A facility for transferring configuration information to a target media device is described. The facility receives in the target media device a copy of media device settings stored in a source media device distinct from the target media device in a first form in which they are used in the source media device. This copy of media device settings is received by the target media device via a route other than its visual user interface. The facility causes the received copy of media device settings to be transformed into a second form in which they can be used in the target media device. The facility then stores the media receiver settings in the second form in the target media device for use by the target media device.

Home media receivers include such devices as set-top boxes for satellite and cable television services; digital video recorders; Internet-connected audio and video streaming devices; etc. It is common for a home media receiver to store configuration information; for example, many set top boxes and digital video recorders store "timers": state representing outstanding requests made by a user to record a program.

Automatically or semi-automatically transferring configuration information in connection with a media device upgrade


A multi-image single passive sensor depth recovery system is disclosed to determine the depth of an object in a scene, and includes a passive imaging sensor which images radiation from an object at a sensor plane. A lens having a multiplicity of facets located on its surface nearest the object is placed in optical communication with the sensor so that each facet directs radiation from the object to sensor plane to form a corresponding image of the object thereon. The size and shape of each of the facets are selected to position each image on the sensor plane at a predetermined position thereon.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to an apparatus and a method to determine the depth of an object in a scene, and, more particularly, to a multi-image, single sensor depth recovery system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Previously, many depth recovery systems attempted to extract depth from a scene by mimicking the human binocular stereo depth perception system to produce two or more images, each image being viewed from a different environmental, i.e., spatially separated, point. In order for these depth recovery systems to operate properly, two separate but interconnected aspects must be considered and implemented. These aspects are the available hardware and software components that are to be used in constructing the depth recovery system.
On the hardware side, many of these systems require the use of multiple sensors, such as CCD cameras, and typically employ one sensor per desired image. Other systems replace the multiple sensor array with a single sensor that is moved with respect to the scene in a precisely known manner with sequential data being taken and associated with the different environmental points of the known sensor movement.
Both the multiple sensor array and single moving sensor systems attempt to simulate the apparently simple human binocular system, but each results in incredible hardware and computational complexity as their implementation is actually attempted.
Among the common problems of such multiple or moving sensor systems is the difficulty in maintaining real-time computational calibration of each of the sensors forming the system. This is an especially critical problem since depth analysis processing of the system data often requires precise sensor location and known movement to provide useful data. When possibly chaotic and unsteady movement of the sensor platform is considered, the time required for depth analysis processing of the data stream from the sensors increases to the point of rendering real-time analysis of a scene extremely difficult if not practically impossible. Likewise, the possibly chaotic and unsteady movement of the sensor platform often results in high correlation errors in its depth analysis with that of the physical scene.
Likewise, on the software or computational algorithm implementation side, numerous methods for computation of depth from multiple images derived from multiple sensors have been developed over the last 20 or so years.
Typically, as a necessary step in extracting depth from a scene, these depth analysis computational algorithms assume some sort of constraint on the possible locations for matching points or features between multiple images viewed from different environmental points. In the simplest case, two images are used (see FIG. 1), which enables accurate depth recovery in many cases, but forces difficult problems in finding corresponding points between images, aligning sensors, calibrating algorithms, and digitizing images. For repetitive and highly textured surfaces, depth recovery from two stereo images obtained from two cameras becomes completely ambiguous. Multiple camera methods can simplify the problem of finding corresponding image points and eliminate any ambiguity from repetitive textures, but at the expense of increasing the quantity of data to process (and potentially the computer processing time) while simultaneously increasing difficulty in the calibration of the multiple sensors.
A primary barrier to the use of a multi-image lens in conjunction with a single imaging sensor, is the small baseline separation between image centers, normally a few millimeters. With such a small baseline separation, poor accuracy of depth measurements is likely. Consequently, some previous attempts have used large, cumbersome mirror systems to reflect two images of a scene to the same sensor. These systems are prone to error in calibration, and are both large and difficult to move rendering them useless for moving sensor platforms such as on vehicles.
Recent multi-image stereo algorithms, however, have been developed with the capability to use very small baseline separations of the order of a few millimeters and still obtain accurate depth to near objects. These systems use multi-camera arrangements or accurate camera positioning to achieve sufficient sensor, and hence baseline, separation of the images for processing purposes.
A traditional two sensor stereo system using cameras as sensors is shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 1 two cameras 10 and 12 are positioned in a known spatial relationship to one another and accurately held in this spatial relationship to maintain integrity of the data stream during processing to determine depth of object 14 in the scene being viewed by the cameras.
Typically in this structure, the optical axes 16 and 18 of the two cameras 10 and 12 respectively, are accurately aligned to be both parallel and vertical to one another. The translational separation between the aligned optical axes of the two cameras is called the baseline.
The light rays 22 and 24 from the surface of object 14 are respectively directed by imaging arrays 26 and 28 to cameras 10 and 12 where each camera forms a data stream corresponding to the view of object 14 as would be seen by an observer located at the environmental point occupied by each respective camera.
Once the cameras are aligned, the difference in position of the same environmental point between the two images (known as disparity or parallax), together with the known geometry of the two camera system, can be used to compute the depth to the environmental point using known geometric principles.
This approach, however, requires not only an accurate initial and maintained alignment of the sensors, but further suffers from the fact that it is extremely difficult to search the produced sensor data stream to find corresponding points in the two environmentally displaced images.
A three or more sensor system using cameras is shown in FIG. 2 where elements similar to those described above for FIG. 1 are indicated by a prime appearing on a similar reference numeral.
In FIG. 2, multiple cameras 10' are positioned in a known spatial relationship to one another and accurately held in this spatial relationship to maintain integrity of the data stream during processing to determine depth of the object 14' in the scene being viewed by the cameras.
Typically in this structure, the optical axes 16' of each of the cameras 10' are accurately aligned to be both parallel and vertical to one another. The translational separation between the aligned optical axes of the cameras is called the baseline.
The light rays 22' the surface of object 14' are respectively directed by imaging arrays 26' to each of the cameras 10' so that each camera 10' forms a data stream corresponding to the view of object 14' as would be seen by an observer located at the environmental point occupied by each respective camera 10'.
Once the cameras are aligned, the difference in position of the same environmental point between each of the images (known as disparity or parallax), together with the known geometry of the multiple camera system, can be used to compute the depth to the environmental point using known geometric principles.
The advantage of this three or more sensor system over the two sensor system shown in FIG. 1, is that the addition of data from three or more environmentally displaced sensors imposes additional constraints on the location in the image and produced data stream from the sensors where corresponding points may be found, thus somewhat reducing the processing time required to find the corresponding points to more manageable proportions than that found in the two camera system described above.
The disadvantage of this three or more sensor system over the two sensor system shown in FIG. 1, is that each of the sensors must be accurately aligned and positioned, or if a single sensor is translated along a known direction, its instantaneous position must be continuously known to a high degree of accuracy for useful processing of the produced data stream.
In an article appearing in IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence Vol. 14, No. 2, February 1992, pp. 99 to 106, titled "Single Lens Stereo with a Plenoptic Camera", E. H. Adelson and J. Y. A. Wang described a single sensor method for obtaining depth to environmental points in a scene which uses a device which they call a plenoptic camera. The plenoptic camera uses a optical system called a lenticular array consisting of an array of microlenses. Each microlens forms an image of the main lens aperture onto the sensor plane. (See FIG. 6 on page 102 of this article).
The system proposed here uses a multi-image lens instead of a lenticular array as proposed in the article. Multi-image lenses are commercially available with a wide range in the number of facets they possess. In the present system, multiple images are formed through the multi-image lens onto whatever optics the original sensor uses.

Multi-image single sensor depth recovery system


A slave electronic flash unit is removably mounted on a camera having a built-in electronic flash device and generates an auxiliary flash when a part of the flash generated by the built-in electronic flash device is directly detected by a photosensor. A slave electronic flash unit used in combination with a camera of a variable focal length can be flashed only when the camera is set to a telephotography mode in which an exposure is made that would otherwise be under-exposed.

This invention relates to a slave electronic flash unit for a camera and more particularly to a slave electronic flash unit used together with a camera having a built-in electronic flash and adapted to generate an auxiliary flash in order to compensate inadequacy of the light from the built-in electronic flash.
When flash photography is performed using a camera having a built-in electronic flash (hereinafter simply referred to as a "camera"), if the flash from the built-in electronic flash is the only available light, there may be insufficient light when the distance to an object to be photographed is great. In such a case, in addition to having a built-in electronic flash, a conventional electronic flash unit can be employed as an auxiliary light source in order to compensate the insufficient light. In order to employ a conventional electronic flash unit, a hot shoe having a terminal for transmitting a synchronized signal is mounted on the camera, and then the conventional electronic flash unit is mounted on this shoe. However, if a hot shoe is to be mounted on the camera, the number of the component parts and the number of assembly steps are increased, resulting in high cost of the camera. Also, this is not desirable from the viewpoint of providing a compact camera and achieving an aesthetically pleasing design.
Under these above-mentioned circumstances, a camera such as "RICOH FF70D" (brand name, manufactured by Ricoh Co., Ltd., Japan) is known, in which a slave electronic flash unit for generating an auxiliary flash in addition to that of the built-in flash can be utilized as an auxiliary light source. An adapter for the slave electronic flash is provided as an accessory for this camera. This adapter comprises an L-shaped bracket, a photosensor and an accessory shoe mounted on the L-shaped bracket. The adapter is secured to the camera by the tripod mounting screw hole. During flash photography utilizing this slave electronic flash unit, first, the built-in electronic flash device is actuated by a synchronized signal which is in synchronism with the shutter and generates a flash to illuminate the object. Then when a part of the flash reflected by the object and returned is detected by the photosensor, the slave electronic flash unit mounted on the accessory shoe is actuated to direct the auxiliary flash toward the object.
However, in such a slave electronic flash unit, the photosensor of the adapter is disposed in such a manner as to face forward of the camera so that the sensor can receive the reflected light from the object, and as a result it is adversely affected by light from the surroundings. For example, in the event that a plurality of cameras are used as in an indoor photography contest, there is the drawback that the slave electronic flash unit can accidentally flash at an unexpected time because it responds to a flash generated by a built-in type or mounted-type electronic flash device used in adjacent cameras.

Slave electronic flash unit for a camera


A method for reducing impurities in magnesium comprises: combining a zirconium-containing material with a molten low-impurity magnesium including no more than 1.0 weight percent of total impurities in a vessel to provide a mixture; holding the mixture in a molten state for a period of time sufficient to allow at least a portion of the zirconium-containing material to react with at least a portion of the impurities and form intermetallic compounds; and separating at least a portion of the molten magnesium in the mixture from at least a portion of the intermetallic compounds to provide a purified magnesium including greater than 1000 ppm zirconium. A purified magnesium including at least 1000 ppm zirconium and methods for producing zirconium metal using magnesium reductant also are disclosed.

The predominant market for magnesium metal currently is in the alloying of aluminum. The strength and light weight of certain magnesium-containing aluminum alloys makes the alloys well suited for use in various aerospace, automotive, and electronic components. Magnesium metal also is commonly used as a desulfurization agent in processes for refining ferrous metals, as well as in the production of titanium and zirconium metal. In the well-known Kroll process for producing titanium metal, TiCl4 is reduced to titanium metal by reaction with an excess of liquid magnesium at high temperature according to the following equation:2Mg(l)+TiCl4(g)→2MgCl2(l)+Ti(s)The magnesium chloride product can be further refined back to magnesium. The porous metallic titanium sponge produced in the reduction process may be purified by leaching or heated vacuum distillation.
Since the 1950's, the industrial production of zirconium metal has principally relied on the use of magnesium as a reducing agent. In typical zirconium metal production methods, approximately one part of magnesium (by weight) is required as a reducing agent to yield one part of zirconium metal sponge from zirconium (IV) chloride (i.e., zirconium tetrachloride) according to a well-known adaptation of the Kroll reduction process. Given the significant amount of magnesium required in the Kroll process per unit zirconium metal produced, at least a portion of any impurities present in the magnesium will be incorporated into the zirconium product. Therefore, it is important to carefully control the quality of magnesium used in the Kroll process in order to produce a highly pure zirconium product.
Impurities that are of concern in zirconium production include, for example, iron, aluminum, and nitrogen, and all of these elements may be present as impurities in a magnesium reductant. Iron is a common material used in the construction of magnesium refining equipment, and although iron has a relatively low solubility in molten magnesium (approximately 0.12 weight percent at 800° C.), this impurity level still represents a significant potential contributor to iron impurities in zirconium metal produced by the Kroll process. Aluminum contamination in magnesium reductant may originate from aluminosilicates entrained in brines used as starting material in magnesium production. Nitrogen impurities can form in magnesium when liquid magnesium contacts ambient air and, despite cover gases used in the course of magnesium refining, significant opportunities exist for this mode of nitrogen contamination.
Zirconium production, unlike many other processes in which magnesium is used, requires meeting strict limits on the levels of impurities. Top-quality zirconium metal is highly pure and unalloyed with other elements, and achieving this level of purity demands judicious management of starting materials. As examples, top-quality zirconium includes less than 1000 ppm iron and less than 100 ppm aluminum. As new alloys are developed and as zirconium customers seek to improve their products over time, the impurities limits for zirconium are expected to become even more restrictive. Nitrogen is an especially deleterious impurity in zirconium because it forms nitrides with zirconium. Excessive nitrogen can lead to large zirconium nitride regions, which are insoluble during zirconium melting and may significantly reduce product quality. Zirconium nitride inclusions in a cast zirconium metal are relatively hard regions and can be the source of voids or cracks as the zirconium metal is worked.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a method for reducing impurities in magnesium used as a reductant in the production of zirconium metal by the Kroll process, thereby improving the purity of the zirconium metal product. More generally, it would be advantageous to provide an improved method for reducing impurities in magnesium provided for any end use.

Methods for reducing impurities in magnesium, purified magnesium, and zirconium metal production


A fuel injector includes a forward end wall and an aft end wall. The fuel injector further includes side walls that extend between the forward end wall and the aft end wall. The forward end wall, the aft end wall, and the side walls collectively define an opening for passage of air. At least one fuel injection member is disposed within the opening and extends between the end walls. A fuel circuit is defined within the fuel injector. The fuel circuit includes an inlet plenum defined within the forward end wall of the fuel injector. The fuel circuit further includes a fuel passage that extends from, and is in fluid communication with, the inlet plenum. The fuel passage is defined within the at least one fuel injection member. The fuel passage has a cross-sectional area that varies along a length of the fuel injection member.

Turbomachines are utilized in a variety of industries and applications for energy transfer purposes. For example, a gas turbine engine generally includes a compressor section, a combustion section, a turbine section, and an exhaust section. The compressor section progressively increases the pressure of a working fluid entering the gas turbine engine and supplies this compressed working fluid to the combustion section. The compressed working fluid and a fuel (e.g., natural gas) mix within the combustion section and burn in a combustion chamber to generate high pressure and high temperature combustion gases. The combustion gases flow from the combustion section into the turbine section where they expand to produce work. For example, expansion of the combustion gases in the turbine section may rotate a rotor shaft connected, e.g., to a generator to produce electricity. The combustion gases then exit the gas turbine via the exhaust section.
In some combustors, the generation of combustion gases occurs at two, spaced stages. Such combustors are referred to herein as including an "axial fuel staging" (AFS) system, which delivers fuel and an oxidant to one or more fuel injectors downstream of the head end of the combustor. In a combustor with an AFS system, a primary fuel nozzle at an upstream end of the combustor injects fuel and air (or a fuel/air mixture) in an axial direction into a primary combustion zone, and an AFS fuel injector located at a position downstream of the primary fuel nozzle injects fuel and air (or a second fuel/air mixture) as a cross-flow into a secondary combustion zone downstream of the primary combustion zone. The cross-flow is generally transverse to the flow of combustion products from the primary combustion zone. In some cases, it is desirable to introduce the fuel and air into the secondary combustion zone as a mixture. Therefore, the mixing capability of the AFS injector influences the overall operating efficiency and/or emissions of the gas turbine.
Typically, AFS injectors include hollow injection members having multiple fuel outlets that inject fuel to be mixed with air prior to combustion within the secondary combustion zone. However, issues exist with the use of hollow fuel injection members. For example, recirculation of fuel within the hollow injection members and a non-uniform pressure drop of the fuel across each of the many fuel outlets may cause an unequal distribution of fuel within the fuel injector. Both the recirculation and the non-uniform pressure drop within the fuel injection member can result in non-uniform mixing of fuel and air within the fuel injector, which causes a loss in the overall operating efficiency of the gas turbine.
Accordingly, an improved fuel injector, which is capable of uniformly distributing fuel along its entire length, is desired in the art. In particular, a fuel injector that advantageously minimizes recirculation and flow vortices and that equalizes pressure drop along its entire length, which thereby reduces the overall emissions of the gas turbine, is desired.


The present application discloses a shift-register circuit including a shift-register unit and a shutdown-discharge sub-circuit. The shift-register unit is coupled to a clock port, a first reference voltage port, a second reference voltage port, and an output port and configured to set a voltage level at a pull-up node to control a clock signal from the clock port being outputted to the output port to drive a display panel during a display period. The shutdown discharge sub-circuit is configured to at least simultaneously receive at least one shutdown signal at a first voltage level from a shutdown-discharge control port and a second signal at the first voltage level from the second reference voltage port to start a shutdown period to discharge at least one of the pull-up node and the output port.

Most conventional flat panel displays adopt shift-register circuits to replace gate-driving chips to drive image display for reducing manufacture cost and production cycle time. When the flat panel display is shut down, it needs to release charges on all pixels to make the whole panel dark to avoid shutdown image abnormity. A conventional way to shutdown the display panel is to push all control signals inputted to the shift-register circuit to higher voltage level so that the voltage level at the output port also is pushed higher. Thus, all switch transistors connected to the pixel are turned on to release the charges therein. Because the power supply to the display panel has been cut after shutdown, all control signals that are inputted to the shift-register circuit will fall back to ground level. However, it is difficult to fully release the charges inside the shift-register circuit before all control signals fall back to the ground level. After multiple continuously switching on and off process, the non-released charges will result in abnormity in the shift-register circuit.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Shift-register circuit, a driving method thereof, and related display apparatus

Hefei Xinsheng Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.


The present disclosure provides a temperature detection circuit. The temperature detection circuit includes: a first comparator, the first comparator having a first negative input terminal, a first positive input terminal and a first output terminal, the first negative input terminal being connected with an output terminal of a temperature sensor, the first positive input terminal being connected with a first reference voltage terminal; a monostable trigger, an input terminal of the monostable trigger being connected with the first output terminal of the first comparator; a low pass filter, an input terminal of the low pass filter being connected with an output terminal of the monostable trigger. The present disclosure further provides a temperature sensor device and a display device.

Since the screen integrated temperature sensor has the advantage of not requiring additional extra temperature sensor(s) and being capable of detecting the temperature of the screen as long as being in contact with the screen, and is convenient to use and thus has been widely applied.
In the prior art, the temperature sensor is generally constituted by a ring oscillator, and the temperature detection circuit generally comprises a comparator connected with the ring oscillator. The AC signal output by the ring oscillator is shaped into a square wave signal through the comparator, and the square wave signal is counted by a processor, so as to obtain a frequency of the ring oscillator, and obtain the current screen temperature based on the frequency.
However, since generally the master clock frequency of the processor is limited, when the output frequency of the oscillator is relatively high (reaching above MHZ), it is difficult for the processor to count correctly, causing the temperature detection circuit fail to detect the temperature accurately.

Temperature detection circuit, temperature sensor device and display device

BEIJING BOE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD.


A data interfacing apparatus for interfacing a frame memory with upper and lower address electrode drivers in an alternating current type plasma display panel system is disclosed. The data interfacing apparatus includes a pair of provisional storing sections for provisionally storing RGB data supplied from the frame memory and a shift signal generator for generating a clock signal to provide the clock signal to the respective provisional storing sections. Each of the provisional storing sections includes N shift registers consisting of M delayed flip-flops. Respective input terminals of the shift registers are connected to N output terminals of the frame memory one-to-one. The respective shift registers shift M times the RGB data, which is transferred to the respective input terminals by one bit from the frame memory, and provisionally latch N.times.M bits RGB data in response to a clock signal. The shift signal generator produces M shift signals by using a first signal which represents a start of a horizontal line and a second signal which is a system reference clock, and then produces the clock signal by using a third signal whose logical level is alternately inverted by the period of the horizontal line and the M shift signals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flat panel display apparatus and, more particularly, to a data interfacing apparatus for interfacing between a frame memory and an address electrode driving means for driving address electrodes of a flat panel display system which uses a red-green-blue(RGB) strip-type plasma display panel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Customers of television sets have demanded slim display apparatus which have wide screen. Since existing cathode ray tube (CRT) equipments have started reveal limitations in fulfilling such a demand, they are replaced by a so-called flat panel display (FPD) apparatuses that has a wide and slim display area. Further, many research projects in FPD field are globally in process.
The FPD apparatus is largely divided into an emissive device and a non-emissive device. The emissive device, usually called an active emitting device, is a device which emits a light by itself. Typical examples of the emissive devices are a field emission display (FED) device, a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) type device, an electro-luminescence (EL) type device, a plasma display panel (PDP) and the like. The non-emissive device is called a passive light emitting device, and there are examples of the non-emissive device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, an electro-chromic display (ECD), an electro-phoretic display (EPID) and the like.
Currently, the LCD device occupies a main stream of production in electric and electronis goods such as desk clocks, calculators, lap-top computers and the like. Although this device can be adopted to television sets having a screen size of more than 21 inches, it has also shown the limitations in manufacturing process of panels and in obtaining satisfiable products. Further, it has problems of having a narrow visual field angle and a response rate varies subject to a temperature change. Due to a capability of solving these problems of the LCD device, the PDP newly attracts public attention as a next generation FPD.
Since, in principle, the PDP emits a light by itself similarly to that of a fluorescent lamp, it has uniform brightness and a high contrast although a screen area of the PDP is as wide as a screen area of the CRT. In addition, the PDP has a visual field angle of more than 140 degrees and above, and is well-known as the best and widest screen display device which has a screen size of 21 to 55 inches. The panel manufacturing process of the PDP is simplified as compared with that of the LCD device and thereby saves a manufacturing cost. However, because the manufacturing cost of the PDP is more expensive than that of the CRT, manufacturers have sought to reduce the manufacturing cost.
The plasma display is largely classified as a direct current (DC) type and an alternating current (AC) type according to a structural difference of a discharge cell thereof and a form of a driving voltage based on the structural difference. The DC type is driven by a DC voltage whereas the AC type is driven by a sinusoidal AC voltage or by a pulse voltage. The AC type includes such a structure that a dielectric layer covers an electrode to be served as a current regulation resistor. On the other hand, the DC type includes such a structure that an electrode is exposed to a discharge room as it is and a discharge current comes to flow during a supply of the discharge voltage. Because the AC type has the electrode which is covered with the dielectric, it is more durable than the DC type. The AC type has a further advantage in that a wall electric charge which is generated on a surface of the dielectric as a result of a polarization causes the cell to have a memory function therein, and is more applicable than others in the field of display devices.
A color PDP includes a structure of three terminals wherein a special electrode is installed in order to improve discharge characteristics thereof. Namely, the 3-terminal structure comprises three electrodes per unit cell for a display which are an address electrode for entering data, a maintenance electrode for sequentially scanning a line and for maintaining a cell discharge, and a bus electrode for helping a discharge maintenance.
A number of the address electrode for entering data is determined in accordance with a horizontal resolution. For example, in a case where samples of the red, green and blue colors per line are 853, a total number of the samples amounts to 2559. Therefore, a required number of the address electrodes is also 2559. In a case where an arrangement of the address electrode has a strip form, red, green and blue electrodes are arranged repeatedly.
As described above, because a circuit arrangement of an electrode driving section is restricted to a consideration of a space utilization when thousands of the address electrodes are arranged on one side, an upper and lower electrode driving system is adapted wherein section for driving 1280 electrodes, which are ordered in an odd-numbered sequence, are arranged at an upper end portion of a panel whereas section for driving 1279 electrodes, which are ordered in an even-numbered sequence, are arranged at a lower end portion thereof (refer to U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,838).
Meanwhile, in order to display a TV signal of a system of national television system committee (NTSC) on the PDP, a data processing section converts an interlaced scanning system into a sequential scanning system, and also converts data into data of a subfield system for a PDP contrast-processing. Further, the data processing section provides 1280 RGB pixel data per line to the electrode driving section for driving the upper and lower address electrodes of the panel of the PDP in harmony with the arrangement of the address electrode.
Conventionally, a video data processing section of the PDP includes a data rearranging section for rearranging digital RGB sample data into subfield data for the contrast-processing, a frame memory section for converting one scanning system into the other, a data interfacing section, and a timing control section.
A composite video signal received through an antenna is processed into an analog signal by a video/audio signal processing section, and the analog signal is converted into a digital video signal by an analog-to-digital converting section. This digital video signal is transferred in turn through the data rearranging section, the frame memory section and the data interfacing section to an address electrode driving section of a data stream type which is suitable for contrast-processing of the PDP. For suitable timing-controls to respective sections, the timing controlling section generates timing control signals for respective sections by frequency-dividing a main clock signal.
The data interfacing section has roles of storing a horizontal line data sequentially outputted from the frame memory section and outputting the horizontal line data suitable for input order of the address electrode driving section. The data interfacing section needs a storing capacity of at least 5118 bits in order to simultaneously input and output the horizontal line data that amount to 2559 bits (853 bits.times.3) in a color PDP-TV whose one horizontal line consists of 853 pixels. Generally, the data interfacing section has two data interfacing chips in the PDP-TV with dual address electrodes, each of upper and lower data interfacing chips needs of a storing capacity at least 2559 bits.
There has been a prior PDP-TV system using a delayed flip-flop as a storing logic of the data interfacing chip. In the prior PDP-TV system, the data interfacing chip has to includes 2592 delayed flip-flops, which are usually designed as a matrix structure of 48 rows by 54 columns, to store the horizontal line data (2559 bits). Since 48 (bits).times.54 (times) output data from the frame memory section have to be separately transferred to respective 2592 delayed flip-flops, a pattern of connection paths between the frame memory section and the respective 2592 delayed flip-flops becomes very complex. It is hard to design a data interfacing chip which has such a logic. Furthermore, many control signals are necessary for controlling the 2592 delayed flip-flops and such a data interfacing chip is not flexible for increasing a storing capacity.
On the other hand, the data interfacing chip includes two provisional storing logics and each provisional storing logic consists of 2559 delayed flip-flops. This configuration of the data interfacing chip purposes for a continuity of a data flow in input and output operations by simultaneously performing receipt of a current horizontal line data from the frame memory and outputting the previously received horizontal line data. A logic for selecting one between the two provisional storing logics to store the data transferred from the frame memory is necessary, and a demultiplexer has been used for the logic. For example, when an amount of output data transferred every time from the frame memory is 48 bits, an input pin number of the demultiplexer should be 48 and every output pin of the demultiplexer should be connected to 5184 delayed flip-flops which consist of the two provisional storing logics. Besides, an additional logic for controlling input and output operations of the demultiplexer is necessary. Accordingly, connection paths between the frame memory and the two provisional storing logics of the data interfacing chip become very complicated and it is hard to design the data interfacing chip with such complicated connection paths.

Data interfacing apparatus of AC type plasma display panel system


The protective sleeve for a motor component of the present invention is obtained by braiding multifilament yarns made of synthetic fibers into a cylindrical braided cord of at least 24 strands. The multifilament yarns have a single-yarn fineness of at least 15 dtex but less than 30 dtex and the yarn total fineness of a single braid unit of the braided cord is in the range of 800 to 1500 dtex. This protective sleeve has good covering properties and few voids. Therefore, a protective sleeve for a motor component is provided that has high partial discharge characteristics (electrical insulation performance) and good electrical insulation properties even when a step of washing away the raw yarn oil solution applied to the filaments was omitted.

Conventionally, there have been demands for achieving both a decrease in hazardous substances contained in the exhaust gas emitted from vehicles and an increase in gas mileage. In recent years, there have been further demands for reducing the load on the environment globally. Against this background, the development of electric vehicles has been promoted. Electric vehicles currently being developed or produced include, for example, a pure electric vehicle (PEV) equipped with a high capacity secondary battery, a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) in which, for example, a gasoline engine and a high power secondary battery are combined, and further a fuel cell vehicle (FCV) in which, for example, a fuel cell and a high power secondary battery are combined. In any of these cases, the development of a high-efficiency motor is required. Such motors include driving motors, electricity generating motors, and electric charging motors. It also has been strongly demanded to stabilize the quality of the motors in terms of the running stability, in addition to an increase in efficiency. Especially, motors for electric vehicles are required to have excellent oil resistance at high temperatures as compared with motors for common vehicles. In order to improve the efficiency, motors for electric vehicles need to be in an ATF (automatic transmission fluid). Since the ATF may reach a high temperature, the motors are required to have resistance to high temperatures in the ATF.
Conventionally, it has been proposed to use multifilament yarns of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) fibers as an electrical insulating material (Patent Document 1). Furthermore, it also has been proposed to use monofilament yarns of PPS fibers to produce a protective sleeve (see Patent Document 2). Moreover, for electric vehicles, a cylindrical flexible protective sleeve has been proposed that is produced by using both monofilaments and multifilaments with oil resistance at high temperatures (see Patent Document 3). A protective sleeve also has been proposed that has a cylindrical braided cord structure made of 4 to 50 filament yarns with a single-yarn fineness of 30 to 100 dtex (see Patent Document 4). Furthermore, a protective sleeve also has been proposed that has a cylindrical braided cord structure made of 4 to 30 filament yarns with a single-yarn fineness of 19 to 88 dtex (see Patent Document 5).
When a sleeve is produced using multifilaments of ordinary thickness with a single-yarn fineness of around 5 dtex, it cannot maintain its cylindrical shape and is deformed into a squashed flat shape. This results in difficulties to insert a copper wire into the sleeve, which has been a problem. Patent Document 2 mentioned above proposes a sleeve that is produced using monofilaments. In this case, the sleeve has a cylindrical shape but using the monofilaments alone results in a rough braided structure and thus voids due to their thick fibers. This results in poor electrical insulation properties, which has been a problem. In Patent Document 3, the present applicant proposed the use of both monofilaments and multifilaments. In this case, a sleeve with excellent workability, adequate flexibility, and good copper wire covering properties can be obtained. However, since two types of yarns that are greatly different in thickness of their single yarns from each other are braided, processing stability is an issue, including tautening. Furthermore, there is a problem that multifilaments whose fibers are thinner tend to be napped. Patent Documents 4 and 5 propose braided cords that maintain cylindrical shapes using multifilaments with higher single-yarn fineness.
On the other hand, motor and automobile manufacturers have been requesting a further improvement in electrical insulation performance of sleeves, but at the same time, there have also been demands for increasing the economic efficiency and reducing the weight and size of components.

Protective sleeve for motor component and method for manufacturing same


A preferred embodiment of this continuous-form electrophotographic printer as illustrated in the drawings having an image transfer device 38 positioned at the image transfer station for placing images on individual sheets 14 of a continuous-form 12. Downstream, a distance A, is a fixing device at an image fixing station 32 for fixing the image onto the individual sheet 14. The printer 10 includes a control means 76 for moving the continuous sheet forward when a stop signal is received to position a leading edge of a sheet at the image fixing station 32. When a restart signal is received, the control system initiates the continuous-form feeding means 38 to move the continuous-form 12 forward until a leading edge of a succeeding sheet is positioned at the image transfer station.

There presently exists a number of continuous-form electrophotographic printers. However, one of the perplexing problems is to be able to provide such a continuous-form electrophotographic printer that is capable of printing continuous-forms having various sheet length sizes without damaging the printing when movement of the continuous-form is stopped and then restarted.
Generally, the continuous-form electrophotographic printers are constructed so that the image fixing station is spaced downstream from the image transfer station by the standard sheet length, such as eleven inches. Consequently, the spacing between the image transfer station and the image fixing station is dependent upon the standard length of the sheets forming the continuous-form. Such equal length spacing enables both the image transfer device and the fuser device to be positioned in "no print zones" over a leading edge or perforations when movement is stopped. Otherwise, the heat from the fuser would damage unfused images in the zone between the image transfer device and the fuser device. Upon restarting, the damaged sheet will proceed with the flow without the controlling computer being cognizant that one of the sheets is damaged. When damaged sheet is finally discovered provisions must be made to print a new sheet with undamaged printing.
As mentioned, the present arrangement of the spacing being equal to the sheet length works quite well for a standard page or sheet length, but causes damage to sheets of a continuous-form that is not of a standard length.
One suggestion to overcome such a problem is to provide an electrophotographic printer in which the spacing between the image transfer station and the image fixing station is adustable to vary the distance therebetween to equal the length of the sheet of the continuous-form. Such a solution is rather expensive in that it requires very accurate and complicated support systems for being able to support and adjustably move one or both of the device.
One of the advantages of this invention is to provide a continuous-form electrophotographic printer that is capable of printing various length sheets of a continuous-form without having to move the image transfer station or the image fixing station relative to each other to prevent damage.
These and other obvious advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment.


A wheel of a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, has a rim, a hub portion, and at least two spokes connecting the hub portion to the rim. At least two adjoining spokes are connected to each other by at least one connecting web which is arranged in a space between the spokes, is not attached to the rim and the hub portion, and extends at least approximately in the circumferential direction of the wheel.

The invention relates to a wheel of a vehicle, in particular of a motor vehicle having a rim, a hub section and at least two spokes which connect the hub section to the rim. With respect to the prior art, reference is made by way of example to EP 1 980 419 A1.
There are a very wide variety of requirements for wheels of vehicles, in particular those of passenger cars. In addition to a sufficient strength with a low weight, the wheels are to be beneficial to a satisfactory drag coefficient of the vehicle and are to be distinguished by a pleasing visual appearance. This also includes the fact that the visible outer region of the wheels is made dirty only to a small extent as a result of the abrasion of the wheel brake which is provided on the inner side (that is to say, the side which faces the vehicle) of the wheels. In order to ensure the latter, in particular, it is known to cover the clearances between all the spokes of a wheel by means of a single disk-shaped covering element which is provided on the inner side of the wheel, opposite the brake disk of the wheel brake, which brake disk rotates together with the wheel. In addition, covering elements are also known which cover the spoke intermediate spaces individually.
EP 1 980 419 A1 has disclosed, for example, a wheel of a vehicle, in the case of which wheel decorative elements or covering elements are arranged between the spokes of the wheel. Here, the decorative elements are connected to a hub of the wheel and a rim of the wheel via, for example, screw connections.
In addition to the abovementioned aerodynamic requirements, it is desirable, moreover, for the wheels of a vehicle to be provided with a wheel with as reduced a weight as possible for the purposes of lightweight design and the associated fuel savings. It is worthwhile here for the spokes of the wheel to be configured to be as thin or low in material as possible. The possibilities of material savings on the spokes are limited, however, for strength and rigidity reasons, and also for acoustic reasons. There is a conflict of objectives between acoustic tuning and rigidity, and strength and the lightweight design concept with an aerodynamically improved wheel.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a wheel of a vehicle, which wheel solves the abovementioned conflict of objectives and which complies with both the acoustic requirements, the aerodynamic requirements and the requirements with regard to weight, and also with regard to strength and rigidity.
A wheel of a vehicle, in particular of a two-track motor vehicle, is provided, which wheel comprises a rim, a hub section and at least two spokes which connect the hub section to the rim. At least two spokes which are adjacent to one another are connected to one another by way of at least one web which is arranged in a spoke intermediate space, is detached from the rim and the hub section, and runs at least approximately in the circumferential direction of the wheel.
As has already been mentioned, the web is detached spatially from the rim and also from the hub section, that is to say the web connects merely the spokes to one another and is not configured as an extension or as a projection of the rim or of the hub section. This has the advantage that the wheel per se (that is to say neither the rim section nor the hub section and, depending on the configuration, also the spokes) has to be changed, and a conventional wheel (within the context of a kit solution and within the context of a reduced variety of variants) can be used for the abovementioned invention.
A web (also called a bridge) according to the invention between at least two spokes, preferably between each spoke which is adjoining and is arranged in the wheel, makes acoustic damping or decoupling possible. Here, in particular, the effect known to a person skilled in the art of strumming/creaking is addressed. Here, in the case of certain brake excitations, in particular in the case of the release of the brake from a standstill, the spokes act in a similar manner to a tuning fork, the spokes oscillating in such a way that an unpleasant noise which is audible to the driver is produced. The web according to the invention between the spokes makes damping of said oscillation possible, with the result that said strumming/creaking is reduced or eliminated.
In addition to the acoustic advantages, said web likewise provides rigidity and strength advantages. The web which connects the spokes can thus at the same time be a reinforcing element of the spokes. For the purposes of the weight reduction, it is then possible to configure the web with as low a weight as possible as a reinforcing element and at the same time to configure the spokes to be thinner and therefore with less material and in a manner which saves more weight.
In one advantageous embodiment of the invention, the web and the at least two spokes which the web connects are produced as a common component. For example, the web and the spokes or the entire wheel can be produced jointly in a casting or forging process. It is likewise contemplated that the wheel or the spokes and the web is/are milled from a whole piece. An embodiment of the web as a common component with the spokes has the advantage, in particular, that no subsequent joining process is necessary.
As an alternative, the web can also be connected subsequently as a separate component to the spokes in a joining method or joining process. For instance, the web can be connected to the adjoining spokes in a non-positive manner, that is to say, for example, by a screw connection, and/or in a positively locking manner, that is to say, for example, by way of clip connections, and/or in an integrally joined manner, that is to say, for example, by way of an adhesive bond or weld. A releasable connection of this type of the web to the spokes in turn has the advantage that the web can be dismantled at any time.
Here, the web as a connection of the adjoining spokes is connected to the spokes, in particular, on that side of the spokes which faces the vehicle.
Furthermore, it is particularly preferred that the respectively adjoining spokes are supported against one another via the web, and the web is therefore suitable as a reinforcing element and/or as a damping element with regard to acoustic oscillations. As a result, depending on the embodiment of the web itself, a targeted wheel rigidity and a breaking load can be set. During normal operation of the vehicle, a wheel of this type has a stabilizing effect, whereas, for example in what is known as a "small overlap crash case", in the case of which it is a frontal impact with an overlap of the vehicle front with the obstacle of approximately 25%, a wheel which is reinforced by way of a web of this type can act as a targeted predetermined break point in the case of a crash. This is because the smaller the overlap is in the case of a crash, the more directly the forces are introduced from the wheel into the passenger compartment.
Furthermore, the wheel according to the invention comprises at least one covering element. Here, the covering element is an element which is arranged in at least one spoke intermediate space between the spokes and/or covers the spoke intermediate space at least partially and is predominantly flat. Here, the covering element can cover the entire spoke intermediate space or only parts thereof, for example only an outer (as viewed from the wheel center point) circular ring segment of the spoke intermediate space. It is appropriate here from an aerodynamic viewpoint, in particular, to cover an area of the spoke intermediate space which is further away from the wheel center point, since the highest losses with regard to the air resistance are produced, in particular, in the outer regions of the wheel. It is possible by way of a covering of this type to reduce the air resistance and therefore the energy consumption of the vehicle.
It is likewise possible, however, that the covering element is configured in such a way that it covers the entire spoke intermediate space.
The covering element is preferably configured from a plastic material or a metal/plastic layer structure.
It is provided in a further preferred embodiment of the invention that the covering element is fastened to the web. In addition to the reinforcing and acoustic optimization (therefore as a reinforcing element and as a damping element), the web therefore also serves as a fastening element for at least one covering element. The covering element or elements can be connected to the web or fastened to it, for example, in a non-positive manner, that is to say, for example, in the form of screw connections, or in a positively locking manner, for example as clip connections, or else in an integrally joined manner, that is to say, for example, as a weld or an adhesive bond. Bolt or pin connections are likewise possible.
If, for example, as has already been described in one embodiment, the web is connected releasably to the spokes, the web and the covering element can be removed or dismantled from the wheel as needed. In the case of damage of the web or the covering element, a simple replacement is possible in a simple way as a result.
Here, the web preferably comprises at least one receptacle device, for example a through bore or a clip or the like, for receiving the covering element or a plurality of covering elements.
It is likewise preferred that the covering element itself has a receptacle or connecting possibility, for example a clip or a shaped hole, in order to be fastened to the web or to receive the latter.
Here, the covering element does not necessarily have to be held on the wheel exclusively by way of the connection to the web. It is possible, for example, to possibly also support the covering element at other points on the spokes or the rim or the hub section or to fasten it to them.
It is provided in a further possible embodiment of the invention that the web is a spring ring which has a reinforcing action and/or supports the at least two adjoining spokes against one another and extends over the entire circumference on that side of the spokes which faces the vehicle. Here, the spring ring is preferably attached to the spokes in such a way that it supports the respectively adjoining spokes against one another and therefore has a reinforcing and/or particularly preferably oscillation-damping action.
It is then possible, furthermore, to fasten the covering element to the wheel by way of the spring ring. Thus, the covering element can then be connected to the spring ring, for example, in a non-positive or positively locking manner, or can be connected in the course of an assembly method.
It is provided in a further preferred embodiment of the invention that the inner side of the web, that is to say that side or face of the web which is oriented in the direction of the vehicle, comprises or has cooling fins or cooling ducts. The cooling fins preferably run (in their longitudinal direction) in the radial direction of the wheel. A course of this type is particularly preferable, since a high heat dissipation can be facilitated. Here, the heat to be dissipated is produced by way of a braking operation, in the case of which a friction body is pressed against brake disks and this friction is converted mostly into heat.
The cooling fins can be realized, for example, by way of subsequent machining of the web. It is also possible, however, to realize the cooling action by way of ducts in the web.
It is the background of an arrangement of this type of cooling fins or cooling ducts that a greater heat build-up coming from the brake and/or the brake disk is associated with the degree of closure of the spoke intermediate space by way of the covering element. A conflict of objectives is produced from a higher degree of closure and therefore an aerodynamically improved construction with an optimum brake cooling action and/or heat dissipation. The cooling fins serve as a solution approach for improving said conflict of objectives, by the cooling fins conducting the heat which is associated with the brake disk in the direction of the uncovered spoke intermediate space, for example.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


An image signal processor and an image sensor including the same are disclosed. An image sensor includes a pixel array configured to convert received optical signals into electrical signals, a readout circuit configured to convert the electrical signals into image data and output the image data, and an image signal processor configured to perform deep learning-based image processing on the image data based on training data selected from among first training data and second training data based on a noise level of the image data.

The present disclosure relates to image signal processing, and more particularly, to an image signal processor that utilizes deep learning technology and an image sensor including the image signal processor.
Deep learning is a discipline of artificial intelligence where algorithms and statistical models are used in computer systems to train neural networks to perform tasks without the use of human instruction. Trained neural networks make computed decisions based on information from input data. Deep learning systems can be used in speech recognition, financial systems, and image processing.
Digital cameras use image sensors to capture images, and image signal processors to process the captured images. The image signal processor performs tasks on image output features such as image sharpening, noise reduction, and color control. As pixel quantities of image sensors increase, image processing speed and accuracy becomes more important.
In many cases, output features of an image sensor are not considered when using deep learning in image processing. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a deep learning system that considers an output of an image sensor for efficient image processing.

Image signal processor and image sensor including the image signal processor


A cooling apparatus has: an opening formed in a cooling plate for cooling an electronic component; and an electronic component accommodating section formed in the opening. A cooling pipeline is disposed in a manner to surround an outer side surface section of the electronic component accommodating section, whereby the electronic component and the cooling pipeline are arranged at substantially the same height as a top of the cooling plate to realize a low profile. In addition, the electronic component accommodating section, which is joined to the cooling plate, is configured that a side surface section thereof is in contact with a side surface section of the electronic component via a potting material. In this way, an area that contributes to heat radiation is increased.

A method for cooling an electronic component by conducting heat, which is generated by driving the electronic component, to a heat sink is a conventionally used method. As a conventional structure of the heat sink, a technique for attaching a flat pipe (a cooling pipeline), through which a cooling medium flows, to a cooling plate has been disclosed. According to the technique, such a structure is adopted that the flat pipe is joined to the cooling plate via a long flat side portion of the flat pipe, and the heat that has transferred to the cooling plate is transferred to the flat pipe via a cross-sectional long side portion having a large heat transfer contact area (for example, see PTL 1).


A press fitting includes a pipe connector, a nipple, a check ring, a sealing ring, a pressure sleeve. The pressure sleeve is locked within the check ring, which has an inlet groove, a positioning annular groove connected with the inlet groove, and the positioning annular groove has larger internal diameter than that of the inlet groove. The pressure sleeve has an extension section on its end, and the dimension of the external diameter of the larger-diameter end of the extension section is between the dimension of the internal diameter of the inlet groove of the check ring and that of the internal diameter of the positioning annular groove of the check ring. The press fitting involves good coaxiality between the pressure sleeve and the check ring, good fixity of the pressure sleeve, and can be operated easily and utilized widely in industrial applications.

With the prevalence of polyethylene/aluminum/polyethylene pipes, more and more research has been done on pipe coupling joint. German Patent DE 199856999A1 disclosed a pipe coupling joint, wherein, the pressure sleeve is fixed to the coupling fitting by a ring-shaped accessory. The end of the inner wall of the pressure sleeve is located at the shoulder section of the coupling fitting, thereby the pressure sleeve can be maintained precisely coaxial with the coupling fitting for a long term. However, the pressure sleeve, which is usually made of metal such as steel and copper, of the joint contacts to the coupling fitting directly, resulting electrochemical corrosion between different metals. Also, a utility model ZL 01274991 granted to this applicant in year 2002 disclosed a coupling joint, said joint contains technical features including a check ring; whereas the configuration of that check ring can not ensure good coaxiality and fixity between the pressure sleeve and the check ring, consequently, the pressure sleeve and check ring are easily disengaged during assembling, resulting hardship and inconvenience during installing.


An apparatus, method and system for classifying a shockwave is described, particularly for use in an Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy (SWL) system. The method for classifying a shockwave generated and directed towards a stone in an extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy treatment comprises receiving an acoustic signal at a passive unfocused acoustic sensor, determining whether at least one characteristic of the received acoustic emissions exceeds a respective pre-determined threshold value, and classifying the shockwave as effective or ineffective in dependence upon said determination. A method for predicting the outcome of an SWL treatment is also described.

In the course of a number of diseases such as renal, ureteric, salivary duct and gall stone disease, patients may develop hard deposits, known as 'stones'. One method of treating these stones is Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy (SWL or ESWL). This technique uses acoustic shockwaves generated outside of the body to fragment the stones to a size sufficiently small that they can be passed normally through the body, or so that they can be dissolved using drugs. Several mechanisms are likely contributors to stone fragmentation during SWL. These can be broadly divided into direct stress and cavitation. Direct stress refers to the impact of the shock wave on the stone and the subsequent evolution of stress inside the stone (e.g. spallation, and the formation of shear waves by the incident shock squeezing the stone and the interaction of internal waves in the stone with the surface). Cavitation refers to the growth and collapse of bubbles, for example in the urine surrounding the stone, as a result of the shock from the SWL device. SWL is presently used for the non-invasive treatment of 90% of all kidney stones. However, this method of treatment has a number of associated limitations.
The success of an SWL treatment is currently assessed using ultrasound or X-ray fluoroscopy interrogation. However, it is extremely difficult for an operator to determine whether a stone has been fragmented based on the images produced using such methods, partly because the fragments of a treated stone may stick together following a treatment. Furthermore, the assessment cannot be carried out in real time, for example during the treatment. As a result, SWL treatments tend to follow a 'one size fits all' regimen of, typically, 3000 shocks. As each shock will result in some collateral damage to the surrounding soft tissues, this situation will tend to result in unnecessary damage in patients who might require fewer shocks. In some situations where the treatment has been ineffective, the collateral damage may have been sustained with no benefit to the patient, who will then require repeat or alternative treatment; retreatment rates are currently at 30-50%. Finally, the use of active X-ray fluoroscopy radiation or acoustic waves also exposes the patient to further radiation, in addition to that required for the SWL treatment.
These problems arise largely because it is difficult to align the focus of the lithotripter acoustic beam directly towards the stone, and the performance of the treatment system therefore depends on the size and location of the stone. The alignment, in the absence of a real-time monitoring method, cannot be checked during the treatment unless the treatment is stopped for intermittent check using X-rays or ultrasound. If the stones moves out of the focus during treatment, then in the absence of a real-time monitoring method this would not be detected unless the treatment were stopped.
It is an object of the present invention to mitigate the problems outlined above.

System and method for assessing lithotripsy

GUYS AND ST. THOMAS'S NHS FOUNDATION TRUST


An electrostatic atomizer 30 has a removably attachable canister 24. Once a paint bag 2 housed in the canister 24 exhausts, it is replaced by a new canister 24. Paint in a paint bag 2 is driven out by a mono pump 35 located in a pump segment 23 of the electrostatic atomizer 20. The mono pump 35 has a helical shaft 36 inside a paint feed tube 31. The mono pump 35 is driven by a servomotor via an insulating drive shaft 38. Paint in the paint bag 2 is drawn up when the helical shaft 36 rotates, and it is delivered to a bell cup 21 through the feed tube 31. Quantity of paint atomized by the bell cup 21 and interruption of the atomization are controlled by controlling the rotation of the mono pump 35.

Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. JP2001-130751 discloses a typical configuration of an automatic coating system including an electrostatic atomizer. Metered feeding of paint to the electrostatic atomizer is effected by a pump, which expels the paint from an external paint source toward the electrostatic atomizer, and a valve, which is housed in a cabinet as a separate member from the paint electrostatic atomizer.
Outline of the automatic coating system is explained with reference to the publication No. JP2001-130751. An electrostatic atomizer is attached to an arm of a robot located on an automatic coating line. The electrostatic atomizer communicates with an external compressed air source and paint tanks of paints of different colors. The valve cabinet houses a number of solenoid valves. Paint in an external paint tank is supplied under pressure by a pump toward the electrostatic atomizer, and metered feeding of paint is substantially controlled by a solenoid valve in the valve cabinet.
When a work is brought to a predetermined position of the automatic coating line, solenoid valves in the valve cabinet are controlled in motion, and a paint passage for a paint of a certain color to coat the work is opened to supply the paint under pressure through the paint passage. Then, the electrostatic atomizer is activated to atomize the paint while receiving supplemental supply of the paint.
Coating robots used in automatic coating lines for vehicles, for example, are commonly used to paint some desired colors. Therefore, every time after a coating robot finishes coating of one vehicle of a certain color, it needs procedures for changing the color to paint the next vehicle of a different color.
Japanese Patent Laid-open Publications No. JP-H08-229446 and No. JP-H11-262696 propose cartridge-type electrostatic atomizers. Publication No. JP-H08-229446 proposes to detachably attach a paint tank unit, having a metered paint feeding means inside, to the electrostatic atomizer. Publication No. JP-H11-262696 proposes to use feed units for respective colors, each having a valve inside, and to removably attach them to the electrostatic atomizer.
The cartridge-type atomizer proposed by the publication No. JP-H08-229446 is explained here. The paint tank unit containing a given quantity of paint is detachably attached to the atomizer, and after completion of a coating process, it is detached to wash the internal paint passage of the atomizer. This cartridge-type electrostatic atomizer has the advantage of shortening the paint passage to be washed upon a change of color, and therefore contributes to saving the quantity of paint washed away from the paint passage.
Problems of the atomizer taught by the publication No. JP-H08-229446 are pointed out here. In this known electrostatic atomizer, a combination of a fluid-driven piston and a cylinder is shown as a metered paint feeding means provided inside the paint tank unit. The paint contained in the cartridge-type paint tank unit is sprayed out of the atomizer by extruding it with the piston in the paint tank unit. However, since combinations of fluid-driven pistons and cylinders, in general, need high mechanical accuracy, here is the problem that the manufacturing cost of the cartridge paint tank unit increases.
If plastic materials are used to form the piston and the cylinder for reduction of the manufacturing cost of the cartridge-type paint tank unit, then the plastic piston and cylinder may absorb and expand with the pain and working fluids, and may change in size. Then, the piston and the cylinder, if made with strict accuracy, will cling to each other and do not work.
In case the piston and the cylinder is made of metals, the electrostatic capacity inevitably increases. Therefore, a relatively thick insulating layer must be provided to prevent leakage of static electricity from the cartridge-type pain tank unit. Here is the problem that the outer dimension of the unit increases.
A common problem involved in systems configured to supply pains from external pain tanks and systems configured to supply paints from cartridge-type paint tank units is that, because the rising characteristics upon starting atomization and the trailing characteristics upon stopping atomization are relatively dull, useless consumption of paints occurs upon starting and stopping atomization.
The electrostatic atomizer is halter during the period from completion of coating of a vehicle (work) to the start of coating of the next work. In this halt period, an amount of the plaint remaining under pressure in the electrostatic atomizer may leak through the paint outlet under the atmospheric presser.

Electrostatic atomizer and its cleaning method


The present invention provides a method for cleaning a component for use in an ultra-high vacuum. The method may comprise the steps of placing the component to be cleaned in a vacuum furnace chamber; plasma cleaning the component at a temperature of greater than about 80° C.; and evacuating the chamber to a pressure of less than about 10E-5 mbar. Apparatus for performing such methods and kits comprising said components are also provided.

When surfaces are placed under vacuum, gas evolves from their surfaces. The generation of gas by this process is known as outgassing. Outgassing becomes a progressively significant proportion of the total gas load once a chamber is roughed down to below 0.1 mbar. For ultra-high vacuum systems (10−7 mbar or less), outgassing is the most important factor influencing degassing and the time to ultimate pressure.
Outgassing can be reduced by eliminating elastomer, hydrocarbon oil and greases from the vacuum pumps; avoiding other materials known to have poor outgassing performance, such as mild steel or porous surfaces; baking components under vacuum; and using clean-room techniques to avoid contamination.
Even employing such approaches, hydrocarbon contamination can still occur. Without being bound by theory, it is believed that the unwanted hydrocarbons may be introduced during casting and machining of metallic components (e.g. cutting fluids). Currently solvents are used to reduce hydrocarbon contamination; however, it is currently impossible to eliminate such contamination completely by such an approach. Thus, UHV apparatus manufacturers or users may have to run vacuum pumps for 72 hours or more before they can reach ultimate pressure. Such delays are costly and inconvenient. Moreover, any residual hydrocarbon contamination can be particularly problematic in specific UHV applications, such as mass spectrometry, where their presence may ruin equipment or provide false results.
There is therefore a need for improved methods and apparatus for cleaning ultra-high vacuum components that address these and other problems with the prior art.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. The claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in the background.


An inertial sensor includes a plate-like substrate layer, a mass body, a support frame, a limit stop extending in the central direction of the mass body from the support frame, and a detection unit detecting the displacement of the displacement part. The inertial sensor adopts the limit stop limiting the downward displacement of the mass body to prevent the support portion of the mass body from being damaged.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an inertial sensor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, an inertial sensor has been used as various applications, for example, militaries such as an artificial satellite, a missile, an unmanned aerial vehicle, or the like, vehicles such as an air bag, an electronic stability control (ESC), a black box for a vehicle, or the like, a hand-shaking preventing device for a camcorder, a motion sensing device of a mobile phone, a game machine, a navigation, etc.
The inertial sensor generally uses a configuration of bonding a mass body to a flexible substrate such as a diaphragm, etc., in order to measure acceleration and angular velocity. Through the configuration, the inertial sensor may yield the acceleration by measuring an inertia force applied to the mass body and yield the angular velocity by measuring a Coriolis force applied to the mass body.
However, when the excessive force is applied to the mass body, a support portion of the mass body may be damaged. In particular, when the inertial sensor collides with a ground by the free fall thereof, a very large force is applied to the mass body and thus, it is highly likely to damage the support portion of the mass body. Therefore, there is a need to include a physical structure in order to limit the displacement of the mass body in a predetermined range. However, in order to limit the downward displacement of the mass body, the inertial sensor according to the prior art includes a lower substrate and the lower substrate should be provided with a separate convex portion corresponding to the downward displacement of the mass body. Therefore, the manufacturing process of the inertial sensor is complicated and it is difficult to precisely control the thickness of the convex part corresponding to the downward displacement, thereby degrading the mass body production of the inertial sensor.


A vehicle comprises a plurality of wheels is supported by a frame. At least one of the plurality of wheels is operatively connected to an engine for propelling the vehicle. A limited slip differential is supported by the frame. A first half-shaft and a second half-shaft are operatively connected to the limited slip differential. The first half-shaft supports a first wheel of the plurality of wheels. The second half-shaft supports a second wheel of the plurality of wheels. A brake is operatively connected to the limited slip differential. The brake selectively exerts a braking torque on the first and second wheels via at least one portion of the limited slip differential to reduce the speed of the vehicle. A method of operating a vehicle is also described.

Wheeled vehicles, such as cars, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), three-wheeled vehicles and motorcycles, are generally equipped with one or more brakes for slowing or stopping the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle can actuate the brakes by actuating a pedal, lever, or other actuator that is positioned on the vehicle within his reach. One common type of brake, a disk brake, uses friction between a brake caliper and a brake disk to slow or stop the rotation of a wheel of the vehicle relative to the body of the vehicle. The resulting friction between the tire and the terrain exerts a braking force on the vehicle to slow the vehicle.
In general, it is desirable to be able to minimize the distance traveled by a moving vehicle before it stops. To this end, it is desirable to maximize the friction between each wheel and the terrain during braking. It is well known that the maximum available friction that can be generated by a tire when slipping with respect to terrain (kinetic friction) is lower than the maximum available friction that can be generated by the tire when rolling without slipping with respect to the terrain (static friction). Therefore, braking performance is improved on most types of terrain by increasing the braking torque on the wheels, up to the point where the braking force between the tire and the terrain is barely insufficient to cause slipping. One application of this principle is threshold braking, in which the driver modulates the brakes to provide as much braking torque as possible before the tires begin to slip. However, effective threshold braking depends on the skills and experience of the driver, and can be difficult to perform on some types of terrain. In addition, threshold braking does not allow the braking force at each wheel to be independently controlled, which may be desired when not all of the wheels are on the same type of terrain (e.g. some wheels on dry pavement and other wheels on ice), and some wheels may begin slipping before others achieve their maximum braking force.
One attempt to improve braking performance is with the use of an anti-lock braking system (ABS). A control unit detects differences in rotational speed between the wheels of the vehicle to determine whether one or more tires is slipping with respect to the terrain. If a particular tire is slipping, the control unit decreases the braking torque on the corresponding wheel in an attempt to restore static friction and maximize the braking force generated by the wheels. ABS essentially performs threshold braking individually for each wheel. As a result, each wheel independently rotates at the speed that provides the most braking force on its particular terrain, and therefore contributes as much as possible to the braking of the vehicle. An added benefit of ABS is that the car can be steered while braking, because the wheels do not lock and maintain some traction.
While ABS is now commonly used in cars, its cost is often prohibitive in relation to the price of an ATV. In addition, the components, in particular the brakes on each wheel, tend to both increase and decentralize the weight of an ATV, whereas minimizing weight is an important design consideration for ATVs. In addition, individual brakes constitute unsprung weight, which can decrease ride quality. In addition, ABS is limited in its applicability to two wheels joined by a solid axle or a locked differential, such as some ATVs, because the two wheels would not be permitted to rotate at different speeds when this would be desired in certain braking conditions.
In order to minimize and centralize vehicle weight, some ATVs are provided with a single rear disk brake, either on a portion of a solid rear axle, or on a driveshaft extending from the engine to a rear differential. An example of such an arrangement is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,491,126, issued Dec. 10, 2002, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Therefore, there is a need for a braking system for an ATV that allows for differential rotational speeds of the wheels to which it is applied.
There is also a need for a method of braking a vehicle that provides differential rotational speeds of the wheels to which it is applied.


A safety controller controls an automated installation on the basis of project data representing an individual application running. The safety controller has a plurality of controller hardware components. At least some controller hardware components have a respective project data memory. The project data memories each are designed to store project data supplied to them. The safety controller includes a connecting unit, such as a communication network, which connects the controller hardware components to one another. The safety controller also has a distribution unit for distributing at least some of the project data via the connecting unit to at least some of the project data memories.

The present invention relates to a safety controller and to a method for controlling an automated installation based on project data, wherein the project data represent an application running on the installation.
A safety controller in terms of the present invention is an apparatus or a device which receives input signals supplied by sensors and generates output signals from these input signals by means of logical combinations and possibly further signal or data processing steps. The output signals can then be supplied to actuators which effect actions or reactions in a controlled installation based on the input signals.
A preferred field of application for such safety controllers is the monitoring of emergency-off pushbuttons, two-hand controllers, protective doors or light grids in the area of machine safety. Such sensors are used for safeguarding, by way of example, a machine which, in operation, is a danger to persons or material goods. When the protective door is opened or the emergency-off pushbutton is operated, a respective signal is generated and supplied as an input signal to the safety controller. As a response, the safety controller then switches off the dangerous part of the machine with the aid of an actuator, for example.
In contrast to a "normal" controller, it is characteristic of a safety controller that the safety controller always ensures a safe state of the dangerous installations or machines even if the safety controller itself or a device connected to it has a malfunction. Therefore, extremely high requirements are placed on the inherent failsafety of safety controllers which leads to a considerable outlay for development and production.
As a rule, before safety controllers are used, they require a special approval from a relevant supervisory authority such as, for example, the professional associations or what is called TÜV in Germany. In this context, the safety controller must meet predetermined safety standards which are defined, for example, in European Standard EN 954-1 or a comparable standard, such as IEC 61508 or EN ISO 13849-1. In the text which follows, a safety controller is therefore understood to be an apparatus or a device which meets at least the safety category 3 of the European Standard EN 954-1, or a Safety Integrity Level (SIL) 2 according to the IEC 61508 Standard.
A programmable safety controller allows the user to individually define the logical combinations and possibly other signal or data processing steps with the aid of a software, the so-called user program, in accordance with its needs. This results in great flexibility in comparison with earlier solutions, in which the logical combinations were established by a defined hardwiring of various safety modules. A user program can be generated, for example, with the aid of a commercially available personal computer (PC) and by using appropriate software programs. In this context, the term user program is understood to mean that a user program may comprise both source code and machine code.
In the case of large, and thus complex, installations of the prior art, which are constructed with a plurality of installation hardware components, distributed safety controllers are normally used. Distributed safety controllers comprise a plurality of controller hardware components. These are control units, sensors and actuators. The individual controller hardware components are allocated to individual installation hardware components. With regard to the hardware, distributed safety controllers are characterized by great flexibility. Thus, a safety controller can be constructed from an arbitrary number of different controller hardware components and thus adapted very flexibly to the given situations of the installation to be controlled. With regard to programming or software-related implementation and thus the concerns of data processing, distributed safety controllers are not yet optimal, however. Thus, a distribution of project data, i.e. data which represent an application running on the controlled installation, to the individual controller hardware components is not provided. This not only restricts the flexibility possible with regard to the hardware implementation to a considerable extent but also entails further disadvantages. Due to the fact that the project data cannot be distributed and thus processed "on site", a considerable data exchange is required between distant controller hardware components. This leads to an impairment, more precisely to an increase in the response time of the safety controller. "On site" means in this context that the project data are processed where the data needed for such processing are actually available; for example, in a control unit located right in the vicinity of a sensor which provides an input signal for determining a drive signal for an actuator. Or the processing even takes place in the sensor itself. Instead, appropriately designed controller hardware components and data buses which permit a higher data exchange than is actually required are used in order to avoid an impairment of the response time. This increases the cost for implementing a safety controller. With respect to the cost, it is also of disadvantage that any free memory which may be present, especially data memory, in individual controller hardware components, such as in intelligent sensors and intelligent actuators, is not used and, instead, the data memory contained in control units must be dimensioned to be larger than would actually be required.

Safety controller and method for controlling an automated installation


A foamed resin molded article (1) including: a foamed resin layer (30) comprising a first resin which is a copolymer including a rubber component, a vinyl cyanide monomer unit and an aromatic vinyl monomer unit, and a blowing agent; and a non-foamed resin layer (50) covering the foamed resin layer (30), wherein: the non-foamed resin layer (50) comprises a second resin which is a copolymer including a rubber component, a vinyl cyanide monomer unit, and an aromatic vinyl monomer unit; and the amount of the rubber component in the non-foamed resin layer (50), determined by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (PGC/MS), is 1% by mass or more and 30% by mass or less, based on the total mass of the second resin.

Conventionally, it has been general practice to cover exterior of pipes made of steel or a synthetic resin with a heat insulating material such as glass wool, to thereby prevent moisture condensation or the like from occurring on the pipes.
However, such conventional method requires labor for winding or covering the heat insulating material as well as labor for piping. Therefore, the labor efficiency of the method is poor, and a narrow work space in some cases does not allow the necessary operation to be implemented.
For addressing the problem, resin pipes and resin pipe joints that have a foamed resin layer serving as a heat insulating layer have been proposed. The heat insulating layer enables prevention of dew condensation even if the pipes are not covered with a heat insulating material after the implementation of piping.
Patent document 1 proposes a pipe joint with a heat-insulating layer, which has a heat-insulating layer made of a foamed resin inside its main body, and has a configuration in which inner and outer walls of the main body surrounding the heat-insulating layer and a connecting portion are integrally formed by injection molding. As the resin that can be used for the pipe joint of Patent Document 1, polyvinyl chloride, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS resin), polyethylene, and polypropylene are listed. Further, the current products use an ABS resin that is excellent in impact resistance and heat resistance.


The present invention relates to a system for testing the connection paths of a switch fabric by using a spontaneously emitted signal as a test signal. The system includes at least one first module and at least one second module, wherein each one of the second modules is associated to one of the first modules through a connection path in the switch fabric. Each of the first modules is capable of obtaining a respective first measurement of a characteristic of the spontaneously emitted signal supplied to the switch fabric, and each of the second modules is capable of obtaining a respective second measurement of the characteristic of the spontaneously emitted signal. The system further includes a processing module in communication with each of the first and second modules for determining a feature of the optical component based on the first and second measurements.

Photonic switches are used in order to redirect and transmit optical traffic signals between nodes of an optical network. At the heart of a photonic switching network lies a photonic switch fabric, which provides switching of optical traffic signals without the need for conversion of the signals to electrical form. Therefore, it is important to know when the switch fabric is no longer working properly since it will affect the workings of the network. As such, it is important to frequently verify the integrity of the connection paths within the switch fabric in order to ensure that the switch fabric is switching the optical traffic signals according to a desired mapping, and to further ensure that the power loss of the signals passing through the connection paths does not exceed an acceptable level.
A common method of testing switch fabrics is to inject an extraneous optical test signal into a particular connection path of the switch fabric and take measurements of that extraneous optical test signal both before and after it has been injected into the switch fabric. By comparing the level of similarity of the measurements taken before and after the extraneous optical test signal has traveled through the particular connection path, the validity and power loss of the particular connection path can be determined.
However, a deficiency with the aforementioned method of verifying switch fabric connection paths is that the verification process can only take place while the connection path is not being used as an active connection path. Therefore, in order to test a selected connection path, the extraneous optical test signal must be injected within a connection path that is not being used to transmit an optical traffic signal. As such, a switch fabric connection path cannot both be tested and convey an optical traffic signal at the same time.
A further deficiency with the aforementioned method of switch fabric verification is that additional hardware components must be provided in order to generate the extraneous optical test signal. These additional components include, at a minimum, a source of extraneous light, which takes up space. Moreover, these additional components add to the cost of the photonic switch.
It can be seen that there is a need in the industry for an improved technique for performing switch fabric verification.

Method and apparatus for testing an optical component


A room temperature curable water-based semi-permanent mold release agent is provided that is effective to facilitate the release of multiple successively molded polymer (such as polyester) parts following a single application of the mold release agent to the mold surface. The mold release agent preferably is effective to set within 1 hour of application to a mold release surface at 5-40° C., and to cure at the same temperature within 1-8 hours of application. The mold release agent is substantially devoid of VOCs, and therefore has no flash point.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to mold release agents. More particularly, it relates to a semi-permanent water-based mold release agent.
2. Description of Related Art
Molding is a well known technique for producing finished parts made from plastics, polyester and other polymeric materials. Currently, molded parts range from bicycle helmets to boat hulls to telephone receiver handsets and beyond.
Molding is performed by processing (e.g. pouring, injecting, spraying, etc.) a liquid resin, or a reinforcing material (such as fiber reinforcing material) and a liquid resin, into a mold cavity or onto a mold surface and then curing the resin to provide a finished solid part conforming to the cavity or surface. In order to prevent the finished molded part from sticking to the mold surface, a mold release agent is applied to the surface prior to pouring the resin.
There are two basic types of mold release agent, sacrificial and semi-permanent. A sacrificial mold release agent is one that is consumed or otherwise completely depleted after a single molded part is made in the mold, and must be reapplied prior to making each molded part. For this reason, sacrificial mold release agents are costly and cumbersome to use.
Semi-permanent mold release agents are also applied to the mold surface. They can be of the wipe-on or spray-on type. These release agents are preferred because they are not completely depleted following a single molding operation. A single semi-permanent mold release agent application can be used to facilitate the release of multiple successive molded parts without reapplication of the release agent; e.g. up to 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 or more releases.
Conventionally, room temperature curing semi-permanent mold release agents, e.g. for room temperature molding applications (epoxy-based or polyester-based composites), have been solvent based; that is they contain significant amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and have relatively low flash points and high vapor pressures. Existing solvent based mold release agents present significant health and safety hazards, both in use and transport.
There is a need in the art for a non-solvent based semi-permanent mold release agent, which is preferably water based, and does not suffer from the drawbacks mentioned above.

High-gloss room temperature curable water-based mold release agent