An apparatus for establishing inductive coupling in an electrical circuit arranged on a plurality of dielectric substrates, the substrates being in a substantially abutting relationship and presenting a plurality of substantially parallel planar expanses, includes: (a) at least one first core segment situated in at least one first depression provided in a first planar expanse; (b) at least one second core segment situated in at least one second depression provided in a second planar expanse; (c) a selected second core segment is arranged for establishing magnetic flux coupling with a selected first core segment to establish a magnetic core structure; (d) a plurality of electrically conductive through-hole structures traverse at least one substrate; (e) a plurality of electrically conductive circuit traces are arrayed upon at least two of the planar expanses. The conductive traces and the through-hole structures cooperate to establish inductive coupling.

The present invention is directed to electrical inductive circuit elements, such as inductors and transformers, and especially to small electrical inductive circuit elements having a low profile that may be reliably and economically manufactured in production quantities.
Prior art inductive elements that require a magnetic core structure commonly provide a cutout aperture through a dielectric substrate for insertion of a ferromagnetic or other magnetic core structure. The core structure may already bear the required windings for effecting inductive coupling, or the required windings may be incorporated into circuit traces arrayed upon the substrate. There are problems with using such a structure, especially in applications where small inductive circuitry having a low profile is desired. Chief among the problems with such an approach are the room required to accommodate an inductive element and its supporting electrical circuitry. In addition, the large size of prior art inductive circuitry necessitates situating associated circuit elements a distance removed from the inductive element. Such physical separation among circuit elements introduces capacitance and inductance into the circuit as well as increased trace lengths, all of which may contribute to increased losses. Such an introduction of capacitive and inductive factors into circuitry is a problem in power supply output circuits as well as in any LC (inductance-capacitance) filter application; the increased capacitances and inductances reduce transient response of such circuits and increase losses.
An attempt to ameliorate the problems associated with assembling inductive circuit elements is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,781,091 issued Jul. 14, 1998 to Krone, et al. for xe2x80x9cElectronic Inductive Device and Method for Manufacturingxe2x80x9d. Krone, et al. describe an assembly structure and process for manufacturing that structure that provides an inner board layer with an aperture. The apertured inner board layer is situated atop a laminate that includes an insulating layer and a copper foil layer. The insulating layer faces the inner board. The aperture is partially filled with a thin layer of fiber filled epoxy and a ferromagnetic core is installed within the aperture atop the fiber filled epoxy layer. Another layer of fiber filled epoxy is added on top of and within the center of the core completely covering the core and embedding the core in the fiber filled epoxy, an insulating material. A second laminate similar to the first laminate is then applied atop the inner board to complete a board stack, with the insulating layer of the second laminate facing the inner board.
Plated through-hole structures are provided traversing the board stack; circuit traces are created on outer faces of the board stack by etching the copper foil layers. The circuit traces are connected with the through-hole structures to establish electrical paths that encircle the core thereby establishing an inductive coupling circuit with the core.
One shortcoming of the Krone, et al. structure relates to the employment of fill material within the aperture that covers the core. The magnetic core is placed within an aperture that is filled with a material that is at least somewhat viscous at temperatures encountered during processing steps contemplated by Krone et al. As a consequence, the core is liable to xe2x80x9cfloatxe2x80x9d within the aperture during processing. The varied positioning that a core may assume during processing because of such an ability to float means that the through-hole structures required by Krone et al. for forming loops about the core for inductive coupling may not be placed with respect to the core to avoid intercepting the core. That is, the cores can float sufficiently that one may intercept the core while drilling or otherwise forming the through-holes. This placement precision limitation presents less of a problem for inductive devices that are sufficiently large. However, for inductors that are small enough to be useful in today""s circuits for such applications as board mounted power supply products or the like, the size of the core is sufficiently small that manufacturing yields for such products will be too low to make the use of the Krone et al. structure an economically worthwhile approach. Further, the tolerances that are required for producing the Krone et al. structure are likely to be too large to permit fabrication of products small enough for use as board mounted power supply products.
There is a need for an improved structure for electrical inductive element and method for manufacture of the element that provides precision manufacturing of small power products with tightly controllable tolerances.
An apparatus for establishing inductive coupling in an electrical circuit arranged on a plurality of dielectric substrates, the plurality of dielectric substrates being in a substantially abutting relationship and presenting a plurality of substantially parallel planar expanses, includes: (a) at least one first core segment situated in at least one first depression provided in a first planar expanse of the plurality of planar expanses; (b) at least one second core segment situated in at least one second depression provided in a second planar expanse of the plurality of planar expanses; (c) a selected second core segment arranged for establishing magnetic flux coupling with a selected first core segment to establish a selected magnetic core structure; (d) a plurality of electrically conductive through-hole structures traversing at least one substrate of the plurality of substrates; (e) a plurality of electrically conductive circuit traces arrayed upon at least two planar expanses of the plurality of planar expanses. The plurality of conductive traces and the plurality of through-hole structures cooperate to effect establishing inductive coupling.
The method for manufacturing the apparatus produces an electrical circuit arranged on at least one dielectric substrate. The electrical circuit establishes inductive coupling with a magnetic core structure. The at least one substrate presents a plurality of substantially parallel planar expanses. The method includes the steps of: (a) providing at least one substrate; (b) creating a first depression in a first planar expanse of the plurality of planar expanses; (c) creating a second depression in a second planar expanse of the plurality of planar expanses; a portion of the second depression being substantially in register with a portion of the first depression; (d) situating a first core segment in the first depression; (e) situating a second core segment in the second depression; the first core segment effects magnetic flux coupling with the second core segment to establish a magnetic core structure; (f) providing a plurality of electrically conductive circuit traces arrayed on at least two of the planar expanses; (g) providing a plurality of electrically conductive through-hole structures traversing at least one substrate; (h) coupling the plurality of conductive traces and the plurality of through-hole structures to effect establishing inductive coupling.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for establishing inductive coupling in an electrical circuit, and a method for manufacture therefor, that facilitates precision manufacturing of small power products with tightly controllable tolerances.
Further objects and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following specification and claims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are labeled using like reference numerals in the various figures, illustrating the preferred embodiments of the invention.

Apparatus for establishing inductive coupling in an electrical circuit and method of manufacture therefor


The disclosed method includes: carrying out scale conversion for a first pixel value of each of a plurality of pixels included in an image to generate a second pixel value of the plurality of pixels; applying a reaction-diffusion equation including a diffusion element and a reaction element that is set according to at least the number of types of regions to be extracted, to the second pixel value of each of plural pixels within a certain region of the image a predetermined number of times to generate a third pixel value of each of the plurality of pixels included in the image; and carrying out scale inverse-conversion that is inverse-conversion of the scale conversion, for the third pixel value of each of the plurality of pixels included in the image to generate a fourth pixel value of the plurality of pixels.

For example, a cross-section image (also called a tomographic image) including internal organs is outputted as grayscale brightness information from a medical imaging apparatus such as a Computed Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) apparatus, ultrasonic echo apparatus or the like. A technique is currently developed to extract a region of a designated organ from this brightness information to utilize information such as an organ's shape and a diameter of a blood vessel for the diagnosis. A medical diagnosis apparatus (e.g. CT or MRI apparatus) or ultrasonic measurement apparatus outputs plural images obtained by slicing the three-dimensional space. Images for the diagnosis are generated by carrying out an image processing for these images to extract the size of the organ to be examined or the length of a disease portion, and are utilized for the diagnosis. On the other hand, organ shapes such as blood vessel shape and the like are generated from such processing results, and the generated organ shapes are utilized as inputs for the numerical simulation to track the bloodstream or the like.
Such image processing techniques also include a region extraction technique. The region extraction technique includes various methods such as a method using a threshold, a method using spacial inclination of the brightness values, a method for dynamically securing a region based on the brightness value at a starting point on the image (i.e. Region Growing method), a method for carrying out transformation so that a designated closed segment encompasses a region to be extracted (i.e. Active Contour method), and Level Set method. These methods are implemented in medical visualization programs.
In any methods, regions are obtained to output temporal changes of boundaries of such regions or the volumes in such regions. The doctor conducts the diagnosis using this data. Or, the doctor utilizes the obtained boundaries as input shapes of the numerical simulation. As for the aforementioned conventional arts, the improvement on the accuracy of the region extraction advances.
Moreover, in such conventional arts, because of artifacts due to various factors occurred when photographed or unevenness of contrast media fulfilled into the blood vessel, there is a case where it is difficult to obtain a desired region as one region. In addition, in order to obtain plural objects such as the myocardium of the heart, fluid region or the like, the following processing is carried out for the same data plural times. More specifically, a threshold is set for each region, it is determined whether or not the regions can be finely obtained, and when they cannot be finely obtained, the threshold is reset. Such a procedure is repeated for each object. Accordingly, a lot of works needs. In addition, even when the regions are extracted, one brightness value is not set for one region, and there are a lot of noises.
In addition, another technique exists to automatically distinguish nidus candidates from medical images. In this technique, the medical image is multivalued, center coordinates of the shadow are calculated based on the multivalued image, and the nidus candidates are extracted by carrying out various image processing for the medical images and/or multivalued images. For example, by rotating a radius of a predetermined length by using a point near the shadow center as a reference point, image values of the shadow in the medical image and/or multivalued image are sequentially sampled on the loop, and various processing is carried out to determined, based on the sampled image values, whether or not the shadow is a nidus candidate shadow. When the sampled image values can be obtained on the loop, a representative value of the loop is compared with a reference value obtained in advance for the nidus shadow to distinguish the nidus shadow. In addition, the discrimination is carried out based on the correlation between loops. Because various kinds of discrimination processing is carried out, the contents of the processing is complicated.
As described above, there is no technique for efficiently extracting plural regions from image data all together.

Image processing method and apparatus with pixel conversion using reaction-diffusion


A method for protecting communications between an aircraft and a spacecraft in outer space including flying the aircraft in the earth's atmosphere at an altitude above 40,000 feet from the earth, and preferably above 50,000 feet, and transmitting a signal from the aircraft to the spacecraft having a frequency within a range of 50-70 GHz. The method includes selecting the frequency of the signal based on the altitude of the aircraft and the elevation angle between the spacecraft the aircraft.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a system and method for providing communications signals between airborne platforms and spacecraft that are protected from jamming signals and, more particularly, to a system and method for providing communications signals between aircraft and spacecraft, where the signals operate at or around 60 GHz, and where the aircraft is flying above 40,000 feet so that the signals transmitted from the aircraft to the spacecraft are prevented from being jammed by a jamming signal originating from the ground and the signals from both the aircraft and the spacecraft are prevented from being intercepted from the ground.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Many applications, both commercial and military, use communications signals transmitted between a spacecraft, such as an earth orbiting satellite, and an aircraft or ground station. For example, high altitude long endurance (HALE) aircraft, such as several of the military's unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), typically communicate using transponder satellite channels provided on various spacecraft using the Ka frequency band (20-30 GHz), Ku frequency band (12-15 GHz), L frequency band (1-2 GHz) and other similar frequency bands. These frequency bands are typically selected because they are often internationally allocated bands for satellite communications and they allow relatively small antennas because of their relatively short wavelengths.
Various UAVs operate with different altitudes, ranges and capabilities. While tactical UAVs nominally operate within line-of-sight of their launch and control stations, strategic reconnaissance and strike platforms typically operate beyond line-of-sight and rely on relay links to maintain mission connectivity. In addition to organic intelligence, data gathering and strike roles, UAVs are now being pressed into relay roles that extend communications to greater distances or beyond terrain blockages to traditional forces and even to other unmanned systems. Satellite communications signals provide tremendous reach and coverage for UAVs in areas denied to ground forces, but such communications often result in increased vulnerability, where the greater the distance or broader the communications area, the greater the potential exposure to counter measures, such as signal jamming.
Communication signals for these and other applications, typically military applications, are generally highly susceptible to jamming signals from the ground. Because the antennas used by a spacecraft to transmit signals to an aircraft or the ground typically have a very large footprint on the ground, sometimes on the order of hundreds of miles, unsophisticated transmitters that transmit at the frequency of the satellite signals can be placed anywhere in that footprint, and when directed towards the satellite can prevent the satellite from acceptably receiving signals from the aircraft or the ground if the intensity of jamming signal is large enough. In other words, because the signals from the aircraft are transmitted upwards towards the spacecraft, a jamming transmitter on the ground that would be behind the aircraft and in the footprint of the satellite antenna could prevent the spacecraft from receiving the signals from the aircraft. This occurs because the spacecraft is unable to distinguish the aircraft from other transmission points on the ground.
Various techniques are known in the art for minimizing or eliminating jamming signals. However, such techniques often have undesirable consequences and limitations. For example, it is known to provide frequency hopping or spread spectrum transmitters that change their transmission frequency in an attempt to operate at frequencies other than the frequency of the jamming signal. However, the jam-resistance of these spread spectrum techniques is inversely related to the bandwidth of the signal, where the wider the transmission bandwidth, the less effective the spectrum spreading becomes. Further, as communications between aircraft and spacecraft require more bandwidth, possibly on the order of 100 mega bits per second, the limitations of spread spectrum transmitters increases. It is also known in the art to use nulling antennas where the antenna gain pattern of the transmitter is designed to have a null (no gain) in the direction that the jamming signal may be originating from. However, if the intended transmitter of signals to the spacecraft is proximate to or in-line with the jamming location, then it will also not receive the transmitted signal.
Furthermore, signals transmitted from either the aircraft or the spacecraft are subject to detection by sensitive equipment on the ground. Intercept of these signals may permit evaluation of aircraft or spacecraft operations and potentially expose sensitive information.
It is known in the art that signals at or around 60 GHz are readily absorbed in the atmosphere. Particularly, oxygen molecules (O2) in the air have electron orbits including resonant frequencies at or around 60 GHz that cause radiation at 60 GHz to be readily absorbed in the atmosphere. This absorption is so great that very high powered signals in this frequency band are only able to travel a short distance through the air. Thus, a spacecraft that is operable to receive signals at 60 GHz will not see such transmission signals from the ground because those signals will be absorbed by the atmosphere well before they reach outer space.
Based on this phenomenon, it is also known in the art to use the 60 GHz frequency band for communications signals transmitted between spacecraft for various applications because those signals will not be absorbed where the atmosphere is not present. Thus, these signals transmitted in space are not susceptible to jamming signals from the ground or are not intercepted by ground stations. Thus, although the electronics necessary to transmit and receive signals at this high of a frequency band are typically complex, such systems are sometimes desirable because of their anti-jamming capabilities.

Method and apparatus for protected communications to high altitude aircraft


A clutch transmission mechanism of a printing device includes a power input shaft, a power input gear, a gear-shifting arm, a first gear-shifting module and a second gear-shifting module. In the cooperation of these components and modules, the printing device can be operated in a first gear-shifting mode or a second first gear-shifting mode. When the printing device can be operated in a first gear-shifting mode or a second first gear-shifting mode, the clutch transmission mechanism coaxially transmits the driving force. As such, the stability of transmitting the driving force is enhanced.

Printing devices are essential information apparatuses in modern offices. The printing devices include for example copiers, printers, scanners and multifunction peripherals. Among these printing devices, printers are the most popular. Generally, after a printer is connected to a computer, the document file of the computer could be printed on many kinds of media (e.g. blank papers).
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an inkjet printer according to the prior art. As shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet printer 1 comprises an ink cartridge 10, plural ink nozzles (not shown), a transmission mechanism 11, a sheet input tray 12 and a sheet output tray 13. The ink cartridge 10 is used for storing ink. The ink nozzles are used for ejecting ink. The ink nozzles are disposed at the bottom of the transmission mechanism 11. The transmission mechanism 11 is used for moving the ink nozzles, so that the ink could be ejected through the ink nozzles of inkjet printer 1 and printed on any position of a blank paper P. The sheet input tray 12 is used for placing the blank paper P. After an inkjet printing operation is performed, the paper P is exited to the sheet output tray 13.
During the printing process of the inkjet printer 1, the blank paper P on the sheet input tray 12 is fed into the inkjet printer 1 in a feeding direction Y, and the transmission mechanism 11 is moved in a printing direction X. The printing direction X is perpendicular to the feeding direction Y. After the inkjet printing operation is completed, the paper P is exited to the sheet output tray 13.
Moreover, the internal components within the inkjet printer 1 comprise a sheet pick-up shaft (not shown), a sheet transfer shaft (not shown), a sheet ejecting shaft (not shown), . . . , and so on. By these internal components, the blank paper P could be transported from the sheet input tray 12 to the sheet output tray 13. For operating the internal components, the inkjet printer needs to provide the driving force to the internal components. Conventionally, the inkjet printer has several motors for respectively providing driving forces to the internal components for performing the printing purpose. The uses of too many motors are not cost-effective. For reducing the fabricating cost, an inkjet printer having a clutch mechanism has been disclosed. This clutch mechanism uses a single motor to transmit the driving force to many components. In other words, the clutch mechanism could transmit the driving forces to specified components according to the practical requirements. As such, the applications of the inkjet printer 1 are expanded. For example, since the use of a single motor could change the rotating speed of the sheet pick-up shaft, the papers P with different materials could be smoothly fed into the internal portion of the inkjet printer 1 from the sheet input tray 12.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,841,450 disclosed a clutch-type power switching mechanism of an inkjet printer. FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating a power switching structure disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,841,450. The power switching mechanism 2 is used for delivering the driving force of a motor 3 to a sheet pick-up module 4 including a sheet transfer shaft 41 and a feeding gear 42, or delivering the driving force to an ink cartridge purge module 5. The motor 3 is coaxial with a motor gear 6. The motor 3 provides a driving force to the motor gear 6 to drive rotation of the motor gear 6. The sheet transfer shaft 41 is coaxial with the feeding gear 42, and the sheet transfer shaft 41 is rotated with the feeding gear 42. The ink cartridge purge module 5 comprises a pump (not shown) and a pump gear 51. As the pump gear 51 is rotated, the pump is driven to carry out a purge operation so as to purge the ink cartridge.
The power switching mechanism 2 further comprises an idle kicker 21, a clutch gear set 22, a clutch shaft 23 and a spring 24. The clutch gear set 22 is sheathed around the clutch shaft 23. The clutch gear set 22 comprises a first gear 221, a second gear 222 and a third gear 223. The spring 24 provides an elastic force to the clutch gear set 22 for urging the clutch gear set 22 to move along the clutch shaft 23 in a direction A. The idle kicker 21 provides a pushing force to the clutch gear set 22 for driving the clutch gear set 22 to move along the clutch shaft 23 in a direction B. The motor gear 6 and the second gear 222 are engaged with each other at all times, and thus the clutch gear set 22 is continuously rotated with the motor gear 6. In a case that the clutch gear set 22 is moved along the clutch shaft 23 in the direction B, the third gear 223 is engaged with the feeding gear 42 to drive rotation of the feeding gear 42, and thus the sheet transfer shaft 41 is rotated. Whereas, in a case that the clutch gear set 22 is moved along the clutch shaft 23 in the direction A, the first gear 221 is engaged with the pump gear 51 to drive rotation of the pump gear 51, and thus the ink cartridge purge module 5 is enabled.
Although the above clutch-type power switching mechanism is able to transmit the driving force of the motor 3 to the sheet pick-up module 4 or the ink cartridge purge module 5, there are still some drawbacks. For example, since the clutch gear set 22 and the motor gear 6 for transmitting the driving force are non-coaxially but radially engaged with each other, the gap error resulted from the process of fabricating the inkjet printer may deteriorate the transmission stability between the gears. In this situation, undesired noise is generated.

Clutch transmission mechanism of printing device


A handlebar mount assembly for isolating a cycle handlebar from vibrations emanating from operation of a cycle, the assembly including a bottom bracket assembly configured for attachment to a cycle steering mechanism, a top bracket assembly configured for attachment to the bottom bracket assembly, a pair of polymer sleeves configured for placement around the handlebar, a tension clamp configured for clamping the handlebar and a clamp bushing configured for placement between the tension clamp and the top bracket assembly. The sleeves prevent direct contact between the top bracket assembly and the bottom bracket assembly, and the bushing prevents direct contact between the tension clamp and the top bracket assembly. In this manner, the handlebar mount assembly prevents direct and indirect contact of the steering mechanism to the handlebar through the metal components of the handlebar mount assembly.

Devices for reducing the transmission of vibrations from a cycle through the cycle's handlebars to a rider are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,317,214 discloses a shock and vibration damping mounting assembly for vehicles that utilizes handlebar assisted steering, where the handlebar and its clamping components are suspended by shock and vibration damping springs and materials. The suspended components are allowed to travel along a guide, in a predetermined path, while maintaining the rider preferred handlebar angles, as the vehicle encounters shock due to rough terrain. Springs damp the motion of the suspended components reducing the effects of the rough terrain to the rider's hands. The suspended components are isolated from the vehicle's steering mechanism by isolation components made of deadening materials thus reducing the transfer of vibration from the vehicle to the rider's hands.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,061,728 discloses a bicycle handlebar grip including a body having at least two grip areas positioned for interaction with the hands of a rider. The grip portions or grip areas are spaced apart by a center portion that secures the assembly to a bicycle steerer tube. A channel or detent is formed in the body proximate at least one, and preferably proximate each grip portion or grip area. A dampener formed of a different material than the body is disposed in the detent and dissipates at least a portion of vibration of the body to reduce vibrations communicated to the hands of the rider from handlebar vibration.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,756,766 discloses a vibration dampening handle for a powered apparatus including an elongated gripping member having first and second opposite ends and a longitudinal axis extending through the first and second ends, and a wall defining an inner bore and having an inner surface. The inner bore extending along the longitudinal axis at least partially through the gripping member, and opens on at least the first end of the gripping member. A weighted mass is disposed at the second free cantilevered end of the gripping member. An elongate elastic beam member is attached to the gripping member. A portion of the beam member is disposed within the inner bore and is spaced apart from the inner surface. The beam member further includes a first end that extends beyond the first end of the gripping member and includes a fastening member adapted to connect the handle to the powered apparatus.


Orthogonal sets (26, 28) of coils (21-24) are each connected for differential response to an alternating magnetic field in a taut wire (20) disposed adjacent a rail (76) in an elevator hoistway. The wire is powered with AC current (34, 38) which is also used (40, 44) to synchronously demodulate the response of the coils to the alternating magnetic field so as to produce an output signal (58, 67) indicative of the position of the coils with respect to the taut wire. The coils may be in a holder (70) which is resiliently urged (72) toward the rail, with the wire passing through a hole therein within the coils, or mounted on an elevator which also has a contactless rail position sensor (110-112). Variation in current adjacent the coils is measured by additively coupling the coils (FIGS. 8, 9) which may be used to compensate the position measured by the coils (FIG. 11). Rectangular coil cross sections, as well as preferred coil spacing and dimensions are shown.

As is well known, elevator cars suspended in a hoistway are guided by rails which are typically positioned to guide the sides of the elevator car.
The installation of rails in a perfectly straight and parallel fashion is a difficult task. Additionally, settlement and other adjustments in building dimensions cause rails to require periodic straightening so as to ensure smooth, parallel tracks upon which the elevator can ride smoothly. In order to measure the position of the rails along an entire hoistway, it is known to use a taut wire extending vertically near the rail, and measuring the distance between the wire and the rail in both the side-to-side (rail-to-rail) and front-to-back directions. This requires gaging the distance at a large number of points and is extremely time-consuming. It is also known to measure the distance between the rail and an elevator or a cross-rail gage or spacing bar. Such a measurement can be achieved with gages, or with electromechanical position sensors, such as linear variable differential transformers (LVDTs), hall effect devices and the like. Elevator rail gages (such as LVDTs) which contact a taut wire have the disadvantage of inducing oscillations in the wire, which prevents use of such gages other than at extremely low speeds, while standing still, or with rest periods between movement and the recording of measurements.
A more recent approach to handling the rail alignment problem in elevators includes active compensation, which positions the elevator car different distances from the rail so as to keep the elevator car more nearly within a single pair of vertical planes as it travels vertically in the hoistway, In this approach, a map of rail positions is made, as a function of the vertical position in the hoistway, and this map is used to force the elevator car to be the correct distance from the rail with electromechanical actuators. Providing the map of rail positions can be achieved in any of the known ways referred to hereinbefore, but is currently being achieved by means of acceleration measurements taken with accelerometers while the elevator car is moving within the hoistway. As is known, acceleration can be doubly integrated to provide position, which in turn can create the map of compensation to be utilized. An example is shown in a commonly owned, co-pending U.S. patent application entitled "Measurement of the Horizontal Deviations of an Elevator Car Vertical Hoistway Rail" Ser. No 07/668,544 filed on Mar. 13, 1991 by Roberts. However, determining position with accelerometers has the disadvantages of a time lag, which requires correlating the data to proper position, and of false readings due to forces within the elevator car other than those imposed by the rails. An elevator active compensation system which purports to work directly from instantaneously sensed deviations from a taut wire (plumb line) uses gap sensors to determine the relative position of the elevator car with respect to the taut wire, is shown in Ando U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,849. However, the measuring of distance by means of a gap sensor is tenuous at best, and with respect to a taut wire, is very difficult. The issues of sensitivity, linearity and cross coupling are not addressed in the Ando patent. A detector using taut wires having optical wire sensors on either ends of a spacing bar is shown in Japanese Patent 232680, Oct. 16, 1991. In Sikora Patent 4,088,952, a system for providing a visual indication of the deviation of a wire from a nominal position employs a pair of coils, on opposite sides of the wire, which respond to AC current in the wire. Since this is a nulling system, it is not concerned with linearity; since only one axis is involved, it does not deal with cross-axis coupling at all.
Another innovation has been the use of lasers to align rails. However, these are limited to use in buildings having only a few tens of floors, and are complex and expensive.

Electromagnetic gaging of elevator rails and other structures


The invention relates to a fodder radish. More particularly, a fodder radish (Raphanus species) suitable for use as a multiple grazing fodder crop for livestock is provided. The invention also relates to the seeds, and to the plants of the radish. It also relates to methods of producing a Raphanus plant type having the characteristics of recovery from grazing to give the potential for multiple grazings over many cycles.

Animal producers worldwide use fodder crops as an inexpensive means of feeding animals during times of forage shortfall, usually during dry summer periods or during cold winter periods. Fodder crops which can be grazed many times rather than once only have potential to lower the cost of production for many farmers.
Plants of Raphanus are used widely throughout the world for many purposes.
For example, Raphanus sativus, domestic radish is used as a vegetable for human consumption, predominantly the root but also to a lessor extent of the leaves, stems and pods.
Raphanus sativus can also be used as an oilseed crop where the seed is harvested and oil extracted. The sprouted seed may also be consumed as a sprout by humans.
Raphanus sativus is also used as a biofumigant in crop rotations to suppress pathogens such as fungal diseases, or cyst nematodes in subsequent crops particularly with Sugar Beet (Beta vulgaris) in Europe. These crops are frequently ploughed under but may also be grazed once.
Raphanus sativus may be used as a single grazing fodder crop. However, the cultivars used will usually not recover sufficiently from grazing to allow multiple grazings. Many of these cultivars are relatively early to flower, bolting with 3 months of sowing. The cultivars usually also have hairy leaves and stems which on occasion can be prickly and rejected by grazing animals.
Raphanus sativus with large bulbs may be grown for animal fodder, notably in South Africa. The cultivars used are relatively early flowering and will usually bolt to flower within 3 months of sowing.
The nutritive value of fodder radish for animal feed is known to be high and the species possesses some valuable characteristics for livestock farming. However it is clear that there are a number of features of existing cultivars which have limited its ability to provide a flexible source of grazing on farms.
The typical radish used for grazing purposes is an annual which bolts to flower very readily and rapidly. This limits its use to a single grazing before flowering as the nutritional value declines considerably at flowering. Later flowering forms would provide more flexibility on farm by allowing farmers to keep the feed until needed. This is very apparent in the related Brassica species fodder rape (Brassica napus), turnip (Brassica rapa) and kale (Brassica oleracea) where both annual and biennial forms exist. As a result in these species the biennial forms are more widely used for animal fodder than the annual forms. The delayed flowering of the biennials allows the energy they assimilate to accumulate into storage organs such as bulbs, leaf or stems. From this perspective later flowering or biennial radishes with a long growing period would be valuable for grazing over the summer, or kept until autumn and winter in a nutritious vegetative state.
When typical fodder radish crops are grazed by animals the growing point of the plant is above ground and it is damaged, limiting any regrowth. It would be valuable for a plant to have multiple low growing points to avoid grazing damage and allow maximum recovery.
The majority of traditional fodder and vegetable radish forms of Raphanus sativus are covered in short prickly hairs or trichomes and this feature can render the plant less palatable to livestock than glabrous types. Raphanus plants which lack trichomes are preferred by grazing livestock.


A system and method for managing input output queue pairs. In some embodiments, the method includes calculating a system utilization ratio, the system utilization ratio being a ratio of: an arrival rate of input output requests, to a service rate; determining whether: the system utilization ratio has exceeded a first threshold utilization during a time period exceeding a first threshold length, and adding a new queue pair is expected to improve system performance; and in response to determining: that the system utilization ratio has exceeded the first threshold utilization during a time period exceeding the first threshold length, and that adding a new queue pair is expected to improve system performance: adding a new queue pair.

Existing non-volatile memory express over fabrics (NVMeoF) systems may, in some circumstances, exhibit poor performance. This may be caused by one or both of the following problems. First, some NVMeoF implementations may waste system resources by (i) maintaining extra idled queue pairs, or (ii) underutilizing the system due to not maintaining enough queue pairs. Second, some NVMeoF implementations may not have a suitable flow control scheme to prevent the queue pair service rate from being slowed down due to high I/O pressure (e.g., a large number of queued I/O jobs in the queue pair).
Thus, there is a need for a system and method for improving the performance of non-volatile memory express over fabrics data storage systems.

Systems and methods for I/O transmissions in queue pair-based NVMeoF initiator-target system


In general, in one aspect, the disclosure describes a method that includes initializing a queue for a master thread. A cyclic pointer buffer is created based on heap variables in arguments in the master thread. At least one heap variable is passed from the master thread to a slave thread. A pointer for the master thread is exchanged with a pointer for an entry in the buffer. The entry in the buffer is indicated as being available for processing by the slave thread.

Symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) is a computer architecture that provides fast performance by making multiple CPUs available to complete individual processes simultaneously (multiprocessing). Any idle processor can be assigned any task, and additional CPUs can be added to improve performance and handle increased loads. A chip multiprocessor (CMP) includes multiple processor cores on a single chip, which allows more than one thread to be active at a time on the chip. A CMP is SMP implemented on a single integrated circuit. Thread-level parallelism (TLP) is the parallelism inherent in an application that runs multiple threads at once. A goal of CMP is to allow greater utilization of TLP.
Parallel programming languages (e.g., OpenMP, TBB, CILK) are used for writing multithreaded applications. The tasks to be performed in a multithreaded application may have well defined tasks to be performed in parallel (parallelism) so that different cores can be assigned different tasks. However, the tasks to be performed may exhibit irregular parallelism (e.g., operate on tree-based dynamic structures). Workqueuing is identification of tasks that can be performed in parallel and the queuing of these tasks. The tasks queued may then be dequeued and processed by processor cores having available processing power. The workqueuing execution enables a user to exploit irregular parallelism among dynamic data structures. Workqueuing is an effective technique to achieve high scalability performance for large number of processors.
In OpenMP, the workqueuing model is supported by taskq and task pragmas. The taskq pragma specifies the environment within which the enclosed units of work (tasks) are to be executed and the task pragma specifies the unit of work (task). When a taskq pragma is encountered a master thread initializes a queue based on the taskq pragma and executes the code within a taskq block serially. When a task pragma is encountered it conceptually adds the task to the queue created by the master thread. A captureprivate clause may be used ensure that a private copy of the link pointer is captured at the time each task is being enqueued. Slave threads dequeue the tasks from the queue and execute them.
In case of data dependence existing between master and slave threads, a value (heap variable) from a master thread (value producer) may need to be passed to a worker thread (value consumer). To avoid the value being overwritten by the master thread before the previous data is actually used by a slave thread, a memory copy operation may be used for passing the value from the master to the slave. The memory copy operation copies the data from a master thread to a slave thread to ensure that master and slave threads operate on different memory location. However, if excessive memory copy operations are performed, bus bandwidth to the shared CMP/SMP memory hierarchy can become saturated. Saturated bus bandwidth may lead to the memory copying experiencing high performance penalty.
Another possible approach for passing the value between master and slave threads is by having the master thread allocate memory space for each task. The master thread saves the data to these memory locations for later use by the slave threads. The slave threads read data from associated memory locations, perform computations on the data, and then deallocate the memory space after completion of the computation. This approach requires frequent memory allocation/deallocation operations, which causes poor memory system performance in the CMP/SMP memory hierarchy.

Pointer renaming in workqueuing execution model


A variable gain amplifier includes a first transistor having a base for receiving a radio frequency (“RF”) input signal. A first differential transistor pair is coupled in parallel to a second transistor. The first differential transistor pair and the second transistor are coupled to a collector of the first transistor and to an output node of the first variable gain amplifier. Each transistor of the first differential transistor pair is configured to receive a control signal at its respective gate for adjusting a gain of the variable gain amplifier.

Wireless communications receivers may receive signals that experience wide variations in signal power. The power of the demodulating signal is controlled such that the signal may be properly processed. For example, wireless receivers typically implement a variable gain amplifier ("VGA") that adjust the gain of the received signal based on the power of the received signal.
However, these conventional VGAs typically suffer from having undesired phase changes based on the gain setting of the VGA. However this proposed solution leads to a complex design and is difficult to correctly calibrate. One conventional solution to reducing the phase change of a VGA is to control the gate voltage of the current steering transistor. However, controlling the gate voltage of the current steering transistor also requires a digital-to-analog converter ("DAC") for controlling the bias voltage as well as difficult calibration techniques, which also leads to a complex design that is difficult to calibrate and still suffers from significant phase change.


A method and device for determining a constant parameter of an inhibition value for adjusting the device operating frequency of a watch equipped with a quartz oscillator. The following steps are performed by a self-calibration circuit of the electronic watch device: from a first external pulse and a second external pulse received from a system external to the watch and separated by a measurement time, corresponding to a reference number of reference periods for a periodic calibration signal derived from the time-measurement signal and having a calibration frequency derived from the natural frequency of the quartz oscillator, determining a calibration parameter representative of a ratio between a calibration period and a reference period for the periodic calibration signal, and determining a constant inhibition parameter as a function of the calibration parameter.

Electronic timepiece movements generally comprise an internal time base providing a time signal formed of periodic operating pulses and a display device receiving this time signal. The internal time base includes, in a known manner, an oscillator and a clock circuit. The oscillator, for example a quartz oscillator, is arranged to provide a periodic time-measurement signal Sosc having said natural frequency Fosc. The clock circuit is arranged to produce a clock signal Sh having the mean operating frequency Fhor of the watch from the time-measurement signal produced by the oscillator. The clock circuit is, for example, a frequency divider circuit, usually formed by a chain of dividers, generally of dividers-by-two. In a numerical example, the set frequency Fhor* of a clock signal Sh produced by an internal time base in an electronic watch is Fhor*=8,192 Hz, namely a quarter of the set frequency Fosc*=215=32,768 Hz of a quartz oscillator incorporated in the internal time base.
In industrial production, it is, however, difficult to mass produce oscillators for electronic watches that all have a well-defined natural frequency allowing a clock signal to be obtained at the time base output whose operating frequency reaches the required, increasingly higher levels of precision, of around 5 seconds per year, or less for very precise time bases.
Thus, it is known to make oscillators which, at the end of the manufacturing phase, produce a time signal with a true natural frequency Fosc in a slightly higher frequency range than the desired set frequency, e.g. Fosc=32,771 Hz or 32,772 Hz for a set frequency Fosc*=32,768 Hz, and then to best adjust the clock signal produced by the time base by associating a frequency adjustment circuit with this time base. In a known manner, an adjustment circuit provides an inhibition signal to the clock circuit which acts to remove, at a certain level of the divider, a number of periods from a signal Sint internal to the clock circuit during successive inhibition periods, for example for around a few seconds to a few minutes, to correct the mean operating frequency Fhor of the signal produced by the internal time base of the watch.
The number of periods to be removed from the internal periodic signal per inhibition period Cinh corresponds to an inhibition value Vinh is which is determined individually for each oscillator. In the case of an oscillator that is not temperature compensated, the inhibition value is constant, independent of temperature. In the case of a temperature compensated oscillator, the inhibition value takes account of the temperature inside the watch and is given by a mathematical relation such that:Vinh(T)=a·T4+b·T3+c·T2+d·T+e where T is the temperature measured by a sensor arranged inside the watch close to the quartz oscillator and where a, b, c, d, e are coefficients of the aforementioned polynomial, which are stored in a memory. At predefined instants, for example at each inhibition period or cycle, the adjustment circuit updates the inhibition value as a function of temperature and then acts to remove a corresponding number of periods in generating a predefined internal signal of the clock circuit.
Conventionally, special measuring and programming equipment is used to determine a deviation in the operating frequency of the watch with respect to a set frequency provided by an external clock and to programme the inhibition value in the electronic watch device. Such measuring and programming equipment is, however, particularly expensive and currently requires access to a resistive connection of the electronic device or an electrical contact with the electronic device.

Method for adjusting the mean frequency of a time base incorporated in an electronic watch


A system for applying a reduced pressure at a tissue site includes a reduced pressure source, a porous pad in fluid communication with the reduced pressure source, and a drape positionable over the porous pad to seal the porous pad at the tissue site. The porous pad includes a plurality of channel walls to form a plurality of channels between the channel walls. The channel walls are substantially liquid impermeable to prevent movement of a liquid through the channel walls but are gas permeable to allow movement of a gas through the channel walls as reduced pressure is applied at the tissue site. The liquid impermeability of the channel walls and the application of reduced pressure causes flow of the liquid to occur through the plurality of channels.

Clinical studies and practice have shown that providing a reduced pressure in proximity to a tissue site augments and accelerates the growth of new tissue at the tissue site. The applications of this phenomenon are numerous, but one particular application of reduced pressure involves treating wounds. This treatment (frequently referred to in the medical community as "negative pressure wound therapy," "reduced pressure therapy," or "vacuum therapy") provides a number of benefits, including migration of epithelial and subcutaneous tissues, improved blood flow, and micro-deformation of tissue at the wound site. Together these benefits result in increased development of granulation tissue and faster healing times. Typically, reduced pressure is applied by a reduced pressure source to tissue through a porous pad or other manifold device. In many instances, wound exudate and other liquids from the tissue site are collected within a canister to prevent the liquids from reaching the reduced pressure source.

Laminar dressings, systems, and methods for applying reduced pressure at a tissue site


A data transmission apparatus transmits, in response to a permission signal received from a higher-level data receiver, a required amount of data to the data receiver in a burst. The required amount of data is determined by data transmission control. Data transmission between the apparatus and the data receiver is effected at a preselected timing in such a manner as to absorb a difference between the amount of data to be transmitted over a preselected management time period and the data amount indicated by an expected control value. For this purpose, the apparatus calculates an adequate amount of data to be transmitted over the management time period as a unit amount. The apparatus then manages the maximum amount of data to be transmitted over the management time period for thereby leveling the amounts of data transmitted. This successfully enhances accurate data transmission.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data transmission apparatus, and, more particularly, to a data transmission apparatus of the type transmitting, upon receiving a permission from a higher-level data receiver, a required amount of data to the data receiver, and to a data transmission control method therefor.
2. Description of the Background Art
A data transmission apparatus of the type described transmits data in bursts to a higher-level data receiver connected thereto. More specifically, the data type of transmission apparatus should transmit data in the form of consecutive data sequences, in each of which data not exceeding a preselected unit amount is transmitted. The data transmission apparatus is sometimes required to control the mean amount of data transmitted for a unit period of time to a preselected value. Therefore, circuitry capable of satisfying such different conditions consistently is essential with the data transmission apparatus. This circuitry may generally be configured to establish a reference threshold, below which an amount of data is controlled to be transmitted for a unit period of time.
In practice, however, the data transmission apparatus cannot easily absorb, condition by condition, an error or difference between an amount of data actually output and an expected control value by simply executing control with an invariable value. The apparatus cannot achieve accuracy satisfying the conditions described above unless it absorbs such an error. Moreover, the errors are dependent upon a unit amount and a mean amount of data to be transmitted, which are conditioned from the outside of the apparatus. Specifically, the error increases with an increase in the unit amount of data and with a decrease in the mean amount of data, lowering the expected value of data transmission.

Data transmission apparatus controlling transmission of a required amount of data and a data transmission control method therefor


A sensor system includes a rotor antenna, a radio frequency (RF) sensor, a stator antenna, and one or more frequency selective structures. The rotor antenna and the RF sensor are disposed on an outer surface of a shaft and are conductively connected to each other. The RF sensor generates measurement signals as the shaft rotates. The stator antenna is mounted separate from the shaft and positioned radially outward from the rotor antenna. The stator antenna wirelessly receives the measurement signals from the rotor antenna across an air gap. The one or more frequency selective structures are disposed on the outer surface of the shaft and configured to dissipate electromagnetic current that is conducted along the shaft to alleviate interference of the measurement signals.

Power-generating machines, such as internal combustion engines, motors, and generators, typically include rotary assemblies featuring rotating shafts. Sensors may be used to monitor and measure certain properties of a rotating shaft within a power-generating machine to evaluate performance and/or health of the power-generating machine. For example, monitoring properties such as torque, temperature, rotating speed, and strain of the shaft may enable early detection of sub-optimal machine performance and/or components needing maintenance.
Monitoring one or more properties of the rotating shaft of a rotary assembly typically requires one or more discrete sensors installed on or proximate to the shaft. The signals generated by the one or more sensors may be remotely communicated to a processing unit, such as a controller, that is spaced apart from the shaft for analysis of the signals to determine the measured properties. The signals generated by the one or more sensors are susceptible to electromagnetic interference during the communication of the signals to the processing unit, which degrades the signal-to-noise ratio. Interference outside of the operating frequency range of the sensor system (e.g., outside of the sensor signal frequencies) can be filtered using traditional filter technology in the signal transmission pathway, but interference at frequency bands within the operating frequency range of the sensor system cannot be filtered because the sensor signals would be filtered as well. The interference may mask the sensor signals, reducing the likelihood that the processing unit is able to correctly interpret the signals. As a result, the sensor system may have diminished accuracy or, in some cases, may be completely inoperable.
To block electromagnetic interference, electrically conductive shielding may be utilized to surround portions of the sensor systems. However, it is difficult to provide adequate shielding around a sensor disposed on a rotating shaft because electromagnetic surface currents can be conducted along the length of the shaft. Shielding that physically contacts the surface of the shaft to block such surface currents may introduce additional costs and challenges, such as increased wear on the shaft due to the rubbing of the shielding, the need for more frequent maintenance, excessive heat generated by the rubbing, and/or the like. A need remains for a sensor system that can be incorporated with a rotating shaft of a rotor assembly to accurately determine one or more properties of the shaft by limiting or resisting electromagnetic interference on the sensor system.

Rotor assembly sensor system with interference isolation


The present invention relates to a method of producing a modified soybean product, such as a modified soybean meal, comprising use of a proteolytic enzyme. The invention further relates to use of a proteolytic enzyme in the production of a feed or feed additive product.

Soybeans are, primarily, an industrial crop, cultivated for oil and protein. Despite the relatively low oil content of the seed (about 20% on moisture-free basis), soybeans are the largest single source of edible oil and account for roughly 50% of the total oilseed production of the world. With each ton of crude soybean oil, approximately 4.5 tons of soybean meal with a protein content of about 44% is produced. For each ton of soybeans processed, the commercial value of the meal obtained usually exceeds that of the oil. Thus, soybean meal is much more than just a by-product of the oil manufacture. The bulk of soybean meal is used in animal feeds.
However, several of the proteins naturally found in soybeans have been found to exert specific physiological effects, such as inhibition of the proteases in the digestive tract of animals and humans. Soybeans contain two types of so-called trypsin inhibitors. They are respectively known as the Kunitz trypsin inhibitor with a molecular weight in the range of 20,000, and the Bowman-Birk inhibitor which is a much smaller polypeptide in the 8,000 dalton range. Both types consist of a number of differentiable proteins. The amino acid sequence and spatial structure of these proteins have been elucidated.
Ingestion of trypsin inhibitors have several physiological effects, including inhibition of trypsin followed by increased pancreatic secretion. This leads to internal loss of protein to the digestive tube as well as hypertrophy of the pancreas. Therefore, inactivation of these proteins to improve digestibility is highly desirable.
The activity of trypsin inhibitors can be reduced by heat treatment of the soybeans. Such heating, however, may also destroy or reduce the availability of certain heat sensitive amino acids and reduce the nutritional value of soy protein. Also, when proteins are heated in the presence of certain carbohydrates, the sugars will complex with free amino groups resulting in a series of reactions called the Maillard reaction, which is for several reasons not desirable. Therefore, other approaches to reduce the activity of trypsin inhibitors and thus improve soybean nutritional values are being searched for.
In WO01/58276, proteolytic degradation of pure Bowman-Birk and Kunitz trypsin inhibitors was demonstrated. In WO98/56260 and WO03/041510, proteolytic treatment of soy protein material to degrade or deactivate trypsin inhibitors is described. The proteolytic enzymes exemplified in these publications are rather unspecific, and WO98/56260 mentions broad specificity as one of the most important parameters for a proteolytic enzyme to be able to degrade such antinutritional factors.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,973 showed inactivation of soy trypsin inhibitor using starfish trypsin 1 and a supplementary proteolytic enzyme. It was shown that hydrolysis with starfish trypsin alone did not inactivate the soy trypsin inhibitor. At least one additional proteolytic enzyme, such as carboxypeptidase B, was needed for inactivation.
One purpose for the present inventors has been to provide new methods for inactivation of soy trypsin inhibitors. Inactivation without excessive heat treatment provides distinct nutritional advantages leading directly to economic benefits.


Data is transferred from a terminal to a computer over a USB cable. This is accomplished when the terminal transmits a control signal to the computer through a control line of a USB cable based on a value stored in a terminal register unit. The computer receives the control signal, sets a value of the computer register unit, and generates an interrupt according to the value in the computer register unit. The computer executes a USB reception thread that receives data from the terminal. By controlling an operation of the USB reception thread of the computer through the control line and each register unit, a load applied to a kernel of the computer can be reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a data transferring system, and more particularly to a system and method for transferring data using a universal serial bus (USB).
2. Background of the Related Art
In order to transfer data from a mobile terminal to a computer, a cable has been used to connect a data port of the terminal to a USB port of the computer. The computer receives the data stored in the terminal by performing programs for driving transfer of the data.
FIG. 1 shows a system for transferring data between a mobile terminal and computer in accordance with the related art. The system comprises a terminal 1 containing a data port, a cable 2 for connecting the terminal to a computer, and a computer 3 having a USB port and a program for receiving data stored in the terminal through the cable. The USB cable is composed of a VBUS line for supplying a power, a D+ line and a D− line for transmitting and receiving data, and a ground line (GND).
A data transfer process between the terminal and computer will now be explained. First, the USB cable is connected at one end to the data port at terminal 1 and the USB port of the computer 3 at the other end. The computer 3 executes a program (such as PC sync) for initiating transfer of the data stored in the terminal through the USB cable. If data is transmitted from the terminal, the computer receives the data by operating a USB reception thread (Rx Thread).
When the computer executes a data receiving program and the terminal transmits data to the computer through the USB cable, data input time from the terminal to the computer cannot be predicted. Even if there is data to be transmitted to the computer from the terminal, if the USB reception thread of the computer is not operated, the computer cannot receive data. That is, the computer has to certify whether data to be transmitted from the terminal exists by frequently operating a reception register. If there is data to be transmitted from the terminal, the computer has to continuously and speedily operate the USB reception thread for storing the data in a temporal buffer in order to receive the data.
The thread has a performance time which corresponds to the manner in which time is divided under a control of a kernel. The thread also has a priority and is scheduled by the priority to be performed. Therefore, if the USB reception thread is continuously performed with high priority, threads of other programs performed in the computer have less performance time. As a result, the performance speed of other programs including threads, except the USB reception thread, becomes low therein causing abnormal operation and further causing a problem in system stabilization such as a computer down malfunction.

Data transferring system using USB and method thereof


A tape head designed for transducing data on a magnetic recording tape that is subject to tape dimensional changes. The tape head includes two or more arrays of transducer elements having different transducer spacing distances corresponding to different track spacing distances to be transduced. One of the transducer arrays may be used for transducing the tape under nominal tape track spacing conditions. Another transducer array may be used for transducing the tape when the tape track spacing is reduced due to the tape shrinkage. Still another transducer array may be used for transducing the tape when the tape track spacing is enlarged due to tape expansion.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to tape drive data storage systems. More particularly, the invention is directed to thin film tape heads for reading and writing data on magnetic recording tape.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Thin film tape heads for magnetic information storage systems (e.g., tape drives) have been constructed using thin film fabrication techniques that are similar to those used in the manufacture of disk drive transducers. In a typical tape head constructed for linear recording (i.e., with data tracks oriented in the direction of tape movement) there are two or more adjacently mounted transducer modules. Each module comprises a linear array of reader and/or writer transducer elements arranged in a cross-track direction that is perpendicular to the direction of tape movement. Each transducer element in a given transducer array is positioned to write or read a separate longitudinal track on the tape. This arrangement is shown in FIG. 1, which depicts a transducer module "M" having an array of thin film transducer elements "E" whose gaps "G" engage a tape "T" in alignment with tracks "TR" that extend in the direction of tape movement "D. In a "piggy back" design (see FIG. 2A), the transducer array "E" would comprise a write transducer "W" and a closely spaced read transducer "R" at each track position. In an interleaved design (see FIG. 2B), the transducer array "E" would comprise alternating read and write elements "R" and "W." In each design, the transducer array "B" may also include a pair of servo read transducers "SR" that align with servo tracks "ST" used for head positioning.
As shown in FIG. 3, the module "M" of FIG. 1 can be secured to a mounting block "MB" in association with a complimentary tape head "M′" comprising either piggy back or interleaved read and write elements. The resultant assembly, which may be referred to as a "tape head," will have read/write element pairs that are aligned in the trackwise direction of the tape "T." In the piggy back design, there will be two read/write element pairs per track (see FIG. 4A). In the interleaved design, the read and write elements of each module "M" and "M′" will be arranged so that there is one read element and one write element for each track (see FIG. 4B). The dual module arrangement allows data recording (and playback) to be performed in both tape directions and provides conventional read-while write capability in which data written to the tape "T" is immediately read back and checked for errors. Other conventional tape head designs include heads in which all of the data transducer elements are read elements or write elements. Read-while write capability may then be achieved by combining a read-only module and a write-only module in a single tape head to provide trackwise-aligned read and write element pairs. As shown in FIG. 5, bi-directional recording with read-while write capability can be provided by placing a read-only module "M′" between a pair of write-only modules "M."
A characteristic of tape head constructions as described above is that the gap pitch within the transducer array "E" is usually much larger than the gap width, such that for every track being read or written by the array, there will be space between the tracks where no transducing occurs. Thus, for every pair of tracks aligned with adjacent read and write elements "R" and "W," there is inter-track white space on the tape "T" that is not transduced concurrently with the selected pair. The white space regions can be recorded with data by stepping the tape head in a cross-track direction during multiple transducing passes. Tape tracks can also be written at less than the gap width of the write transducers using a process known as "shingling." According to this technique, the tape head is stepped by less than the write element gap width for each successive transducing pass, such that the edge of a previously written track is overwritten during the next pass, much like shingles on a roof.
Although the foregoing track writing techniques allow data to be densely packed on a tape, a continuing unresolved problem is track misregistration caused by tape dimensional changes between transducing (either reading or writing) operations. For example, the tape "T" may be written with data under one set of temperature and humidity conditions, and then later read following exposure to different environmental conditions. For conventional tape material, the dimensions can change by as much as 0.12%. These tape dimensional changes will widen or narrow the tape track spacing geometry, resulting in track misregistration with the tape head (whose gap spacing geometry is substantially unchanged). Providing a head that is statically rotated to a nominal predetermined angle addresses the misregistration problem because small changes in rotation change the effective track pitch of the transducer array "E." However, this solution requires sophisticated mechanics and skew compensation circuitry.
The track misregistration problem is exacerbated in conventional tape heads due to the relatively large gap spacing of the transducer array "E." which is mandated to a large extent by the size of the transducers themselves. This is due to the fact that for any percentage change in tape dimension, the actual misregistration between written tracks and outermost transducers depends on the span between the transducers. To illustrate, if the transducer array "E" has a transducer element gap pitch of x μm, and the percentage change in tape dimension is 0.12%, the resultant change in the spacing of the tape tracks under the outermost transducer elements of a sixteen transducer array will be 15×0.0012x=0.018x μm. If x is a typical value of 167 μm (for current generation tape heads), then 0.018x=3 μm. This is a large part of the TMR (Track MisRegistration) budget. On the other hand, if the transducer array "E" has a transducer element gap pitch of 0.5x μm, then a 0.12% change in tape dimension will only change the tape track spacing under the outermost transducer elements by 15×0.0006x μm=0.009x. Again assuming x is a typical value of 167 μm, then 0.009x=1.5 μm. The 0.5x gap pitch transducer array will thus experience only half of the tape dimensional change that is experienced by the x gap pitch array, such that track misregistration is less likely. Unfortunately, reducing track pitch using current thin film transducer fabrication techniques is not a trivial challenge due particularly to the size requirements of the write element structures. Absent the use of alternative transducer designs that permit reductions in track pitch (as previously proposed by one of the applicants herein in commonly-owned patent application filings), or the use of complicated head rotation techniques as referred above, there is no conventional technique for dealing with the thermally induced track misregistration.

International Business Machines Corporation


A method for generating 3D-information from multiple images showing a 3D scene from multiple perspectives has: providing at least two hypotheses for the 3D-information; performing a multi-hypotheses test by matching the at least two hypotheses to the multiple images and determining a test-result hypothesis that fulfills a particular matching criterion; updating the test-result hypothesis by varying a parameter set of the test-result hypothesis to further improve the matching criterion or another criterion; and determining the 3D-information on the basis of the parameter set of a resulting hypothesis provided by the action of updating the test-result hypothesis. A corresponding computer readable digital storage medium and a 3D-information generator are also described. Further embodiments perform a correspondence analysis between projections of spatio-temporal objects (STO) in multiple images to select a particular spatio-temporal object on the basis of said correspondence analysis.

One major objective of computer vision algorithms is to create spatial and temporal consistent 3D information from multiple cameras and/or multi-sensor setups.
Patch sweeping is an extension of the well-known plane sweeping approaches. In recent years, plane sweeping was considered as one of the most promising approaches for real-time depth estimation, but the estimation quality is limited (Colins, R. T. (1996): "A Space-Sweep approach to true Multi-Image matching", Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, IEEE Computer Society Conference, vol. 0 p. 358).
Simultaneously, patch based techniques (Furukawa, Y. Ponce, J. (2007): "Accurate, dense, and robust Multi-View stereopsis", Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, CVPR 07) turned out to be among the most accurate but time consuming 3D reconstruction methods (Seitz, S. M., Curless, B., Diebel, J., Scharstein, D., Szeliski, R. (2006): "A comparison and evaluation of Multi-View Stereo reconstruction algorithms", Proceedings of the 2006 IEEE Computer Society Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, IEEE Computer Society). Inspired by the contrary properties of the plane sweeping and patch based approaches, patch sweeping emerged as a symbiotic fusion of these two techniques.
Patch sweeping assumes that a 3D object surface can be described with quadratic surface elements, which are also known as surflets or spatial patches. In order to estimate the depth of an object for a reference camera or the object surface, several oriented spatial patches along the viewing rays of this reference camera have to be tested (see FIG. 1).
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the principle of Patch Sweeping. Several surflet orientations are evaluated.
An extended hybrid recursive matching (HRM) was proposed by N. Atzpadin, P. Kauff, O. Schreer in 2004 in the article "Stereo Analysis by Hybrid Recursive Matching for Real-Time Immersive Video Conferencing", IEEE Trans. on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology, Special Issue on Immersive Telecommunications, Vol. 14, No. 4, 321-334. European Patent Application EP 1 229 741 A1 by Atzpadin, N., Karl, M., Kauff, P., Schreer, O. (2002) describes a "Process for Real-Time Correspondence Analysis of Image Features in Corresponding Video Images". The article "True-Motion Estimation with 3-D Recursive Search Block Matching" by De Haan, G., Biezen, P. W. A. C., Huijgen, H., Ojo, O. A., IEEE Trans. on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology, (1993), Vol. 3, No. 5, 368-379 describes further related research.
One major challenge of conventional patch sweeping is to define the search range in the parameter space in order to get results of high depth resolution but with a reasonable computational effort.

Hybrid recursive analysis of spatio-temporal objects

FRAUNHOFER-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FOERDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG e.V.


An apparatus for supporting a cable splice in a cable splice enclosure includes a rectangular cradle portion of flexible net having first and second parallel, opposite longitudinal sides and first and second parallel, opposite transverse sides; the transversed sides interconnecting the first and second longitudinal sides. The cradle portion has first and second sleeves disposed longitudinally thereon with the first and second sleeves being parallel and spaced apart from each other. A cover portion of flexible net has first and second opposite cover sides, with the first cover side being connected to the cradle portion. A connector is on the second cover side of the cover portion and is releasably connectable with the cradle portion. A method of supporting a cable splice in an enclosure includes providing a rectangular cradle portion and a rectangular cover portion of flexible net; securing the cradle portion between first and second torque bars of the enclosure so that the cradle portion extends under the cable splice; passing the cover portion over the cable splice towards the second torque bar; and tightening the cover portion over the splice to draw the splice radially inwardly within the enclosure.

A cable splice such as found in a telecommunications cable is ordinarily housed within a protective cover known as a cable splice enclosure. Such enclosures often have cylindrical covers with one or more longitudinal joints and circular end plates that surround incoming and outgoing cables. Seals between the plates and the cables, and between the plates and the covers protect the splice from contamination. Usually, two rigid metal bars, known as torque bars, extend longitudinally on diametrically opposite sides of the enclosure, between the oppositely facing end plates. The splice must be kept within the bounds of the enclosure, as defined by the two torque bars and the two end plates, to ensure the cylindrical covers can be fastened to the end plates.
When a cable splice is made, individual wires in the cable are separated from bundles of wires. Typically bundled wires are densely packed within the cable and therefore occupy only a minimum amount of space. When the individual wires are separated however, a greater amount of space is required. In addition, cables are typically connected together using crimped connectors which also occupy a considerable amount of space. Thus the splice often occupies a large amount of space within the enclosure.
The splice can also be quite heavy, tending to hang downwards below the bounds of the enclosure. The torque bars typically extend on either side of the splice i.e. the bars are spaced generally horizontally apart, and therefore provide no direct support for the splice. It is, however, desirable to provide support for the splice to confine it within the bounds of the enclosure so that individual wires do not rub against the enclosure or hang outside the enclosure.
Usually, after a splice is made, individual wires are tied into bundles using waxed string. This enables the individual wires to be tightly drawn together to occupy less space within the enclosure. After the bundles are tied, any of several methods is employed to support and protect the splice. One method involves the use of a non-adhesive, approximately 11/4inch wide woven cloth tape known as "U.G. tape". The tape is tied to a torque bar, looped under the splice and wrapped or tied around the other torque bar. This is repeated several times along the length of the splice to create a cradle formed by a series of loops extending between the two torque bards. Another method of making a cradle involves a similar tying and looping process but instead of the U.G. tape, a one-inch fibre glass tape is used. After a cradle has been created, the entire length of the splice is further wrapped helically in a fine pitch using an approximately three-inch wide non-adhesive cloth tape known as muslin tape. The splice is wrapped tightly to ensure the bundles of wires are drawn radially inwardly within the bounds of the enclosure. The enclosure covers are then installed and the repair operation is completed.
The use of the above methods for wrapping a cable splice presents problems to repairmen who are later required to open the splice for maintenance or other work. In order to gain access to any particular wire pair within the splice, the repairman must unwrap the muslin tape to expose the entire splice while the U.G. tape or fibre glass tape remains intact, unless access to a lower portion of the splice is necessary, in which case the cradle is cut. The repair or maintenance work can then be performed, after which the repairman is required to recreate the cradle if the previous cradle was cut and is required to rewrap the splice with muslin tape. This can be very time consuming.
Often, cable splice enclosures are located in manholes or on above-ground cables rendering them susceptible to water contamination while the enclosure covers are removed. It will be appreciated that water can be retained within the muslin tape. Should the enclosure covers be installed while the muslin tape is wet, the tape is susceptible to rotting and the cable splices are susceptible to corrosion. Thus, should water come in contact with the muslin tape, the tape must be dried before the enclosure covers are installed.

Apparatus and method for supporting a cable splice in a cable splice enclosure


A closing member includes a pair of flap members, and an urging device urging each flap member to be positioned at a closed position closing a near-side pass-through opening for a fuel filling nozzle. Each flap member includes a turning assembly portion which becomes a center of turning, and an abutment portion relative to the other of the flap members. A far-side pass-through opening for the fuel filling nozzle, and a guide slope face for the fuel filling nozzle, which is a slope face having an opening edge of the far-side pass-through opening as a slope lower end and a vicinity of the near-side pass-through opening as a slope upper end and formed on both sides of a directly underneath position including the directly underneath position of the abutment portion of the flap member located at the closed position, are formed on a far side of the closing member.

As for a device attached to an upper end of a filler pipe (also called an inlet pipe and the like), and opening by an insertion of a fuel filling nozzle of a fuel filling gun so as to feed fuel, there are devices shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2.
The device of the Patent Document 1 includes an upper valve member pushed to open by the fuel filling nozzle, and a lower valve member. Thereby, a screw-type fuel inlet cap is unnecessary. However, the valve member of the Patent Document 1 has a structure of turning around one axis, so that a space for allowing the turning to an open position of the valve member which is necessary below the valve member cannot be minimized.
On the other hand, in the device of the Patent Document 2, a dust flap which becomes an upper valve member is formed by a pair of semicircular flaps, and each of the flaps has a structure turnably supported in a portion opposite to a portion abutting against the other of the flaps in a closed position so as to minimize a space for allowing the flap to turn to an open position which is necessary below the flap.
However, in the aforementioned devices, the aforementioned space is inevitably necessary below the upper valve member opening by the insertion of the fuel filling gun. Consequently, if the devices are simply formed, although the inserted fuel filling nozzle opens the upper valve member, the inserted fuel filling nozzle may not be able to open the lower valve member by abutting against an opening edge portion of a pass-through opening closed by the lower valve member and the like.


Methods and apparatus for subtractively fabricating three-dimensional structures relative to a surface of a substrate and for additively depositing metal and dopant atoms onto the surface and for diffusing them into the bulk. A chemical solution is applied to the surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a spatial pattern of electron-hole pairs is generated by projecting a spatial pattern of illumination characterized by a specified intensity, wavelength and duration at each pixel of a plurality of pixels on the surface. Charge carriers are driven away from the surface of the semiconductor on a timescale short compared to the carrier recombination lifetime. Such methods are applied to creating a spatially varying doping profile in the semiconductor substrate, a photonic integrated circuit and an integrated photonic microfluidic circuit.

Definitions: "Grayscale topography," in the context of semiconductor device fabrication, is a defined term referring to the field of variable height three-dimensional nanostructures patterned into a substantially planar surface. The term "variable height" is defined to mean that the depth of features relative to a fiducial plane is a function of displacement within the plane. Thus, height along one axis is a function of lateral displacement transverse to that axis. The term "grayscale topography" encompasses techniques that may, or may not, employ photoresist, whether directly written or exposed via a mask. It is to be noted that, while some literature uses the term "grayscale lithography" in the limited sense of a class of methods for modulating a local energy dose to expose resist thereby producing a three-dimensional (3D) structure during the development step, the term is not so limited in the context of the present description.
"High aspect-ratio," as the term is used herein and in any appended claims, refers to a structure etched into a substantially planar surface where the ratio of depth relative to the surface with respect to the lateral run over which that depth is varied results in a depth step that exceeds 50%. For example, an etch exceeding 500 nm in depth over no more than 1 μm lateral displacement would constitute a high-aspect-ratio etch.
Where the terms "short," "intermediate," and "long" are used to characterize wavelengths, in the present description and in any appended claims, the aforesaid terms are used in a relative sense, which is to say that a short wavelength is shorter than an intermediate wavelength, and that a long wavelength is longer than either a short or an intermediate wavelength.
Similarly, the terms "narrow bandgap," "medium bandgap," and "wide bandgap," as applied, for example, to semiconductor materials, are defined to have relative meaning. That is to say that a narrow bandgap material has a narrower bandgap (i.e., a smaller energy gap between the maximum energy of the valence band and the minimum energy of the conduction band) than a medium bandgap material, and that a wide bandgap material has a wider bandgap than either a narrow bandgap or a medium bandgap material. For avoidance of doubt, it is to be noted that bandgap of silicon is not intended as the standard of comparison for narrow and wide bandgaps, in the current context.
A general reference to the state of the art in microfabrication techniques may be found in Campbell, Fabrication Engineering at the Micro-and Nanoscale, 4th ed., Oxford U. Press (2013), which is incorporated herein by reference. Three-dimensional structures with multiple heights are difficult to achieve using conventional photolithography and etching. Currently, various techniques are employed in the fabrication of semiconductor devices with grayscale topography in particular, and, some of these techniques have entered routine use. Two-photon and multidirectional ultraviolet (UV) photopolymerization of resists are examples of techniques that have been used to realize complex 3D micro- and nano- fabricated patterns. Photo/e-beam complementary grayscale lithography is taught, for example, by Yu et al., "The evaluation of photo e-beam complementary grayscale lithography for high topography 3D structure," Proceedings of SPIE 8682, 868212 (2013), incorporated herein by reference.
To fabricate such structures, gray-scale masks can be used, which allow varying amounts of light to pass through and photoactivate a resist applied to the substrate prior to etching. These masks, however, have a limited number of gray levels, are very expensive since the cost scales with the number of levels, and may require several iterative purchases while a given process is perfected. More importantly, gray-scale masks are static and thus cannot easily be modified if the design dimensions or device layout is changed.
As a consequence, focus has been shifted to direct writing techniques which use lasers as the etching tool, rather than gray-scale masks. More complex structures can be created if laser scanning is used, such as the microlens array produced according to the teachings of Chen et al., "Maskless fabrication of concave microlens arrays on silica glasses by a femtosecond-laser-enhanced local wet etching method," Opt. Exp., vol. 18, pp. 20334-43 (2010), incorporated herein by reference. Multiple laser beams may be employed to bypass the diffraction limit and obtain sub-micron gratings and nanostructures. Serial laser writing, however, requires precise scanning equipment and software control, and the throughput is relatively low.
Traditionally, photochemical and photoelectrochemical etching have been most often used to improve the material selectivity of particular etching steps within a fabrication process. A survey of the state of the art as of its publication may be found in Kohl, "Photoelectrochemical etching of semiconductors," IBM J. Res. Dev., vol. 42, pp. 629-37 (1998) (hereinafter, "Kohl (1998)") , which is incorporated herein by reference. Various structures have been fabricated using laser-assisted wet etching, however laser-assisted wet etching has, to date, required proximity masking in order to achieve competitive results.
Although surface topography can be transferred to a semiconductor or other substrate with an etch of appropriate selectivity, it is difficult to transfer the topography of free standing structures with this method or to use the method to perform other types of semiconductor processing, e.g. doping or metallization. Photochemical etching is suited to directly pattern the semiconductor with grayscale topography. When light with sufficient energy is absorbed near the surface of a semiconductor material, minority carriers are generated that can then diffuse to the surface and act as a catalyst in the etching process. As a result, the etch depth for different materials in a given etching solution can be controlled by varying the irradiance, wavelength, or exposure time of the incident light. That much is already known in the art.
Maskless photoelectrochemical etching of 3D structures has been suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 7,433,811 ("Gao"), which is incorporated herein by reference. However, what has eluded achievement to date is one-step etching of multi-level structures by jointly controlling both the temporal and spectral characteristics of the photochemistry-initiating light source as well as the flow of charge carriers in the etched medium, thereby selectively gating aspects of the etching process. That breakthrough is taught in accordance with the present invention.

Spectrally and temporally engineered processing using photoelectrochemistry

The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois


A wheelchair lift arrangement configured to be installed in a preexisting structure includes a lift base assembly including a lift base plate and two supports attached to the lift base plate; and at least one installation bracket connected to each of the supports, respectively. Each installation bracket includes a horizontal portion and a vertical portion. The horizontal portion and the vertical portion of each installation bracket are each configured to connect the respective installation bracket and the lift base assembly to the preexisting structure at a separate location.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to access systems and wheelchair lift arrangements, for example wheelchair lift arrangements for use in connection with a vehicle, and, in particular, to a method of and arrangement for installing a wheelchair lift arrangement in a vehicle, such as a dual parallel-arm, platform-type wheelchair lift arrangement.
Description of Related Art
As is known in the art, access systems and wheelchair lift arrangements are provided to permit access, entry, exit, ingress, egress, and the like from a variety of structures and environments. For example, many vehicles are fitted or configured to interact with a wheelchair lift arrangement to allow a wheelchair (or other limited mobility) user to enter and exit the vehicle. One known type of wheelchair lift arrangement is in the form of a dual parallel-arm, platform-type wheelchair lift.
Since their introduction in the early 1980s, most dual parallel-arm, platform-type wheelchair lifts have been installed in vehicles using a series of bolts and supporting hardware to firmly attach the lift's base plate directly to the vehicle floor structure. Though the relative proximity of the bolts used to attach the lift to the vehicle has made for a spatially-efficient installation, it has also necessarily meant that the load in each fastener is relatively high. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the reactions at locations A and B at the base plate and/or mounting brackets (which are attached to the floor of the vehicle) are on the order of 3 to 4 times the magnitude of the load on the platform of the wheelchair lift arrangement.
As the types of vehicles in which wheelchair (or access) lifts are typically installed have become lighter, the vehicular structure available to which the wheelchair lift arrangement can be anchored has also become lighter, necessitating the use of supplemental reinforcement. As seen in FIG. 2, this supplemental reinforcement may include a sub-frame member configured for engagement with a clamping bar positioned underneath the vehicle floor. One or more of these sub-frame members can be used to support the clamping bar and provide structural reinforcement. However, as expected, the use of supplemental reinforcement leads to a variety of drawbacks and deficiencies, including, but not limited to, (1) additional material and/or installation costs; (2) additional weight, which leads to (i) greater fuel consumption; (ii) additional load on the vehicle's braking system; and (iii) less available payload; and (3) additional structural components, which means more material and labor are required to effect the installation. Further, with the aging of the population, the need for cost-effective care solutions has increased and will continue to increase.
Existing systems may include brackets that attach to the vehicle wall or door frame. However, such systems and arrangements are redundant since the wheelchair lift arrangement must still be bolted to the vehicle floor. Also, such systems and arrangements may lower the load at the attachment point, but the need for more efficient load distribution is required, especially for lighter vehicles (which is the current industry trend).

Installation method and arrangement for a wheelchair lift arrangement


A rope socket comprises a slip cone subassembly having a straight outer diameter and a tapered inner diameter. A plurality of slips is positioned within the slip cone body. A retainer ring holds the slips together. A guide plug is positioned within the slips to maintain the slips in an opening position during insertion of a cable. A spring stabilizer having a spring thereon is coupled above the slip cone assembly to ensure even compression of the spring. A safety slot is located on the body of the rope socket in order to provide a visual indication of the cable position.

During oil and gas operations, downhole tools become stuck occasionally and require expensive retrieval operations known as "fishing." Various reasons exist for the tool to become stuck, such as instances when the tool encounters a restriction that has formed in the inner diameter of the wellbore.
In situations when the stuck tool is still attached to an intact cable (e.g., wireline), a cable-guided fishing assembly is utilized. The Cable Guided Fishing Assembly is comprised of various components to ensure positive engagement of the stuck tool with the use of an overshot on a drill pipe. The heavy duty rope socket is used in the assembly to allow the cable to be cut and spliced during strip over operations.
There are disadvantages to conventional rope socket designs. Some designs employ a dual cast slip design having a set screw to hold a wireline in the slip carrier. However, the slips are line size specific and, because only two slips were used, non-uniform loading of the cable limits the pull load rating. Other designs utilized springs which sit directly atop the slips and can compress unevenly, resulting in unsecure coupling between the slips and the cable. In addition, the cable can sometimes become caught on the spring during insertion. Moreover, conventional designs provided no way to quickly ascertain whether the cable was engaged fully into the rope socket or whether the cable had slipped during operations.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need in the art for a heavy duty rope socket which addresses these and other concerns.

Heavy duty rope sockets and related methods