Methods and systems for simulating an electronic system in a high level modeling system (HLMS). A design block and certain signals of the electronic system are selected. The selected signals include internal signals of the design block that are not ports of the design block. The electronic system is simulated in the HLMS, which includes a hardware-based co-simulation platform and a software-based co-simulation platform. A hardware realization of the design block is automatically generated and the design block is emulated in the hardware based co-simulation platform using the hardware realization of the design block. A sequence of values is displayed for the selected signals of the electronic system. During the simulation of the electronic system in the HLMS, the sequence of values for the internal signals of the design block and another sequence of values for the ports of the design block are transferred between the co-simulation platforms.

During the process of developing an electronic system, the behavior of the electronic system may be simulated based on a specification of the design of the electronic system. Simulating the electronic system helps to verify correct behavior prior to physical implementation of a circuit for the electronic system. Wasted manufacturing costs due to faulty design may thereby be avoided.
Numerous tools are available for simulating electronic systems including, for example, high-level modeling systems (HLMSs). Co-simulation may also be used when the design may be more efficiently simulated by simulating different parts of the design on different simulation platforms ("co-simulation platforms").
Example co-simulation platforms include both software-based and hardware-based platforms. In a software-based platform, a portion of the design is simulated with software running on a workstation, for example. In a hardware-based platform, a portion of the design is emulated on a hardware platform that includes a programmable logic device (PLD), such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA). Co-simulation using a hardware platform may reduce the time required for a simulation run. The Modelsim simulator and the NC-SIM simulator from Cadence are example software-based platforms, and the Wildcard development platform from Annapolis Microsystems and the Benone development platform from Nallatech are example hardware-based platforms. The WildCard and Benone platforms are often used for algorithm exploration and design prototyping.
Most design tools recognize and support a hierarchical specification of the design, which allows the design to be specified and viewed at different levels of abstraction. The term "block" is sometimes used to refer to a collection of parts of a design that perform a function. Blocks consume inputs and produce outputs as a function of internal state, blocks are connected by arcs, and arcs conduct data between blocks. At some level in this hierarchical framework, simulating the design involves moving data from one block of the design to another block of the design.
An HLMS, such as System Generator for DSP (Sysgen) HLMS, may permit a block of a design for an electronic system to be translated into PLD configuration data that may be used to configure a hardware-based co-simulation platform. The HLMS software may include a "hardware co-simulation block" as a proxy for the hardware based co-simulation platform. Like other blocks of the electronic system, the hardware co-simulation block consumes inputs and produces outputs. The hardware co-simulation block transfers the inputs for the block from the HLMS software to the hardware-based co-simulation platform and transfers the outputs of the block from the hardware-based co-simulation platform to the HLMS software.
Emulating a design block on a hardware-based co-simulation platform may reduce the time required for a simulation run for the electronic system. However, verifying correct behavior of the electronic system may be time-consuming because the encapsulation of the design block in the hardware-based co-simulation platform may prevent accessing the internal signals of the design block.
The present invention may address one or more of the above issues.

Displaying signals of a design block emulated in hardware co-simulation


The present invention provides a method and apparatus for controlling an actuation of a compression brake associated with a combustion engine. The engine includes a fluid circuit for delivering a fluid to the compression brake. The engine also includes a cylinder having an associated exhaust valve. The method includes the steps of establishing a desired timing of an actuation of the brake, determining an air pressure of the engine, and determining a desired fluid pressure in response to the timing and the air pressure.

Engine retarding devices of the compression release type may utilized in work machines such as on-highway trucks and the like. A compression release brake assembly utilizes compression within the truck's engine to assist the truck's main braking system in order to slow the truck. In effect, such compression release brake assemblies convert the truck's internal combustion engine into an air compressor in order to develop retarding horsepower which is utilized to assist in slowing the truck.
Compression release brake assemblies which have previously been designed typically include a fluid system having a master cylinder having a piston which is actuated by a cam lobe or push rod associated with an exhaust valve, intake valve, or fuel injector corresponding to a first engine cylinder. Actuation of the piston associated with the master cylinder controls actuation of a piston associated with a slave cylinder which selectively opens and closes the exhaust vale of a second, different engine cylinder near the end of the compression stroke thereby causing the mechanical work performed during the compression stroke to be dissipated and hence not "recovered" during the subsequent power stroke.
In one embodiment of a hydraulically actuated compression brake, controlling the pressure of the hydraulic fluid may be useful in achieving the desired timing of the opening of the exhaust valve, with the desired force. As the cylinder pressure varies within a cylinder, the desired force for opening the exhaust valve also varies. Excessive exhaust actuation speed, which may be caused by excessive actuating fluid pressure, may cause a reduction in the service life of the exhaust valve. For example, if the actuating fluid pressure is too high, the lift of the exhaust valve may potentially overshoot and interfere with the piston, thereby potentially damaging the piston or valve. In addition, the faster the exhaust valve closes, which may be influenced by fluid pressure, the greater the velocity at which the exhaust valve seats. If the exhaust valve closes too rapidly, damage to the exhaust valve and/or the associated valve seat may occur. An inadequate actuating fluid pressure may result in the exhaust valve not being opened.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems identified above.

Method and apparatus for controlling the actuation of a compression brake


A dental dispensing tip includes a body having a first body end, a second body end, and a fluid passageway extending between the first and second body ends. A brush cup is provided at the second body end and has a brush barrel defined therein. A brush applicator is secured within the brush barrel and includes a plurality of bristles, wherein a first end of the brush applicator is received within the brush barrel and a second end of the brush applicator extends out of the brush barrel. A delivery cannula is in fluid communication with the fluid passageway and has a bent end entering the plurality of bristles at an intermediate location between the first and second ends to deliver the dental solution to the plurality of bristles.

The present disclosure relates to tools used in the field of dentistry and, more particularly, to dental dispensing tips used to deliver dental solutions to a tooth surface.
In the field of dentistry, various dental medicaments and solutions are applied to the teeth of a patient as part of routine dental cleaning, preparation, and restorative processes. During dental cleaning processes, for example, fluoride is often applied to teeth to prevent tooth decay, wherein the fluoride hardens the enamel tooth surface by forming calcium fluoride. One method of applying fluoride to teeth is by dispensing a fluoride gel composition into a dental tray and subsequently placing the dental tray over the teeth of the patient. The tray holds the fluoride gel composition adjacent to the teeth and, after a desired amount of time, the dental tray is removed and the remaining fluoride gel composition is then rinsed off the teeth.
Another method involves the direct application of a fluoride varnish to the teeth of a patient. Fluoride varnish typically includes a mixture of fluoride salt dispersed within a sticky, adhesive hydrophobic varnish material. The fluoride varnish is usually stored within a dedicated cup or tray that can be accessed by the dental practitioner. The dental practitioner dips a brushed dental applicator or "dental brush" into the cup or tray and brushes the fluoride varnish onto the teeth. Once applied, the fluoride varnish adheres to the teeth and subsequently erodes away after several hours.
Today, there are various dental dispensing tips having brush applicators that can be used to deliver dental solutions to the teeth of a patient. For example, combination applicator and syringe dental dispensing tips often include an associated brush applicator disposed on its distal end. However, current dental dispensing tips are unable to adequately dispense high-viscosity liquid dental solutions due to the resulting high capillary action of the dental solutions. More specifically, the bristles of conventional brush applicators are usually formed through known flocking methods, such as electrostatic flocking or gravity flocking. Flocked brush applicators, however, tend to introduce bubbles into high-viscosity dental solutions as the dental solution is expressed through the bristles. Alternatively, other methods of manufacturing the brush applicators do not allow an adequate amount of brush bristles to be available to spread the dental solution and are therefore ineffective.


The organizer of the present invention has (a) a panel, (b) a work surface; and (c) a rim for coupling the work surface to the panel. Preferably, the panel is part of a backpack. The work surface is light permeable and a space exists between the work surface and the panel for placement of a sheet of paper or other object between the work surface and the panel. Static electricity maintains the sheet of paper against the work surface in a removably affixed position. The sheet has indicia thereon which are observable through the work surface.

1. Invention Disclosure
An embodiment of this invention was described in an invention Disclosure Document, No. 419,974, filed on May 27, 1997, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
2. The Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of organizers. More specifically, this invention relates to backpacks containing supplies and tools.
3. The Relevant Technology
Writing and drawing are forms of communication and expression which are central to human life and have been for centuries. While a great deal of writing and drawing occurs in an office or home setting in which an individual has ready access to a table or other writing surface, it is common for authors, artists, and draftsmen to travel to remote locations in order to write or draw.
Artists, for example, travel to a scenic environment, a street corner or another remote location in order to record their surroundings on paper. Writers often abandon the busy and hectic atmosphere of urban life in order to find peace in the outdoors, such as in a park, on a beach, or in the mountains. Others attempt to draw or write while traveling in an automobile or airplane.
For each of these writing and drawing enthusiasts, their decision to write or draw in these remote locations presents a variety of advantages, such as those listed, but also presents certain challenges, including finding a convenient writing surface on which to express themselves. For example, upon arriving at a park, a writer must often search for a surface upon which to place a piece of paper in order to begin writing.
It is not uncommon for a writer or artist to carry a clipboard, a pad of paper or a book to a remote location, then draw or write on the pad of paper or on a piece of paper placed on the book, clipboard, or pad. A difficulty associated with typical portable writing supplies, however, is that the writing supplies must be transported by either holding onto the writing supplies, placing the supplies in a vehicle, or placing the supplies in a bag, backpack or other temporary storage container while travelling to the remote location. Upon arriving at a desired destination, the user must remove the paper and a clipboard or a book out of the temporary storage container in order to begin writing or drawing.
While the simple process of removing a piece of paper from a container, then placing the piece of paper onto a surface which permits writing on the paper may not be cumbersome for the individual who has brought a book or clipboard or arrived at a location with a bench, this process is particularly cumbersome when the artist or writer fails to bring a book or clipboard or is confined within an enclosed space, such as an automobile or airplane.
Particularly children are susceptible to becoming frustrated if they would like to entertain themselves in an automobile, airplane, bus, train or other mode of transportation by writing or drawing if their supplies are disorganized and if they must balance a paper on top of a book on their lap. The frustration of children often results in behavioral outbursts, which can result in parental frustration.
In addition to the frustration of transporting a book or clipboard to a remote location in order to provide a surface on which to write, the writing supplies transported also tend to become disorganized and damaged if merely stuffed into a backpack or bag. Although certain backpacks and bags have been designed with pouches and other holding devices, these backpacks and bags are generally designed to be placed away from a specific work area, such as on the floor or in a neighboring chair once the user arrives at a location and removes the writing supplies therefrom.
While it is possible in some circumstances to keep a bag having organizing compartments close by while writing or drawing, such as when the user is sitting at a table and places the bag on the table, it is often inconvenient or impossible to keep the bag with organizing compartments within a work area, such as when riding in an automobile or airplane. Furthermore, since typical backpacks and bags are designed to be comprised of a lightweight, pliable, woven material, the material often used is typically not suitable for writing thereon or for placing a piece of paper thereon in order to write on the paper.
Another related problem within the art relates to workers who carry supplies and tools to remote locations, then desire a work surface upon which to manipulate items. Plumbers, repairmen, electricians, construction workers, and a host of other individuals, for example, often carry supplies and tools to a remote location, then desire a flat area on which to manipulate parts and other objects only to find that they are working in a cumbersome space in which a flat surface is not readily available. While it is possible to carry tools and supplies in a bag or backpack and carry a separate work surface which is suitable for manipulating the tools and supplies on, this practice is often inconvenient and cumbersome.


A drainage device for implantation in an eye of a patient to treat an ocular condition, that includes an implant body portion comprising of a valve portion. The valve portion may comprise a flexible membrane disposed and arranged in a manner to affect flow of aqueous humor through the implant body portion. The device may also include a reed valve disposed downstream of the flexible membrane. The reed valve may be configured to prevent backflow of aqueous humor toward the membrane and configured to stabilize flow by affecting pressure at the flexible membrane. In one aspect, the reed valve is configured to create backpressure at the membrane that affects the rate of flow at the flexible membrane.

The present disclosure relates generally to ocular implants for IOP control that use a reed valve to regulate drainage.
Glaucoma, a group of eye diseases affecting the retina and optic nerve, is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide. Most forms of glaucoma result when the intraocular pressure (TOP) increases to pressures above normal for prolonged periods of time. IOP can increase due to high resistance to the drainage of the aqueous humor relative to its production. Left untreated, an elevated IOP causes irreversible damage to the optic nerve and retinal fibers resulting in a progressive, permanent loss of vision.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of the front portion of an eye that helps to explain the processes of glaucoma. In FIG. 1, representations of the lens 10, cornea 20, iris 30, ciliary body 40, trabecular meshwork 50, Schlemm's canal 60, and anterior chamber 70 are pictured. Anatomically, the anterior segment of the eye includes the structures that cause elevated IOP which may lead to glaucoma. Aqueous humor fluid is produced by the ciliary body 40 which lies beneath the iris 30 and adjacent to the lens 10 in the anterior segment of the eye. This aqueous humor washes over the lens 10 and iris 30 and flows to the drainage system located in the angle of the anterior chamber 70. The angle of the anterior chamber 70, which extends circumferentially around the eye, contains structures that allow the aqueous humor to drain. The trabecular meshwork 50 is commonly implicated in glaucoma. The trabecular meshwork 50 extends circumferentially around the anterior chamber 70. The trabecular meshwork 50 seems to act as a filter, limiting the outflow of aqueous humor and providing a back pressure that directly relates to IOP. Schlemm's canal 60 is located beyond the trabecular meshwork 50. Schlemm's canal 60 is fluidically coupled to collector channels (not shown) allowing aqueous humor to flow out of the anterior chamber 70. The two arrows in the anterior segment of FIG. 1 show the flow of aqueous humor from the ciliary bodies 40, over the lens 10, over the iris 30, through the trabecular meshwork 50, and into Schlemm's canal 60 and its collector channels.
One method of treating glaucoma includes implanting a drainage device in a patient's eye. The drainage device allows fluid to flow from the anterior chamber of the eye to a drainage site, relieving pressure in the eye and thus lowering IOP.
Conventional drainage devices are passive valves that have limited control over flow rates and are designed to drain fluid from the anterior chamber to a drainage location elsewhere in the eye. These devices have only limited control over the flow rates of fluid through the device, and are often most effective when pressure differentials between the anterior chamber and the drainage site are relatively small. When pressure differentials are larger, such as during the periods immediately following implantation, the passive drainage device can be ineffective in controlling flow leading to high frequency oscillatory pressures, and also may allow excessive drainage leading to an excessively quick drop in pressure and in IOP, possibly resulting in hemorrhaging or chamber collapse. What is needed is a system that provides stabilized flow control through the drainage device even in high pressure differential scenarios, such as immediately following surgery.
The system and methods disclosed herein overcome one or more of the deficiencies of the prior art.

Adjustable valve for IOP control with reed valve


Oscillating table for thick slab production plants, comprising pairs of bars (8, 8′, 9, 9′), lying on at least one horizontal plane, which constitute the elastic support elements of the ingot mould (3), thus permitting an optimal guiding of the oscillation thereof exclusively in the casting direction (x), said pairs of bars (8, 8′, 9, 9′) constituting a tie rod-strut system working in bending that confers to the table very high torsional and lateral stiffness. It allows a high ingot mould (3) guiding precision thus consenting, for example, wide oscillations exclusively in the axial casting direction.

1. Technical Field
The present invention refers to an oscillating table, specifically to an oscillating table of an ingot mould, used in plants for the production of metal products, such as thick slab, with a quadrangular section, having longitudinal sides with a length far greater with respect to the transverse sides.
2. State of the Art
Traditional oscillating tables for the production of thick slabs have been described in various patent documents.
Of these, the document U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,957 describes an oscillation device for the continuous casting of thick slabs comprising an ingot mould suited to oscillating in the casting direction. This ingot mould is mounted on springs that act as guiding elements, blocked at both ends to fixing supports of a support structure fixed to the ground. Specifically, it provides two pairs of springs that extend transversely to the casting direction, each pair being arranged on a vertical plane parallel to the narrow sides of the ingot mould. The ingot mould is made to oscillate thanks to the connection thereof with hydraulic oscillation means, arranged below each of the pairs of springs. Such hydraulic means are fixed at one end to the fixed support structure, and at the other end they act on part of the ingot mould that constitutes the fixing block of the same ingot mould to the springs.
Disadvantageously, in order to assure a high guiding precision of the ingot mould and therefore avoid other types of movement outside the oscillation motion in the casting direction only, this oscillation device or oscillating table provides a cumbersome structure and a high overall weight. For example, it is necessary to use springs of considerable dimensions to avoid any movement of the ingot mould in the longitudinal direction, defined as the horizontal direction parallel to the long sides of the ingot mould.
Furthermore, springs, fixing block of the ingot mould to said springs and the same support structure have considerable encumbrance and weight also to prevent roll movements on both the longitudinal plane, parallel to the long sides of the ingot mould, and on the transverse plane, parallel to the short sides of the ingot mould, which could be caused by parallel moments acting on the aforesaid planes respectively. Only with these features it is in fact possible to avoid deviations and displacements of the ingot mould from the guiding trajectory desired.
A further disadvantage of this oscillating table is therefore that of necessitating higher actuation forces, i.e. of a large dimension oscillation control. Furthermore, the duration of the springs is limited due to the high alternated flexion stresses that result due to the high inertia.
The need is therefore felt to provide an innovative oscillating table for thick slabs that makes it possible to overcome the above drawbacks.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An optical communication cable and related systems and methods are provided. A method for field terminating an optical fiber of a fiber optic distribution cable includes accessing at least one of a plurality of optical fibers of the distribution cable by creating an access location in the distribution cable, inserting a cutting tool through the access location such that the cutting tool extends longitudinally past the access location a predetermined distance, terminating the at least one of the plurality of optical fibers at the predetermined distance, removing at least a portion of the at least one terminated optical fiber through the access location, and inserting the portion of the at least one terminated optical fiber through a furcation tube premounted on a small access closure device.

The disclosure relates generally to optical communication cables and related hardware, and in particular to fiber optic cables, hardware, and network solutions involving mid-span access of fibers. Optical communication cables have seen increased use in a wide variety of electronics and telecommunications fields. Optical communication cables may contain or surround one or more optical communication fibers. The cable provides structure and protection for the optical fibers within the cable. As buried Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) installations become more prevalent, a low cost, efficient Network Access Point for 1 or 2 users is needed in order to contain deployment connectivity costs, particularly in rural applications.


A method and an apparatus are provided for generating an output frame from an input frame, in which the input frame is processed when generating the output frame. A region of a current input frame is compared with a region of a preceding input frame to determine if the region of the current input frame is similar to the region of the preceding input frame. When the region of the current input frame is determined to be similar to the region of the preceding input frame, information relating to processing performed on the region of the preceding input frame when generating a region of a preceding output frame is read, wherein the information is generated during the processing on the region of the preceding input frame. When the information indicates that the processing is unnecessary, a part or all of the processing of the region of the current input frame can be bypassed or eliminated.

The technology described herein relates to a method of and an apparatus for generating an output frame. In particular, the technology described herein relates to a method of and an apparatus for generating from an input frame an output frame to be displayed on a display device or to be written to memory.
When an image is generated, for example to be displayed on a display device, the image generally requires processing before being displayed. The processing may for example include scaling with respect to the dimensions of the display, upscaling of a low resolution image to a higher resolution image or vice versa, applying a sharpening or smoothing algorithm to the image, performing image enhancement or composing the image with other data such as text or another image, generating information (metadata) about the image, etc.
In a conventional display device, such image processing is generally performed at the frame refresh rate of the display, for example at 60 fps. For currently available tablet display devices, e.g. with a resolution of 2048×1536 pixels at 32bppx, to refresh the display at 60 fps requires the processing of 720 MB of data per second.
Image processing is normally performed in a "single pass", in that the processed image is sent directly to the display without being written to memory. It may be performed within the display controller of the display device or by a processing engine that is separate from the display controller. Performing image processing in a single pass is conventionally considered advantageous as the processed images are used immediately instead of being written back to memory, which would have increased the requirement for bandwidth and power.
However, as display resolutions continue to increase and image processing performed in mobile devices become increasingly complex in order to improve image quality, image processing is expected to become more computationally expensive.
Like reference numerals are used for like features throughout the drawings, where appropriate.

Method of and apparatus for generating an output frame


A window installation system is provided for use with a window opening of a first size and a window assembly having the frame including an outer periphery having a second size less than the first size. The system includes a plurality of mounting units each mounted between the window opening and the frame. Each mounting unit includes a first strip mounted on the window opening. Associated therewith is a second strip mounted on the frame. Next provided is an elevation assembly for selectively distancing the frame from the window opening.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wooden shims and more particularly pertains to a new window installation system for obviating the need for wood shims to securely fit a window or door assembly within an opening in a wall.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of wooden shims is known in the prior art. More specifically, wooden shims heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art wooden shims and the like include U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,342; U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,791; U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,343; U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,879; U.S. Pat. No. 1,669,835; and U.S. Patent Des. 372,540.
In these respects, the window installation system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of obviating the need for wood shims to securely fit a window or door assembly within an opening in a wall.


An improvement in a device for applying heat-transferrable decalcomania to a generally curved container surface such as a mug comprising a multiple segment tightening band surrounding a cushioned blanket surrounding a heating element, the segments being hingedly connected so that the band firmly applies the cushioned blanket heating element against the decalcomania and the contiguous curved container surface to effect transfer of the decalcomania design to the container surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a device for applying heat-transferrable decalcomania to a curved container surface, and more particularly, to an improvement in the positioning of the heating element against the decalcomania and the surface by a novel tightening band.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to apply a heat-transferrable decalcomania, commonly known as a decal, to articles positioned on flat surfaces. It is also known to apply such decals to curved surfaces so long as uniform pressure and temperature is applied over the entire expanse of the decal and, in turn, over the cylindrical surface overlaid with the decal. For example, rigid, bulky, heated and curved metal castings have been used to engage one side of the surface of a mug, and in some instances two such castings have been hinged together to encompass opposite sides of the mug.
It is also a part of the prior art to utilize a flexible blanket with a contained heater to encircle a curved surface article such as a mug so that when the blanket is tightened it snugly engages the surface and enables the transfer of the design from the decal to the mug surface when the heater is activated. Such blankets provide satisfactory results, however, tensioning the blanket sometimes is less than fully satisfactory since the blanket either slides along the mug surface, thus damaging the decal, or it does not uniformly engage with radial pressure the entire curved surface of the mug to be printed. Thus there is a need to utilize another component to effectively press the blanket and its contained heater uniformly against the mug curved surface in order to effect totally satisfactory application of decals.

Device for applying heat-transferrable decalcomania to a curved container surface


A microprogram branching method and apparatus generate a continue address by successively incrementing an address, generate a branch address by referring to a branch address table depending on predetermined branch conditions, where the branch address table prestores branch addresses, discriminate whether or not a branch is to be made depending on the predetermined branch conditions and obtaining a discrimination result, select the continue address normally and selecting the branch address when the discrimination result indicates that the branch is to be made, and output a data which is read out from an address of a main memory depending on the selected address, where the main memory prestores microprograms.

The present invention generally relates to microprogram branching methods and microsequencers employing such microprogram branching methods, and more particularly to a microprogram branching method and a microsequencer employing the microprogram branching method for realizing a high-speed branch process with a reduced number of program steps. The present invention is suited for application to a direct memory access controller (DMAC) which employs an internal control system using microprograms.
Generally, when constructing a microcomputer system, various peripheral large scale integrated circuits (LSIs) are required in addition to a central processing unit (CPU), and the DMAC is one of such peripheral LSIs. With the increase of the number of bits of the CPU to 16 or 32 bits, for example, there is now a demand for high performance DMACs which have a large number of functions. For this reason, there are proposed DMACs which employ the internal control system using microprograms, and the design facility and flexibility of the DMACs are improved together with the improved functions thereof.
FIG. 1 shows an essential part of an example of a conventional DMAC, that is, a microsequencer of the conventional DMAC. In FIG. 1, the microsequencer includes a micro read only memory (ROM) 10 which stores microprograms, an increment circuit 11 which generates a continue address C.sub.A by incrementing (adding +1 to) an address which is presently executed, an address register 12 which latches the continue address C.sub.A, a start address generating circuit 13 which generates a predetermined start address S.sub.A in response to a predetermined start signal START, a discriminating circuit 14 which discriminates whether or not a branch is to be made depending on various predetermined branch conditions, and a selection circuit 15 which operates responsive to a discrimination result obtained in the discriminating circuit 14. The selection circuit 15 normally selects the continue address C.sub.A, selects the start address S.sub.A when the start signal START is received, and selects the data (a branch address J.sub.A ') obtained from the micro ROM 10 when the branch is to be made.
Normally, according to this microsequencer, the data within the micro ROM 10 is successively obtained depending on the continue address C.sub.A and a required operation is carried out in an operation execution part (not shown) so as to carry out various functions of the DMAC. In addition, the branch address J.sub.A ' is selected depending on an operation information obtained from the operation execution part or status information (so-called branch conditions) obtained from various registers (not shown), and a branch process is carried out by executing a predetermined sub program indicated by the branch address J.sub.A '.
The branch process is carried out as follows, for example. That is, when the discriminating circuit 14 determines the branch conditions after examining the branch conditions and the data read out from the micro ROM 10 in an arbitrary step, the selection circuit 15 selects the branch address J.sub.A ' at this point in time and a new branch address J.sub.A ' is read out from the address of the micro ROM 10 indicated by the branch address J.sub.A '. Then, the micro ROM 10 is addressed by the new branch address J.sub.A ' and the process advances to the data processing of the branch address.
However, in the conventional DMAC, the branch address information is stored in the same microprogram. For this reason, when a branch is to be made, for example, an addressing operation must be carried out in duplicate by once obtaining the branch address J.sub.A ' from the microprogram and then obtain the new branch address J.sub.A ' for designating the sub program based on the previously obtained branch address J.sub.A '. In other words, there is a problem in that the efficiency of the branch process is poor.
FIG. 2 shows an example of the branch addresses stored in the micro ROM 10. For example, a branch instruction "JMP A(20)" at an address "10" instructs a branch to an address "20" when certain branch conditions are satisfied. When the branch is made, a branch instruction "JMP B(30)" instructs a branch to an address "30" when certain branch conditions are satisfied. In this typical example, it takes three clock cycles to process the two branch instructions as may be seen from FIGS. 3(A) through 3(C). FIG. 3(A) shows a clock signal CLK, where P and D respectively denote precharge and discharge times of the micro ROM 10. FIGS. 3(B) and 3(C) respectively show the address ADR and the data DATA.
Especially in the case of recent DMACs which are provided with a plurality of kinds of transfer functions, there is a need to frequently carry out a branch process to switch the functions. Hence, the above described problem is particularly notable in this case.

System for selecting next instruction address between unit incremented address and address from table specified by operating condition signals


Methods and devices are disclosed driving one or more P-Intrinsic-N (PIN) diodes by receiving an input and generating a plurality of pulses based on the input, a first pulse of the plurality of pulses controls a rise time of an RF envelope generated by an RF interface and a second pulse of the plurality of pulses controls a fall time of the RF envelope generated by the RF interface. The methods and devices may further be disclosed combining the plurality of pulses to generate a drive signal, delivering the drive signal to the RF interface including one or more PIN diodes, and generating the RF envelope by driving the one or more PIN diodes with the drive signal, and the amplitude or a pulse width of the first pulse is independently adjustable from the amplitude or the pulse width of the second pulse.

P-Intrinsic-N diodes (PIN) diodes include an intrinsic semiconductor region between the P-type semiconductor and the N-type semiconductor region of a typical PN diode. The intrinsic region is different than an ordinary PN diode because the intrinsic region makes the PIN diode suitable for fast switching. The intrinsic region of the PIN diode operates by receiving injected charge carriers from the "P" and "N" regions, and after the intrinsic region of the PIN reaches equilibrium (i.e., where the number of electrons is equal to the number of holes in the intrinsic region) the PIN diode will conduct current. Among other applications, PIN diodes are commonly used as Radio Frequency (RF) switches, attenuators, and photodetectors.

Multi-step drive signal for PIN diode based RF amplitude modulators


When production testing a permeable first formation, fluid flowing out from the first formation is subjected to a pressure measurement and a flow rate control. In order to avoid bringing up the fluid flowing out during the production test to a surface position, where the fluid""s inherent explosion and fire risk as well as poisonousness would cause substantial problems, a fluid flow path is arranged for fluid transfer between the first formation to be production tested and a second permeable formation. The fluid flow path is preferably constituted by a channel-forming pipe. From this channel, the second permeable formation receives the fluid and keeps it for some time. In the position of use, the apparatus is assigned sealing devices such as annulus packers, which are placed such that fluid flow between the formations is limited to only follow the fluid flow path.

This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for use in production test of a formation expected to be permeable. After having pointed out the existence of hydrocarbons upon drilling for oil and gas, a so-called production test is carried out, in order to provide information about permeable layers outside the bore hole or well itself.
Prior to a production test, when reservoir fluid is allowed to flow out of the formation, the well is provided with some equipment, including means to control the flow rate and measuring equipment to measure pressure and flow rate.
A production test has two phases, each with a duration of e.g. 24 hours. In both phases, a constant fluid flow is established from the formation.
In the beginning, it is fluid in the immediate neighbourhood of the well that flows into the well but, gradually, fluid from areas spaced at constantly larger distances from the well is drained off. The pressure within the well decreases due to the fact that the fluid must flow a constantly longer distance through the formation and, thus, is subjected to a constantly increasing pressure loss. Upon the maintenance of a constant flow rate, it is achieved that the course of pressure within the well only depends on the character of the formation, which can be examined. Therefore, the course of pressure, i.e. interdependent values for pressure and time, is recorded during the production test. In the second phase of the production test, following immediately after the first phase, the fluid flow into the well is stopped.
Then, the pressure within the well will gradually increase to formation pressure as the formation around the well is refilled by means of the fluid flow into the well from remote areas. Also in this second phase, values for pressure and time are recorded.
Recorded pressurexe2x80x94time values in the two phases of the production test represent an important basis for subsequent analyses, appraisals and planning of further drilling activity and, possibly, development of an oil field. The question may well arise as to record other parameters, e.g. temperature, in addition to pressure and it is, of course, important to carry out chemical analyses of samples from the reservoir fluid.
Sealing means, e.g. in the form of annulus packers, are also adapted to take care of security requirements.
The present invention is directed to a method and an apparatus for maintaining a constant flow of reservoir fluid in the well while pressure and, possibly, other parameters are read off.
By a production test it is known to conduct fluid from the reservoir to the surface through a so-called tubing, which is installed in the well. Sealing means are disposed within the annulus between the production tubing and the well wall, preferably on a place where a well casing has been installed, so that reservoir fluid is conducted to the surface through the tubing and not through the annulus. At the upper end thereof, the tubing is assigned a valve adapted to control the fluid flow, and sensors and measuring equipment are disposed, at least for allowing the reading off and recording time, flow rate in the tubing and pressure within the well.
It is known to install a downhole pump in order to achieve and maintain sufficient flow rate to carry out a production test if the pressure within the reservoir or the properties of the formation or reservoir fluid are such that this is required.
Even if the described technique is well developed and has been known for many years, it still suffers from a plurality of disadvantages and deficiencies.
Reservoir fluid constitutes, when it reaches the surface, a safety risk due to danger of explosion, fire hazard and toxicity. Therefore, substantial security measures must be made in connection with a production test. Additionally, reservoir fluid constitutes an environmental problem because production tests naturally are carried out before one takes the costs of installing process equipment. Therefore, it has been customary to conduct reservoir fluid to a burner. Due to the fact that combustion causes unwanted escapes of environmental gases and uncontrolled amounts of hydrocarbons into the sea, there exist some places, such as on the Norwegian continental shelf, where, owing to restrictions on burning and limitation in periods during a year for testing, it has become interesting to collect produced reservoir fluid and convey it to a suitable process plant. Even if this is an environmentally satisfactory solution, it is, nevertheless, awkward, price-raising as well as exhibitting many restrictions both in time and with respect to weather conditions.
The preparations taking place before production testing comprise typically setting and cementing of casings for insulating various permeable layers, and to take care of safety requirements. Additionally, special production tubing is used down to the layer/bed to be tested. These preparations are time-consuming and expensive. Safety considerations make it some times necessary to strengthen an already set well casing, perhaps over the entire or a substantial part of the length of the well; particularly in high pressure wells it might be required to install extra casings in the upper parts of the well.
It can be difficult to secure a good cementing, and it may arise channels, cracks or lack of cement. In many cases, it is difficult to define or measure the quality of the cement or the presence of cement. Unsatisfactory cementing causes great possibility for the occurrence of so-called cross flows to or from other permeable formations outside the casing. Cross flows may, to a high degree, influence the measurements carried out. Time-consuming and very expensive cementing repairs might be required in order to eliminate such sources of errors.
Today""s system can take care of drilling of wells in deep waters, but does not provide a safe and secure production testing. In deep water, it is difficult to take care of security in case the drilling vessel drifts out of position, or whenever the riser is subjected to large, uncontrollable and not measurable vibrations or leeway. Such a situation requires a rapid disconnection of the riser or production tubing subsequently to the closing of the production valve at the seabed. To-day""s system is defective in respect of reacting on and point out dangerous situations.
Further, in ordinary production it is usual to use various forms of well stimulation. Such stimulation may consist in the addition of chemicals into the formation in order to increase the flow rate. A simple well stimulation consists in subjecting the formation to pressure pulses so that it cracks and, thus, becomes more permeable, so-called xe2x80x9cfracturingxe2x80x9d of the formation. A side-effect of fracturing can be a large increase in the amount of sand accompanying the reservoir fluid. In connection with production testing, it may in some relations be of interest to be able to effect a well stimulation in order to observe the effect thereof. Again, the case is such that an ordinary production equipment is adapted to avoid, withstand, resist and separate out sand, while corresponding measures are of less importance when carrying out a production test.
In some cases, it would be useful to be able to carry out a reversed production test, pumping produced fluid back into the formation again. However, this presupposes that produced fluid can be kept at approximate reservoir pressure and temperature. This will require extra equipment, and it will be necessary to use additional security measures. Further, it would require transfer of the production tubing. Probably, the production tubing would have to be pulled up and set once more, in order to give access to another formation. This is time-consuming as well as expensive. Therefore, it is not of actual interest to use such reversed production tests in connection with prior art technique. During a reversed production test, a pressure increase is observed in the well while a reversed constant fluid flow is maintained. When the reversed fluid flow is interrupted, a gradual pressure reduction will be observed in the well. Reversed production test may contribute to reveal a possible connection in the rock ground between formations connected by the channel, and may in some cases also contribute to define the distance from the well to such a possible connection between the formations.
The object of the invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for production testing a well where the described disadvantages of prior art technique have been avoided.
The object is achieved by means of features as defined in the following description and claims.
A main feature of the invention consists in that fluid is conducted from a first, expected permeable formation to a second permeable formation as opposed to prior art technique where fluid is conducted between a formation and the surface. According to the invention, prior to a production test, at least one channel connection is established between two formations, of which one (a first) formation is the one to be production tested. Further, sealing means are disposed to limit the fluid flow to take place only between the formations through the channel connection(s). When fluid flow takes place from first to second formation in an upward direction (the fluid flow may occur in the opposite direction, the formation being production tested then lying above said second, permeable formation accommodating the fluid flow), the sealing means, e.g. annulus packers, prevent fluid from flowing between the formations, outside the channel(s)
Within the channel, flow controlling means are disposed, inclusive a valve and, possibly, a pump, operable from the surface in order to control the fluid flow in the channel and, thus, between the formations. Further, within the channel, a sensor for flow rate in the channel is disposed. This sensor may, possibly, be readable from an surface position.
Additionally, sensors adapted to read pressure, temperature, detect sand, water and the like from the surface may be disposed. Of course, several sensors of each type may be disposed in order to monitor desired parameters at several places within the channel. As previously known, sensors for pressure and temperature are disposed within the well and, moreover, known equipment for timekeeping and recording of measuring values are used.
Upon a production test, by means of the flow rate sensor, the adjustable valve and, possibly, by means of said pump, a constant fluid flow is established and maintained in the channel, fluid flowing from one formation to the other formation. Pressure and, possibly, other well parameters are read and recorded as previously known. Thereafter, the fluid flow is closed, and a pressure built up within the well is monitored and recorded as known. By means of the invention, a production test might be extended to comprise a reversed flow through the utilisation of a reversible pump, so that fluid can be pumped in the opposite direction between the two formations.
Storing produced reservoir fluid in a formation results in the advantage that the fluid may have approximately reservoir conditions when it is conducted back into the reservoir. Further, according to the invention, well stimulating measures in the formation being production tested may be used. Fracturing may be achieved as known per se. To this end, the well is supplied with pressurised liquid, e.g. through a drill string coupled to the channel. Thereafter, a production test is carried out, such as explained. Additionally, a reversed production test may alternately give both injection and production date from two separated layers without having to pull the test string.

Method and an apparatus for use in production tests, testing an expected permeable formation


In the non-return valve of this invention, at its outlet there is a blade gate (1) and at least a part of the body (2) makes for a uniform cast of the valve body (3).

It is known from the submitted Polish P-343136 invention titled non-return valve with a ball closing element, whose body is equipped with a through-channel together with an inlet and outlet terminated With a ring seat, on which the closing ball element is settled in the closing position, as well as it is equipped with a deflected channel, whose diameter is greater than the diameter of
the closing ball element, which it enters while the valve is in open position. By the inlet, in the place of junction between the deflected channel and the through-channel, the body has an extended flow cross-section. The valve deflected channel has a blind with a through hole connected with the outlet of the through-channel,settling the closing ball element in a fully open position, while the through-channel is in a form of an elbow or knee. This valve can be produced in three basic versions with respect to the fixing point of the blind with the through hole. The blind can be permanently fixed to the elbow-shaped guiding rail of the cover or of the cleaningcover or to the deflected channel of the valve body. In the invention known from the submitted Polish patent application P-343137, the non-return valves with a ball-shaped body have some improvements in form of a resistance seat made of an unfinished ring or in a form of two incomplete ring crescents. The idea of these valves is essentially based upon tight separation of the lower pressure section on the upper side of deflected area, which prevents liquid flow through the deflected channel at fully open position of the valve, reducing the flow resistance coefficient of the ball at it fully open position.

Non-return valve with a ball-shaped valve body


A wheel assembly includes a decorative member mounted on an outer race of a bearing carried in a holder with an inner race mounted on a spindle and secured by an attachment fastener. The bearing holder is carried on the spindle projecting from a coupler hub fixed to an axle cap secured to a vehicle axle hub. Set screw fasteners are employed to retain securement fasteners to the spindle and to retain the coupler hub fasteners with the axle cap. The wheel mounting assembly permits the movably mounted decorative member carried on the rotatable vehicle axle hub to remain static or to rotate while the wheel is turning as a vehicle travels along a roadway.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of automotive accessories, and more particularly to a novel wheel assembly that employs interchangeable decorative members which rotate with or remain or appear static as the wheel rotates.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In the past, the conventional aluminum wheel design has employed elaborate "center" decorations and designs which require removal of substantial material from the wheel itself in order to create the design. The most limiting factor to the creative expression or enhancement of the "center" of the wheel is the direct effect material removal has on the strength of the wheel to create the design. Therefore, problems and difficulties have been encountered with employing conventional wheel design, which stem largely from the fact that the design enhancement is greatly limited due to the required removal of wheel material which then greatly weakens the strength of the wheel. Also, wheel center design is generally unchangeable and requires the placement of new wheels with different designs to achieve design change.
Furthermore, some prior centers for wheel visual enhancement are integral, non-removable members requiring structures fixedly secured to the wheel so as to rotate with the wheel as the vehicle mounting the wheels moves along a roadway. Thus, the variety of design and decorative options are greatly limited. For example, any design center enhanced by static viewing cannot be read or understood as a wheel rotates since such indicia becomes blurred. Decorative members or covers mounted on a wheel are disclosed in U.S. Letters Patents 5,845,972 and 6,517,167.
Therefore, a long-standing need has existed to provide a novel wheel design member or decorative member arrangement which includes a coupler that permits a variety of design configurations to be placed in the central area of the wheel and which may rotate with or appear to be or is stationary while the wheel rotates. Strength of the wheel will not be adversely affected and interchange ability of different designs should be accommodated.

Bearing mount for wheel mounted decorative member


The multiple component metering and relative proportioning device, in particular a two-component co-axial device, comprises a cartridge (1) wherein at least one inner package assembly (3) containing one component is lodged within an outer package assembly (2) containing another component. The package assemblies (2, 3) are collapsible and are located in a reusable rigid housing (4), each package assembly having an individual outlet (8, 11), all individual outlets being joined in a common outlet piece (10). The package assemblies are sealed at their other end where a re-usable piston (23) is slidingly lodged within the rigid housing for collapsing the package assemblies and dispensing their content. Such a device allows an efficient disposal of the collapsed package assemblies and of the front outlet piece, and rear pieces in a compact form, whereas the other parts are re-usable, thus maintaining a high reliability, user friendliness and cost effectiveness of the device.

Several forms of two component devices exist, comprising more than one receptacle, the most common of which is the side-by-side device. Such cartridges cause a disposal problem as they are rigid and bulky, and there is a substantial waste of plastics material.
There is a still increasing need for packaging, dispensing and applying such systems in an environmentally most friendly manner, as well as for the most reliable, efficient and cost effective way. Attempts have been made to use foil laminates as packaging media for single or two-component liquids. These packages will collapse inside a cylinder during dispensing and are compressed to a minimum size.
One example of it is disclosed in the WO-91/07333 which shows also two-component coaxially arranged bag cartridges with separate outlets united in one outlet. However no means for dispensing the content of the bags are disclosed. The EP-A-0 541 972 discloses a container with two side-by-side arranged sausage-type foil bags each having an outlet ending in one common outlet. The contents are pressed out by two pistons, each piston acting upon a ring.
However, until now, such cartridges have failed to gain much importance because their operation is unreliable, not user friendly, and the cartridge contents contaminate the device when replacing as well as making it messy for the operator.
Based on this prior art, it is an object of this invention to provide a multiple component, in particular a two-component metering and proportioning device which substantially reduces the problem regarding the disposal of the used cartridges and which allows a reliable, efficient and cost effective operation without contamination of user, and re-usable cartridge and dispensing equipment.

Multiple component metering and relative proportioning device with collapsible cartridge


A display device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure includes a plurality of pixels located at crossing regions of a plurality of scan lines and a plurality of data lines; a data driver coupled to ends of the plurality of data lines at a first side and configured to supply a plurality of data signals to the plurality of data lines; an inspection unit coupled to ends of the plurality of data lines at a second side and configured to supply a plurality of inspection signals to the plurality of pixels; at least one detection line electrically coupled to the inspection unit and extending from a first side of the panel to a second side of the panel; and a reset transistor coupled between the detection line and a reset power supply and configured to turn on when it receives a first control signal.

1. Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a display device and a method of inspecting the display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
As information technology has been developed, a display device that is a communication medium between a user and information has become increasingly popular. As such, a display device, such as a liquid crystal display device or an organic light emitting display device, is widely used.
In general, panels of a display device are formed on a mother substrate, and by scribing the mother substrate, the panels are separated into several panels. However, in the process of cutting the mother substrate, the periphery of the panel may be cracked. Thus, a method of detecting a crack of the panel of the display device is desired. In addition, a flexible panel is mounted in the display device, and thus a method of detecting a crack of the flexible panel is desired.

Display device and method of inspecting the same


A method for modeling an electromagnetic (EM) telemetry signal includes straightening a well in a model and dividing the well into a plurality of segments. The method also includes determining an electrical current in one or more of the segments when the well is straightened. The method also includes replacing the well with equivalent electrical sources based at least partially upon the electrical current in one or more of the segments. The method also includes bending the well back into its original shape in the model and determining the electrical current in one or more of the segments by projection when the well is back in its original shape. The method also includes summing EM fields for each of the one or more segments to estimate the EM telemetry signal.

Electromagnetic (EM) telemetry is an example of a communication tool for transmitting drilling mechanics and formation evaluation information uphole, in real-time, from a measurement-while-drilling (MWD) and/or logging-while-drilling (LWD) tool. When compared to conventional mud pulse telemetry, EM telemetry provides higher data transmission rates, better tolerances of lost circulation material (LCM), and rig-independent EM-downlinking. Consequently, it achieves reduced rig-time and lower costs of service delivery.
An uplink EM signal can be collected by at least two stakes on the surface. A blow-out preventer (BOP) can be used as one of the two stakes. Oftentimes, the EM signal may be attenuated (e.g., due to a conductive formation, water-based mud (WBM), and/or noises present at the rig site). Due to this attenuation, it may be difficult to detect a small/weak EM signal. This can make it difficult to decode the information sent out from the gap source in the transmitter, which can include the wide use of EM telemetry.
One solution is to use a steel-cased deep-electrode (DE) well adjacent to the drilling well to measure the signal. Through field tests, it has been confirmed that using deep electrodes as receivers has made it possible to decode EM telemetry signals until its touchdown (TD), e.g., 28,000 ft. However, a challenge with EM telemetry still exists with regard to predicting a real job EM signal knowing some information about the drilling well, DE well, as well as resistivity distribution of the formation. This can be a pre-job 3D EM modeling problem.

Modelling electromagnetic telemetry signals in deviated wells


Systems and methods for measuring calorie input are described. A calorie measure may be maintained. At least one image of a food item may be captured. The at least one image of the food item may be transmitted to a server. A calories consumed value may be received from the server. The calories consumed value may be determined based at least in part on the at least one image of the food item. The calorie measure may be updated based on the received calories consumed value.

Eating is a necessary part of life. The body needs fuel (e.g., food) to function and operate properly. This need for fuel is often expressed in the hunger urge. The hunger urge drives consumers to eat (e.g., consume calories). However, consumers eat for a variety of reasons other than satisfying their hunger. For example, consumers may eat simply for the purpose of being social. Indeed, eating has become a social activity and food has become deeply intertwined with social interaction. This leads consumers to eat more when they are with others who are eating. Advertising has also led to an increase in the consumption of food. In addition to the many promotional reasons for eating, consumers may also use eating as a coping mechanism for dealing with negative emotion (e.g., stress, depression, etc.). As a result consumers often overeat. Overeating, coupled with lifestyle behaviors that are increasingly sedentary, has led to epidemic numbers of consumers being overweight and/or obese.
These negative trends have resulted in increased attention to becoming health conscience. Approaches for becoming healthy (e.g., maintaining a healthy weight) include increasing the number of calories that are burned (through exercise, for example) and/or limiting the number of calories that are consumed (by calorie tracking, for example). Tracking calories has proven to be a difficult problem. Current calorie trackers require consumers to manually enter all of the calories that they consume. This means that each time the consumer eats they must figure out how many calories they are eating and enter that information into the calorie tracker. Often, the process of manually entering calorie information becomes so tedious that consumers lose interest and stop tracking the calories they consume. In another approach, calories may be tracked by only eating the items that are provided to the consumer as part of a specially prepared diet. While this approach allows for exact tracking of calorie intake, the specially prepared meals take away the spontaneity and many of the social aspects of eating. Furthermore, it is difficult for consumers to limit their eating to the specially prepared meals when they are constantly surrounded with food and/or social settings that include food.

Systems and methods for measuring calorie intake


A patient support apparatus comprises a substantially rigid support deck for supporting a patient support element, a first sensing element and a second sensing element arranged on the support deck and separated from one another in a direction along the width of the patient support apparatus. Each sensing element is configured to determine, in use, the force or pressure applied to it by the patient support element and a patient on the patient support element. One or more processors, coupled to the sensing elements, are configured to determine the location of the center of gravity of a patient on the patient support element, along the width of the patient support apparatus, based upon outputs of the first and second sensing elements. An alarm may be activated when the location of the center of gravity along the width of the patient support apparatus is outside a predetermined range of values.

The present disclosure is concerned with patient support apparatus and particularly with a patient detection system for detecting the presence of a patient on a patient-carrying surface of the patient support apparatus. Embodiments disclosed herein relate to apparatus for determining the force or pressure applied to the support deck by a patient on the patient support apparatus and means to thereby determine a location for the center of gravity of a patient on the patient support apparatus.
It is sometimes desirable to monitor the whereabouts of a patient, particularly when a doctor or other care giver has ordered that the patient remain on a patient-support device such as a hospital bed, a stretcher, or other device for carrying the patient. Several devices have been developed for detecting a patient exit from a patient-support device. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,432 to Travis discloses a bed exit detection mechanism for a hospital bed that relies on signals from load cells under the mattress supporting portion on the upper frame of the bed. The load cells support the upper bed frame and also any loads which are in turn supported by the frame, including a patient. This device uses the weight measured by each load cell to determine whether the center of gravity of the patient is over a predetermined region of the patient-carrying surface of the hospital bed. In addition, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,934,468 and 4,953,244, disclose a hospital bed having a support frame and a weigh frame mounted on the support frame by load cells.
Arrangements such as that of U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,432 comprising a weigh frame or scales under the upper bed frame require expensive components and are therefore expensive. They are also difficult to retrofit to existing beds.
It is also known to monitor the position of a person by attaching a portion of a transmitter/receiver system to the person being monitored so that when the person and thus the portion of the system attached to the person leaves a designated area, the remaining portion of the system detects the departure of the portion and thus the departure of the person and provides an indication of the person's departure. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,519,380 to Edwards discloses a bracelet module that is worn by the monitored person so that when the person and the bracelet module move outside of the monitored volume, an indication of departure is provided.
It is also known to monitor the position of a patient on a bed using bladders or other fluid-carrying devices positioned to lie between the patient and the top of the mattress or other patient support surface of the bed. Such bladders or fluid-carrying devices are in fluid communication with a pressure sensor so that the pressure sensor registers a bladder pressure in response to the patient's weight, the bladder pressure indicating the presence or absence of the patient on the bladder. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,140,309 and 5,184,122, both to Gusakov, each disclose an apparatus including resilient means in the form of a tube, cell or other form of fluid passage adapted to allow fluid such as air to flow from an inlet through the outlet when a passage is not collapsed by the weight of a patient. Indicating means indicate changes in pressure in the fluid supplied by the fluid supplying means, such as when the weight of a patient collapses the passage through the resilient means. By providing resilient means having a plurality of tubes, cells or other fluid passages and separate indicating means for each resilient means, the position of the patient relative to each resilient means can be monitored.
There are also several known systems that include sensors positioned to lie immediately beneath the patient (between the patient and the mattress or other patient support surface) and that provide electrical signals in response to the weight detected by the sensor so that an output signal indicating a significant change of weight acting against the sensor indicates movement of the patient to a position away from the sensor or to a position on top of the sensor. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,012 to Barham et al.; Swartout disclose a system which includes a sensor that provides an output signal in response to a change in the weight acting against the sensor.
Finally, it is also known to provide capacitive motion sensors for monitoring the movements of a person and even for measuring respiration, heartbeat, and body position of the person. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,766 to Alihanka et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,996 to Bellin et al. each disclose patient monitors including capacitive sensors. The device disclosed by the Alihanka patent can indicate that movement has occurred but cannot indicate what movement occurred or the position of the body when no movement is occurring, and the Bellin patent likewise can indicate movement but not position of the patient or that a patient has exited the bed.
Improvements in bed mattress designs have significantly reduced peak interface pressure between the patient and the mattress by maximizing the area over which the weight of the patient is distributed rather than concentrating the interface pressure at points along the patient, for example, the patient's head, shoulder blades and heels. In addition, recent patient population data indicates that some patients in general weigh less than in the past. Patient detection systems that rely on the weight of the patient to allow the sensor to detect the patient are rendered less effective as mattresses become more efficient at distributing the weight of the patient across the surface of the mattress and as the weight of the patient decreases. In addition, while it is desirable to minimize the interface pressure of high interface pressure points between the patient and the mattress by distributing the weight of the patient across the mattress, for example, by using mattresses including air bladder supports, interposing a sensor between the top surface of the mattress and the patient significantly reduces the effectiveness of the mattress at distributing the weight of the patient. In addition, for applications in which it is desirable to keep the patient dry and maintain the temperature of the patient at a desired temperature through the use of a "low air loss" mattress that allows a very small amount of air to escape the mattress and blow on the patient, interposing a sensor between the patient and the mattress reduces the effectiveness of the low air loss feature.
What is needed is a sensor that can sense the position of a patient relative to a patient-carrying surface of a patient-support device that can be positioned to lie away from the patient allowing the sensor to be placed away from the patient-carrying surface. In addition, the sensor should not require the attachment of a portion of the system to the patient.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,019 to Scott discloses a bed exit detection apparatus including a number of bed position sensors arranged underneath the mattress between the mattress and the mattress support frame or surface. The sensors each comprise separated conducting plates which together form a capacitor having a capacitor gap whose dielectric consent is affected by the absence or presence of a portion of a human body arranged above, but separated by the mattress from the respective sensor.
The complicated dielectric/capacitive sensor arrangement of Scott was considered necessary in order to overcome the perceived difficulties associated with sensing for the absence or presence of a body remote from the sensors (i.e. separated therefrom by the mattress) and in which the presence of the mattress would distribute the weight of the patient and thereby create difficulties.


An automatic focusing unit of the invention is detachably mounted on a camera having a focusing tube which is adjustable to focus photographic lens on an object to be photographed. The automatic focusing unit includes a lens position detector which is urged to project outwardly from the housing of the unit and come into contact with the focusing tube to detect the position of the lens when the unit is mounted on the camera. The lens position detector is withdrawn into the housing of the unit against a biasing force when an external force is exerted thereon and successfully protected from any damage occurring from erroneous mounting of the unit on the camera.

The present invention relates to an automatic focusing unit for camera, and more particularly to an automatic focusing unit suitably adapted for use with a photographic camera on which the automatic focusing unit is detachably mounted for the purpose of automatic lens focusing on an object to be photographed.
Various automatic focusing apparatus have been developed and utilized for electrically driven cameras, particularly motion picture cameras. One currently used type of automatic focusing apparatus for a camera is the "spatial image correlation" type, examples of which are described in Isono, U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,365 and the references cited thereto. Briefly, spatial image correlation systems include two optical systems: one which is stationary and one which scans a field of view which includes the object to be photographed. Light images formed by the optical systems are distributed onto respective detector arrays of light-responsive elements. A signal is produced when the light image of the object to be photographed is similarly distributed on both detector arrays. The signal is used to control the photographic lens for automatic focusing. In such an arrangement, a scanner which scans the field of view is driven oscillatably across an angle of the field to detect the object between infinity and the minimum focus condition of the objective lens and is adjustable in response to the focus condition of the lens whereby the bisector of the scanning angle is aligned with the object, as disclosed also in Isono, U.S. Pat. No. 4,123,765.
Such an automatic focusing system is usually disposed within the camera, but recently constructed in the form of a unit separately from the camera in an attempt to produce a small-sized and economical camera. When the automatic focusing is desired, the unit is mounted on the camera. For this purpose, the automatic focusing unit is provided with a lens position detector which projects outwardly from the housing of the unit and follows the displacement of a photographic lens to obtain the positional signal of the lens and feed it back to the unit for automatic focusing. Thus, there is a possibility that the lens position detector is pushed out of a focusing ring or tube and sometimes destroyed, when it is erroneously mounted on the camera without positioning the lens position detector on a predetermined position of the focusing tube.
To overcome this drawback, a proposal has been made in which a protector for protecting the lens position detector is provided to guide the latter to a predetermined position in the mounting of the automatic focusing unit on the camera. This proposal, however, has a similar drawback because there is the possibility that the lens position detector first hits against the ring or tube and can be damaged.
To eliminate these drawbacks completely, the following conditions must be fulfilled: (1) For the detector an escapement is provided to make the detector free from an unnatural force exerted thereon when it is mounted on the camera; and (2) Means is provided to retract the detector previously to a protected area.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to overcome those disadvantages and provide an automatic focusing unit for a camera which can protect its lens position detector from an unnatural force exerted thereon when it is mounted on the camera.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an automatic focusing unit for a camera which can previously retract its lens position detector into a safe area in its attachment on the camera.


Methods and systems for the adaptive selection of an isolation ground for a differential interface are provided. A system for adaptively selecting an isolation ground for a differential interface includes a first body having a first ground reference. The system additionally includes a second body having a second ground reference. Further, the system includes a differential interface through which the first body communicates electrical signals with the second body. Also, the system includes a common ground connection shared between the first body and second. Moreover, the system includes an adaptive isolation connection that adaptively connects the common ground connection to one of the first ground reference and the second ground reference.

To send information, an electronic device sends a logical signal to another device. Often, the transmitting device and the receiving device are unable to share a common ground reference voltage. For example, an electronic device may have a logic driver, where the logic driver produces a signal and provides the signal to a connected transceiver. The transceiver may then transmit the signal to another electronic device. The other electronic device may also have a transceiver to receive the signal and provide the signal for processing by a corresponding logic device.

Adaptive selection of isolation ground for differential interface

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention relates to a feedthru (210, 210′) provided with a ceramic based coating (260) and a method of providing a feedthru (210, 210′) with a ceramic based coating (260). The feedthru (210, 210′) includes at least one conductive pin (220) that extends through a header (217) and includes an exposed first end (221) and an exposed second end (222) spaced by an insulated portion (224). The at least one conductive pin (220) connects a first conductive element (121) connected with a first electrical device (300, 300a, 300b, 104, 105, 105′) and a second conductive element (121′) connected with another electrical device (20, 301), whereby the exposed first end (221) connects to the first conductive element (121) and the exposed second end (221) connects to the second conductive element (121′). The ceramic based coating (260) located on at least one of the following at least a portion of the first end (221) of the at least one conductive pin (220) that abuts the insulated portion (224) of the at least one conductive pin (220), at least a portion of the second end (222) of the at least one conductive pin (220) that abuts the insulated portion (224) of the pin (220), at least a portion of a first side (217a) of the header (217) that abuts the insulated portion (224) of the pin (220), and at least a portion of a second side (217b) of the header (217) that abuts the insulated portion (224) of the pin (220).

Feedthrus are used to connect conductive elements of two or more electrical devices. By way of example, where a first electrical device is located in a particular environment, such as, for example, a vacuum environment, a high or low temperature environment, or a particular gas environment, including, an explosive gas environment or a low or high moisture environment, and one or more other electrical device are located outside the particular environment of the first electrical environment. In such an example, one or more feedthrus may be provided that connect the two or more electrical devices in a manner that permits isolation of the particular environment of the first electrical device.
To permit connection of the one or more electrical devices, the feedthru is provided with at least one conductive pin that extends through a header, which functions as a barrier between two sides of the conductive pin. Where the header is a conductive material, an insulating material may be located around the portion of the conductive pin that extends through the header in order to prevent an electrical current passing to the header or between the pins. Where the header is a non-conductive material, the header itself may function as an insulating material that prevents an electrical current from passing between the pins. In this manner, the first side of the conductive pin may connect to a conductive element, such as, for example, a wire or terminal, connected with a first electrical device and the second side connects to a conductive element connected with a second electrical device to provide an electrically conducting pathway between the first and second electrical devices.
Since at least a portion of the first and second sides of the conductive pin must be exposed in order to connect the conductive pins to the conductive elements, where the header is a conductive material, where the feedthru includes more than one pin, or where the feedthru contacts some other conductive material, creepage breakdown can cause short circuiting. At high temperatures, creepage breakdown is even more problematic, since moisture tends to condense more readily at elevated temperatures. For example, where the feedthru includes a plurality of pins, a layer of moisture may condense on any insulating material and provide a conductive pathway between the pins. By way of yet another example, where the header is a conductive material, a layer of moisture may condense the insulation material and provide a conductive pathway between one or more pins and the header.
It has been observed that contamination on the surface of any insulating material located around the conductive pins of the feedthru may exacerbate this problem. By way of example, such contamination may provide a point for the moisture to condense. By way of yet another example, such contamination may dissolve into any condensate to form an electrolyte that itself generates voltages over 100 mV.
One approach to solving this problem involves providing a coating of an insulating material on the exposed portions of the pins and/or in situations where the header is a conductive material, on the header. In this manner, the creepage distance can be increased. Furthermore, an insulating material can be used to coat any exposed conductive material, i.e. the exposed portions of the pins, the exposed portions of the conductive elements, and, if used, any brazed or soldered material used to connect the pins to the conductive elements. Assuming the insulating material is impermeable to moisture, in this manner creepage can be eliminated if all exposed conductive materials are coated. One type of insulating material used for this purpose is Lektro-Tech, an electrical and mechanical corrosion preventive compound including 3,3-dichloro-1,1,12,2-pentafluoropropane, 1,3-dichloro-1,1,2,3-pentafluorpropropanecyclohexane, oxygenated hydrocarbon, and carbon dioxide propellant. This compound is effective at forming a barrier over exposed conductive material to increase creepage distances or to significantly eliminate creepage breakdown.
Although Lektro-Tech is effective at preventing short circuits in temperatures ranging from about 150° C. to about 205° C., use of Lektro-Tech has been ineffective at preventing short circuits where the temperature of the operating environment exceeds about 205° C. However, as previously mentioned, unless adequate ventilation is provided condensation is more likely to occur as the temperature increases.
The present invention relates to a feedthru including a ceramic based coating and a method of applying a ceramic based coating to a feedthru.

Feedthru including a ceramic based coating and a method of applying a ceramic based coating to a feedthru