A water-saving system for the management and disposal of liquid, semi-solid and solid wastes is described that comprises an open-rim toilet bowl for allowing the flow of greywater containing food residues, small pieces of soap, soapy water, toothpaste residues, shaving residues, hair and the like, without allowing the formation of obstructions throughout the length of the open rim; an anti-sedimentation tank placed above and connected to the toilet bowl, said anti-sedimentation tank being capable of receiving and storing greywater that will be reused to flush the toilet to clean the toilet bowl and flush the wastes contained therein; a washbasin-shaped tank lid located above and closing the upper part of the anti-sedimentation tank; and mixer valve installed in the washbasin-shaped lid and connected to cold and hot water supplies, where the mixer valve includes a third water supply intake which is also connected to a water outlet of the intake valve of the anti-sedimentation tank by means of a flexible hose.

The concern for achieving a more rational use of water is a matter of increasing relevance worldwide. A toilet or lavatory that works by gravity (that is, not assisted by pressure) is a device with which more water is consumed in homes, representing up to 40% of the domestic consumption of this resource. In order to promote a reduction in water consumption, international regulations have established limits to the allowable volume of water to be used for each discharge to empty a toilet. Thus, in 1994, NOM-CNA-009 was issued, which establishes that toilets manufactured and/or marketed in our country must discharge a volume less than or equal to 6 L; this rule is aligned with current international standards.
But awareness regarding the care of the environment and natural resources continues to evolve, and the international standards on the matter tend to become increasingly stricter in order to respond to the need for optimizing the rational use and consumption of water. Bathroom fixture manufacturers have focused on developing or improving two technologies in order to perfect toilet operation.
The first technology is related to the hydraulic performance of the toilet bowl in order to maximize the siphoning effect caused by the vacuum generated in the toilet trap as the water level in the bowl increases when it receives water from the tank when the toilet is flushed.
Examples of efforts in this technology are described in Hennessy's U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,497 entitled "Vacuum-assisted toilet trap," which discloses a vacuum-assisted toilet in which vacuum is applied between a low trap and a high trap at the outlet of a toilet bowl, where the low trap is built to more reliably ensure that an air conduit over a water repository of the lower trap will close at the beginning of the discharge and will remain open between discharges.
Bayot's U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,148 entitled "Toilet with vortex discharge" describes a toilet bowl and rim capable of generating superior vortex action. A restrictor is strategically placed on one side of the rim to branch the direction of the streams of water and make them converge at one side of the rim. The relocation of the point of contact, conventionally placed in the middle, and its placement at a strategically located side of the rim increases the speed and force of the stream of water. Controlling the volume, flow and directional orientation of the water flow within and through the rim's cavity and through the rim's discharge orifices produces superior vortex action.
Arita et al.'s U.S. Pat. No. 5,926,863 entitled "Low discharge toilet" describes a toilet bowl that includes an opening to supply water for washing the toilet bowl in one part of the toilet bowl wall; a water discharge channel in the form of a substantially inverted "U"-type trap formed next to the base of the toilet bowl and having a discharge opening in the lower part; a portion that distributes the wash water placed substantially below the tank's discharge opening and used to receive and distribute the tank's clean water; a ring for directing the trajectory of the water formed in the periphery of the highest part of the toilet bowl, a part of said ring having a plurality of water injection perforations for washing in communication with the water trajectory of said ring; a first water channel that communicates the part that distributes the wash water and the opening that distributes the wash water; and a second water channel that communicates the part that distributes the wash water and the water trajectory of said ring.
Han et al.'s U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,162 B2 entitled "Toilet assembly" discloses a toilet that includes a toilet bowl assembly that consists of a toilet bowl and a trap that extends from the bottom of the toilet bowl to the drain outlet. The toilet bowl has an annular channel, provided along the perimeter of the upper part of said toilet bowl. In this toilet, the stream of water flows through the annular channel in a trajectory that is asymmetrical and unidirectional throughout its entire perimeter. The annular channel includes a plurality of openings set uniformly throughout the perimeter of said annular channel. When the water passes through the plurality of openings, it wets the entire perimeter of the toilet bowl. The annular channel also includes a pair of water discharge grooves that lead the water directly to the toilet bowl in two powerful streams. The discharge valve that allows the water to pass from the tank to the toilet bowl has a radial port inlet that increases the water flow's outlet energy.
A disadvantage of the toilets described in the above-mentioned patents resides in the fact that they were developed to comply with the criteria expressed in current international regulations and ensure good operation in toilets with a 6-L discharge. However, this technology has the drawback of not being useful or efficient when one wishes to reduce the toilet discharge volume from 6 L to, for example, 4 L, without having to drastically and integrally modify its hydraulic design or its principles since, in order to achieve a reduction in water consumption of this magnitude, it is necessary to redesign all of the components of the toilet, as well as the way they interrelate to each other.
The second technology focuses on the development of modified toilets in which the water previously used in a washbasin, shower, washer, etc., is stored in the tank in order to reuse it for cleaning the toilet bowl and the wastes it contains.
Examples of the advances in this technology are described, for example, in Carfora's U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,448 entitled "Combined toilet and washbasin," which discloses a washbasin to be mounted on the discharge tank of a toilet used in a bathroom or other room with very limited space. The washbasin replaces the lid of the toilet tank and is completely separate from a water valve connected to the cold and hot water lines and mounted on the wall, in order to allow the washbasin to be lifted when the toilet tank requires repairs.
Medrano's U.S. Pat. No. 4,358,864 entitled "Conservation system combining washbasin and toilet" describes a water conservation system that combines a washbasin and a toilet, which has at least one washbasin and one toilet that in turn includes a water tank. The water tank has a clean water chamber and a greywater chamber. A first outlet connects the greywater chamber to the toilet bowl and a flap valve ("frog") closes this outlet. A second outlet connects the clean water chamber to the greywater chamber, and a flotation valve closes this outlet. A pipe is used to connect the washbasin's drain to the tank's greywater chamber. Another pipe connects a source of clean water to the clean water chamber. A hand lever on the outside of the tank operates a lever arm inside of the tank such that when it is lifted, it activates a mechanism that opens the flotation valve allowing the clean water to enter the greywater chamber. The structure also acts on the greywater chamber when the lever arm lifts and this structure opens the flap valve to launch the water from the greywater chamber to clean the toilet bowl.
Gilliam's U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,956 entitled "Greywater recirculation system with odor prevention" describes a mechanism in which a small amount of greywater is collected in a storage tank to be used in cleaning toilets. During its use, the greywater is agitated to discharge small solid particles with the water supplied to the toilet. Agitating the water in the storage tank also prevents the water from stratifying and prevents the disinfectant from stratifying in the greywater, which can stagnate in the absence of disinfectant and agitation. The action of agitating the greywater also makes the system clean itself.
Pacchiano's Mexican Patent No. 181,614 entitled "Water-saving system" describes a water-saving system that consists of a toilet whose water storage tank is equipped with a device for supplying water, part of which projects outside of the tank, and a tank lid with a special design whose configuration offers a washbasin area in communication with the fluids inside the tank.
This type of toilet (which combines and/or associates a toilet with other devices, such as, for example, a washbasin) provides for decreased water consumption, since at least part of the water used in the washbasin or other sources would be reused. However, this type of toilet has two serious problems. The first problem consist of the fact that the water used in a washbasin or other sources contains semi-solid and/or solid wastes (such as food residues, small pieces of soap, soapy water, toothpaste residues, shaving residues, hairs, etc.) that are stored in the toilet tank together with the water which will then be reused upon flushing the toilet to clean the toilet bowl and flush the wastes therein, causing sedimentations and/or encrustations inside of the tank. This problem originates because tanks are usually cube-shaped, with a flat bottom, leaving a reservoir caused by the difference in levels between the bottom of the tank and the lip of the discharge valve. In addition, the same vitreous coating used for the external finish of the bathroom appliances is not applied to the internal surface of conventional toilet tanks, which has the drawback of the inside of the tank not being sanitary and, due to the porosity of its internal surface, it also provides much greater adherence for the impurities contained in the water.
When it is only a matter of rust in the tubes or the small impurities that water frequently entrains through the tube to the tank, sedimentation may not be serious. However, when the water with which the tank is replenished has previously been used in the washbasin (as occurs in some of the water-saving systems described), said water contains both inorganic and organic semi-solid and/or solid wastes, and the formation of sediments can cause a problem that can be as severe and risky as bad odors and foci of contamination or infection resulting from the decomposition of the organic material.
Another drawback of this type of water-saving system that combines a toilet with a washbasin resides basically in the fact that in order to have a flow of water in the washbasin and for said flow to be stored in turn in the toilet tank for reuse, it is necessary to activate the toilet lever even when it does not need to be cleaned. In other words, if a user wishes to use the washbasin to wash his hands or mouth, the user must necessarily first activate the toilet's discharge lever to initiate the flow of water in the washbasin, which represents an unnecessary waste of water.
The other problem presented by this type of modified toilet is that the semi-solid and/or solid wastes entrained from the tank obstruct the orifices in the rim of closed-rim toilet bowl, through which the water flows to wash the walls of the toilet bowl's bowl, since these orifices are relatively narrow (between 0.16 cm and 0.0793 cm in diameter ( 1/16 and 1/32 inch)), causing the toilet to be incapable of managing and/or disposing of the liquid, solid and/or semi-solid wastes that are stored in the tank, which come from a washbasin with which said tank is interconnected.
Taking into account the disadvantages of the prior art, one objective of the present invention is to provide a water-saving system consisting of at least one toilet and one washbasin or other source which will efficiently manage and dispose of the liquid, semi-solid and/or solid wastes that are stored in the tank of said toilet, together with the water previously used in said washbasin or other source.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an ecological anti-sedimentation tank for toilets that will allow storing the water previously used in washbasins or other sources and will prevent the semi-solid and/or solid wastes that reach said tank from depositing in the bottom of said tank, whether these residues are inorganic or organic.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a water-saving system consisting of at least one toilet and one washbasin that will efficiently manage and dispose of the liquid, semi-solid and/or solid wastes that are stored in the tank of said toilet and that will be capable of achieving the complete cleaning of the wastes contained in the bowl of said toilet, with a discharge of only 4 L of water.
Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a water-saving system consisting of at least one toilet and one washbasin that also includes a modified washbasin mixer so the washbasin can be used without having to discharge the toilet tank.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an ecological anti-sedimentation tank for toilets that will allow storing water previously used in washbasins or from other sources and that will prevent the semi-solid and/or solid wastes that reach said tank from being encrusted on the bottom and/or the walls of said tank, whether these residues are inorganic or organic.
Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide an ecological anti-sedimentation tank for toilets that will allow an adequate and efficient management and disposal of the semi-solid and/or solid wastes that are entrained by the water previously used in the washbasin or from other sources.
Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a water-saving system consisting of at least one toilet and one washbasin that will efficiently manage and dispose of the liquid, semi-solid and/or solid wastes that are stored in the tank of said toilet, consisting of a toilet bowl capable of evacuating the liquid, solid and semi-solid wastes it receives from the tank to which it is joined without the wastes causing obstructions in the rim.

Water saver system for managing and eliminating liquids, semi-solids and solids, integrated by at least one water closet and a washbasin


An administration feeding set for use with a flow control apparatus to deliver fluid from at least one fluid source to a patient. The set includes tubing for flow of fluid along a fluid pathway and a mounting member on the tubing adapted to engage the flow control apparatus. The mounting member has at least two receiving portions co-axial with the fluid pathway. The set also includes one or more identification members selectively positioned on one or more of the at least two receiving portions of the mounting member to permit identification of the administration feeding set as having a particular functional configuration different from another functional configuration.

Administering fluids containing medicine or nutrition to a patient is well known in the art. Typically, fluid is delivered to the patient by an administration feeding set loaded to a flow control apparatus, such as a peristaltic pump, which delivers fluid to the patient at a controlled rate of delivery. The administration feeding set, when loaded to the flow control apparatus, comprises tubing that delivers fluid from a fluid source to a patient.
A valve mechanism may be located on the tubing for permitting or presenting fluid flow communication through the administration feeding set. Such a valve mechanism may be automatically operated to alternate positions that either prevent or permit fluid flow communication through the tubing when engaged to the flow control apparatus.
Often times it may be difficult to identify administration feeding sets having different functional configurations for performing different kinds of tasks since each type of administration feeding set has a physical appearance that may be indistinguishable from other kinds of administration feeding sets. Accordingly, it is important that the healthcare practitioner be able to readily identify the functional configuration of the administration feeding set being loaded to the flow control apparatus.
Therefore, there is a need for an administration feeding set having a means for identifying the functional configuration of the feeding set and having a valve mechanism that can prevent disengagement of the administration feeding set loaded to the flow control apparatus.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An information retrieval system (IPS). The system comprises an input interface (IN) for receiving a query related to an object of interest. A concept mapper (CM) is configured to map the query to one or more associated concept entries of a hierarchic graph data structure (ONTO). The entries in said structure encode linguistic descriptors of components of a model (GM) for said object (OB). A metric-mapper (MM) is configured to map the query to one or more metric relationship descriptors. A geo-mapper (GEO) is configured to map said concept entries against the geometric model linked to the hierarchic graph data structure to obtain spatio-numerical data associated with said linguistic descriptors. A metric component (MTC) is configured to compute one or more metric or spatial relationships between said object components based on the spatio-numerical data and the one or more metric relationship descriptors.

An ontology is a formal linguistic specification of how to represent relationships among objects, concepts, and other entities belonging to a particular area of human experience or knowledge. In the medical field this refers in particular to the relation of anatomical structures, diseases, medical procedures and findings.
An example for such an ontology is the Foundational Model of Anatomy (FMA). Meanwhile FMA was incorporated into a larger ontology which is called "The Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine" (SNOMED) making it more detailed and complete. See for instance, Olivier Bodenreider et al in "Comparing the Representation of Anatomy in the FMA and SNOMED CT", AMIA Symp, Proc, vol 2006, pp 46-50, 2006.
The type of relations defined in this ontology is limited to "is part of" and "is a" relations. However, this type of relation might be of limited value when searching in an ontology with a specific medical question (e.g. in radiation therapy: which are risk structures in the vicinity).
In order to establish a set of principles for ontology development with the goal of creating a suite of orthogonal interoperable reference ontologies in the biomedical domain a team of researchers and developers works on OBO Ontologies. See for instance, Barry Smith et al in "The OBO Foundry: coordinated evolution of ontologies to support biomedical data integration", Nat. Biotechnol., November vol 25(11), pp 1251, 2007. This type of ontology (for instance SNOMED) comprises a larger set of relations.
Banerjee et al., "Semantic annotation of 3D anatomical models to support diagnosis and follow-up analysis of musculoskeletal pathologies", International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery, vo. 11, no. 5, p. 707-720, 2015, suggests the use of an extended ontology also comprising a set of predetermined quantitative attributes.
Correspondinlgy, Palombi et al., "My Corporis Fabrica: A Unified Ontological, Geometrical and Mechanical View of Human Anatomy", 3DPH, Proceedings of Modelling the Physiological Human: 3D Physiological Human Workshop, p. 209-219, 2009, describes an anatomical databased that shall provide a unified ontological, geometrical and mechanical view of human anatomy.
However, extraction of spatial information in relation to the concepts encoded in the ontology is still limited.


A battery case for a battery containing swellable cellulose separators including case members having opposed undulating mating surfaces and a rim and groove sized to space the surfaces a predetermined distance apart to form a gripping channel such that the outer portion of a stack of dry separators occupies at least 80% but no more than 98% of said channel. On injecting liquid electrolyte into the case, the separators swell and are securely gripped by said undulations and mating surface.

The present invention relates to electric storage batteries and, more particularly, this invention relates to an edge seal for a battery case containing swellable separators.
Proper operation of a battery requires electrical insulation between the positive and negative electrodes of a battery. If there is a slightest breach, the battery will discharge or will slowly short out with resultant premature loss of capacity. Separators are utilized to separate the electrodes. A battery assembly containing the edges of the separator must mate properly with case components in order to form a seal that insulates mass flow between different electrode compartments. Typically the case components tend to be either stainless steel cans, though increasingly these components can be made of nonmetal materials such as durable plastics. Separator materials tend to be regenerated cellulose or semi-porous polyolefin films modified to be ionically conducting. Thus the need arises of sealing polymer separator to either a metal housing or a plastic housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,057,385, Hope et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,574, Ruetschi
U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,183, Ruetschi
U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,021, Ogawa et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,884,723, Wuttke.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,343, Walsh.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,489,616, Fangradt et al.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,272,020 uses a hot melt thermoplastic sealant at the bottom edge zone of the separator system which impregnates the separator system at the edges zone. U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,819 discloses a hot melt material which is metered into the cell so that the hot melted material flows under the bottom edge of the separator, which is then pushed down and seated in the hot melt material as it cools. The end result is a barrier which forms at the bottom of the cell and at both sides of the separator. U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,987 communicates a cup seal made of micro-porous or non-porous membrane, attached to the bottom with a small amount of hot sealant, with the aim of minimizing the amount of hot-sealant used in the seal.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,574 and 4,172,183 Ruetschi designs a metal case that pushes against separators which are then pushed into a sealing ring made of nylon, neoprene or teflon. Ogawa et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,021 demonstrate a metal case pushing on an annular gasket, which in turn compresses the separators. Walsh in U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,343 has the top of the battery compressing on a grommet, and in this state the battery is sealed with epoxy. Gordy in U.S. Pat. No. 5,198,314 uses polyphenelyne sulfide as seal material.
As mentioned in U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,987 hot-melt sealants diminish the capacity of the battery and lower the volumetric density. In our invention we avoid the use of hot-melt sealants altogether by relying on a mechanism where the battery seals itself. In our invention we also do not rely on applying direct compressional force on the separators to effect a seal. Rather we rely on the swelling properties of cellulose in the presence of an alkali hydroxide to provide a tight seal between the two battery compartments.
Cellulose in the form of cellophane has been a widely used separator for a variety of alkaline batteries. The reasons include its low electrical impedance as well as excellent ion transport in alkaline environments. Cellulose-alkali hydroxide interactions in aqueous solutions are known to be strong and asymmetrical. Swelling of cellulose material in the presence of alkali hydroxides occurs on a time scale of seconds to minutes. The swelling power depends on the alkali hydroxide concentration, with a pronounced change in the X-ray lattice dimensions above a certain lye concentration. It also depends on the cellulose starting material. For cellophane, a 1 mil thick film swells to at least 2 times its original thickness when exposed to an aqueous potassium hydroxide solution (50% by weight) for more than a few seconds.
A battery seal is disclosed whereby a cellulose-based separator or separators, placed between undulating matching edges of a mating case halves suitably made of thermoplastic resin and occupying, in dry form, at least 80% of available edge space, swells by at least 20% from its dry thickness in the presence of an alkali-hydroxide of specific gravity 1.25 to 1.45 and thus generates a tight seal insulating the electrode compartments of the battery.
The edge sealing system according to the invention utilizes the profile of the edges of 2 mating casing members to grip and seal the swellable separators. One edge is formed to contain at least 2 convex undulations. The edge of the opposed casing members contains the same number of mating concave grooves. Spacing means are present to space the convex undulations from the grooves an amount at least equal to the thickness of the edges of a stack of swellable separators in the dry state. Typically, the dry thickness of the separators occupy from at least 80% but no more than 98%, preferably 90-95% of the space between the undulations and the grooves. When the separators absorb electrolyte they expand and are locked between the mating surfaces. The undulations are preferably rounded to prevent cutting or tearing the separators.
The outer edge of the space must be sealed to prevent leakage of electrolyte from the battery case. A preferred method of sealing the edge is to form a rim on the outer edge of one half of the case which projects across the outer opening of the space that grips the edges of the separators. The opposed case member has a groove that receives the rim. The length of the groove is less than that of the rim, a predetermined distance forming a limit or stop that defines the thickness of the separator gripping space. A recess can be formed at the junction of the rim and groove to receive a sealant or potting material such as an epoxy. The electrolyte is injected into the separators after the recess is sealed.
The expanded separators are reliably gripped by the undersized channel. The rounded undulations firmly grip the edges of the separators without ripping, puncturing or tearing the separators. The rim and grooves seal the channel and simultaneously space the edges a fixed distance apart. The casing is readily manufactured by molding of resin materials at moderate cost.
These and many other features and attendant advantages of the invention will become apparent as the invention becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


There is disclosed a silver halide color photographic material comprising a photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer that contains an acylacetamide yellow dye-forming coupler whose acyl group is represented by formula (I) and a high-boiling organic solvent, wherein the weight ratio of the high-boiling solvent to the coupler contained in said layer is 0.3 or below. ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 represents a monovalent group, Q represents a group of nonmetallic atoms required to form together with C a 3- to 5-membered hydrocarbon ring or a 3- to 5-membered heterocyclic ring that contains a hetero atom selected from the group consisting of N, O, S, and P, provided that R.sub.1 is not a hydrogen atom and it does not bond to Q to form a ring.

Generally, silver halide color photographic materials contain three types of couplers that couple with the oxidized product of an aromatic primary amine color-developing agent to form yellow, magenta, and cyan dyes.
Of these, yellow couplers that are generally used are acylacetamide couplers, typically benzoylacetanilide couplers and pivaloylacetanilide couplers. Benzoylacetamide couplers have excellent characteristics that the coupling activity thereof to an oxidized product of aromatic primary amine developing agents at the time of development is generally high and the molecular extinction coefficient of the produced yellow dye is large, while they have a defect that the color image fastness during storage in darkness is low. Although pivaloylacetamide couplers are excellent in color image fastness, since the coupling reactivity at the time of development is low and the molecular extinction coefficient is small, a larger amount of the color-forming coupler must be used to obtain an adequate color image density, which is disadvantageous in view of the image quality and cost.
Consequently, development of a yellow coupler having the merits of both, that is, both high color-forming properties (a high coupling activity of the coupler and a high molecular extinction coefficient of the produced dye) and color image fastness is desired.
From the above point of view, acyl groups of acylacetamide couplers have been studied. For example, U.S. Pat. Re No. 27,848 discloses a coupler having a 7,7-dimethylnobornane-1-carbonyl group or a 1-methylcyclohexane-1-carbonyl group as a modification of a pivaloyl group. However, the coupling activity of these couplers is low and the molecular extinction coefficient of the formed dye is small. Further, JP-A ("JP-A" means unexamined published Japanese patent application) No. 26133/1972 discloses a coupler having a cyclopropane-1-carbonyl group or a cyclohexane-1-carbonyl group. However, the fastness of the dye formed from these couplers is low and unsatisfactory.
On the other hand, in color photographic materials, it is considered important to reduce the thickness of the dried coating layer of photographic materials in view of the improvement of image quality, and in particular sharpness. Since, out of photosensitive silver halide layers of photographing materials, particularly the blue-sensitive silver halide layer that uses a yellow coupler constitutes the uppermost layer in many cases, it is considered that the blue-sensitive layer influences greatly the improvement of sharpness of the green-sensitive layer and the red-sensitive layer that underlie the blue-sensitive layer.
Generally, since a coupler is dissolved in a high-boiling organic solvent, is emulsified to disperse it, and is applied on a base, reduction of the amount of the high-boiling solvent employed can be an effective means of making the layer thinner. However, if high-color-forming benzoylacetamide yellow couplers that are conventionally utilized are used, the activity lowers extremely when the amount of a high-boiling organic solvent to be used is decreased, and therefore there is a limit making the layer thinner by this technique.
Pivaloyl acetoaminde couplers low in coupling activity and with low molecular extinction coefficients have by themselves a limit to the thinning of the layer.
To make the layer thin by only lowering the amount of gelatin without decreasing a high-boiling organic solvent is not practical because it greatly deteriorates the layer quality. Generally, the layer quality is greatly influenced by the ratio of oil-soluble substance, including coupler and the high-boiling organic solvent, to gelatin. Consequently, if it is established that the layer quality is to be kept constant, decreasing the oil-soluble substance means that the gelatin can also be decreased at the same time.
Therefore, it follows that the decrease of a high-boiling organic solvent constituting a considerable part of oil-soluble substance is quite effective in making the layer thin.
For the above reasons, development of couplers that give an adequate color density even when the amount of a high-boiling organic solvent to be used is decreased is desired.

Silver halide color photographic material containing at least one acylacetamide yellow dye-forming coupler


A method in a mobile wireless communication device capable of receiving a paging message transmitted in a series of bursts over successive time frames including receiving (210) not more than one burst of an incoming paging message, determining (220) whether the incoming paging message corresponds to a known paging message, and (230) reducing power consumption of radio circuits of the mobile wireless communication device during time frames when other bursts would be received if the incoming paging message corresponds to the known paging message. If the incoming data does not correspond to the known data, additional burst are received and decoded.

The Groupe Special Mobile (GSM) communication protocol includes two general classes of communications channels, dedicated channels and broadcast channels. The common channels are based on a 51 TDMA frame cycle including multiple Common Control Channel (CCCH) frames, Frequency Control Channel (FCCH) frames, and Synchronization Channel (SCH) frames. The CCCH may be an Access Grant Channel (AGCH) or a Paging Channel (PCH). Channel information is transmitted during multiple time-slots in consecutive frames. For example, every CCCH data block is transmitted in a series of four data bursts in corresponding time-slots of consecutive CCCH time frames.
It is known to conserve power in wireless communications devices operating in idle mode when not communicating by configuring radio circuits and a digital signal processor (DSP) in sleep mode. The microprocessor control unit (MCU) wakes-up the radio circuits and the DSP from sleep mode with a command when it is time to receive incoming data bursts, which are transferred to the DSP from the radio circuits. The radio circuits and DSP must remain awake to receive all data bursts in each data block, for example during the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th time frames of a CCCH message. A command from the MCU on the final burst instructs the DSP to decode the PCH burst data. After the DSP decodes the burst data received, the DSP sends the decoded data to the MCU.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,369 entitled "Reduction of Power Consumption In A Mobile Station" discloses attempting to recover data bits of a four-burst message by de-interleaving data from at least 1st and 2nd bursts while assuming that data from the remaining bursts of the message are unreliable. The de-interleaved data bits are de-convoluted with a Modified Selective-Repeat Type-II Hybrid ARQ based de-convolution algorithm, and the result is FIRE decoded in an effort to reconstruct the original information. If reconstruction is unsuccessful, then a 3rd data burst is received and the de-interleaved data bits thereof are combined with the de-interleaved 1st and 2nd data bits, and the combined data bits are de-convoluted with a Viterbi algorithm before FIRE decoding. Power consumption of the device is reduced by operating radio circuits of the mobile station in sleep mode during the time frames when the 3rd and/or 4th bursts are transmitted if the original information may be reconstructed with only two or three data bursts. The methods of U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,369 require receiving at least the 1st and 2nd bursts of the four-burst PCH or BCCH message transmitted.
The various aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon careful consideration of the following Detailed Description with the accompanying drawings described below.

Incoming message decoding in wireless communications devices and methods


An apparatus for treating a patient with acoustic waves has a source of acoustic waves and an X-ray locating system, which includes an X-ray radiator and a radiation detector, which are mounted opposite each other on a C-arm. The C-arm is adjustable along its outer circumference around its central axis. The source of acoustic waves is adjustable along the inner circumference of the C-arm such that the acoustic axis of the acoustic wave source constantly intersects the central axis of the C-arm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for treating a patient with acoustic waves, of the type including a source of acoustic waves and an X-ray locating system, having an X-ray radiator and a radiation detector which are mounted opposite each other on a C-arm, the C-arm being rotatable around its central axis in a holder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Treatment systems for generating acoustic waves in the form of pressure pulses, such as shock waves, are used for lithotripsy and for the treatment of pathological tissue conditions. It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,501 to employ acoustic waves in the treatment of bone pathologies. In this known system, an X-ray locating system is provided which includes an X-ray radiator and a radiation detector mounted on a C-arm. The C-arm is mounted on a carrier, together with the source of acoustic waves, the carrier being rectilinearly adjustable. The C-arm can be rotated around its circumference through an angle of .+-.30.degree.. This adjustability range is sufficient to meet the needs for locating purposes, to permit a body part to be treated, for example an extremity, to be radiated with X-rays at different angles. The capability of adjusting the source of acoustic waves only rectilinearly, however, presents disadvantages in the treatment of bone pathologies in the region of the extremities, because the patient or the extremity to be treated has to be shifted frequently during treatment in order to assure that a position is always maintained relative to the acoustic wave source which permits the acoustic waves to pass unimpeded to the treatment zone. The necessity of such frequent shifting is uncomfortable for the patient, who under some circumstances suffers pain in the process, and is also bothersome to the medical personnel because of the physical exertions associated with such shifting.

Apparatus for treating a patient with acoustic waves


A method of producing a superconductor of metal oxides having the following composition: EQU (M.sub.1-x Ca.sub.x)(Ba.sub.1-y Sr.sub.y).sub.2 Cu.sub.4 O.sub.8. wherein M stands for a rare earth element, x is 0 or a positive number of less than 1 and y is 0 or a positive number of less than 1, is disclosed, which includes hydrdolyzing an organic solvent solution or dispersion containing (a) alkoxide or fine particulate of a hydroxide of the rare earth element M, (b) alkoxides orfine particulate of hydroxides of Ca, Ba and Sr and (c) alkoxide, nitrate or fine particulate of hydroxide of copper in presence of water and nitrate ions. The alkoxides or hydroxides of Ca and Sr are present only when x and y are not zero, respectively. The hydrolyzed product is then dried, shaped and pyrolyzed to obtain the superconductor.

This invention relates generally to a method of producing a superconductor having a MBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.4 O.sub.8 (M=a rare earth element) crystallographic phase and, more specifically, to a method of producing a superconductor of metal oxides having the following composition: (M.sub.1-x Ca.sub.x)(Ba.sub.1-y Sr.sub.y).sub.2 Cu.sub.4 O.sub.8 where M is the same as above and x and y each represent a positive number of less than 1.

Method of producing YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.4 O.sub.x -type superconducting metal oxides

Ishikawajima-Harima Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

International Superconductivity Technology Center


A mode conversion technique to convert higher-order-mode into a nearly fundamental Gaussian shape by using a beam expander is developed and is particularly useful in high-power lasers and amplifiers. By using a beam expander between a transmitted fiber and a conventional mode conversion system, the strict lateral tolerance requirement can be overcome with high conversion efficiency.

Higher order modes (HOM) in specially designed fibers have recently shown to offer means to obtain robust light propagation in record-large effective areas (Aeff) with negligible mode-coupling or bend distortions. Such beams can be generated with greater than 99% coupling-efficiencies using in-fiber gratings. However, this conversion technique may not be suitable at an output of a high-power fiber-laser or amplifier comprising a HOM fiber because converting back to a (small-Aeff) fundamental mode of a fiber would lead to high intensities at the fiber output. This could then lead to nonlinear distortions and dielectric breakdown which is the very phenomena one would try to avoid by using HOM fibers.
In view of such phenomena, there exists a need to convert HOM beams by using different conversion techniques for high power applications.

Achieving gaussian outputs from large-mode-area-higher-order mode fibers


A decoupling capacitor for an integrated circuit and method of forming the same. The decoupling capacitor includes a p-channel device having first and second p-type doped diffusion regions, a device channel region therebetween, a device gate overlying the device channel region, and a gate insulator separating the device gate and channel region. The first and second diffusion regions are electrically connected to a positive power supply, and the device gate is electrically connected to a negative power supply. The decoupling capacitor may be formed proximate a signal driver in the integrated circuit. The decoupling capacitor may be formed without additional, expensive semiconductor fabrication steps and operates to minimize noise in the circuit.

As technological development progresses, modem electronic integrated circuits become increasingly more complex and powerful, they operate at higher speeds, and they consume more electrical power. Along with these developments, the problem of noise within the integrated circuit has become a more significant problem. It is well known in the art that this noise can arise due to parasitic inductances, resistances, and capacitances within the integrated circuit.
Many modem integrated circuits utilize internal clock timing signals to provide a synchronous operation. Examples of high density, high speed clocked logic circuits include microprocessors, microcomputers, math co-processors and the like; of course, other simpler circuits such as memories and smaller scale logic circuits may also be governed by clock timing signals.
Typically, these integrated circuits include a clock driver circuit which is used to provide the internal timing signals throughout the integrated circuit to control its synchronous operation. The internal timing signals coordinate some, if not all, functions within the integrated circuit. The clock driver circuit is, therefore, an important part of the integrated circuit. The following discussion centers upon the use of a clock driver circuit within a microprocessor integrated circuit. However, this discussion is equally applicable to other signal driver circuitry used in all types of integrated circuits, such as address driver circuits, data bus driver circuits, or any other conventional signal driver circuit.
In a microprocessor integrated circuit, the clock driver circuitry is used to drive the internal clock signal to any internal microprocessor circuitry that requires the clock signal to coordinate its operation with other functional elements of the microprocessor. As a result, the clock driver circuit is required to drive the clock signal throughout the microprocessor to numerous internal circuits. The cumulation of the relatively long distances that the signal must travel and the large number of transistors it must drive creates a large load on the output of the clock driver circuit. In order to sufficiently drive the clock signal over the large distances and to the large number of transistors, the clock driver circuit transistors must have sufficient strength to drive the large load. Due to the strong transistors in the driver circuit, the transitions of the driver output from one logic level to another requires large instantaneous current sourcing from the power supply. These large instantaneous currents are often referred to as "switching currents" because they occur when the driver is switching from one state to another. These large instantaneous current flows combined with the resistive, inductive, and capacitive parasitics associated with the power supply lines and the driver load, can create large amounts of noise, often referred to as "switching noise", on the supply lines, the clock signal lines, and other signal lines in the microprocessor.
This noise can cause problems in several areas of a microprocessor. For example, the noise voltage induced in the power supply lines and the signal lines is defined by the equation V=IR + Ldi/dt such that voltage (V) is the summation of the product of the supply or signal current and the parasitic resistance (R) of that line with the product of the parasitic inductance (L) of the supply or signal line and the instantaneous change in the current flowing through that line (di/dt). In modern microprocessors with long signal lines and large switching currents, the noise value can be very significant. This noise may be induced in the power supply lines or signal lines and may cause an error in noise sensitive circuitry within the microprocessor. The large instantaneous currents may also cause a momentary voltage drop on the power supply lines or clock signal lines due to the parasitic resistance of those lines. This momentary voltage drop will slow the device operation for the entire microprocessor. In addition, the large instantaneous currents required by the large clock driver transitions may also cause a power supply drop if the power supply cannot source sufficient current to allow the clock driver circuit to drive its load. This in turn may also slow the device operation throughout the microprocessor. The slowing of the device operation within the microprocessor may in turn cause functional errors due to internal or external race conditions between the functional elements of the microprocessor or its external operating environment.
In order to reduce this noise, capacitors, known as decoupling capacitors, are often used to provide a short term current source or sink for the circuitry in an effort to provide a stable power supply. For example, the decoupling capacitors act as a storage device for electrical charge which can provide a short term current source for the circuitry. When the clock driver circuit transitions from one state to another, the decoupling capacitor will provide a short term current source to supplement the integrated circuit power supply in order to meet the instantaneous currents required by the driver circuit. The local current source provided by the decoupling capacitor reduces the amount of instantaneous current required from the main power supply. This reduces the level of instantaneous current flow through the main power supply lines with the large parasitic inductances and resistances, thus reducing the level of any induced noise voltages or voltage drops.
Decoupling capacitors may also be used to filter out high frequency or low frequency noise from signal lines. It is well known in the art that capacitors with a low capacitance value may be used as a high frequency noise filter, and capacitors with a high capacitance value may be used as a low frequency noise filter.
Typically, decoupling capacitors are placed as close as possible to the circuitry so as to increase their effectiveness. For example, in board level circuit designs, the decoupling capacitors are placed next to the individual integrated circuits on the circuit board. In some instances, decoupling capacitors have been placed within the package containing the integrated circuit. However, the optimum placement of decoupling capacitors is in the integrated circuit itself near the circuitry. While the technology exists to manufacture a parallel-plate capacitor in an integrated circuit, the methodology is expensive because it typically requires the addition of semiconductor fabrication processing steps in order to create the capacitor. This methodology requires the parallel-plate capacitor to be isolated from other circuit elements by layers of insulating material. In addition, fabrication steps are necessary in order to deposit and pattern the conductive and insulative layers of materials forming the capacitor parallel plates and the interlevel dielectric insulator.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a decoupling capacitor formed in an integrated circuit.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a decoupling capacitor formed in an integrated circuit which does not require the addition of expensive semiconductor fabrication steps.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a decoupling capacitor which is formed in close proximity to the circuitry of the integrated circuit so as to obtain the greatest noise reduction possible.
Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having references to the following specification together with its drawings.

Decoupling capacitor for integrated circuit signal driver


A method and a system for measuring a quantity, such as current, of a power converter apparatus including parallel-connected power converter units. A component quantity, of each power converter unit is measured, transmitted digitally in serial communication format to a control unit (CU), and summed to produce a summed quantity. The component quantity data are transmitted to the control unit with the least significant bit (LSB) first. The summing is started as soon as the LSBs of the component quantities have been received. The LSB of the sum is transmitted further as soon as the LSBs of the component quantities have been summed. After this, the rest of the bits are summed in the order of arrival, with the most significant bit (MSB) last. The respective summing data are transmitted further in the order of arrival as soon as the corresponding bits of the component quantities have been summed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and arrangement for the processing of quantities, such as current, voltage, power or moment, measured or calculated by a power converter apparatus consisting of power converter units, e.g. for generating a summed or average quantity. For the sake of simplicity, in the following description of the invention only current is considered, but the same method and system can as well be applied to the processing of other quantities, too.
The invention relates e.g. to an arrangement where a high-power frequency converter apparatus consists of a plurality of parallel-connected lower-power frequency converter or inverter units. In such an arrangement, the component current of each frequency converter is measured, and these currents are then summed e.g. to regulate the load, such as an alternating-current motor, connected to the frequency converter apparatus.
2. Discussion of the Background
For parallel connection of frequency converter units controlling an alternating-current motor, it is necessary that the component load currents measured by the power units be summed in order that the motor regulating function active in the control unit should get correct information regarding the motor current. When a prior-art solution is used, this results in a delay problem in data transfer, because the data regarding the component currents are first received in a summing unit, added together and only the summed current data is transmitted to the control unit. In parallel connection, data transfer is thus slowed down at least by the delay caused by the summing and retransmission, which at the same time also results in slower motor regulation.


A driving device includes: a driving state detection unit which detects a driving state of a driving unit which drives a driving target; and a control unit which performs a first control for driving the driving unit for an amount based on the driving state of the driving unit detected by the driving state detection unit and a second control for driving the driving unit for a predetermined amount.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a driving device, a projector, and a driving method.
2. Related Art
In a projector or the like, a location of a lens is controlled by a driving device.
A driving system of a lens structurally has backlash, and when driving the lens in a reverse direction with respect to a last moving direction, it is difficult to move the lens to a proper location due to influence of the backlash.
In an example of a general configuration, a location sensor is provided near a motor, the location is detected by the location sensor in advance, a driving target (herein, lens) exists on a rear stage thereof, and accordingly, if the motor starts moving, the location sensor reacts in advance, and then, the driving target starts moving. Thus, the backlash can be compensated based on the detection results of the location by the location sensor.
In detail, as an example, by moving the driving system for an amount of the backlash, using information of the backlash amount acquired by previous measurement or the like, by monitoring output (detection results of the location) from the location sensor, the backlash can be compensated (for example, see Japanese Patent No. 3208802). As another example, by filling the backlash part by setting the motor to have low torque, the backlash can be compensated (for example, see JP-A-10-160999). In addition, as an example of a method of measuring the backlash amount, the location is detected while driving the motor at low torque, the backlash amount can be measured based at a time point when a moving rate is changed (for example, see JP-A-2007-187712).
However, when aiming to achieve miniaturization of the device, the location sensor is not always provided near the motor as the configuration described above.
For example, a driving target (herein, lens) is immediately moved by a motor and many gears exist from the motor to the location sensor, and a case of using a configuration that backlash becomes large from the motor to the location sensor is considered. In this case, since a driving target starts moving before the location sensor detects the location, it is difficult for the location sensor to detect the movement of driving target, and a movement amount acquired from the location sensor becomes smaller than the actual movement amount.
Accordingly, for example, a method of moving extra backlash part (for example, see Japanese Patent No. 3208802) is difficult to be used since the movement detected by the location sensor is smaller than the movement of the driving target. In addition, a method of filling the backlash part (for example, see JP-A-10-160999) is difficult to be used since the driving target is moved before the backlash related to the location sensor is filled. A method of measuring the backlash amount at low torque driving (for example, see JP-A-2007-187712) is difficult to be used since the change of the moving rate does not occur due to the movement of the driving target before the movement of the location sensor.
As described above, on the other hand, with respect to the configuration of the related art of providing the location sensor nearer to the motor than the driving target, in a configuration of providing the driving target nearer to the motor than the location sensor, a location relationship between the driving target and the location sensor is reversed, and the methods related to the backlash which were effective in the configuration of the related art (for example, see Japanese Patent No. 3208802, JP-A-10-160999, and JP-A-2007-187712) are difficult to be used.
As described above, in the related art, in the driving device of the configuration of providing the driving target nearer to the motor than the location sensor, there was a problem that control related to the backlash was not sufficient.

Driving device, projector, and driving method


A candy dispenser may be provided with a housing shaped like an animated figure and having first and second housing openings formed therein, a candy container operatively positioned relative to the second housing opening so that pieces of candy that are inserted into the second housing opening may pass into the candy container, and a movable animated figure associated with the housing. The movable animated figure may be provided with a candy holder that is sized to hold a piece of candy, and the movable animated figure may be movable between a concealed position in which the movable animated figure is disposed within the housing and a revealed position in which the movable animated figure extends out of the first housing opening. The movable animated figure may be operatively coupled to the candy container so that movement of the animated figure from the revealed position to the concealed position causes a piece of candy to be transferred from the candy container to the candy holder so that the movable animated figure may move from the concealed position to the revealed position with the piece of candy disposed in the candy holder.

The present invention is directed to a candy dispenser for dispensing candy pieces.
Various candy dispensing mechanisms have been marketed in the past to provide entertaining ways of dispensing pieces of candy. For example, one prior art candy dispensing mechanism which was marketed more than one year before the filing of this patent was an MandM(copyright) candy dispensing character. That dispensing character had a MandM(copyright) candy shaped body, a pair of boots which were attached to a bottom portion of the body, a pair of movable hands and arms that extended outwardly from body, and a cylindrical candy container filled with MandM(copyright) candies which mounted onto the body in an inverted position.
In use, after the candy container with the MandM(copyright) candies was mounted onto the body in its inverted position, the position of the left hand of the prior art candy dispensing character was manipulated to cause an MandM(copyright) candy to be dispensed from the candy container into the right hand of the candy dispensing character. In particular, in response to a user pivoting the left hand, the right hand of the candy dispensing character would be drawn into the body, an MandM(copyright) candy would be deposited into the right hand, and then the right hand would move outwardly with the MandM(copyright) candy disposed therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,909 to Spector discloses a display package in the shape of a bear in which a container composed of a clear material is disposed. The container may contain candy pieces, such as xe2x80x9cGummy Bearxe2x80x9d candy pieces, and the display package has a viewing port formed therein so that the candy pieces are visible through the container and the viewing port. The candy pieces may be retrieved by unscrewing the cap of the container.
The invention is directed to a candy dispenser having a housing shaped like an animated figure and having first and second housing openings formed therein, a candy container operatively positioned relative to the second housing opening so that pieces of candy that are inserted into the second housing opening may pass into the candy container, and a movable animated figure associated with the housing. The movable animated figure may be provided with a candy holder that is sized to hold a piece of candy, and the movable animated figure may be movable between a concealed position in which the movable animated figure is disposed within the housing and a revealed position in which the movable animated figure extends out of the first housing opening.
The movable animated figure may be operatively coupled to the candy container so that movement of the animated figure from the revealed position to the concealed position causes a piece of candy to be transferred from the candy container to the candy holder so that the movable animated figure may move from the concealed position to the revealed position with the piece of candy disposed in the candy holder.
The candy dispenser may also include a guide mechanism disposed within the housing that guides movement of the movable animated figure between the concealed position and the revealed position. The guide mechanism may be provided in the form of a pair of guide slots disposed within the housing and a pair of arms associated with the movable animated figure that extend into the guide slots.
The candy container may be pivotable relative to the housing, and the candy container may be operatively coupled to the housing by a pair of pivot pins. Each of the animated figures may be provided with at least a head and a pair of arms. The candy dispenser may also be provided with a spring disposed within the housing, the spring being operatively coupled to the movable animated figure so that the spring biases the movable animated figure to the revealed position.
The features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of the preferred embodiment, which is made with reference to the drawings, a brief description of which is provided below.


A pump used to infuse a fluid into a patient is controlled in accordance with an algorithm that enables a microprocessor to monitor and adjust each pump cycle to compensate for a differential pressure between the pump""s inlet and outlet. The algorithm defines a fluid delivery protocol that is applied in controlling the operation of the pump to achieve a desired rate, volume, and timing of the fluid infusion. Fluid is delivered by the pump when a plunger compresses an elastomeric membrane overlying a fluid chamber. Due to the small volume of the chamber, an incremental change in the plunger position before the delivery stroke produces a significant change in the delivery pressure. At the beginning of a pump cycle, the microprocessor determines the differential pressure between the inlet and outlet of the pump, and adjusts the plunger position before the delivery stroke to compensate for the differential pressure. A retraction of the plunger from the home position decreases the delivery pressure of the fluid, and an advancement of the plunger increases it. After the position of the plunger is adjusted to compensate for the differential pressure, the pump cycle proceeds. Following the plunger stroke, the outlet pressure is used to determine the actual volume of fluid delivered. The duration of the plunger stroke in the next pump cycle is adjusted to compensate for any volume delivery error produced by the differential pressure compensation.

The present invention generally relates to a method and apparatus used for compensating pressure differences between an inlet and outlet of a pump, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for compensating pressure differences across the inlet and the outlet of a cassette type infusion pump used to deliver medicinal fluids intravascularly.
Various types of pumps are used by medical personnel to infuse drugs into a patient""s body. Of these, cassette infusion pumps are often preferred because they provide a more accurately controlled rate and volume of drug infusion than other types of infusion pumps. A cassette pump employs a disposable plastic cassette coupled in a fluid line extending between a drug reservoir and the patient""s body.
In one prior art design of a cassette infusion pump, the cassette comprises a plastic shell or housing having a front section joined to a back section. A thin elastomeric sheet or membrane is encapsulated between the two sections. Fluid flows from one of two selectable inlet ports into a pumping chamber defined by a concave depression in one of the sections through passages formed in the housing. The cassette is inserted into an appropriate receptacle of a pump chassis that includes a microprocessor controller and a motor actuated driver. A plunger actuated by the motor in the pump driver displaces the elastomeric membrane to force fluid from the pumping chamber toward an outlet port under pressure. The pump chassis thus provides the driving force that pumps fluid through the cassette. The microprocessor control is programmable to deliver a selected volume of fluid to the patient at a selected rate of flow. In addition, the pump chassis may include one or more pressure sensors and air bubble sensors used to monitor the drug infusion process to protect against potential problems that may arise during the drug delivery.
Both single and multi-channel cassette pumps are available. A multi-channel cassette pump allows more than one type of medicinal fluid to be selectively delivered to a patient using a single pump cassette. Such pumps are frequently used in association with intravenous (IV) drug delivery therapies.
When the pump inlet and outlet pressure conditions are approximately equal, cassette type infusion pumps are quite accurate. However, when the pressures at the pump inlet and outlet vary substantially, the delivery accuracy of cassette pumps degrade. If the delivery rate is relatively low, as is often the case in pediatric applications, and if the differential pressure exceeds 3 psi, accuracy is significantly impaired, and retrograde flow can occur. In retrograde flow, fluid moves from the patient""s vascular system towards the pump, which can result in blood from a patient being drawn out of the patient""s body and into the IV line. Even if such retrograde flow occurs only briefly, and the accuracy of the delivery rate is not severely impaired, the visual impact of even a small amount of blood in an IV line can be extremely disturbing to care providers, patients, and visitors. Retrograde flow is more likely to occur if the pump fluid source is lower in elevation than the entry site of an IV line into the patient""s body, because the inlet pressure is then lower than the outlet pressure due to the head pressure.
The effect that a differential pressure has on the accuracy of the flow rate of a cassette pump depends on whether the pressure at the pump inlet is higher or lower than the pressure at the pump outlet. A higher pump inlet pressure, which is typically due to an increased elevation of the fluid reservoir relative to the pump (i.e., the reservoir head pressure), often causes the flow rate to exceed the desired setting, which the pump is programmed to deliver. Conversely, a higher pump outlet pressure, which can be caused by a partially restricted fluid line connected to the pump outlet or by the entry site into the patient being disposed higher than the pump inlet, can cause the flow rate to decrease below the desired value.
In a balanced pressure environment, cassette pumps tend to act like constant displacement pumps, so that each pumping cycle delivers the same volume of fluid. The delivery rate of the fluid is controlled by varying the number of pumping cycles per unit of time; thus, higher delivery rates require more pumping cycles to be executed during a given time interval than lower delivery rates. The pumping cycle of the prior art cassette pump briefly described above corresponds to a plunger deflecting the elastomeric membrane into the chamber in which the constant volume of fluid is contained, thereby forcing the fluid from the chamber through an outlet valve. The position of the plunger is controlled by a microprocessor. It is possible to change the delivery pressure of the constant volume of fluid to be delivered into the fluid line that is coupled to the patient""s body by adjusting the position of the plunger at the beginning of each pumping cycle. Because the fluid volume delivered during each cycle (and hence the volume of the chamber in which the fluid is contained) is relatively small (generally about 333 xcexcl of fluid is delivered per cycle), a very small change in the initial plunger position will have a significant impact on the pumping chamber pressure.
Clearly, it would be desirable to provide a cassette pump in which a pressure compensated pumping cycle is used to minimize the effect of differential pressures between the inlet and outlet of the pump. A cassette pump achieving this benefit and having accurate flow rates under varying pressure conditions is not disclosed in the prior art. Preferably, such a system would use a multi-component pressure-kinetic model to determine the pressure compensation required due to a differential pressure between the inlet and outlet of the cassette pump. Such a system would preferably use real-time measurements of pressure at both the pump inlet and pump outlet to determine the differential pressure, and then use an empirically determined algorithm to determine the extent to which the position of the plunger should be adjusted to either increase or decrease the delivery pressure. The delivery rate can further be optimized by changing the rate of the pumping cycles as a function of the actual volume delivered during each pump cycle. Preferably such a model would be used to pressure compensate the delivery of medicinal fluids for single or multi-channel cassette pumps. It will thus be apparent that accurately controlling the administration of medicinal fluids under varying pressure conditions using a pressure compensation model would provide significant advantages over the prior art.
In accord with the present invention, a pressure compensated pump is defined for maintaining an accurate delivery of fluid to a patient when a differential pressure exists between an inlet and outlet of the pump. The pump includes a fluid drive unit that is adapted to couple with a fluid line and to force fluid from a source for infusion into the patient through the fluid line. A control unit is coupled to the fluid drive unit to control its operation. A first pressure sensor monitors the inlet pressure to the pump, and a second pressure sensor monitors the outlet pressure of the pump. Both the first and the second pressure sensors are electrically coupled to the control unit. The control unit is programmed to determine a differential pressure between the inlet and the outlet of the pump, and the control unit uses an algorithm stored in a memory to determine a correction factor to be applied to compensate for the differential pressure between the inlet and the outlet, thus ensuring accurate delivery of the fluid to the patient. In addition to correcting for pressure differences across the valves of the pump, the algorithm can include a correction factor that compensates for calibration differences between multiple pressure sensors, as well as a correction factor that compensates for differences between targeted intake fluid volumes and an actual intake fluid volumes, as well as for differences between targeted delivery fluid volumes and actual delivery fluid volumes.
Preferably, the control unit includes a microprocessor responsive to program steps stored in a memory included in the control unit. The pump includes a user interface coupled to the control unit to enable an operator to enter at least one parameter for controlling the delivery of the fluid to the patient, corresponding to either a rate of fluid flow, a volume of fluid flow, a time of fluid flow, and/or a duration of fluid flow.
Also preferably, the correction factor changes a delivery pressure of the fluid, and/or a duration of time between successive cycles of the pump. The algorithm used to determine the correction factor is empirically determined. In a preferred embodiment, the fluid drive unit includes an elastomeric membrane overlying a chamber in the pump. The chamber is in fluid communication with the source and the patient. A driven member that is coupled to a motor exerts a force on the elastomeric membrane, displacing it into the chamber, thereby causing fluid to be expelled from the chamber into the patient. The correction factor determined by the algorithm is expressed as a position of the driven member relative to the elastomeric membrane. In this embodiment, the corrected position of the driven member relative to the elastomeric membrane that is determined by the algorithm corresponds to a corrected position for the driven member at the start of a pump cycle, i.e., before the driven member exerts the force on the elastomeric membrane that causes the fluid to be expelled from the chamber into the patient.
When the control unit determines that the pressure at the outlet of the pump is greater than the pressure at the inlet, the control unit advances the driven member into the chamber to a position determined by the algorithm, and when the control unit determines that the pressure at the outlet is lower than the pressure at the inlet, the control unit retracts the driven member away from the chamber to a position determined by the algorithm. In either case, the driven member is always in contact with the elastomeric membrane during any segment of a pump cycle.
The algorithm employs a first lookup table in which a first value is indicated as a function of a pressure measured by the sensor monitoring the inlet pressure, and a second lookup table in which a second value is indicated as a function of a pressure measured by the sensor monitoring the outlet pressure. The correction factor is determined by combining the first value and the second value obtained from the first and second lookup tables. The lookup tables are preferably empirically determined. The algorithm preferably uses a pressure measured by the sensor monitoring the outlet pressure after the driven member has exerted a force on the elastomeric membrane and the fluid has been displaced and forced into the fluid line toward the patient, in determining the correction factor for the next pump cycle.
After the driven member has exerted a force on the elastomeric membrane and the fluid is forced from the chamber, the control unit uses the algorithm to determine the actual fluid volume delivered to the patient, and then calculates a correction factor that determines how the timing of the next pump cycle is to be modified to maintain a desired delivery rate of the fluid to the patient. The pump preferably includes an inlet valve and an outlet valve.
The correction factor that corresponds to a difference between a targeted intake fluid volume, and an actual intake fluid volume is determined by sampling a first pressure proximate the inlet port after the chamber has been filled with the targeted intake volume by moving the driven member to a first position, and then moving the driven member to a second position, such that the volume of the chamber is decreased. The inlet pressure sensor determines a second pressure proximate the inlet port that exceeds the first pressure proximate the inlet port by a predetermined amount. The algorithm determines the actual intake fluid volume as a function of the first pressure proximate the inlet port, the second pressure proximate the inlet port, the first position of the driven member, and the second position of the driven member; and determines a difference between the targeted intake fluid volume and the actual intake fluid volume. Preferably, the predetermined amount is about 1 psi. The difference between the targeted intake fluid volume and the actual intake fluid volume is used to increase the accuracy of the fluid infusion by adding the difference between the targeted intake fluid volume and the actual intake fluid volume to a targeted intake fluid volume of a subsequent pump cycle. Preferably, the functional relationships between the intake fluid volume, the proximate pressure, and the position of the driven member are empirically determined.
The algorithm can compensate for calibration differences between an inlet pressure sensor and an outlet pressure sensor. The steps employed to accomplish this function include opening the inlet valve while the outlet valve is closed, thus filling the pumping chamber with fluid, and closing the inlet valve when the chamber is filled with a desired volume of fluid. The next step determines a pressure proximate the inlet port and a pressure proximate the outlet port using the inlet and outlet pressure sensors. A position of the elastomeric membrane is adjusted such that a pressure of the fluid within the chamber is equivalent to the pressure proximate the outlet port; and the outlet valve is then opened. Next, the outlet pressure sensor is used to determine if a pressure spike accompanies the opening of the outlet valve (the pressure spike being indicative of a calibration difference between the inlet pressure sensor and the outlet pressure sensor). The pressure spike is used by the algorithm to compensate for the calibration difference in the next pump cycle.
In an alternate embodiment, the pump includes only a pressure sensor in fluid communication with an outlet side of the pump, and a first pump cycle is uncompensated. Two outlet pressure readings are taken during each cyclexe2x80x94one at a beginning of the pump cycle when the chamber is full of fluid, and one just as the fluid is finishing being expelled from the chamber. In the next pump cycle, the position of the driven member is adjusted relative to the chamber to compensate for any differential pressure between the two readings taken in the previous pump cycle.
Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a method that includes steps generally consistent with the functions implemented by the components of the apparatus described above. A further aspect of the present invention is directed to an algorithm that includes steps also generally consistent with the description set forth above.

Method for compensating for pressure differences across valves in cassette type IV pump