In order to realize the smooth display of a fielder""s ball-catching movement, determination of a collision between a batted ball and a fence by an easy method, and an accurate hidden-face treatment for polygons which are located very close to each other, virtual area producing means 31 is provided to produce a collision area for collision determination at a position away from the picture of a ball for a predetermined distance, and determining means 32 is provided to determine at which position in the collision area a fielder is located. When it is determined that the fielder is located in the collision area, picture changing means 33 gradually changes the posture of the fielder from a waiting state to a ball-catching state.

The present invention relates to a picture processing device and a method thereof. More particularly, this invention relates to a picture processing device and a method thereof which enable characters to move smoothly in response to a ball in video games which imitate ball games such as baseball or soccer.
With the progress of computer technology, video game machines (picture processing devices) utilizing computer graphic technique have come to be widely used. Particularly, popularity of video game machines which imitate ball games such as baseball or soccer has been firmly established, and a considerable amount of this type of video game machines have been devised.
However, conventional video game machines have many problems as described below.
First, it is difficult to display a fielder""s ball-catching movement smoothly.
A conventional video game machine generally comprises: a display which displays batters, fielders and other characters; an operation stick which operates batters, fielders and other characters on a screen; and a picture processing circuit which displays a desirable image on the screen in accordance with the operation of the operation stick. Such a video game machine is provided with a plane picture called xe2x80x9cspritexe2x80x9d for each movement posture of each fielder, and the sprite is displayed according to the progress of a game on the screen. A virtual area called the xe2x80x9ccollision areaxe2x80x9d for determination of collision is provided in the vicinity of a fielder. When a ball enters the collision area, the fielder moves to catch the ball.
For example, when a game player operates the stick, the fielder on the screen chases the batted ball in accordance with the operation of the stick. The collision area, then, also moves together with the fielder. If the fielder catches up with the ball and the ball enters the collision area near the fielder, the fielder moves to catch the ball. Namely, the video game machine determines that the ball in the screen has reached close to the fielder, and displays the sprite which shows the ball-catching movement. Therefore, the fielder never begins the ball-catching movement unless the ball enters the collision area on the screen.
However, since the time spent after the ball enters the collision area until the fielder catches the ball is very short, the fielder needs to perform the ball-catching movement in a very short period of time after the ball enters the collision area. Accordingly, the fielder""s ball-catching movement turns out to be awkward and it is then difficult to provide a realistic game. As a means for solving this problem, it is possible to enlarge the collision area near the fielder. In other words, it is possible to lengthen the time spent after the ball enters the collision area until the fielder catches the ball. However, if the collision area is enlarged, a problem arises that the fielder begins moving to catch a ball even when the ball is too far away to catch.
Secondarily, a considerable amount of operation is required for a processing which determines the collision between a batted ball and a fence, which subsequently hinders high speed processing.
When a batted ball flies beyond an outfielder in a video game machine, whether or not a collision will take place between the batted ball and the fence is determined. For example, when the fence is displayed with a plurality of polygons, it is determined whether or not coordinates of the ball are located on the polygons. If it is determined that the ball will collide with the polygons which compose the fence, a processing for bounding the ball back from the fence is performed.
Namely, the conventional baseball game determines whether the ball collides with the fence by confirming whether coordinates of the ball are positioned on the polygons which compose the fence. However, since coordinates of the ball and the polygons are expressed by three-dimensional data, a considerable amount of processing is required to determine the position relationship between the ball and the polygons. Therefore, there existed a problem in that a processing speed of the entire game was lowered.
Thirdly, it is difficult to accurately perform a hidden face treatment of polygons which are located very close to each other as in the case of a player""s number and a uniform.
In video games such as baseball and soccer, it is desirable to give different player""s numbers for different players in order to heighten the realistic excitement of the game. However, if different pictures are prepared for uniforms of different players, an enormous amount of display data would be required. Therefore, a method of preparing a picture of the uniform and a picture of the player""s number separately and superimposing the picture of the player""s number on the picture of the uniform is taken.
However, when the player""s number and the uniform are displayed by means of polygons, the following problems occur. When the polygons overlap one another, a treatment is performed not to display the overlapped portion of the polygons, which is positioned at the back of the other overlapped portion on the screen (xe2x80x9chidden face treatmentxe2x80x9d). In order to perform this hidden face treatment, the following method (xe2x80x9cZ-sorting methodxe2x80x9d) is suggested: priority of respective polygons is determined in accordance with the dimensions of depth-directional coordinates (z-coordinate values) of the polygons, and the polygons are displayed in accordance with the priority. Namely, in the Z-sorting method, a representative point is decided for each polygon and the priority of the polygons is determined in accordance with the dimensions of z-coordinate values of the representative points.
As described above, one representative point must be decided for each polygon when the Z-sorting method is employed. In order to decide a representative point, there are: a method of determining the most front vertex among vertexes of a polygon as its representative point; a method of determining the most back vertex among vertexes of a polygon as its representative point; and a method of determining the center of gravity of a polygon as its representative point. However, whichever method is taken, if two polygons, such as those of a player""s number and a uniform, are located very close to each other, in other words, if two sets of z-coordinate values are very close, it is difficult to accurately determine the priority of the polygons. Accordingly, a problematic hidden face treatment is sometimes performed: for example, a player""s number is hidden by a uniform.
In order to avoid such a problem, it is possible to give a higher priority to a player""s number than to a uniform and to always superimpose the player""s number on the uniform. However, this method could cause another problem that when a fielder faces front so that his back is not displayed, his number is still displayed. Accordingly, it has been difficult to accurately apply the hidden face treatment to polygons which are located very close to each other.
The present invention is devised in order to overcome the above-described problems. The first object of this invention is to provide a picture processing device and a method thereof which enable a smooth ball-catching movement.
The second object of this invention is to provide a picture processing device and a method thereof which make it possible to determine a collision between a batted ball and a fence by means of a simple operation.
The third object of this invention is to provide a picture processing device and a method thereof which make it possible to accurately apply the hidden face treatment to polygons which are located very close to each other such as a player""s number and his uniform.
The invention described in claim 1 is aimed at achieving the aforementioned first object and is a picture processing device for changing, a shape of a second picture when a first picture collides with the second picture. The picture processing device comprises: virtual area producing means for producing a virtual area at a position away from a position of the first picture, wherein a distance between the virtual area position and the first picture position is determined based on a distance in which the first picture moves in a predetermined time; determining means for determining whether the second picture is located in the virtual area; and picture changing means for changing the shape of the second picture when the second picture is located in the virtual area.
The invention described in claim 2 is aimed at achieving the aforementioned first object and is a picture processing device according to claim 1, comprising position determining means for determining a moving speed and the position of the first picture, wherein the virtual area producing means change a shape of the virtual area based on determination results of the position determining means.
The invention described in claim 3 is aimed at achieving the aforementioned first object and is a picture processing device according to claim 2, wherein the above-mentioned virtual area producing means is aimed at achieving the aforementioned first object and reduces an area of the virtual area in accordance with a decrease in a speed of the first picture.
The invention described in claim 4 is aimed at achieving the aforementioned first object and is a picture processing device according to any one of claims 1 through 3, wherein the virtual area has a major axis along a line perpendicular a direction in which the first picture.
The invention described in claim 5 is aimed at achieving the aforementioned first object and is a picture processing device according to claim 1, wherein the picture changing means produces the second picture in a shape corresponding to the position of the first picture in the virtual area.
The invention described in claim 6 is aimed at achieving the aforementioned first object and is a picture processing device according to claim 1, wherein the picture changing means produces the second picture in a shape corresponding to a height of the first picture from a standard plane picture.
The invention described in claim 7 is aimed at achieving the aforementioned first object and is a picture processing device according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 5, or 6, wherein the first picture represents a baseball ball, the second picture represents a baseball fielder, and the picture changing means gradually changes the posture of a fielder according to a ball-catching movement.
The invention described in claim 8 is aimed at achieving the aforementioned third object and is a picture processing device, comprising: coordinate converting means for projecting a plurality of polygons represented in a three-dimensional coordinate system on a two-dimensional coordinate system; and hidden face treatment means for determining the display order of the plurality of polygons projected on the two-dimensional coordinate system on the basis of dimensions of the depth-directional coordinate values of the three-dimensional coordinate system in a display screen and for displaying the polygons with priority in accordance with the determined display order. The hidden face treatment means determines the display order of a polygon group consisting of the plurality of polygons, of which description order is predetermined, on the basis of the depth-directional coordinate values of one polygon composing the polygon group, and respective polygons composing the polygon group are displayed with priority in accordance with the description order only when it is decided to display the polygon group.
The invention described in claim 9 is aimed at achieving the aforementioned third object and is a picture processing device according to claim 8, wherein the hidden face treatment means determines the display order of the polygon group on the basis of the depth-directional coordinate values of a polygon having the highest description order.
The invention described in claim 10 is aimed at achieving the aforementioned third object and is a picture processing device according to claim 8, wherein the above-mentioned one polygon represents a player""s number and the other polygon represents a uniform.
The invention described in claim 11 is aimed at achieving the aforementioned second object and is a picture processing device for determining a collision between a curved-face picture having a radius xe2x80x9cRxe2x80x9d from its center point and the first picture, wherein it is determined that the first picture collides with the curved-face picture when distance xe2x80x9crxe2x80x9d calculated from the center point and the first picture reaches distance xe2x80x9cR.xe2x80x9d
The invention described in claim 12 is aimed at achieving the aforementioned second object and is a picture processing device according to claim 11, wherein the curved-face picture represents a baseball fence and the first picture represents a ball.
The invention described in claim 13 is aimed at achieving the aforementioned first object and is a picture processing method for changing a shape of a second picture when a first picture collides with the second picture, the method comprising: producing a virtual area at a position away from a position of the first picture, wherein a distance between the virtual area position and the first picture position is determined based on a first picture moves in a predetermined time; the step of determining whether the second picture is located in the virtual area; and the step of changing the shape of the second picture when the second picture is located in the virtual area.
The invention described in claim 14 is aimed at achieving the aforementioned first object and is a picture processing method according to claim 13, further comprising determining a moving speed and the position of the first picture and changing the shape of the virtual area based on the determined moving speed and position.
The invention described in claim 15 is aimed at achieving the aforementioned third object and is a picture processing method, comprising: the step of projecting a plurality of polygons represented in a three-dimensional coordinate system on a two-dimensional coordinate system; and the step of determining the display order of the plurality of polygons projected on the two-dimensional coordinate system on the basis of dimensions of the depth-directional coordinate values of the three-dimensional coordinate system in a display screen and then displaying the polygons with priority in accordance with the Determined display order. The display order of a polygon group consisting of the plurality of polygons, of which description order is predetermined, is determined on the basis of the depth-directional coordinate values of one polygon composing the polygon group, and respective polygons composing the polygon group are displayed with priority in accordance with the description order only when it is decided to display the polygon group.
The invention described in claim 16 is aimed at achieving the aforementioned second object and is a picture processing method for determining a collision between a curved-face picture having a radius xe2x80x9cRxe2x80x9d from its center point and a first picture, wherein it is determined that the first picture collides with the curved-face picture when distance xe2x80x9crxe2x80x9d calculated between the center point and the first picture reaches distance xe2x80x9cR.xe2x80x9d
According to the invention described in claim 1, the virtual area producing means produces a virtual area at a position away from a position of the first picture, wherein a distance between the virtual area position and the first picture position is determined based on a first picture moves in a predetermined time. Namely, the virtual area is produced at a position away from the first picture for a predetermined distance in a moving direction of the first picture. The determining means determines whether the second picture is located in the virtual area. When the second picture is located in the virtual area, the picture changing means changes the shape of the second picture.
For example, when the second picture representing a fielder enters the virtual area, the posture of the fielder gradually changes from a waiting posture to a ball-catching posture. Then, when the first picture representing a ball reaches the fielder, the posture of the fielder turns to a ball-catching posture. According to this invention, since the virtual area for collision determination is located away from the first picture, it is possible to lengthen the time required after the second picture enters the virtual area until the first picture collides with the second picture. Accordingly, if this invention is applied to a baseball game, it is possible to obtain sufficient time to change the fielder""s posture to catch a ball, thereby enabling a smooth ball-catching movement.
According to the invention described in claim 2, the position determining means determines the moving speed and the position of the first picture and the virtual area producing means changes the shape of the virtual area on the basis of the determination results of the position determining means. For example, according to the invention described in claim 3, when the speed of the first picture is low, the virtual area producing means reduces the area of the virtual area. When the speed of the ball (first picture) is low, it is possible to avoid any inconvenience such as the fielder (second picture) beginning the ball-catching movement at a position away from the ball. Namely, it is possible to solve the problem that the fielder jumps at and catches the ball which almost stops.
According to the invention described in claim 4, the virtual area has a major axis along a line perpendicular to a direction in which the first picture moves. Therefore, the fielder (second picture) is capable of catching the ball (first picture) which comes flying to the right or left of the fielder""s position.
According to the invention described in claim 5, the picture changing means produces the second picture in the shape corresponding to the position of the first picture in the virtual area. For example, when the fielder (second picture) is located in the middle of the virtual area, the ball (first picture) comes flying toward the front of the fielder and, therefore, the fielder is displayed in the forward-facing posture to catch the ball. On the other hand, when the fielder is located at the end of the virtual area, the ball comes flying toward the side of the fielder and, therefore, the fielder is displayed in the side-facing posture to catch the ball. As described above, it is possible to reproduce the ball-catching movement similar to a real movement by changing the fielder""s posture according to the position of the fielder in the virtual area.
According to the invention described in claim 6, the picture changing means produces the second picture in the shape corresponding to the height of the first picture from a standard plane picture. For example, when the position of the ball (first picture) is high from a ground (standard plane picture), the fielder is displayed to catch a fly. When the position of the ball is low, the fielder is displayed to catch a grounder. As described above, it is possible to reproduce the ball-catching movement similar to a real movement by changing the fielder""s ball-catching movement according to the height of the ball.
According to the invention described in claim 7, the first picture represents a baseball, the second picture represents a baseball fielder, and the picture changing means gradually changes the posture of the fielder according to the ball-catching movement. Therefore, it is possible to realize a smooth ball-catching movement.
According to the invention described in claim 8, the coordinate converting means projects a plurality of polygons represented in a three-dimensional coordinate system on a two-dimensional coordinate system. The hidden face treatment means determines the display order of the plurality of polygons projected on the two-dimensional coordinate system on the basis of dimensions of the depth-directional coordinate values in a display screen and displays the polygons with priority in accordance with the determined display order. The hidden face treatment means determines the display order of a polygon group consisting of the plurality of polygons, of which description order is predetermined, on the basis of the depth-directional coordinate values of one polygon composing the polygon group. The hidden face treatment means display the respective polygons composing the polygon group with priority in accordance with the description order only when it is decided to display the polygon group.
In other words, in the same polygon group, comparison of the depth-directional coordinate values of respective polygons (for example, by the Z-sorting method) is not conducted, but the polygons are displayed in the predetermined description order. Therefore, it is possible to perform the hidden face treatment accurately even when two polygons are located very close to each other. As shown in the invention described in claim 10, a polygon representing the uniform and a polygon representing the player""s number can be displayed accurately.
According to the invention described in claim 9, the hidden face treatment means decides the display order of the polygon group on the basis of the depth-directional coordinate values of a polygon having the highest description order. Therefore, since the present invention can decide the display order of polygon groups in the same manner as that of other polygons, it is possible to secure the compatibility between the conventional hidden face treatment, for example, by the Z-sorting method and the hidden face treatment of this invention.
According to the invention described in claim 11, a curved-face picture having a radius xe2x80x9cRxe2x80x9d from its center point is assumed and the distance xe2x80x9crxe2x80x9d between the first picture and the center point is calculated. The picture processing device then determines that the first picture collides with the curved-face picture when distance xe2x80x9crxe2x80x9d reaches distance xe2x80x9cR.xe2x80x9d For example, in the invention described in claim 11, when the curved-face picture represents a baseball fence and the first picture represents a ball, it is possible to easily determine a collision between the ball and the fence by comparing distance xe2x80x9cRxe2x80x9d with distance xe2x80x9cr.xe2x80x9d
According to the invention described in claim 13, a virtual area is produced at a position away from a position of the first picture, wherein a distance between the virtual area position and the first picture position is determined based on a distance in which the first picture moves in a predetermined time. When it is determined whether the second picture is located in the virtual area, and if it is determined that the second picture is located in the virtual area, the shape of the second picture is changed. For example, according to this invention, since the virtual area for collision determination is located away from the first picture, it is possible to lengthen the time spent after the second picture enters the virtual area until the first picture and the second picture collide with each other. Accordingly, when this invention is applied to a baseball game, it is possible to secure sufficient time to change a fielder""s ball-catching posture and to realize a smooth ball-catching movement.
According to the invention described in claim 14, the moving speed and position of the first picture are determined and the shape of the virtual area is changed according to the determined moving speed and position.
According to the invention described in claim 15, the display order of the plurality of polygons projected on the two-dimensional coordinate system is decided on the basis of dimensions of depth-directional coordinate values in the display screen, and the polygons are displayed with priority in accordance with the determined display order. Also, the display order of a polygon group consisting of a plurality of polygons, of which description order is predetermined, is decided on the basis of depth-directional coordinate values of one polygon composing the polygon group. Only when it is decided to display the polygon group, the respective polygons composing the polygon group are displayed with priority in accordance with the description order.
In other words, in the same polygon group, comparison of the depth-directional coordinate values of respective polygons (for example, by the Z-sorting method) is not conducted, but the polygons are displayed in the predetermined description order. Therefore, it is possible to perform the hidden face treatment accurately even when two polygons are located very close to each other.
According to the invention described in claim 16, a curved-face picture having a radius xe2x80x9cRxe2x80x9d from its center point is assumed and the distance xe2x80x9crxe2x80x9d between the first picture and the center point is calculated. When distance xe2x80x9crxe2x80x9d reaches distance xe2x80x9cR,xe2x80x9d it is determined that the first picture collides with the curved-face picture. When the curved-face picture represents a baseball fence and the first picture represents a ball, for example, it is possible to easily determine whether or not the ball collides with the fence, by comparing distance xe2x80x9cRxe2x80x9d with distance xe2x80x9cr.xe2x80x9d
An invention described in claim 17 is a computer-readable memory medium for storing the order in which a picture processing device changes a shape of a second picture when a first picture collides with the second picture. The computer-readable memory medium includes instructions for causing a computer to perform several operations. First the computer produces a virtual area at a position away from a position of the first picture. A distance between the virtual area position and the first picture position is determined based on a distance in which the first picture moves in a predetermined time. Second, the computer determines whether the second picture is located in the virtual area. Third, the computer changes the shape of the second picture when the second picture is located in the virtual area. Examples of such a memory medium include floppy disks, magnetic tapes, photomagnetic disks, CD-ROM, DVD, ROM cartridges, RAM cartridges with battery back-up, and nonvolatile RAM cartridges. The memory medium stores information (mainly digital data and programs) by some physical means and is capable of having a processing device such as computers and private processors perform a certain function.

Imaging processing apparatus and image processing method


A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided in order to convert a representation of a road geometry in the form of an analytical curve to a clothoid road geometry. In the context of a method, a plurality of break-point locations are determined along an analytical curve that represents a portion of the road network. The method determines the plurality of break-points locations by determining the plurality of break-point locations depending upon a curvature profile of the analytical curve so as to define one more sections of the analytical curve based upon the break-point locations. The method also converts one of more sections of the analytical curve to respective clothoids.

ADAS was developed to improve the comfort, efficiency, safety and overall satisfaction of driving. Examples of these advanced driver assistance systems include adaptive headlight aiming, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and control, curve warning, speed limit notification, hazard warning, predictive cruise control, adaptive shift control, as well as others. Some of these advanced driver assistance systems use a variety of sensor mechanisms in the vehicle to determine the current state of the vehicle and the current state of the roadway in front of the vehicle. These sensor mechanisms may include radar, infrared, ultrasonic and vision-oriented sensors, such as digital video cameras and light detection and ranging (LIDAR) systems.
Some advanced driver assistance systems also use digital map data. These systems are sometimes referred to as map-enhanced ADAS. The digital map data can be used in advanced driver assistance systems to provide information about the road network, road geometry, road conditions and other items associated with the road and terrain around the vehicle. Unlike some sensors, the digital map data is not affected by environmental conditions, such as fog, rain, or snow. In addition, the digital map data can provide useful information that cannot reliably be provided by sensors, such as curvature, grade, bank, speed limits that are not indicated by signage, lane restrictions, and so on. Further, digital map data can provide a predictive capability well beyond the range of sensors or even beyond the driver's vision to determine the road ahead of the vehicle, around corners, over hills or beyond obstructions. Accordingly, the digital map data can be a useful addition for some advanced driver assistance systems.
The map-enhanced advanced driver assistance systems commonly use data from a geographic database associated with a navigation system in a vehicle. The navigation system database contains data that represents the road network in the region, such as the locations (geographic coordinates, including altitude) of roads and intersections, road names, speed limits along roads, turn restrictions at intersections, addresses or address ranges along roads, the number of lanes for each road, lane width, lane markings, functional classes of roads, the locations of medians, and so on. The navigation system database may also contain information about other geographic features, such as bodies of water, parks, administrative areas (including municipal, state, and country boundaries), and locations of points of interest, such as businesses, hospitals, police stations, and so on.
The digital map data that is utilized by map-enhanced ADAS generally represents a road network with a link geometry including a plurality of polylines. Although a polyline link geometry may be useful with respect to a map system, some ADAS may be developed that prefer the data representative of a road network to be provided in another form, such as a clothoid road geometry. In this regard, clothoids are utilized in conjunction with road design and a clothoid-based road geometry may be utilized for map displays and to support ADAS capabilities. However, many challenges exist in regards to creating a clothoid road geometry from the polyline link road geometries currently utilized by map displays and ADAS.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for converting from an analytical curve road geometry to a clothoid road geometry


The facsimile machine according to the invention can set a so-called night time collective time designation mode for power saving during night time processing time. Turning on a prescribed operation key of the facsimile machine permits printing. More specifically, even when the machine is in the power saving state, a printing operation is permitted in response to a key input.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to image forming apparatuses having a facsimile function which enables printing of an image received by communication, and more specifically, to an image forming apparatus which is easy to use. Description of the Background Art
An image forming apparatus which functions both as a copying machine and a facsimile machine of interest relevant to the present invention is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,785. According to this patent, the position from which a copied sheet of paper is discharged and the position from which a sheet of paper with the content of facsimile reception formed thereon is discharged are different.
Usually in a facsimile machine, for a received image, the indication thereof is attached to an end of paper.
In a conventional image forming apparatus having a copying function and a facsimile receiving function, in order to identify a paper sheet on which an image is output, the paper discharge position for example, should be changed or a description for facsimile reception should be conducted.
As a result, an excess space on a paper sheet is necessary for distinguishing a copied image from an image by facsimile reception, facsimile reception information should be reduced or divided if the information is printed out on a cut sheet of paper for performing a transmission source printing (printing an indication identifying a transmission side) in facsimile reception.
If an operator is not present by the side of a facsimile machine at night, a so-called night time collective processing by which a memory reception is performed in a prescribed designated time period.
This is performed, because jamming of paper, paper shortage, etc. are encountered if data is received and output without an operator during such a night time. Besides, it is not preferable to keep always the apparatus in a print enable state for power saving sake.
In a conventional night time collective processing, starting time and ending time are set, and the state of the apparatus is switched at the designated time everyday. Therefore, if a person is present at the time of the night time collective processing designated time, a night time collective processing mode set for power saving must be canceled if he/she desires to look at a received image. After the canceling, the operator should return the apparatus to the original state.
In a facsimile machine, the power supply is usually kept ON to maintain the state possible to cope with reception at all hours of the day. Although facsimile machines of electronic photography type utilizing regular paper have been developed in recent years, it still requires large electric power to maintain the state permitting immediate output in an awaiting time period.

Facsimile machine capable of distinguishing copied image and received image


An optical scheme and system involving a probe laser with simple analog pessing to detect an optical echo. This allows verification that a transmitter has hit a target receiver or will allow synchronized firing with another laser transmitter.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to optical signal compensation systems and techniques and more specifically, to atmospheric turbulence and pointing jitter enhancement systems and techniques for aiming laser beams at retro-reflective means.
2. Description of Prior Art
Currently, there are several passive and active alternative approaches for jitter and atmospheric turbulence compensation. But these approaches all have major disadvantages which severely limit their usefulness. The simplest approach is to merely enlarge the transmitted laser beam divergence to "hit" the receiver. While a larger beam divergence mitigates the effects of transmitter pointing jitter and atmospheric turbulence induced beam wander, it unfortunately does not compensate for atmospheric turbulence scintillation and requires much more laser energy. Another passive approach is to use a stabilized pointing system to aid in hitting the receiver. This approach tends to be mechanically complicated, expensive, and only compensates for jitter with no turbulence compensation. Adaptive optic compensation is an active approach that compensates for jitter and atmospheric turbulence. This is a promising technology but current implementations are extremely complicated, bulky, fragile and expensive.
While the prior art has reported using passive and active approaches to optical signal compensation techniques none have established a basis for a specific apparatus that is dedicated to the task of resolving the particular problem at hand. What is needed in this instance is an atmospheric turbulence and pointing jitter compensation system and technique for aiming laser beams at retro-reflective means that is optically and electronically simple and compact.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army


A data storage system requires no special operation by owner users (who make data available) and provides guest users (who view the data) with ease of management of information required to access the data. For example, a URL providing access to data is issued in association with the combination of an owner user and a guest user. This provides ease of information management since only a single URL is required for a guest user to access a plurality of data made available by one owner user.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data storage system, data storage server apparatus, control method, and program for storing data on a server apparatus on a network such that the data can be shared among client apparatuses.
2. Description of the Related Art
One information service based on a communication infrastructure, such as the Internet, is a service that enables users to upload image data captured by a digital camera to a storage area on a server apparatus, and allows users to access the server apparatus to view uploaded image data at any time. A network service provider with such a server apparatus will be hereinafter referred to as "photo site".
A case is described here in which a known photo site makes data from a user who uploaded the data (hereinafter referred to as "owner user") available to a third party designated by the owner user (hereinafter referred to as "guest user").
First, an owner user launches a Web browser on a personal computer (PC), accesses a photo site, uploads data, and informs the photo site of a guest user's name, email address, and the like. The photo site creates a universal resource locator (URL) for providing access to the uploaded data. The URL is an address unique to the data and is created, for example, using a table of random numbers uniquely unpredictable. An example of such a URL is as follows:                http://OOO.com/PhotoSite/Album/AlbumEntry.cgi?AlbumID=A JNWDMF
The photo site sends an email message including the URL in the message field and the guest user's email address in the receiver field via the Internet. Upon receipt of the email message, the guest user launches a Web browser on a PC, enters the URL included in the email message, and is thus permitted to view the data of the owner user.
A problem of such a known technology is that since the URL is issued to each data, a different URL must be created for each data or a different email message must be created and sent for each URL created, if a plurality of data is made available by one or more owner users.
Moreover, it is extremely cumbersome for the guest user to receive many email messages and manage URLs issued to each data from the owner users.
To view particular image data many times, the guest user, for example, registers the URL of the image data in a bookmark in the browser to have easy access to the image data without entering the URL. However, if a URL is issued every time image data is made available, the user has to go though the cumbersome process of adding a long list of URLs to the bookmark. Moreover, every time an owner user deletes data from the photo site, the guest user must delete the URL for the data to organize the bookmark.
Furthermore, although the guest user can send a print order to the photo site for image data made available by an owner user, it is cumbersome to select image data and to configure settings, such as the type of paper suitable for the image data and paper size.

Data storage system, data storage server apparatus, control method, and program for storing data on a server apparatus on a network


An information processing apparatus includes: an information management unit that registers boarding information on a user regarding boarding acquired by a check-in procedure of the user and biometrics information on the user acquired in the check-in procedure in association with each other; and a display management unit that causes a display terminal to display display information in accordance with remaining time to boarding time based on the boarding information on the user identified by a comparison between target biometrics information, which is biometrics information acquired by the display terminal for the user, and registered biometrics information, which is the biometrics information registered by the information management unit.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-017924 discloses an information display system including an information display apparatus used to present service information such as flight information. In the information display system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-017924, the information display apparatus transmits face images of nearby users to a server associated with a user terminal, performs user authentication by face authentication, acquires user information acquired from the user terminal, and generates and displays an associated individual guide window.

Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and storage medium


An apparatus and method for radiographic image includes a plurality of light emitting diodes two of which produce light in the optical or visible wavelengths, another one of which produces light in an infrared wavelength so that pumping light can be supplied to a variety of radiographic substrate media. The pumping light is supplied to the medium by a plurality of optical fibers arranged in a linear array as the medium is scanned beneath the fibers. A second plurality of linear optical fibers picks up phosphorescent emissions from the radiographic medium due to the pumping light excitation and supplies the emissions to a photodiode or other optical receiver where the light intensity is translated into an electrical signal. The signal is sent to a processor which generates an image signal. The image signal may then be converted into an image representative of the latent x-ray image on the radiographic medium.

The invention generally relates to radiographic imaging and, more particularly, relates to a method and apparatus for reading a computed radiography phosphor medium that has been exposed by x-rays by supplying pumping light thereto.
It is well known that by using x-ray systems, items can be visualized within the human body or within industrial products, or the like. Current x-ray systems often use x-ray film, which must be developed or use computed tomography installations which are very expensive and require large amounts of computer power.
In addition, systems exist which use a technique called computer radiography, in which a sample or a patient is exposed with x-rays and a latent x-ray image is formed on a phosphor-containing sheet similar to a sheet of film. The phosphor-containing sheet may typically include a rare earth, such as europium, in combination with barium and fluorine. Other sheet formulations also are available. The sheet, which must be kept in the dark, is then imaged by exposing the sheet to a raster-scanned laser beam causing areas which have preferentially received x-ray energy to phosphoresce yielding an image.
While the system is convenient and allows the reuse of the sheets multiple numbers of time, it does suffer from certain drawbacks. It is difficult to obtain high-spatial resolution because the pumping laser beam, although only covering a small spot-size at a time, tends to leave illumination energy behind, which causes bloom; thereby smearing the image and reducing its resolution. This is because the image is built up in the way that an image might be with a flying spot device wherein only a single optical detector is used. The single optical detector can capture radiation from almost any direction. Thus, the single detector is unable to determine whether the photons it is receiving are coming from unwanted bloom or coming from active phosphorescence.
In addition, the existing systems which typically use a laser, either operate the laser at about 630 to 650 nanometers or, in the near infrared range, at about 930 nanometers. A single laser cannot be used for both wavelengths. Because there are differing types of latent imaging materials used for computer tomography, not all phosphoresce either with red pumping or with infrared pumping. Thus, a scanner which uses a pumping laser in the red or infrared region, cannot accept latent images formed for pumping in the opposite region.
Furthermore, the raster-scanned laser system introduces spatial nonlinearities in the image which must be compensated for. The non-linearities are due to the difference in the effective scan rate when the beam is substantially perpendicular to the latent image film at the center portion of the film and when it is sweeping at a relatively large angle with respect to the medium near its edges. As a result, since the only way to costruct the image coming back is based on pumping beam timing and orientation, elaborate methods must be taken in order to relinearize the beam scan in order to construct an undistorted image.
What is needed then, is a system and apparatus which can quickly and conveniently provide highly-accurate computed radiography images without the need for expensive equipment.
The present invention is embodied in an apparatus and method for radiographic imaging wherein a substrate is exposed to x-radiation to form a latent image thereon. The apparatus comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes emitting incoherent light at two different visible wavelengths and one infrared wavelength. The LEDs supply light to a plurality of optical pumping fibers which deliver the incoherent light to the radiographic medium. The optical pumping fibers have their delivery ends aligned in a linear array and a motor causes the plate or radiographic medium to be moved under the linear fiber array as it is exposed to the pumping light from the fibers. In addition the fibers are multiplexed in groups of 64 so that there is no unwanted bloom from one excitation or pumping fiber to the next at any one time. This improves the optical resolution provided by the pumping light.
A second plurality of optical fibers each having a diameter of about 500 microns collect the emitted light and deliver the emitted light to photodiodes or other optical transducers which change the light intensity to an electrical signal. That signal is supplied to a processor which generates an image signal. The image signal may then be used to generate an image representative of the latent x-ray image on the radiographic substrate.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a high resolution radiographic imaging apparatus.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a high resolution radiographic image using incoherent low cost optical sources such as light emitting diodes as pump sources.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art upon a perusal of the following specification and claims in light of the accompanying drawings.

Method and apparatus for radiographic imaging


Systems and methods for controlling a closed-loop accelerometer system. A system includes an accelerometer with a driver that responds in a nonlinear manner and a rebalancing controller in signal communication with the driver. The rebalancing controller includes a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control portion having at least one variable gain component. A method includes sensing a movement of a proof mass, determining a static g field based on the sensed movement, setting at least one variable gain component of a PID controller based on the determined static g field, and rebalancing the proof mass using the PID controller.

Closed-loop accelerometer systems having nonlinear rebalancing drivers are subject to vibration rectification error (VRE) during random vibration operation. Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controllers have been developed that can reduce the VRE in a 1 g static field. However, current PID controllers lose their effectiveness in reducing VRE when the accelerometer system experiences higher g static fields.

Systems and methods for vibration rectification error reduction in closed-loop accelerometer systems


A method and system for deterring attacks at potential breach points between servers and an account and login server for creating and subsequent verification of accounts. Various cryptographic primitives are used to manipulate passwords to generate verifiers. The verifiers are used with external hardware security modules (HSMs) to eliminate HSMs and intermediate steps between the HSM and login servers as potential breach points.

This description generally relates to online cryptography, and more particularly to securing online account creation and verifying account logins.
User accounts maintained by an online computer servers are generally vulnerable to passive and active attacks by third parties. If such a server is breached, information associated with an account may be accessible to a malicious actor. To prevent breaches, account creation and login systems have grown more secure over time. One tool in breach prevention is using one or more cryptographic primitives to securely store passwords. Cryptographic primitives include using salts, one way functions (e.g., hash function), cryptographic operations (e.g., encryption, decryption), symmetric cryptography schemes, and asymmetric (or public key) cryptography schemes. Another major tool in breach prevention is using physically distinct security hardware modules to perform various parts of the account creation and login verification processes, including applying cryptographic primitives as mentioned above. For example, the term hardware security module (HSM) specifically refers to a specially designed server that securely stores digital keys and perform cryptographic processing.
However, despite advances in cryptographic primitives and security hardware, many account and login servers are still vulnerable to breach. For example, an account login system may include a login server where passwords are stored in a password database, and where cryptographic processing is performed on a separate HSM remotely coupled to the login server. In this system, it is possible for a malicious actor to obtain a data dump of the password database, and synchronously or asynchronously temporarily obtain the ability to make encryption/decryption calls to the HSM. In this instance, despite having only temporary access to the HSM, it is possible for the malicious actor to use brute force to crack the password database offline based on the decryptions performed during the temporary access to the HSM.

Password manipulation for secure account creation and verification through third-party servers


A dynamic screw assembly includes a fixation component that connects to a vertebral body, the fixation component includes at least one inlet to allow a lubricant to pass inside the fixation component, a ring member coupled to the fixation component, a stopper sealing at least one inlet, a coupling member includes an inwardly curved bottom portion and a bulbous end extending from the inwardly curved bottom portion, a bumper mechanism coupled to the fixation component and the coupling member, a longitudinal member coupled to the coupling member, and a blocker that retains the longitudinal member in the coupling member. The bulbous end includes at least one groove that houses the lubricant, and at least one slot to allow the bulbous end to fit into the fixation component and to limit a range of angulation of the coupling member with respect to the fixation component.

1. Technical Field
The embodiments herein generally relate to a dynamic stabilization system, and, more particularly, to a sealed lubrication system for a dynamic stabilization system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Intervertebral disc degeneration often leads to chronic lower back pain. This may be due to abnormal loading patterns on the disc. Degenerative disc disease may be treated by restricting the motion of the spine to a range where near normal disc loading occurs. Rigid spinal instrumentation restricts the motion but alters the loading environment of the disc away from the dynamic stabilization systems. Systems such as inter spinous process spacers, pedicle screws, and facet replacement products are hence used to maintain the ideal physiologic state of the disc. In dynamic stabilization systems, there is movement between components of the system along with natural movements of the spine. This leads to a lot of wear and tear due to friction between the rough base materials of the dynamic stabilization systems.

Sealed lubrication system and method for dynamic stabilization system


According to a present powertrain, a first rotation shaft serving as an input shaft of a front side gear mechanism is located in a portion of a vehicle lower than a second rotation shaft serving as an output shaft, so that a crankshaft of an engine provided coaxially with the first rotation shaft is located in a portion of the vehicle lower than in a conventional example. Solely the engine having a heavy mass is thus disposed in a lower portion, so as to achieve a lower position of the center of gravity of the vehicle. In this manner, a powertrain having a layout structure attaining lower center of gravity as well as high rigidity of a body and improvement in aerodynamic characteristics is provided.

For operation performance of an automobile, it is very important to achieve higher rigidity of a body and improvement in aerodynamic characteristics while the center of gravity of the automobile is located in a lower position. Such a demand is strong particularly in a sports car. Conventionally, in a front engine rear drive vehicle, what is called a tunnel structure extending from front to rear of the vehicle for the purpose of allowing passage of a propeller shaft is adopted in a front panel. Moreover, in order to suppress lowering in the rigidity of the body due to adoption of the tunnel structure, a reinforcing member is additionally provided. There is a limit, however, to further higher rigidity of the body because of restriction on layout of a driveline and an exhaust pipe.
The vehicle desirably has a completely flat bottom face, in order to improve its aerodynamic characteristics. On the other hand, if a structure in which the exhaust pipe is completely covered is adopted, it is necessary to position the entire powertrain higher from the ground, from a viewpoint of ensuring ground clearance. In particular, if an engine with a heavy mass is positioned higher, the center of gravity of the vehicle is also higher.
Meanwhile, it is effective to dispose the engine with a heavy mass in further lower portion of the vehicle, in order to achieve lower center of gravity of the vehicle for the purpose of improving the operation performance of the vehicle. In order to dispose the engine in a further lower portion of the vehicle, however, the entire powertrain should also be lowered. In such a case, apparatuses constituting the powertrain may interfere with the exhaust pipe or an undercover provided on the bottom face of the vehicle. In addition, as a lowermost area of the entire powertrain is further lowered, the ground clearance is not ensured.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 03-235721 discloses a powertrain for use in a 4WD vehicle based on FR (front engine rear wheel drive), in which a crankshaft of an engine, a propeller shaft, and an input shaft of a transmission are coaxially provided. In addition, in the powertrain structured as above, generally, an exhaust pipe and an undercover are disposed below the powertrain.


A multi-way multiple plug comprises a socket seat portion defined by a housing inside which at least a hot plate and a neutral plate are disposed. A plurality of outlet slot pairs are formed on at two opposite surfaces of the housing in association with the hot plate and the neutral plate to allow a number of external plugs to be simultaneously inserted into the outlet slot pairs from both surfaces to form electrical connections with the hot plate and the neutral plate. A plug portion which comprises a seat with at least a hot blade and a neutral blade secured thereon is mounted to the housing. Both the hot blade and the neutral blade have a snap-on type ratchet device to be firmly held by a support formed on the seat.

A multiple plug usually has a plug portion for plugging into a main power wall outlet and a plurality of outlet slot pairs for receiving therein a plurality of electric appliance plugs in order to expand and convert a wall outlet to a plurality of extension power outlets. A conventional multiple plug is a three-way multiple plug which cannot receive more than three external plugs and thus has only limited usage. To connect more plugs to a single wall outlet, an extension cord which has a socket seat with a plurality of sockets formed thereon may be used. The extension cord is primary for a remote power supply which, although not being designed for expansion of the number of plugs to be connected to a wall outlet, may also be used as means of such purpose. A disadvantage is that an extension cord, as the name suggests, has a long electric wire which generally interferes the movement of a user when it is used as an outlet expansion means.
It is therefore desirable to have a multi-way multiple plug which has a plurality of outlet slot pairs for receiving therein a plurality of external plugs.
Further, the socket seat of a conventional extension cord set has sockets formed on one surface thereof only, usually disposed in a line, so that the socket is usually in the form of an elongated rectangle to accommodate more sockets. The more sockets it accommodates, the longer the socket seat is. This apparently requires a larger space for the disposition of the socket seat of a conventional extension cord set. It is therefore also required to provide a socket seat structure which has sockets formed on two opposite surfaces thereof to accommodates more sockets in a given length of the socket seat.

No. 4, Aly. 2, Ln. 23, Sec. 3, Pateh Road


A process for selective transvinylation of a reactant carboxylic acid with a reactant vinyl ester to give a product vinyl ester and the corresponding acid of the reactant vinyl ester in the presence of one or more ruthenium catalysts, wherein a) the reactant vinyl ester, the reactant carboxylic acid and the ruthenium catalyst are supplied to a reactor, wherein b) the molar ratio of reactant vinyl ester to reactant carboxylic acid is 1:3 to 3:1, and c) the transvinylation reaction is conducted, d) on completion of the transvinylation reaction, the reactant vinyl ester and the corresponding acid are separated from the reaction mixture by distillation, e) the product vinyl ester is separated by distillation from the bottom product of the distillation, and f) the remaining reaction mixture is recycled into the reactor.

The transvinylation of carboxylic acids serves to produce vinyl esters. This is understood to mean the transfer of a vinyl unit of a reactant vinyl ester (1V) to a reactant carboxylic acid (2S) to generate a product vinyl ester (2V) and the corresponding acid of the reactant vinyl ester (1S).

The transvinylation of vinyl esters with carboxylic acids in the presence of palladium catalyst is known from EP 376075 B1, in which copper bromide and especially lithium compounds are used as cocatalysts.
In addition to palladium catalysts and mercury catalysts, ruthenium compounds are also used as catalyst in the prior art for transvinylation of vinyl esters with carboxylic acids. Ruthenium compounds are characterized by their high solubility, low volatility and high thermal stability. In addition, they have high, temperature-inducible activity. However, a problem in using ruthenium compounds as catalysts in the transvinylation of vinyl esters with carboxylic acids is the formation of carboxylic anhydride as a side reaction of the transvinylation. This side reaction reduces the selectivity of the reaction. In addition, the anhydrides of the reactant carboxylic acid are relatively high boiling by-products which can only be removed from the catalyst-containing reaction mass with considerable effort and therefore would accumulate on reuse thereof.
A process for transvinylation of carboxylic acids using various Ru compounds as catalyst is described in EP 351603 A2 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,973). In order to shift the equilibrium, it is recommended to remove one of the reaction products continuously from the reaction mixture. In the presence of water, increasing the concentration of catalyst is recommended. For instance, in Example 60 at a water content of 2%, a ten-fold higher catalyst concentration is used than in the anhydrous case. On completion of the transvinylation, the product mixture is separated by distillation. The recycling of the Ru catalyst is not described.
EP 497340 A2 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,210,207) describes a transvinylation process for preparing product vinyl esters whose boiling points are higher than that of the reactant vinyl esters. By reactive distillation of at least one of the product components, the reaction equilibrium is shifted to the product side. The distilled reactant vinyl ester is at the same time recycled into the reaction. The formation of anhydrides as by-product is described when using Ru catalysts. Their formation is favored by high reaction temperature, high degree of conversion, long residence time and by a high concentration of reactants. For maximum selectivity and minimizing anhydride formation the authors recommend the reaction to be conducted as far as possible at a low degree of conversion and low residence time. The reuse of an Ru-containing catalyst under such conditions is described in Example 3. Here, neodecanoic acid is transvinylated at a conversion of only 50%. However, the reactive distillation requires large excesses of reactant vinyl ester, which are necessary due to the short residence time, in order to provide sufficient reaction partner for the reactant carboxylic acid. High space-time yields are therefore not achievable with this process.
A process is described in WO 92/09554 A1 in which the reaction mass of reactant carboxylic acid and catalyst is separated in a first step after the transvinylation and the product vinyl ester is subsequently separated by azeotropic distillation. This process is especially aimed at the separation of acid/vinyl ester mixtures having small boiling point differences. The transvinylation itself is operated continuously. Only reactant vinyl ester and a mixture of catalyst and reactant carboxylic acid are continuously fed back to the reactor. The formation of anhydrides and also recycling thereof is not described.
On account of the problem already described when using Ru catalyst, the low selectivity due to anhydride formation, the process is predominantly operated using palladium catalysts in the specifically disclosed embodiments in the more recent publications of the prior art. WO 2011/139360 A1 describes a continuous process for preparing carboxylic vinyl esters by reactive distillation. In this case, vinyl acetate as reactant vinyl ester and the acetic acid resulting therefrom are distilled off continuously, wherein the vinyl acetate is recycled into the process. Exclusively Pd-catalyzed systems are given in the examples which are characterized by high selectivity and form no anhydrides. WO 2011/139361 A1 describes a very similar process, the only difference being that the transvinylation is not conducted continuously but semi-continuously.
WO 2013/117294 A1 describes a continuous process for preparing carboxylic vinyl esters. In contrast to the reactive distillation processes just discussed, the transition metal-catalyzed transvinylation is operated in the steady-state and the reaction mixture is separated in a subsequent step. WO 2013/117295 describes a further configuration of this process with a subsequent derivatization of the resulting conjugate acid of the reactant vinyl ester. In both documents, the low yield and selectivity of Ru-catalyzed transvinylations and a conversion-limited mode of operation for suppression of anhydride formation are referred to. In the Ru-catalyzed examples of both documents, in contrast to the Pd-catalyzed systems, low selectivities and subsequent low space-time yields are described despite low conversions.
The use of Ru catalysts in the transvinylation reaction has distinct advantages compared to Pd catalysts with respect to solubility, volatility, thermal stability and thermally inducible activity. The significant occurrence of anhydride formation, in contrast to Pd catalysis, is described in the prior art as a major disadvantage of these systems, which significantly degrades the selectivity of the process and thus the possibility of reusing the catalyst. Last but not least, distillative work-up of the product vinyl ester also favors the formation of anhydrides, since high temperatures, long residence times and high concentrations arise in the distillation bottoms. Even at an equimolar composition or low excesses of one of the starting components and thus low theoretically achievable conversions, anhydride formation cannot in this case be completely avoided. Such compositions would be of interest, however, since the mass flows could be minimized and high space-time yields could be obtained thereby. The reactive distillation processes described require a significant excess of reactant vinyl ester since this evaporates after only a very short residence time and is no longer available for the reaction. High space-time yields are therefore not achievable with such processes.

Process for ruthenium-catalysed transvinylation of carboxylic acids


In a machine for stacking bags manufactured from thin thermoplastic foil material, the combination of a rotatable supporting drum with radially projecting collecting pins and clenching means for the bags, said means comprising a radially and tangentially displaceable and blade-shaped retaining member(s) mounted on the drum and further comprising transverse beams circulating in closed circuit a portion of which mainly coincides with a sector of the periphery of the drum, the actuation of the retaining members taking place through a system of levers cooperating with cams.

The present invention concerns a device for assembling bags of foil material, and in particular a device for stacking bags of thin-walled material comprising a rotatable drum interacting with a supply and with a discharge conveyor, the periphery of said drum comprising assembling locations for stacked bags and retaining means (detents) for these stacked bags.
In order to promote the said stacking of bags there is located behind a fast operating bag machine or a bag cutting machine, a device to assemble said bags or, instead of bags sheets, in proper stacks. When a stack (bundle) comprising a predetermined number of bags or sheets is formed, the stack so formed is discharged. In practice these stacks of bags are generally received between discharge belts the velocity of transfer of which almost corresponds to the circumferential velocity of the drum of the machine.
By means of the supply conveyor the supplied bags are positioned upon a correct location at the circumference of a drum, pins being present upon which the open edge of the bags is pricked, in order to finally assemble a stack of separate bags upon the said pins.
A drum of this type provided with pins running according to a describing line (a generatrix) of the drum, can, however, only be employed when the supply of bags, comprising for example a sealed bottom, is so supplied that--as seen in the direction of travel--the bottom of the bags lies at the trailing end whereby the open side of the bag remains at the front, thus causing a row of small apertures along the open side of the bag to be unimpeding.
Should the bottom of the supplied bags be located in front or at the sides of the drum, then the result will be that an assembly of supplied bags being pricked upon a stacking drum, becomes inconvenient, since in these circumstances the apertures caused by the pins are detrimental for the bags.
Efforts have been made to provide a drum comprising two retaining devices, operating independently with respect to one another, and being positioned upon the circumference of the drum in front of each assembling location (stacking location). Said retaining devices had the shape of, for example, two curved fingers.
The solution as described hereinbefore caused a good and accurate supply and positioning of the bags upon the drum. Nevertheless the said solution offered various disadvantages, one of which was that the supply of a bag to a pack already assembled upon the circumference of the drum, caused the inner finger retaining the front edge of a packet of bags upon a location on the circumference of the drum, to lift the front edge of the bag still to be added. The result of this was that said edge was not put down fast enough upon the stack of bags, so that the operation of the machine was hampered.
The said disadvantage especially occurred in bags manufactured of slack, thin polyethylene foils, but could also be induced by a resistance of air at a high rotational velocity of the relative drum. The raised front edge of the bag lastly supplied impeded the formation of a pack, especially when the operational velocity of the drum was increased.
Owing to the latter feature further efforts have been made to retain the packets of bags upon the circumference of a drum by the use of belts or strings, partially enclosing the drum and having a velocity being adjusted as accurately as possible to the circumferential velocity of said drum.
In practice the fact has emerged that the velocity of the said belts or strings cannot possibly be adjusted appropriately to the circumferential velocity of the drum. Not only a so-called stripping of the lastly supplied bag will occur, but the inner layers of a pack of bags upon the drum may easily shift owing to the very smooth quality of the material from which they are manufactured.
This phenomenon especially occurs when the thickness of the pack of bags increases so that the relative diameter of the drum increases too, thus impeding the adaptability of the strings to the diameter of the drum and the thickness of the pack of bags.


A securing device for window shutters comprising: a wall base unit formed in a generally planar configuration, the wall base unit including an aperture extending therein, the wall base unit having an outboard surface and an inboard surface, the inboard surface including a coupling device to permit affixation to a recipient surface, the wall base unit including a resilient coupling mechanism contained therein, the resilient coupling mechanism adapted to be easily engaged and disengaged by the user; at least one insert rod formed in an elongated configuration and adapted to be positioned through the aperture in the outboard surface of the wall base unit, each insert rod including coupling devices to permit releasable coupling within the resilient coupling mechanism of the wall base unit, each rod including an attachment device to permit affixation to a window shutter.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a securing device for window shutters adjacent walls and more particularly pertains to affixing the components of the apparatus to shutters and adjacent walls to permit releasable coupling of the shutters to the walls.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of window shutter mounting devices is known in the prior art. More specifically, window shutter mounting devices heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of affixing shutters to window frames and other recipient surfaces are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which has been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, the prior art discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,806 to Kondoh a panel shutter assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,145 to Trombettas discloses a shutter-type window panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,391 to Sr. Kenneth W. Briggs discloses a window shutter assembly and method of production.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,244 to Rosenfeld discloses a window shutter.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,343 to Hubbard discloses a window shutter and mounting therefor.
In this respect, the securing device for window shutters according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of affixing the components of the apparatus to shutters and adjacent walls to permit releasable coupling of the shutters to the walls.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved securing device for window shutters which can be used for affixing the components of the apparatus to shutters and adjacent walls to permit releasable coupling of the shutters to the walls. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


A power supply system for USB Power Delivery includes a current source drive circuit to control a power FET to regulate the supply of power along a power path. The current source drive circuit includes a cascode current source and a cascode protection circuit formed by a source follower and a feedback voltage divider. The source follower can be a transistor with its gate connected to a cascode node between upper- and lower-stage transistors of the cascode current source. The divider node of the voltage divider is connected to the gate of the lower-stage transistor. The current source drive circuit can operate within the gate-source voltage specifications of 30-volt DEPMOS devices, and can provide high output impedance to the gate of power FET and a current limit circuit during current limiting operation, without requiring an extra high-voltage mask during fabrication.

USB Type-C is a Universal Serial Bus standard enabling reversible plug orientation and cable direction between a power source device (e.g., a mobile computer, such as a laptop computer or notebook computer) and a power sink device (e.g., a mobile phone). Under the standard, the power source device can dynamically manage current from 0.5 amperes to 3.0 amperes. USB Power Delivery (PD) is a single-wire protocol that uses the USB-C standard and cable. USB Type-C ports can function as either a power source, delivering power to a connected device (e.g., a mobile phone), or a current sink, transferring power from the connected device (e.g., a battery). PD negotiation allows devices to contract to deliver optimal power levels under current battery conditions. The protocol expands USB to deliver up to 100 watts of power (i.e., 20 volts at 5 amperes).


A method for more accurately estimating the time required to process a data base query using a selected index. A selected number of the most frequently occurring index key values (38) are collected during an index sequential scan. These most frequency occurring values are stored as percentage frequencies of occurrence in the data base system's catalog (42). Estimated access and processing times (NPAR, NPAS, NCPU) for a given query are calculated based on the stored frequencies where possible. Where the query's search criteria specify values other than the stored most frequently occurring values, those values are assumed to be uniformly distributed.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to relational data base management systems, and more particularly, to the automatic selection of a data access strategy for the retrieval of data stored within relational data bases.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A data base management system (DBMS) is a computer system for recording and maintaining data. A relational data base management system stores data as rows in tables, and refers to a collection of tables as a data base. Users or application programs manipulate (select, update, insert, or delete) data by issuing requests or commands (called queries) against the data base. In a relational data base management system's data query and manipulation language, such as SQL, requests are nonprocedural (also referred to as nonnavigational). That is, users or application programs simply specify what is wanted, rather than specifying how to accomplish it. The system's optimizer has the responsibility for determining the optimal strategy for obtaining the data.
Relational data base management systems store rows of tables in data pages on physical storage devices such as disk drives. Data is transferred between the physical storage and the computer system's central processing unit (CPU) page by page, even though only a single row may be needed from a given data page. The time it takes to transfer data between physical storage and the processing unit is many times greater than the time it takes to process the data in the processing unit. Furthermore, the time it takes to randomly access separate physical data pages is as much as ten times longer than the time needed to sequentially access adjacent data pages. To manipulate data in a relational data base, the rows must first be transferred from physical storage to the processing unit, then processed in the processing unit, and finally transferred back to physical storage. Because transferring takes so much longer than processing, the total time required to manipulate the data can be dramatically reduced if the number of transfers can be reduced.
The data access strategy chosen by a system optimizer specifies the exact way (or access path) for obtaining and processing the data pages of a table. One way to access data is to sequentially scan every row in a table for those rows which match the search criteria. This is known as a table scan, because the entire table is scanned in sequence, data page by data page, from beginning to end.
Most relational data base systems also maintain indexes for their tables. An index is a list that a data base management system uses to access the rows of a table in a selected order. An index consists of many index entries. Each index entry contains a key value and an identifier of or pointer to the one or more rows of the table that contain the key value. Data base management systems typically store indexes on index pages that are physically separate from the data pages of the corresponding table.
One method of storing an index's pages is as a B-tree. A B-tree consists of a root page, intermediate pages that are dependent on the root page, and index leaf pages at the lowest level of the tree that are dependent on the intermediate pages. The term B-tree is a shortened name for "balanced tree", and refers to the balanced or roughly equal number of index pages to which each such root or intermediate index page points. The B-tree's leaf pages contain the index entries. To scan a table's rows in the order specified by the index, the index's leaf pages are scanned sequentially and the index entries on each leaf page are used to access the rows in the index's order. This scan is called an "index sequential scan".
There are two general types of indexes: clustering and nonclustering. An index is a "clustering index" if an index sequential scan causes only a single access of each data page. For this to occur, the table rows must be stored in the data pages of physical storage in approximately the same sequence as specified by the index. An index sequential scan through a clustering index (also referred to as a clustering index scan) is fast because the number of data page accesses is minimized. There are no duplicate accesses to the same data page, and both the index leaf pages and the data pages can be accessed sequentially rather than at random.
An index is a "nonclustering index" if an index sequential scan causes the system to access the data pages back and forth at random. Index sequential scans through nonclustering indexes (also referred to as nonclustering index scans) are extremely slow, because there is much thrashing back and forth between data pages. This type of index sequential scan requires separate data pages to be randomly accessed and transferred into and out of the processing unit's main memory, but usually only accesses one row from the many rows available on each such data page.
When the search criteria in a query specify the key columns of an index, that index can often provide a more efficient access path than a table scan for identifying and obtaining the data rows that satisfy or match the search criteria. The optimizer determines which of the available access paths is the most efficient based on statistical information about the data and on certain assumptions about the data. The types of statistical information about the data in a table that typically influence an optimizer's choice include the total number of rows in the table, the total number of data pages on which the rows of the table appear, the number of distinct index key values for each index defined on the table, the range of values for the first column of the index key of each index defined on the table, the number of levels in each index defined on the table, and the number of leaf pages in each index defined on the table.
The optimizer estimates the efficiency of the various available access paths using mathematical formulas that require the statistical information as input. The calculations that the mathematical formulas define make certain assumptions about the interpretation of the statistical information. Several formulas, for instance, make an assumption about the distribution of index key values when estimating the selectivity of the search criteria present within a data base query. The accuracy of the optimizer's estimates, and therefore the efficiency of the selected access path, depends critically on the availability of accurate statistical information about the data and on the degree to which optimizer assumptions about the data remain valid. Invalid assumptions about the uniform distribution of index key values can result in drastic performance degradation, including greatly increased CPU utilization and slower response times, in both single table queries and queries that join as few as two tables. The prior art "uniform distribution", "equi-width histogram" and "equi-height histogram" methods discussed below all make invalid assumptions about nonuniformly distributed ("skewed") index key values.
The "uniform distribution method" assumes that index key values are distributed between the lowest existing key value and the highest existing key value with equal frequency. Known current relational DBMS prototypes and products use this method, assuming uniform distributions of index key values and ignoring the possibility of non-uniform distributions.
The "equi-width histogram" approach divides the range of occurring index key values into equal-sized subranges or buckets. Each bucket contains the same number of distinct key values from the range of occurring index key values, but the number of actual occurrences of index key values that correspond to each bucket may vary drastically due to the occurrence of multiple rows with the same key value. The equi-width histogram approach selects access paths to nonuniformly distributed data little, if any, better than the uniform distribution assumption used by current prototypes and products. The equi-width histogram method assumes a uniform distribution of index key values within individual buckets.
The "equi-height histogram" approach, proposed by Piatetsky-Shapiro et al. in "Accurate Estimation of the Number of Tuples Satisfying a Condition", Proc. of ACM-SIGMOD, Boston, MA, 1984, divides the set of actual occurrences of index key values into equal-sized buckets. Each bucket contains the same number of actual occurrences of index key values, but the number of distinct key values that correspond to each bucket varies from bucket to bucket. Like the equi-width histogram method, the equi-height method assumes that actual occurrences of index key values within individual buckets are uniformly distributed. The equi-height histogram approach handles highly skewed data better than the uniform distribution and equi-width histogram approaches, but performs poorly when considering queries including "equal to" ("=") operators.
There is therefore a need for an improved method of selecting an access path in a relational data base management system having nonuniformly distributed index key values.
Lakshmi and Yu, "Access Path Selection in Relational Data Base Systems", IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Feb., 1988, pp. 420-21, propose collecting distribution statistics on all index key values. This indiscriminate statistical collection entails greatly increased processing and computational overhead, resulting in poorer performance. There is therefore also a need for a method of collecting and storing frequency of occurrence statistics for index key values without incurring excessive processing overhead.

Data base optimizer using most frequency values statistics

International Business Machines Corporation


A universal introducer adapter which can be inserted into a pre-placed introducer of arbitrary dimensions eliminates the need to replace or remove the introducer. The adapter includes a distal portion with a retainer in the form of a soft elastic material.

An introducer is an elongated tubular member, which in the medical field is used to gain access to a particular site within a patient's body. It should be noted that herein the term "introducer" is, unless otherwise indicated, used as indicative of an introducer sheath, which comprises at least one proximal entry port. Depending on the medical procedure, the design of an introducer can vary. For example, the proximal end can comprise attachment means, usually referred to as "hubs," for a medical instrument. Additionally, an entry port can comprise sealing material to prevent leakage of, for example, bodily fluids; and an introducer can comprise several entry ports. Further, different introducer manufacturers have different designs for their introducers.
Usually the medical procedure wherein an introducer is used commences with a puncture operation, in which a hollow needle is introduced at a point on a patient's skin, and is then advanced through tissues beneath the skin to the desired position in the organ of interest, e.g. a blood vessel. Typically a guide wire is then introduced through the needle, whereupon the needle is removed, leaving only the guide wire in place. Then an introducer, usually together with a dilator, is advanced over the guide wire. After removal of the guide wire and dilator, access to the organ has now been obtained through the lumen of the tubular introducer sheath.
The procedure described above can be used to gain access to a blood vessel for performing different types of intravascular operations. When the operation in question is completed, the puncture hole in the blood vessel can be sealed by means of a closure device, wherein an inner member of said closure device is positioned at an inner surface of the vessel wall by means of an insertion instrument and which is held in place by a suture or filament. The suture or filament extends from the closure device, through tissue overlying the vessel, and out of the skin surface. An example of this sealing technique is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,364. Another method, wherein an anchor is placed at an inner surface of a vessel wall and a sealing member is placed at an outer surface of the vessel wall, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,059. These publications are hereby incorporated by reference for the devices and methods described therein.
In many cases several different medical procedures need to be performed on a patient using the same access site, e.g. a percutaneous blood vessel puncture. Some examples of different procedures involving such a percutaneous puncture are insertion of and measurements using a sensor guide wire, placing a stent, performing angioplasty, and, in most cases, sealing the puncture, as described above. Especially in the case of sealing a puncture, which follows subsequently to one or several different medical procedures, a need arises to switch introducer sheaths, due to specific requirements on, for example, the access path of the closure device in question.

Adapter for use in connecting to a first percutaneous introducer

St. Jude Medical Coordination Center BVBA


A reciprocating saw is provided with a blade-clamping arrangement having the blade clamped by its thin edges between a pair of wedge-shaped jaws carried in a tapered sleeve at the end of the reciprocating drive shaft of the saw, the clamping of the jaws being effected by turning a non-reciprocating knob carried on the head of a saw and the knob being operably connected to the clamping jaws by a two-part stem of which the two-parts are mutually reciprocable whilst being restrained so that they can only be rotated as a unit.

The present invention relates to a reciprocating saw having a blade clamping arrangement which can be operated without the use of a separate tool.
It has been common practice to clamp the blade of a reciprocating saw such as a jigsaw by securing the blade by one or two screws clamping the side of the blade in a slotted carrier located at the end of a reciprocating drive shaft.
In WO 89/08524, a jigsaw is described and claimed wherein a blade provided with lugs at one end is engaged in a bayonet fitting carried on the end of the reciprocating drive shaft, the blade being inserted into the bayonet fitting and turned so that the lugs on the blade are engaged in retention grooves provided in the bayonet fitting.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a jigsaw in which the blade can be clamped without the use of a separate tool and without twisting the blade.


A spacer jig using as a tool has developed for easily replacing the spacer dampers on the overhead power lines during the maintenance and repair. The spacer jig is comprised of: a frame having a polygonal shape of two flat panels in parallel with a clearance for mounting the fixtures arranged even intervals in the radial direction between the two flat panels; the frame having square shape using for four-conductor and hexagonal shape using for six-conductor overhead power lines; the fixtures consisting of stationary hexahedron nuts and rotational hexahedron nuts; a clamping arm forming cylindrical-shaped long shafts with threaded end portion for inserting into the fixtures; a cable gripping unit consisting of a clamp, lid, snapping latch and locking detent for easily opening and closing the lid to grip or release the cables, and a clamp mounting unit for rotationally mounting the cable gripping unit on top of the clamping arm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spacer jig for replacing the spacer damper, which is installed on a four-conductor or six-conductor system, which are formed a set of power cables, and a method for replacing the spacer damper by setting the spacer jig. More particularly, the spacer jig is used as a tool to replace a damaged or bad spacer damper with a new one during the maintenance of the overhead power lines for reducing the vibration problems.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the conventional method of replacing the spacer damper, the worker travels high in the air with a new replacement spacer damper and installs it by temporarily assembling four conductors at a point 1 to 1.5 m away and six conductors about three m away from the spacer damper to be replaced, and then pushes this in close to the spacer damper.
This process has a problem of taking a long time since it is difficult to separate the spacer damper and replace it with a new one because the surface of the cable is damaged and a high tensile force is on the cable when the worker pushes in the spacer damper.
In order to replace the existing damaged spacer damper, the worker is lifted high in the air with a new spacer damper, and temporarily assembles the new spacer damper at a location about one to three m away from the existing spacer damper. The existing spacer damper cannot be approached closely enough to be replaced and the worker cannot hold up or widen the relevant cables by hand because of the high tensile force of the cable.
Because of that, the worker holds up the relevant cable by hand at a location where a certain degree of modification is possible, that is, a location separated by a given distance from the damaged spacer damper, before he temporarily assembles the new spacer damper.
The new spacer damper assembled temporarily like this should now be moved to the location of the existing spacer damper which is to be replaced. Since the location of the existing spacer damper was initially set up at the most suitable and efficient location with respect to the total length of overhead line, it is most preferable to install the new damper at the same location. Therefore, the new spacer damper is moved to and installed in the place where the existing spacer damper is located.
Considerable scratching can occur on the surface of the cable in the course of sliding the temporary spacer damper assembly as described above. It is also very difficult and dangerous for the worker high up in the air to push the spacer damper by hand for installation.
Moreover, the course of replacing one spacer damper in the cables consumes a lot of time, which gives rise to the problems of increased worker fatigue, decreased work effort and much lowered safety.
Especially for hot-line work of transmission lines, work safety decreases as working time increases, so it can be said that spacer damper replacement work using a spacer jig is a required process for hot-line work.

Spacer jig for replacing spacer damper of overhead power lines and method of replacing spacer damper using the same

Gyosung-Ri, Jinchun-Eup, Jinchun-Gun, Choongchungbuk-Do


A word segmentation method and system for a language text, where in the method, a word segmentation is performed on the first language text in a first word segmentation manner to obtain a first word boundary set, the first word boundary set is divided into a trusted second word boundary set and an untrusted third word boundary set according to a confidence level threshold, a second language text is selected from the first language text according to the third word boundary set, and a word segmentation is performed on the second language text in a second word segmentation manner to obtain a fourth word boundary set. Word segmentation precision of the first language text can be flexibly adjusted by adjusting the confidence level threshold.

Word segmentation is one of basic issues of natural language processing. Word segmentation needs to be performed on all languages (such as Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic) with no word boundary mark. A word segmentation system is widely used in fields such as information retrieval, machine translation, and a question answering system.
Different applications have different requirements on an output of a word segmentation system. For example, an information retrieval system requires a relatively high word segmentation speed and consistency. However, the information retrieval system requires relatively low word segmentation correctness, for example, requires a relatively low recognition rate for an unrecorded word (a word that is not recorded in a word segmentation system). On the contrary, a machine translation system requires relatively high word segmentation correctness, but requires relatively low word segmentation consistency. For example, a string "Jiang Wenyuan" is an unrecorded word. In an information retrieval application, if a word segmentation system segments "Jiang Wenyuan" into two words "Jiang" and "Wenyuan", instead of one word "Jiang Wenyuan", the information retrieval system can find a related document by means of retrieval provided that the word segmentation system ensures that all "Jiang Wenyuan" in the document is segmented in a same manner. In comparison, in the machine translation system, if the string "Jiang Wenyuan" is segmented into "Jiang" and "Wenyuan", the word "Jiang" may be incorrectly translated into an English word "ginger". Consequently, a translation result of the machine translation system is inaccurate.
All current word segmentation systems can meet a requirement of only a particular application, and are difficult to be reused in different application scenarios. In consideration that some companies and organizations in the industry need to use a word segmentation system in different application scenarios, a solution usually used by the companies and the organizations is customizing different word segmentation systems for different applications. This manner causes resource waste and a system maintenance difficulty.

Word segmentation method and system for language text