The system and methods of the invention partially shields the radiation dose to the skin and/or other anatomical organs by using magnetically responsive material that blocks radiation, which may be fine grains of iron or other ferrous powder for example. The powder is typically injected into an IB applicator, along with inflating saline solution in case of MSB, when a skin spacing problem is encountered, or there is a risk of high doses being delivered to the critical organs surrounding a lumpectomy cavity, for example. A slight magnetic field of predetermined configuration will be applied externally to arrange the shielding material internally under the segment of surface of the IB applicator where the skin spacing is typically less then 7 mm, thereby protecting the skin from radiation damage. Monte Carlo studies to develop parameterizations for treatment planning with the IB applicator utilizing the suggested shielding material is also provided. In one aspect, the improvement to the IB system allows better cosmetic outcome in breast conserving therapy, and should allow more women to take advantage of BCT.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a device and method for providing radiation therapy, and more specifically, a device, system and method for providing shielded intracavitary brachytherapy (IB).
2. Related Art
For years, women with early stage breast cancers have had the option to choose breast conserving therapies (BCTs) over mastectomy. About 130,000 women are candidates for BCT in the U.S. annually. Until the mid 1990's, the only available BCT was lumpectomy, followed by external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) delivered to the whole breast in daily doses for 5-7 weeks. The combination of lumpectomy and EBRT has proven to be effective in preventing local recurrence of tumor. Despite BCT's success in fighting cancer, issues associated with scheduling 5-7 weeks of EBRT have prevented many from taking advantage of BCT. In some areas of the country, as few as 10% of medically eligible patients receive BCT. Moreover, whole breast irradiation is considered a significant contributor to adverse effects associated with this form of BCT.
Recently, methods for accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) have been developed, such as the technology for intracavitary brachytherapy (IB) of the breast marketed, for example, by Hologic, Inc., Cianna Medical, Xoft, Inc., and/or SenoRx, Inc. These allow patients to complete radiation treatment in 5 days. These also have better confined irradiation margins. The minimally invasive MammoSite Radiation Therapy System (MRTS) (such as marketed by Hologic, Inc.) appears to be the most widely used and fastest growing form of APBI.
MRTS works generally by implanting a small balloon into the cavity remaining after tumor removal. The balloon is inflated within the breast and then loaded with a tiny radioactive seed to deliver radiation from inside the breast directly to the tissue where cancer is most likely to recur, as well as farther from the skin where adverse reactions and cosmetic damage are dominant considerations.
If the skin-to-balloon distance is less then 7 mm, patients are not able to take advantage of MRTS. Studies show that this may affect as many as 4,000 patients each year. Small skin-to-balloon distances are associated with mild to acute adverse skin reactions, as in previous external beam therapies. These significantly impact the cosmetic outcome of BCT, which is a crucial consideration for patients undergoing breast preserving treatment.
Breast Conserving Therapy
Outcomes of multiple retrospective studies and randomized prospective trials have consistently demonstrated no significant differences between BCT and mastectomy in disease-free survival, distant disease-free survival and overall survival for an appropriately selected patient population. BCT typically involves breast-conserving surgery and radiotherapy. Until the mid 1990's the radiation therapy associated with BCT usually involved 5-7 weeks of daily treatment with external beam radiation delivered to the whole breast (during the last two-weeks of treatment a boost dose of radiation was typically delivered only to the tumor bed). The biologic argument for whole breast irradiation comes from various studies demonstrating that breast cancer is often multicentric.
Studies demonstrate that the logistic and temporal problems of scheduling 5-7 weeks of external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) have a substantial effect on patient's choice of treatment. As a result, in certain parts of the United States, as few as 10% of medically eligible patients receive BCT. Thus, even though breast-conserving surgery and EBRT have been proven to be equivalent to mastectomy in the management of women with early-stage breast carcinoma, this form of BCT has limited practicality. Additionally, it has not been definitively established how much of the clinically uninvolved breast tissue surrounding the lumpectomy cavity must be treated by radiation. Treatment of clinically uninvolved breast tissue with EBRT after lumpectomy is generally believed to play a significant role in the occurrence of acute and chronic toxicity associated with this form of BCT. Moreover, large retrospective reviews have shown that, in certain subsets of patients with early-stage breast cancer, incidence of failures outside the lumpectomy bed are rare, and the use of whole breast EBRT does not appear to significantly affect the incidence of failure outside the tumor bed.
In the face of these shortcomings of whole-breast EBRT, investigations were initiated to develop treatments that limit radiation treatment to the surgical bed plus a 10-20 mm margin of tissue circumferentially for the management of patients with early stage breast cancers who additionally satisfied certain medical eligibility criteria. Rationale for the new methodology also emphasized the delivery of larger doses of radiation per fraction to the lumpectomy cavity. This accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) therapy aims to preserve local control and cosmesis while decreasing the overall length of the treatment, and is typically completed for APBI in 5-7 days. The objective is to provide the breast conserving option to a larger population of women through offering a new method that is logistically simpler and more practical, and in prospective has reduced treatment related toxicities. APBI therapy addresses problems that are both side-effect and quality of life related.
Interstitial and Intracavitary APBI
Multicatheter-based interstitial brachytherapy was the focus of initial studies evaluating APBI therapy. It was used to treat the excision site plus an additional 10-20 mm margin of tissue. Follow-up data at a median of 6 years suggest that multicatheter-based APBI is comparable to whole-breast irradiation in both safety and efficacy. Despite encouraging clinical results, only a minority of institutions have adopted multicatheter-based interstitial brachytherapy. Apparently because the optimal outcome of the treatment requires extensive practitioner experience associated with both the complexity of the procedure and with the associated intricate and time-consuming treatment planning.
The MammoSite brachytherapy (MSB) applicator is one example of a new and potentially superior technology for APBI therapy, which is intended to deliver intracavitary radiation to the surgical margins after lumpectomy. The device is a double lumen balloon catheter that is surgically inserted into the tumor bed during a lumpectomy procedure or postlumpectomy during a separate open or ultrasonically guided closed procedure within 10 weeks of the surgery.
The balloon catheter is inflated with a saline/contrast mixture to fill the entire cavity. Conformance to the surrounding tissue is checked usually with a computed tomography (CT) scan. CT images are also used to ensure an absence of air pockets between the balloon and the surrounding tissue, as well as to measure the balloon diameter, symmetry, and proximity to the skin and chest wall. The balloon catheter may be used as a high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy applicator to deliver intracavitary highly conformal radiation to the surgical margins plus typically an additional 10 mm of tissue surrounding the tumor bed to include clinically unapparent microscopic disease beyond the resection margins.
The MSB applicator simplifies delivery of HDR breast brachytherapy. First Phase I and II trials have already demonstrated that the device performs well clinically and provides improved dose coverage and reproducibility compared to interstitial implantation, as well as being easy to implant.
Success and Limitations of MSB
Eighty-seven institutions and 1,419 patients with stage 0, I, or II breast carcinoma who were undergoing breast conserving therapy were enrolled in a trial designed to collect data on the clinical use of the MammoSite breast brachytherapy catheter for delivering breast irradiation from May 4, 2002 through Jul. 30, 2004. The MSB device was placed in 1,403 of these patients. The MSB catheter demonstrated acceptable technical reproducibility between multiple institutions and use in appropriate groups of patients in delivering APBI. Cosmetic results at 12 months (92% good/excellent) were comparable to those reported for whole-breast radiation therapy. Early toxicity rates (infections, radiation recall) appeared acceptable. The recommended radiation dose fractionation scheme was 34 Gray (Gy) delivered at a point 10 mm from the surface of the balloon in 3.4 Gy fractions (twice daily separated by a minimum of 6 hrs) over 5 to 7 elapsed days with various commercially available, remote HDR after-loaders.
Skin Spacing—Correlation to Cosmesis:
The results of the MSB catheter trial described above confirmed previous observations that early cosmesis is related strongly to skin spacing. At 12 months, 96% of patients had a good/excellent cosmetic result with skin spacing ≧7 mm. 86% of patients with <7 mm of skin spacing had a good/excellent cosmetic result, suggesting that other factors (area/volume of tissue receiving higher doses) may impact on the ultimate cosmetic result. In 12% of patients with <7 mm of skin spacing, significant radiation effects were readily observable, and 2% had severe sequelae of breast tissue secondary to radiation effects. One of the technical eligibility criteria for participation in this trial was minimum applicator-to-skin distance of 5 mm. Explantation of the device due to inadequate balloon-to-skin distance was an overwhelming 35% of all explanted patients (3.1% overall).
Another recent study has analyzed factors associated with the cosmetic outcome achieved using the MSB applicator to treat patients with partial breast irradiation. The study population comprised 30 patients. 53.3% of the patients were reported to have an excellent cosmetic outcome and 40% had a good cosmetic outcome. The mean maximal skin doses per fraction in the excellent and good outcome groups were 354.8 cGy and 422.3 cGy, respectively. Excellent cosmetic outcome was also associated with a greater balloon-to-skin distance.
Approximately 130,000 women are candidates for BCT in the United States each year. Since the MSB treatment system's FDA approval in 2002, over 22,000 patients have been treated with this procedure. It has again been noted that the skin-balloon surface distance and balloon-cavity conformance were the main factors limiting the initial use of the MammoSite applicator. As the use of the MSB treatment system grows, it is estimated that this limitation may effect as many as 4,000 patients each year.
Radiation Recall Reactions—Skin Spacing, Chemotherapy:
Radiation recall reaction is usually broadly referring to the generalized development of a significant skin reaction (erythema, dry/moist desquamation) approximately 37 weeks after the completion of radiation therapy. Thus, both a delayed effect of radiation therapy on the skin and a redevelopment of a skin reaction secondary to the administration of radiosensitizing drugs are referred to as radiation recall reactions. It is believed that this effect is enhanced by the concurrent use of certain systemic chemotherapy agents. Adriamycin radiation recall dermatitis has been associated with external beam radiation therapy for 30 years, for example.
Development of a radiation recall reaction was evaluated in the Registry Trial on clinical use of the MSB described above, and of 442 patients that were evaluated for radiation recall reaction, 74 of these patients had received chemotherapy. A recall reaction was developed in 13.5% of patients who received chemotherapy (10 patients) versus only 1.4% (5 patients) who did not receive chemotherapy. Thus, patients who received concurrent chemotherapy were more likely to experience a recall reaction, suggesting that, in some patients, the early use of systemic chemotherapy agents can exacerbate or precipitate this reaction. Out of the 15 patients who developed a recall reaction, 3 had skin spacing <7 mm (6% of 50 patients with <7 mm skin spacing) versus 12 of 392 patients (3%) who had skin spacing >7 mm. Thus, again, patients with smaller skin spacing more frequently experienced a recall reaction (without chemotherapy).
If future studies confirm with higher certainty the association of radiation recall reaction after APBI therapy with adjuvant chemotherapy, some precautions will need to be considered. These safety measures may include 1) the delayed start of chemotherapy, 2) avoidance of certain radiosensitizing drugs, or 3) use only in patients with greater skin spacing.
Clinical Target Volume and MSB:
As already mentioned, the precise amount of clinically uninvolved tissue that must be included within the high-dose volume has not yet been definitively established. During multicatheter interstitial brachytherapy the amount of uninvolved tissue treated is an additional 10-20 mm circumferentially to the lumpectomy cavity. Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) is a relatively new and less invasive form of APBI. 3DCRT employs multiple noncoplanar beams to provide a relatively more focused dose of radiation to the excision cite plus, again, a 10-20 mm margin.
Earlier studies with the MSB applicator have included up to an additional 15 mm of tissue circumferentially. However, therapy protocols that are currently used in everyday practice include only 10 mm of clinically uninvolved tissue. Limiting factors potentially include the dose to portions of the heart and lung, but the principal dose-limiting factor for MSB is the dose to the overlying skin. Thus, a major consideration for a somewhat reduced size of the circumferentially treated tissue during MSB is not yet established clinically or scientifically, but is dictated by risk management of significant skin reactions. Yet, some studies have documented microscopic spread beyond 20 mm from the edge of the gross tumors in 29% of women with extensive intraductal component-negative breast cancers.
Improvements to the above procedures would increase overall effective treatment.

Accelerated partial breast irradiation with shielded brachytherapy applicator system and method of use


A prosthetic foot includes a longitudinal foot body and a biasing unit. The foot body includes front and rear end portions, and a longitudinal cavity between the front and rear end portions and extending inwardly from an upper surface of the foot body. The biasing unit is mounted in the cavity and has first and second ends extending respectively toward the front and rear end portions. The foot body is deflectable to contract the cavity. The biasing unit is subjected to a compression force when the cavity contracts, and restores the foot body to a normal position when the compression force is relieved.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a prosthetic foot, more particularly to a prosthetic foot which includes a plastic foot body having a cavity that receives a spring and that is contractable upon deflection of the foot body to compress the spring.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional prosthetic foot 1 is connected to a bottom portion of a limb rod of a prosthetic limb 2. The prosthetic foot 1 is designed to support the weight of the user in such a manner that body balance is maintained when the user is standing on a surface and that the foot 1 can react to the surface in a natural manner with the energy stored during pressing on the surface. However, since this kind of prosthetic foot 1 is made of metal/spring plate, which is highly flexible, the foot 1 cannot provide sufficient rigidity to support the weight of the user.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a prosthetic foot that provides good rigidity to resist severe deformation while maintaining sufficient resiliency to permit the prosthetic foot to act like a natural foot.
According to this invention, a prosthetic foot comprises a longitudinal foot body made of a plastic material, and a biasing unit. The foot body includes a front end portion, a rear end portion opposite to the front end portion, an upper surface that extends from the front end portion to the rear end portion, and a longitudinal cavity between the front and rear end portions and extending inwardly from the upper surface. The biasing unit is mounted in the longitudinal cavity, and has a first end extending toward the front end portion, and a second end extending toward the rear end portion. The foot body is deflectable to deform the upper surface and to cause the cavity to contract. The biasing unit is subjected to a compression force when the cavity contracts, and restores the upper surface to a normal position thereof when the compression force is relieved.


A stent (10) formed from cannula and having flexible segments (11) and high hoop strength segments (12) alternating therealong. Axial tie bars (21,22) interconnect the segments; minimal length reduction would occur upon expansion. In the high hoop strength segment (12), struts (16) are initially parallel in the unexpanded strut condition, while in the flexible segment (11), struts (14) extend from a respective bight (15) to converge at distal ends when unexpanded. In one embodiment, certain adjacent struts (16) of the hoop segment are spaced apart by a large gap (20) while others are spaced apart by a small gap (18). In another embodiment all the struts (16) of the hoop segment are spaced apart uniformly from each other (or from an axial tie bar) by a small gap (23), resulting in minimizing the occurrence of fatigue of high-stress sites upon expansion/contraction cycles from continuous pulsatile events.

This invention relates generally to medical devices and in particular to a stent made from cannula.
Stents of both the balloon expandable and the self-expanding type are known that have been cut from metal cannula and expanded for placement, for example, in the vessels of a patient. In a number of designs, the stent can be comprised of first and second segments, one of which exhibits radial strength greater than that of the other. The lesser radial strength segment is then formed to have lateral flexibility greater than that of the first segment. This combination of segments provides a stent having both good radial strength as well as lateral flexibility.
One known stent is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/160,122 filed Sep. 24, 1998 and assigned to the assignee hereof. The stent is fabricated from cannula and is defined by one or more longitudinal segments of laterally interconnected closed cells. Each closed cell is defined laterally by a pair of longitudinal struts that are interconnected at each end by a circumferentially adjustable member that deform to permit circumferential expansion while the length of the cell is maintained by the longitudinal struts. Adjacent ones of the longitudinal segments are joined by flexible interconnection segments that permit the stent to bend laterally and tat are comprised of curvilinear struts that form a series of serpentine bends that distribute lateral bending forces while only allowing a slight overall shortening of the stent. A short strut interconnects a longitudinal segment and an adjacent interconnection segment.
Other cannula stents are known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,955; U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,417; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,984. A wire frame stent having a number of stent segments is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,404.
However, a problem associated with certain multiple segment stents is that relatively high tensile strains are produced therein that cause areas of metal fatigue. As a result, after these stents have been subjected to pulsatile expansion and contraction due to blood flow, the high tensile strain areas will eventually fracture. In addition, bending and torsional loads to which the stent is subjected when the patient changes physical position, can also cause metal fatigue and subsequent fracture. By way of example, these multiple segment stents have various peripheral vessel applications such as in the carotid of the patient. In addition, these peripheral stents can be subjected to external forces such as the patient having external pressure applied to a vessel and causing its collapse or deformation.
It is desired to provide a stent from cannula, that includes segments of high radial strength alternating with segments of lesser radial strength but greater flexibility.
It is further desired to provide a stent that is especially useful in applications wherein it is subjected to pulsatile expansion and contraction due to blood flow, such as in arterial applications and particularly the aorta and the carotid artery.
The foregoing problems are solved and the technical advances achieved in the illustrative cannula stent of the present invention, wherein the stent has segments of high flexibility alternating with segments of high radial or hoop strength. The flexible segments have a serpentine configuration that loops back and forth upon itself, with struts projecting in spaced apart pairs from respective bights and then in the unexpanded stent condition, converging at distal ends that each join to other bights to connect with adjacent strut pairs, thus eventually forming a circumferential band. The hoop segments also have a serpentine configuration but have struts that in the unexpanded stent condition are parallel projecting in pairs from respective bights, and also join bights at distal ends to connect with adjacent strut pairs, with axial tie bars positioned between certain ones thereof that join to bights of strut pairs of the adjacent segment, to interconnect the hoop segment with flexible segments at least at one end of the hoop segment.
In a first embodiment, the hoop segments of the stent have a small gap between most pairs of adjacent parallel struts when the stent is unexpanded; certain pairs of adjacent parallel struts have a relatively large gap therebetween; the axial tie bars are each positioned in certain ones of the large gaps but with only small gaps between itself and the parallel struts along both sides thereof.
In a second embodiment of the present invention, the stent has hoop segments with uniformly spaced struts to provide a radial strength or hoop strength greater than that of the flexible segments of prior art stents. Advantageously, the struts in the flexible segments of the stent are orientated and spaced so as to provide tensile strains less than those in the higher radial or hoop strength segment. Furthermore, this uniformly spaced strut segment has axial interconnecting bars that remain in a longitudinal configuration during expansion and compression and eliminate twisting and deformation thereof as with conventional non-uniformly spaced struts. The uniform spacing of the struts significantly and advantageously reduces the high tensile strain areas and provides a stent with a superior fatigue resistance and life.


A composite article and process forming a soft metallic layer, underneath a hardface coating, on a metallic substrate, using cloth-like flexible preforms. The softer layer formed underneath the hardfacing should be one having a hardness below 35 HRC, preferably 30 HRC, and should not experience any significant physical changes, e.g., increase in hardness, upon heat treatment.

It is sometimes advantageous to coat a substrate, especially a metal, with a coating having special properties, for example, wear resistance or corrosion resistance. Wear resistance can be provided for a substrate by coating it with a coating composed of a mixture of hard abrasive material such as powdered tungsten carbide or the like, dispersed in a hard filler metal. Corrosion resistance can be provided to a substrate with a similar coating composed of a corrosion resistant metal or alloy. Other special or improved physical properties can be obtained in a similar manner substituting other matrix materials.
Prior to the work of Breton et al. (U. S. Pat. Nos. 3,743,556, 3,916,506, and 4,194,040 the specifications and claims of which are incorporated herein by reference) it was difficult to produce such a coating, especially on objects having an intricate or complicated shape or requiring a coating thickness of greater than 0.020 of an inch. In the prior methods using plasma and flame spraying techniques, it was difficult to get uniform coatings on a substrate, especially a substrate having an intricate surface. A similar difficulty occurred in the prior method using techniques such as abrasive particle dusting onto the substrate.
Breton et al eliminated many of the difficulties that existed in the prior art methods by providing a method using a first layer of a desired thickness of a high melting point powdered matrix material in an organic binder material and a second layer of a lower melting temperature powdered brazing filler material also in an organic binder. The first layer is then placed on the substrate with the second layer in turn placed on top of it. The matrix material is characterized as being wetted by the brazing filler metal or alloy in the molten state. This assembly is then heated to decompose the binder and melt the filler metal or alloy which is infused by capillary action into the matrix layer. Cooling then yields an essentially void-free coating bonded on the substrate. The method for preparing both the hard particle matrix material as well as the braze filler alloy layers or performs, using fibrillated polytretra fluoroethylene (PTFE) is disclosed in U. S. Pat. Nos.3,916,506 and 4,194,040.
The coating typically consists of hard particles such as tungsten carbide, chromium carbide, titanium carbide, nickel boride or diamond etc. and provides a very hard and brittle surface, which is susceptible to cracking under thermal or mechanical stresses. As the flexible preform coatings are generally brazed in a controlled atmosphere or vacuum furnace at a temperature above the liquids temperature of the braze filler alloy and the cooling rate is generally slow it causes grain growth in the metallic substrate, which results in loss in hardness as well as the strength. In many instances, the coated parts are later heat treated to achieve required hardness and the strength in the substrate. Depending upon the substrate alloys and required properties, the heat treating conditions vary, but in most common alloy steels (e.g., AISI 1045, 4130, 4140 , 4340 and some tool steel) it is required that the parts be heated in excess of 1500.degree. F. and hardened by quenching in forced air, molten salt bath, oil or water. Quenching a coated part in any of the stated media may induce extreme thermal stresses in the coating and may result in cracking. These cracks may continue to grow from coating to substrate while being heat treated or later from mechanical stresses imposed during usage. Crack growth in the substrate will lead to premature failure of the coated article or component.
In conventional coating methods, e.g. , weld overlay, spraying, fused or plasma coating processes., etc., a softer metallic coating is sometimes applied on the substrate surface prior to applying the hardface coating. The reason for applying this softer layer between hardface coating and substrate is that it acts as a barrier to crack growth into the substrate thus preventing a catastrophic failure during the usage. In common practice, the soft intermediate layer is applied in a separate step by a weld overlay or a spray process.
The disadvantage with weld overlay method is that the surface of the layer is very rough and non-uniform in thickness, therefore, machining or grinding of the surface is required prior to hardfacing in addition to the fact that it requires a separate manufacturing step. Also, this process is not feasible where the surface to be coated is out of line of sight or has very complex geometry. The spray method may be a better process for such application since it provides a more uniform thickness of soft layer, with a smoother surface, however, it still requires the additional manufacturing step and where the area to be coated is out of the line of sight or on an inner surface, such as a small diameter pipe, this method cannot provide consistent durable results.

Hardfaced article and process to prevent crack propagation in hardfaced substrates


A light distributing device for a vehicle includes a focusing lens that concentrates light input to a rear surface thereof to form an image point on a front side thereof, a shield that is arranged at the image point and has an opening through which a portion of the light, which passes through the image point, passes, and a mirror that reflects at least a portion of the light that passed through the opening to the front side of the focusing lens.

The present disclosure relates to a light distributing device for a vehicle, and more particularly to a light distributing device for a vehicle that shields a portion of light irradiated from a light source and projects the light to the outside.
In general, a vehicle is equipped with a light distributing device, such as a lamp, which increases a surrounding intensity of illumination to enhance the field of view of the driver during driving of the vehicle or inform the outside of a current driving state.
The light distributing device (hereinafter, referred to as a light distributing device for a vehicle) installed in the vehicle may be used for a headlamp that irradiates light to the front side of the vehicle, a rear lamp that displays a travel direction of the vehicle or informs a manipulation of a brake, and the like.
The light distributing device for a vehicle may form a low beam or a high beam for securing the view of field of the driver, and LEDs having high power efficiency and long lifespan have recently been increasingly used as a light source.
Meanwhile, laser diodes, of which the irradiation distance is longer than that of the LEDs, also may be used as a light source of the light distributing device for a vehicle.


A high pressure discharge lamp having a partially collapsible frame for holding an arc tube at a predetermined angle to the lamp axis and being insertable through the neck portion of a standard bulged tube outer envelope. The frame has a first frame section welded to a standard stem assembly, a second frame section rotatably joined to the first frame section for holding the arc tube, and a third frame section rotatably joined to the second frame section for engaging the outer envelope opposite the lamp cap. The frame sections are joined by rotary locking joints and are aligned such that they pivot during insertion of the frame sections when the third frame section engages the dome portion of the outer envelope. The rotary locking joints lock with the arc tube at the desired angle.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to high intensity discharge (HID) lamps. More specifically, the invention relates to a frame assembly for HID lamps in which a discharge vessel, such as an arc tube, is canted at a predetermined angle with respect to the lamp axis. The invention also relates to a rotary locking joint for connecting sections of the frame.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the majority of HID lamps, the discharge vessel is arranged in the outer envelope aligned with the lamp axis. The outer envelope has a bulbous portion surrounding the arc tube, and an elongate neck portion extending from the bulbous portion. The arc tube is normally supported in the lamp envelope by a support frame fixed to rigid current-supply conductors extending from the lamp stem through the neck portion of the outer envelope.
The burning orientation of the arc tube in HID lamps affects the efficiency of the lamps. It has been found that a vertical burning position of the arc tube is most efficient, followed by a horizontal burning position. However, in certain lamp applications, it is not practicable to orient the outer bulb in a horizontal or vertical position. For example, in portable light towers for illuminating sports playing fields, the design and position of the reflector for illuminating the playing field limits the orientation of the outer bulb to a base-up orientation with the bulb axis between the vertical and horizontal. Thus, such luminaires would support the arc tube at an angle which is less efficient than the preferred vertical or horizontal burning positions. As a result, prior art lamps having an arc tube aligned with the lamp axis do not provide optimum light distribution or efficiency when operated in such luminaires.
A proposed solution has been to provide a lamp in which the arc tube is supported in the outer envelope at a predetermined angle with respect to the lamp axis. For sports lighting applications, the arc tube is canted such that it would be in a horizontal burning position when secured in a luminaire. However, in lamps having an arc tube canted more than only a few degrees from the lamp axis, the configuration of the frame for supporting the arc tube has prevented the insertion of the frame and arc tube through the elongate neck portion of the standard bulged-tube (BT) outer envelope.
U.S. application Ser. No. 07/312,504, filed Feb. 17, 1989, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,807 discloses a solution to the assembly problem which involves severing of the neck portion of the outer envelope from the bulbous portion. A stem assembly having rigid conductors extending from the stem press is first sealed to the neck portion. After severing the neck portion near the bulbous portion, a frame holding the arc tube and having rigid conductors bent for holding the arc tube at the preferred angle is welded to the rigid conductors. The arc tube and frame are then maneuvered through the severed opening and the neck portion is resealed to the bulbous portion. However, this assembly method requires additional equipment for the severing and resealing of the neck portion and is labor intensive, making it comparatively inefficient and expensive compared to the known assembly method for lamps having arc tubes aligned with the lamp axis.
Frame assemblies for canted arc tubes which allow the frame assembly with the arc tube to be inserted through the neck portion of the outer envelope and permit pivoting of the arc tube to the canted position are known in the art. U.S Pat. No. 2,904,710 discloses a frame assembly for securing the arc tube transverse to the lamp axis. The frame assembly has a support aligned with the lamp axis and a cradle for holding the arc tube which is pivotable about the support at the center of the cradle. The cradle is rotated into the transverse position and latched by a latching mechanism prior to sealing of the reentrant stem in the neck portion of the envelope. However, an additional wire separate from the frame and enclosed by an insulator tube is required to energize one of the discharge electrodes.
U.S Pat. No. 4,142,122 discloses a frame with two spaced and curved rods on which the ends of the arc tube slide allowing the arc tube to be pivoted to a transverse position by a coil spring. This frame support has the disadvantage that the arc tube is not locked in the transverse position but is held only by the force of the spring biasing the arc tube ends against pivot stops on the curved rods.
Frame assemblies in which the arc tube is pivotable about one end at a hinge connection with a rigid frame conductor are known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,004, U.S. Pat. No. 4,410,828, and JP Kokai No. 59-158064. In U.S Pat. No. 4,410,828, the arc tube is latched in the transverse position by a wire portion secured to the arc tube which cooperates with a notched double-wire clasp spring fixed to the rigid frame conductor. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,004, a two-piece connector having a bendable knee joint and extending from one of the conductors in the stem to the lead-in of the arc tube opposite the hinge joint secures the arc tube in the transverse position. These two lamps have the disadvantage that the arc tube must be pivoted by a wand inserted into the envelope during lamp assembly. In JP Kokai No. 158064, a wire of shape memorizing alloy is attached to the end of the support on which the arc tube has a slide connection. During assembly, the wire is relaxed and permits passage of the arc tube through the neck portion. At elevated temperatures, the wire becomes coiled and draws the arc tube into the transverse position. This construction has the disadvantage that the arc tube is secured in position only by the memory alloy wire.

HID lamp having a canted arc tube and frame with rotary locking joints


Shortcut names corresponding to flagged locations or frequently stated destinations, phrases, or sentences are registered, maintained, used, and deregistered in a speech recognition system. If a flagged location or a frequently stated destination, phrase, or sentence is received by the speech recognition system, the user is prompted to provide a shortcut name corresponding to the frequently stated destination, phrase, or sentence in the form of speech, which is then recognized by speech recognition and registered to a personal profile of the user. The shortcut name is also added to a grammar database of the speech recognition system, so that the speech recognition system may recognize the shortcut name itself. The shortcut name may also be deleted, when speech received from a user contains a shortcut name but the user did not intend the shortcut name to mean the corresponding destination, phrase, or sentence.

Vehicle navigation systems are being widely used in modern automobiles. In a conventional navigation system, the user asks for directions to a particular destination by voice (speech) or by manually typing in a destination address through input keys or touch sensitive screens. The navigation systems typically have Global Positioning System (GPS) capabilities to determine the current location of the automobile. The navigation system responds to the user's request for directions to a destination by displaying the directions to the location to the user, along with voice instructions or visual instructions corresponding to the directions to the destination.
Users of the navigation systems interact with the navigation systems by a variety of input methods, including speech input to speech recognition systems, manual input using keys or touch sensitive screens, and the like. The speech input method is popular in navigation systems, especially because the speech input method minimizes interference with the user's driving of the vehicle.
When a user interacts with the navigation system using speech input, the user typically asks for directions to a destination by stating the address of the destination. For example, the user may ask for directions to 4009 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, Calif., by stating "Take me to 4009 Miranda Avenue in Palo Alto, Calif." to the navigation system. The speech recognition system of the navigation system recognizes the request using conventional speech recognition methods and shows to the user the directions to the destination.
If the user requests the directions to a previously requested destination twice or more, that destination is likely to be a frequently requested destination. However, in conventional navigation systems, the user still has to state the complete address of such destination to obtain directions to the frequently requested destination. Some conventional navigation systems store the history of destinations requested by a user and allow the user to view the list to find a previously requested destination. However, this is cumbersome for the user of the navigation system and interferes with the user's driving of the automobile.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and system for conveniently inputting destinations by speech in a navigation system. There is also a need for a method and system for minimizing the interference with the user's driving of the automobile, when the driver requests directions to a destination using a navigation system. There is also a need for a method and system for stating phrases or sentences to a speech recognition system in a convenient and shorter way.

Shortcut names for use in a speech recognition system


The present invention is a segmented LED lighting system. In particular, the present invention is directed to a set of channel segments connected by a flexible lens sleeve that can be positioned in a variety of ways. A printed circuit board with at least one LED is mounted in each channel segment. Each segment preferably has a base with two ribbed vertical sides. The lens sleeve is preferably coextruded from flexible acrylic and has opaque side grips that grip the ribbed vertical sides and a translucent lens portion with an air gap. Pairs of encapsulated PCB modules are preferably connected in series to allow the system to be cut in the field.

The use of light fixtures with light emitting diodes (LEDs) to replace neon fixtures for, among other things, signage and accent lighting usage is known in the prior art, e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,592,238; 6,761,472; 6,953,262; and 7,188,970. However, the use of LEDs can have a variety of drawbacks. For example, some prior art LED lighting systems are difficult to shape or position in the field such as lettering or designs for a sign or building. Furthermore, prior art LED lighting systems often cannot be cut to size in the field.


A system for gaze direction detection is disclosed herein. The system comprises a face detection unit configured to detect face information from a captured image of a spectator, a head pose unit configured to detect a head pose angle based on the face information; an eye measurement unit configured to detect eye information of at-least one of a left eye or a right eye of the spectator based on the detected face information; an eye-gaze detection unit configured to estimate a gaze angle of the at-least one of the left eye or the right eye of the subject based on the eye information; a conditional gaze detection unit configured to calculate a resultant gaze angle based on the estimated gaze angles of the left eye and right eye and the head pose angle; and an effective gaze detection unit configured to estimate an effective gaze angle based the resultant gaze angle and head-pose angle.

With the advancement in digital technology, a digital signage system plays a pivotal role in providing content advertisement to a spectator. The digital signage systems are a kind of digital display system that usually found in public places for advertisement purpose and the like. In an example, the digital signage system displays digital images, video, web pages, weather data, restaurant menus, content advertisement etc. The digital signage system usually estimates a gaze direction of a spectator. However, due to the constant movement of the spectators, counting impressions of the spectators for digital signage requires unconstrained eye gaze estimation for varying head poses. When gaze is fixated at a signage, the eyeball rotates synchronously with the head rotation. However, state of the art 2D eye gaze tracker systems are sensitive to head pose and fail to identify a true gaze of a subject/spectator because appearance of observed eye changes significantly with variations to head pose.
While, 3D gaze tracking systems attempt to overcome the limitation of the 2D eye gaze system, they end up by utilizing high cost multiple camera solutions or subject personalized calibration or bath.
Further, state of the art gaze tracking system usually requires moving of face and eye in the same direction for estimating the eye gaze direction of the spectator. Accordingly, in a real time scenario wherein the eye and the face may move to opposite direction, the state of the art gaze tracking system end up incurring error in estimating a correct/true eye gaze direction of the spectator. Further, the conventional gaze tracking system while estimating a gaze angle does not consider occlusion from various factors like nose.
Thus, there is a need for a solution that overcomes the above limitation of state of the art solution and renders a cost effective and efficient gaze direction detection within minimum optics and electronics.
Thus, there is a need for a solution at determines gaze direction irrespective of the orientation of the head and eye with respect to each other.

System and method for gaze direction detection

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


The present invention relates to coated, absorbent, freestanding assemblies comprising inorganic nanowires, articles of manufacture comprising the same, processes of producing the same and methods of use thereof. The assemblies of this invention are useful in various applications, including removal of organics or hydrophobic materials, and waterproofing applications.

The ability to control interfacial properties, such as wettability, is of great importance in emerging technologies as diverse as protein engineering, microfluidic devices, and antifouling water filtration systems. An extraordinary array of approaches that involve topological construction of micro- and nanostructures, surface modification with low-surface-energy molecules, utilization of stimuli-responsive materials have been developed to alter the wettability of a material. The vast majority of these approaches, however, rely on structures that are firmly coupled to supporting substrates and thus regarded as integrated systems. In contrast, the approach that leads to an easily scalable procedure to create appropriate large-scale free-standing structures for practical applications is a substantial challenge as assembly methods for simultaneous control of features at lengths from the nanometer scale to the macroscale remain elusive. Free-standing membrane structures, such as layer-by-layer assembled polymer films, carbon nanotube membranes and sheets, have been recently reported, but they have limitations for systems that need to require low-cost fabrication, high thermal stability, high levels of control over a wide range of wetting behavior, and high degrees of wetting reversibility.

Absorbant superhydrophobic materials, and methods of preparation and use thereof


A remote system for use with a gaming system implements a player tracking system. The remote system includes a remote device and a remote network interface coupled to the remote device for exchanging data between a host computer and the remote device. The data includes voucher information to issue a voucher to the player in the player tracking system. The voucher includes at least one of an associated product and service.

The growth and competition in the casino gaming market in recent years and the increasingly sophisticated and complex technology being integrated into the gaming environment, at the individual game, casino management, and auditing levels, presents both challenges and opportunities to game manufacturers, gaming establishment operators, and regulatory agencies. The technological capabilities and requirements of, for example, advanced electronic games, multi-site gaming operations, detailed player tracking, wide area progressive jackpots, and various alternatives to the use of currency and coins by players, all present a potentially huge pool of ever-changing data which can be of great value to casino operators (from a management standpoint) and to regulators from an audit/compliance standpoint.
Players may also be given an incentive through a player tracking club. Usually, a player is identified during play by a player tracking ID card and/or a player identification number (PIN). The player tracking system tracks the player's play and awards player tracking points according to established criteria. The player tracking points may be redeemed for prizes, such as complimentary meals or merchandise.
Typically, the player tracking system is accessed at workstation or computers which are linked to a remote server. The computer applications which are used to access the player tracking system for various functions are stored on the workstation.
However, these types systems are inflexible and do not provide the casino operator with the maximum benefit and advantages available from the information and systems now available.
The present invention is aimed at one or more of the problems as set forth above.

System and method for assigning a voucher to a player in a player tracking system


An approach for determining a veracity of a reported event is provided. In an embodiment, a set of predictor variables is retrieved from a selected use case. Each of these predictor values is a condition that indicates the veracity of the reported event. In addition, a set of hidden predictor variables is generated from a set of unstructured documents related to the reported event using a hidden Markov model that is based on the predictor variables using a cognitive system. These hidden predictor variables are combined with the set of predictor variables to generate a set of updated predictor variables. These updated predictor variables are used by the cognitive system to return a determination of the veracity of the reported event.

In today's information technology environment, more and more activities that were previously performed by humans can be performed more quickly and efficiently by computers. These activities can include such tasks as performing complex calculations, monitoring various conditions and/or events, controlling machinery, providing automated navigation, and/or the like. One area in which the use of computers is currently expanding is the use of cognitive systems in solving problems.
Generally, cognitive systems, also called cognitive decision engines, take inputted information and analyze the information according to a set of rules and/or variables in a machine learning model to arrive at a solution. As such, the availability to the cognitive system of a greater number of variables and/or of variables that are more predictive of a particular outcome increases the probability that the cognitive system will arrive at an accurate solution.
However, in some areas, which variables should be used by a cognitive system may not be obvious or the predictive nature of these variables may not be evident. One such case may be in the area of insurance (e.g., fraud detection, risk management, marketing, case management, etc.). In these cases, individuals, such as business analysts, subject matter experts (SMEs), data scientists, quantitative consultants, IT departments, analytics departments, marketing departments, and/or multi-disciplinary managers, may be required to draw on their own subjective research to generate lists of predictors for predictive and other analytic models to support cognitive and predictive solutions.

Cognitive systematic review (CSR) for smarter cognitive solutions


A wiring box includes: a top plate having an opening; a lid body which opens and closes the opening of the top plate; and a rotating arm, one end of the rotating arm being rotatably supported inside the opening of the top plate and another end of the rotating arm rotatably supporting the lid body, wherein the lid body is elevated while being held in a substantially vertical state inside the opening of the top plate by rotation of the rotating arm, and the opening of the top plate is closed by rotation of the lid body at a surface of the opening of the top plate so that a surface of the top plate and a surface of the lid body form a uniform surface.

A wiring box including a lid body which opens and closes an opening for wiring, which vertically penetrates through a top plate of a table, is known. The wiring box is mounted to the lower surface of the top plate, and a duct at the lower portion of the wiring box can accommodate power supply devices such as sockets, LAN cables, and the like. In addition, during a work on the top plate using a notebook PC or the like, it is configured to use the socket or the like accommodated in the duct at the lower surface of the top plate via the opening of the top plate.
In addition, the lid body of the wiring box is configured to be selectively opened and closed between a state of closing the opening and a state of opening the opening. Particularly, in the open state of the opening, it is configured to accommodate the lid body inside the wiring box (for example, Patent Literature 1).
As such, the wiring box is configured to be fallen into the opening from above the top plate, and a flange formed in the periphery of the wiring box is caught on the edge of the opening so that positioning of the lid body of the wiring box and the surface of the top plate of the table in the height direction is performed.
In this case, while positioning of the wiring box can be easily performed, the flange in the periphery of the wiring box protrudes from the surface of the top plate and thus there is a problem in that the surface of the top plate is not flat in use (for example, Patent Literature 2). Here, providing a height difference of the height of the flange of the wiring box in the periphery of the opening may be considered. However, molding the periphery of the opening of the top plate becomes complex and thus there is concern that excess cost may be needed (for example, Patent Literature 3)
Therefore, in order to allow the surface of the top plate to be flat in use, a method of inserting the wiring box from below the opening without the use of a hooking member such as a flange may be considered. However, there is a problem of how to enable the upper surface of the lid body of the wiring box to be flush with the surface of the top plate in a case where the top plate with a different thickness is used.
That is, while the thickness of the top plate varies depending on the types of the table, in order to allow a height between the lid body and a mounting metal fitting of the wiring box to be constant, the height of the mounting metal fitting of the wiring box needs to be changed according to the thickness of the top plate. Otherwise, there is also a method which employs mounting metal fittings having an adjusting mechanism corresponding to each top plate thickness. However, a mounting process requires labor, and there is a problem in terms of a selection of components and cost.

Wiring box and method of mounting the same


A method for treatment of a vascular lesion. A biomarker insertion device introduces a biomarker into a vascular region. The biomarker binds to a lesion type of a plurality of lesion types. Under ultrasound imaging, an image brightness of an imaged biomarker differs based on the lesion type of the plurality of lesion types to which the biomarker binds. An ultrasound imaging probe of an ultrasound imaging system images the biomarker and produces an image brightness of the imaged biomarker. The lesion type is determined based on the image brightness of the imaged biomarker. A frequency of a high intensity focused ultrasound emission of a non-invasive high intensity focused ultrasound device is tuned based on the determined lesion type. The tuned frequency is applied to the vascular lesion, resulting in the destruction of the vascular lesion.

Laser ablation, microwave coagulation, and radiofrequency ablation may be used in treating benign and malignant tumors, hemostasis, uterine fibroids, and other conditions. However, these treatments are invasive and/or ionizing, creating long-term effects. Moreover, these treatments may not be repeated as many times as required to fully destroy the targeted cells.
It is known to use High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) lithotripsy in kidney stone applications, cellulite treatment, and tumor therapy. The difficulty in applying HIFU to lesion or plaque removal in a blood vessel is that the content of the lesion or plaque is not known, e.g., the lesion may be fatty, calcified, or fibrous, or a combination thereof.
In addition, there have been debates on the pathological effects or side effects of HIFU on tissues, since HIFU is a thermal modality.
What is needed in the art is an improved method for treatment of vascular lesions, particularly when the lesions are in the elastocalcinosis disease state.

Method for treatment of a vascular lesion


An elevator group control apparatus performs operation control of a plurality of elevators by detecting a downward traffic flow ratio of traffic flows departing downward from floors higher than a prescribed main floor in the total traffic flow departing from one floor to another. If the downward traffic flow ratio is not less than a prescribed reference value, a standby mode for downward traffic flow is made effective, in which at least one elevator car is caused to be on standby on a floor higher than the main floor and at least one elevator car is caused to be on standby on the main floor.

In buildings and the like where there are many elevator users, a plurality of elevators are installed within the same building and these plurality of elevators are group-controlled in order to improve the operation efficiency of all elevators.
A conventional art of an elevator group control apparatus which performs such group control is described in Patent Literature 1 below. The elevator group control apparatus described in Patent Literature 1 has a distributed standby control function. This distributed standby control is performed in order to prevent a plurality of cars from being concentrated on a specific zone. Specifically, control is performed in such a manner that an elevator car whose service has been finished and to which a new call has not been assigned is allocated to a prescribed parking floor. In this group supervisory control apparatus, it is ensured that the above-described distributed standby control is not performed, for example, when the difference between upward traffic demand and downward traffic demand is small.

Elevator group control apparatus having standby operation


A system for attaching electrical equipment to a metallic support and including a pin designed to be inserted through a through-housing of the metallic support and a metallic insert of the electrical equipment, and a device for insulating the metallic support, extending between the metallic support and the metallic insert. The system also includes a mechanical retention device designed to apply load to the insulating device so as to keep them in contact with the metallic support and with the metallic insert.

Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to a system for attaching electrical equipment to a metallic support.
The invention can especially relate to a system for attaching electrical equipment, for example an inductive sensor adapted to measure the rotation speed of an engine, called sensor N1, on a metallic support, for example a metallic housing of the engine.
Discussion of the Background
Inductive sensors of type N1 are sensors adapted to detect the rotation speed of a phonic wheel of an engine by detection of the passage of teeth in front of the sensor, generating a variation in the magnetic field which creates alternative current in the sensor. The sensor N1 measures and monitors the rotation speed of an engine, and sends this information to a calculator of a control system by means of metallic lugs connected to said sensor N1.
For this, the sensor N1 usually comprises at least one metallic insert interface, generally one for each pole, each connected to a lug by means of metallic pieces adapted to enable transmission of the signal to the control calculator.
Reference could be made in particular to the sensor 1 of type N1 marketed by the company MEGGITT under reference "N1 Speed Probe" for more information on this insert.
The sensor N1 is generally mounted on a structural piece of the housing opposite the phonic wheel. For this, a metallic screw is inserted into each of the inserts so as to fix the sensor on the housing and ensure electrical transmission to the lugs.
However, since the housing is a metallic support, the sensor N1 must be mounted on the support by being electrically insulated from the latter to be able to transmit the electric signal to the calculator.
An example of such assembly is illustrated in FIG. 1a. As is evident, the usual system for attaching comprises a screw 3′, sleeves with metallic collar 40′ and insulating 30′, an electrically insulating spacer 32′, a metallic washer 50′, a lug 60′ and a nut 6′.
The screw 3′ is inserted into the insert 10′ such that the screw head 4′ stops against the insert 10′. Then, the metallic collared sleeve 40′ and the electrically insulating collared sleeve 30′ are fitted successively onto the screw such that the collars of the sleeves are stopped against the insert.
The metallic support 20′ is positioned against the insulating sleeve 30′, then the spacer 32′ which is electrically insulating and mechanically suppler than the other pieces, of overall cylindrical shape, and the metallic washers 50′ are fitted successively in above the metallic support 20′. Finally, the lug 60′ is arranged against the washer 50′ and a nut 6′ is screwed onto the end of the screw 3′ to ensure mechanical retention of all the pieces.
The cylindrical part of the metallic sleeve 40′ is sufficiently long to take up both the insulating sleeve 30′, the metallic support 20′, the insulating spacer 32′ and the metallic washer 50′ along its cylindrical part in contact with the screw 3′, to enable transmission of the electric signal of the insert 10′ to the lug 60′. Also, during tightening of the nut 6′, the insulating collared sleeve 32′ is compressed by the metallic washer 50′ such that electrical contact is made between the insert 10′, the metallic collared sleeve 40′, the metallic washer 50′ and the lug 60′.
In this assembly, transfer of the electric signal from the insert 10′ to the lug 60′ therefore occurs by way of the metallic sleeve 40′ and the metallic washer 50′. Also, its electrical insulation is based on the use of the insulating sleeve 30′ and the supple insulating spacer 32′.
Yet, this assembly is not adapted to be used in an engine, which when operating can undergo temperatures ranging from −55° C. to +160° C. and powerful vibrations from operation of the engine: these stresses in fact deform the spacer 32′ and the insulating sleeve 30′, causing the appearance of considerable play in the assembly, such that the sensor N1 is no longer held in position relative to the metallic support 20′. Also, polymers usually used for the sleeve 30′ and the insulation spacer 32′, for example polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or polyetheretherketone (PEEK), have a vitreous transition temperature incompatible with the operating temperature of the sensor N1.
Document GB 2 227 764 per se proposes a system for attaching a metallic building attachment onto a metallic support for the purpose of limiting problems of bimetallic corrosion. The attachment is fixed to the support by means of a pin, inserted in through a recess formed in the attachment and in the support. A spacer, formed from insulating material, is also fitted on the pin and interposed between the attachment and the support. The system for attaching further comprises a joint, positioned against the spacer.
This system for attaching is also not adapted to be utilised in an engine, to the extent where the effect of the substantial stresses (vibratory environment and severe thermal) undergone by the spacer and the joint would be the appearance of considerable clearance between the support and the attachment. It appears in fact that despite the use of excellent insulating materials, the nut loosens and the insulating pieces deform in such conditions. But it is evident that the aim of this document is not to propose a system for attaching capable of undergoing such a severe environment, to the extent where normal conditions of use of the attachment are those of the building, specifically ambient temperature and negligible vibrations.

System for attaching electrical equipment to a metallic support


A liquid level detector may include a float, an arm member, and a magnetic sensor unit. The float may be attached to the arm member. The arm member may be configured to convert a movement of the float in a vertical direction to a rotational movement. The magnetic sensor unit may include a magnetic sensor and covers. The covers may cover the magnetic sensor. The covers may include a first cover, and a second cover. The first cover may be made of a first resin material. The first cover may cover a whole surface of the magnetic sensor. The second cover may be made of a second resin material different from the first resin material. The second cover may cover a whole surface of the first cover.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-230537 A discloses a liquid level detector including a float arm including a float, a magnet configured to displace with a motion of the float arm, and a magnetic sensor configured to detect a change in magnetism of the magnet. The magnetic sensor is disposed in a fuel tank and immersed in fuel.

Liquid level detector and fuel pump module including liquid level detector


A variable capacity vane pump (100) has a pump housing (10) having a high-load bearing part (10a) on which a higher load is exerted than another part when the pump vane pump (100) operates. A control valve (21) for varying a capacity of the vane pump (100) is provided in a valve housing (28) which is formed integrally in the pump housing (10). By arranging the valve housing (28) on the same side of the pump housing (10) as the high-load bearing part (10a) with respect to the rotation axis of the vane pump (100), the high-load bearing part (10a) can be reinforced without increasing the size of the vane pump (100).

A hydraulic pressure source mounted on a vehicle is constituted, for example, by a variable capacity vane pump.
JP2004-150442A published in 2004 by the Japan Patent Office discloses a variable capacity vane pump of this kind. This prior art variable capacity vane pump comprises a control valve which controls a hydraulic pressure used for varying the capacity of pump chambers. The control valve is accommodated in a valve housing which is formed integrally in the pump housing.
The pump housing comprises a high-load bearing part surrounding contracting pump chambers and a low-load bearing part surrounding enlarging pump chambers. The control valve housing is formed in the low-load bearing part.


A method for translating network data transmissions begins with a data transmission received at a router. An interface identifier is prepended before a first field of the data transmission, forming a prepended field. The data transmission is transmitted to a translation device. The data transmission is translated without altering the prepended field. The translated data transmission is transferred back to the router. The interface identifier is removed. The translated data is transmitted while maintaining adjacency with an adjacent peer using the interface identifier.

One of the limitations of the original Internet Protocol (IP) is that it lacks any sort of general-purpose mechanism for ensuring the authenticity and privacy of data as it is passed over the Internet, or any other network. Since IP data usually must be routed between two devices over unknown networks, any information in them is subject to being intercepted and even possibly changed. With the increased use of the Internet for critical applications, security enhancements were needed for IP. To this end, a set of protocols called IP Security or IPsec was developed.
IPsec provides security to IP, which is the basis for all other Transmission Control Protocols (TCP)/IP protocols. In protecting IP, substantially TCP/IP is protected as well. There are several implementation methods for deploying IPsec. These represent different ways that IPsec may modify the overall layer architecture of TCP/IP.
Putting IPsec into all host devices provides the most flexibility and security. It enables end-to-end security between any two devices on the network. However, there are many hosts on a typical network, so this means far more work than just implementing IPsec in routers.
Implementing IPsec in the router is more efficient from an operational perspective, as there are typically far fewer routers than clients in a network. Router implementation provides protection only between routers and associated peers that implement IPsec, but this may be sufficient for certain applications such as VPNs.
Three different architectures provide methods for how to get IPsec into the TCP/IP protocol stack: integrated, bump in the stack (BITS) and bump in the wire.
Integrating IPsec protocols and capabilities directly into IP itself is an elegant solution (by simply combining BITS with the bump in the network layer). It allows all IPsec security modes and capabilities to be provided just as easily as regular IP. No extra hardware or architectural layers are needed. IPv6 was designed to support IPsec. Thus, it is a viable option for hosts or routers. However, with IPv4, integration would require making changes to the IP implementation on each device, which is impractical.
FIG. 1 is an illustration of a typical bump-in-the-stack (BITS) architecture. A typical BITS networking protocol stack 10 may include a network interface 12, a driver 14, an Internet Protocol layer 16, a transport layer 18, and an applications layer 20. In the bump-in-the-stack (BITS) technique, IPsec 22 is made a separate architectural layer between the driver 14 and the network interface 12. The name refers to the fact that IPsec 22 layer bumps the other layers in the BITS networking protocol stack 10. IPsec 22 intercepts incoming IP data as it is passed down the BITS networking protocol stack 10, provides security, and passes them to the network interface 12. An advantage of this technique is that IPsec 22 can be retrofitted to any IP device, since the IPsec 22 functionality is separate from the Internet Protocol layer 16. The main disadvantage of the BITS approach is associated with throughput performance, as BITS implies a centralized router architecture. Higher performance distributed router architectures require either distributed hardware-based service processing engines (IPsec is just one example service) or use of a centralized hardware-based service processor enhanced by the Bend-in-the-Wire disclosure described herein. The BITS networking protocol stack 10 is generally used for IPv4 hosts, but can be used for IPv6 and is used by hosts as well as low-end routers. Also, while the IPsec 22 layer is shown between the driver 14 and the network interface 12, it may acceptably placed in other locations within the stack, as is known to those having ordinary skill in the art.
FIG. 2 is an illustration of a typical bump-in-the-wire (BITW) architecture. In the bump-in-the-wire (BITW) system 110, an IPsec hardware device 122 is added to provide IPsec services. For example, a company may have two sites. Each site has a network that connects to the Internet protocol router 128 using a router 130 that is not capable of IPsec functions. A special IPsec hardware device 122 can be interposed between the router 130 and the Internet protocol router 128 at both sites. These IPsec hardware devices 122 will intercept outgoing data transmissions, add IPsec protection to them, and strip it off incoming data transmissions. It should be noted that each peer router 130 may be used for an individual computer or other communications device or it could be used for a network 132 of computers and/or communications devices.
Just as BITS allows one to add IPsec to legacy hosts, BITW can retrofit non-IPsec routers to provide security benefits. The disadvantages are the complexity and cost of employing a separate service processor at each physical interface of the router. Even though BITS and BITW seem quite different, they actually do the same thing. In the case of BITS, an extra software layer adds security to existing IP data transmissions; in BITW, distinct hardware devices do this same job. In both cases, the result is the same. The problem with BITS is that the process is SWaP (Size, Weight, and Power) efficient, but does not allow a high throughput. The problem with BITW is that it provides a high throughput, but is not SWaP efficient.

System and method for bend-in-the-wire adjacency management


A self-regulating tire valve for use in pneumatic tires. The self-regulating tire valve includes a tubular housing with a primary channel extending therethrough, a threaded collar on one end of the tubular housing adapted to connect to a source of pressurized air, a cavity positioned adjacent to the primary channel, and a release passageway connecting to a release outlet positioned on the exterior of the tubular housing. A diverting block is positioned with a secondary channel extending therethrough that is moveably positioned within the cavity. When the secondary channel of the diverting block is aligned with the release passageway, air can flow from a second end to a first end of the secondary channel, through the release passageway and exit at the release outlet.

The present invention relates to tire valves. More specifically, the present invention related to self-regulating tire valves that automatically maintain tire pressure once a designated internal tire pressure has been reached, and can be permanently installed on a standard vehicle tire.
One of the most important aspects of tire maintenance is ensuring that a tire is inflated to an optimal internal pressure. Tires that are overinflated beyond the recommended pressure run the risk of rupturing and wearing down the center of the tire tread more readily. Conversely, tires that are underinflated cause the outer edges of the tire tread to wear more quickly, as well as causing increased drag and rolling friction, which results in faster wear of the tire and lower fuel economy for the vehicle.
Recommended tire pressures are often indicated on the sidewall of a tire as well as on the inside frame of the vehicle. Users must use a pressure gauge to check the current tire pressure. Such gauges can either be integral to the source of compressed air, such as a gauge installed on the working end of an air pump, or can be stand-alone devices. While these gauges can offer an accurate reading of air pressure, they often require a user to stop pumping air to check the pressure, requiring many breaks in the pumping process. While some integral gauges show the internal tire pressure without requiring a user to pause the pumping action, they still require a user to know the recommended tire pressure and have the ability to quickly stop pumping air at the appropriate time, a task that can be cumbersome and difficult for many users due to the trial and error nature of that technique.
There exist gauges in the prior that are configured to be installed between a tire valve and an air source. These gauges, however, are not meant to be permanently attached to the valve. While there does exist additional gauges that are designed for a more permanent attachment, these gauges are merely designed to convey the air pressure reading and are not capable of protecting a tire from over-inflation.


According to one embodiment, an LED package includes first and second lead frames spaced from each other, and an LED chip. Each of the first and second lead frames includes a base portion and a plurality of extending portions extending from the base portion. A part of a lower surface of the base portion, side surfaces of the base portion, lower surfaces of the extending portions and side surfaces of the extending portions are covered by resin. A remaining part of the lower surface of the base portion and tip surfaces of the extending portions are not covered by resin. The part of the lower surface of the base portion includes a first edge of the first lead frame and a second edge of the second lead frame. The first edge and the second edge are opposed each other.

In a conventional LED package installed with an LED chip, in order to control the light distribution and enhance the extraction efficiency of light from the LED package, a cup-shaped enclosure made of a white resin is provided. The LED chip is installed on the bottom surface of the enclosure, and a transparent resin is filled inside the enclosure to bury the LED chip. The enclosure is often formed from a polyamide-based thermoplastic resin.
However, recently, with the expanding application of LED packages, there is a growing demand for LED packages with higher durability. On the other hand, increase in the output power of LED chips results in increasing light and heat emitted from the LED chip. This makes the resin portion sealing the LED chip more susceptible to degradation. Furthermore, with the expanding application of LED packages, there is demand for further cost reduction.


A beverage preparation apparatus including a platform section having a plurality of attachment points for additional components. The platform is adapted to releasably secure in a wide variety of target beverage vessels. The additional components include, but are not limited to, a large volume filter means, a temperature regulator, or a gravity-fed brewer. The platform may also be incorporated into a vacuum-insulated, stainless-steel beverage vessel.

There has long been a need for a compact brewing device which could perform several different brewing methods and adapt to a wide range of differently sized target beverage vessels. The related art attempted to provide such an apparatus, however, each of the related art were deficient, resulting in unsatisfactory devices. Deficiencies resulted because the related art taught single-function apparatus that are locked to the top opening of a beverage vessel.
The first related art is U.S. Pat. No. 9,687,105 to Johnson which discloses a portable, vacuum-insulated gravity-fed brewing device. The device has a large capacity and is capable of brewing tea or coffee at both high and low temperatures. The gravity-fed brewer is releasably secured at the top opening of the vacuum-insulated flask.
The second related art is U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2009/0056557 to Lin, which discloses a brewing vessel and travel mug. The device comprises a filter basket releasably attached to the top opening of the outside surface of a travel flask, the filter basket having a top cover and being capable of receiving a brewing substrate.
The last related art is U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2010/0263549 to Lee, which discloses a beverage container having an infusion element disposed within the top opening of the container, the infusion element being raised or lowered with an actuator body. This invention allows the user to infuse a liquid with a target substrate in the infusion element, raising said infusion element once brewing is completed.
The prior art consists essentially of a single-function, top-opening-mounted brewing means attached to an insulated container. Several deficiencies resulted from these designs. First, the brewing means must be adapted to a specific container in order to work, limiting flexibility of the device. Second, the brewing means must be adapted to the top opening of the container, and—given the shape of common tapered-cylindrical beverage vessels—will not work at a point lower than the top opening. Finally, the user may only employ one brewing means with the related art devices, limiting potential brewing methods.
The related art also, generally, teaches a brewing means attached to the vessel itself, not to an intermediary apparatus. This arrangement limits the size of the brewing attachments, as they must also accommodate the beverage vessel. Therefore, none of the related art devices may be adapted to fit several differently-sized beverage vessels without also having several differently-sized brewing attachments.


Disclosed herein are methods and devices used for the physical design validation of integrated circuits. One method used for the physical design validation of integrated circuits includes comparing the original circuit netlist of an integrated circuit and the layout data of the integrated circuit and assigning labels to the input and output terminals of the components in the integrated circuit based on the results of the comparison.

The consistent improvement in manufacturing technology for integrated circuits has led to the continuous decline in the minimum size of integrated circuit chips. Due to the trend of decreasing chip sizes, however, during the physical design it is more and more necessary to take into consideration the influence that manufacturability exerts on the yield and reliability of the integrated circuit chip. In light of the above, besides the testing and validation phases after manufacturing the physical integrated circuit chip, the physical design validation of integrated circuits is also an important step in the circuit design process.
In the physical design validation process for all kinds of integrated circuits, the physical design validation process is to identify whether the design of a certain integrated circuit satisfies all the process rules. Geometric design rules ensure said circuit is manufactured correctly by inspecting the relative position and syntax of a circuit's final layout. The testing of the functional correctness is to be completed with the assistance of verifier and simulator that model the operation and behavior of the circuit. An electrical rule check or design rule check is used for processing the layout syntax and analyzing the complicated behavior. Electrical rules involve related attribute specifications of a certain circuit, which are determined by geometrical and connection relationships.
Among various software and hardware methods for the physical design validation of integrated circuits, layout versus schematic (LVS) software is used to identify whether the original circuit netlist of an integrated circuit is in conformity with the graphical data of said circuit. Said LVS will first create a layout circuit netlist according to the graphical data of said circuit, and then make a comparison between said original circuit netlist and said LVS. If it turns out to be conflicting, the circuit designer can correct the layout and the routing according to the comparison results, creating new graphical data, and then compare said original circuit netlist and the new graphical data once again.
However, whether the circuit designer creates the layout of said integrated circuit according to the original circuit netlist of an integrated circuit, or corrects the layout of said integrated circuit according to the comparison results provided by the layout versus schematic software, two circuits are likely to be connected from two different signal networks in the process of making the layout in both situations, leading to a mistake called a "short circuit". A short circuit often occurs in the power supply network and the grounding system, but it also includes incorrect connections of various signal networks, not limited to short circuits of the power supply network and the grounding system.
Due to the fact that short circuits of integrated circuit take place within the layout of the integrated circuit, it is difficult to locate the position of the short circuit manually. As a result, in order to solve the short circuit problem in the integrated circuit, software has been created for physical design validation to locate the position of short circuits in integrated circuits. FIG. 1 is a flowchart for locating the position of short circuits in an existing integrated circuit. In Step 102, labels of an integrated circuit are entered according to an edit file set up by the user or a data file of the circuit layout, and then go to Step 104. In Step 104, according to the labels in said integrated circuit, the positions of possible short circuits in said integrated circuit are located.
FIG. 2 is a partial diagram of the short circuit in an integrated circuit. As is shown, said integrated circuit 200 includes components 202, 204 and 206, with each of these components 202, 204, and 206 including four input and output terminals. Said components 202, 204 and 206 are connected by a power supply network and a grounding system, while the metal wire 250 across said power supply network and said grounding system causes a short circuit.
Let's assume the method in FIG. 1 of searching for the position of the short circuit in an existing integrated circuit was applied to the integrated circuit 200 in FIG. 2. In Step 102, the user enters a power supply network VDD at endpoint A, and enters a grounding system VSS at endpoint B. In Step 104, according to the labels VDD and VSS in said integrated circuit, the position of a possible short circuit in said integrated circuit 200 could be located.
However, there exist many drawbacks in the current methods of searching for the position of a short circuit in integrated circuits. First, the users might supply labels of an incorrect integrated circuit, which leads to the fact that said searching method is unable to locate the correct position of a short circuit. Second, if the labels of an incorrect integrated circuit are not supplied, the users may provide too few labels of an integrated circuit, which leads to the fact that it might cost a large amount of time for the current method to search for said position of a short circuit in the integrated circuit, or it might even be unable to locate the position of said short circuit at all.
As a result, what the circuit industry needs is an effective method and apparatus, which could reduce dramatically the time needed to search for short circuits in the integrated circuit, and could ensure a more effective flow of the entire integrated circuit design.

Method and apparatus used for the physical validation of integrated circuits


A bi-directional acoustic telemetry system is presented for communicating data and/or control signals between a first modem and a second modem along tubing. The system includes a communication channel defined by the tubing, a transducer of the first modem, and a transducer of the second modem. The transducer of each modem are configured to transmit and receive data and/or control signals, and are further configured to electrically communicate with a power amplifier characterized by an output impedance Zs and a signal conditioning amplifier characterized by an input impedance Zr. The system also includes a reciprocal response along the communication channel between the output impedance Zs and the input impedance Zr.

Downhole testing is traditionally performed in a "blind fashion": downhole tools and sensors are deployed in a well at the end of a tubing string for several days or weeks after which they are retrieved at surface. During the downhole testing operations, the sensors may record measurements that will be used for interpretation once retrieved at surface. It is only after the downhole testing tubing string is retrieved that the operators will know whether the data is sufficient and not corrupted. Similarly when operating some of the downhole testing tools from surface, such as tester valves, circulating valves, packers, samplers or perforating charges, the operators do not obtain a direct feedback from the downhole tools.
In this type of downhole testing operations, the operator can greatly benefit from having a two-way communication between surface and downhole. However, it can be difficult to provide such communication using a cable since inside the tubing string it limits the flow diameter and requires complex structures to pass the cable from the inside to the outside of the tubing. Space outside the tubing is limited and cable can easily be damaged. Therefore a wireless telemetry system is preferred.
There are three major methods of wireless data transfer from downhole to surface (or vice versa): mud pulse, electromagnetic and acoustic telemetry.
A number of proposals have been made for wireless telemetry systems based on acoustic and/or electromagnetic communications. Examples of various aspects of such systems can be found in: U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,132; U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,067; U.S. Pat. No. 5,124,953; U.S. Pat. No. 5,128,901; U.S. Pat. No. 5,128,902; U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,408; U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,049; U.S. Pat. No. 5,274,606; U.S. Pat. No. 5,293,937; U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,505; U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,448; U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,325; U.S. Pat. No. 5,703,836; U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,035; U.S. Pat. No. 5,850,369; U.S. Pat. No. 5,923,937; U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,307; U.S. Pat. No. 5,995,449; U.S. Pat. No. 6,137,747; U.S. Pat. No. 6,147,932; U.S. Pat. No. 6,188,647; U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,988; U.S. Pat. No. 6,272,916; U.S. Pat. No. 6,320,820; U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,838; U.S. Pat. No. 6,847,585; U.S. Pat. No. 6,912,177; EP0636763; EP0773345; EP1076245; EP1193368; EP1320659; WO96/024751; WO92/06275; WO05/05724; WO02/27139; WO01/39412; WO00/77345; WO07/095111.
In EP0550521, an acoustic telemetry system is used to pass data across an obstruction in the tubing, such as a valve. The data is then stored for retrieval by a wireline tool passed inside the tubing from the surface. It is also proposed to retransmit the signal as an acoustic signal. EP1882811 discloses an acoustic transducer structure that can be used as a repeater along the tubing.
It is an aim of the present invention to provide an acoustic communication method and a system that overcomes the limitations of existing devices to allow a bi-directional communication of data between a downhole location and a surface location.

Bi-directional wireless acoustic telemetry methods and systems for communicating data along a pipe


A speaker assembly mounted on a bracket extending from a ceiling comprises an enclosure that includes a bottom wall, side walls including opposing first and second side walls, a sleeve that receives a tubular member of the bracket, and an interior wall having a first segment that extends from the sleeve to the first side wall and a second segment that extends from the sleeve to the second side wall. The interior wall cooperates with the sleeve to divide the enclosure into two approximately equal sized compartments. Each of the speakers within the assembly either forms, or is mounted in or on, one of the side walls. A top plate is mounted on, and forms a top of, the enclosure and seals the two compartments, the top plate having an opening that is aligned with the sleeve when the top plate is mounted on the enclosure. A power unit and circuitry for the speakers are mounted on the top plate.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention is related to a sound enhancement system that includes a speaker assembly, and which may further include a microphone unit, strategically mounted to enhance the sound within the listening environment.
2. Description of Related Art
In many listening environments, particularly classroom or other educational environments, equal sound distribution cannot be achieved simply by the human speaker raising or lowering his or her voice. Some prior solutions to this sound distribution problem involve distributed speaker placement, which entails additional equipment and tends to be suboptimal for effective speech transition. Other approaches tend to result in uneven sound distribution, are expensive and/or are complex to install or set up.
What is lacking, but needed, is a sound system that effectively enhances and distributes sound within the listening environment, is compact and is capable of being mounted with other associated equipment, such as a projector.


In a printing device includes a plurality of heads corresponding to black K ink and colored inks C, M, and Y, wherein the heads are extended in a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of a medium and are disposed in parallel from the upstream side to the downstream side, and ink droplets are discharged and deposited on the medium in order from the heads while the medium is being conveyed, a print condition setting method includes the steps of setting an order in accordance with the extent of concentration irregularity in the composite colors RGB; and creating, within the discharge order of the inks, the most separation of discharge order between the two colored inks that manifest the composite color having the greatest concentration irregularity, and inserting K ink between the discharge orders of the two colored inks that manifest the composite colors having the second greatest concentration irregularity.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method for setting print conditions in an inkjet printer or another printing device for intermittently discharging ink onto a medium and depositing the ink at a target position on the medium.
2. Related Art
One known example of a printing device is an inkjet printer, which performs printing by intermittently discharging ink onto paper, cloth, film or other various media. An inkjet printer forms an image by depositing tiny dots composed of ink droplets on a medium. An inkjet printer comprises an ink discharge head in which nozzles from which ink is discharged are fixed in place in a line or staggered formation across the width of the medium, and forms an image by discharging ink while moving the medium in a conveying direction orthogonal to the line direction in which the nozzles are aligned. The ink is loaded into an ink tank, led from the tank to a space referred to as a reservoir in the head by a pump, and then guided from the reservoir to a pressure chamber in communication with the nozzles. The pressure chamber is then expanded and contracted or otherwise manipulated, causing the ink to be discharged from the nozzles. The ink droplets discharged from the nozzles are thereby deposited onto a target position on the surface of the medium.
In an inkjet printer capable of printing in multiple colors using a plurality of ink colors, droplets of the plurality of inks are mixed by subtractive color mixing on a plane to express colors other than the ink colors, known as composite colors or secondary colors. In the printing areas of composite colors, bordering ink droplets of inks of two different colors flow together on the medium and blur along the fibers or the like of the medium, the solvent (moisture) of water-based ink seeps into the medium and deforms the medium, the ink droplets deposited at one time on the medium agglutinate, and a phenomenon known as "concentration irregularity" has been known to occur, wherein the concentration of a composite color becomes non-uniform.
In Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2009-166297, a printing device is disclosed in which non-water-based ink is first discharged and water-based ink is then discharged in order to prevent concentration irregularity resulting from deformation of the medium.

Print condition setting method in printing device