Two-stage low pressure catalytic hydrotreatment of heavy petroleum hydrocarbons having a high content of contaminants (metals and asphaltenes), is conducted under operating conditions with low-pressure, in a fixed bed or ebullated bed reactor to limit the formation of sediments and sludge in the product and obtain a hydrotreated hydrocarbon of improved properties, with levels of contaminants, API gravity and distillates within the ranges commonly reported in the feedstocks typical to refining schemes. A hydrotreatment catalyst, whose principal effect is the hydrodemetallization and the hydrocracking of asphaltenes of the heavy hydrocarbons of petroleum is used in the first stage, and the second reaction stage employs a hydrotreatment catalyst for a deeper effect of hydrodesulfurization of the heavy petroleum hydrocarbon whose content of total sulfur is reduced to a level required for its treatment in the conventional refining process or for its sale as a hydrocarbon of petroleum with improved properties.

The evolution of the refining industry has lead to the hydrotreatment of heavy hydrocarbons of petroleum acquiring a technological and economic importance similar to the processes of hydrocracking and catalytic reforming. Among the heavy hydrocarbons of petroleum are the heavy crudes, the extra-heavy crudes, blends of heavy and light crudes and petroleum residuals, such as residues from the atmospheric or vacuum distillation, which present a specific gravity less than 32° API and a content of distillates recovered @ 538° C. less than 80% by volume.
The production of heavy crudes and the availability of petroleum residuals with high sulfur and metal contents, as well as the demands regarding the improvement of fuels in their ecological quality, brought about the development and expansion of hydrotreatment processes of this type of feedstocks for their refining.
Since the 70's, there have been reports of the hydrotreatment of petroleum residuals where they state the main aim as the recovery of valuable distillable fractions with low heavy heteroatom concentration.
The heavy crudes require a treatment similar to the petroleum residuals for their processing, due to the fact that they are characterized by their low Hydrogen/Carbon (H/C) ratio, high viscosity, high content of contaminants, essentially sulfur, nitrogen and metals, and low yield of distillates.
The reactive system is the part of the process where most attention has been placed for the treatment of this type of feedstocks, which may be fixed-bed, ebullated-bed or in dispersed phase. The refining industry mostly uses the fixed-bed type.
The high concentration of metals in heavy crudes and in petroleum residuals is reflected by a fast deactivation of the catalysts, therefore it is important that these feedstocks be demetallized in a first stage of their treatment to maximize the removal of other contaminants in later stages, thereby increasing the lifecycle of the catalysts used in these stages.
The most efficient refining processes in the removal of contaminants are those of hydrotreatment, which are applied to practically all fractions of oil such as: naphthas, middle distillates, vacuum distillates, residues, etc. In the case of heavy crudes and petroleum residuals, where the desire is to simultaneously remove various contaminants, principally: metals, sulfur, nitrogen and asphaltenes; it requires an appropriate selection of the type of reactor, catalysts with high activity and selectivity for these reactions, as well as operating conditions that will render the process profitable.
The improvement of a heavy hydrocarbon of petroleum implies its processing to remove contaminants and increase the Hydrogen/Carbon (H/C) ratio, usually by the use of process schemes based on hydrotreatment.
The commercial processes currently in existence perform the hydrotreatment of heavy hydrocarbons of petroleum under operating conditions with high pressures, in the range of 140 to 220 kg/cm2 for fixed bed and ebullated-bed, which obtain high conversions. To maintain continuity in the operation of these processes, the formation of sediments and sludge is limited to a maximum content of 0.80% by weight.
The operation of the hydrotreatment processes of heavy hydrocarbons of petroleum at low pressures, less than 140 kg/cm2, has been limited by the formation of sediments and sludge, which is a characteristic problem of these processes. The formation of sediments and sludge increases when the conversion of heavy fractions (boiling point>538° C.) to light fractions also increases or by reducing the pressure in the reactors. For this reason, the commercial processes of hydrocracking of heavy hydrocarbons operate under operating conditions with high pressures, above 140 kg/cm2, in order to obtain attractive conversions of the heavy fractions.
As references of patents related with hydrotreatment processes of heavy hydrocarbons of petroleum, there are the following inventions:
The American patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,325 of Jan. 7, 1997, claims a catalytic process for hydrotreating heavy oils of petroleum in two stages. The first stage is carried out in a fixed bed reactor for a removal of no more than 80% of Nickel+Vanadium (Ni+V), preferably from 30 to 70%, although in the examples it states removals of between 45.3 and 47%. The operating conditions in this stage are as follows: temperature of between 320 and 410° C., pressure from 50 to 250 kg/cm2, space velocity (LHSV) of 0.1 to 2.0 h−1 and Hydrogen/Hydrocarbon (H2/HC) ratio of 300 to 1,200 nl/l. The second stage is for the removal of sulfur, nitrogen and remaining metals in an ebullated-bed reactor in the following operating conditions: temperature of 350 to 450° C., pressure 50 to 250 kg/cm2, LHSV of 0.2 to 10.0 h−1 and H2/HC ration of 500 to 3,000 nl/l.
In that regard, it is important to note that said patent precisely exemplifies hydrotreatment in two stages of reaction of an atmospheric residue in the following operating conditions: pressure of 150 kg/cm2, LHSV of 0.2 h−1, temperature of 370 and 395° C. for the first and second stages, respectively, and H2/HC ratio of 700 nl/l, thereby obtaining total removals of Ni+V of 109 wppm, total nitrogen of 1,970 wppm, insolubles in n-C7 (asphaltenes) of 6.6% by weight and total sulfur of 3.78% by weight, as well as a formation of sediments and sludge of 0.01% by weight. Said patent also claims the utilization of a catalyst based on a metal of the VIA, VIII and V groups for stage I and a catalyst with a hydrogenation metal supported in an organic oxide for stage II.
The American patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,992 of Jul. 14, 1998, which is in part a continuation of the American patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,325, relates to an apparatus which comprises: a′) a fixed-bed reactor packed with a catalyst to hydrodemetallize a heavy oil of petroleum, and b′) a suspended-bed reactor packed with a hydrodesulfurizing catalyst to hydrotreat the effluent product of the reactor of section a′). According to the apparatus of this invention, first a heavy oil of petroleum is fed into a fixed-bed reactor packed with a hydrodemetallization catalyst and then b) the heavy oil of petroleum hydrodemetallized in stage a) is fed to a suspended-bed reactor with a hydrodesulfurization catalyst in order to perform a deeper hydrotreatment thereof. The hydrotreatment may be carried out for a prolonged period of time. The operating conditions are similar to those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,325.
The Mexican patent MX 179,301 of Aug. 25, 1995, granted to Instituto Mexicano del Petróleo [the Mexican Institute of Petroleum], provides a procedure for hydrotreating heavy crude oils to obtain synthetic crude, with an API gravity of gravity of 25 to 40. This process comprises the steps of: catalytic hydrotreatment of heavy crude oils with API gravity less than 24, with a final boiling temperature range from room temperature to 800° C. at a pressure of 760 mmHg and contaminant contents greater than 2% by weight of sulfur, 1,000 wppm of nitrogen, 150 wppm of metals (nickel and vanadium) and 5% by weight of asphaltenes; separation of the effluent from the reactor in a liquid phase and another phase of vapor, and carriage of the liquid phase to a scrubber. This process recovers a treated or improved crude with low contaminant content, being able to process as one feedstock 100% in a conventional refining scheme, increasing the yield of distillates and the quality thereof.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,901,792 of Aug. 26, 1975 claims a method for demetallizing and desulfurizing crude or atmospheric residual in multiple stages. Initially, the heavy feedstock is introduced with hydrogen within an ebullated catalytic bed in the following operating conditions: pressure of 68 to 170 kg/cm2, temperature of 387 to 440° C., LHSV of 0.20 to 1.5 h−1, where the degree of demetallization is in the region of 50 to 80% by weight or more, depending on the quantity of nickel and vanadium of the feed. The light fraction leaves by the upper part of the reactor as acid gas for subsequent recovery of the light fractions of hydrocarbons, whereas the liquid effluent is conducted to a second stage of reaction mixed with a stream of hydrogen for its hydrodesulfurization in a bed of the same characteristics as that of the first stage. In the upper part of the reactor, the gaseous fraction is recovered for subsequent treatment thereof, whereas the liquid effluent recovered in this second reactor is conducted to a subsequent fractioning or treatment.
American patent U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,026 of Aug. 28, 1979, protects a two-stage process of hydrotreatment of heavy hydrocarbons, such as heavy crudes, topped crudes, vacuum residues or bituminous oils with a high content of asphaltenes, heavy metals and sulfur. The heavy oil is heated together with a stream of hydrogen for the first stage of hydrodemetallization and hydrocracking of the asphaltenes. The effluent after being subjected to this first stage, is conducted to a gas-liquid separator, where the gaseous fraction rich hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide and light hydrocarbons is conducted to a scrubber for the recovery of the light hydrocarbons, whereas the liquid effluent together with a part of the recirculating hydrogen passes to a second stage of reaction where the principal reactions of hydrodesulfurization and hydrodenitrogenation are effected. Subsequently, the effluent from this step is conducted to a gas-liquid separator, where the liquid product is recovered and conducted to separator to obtain a light fraction and a heavy fraction. Meanwhile, the gaseous fraction rich in hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide and light hydrocarbons is conducted to a scrubber for the recovery of the light hydrocarbons and the gaseous fraction rich in hydrogen and hydrogen for scrubbing in subsequent unit. The operating conditions in which the process operates preferably in both stages are as follows: pressure of 30 to 250 kg/cm2, temperature of 350 to 450° C., H2/HC ration of 100 to 2,000 normal liters per liter of charge and LHSV of 0.1 to 10.0 h−1.
The process of the present invention presents considerable differences as regards objectives, operating conditions and results compared with those of the above references, since it is effected by a combination of low-pressure operating conditions, of the type of reactor and of the type of feedstock to be hydrotreated, which together provide a high capacity for removal of metals, sulfur, nitrogen and asphaltenes, as well as limiting the formation of sediments and sludge, to obtain a hydrotreated hydrocarbon of improved properties; which are presented with clarity and detail in the following chapters.

Process for the catalytic hydrotreatment of heavy hydrocarbons of petroleum


An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus which prevents transfer memory from occurring and achieves a desired potential of an image carrier (photosensitive body) when forming an image in next cycle, thereby to obtain a high-quality output image.. In order to achieve the object described above, the image forming apparatus of the invention has a belt grounding device 21 which makes contact with a transfer belt 5 and is capable of switching between grounded state and ungrounded state according to the size of copy paper P. With this configuration, because only a portion not covered by the copy paper P can be grounded according the size of the copy paper P, excessive current can be prevented from flowing into a photosensitive drum 1 at this portion, thereby preventing transfer memory from occurring.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus based on electrophotography for obtaining an output image by transferring a toner image held on an image carrier onto a transfer material, and particularly to an image forming apparatus which prevents transfer memory from taking place due to different sizes of the transfer materials.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image forming apparatus of the prior art, a transfer material carrier holding a transfer material thereon is moved to a transferring position where a toner image held by an image carrier is transferred onto the transfer material thereby to obtain an output image. For this type of image forming apparatus, such a configuration has been known as a belt or a cylindrical drum is used as the transfer material carrier and a transfer charger of contact type or non-contact type is arranged on the inner surface of the belt or the cylindrical drum for transferring the toner image held by the image carrier onto the transfer material.
An example of such an image forming apparatus of belt transfer type utilizing a transfer belt is described in the Journal of Electrophotography Association vol. 33, No. 1 (1994). Constitution of this image forming apparatus will be described below with reference to FIG. 18. The image forming apparatus has, around a photosensitive drum 101 which has an electrostatic latent image formed thereon by scanning exposure and is located at the center, an electrostatic charger 102 for charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 with electrostatic charges, a developer 104 which develops the electrostatic latent image by means of toner, an image transfer corona discharger 116 and a transfer belt 105 for transferring the toner image formed through development onto copy paper P, a cleaner 106 which cleans the photosensitive drum 101 upon completion of one imaging cycle, an eraser 107 which removes the electrostatic charge from the surface of the photosensitive drum 101, and other components.
The transfer belt 105, which comes into proximity to the photosensitive drum 101 at a transferring position and is driven to run in synchronization with the rotation of the photosensitive drum 101, is stretched across three metal rollers, namely a drive roller 118, a driven roller 119 and a pre-transfer roller 121. The pre-transfer roller 121, which makes contact with the transfer belt 105 immediately before the transferring position, is grounded thereby to allow the electrostatic charge to collectively flow into the earth and prevent the potential from building up, for the purpose of preventing `premature scatter` from taking place which is such a phenomenon as the toner moves through a narrow space between the photosensitive drum 101 and the transfer belt 105. The pre-transfer roller 121 has another purpose of assisting in the discharge of the image transfer corona discharger 116. Installed around the transfer belt 105 is a belt cleaner 120 which cleans the outer surface of the transfer belt 105 by means of a blade making contact with the transfer belt 105. The pre-transfer roller 121 may be omitted.
In the image forming apparatus constituted as described above, an output image is obtained through such operations as described below. First, copy paper P (transfer material) fed out by a paper feed roller from a paper tray is, after being synchronized with the photosensitive drum 101 by the timing roller 109, sent onto the transfer belt 105 and is then sent to a transfer section by the transfer belt 105. At this time, because the transfer belt 105 is supplied with electric charge by the image transfer corona discharger 116, the copy paper P experiences electrostatic polarization due to an external electric field generated by the charge. When the copy paper P reaches the transferring position between the photosensitive drum 101 and the transfer belt 105, the toner is transferred onto the copy paper P. As the pre-transfer roller 121 is brought into contact with the transfer belt 105 immediately before the transferring position, `premature scatter` of the toner held on the photosensitive drum 101 moving through a narrow space between the photosensitive drum 101 and the transfer belt 105 is prevented from taking place, thereby ensuring reliable transfer of the toner onto the copy paper P. Then the copy paper P is moved by the transfer belt 105 to a fixing section, where the toner is fixed by a fixing roller 108 thereby to obtain the output image.


An alarm annunciator, particularly a gas or fire annunciator, having a casing mountable on a wall or a ceiling, which contains an alarm detector, which is in wireless connection with the surroundings of the casing via at least one opening, an electronic circuitry for the evaluation of the signals of the alarm detector, a wireless module, connected to the electronic circuitry and having an antenna for wireless receiving or sending signals to/from a sending/receiving station, and a battery for the power supply of the electronic circuitry and the wireless module, characterised in that a metallic protection screen covering the opening is designed as an antenna and is connected with the antenna output socket of the wireless module.

The transmission of signals in a wireless way (radio) is known in the alarm annunciation art since a long period of time. Fire sensors or detectors, respectively, are also known, which contain a sender for the transmission of signals to a stationary receiver, and vice versa.
From DE 44 08 268 C2 it has become known to store the received field strengths of the radio signals in the receiving apparatus on the occasion of the initial operation of the radio alarm equipment, for the purpose of operation and fail proof security. By doing so, changes in the propagation conditions of the radio waves can be recorded by means of changes of the received field strengths and can be transmitted in the data telegrams. From this, it has become further known to use different frequencies or frequency bands, because the propagation characteristics of radio waves is depending on the carrier frequency used, as is generally known.
In WO 00/43964, a wireless alarm system is described which uses a fire annunciator with a radio sender integrated with it. When a fire is discovered by the fire annunciator, it sends a radio signal. The signal is received by the receiver of a nearest-situated fire extinguisher, a very loud signal sound being given off upon the receipt of the signal, through which the fire extinguisher can be localised.
In JP 200216261 A, a sender module for a fire annunciator is described, which is powered by a battery. The arrangement of the antenna is selected such that it is situated as near as possible to the outer edge of the transmitter module in the fire annunciator, in order to provide an effective emission of the radio waves. In this solution, an optimum circle-shaped emission of the radio waves does not take place, however, because the battery is situated closely to the transmission antenna inside the fire annunciator. As is generally known, the battery is equipped with a metallic jacket, which results in shadowing of the radio waves.
In DE 100 54 297 A1, an electronic fire annunciator is described. A wireless module is hoistable to the fire annunciator from the outside as a separate component. It is advantageous in this that the antenna can be attached to the wireless module on the outside, through which optimum emission characteristics can be obtained. However, it is disadvantageous that a particular module has to be made for the radio transmission, and that a slot with several plug contacts must be provided for the connection to the fire annunciator. By using plug contacts, the safety in operation of such a fire annunciator is impaired.
Upon the emission and the reception of radio signals, several factors influence the coverage of the radio waves or its emission characteristics, respectively. In the most common applications for fire annunciators, batteries or accumulators are integrated in the fire annunciator as power sources. As mentioned already, batteries have metal casings, which are positioned relatively close to the receiving and sending antenna, respectively, in the fire annunciator. Through this, shadowing of the radio waves for certain directions takes place, and from this results a reduced coverage and also, as a result of that, an increased susceptance to trouble for the radio transmission. Arrangement and realisation of the antenna are of great importance. Through these, the maximum distance between receivers and senders for well-performing radio transmission is substantially determined.
The invention is based on the objective to provide an alarm annunciator, particularly a gas or fire annunciator, with a wireless transmitter and/or receiver module in which an optimum wave propagation characteristic is maintained, for the purpose of increasing the safety of operation and of reducing the susceptance of trouble thereof.

Gas or fire detector with alarm annuciator having a metallic screen antenna


A bladder valve (10) is disclosed which comprises a valve body (12) having an inlet (16), an outlet (14) and a flow passage (17) connecting the inlet (16) and the outlet (14). The bladder valve (10) also includes a valve seat (45) surrounding the flow passage (17) and an inflatable bladder (22) mounted in the flow passage (17) and being connectable to a source of fluid under pressure in use. The bladder (22) is mounted on a bladder support member (34) which provides support for the bladder when in its deflated condition, and through which inflation passages (42) pass for the inflation and deflation of the bladder. The bladder (22) is designed to collapse or deflate rapidly in order to open the valve, enabling the valve to be used in applications such as reverse pulse cleaning of filter elements.

Prior art bladder valves have suffered from various deficiencies, including being slow to open and close, inadequate sealing, obstructive flow passages, fragile bladders, and complexity of operation. In applications such as reverse pulse cleaning of filter elements it is important that there is a minimum pressure drop across the valve. It is also important that the valve is able to contain the relatively high pressure air used to provide the cleaning pulse, but will open rapidly so as to ensure a sharp peak pressure/energy pulse will pass through the valve to provide optimum cleaning effect. Prior art bladder valves have frequently not performed adequately, at least in some situations, for one or more of these reasons.
One known prior art bladder valve includes an inflatable bladder provided within a conduit in which liquids flow past the bladder. The bladder is loosely mounted within the conduit by a reinforced hook attached to a hose that is coupled to a source of pressurised air which is used to inflate the bladder to thereby close the valve and prevent passage of liquid through the conduit To deflate the bladder valve, air is removed from the bladder via the hose to thereby open the valve and allow liquid to flow through the conduit.
A problem with this prior art bladder valve is that the inflatable bladder is in direct contact with fluid flowing through the conduit which can cause wear and tear on the bladder.
Other bladder valves have a problem in that the bladder is asymmetrically mounted in the conduit in which it is located, and this can result in uneven opening, and thus a dissipated pressure/energy pulse passing through the valve.


When a trigger discharge between a metal cathode and a trigger ring induces a vacuum-arc discharge between the cathode an anode, which vaporizes the substances of the cathode surface to produce a metal ion plasma, setting the pulse length of the arc pulse applied between the cathode and the anode to 1 msec or longer will soon short-circuit between the cathode and the trigger ring due to the vaporized substances deposited on the surface of the insulating ring. In order to solve this problem, a permanent magnet 36 for forming a magnetic field across a space between the anode 26 and the cathode 34 is provided close to the rear side of the trigger ring 35 so as to guide the substances vaporized from the cathode 34 toward the anode 26. Thereby, a longer continuous operation can be done with setting the arc pulse longer. moreover, since the permanent magnet 36 is provided at the foregoing position, the magnet does not receive a thermal load by the vacuum-arc discharge, which maintains a stable operation and makes the total construction compact.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a metal ion plasma generator that vaporizes a metal cathode by means of a vacuum-arc discharge to produce a metal ion plasma.
2. Description of the Background Art
An apparatus shown in FIG. 3 is known which produces a metal ion plasma by the vacuum-arc discharge, in which the apparatus is composed of a bar-form metal cathode 52 and a plate-form anode 53 in a vacuum chamber 51 (refer to a disclosure in JP-A-63-276858). The cathode 52 has an axis perpendicular to the anode 53 and is supported by a cathode holder 54. The anode 53 has an opening 55 which is coaxial with and faces with a space to the cathode 52.
The front end part projected from the cathode holder 54 is sheathed by an insulator ring 56 made of an insulating material. And, the insulating ring 56 is further sheathed by a trigger ring 57 made of a conductive material, and a trigger electrode 58 is guided inside the vacuum chamber 51 so as to touch the outer surface of the trigger ring 57.
In the foregoing construction, applying a high pulse voltage having a pulse length of some .mu. sec between the trigger ring 57 and the cathode 52 through the trigger electrode 58 will generate a trigger discharge therebetween. And then, simultaneously applying a pulse voltage having a predetermined pulse length (hereinafter, arc pulse) between the anode 53 and the cathode 52 will generate a vacuum-arc discharge between the anode 53 and the cathode 52 in which the foregoing trigger discharge is served as a starter. A point called arc spot where energy is locally concentrated emerges at the front end part of the cathode 52 through this vacuum-arc discharge. This part vaporizes and ionizes to produce a metal ion plasma. This metal ion plasma is supplied through the opening 55 of the anode 53 to a processing room (not illustrated) connecting with the foregoing vacuum chamber 51.
When the foregoing apparatus is used for forming a thin film, the foregoing metal ion plasma is supplied on a substrate disposed in the processing room. And, when the foregoing apparatus is used for a metal ion source, the foregoing metal ion plasma is supplied to an ion pullout electrode provided inside the processing room.
While a vacuum-arc discharge is generated between the cathode 52 and the anode 53, vaporized substances from the cathode gradually deposit on the surface of the insulating ring 56. As this coating phenomenon progresses, the resistance between the trigger ring 57 and the cathode 52 decreases gradually because the substances vaporized from the cathode are conductive, which finally short-circuits the trigger ring 57 and the cathode 52 to stop the arc discharge.
This coating phenomenon on the insulating ring 56 is extremely sensitive to a length of the arc pulse applied between the anode 53 and the cathode 52. In most of the cathode materials, setting the pulse length of the arc pulse to 1 msec or longer will stop the arc discharge within 2-3 minutes due to the short circuit between the trigger ring 57 and the cathode 52. Therefore, in the operation of a conventional apparatus, the pulse length of the arc pulse is set to 1 msec or shorter.
However, in the operation with the arc pulse length of 1 msec or shorter as described above, the arc spot is limited to move on the surface of the cathode 52 during the vacuum-arc discharge, thereby the cathode consumes unevenly. Such an uneven consumption of the cathode 52 causes a shorter life of the cathode and an uneven density distribution of plasma reaching at the ion pullout electrode or the like.
In order to prevent this from occurring, it is necessary to set the arc pulse length to 1 msec or longer; however in this case, it stops the arc discharge within few minutes as described above, which disables continuous operation and lowers productivity.

Metal ion plasma generator having magnetic field forming device located such that a triggering is between the magnetic field forming device and an anode


Aspects of the disclosure provide a device for processing frames with aliasing artifacts. For example, the device can include a motion estimation circuit, a warping circuit coupled to the motion estimation circuit, and a temporal decision circuit coupled to the warping circuit. The motion estimation circuit can estimate a motion value between a current frame and a previous frame. The warping circuit can warp the previous frame based on the motion value such that the warped previous frame is aligned with the current frame and determine whether the current frame and the warped previous frame are consistent. The temporal decision circuit can generate an output frame, the output frame including either the current frame and the warped previous frame when the current frame and the warped previous frame are consistent, or the current frame when the current frame and the warped previous frame are not consistent.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent the work is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Images or frames can be displayed on a mobile phone. The frames can include a streaming of video frames that come from a cloud source via Internet and game videos that are generated by a processor, e.g., a graphics processing unit (GPU), of the mobile phone. Restricted by the bandwidth of the Internet and the size and resolution of the mobile phone, the video frames and the game frames may have low resolution and aliased quality.


An optical switch includes a substrate, a ring resonator formed on the substrate, a first waveguide formed on the substrate in optical coupling with the ring resonator, the first waveguide being configured to guide a WDM signal, an optical detector configured to detect an optical signal component in said ring resonator, a temperature regulator driven in response to an output signal of the optical detector, the temperature regulator being configured to change a temperature of the ring resonator, the ring resonator having a resonant wavelength corresponding to a wavelength of an optical signal component that constitutes the WDM signal, the ring resonator, the optical detector and the temperature regulator constituting together a feedback control system that locks the resonant wavelength of the ring resonator to the wavelength of the optical signal component in the WDM signal.

In large capacity optical fiber communication systems that use wavelength-division multiplex (WDM) technology, optical signals formed by a large number of optical sources of mutually different wavelengths are transmitted on a single optical fiber in the form of a WDM signal. Thus, a WDM signal includes a large number of channels of mutually different wavelengths, and the optical signals constituting the components of the WDM signals are transmitted through the respective channels in the form of signal components of the respective wavelengths. In such large-capacity optical fiber communication systems, optical switches are used for separating the optical signal component of a desired channel from the WDM signal transmitted through the optical fiber.

Optical switch, optical demodulator, and optical demodulation method having feedback control of temperature regulator based on optical detector output


A system that allows a third party, such as a postage meter manufacturer or PSD manufacturer, to collate data, process the data and report localized delivery delays on a nationalized basis. The foregoing is accomplished by connecting a scanner and control software to a digital postage meter or PSD processor that would read incoming digitally metered mail. Instead of printing an indicia, the scanner would read the already existing indicia and other information on the mail piece and then extract the sender data fields that are contained in the indicia or on the mail piece. The extracted mail data would be periodically uploaded to a data center. The data center would compare the extracted data with mail sender data that has previously been uploaded from sending meters and processors to determine unexpected delivery delays in the delivery network.

For the past 150 years, regional postal services have evolved complex networks for delivering mail to recipients. With the advent of computer technology, logistical solutions have been developed and utilized to manage and attempt to optimize the time to deliver the mail. In spite of the sophisticated techniques developed heretofore, from time to time quantities of mail experience delivery delays. Currently, there exists no adequate system that informs the mailer of delivery delays. Consequently, mailers sometimes send additional mailings, such as dunning notices, to recipients in response to tardy or late responses caused by the carrier. The foregoing may cause additional expense and/or embarrassment to the mailer.
Historically, postage meters have been mechanical and electromechanical devices that maintain, through mechanical or "electronic registers" (postal security devices), an account of all postage printed and the remaining balance of prepaid postage and print postage postmarks (indicia) that are accepted by the postal service as evidence of the prepayment of postage.
Soon, small business mailers may be able to use their desktop computer and printer to apply postage directly onto envelopes or labels while applying an address. The United States Postal Service Engineering Center recently published a notice of proposed specification that may accomplish the foregoing. The title of the specification is Information-Based Indicia Program Postal Security Device Specification, dated Jun. 13, 1996, herein incorporated by reference. The Information-Based Indicia Program specification includes both proposed specifications for the new indicium and proposed specifications for a postal security device (PSD). The proposed Information-Based Indicia (IBI) consists of a two dimensional bar code containing hundreds of bytes of information about the mail piece and certain human-readable information. The indicium includes a digital signature to preclude the forgery of indicia by unauthorized parties. The postal security device is a security device that produces a cryptographic digital signature for the indicium and performs the function of postage meter registers.
There are approximately one and a half million postage meters in use in the United States. The IBIP is a United States Postal Service initiative supporting the development and implementation of a new form of postal indicia.

Metering incoming deliverable mail to identify delivery delays


The invention provides diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DAGAT) proteins, wherein said proteins are active in the formation of triacylglycerol from fatty acyl and diacylglycerol substrates. In one aspect, Mortierella ramanniana DAGAT proteins have been isolated and have molecular weights of between approximately 36 and 37 kDa as measured by SDS-PAGE. The invention also provides novel DAGAT polynucleotide and polypeptide sequences and to methods of producing such polypeptides using recombinannt techniques. In addition, methods are provided for using such sequences to alter triacylglycerol levels in plants and to treat diseases associated with altered DAGAT activity or expression.

Triacylglycerol (TAG) is thought to be the most important storage of energy for cells. Diacylglycerol acyl transferase is an enzyme which is believed to regulate TAG structure and direct TAG synthesis. The reaction catalyzed by DAGAT is at a critical branchpoint in glycerolipid biosynthesis. Enzymes at such branchpoints are considered prime candidates for sites of metabolic regulation. There are several enzymes which are common to the synthesis of diacylglycerol, TAG and membrane lipids, however, the DAGAT reaction is specific for oil synthesis.
In plants, TAG is the primary component of vegetable oil that is used by the seed as a stored form of energy to be used during seed germination. Higher plants appear to synthesize oils via a common metabolic pathway. Fatty acids are made in plastids from acetyl-CoA through a series of reactions catalyzed by enzymes known collectively as Fatty AcidSynthetase (FAS). The fatty acids produced in plastids are exported to the cytosolic compartment of the cell, and are esterified to coenzyme A. These acyl-CoAs are the substrates for glycerolipid synthesis in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Glycerolipid synthesis itself is a series of reactions leading first to phosphatidic acid (PA) and diacylglycerol (DAG). Either of these metabolic intermediates may be directed to membrane phospholipids such as phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) or phosphatidylcholine (PC), or they may be directed on to form neutral triacylglycerol (TAG).
Diacylglycerol (DAG) is synthesized from glycerol-3-phosphate and fatty acyl-CoAs in two steps catalyzed sequentially by glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (G3PAT), and lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (LPAAT) to make PA, and then an additional hydrolytic step catalyzed by phosphatidic acid phosphatase (PAP) to make DAG. In most cells, DAG is used to make membrane phospholipids, the first step being the synthesis of PC catalyzed by CTP-phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase. In cells producing storage oils, DAG is acylated with a third fatty acid in a reaction catalyzed by diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DAGAT). Collectively, the reactions make up part of what is commonly referred to as the Kennedy Pathway.
Diacylglycerol acyltransferase (hereinafter referred to as DAGAT or DGAT) is an integral membrane protein that catalyzes the final enzymatic step in the production of triacylglycerols in plants, fungi and mammals. DGAT has generally been described in Harwood, J. Biochem. Biophysics. Acta, 1301:7–56 (1996); Daum G., et al. Yeast 16:1471–1510 (1998); and Coleman, R., et al. Annu. Rev. Nutr. 20:77–103 (2000) (all of which are herein incorporated by reference). This enzyme is responsible for transferring an acyl group from acyl-coenzyme-A to the sn-3 position of 1,2-diacylglycerol (DAG) to form triacylglycerol (TAG). As the final step in TAG biosynthesis via the Kennedy pathway, it is the only step not involved in membrane biosynthesis. In plants and fungi DGAT is associated with the membrane and lipid body fractions, particularly in oilseeds, where it contributes to the storage of carbon used as energy reserves. In animals, the role of DGAT is more complex. Triacylglycerols are synthesized and stored in several cell types including adipocytes and hepatocytes (Bell, R. M., et al. Annu. Rev. Biochem. 49:459–487 (1980) (herein incorporated by reference)) but in addition, DGAT may play a role in lipoprotein assembly and the regulation of plasma triacylglycerol concentration (Bell, R. M., et al.), as well as participate in the regulation of DAG levels (Brindley, D. N. Biochemistry of Lipids, Lipoproteins and Membranes, eds. Vance, D. E. & Vance, J. E. (Elsevier, Amsterdam), 171–203; and Nishizuka, Y. Science 258:607–614 (1992) (both of which are herein incorporated by reference)).
The structure of the TAG, as far as positional specificity of fatty acids, is determined by the specificity of each of the three acyltransferases for the fatty acyl-CoA and the glycerol backbone substrates. Thus, for example, there is a tendency for the acyltransferases from many temperate zone species of seeds to allow either a saturated or an unsaturated fatty acid at the sn-1 or the sn-3 position, but only an unsaturated fatty acid at the sn-2. The absolute specificity for an unsaturated fatty acid at sn-2 is determined by the substrate preference of LPAAT enzyme. In some species such as cocoa, TAG compositions suggest that this tendency is carried further in that there is an apparent preference for acylation of the sn-3 position with a saturated fatty acid, if the sn-1 position is esterified to a saturated fatty acid. Thus, there is a higher percentage of structured TAG of the form SUS (where S=saturated fatty acid and U=unsaturated fatty acid), than would be expected from a random distribution based on the overall fatty acid composition with the sn-2 position fixed with an unsaturated fatty acid. This suggests that DAGAT also plays an important role in the regulation of TAG structure, if not also in the control of TAG synthesis.
Obtaining nucleic acid sequences capable of producing a phenotypic result in the incorporation of fatty acids into a glycerol backbone to produce an oil is subject to various obstacles including but not limited to the identification of metabolic factors of interest, choice and characterization of a protein source with useful kinetic properties, purification of the protein of interest to a level which will allow for its amino acid sequencing, utilizing amino acid sequence data to obtain a nucleic acid sequence capable of use as a probe to retrieve the desired DNA sequence, and the preparation of constructs, transformation and analysis of the resulting plants.
Thus, the identification of enzyme targets and useful tissue sources for nucleic acid sequences of such enzyme targets capable of modifying oil structure and quantity are needed. Ideally an enzyme target will be amenable to one or more applications alone or in combination with other nucleic acid sequences relating to increased/decreased oil production, TAG structure, the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids in the fatty acid pool, and/or to other novel oils compositions as a result of the modifications to the fatty acid pool.
For example, in some instances having an oilseed with a higher ratio of oil to seed meal would be useful to obtain a desired oil at lower cost. This would be typical of a high value oil product. Or such an oilseed might constitute a superior feed for animals. In some instances having an oilseed with a lower ratio of oil to seed meal would be useful to lower caloric content. In other uses, edible plant oils with a higher percentage of unsaturated fatty acids are desired for cardiovascular health reasons. And alternatively, temperate substitutes for high saturate tropical oils such as palm, coconut, or cocoa would also find uses in a variety of industrial and food applications.
In mammals, DAGAT plays an important role in the metabolism of cellular diacylglycerol and is important in processes involving triacylglycerol metabolism including intestinal fat absorption, lipoprotein assembly, adipose tissue formation and lactation. As such, identification and isolation of the DAGAT protein and of polynucleotide and polypeptide sequences is desired.
Several putative isolation procedures have been published for DAGAT. Polokoff and Bell (1980) reported solubilization and partial purification of DAGAT from rat liver microsomes. This preparation was insufficiently pure to identify a specific protein factor responsible for the activity. Kwanyuen and Wilson (1986, 1990) reported purification and characterization of the enzyme from soybean cotyledons. However, the molecular mass (1843 kDa) suggests that this preparation was not extensively solubilized and any DAGAT protein contained therein was part of a large aggregate of many proteins. Little et al (1993) reported solubilization of DAGAT from microspore-derived embryos from rapeseed, but as with Kwanyuen and Wilson, the molecular mass of the material that was associated with activity was so high, that complete solubilization is unlikely. Andersson et al (1994) reported solubilization and a 415-fold purification of DAGAT from rat liver using immunoaffinity chromatography. However, there is no evidence that the antibodies they used recognize DAGAT epitopes, nor that the protein that they purified is truly DAGAT. Indeed, as with Kwanyuen and Wilson, the DAGAT activity in their preparations exhibited a molecular mass typical of aggregated membrane proteins. Finally, Kamisaka et al (1993, 1994, 1996, 1997) report solubilization of DAGAT from Mortierella rammaniana and subsequent purification to homogeneity. They suggest that DAGAT solubilized from this fungal species has an apparent molecular mass of 53 kDa by SDS-PAGE. However, as shown in Example 4 below, fractions obtained using the protocol described by Kamisaka et al. did not provide abundant 53-kDa polypeptide which correlated with DAGAT activity.
Cases et al. reported a cloning of a DGAT gene from mouse. Using coding sequences from acyl CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT), EST databases were searched and a gene identified that shared 20% identity with the mouse ACAT. After cloning and expression of the gene in insect cells no ACAT activity was reported in isolated membranes. Using [1- 14C]oleoyl-CoA as substrate a range of acceptors was examined and Cases et al. reported DAG as the acceptor molecule. Hobbs et al. (1999) FEBS Letters 452:145–149 (herein incorporated by reference) reported the cloning of an Arabidopsis homologue of the mouse DGAT gene and reported the presence of DGAT activity in insect cells expressing the cDNA. Southern analysis indicated a single gene copy was present in Arabidopsis. Katavic et al. (1995) Plant Physiol. 108:399–409 and Zou et al. (1999) The Plant Journal 19:645–653 (both of which are herein incorporated by reference) also reported this gene in seed oil production when an insertional mutation (AS11) in the gene was found to lower seed oil levels and decrease DGAT activity. The locus, at approximately 35 cM on chromosome II, was designated TAG1. Routaboul J. M., et al. (1999) Plant Physiol. Biochem. 37:831–840 (herein incorporated by reference) reported similar results identifying an Arabidopsis mutant (ABX45) harboring a frame-shift mutation near the 5′ end of the TAG1 reading frame. This mutation resulted in a complete change in coding sequence after the first 60 amino acids. With the identification of a single DGAT gene copy in Arabidopsis and the detection of DGAT activity even after a frame shift mutation disabled gene translation, Routaboul et al. concluded that another protein must be responsible for the remaining DGAT activity.

Diacylglycerol acyl transferase proteins


Provided is a recording head substrate on which are mounted energy generating elements that contribute to the formation of images by a recording head, and on which both light-receiving elements and light-emitting elements, or at least, light-receiving elements are mounted. In addition, provided is a recording head substrate on which are mounted energy generating elements that contribute to the formation of images by a recording head, and on which are mounted a plurality of head position detecting elements for detecting the position of the recording head.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus in which is mounted a recording head that performs recording by ejecting (discharging) a liquid from an energy generating element or by thermal transfer.
The present invention can be applied for apparatuses, such as printers, copiers, facsimile machines for which communication systems are provided, or word processors that incorporate printers, that perform the recording of images on a recording medium, such as paper, thread, fiber, cloth, leather, metal, plastic, glass, wood or ceramics, and for industrial recording apparatuses with which various processors are combined.
xe2x80x9cRecordingxe2x80x9d in this invention is defined not only as the formation on a recording medium of images, such as characters or drawings, that convey meaning, but also as the formation of images, such as patterns, that convey no meaning.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, the demand for recording apparatuses that can produce high quality images has increased, and how to improve image quality has been the subject of numerous discussions. For a recording apparatus in which a recording head is moved in one direction when recording images, the precision of the positioning of an image to be recorded is determined by the accuracy with which the recording head itself is positioned. And for the improvement of the image quality, the enhancement of the accuracy with which a recording head is positioned is an extremely important element. Therefore, in a conventional recording apparatus, for a carriage on which is mounted a recording head that records in only one direction, position detection means (e.g., an image scanner) is provided for accurately ascertaining the position of the recording head. Or, at the carriage""s home position in the apparatus, optical reading means is provided to detect the position of the recording head. Then, based-on the obtained head positioning data, whether the recording position is adequate or whether the recording position must be corrected is determined.
However, in a conventional recording apparatus the recording head, which constitutes the printing means, and the position detection means are arranged separately. Therefore, in a recording apparatus wherein, for example, a head position detection means is provided for a carriage, satisfactory positioning accuracy for the recording head must be obtained by mounting the recording head on the carriage. In order to obtain such accuracy, precision in the sizing of components, such as the carriage and the recording head, must be improved, or a process must be performed for correcting the positioning of the recording head.
In addition, since elements and circuits for detecting the position of the recording head must be formed on the carriage or on the substrate of the apparatus, manufacturing costs will be increased.
From the viewpoint of high quality image recording, highly delicate recording, for improved image density and tone representation, can be performed by producing dots that have variable sizes.
As the resolution of an image is increased, however, extremely high accuracy is needed to position the dots that are formed, and as the number of steps involved in varying the dot sizes is increased, greater dot size accuracy is required.
Thus, when a plurality of recording elements are employed, dot positioning errors and the use of non-uniform dot sizes can result in the deterioration of the image quality.
It is apparent that the demand for increased image quality can not be satisfied merely by improving the accuracy of the positioning of a carriage and a recording head and the accuracy in the production of dot sizes, so that accordingly, the shortcomings attributable to inaccurate dot positioning and to the unstable production of accurately sized dots are not resolved.
It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide at a low manufacturing cost an ink jet recording apparatus that can not only accurately detect the position of a recording head but can also accurately stabilize the positioning and the sizing of dots, a recording head therefor, and an element substrate to be used for the recording head.
To achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, provided is a recording head substrate on which are mounted energy generating elements that contribute to the formation of images by a recording head, and on which both light-receiving elements and light-emitting elements, or at least, light-receiving elements are mounted.
The light-receiving elements can be photodiodes or CCDs.
In addition, a controller for controlling the energy generating elements and the light-receiving elements is also mounted on the recording head substrate.
In this case, it is preferable that the light-receiving elements and at least one part of the controller be produced during the same manufacturing process.
The energy generating elements and the light-receiving elements are arranged along at least one line on the recording head substrate.
The energy generating elements and the light-receiving elements are arranged along a plurality of lines, and the lines are parallel to each other.
In this case, on the individual lines the number of the energy generating elements may be equal to the number of the light-receiving elements, but it is preferable that the number of the light-receiving elements be greater than the number of the energy generating elements.
According to one more aspect of the present invention, provided is a recording head comprising:
the above described recording head substrate;
a top board in which are formed liquid flow paths that correspond to the energy generating elements; and
discharge orifices (port) which is communicated with the liquid flow path of the top plate and through which liquid is discharged by the application of energy by the energy generating elements,
wherein the light-receiving elements and the light-emitting elements on the recording head substrate are optically opposite a face on which an image is formed by using the discharge ports.
According to the present invention, as is described above the energy generating elements and the light-receiving elements are mounted on the same substrate. Therefore, when the light-receiving elements optically detect dots formed by the energy generating elements, accurate information concerning the positioning, the sizes and the densities of the image dots can be obtained quickly. Further, since in contrast to an arrangement where the energy generating elements, the light-emitting elements and the light-receiving elements are mounted on separate substrates, the process for the formation of the individual elements can be commonly employed and no connections are required, the manufacturing cost and the size of an apparatus can be considerably reduced.
According to another aspect of the present invention, provided is a recording head substrate on which are mounted energy generating elements that contribute to the formation of images by a recording head, and on which are mounted a plurality of head position detecting elements for detecting the position of the recording head.
According to an additional aspect of the present invention, a recording head, for forming images using energy generating elements, comprises:
a substrate on which are mounted not only the energy generating elements but also a head position detecting element for detecting the position of the recording head.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, a liquid recording apparatus comprises:
a recording head for forming images employing energy generating elements while moving on a line;
head position detecting elements that are provided for the recording head for detecting the position of the recording head; and
a member in the recording apparatus that, in order to be detected by the head position detecting elements, is fixed opposite the head detecting element and along a track where the recording head moves.
The head position detecting elements are mounted on a substrate on which the energy generating elements are also mounted. In addition, it is preferable that, in accordance with position data for the recording head, detected by the head position detecting elements, and other recorded data, a circuit for generating signals to drive the energy generating elements, and light-receiving elements, for detecting an image that is formed, be mounted on the substrate on which the energy generating elements are mounted.
The head position detecting elements may be magnetic detecting elements, light-receiving elements or electric field detecting elements. The energy generating elements may be electro-thermal converting elements for heating liquid and inducing film boiling in order to discharge liquid droplets for forming images.
As is described above, according to the present invention, since the energy generating elements that contribute to image recording and the elements for detecting the position of the recording head are mounted on the same substrate, the accuracy at which the position of an image can be recorded is extremely high. In addition, since using semiconductor fabrication processing at least the elements having two functions can be mounted on the same substrate at the same time, the manufacturing costs can be drastically reduced.

Ink jet element substrate and ink jet head that employs the substrate, and ink jet apparatus on which the head is mounted


An improved method and apparatus for altering the effective electrical length of trace on a circuit board. In the present invention small tabs of etch are routed perpendicular to the trace in the unused areas between adjacent traces. In an embodiment of the invention, a method of tuning the delay characteristics of a transmission line is implemented by inserting compensation tabs into the unused area between the segments of adjacent straight traces or a serpentine run. Utilizing the method and apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to achieve significantly greater electrical length for an electrical trace without introducing coupling problems or utilizing large amounts of space on a circuit board.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to circuit boards used in information handling systems. More specifically, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for improving performance in conductor traces used in circuit boards in information handling systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
As computers have increased in performance, it has become necessary to use higher data bit rates in high-density circuitry with minimal spacing between the various circuit conductors. As a result, it has become difficult to fabricate circuit boards that meet the needs of high performance computing technology using conventional circuit board manufacturing methods. The necessity for a more ideal transmission path vital to higher-performance electrical signals is in direct conflict with the minimization of both cost and size.
Many of today's high speed busses require routed signals to travel from source to destination with minimal skew introduced by the interconnect. The process by which this is achieved is called "length matching" where any two or more signals are routed through conductors having the same physical length from source to destination. This practice is also becoming more commonplace on the chip package substrate.
One method for trace length matching is called "serpentining," wherein extra length is added to signals that have a shorter physical distance from point A to B than their counterparts. Generally, due to the limited amount of routing real estate available, most serpentine routes are "tight" in that these parallel trace segments are spaced at a distance two to three times the width of the trace. One problem with this approach is that a serpentine trace does not have the same "electrical length" as a straight trace of equivalent physical length. As used herein, "electrical length" will be understood by those of skill in the art to refer to the electrical transmission characteristics of a straight conductor having a predetermined width and length. With regard to the "electrical length" of a serpentine-pattern conductor, even though serpentine trace contains the same length of conductor material as a straight trace, it does not exhibit the same electrical transmission properties; therefore, it does not have the same "electrical length" as the straight trace for purposes of "length matching" to control skew and other signal propagation issues. The mutual inductance and capacitance of the parallel segments creates a self-coupling mechanism which causes a signal on a serpentine trace to propagate faster than it would otherwise on a straight trace. Another problem with this approach is that a serpentine consumes significantly more routing real estate than a straight trace.
Prior methods for altering the electrical length of a trace have been limited to: 1) making the trace physically longer; 2) adding discrete components such as series resistors, capacitors or vias to slow the edge rate, thereby increasing flight time; and 3) routing some combination of stripline and microstrip materials which have different propagation delay characteristics for an equivalent length of trace.
The problems inherent in these approaches relate to the tradeoffs required to achieve the desired results. Lengthening traces beyond a certain point without introducing coupling problems or utilizing more space may not be an option for compact designs. This is especially true for chip package substrate routing. Adding discrete components can create lumped impedance discontinuities and degrade signal slew rates. In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, there is a need for an improved method and apparatus for altering the effective electrical length of trace on a circuit board.

Method for altering the delay properties of a transmission line using compensation tabs


Systems, apparatuses, devices, and methods for wireless communications. An antenna in which nulls or directions of reduced performance can be selectively introduced is provided, and the performance of a communication link to a wireless communication device is monitored. By correlating the selectively reduced sensitivity of the antenna with reductions in the communication link performance, the direction of the wireless communication device may be estimated. Embodiments of the present invention may be used in numerous applications, such as cell phones, PDA's, and laptops.

Embodiments of the invention are directed to systems, apparatuses, and methods for using and operating communications devices, and more specifically to the use and operation of wireless communication devices where one or more of the devices may be moveable. In some embodiments, the invention may be used in situations where the moveable part of a wireless communication link may change location during an active connection. For example, the invention may be utilized in a situation in which a Bluetooth-enabled headset is communicating with a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone, and the headset is moving relative to the cell phone during a communication session (which may arise for example, in a situation where a user walks around an office while their cell phone is left on a desk).
In some situations it may be desirable to be able to determine the approximate direction in which a wireless peer device is located relative to a known object. For example, in the case where a cell phone user has misplaced their headset, it would be beneficial to determine in which direction (relative to the cell phone) that the headset was situated, in order to enable the user to retrieve the headset. As another example, where a headset is involved in a pairing operation with another device in a field of multiple devices, it may be more efficient to allow the user to point their headset in the direction of the desired peer device in order to facilitate identification of the device with which the user desires to conduct a pairing operation. As another example, a game or activity where different users challenge each other to perform a task may include the capability to allow users to challenge players in their vicinity that may not be known to them. In this situation, it would be helpful to facilitate a user finding another user by pointing out the direction in which the other user is located. These examples and other use cases represent some of the applications in which the ability to determine the approximate relative direction of a wireless peer device from another device would be beneficial.
A number of conventional methods exist for performing direction-finding operations. For example, each portable device could be equipped with a compass, a GPS receiver, and a connection to a server, and they could share their current position and direction with the server. The relative direction could then be determined from the information on the server. However, this method has a number of serious drawbacks. These drawbacks include the additional cost of a compass and GPS receiver, the reliance on the existence of a GPS system and a dependable network connection, the additional power consumption, and a potentially excessive latency in determining the desired information.
Another conventional method that is at least theoretically feasible involves using a radio-frequency beam-former, or steerable antenna, which enables antenna performance to be optimized for a particular direction. The antenna beam is rotated to determine the direction of the peer by detecting the direction of the strongest received signal. However, this technique also has a number of limitations. It is typically costly, relatively large, and consumes an excessive amount of power for many applications. Further, when not used for direction-finding, the antenna pattern is typically very inefficient unless it can be continually trained on the peer device, which is usually difficult to achieve.
As a result, it would be desirable to have a means of discovering the relative direction of a wireless communication device with respect to another device, where such means overcomes one or more of the disadvantages of conventional approaches. Such a system, device, or method may provide one or more of the advantages of reduced cost, reduced size, reduced power consumption, reduced complexity, improved antenna performance, or reduced latency compared to conventional approaches.
What is desired are a system, apparatus, and method for determining the approximate direction in which a peer device lies relative to another device, where such system, apparatus, or method may have one or more of the benefits of lower cost, smaller size, reduced power consumption, lower computational complexity, reduced number of components, improved antenna performance, or lower latency when compared to conventional approaches. Embodiments of the invention provide these and other benefits either individually or collectively.

Apparatus and method for determining relative direction of a wireless peer device from another device


In one embodiment, a method including: receiving an incoming telephone call, which a user can choose to answer or leave unanswered; accessing one or more logs that associate data with identifiers to obtain log data associated with an identifier included in the incoming telephone call; creating a user alert for the incoming telephone call that includes displaying information based on the obtained log data; and updating the data associated with the included identifier in one or more logs.

Caller Line Identification (CLI) helps the recipient of an incoming communication identify the originator of the communication before the communication is accepted.
An identifier of the originator of the originating terminal is sent from the originating terminal to the destination terminal. The destination terminal then displays the identifier or, if the identifier is associated with a name or alias in the terminal's phone book, displays the associated name or alias instead of the identifier. This latter feature makes CLI more user-friendly.
CLI is now a common feature in telecommunication networks. Mobile cellular telephone networks, the Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) terminal can all support CLI. It make be used with packet switched and also circuit switched communications.
Enterprise workers, especially those working in Sales, Marketing and other functions that might require a lot of one-time contact with individuals, often have to make and receive calls to phone numbers that are not already in the terminal's phonebook.

Presenting to a user contextual information regarding a communication before the user takes action concerning the communication


This invention relates to compositions and methods which provide protection against, or reduce the severity of toxic shock and septic shock from bacterial infections. More particularly it relates to peptides derived from homologous sequences of the family of staphylococcal and streptococcal toxins, which may be polymeric, and carrier-conjugates thereof. The invention also relates to serum antibodies induced by the peptides and carrier-conjugates and their use to prevent, treat, or protect against the toxic effects of most, if not all, of the staphylococcal and streptococcal toxins.

The pyrogenic exotoxins of Group A streptococci and the enterotoxins of Staphylococcus aureus, which are also pyrogenic exotoxins, constitute a family of structurally related toxins which share similar biological activities (11, 13). The staphylococcal and streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxins also share significant amino acid homology throughout their sequences (11, 19, 40). This pyrogenic exotoxin family contains nine main toxin types, and several allelic variants (subtypes) have been described. Several studies have shown that the toxins share common motifs based on immunologic cross reactivity between the toxins (26, 27). They stimulate CD4+, CD8+ and γδ+ T cells by a unique mechanism. These toxins share the ability to bind the β chain variable region (Vβ) elements on the lateral face of the T cell receptor (TCR) and simultaneously bind to the lateral face of the class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of antigen presenting cells (FIG. 1), causing an aberrant proliferation of specific T-cell subsets (3, 4, 12). This property of the toxins has labeled them as "superantigens" (36) since they do not interact with the MHC and TCR molecules in the manner of conventional antigens (14, 18) and produce a massive proliferation of T cells.
The variability of the sequences in the TCR-binding region and within the MHC-II-binding regions most likely provides the different suerantigen toxins their specificities for different Vβ molecules and variable affinities for MHC-II types. (69–70)
The cross-linking of TCR with MHC-II molecules by superantigens causes a profound blastogenesis of lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells. The resulting stimulation of leukocytes leads to a significant increase in cytokine production.
Monocytes stimulated with bacterial superantigens produce the Th1 cytokines IL-2 and IFN-γ and the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and IL-1 receptor antagonist. (71). T cells activated by superantigen stimulation produce IL-12. (72). Whole preparations of peripheral blood mononuclear cells containing lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells elicited a wide range of inflammatory cytokines in significant amounts. The generation of monocyte cytokines such as IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α, and TNF-β was dependent on the presence of T cells. (73).
Costimulatory molecules important in conventional immune responses also play a significant role in the response of immune cells to superantigens. The costimulatory T cell antigen, CD28, and its corresponding ligand on MHC-II-bearing cells, B7, contribute to superantigen mitogenicity. (74, 75). Other costimulatory molecules, such as LFA-1/ICAM-1 and VLA-4/VCAM-1, also contribute to the activation of immune cells by superantigens. (76, 77). These immunostimulatory activities of superantigens are crucial to their ability to cause injury to the host.
The bacterial toxins cause a variety of syndromes in humans. Staphylococcal enterotoxins have been implicated in staphylococcal food poisoning (26), as well as toxic shock like syndromes (1). The gene sequences and deduced amino acid sequences of at least six staphylococcal enterotoxins ("SE"): A, B, C, D, E and H, are known, i.e., SEA, SEB, SEC, SED, SEE, and SEH (19, 23). The streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxins ("SPE") have been implicated in causing the symptoms of scarlet fever and toxic shock like syndrome (8, 20, 30). The sequences of three members of this family are known: SPEA, SPEC, and SSA (5, 23, 35).
Toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST-1) from S. aureus shares similar biological activity with the SE's and SPE's, however amino acid sequences of this toxin are significantly different from these two classes of toxins (2). Structural analysis suggests that, despite the differences in amino acid composition, the overall topology of TSST-1 and the SE/SPE family of toxins is similar (41). The molecular structure of SE's and SPE's has been determined by various methods. Reviews concerning the molecular structures are available (19, 62). Molecular evolution studies of the SE/SPE family of toxins suggests that the toxins can be grouped into two main clades(34). All these toxins are highly resistant to denaturation by heat and to proteases. With the exception of TSST-1, they are soluble proteins of approximately 230 amino acids and have a central disulphide loop. In contrast TSST-1 has only 194 amino acids and does not possess any cysteines.
It has been suggested that the conservation of amino acids is important to maintaining the structure necessary for the biological activity of the toxins (32). Mutations constructed in various positions throughout the SPEA and SEB molecules were sufficient to inactivate biological activity (6, 15). Mutations at various points throughout the molecules often had different effects, suggesting that functional activities could not be attributed to any one region of the toxins (7). These results suggested that a functional tertiary structure must be maintained. Chemical modifications of highly conserved histidine residues inactivated biologic activity (29). The high conservation of the disulfide loop in the SE's and SPE's suggests an important role in the structure of the SE/SPE family of toxins. Studies show the disulfide loop is required for mitogenic activity of SEA and SEB. Reduction of the disulfide loop inactivated T cell stimulatory activity, but did not affect MHC-II binding and stimulation of monocytes (54). Peptide cleavages within the loop had no effect on T-cell mitogenicity, however cleavage of conserved sequences outside the loop of SEA resulted in loss of mitogenic activity. The loop and conserved adjacent sequences appear to be associated with avidity of the toxins to the TCR, and do not contribute to the specificity of toxins for a particular Vβ type (6). Residues determining TCR Vβ specificity appear to be located within the carboxy-terminus of the SE/SPE toxins (59), while residues critical for MHC-II binding appear to be located in the amino-terminal region, and the central portion of the molecule near the disulfide loop (53). The disulfide loop and adjacent highly conserved sequences contribute to the structural integrity of the toxins, and serve to bring the TCR and MHC binding regions in functional proximity to each other (65).
The SEs are named for their ability to induce gastrointestinal illnesses upon oral intake of a few micrograms of the toxin. The clinical effect appears in 2 to 4 hours and is manifested by nausea and diarrhea. These symptoms appear to be caused by leukotrienes and histamine released from mast cells. Additionally, both the staphylococcal and streptococcal exotoxins are implicated in gram-positive shock. Although superantigen-related septic shock appears to be primarily mediated by tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL) 12, the contribution of other cytokines cannot be discounted. (78, 79, 80).
The physiologic response to superantigens is similar to septic shock induced by gram-negative endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS). In fact, LPS and superantigens can work synergistically to produce lethal toxic shock. (81, 82, 83). Toxic shock syndrome can be exacerbated by the synergistic effects of TSST-1 with the SE/SPE family of toxins. (84, 85). Superantigen stimulation of immune cells can exacerbate autoimmune syndromes by causing the expansion of autoreactive T cell subsets, upregulation of MHC-II expression, and the potentiation of cytotoxic T cell response (86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91).
Toxic shock syndrome is a specific syndrome caused by either the Stapylococcal or Streptococcal organisms. It is specifically caused by the toxins produced by these bacteria. Clinically it often occurs in young women and children and is characterized by a raised temperature, low blood pressure, a rash that eventually leads to skin loss especially on the palms and the soles and multi-organ involvement.
Septic Shock on the other hand involves both gram negative as well as gram positive organisms, occurs in all groups of patients especially the elderly and post-surgical. It has similar symptoms except for the lack of a skin losing rash. Both diseases have a high mortality-however there are many more cases of septic shock as compared to toxic shock. The term "septic shock" is used herein to describe hypotension and organ failure associated with bacterial infections.
"Toxic shock like syndrome" is the term previously used to describe the syndromes caused by staphyloccal and streptococcal pyrogenic bacterial exotoxins other than toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST-1) from S. aureus. Currently, the term "toxic shock syndrome" is used to describe the syndromes caused by TSST-1 and the other pyrogenic exotoxins, and is the terminology used hereinafter.
Toxic shock syndrome can be exacerbated by the synergistic effects of TSST-1 with the enterotoxin/pyrogenic toxin family of toxins (9, 25). Gram negative bacterial endotoxin and the pyrogenic toxins can work synergistically to produce intractable shock (17, 30).
With respect to septic shock, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is an integral part of the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria and is a potent inducer of cytokine release by macrophages (52). During the induction phase of septicemia, LPS binds to the CD14 receptors of macrophages and triggers the release of a number of cytokines including Interleukin-1 (IL-1), and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α(TNF-α) (49). Accordingly, therapeutic strategies for septic shock have centered on the neutralization of LPS or LPS-induced cytokines (64). Unfortunately, trials using either monoclonal antibodies directed against part of the LPS molecule or the use of CD14 soluble receptors have not been very promising (45). The reasons for these failures might be: 1. The type of patient selected (many were already in irreversible shock). 2. The monoclonal antibody did not block all sites of LPS. 3. Soluble CD14 receptors did not block all LPS molecules.
Toxic shock syndrome and septic shock are still among the most life threatening syndromes affecting humans. It is estimated that approximately 20,000 cases of toxic shock syndrome occur each year of with a 10% mortality rate (66). With respect to septic shock approximately 400,000–500,000 cases occur each year with a 50% mortality (63). Present therapy is primarily symptomatic with administration of fluids, antibiotics, pressor agents and occasionally steroids (56). There is no vaccine available for toxic shock syndrome since all of the superantigens are antigenically distinct even though there is some sequence homology present in all the superantigens. There have been numerous vaccine trials for septic shock none of which have been successful.
With respect to the failed vaccine trials for septic shock, we believe that there was a failure to recognize that the interaction between the superantigens described above and LPS enhances the lethal potency of both these antigens by about 1000 fold. In contrast, each antigen when given alone requires a much higher dose for lethal septic shock (46).
Hence, it is proposed that at least two independent pathways of lethal septic shock can occur. LPS and peptidoglycan interact with macrophages. The superantigens interact with T cells. In both cases target cells are induced to release large amounts of cytokines. There is increasing evidence that gram-positive infections frequently accompany gram-negative infections in patients with septic shock (see article by Rangel-Frausto, pages 299–312) (96). Exposure to gram-negative endotoxin produces a state of macrophage hyperesponsiveness on subsequent stimulation (92). A similar state is seen with monocytes in septic shock. Our group and others have shown that LPS and superantigens can act synergistically to produce lethal septic shock in animal models (93). It is our hypothesis that a significant amount of septic shock involves an early gram-negative infection that causes significant symptoms of vasodilation and hypotension. This is then treated with fluids and antibiotics, leading to early recovery by the patient. Some days later, a gram-positive insult either via a line sepsis of the skin or gastrointestinal flora may cause severe irreversible shock in a previously LPS-sensitized patient. This model is depicted graphically in FIG. 2 herein (94).
In other words, since Gram-negative and Gram-positive organisms can be recovered from patients with sepsis, it appears that it is the "two hit" hypothesis that is operative and the interaction between LPS and the superantigens markedly enhances the lethal properties of both molecules. In this model, the interruption of the toxin pathway by anti-peptide antibody(ies) or by peptide(s) of the invention prevents the onset of lethal shock induced by the combination of the LPS and one or more of the superantigens.

Peptides useful for reducing symptoms of toxic shock syndrome and septic shock

Abstract: The invention also relates to diagnostic assays and kits to detect the presence of staphylococcal and streptococcal toxins, or antibodies thereto. The invention also relates isolated and purified to nucleic acids encoding the peptides of the invention and transformed host cells containing those nucleic acids.


A power amplification device includes an input for receiving a signal having a desired frequency band. The signal also has a transfer function associated therewith. The power amplification device further includes power amplification circuitry having an order greater than or equal to one, and signal amplifiers connected between the input and the power amplification circuitry. Each signal amplifier has a predetermined gain so that zeros of the transfer function are outside the desired frequency band.

In a wireless communication system, a base station communicates with a plurality of remote terminals, such as cellular mobile telephones. Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) are the traditional multiple access schemes for delivering simultaneous services to a number of terminals. The basic idea underlying the FDMA and TDMA systems is based upon sharing the available resource, respectively as several frequencies or as several time intervals, in such a way that several terminals can operate simultaneously without causing interference.
In contrast to these schemes using frequency division or time division, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) allows multiple users to share a common frequency and a common time channel by using coded modulation. More precisely, as is well known to the person skilled in the art, a scrambling code is associated with each base station, and this makes it possible to distinguish one base station from another. Furthermore, an orthogonal code, known by the person skilled in the art as an OVSF Code, is allotted to each remote terminal (such as, for example, a cellular mobile telephone). All the OVSF codes are mutually orthogonal, thus making it possible to distinguish one remote terminal from another.
Before sending a signal over the transmission channel to a remote terminal, the signal has been scrambled and spread by the base section using the scrambling code of the base station and the OVSF code of the remote terminal. In CDMA systems, it is again possible to distinguish between those which use a distinct frequency for transmission and reception (CDMA-FDD system), and those which use a common frequency for transmission and reception but distinct time domains for transmission and reception (CDMA-TDD system).
Third-generation terminals, such as cellular mobile telephones, must be compatible with the UMTS standard, that is, they must be capable of operating under various wireless transmission standards. Thus, they will have to be capable of operating in a system of the FDMA/TDMA type, for example according to the GSM or GPRS transmission standard, or else in communication systems of the CDMA-FDD or CDMA-TDD type, for example by using the UTRA-FDD, UTRA-TDD or IS-95 transmission standards.
The invention thus applies in particular to all terminals or components of wireless communication systems, such as cellular mobile telephones for example, regardless of the transmission standard used. This is whether the latter provides for constant envelope modulation (GSM and DCS systems, for example) or variable envelope modulation (systems of the CDMA type), although the invention is especially advantageous with respect to variable envelope modulation systems.
The radio frequency transmission circuitry of a component of a wireless communication system, such as a cellular mobile telephone for example, comprises a power amplifier for amplifying the signal to a sufficient level for transmission. In systems operating according to the CDMA standard, which exhibits variable envelope modulation, use is made of linear transmission circuitry that makes it possible to resend the amplitude of the signal without distortion.
One approach for embodying the power amplification of the transmission circuitry includes using amplification circuitry of the delta-sigma type. An example of such an architecture is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,777,512. Amplification circuitry of the delta-sigma type intrinsically exhibits the advantage of being more competitive in terms of efficiency than conventional linear amplification means. However, the use of amplification circuitry of the delta-sigma type exhibits drawbacks that will now be discussed.
Such amplification circuitry comprises frequency selector networks that make it possible to adjust the position of the zeros of the noise transfer function, that is, to adjust the frequencies at which the quantization noise is in theory eliminated. Also, traditionally, these zeros are placed in the useful or desired transmission band in which the signal is situated, so as to comply with the signal/noise ratio required by the transmission standard used.
It is necessary to comply with noise templates defined by the transmission standards, and outside the useful band of the signal, the noise must not exceed a certain level of energy so as not to disturb other transmissions/receptions using different transmission standards. Also, this noise results, in particular, from the quantization noise produced by the delta sigma amplifier and from the noise being added to the input signal of the amplifier.
Since the major portion of the quantization noise is pushed out of the useful band of the signal, it is then necessary to make provisions at the output for the amplification circuitry of delta-sigma type. That is, one or more post-amplifier filters are outside the useful signal band, and their function in particular, includes eliminating the quantization noise.
Moreover, there are filtering constraints on the elements of the transmission circuitry that are upstream of the delta sigma amplifier so as to limit the noise being added to the input signal of the amplifier. Furthermore, the dynamic constraint at the level of the transmission antenna is significant. This then results in a constraint on the signal level at the output of the power amplification circuitry (by way of indication, the maximum level required at the output of the amplifier in the WCDMA standard is 27 dBm), and consequently on the signal level at the input of the amplifier.
At present, with a typical gain of the amplifier being 25 dB, the maximum level of the signal at the input of the amplifier has to be 2 dBm in the WCDMA standard. This has a significant impact on power consumption. Thus, not only does the input dynamic swing of the power amplification circuitry have to be high, but the output power of the mixer upstream of the power amplification device also has to be considerable. This also is a penalty in terms of power consumption.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Power amplification device, especially with reduced input dynamic swing, in particular for a cellular mobile telephone


A method for measuring in non-invasive manner the concentration of blood constituents by which backscattered light is measured under the action of ultrasonic radiation focused towards the inside of a central blood vessel. A light source and detection unit are arranged to detect the backscattered light on the skin surface above the blood vessel. The target tissue is illuminated by two discrete optical wavelengths. An average light intensity distribution is detected over the length of a pulse. The distribution is Fournier transformed, and the largest Fournier components and spectral position are determined in relation to the frequency of the ultrasonic radiation. The component concentration in the blood vessel is calculated taking into account the volume of the ultrasonic focus contributing to the signal and blood flow rate.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a medical method and apparatus for measuring in non-invasive manner the concentration of blood constituents, particularly the hemoglobin concentration or oxygenation of the blood in large blood vessels.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Living tissue is largely transparent to electromagnetic radiation in the red and infrared range (wavelength 550 nm<λ<1000 nm). This so called "biological window" is limited towards longer wavelengths by strong absorption bands of water and towards shorter wavelengths by those of hemoglobin. It is in principle possible in this range to "see into" the tissue in depths ranging from a few mm to a few cm.
Over the last decade, so called pulsoximetry has evolved to become one of the most important monitoring methods for observing the patient in the intensive care unit and operating theater. The oxygenation of the blood is measured, i.e. the ratio of the concentration of the oxygen-containing hemoglobin to the total hemoglobin. This involves the measurement of the absorption in transmitted light or remission in backscattered light on tissue with a good blood flow (e.g. fingertip or ear lobe) at two different wavelengths. The wavelengths used are normally around λ=660 nm (where the oxygen-free hemoglobin is much more strongly absorbed than the oxygen-containing hemoglobin) and around λ=940 nm (where the relationships are reversed). During the measurement, use is made of the absorption signal modulation produced by the heart beat. The alternating signal is added to the arterial component of interest, and the absorption by venous blood and tissue to the equisignal present as background. The determination of the oxygenation as a relative quantity is possible with an adequate precision for clinical use, despite certain difficulties in practice.
However, medical literature proves the urgent need for a bedside, i.e. continuous, non-invasive determination of the oxygenation of hemoglobin in large blood vessels. Blood examination in large, so called "central", i.e. heart-near vessels, is impossible with the hereto standard methods for determining oxygenation due to the so called "centralization", (i.e. inadequate blood circulation of the periphery) of emergency patients. There is a need for a method which can be used arterially, e.g. on the internal carotid artery, and if possible, also on large veins, e.g. the internal jugular vein, because the difference in oxygenation provides important information on the oxygen supply of the brain.
The difficulty of a measurement on large blood vessels is that their central position in the body renders a transmission measurement impossible, whereas, remission mainly takes place by diffuse backscattering of photons. A distinction is made between ballistic or quasi-ballistic photons, which are subject to little or no interaction with the tissue, and therefore leave the latter first, and diffuse photons whose path through the tissue is characterized by numerous scattering processes. Ballistic photons are of minor importance for blood analysis. For human tissue, the scattering coefficient μs is much larger than the absorption coefficient μa. Thus, μs is typically approximately 10 cm−1 so that for layer thicknesses of ≧1-2 mm, no light focus can be produced in the scattering medium. The illumination of lower lying layers consequently takes place quasi-isotropically. The essential problem is the association of backscattered light with a specific location of the scattering.
DE 196 40 807 A1 proposes apparatuses for the detection of diffuse photons which measure in the backscattering direction, i.e. in the vicinity of the light sources, and are used for determining the oxygen concentration in the blood and tissue. Use is made of an empirically known link between the spacing of the exit point of backscattered photons from the entrance point (light source, fiber end) and the average penetration depth of said photons on their path through the tissue for controlling the observation depth through the choice of said spacing.
DE 196 34 152 A1 uses a very similar measuring setup, and the fact that components of the irradiated, coherent light are phase or frequency-shifted by elastic and inelastic scattering processes and are superimposed with the undisturbed components, leads to a speckle pattern. The spatially resolved measurement of the speckle pattern permits an analysis of the exiting stray light with respect to its power spectrum compared with that of the irradiated light. Thus, e.g. through repeated frequency shifts through inelastic scattering on blood, information can be obtained about the average number of scattering processes per photon on the light path through the tissue. The use of a filtering procedure then makes it possible to discriminate photons which have had a predetermined minimum of maximum number of scattering processes, and consequently, have a relatively strong localized penetration depth.
WO 02/08740 A2 describes the advanced prior art for a measuring apparatus with backscattered photons. On the basis of the known interaction of light with the ultrasonic field present in the tissue, conclusions are drawn from the resulting influencing of the phases of the electromagnetic waves with respect to the precise position of the responsible scattering centers in a three-dimensional measuring area. An ultrasonic field suitable for this purpose is produced either by a single movable or a complete array of sound sources in contact with the tissue. What is important for the necessary complex structure of the ultrasonic field is the precise control of the sources with respect to the maintaining of phase delays and repetition times, and/or frequency differences. The extensive data analysis on the detector side is equally complicated. The apparatus is provided for 3D picture-giving tomography in connection with the blood supply of tissue, and is vital for combating tumors.
It is common to all the aforementioned methods that the contribution to the measuring signal of blood from the interior of a large blood vessel cannot be considered in isolation or, in the case of WO 02/08740 A2, can only be established with considerable effort and expenditure. A simple, robust, fast and inexpensive system is necessary for the continuous monitoring of emergency patients. The problem of the invention is to make this available.