An image forming apparatus includes a light source, a deflector, beam detectors, a clock generator, a measurement mechanism, a frequency corrector, and a phase corrector. The light source illuminates in response to image data. The deflector deflects an optical beam into a scanning beam. The beam detectors including first and second beam detectors detect the scanning beam. The clock generator generates writing clock signals. The measurement mechanism measures a count number of the writing clock signals generated during a period between the scanning beam is detected by the first and second beam detectors. The frequency corrector corrects a frequency of the writing clock signals such that the count number measured becomes substantially equivalent to a predetermined number. The phase corrector varies a phase of the writing clock signals such that the count number is substantially constant before and after the phase of the writing clock signals is varied.

1. Field of Invention
Exemplary aspects of the present invention relate to an apparatus for image forming, and more particularly to an apparatus for image forming capable of effectively correcting a misregistration when an image is written.
2. Description of the Related Art
A related art image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and a printer, for example, is generally provided with an optical device to produce an optical beam and uses it to write image information on a photoconductor. Such a related art image forming apparatus may employ a plastic lens to provide the optical beam to meet recent trends of reducing costs and weights, for example. In addition, the related art image forming apparatus has increasingly penetrated its market and expanded the range of uses and, as a consequence, it needs to satisfy the market demands for a higher accuracy of an image magnification in a variable magnification operation.
The related art image forming apparatus is generally configured to modulate the optical beam based on image data, and to deflect the optical beam in a main scanning direction by a deflection mechanism (e.g., a polygon mirror) so as to make the optical beam scan a photoconductor surface through optical elements including an Fθ lens.
However, each of the related art image forming apparatuses may have a different main scanning magnification due to a variation in the optical device and/or properties of optical elements such as the Fθ lens. A defective operation, for example, a magnification error or a misregistration of a writing start position, may also be generated by a change in a refractive index or a shape of the plastic lens and a change in a scanning position on the photoconductor caused by a variation in an environmental temperature or a variation in a temperature of the apparatus therein. Thereby, an image with a high quality may not be provided. When a related art color image forming apparatus for forming a color image by superimposing a plurality of color images is used, the defective operation, including the magnification error or the misregistration of the writing start position, may be generated in a color basis. Thereby, the main scanning magnification or writing start position for each color may need to be corrected.
One example has attempted to correct a registration of an image in units of 1 pixel or less by using a phase variable function. This phase variable function, for example, varies a phase of writing clock signals in units of 1/n of a writing clock cycle, where n is an integer of 2 or greater, at a position or a plurality of positions in the main scanning direction.
According to the above example, the image forming apparatus and a light scanning device of the related arts correct the misregistration of the main scanning position by having the phase variable control function to control a variation of the phase of writing clock signals as a correction mechanism. The phase of the writing clock signals may be varied in units of 1/n of the writing clock cycle, where n is an integer of 2 or greater, at the one position or the plurality of positions in the main scanning direction by the phase variable function so that the misregistration of the main scanning position is corrected.
Referring to FIG. 1A, the misregistration of the main scanning position may be corrected by varying the writing clock phase when n is 4, i.e., 1/n=¼, for example, based on a reference writing clock signal.
Referring to FIG. 1B, when the writing start position for the main scanning is corrected, the phase of writing clock signals generated between two detection signals A and B is varied.
Another example has attempted to correct the main scanning magnification by correcting the writing clock based on a comparison with a predetermined reference count number. According to this example, a plurality of optical beam detection mechanisms to detect the optical beam on a main scanning line are employed so as to measure an interval between the optical beam detected by one of the plurality of optical beam detection mechanisms and the optical beam detected by another optical detection mechanism by using a predetermined clock number.
When the main scanning magnification is corrected by the example stated above but under a situation of FIG. 1B, the count number of the writing clock signals may vary an amount which is a correction amount generated by the phase variable function, and a frequency of the writing clock signals may be varied at the same time. Thereby, the main scanning magnification may be affected.
Referring to a flowchart of FIG. 2, one example of a related art correction procedure is explained, for a correction of the main scanning magnification in a related art image forming apparatus. In a step 1201, a scanning time (e.g., a count number) NC between optical beam detection mechanisms is counted. When a clock counter in a writing clock generator is cleared by a detection signal of a synchronous detection plate, measurement clock signals are counted by the clock counter. A count number of the measurement clock signals counted by the clock counter is output to a control unit by a detection signal of a rear-end synchronous detection plate.
In a step 1202, the count number NC and a reference count number NR are compared with each other by the control unit. The reference count number NR is a predetermined number. In a step 1203, a writing clock frequency is corrected by computing f′=f×NR/NC, where f′ is a writing clock frequency after a correction is made, and f is the writing clock frequency before the correction is made.
According to the above procedure, the count number and the writing clock number frequency which are at least substantially the same as those between the optical beam detection mechanisms are computed. The control unit outputs the computed writing clock frequency to a writing clock generator so as to correct the main scanning magnification.
However, the measured count number may be varied when a phase of the writing clock signals is varied by a phase variation function because the writing clock signal is used to measure the scanning time.

Image forming apparatus capable of effectively correcting main scanning misregistration


An instrument and method for locating and attaching a spinal coupler to an implanted spinal rod including body and lever handles that attach about the spinal rod. A cam handle is connected to the body handle to actuate a plunger that applies a compression force to the spinal coupler to attach it to the spinal rod by an interference fit. The body and lever handles each include a forked jaw having legs that attach to the spinal rod on each side of the spinal coupler. In one embodiment, the plunger includes a control knob to vary the instrument actuating force and prevent over extension of the plunger.

The present invention relates generally to couplers for spinal rods and, more particularly, to instruments that clamp the coupler to the spinal rod.
A typical problem with attaching spinal rod connectors to implanted spinal rods is that there is limited space in which to work. This lack of space, in addition to the requirement for accurate location and attachment of the spinal rods and couplers, increases the difficulty and complexity of back operations.
A major problem in attaching couplers to spinal rods is that of applying sufficient force to attach the coupler without damaging the surrounding tissue. The need to prevent tissue damage is critical when operating near the spinal cord. At times, a large amount of pressure is needed, with pinpoint accuracy, to attach the couplers to the spinal rods.
Moreover, the connections between the implanted spinal rods and couplers are required to be extremely tight, without play. The connection between the parts has to be extremely rigid and tight because it would be deleterious to the patient for the couplers and rods to separate while implanted.
The present invention is directed to overcoming the aforementioned problems associated with spinal rods and couplers wherein it is desired to provide an instrument for engaging and locating the rod and coupler, and then attaching the rod coupler to the implanted spinal rod by a compression or clamping force.

Spinal coupler seater with dual jaws and an independent plunger


An annuloplasty ring having a three-dimensional discontinuous form generally arranged about an axis with two free ends that are axially offset. The ring is particularly suited for repair of the tricuspid valve, and more closely conforms to the annulus shape. The ring is more flexible in bending about radially extending axes than about the central axis. A deliver template having a mounting ring with about the same shape as the ring facilitates implant, and may be releasably attached to a delivery handle. The deliver template may include a plurality of cutting guides for releasably attaching the annuloplasty ring thereto while presenting maximum outer surface area of the ring. The template may have an outwardly-facing groove to receive and retain the ring.

The present invention relates generally to medical devices and particularly to a tricuspid annuloplasty ring and delivery template.
In vertebrate animals, the heart is a hollow muscular organ having four pumping chambers: the left and right atria and the left and right ventricles, each provided with its own one-way valve. The natural heart valves are identified as the aortic, mitral (or bicuspid), tricuspid and pulmonary, and are each mounted in an annulus comprising dense fibrous rings attached either directly or indirectly to the atrial and ventricular muscle fibers.
Heart valve disease is a widespread condition in which one or more of the valves of the heart fails to function properly. Diseased heart valves may be categorized as either stenotic, wherein the valve does not open sufficiently to allow adequate forward flow of blood through the valve, and/or incompetent, wherein the valve does not close completely, causing excessive backward flow of blood through the valve when the valve is closed. Valve disease can be severely debilitating and even fatal if left untreated.
Various surgical techniques may be used to repair a diseased or damaged valve. In a valve replacement operation, the damaged leaflets are excised and the annulus sculpted to receive a replacement valve.
Another less drastic method for treating defective valves is through repair or reconstruction, which is typically used on minimally calcified valves. One repair technique that has been shown to be effective in treating incompetence is annuloplasty, in which the effective size of the valve annulus is contracted by attaching a prosthetic annuloplasty repair segment or ring to an interior wall of the heart around the valve annulus. The annuloplasty ring is designed to support the functional changes that occur during the cardiac cycle: maintaining coaptation and valve integrity to prevent reverse flow while permitting good hemodynamics during forward flow. The annuloplasty ring typically comprises an inner substrate of a metal such as stainless or titanium, or a flexible material such as silicone rubber or Dacron cordage, covered with a biocompatible fabric or cloth to allow the ring to be sutured to the heart tissue. Annuloplasty rings maybe stiff or flexible,may be split or continuous, and may have a variety of shapes, including circular, D-shaped, C-shaped, or kidney-shaped. Examples are seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,041,130, 5,104,407, 5,201,880, 5,258,021, 5,607,471 and, 6,187,040 B1. Most annuloplasty rings are formed in a plane, with some D-shaped rings being bowed along their anterior or straight side to conform to the annulus at that location.
The present application has particular relevance to the repair of tricuspid valve, which regulates blood flow between the right atrium (RA) and right ventricle (RV), although certain aspects may apply to repair of other of the heart valves.
The tricuspid valve 20 is seen in plan view in FIG. 1 and includes an annulus 22 and three leaflets 24a, 24b, 24c (septal, anterior, and posterior, respectively) extending inward into the flow orifice defined by the annulus. Chordae tendineae 26 connect the leaflets to papillary muscles located in the RV to control the movement of the leaflets. The tricuspid annulus 22 is an ovoid-shaped fibrous ring at the base of the valve that is less prominent than the mitral annulus, but slightly larger in circumference. The septal leaflet 24a is the site of attachment to the fibrous trigone, the fibrous xe2x80x9cskeletalxe2x80x9d structure within the heart. The triangle of Koch 30 and tendon of Todaro 32 provide anatomic landmarks during tricuspid valve repair procedures. The atrioventricular (AV) node 34 is a section of nodal tissue that delays cardiac impulses from the sinoatrial node to allow the atria to contract and empty their contents first, and relays cardiac impulses to the atrioventricular bundle. In a normal heart rhythm, the sinoatrial node generates an electrical impulse that travels through the right and left atrial muscles producing electrical changes which is represented on the electrocardiogram (ECG) by the p-wave. The electrical impulse then continue to travel through the specialized tissue of the AV node 34, which conducts electricity at a slower pace. This will create a pause (PR interval) before the ventricles are stimulated. Of course, surgeons must avoid placing sutures too close to or within the AV node 34. C-rings are good choices for tricuspid valve repairs because they allow surgeons to position the break in the ring adjacent the AV node 34, thus avoiding the need for suturing at that location.
Despite numerous designs presently available or proposed in the past, there is a need for a tricuspid ring that more closely conforms to the actual shape of the tricuspid annulus.
The present invention provides an annuloplasty ring including a ring body generally arranged about an axis and being discontinuous so as to define two free ends. The ring body has a relaxed configuration following a three-dimensional path such that the free ends are axially offset. In a preferred embodiment, the two free ends are axially offset between about 2-15 mm. The annuloplasty ring is particularly adapted to reinforce the tricuspid annulus, and as such has a curvilinear anterior side ending in one of the free ends, a curvilinear posterior side ending in the other of the free ends, and a relatively straight septal side extending between the anterior and posterior sides. The posterior side is shorter and has a smaller radius of curvature than the anterior side.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the ring body comprises an inner structural support of multiple bands of elastic material. A low friction material may be interposed between each two adjacent bands to facilitate movement therebetween. The multiple bands maybe embedded in a matrix of pliable material, preferably molded silicone. In one embodiment, there are two concentrically disposed bands embedded in the matrix of pliable material. To facilitate bending about axes that extend radially, each of the multiple bands of elastic material may have a relatively wider radial dimension than its axial dimension.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the ring body comprises an inner structural support band surrounded by a pliable matrix, wherein the matrix includes a tubular inner portion that surrounds the band and an outer flange through which implantation sutures can pass. The outer flange may be curved so as to be convex on its outer surface. Preferably, the outer flange is connected to the inner tubular portion with a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart radial walls so as to create a celled structure.
A further aspect of the present invention provides an annuloplasty ring including a ring body generally arranged about the central axis and being discontinuous so as to define two free ends. The ring body has a construction that renders it more flexible in bending about axes that extend radially from the central axis than about the central axis itself. The ring body may comprise an inner structural support of multiple bands of elastic material. A low friction material may be interposed between each two adjacent bands. The multiple bands may be embedded a matrix of pliable material, preferably silicone. There may be two concentrically disposed bands embedded in the matrix of pliable material. Desirably, each of the multiple bands elastic material has a relatively wider radial dimension than its axial dimension.
In a still further aspect of the present invention, an annuloplasty ring template is provided. The template has a rigid body with a peripheral mounting ring generally arranged about an axis and being discontinuous so as to define two free ends. The mounting ring follows a three-dimensional path such that the free ends are axially offset. The template may include a central platform to which the peripheral mounting ring is connected via a plurality of generally radially extending spokes. A handle-receiving hub may extend generally away from central platform. Desirably, the peripheral mounting ring extends about three-quarters circumferentially about the axis.
In a preferred embodiment, the peripheral mounting ring of the template defines a radially outward groove therein for receiving an annuloplasty ring. The template further may include a plurality of cutting guides provided on the peripheral mounting ring. A pair of through holes in the mounting ring are provided on either side of each cutting guide such that a length of suture may extend through or about an annuloplasty ring positioned on the outside of the mounting ring, through one of the holes, over the cutting guide, through the other hole, and back into the annuloplasty ring. Each cutting guide may comprise a pair of intersecting slots, one of the slots being shallower than the other and positioned to receive a suture extending between the through holes. The deeper slot provides space into which a sharp instrument may extend to sever the suture at the cutting guide.


A passive thermal control system for use in a spacecraft or satellite. The system uses at least two heat pipe and radiator systems connected to a heat generating load of the spacecraft. The radiators are located at different sides of the spacecraft. The heat pipes can be prevented from transferring heat from the radiators to the heat generating load such that a first radiator can be exposed to heat from sunlight while the second radiator and heat pipe can still operate to remove heat from the heat generating load.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to heat transfer systems and, more particularly, to a thermal control system for a spacecraft or satellite.
2. Prior Art
Various heat transfer systems for use in spacecraft and satellites are known in the prior art. Some of these systems are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,420,035; 4,162,701; 4,388,964; 3,489,203; 4,133,376; 3,402,761; 4,757,688; and 4,673,030. Japanese patent application No. 57-108,555 also discloses a thermal switch used with a heat pipe. "A Variable-Conductance Heat Pipe Radiator For MAROTS-Type Communication Spacecraft" by Savage et al., Journal of Spacecraft, May-June 1979, Vol. 16, No. 3, pp. 176-180, discloses a variable conductance heat pipe radiator.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved heat transfer system.


A display substrate includes a substrate, a gate line formed on the substrate, a data line formed on the substrate and crossing the gate line, a first pixel electrode formed on the substrate on which the gate and the data line are formed, an insulation layer formed on the substrate and the first pixel electrode, and a second pixel electrode formed on the insulation layer. The second pixel electrode includes a first sub-electrode that overlaps the first pixel electrode and the data line, and a second sub-electrode that is electrically connected to the data line through a switching element.

1. Field of the Invention
Example embodiments of the present invention relate to a display substrate, a method of manufacturing a display substrate, and a display apparatus having the display substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a liquid crystal display panel includes a display substrate, an upper substrate facing the display substrate, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the display substrate and the upper substrate. The display substrate includes a display area, on which a plurality of lines and a plurality of transistors connected to the lines are formed, and a peripheral area, on which pads applying an electric signal to the lines are formed.
Conventionally, a TN (twisted nematic) liquid crystal display panel was widely used. Recently, however, a PLS (plane to line switching) liquid crystal display panel is being increasingly used to provide an increased viewing angle.
In the PLS liquid crystal display panel, a gray scale is realized by horizontally aligning liquid crystal particles, using a fringe field formed between a common electrode and a pixel electrode, located on a thin film transistor substrate. To reduce the power consumption of such a liquid crystal display panel, a Middle-Com PLS structure is provided. In the Middle-Com PLS structure, the common electrode is formed under the pixel electrode, and a passivation layer is located between the common electrode and the pixel electrode. A gap between the common electrode and the pixel electrode is small to reduce power consumption.
However, a fringe field at pixel boundaries of the display panel having a Middle-Com PLS structure is weaker than a field at central portions of the pixels. As such, the light transmittance of the display panel is reduced.

Display substrate, method for manufacturing the same, and display apparatus having the same


A driving device for an ultrasonic wave motor provided with:. a stator member having an electrostrictive member and a resilient member, and adapted to generate a travelling vibration wave on the resilient member by excitation with the electrostrictive member; and PA1 a moving member maintained in pressure contact with the stator member and driven by the travelling vibration wave, comprising: PA1 a drive signal forming circuit for forming AC voltage signals for the high-speed drive and the low-speed drive for application to the electrostrictive member; PA1 wherein the electrostrictive member is excited into vibration by the AC voltage signal; PA1 a switching circuit for selectively switching the AC voltage signals for the high-speed drive and the low-speed drive for application to the electrostrictive member; and PA1 a temporary stop circuit for reducing the frequency of the AC voltage signal, supplied to the electrostrictive member, at zero at least once at the switching from the high-speed drive state to the low-speed drive state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a driving device for an ultrasonic wave motor in which a movable member is driven by travelling vibration wave generated in a resilient member by a piezoelectric member.
2. Related Background Art
As disclosed for example in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 59-111609, the ultrasonic wave motor utilizing travelling vibration wave causes a bending vibration in a piezoelectric member by applying an AC voltage thereto, thus generating a travelling vibration wave in a resilient member on which said piezoelectric member is attached, and drives by friction a rotor maintained in contact with said resilient member.
The speed reduction in such ultrasonic wave motor has been achieved either by switching the frequency of the applied AC voltage to a frequency corresponding to the desired lower speed, or by switching said AC voltage to a lower voltage.
However said frequency switching method is unable to cancel the inertia of the load connected to the rotor at the switching of frequency of the AC voltage and requires a long decelerating time, because:
(1) there is a delay in time, after the frequency switching, before the amplitude of the vibration wave generated in the resilient member reaches a value corresponding to the lower speed; and
(2) in the presence of the vibration wave, the resilient member and the rotor have low frictional force therebetween as they mutually contact at the peaks of the vibration wave.
Also said AC voltage switching method has a drawback of requiring a long decelerating time due to similar reasons.

Driving device for ultrasonic wave motor


To reduce the burden of labor relating to setting and changing management items in an environment where a plurality of management tools are used. In one specific embodiment, management tools 1332 control management targets 1331 on the basis of retained management definition information (management items) 1333. A user I/F unit 1131 displays operations management information 36 and selects an editing class and management items of the management tools 1332 by an instruction of a user, and an editing instruction unit 1134 sends the editing class and the management items to an editing execution unit 1334 and conducts editing of the management items. A status monitoring unit 1335 monitors status, a change detection unit 1135 detects a status change and notifies the editing instruction unit 1134, and the editing instruction unit 1134 receives this notification and instructs editing processing with respect to management items relating to the management targets 1331.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates mainly to the field of network/system management. In particular, the invention relates to technology for managing management items of tools that conduct automatic execution of data backup and monitoring of the operating status of computers in order to support the normal operation of computer systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Operations management tools (referred to below as management tools) are used with the purpose of normally operating computer systems and, in the event that there is a problem, investigating the nature of the problem and implementing a countermeasure. In JP-A-2000-250833, management tools are described that monitor whether or not a computer system is in an operating status, check whether or not the CPU load of the computer system is excessive and check whether or not disk capacity has become insufficient.
The types of management tools are various, and the ranges thereof (range of functions offered) also differ for each management tool. For this reason, plural management tools are often jointly used to a certain extent in large computer systems. However, what becomes a problem in this case is the disunity of operability among the management tools. Although management tools are made by various manufacturers, the operability of the management tools differs depending on the type of management tools because there are no design standards common to the industry. As a result, in environments where plural management tools are used, it is necessary to learn how to operate and appropriately use each management tool, whereby the burden on the user of the management tools increases.
To solve this problem, JP-A-2000-222316 discloses a method that enables different management tools to be handled with a unified operation method by internally disposing a function for absorbing differences in operability between the tools. As the management tools are used, labor for determining the content (referred to below as management items) managed by each management tool and setting that content with respect to each management tool becomes necessary. Additionally, in a case where the determined content of the management items has changed after temporary setting has been conducted, the set content of the management tools must be updated (reset). Such labor for setting and changing the management items has conventionally been conducted per management tool. However, in an environment where the number of management tools being used is large, labor for setting and changing the management items also increases, whereby the same labor becomes cumbersome, labor time becomes long and it also becomes easy for errors in setting changes to arise.

Control system and method for management items


The present invention a hair curler connector, which includes a locking assembly and a buckle, the locking assembly including a lock and a spring assembly, with the lock being equipped with hooks engaged with the buckle. The hair curler connector has simple structure, and it is easy to operate, adapting for different heating components for the convenience of changing.

Hair curler is a common hairdressing device. The main portion of the hair curler includes a heating component, which engages with the hair and keep the hair in certain curl state, and it pass the heat energy to the hair to style the hair after power up.
In most of the cases, hairs in different quality probably need different heating components respectively. Moreover, the heating components with different shapes or structures are requirement in order to make different hair styles. If special hair curler are respectively prepared for the hair in different quality and styles, the hair curling cost will be greatly increased.

Dongguan Fumeikang Electrical Technology Co., Ltd.


A semiconductor device including a semiconductor substrate and a plurality of trench structures formed on the semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor substrate includes a first element region for forming an insulated gate bipolar transistor therein, and a second element region for forming a diode therein, the semiconductor substrate constituting a drift layer. The plurality of trench structures includes a plurality of gate trench structures provided on a front surface side of the first element region, each gate trench structure having an electrode provided therein that is based on a gate potential, and a plurality of floating trench structures provided on a front surface side of the second element region, each floating trench structure having an electrode provided therein that has a floating potential.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention related to a semiconductor device used in power converting equipment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Improvement of the characteristics of 600V, 1200V, and 1700V power semiconductor devices such as insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) or free wheeling diodes (FWDs) is advancing. Such power semiconductor devices are used in power converting equipment such as highly-efficient and power-saving inverters and are important for motor control.
In order to reduce the size of power converting equipment (relevant chips including an IGBT) overall, the development of a reverse conducting-IGBT (RC-IGBT) having a structure in which an IGBT and an FWD connected in anti-parallel with the IGBT are incorporated integrally on a single semiconductor chip has also advanced (for example, see International Publication No. WO 2016/080269).
A conventional technique discloses a structure of an RC-IGBT including plural first gate trenches arranged in a width direction of an IGBT region and plural second gate trenches extending in a direction intersecting with the first gate trenches, in which the first gate trenches and the second gate trenches are not in contact with each other (for example, see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2015-138789). A conventional configuration in which an on-potential is applied only to electrodes of either the first gate trenches or the second gate trenches and the other electrodes are caused to float has been disclosed.


The electric medical instrument fitting is attached to a medical instrument holding device. The electric medical instrument fitting includes a fitting body, drive units for a plurality of second medical instruments, and an intermediate member. The fitting body has a fitting portion that enables attachment/detachment of a first medical instrument which can be arranged with an observation device and provided with channel holes for inserting treatment instruments, or which is provided with an observation device. The drive units for the second medical instruments can each be detachably connected with each second medical instrument provided with an insertion portion to be inserted into each channel hole, with a treatment portion being provided on the side of a distal end thereof. Each of the drive units for the second medical instruments is provided with a joint driver, an advancing/retreating driver and a rotation driver, for changing the position and the posture of the treatment portion. Each of the drive units for the second medical instruments has a center of gravity set at a predetermined position of a roll axis of the rotation driver, with the position of the roll axis being apart from a fitting surface by a predetermined distance. The intermediate member is arranged at the fitting body which is attached with the plurality of medical instrument drive units, a center of gravity of the entirety being set on an extension line of a center axis of the fitting portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric medical instrument fitting which is used for a medical instrument holding device. In particular, the present invention relates to an electric medical instrument fitting for attaching an observation device and a plurality of manipulators to a holding portion of a medical instrument holding device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, with the increasingly complicated endoscopic surgery, medical instrument holding devices for holding endoscopes or surgical instruments have come to be utilized. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-52663 discloses a medical instrument holding device, which can be readily set up before operation and can be readily pulled out after operation, and which in addition can be reliably fixed to the floor surface without being rattled. In the medical instrument holding device disclosed in the literature, an endoscope can be inserted into an insertion hole of a first support arm configuring a holding portion, and held.
For treatment instruments to be inserted through treatment instrument channels of an endoscope, various manipulators comprising active joints have been contrived, for the purpose of enhancing operability for the operator. The active joints of such a manipulator include, for example, a linear motion drive joint, a roll drive joint, a yaw drive joint, a pitch drive joint, or the like. The active joints are actuated by the driving force of a drive motor provided at a driving device.
Such a manipulator is also considered to be held by a medical instrument holding device. However, in the case where an endoscope is provided with a plurality of treatment instrument channels, more medical instrument holding devices are required to hold the manipulators, which will cause the operating room to be crowded.
Thus, in a surgical system using a plurality of manipulators together with an endoscope having a plurality of treatment instrument channels, a configuration as shown in FIG. 1 can be considered.
A surgical system 200 shown in FIG. 1 includes, for example, an endoscope 201, an endoscope control unit 202, a plurality of manipulators 203 and 204, an endoscope holding device 205, and a manipulator operating device 206. The endoscope 201 has two treatment instrument channels, for example.
The endoscope 201 is held by an endoscope holder 223 provided at an arm 222 which is located farthest from a base mount 221 of the endoscope holding device 205. The manipulators 203 and 204 are inserted into the respective treatment instrument channels of the endoscope 201 held by the arm 222. As shown in the figure, a hand arm 207 and an electric cautery 208 serving as treating portions of the manipulators 203 and 204, respectively, can be projected from the ends of the channels. Under the operation of master portions 209 and 210 provided at the manipulator operating device 206, the position and posture of the hand arm 207 and the electric cautery 208 are adapted to change in response to the change of the position and posture of a master-side hand 211 and a master-side knife 212, respectively.
In the system 200, drive motors, for example, are provided at manipulator units 214 and 215. The drive motors tug and relax operation wires 213 to actuate the active joints of the manipulators 203 and 204.

Electric medical instrument fitting which is attached to a medical instrument holding device


A mining apparatus includes a miner, a conveyor unit and a steering unit connecting the miner and conveyor unit. The apparatus also includes a heading sensor and a controller responsive to the heading sensor. A first actuator is carried on the miner, the control unit or the steering unit. The first actuator is positioned to a first side of a midline of the miner. Further a second actuator is carried on one of the miner, the conveyor unit and the steering unit. The second actuator is positioned to a second opposite side of the midline of the miner. The first and second actuators are utilized to adjust a connection angle between the miner and the conveyor unit either side of parallel in order to maintain the miner on the desired directional heading.

Coal, formed from decomposed and compressed vegetable matter, is typically found in substantially horizontal seams extending between sedimentary rock strata such as limestone, sandstone or shale. Surface and underground mining are the primary techniques used to recover this coal.
Surface or strip mining involves the removal of material, known as overburden, overlying a coal seam so as to expose the coal for recovery. In recent years, surface mining has gained prominence over underground mining in the United States. This is due to many factors including:
(a) the increased material moving capacity of surface or strip mining equipment;
(b) lower costs for surface mining than underground mining;
(c) the better safety record of surface mining versus underground mining; and
(d) the higher coal recovery percentage for extraction of many coal reserves by surface mining.
Surface mining does, however, have its limitations despite these cited advantages. The primary limiting factor relates to the depth of the overburden. Once the coal seam reaches a certain depth below the surface, the amount of overburden that must be removed to reach the coal simply makes strip mining economically unfeasible.
When this occurs, large quantities of coal may still remain in the ground. If economic recovery of this coal is to be achieved, other mining methods must be utilized. Underground mining application in such an instance is, typically, very limited. This may be due to a number of factors including the existence of poor roof support conditions, the thinness of the seam and/or the presence of insufficient quantities of coal to warrant the large capital investments characteristic of underground operations.
Due to these considerations, auger mining has often been used to recover coal following a strip mining operation where the overburden becomes too costly to remove. A large auger is used to bore into the face of the seam and recover the coal from beneath the overburden. Advantageously, auger mining is very efficient providing more tons per man per day than any other form of state of the art mining techniques. Auger mining may also be initiated quickly and requires a relatively low capital expenditure when compared to surface and underground mining. Auger mining has also been found to date to be the best method to use in relatively thin seams. Further, auger mining is safer than both surface and underground mining. Thus, auger mining may be used to effectively supplement a strip mining operation and recover small coal deposits that would otherwise be left behind.
Auger mining is, however, also not without its disadvantages. Auger mining provides a relatively low total coal recovery. Coal recovery for the resource area being augured is usually less than about 35%. Some of the lost recovery is due to the pillars of coal that are left standing to support the overburden between adjacent auger holes. The majority of the recovery shortfall, however, is due to the limited penetration depths achievable with even state of the art auger mining equipment.
More particularly, as penetration depths increase, a greater number of auger flights are required to convey the coal from the cutting head to the seam face for recovery. Each flight adds to the frictional resistance to the turning of the auger through contact with the walls of the bore hole. Additionally, the longer the string of auger flights, the greater the weight of coal being moved by the flights at any one time. As a result, it should be appreciated that auger power requirements increase rapidly with the depth of auger penetration.
Due to the above considerations, holes drilled by conventional auguring equipment are usually only of a depth of 150 feet with 200 feet being rarely attainable. Of course, any increase in this figure is desirable as it would greatly improve the coal recovery rate from a resource area.
A mining system and method has been developed to meet this end. More particularly, this highwall system and method is disclosed in a series of U.S. Patents owned by the assignee of the present invention. The patents are U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,522,647; 5,364,171; 5,261,729 and 5,232,269. The full disclosure made in these patents is incorporated herein by reference.
As best shown in FIG. 1, the mining system includes a continuous miner for cutting coal from a coal seam. The cut coal is fed by the miner to a conveyor train comprised of a series of modular conveyor units serially connected end-to-end. This system allows mining to depths far exceeding the 150 to 200 feet possible with conventional auger mining equipment. In fact, depths of up to approximately 2000 feet have been reached.
Each conveyor unit is supported on ground engaging wheels so as to be adapted to follow the miner as the miner advances into the coal seam. A launch vehicle is also incorporated into this new system. The launch vehicle includes a conveyor mechanism for receiving and conveying aggregate coal discharged by the conveyor train. The launch vehicle also includes a guide track for supporting the end unit of the conveyor train and a conveyor unit to be added to the train. Further, individual drive assemblies are provided for (1) advancing/withdrawing the conveyor train with the miner and for (2) pushing the new conveyor unit into engagement with the conveyor train. Advantageously, the system allows the aggregate coal to be cut and conveyed without interruption even when a conveyor unit is being added to the train. Hence, the system not only provides significantly improved recovery from the resource area but also operates more efficiently than augering equipment and provides improved productivity.
The present invention relates to a navigation system for the miner that allows for precision guidance so that a proper pillar is maintained between mined openings and no break-through to a previously mined opening occurs even when mining to extreme depths from the coal face. Further, the navigation system enables the miner to better follow the coal seam and therefore mine with greater efficiency.

Mining apparatus with precision navigation system


An objective is to provide an inkjet print apparatus and an inkjet print method capable of a print without concentration unevenness. To achieve the objective, in a multiple-pass print using mask patterns each having low-print-percentage areas and high-print-percentage areas, the print-percentage difference between high-print-percentage areas and low-print-percentage areas is cancelled out in left-edge and right-edge parts of an image to be printed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inkjet print method and an inkjet print apparatus by which an image is printed on a print medium by using an inkjet print head having nozzle arrays each including ink-ejecting nozzles densely arranged.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the spread of information processing devices and communication devices, such as computers and word processors, there are more and more demands for output devices that output digital image information processed by such devices. As one of such output devices, an inkjet print apparatus that forms dots on a print medium through ejection of ink droplets is rapidly spreading. Recent demands increasingly call for output devices capable of outputting color print images. Since output of photograph images particularly requires high image quality, reduction in volume of each ink droplet is anticipated.
Meanwhile, with the recent technical development in integrated arrangement of nozzles, production of high-density, long print head is getting possible. However, print operations using such high-density, long print head can cause the following problem. Specifically, high speed print-head scanning or print-medium scanning generates an air current between the print head and the print medium. In addition, simultaneous ejection of many ink droplets from the print head having nozzles densely arranged generates turbulence in the air current. As a result, landing positions of the ink droplets are shifted from their desired positions, drastically deteriorating the image quality.
A technique disclosed by Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-192892 is known as a method for preventing such image quality deterioration. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-192892, a print is performed using mask patterns in which image data is thinned out. Specifically, image data to be printed is thinned out with different high and low thinning percentages alternately in an arrangement direction of the nozzles. Printing on the same area multiple times by using such mask patterns reduces the turbulence of the air current generated between the print head and the print medium, and allows the landing position of each ink droplet to be kept accurate. Thereby, a high quality image can be obtained.
In the technique described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-192892, an enough space for allowing the air current to escape is formed between walls of ejected ink. Accordingly, high-print-percentage areas and low-print-percentage areas need to have lengths appropriate for forming such space, and therefore have such sizes that a concentration difference in the pattern in one scan is visually distinguishable. An image in each area is formed by images by different scans compensating for each other. Accordingly, when the images are printed with a reciprocating scan, a scan start portion and a scan end portion overlap each other in left-edge and right-edge parts of the images.
For example, if a print of an image in the same area is completed with two scans, a scan start portion of a first scan and a scan end portion of a second scan overlap and compensate for each other, focusing on the edge parts of the image. Generally, at the start of the scans, the temperature of the print head is as low as approximately an ambient temperature because of a standby time for, for example, feeding the print medium between the scans. Meanwhile, at the end of the scans, the print head has an elevated temperature because of the ejection operations during the scans. For this reason, a high-print-percentage area printed at the start of the scans and a high-print-percentage area printed at the end of the scans with the print head having an elevated temperature have different print concentrations due to the temperature change of the print head. Thus, concentration unevenness tracing the mask patterns is reflected in the printed image in some cases.

Inkjet print apparatus and inkjet print method


The present invention relates to topical compositions containing caffeine carboxylates with organic bases, which are useful as slenderizing agents and in the treatment of cellulitis, as well as their preparation.. The heterogeneous topical compositions of the invention contain, as active principle, a caffeine carboxylic acid which has been salified with a cosmetologically-acceptable organic base, the active principle preferably being present in the form of microparticles or microgranules suspended in a hydroalcoholic gel.

The present invention, which originates from the PIERRE FABRE Dermatological and Cosmetological Center, relates to new cosmetic formulations, in which a novel slenderizing active principle is present in solution or in a heterogeneous suspension within a hydroalcoholic gel in the form of microgranules or microparticles, which are useful in the treatment of cellulite.
The active principle of the present invention consists essentially of an organic salt of caffeine carboxylic acid, advantageously in combination with Vitamin E or caffeine or a derivative of either or both of said compounds.
The active principle of the novel formulations of the present invention is a salt of caffeine carboxylic acid, with an organic base, having the following Formula I: ##STR1## wherein:
R+ represents a protonized organic base and preferably one of the following organic bases: ##STR2##
The active principles employed according to the present invention have been subjected to pharmacokinetic tests using caffeine carboxylic acid labelled with carbon 14.
The results of this study show that the rate of transcutaneous passage is faster when the salifying agent is an organic base, especially in the case of 3-nicotinol caffeine carboxylate which confirms the superiority of these active agents in the treatment of cellulite. The active principles of the present invention can also be advantageously employed in combination with caffeine, Vitamin E, or one of their derivatives.

Topical slenderizing formulation containing cafeine carboxylic acid derivatives neutralized by organic bases, preparation thereof, and their use in the treatment of cellulite


An airhouse for supplying conditioned air to the interior of an enclosed building. Matched twin blowers symmetrically arranged within the airhouse enclosure are operated in unison to insure a balanced air flow into the airhouse and through the blowers. A burner unit mounted intermediate the blowers is flanked by matching outside air inlets having controllable dampers, preferably of a canister-type, operable in opposition. A building return air inlet located midway between the blowers likewise has canister-type dampers operable in opposition. The blowers may be independent and operated at the same speed by separate drive means, or they may be mounted on a common shaft operated by a single drive means. A controller may be provided for varying the speed of the drive means. In one embodiment dampers may be provided for the building air outlets along with dampered openings from the blower enclosures to the external atmosphere for rapidly expelling contaminated air from the building interior.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains broadly to airhouses for supplying conditioned air to the interior of an enclosed building, and more particularly to an improved airhouse compatible with existing systems and having reduced initial cost and increased operating efficiency.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a system developed in recent years for maintaining desired atmospheric conditions throughout large industrial-type buildings, the building interior is substantially isolated or enclosed and conditioned air, including sufficient outside air, is continuously admitted through air handling units, or airhouses, located about the building to maintain the interior of the building under a slight positive pressure throughout, slightly greater than the effective outside atmospheric pressure are around the building. Various aspects of such a system described, by way of example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,850,264, 4,960,041 and 5,146,977, as well as the above identified copending U.S. patent applications. As discussed at length therein, sensors strategically located throughout the building monitor various atmospheric conditions such as relative interior and exterior atmospheric pressures, temperature, humidity, pollutants of and particulate levels, and transmit signals indicative the readings to a central computer. The computer periodically monitors the signals and compares them to stored data representing desired parameters for the atmospheric conditions in the various zones monitored by the sensors. The controllable airhouses strategically located about the building, generally on the roof, are individually regulated in response to signals from the central computer to collectively take corrective measures when a trend for an atmospheric condition in a particular area to fall outside the predetermined parameter is detected.
Airhouses used heretofore in such systems have generally included a sheet metal cabinet housing a heat source, typically a direct-fired gas burner or steam coil, a fan or blower unit, and a system of dampers for regulating admission of air to and discharge of air from the airhouse. The airhouse might also include evaporative humidification equipment. Such airhouses perform well for their intended purpose. However, they have certain limitations which the present invention overcomes. Thus, the blower of the airhouse has limited capacity so that in order to provide the required volume of air for operating the system, a relatively large number of airhouses is required.
The airhouses are generally installed on the roof of the structure, and installation of each unit requires substantial modification to the roof structure, so that multiplication of the units adds to the overall cost. In addition, the prior art units have a fixed capacity, that is, the blower units operate at a constant velocity to output a constant volume of air. The proportion of outside and building return air is modulated by operating dampers in the outside air and building return air inlets in opposition. In order to provide a straight line variation in damper flow capacity, so that the combined flow of the dampers remains constant, the prior art dampers require a significant area in the airhouse.


An awning system having miter connectors suitable for attaching to portions of T-slot tubing members is disclosed. The awning system can be shipped by conventional shipping mechanisms, does not require welding, and does not require a flat-bed truck for transport. Also, the awning system can then be assembled and installed on-site, rather than being shipped in a fully pre-assembled state. The awning system uses proprietary tubing members and (in most embodiments) a miter connector to form an awning frame.

Many types of awnings require being pre-assembled prior to shipping and installation. This provides a considerable amount of problems and greatly increases the expense of awning installations. Consequently it is desired to have an awning-assembly which can be shipped by conventional means, and then assembled and installed on-site, rather than being shipped in a pre-assembled state.


A method and apparatus for automatically watering and moderating the ambient temperature of a plurality of potted plants. Each plant is placed in an inner pot which is positioned within a larger outer pot. Each inner pot has an aperture in its bottom surface with a nozzle extending therethrough. Apparatus is placed in the bottom of each outer pot and cooperates with the nozzle to selectively prevent water flow into the inner pot when soil in the inner pot contains a preselected amount of moisture. Each outer pot is coupled to a water source through a respective water line. Water is admitted into the outer pots until the water level reaches a preselected level to regulate the amount of water admitted to the inner pot. For temperature moderation, controlled temperature water may be selectively admitted into and discharged from the water lines to the plants to maintain the temperature of water in the water lines at a preselected value. Temperature about the plants is moderated by convection heating from the water.

Various arrangements for automatic irrigation of potted plants are well known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,315 is illustrative of a double pot system in which an aperture is located on or near the bottom of an inner pot and a sponge located between the bottom of the inner container and above the inside bottom of an outer container. Water is transferred from the outer container to a cavity containing the sponge and, through capillary action, the water moves upwardly from the sponge through the aperture in the inner pot to moisten the plant soil. One problem associated with such a device has been the difficulty of controlling the amount of water transferred to the plant. Quite often such types of planters have not proved satisfactory as soil often becomes water saturated and causes rotting of the plant roots. U.S. Pat. No. 3,552,058 illustrates another form of double pot system in which a mass of earth provides the function of the sponge in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,315.
Another form of automatic watering device is shown in U.S Pat. No. 4,825,591 in which a plant hangs from one end of a vertical rod with a spring at the opposite end of the rod for actuating a valve in a water tank. As the soil dries and becomes lighter, the spring lifts the plant and triggers a water tank valve to open and water the plant. The complexity of this apparatus makes it unsuitable for greenhouse use where multitudes of plants are growing. Furthermore, the complexity of the apparatus makes it susceptible to high failure rates and its size and complexity are not cost effective for mass watering.

Watering method and apparatus for plants


The invention relates to a tool holding device comprising a tool holding body for securing, in a fixed manner, a rotary tool comprising a shaft, provided with a clamping section and a receiving opening for the shall of the tool, a coolant feeding device for pressurized fluid, at least one coolant guiding device for guiding the coolant into a clamped tool shaft. The coolant guiding device is designed as at least one flat groove on an inner side of the receiving opening, joining to the front side on a free end of the tool holding body and directly adjacent to the tool shaft in the surroundings of the tool holding device or a coolant storing chamber and or collecting chamber is provided in the region of the free end of the tool holding body, to which the at least one coolant guiding device joins. The coolant storing chamber and or collecting chamber is connected by means of an annular gap to the surroundings of the tool holder device. The coolant storing chamber and/or collecting chamber and the annular gap are defined at least partially by the work shaft.

EP 1 074 322 A1 has disclosed a rotating chuck that is embodied in the form of a shrink fit chuck for a tool, in particular for a drill bit or milling bit. This rotating chuck has a coolant supply conduit. The shrink fit chuck has a receiving bore for the tool in which the tool is secured by means of a shrink fit seat during operation. The receiving bore has a number of axially extending longitudinal grooves distributed around its inner circumference, which are connected to the supply conduit for a coolant. The grooves extend to the free end of the shrink fit chuck and feed into the open air there. In terms of their cross-section, the grooves are embodied as narrow grooves. In a shrink lit chuck of this kind, it has been observed that particularly at high rotation speeds that occur during operation of the chuck and particularly with small tool diameters, the jet of coolant emerging from the end separates from the tool and a reliable supply of coolant to the cutting region is not always guaranteed, particularly with longer tools. Due to this narrow embodiment of the grooves, the coolant emerges in the form of three separate jets. This, too, does not always guarantee a reliable cooling of the tool in the cutting region/material-removing region.
DE 198 32 793 134 has disclosed a tool holding device embodied in the form of a collet in which the coolant is conveyed on the inside of the tool holding device, through slots of the collet, past the tool shank, to the free front end of the tool holding device. A covering cap with an insert rests against this free front end; the insert forms an annular gap through which the coolant can travel out into the open air from the inside of the tool holding device.
The exit of the coolant into the open air here occurs in a relatively indefinite fashion and cannot always guarantee a clean guidance of the coolant jet along the tool. In addition, a tool holding device according to DE 198 32 793 B4 requires a significant coolant flow rate, which in turn requires coolant pumps with high pumping capacities.
DE 693 31 325 T2 has disclosed a tool holding system embodied in the form of a shrink fit chuck in which a receiving opening, for a cylindrical tool is provided with longitudinal grooves through which the coolant can be conveyed. The longitudinal grooves are cross-sectionally embodied in the form of narrow moves with a rounded groove bottom.
FR 22 39 849 has disclosed a tool holding device in which a receiving opening for a tool is likewise provided with longitudinal grooves through which a coolant can be conveyed. The grooves are cross-sectionally embodied in the form of narrow grooves with a square groove bottom. As a result, the coolant emerges into the open air in the form of bundled jets. This is not desirable.
The object of the present invention, therefore, is to disclose a tool holding device, in particular a tool holding device embodied in the form of a shrink fit chuck, in which the coolant guidance inside the tool holding device is optimized and in particular when the coolant emerges from the tool holding device, a coolant envelope that is closed or essentially closed in the circumference direction around a rotating tool can be formed, which rests against the tool and/or the tool shank. In particular, measures should be disclosed that make it possible to guide the closed or essentially closed coolant envelope around the rotating tool as close to the tool as possible, i.e. in as bundled a fashion as possible, even at high rotation speeds when it is subject to centrifugal forces, and to minimize or prevent a mushrooming, or dispersing of the coolant envelope around the tool. The coolant can be embodied in the form of all types of fluids, in particular a liquid, a gas, or a gas/oil mixture (oil mist).
Another object of the invention is to ensure the most efficient possible cooling defined at the locations in which the material-removing machining is occurring with the lowest possible volumetric flow rate of coolant.
Another object of the invention is to disclose a tool holding device that enables coolant to emerge from the device with no tangential velocity, with almost no tangential velocity, or with at least reduced tangential velocity at a predetermined operating rotation speed.
Another object of the invention is to provide a closed coolant envelope around the machining tool (rotating tool) with a satisfactory jet guidance, without having to accept excessive limitations with regard to the maximum usable tool length.


A combat simulation system including a plurality of simulation weapons each having a trigger configured to control emission of a light beam, a plurality of wearable sensors configured to detect signals from the weapons, a plurality of user devices each configured to determine a user's location, and an administration computing device configured to perform: administering a simulated mission, monitoring user locations, user operating parameters, and status of mission objectives during a simulated mission, and enabling dynamic control of the simulated mission including user operating parameters, simulated event objects, and mission parameters associated with the simulated mission, and displaying a plurality of graphical images indicative of information and parameters associated with the simulated mission including the monitored user locations.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Systems for simulating combat for military and police training are known in the art. Such systems provide participants with a simulated combat environment, typically utilizing simulated weapons, from which to train and learn different combat situations. The participants of a simulated combat environment may include, for example, soldiers, vehicles, non-hostile pedestrians or animals. The participants train under simulated realistic conditions, without the detrimental consequences of sustaining casualties associated with conventional armed non-virtual or non-simulated combat.
Many simulated training systems use virtual reality simulators in conjunction with modified or simulated weapons configured to interact with the virtual reality simulator. The modified or simulated weapons capture data about how the weapon is used and send that data to a computing device that uses the data to produce interactions with the simulated training system. One of the goals of the modified or simulated weapons used in these training systems is to mimic the use of the weapon as it would be used in the field. The current state of the art is to use mock-ups that look and feel as close to the real weapons as possible or to make significant modifications to a real weapon that typically prevent the weapon from live fire use.
One known system includes multiple integrated laser-weapon devices. In this type of system, the participants simulate shooting by actuating a laser transmitter, which simulate the potency of real projectiles. Additionally, the participants possess optical detectors, which detect the laser light impinging thereon; the system records each such detection as a hit. The laser beam transmitted by each participant may be encoded with a unique player code, thereby identifying the shooter of every hit.
Another known combat simulation system is a paint-ball game system, wherein players of opposing teams target one another with paint-ball guns. Each player dresses in paint-protective wear, and possesses a paint-ball gun. A player from one team, holding paint-ball gun, launches balls that contain paint of a predetermined color representing the team of that player. The player launches that paint-ball toward a player from an opposing team. When the ball strikes the opposing team player, the paint present within the ball is released onto the paint-protective wear of that opposing team player, thereby visually marking that player as hit. Casualty assessment is confirmed visually, according to the color present on the paint-protective wear of the players.
One problem with known simulation systems and simulation weapons is they do not accurately match the feel and operation of a real weapon, e.g., the discharge sound and kickback functions are not truly simulating. Hence, there is a continuing need for greater real-world simulation of actual weapons integrated into a simulation system.
Another problem with known simulation systems is the limited live monitoring and inability to deviate from the set training events. Hence there is a need to provide an administrator or systems manager the ability to monitor action in a live or near live state and make adjustments to the playing conditions and/or operating parameters of players and devices.
There is a further need in the art to provide a simulation system that can provide communication via a mesh network over a plurality of devices. Communication can include voice and data over various devices including simulation weapons or various simulation devices.

Weapons training system and methods for operating same


A substrate on which a specific type spacer is formed, a substrate comprising an alignment film formed on the spacer, and an optical device using such a substrate are disclosed herein. By controlling the shape of the spacer formed on the substrate, even when the alignment film is formed on the top of the spacer and the orientation treatment is performed, the uniform orientation treatment can be performed without any influence by the step or the like of the spacer, whereby a substrate or the like capable of providing a device having excellent optical performance can be provided.

An optical device capable of adjusting light transmittance or colors by disposing a liquid crystal compound or a mixture of a liquid crystal compound and a dye, and the like between two substrates disposed opposite to each other is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a so-called GH cell (guest host cell) applying a mixture of a liquid crystal host and a dichroic dye guest.
In such a device, so-called spacers are located between the two substrates to maintain the spacing between the substrates.


A first semiconductor chip includes a first inductor and a second inductor, and a second semiconductor chip includes a third inductor and a fourth inductor. The first inductor is connected to a first receiving circuit of the first semiconductor chip, and the second inductor is connected to a second transmitting circuit of the second semiconductor chip through a first bonding wire. The third inductor is connected to a second receiving circuit of the second semiconductor chip, and the fourth inductor is connected to a first transmitting circuit of the first semiconductor chip through a second bonding wire.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device capable of transmitting electric signals between two circuits to which the electric signals with different potentials are input.
2. Related Art
When electric signals are transmitted between two circuits to which the electric signals with different potentials are input, photocouplers are generally used. The photocoupler includes a light emitting element, such as a light emitting diode, and a light receiving element, such as a phototransistor. The light emitting element converts an input electric signal into light, and the light receiving element converts the light into the electric signal. In this way, the electric signal is transmitted.
However, since the photocoupler includes the light emitting element and the light receiving element, it is difficult to reduce the size of the photocoupler. When the frequency of the electric signal is high, it is difficult to follow the electric signal. As a technique for solving these problems, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,075,329 discloses a structure in which two inductors are formed on the same substrate and the two inductors are inductively coupled to each other to transmit electric signals. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,075,329, when two kinds of electric signals are transmitted, four inductors are formed on the same substrate and two sets of inductors are inductively coupled to each other. Further, in Japanese Published patent application A-H 08-222439 a transformer which is based on square spiral coils formed on semiconductor substrate surface is disclosed. The first coil of the square spiral coils and the second of them have the respective coil patterns almost vertically opposed to catch other with an insulating layer interposed between them and overlapped nearly in the same planer position.
When two kinds of electric signals are transmitted by the inductive coupling between the inductors, two sets of inductors that are inductively coupled to each other are needed. When the distance between two sets of inductors is short, the inductors interfere with each other, and noise is likely to be generated in the electric signal.


A portable, scalably adjustable cargo securement apparatus is provided which includes laterally extensible rail members, longitudinally extensible rail members, and elongated stabilizer arbors having an elongated, tubular configuration generally circular in cross-section which interconnect via a plurality of impingement locking brackets so as to form a generally square-shaped framework for confining cargo within its boundaries. The impingement locking brackets function to allow for selective, lateral and longitudinal slidable engagement by laterally extensible rail members and longitudinally extensible rail members. The cargo securement apparatus is adapted to be utilized in a cargo area of sport utility vehicles. A plurality of feet function to bear against a cargo floor, thereby according balanced stability to the cargo securement apparatus. A threaded adjustment stud is threadedly received within the laterally extensible rail member and the longitudinally extensible rail member in order to facilitate congruous leveling.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to cargo control devices and, more particularly, to a portable, scalably adjustable cargo securement apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
The utilization of sport utility vehicles for both pleasure and sport has dramatically increased in recent years. While most sport utility vehicles are inherently spacious for carrying cargo and common items such as groceries, sporting equipment, luggage, packages, and the like, these vehicles have failed to provide practical and effective devices for securing cargo and other items within the cargo area. In addition, shifting cargo can not only damage the cargo itself and distract the driver, but can also damage the vehicle.
Accordingly, a need has arisen for a means by which cargo can be securely confined within the cargo area of a sport utility vehicle and which is readily scalable to a relatively small size so as to facilitate easy removal and transportability. The development of the portable, scalably adjustable cargo securement apparatus fulfills this need.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention; however, the following references were considered related:
Consequently, a need has been felt for providing a device which aids in securely confining cargo of various dimensions within the cargo area of a sport utility vehicle in a manner which is quick, easy, and efficient.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide laterally extensible rail members, longitudinally extensible rail members, and elongated stabilizing arbors interconnected so as to form a scalably adjustable framework for effectively confining cargo within its boundaries.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a plurality of impingement locking brackets which interconnect the extensible rail members and stabilizing arbors and which allow for the manual horizontal and longitudinal adjustment thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable cargo securement device adapted to be utilized in the cargo area of sport utility vehicles.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a leveling means to facilitate congruous leveling of the cargo securement device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a plurality of feet for bearing against the cargo floor so as to accord balanced stability to the framework.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a framework being laterally extensible from approximately 24 inches to 48 inches.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a framework being longitudinally extensible from approximately 24 inches to 48 inches.
Briefly described according to one embodiment of the present invention, a portable, scalably adjustable cargo securement apparatus comprises laterally extensible rail members, longitudinally extensible rail members, and elongated stabilizer arbors defined as having an elongated, tubular configuration generally circular in cross-section which interconnect via a plurality of impingement locking brackets so as to form a generally square-shaped framework for confining cargo within its boundaries. The impingement locking brackets function to allow for selective, lateral and longitudinal slidable engagement by laterally extensible rail members and longitudinally extensible rail members. The cargo securement apparatus is fabricated of a lightweight, yet strong metal material, such as aluminum, and is adapted to be utilized in a cargo area of sport utility vehicles.
A cam pin extends perpendicularly through an end of a longitudinally extensible rail member and is held fixedly in place via a pair of opposed locking flanges. A lanyard is provided having a looped end which passes through a cam pin knob.
The cargo securement apparatus is designed and configured so as to be laterally extensible from approximately 24 inches to approximately 48 inches, and longitudinally extensible from approximately 24 inches to approximately 48 inches.
Being both lightweight and laterally and longitudinally extensible, the cargo securement apparatus not only provides a device which effectively prevents the shifting of cargo, but also provides an easily removable device readily scalable to a relatively small size facilitating transportability.
A leveling means is provided to facilitate congruous leveling of the securement apparatus.
Finally, a plurality of feet are provided which function to bear against a cargo floor, thereby according balanced stability to the cargo securement apparatus.
The use of the present invention aids in securely confining cargo of various dimensions within the cargo area of a sport utility vehicle in a manner which is quick, easy, and efficient.

Portable, scalably adjustable cargo securement apparatus


Compositions, such as detergent compositions, that include AES surfactant, where at least a particular portion of the AES surfactant molecules include alkyl portions having fourteen total carbons are described. Uses and methods related to such compositions are also described.

Detergent manufacturers are continuously seeking ways to improve the soil removal benefits of their detergents. In particular, removal of greasy soils, such as those from bacon grease or butter, is desired because of the prevalence of such stains. However, such stains are generally hydrophobic and can be particularly challenging to remove in the aqueous environment of common automatic washing machines.
Although detergent adjuncts such as enzymes or polymers may be added to detergent compositions to fight target stains, such adjuncts can bring added cost and/or compatibility issues.
Furthermore, surfactants remain the detergent formulator's workhorse ingredient. While it is possible to develop new-to-the-world surfactants, it may be desirable to work with known ingredients in a new way for cost, supply chain, and/or compatibility reasons.
Additionally, many traditional surfactants are petroleum-derived, but today's consumer tends to be more environmentally conscious and may seek products that are non-petroleum derived and/or naturally sourced. However, the consumer still demands quality performance from such products.
There is a need for detergent compositions that provide improved performance, particularly the compositions include known and/or naturally sourced materials.

Detergent compositions comprising AES surfactant having alkyl chain lengths of fourteen total carbons


A test driver generator is provided for generating test drivers from test function designations and attribute value specifications of software interfaces. For each set of designations and specifications for a software interface, the test driver generator generates a test driver. The test driver executes the designated test functions selectively based on selections provided at its invocation, using the selected combinations of attribute values specified. For each selected combination of attribute values of each selected test function, the test driver creates the test data for the particular combination of attribute values, executes the selected test function and deletes the created test data. The test driver repeats the process for all selected combinations of attribute values of all selected test functions. For some embodiments, the test driver generator also generates attribute instance creation functions for providing the test driver with an assignable attribute value for each attribute of a selected test function's parameters. Additionally, the test driver either creates or deletes the test data in line or calls a user provided test data creation and deletion function to create and delete the test data. Furthermore, the test function may be auto-checking. In that event, the test driver also accumulates test statistics after each test function execution.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of software testing. More specifically, the present invention relates to automatic generation of test drivers for executing auto-checking test functions.
2. Art Background
Traditionally, software testing was done on an ad-hoc basis. As the complexity of software increases with increasing function being offered, various approaches, techniques and tools have been developed to provide a more structured or disciplined approach to software testing. From a process perspective, typically a phase approach is used to divide software testing into different stages, such as requirement testing, design testing, unit testing, function testing, and system testing. For each stage, different testing techniques, such as boundary value testing and sampling, are applied to improve test coverages. Additionally, various testing tools, such as test case generators and simulators, are developed to improve testing efficiency.
Traditionally, software specification and design were also done on an informal basis. Similarly, as the complexity of software increases with increasing function being offered, various techniques and tools have been developed to provide a more formal approach to software specification and design. Particular examples of formal design techniques include top down design and data flow analysis. Particular examples of formal design tools include formal specification and design languages and various Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tools.
The advent of formal specification and design languages offers a new opportunity for further imposing structure and discipline on software testing. The formal specifications can be submitted to machine based analysis. If the proper behavior of a software interface can be adequately described by its formal specification, then testing functions can be automatically and systematically generated for the software interface from the formal specification. Furthermore, the generated testing functions can be auto-checking. An auto-checking test function is a function that can invoke and execute a procedure to be tested and knows enough about the procedure to be able to determine whether the procedure behaved properly or improperly when the procedure was tested. A particular example of such auto-checking testing function generator is disclosed in the related U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 07/906,697.
Typically, each auto-checking testing function requires a number of parameters to be provided as inputs. Each parameter may have one or more attributes, and each attribute may take on one of a number of discrete values or any value over a range. Thus, even for a small number of parameters and attributes, the potential combinations of input values are enormously large, and, for all practical purposes, approach infinity.
Therefore, it is desirable to be able to provide a test driver for a software interface that can execute a collection of auto-checking test functions selectively to test the software interface. It is further desirable if the auto-checking test functions can be executed selectively for selected combinations of the attribute values of the auto-checking attributes of the parameters of the test function. It is further desirable to have such a test driver automatically generated from a specification designating the auto-checking test functions of the software interface and specifying selected attribute values of the attributes of the parameters of the test function.
As will be disclosed, the present invention provides methods and apparatus for designating auto-checking test functions of software interfaces and specifying selected attribute values of the attributes of the parameters of the test function, and automatically generating from these designations/specifications, test drivers for executing these auto-checking test functions selectively with all combinations of the selected attribute values, thereby achieving the desired results described above.


An apparatus and process are provided for inductively heating a workpiece to a desired cross sectional temperature. At least one pair of coils form a transverse flux inductor. The workpiece is located between the pair of opposing coils, which are oriented across the cross section of the workpiece. Each coil comprises a plurality of coil sections. The distance between one or more opposing coil sections is adapted to achieve the desired cross sectional induction heating temperature profile in the workpiece. Alternatively the distance between all opposing coil sections are equidistant from each other, and one or more flux concentrators, moveable at least in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the workpiece, can be used to achieve the desired cross sectional induction heating temperature profile in the workpiece.

A typical conventional transverse flux inductor comprises a pair of induction coils. A material to be inductively heated is placed between the pair of coils. For example, in FIG. 1, the coil pair comprises coil 101 and coil 103, respectively located above and below the material, which may be, for example, metal strip 90, which moves continuously through the pair of coils in the direction illustrated by the arrow. For orientation, a three dimension orthogonal space is defined by the X, Y and Z axes shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly the strip moves in the Z direction. The gap, gc, or opening, between the coil pair is exaggerated in the figure for clarity, but is fixed in length across the cross section of the strip. Terminals 101a and 101b of coil 101, and terminals 103a and 103b of coil 103, are connected to one or more suitable ac power sources (not shown in the figures) with instantaneous current polarities as indicated in the figure. Current flow through the coils creates a common magnetic flux, as illustrated by typical flux line 105 (illustrated by dashed line), that passes perpendicularly through the strip to induce eddy currents in the plane of the strip. Magnetic flux concentrators 117 (partially shown around coil 101 in the figure), for example, laminations or other high permeability, low reluctance materials, may be used to direct the magnetic field towards the strip. Selection of the ac current frequency (f, in Hertz) for efficient induced heating is given by the equation:
  f  =      2    ×          10      6                          ρ                                                            g          c                                      τ          2                                  d          s
where ρ is the electrical resistivity (in Ω·m) of the workpiece; gc is the length of the gap (opening) between the coils in meters; τ is the pole pitch (step) of the coils in meters; and ds is the thickness of the strip (in meters).
The classical problem to be solved when heating strips by electric induction with a transverse flux inductor is to achieve a uniform cross sectional (along the X-axis), induced heating temperature across the strip. FIG. 2(a) illustrates a typical cross sectional strip heating profile obtained with the arrangement in FIG. 1 when the pole pitch of the coils is relatively small and, from the above equation, the frequency is correspondingly low. The X-axis in FIG. 2(a) represents the normalized cross sectional coordinate of the strip with the center of the strip being coordinate 0.0, and the opposing edges of the strip being coordinates +1.0 and −1.0. The Y-axis represents the normalized temperature achieved from induction heating of the strip with normalized temperature 1.0 representing the generally uniform heated temperature across middle region 111 of the strip. Nearer to the edges of the strip, in regions 113 (referred to as the shoulder regions), the cross sectional induced temperatures of the strip decrease from the normalized temperature value of 1.0, and then increase in edge regions 115 of the strip to above the normalized temperature value of 1.0. When the pole pitch of the coils is relatively large, from the above equation, the frequency is correspondingly high. In these cases under heating in the identified shoulder regions disappears while overheating of the edges remains as illustrated in FIG. 2(b). Typically a constant induced heating temperature across the entire cross section of the strip is desired so that, for example, under heated shoulder regions and overheated edge regions of the strip do not have to be scrapped when the heated strip undergoes a coating process.
Many solutions have been proposed to correct the edge heating problem, such as separate edge heaters, and arrangements of coils and/or laminations to alter the configuration of the resulting flux field, which in turn, attempts to alter the edge heating profile of the strip. While there may be some benefit to these approaches, there still exists the need for an arrangement of a transverse flux induction inductor that can achieve significant uniformity in cross sectional heating of the strip, particularly when the position of the strip varies in the coil or when the width of the strip varies.


A variable offset amplifier circuit includes two differential transistor pairs and a variable current generator coupled to each differential pair to control tail current. Each differential transistor pair has a first transistor and a second transistor. The first transistors are matched in size, as are the second transistors. The bias terminals of the first and second transistors serve as inputs to the amplifier circuit. The output of the amplifier circuit is associated with the differential pair output nodes of only similarly sized transistors, such that loads at the output of the amplifier circuit are sourced with current only from similarly sized transistors of the transistor pairs. The variable current generators may be adjusted to create offset in the output of amplifier circuit. The amplifier circuit has applications in a comparator circuit that also has a regenerative latch circuit, and as a sense amplifier in a receiver of a communications system.

The invention is related to amplifier circuits having variable offset capability, and applications of such circuits.
Amplifier circuits are used to amplify an input electrical signal to provide current or voltage gains or reductions. They may be used to amplify a single ended or a differential signal. In addition, when used in conjunction with an output regenerative latch stage, they can provide a digital output signal (having one of two stable states) that is an indication of a comparison between two single ended input signals or a determination of the magnitude of a differential signal. A basic component of many amplifier circuits is the differential transistor pair used as the input stage of the amplifier.
Most practical implementations of amplifier circuits suffer from manufacturing process-induced variations in the structure of the circuit devices, which cause an offset in the amplifier""s operation. The offset may be explained by, for instance, considering an amplifier that is designed to amplify a differential input signal. In some applications, the output of the amplifier would ideally be zero volts if the input differential signal was zero volts. However, in practice, a zero voltage differential signal often yields a small but nevertheless non-negligible output offset voltage. Output offset may be corrected using a wide range of techniques known as offset cancellation techniques. In one such technique, the value of the input differential signal that actually yields a zero output voltage is measured and stored, and then is subsequently subtracted from each new input signal to thus cancel the offset of the amplifier. In other applications of amplifier circuits, such as a pre-amplifier circuit in a comparator circuit, the amplifier circuit is designed to have a specified offset so that a comparison is indicated only when the offset is overcome.
The trend in circuit design is toward smaller and smaller device sizes, which serves not only to minimize space consumption, but also to minimize the capacitance and hence maximize the speed of circuits that incorporate the devices. However, with smaller device sizes, process-induced variations become more of an issue because the probability for process-induced variation in the structure of a device becomes greater as device size becomes smaller.
Amplification of differential signals is often required in the presence of fluctuating common-mode voltages or fluctuating power supply voltages. Because in some cases the signal to be amplified is a differential voltage signal, the amplifier""s response to the common-mode voltage or to the power supply voltage produces an error at the output that is indistinguishable from the amplification at the output in response to the input signal. Common mode rejection ratio (CMRR) is conventionally defined as the magnitude of the ratio of differential-mode to common-mode gain, and power supply rejection ratio (PSRR) similarly is conventionally defined as the magnitude of the ratio of differential-mode to power supply gain. Measures of CMRR and PSRR are important benchmarks in circuit performance.

Variable offset amplifier circuits and their applications