A rear wheel steering control system for automotive vehicles steers rear wheels of the vehicle with a same-phase angle as the front wheels for a relatively small steering wheel operation angle, and with an opposite-phase angle to the front wheels for a relatively large steering wheel operation angle. The control system serves to mitigate an enhanced understeering tendency of front wheel drive type vehicles during cornering. A delay means is operative in a particular steering wheel operation angle range in which the rear wheels steering angle changes between a maximum same-phase steering angle and a maximum opposite-phase steering angle. The delay means sets a delayed rear wheel steering response characteristic with reference to a manual steering wheel operation, for maintaining a stable maneuverability during a lane change. When the lane change is accompanied by steer-back of the rear wheels with a same-phase angle as the front wheels, an actual cornering state of the vehicle may be detected to generate a delayed cornering state signal which is used to limit the steer-back amount.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rear wheel steering control system for automotive vehicles, wherein rear wheels of a vehicle are steered during a main steering operation for front wheels performed by driver's manual operation of a steering wheel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, various types of rear wheel steering control systems are known, including a so-called steering angle responsive type as disclosed, for example, in JP-B2-60-44186. This particular type of control system is featured by such a control that, the rear wheels are steered (i) in the same-phase direction as the front wheels for a relatively small manual operation angle of the steering wheel, and (ii) in the opposite-phase direction as the rear wheels for a relatively large steering wheel operation angle.
More particularly, FIG. 5 represents typical rear wheel steering angle characteristics which can be achieved by the steering angle responsive type control system. Here, the rear steering angle .delta..sub.r assumes the maximum same-phase angle when the steering wheel manual operation angle .theta. is .theta..sub.0. Upon further increase in the steering wheel operation angle, different rear wheel steering angle characteristics are selectively achieved depending upon whether the same-phase rear wheel steering angle begins to decrease toward the opposite-phase angle either at an increased steering wheel operation angle .theta..sub.1 (the solid line a in FIG. 5), or at a further increased steering wheel operation angle .theta..sub.2 (the imaginary line b in FIG. 5). For the sake of convenience, the rear wheels steering characteristics as represented by the solid line and the imaginary line in FIG. 5 may be referred to hereinafter, as "characteristic a" and "characteristic b" respectively.
Another type of rear wheel steering control system is disclosed, for example, in JP-A-57-11173 which is a so-called vehicle speed responsive type. Basically, this type of system is to perform the rear wheel steering so as to achieve a ratio K.sub.r (=.delta..sub.r /.theta.) as shown in FIG. 7, of the rear wheel steering angle .delta..sub.r in relation to the steering wheel operation angle .theta. which represents the front wheel steering angle .delta..sub.f. Thus, as a function of an actual vehicle speed V and with reference to the front wheel steering angle, the rear wheels are steered with an opposite-phase angle in a low speed range (V<V.sub.0) and with a same-phase angle in a high speed range (V.gtoreq.V.sub.0).
As known in the art, front wheel drive type vehicles generally exhibit an understeering tendency which is particularly significant in a higher speed range wherein the vehicle body is subjected to a higher magnitude of lateral acceleration. A same-phase steering of the rear wheels in a high speed range V.gtoreq.V.sub.0 often results in an enhanced understeering tendency of the front wheel drive type vehicles, thereby significantly deteriorating the maneuverability characteristics of the vehicle. Thus, in the case of front wheel drive type vehicles, some drivers may operate the steering wheel by an increased operation angle .theta., corresponding to the enhanced understeering tendency for the same-phase steering region in the high speed range V.gtoreq.V.sub.0.
With this in mind, one approach to mitigate the enhanced understeering tendency may be to steer back the rear wheels toward the opposite-phase angle. This is achieved by setting a predetermined rear wheel steer-back angle .DELTA..delta..sub.r which assumes an incremental amount with increase in the steering wheel operation angle .theta. in a large steering wheel operation angle range, and also with increase in the vehicle speed V, both corresponding to increase in lateral acceleration of the vehicle. The steer-back angle .DELTA..delta..sub.r determines the rear wheels steering angle .delta..sub.r, as .delta..sub.r =K.sub.r .multidot..theta.-.DELTA..delta..sub.r.
The above-mentioned steering angle responsive type control system has either one of the characteristics a and b shown in FIG. 5, which has already been selected during the design stage, and the vehicle speed responsive type control system has one definite characteristic. Thus, these prior art systems may encounter the following problems.
There is shown in FIG. 6 different modes of the rear wheel steering angle variation upon a lane-change steering wheel operation with an operation angle .theta. which is variable with time as shown, respectively for the rear wheel steering angle characteristics a and b as explained with reference to FIG. 5. Here, the variations a.sub.1 and b.sub.1 correspond to the characteristics a and b, respectively. The hatched regions in FIG. 6 are regions wherein the steering wheel operation angle .theta. is in excess of respectively predetermined criteria .theta..sub.1, .theta..sub.2 so that the same-phase rear steering angle is reduced from the maximum angle .delta..sub.rm, or the rear wheel steering is changed from the same-phase steering toward the opposite-phase steering.
The presence of such hatched regions in FIG. 6 means that, upon manual steering back during a steering wheel operation for changing the lane, rear wheels are steered so that the same-phase steering angle is instantaneously once reduced from the maximum angle .delta..sub.rm and then increased to the maximum angle .delta..sub.rm again. In this sense, insofar as the lane change of the vehicle is concerned, the rear wheel steering characteristic b is generally considered superior to the characteristic a, because of a smaller hatched region b.sub.1 in FIG. 6.
From another viewpoint, however, the rear wheel steering characteristic b tends to give rise to a difficulty during a cornering of a vehicle, in particular during a high speed cornering, in effectively mitigating the above-mentioned enhanced understeering tendency of front wheel drive type vehicles. Such a difficulty is considered due to the smaller hatched region of the same-phase rear wheel steering characteristic variation as shown at b.sub.1, and hence due to a reduction of the same-phase rear wheel steering angle from the maximum angle .delta..sub.rm, at a retarded timing and with a poor reduction amount. As the case may be, it becomes almost impossible to mitigate the enhanced understeering tendency of front wheel drive type vehicles, due to the ground which will be explained below.
That is to say, in the case of the rear wheel steering characteristic b, the same-phase rear steering angle is maintained at the maximum angle .delta..sub.rm for a relatively long period so that a cornering characteristic of the vehicle, which is comparable with that for the rear wheel steering characteristic a, can be achieved only with the driver's manual operation of the steering wheel by an increased angle, and this is usually the case. However, front wheel drive type vehicles tend to exhibit enhanced understeering tendency during a high speed cornering, and undergoes understeering before the steering wheel is operated by an angle .theta..sub.2 where the same-phase rear steering angle begins to be reduced from the maximum angle .delta..sub.rm. On such occasion, the driver feels a reduced front wheel cornering power, or an increased cornering radius, and refrains from further increasing the steering wheel operation angle .theta.. As a result, the driver's manual steering wheel operation is actually performed within a range of .theta.<.theta..sub.2, as shown in FIG. 6, and it is impossible to mitigate the enhanced understeering within a range of .theta..gtoreq..theta..sub.2. In this sense, insofar as the cornering of the vehicle is concerned, the rear wheel steering characteristic a is generally considered superior to the characteristic b, because of a larger rear wheel steering angle variation of the hatched region al in FIG. 6.
With the conventional rear wheel steering control systems as discussed above, due to a single kind of fixed rear wheel steering angle characteristic as determined in the design stage, both the characteristic demand for the lane change of the vehicle and that for the cornering of the vehicle could not be satisfied on compatible basis, and either one of the demand could be satisfied with the sacrifice of the other.
With the vehicle speed responsive type rear wheel steering control system, moreover, the rear wheel steering angle is basically determined to have a characteristic as shown in FIG. 7, and is modified in the direction of reduced same-phase steering angle (or increased opposite-phase steering angle) by an amount .DELTA..delta..sub.r as shown in FIG. 8. This gives rise to a problem that the rear wheel steering angle variation with the steer-back amount .DELTA..delta..sub.r degrades a desired stable maneuverability of the vehicle particularly during a lane change wherein the steering wheel is rapidly operated. On the other hand, an excessively small steer-back amount .DELTA..delta..sub.r would not permit an intended mitigation of an enhanced understeering of front wheel drive vehicles to be satisfactorily achieved during a lane change.

Rear wheel steering control system for automotive vehicles


Disclosed are a method for receiving multicast data in a wireless communication system and a machine to machine (M2M) device therefor. The method wherein the M2M device receives multicast data in a wireless communication system according to the present invention includes the steps of: receiving multicast data from a base station; and indicating that the multicast data transmitted from the base station is the last multicast or receiving information including a signal which indicates the end of multicast transmission. The information can be transmitted with or separate from the multicast data, and is piggybacked with the multicast data if the information is transmitted with the multicast data.

Generally, a machine-to-machine (hereinafter abbreviated M2M) communication literally means a communication between one electronic device and another electronic device. In a broad sense, the M2M communication may mean a wire/wireless communication between electronic devices or a communication between a human-controllable device and a machine. Recently, the M2M communication may generally indicate a communication between electronic devices, i.e., a device-to-device wireless communication performed without human involvement.
In the early 1990's, in which the concept of the M2M communication has been initially introduced, the M2M communication has been recognized as remote control or telematics or the like and derivative markets of the M2M communication were very limitative. Yet, the M2M communication has grown rapidly for past few years and has become the globally noteworthy markets. Specifically, in POS (point of sales) and security related application markets, the M2M communication has considerably influence on such field as fleet management, remote monitoring of machinery and equipment, smart meter for auto-measurement of operating time, consumed heat or electricity quantity on construction machinery equipment and the like. M2M communication in the future will be further utilized for various usages in connection with a small-scale output communication solution such as conventional mobile communication, wireless high-speed internet, Wi-Fi, ZigBee and the like and may lay the foundation of expansion to B2C (business to consumer) markets instead of being confined to B2B (business to business) markets.
In the era of the M2M communication, every machine equipped with SIM (subscriber identity module) card enables data transmission and reception and is capable of remote management and control. For instance, as M2M communication technology is usable for numerous devices and equipment including vehicles, trucks, containers, auto-vending machines, gas tanks and the like, its application fields may reach far and wide.
According to a related art, since mobile stations are managed by individual unit in general, a communication between a base station and a mobile station is usually performed by a one-to-one communication scheme. Assuming that numerous M2M devices communicate with a base station by the one-to-one communication scheme, network may be overloaded due to the occurrence of signaling between the base station and each of the numerous M2M devices. As mentioned in the above description, in case that the M2M communications are rapidly spreading across a wider scope, overheads due to the communications between the M2M devices or the communications between the base station and the M2M devices may cause problems.
Meanwhile, a base station needs to transmit multicast data to M2M devices. However, a method for a base station to transmit multicast data in consideration of properties of M2M devices and a method for efficiently receiving the multicasts have not been proposed in detail yet.

Method for receiving multicast data in wireless communication system and M2M device therefor


When supplied with an external synchronizing signal from an input terminal (2), a synchronizing separating circuit (6) separates and detects a horizontal synchronizing signal from the input signal and generates an HD pulse. When supplied with the HD pulse, a flip-flop (9) is set to generate a pulse. This output pulse is integrated by an integrating circuit (8) and an integrated output from the integrating circuit (8) is used to adjust a width of an output pulse from the flip-flop (9) to a value corresponding to a horizontal scanning frequency. The flip-flop (9) can be set only when supplied with the HD pulse, thereby preventing the flip-flop (9) from outputting a pulse whose width is longer than the width of the HD pulse. Therefore, the length of the back porch can be prevented from being reduced more than it is needed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to synchronizing (sync.) signal detecting circuits and, more particularly, to a synchronizing signal detecting circuit which can be suitably applied to display units for computers, for example.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In some computers, a reference pulse R is inserted into a back porch of a pedestal portion of a synchronizing signal in a video signal output to the display unit as shown in FIG. 1, and the inserted reference pulse R is used to make a contrast of the display unit constant. When a predetermined signal such as the reference pulse R or the like is inserted into the back porch, if a length S of the sync. chip portion is increased too much, a length of the pedestal portion (i.e., a length F of a front porch and a length B of the back porch) is reduced relatively. There is then the risk that the reference pulse R cannot be inserted into the back porch. For this reason, in order to prevent the length of the back porch from being reduced too much, a conventional synchronizing signal detecting circuit controls the length of the sync. chip portion so that the length of the sync. chip portion corresponds to a horizontal scanning frequency (horizontal scanning frequencies are different depending upon types of computers).
FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings shows in block form a circuit configuration of an example of a synchronizing signal detecting circuit according to the prior art.
Referring to FIG. 2, a synchronizing separating circuit 31 operates to separate and detect a synchronizing signal from an input signal and outputs a detected pulse. The detected pulse from the synchronizing separating circuit 31 is supplied to a pulse width adjusting circuit 32 and a frequency detecting circuit 33. The frequency detecting circuit 33 operates to detect a frequency of the detected pulse input thereto (i.e., the frequency of the horizontal synchronizing signal) and supplies a signal corresponding to the detected frequency to the pulse width adjusting circuit 32. The pulse width adjusting circuit 32 operates to adjust the width of the detected pulse input thereto from the synchronizing separating circuit 31 in response to the signal input thereto from the frequency detecting circuit 33. Thus, when the frequency becomes higher, the width of the detected pulse is reduced more, while when the frequency become lower, the width of the detected pulse is increased more.
Although the length S of the sync. chip portion of the video signal output from the computer substantially corresponds to a horizontal scanning frequency (when the frequency is higher, the length S of the sync. chip is selected to be shorter, while when the frequency is lower, the length S of the sync. chip portion is selected to be longer), depending on the types of computers, it is frequently observed that the length S of the sync. chip portion is set to be short as compared with those of other types of the computers having the same horizontal scanning frequency. In other words, the length S of the sync. chip portion is set to be short even though the frequency is comparatively low.
In such case, according to the conventional synchronizing signal detecting circuit, the length of the sync. chip portion is adjusted so as to become longer in response to the horizontal scanning frequency. Consequently, the length B of the back porch is reduced as shown by a phantom in FIG. 3, for example. There is then the risk that the reference pulse R cannot be inserted into the back porch.


Gel for radiation dosimeter including a gel part (A) and a gel part (B) that become cloudy when exposed to a fixed dose or more, wherein said gel part (A) exposed to more than a specified dose above the fixed dose maintains a cloudy state regardless of the decrease in external temperature; and said gel part (B) exposed to less than the specified dose above the fixed dose changes gradually from a cloudy state into a transparent state according to the decrease in external temperature.

The present invention relates to gel for a radiation dosimeter useful for measuring accurately the spatial dose distribution at the position of a human body or an animal body irradiated before performing the radiation therapy and a radiation dosimeter which uses the same.
In the radiation therapy, the effective dose with the target regions of cancer is required. And, the minimum dose which does not cause the radiation injury to a normal tissue in the surroundings of the focus is required. Therefore, a variety of radiation therapy methods have been developed. Especially, stereotactic radiotherapy or intensity modulated radiation therapy using a gamma knife or a cyber knife is becoming increasingly popular. Recently, the radiation therapy technology by proton beam irradiation or heavy particle beam irradiation has been used in clinical practice.
In general, when the radiation therapy is performed, the site and the shape etc. of cancer areas are specified by using X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) scanner, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), etc. beforehand. And, the radiation therapy planning such as dose, an irradiation method, etc. is conducted on the basis of the obtained information. Though three-dimensional dose distribution is calculated by using a radiation therapy plan device, and forecasted, the conventional ionization chamber dosimeter or solid state dosimeter, etc. cannot obtain excluding the dose distribution in a point or plane (two-dimension). That is, it is difficult to actually measure a continuous spatial dose distribution (three-dimension) so far. Being paid attention as a dosimeter to measure this spatial dose distribution is a gel dosimeter. Therefore, the gel dosimeter aimed at the establishment of a highly accurate dose evaluation system is actively researched and developed in recent years (Patent Literatures 1 and 2, and Non-Patent Literatures 1 to 3).
Fricke gel dosimeter or a polymer gel dosimeter is reported as a gel dosimeter by which the three-dimensional dose distribution can be measured. Fricke gel dosimeter is composed of the gel which contains the solution of Fricke dosimeter known as a liquid chemical dosimeter (the solution which contains ferrous sulfate). This dosimeter uses the principle that the oxidation reaction (color) of iron from bivalent to trivalent metal according to the irradiation increases in proportion to the absorbed dose. Though the chemical composition adjustment etc. is devised to raise the chemical yield G-value of ferrous ion (trivalent), there is a problem that ferrous ion (trivalent) in the gel diffuses over time, and thus the dose distribution is instable with time. While, in the polymer gel dosimeter, monomer is distributed in the gel, and because polymer is generated in proportion to dose, the dose can be estimated from an amount of the polymer generated (degree of cloudiness). The polymer gel dosimeter has excellent features that it is difficult for the generated polymer to diffuse in the gel, and the cloudy part is stable with time and seems to be the floatage in the transparent gel.
Higher-sensitivity gel dosimeter by which the irradiation position and accuracy can be accurately evaluated has been requested to manage appropriately the quality of the radiation therapy which has been complicated. Therefore, the kind of monomer, the chemical composition adjustment, and the addition of the scavenger for dissolved oxygen, free radicals, etc. are studied in various ways so as to get cloudy even in lower dose (Non-Patent Literatures 1 and 2).
Polymer of N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPA) is known as the compound which exhibits phase transition behavior (cloudy-transparent state) in response to external temperature change, used in the present invention like a compound described later. And, there is a report that this NIPA is used as monomer for a gel dosimeter (Non-Patent Literature 4). However, the monomer described in Non-Patent Literature 4 is used only as one of monomers to provide a low toxic effect. Therefore, this reference does not provide means for solving the above-mentioned problem of the present invention.    [Patent Literature 1] JP 2002-214354A    [Patent Literature 2] U.S. Pat. No. 5,321,357    [Non-Patent Literature 1] Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 56, 23-34 (2006).    [Non-Patent Literature 2] Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 56, 35-44 (2006).    [Non-Patent Literature 3] Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics, 7, 13-21 (2006).    [Non-Patent Literature 4] Physics in Medicine and Biology, 51, 3301-3314 (2006)

Gel for radiation dosimeter and radiation dosimeter which uses the same


A method of forming hollow fiber bundles includes the step of providing a mat having a plurality of hollow fibers forming a weft and a plurality of soluble fibers forming a warp. Each hollow fiber extends between a first side and an opposed second side of the mat. The mat is bundled so as to form a bundle with the first side of the mat defining a first end of the bundle and the second side of the mat defining a second end of the bundle. At least a portion of the bundle is potted so as to substantially fix a position of the hollow fibers relative to each other. The soluble fibers are at least partially dissolved so as to remove the soluble fibers from the bundle.

Hollow fibers or microtubes of different materials can be used in many applications, depending on the hollow fiber material properties. Hollow fibers can be used in mass transfer devices, if the walls of the hollow fibers are permeable, and as heat transfer devices if the walls of the hollow fibers are heat conductive. Because hollow fibers are small, their thin walls pose relatively little barrier to heat and mass transfer between the inside and outside of the hollow fiber. It also becomes possible to package a large surface area for heat and mass transfer in relatively small volumes by densely bundling multiple hollow fibers into small packages. Examples of hollow fiber bundles used in heat and mass transfer include commercially available blood oxygenators which comprise a mass transfer portion with gas permeable hollow fibers, and a heat transfer portion with a heat conducting hollow fibers.
The forming of hollow fiber bundles presents a number of challenges. Applicant's U.S. Reissue Pat. No. RE 41,870 describes a method for forming hollow fibers using a dissolvable core and a method for forming hollow fiber bundles. Applicant's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/915,262, filed May 12, 2011, provides another method for forming hollow fibers and for forming hollow fiber bundles. The entire contents of each of these patents and applications incorporated herein by reference, as some of the methods and descriptions therein may have utility in the present application, or may be useful in combination herewith.
Hollow fiber bundles can be easily formed by winding, packing, layering, or assembling woven, knitted, or other structured mats of hollow fibers. One advantage of using hollow fiber mats is that the spacing between adjacent hollow fibers can be controlled to ultimately achieve a desired performance goal for the hollow fiber bundle or array such as packing density or void fraction.
Hollow fiber mats can be knitted, woven, or otherwise structured such that the hollow fibers are spaced at regular or irregular intervals, with the hollow fibers being held in place by one or more inserted transverse fibers, also known as warps. In textile terms, the hollow fibers are the weft. These warps are typically multifilament yarns or the like, monofilaments, tapes, etc. However, prior art warps used in hollow fiber mats perform no heat, mass, or energy transfer function; the only function performed is to maintain controlled placement of the hollow fibers in the mat, which ultimately controls of placement of the hollow fibers in the formed bundle.
Since the warps are in direct contact with the outside surface of the hollow fibers, the warps can inhibit the performance of the hollow fibers by blocking a portion of the hollow fiber surface area, thus reducing the effective surface area available for transfer. In biological liquid contacting applications such as blood oxygenation, the warps can act as potential thrombogenic sites which can exacerbate blood clotting in the bundle; blood formed elements and proteins can deposit on and in the warps, as well as in between the warps and the hollow fibers. Similarly, in other hollow fiber applications such as wastewater processing, bioreactors, liquid contactors, and gas separators, there is the potential for a component in a fluid within the hollow fiber bundle to be adsorbed, deposited, and trapped on the warp(s), or interact negatively with the warp(s), thus reducing the performance of the hollow fibers and compromising the bundle performance.

Hollow fiber mat with soluble warps and method of making hollow fiber bundles


The invention relates to an arrangement for supporting a shell (1) into the barrel of a breech-loading weapon and to a support member for supporting a shell. The arrangement comprises a flanged support element (5), to which a fastening element is connected with threads. A sleeve-like clamping element is arranged around the fastening element. Both have grooves for tail fins of the shell (1). The support member (5) has a support element, to which a fastening element is connected with threads and on top of which a sleeve-like support element is arranged.

The invention relates to an arrangement for supporting a shell into the barrel of a breech-loading weapon, the arrangement comprising a support member to be fastened to a shell tail, the support member comprising a support element provided with a rim flange and means for fastening the support element to the shell tail, and a firing member in the support element for firing the actual primer of the shell for firing the shell.
The invention further relates to a support member to be fastened to a shell tail for supporting a shell into the barrel of a breech-loading weapon, comprising a support element provided with a rim flange and means for fastening the support element to the shell tail, and a firing member in the support element for firing the actual primer of the shell for firing the shell.
Mortars are nowadays mounted on movable bases, allowing them to be moved from one place to another and, on the other hand, allowing them to be rapidly moved from the emplacement. A problem in such solutions is the ability of said base, i.e. vehicle, to defend itself against possible attacks, and the use thereof for destroying close-range targets on the ground. A moving base provided with a heavy shell mortar is normally unable to carry heavy defensive facilities in addition to the shell mortar, instead, it is at most provided with a heavy machine gun or corresponding lighter armature. In such a situation, the vehicle needs to be able to use the mortar for also firing horizontally or below it, for which normal shells and shell mortars are not suited. A shell inside a normal mortar having a smooth barrel is able to move when the shell mortar is oriented in the horizontal direction or below it in the barrel in such a manner that it either falls from the barrel or moves to such an extent that the shell does not go off. This problem is solved in the solution of U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,080, disclosing a support member/control piece to be fastened to the tail of a conventional shell by means of a friction-based clip bond. However, such a friction-based bond is not as such very dependable and the tolerances of both the manufacture of the shell and the manufacture of the control piece cause variations in the fastening force and the stability.
WO application FI 98/00064 presents a solution, wherein a control piece is fastened to the tail of a conventional shell by means of a mechanical locking, wherein the locking piece breaks in connection with firing. In this solution, the fastening piece between the shell and the control piece has to be replaced with a new one after the shell has been fired.

Arrangement for supporting shell into weapon barrel, and support member


A fluid purification system includes an elongated ultraviolet radiation emitting tube and independent fluid flow-controlling conduits. Each conduit is transparent to allow ultraviolet light emitted by the tube to enter the conduit, and defines a continuous path, and is helically wound closely about the tube to insure that fluid flow through the conduits is exposed to the ultraviolet light. One embodiment of the system includes a filter typically a carbon filter, having inlet and outlet ports. An end of each conduit is connected to one of the inlet and outlet ports of the filter. The system thus exposes the fluid to ultraviolet radiation both before and after the fluid is filtered. Other embodiments include reverse osmosis units and deionization units wherein each entry, exit or discharge port is isolated from contamination by having a coiled connecting tube for the fluid exposed to ultraviolet radiation.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fluid purification systems and more particularly to fluid purification systems incorporating fluid exposure to both ultraviolet radiation and filtration.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In an attempt to provide high quality, potable drinking water, various treatment systems have been developed. Many such systems employ activated carbon filters, as a common treatment to remove odor, improve taste, and remove chemicals, such as chlorine and chloroforms. However, carbon is a nutrient source that supports bacteria life and growth. As a result, unless these filters are replaced frequently, the filters themselves provide a breeding ground for bacterial contamination. This bacteria is spread to the consumer as the water flows through the filter, picking up the bacterial contamination and delivering the bacteria to the user.
It has been found that activated charcoal filters are so conducive to bacterial growth that filters not routinely replaced may provide more bacterial contamination to the water than the unfiltered water itself. In addition, the bacteria tend to occupy many of the absorptive sites in the filter, reducing the filter's absorptive capacity and rendering the filter ineffective for its intended purpose of purifying the water.
It is well known that exposure of water to ultraviolet radiation kills microorganisms and bacteria carried by the water. For this reason, many conventional purification systems employ an ultraviolet sterilization unit in series with a filtration unit.
Many attempts have been made to use ultraviolet (UV) sterilization in conjunction with a reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment system. The results obtained in these attempts, however, have been less than satisfactory. Additionally, these combined UV and RO systems have been bulky and impractical for many uses, particularly consumer applications. Another significant barrier to many applications is the high cost of such systems, a major contributor to the cost being the expensive ultraviolet sterilizer.
Reverse osmosis water treatment systems were primarily developed as a technique to remove many of the toxic chemicals, dissolved solids and other contaminants in water. They were also developed for use in the desalination process to convert sea water into usable water. While many manufacturers have claimed that the systems are also capable of removing bacteria and other microbiological contents, the problems faced by a reverse osmosis system in doing this are substantially equivalent to those faced in the high purity water field, that is, the unit attempts to filter the bacteria out as opposed to destroying them.
The reverse osmosis process relies on the ability to permeate water under pressure through a small pore size porous membrane that blocks the flow of the contaminants allowing only the purified water through. The process has been applied successfully in the removal of most contaminants except bacteria and other microorganisms. This fact is recognized by the RO industry as exemplified by their attempts to use ultraviolet sterilization in conjunction with their units. Bacteria can, and do, collect on the membrane surface causing a "sliming" or "fouling" condition that impedes the efficiency and performance of the system. In addition, the bacteria can, and do, penetrate the membrane exiting the system in the "purified water".
The operation of a reverse osmosis system also relies on the fact that only a small amount of the water flowing through the system is "purified". The rest of the water exits the system through a discharge line carrying the contaminants to waste. For this reason, a typical reverse osmosis unit can not provide sufficient water for use "on demand". Consequently, most systems have a storage tank to collect the "purified" water for later use. FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a typical prior art reverse osmosis unit showing the inlet, outlet and discharge ports. FIG. 19 is a block diagram of a typical prior art reverse osmosis system, incorporating a carbon filter and a storage tank. This system is common to units intended for providing "purified" water for consumption.
With reference to FIG. 17, source water enters the reverse osmosis unit 60 through the inlet port 61. The water then passes by the membrane where a portion of the water permeates through the membrane and exits the unit via the outlet port 62. The other portion of the water exits the unit via the discharge port 63. In this system there are three prime sources of microbiological contamination, the source water, the discharge line and the exit point for the "purified" water or "point of use".
With reference to FIG. 19, source water enters the reverse osmosis unit 60 through the inlet port 61, passes by the membrane where a portion permeates through the membrane, exits the RO unit into a carbon filter 64 which serves as a "polisher" and into a storage tank 66. The other portion of the water flows through the discharge port 63 to waste. In this system, the microbiological contamination sources are substantially greater. In addition to the three sources previously mentioned, the carbon filter represents a fertile "breeding ground" to support microbiological growth and the storage tank rapidly becomes loaded with microorganisms. It is not uncommon to find orders of magnitude greater numbers of organisms exiting this system than present in the source water.
An example of an attempt to use UV in conjunction with an RO system is shown in the Veloz patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,550,782. In this application, Veloz recognized the need for protection of the RO unit from microbiological contamination but drew incorrect conclusions as to the proper application of the ultraviolet sterilization. In the disclosure of this patent, Veloz ignored, and does not even show, the discharge line coming from the RO unit. Since this line connects directly to a waste line in most systems, it represents a significant source of microbiological contamination. Additionally, the storage tank is shown outside the ultraviolet protection thus allowing organisms to enter and grow within the tank. While the microbiological contamination problems encountered in this design might be overcome by continual teardown and sterilization of the components, it is both expensive and impractical for most applications, particularly in a consumer application. This represents a significant health hazard to the unsuspecting or unknowledgeable user.
Attempts have also been made to use ultraviolet sterilization in conjunction with a deionization (DI) water treatment system. The results obtained in these attempts, however, have also been less than satisfactory. These combined UV and DI systems have been bulky and impractical for many uses. Conventional ultraviolet sterilizers require continuous maintenance to keep them operating efficiently. This, along with the high cost of such system, the ultraviolet sterilizer being a major contributor to the cost, make them impractical for many applications.
Deionization systems were designed to remove waterborne contaminants, primarily those which contribute to the "fouling process" in a fluid conduit or fluid system. Typical examples of DI system applications are water softeners and water treatment units to provide feed water for distillation or other equipment. In both of these cases, the units are intended to prevent the build up of scale deposits on pipe or equipment surfaces.
Deionization systems were not designed with regard to the potential microbiological contaminations problems associated with the use of the systems. As state of the art advancements in technology occurs, the use of deionization systems for producing high quality water for sophisticated instruments has increased substantially. These applications have placed higher demands on the efficiency and performance factors of deionizers. In many areas, the systems are utilized with the intent to produce either organically pure or microbiologically pure water.
Referring to FIG. 22, generally shown is a prior art deionizer consisting of a cation, anion or combination cation/anion resin bed. Source water flows through the resin bed(s) where an ion exchange process takes place, the unwanted ions being deposited on the exchange sites and the "harmless" ions being transferred into the water. The materials used in the deionizer beds are supportive to microbiological life and growth. Consequently these beds become contaminated with microorganisms creating a "slimy" coating on the resins that interferes with the system performance by "blocking" the exchange sites.
FIG. 24 is a block diagram of a prior art typical deionization system which consists of a carbon filter and two resin beds. In this configuration, the initial resin bed is sometimes referred to as the roughing bed, the second sometimes referred to as the polishing bed. In this system, the addition of a carbon filter will enhance the growth of microorganisms, speeding up the process of contamination throughout the DI system.
FIG. 26 is a block diagram of a prior art deionization system used in high purity water applications. In this system, a recirculation loop is added to provide greater efficiency of operation. There is some thinking that keeping the water moving through the system, particularly when the system is not in use, will tend to reduce the microbiological build up.
In all of the above cases, the deionization system is constantly being supplied with new microorganisms from the source water and from the "point of use" allowing growth to occur within the system. Consequently, from the time a system is initially set up, microbiological growth is increasing until the point is reached where the system is "overloaded". At this point, the carbon and resin beds must be replaced.


Packaged food articles comprise at least one shaped food product disposed within sealed moisture resistant packaging. The shaped food products include an axially aligned center piece or rod as a core portion and at least one string wrapped around the periphery of the core piece. The shaped food piece is fabricated from a pliable or plastic food composition such as a sweetened intermediate moisture fruit or confection such as licorice. The center piece can be provided with a multiplicity of fins extending longitudinally about the exterior periphery of the core piece. The coiled string is peelably removable from the core piece. The combination of core piece and coiled string provide a child oriented wholesome food of enhanced play value. Methods for preparing the shaped food product are described.

The present invention relates to shaped food products, to packaged food articles including the product within a food package, and to their method of preparation. More particular, the present invention relates to extruded intermediate moisture food compositions especially dried fruit based food products in the form of a rod and a coil shaped strand wrapped around the rod and their method of preparation.
Wholesome snacks prepared from sweetened intermediate moisture shelf stable fruit or "fruit snacks" herein have expanded their popularity as food items. These dried fruit products are especially popular with children, particularly as snack or convenience foods. Their popularity has created a highly competitive marketplace. To appeal to children, the primary consumer of fruit snacks, manufacturers must introduce frequent changes to these products. New shapes, colors, textures and flavors are all avenues employed to successfully market these products. To create unique fruit snack shapes some manufacturers have changed their products to resemble popular characters from movies, television shows, cartoons, etc. To fully appreciate the need for new fruit snack shapes it is important to understand the wide variety of fruit snacks currently available.
Fruit snack compositions are sold in various physical forms and shapes such as: 1) in rolled sheet form; 2) in rolled strip form; 3) in string form mounted on a U-board; 4) soft center filled pieces, and 5) in gelled bite size pieces of various shapes or in gelled bite size piece form prepared by starch molding. The products are typically packaged in a moisture impermeable container such as flexible laminated film pouch fabricated to include a moisture barrier layer.
A particularly popular fruit snack available in rolled sheet form is sold under the Fruit Roll-Ups brand. Popular products in rolled strip form are sold under the Fruit By The Foot brand (see also, commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,455,053 entitled "Rolled Food Item" issued Oct. 3, 1995). Food products in string form mounted on a U-board were sold under the String Thing® mark while other products in bite size pieces of various shapes are sold under various brands. (See, for example, commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,942,268 entitled "Embossed Shape Food Item" issued Aug. 24, 1999 to Zimmermann et al.). Soft center filled piece products are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,236 entitled "Dual Textured Food Piece Of Enhanced Stability Using An Oil In Water EMULSION" (issued Mar. 18, 1988 to Langler et al.) while apparatus and fabrication methods therefor are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,059 entitled "Dual Textured Food Piece Fabrication Apparatus" (issued Jun. 10, 1992 to Dubowik et al.).
In other variations, all or a portion of the fruit material is substituted with pure sugars. Such low fruit, high sugar formulations can be flavored with fruit flavors and/or other flavors. Within this general similarity, however, the particular methods of preparation, product formulations and apparatus used to prepare particular products vary considerably. Moreover, such variations are highly interdependent. Formulations and method steps suitable for one product form might or might not be suitable for another product form. Also, such products can be fortified with vitamins and minerals, especially calcium for growing children.
The variety of fruit snack shapes including popular movie and TV character shapes introduce an element of fun or fantasy to the eating experience described as play value. Play value as it relates to fruit snacks is the ability to manipulate a product in a fun or amusing manner. In its more imaginative form, play value entails shaping or coloring a product to represent an unusual object that relies upon the child to discover a use or method to disassemble the product before consumption. The more discoveries built into a fruit snack the greater the amusement and appreciation by children. The interaction of two or more food pieces is especially amusing when disassembly can easily be achieved and it yields an unexpected result.
Disassembly of fruit snacks would require an initial connection of fruit pieces that could be peeled apart easily. The concept of a peelable fruit snack is often associated with the removal of a support material or backing paper from the food item. The act of peeling away the food item before consumption adds immeasurable play value. Therefore, it is highly desirable to create fruit snacks composed of two or more individual fruit pieces that are peelably attached, meaning they easily disassemble by peeling away from each other.
Broadly, fruit snacks are prepared from wet mixtures of various fruit materials and added ingredients possibly with extra water that are cooked and worked at elevated temperatures and dried, if necessary, to desired moisture contents to form hot plastic paste or fluid formable fruit masses. The formable fruit masses are then formed into articles of desired shapes and sizes. The present invention is directed toward those articles and improvements in the methods of preparation of the hot plastic paste or fluid formable fruit masses and their formation into various suitable shaped and sized pieces particularly rod and coiled shaped strands.
In view of the current state of the intermediate moisture food art, there is a continuing need for new and improved shapes and methods for preparing intermediate moisture food products. The present invention satisfies this need by providing distinctively shaped food articles and their method of preparation such that they have inherent play value. In part, the present invention involves providing a hot viscous sweetened fruit fluid or slurry of increased solids intermediate product that nonetheless has lower or comparable viscosities that allows for successful forming into shaped intermediate moisture food products especially rod and coiled shaped products.
It has been surprisingly discovered that the above objectives can be realized and superior dried sweetened fruit products provided by extruding a plastic confectionery mass formed such as, from fruit based materials, supplemental ingredients and moisture.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a rod and coiled strand fruit snack where the coiled strand can be peeled away from the rod.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a rod and coiled strand fruit snack where the rod element and the coiled element are of approximately equivalent weights.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a rod and coiled strand fruit snack where the coiled element is approximately three times the length of the rod element.
It is still another object of the present invention to create a rod and coiled strand fruit snack utilizing extrusion technology to form the final shape of the product including winding the coiled strand around the rod element during manufacturing.

Rod and coil shaped food product and method of preparation


A single-band antenna, comprising: a substrate; a first radiation unit; a conductive material; an impedance matching circuit; a signal feed-in terminal; a second radiation unit; and a wire connecting unit. Therefore, the single-band antenna can be miniaturized to be installed with or inside a compact wireless transmission device with enhanced transceiving performance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a single-band antenna and, more particularly, to a single-band antenna that can be miniaturized to be installed with or inside a compact wireless transmission device with enhanced transceiving performance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In highly developed modern days, to meet the requirement for communications, there have been reported compact antennas used in more-and-more compact hand-held electronic devices such as mobile phones or notebook computers or wireless communication devices such as access points (APs). However, the currently available single-band antenna suffers from effective operating bandwidth insufficiency due to its poorly designed structure that limits its transceiving performance.
Therefore, there exists a need in providing a single-band antenna that can be miniaturized to be installed with or inside a compact wireless transmission device with enhanced transceiving performance.


Provided is a machine learning-based semiconductor manufacturing yield prediction system and method. A result prediction method according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: learning different neural network models by classifying different types of data according to their types and respectively inputting the classified different types of data to the different neural network models; and predicting result values by classifying input data according to their types and respectively inputting the classified input data to different neural network models. Therefore, it is possible to apply different neural network models to respective data according to their types, thereby ensuring a neural network model having a structure appropriate for the characteristics of each type of data and thus accurately predicting a result value.

To predict a semiconductor manufacturing yield, measurement data obtained after main processes are used. That is, a yield may be predicted by collecting measurement data generated during main processes, and comparing the data and past data.
However, since factors that influence the semiconductor manufacturing yield are very diverse and complicated, there is a problem that the prediction of a yield depending on only measurement data of main processes may reduce accuracy.
Accordingly, there is a demand for a method for exactly predicting a semiconductor manufacturing yield by complexly using a variety of data generated during a semiconductor manufacturing process.

Machine learning-based semiconductor manufacturing yield prediction system and method


The present invention is directed to a cap for a medicine bottle for monitoring a patient's medicine compliance. It involves weighing a container of medicine with cap which includes scale means located therein which is connected to a computer chip with a display unit also located in or on the cap. The chip may store the starting weight or tare weight, plus total weight and when the container or medicine is picked up by the cap at any time, actual weight is fed to the chip. The computer chip may then determine the difference between the starting weight and/or display actual amount of medicine remaining or consumed. The container of medicine is reweighed from time to time with the cap and the chip may compare actual weight with compliance required weight to determine compliance and the cap may visually display the compliance results on the display unit to inform the patient. An optional audio assist may direct the patient to "call the doctor" if a significant compliance deviation is recognized.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a cap for a medicine container for monitoring a patient's compliance with a medicine regimen. It is directed to compliance monitoring by the patient (self-monitoring) and/or a professional such as a pharmacist, doctor, hospital, clinic or the like. The present invention involves the use of scales and computer chips located within the present invention caps for automatic signaling of content depletion data to a user on demand.
2. Prior Art Statement
The use of precision unique programming, computers and linking peripherals to monitor medicine regimen compliance is an evolving art. Likewise, the use of stand alone medicine containers for compliance monitoring is relatively new to the field of medicine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,577,710 issued to Edward Ruzumno is directed to an apparatus for promoting good health which involves a personal weight scale and an information and message center which may be used merely for weight control or may be used for specific messages pertaining to a health condition with pretaped feedback from a physician. This recently issued patent represents the concept of patient weight monitoring for general or specific health purposes. However, it does not pertain to medicine regimen compliance, medicine containers with built in scales or computers as in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,015 issued to Fried et al is also directed to patient weight monitoring and includes a graphic display but is not used for medicine regimen or other patient monitoring nor does it pertain to stand alone systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,724 to Dalia, Jr. is not directed to health care but to inventory control of alcohol or other dispensed materials. It involves weight difference reading by scale and computer but is neither directed to medicine regimen nor to patient feedback nor is it directed to stand alone dispenser.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,223 to Jerry Wilson 1984) describes a stand alone device for recording the dispensing of liquids, and includes a digital readout of usage. However, this device is directed to a count of the number of pours and not the weight of the contents as in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,106 to Moulding et al (1984) describes a stand alone pill dispenser which includes an electronic counting mechanism with a display located in the cap shell. This does not involve weight data or the use of scales but relies upon a complex mechanical compartment rotation mechanism.


The present invention relates to a drug delivery device for dispensing of a predefined dose of a medicinal product, comprising: a housing, a cartridge holder adapted to receive a cartridge containing the medicinal product to be dispensed, the cartridge holder being connectable to the housing, a drive mechanism to be operably engaged with the cartridge for setting and/or dispensing of a predefined dose of the medicinal product, wherein the drive mechanism is axially slidingly supported in the housing for compensating axial clearance between the drive mechanism and the cartridge and wherein the drive mechanism is axially fixable relative to the housing.

Drug delivery devices allowing for multiple dosing of a required dosage of a liquid medicinal product, such as liquid drugs, and further providing administration of the liquid to a patient, are as such well-known in the art. Generally, such devices have substantially the same purpose as that of an ordinary syringe.
Drug delivery devices of this kind have to meet a number of user specific requirements. For instance in case of those with diabetes, many users will be physically infirm and may also have impaired vision. Therefore, these devices need to be robust in construction, yet easy to use, both in terms of the manipulation of the parts and understanding by a user of its operation. Further, the dose setting must be easy and unambiguous and where the device is to be disposable rather than reducible, the device should be inexpensive to manufacture and easy to dispose. In order to meet these requirements, the number of parts and steps required to assemble the device and an overall number of material types the device is made from have to be kept to a minimum.
Typically, the medicinal product to be administered is provided in a cartridge that has a moveable piston or bung mechanically interacting with a piston rod of a drive mechanism of the drug delivery device. By applying thrust to the piston in distal direction, a predefined amount of the medicinal fluid is expelled from the cartridge.
Due to inevitable manufacturing tolerances there may for instance persist axial clearance between a cartridge's piston and the piston rod. Typically, prior to a primary use of the device, an end-user has to conduct a so-called priming of the drive mechanism in order to ensure, that already with an initial dose setting and a first subsequent dose dispensing step, an accurate amount of the medicinal product is disposed in a predefined way.
Since a self-administering user might be physically infirm, it is desirable to simplify or even to eliminate the need for such a user-conductible priming procedure.
Document EP 1 911 479 A1 discloses for instance a dose dispensing device, wherein a piston and a piston rod are electromagnetically or magnetically coupled, and wherein the piston and piston rod comprise a magnetic effect generating member.
Since the generation of an electromagnetic field requires a supply of electric energy, such a solution is generally not applicable to drug delivery devices of pen-injector type.
Insofar, known solutions feature the common drawback, that for elimination of axial clearance between piston rod and piston, the piston rod has to be axially shifted by its associated drive mechanism. Axial clearance- and backslash elimination implies to bring the piston rod in direct abutment position with a cartridge's piston. Such axial displacement of the piston rod for the purpose of clearance elimination is regarded as disadvantageous, because it typically involves a respective actuation of dose setting or dose dispensing means by the user.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a drive mechanism for a drug delivery device featuring improved and facilitated clearance and manufacturing tolerance elimination. It is a further object of the invention to redundantize a priming procedure to be conducted by the end user. The invention further focuses on improvements related to patient safety and intends to simplify the general device handling. It is a further object of the invention, to provide a drive mechanism for a drug delivery device with clearance eliminating means being inexpensive to produce and being easy to assemble. Finally, it is an object of the invention to provide a method of eliminating clearance in a drive mechanism of a drug delivery device.

Drug delivery device with clearance compensation means


A character and graphics display device for displaying character and graphics data which includes a receiving circuit for deriving the character and graphics data from a signal carrying that data encoded therein, a memory for storing the received data, a decoder circuit for decoding the encoded data into suitable form for transfer to a display device, and a display memory for temporarily storing this decoded data, further includes compression circuits for converting the decoded data into a form whereby patterns represented by that data are displayed in compressed size. Pattern and graphics data can thereby be displayed together with other data such as a television picture, or a number of pages of the character and graphics data can be displayed simultaneously.

The present invention relates to a character and graphics data display apparatus for performing decoding processing of character and graphics data which are received in encoded form carried by a signal such as a television signal, for example contained in the vertical blanking intervals of a television signal, and for displaying the decoded data.
In recent years, various forms of television broadcasting multiplex systems have been envisaged, which utilize broadcast radio waves. Of these, a television character multiplex broadcasting called the teletext system has been put into practical application for domestic use, whereby character and graphics data concerning news, weather reports, stock market conditions etc. can be displayed by a home television receiver. The term "character and graphics data" as used herein signifies data representing characters and/or numerals, or graphic images, or a combination of these. Another system, called videotext has also been put into practice, in which the public telephone lines are used to transmit character and graphics data to be displayed on television receiver screens.
In the following, a prior art videotext character and graphics data display apparatus of the type described above will be outlined, referring to FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, numeral 1 denotes a character and graphics data decoding section for decoding character and graphics data which are encoded in a television broadcast signal (e.g. encoded within the vertical blanking intervals) and processing the decoded data to produce a video signal which can be applied to drive a television display to display a selected part of that character and graphics data. As described in detail hereinafter, the character and graphics data includes display control data which designates for example the display density with which the character and graphic picture data are to be displayed. A portion of this data which can be displayed at one time on the television screen is generally referred to as a data "page", and the received character and graphics data consists of a plurality of such pages which can be selected by the user as described in the following. Numeral 2 denotes a microprocessor for controlling the character and graphics data decoding section 1 and executing decoding operations. Commands and data are transferred between the microprocessor 2 and other circuits over a bus 20. A receiver circuit 3 serves to extract character and graphics data from a television signal, as digital data. A RAM 4 functions to store the received character and graphics data and to provide a working region for operation of the microprocessor 2. Numeral 5 denotes a ROM which stores a program for controlling the operation of the microprocessor 2. Numeral 7 denotes a display memory, for storing character and graphic picture data that have been decoded by the microprocessor 2. Numeral 6 denotes a display processing circuit for synthesizing an RGB color video signal from the character and graphic picture data that has been stored in the display memory 7. A character generator 9 is utilized during decoding of the character and graphics data into character and graphic picture data. Numeral 8 denotes an auxiliary sound decoder for processing auxiliary sound data which may be contained in the character and graphics data. Numeral 10 denotes a key pad, actuatable by the user for designating selection by the character and graphics data decoding section 1 of specific data, e.g. overall selection of desired character and graphics data, and selection of pages of that data to be displayed. Numeral 20 denotes a television signal receiving section, 21 denotes an antenna, 22 a television signal receiving circuit, 23 an audio demodulator/amplifier circuit, and 24 a luminance amplifier/chrominance demodulator circuit. Numeral 25 denotes a video and audio switching circuit which is operable for selecting either the video and sound signals from the sound demodulator/amplifier circuit 23 and luminance amplifier/demodulator circuit 24, or for superimposing the RGB signal from the character and graphics data decoding section 1 upon the video signal from the luminance amplifier/demodulator circuit 24 while selecting the sound signal from the sound demodulator/amplifier circuit 23, or for selecting the auxiliary sound signal and the RGB signal from the character and graphics data decoding section 1 (in the event that there is auxiliary sound information present and there is no sound signal being produced from the sound demodulator/amplifier circuit 23). The selected sound and video signals thus derived by the selector circuit 25. The resulting output sound signal and output video signal from the video and sound signal switching circuit 25 are respectively supplied to a sound amplifier output circuit 26 and a video amplifier output circuit 27, to drive a loudspeaker 28 and a display device 29 respectively.
The operation of this prior art character and graphics data display apparatus is as follows. A television signal that is received from the antenna 21 is demodulated by the television signal receiving circuit 22 of the television signal receiving section 20, to derive a television sound and video signal respectively. The television video signal is supplied to the receiving circuit 3 of the character and graphics data decoding section 1, whereby character and graphics data are extracted from that video signal. The user can select desired data to be displayed, from among a variety of information constituting the latter character and graphics data, by actuating the keypad 10 to designate to the microprocessor 2 the data which are to be selected. The microprocessor 2 responds by selecting the specified character and graphics data and stores that data in the RAM 4, and also executes decoding processing of the selected character and graphics data in accordance with the stored program held in the ROM 5, to obtain character and graphic picture data which is in a suitable format for subsequent transfer to be displayed by the display device 29, and temporarily stores this character and graphic picture data in the display memory 7. If the character and graphics data contains data which specify as corresponding code values certain predetermined patterns such as shapes of characters or numerals etc (as described hereinafter), then the character generator 9 is utilized in this data decoding processing for generating corresponding character pattern data, as part of the character and graphic picture data that are stored in the display memory 7. The display processing circuit 6 operates on this stored character and graphic picture data to generate the aforementioned RGB color video signal that is supplied to the video and sound signal switching circuit 25.
If the stored character and graphics data in the RAM 4 contain auxiliary sound data, then this is converted by the auxiliary sound decoder 8 into a suitable audio signal for transfer through the video and sound signal switching circuit 25 to the loudspeaker 28.
When a normal television picture is to be displayed, the sound and video signals produced by the television signal receiving section 20 are respectively transferred by the video and sound signal switching circuit 25 to drive the loudspeaker 28 and display device 29 respectively. When character and graphics data are to be displayed, the RGB signal from the character and graphics data decoding section 1 are selected by the video and sound signal switching circuit 25 to drive the display 29. In this condition, auxiliary sound signals are transferred to drive the loudspeaker 28, but only if there is no sound signal component in the television signal being received at that time. Thus the user can select either a normal television picture or a page of character and graphics data to appear on the display device 29.
It can be understood from the above that such a prior art character and graphics data display apparatus has the disadvantage that it is only possible to view (at one time) either a normal television picture or a character and graphics data display. While the user is operating the keypad 10 to select desired character and graphics data, it is not possible for the user to view a television picture. Furthermore, such a prior art apparatus also has the disadvantage that it is only possible to display a single page of character and graphics data on the display device 29 at one time.

Character and graphics data display apparatus having data compression capability

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A drive arrangement for a drive train of a vehicle is disclosed. In one aspect, the drive arrangement includes at least one transmission element configured to transmit a force and/or a torque and at least one joint. The transmission element and the joint are configured to be connected reversibly in a force transmitting manner and/or in a torque-transmitting manner.

Field
The described technology generally relates to a drive arrangement for a drive train of a vehicle.
Description of the Related Technology
The drive train of a vehicle generally serves to transmit the power and the torque of at least one motor to the wheels of the vehicle. There are vehicles in which both transverse axles are driven, so-called four-wheel vehicles. For most vehicles, however, only one axle is driven. However, there are vehicles for which the four-wheel function is not permanently given, but can be switched on and off.
A mechanical separation in the drive train generally can increases the efficiency of the vehicle and also allows for an easier use of different drive systems for hybrid drives.
For switching between the driving of only one axle and the four-wheel driving, in the state of the art already several implementations are known.
The document WO 2010/069578 A1 discloses a clutch assembly with a differential by which the drive shaft of a vehicle driven by several axles can be switched on.
The published patent application US 2003/0209939 A1 describes an arrangement by which the force transmission and the torque transmission to a wheel of a motor vehicle can be canceled via a gear coupling.
The distribution of a torque to both axles of a motor vehicle is realized according to the published patent application EP 0 879 728 A2 via a planetary gear and a double separation mechanism.
The couplings partially used in the prior art are usually associated with an increased space requirements and an increased weight.

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


An apparatus comprising: a radiation sensor having one or more radiation sensors and an on-board power harvester.

1. Field of the Invention
Thus, disclosed embodiments relate generally to a power source for sensors. More specifically, the invention relates to an energy harvester that converts mechanical vibration, light, heat (e.g., heat from a body, a combustion device, or other heat-generating thermocouples), radiofrequency, or other forms of energy into electrical energy suitable for use in small, wireless autonomous devices, for example, portable sensors, wearable electronics, motion detectors, wireless sensor networks, sensor-enabled fabrics and other wearable, portable or mobile products.
2. Background of the Invention
Significant interest in vibration energy harvesting has developed over the past decade due to decreasing power demands of electronics and the increasing use of wireless systems. Most vibration energy harvesters consist of a mass attached to a mechanical spring with a transduction mechanism to convert the mechanical energy into electrical energy1, 2, 3. The transduction mechanism is comprised of one or more of the four transducer types: piezoelectric4,5,6, electromagnetic7,8, electrostatic9,10, and more recently magnetostrictive11.
Vibration sources can include: vehicles, such as cars, trains, airplanes, heavy machinery such as tractors or conveyor systems, heavy duty storage containers such as cargo or trash containers or other machines such as computers, power transformers or air conditioners; infrastructure such as bridges, buildings, and ventilation ducts; or multiple forms of human movement3,12. These sources have peak vibration amplitude ranging from 10's of milli g's up to a few g's (where 1 g=9.8 m/s2) at frequencies from less than one Hertz up to a few hundred Hertz12. Human vibration and motion energy is concentrated below 10 Hz, which causes difficulty because lower frequency sources are more difficult to design for due to the requirement of either a highly compliant spring or large mass. This severely limits the applications of vibration energy harvesting from human motion.
Accordingly, it will be desirable to design an apparatus and methods wherein the vibration energy harvesting is compact yet sensitive to low-frequency vibration energy sources. Disclosed embodiments overcome the shortcomings of the prior art as described herein.

Energy harvester for wireless, motion and position-sensing, integrating radiation sensor for occupational and environmental dosimetry


In a medicine packaging machine including a medicine accommodating mechanism for accommodating plural medicines, a chute for guiding medicines arbitrarily taken out from the medicine accommodating mechanism to a medicine packaging sheet, and a medicine packaging mechanism having a heater for thermally welding the medicine packaging sheet, the heater is provided with an incision tooth for forming an incision at an edge portion of the medicine packaging sheet at the same time when the medicine packaging sheet filled with the medicines. Furthermore, a cutting mechanism for cutting at a predetermined position a separate package bag formed by thermally welding the medicine packaging sheet is provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medicine packaging machine for packaging medicines (medicines dispensed on the basis of a doctor's prescription) with a medicine packaging sheet every given dose in a hospital, a pharmacy or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a patient is given a dose of medicines dispensed according to a prescription, medicines required for a dose are packaged into the same separate package (packaged bag) and dosed to the patient by an automatic medicine packaging machine or the like so that the patient can be avoided from mixing different medicines and taking these medicines (tablets or the like) by himself or herself. The medicine packaging sheet used for these separate packages (packaged bags) is sealed by thermal adhesion (welding) after medicines are put into the medicine packaging sheet, whereby many separate packages are formed as a train of linked medicine packages (see JP-A-2004-189315). This train of medicine packages are cut at predetermined positions by a cutting mechanism, and each of the separate medicine packages thus cut is supplied to each patient (see JP-A-05-132007).
However, the thermally welded medicine packaging sheet has the following problems. That is, it is difficult for a patient to cut out the welded portion when the patient unseals (breaks the seal of) the medicine packaging sheet, and also the patient may drop the medicines from the medicine packaging sheet when breaking the seal.
Furthermore, there is a method of forming a packaging sheet by using an element which is subjected to cut processing so that the side edge portion thereof is corrugated. In this case, however, the corrugated portion of the packaging sheet is also hard to be cut out for aged persons who cannot strongly pinch the packaging sheet, and also the corrugation cut processing increases the manufacturing cost.
In the conventional cutting mechanism described above, a cutter blade for cutting a medicine packaging sheet operates like sawing. Therefore, the conventional cutting mechanism has a problem that the cutting mechanism portion must be designed in a large scale and thus the installation space thereof is large.


A detection device can include a cavity structure forming a Fabry-Perot optical microcavity, an electrostatic trap, and a Brownian motor. The Fabry-Perot optical microcavity has two mirrors extending on each side of a reference plane in a spacer region between the two mirrors. The mirrors are configured to vertically confine radiation in the spacer region, e.g., with respect to a first direction perpendicular to the reference plane. The electrostatic trap is arranged in the spacer region. The trap includes a pit and the cavity structure is generally configured to confine radiation in the pit, laterally (e.g., with respect to a second direction parallel to the reference plane). The Brownian motor structure extends in the spacer region along said reference plane. This structure is adapted to laterally load particles in the pit of the electrostatic trap by moving such particles along the structure, in operation.

The present disclosure relates in general to the fields of optical microcavities, Brownian motors, electrostatic traps, particles detection, in particular the characterization of such particles, e.g., using Raman spectroscopy and related spectroscopy techniques.
Optical microcavities are known to confine light to a small volume. Devices using optical microcavities are today essential in many fields, ranging from optoelectronics to quantum information. Typical applications are long-distance data transmission over optical fibers, optical sensing and read/write laser beams in DVD/CD players. A variety of confining semiconductor microstructures have been developed and studied, involving various geometrical and resonant properties. A microcavity has smaller dimensions than a conventional optical cavity; it is often only a few micrometers thick and the individual layers that it comprises can even reach the nanometer range.
An optical cavity forms an optical resonator, which allows, in case of a Fabry-Perot geometry, a standing wave to form inside the central layer between the two mirrors. The thickness of the latter determines the cavity mode, which corresponds to the wavelength that can be transmitted and forms as a standing wave inside the resonator.
An optical resonator typically comprises a vertically layered stack of different materials and/or structures on a substrate that realizes two mirrors to confine the light in the vertical direction. Lateral confinement of the light is usually achieved by locally modulating the refractive index of the mirrors or the volume between them.
Various types of nanoparticle sensors have been proposed. For example, sensors are known, which involve plasmonic antennas (typically a pair of antenna elements), where the antennas define a hot spot volume (the active area between the antenna elements) in which particles must be brought to perform detection. Nanoparticle sensors are used for a range of applications, such as, e.g., the detection of pathogens, the surveillance of industrial processes, or environmental monitoring. Ideally, a nanoparticle sensor should be label-free, as labeling is specific and the label itself interferes with the assay and changes it properties.
For detection, a nanoparticle must be transported and trapped in the active area of the sensor. If the transport depends on diffusion only, the time required for a particle to diffuse to the detector becomes a limiting factor, especially at low concentrations. Detachment of the particles from the active area can further be an issue. If the transport is instead driven by a fluid flow, the fluid must be injected into the sensing area. This may require relatively high fluid pressures, which is difficult to handle. Moreover, particles may clog in the inlet channel, the outlet channel, and/or the sensing area.

Optical microcavities with integrated electrostatic confinement and brownian motors

International Business Machines Corporation


A method of processing image data representing an image of a scene to generate an estimate of noise present in the image data. The method comprises evaluating a function for different values of said estimate, said function taking as input an estimate of said noise, and determining an estimate of said noise for which said function has an optimum value.

There are many sources of noise which may degrade an image of a scene. For example an image of a scene will often be degraded by optical scattering of light caused, for example by fog or mist. This optical scattering results in additional lightness being present in some parts of the image, and has been referred to as "airtight" in the literature. It is desirable to process an image so as to remove components of pixel values which are attributable to airtight.
If the distance between a camera position and all points of a scene represented by an image generated by the camera is approximately constant, airtight can be estimated and removed by applying equation (1) to each pixel of the image:y=m(x−c)  (1)where:                x is an original pixel value;        c is a correction selected to represent "airlight";        m is a scaling parameter; and        y is a modified pixel value.
Assuming that parameter c is correctly chosen, processing each pixel of a monochrome image in accordance with equation (1) will enhance an image by removing air light. However determination of an appropriate value for the parameter c is often problematic.
Various known methods exist for estimating the parameter c by using contrast measurements such as a ratio of the standard deviation of pixel values to the mean of pixel values. However, such contrast measures do not discriminate between airlight-induced contrast loss and inherently low contrast scenes. For example an image of sand dunes would often provide little contrast between the light and dark parts of the scene, even when no airtight is present. Thus ad-hoc schemes to determine the parameter c will sometimes result in severe image distortion.
The method described above with reference to equation (1) is applicable to a monochrome image. Further problems arise if a colour image is to be processed. Typically the airtight contribution to a pixel value, and hence the value of the parameter c, will depend upon the wavelength (colour) of the light. Thus, if equation (1) is to be applied to colour images, different values of the parameter c may be needed for red, green and blue channels of the image.
The methods described above assume that the camera position is equidistant from all points in a scene represented by an image. Published European Patent EP 0839361 describes a method developed by one of the present inventors, in which different values of the parameter c in equation (1) are used for different pixels, in dependence upon distance between the camera position and a position in a scene represented by that pixel. This invention arose from a realisation that backscattered light may vary in dependence upon the distance between a camera position and a position in a scene.

Image processing using function optimization to estimate image noise


It is an object of the present invention to provide a pharmaceutical composition containing a stable azole-based compound, which is useful as an antifungal agent. According to the present invention, the above-mentioned object can be achieved by adding magnesium hydroxide carbonate, triethylamine, arginine, or another such basic substance to an azole-based compound that is unstable in acids. The above-mentioned pharmaceutical composition is stable enough that the compound will not degrade if the temperature, humidity, or other such conditions should change during production or storage. Also, this composition is useful as a therapeutic agent for deep mycoses because systemic administration is possible by applying it to an oral agent or an injection.

Certain types of azole-based compounds are useful as an antifungal agent, and have been used along with antifungal agents based on polyenes, fluoropyrimidine, and candin to treat fungal infections. The azole-based antifungal agents inhibit lanosterol 14α-demethylase and suppress the synthesis of ergosterol, and are therefore believed to bring about impairment of cellular membrane function in fungi. Examples of the known azole-based antifungal agents may include miconazole, ketoconazole, itraconazole, fluconazole, voriconazole, posaconazole, ravuconazole (see Non-Patent Document 1, for example), and the like, and these drugs can be used not only topically, but also by systemic administration (orally or by injection). Therefore, these can be used to treat and prevent invasive aspergillosis, pulmonary candidiasis, fungal meningitis, and other such deep mycoses.
It is known that some of these azole-based antifungal agents are not absorbed in the intestinal tract when taken orally, and therefore do not exhibit their effect. In view of this, there have been attempts at improving absorption by making the compound into an ester (see Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example), or adding a side chain (see Patent Documents 3, 4, and 5, for example).
Patent Document 1: Published Japanese Translation No. 2003-520235 of PCT International Publication
Patent Document 2: Published Japanese Translation No. H10-512599 of PCT International Publication
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H11-228548
Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-169372
Patent Document 5: U.S. Pat. No. 6,812,238
Non-Patent Document 1: Jpn. J. Med. Mycol., 45 (2), 2004


Poultry neck breaker machine for poultry suspended by the legs in a conveyor line, comprising a movable breaker device for imparting a breaking force to the poultry's neck, and comprising an anvil to provide support to the poultry's neck during operation of the movable breaker device, wherein the anvil is arranged for introduction into a poultry cavity through the poultry's vent. The invention also relates to a method for breaking a poultry's neck while the poultry is suspended by the legs in a conveyor line, wherein a breaking force is imparted to the poultry's neck while the poultry's neck is supported, wherein the poultry's neck is supported from within the poultry.

Poultry neck breaker machines and methods are known from European patent application EP-A-1 728 433 and from U.S. Pat. No. 3,965,534.
According to EP-A-1 728 433, a curved breaker device is applied that is rotatable around a point of fixation which can be leveled to a position corresponding with a desired plane of impact of the breaker device to the neck of the poultry. A backplate external to the poultry is provided as its support during operation of the breaker device.
According to U.S. Pat. No. 3,965,534 a carriage is proposed for three blades that each operate as breaking device for a poultry's neck. Accordingly, three poultry necks can be broken at the same time. Upon activation, the three blades are rammed towards the poultry necks. Underneath the blades, V-shaped neck guide bars are provided that become operational after the poultry necks are positioned with rotatable guide bars extending across a trough along with the poultry necks that are to be broken are conveyed. The carriage includes three backing plates to provide support to the poultry necks during ramming of the three blades.
Although the technology of breaking the neck of poultry is long existing, there is an everlasting need to improve its reliability and accuracy. It is a first object of the invention to answer to this need.
A further object of the invention is to harvest poultry necks as complete as possible and to improve the yield in comparison with existing methods. In this connection it is noteworthy to mention that the monetary value of completely harvested necks of a particular weight is higher than incompletely harvested necks of the same weight.
It is still a further object of the invention to harvest poultry necks while the poultry carcasses incur as little damage as possible, therewith improving the attractiveness of those carcasses.

Poultry neck breaker machine and method for breaking the neck of poultry


A self-cleaning filter includes two cleaning blades spaced from about 75.degree. to about 115.degree. about the circumference of a rotatable tubular filter screen. The tubular filter screen is rotated relative to the two cleaning blades whereby particles in the slurry being filtered having a size less than a predetermined size are forced through the tubular filter screen and particles having a size not less than the predetermined size are removed from the exterior surface of the filter screen and then removed from the filter. The self-cleaning filter is particularly suited for filtering slurries in which solid particles tend to agglomerate.

Generally, filtration involves the removal of particulate matter from a fluid. There are a multitude of known designs for filtration devices. A basic filtration device generally includes a conduit for conducting a fluid material and a screen fitted into the conduit so that the material must pass through the screen to continue flowing. Fluid and particles having a size smaller than the holes in the screen pass through the screen while the larger particles are collected on the side of the screen facing the flow of the material.
The layer particles, also called contaminants, collected on the filter screen must be removed before the filter screen becomes clogged and material flow through the filter screen is undesirably inhibited. One method of removing contaminants from a filter screen is to remove the filter screen from the filter and clean the filter screen. This process is adequate for many applications, but often undesirable for continuous processes. In a continuous process, the process must be stopped to remove and clean a filter screen or the filter screen must be by-passed through a second filter. Stopping the process to replace the filter screen slows production and increases operating costs and providing a by-pass filter increases capital costs.
In an effort to solve the foregoing problems, self-cleaning filters were developed. Self-cleaning filters include brushes or blades which continuously or periodically remove contaminants from the filter screen. Typically, the contaminants which are removed eventually flow downwardly along the filter screen and settle at the bottom of the filter unit. The contaminants are then removed by a suitable drain.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,286,843 discloses a self-cleaning filter including a tubular filter screen disposed in a casing and diametrically opposed cleaning brushes positioned against the exterior of the filter screen. The bristles of the brush remove contaminants from the filter screen and the removed contaminants are discharged from the lower end of the casing. Although the filter disclosed in that patent is effective in certain applications, such a filter is undesirable in other applications. For example, when filtering a slurry containing particles which tend to agglomerate, agglomerates containing both contaminants and material meant to pass through the filter screen are collected by the filter screen. In such a situation, it is desirable to force the smaller particles through the screen and remove the contaminants from the screen. However, with brushes such as are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,286,843, agglomerates of solid particles tend to pass through the brushes or collect in the brushes.
Cleaning blades are more effective to filter slurries with agglomerated solid particles. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,008,598 and 4,957,630 both disclose self-cleaning filters which include a tubular filter screen disposed in a casing and a cleaning blade which is urged against the filter screen to remove contaminants from the surface of the filter screen. Although blades are more effective than brushes in handling slurries with agglomerated solid particles, conventional self-cleaning filters which include a cleaning blade tend to remove agglomerates from the surface of the filter screen, but do not adequately break up the agglomerates and force the smaller particle size material through the screen. Instead, the cleaning blade removes the agglomerates and entire agglomerates are collected at the bottom of the filter and removed from the casing. This results in a substantial loss of valuable material. Therefore, there is a need for a self-cleaning filter which filters slurries having agglomerated solid particles without substantial loss of solid particles which are meant to pass through the filter screen.


A backrest latch assembly (20) is provided for a wheelchair (10) having a movable frame member (11) mounted to a stationary frame member (12) for articulation between a deployed position and a moved position. The latch assembly (20) includes a sliding bolt (22) having a first surface (30) and a base member (23) having a second surface (31). In a latched position, the first surface (30) is oriented in an angularly aligned orientation and cooperates with the second surface (31) to releasably latch the movable frame member (11) to the stationary frame member (12) in the deployed position. The bolt (22) can be axially displaced and rotated to a released position, at which the bolt (22) is retained in a stable condition with the first surface (30) out of engagement with the second surface (31) to allow manual release or disengagement of the bolt (22) without re-latching of the bolt. Thereafter, the movable frame member (11) is free to articulate from the deployed position to the moved position. A biasing mechanism (24) and bolt guiding assembly (44, 45) biases the bolt (22) for automatic movement back to the aligned orientation upon articulation of the movable frame member (11) from the deployed position to the moved position.

Wheelchairs have been designed to provide transportation for the physically impaired, often emphasizing user comfort, portability and flexibility. Because of the individual needs and requirements of the wheelchair occupants, a variety of styles and shapes have been developed which cater to their specific needs. Thus, both manual and power driven wheelchair apparatus have become significantly more sophisticated during the past decade.
One advantageous feature common to both manual and power driven wheelchair apparatus is to design the wheelchair frame as lightweight and as compact as physically possible. Manual wheelchair frames, in particular, are often completely or partially foldable or collapsible which reduces the overall size of the wheelchair. Manual wheelchairs are thus particularly portable, storable and transportable in vehicles. Moreover, because of this collapsibility, special vehicle modifications are often not necessary to carry collapsible wheelchairs.
Power driven wheelchair apparatus, on the other hand, generally require a more rigid frame than their manual counterparts since the frame is ordinarily subjected to increased loads due to higher operating speeds. Further, the powered wheelchair frame must be strong enough to carry the weight of the batteries and electric motor assembly. Power driven wheelchair apparatus, accordingly, are usually bulkier and not as portable nor as collapsible as manual wheelchair apparatus.
To a limited extent, however, powered wheelchairs may be folded and/or collapsed. Often, the backrest portion of the seat support pivotally folds down from a generally vertical position to a generally horizontal position parallel to and atop the seat. This maneuver provides partial collapsibility of the wheelchair frame which reduces the overall dimensions. Typically, the backrest is locked in an operating vertical position by a pair of spring loaded latch pins which are positioned on opposing lateral sides at the back portion of the backrest. These pins are generally biased in an extended position to continuously engage corresponding receiving apertures provided in the seat support frame. The backrest, therefore, may be latched in the generally vertical position with respect to the seat support, and released for folding or pivoting to a position just above the seat.
One problem encountered with these spring loaded latch pin devices is that both latches must be simultaneously gripped and the latch pins disengaged in order to release the backrest from the deployed and latched position. Because the opposing latch pins are biased to an extended position to engage the receiving apertures, two-handed continuous manual engagement of the latches is generally necessary to withdraw both pins from both apertures. Furthermore, the backrest must be articulated simultaneously while holding the latch pins by an amount sufficient to move the latch pins out of alignment with the apertures.
Failure to continuously withdraw the pair of latch pins from the corresponding receiving apertures while simultaneously commencing movement of the backrest from the vertical position will permit the latch pins to pop back into the corresponding apertures. Two-handed manual operation of the latch pins, in addition, is particularly difficult for many physically impaired users. Often, the wheelchair occupant may have limited use of one or both hands. The occupant's safety may also be jeopardized since they may need one hand free for stability and leverage. Moreover, moving the backrest toward the horizontal position while gripping the backrest proximate latch pins area (i.e., to operate the latch pins) is not an optimum position to commence pivotal movement thereof. Accordingly, conventional wheelchair backrest latch assemblies can be very awkward and inconvenient for the physically impaired to use.
Another problem associated with the prior art backrest latch mechanisms is that even when the backrest is locked in the vertical position, the backrest is often unstable relative to the seat support assembly. In order to permit the physically impaired to withdraw the latch pin from the receiving aperture, the pin must be relatively loose and freely releasable when engaged with the aperture. Unfortunately, radial instability of the pin relative the receiving aperture causes the backrest to experience considerable angular movement relative to the seat support assembly. Such motion may be critical to those requiring upper torso stability while seated in the wheelchair.