The object of the present invention is to provide a laminated film made of polylactic acids which is not prone to delamination while having excellent piezoelectric properties and a manufacturing method thereof. That is, the present invention is obtained by the stretched laminated film manufactured by a co-extrusion process for use in piezoelectric polymer materials, containing a layer (A) which has poly-L-lactic acid as the primary component and contains an impact modifier in the range of 0.1 to 10 mass % and a layer (B) which has poly-D-lactic acid as the primary component and contains an impact modifier in the range of 0.1 to 10 mass %.

It is known that, when provided with conductive layers, stretched polylactic acid films can be used as piezoelectric polymer materials (Patent Documents 1 and 2). It is also known that, by laminating such piezoelectric polymer materials to form a bimorph or multimorph structure, thereby enhancing piezoelectric properties, it is made possible to use them as vibrating bodies of microphones, pickups, buzzers, speakers, optical switches, fans, etc. or as piezoelectric actuators (Patent Documents 3 to 5). However, Patent Document 3, in which piezoelectric polymer films are bonded together with an adhesive, suffers from complicated processing steps such as lamination etc. and from low productivity. A method of forming a bimorph structure by co-extrusion is known to solve these problems (Patent Document 6).
On the other hand, in the field of materials for presentation packaging of commercial products and the like, which is a wholly separate field from piezoelectric polymer materials, it is known to incorporate a poly(meth)acrylate-based resin in polylactic acid and to incorporate an impact modifier in it to provide a polylactic acid-based resin laminated sheet with excellent heat resistance, transparency, and impact resistance (Patent Document 7).

Stretched laminated film for use in piezoelectric polymer material, and manufacturing method thereof


Safety restraining apparatus for a model airplane under power comprising an inverted U-shaped member having a hinged member mounted on the top. The hinged member consists of a pair of spaced arms and legs which limit motion of the hinged member to one direction when the U-shaped member is inserted into the ground. The aircraft with propeller turning is restrained by the hinged member coming into contact with the horizontal stabilizers. The aircraft is released for take off by withdrawing the airplane permitting the hinged member to drop to ground under gravity to be out of the way. One advantage of this invention is that the arms drop out of the way when the airplane is withdrawn. Another advantage of this design is that once the device is mounted in the ground it can be reused any number of times without removing it from the ground. Thus, for a full day of flying, for example, the device is installed, used repeatedly, and then removed when the equipment is to be put away and the area is left.

This invention relates to a model airplane safety device and more particularly to a device for safely positioning a model airplane at or during start up and prior to take off.
A recent news item including a photograph which appeared in a publication directed to the model airplane enthusiast showed an individual whose hand had been repaired with 59 stitches. The hobbyist or pilot was attempting to start his aircraft by himself and his fingers were caught in the rapidly spinning (i.e., 8,000-10,000 rpm, at full throttle for launching) prop.
Model airplanes are generally controlled remotely by a radio transmitter. After the engine is started, getting the plane ready for flight involves holding the plane back while removing the electric starter, adjusting the throttle with the transmitter, and reaching around the turning prop to remove the glow plug energizer.
This procedure followed by a pilot without any assistance from another person is recognized as so dangerous that it is virtually forbidden for the hobbyist to launch a model airplane by himself.
A number of safety devices have been proposed for use by the hobbyist. One of them utilizes a U-shaped metal rod which is inverted and placed over the rear fuselage in front of the horizontal stabilizer and pushed into the ground. The big problem is in removing the rod while holding the plane to keep it from taking off. Another problem is the need to insert it into the ground for each takeoff.


Provided are a macro lens system and an image pickup device including the macro lens system. The macro lens system includes a first lens group having a positive refractive power, a second lens group having a positive refractive power, and a 3-1 lens group having a positive refractive power and moving perpendicular to an optical axis to correct an image blur.

1. Field
Embodiments of the invention relate to a lens system capable of correcting image blur and performing a macro-photographing operation and an image pickup device including the lens system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Consumer demand for single lens reflex (SLR) cameras has increased, and in particular consumer demand for digital SLR cameras has increased. Digital SLR cameras often use a charged-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS). Consumer demand for high-end digital SLR cameras with lenses having various functions is strong. For example, consumer demand for digital SLRs with macro lens systems is strong, but many macro lens systems do not perform well enough to satisfy consumers of high-end digital cameras.

Macro lens system and image pickup device including the same


There are provided a piezoelectric actuator, an inkjet head assembly, and a method of manufacturing the same. The piezoelectric actuator includes: upper and lower electrodes providing driving voltage; and a piezoelectric substance formed between the upper and lower electrodes through solidifying a liquid piezoelectric substance, and providing driving force to ink in each of a plurality of pressure chambers provided in an inkjet head, wherein the piezoelectric substance includes a plurality of branch portions individually provided on an upper portion of each of the plurality of pressure chambers and a large area portion integrally provided while being connected to each of the plurality of branch portions at one ends of the plurality of branch portions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a piezoelectric actuator, an inkjet head assembly, and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an inkjet head is a structure converting electrical energy into physical force to thereby discharge ink in droplet form through a small nozzle. Inkjet heads may be mainly divided into two types, according to the ink discharge scheme. One of the two types is a thermal inkjet head, generating bubbles in ink using a heat source and discharging the ink by the expansive force of the bubbles, while the other thereof is a piezoelectric inkjet head using a piezoelectric substance and discharging ink by pressure applied to the ink due to deformation of the piezoelectric substance.
In particular, the piezoelectric inkjet head has recently been widely used in industrial inkjet printers. For example, the piezoelectric inkjet head is used to spray ink produced by melting a metal such as gold, silver, or the like, onto a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) to thereby directly form a circuit pattern thereon, or has been used in creating industrial graphics, a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a solar cell, and the like.
The piezoelectric inkjet head has a structure in which a piezoelectric actuator is provided on an upper portion of an inkjet head plate including a pressure chamber to thereby apply pressure to ink stored in the pressure chamber. Therefore, an electrode wiring needs to be connected to a driving electrode of the piezoelectric actuator to thereby supply voltage thereto.
However, in general, in the piezoelectric actuator, a liquid piezoelectric substance is applied in paste form, solidified, and then used. Therefore, when a piezoelectric substance is formed to have a shape corresponding to that of the pressure chamber formed to be elongated in a length direction, an upper portion of the piezoelectric substance does not have a flat shape, but is formed to be rounded in a width direction to thereby have an arched shape. Therefore, the driving electrode formed on the upper portion of the piezoelectric substance also has a rounded shape.
Even in the case that the driving electrode has the rounded shape, there may be no problem in the performance of the actuator itself. However, the driving electrode to be connected to a flexible printed circuit in order to receive power may also have a rounded shape, such that it maybe difficult to perform soldering or the like thereon. In addition, even in the case that the driving electrode is connected to the flexible printed circuit, a defect such as short-circuit, or the like, may be generated therein.

Piezoelectric actuator, inkjet head assembly and method of manufacturing the same


A lubricating composition including: a base oil, a lubricant additive composition including, as a component (A), an organic molybdenum compound of the formula (1) described in the specification, and as a component (B), an amine compound of the formula (2) described in the specification, and a specific metal-based cleaner, wherein a content of the component (B) is 2.9 to 18.6 parts by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of molybdenum atoms of the component (A), and a content of the metal-based cleaner is 0.1% to 10% by mass relative to a total amount of the lubricating composition, wherein the lubricating composition does not include tetraalkyl thiuram disulphide, and wherein the component (A) in terms of the amount of molybdenum atoms is 400 to 1200 ppm by mass relative to a total amount of the lubricating composition.

Reductions in automobile fuel consumption initiated due to the oil crisis is a very important issue in view of resource protection and environmental protection. Automotive fuel consumption has been improved by reduction of the body weight of automobiles, improvements in engine combustion and reduction of friction in engines and power trains. Engine friction has been reduced by, for example, improvement in valve system mechanisms, reduction of surface roughness of sliding members and use of fuel-efficient engine oil. In order to reduce fuel consumption by engine oil, reduction of viscosity aimed at reducing friction loss under fluid lubrication conditions in piston systems and bearing members has been studied, and addition of friction reducing agents aimed at reducing friction loss under mixed lubrication and boundary lubrication in valve systems have been proposed.
Organic molybdenum compounds containing sulphur such as molybdenum dialkyldithiocarbamate and molybdenum dialkyldithiophosphate have the excellent effect of friction reduction, and thus are widely used for engine lubricating oil and the like. However, the effect of friction reduction only by increasing the amount of organic molybdenum compounds added has limitations, and an increase in the amount of organic molybdenum compounds added causes problems such as generation of deposits due to precipitated or deteriorated organic molybdenum compounds. In order to improve the effect of the organic molybdenum compound, use of lubricating oil compositions containing an organic molybdenum compound and an ashless friction regulator, for example lubricating oil compositions containing an organic molybdenum compound and a polyhydric alcohol fatty acid partial ester (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 3) or an alkyl alkanolamine or fatty acid alkanolamide (for example, see Patent Documents 4 and 5) have been studied.
It is believed that organic molybdenum compounds containing sulphur are decomposed on sliding surfaces to form films similar to molybdenum disulphide, which films reduce friction. Therefore, lubricating oil compositions (for example, see Patent Documents 6 and 7) containing an organic molybdenum compound containing sulphur and tetrabenzyl thiuram disulphide have been studied and it is thought that in order to increase solubility of tetrabenzyl thiuram disulphide, an amine compound is effective (for example, see Patent Document 7). However, in order to dissolve tetrabenzyl thiuram disulphide in a base oil, a high amount of amine compound is required and copper components of machines made of copper or copper alloys are corroded in some cases.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Lubricant additive composition, lubricating composition containing same and engine oil composition consisting of lubricating composition


A seat reclining mechanism for adjusting the angular position of a seatback relative to a seat cushion by a planetary gear arrangement includes a rotatable shaft, a base plate, a pivotable arm, a control gear, a plurality of planetary gears, and a supporting member. Each planetary gear has a first boss portion. The supporting member has first and second circular holes for receiving therein the first boss portions of the planetary gears. The first and second circular holes are disposed on the supporting member such that a first distance between a rotational center of the supporting member and a rotational center of the first circular hole is shorter than a second distance between the rotational center of the supporting member and a rotational center of the second circular hole. The supporting member has a circular center hole. The pivotable arm has a second boss portion which is received in the circular center hole of the supporting member for mounting the supporting member on the second boss portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a seat reclining mechanism, and more particularly to a seat reclining mechanism for adjusting the angular position of a seatback relative to a seat cushion by a planetary gear arrangement.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Japanese Utility Model First Provisional Publication 3-847 discloses a seat reclining mechanism comprising a base plate, a pivotable arm, a rotatable shaft, a control gear, a plurality of planetary gears and a pair of supporting plates. Each supporting plate has three circular holes for receiving therein boss portions of the planetary gears. All the three circular holes are equidistantly spaced from the center of the supporting plate in a radial direction thereof. Each supporting plate is fitted into a cylindrical recess formed on the base plate or the pivotable arm in a manner that the supporting plate can rotate within the cylindrical recess. Thus, the supporting plate is positioned by fitting the supporting plate into the cylindrical recess. However, this seat reclining mechanism has the following drawbacks.
If play between the planetary gears and ring gears of the base plate and of the pivotable arm exceeds a certain allowable range, for example, it is necessary to replace the planetary gears by new ones which are larger in size. This increases the production cost. When the rotatable shaft is rotated, each planetary gear revolves on its axis and round the control gear. Due to this, each supporting plate is rotated on its own axis under the condition that a peripheral cylindrical surface of the supporting plate is in abutment with a cylindrical surface of the recess. Therefore, each supporting plate can not rotate smoothly and durability of the same is not satisfactory.


Methods and systems may be provided that detect moisture with an antenna. Electrical impedance at the antenna may be detected by an impedance sensor. Moisture may be detected based on the impedance at the antenna.

1. Technical Field
This application relates to sensors and, in particular, to moisture sensors.
2. Related Art
A communication apparatus may be damaged due to moisture, heat, or any other adverse physical conditions. For example, when the communication apparatus is immersed in liquid or is exposed to excessive moisture, then the communication apparatus may be irreparably damaged. Corrosion and/or a short circuit may physically damage a component of the communication apparatus. In some designs, the communication apparatus may be disabled proactively when exposed to moisture even though the moisture would not have actually damaged the communication apparatus.


A system for remote handset diagnostics is provided. The system includes a plurality of handsets each having a diagnostic engine, and a carrier system having a plurality of encoder/decoder components. Each encoder/decoder component is operable to promote communication with at least one diagnostic engine to obtain diagnostic data. The carrier system further includes a diagnostic component that is operable to provide a common interface for diagnosing handsets. The diagnostic component is also operable to communicate with the plurality of encoder/decoder components and to facilitate diagnosis of the handset.

A handset may refer to a mobile phone, a wireless handset or telephone, a pager, a personal digital assistant, a portable computer, a tablet computer, or a laptop computer. When a user of the handset needs assistance in operating a handset, the user may contact a customer service center for a telecommunications network carrier. The customer service center may only provide certain assistance to the user, which may be limited when the handset is not physically present at the customer service center. If the customer service center cannot remedy the problem with the handset, the customer service center may send the handset to the handset manufacturer, and may charge the handset manufacturer for the return. Also, customer satisfaction may decrease when the handset is at the customer service center or at the handset manufacturer. Servicing the handset at the customer service center or at the handset manufacturer may create expenses for the network carrier, the handset manufacturer, or both.


A system and method for connecting an external RF connector on an electrical module housing to a PCB within an electronic module is presented. The electronic module is configured to operate within a Department of Defense Joint Tactical Radio System in altitudes up to 15000 feet, at operating temperatures between −40 to +55 degrees Celsius, in driving rain and dust storms, in a corrosive salt-sea atmosphere and to withstand indirect shock. The electronic module comprises a module housing, a housing connector on an external wall of the housing, a PCB within the housing, a PCB connector for a coaxial cable mounted on the PCB and a coaxial cable with first and second ends that is looped 360 degrees between the housing connector and the PCB connector. The first end of the cable is connected to the housing connector and the second end is connected to the PCB connector.

1. Field of Invention
The current invention relates generally to apparatus, systems and methods for processing signals. More particularly, the apparatus, systems and methods relate to routing signals in coaxial cables. Specifically, the apparatus, systems and methods provide for a better way of making connections of coaxial cables to a printed circuit board for coaxial cables operating at radio frequencies.
2. Description of Related Art
There is a need in many radio systems to connect for instance Radio Frequency (RF) connector mounted on the exterior of an electronic module and a printed circuit board (PCB) inside of the electronic module. These RF signals are generally routed on a coaxial cable type of transmission line that allow these signals to be routed on a cable that has low noise and a specific impedance value. In general, a conventional coaxial cable usually consists of a centrally located inner electrical conductor surrounded by and spaced inwardly from an outer electrical conductor. A dielectric insulator is interposed between the inner and outer conductors, with the outer conductor being surrounded by a protective dielectric jacket. The outer conductor often includes a sheet of fine braided metallic strands, a metallic foil, or multiple layer combinations of either or both.
Complex projects often have very tight design requirements that require very tight tolerances for signal traveling on a coaxial cable between (RF) connector mounted on the exterior of an electronic module and a printed circuit board (PCB). For example, the Department of Defense's (DoD's) Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) including its ground mobile radios (GMRs) is one such example system with tight tolerances on electronic components within electronic modules used to implement many aspects that that system. The JTRS is considered a pivotal transformation program within the DoD and is a joint service initiative that addresses the growing need for integrated air, ground, and sea communications systems, which enable a network-centric capability for joint taskforces and multinational coalitions to conduct efficient and effective military operations.
For example, the tolerance of such a system are tight because each GMR is a highly flexible communication system with high processing capability that consumes significant power resulting in heat that is dissipated using large heat sinks and fans for cooling. While there are many cooling approaches, these radios must support operational and maintenance in a military tactical environment that can include altitudes up to 15000 ft, operating temperatures of −40 to +55 degrees C., storage temperatures of −55 to +71 degrees C., driving rain and dust storms, corrosive environments such as salt-sea atmospheres, and can withstand indirect shock. The system needs to be safe and promote easy of operation and maintenance in these environments by trained military personal.
All of these operation requirements and tolerances have historically required expensive components that are specially designed to meet these operational and mounting tolerances. For example, a rigid cable custom tailored to a particular shape may be used to directly connect an RF connector through the coaxial coble to a circuit board. However, this customization that required a direction connection through the coaxial cable from an external connector on an electronic module housing directly to the PCB significantly increase overall costs. Therefore, a better way is needed is to connect an RF connector on an electronic module housing to a PCB mounted in the housing.

BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.


A security device intervenes in the primary power input connection to an existing appliance. The user must set numbered thumbwheels to a correct numerical sequence preset through those same thumbwheels by the appliance owner before the device will connect the primary power to the attached appliance. Once the correct code is dialed in via the thumbwheels, a relay latches so that power is continuously available to the appliance until the primary power is lost as by disconnection of the appliance power cord for more than a short period of time. Reentry of the unique code is then necessary to operate the appliance. Labels are permanently affixed to the appliance to forewarn that it is not operational unless the correct code is entered. The attachment module is encased in potting compound to prevent bypassing of the power controlling circuits. The appliance is thus useless and of little value to a thief since it requires obvious disfiguring of the appliance to remove the combination lock assembly and/or the labels.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to security systems and methods for discouraging thefts or burglaries of powered appliances. More particularly, the present invention relates to security systems that are operable only in response to enablement of a person having knowledge of a predetermined code but which will otherwise disable the appliance. This invention is especially useful for attachment to a post-manufacture powered appliance so that unauthorized use of that appliance requires substantial modification or injury to the appliance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Thefts and burglaries of relatively portable, powered appliances such as radios, stereos, tape recorders, televisions and the like are a continuing problem since the thief can usually offer an immediately usable appliance to a purchaser of such stolen property. Even with etching of original owner identification on the appliance chassis and/or recordation of appliance serial numbers, recovery of the stolen goods is difficult once a purchaser has acquired the item and put it into use. As a result, interest has remained strong in developing security systems for such powered appliances to reduce the value of the appliance in the hands of anyone other than the owner or those in privy to the owner.
A system for rendering automobile radios unusable when stolen is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,734,896 by Soma et al wherein a code from a portable controller must match a stored code in the car radio or an alarm is sounded. A calculator protective device in U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,289 by Kolber responds to failure to enter an initial sequence of characters by disabling the calculator as by continually clearing the registers. It also suggests that it is advisable to place some form of label on the protected device to warn the prospective thief that the calculator is so protected.
A system for responding to failure to enter the correct code by muting an audio amplifier circuit and including a timing circuit operable between retries is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,462 by Takeda et al. Siebold et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,720,700 shows digital code comparing systems for car radios wherein either the radio must remain in its mount within the car or the code must match a stored code word in a digital memory. Siebold et al also suggest attaching a warning label that the device becomes inoperative if stolen.
Several approaches have pursued adaptation of the microprocessor that already exists in some contemporary electronic appliances to prevent its operation by anyone not having a correct entry code. Typically such systems require entry of a unique digital code which is then compared against a digital code stored in some form of memory associated with the microprocessor. Once a favorable comparison has occurred, a circuit or relay is latched so that primary power remains coupled to the appliance even though the user turns it off and on many times. However, if the primary power is lost as by unplugging the appliance, the system requires reentry and another favorable code word compare before power is again made available to the appliance. Examples of configurations of systems which adapt the existing microprocessor for an appliance to provide power connection controlled security are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,114 by Kaish and U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,708 by Lewis.
Adaptation of appliances having microprocessors incorporated therein is acceptable if the system is designed so as to include such features when the appliance is manufactured. However, once the appliance is built, adaptation of the microprocessor as a security device for that appliance is difficult and prohibitively expensive to the average purchaser. Furthermore, changes to the security code word typically require modifications to the program and/or electronic storage media associated with the microprocessor.

Theft deterring security system for attachment to powered appliances


A decoder and method for using a new picture or frame type is provided. This type is referred to a an SP-picture. The temporal redundancies are not exploited in I-frames, compression efficiency of I-frame coding is significantly lower than the predictive coding. A method allows use of motion compensated predictive coding to exploit temporal redundancy in the sequence while still allowing perfect reconstruction of the frame using different reference frames. Methods using this new picture type provide for error resilience/recovery, bandwidth scalability, bitstream switching, processing scalability, random access and other functions.

This invention relates generally to the field of the multimedia applications. More particularly, this invention relates to a new frame type, apparatus and method for using same to provide for access of a video stream.
Multimedia applications that include audio and streaming video information have come into greater use. Several multimedia groups have established and proposed standards for compressing/encoding and decompressing/decoding the audio and video information. The examples are MPEG standards, established by the Motion Picture Expert Group and standards developed by ITU-Telecommunications Standardization.
The following are incorporated herein by reference:
G. Bjontegaard, "H.26L Test Model Long Term Number 6 (TML-6) draft0", document VCEG-L45, ITU-T Video Coding Experts. Group Meeting, Eibsee, Germany, 9-12 Jan. 2001. Keiichi Hibi, "Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on H.26L Development", document Q15-H-07, ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group (Question 15) Meeting, Berlin, 3-6 Aug., 1999. Gary S. Greenbaum, "Remarks on the H.26L Project: Streaming Video Requirements for Next Generation Video Compression Standards", document Q15-G-11, ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group (Question 15) Meeting, Monterey, 16-19 Feb., 1999. G. Bjontegaard, "Recommended Simulation Conditions for H.26L", document Q15-I-62, ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group (Question 15) Meeting, Red Bank, N.J. 19-22 Oct., 1999. ATM & MPEG-2 Integrating Digital Video into Broadband Networks by Michael Orzessek and Peter Sommer (Prentice Hall Upper Saddle River N.J.).
Video sequences, like ordinary motion pictures recorded on film, comprise a sequence of still images, and the illusion of motion is created by displaying consecutive images at a relatively fast rate. For example, the display rate are between five and thirty frames per second. Because of the relatively fast frame rate, the images in consecutive frames tend to be similar. A typical scene recorded by a camera comprises some stationary elements, such as, for example, background scenery and some moving parts. The moving parts may take many different forms, for example, the face of a news reader, moving traffic, and so on. Alternatively, the camera recording the scene may itself be moving, in which case all elements of the image have the same kind of motion. In many cases, this means that the overall change between one video frame and the next is rather small. Of course, this depends on the nature of the movement, the rate of the movement, i.e., the amount of change from one frame to the next.
The purpose of the video coding is to remove the redundancy in the image sequence so that the encoded data rate is commensurate with the available bandwidth to transport the video sequence while keeping the distortion between the original and reconstructed images as small as possible. The redundancy in video sequences can be categorized into spatial and temporal redundancy. Spatial redundancy refers to the correlation between neighboring pixels in a frame while temporal redundancy refers to correlation between neighboring frames.
FIGS. 1A-1C illustrate the type of encoded/compressed video frames that are commonly utilized for video standards. FIG. 1A depicts an Intra-frame or I-type frame 200. The I-type frame or picture is a frame of video data that is coded exploiting only the spatial correlation of the pixels within the frame without using information from the past or the future and is utilized as the basis for decoding/decompression of other type frames. FIG. 1B is a representation of a Predictive-frame or P-type frame 210. The P-type frame or picture is a frame that is encoded/compressed using motion compensated prediction from I-type or P-type frames of its past, in this case, I.sub.1 200. That is, previous frames are used to encode/compress a present given frame of video data. 205a represents the motion compensated prediction information to create a P-type frame 210. Since in a typical video sequence the adjacent frames in a sequence are highly correlated, higher compression efficiencies are achieved when using P-frames.
FIG. 1C depicts a Bi-directional-frame or B-type frame 220. The B-type frame or picture is a frame that is encoded/compressed using a motion compensated prediction derived from the I-type reference frame (200 in this example) or P-type reference frame in its past and the I-type reference frame or P-type reference frame (210 in this example) in its future or a combination of both. B-type frames are usually inserted between I-type frames or P-type frames. FIG. 2 represents a group of pictures in what is called display order I.sub.1 B.sub.2 B.sub.3 P.sub.4 B.sub.5 P.sub.6. FIG. 2 illustrates the B-type frames inserted between I-type and P-type frames and the direction which motion compensation information flows.
A system for P-frame encoding and decoding is provided and is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a communication system comprising an encoder 300 of FIG. 3 and a decoder 400 of FIG. 4 is operable to communicate a multimedia sequence between a sequence generator and a sequence receiver. Other elements of the video sequence generator and receiver are not shown for the purposes of simplicity. The communication path between sequence generator and receiver may take various forms, including but not limited to a radio-link.
Encoder 300 is shown in FIG. 3 coupled to receive video input on line 301 in the form of a frame to be encoded I(x, y), called the current frame. By (x, y) we denote location of the pixel within the frame. In the encoder the current frame I(x,y) is partitioned into rectangular regions of M×N pixels. These blocks are encoded using either only spatial correlation (intra coded blocks) or both spatial and temporal correlation (inter coded blocks). In what follows we concentrate on inter blocks.
Each of inter coded blocks is predicted using motion information from the previously coded and transmitted frame, called reference frame and denoted as R(x,y), which at given instant is available in the frame memory 350 of the encoder 300. The motion information of the block may be represented by two dimensional motion vector (Δx(x,y), Δy(x,y)) where Δx(x,y) is the horizontal and Δy(x,y) is the vertical displacement, respectively of the pixel in location (x,y) between the current frame and the reference frame. The motion vectors (Δx( ), Δy( )) are calculated by the motion estimation and coding block 370. The input to the motion estimation and coding block 370 are current frame and reference frame. The motion information is provided to a Motion Compensated (MC) prediction block 360. The MC prediction block is also coupled to a frame memory 350 to receive the reference frame. In the MC block 360, the motion vectors for each inter block together with the reference frame are used to construct prediction frame P(x, y):P(x,y)=R(x+Δx(x,y), y+Δy(x,y)).
Notice that values of the prediction frame are calculated only for inter blocks. For some pixels (x,y) which belong to intra blocks these values will not be calculated. It is also possible to use more than one reference frame. In such case different blocks may use different reference frames.
Subsequently, the prediction error E(x, y), i.e., the difference between the current frame and the prediction frame P(x, y) is calculated by:E(x,y)=I(x,y)−P(x,y).
In transform block 310, the prediction error for each K×L block is represented as weighted sum of a transform basis functions f.sub.ij(x, y),
      E              (              x        ,        y            )        =            ∑              i        =        1            K                          ∑                  j          =          1                L                                    c          .          sub          .                      err                                      (                              i                ,                j                            )                                                        f          .          sub          .          i                                                                                j                                      (                              x                ,                y                            )                                .
The weights c.sub.err(i,j), corresponding to the basis functions are called prediction error coefficients. Coefficients c.sub.err(i,j) can be calculated by performing so called forward transform. These coefficients are quantized in quantization block 320:I.sub.err(i,j)=Q(c.sub.err(i,j),QP)
where I.sub.err(i, j) are the quantized coefficients. The operation of quantization introduces loss of information—the quantized coefficient can be represented with smaller number of bits. The level of compression (loss of information) is controlled by adjusting the value of the quantization parameter (QP).
The quantization block 320 is coupled to both a multiplexer 380 and an inverse quantization block 330 and in turn an inverse transform block 340. Blocks 330 and 340 provide decoded prediction error E.sub.c(x, y) which is added to the MC predicted frame P(x, y) by adder 345. These values can be further normalized and filtered and the result stored in frame memory 350.
Motion vectors and quantized coefficients are encoded using Variable Length Codes (VLC) which further reduce the number of bits needed for their representation. Encoded motion vectors and quantized coefficients as well as other additional information needed to represent each coded frame of the image sequence constitute a bitstream 415 which is transmitted to the decoder 400 of FIG. 4. Bitstream may be multiplexed 380 before transmission.
The special type of the inter coded blocks are copy coded blocks. For copy coded blocks values of both motion vectors and quantized prediction error coefficients I.sub.err are equal to 0.
FIG. 4 shows the decoder 400 of the communication system. Bitstream 415 is received from encoder 300 of FIG. 3. Bitstream 415 is demultiplexed via demultiplexer 410. Dequantized coefficients d.sub.err(i,j) are calculated in the inverse quantization block 420:d.sub.err(i,j)=Q−1(I.sub.err(i,j),QP).
In inverse transform block 430, the dequantized coefficients are used to obtain compressed prediction error by performing inverse transform:
      E    .    sub    .          c                    (                  x          ,          y                )              =            ∑              i        =        1            K                          ∑                  j          =          1                L                                    d          .          sub          .                      err                                      (                              i                ,                j                            )                                                        f          .          sub          .          i                                                                                j                                      (                              x                ,                y                            )                                .
The pixels of the current coded frame are reconstructed by finding the prediction pixels in the reference frame R(x,y) using the received motion vectors and then adding to the compressed prediction error in adder 435:I.sub.c(x,y)=R(x+Δx,y+Δ,y)+E.sub.c(x,y).
To obtain reconstructed image these values can be further normalized and filtered.
An example of a forward transform is provided by "H.26L Test Model Long Term Number 6 (TML-6) draft0", document VCEG-L45, ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group Meeting, Eibsee, Germany, 9-12 Jan. 2001. The forward transformation of some pixels a, b, c, d into 4 transform coefficients A, B, C, D is defined by:A=13a+13b+13c+13dB=17a+7b−7c−17dC=13a−13b−13c+13dD=7a−17b+17c−7d
The inverse transformation of transform coefficients A, B, C, D into 4 pixels a′, b′, c′, d′ is defined by:a′=13A+17B+13C+7Db′=13A+7B−13C−17Dc′=13A−7B−13C+17Dd′=13A−17B+13C−7D
The transform/inverse transform is performed for 4×4 blocks by performing defined above one dimensional transform/inverse transform both vertically and horizontally.
In "H.26L Test Model Long Term Number 6 (TML-6) draft0", document VCEG-L45, ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group Meeting, Eibsee, Germany, 9-12 Jan. 2001 for chroma component, an additional 2×2 transform for the DC coefficients is performed.DCC(0,0)=(DC0+DC1+DC2+DC3)/2DCC(1,0)=(DC0−DC1+DC2−DC3)/2DCC(0,1)=(DC0+DC1−DC2−DC3)/2DCC(1,1)=(DC0−DC1−DC2+DC3)/2
Definition of the corresponding inverse transform:DC0=(DCC(0,0)+DCC(1,0)+DCC(0,1)+DCC(1,1))/2DC1=(DCC(0,0)−DCC(1,0)+DCC(0,1)−DCC(1,1))/2DC2=(DCC(0,0)+DCC(1,0)−DCC(0,1)−DCC(1,1))/2DC3=(DCC(0,0)−DCC(1,0)−DCC(0,1)+DCC(1,1))/2
In "H.26L Test Model Long Term Number 6 (TML-6) draft0", document VCEG-L45, ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group Meeting, Eibsee, Germany, 9-12 Jan. 2001 to obtain values of reconstructed image the results of the inverse transform are normalized by shifting by 20 bits (with rounding).
An example of quantization/dequantization is provided by "H.26L Test Model Long Term Number 6 (TML-6) draft0", document VCEG-L45, ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group Meeting, Eibsee, Germany, 9-12 Jan. 2001. A coefficient c is quantized in the following way:I=(c×A(QP)+f×220)//220
where f may be in the range (0-0.5) and f may have the same sign as c. By // division with truncation is denoted. The dequantized coefficient is calculated as follows:d=I×B(QP)
Values of A(QP) and B(QP) are given below:
A(QP=0, . . . , 31)=[620, 553, 492, 439, 391, 348, 310, 276, 246, 219, 195, 174, 155, 138, 123, 110, 98, 87, 78, 69, 62, 55, 49, 44, 39, 35, 31, 27, 24, 22, 19, 17];
B(QP=0, . . . , 31)=[3881, 4351, 4890, 5481, 6154, 6914, 7761, 8718, 9781, 10987, 12339, 13828, 15523, 17435, 19561, 21873, 24552, 27656, 30847, 34870, 38807, 43747, 49103, 54683, 61694, 68745, 77615, 89113, 100253, 109366, 126635, 141533];
Video streaming has emerged as one of the essential applications over the fixed internet and—in the near future over 3G multimedia networks. In streaming applications, the server starts streaming the pre-encoded video bitstream to the receiver upon a request from the receiver which plays the stream as it receives with a small delay. The problem with video streaming is that the best-effort nature of today's networks causes variations of the effective bandwidth available to a user due to the changing network conditions. The server should then scale the bitrate of the compressed video to accommodate these variations. In case of conversational services that are characterized by real-time encoding and point-to-point delivery, this is achieved by adjusting, on the fly, the source encoding parameters, such as quantization parameter or frame rate, based on the network feedback. In typical streaming scenarios when already encoded video bitstream is to be streamed to the client, the above solution can not be applied.
The simplest way of achieving bandwidth scalability in case of pre-encoded sequences is by producing multiple and independent streams of different bandwidth and quality. The server dynamically switches between the streams to accommodate variations of the bandwidth available to the client.
Now assume that we have multiple bitstreams generated independently with different encoding parameters, such as quantization parameter, corresponding to the same video sequence. Since encoding parameters are different for each bitstream, the reconstructed frames of different bitstreams at the same time instant will not be the same. Therefore when switching between bitstreams, i.e., starting to decode a bitstream, at arbitrary locations would lead to visual artifacts due to the mismatch between the reference frames used to obtain predicted frame. Furthermore, the visual artifacts will not only be confined to the switched frame but will further propagate in time due to motion compensated coding.
In the current video encoding standards, perfect (mismatch-free) switching between bitstreams is achieved possible only at the positions where the future frames/regions do not use any information previous to the current switching location, i.e., at I-frames. Furthermore, by placing I-frames at fixed (e.g. 1 sec) intervals, VCR functionalities, such as random access or "Fast Forward" and "Fast Backward" (increased playback rate) for streaming video content, are achieved. User may skip a portion of video and restart playing at any I-frame location. Similarly, increased playback rate can be achieved by transmitting only I-pictures. The drawback of using I-frames in these applications is that since I-frames are not allowed to utilize temporal redundancy they require much larger number of bits than P-frames.
The above-mentioned references are exemplary only and are not meant to be limiting in respect to the resources and/or technologies available to those skilled in the art.

Video decoder architecture and method for using same

Abstract: The SP-type picture provides for, among other functions, switching between different bitstreams, random access, fast forward and fast error-recovery by replacing I-pictures to increase the coding efficiency. As will be demonstrated, SP-pictures have the property that identical SP-frames may be obtained even when they are predicted using different reference frames.


The invention generally relates systems and methods to for producing an image from a rotational intravascular ultrasound device. A method can include alternately transmitting complementary Golay codes to a plurality of transducers in a intravascular ultrasound device; receiving echoes of the complementary codes from the transducers; performing pulse compression of the echoes that comprises weighting the received echoes and summing an odd number of weighted echoes, wherein a center echo is given a weighted value of 1.0 and weighted sums of its neighbors constitute complementary echoes of a Golay pair; and producing an image from the compressed echoes. A system can include a processor; and a plurality of beam modules coupled to the processor, each module comprising: a receiver for receiving a trigger signal from the processor; a complex programmable logic device programmed with a Golay code; a high voltage switching transmitter; and an ultrasound transducer.

In ultrasound imaging, spatial resolution and depth penetration are important parameters to quantitatively assess image quality. Generally, the wavelength at the ultrasound center frequency determines spatial resolution, with revolution improving as the frequency increases. However, tissue attenuation typically increases as a linear function of frequency, even becoming nonlinear at higher frequencies (e.g., greater than 40 MHz) commonly employed in intravascular ultrasound imaging applications. Although high frequency ultrasound facilitates high resolution imaging in the near field, the depth penetration may be compromised, rendering the deep tissue structures difficult to identify.
To enhance the depth penetration without the loss of spatial resolution, transmit voltage levels are typically increased to deliver more transmit energy to the imaging target. However, this approach is limited both by regulations of diagnostic medical ultrasound and by the nature of the intravascular ultrasound imaging environment, such as the long cable length between ultrasound transducer elements and imaging system electronics and the small size of electronics integrated with the catheter mounted transducer.
Rather than increasing the transmit voltage levels, coded excitation methods using elongated modulated transmit bursts have been employed to address the dilemma of maintaining depth of penetration while increasing operating frequency for improved spatial resolution. This method is called pulse compression. An ultrasound imaging apparatus using pulse compression employs a coded long pulse instead of the conventional short pulse. One type of coded excitation methods uses Golay codes. A Golay code is a binary code modulated with a short burst. Two different binary code (of particular sequence) constitute a Golay pair. When two codes are separately decoded and summed, range sidelobes are completely eliminated with only the main lobe remaining. Due to that characteristic of Golay codes, there have been great endeavors to take advantage of Golay codes in ultrasound imaging apparatuses.
In practice, the range sidelobes are not completely removed, due to nonlinear propagation of ultrasound within tissue structures, motion artifacts, and other non-idealities. Particularly for rotational intravascular ultrasound, the continuous rotation causes a slight angular misalignment for adjacent A-scans used to produce a Golay pair, resulting in increased range sidelobe levels.

Systems and methods for producing an image from a rotational intravascular ultrasound device

PHILIPS IMAGE GUIDED THERAPY CORPORATION


A high-capacity lift assembly consisting essentially of a multipurpose platform and a pair of commercially available truck cranes or crawler cranes wherein the lifting capacity of the respective cranes is combined to create an overall assembly capable of lifting an object weighing at least double the capacity of the individual cranes. The invention further includes a drive shaft to interconnect the hoists of the respective cranes to synchronize the rotation of the hoists, a mast and boom mounting arrangement to support the loading forces with the platform and an equalizing beam to distribute the load forces equally between the two truck cranes.

The present invention relates generally to a platform for use in the construction industry and more particularly a multi-purpose platform for combining the lifting capabilities of two truck cranes or crawler cranes.
Most construction companies will have one or more general, all-purpose truck cranes or crawler cranes which are capable of lifting and moving the majority of loads encountered on a typical construction project. Occasionally, certain construction projects require that a load beyond the lifting capacity of the construction company's all-purpose cranes be lifted or moved. Presently, whenever this occurs, the construction company must purchase or lease a crane having a larger lifting capacity. For most companies, the additional cost of purchasing a larger capacity crane cannot be justified merely because an occasional construction project requires the use of a high-capacity crane.
Designers of lift cranes are faced with the conflicting requirements of creating a portable crane which may be easily transported to a work site, but also creating a high-capacity crane which has sufficient versatility to perform all the usual work site tasks. The ideal high-capacity crane would be capable of performing the daily functions of the smaller cranes while having the ability to lift heavier loads whenever necessary. At present, this ideal crane has not been designed.
One example of an attempt to create an inexpensive and mobile high-capacity crane is illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,042,115 and 4,103,783 issued to Beduhn et al. on Aug. 16, 1977 and Aug. 1, 1978, respectively. The invention disclosed in these patents consists, in part, of a mobile transporter which is designed to provide a means for moving the high-capacity crane assembly to a work site without disassembling the entire crane structure. These patents describe the desirability of having the disclosed crane assembly constructed of standard subassemblies; however, this desired construction is described in the patents as being substantially more complex and expensive than the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Another approach to this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,449,635 and 4,601,402 issued to Helm et al. on May 22, 1984 and July 22, 1986, respectively. These patents disclose the use of a pair of crawler assemblies wherein the front assembly pivotally supports the mast and boom assemblies while the rear assembly pivotally supports the counterweight. The pair of assemblies are independently steerable and pivotally attached to each other by one or more frame elements.
The above-described patents are representative of various approaches that have been taken to create an inexpensive and versatile high-capacity crane. The present invention is directed to the use of a multipurpose platform which will enable a construction company to combine the lifting capabilities of existing equipment to create a high-capacity assembly, and thereby avoid the expense of having to purchase a high-capacity crane having limited usefulness in the company's day-to-day operations.


A method to model a complex system of pipes. The model takes into account the physical processes in a tree-type piping system and provides for an accurate modeling of a real world tree-type piping system. In a preferred embodiment, a computer program is provided for analyzing models of dry pipe systems. The computer program includes a user interface and a computational engine. The user interface allows a model of a dry pipe system to be defined and the computational engine determines a liquid flow time through the model of the dry pipe system. The computational engine provides a verification of the liquid flow time in a model of a referential dry pipe system within 20% of an actual liquid flow time in the referential dry pipe system.

The modeling of real-world systems through mathematics has been utilized to determine how systems response to real-world inputs. Due to the nature of such modeling, computers are often used to assist in such modeling. The modeling of liquid and gas flow in piping network presents a situation in which the more detailed the piping network, the more difficult it is to model such piping network, and in most cases, the model does not correlate accurately with real-world piping networks. One area of modeling in piping network is the determination of the location of the liquid front as the liquid moves through the piping that was previously occupied by another liquid or gas. Where the liquid is moving through a single uniform straight pipe, it is believed that an accurate model, i.e., an analytical model, of the characteristics of the liquid can be obtained. Where a movement of the liquid is initiated at some point in a large network of branching pipes so that the liquid flows through the network thereafter, it is believed that the current analytical models are inadequate for such type of complex networks.
These complex piping networks are utilized in the fire protection industry, and, in particular for providing a sprinkler system. In certain sprinkler systems, the pipe is filed with a gas and liquid enters the piping network once the gas is expelled from the piping network by actuation of a sprinkler. These pipe networks are known as "dry pipe" sprinkler systems. Dry pipe sprinkler systems are utilized in areas that are unheated and that are subjected to freezing temperatures. In contrast to a 'standard' wet sprinkler system in which the pipes supplying sprinklers are refilled with water under constant pressure, the sprinkler piping for a dry system is, preferably, filled with air under pressure. The air pressure in the system holds a dry pipe valve closed, and the valve opens with a loss of air pressure in the system. The actuation of one or more sprinklers will allow air to escape the piping network and result in the tripping of the dry pipe valve and the filling of the piping network with water (to the sprinklers). By nature, a dry sprinkler system is slower to respond to fire conditions than a wet system because the air must first be exhausted from the system.
It would be advantageous to those individuals who utilize dry pipe sprinkler systems to accurately model the performance of dry pipe sprinkler systems. Currently, these individuals are required to demonstrate certain physical characteristics of the dry pipe system as a function of time by a physical test of an actual system, where the actual system has a volume capacity greater than 750 gallons and in certain cases where the system volume is greater than 500 gallons as set forth in National Fire Protection Association ("NFPA") in NFPA 13 "The Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems," 2002 Edition, which is hereby in its entirety incorporated by reference. Rather than testing, individuals would benefit from a model of a dry pipe sprinkler system that could provide characteristics such as, for example, the evacuation of the air from a dry system upon actuation or the tripping of a dry pipe valve, the location of the flow front of the liquid through the system, and the respective time required to do so.
It is believed, however, that these individuals do not have a technique of modeling a dry pipe sprinkler system in manner to accurately predict the characteristics of such dry pipe systems in lieu of an actual test. As a result, it is believed, that these individuals often restrict the system size on the basis of the volume of air that is trapped in the system to avoid any type of actual testing. For example, NFPA 13 provides for certain dry pipe sprinkler systems to be installed without testing. On the other hand, assuming NFPA 13 is the governing standard for the sprinkler system, if such individuals elect to install a system and it fails the required actual testing, the individuals would have to modify or re-design and re-install the system to conform within the requirements of NFPA 13.
As a result of the possibility of failing the required performance test, individuals tend to develop systems smaller than the maximum system that could be utilized. These smaller systems would be selected so that they fall within the category of NFPA 13 of system that can be installed without performance testing. The result is that many systems in unheated warehouses, for example, that could cover a maximum of 40,000 square feet are restricted to 25,000 to 30,000 square feet on the basis of the volume limitation. This results in multiple systems being installed when fewer systems could conceivably be used. In addition, the NFPA restrictions do not recognize variations in supply pressure—a higher supply pressure will permit a higher liquid flow rate and velocity and hence assist in exhausting (or pushing) the air out of a system more quickly than would a lower pressure. Consequently, it is believed that all systems are penalized for the avoidance of the actual testing requirement, and out of the fear of failing the test after the systems are installed.
In addition, the performance of a test introduces water into the piping system. Following the test, the water is drained from the system prior to re-introducing air pressure. Often, water is trapped within the pipes and causes freezing problems after the system is put into service. Another effect of introducing water into the piping network, draining it, and filling the system with air is that any residual moisture can settle and cause premature corrosion within the steel pipe. Hence, it is desirable to avoid actual testings.
Individuals have developed a model to predict time-based characteristics of the dry pipe systems. It is believed that this known model required individuals to convert a dry pipe system under evaluation into a fixed framework or topology dictated by the model. That is, regardless of the actual design, in order to model the design, the actual design must be "translated" into the fixed topology in order for modeling to be performed. This fixed topology model, however, fails to take into account the behavior and characteristics of liquid, gas with liquid and gas flow at every point through every pipe in a dry pipe design.
In particular, as set forth in Factory Mutual Research Corporation ("FMRC") Document Index No. OTOR8.RA, October, 1993, FMRC provides for the known fixed topology model that fixes a test sprinkler head on the same branch regardless of where in the actual design the test sprinkler would be the one hydraulically farthest from the dry pipe valve would be located; and the riser is fixed to the middle of a cross main piping regardless of where such riser is to be placed in an actual design. The known model is believed to be unreliable because of the forced translation from the arbitrary design into the fixed topology of known model. In addition to requiring a forced translation, the known model summarizes (i.e., "lumps") all branch lines before and after a main feed line (i.e., "Feed Main") as respective volumes instead of accounting for liquid flow, gas flow and liquid-gas flow behavior in each pipe.
The known model, in utilizing a forced translation and lumped volumes, provided predictive values for liquid flow that are believed to be higher than a suitable threshold for individuals (e.g., engineer, architects, planners, contractors and jurisdictional authorities) to rely upon. As such, the known model may provide a generalized technique to analyze dry pipe systems but does not account for flow through each pipe so that individuals can use the predictive results with a suitable degree of accuracy.

System and method for evaluation of fluid flow in a piping system


An Ethernet connection method and an Ethernet device thereof are provided. The Ethernet connection method and the Ethernet device can transmit data with Error Correction Code (ECC) even with only one twisted pair or two twisted pairs when the Ethernet wire cannot transmit with the full four twisted pairs.

Generally, Ethernet is connected using twisted pair cabling. According to the 1000Base-T standard, Ethernet needs four twisted pairs to operate normally. For example, reference is made to FIG. 1, which shows a diagram of an Ethernet connection method according to 1000Base-T standard. Ethernet 1 includes an Ethernet wire 11 and two Ethernet devices 13a, 13b connected to each other by the Ethernet wire 11, and the data transmission rate of each of the twisted pairs 11a-11d in the Ethernet wire 11 is 250 Mbps. Therefore, a total transmission rate of the four twisted pairs 11a-11d is 1 Gbps. However, according to the 10Base-T or the 100Base-TX standard, Ethernet 1 only needs two of the twisted pairs to operate normally, and it is thus common that only two twisted pairs capable of transmitting data are provided in the wiring of conventional carriers.
Therefore, when a user uses an Ethernet device supporting a transmission rate over 1 Gbps to connect via a conventional wiring with an Ethernet device on the other end thereof also supporting a transmission rate over 1 Gbps, since an additional two twisted pairs are not included in the conventional wiring and it is not matching the 1000Base-T standard, these two Ethernet devices with transmission rate over 1 Gbps are limited by an inadequate number of usable twisted pairs. Accordingly, experience connection is failure and forced to use the 100Base-TX/10Base-T standards to transmit data such that the performance of the two Ethernet devices is affected.

Ethernet connection method and ethernet device thereof


An ESD protection circuit (11) includes a low capacitance diode (26), a voltage divider, a trigger transistor (16), and an SCR. Reducing the capacitance associated with the diode (26) makes the ESD protection circuit particularly suitable for RF applications. To form a low capacitance diode, the parasitic junction capacitance of the diode (26) is hidden in a like-doped well; for example, an N+ cathode (54) of the diode (26) may be folded or formed partially in an N-well (53). Because the N-well (53) does not form a junction with the N+ cathode, the junction capacitance associated with the portion of the N+ well lying inside the N-well is hidden or canceled by the N-well (53), thereby reducing the overall capacitance of the diode (26).

This invention relates, in general, to high voltage protection circuitry for an integrated circuit, and more particularly, to electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection of an integrated circuit.
An integrated circuit is typically one element of a larger system comprising many circuits. Interconnection between integrated circuits takes many forms. For example, an integrated circuit is placed in a package where wire is bonded between the metal pads of the integrated circuit and leads of the package. The leads of the package typically couple to an integrated circuit board or integrated circuit socket. A high density interconnect format places solder balls on each metal pad of the integrated circuit. The integrated circuit is connected via the solder to corresponding metal pads on another substrate. In either case, the metal pads of an integrated circuit are the interface circuitry between circuitry external to the integrated circuit and circuitry internal to the integrated circuit.
It is inevitable that an integrated circuit is handled after wafer processing, during testing, packaging, and when placed in a system. Any handling of the integrated circuit exposes the device to an electrostatic discharge. Reliability and premature failure of an integrated circuit are a consequence of ESD. An ESD event produces extremely high voltages that can damage devices of the integrated circuit.
The pads or connection points are the pathway to circuitry internal to an integrated circuit. An ESD event applied to a pad couples a voltage typically exceeding a thousand volts to circuitry connected to the pad. The first circuit typically connected to a pad is either an Input or Output circuit. In general, an ESD event damages the Input/Output (I/O) circuitry if it is not protected by ESD protection circuitry. An ESD event is indiscriminate in its entry to the integrated circuit. The ESD event can be coupled to any I/O circuit of the integrated circuit or between I/O circuits of the integrated circuits.
In general, ESD protection circuitry is incorporated near the pad areas of an integrated circuit. The ESD protection circuitry dissipates an ESD event before harmful voltages or currents can damage circuitry of the integrated circuit. A problem with ESD protection circuitry is the protection mechanism is not reliable over all operating conditions. Both the breakdown mechanism (due to an ESD event) of a device in the I/O circuitry and the point at which the ESD protection circuitry is enabled is an important point of consideration in the development of an ESD circuit.
Another design factor in an ESD protection circuit is the area it takes up near a pad. Many integrated circuits are pad limited due to the high density available in today's integrated circuit processes. A high density ESD protection circuit would help in reducing die area and increasing pad density.
A further factor in ESD protection is the particular application of the device or circuitry to be protected. For example, a critical parameter for all radio frequency (RF) applications is sensitivity. Due to this sensitivity, RF I/O circuits either eliminate ESD protection or limit the protection to minimally acceptable levels to avoid the capacitance that is added to any circuit when adding additional devices and which adversely affects the sensitivity. However with RF applications becoming prevalent in the consumer market, to minimize costs such as actual circuit loss and subsequent board rework, ESD robustness for RF circuitry is a must.
It would be of great benefit if an ESD protection circuit could be provided that is easily manufacturable and provides protection from most ESD events that can occur on an integrated circuit. It would be of further benefit if an ESD protection circuit could be provided for RF applications.

Electrostatic discharge protection circuit for an integrated circuit and method of manufacturing


A vehicle and a method for controlling the vehicle are capable of preventing slip of a belt of a continuously variable transmission at an appropriate timing. A control unit included in the vehicle includes a state information obtaining unit that obtains information indicating a state of a torque damping mechanism provided on a torque transmission path between a second pulley of a continuously variable transmission and a drive wheel, and a clamping force changing processing unit that changes the clamping forces of the first pulley of the continuously variable transmission and the second pulley, based on the state of the torque damping mechanism.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle and a method for controlling the vehicle, and more particularly, to control of a vehicle including a belt-type continuously variable transmission.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a belt-type continuously variable transmission mounted on a vehicle such as a saddle-riding type vehicle includes one in which the interval between sheaves for sandwiching a belt is changed by an actuator. In a vehicle equipped with a belt-type continuously variable transmission, the belt may likely slip relative to the sheaves upon sudden torque fluctuation occurring at the drive wheel due to running on a bad conditioned road. Such slip of the belt is not preferable in view of durability of the belt and the sheaves.
According to a technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2003-269591, in order to prevent slip of the belt, a force for clamping the belt with the sheaves (hereinafter referred to as a clamping force) is increased when the rotation speed of the drive wheel is changed. However, even though the actuator is activated after detection of change in the rotation speed of the drive wheel, torque fluctuation may likely have been transmitted to the continuously variable transmission by the increase of the clamping force.
Moreover, according to another technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2003-269591, the clamping force is increased upon estimation, based on a value obtained in integration with an amount of change in the rotation speed of the drive wheel, to the effect that the road on which the vehicle is running is in a bad condition. However, as the clamping force is kept increasing even though the torque fluctuation occurring is relatively so small that slip of the belt will not be caused, torque transmission efficiency of the continuously variable transmission may be deteriorated.

Vehicle and method for controlling the same


A selective catalytic reduction emissions control system of a compression ignition engine is provided with enhanced ammonia feed control for improved emissions control performance. The reduction agent is provided in two doses, and the reactor is provided with two reacting beds. The second dose of reactant is provided between the first and second reacting beds.

The present invention relates generally to emissions control systems for reciprocating engines, and more particularly to an emissions control system for increasing selective catalytic reduction (SCR) efficiency through enhanced reactant feed control.
Combustion engines including compression ignition and spark ignition reciprocating engines and gas turbines provide efficient power sources requiring low operating personnel requirements. Combustion engines produce and emit NOx(nitrogen oxides). Control methods to reduce the NOx often increase the fuel consumption of the engines and require large increase in the operating personnel required.
Compression ignition engines, such as diesel engines, provide advantages in fuel economy, but produce and emit both NOx and particulates during normal operation. When primary measures (actions that affect the combustion process itself, such as exhaust gas recirculation and engine timing adjustments) are taken to reduce one, often the other is increased. Thus, combustion conditions selected to reduce pollution from particulates and obtain good fuel economy tend to increase the output of NOx. Current and proposed regulations and legislation present significant challenges to manufacturers to achieve good fuel economy while at the same time reducing the emission levels of particulates and NOx.
In order to meet such requirements or restrictions, a method known as SCR (selective catalytic reduction) has been used for reducing the emission of NOx. The SCR method consists of injecting gaseous ammonia (NH3), ammonia in aqueous solution or aqueous urea, or ammonia supplied from an ammonia generator using a solid source of ammonia such as ammonia carbamate or ammonia carbonate, into the exhaust gas system of the compression ignition engine as a reduction agent. When the temperature of the exhaust gas stream is above a reaction temperature, for example a temperature above 160xc2x0 C. for aqueous urea, the reduction agent undergoes a hydrolysis process and is decomposed into ammonia and CO2. As the exhaust gas stream is passed through the SCR catalyst, the gaseous ammonia reacts with the NOx to reduce the NOx to molecular nitrogen. This reduces or limits the NOx emissions from the compression ignition engine.
The amount of ammonia required at any given time varies as operating conditions of the engine change, and the exhaust gas content includes more or less NOx. It is important that a sufficient amount of ammonia be supplied to treat NOx present in the exhaust gas stream, so that NOx emission standards are achieved. On the other hand, it is wasteful and inefficient to supply ammonia in excess of the amount required to treat the NOx present in the exhaust gas stream.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,473 entitled xe2x80x9cAmmonia/Fuel Ratio Control System For Reducing Nitrogen Oxide Emissionsxe2x80x9d, issued Sep. 13, 1983, teaches a method and apparatus for efficiently reducing NOx emissions from an engine. Ammonia is metered to the exhaust gas conduit in a pre-selected proportion to the fuel mass flow rate, but only in response to the temperature of the exhaust gas stream in the reactor being within a pre-selected temperature range.
While the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,473 provides a reasonably reliable method and apparatus for reducing NOx emissions, the method and apparatus do not provide feedback control based on the actual effectiveness of the process. It would be advantageous to control ammonia addition to the exhaust gas stream based on the actual effectiveness of the treatment process.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.
In one aspect of the present invention, an emissions control system for treating an exhaust gas stream with a reduction agent in an exhaust system of an engine is provided with a first sensor for determining at least one operating condition of the engine; and a control unit connected to the sensor for determining a calculated amount of the reduction agent needed to treat the exhaust gas stream. A reduction agent supply source has a first metering means for supplying a first dose of the reduction agent to the exhaust stream in an amount less than the calculated amount of the reduction agent. A reactor has an inlet receiving the exhaust gas stream with the first dose of reduction agent. A second metering means supplies a second dose of the reduction agent to the exhaust stream.
In another aspect of the invention, an engine is provided with a combustion section including a plurality of combustion chambers; a combustion air system supplying combustion air to the combustion chambers, and an exhaust system receiving exhaust gases from the combustion chambers. The exhaust system includes an exhaust manifold and an exhaust conduit for conducting the exhaust gases in an exhaust gas stream from the engine. An emissions control system includes a reduction agent supply source and a reactor having first and second reacting beds in fluid flow communication with the exhaust conduit. A first sensor and a control unit connected to the first sensor determine a calculated amount of the reduction agent needed for treatment of the exhaust gas stream. A first metering means supplies to the exhaust stream a first dose of reduction agent less than the calculated amount of the reduction agent. A second metering means between the reacting beds supplies a second dose of the reduction agent to the exhaust stream. A second sensor determines a characteristic of the exhaust stream, and the control unit is connected to the second sensor for determining the amount of the second dose of reduction agent.
In still another aspect of the invention, a method for increasing the efficiency of an emissions control system for a compression ignition engine capable of producing an exhaust gas stream to be treated by a reduction agent which is mixed with the exhaust gas stream to convert the exhaust gas is provided with steps of: determining a needed amount of the reduction agent to treat the exhaust gas stream; supplying a first dose of the reduction agent to the exhaust gas stream; reacting the exhaust gas stream with the first dose of reduction agent; supplying a second dose of reduction agent to the exhaust gas stream after reacting the exhaust gas stream with the first dose of reduction agent; and reacting the exhaust gas stream with the second dose of reduction agent.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description in connection with the drawing and appended claims.

Enhanced ammonia feed control for selective catalytic reduction


An LED assembly includes an LED light source having a first light output with a characteristic spectrum, and a yellow-green phosphor, red phosphor, and neodymium fluorine absorber combination through which the first light output passes, wherein the yellow-green phosphor, red phosphor, and neodymium fluorine absorber combination is configured to convert the first light output to a second light output having a predetermined correlated color temperature.

LED lighting technology continues to advance resulting in improved efficiencies and lower costs. LED light sources are found in lighting applications ranging from small pin point sources to stadium lights. An LED is typically a semiconductor light emitter, and may be referred to as an LED chip. The color of light produced by an LED chip may be dependent on the type of semiconducting material used in its manufacture. LED chips with various emission colors may be produced from Group III-V alloys such as gallium nitride (GaN). GaN-based LED chips can be chemically tuned to emit light in the UV or blue range of the electromagnetic spectrum. One technique for converting the light emitted from an LED chip to white light includes using luminescent materials that convert a portion of the light in the UV or blue range spectrum to lights of other colors including green, yellow and red, all of which further blend and become white light. Exemplary luminescent materials include phosphors that emit radiation in the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in response to excitation by electromagnetic radiation in the UV or blue range. An LED chip with one or more luminescent materials may be referred to as an LED assembly.
At least one type of white light emitting LED assembly includes a blue emitting InGaN chip coated with a phosphor or blend of phosphors that converts some of the blue radiation to a complimentary color, for example, a yellow-green emission or a combination of yellow-green and red emission. The blue, yellow-green, and red radiation together produce a white light. A white LED assembly may also be constructed of a UV emitting chip and a phosphor blend including red, green and blue emitting phosphors designed to convert the UV radiation to visible light. The LED assembly may be constructed so that the light output has certain characteristics, such as particular Correlated Color Temperature (CCT), Color Rendering Index (CRI), and Lighting Preference Index (LPI). LPI is a color metric that enables quantitative optimization of color preference by tailoring the spectral power distribution of the light source as disclosed in PCT/US2014/054868, filed Sep. 9, 2014 and published as WO 2015/035425, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Red-emitting fluoride phosphor activated by Mn4+, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,358,542 and 7,648,649, can be utilized in combination with yellow or green phosphors such as YAG:Ce or other garnet compositions to achieve warm white light (CCTs<5000 K near the blackbody locus) when combined with a blue LED. These red phosphor materials absorb blue light and efficiently emit in a narrow range between about 610-635 nm with little deep red/near infrared emission at longer wavelengths (>650 nm). Therefore, luminous efficacy is maximized compared to red phosphors with a broad emission spectrum that have significant emission in the deeper red where eye sensitivity is very low. In general, the lower the targeted CCT for the LED chip package, the more red phosphor is required. However, due to its relatively poorer absorbability compared to other alternative red phosphors, the amount of red fluoride phosphor such as K2SiF6:Mn required to achieve a desired lower CCT such as 2700K, and a specific LPI, such as greater than 110, is dramatically increased and may be limited by both LED chip package size and cost. Thus, there is a need for a luminescent material that provides a desired CCT and LPI within present and future package size and cost constraints.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an LED assembly design that addresses at least some of the problems identified above.

LED design of lower CCT utilizing PFS phosphor


Linked articles and a method for customizing the linked articles are disclosed. The linked articles comprise a first link matrix and a second link matrix comprising a first portion of the article and a second portion of the article, respectively. The first link matrix consists essentially of links of a first material and the second link matrix consists essentially of links of a second material.

The present invention relates generally to articles and in particular to articles made of links.
Articles made of beads have been previously proposed. Oliver, (U.S. patent number 2004/0134229) teaches interconnected strings of beads. Oliver teaches prefabricated strings of beads that can be joined, or "snapped" together, perpendicularly, to form a fabric. Oliver further teaches that a double thickness fabric can be formed by joining together two layers of pre-fabricated strings. Oliver also lists several uses for the beaded fabric. In particular, Oliver lists bags, purses, fanny packs, cans and bottle holders, decorative packaging, Christmas stockings and other ornaments, wall hangings, banners, vests, skirts, tops, dancewear, headbands and hats, garter belts and other lingerie, bracelets, anklets, necklaces, collars and other jewelry, and fancy dress wear.
Oliver also teaches the use of multi-colored beads for making various designs using the beaded fabrics. In one embodiment, Oliver teaches the use of a double thickness fabric to form a flag, making use of existing multi-colored strings of beads to form stripes, and ornamented with pairs of beads to give the impression of stars.
Blatz (U.S. Pat. No. 1,992,856) teaches a woven fabric with beads. Blatz teaches woven bodies or fabrics used in ladies' belts, ladies'handbags and other uses, which is formed, for the greater part, of metallically connected beads or balls. Blatz teaches using parallel strands consisting of metallic beads that are connected by metallic links to form warps of the fabric. Between adjacent strands are placed other warp strands of fibrous material so that the beads do not tend to fit in the spaces between the beads of the adjacent chains.
Tsai (U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,749) teaches an article of footwear having a single-layer ventilating and massaging insole. Tsai teaches an insole including a plurality of upper beads crossingly linked with a plurality of lower beads by a plurality of strut members. Tsai teaches that as a foot depresses the upper beads downwardly against the supporting lower beads, air is pumped upwards to ventilate a wearer's foot and also message the wearer's foot.
Rast (U.S. Pat. No. 6,589,891) teaches an abrasion resistant conformal beaded-matrix for use in safety garments. Rast teaches an article that is highly ventilated while providing abrasion protection for a wearer during a slide, for instance, that may occur during a fall from a motorcycle. Rast teaches a material including abrasion resistant, low sliding friction beads that are held within a matrix of high-tensile strength, abrasion-resistant cords. Rast teaches a rider's arm within a beaded matrix in sliding contact with a pavement surface. Rast teaches that a row of beads can be seen in contact with the pavement surface. As the rider slides the beads are retained above this platform of abrasive resistant, but low friction beads. Rast further teaches a trouser garment which incorporates an embodiment of the beaded matrix according to the invention.


A shield structure includes a main body portion and a lid portion. An electronic circuit is stored in the main body portion. The lid portion is attached to the main body portion in a detachable manner, and includes a first contact portion. The main body portion includes an opening portion, a second contact portion, and a pressurizing portion. When the first contact portion moves in a direction perpendicular to a direction of the lid portion attached to the main body portion, in a state of being inserted in the opening portion, the first contact portion is elastically deformed in a first direction by contacting the second contact portion and comes into pressure contact with the second contact portion. When the first contact portion is inserted in the opening portion, the pressurizing portion contacts and pressurizes the first contact portion in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

The present disclosure relates to a shield structure, and an electronic device having a shield structure.
An electronic device such as a printer includes an electronic circuit that includes electronic parts such as a CPU. The electronic circuit may cause a malfunction due to a noise radiated from another electronic device. In addition, a noise radiated from the electronic circuit may influence an operation of another electronic device. As a result, the electronic device may have a shield structure.
The shield structure protects the electronic circuit stored in its inside by shielding it from the noise radiated from outside, and restricts the noise radiated from the electronic circuit in its inside from leaking outside. For example, the shield structure includes a main body portion and a lid portion, wherein the main body portion stores the electronic circuit, and the lid portion is attached to the main body portion in a detachable manner. Here, there is known, as a conventional technology, a shield structure in which a connection portion is provided on the lid portion, wherein the connection portion electrically connects the main body portion and the lid portion by contacting the main body portion in a state of being biased toward the main body portion.

Shield structure for storing electronic circuit, and electronic device


A method for sending data from a transmitter to a receiver in a transmission network comprising receiving outgoing data that is eight-bits-ten-bits (8b10b) encoded at a Gigabit Ethernet (GE) line rate from a physical medium attachment (PMA) layer, 8b10b decoding the received outgoing data, 64-bits-to-66-bits (64b66b) encoding the 8b10b decoded outgoing data, forward error correction (FEC) encoding the 64b66b encoded outgoing data, and serializing and sending the 64b66b and FEC encoded outgoing data at the GE line rate to a physical medium dependent (PMD) layer.

A passive optical network (PON) is one system for providing network access over "the last mile." The PON is a point to multi-point network comprised of an optical line terminal (OLT) at the central office, an optical distribution network (ODN), and a plurality of optical network units (ONUs) at the customer premises. In some PON systems, such as Ethernet PON (EPON) systems, downstream data is broadcasted at about 1.25 Gigabits per second (Gbps) and similarly upstream data is transmitted at about 1.25 Gbps. Other PON systems include Gigabit PON (GPON) systems, where downstream data is broadcasted at about 2.5 Gbps but upstream data is transmitted at about 1.25 Gbps. The bandwidth capability of the PON systems is expected to increase as the demands for services increase. To meet the increased demand in services, some emerging PON systems, such as Next Generation Access (NGA) systems, are being reconfigured to transport the data frames with improved reliability and efficiency and at higher bandwidths, for example at about ten Gbps, or with improved wavelength resource efficiency, for example the data frames are carried in different wavelengths by wavelength division multiplexing technologies.

Data sending/receiving method with forward error correction and related component and system for gigabit ethernet


Method and device for controlling specific functions of a load-carrying vehicle when dumping and/or loading the load-carrying platform of the vehicle. The device includes a maneuvering organ (control input) that is arranged in the cabin of the load-carrying vehicle for hand maneuvering by the driver. The maneuvering organ (control input) is coupled to at least one of the brakes of the load-carrying vehicle and to the gearbox of the load-carrying vehicle so that it when activated may activate the brake and select a neutral position in the gearbox.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for controlling specific functions of a load-carrying vehicle when dumping and/or loading the load-carrying platform of the vehicle. The load-carrying vehicle is preferably a construction machine. In the following, the invention will be described in the context of a waist controlled dumper (articulated hauler). This is to be seen as a preferred but in no way limiting application of the invention. The invention can, for example, also be used in a truck. The invention also relates to a method for performing the control functions.
2. Background Art
When dumping the load-carrying platform of a waist controlled dumper, also known as a basket, according to previous technology a number of operations are necessary on the part of the driver of the vehicle. These operations will be described below.
The vehicle is backed up against an intended dumping position, and the platform is tilted, allowing the driver to see the ground below and behind the platform. The position of the platform is controlled by means of a tilting lever arranged in the cabin. The tilting lever is usually arranged to the right of the driver, for maneuvering with his right hand. When the vehicle has reached the intended dumping position, the gas pedal is released, and instead the brake pedal is activated. Using the left hand, a gear lever coupled to the gearbox is brought to the neutral position. During the dumping, the brakes are either activated by means of the brake pedal, or the parking brake of the vehicle is utilized. Following the dumping and the return of the platform to the initial position, a gear is engaged, the activated brake is released and the vehicle is driven away.
Loading of a waist controlled dumper according to previous technology can, for example, be done in the following manner.
The dumper is backed up against an intended loading position, and is braked. The brake is then kept activated, and/or the parking brake is activated, and the gearbox is brought to the neutral position. When the platform has been loaded, a gear is engaged and the vehicle is driven away.
In many cases, especially when loading the dumper from behind, the brakes are subjected to large forces. The parking brake is usually too weak to withstand these forces, leading to the driver instead utilizing the brakes of the vehicle. Especially when loading for long periods, this is tiresome for the driver since he must keep the brake pedal pressed down.
Due to the large tractive forces obtained at least in larger models of waist controlled dumpers, there is a risk that, when utilizing the parking brake, the driver, especially after loading, will forget to release the parking brake. This will lead to wear, and in some cases to a breakdown of the parking brake.

Method and device for controlling specific functions within a load-carrying vehicle under dumping and/or loading the load-carrying platform of the vehicle


A multi-layered microfluidic system featuring tissue chambers for cells in a first layer and a plurality of medium channels for culture medium in a second layer. The tissue chambers fluidly connect to the medium channels such that media flows from the medium channels to the tissue chambers, forming large-scale perfused capillary networks. The capillary networks can undergo angiogenesis and vertical anastomosis. The multi-layered configuration of the system of the present invention allows for flexibility in design.

The vascular network of the circulatory system plays a vital role in maintaining homeostasis of the human body. In vitro systems, such as organs-on-a-chip attempt to mimic the characteristics and functions of in vivo organs by, for example, integrating large-scale microvasculature networks.
Previously constructed perfused capillary networks feature anastomosis between capillary networks and microfluidic channels. However, these have a single-layer configuration and have limited scalability and positioning flexibility (e.g., positioning of the capillary networks).
It was surprisingly discovered that a two-layer configuration, which separates the culture medium and tissue chambers, allows for formation of large-scale perfused capillary networks. The two-layer configuration also provides improved scalability and improved positioning flexibility.

Multi-layered microfluidic systems for in vitro large-scale perfused capillary networks

THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA


An analog-to-digital converter circuit is adapted to control the speed of an electric motor. The circuit in one form comprises a low-pass filter receiving an analog speed instruction voltage, a comparator, a microprocessor incorporating a timer, and an inverter that controls the speed of the motor. The comparator compares the output signal from the filter with a triangular wave having a given frequency and a given amplitude. The output signal from the comparator is applied to the microprocessor, which produces a digital signal corresponding to the speed instruction voltage, by making use of internal clock pulses. The speed of the motor is detected by an encoder. The microprocessor controls the inverter in such a way that the difference between the speed detected by the encoder and the speed indicated by the digital signal becomes null.

a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an analog-to-digital converter circuit and, more particularly, an analog-to-digital converter circuit adapted for use in a motor control circuit, for example.
b) Background of the Related Art
Some motor control circuits use a microprocessor and are controlled by software. FIG. 46 shows a conventional motor control circuit which is controlled by software as described above. A speed instruction voltage that is an analog signal is passed through a low-pass filter 101 to filter out noise and other higher harmonics. The analog output signal from the filter 101 is converted into digital form by an analog-to-digital converter IC 102 and supplied to a microprocessor 103 to control the output frequency of an inverter 104, thereby controlling the rotational speed of an electric motor 105. The rotational speed of the motor 105 is detected by an encoder 106. The microprocessor 103 calculates the difference between the speed instructed by the speed instruction signal and the actual speed of the motor 105, and controls the inverter 104 in such a way that the difference is reduced to zero.
The aforementioned motor control circuit is expensive because it uses an analog-to-digital converter IC. Also, it is necessary that the analog-to-digital converter IC be connected with the microprocessor by a number of lines, e.g., 10 or 12 lines, depending on the bit number. Therefore, the input/output ports of the microprocessor are occupied by the lines extending from the A/D converter IC. This makes it impossible to effectively utilize the microprocessor.