An external source voltage is received by a semiconductor memory chip. A first source voltage corresponding to the external source voltage and a second source voltage which is lower than the first source voltage are supplied to an internal circuit of the semiconductor memory chip. The memory chip includes a memory cell array section, having at least a sense amplifier, and a peripheral circuit. The first source voltage is supplied to the memory cell array section when data is transferred between the semiconductor memory chip and an external device, and the second source voltage is supplied thereto to read and write data within the semiconductor memory chip when data is maintained only. The first source voltage is supplied to the peripheral circuit, when the second source voltage is supplied to the memory cell array section to maintain data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device wherein a first source voltage corresponding to a power source voltage is supplied to a semiconductor memory chip when data is written or read by an external device, and a second source voltage lower than the first source voltage is supplied to the chip when data is not read or written for a long period of time, i.e., when the chip is in a data maintaining state, in order to reduce overall power consumption.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, there has been growing demand for a semiconductor memory device (hereinafter referred to as a semiconductor memory) which can be driven at higher speed yet consumes less power. A semiconductor memory with lower power consumption is in particularly great demand, since this would reduce the amount of heat generated in a system including a semiconductor memory. A system such as a large-size computer, which includes a number of semiconductor memories, may malfunction due to the amount of heat generated within itself, or a large cooling device must be provided to prevent heat from generating.
Low power consumption is particularly attractive where the semiconductor memory is used in a portable battery-driven personal computer, to increase the lifetime of the battery as long as possible.
To date, various attempts to reduce the power consumption of a semiconductor memory have been made. For example, a static random access memory (SRAM) or pseudo-static random access memory (PSRAM) can lower the source voltage under the control of an external device such as a computer, when data is not accessed, i.e., during a data maintaining period. The lowered source voltage is supplied to an internal circuit of a semiconductor chip to reduce power consumption. This is called a BBU mode (battery back-up mode).
In a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), power consumption is suppressed by increasing the period of time during which memory cells are refreshed.
However, it is difficult for a system including a SRAM or a PSRAM to control the source voltage in accordance with the state of the internal circuit of a semiconductor chip, i.e., depending on whether the internal circuit is in a stand-by state or operating.
Alternatively, the SRAM can decrease the power consumption in response to a chip select signal when the chip is in a stand-by state. However, since, in this case, an operation begins in a state where the source voltage is low, the memory cannot be accessed at high speed.
While the power consumption of a DRAM can be decreased by increasing the refresh time, increasing of the refresh time is limited since pause characteristics must be taken into account.
As described above, in the case where a method for lowering the source voltage in an access stand-by state is employed to decrease power consumption, it is difficult for a control system to control the source voltage outside the semiconductor chip. On the other hand, in order to increase the lifetime of the semiconductor chip, when a method for lowering the source voltage inside the semiconductor chip and supplying it to an internal circuit is employed, the lowered source voltage is generally applied also to peripheral circuits in a stand-by state. Therefore, since an access operation always begins in a state wherein the source voltage is low, the memory cannot be accessed at a high speed. Thus, the conventional semiconductor memory device cannot simultaneously achieve high-speed operation and low power consumption.


Thienodiazepine compounds of the general formula ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are the same or different and respectively stand for a hydrogen atom, a halogen, an alkyl or an aralkyl, or mean a group wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 combinedly together form a ring; R.sup.3 stands for an oxygen atom, R.sup.4 stands for a hydrogen atom, an alkyl, an alkenyl or a group of the formula --(CH.sub.2).sub.m COOR.sup.6 (wherein R.sup.6 l stands for a hydrogen atom, an alkyl, an alkenyl or an aralkyl and m stands for an integer of 1-6), or R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 stand for a group wherein R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 combinedly together form a group of the formula .dbd.N--N.dbd.C(R.sup.5)-- [wherein R.sup.5 stands for a hydrogen atom, an alkyl, an alkenyl, an aralkyl or a group of the formula --(CH.sub.2).sub.n COOR.sup.7 (wherein R.sup.7 stands for a hydrogen atom, an alkyl, an alkenyl or an aralkyl and n stands for an integer of 1-6)]; Ar and X are the same or different and respectively stand for an aryl or a heteroaryl; and p stands for an integer of 1-6, and their salts and their pharmaceutical use.. These compounds possess an antagonistic action to cholecystokinin and gastrin and exhibit a durable pancreatic enzymes- and gastric acid-secretion-suppressive action, and therefore are useful as the medicaments acting on the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system and as the prophylactic or therapeutic medicines for pancreatic disorders and gastrointestinal ulcers.

In the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,405, it is disclosed that some kinds of thieno[2,3-e]-1,4-diazepine compounds possess central nervous actions such as an antidepressive action and an anticonvulsive action. In the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 3,904,641, it is disclosed that a certain kind of s-triazolo[3,4-c]thieno[2,3-e][1,4]diazepine compound has a useful pharmacological activity on the central nervous system such as an antidepressive activity and an anticonvulsive activity.
Meanwhile, as the substances which exist in the gastro-intestinal tissues and central nervous system and which are concerned with the control of the secretion of pancreatic enzymes and gastric acid, known are cholecystokinin (referred to also as CCK) which is a neuropeptide consisting of 33 amino acids and gastrin consisting of 34 amino acids. In connection with CCK, CCK-8 which consists of the 8 amino acids at the C terminus of CCK also possesses the same actions. Also, pentagastrin which consists of the 5 amino acids at the C terminus of gastrin possesses the same actions. The amino acid sequence of pentagastrin is identical with that at the C terminus of CCK.
Since the substances which exhibit an antagonistic action to these CCK and gastrin are effective in the prophylaxis and therapy of such diseases as pancreatic disorders and gastrointestinal ulcers, a number of such antagonistic substances have been studied so far. As an antagonistic substance to CCK, benzotripto is known [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., vol. 78, p. 6304 (1981)], and progulmide is known as an antagonistic substance to gastrin, [J. Med. Chem., vol. 27, p. 1597 (1984)]. Their actions are, however, relatively weak, and therefore, compounds having higher activities have been desired.
Besides, peptide antagonistic substances are not altogether satisfactory in that the durability of their actions is short and in that they are unstable and are not absorbed fully.

Thienodiazepine compounds and their pharmaceutical use

Yoshitomi Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd.


A lock arrangement including an electrically powered lock actuator, a power receiver (30) and a power transmitter (18). The electrically powered lock actuator is adapted for mounting in or on a door (10). The power receiver (30) is adapted for mounting in or on the door (10) in electrical connection with the lock actuator. The power transmitter (18) is adapted for mounting adjacent the door (10) and for transmitting power across an air gap to the power receiver (30).

Several ways of electrically powering door locks are known. One such way of powering a lock uses a battery to power the lock actuator. The batteries are positioned in the door or in the door furniture that is mounted on the door. A disadvantage of this arrangement is that the lock operation is dependent on battery life and, as a result, battery failure can lead to lock-in, lock-out or loss of security.
An alternative arrangement involves connecting electricity to an actuator via a hinge, known as a Power Hinge. A disadvantage of this arrangement is that such hinges are expensive and tend to have a limited life. This arrangement also requires a door with the capability for concealed wiring, which also adds expense.
Another approach involves connecting an external power cable to a door. This is unsightly and a door with the capability for concealed wiring is still required. This approach is also only slightly less expensive than the Power Hinge arrangement.
It is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome or at least ameliorate one or more of the above prior art deficiencies.

Lock arrangement and a method of providing power to a lock

Gainsborough Hardware Industries Limited


Techniques for performing decision feedback equalization are described. A feed-forward filter response and a feedback filter response are derived based on a channel estimate and a reliability parameter and further without constraint on the feedback filter response or with a constraint of no feedback for an on-time sample. The reliability parameter is indicative of the reliability of the feedback used for equalization and may be frequency dependent or frequency invariant. Different feed-forward and feedback filter responses may be derived with different constraints on the feedback filter and different assumptions for the reliability parameter. Equalization is performed with the feed-forward and feedback filter responses. If equalization is performed for multiple iterations then, for each iteration, the reliability parameter may be updated, the feed-forward and feedback filter responses may be derived based on the updated reliability parameter, and equalization may be performed with the filter responses for the iteration.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to communication, and more specifically to techniques for performing equalization in a communication system.
2. Background
In a communication system, a transmitter typically processes (e.g., encodes, interleaves, symbol maps, spreads, and scrambles) traffic data to generate a sequence of chips. The transmitter then processes the chip sequence to generate a radio frequency (RF) signal and transmits the RF signal via a communication channel. The communication channel distorts the RF signal with a channel response and further degrades the RF signal with noise and interference from other transmitters.
A receiver receives the transmitted RF signal and processes the received RF signal to obtain samples. The receiver may perform equalization on the samples to obtain estimates of the chips sent by the transmitter. The receiver then processes (e.g., descrambles, despreads, demodulates, deinterleaves, and decodes) the chip estimates to obtain decoded data. The equalization typically has a large impact on the quality of the chip estimates as well as the overall performance.
There is therefore a need in the art for techniques to perform equalization in a manner to achieve good performance.

Method and apparatus for block-wise decision-feedback equalization for wireless communication


A test apparatus for testing a device under test is configured to receive a response signal from the device under test and to apply one or more correction functions to the received response signal to at least partially correct an imperfection of the DUT. The test apparatus is configured to thereby obtain a corrected response signal of the device under test and to evaluate the corrected response signal to judge the device under test.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a test apparatus for testing a device under test. Further embodiments of the present invention relate to a method for testing a device under test. Further embodiments of the present invention relate to a tester for testing a device under test. Other embodiments relate to a method for testing a device under test and to a computer program.
To minimize power consumption, RF power amplifiers are operated at marginal supply voltage levels. This drives them into compression, leading to strong inter-modulation products. Digital predistortion (DPD) of the baseband I/O inputs mitigates this effect. For further power reduction, supply voltages may dynamically track the RF envelope, also known as envelope tracking (ET). Digital predistortion is usually performed as part of a straightforward test consisting of two test steps. In a first step, the device's non-linearity is computed from its response to a fixed test waveform. In a second step, an individually predistorted waveform is computed, downloaded and applied to each device being tested in order to measure the remaining non-linearity after predistortion. This second step causes a significant test time penalty, especially in multi-site test, since downloads must be executed serially with respect to the tested devices. This test time penalty results in a high time effort when testing and judging a device under test.
In addition, DUTs of a production series, a production lot or of the same type may comprise deviations between single DUTs, such as production or material tolerances, errors or failures. Therefore DUTs may show deviant behavior, i.e., deviant signal response to identical signal input. Also qualitative parasitic effects like dirt, e.g., on printed circuit boards of a DUT, may lead to deviations of the behavior.
Hence, for example, there is a need for a reduction of the test time of such tests. A reduced test time would help to increase testing capacities of a tester testing the devices under test and therefore lead to a higher throughput of a tester testing the devices under test.

Test apparatus and method for testing a device under test


Provided herein are systems and methods (i.e., utilities) that are directed to correcting misalignments or offsets between a series or sequence of medical images. The utility corrects offsets between a series of medical images obtained where an imaging device (e.g., ultrasound probe) is supported by a positioning mechanism where there is misalignment between an imaging axis or other reference point of the imaging device and the axis of movement of the positioning device. The determination of this offset between these axis allows for calculating a transformation that allows for placing each of the series images into a common frame of reference.

Medical imaging instruments are often utilized by doctors and other medical professionals to conduct non-invasive examinations. That is, medical imaging instruments, including X-ray, magnetic resonance (MR), computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, and various combinations of these instruments/techniques are utilized to provide images of internal patient structure for diagnostic purposes as well as for interventional procedures. Such medical imaging instruments allow examination of internal tissue that is not readily examined during normal visual or tactile examination. Applications include imaging in the areas of mammography, urology and brachytherapy.
Medical imaging devices typically allow for generating 3-D images of internal structures of interest. Such 3-D imaging may improve the accuracy and/or reliability of medical diagnosis. For instance, a medical imaging device may be utilized to generate a 3-D model or map of a patient's prostate such that one or more biopsies may be taken from a desired location of the prostate. For purposes of prostrate imaging, image acquisition and guidance may be provided by a transrectal ultrasound-imaging device (TRUS). In such an application, the ultrasound-imaging device may be inserted into the rectum of a patient to generate an image. Such images may be utilized to take one or more biopsies from a prostate location of interest and/or implant therapy seeds at one or more desired locations in a brachytherapy procedure.
In order to generate 3-D images, many medical imaging devices obtain a plurality of images (e.g., two dimensional images) and combine these images together to form a 3-D image. Traditionally, medical practitioners have manipulated a medical imaging instrument by hand for medical image acquisition and/or treatment. However, in instances where it is desirable to obtain multiple 2-D images for 3-D image generation, manual manipulation of the device may result in the type of unconstrained movement between images that makes registration difficult or impossible. That is, unconstrained (e.g., random) movement of a medical imaging device between the acquisition of individual images makes it more difficult to properly align (e.g., spatially register) the different images for purposes of generating an accurate 3-D image. Accordingly, a number of holding and manipulating/positioning assemblies have been proposed wherein a holder interfaces with an imaging device such as an ultrasound probe. Such a holder is then interconnected to one or more mechanical armatures and/or actuators such that the probe may be controllably positioned, advanced and/or rotated. In such systems, the position of the probe is known and movement of the probe (e.g., rotational, linear, etc.) is typically limited to a single degree of freedom. In this regard, the offset (e.g., angular or linear) between images is known. Accordingly, registration of such images is simplified.

Calibration for 3D reconstruction of medical images from a sequence of 2D images


An image signal representing a radiation image is detected from a recording medium which has been exposed to radiation over a limited irradiation field in order to record the radiation image thereon. From the image signal, a prospective contour point, which is considered to be present on a contour of the irradiation field, is detected. A method for judging the correctness or incorrectness of a prospective contour point of an irradiation field comprises the steps of investigating whether the prospective contour point, which has been detected, satisfies or does not satisfy a predetermined judgment standard, and judging that the detected prospective contour point is incorrect and is not present on the contour of the irradiation field in cases where the detected prospective contour point does not satisfy the predetermined judgment standard.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for judging the correctness or incorrectness of a prospective contour point, which has been detected as being present on a contour of an irradiation field on a recording medium, in order to recognize where an irradiation field lies on a recording medium in the course of reading out a radiation image which has been recorded on the recording medium such as a stimulable phosphor sheet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Techniques for reading out a recorded radiation image in order to obtain an image signal, carrying out appropriate image processing on the image signal, and then reproducing a visible image by use of the processed image signal have heretofore been known in various fields. For example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 61(1986)-5193, an X-ray image is recorded on an X-ray film having a small gamma value designed for the type of image processing to be carried out, the X-ray image is read out from the X-ray film and converted into an electric signal, and the electric signal (image signal) is image-processed and then used when the X-ray image is reproduced as a visible image on a copy photograph or the like. In this manner, a visible image having good image quality and exhibiting such characteristics as high contrast, high sharpness, high graininess or the like can be reproduced.
Also, when certain kinds of phosphors are exposed to radiation such as X-rays, .alpha.-rays, .beta.-rays, .gamma.-rays, cathode rays or ultraviolet rays, they store part of the energy of the radiation. Then, when the phosphor which has been exposed to the radiation is exposed to stimulating rays such as visible light, light is emitted by the phosphor in proportion to the amount of energy stored during exposure to the radiation. A phosphor exhibiting such properties is referred to as a stimulable phosphor. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,258,264, 4,276,473, 4,315,318 and 4,387,428 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 56(1981)-11395, it has been proposed to use stimulable phosphors in radiation image recording and reproducing systems. Specifically, a sheet provided with a layer of the stimulable phosphor (hereinafter referred to as a stimulable phosphor sheet) is first exposed to radiation which has passed through an object such as the human body in order to store a radiation image of the object thereon, and is then scanned with stimulating rays, such as a laser beam, which cause it to emit light in proportion to the amount of energy stored during exposure to the radiation. The light emitted by the stimulable phosphor sheet upon stimulation thereof is photoelectrically detected and converted into an electric image signal, which is used when the radiation image of the object is reproduced as a visible image on a recording material such as photographic film, a display device such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), or the like.
A radiation image recording and reproducing system using a stimulable phosphor sheet is advantageous over conventional radiography using silver halide in that the amount of light emitted by the stimulable phosphor sheet is proportional to the energy intensity of the radiation, to which the stimulable phosphor sheet is exposed when an image is recorded thereon, and the energy intensity of said radiation may be selected from a very wide range (latitude) of radiation energy intensities. If an appropriate read-out gain is selected and used when the light emitted by said stimulable phosphor sheet is being detected, a desirable density can be obtained in the finally reproduced visible image regardless of the energy intensity of the radiation to which the stimulable phosphor sheet was exposed.
In order to detect an image signal accurately, certain factors which affect the image signal must be set in accordance with the dose of radiation delivered to the stimulable phosphor sheet and the like. A novel radiation image recording and reproducing system which accurately detects an image signal has been proposed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,060. The proposed radiation image recording and reproducing system is constituted such that a preliminary read out operation (hereinafter simply called "preliminary read out") is carried out for approximately ascertaining the radiation image stored on the stimulable phosphor sheet. In the preliminary read out the stimulable phosphor sheet is scanned with a light beam having a comparatively low energy level, and a preliminary read-out image signal obtained during the preliminary read out is analyzed. Thereafter, a final read out operation (hereinafter simply called "final read out") is carried out for obtaining the image signal, which is to be used during the reproduction of a visible image. In the final read out the stimulable phosphor sheet is scanned sheet with a light beam having an energy level higher than the energy level of the light beam used in the preliminary read out, and the radiation image is read out with the factors affecting the image signal adjusted to appropriate values on the basis of the results of an analysis of the preliminary read-out image signal.
The term "read-out conditions" as used hereinafter means generically various factors, which are adjustable and which affect the relationship between the amount of light emitted by the stimulable phosphor sheet during image read out and the output of a read-out means, i.e. the shape of the image signal. For example, the term "read-out conditions" includes the value of the read-out gain and scale factor which define the relationship between the input to the read-out means and the output therefrom. The term might also include the power of the stimulating rays used for image read out.
The term "energy level of a light beam" as used herein means the level of energy of the light beam to which the stimulable phosphor sheet is exposed per unit area. In cases where the energy of the light emitted by the stimulable phosphor sheet depends on the wavelength of the exposing light beam, i.e. the sensitivity of the phosphor sheet to the exposing light beam depends upon the wavelength of the exposing light beam, the term "energy level of a light beam" means that the energy level of the light beam, to which the stimulable phosphor sheet is exposed per unit area, is weighted with the sensitivity of the phosphor sheet to the wavelength of the exposing light beam. In order to change the energy level of a light beam, light beams of different wavelengths may be used, the intensity of the light beam produced by a laser beam source or the like may be changed, or the intensity of the light beam may be changed by moving an ND filter or the like into and out of the optical path of the light beam. Alternatively, the diameter of the light beam may be changed in order to alter the scanning density, or the speed with which the stimulable phosphor sheet is scanned with the light beam may be changed.
Regardless of whether the preliminary read out is or is not carried out, it has also been proposed to analyze the image signal (including the preliminary read-out image signal) obtained and to adjust an image processing condition, which is used when the image signal is processed, on the basis of the results of the analysis of the image signal. The proposed method is applicable to cases where an image signal is obtained from a radiation image recorded on a recording medium such as conventional X-ray film, as well as to the systems using stimulable phosphor sheets.
Various methods have been proposed for calculating how the read-out conditions for final read out and/or the image processing condition should be adjusted on the basis of an analysis of the image signal (including the preliminary read-out image signal). As one of such methods, it has been proposed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,028 to create a histogram of the image signal. When a histogram of the image signal is created, the characteristics of a radiation image recorded on a recording medium such as a stimulable phosphor sheet or an X-ray film can be ascertained based on, for example, the maximum value of the image signal, the minimum value of the image signal, or the value of the image signal at which the histogram is maximum, i.e. the value which occurs most frequently. Therefore, if the read-out conditions for the final read out, such as the read-out gain or the scale factor, and/or the image processing condition such as the gradation processing condition or the frequency response processing condition are based on an analysis of the histogram of the image signal, it becomes possible to reproduce a visible image suitable for viewing, particularly for diagnostic purposes.
On the other hand, in the course of radiation image recording, it is often desirable for portions of the object not related to a diagnosis or the like to be prevented from being exposed to radiation. Further, when the object portions not related to a diagnosis or the like are exposed to radiation, the radiation is scattered by such portions to the portion that is related to a diagnosis or the like, and the contrast and resolution are adversely affected by the scattered radiation. Therefore, when a radiation image is recorded on the recording medium, an irradiation field stop is often used for limiting the irradiation field to an area smaller than the overall recording region of the recording medium so that radiation is irradiated only to that portion of the object which is to be viewed.
However, in cases where the read-out conditions for the final read out and/or an image processing condition are calculated on the basis of the results of an analysis of the image signal in the manner described above and the image signal is detected from a recording medium, on which a radiation image has been recorded by limiting the irradiation field, the radiation image cannot be ascertained accurately if the image signal is analyzed without taking the shape and location of the irradiation field into consideration. As a result, incorrect read-out conditions and/or an incorrect image processing condition is set, so that a visible radiation image suitable for viewing, particularly for diagnostic purposes, cannot be reproduced.
In order to eliminate the aforesaid problem, it is necessary to recognize the shape and location of an irradiation field and then to calculate the read-out conditions for the final read out and/or an image processing condition on the basis of the image signal representing image information stored in the region inside of the irradiation field.
The applicant has proposed various methods for recognizing an irradiation field as disclosed in, for example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 760,862. The proposed methods allow the aforesaid problem to be eliminated by recognizing where the irradiation field lies on the recording medium, and calculating the readout conditions for the final read out and/or an image processing condition on the basis of only an image signal corresponding to the region thus recognized.
In general, in the disclosed methods for recognizing an irradiation field, several points which are considered to be present on a contour of the irradiation field, i.e. several prospective contour points, are detected Thereafter, the straight lines or curves connecting the prospective contour points are detected, and the region surrounded by the straight lines or curves is recognized as the irradiation field.
A novel method for detecting a prospective contour point has been proposed in, for example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 760,862. The proposed method comprises the steps of reading out a radiation image which has been recorded on a recording medium in order to obtain an image signal, sampling and digitizing the image signal so that a digital image signal component represents the image information at each position of a predetermined number of positions on the recording medium, and carrying out differentiation processing of the digital image signal components representing image information stored at positions located along a single line on the recording medium. Points at which the absolute value of the differentiated values obtained during the differentiation processing exceed a predetermined threshold value are detected as prospective contour points. In cases where several such points are present, the point nearest to an edge of the recording medium is detected as a prospective contour point. Further, another method of recognizing the irradiation field has been proposed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 182,685. In the proposed method, the irradiation field is recognized by obtaining digital image data for a plurality of positions on the stimulable phosphor sheet from the image signals, detecting prospective edge points, which are considered to be edge portions of the irradiation field on the stimulable phosphor sheet, on the basis of the image data of positions radially outwardly arranged in a plurality of directions from a predetermined point inside the irradiation field, and recognizing as the irradiation field the region surrounded by the lines passing through the prospective edge points. Alternatively, a prospective contour point may be detected by, for example, a method utilizing pattern matching, or a method wherein a straight line is applied and the contour of an irradiation field is discriminated from an inclination of the straight line.
However, in cases where the portion of an image, such as the image of the edge of a bone, at which the image density changes sharply as it also does at the contour of an irradiation field, is present in a radiation image, or energy from scattered radiation has been stored in the region outside of an irradiation field on a recording medium, a prospective contour point is often detected incorrectly. It is difficult to completely eliminate the incorrect detection of a prospective contour point. However, if it were possible to determine that a prospective contour point had been detected incorrectly, said prospective contour point could be canceled, or a correction could be made so that a prospective contour point detected by a different method were employed, instead of said prospective contour point detected incorrectly. In this manner, an irradiation field could be prevented from being recognized incorrectly.

Method of judging the correctness or incorrectness of a prospective contour point of an irradiation field


A process for producing a dried product, optionally in the form of a flake, the process comprising (a) combining an active ingredient with a carrier, and an optional stabilizer, to create a wet mixture, wherein the active ingredient and carrier are in a ratio of about 1:1 to about 1:250 in the wet mixture; (b) spreading the wet mixture on a belt of a thin film belt dryer with a belt temperature in the range of about 60° C.-92° C.; and (c) drying the mixture to produce a dried product with less than about 7% moisture, optionally about 2-5% moisture, and a water activity of about 0.15 and about 0.65; as well as a dried product that can be produced by the method, and related methods and compositions.

The encapsulation, entrapment, enrobing and drying of natural and artificial flavors, plant extracts, micronutrient as nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and other active ingredients present certain challenges. Ideally, the drying is gentle so as to not volatilize, oxidize, or otherwise damage the active ingredient. Thus, freeze-drying is often used. However, freeze drying is quite expensive, non-continuous, and difficult to use industrially. On the other hand, spray drying is much more rapid, but is not as gentle. Thus, a starting material to be spray dried will often need to have 10-20% excess active ingredient to compensate for loss due to volatilization or oxidation. A further challenge is obtaining release at a desired rate of the active ingredient in an aqueous environment such as a food, or in the digestive system of an animal (e.g., a consumer of a food, supplement, or medicine that is or is produced with the dried formulation). Thus, there remains a need for improved encapsulation, entrapment, enrobing and drying of active ingredients.


A method and a system for allocating delivery reports are disclosed in the present invention. A Service Provider (SP) sets a message identifier MSGID1 in a multimedia message and submits the multimedia message containing the MSGID1 and destination numbers to a server in a multimedia messaging service gateway (MMSG), the server sets a message identifier MSGID2 in the multimedia message, and forwards the multimedia message containing the MSGID2 and the destination number to a multimedia messaging service center (MMSC); the MMSG parses the corresponding server generating the MSGID2 according to the MSGID2 in the delivery report returned by the MMSC, and forwards the delivery report to the server creating the MSGID2. By adopting the method and system of the present invention, it ensures that the delivery reports returned by the MMSC are evenly allocated to the servers in the MMSG, the load balancing of the servers can be realized.

Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is a service for transporting multimedia messages between the mobile phones as well as between the mobile phone and the Internet and is commonly referred to as the MMS. The telecom operators specify a variety of multimedia messaging service centers (MMSCs) in accordance with the region to which the user belongs, and the MMSCs provide the users with the multimedia messaging service.
The service providers (SP) have the telecommunication access resources and are the direct providers of the mobile Internet application services, they are responsible for developing and providing services such as the weather MMS which can be used by the mobile phone users according to the user requirements.
The MM7 interface is the interface between the MMSC and the Multimedia Messaging Service Gateway (MMSG) and between the MMSG and the SP, the MMSG accesses the SP through the MM7 interface and completes the functions such as caching, routing and retry of the multimedia messages; the information exchange between the MMSC and the MMSG and between the MMSG and the SP is implemented through the MM7 interface.
In the prior art, the SP evenly submits a message containing the destination number to the server in the MMSG through the switch and the router. After the server receives the message and authenticates the SP successfully, it generates a message identifier MSGID1 and forwards the message to the MMSC to which the destination number belongs, after the MMSC receives the message, it generates a message identifier MSGID2, and sends a response report containing the MSGID2 to the MMSG, the MMSG generates message control information containing the MSGID1, the MSGID2, and the destination number, saves the information to the server in the MMSG, where each destination number corresponds to a piece of message control information, and determines the module number of the saved server according to the last two numbers of the destination number; after sending down the message to the mobile phone, the MMSC sends the delivery report including MSGID2, destination number and state information, determine the module number of the server according to the last two numbers of the destination number and forwards the delivery report to the right server; the server searches for the corresponding MSGID1 via the message control information stored in the server according to the MSGID2 and the destination number in the delivery report, and then generates a response report containing the MSGID1, the destination number, and the state information and sends the response report back to the SP, the SP then judges whether the final state of the message is sent successfully or not according to the MSGID1, the destination number, as well as the state information.
In the prior art, the corresponding relationship between the destination number and the server module number is preconfigured by the system, for example: 00-49: 180, 50-99: 181 indicates that: when the last two numbers of the phone number are in the range of 00-49, it corresponds to the service 180, and when the last two numbers of the phone number are in the range of 50-99, it corresponds to the service 181. If a server 182 is added in the MMSG, in order to achieve the even allocation of the load, the server allocation rule needs to be re-specified, and the existing destination number is reconfigured, such as: 00-33: 180, 34-66: 181, and 67-99: 182. In the case that the current network traffic is increasing tremendously, there are thousands of destination numbers stored in the server, making the re-configuration of the destination numbers more and more difficult to implement.
In addition, since the MSGID2 is generated by the MMSG, the generated rules cannot be determined by the MMSG, when the MMSC returns the delivery reports back to the servers in the MMSC, the only way is according to the aforementioned server allocation rules, the module number of the server to which the messages are delivered is determined according to the last two numbers of the destination number, and in the group message, if the destination number of the message is exactly between 00-33, all the delivery reports will be totally allocated to the server 180 for processing, while the other two servers 181 and 182 are in idle state, thus the load balancing of the servers cannot be realized.
Content of the Invention
For this reason, the main purpose of the present invention is to provide a method and system for allocating delivery reports to evenly allocate delivery reports of a MMSC to each server in the MMSG, thus to achieve the load balancing of the servers and improve system scalability.
To achieve the aforementioned purpose, the technical scheme of the present invention is accomplished as:
the present invention provides a method for allocating delivery reports, comprising:
a service provider (SP) setting a message identifier MSGID1 in a multimedia message, and submitting the multimedia message containing the MSGID1 and a destination number to a server in a multimedia messaging service gateway (MMSG), and the server setting a message identifier MSGID2 in the multimedia message, and forwarding the multimedia message containing the MSGID2 and the destination number to a multimedia messaging service center (MMSC);
the MMSG parsing the corresponding server generating the MSGID2 according to the MSGID2 in the delivery report returned by the MMSC, and forwarding the delivery report to the server generating the MSGID2.
In the above solution, the method further comprises: said MSGID2 comprising a module number of the server setting the MSGID2.
In the above solution, the method further comprises: after forwarding the multimedia message to the MMSC, the server generating message control information and saving the message control information in the server, the MMSC sending the received multimedia message to a mobile phone, and returning the delivery report back to the MMSG.
In the above solution, the method further comprises: the message submitted to the server in the MMSG comprising the MSGID1, message subject, message content, the destination number and message priority;
the message forwarded by the server to the MMSC comprises: the MSGID2 and the destination number.
In the above solution, the message control information comprises: corresponding relationship among the MSGID1, the MSGID2, the destination number and SP address;
the delivery report returned by the MMSC to the MMSG comprises: the MSGID2 and the destination number.
In the above solution, the method further comprises: after said delivery report is forwarded to the corresponding server generating the MSGID2, the server receiving the delivery report searching out the corresponding MSGID1 according to the message control information saved in the server, generating a delivery report containing the MSGID1 and state information and returning the delivery report back to the SP.
The present invention also provides a system for allocating delivery reports, comprising a SP, a server in a MMSG, and a MMSC, and the system further comprises: a message generating and submitting module contained in the SP, a message generating and forwarding module, a control information storing module and a delivery report transceiving and parsing module contained in the server; wherein,
the message generating and submitting module is configured to set a message identifier MSGID1 in a multimedia message, and submit the multimedia message containing the MSGID1 to the server;
the message generating and forwarding module is configured to set a message identifier MSGID2 in the multimedia message, and forward the multimedia message containing the MSGID2 to the MMSC;
the control information storing module is configured to store message control information;
the delivery report transceiving and parsing module is configured to receive the delivery report returned by the MMSC, and in accordance with the MSGID2 in the delivery report, parse a module number of the server generating the MSGID2, and forward the delivery report to the server generating the MSGID2.
In the above solution, the MSGID2 set by the message generating and forwarding module contains the module number of the server generating the MSGID2.
In the above solution, the multimedia message submitted to the server comprises: the MSGID1, a message subject, message content, a destination number, and message priority;
the multimedia message forwarded to the MMSC comprises: the MSGID2 and the destination number;
the message control information comprises corresponding relationship among the MSGID1, the MSGID2, the destination number, and SP address;
the delivery report comprises: the MSGID2, the destination number, and state information.
In the above solution, the delivery report transceiving and parsing module is further configured to receive delivery reports forwarded from other servers.
In the above solution, the system further comprises: a response report generating module and a final state determining module; wherein,
the response report generating module is configured to search out the corresponding MSGID1 in the control information storing module according to the MSGID2 and the destination number in the delivery report, generate a response report containing the MSGID1 and the state information and return the response report back to the SP;
the final state determining module is configured to determine a final state of the message according to the MSGID1 and the state information in the response report.

Method and system for allocating delivery reports


A chair with a hip-shaping seat is provided with a base, a seat and two elastic members. The seat is formed by two seat members, and on the top of each of the seat members is formed an arc-shaped surface. The two seat members are pivoted connected at one end, and are capable of opening and closing at another end, so that the width of the seat space can also be adjusted to fit different sized hips, through pivoting of the seat members. Hence, the chair of the present invention is capable of effectively holding the hip and preventing the hip from sagging.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a chair, and more particularly to a chair with a hip-shaping seat.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1 shows a conventional chair 10 which comprises a base 11, a plurality of rollers 111 at the bottom of the base 11, and a seat 12 on the base 11. The seat 12 includes a back 121 and two armrests 122 at both sides of the back 121.
When a user sits on the seat 12, his/her hip will be pressed against the seat 12, resulting in an expansion of the flesh in the hip toward both sides of the body. To make the user feel comfortable and relaxed when sitting on the chair 10, the seat 12 is normally made of a hard base and a soft cushion disposed on the hard base, and the top of the seat 12 is in the shape of an arc-shaped convex or concave. It is to be noted that sitting on such a seat 12 for a long time will make the hip look flat and fat, especially for the women whose hips are more likely to get fat than men, and women's floppy and strengthless hip muscles would make the problem of the hip being out shape more noticeable.
Hence, a hip-shaping cushion has been designed to solve the abovementioned problem, and the hip-shaping cushion is put on the seat 12 to hold the hip. However, the size of the hip-shaping cushion is fixed, and the hip-shaping ability of the cushion when comfort should also be taken into account. Furthermore, putting a cushion on the seat 12 will increase the sitting height of the user, which is likely to lead to spinal cord injury.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages.


An apparatus for bio-composting domestic waste from residential dwellings, comprised of a tank, a multi-chambered liner and a separator. Domestic waste influent enters one end of a sluice, which has ribs on its surface directing the influent onto the upper section of an inclined sieve. The inclined sieve is angled downward and is permeable. The influent waste flows down the inclined sieve, and free water drops downward through the sieve while separated waste solids slide off the lower edge of the inclined sieve. The multi-chambered liner is set inside the tank under its lid. The multi-chambered liner is partitioned into a first chamber running the length of the liner on one half its wide, which the other half its width is subdivided into a series of smaller sub-chambers running the length of the liner. The chambers are separated by permeable partitions. The walls of the liner are permeable, as well. Water separated from the influent through the sieve falls into the first several of the smaller sub-chambers, while the dewatered solids discharge off the bottom edge of the inclined sieve into the first chamber. The separated waste solids are bio-composed in the first chamber, preferably by the larvae of fungus gnats, while the separated free water passes through the partitions between the series of smaller sub-chambers, removing any remaining entrained solid matter. The free water passes through the permeable walls of the multi-chambered liner and out an outlet port in the tank wall.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention herein relates to an apparatus for treating domestic waste and sewage produced in residential dwellings.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A typical residential dwelling contains plumbing systems for providing water service and removal of domestic and other aqueous waste. In more urban areas, the waste system connects with a sewer main located outside the dwelling, usually under the fronting public road, which directs the discharged domestic waste to a centralized municipal waste treatment plant. In rural areas, however, a sewer main may not be conveniently available and a waste system usually must be provided on-site for treating and disposing of domestic waste.
Domestic waste produced from residential dwellings typically is comprised of a mixture of waste solids and water in varying proportions. In on-site systems, the disposal system water is separated from organics solids, which may include human, kitchen, laundry and other wastes, and is discharged to the local environment. The separated solids are treated and decomposed within the on-site system to varying extents and any residual remaining thereafter must be hauled elsewhere for ultimate disposal, such as at a municipal land fill or municipal waste treatment plant.
A variety of devices and apparatus are available for collecting and treating on-site domestic waste and sewage emanating from a residential dwelling. The most common of these decentralized treatment systems are septic treatment systems. These typically involve a septic tank which receives the domestic waste water influent from the residential building. The waste is held quiescently in the tank, permitting most of the solids to settle in the bottom of the tank. The partially clarified water may then be discharged onto the surrounding property. However, the water effluent still contains some dissolved and entrained solids, and is not sufficiently safe to discharge to surface waters. Typically, the water effluent is discharged to a leach field, where the water effluent is routed to a field of buried permeable pipes. The water effluent permeates through the walls of the pipes and into the surrounding subsoil. Any waste remaining in the water effluent is entrained in the surrounding subsoil and gradually decomposed by indigenous soil organisms. The water effluent percolates downward, eventually joining the local ground water table.
This means of discharge significantly constrains septic systems. Leach fields can be practically implemented only where the soil is sufficiently permeable to permit the water effluent to percolate through it. Shallow soils, i.e., thin soil layers with bedrock close to the surface, or soils with high clay contents often are not sufficiently permeable and are unsuitable for a septic tank system.
Within the septic tank, the waste solids gradually accumulate at the bottom. Anaerobic bacteria, naturally present in the waste, begin to decompose the waste solids. However, anaerobic bacteria are comparatively inefficient and can decompose only a small fraction of the waste solids. This results in a gradual accumulation of partially-treated solids within the bottom of the septic tank. These solids are still potentially pathogenetic and usually must be hauled to a municipal waste treatment plant for further treatment and ultimate disposal before the working volume of the septic tank has filled with solids.
Another on-site decentralized domestic waste treatment system is an aerobic, activated sludge process. The process is typically comprised of an apparatus with two chambers. The first chamber contains a mixed aqueous slurry of active aerobic bacteria, called activated sludge. Aerobic conditions are maintained in the activated sludge by injecting air by one of several means known in the art. The domestic waste influent is added into and mixed with activated sludge. Aerobic bacteria absorb and decompose the entrained and dissolved solids in the domestic waste.
A small purge stream exits from the first chamber into a second chamber with quiescent conditions. The sludge mass in the slurry settles to the bottom of the second chamber, while the separated water exits from it. Activated sludge solids settle faster than the raw solids in domestic waste, so the aqueous effluent from an aerobic treatment apparatus is usually clarified sufficiently to discharge directly to a surface water body. The settled sludge is also non-pathogenic and can be more easily discarded, such as by land-farming.
The aerobic process is more efficient than the anaerobic process, but has a higher initial cost because of the need for powered machinery to operate the aeration process, as well as a higher operating cost for the electrical power needed for the aeration machinery as well as maintenance costs for the machinery.
Another class of apparatus for treating domestic waste is composting toilets and waste composting units. These units treat domestic wastes by composting, which is a method of decaying organic solids with aerobic bacteria in a solid mass or pile, with little free excess water, rather than in a slurry or fluid system. In a composting system, the waste pile, being substantially devoid of excess free water, has many miniscule voids or pores through which air can circulate, bringing oxygen to the aerobic organisms in the central volumes of the waste pile. The aerobic organisms in the waste pile digest and metabolize the waste, reducing its volume and producing more environmentally compatible humus as a final waste product, which can be more easily disposed of.
For example, Ylösjoki, U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,690, is drawn to a composting device for kitchen and toilet waste, comprised of a multi-chambered bin having a permeable floor, and air space under the floor, and a vent stack in the top surface of the bin. Wastes are deposited into one of the chambers in the bin, and air circulates up through the waste pile and out the vent stack. Any excess free water in the waste pile can drain through the permeable floor.
Similarly, Sundberg, U.S. Pat. No. 3,840,907 and Clark, U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,592, are drawn to composting toilets with permeable floors and vent stacks, allowing vertical circulation of air for promoting the growth of aerobic bacteria.
These and similar composting systems provide an efficient and lower cost alternative to septic tank and activated sludge plants, but have several disadvantages.
In each case, only solid (moist) waste can be accepted in these composting toilets. A slurry discharge, such as from traditional toilets and water closets, would wash waste solids through the permeable floor and would render the remaining saturated wastes septic. This limitation thus necessitates the composting unit to be located in or directly adjacent to the residential dwelling separated from the traditional drain plumbing. Many people find a composting unit containing decaying human waste within or immediately adjacent to the household very objectionable offensive.
A composting unit would also not be suitable for other wastes that are discharged in a slurry, such as from kitchen sink drains, dishwasher and laundry washing machines. This would then necessary alterations in a dwelling's draining plumbing system, necessitating dual discharge systems.

Bio-composting domestic waste treatment apparatus


An evacuator particularly suited for irrigation and removal of tissue from a body cavity such as the bladder. The evacuator includes a positive displacement syringe with a hollow plunger for pumping a sterile solution into the bladder for irrigation and for withdrawing the solution and entrained tissue from the bladder and urethra. Internal valving controls the order of flow within the evacuator so that, as the solution circulates through the evacuator, tissue is filtered from the solution and captured in a collection container.

The present invention relates to medical irrigation and aspiration syringes and particularly to urological irrigator-evacuator syringes especially suited for use with a resectoscope in performing a transurethral prostatectomy.
In a medical procedure of this kind, the bladder is prefilled with a sterile solution and the bladder and urethra are evacuated periodically to draw out tissue excised from the prostate. Other tissue present in the bladder such as stones and so forth may also be evacuated. It is desirable to collect evacuated tissue for examination by the surgeon and for laboratory analysis as to the condition of the tissue. An evacuator such as the standard Ellik evacuator is used for irrigating and evacuating the bladder and for collecting tissue. The Ellik evacuator is simple and practical and consists of an hour-glass shaped bowl with a rubber bulb and nozzle fitted to the upper bowl for circulating solution through the urethra and bladder. Tissue entrained in the return flow of solution is to be collected in the lower chamber. It is a limitation of the Ellik evacuator that entrained tissue must settle by gravity in a solution of nearly the same density. There is also the tendency for a portion of the tissue to be carried back into the bladder with recirculation of the solution.
A number of prior art devices have been developed as improvements to the Ellik evacuator with particular attention to the task of efficient separation of tissue from recirculated solution.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,292 to Watson discloses a medical pump for debris collection including a bulb or squeeze-type syringe for pumping flushing liquid into the bladder. Bladder efflux returns to the syringe and flows through a basket filter where tissue is trapped for removal and analysis. Efflux continues flowing through the porous filter wall through a first one-way valve and into the squeeze bulb chamber. Recirculation occurs by squeezing the bulb and pressurizing the liquid which now follows a separate path out of the syringe through a second one way valve. The Watson device has an open top end in the basket filter and relies on gravitational force for settling and retention of tissue fragments in the basket. Accordingly, Watson is limited to a vertical orientation of the pump with squeeze bulb lowermost in order to properly collect tissue fragments. Additionally, the gravitational settling of tissue in the sterile solution is time consuming, and any fragments floating in the vicinity of the nozzle are likely to be carried back into the bladder on a subsequent compression of the squeeze bulb.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,226 to Rosen discloses a urological irrigation-evacuator including a squeeze bulb for circulating sterile solution for irrigating of the bladder. A specimen collecting receptacle for accumulating tissue washed from the bladder is affixed to the syringe by means of a vertically depending two-way flow conduit. Bladder efflux carrying tissue flows down one conduit path toward the receptacle so that tissue is filtered out of the efflux and collected in the receptacle. The resulting device is cumbersome requiring two-hand operation as well as a considerable volume of solution to fill the two-way conduit and receptacle. The filter consists of a grille in the two-way conduit which is insufficient for effective filtering.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,873 to Roth discloses a medical irrigation syringe in which a hollow bulb pump is rotatably mounted to the syringe body so that the irrigating fluid may be pumped directly into and out of a resectoscope or through a circuitous path via a collection receptacle attached to the pump for filtering out tissue. A filter screen is provided along the circuitous path for accumulating tissue which thereafter settles into an open receptacle. Roth requires two-handed operation, and while screening tissue out of the circulation liquid, does not provide means for trapping and segregating tissue from the solution.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,764 to Gaultier discloses an irrigator and separator similar in operating principle to the Rosen and Roth patents in providing a circuitous path for sterile fluid carrying tissue evacuated from a body cavity. The evacuated fluid is drawn out and through a filter screen where tissue is retained in a collection chamber. The filtered fluid then returns to the syringe pump chamber. The Gaultier device requires two-hand operation, is cumbersome, and requires a substantial liquid volume to fill the pump and collection chambers.
There remains a need for an evacuator which is simple and practical to use and which efficiently filters and captures tissue entrained in a lavage solution.


Methods and compositions for the treatment of subterranean formations, and more specifically, treatment fluids containing vitrified shale and methods of using these treatment fluids in subterranean formations, are provided. An example of a method is a method of displacing a fluid in a well bore. Another example of a method is a method of separating fluids in a well bore in a subterranean formation. An example of a composition is a spacer fluid comprising vitrified shale and a base fluid.

The present invention relates to subterranean treatment operations, and more particularly, to improved treatment fluids comprising vitrified shale, and methods of using these improved treatment fluids in subterranean formations.
Treatment fluids are used in a variety of operations that may be performed in subterranean formations. As referred to herein, the term "treatment fluid" will be understood to mean any fluid that may be used in a subterranean application in conjunction with a desired function and/or for a desired purpose. The term "treatment fluid" does not imply any particular action by the fluid. Treatment fluids often are used in, e.g., well drilling, completion, and stimulation operations. Examples of such treatment fluids include, inter alia, drilling fluids, well cleanup fluids, workover fluids, conformance fluids, gravel pack fluids, acidizing fluids, fracturing fluids, spacer fluids, and the like.
Spacer fluids often are used in oil and gas wells to facilitate improved displacement efficiency when displacing multiple fluids into a well bore. For example, spacer fluids often may be placed within a subterranean formation so as to physically separate incompatible fluids. Spacer fluids also may be placed between different drilling fluids during drilling-fluid changeouts, or between a drilling fluid and a completion brine.
Spacer fluids also may be used in primary cementing operations to separate, inter alia, a drilling fluid from a cement composition that may be placed in an annulus between a casing string and the subterranean formation, whether the cement composition is placed in the annulus in either the conventional or reverse-circulation direction. The cement composition often is intended, inter alia, to set in the annulus, supporting and positioning the casing string, and bonding to both the casing string and the formation to form a substantially impermeable barrier, or cement sheath, which facilitates zonal isolation. If the spacer fluid does not adequately displace the drilling fluid from the annulus, the cement composition may fail to bond to the casing string and/or the formation to the desired extent. In certain circumstances, spacer fluids also may be placed in subterranean formations to ensure that all down hole surfaces are water-wetted before the subsequent placement of a cement composition, which may enhance the bonding that occurs between the cement composition and the water-wetted surfaces.
Conventional treatment fluids, including spacer fluids, often comprise materials that are costly and that, in certain circumstances, may become unstable at elevated temperatures. This is problematic, inter alia, because it may increase the cost of subterranean operations involving the treatment fluid.

Treatment fluids comprising vitrified shale and methods of using such fluids in subterranean formations


A sleepiness estimating device includes a biometric information acquirer that acquires biometric information of a person, an auxiliary information acquirer that acquires auxiliary information including at least one of five-sense information perceived by the person or emotion information indicating an emotion of the person, and a sleepiness estimator that estimates a sleepiness of the person based on the biometric information and the auxiliary information.

To date, there are studies on how to estimate a person's sleepiness with use of his/her biometric information. For example, PTL 1 discloses a sleepiness detecting device that extracts, based on an image obtained by capturing an image of a user's face, a feature amount of a change in the face and detects the sleepiness of the user based on the extracted feature amount.

Sleepiness estimating device and wakefulness inducing device

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


An illumination device for vehicles, in particular rear light, with a light-emitting unit to generate a predetermined light function. The device comprises a plurality of light sources and an optical unit. The optical unit comprises a light guide with means for the deflection of the light coupled in the same, and a retroreflective unit to generate a retroreflective function. The light guide is designed as a low-profile light guide, which is arranged in the main radiation direction in front of the retroreflective unit. The means for deflecting the light are distributed on or in the low-profile light guide such that the first light beam emitted from the light source and coupled into a narrow side of the low-profile light guide is coupled out at a front flat side of the low-profile light guide to produce the predetermined light function. A second light beam coming from the outside passes the front flat side and a rear flat side of the low-profile light guide and is incident on the retroreflective unit and is reflected by it back through the rear flat side and the front flat side of the low-profile light guide in the main radiation direction to generate the retroreflective function.

From EP 1176360 A2 is known an illumination device for vehicles comprising a light-emitting unit for producing a predetermined light function and a retroreflective unit to produce a retroreflective light function. The light-emitting unit comprises, as an optical unit, a plurality of rod-shaped light guides, on which light sources are frontally arranged. At a rear shell side of the rod-shaped light guide in the main direction of the light emission are arranged dispersive optical elements so that the light incident on them is deflected in the main radiation direction and exits at a front shell surface of the rod-shaped light guide. The retroreflective unit comprises a plurality of strip-shaped reflecting surfaces, which are arranged between the rod-shaped light guides of the light-emitting unit. The reflecting surfaces are connected to the adjacent rod-shaped light guides so that the number of components can be reduced. The light-emitting unit and the retroreflective unit are thus arranged substantially side by side.
From DE 103 59 182 A1 is known an illumination device for vehicles that comprises a light-emitting unit for producing a predetermined light function and a retroreflective unit for producing a retroreflective function. The retroreflective unit is arranged in the main direction of the light emission in front of a bar-shaped light guide of the lighting unit. The light guide is part of an optical unit, which additionally comprises a reflector, to which is conducted the light coupled out over a lateral surface of the light guide and then discharged by means of the reflector in the main radiation direction past the retroreflective unit. For this purpose, the rod-shaped light guide comprises, on a front lateral surface in the main direction of emission, dispersive optical elements by means of which the light launched on the face end by the light sources is deflected in the direction of the rear reflector.
Advantageously, the illuminated panel for the production of the light function can be increased by means of the reflector. However, the surface of the retroreflective unit must be excluded from this.


A head mounted display is worn on a head of a user. The head mounted display includes a display device configured to display image; a casing that houses the display device; a right-eye lens and a left-eye lens attached to the casing; and an inter-lens structure disposed between the right-eye lens and the left-eye lens. The head mounted display causes the user to recognize a color of at least a part of the inter-lens structure as a color that is equal to or brighter than a skin color when the user wears the head mounted display.

The present disclosure relates to a head mounted display that is worn on the head of the user and displays image.
JP 2017-187695 A discloses a head mounted display provided with: a display device; a frame to be used for fixing and disposing the display device in front of eyes of the user; a lens disposed at a distance from the display device; and a light-transmissive fixing member configured to fix the lens to the frame. The head mounted display of JP 2017-187695 A can provide a user with a field of view that is not blocked by the fixing member.

Heat mounted display having an inter-lens structure disposed between the right-eye lens and left-eye lens


An electronic device includes an around device interaction module configured to interact with a user of the electronic device. The around device interaction module includes a magnetic sensor operable to measure a magnetic field strength of a magnetic element and a control unit configured to control the electronic device based on a movement of the magnetic element while the magnetic sensor measures the magnetic field strength of the magnetic element.

Around device interaction (ADI) is being increasingly investigated as an efficient interaction technique for mobile and/or tangible electronic devices. In this context, ADI relates to human-computer-interaction between a user and an electronic device based on the recognition of gestures of the user in the proximity of the electronic device. Such ADI can provide possibility of extending interaction space of small mobile devices beyond their physical boundary allowing effective use of the three dimensional (3D) space around the device for interaction between a user and the device. This can be especially useful for small tangible/wearable mobile or controller devices such as cell phones, wrist watches, headsets, personal digital assistants (PDA), media players etc. In these devices, it is usually comparably difficult to operate small buttons and touch screens particularly since parts of the touch screen are usually covered by the hand of the user during interaction.
For preventing these drawbacks and in particular for using the space beyond a device which can be easily used no matter how small the device is, a plurality of ADI concepts have been developed which are based on the use of different sensory inputs such as camera, infrared distance sensors, touch sensor at the back of device, etc. These concepts can allow coarse movement-based gestures made in the 3D space around the device to be used for sending different interaction commands such as turning pages (in an e-book or calendar), changing sound volume, zooming, rotation, etc. For example, the publication "HoverFlow: expanding the design space of around-device interaction" of Kratz, S. and Rohs, M., published by proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services, Bonn, Germany, September 2009, describes an ADI interface that allows mobile devices to track coarse hand gestures performed above the device's screen. Thereby, infrared proximity sensors are used to track hand and finger positions in the device's proximity. The hand or finger gestures are detected using a specific algorithm and a rough overview of the design space of according ADI-based interfaces is provided. However, the ADI concepts of the prior art all rely on specific physical arrangements which are not standard in electronic devices today. Consequently, the implementation of these ADI concepts is rather complex and expensive. Further, most of these ADI concepts, in particular the ADI concepts allowing for a contactless interaction between the user and the device, require visual contact between the hand/finger of the user and the device. This can constrict the application of the ADI concepts.

Around device interaction for controlling an electronic device, for controlling a computer game and for user verification


A method for changing between full engine operation and partial engine operation of a multi-cylinder combustion engine includes the step of activating at least the intake valve or the escape valve of a cylinder or a group of cylinders in full engine operation and deactivating the intake valve or escape valve or a cylinder or group of cylinders in partial engine operation. In a first step, a throttling of power of the cylinder to be deactivated takes place, and simultaneously, an increase of power of the other cylinders takes place, such that the entire moment produced by the engine follows a predetermined ideal engine moment. In a second step, a switching-off of the throttle cylinder takes place by means of the actuatable intake or escape valve. This method avoids undesired changes of the total moment of rotational produced by the engine. The invention is also directed at a device for performing the method.

The present invention relates to the actuation and de-actuation of cylinders of an internal combustion engine by deactivation and activation of the gas-changing valve of the respective cylinder.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,787,855 discloses a switching off of cylinder groups of an internal combustion engine by deactivation of the gas-changing valve. With motors with many cylinders, a driving situation exists in which the required power can be provided from a part of the cylinder. The switching off of one or more cylinders leads to the situation that the remaining operating cylinders are operated with an increased power and better efficiency. EP 37269 likewise shows a switching off of gas-changing valves. A continuous production of the valve stroke is known from DE 195 01 386.
The deactivation and activation of cylinders should be as undetectable as possible for the driver. In particular, no irregular moment of rotation change should occur upon changing between complete engine operation in which all cylinders operate and partial engine operation, in which at least one cylinder is switched off.
The present invention is based on the problem of realizing the most simple, undetectable switching on and off of cylinders as possible for the driver.
According to the present invention, the change between full engine operation and partial engine operation of a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine, in which at least the intake valve or the escape valve of a cylinder or a group of cylinders in full engine operation are activated and in partial engine operation, are deactivated. In a first step, a throttling of the power of the cylinder to be deactivated takes place and simultaneously, an increased of the power of the other cylinders takes place, so that the total moment provided from the engine follows a provided desired engine moment. In a second step, a switching off of the throttled cylinder takes place via the actuatable intake or escape valve of this cylinder.
For reactivation of the switched-off cylinder, that is, for changing from partial engine operation to full engine operation, a switching-on of the throttled cylinder takes place in a first step via the actuatable intake or escape valve and in a second step, an unthrottling of the power of the cylinder to be reactivate takes place, along with a simultaneous reduction of the power of the other cylinders, so that the total moment provided from the engine follows a provided ideal engine moment.
With the above-described process, the advantage is provided that the change between partial and full engine operation does not occur through a sudden, abrupt and detectable actuation. In addition, the shift of the moment of rotation preparation from all cylinders on a part of the cylinder is at least approximately uniform and substantially temporal.
In this manner, particular advantages with variable valve controls with high temporal tolerances in switching-off operation is provided, which will be described below.
The change between partial and full engine operation and from full- to partial engine operation is accomplished through a control command. Between the time point of the change by means of the control command and the time point to which the changing is effective, a known time interval elapses, which is dependent on the constructive qualities of the valve control. A high tolerance or measure of deviation of this time interval has the result that between the change of the rotational moment from the other cylinders and the effective change between both types of engine operation, a time difference can occur, so that the changing over is detectable in an unwanted manner by the driver. Systems, for example, in which a variable valve stroke is determined by means of the relative positions of an opening cam shaft and a closing cam shaft, which are connected by means of a mechanical coupling gear, can have such temporal tolerances. A system with opening and closing cam shafts is described in the previously noted DE 195 01 386. The temporal range and uniformity of the shift between the cylinders provides, therefore, that also with temporal differences between the reduction of the moment of rotation of the cylinder to be switched off and the increase of the moment of rotation of the cylinders to be further operated, the entire moment of rotation change of a cylinder group is never suddenly operative.
One form of the invention contemplates that an internal combustion engine includes a respective throttle valve or flap for the cylinder to be switched off as well as the cylinders to be further operated, or an individual throttle valve. In this embodiment example, the throttle of the power of the cylinder to be deactivated takes place via a closing of the associated first throttle device and the increase of the power of the cylinders to be further operated takes place via an opening of the throttle device of the associated cylinders to be further operated.
To re-actuate the switched-off cylinder, an un-throttling of the cylinder to be reactivated takes place by means of an opening of the first throttle device and a reduction of the power of the remaining cylinders via a reduced opening of the throttle device of the remaining cylinders.
This provides the advantage that the invention can be used also with valve operations, whose opening stroke can be determined only digitally between zero and completely open.
A further form of the invention relates to an internal combustion engine with uniform or at least finely-staged adjustable stroke of the intake valve. Here, the throttling of the power of the cylinder to be deactivated takes place via a reduction of the lift of its intake valve, and the increase of the power of the cylinder to be further operated takes place via an enlargement of the lift of its intake valve.
For reactivating the deactivated cylinder, an un-throttling of this cylinder takes place via an increase of the stroke of the intake place to be reactivated and a reduction of the power of the remaining cylinders takes place via a reduction of the stroke of the intake valve of the remaining cylinders.
Therefore, a further, separate throttle device is insurable, as is required in the subject matter of the other embodiment described above.
Further advantages are provided with engines with a control apparatus for switching off of the cylinders and the re-operating of the cylinders: these types of control apparatus are typically connected with a bus system. The information is exchanged via the bus system non-synchronously with the calculating program of the individual control apparatus, which runs synchronously with the movement of the crank shat of the engine. With a digital switching off of the cylinder groups, a time slowing of the digital increase of the power of the other cylinder groups can take place, which the driver detects as a jolt or jerk.
With the invention, in contrast, a digital switching does not take place, rather, a uniform transition. Because of the uniformity of the transition, no jolt or jerk occurs, when a control apparatus begins this uniform transition somewhat earlier than the other control apparatus of the counter-running transition.
In conclusion, the invention affects an optimization of the uniformity of the moment of rotation upon changing between full and partial engine operation with minimal demands on the constructive complication of the switching-off of the valve.
The invention is directed also at an electronic control device for performing at least one of the above-described methods or one of the above embodiments.

Method for moment-neutral switching off a cylinder by deactivation of gas-changing valves


Desired characteristic impedance can be obtained in an optical modulator. The optical modulator includes a substrate having the electrooptic effect; an optical waveguide formed on a surface of the substrate; and a signal electrode and a ground electrode formed in the vicinity of the optical waveguide, wherein the signal electrode and the ground electrode include an interaction portion and an extraction portion, and a groove is formed between the signal electrode and the ground electrode located in the extraction portion area.

The present invention relates to an optical modulator in which an element varying optical phase using the electrooptic effect is housed.
An optical communication system has been applied for a large capacity broadband communication system. With increased demand for larger communication capacity, transmission at higher bit rate is required in such an optical communication system.
Meanwhile, an optical modulator is employed in the optical communication system. An element varying optical phase using the electrooptic effect is housed in the optical modulator, by which a refractive index is changed when electric field is applied on a ferroelectric crystal, etc.
Such an element varying the optical phase by the electrooptic effect (electrooptic effect element) to be housed in the optical modulator is provided with an optical waveguide formed on a wafer cut but of an electrooptic crystal of LiNbO3, LiTaO2, etc. with a metallic film of Ti, etc. produced thereon through patterning and thermal diffusion or proton exchange in benzoic acid by the IC production technique. Further a required electrode is formed in the vicinity of the optical waveguide.
The optical modulator has such a configuration that an optical signal is supplied from outside the electrooptic effect element to the optical waveguide, and that a high-frequency modulation signal of a microwave band is supplied to an electrode which is formed in the vicinity of the optical waveguide.
FIG. 1 shows one configuration example of the optical modulator, in which a top plan view of the uncovered optical modulator is illustrated. An electrooptic effect element 2 is housed in a shielding case 1. FIGS. 2A through 2C are the schematic configuration diagrams of electrooptic effect element 2.
To function as an optical modulator, an exemplary optical waveguide 10 formed on electrooptic effect element 2 is made to branch into two parallel waveguides I and II, which constitute a Mach-Zehnder waveguide, as schematically shown in FIG. 2A. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view along line xe2x80x98axe2x80x99 in the plan view shown in FIG. 2A. Also FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view along line xe2x80x98bxe2x80x99.
As an example, when using a Z-cut wafer for electrooptic effect element 2 cut out from an LiNbO3 crystal in the Z-axis direction, constituting an electrode of a single electrode, and applying a modulation scheme of the intensity modulation, a signal electrode 20 is disposed right on top of either one of the parallel branch waveguides I, II (optical waveguide I in the case of FIG. 2 A), while a ground electrode 22 is disposed right on top of the other optical waveguide (optical waveguide II in FIG. 2A).
In addition, there is provided a buffer layer of 0.2-1 xcexcm in thickness constituted of SiO2, etc. between the substrate and signal electrode 20, as well as between the substrate and ground electrode 22, so that the optical signal traveling in the two parallel waveguides I, II is prevented from being absorbed by signal electrode 20 and ground electrode 22.
In FIG. 2A, an optical signal is input to an incident side (Opt In) of waveguide 10. To function as an optical modulator, a rectangular microwave signal output from a signal source 25 is supplied to signal electrode 20 as a modulation signal in the same direction as the traveling direction of the optical signal.
Accordingly, the refractive indexes of branching optical waveguides disposed in parallel are varied corresponding to the polarity of the microwave signal, such as +xcex94na and xe2x88x92xcex94nb, respectively. This produces a varied optical phase difference between the phases in the parallel optical waveguides I, II. An intensity modulated optical signal is then output from an output side (Opt Out) shown in FIG. 2A of optical waveguide 10.
Further, by altering the electrode section form, it becomes possible to control an effective refractive index caused by the microwave and match the velocities of the optical signal and the microwave, thus obtaining a wideband optical response characteristic.
Here, in the configuration of the optical modulator shown in FIG. 1, a high-frequency microwave signal as the modulation signal supplied from signal source 25 is supplied to the space between signal electrode 20 and ground electrodes 21, 22 through an RF connector 3. RF connector 3 is provided with a center conductor 30 and an external conductor 31.
Center conductor 30 of RF connector 3 is inserted into a sliding contact member 32 and is connected to signal electrode 20 of electrooptic effect element 2 and to sliding contact member 32 by means of bonding. Also external conductor 31 of RF connector 3 is connected to ground electrodes 21, 22 of electrooptic effect element 2 by means of wire bonding 23.
In such a way, in the input portion of a high-frequency microwave signal, there are provided an interaction portion in which signal electrode 20 and ground electrodes 21, 22 are disposed in parallel, and an extraction portion. A pad is formed on one end side of the extraction portion in which the electrode is widened.
A high-frequency signal input from the pad travels in the interaction portion through the extraction portion. The signal is output from another pad through the extraction portion of the output side, and thereafter the output signal is terminated.
In this configuration, in order to input a high-frequency signal efficiently by preventing the reflection of the microwave (traveling to the inside of the substrate of electrooptic effect element 2), it is necessary to set the characteristic impedance of the extraction portion including the pads as 50 xcexa9. For this purpose, conventionally, the gaps between signal electrode 20 and ground electrodes 21, 22 in the extraction portion have been widened.
However, there has been a problem that when the aforementioned gaps are widened, the transmission characteristic becomes deteriorated because of an increase in a radiation component as a result of the diffused electric field between signal electrode 20 and ground electrodes 21, 22.
Namely, in the optical modulator of conventional configuration, when a high-frequency signal wavelength is sufficiently long compared to the electrode size of electrooptic effect element 2, the transmission characteristic is not largely affected. However, the problem mentioned below has been recognized when the wavelength becomes short. In this case, the high-frequency characteristic of electrooptic effect element 2 is affected and, as a result, wideband transmission characteristic cannot be achieved.
FIG. 3 shows the high-frequency characteristic of the conventional optical modulator. In FIG. 3, RF signal frequency is shown in the horizontal axis, while attenuation S21 of the optical signal traveling from the input side toward the output side is shown in the vertical axis. It is understood that, at the increased RF signal frequency in the vicinity of 36 GHz, a large dip is produced in the attenuation characteristic, instead of the attenuation being produced linearly. From this existence of the dip in the attenuation, it is to be understood that the wideband transmission characteristic is impeded.
Until recently, the cause of this attenuation dip in the transmission characteristic has not been investigated, and the inventor of the present invention has been studied to investigate this issue.
As a result of the study, the inventor of the present invention has found out the cause that, when the frequency of the microwave modulation signal becomes high, the radiation component of the microwave into electrooptic effect element 2 becomes increased, thus producing the coupling with the electric field which is formed between signal electrode 20 and ground electrode 21.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a configuration of the optical modulator by which wideband characteristic can be obtained while maintaining a characteristic impedance based on the investigation result of the cause of the attenuation dip mentioned above.
As a first embodiment of the optical modulator to solve the aforementioned problem of the present invention, an optical modulator includes a substrate having the electrooptic effect, an optical waveguide formed on a surface of the substrate, and a signal electrode and a ground electrode formed in the vicinity of the optical waveguide. The signal electrode and the ground electrode include an interaction portion and an extraction portion, and a groove is formed between the signal electrode and the ground electrode located in the extraction portion area.
As a second embodiment of the optical modulator to solve the aforementioned problem, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, the extraction portion has a pad connecting to an electrode of an RF connector through which a high frequency signal is supplied, and the groove to be formed between the signal electrode and the ground electrode located in the extraction portion area is formed in the extraction portion area excluding the pad.
As a third embodiment of the optical modulator to solve the aforementioned problem, in the aforementioned first or second embodiment, the groove is formed between the signal electrode and the ground electrode located only in the extraction portion area of the input side of the optical waveguide.
As a fourth embodiment of the optical modulator to solve the aforementioned problem, in the aforementioned second embodiment, a gap between the signal electrode and the ground electrode located in the extraction area excluding the pad is set as 60 xcexcm or narrower.
Further scopes and features of the present invention will become more apparent by the following description of the embodiments with the accompanied drawings.


A vacuum pump with a primarily cylinder-shaped pump housing is provided. A bowl-shaped sound-absorbing cover is attached on the pump housing and a circumferential gap space for sound absorption is formed between the pump housing and the sound-absorbing cover. The pump housing has an end face in which at least one air outlet opening is arranged. An elastic upstream sound absorber element is arranged between the end face and the sound-absorbing cover so that an upstream chamber is formed therebetween into which the air flows from the air outlet opening. The upstream sound absorber element has a molded projection facing the end face with an air channel passing through the projection. The projection is arranged at a distance from the end face during operation of the vacuum pump. While the vacuum pump is idle, the projection makes contact with the end face through elastic deformation of the upstream sound absorber element, causing the air channel to be closed off and creating a check valve function.

DE 10 2012 112 069 A1 discloses a category-defining vacuum pump, and an upstream sound-absorbing element made of a rubber-elastic material is installed between a bowl-shaped sound-absorbing cover and a pump housing. The air that escapes from the air outlet opening in the front side of the pump housing flows through a filter housed in the upstream sound-absorber element. The further course of the air flow goes between the sound-absorbing cover and the upstream sound absorber element until the air finally enters a circumferential gap space between the outside of the primarily cylinder-shaped pump housing and the sound-absorbing cover.
Vacuum pumps of this type are, in themselves, known and are also called vane pumps, and the vacuum pump also has a motor attached to the pump housing that initiates the rotation of the rotor with the slider elements. The sound absorber is necessary to prevent potential sound emissions when operating the vacuum pump. Vacuum pumps of the type of interest here are used to generate low pressure for the purpose of engine management or for brake force boost in a vehicle. In doing so, it is desirable for the vacuum pump to operate with as little noise as possible.
It is also known that in vacuum pumps of this type, when at a standstill, the conveyed air is sucked back from the upstream chamber into the pump housing through the air outlet opening. In the process, dirt, dust, suspended particles and the like can get into the pump housing, potentially resulting in premature failure of the vacuum pump. Therefore, a filter is used in the upstream sound absorber element, and the filter prevents dirt from entering the air outlet opening when the vacuum pump is idle. A disadvantage is that the filter forms a flow resistance, and moreover, there is an effect that separated substances in the filter can be flushed out of the filter, then return to the air outlet opening and thus to the pump housing.

Vacuum pump with sound absorption and check valve