The densified area commonly formed during the manufacture of blocks of pliable polyurethane foam on a web of continuous material in a foaming tunnel is eliminated by controlled heating of the conveyor belt in the tunnel to a range between the densification temperature and the cracking temperature of the foam during the reaction period. An improved apparatus for this purpose comprises an enclosed, insulated housing and means for heating the conveyor belt such as hot air, infrared radiation, steam coils or electrical resistors. A preferred embodiment comprises heating the bottom of the foam block after it emerges from the foaming tunnel to a temperature considerably higher than that in the foaming tunnel. This eliminates completely any need for trimming off irregularities after removal of the web of continuous material.

The present invention relates to an important improvement obtained in the manufacture of blocks of polyurethane foam, specifically the elimination, during manufacture, of the densified bottom of the blocks, obtained by the usual process.
This invention also relates to an improved apparatus for manufacturing continuous blocks of polyurethane foam and, more particularly, to arrangements for heating the housing of the conveyor belt of the foaming tunnel and parts downstream of the foaming tunnel in an apparatus of this kind.
As is known, polyurethane foam is a plastic which has acquired increasing importance over recent years, having many uses in such different fields as the automotive industry and the food industry.
In the usual process, polyurethane foam is obtained by reacting, on a moving belt, a polyol and polyisocyanate as principal ingredients, together with catalysts, dyes, blowing agents, etc. The physical properties (stiffness, density, cell size, tensile strength, etc.) of the different kinds of polyurethane foam are a function of multiple parameters, the principal ones being the nature of the polyol and of the polyisocyanate, the ratio between both and the blowing agent.
The components in liquid state are vigorously shaken immediately before being deposited on a mechanically operated endless band conveyor. Between this endless band and the poured liquids there is placed a paper web, which will follow the conveyor in its path, so that said liquids do not spill before they solidify following the reaction.
The conveyor is given translatory motion, with suitable speed for each quality of foam. The liquids deposited on the paper web commence reacting, being introduced, by the movement of the band, into a tunnel having an approximate length of 20 meters, with completion therein of the exothermic chemical reaction, via which the foam is produced, increasing by several times (approximately 50) the initial volume of the liquids. Finally there is obtained a pliable and spongy solid which is the polyurethane foam. Naturally, the shape of the cross-section of said block will be that of the tunnel at its base and side walls.
The reasons for manufacturing said polyurethane foam inside a tunnel are as follows:
(1) To prevent dispersion of the toxic gases, principally the CO.sub.2 produced in the reaction or, eventually, the toxic gases evaporated as a result of the heat produced.
(2) To obtain the approximate shape of the cross-section of the block, achieving a body with an almost rectangular section. This is usually referred to in this art as "molding effect".
Independently of the type of foam produced, a problem associated with the manufacture of the block is the densification occurring in the bottom thereof, as a result of which it is necessary to waste an important part of the finished material because its density is notably greater than that of the rest of the block.
Experts in the art will admit that it is frequent for the percentage of the densified area to be 5% by weight, even reaching 7% in relation to the total weight of the block. This amount of wasted raw material can be of considerable importance, bearing in mind that the daily production of an average-sized polyurethane foam installation exceeds 20,000 kg.
The formation of this dense area at the bottom is a serious drawback from the economical-industrial point of view because:
(1) It requires a trimming operation of said densified bottom, which consumes time, energy and manpower and requires proper mechanical means, preferably saws designed specifically for this purpose. The densified layer of foam can have a length of more than 100 meters (the length of the block), a width of two meters and a thickness of 10-30 mm.
(2) The trimmed by-product has to be marketed at a notably lower price than the rest of the foam, because of its unsatisfactory properties, its small thickness and irregular shape.
(3) Since the raw materials of polyurethane foam are substances of petrochemical origin, their high cost under present energy crisis circumstances calls for maximum utilization of the finished products which are used for manufacture.
The preceding problems are solved by the process of the invention, which provides a block without the densified area, thus attaining notable utilization of the raw materials and, consequently, a substantial saving in manufacturing costs.
As far as the inventor is aware, in this field there is no process resulting in the production of blocks without the densified bottom, as attained with the process of the invention, which can be implemented by the improved apparatus which is also an object of the invention.

Process and apparatus for elimination of densified areas in blocks of pliable polyurethane foam


Disclosed is a flexible, reinforced, multiple lumen catheter. This catheter includes an elongated, flexible, tubular element extending about a central axis, and including embedded therein at least one filament extending in a helical path about the central axis. The inner surface of the tubular element defines an interior region. The catheter also includes an elongated divider element having elongated lateral edges. These edges are integral with, and extending from, portions of the inner surface of the tubular element. At least two lumens are defined in the interior region of the tubular element on opposing sides of the divider element. Also disclosed is a method for assembling the flexible, reinforced, multiple lumen catheter.

This invention relates to accessing body fluids for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, and in particular, to a catheter for venous vascular access. More specifically, this invention relates to a reinforced dual lumen catheter for hemodialysis or apheresis procedures requiring bidirectional blood flow.
Extracorporeal treatment of blood requires that the vascular system of a subject be directly accessed, and that the blood be removed and then returned to the subject after removal of various components or toxins, or after addition of oxygen. Extracorporeal treatments include apheresis, or the collection of blood cells, the removal of a specific blood cell type from the blood, or plasma exchange, and hemodialysis, or the removal of various chemical substances from the blood including ingested or injected drugs, or toxins created during normal body metabolism, the presence of which is most often due to renal impairment.
Traditionally, such extracorporeal treatments involves the tapping of the vascular system via a first needle attached to a first catheter. The blood is then circulated through a treatment device, and then returned to the vascular system via a second catheter and needle. This technique requires that the needles be spaced a sufficient distance apart so that treated blood will not reenter the output needle for additional treatment. Adequate needle spacing is also required to prevent collapse of the accessed vein. The problem of vascular collapse becomes compounded if the treatment is one which must be repeated and the vein or fistula becomes weakened with repeated punctures.
Another method of performing extracorporeal blood treatment includes the use of a single needle and catheter accommodating bidirectional flow through which the blood is removed and returned. See, for example, the simple double lumen cather disclosed by Mahurkar in U.S. Pat. No. 4,808,155; a double lumen needle and cannula also disclosed by Mahurkar in U.S. Pat. No. 4,134,402; a dual channeled hypodermic needle disclosed by Grumarud in U.S. Pat. No. 4,203,436; and a hemodialysis catheter with two circular lumens arranged side by side disclosed by Uthmann in U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,631. This method minimizes insertion trauma and reduces potential for clotting. However, this method may not be of use to all patients as flow rates within the needle are limited. In addition, prerequisite to this technique is an intermittent occlusion machine capable of cyclical operation.
A common problem encountered in the extracorporeal treatment of blood is collapse of the catheter due to decreased pressure within the catheter, and subsequent weakening of the catheter walls. Single lumen catheters and tubes have long been reinforced to reduced collapse. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 419,926 granted to Chapman in 1890, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,211,975 granted to Hendrickson in 1937; and more recently U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,832,681, 4,737,153, and 4,639,252.
Hence there is a long felt need for a vascular access catheter which will not collapse, which accommodates dual flow therethrough with a sufficient flow rate, and the use of which causes minimal clotting and recycling of treated blood.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved catheter allowing for plural flow therein.
It is another object of the invention to provide a reinforced multiple lumen catheter which will not collapse.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method of fabricating a reinforced, multiple lumen catheter.


In exemplary embodiments, all-optical pattern recognition for an optical input signal is achieved by wavelength-converting the input signal and then passively correlating the wavelength-converted signal based on a specified data pattern. By performing wavelength conversion using a CW laser signal having wavelength stability greater than that of the input signal, errors resulting from wavelength sensitivity of the passive correlator can be reduced. By performing both wavelength conversion and OOK-to-BPSK format conversion prior to the passive correlation, limitations in the number of available OOK patterns can be avoided. By performing the passive correlation in a bi-directional manner, feedback signal can be generated to control the operations of the passive correlator and/or the laser signal source(s).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to optical communications and, more specifically, to all-optical data recognition and routing.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the bottlenecks in the growth of the internet is the gap between the rate of increase of internet traffic and the slower rate of increase in edge router capacity. The use of optics in data routing has been investigated to relieve the burdens put on routers associated with repeated optical-to-electronic and electronic-to-optical conversions and the intervening electronic data processing. For example, performing header recognition of even a part of standard 32-bit IP headers all optically can greatly simplify the structure of routers and reduce their power consumption.
Optical correlation techniques using passive optical filters are among the most promising ways of implementing all-optical header recognition. Passive optical filters can be realized using a variety of technologies, such as planar-lightwave-circuits (PLCs) or fiber Bragg gratings. When the spectral response of the filter matches the complex conjugate of the spectrum of the target data pattern, an autocorrelation syndrome pulse is generated, which can be subsequently used for control of data routing or other data processing.
One of the key challenges in passive optical correlation techniques has been the difficulties in scaling the filters to process a large number of header bits. Passive correlator filters are typically constructed using multiple optical delays with the longest temporal delay proportional to the number of header bits. However, the requirement for wavelength stability has not been quantitatively analyzed previously, while it is expected to vary quite nonlinearly with respect to the number of bits. Another challenge is the inability of passive correlation techniques to distinguish arbitrary on-off-keyed (OOK) data bits. In the past, a special set of orthogonal code words that generate mutually distinct correlation signals was used for OOK signals, which limits the number of header patterns that can be used for OOK.

Optical pattern recognition having reduced sensitivity to wavelength instability


A computer input device that comfortably supports the hand of the user while the thumb and fingers are associated with buttons, a trackball, and a scrolling wheel carried on the device. The overall configuration of the device and the arrangement of these actuators permit the user to easily and effectively operate all of the functions provided by the actuators while the hand and arm of the user are in a comfortable position. The device includes a housing having an asymmetrical dividing ridge forming a xe2x80x9cthumb-side surface,xe2x80x9d for placement of the thumb, and a xe2x80x9cfinger-side surface,xe2x80x9d for placement of the remaining four fingers. The finger-side surface includes a ball rotatably mounted in the housing and further includes first and second input buttons disposed to the side of the ball which may be used as xe2x80x9cforwardxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cbackxe2x80x9d buttons. The first and second input buttons adjacent to the ball may be replaced by a linearly slidable or pivotally movable actuator. The movable member is preferably of the three-position-type enabling the user to activate the movable member in a forward or a backward direction for transmission of respective signals to the computer. The thumb-side surface includes a horizontally-disposed scrolling wheel and third and fourth buttons on opposite sides of the scrolling wheel that can be used as xe2x80x9cprimaryxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9csecondaryxe2x80x9d buttons. The primary button has a curved bottom portion that serves as a thumb rest, and may be used as such without activating the button as the button is movable laterally towards the fingers.

This invention relates to an ergonomically designed computer input device. More specifically, the invention relates to an ergonomically designed computer input device for supporting the hand of a user and having a user-manipulable movable ball.
Computer input devices for entering commands into a computer are well known and currently available in a variety of configurations. Many such input devices take the form of a mouse or a trackball device. The term xe2x80x9cmousexe2x80x9d is commonly used to refer to a computer input mouse design having a tracking system such as a lower mounted ball or an optical tracking system, for determining the relative movement between the mouse and a surface upon which it rests. The term xe2x80x9ctrackball devicexe2x80x9d is commonly used to refer to a computer input device having a body and a rotatable ball coupled to the body for direct manual engagement by a user when the trackball device is resting on a supporting surface. Both the mouse and the trackball device can control the cursor on a computer screen.
A mouse frequently includes a rotatable ball mounted to the bottom of a housing. When the mouse is moved over a supporting surface, encoders sense the movement of the ball and generate signals indicative of the direction and amount of that movement. The signals are supplied to a computer and used, for example, to control movement of a cursor on the screen of the computer. The cursor on the computer screen would then be moved in a direction and by an amount corresponding to the movement of the ball. In another arrangement for the mouse, an optical tracking system is used in lieu of the mechanical ball tracking system to measure movement of the mouse with respect to the supporting surface.
A trackball-type input device, on the other hand, has its rotatable ball exposed for manipulation by the user""s finger(s) and/or thumb. Ball-movement signals are generated, similar to those described with a mouse, and a cursor on the computer screen is moved in a direction and by an amount corresponding to the movement of the ball. The rotatable ball may be sensed by any conventional mechanical or optical sensing system or any other desired technique. For example, if a mechanical sensing system is used, the ball may be supported on a pair of perpendicular rollers. If an optical sensing system is used, a light source may be reflected off of a portion of the ball, and an optical sensor may determine the relative movement of the ball.
Computer input devices, including the mouse and the trackball device, may also include one or more buttons and/or a wheel. Typically, depressing one of the buttons changes the state of an associated switch, which permits a user to enter various commands into the computer. The nature of the command usually depends upon the position of the cursor on the screen. A roller or wheel typically protrudes from the top of the device and is coupled to an encoder for producing a signal indicating the rotation of the wheel. That signal may be used, for example, for scrolling through a window displayed on the computer, which function was heretofore performed by moving the cursor to the window xe2x80x9cscroll barxe2x80x9d and depressing a button as needed to scroll through whatever is displayed in the window. For convenience, the wheel will hereafter be referred to as a xe2x80x9cscrolling wheel.xe2x80x9d The buttons, trackball, and scrolling wheel may be collectively referred to as the actuators carried on the input device.
Irrespective of the type of input device employed, mouse or trackball, it is advantageous that the device be comfortable for the user to operate, especially over long periods of time. Such comfort is obtained by careful attention to ergonomic factors, particularly toward minimizing stress in the user""s fingers, wrist, and forearm. Providing a comfortable computer input device can be especially challenging when one""s design goal includes enhancing the function of the device over prior devices. Particularly, prior art finger-controlled trackball devices include drawbacks relating to comfort and/or functionality preventing optimal usability. For example, existing trackball devices do not adequately support the user""s thumb without restricting its motion. Accordingly, an improved ergonomic computer input device was thus needed that overcomes drawbacks of existing designs. More specifically, an improved ergonomic finger-controlled trackball device that maximizes comfort and functionality was thus needed.
In view of the foregoing, the present invention provides an improved computer input device that eliminates the drawbacks of the prior art.
The present invention also provides a computer input device that effectively supports the hand enabling comfortable and efficient activation of various actuators positioned on the housing by the user.
The present invention provides an ergonomic finger-controlled trackball device. The device includes a housing having an asymmetrical dividing ridge forming a thumb-side, for placement of the thumb, and a finger-side, for placement of the remaining four fingers. The finger-side surface includes a ball rotatively mounted in the housing and further includes first and second input buttons disposed on the side of the ball which may be used as xe2x80x9cforwardxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cbackxe2x80x9d buttons. The thumb-side surface includes a horizontally-disposed scrolling wheel and third and fourth buttons on opposite sides of the scrolling wheel that can be used as xe2x80x9cprimaryxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9csecondaryxe2x80x9d buttons.
According to one aspect, the invention includes a computer input device having a housing and an actuator. The housing includes a thumb side adapted for interfacing with a thumb of a hand of a user and a finger side adapted for interfacing with a plurality of fingers of the hand of the user. The actuator includes a wheel positioned on the thumb side enabling its manipulation by the thumb of the user.
According to one aspect, the invention includes a computer input device having a housing and an actuator. The housing includes a bottom supporting surface adapted to interface with a planar work surface. The actuator includes a wheel mounted for movement in a plane substantially parallel to the work surface.
According to another aspect, the finger-side of the housing has a ball actuator and the thumb-side of the housing has a horizontally-disposed rotatable wheel that is rotatable by moving the thumb with a forward and back motion. Further, there are input buttons on opposite sides of the thumb wheel spanning from the top to the bottom of the thumb-side surface. This interrelationship enables the scrolling wheel to act as a locating divider between the two input buttons.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a method of providing input signals to a computer includes the steps of placing a thumb against a wheel rotatively mounted to a computer input device, and moving the thumb to rotate the wheel.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a computer input device has a housing and an actuator. The actuator includes a linearly slidable member coupled to the housing and being disposed for engagement by a user. Activation of this actuator causes the input device to send a signal to a computer to produce a command.
Another facet of the invention includes a computer input device having a housing, a first actuator, and a second actuator. The housing includes a thumb side adapted for interfacing with a thumb of the hand of a user and a finger side adapted for interfacing with a plurality of fingers of the hand of the user. The first actuator has a pivotally movable member coupled to the housing to be engaged by a user, and adapted to send a signal to a computer when activated. The second actuator includes a sphere for finger engagement mounted to the housing for rotational movement.
In another aspect of the invention, a computer input device has a housing and an actuator. The housing has a thumb side adapted for interfacing with a thumb of the hand of the user and a finger side adapted for interfacing with a plurality of fingers of the hand of the user. The actuator includes an input button mounted to the thumb side of the housing. The input button of the actuator has a supporting surface adapted to serve as a thumb rest for the user. Further, the input button is laterally depressible in a direction toward the finger side of the housing for activation. Additionally, a downward force on the supporting surface of the input button will not activate the actuator.
Another facet of the invention includes a curved thumb-supporting input button for a computer input device. This button may be located below a scroll wheel on the thumb-side surface of the device. Preferably, the button is curved near its bottom edge to support and cradle the thumb, and provide an effective resting area for the thumb.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.


A desk-top slide type circular power saw has a cutter device which is capable of performing a slant cutting and movable back and forth. The saw includes a base, a turntable rotatably mounted on the base, a pair of bearings formed in the turntable, a pair of thrust shafts supported by the bearings to be movable back and forth in an axial direction, a first holder mounted on one end of the thrust bearings, the first holder having a first engagement portion in the form of an arcuate shape, a second holder provided with a second engagement portion engageable with the first engagement portion to be slidable relative to the first engagement portion, and a coupling member for coupling the first and second holders with each other. The cutter device is mounted on the second holder to be swingable.

The present invention relates to a desk-top slide type circular power saw, and more particularly to a desk-top slide type circular power saw which is capable of performing a slant cutting, and in which a cutter means, slides back and forth.
In general, a desk-top circular power saw is well known in which a slant cutting is possible and a cutter means is movable back and forth.
FIG. 11 is a side elevational view showing a desk-top slide type circular power saw disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Unexamined Publication No. 62-162001. A turntable 102 is rotatably mounted on a base 101. A holder 103 is rotatably mounted through a shaft 104 on a rear face 102a of the turntable 102. The rotation of the holder 103 is adjusted by a slant adjust knob 105. On the other hand, a bearing portion 103a is formed in an upper portion of the holder 103. A slide shaft 106 is supported slidably in the axial direction to the bearing portion 103a. The back and forth movement of the slide shaft 106 is adjusted by a back-and-forth adjust knob 107. A cutter means 109 is swingably mounted through a hinge 108 at an end portion of the slide shaft 106.
In order to obliquely position the cutter means 109 of the slide type circular power saw with such an arrangement, the slant adjust knob 105 is loosened, and the holder 103 is rotated about the shaft 104. Also, in order to move the cutter means 109 back and forth, the back-and-forth adjust knob 107 is loosened and the slide shaft 106 is moved back and forth.
However, since the slant adjust knob 105 for the slant or oblique adjustment is provided on the holder 103 located at the rear face of the turntable 102, in the case where the cutter means 109 is held in the advanced position (shown in FIG. 11), the slant adjust knob 105 is located far from the operator. Thus, the conventional circular power saw suffers from the problem that it is difficult to perform the adjusting work to reduce the working efficiency. In addition, the saw is weak in mechanical strength because the turntable 102 is discrete from the holder 103 having the bearing portion 103a.


This endoscope apparatus comprises an endoscope having at least an image forming optical system, a wavelength separating apparatus separating an observed object image into images of a plurality of wavelength ranges, an imaging apparatus forming an image by an image forming optical system and imaging the images of the respective wavelength ranges separated by the wavelength separating apparatus and a signal processing apparatus forming at least one new image on the basis of the images of at least two wavelength ranges among the images of the respective wavelength ranges imaged by the imaging apparatus and forming an observed image by at least one image including this new image.

1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to endoscope apparatus and more particularly to an endoscope apparatus wherein any other wavelength ranges than of visible lights can be video-imaged or information obtained by a plurality of wavelength ranges can be video-imaged so that an affected part or a living body information which has not been able to be observed by an ordinary observation may be observed in detail.
2. Related Art Statement:
Recently there is extensively utilized an endoscope whereby, by inserting an elongate insertable part into a body cavity, organs within the body cavity can be observed or, as required, various therapeutic treatments can be made by using treating instruments inserted through a treating instrument channel.
Now, heretofore the body cavity interior has been observed by using an endoscope called a fiber scope but recently it is attempted to video-image any other information than of a visible light range with a solid state imaging device provided at the tip of an insertable part.
In the publication, for example, of a Japanese patent application laid open No. 46929/1983, there is disclosed a technique wherein a video image by near infrared rays is taken in and the part above a fixed level is extracted and is displayed by an outline.
Also, in the publication of a Japanese patent application laid open No. 174714/1987, there is disclosed a technique wherein an image by near infrared rays is quasi-colored to be observable.
However, in the publication of the Japanese patent application laid open No. 46929/1983, there are problems that, not only, as the variation of a near infrared ray picture image is displayed in an outline in a range, it will be difficult to video-image the picture image which is high in the variations of the minute irregularities of the living body surface and the vein image or blood flow picture image below the mucous membrane but also, as only the near infrared rays are all used, no living body information obtained by other wavelengths will be obtained.
Also, in the publication of the above mentioned Japanese patent application laid open No. 174714, there are problems that, as the wavelength of a near infrared range is quasi-colored, as different from the ordinary tone, the orientation will be difficult and the hue variation which is most necessary for the diagnosis of an affected part will not be able to be simultaneously accurately observed. In some case, with only the image of one wavelength range such as the infrared range, a delicate information will not be obtained.


A display system for a vehicle includes an instrument cluster having a cluster display constructed and arranged, in a default cluster mode of operation, to display vehicle operating information. A radio display is separate from and disposed generally adjacent to the cluster display. The radio display is constructed and arranged, in a default radio mode of operation, to display media information. A controller is in communication with the cluster display and with the radio display. The controller is constructed and arranged, based on an input, to cause the media information to be shown on the cluster display in place of the operating information displayed during the default cluster mode of operation. Simultaneously, the operating information can be shown on the radio display in place of the radio information.

In conventional vehicles, typically a cluster display is provided directly adjacent to the steering wheel and in front of the driver. The cluster digitally displays vehicle I information such as the vehicle speed, engine revolutions per minute (RPR), fuel level and other information. The radio display is typically offset from the cluster display, generally located to the side of the cluster display and not in direct line of sight with the driver. If the driver wants to view the media information on the radio display, the driver may need to look away from the road which may result in an unsafe condition. This is especially true if the radio display includes navigational information being viewed by the driver.
There is a need for a system for a vehicle that enables a driver to interchange the graphical information between a radio display and a cluster display on demand so that information currently desired by the driver is in directly line of sight with the driver.

Cluster-radio information interchange system for enhancing human-machine interface experience


The conveying apparatus comprises a pair of first arms provided in a spaced-apart relation and rotated with two first supporting points as their centers, a pair of second arms rotated with second supporting points as their centers, the second supporting points being provided on the end portions of the paired first arms, a support member having two supporting points rotatably supporting the end portions of the paired second arms, the support member supporting an article to be conveyed, a mechanism for moving the support member away from the base by moving the first and second arms into a superimposed state, and a mechanism capable of changing at least one of a distance between the first supporting points and distance between the third supporting points, or a flexible area provided on at least one of the pair of first arms and pair of second arms allowing the pair of first arms or pair of second arms to be deformed in their longitudinal direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a conveying apparatus and, in particular, to a frog-leg type conveying apparatus for conveying an article by those arms actuated like frog legs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus often employs a frog leg type conveying apparatus for conveying a semiconductor wafer. The conveying apparatus comprises a pair of first arms rotated with two first supporting points as their centers, the two first supporting points being provided on a base in a spaced-apart relation; a pair of second arms rotated with two second supporting points as their centers, the two second supporting points being provided on the end portions of the first arms; and a support member having two third supporting points for rotatably supporting the end portions of the two second arms and supporting a semiconductor wafer to be conveyed. In this conveying apparatus, a semiconductor wafer supported on the support member is moved by extending and contracting the first and second arms with the first and second supporting points as articulated points. This type of frog-leg type conveying apparatus is disclosed in Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Applications 60-183736 (PCT/US84/00185) and 61-87351.
The above Japanese Patent Application 61-87351 discloses a frog-leg type conveying apparatus for moving the support member away from the base when the first and second arms are contracted into a superimposed state.
Theoretically, the support member for supporting a semiconductor wafer can be moved away from the base by moving the pair of first arms through an angle of 180.degree.. Generally, a scalar robot is used for this type of conveying apparatus.
Since the scalar robot takes up a greater occupation area, it is not appropriate to locate the robot in a load/lock chamber of the semiconductor wafer treating apparatus which has to improve its throughput.
Further, in the case where the paired first and second arms are equal in length between their supporting points, a load acts upon the arms when the paired first and second arms are brought to their superimposed position and beyond. The load involved vibrates the conveying apparatus and produces a defective driving operation, preventing a smooth conveying operation.


A method is provided that increases throughput and decreases the memory requirements for matching multiple templates in image. The method includes determining a set of inter-template early elimination values that characterize the degree of matching between various templates and the image, at various locations in the image. A later-analyzed template may be rejected as a potential match at a location in the image based on comparing a value characterizing its degree of match at that location to an inter-template early elimination value corresponding to the degree of match of an earlier-analyzed template at that location. The compared values may be determined by different sets of operations, and may be normalized such that they are properly comparable. The inter-template early elimination conditions may be stored in a shared correlation map. The shared correlation map may be analyzed to determine the matching locations for multiple templates in the image.

Precision machine vision inspection systems (or "vision systems" in short) can be utilized to obtain precise dimensional measurements of inspected objects. Such systems may include a computer, a camera and optical system, and a precision stage that is movable in multiple directions so as to allow the camera to scan the features of a workpiece that is being inspected. One exemplary prior art system that is commercially available is the QUICK VISION® series of PC-based vision systems and QVPAK® software available from Mitutoyo America Corporation (MAC), located in Aurora, Ill. The features and operation of the QUICK VISION® series of vision systems and the QVPAK® software are described in the QVPAK 3D CNC Vision Measuring Machine User's Guide, published January 2003, and the QVPAK 3D CNC Vision Measuring Machine Operation Guide, published September 1996, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. This product, as exemplified by the QV-302 Pro model, uses a microscope-type optical system to provide images of a workpiece at various magnifications, and moves the stage to traverse the workpiece surface beyond the limits of any single video image.
High throughput operation is generally desired in such systems. Also, increasingly, it is expected that "intelligent" programs, operations, and/or video tools, will operate to inspect a wider range of workpieces with less customized programming. Also, increasingly, "100%" inspection is required. The present invention is directed to systems and methods for enhancing these capabilities for general-purpose precision machine vision inspection systems.

Fast multiple template matching using a shared correlation map


Apparatus for treating extreme obesity comprising means for compressing the stomach and reducing its capacity and procedures employing said apparatus.

This invention relates to procedures and apparatus for treating obesity in human patients.
In the past, rather drastic surgical procedures have been employed to treat morbidly or mortally obese patients, i.e., patients whose body weight is at least twice their appropriate weight. One set of surgical procedures induces a pathophysiologic abnormality of the gastrointestinal tract by gastric or jejunoileal bypass operations in which as much as 95% of the tract is surgically bypassed. These procedures result in a patient who is a metabolic cripple having surgically induced malabsorption, and are associated with long term complications often requiring additional surgical procedures. The jejunoileal bypass, for example, has been used extensively in this country and around the world. This procedure bypasses about 95% of the small bowel, leaving about 40 cm. of functioning jejunum and ileum. The physiologic effect of this is massive diarrhea and malabsorption of nutrients, leading to weight loss secondary to poor absorption of nutrients, as well as aversion to eating. The procedure is performed an estimated five thousand to twenty thousand times per year in the United States, but has been abandoned by many institutions, including the Cleveland Clinic, because of unacceptable operative mortality averaging 6% nationwide, as well as severe complications including wound infection and breakdown, progressive liver failure, hypocalcemia, calcium oxalate urinary calculi and bypass enteropathy. Mechanical problems such as intestinal obstruction and hernia formation are frequent.
Approximately 32% of the patients having jejunoileal bypass operations are rehospitalized within one year. These operations have also been associated with liver dysfunctions most likely caused by the preferential absorption of carbohydrates in the remaining small bowel, with resulting relative protein starvation.
Because of all these problems, attention has been directed toward gastric surgical procedures to induce weight loss. A gastroplasty procedure was performed by Mason et al. (University of Iowa) to change the shape of the stomach but abandoned because of the technical difficulty of obtaining a proper partial outflow obstruction of the proximal gastric pouch. Instead, these investigators now recommend a 90% gastric bypass in which the proximal 10% of the stomach is anastomosed to the jejunum. This procedure is associated with a 3% operative mortality, as well as frequent would infections, anastomotic breakdowns, and a frequent need to revise the anastomosis. Other approaches to reducing the size of the stomach to cause weight loss include that of Wilkinson (Cited in Alden) who performed a "gastric inversion" with Marlex mesh wrapping in 2 cases, and that of Tretbar, who performed a gastric plication in 20 cases.
Another set of surgical procedures has involved oral surgical techniques to wire shut a patient's jaws to reduce food intake. This involves the serious possibility that any vomiting which may occur can result in aspiration of food and gastric secretions into the lungs.
Non-surgical treatment of obesity by the use of non-nutritive means such as methyl cellulose to fill the stomach is also known. For example, the use of tablets is known which after ingestion together with a fluid swell to a soft, stomach-filling bolus. However, it is appreciated that these means are not usually a satisfactory treatment for patients having the extreme disorder here described.
Mechanical apparatuses are known for insertion through the esophagus into the stomach to conform to the internal shape of the stomach, for example, to fill the stomach and to prevent hemorraging into the stomach from blood vessels at the stomach wall. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,046,988 and 3,055,371 describe the use of esophago-gastric balloons for such purposes. However, these apparatuses, when utilized, would obstruct the esophagus and, by filling the stomach, interfere with all ingestion of food.
Incontinence devices are also known which may be non-surgically inserted into a patient through an external orifice to entirely seal off passages to an internal organ. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,841,304 discloses an inflatable balloon-like bulb for non-surgical partial insertion into the bladder of a female to temporarily seal the entrance from that organ to the urethra so as to restore control over the flow of urine from the bladder. U.S. Pat. No. 3,646,929 discloses a more complex device for vaginal insertion to accomplish control over bladder emission. This device can be made to expand so that a flexible diaphragm displaces the urethra and bladder neck and prevents emptying of the bladder. In both of these cases the control of these devices is accomplished by means of an inflation bulb extending outside the patient's body.
It has been known to place an inflatable apparatus within a patient's abdomen during surgery for use as a retractor to retain the viscera during suturing, for example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,639. Such an apparatus, however, is not an implant apparatus, i.e., it is not adapted to remain entirely within the patient postoperatively, and plays no direct role in the control of any disorder.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to treat mortally or morbidly obese patents without including malabsorption of nutrients in the gastrointestinal tract.
Another object of the present invention is to avoid the complications associated with bypass operations on the gastrointestinal tract.
A further object of the invention is to treat mortally or morbidly obese patients whereby the patient's stomach may be compressed to a controlled degree and adjustments made from time to time in the amount of compression by outpatient treatment.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a relatively simple procedure for treating mortally or morbidly obese patients whereby a feeling of satiety from hunger and a reduction in the capacity of the stomach is produced without intrusion into the gastrointestinal tract.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a surgical implant apparatus that is simple to manufacture for the control of morbid obesity in patients.
These and other objects of the invention will appear more fully in the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings.

Inflatable gastric device for treating obesity


An elongated light-diffusive body having a trapezoidal cross-section encapsulates an axially elongated self-luminous light source. The body has a wide base, a narrow base, and slanted sides between the bases. Opening to its narrow base, the body has a longitudinal slot in which the light source fits. A substantially total reflector extends around the slanted sides and the narrow base, including the exposed portion of the light source, to reflect all the light toward the wide base. Distribution of the light emitted from the tube is changed as it leaves the wide base by a partially transmissive coating on the portion of the wide base through which light rays from the tube pass normal to the wide base.

This invention relates to the control of light distribution and direction and, more particularly, to a lighting system that utilizes a self-luminous light source.
One type of self-luminous light source in use today comprises an axially elongated glass tube sealed at its ends, phosphor coated on its inner surface, and filled with a radioactive gas, such as tritium. When beta emission from the gas strikes the phosphor coating, visible light is emitted from the tube. Miniature self-luminous light sources of the described type are commonly used to backlight liquid crystal displays in digital watches and other electronic instruments with visual displays. In contrast to incandescent lamps, such a self-luminous light source requires no electrical power source, illuminates the liquid crystal display in the absence of ambient light without a switching operation, and provides many years of maintenance-free operation.
The common practice is to mount one or more miniature light sources, depending upon the area of the liquid crystal display to be illuminated, in a shallow pan having a light-reflective surface. The pan, which is located adjacent to the back face of the liquid crystal display, serves to hold the light source in place and reflect all the light emitted therefrom through the liquid crystal display. For digital watch applications in particular, the cross-section of the glass tube is elongated. The wider and thinner the cross-section of the glass tube, the more area of the liquid crystal display can be illuminated without increasing the thickness of the liquid crystal display-light source assembly. If the area of the liquid crystal display to be illuminated is wider than the light source to be used, the current practice is to use a plurality of light sources so the resultant area of the light sources coincides with or exceeds the area of the liquid crystal display to be illuminated.


A method for detecting a manipulation of a mobile device, comprises the following steps: a) determining, by means of a sensor, the orientation of the vertical direction in a reference frame tied to the mobile device at a plurality of successive instants; b) calculating, for each instant, the angle formed by the orientation of the vertical direction in the reference frame and a reference orientation, and c) detecting a manipulation when the angle exceeds a first threshold. An apparatus for detecting a manipulation of a mobile device comprises: a sensor for measuring the orientation of a vertical direction in a reference frame tied to the mobile device, and a processor connected to the sensor configured or programmed to implement such a method. A mobile phone comprising such an apparatus is also provided.

It is sometimes necessary for a mobile device to be able to autonomously determine when it is being manipulated. For example, the detection of a manipulation may allow a mobile phone to increase the brightness of its screen—previously kept at a low level for the sake of saving energy—in order to facilitate unlocking. At present, this is not carried out automatically and requires a specific operation on the part of the user (generally, a touch on the screen).
The use of an accelerometer or a magnetometer allows the movements of a mobile device to be detected, which may be attributed to a manipulation. However, these movements may also be caused by the movements of the user carrying the device and thereby lead to "false positives". The invention aims to provide a method and an apparatus for detecting a manipulation of a mobile device (other than a simple translational movement, which occurs for example during a journey) that minimizes the risk of false positives while having a satisfactory detection rate.
The inventor has realized that false positives are essentially due to movements of the mobile device that are induced by the user's walking. These movements essentially consist of low amplitude oscillations at a frequency of the order of 1 Hz that are caused by footsteps and, occasionally, of high amplitude rotations around a vertical axis, caused by changes of course. In contrast, an intentional manipulation most frequently comprises a rotation of rather high amplitude around an axis which is generally not vertical, potentially followed by rotations of lower amplitude. The method and the apparatus of the invention take advantage of these differences in order to distinguish between intentional manipulations of the device and spurious movements resulting, in particular, from the user's walking. According to the invention, rotations only around the vertical axis are not detected as manipulations, as they are generally simple changes of course as part of the user's navigation.

Method and apparatus for detecting a manipulation of a portable device

Commissariat a l'energy Atomique et Aux Energies Alternatives


A terrain warning system includes an indicator to inform a pilot of a proposed degree of flight parameters for safely clearing terrain. An aural message may identify a vertical speed that may be used to safely traverse terrain to the pilot. A visual indicator on a display informs the pilot of a vertical speed or climb angle to traverse terrain. The display may be a vertical speed indicator also capable of displaying traffic advisories.

1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to methods and systems for reducing the risk of collisions between aircraft and terrain. Such systems and methods inform a pilot of a degree of change in flight to avoid colliding with terrain.
2. Background Art
Ground Proximity Warning Systems (GPWS), Ground Collision Avoidance Systems (GCAS), and/or Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems (TAWS), are used in aircraft to inform pilots or other flight crew members of a likely or imminent collision with terrain. For simplicity, these systems are collectively and generically referred to herein as TAWS. TSO-C151a (Technical Standard Order) and RTCA DO-161A, incorporated herein by reference, including Appendices, prescribe minimum operational performance standards for TAWS equipment.
TAWS includes a Forward Looking Terrain Avoidance (FLTA) function which looks ahead of an aircraft along and below the aircraft's lateral and vertical flight path and provides alerts to a flight crew if a potential Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) threat exists. CFIT is an aircraft accident where a completely airworthy aircraft is flown into terrain (which may include man-made obstacles) or water. In the United States, Class A TAWS equipment is required to provide terrain information on a display, such as a weather radar indicator, or other video output device. In display, such as a weather radar indicator, or other video output device. In such a system, visual and aural signals are provided to a flight crew for both caution and warning alerts in one or more of the following situations:
(1) excessive rate of descent
(2) excessive closure rate to terrain;
(3) negative climb rates/loss of altitude after take-off;
(4) unsafe clearance when not in landing configuration;
(5) excessive downward deviation from an ILS (Instrument Landing System) glideslope;
(6) CFIT threats; and
(7) when an aircraft is hazardously below the normal (typically three degree) approach path for the nearest runway.
A "caution alert" as used herein is provided when a potentially hazardous flight condition with terrain is detected, immediate crew/pilot attention is warranted, and a potential for crew/pilot action exists. In a TAWS, a typical caution alert is in the form of an audible notification of a flight condition, e.g., "terrain ahead" and includes corresponding visual indicators of the flight condition such as an amber or yellow light on a display. A "warning alert" as used herein is provided by a TAWS when a potentially hazardous flight condition with terrain is detected and immediate crew/pilot action is required to avoid the hazardous flight condition.
Typically, a warning alert may be in the form of an audible instruction to take action (e.g., "terrain, terrain; pull up, pull up") and corresponding visual indicator (e.g., a red light or symbol on a cockpit display) notifying a crew or pilot that action is required to avoid an imminent threat. In most instances a warning alert is only provided after a caution alert is provided. The differences between these alert types are made primarily to distinguish between severities of terrain threats encountered during flight.
Forward Looking Terrain Avoidance (FLTA) uses a "look ahead" or "sensor" profile to determine whether to generate caution and/or warning alerts. The sensor profile is a three dimensional mathematical model of potential future aircraft position and is compared with terrain data to determine whether a potential for collision with terrain exists. If terrain data intersects or conflicts with the sensor profile then a caution alert or warning alert is given to the flight crew. The differences between a caution alert and a warning alert are generally related to the proximity in time or distance of the terrain to the aircraft. For example, a sensor profile for a caution alert may extend further in time or distance from the aircraft position than the sensor profile used for generating a warning alert.
Referring now to FIG. 1, an example of conventional TAWS functionality will be described. The FLTA function of the TAWS in aircraft 10 compares the sensor profile 15 (also referred to herein as "terrain avoidance profile") with numerical models of terrain features, for example mountain 50, stored in a database. For the sake of simplicity, the FLTA described herein relates to terrain avoidance profiles 15 used in association with generating a warning alert. However, profile 15, as well as other types of profiles discussed herein may be used for generating either a caution alert or a warning alert.
When profile 15 for aircraft 10 at position (A) encounters terrain feature 50 (i.e., the model of flight position intersects the model of terrain), the TAWS in aircraft 10 issues a warning alert including aural alert 25 such as "terrain; pull up, pull up." The pilot of aircraft 10 reacts to the warning alert by enacting a terrain avoidance maneuver, for example, changing the flight path for increasing elevation of aircraft 10 through positions (B) and (C) until profile 15 no longer encounters with terrain feature 50. At this point (shown at position (D)), aural alert 25 ceases and the pilot may stop increasing the elevation of aircraft 10 to overcome terrain feature 50.
This conventional TAWS suffers from several problems. By way of example, when visual inspection by a pilot is impossible or retarded (e.g., fog, darkness, or other visually impairing condition), a pilot may be entirely surprised by a terrain warning alert. Since conventional terrain alerts do not articulate any details about the collision threat, the pilot may enact a rigorous increase in elevation to avoid the threat of collision with terrain. Moreover, in many conventional TAWS the warning alert is continuously repeated until aircraft 10 reaches an elevation high enough to overcome terrain 50. In this case, the pilot may continue the most rigorous increase in elevation possible until the terrain threat is overcome. Severe flight path alterations, such as attempting or continuing rigorous increases in climb angle, may: (i) induce aircraft 10 to stall (which actually increases the chance of collision with the terrain); (ii) lead to injury of passengers and/or flight crew; (iii) damage cargo and/or the aircraft; (iv) cause unnecessary stress on the pilot and/or flight crew; and/or (v) result in an uncomfortable ride.
With the conventional terrain warning methods and systems, a pilot may unnecessarily enact extreme terrain avoidance maneuvers and may not realize that danger has subsided until the aural alert ceases, even though in reality, a timely response by the pilot and a slight or gradual increase in altitude might avoid the terrain.

Aviation Communication & Surveillance Systems LLC


Low cost miniature vector sensors are provided. An acoustic vector sensor is provided that comprises at least one accelerometer to measure at least one component of acoustic particle acceleration, wherein the at least one accelerometer has a resonant frequency within a measurement band of the acoustic vector sensor. In addition, a method is disclosed for measuring an acoustic signal. The method comprises the steps of configuring an array of acoustic vector sensors comprised of at least one accelerometer to measure at least one component of acoustic particle acceleration; operating the at least one accelerometer at a resonant frequency within a measurement band of the acoustic vector sensor; and generating a voltage using one or more of the acoustic vector sensors representative of the acoustic signal as the acoustic signal propagates past the array. The voltage optionally indicates a bearing of the acoustic signal.

Vector sensors have been used in various underwater applications since the 1950's and typically contain individual transducers for measuring the acoustic pressure and the acoustic pressure-gradient at a single point in space. When the outputs of the transducers are combined in an additive format, cardioid beams are created and can be used to track sources of sound in water. Alternatively, when the outputs are combined in a multiplicative format, the acoustic intensity or acoustic impedance can be computed. In these ways, vector sensors have an inherent advantage over pressure sensors, particularly when used in direction finding applications and diagnostic measurement applications (e.g., acoustic intensity or impedance measurements).
The pressure transducer can take on many forms but usually consists of an air-backed hydrophone comprised of a piezoelectric disk or piezoelectric cylinder. The pressure-gradient transducer can also take on many forms but in many cases consists of a piezoelectric accelerometer contained within a rigid housing that also incorporates the pressure transducer. The use of an accelerometer to measure the pressure gradient is borne out of the linearized Euler equation that relates the pressure gradient to the particle acceleration in the acoustic medium (i.e., ∇p=−ρ0a, where p is the acoustic pressure, ρ0 is the ambient density of the medium, and a is the acoustic particle acceleration) in the same way Newton's second law relates force and acceleration on a body (i.e., F=ma, where F is the force, m is the mass of the body, and a is the acceleration). As such, this type of vector sensor relies on the "inertial principle" and moves in phase with the acoustic wave provided its dimensions are small in comparison to an acoustic wavelength.
The so-called buoyancy factor dictates the relative amplitude between the kinetic component of the acoustic wave and that of the vector sensor such that a neutrally buoyant sensor moves with the same amplitude as the acoustic wave, a positively buoyant sensor moves with a larger amplitude, and a negatively buoyant sensor moves with a lower amplitude. In this context, the buoyancy factor serves as a means to adjust the intrinsic sensitivity of the accelerometer (i.e., the frequency dependent sensitivity in units of V/g or V/m/s2 resulting from a calibration performed with a shaker and reference accelerometer) to the effective in-water acoustic sensitivity according to the relation β=(M0+Mi)/(Ms+Mi), where M0 is the displaced fluid mass based on the volume of the sensor, Ms is the mass of the sensor, and Mi is the induced fluid mass associated with the sensor translating in the acoustic medium during passage of a sound wave.
For a further discussion of the operating principles of inertial-type vector sensors, see, for example, J. A. McConnell, "Analysis of a Compliantly Suspended Acoustic Velocity Sensor," J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 113(3), 1395-1405 (2003), or J. A. McConnell, "Development and Application of Inertial-Type Underwater Acoustic Intensity Probes," Ph.D. Thesis, Ch. 2, 6, and 7, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa. (2004), each incorporated by reference herein.

Acoustic vector sensor having an accelerometer with in-band resonant frequency


A sickle cutting section is provided. The sickle cutting section comprises a plate having a base material of a first hardness. The plate extends forwardly from a mounting portion to a front tip. A serrated cutting edge extends at least partially between the front tip and the mounting portion. A clad material is of a second hardness that is harder than the first hardness and is deposited along the base material at least partially along the serrated cutting edge.

Sickle bar assemblies are used on agricultural equipment to cut crops. The assemblies in general include reciprocating cutting blades, also known as sickle sections that are attached to a metal bar commonly referred to as a knife back and move in a reciprocating motion over knife guards of the sickle bar assembly to cut crops. Examples of such sickle bar assembly systems may be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 8,371,096.
Thus, the reciprocating cutting blades function as one half of the cutting system, the other half being the sickle guards which the sickle sections cut against to form a scissor type of cutting action. The sickle/guard process of cutting crop has been around for over 150 years in various forms. Over the years attempts have been made to improve these particular components that make up the cutting systems through use of various materials and heat treatments in attempts to improve wear, efficiency, and cost of production.
In the efforts to improve cutting blade cutting efficiency, there has been some work on the design of the serrations on the sickle section in the past 40 years so as to help direct the crop stems to the root of the serration tooth. This has been shown to cause a self-sharpening effect as the blade is moving from left to right in use. At this point in time, this is the state of the art for all major agricultural equipment manufacturers. However, the wear life of this cutting system is not adequate. More specifically, the cutting edges of these sickle sections dull fairly quickly which in turn causes the load on the sickle to increase dramatically and thereby lead to more fuel usage and breakage of the sickle.
One attempt to help increase the cutting edge retention of the modern sickle section was developed around midcentury and it included the use of hard chrome plating on the entire sickle section. This hard chrome plating was fairly well accepted but alas the cost to plate the entire sickle section became prohibitive, and more recently, the environmental impact of chrome plating has made this approach obsolete.
In the middle 1980's a Kansas manufacturer introduced a "Tungsten Steel Sickle Section" touting a tungsten carbide hard-facing applied to the top of the serrations. The present inventor contemplates that a problem with this design is that the serrations could not fully accept the hard-facing and thus the wear resistance was still a problem. This product was only on the market a few years because the cost of the hard-facing was not worth the increased product life that was claimed.
Most recently, U.S. Pat. No. 6,857,255 disclosed a sickle section with laser hardened cutting edges. In the '255 patent, the cutting edges are quench and tempered to 40-58 Rc to remain fairly tough and then a secondary laser heat treating operation is applied to the very tips of the serrations of the cutting edge in the range of 64-68 Rc hardness. Unfortunately, this design results in the cutting edge having such a high hardness that it is extremely brittle and the teeth of the serrations may break off within minutes of operation leaving a dull cutting edge.
Lastly, as sickle sections are designed today, the present inventor contemplates that the forward facing tip of the reciprocating cutting blade can be a deterrent in allowing crop to enter the cutting zone comprising the cutting edges of the cutting system, because as the tips encounter the stalk of crop, the blunt impact merely knocks the crop down and does not allow for the crop to efficiently move as desired into the cutting edges. For this reason, the inventor further contemplates that the sickle sections are typically designed with a small width tip, however, such small tips are problematic because the smaller the tip gets the less strength it has to endure crop cutting and other obstacles in the field; the smaller the tip, the less effect it has on allowing crop into the cutting zone but, the more likely it is to break.
Different aspects of the invention seeks to address one or more of the foregoing limitations found by the present inventor in reciprocating cutting blades of sickle bar assemblies. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.

Reciprocating cutting blade with cladding


A high pin density electrical connector includes an insulation body having a first surface and a second surface, a metal shield mounted to the first surface of the insulation body, having a plate portion and a shaped frame mounted to the plate portion to define a circumferentially surrounded space and a plurality of pin members. The insulation body has formed on the second surface thereof two cavities each having two circumferences along which a plurality of pin receiving holes are formed to extend from the first surface to the cavities. A pin support member having two edges along which slots are formed is snugly received within each of the cavities. The pin members are first received and supported within the slots of the pin support members and then extend through the pin receiving holes to be retained therein so as to have a leading section of each of the pin members extend into the surrounded space of the shield.

Conventionally, the communication connection between a computer and peripheral devices is done via the so called D-type connector which has a plurality of pins with a spacing between adjacent pins approximately equal to 2.54 mm. Such an electrical connector is the most widely used electrical connector for computers and associated devices. Due to the fact that the pins of this connector are arranged in a sparse manner (or referred to as low pin density), the connector occupies a large surface area on a printed circuit board which the connector engages. Such a low pin density connector is quite obviously not suitable for use in miniature office machines, such as notebook computer, which requires the pins of the connector to be arranged in a more compact and denser manner.
Further, in order to have a high density arrangement of the pins for use in a miniature office machine, the number of pins to be accommodated within a given area is increased, as compared to the conventional connector. This causes a greater fitting force acting upon the pin receiving holes of an insulation body of the connector during assembly. Since the partition wall between two adjacent ones of the pin receiving holes is quite thin and such a greater force may directly destruct the partition and lead in flaw products.
Solving such a problem by simply reducing the size of the pins or increasing the partition wall thickness between two adjacent pin holes is not feasible, because the former reduces the contact area that is available on the pin terminal and may thus cause signal transfer problem and the latter increases the overall surface area occupied by the electrical connector and thus not suitable for miniature office machines.
It is therefore desirable to provide a high pin density electrical connector structure which overcomes the problems.


A lid of a rechargeable battery includes a lid body that closes an opening of a case body and is supported by a case-side mating surface surrounding the opening of the case body. The lid also includes an inserted portion having a shape of a quadrangular column. The inserted portion protrudes from the lid body toward an inner part of the case body and extends along an inner circumferential surface of the case body. The lid also includes a rounded corner present in the distal end of the inserted portion in a protruding direction in which the inserted portion protrudes from the lid body. The lower limit of an edge-removal dimension of the corner is equal to an average particle diameter of a material for the lid.

Vehicles such as electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHV) include rechargeable batteries as a power storage device that stores power to be supplied to a motor for driving. The rechargeable batteries may include an electrode assembly and a case. The electrode assembly includes positive electrodes and negative electrodes stacked on one another with separators located in between. The case accommodates the electrode assembly. The case is formed by welding a case body and a lid as in Patent Document 1.
As shown in FIG. 8, a case body 81 before welding has a tubular shape with an opening on the top surface thereof. A first protrusion 82 protrudes from an outer surface 81a of the case body 81 around the entire circumference of the case body 81. Further, a lid 83 before welding has a size such that the lid 83 is supported on an opening end surface of the case body 81. The lid 83 also has a portion to be inserted into the case body 81. A second protrusion 84 protrudes from an outer surface 83a of the lid 83 around the entire circumference of the lid 83.
When the case is manufactured, an inserted portion 86, which is a part of the lid 83, is inserted into the case body 81 and the outer circumferential portion of the lid 83 is placed on the opening end surface of the case body 81. Further, the outer surface 81a of the case body 81 and the outer surface 83a of the lid 83 are arranged to be flush with each other, such that the first protrusion 82 and the second protrusion 84 constitute a protrusion 85. Then the protrusion 85 is irradiated with a laser beam to become a part of a weld zone, so that the case body 81 and the lid 83 are welded together, thereby forming the case.


A vehicle seat back adjuster for achieving fine increments of adjustment in the order of 1.degree., without resort to translation overdrive, through employment of reaction backup for teeth in the order of 1.degree. pitch in an adjustment quadrant minimizing yield of components which could permit fine tooth disengagement.

In copending application Ser. No. 945,303 filed on Sept. 25, 1978 applicant found it possible through the use of a pivoted locking plate coaxial with the main hinge pivot, capable of angular movement relative to both seat and back rest hinge members, together with a ratchet having an arcuate toothed sector pivotally connected to the seat hinge member and with a differential translation connection between locking plate and ratchet plate, together with the provision of an inertia latch pivotally connected to the back rest hinge member interacting with the locking plate, to achieve desired operation, under presence or absence of deceleration, including the combined advantages of fine small increment adjustment over a full range of seat recliner accommodation together with automatic release for forward tilting to facilitate rear seat passenger convenience in entering and leaving the vehicle. In a further copending application Ser. No. 072,013 filed on Sept. 4, 1979, applicant discloses a seat back adjuster which employs a combination of improved accuracy in stop location for extremity of adjustment together with a special provision at each end of the ratchet sector which cooperates with the pawl extremities to prevent the misengagement which could otherwise result from overpassing the last incremental position at which full tooth engagement can be achieved. Such provision, in case of overtravel beyond the last increment for full tooth engagement, assured positive back travel to the last increment position in response to pawl engagement. Such provision together with a translation overdrive linkage between the seat back and adjustment ratchet achieves a substantial improvement in fineness of adjustment to approximately one degree of increments of seat back adjustment.


A combustor includes a first premixture supply device provided in a central portion of a combustion chamber disposed generally concentric with a combustion cylinder, and a second premixture supply means provided adjacent to an outer periphery of the first premixture supply device. The first premixture supply device is operable when the combustor is under a high load, and the second premixture supply device is operable when the combustor is under a low load. A method of operating a combustor is also proposed wherein the combustor comprises a combustion cylinder having a combustion chamber therein and a premixture supply device provided on one side of the combustion cylinder for supplying a combustible mixture to the combustion chamber. The premixture supply device comprising at least two inner and outer premixture supply devices. The outer premixture supply device is operable in a low-load range of the combustor while the inner and outer premixture supply devices are operable in a high-load range of the combustor at above a predetermined load. The first and second premixture supply devices include first and second burners, respectively. The first and second burners are operated in such a manner that the ratio of the load borne by the first burner to the load borne by the second burner is 1:1 in the high-load range.

This invention relates to a combustor for a gas turbine and more particularly, to a combustor of the premix combustion-type and a method of operating such a combustor.
Most of conventional combustors of the general type employ a two-stage combustion system to reduce production of NOx. More specifically, in such a combustor, a diffusion combustion is effected at one end of a combustion cylinder, at the head of the combustor, for the purpose of stabilizing a flame whereas, a premix combustion, highly effective in reducing NOx, is effected downstream of the one end of the combustion cylinder.
Such a combustor is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,801. More specifically, this conventional combustor comprises a first-stage diffusion combustion burner mounted on a head of the combustor, and a second-stage diffusion combustion burner extending from the combustor head toward a central portion of a combustion chamber. The diameter of the combustion chamber is reduced or constricted in the vicinity of an outlet of the second-stage burner. At the start of combustion, fuel is supplied to the first-stage burner and is ignited so as to effect a diffusion combustion in a first-stage combustion chamber. Then, as the combustion load increases, fuel is introduced into the second-stage burner so as to effect a diffusion combustion in a second-stage combustion chamber. Then, simultaneously when the first-stage fuel is transferred to the second-stage burner, the first-stage burner is extinguished (turned off), and then fuel is again charged into the first-stage burner. At this time, the first-stage combustion chamber serves as a premix chamber for mixing the fuel and the air together. Therefore, at the time of a high-load combustion, a fuel-air premixture from the first-stage combustion chamber is burned by the heat source of the second-stage burner so as to continue the combustion.
In the combustor of such a construction, premix combustion is carried out mainly when the combustor is operated under a load higher than a predetermined level, and therefore this combustor is very effective in reducing NOx. This type of combustor is satisfactory in that during a high-load operation, it discharges small amounts of NOx and uncombusted substances such as CO, which means that the combustion is sufficiently effected in the combustion chamber, and therefore very little of the combustible fuel-air mixture is discharged in an uncombusted condition from the combustor. However, during a low-load operation of the combustor, that is, under a condition in which the fuel-air mixture is lean, the cooling air enters about the wall surface of the combustion chamber, so that the amount of discharge of unburned substances such as CO tends to increase.


When a monitor display is to be printed by a color printer, the present invention transforms the monitor colors to compensate for chromatic adaption while mapping the monitor""s neutral axis with the printer""s neutral axis so neutral colors remain neutral. In the preferred embodiment, it is assumed that there is only partial chromatic adaption by the viewer. The result is that printing the transformed monitor colors using a color printer causes printed colors to appear to the human eye to be similar to the displayed monitor colors, while preserving neutral colors, once the human eye has adapted to the displayed monitor colors and the printed colors.

This invention relates to printers and, in particular, to a method for accurately reproducing a color image by a color printer.
When reproducing a computer monitor""s displayed color image by a color printer, the user typically wants the exact same colors the user perceives on the monitor to be printed on white paper. The human eye adapts a viewed color to a xe2x80x9cwhitexe2x80x9d reference on the medium displaying the color. This is referred to as chromatic adaptation. However, the human eye does not completely adapt to the white point of the monitor.
The monitor white xe2x80x9ccolorxe2x80x9d is generally not the same white as the paper viewed under standard office light. For example, the white point on a monitor screen may have certain red, green, or blue components, while the white point of paper is generally that of the viewing illuminant having color components different from that of the monitor white point. Therefore, since the white references on the monitor and the paper are different, simply converting the RGB primary color components used to form the monitor colors to the corresponding cyan, magenta, and yellow (CMY) primary color ink components used in a color printer will not accurately reproduce (to the human eye) the colors perceived by the user when viewing the monitor.
An additional factor affects the viewer""s perception of color. Printed color on white paper is usually viewed in a well lit environment, causing the white paper to be bright. The monitor screen is typically viewed in a darker area, giving the perception that the monitor white point is fairly bright. If the monitor white and paper white were viewed under the same illumination, the monitor white would appear less bright. This would further distance the monitor white from the paper white.
Accordingly, monitor white may not only contain color components that are different from the components in the paper white but may also be darker than the paper white.
As seen, due to chromatic adaptation, simply converting the RGB monitor signals into the corresponding CMY printer signals do not reproduce the colors on the monitor as viewed by the human eye.
To compensate for the chromatic adaptation, prior solutions have included shifting the monitor RGB color signals. One approach is to assume full chromatic adaptation and then determine the shift in colors to cause the monitor white point to be the same as the paper white point (assuming a particular viewing illuminant.) One problem with this approach is that full chromatic adaptation of the human eye does not occur.
Another problem discovered by the Applicants with prior art solutions is that shifting the monitor colors also shifts neutral colors (i.e., gray scale colors.) A user generating gray scale colors on a monitor does not wish these gray scale colors to contain any CMY colors when printed. Rather, the user would want the gray scale to be printed using a black dot halftone image.
Hence, what is needed is an improved technique for accurately reproducing monitor colors by a color printer without shifting the neutral axis.
In one embodiment, the process includes transforming non-neutral monitor colors to generate transformed monitor colors, such that printing the transformed monitor colors using a color printer causes printed colors to appear to the human eye to be similar to the monitor colors displayed on a monitor, while preserving neutral colors, once the human eye has adapted to the monitor colors and the printed colors.
When a monitor display is to be printed by a color printer, the present invention changes the monitor colors to compensate for chromatic adaptation while mapping the monitor neutral axis precisely with the printer""s neutral axis so neutral colors remain neutral.
In the preferred embodiment, it is assumed that there is only partial chromatic adaptation by the viewer.

Accurate monitor to printer color reproduction technique


A rear mounted grader for vehicles comprises a plate member adapted to be vertically secured to the vehicle frame behind the wheels. A pair of rearwardly extending arms are pivotally mounted on the plate member and are provided with a sliding member securely mounted between the arms. A grader blade is transversally disposed relative to the arms and is secured thereunder at the rear end thereof. A hydraulic piston is pivotally secured at one end to the plate member above the pair of arms and to the sliding member at the opposite end for raising and lowering the blade from a position above the ground to an abutting position with the ground, whereby upon actuation of the piston, the blade is adapted to selectively abut against the ground for grading the ground or be lifted therefrom. The grader is preferably provided with spring blades mounted behind the sliding member between the latter and the pair of arms. The sliding member is adapted to abut against the spring blades to allow the blade to resiliently abut the ground when the piston lowers the blade against the ground.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a grader for leveling the ground or for plowing snow. The grading implement is adapted to be mounted at the rear of a vehicle and more specifically at the rear of a truck for scraping the ground whether the ground is covered by earth, gravel, small rocks, snow or ice.
The grading blade according to the invention is supported from the vehicle along a horizontal axis and is pivotally moved around this axis by hydraulic piston and is resiliently maintained in contact with the ground by a mechanical spring arrangement. The supporting arrangement for the blade also contemplates a second horizontal axle for allowing the blade to pivot about a transversal axis relative to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
An alternative embodiment of the invention includes a pivoting arrangement which allows the blade to be angularly oriented relative to the direction of movement of the vehicle to allow the blade to laterally shed the surplus amount of ground or snow gathered by the blade.
2. Prior Art
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,403,432 and 4,369,590 are directed to a rear mounted scraper blade for vehicles which is cable operated.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,447 the scraper blade abuts against the ground through the action of a pulling hydraulic cylinder without the flexibility of a resilient mechanical spring.


The elongated strips of came have a U-shaped cross section or an H-shaped cross section. An elongated strip of resilient cushion layer having an adhesive coating on its top surface is pressed into mating contact with the inside surface of the came. The resilient cushion layer functions to prevent chatter or rattle of glass panes that have their edge surface inserted into the came strips. The came acts like a bony skeleton to hold individual pieces of glass pane together in an assembly such as found in book cases and stained glass windows.

The invention relates to structure for holding individual glass panes together in a predesigned assembly. More specifically the invention relates to an improved strip of came. Lead and brass came are the chief support of works of stained glass and glass panels for bookcases. Like the bony skeleton, it is rigid where essential, yielding where necessary, compliant always. Such cames are generally available in six foot lengths of varied dimensions and design.
The word "came" is an Old English word meaning "string" or "length". It is also occasionally spelled "calme". The lead cames used with stained glass assemblies are made by an extrusion process. The die channels and shapes them.
While other materials have come into use, such as zinc bars, copper foil, brass rods, etc, lead is still the basic material that shapes stained glass creations.
The came serves a dual purpose. Basically, it holds the different pieces of glass together to conform to a pre-existing pattern or design. It also forms of itself a geometric or abstract design or, indeed, a pictoral design, which in an overview, can add to or detract from the creative endeavor.
Came is always measured across the top surface, not cross the channeled side, nor is the depth of the channel necessarily a factor in measuring the came. Since the channel may be pinched or enlarged, such a measurement would be inconstant. The top surface, however, does not change to any degree, and it is here that we measure whether the came is 1/16, 1/8, 3/16, 1/2 inch, etc. Hobbyists generally stay in the range of 1/16 to 1/4 inch came. Whether the came is described as round or flat applies also to the description of the top surface. Most lead cames come either way.
H cames have two channels, one on either side with a wall or "heart" in the middle, and are shaped like an H on its side. They are used within a panel or window. U cames or "high heart" cames are outside cames used for finishing off a single surface that will show, as in hanging panels or the skirts of lamps, they have only one channel which is considerably deeper than the H channel and their use gives a completed look to a panel or window, the edges of which will not be covered by molding.

Strips of came and method for producing the same


The present invention is a scanning system and a novel method for compensating for the variations in the output power of the beam from an A-O cell. The novel method involves varying the amount of drive current through the laser diode in such a fashion as to compensate for the loss of power due to diffraction inefficiencies. The amount of driving current is dependent upon the amount of power desired in the output beam from the A-O cell. The system and method of the present invention sets the output power from the A-O cell to a desired value. As the diffraction efficiency increases at other portions of the scan, the drive current is cut appropriately to compensate for the increased efficiency; thus keeping the output spot power at the desired value. Likewise, as the diffraction efficiency decreases at other portions of the scan, the drive current should be increased to compensate for the decrease in efficiency; thereby maintaining the desired value.

Facet tracking ROS systems are generally well known in the art. The input beam of a laser source is deflected by an acousto-optic (A-O) cell in such a manner that the light beam moves to "track" the effective mirrored facet on a rotating polygon. In addition to deflection, the A-O cell may also modulate the input beam in response to a video data signal input.
As is also well known, the Bragg condition must be satisfied in order for the light to be diffracted by the A-O cell. Briefly, the Bragg condition states that the sine of the angle defined by the input light beam and the acoustic plane wave in the A-O cell must be equal to a multiple of the wavelength of light divided by two times the wavelength of the acoustic wave. If the angle of the incident light does not satisfy the Bragg condition, then the light will pass through with only partial diffraction.
In practice, the light that is at an incident angle close to the Bragg angle will be mostly diffracted. In most ROS systems, however, the angle of incidence for the input beam is constant. Only the frequency of the acoustic wave varies; thus varying the Bragg angle. As a result, there is one acoustic frequency that gives the optimal diffraction (i.e. where the Bragg condition is exactly satisfied) and a narrow band of frequencies, close to the optimal frequency, where light is partially diffracted, albeit at different angles of deflection.
One desirable result of this arrangement is that the differences in angle of deflection allow the beam to track the facet. A second result is that the partial diffraction of light reduces the power of the beam leaving the A-O cell. This second result is undesirable from the standpoint of print quality. For example, uneven spot power incident upon a photoreceptor ultimately places a limit on the latent image contrast of the xerographic system. This is especially true if photoreceptors are potentially sensitive to the variations in spot power that occurs due to diffraction inefficiencies.
One attempt to correct this spot power differential due to diffraction inefficiency has been to "steer" the sound beam so that it maintains the Bragg angle with the incident light as the acoustic frequency is varied. The steering is accomplished by generating the acoustic wave with a phased array of multiple transducers coupled to the single A-O cell. This approach, however, is costly and complex as it requires additional electronics to drive the multiple transducers to accurately steer the sound wave.
Thus, there is a need to compensate for the power variation from the output beam from an A-O cell due to the variations in diffraction efficiency without the use of multiple transducers in an A-O cell.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a means for controlling the spot power of the output beam without adding to the complexity of the optical system.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a means for having any desired output spot power at any time during the scan.

System for controlling spot power in a raster output scanner


The present invention relates to an earthquake-resistant light tower with a tuned mass damper, in which a tuned mass damper is installed in a head part of a light apparatus installed on the top of a tower to absorb an earthquake or other vibration, thereby protecting a tower from vibration.

In general, a light tower, as a large-scale light facility installed for a night game or a performance, having a large area such as a playground, a harbor, and a performance hall, is installed in a tower (top) for illuminating the inside of the playground or performance hall from a high position and the light tower itself constitute one single facility.
In general, a light tower, as a large-scale light facility installed for a night game or a performance, having a large area such as a playground, a harbor, and a performance hall, is installed in a tower (top) for illuminating the inside of the playground or performance hall from a high position and the light tower itself constitute one single facility.
However, there are various technologies related with the tower light apparatus in the related art and examples thereof are Patents Documents 1 to 3.
In Patent Document 1, a rail-type elevating light tower having an elevating carrier joined to elevatably move along a guide rail formed on a prop and elevatably controlled by a wire towing the elevating carrier and driving means and braking means and including multiple light lamps and inner and outer ring-type supports and a support connection frame, is configured to include: a ring gear positioned on the top of the inner ring-type support of the elevating carrier and rotatably installed and having a gear unit in each of an upper part and an inner part; an electric motor to which a driving gear engaged with the inner gear part of the ring gear is axially joined and supported at one side of the inner ring-type support of the elevating carrier; a screw rod of which one end is engaged with an upper gear unit of the ring gear and the other end is rotatably supported by a bearing, and having a screw unit between one end and the other end; a conveyor ball-bearing-joined to the screw rod and advancing and retreating according to a rotational state of the screw rod; a slider in which one side is fixedly installed on the top of the conveyor and an installation part of a light lamp is fixedly installed at the other front end, and which interlocks with the conveyor; and a guide rail guiding linear movement of the slider and fixedly installed at a lower end of the support connection frame.
Patent Document 2 is configured to include a prop vertically erected with a predetermined height, a fixation frame installed on the top of the prop, an elevating frame elevatably installed along the prop and mounted with a light lamp, an elevation driving means elevation-driving the elevating frame, an XY-axis direction constraining means constraining the elevating frame not to move horizontally with respect to the fixation frame when the elevating frame rises, a Z-axis direction constraining means constraining the elevating frame not to move vertically horizontally with respect to the fixation frame when the elevating frame rises, and a remote adjustment switch remotely adjusting the light lamp, the elevation driving means, and the Z-axis direction constraining means.
In Patent Document 3, in a stationary lighting tower in which a ballast as a primary component constituting a light lamp device is installed in a support structure installed on the top of a tower in which a lamp is installed and an igniter is provided integrally with the lamp to make the lamp, the ballast, and the igniter be adjacent to each other to prevent voltage drop, thereby reducing power and extending constant lamp luminous flux and lamp life-span, and which includes an electrical equipment state detecting means detecting states of the ballast, the igniter, and a transformer, a database storing a reference value so as to determine whether the states of the lamp, the ballast, and the igniter are abnormal by comparing the lamp state, the ballast state, and the igniter states, a microcontroller including a display displaying states of each component sensed by the electrical equipment state detecting means, and a power line communication module for communication between the electrical equipment state detecting means and the microcontroller, the electrical equipment state detecting means is installed on the top of the tower and the microcontroller is installed inside a lower end of the tower, and as a result, an operator may determine whether the lamp and the ballast installed on the top of a light top on the ground through the display of the microcontroller before ascending the light tower and thereafter, perform a repairing work, thereby enabling rapid and safe maintenance.
When the light towers in the related art as a large-sized structure having a height of several tens of meters are shaken by external vibration such as an earthquake, electric and electronic elements constituting a light device may cause errors and when the earthquake occurs, the light towers are inclined or broken.

Earthquake-resistant light tower with the tuned mass damper


A circular queue implementing a scheme for prioritized reads is disclosed. In one embodiment, a circular queue (or buffer) includes a number of storage locations each configured to store a data value. A multiplexer tree is coupled between the storage locations and a read port. A priority circuit is configured to generate and provide selection signals to each multiplexer of the multiplexer tree, based on a priority scheme. Based on the states of the selection signals, one of the storage locations is coupled to the read port via the multiplexers of the multiplexer tree.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to integrated circuits, and more particularly, to reading register files and other types of storage circuits.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many integrated circuits (ICs) include one or more on-chip memories. One type of memory implemented on certain types of ICs is known as a circular queue (also known as a circular buffer). A circular queue is a memory that is effectively connected end-to-end, with write and read pointers that advance as data is written and read, respectively. The write pointer may write (and overwrite) storage locations in a sequential fashion, writing to one location and then advancing to the next. Similarly, the read pointer may also read storage locations in a sequential fashion, reading one location and then advancing.
Circular queues have a large number of applications. For example, circular queues are widely used in multimedia applications that utilize streaming data. In processors, circular queues may be used to implement load/store units, reservation stations, schedulers and so on. In general, circular queues may be implemented in a wide variety of applications in which data is to be buffered and read out in a sequential manner.