A combination clip and hanger is used to suspend articles from walls, especially fabric-covered soft-core partitions. In one embodiment, the clip-hanger is formed of a single strand of stiff but bendable wire. The wire defines three components of the hanger, namely, a clip, a hook, and a prong. The clip is formed by two or more segments of wire, oriented in a generally longitudinal direction, and located in approximately the same plane. The hook is a generally transverse loop of wire, connecting two of the clip-forming segments, and protruding from the plane of the clip. One or both of the free ends of the wire can be formed into a prong. In another embodiment, the wire is inserted through a generally flat backer. The backer tends to prevent injury due to the prong; it also tends to protect the fabric of the partition. When the clip-hanger of either embodiment is inserted into a fabric-covered partition, the prong separates the fibers of the fabric, generally without piercing the fibers. The prong also does not penetrate far, if at all, into the core of the partition. The clip-hanger grips the fabric over a relatively large area. The clip-hanger can be used to clip articles, such as papers, to the partition, without piercing or otherwise damaging the papers. It can also be used to hang pictures, or similar objects, from a partition, by suspending the picture wire from the hook of the clip-hanger.

This invention relates to the field of clips and hangers. The invention is a device for suspending an article from a wall, and especially from a soft-core fabric-covered partition.
Various fasteners, made of a single strand of wire, have been known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,767,450 shows a device which combines the functions of a paper clip and a pin in a single-strand piece of wire. U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,350 shows a hanger which is especially designed for use with a soft-wall partition, the hanger also being formed of a single strand of wire. U.S. Pat. No. 1,690,074 discloses an all-wire pin-fastener which combines the piercing function of a pin with the grasping function of a clip. U.S. Pat, No. 1,843,703 shows a pin fastener formed of a single piece of wire. U.S. Pat. No. 2,642,638 shows a clip for sheet material, the clip including sheet-piercing prongs.
Other examples of fasteners formed primarily of a single strand of
wire are given in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,532,566, 1,340,180, 2,021,730, 1,619,265, and 1,252,862.
Soft-core partitions are commonly used to subdivide open spaces in offices. Such partitions are typically covered with a textile fabric or other soft, flexible covering material. Their cores may be formed of a soft plaster or plasterboard, or other similar material. It is thus not recommended to use nails, tacks, or conventional picture hangers with such partitions, because the nails or tacks are likely to damage the core and/or to fracture the fibers of the fabric. When a single nail is used to hang an article, substantially the entire weight of the article is concentrated at the point where the nail pierces the fabric, making it likely that the fabric will be torn, or that the core will be damaged, or both.
One problem with all-wire hangers is that their prongs are hazardous. A prong that is inserted into a fabric may also protrude out of the fabric. There is thus a risk that the prong will prick the user's hand, while the device is being inserted or adjusted.
The present invention solves the problems encountered in hanging or clipping articles from soft-core partitions. The invention provides a structure which minimizes the possibility of damage to the soft core of the partition, and to its covering layer. Also, the embodiment of the invention which includes a backer portion prevents injury to the user due to the sharp prongs. The invention can be used in many applications, in place of conventional picture hangers.

Clip-hanger for suspending articles from walls


The present invention provides histogram calculation for images and video applications using a SIMD and VLIW processor with vector Look-Up Table (LUT) operations. This provides a speed up of histogram calculation by a factor of N times over a scalar processor where the SIMD processor could perform N LUT operations per instruction. Histogram operation is partitioned into a vector LUT operation, followed by vector increment, vector LUT update, and at the end by reduction of vector histogram components. The present invention could be used for intensity, RGBA, YUV, and other type of multi-component images.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of processor chips and specifically to the field of single-instruction multiple-data (SIMD) processors. More particularly, the present invention relates to vector Look-Up Table (LUT) and histogram operations in a SIMD processor.
2. Description of the Background Art
Histogram calculation for video and images has typically been performed as a scalar operation. For example, Imaging and Compression Engine (ICE) chip used by Silicon Graphics O2 workstation featured a 8-wide SIMD architecture was used to implement video and image library operations, but histogram was calculated one component at a time, even though ICE has a dual-instruction issue per-clock-cycle for concurrent I/O and ability to process 8 data in parallel. This resulted in the order of N*M clock cycles to calculate the histogram of N data entries with M components, where components are different colors such as Red, Green, Blue, and Alpha (RGBA).
It is also conceivable that image and video data could be partitioned into K groups, and each of these groups could be passed on to a different processor, or to a part of VLIW processor for concurrent calculation. For example, TI's TMS320C62X Image/Video Processing Library uses this technique, where this VLIW processor has 8 separate execution units. This code operates on four interleaved histogram bins, which are later summed together. The benchmark according to this library is 1158 cycles for L=512 data entries, or (9/8)*L+512 in general. This result is no better than order of L operations, despite 8-wide parallel VLIW architecture of 'C62X.
Image and video analysis, histogram equalization, auto focus, and other image enhancement algorithms use histogram calculation. If image has multiple components such as RGBA or YUV (luma and two chroma), different histogram bins are used for each component.
Part of the reason histogram has been limited to a scalar operation is that there was no support for its parallel implementation in a SIMD or VLIW processor.

Histogram generation with vector operations in SIMD and VLIW processor by consolidating LUTs storing parallel update incremented count values for vector data elements


A high-precision pulse interpolation method for interpolating the amount of movement of individual axes of a numerical control apparatus (1) with high precision. An interpolation pulse is output twice or more in one task and is written into a shared RAM (2). A servo control circuit (3) outputs the interpolation pulses in the shared RAM at regular intervals, to control a servometer (5) with a high-precision pulse interpolation.

The present invention relates to a high-precision pulse interpolation method, and more particularly, to a high-precision pulse interpolation method for controlling a piston lathe and the like.
Due to the increasing speed of microprocessors and increased integration of memory circuits, etc., numerical control apparatuses must carry out more complex controls and process greater quantities of data. Accordingly, a time allowed for carrying out pulse interpolation is very limited. Particularly, when using an increased number of axes, it is difficult to shorten the task period for a pulse interpolation, which is about 5 to 10 ms.
Nevertheless, to carry out machining by using a piston lathe, a cam grinder or the like, or the equivalent to a conventional machining using a cam, a task period of about 1 ms is required.
Such a task period can be achieved if a faster microprocessor or more microprocessors are used. This, however, greatly increases costs and thus is not practical.

High-precision pulse interpolation method


A method for searching for a radio cell is provided comprising determining, for each of a plurality of frequencies, a reception strength value indicating the reception strength within a first bandwidth around the frequency, wherein the first bandwidth is smaller than a second bandwidth with which a radio cell to be searched is operated; determining, based on the determined reception strength values, a spectral position for a radio cell at which a cell search is to be carried out; and carrying out a cell search at the determined spectral position.

A mobile terminal typically needs to search for a radio cell to camp on when it is switched on and may for example also need to search for candidate radio cells for a handover during operation. Since it is desirable for a user to be reachable as fast as possible after switching on the mobile terminal and since it is further desirable that the components of the mobile terminal are burdened with the cell search as little as possible, efficient methods for cell searching are desirable.

Method for searching for a radio cell and mobile terminal


A system and method capable of finding relaxed memory-model vulnerabilities in a computer program caused by running on a machine having a relaxed memory model. A relaxed memory model vulnerability in a computer program includes the presence of program executions that are not sequentially consistent. In one embodiment, non-sequentially consistent executions are detected by exploring sequentially consistent executions.

Developers of performance-critical multi-threaded software often try to avoid the overhead of traditional locking. Traditional techniques for doing so include making direct use of hardware primitives for atomic operations (such as interlocked exchange, or compare and swap) or employing regular loads and stores for the purpose of synchronization. Unfortunately, such "low-lock" programs are notoriously difficult to implement systems with a relaxed memory consistency model. Subtle bugs can arise in these programs due to memory operation reordering caused by the relaxed memory model of the underlying hardware. These errors are hard to find and debug as they most often show up only in specific thread interleavings and in particular hardware configurations.
Low-lock code is used heavily both in low-level libraries and in critical paths of a system. Because these parts of the system are crucial to the reliability of the entire system, it is important to develop verification techniques. However, the high degree of non-determinism in relaxed memory consistency models challenges standard verification techniques.
Previous attempts to programmatically find relaxed memory model bugs have attempted to solve the problem by modeling the potential executions of a program executing on a computer having a relaxed memory model. Due to the afore-mentioned non-determinism, these attempts do not scale.
The memory consistency model is one of the major attributes of shared memory multiprocessor systems. It establishes a contract between the hardware and software regarding the behavior of accesses to shared memory. Its implication is not only limited to functionality; it also impacts performance and programmability of the system as well as portability on the software side and compatibility on the hardware side.

Technique for finding relaxed memory model vulnerabilities


A container system including a closeable container with at least one pouch in an interior space of the container, where the pouch includes a water-soluble film including a polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) resin blend, and a perfume and organic solvent containing household care composition at least partially enclosed in a compartment by the water-soluble film.

Water-soluble pouches have proven to be an effective and popular way to deliver unitized doses of household care compositions such as laundry detergents. Such pouches often package household care compositions in a compartment formed by a water-soluble film, thereby providing a convenient, no-mess form for the consumer. Consumers may select such products not only for convenience and performance benefits, but also for aesthetic reasons. For example, the products may deliver a pleasant scent to a target surface, such as a fabric.
When a consumer opens a closed container that includes such pouches, it is desirable for the consumer to perceive a pleasant bloom of the scent that is to be delivered. For example, the consumer may wish to sniff different varieties in the store to see which one she prefers to buy. Such a perfume bloom upon opening a container can also provide a pleasant distraction from the drudgery of household chores and make them more enjoyable.
However, the pouched form of these household care compositions makes the delivery of such a perfume bloom challenging. The pouches often include water-soluble films made from polyvinyl alcohol polymers, and such films are typically selected to minimize any leakage of ingredients, from inside the compartment(s) of the pouch. Leakage or loss of ingredients, such as organic solvents, may cause product stability problems, decreased performance benefits, under-filled pouches that may negatively impact consumer product quality perception, and/or pouches that stick together or that feel greasy to the consumer.
Films that are selected to minimize the leakage of the composition's ingredients will also generally result in low levels of perfume leakage. Low levels of perfume leakage means that the consumer may not experience the pleasant perfume bloom upon opening the container. This issue has been addressed in the past by applying a hot melt bead of perfume to the container as a scent substitute, but such an approach requires additional manufacturing or packaging steps, as well as additional chemistry to be developed and formulation cost.
There is a need to provide improved container systems that include at least one pouch, where a pleasant bloom of perfume is experienced upon opening the container, without additional manufacturing steps, chemistry, or formulation cost.

Container systems with water-soluble pouches comprising a PVOH resin blend


The invention relates to a rotor including a magnetic material. At least one surface section of the magnetic material is provided with a wear-resistant coating.

Rotors which must have magnetic characteristics are used in electric motors. For this, for permanent magnet motors, it is known to embed permanent magnets into a rotor. Moreover, it is known from EP 17 199 16 A1 to design the rotor in a shaftless manner and completely of magnetic material, wherein then the individual magnets of the rotor are formed by way of a suitable magnetization of the magnetic material in the rotor.
The rotor must be mounted in the electric motor in the axial and radial direction. Thereby, as the case may be, it is not only the forces produced by the rotor itself, but also the external forces which are transmitted from elements connected to the rotor onto the rotor, which need to be accommodated by the bearings. For example, it may be the case in a pump assembly that the axial forces caused by the impeller and also the radial forces acting on the impeller must be transmitted directly onto the rotor of the electric motor and be accommodated by its mounting.
With a rotor which is formed completely of magnetic material, under certain circumstances it is difficult to design the bearings in a sufficiently strong manner, in order to be able to accommodate the occurring forces. For this reason, it is known from EP 17 199 16 A1 to embed additional bearing sleeves into the magnetic material. This however entails increased manufacturing and assembly costs.


Systems and methods are provided for mitigating security attacks by enabling collaboration between security service functions. A Service Function Chaining (SFC) node receives a packet and determines whether to apply a service function to the packet. Responsive to determining that the packet has been treated by the service function, the packet can be reclassified and switched to a different SFC path.

In computer networks, a Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack is an attempt by an attacker to render a machine, network or service unusable by its intended users. An attacker can bombard a target network or server with a large volume of traffic to overload the target's available bandwidth, CPU capacity or other system resources. Such attacks can flood services or crash services to the point where they can no longer serve legitimate requests. A Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) is where the attack originates from multiple sources, often thousands of unique IP addresses.
These large volume attacks typically rely on the same basic principles. First, spoofing allows the attacker to falsify the source address in a request for network service. This results in the response to this request being sent to the falsified source address (this is also referred to as "reflection"). This also makes it difficult for the victim network to identify the attacker and to defend itself against attack. Second, attackers leverage amplification, the principle that some network protocols return a large answer to a relatively small request. Amplification is of particular interest to an attacker since a small investment in attack traffic can result in large attack volumes.
It is common to implement some form of firewall on both user devices and servers in networks to help protect against such attacks. As used herein, the term "firewall" has an ordinarily understood meaning in the computer arts and broadly refers to a network security mechanism implemented in hardware and/or software and configured to detect suspicious or unauthorized activity based on analyzing the network traffic passing through the firewall. Simple firewalls can operate in a stateless manner and evaluate individual packets of traffic without regard to their respective packet flows or connections. More sophisticated firewalls are referred to as "stateful" firewalls and this type of firewall can analyze network traffic based on detecting new connections and accumulating packet information for individual connections. Firewalls can also operate at the application level, where knowledge of application behaviors and protocols can be exploited to detect suspicious or unauthorized activity.
Cloud computing generally refers to a type of on-demand network that provides access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, services, etc.). The idea of resource pooling is an important elasticity characteristic of cloud computing, which enables resources to be mixed and matched to meet end-user needs. Cloud computing solutions provide both users and enterprises with the capability to store and process their data in data centers in various locations. The notion of "cloudlets" has also been proposed, as it relates to the mobile user's perspective. A cloudlet typically refers to a localized set of cloud resources available for use by nearby mobile devices.
Security attacks, such as those described above, can require different responses in the different domains.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a system and method that obviate or mitigate the above described problems.

System and method for security service collaboration


Integrated circuits with programmable logic regions are provided. The programmable logic regions may be organized into smaller logic units sometimes referred to as a logic cell. A logic cell may include four 4-input lookup tables (LUTs) coupled to an adder carry chain. Each of the four 4-input LUTs may include two 3-input LUTs and a selector multiplexer. The carry chain may include at three or more full adder circuits. The outputs of the 3-input LUTs may be directly connected to inputs of the full adder circuits in the carry chain. By providing at least the same or more number of full adder circuits as the total number of 4-input LUTs in the logic cell, the arithmetic density of the logic is enhanced.

This relates to integrated circuits such as programmable integrated circuits.
Programmable integrated circuits such as programmable logic devices (PLDs) can be programmed by a user to implement a desired custom logic function. In a typical scenario, a logic designer uses computer-aided design (CAD) tools to design a custom logic circuit. When the design process is complete, the tools generate configuration data. The configuration data is loaded into programmable integrated circuit memory elements to configure the device to perform the functions of the custom logic circuit. In particular, the configuration data configures programmable interconnects, programmable routing circuits, and programmable logic circuits in the programmable integrated circuits.
Programmable logic devices include programmable logic circuitry organized into logic units sometimes referred to as adaptive logic modules. A conventional adaptive logic module includes four 4-input lookup tables, only one or two adders, and associated routing circuitry. Having only a pair of adders places a cap on the arithmetic density of the ALM. In arithmetic mode, the amount of routing circuitry is also disproportionately large in comparison to the number of adders (i.e., existing PLDs include too much routing while only supporting small precision arithmetic). The limited arithmetic densities of conventional programmable devices makes it challenging for such devices to compete with other types of computing devices such as graphics processing units and application specific standard products.
It is within this context that the embodiments described herein arise.

Logic circuits with augmented arithmetic densities


A method and system for automatically aligning the location of a write request of a guest operating system (OS) to a storage boundary of a computer system that hosts the guest OS. The computer system detects an indication of misalignment between a partition of the guest OS and a storage boundary in data storage. In response to the indication, the computer system shifts the partition by a number of bytes to align a starting location of the partition to the storage boundary, and shift locations of subsequent data access requests of the guest OS by the same number of bytes.

A sector is a subdivision of a track on a magnetic or optical hard disk drive (also referred to as "disk"). Each sector stores a fixed amount of data. Traditionally, each sector is formatted to store 512 bytes of data. With the advance of disk technology, a new standard has been widely adopted to store 4K bytes (i.e., 4096 bytes) in a sector.
Many older versions of operating systems still assume that disks are configured to have 512-byte sectors; e.g., Red Hat® enterprise Linux (RHEL®) version 4, Windows® XP, Windows® 2003, etc. These operating systems can issue a write command that records new data on the disk at a location not aligned to the sector boundary of a disk that uses the new standard. With these operating systems, writing even a single byte to a disk sector can cause the entire sector to be read and rewritten. For example, when writing to a part of a sector on a disk having 4K-byte sectors, an entire 4K-byte sector containing the targeted location is read out and modified by the new data. Then the entire 4K-byte is rewritten onto the disk. This operation, known as Read-Modify-Write (RMW), is costly and can result in significant degradation to disk performance.
To align write locations to the sector boundary, some newer versions of operating systems (e.g., RHEL® version 5, Windows® Vista, etc.) use multiple partition tables that have different layouts for different disks. In a virtualization system, a guest operating system (OS) uses a disk image and not a physical disk. The host OS usually knows what the right alignment for the disk image is, and can pass the information to the guest OS. The guest OS can then consult an appropriate partition table and use an appropriate disk layout in its write requests. However, this approach generally works with newer versions of guest operating systems. Older versions of guest operating systems are not aware of the misalignment problem and often issue write requests to locations that do not align with the disk sector boundaries.

Automatic alignment of write requests in virtualization systems


A battery case for a secondary battery and a secondary battery using the same. The secondary battery includes an electrode assembly and the battery case. The electrode assembly is composed of a first electrode plate, a second electrode plate and a separator interposed therebetween. The battery case is provided with an accommodating portion that accommodates the electrode assembly. In the secondary battery, the depth of the accommodating portion is approximately 70% to approximately 80% of the thickness of the electrode assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
An aspect of the present invention relates to a secondary battery, and more particularly, to a case for a secondary battery and a secondary battery having the same, which can improve battery performance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, secondary batteries have been variously used as power sources of portable electronic devices.
As portable electronic devices are used in various fields, demand on high-capacity secondary batteries is rapidly increased. Accordingly, various studies have been conducted to improve stability of secondary batteries.

Electrode assembly and secondary battery using the same


A bucket tool organizer includes a flexible body having a first end secured to a second end in an annular configuration. A plurality of pockets is disposed on a first side of the flexible body. A support sleeve includes a hollow cylinder having an open upper end and an open lower end. A retainer ring is configured to engage an upper edge of the support sleeve, wherein a portion of the flexible body is secured between the upper edge of the support sleeve and the retainer ring. The entire assembly is insertable into a bucket, such that the retainer ring engages an inner surface of the bucket sidewall, thereby allowing individuals to easily store tools and other items within the bucket for portability and easy access. A weatherproof lid can be secured overtop the bucket, thereby protecting the contents of the bucket.

The present invention relates to organizational solutions. More specifically, the present invention provides an organizer system for a bucket that allows tools and other items to be stored within the bucket in a safe and convenient manner.
Individuals who work on construction job sites or in similar fields often have a personal supply of tools. It can be cumbersome and time consuming to store and transport tools around and between job sites. The constant moving of the tools can often lead to them becoming misplaced or possibly damaged. During inclement weather or at job sites with less than ideal working conditions, tools can become damaged to the point where they are no longer usable, and it can be wasteful and costly to purchase new tools.
While the above problems are common on many job sites, similar problems exist for individual homeowners, who must often transport their tools between various locations around their home. It is important to keep tools and similar items in an organized manner so that they are not accidentally lost and are easily accessible when needed. It is also important to store tools in a manner such that they are protected from inclement weather and other things that may cause damage. In order to address these concerns, the present invention provides a tool organizing system that can be secured within a bucket, particularly within a bucket that includes a sealing lid, such that the tools and other items are protected from the elements and efficiently organized for transport and later retrieval.
Devices have been disclosed in the known art that relate to tool organization. However, the devices in the known art have several drawbacks. The devices in the known art relate to organizers that hold tools externally to the bucket, where they may be accessed during use, but not within the bucket. Further, the devices in the known art fail to provide a bucket tool organizer with a retainer ring that seals against the interior of the bucket, such that the contents of the bucket remain secured during transportation and handling of the bucket.
In light of the devices disclosed in the known art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the known art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing tool organizing devices. In this regard the present invention substantially fulfills these needs.


A module for a structure for storing bottles includes an elongate member having opposite end portions which each have either a channel or ridge configured for connection with a respective ridge or channel of like modules and a body portion extending in a general axial direction, wherein each end portion extends in substantially opposite lateral directions from the axial direction.

Many different types of wine racks are currently available and many of these involve wooden structures with specially shaped shelving to support wine bottles. The problem with many wine racks is that they are made with a specific number of receptacles for wine bottles. Therefore according to one scenario as a wine collection is increased it is necessary to buy additional wine racks which may cause problems with available space for addition of these extra wine racks.
According to another scenario a person may buy an extra large wine rack and eventually fill this rack over a period of time. In the interim valuable space may be taken up without any wine being stored in the wine rack.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,727 discloses one type of modular wine rack which is formed from two unitary frames which are connected together to form a number of interposing receptacles for bottles.


An aircraft control surface operating device is provided for operating a control surface on an aircraft body portion to move between a retracted position and an extended position. The aircraft control surface operating device includes a control surface mounting assembly which movably secures the control surface to the aircraft body portion, a drive arm rotatable about a drive axis relative to the aircraft body portion, an actuator for rotating the drive, and a drive link connecting the drive arm to the control surface mounting assembly. The drive link has a control end connected to the control surface mounting assembly and a driven end connected to the drive arm via a drive bearing joint. The drive link connects the drive arm and the control surface mounting assembly such that rotation of the drive arm is causes extending or retracting movement of the control surface.

The present disclosure generally relates to an aircraft control surface operating device, and more particularly relates to an aircraft control surface operating device which incorporates at least one bearing joint.
Aircrafts may be provided with control surfaces which are operable to modify an aerodynamic profile of the aircraft. Generally, the control surfaces may be provided on any portion of an aircraft body and are movable between different positions, each of which modify the aerodynamic profile of the aircraft in a particular manner. The modified aerodynamic profile provided by the control surfaces may be used to facilitate desired aircraft maneuvers, such as taking-off, landing, ascending, descending, turning, etc.
One example of an aircraft control surface used in a winged aircraft is a wing flap. Wing flaps may be hinged surfaces provided on a trailing edge of aircraft wings. The wing flaps may be extended and retracted to modify the aerodynamic profile of the aircraft in a desired manner. Particularly, extending the flaps increases a camber of the aircraft wings, and therefore raises a maximum lift coefficient. The increase in the maximum lift coefficient allows the aircraft to generate a necessary/desired lift while flying at a lower speed, thereby reducing a stalling speed of the aircraft. Accordingly, the aircraft may safely fly at lower speeds, such as may be required during take-off and landing. Extending the wing flaps also increases drag on the aircraft, which can be beneficial during landing and approach for landing as the drag helps to slow down the aircraft. Conversely, during flight it may be desirable to reduce drag on the aircraft to allow for increased aircraft speed. As such, the wing flaps may be retracted during flight.
The control surfaces may be controlled by operating devices which move the control surfaces between the possible positions. For example, in an exemplary wing flap, a wing flap operating device may be provided to move the wing flap between the extended and retracted positions. The operating device(s) may be connected to and controlled by a pilot control system within the aircraft, such as in the aircraft cockpit. A control surface operating device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,176, the contents of which are hereby incorporated in full by reference.
As aircrafts may travel at high speeds during flight, it is to be appreciated that the control surfaces may be subjected to significant forces caused by the airflow contacting the control surfaces (as well as other forces, such as gravity, etc.). As the control surface operating devices may be connected to the associated control surfaces, the operating devices may similarly be subjected to these forces. Accordingly, the operating devices may benefit from a configuration suited to handle these forces. Additionally, the operating devices may be bulky or require redesign of other aircraft components, often to the detriment of another aircraft feature. As such, a compact control surface operating device may be beneficial.

Aircraft control surface operating device

Honda Patents & Technologies North America, LLC


An image processor having a frame memory for storing image data to newly generate purposed image data to be displayed by processing the image data in the frame memory, in which a processing memory for previously storing reference pixel coordinates for processing the image data is included and the data for the reference pixel coordinates in the processing memory is provided for the frame memory as an image-data read address.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processor for processing image data and newly generating purposed image data to be displayed and an image display.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a projection display M such as a projection TV is mounted on a base B at a predetermined elevation angle xcex8 to project the light emitted from the display M on a screen S a predetermined distance L away from the display M.
Heretofore, a display for directly projecting the light of a CRT on a screen has been generally used so far for the projection display M. However, a display is recently used which uses a pixel structure such as a liquid-crystal panel or plasma display panel as a light bulb.
In this case, if the projection display M is set with the surface upward, a distorted image A1 like a trapezoid with a long upper side is formed when projecting an originally-rectangular normal image A0 on the display panel of the display M on the screen S as shown in FIG. 11(a) and thereby, it is difficult to see the image A1.
Accordingly, it is necessary to display the normal image A0 on the screen S by correcting the distortion of such an image A1.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11(b), by previously deforming the normal image A0 to obtain an image A2 like a trapezoid with a long bottom side and projecting the image A2 on the screen S, the normal rectangular image A0 is displayed.
Thus, such a technical idea as to form the image A2 obtained by previously deforming the normal image A0 for distortion correction (hereafter, this processing is referred to as inverse correction) makes it possible to easily perform inverse correction and relatively easily correct the distortion of an image because a display such as a conventional CRT does not have any pixel structure and thereby, an image is deformed by changing the magnetic field of a deflecting coil.
However, as for the projection display M provided with a display panel having a pixel structure of liquid crystal or plasma, it is difficult to obtain the inversely-corrected image A2 unless a video signal is digitally image-processed.
In this case, to form the image A2 obtained by inversely correcting the normal image A0 it is necessary to rewrite the data present at a certain coordinate position Q to other coordinate position P, as shown in FIG. 11(b).
In this case, the relation between the both coordinate positions Q and P can be logically obtained by using a geometric relation based on such setting conditions as the elevation angle xcex8 and the projection distance L of the projection display M. Therefore, a transformation formula led from the geometric relation will be slightly described below by referring to FIGS. 12(a) and 12(b). That is, in FIGS. 12(a) and 12(b), it is assumed that the enlargement magnification of the display size on a screen surface 1202 is k, the projection distance is L, and the elevation angle is xcex8 on the basis of the size of a liquid-crystal panel surface 1201. Moreover, when it is assumed that the coordinates of a point P on the liquid-crystal panel surface is P(x,y) and the coordinates of a point Q on the screen surface is Q(X,Y), the transformation formula between the points P and Q is shown as the following expression (Equation 1). In this case, the vertical/horizontal inversion phenomenon due to a lens system is not considered.
Y(y)=Lxc2x7kxc2x7y/(Lxc2x7cos xcex8xe2x88x92kxc2x7yxc2x7sin xcex8)
X(x)={Lxc2x7cos xcex8/(Lxc2x7cos xcex8xe2x88x92kxc2x7yxc2x7sin xcex8}xc2x7kxc2x7xxe2x80x83xe2x80x83[Equation 1]
However, when a frame memory for storing a video signal can store data only in pixel unit and a display panel has a pixel structure, data can be displayed only in pixel unit. Therefore, when the value of the coordinate position P obtained through a simple logical computation has a fraction lower than a decimal point, the obtained coordinate position P does not match with a position where an actual pixel is present on a display panel.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, the point P is set as a coordinate position where a display pixel is actually present on the display panel to conversely obtain the coordinate position of the point Q on the basis of the point P. In this case, because the coordinate position Q is a value merely obtained through computation, it does not always fit the coordinate position on a pixel of the frame memory and therefore, it may be shifted from coordinate positions Q1, Q2, . . . of actual pixels. Thus, actual data is not present on the coordinate position Q.
Therefore, in this case, coordinate positions Q1 to Q4 of peripheral pixels (four pixel in this case) are obtained from the coordinate position Q (hereafter, the coordinate positions Q1 to Q4 are referred to as reference pixel coordinates) to generate the data at the coordinate position of the point Q in accordance with the actual data stored in the reference pixel coordinates Q1 to Q4 (hereafter, the above data interpolation is referred to as filtering).
For example, when assuming pixel data values on the reference pixel coordinates Q1 to Q4 as D1 to D4, the data D on the coordinate position Q necessary for inverse correction is computed in accordance with the following expression (Equation 2).
D=a1xc2x7D1+a2xc2x7D2+a3xc2x7D3+a4xc2x7D4xe2x80x83xe2x80x83[Equation 2]
where a1 to a4 denote filter coefficient (weighting coefficient) and satisfy the relation of the following expression (Equation 3).
a1+a2+a3+a4=1xe2x80x83xe2x80x83[Equation 3]
When the data D on the coordinate position Q is made through filtering, it is possible to display an image by rewriting the data D to the coordinate position P and inversely correcting the image.
By performing the filtering for all pixels, the inversely-corrected image A2 can be obtained on the display panel. Therefore, by projecting the image A2 on the screen S, the normal image A0 free from distortion is projected.
FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional projection display D having a function for correcting the above distorted image, particularly that of an image processing circuit provided with a liquid-crystal panel serving as a light bulb.
In FIG. 14, symbol 81 denotes an DA converter for converting an input video signal into a digital value, 82 denotes a DA converter for converting a video signal into an analog value and outputting it, 83 and 84 denote RAMs for storing video-signal data, and 85 denotes a computing circuit for image-processing a video signal and controlling various sections.
A pair of RAMs 83 and 84 is used because, while data is transferred to one RAM such as the RAM 83 from the AD converter 81, the computing circuit 85 cannot access the RAM 83 and therefore, the other RAM 84 is provided and the circuit 85 accesses the other RAM 84 so that the AD converter 81 and computing circuit 85 can apparently make an access at the same time.
In the above configuration, an input video signal is converted into a digital value by the AD converter 81 and its image data is written in the RAM 83 or 84.
The computing circuit 85 reads image data from the RAM 83 or 84, inversely corrects the image data, and writes the inversely-corrected image data in the RAM 83 or 84 again. Then, the circuit 85 transfers the inversely-corrected image data to the DA converter 82 from the RAM 83 or 84 and outputs an inversely-corrected video signal from the DA converter 82.
FIG. 15 is a flow chart showing the image processing procedure by the computing circuit 85.
Setting conditions such as the elevation angle xcex8 shown in FIG. 10 and the projection distance L are previously inputted (step 1). It is enough to perform the above operation only one time when setting the projection display D.
Then, the pointer showing a pixel is initialized (hereafter referred to as output pixel pointer initialization) (step 2).
In this case, an output pixel pointer designates pixels from the leftmost pixel 801a of the top line 801 up to the rightmost pixel 802a of the bottom line 802 as for the image A0 shown in FIG. 11 one pixel by one pixel similarly to the case of the raster scan of a TV. Therefore, initialization is performed so as to point the leftmost pixel of the top line.
Then, it is decided in accordance with the value of the output pixel pointer whether the pixel processing for one frame is completed. Unless the image processing for one frame is completed, image processing routines in steps 4 and 5 are started. However, when the image processing for one frame is completed, step 2 is restarted in order to display the next frame.
When it is decided in step 3 that the image processing for one frame is not completed yet, the computing circuit 85 computes reference pixel coordinates and filter coefficients on the basis of the setting condition inputted at step 1 (step 4) For example, when the output pixel pointer specifies the pixel present at the coordinate position of the point P as for the case in FIG. 15, the circuit 85 computes the reference pixel coordinates Q1 to Q4 and the filter coefficients a1 to a4.
Then, the circuit 85 means the data on a coordinate position necessary for inverse correction in accordance with the data present at the reference pixel coordinates. That is, the circuit 85 performs filtering (step 5). For example, as for the case in FIG. 15, the circuit 85 computes the data D on the coordinate position Q necessary for inverse correction by using the filter coefficients al to a4 in accordance with the data values D1 to D4 of the peripheral reference pixel coordinates Q1 to Q4 as shown by the above (Equation 2).
Then, the circuit 85 rewrites the data D to a predetermined coordinate position necessary for inverse correction on the RAM 83 or 84. For example, as for the case in FIG. 15, the circuit 85 writes the data D obtained at the coordinate position Q in the coordinate position of the point P and then, restarts step 3.
However, because the above case shows a configuration in which the computing circuit 85 performs every processing shown by the flow chart in FIG. 15 by means of hardware, there are problems that very large hardware is necessary and thereby, the cost increases and the system is increased in size though the deterioration of image quality does not occur in which a frame rate lowers and thereby movement becomes irregular even in performing very-fine dynamic-image processing.
Moreover, the image processor of the conventional projection display has a problem that it is difficult to improve the image quality and decrease the cost at the same time for above reason.
The present invention is made to solve the above conventional problems and its object is to provide an image processor and an image display capable of preventing the cost from increasing without deteriorating any image quality.
The 1st invention of the present invention is an image processor comprising:
frame memory means for storing the pixel data for a first image;
pixel-data generation means for generating the pixel data for a second image in accordance with reference pixels on the first image; and
processing-memory means for previously storing the position-coordinate data for the reference pixels determined in accordance with the relation between the first and second images;
wherein the pixel-data generation means obtains the pixel data for the reference pixels read out of the frame-memory means by using the position-coordinate data values for the reference pixels stored in the processing-memory means as read addresses and generating the pixel data for the second image in accordance with the obtained pixel data.
The 2nd invention of the present invention is an image processor according to the 1st Invention, wherein the relation between the images represents the positional relation between a predetermined position on the first image and a pixel position on the second image.
The 3rd invention of the present invention is an image processor according to the 1st Invention, wherein the relation between the images represents the positional relation between a predetermined position on the first image and a pixel position on the second image,
the reference pixels represent four pixels closest to and around the predetermined position, and
generation of the pixel data for the second image represents generating the pixel data for a pixel position on the second image in accordance with the pixel data for the four pixels. The 4th invention of the present invention is an image processor according to the 1st invention, wherein
the processing-memory means stores weighted coefficients for determining rates for using the pixel data values for reference pixels readout of the frame-memory means by making the rates correspond to the position-coordinate data values for the reference pixels, and
the pixel-data generation means is provided with filter means for generating the pixel data for the second image by using the pixel data values for the reference pixels and the weighted coefficients read out of the processing-memory means.
The 5th invention of the present invention is an image processor according to the 2nd invention, wherein
the position-coordinate data values for the reference pixels are substantially simultaneously read out of the processing-memory means and the weighted coefficients are substantially simultaneously read out of the processing-memory means.
The 6th invention of the present invention is an image display comprising:
frame-memory means for storing the pixel data for a first image;
pixel-data generation means for generating the pixel data for a second image in accordance with reference pixels on the first image;
display means for displaying the generated second image; and
processing-memory means for previously storing the position-coordinate data for the reference pixels determined in accordance with the relation between the first and second images;
wherein the pixel-data generation means obtains the pixel data for the reference pixels read out of the frame-memory means by using the position-coordinate data values for the reference pixels stored in the processing-memory means as read addresses and generates the pixel data for the second image in accordance with the obtained pixel data.
The 7th invention of the present invention is an image display according to the 6th invention, wherein
the relation between the images represents the positional relation between a predetermined position on the first image and a pixel position on the second image,
the reference pixels are four pixels closest to and around the predetermined position, and
generation of the pixel data on the second image represents generating the pixel data for the pixel position on the second image in accordance with the pixel data for the four pixels.
The 8th invention of the present invention is an image display according to the 6th invention, wherein
the processing-memory means stores weighted coefficients for determining the rates for using the pixel data values for reference pixels read out of the frame-memory means by making the rates correspond to the position-coordinate data values for the reference pixels, and
the pixel-data generation means is provided with filter means for generating the pixel data for the second image by using the pixel data values for the reference pixels and weighted coefficients read out of the processing-memory means.
The 9th invention of the present invention is an image display according to the 6th invention, wherein
the display means is a projection display.
The 10th invention of the present invention is an image display according to the 6th invention, wherein
the display means has a dot-matrix structure.
The 11th invention of the present invention is an image display according to the 6th invention, wherein
the second image is an image obtained by trapezoid-transforming the first image.
The 12th invention of the present invention is an image display according to the 6th invention, wherein
the reference pixel is a pixel on the first image corresponding to a position in a region designated on an image displayed by the display means, and
the pixel data for the second image is data used to display the image in the predetermined region in a region enlarged more than the designated region.
The 13th invention of the present invention is a medium having recorded thereon a program which is executed by a computer to implement functions of all or part of the means described in any one of the 1st invention to the 12th invention.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A system-on-chip (SoC) includes a logic circuit having a scan flip-flop and a an on-chip clock controller. The scan flip-flop is configured to store data using a passive keeper. The on-chip clock controller is configured to receive a reference clock for driving the logic circuit, to generate an internal clock based on a high-state interval of the reference clock, and to provide the internal clock to the scan flip-flop.

Embodiments of the inventive concept relate to a system-on-chip (SoC), and more particularly, to an SoC that includes an on-chip clock controller for controlling a duty cycle of an internal clock to drive a scan flip-flop using a passive keeper and a mobile device having the same.
With growing competition in the mobile device market, demands on mobile devices to have low-prices, low-power consumption, and high performance are rapidly increasing. To satisfy these demands, design overhead for a system-on-chip (SoC) needs to be reduced or removed.
An example of typical design overhead is test costs. However, when an SoC is not tested, more costs with respect to reliability verification of mass production may be needed. Accordingly, testing should be considered in designing the SoC.

System-on-chip including on-chip clock controller and mobile device having the same


A method for removing humidity from air comprising the steps of providing an air conditioning system comprising a continuous circuit through which a refrigerant flows from a compressor, through a condenser, through a heat exchanger, through an evaporator, and returning to the compressor, providing a bypass valve through which a portion of the refrigerant flows around the heat exchanger, providing a bypass circuit through which a portion of the refrigerant flows from a point upstream of the condenser to mix with the refrigerant at a point downstream of the condenser, providing a discharge gas valve for controlling the portion of the refrigerant flowing through the bypass circuit, measuring an outdoor temperature and a relative humidity, determining a cooling stage and operating the bypass valve and the discharge gas valve to remove a portion of the humidity from the air based upon the outdoor temperature, the relative humidity, and the cooling stage.

The invention relates to a method for increasing the flexibility of air conditioning systems that employ humidity removal.
Conventional air conditioning systems comprise three basic components which function in unison to provide cooling. These three system components include the compressor, the condenser, and the evaporator. With reference to FIG. 1, there is illustrated an air conditioning system 10 known in the art. The air conditioning system 10 moves a working fluid, or refrigerant, via a continuous closed network 23 through these operational components in a continuous cycle of operation. The refrigerant is typically composed of Freon but may consist of any fluid, such as alcohol or the like, capable of accepting and giving up heat energy as its temperature increases and decreases and as its state changes between a gas and a liquid.
Refrigerant enters the compressor 11 as a low pressure and temperature gas and is compressed. After compression, the refrigerant leaves the compressor 11 as a high temperature and pressure gas.
The refrigerant moves in its gaseous state to the condenser 13. At the condenser 13, the received refrigerant gas decreases in energy at a constant pressure and becomes totally subcooled as it leaves the condenser. Thereafter, the liquid refrigerant proceeds to the evaporator 17.
At the evaporator 17, the refrigerant pressure is reduced by expansion device 16. In the evaporator, energy is picked up from the air stream and the refrigerant leaves in a gaseous state. At the evaporator 17, the air to be cooled is, for example, initially at about 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Such air is moved by a fan through the evaporator 17 and becomes cooled to about 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.
Often times when the air requires greater dehumidification, heat exchanger 15 is provided to further subcool the refrigerant. The air passing over evaporator 17 exhibits more in latent and sensible cooling with the heat exchanger energized. However, the energy removed from the refrigerant by heat exchanger 15 is returned to the air stream after the air leaves evaporator 17. Thus, with heat exchanger 15 energized, the air leaving is at a higher dry bulb temperature (less sensible) and is low moisture centered (more latent), than with heat exchanger 15 unenergized.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The present invention relates to a new integrated, holistic approach to empower older adults to enhance their quality of life and independence through a personalized lifestyle and nutrition program. This is achieved by measuring the physical status of the adults with respect to strength and endurance. In addition, their nutritional status is assessed. Based on those assessments recommendations are provided with respect to particular exercise programs and nutrients that support the functions bones, muscles and cartilage. These methods can be implemented as a software program and executed on computer systems.

For the past decades the Western world and Japan observe a rise of the number of the elderly in the population. It is often observed that those elderly become frail and dependent on assistance. However, the development of frailty does not need to be inevitable. Appropriate advice and training of older adults can prevent many negative developments. It is therefore desirable to assist the elderly in maintaining or achieving an acceptable health status for a better quality of life. Previous approaches to the problem have generally involved providing unpersonalized, general recommendations to specific populations without fair consideration for potentially important differences between individuals in regards to their nutritional intake and physical capabilities. It is more likely that a personalized approach with exercise and specific nutrient would be more efficient in enhancing musculoskeletal health. Such personalized recommendations are possible at the only condition of having done a personalized evaluation of both the nutritional state and the physical ability/condition of the subject. Therefore, a novel approach is required for being able to perform such an evaluation in a short period of time. This approach should provide a coordinated method for providing advice and training to older adults.

Assessment and advice on nutrition, endurance, and strength


A process of freeze drying of an essentially aqueous solution comprising at least one first step having a first temperature and pressure level (i.e. primary drying phase) and at least one second step having a second temperature and pressure level (i.e. secondary drying phase) following the first step, wherein in the secondary drying phase limited desorption energy input is applied.

The invention pertains to a process of freeze drying of an essentially aqueous solution.
Lyophilisation (freeze drying) is a stabilising process in which the formulation is first frozen, i.e., a separation of the solvent and the solutes, and then the concentration of the solvent, mainly water, is reduced first by sublimation (primary drying) and then by desorption (secondary drying) to levels that will no longer support biological growth or chemical reaction. [Lyophilization Seminar Notes, 1993, p. 30]
Within the last decades freeze drying has become the most common method for the preparation of pharmaceuticals which are not adequately stable in solution. Among them the increasing demand for complex organic molecules, peptides and (recombinant) proteins being used as medicinal preparations have been the driving force to more scientifically investigate freeze drying cycles.
Being time consuming and expensive freeze drying is often the rate limiting process in the biopharmaceutical industries. Despite this disadvantage experience has shown that a variety of chemical reactions in aqueous solution, many of which are unacceptable in terms of product safety, are retarded in the dry state (e.g. hydrolysis, disulfide rearrangement, oxidation, aggregation etc.). Hence, freeze drying is considered one of the best methods to preserve proteins yielding products that are stable and convenient to store, ship or handle and which is accepted by the authorities as a suitable process step in the manufacture of therapeutic products.

Lyophilisation targeting defined residual moisture by limited desorption energy levels


An autonomous transport robot for transporting a payload, the autonomous transport robot including a drive section assembly having at least one motor and a pair of drive wheels coupled to the motor, a frame configured to support a payload, a transfer arm connected to the frame and configured for the autonomous transfer of payload to and from the frame, and a suspension system movably connecting the drive section assembly and the frame allowing relative movement between the frame and the drive section assembly.

1. Field
The embodiments generally relate to storage and retrieval systems and, more particularly, to autonomous transports of the storage and retrieval systems.
2. Brief Description of Related Developments
Warehouses for storing case units may generally comprise a series of storage racks that are accessible by transport devices such as, for example, fork lifts, carts and elevators that are movable within aisles between or along the storage racks or by other lifting and transporting devices. These transport devices may be automated or manually driven. Generally the surfaces over which the transport devices operate may have uneven surfaces.
When transporting the cases to and from the storage racks with automated transports it would be advantageous to keep the wheels of the automated transports in substantial contact with the surfaces of the travel decks.

Suspension system for autonomous transports


Certain embodiments involve automatically controlling modifications to typeface designs. For example, a typeface design application provides a design interface for modifying a design of an input character from a typeface. The typeface design application accesses a machine-learning model that is trained, using multiple training typefaces, to recognize the input character as a reference character. The typeface design application receives, via the design interface, an input modifying the design of the input character. The typeface design application determines that the machine-learning model cannot match the reference character to the input character having a modified design. The typeface design application outputs, via the design interface, an indicator that the input character having the modified design is not recognized as the reference character.

Typeface design applications are used to modify the appearance of various characters in typefaces. For instance, a typeface design application displays a character, such as a "b" character, in a graphical interface. The typeface design application modifies one or more visual attributes of the character's design responsive to input received via the graphical interface. Examples of these inputs include the width of certain component shapes of the character (e.g., the width of a stem in the "b" character), the curvature of certain component shapes of the character (e.g., the curvature of a bowl in the "b" character), etc. Modifying these visual attributes results in a new design for characters in a typeface.
But some typeface design applications lack constraints on the typeface design modifications that a user could make. For instance, the angle of a stem in a "b" character could be changed from a vertical orientation to a more slanted orientation. At some point, the slant of the stem could be changed so drastically as to render the character unrecognizable to the average reader. But a typeface designer may not have the experience to determine that this design change is aesthetically unappealing. For these and other reasons, existing typeface design applications present disadvantages.

Automatically controlling modifications to typeface designs with machine-learning models


A hot melt composition comprising a specific ratio of: (a) an ethylene copolymer resin; (b) a modified aromatic petroleum resin having a specific weight-average molecular weight and produced by copolymerization using a Friedel-Crafts catalyst from a specific ratio of: (1) a polymerizable component of the thermal cracked oil fraction having boiling points in a specific range and obtained by the thermal cracking of petroleum hydrocarbons, and containing vinyltoluene and indene at specific contents, (2) a turpentine oil having a specific diene value, and (3) a phenol compound; and (c) a wax. It is possible to develop a hot melt composition having excellent heat stability and improved adhesion resistance to heat, which can be used as hot melt coating, printing ink, adhesive, and sealant, etc.

An example of prior art is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Sho 55-65248, which proposes that a modified aromatic petroleum resin obtained by copolymerizing a specific thermal cracked oil fraction having a low indene content and a high vinyltoluene content with a phenol compound and turpentine oil be blended in a hot melt adhesive composition.
This modified aromatic petroleum resin is a preferred petroleum resin for use in hot melt adhesive, with its excellent compatibility with base resins such as ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (hereinafter referred to as "EVA"). However, practical adhesive strength in a temperature range above a certain point is not sufficient, partly because commercially available turpentine oil with a low diene value is used, as described in the embodiment of the foregoing laid-open patent application.
During the packaging procedure of liquid products, for example, where they are filled in vessels such as cans or bottles immediately after production while hot, then packaged in containers such as corrugated fiberboard boxes, heat may transfer from the products to the containers. Hot melt adhesive, which gains adhesive strength by solidifying, including the one described in the foregoing laid-open patent application, may easily lose the adhesive strength when exposed to high temperatures. Therefore, the containers need to be allowed to cool for a while until the products become cold enough. This cooling time inevitably prolongs the production time. It is for this reason that improvement in adhesion resistance to heat when applied to substrates, particularly paper substrates such as corrugated fiberboards, is awaited. Improvement in adhesion resistance to heat is generally achieved by increasing the molecular weight of the resin. However, increased molecular weight may sacrifice adhesive properties, especially low temperature adhesion.
An object of the present invention is to improve the adhesion resistance to heat and heat stability of the modified aromatic petroleum resin described in the foregoing laid-open patent application, while maintaining the good hot melt adhesive properties thereof, especially the low temperature adhesion.

Hot-melt composition and a modified aromatic petroleum resin used therefor


Systems and methods for using machine learning to estimate courier arrival times are described herein. According to an embodiment, a server computer receives a request to deliver to a requester prepared items associated with a preparation entity. The server additionally receives courier data identifying available couriers within the geographic region of the preparation entity and current request data identifying current requests to deliver prepared items from a plurality of entities in the geographic region. The server uses a trained machine learning system to compute an estimated pickup time, using at least the courier data and courier request data as inputs. The server computer then routes a preparation request to the preparation entity along with the estimated pickup time.

The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section. Further, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section are well-understood, routine, or conventional merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.
Couriers, such as drivers and cyclists, are used to receive and delivery physical items in many different industrial fields including parcel delivery, parts delivery, supply of medical items and foodservice. Food delivery is time-sensitive as the freshness, temperature, and biological safety of prepared food degrade rapidly as time passes after preparation. Digital food delivery systems rely on a large amount of data and communication in order to route orders to preparation entities, such as restaurants, and to route drivers to the preparation entities to pick up the prepared items and deliver them to a requester or diner. With many digital delivery systems, a courier is not assigned to an order immediately after the order is placed. Assigning a courier immediately to an order that may not be ready for fifteen to twenty minutes creates a large amount of inefficiency as the couriers must wait for the preparation entity to finish preparing the requested items.
Determining an optimal time for a courier to arrive can be extremely important for all parties. If a courier arrives too late, then freshly prepared items can lose their freshness. Sushi can become warm, ramen can become cold, and bread can become stale. Additionally, the requester must wait even longer for the courier to deliver a meal. On the other hand, if a courier is too early, the system becomes less efficient as couriers are forced to sit around and wait for food to be prepared. Additionally, restaurants often prefer to not have a large number of couriers waiting in the restaurant for food to be prepared.
Determining the optimal time for a courier to arrive can also help set expectations to the requester early on in the process. If a system can determine when to have a courier arrive to the preparation entity such that items have just been finished being prepared, the courier can then update requesters with estimated delivery times, thereby avoiding situations where updates must come periodically from the courier as the courier waits for an item to be prepared.
Optimally, a system that knows when a restaurant would be able to have food prepared would be able to assign couriers at a perfect time. This would ensure that couriers arrive close to the completion of preparation, thereby ensuring higher quality food, faster delivery times, and better interactions between the couriers and the preparation entity. Unfortunately, this approach has two problems.
The first problem is the difficulty in determining when a restaurant would be able to have food prepared. The abilities of a restaurant to prepare food at a particular time is largely dependent on how busy the restaurant is, how well staffed the restaurant is, and whether any outside influences have affected when orders can be prepared, such as shortages of pre-prepared items. Modeling food preparation time would require a large amount of very specific data that is often unavailable to a routing server and would be often inaccurate.
A second problem is the difficulty in ensuring that a courier will be able to get to a restaurant by the completion of preparation. On busy days, available couriers may be backed up with orders such that the first courier would not be able to arrive for thirty minutes. Thus, even if the preparation time could be determined, it is possible that no driver could arrive by the preparation time, thereby causing drivers to be continuously late picking up food. Additionally, even if drivers are available, drivers may decline a request to deliver food from a restaurant due to any number of factors, such as distance, order size, or inadequate tip.
Thus, there is a need for an improved system which can ensure optimal routing of couriers to preparation entities such that neither the courier nor the prepared items must wait for the other.

Optimizing delivery routing using machine learning systems


A device with non volatile memory cells, with optimized programming, of the type comprising a sector of matrix memory cells organized in rows and columns, with the columns organized in a plurality of global bit-lines associated with at least one plurality of local bit-lines and respectively enabled by a first select signal and by at least one second select signal generated by a decoder, these columns being associated with at least one Program Load PL controlled by a logic circuit and suitable for applying a programming pulse to a plurality of cells belonging to the enabled bit lines, comprising a plurality of discharge transistors, each associated with a corresponding column controlled by a control signal complementary to the control signal of the adjacent discharge transistor.

As it is well known, the more and more widespread use of multimedia applications and the expansion of these applications require a management of a greater and greater amount of data to be manipulated and to be stored within the shortest time possible.
To fulfill this request, non volatile memory structures are currently used with matrixes of memory cells for example of the Flash-Nor type, which precisely show, in terms of performances, the peculiarity of managing a big number of data manipulating and storing them quickly.
A main advantage of Flash-Nor memories stays in that an update operation of the data on the cells referring to a group of columns, such as for example the programming or the erasing, is carried out, in parallel and simultaneously, on all the selected cells belonging to each row of the group.
FIG. 1 shows, by means of a flow chart, a method for programming a group of columns of an architecture with Flash-Nor memory cells.
A programming cycle comprising an alternated repetition of programming and verify steps allows to program suitable selected cells.
During the programming step, the selected cells are biased at suitable programming voltages and subjected to a pulses sequence until a desired threshold is attained.
At each repetition of the programming step and of the verify step a DAC circuit, which produces a ramp programming voltage, increases the value of this voltage setting the value to be used in a successive pulses sequence during the successive programming step. This voltage value is applied only to those cells which have not reached a desired potential yet and which have been identified during the verify step.
There is thus an programming and verify alternation until all the cells of the selected group has reached a desired threshold, with the so called programming pattern corresponding to a desired pattern.
In some cases it happens that the programming fails, in particular in the case in which:    1. the maximum voltage the programming ramp allowed is reached, without however reaching the desired pattern;    2. one or more active cells are over-programmed during the programming step.
An non volatile memory device architecture currently used is shown in FIG. 2. The architecture 1 comprises a partition 2 of a matrix of memory cells associated with a control circuit structure 4 for the management of the programming of the entire partition 2.
The partition 2 is divided into a plurality of sectors 10 adjacent to each other and each comprising a predetermined number of columns or Bit-lines and a same number of rows or Word-lines. Each sector 10 is associated with a respective logic circuit 6, portion of the circuit structure 4 shares with the other sectors 10 a part of the circuit structure 4 itself.
In particular, each sector 10 and a corresponding logic circuit 6, as shown in FIG. 3, define a block 5 to be programmed.
Each logic circuit 6 comprises a High Voltage circuit HV connected to a P_pulse signal for the control of a program load PL which allows to carry out a pulse programming of suitable selected cells of the sector 10.
In the present treatment reference will be made, in a specific way, to a "programming per row", i.e., a programming which provides to sequentially select and program cells belonging to a same row or word line WL.
In particular thus, for each block 5 to be programmed, the cells under programming belong to a same row or word-line WL, selected in the usual way, and to columns sequentially selected by means of suitable select signals YN,Y0 generated by a decoder 12.
In the embodiment shown, a cells matrix is considered with a number of metallizations equal to three, and in particular, a first lower level M1 and a level M3 where a plurality of columns or local bit-lines LBL and a plurality of global bit-lines GBL are respectively defined, and a second level M2 where the rows or word-lines WL are defined.
In the example of FIG. 3, the global bit-lines GBL are represented in a number of eight GBLi i=0, . . . 7 and the local bit-lines LBLij are 32 connected in groups of four, consecutive, to one global bit-line GBLi.
The global bit-lines GBLi i=0, . . . 7 are enabled by means of a first select signal YNi, generated by the decoder 12, which activates a corresponding first enable transistor Ti i=0, . . . 7 interposed between each global bit-line GBLi i=0, . . . 7 and a control line 50 shared by all the global bit lines GBLi.
For each global bit-line GBLi i=0, . . . 7 corresponding local bit-lines LBLij j=0 . . . 3 are enabled by a same second select signal YO, generated by the decoder 12, which activates a corresponding second enable transistor Tij i=0, . . . 7 j=0, . . . 3 interposed between each local bit-line LBLij and the corresponding global bit line GBLi.
The block 5 to be programmed of FIG. 3 also has a discharge circuit 13 comprising a discharge transistor Ts, interposed between the control line 50 and a ground reference, controlled by a discharge signal YNS. The discharge transistor Ts is activated at the end of the programming of a cell by means of programming pulses generated by the program load PL and allows to discharge possible high voltages present on the local bit-line LBLij which comprises this programmed cell.
The block 5 to be programmed also comprises a Sense Amplifiers SA which, suitably controlled, allows to read the programmed cells of the sector 10.
It is good to note that an architecture of such blocks 5 to be programmed allows a programming parallelism which depends on the number of the present program loads PL, moreover, if these program loads PL are equal to the number of Sense Amplifiers SA, the same number of cells can be simultaneously programmed and read in parallel.
For each block 5 to be programmed a programming cycle between two successive verify steps provides the pulses programming of all the cells belonging to a same enabled word-line.
In particular, the first select signal YNi sequentially enables all the global bit lines GBLi of the sector 10 while the second select signal YOj enables a same local bit line LBLij for each group.
The signal YOj switches when all the local bit lines LBLij of a group have been enabled, i.e., after a complete sequential switch of the first select signal YNi.
Considering an entire partition 2 of the matrix, the circuit structure 4 allows, if requested, a programming parallelism between more devices 5 and the maximum parallelism is defined by the number of the program loads PL being present.
Moreover, in this case, the first select signal YNi is unique for the entire partition 2 while the second select signal YOj is relative to each sector 10 of the partition 2.
FIG. 4 shows the waveforms of the signals used during the programming step, in a sector 10, relative to the storage of two cells belonging to a same word-line and belonging to corresponding local bit lines LBLij of the group respectively associated with global bit lines alternatively activated by the first signal YN3 and by the first select signal YN4.
Let's suppose for example that j is equal to 0 and thus the active local bit-lines are LBL30 and LBL40.
The programming provides a first select step H1 where the first select signal YN3 is activated, i.e., in the specific case brought to the high logic level, this signal enables the global bit-line GBL3 by activating the second select transistor T3.
Subsequently, a second real programming step H2 is provided during which the program load PL is updated by the logic circuit 6 and prepared for the programming of the enabled local bit-line LBL30 sending a programming pulse if the voltage value in the cell is not the desired one.
Thus, a third discharge step H3 is provided during which the discharge signal YNS, activated, controls the discharge transistor Ts discharging the possible high voltage present in the local bit-line LBL30.
Then, a new first step H1 follows and the deactivation of the discharge signal YNS the deactivation of the first select signal YN3 and the simultaneous activation of the signal YN4 which controls the second transistor T4 enabling the global bit-line GBL4 to allow the programming of the cell belonging to the local bit-line LBL40 already enabled by the second select signal YO0.
A new second step H2 allows to control the program load PL and thus to apply pulses, if necessary, to the active cell.
Subsequently, a new third step H3 allows to discharge the possible high voltages accumulated in the local bit-line LBL40.
The programming goes on through successive steps so as to program all the cells of the sector 10 belonging to a same row WL.
The memory device previously described, although satisfactory, shows however some drawbacks.
In fact, the time of the third discharge step H3 is particularly high and this conditions the programming speed in an unfavorable way. Considering for example a discharge time of the bit-line of the order of some tens of nanoseconds, the contribution is relevant already with a programming pulse of the program load PL of 300 ns.

Electronic device comprising non volatile memory cells with optimized programming and corresponding programming method


An optical pick-up device includes a light source (2), a polarized light beam converter (4), a splitter (6), a collimating lens (7), and a photo-detector (9). A linear polarized light beam with a first type of polarized component and a second type of polarized component is emitted from the light source, and passes through the polarized light beam converter. The first type of polarized component is converted into the second type of polarized component by the polarized light beam converter. Then part of the light beam with the second type of polarized component passes through the splitter and is focused onto an optical disc (8) by the collimating lens. The optical disc reflects the light beam that contains recorded information read from the optical disc. The reflected light beam passes back through the collimating lens, is reflected by the splitter, and is received by the photo-detector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical information transmission system, and more particularly to an optical pick-up device for recording information to and reproducing information from an optical information storage medium.
2. Description of Prior Art
An optical pick-up device is an apparatus for recording information on an optical disc or reading out recorded information from an optical disc by using a laser light beam generated in an optical disc drive system. Generally, the optical pick-up device includes: a light source for producing the laser light beam; a light beam splitter for directing the laser light beam emitted from the light source toward an objective lens, which focuses the laser light beam onto a recording surface of an optical disc; and a photo-detector for receiving the light beam reflected by the recording surface, the reflected light beam containing information read from the recording surface.
In order to accurately record and reproduce data, it is desirable for an optical pick-up device to minimize loss of light beams passing therethrough. This improves the efficiency of utilization of the light beams, and reduces the size of light beam focusing dots impinging on the recording surface. A small dot size reduces noise and enhances the signal to noise ratio.
Generally, it is difficult to eliminate errors of recording information on an optical disc or reading out the recorded information from the optical disc due to aberration caused by spherical lenses employed in a convention optical pick-up device. Accordingly, aspheric lenses are employed in optical pick-up devices for partially eliminating the aberration. On the other hand, incident light beams can also cause aberration. Even though linear polarized light beams are employed as the incident light beams, the linear polarized light beams can be split into a P-polarized component and an S-polarized component, which can also cause aberration.
In order to overcome the above-described problems, improved optical pick-up devices such as that shown in FIG. 5 have been developed. The optical pick-up device 100 comprises a light source 110, a linear polarized light beam converter 120, a polarized light beam splitter 130, a splitter 140, an aspheric lens 150, and an optical disc 160. A light beam emitted from the light source 110, such as a semiconductor laser, passes through the linear polarized light beam converter 120 and is converted into a linear polarized light beam with a P-polarized component and an S-polarized component. Then the linear polarized light beam with the P-polarized component and the S-polarized component enters the linear polarized light beam splitter 130. Any P-polarized component of the linear polarized light beam is reflected away by the linear polarized light beam splitter 130, whereas the linear polarized light beam with the S-polarized component passes through the linear polarized light beam splitter 130 unimpeded. Then at the splitter 140, part of the linear S-polarized light beam passes through the splitter 140 unaltered, and a remaining part of the linear S-polarized light beam is reflected away by a reflecting face 142 of the splitter 140. The unaltered part of the linear S-polarized light beam is then focused onto a recording surface (not labeled) of the optical disc 160 by the aspheric lens 150. The recording surface reflects the light beam such that the reflected light beam contains recorded information read from the recording surface. The reflected light beam passes back through the aspheric lens 150, is reflected by the reflecting face 142 of the splitter 140, and is received by a photo-detector (not shown).
The optical pick-up device 100 can partially eliminate the problem of aberration. However, the linear polarized light beam with the P-polarized component is completely reflected by the linear polarized light beam splitter 130, so that almost half of the linear polarized light beam is wasted. The efficiency of utilization of light beams in the optical pick-up device 100 is correspondingly low.

Optical pick-up device with a polarized light beam converter


The present invention relates to a laser-based measuring device which can be used to measure geometrical sizes and lines of a plane from a distance away. The device comprises a hand-held or mountable housing unit containing a laser projector, two pivotally fixed mirrors moveable by a first and second motor respectively, and at least one range finder, wherein the laser generates a visible line whose width is determined by the on time of the laser the angle of reflection of the first mirror and the rotational speed of the second mirror. The range finder(s) project the laser beam through a marked lens which then illuminate a ruled line or grid upon the planar surface to be measured.

There have been many hundreds, if not thousands of devices and methods developed over the centuries for measuring distances. Planar and lines are distances conventionally measured by rulers, yard sticks and tape measures in two dimensions. The relatively recent development of the laser beam has revolutionized many industries and the use of the laser has also been used to focus and calculate certain lengths and levels. Laser levels have been used in construction for many years. They typically seek to produce a plane of light for a reference for construction projects. Laser levels have been used for large scale construction projects like commercial excavating, laying foundations, and installing drop ceilings. Laser levels save considerable time during initial layout of a construction job compared to other tools such as beam levels, chalk lines, or torpedo levels. Some examples of jobs where laser levels are useful include laying tile, mounting cabinets, installing counter tops, and building outdoor decks.
The alignment of surfaces is a perennial problem in a variety of fields, ranging from construction to interior decorating. Alignment is necessary for walls that should be perpendicular to a floor, or otherwise plumb. Masonry and brick-laying practitioners are well aware of the importance of plumbed and aligned surfaces and chalk lines. A home interior decorated with pictures and other wall ornamentation makes a much better appearance when the ornamentation is aligned, especially with respect to vertical or horizontal alignment. Many mechanical and electrical alignment devices are available, and some laser devices are available. However, some of these products are cumbersome, and others are not suitable for certain uses. Chalk lines, for instance, are sometimes undesirable for use in finished, interior areas.
In the construction industry, drawing an extension line from a reference line is usually done by applying a ruler or using an ink-string box. The reference line can be corner lines, fence lines, or any horizontal or vertical line defined by a square-beam leveler or other device. When applying a ruler to draw the extension line, one side of the ruler is used to be aligned with the reference line and the extension line can be formed by using a second ruler as an extension of the aforesaid ruler to elongate the reference line. Though this method can be accurate, this accuracy is only limited to short distances.
The ink-string box in the art comprises a box for carrying a roller at one half and ink at another half. The roller is pivoted on top of the box, and an extension string rolled around the roller. The extension string has a free end that is pulled over the ink and away from the box. While applying the ink-string box to draw an extension line of a reference line, the string is pulled out from the roller and mixed with the ink during the pulling operation, then aligned with the reference line, and then the extension line is formed by flipping the extended inked string to drop the ink lengthwise. Even though the ink-string box is suitable for use in medium or long distance applications, the operation of flipping the inked string is quite human-dependent and may need to be done in segments if a substantial length of string is to be pulled. Thus, a unique straight extension line may sometimes be difficult to achieve by applying the ink-string box and may be subject to human error.
Thus, there remains a need for a line-extension tool that provides accurate alignment and is effective for use in distances of all ranges, yet is easy to use and can be used quickly and efficiently. Because these laser levels can typically cost thousands of dollars, only those who regularly land larger construction projects can justify purchasing a laser level. Laser levels have not achieved widespread adoption by the general public despite the time savings because of their initial cost of ownership. The expense can be attributed to the cost of suitable laser sources such as He-Neon laser and associated optical system used to manipulate the beam generated by the laser source. Laser distance finders have advantages of being convenient for use, high accuracy, and short measuring time. Laser distance finders are widely used in a variety of applications, such as architecture, exploration and construction.
Leveling and/or plumbing devices are used in construction or other applications for marking or determining the level or plumb orientation of an object or surface. Many devices of this type utilize a laser generator that emits a beam of light, typically in a fan-type planar configuration, to provide the user with a visual representation of level or plumb on a surface. In order to fix the orientation of the device relative to the surface, which may be a floor or wall, it has been known to provide the device with extendable and retractable pins, which penetrate the surface and serve to temporarily secure the device to the surface.
While this type of temporary mounting arrangement functions satisfactorily to fix the position of the device relative to the surface, it is disadvantageous in that the pins leave holes in the surface that must be filled after use. In addition, this type of mounting arrangement does not allow slight alterations in the orientation of the device after engagement with the surface, in the event the device is not truly level or plumb when the pins are first inserted into the surface. Furthermore, this type of mounting arrangement can only be employed when the device is used on a surface that is capable of being penetrated by the pins. Accordingly, a temporary mounting arrangement of this type cannot be used on hard surfaces such as concrete, tile or the like.
A known laser distance finder usually comprises a laser generating device, a collimating lens positioned at an emitting end of the laser generating device for converting a laser beam generated from the laser generating device into a collimating measuring beam, a receiving lens disposed on one side of the laser generating device for receiving a reflected measuring beam from an object to be measured and focusing it into an image, an optoelectronic detector disposed in the distance finder for receiving the image of the reflected measuring beam and converting optical signals therein into corresponding electrical signals which is processed to obtain a distance measuring result.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,069,578 to Wright discloses a laser mounting tool to project a beam of light from a point aligned with a longitudinal edge of a first molding segment along the wall to locate and permit marking of the position of a corresponding second molding segment longitudinal edge. U.S. Pat. No. 6,195,902 to Jan et. al. teaches and claims a laser extender for accurately elongating a reference line. The laser extender includes a housing, a battery set, and a laser unit. The housing has an external basic flat plane for resting upon a flat surface and having a straight edge that is adapted to be aligned with a reference line, an internal accommodating space, and a plurality of holes for accessing the internal laser to the outside exterior of the housing. The battery set is provided inside the internal accommodating space. The laser unit, utilizing power provided by the battery set, is located inside the internal accommodating space for generating a spanning plane laser beam perpendicular to the basic flat plane of the housing and for extending the reference line defined by the straight edge. In addition, the laser extender can engage a beam leveler for enhancing the leveling ability of the laser extender.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,609,364 to Zhao et. al. discloses a laser distance finder comprising a laser generating device, a collimating lens positioned in a laser emitter end direction of the laser toward a desired distance to be measured. A generating device forward situated lens converts the laser beam generated from the laser into a collimating measuring beam while a receiving lens receives a reflected measuring beam from an object to be measured and focuses it into an image. An opto-electronic detector disposed in the distance finder receives the image of the reflected measuring beam and a reflective member is rotatably-mounted in an optical path of the collimating measuring beam via a rotating shaft. This is detector is capable of rotating to a blocking position and a non-blocking position around the rotating shaft. A transmission part located at one end of the reflective member has an interval apart from an axis of the rotating shaft. A worm having a plurality of teeth is connected to a motor. The transmission part engages with the teeth of the worm.


A roller blind cassette for receiving a roller blind shaft and a roller blind which in the stowed state is wound onto the roller blind shaft and in a functional state is drawn in a longitudinal direction through an exit slot of the roller blind cassette. The cassette has a housing with a hollow section slotted along its length and extending in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction and forming the exit slot of the roller blind cassette. Two opposite edge regions extend on both sides of the slot of the hollow section and are connected to one another in the region of two opposite ends of the hollow section by a connecting bridge, the connecting bridge being connected to one of the edge regions by a connecting arrangement that counters in a positive manner the freedom of the connecting bridge to rotate at the edge region.

Generic roller blind cassettes are widely known from the prior art and are used for roller blinds in motor vehicles, for instance for roller shades or as covers for luggage compartments, in order to hold the wound roller blind when it is not necessary for it to be in its function state. The base element of such roller blind cassettes, which is formed as a slotted hollow section, is advantageous from a production engineering point of view when compared with a closed hollow section that is subsequently machined, since it involves a reduced machining effort and the costs can therefore be reduced. Slotted hollow sections of this type are however significantly less resistant to torsion than closed hollow sections, since their edges in the area of the slot provide little resistance to a relative displacement in the main extension direction. In known roller blind cassettes with a slotted hollow section, comparatively thick medium plate, in particular having walls thicker than 1.5 mm, is used to obtain an adequate resistance to torsion. Thinner walls have until now been regarded as disadvantageous, since they cannot ensure adequate resistance to torsion in the roller blind cassette.
A disadvantage of these roller blind cassettes known from the prior art and having thick walls is that they have comparatively high mass. There is however a growing need to reduce the mass of every component used in a vehicle in order to increase its efficiency. A reduction in the mass is also desirable for roller blind cassettes.

Roller blind cassette and roller blind system