A process for purifying sucrose fatty acid esters included in a reaction mixture formed by a reaction of sucrose and a fatty acid alkyl ester in an organic solvent as reaction medium in the presence of a catalyst, which comprises adjusting the reaction mixture from which a part of the organic solvent as reaction medium may be previously removed and to which water is added to form an aqueous solution, to a neutral pH region, adding a neutral salt and sucrose to the solution to precipitate the sucrose fatty acid ester, filtering off the precipitate, and washing the precipitate with an acidic water. The washed precipitate in the form of slurry is spray-dried to form a dry powder, and the filtrate is contacted with a reverse osmosis membrane to recover sucrose. According to the invention, purified sucrose fatty acid esters can be obtained from the reaction mixture without using an organic solvent as purification solvent, while sucrose can be recovered in high yield.

The present invention relates to a treatment of a reaction mixture of sucrose and a fatty acid alkyl ester. More particularly, the present invention relates to an industrially useful process for isolating purified sucrose fatty acid esters from the reaction mixture obtained in the synthesis of sucrose fatty acid esters in an organic solvent medium.
Sucrose fatty acid esters (sugar esters) useful as surface active agents are prepared industrially at present by either a solvent process wherein sucrose is reacted with a methyl ester of a higher fatty acid having 8 to 22 carbon atoms in the presence of a suitable catalyst in an organic solvent such as dimethylformamide or dimethylsulfoxide, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Kokoku No. 35-13102; or an aqueous medium process wherein sucrose is formed into a molten mixture with a fatty acid salt (soap) using water without using an organic solvent, and is then reacted with a higher fatty acid methyl ester in the presence of a catalyst, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Kokoku No. 51-14485.
However, even according to any of these processes, the obtained reaction mixture contains impurities such as the unreacted sucrose, the unreacted fatty acid methyl ester, residual catalyst, soap, free fatty acid, volatile material, etc. in addition to the desired sucrose fatty acid ester. These impurities, at least impurities whose contents exceed the specified amounts must be removed prior to the sucrose fatty acid ester being put on the market. Particularly, in case of sucrose fatty acid esters used as a food additive which requires a high purity, removal of the solvent (volatile material) remaining in the product is very important in view of strict regulation, e.g. provision by FDA, U.S.A. according to which allowable content of remaining dimethylsulfoxide in sucrose fatty acid esters is at most 2 p.p.m. [Fed. Regist., 51(214), 40160-1].
In general, the conversion of sucrose is low. For example, in case of the process using dimethylformamide as the reaction medium, the conversion is at most 50%. Accordingly, recovery of the unreacted sucrose is also important.
In order to remove the remaining organic solvents and to recover the unreacted sucrose from the reaction mixture (namely crude sucrose fatty acid esters), various processes for the purification of crude product have hitherto been proposed. These purification processes usually require a large amount of organic solvents. However, in the production of sucrose fatty acid esters on an industrial scale, the use of a large amount of organic solvents has the following disadvantages: (1) risk of explosion and fire, (2) provision of explosion and fire prevention means to electric devices, (3) application of closed system to production equipment for explosion and fire prevention, (4) requirement of fireproof construction for entire building by way of precaution against explosion and fire, (5) rise in fixed cost due to the items (2), (3) and (4), (6) rise in materials cost due to loss of solvent, (7) contamination of the product with remaining solvent, and (8) adverse influence on health of workers, and increase of cost resulting from increase in labor required for the prevention therefor.
In view of these circumstances, it has been desired to develop a purification technique capable of removing the unreacted sucrose and other impurities from the crude reaction mixture without using organic solvents.
Thus, purification processes using no organic solvent have been proposed. For example, as representative methods, there have been known (1) a method wherein a sucrose fatty acid ester is precipitated by addition of an acidic aqueous solution to the reaction mixture, as disclosed in British Patent No. 809,815 and (2) a method wherein a sucrose fatty acid ester is precipitated by addition of an aqueous solution of a common neutral salt to the reaction mixture, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Tokkyo Kokoku No. 42-8850.
However, these methods have disadvantages. When an acidic aqueous solution, for example, hydrochloric acid, is added to the reaction mixture as in the method (1), the sucrose fatty acid ester immediately deposits, but the unreacted sucrose is easily decomposed and converted into glucose and fruit sugar. This cannot be avoided even if the addition is conducted at a low temperature (e.g. 0.degree. to 5.degree. C.). Accordingly, the recovery and reuse of the unreacted sucrose becomes difficult.
The addition of an aqueous solution of a neutral salt such as sodium chloride or Glauber's salt, as in the method (2), causes sucrose fatty acid esters to deposit rapidly. In this case, decomposition of unreacted sucrose does not occur, but the monoester which is an effective component in the product is dissolved in the aqueous phase. Consequently, not only does the dissolution results in a large loss of the product, but also it is a hindrance particularly to production of sucrose fatty acid esters having a high HLB which are recently in great demand.
Also, in Japanese Patent Publication Tokkyo Kokai No. 51-29417, it is proposed to utilize the finding a mixture of water and a solvent used for purification (hereinafter referred to as "purification solvent") separates into an upper light layer and a lower heavy layer. Generally, the lower layer contains a large amount of water and, therefore, the unreacted sucrose, which is hydrophilic, and the salt derived from a catalyst used in the synthesis of sucrose fatty acid esters are dissolved in the lower layer. Since the upper layer contains the purification solvent in a large quantity, compounds having a small polarity such as sucrose fatty acid esters, fatty acids and unreacted fatty acid methyl esters are dissolved in the upper layer. On the other hand, the solvent used for the reaction such as dimethylsulfoxide is dissolved not only in the lower layer, but also inconveniently dissolved in the upper layer. Consequently, it is impossible to completely separate the reaction solvent only by this method. The product is contaminated with a trace amount of the reaction solvent, and the removal of such a trace amount of the solvent further requires a large amount of purification solvent.
In order to industrially realize the purification of crude sucrose fatty acid esters using water, it is very important that the reaction solvent and the purification solvent are completely removed and moreover sucrose, and the product are not lost.
Other important problems which must also be taken into consideration are recovery of the unreacted sucrose and drying of wet product, incident to the use of water as a purification solvent.
Since the purification of the reaction mixture with the use of water is based on the difference in water solubility between a sucrose fatty acid ester and unreacted sucrose, migration of a large amount of unreacted sucrose into an aqueous phase cannot be avoided. The manufacture of sucrose fatty acid esters cannot be industrially accepted unless the dissolved sucrose is recovered. Accordingly, it is also very important to efficiently recover the sucrose which has migrated into an aqueous phase upon purification.
The water-containing sucrose fatty acid ester which has been separated from the reaction mixture to be dried, is usually in the form of an aqueous solution when the water content is over 80% by weight, and in the form of a slurry when the water content is less than 80% by weight. In general, an aqueous solution of a sucrose fatty acid ester shows peculiar viscosity behavior such that the viscosity rapidly increases from about 40.degree. C., reaches maximum at about 50.degree. C. and rapidly drops over 50.degree. C. Some problems are encountered in removing the water from the sucrose fatty acid ester in the form of an aqueous solution or slurry. The evaporation of water by heating under a vacuum, for example, using a usual agitated vacuum dryer, is practically difficult because of marked foaming. Moreover, when the evaporation is conducted at a high temperature and the contacting time with the heating source is long, not only is the sucrose fatty acid ester decomposed, resulting in marked coloration or caramel formation, but also the acid value is raised by free fatty acid formed by decomposition, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Tokkyo Kokoku No. 37-9966. In particular, due to the property of sucrose fatty acid esters that the softing point or melting point is low (for example, sucrose monostearate having a melting point of about 52.degree. C., and sucrose distearate having a melting point of about 110.degree. C.), the sucrose fatty acid ester itself tends to be hydrated at the final stage of evaporation of the water. This makes the dehydration more difficult. In addition, dehydration is difficult because the latent heat of evaporation of water is very high (more than 500 kcal/kg H.sub.2 O) and the evaporation temperature is high.
Other usual drying methods are also not suitable for preparing dry sucrose fatty acid esters. For example, in the case of using a flash dryer wherein a slurry is continuously heated, fed to a vacuum chamber and released thereto, various difficulties are encountered when a sufficient drying is desired because of the large latent heat of water. Even if these difficulties are overcome, the sucrose ester dehydrated and dried under a vacuum is in the molten state and, therefore, it requires a pulverization step after taking it out of the drier and cooling to less than the melting point to solidify, for instance, by blowing cold air. In addition to the requirement of many steps, there is a risk of dust explosion in the final pulverization step.
Accordingly, it is also important to solve the problems encounted by drying in the purification of sucrose fatty acid esters when using water as the purification solvent.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a process for obtaining a purified sucrose fatty acid ester from the reaction mixture without using organic solvents as the purification solvent.
A further object of the invention is to provide a process for removing a remaining organic solvent used as a reaction medium in the synthesis of sucrose fatty acid esters from the crude product.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a process for purifying the crude product of sucrose fatty acid esters without using an organic solvent as the purification solvent and without substantial loss of the sucrose fatty acid esters.
Another object of the invention is to provide a process for easily preparing a dry powder of a sucrose fatty acid ester having an improved purity and without deteriorating the quality in the drying step, while recovering the unreacted sucrose.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the description hereinafter.

Process for purifying sucrose fatty acid esters


A projection-type display device using twisted nematic liquid crystal light valves in which the photoelectric transfer characteristics of three light valves for selectively transmitting red, green and blue light to a synthesizing device are matched. The product of the birefrigence .DELTA.n and thickness d of the twisted nematic liquid crystal and thickness of cell is selected to fall within a predetermined optimal range of values depending upon the wavelength of light which travels therethrough. The thickness d or birefrigence .DELTA.n of the twisted nematic liquid crystal material of each light valve may be the same.

This invention relates generally to a projection-type display device, and more particularly to a colored projection-type display device using liquid crystal light valves.
Conventional projection-type display devices which use liquid crystal light valves such as those disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Application Nos. 179723/85, 35481/86 and 150487/86 separate the image to be displayed initially into its red, green and blue wavelengths of light. Each of these wavelengths of light is then directed toward a corresponding light valve which permits or prevents transmission of the light therethrough. The red, green and blue wavelengths of light which are permitted to pass through these light valves are synthesized by additive color mixing using dichroic mirrors, a dichroic mirror prism or the like. The synthesized image is then projected onto a screen through a projection lens.
Each of the light valves has a twisted nematic mode (hereinafter referred to as "TN" mode) of operation which is driven by an active switching array. Such light valves provide an image having a high resolution and a high contrast ratio and can be driven at a low voltage. Projection-type display devices using liquid crystal light valves ar also considered highly desirable due to their compact size and light weight as compared to conventional projection-type display devices using cathode ray tubes.
The photoelectric transfer characteristics of projection-type display devices using liquid crystal light valves during its TN mode of operation are dependent upon the wavelengths of light incident thereto. Due to such dependency, conventional projection-type display devices using liquid crystal light valves exhibit undesirable colorations in the gray scale, and poor color purity and reproducibility. The thickness of each liquid crystal cell is carefully monitored during manufacture. Cells with slight variations in thickness are discarded resulting in low yields and higher manufacturing costs.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a projection-type display using liquid crystal light valves which produce an image having excellent gray scale, color reproducibility and color purity as well as high resolution and contrast ratio. It is also desirable to provide a method for manufacturing the liquid crystal light values which produces higher yields and thus reduces the manufacturing costs.


A suturing and ligating method includes a needle piercing step of inserting a needle of a suture-needle assembly through a tissue in a body cavity, a needle gripping step of gripping the needle with a first gripper, a winding step of winding a suture strand of the suture-needle assembly in at least one turn around a first distal-end working unit by rolling the first distal-end working unit in at least one revolution, a transferring step of transferring the suture-needle assembly from the first gripper to a second gripper, a suture strand gripping step of gripping a portion of the suture strand that has not passed through the tissue, with the first gripper, a pulling step of pulling the first distal-end working unit out of a loop of the suture strand, and a tightening step of forming a knot of the suture strand.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an intracoelomic suturing and ligating method for suturing and ligating a body tissue inside a body cavity of a living body using two manipulators.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to endoscopic surgery (also called laparoscopic surgery), it is customary to form a plurality of holes or incisions on the body surface of a patient, insert trocars (tubular instruments) respectively into the incisions to define forceps instrument passage ports, and introduce distal end portions of forceps instruments having shafts through the respective trocars into the body cavity of the patient for performing a surgical operation on the affected body part. End effectors such as a gripper for gripping a living tissue, scissors, an electrosurgical knife blade, etc., are mounted onto the distal end portions of the forceps instruments.
An endoscopic surgical operation performed by means of the forceps instruments requires a surgeon to be trained in advance, because a working space within the body cavity is small. Further, the forceps instruments need to be operated using the trocars as fulcrums. Since conventional forceps instruments that have heretofore been used do not have joints for making tilting movement on the distal end thereof, such forceps instruments tend to have a small degree of freedom, and the end effecter can be operated only on an extension of the shaft. Therefore, cases that can be handled in accordance with the usual training practice for endoscopic surgery are confined to a certain range. Moreover, a surgeon needs to be trained and have a considerably high level of skill in order to perform endoscopic surgery on other cases that do not fall within the limited range.
Attempts have been made to improve conventional forceps instruments, so as to develop a forceps instruments having a plurality of joints on the distal ends thereof (see, for example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0240263). Such a forceps instrument (or a manipulator) is free of the limitations and difficulties of conventional forceps instruments, can be operated easily, and can be applied to a wide variety of surgical cases. It is expected that the developed forceps instrument will be applied to surgical techniques that require intricate manipulative actions within small spaces, for example.
Endoscopic surgical operations involve a variety of surgical techniques. In particular, suturing and ligating are difficult to carry out in small spaces within body cavities, and should desirably be done easily. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0240263, for example, has proposed a method of suturing and ligating a tissue in a body cavity using two manipulators each having a gripper opening and closing mechanism, a gripper rolling mechanism, and a gripper tilting mechanism. According to the proposed method, specifically, a surgeon operates one of the manipulators to grip a suture-needle assembly, and moves the distal end portion of the one manipulator along a circular path to wind the suture strand around the distal end portion of the other manipulator.


A manufacturing method of an ascorbic acid dispersion material includes a heating step of adding an ascorbic acid into a solvent including one or more selected from the group consisting of glycerin, diglycerin, polyglycerin represented by a following formula, and propylene glycol, and heating the ascorbic acid to a predetermined temperature to dissolve the ascorbic acid; a cooling step of cooling a solution with the ascorbic acid dissolved therein at a cooling rate of 5 to 20° C./min until a temperature of the solution reaches 35 to 50° C. to remove heat from the solution; and a growth step of storing the solution after completion of the cooling step at 27 to 38° C. for a predetermined period to promote crystal growth so that the ascorbic acid crystal has a flat plate shape, a thickness of 0.05 to 3 μm, and an average particle diameter of 50 to 100 μm.

Because ascorbic acid has an antioxidative action, and is involved in the generation and maintenance of collagen, thereby having an anti-aging effect on skin, ascorbic acid is blended into whitening cosmetics, etc., as a safe whitening material, and also as a whitening component for preventing spots and freckles, etc.
Moreover, ascorbic acid is also used in drugs for the prevention and treatment of vitamin C deficiency diseases, as well as for replenishment purposes, etc., and many other pharmacological effects are known. Examples of these pharmacological effects may include such effects as: (action on capillary blood vessels) reinforcement of capillary resistance, amelioration of bleeding tendencies, or increase in blood clotting; (action on adrenocortical functions) biosynthesis promotion or catabolism suppression with respect to steroid hormones, (action on connective tissues) involvement in the hydroxylation process from proline to hydroxyproline, and particularly in the case of collagen, in the formation/maintenance of an intercellular matrix and collagen, and in increasing collagen through the administration of ascorbic acid, (action on bone tissue) promoting bone formation, and (action on the generation of melanin pigment) inhibition of the oxidation process from dopa to dopaquinone during the process of generating melanin from tyrosine, and suppression of melanin pigment generation. As a result, ascorbic acid is also used for: treatment of capillary bleeding, such as nasal bleeding, gingival bleeding, and hematuria; dysadrenocorticism; bone matrix formation/bone union promotion in fractures; suppression of pigment deposition after chloasma/ephelides/inflammation; and chemical poisoning involving alcohol, nicotine, etc.
Further, ascorbic acid is also blended in with cold drinks, storage foods, confectionery, health foods, etc.
Unfortunately, when ascorbic acid is dissolved in water, it becomes very unstable, and easily oxidized as a result of light, heat, the pH state, metal ions, etc.; even if a highly concentrated aqueous solution of ascorbic acid is prepared, it is difficult to store in a stable manner. Moreover, while ascorbic acid is useful as a percutaneous absorption-type pharmaceutical such as cosmetic materials, as mentioned above, the high concentration is problematic in that it enables crystallization, leading to poor usage characteristics.
For this reason, various technologies have been proposed relating to ascorbic acid dispersion liquids, etc., that are able to stably store ascorbic acid at a high concentration, as well as various dispersion liquids in which even at high concentrations usage characteristics do not worsen.
For example, a percutaneous absorption liquid including an ascorbic acid suspension liquid containing ascorbic acid particles of less than 20 μm, etc., is proposed.
Moreover, the present applicants have so far proposed, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example, a glycerin liquid suspension of an ascorbic acid that is useful as a cosmetic substrate containing ascorbic acid having superior usage characteristics (spreadability and smoothness upon application onto skin), wherein the content of the ascorbic acid is 13% by mass or more, and part of the ascorbic acid is dissolved in glycerin or glycerin-containing diglycerin, at a concentration of 8 to 12% by mass, while the remaining ascorbic acid is deposited as a fine crystal having a particle diameter of 25 μm or smaller, and homogeneously dispersed.
Moreover, for example, Patent Document 3 proposes, as a manufacturing method for a homogeneous solution of transparent and stable glycerin containing a high concentration of ascorbic acid, as well as a cosmetic material including the glycerin solution, a manufacturing method for a glycerin solution having an ascorbic acid concentration of 16 to 45% by mass, wherein an ascorbic acid, glycerin, and ethyl alcohol are mixed to dissolve the ascorbic acid, and subsequently the ethyl alcohol is removed, as well as a cosmetic material including the glycerin solution.
Moreover, for example, Patent Document 4 proposes, as a stable storage method providing superior quality in a glycerin solution containing a high concentration of ascorbic acid, a low temperature storage method that stores a glycerin solution having an ascorbic acid concentration of 13% by mass or higher, at 0° C. to −30° C.

Manufacturing method of an ascorbic acid dispersion material


A method for the dispensing of a filling material, especially a liquid detergent, from a container provided for this purpose into a material to be washed during a mechanical washing process wherein the container with the filling material is subjected to the washing process, filling material being delivered from the container during this process. The provision is made that the dispensing of the filling material from the container is regulated by exertion of a force on the container during the washing process. Furthermore, a container is provided suitable for performing this method.

The present invention relates to a method for the dispensing of a filling material, especially a liquid detergent, from a container provided for this purpose into a material to be washed during a mechanical washing process wherein the container with the filling material is subjected to the washing process, filling material being delivered from the container during this process.
Furthermore, the present invention concerns a container for dispensing filling material, especially a liquid detergent, during a mechanical washing process into the material to be washed wherein at least one delivery opening is provided, as well as at least one control portion which vacates and, respectively, blocks the delivery opening by a sliding action.
A method of the aforementioned type has been known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,399,806. According to this U.S. patent, the dispensing of the filling material is regulated by moisture during the washing step. For this purpose, a diaphragm is arranged over a delivery opening of a container, this diaphragm being dissolved by the moisture, be it that of the filling material or of the washing water, after appropriate protective measures have been eliminated for activating the container, these protective measures preventing premature dissolution or maceration of the aforementioned diaphragm.
Such a procedure is not without problems from the viewpoint of handling technique, in that such a diaphragm shows low mechanical stability. Consequently there is the danger that rupturing of the aforementioned diaphragm will occur during handling of the container even outside of the washing process and accordingly, with the above-mentioned protective measures having been neutralized, the filling material will escape directly to the outside.
Problems are likewise encountered in providing a moisture-sensitive diaphragm regarding the storage of the item, inasmuch as atmospheric humidity and/or moisture diffusing from the filling material to the diaphragm will lead, after a certain time, to softening of such a diaphragm in spite of the protective measure, considering that the effort of sealing the item which can be expended within the framework of a method of the above-mentioned type must not be too extensive.
Another objective of the technique disclosed in this U.S. patent resides in dispensing the filling material after a predetermined time period during which the container is subjected to the washing process. The dissolution time of the aforementioned diaphragm is utilized for this purpose, and the above remarks demonstrate that a time delay that is even merely halfway regulated can hardly be realized, for example due to the previously prevailing, indefinite initial conditions with respect to environmental humidity.
Furthermore, the aforementioned diaphragm, once uncovered, is extremely sensitive during the washing process to spotwise mechanical stresses, and is apt to rupture prior to its planned dissolution time when subjected to point-like stresses by the laundry.
Another method, similar to the above-discussed type, has been known from EP-A-0,152,359. According to this reference, initially opened outlets are provided in a container, i.e. no triggering or activation of the delivery of filling material is realized during the laundering process. However, dispenser means that are already open at the instant of deploying the container have the inherent danger that the filling material, especially the liquid detergent, flows out already before the actual washing process begins and contacts the laundry in high concentration at an undesirably early point in time. This can give rise to spot formation, such as when the washing material is laundry, or the prematurely dispensed filling material can already flow to the drain before it has done its work at all.
It is an object of the present invention to further develop a method and, respectively, a container of the above-mentioned type so that the delivery of filling material during the washing process is regulated without having to provide in this process complicated, sensitive elements specifically for this purpose, such as the sealing diaphragms dissolving under the action of moisture, known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,399,806.
This has been attained, in a method of the kind discussed above, by regulating the delivery of the filling material from the container by the action of force exerted on the container during the washing process.
In this procedure, use is made of the fact that, during the mechanical laundering procedure, forces act on every item subjected to the laundering step, these forces, on account of the mechanical stresses, differing substantially from the forces in a stationary environment. Thereby, a variable has actually been discovered, with the aid of which a discrimination can be made of whether or not the container is involved in the washing process.
In a highly simple manner, at least two parts displaceable relatively to each other by external force application are provided at the container in this arrangement, these parts, during the relative movement, vacating and, respectively, blocking the delivery means. Since usually such a container is subjected to the washing process together with material to be laundered, such as, for example and especially, with laundry, the container is exposed to pressure forces engaging in a more or less random fashion over the time period and thus, even after the beginning of the laundering process, time and again assuming directions causing the parts displaceable relatively to each other to be actually mutually displaced, thus releasing the delivery.
On account of the fact that the regulating force action is counteracted by a predetermined, preferably predeterminable counterforce, the objective is attained that the force effect required for triggering the dispensing step is determined in the manner of a threshold value. For example, considering a washing process for laundry, the effects of the force as soon as the laundry has been wetted down are substantially higher than in case of laundry that is still dry. Due to the fact that, as mentioned above, a counterforce is given or is predeterminable along the lines of a maximally optimal setting of the instant of delivery, it becomes possible to determine the washing process stages which, with corresponding force exertion, are to trigger the delivery.
As mentioned above, the force during the washing process acts on the container with a more or less accidentally oriented direction so that, considering a region of the container, stressing forces occur time and again in a specific direction. Taking this into account, it is possible to make a rough determination of the time delay with which delivery is to be triggered during the washing process, by releasing such delivery once a predetermined amount of work has been performed under the effect of the force, i.e. when a certain displacement path has been traversed.
In order to attain the above-mentioned object, a container according to this invention is furthermore distinguished in that the control part is displaceable by an essentially centrally oriented action of force on the container. A frictional force is employed with preference from a constructional viewpoint as the counterforce along the above lines, by providing that the preferably two, mutually displaceable container parts are shiftable in a frictional fashion.
On account of the fact that the friction force is designed to be adjustable, for example by placing a friction seat under different tension settings or making the parts of different roughness, a determination can be made of the amounts of force to be expended for opening the dispensing aperture, for example in a laundry washing process this being the degree of wetness of the washed laundry.
The invention will be described in greater detail below by way of example with reference to the drawings.

Method and container for dispensing a filling material


A training device for a tennis racket is provided which consists of a clamp for attaching a small whistle transversely to a throat of the tennis racket. A first sound will be made by the small whistle, when a tennis player swings the tennis racket in a slice position. A second sound will be made by the small whistle when the tennis player swings the tennis racket in a top spin position.

The instant invention relates generally to tennis equipment and more specifically it relates to a training device for a tennis racket, which provides two different oriented and pitched whistles to improve the swing of a tennis player.
There are available various conventional tennis equipment which do not provide the novel improvements of the invention herein disclosed.


A surface luminous lighting unit has a light panel comprising a plurality of light guiding plates laminated in different lengths. The longer side of the light panel is made shorter than the distance between filaments of a lamp, and longer than the distance between the portions where a luminance of the lamp is equal to 75% of the maximum luminance of the lamp. The surface luminous lighting unit comprises a light guide which comprises a plurality of light guiding plates in different length laminated in such a manner that the sides of those plates where light enters are made level with each other, where the other sides thereof are arranged in a step-like. A linear light source is affixed to the light entering side of the light guide, and a reflector is affixed to the light exiting side of the light guide in such a manner as to extend thereover.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surface luminous lighting unit that is formed into a compact unit, and which is free of glares so as to effectively illuminate things to be illuminated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The lamp structure of a conventional lighting unit will be described.
FIG. 6 shows the structure of a conventional lighting unit, such as disclosed in the official gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-69102 (not examined), in which reference numeral 1 denotes a lamp, reference numeral 2 a light-transmitting light panel, reference numeral 3 a base of the lamp 1, and reference numeral 8 a lamp luminous portion that is the portion of the lamp 1 excluding the base 3 thereof. Reference X total length of lamp 1.
This lighting unit is intended to obtain illumination of an edge-light type by providing the light-transmitting light panel 2 and the lamp in parallel to each other. If the length of the lamp luminous portion 8 excluding the base 3 is represented as L1mp, the length of the longer side of the light panel 2 as Lpn1, the distance between the lamp 1 and the light panel 2 as A, and the angle of incidence as .theta. at which light enters the end portion of the light panel 2 from the end portion of the lamp luminous portion 8, the length of the lamp luminous portion 8 is expressed as EQU L1pm=2.times.A.times.tan .theta.+Lpn1,
where .theta. is in the range of 34.degree. to 50.degree..
It is possible to make uniform the luminance on the surface of the light panel by determining the length L1mp of the lamp luminous portion 8 and the length Lpn1 of the longer side of the light panel 2 in such a manner that the above equation is fulfilled.
Since the conventional lighting unit is constructed as described above, the range of the length Lpn1 of the longer side of the light panel is determined by the distance A between the lamp 1 and the light panel 2 and the length L1mp of the lamp luminous portion 8. For instance, if we now set A=3 mm, and L1mp=390 mm, the optimal length of the longer side of the light panel 2 falls within the range of 383 to 386 mm.
A graph shown in FIG. 7 shows the results of measuring the illuminance on the illuminated surface while altering the horizontal distance from the lighting unit wherein a lamp of total length.times.420 mm long (L1mp=390 mm) was provided at a position 3 mm away from the light panel (A=3 mm), the length of the longer side of the light panel 2 was changed so as to be 280, 310, 340, 370, and 400 mm, and the lighting unit was mounted at 300 mm high above the illuminated surface with the luminous surface of the light panel 2 being faced downwardly. It is understood from this graph that there is little difference in illuminance distribution until the length Lpn1 of the longer side of the light panel was reduced to 310 mm, while there was a difference when it was reduced to 280 mm. Therefore, when used as a part of a lighting unit, even if the length Lpn1 of the longer side of the light panel is set to be 310 mm, it is possible to obtain substantially the same degree of illuminance as would be obtained with the greater Lpn1s. Consequently, the rule expressed by the above equation is not appropriate.
FIG. 8 is a graph showing a relationship between the luminance and position of a fluorescent lamp 1, having a length of 420 mm and a diameter D off 16.7 mm, with filaments being disposed E=40 mm inwardly from the ends of the lamp, respectively. The luminance of the lamp 1 decreases towards the ends of the lamp, and falls drastically in the areas where the filaments 4 and bases 3 are provided. The difference in luminance causes an unevenness in the brightness of the light panel 2. Due to this, the length Lpn1 of the longer side of the light panel 2 should be set to be substantially the same as the distance F=340 mm between the filaments 4,4 of the lamp. Since the length Lpn1 of the light panel 2 is subject to substantially the same degree of illuminance with in the range from 310 to 400 mm, the length Lpn1 can be determined at 310 mm. Therefore, the rule stipulated by the above equation is not proper.
Thus, according to the above equation, there is a drawback in that the longer side of the light panel is made too long for use as a part of a lighting unit, eventually causing the light panel to become extremely heavy. Thus it is not appropriate to use the above equation to apply.
With the conventional lighting unit, there is also another drawback in that since it is not formed as a unit, a fixing means has to be provided for each place to be illuminated. Thus it is troublesome and consuming, because it takes much time to fix them. Additionally, it causes deteriorative operating efficiency.


A digital x-ray detector has a non-metallic housing. A two dimensional array of photosensors enclosed by the housing is in electrical communication with an electrical circuit formed on an interior surface of the housing.

Digital radiography (DR) imaging converts incident x-ray radiation energy to pixelated digital image content using a scintillator material that converts the x-ray energy to light for detection by an array of photodetectors. The portable DR detector has a housing that supports and protects the scintillator material and its accompanying photodetector array and also contains various other types of circuitry for providing power, control, and data communication for the detector.
Requirements for packaging of the sensing and support components within the detector housing are demanding. Conventional housing arrangements are typically characterized by high component count, complex cable routing, and proliferation of mounting hardware including fasteners, standoffs, spacers, clips, seals, cushioning, and related components. As a result, weight, size, reliability, assembly time, and cost remain areas needing improvement. Even with the advent of more lightweight photodetector array substrates and housing materials, including plastics and composites, cost, complexity, and weight can still pose formidable problems to be addressed.
Among challenges when using a non-metal housing are the need for providing a common ground plane for internal components and EMI (electro-magnetic interference) shielding requirements, both to shield internal circuitry from external EMI sources and to provide conformance to requirements for low EMI emission from the DR detector. A metal housing inherently provides these requirements. Alternate strategies must be used for providing these structural and electrical features when using plastic or composite housings.
Conventional component packaging solutions tend to constrain the amount of surface area available for image acquisition. The photodetector array, typically formed on a separate glass substrate or other substrate, including flexible substrates, is constrained by the housing size as well as by the need for additional space along one or more edges, such as for handling and for drop shock protection. In addition, space must be allotted for wire harnesses/flex cables needed to transfer the received signals to printed circuit board assemblies for signal processing. Thus, there would also be advantages to packaging approaches that help to alleviate spacing problems and to increase the available imaging area within the detector housing.
Thus, there is need for approaches that can simplify assembly, advance reliability, increase imaging area, and help to further reduce weight and complexity of assembly for DR detectors.

Wireless digital detector housing with inscribed circuitry


The invention reduces a pressure or thermal effect while reducing the mass of a screw rotor. There is provided a screw rotor having a helical tooth on an outer periphery, the helical tooth extending by a predetermined length in an axial direction, in which a radial cross section of the screw rotor includes a lobe portion having a predetermined thickness in a direction toward an axis and forming the helical tooth, and a hollow portion extending from an axial side inner surface of the lobe portion toward an axial side, and the predetermined thickness of the lobe portion differs between a high load side on the outer periphery of the screw rotor and a low load side on the outer periphery.

As a fluid machine such as a gas compressor, a pump, or an expander, there is known a fluid machine using a screw rotor.
When the screw rotor is, for example, a twin screw rotor, the teeth and the grooves of male and female rotors mesh with each other, a pressure working space is formed by the male and female rotors and an inner wall of a bore of a casing covering the rotors, and the male and female rotors rotate to generate compressed gas or high-pressure liquid in a compressor or pump. In addition, in the expander, reversely to the compressor or pump, high-pressure gas or liquid flows into an expansion working chamber and expand to rotate male and female rotors.
Generally, the screw rotor is solid, and thus the mass is heavy. Inertia related to rotational power for compression or expansion becomes power loss.
For this reason, Patent Document 1 discloses a screw rotor having a hollow structure for purpose of reducing the weight and the inertia moment. A hollow rotor has an advantage such as being able to reduce the power loss by the amount of a reduction in mass.

Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd.


A Remote Trailer Maneuvering (RTM) system includes a mobile device app that identifies and processes environmental information from a photo, to identify obstacles such as walls, surrounding objects, etc. When the RTM system detects a boat, a trailer, and a boat ramp, it calculates a travel distance to drive the trailer into the water for unloading the boat. The RTM system identifies obstructions, outputs information and warnings, and prompts for information and user control feedback. Once the photo is processed, the RTM system sends control instructions to an RTM controller onboard the vehicle. The vehicle may send a responsive message to the mobile device indicating that the RTM system is ready to proceed with the maneuvering function. The RTM controller maneuvers the trailer, using an autonomous vehicle controller, to the target position using the control instructions.

Operating a vehicle with a trailer in tow is very challenging for many drivers. This is particularly true for drivers that are unskilled at backing up vehicles with attached trailers, which may include those that drive with a trailer on an infrequent basis (e.g., have rented a trailer, use a personal trailer on an infrequent basis, etc.). Trailer backup assist systems for vehicles may include an onboard user interface that allows the user to steer a trailer towed by the vehicle through an automated steering controller that provides the steering motion that moves the trailer along a user-defined path curvature.
A system for configuring a trailer model for a trailer maneuvering is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,352,777, assigned to Ford Global Technologies, LLC (hereafter "the '777 Publication"). The system described in the '777 Publication includes a mobile device used to capture 3D trailer data to create a trailer profile to communicate to the trailer maneuvering system. The mobile device may also be used to capture dimensional data, such as the distance between a first reference point and a second reference point on the vehicle and trailer. A request may also be provided by the mobile device to take a photo of the trailer itself. It may be advantageous to further provide Autonomous Vehicle (AV) control integration and other intuitive features that utilize sensing capability of the mobile device to assess the environment, measure the boundaries of a parking space, and provide a user interface for input of a target position and orientation of the vehicle and trailer.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the disclosure made herein is presented.


An apparatus for distributing current in a low-voltage system includes a plurality of disk-shaped modules that can be arranged adjacent to each other in a row and mounted or locked on a carrier rail. At least one supply module, at least one fuse module, and at least one distributing module are provided. The modules have at least one cross connector for a positive potential and at least one cross connector for a negative potential. The fuse module and the distributing module also have at least one additional cross connector for a potential that is protected by the fuse module.

The invention relates to an assembly for distributing current in a low-voltage system including a plurality of disk-shaped modules arranged in series and mounted on a carrier or support rail. At least one of the modules is a supply module, at least one is a fuse module and at least one is a distributor module.

Apparatus for distributing current in a low-voltage system


The method establishes a number of permanent virtual circuits to be configured on a multiservice access device. At least one of the permanent virtual circuits is configured as an oversubscription (OS PVC). The OS PVC may be configured as a normal PVC with additional parameters. The additional parameters, such as a timer, allow the PVC to assume either an active state or an oversubscription state. It is put into the oversubscription state if the timer expires and there is no traffic during the timer interval. Once in the oversubscription state, the PVC can be activated upon the presence of traffic. The OS PVC may be configured by placing it into a service queue when it has cells to send. The service queue is processed in sequential order until it is empty.

1. Field
This invention relates to configuration of multiservice access devices, more particularly to methods of configuring them to handle oversubscription and a multiservice access device capable of being oversubscribed.
2. Background
Multiservice access devices allow networks to handle all types of traffic such as voice, data and video. These devices are normally configured with a set number of permanent virtual circuits (PVCs) and switched virtual circuits (SVCs). Examples of this device include multiservice access switches and multiservice access concentrators.
PVCs are point-to-point configurations between devices connected by a network. They are configured before any traffic is sent, and once configured they remain in place. SVCs only exist as long as the two devices communicate, and are established at the time the transmission is required. As soon as transmission between the devices stops, the circuit is disbanded.
The disadvantage of PVCs lies in the configuration parameters of the connections. Since the circuits are established ahead of time, they typically are configured with a type of service. The type of service specifies the nature of the transmission rate for the PVC. The services include constant bit rate, variable bit rate-real time, variable bit rate-non-real time., and unspecified bit rate. The first three have guaranteed throughputs, and constant bit rate service has a constant throughput as well. PVCs connected with unspecified bit rates do not have guaranteed throughputs.
Multiservice access devices that utilize PVCs for handling traffic typically handle oversubscription on the device by converting oversubscribed PVCs to unspecified bit rate service. Therefore, a method and apparatus is needed that will allow oversubscription in a more efficient manner and increase the usefulness of the device.
One aspect of the invention is a method for configuring permanent virtual circuits in a multiservice access device. At least one of the permanent virtual circuits is configured as an oversubscription permanent virtual circuit (OS PVC). The configuration may involve configuring the OS PVC as a normal PVC with an added parameter of a timer. If the PVC is active, it can move into the OS state upon an absence of traffic for a time interval determined by a timer. Once it is in the OS state, traffic is monitored. If necessary the PVC is moved back to the active state to handle traffic. In one example, an OS designator is used to identify PVCs in the OS state, configured as unspecified bit rate PVCs. When the PVC becomes active, it is attempted to be configured as a normal PVC. If the bandwidth is not available, it returns to the unspecified bit rate configuration.
Another aspect of the invention involves modifying the traffic shaping process. This is done my having multiple entries competing for the same cell transmit opportunity in the calendar table. Also, the introduction of a service queue will handle the multiple entries in the traffic shaping table (calendar). The service queue is serviced in a first in first out manner.
Another aspect of the invention involves configuring some of the PVCs as OS PVCs by adding them to a service queue, as necessary. The PVCs in the service queue are defined as being oversubscription PVCs. The service queue is handled in a sequential fashion until empty.
Another aspect of the invention is a multiservice access device that can be configured for oversubscription.

Method and apparatus for oversubscription of permanent virtual circuits


A vibration driven motor or actuator includes a vibrating member for generating a vibration therein in response to an electrical signal applied thereto, and a contact member frictionally engaged with the vibrating member to be driven by the vibration. The contact member has a structure for causing sin and cos modes of the vibration generated in the contact member to have different natural frequencies when the contact member is driven by the vibration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vibration driven motor or actuator. More particularly, it relates to a vibration driven motor or actuator, which vibrates an elastic member, such as a bar-shaped vibrating member, by supplying electrical energy on electro-mechanical energy conversion elements provided to the bar-shaped elastic member. The vibration causes surface portions of the vibrating member to follow a circular or elliptic motion, thereby frictionally driving a movable member urged against the vibrating member. Such motor or actuator is especially suitable for optical equipment such as cameras and OA equipment such as printers.
2. Related Background Art
A bar-shaped vibration driven motor excites surface portions of a bar-shaped vibrating men%her to follow a circular or elliptic motion, thereby frictionally driving a movable member urged against the vibrating member.
Since the magnitude of the circular or elliptic motion is at most about several .mu.m, the vibrating member and a rotor must be finished to have a contact surface precision which is high enough to cover this magnitude, so as to maintain a contact state over the entire peripheral surface of the vibrating member. However, in practice, the vibrating member and the rotor cannot have such a high precision at a reasonable working cost. For this reason, spring characteristics are provided to the contact portion of the rotor so as to maintain the contact state over the entire peripheral surface of the vibrating member.
A vibration driven motor driven according to the above-mentioned driving principle has motor characteristics which exhibit a high torque at a low speed.
Therefore, since no gears are required for decelerating the motor, the vibration driven motor is utilized in products such as a camera, which must solve a gear noise problem, and requires quietness.
However, the vibration driven motor often generates noise during driving.
Such noise is caused by a non-driving vibration generated in the motor in addition to the vibration for driving the motor. The vibration is caused by a travelling wave.
The present applicant has proposed various countermeasures against this vibration. However, slight noise still remains.
FIG. 2 shows an observation result, using a microphone, of a vibration spectrum obtained when noise is generated during driving.
In FIG. 2, 1f is the driving frequency of the vibrating member, 2f is a frequency component twice the frequency 1f, and 4f is a frequency in an audible frequency range (20 kHz or lower), which generates noise.
These frequencies satisfy a relation 3f-1f=4f.
Since the driving frequency is the frequency of an AC signal supplied to generate a driving vibration, it can be shifted by .DELTA.f. If the shifted frequency is represented by f.sub.s, it changes to satisfy 1f.sub.s =1f+.DELTA.f, 2f.sub.s =2f+2.DELTA.f, . . . . On the other hand, the frequencies 4f and 3f change to satisfy the equations 4f.sub.s =4f-.DELTA.f and 3f.sub.s =3f, respectively.
Therefore, the vibration spectrum of noise corresponds to a differential frequency (4f.sub.s =3f-1f-.DELTA.f) between the frequency 3f and the driving frequency, and the frequency 3f can be considered as some natural vibration.
Upon examination of this natural vibration, it was found that the natural vibration was a bending vibration of a rotor main ring 2 shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the rotor main ring 2. In FIG. 4, a solid line represents the rotor main ring 2 before deformation, and a dotted line represents a bending vibration mode. A contact spring 2a (see FIG. 3) also suffers from a bending deformation to follow the main ring portion 2 although it is not shown in FIG. 4.
The object of the prevent invention is to present generation of such a vibration of the rotor main ring 2.
In addition, another noise may often be generated in addition to the above-mentioned noise.
FIG. 5 shows a vibration spectrum of this noise. Frequencies 1f, 2f, 3f, and 4f respectively represent the spectra of the driving vibration (1f), a vibration (2f) having a frequency twice the driving frequency, a natural vibration (3f) causing noise, and a vibration (.DELTA.f) of noise like in FIG. 2. In FIG. 5, however, these frequencies satisfy 4f=1f-(2f-3f).
Upon examination of the natural vibration 3f, it was found that the natural vibration was a bending vibration of the rotor contact spring 2a shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 6 shows the vibration mode of the contact spring 2a.
In this mode, the deformation of the rotor main ring 2 is very small, and only the contact spring portion 2a suffers from a bending vibration unlike in the bending mode shown in FIG. 4.


A multiprocessing system executes a plurality of processes concurrently. A process execution circuit (10) issues requests to access a shared resource (16) from the processes. A shared access circuit (14) sequences conflicting ones of the requests. A simulating access circuit (12) generates signals to stall at least one of the processes at simulated stall time points selected as a predetermined function of requests from only the at least one of the processes and/or the timing of the requests from only the at least one of the processes, irrespective of whether said stalling is made necessary by sequencing of conflicting ones of the requests. Thus, part from predetermined maximum response times, predetermined average timing can be guaranteed, independent of the combination of processes that is executed.

Resource conflicts are a well-known problem in multiprocessing systems. In a multiprocessing system a plurality of data handling processes is executed concurrently. When the different processes need to access a main memory or other resources, a resource conflict may arise. Such a conflict must be resolved by allowing the accesses to proceed successively, causing some of the accesses to wait with the effect that the requesting process may have to wait as well.
Process timing is an important consideration in the resolution of access conflicts. In many applications real-time requirements are imposed on processes, which means that the processes need to complete, or perform specified actions, before specified time points. When such a real-time process is executed together with other processes with unknown access timing, the unpredictability of resource conflicts with the other processes can make it impossible to guarantee real-time performance, even when it is known that real-time performance is possible, or indeed occurs most of the time.
A number of conflict resolution schemes is known that address real time guarantees. A simple scheme divides time into successive resource access time slots that are assigned to predetermined ones of the processes. If a process issues access requests, the requests will be executed in resource access time slot that are assigned to the process. Effectively, the process "sees" the resource as if it operates at the rate of the assigned time slots. If this visible resource is fast enough, real-time performance of the process can be guaranteed, independent of the behavior of other processes.
Other conflict resolution schemes use arbitration. An arbiter circuit receives the requests from different processes and in each resource access time slot where there is a conflict, the arbiter circuit selects the request of one of the processes and allows that request to be handled. With such an arbiter circuit real-time performance can be guaranteed in various ways, for example by using a variable priority ranking of the processes, so that each process will get highest priority within a predetermined time interval. If the process does not issue a request, a lower priority process will get access instead, so that the resource may be used more frequently.
Such allocation schemes impose limits on the maximum time within which a process will get access to a resource. This guaranteed maximum is independent of other processes. As a result there is also a limit on the maximum delays before real time actions will be performed during execution of the process, provided that the process itself is sufficiently predictable to ensure that no more than certain maximum numbers of execution cycles are needed before the actions are performed.
For processes that are not sufficiently predictable, for example because the number of execution cycles depends on the value of its input data, no such real time guarantees can be given, even if there are limits on the access time. For such processes arbitration schemes that limit the maximum resource access time do not add to predictability. Nevertheless it is desirable that also the timing of such processes is predictable at least in terms of average timing that is averaged over different data inputs.
Unfortunately, real time resource allocation schemes that guarantee only a maximum limit on access time do not have the effect that they make this average timing independent of other processes that are executed concurrently. When there happen to be fewer or more conflicts with other processes the average time will be faster or slower. This speed effect could be removed by including instructions in the programs for performing the processes to wait, if the speed has been too high, but this may unnecessarily decreases progress of the process.

Generating simulated stall signals based on access speed model or history of requests independent of actual processing or handling of conflicting requests


An X-ray film package includes a protective cover for sandwiching plural X-ray films stacked on one another, to obtain a cover-fitted sheet stack. A packaging bag contains the cover-fitted sheet stack. A packaging case contains the packaging bag with the cover-fitted sheet stack contained therein. A producing history managing method for the X-ray film package is provided. A producing history bar code is printed to the protective cover, the producing history bar code being obtained according to producing or packaging of the X-ray films. Also, the producing history bar code is printed to the packaging bag, and to the packaging case.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a producing history managing method and system for a photosensitive sheet package. More particularly, the present invention relates to a producing history managing method and system for a photosensitive sheet package, in which producing history data can be checked easily and correctly without errors.
2. Description Related to the Prior Art
There are medical photosensitive films, which are photosensitive sheets including X-ray film used directly for photographing an image, and image recording film for use with an image outputting device such as a laser imager and the like. To package the photosensitive sheets, a plurality of the photosensitive sheets are stacked on one another. A protective cover of thick cardboard is used to sandwich the stack of the photosensitive sheets. The photosensitive sheets with the protective cover is wrapped in a packaging bag. Then a packaging case is used to accommodate the packaging bag with the photosensitive sheets. A plurality of the packaging cases are contained in a container for shipment.
A system for producing and packaging the photosensitive sheets includes a slitting process, a cutting/stacking process, a bag inserting process, a case inserting process and a container inserting process. In the slitting process, photosensitive sheet web with a great width is unwound from a master roll, and slitted into continuous sheets with a regular width of the product, to form slit rolls. In the cutting/stacking process, each continuous sheet is unwound from a slit roll, and cut to obtain the photosensitive sheets. The photosensitive sheets are stacked in a regular number of sheets, and then sandwiched by the protective cover. In the bag inserting process, the photosensitive sheets with the protective cover is inserted into the packaging bag. In the case inserting process, the packaging bag is inserted into the packaging case. In the container inserting process, packaging cases in a predetermined number are contained in a container of containerboard.
The photosensitive sheets at the time of the shipment is provided with producing history data for the purpose of defects in the product on sale. A technique of managing the producing history is disclosed in JP-A 5-051021. In a cross cutting process, a continuous sheet is cut crosswise. The photosensitive sheets are stacked for a unit of packaging. Data required for the slit roll stored in the control device is transferred to devices in a packaging process which is installed after the cross cutting process. In the packaging process, the photosensitive sheets are wrapped in the packaging bag. Also the required data of the slit roll is printed on the packaging bag. The producing history of the photosensitive sheets is managed by checking the printed data of the packaging bag in comparison with the required data of the slit roll.
All the photosensitive sheets packaged together are set in the image outputting device. After the setting, the packaging bag and the packaging case are discarded. Thus, the method of JP-A 5-051021 has a problem in that the producing history cannot be checked even if failure of the photosensitive sheets is detected at the time of development in the image outputting device. It is impossible in a commercial point of view to overcome the problem of dealing the defective products of the photosensitive sheets.
If failure in the product in the course of distribution, the container and the packaging case must be opened before the producing history data on the packaging bag can be observed. This causes very low efficiency in checking the producing history. Furthermore, the checking is obliged to open the packaging case even containing completely acceptable products. It is impossible to ship the packaging case as merchandise when opened.
To transfer the data from the cross cutting machine to the packaging process, data tracking is used. In the data tracking, a state of feeding of objects is detected, so as to shift the data by means of the software. To detect the objects, it is general to use a photoelectric switch. However, there is a problem in that errors are likely to occur in the detection of the photoelectric switch due to offsetting of an optical axis and sticking of fine dust or particles. Information related to the data tracking is likely to deviate.
When data are transferred between devices of which control units are different from one another, time differences of the data tracking are likely to occur due to delay in the communication. To suppress the time differences of the data tracking, hand shake is used in the data communication software. Also, error detecting software is required for detecting errors in the data tracking. This complicates the control for the transfer of the data. Furthermore, operators must operate manually between the processes typically when there is no automation in the entirety of the line. Thus, it is impossible to transfer the data.
In view of the foregoing problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a producing history managing method and system for a photosensitive sheet package, in which producing history data can be checked easily, and with sufficient correctness without errors.
In order to achieve the above and other objects and advantages of this invention, a producing history managing method for a photosensitive sheet package is provided. The photosensitive sheet package includes a protective cover for sandwiching plural photosensitive sheets stacked on one another, to obtain a cover-fitted sheet stack, a packaging bag for containing the cover-fitted sheet stack, and a packaging case for containing the packaging bag with the cover-fitted sheet stack contained therein. In the producing history managing method, producing history data is printed to the protective cover, the producing history data being obtained according to producing or packaging of the photosensitive sheets. The producing history data is printed to the packaging bag. The producing history data is printed to the packaging case.
Furthermore, plural packaging cases are contained into an outer packaging container, each of the plural packaging cases having the packaging bag contained therein. The producing history data are printed to the packaging container.
Furthermore, the producing history data is read from the protective cover, the producing history data being adapted to printing to the packaging bag. The producing history data is read from the packaging bag, the producing history data being adapted to printing to the packaging case. The producing history data is read from the packaging case, the producing history data being adapted to printing to the packaging container.
The plural photosensitive sheets are obtained by cutting a continuous sheet, and the producing history data is obtained according to obtaining the photosensitive sheets by cutting.
In another aspect of the invention, a producing history managing system for a photosensitive sheet package is provided, including a sheet cutter for producing plural photosensitive sheets by cutting a continuous sheet. A covering machine loads a protective cover with the plural photosensitive sheets stacked on one another in a sandwiched manner, to obtain a cover-fitted sheet stack. An enveloping machine contains the cover-fitted sheet stack in a packaging bag. A packing machine contains the packaging bag into a packaging case with the cover-fitted sheet stack contained therein. In the producing history managing system, a first printer prints producing history data to the protective cover, the producing history data being obtained according to operation of at least one of the sheet cutter and the covering machine. A second printer prints the producing history data to the packaging bag. A third printer prints the producing history data to the packaging case.
Furthermore, a shipment packing machine contains plural packaging cases into an outer packaging container, each of the plural packaging cases having the packaging bag contained therein. A fourth printer prints the producing history data to the packaging container.
Furthermore, a first data reader reads the producing history data from the protective cover, the producing history data being adapted to printing to the packaging bag. A second data reader reads the producing history data from the packaging bag, the producing history data being adapted to printing to the packaging case. A third data reader reads the producing history data from the packaging case, the producing history data being adapted to printing to the packaging container.
Furthermore, a production control unit manages operation of the sheet cutter, the covering machine, the enveloping machine and the packing machine, and outputs the producing history data.
The production control unit further determines first auxiliary data related to containing of the cover-fitted sheet stack into the packaging bag, and determines second auxiliary data related to containing of the packaging bag into the packaging case. Furthermore, a first memory stores first renewed history data by adding the first auxiliary data to the producing history data. A second memory stores second renewed history data by adding the second auxiliary data to the first renewed history data. The second printer prints the first renewed history data to the packaging bag, and the third printer prints the second renewed history data to the packaging case.
The producing history data for the packaging container is determined by selection among plural sets of the second renewed history data printed on the plural packaging cases.
The production control unit further determines third auxiliary data related to containing of the packaging case into the packaging container. Furthermore, a third memory stores third renewed history data determined by adding the third auxiliary data to the second renewed history data. The fourth printer prints the third renewed history data to the packaging container.
The second data reader reads the first renewed history data, and the third data reader reads the second renewed history data.
Furthermore, a web slitter produces the continuous sheet by slitting web from a master roll, to wind the continuous sheet to form a slit roll, wherein the sheet cutter is supplied with the continuous sheet by unwinding from the slit roll. A production managing unit manages the production control unit and the web slitter.
Furthermore, a data imprinting device is positioned upstream from the covering machine, for recording the producing history data to the photosensitive sheets by exposure.
The producing history data is a bar code.
The sheet cutter, the covering machine, the enveloping machine, the packing machine and the shipment packing machine respectively output first data representing a production number of the photosensitive sheets or the cover-fitted sheet stack, or a failure product number of failing ones of the photosensitive sheets or the cover-fitted sheet stack. The production control unit determines second data according to the first data, and the second data is adapted to managing a producing history.
The production managing unit creates producing history managing table data in which plural values of the producing history data are arranged in a matrix form, and are associated with respectively one particular cover-fitted sheet stack.
The producing history data has plural portions including a slit number data portion associated with the slit roll. A packaging unit data portion is associated with the cover-fitted sheet stack.
The plural portions further include an instruction data portion adapted to designating a post-treating step to be effected after operation of at least one of the sheet cutter, the covering machine, the enveloping machine, the packing machine and the shipment packing machine.
The post-treating step is at least one of plural steps including a step of producing a sticker in association with the cover-fitted sheet stack, and a step of, if the photosensitive sheets or the cover-fitted sheet stack is detected failing, eliminating the photosensitive sheets or the cover-fitted sheet stack being failing.
The matrix form includes plural lines and plural columns, each of the plural columns is associated with the slit roll, each of the plural lines is associated with one series of the photosensitive sheet at a predetermined number.
A set of the producing history managing table data is associated with the master roll being single.
The plural portions further include a producing lot number data portion associated with the master roll.

Producing history managing method and system for photosensitive sheet package


An information processing device performs a game process based on a tilt angle of an input device that can be rotated to any tilt about a predetermined axis. First, a game apparatus calculates a tilt angle representing the tilt of the input device. Then, the game apparatus determines whether the calculated tilt angle has transitioned across the boundary between the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the tilt angle. If the tilt angle has transitioned across the boundary, the tilt angle to be used in a predetermined information process is corrected to a predetermined value that is on one side of the boundary on which the tilt angle was before crossing the boundary.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage medium having stored therein a game program, a game apparatus and a tilt angle correction method, and more particularly to a storage medium having stored therein a game program with which one performs a game process based on the tilt of an input device that can be tilted at any tilt angle, a game apparatus and a tilt angle correction method.
2. Description of the Background Art
Patent document 1 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 6-190144) discloses a game apparatus with which one can perform a game operation by tilting a controller. The controller ("control key device") described in Patent document 1 includes therein a 3-axis acceleration sensor, and the tilt angle of the controller is calculated using the detection result of the acceleration sensor. Patent document 1 also describes a vehicle driving game using the controller, in which the tilt angle of the controller is associated with the rotation angle of the steering wheel of the vehicle appearing in the game.
In Patent document 1, the tilt angle of the controller and the rotation angle of the steering wheel of the vehicle are associated with each other. That is, in Patent document 1, rotating the controller to the left from the reference state will rotate the steering wheel to the left, and rotating the controller to the right from the reference state will rotate the steering wheel to the right. Consider a case where the user turns the controller excessively to the left, attempting to turn left, specifically, a case where the user further turns the controller to the left from the position where the controller is tilted nearly 180° to the left (e.g., 170° to the left), resulting in a position where the controller is tilted nearly 180° to the right (e.g., 170° to the right). In this case, the following problem arises.
In such a case, since the tilt angle and the rotation angle of the steering wheel are associated with each other (in one-to-one correspondence) in Patent document 1, the user performing such an operation results in a transition of the steering wheel from a position where it is significantly tilted to the left to a position where it is significantly tilted to the right. For example, in a case where the tilt angle of the controller and the angle of rotation of the steering wheel coincide with each other, it transitions from a position where it is rotated nearly 180° to the left to a position where it is rotated nearly 180° to the right. That is, the steering wheel abruptly transitions from a position where it is fully turned to the left to a position where it is fully turned to the right. In such a case, however, the user is turning the controller excessively to the left, merely attempting to turn left, but the user does not intend to turn right. Therefore, if the game develops into a state where the steering wheel is turned to the right as described above, the user may feel awkward because such a game state is different from the user's intention. As described above, in a case where the tilt angle of the controller and the output used in the game process are associated with each other in one-to-one correspondence as in Patent document 1, the game output may be different from the user's intention, thus deteriorating the controllability of the controller.

Storage medium having game program stored therein, game apparatus, and tilt angle correction method


The present disclosure discloses a high voltage semiconductor device and the associated methods of manufacturing. In one embodiment, the high voltage semiconductor device comprises: an epitaxial layer, a first low voltage well formed in the epitaxial layer; a second low voltage well formed in the epitaxial layer; a high voltage well formed in the epitaxial layer, wherein the second low voltage well is surrounded by the high voltage well; a first highly doping region formed in the first low voltage well; a second highly doping region and a third highly doping region formed in the second low voltage well, wherein the third highly doping region is adjacent to the second highly doping region; a field oxide formed in the epitaxial layer as a shallow-trench isolation structure; and a gate region formed on the epitaxial layer.

Lightly doped wells are used in various body regions of high voltage semiconductor devices to get high breakdown voltage, while highly doped wells are used in various body regions of low voltage semiconductor devices to lower the resistance. Generally speaking, semiconductor devices with highly doped well as the body region have higher threshold voltage, while semiconductor devices with lightly doped well as the body region have lower threshold voltage. So to make a high voltage semiconductor device, most of BCD (Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS) technologies use lightly doped well with a first doping type as the body region and add an additional layer to adjust the threshold voltage to ensure that the high voltage semiconductor device has a consistent threshold with the low voltage semiconductor device, which increases cost.
Another prior technology uses lightly doped well with a second doping type as the drain region and use low voltage well with the first doping type as the body region. In this case, the threshold voltage adjust layer is not needed, but still an additional well with the second doping type is required, which also increases cost.

High voltage semiconductor device and the associated method of manufacturing


A pushbutton switch has a housing with a reciprocating plunger. The plunger is made in two parts with a hollow insert pressed in place to provide a slot inside the plunger with a longitudinally extending portion and a spirally extending portion. A rotatable shaft fits within the hollow insert and has a plurality of teeth at the lower end of the shaft. An electrical contact member with three circumferentially extending fingers is on the shaft over the teeth and with the fingers extending downwardly for contacting three electrical terminals in the housing to which contact may be made by external leads. When the plunger of the switch is depressed, the shaft moves downwardly and rotates without rotating the electrical contact member. When the plunger is released, the shaft also moves upwardly and rotates in the reverse direction whereupon a tooth engages a pawl extending downwardly from the contact member, advancing the contact member in rotation and changing the state of the switch.

The present invention relates to pushbutton switches for use in electrical circuits; for example, an ON-OFF switch in which electrical contact is made when the plunger of the switch is pressed once and contact is broken when the plunger is pressed a second time. It may also be useful for an ON-ON-OFF switch, where there are two different ON positions and an OFF position. It might also be useful for a single pole, double throw switch, where there are two different ON positions and one OFF position. A switch may be an ON-ON switch, where electrical contacts are switched between a common lead and either of two alternate other leads. etc.
A variety of electrical pushbutton switches are well known, with quite a variety of internal operating mechanisms. Small pushbutton switches are desirable for automotive applications, for example, and many of such switches are somewhat noisier than desired. It is preferable to have a pushbutton switch that is quieter than most that are presently available. Many switches have wiping or sliding contact between terminals as the switch is opened or closed. It is desirable to minimize friction in such a wiping contact, if for nothing else but to minimize wear. Light wiping contact pressure is therefore desirable.
It is also desirable that the change of state of the switch does not occur when the plunger of the switch is depressed, but only commences when the plunger is released and moves upwardly. This is known as a xe2x80x9cstable-ON feature,xe2x80x9d which avoids a problem of intermittent contact (e.g., a flickering light bulb) when the plunger of the switch is partly depressed or vibrated.
In an exemplary embodiment, the pushbutton switch comprises a body or housing with two or three electrical terminals, for example. A pushbutton plunger is mounted for reciprocation in the housing for operating the switch. There is a rotatable contact member for contacting the terminals, depending on the rotational position of the contact member for making or breaking an external circuit. A shaft engages the plunger so that it is moved downwardly upon downward depression of the plunger and rotates in response to movement of the plunger. A ratchet rotates the contact member in response to rotation of the shaft.


A mobile device using an e-paper display panel and a method for controlling the same are disclosed, in which the mobile device is switched to a standby mode and a lock mode. The mobile device includes an e-paper display unit configured to display contents; an input signal receiving unit configured to detect an input signal and transmit the detected input signal to a processor; and the processor configured to control the e-paper display unit and the input signal receiving unit, wherein the processor is further configured to switch the mobile device to a first standby mode if a lack of a touch input signal is detected for a predetermined time, wherein the first standby mode is a mode displaying a first image on the e-paper display unit and disabling detecting of a touch input signal for the displayed first image.

1. Field of the Invention
The present specification relates to a mobile device using an e-paper display panel and a method for controlling the same, and more particularly, to a method for switching a mobile device, which uses an e-paper display panel, to a standby mode and a lock mode.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
LCD, LED, etc. have been used as a display unit of a mobile terminal. Recently, a mobile terminal that uses e-paper as a display means has appeared. LCD and LED display images in such a manner that an element emits light to a panel per pixel, whereas e-paper displays desired images in such a manner that a capsule containing color ink is distributed on a panel and then an electric signal is sent to the panel to allow a specific color to come up. Since the e-paper allows a user to view images by using an electronic ink instead of a liquid crystal through an external lighting only even without light emitted behind a screen unlike the other displays, it has low power consumption. Also, a displayed screen of the LCD disappears immediately if the power of LCD is turned off, whereas a screen of the e-paper is maintained as it is even the power is turned off. Also, since the e-paper has a viewing angle wider than that of a liquid crystal display, the user may easily read characters at various angles.
Furthermore, the demand of the e-paper has been recently increased in various fields. For example, the e-paper has been used in various fields such as subway advertisements, e-apparel, and smart phones.

Mobile device using E-paper display panel and method for controlling the same


Systems, methods, and apparatus allow for capturing the results of drug tests using mobile devices. One or more implementations include apparatus that interface a mobile computing device with a drug test, while ensuring that an imaging device of the mobile computing device is optically aligned with a test display areas of the drug test. One or more additional implementations include a method for analyzing drug testing results. The method includes receiving and analyzing drug testing data, which includes an identification of a type drug testing apparatus being used at a remote testing device, and an image that visually represents a portion of a drug test. The method also includes analyzing the test results of the drug test based on the identification of the type drug testing apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to apparatus and computer software for analyzing drug test results using mobile computing devices.
2. Background and Relevant Art
It is a common practice to test biological fluids (e.g., urine, saliva, blood, etc.) and/or tissues for the presence of particular chemicals, such as drugs, or chemicals that are indicative of a physiological state or medical condition (e.g., pregnancy, disease, etc.). For example, Point of Care Test (POCT) devices employ lateral flow testing, which is a form of immunoassay which provides a substrate along which a fluid test sample flows (e.g., via capillary action). Lateral flow test substrates generally include one or more testing areas (e.g., lines or zones) which are treated with one or more corresponding chemical reagents. As fluid test samples traverse testing areas on lateral flow test substrates, chemicals (e.g., drugs, proteins, etc.) in the test samples may react with the chemical reagent(s) in the testing areas. As part of the reaction(s) one or more colors of the testing areas may change or appear based on chemicals present in a particular test sample, thereby creating a visually readable result.
Test results produced by lateral flow tests used in POCT devices may be interpretable based on the presence of a color (or the lack thereof) in a test area, a combination colors in different test areas, differences between colors in different test areas, presence of lines, or a lack of lines, etc. As such, a human may, based on experience and/or comparison with a reference, interpret test results via a visual inspection of a lateral flow test substrate that has been exposed to a fluid test sample. Interpretation of results by a human; however, is prone to error. For example, different humans may perceive or differentiate colors differently, comparison of colors by humans is a subjective (rather than objective) process, humans may make errors when recording test results, etc. As such, the "human factor" can lead to inaccuracies in an otherwise reliable testing mechanism.
To overcome the "human factor" in lateral flow testing, entities that perform lateral flow testing increasingly employ computerized POCT readers. POCT readers use appropriate hardware (e.g., cameras, scanners, etc.) to acquire an image of lateral flow substrates, and perform a computerized analysis of the image to interpret the test areas and to generate a test result. As such, unlike humans, computerized POCT readers make an objective analysis of testing results, and record/report testing results without the introduction of transcription errors. Conventional POCT readers; however, can be prohibitive since conventional POCT readers are specifically configured to interpret results from specific POCT devices and their corresponding test(s). As such, if an entity needs to conduct a broad array of tests, it may be necessary to purchase a potentially large number of POCT devices (e.g., different POCT devices from different test manufacturers) and their corresponding POCT readers.
In addition to the foregoing, conventional POCT readers capture, analyze and produce results at the test site. This can lead to privacy issues. For example, a workers response to a test result can unintentionally inform other people at the test site of the result. Furthermore, because conventional POCT readers capture, analyze and produce results at the test site, they are open to manipulation and/or doctoring.
Accordingly, there are a number of problems in the art relating to testing fluid test samples using lateral flow test, and relating to interpreting test results.

Capturing and processing instant drug test results using a mobile device


In a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the same, a mesh shaped lower electrode of a peripheral region is used as a reservoir capacitor to increase the size of a region contacting a dielectric film, such that Cs deterioration is minimized. An exemplary semiconductor device may include a line-type storage node contact plug formed over a semiconductor substrate, a mesh shaped lower electrode formed over the storage node contact plug, and a dielectric film and an upper electrode formed over the lower electrode.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the same.
A variety of power sources are available for operating a capacitor in a cell region and other elements in a peripheral region. Operation of the power sources produces noise. In order to reduce such noise, reservoir capacitors have been widely used. Such reservoir capacitors can be formed either in the cell region or in the peripheral region.
Generally, the reservoir capacitor uses a MOS-type capacitor comprising a gate and a source/drain. One reason why the MOS-type capacitor is used is that a gate oxide film has superior inner pressure characteristics with respect to a voltage applied thereto. However, with the increasing integration degree of semiconductor devices, the area of the MOS-type capacitor formed in the semiconductor device needs to be reduced.
Since capacitance of the MOS-type capacitor is reduced in proportion to such reduction in a size of the capacitor, it is difficult for a MOS-type capacitor to be used as a reservoir capacitor for a highly integrated device. That is, while the conventional MOS-type capacitor has superior inner pressure characteristics, it has low electrostatic capacitance when it is employed for a semiconductor device with a small unit cell size. Thus, a MOS-type capacitor is not desirable as a reservoir capacitor in a highly-integrated semiconductor device.

Semiconductor device and method for manufacturing the same


A method and an apparatus for doping a graphene or nanotube thin-film field-effect transistor device to improve electronic mobility. The method includes selectively applying a dopant to a channel region of a graphene or nanotube thin-film field-effect transistor device to improve electronic mobility of the field-effect transistor device.

Graphene and carbon nanotubes (CNT) are candidates for replacing silicon in high and medium performance logic devices. Recently, there is a growing interest in using thin film CNT field effect transistor (FET) devices for medium performance applications such as radio frequency (RF) electronics and transistor backplane for liquid crystal (LCD)/organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays.
The use of CNT-thin film transistors (TFTs) becomes more appealing in case of flexible electronics applications, where CNT-TFTs surpass other material (amorphous silicon (a-Si), organic semiconductors, etc.) in terms of mobility values.
The rising demands for performance from these TFTs make a case for a continuous improvement in the mobility values of CNT based TFTs. However, existing approaches in CNT-TFT lacks a controlled way to improve mobility values in the devices. For example, some existing approaches include increasing tube length, and producing highly purified CNT material to improve mobility values. However, such approaches provide a very small enhancement in material mobility and are not well controlled.

Doping carbon nanotubes and graphene for improving electronic mobility

International Business Machines Corporation