A driving assistance apparatus is provided in which the detection range of a left-front-corner sonar (12a) located at the vehicle's left front corner is included in the field of view of a second imaging means (14) located at the vehicle's left front corner. When the left-front-corner sonar (12a) detects a three-dimensional object at the vehicle's left front corner, an image processing means (3) synthesizes an image of the image created using a second imaging means (14) and the images created with four cameras (7a-7d) for imaging the complete periphery of the vehicle, and creates a bird's-eye-view image (40b). The detection range of the left-front-corner sonar (12a) is included within a region of the bird's-eye image (40b) on the basis of the image created with the second imaging means (14).

Hitherto, there is a known drive assistance apparatus that combines images captured using a plurality of cameras into an all-around view image indicating the all-around view of a vehicle and displays the combined image to assist driving (see Patent Literature (hereinafter, referred to as "PTL") 1, for example).
However, the all-around view image is created by combining the camera images projected onto a road surface position, so that a three-dimensional object disappears (dead angle) at a junction boundary between adjacent cameras. In general, the junction boundary between the camera images is set in the vicinity of four corners of a vehicle due to restrictions such as the installation of position of the camera or the angle of view of the camera, or the density of pixels. Such four corners of the vehicle are also likely to become blind zones of the visually observable area of the driver. For this reason, the deriver may continue driving without realizing the three-dimensional object in the vicinity of the junction boundary and thus cause a collision between the vehicle and the three-dimensional object.
In order to solve such a problem, in the related art, the position or angle of the junction boundary between camera images is changed in association with a sonar unit, a gear, or the like (see PTL 2 and PTL 3, for example).

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


An apparatus and method are described herein, which simultaneously promotes a positive computing experience for users of portable computer systems and increases overall durability and longevity thereof. In one embodiment, an optical apparatus enhances the user computing experience, in one embodiment by simplifying operation, and is much more durable and long-lasting than mechanical switch and dial type devices it may replace. In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to an apparatus, which enables efficient portable computer device function, field, and data selection, gaming, input, interconnection, and other switching-related functions, simplifying operation and enhancing versatility thereof, yet without exposing the portable computer interior to any degree to incursion of environmental contamination. In one embodiment, an optical apparatus obviates openings in a portable computer package which would otherwise be required. In one embodiment, the apparatus, capable of sensing manipulation and directed by software, has a light source and corresponding light sensor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of portable electronic devices such as personal digital assistants or palmtop computer systems. Specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for utilizing an optical sensor based user interface for registering user input.
2. Related Art
Portable computer systems, such as "palmtop" computer systems, or personal digital assistants (PDA) have become commonplace and extraordinarily useful electronic devices. A palmtop computer system includes a hand-held device and a cradle device to which it ports and which connects and synchronizes it to other computers. Owing to their portability, capability, and versatility, hand-held computer devices are designed to be used in a wide variety of environments, for many applications.
Portable computers are usually robustly packaged devices, designed for simplicity of operation and durability. Few penetrations expose their interiors, wherein their operational components reside. However, function/field selection buttons, on/off, interconnection, and other switching components expose the interior to some degree to allow accessibility for switching and other operations. Mechanical switching components, such as switches, buttons, and, especially, thumbwheels and associated potentiometers, variable capacitors, and the like, while ostensibly durable, have definite physical vulnerabilities and finite operational lifespans. Further, although designed for operational simplicity, using a portable computer system by manipulating these switching components requires some degree of tactile skill.
Portable computer systems may be used in harsh environments, unlike other computers designed with less of a degree of mobility, such as desktop computer systems. For example, desktop computer systems most often find application in offices, classrooms, and similar milieus, with environments subject to some relatively satisfactory degree of control. Portable computer systems, on the other hand, while indeed they may also be used in such environments, are designed for use almost anywhere, contributing to their versatility and usefulness, e.g., a vehicle, outside, etc.
Portable computer systems are frequently and reliably deployed in-transit, in private and public modes of transportation of almost every kind. Portable computer systems find operational deployment in the field in, for example, industrial, urban, marine, construction, and even military application. Under these circumstances, their operational environment may vary widely and change rapidly, often subject to little or no control. These environments may also be quite rugged, extreme, wet, dirty, contaminated, and dusty.
When their operational environment is rugged, extreme, wet, dirty, dusty, or contaminated, operation of the portable computer system may contribute to or cause internal contamination or physical damage. Environmental contaminants such as moisture, dirt, dust, chemicals, and the like, may penetrate even the small openings for exposure of switching components to user manipulation, especially thumbwheels and their associated potentiometers. Once inside the portable computer, or a connector or button, they may cause fouling, damage, or destruction of is internal microelectronic and other components. And while switching components may be designed for durability, they all display some degree of physical vulnerability and aging degradation characteristics.
Although designed for operational simplicity, portable computer systems require some dexterity to operate properly. To operate the portable computer system to accomplish these tasks, controls and switching components must be manipulated. Manipulation enables, for example, choosing a screen, scrolling through various screens, selecting an on-screen icon, field, menu, listing, or data entry, or "writing to" or "typing on" an on-board touch-sensitive writing pad-like surface with a stylus, or other touch-enabling probe.
However, also owing to their versatility and portability, portable computer systems may be operated by a user who is purposefully multi-tasking, or otherwise engaged in other activities besides operating the portable computer. Portable computer systems are routinely utilized to, for example, access telephone numbers from an on-board telephone list, reminders from an on-board list of memoranda, gaming, portable internet browsing or email access, and a host of other computer-enabled and/or enhanced activities, all while the user is fully engaged in some other task.
When the circumstances under which portable computer systems are used become complex and distracting, operation of the portable computer system may become difficult. This may detract from the computing experience of the user. It may cause errors or loss of data, and/or require operational steps to be repeated. This is inconvenient and costly.
Conventionally, an approach to solving the problem of internal exposure of portable computers to environmental contaminants has been to attempt to minimize the interior exposure. This has been accomplished in one attempted solution by reducing the number and size of penetrations through their cases, and to seal the penetrations. Reducing the number of penetrations requires a concomitant reduction in the number of switching components. This requires switching components to have multiple, selectable functions. However, this has the undesirable effect of increasing operational complexity. Sealing the penetrations increases packaging complexity and increases unit costs, and interferes with switching component operations.
Conventionally, an approach to solving the problem of making portable computer device operation less complicated for engaged users, especially those simultaneously engaged in activities besides computing, has been to simplify the computer-user interface. This has been attempted, in one approach, by adding switching components. However, this has the undesirable effect of increasing package penetration with resulting increased internal exposure of the computer device to environmental contaminants.
Another conventional method of attempting to solve this problem has been to change the characteristics of the switching components. For instance, in one approach, a "jog wheel," "thumb wheel," or similar of rotary dial-type mechanism. However, this particular approach is especially vulnerable to environmental contamination problems.
Rotary dial-type mechanisms rotate about a shaft, which penetrates the package of the portable computer system to actuate the rotationally variable electrical components contained within. This shaft penetration is potentially a route for incursion of environmental contamination to the sensitive interior of the portable computer device. Exacerbating this problem is the size of the rotary dial, itself. Normally, such dials are larger than other switches penetrating the portable computer device package. Further, the dial has a lower surface facing the portable computer device package, yet not quite abutting it.
The space beneath the dial, between the dial and the portable computer device package is especially susceptible to the accumulation of moisture, detritus, dirt, dust, debris, oil, and chemicals. This is particularly problematic for three reasons. First, because the potential environmental contaminants remain there, proximate to a potential incursion route to the portable computer system interior even after the portable computer system is removed from the contaminating environment. Second, it increases the time of exposure to the potential environmental contaminants, thus increasing the probability of incursion. Third, the space between the dial and the portable computer device package is very hard to clean, and attempts to clean it may actually force contaminants into the shaft incursion route and into the interior of the portable computer.
The conventional art is problematic therefore for two related reasons. First, because attempts to promote ease of use of portable computer devices threaten increased risk of internal exposure thereof to environmental contamination. Second, because attempts to reduce risk of internal exposure of portable computer devices to environmental contamination complicate their use and increase their cost.
What is needed is a method and/or apparatus that promotes a positive computing experience for users of portable computer systems and/or increases overall durability and/or longevity thereof. What is also needed is a method and/or apparatus that promotes the operational simplicity of portable computer systems. Further, what is needed is a method and/or apparatus that enables efficient portable computer function, field, and data selection, gaming, input, interconnection, and other switching-related functions without exposing the portable computer interior to any degree to incursion of environmental contamination. Further still, what is needed is a method and/or apparatus that achieves the foregoing accomplishments while allowing the full range of both portability and environmental exposure, and range and ease of use characteristic of portable computer devices, yet without complete redesign.

Optical sensor based user interface for a portable electronic device


A method is provided for protection of biological materials from the stresses of air-drying and also from destructive reactions, such as oxidation and free-radical attack, which degrade the materials during long-term storage. The method involves drying the materials, which may contain potentially destructive agents such as free-radical generators or reducing sugars, in the presence of a vitrifying substance, and under conditions which allow the protective substance to become vitrified.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the long-term storage of biological materials in a dry state. Particularly, it relates to a method of protecting biological materials from reactions such as oxidation and free-radical attack which can destroy such materials when they are stored for long periods of time, while at the same time protecting them from denaturation and other destruction caused by the drying process itself.
2 Description of the Related Art
Although it is advantageous to be able to store proteins, nucleic acids, cells, and other useful biological products in a dry or frozen state, most such materials lose a significant part of their biochemical activity when subjected to the freezing or drying process. Hence, a body of work has developed in the area of protecting biological materials from the stresses created by the processes of freezing and drying. Most of such work has dealt with freezing and freeze-drying, and only a few studies address the problems involved in air-drying. The patents of Crowe, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,316) and Carpenter, et al. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,806,343 and 4,897,353) disclose methods of protecting liposomes and proteins, respectively, from the stresses of freezing and freeze-drying. The same group of researchers has also published several papers on the subject, including "Stabilization of Dry Phospholipid Bilayers and Proteins by Sugars" (Biochem. J., vol. 242 (1987), pp. 1-10), "Modes of Stabilization of a Protein by Organic Solutes During Desiccation", Cryobiology, 25:459-470 (1988), and "Cryoprotection of Phosphofructokinase with Sugars During Freeze-Drying . . . ", Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, 923:109-115 (1987). Another group has proposed the use of vitrification as a mechanism to protect blood and whole organs when they are subjected to freezing for long-term storage (Fahy, G. M., "Prospects for Vitrification of Whole Organs", Cryobiology, 18:617-622 (1981); Fahy, G. M., "The Relevance of Cryoprotectant Toxicity to Cryobiology", Cryobiology, 23:1-13 (1986); Fahy, G. M., "Cryopreservation of Biological Materials in a Non-Frozen or Vitreous State," U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,298). (The above publications are hereby incorporated by reference.) However, this proposal has never been extended to other substances, nor to drying, which is not at all feasible for the storage of whole organs.
All of the aforementioned publications focus on the processes of freezing and freeze-drying. The process of drying by exposure to a dessicating material at temperatures above freezing (usually room temperature or above), herein referred to as "air-drying", subjects a biological material to a different set of stresses than those of freezing or freeze-drying. See Crowe, "Are Freezing and Dehydration Similar Stress Vectors? A Comparison of Modes of Interaction of Stabilizing Solutes with Biomolecules", Cryobiology 27:219-231 (1990). This is further demonstrated by the fact that the processes of freeze-drying and air-drying do not have identical effects on biological materials. Whereas sorbitol, a non-vitrifying substance, will protect some biological materials (particularly chloroplast fragments known as thylakoids) from the stresses of freeze-drying, it does not so protect the material during the air-drying process (see experimental results below). Furthermore, whereas the Carpenter patent teaches that transition-metal ions are necessary to protect many proteins when freeze-drying, the work of Roser (U.S. Pat. No. 4,891,319) demonstrates that metal ions are not necessary to protect proteins from the stresses of air-drying.
The aforementioned references, including the Roser patent, address the destructive effects of the preservation process itself, primarily the destruction of the liposome structure and the denaturation of proteins. Prior to the work of the present inventors, little or no work had been done to investigate means for protecting materials from destructive reactions which take place after drying, such as oxidation and free-radical attack. Carpenter discusses the desirability of using a non-reducing sugar as a protectant in his system to avoid the oxidation reaction, but does not propose a method of protecting the proteins from such a reaction when they must be stored in the presence of a reducing sugar.

Method of protecting biological materials from destructive reactions in the dry state

Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, Inc.


The present invention can easily perform mounting and dismounting of a guiding duct in the ventilation structure of a helmet. A support portion which detachably supports a guiding duct is arranged at the center of rotation of a closure plate and a manipulation portion for the guiding duct which releases the support of the guiding duct is provided to the support portion.

The present invention relates to a helmet which a user wears for protecting his/her head and face when the user rides on various kinds of moving vehicles such as an automobile, a motorcycle and the like, watercraft such as a motorboat and movable equipment such as a bicycle and the like, and more particularly to a helmet which includes the ventilation structure for discharging hot air inside the helmet or for introducing outside air into the inside of the helmet.
As earlier technology information related to a helmet which includes the ventilation structure of the present invention, for example, there exists in Japanese Patent Laid-open Hei 8 (1996)-291422 (see [0010], [0011] and [FIG. 2]) which is referred as a Reference 1.
The ventilation structure of the helmet which is described in the Reference 1 is constituted by fixing a tunnel-shaped guiding duct to an opening of a ventilation hole which is formed in the vicinity of a substantially crest portion of a helmet body by adhesion.
That is, when a traveling wind which is introduced from a front opening portion of the guiding duct is discharged from a rear opening portion of the guiding duct while traveling, due to a negative pressure which is generated inside the guiding duct, hot air inside the helmet is sucked into the guiding duct from the ventilation hole and, at the same time, the hot air is discharged from a rear opening portion of the guiding duct along with the traveling wind which is introduced into the guiding duct.


A method for automatic testing of a laboratory specimen includes the initial step of obtaining a specimen to be tested and placing the specimen in a specimen container. The container is removably mounted in an independent carrier designed to carry an individual specimen through a laboratory to one or more of a plurality of work stations, where a predetermined test will be performed on the specimen. Once the test has been performed, the carrier is moved to another work station based on the result of the first test and then to an archiving station for storage of the specimen.

Clinical laboratory testing has changed and improved remarkably over the past 70 years. Initially, tests or assays were performed manually, and generally utilized large quantities of serum, blood or other materials/body fluids. As mechanical technology developed in the industrial work place, similar technology was introduced into the clinical laboratory. With the introduction of new technology, methodologies were also improved in an effort to improve the quality of the results produced by the individual instruments, and to minimize the amount of specimen required to perform each test.
More recently, instruments have been developed to increase the efficiency of testing procedures by reducing turn around time and decreasing the volumes necessary to perform various assays. Present directions in laboratory testing focus on cost containment procedures and instrumentation. Laboratory automation is one area in which cost containment procedures are currently being explored. Robotic engineering has evolved to such a degree that various types of robots have been applied in the clinical laboratory setting.
The main focus of prior art laboratory automation relies on the implementation of conveyor systems to connect areas of the clinical laboratory. Known conveyor systems in the laboratory setting utilize separate conveyor segments to move specimens from a processing station to a specific laboratory work station. In order to obtain cost savings, the specimens are sorted manually, and grouped in a carrier rack to be conveyed to a specific location. In this way, a carrier will move a group of 5-20 specimens from the processing location to the specific work station to perform a single test on each of the specimens in the carrier.
While grouping a plurality of specimens in a single carrier may be more cost efficient where every specimen requires only a single specific test, and none of the specimens within a carrier require special priority, it is not uncommon in the hospital environment for a specimen to be subjected to a variety of different tests, or for a particular specimen to require a very short turn around time. In such an event, the current automation system could not be utilized, and the particular specimen would have to be manually moved to various work test stations based upon the time constraints and tests designated for the specimen.
Another problem with prior attempts at laboratory automation is in tracking the specimen and reporting the results of the specimen tested. Test results can serve as the basis for requiring additional testing of a particular specimen reflex or spawned testing. If the test results are required within a short time period, rapid and efficient reporting of test results can improve laboratory quality and efficiency.

Method for automatic testing of laboratory specimens

Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska


A magnetic verification system for a bill acceptor includes a magnetic induction circuit, a signal amplifying and regulating circuit, and a magnetic field generating circuit. The signal amplifying and regulating circuit has a D/A converter, and the magnetic induction circuit has a magnetic device adapted for scanning the magnetic ink of the bill to be verified. The magnetic device is adapted to write a magnetic field reference value from the magnetic field generating circuit into the D/A converter, for enabling the D/A converter to adjust the intensity of light being emitted by a LED of the signal amplifying and regulating circuit onto a photoresistance of the signal amplifying and regulating circuit so as to cause the photoresistance to change the resistance thereof subject to the intensity of light from the LED, so that an operation amplifier at the output end of the magnetic induction circuit obtains the correct magnetic field signal value to verify the authenticity of the inserted bill.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bill acceptors and, more specifically, to a magnetic verification system for a bill acceptor in which the intensity of light emitted from an LED to a photoresistance is adjusted to cause the photoresistance to change its resistance so that the operational amplifier at the output end of a magnetic induction circuit obtains the correct magnetic field signal value to verify the authenticity of the inserted bill.
2. Description of the Related Art
The magnetic verification systems of regular bill acceptors are commonly adapted to verify the authenticity of bills by means of scanning the magnetic ink of the bills. When verifying different kinds of bills, the resistance value of a variable resistor is adjusted, thereby adjusting the gain of the operational amplifier connected to the variable resistor to produce a different amplification in response to different magnetic field signal values induced by the magnetic device of the system. However, when the ambient temperature changes significantly, the signal output of the magnetic device becomes unstable, and the weak output of voltage potential from the magnetic device, even after adjustment of the gain of the operational amplifier, is not stable enough for recognition, resulting in a false judgment. Further, different elements (magnetic device, operation amplifier) from different suppliers may be different in functioning, affecting the verification operation of the system.

Magnetic verification system for bill acceptor

International Currency Technologies Corporation


A belt pickup header for an agricultural harvesting machine includes a frame having opposite ends, a belt pickup carried by the frame, and a pair of suspension arms carrying the belt pickup. Each suspension arm is pivotally coupled with a respective frame end. A pair of compression springs are each positioned between a respective suspension arm and corresponding frame end. Each spring vertically supports a respective suspension arm. A pair of fluid shocks are each interconnected between a respective suspension arm and corresponding frame end. Each fluid shock damps movement of the corresponding suspension arm.

An agricultural harvesting machine such as a combine includes a header and a feeder housing which remove the crop material from the field, gather the crop material and transport the crop material to a separator. The grain is cleaned and deposited in a grain tank. When the grain tank becomes full, an unloading auger which is positioned alongside the combine during harvesting is moved to the unloading position in which the auger extends approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the combine. The combine drives alongside a vehicle into which the grain is to be unloaded, such as a semi-trailer, and the unloading auger is actuated to discharge the grain into the vehicle.
For small stemmed crops such as wheat, soybeans, etc., the combine typically carries and drives a header, in this instance also known as a cutting platform, with a sickle bar cutter at the leading edge of the platform. The crop is cut using the sickle bar cutter and conveyed to the feeder housing of the combine using suitable conveying structures such as an overhead reel, draper belts or dual feed auger, etc.
For certain applications and operating environments, the crop is cut prior to full maturation and dry down, and allowed to dry in the field prior to being picked up and processed with a combine. A crop which is processed too green is hard on the internal workings of the combine and also results in high drying costs to reduce the crop moisture level to a target level.
For example, in western Canada a fair amount of cereal grain is grown where the growing seasons are typically too short to allow full maturation and dry down. It is thus common practice to first cut the cereal grain with a sickle bar cutter in windrows. The cereal grain is allowed to dry in the windrows and is subsequently picked up using a pickup header carried by the combine. A cutting platform with a sickle bar cutter as described above is not suitable for this type harvesting practice.
One type of known pickup header is a belt pickup header, including one or more belts which are carried by generally horizontally positioned drive and idler rollers. The belt(s) convey the crop material rearwardly to the feeder housing of the combine.
A belt pickup header can experience large and abrupt vertical motion when exposed to rough terrain or rough fields. The belt pickup is typically cantilevered in front of the header frame, which is itself cantilevered from the forward extending feeder housing on the front of the combine. Fast transportation speeds and rough road terrain can cause significant movement of the pickup belt header and in extreme situations, result in mechanical failure. Rough or uneven field terrain can also cause the belt pickup to lift off the ground and miss crop.
During transportation, at speeds higher than field operation, bumps or dips in the road terrain can result in the belt pickup being thrown vertically into the air resulting in damage to the belt pickup or to the header frame due to the abrupt stopping at the upper or lower stops. Thus, suspension is necessary for efficient and safe field operation and transportation of a belt pickup platform. During harvesting operation, the forward end of the belt pickup must follow the ground quite closely. Belt pickup headers are provided with a pair of wide-spaced gauge wheels running just ahead and outside of the forward portion of the belt pickup. The belt pickup is free to pivot relative to the header frame about a generally horizontal axis. A pair of tension springs extend at a downwardly angled orientation between the header frame and each respective end of the belt pickup to support the belt pickup when the header is raised, such as during road transport or at the ends of the windrows.
What is needed in the art is a suspension system for a belt pickup header which better vertically supports and damps movement of the belt pickup.

Suspension system for a belt pickup header in an agricultural harvester


The invention provides a pulse width modulation amplifier that includes a correction circuit, an envelope detector, a level detector, a PWM carrier generator, an interpolation arithmetic circuit, and a PWM circuit. The envelope detector detects an envelope of digital data to be input. The correction circuit performs distortion correction, frequency characteristic correction, and ΔΣ correction, for the input digital data. The level detector detects levels of the digital data supplied by the envelope detector. The PWM carrier generator gates a carrier signal having a frequency corresponding to the output of the level detector. The interpolation arithmetic circuit generates interpolation data synchronous with the carrier signal from the digital data. The PWM circuit converts the interpolation data into a pulse width modulation signal based on the carrier signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a pulse width modulation amplifier that transforms pulse code modulation (PCM) data into a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal, and amplifies and outputs it, and in particular to a pulse width modulation amplifier that reduces output noise.
2. Description of Related Art
This type of pulse width modulation amplifier has the difficulty of performing a feedback operation for reducing output noise. When the feedback operation is not performed, jitter from a master clock is supplied as output noise as it is. Accordingly, a pulse width modulation amplifier of the prior art has used a technique, by which an output from the pulse width modulation amplifier is provided to a low pass filter to produce an analog signal. The analog signal is transformed to digital data by an analog to digital (A/D) converter, which is feedback to an input. See, for example, Patent Publication Sho 59-183510.
However, the technique has the drawback that since it needs an A/D converter, it has many components and complex circuits and is expensive.
On the other hand, in the prior art, amplifiers, which convert PCM data into an analog signal and then a PWM signal, have been widely used. Because the amplifiers are of analog type, they can easily perform a feedback operation of an output thereof. However, when the processing of PWM is performed based on analog processing, it has the disadvantage that it cannot follow miniaturization of semiconductor process.
As a prior art example coning a pulse width modulation amplifier, there is Utility Model Publication Hei 3-36099.
Accordingly, there is a need for overcoming the disadvantage.


A liquid crystal display (2) includes: a first substrate (20); a second substrate (22); a liquid crystal layer (21) between the first substrate and the second substrate; and a plurality of pixel regions each defined by respective pixel electrodes (224) and a common electrode (222), for application of a voltage to the liquid crystal layer and formation of a fringe electric field at each pixel region. Each pixel region includes a transmissive region (R) and a reflective region (T). A thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the transmissive region is greater than a thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the reflective region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to liquid crystal displays, and especially to a transflective fringe field switching liquid crystal display (FFS LCD).
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, liquid crystal displays have become widely used in computer and communication products such as notebooks, cell phones and personal digital assistants. This is largely due to the thinness, lightness, and low power consumption of liquid crystal displays. Usually a liquid crystal display needs a planar light source, such as a backlight module, to display images. The backlight module is the main power consuming component of the liquid crystal display. In order to reduce power consumption, reflective type liquid crystal displays have been developed. A reflective liquid crystal display uses natural light beams to provide a planar light source. However, conventional reflective liquid crystal displays have some limitations; for example, a long response time and a narrow view angle.
To resolve the above-mentioned problems, a reflective fringe field switching liquid crystal display (FFS LCD) is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,583,842 issued on Jun. 24, 2003. As represented in FIG. 4, the FFS LCD 1 includes a first substrate 10, a second substrate 12, and a liquid crystal layer 11 interposed between the substrates 10, 12.
The first substrate 10 comprises a first glass sheet 101 and a first alignment film 102. The first alignment film 102 is adhered on one surface (not labeled) of the first glass sheet 101, the surface facing the liquid crystal layer 11.
The second substrate 12 comprises a second glass sheet 121, a common electrode 122, an insulating layer 123, a plurality of pixel electrodes 124, and a second alignment film 125. The second glass sheet 121, the common electrode 122, and the insulating layer 123 are stacked from bottom to top in the order. The pixel electrodes 124 are formed on the insulating layer 123, and are spaced apart from and parallel to each other. The common electrode 122 is uniformly formed on the second glass sheet 121, and is made of a high reflectivity metal such as aluminum. Therefore, the common electrode 122 functions as both an electrically conductive electrode and a reflector.
The reflective FFS LCD 1 can efficiently use natural light beams, due to the reflection of the common electrode 122. Thus power consumption is reduced. Also, the common electrode 122 and the pixel electrodes 124 are both formed on the second substrate 12, which provides a dense fringe electric field parallel to the second substrate 12. The fringe electric field yields a fast response time and a wide view angle.
However, when the ambient environment is dark, the reflection of ambient light by the common electrode 122 is limited. The visibility of the reflective FFS LCD display 1 is poor. Conversely, a transmission type liquid crystal display is disadvantageous when the ambient environment is bright.
An improved liquid crystal display which overcomes the above-mentioned problems and shortcomings is desired.

Transflective fringe field switching liquid crystal display


Gaming systems, gaming terminals, and multi-display arrangements for a wagering game terminal are presented herein. A gaming system for conducting a wagering game is disclosed which includes at least one input device, at least one processor, first and second electronic display devices, and an electronic display-transition device. The first and second electronic display devices are mounted in side-by-side, non-coplanar relationship and spaced a gap apart from each other. Each of the display devices is configured to dynamically display aspects of the wagering game. The electronic display-transition device extends across the gap from the first electronic display device to the second electronic display device. The electronic display-transition device is also configured to dynamically display aspects of the wagering game. The electronic display-transition device can have a curvilinear cross-sectional profile and/or a flexible display screen.

Gaming terminals, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning at each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting machines. Shrewd operators consequently strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines, features, and enhancements available because such machines attract frequent play and hence increase profitability to the operator. Thus, gaming manufacturers continuously strive to develop new games and improved gaming enhancements that will attract frequent play through enhanced entertainment value to the player.
One concept that has been successfully employed to enhance the entertainment value of a game is the concept of a "secondary" or "bonus" game that may be played in conjunction with a "primary" or "basic" game. The bonus game may comprise any type of game, either similar to or completely different from the basic game, which is entered upon the occurrence of a selected event or outcome in the basic game. Generally, bonus games provide a greater expectation of winning than the basic game and may also be accompanied with more attractive or unusual video displays and/or audio. Wagering games may additionally award players with "progressive jackpot" awards that are funded, at least in part, by a percentage of coin-in from the gaming machine or a plurality of participating gaming machines.
Another way to increase the entertainment value of a wagering game is to enhance the display features associated with the gaming system and/or individual gaming machines. Many gaming machines include a variety of visual attractions and displays, such as models, signs, and other forms of information. These items typically include fixed permanently-printed glass, video displays, artwork, models, and/or marquees. In many gaming regions, industry regulations in fact require each gaming terminal to include top-box mounted lighting and signage that indicate, for example, the class of machine, when the machine is out of funds, when the machine is malfunctioning, etc. For gaming machines with electronic video displays, improvements in video technology, such as liquid crystal display (LCD) panels, plasma display panels, and light emitting diode (LED) displays, have enabled the display of richer and more colorful graphics.
Historically, each gaming machine is limited to a primary display device and a dedicated top box display arrangement with a top-box mounted display device or marquee assembly. In most configurations, the gaming terminal's primary and top-box graphical display devices are rigidly mounted to the cabinet, juxtaposed one on top of the other in a generally parallel, often coplanar layout. The transition area of the gaming terminal between the two graphical display devices is often unused "dead" space or bears permanently-printed graphics. New developments in graphical displays, including those that eliminate "dead" space in multi-display arrangements, can further enhance player appeal and thus increase game play and player loyalty.

Gaming devices and gaming systems with multiple display device arrangement


A method and apparatus for visually observing thermal disparities between like vehicular components that are spatially separated. The invention uses only one infrared camera and one or more surfaces to reflect the thermal image of spatially separated components into the camera. The image generated by the infrared camera can be sent directly to a viewing apparatus or to a computer capable of controlling internal camera functions as well and providing video processing and analysis capabilities.

1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to thermography. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for displaying more than one infrared image to permit visual comparison of objects within the field of view of the apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
Note that the following discussion refers to a number of publications by authors and year of publication, and that due to recent publication dates certain publications are not to be considered as prior art vis-a-vis the present invention. Discussion of such publications herein is given for more complete background and is not to be construed as an admission that such publications are prior art for patentability determination purposes.
Motor vehicle brake components play an essential role in contributing to safety on our nations highways. As such, several inventions have been developed to detect cold brake components which indicate that the brake is not functioning properly. The majority of theses inventions measure the gross thermal radiation emitted by everything contained within their field of view. For example, a prior art device focused at a wheel and brake assembly would be incapable of determining if the tire or the brake was overheating. This is because many prior art devices return only one gross radiation value for the entire area in the field of view. Since these devices are incapable of determining precisely what component is emitting the greatest amount of thermal radiation in their field of view, it is often desirable for them to have the smallest field of view possible, thus enabling the user to determine only the radiation of the component contained within the field of view of the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,942,753, to Dell, entitled "Infrared Remote Sensing Device and System for Checking Vehicle Brake Condition", discloses a device for determining the thermal condition of vehicle brakes. An infrared sensing device having two detectors measures infrared radiation being emitted by each brake. The measurements obtained are then sent to a computer which then displays two values representative of the measured radiation of the two brakes together with a video image of the truck taken by a conventional video camera.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,478,151, to Duhrkoop, entitled "Device for Detecting Excessively Heated Components or Locations in Moving Objects", discloses the use of an infrared beam detector and separate lenses, each aimed at a separate measuring point, as well as a movable mirror for alternately focusing the infrared beam on a single radiation detector.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,432, to Keller et al., entitled "Radiation Detection Method and Apparatus", discloses focusing beams of radiation from spatially separate areas of a human body onto a single radiation detector. The radiation detector preferably used is an infrared detector which produces an electrical output when a thermal differential is detected.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,029, to Diepeveen et al., entitled "Stereoscopic Infrared Imager Having a Time-Shared Detector Array", discloses a device which uses two mirrors, each capturing an infrared image, and two rotating mirrors that scan the fields of view provided by the two static mirrors and directs the radiation to a single radiation detector, the measured alternating temperature values then being displayed on separate display devices.
None of the devices of the aforementioned patents are capable of determining a radiation imbalance nor are they capable of creating and displaying a thermal image on a visual display apparatus. There is thus a present need for a method and apparatus which will enable more than one infrared image to be displayed on a viewing apparatus, thus enabling a user to quickly and easily perceive differences between the two thermal images and thereby not only determine which component has an unusual, unexpected or abnormal thermal signature, but also determine which specific area (and therefore which component) of the field of view has an irregular temperature.

Apparatus for visual comparison of infrared images


Methods and compositions for blocking Ca.sup.2+ channels within an organism are provided. For example, a toxin was isolated from the Agelenopsis aperta spider. The toxin comprised a 48 amino acid toxin having a molecular weight of approximately 5,274. This toxin was found to block calcium channels within the central nervous system. The Agelenopsis gene responsible for producing this toxin has been identified and cloned. This gene and/or its derivatives provide a mechanism by which the toxin can be produced using recombinant DNA expression technologies.. The present invention further relates to methods of treating neurological diseases by applying the toxins isolated and identified. The toxin may provide beneficial effects on certain neurological conditions including seizures, ischemic-hypoxic CNS damage, and neurodegenerative disorders. It is also found that the toxins are effective as tags in probing calcium channels.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the isolation of certain toxins from spider venoms and the use of those toxins as inhibitors of the functions of ion channels. In particular, the present invention relates to spider venom toxins and their use as blockers of calcium channels in the central nervous and neuromuscular systems of organisms, including humans.
2. The Background of the Invention
Movement of calcium ions across cell membranes is a critically important event in the normal functioning of excitable tissues such as vascular smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and the central nervous system. Influx of calcium ions through specialized channels in the cell membranes regulates release of substances such as hormones and neurotransmitters.
The movement of calcium ions also regulates contraction of heart muscle and of vascular smooth muscle in the wall of blood vessels. Abnormal influx of calcium ions has been reported to play a role in the pathogenesis of various cardiovascular disorders (e.g., anoxic/ischemic heart disease), and drugs capable of blocking the movement of calcium through calcium channels have been used for treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, coronary artery disease, and cardiomyopathy.
The currently used drugs, however, have non-specific physiological effects and varying tissue specificities that can lead to undesirable side-effects in patients. Moreover, there are several known subtypes of calcium channels with varying physiological actions and no drug that specifically blocks certain of these subtypes is known.
In the nervous system, calcium influx into the presynaptic nerve terminal via calcium channels is a necessary prerequisite for the release of chemical neurotransmitter at synapses and thus for the proper functioning of these synapses. Lowering of the extracellular calcium concentration is routinely used by neurophysiologists to reduce or abolish synaptic transmission in isolated pieces of nervous tissue.
It has not been possible, however, to specifically affect synaptic transmission in vivo in the central nervous system ("CNS") by manipulating the function of neuronal calcium channels With the exception of the omega-conotoxin recently isolated from the venom of the marine snail Conus geographus, no drug with sufficiently specific or potent effects on CNS calcium channels is known.
Abnormal influx of calcium is thought to be very important in the pathogenesis of several CNS disorders, including anoxic/ischemic (stroke) damage, epilepsy, and the neuronal death associated with chronic epilepsy. Again, the paucity of chemical agents that potently and specifically block CNS calcium channels has impeded the development of an effective drug therapy for these prevalent neurological problems.
Thus, it would be a very considerable improvement in the art if it were possible to develop chemical agents that specifically and potently block calcium channel function in the CNS. In particular, it would be an advancement in the art to provide a specific blocker for particular subtypes of calcium channel. Similarly, it would be an advancement in the art to provide a specific blocker of calcium channels in the CNS.
Such chemical compositions and methods for their use are disclosed and claimed below.


The present invention aims to evenly and surely knead a concrete material comprising less water amount. Concrete material layer entered into a kneading tank is cut in an up-and-down direction and divided into a plurality of layer sections arrayed side by side along a right-and-left direction,, and one of the divided layer sections is piled up another one of the divided layer sections in the up-and-down direction, then the piled up concrete layer sections are compacted, in other words are pressed in the up-and-down direction and extended in a horizontal direction, and further these steps are repeated.

The present invention relates to a concrete kneading apparatus, and particularly to a kneading apparatus preferable for a stiff-consistency concrete having less water.
There has been conventionally and chiefly used a concrete kneading apparatus in which an inclined mixing drum is utilized to rotate the concrete material entered inside the mixing drum so as to be stirred by virtue of the gravity which acts on the concrete itself, or a concrete kneading apparatus in which the concrete material entered into a tank or a pipe is forced to be stirred by stirring fins or wings.
In accordance with said conventional methods, however, it was difficult to evenly knead the stiff-consistency concrete material including less water amount by merely using such stirring fins or wings due to poor flowability of the stiff-consistency concrete material, though it is relatively easy to evenly stir in the case of a relatively soft concrete material comprising more water because of high flowability.


A CDMA system includes first and second correlators, a delay buffer, a transmission-line correcting section, and a transmission-line estimating section. The delay buffer is supplied with the data for each symbol extracted from the first correlator to adjust a difference in timing at which the data is output from the first correlator, the difference being caused by a difference in spreading coefficient. The transmission-line correcting section is supplied with an output signal of the delay buffer. The estimating section is supplied with the data for each symbol extracted from the second correlator to obtain a transmission-line response from pilot information and supply transmission-line estimated value information to the transmission-line correcting section using the transmission-line response as an estimated value. The transmission-line correcting section makes a transmission-line correction to the information of the information channel based on the transmission-line estimated value information obtained by the transmission-line estimating section.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a radio communication system using a cellular phone such as a mobile phone and a car phone. More specifically, the invention relates to a code division multiple access system for eliminating a difference in output timing of data in each of a correlator of a pilot channel and that of an information channel using a queue for each spreading coefficient and a method for controlling transmission line correction timing of the system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, CDMA (code division multiple access) includes a channel through which a pilot signal for making a transmission-line estimation flows (pilot channel) and a channel through which data flows (information channel). A receiving end can estimate a transmission-line response by transmitting a known pattern to the pilot channel. A received value of the information channel is corrected on the basis of the transmission-line estimated value, thereby decreasing an error rate of data.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining a prior art code division multiple access system and a method for controlling timing of transmission-line correction of the system. It shows a section 300 to which a transmission-line estimated value is applied for one finger. Information of an information channel is input to a correlator 311 via an input line 331. The correlator 311 correlates the information of the information channel with a spreading code and extracts data for each symbol (symbol information). When a plurality of fingers are used, the symbol information is input to a finger-to-finger delay adjustment section 312 in order to adjust a delay difference between fingers. When only one finger is used, no finger-to-finger delay adjustment is always required. The data of the finger-to-finger delay adjustment section 312 is supplied to a transmission-line correcting section 313.
On the other hand, information of the pilot channel is input to a correlator 321 via an input line 332. The correlator 321 correlates the information of the pilot channel with a spreading code and extracts data for each symbol (symbol information). When a plurality of fingers are used, the symbol information is input to a finger-to-finger delay adjustment section 322 in order to adjust a delay difference between fingers. When only one finger is used, no finger-to-finger delay adjustment is always required. The data of the section 322 is supplied to a transmission-line estimating section 323, in which a transmission-line response is obtained from the known pilot information. The section 323 outputs the transmission-line response to the transmission line correcting section 313 as transmission-line estimated value information.
The transmission-line correcting section 313 makes a transmission-line correction to the data of the information channel based on the transmission-line estimated value information obtained from the transmission-line estimating section 323. The corrected data is output from an output line 333.
There is a case where pilot and information channels differ in spreading coefficients in CDMA. For example, the spreading coefficient of the pilot channel tends to be set higher in order to decrease the error rate of the pilot channel. There is a case where the spreading coefficient of the information channel lowers in order to increase the transfer rate of data. Per-symbol time from when data is input to a correlator until it is output therefrom depends upon the length of a spreading code. The longer the spreading code (or the higher the spreading coefficient), the longer the per-symbol time.
Problems arising from variations in spreading coefficient will now be described in detail. FIG. 2A shows a relationship in symbol interval between data of a transmission line and that of a correlator when the spreading coefficient of each of pilot and information channels is 256, while FIG. 2B shows the same relationship when the spreading coefficient is 128. The correlators 311 and 321 observe a correlation between a spreading code and information of the information channel and a correlation between a spreading code and information of the pilot channel, respectively. Time required until data is output therefore corresponds to a value obtained by multiplying the spreading coefficient by per-chip time. The duration of the time is referred to as a one-symbol length in the spreading coefficient.
When the spreading coefficient is 256, symbol information items 411 to 414 in the transmission line correspond to data (symbol information) items 421 to 424 of the correlators 311 and 321 as shown in FIG. 2A. Paying attention to the symbol information item 411 with symbol number 0 in the transmission line, the symbol information item 421 is output from the correlators 311 and 321 after the symbol information item 411 is output, i.e., after the one-symbol length in the spreading coefficient. Time required until the symbol information items 412, 413 and 414 with symbol numbers 1, 2 and 3 are output from the correlators 311 and 321 as symbol information items 422, 423 and 424, respectively corresponds to the one-symbol length described above.
Similarly, when the spreading coefficient is 128, symbol information items 431 to 438 in the transmission line correspond to data items 441 to 448 of the correlators 311 and 321 as shown in FIG. 2B. Paying attention to the symbol information item 431 with symbol number 0 in the transmission line, the symbol information item 441 is output from the correlators 311 and 321 after the symbol information item 431 is output, i.e., after the one-symbol length in the spreading coefficient. Time required until the symbol information items 432, 433, 434, . . . and 438 with symbol numbers 1, 2, 3, . . . and 7 are output from the correlators 311 and 321 as symbol information items 442, 443, 444, . . . and 448 respectively corresponds to the one-symbol length corresponds to the one-symbol length described above.
The symbol length in the spreading coefficient of 256 is twice as long as that in the spreading coefficient of 128. Assume that symbol information item 411 with symbol number 0 in the spreading coefficient of 256 and the symbol information item in the spreading coefficient of 128 which is present in the transmission line during the same time period as the symbol information item 411, correspond to symbol information items 431 and 432 with symbol numbers 0 and 1, respectively. In this case, data of the correlators 311 and 321 corresponding to the symbol information item 411 with symbol number 0 in the spreading coefficient of 256 is symbol information item 421.
Data of the correlators corresponding to the symbol information items 431 and 432 with symbol numbers 0 and 1 in the spreading coefficient of 128 is symbol information items 441 and 442. The timing at which the symbol information items 411, 431 and 432 in the same transmission line are output from the correlators corresponds to the timing at which the symbol information items 421, 441 and 442 are output from the correlators. It is thus understood that the timing at which the symbol information item in the spreading coefficient of 256 is output from the correlators is delayed by a difference between the symbol length in the spreading coefficient of 256 and that in the spreading coefficient of 128.
When the pilot channel is transmitted with a spreading coefficient of 256 and the information channel is transmitted with a spreading coefficient of 128, the timings of a pilot symbol and an information symbol differ between the transmission line and the outputs of the correlators.
When the information channel does not change in spreading coefficient, a buffer is simply provided for an amount of delay to delay information of the information channel. The information of the information channel can thus be time-adjusted to that of the pilot channel that is transmitted during the same period in the transmission line. In the foregoing case, the information channel with a spreading coefficient of 128 is stored in the buffer and delayed by the time for 128 chips corresponding to a difference in symbol length. The symbol information items whose timing is the same as that of the pilot channel with a spreading coefficient of 256 in the transmission line can queue for each other.
When the information channel changes in spreading coefficient, an amount of delay varies dynamically and thus the control of timing becomes very complicated. This problem will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B.
FIGS. 3A and 3B show data of the correlators acquired when the information channel changes in spreading coefficient. In FIG. 3A, the spreading coefficient changes from 256 to 128. In FIG. 3B, it changes from 128 to 256.
First, let us consider a case where symbol information items 511 and 512 having symbol numbers 8 and 9 are transmitted with a spreading coefficient of 256 and symbol information items 513, 514, 515 and 516 having symbol numbers 0, 1, 2 and 3 are transmitted with a spreading coefficient of 128. The symbol information items 511 to 516 propagate through the transmission line at their respective symbol-length intervals. In contrast, symbol information items 521 to 526 output from the correlators propagate as shown in FIG. 3A. The symbol length of symbol information item 521 output from the correlators, which corresponds to the symbol information item 511 transmitted with a spreading coefficient of 256, is equal to the symbol length in the spreading coefficient of 256. However, the symbol interval of symbol information item 522 output from the correlators, which corresponds to the symbol information item 512 transmitted with a spreading coefficient of 256, is equal to the symbol length in the (changed) spreading coefficient of 128. The symbol information items 523 to 526 output from the correlators, which correspond to the symbol information items 513 to 516 transmitted after the spreading coefficient is changed, are output at symbol-length intervals in the spreading coefficient of 128.
Let us consider another case where symbol information items 531 and 534 having symbol numbers 16, 17, 18 and 19 are transmitted with a spreading coefficient of 128 and symbol information items 535 and 536 having symbol numbers 0 and 1 are transmitted with a spreading coefficient of 256. The symbol information items 531 to 536 propagate through the transmission line at their respective symbol-length intervals. Symbol information items 541 to 546 output from the correlators propagate as shown in FIG. 3B. The symbol interval of symbol information items 541 to 543 output from the correlators, which correspond to the symbol information items 531 to 533 transmitted with a spreading coefficient of 128, is equal to the symbol length in the spreading coefficient of 128. However, the symbol interval of symbol information item 544 output from the correlators, which corresponds to the symbol information item 534 transmitted with a spreading coefficient of 128, is equal to the symbol length in the (changed) spreading coefficient of 256. The symbol information items 545 and 546 output from the correlators, which correspond to the symbol information items 535 and 536 transmitted after the spreading coefficient is changed, are output at symbol-length intervals in the spreading coefficient of 256.
When the spreading coefficient is changed in the manner described above, the last symbol information before the change in spreading coefficient is used as the symbol length after that change.
Time required until the symbol information is output from the correlators also changes after the spread coefficient changes.
Assuming that the pilot channel is continuously transmitted with a fixed spreading coefficient, a time difference varies in units of symbol in a stage succeeding to the correlators of the pilot and information channels that are transmitted during the same period in the transmission line. In order to correctly make a transmission-line correction, however, symbol information items need to be used in combination of the information and pilot channels that are transmitted during the same period in the transmission line.
In order to adjust the time difference, timing needs to be controlled so as to change an amount of delay from the symbol information whose spreading coefficient varies. However, it is necessary to always recognize a boundary of symbol information items whose spreading coefficient vary, thus complicating the control of timing. Further, an amount of delay of different symbols needs to be changed according to a combination of spreading coefficients, which also complicates the control of timing.
The foregoing code division multiple access system has the following problem. When the spreading coefficient is changed during the transmission of symbol information in the transmission line, the symbol length of the symbol information is changed and the time required until the symbol information is output from the correlator is changed.
In order to resolve the above problem and exactly make a transmission-line correction, an amount of delay needs to be changed based on symbol information whose spreading coefficient varies and an amount of delay of different symbols needs to be changed according to a combination of spreading coefficients. The control of timing can thus be complicated.

Code division multiple access systems using a queue for each spread coefficient and method for controlling transmission line correction timing of the system


A radio telephone includes a cordless telephone fixed set and a mobile set. The cordless telephone fixed set is connected to a telephone line. The mobile set includes a first transmitter and a first receiver for radio communication with the cordless telephone fixed set. In addition, the mobile set includes a second transmitter and a second receiver for radio communication with an external base station. The mobile set includes a device for instructing a communication start, a device for detecting an answer signal outputted from the cordless telephone fixed set, a device for enabling the first transmitter to transmit a talking start signal when the instructing device instructs the communication start, and a device for, in cases where the first transmitter transmits the talking start signal but the detecting device fails to detect the answer signal, enabling the second transmitter to transmit a talking start signal.

This invention relates to a radio telephone.
A general radio telephone network such as an automobile telephone network includes a base station or base stations each having a service area with a radius of several kilometers to several tens of kilometers. Mobile stations located within a service area can communicate with a related base station, and thereby can be coupled to telephone lines via the base station. As used herein, the general radio telephone network refers to a wide area, multi-user, radio telephone system, typically comprising a cellular mobile telephone system including cellular base station sites and portable and/or mobile cellular transceivers.
A general home-use cordless telephone has a fixed set and a mobile set. The fixed set is directly connected to a telephone line. The mobile set can communicate with the fixed set by radio, and thereby can be coupled to the telephone line via the fixed set. The fixed set has a service area corresponding to a distance of about 10 meters to 100 meters.
It is advantageous to combine a radio telephone and a cordless telephone.

Radio telephone having a cordless or cellular only mode and a cordless/cellular mode

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


An optical power monitor for an optical signal having a signal spectrum superimposed on a noise spectrum. Typically, the optical power monitor includes an optical coupler, first and second optical band-pass filters, first and second photodetectors, and an operating unit. The optical coupler branches the optical signal into first and second beams. The first optical band-pass filter has a first pass band including the signal spectrum, and the first beam is supplied to the first optical band-pass filter. The second optical band-pass filter has a second pass band including the signal spectrum and narrower than the first pass band, and the second beam is supplied to the second optical band-pass filter. The first photodetector receives the first beam passed through the first optical band-pass filter, and the second photodetector receives the second beam passed through the second optical band-pass filter. The operating unit calculates the power of the optical signal according to output signals from the first and second photodetectors. Since the first and second optical band-pass filters have different pass bands, the power of the optical signal relating to the signal spectrum can be precisely monitored with no effects of the noise spectrum.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical amplifier and an optical power monitor applicable to the optical amplifier.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, an erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) and other optical amplifiers applicable to an optical communication system or an optical network system have been put to practical use. An optical signal supplied to or output from an optical amplifier has a signal spectrum superimposed on a noise spectrum. For example, in the case that a plurality of repeaters each having an optical amplifier are provided on an optical fiber transmission line, the noise spectrum generated in each optical amplifier is accumulated to cause a problem that optical power relating to the signal spectrum cannot be precisely monitored, so a solution to cope with this problem is required.
Conventionally known is an optical amplifier including an optical amplifying medium and means for pumping the optical amplifying medium so that the optical amplifying medium has a gain band. For example, in an optical pumping type of optical amplifier having a doped fiber doped with a rare earth element as the optical amplifying medium, pump light having a properly set wavelength is supplied to the doped fiber. When an optical signal is input into the doped fiber being pumped by the pump light, the optical signal is amplified in accordance with the principle of stimulated emission. Further, in a semiconductor laser type of optical amplifier, a bias current is supplied to an optical amplifying medium provided as a semiconductor chip, thereby pumping the optical amplifying medium.
In a practical optical amplifier, optical power is monitored for various purposes. For example, in order to stop the pumping of the optical amplifying medium when an optical signal input into the optical amplifier is cut off, the power of the optical signal to be supplied to the optical amplifying medium is monitored. Further, in order to perform control for maintaining the output power of the optical amplifier constant, the power of the optical signal output from the optical amplifying medium is monitored.
To monitor the power of an optical signal, the optical signal is supplied to a photodiode, for example. When an optical signal is supplied to a photodiode being reversely biased, a photocurrent according to the power of the optical signal is generated in the photodiode, thereby monitoring the power of the optical signal. In the case of monitoring the power of an optical signal output from an optical amplifying medium, the optical signal has a signal spectrum superimposed on a noise spectrum generated in the optical amplifying medium. Therefore, the power of the optical signal relating to the signal spectrum cannot be precisely monitored only by opto/electrical conversion of the optical signal through the photodiode. Further, also in the case that noise spectra are accumulated by the use of a plurality of optical amplifiers cascaded, a similar problem arises.

Optical power monitor and optical amplifier having the optical power monitor


Motion measurement errors that extend beyond the range resolution of a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) can be corrected by effectively decreasing the range resolution of the SAR in order to permit measurement of the error. Range profiles can be compared across the slow-time dimension of the input data in order to estimate the error. Once the error has been determined, appropriate frequency and phase correction can be applied to the uncompressed input data, after which range and azimuth compression can be performed to produce a desired SAR image.

The documents listed below are incorporated herein by reference:    [1] J. L. Walker, "Range-Doppler Imaging of Rotating Objects," IEEE Trans. on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, AES-16 (1), 23-52, (1980).    [2] D. E. Wahl, P. H. Eichel, D. C. Ghiglia, C. V. Jakowatz Jr., "Phase Gradient Autofocus—A Robust Tool for High Resolution SAR Phase Correction", IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, Vol. 30, No. 3, pp. 827-834, July, 1994.    [3] C. V. Jakowatz Jr., D. E. Wahl, P. H. Eichel, D. G. Ghiglia, P. A. Thompson, Spotlight-Mode Synthetic Aperture Radar: A Signal Processing Approach, ISBN 0-7923-96774, Kluwer academic Publishers, 1996.    [4] W. G. Carrara, R. S. Goodman, R. M. Majewski, Spotlight Synthetic Aperture Radar Signal Processing Algorithms, ISBN 0-89006-728-7, Artech House, Inc., 1995.    [5] M. Denny, I. Scott, "Anomalous Propagation Limitations to High-Resolution SAR Performance", Proceedings of the 2002 IEEE Radar Conference, Long Beach, Calif., USA, p. 249-254, 22-25 Apr. 2002.    [6] Bryan L. Burns, J. Thomas Cordaro, "Imaging synthetic aperture radar", U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,404, Mar. 4, 1997.
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) forms images of a scene by sampling energy from a scattered field along the radar's flight path and coherently processing the data. Coherence of the data set is facilitated by very accurately measuring the geometric relationship between the desired target scene and the radar's flight path, and accounting for this in the data processing. This requires measuring the radar's motion, or at least its relative motion, very accurately and with fractional-wavelength precision over the course of the synthetic aperture. Typically, an Inertial Measurement instrument is employed, and even this is often aided by Global Positioning Satellite navigation readings.
The raw SAR data is typically a two-dimensional array of complex data samples, with one dimension representing samples from echoes of individual pulses (fast-time), and the other dimension representing the pulse index number (slow-time). This collection is termed the phase history data. Since wideband modulation techniques, such as the Linear Frequency Modulated (LFM) chirp waveform, are normally used for individual pulses, the data needs to be processed, or compressed, in the intra-pulse or range direction to achieve the final desired range resolution. This is termed range-compression. The data needs further processing in the inter-pulse or azimuth direction to complete the image formation process. This is termed azimuth compression.
During the course of a synthetic aperture, as the radar's perspective towards a target scene changes, ranges to some target locations change or migrate relative to other target locations. This migration is deterministic and is compensated within the image formation process by algorithms such as the Polar Format Algorithm (PFA) developed by Walker (document [1] above).
Relatively small motion measurement errors manifest themselves principally as phase errors in the complex data samples, and if large enough become observable as a smearing, blurring, or other degradation in the image. For most SAR systems, however, the nature and degree of blurring is nearly identical in different parts of the degraded SAR image. This allows a measurement of the blurring function, and then a calculation of a suitable correction to be applied to the original data to compensate for the presumed motion error. Further processing then may yield a well-focused image devoid of the previously observable degradation. A number of algorithms exist to automatically focus the degraded image. While some measure and compensate blurring, others seek to optimize other measures, such as contrast ratio in the image. Collectively, these processes are termed "autofocus" algorithms. A very popular autofocus algorithm is the Phase Gradient Autofocus (PGA) algorithm described by Wahl, et. al. (document [2] above).
Very large relative motion measurement errors manifest themselves as an unexpected additional shifting or migration of target locations beyond the aforementioned deterministic migration during the course of the synthetic aperture. Degradation in images from data exhibiting errors of this magnitude are substantial, often rendering the image useless. Application of conventional autofocus techniques are unable to properly mitigate the image degradation.
A general presumption in the SAR community is that any motion measurement errors are less than the range resolution of the radar. Under this presumption, autofocus operations are conventionally applied to fully range-compressed images. Since autofocus typically requires iteratively processing the data into an image, efficiency is gained by repeating only the azimuth compression, and not the range compression operations. This presupposes that, for example, a radar with 2 cm nominal wavelength and 30 cm range resolution will never see more than (4π/λ) ρr=60π radians of phase error.
In addition to motion measurement errors, longer ranges impart greater deleterious atmospheric effects to the data, whereby electrical path lengths depart significantly from the physical path lengths. The electrical path length is related to the actual path length by the ratio of the average wavelength to the nominal wavelength, and accounts for atmospheric dielectric variations, refraction and other wave propagation phenomena. Since coherence depends on electrical path lengths, problematic errors similar to motion measurement errors may be induced by perturbations in the atmosphere's transmission characteristics in spite of perhaps otherwise adequate motion measurements.
While the presumption that apparent range errors are less than the radar's range resolution is often true, modern high-performance SARs can exceed this criterion. The drive for finer resolutions, longer ranges, and less expensive (and less accurate) motion measurement systems will increasingly cause situations where a target's echo return effectively exhibits a residual migration error exceeding one or more range resolution cells during the course of the synthetic aperture. This would doom to failure any autofocus scheme that presupposes otherwise, which includes autofocus schemes that operate only on fully range-compressed data. An example of this situation is illustrated by FIGS. 1 and 2. Initially, the re-sampled data is range-compressed as shown at R, and then azimuth-compressed as shown at A. These compression operations produce a complex image. As illustrated generally at 11, the average blurring function in the scene is measured, and it is assumed that this phenomenon is exclusively due to phase error. A phase correction vector that represents the inverse of the blurring function is applied to the range-compressed data 13, to de-convolve the blurring function. The resulting corrected range-compressed data 15 is then subjected to azimuth compression to re-form a more acceptably focused complex image at 17.
FIG. 2 illustrates the situation where a target's echo return exhibits a residual migration error that exceeds one or more range resolution cells during the course of the synthetic aperture. This is indicated generally at 23 in FIG. 2 by the irregularly shaped (not straight) configuration of the range-compressed data. Although the average blurring function in the scene can again be measured as indicated at 21, it is incorrect in this instance to assume that the blurring function is exclusively due to a phase error. A phase correction vector representing the inverse of the blurring function is applied to the range-compressed data to produce corrected range-compressed data at 25. After azimuth compression, the resulting complex image 27 is something other than an acceptably focused image, because the generation of the phase correction vector was constrained by the incorrect assumption that the range-compressed data at 23 is sufficiently "straight" (as was in fact the case in FIG. 1).
It is desirable in view of the foregoing to provide for correction of motion measurement errors that extend beyond the range resolution of a SAR. Exemplary embodiments of the invention can achieve this by effectively decreasing the range resolution of the SAR in order to permit measurement of the error. Other exemplary embodiments of the invention compare range profiles across the slow-time dimension in order to estimate the error. Once the error has been determined, appropriate frequency and phase correction can be applied to the uncompressed input data, after which range and azimuth compression can be performed to produce a desired SAR image.

Correction of motion measurement errors beyond the range resolution of a synthetic aperture radar


An approach is provided for recognizing objects in media content. The capture manager determines to detect, at a device, one or more objects in a content stream. Next, the capture manager determines to capture one or more representations of the one or more objects in the content stream. Then, the capture manager associates the one or more representations with one or more instances of the content stream.

Service providers and device manufacturers (e.g., wireless, cellular, etc.) are continually challenged to deliver value and convenience to consumers by, for example, providing compelling network services. One area of development has been the use of technology for automated recognition of faces, people, and other objects or features (e.g., recognition of expressions such as facial expressions, body gestures, movement, voice, sound, etc.) within media content such as images, video streams, and audio streams. For example, many modern communication devices (e.g., smartphones, handsets, etc.) are commonly equipped with cameras and other sensors (e.g., microphones) that enable the devices to perform such recognition (e.g., facial, voice, expression recognition, etc.) on captured content. However, these devices often employ conventional methods for facial and/or object recognition that have traditionally struggled to perform accurately under certain conditions (e.g., noise, varying expressions, bad angle, poor lighting, low resolution images or sounds, etc.). Accordingly, service providers and device manufactures face significant technical challenges to improving the accuracy of facial and/or object recognition.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for recognizing objects in media content


The present invention relates to a novel class of supermolecular carboplatin derivatives represented by general formula (I), wherein B is a polycarboxylic acid represented by general formula (II), wherein R1, R2 and n are defined as in the description. The present invention also relates to a process for preparing the same, pharmaceutical compositions containing the same as active ingredient and the use of the derivatives in the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions which are useful in treating various cellular cancers including hepatoma, stomach cancer, lung cancer and the like. The derivatives have stable cage-like chemical structures and constitutions in solid and in aqueous solution. The derivatives can not only kill cancer cells at a rate significantly higher than that by carboplatin, in particular, in the case of hepatoma cells, at a rate one to two times higher than that by carboplatin, but also produce little side effects such as vomit, baldness, decreases of leucocytes and platelets, and the like, which can be induced by administration of other chemotherapeutics. In the acute toxicity tests on mice, the lethal dose (LD50) of the present derivatives is about 300 mg/kg and 260 mg/kg body weight for a subcutaneous(sc) and an intraperitoneal(ip) administration, respectively. Therefore, the present derivatives are a novel class of cis-platium which can be widely used as anticancer agents.

Platinum-containing anticancer drugs have attracted the attention of scientists from many countries since Rosenberg and Camp firstly reported the anticancer effect of cisplatinum[Cis-Pt(NH3)2Cl2] in 1969 (Trans. Met. Chem., 1987:14, 77). In the last 30 years, tens of platinum-containing anticancerdrugs have been successfully developed and applied in clinical treatment of cancers, such as Iproplatin (GB1578323), Oxaliplatin (J. Med. Chem., 1978:21, 1315), Ormaplatin (J. Med. Chem., 1978:21, 1315), Labaplatin (EP176005), Carboplatin (GB20244823) and the like. However, these drugs are in advantageous in that their stability in aqueous solution is not so good and thus they cannot used in the form of oral preparations; they have high toxicity to human body and thus result in many serious toxic reactions in stomach, kidney, blood and the like. Therefore, novel cisplatinum-derived compounds without the above-mentioned defects have been investigated by pharmaceutical specialists all over the world for many years, but up to now, there is no substantive progress.
In 1978, J. M. Lehn proposed a new concept that weak intermolecular interactions form supermolecular compounds, that is to say, molecules, when bound via a non-covalent force (such as hydrogen bond, coordination bond, van der Waals force, electrostatic attraction, etc.), form molecular aggregates, which exhibit new physicochemical activities such as selectivity, identifiability and migration, and are named as "supermolecular compound". C. J. Peterson, D. J. Cram and Lehn were awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1987 for their great achievements in supermolecular compounds including crown ethers, cryptands and the like (J. M. Lehn, Angew. Chem., Inter. Ed. Engl., 27, 89, 1988). However, researches concerning the chemical structures of the supermolecular drugs proposed by the present inventors have not been disclosed in prior art.

Supermolecular carboplatin derivatives, their preparation and pharmaceutical composition containing them as active ingredient and applications of the compositions


The invention includes a method and apparatus for a chromatography system having a chromatographic column for separating gases in a mixture from one another and an electrochemical gas sensor coupled to the chromatographic column for detecting a gas being emitted from the column. The electrochemical gas sensor further includes a substrate having a surface for depositing electrodes thereon, an ionomer membrane in contact with the surface, an electrode in contact with the surface, and an opening in the ionomer membrane in a location proximate to the electrode for permitting a gas to diffuse through the opening to simultaneously contact the electrode and the ionomer membrane within the opening.

Gas chromatography is essentially a method of separation of mixtures of substances into their individual components. In a typical analysis of a sample by a gas chromatograph, the sample is introduced into a chromatographic column together with a carrier gas. At the end of the column the individual components are more or less separated in time. Generally, detection of the gas provides a time-scaled pattern which, by calibration or comparison with known samples, indicates the constituents of the test sample.
Separation of the sample usually occurs within the column upon interaction with the stationary phase, whereby the distribution coefficients of the elements may cause the separation. Typically, the constituents of a test sample in a carrier gas are adsorbed and desorbed by a stationary phase material in a column. Polarity may also play a role in separating the components from one another over time. Differences in polarites may cause the components to attach to the stationary phase at different intervals. Elements exiting the column are typically detected by a detector and the results are usually charted, often resulting in a chromatogram.
For gases that may have difficulty being detected by the detector, the system for the gas chromatography may optionally include a reactor, which generally heats the desired gas with a reactant to form a detectable compound. The reactant may be a gas, liquid, or solid and varies according to the desired gas to be detected. Typical reactants include air, hydrogen, and oxygen. A detectable compound is one that generally provides an electrical signal detectable by the detector.
Typical detectors for measuring the gases exiting the column include mass spectrometers and electrolytic conductivity detectors. Other detection systems include thermal conductivity, flame ionization and argon detectors. Electrolytic conductivity detectors usually provide an electrical signal that is functionally related to the presence of a selected element.
Electrolytic conductivity detectors are known for investigating the properties of electrolytes in solutions. Such devices typically include electrode surfaces with a continuous phase liquid electrolyte therebetween. These detectors may entail measuring a difference in resistance in the electrolytic material before and after the gas exiting the column enters the detector and is absorbed by the electrolytic material. If the gas was mixed with a reactant in the reactor, the reactant may also be absorbed in the electrolytic material before providing a detectable electrical signal. A possible disadvantage of the conductivity detector is that absorption by the electrolytic material takes time, which lengthens the detector's response time. The disadvantage may be exacerbated if both the gas and reactant need to be absorbed. Another possible disadvantage is the limited accuracy of the detector. Because the gas is detected indirectly, where the difference in resistance of the electrolytic material may indicate the type and/or concentration of the gas, a standard of deviation in the measurement error between the electrolytic material measurement and correlation from this measurement to the gas may negatively affect accuracy.
A typical conductivity detector is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,726 to Coulson and shown in FIG. 1. As shown, an electrolyte, reactant gas, and gas exiting from the column enter the capillary. Electrodes 24 and 28 are placed in the electrolyte solution which may measure the difference in resistance.
Similar to the conductivity detector, the mass spectrometer and other detection systems of gas chromatography have potentially limiting abilities to detect gas with a high degree of sensitivity. As mentioned in U.S. Pat. No. 6,165,251 to Lemieux et al., gas chromatography systems in general have insufficient sensitivity to measure amounts of volatiles in the parts per billion concentration range.
What is desired, therefore, is a gas chromatography system having a detector with improved sensitivity. Another desire is provide a gas chromatography system that detects gas in the parts per billion concentration range. What is also desired is a gas chromatography system having an improved response time.

Method and apparatus for enhanced detection of a specie using a gas chromatograph


An anti-skid control system for use in a motor vehicle which controls a braking pressure for a wheel of the motor vehicle to keep a slip of the wheel to an appropriate state by alternately performing a pressure-increasing operation and a pressure-maintaining operation in accordance with a slipping state of the wheel. The system first detects a slipping state of the wheel before performing the pressure-increasing operation on the basis of a vehicle speed and a wheel speed and then detects a slipping state of the wheel when a predetermined time period is elapsed from the pressure-increasing operation in a state that the braking pressure is maintained after the completion of the pressure-increasing operation so as to calculate a variation of the slipping state of the wheel on the basis of the detection results. Further, the system adjusts the ratio of a time period for the pressure-increasing operation to a time period for the pressure-maintaining operation so that the ratio becomes smaller as the variation of the slipping state becomes greater. This arrangement allows the wheel slipping state to be accurately detected without including errors due to the braking pressure increasing operation, thereby quickly increasing the braking pressure to an appropriate value.

The present invention relates to an anti-skid control system for use in a motor vehicle, and more particularly to such an anti-skid control system for continuously controlling the grade (gradient) of the braking pressure for a wheel of the motor vehicle in accordance with variation of a slipping state of the wheel.
A conventional anti-skid control system is arranged such that a wheel speed and a wheel acceleration are respectively compared with a plurality of reference speeds and a plurality of reference accelerations so as to control the braking pressure for a wheel on the basis of the comparison results in accordance with predetermined pressure-increasing patterns or pressure-decreasing patterns. However, in the case of controlling the braking pressure in accordance with the predetermined fixed pressure-controlling pattern, difficulty is encountered to effect a braking control operation adequately coping with the slipping state of the wheel, thereby deteriorating the braking efficiency.
One possible solution is, as disclosed in the Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 1-182155, to continuously change the pressure-increasing or pressure-decreasing grade through the duty control of the wheel braking pressure in which the duty ratio is determined in accordance with the slip ratio of the wheel and the time variation of the slip ratio. According to this conventional anti-skid control system, since in addition to the wheel slip ratio the time variation of the slip ratio is also used as a braking pressure control parameter, when the wheel slip ratio varies, the duty ratio can be changed in accordance with the slip ratio variation, thus preventing the wheel slip ratio from being greatly deviated from a target value. Here, for example, in the case of increasing the wheel braking pressure, the conventional anti-skid control system is arranged to alternately effect the pressure-increasing and pressure-maintaining operations in accordance with the duty ratio determined by the wheel slip ratio and the time variation of the slip ratio. When the wheel braking pressure is switched from the maintaining state to the increasing state, vibration of the wheel and the like occur due to the variation of the braking pressure. The occurrence of the wheel vibration causes variation of the wheel speed whereby errors appear in the slip ratio and the slip ratio time variation to be obtained on the basis of the wheel speed. If determining the duty ratio on the basis of the slip ratio and slip ratio time variation includes the errors, difficulty is encountered to adequately keep the slipping state of the wheel.

Anti-skid control system for motor vehicle


The magnetostatic wave device 10 includes a holder 12 made of synthetic resin. The holder 12 is provided with a number of recesses 14, 16, 22a, 22b, 24a and 24b. In the holder 12, a magnet 30 is housed in the recess 14, and a YIG element 32 as a ferromagnetic element is housed in the recess 16, and transducers 34a and 34b are housed in the recesses 22a, 22b, 24a and 24b.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a magnetostatic wave device and, more particularly, to a magnetostatic wave device which comprises a ferromagnetic element such as a YIG (yttrium iron garnet) element, a magnet for applying a magnetic field to the ferromagnetic element, and transducers provided in conjunction with the ferromagnetic element.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 11 is an illustrative sectional view showing one example of the conventional magnetostatic wave devices which is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application No. 148370/1989 (Japanese Utility Model Provisional Publication No. 86601/1991). The magnetostatic wave device 1 includes a chassis 2 made of metal, and in the chassis 2, a dielectric substrate 3 made of, for example, alumina is provided midway along the height of a chassis. On the undersurface of the dielectric substrate 3, a YIG element 4 of, for example, a strip is provided, and under the YIG element 4, an earth plate 5 is disposed. Furthermore, on the top face of the dielectric substrate 3, two spaced apart transducers (not shown) are provided. These transducers are respectively connected to two coaxial connectors (not shown) which penetrate a side wall of the chassis 2.
Furthermore, in the chassis 2, magnets 6a and 6b for applying a d.c. magnetic field to the YIG element 4 are disposed with the dielectric substrate 3 between them.
In the magnetostatic wave device 1, for example, when a signal is applied to one transducer by inputting the signal to one coaxial connector, the signal is excited as a magnetostatic forward volume wave (MSFVW). The magnetostatic forward volume wave is propagated toward the other transducer on the YIG element 4 and received by the transducer to output it as a signal from the other coaxial connector.
Furthermore, into the top wall of the chassis 2 of the magnetostatic wave device 1, two adjusting screws 7a and 7b are driven. These adjusting screws 7a and 7b are for adjusting a distribution of a magnetic field applied to the YIG element 4. Still furthermore, into the bottom wall of the chassis 2, another adjusting screw 8 is threaded, at the end of which another magnet 9 is fixed. The adjusting screw 8 and magnet 9 are for varying a magnitude of a magnetic field applied to the YIG element 4 to vary a frequency characteristic of the magnetostatic wave device 1.
However, in the magnetostatic wave device 1, a spacing between the two magnets 6a and 6b and a spacing between the chassis 2 and the magnet 6a must be kept at predetermined distances, and it is difficult to position the YIG element, the magnets and the transducers and thus the device has inferior workability and productivity when assembled.
The inventors of the present invention have proposed that the ferromagnetic element, the magnet and the transducers are housed in a metal holder in order to facilitate positioning of them, but this results in a heavy weight of the whole device.

Magnetostatic wave device having a multi-portion holder