Apparatus for cross cutting and/or perforating of a web. The apparatus performs two consecutive partial cuts and, provides for positive guidance of a partially cut web. This is accomplished by first and second cutting blade rollers, arranged with one common counter cylinder and guided by groups of belts passing through breaks in the blades. The breaks of the two blades are laterally offset relative to each other, and the belts are pressed against the counter cylinder to convey the web. This eliminates the need for one counter cylinder and one pair of pull rollers, it decreases the danger of web tear and eliminates the web stretching and the accompanying offset of the two partial cuts.

The German Patent Disclosure Document 39 00 663 shows a cross cutting device as part of a folding machine where a web is partially cut by a first cutting device containing a cutting blade roller and a counter cylinder. The cutting blade is formed with breaks so that it leaves uncut sections in the cutting line. Pairs of pull rollers are provided on both sides of the cutting device. The partially cut web is then guided over a folding cylinder where it is cut completely while being partially wrapped around the cylinder and while being guided by belts. For this purpose, the folding cylinder, containing counter blade strips, is arranged with a cutting blade roller that also is equipped with a cutting blade which has breaks in it. These breaks are laterally offset from the breaks in the blade of the first cutting device so that the partially cut web is completely cut. The belts used for guiding the partially cut web are guided through the breaks in the blades. It is also possible to equip both cutting blade rollers with perforating blades having the same kind of breaks and to use the device for cross perforating.
The disadvantage of this system is that the partially cut web is not positively guided until it enters the area between the folding cylinder and the belts. This can cause web stretching that may lead to an offset of the two partial cuts causing the cut not to be straight and clean. Because the web stretching varies, the lengthwise offset of the cuts needs constant readjustment and, therefore, cannot be practically eliminated. Furthermore, the web can tear as a result of the partially cut web having no positive guidance. Also, a non-guided multilayer partially cut web folded lengthwise by a folding triangle, may form a bubble. Finally, the cross cutting devices, each containing two cutting blade rollers and counter cylinders as well as two pairs of pull rollers, are expensive to produce.

Device for cross cutting and/or perforating of a web


Fungal nail infections are treated by depriving aerobic fungi of oxygen by forming an oxygen barrier over the exposed surface of an infected nail. Conveniently, the oxygen barriers are formed by applying a liquid film-forming carrier comprising an oxygen-scavenging substance, such as transition metal chelate or complex of salicylic acid or a salicylate, an oxidizable organic acid or alcohol in combination with a catalyzing agent, or a polycarboxylic acid chelate or complex of a transition metal or transition metal salt.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to methods and compositions for treating fungal nail infections. More particularly, the present invention relates to the treatment of fungal nail infections by oxygen deprivation.
Many adults suffer from chronic fungal infections of the fingernails or toenails. Most such infections are causes by obligate aerobic fungal species, usually "dermatophytic" or yeast-like fungi, which infect the nail plate itself. Although not usually imposing a significant health risk, such nail infections frequently cause the nail to become deformed, discolored and/or blackened. Thus, there is a strong desire among infected individuals to treat the infection and return their nails to a normal appearance.
Unfortunately, such fungal nail infections have proven to be very resistant to treatment. Systemic administration of anti-fungal drugs is hindered by limited blood circulation in the nail bed and poor transport to the nail plate, requiring high dosage levels for long periods of time. Such high drug dosages can have adverse side effects, and it has been found that clearance of the infection is often only temporary. Thus, systemic treatment must often be continued indefinitely.
Topical administration of anti-fungal drugs also suffers certain limitations. The nail plate is a relatively thick structure which inhibits penetration of the drug being applied. Moreover, the topical application of creams, lotions, gels, and the like, is often lost or dissipated in relatively short times. Although attempts have been made to incorporate such topically active anti-fungal drugs into film-forming compositions, e.g., nail polishes or lacquers, to improve drug persistence, such approaches have not proved entirely satisfactory. While removal of the nail can improve topical drug treatment, the ability to maintain a constant supply of the drug to the nail bed remains problematic.
For these reasons, it would be desirable to provide improved methods and compositions for treating fungal nail infections. Such methods and compositions should be effective in treating the initial infection as well as inhibiting spread of the infection to other nails and recurrence of the infection after treatment has been completed. It would be desirable to provide treatment methods and compositions which do not rely on the administration of anti-fungal drugs, either systemically or topically. In particular, the treatment methods and compositions should avoid the side effects which can accompany drug administration. Additionally, it would be desirable to provide methods and compositions which can provide cosmetic cover-up during the treatment period.
2. Description of the Background Art
Treatment of nail fungal infections with anti-fungal drugs incorporated in a film-forming vehicle is described in PCT application WO 87/02580 and UK Patent Application 2 202 743A. Other compositions incorporating anti-fungal drugs for topical treatment of nail fungal infections are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,810,498 and 3,395,236. Fungi-Nail.RTM. is a commercial formulation for the topical treatment of fungal nail infections which includes 2% salicylic acid in combination with anti-fungal drugs. The formulation does not form an oxygen barrier when applied to the nail.


A distance measuring device of camera for measuring distance to a pictured object includes pulse-driven first, second and third beam projecting elements. When a distance to the pictured object is long and beams of the beam projecting elements reflected from the pictured object are small in quantity or become nil, the first beam projecting element is pulse-driven until the number of light emission reaches a predetermined first maximum number of light emission, and the second and third beam projecting elements are pulse-driven until the number of light emission reaches a predetermined second maximum number of light emission which is less than the predetermined first maximum number of light emission. Because of this, when a distance to the pictured object is long and the beam projecting elements are pulse-driven to the predetermined first or second maximum number of light emission, it is possible to shorten a distance measuring time.

The present invention relates to a distance measuring device of a camera for measuring a distance to a pictured object.
For an active type auto-focusing camera which is widely in use, there is provided only one beam projecting element, and the beam projecting element is pulse-driven responding to pushing on of a first step of a two-step release switch. When the number of light emission of the beam projecting element reaches a predetermined maximum number of light emission, 1,000 light emissions for example, or when an integrated value of an output of beam receiving means for receiving beam from the beam projecting element, reflected by a pictured object, reaches a predetermined value, pulse-drive of the beam projecting element is stopped. And, thereby a distance to the pictured object is recognized based on the output of the beam receiving means. When the distance to the pictured object is short, the received reflected beam is larger in quantity, so the integrated value of output of the beam receiving means reaches the predetermined value before the number of light emission of the beam projecting element reaches the maximum number of light emission. When the distance to the pictured object is long, the received reflected beam is small in quantity or becomes nil, so the beam projecting element is pulse-driven till the maximum number of light emission.
However, in the case of an auto-focusing camera like this, especially when measuring a distance to two pictured objects which are standing right and left with a space between them, an erroneous distance measurement results if the beam from the beam projecting element goes through the space between these two pictured objects.
From a viewpoint to avoid an erroneous distance measurement like this case, a distance measurement using multiple beams may be considered. In this measurement, there are provided three beam projecting elements for example, which are arranged in a row for projecting beams through the same projecting lens. There are generated three distance informations by pulse-driven these beam projecting elements one after another, and, a distance information with the smallest distance to give an example is selected out of these three distance informations. In such a measurement, however, when each of the beam projecting elements is pulse-driven to the maximum number of light emission because of a long distance to pictured objects, a time for the maximum number of light emission .times.3 is required, resulting in a long distance measuring time. Because of this, a time parallax between a release switch operation and a picture taking is increased, resulting in inability to take pictures with desired compositions, for example, of a moving object.


Disclosed is a method and apparatus in which the image of a received data content is converted to accord with the color space of an OSD to be displayed on a screen upon reproducing the colors of a received digital broadcast data image. The apparatus includes: a browser for analyzing information on received video and data content and displaying an image obtained from the analyzed information; a selective switch part for switching modes of the color space of an output OSD according to a selection control by a user; a converter engine for checking the mode of the color space selected by the selective switch part, setting a property of the color space of the output OSD according to the checked mode, and converting a bitmap image of the data content to accord with the set color space; and a display part for displaying the set and converted color space on the OSD.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for converting a color space of an OSD (On Screen Display), and more particularly, to a method and apparatus in which the image of a received data broadcasting contents are converted to accord with the color space of an OSD to be displayed.
2. Description of the Related Art
An output image format of a digital broadcasting receiver can be represented by using various color spaces. In other words, the output image can be reproduced with intended colors by selecting a video to be displayed and the color space which defines respective components of colors of the OSD.
Generally, the color space of an output image of the digital broadcast receiver is realized by the color coordinate system such as RGB (R: red, G: green, B: blue) method, YCbCr (Y: brightness, Cb, Cr: chrominance) method or the like. The RGB method defines the color on the basis of color components, and the YCbCr method defines the color on the basis of luminance and chrominance representing the brightness of a color.
However, since the two color spaces as above are different color coordinate system, colors of an image realized on a screen may be viewed abnormal if the color coordinate system for an input image and the color coordinate system for an output image are different from each other. Therefore, if the two color coordinate system are different, it is necessary that the color coordinate system for an input image should be converted to accord with the color coordinate system for an output image.
In the case of a video, the above conversion can be made through a hardware at a chip level. In contrast, in the case of OSD, the color space can be selected. However, the hardware only sets the color space of an image on OSD, but it does not convert the bitmap image on OSD automatically. In other words, in the case of OSD, the conversion can be possible according to the kinds of chips, but sometimes impossible.
Generally, contents for the digital data broadcasting are made to accord with the RGB color space, and therefore, a software for a browser for processing the contents is prepared under an assumption that the color space of the OSD is typically RGB. However, if the color space of the output image is set to be YCbCr, the RGB color space should be converted into the YCbCr color space.
Here, in the case of an OSD of 8 bpp (bit per pixel) or less, the property of an OSD color space is set by an indirect color display method using a palette. Here, the color space of an output image can be simply converted only by changing a palette in which color values are preset.
However, in the case of a direct color process of 16 bpp or more, since a bitmap image on an OSD represents color information, the bitmap image, itself, as well as the property of the OSD color space should be converted. That is, if the color coordinate system of an output image OSD is set to be a YCbCr color space of 16 bpp, and the color coordinate system of an input image is set to be an RGB color space of 16 bpp, an input RGB bitmap is recognized to be a YCbCr bitmap so that original colors are not realized fully enough, and the output image is realized as an image with different colors.

Method and apparatus for converting a color space of OSD


Processes are for the conversion of the sulfur compounds to elemental sulfur through different catalytic stages after the reaction furnace of the Claus unit with air or oxygen. The steps are: 1—Conventional Claus thermal or catalytic stage; 2—Oxygen Scavenger catalytic stage to capture excess oxygen from the reaction furnace and to perform Claus reaction; a Selective Reduction stage that converts SO2 to elemental sulfur; and 4—Selective Oxidation stage that converts H2S to elemental sulfur. The tail gas flows to the incineration and stack and to the incineration plus caustic scrubber for achieving zero emissions.

This disclosure relates generally to Processes for the conversion of the sulfur compounds to elemental sulfur through different catalytic stages after the reaction furnace of the Claus unit with air or oxygen operation. The first stage or and the second stage of the Claus unit consists of combination of oxygen scavenger catalyst as known as "AM" catalyst which performs as the oxygen scavenger as well as Claus catalyst for any excess oxygen from the reaction furnace burner and the conventional Claus catalyst which is Alumina or combination of alumina and titanium. The third stage will be the direct reduction catalyst consists but no limited to Fe, Ni, Mo, Mn, and Al, for direct conversion of SO2 to sulfur based on the patent reference, U.S. Pat. No. 6,297,189 B1. Finally the fourth stage consists of selective direct oxidation catalyst consists but not limited to Fe, Zn, Mg, Zn, and Cr catalyst for direct conversion of H2S to sulfur without any limitation Using above more selective catalysts are to enhance much higher recovery compare to the conventional Claus up to 99.90% and to produce additional elemental sulfur. The maximum sulfur recovery in the conventional Claus is 93-97% wherein the remaining un recovered sulfur components requires larger tail gas unit. In this new innovation the tail gas feed could be processed in much smaller tail gas treating unit due to much higher recovery. In addition, the caustic scrubber is added after the incineration to meet the zero emission near 100% sulfur conversion.

Process of conversion sulfur compounds to elemental sulfur by using direct reduction and oxidation catalysts in Claus units


An microwave analog frequency divider capable of ten percent bandwidth at 10 GHz has push-push amplifiers forming an injection locked oscillator. The input frequency f.sub.i is injected at the amplifier reference terminals. The amplifier control terminals are coupled by L's and the reference terminals are coupled by C's and the reference and control terminals form with the L's and C's a resonant circuit tuned approximately to the output frequency f.sub.o =f.sub.i /N, where N is the divisor. Parallel resonant circuits in the f.sub.i injection path have high impedance at f.sub.o to prevent loading of the oscillator. A control device in the f.sub.i injection path turns the oscillator on when f.sub.i is present and off when f.sub.i is absent. Matching networks are included at input, output and between the control device and the oscillator to obtain efficient operation.

There is a substantial and on-going need in the electronic arts for dividing an input frequency to produce a lower output frequency. Dividers are much used, for example, in connection with phase-locked loops (PLL's).
The higher the input frequency the more difficult it is to accomplish frequency division. When the input frequency is in the microwave range, as for example above about 0.5 GHz and more typically 1 to 20 GHz or above, the problem of obtaining efficient frequency division is most acute, especially obtaining frequency division across a significant bandwidth of input frequencies.
A further consideration of importance in connection with microwave frequency division is that the components used to provide frequency division should be of a size and character as to be readily integrated in Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMIC's). This is especially important for frequencies above about 5 GHz.
It is known to use regenerative analog frequency dividers for microwave applications. Regenerative dividers are described for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,140,447, 3,381,137 and 4,631,500. Regenerative dividers use a feedback loop containing amplification, filtering and mixing functions. However, they suffer from a number of disadvantages well known in the art, as for example, narrow bandwidth and spurious oscillations.
Logic gates can be used for digital frequency division but are generally limited to lower frequencies than analog frequency dividers and thus are not useful over a sufficient range of microwave frequencies.
Parametric analog frequency dividers are also known. For example, a parametric frequency divider employing FET's and operating up to 12 GHz is described in "GaAs Monolithic Analogue Frequency Halver", by Stapelton et al., Electronics Letters, Vol. 22, No. 15, pages 773-774, Jul. 17, 1986. Stapelton's circuit is reproduced as FIG. 1. While this circuit functions, it has some disadvantages.
Thus, a need continues to exist for an improved frequency divider, especially a frequency divider able to operate at microwave frequencies. It is further important that such frequency divider be suitable for implementation as a Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC). As used herein the term Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit and the abbreviation MMIC are intended to refer to a circuit formed of components which can be constructed substantially entirely on and/or in the surface of a substrate utilizing integrated circuit fabrication techniques. Examples of components useful for MMIC's are monolithic transistors, diodes and junction capacitors, and thin (or thick) film capacitors, inductors, resistors and interconnections.

Analog frequency divider utilizing two amplifiers and a LC resonant circuit


A group of pixels of a digital image is processed to reduce bleed-through. The processing includes generating an upper bound for each pixel of the group; and taking a weighted average of the upper bound and original pixel intensity for each pixel of the group.

Bleed-through is a type of noise or distortion that is specific to scanned images of double-sided documents. When one side of a double-sided document is scanned, features on the opposite side of the document can be captured. These features appear as artifacts in the scanned digital image, manifested as phantoms of text characters and other dark features from the other side. Bleed-through can also be caused by documents underlying the scanned document. Dark features from these underlying documents can bleed through during scanning.
Bleed-through can reduce visual quality of a digital image. The bleed-through can also reduce compressibility of a digital image. Reducing the compressibility increases the cost of storing and transmitting digital images.

Selective smoothing including bleed-through reduction

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


An image forming apparatus includes a processing portion, a storage portion, and a touch pad. The processing portion is adapted to accept input of a value for a prescribed processing condition for an image forming job. The storage portion is adapted to store the value accepted by the processing portion. The touch pad is adapted to accept a touch operation. The processing portion updates the value stored in the storage portion based on a manner of change in touch position resulting from a second touch operation on the touch pad while a first touch operation in a prescribed region of the touch pad continues.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and particularly to an image forming apparatus for accepting input of a numeric value and a control program therefor.
Description of the Related Art
Various techniques have conventionally been disclosed in connection with screen display in inputting information to an image forming apparatus.
For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 63-174125 discloses a technique for representing each file stored in an apparatus with a card-shaped icon, displaying icons as being superimposed on one another, and scrolling the superimposed icons for display as if weight of the card corresponding to each icon were felt.
In addition, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-171512 discloses a technique for providing feedback of kinesthetic sense to a user by driving a piezoelectric actuator in an operation for pressing a button icon displayed on a touch panel in an input apparatus.
Moreover, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-42170 discloses a technique in connection with volume control in a reproduction apparatus, for displaying a plurality of objects radially aligned on a touch panel and increasing or decreasing the volume in accordance with a direction of operation along an outer periphery thereof.
According to the conventional techniques, however, in the case of inputting information such as a numeric value to a display device, some kind of image such as an icon or an object has had to be displayed. Then, in order to ensure a display region for such an image, display of other information such as information desirably referred to in input of a numeric value may be interfered and user's convenience may be hampered.

Image forming apparatus, method of controlling the same, and recording medium

KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.


An intra-vaginal urinary incontinence device basically comprises a resilient base portion (31), and a bladder support portion (40) extending away from the base portion (31) and having two opposed projections having a support section (30) therebetween forming a cradle (32) which receives and supports the neck of the bladder. The base portion is flexible to allow insertion into the vagina and the size and position of the cradle can be varied for different patients. The two projections may extend from the base portion directly or be formed on the end of a stalk and the support section is preferably arranged above the plane of the base portion.

The present invention relates to devices for controlling urinary incontinence and vaginal and rectal prolapse in females. Particularly, the invention relates to a device which may be removably inserted into the vagina.
Female urinary incontinence is a common problem and is particularly prevalent where damage to the bladder or neck of the bladder has occurred during child birth. In elderly female patients, urinary incontinence is wide spread.
In normal continent patients, in the erect posture, there is no descent of the bladder neck below the pelvic floor muscle, thereby equal distribution of intra-abdominal pressure to the bladder and bladder neck and pelvic urethra occurs and continence is maintained. However, in stress incontinence this is lost due to descent of the bladder neck below the pelvic floor muscle. On coughing or sneezing or physical exercise, i.e. when strain is put upon the bladder, an involuntary spurt of urine is released from the bladder. This involuntary urine release is unpleasant and embarrassing. The released urine may irritate the groin region and result in an offensive odour.
Vaginal and rectal prolapse are quite common conditions in females, particularly those who have vaginally delivered one or more children. These conditions may be painful, and uncomfortable. Additionally, sexual intercourse may be impaired by occlusion of the vagina.
It is a generally accepted view that surgical treatment is most appropriate for cure of stress incontinence and vaginal and rectal prolapse. However, in elderly or infirm patients the risk of surgery is too great, so that often these conditions go untreated.
Previously proposed devices to treat incontinence and avoid recourse to surgery have generally been unsatisfactory. Particularly, they are cumbersome, difficult to use, need to be replaced frequently, are inadequate in cases of permanent incontinence and often fail to prevent involuntary urinary leakage.
A previously known intra-vaginal device for controlling urinary incontinence in females is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,006. This previously known device has as its object the deflection of the urethra. More particularly it has the object of displacing a surface of the superior wall of the vagina and intermediate sections of the urethra adjacent thereto, toward the pubic bone, to reduce the urethro-visicle angle to restore the patient's natural control over the flow of urine through the urethra from the bladder to the urethral opening. The device has a pair of forward projections which lie on either side of urethra intermediate portion and apply a force thereto to deflect the intermediate portion of the urethra towards the pubic bone.
Another known intra-vaginal device is disclosed in European Patent Specification No. 0 264 258 filed in the name of the present applicant. In this specification there is described a generally U-shaped device having a pair of resilient opposed limbs connected by a flexible base portion so that one of the limbs lies adjacent the posterior vaginal wall and the other limb, which is provided with a cradle-like structure for lifting the bladder base and neck, lies adjacent the anterior vaginal wall, the resiliency of the base portion being such as to bias the two limbs apart and into engagement with the walls of the vagina. Clearly, however, such devices which bias against the wall of the vagina can cause pain or irritation to the vaginal wall and, in order to mitigate this, must be very carefully matched in size to the vagina of the patient concerned. This is both costly and time consuming.
In a still further known intra-vaginal device for controlling urinary incontinence, as described in PCT Patent Specification No. WO 89/09582, also filed by the present applicant, there is proposed a substantially cup-shaped annulus of resilient material having a pair of rearwardly-extending, vaginal wall-engaging projections and a pair of forwardly and upwardly extending projections defining a cradle therebetween for receiving the bladder neck. Although the annulus can be made to be either planar or cup-shaped, the annulus must be sufficiently resilient to be deformed within the vagina into a cup-shape. Thus, once again, the vaginal walls must bias the device at a few discrete points of engagement, which can cause pain or irritation.


A lithium ion battery includes a positive electrode comprising carbon fibers, a binder composition with conductive carbon, and a lithium rich composition. The lithium rich composition comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of Li1+x(My MzII MwIII)O2 where x+y+z+w=1, and xLi2MnO3(1−x)LiMO2, where x=0.2-0.7, and where M, MII and MIII are interchangeably manganese, nickel and cobalt, and LiM2−xMxIIO4, where M and MII are manganese and nickel, respectively, with x=0.5. A negative electrode comprises carbon fibers having bound thereto silicon nanoparticles, and a mesophase pitch derived carbon binder between the silicon nanoparticles and the carbon fibers. An electrolyte is interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. Methods of making positive and negative electrodes are also disclosed.

A large variety of materials have been synthesized and evaluated as cathode materials for Li-batteries. Notable among them is the layered LiMO2 (M=Co, Ni, Mn) compositions which have already found application in rechargeable lithium ion battery technology. However, only about 50-60% of the theoretical capacity can be utilized in practical cells because of structural and chemical instabilities associated with deep charge of Li1−xMO2(x>0.5) along with safety issues. In order to increase the energy density, recent developments have focused on the lithium rich Li—Ni—Mn—Co oxide compounds that have significantly higher capacities. See for example Thackeray et al U.S. Pat. No. 7,135,252 and US 2006/0099508, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference. These materials can be represented using either (i) structurally integrated two-component solid solution notations such as xLi2MnO3(1−x)LiMO2 (layered-layered in which the Li2MnO3 component is electrochemically activated above 4.4 V vs. Li/Li+) or (ii) standard notation as Li1+yM1−yO2 (M=Mn, Ni, Co). For example, the composition 0.6Li[Li1/3Mn2/3]O2-0.4Li[Mn0.3Ni0.45Co0.25]O2 (hereafter Li-rich MNC) can be alternately expressed as Li1.2Mn0.525Ni0.175Co0.1O2 in the standard notation for such layered compositions. Electrodes based on these Li-rich MNC compositions can operate at high anodic potentials of 4.9 V vs. Li/Li+ and provide capacities >250 mAh g−1. There are still major issues that need to be addressed before these lithium rich compounds can be considered as high-energy cathodes for production Li-ion batteries, especially for electric vehicle applications. Notable among these are poor rate capability, high first cycle irreversibility and significant decrease in the discharge voltage plateau with successive cycling. The large irreversible capacity loss in the range of 50-100 mAh g−1 in the first cycle is attributed to the extraction of Li2O followed by elimination of oxygen ion vacancies from the lattice during first charge, resulting in a lower number of sites for insertion and extraction of Li+ in the subsequent cycles. Further, detailed structural and phase transitions associated with such lithiation-delithiation processes at higher voltage (>4.4 V) are not fully understood yet.

High energy density secondary lithium batteries


In a control network system of household electric appliances, particularly, an each introduction of a household electric appliance thereto does not cause a change in the means of acquiring operation data by a controller, and the electric power consumption of a controller is made less.

(General Background Arts of the Present Invention)
In recent years various appliances have been used in houses, buildings, and floors and sections thereof. Accordingly, attempts to acquire more comfortable life, improve operating conditions, save more energy and make operations more efficient have been made by integratedly controlling the appliances under home networks (or home network systems).
Specifically, for example, air conditioners, refrigerators, fans, solar heaters for bathwater, microwave ovens, hot-water supplies, electric kotatsu, warm air circulators, electric clocks, televisors, illuminators or the like are used in houses. Since time and period when these appliances are used relate greatly therebetween, operation and standby thereof are properly controlled in consideration of conditions such as the time and the period so that more comfortable life, a saving of more energy and the like are intended.
More specifically, the attempts are as follows:    1) Solar heaters can be frequently used for bathwater in the summer season. Thermostat of hot-water supplies, therefore, does not have to be set to so high temperature in a time slot for bathing so that the bathwater should be set to lower temperature than the winter season.    2) Power level of air conditioners is reduced even in the summer season for an extremely short time for using microwave ovens. Consequently, electric power simultaneously consumed in the whole house can be decreased.    3) Power level and switching of air conditioners in rooms are controlled by detecting the presence of persons therein with sensors.    4) Power level of air conditioners in offices is controlled by sensing the operating conditions of appliances as heating sources in operation therein.    5) Unnecessary illuminators in rooms are switched off in accordance with the time of day and the positions of appliances in operation therein.    6) Illuminators and air conditioners in empty classrooms are switched off at universities.
In addition, it has been studied and attempted that not merely the switching of appliances is controlled in accordance with seasons and the time of day but also aged people and infants are cared for and watched over particularly in houses where only aged people live or their parents are frequently absent by detecting the operating conditions.
Examples are as follows:    1) Domestic helpers are informed of disorders through telephone lines when the following disorders are detected; a door of toilets is not opened and shut for more than a certain time, a volume of televisors is too high, the operations of various appliances are unnatural such that air conditioners and warm air circulators are simultaneously in operation, or the like.    2) Parents are warned by the screen and voice of televisors when a portable telephone of their children go out of an area supervised by a station in charge of the neighborhood of their house.
Connections between various appliances for the above-mentioned purposes are conceptionally shown in FIG. 1.
In FIG. 1, a refrigerator 1, an air conditioner 2, an electric kotatsu 3, a fluorescent light 4, a microwave oven 5 and a washing machine 6 are connected to a controller (or a CPU) 10 by an electric wire 11, and thus a (sub) network is configured. A televisor 7 and an electric clock 8 are connected to the controller 10 by an infrared ray 12, and thus a (sub) network is configured. A telephone 9 is connected to the controller 10 by a wireless 13, and thus a (sub) network is configured.
In addition to the above, other means such as supersonic waves or plural means are used for connecting the appliances.
Also regarding the network, as shown in FIG. 1, many appliances and (sub) networks are connected radially from the only controller 10, and additionally as shown in FIG. 2(a), in order to decrease the maximum electric power consumption in factories and buildings, several (sub) networks having a router {which is positioned between plural (sub) networks to realize mutual communication therebetween. In FIG. 1, the controller 10 serves for the router. A communication processing function attached to an appliance serves for the router depending on a system and the appliance.} are connected by the router or an appliance serving for the router as a terminal of components thereof. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2(b), appliances and (sub) networks are hierarchically connected as trees.
In FIGS. 2(a) and (b), 20 indicates a (sub) network or an appliance as a substantial (sub) network and 30 indicates a router or an appliance serving for the router.
Full-time custodians as well as information desks and doorbells are occasionally incorporated into a system in factories, office buildings and hospitals.
Another example is not so complicated but a simple constitution; in the case of connecting a televisor and a video tape recorder, the video tape recorder periodically reads out a time signal in airwaves, which the televisor received, to adjust its built-in clock thereby for the purpose of displaying an exact time.
Moreover, various kinds of standards and plans therefor (such as ET-2101 and JEM-1439) have been decided and proposed in the Electronic Industries Association of Japan, the Japan Electrical Manufacturers' Association and the like in order to effectively perform the functions of the networks.
Also, communications protocols and the like have been decided or developed.
For that purpose, equipments and functions such as communication processing functions necessary for performing the appropriate functions of the home networks have been attached to appliances (including sensors) in the stage of manufacturing or studied for attaching.
(Background Arts in View of the Problems to be Solved by the Present Invention)
In the above-mentioned configuration of control network systems of appliances, particularly household electric appliances, however, it should be recognized beforehand in the stage of designing the systems that which of the following methods the controller employs for acquiring operation data for controlling the appliances; a method of receiving the operation data transmitted from each of the appliances in changing the operation data such as switching, a method of receiving the operation data by a query from the controller to the appliances, a method of receiving the operation data periodically transmitted from the appliances to the controller, a method of receiving the operation data broadcasted from each of the appliances in changing the operation data, and the like. In terms of the conditions of the household electric appliances, the need to change how the controller acquires the operation data is occasionally caused on each introduction of other household electric appliances.
For the purpose of linked operations only by household electric appliances, addresses of household electric appliances for receiving operation data should be set at household electric appliances for transmitting the operation data, and additionally addresses of the household electric appliances for transmitting the operation data should be set at the household electric appliances for receiving the operation data. The setting, therefore, should be performed in each of control network systems of household electric appliances.
On the other hand, the problem is occasionally the electric power consumption of a controller in a system such that the controller receives operation data of household electric appliances to generate a command of operating other household electric appliances in accordance with the received operation data, and thereafter the controller transmits the command to other household electric appliances to control linkedly. That is, the electric power consumption of the household electric appliances is approximately 0.5 W on standby, while the electric power consumption of a personal computer as the controller is several tens to 100 W. Furthermore, in many cases the controller is constantly operated because of watching data in a network, leading to more electric power consumption thereof.
Available network wires, means and costs are limited in control network systems of household electric appliances.
Accordingly, it has been desirable that a technology without the need to change how a controller acquires operation data on each introduction of other household electric appliances is developed subject to many limitations in control network systems of household electric appliances.
Regarding linked operations between household electric appliances, it has been desirable that a technology of facilitating the setting of addresses and offering less electric power consumption is developed.
Also, it has been desirable that a technology of linkedly controlling household electric appliances without a controller with a considerable electric power consumption is developed.

Control network system of household electric appliance

Abstract: A home network system is simplified and made efficient.

Abstract: As a means for the above, an accessible device in a common manner to household electric appliances is incorporated into a controller by object processing using communications middlewares, and a device for linked operations is incorporated into household electric appliances. Then, it is noted that each household electric appliance needs a specific kind of another appliance and operation data thereof.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A motor vehicle windshield curtain control comprising a casing transversely fastened behind the windshield of a motor vehicle at a top, two side tracks respectively obliquely extending downward from said casing and fastened behind said windshield at two opposite sides, a curtain received inside said casing, a revolving axle driven by a reversible motor to rotate two endless belts via rollers and pulleys, and a curtain having a rear end edge secured to a division plate inside said casing, a front end edge secured between said two endless belts, and two opposite side edges secured to two round rods inside said two side tracks by loops, wherein rotating said reversible motor in one direction causes said curtain to be let off and stretched between said two side tracks to shut off said curtain; rotating said reversible motor in an opposite direction causes said curtain to be taken up and received inside said casing.

The present invention relates to curtain controls, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a windshield curtain control secured inside a motor vehicle to automatically let off or take up a windshield curtain.
Various shielding devices are known and used in preventing the light of the sun from coming into a motor vehicle. For examples: In U.S. Pat. No. 1,755,734 to E. E. Hall, there is disclosed a motor vehicle rear curtain operator which uses spring means to control a curtain; In U.S. Pat. No. 1,758,220 to J. F. Currivan, there is disclosed a window curtain control which uses a gear drive to move a rope so as to draw up or let off a curtain; In U.S. Pat. No. 1,762,480 to G. Marenti, there is disclosed an antiglare attachment which uses a drive means to drive a roller and lifting cables so as to control a shield; In U.S. Pat. No. 1,822,631 to W. J. Huebner, there is disclosed a shade controlling apparatus to control a shade in hanging over the roof and rear part of a motor vehicle; In U.S. Pat. No. 1,931,438 to H. B. Hitz, there is disclosed an antiglare device which uses gears and screws to move a shield into operation; In U.S. Pat. No. 2,444,528 to M. Parrish, Jr, there is disclosed a visor which is movably mounted on a frame and moved to slide on two side rails thereof; In U.S. Pat. No. 4,149,749 to Romano G. Canal, Magliaso, there is disclosed a roof lining element for vehicle cabins which comprises a frame having means for receiving and guiding visors movable between an inoperative retracted position and an operative extracted position; In U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,843 to Johann Tomforde, there is disclosed an anti-glare device for motor vehicles which includes a sun visor arranged on the under-side of the front hollow transverse roof beam and moved by a drive means from a basic position into an extended position; In U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,775 to Odo Klose, Wuppertal, there is disclosed an axially displaceable window shade for windshield or the like which includes a winding shaft and a shade strip, which winding shaft is axially displaced when the strip is pulled past a window or wound back onto the shaft; In German Patent No. 874,658 there is disclosed a sun visor which includes a first frame sliding inside a second frame; In German Patent No. 24 45 408, there is disclosed an anti-dazzle vehicle driven screen which includes a protective panel adjustably held in pocket of inflexible inner roof element; In Japanese Patent No. 67621 to Yurio Kashiwara, there is disclosed a window shade for car which includes a reflecting panel that can be pulled out from a housing container to prevent the sun beam from coming into a cabin, or pushed back into the housing container; In Japanese Patent No. 186425 to Norishiho Kitsumoto, there is disclosed an automatic sun visor for automobile which includes a bellows type sun visor arranged at the upper section of the front window of a car and reciprocated by means of the operation of a motor controlled by a photoreceptor sensor. The aforesaid devices are different in structure and operation, but are commonly used in preventing the light of the sun or an illuminator from coming into a motor vehicle. The present invention has been accomplished for the same purpose.

Motor vehicle windshield curtain control

No. 10, Alley 3, Lane 127, Lei Chung Street


A speech-driven control device for a media system includes a housing; a controller; a first communication port to enable communication of instructions between a data processing system and the controller; and a second communication port to enable communication of instructions between a media device and the controller. The controller includes a speech recognition system to recognize human speech and to convert the human speech into a first set of commands and into a second set of commands. The first set of commands provides instructions to the data-processing system to enable speech driven control of a media presentation. The second set of commands provides instructions to the media device to enable speech driven control of a functionality of the media device.

Conventionally, as illustrated in FIG. 1, media presentations have been realized by connecting a data processing system 1, such as a laptop computer or a personal computer, to a multi-media device 7. The data processing system 1 is connected to the multi-media device 7 via a cable 13. The multi-media device 7 includes an audio system 8 and an imaging system 6 that projects an image 9.
A multi-media presentation is stored in the data processing system 1. This multi-media presentation can be a slide presentation of images, animation, a video clip, and/or an audio clip. The desired image, video, animation or audio (informational data) is selected on the data processing system 1 through either a keyboard input device 3 or a pointing device 5, such as a mouse, touch pad, or trackball. The selected informational data is transferred from the data processing system 1 to the multi-media device 7 via cable 13 in response to commands entered via the keyboard input device 3 or the pointing device 5.
The multi-media device 7 then processes the selected informational data such audio information is reproduced by the audio system 8 and image information is reproduced by the imaging system 6. In this manner, a multi-media presentation can be realized.
However, it is noted that in these conventional devices, a data processing system operator is required to select the appropriate informational data and to facilitate its transfer to the media device 7 at the correct time. This operator can either be the presenter or another person who waits for clues or instructions from the presenter as to what informational data to select and when to transfer it to the multi-media device 7.
This conventional system has the disadvantage in that the presenter needs to coordinate both the presentation of the multi-media material and the presenter's material through physical manipulation of the keyboard or pointing device of the data processing system or the presenter must interrupt the presentation to instruct an operator as to what should be selected and transferred to the multi-media device, thereby giving opportunity for human error in selecting the informational data as well as in the timing of the presentation of this material resulting in an error-prone, ineffective, and choppy presentation.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a media presentation system that enables the selection and reproduction of informational data without requiring the presenter or another operator to physically manipulate the keyboard or pointing device of the data processing system. Moreover, it is desirable to have a media presentation system that automatically selects and reproduces the proper informational data in response to the voice or speech of the presenter.
The present invention provides a media presentation system that significantly reduces or eliminates the disadvantages associated with conventional techniques. More specifically, the present invention utilizes speech recognition to generate selection commands, reproduction commands, and media device parameter commands. Also, the present invention eliminates the need for a separate operator to operate the data processing system. Lastly, the present invention provides a more reliable selection and reproduction over the conventional techniques.

Device for providing speech driven control of a media presentation


A method and apparatus for non-invasively measuring blood constituent concentration and particularly the oxygen saturation of arterial blood. The apparatus includes at least one light source directed to a tissue area of a patient, such as a finger or earlobe. A photodetector receives emitted light passing through the sample, and a receiver circuit analyzes the data and produces an output which is proportional to the oxygen content of blood. The light source is modulated onto a preselected carrier frequency and the receiver circuit is tuned to the carrier frequency so that undesired signals such as ambient light can be filtered out leaving only the signals created by the emitted light passing through the tissue at the light source frequency. The oxygen content is then calculated using the patient's known red cell count, thereby correcting the final saturation value for patient anemia. Moreover, the calculation for oxygen saturation incorporates red cell scattering parameters for increased accuracy in clinical environments.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for noninvasively measuring blood constituents and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for detecting variations in the detected amplitude of one or more wavelengths of light which are transmitted through body tissue to measure the concentration of blood constituents such as saturated hemoglobin oxygen and for compensating for ambient light interference which adversely affects such determinations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The determination of blood oxygen concentrations and the concentrations of other blood constituents such as injected dyes has become increasingly interesting to physicians and of increasing importance in the practice of clinical medicine. Generally, it is known to use spectrophotometric techniques to measure arterial hemoglobin oxygen saturation. For example, various blood constituent measuring devices and methods using non-invasive techniques are known whereby emitted light is passed through the sample, or reflected therefrom, and then detected by light sensors. Variations in the detected light at various wavelengths are then used to determine arterial oxygen saturation and/or pulse rates. Such devices and/or methods are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,407,290; 4,266,554; 4,167,331; 4,086,915; 3,998,550; and 3,647,299; and European patent Nos. EP 0 104 771 A3 and EP 0 102 816 A3.
However, such prior art oximetry devices and methods are typically inaccurate, for significant errors are induced in clinical oximetry if the classical absorption equation (Bier's Law) is used to calculate the saturation of oxygen as applicable to pure hemoglobin. The methods disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,167,331; 3,998,550; 4,086,915; and 4,266,554 do not compensate such errors. As a partial solution to this problem, however, other patents teach the use of a mathematical approximation to Bier's Law by using ratios of the pulsating absorbance and the non-pulsating absorbance components of each of several wavelengths of transmitted light, as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,407,290 and 3,647,299 and European Patent Nos. EP 0 104 771 A3 and EP 0 102 816 A3, for example. Also, because the light absorption of tissue does not exactly correspond to that predicted by Bier's Law, some type of empirical calibration has been performed as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,407,290; 4,167,331; and 4,086,915.
The derivation of the absorbance in the pulsating component may be performed in different ways. One technique relies upon the quantitative measurement in the change in absorbance at each wavelength, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,290 and European patent Nos. EP 0 104 771 A3 and Ep 0 102 816 A3. It is also known that the derivative of the change in absorbance and a peak to peak measurement of the pulsating absorbance component may be used to calculate the Oxygen content of arterial blood, as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,407,290 and 4,167,331.
In addition, it is known that a single light detector may be used. However, when a single light detector is used, the detected light for each wavelength must be separated. This is accomplished by using time separation and synchronous detection as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,407,290; 4,266,554; and 3,647,299, for example. However, because the light detectors also detect ambient light, some type of ambient light rejection technique is normally employed. One technique is to use four clock states and to allow for the subtraction of ambient light, as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,407,290 and 4,266,554. Another technique is to remove the non-pulsating absorbance component since ambient light is usually a non-pulsating absorbance frequency, as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,167,331 and 3,998,550. These techniques consider the ambient light to have a constant amplitude.
However, the techniques and devices disclosed in the above-referenced patents are not completely satisfactory and are deficient in several areas for the following reasons. Namely, Bier's Law and/or the use of empirical estimates usually only approximate the oxygen content of blood in living tissues in clinical environments. Moreover, prior art techniques for removing ambient light and motion artifacts are unsatisfactory and generally produce decreased signal to noise ratios and increased errors in the clinical measurements because up to fifty percent of the duty cycle is devoted to making ambient light measurements. In addition, techniques using synchronous detectors are not completely satisfactory since they require wide bandwidth AC amplifiers and because they also may devote a significant portion of the duty cycle, as much as 50%, to measuring the ambient light rather than the desired absorbance changes. Furthermore, the wide bandwidth requirements of the prior art devices render such devices more susceptible to frequency interference such as BOVIE interference, which is a type of system noise produced by electrical surgical devices such as coagulators and cauterizers. It typically affects the frequency range of 0.5 to 5 MHZ, but it can be found even in direct current. Although there is less energy in frequencies between DC and 0.5 MHZ, there is still enough energy to potentially cause interference which impairs the performance of many prior art devices. Previous embodiments also frequently require an analog channel for each wavelength and require that these channels be matched over the bandwidth. The resulting analog requirements may be so stringent as to require that both channels have a "normalized" DC output, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,290.
Thus, although blood constituent measuring devices and methods have heretofore been suggested and have achieved some success, a need still exists for a device and method for more accurately measuring blood constituents such as oxygen saturation of blood in patients, particularly anemic patients and those with blood conditions such as low red blood cell counts. These blood counts are different from the assumed counts upon Which the factory "presets" are based, and accordingly, correcting the blood counts to account for patient anemia in the saturation equations, for example, could be a critical factor in keeping an anemic's brain and heart alive during surgery. Moreover, there is also a need for a device which is less sensitive to other types of interference, such as BOVIE interference, which can virtually interrupt oximetry at critical times during an operation. The present invention has been designed to meet these needs.

Method and apparatus for measuring arterial blood constituents


An aircraft assembly includes a wing, a pylon structure attached to the wing, an aft engine mount attached to the pylon structure, and an engine attached to the aft engine mount. The aft engine mount includes a pivotal attachment to the pylon structure and first and second spring beams operatively connected to the pylon structure at opposing sides of the pivotal attachment for damping pivotal movement of the engine with respect to the pylon structure to enable tuning of the natural frequency of the engine to avoid wing flutter.

1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to a tuned engine mounting system for a jet aircraft, and more particularly to an engine mounting system in which an aft engine mount is provided with spring beams for damping pivotal movement of the engine.
2. Background Information
It is a design goal that when an aircraft wing is subjected to a momentary force in flight which causes the wing to oscillate between a bent state and an unbent state, that in the absence of this force, the oscillations will damp out and the wing will return to a steady, unbended state. On the other hand, "wing flutter" refers to a phenomenon in which the wing oscillations between the bent state and the unbent state do not damp out. Rather, the amplitude of these oscillations either remains constant or increases over time.
Wing flutter is an aeroelastic instability produced by the coalescing and proper phasing of two or more structural vibration modes of an aircraft in flight. A flutter mode usually involves both bending and torsion-types of motion in which the torsional motion extracts energy from the airstream and drives the bending mode to increasingly higher amplitudes. In other cases, these oscillations are lightly damped, but stable, within the operating speed envelope of the aircraft and can cause a reduction in riding comfort of the aircraft.
The location of the engine nacelle relative to the wing, the mass properties of the engine, and the stiffness of the strut which attaches the nacelle to the wing are factors which influence the flutter characteristics of the wing. More specifically, the natural frequency of the nacelle and the manner of strut installation can influence the mode and air speed at which the wing oscillations become unstable (flutter).
Conventionally, in order to avoid wing flutter, the natural frequency of the nacelles and nacelle struts are restricted within a narrow range. For example, in earlier models of the Boeing 747 aircraft, the outboard engine nacelles are permitted to oscillate at a natural frequency of about 2 cycles per second in a lateral direction. If the outboard engine nacelle lateral frequencies are significantly above or below 2 cycles per second, then wing flutter can result at an unacceptably low air speed.
However, in some newer aircraft which feature stronger but less stiff lifting surfaces, flutter can occur at air speeds below that required by government regulations. In this case, the avoidance of wing flutter requires the unsatisfactory solution of reducing the maximum operating speeds of the aircraft.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,331 discloses a method for preventing wing flutter in an aircraft, wherein the lateral natural frequencies of the left and right engines are sufficiently different so that when subjected to a time varying disturbance in flight, the flutter speed of the aircraft is increased. In this design, spring beams are attached at the interface between the pylon structure and the wing for damping movement of the engine. The spring beams may be tuned to provide the desired lateral frequency.
FIG. 1 shows a prior art engine and wing structure, wherein a wing 10 supports a pylon structure 12, which supports the engine 14. The pylon structure 12 is attached to the wing 10 at the upper link interface 16 and mid-spar fittings 18. The spring beam structure described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,331, referenced above, would be attached at the interface between the wing 10 and the pylon structure 12, such as in the areas of the upper link interface 16 or mid-spar fittings 18 shown in FIG. 1. The spring beam attachment structure would replace such attachment devices 16,18. Because the spring beams are spaced substantially from the center line 20 of the engine (the center of mass), the placement of such spring beams is limited, and the size of the entire spring beam attachment structure is significant as a result of strength requirements. Accordingly, the spring beam attachment structure generally defines the placement of the engine 14. In other words, as a result of the strength limitations of the attachment, the engine 14 may not be positioned where desired to optimize efficiency.

Tuned engine mounting system for jet aircraft


A method and apparatus for identifying the failing equipment in a computer system when a failure condition is experienced by a computer operator while accessing a computer input/output channel. The apparatus has a memory system which records pre- and post-failure events, which recordings are used for analyzing signal activity on the input/output channel. The signals retained in memory may be output to a hard copy device in an easily understood format to provide a picture or input/output bus activity for the time surrounding the failure event. The operator may utilize the hard copy output to rapidly diagnose the cause of computer failure.

The present invention relates to computers and more particularly to an apparatus for monitoring the activity between a peripheral unit and a computer. The apparatus is connected to the in-out interface between the computer and the peripheral unit and analyzes the activity on the bus to determine the cause of computer failures.
Most computers operate by receiving instructions or data from an outside source which is transmitted to the computer which then performs certain functions on the data and supplies an answer to the outside source. When a computer fails to function properly, it is difficult to determine the cause of failure. It could occur as a result of failure to receive information from the outside source or failure of the computer to transmit its results to the outside source. In either case the actual detection of the cause of the malfunction is difficult.
In conventional computer systems the data going into the computer and the data coming out is not displayed but merely manipulated either in the computer or the outside source with only the final result being displayed in a printed format. Similarly, the data that is transmitted to the computer is not displayed but merely transmitted from a recorded source such as a tape or cards or similar materials to the computer. In the past, it has been necessary to repeat the portion of the operation around the computer failure and then attempt to diagnose or guess at the cause of the failure of the computer to operate properly.

Apparatus for analysis of computer channel failures


This invention relates to a spring clutch having a slot circumferentially about its surface to provide for a predetermined amount of rotation of its input clutch drum relative to the output clutch drum before effecting rotation of its output clutch drum. Adjustment means is provided to vary the width of the slot and thereby permitting selective presetting of the spring clutch for a predetermined amount of intermittent angular rotation of the output clutch drum.

Spring clutch mechanisms are well known in the art such as disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,128,863 which issued Apr. 14, 1964 To D. R. Tomko and U.S. Pat. No. 3,528,533 which issued Sept. 14, 1970 to C. R. Sacchini. The spring clutch mechanism disclosed in these patents have input drums which are rotatively driven in a selected direction and include a cross-over gap or slot between the drums for control of chatter. The cross-over gap is provided so that the over-running torque exerted on the spring coils next to the cross-over will be less than that required to cause the coil porton to contact and grip the cross-over surface. In both of these spring clutch mechanisms the input drum is continuously rotated in one selected direction, as aforementioned, and, when the spring clutch is in an engaged operative condition, the output drum is continuously rotated in that selected direction. The present invention is directed to a spring clutch mechanism, wherein both the input and output drums rotatively reciprocate a predetermined angular amount, and wherein the output clutch drum is intermittently rotated in one direction by the input clutch drum which is rotatively reciprocatively driven without reversing rotation of the output clutch drum. Such spring clutches are widely used in such areas as, for example, dispensing machines wherein a metered amount of beverage is dispensed. It has been heretofore not shown, however, how to provide for control of the width of the cross-over slot or gap which is essential to provide, during the operative life of the spring clutch, accurate angular rotation of the output drum. Reliable output rotation is disrupted by accumulation of contaminants such as dirt and oil upon the surface of the clutch which causes wear in the area of the slot or gap and thereby changes the effective width of the slot or gap. It is therefore essential that a spring clutch of the type as herein described be provided with an adjustment feature directed to convenient control of the width of the cross-over gap so that accurate angular rotation of the output clutch drum is maintainable in spite of wear. Such adjustment feature also increases the versitility of a spring clutch having intermittent angular output in that it can be field-adjusted to produce any desired degree of angular output. It is thus a principal object of the present invention to provide a coil spring clutch wherein output of the output clutch drum is conveniently and expeditiously regulated to provide for a predetermined intermittent constant angular output throughout its entire operative life.
It is another object of this invention to provide a spring clutch wherein the intermittent angular output is capable of being varied by field-adjustment of the spring clutch.


A seismic prospecting roll along switching system using a relatively small number of switches to provide roll along prospecting while also providing variable gapping with minimum loss of active channels. In a simple form two sets of switches are provided with each set having one switch provided for each geophone input and with switch outputs connected in pairs, appropriately selected, to the inputs of signal processing channels. The two sets of switches are connected to the processing channels in a skewed or staggered manner with the amount of skew corresponding to a selectable gap. A controller is provided for electronically closing the appropriate switches from each set in accordance with the desired gap. Additional switch sets may be employed to provide additional selectable gaps while maintaining complete utilization of processing channels.

This invention relates to seismic roll along switching equipment and in particular to an improved switching system having a greatly reduced number of signal switches arranged to provide selectable gapping with maximum utilization of processing channels.
The roll along method of seismic geophysical prospecting is well known and commonly employed. In this method a large number of geophone groups and shot points are laid out along a prospecting traverse. During any given initiation, or shot, only part of the geophones are used to record reflections from that initiation. Thus for example, while one hundred and twenty geophone groups may be laid out along the traverse, only sixty may be active for a particular shot. A gap is usually provided about the shot point by leaving a number of groups immediately adjacent the shot point inactive. The active groups are usually spaced symmetrically about the gap. The active groups are those which are connected for a particular shot to a signal processing and recording channel. System capacity is usually defined by the number of signal processing channels which comprise filters and amplifiers matched to very high precision and account for the greatest portion of the systems cost.
Rather complicated roll along switches using either mechanical relays or sliding switches having thousands of switch contacts are commonly used for connecting appropriate geophone groups to processing channels. Commercially available switches using sliding contacts include a rotary version sold under the trademark "Rot-A-Long" by Inputs/Outputs Devices, Inc., of Houston, Tex. and a linear version sold under part number S100-002131 by GUS Manufacturing, Inc., of El Paso, Tex. Such switches are limited in several ways by the fact that they are basically mechanical devices. The thousands of switch contacts are prone to contact failure especially under the field conditions encountered in geophysical prospecting. The devices also tend to be inflexible in terms of the allowable gapping choices since the large number of switches must be arranged to provide at least one common set of roll along positions and it is difficult to modify that set to any great extent. While solenoid and ratchet arrangements can be used to remotely move the mechanical type switches through their various positions, any failure of the mechanism to operate typically causes erroneous selection of groups throughout the rest of the operation. As a result of these problems, roll along matrices have essentially always been housed in the main recording equipment near an operator who can visually check for proper operation.
One reason for the complexity of known roll along matrices is the usual requirement that processing channel outputs be in a particular order corresponding to the order of active channels. That is, if the geophone groups are numbered from one end of the traverse to the other, it is usually required that the lowest numbered active geophone group be connected to the first processing channel and the highest numbered group be connected to the last processing channel. The outputs of the processing channels are usually coupled by a multiplexer to a single analog to digital converter in a sequence beginning with the first processing channel and ending with the last. The multiplexer sequentially couples each channel to the A to D converter during each sampling period and the output of the converter is coupled to a recording system which therefore records the digitized samples always in an order beginning with the lowest numbered active group. Due to this ordering requirement, each of the processing channel inputs must be moved to a new group for each new shot. While such switching matrices are quite complicated and subject to contact failure, they do guarantee that at each shot point, each of the processing channels is utilized.
Many of the problems of the known roll along switching matrices are solved by the simplified roll along switching arrangement disclosed in application, Ser. No. 055,632 filed by Kamal A. Mahmood, concurrently herewith. In a simple form Mahmood's system provides one switch for each geophone input with one contact of each switch connected to one of the inputs and the other contact of each switch connected in sequentially repeating order to inputs of signal processing channels. As a result, the number of switches is reduced to the number of geophone groups and is only a small fraction of the number of switch contacts conventionally employed. Mahmood's system further provides a modified multiplexer addressing scheme for coupling signals to an analog to digital converter and recording system in the desired sequence even when the switches do not actually connect geophone groups to processing channels in that sequence. Any desired gap may be employed in Mahmood's system but for every inactive group, one of the signal processing channels is also inactive for the particular shot. For most general work, a selectable gap of from zero to fifteen groups is preferred. In the system taught by Mahmood, an additional fifteen processing channels must be provided if the full recording capacity of the system is to be employed for every shot and gap selection from zero to fifteen groups is also to be provided. As noted above, the signal processing channels are the single most expensive part of the system and the fifteen additional groups would significantly increase the price of most systems.
Thus, it can be seen that a reduction in the number of switches involved in roll along matrix as compared to the prior art mechanical devices is desirable and any substantial reduction in number would greatly enhance the accurancy and reliability of geophysical prospecting systems. It is also desirable that a roll along switching system provide a selectable gap while maintaining maximum utilization of processing channels. In addition, it is desirable that the switches employed in such roll along matrices be electronically switchable to avoid mechanical failures and increase flexibility of operation.


A method and apparatus of electrically and sequentially completing an oil and/or gas well through a tubing production string in a well casing. The operation includes electrically and sequentially actuating downhole equipment such as well packers, a safety joint, well annulus safety valve, solenoid actuated tubing safety valve, blanking block valve, circulating sleeve, and receiving electrical feedback from the equipment determining the position of the downhole equipment.

In completing oil and gas wells, particularly deep wells, subsea wells, horizontal wells, and other unique areas, it is extremely advantageous and cost effective to minimize entry into the well bore for actuating the various types of equipment to perform the initial well completion after the well tree is in place.
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus of completing a well, such as an oil and/or gas well, or injection well, by minimizing the need for physical intervention of mechanical equipment into and out of the well bore to operate various downhole equipment, such as packers, shifting sleeves, setting plugs, etc. The mechanically actuated operation of these well devices is time-consuming and expensive, particularly in deep wells. In addition, in some types of well completions, such as in horizontal completions, it is difficult to mechanically actuate well equipment in the horizontal component of the well, or perform the usual well operations using coil tubing and gravity fed wireline operations. In addition, the individual downhole devices may include transducers to provide an electrical feedback signal to the well surface to provide surveillance, and insure that a complete and successful actuation and operation of all of the downhole devices has been performed throughout the completion procedure. That is, the downhole devices are electrically actuated in proper sequence by surface electrical controls through an electrical conductor to each individual device from the surface to complete the well. A return signal to the well surfaces indicates the functional position of each device thereby allowing the well to be brought into production safely, quickly and inexpensively.

Electrically actuated well annulus safety valve


Thermal control louvers for CubeSats or small spacecraft may include a plurality of springs attached to a back panel of the thermal control louvers. The thermal control louvers may also include a front panel, which includes at least two end panels interlocked with one or more middle panels. The front panel may secure the springs, shafts, and flaps to the back panel.

CubeSats have not required thermal control outside of resistive heaters due to low power requirement and a short lifespan. However, in the past few years, CubeSat form factor solar panels have been developed producing up to 80 W of power for a 3 U, i.e., a 30 by 30 by 10 cm, spacecraft. Furthermore, many CubeSat and small satellite missions, such as CeRES and LWaDi, are being proposed with high power instruments and subsystems on board. As a result, a thermal control louver assembly based on the CubeSat form factor has become critical for small spacecraft missions.
Previous designs for thermal louvers have been for full-sized spacecraft, which are several feet in diameter. These thermal louvers operate via metallic springs attached to flaps having a low-emissivity coating on the outside surface and high emissivity coating or direct view to the components underneath. When the components inside the spacecraft reach a high temperature, the bimetallic springs uncurl causing the flaps to open and change the emissivity of the spacecraft. However, thermal louvers for full-sized spacecraft cannot be used on a CubeSat or on small spacecraft. This is primarily due to the size of the thermal louvers.
In an effort to remedy this issue, an adaption of this technology for smaller spacecraft involved Micromachined Louver Arrays (MLAs), which were on a microscopic scale and actuated using electric current, i.e., an active means of louver actuation. However, this adaption requires an active control and a tendency for dust to accumulate inhibits the movement of the micro-scale flaps. Thus, an alternative approach may be beneficial.

CubeSat form factor thermal control louvers

The United States of America as represented by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration


A fire extinguishing device has a storage tank for a low-boiling liquefied gas which serves as the extinguishing agent. At least one connection line is equipped with a shut-off valve and an outlet nozzle leading from the storage tank into the area to be protected. A fire monitoring device which actuates the shut-off valve has sensors in the area to be protected. A cryo-compressor is located in the head space of the storage tank connected with an external cooling mechanism.

Valuable technical systems, for example, electronic systems, are equipped with automatic fire-extinguishing devices, which operate with extinguishing agents from the series of the Halons. These are ideal, highly effective extinguishing agents which, however, will no longer be allowed in the future. As an alternative to the Halons, carbon dioxide and inert low-boiling liquefied gases are available. However, carbon dioxide is not very suitable for valuable technical systems. After fires which have been extinguished with carbon dioxide, corrosion occurs to the metal parts which are sensitive to such damage as a result of the effect of the carbonic acid which is formed from carbon dioxide and water vapor. This is especially disadvantageous for electronic components. After a fire extinguished in time with carbon dioxide, such secondary damage, often with long-term effects, can occur.
So far, nitrogen is the only one of the inert low-boiling liquefied gases that has been used as an extinguishing agent. Thus, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,830,307 discloses a fire extinguishing device with liquid nitrogen as the extinguishing agent. Nitrogen as an extinguishing agent has proven its worth in certain individual cases, for example, in mine fires. However, in contrast, nitrogen has turned out not to be very suitable for extinguishing open fires. The reason for this is its relatively low molecular weight of 28, which results in a low density ratio to the air and thus a poor sinking behavior. In this respect, other low-boiling liquefied gases seem to be more suitable. Thus, for example, the molecular weight of argon is 40, thus almost reaching the molecular weight of carbon dioxide, namely, 44. Gaseous argon has almost the same density as gaseous carbon dioxide. The density ratio to air, for example, at 0.degree. C. [32.degree. F.] and 1.013 bar, is 1.38 for argon and 1.53 for carbon dioxide. However, the high price of argon in comparison to nitrogen appears to be a disadvantage. This is especially true of other inert low-boiling liquefied gases. Due to the inevitable heat flow of the low-boiling liquefied gas into the storage tank, expensive evaporation losses occur. Whereas these losses can be tolerated with liquid nitrogen, since it is not very expensive to occasionally refill the storage tank with liquid nitrogen to replace the evaporated nitrogen, this would be a major cost factor in the case of argon.

Fire extinguishing device with storage tank for a low-boiling liquefied gas which serves as extinguishing agent


A floating amphibious game table is provided that may be used on both land and water. The game table has a base member that has an upper surface and a lower surface. A plurality of upper openings in the upper surface of the base member are adapted to receive beverage containers. A plurality of lower openings in the lower surface of the base member are adapted to receive a plurality of legs. The game table floats to allow for use on water. The game table receives the plurality of legs to allow for use on land.

Floating tables have been proposed for use in swimming pools, lakes, beaches, and the like, for recreational purposes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,877 to Lundstrom describes a floating table that may be used as either a ping pong table or a pool table in a swimming pool. U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,588 to MacLeod describes a floating sunshade assembly that has recesses for holding beverage containers and the like. However, such tables would not be suitable for use on land. Such tables would have to be placed directly on the ground, and thus, discourages its use on land. Thus, a need exists for a floating game table that may be used both in a water environment, and is easily adapted for use as a game table on land.

Vassallo Research & Development Corporation


A mixture of hydrocarbons, oxygen and steam is reacted over a fluidized bed, in a first reaction stage, at high temperature to produce, at hydrocarbon conversion levels ranging from about 85 percent to about 92 percent, a reaction product of hydrogen and carbon monoxide in admixture with unreacted hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide and steam. The level of hydrocarbon conversion is further increased by about 0.5 to 5 percent by contacting and endothermically reacting the reaction product mixture over a fixed bed of a high void fraction catalyst in a second reaction stage.

Fluid bed processes have been employed for many years, and provide superior heat and mass transfer characteristics as contrasted with fixed bed processes. It is known. e.g., to produce synthesis gas (hydrogen and carbon monoxide) from low molecular weight hydrocarbons, primarily methane, reacted in the presence of steam and oxygen at high temperature within a fluidized bed of catalyst. e.g., nickel-on-alumina, or admixture of catalyst and solids diluents; the diluent being added to better control the heats of reaction. The thermodynamic efficiency of this process is quite high, but nonetheless fails to achieve as high a level of conversion of the hydrocarbons as would be desired due to emulsion phase back-mixing, and the low amount of bubble phase/emulsion phase mass transfer. The gaseous effluent from the fluidized bed reactor, in conducting such reaction, often contains some entrained solids; an effluent readily processed in a fluidized bed reactor though not so in a conventional fixed bed reactor which is all too readily plugged by the solids.

Production of synthesis gas via fluidized bed/fixed bed process combination


Carboxydotrophic acetogenic microorganisms do not produce MEK and/or 2-butanol. They lack the biosynthesis pathways to make these products. In addition, they produce the intermediate (R,R)-2,3-butanediol whereas the production of MEK and 2-butanol requires production of the intermediate (R,S)-2,3-butanediol. Nonetheless, the production of MEK and/or 2-butanol can be accomplished using recombinant microorganisms adapted to express or overexpress key enzymes in the MEK and/or 2-butanol biosynthesis pathways. Such microorganisms, such as the carboxydotrophic acetogen Clostridium autoethanogenum, can ferment substrates comprising CO. The overall scheme involves the production of 2-butanol from (R,S)-2,3-butanediol and the conversion of (R)-acetoin to (S)-2,3-butanediol. These steps are involved in the production of both MEK and 2-butanol. Such fermentation methods offer a means of using carbon monoxide from industrial processes which would otherwise be released into the atmosphere and pollute the environment.

2-butanol is an organic compound that is produced on a large scale, primarily as a precursor to the industrial solvent methyl ethyl ketone (MEK or butanone). It is typically produced from a petrochemical (butene), by hydration using a sulfuric acid catalyst.
MEK is an important ingredient in paints and inks, with a global market of US$2 billion that is growing at 1.9% per annum. As an intermediate in its synthesis, demand for 2-butanol is closely linked to demand for butanone. Importantly, 2-butanol can also be converted to 1,3-butadiene, which is used in synthetic rubbers, resins and adhesives. The global market for 1,3-butadiene exceeds US$19 billion, and it is growing at 2.7% per annum. 2-butanol, which is more energy dense than ethanol also has potential use as a fuel as well as a precursor for butadiene production.
It is an object of the invention to provide recombinant microorganisms and a method for the production of MEK and/or 2-butanol by microbial fermentation which may provide one or more advantages over known methods, or to at least to provide the public with a useful choice.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Recombinant microorganisms and uses therefor


An overvoltage protection circuit comprises three protection components (21, 22, 23) connected by their first terminal to a common point (C) and by their second terminal to a first conductor (A), second conductor (B) and ground, respectively. Each protection component comprises the anti-parallel association of a protection component (T1, T2, T3) and a diode (D1, D2, D3), the common point being connected to a same polarity terminal of each protection component. In case one of the conductors exhibits, at the normal state, a polarization difference higher than the other with respect to ground, the cathodes or anodes of the protection components are connected to the common point according as the higher polarized conductor is negative or positive with respect to ground.

The present invention relates to the field of overvoltage protection circuits for lines such as telephone lines.
Among the known overvoltage protection circuits, circuits of the type shown in FIG. 1A are now frequently adopted, wherein protection is ensured by two bidirectional components P1, P2 connected between each conductor and ground, each component having the electrical characteristics shown in FIG. 1B. When overvoltage occurs on one of the conductors, the protection components goes from a blocked state (high impedance) to a conductive state (low impedance) thus shorting the conductor with ground. However, in standby state (high impedance) each of the two components withstands the conductor/ground voltage. Usual voltage values are -48 V for one conductor and about 0 V for the other. This voltage asymmetry generates (as explained later on) a capacitance asymmetry of the components. This asymmetry, permissible for usual networks, is a major impediment for some digital network lines.
Other protection circuits have been proposed, amongst others the one of FIG. 2, wherein three unidirectional protection units 1, 2 and 3 are connected between a common point C and a first conductor A, a second conductor B and ground G. Each protection component comprises in anti-parallel arrangement an unidirectional protection component T and a diode D, respectively T.sub.1, D.sub.1 ; T.sub.2, D.sub.2 ; T.sub.3, D.sub.3. In FIG. 2, the cathodes of diodes D.sub.1, D.sub.2, D.sub.3 are interconnected and the anodes of the protection components T.sub.1, T.sub.2, T.sub.3 are interconnected.
Such a structure is for example described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,555.
The protection components T.sub.1, T.sub.2, T.sub.3 are, for example, gateless thyristors which become conductive from their anode to their cathode when the voltage across their terminals exceeds a threshold value predetermined during manufacturing. However, it is possible to choose other known protection components, for example, components of the avalanche diode type or thyristors, the gate of which receives a bias signal, which is insufficient to render them conductive but sufficient to adjust their breakdown threshold between main terminals.
An advantage of this structure, when the protection components T.sub.1 are gateless thyristors, is that it is easily integrable on two, or even one, chips.
The invention relates more particularly to the capacitive behavior of circuits of the type shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
The thyristor-type components, or more generally other types of unidirectional protection components, generally have a substantial capacitance between their main electrodes. This capacitance is well above that of conventional diodes such as diodes D.sub.1, D.sub.2 and D.sub.3. Since the diodes are arranged in parallel with the protection components, the influence of their own capacitance can be neglected.
Thus, the provision of protection components changes the capacitance between each conductor A or B and ground G. This is unimportant when the lines are intended to carry low frequency electrical current or telephone signals, but becomes a major drawback when the lines carry digital signals corresponding to binary transitions between two states, the transitions having to be as steep as possible. In that case, the presence of relatively high parasitic capacitances, and especially a capacitance dissymmetry between the conductors, is a major drawback. These capacitances cause distortion of signals and may even render them indiscernible.
Indeed, although the circuit of FIG. 2 is symmetrical as regards the suppression of overvoltages on either conductor A or B, it is asymmetrical as regards its capacitive behavior. This asymmetry has been more particularly noted in the case indicated as preferred in the above patent, namely, the protection of telephone lines.
In the prior art, to avoid this problem, it has been necessary to use symmetrical protection structures both for the protection function and for the capacitive behavior. An example of such a structure is shown in FIG. 3. In this structure, three diodes D11, D12, D13 are connected by their cathodes to a first terminal of a bidirectional overvoltage-triggered protection component T10, the three diodes being connected by their cathodes to conductor A, conductor B and ground G, respectively. Three additional diodes D14, D15, D16 are connected by their anodes to the second terminal of component T10 and by their cathodes to conductor A, conductor B and ground, respectively. With this structure, whatever the polarization of conductors A and B with respect to ground, component T10 has the same capacitance and, moreover, this capacitance is low because T10 is in a biased state. The drawback of this structure is the difficulty encountered, on the one hand, for manufacturing a bidirectional overvoltage-triggered component that is really symmetrical and, on the other, for integrating the overall structure as a monolithic component.
Despite this drawback, the type of structure shown in FIG. 3 is used when conductors A and B are intended to transmit digital signals.

Low capacitance protection circuit for telephone equipment


A compound having the formula K-His-Trp-Ser-Tyr-M-Q-Arg-Pro-T, wherein K is N-Acetyl-Sarconsine or pGlu; is D-Phe, D-Trp, D-.beta.-Naphthylalanine, or D-4-X-Phe, wherein X is OH, F, Cl, Br, or Me; Q is Leu, Phe, 4-X-Phe, Trp, or .beta.-Naphthylamine (wherein X is OH, F, Cl, Br, or Me), or an N-Me-derivative thereof; and T is Gly-NH.sub.2, NHCH.sub.3, NHCH.sub.2 CH.sub.3, or NHCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 ; provided that, when Q is Leu or N-Me-Leu, K cannot be pGlu; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

This invention relates to amino acid-containing therapeutic compounds.
Luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) are gonadotropic hormones produced by the pituitary gland of humans and animals. LH and FSH are released from the pituitary gland by the action of LH- and FSH-releasing hormone (LHRH). Naturally-occuring LHRH has been shown to be a decapeptide of the formula (pyro)-Glu-His-Trp-Ser-Tyr-Gly-Leu-Arg-Pro-Gly-NH.sub.2 ; A. V. Schally et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm., 43, 393 and 1334 (1971). (Herein, where no isomeric designation is given, the naturally occurring L-form is meant.)
A large number of patents and publications described LHRH analogs and their use in various medical applications. For example, Schally and Coy U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,125 describes a decapeptide analogue of LHRH of the formula (pyro)-Glu-His-Trp-Ser-Tyr-D-Trp-Leu-Arg-Pro-Gly-NH.sub.2 useful for inducing ovulation and for treating delayed puberty and hypogonadism.
Tolis et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 79, 1658-1662 (1982) suggests that the chronic administration of large doses of two LHRH analogues ([D-Trp.sup.6 ] LHRH and [D-Ser(But).sup.6 ]des-Gly-NH.sub.2.sup.10 -LHRH) can result in the suppression of pituitary and leydig cell production and the regression of mammary and prostatic endocrine-dependent tumors in animals and humans.
Johnson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,071,622 describes nonapeptides of the formula pGlu-His-Trp-Ser-Tyr-X-Leu-Arg-Pro-NH-C.sub.2 H.sub.5, where X is the D form of Tyr, Trp, or Phe, useful for the treatment of mammary tumors.


A method for transmitting measured data from a sensor device to a control device is disclosed. The method is distinguished in that synchronization messages sent by the control device can be received in the sensor device and, on the basis of the reception of synchronization messages, the sensor device is put into a synchronous mode (SM) in which the sensor device sends data messages comprising the measured data to the control device in sync with the reception of the synchronization messages.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to a method for transmitting measured data from a sensor device to a control device. The invention also relates to a sensor device which is suitable for carrying out the method. In particular, the invention relates to a sensor device and a control device which are used in a motor vehicle and are connected to one another by means of a data bus.
2. Background to the Invention
Control and regulation functions in motor vehicles are usually performed in control devices which obtain the requisite measured data from one or more sensor devices which are arranged in local isolation from the control device in the motor vehicle. In this arrangement, the measured data are usually transmitted via a data bus, such as the CAN (Controller Area Network) bus which is usually used in motor vehicles.
To perform the control and regulation functions, appropriate algorithms are executed in the control devices, said algorithms being looped. Particularly if the control and regulation functions are safety-critical realtime applications, such as driving dynamics controllers or adaptive speed controllers (ACC for Adaptive Cruise Control), it is necessary for the measured data to be supplied to the control devices such that the measured data available at the start of a loop are as up to date as possible, i.e. that there is the shortest possible time delay between measurement and read-in of the measured data in the control device, which is subsequently called latency.

Method for transmitting measured data, and sensor device

Abstract: A sensor device is also disclosed which is suitable for carrying out the foregoing method.