A seismic system, Seismic Mobile Information and Control System (Seis-MICS) comprising field resources, satellite resources, and office resources. The field resources include various personnel, equipment, and vehicles located in the general vicinity of the seismic project. The field resources include transceivers permitting various of the field resources to communicate directly, or indirectly, to the office resources via one or more satellites. The office resources include satellite earth hubs/stations, a server-side hardware, software, and data store, and user workstations. The seismic system advantageously facilitates real or near real time transmission of data between the field and office environment, thereby providing an efficient seismic operation.

Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to seismic operations. More particularly, the invention relates to seismic operations using satellites to provide communication between the field of operations and the office environment. Still more particularly, the invention relates to an integrated satellite-based seismic information system, facilitating efficient management of resources and assets in the field.
2. Background of the Invention
The field of seismology focuses on the use of artificially generated elastic waves to locate subsurface structures which may contain mineral deposits such as hydrocarbons, ores, water, and geothermal reservoirs. Seismology also is used for archaeological purposes and to obtain geological information for engineering. Exploration seismology provides data that, when used in conjunction with other available geophysical, borehole, and geological data, can provide information about the structure and distribution of rock types and their contents.
Most oil and gas companies rely on the interpretation of seismic data for selecting the sites in which to invest in drilling exploratory and production oil and gas wells. Despite the fact that seismic data is used to map geological structures rather than finding petroleum directly, the gathering of seismic data has become a vital part of selecting the site of an exploratory and/or development well. Experience has shown that the use of seismic data greatly improves the likelihood of a successful venture.
The process of designing, planning, taking seismic measurements, and processing the data generally is referred to as a xe2x80x9cseismic project.xe2x80x9d Although the scale of seismic projects vary depending on the depth of the subsurface structures, size of the area to be surveyed, and other factors, most seismic projects use a common set of equipment. A xe2x80x9csourcexe2x80x9d device creates the energy that propagates into the earth. xe2x80x9cReceiversxe2x80x9d detect the energy after it reflects off subsurface interfaces between rock formations. The time between emitting the impulse from the source and detecting the reflected impulse by a receiver is used to determine the distance to the subsurface structure under investigation. At least several different energy sources have been used at times, but most large scale land-based projects (seismic projects can also be performed at sea) use either high amplitude explosives or lower amplitude vibrators as the source.
Explosives produce high-energy, short time duration impulses. The explosive source and the associated data acquisition and processing system are relatively simple. Explosive charges usually are placed into holes drilled in the ground by drilling trucks, portable drills and personnel, and subsequently detonated.
Seismic projects alternatively may use low magnitude, vibratory energy. Rather than imparting a high magnitude pressure pulse into the earth in a very short time period as with explosive charges, vibratory sources emit lower amplitude pressure waves over a longer time period typically between 5 and 7 seconds, but longer time periods are also possible. A total interval of 5 to 32 seconds is possible. Further, the frequency of the vibrating source varies from a low of about 5 to 10 Hz to a high of 100 to 150 Hz, although the specific low and high frequencies differ from system to system. The frequency of the source may vary linearly with respect to time or non-linearly. The frequency variations are commonly called a xe2x80x9cfrequency sweep.xe2x80x9d The frequency sweep thus typically is between 5 and 150 Hz and on average 12 seconds in duration. The magnitude of the seismic wave oscillations may vary or remain at a constant amplitude.
Many other types of equipment are used in seismic projects. As noted above, drilling trucks are used to drill holes in the ground at predetermined locations for positioning and detonating explosive charges. Further, vibrator trucks are used to generate the vibratory energy. Recording equipment is used to record the seismic data. xe2x80x9cLine cuttersxe2x80x9d are used to clear trees and other obstacles from the area in which the sources and receivers are to be placed. Transportation in the survey area is provided by trucks, buses, all terrain vehicles, and other types of vehicles. Helicopters are used to ferry people and equipment to the site of the project. In addition, large scale projects may require over one hundred personnel in the field to perform a myriad of tasks such as clearing the line, setting up and dismantling the equipment, locating the sites for placement of the sources and receivers, precisely determining the coordinates of source and receiver points, as well as numerous other tasks. Such personnel require food, water, lodging and other facilities and resources. Project critical vehicles such as vibrators require prompt fueling. Periodically, equipment malfunctions. Trouble shooting equipment including vehicles, testing and repair equipment is provided in the field along with skilled personnel to trouble shoot the malfunctions and effectuate any necessary repairs. A typical project may include over one hundred personnel and several hundred pieces of equipment, many of which are mobile, and vehicles. Accurately tracking and coordinating these resources is vitally important to increase the efficiency of the survey and thus lower the costs. Managing the field resources, however, becomes increasingly problematic as the size of the project area increases. Many projects may require field-based equipment and personnel spread out over several hundred square miles. Other equipment and personnel may be located in various sites, such as the surveying company""s head office, around the globe.
A typical seismic project begins with a request to a seismic company to run a seismic project in a particular area of the world. The request, from the seismic company""s client, initiates a planning phase in which seismic designers, typically geophysicists, design the project gridxe2x80x94made up of source and receiver points. The designed project grid is to be confirmed and modified in the surveying phase of the overall seismic process. The design activity involves reviewing maps of the area to be surveyed and determining where the seismic sources and receivers should be located. Usually, a series of measurements, or xe2x80x9cshot records,xe2x80x9d are performed in each survey and the sources and receivers must be relocated between each shot record.
Source and receiver locations are determined in three dimensions in terms of geodetic latitude, longitude and height. The height dimension is the distance from a source or receiver point to the surface of a reference ellipsoid. Thus, the height is the distance over or above the ellipsoid. The ellipsoid height is the sum of the geoid height and orthometric height (height above sea level). The ellipsoid is an industry standard whose geometric center is ideally at the center of gravity of the Earth, and whose minor axis coincides with the rotation axis of the Earth. The size and shape of the ellipsoid is chosen to best represent the Earth in the mean sense. The WGS84 (World Geodetic System 1984) is one such industry standard. The accuracy specifications for the coordinates of sources and receivers are generally specified in terms of meter or submeter accuracy. The maintenance and assessment of this accuracy is critical to seismic surveys.
Survey designers use digital maps to help them design the survey. These maps indicate the locations of ponds, roads or other obstructions that may interfere with the otherwise desirable location of the seismic equipment. Thus, the quality of the survey design at least partially is a function of the quality of the maps. Poor quality maps (i.e., inaccurate maps or maps which have not been recently updated) detrimentally impact the quality of seismic survey.
In addition to maps, survey designers must also consider local permitting regulations and surface and mineral rights ownership when designing the survey. A client may desire the survey to be performed over a number of parcels of land, each parcel owned by one or more individuals. Determining ownership interests generally requires access to local deed records. Permits must also be obtained to conduct a survey. Permit requirements may vary from locality to locality.
Seismic equipment is transported by helicopter and truck to the field and setup by field crews. A xe2x80x9ccoordinator shackxe2x80x9d is setup in the vicinity of the area to be surveyed. The coordinator shack usually includes communication and computer equipment used by a coordinator to oversee and manage various activities in the field. Such activities include managing the ground equipment, coordinating helicopters, trucks and line personnel to deploy and retrieve equipment.
The locations of the sources and receivers specified by the survey designer are called xe2x80x9cpre-plotxe2x80x9d coordinates. Ideally, field surveyors position the sources and receivers in the field exactly at the pre-plot coordinates. Using the pre-plot coordinates and standard, albeit not highly accurate positioning techniques, the field personnel estimate the location in the field corresponding to the pre-plot coordinate. Then, using sophisticated locating equipment, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), the field personnel determine how close their initial estimate was to the pre-plot coordinate, and adjust their location to more precisely match the pre-plot coordinates. The GPS currently includes an array of 24 satellites in orbit approximately 22,000 kilometers above the Earth. Ground-based GPS satellite receivers receive and interpret signals from the GPS satellites to determine the location of each receiver depending on the particular GPS technique used. GPS provides accuracy from about 30 meters to less than 1 meter (i.e., submeter accuracy). The field crew uses GPS receivers to try to position the sources and receivers as close to the pre-plot coordinates as possible.
Unfortunately, it is rarely possible to position the source and receiver equipment exactly at the pre-plot coordinates. Ponds, roads, and other obstructions not shown on the maps used by the survey designers may prevent the equipment from being positioned where specified by the survey. Additionally, even though GPS provides accurate positioning data, the actual location of the equipment still may not exactly match the pre-plot coordinates because of inaccuracies in the GPS system and/or lack of skill in the personnel using the GPS system. At times, GPS equipment may malfunction and personnel may make blunders thereby resulting in erroneous coordinates for the source and recorder points.
Before the shot record is taken, the field personnel determine the actual location of the equipment. These GPS-determined coordinates are referred to as xe2x80x9cactuals.xe2x80x9d Any discrepancy between the actual and pre-plot coordinates may impact the interpretation of the resulting seismic data. It is thus important to relay the actual coordinates to the survey design team for evaluation. The actual coordinates are part of what generally is termed the xe2x80x9cquality controlxe2x80x9d (QC) data. The QC data includes the actual coordinates, usually provided in three dimensions, along with standard deviations associated with each coordinate. The standard deviation of a coordinate provides a statistical indication of the level of accuracy of the measured actual coordinate. Sending the QC data to the design team, which may be located in the seismic survey company""s home office half way around the world, usually is accomplished by facsimile transmission of hand-written or typed out notes, and usually occurs between 3 and 7 days after the preplot coordinates have been surveyed and the shot record is taken. The time lag occurs because communication of data from the field to the home office is not efficient. The inefficiency results from the lack of an electronic communications infrastructure between the field and the office environment.
With QC data, the design team compares the actual coordinates to the pre-plot coordinates and determines whether the actuals were within specification. If some of the actual coordinates are out of specification (actual coordinate too far from the preplot coordinate), the designer must decide whether the survey can simply omit the seismic data from that particular design or whether the xe2x80x9cactualxe2x80x9d location be repositioned or shot record rerun. If the survey designer chooses the latter approach (i.e., resurvey the coordinates of the point, and/or reshoot the record), the equipment, which by then may have been moved to another location to perform another shot record, must be brought back and set up again. Considerable and undesirable time and expense is associated with reshooting a record or resurveying a point for which equipment must be brought back and set up again.
While the survey is underway, the client company often wishes to know the status of the survey as well as be provided with assurance that the acquired seismic data is reliable and usable. Accordingly, the client must hire a person referred to as a xe2x80x9cbird dogxe2x80x9d to follow the seismic field crew and verify the accuracy of the survey. Bird dogs are usually highly trained and expensive resources that add to the cost of the seismic survey. Without bird dogs, however, the client has little insight into the activity in the field as it occurs.
A seismic operation can be broken down into five major areas:
(1) Overall Project Management
(2) Mobilization and Demobilization
(3) Surveying
(4) Drilling
(5) Recording
Overall project management includes planning, designing, and quality control. Mobilization and demobilization involves moving equipment to a survey site, setting it up, disassembling it and moving the equipment to the next site. Surveying refers to the use of conventional survey techniques or GPS to the locating and xe2x80x9cstakingxe2x80x9d of the source and receiver points. The surveying of points can be done by a surveyor ahead of the drilling and recording or it can be done in conjunction with these activities. Drilling operations involve drilling holes at the source points in which the explosive charges are placed. When explosives are not used, vibrators are employed at the source points. Finally, recording includes recording the seismic data detected by the receivers. As noted below, significant shortcomings exist with respect to conventional process of performing seismic survey or project in each of the aforementioned five areas.
In the project management area, one of the major shortcomings includes non-existent or inconsistent use of digital maps. Further, poor quality and/or outdated maps contribute to errors in the design of the survey. Field personnel, for example, may update a map, but there may be a considerable time lag before the updates are provided to the experts in the home office.
Further, the inability to accurately track equipment causes inefficiencies in the coordination of mobile units and people. For example, vehicles may be dispatched to one side of a river or canyon to repair equipment that is located on the other side of the obstacle.
Inefficient tracking of mineral rights and land ownership information associated with permitting is another problem in the project management area driving up the cost of the survey. Local municipalities and other regulatory agencies must be researched each time a survey is to be performed in a particular area by a client. If a different client wishes to survey the same area, that client, or its survey company, must undesirably repeat the same research into ownership and permit issues.
Project management in conventional seismic survey operations usually requires highly skilled, and thus expensive, labor in the field rather than in the office environment. Such people are required to oversee the operation in the field to ensure the integrity of the data. In general, the cost associated with placing a person in the field, which includes travel, lodging, food, etc., is higher than if that person was located at his or her home office. If faster and more efficient communication of data between a central office and the field was available, it might be feasible to locate the higher skilled workers in the office environment, rather than in the field. Further, scattering such skilled personnel across the globe at various seismic project sites does not permit the beneficial sharing of information between the various skilled professionals.
Mobilization and demobilization of equipment and personnel has its own set of problems. For instance, conventional seismic operations do not have a highly accurate, efficient mechanism for tracking the location of the equipment including the vehicles to transport the equipment. It thus is difficult to keep track of transportation vehicles, some of which may still be loading equipment from a previous job while other vehicles are deploying equipment to the next job site hundreds of miles away. The inability to accurately and inefficiently track equipment makes inventory control problematic. One piece of equipment may be stolen or misplaced and not noticed as missing for several days. Additionally, conventional mobilization and demobilization systems do not provide a mechanism for accurately monitoring the time field personnel actually spend working, thereby potentially creating inaccuracies in client billing.
Shortcomings in the surveying phase include excessive waste of time and money having to re-stake points when the surveyor or geophysicist reviews the QC data and determines that a particular surveyed point or shot record must be rerun. As noted above, the increased costs includes bringing equipment back to the site of the original shot record, setting up the equipment again, and repositioning the point or rerunning the shot record. This process may cost 2 to 3 times the cost of the initial record.
In addition, typical seismic survey systems force field personnel to repetitively enter and log the same data leading to longer survey times at higher cost to the client. For example, a driller may provide hand-written reports to the drill supervisor who, in turn, corrects and rewrites the report and delivers the corrected report to the project manager. The project manager then manually inputs the corrected report into a computer and then emails the report to the home office. Not only is this a time consuming and expensive process, considerable room for error exists because of the repeated human involvement with the data entry.
Surveying problems also include a lack of xe2x80x9creal-timexe2x80x9d integrity monitoring available to the client. As such, the client generally is not able to monitor the integrity of the survey as it is occurring without incurring the substantial cost of hiring a bird dog in the field. Additionally, surveying suffers from excessively long time periods in the communication loop between field personnel and the geophysicists in the home office.
In the drilling area, there is considerable redundancy involved with recording and logging drill information. As noted above, drillers maintain hand written logs of hole depth, dynamite charge size, hole cutting analysis and the like. This log is physically handed to the drill manager who revises the log and has the log""s information manually inputted into a computer or other communication device for transmission to the head office. This process is slow and error prone. Drilling operations also rely heavily on physically staked points for positioning of source drills and vibrators. The source point is marked by a survey flag which is imprinted with the drill or vibrator location identifier. These flags often are washed away by rain, buried by snow, or destroyed by cattle or field cultivation. Extra time is expended, at increased cost to the client, to relocate the source point, or the hole may be missed altogether (i.e., not drilled).
Finally, the recording activity has its share of shortcomings as well. Geophysicists in the home office and the client generally are not provided with the recorded quality control data fast enough to analyze the data for accuracy while the equipment is still on location. The inability of conventional seismic systems to provide QC data to the client quickly forces the client undesirably to hire expensive bird dogs in the field as noted previously. Also, currently no conventional seismic system has the capability to transmit all the core seismic data back to the office environment for faster processing and delivery to the client as the end product.
Thus, seismic operations require the planning and coordination of numerous different types of activities and hundreds of personnel. Such activities typically are performed at various sites across the globe making coordination at times a monumentally difficult task. It is highly desirable for the overall seismic operation to be as efficient as possible, thereby reducing time and cost. The problems and inefficiencies of conventional seismic operations, some of which are outlined above, have plagued the seismic industry for a long time. A seismic system that mitigates or solves these problems and provides a more efficient process would be highly desirable. To date, substantial room for improvement exists in the seismic field.
The deficiencies of the prior art described above are solved in large part by a real time data gathering, quality control (xe2x80x9cQCxe2x80x9d) and information distribution system, comprising field resources, satellite resources, and office resources that are located at a different site from the field. The field resources include various personnel, portable offices or traitors, equipment, and vehicles located in the general vicinity of the area to be surveyed. The field resources also include mobile and fixed transceivers allowing the field resources to communicate to the office resources via one or more satellites and experts at an information and control center (xe2x80x9cICCxe2x80x9d) communicate back to field entities. The office resources include the ICC, client and consultant facilities, and one or more public and/or private satellite earth station hubs. The seismic system advantageously facilitates real or near real time transmission of assets, data, voice, and text between the field, the ICC, and client and consulting facilities, thereby providing an efficient seismic operation.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, five sub-processes or modules preferably are integrated together. These sub-processes include project management, mobilization and demobilization, geodetic surveying, drilling, and seismic data recording. The integration is performed in a systems sense such that a new way of performing the seismic business operation is achieved.
The seismic system of the preferred embodiment uses positional data determined by GPS, or an integration of GPS/IMU (Inertial Measuring Unit), to determine in near real-time, whether the determined set of coordinates of a location in the field (the xe2x80x9cactualsxe2x80x9d) is within specification relative to quality control parameters and with respect to a set of pre-plot coordinates. A mobile unit (e.g., vehicle, sled, backpack) determines its coordinates and sends them along with quality control parameters via satellite communications and the Internet to the ICC, where a knowledge base containing facts and expert rules is used to determine if the actuals are sufficiently close to the pre-plot coordinates given the associated quality control parameters. If a mismatch has occurred, a solution is initially and automatically formulated using the knowledge base, and then reviewed and approved by human experts at the control center. A final decision is then transmitted to the mobile unit in the field, via the Internet and satellite communications, before the field crew leaves the site. All of the information and actions are shared with the appropriate personnel within the group carrying out the work, as well as with the client and their quality control subcontractors, using thin-client Java-based technology over the Internet. Accordingly, personnel in the field can reposition the equipment while they are still at the site of the equipment. The integrated seismic information system is extended to apply to seismic data, permitting information, access information, drilling-related information (e.g., log data), etc.
The various characteristics described above, as well as other features, will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following disclosure.

Satellite-based seismic mobile information and control system


A drive mechanism for a motor vehicle windshield wiper device has a crank which is driven in a rotating manner and produces a pivoting movement of a windshield wiper via a drive rod. If the movement of the windshield wiper is obstructed by a snow wedge building up in the wiper socket, the drive mechanism provides for an obstruction evading movement of the drive rod in such a way that the crank can fully rotate unimpeded. In order to obtain a low loading of the drive rod and its joints in the event of obstruction of the windshield wiper and to obtain a uniform wiping zone in normal wiping operation, the novel drive mechanism for the drive rod is firmly coupled to the crank and a lost motion drive means is arranged on the wiper shaft.

The invention relates to a drive mechanism for a motor vehicle windshield wiper device comprising a rotating crank arranged to rotate at least one wiper shaft, which accommodates a wiper arm of a windshield wiper and which is fixedly connected to at least one rocker arm. The rocker arm is connected to the crank via a drive rod wherein obstruction means are provided to allow evading movement of the drive rod in such a way that the crank can fully rotate unimpeded when the wiper is obstructed.
German Offenlegungsschrift 2,820,104 discloses a drive mechanism of this general type. There a wiper shaft has a windshield wiper rotationally fixed thereto and is connected to a rocker arm, which in turn is connected with a crank drive via a drive rod. In order to avoid obstruction of the windshield wiper in cases in which a snow wedge builds up (for example, in the wiper pocket of the windshield wiper), means are provided which enable the drive rod to pivot about a joint which connects the rocker and the drive rod, as a result of which, full rotation of the crank is made possible. A crank is rotationally fixed to the drive shaft and to a pivoted lever. One end of the pivoted lever is restrained by the crank through a spring element and its other end is guided along a curved slot recess which is provided on the crank. The pivoted lever is connected to the drive rod of the windshield wiper device. In the event of obstruction, the evading movement of the drive rod is produced by a fulcrum pin at the crank being swung inwards into the curved recess slot. As a result of this, the crank radius is reduced.
Another known drive mechanism which is used in single-arm wiper units, has a drive lever which is rotationally fixed to a wiper shaft and on which fulcrums are provided for articulated levers which are connected in the form of a crosslink to a drive rod. The drive rod is coupled to a rotating crank. A space-saving type of construction is obtained by a crosslink drive of this kind.
The object of the instant invention is to design a drive mechanism for a windshield wiper device of the above-mentioned general type in such a way that lower loading of the drive rod and its joints is obtained, even if the windshield wiper is obstructed by a snow wedge building up in the wiper pocket. Also the invention provides for a uniform wiping zone in normal wiping operations, despite forces occurring at the windshield wiper.
In a drive mechanism of the above-mentioned general type, this object is achieved by having the drive rod firmly coupled to the crank and the obstruction permitting means is arranged on the wiper shaft. The obstruction permitting means is so arranged as to allow an evading movement of the drive rod such that the joint connecting the crank to the drive rod is fixed relative to the crank and is guided on a constant crank radius. The design according to the invention ensures that forces occurring at the windshield wiper do not cause any change in the crank radius of the drive rod. In this way, when high torques can occur (especially in the case of large windshield wipers) and a uniform wiping movement is obtained in normal wiping operation, as a result of which an improvement in the cleaning capacity is achieved. A further advantage of placing the obstruction means on the wiper shaft is that when the windshield wiper is obstructed by a snow wedge building up in the wiper pocket, there is lower loading of the drive rod and its joints (in particular the rocker/drive-rod joint). It is also advantageous that a particularly space-saving arrangement is obtained with the drive mechanism according to the invention.
It is advantageous if the obstruction device consists of a first component, which is rotatably fixed on the wiper shaft and is connected to the drive rod and to a strap. A second component is rotatably fixed on the wiper shaft and has a slotted guide member for guiding the strap. By such an arrangement the obstruction compensation means consist essentially of four components, which results in a particularly simple construction. The strap is guided at its free end on the slotted guide which is provided on a second component rotationally fixed to the wiper shaft. The slotted guide is here designed such that in the event of obstruction by a snow wedge building up in the wiper pocket, the first component rotates relative to the second component. As a result, the drive rod is permitted to perform an evading movement and the crank is permitted to fully rotate.
A further development provides for a guide means which engages into a slotted guide to be provided on the strap. The guide means can be a roller.
In a further design, provision is made for a spring element which is restrained by the second component and which is coupled to the strap.
Provision can be made for the slotted guide to be provided with a catch recess in which the guide means can be detachably arrested. In the wiping position of the windshield wiper, in which the guide means of the strap engages into the catch recess, a particularly good connection of the first and second components relative to one another is thus obtained. In the event of obstruction, the guide means can come out of the catch recess and slide into another area of the slotted guide. This enables the first component to rotate relative to the second component.
The invention has the advantageous construction that allows for a two-arm wiper unit. Here the obstruction compensation device is arranged on a first wiper shaft with a second component and a rocker arm arranged on a second wiper shaft and the compensation device is connected to the second component via a connecting rod.
The slotted guide has a catch recess and a first guideway which makes possible an evading movement of the first component in a pivoting direction of the obstruction means for single wiper arms. The slotted guide has a catch recess, arranged centrally and with two guideways which make possible an evading movement of the first component into two pivoting directions to accommodate two wiper arms.
Another advantageous embodiment of the invention has two drive levers which are rotationally mounted on the wiper shaft to act as rocker arms. Each lever is connected to an articulated lever which in turn are connected in the form of a crosslink to the drive rod. The drive levers are restrained one against the other and have a recess into which a driving dog engages. The driving dog is connected to the wiper shaft such that the two drive levers are restrained with determinable play on the driving dog so that when movement of the windshield wiper is obstructed, an evading movement of the drive rod is made possible. It is desirable if the two drive levers are of the same type of design. The driving dog is arranged on a drive bushing which is rotatably fixed to the wiper shaft. The two drive levers are rotatably mounted on the drive bushing and are restrained at their recesses by the driving dog of the drive bushing.
In this latter embodiment, the two drive levers, rotationally connected on the wiper shaft, act as a rocker arm to which at least one articulated lever is coupled. The articulated levers are connected in the form of a crosslink to the drive rod. The drive levers are restrained against one another and each have one recess into which a driving dog, connected to the wiper shaft, engages. Here the two drive levers are restrained with determinable play on the driving dog such that, if the movement of the windshield wiper is obstructed, an evading movement of the drive rod is made possible. The articulated levers are arranged in the form of a crosslink to produce the pivoting movement in a pivoting direction of the windshield wiper. The recesses on the drive levers are dimensioned in such a way that full rotation of the crank in the event of obstruction is made possible. In this case, the position of the drive levers relative to one another is changed via one of the articulated levers. The size of the angle of rotation can be determined by the size of the recesses. The kinematics of the crosslink are designed such that the means respond only in the wiper pocket but not at the reduced wiping angle.
A further advantageous development of the invention provides for the two drive levers to be of the same type of design. The manufacturing costs of the novel drive mechanism are thereby reduced.
Another advantageous design provides for the driving dog to be arranged on a drive bush which is rotatably fixed to the wiper shaft.
It is also advantageous to have the driving dog and recesses hardened in their edge area.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Drive mechanism with lost motion play for a windshield wiper device of motor vehicles


A container of the present invention may include a base, a lip extending around the periphery of the base, a perforation defined by the lip, and a lid adhered to the lip, wherein the lid includes a first undercut, wherein the first undercut overlaps the perforation. The perforation and undercut allow for a portion of the lid to remain on the lip after the lid has been opened. The portion remaining on the lid may include an outwardly facing adhesive surface, configured to adhere to the lid to reseal the lid to the base once the lid is closed after the initial opening. As such, the lid is permanently adhered to a first portion of the lip and resealably adhered to a second portion of the lip. The first portion may be an outer lip portion and the second portion may be an inner lip portion.

Disposable containers for packaging, distributing, displaying or otherwise housing consumer items, especially perishable foods, are becoming increasingly important. Historically, perishable products were brought to market and sold quickly to avoid loss due to exposure to natural elements causing ripeness and eventual decay.
The advent of plastics resulted in many products being wrapped or packaged in plastic, both in the form of flexible plastic bags and solid plastic containers. The use of plastics in the modern-day convenience food industry has significantly improved the "shelf life" of perishable products, allowing both merchants and their customers to store the products for longer periods of time, resulting in substantial savings, and greater distribution.
In addition, consumers may prefer to visually inspect the food product within such containers prior to purchase. Thus, fabricating containers from clear see-through plastics is desirable. For example, packaging provided for bakery goods or agriculture products has often been in the form of clear, plastic clamshell packaging, because, among other things, such clear, plastic clamshell packaging, provides a baked-on-the-premises or homegrown image that grocery retailers have found to be especially appealing to consumers.
Typically, plastic containers will include a fairly rigid lid and base, although they may be subject to some amount of flexure. Ideally, the lid should be capable of properly and effectively sealing the container, yet the container should be constructed so that the lid is relatively easy to remove, and in some circumstances, replace, since it may be expected that the container and lid would be reused. In addition, the lid should provide adequate space for product branding and meeting regulatory product identification (e.g., identification of the product, place of product origin, weight, etc.) in the form of a label that may comprise paper, plastic or both. Typically, these containers are either pre-labeled or labeled after the product is filled in a secondary application.
The advancement in the aforementioned types of containers has significantly increased availability of healthy food options, and decreased the cost and spoilage of fruits and vegetables; however, their existence has also increased the amount of rigid plastic present in our waste stream each year. The amount of non-recycled rigid plastic containers has reached epidemic levels, and has led to many cities and states in North America and Europe creating new recycling guidelines and laws both restricting use and attaching monetary penalties for over use.
It has been found that viable options to reduce the amount of rigid plastic used each year are few, relatively expensive, and often impractical taking into consideration the initial capital investment in equipment needed to execute the conversion. In addition, these solutions have often lacked re-closeable features resulting in comestible products becoming dried out, especially in circumstances where more than one serving of a comestible product is contained therein. Moreover, these solutions have failed to allow stacking of the containers within consumer refrigerators.
To address these problems, one solution has been to utilize "lidding" film. Lidding film may seal a rigid container without requiring the use of a rigid lid. For example, lidding film is currently used to seal microwaveable dinners in a rigid container. However, such use of lidding film is characterized by a number of problems. For example, the equipment needed to heat seal film to a rigid container may cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and typically runs at half the speed of current rigid automated closure lines. Another disadvantage of using lidding film is that it is typically not resealable. Moreover, it is very expensive to ventilate lidding film and align the resulting perforations to increase the breathability of comestible products in the container. In light of the foregoing, utilizing lidding film, particularly in the fresh food industry, would be difficult and costly.
Another example of a film-based solution is the flow wrap bag. For more than a decade, European produce companies have used the flow wrap bag as a combination of rigid elements combined with film elements as a wrapping solution. When compared to a traditional clamshell of similar shape and size, the flow wrap bag results in the reduction of rigid plastic utilization. However, this solution is characterized by its own disadvantages, including but not limited to, the fact that the film bag requires an automated machine for application and once opened cannot be closed like a rigid container.
Each of the aforementioned solutions lacks any rigid structure within their film components, and as such, the act of resealing or closing may be difficult. Moreover, unsupported films may convey a cheap or flimsy feel to the consumer. Based at least upon the foregoing, use of film components with rigid structures would seem to be undesirable for companies seeking to preserve their brand name and the perceived value of the food products within.
Although each of the two solutions mentioned above may be used for a centralized processing facility, or a single growing footprint or region, there are considerable limitations and disadvantages when utilizing these film-based solutions across a large growing footprint, such as across North America and/or Europe. The major disadvantage to these types of solutions is the machinery needed to apply the film. It simply isn't practical or cost effective to transport expensive machinery from one growing region to another, which might require growers to have multiple machines in place and running as one growing region is winding down and another is just starting to produce. Produce items must be packaged quickly, transported to coolers to preserve freshness, and then shipped to retail within hours, so flexibility and speed are critical.
The current preferred non-film packaging solution is the single piece hinged clamshell, and although effective and less costly then the film solution, it adds millions of extra pounds of plastic to the waste stream each and every year. Additionally, these hinged containers are prone to popping open at retail, often resulting in slip and fall accidents as fruit like tomatoes and blueberries roll across produce isles. As a result, many retailers have made it mandatory for growers to apply a secondary tape application across the lid and base of a container to ensure that the container won't inadvertently pop open. Yet, these hinged containers often pop open on automated packing lines just prior to the tape station causing expensive shut downs and restarts of packing equipment and scales.
Thus, there is a compelling interest in the development of containers having: consumer-preferable design elements, such as: tamper evidence, sealed containers that don't pop open, recloseability features that are reliable and easy to operate, that use a considerably less plastic and that remain friendly to pack, stack, close and open.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


This invention relates to an improved structure for an interspinous stabilization device that more evenly distributes loads throughout the adjacent vertebrae than known interspinous stabilization devices, and further readily compensates for graft settling so as to maintain continued axial loading of the graft. More specifically, this invention relates to a medical device that helps in performing a spinal fusion procedure by holding the bone graft in place and stabilizing the facet screw by a plate that is attached to it. The invention also performs a dynamic function that compensates for settling of the bone graft over time. This dynamic function may, if desired, be enhanced by a movement-limiting mechanism that allows extension but not flexion such that the bone graft fusion remains in contact and fusion takes place.

This invention relates in general to an improved structure for a hybrid multifunctional posterior interspinous fusion device.
An interspinous stabilization device is a device that is adapted to be secured to two or more adjacent vertebrae of a spine in order to stabilize the relative positioning therebetween. An interspinous stabilization device can also be used to facilitate the placement of a bone-growth material, such as a bone graft material, between such adjacent vertebrae to enhance bone growth and promote fusion of the adjacent vertebrae.
Wolff's law of dynamic osteosynthesis states that every change in the function of a bone is followed by definitive changes in its internal architecture and secondary alterations in its external confirmation. This means that osseous tissues remodel in direct response to the stresses placed upon them. Although known interspinous stabilization devices have functioned satisfactorily for stabilizing the relative positioning of the adjacent vertebrae to which they are connected, they are not well suited for desirably maintaining axial compression on a bone graft material that is disposed between such adjacent vertebrae after graft settling occurs, such as described in Wolff's law. Thus, it would be desirable to provide an improved structure for an interspinous stabilization device that more evenly distributes loads throughout the adjacent vertebrae than known structures, and further readily compensates for graft settling so as to maintain continued axial loading of the graft.

Hybrid multifunctional posterior interspinous fusion device


The inventive subject matter provides apparatus, systems and methods in which pants have at least a hidden pocket near the end of a pant leg. The hidden pocket has a sealable opening, preferably downward-facing, on the inside of pant leg that is easily assessable from the end of the pant leg. In preferred embodiments, pants have two pockets on each of the pant legs that are connected by a cable which is at least partially covered by a rubber band. The rubber band can be covered by a soft and fluffy material (e.g., velvet). In some embodiments, the pocket has a metalized layer that would at least partially shield the user from electromagnetic radiation produced by an electronic device.

The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Many people prefer to carry small electronic devices (e.g., mobile phones) in the front or back pockets of their pants when they are not using the electronic device. However, there are several problems associated using the traditional design of pant pockets to carry electronic devices. First, it can be uncomfortable, since the electronic device can get in the way during movement (e.g., when sitting down). Second, for pockets that are relatively small, the carried device can easily fall out or be stolen due to pick-pocketing. Third, often the pockets are too small to simultaneously hold an electronic device and an ancillary device (e.g., a portable power source) that needs to be connected with the electronic device.
To avoid the problem of pick-pocketing, prior work has attempted to design pants having hidden pockets. See e.g., CN201468046U (Tang), CN202958857U (Dang), U.S. Pat. No. 8,745,767 (Moghaddas), U.S. Pat. No. 8,707,469 (Moghaddas), U.S. Pat. No. 8,745,768 (Moghaddas), US20120185999 (Raviv), U.S. Pat. No. 9,247,776 (Kim), and US20150089716 (Gonzales). Although these pockets are more hidden compared to traditional pant pockets, they still have openings assessable from the outside, and can therefore be accessed by thieves once the pockets are spotted. Moreover, such pockets are positioned around the waist or the crotch, and would therefore bend when the user sits down. This would make the user feel uncomfortable because the rigid electronic device would be compressed, creating tension in the pocket and limiting the user's movement.
Other pockets are positioned further from the waist, for example, U.S. Design patents U.S. D792681 and U.S. D804147 teach pockets in one of the pant legs. But these pockets are located in the middle of the pant leg, and are not readily accessible. Moreover, they have openings on the outside, which can be accessed through a flap that can be targeted by thieves or robbers. US20120117713 (Hoffner) teaches hidden pockets located inside pants on a separate sleeve. But the sleeve can be inconvenient and uncomfortable, and once again, the interior pockets are not easily accessible.
Thus, there is still a need for pant pockets that are generally undetectable from the outside, easily accessed only by the wearer, and can comfortably hold an electronic device.
All publications identified herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.


This invention relates to a vibration type actuator device, which obtains a driving force by applying alternating signals to an electro-mechanical energy conversion element.. In particular, this invention relates to an actuator device system, which forms position information of a movable member by counting pulses from an encoder using a counter upon execution of moving amount control of the movable member using the actuator device, and performs driving control of the actuator device on the basis of this count value.. In this system, a memory for storing the count value of the counter obtained when the actuator device is stopped is provided, and when the actuator device is restarted, the count value stored in the memory is transferred to the counter. When the actuator device is stopped, even if power supply to a control circuit portion such as the counter is stopped as well, precise control based on the count value of the counter can be performed upon restarting of the actuator device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control apparatus for a vibration actuator.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional control apparatus for controlling a vibration actuator is arranged to set a driving signal to be applied to a vibrating member (i.e., a stator) of the actuator to be zero when a movable member (i.e., a rotor) of the actuator is stopped, as disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 63-18974.
In the above-mentioned prior art, the actuator does not consume any electric power while the actuator is stopped. However, in the control apparatus of the actuator, since a driving circuit connected to the vibrating member, a sensor for detecting the instantaneous position of the movable member, a position detection circuit, and the like are energized, the following problems are posed. That is, (i) electric power consumption is increased in a use with a long stop time of the movable member, and electric power utilization efficiency is lowered, and (ii) since the control apparatus generates a large amount of heat, such heat is not preferable for an electronic circuit.
In order to solve these problems, when the actuator is stopped, energization to the control apparatus may also be stopped. However, when the conventional control apparatus adopts such an arrangement, the following problems are posed. That is, (i) since position information obtained when the movable member was stopped is lost, control precision is lowered after the control apparatus is restarted, and (ii) the movable member undesirably moves when a power supply is turned on/off.
Furthermore, since a conventional actuator device starts its driving operation immediately after a power supply is turned on, the actuator device may be undesirably driven in an unstable state of a power supply circuit.


A shower apparatus is provided with a plurality of shower discharge ports. More specifically, a shower apparatus is provided, in which hot water remains in a hot water line, that is communicated with the shower discharge ports, after the discharge has been completed. The hot water, which has a lower temperature, is drained through a drain valve for disposal of the water in the hot water line and a drain line. At the beginning of the next shower discharge, cold water is thus prevented from being discharged. The operation of an opening and closing valve for effecting discharge and stoppage of each shower discharge port is controlled according to control programs, so that the shower discharge is automatically controlled. The content of the shower discharge, carried out according to the programs, can be changed by a user through the operation of a control section. Moreover, upon the start of the shower discharge, a sudden jet of water is prevented.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shower apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a shower apparatus which has a water-discharge function for simultaneously effecting a shower discharge from each of a plurality of shower discharge ports from a single position or a plurality of positions. A water disposal function for draining hot water remaining within a hot water passage is in communication with each shower discharge port and lowered in temperature before the succeeding shower discharge to prevent cold water from being discharged when a shower starts to be used. A function for programming water discharged from each shower discharge port is provided with an automatic control.
2. Detailed Description of the Prior Art
A known shower device system is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 69913/1988.
FIG. 13 shows a shower apparatus provided with a number of shower discharge ports. This shower apparatus is so designed as to supply hot water from a hot water source (not shown) to the hot water side of a cold and hot water mixing cock 101 through a first hot water line 102, and deliver hot water, mixed to have a suitable temperature at said cold and hot water mixing cock 101, to each discharging electromagnetic valve 104 through a second hot water line 103 that is branched into two lines 103a and 103b.
The discharging electromagnetic valves 104 each, paired with each of drain valves 105, are arranged in parallel. A third hot water line 106 is in communication with various shower discharge ports S.sub.1 to S.sub.5 downstream of both the valves 104 and 105. Reference numeral 112, provided on the second hot water line 103, designates a stop valve. A drain line 108 is branched from the downstream side of the valve 112, and a drain valve 109 is provided in the drain line 108. A circulation line 111 is provided on a hot-water side check valve 110, of the hot and cold water mixing cock 101, to return hot water in the first hot water line 102 toward the hot water source, when necessary.
As time passes after each shower has been used, the temperature of hot water remaining in the first hot water line 102, the second hot water line 103 and the third hot water line 106 lowers. Accordingly, a person that the shower, later first bathes in cold water remaining in the hot water lines 106, 103 and 102.
In order to prevent the low-temperature water from being discharged at the begininng of use, it is necessary to replace cold water in the first, second and third hot water lines 102, 103 and 106 with new hot water before use. In the aforementioned shower apparatus, the hot water in the line 102 is returned to the hot water source through the circulation line 111 for circulation to thereby exchange hot water, whereas hot water in the second and third hot water lines 103 and 106 is replaced with new hot water by closing the stop valve 112 to stop hot water from entering lines 103 and 106 from the cold and hot water mixing cock 101, opening the drain valves 105 and 109 to allow the remaining hot water which has cooled to drain from the lines 103 and 106 by backflowing therethrough and exiting through drain line 108, and closing drain valves 105 and 109 and opening stop valve 112 to allow new hot water to flow into lines 103 and 106.
The aforementioned exchange of hot water using the circulation line 111 is called a circulation system, and the exchange of hot water by the drainage from the water discharge line 108 is called the water disposal of a water-removal system.
However, in the case of exchange of hot water in the first hot water line 102 according to the aforementioned circulation system of the shower apparatus, equipment of the circulation line 111 and a circulation mechanism (not shown) are necessary, resulting in a complexity of construction and an increase of execution and inspection cost.
Moreover, for example, when time passes without the use of a specific shower, the temperature of hot water remaining in the third hot water line 106, which is in communication with the shower discharge port, lowers. However, in the aforementioned shower apparatus, disposal of water, with respect to only the third hot water line 106 during the use of the shower cannot be effected. Therefore, when that shower is next used, the residual low temperature hot water in the third hot water line is discharged as it is, or the stop valve 112 is closed to stop the use of the shower as described above. Then hot water in both the second and third hot water lines 103 and 106 is removed from the drain valve 109 for disposal, after which new hot water should be introduced. It has taken a long time for such preparation.
Furthermore, a conventional shower apparatus has been disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication No. 19291/1990, in which plural kinds of programs are provided and wherein the order of the opening and closing operations of the valves is different from each other, are stored in a controller section. Operating sections for selecting these programs are provided, in addition to a display section for displaying the whole discharge order of the programs. The kinds of showers and the like are provided close to the operating section so that the operating sections are operated in accordance with the display section whereby the programs corresponding thereto are executed. The opening and closing valves are opened for a predetermined time in a predetermined order.
However, in such a conventional shower apparatus, since discharge contents or the like are fixed for every program set in advance in the controller section, the discharge content cannot be suitably changed because of physical condition of a particular user, taste of individuals, etc, posing a problem that a very rigid automatic operation causes an inconvenience during use.
A further conventional shower apparatus is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication No. 70880/1987, in which a plurality of discharge ports of a body shower are vertically provided on the front surface of a shower tower, discharge ports of an overhead shower are downwardly provided at the upper part, and an opening and closing valve and a flow adjusting valve are provided in the midst of a hot water passage connected to each discharge port. This causes hot water in a preset instantaneous flow rate to be laterally discharged from the discharge port of the body shower by the operation of the operating section pouring hot water on the whole body except the head. The hot water, in a preset instantaneous flow rate, is discharged from the discharge port of the overhead shower and poured principally on the head.
However, in the conventional shower apparatus as described above, hot water or cold water is merely poured laterally or downwardly towards the lower half of the body, and therefore, the lower half of the body, more specifically, such as the waist, the hips, a thigh, the calf, the sole of a foot, etc. cannot be sufficiently stimulated from the bottom, posing a problem that these parts cannot be massaged.
It is then contemplated that discharge ports of an undershower are upwardly provided on the shower tower and hot water, in a preset instantaneous flow rate, is upwardly discharged from the discharge ports of the undershower similar to the body shower and the overhead shower by the operating section pours the hot water on the lower half of the body and the soles of feet.
However, in this case, when the discharge of the undershower starts, hot water, in a set instantaneous flow rate, is suddenly vigorously discharged from the discharge ports and violently poured on the lower half of the body and the soles of feet. As a result, the user is surprised and has a feeling of unrest using an unfamiliar undershower. In addition, the sudden discharge, when the operating section is erroneously operated, gives a user unpleasantness.


A lighting system includes: a plurality of luminaires; a camera which captures an image of an area illuminated by the plurality of luminaires; a sound collector including at least two microphones; and a controller which determines whether or not a sound collected by the sound collector while the plurality of luminaires are off is a sound from a predetermined direction relative to the sound collector. The controller causes at least one of the plurality of luminaires to emit light of a predetermined brightness and activates the camera when the sound collected by the sound collector is determined to be the sound from the predetermined direction, and does not cause the plurality of luminaires to emit light of the predetermined brightness or activate the camera when the sound collected by the sound collector is determined not to be the sound from the predetermined direction.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a lighting system which turns on or off a luminaire according to presence or absence of a person.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, for example, a lighting system which is installed in an office, business premises, a warehouse, a factory, etc. operates to turn off all of luminaires when everyone leaves. However, when a person enters a dark room in a state in which all of the luminaires are off during night-time, it is difficult for the person to turn on the luminaires, causing inconvenience for the person.
In view of the above, a lighting system in which a camera is disposed in an area illuminated by a luminaire, and the luminaire is turned on when the camera detects presence of a person in a room. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-206713 discloses a technique related to such a lighting system.

Lighting system having controller that does not cause plurality of luminaires to emit light with predetermined brightness or activate camera when the sound collected by sound collector is determined not to be the sound from the predetermined direction

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.


An apparatus (30) that dissipates a force (44). The apparatus (30) can be implemented in a wearable embodiment (31) such as a helmet (50) as well as non-wearable embodiments (32). Elastic structures (210) within the apparatus (30) dissipate the force (44) striking a shielded mass (39).

The invention relates generally to protective equipment such as helmets, guards, cushions, padding, and other materials that dissipate force (collectively, the "apparatus"). The apparatus can be positioned between an application of force and a shielded mass to dissipate the impact of the force, protecting the shielded mass.
The apparatus was originally conceived of in the context of football helmets, but the technology can also be applied to other forms of helmets that are not related to football, other forms of wearable protection in addition to helmets, as well as to cushioning applications that used with respect to equipment or even environmental surfaces.
The issue of concussions is a growing concern for football players at all levels of play. A Google search on the terms "concussion" and "football" generates more than 6.5 million hits. Concerned parents are increasingly reluctant to let their kids play football. On the other end of the continuum, the National Football League ("NFL") was sued for $2.5B for allegedly hiding known risks pertaining to concussions and other brain-related injuries. From local pewee football leagues to the economic juggernaut of the NFL, the objective of protecting the heads and brains of the players is a prominent and growing concern.
One fundamental problem with football helmets is that they address the wrong problem. Modern football helmets are designed to prevent skull fractures, not concussions. Thus, there is very little "give" in a modern football helmet. As a result, modern football helmet can actually make it more likely that a player suffers a concussion. This is particularly true when the opposing players use their own helmet as the tip of the spear in a violent hit.
The modern football helmet grew out of the military equipment of World War II. The first plastic helmet was experimented with in 1939. According to the http://www.riddell.com website, General Patton saw the new football helmet design and requested examples of it to evaluate as a possible tanker's helmet.
The tradeoffs between preventing skull fractures and preventing concussions can exist outside the context of football and military helmets. Sports such as hockey, polo, horseback riding, lacrosse, baseball, cricket, cycling, climbing, bobsledding, fencing, and amateur boxing often utilize helmets. Helmets are also often used in the working world by firemen, construction workers, miners, police officers, and other occupations.
Analogous tradeoffs can often be found in the context of non-helmet embodiments such as: (1) other articles of clothing (collectively, "wearable padding embodiments"); (2) industrial, exercise, and other types of equipment (collectively, "equipment embodiments"); and (3) environmental surfaces such as floors, walls, athletic fields, and playground surfaces (collectively, "surface embodiments").
There are many contexts where force dissipation is desirable. It would be desirable for a helmet as well as other protective apparatuses to be designed to better dissipate the force applied to the external surface of the apparatus. In the context of a helmet, such functionality could help wearers avoid concussions. In the context of non-helmet embodiments, such as other wearable embodiments, human beings can be better protected from other types of injuries. In the context of non-wearable embodiments, people as well as property can be protected by equipment embodiments and surface embodiments.
The apparatus can be further understood in accordance with the Summary of the Invention section provided below.

Apparatus and method for dissipating force


A solids transfer mechanism is described for transferring solid chunks from a sealed chamber to a receiver. The solid chunks are transferred from a sealed cavity into a larger volume dump cavity from which they are dumped into a receiver. By use of a larger volume for the dump cavity, contact between the seals and the solid chunks is minimized, since the chunks are loose inside the larger volume dump cavity.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of mechanisms for moving solid materials, and particularly for moving solid materials into or out of reaction chambers operating at high pressures such as the primary reactors for cyclic char burning engines.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Examples of prior art mechanisms for moving solid materials into or out of reaction chambers operating at high pressures are described in the following references:
a. "Fuel Gasification", Advances in Chemistry Series 69, American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C., 1967; Page 33, FIG. 1; Page 59, FIG. 5; Page 107, FIG. 2; PA1 b. "Gas Engines and Producers", L. S. Marks and H. S. McDewell, American Technical Society, Chicago, 1919; Part II; Page 18, FIG. 8; Page 40, FIG. 27; PA1 c. U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,511; Firey, Nov. 1, 1983; FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 7, 10, 13, 14, 16, PA1 d. U.S. Pat. No. 4,455,837; Firey, Jun. 26, 1984; FIGS. 3, 8, 9, 15, PA1 e. U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,970; Firey, Apr. 29, 1986; FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, PA1 f. U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,436; Firey, Mar. 31, 1987; FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5,
Of the various prior art mechanisms described in these and other references, all transfer the solid material into or out of the high pressure reaction chamber in a single transfer step, wherein the solids being transferred necessarily slide across the seals for sealing the chamber. When abrasive solids are thusly transferred, this sliding wears away the seals and, in consequence, frequent and costly replacement of seals is necessary. These seal wear problems are aggravated in those cyclic char burning engines, and cyclic velox boilers, which use additions of ceramic chips and basic ceramics to the char fuel for the purposes of improving the char fuel reactions with air and for reducing emissions of acid rain components. It would be beneficial to have available a solids transfer mechanism which minimized or avoided the sliding of solid materials across the seals.


An improved marker system, components and method for use with a medical navigation system, wherein the marker system includes interchangeable tracking marker holders and fastener bases for attaching the marker holders to instruments or body parts that are to be tracked during a medical procedure. A reference star (the marker holder and tracking marker(s)) and fastener base are removably attached to one another. This enables different reference stars to be interchangeably attached to a given fastener base, or vice versa, thereby to provide the best combination of reference star and fastener base for a given application. This preferably is accomplished by a standard interface between the fastener base and the holder for the tracking markers, e.g., reflective markers. In addition, surgical instruments may have integrally formed therein the standard interface, thereby eliminating the need for a fastener base.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention herein described relates to a marker system for use with a medical navigation system, wherein the marker system includes interchangeable tracking marker holders and bases for attaching the marker holders to instruments that are to be tracked during a medical procedure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Medical navigation systems, such as image-guided surgery systems, provide medical practitioners, such as surgeons, with navigation information by registering pre-operative images to the physical space of a patient. Most existing systems provide instrument guidance, indicating the position of the instrument in the pre-operative images on a display during the medical procedure. Navigation guidance systems provide increased confidence and precision in the use of medical instruments.
Navigation guidance systems use a computer to which one or more tracking sensors are connected. The tracking sensors track the position of artificial or natural landmarks (herein generically referred to as tracking markers) affixed to the patient and/or instruments, whereby the position of the patient and/or instruments can be determined and registered to pre-operative images of the patient. These tracking markers include active emitters that emit electromagnetic, magnetic or acoustic signals to one or more tracking cameras or devices, and passive reflective markers that reflect light to one or more tracking cameras. The medical instruments with which such tracking markers have been employed include pointers, scalpels, forceps, microscopes, ultrasonic transducers, etc.
Heretofore, adapters have been used to attach replaceable passive reflective markers to surgical instruments. This allowed surgeons to use surgical instruments with which they were more familiar than the specially manufactured surgical instruments that used active tracking markers. The passive reflective markers could be removed for sterilization of the surgical instrument in an autoclave and new reflective markers installed for the next surgical procedure.
The present day adapter typically includes an adapter body including a fastener base and three or more arms that radiate outwardly from the fastener base. The distal ends of the arms have mounts to which respective reflective markers are removably attached. The fastener base includes a clamp for attaching the adapter body to the medical instrument or body part to be tracked by the navigation system. In order to track multiple instruments, adapters having different characteristic arrangements of the reflective markers are provided. Different characteristic arrangements are obtained by varying the length and angular relationships of the adapter arms. Because of the central mounting (or hub) portion and the radiating arms with the reflective markers at the distal ends thereof, the adapters with the reflective markers are often referred to as reference stars.
A well-known navigation system that uses the aforedescribed reference stars is the VectorVision™ image-guided navigation system, available from BrainLAB AG.

Medical tracking system with universal interface


A field device and method of operating high voltage semiconductor device applied with the same are provided. The field device includes a first well having a second conductive type and second well having a first conductive type both formed in the substrate (having the first conductive type) and extending down from a surface of the substrate, the second well adjacent to one side of the first well and the substrate is at the other side of the first well; a first doping region having the first conductive type and formed in the second well, the first doping region spaced apart from the first well; a conductive line electrically connected to the first doping region and across the first well region; and a conductive body insulatively positioned between the conductive line and the first well, and the conductive body correspondingly across the first well region.

1. Field of the Invention
The disclosure relates in general to a field device and method of operating high voltage (HV) semiconductor device applied with the same, and more particularly to a field device which effectively improves turned on threshold voltage (Vth) of parasitic field device of the HV semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is currently an ongoing drive toward the downscaling of device dimensions in virtually all aspects of electronic device manufacture. Smaller electronic devices tend to be more popular than larger, more bulky devices when both devices have substantially equivalent capabilities. For high voltage (HV) or Ultra high voltage (UHV) semiconductor device (such as metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices), metal lines for connecting devices in silicon processes will induce parasitic field transistor turned on when metal lines pass through specific regions. It means that when MOSFETs is under high voltage operation, maximum operating voltage is limited by turned on threshold voltage (Vth) of parasitic field devices which might be lower than the breakdown voltage of MOSFETs.
Different methods have been proposed to avoid inducing parasitic field transistor from being turned on. For example, pad is formed within a high voltage well to cause no voltage difference between drain and the field device, thereby resulting in no current passing through the field device. However, this method requires largest area for pad and has risks to cause HV-well isolation failure. Another method to avoid inducing parasitic field transistor from being turned on is increasing the thickness of oxide (ILD or IMD) on the HV-well, thereby raising the difficulty for channel reverse of HV-well under HV operation. However, this method requires longer time for growing oxide, which needs extra thermal budget, and the heat accumulation might have considerable effect on other components of the HV semiconductor device.
Accordingly, it would be one of important goals for the manufacturers to improve turned on threshold voltage (Vth) of field device without increasing any cost (e.g. thermal budget or extra mask) and device area (e.g. pad in HVN/HVP WELL), and maintain maximum operating voltage of the HV semiconductor device consequently.

Field device and method of operating high voltage semiconductor device applied with the same


Among other things, one or more techniques and/or systems for calibration of a radiation system to compute a gain correction(s) are provided. A calibration procedure is performed during which a portion of the detector array is shadowed by an object, causing the detector array to be non-uniformly exposed to radiation. A portion of a projection generated from the calibration procedure and indicative of radiation that did not traverse the object is separated from a portion of the projection indicative of radiation that did traverse the object, and a gain correction(s) is computed from the portion of the projection indicative of radiation that did not traverse the object (e.g., and is thus indicative of radiation that merely traversed air).

The disclosure relates to the field of radiation scanning and/or radiation imaging. It finds particular application with computed-tomography (CT) scanners where one or more calibration tables are utilized to correct measurements acquired during an examination of a subject (e.g., person, luggage, etc.). It also relates to other radiation systems where it is desirable to correct measurements acquired during an examination to account for errors due to, among other things, manufacturing defects, electronic noise, and/or degradation of a detector array configured to acquire the measurements, for example.
Radiation systems (e.g., also referred to as imaging systems, radiation imaging systems, radiation scanning systems, and/or the like) such as computed tomography (CT) systems, diffraction CT, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) systems, projection systems, and/or line systems, for example, are used to provide information pertaining to interior aspects of a subject. Generally, the subject is exposed to radiation comprising photons (e.g., such as x-ray photons, gamma ray photons, etc.) to measure attenuation by the subject (e.g., which may be indicative of the density of the subject and/or aspects thereof). In some embodiments, an image(s) is formed based upon the radiation absorbed and/or attenuated by interior aspects of the subject, or rather an amount of photons that is able to pass through the subject. Generally, highly dense aspects of a subject absorb and/or attenuate more radiation than less dense aspects, and thus an aspect having a higher density, such as a bone or metal, for example, may be apparent when surrounded by less dense aspects, such as muscle or clothing.
To reconstruct an image from measurements acquired during the examination and/or to perform other processes using the measurements (e.g., such as automated threat analysis processes), it is desirable for the measurements to accurately reflect the amount of radiation detected and to reduce (e.g., to a minimum) errors in the measurements (e.g., caused by manufacturing defects in the detector array material and/or readout electronics, degradation of the detector array material and/or readout electronics over time, etc.). Accordingly, a set of calibration procedures may be periodically or intermittently performed to compute correction factors that adjust the measurements acquired from the detector array to correct for the errors (e.g., to reduce the contribution of the errors to the overall measurements). For example, a set of one or more calibration procedures may be performed daily, weekly, and/or at other scheduled times to compute such correction factors.
One such calibration procedure that is commonly performed is an air scan. During an air scan, the detector array is substantially uniformly exposed to radiation. Typically, this is achieved by removing objects, such as a gurney for supporting subjects under examination, from a field of view to provide a clear line-of-sight from a radiation source to the detector array (e.g., such that radiation experiences little to no attenuation during the air scan). Accordingly, differences in measurements between detector cells of the detector array may be attributed to error, and a gain correction for respective detector cells may be identified that corrects the measurements from the corresponding detector cell (e.g., to reduce differences in the measurements between detector cells when an air scan is performed). The gain corrections are typically stored in an air table, also referred to as an air calibration table, and applied to measurements acquired during an examination of a subject to correct the measurements (e.g., such that variations in the corrected measurements reflect variations due to attenuation by the subject, and not due to errors).

Gain calibration and correction in radiation system


A manometer quick connect device is provided for pressure testing a gas outlet of a household cooking appliance. The manometer quick connect device include a body having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, the body having a hollow cavity extending from the first end to the second end, wherein the first end of the body includes a feature for coupling the manometer quick connect device to a manometer, and a seal at the second end of the body, wherein the seal includes a sealing surface for sealing the hollow cavity of the body to a surface of the gas outlet, the seal including an opening for providing fluid communication between the hollow cavity and an orifice of the gas outlet.

A household cooking appliance may require a certain amount of gas inlet pressure to operate normally. Therefore, when diagnosing problems or trouble shooting operation or performance issues associated with a household cooking appliance, a first step performed by a technician ordinarily is to check the incoming pressure at a gas outlet using a pressure measuring device, such as a manometer, to diagnose any problems that could be associated with the gas inlet pressure. If the measured gas pressure at the gas outlet is acceptable or within predetermined requirements, then a technician can eliminate the gas pressure as the source of the problem and take additional steps to identify and diagnose other possible sources of the problem. However, in order to check the pressure at the gas outlet, the technician first must disassemble at least a part of the appliance to gain access to an orifice of the gas outlet with the pressure measuring device. For a gas burner of a cook top of a household appliance, the technician must remove most or all of the parts of the gas burner that are located above the orifice of the gas outlet. For example, the technician ordinarily first must remove the burner head, which typically rests on top of the burner under its own weight and protects the burner underneath from spills, etc. Next, the technician must then remove several screws to disassemble the parts of the burner so that the orifice of the gas outlet is exposed and accessible for testing the gas outlet pressure using the pressure measuring device. This process typically requires the technician to remove one or more of the burner body, the igniter, the burner pedestal (if so equipped), and the venturi tube extending through the burner to the orifice of the gas outlet. Once the orifice of the gas outlet is exposed and accessible, the technician can perform the step of measuring the gas outlet pressure with the pressure measuring device. Afterwards, the technician then must perform the steps in reverse order to reassemble the venturi tube, pedestal, igniter, and burner body, and then secure the parts in place by reinserting the plurality of screws. The burner head of the burner can then be placed back over the burner body. As a result, this first step in diagnosing problems with the household cooking appliance requires the technician to invest a considerable amount of time and effort both prior to performing the pressure test and after completion of the pressure test, which increases the complexity of the diagnosis process and reduces the efficiency of the diagnosis process.

Manometer quick connect device for testing gas pressure of a household cooking appliance


A lid assembly (20) comprises a lid body (21) having an dispensing opening and fitted on a container body (11), and a hinged lid (23) pivotally joined to the lid body (21). A rubber plate (50) is extended across a hinged joint between the lid body (21) and the hinged lid (23). The lid body (21) is provided with a recess (60), and a vertical plate (92) and a horizontal plate (90) are formed in the recess (60). The vertical plate (92) is provided with a catching projection (79) that catches a stopping projection (23) formed on the hinged lid (23).

A container body containing articles, such as wet tissues has a lid assembly for opening and hermetically closing the container body.
Such lid assembly is attached to the container body, and comprises a lid body with a hinged lid joined to the lid body and able to move freely.
In order to pull out the wet tissues, the hinged lid is lifted up from the lid body thereby exposing the dispensing opening. The wet tissues can then be taken out one at a time.
As mentioned above, the lid assembly comprises the lid body, and the hinged lid joined to the lid body, which must be lifted up to expose the dispensing opening every time the tissues are taken out.
It would be convenient if the hinged lid could be opened with a single touch thereto.