The present invention relates to processes for the preparation of (2-Amino-2-[2-(4-octylphenyl)ethyl]propane-1,3-diol hydrochloride (Fingolimod) and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, and intermediates formed in such processes.

Fingolimod, also known as 2-amino-2-[2-(4-octylphenyl)ethyl]-1,3-propanediol, is marketed as its hydrochloride salt, and is a sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor (S1P-R) modulator which acts as an immunomodulator by inducing lymphopenia through sequestration of circulating lymphocytes into secondary lymphoid tissues, thus preventing lymphocytes from moving into the transplanted or other affected tissues. Fingolimod (FTY720) is an innovative oral treatment for Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS). Patients with MS display a range of symptoms that arise from demyelination in the central nervous system (CNS), which includes the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. The destruction of the protective myelin sheath that surrounds nerve cells is thought to be due to the effects of inflammatory T cells.
The first oral S1P-R modulator to be developed, Fingolimod reduces the number of inflammatory T cells in the circulation and CNS and in so doing reduces their potential to damage nerve cells. Thus, in addition to its anti-inflammatory effects in MS, this novel therapy may have the potential to reduce neurodegeneration as well as promote endogenous repair of the CNS. Currently, no marketed treatments for MS can produce remyelination.
JP 11310556, U.S. Pat. No. 5,604,229, U.S. Pat. No. 5,952,316, US 2001/008945, US 2009/082471, WO 00/27798, WO 00/53569, WO 2005/041899, WO 2009/061374, DE 10355169, and CN1528738 disclose 2-amino-1,3-propanediol derivatives, their pharmacological activity and processes for preparing 2-amino-1,3-propanediol derivatives. The typical preparation scheme is summarized below (Scheme 1A):

However, the processes described in Scheme 1 have disadvantages in that they contain many complicated steps, and they produce intermediates as oily substances or various isomeric mixtures. Consequently, it was necessary to isolate and purify the intermediate products by conventional methods such chromatography which resulted in a complicated operation and in usage of large quantities of organic solvents.
CN1765872 discloses a process for preparing fingolimod according to Scheme 1B:

However several process stages are doubtful in terms of their implementation in view of the available literature, primarily the step of preparing 3-nitro-1-p-octylphenylpropan-1-one as a key synthon of this process by reacting 3-bromo-1-p-octylphenylpropan-1-one with sodium nitrite in DMF. According to CN1765872, the reaction proceeds at room temperature with 72% yield of 3-nitro-1-p-octylphenylpropan-1-one.
The reaction of alkyl halides with metal nitrites is an important method for the preparation of nitroalkanes. As a metal nitrite, silver nitrite (Victor-Meyer reaction), potassium nitrite, or sodium nitrite (Kornblum reaction) have been frequently used. The products are reported to be a mixture of nitroalkanes and alkyl nitrites, which are then separated by distillation or chromatography.

Primary and secondary alkyl iodides and bromides as well as sulfonate esters give the corresponding nitro compounds in only very modest yields upon treatment with sodium nitrite in DMF or DMSO, due mainly to the ambident character of the nitrite anion. Indeed, an efficient scalable high-yielding procedure for preparing nitroalkanes from the corresponding alkyl halides has never appeared in the literature to date. For example, reaction of 4-(3-bromopropyl)-1,2-dimethoxybenzene with sodium nitrite in DMF at room temperature (utilizing the same reaction conditions taught by CN1765872) gave the desired nitroalkane in 54% yield only by halting the reaction at the point where nitrite ester formation was minimal and did not significantly affect the nitrosation of 1,2-dimethoxy-4-(3-nitropropyl)benzene into its corresponding nitrolic acid. Although significant amounts of starting material could be recovered, it was found that chromatographic separation of the resulting mixture was an unavoidable necessity. Other practical problems associated with the teachings of CN1765872 are the formation of 3-nitro-1-(p-octylphenyl)propan-1-ol as an oil which is difficult to operate in the production stage, moderate yields of formylation (56%) and hydrogenation (66%) steps and low overall yield (˜20%).
Therefore, there exists a need to develop a process for obtaining Fingolimod which is cost effective, is based on available reagents, is scalable with ease and is industrially feasible. We herein disclose such a process.

Intermediate compounds and process for the preparation of fingolimod


Soft-switching is performed to switch a switching state to an ON state by controlling a delay time of a timing at which a main switch switches to an ON state relative to a timing at which a sub-switch switches to an ON state. Controllability of soft-switching decreases as a result of variations in time difference of a command for switching the main switch to the ON state and the actual switching of the switching state. To set a delay time suitable for performing soft-switching based on the variations in time difference, an EEPROM is provided that stores therein correction data for the delay time. The delay time of the timing of the command for switching the main switch to the ON state relative to the timing of the command for switching the sub-switch to the ON state is set based on the correction data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a soft-switching control device that operates a switching element configuring a power conversion circuit and a method of manufacturing the soft-switching control device. In the soft-switching control device, soft-switching is performed to switch the state of the switching element by controlling a delay time of a timing at which the switching state is switched in relation to a reference timing.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a power conversion circuit enabling soft-switching, a power conversion circuit is proposed (JP-A-2008-283815, and "Research on soft-switching circuit system for power converters in the field of next-generation clean energy applications", available at the www site: kawalab.dnj.ynu.ac.jp/research/power_electronics/Chopper/Chopper1.html in which a capacitor is connected in parallel with a main switching element of a boost chopper circuit, and an auxiliary switching element, an auxiliary inductor, and the like are provided. Specifically, a delay time of a timing at which the main switching element is switched to an ON-state in relation to a timing at which the auxiliary switching element is switched to an ON-state is controlled. As a result, the main switching element is switched to the ON-state at a timing at which the electrical charge of the capacitor connected in parallel with the main switching element becomes zero. Thus, switching to the ON-state is performed by zero-voltage switching (ZVS).
However, when above-described soft-switching is performed, the delay time is required to be controlled with high accuracy. Therefore, soft-switching may not be able to be appropriately performed when deviation attributed to individual differences and the like occurs between the timings at which ON operation commands for the auxiliary switching element and the main switching element are given and the timings at which the auxiliary switching element and the main switching element are actually switched to the ON-state. The inventors and others have found that such instances actually occur as a result of use of a drive system of a power conversion circuit that performs conventional hard-switching.
In the power conversion circuit that performs conventional hard-switching, delay time adjustment is only required to set a dead time for turning OFF both of a pair of switching elements driven complementarily. The dead time is merely required to be set to prevent with certainty a period where both switching elements are in an ON-state. Therefore, a sufficient margin is ordinarily provided. The effects that setting such margins have on control can be compensated with relative ease by correcting operation signals of the switching elements, such as in a known dead time compensation technique. Conversely, because the effect of soft-switching decreases regardless of the length of the delay time, a method in which a margin is set as described above cannot be used.
The above-described circumstances where soft-switching may not be able to be appropriately performed are not limited to the power conversion circuit, and are generally common in instances where soft-switching is performed to switch the switching state of the switching element by controlling the delay time of the timing at which the switching state is switched relative to the reference timing.

Soft-switching control device and method of manufacturing the same


A speech synthesis method that generates a speech pitch wave from a reference speech signal by subjecting the reference speech signal to one of Fourier transform and Fourier series expansion to produce a discrete spectrum, that interpolates the discrete spectrum to generate a consecutive spectrum, and that subjects the consecutive spectrum to inverse Fourier transform. A linear prediction coefficient is generated by subjecting the reference speech signal to a linear prediction analysis. The speech pitch wave is subjected to inverse-filtering based on the linear prediction coefficient to produce a residual pitch wave. Information regarding the residual pitch wave is stored as information of a speech synthesis unit in a voice period. A speech is then synthesized using the information of the speech synthesis unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a speech synthesis method for text-to-speech synthesis, and more particularly to a speech synthesis method for generating a speech signal from information such as a phoneme symbol string, a pitch and a phoneme duration.
2. Description of the Related Art
A method of artificially generating a speech signal from a given text is called xe2x80x9ctext-to-speech synthesis.xe2x80x9d The text-to-speech synthesis is generally carried out in three stages comprising a speech processor, a phoneme processor and a speech synthesis section. An input text is first subjected to morpho-logical analysis and syntax analysis in the speech processor, and then to processing of accents and intonation in the phoneme processor. Through this processing, information such as a phoneme symbol string, a pitch and a phoneme duration is output. In the final stage, the speech synthesis section synthesizes a speech signal from information such as a phoneme symbol string, a pitch and phoneme duration. Thus, the speech synthesis method for use in the text-to-speech synthesis is required to speech-synthesize a given phoneme symbol string with a given prosody.
According to the operational principle of a speech synthesis apparatus for speech-synthesizing a given phoneme symbol string, basic characteristic parameter units (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9csynthesis unitsxe2x80x9d) such as CV, CVC and VCV (V=vowel; C=consonant) are stored in a storage and selectively read out. The read-out synthesis units are connected, with their pitches and phoneme durations being controlled, whereby a speech synthsis is performed. Accordingly, the stored synthesis units substantially determine the quality of the synthesized speech.
In the prior art, the synthesis units are prepared, based on the skill of persons. In most cases, synthesis units are sifted out from speech signals in a trial-and-error method, which requires a great deal of time and labor. Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 64-78300 (xe2x80x9cSPEECH SYNTHESIS METHODxe2x80x9d) discloses a technique called xe2x80x9ccontext-oriented clustering (COC)xe2x80x9d as an example of a method of automatically and easily preparing synthesis units for use in speech synthesis.
The principle of COC will now be explained. Labels of the names of phonemes and phonetic contexts are attached to a number of speech segments. The speech segments with the labels are classified into a plurality of clusters relating to the phonetic contexts on the basis of the distance between the speech segments. The centroid of each cluster is used as a synthesis unit. The phonetic context refers to a combination of all factors constituting an environment of the speech segment. The factors are, for example, the name of phoneme of a speech segment, a preceding phoneme, a subsequent phoneme, a further subsequent phoneme, a pitch period, power, the presence/absence of stress, the position from an accent nucleus, the time from a breathing spell, the speed of speech, feeling, etc. The phoneme elements of each phoneme in an actual speech vary, depending on the phonetic context. Thus, if the synthesis unit of each of clusters relating to the phonetic context is stored, a natural speech can be synthesized in consideration of the influence of the phonetic context.
As has been described above, in the text-to-speech synthesis, it is necessary to synthesize a speech by altering the pitch and duration of each synthesis unit to predetermined values. Owing to the alternation of the pitch and duration, the quality of the synthesized speech becomes slightly lower than the quality of the speech signal from which the synthesis unit was sifted out.
On the other hand, in the case of the COC, the clustering is performed on the basis of only the distance between speech segments. Thus, the effect of variation in pitch and duration is not considered at all at the time of synthesis. As a result, the COC and the synthesis units of each cluster are not necessarily proper in the level of a synthesized speech obtained by actually altering the pitch and duration.
An object of the present invention is to provide a speech synthesis method capable of efficiently enhancing the quality of a synthesis speech generated by text-to-speech synthesis.
Another object of the invention is to provide a speech synthesis method suitable for obtaining a high-quality synthesis speech in text-to-speech synthesis.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a speech synthesis method capable of obtaining a synthesis speech with a less spectral distortion due to alternation of a basic frequency.
The present invention provides a speech synthesis method wherein synthesis units, which will have less distortion with respect to a natural speech when they become a synthesis speech, are generated in consideration of influence of alteration of a pitch or a duration, and a speech is synthesized by using the synthesis units, thereby generating a synthesis speech close to a natural speech.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a speech synthesis method comprising the steps of: generating a plurality of synthesis speech segments by changing at least one of a pitch and a duration of each of a plurality of second speech segments in accordance with at least one of a pitch and a duration of each of a plurality of first speech segments; selecting a plurality of synthesis units from the second speech segments on the basis of a distance between the synthesis speech segments and the first speech segments; and generating a synthesis speech by selecting predetermined synthesis units from the synthesis units and connecting the predetermined synthesis units to one another to generate a synthesis speech.
The first and second speech segments are extracted from a speech signal as speech synthesis units such as CV, VCV and CVC. The speech segments represent extracted waves or parameter strings extracted from the waves by some method. The first speech segments are used for evaluating a distortion of a synthesis speech. The second speech segments are used as candidates of synthesis units. The synthesis speech segments represent synthesis speech waves or parameter strings generated by altering at least the pitch or duration of the second speech segments.
The distortion of the synthesis speech is expressed by the distance between the synthesis speech segments and the first speech segments. Thus, the speech segments, which reduce the distance or distortion, are selected from the second speech segments and stored as synthesis units. Predetermined synthesis units are selected from the synthesis units and are connected to generate a high-quality synthesis speech close to a natural speech.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a speech synthesis method comprising the steps of: generating a plurality of synthesis speech segments by changing at least one of a pitch and a duration of each of a plurality of second speech segments in accordance with at least one of a pitch and a duration of each of a plurality of first speech segments; selecting a plurality of synthesis speech segments using information regarding a distance between the synthesis speech segments; forming a plurality of synthesis context clusters using the information regarding the distance and the synthesis units; and generating a synthesis speech by selecting those of the synthesis units, which correspond to at least one of the phonetic context clusters which includes phonetic contexts of input phonemes, and connecting the selected synthesis units.
The phonetic contexts are factors constituting environments of speech segments. The phonetic context is a combination of factors, for example, a phoneme name, a preceding phoneme, a subsequent phoneme, a further subsequent phoneme, a pitch period, power, the presence/absence of stress, the position from accent nucleus, the time of breadth, the speed of speech, and feeling. The phonetic context cluster is a mass of phonetic contexts, for example, xe2x80x9cphoneme of segment=/ka/; preceding phoneme=/i/ or /u/; and pitch frequency=200 Hz.xe2x80x9d
According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a speech synthesis method comprising the steps of: generating a plurality of synthesis speech segments by changing at least one of a pitch and a duration of each of a plurality of second speech segments and a plurality of second speech segments in accordance with at least one of the pitch and duration of each of a plurality of first speech segments labeled with phonetic contexts; generating a plurality of phonetic context clusters on the basis of a distance between the synthesis speech segments and the first speech segments; selecting a plurality of synthesis units corresponding to the phonetic context clusters from the second speech segments on the basis of the distance; and generating a synthesis speech by selecting those of the synthesis units, which correspond to the phonetic context clusters including phonetic contexts of input phonemes, and connecting the selected synthesis units.
According to the first to third aspects, the synthesis speech segments are generated and then spectrum-shaped. The spectrum-shaping is a process for synthesizing a xe2x80x9cmodulatedxe2x80x9d clear speech and is achieved by, e.g. filtering by means of a adaptive post-filter for performing formant emphasis or pitch emphasis.
In this way, the speech synthesized by connecting the synthesis units is spectrum-shaped, and the synthesis speech segments are similarly spectrum-shaped, thereby generating the synthesis units, which will have less distortion with respect to a natural speech when they become a final synthesis speech after spectrum shaping. Thus, a xe2x80x9cmodulatedxe2x80x9d clearer synthesis speech is obtained.
In the present invention, speech source signals and information on combinations of coefficients of a synthesis filter for receiving the speech source signals and generating a synthesis speech signal may be stored as synthesis units. In this case, if the speech source signals and the coefficients of the synthesis filter are quantized and the quantized speech source signals and information on combinations of the coefficients of the synthesis filter are stored, the number of speech source signals and coefficients of the synthesis filter, which are stored as synthesis units, can be reduced. Accordingly, the calculation time needed for learning synthesis units is reduced and the memory capacity needed for actual speech synthesis is decreased.
Moreover, at least one of the number of the speech source signals stored as the synthesis units and the number of the coefficients of the synthesis filter stored as the synthesis units can be made less than the total number of speech synthesis units or the total number of phonetic context clusters. Thereby, a high-quality synthesis speech can be obtained.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a speech synthesis method comprising the steps of: prestoring information on a plurality of speech synthesis units including at least speech spectrum parameters; selecting predetermined information from the stored information on the speech synthesis units; generating a synthesis speech signal by connecting the selected predetermined information; and emphasizing a formant of the synthesis speech signal by a formant emphasis filter whose filtering coefficient is determined in accordance with the spectrum parameters of the selected information.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided a speech synthesis method comprising the steps of: generating linear prediction coefficients by subjecting a reference speech signal to a linear prediction analysis; producing a residual pitch wave from a typical speech pitch wave extracted from the reference speech signal, using the linear prediction coefficients; storing information regarding the residual pitch wave as information of a speech synthesis unit in a voiced period; and synthesizing a speech, using the information of the speech synthesis unit.
According to a sixth aspect of the invention, there is provided a speech synthesis method comprising the steps of: storing information on a residual pitch wave generated from a reference speech signal and a spectrum parameter extracted from the reference speech signal; driving a vocal tract filter having the spectrum parameter as a filtering coefficient, by a voiced speech source signal generated by using the information on the residual pitch wave in a voiced period, and by an unvoiced speech source signal in an unvoiced period, thereby generating a synthesis speech; and generating the residual pitch wave from a typical speech pitch wave extracted from the reference speech signal, by using a linear prediction coefficient obtained by subjecting the reference speech signal to linear prediction analysis.
More specifically, the residual pitch wave can be generated by filtering the speech pitch wave through a linear prediction inverse filter whose characteristics are determined by a linear prediction coefficient.
In this context, the typical speech pitch wave refers to a non-periodic wave extracted from a reference speech signal so as to reflect spectrum envelope information of a quasi-periodic speech signal wave. The spectrum parameter refers to a parameter representing a spectrum or a spectrum envelope of a reference speech signal. Specifically, the spectrum parameter is an LPC coefficient, an LSP coefficient, a PARCOR coefficient, or a kepstrum coefficient.
If the residual pitch wave is generated by using the linear prediction coefficient from the typical speech pitch wave extracted from the reference speech signal, the spectrum of the residual pitch wave is complementary to the spectrum of the linear prediction coefficient in the vicinity of the formant frequency of the spectrum of the linear prediction coefficient. As a result, the spectrum of the voiced speech source signal generated by using the information on the residual pitch wave is emphasized near the formant frequency.
Accordingly, even if the spectrum of a voiced speech source signal departs from the peak of the spectrum of the linear prediction coefficient due to change of the fundamental frequency of the synthesis speech signal with respect to the reference speech signal, a spectrum distortion is reduced, which will make the amplitude of the synthesis speech signal extremely smaller than that of the reference speech signal at the formant frequency. In other words, a synthesis speech with a less spectrum distortion due to change of fundamental frequency can be obtained.
In particular, if pitch synchronous linear prediction analysis synchronized with the pitch of the reference speech signal is adopted as linear prediction analysis for reference speech signal, the spectrum width of the spectrum envelope of the linear prediction coefficient becomes relatively large at the formant frequency. Accordingly, even if the spectrum of a voiced speech source signal departs from the peak of the spectrum of the linear prediction coefficient due to change of the fundamental frequency of the synthesis speech signal with respect to the reference speech signal, a spectrum distortion is similarly reduced, which will make the amplitude of the synthesis speech signal extremely smaller than that of the reference speech signal at the formant frequency.
Furthermore, in the present invention, a code obtained by compression-encoding a residual pitch wave may be stored as information on the residual pitch wave, and the code may be decoded for speech synthesis. Thereby, the memory capacity needed for storing information on the residual pitch wave can be reduced, and a great deal of residual pitch wave information can be stored with a limited memory capacity. For example, inter-frame prediction encoding can be adopted as compression-encoding.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.


In a method and apparatus for aligning two sets of medical imaging data, first and second sets of image data are obtained respectively, using first and second different medical imaging modalities, of an anatomical feature of a subject. For each set, an axis of the anatomical feature and a landmark point for the anatomical feature is determined, and the first and second sets are aligned by comparing the respective axes and landmark points.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to methods and apparatus for aligning two sets of medical imaging data, in particular two sets, captured using different medical imaging modalities, showing an anatomical feature of a subject.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the medical imaging field, several imaging schemes are known. For example PET (Positron Emission Tomography) is a method for imaging a subject in 3D using an injected radio-active substance which is processed in the body, typically resulting in an image indicating one or more biological functions. Other such functional imaging modalities are known, such as SPECT.
In such functional images, many important pathologies and anatomical structures appear as very high (or low) intensities. For example, a tumor in an FDG-PET image will often appear as a bright region
In cardiac medical imaging, CTA is a high resolution gated cardiac scan that enables the clinician to assess the coronary arteries, the wall motion of the heart and the thickness of the myocardium in order to assess the likelihood and extent of coronary artery disease.
PET (or SPECT) is used in numerous complementary ways, either gated, dynamic, or static, to assess the perfusion of the LV and effects that any CAD is having on the left ventricle (LV) that may not be picked up by the CTA. In particular CFR, which looks at the coronary flow reserve between rest and stress, often highlighting problems before they become apparent on the CTA.
In many cases CTA and PET (or SPECT) are used in combination with each other in order to more accurately assess the diagnosis and extent of cardiac disease. However in order to do this a good alignment between the CTA and PET is required. It is useful for example to assess the positions of the coronaries relative to the PET data in order to see if low flow/perfusion/CFR in the PET is due to a particular blockage in one of the coronaries.
Alignment becomes difficult because the CTA images are 'snapshots' of single timepoints, whereas the PET data are averaged over a period of time, and therefore the question arises: what is a good alignment?
The CT application 'Circulation' has tried to align such different types of data using a Mutual Information based registration directly on the two datasets. This approach runs into a series of problems as often the whole body may be well aligned but the LV itself is poorly aligned.
Examples of such alignments are given in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 illustrates a series of different types of alignments, each having significant difficulties in producing a good alignment between the two images. The CTA image (104) is detailed, whereas the data from the PET image (102) is more blurred, having been averaged over the time period of the PET scan. From the initial alignment, mutual information is used, then correlation ratio, then normalized mutual information; each has difficulty in one way or another.
Similar issues arise in other modalities matching averaged medical images with short or snapshot images.

Methods and apparatus for aligning sets of medical imaging data


A central control system controls peak power of multiple air conditioners that includes indoor units installed in rooms of a building and an outdoor unit for controlling refrigerant circulation. A central controller is connected to the multiple air conditioners via a network to perform central control or monitoring of operations of the air conditioners. The central controller performs peak power control if current power consumption of the air conditioners, calculated based on operating states thereof, exceeds a previously input reference management power value. A signal converter is connected between the multiple air conditioners and the central controller to perform mutual conversion of different protocol signals communicated between the multiple air conditioners and the central controller. This decreases excessive electricity costs due to excessive power consumption while approximately maintaining cooling/heating efficiencies, and also prevents the entire power of the building from being cut off.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a central control system of air conditioners and a method for operating the same, wherein the central control system includes a central control unit connected to a multi-type air conditioning system including a plurality of air conditioners via a network to perform central control of the air conditioners, and if total power consumption of air conditioners in operation, detected by the central control unit, exceeds a previously input reference management power value, the central control unit allows selected air conditioners in operation to maintain their operating states and forces unselected air conditioners in operation to shift to a blowing mode, thereby automatically performing stable management of air conditioning power while maintaining indoor cooling/heating efficiencies.
2. Description of the Related Art
As use of air conditioners rapidly increases, air conditioners can now be found in each room of a residence or in each office of a building. An air conditioning system connected to a plurality of air conditioners via a network has also been provided recently.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a multi-type air conditioning system in which a larger number of indoor units share a smaller number of outdoor units provided in a single building or on a single floor to save installation resources and energy.
To provide cooling in a room, an air conditioner 10 generally uses refrigerant that circulates in the indoor and outdoor units in a thermal cycle of compression, condensation, expansion and evaporation. On the other hand, a heat-pump air conditioner can provide cooling and heating by switching circulation directions of the refrigerant.
In the conventional air conditioning system, a control button mounted on the indoor unit or a remote controller allows a user to input a control command for power on/off, cooling/heating mode selection, blowing mode selection, control of the direction of discharged air, control of cooling/heating or blowing intensity, etc. Based on the input control command, a microcomputer embedded in the indoor unit controls the amount of refrigerant and the flow of refrigerant to perform indoor air conditioning.
If an error occurs in the operation of an air conditioner, a manager of the building personally goes to an indoor unit 11 or an outdoor unit 12 of the air conditioner to check the error, and then inputs a control command for maintenance and repair of the air conditioner.
In the case where one manager manages a plurality of air conditioners as in a school or a large building, the manager visits each room to input a control command and manually perform maintenance and repair of the air conditioner.
Some conventional air conditioning systems can perform central control of a plurality of air conditioners via a central control unit that is connected to the plurality of air conditioners over a network via power lines or the like. However, such conventional air conditioning systems are provided with only a power lamp for checking the power state of each air conditioner and a power button for controlling the power of each air conditioner. The conventional systems cannot input a control command for controlling detailed operations of the air conditioner, and thus the central control unit 20 cannot be used for maintenance and repair when an error occurs in the operation of the air conditioner, which lowers the usability of the systems.
In particular, the air conditioner has high power consumption for initial operation. In the case where a number of air conditioners are installed as in a large building, total power consumption of the air conditioners is considerable in the normal operation also, raising a concern that the total power consumption exceeds the allowable limit of a power breaker installed in the building.
If the total power consumption exceeds the allowable limit of the power breaker, the power breaker forces the entire power of the building to be cut off. The forcible power cutoff may cause a physical impact not only on running air conditioners but also on other electric devices, thereby lowering endurance of the products.
An electricity supplier provides different upper power limits depending on seasons/buildings/service providers. If the total power consumption exceeds the upper power limits, the electricity supplier charges progressive electricity rates, which increases the burden of paying the electricity bills.

Central control system of air conditioners and method for operating the same


A cover lock assembly for a process transmitter having threadably removable end caps and corrugated outer surfaces is provided for engaging the corrugated surfaces by way of a toothed cover lock which is removably affixed to the transmitter housing.

The present invention relates to process instruments such as pressure transmitters which have end caps that are threaded for removal and more particularly to locking mechanisms for such end caps.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Process instrumentation such as pressure transmitters are known wherein the end covers of the transmitter have outwardly projecting flanges having a bolt hole therein. The end cover is screwed on to the transmitter until tight and the bolt hole is aligned with a threaded bolt hole in the transmitter housing itself. A bolt is then passed through the flange and the bolt hole with the bolt threaded in to thereby lock the flange to the transmitter housing and thus lock the end cover to the same housing preventing the unthreading of the cover until the bolt is removed freeing the flange from the transmitter housing.
Although this type of cover lock prevents the accidental unscrewing of the end caps, the bolt, when removed, is sometimes lost and the cover lock's purpose is thereby defeated. Similarly, the flange is difficult to align with the bolt hole in the housing causing either a loose fit between the housing and the end cap or in some cases an overturning of the end cap which may cause the threads on the housing to be stripped in an attempt to align the flange with the bolt hole. Note that the aluminum die casting alloy typically used in this industry for transmitter housings and end caps is indeed sensitive to stripping and galling due to overtorqueing.
Other transmitter cover locks are known wherein each cover of the transmitter has a flange which is captured by a flat middle piece and is then screwed to the housing.
Again, there is the problem of alignment of the cover lock with the locking piece as well as the possibility of losing the locking piece whenever the assembly is unscrewed.


An integrated DC link inductor and current sensor winding having a core that includes at least two primary legs and at least one secondary leg, two direct current (DC) link windings each wound around one of the two primary legs, and a common mode current sensor winding wound around the secondary leg. Resistors coupled to the common mode current sensor winding may damp the common mode current oscillations.

The invention relates generally to filtering and sensing within a power converter. Particularly, this invention relates to a DC link inductor that is integrated with a sensor winding.
A DC link or bus in a power converter conducts DC power that the power converter converts into AC power at a desired frequency, which may be applied to drive an electric motor, among other things. A DC link inductor often includes a variety of windings or coils for performing various sensing and control functions. For example, a DC link may include a pair of inductors on each primary current path, and one or more windings to detect ground faults. The inductors on the primary current paths filter and smooth the primary DC currents, and the windings for detecting ground faults typically sense the relative magnitude of currents on the primary current paths. To identify a ground fault, the currents from each path are compared, and a determination is made whether the same amount of current is flowing into a load connected to the DC link as is flowing out of the load. If substantially more current flows into a load than out of a load, a ground fault may have occurred.
Unfortunately, the large number of discrete windings in traditional DC links can have undesirable effects. For example, the inductors often include large, heavy cores that can increase the size and weight of a DC link. Having several discrete inductors in a DC link may amplify the impact of these devices on the total size and weight of the DC link, thereby potentially increasing material, shipping, and storage costs.
There is a current need in the art, therefore, for an improved DC link.

Integrated DC link inductor and common mode current sensor winding


Flexible treatment catheters are configured to be inserted into a body lumen or cavity to deliver heated fluid through at least one fluid lumen therein to thermally treat or ablate a targeted site in a biological subject. The flexible treatment catheters can include improved thermally insulated regions comprising a mixture formed of liquid elastomeric (such as a polyurethane) mixture (which transitions to a solid state) and miniaturized hollow plastic bodies positioned between the outer wall of the treatment catheter and the fluid lumen. The thermally insulated region is configured such that, measured ex vivo, the treatment catheter can present a maximum temperature of below about 45xc2x0 C. on the external surface of the outer wall of the treatment catheter when the treatment catheter circulates fluid having an inlet temperature of above or between about 60xc2x0-62xc2x0 C. Alternatively or additionally, the treatment catheter can include an elongated insert positioned in a catheter fluid lumen to inhibit the closure of the lumen after exposure to fluids in the treatment catheter at temperatures sufficient to thermal ablate targeted tissue over a thermal ablation treatment period. The treatment catheter can include a urinary drainage lumen with an elongated insert frictionally engaged therewith, the drainage lumen and insert are configured to provide a fluid volume throughput through the drainage lumen of greater than about 20-25 ml/min during and after (for about 12-72 hours after) a thermal ablation session.

The present invention relates to catheters configured for insertion into a lumen or body cavity of a subject and is particularly suitable for insertion into the male urethra.
Conventionally, several types of thermal treatment systems have been proposed to treat certain pathologic conditions of the body by heating or thermally ablating targeted tissue. These thermal treatment systems have used various heating sources to generate the heat necessary to treat or ablate the targeted tissue. For example, laser, microwave, and radio-frequency (RF) energy sources have been proposed to produce the heat which is then directed to the targeted tissue in or around the selected body cavity. Thermal treatment systems have been used to thermally ablate prostatic tissue as well as to thermally treat or ablate the tissue of other organs, body cavities, and/or natural lumens.
One particularly successful thermal ablation system ablates the prostate by a thermocoagulation process. This thermal ablation system employs a closed loop liquid or water-induced thermotherapy (WIT) system which heats liquid, typically water, external to the body and then directs the circulating heated water into a treatment catheter. The treatment catheter is inserted through the penile meatus and held in position in the subject prior to initiation of the treatment to expose localized tissue in the prostate to ablation temperatures. The treatment catheter includes an upper end portion which, in operation, is anchored against the bladder neck and an inflatable treatment segment which is held relative to the anchored upper end portion such that it resides along the desired treatment region of the prostate. In operation, the treatment segment expands, in response to the captured circulating fluid traveling therethrough, to press against the targeted tissue in the prostate and to expose the tissue to increased temperatures associated with the circulating liquid, thereby thermally ablating the localized tissue at the treatment site. In addition, the pressurized contact can reduce the heat sink effect attributed to blood circulation in the body, thus enhancing the depth penetration of the heat transmitted by the inflatable treatment segment into the prostatic tissue.
As an acceptable alternative to surgery (transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP)), the use of WIT (water-induced thermotherapy) has been shown to be a successful and generally minimally invasive treatment of BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia). Generally stated, the term xe2x80x9cBPHxe2x80x9d refers to a condition wherein the prostate gland enlarges and the prostatic tissue increases in density which can, unfortunately, tend to close off the urinary drainage path. This condition typically occurs in men as they age due to the physiological changes of the prostatic tissue (and bladder muscles) over time. To enlarge the opening in the prostate urethra (without requiring surgical incision and removal of tissue), the circulating hot water is directed through the treatment catheter which is inserted into the penile meatus up through the penile urethra and into the prostate as described above. The treatment segment expands with the hot water held therein to press the inflated treatment segment against the prostate, which then conductively heats and thermally ablates the prostatic tissue. The circulating water is typically heated to a temperature of about 60xc2x0-62xc2x0 C. and the targeted tissue is thermally treated for a period of about 45 minutes to locally kill the tissue proximate the urinary drainage passage in the prostate and thereby enlarge the urinary passage through the prostate.
Subsequent to the delivery of the thermal ablation (or other) treatment, the treated tissue in the prostate undergoes a healing process. Initially, the ablated tissue can expand or swell due to inflammation or edema which can undesirably block or obstruct the prostatic urethra. Further, during the healing period, portions of the treated tissue can slough off and create an undesirable and unduly limited opening size. This post-ablation or post-therapy treatment opening size can be positively influenced by xe2x80x9cmoldingxe2x80x9d the treated or ablated tissue during the healing cycle to contour the tissue about a catheter or stent held thereat. Therefore, to facilitate proper healing and to enhance the efficacy of the therapy and particularly, ablation therapy, either the treatment catheter is left in the subject for a period of time and/or a post treatment catheter, such as a conventional Foley catheter, is positioned in the subject. Conventionally, the treatment catheter can be left in the subject for about 24-72 hours after delivering the thermal treatment to the targeted tissue to reduce the likelihood that the treatment site will be injured by premature removal of the treatment catheter.
The treatment catheter typically includes insulated regions on the proximal shaft portion of the catheter to protect non-targeted tissue from undue exposure to heat as the heated fluid travels in the catheter fluid circulation passages to the desired treatment region. The insulated regions have, in the past, been provided by configuring the catheter with an extra layer or thickness of a material along the proximal or lower shaft portion. Other treatment catheters include a series of circumferentially arranged elongated air channels or conduits which encircle the heated circulating fluid passages and provide thermal insulation along the elongated shaft portion of the catheter as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,257,977 and 5,549,559 to Eshel, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if recited in full herein. As the heated fluid travels through the fluid circulating passages, the insulation reduces the heat transferred to non-targeted treatment sites, such as along the penile meatus, urethral mucosa, or urethral sphincter for the BPH application. There remains a need, nonetheless, to provide improved thermal insulation for the heated circulating fluid.
In addition, the treatment catheter is typically a relatively small, thin-walled conformable or flexible catheter that is sized to be inserted into the body lumen and which usually includes a urine drainage lumen extending through the catheter. However, the catheter can deform due to exposure to the treatment temperatures over the treatment period. This deformation can, unfortunately, partially collapse the drainage lumen and, thus, reduce the urine drainage volume capacity of the treatment catheter.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide economical treatment catheters with improved thermal insulation regions.
It is another object of the present invention to provide catheters with enhanced thermal transfer or thermal transmissivity configurations in the treatment balloon region.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device which can inhibit obstruction in a fluid path (such as to keep a urinary drainage path open), during and/or post-treatment with improved fluid flow volumes such that the subject is able to receive and/or discharge fluid at desired flow rates.
It is another object of the present invention to provide treatment catheters with increased drainage volume after exposure to elevated treatment temperatures.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide methods for producing improved catheters with insulation and/or improved urinary drainage volumes.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide methods for thermally treating a body lumen in a manner which inhibits the exposure of non-targeted tissue to excessive heat while allowing sufficient flow volume therethrough.
These and other objects are satisfied by the present invention, which provides, inter alia, flexible catheters with improved thermal insulation and/or improved drainage lumen configurations and related methods of forming same. The present invention can also provide methods of thermally treating a body lumen and methods of fabricating catheters with improved insulation or heat transfer capabilities.
More particularly, in one embodiment of the present invention, a treatment catheter can be configured for insertion into a body cavity or lumen of a subject. The treatment catheter comprises a flexible elongated tubular body having a thin outer wall with an external surface and at least one fluid lumen axially extending therein. The tubular body comprises a region having increased thermal insulation relative to another region thereof. The increased thermal insulation region extends a longitudinal length along the tubular body. The increased thermal insulation region includes a material configuration which provides sufficient thermal insulation between the at least one fluid lumen and the external surface to inhibit thermal ablation of non-targeted tissue during thermal ablation treatments.
In certain embodiments, the thermal insulation is configured to provide a temperature gradient between the temperature of the circulating fluid (which for thermal ablation procedures can be heated to about 60xc2x0-62xc2x0 C.) in the at least one fluid lumen and the external surface of the outer wall of the tubular body which is greater than about 15 degrees when measured in vitro or ex vivo. That is, the inner temperature is greater than that at the external wall outer surface. The thermal insulation can be configured to be in communication with and attached to the outer wall of the tubular body so as to provide sufficient tensile strength to allow for insertion and removal from the subject without impeding the function of the catheter.
The thermal insulation material layer can comprise a mixture of an elastomeric, rubber or polymeric material and hollow microspheres (which can be small or miniaturized hollow plastic bodies sized on the order of xcexcm). The voids provided by the hollow microspheres in the insulation layer can provide a thermal conductivity path across the integrated material layer which is interrupted to thereby provide improved thermal insulation (which impedes thermal conductivity) across the width of the material insulating layer. In certain embodiments, the polymer material is polyurethane and the in operation thermal insulation material layer can provide an increased thermal temperature gradient across the width of the material mixture layer which is greater than the same thickness of the elastomeric material alone. The improved temperature gradient can be about 10-14% greater compared to that of the temperature gradient of the same thickness of the elastomeric material alone. Further, unlike other porous materials, the microspheres, when combined with a desired polymer or elastomeric material according to embodiments of the present invention, can provide good mechanical strength between the outer wall of the catheter on one side and the outer wall of an inner lumen(s) on the other, which may not be available with other materials comprising voids (this structure can help improve the tensile strength therebetween).
The increased insulation region may be configured such that, in operation, heated circulating liquid is directed through the treatment catheter and, as it enters the tubular body, is heated to a temperature of at about at least 60xc2x0 C. and, when measured ex vivo, the external surface of the outer wall about the increased thermal insulation region exhibits a maximum temperature of about 42-45xc2x0 C. during or after a thermal treatment period of at least about 5-30 minutes.
In other embodiments, the treatment catheter can be configured with increased thermal transmissivity about the expandable treatment balloon. The increased thermal transmissivity can be provided by forming the expandable balloon wall from a suitable compound including an elastomeric substrate material such as polyurethane mixed with ceramic microspheres. The increased thermal transmissivity catheter can also include biocompatible coatings over the exterior surface of a portion of the catheter.
The present invention can provide treatment catheters configured for insertion into a body cavity or lumen of a subject which includes: (a) a flexible elongated tubular body having a thin outer wall with an external surface; (b) at least one fluid lumen axially extending within the tubular body such that the at least one lumen is encased by the outer wall; and (c) an elongated insert sized and configured to be received into the at least one fluid lumen to inhibit the closure of the fluid lumen to allow fluid throughput volumes of at least about 20 ml/min after exposure to thermal treatment temperatures during a thermal treatment session.
The thermal treatment session can expose the fluid lumen and insert to temperatures above about 45xc2x0 C. during a thermal ablation procedure. In certain embodiments, the fluid lumen is exposed to fluid in the range of about 50xc2x0-62xc2x0 C. or greater during a treatment session, which can last for at least about 5-30 minutes, and up to about 45 minutes or more, as the application demands.
In certain embodiments, the insert can be formed from a low friction material (for easy insertion into the desired fluid lumen) and/or a material which resists thermal deformation after exposure to thermal ablation temperatures and/or which is sufficiently rigid so as to retain a desired opening size for the fluid flow in the fluid lumen even when exposed in situ to compressive pressures from swollen tissue or edema. The insert can be formed from a fluoropolymer such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) having a hardness of about Shore A 98 such as Teflon, or tetrafluoroethylene (TFE), fluorinated ethylene-propylene (FEP), perfluoroalkoxy (PFA), ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), or polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and the like.
For embodiments of the catheters having a plurality of inner lumens such as an inlet channel, and outlet channel and the fluid lumen, the insert can be configured to maintain the desired fluid opening size in the fluid lumen even when the insert is exposed to increased pressures from the quantity of fluid held captured and circulating in the inlet and outlet channels about the fluid lumen.
Preferably, the insert is configured such that, after exposure to a thermal therapy including, but not limited to a thermal ablation therapy session, it allows fluid volumes of at least about 20-25 ml/min. In one embodiment, the thin outer wall is formed from polyvinylchloride (PVC) or polyurethane. The drainage lumen with the insert can be configured to allow fluid throughput volumes of above about 25 ml/min after exposure to a maximum circulating fluid temperature therein of at least about 40xc2x0-62xc2x0 C. even after exposure to these conditions for a period of about at least 40 minutes.
In one embodiment, the at least one fluid lumen is a plurality of axially extending fluid lumens and the treatment catheter further includes an inflatable treatment balloon positioned about a peripheral distal portion of the elongated tubular body. The treatment balloon is in fluid communication with at least one of the plurality of fluid lumens such that the treatment balloon is expandable to a configuration which extends outwardly a distance from the outer wall of the tubular body. The catheter may also include a thin inner tubular wall spaced apart from the thin tubular outer wall and a plurality of elongated insulation channels axially extending therebetween. The plurality of fluid lumens can include a circulating fluid inlet lumen, a circulating fluid outlet lumen, and a drainage and fluid delivery lumen. Preferably, an elongated insert is disposed in at least the drainage and fluid delivery lumen. One or more of the plurality of elongated insulation channels can be configured to encase a quantity of non-gaseous insulation material comprising polyurethane disposed therein to define an insulated region along a proximal portion of said tubular body intermediate the fluid lumens and the outer wall.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is a method of thermally treating a target region in the body. The method comprises the steps of (a) inserting a treatment catheter into a body lumen; (b) heating liquid external of the subject to above about 45xc2x0-60xc2x0 C.; (c) circulating the heated liquid in the treatment catheter such that it travels, captured in the treatment catheter, to a target treatment region; (d) exposing the tissue in the targeted region to a temperature of above about 45xc2x0 C. for a predetermined thermal ablation treatment period corresponding to the heated liquid in the circulating step; (e) insulating non-targeted tissue below the targeted region such that the non-targeted tissue is exposed to a maximum temperature of about 42-45xc2x0 C. from contact with the treatment catheter during the circulating step; (f) terminating the circulation of the heated liquid after the thermal ablation treatment period; (g) leaving the treatment catheter in the subject after the terminating step for an initial healing period of from about 12-72 hours; (h) directing body fluids to drain through the treatment catheter during the circulating, exposing, and leaving steps, wherein the treatment catheter is configured in a manner which allows a drainage volume of above about 20 ml/min (and more preferably above about 25 ml/min) after the circulating and exposing steps; and (i) removing the treatment catheter after the initial healing period.
The method can be used to treat urinary or prostate conditions such as BPH. In certain embodiments, the circulating liquid can be heated to above or about 60-62xc2x0 C. external of the subject and directed into the treatment catheter at an inlet temperature of about 60-62xc2x0C. The treatment catheter can also include a flexible drainage lumen with an elongated insert disposed therein, the elongated insert is configured to inhibit the closure of the drainage lumen and to facilitate increased urine or other body fluids drainage flow rates (or flow rates of drugs, treatment rinses, or other liquids into the body) after the exposing and circulating steps.
An additional aspect of the present invention is a method of inhibiting the closure of a flexible thin walled lumen in a catheter configured for insertion into a lumen or cavity of a biological subject. The method comprises the steps of (a) configuring a flexible elongated catheter such that it is sized for insertion into a natural body lumen or cavity of a biological subject and such that it can bend to follow the contour of the body lumen or cavity, the flexible catheter comprising at least one fluid channel therein; and (b) positioning an elongated insert into the at least one fluid channel such that it axially extends along a length thereof, the elongated insert is configured to maintain an open fluid channel during and after the flexible catheter delivers a thermal therapy to a desired target site in the biological subject.
Another aspect of the present invention is a method for providing increased thermal insulation in a treatment catheter having at least one fluid lumen therein. The treatment catheter has an outer wall which encases the at least one fluid lumen. The treatment catheter is configured to deliver thermal treatment to a target site in a natural lumen or body cavity of a biological subject. The thermal treatment can include one or more of cooling, heating, or thermal ablation treatments. The method comprises the steps of: (a) introducing a quantity of liquid insulation mixture into a desired region of the treatment catheter such that it is held intermediate the at least one fluid lumen and the outer surface of the treatment catheter; and (b) altering the physical state of the liquid mixture from liquid to a non-liquid state (or from a flowable to a non-flowing state) to define a thermally insulated region in the catheter.
In one embodiment, the treatment catheter has an elongated tubular body, and the treatment catheter further comprises a plurality of axially extending insulation lumens circumferentially arranged to encase the at least one fluid lumen below the outer wall. In this embodiment, the increased thermal insulation is carried out in the introducing step by inserting (which can include flowably injecting) the liquid insulation mixture into one or more of the plurality of insulation lumens.
In certain embodiments, the liquid insulation mixture can comprise liquid polyurethane or a liquid insulation mixture comprising initially liquid polyurethane and hollow plastic microspheres.
In some embodiments, the treatment catheters can be provided as a set of prostatic treatment catheters, each configured for insertion into the male urethra (such as for treating BPH). However, the set is provided such that each treatment balloon which expands to deliver the thermal treatment is sized a different length to allow customized fit to a particular subject (the treatment balloon which is adapted to reside in a portion of the prostatic urethra which can vary patient to patient and the catheter treatment balloon itself can be provided in lengths ranging from about 2-6 cm, typically in increments of about xc2xd cm).
Advantageously, the present invention provides flexible treatment catheters. The present invention allows, for applications which employ body fluid drainage lumens (or drug delivery or other fluids), increased rigidity about the drainage or delivery lumen which can be used to provide improved throughput volumes (increased drainage volumes therethrough) in the subject even after the catheter is exposed to elevated temperatures during thermal ablation or thermal therapy treatments.
In summary, certain embodiments of the present invention the treatment catheters can include increased thermally insulated regions compared to conventional catheters. The increased thermally insulated regions are preferably formed with selected insulative materials inserted or positioned intermediate the external wall of the catheter and the internal fluid passageways or lumens about a length of the catheter shaft which resides in the subject during treatment to inhibit non-targeted tissue from being exposed to thermal treatment temperatures. Thus, the treatment catheters of the instant invention can protect the non-targeted tissue from undesirable exposure to thermal temperatures directed to the targeted tissue during delivery of the thermal treatment. Related methods for forming the insulation in the treatment catheters such as by injecting a flowable microsphere solution into desired regions of the catheter and then solidifying to define improved insulation regions are also described.
Certain embodiments of the present invention additionally, or alternatively, provide treatment catheters which are configured to allow improved drainage and/or flow rates for other fluids such as flushing liquids to be directed into the subject therethrough. Certain of the embodiments described are particularly suitable for a subject undergoing thermal therapy or thermal ablation treatment to a localized target region in a natural body cavity or lumen such as within the prostatic urethra. The treatment catheter can remain in position for an initial portion of the healing process (temporally proximate to the post thermal ablation treatment) and can be used to deliver medicaments or rinses to the treatment region during the healing process (which in prostate treatments can promote healing and/or inhibit UTI). The treatment catheter can include one or a combination of suitable coatings such as hydrophilic coatings which can help the ease of insertion into the body cavity, antimicrobial coatings, anti-inflammatory coatings, anti-scarring coatings, and antibiotic coatings. In addition, the catheter can be used to deliver suitable fluids to the treated region to help facilitate healing and/or reduce the likelihood of infection.

Treatment catheters with thermally insulated regions


A conveyor comprises an endless, flexible conveying element, a drive unit for driving the conveying element, a deflecting unit for reversing direction of movement of the conveying element, and at least one tensioning device. The tensioning device includes a displaceable tensioning element engaging the conveying element, a tensioning spring biasing the tensioning element toward the conveying element, and a unidirectional blocking mechanism which blocks a displacing movement of the tensioning element in a direction opposite the effective direction of the tensioning spring for automatic readjustment of the conveying element while maintaining the possibility of the reversing operation. The blocking action of the blocking mechanism can be cancelled by an unlocking key, and the tensioning device can be slid back into a locking position to allow the disassembly of the conveying element.

The invention relates to a conveyor comprising an endless, flexible conveying element, such as a conveyor belt or chain, or the like.
Such endless conveyors, also called conveyor or assembly belts, are used, depending on their purpose of application, for conveying bulk or piece goods, or for transporting workpieces which are generally held on a pallet.
In a known endless conveyor of this type with elastic conveyor belt (DE-OS No. 33 06 079), the tensioning device with conveyor belt guide required for keeping the endless conveyor belt tight, is constructed as a tensioning roller which is arranged in the drive station between two synchronously driven deflecting rollers. The axle of the tensioning roller is provided with two adjustable bearings which can be adjusted radially by two tensioning screws arranged laterally at the bearing frame, so that the tensioning of the conveyor belt can be readjusted manually from time to time.

Conveyor including an endless flexible conveying element and a tensioning device for the conveying element


A reduced-pressure abdominal treatment system has an open-cavity treatment device for providing reduced-pressure treatment proximate a patient's abdominal contents; a deep-tissue closure device for applying a closing force on a deep-tissue wound on a patient's fascia; a surface-wound closure subsystem for providing a closing force on a surface wound on the patient's epidermis; and a reduced-pressure supply subsystem operable to develop a reduced pressure. Methods are also included.

The present invention relates generally to medical treatment systems and, more particularly, to reduced-pressure, abdominal treatment systems and methods.
Whether the etiology of a wound, or damaged area of tissue, is trauma, surgery, or another cause, proper care of the wound is important to the outcome. Unique challenges exist when the wound involves locations that require reentry, for example, the peritoneal cavity and more generally the abdominal cavity. Often times when surgery or trauma involves the abdominal cavity, establishing a wound management system that facilitates reentry allows for better and easier care and helps to address such things as peritonitis, abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS), and infections that might inhibit final healing of the wound and the internal organs. In providing such care, it may be desirable to remove unwanted fluids from the cavity, help approximate the fascia and other tissues, and finally to help provide a closing force on the wound itself at the level of the epidermis.
Currently, an abdominal opening on the epidermis may be closed using sutures, staples, clips, and other mechanical devices to allow the skin, or epidermis, to be held and pulled. Such devices often cause puncture wounds or other wounds. If severe edema occurs, tremendous pressure may be placed on the closure device with potential harm resulting. For example, if the pressure rises due to edema, the sutures may tear out.
With respect to the overall system for allowing reentry into the abdominal cavity, a number of techniques have been developed. One approach is to place towels down into the abdominal cavity and then use clips, such as hemostats, to close the skin over the towels. While simple and fast, the results have been regarded as suboptimal. Another approach is the "Bogota bag." With this approach, a bag is sutured into place to cover the open abdomen in order to provide a barrier. Still another approach, sometimes called a "vac pack," has been to pack towels in the wound and then place a drain into the abdomen and cover the abdomen with a drape. Finally, a reduced pressure approach has been used. Such an approach is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,381,859 to Hunt et al. and assigned to KCI Licensing, Inc. of San Antonio, Tex. U.S. Pat. No. 7,381,859 is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
A number of deep tissues, e.g., fat, muscle, or particularly fascia, may be addressed when one is temporarily closing the abdomen. Unless otherwise indicated, as used herein, "or" does not require mutual exclusivity. If not addressed, the deep tissue may retract further into the abdominal cavity and subsequently cause difficulties. The surgeon may suture the deep tissue, e.g., the fascia, while placing the fascia under tension. This can be problematic, however, if reduced-pressure treatment in the area is desired or if the dressing needs to be replaced. Moreover, suturing the deep tissue can at times cause necrosis. At the same time, if the deep tissue, notably the fascia, is not closed, this situation can lead to hernias and other complications.
In addition to accessing the abdominal cavity for reentry, it is desirable to remove fluids. It may also be desirable to provide reduced-pressure therapy to the tissue site, including wounds that may be within the abdominal cavity. Clinical studies and practice have shown that providing a reduced pressure in proximity to a tissue site augments and accelerates the growth of new tissue at the tissue site. The applications of this phenomenon are numerous, but application of reduced pressure has been particularly successful in treating wounds. This treatment (frequently referred to in the medical community as "negative pressure wound therapy," "topical negative pressure," "reduced pressure therapy," or "vacuum therapy") provides a number of benefits, including faster healing and may increase formulation of granulation tissue.

Reduced-pressure, abdominal treatment systems and methods


A liquid crystal display includes a liquid crystal panel assembly with a plurality of pixels, a printed circuit board disposed under the liquid crystal panel assembly, and a plurality of laser diodes disposed on the printed circuit board. The laser diodes are disposed to correspond to substantially respective pixels of the liquid crystal panel assembly. In another embodiment, the liquid crystal display includes a light-guiding layer formed on the laser diodes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a manufacturing method having the same, and more particularly to a light source used in backlighting an LCD.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a liquid crystal display (LCD) includes a pair of panels each having electrodes formed on their inner surfaces, and a dielectric anisotropy liquid crystal layer interposed between the panels. In the LCD, a variation of a voltage difference between field generating electrodes, i.e., a variation in strength of an electric field generated by the electrodes, changes the transmittance of light passing through the LCD, and thus desired images are obtained by controlling the voltage difference between the electrodes.
In the LCD, the light may be a natural light or an artificial light emitted from a light source separately employed in the LCD.
A backlight unit is a representative device for providing the artificial light to the LCD and utilizes light emitting diodes (LEDs) or fluorescent lamps, such as cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs), external electrode fluorescent lamps (EEFLs), etc., as the light source.
Of these, the LEDs have eco-friendly characteristics because they do not use mercury (Hg), and their working lifetime is longer than the lifetimes of any other light sources due to their stable characteristics. For these reasons, the LEDs are particularly in the spotlight as a next-generation light source. However, since red, green, and blue lights, emitted from the LEDs, have wide wavelength ranges, an interference area where the three lights are mixed together becomes wider. Accordingly, color reproducibility of the LCDs employing the LEDs degrades.

Liquid crystal display and manufacturing method thereof


A method for fabricating a conductive layer is provided. First, a substrate is provided and a patterned adhesion layer is formed on the substrate. Next, a chemical plating process is performed to form a first metal layer on the patterned adhesion layer by placing the substrate in an electroplating solution and the electroplating solution is shocked. Thereafter, a second metal layer is formed on the first metal layer by performing a plating process.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for fabricating a conductive layer, and more particularly, to a method for fabricating a conductive layer in a liquid crystal display.
2. Description of Related Art
Nowadays, multimedia technology has been well developed, which is due to the development of semiconductor devices and display apparatuses. As for displays, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) having advantages such as high image display quality, good space utilization, low power consumption and no radiation have gradually become the mainstream products of the market. In general, a liquid crystal display (LCD) mainly includes a thin film transistor TFT) array substrate, a color filter substrate, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the two substrates. Herein, a thin film transistor array is formed by a plurality of thin film transistors and other related peripheral circuits. In practice, the gate, the source, the drain and the peripheral circuits in a thin film transistor are formed by patterning metal materials.
For example, in a thin film transistor array substrate, the gate and the scan line in a thin film transistor are formed by the same patterning process. Prior to the formation of the gate and the scan line, a metal layer is formed on a substrate by a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process. Next, a patterning process is performed to the metal layer to form the gate and the scan line. The patterning process includes steps such as photoresist coating, exposure, lithography, and etching. Therefore, the overall fabrication process is complicated. Further, due to the related materials such as etchants and photomasks and the equipment required for the fabrication, the manufacturing costs cannot be effectively lowered.
In addition, forming a conductive line of a multi-layer structure requires multiple physical vapor deposition processes and an etching process. A common example is a nickel/copper double-layer structure. Since a physical vapor deposition process requires an expensive vacuum deposition equipment, a suitable etchant must be developed for the etching process. For example, in practice, it is not easy to find a suitable etchant that etches copper and nickel at the same time. Therefore, the costs for developing such an etchant cannot be easily reduced.


‘SAKPXC009’ is a new Petunia-Calibrachoa hybrid plant particularly distinguished by its pink flower color, excellent blooming ability and semi-creeping growth habit.

The present invention comprises of a new and distinct cultivar of Petunia-Calibrachoa (Petchoa) referred to by the variety name 'SAKPXC009'. Variety 'SAKPXC009' originated from an intergeneric hybridization in Kakegawa, Japan in October of 2004. The male parent was proprietary hybrid Calibrachoa line '2B-106A-1', which has a white flower color, large flower size and a creeping plant habit. The female parent was proprietary hybrid Petunia line '103K', which has a rose flower color, medium flower size and semi-mounding plant habit.
After crossing the parent lines, 1600 ovules were removed from flowers on the female parent and cultured by standard ovule culture techniques. In March 2005, intergeneric hybrid plantlets were transplanted to soilless media for greenhouse culture and acclimatization.
From July to November 2005, the plants were vegetatively propagated to produce rooted cuttings. Subsequently, the plants were transplanted to an open field and evaluated for flower color and plant growth habit. A plant was selected that had a pink flower color, an excellent blooming ability and semi-creeping plant growth habit. Plants of the selection were vegetatively propagated and then were evaluated in an open field. In June 2006, the breeder confirmed that the distinct characteristics of the selection were fixed and stable. The selection was named 'SAKPXC009'. All breeding work was conducted at Kakegawa Research station in Kakegawa Japan.
Plant Variety Protection for this variety was applied for in Japan on Oct. 8, 2010. 'SAKPXC009' has not been made publicly available more than one year prior to the filing of this application.


A multi-stage variable speed compressor includes a pressure detector provided for each compressor on and after the second stage for detecting a discharge pressure of a compressor of a stage preceding the corresponding compressor or a suction pressure of the corresponding compressor, wherein the control device controls the rotational speeds of the compressor of the first stage using a deviation of discharge pressure from a desired target pressure, and controls the rotational speed of each compressor on and after the second stage based on the discharge pressure of the compressor in a stage before each compressor or the suction pressure of each compressor, using a pressure signal from the pressure detector provided for each compressor on and after the second stage for detecting a discharge pressure of a compressor of a stage preceding the corresponding compressor or a suction pressure of the corresponding compressors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-stage variable speed compressor provided with a plurality of compressors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a multi-stage variable speed compressor has been known, of which an object is to obtain a desired pressure by serially connecting a plurality of compressors to increase pressure step by step, when the desired pressure cannot be obtained using one compressor. A method for controlling such a multi-stage variable speed compressor has already known from Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. Hei 10-82391. This technique is to obtain said target discharge pressure by setting a suction flow rate and a target discharge pressure in a multi-stage variable speed compressor provided with a two-stage compressor.
The control of this multi-stage variable speed compressor is intended to obtain the desired discharge pressure, in such a manner that values to be taken for each part of the multi-stage variable speed compressor, which are corresponding to said setting (for example, a mid-pressure between the two compressor stages, a rotation ratio of the two compressors, the rotational speed and etc.), are previously stored in a control device as operation data, and the control device of the multi-stage variable speed compressor determines operation data corresponding to said setting and controls the multi-stage compressor, so that each part of the multi-stage variable speed compressor is laid to these operation data values.
However, because a multi-stage variable speed compressor is subject to a secular change (for example, loss of gas-tightness, abrasion of bearing parts or the like) while being used and thus its specifications are changed, it may be impossible to obtain a desired pressure even if each part of the multi-stage variable speed compressor is controlled using operation data previously stored as explained in the above.
In addition, it is frequent that a compressor (including a multi-stage) is usually intended to obtain a desired discharge pressure. Accordingly, if a flow rate of working fluid is changed during the operation, the rotational speed of the compressor or the like should be changed in response to the change of flow rate so as to obtain said desired discharge pressure.
For that reason, if the control of a multi-stage variable speed compressor is performed using operation data as in the prior art, it is necessary to prepare operation data corresponding to a flow rate-changing width of working fluid for each of discharge pressures that the multi-stage variable speed compressor can output.
In particular, if it is possible for the multi-stage variable speed compressor to be controlled up to 75% of a flow rate-changing width with a 1% pitch of changing width for one discharge pressure, it is necessary to prepare 75 kinds of operation data. In addition, if it is possible to operate said multi-stage variable speed compressor at a discharge pressure in the range of 2 to 10 kg/cm2 with a 0.1 kg/cm2 pitch of pressure, it is necessary to prepare 80 kinds of operation data. Then, it is required to prepare 6000 (75xc3x9780=6000) kinds of operation data for the multi-stage variable speed compressor and is necessary to prepare a large amount of operation data.
Furthermore, if the multi-stage variable speed compressor is subject to a secular change as explained in the above said large amount of operation data cannot be used. Therefore, it is difficult to say that the prior art can endure a practical use.
Therefore, the present invention is conceived considering the above situation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-stage variable speed compressor, wherein the compressors from the first stage to the final stage are controlled to obtain the desired target pressure.
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a multi-stage variable speed compressor comprising:
a plurality of compressors of which the rotational speeds are variable and which are serially connected each other so that working fluid is compressed step by step;
a pressure detector for detecting a discharge pressure of the compressor of the final stage among said plurality of compressors; and
a control device for controlling the rotational speeds of said plurality of compressors so that the discharge pressure of the compressor of said final stage among said plurality of compressors is laid to a desired target pressure,
wherein said control device inputs a pressure signal detected by said pressure detector, calculates a deviation between said target pressure and said pressure signal, and controls the rotational speeds of said plurality of compressors using said deviation.
As constructed in this manner, the discharge pressure is always controlled to be the desired target pressure. Accordingly, it becomes possible to operate the multi-stage variable speed compressor with a discharge pressure of a good precision. In addition, it becomes possible to perform the control without needing operation data as used in the prior art at all.
The multi-stage variable speed compressor according to the present invention, further comprises a pressure detector provided for each of compressors on and after the second stage among said plurality of compressors and detecting a discharge pressure of a compressor of a stage preceding the corresponding compressor or a suction pressure of the corresponding compressor, wherein said control device can be constructed to control the rotational speed of the compressor of the first stage among said plurality of compressors using said deviation, to input a pressure signal from said pressure detector provided for each of compressors on and after the second stage among said plurality of compressors and detecting a discharge pressure of a compressor of a stage preceding the corresponding compressor or a suction pressure of the corresponding compressor, and to control the rotational speed of each compressor on and after the second stage among said plurality of compressors based on the discharge pressure of the compressor of a stage preceding the corresponding compressor or the suction pressure of the corresponding compressor.
Herein, it is preferred that said control device calculates the rotational speed of the compressor of the first stage among said plurality of compressors by PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) operation rather than the deviation of the discharge pressure of the compressor of the final stage from the target pressure. It is also preferred that said control device calculates the rotational speed of each of compressors on and after the second stage from a discharge pressure of a compressor of a stage preceding the corresponding compressor or a suction pressure of the corresponding compressor by PID operation.
In addition, said discharge pressure of a compressor of a stage preceding the corresponding compressor and the suction pressure of the corresponding compressor are substantially equal if a structure such as a throttle valve or the like which causes a change of pressure is not interposed between the preceding compressor and the corresponding compressor.
According to said construction, the control for allowing the discharge pressure of the final stage to be laid to the desired target pressure is performed with a good precision.
Also, the multi-stage variable speed compressor according to the present invention further comprises a pressure detector for detecting a discharge pressure of the corresponding compressor with regard to compressors except the final stage compressor among said plurality of compressors, wherein said control device can be constructed in such a manner as to feed-back control the rotational speed of a compressor of each stage based on a pressure deviation between a target discharge pressure given to a compressor of each stage and a pressure from the pressure detector for detecting said discharge pressure of each stage, for all of said plurality of compressors. Herein, it is preferred that said target pressure of the discharge pressure given to each stage is determined in connection to said target pressure of the discharge pressure of the final stage compressor.
Herein, it is preferred to construct in such a manner that said target pressure of the discharge pressure given to each stage is determined using said target pressure of discharge pressure of the final stage and a compression ratio of a compressor of each stage.
Further, in the multi-stage variable speed compressor according to the present invention, it is possible to construct said control device in such a manner as to determine the rotational speed of each compressor based on said deviation, for all of said plurality number of compressors, for all of said plurality of compressors, wherein the relationship between the rotational speeds of respective stages is previously set.
For example, it is possible to construct said control device in such a manner as to determine the rotational speed of the compressor of the first stage among said plurality of compressors based on said deviation, and to determine the rotational speed of each of the compressors on and after the second stage among said plurality of compressors based on data that previously set the relationship between the rotational speed of the compressor of the first stage and the rotational speed of each of the compressors on and after the second stage. Herein, it is preferred to construct in such a manner that the rotational speed of the compressor of the first stage is determined by performing PID operation of said deviation.
According to this construction, the rotational speeds of compressors of respective stages can be determined instantaneously at the same time, whereby the control has an immediate response characteristic.
Further, in the multi-stage variable speed compressor according to the present invention, it is possible to construct said control device in such a manner as to calculate a change rate of the rotational speed of compressor in the first stage among said plurality of compressors, and to be switched to determine the rotational speed of each compressor based on said deviation if said change rate is larger than a predetermined threshold value, for all of said plurality of compressors, wherein the relationship between the rotational speeds of respective stages are previously set.
According to this construction, the multi-stage variable speed compressor is controlled with a good precision by sequentially controlling the rotational speed of each compressor based on a discharge pressure of a compressor in a stage preceding the corresponding compressor or the suction pressure of the corresponding compressor if said change rate is small, while the control immediately responsive to the change is performed by determining the rotational speed of each compressor instantaneously at the same time based on the relationship between the rotational speed of said each stage if said change rate is large. In this manner, the control methods are precisely classified and used, as occasion requires, whereby the control capability of the multi-stage variable speed compressor is enhanced.
It is possible to construct the multi-stage variable speed compressor according to the present invention in such a manner that all or some of suction ports of said plurality of compressors are connected each other and each of interconnected conduit lines is provided with a control valve.
According to this construction, it is possible that the discharge pressure of the multi-stage variable speed compressor is laid to a target pressure using some of the compressors when it is not required to operate all of the compressors to obtain the desired target pressure. Due to this, it is economical because electric power to be consumed is suppressed as compared to the case that all of the compressors are operated.
In the multi-stage variable speed compressor according to present invention, it is possible to construct said control device in such a manner as to automatically stop said multi-stage variable speed compressor, when said multi-stage variable speed compressor is operated below the rotational speed at which it can normally operate.
Generally, in a compressor, if the rotational speed of a compressor is low, the working fluid may flow backward or stay within the compressor once compressed. In this case, there is problem in that if the working fluid is compressed again, the working fluid becomes a high temperature and aversely affects machines. However, the construction as explained in the above can solve said problem.

Independent rotational speed control of multi-stage variable speed compressor

Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)


A method, performed in a long term evolution (LTE) communications network, of facilitating handover of a mobile communication device from a source node to a target node includes receiving, in the target node, downlink user data packets forwarded from the source node via a first interface, receiving, in the target node, downlink user packets from an external source via a second interface, buffering the received user data packets during handover prior to sending to the mobile communication device, ordering the downlink data packets in the target node based on the interface from which the data packets are received, and sending the ordered downlink data packets from the target node to the mobile communication device after completion of handover from the source node to the target node.

In mobile telecommunications networks, there is a requirement for User Equipment (UE) to handover from one base station to another. In the 3GPP, there has been recently proposed a procedure defined in the control plane (C-plane) for handover (HO) from a source eNodeB to a target eNodeB. The various acronyms applicable to 3 G communications will of course be familiar to those skilled in the art but a glossary is appended for the benefit of lay readers.

Facilitating method for handover of a mobile communication device


A method and apparatus for forming NO-containing gas flow to treat a biologic object are disclosed. The NO-containing gas flow is formed from a source gas comprising at least oxygen and nitrogen in a housing (1) comprising at least two electrodes (2,3) insulated from each other, a stationary dc arc discharge being generated and maintained between the electrodes. The NO-containing gas flow is formed from the source gas in the area between the electrodes (2,3) under the effect of the arc discharge and withdrawn through a cooled channel, enabling nitrogen oxide to be fixed in the flow and the temperature of the flow and the NO content therein to be brought to values required to provide efficient therapy of a biologic object.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to medical equipment and more specifically to means for providing treatment of a biological object with mixed gases containing nitrogen oxide. The invention is suitable for treating various pathological processes in general, abdominal, thoracic, purulent, vascular and anaplastic surgery, oncology, urology, combustiology, dentistry, ophthalmology, neurosurgery and other fields of medicine.
2. State of the Art
A method for preparing a mixture containing air and nitrogen oxide for treating medical pathologies by directly supplying the mixture to a certain patient's organ, taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,882, Cl. A 61 M 11/00, publ. Mar. 14, 1995, comprises the steps of injecting air through an inlet channel into a spark-discharge chamber in the system; applying a high-voltage potential to a set of electrodes separated by an air gap and accommodated in the spark-discharge chamber, the high-voltage potential having an adequate peak value to generate a spark discharge in the air gap; producing a mixture of air with nitrogen oxide by the spark discharge between the electrodes under the effect of the high-voltage potential, and immediately supplying the produced air/nitrogen oxide mixture via an outlet system adapted to instantly deliver the mixed gas to a certain organ of a patient's body.
The prior art method is implemented in a system for continuously producing a mixture containing air and nitrogen oxide and intended for treating medical pathologies which need direct delivery of the mixture to an organ of a patient's body, the system comprising a spark-discharge chamber with a pair of electrodes separated by an air gap to produce nitrogen oxide by a spark discharge between the electrodes; an electric circuit for applying a high-voltage potential to the electrodes, said high-voltage potential having an adequate peak value to generate a spark discharge in the air gap; an inlet channel for supplying air into the spark-discharge chamber to produce air/nitrogen oxide mixture therein; an outlet system for directing the produced air/nitrogen oxide mixture to an organ of a patient body, the outlet system and the spark-discharge chamber being dimensioned and arranged so that to provide immediate distribution of the produced mixture from the outlet.
However, the prior art method and apparatus can be practiced only using a spark discharge as an electric discharge to produce the air/nitrogen oxide mixture.
The above method and apparatus suffer the following disadvantages:
1. Production of nitrogen oxide is intermittent because the high voltage feeding the electrical discharge is applied to the electrodes at a frequency of 50 or 60 Hz.
2. The electrodes are extremely prone to erosion which is unavoidable in spark discharges, this reducing the operation life of the apparatus and contaminating the produced air/nitrogen oxide mixture with particles of the electrode material.
3. Ozone molecules are formed in the spark discharge due to both ultra-violet radiation and impacts of electrons (since the energy of electrons is rather high) in accordance with the following reactions (where M is any reacting particle):e+O2→O+O−e+O2→O+O+eO+O2+M→O3+Mtherefore, the produced mixed gas will contain ozone molecules because the spark discharge is incapable of heating gas to the temperature of ozone decomposition and turning back to oxygen.
4. The apparatus that uses a spark discharge for producing air/nitrogen oxide mixture will inevitably be a source of radio-frequency noise (both on air and in line), this causing a problem of electromagnetic compatibility with electronic equipment used in resuscitation departments and surgery rooms.
5. Restricted content of nitrogen oxide in the mixed gas produced by a spark discharge may reduce efficiency of managing some pathologic processes, such as septic and chronic wounds, necrotic injures of tissues, etc.
The aforementioned deficiencies can be overcome by the use of a stationary arc discharge supported by a high-frequency or direct current in the apparatus instead of the spark discharge, preferably by the use of a direct current (dc) discharge to alleviate the magnetic compatibility problem.
However, the use of the dc arc discharge (along with high-frequency one) is infeasible in the prior art apparatus due to the lack of a system for forced cooling of the electrodes and air/nitrogen oxide mixture produced by such discharge.

Method and device for forming an no-containing gas flow for affecting a biological object