The invention provides an automated sunroof or hoodroof installed onto the hood of a vehicle. The 3 Stage Hood Roof is centrally positioned on a vehicle's hood and is connected to an internal motor that operates with a push button mechanism located within the car. Pressing the push button engages the motor to multiple positions. In the first position, the hoodroof rotates slightly from its front attachment to the hood of the vehicle and tilts upward toward the rear. The second position retracts the roof completely or partially. The third position lowers the roof so that the roof is recessed from the hood of the vehicle. The fourth stage is a closed position, covering the entire engine.

The prior art has put forth several designs for vehicle sunroofs. Among these are:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,090 to David L. Draper describes an externally retractable sunroof assembly on a vehicle roof between side doors of the type having upper window frames that continue the contour of the roof. A roof opening in the outer roof panel has forward and rearward edges and has side edges exposing the interior of the roof side rails in which a pair of tracks are respectively mounted. A sunroof has side edges respectively mounted by the pair of tracks within the side rails and is movable between a closed position closing the roof opening and an externally retracted position above the outer roof panel to the rear of the roof opening. The sunroof has the side edges thereof in the closed position juxtaposed with respect to the upper window frames of the side doors to provide a continuous door to door appearance. In a preferred construction, the sunroof is made from metal or glass.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,665 to Hisao Ichinose, Yoshimitsu Takeda, Tsuyoshi Sato, Hiroshi Imai describes a sliding and tilting sunroof structure whose overall height is kept relatively small by using an actuating linkage with sliding front and rear guides with a pivoting link extending from each guide to the sunroof panel. A rear portion of the front link is additionally guided by a front portion of the rear guide.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,314,246 to Arthur L. MacNee, III and Christopher J. Dullivio describes a multi panel sunroof employing at least three movable sunroof panels. In another aspect of the present invention, three sunroof panels are stacked upon each other in one or two different operating positions. A further aspect of the present invention provides for rearward opening movement of a front sunroof panel and forward opening movement of a rear sunroof panel.
None of these prior art references describe the present invention.


In order to improve the frequency characteristic of a laser power monitor device and the precision of laser power control when low-speed recording is performed, there is provided a laser power monitor device for an optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus, the laser power monitor device including a photo diode unit to receive part of a light emitted from a laser diode and output a current proportional to optical power, and a monitor circuit to receive the current output from the photo diode unit, convert the received current into a voltage, and outputs the voltage to an automatic laser power control circuit, and the photo diode unit includes a plurality of photo diodes connected to the monitor circuit to supply current to the monitor circuit. The laser power monitor device further includes a switch unit, wherein the switch unit is located between the photo diode unit and the monitor circuit to receive a signal on a current recording speed and switch so that the number of photo diodes supplying current to the monitor circuit is reduced as the recording speed is increased.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a laser power monitor device, and more particularly, to a laser power monitor device for an optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus, capable of precisely controlling the power of a laser diode during a high speed or low speed operation of the optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus. The present invention also relates to an optical pickup including the laser power monitor device, and an optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus including the optical pickup.
2. Description of the Related Art
A laser diode is used as a light source in an optical pickup for an optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus, such as a CD player, a recordable CD-R drive, or an overwritable CD-RW drive. The power of the laser diode should be stable so that recording and/or reproducing of the optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus is performed smoothly. However, the power of the laser diode varies significantly with the operating temperature or period of use. Thus, power control should be performed in order to stabilize the power at an appropriate level. As such, a laser power control apparatus is provided to the optical pickup.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional laser power control apparatus. Reference numeral 10 denotes a photo diode 10 which receives part of the light emitted from a laser diode 40 and outputs a current proportional to an optical power of the laser. Reference numeral 20 denotes a monitor circuit, which is a current/voltage conversion circuit that receives the current output from the photo diode 10, converts the received current into a voltage, and outputs the voltage. A variable resistor for controlling the gain of the monitor circuit 20 is provided in the monitor circuit 20, and a value thereof is controlled in a process of manufacturing the optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus so that the monitor circuit 20 used in an optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus has a constant gain, that is, so that the monitor circuit 20 outputs the same voltage with respect to same current input.
Reference numeral 30 denotes an automatic laser power control circuit that receives an output voltage from the monitor circuit 20, compensates a difference between the output voltage and a predetermined reference voltage, and outputs a proper laser diode driving current.
The photo diode 10 and the monitor circuit 20 that convert power of a laser incident on the laser diode 40 into a voltage corresponding to the laser power, are referred to as a front photo detector. However, in the present specification, the photo diode 10 and the monitor circuit 20 are referred to as a laser power monitor device.
The maximum voltage that is received from the ALPC circuit 30 and can be processed is limited. As such, a voltage output from the laser power monitor device should be in the range of the maximum voltage. This should be considered when setting the gain of the monitor circuit 20.
FIG. 2 is a graph describing optical powers of a laser output from the laser diode in a pulse train system used in a CD-RW and DVD-RW recording apparatus. In a space section between pits, a laser at erase power level Pe is irradiated, and a recorded portion is erased. When recording pits in a mark section, a laser at peak power level Pp, which is a maximum power, and a laser at bias power level Pb, which is a minimum power, are alternately irradiated and the pits are recorded at fast speed. In order to properly heat dyes coated on an optical disc, an initial peak power section of the mark section is longer than the other sections. In accordance with the power input, output of the laser power monitor device ranges from the minimum voltage corresponding to the bias power level Pb to the maximum voltage corresponding to the peak power level Pp.
FIG. 2 shows part of a recording signal that indicates recording performed at a predetermined recording speed. In a recording mode of an actual optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus, a recording speed may be varied by a user's selection. Even when the recording speed is set to high speed, the optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus operates. When recording is performed at low speed, the rotational speed of an optical disc is lower than when recording is performed at high speed. In the case of high speed, recording should be performed with higher optical power. As such, the above-described power control should be performed depending on a recording speed.
FIG. 3 is a graph of laser driving current versus voltage output from a monitor circuit 20 in the conventional laser power control apparatus. When high-speed recording and low-speed recording is performed, the slope of the graph is the same, but the variation range of optical power is different. Thus, the variation range of laser driving current is different. As such, the variation range of a monitor circuit output voltage is different. In other words, in the case of low speed, the variation range of laser driving current and monitor circuit output voltage is smaller than the variation range of laser driving current and monitor circuit output voltage at high speed.
In addition, a reference voltage compared with an actual current voltage for output compensation is different for each speed. The reference voltage is low at low speed where low optical power is used. Optical power is proportional to the driving current inputted into a laser diode. Thus, similar graphs of the laser diode driving current and the monitor circuit output voltage can be obtained.
The ALPC circuit 30 tabulates and stores the relation between the laser diode driving current and the monitor circuit output voltage through a power calibration process during an initial operation of the optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus. When recording is performed, a difference between the output voltage of the monitor circuit 20 and a predetermined reference voltage is measured, and in order to compensate the difference, the laser diode driving current is increased or decreased.
The gain of the monitor circuit 20 is controlled and fixed at a constant level. Thus, in the case of high speed recording at which high optical power is outputted Pp current output from the photo diode 10 is large at the peak power level Pp. Thus, the voltage output from the monitor circuit 20 is high and has a wide range of variation. On the other hand, in the case of low speed recording at which low optical power is output, current output from the photo diode 10 is small at the peak power level Pp. Thus, the voltage output from the monitor circuit 20 is small and has a narrow range of variation.
However, during low speed recording in the conventional apparatus having the above structure, the precision of power control decreases as the variation range of the voltage output from the monitor circuit 20 and input into the ALPC circuit 30 decreases.
The maximum speed of the optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus has increased rapidly with the development of new recording and/or reproducing technologies. However, the maximum output voltage of the monitor circuit 20 is limited. Thus, as the maximum speed increases, the difference between the minimum speed and the maximum speed of the output voltage range of the monitor circuit 20 also increases. As such, lowering the precision of power control at low speed becomes more critical.
In the case of using one photo diode 10, the photo diode 10 should be large enough in order to obtain a sufficient output current. In such cases, the frequency characteristic of the output current is not good, and the variation of the output current cannot exactly follow a variation in optical power of laser incident on the photo diode 10.

Laser power monitor device, optical pickup including the same, and optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus including the same


A signaling router which receives messages coming from terminals or from other signaling routers, correlates a new message with a previously received message, and forwards the new message to a signaling router associated with the previously received message is presented.

The mechanisms for transmitting multimedia streams over data networks are commonly referred to as voice over IP mechanisms. A well-known example for transmitting audio streams over a data network is referred to specifically by the acronym VoIP (for Voice over IP). Although applicable in particular to voice and to telephone applications, the same mechanisms can be used for any other multimedia stream (specifically for video). The terminology must therefore be understood in a broad sense.
In a manner similar to that employed in the context of a conventional switched telephone network, a multimedia session over IP can be subdivided into two mechanisms: a signaling mechanism and a mechanism for transmitting the multimedia streams.
The object of the signaling mechanism is specifically to enable the parties of the session to negotiate so as to enable the multimedia streams to be transmitted.
An example of a signaling protocol is the session initiation protocol (SIP) as defined in request for comments (RFC) 2543 of the Internet engineering task force (IETF).
In that protocol, terminals can interchange messages in order to create, monitor, or terminate a multimedia session. The messages pass via signaling routers, conventionally referred to as "proxies".
Each network terminal is associated with a signaling router or proxy that is in charge of a portion of the network.
FIG. 1 shows three terminals T1, T2, T3. These terminals are associated with three signaling routers respectively P1, P2, and P3.
When terminal T1 seeks to initiate a multimedia session with terminal T2, it sends a message m1 to its own signaling router P1. That signaling router P1 forwards the message (possibly after modifying it) to signaling router P2 using a conventional shortest-path technique. The signaling router P2 then forwards it to terminal T2.
The message m1 contains the information that is needed for enabling the multimedia stream to be set up. By way of example, the information may include the number of the port to be used on the terminal T1.
After terminal T2 has replied by means of another message, the multimedia stream can be set up.
That model nevertheless raises a problem for multimedia sessions that have at least three parties, commonly referred to as "conferences", and in particular for conferences involving more than three parties.
Returning to the example shown in FIG. 1, terminal T2 seeks to invite terminal T3 to join the same multimedia session so as to set up a three-party conference. In the same manner as before, terminal T2 sends a message m2 to the signaling router P2 with which it is associated. The router forwards the message to the signaling router P3 which in turn forwards it to terminal T3.
In the same manner, terminal T1 invites terminal T4 to join the same multimedia session, by sending a message m3 to signaling router P1 which forwards it to signaling router P4 associated with terminal T4.
Nevertheless, at no time can all three messages (m1 and m3 coming from terminal T1 and m2 coming from terminal T2) be correlated by any one of the signaling routers concerned.
It follows that the network is unaware that a four-party conference is under way. So far as the network is concerned, there are at least two distinct multimedia sessions in progress, and the fact that together they constitute a four-party conference is known only to the terminals.
Unfortunately, certain special messages need to be implemented once a multimedia session involves more than two parties. In particular, for the audio stream, it can be necessary to make use of a conference bridge for mixing streams. For example, in order to enable terminal T3 to hear simultaneously the audio signals coming from terminals T1, T2, and T4 (assuming that the users of these three terminals are all speaking at once), it is necessary to mix the signals.
To ensure that special mechanisms can be implemented by the network, it is necessary for some element of the network to be aware that such a conference is in progress.

Signaling router for setting up multi-party multimedia sessions


The present invention relates to: a fusion peptide comprising a thrombus-targeting peptide, ferritin fragment and a thrombolytic peptide; and a use thereof and, more specifically, to: a fusion peptide in which a thrombus-targeting peptide, ferritin fragment and a thrombolytic peptide are sequentially linked; a composition for preventing or treating thrombotic disorders, containing the same as an active ingredient; a method for treating thrombotic disorders; and a therapeutic use. According to the present invention, CLT-sFt-μPn DCNC as a novel plasmin-based thrombolytic nanocage has: an effect of targeting a site at which thrombus is present; a low sensitivity to inhibitors present in the circulatory system; pharmacological activity strongly destroying both arterial and venous thrombi; and no side effects of bleeding, and thus can be very useful in developing an agent for preventing or treating thrombotic disorders.

The present application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0002588 filed on 6 Jan. 2017 and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0183222 filed on 28 Dec. 2017, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entities.
Thrombi formed in arteries and veins play a very important role in the pathogenesis of myocardial infarction, stroke, and thrombosis, and these diseases cause the deaths of one in four people worldwide. Once formed, the thrombi obstruct or slow a normal flow of blood to heart, brain, or other vital organs, and often results in fatal injury.
The development of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is one of the most important accomplishments in thrombolytic therapies. The tPA converts plasminogen to plasmin, which degrades fibrin clots to restore the normal flow of blood. The largest limitation in tPA therapies is an unspecific activation of circulating plasminogen, and consequently, may disrupt normal physiological homeostasis or cause systemic hemorrhages. Actually, it is reported that 20% of the stroke patients receiving tPA therapy undergo life-threatening intracranial hemorrhages.
In a case of plasmin that cannot be administered via intravenous injection due to an inhibitor present in the circulation system, the local administration of plasmin through a catheter to the thrombus formation site results in direct dissolution of thrombus, and thereafter, any plasmin present in the circulation system is also rapidly neutralized to reduce side effects, such as hemorrhages. The use of such a catheter, however, has another limitation in that it requires an invasive surgical procedure.
Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a novel concept of thrombolytic agents that show excellent thrombolytic activity, specifically act on thrombus formation sites, and consequently, cause no problems, such as life-threatening hemorrhages.

Fusion peptide comprising thrombus-targeting peptide, ferritin fragment and thrombolytic peptide, and use thereof

Kyungpook National University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation


A lighting device including an LED, which is located immediately below a first illumination window, for illuminating not only the first illumination window but also a second illumination window. The lighting device includes a light guide plate for transmitting light from the LED. The light guide plate includes first and second recess groups defined at locations corresponding to the first illumination window. The light guide plate further includes a third recess group defined at a location corresponding to the second illumination window.

The present invention relates to a lighting device for illuminating an operation portion of an operation device.
A typical lighting device arranged in, for example, a passenger compartment of a vehicle illuminates an operation portion during the nighttime. This enables the position of the operation portion to be identified.
Referring to FIG. 4, an operation device 51 of the prior art includes a cover panel 53 and a switch assembly 54, which is arranged at the rear side of the cover panel 53. The cover panel 53 includes a plurality of operation portions 52. A plurality of illumination windows 57 are respectively arranged adjacent to the plurality of operation portions 52. The switch assembly 54 includes a circuit board 55 and an elastic sheet 56 covering the circuit board 55. The circuit board 55 includes switch elements respectively located at positions corresponding to the operation portions 52. The circuit board 55 also includes a plurality of light sources 58, such as top-view type LEDs, respectively located at positions corresponding to the illumination windows 57.
Each light source 58 emits light through the corresponding illumination window 57 and out of the cover panel 53. The light also illuminates the corresponding operation portion 52. This enables recognition of the operation portion 52 during the nighttime.
However, the operation device 51 of the prior art requires each operation portion 52 to be provided with the light source 58. This increases the components mounted on the circuit board 55, enlarges the circuit board 55, and imposes restrictions on the component layout of the circuit board 55. Further, the light sources 58 may have different qualities. In such a case, the light brightness would differ between operation portions 52.
Japanese Laid-Out Patent Publication No. 8-194219 describes a lighting device that uses a light guide to illuminate a plurality of illumination windows.
Referring to FIG. 5, a lighting device 61 includes an acrylic light guide plate 62. A light source 63, such as a side view type LED, is arranged beside the light guide plate 62. The light guide plate 62 includes a plurality of projections 64 formed on a surface opposite to a light emitting surface 62a. The light source 63 emits light that enters one end surface of the light guide plate 62. The projections 64 reflect the light toward the light emitting surface 62a.
In the side-view type lighting device 61, the light source 63 and a circuit board, which is used to activate the light source 63, must be arranged beside the light guide plate 62. This enlarges the footprint size of the lighting device 61 and imposes restrictions on the component layout of the light source 63.

Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho


Disclosed is a semiconductor device which includes: a semiconductor element 200 including a first metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistor 200a and a second metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistor 200b which is connected in parallel with the first metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistor; and a control section which controls the operation of the semiconductor element. The control section controls the semiconductor element so that in a forward direction mode, current flows in a forward direction through the first and second metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistors but that in a reverse direction mode, current flows in the reverse direction through the first metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistor but does not flow through the second metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistor.

Recently, there is a growing demand for a power converter (inverter) that can drive a load operating with alternating current such as a motor as efficiently as possible with its overall size and cost reduced as much as possible. To meet such a demand, a field effect transistor made of silicon carbide has been developed as a switching element for a power converter.
Silicon carbide (SiC) is a high-hardness semiconductor material with a greater bandgap than silicon (Si), and has been used extensively in various kinds of semiconductor devices including power elements, hostile-environment elements, high temperature operating elements, and radio frequency elements. Among other things, the application of SiC to power elements such as semiconductor elements and rectifiers has attracted a lot of attention. This is because a power element that uses SiC can significantly reduce the power loss compared to a Si power element. In addition, by utilizing such properties, SiC power elements can form a smaller semiconductor device than Si power elements.
A metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MISFET) is a typical semiconductor element among various power elements that use SiC. In this description, a MISFET of SiC will sometimes be simply referred to herein as a "SiC-FET". And a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) is one of those MISFETs.
FIG. 17 illustrates an example of a known three-phase power converter that uses SiC-MISFETs as switching elements. As shown in FIG. 17, the three-phase power converter 160 has three legs L1 to L3, which are provided for the three phases, respectively, and each of which has upper and lower arms that are connected together in series. Each of the upper and lower arms includes a switching element 1100 and an external freewheeling diode 1200 which is connected anti-parallel to the switching element 1100. The upper and lower arms ordinarily turn ON and OFF alternately, thereby changing the direction of current flowing through a load 1500. In FIG. 17, the current flowing from the switching element 1100 toward the load 1500 is identified by If. In this case, if the respective switching elements 1100 of the upper and lower arms turn ON simultaneously, then the power supply 2100 will get short-circuited and a huge amount of current will flow and cause a breakdown in the three-phase power converter 1600. Thus, to avoid such a situation, there is an interval in which the switching elements 1100 of both of the upper and lower arms are turned OFF (i.e., a so-called "dead time") when the arms are changed from the upper arm into the lower one, or vice versa. A load on a power converter usually includes an inductive load. That is why even during that dead time, a voltage is also generated between the two terminals of the load in order to make the current that has just stopped flowing through the load start to flow again. As a result, inductive current Ir is generated. And to make that inductive current Ir flow, the freewheeling diode 1200 is connected anti-parallel to the switching element 1100.
As the freewheeling diode 1200, an external diode is generally used. Or if the switching element 1100 is a MISFET, then a pn junction inside of the semiconductor element that works as the MISFET may be used as a "freewheeling diode". Such a pn junction functions as a kind of diode, and therefore is called a "body diode".
It is believed that in a situation where the body diode is used as a freewheeling diode, if return current flows through the pn junction of SiC, then the degradation of crystallinity of a SiC-FET will proceed due to a bipolar operation performed by the body diode (see, for example, Patent Document No. 1 and Non-Patent Documents Nos. 1 and 2). If the degradation of crystallinity of a SiC-FET proceeds, the ON voltage of the body diode could rise. Also, if a body diode is used as a freewheeling diode, a reverse recovery current, which is generated by the reverse recovery of minority carriers of the pn junction, will flow due to the bipolar operation performed by the pn junction diode when the diode in ON state changes into OFF state. And that reverse recovery current causes not only recovery loss but also a decrease in switching rate as well.
Thus, in order to overcome such a problem involved by using a body diode as a freewheeling diode, it was proposed (in Patent Document No. 2, for example) that a return current is made to flow through a freewheeling diode element as an external electronic part by connecting the freewheeling diode element and an SiC-FET in anti-parallel with each other. As a freewheeling diode element for a SiC-FET, a SiC-SBD which would generate almost no reverse recovery current (or recovery loss) is suitably used. However, such a SiC-SBD is expensive and requires an increased number of parts, thus leading to an increase in circuit cost.
Thus, to overcome such a problem, a SiC-MISFET, in which return current is made to flow through the channel of a MISFET, was proposed (in Patent Document No. 3, for example).

Semiconductor device, power converter and method for controlling the power converter


A vibration proofing heat shield plate fixed such as to cover at least a part of a heat source while forming a gap with respect to a surface of the heat source is provided with a vibration proofing heat shield plate main body portion, a collar member positioned at an open hole of the vibration proofing heat shield plate main body portion and provided with a pair of locking pieces fastened by bolt to the heat source, a washer member in which a portion interposed between a pair of locking pieces of the collar member is formed in an approximately C-shaped cross section, and a joint member joining the washer member and the vibration proofing heat shield plate main body.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a vibration proofing heat shield plate, for example, arranged around an exhaust manifold of an automotive engine.
2. Background Art
As shown in FIG. 3, a combustion exhaust gas having a high temperature reaching some hundreds of degree flows through an inner portion of an exhaust manifold 101 of an automotive engine 100 in accordance with an operation of the engine 100. Accordingly, in order to prevent heat and vibration generated from the exhaust manifold 101 from being radiated into an engine room and an external portion of a vehicle, a vibration proofing heat shield plate 102 is provided around the exhaust manifold 101. When directly mounting the vibration proofing heat shield plate 102 to the exhaust manifold 101 by a bolt 103, the heat and the vibration of the exhaust manifold 101 are transmitted to the vibration proofing heat shield plate 102, and an effect obtained by placing the vibration proofing heat shield plate 102 is reduced. Accordingly, the exhaust manifold 101 and the vibration proofing heat shield plate 102 are joined via a buffering member (not shown).
In Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 56-17313, there is disclosed a heat shield plate in which a wire mesh member is arranged in a mounting portion to a vibration source, and the wire mesh member is integrally joined to a heat resisting metal plate. In Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 4-71733, there is disclosed a heat shield plate in which the heat shield plate is constituted by inner and outer metal plates, and a heat resisting mesh interposed between the metal plates approximately all around an entire surface, the mesh is exposed by notching the metal plate around a mounting portion of the heat shield plate, and the mesh in the exposed portion is mounted to a fixed member. In accordance with the heat shield plate, although it is possible to control a vibration of the vibration source, it is not possible to obtain a sufficient satisfaction for shielding the heat radiation from the exhaust manifold, and it is unstable to mount to the vibration source. As a structure for solving the problem, there has been known a heat shield plate in which two rigid members each having a flange member (a locking piece) protruding to a horizontally outer side from one end of a circular cylinder member (sleeve) are prepared, a collar member is structured by bringing another ends of the circular cylinder members into contact with each other, and a wire mesh member in which holes being larger than an outer diameter of the circular cylinder member and smaller than an outer diameter of the flange member are pierced, is mounted to the circular cylinder member in a loosely fitted state. In accordance with the heat shield plate, the collar member is strongly fastened by bolt to a predetermined fixed place of the vibration source, the joint between the collar member and the wire mesh member is achieved in the loosely fitted state, and the contact portion between both the elements is partly formed and fluctuated, so that a heat shielding effect is high.


Operations of the present disclosure may include receiving a group of images taken by a camera over time in an environment. The operations may also include identifying a first position of an object in a target region of the environment in a first image of the group of images and identifying a second position of the object in a second image of the group of images. Additionally, the operations may include determining an estimated trajectory of the object based on the first position of the object and the second position of the object. The operations may further include, based on the estimated trajectory, estimating a ground position in the environment associated with a starting point of the estimated trajectory of the object. Additionally, the operations may include providing the ground position associated with the starting point of the estimated trajectory of the object for display in a graphical user interface.

Objects sometimes may travel through the air. It may be difficult to determine a location where the ball was released, particularly in situations where the location of the release of the ball is obstructed from view. Some computer systems may attempt to determine a location of the ball release but are widely inaccurate even in the simplest scenarios.
The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one example technology area where some embodiments described herein may be practiced.

Learning-based ground position estimation


A communication system includes a communication server having a file storage cache, at least one control system coupled to the communication server via a communication path, and at least one client application in communications with the communication server. The communication server is operable to transmit files between the at least one client application and the at least one control system.

This invention is related in general to the field of control systems, and more particularly, to a control system communications server.
This patent application is related to co-pending Provisional U.S. application entitled System and Method of an Internet Control Network, serial no. 60/131,605, filed Apr. 29, 1999 (Attorney Docket No. 066287.0103).
A control system typically includes a variety of controlled devices and a master controller linked by a network. In a fully automated environment, appliances that change the various parameters of the environment can be linked to a control area network (CAN) and a computer-based controller. The appliances may include heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, lighting systems, audio-visual systems, telecommunications systems, security systems, surveillance systems, and fire protection systems, for example. One or more easy-to-use user interface, such as a touch panel, may be electronically linked to the control area network to accept user input and display current system status. AMX Corporation of Dallas, Tex. designs and manufactures such networked appliance control systems.
It has been recognized that it is desirable to provide a communication server that establishes a pathway to one or more control systems to enable bi-directional transfer of data and files.
In one aspect of the invention, a communication system includes a communication server having a file storage cache, a control system coupled to the communication server via a communication path, and at least one client application in communications with the communication server. The communication server is operable to transmit files between the at least one client application and the control system.
In another aspect of the invention, a method of communicating with a control system includes the steps of sending a download request from a client application to a communication server, the request identifying a file to be downloaded, a download date and time, a communication path, and a destination control system. Next, the file is downloaded by the communication server to the control system at the requested date and time via the specified communication path to the destination control system, and the client application is notified by the communication server that the file download is completed.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a method of communicating with a control system includes the steps of sending an upload request from a client application to a communication server, the request identifying a file to be uploaded, a communication path, and a origination control system. Next, the file is uploaded from the control system via the specified communication path to the communication server, and the client application is notified by the communication server that the file upload is completed. Thereafter, the file is transferred from the communication server to the client application when initiated by the file application.
One technical advantage of the invention is that the client applications are freed from the details of communicating with the control systems, and that the client applications are not tied up during a lengthy data transfer. Further, communication with the control system is synchronized even when the requests are asynchronous. Multiple clients may now communicate with a single control system simultaneously and schedule the data transfer. Data transfers can occur unattended and scheduled to take place at any time.

Control system communication server for transmitting files via multiple communication paths


A beverage dispensing apparatus includes a dispensing structure, a transportation mechanism linked with the dispensing structure and a staging structure linked with the transportation mechanism. A control system is linked with the dispensing structure, staging structure and the transportation mechanism. A sensor mechanism is linked with the control system. The sensor mechanism provides signals indicating the position of a cup. A cup identification system having an interactive display is connected to the control system. The display has visual characteristics indicating the position and characteristics of a cup.

Beverages may be dispensed through various valves such that fountain drinks may be prepared by restaurant employees. Commonly, restaurant employees may take an order and then manually pull cups and fill the beverages according to the order. There is therefore a need in the art for an improved beverage dispensing apparatus that is automated and allows a person filling an order to identify drinks grouped by order or type. There is also a need in the art for an improved beverage dispensing system that automates the drink dispensing procedure and transports beverages to a desired area where they may be identified and utilized by restaurant personnel.


An electrophoretic display has a matrix addressing structure which includes a first support structure 10 on one side of the display and a second support structure 20, substantially parallel to the said first support structure, on the other side of the display. On the inner surface 12 of the first support structure 10 there is a first set of parallel electrodes 11 and on the facing the inner surface 23 of the second support structure 20 there are second 22 and third 21 sets of parallel electrodes arranged substantially orthogonal to the first set of electrodes 11. The electrodes 21,22 of the second and third sets are interspersed with one another.

The present invention relates to methods of and apparatus for displaying electronically stored information in a human readable form.
Flat panel displays are now part of everyday life. The best known type is the liquid crystal display (LCD) which is used widely in application varying from watch displays to large screen television displays. The technology is applied in household products, the automotive and aerospace industries, medical products and professional products. The above list is not exhaustive, but indicates how widely the technology is used.
Despite the wide range of applications of LCDs, they are not perfect for all applications. Indeed, cathode ray tubes (CRTs) are still very widely used. Other flat panel display technologies exist, although none has the significance of LCDs.
One shortcoming of conventional LCD technology is that it cannot be viewed at a high angle of incidence. In fact many LCDs are not readable at as little as only 20 degrees off-axis. This is largely due to the fact that LCDs utilise an electro-optic effect which occurs through the depth of the display. CRTs in contrast operate by causing a phosphor coating to emit light when it is bombarded by electrons. This is a surface effect which can be seen from a wide range of angles of incidence.
A different type of display technology which has not been widely adopted is the electrophoretic display (see for example Ota et. al. Proc. IEEE, July 1973, pp. 832-836). The basic principle exploited in an electrophoretic display (see FIG. 1) is that when charged particles are placed in an electric field they will migrate along the field lines. If relatively light coloured particles are suspended in a dark liquid between transparent electrodes, then the electrodes will take the colour of the particles when they are driven towards the electrodes. By segmenting the electrodes, a pattern of the particles can be selectively laid down to form a display.
When the display is viewed, the viewer sees the scattered particles. The effect is very similar to that of viewing paper as there is no change in contrast with viewing angle. This is a significant advantage over the LCD. However, owing to the fact that the display operates by particles migrating across the cell, the speed of operation is not as fast as that of a liquid crystal display.
A second difficulty with electrophoretic display technology, and one which has limited the exploitation of this technology to date, is the fact that there is no threshold for the electrophoretic effect, in other words, whatever electric field is applied to the cell the particles move. This means that a simple row and column matrix addressing system cannot be implemented. The virtues of a matrix addressing scheme have been described by several authors, for example Alt and Pleshko (IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol ED-21, No. 2 February 1974 pp146-155). The benefit of a matrix addressing scheme is that a 2 dimensional array consisting of N rows and M columns (i.e. Nxc3x97M pixels) can be addressed by N+M address lines.
Matrix addressing schemes for use with electrophoretic displays have been developed, for example by Dalisa (U.S. Pat. No. 4,203,106) and CopyTele (U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,987). However these require additional electrodes to be inserted between the cell walls (see FIG. 2). This is a complex manufacturing task.
According to the present invention there is provided an electrophoretic display having a matrix addressing structure comprising:
a first support structure on one side of the display, and on the inner surface of which are disposed a first set of parallel cathodes or anodes;
a second support structure on the other side of the display and arranged substantially parallel to the said first support structure, the second support structure having a surface facing the inner surface of the first support structure, said surface having disposed thereon a set of grid electrodes and a parallel set of anodes or cathodes respectively, the grid electrodes and anodes or cathodes being arranged substantially orthogonal to the set of cathodes or anodes respectively and being interspersed with one another.
Preferably, the grid electrodes and the anode or cathodes on the second support structure are interleaved with one another and they may be interdigitated with one another.
By adjusting the voltages on the gird electrodes and the anodes or cathodes and on the cathodes or anodes, the form of the potential gradient between the two parallel support structures can be controlled. For example, the field gradient can be linear or it can take the form of a potential well.
In the case that the particles in the display have a positive charge, then the grid and anode/cathode electrodes are positive with respect to the cathode/anode electrodes. In the case that the particles in the display have a negative charge, then the grid and anode/cathode electrodes are negative with respect to the cathode anode electrodes.
Advantageously, the cathodes or anodes on the first support structure form a set of column electrodes, the grid electrodes are connected in common, and the anodes or cathodes respectively on the second support structure form a set of row electrodes. The anodes or cathodes respectively on the second support structure may be connected in subsets of n electrodes, for example three electrodes per subset. Independently addressable row and column electrodes can thus be provided.
Preferably, the two support structures are separated by a distance of between 5 and 500 microns, and the space between them is filled with an insulating liquid in which a dye is dissolved. The liquid contains coloured particles and a particle charging agent.
Such a display may be integrated with other standard components and used to display variable price and other information, for example in a supermarket, or to form an electronic readout device for electronically stored information, such as an electronic book.
The invention also includes a method of operating an electrophoretic display as defined above, the method comprising the steps of:
(A) maintaining the grid electrodes and the anodes or cathodes at a relatively low voltage, while maintaining the cathodes or anodes at a relatively high voltage;
(B) placing the grid electrodes at a relatively high voltage;
(C) placing a voltage on selected ones of the cathodes or anodes intermediate that placed on the grid electrodes and the anodes or cathodes;
(D) raising the voltage on a selected one of the anodes or cathodes to the level of the voltage on the grid electrodes for a predetermined time and then lowering it again in order to adjust the display of individual pixels in the row corresponding to the selected cathode or anode; and
(E) repeating steps (C) and (D) as required in order to adjust the display of pixels in all rows as required.
In comparison with LCDs, switching can be much simpler as the display operates on DC voltages for both row and column electrodes, which can thus be driven by corresponding sets of relatively simple electronic switches.

Method and apparatus for matrix addressing of an electrophoretic display device


A record book provides a notebook wherein at least some of the pages permit affixation of a previously completed document into the book. The document is attached to the record book by a peel-off covered (lined) adhesive strip or other attachment mechanism. The invention also includes an imaging structure for providing a carbon or carbonless copy of the user's endorsement impression on the adhesive page. A valid record would thus show identical endorsement traces on the original affixed document and the adhesive page permanently bound into the record book.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to books and notebooks, and more specifically to an improved tamper-resistant book suitable for record keeping.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Work books and laboratory notebooks are commonly used in research and development work, corporate engineering departments, and the like, to keep a record of the work in progress of each engineer or technician. After the proper signing, dating, and witnessing of these notebooks, they can serve as a legal (evidentiary) record to prove the date of conception of inventions and/or improvements, and can be used to support potentially valuable patent rights. However, many engineers and inventors have some aversion to using such traditional notebooks because the books often serve only as a collection of notes for ill-conceived ideas, most of which ideas are quickly deemed unusable and therefore discarded. Instead, these engineers prefer to work their ideas out on sheets of paper, or on microcomputers or computer workstations, and after the ideas have been developed to an appropriate degree, the information is then transcribed into a traditional notebook and properly witnessed. This process, however, is frequently neglected because of the additional steps involved.


A soft top assembly which includes lift assist and improved fabric management. The assembly includes front side rails pivotally connected to rear side rails. A plurality of fabric control bows with control linkages provide fabric control to the top material during pivoting of the front side rails. A first and second gas strut are attached to the rear side rails to assist lifting and controlled motion as the top is moved between a closed position and open sunroof position, as one strut is fully loaded and compressed while the other strut is fully loaded and open, for lift assist and dampening.

Foldable soft tops for SUV vehicles are known in the art. These tops provide a vehicle with an open air experience with the top folded back or provide protection from the elements with the top folded forward. Such tops are typically manually retractable and during retraction the operator has to perform a series of manipulation of the top. Additionally, manual management and stowage of the fabric materials of the top during folding must be accomplished.
Thus, in order for a vehicle operator to facilitate opening of the soft top in order to provide the open air vehicle feeling the operator must be outside the vehicle to manipulate the soft top. Therefore, in recent years a soft top "sunroof" has become a well-received option for folding SUV soft tops. This "sunroof" typically folds back from within the vehicle such that the operator can readily provide an open air experience without folding back the entire soft top. An example of such a soft top is a soft top by Bestop, the assignee herein which provides a front "sunroof" portion of the top which folds back for revealing an open air sunroof feeling for the vehicle.
While this sunroof option has become a very desirable feature, it does require considerable force at the start of the deployment due to the operator's angle of attack. The mass of the frame mechanism for folding the top cover fabric and fabric becoming trapped in the frame mechanism linkage are additional concerns. Also, fabric management is occasionally problematic in that the fabric can become entangled or interfere with the frame mechanism of the top.
Therefore, there remains a need in the art to provide a sunroof deployment mechanism that provides easier opening and improved fabric management.


A method for forming a multipixel image on an imaging surface is disclosed. The method comprises projecting for each pixel in the multipixel image a plurality of beams of different colors towards the imaging surface. Each of the plurality of beams for each pixel is directed along a path towards the imaging surface, such that images formed on the imaging surface from each beam are convergent by substantially less than about 100%. An optical projector, a subtractive color flat panel display, and a CRT video display are also disclosed.

The present application relates to improvements to display layouts and specifically to improved color pixel arrangements and means of addressing used in additive electronic projectors, subtractive flat panel displays, and Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT).
Graphic rendering techniques have been developed to improve the image quality of subpixelated flat panels. Benzschawel, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,153 teach how to reduce an image of a larger size down to a smaller panel. In so doing, Benzschawel, et al. teach how to improve image quality using a technique now known in the art as "sub-pixel rendering". More recently Hill, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,188,385 teach how to improve text quality by reducing a virtual image of text, one character at a time, using the very same sub-pixel rendering technique. In a provisional patent application filed by the same inventor, "CONVERSION OF RGB PIXEL FORMAT DATA TO PENTILE MATRIX PIXEL DATA FORMAT" (Ser. No. 60/290,086; Attorney Docket No. CLRV-003P), now U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0034992, hereby incorporated by reference, methods were disclosed to generate subpixel rendering filter kernels for improved display formats, including those formats disclosed herein. Prior art projectors, subtractive flat panel displays, and CRTs can not take advantage of such subpixel rendering.
The present state of the art color imaging matrix, for electronic projectors, subtractive color displays and CRT, use a simple orthogonal grid of square pixels aligned in columns and rows as illustrated in prior art FIG. 5. Image shifting to increase the effective resolution of electronic cameras is taught by Parulski et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,264, by Plummer et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,964, by Katoh et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,460, and by Yamada et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,754,226. Lower blue resolution for displays is taught by Sprague et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,315,418. These panels are a poor match to human vision.
Full color perception is produced in the eye by three-color receptor nerve cell types called cones. The three types are sensitive to different wavelengths of light: long, medium, and short ("red", "green", and "blue" respectively). The relative density of the three differs significantly from one another. There are slightly more red receptors than green. There are very few blue receptors compared to red or green.
The human vision system processes the information detected by the eye in several perceptual channels: luminance, chrominance, and motion. Motion is only important for flicker threshold to the imaging system designer. The luminance channel takes the input from only the red and green receptors. It is "color blind". It processes the information in such a manner that the contrast of edges is enhanced. The chrominance channel does not have edge contrast enhancement. Since the luminance channel uses and enhances every red and green receptor, the resolution of the luminance channel is several times higher than the chrominance channels. The blue receptor contribution to luminance perception is negligible. The luminance channel acts as a resolution band pass filter. Its peak response is at 35 cycles per degree (cycles/°). It limits the response at 0 cycles/° and at 50 cycles/° in the horizontal and vertical axis. This means that the luminance channel can only tell the relative brightness between two areas within the field of view. It cannot tell the absolute brightness. Further, if any detail is finer than 50 cycles/°, it simply blends together. The limit in the diagonal axis is significantly lower.
The chrominance channel is further subdivided into two sub-channels, to allow us to see full color. These channels are quite different from the luminance channel, acting as low pass filters. One can always tell what color an object is, no matter how big it is in our field of view. The red/green chrominance sub-channel resolution limit is at 8 cycles/°, while the yellow/blue chrominance sub-channel resolution limit is at 4 cycles/°. Thus, the error introduced by lowering the blue resolution by one octave will be barely noticeable by the most perceptive viewer, if at all, as experiments at Xerox and NASA, Ames Research Center (R. Martin, J. Gille, J. Larimer, "Detectability of Reduced Blue Pixel Count in Projection Displays", SID Digest 1993) have demonstrated.
The luminance channel determines image details by analyzing the spatial frequency Fourier transform components. From signal theory, any given signal can be represented as the summation of a series of sine waves of varying amplitude and frequency. The process of teasing out, mathematically, these sine-wave-components of a given signal is called a Fourier Transform. The human vision system responds to these sine-wave-components in the two-dimensional image signal.
Color perception is influenced by a process called "assimilation" or the Von Bezold color blending effect. This is what allows separate color subpixels (or pixels or emitters) of a display to be perceived as the mixed color. This blending effect happens over a given angular distance in the field of view. Because of the relatively scarce blue receptors, this blending happens over a greater angle for blue than for red or green. This distance is approximately 0.25° for blue, while for red or green it is approximately 0.12°. This blending effect is directly related to the chrominance sub-channel resolution limits described above. Below the resolution limit, one sees separate colors, above the resolution limit, one sees the combined color.
An important aspect of electronic displays is resolution. There are three components of resolution in digitized and pixilated displays: bit depth, addressability, and Modulation Transfer Function (MTF). Bit depth refers to the number of displayable brightness or color levels at each pixel location in binary (base 2) power notation. Addressability refers to the number of independent locations that information may be presented and perceived by the human eye. Modulation Transfer Function refers to the number of simultaneously displayable lines and spaces that may be displayed and perceived by the human eye without color error. In display systems that are addressability-limited, the MTF is half of the addressability. However, MTF may be less than half the addressability, given the system design or limitations in the ability of the human eye to perceive the displayed resolution.
Examining the prior art display in FIG. 1, the design assumes that all three colors should have the same resolution. Additionally, the design assumes that the luminance information and the chrominance information should have the same spatial resolution, both in addressability and MTF. The human eye makes no such assumption.
Thus, the prior art arrangement of overlapping the three colors exactly coincidentally, with the same spatial resolution is shown to be a poor match to human vision.

Color display pixel arrangements and addressing means


Subscriber's interface enabling the connection of otherwise incompatible telephone device systems (hereinafter "(Z)") to a single telephone line, each telephone device system having devices such as: a computer modem (hereinafter "(F)"), an automatic answering machine (hereinafter "(A)"), and telephone sets (hereinafter "(T)"). When a ring signal is received from the central office, the interface allows a first device, such as (A) or (T) to answer the call, and monitors the communication between the calling party and the first device bearing in mind its various operating modes. Based on the monitored conversation, the interface determines if the call should be connected to a second device, such as (F). If so, an actuating signal is sent to (F), whereupon when (F) becomes OFF HOOK, it is connected to the telephone line. If the first device is an automatic answering machine, its various operating modes include: outgoing message, incoming message, beeperless remote mode. If the first device is a remotely located telephone set, its various modes of operation include simple human voice signals and complex human voice signals.

As facsimile machines and other automatic computer modem devices attachable to public telephone lines become less expensive and increasingly more prevalant in small businesses, there is an increasing need for means to enable the computer apparatus (F) to share a single telephone line with other telephone devices such as an automatic answering machine (A) and additional telephone sets (T).
Among facsimile (fax) machines, the most popular systems have associated telephone sets, comprising either connection means to enable a nearby telephone set to be connected to the fax (F-T), or having the telephone set actually incorporated in the housing of the fax (FT). The reason for this popularity is probably due to the fact that fax machines are usually connected to dedicated telephone lines not having additional telephone sets associated therewith. Thus, in order to carry out a voice conversation, it is necessary to have a (T) device associated with the (F) device. Such systems, however, do not allow connection of additional telephone devices such as an automatic answering machine (A) or additional remotely located telephone sets (T) to the same telephone line. If an automatic answering machine (A) is connected to the telephone line, there is no way to decide whether (A) or (F) should respond to a call. If a remotely located telephone set (T') is connected to the same telephone line, there is no way to actuate (F) from the remote location, if the call turns out to be for (F).
A number of other systems have been proposed in the past in an effort to allow various combinations of incompatible telephone devices to be connected to the same telephone line, such as the following systems:
Integrated fax and answering machine systems (with or without an additional telephone set--(FA) or (FAT)); PA1 Fax systems allowing an answering machine to be attached (F-A) or (FT-A); PA1 Interface units such as private branch exchange (PBX)-type switching systems enabling the user to actuate a selected one of these or other devices by typing additional DTMF codes (I-F-A). DTMF codes are voice-frequency electronic signals commonly known under the trademark TOUCH-TONE.
Many of these systems have proven commercially sucessful due to the strong need for solutions to this problem; however, these systems also have drawbacks. For example, the integrated (FA) or (FAT) systems such as the model KX-F120 built by PANASONIC Corp. suffer from the limitation that a user is unable to select (A) and (F) independently. This is an important consideration, because a user may favor an answering machine having a certain set of operating parameters, which may be unavailable in combination with the fax of his choice. A company may manufacture 5 different (A)'s and 5 different (F)'s, but to have the same degree of flexibility, would need to manufacture 25 different (FA)'s. In addition, some of these systems do not support the connection of additional telephone sets (T') to the same telephone line.
Some of the systems providing (F) and (A) capabilities operate by letting (F) answer first, others by letting (A) answer first, still others by letting an interface unit (if there is one) answer first. A system wherein the (F) answers first is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,660 to T. Yoshida. After (F) answers, it sends out the CED and GI2 signals, waiting for a response from a calling machine. After a timeout period, if the calling party has not sent the appropriate response, the fax machine actuates the ringing of the telephone apparatus in order that voice communication may be established.
A system wherein (A) answers first is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,434 to K. Hashimoto. The disclosed system includes means to allow the answering machine (TAD) to answer the ring signal, and additional means to sense DTMF signals arriving from the calling party. A proper combination of DTMF signals will actuate switching means to enable the (F) to be connected to the telephone line and (A) to be disconnected from the telephone line. In order to actuate (F), a ring generating circuit is initially connected to (F). Thus, the system of Hashimoto may be viewed as a type of private branch exchange (PBX). PBX-type switching systems suffer from the necessity for the calling party to perform additional operations normally unnecessary for operation of the individual units attached to the PBX system. For example, some automatically dialing fax machines without complicated trial and error programming would be unable to properly actuate the fax machine in the disclosed Hashimoto system because they are unable to automatically know when to issue the DTMF control signals necessary to connect the receiving fax machine to the telephone line.
Additional systems considered useful in understanding the background and scope of the present invention are described in the following U.S. patents:
______________________________________ 4,723,268 D. Newell et al 2/02/88 4,660,218 K. Hashimoto 4/21/87 4,623,758 M. Batla et al 11/18/86 4,392,023 M. Sears 7/05/83 4,353,097 T. Takeda et al 10/05/82 4,350,848 M. Kariya et al 9/21/82 4,321,429 T. Takatsuki et al 3/23/82 4,009,342 F. Fahrenschon et al 2/22/77 3,517,137 M. Ribner 6/23/70 3,475,557 C. Morse et al 10/28/69 ______________________________________
None of these references, taken individually or in combination, is considered to exhibit the beneficial features and advantages afforded by the instant invention.
Therefore, an object of this invention is to enable any of a large selection of otherwise incompatible (F), (A), and (T) telephone devices to be connected to a single telephone line in such a manner as to ensure harmonious operation of each of the devices.
Another object of the invention is to enable the composite system to operate such that with respect to a first device, the presence of the additional devices is virtually invisible. In other words, the modes and methods of operating the first device when connected in the composite system will be essentially the same as the modes and methods of operating the same device without the composite system and additional devices.
Another object of the invention is to provide a universal interface capable of connecting a variety of (F), (A), and (T) devices of diverse manufacturers to a single telephone line, without requiring a plurality of interface apparatus designed specifically for an individual model or make of (F), (A), or (T) device.
Another object of the invention is to accomplish the above objects with an inexpensive electronic interface that compares favorably with the long term cost of adding additional telephone lines for each of the normally incompatible devices.
These and further objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Intelligent telephone interface for automatic answering systems, and method of using


A method and system characterizes an IF response of a receiver under test, such that an effect on the characterization by errors associated with uncertainties in knowledge of an RF stimulus signal used to perform the characterization is reduced. The method includes determining an estimate of an actual IF response of the receiver under test from IF responses of the receiver under test measured at overlapping frequency bands and a set of conversion coefficients computed therefrom, such that the estimate reduces the effect of the errors. The system includes a signal generator, an IF processor, a computer program, and a controller that controls the generator and the processor and executes the computer program. When a receiver under test is characterized, the receiver is connected between the signal generator, the IF processor and the controller. The computer program includes instructions that implement characterizing the receiver IF response.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to radio frequency (RF) receiver systems and measurements performed on same.
2. Description of Related Art
A frequency response of a radio frequency (RF) receiver or receiving system often is measured or characterized by applying an RF input signal R(f) to an input of the receiver and measuring an intermediate frequency (IF) output signal I(f) produced by the receiver at an IF output. The frequency response or transfer function is a complex ratio of output signal I(f) over the input signal R(f) as a function of frequency f. Moreover, since in most such RF receiver systems an IF portion of the receiver tends to dominate the overall transfer function of the system, the measured frequency response is essentially an IF frequency response of the receiver and may be, in general, represented by a 'filter-like' transfer function HI(f). Thus, a frequency response measurement of the receiver system is often essentially an IF frequency response measurement or IF characterization of the receiver system.
Typical approaches to receiver system measurement generally assume that the input signal R(f) is known exactly or at least with sufficiently high precision to support a particular error budget for the measurement. Unfortunately however, in many practical situations complete or precise knowledge of the input signal R(f) may be lacking. This is especially true when attempting to perform highly precise characterizations of downconverting receivers such as a modem measurement receiver or a vector spectrum analyzer. Errors or uncertainties in knowledge of the input signal R(f) contribute to an overall measurement error in the receiver transfer function.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have an IF frequency response characterization for an RF receiver that compensates for or effectively reduces an effect that an uncertainty in knowledge of the input signal R(f) has on the characterization. Such an IF frequency response characterization would solve a long-standing need in the area of RF receiver measurement.

IF frequency response characterization employing overlapping frequency bands


The disclosure provides a method and a device for feeding back Acknowledgment (ACK) information during switching of backhaul link subframe configuration, and the method includes during the switching of the backhaul link subframe configuration, if Uplink (UL) ACK/Negative ACK (NACK) information, which corresponds to a last transmission before the switching of one or more Downlink (DL) Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) transmissions, is not fed back on a UL subframe which is before the switching, feeding back the ACK/NACK information on an available UL subframe which is after the switching since Nms after the last transmission, wherein N is an integer. The disclosure achieves the effect of correctly feeding back the ACK information during switching of the backhaul link subframe configuration.

FIG. 1 shows a system structure diagram according to the related technologies. The Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) system adds new links after introducing Relay Nodes (RNs), and the corresponding terminologies include that: a link between an eNode-B (eNB), which is also known as Node B or base station, and the RN is named as a backhaul link, a link between the RN and User Equipment (UE) is named as an access link, and a link between the eNB and the UE is named as a direct link. An inband-relay refers to the links, which are from the eNB to a relay and is from the relay to the UE are operated on the same frequency resource. As an inband-relay transmitter may cause interference to the own receiver (self-interference), it is impossible for the link from the eNB to the relay and the link from the relay to the UE to be synchronously on the same frequency resource, only if there is enough signal separation and antenna isolation. Similarly, the relay cannot transmit data to the eNB while receiving the data transmitted from the UE. A possible method of solving the receiving and transmitting interference is that the relay does not implement transmission operation for the UE while receiving the data from the eNB, namely, a "gap" needs to be added after being relayed to the link of UE, thus being used for a backhaul subframe by configuring a Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) subframe, so that the UE does not implement any receiving/transmitting operation within the time range of "gap", but, the relay completes the switching from transmitting to receiving within the time range of "gap", a subsequent Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol receives the data from the eNB after completing the switching. In the related art, a specific way of adopting the MBSFN subframe to be used for the backhaul subframe in the Long Term Evolution (LTE) system is that a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) Control Entity (MCE) firstly configures one or more available MBSFN subframes for the eNB, and then the eNB configures the available backhaul subframe in the available MBSFN subframes.
FIG. 2 shows a diagram of a frame structure in the related technologies; according to the requirements in the current LTE system, a 10 ms radio frame consists of 10 1 ms subframes, and may include Unicast and Multicast. In the above, when adopting a Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) mode, the #0 and #5 subframes are used for transmitting synchronization signals, and the #4 and #9 subframes are used for paging; when adopting a Time Division Duplex (TDD) mode, the #0 and #5 subframes are used for transmitting the synchronization signals, and the #1 and #6 subframes are used for paging, namely, as the FDD (#0, #4, #5, #9) subframes and is the TDD (#0, #1, #5, #6) subframes have the above special purposes, they cannot be used for distributing the MBSFN subframes, namely, the MBSFN subframes capable of being distributed in one radio frame are at most 6 subframes.
In the LTE system, the transmission of the data between the UE and the eNB needs to establish a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) progress and implement corresponding feedback. When the UE receives the data of the eNB, the UE generates Uplink (UL) feedback information (for example, UL ACK/Negative ACK (NACK)) according to the decoding condition, and transmits the information to the eNB. And then, the eNB implements the next treatment according to the received information, if receiving that the ACK is equal to 1 or 0 (respectively representing that the ACK is valid when it is "1" or "0"), new data can be transmitted; if receiving that the NACK is equal to 0 or 1 (respectively representing that the NACK is valid when it is "0" or "1"), the data which needs to be retransmitted is retransmitted to the UE.
As the backhaul link cannot use the FDD (#0, #4, #5, #9) Downlink (DL) subframes, it correspondingly cannot use the FDD (#4, #8, #9, #3) UL subframes. The current design for the UL HARQ mainly includes the combination of DL subframes and UL subframes only using the multiples of 8 ms or 16 ms, namely, supposing that within the 40 ms range, the 8 sets of the DL subframes include {(#7 #23 #31), (#6 #22 #38), (#13 #21 #37), (#12 #28 #36 ), (#3 #11 #27), (#2 #18 #26), (#1 #17 #33), (#8 #16 #32)}, the corresponding 8 sets of the UL subframes include {(#11 #27 #35), (#10 #26 #42), (#7 #25 #41), (#16 #32 #40), (#7 #15 #31), (#6 #22 #30), (#5 #21 #37), (#12 #20 #36)}, wherein, the subframes greater than "40" can implement modulo calculation for "40" during the calculation process, such as mod (42, 40)=2. Actually, one DL subframe set is corresponding to one UL subframe set, namely, from the overall UL and DL subframe sets, there are 8 DL and UL subframe sets, conditions of combining different sets totally includes 2 to the 8th power of sets (namely, 256 sets). As the DL subframe may have the corresponding UL subframe with 4 ms interval, the feedback of the UL ACK/NACK needs no modification as the LTE, however, when initially switching the subframe configuration, the relation is between the corresponding UL subframe and the DL subframe when switching the subframe configuration may not satisfy the relation of 4 ms any more.
Specifically, the set index is as shown in Table 1, it should be noted that the relation between the set and the set index is not limited to the corresponding relation in Table 1. The 8 bits bitmap mode only exists when distributing the subframes, namely, the binary of 8 bits respectively corresponds to different set indexes, the receiving end can obtain the subframe configuration once obtaining the set index.
TABLE 1Set indexDL setUL set0(#7 #23 #31)(#11 #27 #35)1(#6 #22 #38)(#10 #26 #42)2(#13 #21 #37)(#17 #25 #41)3(#12 #28 #36)(#16 #32 #40)4(#3 #11 #27)(#7 #15 #31)5(#2 #18 #26)(#6 #22 #30)6(#1 #17 #33)(#5 #21 #37)7(#8 #16 #32)(#12 #20 #36)
Specifically, the number of HARQ progresses corresponding to the conditions of 256 sets are as shown in Table 2, in which the combination configuration in the first array is decimal, for example, the binary of "170" represented as 8 bits is "10101010", which represents that the sets corresponding to the set indexes which are "7", "5", "3", "1" are combined together.
TABLE 2CombinationNumber ofCombination configurationnumberHARQNumber ofNumber of(decimal)(256)progressessetssubframes010001, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 12881133, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 17, 18, 20, 24,2822633, 34, 36, 40, 48, 65, 66, 68,72, 80, 96, 129, 130, 132, 136,144, 160, 1927, 11, 13, 14, 19, 21, 22, 25, 26,5833, 49, 1228, 35, 37, 38, 41, 42, 44, 49,50, 52, 56, 67, 69, 70, 73, 74,76, 81, 82, 84, 85, 88, 97, 98,100, 104, 112, 131, 134, 137,138, 140, 145, 146, 148, 152,161, 162, 164, 168, 170, 176,193, 194, 196, 200, 208, 22415, 23, 27, 29, 30, 39, 43, 45,8444, 512, 1546, 51, 53, 54, 57, 58, 60, 71,75, 77, 78, 83, 86, 87, 89, 90,91, 92, 93, 99, 101, 102, 105,106, 107, 108, 109, 113, 114,116, 117, 120, 135, 139, 141,142, 147, 149, 150, 153, 154,156, 163, 165, 166, 169, 171,172, 173, 174, 177, 178, 180,181, 182, 184, 186, 195, 197,198, 201, 202, 204, 209, 210,212, 213, 214, 216, 218, 225,226, 228, 232, 234, 24031, 47, 55, 59, 61, 62, 79, 94,6055, 615, 1895, 103, 110, 111, 115, 118, 119,121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 143,151, 155, 157, 158, 167, 175,179, 183, 185, 187, 188, 189,190, 199, 203, 205, 206, 211,215, 217, 219, 220, 221, 222,227, 229, 230, 233, 235, 236,237, 238, 241, 242, 244, 245,246, 248, 25063, 126, 127, 159, 191, 207,1766, 7, 818, 21, 24223, 231, 239, 243, 247, 249,251, 252, 253, 254, 255
The inventor finds that a solution of how to feed back the ACK information during switching of backhaul link subframe configuration is not provided in the relevant art.

Method and device for feeding back acknowledgment information during switching of backhaul link subframe configuration


An optical head (4) for sensing banknotes using six different groups of light sources, namely LEDs generating light at six different wavelengths both in the visible range of the spectrum and in the infra-red range of the spectrum. Unitary light guides (16,18) define the path between linear arrays (8,10) of the LEDs and the surface of a banknote (2). Diffusely reflected light is separately collected by a pin diode detector array (12). Both the LEDs and the detectors are commonly mounted on a single printed circuit board (14). The light sources (8,10) are arranged to shine directly into the light-receiving end of each light guide, which are unitary and allow the light to mix and spread within in order to provide a homogeneous illumination. The detectors (12) are optically isolated and detect discrete areas on the banknote transport path.

This invention relates to a sensing device, in particular but not exclusively for use in sensing the optical characteristics of a document moving relative to the sensing device in a transport path.
Such devices are used for the validation of banknotes.
International patent application No. WO 93/07590 describes a banknote validator in which a transverse strip on a banknote path is illuminated by light from a multi-colour transmitting station by a unitary light guide. Light reflected from a banknote is returned via the same light guide to a light receiving station. It is not possible with this banknote validator to properly sense discrete areas on the illuminated strip, since the light returning to the light receiving station is mixed across the width of the light guide. Only the optical characteristics of the banknote across its whole width are used for validation.
Another known type of banknote validator is the Armatic AL07 validator. A pair of single light guides in this arrangement deliver light from different groups of monochromatic LEDs (green, yellow, red and infra-red), and the reflected light is collected and sensed via the same light guide. The reading detectors are spaced amongst the LEDs arranged in a linear array at the distal end of each of the light guides. Again, all of the reading photo-transistors receive light reflected from all across the illuminated strip of banknote, and the optical characteristics of discrete areas of the banknote are not discernable. The arrangement is used in such a way that the spectral response received from the banknote is integrated over the whole banknote.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,109 describes a reading head which includes a number of reading modules. Light from a single source located externally of the array modules is delivered to illuminated strips on the transport path by light guides symmetrically arranged around the detector arrays of the sensing modules. The single while light source can be replaced by providing a monochromatic light source for each module, but still each module senses only one spectral response characteristic of a banknote.
Optical sensing apparatus suitable for validating banknotes is also described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,813. The apparatus consists of a linear array of photodetectors whose optical axes create a single sensor plane perpendicular to a transfer path for a banknote. The banknote is illuminated by two linear arrays of light sources located above the transfer path, whose optical axes form planes inclined to both the sensor plane and the transfer path. The light sources consist of a number of groups of sources, each group generating light of a different wavelength, arranged in a repetitive colour sequence in each of the linear source arrays. An optically diffractive element can be placed in front of each of the source arrays to effect a more uniform distribution of light intensity in the illuminated region on the transfer path. A further linear array of light sources is placed on the underside of the transfer path, arranged to lie in the sensor plane so that the sensors can be exposed to light transmitted through a banknote travelling along the transfer path.
The different groups of light sources are energised in rapid succession to illuminate a banknote passing along the transfer path with different wavelengths of light in sequence. The response of the banknote to the light of the different respective parts of the spectrum is sensed by the detector array. Because each of the photodetectors in the array receives light from a different area on the banknote, the spectral response of the different sensed parts of the banknote can be determined and compared with stored reference data to validate the banknote.
This prior art arrangement is adequate, particularly when the arrangement is used in a banknote validator in which the banknote is mechanically aligned with a lateral edge of the transport mechanism before sensing of the banknote surface. Thus, the arrangement is designed for the validation of banknotes at a limited rate.
It would be desirable to provide an alternative apparatus, in particular one which is suitable for use in the verification of banknotes at higher transport speeds, of up to 2 m/s or in that order of magnitude, and at a range of skew and offset orientations on a transport path. Such an apparatus could be utilised in a high-speed automatic teller machine.
As will be appreciated from the description which follows, the arrangement of the components of an optical sensing device and in particular the homogeneity of illumination produced thereby during sensing, is an important factor in the achievement of a practical high-speed validator in which the optical characteristics of discrete areas of a banknote are sensed.


A heat exchanger is provided that includes a first flow channel for a refrigerant, a second flow channel for a refrigerant, and a third flow channel for a coolant, wherein the first flow channel has a first region for initial cooling of the refrigerant and a second region for further cooling of the refrigerant. The refrigerant can flow in a high-pressure phase in the first flow channel and the refrigerant can flow in a low-pressure phase in the second flow channel. A first heat exchange occurs between the refrigerant in the first region of the first flow channel and the coolant in the third flow channel and a second heat exchange occurs between the refrigerant in the second region of the first flow channel and the refrigerant in the second flow channel.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a heat exchanger comprising a first flow channel for a refrigerant, a second flow channel for a refrigerant, and a third flow channel for a coolant, whereby the first flow channel has a first region for the initial cooling of the refrigerant and a second region for the further cooling of the refrigerant, whereby the refrigerant can flow in a high-pressure phase in the first flow channel and the refrigerant can flow in a low-pressure phase in the second flow channel.
Description of the Background Art
Condensers are used in refrigerant circuits of climate control systems for motor vehicles in order to cool a refrigerant to the condensation temperature and then to condense the refrigerant. This occurs in particular in the case of refrigerants that undergo at least one phase transition from gaseous to liquid in the refrigerant circuit. Condensers routinely have a collector in which a volume of refrigerant can be stored to equalize variations in volume in the refrigerant circuit. As a result, a stable subcooling of the refrigerant can be achieved.
Additional components for drying and/or filtering of the refrigerant are often provided in the collector. The collector is usually disposed on the condenser. The refrigerant that has already flown through part of the condenser flows through the collector. After flowing through the collector, the refrigerant is returned to the condenser and subcooled in a subcooling section to below the condensation temperature.
Condensers are also known in which the refrigerant does not undergo a phase transition. These condensers usually have only one cooling section in which the refrigerant is brought into thermal contact with a coolant.
Furthermore, heat exchangers are known downstream of which an internal heat exchanger is connected after the condensation section and the subcooling section. A collector is thereby disposed between the condensation section and the subcooling section. Whereas in the condensation section and the subcooling section heat transfer occurs between a refrigerant and a coolant, in the internal heat exchanger heat transfer occurs between the refrigerant in two different states, namely, in a high-pressure phase and a low-pressure phase.
A disadvantage of the devices known from the prior art is particularly that during use of CO2 (R744) as the refrigerant high pressures arise within the refrigerant circuit, which stress the heat exchangers known thus far beyond their stress limits.

Heat exchanger with high pressure phase refrigerant channel, low pressure phase refrigerant channel and coolant channel


Methods and systems are described for verifying an identity of a user through contextual knowledge-based authentication. The system described uses contextual knowledge-based authentication. By verifying an identity of a user through contextual knowledge-based authentication, the verification is both more secure and more intuitive to the user. For example, by relying on confidential and/or proprietary information, the system may generate verification questions, the answers to which are known only by the user.

In recent years, the amount and uses of personal data on a given user has increased exponentially. Along with the rise in both the amount and uses for this data, concerns about protecting this data have also increased. While encryption and other typical security measures are available to securely transmit data, users still require an intuitive way of accessing the data. Furthermore, users require an intuitive way of accessing data on multiple devices.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods and systems for verifying an identity of a user through contextual knowledge-based authentication


A method is disclosed for defining an attenuation map. In at least one embodiment, the method includes creating at least two data sets from which attenuation values are able to be determined; evaluating the data sets and determining attenuation values; weighting the attenuation values determined and creating the attenuation map by inserting the weighted attenuation values.

As well as Magnetic Resonance tomography (MR), Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is becoming increasingly widely used in medical diagnosis. While MR involves an imaging method for representing structures and sectional images within the body, PET makes possible a visualization and quantification of metabolism activities in-vivo.
PET uses the particular properties of positron emitters and positron annihilation in order to determine quantitatively the function of organs or cell areas. In such cases the appropriate radiopharmaceuticals which are marked with radio nuclides are administered to the patient. As they decay, the radio nuclides emit positrons which after a short distance interact with an electron, which causes what is referred to as an annihilation to occur. During this process two Gamma quanta occur which fly off in opposite directions (displaced by 180°). The Gamma quanta are detected by two opposite PET detector modules within a specific time window (coincidence measurement), by which the location of the annihilation is determined to a position on the connecting line between these two detector modules.
For verification the detector module must generally cover a large part of the gantry arc length for PET. It is divided up into detector elements with sides of a few millimeters in length in each case. On detection of a Gamma quantum each detector element generates an event recording which specifies the time as a well as the verification location, i.e. the corresponding detector element. This information is transferred to a fast logic and compared. If two events coincide in a maximum time interval then it is assumed that a Gamma decay process is occurring on the connecting line between the two corresponding detector elements. The PET image is reconstructed with a tomography algorithm, i.e. what is referred to as back projection.
The combination of PET with other tomographic methods, especially computer tomography (CT) is known. Combined PET-CT devices typically allow the deficient local resolution of PET systems to be compensated for. At the same time CT offers a presentation of the anatomy of the patient so that, on superimposition of the CT and PET data, it can be established precisely where in the body the PET activity has taken place. With combined PET-CT devices a PET device and a CT device are typically arranged behind one another so that within an examination the patient can be moved seamlessly from one device into the other one. The two measurements can then take place directly consecutively.
A combination of a PET device with an MR device is advantageous since MR gives a higher soft tissue contrast by comparison with CT. Combined MR-PET systems are already known in which the PET detectors are arranged within an opening defined by the MR magnets with gradient system and excitation coil. In such cases they are positioned next to the excitation coil so that the examination volumes of the MR and PET system do not coincide but are offset in the Z direction. Consequently, like the PET-CT system, PET and MR data cannot be measured simultaneously.
In such cases it is especially to be preferred that the PET device be arranged within the MR device and that the two examination volumes are superimposed. In this case both morphological MR data and also PET data can be determined within one measurement run. As well as the effect of time-saving the two image data records can be shown superimposed in a simple manner so that a diagnosis is simplified for the doctor.
For integration of the PET and MR device it is necessary to arrange the PET detectors within the MR device, so that the imaging volumes lie isocentrically. For example the PET detectors can be arranged on a support structure (support bar, gantry) within the MR device. This can for example be 60 detectors in a ring-shaped arrangement on the support bar. For each of the detectors, which can also be combined into detector blocks, a cooling connection and electrical supply leads are required. These are likewise to be arranged in the MR device. In addition a number of signal processing units is required which are likewise arranged in the MR device. These are connected via the electrical leads to the detectors and are used for signal processing.
In the event of the combination of MR and PET in a combined system an attenuation of the Gamma quanta occurs because of everything which lies between the point of origination of the respective Gamma quanta and the PET detector. In the reconstruction of PET images this attenuation must be taken into account in order to prevent image artifacts. Between the point of origination of the Gamma quant in the body of the patient and the verifying PET detector lies on the one hand patient tissue, generally air and a part of the MR-PET system itself, for example cladding of the patient opening or a patient bed. The attenuation values of the components or accessory parts to be taken into account are combined into attenuation mapsμ. In such cases and attenuation map contains attenuation values for each volume element (voxel) of the investigated volume. Thus for example an attenuation map can be created for the patient table. The same typically applies to local coils applied to the patient for MR examinations. To create the attenuation map it is necessary to determine and to collect together the attenuation values. The values can typically be determined by CT imaging or by a PET transmission measurement of the respective component. These types of attenuation maps can be measured once since the attenuation values do not change over the lifetime of the respective component. For attenuation correction large differences in the attenuation between the different tissue, above all soft parts and bones, are primarily of significance.
With PET-CT systems it is known that an attenuation map can be calculated from CT images using the x-ray absorption coefficients and used for the attenuation correction of PET data. This can also be employed in the measurement of attenuation values of the components. With PET systems a direct determination of the attenuation map from the actual measurement data is not possible. Measurements must thus be made in test measurements with homogeneous PET phantoms, so that the intensity of the Gamma quanta arising is known. Alternately the use of x-ray sources with PET systems is known which are moved around the patient. By detecting the radiation of these radiation sources the attenuation is determined, but this is time-consuming.
With MR-PET systems it is desirable to be able to determine the attenuation directly from MR data sets. Such methods are already known.
Thus a method is known from DE 10 2004 043 889 A1 for creating a nuclear medical image. The image is produced from a data set comprising both data of a magnetic resonance examination and also of a PET measurement. A reference MR data set of the area for which the image is to be recorded of a reference patient with an associated correction data set is provided. A transformation which maps the reference MR data set to the MR image is created and applied to the correction data set for creating a transformed correction data set which is registered with the nuclear medical data set. This involves an Atlas-based method for determining the attenuation values which, with the assistance of the measured MR image, are transferred to the PET data set and used for attenuation correction.
A method is known from DE 10 2006 033 383 A1 for determining an attenuation map for a living being. Attenuation values are able to be predicted on the basis of an MR data set by means of a trained algorithm.
In a further known method specific MR sequences are used in order for example to make bones or plastic parts and coils visible. After a segmentation and registration with PET data, attenuation values can be assigned to the corresponding regions. It is likewise known that the spatial position of accessory parts such as local coils through example can be established by markings and assigned attenuation values on the basis of a database.
The known methods operate relatively satisfactorily as such. However each of the known methods is restricted and thus not suitable for complete definition of attenuation maps. Thus for example either the attenuation values of bones or of local coils can be determined with the known methods.

Method for determining an attenuation map