An original is placed on an original support of an original-reading apparatus. A reflecting original is exposed to a first light source. A light conductive original is exposed to a second light source. The light image reflected from the reflecting original and the light image passing through the light conductive original are read optoelectrically by a reading device which outputs image signals representative of the light images. The positions of reflecting original and the light conductive original are detected by a detecting device which outputs position detection signals. A control device controls the original-reading operation of the reading device in accordance with the position detection signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an original-reading apparatus used in copy machines and facsimile etc., and more particularly to an original-reading apparatus capable of reading light conductive originals.
2. Related Background Art
FIG. 1 shows a general construction of an original-reading apparatus used in a conventional copy machine or the like.
In FIG. 1, an original support 201 is made of transparent glass. A retainer 202 is mounted on an original-retaining cover 210. An image-reading CCD 203 is constructed of a plurality of light-receiving elements aligned in a line.
A motor 209 drives a lamp 204 and mirrors 205-207 into movement in a Y direction, perpendicular to the direction (main scan direction) in which the light-receiving elements of CCD 203 are disposed, so as to subscan the original in the Y direction. The reflecting original such as a book placed on the original support 201 is exposed to the light from an original-exposing lamp 204. The light reflected from the original is received by the CCD 203 to form an image of the original thereon. In this manner, the image of original is read in photoelectric way from the original by means of the CCD 203 for each of scan lines. A sensor 212 detects that an optical system formed of the lamp 204 and mirror 205 is at their home positions (HP), with respect to which the optical system performs the subscan over a predetermined distance.
The original-reading apparatus shown in FIG. 1 suffers from the problem that light conductive originals such as a 35 mm film cannot be read. An apparatus shown in FIG. 2 may be considered to solve the problem. Elements 201-209, 211, and 212 are of the same structural elements as in FIG. 1.
A film, which serves as the light conductive original, is loaded in position within a projector 107. The film 104 is exposed to the light from a lamp 105. Then, the light through the film 104 passes through a lens 103, is reflected by a reflecting mirror 101, then passes through a Fresnel lens 102, and is then projected as a projection image 106 onto the original support 201. The projection image 106 is adjusted its focus by means of the lens 103. The lamps 105 and 204 are controlled to turn on and off by a later described CPU.
When reading the image of the film 104, with the lamp 204 turned on and the lamp 105 turned off, the optical system performs the subscan to read the image 106. This procedure is taken if the light conductive originals are 35 mm negative films and reversal films etc. For light conductive originals such as OHP films (overhead projector) of eight by ten inches, A4 size, or a large size negative films of four by five inches, the film 104 is not loaded into the projector 107 but is placed between the Fresnel lens 102 and the original support 201. The similar image-reading procedure is carried out for the film 104 by utilizing, as a backlight, the light provided by the lamp 105 and lens 103 of the projector 107, mirror 101, and Fresnel lens 102.
However, as shown in FIG. 3, the OHP film originals are often mounted on a frame 301 made of, for example, pasteboard. Reading images from such frame-mounted OHP film originals suffers from the following problems.
Since the frame 301 is not light conductive, simultaneously reading both the image and the information 303 written on the frame 301 is not possible; nor is accurate reading of only the film surface 302 on the inside of the frame 301 possible.

Apparatus for simultaneous reading of reflective and light conductive portions of an original


A display control circuit includes: a frame memory; a first correction image data generation unit that generates first correction image data that corrects a response characteristic of an electro-optical element; a second correction image data generation unit that generates second correction image data that corrects the intermixing of a right-eye image and a left-eye image; a selection unit that selects the first correction image data in a first field and the second correction image data in a second and subsequent fields; and a correction unit that generates output image data by correcting the first image data.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to techniques for displaying right-eye images and left-eye images that have been made disparate from each other so that a viewer senses a stereoscopic image.
2. Related Art
In the past, a frame-sequential stereoscopic scheme that displays right-eye images and left-eye images alternately through time division has been proposed. With this scheme, crosstalk, in which the right-eye image and the left-eye image become intermixed, occurs during an interval in which one of the right-eye image and the left-eye image is rewritten by the other side; when a viewer sees the image, it is difficult for him or her to clearly recognize that image as a stereoscopic image.
In order to solve this problem, JP-A-2001-54143, for example, discloses a technique in which crosstalk from a left-eye image is corrected in advance when a right-eye image is displayed and crosstalk from a right-eye image is corrected in advance when a left-eye image is displayed.
In the case where liquid crystals are used for a display apparatus that displays an image, the transmissibility of the liquid crystals changes gradually. For this reason, crosstalk cannot be sufficiently suppressed even with the aforementioned correction. Accordingly, JP-A-2009-25436 proposes a technique in which, during the interval in which one of a right-eye image and a left-eye image is rewritten by the other side (or in other words, an interval in which the right-eye image and the left-eye image are intermixed), both a right-eye shutter and a left-eye shutter in stereoscopic eyewear are set to a closed state so that the viewer does not see an image.
However, with the technique disclosed in JP-A-2009-25436, the interval in which the user can actually see the image is limited to the latter halves of the respective right unit interval and left unit interval (that is to say, is limited to be approximately half of the interval). Accordingly, there is a problem in that it is difficult to ensure sufficient brightness in the displayed image.

Stereoscopic electro-optical device and electronic apparatus with cross-talk correction


In a drive (1) for a vehicle seat adjuster (3), having a manually pivotable drive lever (15), which can be deflected out of a neutral position in order, after an element (35) has engaged in a drive wheel (51), to produce a directed rotational movement of an output element (63), at least one sliding element (35) which is moveable in a translatory manner is provided as the element which is to be engaged.

The present invention relates to a drive for a vehicle seat adjuster having a manually pivotable drive lever that can be deflected out of a neutral position in order to produce a directed rotational movement of an output element after an element has engaged in a drive wheel.
DE 198 47 081 A1 discloses a drive of the type described in the immediately preceding paragraph, the drive lever of which pivots a tilting element having two toothed regions integrally formed on it, one of the toothed regions, depending on the pivoting direction, engaging in a drive wheel, by means of direct meshing, and then this drive wheel being rotated in one direction, with the force flux between the drive lever and the drive wheel taking place via the tilting element. A brake device which is arranged between the drive wheel and output element absorbs a torque on the output side and only lets through a torque on the drive side, i.e. during the return of the drive lever into the neutral position the brake device firmly holds the drive wheel. With renewed deflection of the drive lever, the drive wheel can be rotated further. In addition, an overload safeguard is provided between the drive wheel and the brake device and, when a limit load is exceeded, separates the drive wheel from the brake device and the output element.

Drive having a sliding element for a vehicle seat adjuster


The choral riser of the present invention is adapted to be supported on a stage surface. The choral riser has a base that presents two spaced apart base supports, each of the base support having a first and a second spaced apart pivot point. A first step member has a step pivot point and a base pivot point that is operably pivotally coupled at the base pivot point to the base at the base first pivot point and has at least one step presented thereon. A second step member has a step pivot point and a link pivot point that is operably pivotally coupled at the step pivot point to the first step member at the first step member step pivot point and has a plurality of steps presented thereon. A bar link member is operably pivotally coupled at a first end pivot point to the second step member bar link pivot point. The bar link member is operably pivotally coupled at a second end pivot point to the base second pivot point. The first and second step members are pivotable between a stowed configuration, with at least one of the steps of the first step member facing at least one of the steps of the second step member, and an operational configuration in which the steps of the first and second step members present an ascending succession of steps. The steps are readily reversible to change the stage presentation form.

Risers are typically assembled on a stage for choral presentations. Due to the multiple uses to which the staging area is put, the need for the risers is generally only for the duration of the choral presentation. Accordingly, it is desirable that such risers are easily set up in a sturdy, operational configuration suitable for delivering a choral presentation. Additionally, such risers must also be easily disassembled and stored in the minimal amount of space possible. The risers should be easily movable from the stage area to a remote storage area through normal sized doorways. Further, when assembling a stage presentation form using a plurality portable risers, it is desirable to have the flexibility to utilize the portable risers to define a plurality of stage presentation forms, such as for example, a presentation form that has a straight center portion with inward curved end portions, a straight presentation form, or a curved presentation form.
Examples of existing designs of foldable staging devices include the telescoping platform structure depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 3,400,502 to R. T. Schaggs et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,353 to Rogers et al. depicts a riser in which the frame is interconnected by collapsible gates that permit the entire frame to collapse for storage. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 307,186 to Rogers et al. depicts a hinged three tier riser in which the entire tier of steps may be raised to a stowed position. U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,706 to Paine et al. depicts a collapsible riser in which both the steps and the guard rail collapse and the entire apparatus is tipped on end for transport to a storage area. U.S. Pat. No. Re. 30,830 to Wenger et al. depicts a portable riser that collapses from an erect operational configuration to a stowed configuration using a bilateral folding action. U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,340 to Wilson et al. depicts a folding riser having a main frame that supports the guard rail and secondary frame that supports the steps, wherein the secondary frame is foldable onto the primary frame for storage.
While the above examples of prior staging devices have certain merits, the requirement for a sturdy, simple, easily collapsible, and compact riser that includes the flexibility of quickly changing the presentation form has been the focus of continuing industry efforts.


There is disclosed a power transistor comprising a semiconductor substrate having a PN junction exposed on a major surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a semiinsulative polysilicon film formed on the major surface, the polysilicon film covering the PN junction, the polysilicon film containing at least one of carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, and the polysilicon film having a thickness of about 3000 .ANG..

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and, more particularly, to an improvement in a passivation structure of a high breakdown voltage element such as a power transistor.
Guard-ring structure and resistive field structure provide a planar transistor with a high breakdown voltage of, for example, 1,000 V or more. In a guard-ring structure, a ring-like diffusion layer is formed around a base diffusion layer. In a resistive field plate structure, a high resistance film is formed between a base electrode and an equi-potential ring (EQPR) collector electrode. A potential difference is applied across both ends of the high resistance film to create a potential gradient from the base region to the equipotential ring collector region.
Takeshi Matsushita et al. described in "Highly Reliable High Voltage Transistors By Use of the SIPOS Process," "IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices," Vol. ED. 23, No. 8, August 1976, a semi-insulative polysilicon (SIPOS) film as a passivation structure of a power transistor. The passivation structure prevents a drop in the breakdown voltage and a decrease in reliability due to an external charge. In the passivation structure, the SIPOS film is formed by direct deposition of semi-insulative polysilicon doped with oxygen onto a substrate surface using a CVD method.
A SIPOS film has the following electrical characteristics:
(1) Shield effect
The SIPOS film is electrically almost neutral, and shows semi-insulating characteristics. As a result, when a charge is applied to a structure comprising a silicon substrate--a SIPOS film--an insulation film, the charge is shielded by the SIPOS film and does not enter the silicon substrate. Therefore, influence on the silicon substrate from external charges is prevented.
(2) Hot carrier release effect
In a SIPOS film, carriers move by hopping between states which are continuous in the energy band gap. This means that when a reverse bias is applied to the pn junction in the substrate, the hot carriers injected in the SIPOS film are released.
(3) Switching effect
The conductivity of a SIPOS film varies with the intensity of the electric field in the film. If the field intensity exceeds 2 or 3.times.10.sup.5 V/cm, the conductivity will drop in the order of 100 to 1,000,000 times.
Conventionally, a combination of a guard-ring structure and a SIPOS film is known as a means of obtaining a power transistor with a high breakdown voltage and good reliability. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a portion of such a structure. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an n.sup.- -type semiconductor substrate; 2, a collector region comprising an n.sup.+ -type diffusion layer formed on the lower surface of substrate 1; 3, a base region comprising a p.sup.+ -type diffusion layer formed on a portion of the upper surface of substrate 1; 4, an equi-potential ring (EQPR) collector region comprising an n.sup.+ -type diffusion layer formed on a portion of the upper surface of substrate 1; and 5, a guard ring region comprising a p.sup.+ -type diffusion layer formed on the portion of the upper surface of substrate 1 to surround base region 3. Three guard-ring regions are usually provided to surround triple base region 3. However, for the sake of clarity, only one region is shown. Reference numeral 6 denotes a SIPOS film deposited on the upper surface of substrate 1; 7, an insulation (SiO.sub.2) film formed on film 6 and extending onto base region 3 and EQPR collector region 4; 8, an electrode (normally aluminum) formed on region 3; 9, an electrode (normally aluminum) formed on region 4; and 10, a passivation formed film on electrodes 8 and 9 and film 7.
In order to increase the reliability of a transistor with the resistive field plate, a high resistance SIPOS film is conventionally proposed as the field plate 11, as shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, insulation (SiO.sub.2) film 7 is formed on the upper surface of substrate 1, and SIPOS film 11 is formed on film 7. Film 11 connects electrodes 8 and 9. The same reference numerals in FIGS. 1 and 2 denote the same parts. The transistor with this structure, compared with the above-described transistor having triple guard-rings, has a smaller chip area, and is free from an abnormal impurity diffusion from the guard-rings and pinholes between the guard-rings.
In the transistor having the guard-ring structure and SIPOS film shown in FIG. 1, in order to resolve the two problems of shielding against external charges and release of hot carriers injected from the substrate, it is necessary to increase the thickness of film 6 to 1.0 .mu.m or more so that the concentration of doped oxygen is reduced. However, because of variations in impurity diffusion into the guard ring region and in the composition of film 6 which is sensitive to CVD processing conditions, conductivity will drop greatly in film 6, and the leakage current near breakdown voltage level increases to cause the reverse-bias waveform to go soft.
FIG. 3 shows the relationship of collector-base voltage V.sub.CB to collector-base reverse current I.sub.CB. The switching characteristics in film 6 affect breakdown characteristics, which develop a soft waveform as shown in FIG. 4. Transistors having breakdown characteristics shown in FIG. 4 thermally break down in bias (B) - temperature (T) stress tests. As a result, it is difficult to improve reliability and manufacturing yield.
In the transistor shown in FIG. 2, which uses a high resistance film (a SIPOS film) as resistive field 11, because of the potential gradient in plate 11, the electric field on the surface of the substrate is weak, and the injection of hot carriers into film 7 is reduced. However, since film 7 is formed on the upper surface of substrate 1, improvements in reliability coming from the injection release of hot carriers by film 11 cannot be satisfactorily obtained.

Semiconductor device with a high breakdown voltage


A first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) test cell may be positioned at a first position and a second UAV test cell may be positioned at a second position. The first position and the second position may be designated as a pair of unbroken link positions in response to a line-of-sight (LOS) wireless communication link being unblocked between the first UAV test cell and the second UAV test cell. Otherwise, the first position and the second position may be designated as a pair of broken link positions in response to the LOS wireless communication link being blocked between the first UAV test cell and the second UAV test cell.

The implementation of a new network of a wireless carrier may necessitate that proposed locations for base station antennas be tested for a clear line-of-sight and interference from neighboring radio signal emitting devices and equipment. The process to test possible base antenna locations may be arduous and costly. Typically, base station antennas are installed at a higher elevation than the surrounding ground elevation, so these are generally installed on existing towers and poles, or on existing buildings. To test the line-of-sight and interference at a proposed base station antenna location and elevation, a test base station antenna is temporarily secured to an existing structure or the test base station antenna can be temporarily held in place at a specific location and elevation by a crane.
For a line-of-sight test or an interference test, a test user device or a second test base station antenna is needed, and these may be wirelessly linked to the proposed test base station antenna. The second base station antenna may also need to be installed on a neighboring structure or held in place by a second crane. Whether the test base station antennas are temporarily installed on structures or held in place with cranes, the process is time consuming and expensive. First, for mounting the test base station antenna to an existing structure, the wireless carrier wanting to conduct a line-of-sight and interference test may need to first secure the right, from the property owners, to temporarily install base station antennas on existing structures. This may lead to extensive negotiations that may delay the base station antenna line-of-sight and interference test and may delay the overall deployment of the new network. Second, after access to the existing structures is secured for the line-of-sight test or the interference test, the wireless carrier may still install specific antenna mounts and support to temporarily secure the test base station antennas on the existing structure. In addition to this, the wireless carrier may route electrical and telephone utility services and other ancillary equipment to the test base station antennas. This may lead to additional construction delays and expenses for the line-of-sight and interference test.
Similarly, mounting the test base station antenna to a crane may lead to significant challenges. Positioning and deploying a crane in a specific location may require permitting from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), permitting for street closures and the installation of temporary traffic control measures, all of which may significantly delay and increase the cost of the line-of-sight and interference test.
The challenges posed by the current line-of-sight and interference testing procedures may significantly delay the deployment of the new networks or may cause the proposed base station antennas to perform at a level that is lower than initially intended.

Drone-assisted deployment of wireless access infrastructure


A method and system for programmed interaction with integrated circuits (ICs) are disclosed in various embodiments. The system allows a hard-coded program that is suitable for a family of ICs having certain characteristics in common to be dynamically adapted for use with specific ICs within the family. To test a specific IC within a family, the register characteristics and one or more program operations that are particular to the specific are obtained. During execution, the hard-coded program is adapted to interact with the specific IC using the register characteristics and the one or more program operations of the specific IC.

The present invention generally relates to computer controlled interaction with integrated circuits and more particularly to adapting programs for interacting with different integrated circuits.
Testing various operating characteristics of integrated circuits (ICs) is often a repetitive task in which selected characteristics are measured under various conditions. The measured characteristics, include, for example, amplifier gain and bandwidth, rise and fall-times, and switching times. Example conditions for which the measurements are repeated include low and high room temperatures, minimum and maximum supply voltages and various combinations of IC register contents and pin controls.
In many systems, tests are conducted using a computer that is programmed with test software. The computer is coupled to an interface board via a conventional communications channel, and the IC is connected to the interface board. Generally, individual programs are designed to test each different IC. An IC is sometimes testable using different interface boards. Thus, for a single IC there may be many different combinations of set-up procedures and test stimuli. Since testing each IC/board combination is accomplished with a different test program, managing and maintaining many such programs can be cumbersome and error prone. For example, if there are 8 IC parts, each testable with 3 different boards, then there would be 24 programs to maintain. For a change in testing that is required for all IC-board combinations, each of the test programs would have to be changed, resulting in additional expenditure of time and an increased possibility of introducing an error. A method and apparatus that addresses the aforementioned problems, as well as other related problems, is therefore desirable.
In various embodiments, the invention provides a method and system for programmed interaction with integrated circuits (ICs). The system allows a hard-coded program that is suitable for a family of ICs having certain characteristics in common to be dynamically adapted for use with specific ICs within the family. To test a specific IC within a family, the register characteristics and one or more program operations that are particular to the specific IC are obtained. During execution, the hard-coded program is adapted to interact with the specific IC using the register characteristics and the one or more program operations of the specific IC.
The above summary of the present invention is not intended to describe each disclosed embodiment of the present invention. The figures and detailed description that follow provide additional example embodiments and aspects of the present invention.

System and method for computer controlled interaction with integrated circuits


The apparatus includes a specialized scanning system for sampling the metal includes an annular light source for omindirectionally illuminating the surface, a light regulator, and a matrix camera for forming a grey level image of the surface. The image is histogramed according to grey level. The first four statistical moments are calculated from the histogram. The moments are then used as a feature vector to identify the metal surface. If no match is found within the catalogued metal surfaces, allowing for predetermined tolerances for each moment, then the feature vector is catalogued for future recognition.

Numerous methods are known for determining optically, therefore without contact, the various characteristics of a surface. One such method is known, for example, from French patent FR-A-2 484 633 and French patent FR-A-2 172 213. Devices are also known for measuring the roughness and relief of a surface, for instance from French patent FR-A-2 208 107 or FR-A-2 593 599. These methods generally employ collimated light beams directed onto the surface and rediffused from the surface under conditions which permit obtaining local surface data; the set of local data permits the reconstitution of general data for the surface.
However, as concerns the surface finish of metal parts a person skilled in the art has until present relied above all upon his own experience and empirical judgement, which the above-mentioned methods, overly sophisticated, are incapable of replacing. A person skilled in the art relies upon the visual aspect of the metal examined in order to attribute a classification: although the classification is not unrelated to the roughness of the surface it is not the knowledge of the latter which determines the classification, but rather criteria such as homogeneity, "colour" or "density" (an open or tight aspect) of the sample, these criteria defining rather the texture of the surface than its roughness.

Method and apparatus for the identification of metal surface finishes

Institut de Recherches de la Siderurgie Francaise-Irsid


A video signal processing circuit is incorporated in an IC for camcorder in which a camera signal outputted from a CCD image sensor is processed in a digital manner such that luminance and color signals can be outputted. In the IC, a vertical interpolation circuit produces two kinds of vertically interpolated data on the basis of a digital camera signal of one channel within an image area being set by an electronic zoom function. A YC separation circuit receives the two kinds of vertically interpolated data, and an output of the YC separation circuit is applied a horizontal interpolation circuit or an RGB composition circuit. If the YC separation output is applied to the horizontal interpolation circuit, the same outputs two kinds of horizontally interpolated data upon which three primary color signals are composed by the RGB composition circuit. If the YC separation output is applied to the RGB composition circuit, the horizontal interpolation circuit produces two kinds of horizontally interpolated data on the basis of three primary color data outputted by the RGB composition circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a video signal processing circuit incorporated in an integrated circuit, which receives a digital camera signal obtained through an A/D conversion of an analog camera signal which is outputted by an image sensor, and performs a digital signal processing so as to produce a luminance signal and a color signal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A video camera having an electronic zoom function is disclosed in the third section with entitled "A Digital Processing Technique for a VTR with Camera" of the proceedings for the lecture meeting in the name of "making a video camera high performance and high quality" held under the promotion of Giken Joho Senta on Nov. 19 and 20, 1990. In these proceedings, there is disclosed a technique for enlarging lines within a zoom designation area set by an electronic zoom in both a horizontal direction and a vertical direction by means of interpolation. Such an electronic zoom function performs at a succeeding stage of a signal processing at the same timing as in an electronic image stabilizer for compact camcorder.
Space saving does not become a problem in a case where a plurality of integrated circuits are used for the signal processing and the electronic zooming as done in the prior art as described above. However, a problem occurs in the space saving in a case where it is intended to incorporate respective functions of the signal processing and the electronic zooming in a single integrated circuit chip. A portion that needs a large space in incorporating the functions in a single integrated circuit chip is a portion wherein line memories are to be formed, and therefore, if the number of line memories is increased, a space of an integrated circuit cannot be reduced.
In the above described prior art, at least two line memories are required for signal processings of synchronization of color signals, forming of a vertical aperture signal, and a total of etc., and three line memories are required for the luminance signal and two differential color signals in the electronic zoom portion.

Video signal processing circuit incorporated in a integrated circuit


To limit users to share information to those located within a certain area, a wireless communication system distributes data from a wireless base station device to a mobile station. The mobile station is a mobile station that transmits data to the wireless base station device of a cell where the mobile station is located, and includes an information identifier assigning unit for assigning an identifier when the data to transmit is of a predetermined kind. The wireless base station device is a wireless base station device that broadcasts a signal to the mobile station in the cell of the wireless base station device, and includes an information distribution determining unit for when the identifier indicating that data is of the predetermined kind is assigned to data received from the mobile station, removing the identifier from the data and generating the signal including the data from which the identifier is removed.

A SNS (Social Networking Service) has been provided as a kind of network service. Users who use the SNS share information such as profiles among them, to thereby socialize with one another. To share information, each user uses a terminal such as a smartphone or a PC (Personal Computer) to upload information to a SNS server, and to obtain information on other users uploaded to the SNS server.
A communication system for providing the above-described SNS is disclosed in Patent Literature 1 below.
The communication system for providing the SNS according to Patent Literature 1 (referred to as a "communication system of Patent Literature 1" below) includes a community providing server 300, a user terminal 400, and a network 500. The user terminal 400 and the community providing server 300 are connected to each other via the network 500. The community providing server 300 is a server for managing a community service in which particular users are participating on a network. The community providing server 300 includes a room management unit 160, a user management unit 170, a mail creation unit 140, an advertisement management unit 230, and a mail distribution unit 220. The room management unit 160 manages communities and categories thereof, and stores and manages contents contributed to the communities. The user management unit 170 stores profile information of each of the users who are participating in each community service. Moreover, the mail creation unit 140 creates electronic mails each addressed to one or more of the users stored in the user management unit 170. The advertisement management unit 230 adds, to each electronic mail, an advertisement selected on the basis of at least one of the community category, the description introducing the community, and user profile information. Further, the mail distribution unit 220 distributes the electronic mail.
The wireless communication device of Patent Literature 1 operates as will be described below, for example.
The room management unit 160 of the community providing server 300 notifies the mail creation unit 140 that a new content has been contributed to the community. Then, the mail creation unit 140 creates an electronic mail for notification that the new content has been contributed, and passes the electronic mail to the advertisement management unit 230. The advertisement management unit 230 adds, to the electronic mail, an advertisement selected on the basis of user profile information and the like. The mail distribution unit 220 distributes the electronic mail created by the advertisement management unit 230, to a corresponding user (the user terminal 400).
The communication system of Patent Literature 1 adds an advertisement that can attract user interests, to a mail for notification that a new content has been contributed, by the above-described configuration and operations, to thereby enable to share information among users as well as promote the activation of the community service.

Mobile station, wireless base station device, wireless communication system, and data distribution method


An electrical receptacle connector includes an insulated housing, receptacle terminals, and a metallic shell. The insulated housing includes a base portion and a tongue portion outwardly extending from the base portion. The receptacle terminals are held in the base portion and disposed at the surface of the tongue portion. The metallic shell includes a receptacle cavity, the insulated housing is held in the receptacle cavity. An insertion opening is on a first end of the metallic shell, a stopping portion is inwardly bending on a second end of the metallic shell, and the stopping portion is extending to a surface of the base portion. When an electrical plug connector is inserted into the receptacle cavity, an end portion of the electrical plug connector is in contact with the stopping portion.

The transmission interface specifications of the electrical connector are quite diverse, such as HDMI or Universal Serial Bus (USB). The existing USB interconnects have the attributes of plug-and-play and ease of use by end users. The transmission rate of USB 2.0 is insufficient. As a consequence, faster serial bus interfaces such as USB 3.0, are developed, which may provide a higher transmission rate so as to satisfy the need of a variety devices.
The appearance, the structure, the contact ways of terminals, the number of terminals, the pitches between terminals (the distances between the terminals), and the pin assignment of terminals of a USB type-C electrical connector known to the inventor(s) are totally different from those of a USB electrical connector known to the inventor(s). A USB type-C electrical plug connector known to the inventor(s) includes a plastic core, upper and lower plug terminals held on the plastic core, an outer iron shell circularly enclosing the plastic core, and conductive sheets held on the plastic core. After the type-C electrical receptacle connector is mated with the type-C electrical plug connector, the stopping point of the type-C electrical plug connector is the plastic core in the type-C electrical receptacle connector. When the plastic core is impacted by an excessive force or is impacted by too many times, it is easily to cause the SMT legs of the terminals to detach from of the circuit board, thereby adversely affecting the conduction function of the connector.


A shift register includes a first transistor connected between an output terminal and a first clock terminal, a second transistor connected between the output terminal and a first power terminal, and an inverter in which a first node to which the gate of the first transistor is connected serves as an input node and a second node to which the gate of the second transistor is connected serves as an output node. The inverter has third and fourth transistors connected in series between the second node and a first power terminal, both having their gates connected to the first node, a fifth transistor connected between the second node and a third power terminal having its gate connected to the third power terminal, and a sixth transistor connected between a fourth power terminal and a third node serving as a connection node between the third and fourth transistors. The sixth transistor has its gate connected to the second node.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shift register, and more particularly, to a shift register for use as a scanning-line driving circuit for an image display apparatus or the like, which is formed of field effect transistors of the same conductivity type only.
2. Description of the Background Art
An image display apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a "display apparatus") such as a liquid crystal display includes a display panel in which a plurality of pixels are arrayed in a matrix. A gate line (scanning line) is provided for each row of pixels (pixel line), and gate lines are sequentially selected and driven in a cycle of one horizontal period of a display signal, so that a displayed image is updated. As a gate-line driving circuit (scanning-line driving circuit) for sequentially selecting and driving pixel lines, i.e., gate lines, a shift register for performing a shift operation in one frame period of a display signal can be used.
To reduce the number of steps in the manufacturing process of a display apparatus, such shift register used as the gate-line driving circuit is preferably formed of field effect transistors of the same conductivity type only. Accordingly, various types of shift registers formed of N- or P-type field effect transistors only and display apparatuses containing such shift registers have been proposed (e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2004-246358 and 2001-350438). As a field effect transistor, a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor, a thin film transistor (TFT), or the like is used.
A typical shift register shown in, e.g., FIG. 1 of JP2004-246358 includes, in the output stage, a first transistor (pull-up MOS transistor Q1) connected between an output terminal (first gate-voltage signal terminal GOUT in JP2004-246358) and a clock terminal (first power clock CKV) and a second transistor (pull-down MOS transistor Q2) connected between the output terminal and a reference voltage terminal (gate-off voltage terminal VOFF). The shift register also includes an inverter (transistors Q6, Q7) for inverting the potential of the gate of the first transistor and outputting the inverted potential to the gate of the second transistor.
In such shift register, a clock signal input to the clock terminal with the first transistor turned on and the second transistor turned off by a predetermined input signal (an output signal GOUT[N-1] of the previous stage) is transmitted to the output terminal, so that an output signal is output. In contrast, the first transistor is turned off and the second transistor is turned on during a period in which the input signal is not input, so that the clock signal is not transmitted to the output terminal.
A field effect transistor such as TFT has a gate-to-drain overlap capacitance between the gate and drain (hereinafter briefly called "an overlap capacitance"). Accordingly, the gate of the first transistor may rise in potential through a coupling induced by the overlap capacitance on the rising edge of a clock signal input to the drain, even when the first transistor is off. When the gate of the first transistor rises in potential, the gate of the second transistor drops in potential by the action of inverters. This in result reduces the resistance of the first transistor and increases the resistance of the second transistor. This in turn increases the output terminal in potential, which may cause a malfunction of unnecessary activation of a gate line connected thereto.
A display apparatus employing amorphous silicon TFTs (a-Si TFTs) as shift registers of a gate-line driving circuit easily achieves large-area display with great productivity, and is widely used as the screen of a notebook PC, a large-screen display apparatus. etc.
Conversely, an a-Si TFT tends to have its threshold voltage shifted in the forward direction when the gate electrode is continuously forward-biased (dc-biased), resulting in degraded driving capability. Particularly in a shift register of a gate-line driving circuit, the gate of the second transistor is continuously forward-biased for as long as one frame period (about 16 ms), which degrades the second transistor in driving capability, whereby the aforementioned malfunction is likely to occur (which will be described later in detail).

Shift register and image display apparatus containing the same


A temperature monitoring system for generating a representation of the temperature of the regions of a heated sheet of a rotary thermoforming machine includes a temperature detector for detecting the respective temperatures of areas of the sheet extending in a line across the sheet, a system for monitoring relative movement between the sheet and the temperature detector; and a processing system for a) recording the coordinates and temperature of each area whose temperature is monitored; and b) determining the temperature of regions of the sheet defined on a different basis to the areas by applying a predetermined algorithm to the data stored in step a) which takes account of the rotary movement of the sheet.

The invention relates to a temperature monitoring system for use with a rotary thermoforming machine. In a particular example it relates to use of an infra-red linescanner to obtain temperature images of plastic sheets on the "carousel" of a rotary thermal forming machine.
In typical thermal forming processes, plastic sheets are heated prior to being formed into various articles. Examples of such articles include baths, refrigerator liners, car dashboards and yoghurt cartons.
Heating softens the plastics material, and is usually carried out by placing the plastic sheet underneath a heater panel or between two such panels. Forming is then usually carried out by "sucking" the softened sheet into a mould. Typically this is achieved by creating a vacuum or low pressure in the mould cavity and allowing the softened plastic to be pressed into the mould by the action of atmospheric or applied pressure.
Depending on the application, the sheets can be large. For example, each sheet may be up to several square meters in area.
Often, rather than heat the entire plastic sheet to a uniform temperature, it is desirable to establish a temperature pattern in which the temperature varies across the sheet in a controlled manner. For instance, higher or lower temperatures (i.e. softer or harder plastic) may be required in different regions of the sheet depending on the amount of deformation those regions will experience in the forming process.
The temperature of the heater panel is controlled in a large number of "zones". This is done by conventional control of numerous electrical resistance heaters to temperature set-points.
In linear thermoforming machines, the sheets move in a straight line throughout the process. In rotary thermoforming, machine sheets are attached to a revolving "carousel" and move in a circle or along a circular arc.
For accurate control of the thermoforming apparatus, it is useful to obtain a temperature image of the plastic sheet just after heating—e.g. as it leaves the heater panel. Comparison of this image with an "ideal" image allows the heater panel set-points to be optimized.
Specifically it is desirable to obtain a temperature "map" referenced to, and correctly dimensioned with respect to, the (usually rectangular) sheet. This temperature map can then be directly related to the heater pattern. For example specific areas on the map may be identified as corresponding to specific heaters (or groups of heaters operated from a single controller) in the heating panel. It is further possible to over-lay the temperature map on to a drawing of the thermoformed sheet—this allows the temperature pattern to be related directly to the deformation pattern.
A temperature image of the sheet may be obtained using an infra-red linescanner. The sheet moves substantially horizontally and the linescanner is aimed substantially vertically with its scan plane transverse to the direction of sheet motion. The 1-dimensional scan plus the sheet's linear motion allows a 2-dimensional image to be captured.
For example, a typical infra-red linescanner may capture 1000 temperature points along each scan line and make 100 scans per second. Thus, if the sheet takes 2 seconds to traverse the scan plane, a 1000 by 200 pixel temperature image results.
Typically the linescanner uses an opto-mechanical scanning device. This rotates a measurement axis, aligned to the infra-red beam, at fixed angular velocity within a scan plane. The centre of rotation is a rotation axis, perpendicular to the scan plane, located inside the linescanner sensing head. The instantaneous measurement point on the sheet is the intersection of the measuring axis with the plastic sheet.
Before discussing the problems encountered with linescanning on rotary machines it is useful to consider the simpler situation of a linear machine.
Here the sheet moves horizontally in a straight (rectilinear) line. We will assume, for the moment, that the sheet is rectangular and moves at constant speed in a direction parallel to its length.
The linescanner is typically fixed above the centre-line of the sheet and adjusted so that the scan plane is vertical and perpendicular to the sheet's motion.
The linescanner generates a temperature signal according to the instantaneous position of its measurement axis.
The linescanner also generates a "scan valid" signal. This is a rectangular waveform whose rising and falling edges mark the beginning and end of valid measurements for each scan. Typically these correspond to the measurement axis being 40 degrees either side of "scan-centre". Typically scan-centre is perpendicular to the front face of the scanning instrument and, in this arrangement, to the plane of the sheet.
The two signals are processed by a computer or processor. The temperature signal is sampled at uniform time intervals. Data is recorded only when the scan valid signal is "high" and is organized into a series of "scan lines", a new line being started each time the scan valid signal transitions from low to high.
Temperature samples within each scan line are numbered.
Scan lines are also numbered, e.g. starting from when temperatures above a pre-set threshold are detected—for instance when the sheet starts to cross the scan plane. Alternatively, the start of count may be triggered by an external digital signal which flags arrival of the target sheet.
The data obtained from the linescanner is processed in a Cartesian array of samples and the temperature image is displayed on the computer screen as a Cartesian array of pixels whose color represents temperature according to a pre-defined "palette". In this array, the ordinate (i.e. row) corresponds to the sample number and the abscissa (i.e. column) corresponds to the scan line number. The image builds up approximately in real time as the sheet crosses the scan plane.
However, a temperature image constructed according to the above method is geometrically distorted with respect to the plastic sheet. The following factors contribute to this:    1. The temperature samples are taken at equal time intervals, which do not equate to equal spatial intervals across the width of the sheet. Specifically, there is a sec2θ variation where θ is the angle between the instantaneous position of the measurement axis and the vertical (perpendicular to the plane of the sheet).    2. The sheet moves throughout the time taken to make each scan line. Scan lines are therefore slightly oblique when referenced to the sheet, i.e. not completely parallel to the sheet edge.    3. The x axis is not correctly scaled relative to the y axis.
For many purposes these distortions are not serious. The image of a rectangular sheet moving at constant speed in a direction parallel to its length remains rectangular and it is easy to visually relate the temperature image to the sheet geometry and hence to the zone pattern on the heater panel.
If required, the distortions can be removed. Effect (2) is typically small and can be reduced arbitrarily by increasing the scan speed. Effect (3) is obviated by re-scaling the image to match known sheet dimensions. Effect (1) may be removed by additional processing as follows:
For each temperature sample, the instantaneous angle θ of the measurement axis to the vertical is calculated from the known sample number, sample interval and pre-set parameters in the linescanner.
For example, assuming that the scan valid signal rises 40 degrees before scan centre and falls 40 degrees after scan centre and that at scan centre the measurement axis is vertical. The measurement axis makes 100 full 360 degree rotations per second—i.e. the scanning line traverses the 80 degree measurement zone in 2.22 milliseconds. Temperature samples are taken every 2.22 microseconds (1000 samples per scan) following the rise of the scan valid signal. In this case, the angle θ for the nth sample is θ=40*(n/500−1).
The instantaneous position Y of the measurement point across the width of the sheet, referred to the scan-centre, is then calculated as Y=H*tan θ where H is the measured height of the linescanner above the sheet. This height measurement is made to the centre of rotation of the measurement axis (this position is fixed and known in relation to the linescanner housing).
Each temperature sample is thus labeled with a true position across the sheet.
The data is now plotted on the computer screen as a Cartesian array of pixels where the "Y" position (i.e. row) represents position-across-sheet, whereas the "X" position (i.e. column) is scan line number as before. The pixels are positioned at uniform Y increments which will not, in general, correspond exactly to measured sample positions. The appropriate temperature at a given pixel location is calculated by interpolating between adjacent samples or by assigning to the pixel the temperature of the nearest-located sample.
In some linear machines, the sheet velocity varies substantially while the sheet is under the scanner. This leads to a more serious distortion. Scan lines are now spaced non-uniformly along the sheet. A Cartesian temperature image with ordinate in scan line number "stretches" those parts of the sheet which move slower through the scan plane and "squashes" those parts which move faster.
This can be rectified only if a sheet position (or speed) signal is made available to the computer. This allows scans to be labeled with position-along-sheet rather than just scan number. A Cartesian temperature image can then be constructed where the abscissa is position-along-sheet.
In a rotary thermoforming machine, the sheet moves in a circle or arc rather than a straight line. Further, the speed is far from uniform. As a result, temperature images obtained using linescanners suffer massive geometrical distortion.
Typically up to four sheets are mounted horizontally on a carousel which rotates about a vertical axis. The carousel moves rapidly, with high acceleration and deceleration, through successive (on a four sheet machine) 90 degree movements. The following discussion focuses on a four sheet machine. However, the mechanism is similar for machines with any other number sheets.
Referenced to the ground, G, beneath the carousel there are four locations, referred to as; "load", "heat", "form" and "cool".
The journey of an individual sheet is as follows:                Placed on the carousel at the "load" location        Moved to the "heat" position (between the heater panels) and held for specified time        Moved to the "form" position, sucked into the mould and subsequently expelled from it        Moved to the "cool" location to cool and subsequently be removed from the carousel.
If an infrared linescanner is mounted so as to scan the sheets exiting the "heat" position and a Cartesian temperature image is plotted with sample number and scan number as ordinate and abscissa respectively (using the above described technique) then a grossly distorted temperature image is obtained.
The distortion is caused primarily by two effects:    1. The "outer" edge of the sheet traverses the scan plane faster than the "inner" edge. Thus, referred to the sheet, scan lines are further apart at the outer edge than at the inner edge. On the temperature image however scan lines are parallel. This is depicted schematically in FIGS. 6A and 6B where R–R′=represents the sheet's inner edge and Q–Q′=the outer edge.    2. Since the sheet accelerates and decelerates during rotation, the leading and trailing edges of the sheet traverse the scan plane slower than does the centre of the sheet. Thus, referred to the sheet, scan lines are further apart in the centre of the sheet than at the leading and trailing edges. On the temperature image, scan lines are equidistant.
It is very difficult to visually relate the resulting temperature images to the sheet or to the zone pattern of the heater panel.
One technique for reducing this distortion is disclosed in U.S. 2004/0251407. This system uses a zone calibrator sheet, prepared by the user, which has the position of the heating zones defined on its surface by a thermally contrasting material. The calibrator sheet is transported through the thermoforming apparatus, with or without heating, and imaged using a line scanner. The user then traces the position of each heating zone on the resulting distorted image to produce a grid image which is stored and used for comparison with thermal images of subsequent sheets.
This method suffers from a number of disadvantages. The use of a calibration object is expensive and time consuming, requiring a new calibration sheet for each new heating pattern or sheet size and shape. As a result, calibration is not performed in real time. The system requires a lot of user intervention, both in producing the calibration sheet and in interpreting its image so as to generate the grid. Each of these steps will introduce error. Further, the accuracy of the calibrated image is inherently low since the resolution is limited to zones and the system cannot compensate for unexpected variations in sheet position, velocity or acceleration.


The present invention is a voice organizer system having a message intake module, for storing a voice organizer message created by a first user, and a message delivery module. The message delivery module includes instructions for delivering the voice organizer message to a second user on a date specified by the first user, and periodically redelivering the voice organizer message at a frequency specified by the first user. The message delivery module may also include instructions for associating a passcode with the voice organizer message. The message delivery module may further include instructions for automatically calling the second user on the delivery date specified by the first user, and, if delivery of the voice organizer message fails, placing the voice organizer message in a voice mailbox associated with the second user.

Voice mail delivery systems are well known. Similarly, organizers that remind users of appointments are also well known. The present invention provides a new and unique system that combines voice mail technology with organizer service concepts to provide a voice organizer message delivery service that provides reminder messages to users.

System and method for voice organizer message delivery


A radially expandable trocar, port or cannula system is provided for use in minimally invasive surgeries. The cannula creates a port access with an initial small internal diameter. The passage of the cannula devices is defined by a plurality of elongate rigid members. A number of mechanisms are provided for expanding the passage of the cannula devices, by moving the plurality of elongate rigid members towards a larger radial location, thereby creating a larger internal diameter for the port. The elongate rigid members can be prevented from unintended movement when the system is at the un-expanded state, during expansion and when it is expanded to the desired larger diameter. Exemplary embodiments include methods of preventing gas loss from the tissue that would occur through the gaps created during expansion.

In minimally invasive surgeries, a small incision is made. Then a cannula or a port device (known as trocar) is inserted through the incision to create a tunnel through which surgical devices can be passed through to perform the minimally invasive procedure. The surgeons aim to minimize the size of the tools they use and hence minimize the diameter of the trocars they use in order to minimize scarring, post-operative pain, risk of infection and overall injury. Therefore, the surgeon typically begins the procedure by using a small trocar device. In laparoscopic procedures the small trocars are typically rated at having a cannula with an internal diameter of 5 mm, for example. Some instruments however have larger diameter, and therefore require the use of larger diameter trocars such as 10 mm or 12 mm trocars.
In the cases where a large trocar (such as 10 mm or 12 mm trocars) must be utilized, there is a need to reduce the incision size, and the defect size in the patient's anatomy that is caused by insertion of these large trocars. Some large trocars are inserted into tissue with blunt-tip obturators or have obturators with dilating tips obturator in order to reduce injury. However, there are no known trocars with dilating cannula being used in the field.
In certain situations, a need may arise to enlarge the diameter of a small port in order to use a larger instrument. These situations may be pre-planned or may be due to emergency situations such as a sudden bleeding or may be due to un-anticipated difficult anatomy. Such reasons (and more) would drive the need to upsize the trocar device; to replace small diameter trocar with a larger diameter one instead.
In laparoscopic surgeries, this upsizing can cause loss of the abdominal pneumoperitoneum, which needs to be re-stablished after the upsizing. It also presents a risk of injury to patient as the secondary trocar insertion may go through a different path through the abdominal wall, presenting an opportunity to injure an internal organ or cause bleeding. Furthermore, conventional upsizing requires that the small incision is increased prior to inserting the larger trocar, and upon the completion of surgery that the fascia and skin are stitched to decrease risk of herniation.
One popular method of trocar upsizing is to first insert a sleeve device (with mesh and polymer coating) through the abdominal wall, through which, a small trocar is inserted, then upon need of upsizing, a bigger trocar is inserted through the sleeve after the small one has been removed. Although this system prevents need to stitch fascia and abdominal wall after upsizing and prevents the risk of going through a different pathway, it presents few problems. It still allows leakage of gas during upsizing, and the insertion of a larger trocar through the sleeve still requires significant insertion force that present a risk of injury to patient. Furthermore, this method still requires use of 2 trocar devices in addition to the sleeve.
In some scenarios the trocars used during surgery become dislodged during use, and may sometime be accidentally removed from the tissue, presenting an injury risk upon re-entry, causing inefficiency and pneumoperitoneum loss. Therefore, there is a need of trocars providing better stability and retention in the tissue of the patient.
In minimal invasive neurosurgeries such as tumor resections, and hematoma evacuations, a cannulation device or a port of a small diameter is often inserted through the brain tissue towards the target site. However, in cases where larger access is needed, the diameter of the cannula may then gradually increased by successive insertion of larger cannulas over the smaller ones. This is a time-consuming process and induces higher stress and risk of damage to the tissue proximal to the skull as the larger cannulas are inserted and an uneven distribution of force is created with a gradient towards the upper portion of the brain tissue. In other techniques when larger access is needed, the insertion of a large diameter port with image guidance technologies may be used. However, insertion of a large diameter port into delicate brain tissue may cause critical tissue and nerve injury. Thus, a more minimally invasive method to create larger access in brain tissue is also needed.
Additional difficulties with existing devices may be appreciated in view of the Detailed Description of Example Embodiments, herein below.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Radially expandable cannula systems and methods for use


A breathable air safety system and method is disclosed. In an embodiment, a safety system of a structure includes a supply unit (100) of a structure to facilitate delivery of breathable air from a source of compressed air to an air distribution system (150, 250, 350) of the structure, a valve (408) to prevent leakage of the breathable air from the air distribution system (150, 250, 350) potentially leading to loss of system pressure, a fill station (102A) interior to the structure to provide the breathable air to a breathable air apparatus at multiple locations of the structure, and a distribution structure (104) that is compatible with use with compressed air that facilitates dissemination of the breathable air of the source of compressed air to multiple locations of the structure.

A structure may include a horizontal building structure such as a shopping mall, a warehouse, storage and manufacturing facilities, large box stores such as IKEA®, The Home Depot®, a vertical structure such as a high rise building, a mid rise building, and a low rise building, a mine, a subway, a tunnel, and/or a wine cave. A structure may also include large ships (e.g., oil tankers, cruise liners, aircraft carriers, destroyers, troop transports, ferries, etc.) and/or other vehicles (e.g., tanks, buses, cargo planes, etc.) where access to breathable air may be useful in an emergency.
The tunnel, for example, may be substantially horizontal and have a ratio of the length of the passage to the width of at least two to one. In addition, the tunnel may be completely enclosed on all sides, and the openings may be saved for the length of the covered area causing limited accessibility to the tunnel.
Providing and maintaining adequate safety in the structure may be of importance. For example, serious or fatal accidents occurring in underground mines in United States over the years may have resulted from an inability to control roofs of the underground mines. A fatal accident can occur, for example, from falling of even one large rock from the roof of the mine.
In a case of an emergency situation of the structure, emergency personnel (e.g., a fire fighter, a SWAT team, a law enforcer, and/or a medical worker, etc.) may be deployed to the structure to alleviate the emergency situation through mitigating a source of hazard as well as rescuing stranded civilians from the structure The emergency situation may include events such as a fire, a chemical attack, a terror attack, a subway accident, a mine collapse, and/or a biological agent attack.
In such situations, breathable air inside the structure may be hazardously affected (e.g., depleted, absorbed, and/or contaminated). In addition, flow of fresh air into the structure may be significantly hindered due to the structure having enclosed regions, lack of windows, and/or high concentration of contaminants, etc. As a result, inhaling air in the structure may be extremely detrimental and may further result in death (e.g., within minutes). Furthermore, emergency work may often need to be performed from within the structure.
The emergency personnel's ability to alleviate the emergency in an efficient manner may be significantly limited by the lack of breathable air and/or abundance of contaminated air. A survival rate of stranded civilians in the structure may substantially decrease due to a propagation of contaminated air through out the structure, placing a large number of innocent lives at significant risk.
As such, the emergency personnel may utilize a portable breathable air apparatus (e.g., self-contained breathable air apparatus) as a source of breathable air during an emergency incident and/or a rescue mission. However, the portable breathable air apparatus may be heavy (e.g., 20-30 pounds) and/or may provide breathable air for a short while (e.g., approximately 15-30 minutes). In the emergency situation, the emergency personnel may need to walk, descend and/or climb to a particular location within the structure to perform rescuing work due to inoperable transport systems (e.g., obstructed walkway, elevators, moving sidewalks, and/or escalators, etc.)
As such, by the time the emergency personnel reach the particular location, his/her portable breathable air apparatus may be already depleted and may require replenishment (e.g., via a shuttle method or returning back to a previous location for a new portable breathable air apparatus). As a result, precious lives may be lost due to precious time being lost. An extra supply of portable breathable air apparatuses may be stored throughout the structure so that emergency personnel can replace their portable breathable air apparatuses within the structure. However, supplying structures with spare portable breathable air apparatuses may be expensive and take up space in the structure, thereby causing severe handicap to the ability of emergency personnel to perform rescue tasks.
Furthermore, management, supervisors, personnel, etc., may not regularly inspect the spare portable breathable air apparatuses. With time, the spare portable breathable air apparatuses may experience pressure loss placing the emergency personnel at significant risk when the spare breathable air apparatus is utilized in the emergency situation. The spare portable breathable air apparatuses may also be tampered with, during storage. Contaminants may be introduced into the spare portable breathable air apparatuses that may be detrimental to the emergency personnel.


Classification of an object in the field of view of a camera. A processor is configured to capture multiple image frames from the camera. A candidate image is detected in the image frames. Alignment of the candidate image is determined relative to at least one previously known training image by inputting the candidate image into a trained alignment classifier and outputting one or more alignment variables therefrom associated with the candidate image. The candidate image and the alignment variable(s) are input into a trained object classifier. The object is classified responsive to the alignment variable(s).

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to driver assistance systems and in particular to methods for improving object detection from image frames captured from a camera.
2. Description of Related Art
During the last few years camera based driver assistance systems (DAS) have been entering the market; including lane departure warning (LDW), Automatic High-beam Control (AHC), pedestrian recognition, and forward collision warning (FCW).
Vehicle detection, pedestrian detection and traffic sign recognition algorithms share a common general structure: an initial candidate detection followed by more computationally expensive classification.
An algorithm for circular speed sign detection may use a Hough transform for finding circles. The Hough transform is a feature extraction technique used in image analysis, computer vision, and digital image processing. The purpose of the technique is to find imperfect instances of objects within a certain class of shapes by a voting procedure. This voting procedure is carried out in a parameter space, from which object candidates are obtained as local maxima in a so-called accumulator space that is explicitly constructed by the algorithm for computing the Hough transform.

Object detection using candidate object alignment


Embodiments relate to methods, systems, and devices for managing trading information. The method includes receiving non-indicative price information and indicative price information from communications between a representative user and customer users. The method includes categorizing indicative and non-indicative price information. The method includes generating candidate trading records, including indicative price candidate trading records and non-indicative price candidate trading records. The method includes generating a confidence indicia for each indicative price candidate trading record and non-indicative price candidate trading record. The method includes ranking the candidate trading records, including ranking non-indicative price candidate trading records higher than indicative price candidate trading records when certain conditions are met, ranking indicative price candidate trading records higher than non-indicative price candidate trading records when certain conditions are met, ranking indicative price candidate trading records based on confidence indicia, and ranking non-indicative price candidate trading records based on confidence indicia.

There are various markets available today for buyers and sellers (referred to herein as "customer users") to trade or exchange value. In more complex markets, the buying, selling, bidding, and asking of such value exchanges by customer users are facilitated by brokers, traders, intermediaries, etc. (referred to herein as "representative users").

Methods, systems, and devices for managing and processing trading activity and trading information


A system is disclosed for creating a temporary grass playing field. The system includes a plurality of substantially identical pallets, each pallet having a base with a top surface and a bottom surface. The pallets are polygonal in shape and are adapted to abut against each other to form the playing field. Reinforcing brackets are secured to the bottom surface of the base to elevate the base above a ground support surface by a distance sufficient to enable the fork of a forklift truck to be inserted under the base and the lift the pallet. Grass sod corresponding in shape to the base is then supported on the top surface of the base. This grass forms the temporary grass playing field when the pallets are nested together so that the sides of the pallets abut against each other.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for creating a temporary grass playing field.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Many playing fields of the type used for football fields are conventionally constructed of artifical grass. Such artificial grass is advantageous in that it requires little maintenance in order to maintain the field in playing condition. Furthermore, it has previously been difficult to grow natural grass in closed stadiums.
Although artificial grass is virtually maintenance free as contrasted to natural grass, artifical grass does not exhibit the natural resiliency and shock absorbing characteristics of natural grass. Because of this, certain sports, such as soccer, cannot be safely played by athletes on artificial grass but must, instead, be played on natural grass. Conversely, other sports, such as football, can be played safely on artificial grass.
There are no previous systems known which are capable of temporarily converting an artificial grass playing field into a natural playing field. Such a system, however, would be advantageous to allow different sports, such as soccer, to be played on football fields in the off season which are covered with artificial grass.


A marine vessel navigation control apparatus includes a constant-speed navigation controller and a trim angle controller. The trim angle controller includes an evaluated-value calculation module which calculates evaluated values of a trim angle, an information storage medium, a statistical model creation module which creates a statistical model using the evaluated values stored in the information storage medium as an explained variable, and operation information including the trim angle as an explanatory variable, a target trim angle calculation module which calculates a target trim angle based on the statistical model, and a statistical model storage medium which stores parameters of the created statistical model.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for optimizing parameters related to control processing by a control system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a parameter optimization method that is suitable for optimizing parameters in real time.
2. Description of the Related Art
Response surface methodology (RSM) has been well known as a technique for quickly determining a suboptimal solution to a parameter related to control processing by a control system for a marine vessel ("marine vessel" refers to a ship or a boat), automobile, or the like. The response surface methodology involves creating a statistical model called a response surface from sample values and performing optimization on the response surface. This methodology is useful when a gradient method cannot be used because a function to be optimized is not continuous or when simulations involve very high computational costs. Particular examples of this methodology, the Monte Carlo method and experimental design, are often used to obtain sample values efficiently (see Non-patent Literature 1).
Also, a technique has been proposed which involves collecting sample values around an optimum value estimated from an obtained response surface, creating a new response surface using the sample values, and thereby improving accuracy gradually. Since this technique creates a rough response surface initially and improves accuracy gradually by using sample values around the estimated optimum value, it can obtain a suboptimal solution quickly using a small number of samples.
For example, a technique called a sequential approximate optimization (SAO) (see Non-patent Literature 2) performs optimization in small regions called sub-regions using small-quantity sampling and response surfaces based on an experimental design, calculates accuracy from an estimated value obtained from a response surface of the optimized solution and an actual evaluated value, and obtains an optimum solution by repeating moves, contractions, and expansions of sub-regions according to the accuracy. Also, a technique which incorporates crossover used in real-coded genetic algorithms has been proposed for efficient sampling around an optimum solution (see Non-patent Literature 3 described below).
Generally, the response surface methodology and its modifications are recognized as techniques for optimizing large-scale simulations and real systems off-line, but they are also considered to be effective in optimizing real systems on-line in a short time.
In the following description, Non-patent Literature 1 refers to Todoroki: Introduction to Optimum Design of Nonlinear Problems Using Response Surface Methodology, material for a workshop of The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (1999); Non-patent Literature 2 refers to Guinta and Eldred: Implementation of a Trust Region Model Management Strategy in the DAKOTA Optimization Toolkit, paper AIAA-2000-4935 in Proceedings of the 8th AIAA/USAF/NASA/ISSMO Symposium on Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization, Long Beach, CA, Sep. 6-8 (2000); and Non-patent Literature 3, refers to Hasegawa, et al., A Simulation on Sequential Approximate Optimization-Based Real-type Crossover Model and Response Surface Model, Transactions of The Japan Society for Computational Engineering and Science, No. 20000019 (2000).
The techniques proposed so far, when used for on-line optimization of real systems, poses such problems as variation of sample values and deviation of an estimated solution due to a positional relationship between a sampling range and an optimum solution.
Regarding the variation of sample values, there is no need to take it into consideration in the case of simulations. When optimizing actual devices off-line, it is possible to create an experimental environment which enables stable measurements by minimizing observation errors.
However, when performing on-line optimization in a real environment, it is difficult to take stable measurements because of subtle variations in system operation caused by uncontrollable factors as well as because of noise added to measuring instruments. This results in a large variation of sample values with respect to the shape of a function to be optimized, adversely affecting the accuracy of response surfaces. In particular, failure of the system to operate properly due to an unexpected disturbance will produce outliers, which are known to adversely affect the creation of response surfaces by the least squares method.
Now, the deviation of an estimated solution due to the positional relationship between the sampling range and the optimum solution will be described. If sample values are collected with a parameter that is varied greatly when the system is actually operating, the system behavior may be changed greatly. In particular, if the system is used by people (e.g., a vehicle), this type of sampling is impossible. In such a case, an effective way is to start initial sampling in a small range in which somewhat stable operation is known to be available and estimate an optimum solution by increasing the sampling range gradually.
However, if a large noise is added to sample values and an optimum solution exists outside an initial sampling range, an estimated optimum solution is biased by the initial sampling range, making it impossible to obtain the true optimum solution.
This is because sample values collected near boundaries of the sampling range affect the shape of the response surface greatly. This can be seen, for example, from the fact that when impact of each sample value on the response surface is checked using Cook's distance in regression diagnostics given by Equation (1) below, the sample values near the boundaries have greater impact than those around the center.
                    Formula                                                  1                                                                                Cook            '                              s                                                              Distance                =                              ∑                          j              =              1                        n                                                                        (                                                      yhat                    ji                                    -                                      yhat                    j                                                  )                            2                        /                          (                                                p                  ·                  σ                                                                                hat                  2                                            )                                                          (        1        )            where yhatj is an estimated value of a response surface created using all the samples, yhatji is an estimated value of a response surface created using all the samples except the i-th sample, p is the number of parameters in the model, and σhat2 is an estimated value of variance.
When an optimum value exists outside the initial sampling range, if sample values near the boundaries are far larger or far smaller than they should be due to the influence of noise, estimation accuracy of the optimum value will degrade greatly, which will have a fatal impact in on-line optimization in which the number of times of sampling is limited.
Thus, the response surface methodology and its modifications proposed conventionally cannot deal with the above-described problems for the reasons described above if final details of the system are undecided in the design phase although they are useful as an optimization technique for use before shipment.
Specifically, for example, it is difficult to predict before shipment what combination of an outboard device and hull the user will select and if the user intends to perform constant-speed navigation control or attitude angle control in a desired hull, it will become necessary to optimize system parameters after shipment. When using the Monte Carlo method or experimental design to obtain sample values for optimization, a problem arises as to how to set adjustable parameter ranges in which sample values are collected. If the ranges are too small, the true optimum solution cannot be obtained for the reasons described above and if they are too large, sharp changes may occur in the operation of the system, causing the system to behave unexpectedly. Also, since the weight and center of gravity of a system consisting of an outboard device and hull change greatly depending on the number of people aboard the marine vessel as well as on cargo, it is not true that once the system is optimized, it is always ready for operation, but the system must be optimized continuously.

Parameter optimization method, parameter optimization apparatus, parameter optimization program, and marine vessel navigation control apparatus


A process for the microencapsulation of oil droplets containing a medical drug for oral administration, comprises the steps of mixing the drug with liquid oil by sonication for 5-30 seconds to disperse the drug homogeneously in the oil, and adding the drug-dispersed oil to an aqueous solution mixture to form a two phase system. The aqueous solution mixture will form a capsule material, and comprises a polysaccharide which has metal chelating capacity, a biocompatible and water-soluble polymer for improving the physical properties of the capsule material, and emulsifying agents. The two phase system is then subjected to sonication to produce an oil-in-water emulsion containing the drug-dispersed oil in the form of droplets having a diameter in the range of 1-5 .mu.m. As soon as possible after formation of the emulsion, the emulsion is added to a multivalent cation-containing solution to harden the capsule material. The microencapsulated emulsion is then freeze-dried to obtain a final product in a powdery state.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a microencapsulation method for the preparation of a controlled oral drug delivery system. In particular, it relates to a method for microencapsulation of oil droplets containing a drug for oral administration.
In particular, it relates to a method for microencapsulation of a drug for oral administration using biodegradable and biocompatible materials such as polysaccharide that have a metal chelating capacity for the purpose of minimizing gastric upset or damage to the stomach.
More particularly, it relates to a method for microencapsulation of oil-containing drugs for oral administration using a biodegradable and biocompatible material such as polysaccharide for the purposes of minimizing the degradation of the drug caused by hepatic first-pass metabolism by inducing lymphatic absorption of the drug, and the degradation of the drug in the strong acidic condition of gastric juice.
Recently, research groups have focused their studies on a desirable drug carrier system because the existing methods for medicating drugs by oral administration or injection suffer from many problems with regard to
1) the degradation of the drug by hepatic first-pass metabolism, PA1 2) the severe gastric upset or damage to the stomach by the drug's activity, PA1 3) the degradation of the drug in the stomach by the strong acidic condition of gastric juice.
However, the existing methods for drug administration using oral route or injection continue to be used because of their convenience.
Although in principle the entire gastrointestinal tract is capable of drug absorption, the small intestine is the major site of absorption for the drug. A drug molecule, after diffusing through the mucosa of the intestine, is accessible to both lymphatic and blood circulation. If a drug is administered via the oral route, it must pass through the gut wall and then through the liver before reaching the systemic circulation and its site of action. Extensive hepatic first-pass metabolism in the liver is often encountered, and a fraction of the dose administered may be eliminated before reaching the systemic circulation.
Accordingly, an increased amount of drug dose and dosing frequency are required to maintain blood levels within the therapeutic range. This results in severe gastric upset or damage to the stomach.
Furthermore, for a cancer patient, the anticancer drugs given orally cause adverse effects because most antitumor agents are not selective, but are highly toxic for both cancer and normal cells.
In lymphatic absorption, drug molecules enter directly into systemic circulation by bypassing the liver. Thus, the overall blood levels of drugs which undergo significant metabolism in the liver can be significantly increased if they can be directed to the lymphatic fluid.
In general, the lymphatic system is not an important route for drug entry into the body except for highly lipophilic compounds, such as dietary fat, cholesterol, and lipid soluble vitamins.
In the present invention, in order to use the advantages of the lymphatic system as a drug absorption route, the inventors attempted to use an emulsion as drug carrier systems to transport medical drugs. The oil emulsions are absorbed easily into lymphatic capillaries and transported to regional lymph nodes. As a result, the oil emulsion can be considered as a drug carrier to the lymphatic system by oral administration as well as by injection into tissues.
Accordingly, an emulsion containing anticancer agent is available in chemotherapeutic drug dosage form for lymph node metastasis, which is most common in human cancer.
In the case of oral administration of an emulsion containing an anticancer drug, most anticancer drugs are released in the stomach. Therefore, anticancer agents can not react in the small intestine. Thus, in the case of oral administration, the chemotherapeutic effect of anticancer drugs is limited only to stomach cancer. (CRC: Critical Review in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, vol. 2 No. 3, pp. 245, 1986)
(2) Description of the Prior Art
As to the conventional method for microencapsulating liquid fatty material such as by oil emulsion, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,008,083; 3,749,799; and 3,819,838 disclose a solidification method of the capsule material, gelatin, by rapidly lowering the temperature and subsequent dehydration. While methods such as those disclosed in the patent literature set forth above have achieved some significant commercial success, difficulties have sometimes been encountered in rapidly inducing solidification of the microencapsulating material.
British Pat. No. 2,086,835 provides a process for encapsulating oils using polysaccharide as a material for bead matrix. However, this method produces shape-retaining, substantially water insoluble micro-beads containing thousands of oil droplets in the bead matrix. This process can not provide a microencapsulated emulsion which is individually microencapsulated oil droplets in the powdery state having a diameter of less than 5 .mu.m.
Japan Patent No. 59-228930 provides a process for encapsulating olive oil using sodium alginate as capsule material. In this method, the core and capsule materials flow down as double layers on a vertical cone vibrated supersonically and the microcapsules are received in hardening solution or dried to harden the capsule material. This method requires a very complex apparatus for microencapsulation.

Microencapsulation for controlled oral drug delivery system

Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology


An elastic mounting ring installation tool for connecting braces to brackets attached to the teeth of a patient has a housing with a barrel section, at the front end of which a magazine holder with a magazine provided with elastic rings for placement onto brackets provided on the teeth is arranged for mounting the braces to the teeth by the elastic mounting rings and a rod with wire fingers is movably supported in the barrel section for scooping up the elastic rings and transferring them to tooth brackets of the patient. The magazine holder is supported so as to be movable away from the wire fingers in a direction normal to the axis of the rod for pulling an elastic ring engaged by the wire fingers in a sideward direction for disconnecting the elastic ring from the magazine.

The present invention resides in an elastic ring installation tool for the installation of elastic rings on brackets attached to the teeth of a patient for mounting orthodontic fixtures such as braces to the teeth of the patient. The elastic rings are attached onto a holder in the form of for example a magazine including a strip which is movably supported by a support member and are taken up one after another by an engagement device for installation of the orthodontic fixture.
Tools of this type are generally known. Such a so-called ligature dispenser instrument in the form of a pistol is for example shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,220,121 B2. In this instrument, the ligatures or elastic rings are supported on the circumference of a circular support disc which is disposed rotatably in a cassette and from which the rings are picked up by a tubular carrier with wire-like fingers which are advanced to enter an elastic ring and take it along to pull it off the circular support disc while the fingers and, together therewith, an elastic ring is moved forward. As a result, the ring pulled off the support disc is disoriented from its position in a plane normal to the advancing wire-like fingers on which it is supported while an attachment neck by way of which the elastic ring is attached to the support disc is stretched in the axial direction of the tubular carrier. When the attachment neck finally rips, the elastic ring is no longer oriented in a plane normal to the extension of the tubular carrier as its needed for a proper installation.
It is the principal object of the present invention to provide an elastic ring installation tool with a magazine in the form of a holder for elastic mounting rings and an operating mechanism by which the elastic mounting rings are securely engaged and removed from the holder while safely remaining held by the support fingers of the ring installation tool in their desired orientation for installation on attachment brackets provided on the teeth of a patient.

Elastic ring mounting pistol and magazine