A frequency divider has two or more storage elements connected in a loop. One of the outputs of each storage element is connected to one of the inputs of another storage element. Each storage element provides at least one output signal having a period equal to the period of a reference input signal multiplied by the number of interconnected storage elements. The reference input signal may be, for example, a local oscillator (“LO”) signal. In the case where the reference input signal has a 50% duty cycle, the output signals will also have a 50% duty cycle. Furthermore, in the case where a total of three storage elements are connected in a loop, the outputs of two of the three storage elements can be combined to provide a signal having substantially no third order harmonics.

1. Claim of Priority
This application is a continuation-in-part of copending U.S. utility application entitled "Programmable Frequency Divider," Ser. No. 09/370,099, filed on Aug. 6, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,707,326 and is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
2. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to wireless transmitters and receivers and, more particularly, to frequency dividers.
3. Related Art
Harmonics contained in signal processing devices are a major cause of signal distortions. One case where harmonics can be especially problematic is in a limiter that is driven by a poly-phase filter. For example, standard 90° poly-phase outputs take the form of:0° output=input/(1+jwRC)90° output=input *(jwRC)/(1+jwRC)Based on this property, harmonic components in the output will be amplitude mismatched and will be phase shifted from the fundamental frequency. Therefore, the presence of harmonics at the input of a poly-phase filter can cause a shift in the zero-crossings at the output of the poly-phase filter. This shift can, in turn, cause an effective phase error when the output of the poly-phase filter is passed through a limiter that reacts primarily to zero crossings.
A second case where harmonics can cause signal distortions is in mixers. The presence of harmonics in a mixer input signal can result in odd-order mixing products ("OMPs") in the mixer's output. An OMP, which is defined as the product of one input and an odd harmonic of another input, can cause signal distortions when its frequency is too close to the frequency of a desired mixer output signal. Other cases where harmonics can cause signal distortions include, for example, where unwanted harmonics couple across a circuit.
Therefore, there exists a need for signal processing systems that have reduced harmonic content.


When both a position sensor and a motor malfunction, an ECU limits the engine rotation speed to such a speed range that the pressure inside a circulation route remains at or below a predetermined value even when the opening degree of a control valve is a minimum opening degree. When the position sensor is malfunction but the motor is not malfunction, the ECU relaxes the limits on the engine rotation speed, compared with when both the position sensor and the motor are malfunction, by driving the motor to an end of a motion range thereof and increasing the opening degree of the control valve to an opening degree larger than the minimum opening degree.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a control device for an internal combustion engine and a control method for an internal combustion engine.
2. Description of Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-201224 discloses a cooling system that is provided, on a circulation route through which coolant circulates, with pumps and control valves. A valve body housed inside a housing of the control valve can be rotated by a motor to change the opening degree and the discharge destination of coolant. Such a cooling system is configured to control the flow rate of coolant in a coolant supply route and other routes by rotating the valve body by the motor while sensing the angle of the valve body relative to the housing with a sensor.

Control device for internal combustion engine and control method for internal combustion engine


An electromagnetic impulse transmission system includes a plasma antenna generator, an electromagnetic impulse generator electrically coupled with the plasma antenna generator, and a ground plane structure operably associated with the plasma antenna generator. An electromagnetic impulse transmission system includes a plasma antenna, an electromagnetic impulse generator electrically coupled with the plasma antenna, and a ground plane operably associated with the plasma antenna. A method includes the steps of providing a plasma antenna generator, an electromagnetic impulse generator, and a ground plane structure; generating a plasma antenna with the plasma antenna generator; and transmitting an electromagnetic impulse from the electromagnetic impulse generator to the plasma antenna. The method further includes radiating the electromagnetic impulse from the plasma antenna such that at least a portion of the electromagnetic impulse is reflected by the ground plane structure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electromagnetic impulse transmission systems. In particular, the present invention relates to an electromagnetic impulse transmission system including a plasma antenna generator.
2. Description of Related Art
Electromagnetic energy can be used in many ways to sense objects from a distance. Radar, for example, is reflected electromagnetic energy used to determine the velocity and location of a targeted object. It is widely used in such applications as aircraft and ship navigation, military reconnaissance, automobile speed checks, and weather observations.
In certain situations, it is desirable to radiate one or more electromagnetic impulses to sense objects within the area, such as with conventional radar. Generally, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a signal generator 101 generates an electromagnetic impulse, which is radiated by an antenna 103 as an electromagnetic wave 105. Upon encountering an interface, such as an interface between an object 107 and air 109, a portion of the energy of electromagnetic wave 105 is reflected as an electromagnetic wave 111. Reflected electromagnetic wave 111 may then be received by a sensor 113, which analyzes reflected electromagnetic wave 111 to determine various characteristics of object 107.
As discussed above, only a portion of the energy of wave 105 is reflected as electromagnetic wave 111. The rest of the energy of electromagnetic wave 105 propagates into object 107 as electromagnetic wave 115. Upon encountering a second interface, such as an interface between object 107 and a second object 117 disposed within object 107, a portion of the energy of electromagnetic wave 115 is reflected as a second reflected electromagnetic wave 119. Second reflected electromagnetic wave 119 may then be received by sensor 113 to determine various characteristics of object 117. Impulse radar sensing uses these techniques for identifying characteristics of objects under ground, under water, within buildings, and the like.
It is often desirable to deploy such antennas, e.g., antenna 103, during flight. For example, a vehicle approaching an object may deploy an antenna so that electromagnetic energy may be directed toward the object. Conventional antennas generally include rigid or semi-rigid members that may be compactly folded for storage and transport and then unfolded when needed. Alternatively, conventional antennas may be wires that are explosively deployed or deployed by parachutes. A substantial amount of time is often required to deploy such antennas, which results in additional planning to determine the appropriate time to begin deployment so that the antenna will be available when needed. Further, circumstances may arise in which the immediate transmission of electromagnetic energy is desirable. If the antenna has not been deployed, there may not be sufficient time to deploy the antenna and transmit the electromagnetic energy in the desired time frame.
In other implementations, the vehicle from which the antenna is being deployed may be traveling at a very high rate of speed, for example, at a speed greater than the speed of sound. If the medium through which the vehicle is traveling has significant density, such as an atmosphere, considerable forces may act on such conventional antennas when deployed. It may, therefore, be very difficult, if not impossible, for such conventional antennas to be deployed without damage from fast-moving vehicles.
It is also desirable in certain situations to transmit electromagnetic energy having a broad spectrum of frequencies or to transmit low frequency electromagnetic energy. Generally, longer antennas are capable of transmitting electromagnetic energy more efficiently at lower frequencies than shorter antennas. Such longer antennas are typically capable of transmitting electromagnetic energy having higher frequencies as well. Longer, foldable antennas require more storage space, are typically more complex, generally take longer to unfold, and are typically more susceptible to damage upon deployment.
Sensing systems using short pulse (i.e., impulse), high energy sources need antennas that have a low ratio of electrical reactance to electrical resistance. Such antennas are commonly known as "low Q" antennas, as the ratio of electrical reactance to electrical resistance is represented by "Q." Generally, the value of Q for an antenna is inversely proportional to the usable bandwidth for the antenna. Moreover, the use of antennas that have larger Q values in sensing systems employing short pulse, high energy sources may result in "antenna ringing". Antenna ringing is undesirable, as it interferes with electromagnetic energy returned from objects or targets.
While there are many electromagnetic impulse sensing systems and antenna configurations for such systems well known in the art, considerable room for improvement remains.

Electromagnetic impulse transmission system and method of using same


A flat fluorescent lamp includes a first substrate, a second substrate, an external electrode, and a radiating member. The second substrate is combined with the first substrate to form a plurality of discharge spaces. The external electrode is formed on at least one surface of the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the external electrode extends perpendicularly to the discharge spaces. The radiating member is formed on the external electrode and radiates heat generated from the external electrode. Therefore, the heat generated from the flat fluorescent lamp is radiated to outside the flat fluorescent lamp through the radiating member, reducing pinhole formation and generally improving luminance characteristics of the flat fluorescent lamp.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a flat fluorescent lamp and more particularly to a flat fluorescent lamp capable of reducing a pinhole such that a backlight assembly having the flat fluorescent lamp demonstrates improved heat-radiating properties.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a liquid crystal display (LCD) device is a display device that displays an image using liquid crystals that have optical and electrical properties, such as an anisotropic refractive index, an anisotropic permittivity and so on. Compared to other display devices such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), a plasma display panel (PDP), etc., LCD devices have advantages such as thinness, light weight, low driving voltage, low power consumption and so on. Therefore, LCD devices are widely used in various industrial fields.
The LCD device is a non-emissive display device that cannot emit light for itself. Accordingly, the LCD device requires a backlight assembly to provide an LCD panel with light.
A conventional backlight assembly generally uses a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) having a thin and long cylindrical shape as a light source. However, as an LCD device becomes larger in size, more and more CCFLs are needed, increasing the manufacturing cost and degrading the overall luminance uniformity.
Recently, a flat fluorescent lamp that generates planar light has been invented to overcome the above-mentioned problems. A flat fluorescent lamp includes a plurality of discharge spaces for uniformly emitting light over a wide area, and electrodes driving the flat fluorescent lamp. The electrodes are disposed at end portions of the discharge spaces and contact the discharge spaces.
In the flat fluorescent lamp, plasma discharge arises to generate ultraviolet rays in the discharge spaces in response to receiving a discharge voltage from an inverter. Then, a fluorescent material formed on the inside of the flat fluorescent lamp is excited by the ultraviolet rays caused by the plasma discharge, and visible rays are emitted.
When the temperature of the flat fluorescent lamp reaches about 160° C., a pinhole phenomenon occurs, whereby a hole forms in the glass. The pinhole phenomenon negatively affects the stability of the flat fluorescent lamp.

Flat fluorescent lamp capable of reducing pinhole formation


A glycosphingolipid having a sugar chain containing xcex1-glucosamine and xcex2-glucosamine is disclosed. Such glycosphingolipid is advantageous in that possibly being manufactured in a facile and inexpensive manner, and that exhibiting moisturizing effect and immuno-enhancing activity.

The present invention relates to a novel glycosphingolipid and applications thereof, and more specifically to a novel glycosphingolipid having a characteristic structure in the sugar portion thereof, and its applications as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
Rough skin is caused by excessive loss of moisture from the surface of the skin exposed to dry air or cleansing. In these days, various environmental chemical substances may also inhibit skin functions such as lipid secretion, which results in rough skin. Therefore, there is a demand for providing a substance capable of preventing rough skin and having an excellent moisturizing effect.
Various active compounds having a moisturizing effect have been provided, which mainly comprise water-soluble polyols. Some of them including propylene glycols have already been commercialized. However, many of commercialized moisturizing compounds are associated with uncomfortable feel when they are applied or only available with insufficient moisturizing effect, so that there is still a strong demand for the development of a new moisturizing compound.
In such situation, glycosphingolipid attracts a great deal of attention as a safe moisturizing compound.
For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. 1-242690, 2-48520 and 4-159203, and Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 6-80007 describe that glycosphingolipid has skin moisturizing effect. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 6-157283 discloses a skin moisturizing cosmetic for external use containing as one ingredient a glycosphingolipid expressed by a specific general formula. Details of the structures of such glycosphingolipids disclosed in the foregoing publications have, however, been not clear.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 61-286307 is one literature specifically defines a glycosphingolipid having moisturizing effect. The publication describes that ganglioside has skin moisturizing effect and emollient effect, and discloses a skin cosmetic containing ganglioside and a salt thereof. Ganglioside is a kind of glycosphingolipid containing amino sugars and sialic acid besides neutral sugars.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. 5-39485, 7-133217 and 7-285827 disclose skin agents for external use containing cerebroside. Cerebroside is a kind of glycosphingolipid comprising each one mol of fatty acid, sphingosine base and neutral sugar (galactose or glucose).
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 11-43437 describes that a glycosphingolipid having a specific structure has moisturizing effect, whose sugar chain is limited to that containing 1 to 4 hexoses selected from the group comprising uronic acid, glucosamine, galactose and mannose, as combined with one uronic acid.
As has been described in the above, while several kinds of structures have been defined as for glycosphingolipid having moisturizing effect, there is still a need for providing a novel glycosphingolipid having a novel structure. In particular, most strong need resides in that providing a novel glycosphingolipid having moisturizing effect and other miscellaneous activities, and is possibly be manufactured in a relatively facile manner.
Considering such prior art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a glycosphingolipid having a novel structure, and more particularly to provide a glycosphingolipid having moisturizing effect and other miscellaneous activities, and is possibly be manufactured in a relatively facile manner.
The present inventors found out that a novel glycosphingolipid is contained in components of a somatic extract from bacterium Sphingomonas sp., which led us to complete the present invention.
That is, the present invention provides a glycosphingolipid having a sugar chain containing xcex1-glucosamine and xcex2-glucosamine.
The sugar chain preferably comprises mannose, xcex2-glucosamine, xcex1-glucosamine and glucuronic acid, and more preferably has a structure expressed by formula (A) below:
xcex1-Man-(1xe2x86x923)-xcex2-GlcN-(1xe2x86x926)-xcex1-GlcN-(1xe2x86x924)-xcex1-GlcAxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(A)
(where, Man represents mannose, GlcN represents glucosamine and GlcA represents glucuronic acid).
The glycosphingolipid of the present invention is particularly preferable if it has a structure expressed by the formula below:
(where, R1 represents the sugar chain containing xcex1-glucosamine and xcex2-glucosamine, R2 represents any one of an alkyl group possibly having cycloalkyl group, an alkenyl group and an alkynyl group; R3 represents an alkyl group; all of such alkyl group, alkenyl group and alkynyl group may be straight or branched, and may be substituted or unsubstituted).
R2 preferably has a carbon number of 15 to 25, and more preferably has a structure expressed by any one of the formulae below. It should now be noted that a numerical range expressed with a word xe2x80x9ctoxe2x80x9d in this specification includes both end values as a minimum value and a maximum value, respectively.
R3 is preferably a substituted or unsubstituted straight alkyl group having a carbon number of 10 to 20, and more preferably a straight alkyl group having a carbon number of 12.
The present invention also provides a cosmetic and a pharmaceutical composition containing such glycosphingolipid, in particular a moisturizer and an immuno-enhancer.


Digital signals V(K), for use in numerical control of machine tools or robots, for example, are smoothed by means of digital filters to avoid sudden load changes on the axes. As a result, different filter lengths (N') can be used during an axial movement to accommodate varying loads on the axis. This is achieved by presetting modified discontinuous signals V'(K), whose value is determined by doubling the signal difference (D), and then dividing it by the altered filter length (N') less one, in the filter when changing the filter length.

The present invention relates generally to methods for filtering digital signals, and more particularly to a method which varies the filter length on a real-time basis.
Sequences of digital signals can be smoothed by means of digital filters. In the open-loop control of machine tools or robots, the discontinuous or digital setpoint velocity values calculated by a numerical control system are smoothed by a digital averaging filter in order to avoid sudden load changes on the driven axes. The quality of the smoothing process depends thereby on the filter length, that is on the number of velocity values that are averaged.
Often, filter lengths need to be adjusted to accommodate varying operating states of a machine-tool or robot axis to be controlled. For example, a robot's movement along a path requires a better smoothing process and consequently a greater filter length than does a point-to-point movement. It is presently possible to alter an active filter length when a numerically controlled machine is at a standstill, using conventional methods. For this purpose, the number of velocity values previously stored in the filter is converted by means of weighting functions into new velocity values, whose number differs from the number of previous velocity values. This means that the curve given by the previous velocity values is compressed or expanded.
However, it is very time-consuming to convert the velocity values and it cannot be done under real-time operating conditions. The present invention is directed to the problem of developing a method that enables the filter length of a digital filter to be changed on a real-time basis.

Method for filtering digital signals which varies the filter length


An address storing device is provided for storing segment addresses based on data applied from a CPU. An IC memory card set in a computer is addressed with a low-order 8 bits address applied from the CPU. In accordance with a memory request signal and a read/write signal from the CPU, a chip enable signal, and a data enable signal are applied to the IC memory card, thereby reading data stored in the IC memory card by the CPU.

The present invention relates to a system for operatively connecting an IC memory card to a central processing unit (CPU) of a computer for reading data in the card and writing data in the card.
Floppy disks and IC memory cards have come to be generally used as external supplementary memories for storing data such as programs for operating the computer. The data stored in the supplementary memories are usually written in a main memory of the computer through an input/output interface in accordance with a loading instruction from the CPU. Thereafter the CPU operates in accordance with the program data stored in the main memory.
In other words, the CPU executes the program after the program data are transferred to the main memory. Since it takes some time for writing data in the main memory, the starting of the execution of the CPU is delayed. In addition, the amount of operations of the CPU are increased, causing an increase of power consumption and fatigue of the computer.

System for connecting an IC memory card to a central processing unit of a computer

c/o Showakojo, Rhythm Watch Co., Ltd. 496 Obusuma


Patients may operate a CPAP system to deliver appropriate airway pressure at their home. A patient""s apnea problem ca be diagnosed at home without supervision with a CPAP device which delivers a continuously minimum appropriate pressure for substantially the entire period of therapy.

The present invention relates to the diagnosis and treatment of partial or complete upper airway occlusion, a condition where the upper airway collapses, particularly under the reduced pressure generated by inhalation. This is most likely to happen during unconsciousness, sleep or anaesthesia.
A particular application of the present invention is to the diagnosis and/or treatment of snoring and sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is characterized by complete occlusion of the upper airway passage during sleep while snoring is characterized by partial occlusion. Obstructive sleep apnea sufferers repeatedly choke on their tongue and soft palate throughout an entire sleep period resulting in lowered arterial blood oxygen levels and poor quality of sleep. It should be realized that although the following specification discusses sleep apnea in detail, the present invention also applies to the diagnosis and treatment of other forms of upper airway disorders.
Reference to international patent publication WO 82/03548 will show that the application of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has been used as a means of treating the occurrence of obstructive sleep apnea. The patient is connected to a positive pressure air supply by means of a nose mask or nasal prongs. The air supply breathed by the patient, is at all times, at slightly greater than atmospheric pressure. For example, gauge pressures will typically be within the range of 2 cm to 25 cm. It has been found that the application of continuous positive airway pressure provides what can be described as a xe2x80x9cpneumatic splintxe2x80x9d, supporting and stabilizing the upper airway and thus eliminating the occurrence of upper airway occlusions. It is effective in eliminating both snoring and obstructive sleep apnea and in many cases, is effective in treating central and mixed apnea.
The airway pressure required for effective CPAP therapy differs from patient to patient. In order to discover the airway pressure which is most effective for a particular individual, the practice has been for the patient to undergo two sleep studies at an appropriate observation facility such as a hospital, clinic or laboratory. The first night is spent observing the patient in sleep and recording selected parameters such as oxygen saturation, chest wall and abdominal movement, air flow, expired CO2, ECG, EEG, EMG and eye movement. This information can be interpreted to diagnose the nature of the sleeping disorder and confirm the presence or absence of apnea and where present, the frequency and duration of apneic episodes and extent and duration of associated oxygen desaturation. Apneas can be identified as obstructive, central or mixed. The second night is spent with the patient undergoing nasal CPAP therapy. When apnea is observed the CPAP setting is increased to prevent the apnea. The pressure setting at the end of the sleep period, i.e., the maximum used, is deemed to be the appropriate setting for that patient. For a given patient in a given physical condition there will be found different minimum pressures for various stages of sleep in order to prevent occlusions. Furthermore, these various pressures will, in fact, vary from day to day depending upon the patient""s physical condition, for example, nasal congestion, general tiredness, effects of drugs such as alcohol, as well as their sleeping posture. Thus the appropriate pressure found in the laboratory is necessarily the maximum of all these minimum pressures for that particular night and is not necessarily the ideal pressure for all occasions nor for every night. It will generally be higher than necessary for most of the night.
Also patients must be able to operate a CPAP system to deliver appropriate airway pressure at their home where their general physical condition or state of health may be quite different to that in the sleep clinic, and will certainly vary from day to day. The patient""s physical condition often improves due to CPAP therapy. It is often the case that after a period of therapy the necessary airway pressure can be reduced by some amount while still preventing the occurrence of obstructive sleep apnea. However, the prior art provides no facility to take advantage of this fact other than by regular diagnostic sleep periods in a sleep clinic or hospital.
The long term effects of CPAP therapy are unknown so it is desirable to keep the airway pressure as low as practicable, particularly if a patient requires long term treatment. Lower airway pressures also result in a lower face mask pressure which is generally more comfortable for the patient. It has been found that CPAP induces patients to swallow and this inducement to swallow can be reduced by lowering the airway pressure. Thus it is desirable to use the lowest practicable airway pressure that is effective in preventing airway occlusion during CPAP therapy for the comfort and, possibly, the long term safety of the patient. Also, a lower airway pressure requires less energy consumption and a less complex and therefore less expensive apparatus which is generally quieter.
Low airway pressures are also desirable before and during the early stage of each sleep period as the increased comfort of an initially lower airway pressure allows the patient to more easily fall asleep. When a patient undergoing CPAP opens his mouth with pressurized air being forced through the nose the pressured air exits out of the mouth producing an unpleasant sensation. This can occur when the patient puts on the mask connected to the pressured air supply before falling asleep and some patients will therefore leave the mask off for as long as possible and may in fact fall asleep without wearing the mask and therefore without the benefits of the CPAP therapy.
Presently available CPAP units do not address this problem and so there is a need to provide a CPAP device which will be more acceptable to the patient before and during initial sleep by operating at an initially low pressure but automatically increasing to an appropriate therapeutic pressure before apnea occurs.
In addition to the problems associated with administering CPAP therapy there exists the inconvenience and cost of diagnosis which is currently undertaken by overnight observation at a sleep clinic or the like. Hence a simple means whereby a patient""s apnea problem can be diagnosed at home without supervision is clearly desirable as well as a CPAP device which will deliver a continuously minimum appropriate pressure for substantially the entire period of therapy.
Devices are available to detect apnea. For example, International Patent publication WO/86/05965 discloses an apparatus which includes acoustic respiration sensors, background sound sensors and movement sensors. Such apparatus are capable of detecting breathing sounds, comparing those sounds with body movements and background noises and by further comparing the results with a data base of information, to indicate whether the patient is undergoing a normal or abnormal breathing pattern. Such apparatus can sound an alarm on the occurrence of apnea.
Another device which could be readily adapted to detect and record the occurrence of apneic episodes is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,537,190. That apparatus is responsive to the CO2 levels in exhaled air during respiration and is also responsive to the absence of respiration (i.e., apnea) in which case it can switch on a ventilator.
These devices are deficient in that they do not take advantage of the indication of apnea obtained exclusively from a recording from a single sound transducer (microphone) preferably located in the CPAP nose mask or prongs that can be interpreted by a skilled physician. The sound transducer, in its most general form, consists of a pressure transducer which, in addition to detecting snoring sounds, can detect other respiratory parameters such as the rate of breathing, inhaled air flow or inhaled air flow rate. The inherent simplicity of this form of measurement makes it safe and practicable for anybody to use in their own home with a minimum of prior instruction.
Although diagnosis in a sleep clinic as outlined above is beneficial, it has some deficiencies. A patient is likely not to sleep in a fully relaxed state in an unfamiliar environment and a single night is insufficient to obtain a pressure setting that will be optimal in the long run. Thus home therapy at the pressure setting arrived at in this way is likely to be less than 100% effective on some occasions and higher than necessary for a substantial portion of the time. The cost and inconvenience of a sleep study in a hospital setting are to be avoided if possible.
A skilled physician can usually recognize the symptoms of sleep apnea from questioning and examining a patient. Where no other indications are present there is very little risk in attempting nasal CPAP therapy without further testing as the treatment is fail safe and non-invasive. However, a very useful intermediate step would be to analyze the pattern of respiratory sounds over one or more full nights of sleep. Interpretation of these patterns together with questioning and examination will, in many cases, provide sufficient confirmation of apnea to prescribe nasal CPAP therapy. If nasal CPAP eliminates the symptoms of day time sleepiness (as assessed by the patient) and of apneic snoring patterns (as assessed by analysis of recorded respiratory sounds while on nasal CPAP), the treatment can be continued. Further check ups can be conducted at intervals recommended by the physician.
In the most general form of the device, the intermediate step before attempting nasal CPAP therapy would be to analyse the patterns of the respiratory parameters that can be obtained from a single pressure transducer. These parameters include, in addition to acoustic rate of breathing, inhaled/exhaled air volume and inhaled/exhaled air flow rate, and provide comprehensive information for the physician to assess the patient""s condition. This additional information, coming from the same pressure transducer, is available at marginal additional cost to the acoustic recording and with no additional complexity in home use by the patient.
The measurement of other parameters would provide further information to assist diagnoses and the acoustic and/or other respiratory recordings described above can readily be used in conjunction with other monitors such as ECG and/or pulse oximetry. Suitable monitors are available to measure both these parameters in the home but with increased information comes much higher cost of equipment and increase complexity in using the equipment. The correlation between reduced oxygen saturation and apnea is sufficiently well established to infer oxygen desaturation from the confirmation of an apneic event.
Diagnoses which are not conclusive from examination and home monitoring will continue to be confirmed from full sleep studies in a Sleep Disorders Center.
Thus the prior art monitors and methods are deficient at least in that the resulting therapy is not 100% effective at all times, it is delivered at higher pressure than necessary for substantial periods, the equipment is expensive and has required diagnosis in specialized clinics.
The present inventors have recognized the detection of the noise of snoring or more particularly snoring patterns as a reliable parameter for detecting apneas as well as the imminent onset of apneic episodes. Characteristic snoring patterns can be associated with various sleep conditions including apnea and in fact in most (perhaps 95%) of sleep apnea sufferers, distinctive snoring patterns closely precede apneic episodes as will be later discussed. Characteristic patterns of other respiratory parameters such as rate of breathing, inhaled/exhaled air volume and inhaled/exhaled air flow rate, obtainable from the same pressure transducer as snoring patterns, can also be used for detecting apneas as well as the imminent onset of apneic episodes. Any one parameter or combination of parameters may be used for detecting apneas or other breathing disorders, as well as the imminent onset of apneas or other breathing disorders.
A pressure transducer such as a microphone is a suitable detector of these characteristic snoring sounds, and in particular the sounds of snoring patterns. Furthermore, the quality of the sounds monitored can be enhanced by placing the microphone within an enclosure which is in sound communication with a patient""s respiratory system. By enclosing the microphone, a physical noise barrier isolates the microphone from external sounds. If the enclosure is in sound communication with the patient""s respiratory system the natural stethoscope effect of the patient""s respiratory system is thereby exploited. A further benefit of such a device is that the microphone is not in direct contact with any part of the patient""s body. Thus, relative movement between the microphone and the patient""s body, which is a noise source as far as monitoring is concerned, can be avoided.
Monitoring of a patient""s snoring patterns alone can in many instances provide information indicative of his/her condition, whether he/she suffers mild, medium or extreme apneic episodes, how often the episodes occur and therefore whether CPAP therapy will be beneficial. A snoring monitor can accordingly be used at least as a preliminary diagnostic tool with or without monitoring other physiological parameters to provide information on the frequency and severity of snoring, hypopnea and apnea in a patient. Its simplicity and inexpensive nature allows it to be used at home in the patient""s usual environment without the expense of a night in a sleep clinic. In some cases, e.g., where unusual snoring patterns are encountered, the diagnosis of the data from the snoring monitor will not be conclusive and the traditional full diagnosis in a sleep clinic will be required.
Thus, in one form of this invention there is provided a diagnostic device comprising a nose piece substantially fluidly sealable to the nasal air passages of a patient, a sound transducer in sound communication with the interior of the nose piece so as to be, when in use, in sound communication with the respiratory system of the patient and to detect and produce a signal responsive to the sounds of patient snoring, and recording equipment associated with the sound transducer for recording information indicative of the signal.
In another form of the diagnostic device, there is provided a nose piece substantially fluidly sealable to, or in sealed fluid communication with, the nasal air passages of a patient, a pressure transducer in pressure communication with the interior of the nose piece so as to be in pressure communication with the respiratory system of the patient and to detect and produce a signal or signals responsive to snoring and other respiratory parameters, such as rate of breathing, inhaled/exhaled air volume and inhaled/exhaled air flow rate, of the patient, and recording equipment associated with the pressure transducer for recording information indicative of one or more of the signals.
In one preferred embodiment of the diagnostic device, the intensity of the signal is recorded with respect to time. In another embodiment of the diagnostic device the microphone output is fed through an amplifier or filter to differentiate normal breathing sounds from those indicative of snoring, and the intensities and time pattern of the differentiated sounds are recorded. Further, in a embodiment of the diagnostic device the frequency and duration of airway occlusions are calculated by preprogrammed processing of the detected signal, the processed signal is recorded as a time chart or a table interpreted by the physician.
In another embodiment of the diagnostic device, the pressure transducer measures or detects a number of audio or low frequency waves generated within the mask during breathing including a high frequency audio wave produced by the air flow into the mask and by the rotating elements of the air source, a low frequency audio wave produced by the resonance of the airways or chest cavity during snoring, a very low frequency large amplitude wave corresponding to the pressure variations produced by the air flowing over a section of the nose piece, which may include a flow restrictor to amplify the pressure drop. After suitable amplification, the output signal from the pressure transducer passes through filtering and conditioning circuits to separate the different waves of interest, including the low frequency audio wave described above and the very low frequency pressure wave produced by the air flowing over the said section of the nose piece.
The breathing rate or interruption of breathing, the air flow rate during inhalation/exhalation and the beginning/end points of the breathing cycle are derived from the very low frequency pressure wave after further sampling or processing. Using a suitable integration technique, the air flow is integrated for the duration of the inspiration and/or expiration phase using the said beginning/end points. This integral of air flow corresponds to the inhaled/exhaled air volume for each breath. The processed signals are recorded as a time chart or a table interpreted by a physician.
Thus in a number of cases such a snoring monitor provides an effective substitute for the traditional first night in the sleep clinic. The monitor in its more general form provides information on respiratory parameters such as rate of breathing, inhaled/exhaled air volume, and inhaled/exhaled air flow rate, as well as snoring. Where diagnosis indicates CPAP therapy to be appropriate the patient can go straight to the traditional second night at the sleep clinic so as to determine their appropriate CPAP setting for their condition, or they could commence use of an automatic CPAP device such as the unit described hereunder.
The monitoring of snoring patterns is useful not only for recording information regarding those patterns for diagnostic purposes but is also useful in that certain snoring patterns are a precursor to most apneic episodes in a large proportion of sleep apnea victims. Thus, an effective CPAP device can be controlled by a feedback system in which snoring patterns are monitored and CPAP pressure is raised at the detection of predefined snoring patterns so as to provide increased airway pressure before, and in fact generally prevent the occurrence of, apneic episodes.
Thus, in another form of the invention there is provided in a CPAP apparatus a feedback control comprising a sound monitoring device in sound communication with the respiratory system of a patient when using the apparatus, and a processor responsive to output from the sound monitoring device so as to control CPAP pressure according to patient requirements as determined by output from the sound monitoring device in order to prevent apneic episodes.
The monitoring of other respiratory parameters, as well as snoring, is also useful not only for recording those patterns for diagnostic purposes but is also useful in that certain patterns of these parameters are a precursor to most apneic episodes and other forms of breathing disorders that can be treated by nasal CPAP. Thus an effective CPAP device can be controlled by a feedback system in which patterns of respiratory parameters are monitored and CPAP pressure is raised at the detection of pre-defined patterns so as to provide increased airway pressure, before and in fact generally prevent the occurrence of apneic episodes or other forms of breathing disorders.
For example, the air flow rate inhaled or exhaled by the patient is compared to a base line level for that patient and if the flow rate is lower than the base line, the CPAP pressure is raised. Alternatively, the time interval between the onset of each inspiration or expiration is compared to a base line level for that patient and if the interval is greater than the base line, the CPAP pressure is raised. Alternatively, the integrated inhaled or exhaled volume of air is averaged over a relatively large number of breaths to give a moving base line for the patient. Simultaneously, the integrated inhaled or exhaled volume of air is averaged over a short time interval. If the volume over the short time interval is less than the volume over the relatively large number of breaths by a specified amount, CPAP pressure is raised.
Preferably, the feedback control is co-operative with a variable speed air compressor of the CPAP apparatus, the processor regulating the speed of the compressor when in use by increasing speed in response to a said signal equivalent to a preprogrammed signal indicative of a predetermined snoring pattern. The said signal could also be indicative of a predetermined pattern in other respiratory parameters.
Preferably, the control system furthermore decreases speed of the air compressor in the absence of the signal after a period of time in accordance with the predefined procedure.
In another form of the feedback device of the invention there is provided a CPAP apparatus including a variable speed air compressor, a nose piece for sealed air communication with a patient""s respiratory system, an air line from the compressor to the nose piece, an enclosed microphone connected to the air line so as to be in sound communication with the patient""s respiratory system, and a feedback system controlling the speed of the air compressor in response to an output from the microphone so as to increase compressor speed in response to detected sound indicative of heavy snoring in accordance with a pre-defined procedure. Preferably, the feedback system reduces the speed of the air compressor in response to an absence of the said sound in accordance with the predefined procedure.
In another form of the apparatus there is provided a CPAP apparatus including a variable speed air compressor, a nose piece for sealed air communication with a patient""s respiratory system, an air line from the compressor to the nose piece, a pressure transducer connected to the air line so as to be in pressure communication with the patient""s respiratory system, and a feedback system controlling the speed of the air compressor in response to an output or outputs from the pressure transducer so as to increase compressor speed in response to detected patterns of sound or respiratory parameters indicative of snoring or breathing disorders in accordance with a predefined procedure. Preferably the feedback system reduces the speed of the air compressor in response to an absence of the said patterns of sound or respiratory parameters in accordance with the predefined procedures.
Disadvantages in the prior art are also ameliorated by a further aspect of the invention which provides a variable speed air compressor and control system in the CPAP apparatus, the control system regulating the speed of the compressor when in use by increasing its speed in accordance with a predefined procedure whereby the commencement of operation of the compressor occurs at a preselected minimum speed with a gradually increasing compressor speed over a preselected period of time to a preselected maximum speed.
This embodiment of the invention provides an advantage in that the patient is exposed to a comfortably low pressure before falling asleep and during initial stages of sleep while the necessary therapeutic pressure is reached by the time it is required.

Method and apparatus useful in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea of a patient


An automated human action recognition system may automatically recognize one or more actions of a human from 2D input image data representing a sequential series of input images of the human performing the one or more actions. Each input image may be from an unknown viewpoint. A computer memory system may contain 2D reference image data representing a plurality of reference actions which a human may perform. The 2D reference image data may include a plurality of linked sequences of key poses, including a linked sequence of key poses for each reference action. For each reference action, each key pose within the linked sequence of key poses for the reference action may consist essentially of 2D image data that is representative of a human figure performing the reference action at a selected point during the reference action. The timing of the selected points within the linked sequence of key poses for the reference action may be based on changes in the position of the human figure during the performance of the reference action. The linked sequence of key poses for the reference action may uniquely distinguish it from the linked sequence of key poses for all of the other reference actions. A computer processing system may be configured to determine which of the reference actions best matches the 2D input image data with no knowledge of the viewpoint of the 2D input image data.

1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to automatically recognizing one or more actions of a human.
2. Description of Related Art
Recognizing basic human actions (e.g. walking, sitting down, and waving hands) from a monocular view may be important for many applications, such as video surveillance, human computer interaction, and video content retrieval.
Some research efforts focus on recovering human poses. See A. Agarwal, B. Triggs, "3D Human Pose from Silhouettes by Relevance Vector Regression", CVPR, pp. 882-888, 2004; A. Elgammal, C. S. Lee, "Inferring 3D body pose from silhouettes using activity manifold learning", CVPR, pp. 681-688, 2004; and M. W. Lee, I. Cohen, "Proposal Maps Driven MCMC for Estimating Human Body Pose in Static Images", CVPR, pp. 334-341, 2004. This may be a necessary step for view-invariant human action recognition. However, 3D pose reconstruction from a single viewpoint may be difficult. A large number of parameters may need to be estimated and ambiguity may be caused by perspective projection.
Alternatively, example based methods may store a database of example human figures with known 3D parameters. See D. Ramanan, D. A. Forsyth, "Automatic Annotation of Everyday Movements", NIPS, 2003; and G. Shakhnarovich, P. Viola, T. Darrell, "Fast Pose Estimation with Parameter-Sensitive Hashing", ICCV, pp. 750-757, 2003. A 3D pose may be estimated by searching for examples similar to the input image. Comparisons with known examples may be easier than inferring unknown parameters. However, good coverage in a high dimensional parameter space may need a large number of examples. The difficulty in getting enough examples may make the pose recovered not highly accurate.
2D approaches to action recognition have also been proposed. See M. Blank, L. Gorelick, E. Schetman, M. Irani, R. Basri, "Actions as space-time shapes", ICCV, pp. 1395-1402, 2005; A. F. Bobick, J. W. Davis, "The recognition of human movement using temporal templates", PAMI 23(3), pp. 257-267, 2001; Y. Ke, R. Sukthankar, M. Hebert, "Efficient Visual Event Detection using Volumetric Features", ICCV, pp. 166-173, 2005; I. Laptev, T. Lindeberg, "Space-time interest points", ICCV, pp. 432-439, 2003; and A. Yilmaz, M. Shah, "Actions sketch: a novel action representation", CVPR, pp. 984-989, 2005. These approaches may be roughly grouped as space-time shape based, see M. Blank, L. Gorelick, E. Schechtman, M. Irani, R. Basri, "Actions as space-time shapes", ICCV, pp. 1395-1402, 2005; and A. Yilmaz, M. Shah, "Actions sketch: a novel action representation", CVPR, pp. 984-989, 2005; interest point based, see Y. Ke, R. Sukthankar, M. Hebert, "Efficient Visual Event Detection using Volumetric Features", ICCV, pp. 166-173, 2005; and 1. Laptev, T. Lindeberg, "Space-time interest points", ICCV, pp. 432-439, 2003; and motion template based, see A. F. Bobick, J. W. Davis, "The recognition of human movement using temporal templates", PAMI 23(3), pp. 257-267, 2001. They may work effectively under the assumption that the viewpoint is relatively fixed (e.g., from frontal or lateral view), and, in some cases, with small variance.
The lack of a view-invariant action representation may limit the applications of such 2D based approaches. To address this limitation, some approaches may resort to using multiple cameras. See A. F. Bobick, J. W. Davis, "The recognition of human movement using temporal templates", PAMI 23(3), pp. 257-267, 2001.
A truly view-invariant approach may need knowledge of 3D human poses, which can be robustly recovered from multiple views. See R. Kehl, M. Bray, L. J. Van Gool, "Full Body Tracking from Multiple Views Using Stochastic Sampling", CVPR, pp. 129-136, 2005; and D. Weinland, R. Ronfard, and E. Boyer, "Free Viewpoint Action Recognition using Motion History Volumes", CVIU, 103(2-3), pp. 249-257, 2006. A more challenging problem can be to recover 3D poses from a single view. Some methods may learn a direct mapping from the image feature space (e.g. silhouette) to the parameter space (e.g. 3-D pose) using techniques such as regression, see A. Agarwal, B. Triggs, "3D Human Pose from Silhouettes by Relevance Vector Regression", CVPR, pp. 882-888, 2004, or manifold embedding, see A. Elgammal, C. S. Lee, "Inferring 3D body pose from silhouettes using activity manifold learning", CVPR, pp. 681-688, 2004. However, such mapping may be multi-valued, and it may be difficult for direct mapping to maintain multiple hypotheses over time. Other approaches may directly explore through the parameter space and search for an optimal solution. See M. W. Lee, I. Cohen, "Proposal Maps Driven MCMC for Estimating Human Body Pose in Static Images", CVPR, pp. 334-341, 2004. Due to the high dimensionality, such approaches may use sampling based techniques and look for image evidences to guide the sampler, but the computational complexity may still be very high.
Some approaches to the pose tracking or the action recognition task use graph models, such as Hidden Markov Models, to exploit temporal constraints. See D. Ramanan, D. A. Forsyth, "Automatic Annotation of Everyday Movements", NIPS, 2003; Conditional Random Fields; C. Sminchisescu, A. Kanaujia, Z. Li, D. Metaxas, "Conditional models for contextual human motion recognition", ICCV, pp. 1808-1815, 2005.

Automated single viewpoint human action recognition by matching linked sequences of key poses


An electrophotographic printing apparatus including a semiconductor laser for generating a laser beam, a laser optical system for guiding the laser beam from the semiconductor laser, to repeatedly scan a scanning range constituted by an exposure area and a non-exposure area external to the exposure area, a sensing unit for sensing the laser beam falling on a reference position of the non-exposure area which is adjacent to the end of the exposure area at which exposure starts, and a control unit for controlling the semiconductor laser by synchronizing the timing of a scanning start for the exposure area with a sense signal from the sensing unit. In the exposure control device, the control unit includes a laser control circuit for energizing the semiconductor laser to generate a laser beam which has a first laser power when the laser optical system guides the laser beam to the exposure area, and a second laser power when the laser optical system guides the laser beam to the reference position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exposure control device for use in an electrophotographic printing apparatus, such as a laser printer or a laser copying machine and, more particularly, to an exposure control device for controlling a laser light source for emitting a laser beam to expose a photosensitive image carrier.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical electrophotographic printing apparatus will be described, taking, as an example, a laser printer equipped with a photosensitive drum serving as an image carrier. The laser printer uniformly charges the surface of a photosensitive drum rotating on a shaft in one direction and selectively exposes the charged surface of the drum by using a focused laser beam, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum. The latent image is developed by supplying the photosensitive drum with a developer which selectively adheres to the latent image, so that a visible developer image is formed. The visible image is then transferred from the drum to paper. Such a laser printer is disclosed in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Disclosure Hei 1-234813.
The laser printer of this disclosure has a laser optical system for exposing the charged surface of the photosensitive drum. The optical system has a laser light source for emitting a laser beam. The laser beam is emitted to a polygon mirror rotated by a mirror motor, and then reflected on the polygon mirror to a predetermined scanning range. Each reflecting plane of the polygon mirror changes the direction of reflection of the incident laser beam according to its angle of rotation, thereby permitting the laser beam to scan the scanning range horizontally. The scanning range comprises an exposure area corresponding to the span of the drum surface and a non-exposure area outside the exposure area. A reflecting mirror receives the laser beam scanning the exposure area and reflects the received beam to the drum surface located therebelow. The drum surface is scanned by the laser beam in the direction of the main scanning which is parallel to the drum shaft. Further, the laser optical system has a pickup mirror and a photo sensor in order to identify a scanning position. The pickup mirror mirror is set at a position of the non-exposure area adjacent to the exposure starting end of the exposure area and reflects a laser beam reflected from the polygon mirror toward the photo sensor. The photo sensor converts the laser beam reflected from the pickup mirror to an electric signal.
The laser power of the laser beam, is preset by means of a laser control voltage to obtain a desired printing tone. However, the laser power may change, due to change in the temperature of the laser light source which depends on the frequency at which the laser sight source is driven. Therefore, the laser printer has a laser power detector formed in the laser light source, and corrects the driving current supplied to the laser light source based on the output voltage therefrom so that the laser power is stabilized at the preset level.
However, the above-described laser printer suffers from the following drawbacks because it must be controlled so that the laser power is kept constant all the time. Suppose that characters drawn by bold lines, such as Gothic characters, are printed. In this case, there is a fear that a slight increase of the printing tone makes the bold lines come in contact with each other and thus characters are defaced. In order to avoid such a situation, it is required to set the laser control voltage to 2 volts or less. However, the photo sensor cannot sense a laser beam with the laser power depending on such setting. In order to obtain the laser power of a laser beam which can be sensed with certainty, it is required to set the laser control voltage to 3V or more. If the laser printer is connected to a CAD (computer aided design) apparatus to draw precision graphic forms in accordance with image data therefrom, the laser control voltage must be set from 8V to 10V, in order to draw the graphic forms clearly. If, however, the laser control voltage are set to such a high voltage, the photo sensor will sense not only a laser beam reflected from a desired spot in the pickup mirror but also laser beams reflected from the periphery of the spot. This will cause the output signal of the photo sensor which should be rectangular in waveshape to become dull, resulting in a lag in the start timing of exposure.

Exposure control device for use in electrophotographic printing apparatus


The disclosure discloses a latitude-free initial alignment method under a swaying base based on gradient descent optimization. Firstly, swaying base latitude-free alignment is regarded as a Wahba attitude determination problem to inhibit device noise interference, and an objective function is established based on a gravitational acceleration vector under an earth system; then an exact solution of the objective function is obtained through a gradient descent optimization method, and inertial system conversion quaternion estimation is achieved under the latitude-free condition; and finally, an attitude quaternion is determined by only using information of an accelerometer and a gyroscope of a strapdown attitude heading reference system, and therefore latitude-free initial alignment under the swaying base is achieved. The disclosure can solve the problem that initial alignment cannot be accomplished with unknown latitude under the swaying base, and thus the application range of the strapdown attitude heading reference system is ensured.

A strapdown attitude heading reference system adopts a gyroscope and an accelerometer to measure information of angular velocity and linear acceleration of motion of a carrier, can output the horizontal attitude and heading information of the carrier continuously in real time through calculating and possesses the advantages of being small in size, fast to start, high in autonomy, high in attitude measurement accuracy, and the like, thus being widely used as the attitude reference of combat units such as a combat vehicle, a warship and various weaponry platforms. The alignment speed and the alignment accuracy of an initial alignment technology which serves as a key technology of the strapdown attitude heading reference system will directly determine the starting response time and the attitude measurement accuracy of the strapdown attitude heading reference system. A traditional initial alignment technology does not need longitude information during alignment starting but greatly depend on external latitude information, which may reduce the system autonomy and security and influence the system survivability in a battlefield, especially under a swaying base.
Under the case of the swaying base, as the angular velocity caused by sea wave swaying motion is far greater than the rotational angular velocity of the earth, gyroscope output is low in signal-to-noise ratio, consequently a vector of the rotational angular velocity of the earth cannot be directly extracted from gyroscope output information, and at the moment, a traditional analytical static base alignment method cannot work. Besides, as a compass alignment and Kalman filtering combined alignment method needs to meet a condition that a misalignment angle is a small angle during application, initial alignment under the condition of heading angles in arbitrarily orientation of the swaying base cannot be achieved.
Although a constraint equation cannot be directly built through the rotational angular velocity of the earth under the case of the swaying base, an inertial system alignment method adopts a gravitational acceleration vector under an inertial system at two or more moments to build a corresponding constraint relation, and then an attitude transformation matrix is determined, thus being widely used for swaying base initial alignment. Usually, the inertial system alignment method can be classified into two types: one type is an inertial system analytical alignment method based on double vectors and the other type is an inertial system alignment method based on multivector optimization. Essentially, the double-vector inertial system analytical alignment method based on a velocity integral form and the inertial system alignment method based on multivector optimization both belong to the category of least square estimation and both have a good inhibiting effect on interferences such as device noise, external environment vibration, etc.
However, a traditional swaying base alignment method which includes the inertial system analytical alignment method based on the double vectors and the inertial system alignment method based on multivector optimization needs to obtain local latitude information by the aid of the Global Positioning System (GPS), a beacon transducer and other external equipment during initial alignment, which may reduce the autonomy and the security of the strapdown attitude heading reference system. As for swaying base initial alignment under the conditions such as water surface GPS signal lock loss, denial and receiving failure of locating signals under water, the traditional swaying base initial alignment method cannot accomplish an alignment task, which greatly limits the application range of the strapdown attitude heading reference system.
Accordingly, in order to solve the problem existing in latitude-free initial alignment under the swaying base, the disclosure herein provides a latitude-free initial alignment method under a swaying base based on gradient descent optimization. In the disclosure, a gradient descent optimization concept is applied to initial alignment, firstly swaying base latitude-free alignment is regarded as a Wahba attitude determination problem to inhibit device noise interference, and an objective function is established based on the gravitational acceleration vector under an earth system; then an exact solution of the objective function is obtained through a gradient descent optimization method, and inertial system conversion quaternion estimation is achieved under the latitude-free condition; and finally, an attitude quaternion is determined by only using the information of the accelerometer and the gyroscope of the strapdown attitude heading reference system, and therefore latitude-free initial alignment under the swaying base is achieved. The disclosure can solve the problem that initial alignment cannot be accomplished with unknown latitude under the swaying base, and thus the application range of the strapdown attitude heading reference system is ensured.

Latitude-free initial alignment method under swaying base based on gradient descent optimization


A vertical expansion joint for connecting substrates in new of existing structures provides a fabricated seal, comprising a strip of cured, low modulus silicone attached to an open-cell polyurethane backer foam or, alternately, a closed cell polyethylene foam. The silicone strip of the joint is narrower than the backer foam and compatible with construction grade sealants, neutral cure sealants and room-temperature vulcanized sealant. The seal is inserted into the joint to be filled. A wet silicone sealant into the recessed areas on either side of the cured silicone strip. The wet sealant dries and creates a bond between the strip and the substrates. The resulting bond allows extreme expansion and contraction of the curtainwalls or substrates, while maintaining a watertight seal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns joints utilized in structures. Even more particularly, the present invention concerns larger vertical joints in curtain wall applications allowing expansion and contraction of the wall substrate while maintaining a water-tight seal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the construction of buildings and roads having multiple panels therein, there has long existed the need for joints and other similar means to connect substrates and accommodate the expansion of these substrates due to thermal conditions. Such joints used in highways have been termed horizontal joints. Those utilized in buildings, notably in skyscrapers, have been termed vertical joints. Those joints within buildings which interconnect with vertical joints or other vertical members are termed vertical-horizontal joints.
In selecting among the known materials to form a vertical joint, architects have heretofore abstained from using silicone sealants. This has been due to the size of the joints, usually over 3/4 inch in width and often 1 and 1/4 inches or more. Silicone is normally applied wet in this type of joint. Before solidifying, the silicone would readily sag and slump within the joint. This produced an uneven joint, which could not perform in the needed manner nor insure a watertight seal.
Architects therefore turned to other materials, most notably rubber and neoprine. These natural products perform the necessary task a joint must. However, joints made from these materials suffer from drawbacks. Firstly, the cost of these materials is high. Additionally, the labor necessary to construct these joints is great, and these joints often require plates or other similar support structures therein. Further, the joints effected with these materials are often aesthetically unpleasing. Finally and most importantly, these materials deteriorate with exposure to the elements, particularly to ultraviolet light which is contained with sunlight. That these materials have a somewhat limited lifespan is marked by the industry warranties of these materials in such joints for a maximum of five years.
Silicone offers a jointing material that is relatively unaffected by ultraviolet light and exposure to the elements. It is also a very resilient material, thus quite suited for work in a joint. Industry warranties of twenty years attest to the durability and desirability of silicon in joints. Therefore, there exists a need in the construction arts for a device to effect a vertical joint comprising silicone, as well as a need for a vertical silicone joint, particularly in but not limited to large-scale construction.
An example of a common method known to those skilled in the art to effect joints is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,334,557 issued Aug. 8, 1967 to Fitzgibbon and is entitled "POLYURETHANE CONCRETE SLAB SEALER". Fitzgibbon teaches the filling of a gap between concrete slabs in a roadway with plastic polyurethane liquid materials to provide a horizontal joint. The liquid material expands after placement and expands to a volume that fills the gap. The deployment of the liquid sealant, in situ, affords full coverage of space while affording a waterproof material.
However, problems result if such a system is attempted in a vertical setting. Firstly, there are problems in pouring or applying the liquid sealant. Devices or mold structures to prevent the run-off of the sealant due to gravity, such as boards over the gap or opening, would have to be developed. Time must be spent assembling and later disassembling these mold structures. These devices would not, however, address the problems of even distribution of the silicone sealant. Further, time is lost while allowing the sealant to dry. Finally, finishing processes must be applied to complete the joint.
A vertical joint is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,947 issued to Nov. 22, 1977 to Earle et alia and is entitled "FIRE RESISTANT JOINT SYSTEM FOR CONCRETE STRUCTURES". Earle teaches a joint comprising a refractory fiber mass which is wedged in the gap between adjacent concrete panels. Frictional forces hold the fiber mass within the gap. A backup component is deployed atop the fiber mass. Atop this backup component is deployed the sealant. The sealant is disposed and dried in contact with the backup component and the concrete panels.
The Earle patent does not provide connection between the fiber mass and the sealant. Thus, the mass can be dislodged as the panels contract and expand. Further, this lack of connection does not give any backing to the sealant, which could be torn or otherwise broken by the movement of the building. Thus, the joint of Earle can fail during use.
It is unknown in the art, to the best of the Applicant's knowledge, to effect a vertical joint utilizing silicone, and particularly of joints of the size commonly found in large-scale construction. It is to these needs that the present invention is directed.


A DC-DC converter for converting an input DC voltage to an output DC voltage has a switch element which is turned ON/OFF by a drive signal, a reference voltage source for outputting a first reference voltage when the switch element is ON or outputting a second reference voltage when the switch element is OFF, a capacitive element having one terminal connected to the reference voltage source, a charge/discharge circuit for discharging the capacitive element when the switch element is ON and charging the capacitive element when the switch element is OFF, a switch circuit for short-circuiting the capacitive element when the switch element is turned ON and OFF, and a comparison circuit for comparing the output DC voltage or a voltage at which the output DC voltage is detected with a voltage at the other terminal of the capacitive element and generating the drive signal.

The present invention relates to a DC-DC converter which supplies a stable output DC voltage in rapid response to a change in input/output conditions.
In recent years, as electronic equipment represented by mobile equipment has increased in functionality, the power consumption thereof has also increased. To use the battery of such electronic equipment for longer hours, the increase in the power consumption thereof should be suppressed. For this purpose, a technology termed power management that supplies power only to a currently operating circuit in electronic equipment and stops a circuit which need not be operated has been used commonly. A DC-DC converter which supplies a DC voltage to such electronic equipment is requested to rapidly respond to a change in output conditions.
For a DC-DC converter which is excellent in transient response characteristic, a known technology termed hysteresis control has been used conventionally. The hysteresis control is a self-excited control method which holds an output DC voltage within a hysteresis width set by a hysteresis comparison circuit. Since a feedback system using a typical error amplifier is not provided, a transient response time is dependent only on the delay time between the hysteresis comparison circuit and a driving circuit for a switch element. On the other hand, an output ripple voltage dependent on the equivalent series resistance (hereinafter referred to as ESR) of an output capacitor corresponds to a hysteresis width so that a switching frequency is directly proportional to the ESR. As a result, the problem is encountered that the use of an output capacitor with a low ESR lowers the switching frequency.
As a solution to the problem of the hysteresis control mentioned above, a technology as disclosed in, e.g., Patent Document (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-64994) has been proposed. The technology superimposes a switching waveform on the waveform of an output DV voltage from a detection unit for the output DC voltage to increase the amplitude of the ripple voltage only in the detection unit, thereby preventing the lowering of the switching frequency and reducing the output ripple voltage. FIG. 6 is a view showing a circuit structure of a conventional DC-DC converter disclosed in Patent Document described above.
The conventional DC-DC converter shown in FIG. 6 includes: an input DC voltage source 10 for supplying an input DC voltage Vi; a switch element 11 and a diode 12 connected in series to each other in parallel relation to the input DC voltage source 10; an inductor 13 connected between the output of the DC-DC converter and the connecting point between the switch element 11 and the diode 12; an output capacitor 14 for supplying an output DC voltage Vo to a load 20; a resistor 15 and a capacitor 16 connected in series to each other in parallel relation to the inductor 13; and a hysteresis comparison circuit 18 for comparing a voltage Vx at the connecting point between the resistor 15 and the capacitor 16 with a reference voltage Vrf from a reference voltage source 17. The DC-DC converter uses an output from the hysteresis comparison circuit 18 to cause the ON/OFF operation of the switch element 11. The hysteresis comparison circuit 18 has a hysteresis voltage Vh and turns ON the switch element 11 when the voltage Vx at the connecting point between the resistor 15 and the capacitor 16 becomes not more than the reference voltage Vrf, while turning OFF the switch element 11 when the connecting-point voltage Vx becomes not less than a voltage (reference voltage Vrf+hysteresis voltage Vh).
A description will be given herein below to the operation of the DC-DC converter of FIG. 6.
First, when the switch element 11 is in the ON state, the voltage difference (Vi−Vo) between the input DC voltage Vi and the output DC voltage Vo is applied to the inductor 13 so that a linearly increasing current flows. The capacitor 16 is charged so that the voltage Vx at the connecting point Vx between the resistor 15 and the capacitor 16 rises. When the connecting-point voltage Vx eventually reaches the voltage (reference voltage Vrf+hysteresis voltage Vh), the hysteresis comparison circuit 18 turns OFF the switch elemenet 11. Then, when the switch element 11 is in the OFF state, the output DC voltage Vo is applied to the inductor 13 so that a linearly decreasing current flows. The capacitor 16 is discharged so that the voltage Vx at the connecting point between the resistor 15 and the capacitor 16 drops. When the connecting-point voltage Vx eventually reaches the reference voltage Vrf, the hysteresis comparison circuit 18 turns ON the switch elemenet 11. By repeating the operation described above, the voltage Vx at the connecting point between the resistor 15 and the capacitor 16 is controlled to upwardly and downwardly fluctuate between the reference voltage Vrf and the voltage (reference voltage Vrf and hysteresis voltage Vh).
Since the output DC voltage Vo is immediately transmitted to the hysteresis comparison circuit 18 via the capacitor 16, the transient response characteristic is excellent and the output ripple voltage can also be set to a low level.
In the DC-DC converter having such a structure, however, the output DC voltage Vo is not directly stabilized and a DC voltage superimposed on an output voltage from the capacitor 16 is present. This has caused the problem of degraded stability.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


The present invention provides self-expanding or otherwise expandable artificial valve prostheses for deployment within a bodily passageway, such as a vessel or duct of a patient. The valve prostheses include a support structure having an outer frame and supporting a valve leaflet.

Many vessels in animals transport fluids from one bodily location to another. In some vessels, such as mammalian veins, natural valves are positioned along the length of the vessel to permit fluid flow in a substantially unidirectional manner along the length of the vessel. These natural valves are particularly important in the lower extremities to prevent blood from pooling in the lower legs and feet during situations, such as standing or sitting, when the weight of the column of blood in the vein can act to prevent positive blood flow toward the heart. A condition, commonly known as "chronic venous insufficiency", is primarily found in individuals where gradual dilation of the veins, thrombotic events, or other conditions prevent the leaflets of the native valves from closing properly. This leads to significant leakage of retrograde flow such that the valve is considered "incompetent". Chronic venous insufficiency is a potentially serious condition in which the symptoms can progress from painful edema and unsightly spider or varicose veins to skin ulcerations. Elevation of the feet and compression stockings can relieve symptoms, but do not treat the underlying disease. Untreated, the disease can impact the ability of individuals to maintain their normal lifestyle.
To treat venous valve insufficiency, a number of surgical procedures have been employed to improve or replace the native valve, including placement of artificial valve prostheses. These efforts have met with limited success and have not been widely adopted as methods of treating chronic venous insufficiency. More recently, efforts have been directed towards finding a suitable self-expanding or radially-expandable artificial valve prostheses that can be placed using minimally invasive techniques, rather than requiring open surgery and its obvious disadvantages. Thus far, use of prosthetic venous valves has remained experimental only.
Prosthetic valves have been developed that use a support frame such as a stent. Frequently, a graft member is attached to the support frame and provides a valve function to the device. For example, the graft member can be in the form of a leaflet that is attached to a stent and movable between first and second positions. In a first position, the valve is open and allows fluid flow to proceed through a vessel in a first direction, and in a second direction the valve is closed to restrict fluid flow in a second, opposite direction. Examples of such prosthetic valves are described in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,508,833, filed Mar. 21, 2001, and U.S. Publication No. 2004/0186558, published Sep. 23, 2004. Another example of a prosthetic valve assembly, including a valve seat and a movable valve composed of a flexible member, is provided by U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,599, filed Dec. 13, 1999.
Prosthetic valves are designed to replace or supplement the function of incompetent natural valves. The use of an expandable support frame in valve devices allows for the use of minimally invasive delivery devices and techniques for placement of the valves within body vessels, which will likely lower the overall cost of treatment and increase the acceptance of these medical devices by practitioners and patients alike.

Artificial valve with center leaflet attachment


Techniques of transporting bath sponges involve holding a used bath sponge in a case that will carry and compress the used bath sponge. Such a case separates the soiled water and debris that is drained from the used bath sponge. The case is designed to facilitate the drainage of water and debris that have accumulated in the bath sponge after it is used. The action of compression of a bath sponge within this case will also help to maintain the original shape of the bath sponge. This case will keep all water and debris that has collected by the action of compression of the bath sponge contained in the lower sections of the case. In addition, when this case is stored in an upright position, the water and debris will not be able to flow back into the top section where the sponge is being stored.

Bath sponges are typically transported for travel and use away from home by consumers in a variety of ways. A conventional approach to transporting bath sponges involves using a plastic zip lock bag to transport their bath sponge. Another conventional approach involves transporting a used bath sponge wrapped in a bath towel.


Engine components are thermally insulated with composite layers for improved engine efficiency. A metallic insulation layer is affixed to the metallic substrate of each component, and a layer of heat and corrosion resistant metal overlies and is bonded to the insulation layer. One preferred embodiment incorporates a preformed sheet layer of stainless steel sintered to a layer of metallic insulation attached to the component body substrate. An alternate embodiment incorporates a plasma-sprayed stainless steel layer over the insulation layer. A preferred process for making the engine component includes casting the component body in a mold containing a preformed insulation composite formed of a layer of stainless steel sheet sintered to a layer of metallic insulation.

This invention relates generally to insulation of engine components and more particularly to composite layered insulation for pistons, cylinder heads, and valves. Many modern insulation composites include pure ceramic layers employed in combination with adjoining layers of thermally insulative materials, particularly layers of metallic insulation. The ceramic layers thus utilized have been applied to the latter metallic layers by electrostatic deposition techniques, particularly, and more propularly, via plasma spray. A principal drawback of prior art ceramics as utilized with metallic layers has been the difficulty of adherence of ceramics to metallic materials. In fact, many of the failures of ceramic are attributable to the bonding agents employed to create durable adherence of ceramic to metal, the bonding agents being required chiefly as result of the large differences in thermal expansion coefficients of ceramics relative to metals. Another drawback, relating to the inherently brittle nature of ceramic materials, is that ceramic layers have a tendency to crack and flake away when used in high stress situations, such as those encountered in internal combustion engines.

Composite insulation for engine components


An insect or pest preventer for preventing crawling insects or pests from reaching plants, trees or attractant supporting structures such as plant tables, picnic tables, etc. A combination of -tactic, ultraviolet light and other barriers are positioned with respect to the path of travel of the insect.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for preventing access to plants, trees, or tables or susceptible sections of plants or trees by crawling insects or other crawling pests. More particularly, this invention relates to a method and apparatus for preventing crawling insects or other crawling pests from crawling to attractant supporting sections of structures such as a table or a flower pot support by imposing a barrier which will disrupt the pests' navigation and orientation mechanisms. The invention further relates to a method and apparatus for preventing crawling insects or other crawling pests from gaining access to susceptible sections of plants, trees or tables.
At the present time, the most common method for preventing crawling insects or other crawling pests from damaging plants or trees is to apply chemicals which may be poisonous to or around the plants or trees. Such chemicals may have adverse environmental impacts and may not be suitable for use with plants or tree products which will eventually become foodstuffs. Additionally, the effective period of such chemicals is usually limited necessitating repeated application of chemicals.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a physical barrier to crawling insects or other crawling pests. This barrier has members arranged in a particular manner which prevent crawling insects and other crawling pests from reaching the table, the plant, the food stuff growing on a tree, a plant, the attractant support mechanism or the susceptible area of a plant or tree in the case of an accessible plant or tree.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide unobtrusive devices that are relatively inexpensive, easy to install, easy to include in the manufacture of a plant support, quick to maintain, and environmentally safe, while having physical and other barriers for preventing crawling insects and other crawling pests from reaching a table, a plant, a tree or a susceptible section of a plant or tree.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an assembly which may be added to an attractant support mechanism either when manufactured or as a subsequent addition to the support or as an integral portion of a support mechanism at the time the support is manufactured.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus which prevents crawling insects and other crawling pests from access to a plant, tree, table, or a susceptible section of a plant or tree which has minimal effect on the plant or tree.

Method and apparatus for preventing crawling insects or other crawling pests from gaining access to plants


An active system for deflecting a distal portion of a catheter into a hoop configuration includes an elongated catheter body having a proximal portion and a distal portion that is formed with a lumen. A thin-walled tube, which is typically made of a metallic material, is positioned in the lumen. The tube includes a cylindrical wall and includes a plurality of lateral slits that are typically formed in the tube wall and arranged such that the tube can be transformed between a relaxed, cylindrical configuration and a deflected configuration wherein the tube is substantially hoop shaped. One end of a deflection wire is attached to the tube and the other wire end is attached to a reel that is rotationally mounted onto a catheter handle housing. In use, the reel is rotated to axially retract the wire and transform the tube into a hoop configuration.

Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heart rhythm that adversely affects approximately 2.5 million people in the United States. It is believed that at least one-third of all atrial fibrillation originates near the ostium of the pulmonary veins. Anatomically, two pairs of pulmonary veins are connected to the left atrium of the heart with each pair delivering blood to the heart from one of the patient's lungs.
It is further believed that the optimal technique to treat atrial fibrillation is to create circumferential lesions around the ostia where a pulmonary vein connects with the left atrium. More specifically, the goal is to ablate tissue to form a conduction block to thereby prohibit the transmission of irregular electrical signals that can cause an arrhythmia. To be effective, the conduction block must completely block irregular signals and this often requires the ablation of a relatively deep, uniform lesion.
Heretofore, due to the relatively large diameters of these ostia, cryoablation procedures have typically been accomplished using multiple, successive contacts between a cryo-element and the tissue around the periphery of an ostium. More specifically, these procedures have required the cryo-element to be successively moved around the ostia to create a patchwork array of ablations. This often results in a non-uniform circumferential ablation that fails to form an adequate conduction block. Moreover, these multiple contact procedures tend to be complicated, time consuming, difficult to perform, and generally unreliable.
To simplify and quicken the procedure and produce a more uniform lesion, it is desirable to make circumferentially shaped lesions, either in a single contact or with as few contacts as possible. This, in turn, implies the use of a hoop shaped or partially hoop shaped contacting element. One approach to establishing a hoop shaped lesion is to use a so-called "passive" contacting element. In greater detail, this generally involves pre-forming a contacting element in a curved or hoop shape. The passive contacting element is then deformed into a straight configuration and passed through a guiding tube to reach the treatment site. At the site, the contacting element is emitted from the distal end of the guiding tube where it relaxes into its pre-formed shape.
Unfortunately, passive contact elements have several drawbacks. For one, it can be somewhat difficult to guide the deformed element through the tortuous vasculature, due in part to the resistance presented by the deformed contact element in the guide tube. In addition, the size (i.e. radius) of the hoop generated using a passive contact element is typically not adjustable in situ. This later drawback can be significant, for example, when more than one lesion is needed and different hoop sizes are required for each lesion.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide systems and methods suitable for the purposes of cryoablating substantially circumferential ablations of internal tissue, while minimizing the number of tissue-cryo-element contacts. It is another object of the present invention to provide systems and methods for actively forming a hoop shaped contact element in a body conduit. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide systems and methods for cryoablating internal target tissue that can be performed quickly and are relatively reliable.

Active system for deflecting a distal portion of a catheter into a hoop configuration


The present invention relates to a locking arrangement by means of which two parts can be locked to each other, such as locking a door to its frame construction. The locking arrangement comprises a first locking element fastened to the lock unit, a second locking element fastened to the counter part and an acting element being preferably a part of the lock unit. The first and second locking elements are gripping brackets, forming a hooked grip with each other when the lock unit and the counter part are against each other, when, for example, the door is locked in its opening. The gripping brackets are essentially in the direction of the movement of the door. The task of the acting element is to keep the gripping brackets in an overlapping position when the locking arrangement is locked. The position of the acting can be changed, and the current state of the locking arrangement depends on the position.

FIG. 1 illustrates a normal locking arrangement comprising a lock unit 4 and counter part 5. Usually, the lock unit is installed in a door 1 and the counter part 5 is installed in the door frame 2, but other ways of installing are also possible. Latch 6 is moved (pushed or turned) from the lock unit to the counter part, i.e. the striker plate. In the example of FIG. 1 the striker plate is installed in the door frame, and it can be seen that upon locking the door the latch is pushed into a hole in the door frame and the striker plate.
The necessary movement of the latch must be sufficient to keep the door closed in, for example, cases of vandalism, despite the door clearance, i.e. the gap 8 between the door and the frame, the clearance fluctuating on the basis of the door type, the installation tolerances, temperature etc. Typically, the door clearance is between 1 and 5 mm. Usually, the movement of the latch is 14 mm, or in a door of a higher security rating, even 20 mm. The latch is moved by, for example, a key, an electric motor or a button.
Usually, the movement of the latch is transverse to the movement of the door (direction of opening and closing), so that the force exerted on the door upon opening, such as a sealing force caused by the seal 3 or pushing the door, will make the movement of the latch considerably more difficult, because there is friction between it and, for example, the striker plate. There is friction in the inner components of the lock as well, between 7 the latch and other components of the lock unit. This means also that when opening the lock by means of a key or an electric motor, plenty of force is needed to overcome the forces and friction, if any.
Additionally, during burglary, considerable bending stress is exerted on the latch, so that the components will have to be massively dimensioned.
Because of the great force needed to move the latch and the relatively large movement of the latch, the energy needed is usually too large for battery operation. Additionally, powerful and expensive motor gearings are needed. As far as energy consumption is needed, panic exit regulations (standard EN 1125) must be considered, according to which a locked door must be capable of being opened, even though a transverse force of 1000 Newton is exerted in the central part of the door. Fulfilling this requirement using currently known solutions is very difficult and expensive.
Further, a number of sensors has previously been used for sensing the state of the object to be locked, such as a door. Separate sensors have been used for indicating, for example, whether the door is open, the locking locked and the locking open. The aim of the present invention is to reduce the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. The aim is achieved as disclosed in the claims.