A multi-polymer T-molding edge banding primarily to use on an edge of composite wood furniture, wherein the T-molding comprises a core layer with barb, the core layer generally being fabricated from a thermoplastic olefin; a top layer substantially covering the outboard face of the core layer, the top layer being fabricated from a polymer such as polypropylene; and a top coat of curable material laid over the top layer.

1. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to multi-polymer T-Molding edge banding for wood or wood composite furniture. More particularly, this invention pertains to an improved, green, PVC-substitute T-Molding edge comprising an extrusion of a core layer fabricated from a thermoplastic olefin and a top layer fabricated from a polymer such as polypropylene.
2. Description of the Related Art
T Molding is used as a protective and decorative covering for the edge of composite board or plywood, which has a decorative top surface, such as Formica, for example. This type of construction is very often used in the production of office furniture. The T-Molding is secured to the board by slotting the edge of the board then hammering or pushing the barb of the T-Molding into the slot.
In the past, T-Molding has commonly been formed from flexible poly-vinyl chlorine (PVC). PVC has good abrasion resistance and trims easily. More importantly, PVC is dangerous to the environment because, if burned, it decomposes to release chlorine gas, a dangerous chemical. Additionally, flexible PVC continuously emits carcinogenic plasticizers into the environment.


In aspects of fingerprint authentication based on fingerprint imager orientation, a mobile device has a first housing moveably connected to a second housing in a device configuration that is one of a closed configuration in which the first housing and the second housing are rotated and folded together, or an open configuration in which the first housing and the second housing are rotated apart. The mobile device includes a fingerprint imager to capture a fingerprint image in either device configuration of the mobile device. The mobile device also includes an authentication module to determine an orientation of the fingerprint imager based on the device configuration, manipulate the captured fingerprint image to align with a reference fingerprint image, and authenticate the captured fingerprint image as manipulated to align with the reference fingerprint image for access to the mobile device.

Biosensors are increasingly being used to provide a degree of security for computing devices, such as a mobile phone, tablet device, wearable device, or other types of electronic and/or computing devices. For instance, a computing device may include an authentication module to control access to the computing device by comparing a captured fingerprint image with a stored fingerprint image. Generally, mobile devices are held in a same orientation by a user each time the user presents a fingerprint for authentication, and biosensors anticipate this orientation during authentication. However, devices that are used in multiple device configurations present a problem for biosensor detection orientation and can result in locking out or delaying an authorized user from using his or her device.

Fingerprint authentication based on fingerprint imager orientation


An ink jet printer including a housing; a carriage which is movable in the housing relative thereto; an ink jet recording head which is mounted on the carriage and which has a plurality of ink supply channels; a damping device which is mounted on the carriage and which includes a plurality of damping chambers corresponding to the ink supply channels, respectively; an ink-tank supporting portion which is provided in the housing and which supports a plurality of ink tanks; and a plurality of ink supply tubes each of which supplies an ink from a corresponding one of the ink tanks to a corresponding one of the ink supply channels of the ink jet recording head via a corresponding one of the ink supply tubes and a corresponding one of the damping chambers. The damping device further includes a primary partition wall which separates at least one first damping chamber of the damping chambers, from at least one second damping chamber of the damping chambers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet printer and particularly to such an ink jet printer in which ink is supplied from an ink tank via a flexible tube (i.e., a flexible ink supply tube) to a recording head mounted on a movable carriage. The present invention also relates to such an ink jet printer which can collect air bubbles produced in an ink flow channel and discharge the air bubbles.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 63-17056 A) or Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-121583 B2) discloses a tube-supply-type ink jet printer in which ink is supplied from an ink tank provided in a housing, via a flexible tube, to a recording head mounted on a carriage movable in the housing.
More specifically described, in the ink jet printer disclosed by Patent Document 1, the recording head has a plurality of ink ejection nozzles vertically arranged in an array, a plurality of ink supply channels communicating with the ink ejection nozzles, respectively, and a common ink chamber (i.e., a damping chamber) communicating with each of the ink supply channels. The ink supply channels and the common ink chamber are formed in the recording head, such that the common ink chamber opens in one vertical side surface of the head. The ink is supplied from the ink tank provided in the housing, via the flexible tube, to the common ink chamber of the recording head. A portion of the side surface of the recording head in which the common ink chamber opens is liquid-tightly closed by a flexible membrane (i.e., a pressure-change damping membrane). An ink flow inlet opens in the bottom race of the common ink chamber (the damping chamber) and is opposed to the flexible membrane.
A plurality of actuators in the form of piezoelectric elements are fixed to another potion of the side surface of the recording head, such that the actuators are aligned with the ink supply channels, respectively. When an arbitrary one of the actuators is driven or operated, a pressure is applied to the ink present in a corresponding one of the ink supply channels, so that a droplet of ink is ejected from a corresponding one of the ink ejection nozzles toward a recording sheet.
In the ink jet printer disclosed by Patent Document 2, the recording head has a plurality of ink ejection nozzles vertically arranged in an array, a plurality of ink supply channels vertically arranged in an array, and a plurality of piezoelectric elements fixed to two opposite, vertical side surfaces of the head. When an electric voltage is applied to an arbitrary one of the piezoelectric elements, the one piezoelectric element is deformed, so that a droplet of ink is ejected from a corresponding one of the ink ejection nozzles via a corresponding one of the ink supply channels. The ink is supplied from the ink tank provided in the housing, via the flexible tube, to a damper case (i.e., a damping chamber) which is mounted on the carriage and which supplies the ink to each of the ink supply channels of the recording head The damper case includes a first member having an opening in one vertical side surface thereof, a second member having respective openings in two opposite, vertical side surfaces thereof and a filter sheet sandwiched by the open side surface of the first member and one of the two open side surfaces of the second member. The other open side surface of the second member is liquid-tightly closed by a flexible membrane. The first member has, in a lower end portion thereof an ink flow inlet communicating with the flexible tube connected at one end thereof to the stationary ink tank, and the second member has, in a lower end portion thereof an ink flow outlet communicating with each of the ink supply channels of the recording head.
In each of the ink jet printers disclosed by Patent Documents 1, 2, when the carriage is reciprocated, in particular, when the carriage is returned, inertia is exerted to the ink flowing in the flexible tube connecting between the stationary ink tank and the movable carriage, and accordingly the pressure of the ink supplied to,the recording head (or each of the ink ejection nozzles) is largely changed. This change of pressure of the ink is damped or absorbed by the deformation of the flexible membrane of the damping chamber, so that respective droplets of ink can be ejected from the respective nozzles with respective uniform ejection pressures and a recording quality of the recording head can be maintained.
However, in each of the ink jet printers disclosed by Patent Documents 1, 2, the damping chamber is vertical and one vertical side surface of the damping chamber is liquid-tightly closed by the flexible membrane. Thus, in the case where the ink jet printer employs a plurality of recording heads for the purpose of ejecting a plurality of sorts of color inks, respectively, and respective damper cases of the recording heads that define respective damping chambers corresponding to the color inks are arranged such that the damper cases are arranged parallel to each other it is required that the damper cases he appropriately spaced from each other so as to allow the flexible membrane of each damper case to deform by an appropriate amount. However, this leads to increasing the size of the apparatus mounted on the carriage and the total number of components of the apparatus, thereby increasing the production cost of the ink jet printer.
In addition, in the ink jet printer disclosed by Patent Document 2, a plane on which the ink flow inlet opens in the damping chamber is perpendicular to a plane on which the filter sheet or the flexible membrane extends, that is, a direction in which the ink flows from the ink flow inlet is parallel to the plane on which the filter sheet or the flexible membrane extends. In addition, the ink flow inlet opens at a position remote from the flexible membrane. Thus, the ink flowing at increased speeds out of the ink flow inlet does not directly act on the flexible membrane. More specifically described, first, the pressure increase of the ink, caused by inertia, directly acts on the flexible filter sheet, and the filter sheet is largely flexed because it cannot instantaneously allow all the increased amount of the ink to pass therethrough. Consequently the pressure of the ink present on the downstream side of the filter sheet is quickly increased, and then the flexible membrane is elastically deformed to increase the volume of the downstream-side chamber and thereby lower the increased pressure of the ink. Thus, the ink present in each ink ejection nozzle may be largely influenced by the pressure change of the ink caused by the inertia
Also, in the ink jet printer disclosed by Patent Document 1, a great distance is present between a plane on which the ink flow inlet opens in the damper chamber and a plane on which the flexible membrane extends. Thus, the pressure increase of the ink, caused by inertia, does not directly act on the flexible membrane, and accordingly the flexible membrane cannot efficiently damp or absorb the pressure change of the ink.
In the above-indicated tube-supply-type ink jet printer, if air bubbles (i.e., air) are contained in the ink present in the recording head, the recording head may fail to eject the ink, or otherwise the recording quality of the head may lower. In this type of ink jet printer, however, air cannot be avoided from permeating the flexible tube and dissolving in the ink, because of the natural property of the material used to form the tube. Thus, it has been needed to provide an air-bubble collecting chamber on an upstream side of the recording head, collect or accumulate the air bubbles in the collecting chamber, and remove the thus collected air bubbles.
Hence, in a tube-supply-type ink jet printer disclosed by Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-103084 A), a recording head has, in an upper portion thereof an ink manifold (i.e., an air-bubble collecting chamber), and an ink tank and a circulating pump are fixed in position in a housing. The circulating pump is driven or operated to circulate the ink from the ink tank to a first ink flow passage, then the manifold, a second ink flow passage, and again the ink tank, so that the air bubbles produced in the circulation channel are returned to the ink tank and are removed. Meanwhile, at a waiting position in the housing, a sucking and purging device sucks ink from an ink ejection nozzle of the recording head.
However, in the above-indicated ink jet printer, it is needed to employ an ink returning tube for circulating the ink from the circulating pump back to the ink tank. Thus, the ink jet printer is complicated and is increased in size.
Furthermore, Patent Document 4 (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-240310 A) discloses an ink jet printer in which air produced in the form of air bubbles in an ink supply tube is accumulated in an upper portion of a tank mounted on a carriage, is discharged through a communication port by an air discharging pump, and then the communication port is air-tightly closed by an air discharging valve. However, the construction of the air discharging valve is not described in detail.
When the air discharging pump does not suck the air from the air-bubble collecting chamber, for example, when the recording head records images (e.g., letters and/or symbols) on a recording medium, the air discharging valve needs to air-tightly close the communication port and thereby stably keep the ink and the air bubbles in the air-bubble collecting chamber. On the other hand, when the recording head is checked for its maintenance, the air discharging valve needs to quickly open the communication port so as to communicate with an outside space and thereby discharge the air bubbles from the air-bubble collecting chamber.
In addition, since the air discharging valve is mounted on the carriage, the valve is repeatedly reciprocated with the carriage, during the recording operation of the ink jet printer. Therefore, the air discharging valve needs to have a small size, a light weight, and a simple construction.


A seismographic sensor is constructed from a D'Arsonval movement. The elements of the movement include a coil suspended in the field of a permanent magnet and a pointer attached to the coil. A weight is attached to the pointer and acts as an inertia element. Leveling screws are provided to control the period of the weighted pointer and to control the resting position of the pointer. When the base of the meter vibrates during an earthquake, the weighted pointer does not follow the vibration because of its inertia, resulting in a relative rotation of the meter coil and the magnet field, thereby inducing a voltage in the coil. This voltage is proportional to one component of horizontal velocity of the earth's motion. Means are provided to process and record the magnitude of this voltage.

Seismic detectors are used to detect earth motion caused by natural phenomena such as earthquakes, microseisms and landslides and man made phenomena such as chemical or nuclear explosions. A seismograph is a complete instrument for detecting and recording earth motions and consists of a seismic detector, and a recording means including a chronograph for indicating the time of any detected motion.
Most seismic detectors, including the instant invention, rely on the inertia of a mass which is relatively free to move in at least one direction relative to the ground. As the ground moves during an earthquake the restoring force on the mass is sufficiently weak so it does not follow the earth's motions, and a sensing means can measure the relative motion of the earth and the mass. Mechanical seismographs couple this relative motion directly to drive a pen which writes upon a revolving drum to record the earth motion. Opto-mechanical seismographs use a light beam reflected from a mirror coupled to the stationary weight to directly record the motion upon photographic medium attached to a revolving drum. Electromechanical types, e.g. the Galitzin, uses a coil attached to the mass and a permanent magnet attached to a frame fixed to the earth. During the earthquake the magnet moves within the coil thereby inducing a voltage within the coil. This voltage can then drive a galvanometer or other recording means. The Galitzin sensor mentioned above uses the linear motion of the coil and the magnet or magnetic circuit to cause a change in the flux through the coil. Other sensors use other electrical and physical properties of materials to detect the relative motion of the inertial mass and the earth. One advantage of electromechanical types of seismic detectors is that the voltage they produced can be processed by modern electronic circuits including computers thereby amplifying, filtering, calibrating, storing and displaying the signals. In addition the signals from a number of sensors can be compared and analyzed to provide additional information about the source of the earth's motion.

Method and apparatus for detecting seismic events


A power actuator has a hollow cylinder housing generally centered on an axis, a piston axially displaceable but non-rotatable in the housing and defining therein a pair of axially opposite pressurizable compartments, and a piston stem centered on the axis, fixed to the piston, extending axially from the piston, and formed with a pair of separate feed passages each having one end opening into a respective compartment and an opposite end opening axially on the stem. A distributor body rotatable about the axis on the stem at the opposite ends of the passages but axially nondisplaceable on the stem is provided with respective connections communicating with the opposite ends. Thus the compartments can be pressurized via the respective passages and connections for axial movement of the piston and stem in the housing. A pair of axially spaced guides are fixed on the distributor body and a bearing has a race axially rotatable on the housing about the axis but axially nondisplaceable on the housing. An axially extending rod axially displaceable in the guides on the distributor body has a front end that is connected to the race such that it can move limitedly radially relative thereto but not axially. An actuating element is coupled to the rod and a sensor is fixed on the distributor body and actuatable by the element of the rod.

A standard power actuator for a chuck, mandrel, or like machine tool adapted to hold a tool or a workpiece that is being machined typically has a hollow cylinder housing generally centered on an axis and normally fixed to, for instance, the chuck body, and a piston axially displaceable but nonrotatable in the housing, defining therein a pair of axially opposite pressurizable compartments, and normally fixed, for instance, to the jaw-actuating member of the chuck. A piston stem centered on the axis, fixed to the piston, and extending axially from the piston is formed with a pair of separate feed passages each having one end opening into a respective compartment and an opposite end opening axially on the stem. A distributor body rotatable about the axis on the stem at the opposite ends of the passages is provided with respective connections communicating with the opposite ends, so that the compartments can be pressurized via the respective passages and connections for axial movement of the piston and stem in the housing, thereby moving the jaws on the chuck body. Structure on the stem and body permits the body to rotate about the axis thereon but prevents the body from moving axially on the stem.
In order to use such an actuator in an automated machining system it is necessary to provide a position-monitoring unit that itself is connected to a controller that in turn operates the valves that themselves control the actuator. This is typically done by providing on the cylinder housing a bearing that is connected to an outrigger that carries a switch- or sensor-actuating member that can coact with a switch or sensor carried on the distributor body that itself is fixed axially but not rotationally on the piston stem. Thus this actuating member is axially but not rotationally fixed on the cylinder housing so that as the cylinder housing and piston move axially relative to each other the actuating member will move past the switch/sensor. The relative positions of the switch/sensor and the actuating member can be set such that, for instance, the switch/sensor is actuated when the chuck is fully opened or closed.
In German patent document No. 3,117,850 the outrigger is a flat slide which runs in guide grooves formed in the distributor body. The flat slide has its front end fixed on a split ring which is mounted via a bearing on the cylinder housing. The split ring has a pair of shoulders which axially oppositely engage this bearing, clamping this ring in place on the outer race of the bearing.
Such an arrangement is expensive with regard to the formation of the rod and of the guide for the outrigger, and requires that the outrigger ring fit perfectly on the bearing. Furthermore the radial spacing of the guides for the outrigger must be very accurately machined, thereby making manufacture of the system quite costly.
This German patent document also discloses an arrangement wherein the cylinder housing is provided with an element forming a radially outwardly open guide groove in which a roller on the outrigger engages. In such an arrangement there are considerable frictional losses. In addition there is inherently some axial play between the roller and the guide groove because without such play the roller would certainly jam. This play clearly results in somewhat inaccurate response from the sensor/switches.

Sensor-equipped actuator for power chuck


The invention described herein is an image-guided, vacuum assisted, percutaneous, coring, cable driven breast biopsy instrument which may be conveniently mounted to an x-ray machine. The biopsy instrument described herein incorporates incorporates a firing mechanism to rapidly advance the biopsy probe into the breast.

The present invention relates, in general, to an improved surgical biopsy device and, more particularly, to an improved firing mechanism for use in a surgical biopsy device.
The diagnosis and treatment of patients with cancerous tumors, pre-malignant conditions, and other disorders has long been an area of intense interest in the medical community. Non-invasive methods for examining tissue and, more particularly, breast tissue include palpation, X-ray imaging, MRI imaging, CT imaging, and ultrasound imaging. When a physician suspects that tissue may contain cancerous cells, a biopsy may be done using either an open procedure or in a percutaneous procedure. In an open procedure, a scalpel is used by the surgeon to create an incision to provide direct viewing and access to the tissue mass of interest. The biopsy may then be done by removal of the entire mass (excisional biopsy) or a part of the mass (incisional biopsy). In a percutaneous biopsy, a needle-like instrument is inserted through a very small incision to access the tissue mass of interest and to obtain a tissue sample for examination and analysis. The advantages of the percutaneous method as compared to the open method are significant: less recovery time for the patient, less pain, less surgical time, lower cost, less disruption of associated tissue and nerves and less disfigurement. Percutaneous methods are generally used in combination with imaging devices such as X-ray and ultrasound to allow the surgeon to locate the tissue mass and accurately position the biopsy instrument.
Generally there are two ways to percutaneously obtain a tissue sample from within the body, aspiration or core sampling. Aspiration of the tissue through a fine needle requires the tissue to be fragmented into small enough pieces to be withdrawn in a fluid medium. Application is less intrusive than other known sampling techniques, but one can only examine cells in the liquid (cytology) and not the cells and the structure (pathology). In core biopsy, a core or fragment of tissue is obtained for histologic examination which may be done via a frozen or paraffin section. The type of biopsy used depends mainly on various factors and no single procedure is ideal for all cases.
A number of core biopsy instruments which may be used in combination with imaging devices are known. Spring powered core biopsy devices are described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,699,154, 4,944,308, and Re. 34,056. Aspiration devices are described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,492,130; 5,526,821; 5,429,138 and 5,027,827.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,822 describes and illustrates an image-guided, vacuum-assisted, percutaneous, coring, breast biopsy instrument which takes multiple tissue samples without having to re-puncture the tissue for each sample. The physician uses this biopsy instrument to xe2x80x9cactivelyxe2x80x9d capture (using the vacuum) the tissue prior to severing it from the body. This allows the physician to sample tissues of varying hardness. The instrument described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,822 may also be used to collect multiple samples in numerous positions about its longitudinal axis without removing the instrument from the body. A further image-guided, vacuum-assisted, percutaneous, coring, breast biopsy instrument is described in commonly assigned U.S. application Ser. No. 08/825,899, filed on Apr. 2, 1997 and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,007,497; 5,649,547; 5,769,086; 5,775,333; and 5,928,164. A handheld image-guided, vacuum-assisted, percutaneous, coring, breast biopsy instrument is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,544 and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,462. The instrument described therein moves drive motors and other electronic components into a control unit separate from and remotely located from the biopsy probe. Biopsy probe cutter rotational and translational motion is transferred from the motors in the control unit to the biopsy probe via flexible coaxial cables. This arrangement greatly improves the cleanability of the reusable hardware that remains in close proximity to the biopsy site as well as improves the life and durability of the electric motors and electronic components now remotely located from the biopsy probe. The biopsy instrument described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,544 and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,462 was designed primarily to be a xe2x80x9chand heldxe2x80x9d instrument to be used by the clinician in conjunction with real time ultrasound imaging. The majority of breast biopsies done today, however, utilize an x-ray machine as the imaging modality. Using x-ray requires that the biopsy instrument be affixed to the x-ray machine by some type of bracket arrangement. Since the biopsy instrument is fixed to a portion of the x-ray machine there is now a need for a means to conveniently advance the biopsy probe into the breast. It is highly desirable to have the capability to xe2x80x9cfirexe2x80x9d the biopsy probe via some type of stored energy system, to rapidly advance the biopsy probe into the target area of the breast. Such a instrument, utilizing the cable driven arrangement of Hibner et al, would inherit the cleanability and durability attributes of the Hibner et al instrument while providing the added flexibility to attach the biopsy instrument to an x-ray machine and xe2x80x9cfirexe2x80x9d the probe into the breast. Several image-guided, vacuum-assisted, percutaneous, coring, breast biopsy instruments are currently sold by Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. under the Trademark MAMMOTOME(trademark).
Many breast biopsies done today utilizing image-guided, vacuum-assisted, percutaneous, coring, breast biopsy instruments are still done utilizing x-ray machine. In actual clinical use the biopsy instrument (probe and driver assembly) is mounted to the three axis positioning head of the x-ray imaging machine. The three axis positioning head is located in the area between the x-ray source and the image plate. The stereotactic x-ray machines are outfitted with a computerized system which utilizes two x-ray images, of the breast taken at two different positions to calculate the x, y and z axis location of a suspect abnormality. In order to take the stereo x-ray images the x-ray source must be movable. The x-ray source is, therefore, typically mounted to an arm which, at the end opposite the x-ray source, is pivotally mounted to the frame in the region of the x-ray image plate. In a breast biopsy the breast is placed between the x-ray source and the image plate. In order to take the necessary stereo images, the clinician manually positions the x-ray source on one side and then the other of the center axis of the machine (typically 15-20 degrees to each side of the center axis), obtaining an x-ray image on each side of the breast. The computer will then, calculate the precise x, y and z location of the suspect abnormality in the breast and automatically communicate to the clinician or directly to the positioning head the targeting coordinates for the biopsy device. The clinician can there manually, or automatically, position the biopsy probe into the breast at the precise location of the abnormality.
There are generally two styles of stereotactic x-ray machines in wide spread use for breast imaging. One style is a prone stereotactic x-ray machine, because the patient lies face down on a table during the x-ray and biopsy procedures. The other style, in more wide spread use, is an upright stereotactic x-ray machine. The center axis of the upright imaging machine is vertical to the floor and the patient sits in front of the machine during the x-ray and biopsy procedures.
It would, therefore, be advantageous to design an image-guided, vacuum assisted, percutaneous, coring, cable driven breast biopsy instrument which may be conveniently mounted to an x-ray machine, and incorporate a firing mechanism used to rapidly advance the biopsy probe into the breast.
The present invention is directed to a biopsy instrument including a base assembly including a firing mechanism moveably attached to a distal end of the base assembly, a probe assembly detachably mounted to the base assembly and a drive assembly detachably mounted to the cutter assembly. The probe assembly includes a cutter assembly and a piercer assembly. The cutter assembly includes a cutter and a gear mechanism adapted to move the cutter. The piercer assembly includes a piercer and a probe mount. The piercer includes a distal port, a vacuum lumen and a central lumen wherein the central lumen is adapted to receive the cutter. The probe mount includes a central lumen adapted to allow the cutter to pass through the probe mount and a fork coupling detachably connected to the firing mechanism. The drive assembly, being detachably mounted to the cutter assembly, includes a flexible drive shaft operatively connected to the gear mechanism. Further, a proximal end of the probe housing is slideably movable with respect to a distal end of the cutter assembly.
The present invention is further directed to a biopsy instrument including a base assembly including a firing mechanism, a probe assembly detachably mounted to the base assembly, a piercer assembly and a drive assembly detachably mounted to the cutter assembly. The firing mechanism including a firing fork moveably attached to a distal end of the base assembly and a firing assembly attached to the firing fork. The probe assembly including a cutter assembly and a gear mechanism. The cutter assembly including a cutter with a central lumen extending through the cutter, a sharpened edge at a distal end of the cutter and a first drive gear. The gear mechanism adapted to move the cutter, wherein the gear mechanism includes a second drive gear adapted to mesh with the first drive gear. The piercer assembly including a piercer and a probe mount. The piercer including distal tissue port adapted to receive tissue, a first central lumen extending from a proximal end of the piercer to the tissue port, the central lumen being adapted to receive the cutter and a vacuum lumen fluidly connected to the tissue port. The probe mount connecting the piercer to the cutter assembly wherein a proximal end of the probe housing is slideably moveable with respect to a distal end of the cutter assembly. The probe mount comprising including a second central lumen adapted to allow the cutter to pass through the probe mount to the first central lumen and a fork coupling detachably connectable to the firing fork. The drive assembly including a flexible drive shaft adapted to be connected at its proximal end to a control unit including a motor and transmission adapted to connect a distal end of the flexible drive shaft to the cutter assembly, wherein rotation of the flexible drive shaft rotates the second drive gear.

Firing mechanism for use in a surgical biopsy device


A method of selecting radio transmission resources of a first station for communicating between the first station and a plurality of second stations in a wireless communications network. The method comprises the steps of grouping the plurality of second stations based on a traffic characteristic of respective ones thereof, and selecting at the first station radio transmission resources for communication with the second stations such that the transmission resources are used substantially equally within each group.

This invention relates to the selection of radio transmission resources in for example a transceiver station of a wireless cellular communications network.
The area covered by a cellular network is divided into a plurality of cells or cell sectors. Each cell is served by a base station which transmits signals to and receives signals from mobile stations located in the cell or cell sector. Base transceiver stations of cellular communications networks may have two or more antenna elements mounted at a certain distance from one another. Such arrangements exploit space diversity and reduce the effects of multipath fading. A downlink transmission technique suitable for use with transceiver stations having two or more antenna elements can involve periodically switching transmission from one antenna element to another according to a predetermined scheme. These types of transmission techniques are referred to herein as xe2x80x9ctime switched transmit diversityxe2x80x9d (TSTD) schemes. Time switched transmit diversity schemes are potentially useful in third generation mobile systems such as wide band code division multiple access (WCDMA) systems, for example systems operating to the Japanese ARIB specification, because they offer good performance with minimal implementation complexity.
Each transmitting antenna element of a transceiver station is connected to circuitry which is sensitive to the electrical loading conditions resulting from the antenna selection scheme. For example, in many transceiver station configurations each transmitting antenna element is connected to a power amplifier. The distribution of power across the power amplifiers depends upon the number of users (e.g. mobile stations) connected to each transmission branch. Power loading is a critical issue because the loading conditions dictate characteristics which the power amplifiers are required to possess. When selecting a power amplifier for a given application it is necessary to consider the mean power requirements and also the maximum amount of power (peak power) the amplifier will be required to withstand. Peak power loading results when a given transmission branch is selected to serve a large number of users simultaneously. It is necessary to select power amplifiers designed with correspondingly high crest factors CF (CF=Peak Power/Average Power). This design constraint can be relaxed if the electrical load can be evenly distributed between the available power amplifiers, thereby avoiding problematic power imbalances or high peak loads in any particular branch.
FIGS. 1a and 1b illustrate two different scenarios which have implications for electrical load balancing in multi-antenna systems. FIG. 1a shows a situation in which a given user transmits in successive time slots and the respective time slots of the different users #1 to #4 are synchronised in time. Corresponding time slots of the plurality of connected users have common start and end times. FIG. 1b shows an alternative situation in which the respective users operate on an asynchronous basis. In this case, corresponding time slots of the respective users do not share common start and end times. According to both the scenarios of FIG. 1a and FIG. 1b, if the mean electrical load is evenly distributed, the mean power supplied by each power amplifier of a two antenna system is equal to KP/2, where P is the power transmitted to one user and K is the number of users.
It will be appreciated that the synchronous case can be particularly problematic because a given power amplifier loading condition lasts for the entire duration of the time slot (or transmission burst). Frames in wide band code division multiple access systems are not necessarily xe2x80x9csynchronisedxe2x80x9d because a time slot system such as that in GSM is not employed. However a similar condition can be envisaged with a given power loading being maintained for the duration of a given power amplifier selection condition. Power amplifier selection conditions such as those seen with the frames of wide band code division multiple access systems tend in practice to be shorter than conventional GSM time slots.
According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of selecting radio transmission resources of a first station for communicating between said first station and a plurality of second stations in a wireless communications network, the method comprising the steps of grouping said plurality of second stations based on a traffic characteristic of respective ones thereof and selecting at said first station radio transmission resources for communication with said second stations such that said transmission resources are used substantially equally within each said group.
Preferably, the plurality of second stations are grouped based on a characteristic indicative of the relative power requirements thereof. For example, the data transfer rate characteristic is a useful indication of the relative power requirements of mobile stations and the stations may be grouped such that all stations which belong to a given group operate at substantially equal data transfer rates.
Preferably, predetermined rules are applied within each of the defined groups to manage the selection of transmission resources at the first station.
In certain embodiments, the radio transmission resources selected from comprise two or more transmission branches for transmission from said first station to said second stations wherein transmission schemes employed switch between respective transmission branches according to a predetermined pattern. Typically, each of said transmission branches is connected to antenna switching circuitry. Each of the transmission branches comprises an antenna element. This arrangement can be found in, for example, multi-antennae transmission arrangements exploiting space diversity. That is systems in which antennae are separated in space to allow the use of diversity such that the radio channels associated with each antenna are non-correlated. Each of the transmission branches comprises a power amplifier for supplying signal power to the antenna of the same transmission branch under the control of the antenna switching circuitry.
Preferably, the selection of transmission resources is controlled within each group by making an initial antenna selection at said first station for each new second station establishing a link based on at least one previous event influencing the balance of power between said transmission branches. For Example, whenever one of said plurality of second stations establishes a new link and the preceding event which occurred in the relevant group was the establishment of a link, a different initial antenna selection is made to that which was made when the preceding link was established. Likewise, whenever one of said plurality of second stations establishes a link and the preceding event which occurred in the relevant group was the termination of a link, the initial antenna selection for the new link is made such that it is the same as the initial antenna selection made in respect of the previously terminated link.
More sophisticated embodiments ensure that within each group the initial antenna selection is made for a new link based on the loading conditions of the transmission branches at that time. For example, a counter associated with each group monitors the loading conditions of the transmission branches for that group. A count of zero indicates substantially balanced loading conditions for the group in question. Accordingly, whenever one of said plurality of second stations establishes a link and the count resulting from the preceding event in the group is less than zero, the first antenna is selected and the count is incremented by one. Whenever one of said plurality of second stations establishes a link and the count resulting from the preceding event which occurred in the relevant group is greater than zero, the second antenna is selected and the count is decremented by one. Whenever one of said plurality of second stations establishes a link and the count resulting from the preceding event which occurred in the relevant group is equal to zero, the first antenna is selected as the initial antenna and the count is incremented by one or the second antenna is selected as the initial antenna and the counter is decremented by one. In such embodiments, the count is incremented by one each time one of said plurality of second stations terminates a link for which the second antenna was the initial antenna selection. Similarly, the count is decremented by one each time one of said plurality of second stations terminates a link for which the first antenna was the initial antenna selection.
Preferably, the method is used to select between first and second transmission antennae in a system employing diversity transmission.
In other embodiments, the radio transmission resources selected implement the direction of transmission in a system employing spatial division of radio channels by means of one or more phased antenna arrays.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of selecting radio transmission resources of a first station for communicating between said first station and a plurality of second stations in a wireless communications network, the method comprising the steps of grouping said second stations into a plurality of groups based on a traffic characteristic of respective ones thereof and managing the selection of said transmission resources at said first station such that said transmission resources are used substantially equally by said second stations within each said group.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for selecting radio transmission resources of a first station for communicating between said first station and a plurality of second stations in a wireless communications network, the method comprising the steps of grouping said plurality of second stations based on a traffic characteristic of respective ones thereof and selecting at said first station radio transmission resources based on at least one previous event occurring within a group.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of selecting radio transmission resources of a first station for communicating between said first station and a plurality of second stations in a wireless communications network, the method comprising the steps of grouping said plurality of second stations based on a traffic characteristic of respective ones thereof and selecting at said first station radio transmission resources based on current usage of said transmission resources by said second stations within each said group.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transceiver comprising circuitry for selecting radio transmission resources of said transceiver for communicating between said transceiver and a plurality of second stations in a wireless communications network, the transceiver comprising means for determining groups of said plurality of second stations based on a traffic characteristic of said second stations and means for selecting at the first station radio transmission resources for communication with said second stations such that said transmission resources are used substantially equally within each said group.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of selecting between first and second transmission antenna elements of a first station for communicating between said first station and a plurality of second stations in a wireless communications network employing diversity transmission, the method comprising the steps of grouping said plurality of second stations based on a traffic characteristic of respective ones thereof and selecting at said first station an antenna element for communication with said second stations such that said transmission antennae are used substantially equally within each said group.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of selecting between first and second directions available for transmission from a first station to a plurality of second stations in a wireless communications network, the method comprising the steps of grouping said plurality of second stations based on a traffic characteristic of respective ones thereof and selecting at said first station a transmission direction for communication with said second stations such that each of said transmission directions are used substantially equally within each said group.
The present invention seeks to provide improved methods and systems for use in the selection of radio transmission resources.

Method and apparatus for the selection of radio transmission resources


The present disclosure relates to a media attribution system that improves multi-channel media attribution by employing discrete-time survival modeling. In particular, the media attribution system uses event data (e.g., interactions and conversions) to generate positive and negative conversion paths, which the media attribution system uses to train an algorithmic attribution model. The media attribution system also uses the trained algorithmic attribution model to determine attribution scores for each interaction used in the conversion paths. Generally, the attribution score for an interaction indicates the effect the interaction has in influencing a user toward conversion.

Advancements in computer and communication technologies have increased the ability at which people can communicate, connect, and search and find information. In addition, these modern communication technologies empower businesses and companies to broaden their customer reach and influence. One advantage that conventional communication systems (e.g., systems that employ these modern communication technologies) provide to businesses and companies is the ability to reach individuals through a variety of media channels. For example, a business can provide information, promotions, and offers to potential customers via mailers, phone calls, commercials, Internet ads, emails, in-application messages, notification, or text messages. Despite these and other advantages, however, conventional communication systems still face a number of drawbacks.
Because conversions (e.g., purchases of product or services) are often a result of influencing an individual via multiple media channels, one significant shortcoming of conventional communication systems is the inability to identify the importance and influence of each media channel driving a conversion. To demonstrate, a business often targets (via a conventional systems) an individual through a variety of media channels to influence the individual to purchase a particular product. If the user makes a conversion, conventional systems can only provide the business with a listing of which media channels were employed to drive the purchase. However, conventional systems often leave the business unsure as to the influence and effectiveness of each media channel used to drive the user to make the purchase. In other words, conventional systems lack the ability to accurately determine an attribution value for each media channel that leads users to make conversions.
Many attempts have been made to solve this issue of proper media channel attribution. Examples of conventional systems and methods include first touch attribution, last touch attribution, equal linear weight attribution, strict time decayed attribution, and position based attribution. However, these methods ignore one or more relevant media channels, disregard the time-decaying influence of media channels, discount the interactions between media channels, and/or employ predetermined and non-adaptable rules. As a result, these conventional systems and methods provide inaccurate attribution results.
Accordingly, these along with additional problems and issues exist with regard to conventional systems and methods. Hence, there remains a need for an improvement in the area of multi-channel media attribution.

Determining algorithmic multi-channel media attribution based on discrete-time survival modeling


A retractable hard top for convertibles, in particular for four-seated convertibles, includes, sequentially, a first, front section, a second section, a third section and a fourth, rear section. Each section has a front, first edge portion and a rear, second edge portion The first and the second sections substantially form the roof ceiling in the closed position of the hard top, while the third section forms the C-pillar and is open rearwardly, and the fourth section includes the backlite and closes the opening in the third section. The sections are pivotally connected by a linkage which compactly folds the top for storage in a storage compartment. All four sections are inverted and nest within one another, with their respective first edge portions being positioned in the longitudinal vehicle direction behind the second edge portions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a retractable hard top for a convertible vehicle and, more particularly, to a four section hardtop for a four-seat convertible.
2. Description of Related Art
Since convertibles are increasingly used as all-season vehicles, hard tops have significant advantages regarding ruggedness, resistance against snow load, susceptibility to wind, and noise pollution in the interior of the motor vehicle compared to conventional vehicle soft tops, which consist of lateral bows covered with cloth. Hard tops of this type are normally installed when the soft top is lowered in the winter, and are taken off and stored at a separate location when the weather is warmer. However, currently there is a trend toward replacing the soft top with a retractable hard top. These retractable hard tops operate in a similar manner as a soft top: are folded backwards and are retracted and extended by means of a power operator located a top storage compartment located in or adjacent the vehicle trunk. In these, the top is divided into two sections, which fold in a clamshell arrangement for storage. These tops are used in two seat convertibles and are bulky, and are unsuitable for four-seat convertibles.
A known retractable hard top is disclosed in European Patent Application EP 1 092 579 A1, and comprises three roof sections or shells. When pivoting the top from an unfolded, extended roof position into a retracted, stored position, the second, central roof section moves into the rear roof section and at the same time the first, front roof section moves over the second, central roof section, and along this roof section and subsequently between same and the rear roof section in the folded condition. The outside surfaces of the three roof sections rest upside down, with the first roof section located between the second and the third roof sections.
This three-piece hard top offers, compared to prior two-piece hard tops, a significant improvement of the convenience and the size of the passenger compartment. It is, however, only suitable to a limited extent for a four-seat convertible. The disadvantage of this arrangement is the relatively large space required in the retracted condition that is caused by the length and size of the rear roof section.
It would be desirable to provide a retractable hard top, which is suitable for large motor vehicles, in particular for four-seat convertibles and which provides a large space in the interior of the passenger compartment and still enables a trouble-free retraction process and takes relatively little space in the retracted condition.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a retractable hard top, which is suitable for large motor vehicles, in particular for four-seat convertibles and which provides a large space in the interior of the passenger compartment and still enables a trouble-free retraction process and takes relatively little space in the retracted condition.
In one aspect, this invention features retractable hard top which comprises a first, front section, which can be connected to the upper edge portion of the windshield, a second section, which in the closed position of the hard top adjoins the first section, a third section adjoining the second section, and a fourth, rear section adjoining the third section, wherein each section has a front, first edge portion and a rear, second edge portion. The first and the second section basically form the roof ceiling in the closed position of the hard top. The third section basically forms the C-pillar and the fourth section closes the upper portion of the passenger compartment towards the back. The sections or shells are pivotable into and out of a storage compartment in the vehicle body, and each of the sections is attached in a manner that it can be pivoted backwards downwards during the opening process, so that, in the open position of the hard top, all four sections are nested within one another with their respective first edge portion in the longitudinal vehicle direction being positioned behind the second edge portion. This provides a very compact arrangement of the four top sections in stored position.
By the use of four roof sections which fold and stack as described, it is possible to make the passenger compartment significantly larger than before because the space required for hard top storage has been significantly reduced a result of the compactness of the folded top.
It is advantageous with respect to reliability, that the first, second and third sections are connected through a plurality of pivotal connections symmetrically arranged at the two outer portions of the hard top and pivotally connected with one another.
The first, second and third sections are especially advantageously connected with one another via pivotal connections arranged in the area of the roof center between the outer portions of the hard top and pivotally connected with one another, through which a greater structural strength of the hard top against snow load, a greater stability of the mechanic drive, and also a better leverage is achieved.
Longitudinal slots are advantageously provided in the second section in the outer portions and in the area of the roof center. These slots enable the pivotal connections to pass through the roof line during opening and closing of the hard top, by facilitating the first section to movement over the second section.
In the second edge portion of the first section, longitudinal slots are arranged in the outer portions and in the area of the roof center as well as in the first edge portion of the third section in the outer portions. These slots also enable these pivotal connections to pass through the roof line during opening and closing of the hard top, which further increases compactness of the hard top in the retracted position.
The hard top advantageously comprises a flexible cloth cover, in particular made of a fabric or other conventional soft top fabric, which overlies the first, third and fourth sections in top closed condition, so that the transverse slots in the transitional area between two roof sections and the longitudinal slots in the vehicle roof area are covered in a water-proof manner and an aesthetically pleasing overall impression is created.
During the opening of the hard top, the first, front section is advantageously firstly moved over the second section and subsequently between this section and the third section, which reduces the overall height of the hard top during the opening process.
It is advantageous, in the form of the small space required by the folded hard top, that the fourth section is moved into the third section during the opening of the hard top.


A tensioning system for a conveyor belt arrangement is provided. More particularly, but not exclusively, to a vertical belt tensioning system for an endless conveyor belt arrangement. The conveyor belt arrangement includes a drive pulley which is in use driven by an external drive, an idler pulley and an endless conveyor belt rotatably mounted about the pulleys. The conveyor belt arrangement also includes a belt tensioning arrangement for use in tensioning the endless conveyor belt, the tensioning arrangement including a displaceable take-up pulley, and an actuator for displacing the displaceable take-up pulley. The tensioning arrangement is characterized in that the displaceable take-up pulley is displaceable along a vertical axis.

THIS invention relates to a tensioning system for a conveyor belt arrangement and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a vertical belt tensioning system for an endless conveyor belt arrangement.
For the purposes of the interpretation of this specification the term "conveyor belt" shall be understood to include endless conveyor belt arrangements rotating about a plurality of rollers and/or idlers, irrespective of the specific configuration of the conveyor belt.
Conveyor belts are frequently used in many applications where materials need to be conveyed from one point to another. One common application of conveyor belts is in the mining industry where particulate ore is conveyed. A conveyor belt arrangement in essence constitutes an endless, flexible conveyor belt arranged about a plurality of rollers or idlers, thus enabling the entire flexible conveyor belt to be longitudinally displaced upon transmission thereof along the rotating rollers or idlers. The conveyor belt arrangement includes a carrying section or load support side on which the ore is transported, and a return section where the conveyor belt is empty.
Due to the occurrence of belt stretch, the start-up characteristics of a conveyor belt arrangement, and to prevent belt slippage around the drive pulley, a tension mechanism is required to ensure that the conveyor belt remains tensioned to a predetermined tension. Preferably, a constant belt tension is required and an adjustable, dynamic tensioning system is therefore most suited for use with long conveyor belts.
One of the most common tensioning systems (often referred to as belt take-up systems) is the well-known vertical gravity tensioner, which essentially consists of a tensioning idler located operatively below the conveyor belt structure, with the conveyor belt forming a vertical tensioning loop around the tensioning idler. The idler is biased downwardly by way of a gravitational bias induced by a weight, thus resulting in the tensioning idler constantly exerting a tensioning force on the conveyer belt.
Recent safety requirements dictate that all stored energy in a belt shall be isolated before any work is carried out on the belt. Isolation of a conventional vertical gravity tensioner is, however, complicated and dangerous due to the energy stored in the belt itself. It is difficult to disengage the tensioning weight from the belt, as the weight has to be removed using suitable rigging equipment.
Another type of take up system is a horizontal take-up system that included a horizontally displaceable take-up pulley. These systems are easier to isolate, but they require a large footprint to allow for movement and the counterweight system, which is not ideal.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a tensioning system for a conveyor belt arrangement that will, at least partially, alleviate the above disadvantages.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a tensioning system for a conveyor belt arrangement which will be a useful alternative to existing tensioning systems

Vertical tensioning system for a conveyor belt arrangement


A method (56) for fabricating an integral assembly (24) is disclosed. The method comprises providing (56) a first workpiece (26) having a first surface (46) and a second workpiece (28) having a second surface (50), performing a first bonding process between the first surface (46) of the first workpiece (26) and the second surface (50) of the second workpiece (28) to form a sub-assembly workpiece (48), and performing a second bonding process between a third surface (52) of the sub-assembly workpiece (48) and a fourth surface (54) of a third workpiece (30) to form the integral assembly (24). The material properties of the first workpiece (26) are different from material properties of the third workpiece (30).

Gas turbine engines are employed in a variety of applications, such as aircraft, and marine vessels, among others. The gas turbine engines generate a thrust from a fluid flow by first compressing an intake air within a compression unit. The compression unit utilizes a series of bladed discs or bladed rings for compressing the intake air. The compression unit supplies the compressed air to be mixed with a fuel mixture for combustion in a combustion unit. The resulting hot, high pressure gaseous mixture is expanded through a turbine portion to extract energy which drives the compressors and a propulsor such as a fan or propeller. Energy may also be extracted in the form of electrical power.
The bladed discs are a unitary construction having a disc (or a drum) and a number of blades spaced apart from each other. If the disc and the blade are integrated as a single piece, weight saving may be achieved. As a result, non-mechanical methods of joining the blades have been proposed, wherein the bladed discs are machined from a single forged piece. However, such methods suffer from manufacturing challenges due to less efficient utilization of expensive materials and expensive forging machinery.
Due to technical challenges associated with a high temperature environment, the bladed discs are required to be fabricated with dissimilar materials. However, there are technical challenges in joining two dissimilar materials. For example, joining of the dissimilar materials, i.e. a blade and disc alloys having different crystal structures, differences in thermal processing (i.e. heat treatment) requirements and difficulty in joining using a solid state or melting processes, such as a fusion welding. Further, the fusion welding may give unfavorable post weld mechanical properties due to a heat affected zone and mixing of alloys, increased grain size and lack of post weld homogenisation heat treatment. Furthermore, the dissimilar materials have different characteristics, i.e. weld induced residual stress or optimum material condition (e.g. aging) and hence there are always challenges in joining the dissimilar materials. Furthermore, the welding procedures of the dissimilar materials may require large and costly setups. Therefore, there is a need for an improved bladed disc that is fabricated from the dissimilar materials and further a method of manufacturing the same is proposed.

Bladed disc and method of manufacturing the same


A throw-away burnishing tool for an outside diameter includes: a tool holder having a rectilinear I-shaped portion and a protrusion portion; a hard material tip detachably attached to a tip holder; a holder pin connected to the tip holder and accommodated in the protrusion portion of the tool holder, the holder pin having an oblong aperture in the form of a through-hole extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to an axis of the holder pin; an urging means internally inserted into the holder pin and urging the holder pin; an urging force adjustment means for adjusting an urging force generated by the urging means; and a parallel pin supported at both ends by the tool holder and passing through the oblong aperture, wherein the parallel pin guides a movement of the holder pin along the oblong aperture.

The present invention relates to a throw-away burnishing tool for burnishing an outside diameter of a workpiece and a throw-away burnishing tool for burnishing an inside diameter of a workpiece.
Conventionally, for burnishing the surface of hardened steel having a hardness of HRC 40 or more and when burnishing the surface of a stainless steel material, burnishing tools using diamond in place of rollers are known.
FIGS. 4A through 4C show a conventional throw-away burnishing tool 30 using diamond, wherein FIG. 4A is a plan view, FIG. 4B is an enlarged plan view of an S-portion of FIG. 4A, and FIG. 4C is a sectional view along the line R-R of FIG. 4B. This kind of throw-away burnishing tool for an outside diameter is known; for example, from an IMS burnishing tool type BNN manufactured by IMS Co., Ltd. See IMS Burnishing Catalogue distributed by General distributor Nitmac.
Tool holders have various sizes, and the maximum throw-away burnishing tool 30 is 25 mm×25 mm in cross section (width×height) and 160 mm in total length.
As shown in FIG. 4B, at a front-end portion of a tool holder 35, an attachment seat 35a for a tip holder 36 is provided, and to this attachment seat 35a, the tip holder 36 is fixed by a bolt 35b. This bolt 35b is inclined at 30°, and an attachment seat 36e for a tip holder 36 shown in FIG. 4C is also inclined at 30°.
In addition, a hole 36a inclined at 45° is bored in a left front-end portion of the tip holder 36, and a diamond tip 37 is inserted into this hole 36a and is fixed by a screw 36c. In addition, at a central portion of the tip holder 36, a roughly double-keyhole shaped groove 36b is formed, and by this groove 36b, only a section between a double-keyhole head portion and an outer circumferential surface 36d is integrally connected. In order to urge this tool holder 35 against the tip holder 36, elastic deformation of a connecting portion 36g is utilized.
As shown in FIG. 4C, the tip holder 36 is formed in a T-shape in a front view. The attachment seat 36e for the bolt 35b is inclined at approximately 30°, a notch is formed in a U-shape in a bolt through-hole 36f, and only by loosening the bolt 35b, the tip holder 36 can be replaced, and by tightening the same, the tip holder 36 is pressed against the shoulders of the attachment seat 35a and is fixed thereto.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 4B, an aspherically formed diamond 37a is embedded in a front-end portion of the diamond tip 37, and the diamond tip 37 is formed with clearance angles α and β of 5° from its surface.
In addition, a height to the center of the diamond tip 37 is 25 mm, which is the same as the height of the tool holder 35, as shown in FIG. 4C.
However, since the conventional throw-away burnishing tool 30 for an outside diameter has employed an urging method by an elastic deformation of the connecting portion 36g provided at the tip holder 36, when a pressing force which the diamond tip 37 imparts to a workpiece is changed in magnitude, the diamond tip 37 is changed in posture. Therefore, there are several problems, such that the machining direction is not fixed, that the pressing force is not changed by changing an urging force during machining, that it is difficult to satisfy Hooke's law, namely, a linear proportional relationship between displacement and urging force, and that an accurate adjustment for the urging force is not made.

Throw-away burnishing tool for outside diameter and for inside diameter


Systems and methods for audio signal processing including an input interface to receive a noisy audio signal including a mixture of target audio signal and noise. An encoder to map each time-frequency bin of the noisy audio signal to one or more phase-related value from one or more phase quantization codebook of phase-related values indicative of the phase of the target signal. Calculate, for each time-frequency bin of the noisy audio signal, a magnitude ratio value indicative of a ratio of a magnitude of the target audio signal to a magnitude of the noisy audio signal. A filter to cancel the noise from the noisy audio signal based on the phase-related values and the magnitude ratio values to produce an enhanced audio signal. An output interface to output the enhanced audio signal.

In conventional noise cancellation or conventional audio signal enhancement, the goal is to obtain an "enhanced audio signal" which is a processed version of a noisy audio signal that is closer in a certain sense to an underlying true "clean audio signal" or "target audio signal" of interest. In particular, in the case of speech processing, the goal of "speech enhancement" is to obtain "enhanced speech" which is a processed version of a noisy speech signal that is closer in a certain sense to the underlying true "clean speech" or "target speech".
Note that clean speech is conventionally assumed to be only available during training and not available during the real-world use of the system. For training, clean speech can be obtained with a close talking microphone, whereas the noisy speech can be obtained with a far-field microphone recorded at the same time. Or, given separate clean speech signals and noise signals, one can add the signals together to obtain noisy speech signals, where the clean and noisy pairs can be used together for training.
In conventional speech enhancement applications, speech processing is usually done using a set of features of input signals, such as short-time Fourier transform (STFT) features. The STFT obtains a complex domain spectro-temporal (or time-frequency) representation of a signal, also referred to here as a spectrogram. The STFT of the observed noisy signal can be written as the sum of the STFT of the target speech signal and the STFT of the noise signal. The STFTs of signals are complex-valued and the summation is in the complex domain. However, in conventional methods, the phase is ignored and the focus in conventional approaches has been on magnitude prediction of the "target speech" given a noisy speech signal as input. During reconstruction of the time-domain enhanced signal from its STFT, the phase of the noisy signal is typically used as the estimated phase of the enhanced speech's STFT. Using the noisy phase in combination with an estimate of the magnitude of the target speech leads in general to a reconstructed time-domain signal (i.e. obtained by inverse STFT of the complex spectrogram consisting of the product of the estimated magnitude and the noisy phase) whose magnitude spectrogram (the magnitude part of its STFT) is different from the estimate of the magnitude of the target speech that one intended to reconstruct a time-domain signal from. In this case, the complex spectrogram consisting of the product of the estimated magnitude and the noisy phase is said to be inconsistent.
Accordingly, there is need for improved speech processing methods to overcome the conventional speech enhancement applications.

Methods and systems for enhancing audio signals corrupted by noise

Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.


A power supply device includes a battery, a charging part charging the battery, a power input to receive adapter power from an adapter supplied with external power or power output from a similarly configured power supply device, a power output part to output the adapter power, the power output of a similarly configured power supply device, or the battery power of the battery, and a controller to control the input power to apply power to the charging part and the power output part when the input power is supplied to the power input part, and to control the battery to apply power to the power output part when the input power is not supplied to the power input part. Thus, the power supply device is capable of applying power from an adapter to a portable electronic device while charging an internal battery with the adapter power.

1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to a power supply device, and more particularly, to a power supply device for supplying power to an electronic device, and a power supplying method for the power supply device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a portable electronic device obtains its operating power from an adapter connected to an external power source, from a built-in battery, or from an external power supply device (such as an external battery).
A conventional external power supply device operates in either a charging mode or a discharging mode for bidirectional control. Specifically, the conventional external power supply device operates in the charging mode to charge an internal battery of the power supply when connected to an adapter. The conventional external power supply operates in the discharge mode to apply power from the charged internal battery to a portable electronic device when the conventional external power supply device is connected to the portable electronic device and is not connected to an adapter.
In such a conventional external power supply device, power for the charging or discharging mode is supplied through one terminal. A toggle switch is provided, and the charging or discharging mode is selected according to the setting of the toggle switch. In this case, however, it is inconvenient for a user, as the user has to switch the toggle switch every time to change the charging/discharging mode; moreover, there may arise a problem that an incorrect switch setting will cause the internal battery to be discharged even though the adapter is connected to an external power source.
As described above, since the conventional external power supply device can operate only in either the charging mode or the discharging mode, power cannot be applied to the portable electronic device while the power supply charges the built-in battery. For this reason, it is impossible to connect a plurality of external power supply devices to the portable electronic device, as any external power supply device in the series that was charging would not supply power to the next power supply device in the series or to the portable electronic device.

Power supply device and power supplying method for power supply device


A level sensitive comparing device includes: a first comparator, a second comparator, and a determination circuit. The first comparator is arranged for comparing an input signal with a first reference level to generate a first comparison signal. The second comparator is arranged for comparing the input signal with a second reference level to generate a second comparison signal, wherein the second reference level is different from the first reference level. The determination circuit is coupled to the first comparator and the second comparator, and is arranged for determining whether the first comparison signal is allowed to appear at an output of the level sensitive comparing device according to at least the first comparison signal and the second comparison signal, wherein the determination circuit is composed of digital components only.

The present invention relates generally to signal conversion, and more particularly, to a level sensitive comparing device which ensures a square wave output of good quality.
Generally, a comparator is not level-sensitive such that a related-art clock extractor based on the non-level-sensitive comparator cannot ensure an output waveform is always an ideal square wave when a peak value of an input signal drops below a certain level. Such problem may be solved if the clock extractor is made to output a low level when the peak value of the input signal goes below a predetermined level.
A related art solution to address this problem is illustrated in FIG. 1. A level sensitive comparing device 100 is used to convert a sinusoidal wave or a near sinusoidal input wave to a square wave output. The level sensitive comparing device 100 includes a main comparator 110 which converts the sinusoidal wave input to the square wave output. A first-order RC high-pass filter 150 is used to change a DC level of the sine wave at IN to a desired one at an input of the comparator 110. A peak detector circuit 130 is used to determine a peak value of the input sine wave. The comparator 120 compares the peak value of the input sine wave with a reference voltage VO. If the peak value of the input sine wave falls below VO, the comparator 120 outputs a low level signal and the square wave output from the comparator 110 is prevented from reaching an terminal OUT by an AND gate 140. Otherwise, the comparator 120 outputs a high-level signal and the square wave output from the comparator 110 is passed to the terminal OUT by the AND gate 140.
A disadvantage of the above-mentioned level sensitive comparing circuit is the design of the peak detector 130. Since the peak detector is an analog circuit, requiring rectifiers (implemented with operational amplifiers) and capacitors to hold the peak value, a large area is required for integration of such circuits. Therefore, there is a need to provide a different level sensitive comparing circuit to address the problem encountered in the related art.


A system and method for predicting operation of a plant or process receive an input value from the plant or process. An integrity of a non-linear model corresponding to a local input space of the input value may be determined. The non-linear model may include an empirical representation of the plant or process. If the integrity is above a first threshold, non-linear model may be used to provide a first output value. However, if the integrity is below the first threshold, a linearized first principles model may be used to provide a second output value. The linearized first principles model may include an analytic representation of the plant or process. Additionally, the analytic representation of the plant or process may be independent of the empirical representation of the plant or process. The first output value and/or the second output value may be usable to manage the plant or process.

Process models that are utilized for prediction, control and optimization can be divided into two general categories, steady-state models and dynamic models. In each case the model is a mathematical construct that characterizes the process, and process measurements are utilized to parameterize or fit the model so that it replicates the behavior of the process. The mathematical model can then be implemented in a simulator for prediction or inverted by an optimization algorithm for control or optimization.
Steady-state or static models are utilized in modern process control systems that usually store a great deal of data, this data typically containing steady-state information at many different operating conditions. The steady-state information is utilized to train a non-linear model wherein the process input variables are represented by the vector U that is processed through the model to output the dependent variable Y. The non-linear model is a steady-state phenomenological or empirical model developed utilizing several ordered pairs (Ui, Yi) of data from different measured steady states. If a model is represented as:Y=P(U,Y)  (1)where P is some parameterization, then the steady-state modeling procedure can be presented as:({right arrow over (U)},{right arrow over (Y)})→P  (2)where U and Y are vectors containing the Ui, Yi ordered pair elements. Given the model P, then the steady-state process gain can be calculated as:
                    K        =                              Δ                                                                                P                                            (                                  U                  ,                  Y                                )                                                          Δ                                                                          U                                              (        3        )            The steady-state model therefore represents the process measurements that are taken when the system is in a "static" mode. These measurements do not account for the perturbations that exist when changing from one steady-state condition to another steady-state condition. This is referred to as the dynamic part of a model.
A dynamic model is typically a linear model and is obtained from process measurements which are not steady-state measurements; rather, these are the data obtained when the process is moved from one steady-state condition to another steady-state condition. This procedure is where a process input or manipulated variable u(t) is input to a process with a process output or controlled variable y(t) being output and measured. Again, ordered pairs of measured data (u(I), y(I)) can be utilized to parameterize a phenomenological or empirical model, this time the data coming from non-steady-state operation. The dynamic model is represented as:y(t)=p(u(t),y(t))  (4)where p is some parameterization. Then the dynamic modeling procedure can be represented as:({right arrow over (u)},{right arrow over (y)})→p  (5)Where u and y are vectors containing the (u(I),y(I)) ordered pair elements. Given the model p, then the steady-state gain of a dynamic model can be calculated as:
                    k        =                              Δ                                                                                p                                            (                                  u                  ,                  y                                )                                                          Δ                                                                          u                                              (        6        )            Unfortunately, almost always the dynamic gain k does not equal the steady-state gain K, since the steady-state gain is modeled on a much larger set of data, whereas the dynamic gain is defined around a set of operating conditions wherein an existing set of operating conditions are mildly perturbed. This results in a shortage of sufficient non-linear information in the dynamic data set in which non-linear information is contained within the static model. Therefore, the gain of the system may not be adequately modeled for an existing set of steady-state operating conditions. Thus, when considering two independent models, one for the steady-state model and one for the dynamic model, there is a mis-match between the gains of the two models when used for prediction, control and optimization. The reason for this mis-match are that the steady-state model is non-linear and the dynamic model is linear, such that the gain of the steady-state model changes depending on the process operating point, with the gain of the linear model being fixed. Also, the data utilized to parameterize the dynamic model do not represent the complete operating range of the process, i.e., the dynamic data is only valid in a narrow region. Further, the dynamic model represents the acceleration properties of the process (like inertia) whereas the steady-state model represents the tradeoffs that determine the process final resting value (similar to the tradeoff between gravity and drag that determines terminal velocity in free fall).
One technique for combining non-linear static models and linear dynamic models is referred to as the Hammerstein model. The Hammerstein model is basically an input-output representation that is decomposed into two coupled parts. This utilizes a set of intermediate variables that are determined by the static models which are then utilized to construct the dynamic model. These two models are not independent and are relatively complex to create.

Dynamic controller utilizing a hybrid model


A method for generating a digital signal pattern at M outputs involves retrieving an instruction from memory comprising a first set of bits identifying a first group of N outputs that includes fewer than all of the M outputs, and a second set of N bits each corresponding to a respective output included in the identified first group of N outputs. For each of the M outputs that is included in the identified first group of N outputs, the signal at the output is toggled if the one of the N bits corresponding to that output is in a first state and is kept in the same state if the one of the N bits corresponding to that output is in a second state. For each of the M outputs that is not included in the identified first group of N outputs, the signal at that output is kept in the same state.

Charge coupled devices (CCDs) are used in a large variety of digital imaging applications. There are a number of different manufacturers of such devices and each manufacturer typically has numerous models. The large variety of CCDs and the continuously evolving CCD control requirements have caused challenges in designing the analog front end/CCD controller circuits that will have significant longevity in the market place. This problem is ameliorated to a large extent by the software programmable pattern generator described in the '000 and '449 applications, incorporated by reference above. That software programmable pattern generator utilizes a compact and flexible assembly programmable Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) that is optimized for generating high precision timing pulses and low power control functions. The architecture has a variable bit wide instruction set that includes: vector toggling instructions, jump instructions, conditional instructions, arithmetic instructions, and load/store instructions. The pattern generator can fetch and execute one instruction per clock cycle, and is parameter scalable to allow for easy optimization in different applications.
To allow every chip output to be set simultaneously at a pixel clock resolution, a large number of bits may be stored in parallel within the program memory, with each bit in a vector word corresponding to an output pin that can be selectively toggled, depending on the state of the bit. In the case of Analog Device's model number ADDI9000, this meant that every instruction was "64" bits wide. An advantage of this model was in the simple control and design logic required. We have since recognized, however, that the use of such large instructions consumes a significant amount of memory, thus imposing limits on the utility of the timing generator for certain applications.

Data pattern generator with selectable programmable outputs


The invention relates to a method for preparing a laminate comprising providing an aluminum foil inner layer, a paper middle layer, and an aluminum foil outer layer; laminating the inner aluminum foil layer to the middle layer by a process selected from the group consisting of adhesive lamination with polyurethane, polyvinyl acetate, and an acrylic-type adhesive, and extrusion lamination with polyethylene; curing the inner aluminum foil layer and middle paper layer; laminating the middle paper layer and the outer aluminum foil layer by a process selected from the group consisting of adhesive lamination with polyurethane, polyvinyl acetate, and an acrylic-type adhesive, and extrusion lamination with polyethylene; and curing the inner aluminum foil layer, the middle paper layer and the outer aluminum foil layer.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel laminate.
(2) Description of the Related Art
In the packaging of certain products, such as food products in particular, it is highly desirable to impede or prevent the transmission of oxygen and/or water vapor through the packaging. While the permeation of oxygen or water vapor itself is not necessarily harmful to the product, the quality and shelf-life of the product may deteriorate when exposed to these elements.
In packaging containers of varying shapes and constructions, 100% aluminum seals are often used to protect the products inside the container from oxygen or water vapor. These seals are often bonded between the container itself and some type of lid. In other configurations, the aluminum seal may be the only lid that the container has.
Seals made from aluminum are often selected based on the superior barrier properties of aluminum. The effectiveness of such barriers depends on both the type of material employed and the barrier's thickness. For example, a 0.001 inch layer of 100% aluminum foil is impermeable to moisture and oxygen and a 0.00035 inch layer of 100% aluminum foil has a water vapor transmission rate of 0.02 grams or less per 100 square inches.
Due to the ever-increasing cost of aluminum, however, it has become necessary to find alternative membranes which are less expensive than aluminum yet still deliver the necessary barrier properties. In addition, high gauges of aluminum used in known membranes also pose some risk to consumers if the consumer punctures the seal by hand. Specifically, the sharp aluminum edges surrounding the puncture location can cause minor scratches or cuts to the hand. Attempts to substitute more cost effective substitutes for the 100% aluminum seals have been met with limited success. One reason is because in addition to the necessary barrier properties, the replacement material must also be able to withstand various manufacturing and processing conditions to which the packaging containers are subjected.


A semiconductor integrated circuit device and a method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. A semiconductor wafer having a surface step is prepared. A first material layer is formed on an upper surface of the semiconductor wafer so that a protrusion is formed in a portion thereof corresponding to an edge region of the semiconductor wafer. A second material layer is formed on the first material layer.

1. Technical Field
Various embodiments generally relate to a semiconductor integrated circuit device and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to a semiconductor integrated circuit device with a surface and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Related Art
Due to an increase in the integration degree of a semiconductor device, processes for forming fine patterns and multi-layered wirings are required. To form the fine patterns and the multi-layered wirings The photolithography process using a fine light source is necessary. Additionally, the global planarization of a wafer surface may be increasingly important to carry out the fine photolithography process.
Recently, planarization processes may include a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process. This CMP process is now widely used. The CMP process is a processing method whereby a chemical removing process and a mechanical removing process are integrated. The CMP process is a method used for planarizing a surface of a wafer with a slurry. The CMP may contain an abrasive and a chemical material. The slurry may be interposed between the wafer and a polishing pad.
However, due to chemical defects by the abrasive and the slurry, physical detects may be caused by pressure applied by the polishing pad, and the like. Particles and defects may be created and left on the wafer surface. An edge region of the wafer may be vulnerable to planarization.

Semiconductor integrated circuit device with a surface and method of manufacturing the same


In one embodiment, a mechanism for business process-managed testing of software applications is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method for business process-managed testing of software applications includes identifying, by a server computing device, all tools and services used to test a software application deployed on the server computing device, and determining, by the server computing device, an order of execution of the identified tools and services in testing the software application. The method further includes designing, by a business process management (BPM) service of the server computing device, a testing management process that integrates the identified tools and services in the determined order of execution for testing the software application in an automated and unattended manner, and deploying, by the server computing device, the testing management process to act as a controlling layer over the identified tools and services in the testing of the software application.

In software development, a test suite is a collection of test cases that are intended to be used to test a software program to show that it has some specified set of behaviors. A test suite often contains detailed instructions or goals for each collection of test cases and information on the system configuration to be used during testing.
Presently, there are many tools that allow application testing to be run on remotes stations in an automated manner. For example, continuous integration (CI) tools allow for the frequent integration of multiple software developers' work to a single application—typically multiple integrations per day. Each integration of the software developers' work is verified by the CI tools, including testing, to detect integration errors as quickly as possible. However, existing application testing suite tools, such as CI tools, are not completely integrated in the respect that excessive human interaction is usually required for attending to the automated tests. For example, human interaction for failure investigation and problem solving is often times needed.
In addition, no tools exist for the automated and unattended management of application testing suites. Such automated and unattended management of application testing suites would include oversight of test suite execution, resource management, error recovery, and test results submission into external tracking systems, for example. Presently, each of these functions of test suite execution, resource management, error recover, and test result submission into external tracking systems is controlled by separate systems and requires significant human interaction to integrate the functions together. As such, a tool for automated and unattended management of application testing suites would be beneficial.

Automated and unattended process for testing software applications


An emergency anti-hypothermia system has a thermally insulating vest that is sufficiently portable to be carried for emergency use in a pocket, purse, backpack, compartment of a vehicle, ski pole or other location. The vest provides thermal insulation by being made with thermally insulating air impervious material that also provides for its inflation. The inflating air also provides insulation as, preferably, does thermal radiation reflective material on inwardly facing surfaces of the vest, preferably inwardly facing surfaces of outer layers of inflated chambers about the vest, the multiplicity of the chambers about the vest reducing convection heat transfer therewithin. The vest thus preferably provides thermal insulation by anti-conduction, anti-radiation and anti-convection in a highly portable system.

Every winter, drivers get stuck on roads, run the engines of their vehicles until they run out of gas or other vehicle fuel, and then are hurt by hypothermia while they wait for assistance at a location to which they have not brought sufficiently insulating clothing. Skiiers may similarly dress for a short run, but fall or become caught by unexpected conditions that lead to exposure to cold sufficient to produce hypothermia. Still others may find themselves in such conditions with insufficient clothing insulation.
An emergency anti-hypothermia system for such conditions provides a thermally insulating vest that is sufficiently portable to be carried for emergency use in a pocket, purse, ski pole or other such location and, thereby, also in a backpack or compartment of a vehicle. A high degree of portability is desirable for such sufficient portability.
For this system, an inflatable vest is provided. The vest provides thermal insulation by being made with air impervious material that also provides for its inflation. The inflating air also provides insulation as, preferably, does thermal radiation reflective material on inwardly facing surfaces of the vest, preferably inwardly facing surfaces of outer layers of inflated chambers or cells about the vest, the multiplicity of the chambers about the vest reducing convection heat transfer therewithin. The vest thus preferably provides thermal insulation by anti-conduction, anti-radiation and anti-convection in a highly portable system.
The thermal insulation is achieved with high portability by inflation. The portability achieved by inflation is preferably augmented by thin material.

Emergency anti-hypothermia system and highly portable, inflatable emergency vest therefor


Circuits and methods that implement multiplexing for photons propagating in waveguides are disclosed, in which an input photon received on a selected one of a set of input waveguides can be selectably routed to one of a set of output waveguides. The output waveguide can be selected on a rotating or cyclic basis, in a fixed order, and the input waveguide can be selected based at least in part on which one(s) of a set of input waveguides is (are) currently propagating a photon.

In photonic circuits and systems, photons may be generated at different times and propagated through different waveguides. For various operations, it may be desirable to rearrange photons spatially onto different waveguides and/or to synchronize photons propagating on different waveguides so that they arrive concurrently at a particular location within the circuit.

Raster multiplexing in photonic circuits