The present invention relates to a method for controlling an internal combustion engine having a means (16) for directly injecting fuel as well as a means (22) for admitting at least one fluid into the combustion chamber, a cylinder (12), a burned-gas exhaust means (28), and a processing and control unit (48) receiving information on at least the driver's torque demand and the engine speed (Ne), comprising a) determining the desired torque (Torque_des) corresponding in particular to driver demand; b) from this desired torque, determining a desired Indicated Mean Effective Pressure (IMEP_des) from which the parameters (Mair_sp, BGR_sp) are established to control admission of at least one fluid into the combustion chamber; and c) determining a specified value of the IMEP (IMEP_sp) from the desired IMEP and at least one magnitude linked to the fluid admitted into the combustion chamber, to define the fuel injection parameters (Mfuel_i, SOI_i, Pfuel) in the combustion chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for controlling combustion in an internal combustion engine, particularly a direct-injection engine, and an engine using such a method such as Diesel engines with burned-gas recirculation, and particularly engines of this type that can operate in two combustion modes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A traditional combustion mode injects the fuel around the Combustion Top Dead Center with diffusion combustion preferably being used at high loads, while another combustion mode, known as homogenous combustion, is used at low and medium loads.
In this latter combustion mode, it is known that the fuel coming from an injector can be mixed with the gaseous fluid or fluids admitted into the combustion chamber of this engine, such as air or a mixture of air and recirculated exhaust gas, in order to obtain a homogenous air-fuel mixture before combustion begins.
This is known, particularly for Diesel engines, by the general term Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition (abbreviated HCCI) and the assignee has developed such a combustion mode using a fuel injector with a small crank angle to avoid wetting the cylinder walls with the injected fuel. This not only prevents degradation of the lubricant present on this wall, but also prevents increases in pollutant emissions and reduction in engine performance, particularly in terms of fuel consumption. Development of this combustion mode is described more precisely in French Patents 2,818,324 and 2,818,325 by the assignee offering such a process used under the name NADI™.
Moreover, at low and medium loads, this homogeneous combustion mode generates only low flame temperatures upon combustion of the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber, which considerably cuts down on nitrogen oxide (Nox) and particle emissions while preserving engine performance.
To favor such a combustion mode, it is desirable to introduce not only intake air but large quantities of burned gases from the exhaust and to associate this burned gas recirculation with specific fuel injection strategies. The means most commonly used to achieve such recirculation is to send some of the exhaust gases to the engine intake through an external circuit known as EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation).
On the other hand, as already mentioned, such engines are also designed to operate by traditional combustion, which requires more moderate burned-gas levels and different injection strategies from those used in homogeneous combustion.
The problem encountered with this type of engine operating in two combustion modes resides in the fact that it is difficult to ensure rapid, precise control of the mass of air and/or burned gases admitted into the cylinder as a function of driver demand, because the dynamics of the air loop (burned air and/or gas) are relatively slow, about a few seconds, particularly by comparison to the dynamics of the fuel loop which reacts on the order of the engine combustion cycle. Hence, in a transient operating phase, the air and/or burned-gas settings may be unsuitable for the fuel settings, which is not conducive to optimal combustion in terms of pollutant emissions, combustion noise, or fuel consumption.

Method for controlling a direct-injection internal combustion engine and engine using such a method


An enhanced, co-formed fibrous web structure is disclosed. The web structure may have a co-formed core layer sandwiched between two scrim layers. The core layer may be formed of a blend of cellulose pulp fibers and melt spun filaments. The scrim layers may be formed of melt spun filaments. Filaments of one or both of the scrim layers, and optionally the core layer, may also be meltblown filaments. The fibrous web structure may have a Consumer Preference Indication (governing allocation of melt spun filaments between core layer and scrim layers) greater than 0. Alternatively, the filaments forming the scrim layers may constitute from 1 to 13 percent of the weight of the structure. Alternatively, the scrim layers may have a combined basis weight of from 0.1 gsm to less than 3.0 gsm. A method for forming the structure, including direct formation of layers, is also disclosed.

Wet wipes cut from fibrous web structures formed in a co-forming process have been marketed for several years. The co-forming process involves melt spinning continuous filaments from polymer resin, and simultaneously, directing an air stream with entrained distributed cellulose fibers together with the filaments, typically into a co-forming box or similar blending apparatus, blending the filaments and fibers, and directing the blend along to a collecting/forming structure such as a moving forming belt. The filaments may be spun and introduced into the airstream carrying the cellulose fibers, or an airstream carrying the cellulose fibers may be introduced into the pathway of the filaments following spinning, the effect being the deposit of an entangled blend of filaments and fibers onto the moving forming structure and accumulation and formation of a batt thereof. Upon subsequent consolidation and bonding of the batt, a cohesive fibrous web structure may be formed. The co-forming process is, advantageously, typically dry, in contrast to wet forming techniques often used to make products such as paper towels from cellulose pulp. The co-formed fibrous web structure may be used, for example, as a wet wipe substrate. The entangled polymer filaments in the co-formed structure provide a matrix that holds the relatively short fibers, entangled therewithin, in place within the structure, and thereby help maintain structural integrity of the structure when it is wetted with an aqueous lotion.
The fibrous web structure from which wet wipes (for example, baby wipes) are made, should be strong enough when moistened with a lotion to maintain structural integrity in use, but also soft enough to give a pleasing and comfortable tactile sensation to the user. In addition, the structure should have suitable absorbency, porosity and surface texture to be effective in absorbing, retaining and carrying an aqueous lotion, releasing the lotion under pressure during use, and in cleaning soiled skin, while at the same time providing a reliable barrier between the user's hand and the soil (e.g., fecal matter).
In addition, cost and environmental sustainability concerns impose pressure to further improve the performance of wipes to enable better cleaning with less material, without compromising lotion carrying and release and other important properties such as tensile strength and protection.
Recently, improvements have been introduced to the co-forming process and resulting fibrous web structure. As described in U.S. application Ser. No. 13/076,492, a co-formed fibrous web structure with improved absorption properties is described.
In addition to the other improvements described in that application, it is briefly surmised that layers formed of meltblown polymer filaments alone can be formed on the outermost surfaces of the co-formed batt prior to bonding, to beneficial effect. It is surmised that the addition of the meltblown layer (called "scrim") can help reduce release of lint (comprising fibers dislodged from the structure) during use by a consumer.
However, the ways in which inclusion of scrim layers, and the relative proportions of components of the scrim layers and intermediate or core layers, affect properties such as tensile strength, drape, surface friction, opacity, texture and feel of the web material, have not been apparent or predictable. Thus, it would be beneficial if the best proportions of components overall, together with their allocations among the various layers or substructures, of a fibrous web structure having scrim layers, and any other improvements making the structure desirable for use as wet wipe substrate, could be identified.

Enhanced co-formed/meltblown fibrous web structure


Disclosed herein are techniques for detecting logos in images or video. In one embodiment, a first logo detection model detects, from an image, candidate regions for determining logos in the image. A feature vector is then extracted from each candidate region and is compared with reference feature vectors stored in a database. The logo corresponding to the best matching reference feature vector is determined to be the logo in the candidate region if the best matching meets a certain criterion. In some embodiments, a second logo detection model trained using synthetic training images is used in combination with the first logo detection model to detect logos in a same image.

Enormous amount of video and image data is generated and shared every day, thanks to the ubiquity of digital cameras and Internet applications such as social networks. Video and image data constitutes a large portion of Internet content. For example, more than two-third of total Internet traffic is video data. With the overwhelmingly large amount of video and image data available, a need to automatically understand such massive amounts of data, such as detecting logos of brands appeared in the videos or images, has arisen.
Logo detection or recognition in images and videos can be used in many applications, such as copyright or trademark infringement detection, contextual advertise placement, intelligent traffic control based on vehicle logos, automated computation of brand-related statistics, augmented reality, and the like.


Improved methods and compositions for safe and effective treatment of telangiectasia or a symptom associated with telangiectasia in a subject are described. The methods involve topically applying to an affected skin area a topical composition comprising about 0.3% to about 10% by weight of brimonidine and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

Telangiectasias are highly prevalent skin disorders. Telangiectasias are visible small, red, purple or blue surface blood vessels that can be located on the face, upper chest, neck or other parts of the body. Telangiectatic blood vessels, which can include swollen blood vessels, spider veins, red dermal patches, purple dermal patches, or blue dermal patches are abnormal and are not necessary for any essential body function.
Telangiectatic blood vessels can appear with or without a preceding or concurrent skin or internal disease. Telangiectasias can develop anywhere within the body, but can be most easily seen in the skin. Telangiectasias include essential or primary telangiectasias, which include blood vessel dilations of unknown etiology. Generalized essential telangiectasias (GET) exhibit a widespread distribution pattern over the body. Other primary telangiectasias include angioma serpiginosum, ataxia telangiectasia, varicose of smaller veins, such as starburst veins, angiomas and spider naevi. Some other examples of conditions, syndromes, diseases and disorders which can include telangiectasia are CREST Syndrome (acronym for Calcinosis, Raynaud's phenomenon, Esophageal dysfunction, Sclerodactyl), and Telangiextasis), hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (Osler-Weber-Rendu Syndrome), ataxia-telangiectasia, rosacea (also known as acne rosacea), basal cell carcinoma, scleroderma, telangiectatic nevus, unilateral nevoid telangiectasia, cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita, hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. Secondary telangiectasia can develop after actinic damage (such as in erythrosis interfollicularis colli), radiation therapy and as well steroid therapies including chronic corticosteroid treatment. Chronic hepatic and collagen-vascular disorders can also induce telangiectasia.
Telangiectasia can be a symptom of rosacea. However, rosacea also encompasses erythema, and is, accordingly, a phenomenon distinct from a telangiectasia.
Current treatments for ameliorating telangiectasias include laser therapy, light therapy including IPL intense pulsed light, electrocoagulation and electro-optical synergy (ELOS), which combines intense pulsed optical energy and conducted bipolar radiofrequency (RF) energy into a single pulse (Sadick, N S et al., J. Drugs Dermatolog. 4: 181-186, 2005).
Brimonidine, a selective α2-adrenergic agonist, has been used as either a monotherapy or an adjunctive therapy to lower intraocular pressure (IOP) in the treatment of glaucoma and ocular hypertension (OHT) since its approval in 1996. The most common side effects associated with brimonidine therapy are dry mouth, fatigue/drowsiness, headache, mild hyperemia, blurred vision and foreign body sensation. Hypertension, palpitations and syncope have been reported by less than 3% patients in clinical trials involving brimonidine ophthalmic treatment. See McGhie, Journal of the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin, May/June 2001, at World Wide Web: pswi.org/professional/pharmaco/brimonidine.pdf, and references therein. Results from the dose-ranging study in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension showed that although 0.5% (w/w) had higher efficacy in the early phase of treatment, the 0.5% (w/w) and 0.2% (w/w) had similar efficacy after two weeks of treatment, and that 0.5% (w/w) had more systemic and ocular side effects than 0.2% (w/w). See, e.g., Walters, Survey of Ophthalmology, 1996, 41: S19-S26). Ophthalmic formulations containing 0.2% (w/w) brimonidine have been used for chronic applications to treat glaucoma and ocular hypertension, while that containing 0.5% (w/w) brimonidine has been only used for acute therapy for the prevention of postoperative intraocular pressure spikes. In order to reduce a variety of ocular and systemic side-effects associated with the ophthalmic application of 0.2% (w/w) brimonidine, ophthalmic formulations containing lower concentrations of brimonidine, e.g., 0.15% (w/w) or 0.1% (w/w), have been subsequently developed and used for chronic ophthalmic applications.
Brimonidine has been reported to be useful in treating telangiectasias. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,838,563 to DeJovin et al. Brimonidine has also been reported to be useful in treating erythema caused by rosacea. See, e.g., U.S. Ser. No. 10/853,585 to DeJovin et al. To ensure the safety and avoid unacceptable side effects, a previous clinical study used 0.2% (w/w) brimonidine tartrate as the "high" dosage for treating erythema. See US 2009/0061020 to Theobald et al.
In the present invention, it has been surprisingly discovered that topical administration of brimonidine to an affected skin area resulted in significantly less systemic exposure to brimonidine than topical ophthalmic application of brimonidine. It has been found that although systemic exposure increased with the applied dose of brimonidine, statistical analysis showed that the increase in systemic exposure (Cmax) was not dose proportional, e.g., the increase in the mean Cmax was much less than the increase in the dose. It has also been discovered that, unlike the topical ophthalmic application of brimonidine, topical administration of higher than 0.2% (w/w) brimonidine to a skin area affected by telangiectasias or a related symptom resulted in increased efficacy without observable loss of effectiveness over time. No unacceptable drug related adverse events was observed with the treatment of higher concentration of brimonidine tested.
Accordingly, a higher concentration of brimonidine, such as about 0.3% (w/w) to about 10% (w/w), can now be used in improved methods and compositions for safe and effective treatment of telangiectasias or a symptom associated therewith.

Methods and compositions for safe and effective treatment of telangiectasia


A ball-limiting metallurgy stack is disclosed for an electrical device that contains at least one copper layer disposed upon a titanium adhesion metal layer. The ball-limiting metallurgy stack resists tin migration toward the upper metallization of the device. An etch process flow is also disclosed which resists the redepostion of the tin during etching of a copper layer.

An embodiment of the present invention relates generally to integrated circuit fabrication. More particularly, an embodiment of the present invention relates to electrical connection technology. In particular, an embodiment of the present invention relates to a ball-limiting metallurgy comprising a copper layer.
Electrical bump connectors such as metal bumps or balls are used in flip-chip applications that may include controlled collapse (C4) flip-chip applications. As the progress of miniaturization continues, selective formation of electrical connections becomes increasingly challenging. One structural quality that is often used is dissimilar conductive layers which serve barrier, adhesion, and seeding purposes among others. Consequently, etch-processing formation of specific connections can result in destructive removal of required electrical connections. Similarly, etch processing can also result in stopped etches due to unwanted oxide films which form a husk over the material to be etched.
As the progress of miniaturization also continues, the junction between a microelectronic device metallization and the electrical bump becomes increasingly large relative to the mass of the electrical bump. Consequently, junction disparities have an increasingly detrimental effect on electrical communication between the device and the electrical bump. One junction disparity relates to migration of the flip-chip tin, typically from Sn37Pb solder, toward the metallization. Another consequence of miniaturization is stress that builds up in the ball-limiting metallurgy due to the formation of tin-containing intermetallic structures between the metallization and the electrical bump.

Selective ball-limiting metallurgy etching processes for fabrication of electroplated tin bumps


An improved orifice plate assembly for a loaf slicing machine, the orifice plate assembly located adjacent to a moving slicing blade includes a frame defining an opening and a first orifice-defining member and a second orifice-defining member slidably mounted together slidably on the frame. The first orifice-defining member and the second orifice-defining member, together define an orifice. An adjustment mechanism is operatively connected to the frame and to each of the first and second orifice-defining members, the adjustment mechanism when adjusted changes the orifice dimension between the first and second orifice-defining members without substantially changing a centerline location of the orifice. The adjustment mechanism includes a stud fixed to the first orifice-defining member, and two links pivotally mounted to the frame and engaged to two rods fixed to the second orifice-defining member. The stud is engaged to one end of the links and the rods are engaged to a respective other end of the links such that a movement of the stud inwardly pivots the links to draw the second orifice-defining member toward the first orifice-defining member.

There are many different kinds of food loaves in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Meat loaves are made from various different meats, including ham, pork, beef, lamb, turkey, fish, and others. Meat loaves come in different shapes such as round, square, rectangular, oval, and others, and in different lengths up to six feet or longer. The cross-sectional sizes of the loaves can be dissimilar, the maximum transverse dimension may be as small as 1xc2xd inches or as large as 10 inches. Loaves of cheese or other foods are also available in varying compositions, in a wide range of shapes, lengths, and transverse sizes.
Food loaves are typically sliced, the slices grouped in accordance with a particular weight requirement, and then packaged and sold. The number of slices in a group may vary, depending on the size and consistency of the food loaf and on the desires of the producer, the wholesaler, or the retailer. For some products, neatly aligned stacked slice groups are preferred. For others, slice groups can be shingled so that a purchaser can see a part of every slice.
Examples of known high-speed food loaf slicing machines are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,974,925; 4,805,503 and 4,428,263. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,649,463; 5,704,265; EP 0 713 753; or WO 99/08844, also disclose high-speed food loaf slicing machines. Slicing apparatus are also embodied in the FORMAX FX180 Slicer available from Formax, Inc. of Mokena, Ill., U.S.A.
As described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,925, a versatile high-speed slicing machine is capable of slicing two, three, or more loaves from a single cyclically driven knife blade, with accommodation for food loaves that vary in transverse dimension. The machine is also capable of varying the slice thickness for groups of slices cut simultaneously from different loaves.
The slicing machine includes a slicing station comprising a knife blade, a knife blade drive for moving the blade along an arcuate cutting path, and an inclined loaf support for supporting a food loaf for movement by gravity along a loaf path intersecting the cutting path. Two short loaf feed conveyors are arranged along the loaf path, the short conveyors being spaced from each other and engaging opposite sides of the food loaf immediately ahead of the cutting path. A variable speed conveyor drive circulates the two short conveyors at variable speeds to vary thickness of slices cut from the loaves.
An orifice plate is arranged adjacent to the cutting path. The orifice plate includes two orifices for gripping and guiding the two loaves individually into the cutting path during the slicing operation. The orifices of the orifice plate are adjustable in size by use of slide members moved by rods, the slide members each forming part of a rim of an orifice. Adjustment of orifice size to conform to varying loaf transverse dimensions is taken up from one side, by moving a respective rod from the outside. By reducing or enlarging the orifice using this arrangement, the location of the centerline of the orifice is moved.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,263 also discloses an adjustable orifice size in a slicing machine. The automatic adjustment of the orifice size is also taken up from one direction and as a result of orifice size adjustment; the location of the centerline of the orifice is moved.
The present inventors have recognized that it would be desirable to provide a slicing machine that would accommodate orifice size adjustment without changing the location of the centerline of the loaf being sliced. The present inventors have recognized that it would be desirable to provide a slicing machine that could accommodate loaves of varying lateral dimension while at the same time maintaining a constant centerline of the loaf being sliced such that slices cut from the loaf can be neatly stacked or shingled along a common centerline on a receiving surface.
The invention provides an adjustable orifice member for guiding one or more food loaves into the cutting path of a cyclically operating slicing blade. The invention includes the orifice member being automatically adjustable to grip food loaves of varying lateral dimension while also maintaining a constant orifice centerline.
The invention is particularly advantageous in that slices cut from a food loaf having a constant orifice centerline can be received on a receiving surface in a constant and precise centerline alignment. Straight stacks can be accumulated in a reliable manner on a stationary receiving surface and shingled stacks can be formed along a straight longitudinal line on a receiving conveyor. This provides for a more attractive arrangement of slices for packaging and sale.
The invention provides a slicing machine that is particularly adapted to slice two loaves simultaneously wherein the two loaves are gripped and guided by an orifice plate having dual, automatically adjusted orifices.
According to an exemplary embodiment, an orifice assembly includes one or more subassemblies that each include a slide housing mounted for sliding on a stationary frame, and a slide member mounted slidably on the slide housing. The slide housing and slide member together define an orifice.
A plunger is secured to the slide member and is acted upon by an actuator that exerts a continuous inward force on the slide member. A linkage is operatively connected to the plunger and to the slide housing. The linkage is configured to draw the slide housing in an outward direction by an amount equal to the inward movement of the slide member during orifice contraction. The linkage also ensures that during orifice expansion by force from the loaf against the slide housing and slide member, against the urging of the actuator, the slide housing and slide member move by an equal amount. By drawing the slide housing and the slide member together, or by allowing the slide housing and the slide member to move apart, by equal distances, the location of the orifice centerline remains constant.
The invention overcomes the difficulties of prior orifice adjusting arrangements wherein the lateral dimension of the orifice is adjusted from one side only wherein the adjustment effectively changes the location of the centerline of the orifice.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will be become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, from the claims and from the accompanying drawings.

Self-centering slicer orifice for food loaf slicing machine


The invention relates to a method of simulating operations of an oilfield, which has process facilities and wellsite operatively connected, each wellsite having a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation for extracting fluid from an underground reservoir. The method steps include selecting simulators for modeling the oilfield with at least one of the simulators having functionality to model fluid injection, selectively coupling each of the simulators according to a predefined configuration, and modeling an injection operation of the oilfield by selectively communicating between the simulators.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to techniques for performing oilfield operations relating to subterranean formations having reservoirs therein. More particularly, the invention relates to techniques for performing oilfield operations involving an analysis of reservoir operations, and their impact on such oilfield operations.
2. Background of the Related Art
Oilfield operations, such as surveying, drilling, wireline testing, completions, simulation, planning and oilfield analysis, are typically performed to locate and gather valuable downhole fluids. Various aspects of the oilfield and its related operations are shown in FIGS. 1A-1D. As shown in FIG. 1A, surveys are often performed using acquisition methodologies, such as seismic scanners to generate maps of underground structures. These structures are often analyzed to determine the presence of subterranean assets, such as valuable fluids or minerals. This information is used to assess the underground structures and locate the formations containing the desired subterranean assets. Data collected from the acquisition methodologies may be evaluated and analyzed to determine whether such valuable items are present, and if they are reasonably accessible.
As shown in FIG. 1B-1D, one or more wellsites may be positioned along the underground structures to gather valuable fluids from the subterranean reservoirs. The wellsites are provided with tools capable of locating and removing hydrocarbons from the subterranean reservoirs. As shown in FIG. 1B, drilling tools are typically advanced from the oil rigs and into the earth along a given path to locate the valuable downhole fluids. During the drilling operation, the drilling tool may perform downhole measurements to investigate downhole conditions. In some cases, as shown in FIG. 1C, the drilling tool is removed and a wireline tool is deployed into the wellbore to perform additional downhole testing.
After the drilling operation is complete, the well may then be prepared for production. As shown in FIG. 1D, wellbore completions equipment is deployed into the wellbore to complete the well in preparation for the production of fluid therethrough. Fluid is then drawn from downhole reservoirs, into the wellbore and flows to the surface. Production facilities are positioned at surface locations to collect the hydrocarbons from the wellsite(s). Fluid drawn from the subterranean reservoir(s) passes to the production facilities via transport mechanisms, such as tubing. Various equipment may be positioned about the oilfield to monitor oilfield parameters and/or to manipulate the oilfield operations.
During the oilfield operations, data is typically collected for analysis and/or monitoring of the oilfield operations. Such data may include, for example, subterranean formation, equipment, historical and/or other data. Data concerning the subterranean formation is collected using a variety of sources. Such formation data may be static or dynamic. Static data relates to, for example, formation structure and geological stratigraphy that define the geological structure of the subterranean formation. Dynamic data relates to, for example, fluids flowing through the geologic structures of the subterranean formation over time. Such static and/or dynamic data may be collected to learn more about the formations and the valuable assets contained therein.
Sources used to collect static data may be seismic tools, such as a seismic truck that sends compression waves into the earth as shown in FIG. 1A. These waves are measured to characterize changes in the density of the geological structure at different depths. This information may be used to generate basic structural maps of the subterranean formation. Other static measurements may be gathered using core sampling and well logging techniques. Core samples may be used to take physical specimens of the formation at various depths as shown in FIG. 1B. Well logging typically involves deployment of a downhole tool into the wellbore to collect various downhole measurements, such as density, resistivity, etc., at various depths. Such well logging may be performed using, for example, the drilling tool of FIG. 1B and/or the wireline tool of FIG. 1C. Once the well is formed and completed, fluid flows to the surface using production tubing as shown in FIG. 1D. As fluid passes to the surface, various dynamic measurements, such as fluid flow rates, pressure, and composition may be monitored. These parameters may be used to determine various characteristics of the subterranean formation.
Sensors may be positioned about the oilfield to collect data relating to various oilfield operations. For example, sensors in the drilling equipment may monitor drilling conditions, sensors in the wellbore may monitor fluid composition, sensors located along the flow path may monitor flow rates, and sensors at the processing facility may monitor fluids collected. Other sensors may be provided to monitor downhole, surface, equipment or other conditions. The monitored data is often used to make decisions at various locations of the oilfield at various times. Data collected by these sensors may be further analyzed and processed. Data may be collected and used for current or future operations. When used for future operations at the same or other locations, such data may sometimes be referred to as historical data.
The processed data may be used to predict downhole conditions, and make decisions concerning oilfield operations. Such decisions may involve well planning, well targeting, well completions, operating levels, production rates and other operations and/or conditions. Often this information is used to determine when to drill new wells, re-complete existing wells, or alter wellbore production.
Data from one or more wellbores may be analyzed to plan or predict various outcomes at a given wellbore. In some cases, the data from neighboring wellbores or wellbores with similar conditions or equipment may be used to predict how a well will perform. There are usually a large number of variables and large quantities of data to consider in analyzing oilfield operations. It is, therefore, often useful to model the behavior of the oilfield operation to determine the desired course of action. During the ongoing operations, the operating conditions may need adjustment as conditions change and new information is received.
Techniques have been developed to model the behavior of various aspects of the oilfield operations, such as geological structures, downhole reservoirs, wellbores, surface facilities as well as other portions of the oilfield operation. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,980,940 to Gurpinar discloses integrated reservoir optimization involving the assimilation of diverse data to optimize overall performance of a reservoir. In another example, WO2004/049216 to Ghorayeb discloses an integrated modeling solution for coupling multiple reservoir simulations and surface facility networks. Other examples of these modeling techniques are shown in Patent/Publication/Application Nos. U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,519, WO1999/064896, WO2005/122001, U.S. Pat. No. 6,313,837, US2003/0216897, US2003/0132934, US2005/0149307, US2006/0197759, US2004/0220846, and Ser. No. 10/586,283.
Techniques have also been developed to predict and/or plan certain oilfield operations, such as miscible water alternating gas (MWAG) injection operation. In an oilfield, initial production of the hydrocarbons is accomplished by "primary recovery" techniques wherein only the natural forces present in the reservoir are used to produce the hydrocarbons. However, upon depletion of these natural forces and the termination of primary recovery, large portions of the hydrocarbons remain trapped within the reservoir. Also many reservoirs lack sufficient natural forces to be produced by primary methods from the very beginning.
Recognition of these facts has led to the development and use of many enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques. Most of these techniques involve injection of at least one fluid into the reservoir to force hydrocarbons towards and into a production well. It is important that the fluid be injected carefully so that it forces the hydrocarbons toward the production well but does not prematurely reach the production well before all or most of the hydrocarbons have been produced.
Generally, once the fluid reaches the production well, production is adversely affected as the injected fluids are not generally sellable products and in some cases can be difficult to separate from the produced oil. Over the years, many have attempted to calculate the optimal pumping rates for injector wells and production wells to extract the most hydrocarbons from a reservoir. There is considerable uncertainty in a reservoir as to its geometry and geological parameters (e.g., porosity, rock permeabilities, etc.). In addition, the market value of hydrocarbons can vary dramatically and so financial factors may be important in determining how production should proceed to obtain the maximum value from the reservoir. Examples of techniques for modeling and/or planning MWAG injection operation are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 6,775,578.
Techniques have also been developed for performing reservoir simulation operations. See, for example, Patent/Publication/Application Nos. U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,101, U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,497, U.S. Pat. No. 6,078,869, GB2336008, U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,561, US2006/0184329, U.S. Pat. No. 7,164,990. Some simulation techniques involve the use of coupled simulations as described, for example, in Publication No. US2006/0129366.
Despite the development and advancement of reservoir simulation techniques in oilfield operations, there remains a need to provide techniques capable of modeling and implementing injection operations based on a complex analysis of a wide variety of parameters affecting oilfield operations. It is desirable that such a complex analysis of oilfield parameters gathered throughout the oilfield and their impact on the injection operation be performed as thru-time analysis. It is further desirable that such techniques for modeling oilfield MWAG injection operations be capable of one of more of the following, among others: selectively modeling oilfield MWAG injection operations based on more than one simulator; selectively merging data and/or outputs of more than one simulator; selectively merging data and/or outputs of simulators of one or more wellsites and/or oilfields; selectively linking a wide variety of simulators of like and/or different configurations; selectively linking simulators having similar and/or different applications and/or data models; selectively linking simulators of different members of an asset team of an oilfield; and providing coupling mechanisms capable of selectively linking simulators in a desired configuration.

System and method for performing oilfield simulation operations


A method for adjusting the azimuth of a wind power plant, in which, during an azimuthal rotation of a machine housing with a rotor on a tower of the wind power plant, a constant residual pressure for generating a constant residual holding torque is applied to at least one azimuth braking device. Also an azimuth adjustment system for a wind power plant and to a wind power plant. In the disclosed method, the constant residual pressure and/or the constant residual holding torque are/is set as a function of at least one wind speed parameter before commencement of the azimuthal rotation, and the residual pressure and/or the residual holding torque are/is not changed during the azimuthal rotation, in particular during energization of azimuth drive motors.

Field of Invention
The invention relates to a method for adjusting the azimuth of a wind power plant, in which, during an azimuthal rotation of a machine housing with a rotor on a tower of the wind power plant, a constant residual pressure for generating a constant residual holding torque is applied to at least one azimuth braking device. The invention also relates to an azimuth adjustment system for a wind power plant and to a wind power plant.
Brief Description of Related Art
The azimuth adjustment system of a wind power plant has the function of rotating the machine housing with the rotor on the tower into the wind again, that is to say of adjusting its azimuth position or the azimuth angle, during operation of a wind power plant when the wind direction changes beyond a predeterminable amount. A further object is to move the azimuth position of the machine housing or of the gondola of the wind power plant in order to untwist the cables, which lead from the machine housing into the tower, if the machine housing has been moved in one direction to such an extent that maximum permissible twisting of the cables has taken place. Finally, the azimuth angle of the machine housing can also be moved with the rotor, in order to set a predetermined position, for example for maintenance work, when the wind power plant is stationary, which predetermined position is desired, for example, for the approach of a helicopter, in particular in offshore wind power plants.
In order to adjust the machine housing or the gondola with the rotor in its azimuth position, the wind power plant has one or more azimuth drives which usually each have a motor or two motors with a gear mechanism which is connected downstream and has a gearwheel or gearwheels which engage or engages in a corresponding crown gear on the tower, or vice versa. In addition, the azimuth adjustment system has at least one azimuth braking device, for example with brake calipers, which act on a brake disk. Said brake calipers serve to lock the machine housing in the adopted azimuth position, after the azimuth adjustment has ended, with the result that the azimuth adjustment drives are no longer loaded.
The azimuth braking devices also have a function during an azimuth adjustment process. A residual pressure is usually applied to them in order to generate a residual holding torque. Said residual holding torque serves to decouple the azimuth drives from external interference influences which occur, for example, as a result of the fact that gusts of wind act on the rotor of the wind power plant and exert an azimuthal torque on the machine housing. Without the residual holding torque applied by the azimuth braking devices, the azimuthal torque would be conducted directly onto the azimuth drives, which would as a result adversely affect them in terms of their function and their service life.
DE 10 2008 004 948 A1 discloses a method for rotating a machine housing of a wind power plant by moving an azimuth adjustment device, in which method, during the movement of the azimuth adjustment device by means of a braking device, a residual holding torque which brakes the azimuth adjustment device is maintained. In this case, during the movement of the azimuth adjustment device a rotational speed and/or a torque of an azimuth drive of the azimuth adjustment device are measured, and in the case of a deviation of the measured parameter from a setpoint value the magnitude of the holding torque exerted by the braking device is regulated in such a way that the at least one operating parameter is approximated again to the setpoint value. In this way, rotational speed fluctuations of the azimuth drive which occur are reduced. The entire contents of the disclosure in DE 10 2008 004 948 A1 are to be incorporated into the present patent application by reference.
The method which is specified therein constitutes a regulating process with which the motors of the azimuth adjustment device operate particularly constantly, since wind influences which assist or impair the azimuth adjustment are compensated by increasing or reducing the residual holding torque. It is disadvantageous here that the measurement is very susceptible to faults because the sensor can fail and the regulating speed of the regulating circuit can be an impediment, starting from the measured motor rotational speed or the torque of the azimuth adjustment device via the change in the residual holding torque as far as the associated change in the rotational speed or the torque of the azimuth drive. The corresponding azimuth drives also have to be regulated in terms of their rotational speed, and the control of the controller as well as a variable application of pressure for the brake calipers of the azimuth braking device are comparatively costly.
In contrast, the present invention is based on the object of making available a method, an azimuth adjustment system and a wind power plant in which azimuth adjustments can be implemented cost effectively and with a high level of operational reliability and little wear on azimuth braking calipers or azimuth braking devices.

Method for adjusting the azimuth of a wind power plant, azimuth adjustment system and wind power plant


A semiconductor memory device facilitated with a test circuit having a simple construction of a plurality of MOSFETs having their individual gates connected with a plurality of word lines in a memory array; and a testing pad for detecting the presence of an electric current flowing between the sources and drains of the plurality of MOSFETs. If the word line is short-circuited to the power supply to achieve an intermediate potential equal to or higher than the threshold voltage of the MOSFETs, an electric current will flow through the MOSFETs so that the presence of the short-circuit between the word lines and the power supply can be accurately detected.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device and, more particularly, to a technology which is effective if applied to a testing technology for a static RAM (i.e., Random Access Memory) having a high storage capacity.
The tests in the static RAM are carried out by write/read operations using a memory tester. This testing method of a memory is disclosed, for example, on pp. 97 of "Data Book Hitachi IC Memory No. 1" issued by Hitachi, Ltd., in March, 1991.

Semiconductor memory device having detection circuitry for sensing faults in word lines


Configurations of patterns on a touch panel and methods thereof are proposed. The proposed pattern uses a design unparallel to either one of the X axis and the Y axis of a black matrix of a pixel layout of an LCD panel to resolve the Moiré Phenomenon resulting from the interference between the touch panel and the pixel layout.

The pixels on a liquid crystal display (LCD) are regularly arranged. When the electrode patterns on a touch panel are designed, the pixels are closer to one another with a smaller pitch, and the pixels are parallel to the electrode patterns, it is easy for a Moiré phenomenon to appear when the pixels overlap the electrode patterns. To counter this optical interference phenomenon, the regularity of the patterns must be interrupted in order to prevent the occurrence of the optical interference phenomenon of bright and dark fringes.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the patterns in transparent conducting film (e.g. Indium Tin Oxide, ITO) on a conventional touch panel. In FIG. 1, the touch panel 1 includes a plurality of touch units 11.
FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of an RGB array on a conventional LCD panel. In FIG. 2, the RGB array 2 includes a plurality of RGB units.
FIG. 3(a) shows a schematic diagram of a conventional single touch unit 11. The conventional single touch unit 11 includes a first sensing line 111, a second sensing line 112, a first modifying area 113, a second modifying area 114, an isolation layer 115, a metal line 116, a first conducting layer free area 117, a second conducting layer free area 118, a first driving line 119, a second driving line 1110, a third modifying area 1111 and a fourth modifying area 1112. When each of the first to the fourth modifying areas 113, 114, 1111 and 1112 includes at least one auxiliary block, except for the first conducting layer free area 117 and the second conducting layer free area 118, the rest of the simple touch unit 11 is formed by a transparent conducting film, e.g. an ITO. And, when each of the first to the fourth modifying areas 113, 114, 1111 and 1112 includes zero auxiliary blocks, the first and the third modifying areas 113 and 1111 are a part of the first driving line 119, and the second and the fourth modifying areas 114 and 1112 are a part of the second driving line 1110. FIG. 3(b) shows a schematic diagram of the RGB array 2 of the conventional LCD as shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3(c) is a schematic diagram showing the Moiré interference phenomenon resulting from the overlap of the single touch unit 11 as shown in FIG. 3(a) and the RGB array 2 of the conventional LCD as shown in FIG. 3(b). Thus, a method to overcome the limitations of the existing technologies to make the electrode patterns on the touch panel employ a design (unparallel to either the X or Y axis of the pixel layout of the LCD) to resolve the Moiré optical phenomenon resulting from the interference between the electrode patterns and the pixel layout, is worthy of further research and improvement.
Keeping the drawbacks of the prior arts in mind, and through the use of robust and persistent experiments and research, the applicant has finally conceived a touch panel design and a method thereof.


A method of calibrating a pick and place machine having an on-head linescan sensor is disclosed. The calibration includes obtaining z-axis height information of one or more nozzle tips via focus metric methods, including a Fourier transform method and a normalized correlation method. Additionally, other physical characteristics such as linear detector tilt, horizontal scale factor, and vertical scale factor are measured and compensated for in the process of placing the component. Nozzle runout, another physical characteristic, is also measured by a sinusoidal curve fit method, and the resulting Z-height calibration data is used to later place the component.

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates to pick and place machines. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of calibrating pick and place machines.
Pick and place machines are used by the electronics assembly industry to mount individual components on printed circuit boards. These machines automate the tedious process of placing individual electrical components on the circuit board. In operation, pick and place machines generally pick up individual components from a component feeder or the like, and place the components in their respective positions on a circuit board.
During the placement operation, it is generally necessary for the pick and place machine to look at, or image, a given component prior to placement in order to adjust the orientation of the component for proper placement. Such imaging allows precise adjustments to be made to the component""s orientation, such that the component will be accurately placed in its desired position.
One standard type of pick and place machine uses a shadowing sensor, such as a LaserAlign(copyright) sensor available from CyberOptics(copyright) Corporation of Golden Valley, Minn. In a shadowing sensor, the object under test is rotated, and the effective width of the shadow (or an image of the shadow) is monitored on a detector. The dimensions of the object can be computed by monitoring the width of the shadow (or the shadow image). During start-up, the pick and place machine is calibrated so that any positional output from the sensor is mathematically related to the pick and place machine coordinate system. Once a correlation between the pick and place machine and the sensor output is known in X and Y, the pick and place machine can accurately place the object under test in its intended (X,Y) location on, say, a printed circuit board. There are also disclosed methods of calibrating the Z-height of a nozzle, so that the pick and place machine can repeatably place the object onto the intended place at the correct Z height. However, the methods disclosed for calibrating pick and place machines in (X,Y) and in Z are specific to the type of sensor in the pick and place machine.
Another type of pick and place machine uses an on-head linescan sensor to image the component while the placement head is traveling. An on-head sensor, as used herein, refers to a sensor which travels with the placement head in at least one dimension, so as to sense the orientation of the component while the component travels to the circuit board. This is in contrast to off-head systems, where the component is transported to a stationary station to sense the orientation of the component, and from there, the component is transported to the circuit board. A linescan sensor, as used herein, is an optical sensor comprised of a plurality of light sensitive elements that are arranged in a line such that the sensor acquires a single line of the image in a given time period. By translating the linescan sensor relative to the entire component and storing a plurality of the acquired lines, the component image is realized and X, Y and xcex8 orientation is then calculated using this scanned image.
Placement machines incorporating on-head linescan sensing technology are very flexible in the types of components that they can place. The on-head linescan sensor is able to directly image components such as chip capacitors, Quad Flat Packs (QFP), TSOP, Ball Grid Arrays (BGA), CSP, and flip-chips. The video output of the linescan camera allows a video processor to compute the orientation of the component. Based on knowledge of the desired orientation of the component and the present orientation, the pick and place machine corrects the orientation of the component and places it on a printed circuit board. The linescan image can also provide inspection information about the component to be placed. Also, placement machines incorporating on-head linescan sensing are very fast compared to off-head sensing technologies since the step of visiting a fixed inspection station to measure pick-up offset errors is eliminated. To increase the accuracy of pick and place machines using on-head linescan sensing technology, however, careful calibration of the linescan sensor and its physical relationship to other parts of the placement machine should be performed.
A method of calibrating a pick and place machine having an on-head linescan sensor is disclosed. The calibration includes obtaining z-axis height information of one or more nozzle tips via focus metric methods, including a Fourier transform method and a normalized correlation method. Additionally, other physical characteristics such as linear detector tilt, horizontal scale factor, and vertical scale factor are measured and compensated for in the process of placing the component. Nozzle runout, another physical characteristic, is also measured by a sinusoidal curve fit method, and the resulting Z-height calibration data is used to later place the component.

Calibration methods for placement machines incorporating on-head linescan sensing


The present invention relates to an epoxy resin composition for optical semiconductor light-receiving element encapsulation, the epoxy resin composition including the following components (A) to (D): (A) an epoxy resin; (B) a curing agent; (C) a curing accelerator; and (D) a yellow colorant, in which the component (D) is contained in a ratio of 0.01% by weight or more based on the whole of the epoxy resin composition.

In recent years, products on which an illuminance sensor is mounted have been increased for the purpose of adjusting display brightness or the like in mobile phones, liquid-crystal television sets, and the like. In the illuminance sensor, sensitivity equal to the sensitivity of human eyes is required. However, an optical semiconductor light-receiving element to be used for the illuminance sensor has sensitivity toward not only visible light but also a near-infrared light region of about 800 to 1100 nm and thus perceives near-infrared light, which is imperceptible by human eyes, as it is. As a result, there arises a problem that the sensor falsely judges "bright".
In order to prevent the occurrence of such a problem of the illuminance sensor, for example, it is necessary to block the sensitivity of the optical semiconductor light-receiving element toward the near-infrared light by providing an optical filter or the like on the optical semiconductor light-receiving element. On the other hand, as an encapsulating material for the optical semiconductor light-receiving element, epoxy resin compositions having excellent heat resistance, impact resistance, transparency, and the like have been hitherto widely used.
Thus, in the illuminance sensor as above, for example, there have been performed a method of providing two kinds of optical semiconductor elements different in peak wavelength of light-receiving sensitivity and calculating visible light components based on the difference in light-receiving sensitivity of both elements to compose an illuminance sensor and a method of coating the light-receiving upper surface of the sensor with an optical filter material having a near-infrared light-blocking function and encapsulating the optical filter in the formed state with an epoxy resin composition transparent over a visible light region and a near-infrared light region to form an illuminance sensor (see JP-A-2004-6694).

Epoxy resin composition for optical semiconductor light-receiving element encapsulation and process for producing the same, and optical semiconductor device


A releasing lever for a sliding device in one aspect of the present disclosure is used for the sliding device including a movable rail and a fixed rail. The releasing lever includes a first protrusion and a second protrusion. The first protrusion is formed in an intermediate portion of the releasing lever and protrudes in an abutting direction on a first end of the intermediate portion. The second protrusion is formed in a position offset from the first protrusion toward a second end of the intermediate portion, and protrudes in the abutting direction. The first protrusion and the second protrusion contact an inside wall surface of the movable rail at least when the releasing lever pivots.

The present disclosure relates to a releasing lever used for a sliding device of a vehicle seat.
A sliding device of a vehicle seat comprises a lower rail (a fixed rail), an upper rail (a movable rail), and a releasing lever as described, for example, in Japanese Patent No. 5545835 (Patent Document 1). The fixed rail is fixed to a vehicle.
A seat is fixed to the movable rail, and the movable rail is slidable relative to the fixed rail. The releasing lever is operated by an occupant when the occupant switches between a locked state and a non-locked state.
The locked state is a state where the movable rail is not allowed to slide relative to the fixed rail. The non-locked state is a state where the movable rail is allowed to slide. When the releasing lever is operated, the locked state is released and switched to the non-locked state.
The releasing lever described in Patent Document 1 has a rotational contact protrusion. The rotational contact protrusion is a portion that contacts an inside wall surface of the movable rail and serves as a pivot fulcrum when the releasing lever is operated.


A pixel drive circuit includes a data write sub-circuit, an input and read sub-circuit, a drive sub-circuit, and a first output control sub-circuit. The data write sub-circuit is configured to transmit data signals input from a first data voltage terminal at different times to a first node. The input and read sub-circuit is configured to: transmit a signal of a signal transmission terminal to a second node in a write period, and transmit an electrical signal of the second node to the signal transmission terminal in a threshold voltage read period. The drive sub-circuit is configured to output a drive signal. The first output control sub-circuit is configured to: be coupled to an element to be driven, and transmit the drive signal output by the drive sub-circuit to the element to be driven.

With a rapid advancement of display technologies, a semiconductor element technology, which is a core technology of a display apparatus, has also made rapid progress. In the display apparatus, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), for example, micro light-emitting diodes (μLEDs) are integrated on one chip at high density to form a tiny-sized LED array, which may realize a thinning, miniaturization and matrixing of LEDs. However, threshold voltages of transistors used to drive the LED to emit light in the display apparatus will drift, thereby causing a phenomenon of uneven brightness of the display apparatus.

Pixel drive circuit, pixel unit, driving method, array substrate, and display apparatus

Beijing BOE Technology Development Co., Ltd.


An automatic stabilization unit for watercraft such as boats, yachts and the like. In order to ensure stabilization of the watercraft with a high level of movement comfort at the same time over the entire speed range and in all water conditions, an electronic regulator is provided which stabilizes the water attitude of the watercraft during movement, while moving straight ahead and turning, as a function of the movement-situation-dependent rotation rates and longitudinal accelerations and/or lateral accelerations and/or vertical accelerations, using the actuating elements which are normally available in the watercraft, thus preventing or reducing to a minimum any stress on, damage to or danger to the boat, its occupants and the surrounding are thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an automatic stabilization unit for watercraft such as boats, yachts and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
DE 38 03 942 C3 discloses an apparatus for influencing the water attitude of a boat which responds even at small trim or heel angles and in which the trim and the heel are controlled independently. In this case, when the watercraft is at an angle, the control device is intended to be activated directly in that a moving contact transmitter body applies control contacts as a result of the inclination of the watercraft. Control signals for application to the drives of trimming flaps are produced by means of the contact transmitter body, as a function of the central control switch. In the case of heel, the watercraft is automatically realigned irrespective of how the wind is blowing or how many people are sitting on one side. The control signals act on the propulsion motors of the starboard flaps and of the port flaps in the sense of opposing flap movements. In this case, the alignment is in each case relative to a single inclination plane. In order to trim the boat with reference to two mutually perpendicular inclination axes of a reference plane, the invention provides for inclined attitude compensation to be carried out by means of only that trimming flap which is diagonally opposite the deep point of the boat. The control switch which is used as a nominal value transmitter can in this case be aligned horizontally on two mutually perpendicular axes.
One known automatic trimming system for propulsion and flaps permanently compensates for the inclined attitude in the event of course changes, a side wind or movement of people on the watercraft, and automatically corrects the water attitude (automatic trimming system for propulsion and flaps, ACS, Mente Marine, P.O. Box 472, FIN-65101 Vaasa, Finland). Sensors are provided for this purpose, which identify the speed, the roll movements, the yaw and the pitch movement. A program corrects the water attitude of the boat while it is gliding, and ceases only when the boat changes to the displacement phase. Undershooting of the gliding speed is identified by means of the engine rotation speed, as determined by the sensor. In this case, the system is matched to the sea state. A different sea state is likewise identified by the system. In this case, when the water is smooth, the trimming system corrects more quickly than when the sea is rough. If the trimming system identifies turning by means of the yaw rate signal, then more extensive control action is actively prevented. Only when the boat is once again traveling straight ahead in a stable form is the trimming system switched on again.
The control signals emitted by the controllers for the trimming systems are used to control actuating elements, which are known per se, for the watercraft. FIG. 1 illustrates a longitudinal trimming device 15 which allows power trimming of the watercraft by means of outboard motors and a Z drive. For this purpose, the longitudinal propulsion unit 23 of the watercraft is pivoted about the bearing point 9 in the direction of the arrow 8. In addition, trimming flaps 16, 17 can be operated synchronously.
One known lateral trimming device may have the trimming flaps 16, 17 which are illustrated schematically in FIG. 2, can be operated electrically and/or hydraulically, and are operated asynchronously.
Furthermore, longitudinal propulsion devices 23, for example at least one propulsion motor, usually in the form of an outboard motor, Z drive, shaft drive, are provided (EP1051326B1). A lateral propulsion device, which is not illustrated in any more detail, may have a bow jet steering device and/or a stern jet steering device.
The invention is based on the object of improving an automatic stabilization unit for watercraft such as boats, yachts and the like, such that the watercraft can be stabilized in all movement situations.
The known stabilization unit described initially, "Attitude Correction Systems—ACS A+" from Mente-Marine, has two functional blocks, by means of which automated longitudinal-trim control and heel compensation can be carried out, in each case when moving straight ahead.

Automatic stabilizing unit for watercrafts


A watercraft transport lock includes a walled structure that can be filled and emptied of water received from two separate bodies of water for the purpose of transporting a boat or other watercraft between the two bodies of water. The system prevents the water of one body from mixing with the water of the other body. This is accomplished by removing the water of the first body of water from within the structure prior to filling the structure with the water from the other body. A boat support may be used to support the boat during the emptying and filling processes.

Boating is a very popular activity for many people. Some activities include traveling, fishing, cruising, and lounging. Boats are also used in commerce for transporting goods between destinations. Inland waterways and rivers are frequently traveled by boats and other watercraft. At times boaters may desire to navigate the boat out into the open waters of an adjacent lake or ocean. Accordingly it is desirable to travel from one body of water to another.
Some methods of transporting watercraft include boatlifts that pick the watercraft out from one body of water and place it into another body of water. However, these types of devices are not suitable for all types of watercraft, including boats that have masts, e.g. sailboats and yachts. These types of devices may also be limited by the size of the boats that the devices can lift.
One such device is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,639 by the inventors of the embodiments of the subject invention. This patent discusses a new and improved boat lift capable of transporting a boat between two bodies of water in both a vertical and horizontal direction. The boatlift allows a boat to bypass various barriers in an efficient and safe manner by vertically lifting the boat out of one body of water, translating the boat horizontally over a desired barrier, and then vertically lowering the boat into a second body of water. Still, these devices require a significant amount of mechanical and structural framework that is susceptible to wear requiring maintenance.
Salt water or brackish water and fresh water are separated by various types of barriers. Barriers may be desired to separate these water bodies due to the various types of organisms, plants and animals which can only survive in either salt or fresh water, but not both. Regardless of the need to isolate salt from fresh water, boats and other types of water vehicles still require access to and from these separate bodies of water.
Canals provide means for transporting boats from one body of water to another. The Panama Canal, for example, was constructed to provide a shortened route between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Canals may utilize locks that raise and lower boats transporting the craft between water ways of different elevations. However, these devices do not prevent the water of one body from mixing with another body of water.
In light thereof, it would be desirable to have a watercraft transport system that obviates the deficiencies in the prior art, including transporting a boat or other watercraft from one body of water to another without mixing the water between the two bodies. The embodiments of the subject invention accomplish this task.


In a method and circuit arrangement for transmitting a continuous bit stream upon involvement of an ATM network, the continuous bit stream appears with a transmission bit rate that is greater than a transmission bit rate respectively defined for inputs (E1, . . . ,En) and outputs (A1, . . . ,An) of the ATM network (KE). This continuous bit stream is subdivided into signal sections that, with respect to their bit plurality plus a defined plurality of information bits, correspond to the plurality of bits transmittable in the information part of a message cell as useful signals. In successive control cycles, a plurality of signal sections corresponding in number to the bit rate ratio of the appertaining transmission bit rates are respectively inserted into the information part of a message cell with a signal section sequence number that continuously varies attached to them. The message cells are then transmitted via different transmission paths within the ATM network and are subsequently joined again to form a continuous bit stream according to the measure of the signal section sequence numbers contained in the message cells.

The present invention is directed to a method and circuit arrangement for transmitting a continuous bit stream upon involvement of an ATM network.
A method for forwarding message cells, each of which having a cell header identifying the respective virtual connection and being transmitted on offering trunks during the course of virtual connections according to an asynchronous transfer method via cell switching equipment that has at least two redundant switching matrices to serving trunks connected thereto, is described in European Patent Application 89 10 3798. In this method, a message cell group having a plurality of identical message cells corresponding in number to the plurality of redundant switching matrices is formed by duplication for each of the message cells transmitted on one of the offering trunks during the course of a virtual connection. An identical auxiliary identifier that changes for successive message cell groups and has the form of a continuously assigned message cell sequence number is thereby entered in the cell header of each of the message cells of a message cell group. Subsequently, the message cells of a message cell group are separately transmitted via the redundant switching matrices in the direction of the relevant serving trunk for the respective virtual connection. Finally, after such a transmission over the redundant switching matrices only one of the message cells belonging to a message cell group is forwarded to the serving trunk. This message cell is forwarded on the basis of the auxiliary identifier respectively attached to the message cells.
Over and above this, a method for switching message cells of a transmission system that transports a message cell stream according to an asynchronous transfer method via a switching network constructed with modules is described in European Patent Application 91 10 7434 (corresponding to U.S. Ser. No. 880,188 filed May 5, 1992, now allowed, and hereby incorporated by reference). The transport bit rate of the transmission system amounts to a multiple of the transmission bit rate of the switching elements of the modules. Message cells to be switched are thereby distributed onto one of the switching network inputs corresponding in number to the multiple, being respectively distributed upon attachment of information. This information references all those modules over which the respective message cells are to be through-connected to an output of the switching network. The message cells transmitted to various outputs are then again combined to form a message cell stream. What is thereby provided, among other things, is that a cyclically continuous sequence number is attached in call-associated fashion to the message cells before the through-connection with the switching network, the sequence of the message cells for every connection being assured with reference to this sequence number in the combining to form the message cell stream. It is also provided that the message cells are cyclically distributed onto the switching network inputs.

Method and circuit arrangement for transmitting a continuous bit stream upon involvement of an ATM network


An embodiment of the present invention relates to the technical field of wireless communication. Disclosed are a transmit power control and power control method, system and device for solving the problem of user equipment unable to control the power of a PDCCH when reusing a TPC command, thus decreasing the PDCCH power accuracy. The method in the embodiment of the present invention comprises: determining whether the TPC domain in a first DCI format information is a non-TPC command after a user equipment receiving the first DCI format information; when the TCP domain of the first DCI format information received by the user equipment is a non-TPC command, and after receiving a second DCI format information in the downlink sub-frame receiving the first DCI format information, using the TPC command in the second DCI format information to control the PUCCH power. Employing the method of the present invention can improve the PUCCH power accuracy and the performance of the user equipment.

In a sub-frame i of a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, transmit power PPUCCH of a User Equipment (UE) on a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) is set and defined as follows:PPUCCH(i)=min{PCMAX,P0—PUCCH+PL+h(nCQI,nHARQ)+ΔF—PUCCH(F)+g(i)}[dBm](Reference can be made to the protocol 3GPP TS 36.213 for details).
Where
      g              (      i      )        =            g                    (                  i          -          1                )              +                  ∑                  m          =          0                          M          -          1                                            δ          PUCCH                                  (                      i            -                          k              m                                )                    and g(i) represents a current adjustment value of PUCCH power control.
δPUCCH represents a revision value specific to the user equipment, that is, a Transmit Power Control (TPC) command, which is included in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) carrying the Downlink Control Information (DCI) formats 1A, 1B, 1D, 1, 2A, 2B, 2C and 2; or is encoded jointly with a PUCCH revision value specific to anther user equipment and sent in a PDCCH carrying the DCI formats 3 and 3A, and at this time, Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) parity bits are scrambled with a TPC-PUCCH-RNTI (Radio Network Temporary Identifier).
In all states except the Discontinuous Reception (DRX) state, the user equipment attempts to decode a PDCCH carrying the DCI formats 3 and 3A by the TPC-PUCCH-RNTI specific to the user equipment and decode one or more PDCCH carrying the DCI formats 1A, 1B, 1D, 1, 2A, 2B, 2C and 2 by a Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI) specific to the user equipment in each downlink sub-frame.
If the UE detects a PDCCH carrying the DCI formats 1A, 1B, 1D, 1, 2A, 2B, 2C and 2, that is, a detected RNTI is equal to the C-RNTI of the UE, then the UE will use δPUCCH provided in this PDCCH; otherwise, if the UE detects a PDCCH carrying the DCI formats 3 and 3A, then the UE will use δPUCCH provided in this PDCCH; otherwise, the UE sets δPUCCH=0 dB.
In an LTE-A system, an eNB will redefine a part of DCI bit information to indicate other information so as not to increase a PDCCH overhead, for example, when DAI≠1 in the DCI formats 1A, 1D, 1, 2A, 2B, 2C and 2, information in a TPC field in the DCI is used to indicate PUCCH resource indication information, and at this time a TPC command word in the DCI formats 1A, 1B, 1D, 1, 2A, 2B, 2C and 2 can not provide power control information.
In summary, the user equipment can not be provided with power control information so far when information in the TPC field is used to indicate a non-TPC command so that the user equipment can not perform PUCCH power control, thus degrading the accuracy of PUCCH power.

Transmit power control information and power control method, system and device

China Academy of Telecommunications Technology


A device for stabilizing the cervical spine includes a generally U-shaped upper structure for fitting about the back and opposing sides of a head of a user, a lower support structure connected to and extending downwardly from the upper structure, a pair of shoulder restraints connected to and extending from the lower support structure in a forward and downward arcuate direction to overlie the upper thoracic region on opposite sides of the spinal column of the user. The lower support structure having a length extending to a position which would underlie the scapulas of the user, and a width being generally the approximate width of a person's back. The shoulder restraints having an interior side which substantially conforms with the shape of the posterior midline portions of the shoulders and upper thoracic region of the user.

The present invention relates to a cervical board which is designed to provide motion restriction of a patient's cervical spine during an emergency medical or trauma situation.
Spinal trauma, if not recognized and properly managed in the field, can result in irreparable damage and potentially leave a patient paralyzed for life. Therefore, the initial treatment administered to a patient by emergency medical personnel can be critical to the future well-being of the patient. The cervical spine is comprised of the first seven vertebra of the spinal column, and is intended to bend, twist, and flex, all while supporting the head.
When it is suspected that a patient may have suffered injury to the cervical spine or neck region, or may be at risk for cervical spine injury during treatment, it is critical that emergency medical personnel immobilize the patient's head during treatment and transport to prevent the exacerbation or occurrence of such injury. The consequences of moving a patient with a missed spinal injury, or allowing him to move, can be devastating. Failure to properly immobilize a fractured spine, can result in a life threatening or life impairing injury.
Therefore any patient who has sustained an injury indicative of cervical spinal loading or stretching, significant injury above the clavicles, significant blunt trauma to the torso, head injury resulting in an altered level of consciousness, or a major fall should be presumed to have a cervical spine injury. Any such patient should be immobilized in a neutral in-line position before he is even slightly moved. Many of the emergency medical devices found in the prior art, however do not sufficiently restrict movement of the head and cervical spine and thus require supplemental means for achieving adequate mobilization.
Typically, the patient is fitted with a cervical collar by an emergency medical technician, while another emergency medical technician stabilizes the patient's head manually. When a patient is wearing a cervical collar, he does not have a stabilized or immobilize neck. True spinal immobilization occurs only when the patient is placed on a back board with their shoulders and hips strapped or taped down and the head is both taped down and stabilized laterally. Lateral stabilization presently occurs by wedging a pair of tapered blocks on either side of the head to prohibit lateral movement. Only after true spinal immobilization occurs may the emergency medical technician release his manual stabilization.
While a patient, wearing a cervical collar and secured to a backboard, is considered to be immobilized, a system of this type has inherent weaknesses. The patient's body is typically secured to the backboard by straps, while the head is taped to the backboard. Strapping a patient to a backboard does not immobilize their body; the slick surface of many backboards, allows for some body movement or sliding. Movement of the body while the head is in a fixed position compromises the cervical spine.
Also, the size and shape of a back board prohibit its use as an initial means of stabilization within a vehicle or other situations where space is at a premium. Therefore when extracting a patient from a vehicle, a cervical collar and manual stabilization are often the standard of care given a patient. A patient goes through a wide range of motions as they are extracted from a vehicle or confined space. A cervical collar by itself does not provide adequate cervical spine protection. The head can still move laterally, longitudinally and/or rotate. And as stated previously the slightest movement of the head and relation to the neck and cervical spine can cause irreparable damage. Once the patient has been extracted from the vehicle, they can be placed on a back board and properly stabilized.
Once a patient is secured to a backboard, the cervical collar may become a hindrance. The cervical collar provides limited access to the patient's neck. This increases the difficulty of performing a tracheotomy, starting intravenous infusions in the external jugular veins or treating neck trauma. Additionally, the cervical collar uses the patient lower jaw as an anchor point, thereby restricting movement. This inhibits communication between the emergency medical personnel and the patient, limits oral access, and creates a life threatening situation if the patient aspirates vomit.
Other devices, while also providing adequate immobilization of the head and cervical spine once the patient has been moved to a open work area, do not provide adequate access to the patients ears to permit emergency medical personnel to perform a complete diagnosis of the patient's condition. If it is believed that injury has occurred to the head or neck region, it is desirable that emergency medical personnel have access to the patients ears to observe fluid discharge from the ear. Also, along with limiting visibility of the ear, the patients hearing is obstructed.
A further weakness of the cervical collar surfaces once the patient arrives at the hospital. If there is strong suspicion that the patient may have a cervical spine injury he will remain on the backboard with the head restraint device in place. This occurs because the backboard and head restraint device are providing, in conjunction with one another, cervical spine motion restriction. The patient may remain on the backboard for hours while their cervical spine injury is assessed, which raises the concern of localized pressure injury to the patient. A patient on a backboard is typically in an unnatural position lying flat on his back, restrained from head to toe, on a hard, un-padded surface, with his head on the same plane as his shoulders. He cannot move or adjust position as he would if he were not restrained. When kept in this position for any length of time he will experience localized pressure, restricted blood flow and discomfort at any point that his body is in contact with the backboard. Restraining the patient's head on the same plane as his shoulders may cause hypo-flexion or hyper-extension of the cervical spine. It is desirable to get the patient of the backboard as soon as possible in order to avoid localized pressure and cervical spine hypo-flexion or hyper-extension complications.
Accordingly, there is a need for a head and neck immobilizer which can secure a patient's head and neck in a manner that prevents rotational, flexion and/or extension motion, while providing access to the patients neck, mouth and ears. This device should also be simple, quick and easy to apply to a patient in an emergency situation.


A simple, reliable, compact and inexpensive automobile engine misfiring detection system includes a basic capacitive pressure transducer, attached to a bleeder pipeline equidistantly from each point where the exhaust manifold is attached to the engine, and made of two closely spaced insulating plates whose opposed faces contain conductive layers, and one of which plates is a flexible diaphragm of low mechanical hysteresis. The transducer is thus coupled to a variable exhaust gas pressure source which under normal operating conditions remains at a substantially constant pressure level. The output signal from the transducer has its high-frequency AC component attenuated by a low-pass filter, whose output in turn has its DC component substantially removed by capacitive blocking, after which the remaining AC output is then amplified by a circuit including an operational amplifier. This AC-amplified signal is then compared with a "reduced-magnitude average" reference signal (produced by an AC-to-DC conversion side-circuit followed by magnitude-level adjustment). The comparator output triggers a one-shot monostable multivibrator used to produce an on-off switching signal which operates an LED alarm signal notifying the driver of engine misfiring and also sends an electronic signal to the car's central processor.

Under the leadership of a government agency, the EPA, and with the aid of modern vehicle electronics, most of the pollution from automobile exhausts has been eliminated. In a well-running car, engine fuel is burnt efficiently, producing in the process the normal exhaust gases.
In an engine that misfires, however, unburnt fuel is expelled as well, contributing measurably to atmospheric pollution. In addition, of course, misfiring causes a significant loss of power of the engine, and may result in severe damage to the engine.
A means of detecting misfiring in an engine is therefore very desirable, so that corrective action can be taken.
Back pressure in the exhaust system of a car increases with engine speed (measured in revolutions per minute or "rpm") and is relatively constant for a given rpm. For a V-8 engine, as an example, this pressure, measured just before the catalytic converter, goes up to 10 psig at the highest rpm, as shown in FIG. 3 below.
The continuous succession of firings in the car engine produces relatively small pressure pulsations around the back pressure, as shown in FIG. 3. In the event of a misfire the back pressure decreases from lack of enough exhaust from the misfiring cylinder and recovers its normal level when gasses from the cylinder that fires next are forced into the exhaust system, causing much larger pressure pulsations, as shown in FIG. 4. This difference between the amplitudes of normal and misfire pressure pulsations, hereinafter called a pressure discontinuity, forms the basis of the present invention for detection of misfires.
Accordingly there has been a need for a simple, compact, reliable and inexpensive real-time pressure discontinuity analysis system capable of detecting such exhaust-gas pressure abnormalities and alerting either a human operator or/and another automatic correction system to the occurrence of a misfire event.
While relatively expensive alarm systems of this type have been proposed, these tend to be complicated and to operate by indirect sensing methods which require sophisticated data-processing procedures and techniques in order to be of practical utility. For example, the "Method of and System for Detecting Misfire in Internal Combustion Engine", U.S. Pat. No. 4,083,234, issued Apr. 11, 1978 (and assigned to Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. of Japan), involves two separate indirect transducers, namely an acoustic transducer, such as an earphone receiver placed near the output of the engine exhaust gas, together with a rotary electromechanical engine-speed responsive frequency generator which produces a frequency variable proportional to the output speed of the engine. Furthermore, the signals from these two separate transducers must be processed by a fairly complicated electromechanical frequency analyzer (involving four separate band-pass filters, and two rotary contact mechanical elements operated at variable frequencies dependent upon engine speed).
It might be possible to apply the output of pressure transducers to suitably adjustable low-pass filters, having a high-frequency cut-off equal to the lowest firing frequency to be attenuated and a high-frequency band-pass maximized to the highest misfire frequency to be detected. Unfortunately the resultant filter design can be optimized only for a given engine rpm, and the development of an adaptive filter, whose frequency-domain shape varies with the engine rpm, though possibly realizable, is not believed to be the most practical or cost-effective approach.
Accordingly there has been a need for a more direct pressure-discontinuity analysis system, which utilizes only one transducer, namely a pressure transducer, and which operates successfully regardless of the values of other related variables (such as engine speed, in the present case of automobile engine misfiring detection systems), such as can be provided by a fixed-parameter passive RLC (Resistance, Inductance, Capacitance) analog circuitry, or a modified circuit of this type containing active elements whose characteristics are fixed independently of such external variables as engine speed.
Also there has been a need for an analysis system which does not include any rotating mechanical parts, and whose mechanical aspects are limited to the simple flexing of a diaphragm of low mechanical hysteresis, which simplification greatly improves reliability and extends lifetime durability, without need of scheduled service, and essentially eliminates the possibility of breakdown-mandated repairs.


The present invention relates to a re-generating method and module for an ATSC-MH broadcasting signal, an ATSC-MH broadcast receiver, and a storage medium. The ATSC-MH broadcast receiver includes: a main stream data generating module for receiving an ATSC-MH RF signal, and outputting main stream data including MHE packets; an ATSC-MH broadcasting signal re-generating module for extracting the MHE packets from the main stream data generated by the main stream data generating module, thereby re-configuring data of MPH Group format after data interleaver; and a mobile stream generating module for outputting the mobile stream data from the interleaved MPH group format data re-configured by the ATSC-MH broadcasting signal re-generating module.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual view illustrating a construction of a conventional ATSC-MH (Advanced Television System Committee-Mobile Handheld) broadcast receiving system.
FIG. 2 is a conceptual view illustrating a construction of a conventional ATSC (Advanced Television System Committee) broadcast system.
Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional ATSC-MH broadcast receiving system includes a tuner 11, a demodulator 12, an equalizer 13, a known sequence detector 14, a block decoder 15, a main data processing part 20, and a mobile data processing part 30.
The tuner 11 tunes an RF signal to down-convert the RF signal to an intermediate frequency signal (IF signal), and then outputs converted signal to the demodulator 12. The demodulator 12 performs automatic gain control, carrier recovery, and timing recovery for an incoming IF signal to convert the IF signal into a base band signal, and then outputs the converted signal to the known sequence detector 14. The equalizer 13 compensates for distortion on a channel included in the demodulated signal and then outputs the result signal to the block decoder 15.
Meanwhile, in case where the incoming data corresponds to main service data having been subjected to trellis encoding alone, the block decoder 15 performs trellis decoding for the incoming data, and then inputs the result data to the main data processing part 20. In case where the incoming data corresponds to mobile data subjected to additional encoding and trellis encoding by a transmission system, the block decoder 15 performs the processes of the transmission system reversely, additional decoding, and trellis decoding for the mobile data, and then inputs the result data to the mobile data processing part 30. The mobile data after the block decoder 15 has the same data structure as MPH Group format after data interleaver of the transmission system. The mobile data is generated into mobile service data after passing through a data deformatter 21, an RS frame decoder 22, and a derandomizer 23 of the mobile data processing part.
Meanwhile, the main data passing through the block decoder 15 is generated into main service data after passing through a data de-interleaver 31, an RS decoder 32, and a data derandomizer 33, which are the same constructions as those of the conventional ATSC broadcast receiver (see FIG. 2).
In the case of the conventional ATSC broadcast system shown in FIG. 2, the ATSC broadcast receiver does not include a block decoder and a mobile data processing part, but includes a trellis decoder 51, a data de-interleaver 52, an RS decoder 53, and a data de-randomizer 55. The ATSC broadcast receiver is ready to receive an ATSC-MH broadcasting signal to generate main service data from the received ATSC-MH broadcasting signal, as in the case of the conventional ATSC broadcasting signal. Each of the by-product data generated from the main data has the same structure as that of the incoming data of the trellis encoder 61, the data interleaver 62, the RS encoder 63, and the data randomizer 65 of the transmission side, respectively.
However, the conventional ATSC broadcast receiver has problems as follows.
Though the conventional ATSC broadcast receiver 50 receives and decodes the ATSC-MH broadcasting signal comprising mobile data, it was impossible to separate the by-product mobile data before the last result of main data processing (i.e. data before the data de-randomizer) for most of the conventional ATSC receivers. This is because the main data processing part in the conventional ATSC broadcast receiver 50 has manufactured in the form of one chip semiconductor and has come into wide use. Therefore, it is impossible to be ready to receive ATSC-MH mobile broadcast through the conventional ATSC broadcast receiver 50, by adding the mobile data processing part 20 to it. Furthermore, in order to receive ATSC-MH mobile broadcast, users are required to buy a separate mobile broadcast receiver.

Method and a module for re-generating ATSC-MH broadcasting signal, an ATSC-MH broadcast receiver, and a storage medium