt % of Si, not more than 0.5 wt % of Mn, not more than 0.030 wt % of P, not more than 0.030 wt % of S, 4-20 wt % of Cr, 0.2-7.0 wt % of Al, 0.02-0.50 wt % of Bi and the remainder being Fe and inevitable impurity and has excellent magnetic properties, electric resistance, cold forgeability and machinability.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electromagnetic stainless steels usable for use in iron core for electromagnetic valve, iron core for relay, magnetic shield, yoke and the like, and more particularly to an electromagnetic stainless steel having improved magnetic properties and electric resistance in ferritic electromagnetic stainless steel and excellent cold forgeability and machinability.
2. Description of the Related Art
From the old time, chromium-iron stainless steels are known as a corrosion-resistant material. And also, 13Cr steel, 18Cr steel and the like are mainly and widely used as a ferritic stainless steel in a field of magnetic materials requiring the corrosion resistance.
Concretely, the corrosion-resistant soft magnetic materials comprised of the above electromagnetic stainless steel are frequently used as an iron core of electromagnetic valve, iron core of relay and other electromagnetic materials used under corrosion environment, or as a magnetic shield material incorporated in an electric part such as a shield plate for casette tape recorder, shield material for power transformer and the like.
In the conventional electromagnetic stainless steel, it is desirable that the cold forgeability and machinability are improved while maintaining the corrosion resistance from a viewpoint that the electromagnetic stainless steel as a raw material is finished into a given shape by cold plastic working and cutting.
Furthermore, it is particularly desirable to improve the magnetic properties and electric resistance in the applications of the electromagnetic stainless steel in addition to the improvement of cold forgeability and machinability.
In this type of the electromagnetic stainless steel, therefore, it is demanded to improve not only the cold forgeability and machinability but also the magnetic properties and electric resistance.


A motor vehicle navigation device includes an automatic notification operating mode in which the processor automatically initiates the reproduction of a notification text via the loudspeaker at predetermined intervals of time or after predetermined distances of the journey have been traveled.

Known motor vehicle comprise a navigation computer, a memory for map data and a display for displaying navigation data. They are further provided with an operator keyboard by means of which the destination of the journey can be entered in the form of alphanumeric destination data. Navigation data can also be reproduced acoustically through loudspeakers.
DE 34 45 668 C1 discloses a control device for a vehicle destination guidance system. In this case the destination of the journey is input by means of a portable hand-held device comprising input keys, a display, a computer and a road map memory chip. Using this hand-held device data can be entered independently of the vehicle. At the start of the journey the hand-held device is inserted in a recess in the instrument panel of the vehicle.
EP 1 080 975 A2 discloses a method and a device for presenting information relevant to the driver or to the journey. This presentation takes place on a display in such a way that the total service life of a component or the total volume of an operating liquid or the total length of a servicing interval or the total length of a route is presented as a graphic element of a certain length. Furthermore, the currently elapsed time or the liquid consumed or left over or the time remaining until the next inspection or the distance covered or still remaining are presented on the same graphic element.
DE 100 59 746 A1 discloses a computer-aided route planning and route guidance system which takes dynamic changes into account both in the traffic situation and in the driver's appointments. This known system also comprises a personalised information pushbutton service. For this purpose the user enters a personal interest profile. During the journey to the destination the known system automatically gives the driver references in good time to objects located along the route travelled matching the personal interest profile.

Motor vehicle navigation device having a programmable automatic notification operating mode