Methods and apparatuses for identifying types of data streams and communicating stream information to improve performance of data storage devices are disclosed. Method embodiments generally comprise identifying one or more isochronous requests among a plurality of requests which may be issued to a data storage device, assigning a completion deadline an isochronous request, and communicating the isochronous request and completion deadline information to the data storage device. Apparatus embodiments generally comprise a request identifier to identify an isochronous request, a logic module to assign a completion deadline to the isochronous request, and a communication module to communicate the isochronous request and the completion deadline to a data storage device. Alternative apparatus embodiments may include a monitor module to monitor a system process operating in the system and determine if the system process issues isochronous requests. Various embodiments may process asynchronous requests, including prioritized asynchronous requests, with the isochronous requests.

Digital media applications and devices are becoming more and more popular. Additionally, people are more frequently using computers in homes, workplaces, and schools to interact with the applications and devices. For example, people are recording audio and video streams using devices such as portable media devices and video camcorders. People may record minutes or even hours of such audio and video onto temporary storage mediums, such as analog or digital cassette tapes, and transfer those multimedia streams to more permanent storage mediums, such as digital versatile discs (DVDs) and compact discs (CDs). To transfer such streams from one storage medium to another, people may use desktop or laptop computers. These transfers tend to use a mass storage device to store the data, which may be a hard disk drive or an optical storage drive.
When compared to storage of conventional data on a mass storage device, these new multimedia streams tend to involve transferring relatively larger amounts of data between the computer and the storage device. Additionally, such multimedia streams frequently require adherence to critical transfer timing parameters or otherwise create error-laden or inferior quality multimedia streams. For example, a system recording a video stream may risk dropping frames of video information if the mass storage device misses a timing parameter, such as a transfer deadline.
To complicate matters, additional operating factors may also impact or affect the storage of these modern data streams. One factor may involve concurrently using multiple applications on a single platform. For example, a user may record multiple streams of multimedia content while simultaneously executing applications, such as Microsoft® Excel® or Microsoft® Word, which generate small random input-output (I/O) tasks for the platform and data storage device. In a scenario like this, a storage controller of the platform will receive numerous I/O requests coming from the concurrent applications. Unfortunately, existing controllers and/or device drivers cannot always adequately handle high priority asynchronous data requests along with isochronous requests that are received in order to complete the requests by required request deadlines. Existing hardware and software, including device drives, have no means to identify isochronous requests and associated specific completion deadlines for those requests, in order to help prevent bottlenecks and degrades system performance when processing asynchronous and isochronous I/O requests. Additionally, as platforms are designed with faster processor frequencies and dual/multi-core processors, the processor computation time for handling media requests will shrink and exacerbate the problem of meeting the request deadlines.

Data storage device performance optimization methods and apparatuses


Within outer cover member 111 of laminated film including resin layer 111c, there is installed electricity generating element 112 thereby to constitute battery body 11, peripheral portion 113 of the outer cover member being sealed. Spacer 12 is provided which has fixing portion 121 by which the battery body is fixed to predetermined position, the spacer being arranged between outer peripheral portion of the battery body and outer peripheral portion of another battery body put on the battery body. In range H1 that includes an overlapped portion 14 between the outer peripheral portion and the spacer and is provided at least around the fixing portion of the outer peripheral portion, there is provided elastic resin portion 13 produced through insert molding of elastic resin. This thin battery exhibits satisfied stability in set condition against vibration of motor vehicle. This thin battery exhibits satisfied fixing stability against vehicle vibration.

In secondary batteries having an outer cover member of a laminated film, a type has been known in which plastic frame members are fixed to outer peripheral portions of the outer cover member to increase a mechanical strength of the outer cover member as well as a sealing strength of the outer cover member (Patent Document 1).
In the secondary battery of the above-mentioned type, a structure is employed in which an outer sealing part provided by the outer cover member is crammed into cramping grooves formed in the frame members to achieve coupling therebetween (see "resilient coupling" of paragraph 0041 of Patent Document 1). However, the structure fails to provide the secondary battery with a satisfied fixing or robustness against a vibration of a motor vehicle or the like, which is a problem.


An method and method for generating an electrical signal for use in biomedical applications, including two timing-interval generators, each optionally driving a multistep sequencer; analog, digital or hybrid means for combining the resulting timed signals into a complex electrical signal; optional filtering means for blocking direct current, removing selected frequency components from the resulting signal, and/or providing voltage step-up if needed; and conductive means for coupling the resulting signal to a human or animal body, food, beverage or other liquid, cell or tissue culture, or pharmaceutical material, in order to relieve pain, stimulate healing or growth, enhance the production of specific biochemicals, or devitalize selected types of organisms.

Injuries, infections and degenerative conditions are major sources of pain, lost function inconvenience, expense, lost work (and leisure) time, and diminished productivity. The problems associated with these conditions grow worse with age, since an injury which would heal quickly in a young, healthy person takes much longer in one who is older, in poor health, or both. In demographically aging societies, such as those now seen in most of the industrialized nations, these social and economic impacts will become increasingly magnified over the course of the next several decades.
While it is difficult to estimate the total cost of such conditions, leaving aside their impact on quality of life, the total surely amounts to many billions of dollars per year in the United States alone. For example, between five and ten million United States residents suffer broken bones every year, with many of these cases involving multiple fractures. In a young, healthy patient, many fractures need to be immobilized in a cast for six weeks or more. Even after the cast is removed, the patient's activities are frequently restricted until the healed bone regains its full strength. In the elderly, in persons with poor health or malnutrition, in patients with multiple fractures, or in patients with conditions that impact healing processes, fractures heal more slowly. In some cases, the fractures do not heal at all, resulting in the conditions known as "nonunion", "nonunion fracture" or "delayed union" which sometimes persist for a lifetime.
As a result, an estimated quarter-million person-years of productivity are lost in the United States every year due to bone fractures alone. Similar statistics can be generated not only for other classes of traumatic injury, but also for chronic conditions such as osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, ulcers (diabetic, decubitus, veous stasis and arteriol insufficiency) damaged ligaments, tendonitis, and repetitive stress injuries (including the conditions commonly known as "tennis elbow" and carpal tunnel syndrome).
Since the 1960s, it has been increasingly recognized that the human body generates a host of low-level electric signals as a result of injury, stress and other factors; that these signals play a necessary part in healing and disease-recovery processes; and that such processes can be accelerated by providing artificially-generated signals which mimic the body's own in frequency, waveform and strength. Such "mimic" signals have been shown to have many effects in the body, including helping to direct mobile cells such as fibroblasts and macrophages to sites where they are needed (galvanotaxis) and causing the release of cell growth factors such as transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF). The results can include more rapid healing of skin and muscle wounds, including chronic ulcers such as those resulting from diabetes, with minimal scarring; the mending of broken bones, including most nonunion fractures; the regrowth of injured or severed nerves; the repair of tissues damaged by repetitive motion, as in tendonitis and osteoarthritis; and the reduction of swelling, inflammation, and pain, including chronic pain for which the usual drug-based treatments do not bring satisfactory relief.
Some of the body's signals, such as the "injury potential" or "current of injury" measured in wounds, are DC (direct current) only, changing slowly with time. It has been found that bone fracture repair and nerve regrowth are typically faster than usual in the vicinity of a negative electrode but slower near a positive one, where in some cases tissue atrophy or necrosis may occur. For this reason, most recent research has focused on higher-frequency, more complex signals often with no net DC component.
While most complex-signal studies to date have been performed on bone fracture healing, the commonality of basic physiological processes in all tissues suggests that appropriate signals will be effective in accelerating many other healing and disease-recovery processes, although not all such signals will necessarily be alike. Indeed, specific frequency and waveform combinations have been observed to combat osteoarthritis and insomnia, stimulate hair growth, reduce swelling and inflammation, fight localized infection, speed the healing of injured soft tissues including skin, nerves, ligaments and tendons, and relieve pain without the substituted discomfort of TENS (transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation).
FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a waveform 20 which has been found effective in stimulating bone fracture healing, where a line 22 represents the waveform on a short time scale, a line 24 represents the same waveform on a longer time scale, levels 26 and 28 represent two different characteristic values of voltage or current, and intervals 30, 32, 34 and 36 represent the timing between specific transitions. Levels 26 and 28 are usually selected so that, when averaged over a full cycle of the waveform, there is no net direct-current (D.C.) component. In real-world applications, waveform such as 20 is typically modified in that all voltages or currents decay exponentially toward some intermediate level between levels 26 and 28, with a decay time constant preferably longer than interval 34. The result is represented by a line 38.
In a typical commercially-available device for treating fracture nonunions, interval 30 is about 200 microseconds, interval 32 about 30 microseconds, interval 34 about 5 milliseconds, and interval 36 about 60 milliseconds. Alternate repetition of intervals 30 and 32 generates pulse bursts 40, each of the length of interval 34, separated by intervals of length 36 in which the signal remains approximately at level 28. Each waveform 38 thus consists of rectangular waves alternating between levels 26 and 28 at a frequency of about 4400 Hz and a duty cycle of about 85%. The pulse bursts are repeated at a frequency of about 15 Hz and a duty cycle of about 7.5%, alternating with periods of substantially no signal.
However, tissues may respond differently to markedly different frequencies and waveforms. For example, the waveform of FIG. 1 is effective in speeding the healing of a bone fracture but much less so in slowing the progress of osteoporosis. On the other hand, a waveform 50 (FIG. 2) consisting of single pulses 52 of polarity 26 lasting approximately 350–400 microseconds each, alternating with intervals 54 of polarity 28 at a frequency of approximately 60–75 Hz, can slow or even reverse osteoporosis but has little effect on fracture repair. Again, the exact waveform and frequency for each application may vary.
The signal intensity may also vary; indeed, more powerful signals often give no more benefit than weaker ones, and sometimes less. This paradoxical relationship is shown schematically in FIG. 3, where a line 60 represents the magnitude of the healing effect at various signal intensities. For a typical signal (such as the signal of FIG. 1), a peak effectiveness 62 typically falls somewhere between one and ten microamperes per square centimeter (μA/cm2), and a crossover point 64 at about a hundred times this value. Beyond point 64, the signal may slow healing or may itself cause further injury. Similar responses are seen in other biological processes that are responsive to electrical stimulation, including cell division, protein and DNA synthesis, gene expression, and intracellular second-messenger concentrations. For example, while conventional TENS can block pain perception with a relatively strong signal, much as a jamming signal blocks radio communication, it can also lead to progressively worsening injury since the pain's warning function has also been defeated.
Tests using sine waves, square waves, frequencies above about 50 KHz, or waveforms generally resembling that in FIG. 1 but with duty cycles approaching 50% or with excessively fast or slow rise times, have shown much lower effectiveness at otherwise comparable power levels.
Many different types of electrical stimulation devices are available to consumers and medical professionals, producing many different waveforms ranging from constant-current or constant voltage (DC) through low-frequency to high-frequency waveforms. In general, the lower-frequency waveforms and high-frequency pulses within a low-frequency envelope tend to be aimed at tissue-healing applications, while higher-frequency waveforms are used for pain relief.
Another field of application of electronic waveforms is in the area of pathogen devitalization. It has been shown that some viral or bacterial organisms can be destroyed or devitalized (made unable to infect or reproduce) by the application in vitro of chosen electric signals. Since signal levels for this use are typically much higher than in healing stimulation, however, in vivo applications are still a matter of some controversy.
Electrical stimulation is widely used in tissue healing applications. Here, Petrofsky (U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,342) shows a microprocessor-controlled apparatus for treating injured tissue, tendon, or muscle by applying a therapeutic current. The apparatus has several channels that provide biphasic constant voltage or current, including a 100–300 microsecond positive phase, a 200–750 microsecond inter-phase, and a 100–300 microsecond negative phase occurring once every 12.5–25 milliseconds.
Pilla et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,723,001) disclose an apparatus for therapeutically treating human body tissue with pulsed radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation. The apparatus generates bursts of pulses having a frequency of 1–100 MHz, with 100–100,000 pulses per burst, and a burst repetition rate of 0.01–1000 Hz. The pulse envelope can be regular, irregular, or random.
Bartelt et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,826) discloses an apparatus and method for combined nerve fiber and body tissue stimulation. The apparatus generates biphasic pulse pairs for nerve fiber stimulation, and a net DC stimulus for body tissue treatment (provided by biphasic pulse trains having a greater number of negative than positive pulses). In U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,154, Bartelt, et al. describe a device for stimulating enhanced healing of soft tissue wounds that includes a plurality of signal generators for generating output pulses. The intensity, polarity, and rate of the output pulses can be varied via a series of control knobs or switches on the front panel of the device.
Gu et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,524) show an apparatus that generates a pulse train made up of bursts having the same width, where each burst is made up of a plurality of pulses of a specific frequency. The number of pulses varies from one burst to the next; the frequency of the pulses in each burst varies from one burst to the next corresponding to the variation in the number of pulses in each burst. The pulses have a frequency of 230–280 KHz; the duty cycle of the bursts is between 0.33% and 5.0%.
Liss et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,847) relates to a portable, non-invasive electronic apparatus which generates a specifically contoured constant current and current-limited waveform including a carrier frequency with at least two low-frequency modulations. The carrier frequency is between 1–100,000 KHz; square-wave or rectangular-wave modulating frequencies are 0.01–199 KHz and 0.1–100 KHz. Duty cycles may vary, but are typically 50%, 50%, and 75% for the three waveforms.
Borkan's tissue stimulator (U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,934) includes an implantable, subcutaneous receiver and implantable electrodes. The receiver can be noninvasively programmed after implantation to stimulate different electrodes or change stimulation parameters (polarity and pulse parameters) in order to achieve the desired response; the programming data is transmitted in the form of a modulated signal on a carrier wave. The programmed stimulus can be modified in response to measured physiological parameters and electrode impedance.
Hondeghem (U.S. Pat. No. 4,255,790) describes a programmable pulse generating system where the time periods and sub-intervals of the output pulses are defined by signals from a fundamental clock frequency generation circuit, plus a pair of parallel sets of frequency division circuits connected to that circuit. The time periods, sub-intervals, and output waveforms are variable.
Hsiang-Lai et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,745) provide an apparatus for generating positive and negative electric pulses for therapeutic purposes. The apparatus generates a signal consisting of successive pairs of pulses, where the pulses of each pair are of opposite polarities. The amplitude, duration, the interval between the pulses of each pair, and the interval between successive pairs of pulses are independently variable.
Brehm (U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,495) discloses a particular wave form for the purpose of alleviating chronic pain. The electrical signal is applied until the patient has a constant feeling in the chronic pain area.
McDonald (U.S. Pat. No. 3,589,370) shows an electronic muscle stimulator which produces bursts of bidirectional pulses by applying unidirectional pulses to a suitable transformer.
Landauer (U.S. Pat. No. 3,294,092) discloses an apparatus that produces electrical currents for counteracting muscle atrophy, defects due to poor nutrition, removing exudates, and minimizing the formation of adhesions. The amplitude of the output signals is variable.
All references and patents disclosed in this patent application are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Units designed for use in transcutaneous electroneural stimulation ("TENS") for pain relief are widely available. For example, Bastyr, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,759) disclose a battery-powered device that can be used with different types of support devices that hold the electrode pads in position. Keyed connectors provide a binary code that is used to determine what type of support device is being used for impedance matching and carrier frequency adjustment. The carrier frequency is about 2.5–3.0 KHz; the therapeutic frequency is typically on the order of 2–100 Hz.
Kolen (U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,414) provides a device where the carrier pulse frequency, modulation pulse frequency, intensity, and frequency/amplitude modulation are controlled by a microprocessor. The device includes a pulse modulation scheme where the carrier frequency is matched to the electrode-tissue load at the treatment site to provide more efficient energy transfer.
Liss et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,142) discloses an electronic dental analgesia apparatus and method. The apparatus generates an output with relatively high frequency (12–20 KHz) pulses with nonsymmetrical low frequency (8–20 Hz) amplitude modulation.
Bartelt et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,929) describe a microprocessor-controlled device that generates biphasic constant-current output pulses. The stimulus intensity can be varied by the user.
Charters et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,223) provide a device with an output signal consisting of bursts of stimuli with waxing and waning amplitudes, where the amplitude of each stimulus is a fixed percentage of the amplitude of the burst. The signal is amplitude-modulated to help prevent the adaptation response in patients.
Molina-Negro et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,541,432) disclose an electric nerve stimulation device for pain relief The device produces a bipolar rectangular signal with a preselected repetition rate and width for a first time period. Then, a rectangular signal is generated at a pseudo-random rate for a second time period, and delivery of the signal is inhibited for a third, pseudo-random period of time. This protocol is said to substantially eliminate adaptation of nerve cells to the stimulation.
Butler et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,000) show a transcutaneous nerve stimulator for treating aphasias and other neurologically-based speech and language impairments. The device uses a pseudorandom pulse generator to produce an irregular pulse train composed of trapezoidal, monophasic pulses which mimic typical physiological wave forms (such as the brain alpha rhythm). A series of such pulses has a zero DC level; a current source in the device reduces the effects of variables such as skin resistance.
Maurer (U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,063) discloses a stimulation device which can be implanted or applied to the body surface. The amplitude of the pulse decreases with a degradation in pulse width along a curve defined by a hyperbolic strength-duration curve. This is said to result in proportionately greater recruitment of nerve fibers due to the nonlinear relationship between pulse width and threshold.
The Kosugi, et al. system (U.S. Pat. No. 4,338,945) generates pulses that fluctuate in accordance with the 1/f rule. That is, the spectral density of the fluctuation varies inversely with the frequency: pleasant stimuli often have stochastic fluctuations governed by this rule. The system produces an irregular pulse train said to promote patient comfort during the stimulation.
Signal generators are also used in hearing prostheses. For example, McDermott's receiver/stimulator (U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,844) generates a series of short spaced current pulses, with between-pulse intervals of zero current having a duration longer than that of each spaced pulse. The waveform of the stimulus current includes a series of these spaced pulses of one polarity followed by an equal number of spaced pulses of opposite polarity so that the sum of electrical charge transferred through the electrodes is approximately zero.
Alloca (U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,7590 describes a neural conduction accelerator for generating a train of "staircase-shaped" pulses whose peak negative amplitude is two-thirds of the peak positive amplitude. The accelerator design is based on Fourier analysis of nerve action potentials; the output frequency can be varied between 1–1000 Hz.
Galbraith (U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,359) describes a multi-channel implantable neural stimulator wherein each data channel is adapted to carry information in monopolar, bipolar, or analog form. The device includes charge balance switches designed to recover residual charge when the current sources are turned off (electrode damage and bone growth are said to be prevented by not passing DC current or charge).
Despite its great healing potential, traditional Western medicine has accepted electrotherapeutic treatment only grudgingly, and to date it is used only rarely. This seems to be a legacy from early beliefs that signals would need to have high local intensities to be effective. Most electrotherapeutic apparatus now available relies either on direct implantation of electrodes or entire electronic packages, or on inductive coupling through the skin using coils which generate time-varying magnetic fields, thereby inducing weak eddy currents within body tissues. The need for surgery and biocompatible materials in the one case, and excessive circuit complexity and input power in the other, has kept the price of most such apparatus (apart from TENS devices) relatively high, and has also restricted its application to highly trained personnel. There remains a need for a versatile, cost-effective apparatus that can be used to provide bioelectric stimulation in a wide range of applications, including healing acceleration and pain relief.

Apparatus and method for bioelectric stimulation, healing acceleration, pain relief, or pathogen devitalization


The present invention provides a unitized replaceable drill bit, and more particularly to a cutting tip of the drilling common bit, in which the central drill has an extended cutting edge, thereby to form a continuous cutting with the side cutting edges so as to prevent the cutting edge from chipping by built-up edge, and make the central drill become smoother and tougher, further to improve cutting property, easy manufacturing and efficiently reducing production cost, and improving competition capability in the market, wherein, integrating the central cutting drill and the level extended cutting edge into one whole body is to widen the cutting range, extend the cutting edge, and prevent chip from building up on the cutting edges and the cutting edges from breaking up; and building up a notch without cutting function on the joint portion of the bevel cutting edge of the central cutting drill and the level extended cutting edge separates said two cutting edges segments so that the cutting resistance may not be concentrated on the notch, and efficiently avoid the cutting edges being broken up; a couple of contact surfaces of the central cutting insert and the central cutting insert retain are built up a pair of dovetail fitting to improve the rigidity of the central cutting insert, further to improve cutting efficiency and performance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a unitized replaceable drilling common bit, and more particularly to a cutting tip of the drilling common bit, in which the central drill has an extended cutting edge, thereby to form a continuous cutting with the side cutting edges so as to prevent the cutting edge from chipping by built-up edge, and make the central drill become smoother and tougher, further to improve cutting property, easy manufacturing and efficiently reducing production cost, and improving competition capability in the market.
2. Description of Prior Art
In accordance with the conventional composite drilling common bit 10, manufactured by the famous provider KENNAMETEL HERTEL Co., as shown on FIG. 8, beside the chisel-edge (static point) 12 of the cutting tip 11 the both cutting edges have several chip-breaker grooves 13 for breaking the chip into smaller pieces, but these chip-breaker grooves 13 make the cutting lips have discontinuous cutting so that the chip may pile up in there, and due to the slow spinning at the chisel-edge 12, the bit may bear relative greater cutting resistance and pressure, therefore the chip may be held up there and the corners of the chip-breaker grooves 13 bear force so big that they are broken up to occur the cutting tip 11 damage so as to unable to be used any more, so this shortcoming will increase the tool cost.
And referring to FIG. 9, an other kind of unitized drilling common bit 20, provided by KENNAMETEL HERTEL Co. too, includes a central drill 21 embedded at the center, an inside cutting insert 22 and an outside cutting insert 23 secured on the bit shank, but in this structure, the gaps between the central drill 21's chisel-edge and the side cutting edges, and the adjacent side cutting inserts—inside and outside cutting inserts 22 and 23 are easy to hole up chip (the portions fingered by arrows a and b) so as to extrude the cutting edges, and additionally spinning in lower speed, the relative cutting resistance is gone up, the cutting edges are easy to be broken, especially to the portion fingered by arrow 1 between the side cutting edge of the central drill 21 and the adjacent inner cutting corner of the inside cutting insert 22, the cutting stress concentrates on this corner so as to break it easily to damage the cutting insert, because the central drill 21 is expensive, so the relative production cost may go up.


A memory card reader system includes bridges interposed between a memory card of a certain type and a memory card reader receiver which is them same for all receivers. The bridge may have the same or different contact patterns of a standard of a type of memory card and is readily removable and replaceable in order to change the type of memory card that may be used with that connector of the reader. A face plate prevents removal of a bridge until the face plate is moved from a normal position.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements to a storage card (memory card) reader system, and more particularly relates to a readily replaceable and exchangeable memory card bridge for insertion in the receiver of the reader to protect it from damage and to provide easy replacement and/or substitution of memory card bridges to accommodate different types of memory cards.
2. Background
Storage cards (sometimes referred to as memory cards or data storage devices) are increasingly popular as an electronic storage medium in various devices. They are used both to store data and also to transfer the data to other devices. These storage cards may be read and written to by card readers having receivers or connectors that are configured to be compatible with a specific type of storage card. Card readers can be contained within digital cameras, desktop computers, notebook computers, video cameras, televisions, and various audio and video players; virtually any modern electronic devices which utilizes a removable storage system for storing data for which a compact size is advantageous.
Currently there are many types of storage cards available on the market such as a PCMCIA Card, Compact Flash Card (CF card), Smart Media Card (SM Card), Memory Stick (MS card), Memory Stick Duo (MS Duo Card), Memory Stick Micro, Multimedia Card (MMC), Reduced-Size Multimedia Card (RS-MMC), Multimedia Micro Card (MMC micro), Secure Digital Card (SD card), mini Secure Digital Card (mini SD card), micro Secure Digital Card (micro SD card), xD-Picture Card (xD card) and so on. Further types of storage cards may be developed in the future.
As a consequence many different kinds of card readers are required, each configured to read a specific type or types of storage card as most of these storage cards are incompatible with each other having receivers (or input ports) for receiving a storage card of one type, or perhaps several types, of storage cards. These card readers may be internal and external and either accept only one type of storage card or several types of storage cards. As these card readers are sensitive electronic devices they are prone to damage or inoperability due to excessive or careless use by users. This is particularly so considering that these card readers are often used with portable devices due to the small size of the storage cards. Those portable devices are often more prone to be handled roughly, dropped or otherwise damaged through use.
As there are many types of storage cards, when a user moves data from one device to another device using a storage card, the user may become confused. Furthermore users can have difficulty in locating a correct card reader compatible with the type of storage card containing the data to be transferred. In order to overcome this problem many card readers include several individual card readers as a multiple system in order to accept and read (or write to) different types of storage cards using that card reader.
In many cases an individual user will prefer one or perhaps two types of storage cards for that individual's storage needs. That user will make use of only one or two slots and corresponding connectors (sometimes called receivers) in a multiple card reader system. The other slots and connectors of that user's card reader will remain unused or little used. As a consequence only one or two connectors of the card reader will become worn out, damaged or unusable through repeated use or misuse, leaving the other connectors of the system undamaged and usable. The user is forced to either replace the card reader in its entirety, which is unnecessarily expensive given the number of usable components that must be discarded, or if he is technically astute, remove and replace only the damaged or inoperable connector of the card reader, a process requiring considerable skill and time. Either method is unsatisfactory. If the damaged or inoperable connector could be easily and cheaply replaced with a new connector by an unskilled individual, significant time and expense could be saved.
In another situation, in the event of failure of the card reader embedded in an expensive electronic device, such as a digital camera, the entire camera must usually be replaced as the cost of repair can often approach or exceed the cost of replacement. If the receiver (connector) of the card reader of digital camera could be easily and cheaply replaced with a new connector, then a user would not need to waste money by purchasing a new digital camera or undertaking expensive repairs.
These types of card readers are also embedded in many types of self-standing user activated commercial stations such as kiosks and the like. This can include photo kiosks, banking kiosks, payment kiosks and so on. Generally the kiosk itself is expensive as it contains many complex and expensive electronic components to provide relevant services or products to a user. They are not easily removed for repair or maintenance and when they are removed the service or products are unavailable to the user. This adversely impacts the commercial enterprise that is using the kiosk to service its customers, both in foregoing income from the kiosk and in customer dissatisfaction when attending the premises of the commercial enterprise only to find that the kiosk has been removed for repair or is inoperable. A damaged or inoperable receiver (connector) of a card reader in a kiosk can result in the inoperability of the kiosk, or at least inoperability by users with storage cards compatible with the inoperable connector. If the defective receiver (connector) of the card reader of a kiosk could be easily and cheaply replaced with a new receiver (connector), these problems could be overcome.
In all of these situations the replacement of the damaged receiver (connector) of the card reader is a difficult, expensive and time consuming task which must be undertaken by trained individuals.
In typical memory card readers having multiple inputs the type of memory card is predetermined for each input slot in the reader. Because each receiver is fixed within the reader it is not possible to easily and cheaply replace an input slot of one type of memory card with that compatible with another type of memory card. This makes it difficult for users to change the type of memory card receiver in order to change the type of memory card which can be used with a particular reader, as for example, when a user purchases a new electronic device that uses a memory card that is incompatible with that previously used and for which the reader has no compatible receiver. In addition a user may wish to change the particular order of the compatible types of receivers within the reader or may chose to have multiple receivers that are compatible with the same type of memory card, in order to accommodate several memory cards of the same type simultaneously.
This is not readily possible with traditional memory card readers as they have fixed receivers of a particular type and are also not configured in a manner which addresses the differences in size of each type of memory card.
If a purchaser desires a pre-configured card reader with 6 slots (for example, SD, CF, MS, SM, xD, MMC slots) as manufactured in accordance with the prior art, the manufacturer would manufacture a card reader with slots in the desired position fixed to the integrated circuit board in a manner which is substantially permanent, that is changes would be undertaken with considerable difficulty. However, if a user would like to have a different card reader (for example SD, MS, SM, CF, xD, MMC), the manufacturer would have to redesign the card reader to provide these alternate fixed positions. At that time, significant design cost and manufacturing cost would be required. This embodiment of the invented card reader does not need to be redesigned in this manner. If the sequence of slots is to be changed, the manufacturer can accomplish this quickly and cheaply by changing the bridge. Only the face plate needs to be changed in accordance with the sequence of desired slots.
Also, if a new type of memory card is introduced into the market, the manufacturer can readily design a new card reader to accommodate the new type of memory card. The prior art card reader discussed above will require significant design cost and manufacturing cost to accommodate a new type of memory card. And in some cases, the actual system containing the old card reader must be replaced. In that case, the replacement cost would be significant. However, this embodiment of the invented card reader only requires a change of the bridge and face plate to adapt the reader to a new type of memory card. For example, if a new type of mini-SD card is introduced into the market, the invented card reader requires only a newly designed bridge accommodating the new style mini-SD card in order to function with the existing invented card reader. The design and manufacturing costs of the bridge would be far less than the cost of redesigning and replacing the entire card reader. If this invented card reader is in use by a purchaser, then a newly designed memory card bridge accommodating the new type of mini-SD card could be provided to the user to insert into an available slot of the invented card reader. A replacement face plate with an appropriate slot for the new type of mini-SD card could also be provided. The replacement of the entire card reader system is not required in order to accommodate the new type of memory card, the only required change is the addition or replacement with the new bridge and the possible change of the face plate. The results in significant cost savings at the manufacturing stage as well as for users wishing to upgrade.


A cereal bran fortified with an effective amount of select additives such as vitamins, minerals, and essential dietary fats to promote digestive health. The fortified cereal bran can be used as a dietary supplement or as an added ingredient to fortify various food products. The additive used herein is an effective amount of vitamin D, selenium, calcium, magnesium, folic acid and omega 3 fatty acids.

The digestive tract is a major component of the gastrointestinal system. Essentially, it is a tube about five meters in length of variable cross-sectional areas running from mouth to anus that includes the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, which includes the colon, also known as the bowel. In the digestive tract, food is propelled by muscular contractions through its different regions. These contractions are referred to as peristalsis. Eventually, unabsorbed food residues are moved to the end of the tract and are eliminated from the body in the form of solids, semi-solids or liquids.
As used herein the term "digestive tract" includes, but is not limited to, the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and pancreas. The digestive track can suffer from various disorders including diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, diabetes, heartburn, Gurd's disease as well as cancers of the esophagus, pancreas, stomach, small and large intestine and colorectal.
It is believed that the main cause of some of the diseases, such as diverticulitis, of the digestive tract is due to a low-fiber diet, which is a direct result of the processed foods that are a major part of the American diet. Many processed foods contain refined, low-fiber flour. Unlike whole-wheat flour, refined flour has no wheat bran. Diverticulitis and diverticulosis disease is common in developed or industrialized countries where low-fiber diets are common and rare in countries of Asia and Africa, where high-fiber diets are common. It has also been suggested that diets low in saturated fatty acids and cholesterol and high in whole grain cereals have a protective effect against certain cancers. Thus, modifying one's diet can have beneficial effects on the digestive tract, especially by incorporating into the diet specific additives. Based on a 2000 calorie diet, the US Food and Drug Administration defines a product as "a good source of fiber" if it provides 10 percent of the Daily Value (DV)—2.5 grams of fiber per serving. A product is "high in", "rich in" or an "excellent source of fiber" if it provides 20 percent of the DV—5 grams of fiber per serving. Further, the US Department of Agriculture recommends 25 to 30 grams of fiber per day from fruits, vegetables or fiber-containing grain products. Specifically the USDA guidelines recommend 6 to 11 servings per day of cereal and grain foods. Typically cereal brans, including rice, wheat, barley, rye, oat, sorghum and millet have crude fiber ranging from approximately 7 to 20 percent at 14% moisture.
While various high-fiber products are commercially available for promoting digestive health, there is still a need in the art for products that are even more beneficial for the digestive tract.

Fortified cereal bran to promote digestive health


There are provided a data recording medium, a reading device for reading the data recording medium, a recording device for reading the data recording medium and recording data to other media, and methods thereof able to prevent forgery without comparing visible information and data stored in a built-in electronic circuit chip. The reading device is for reading a data recording medium including a sheet portion visibly printed with an image and a data storage unit recorded with control data. The reading device comprises a first reading unit adapted to optically read the image on the sheet portion, a second reading unit adapted to read the control data including read permission data indicating whether reading of the image is permitted, a determination unit adapted to determine whether reading of the image by the first reading unit is permitted based on the read permission data obtained by the second reading unit, and a controller adapted to control the first reading unit based on the determination by the determination unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data recording medium, a reading device for reading the data recording medium, a recording device for reading the data recording medium and recording data to another medium, and methods thereof for preventing forgery of paper money or securities.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, for example, the international patent publication WO 00/34923 discloses a method for preventing forgery of sheet-like paper money or securities by using built-in electronic circuits. In this method, an electronic chip is put in a sheet-like bill or securities document, and the visible information printed on the bill or securities document is encrypted and stored in the chip. When using the bill or security, a forgery can be found by comparing the visible information and the data stored in the chip, therefore preventing forgery. This method has been attracting attention as an effective way of preventing forgery of paper money or securities. This method was reported by the Nippon Keizai Shimbun (Evening Edition, May 24, 2002). According to this method, by storing different numbers in the built-in chips of different bills, it is possible to immediately identify bills that do not have such built-in chips or those having false numbers printed thereon.
Further, because this method makes it possible to pursue the distribution channels of the bills used in crime-related transactions, and to prevent money laundering, efforts are being made to put it into practical use.
However, in the above forgery prevention method, one has to compare the visible information printed on the bill or securities document and the data stored in the built-in electronic circuit chip. Usually, the visible information is obtained by scanning the bill or securities document with a scanner, so depending on performance of the scanner, the accuracy of reading the image of the visible information on the bill or securities document changes greatly, consequently, it becomes difficult to confirm whether the visible information is identical to the data stored in the electronic circuit chip.

Data recording medium, reading device, recording device, and methods thereof


A video coding system and method enable communication of a noisy video signal over communications channels, such as low capacity channels (e.g., telephone lines), by efficiently decomposing the video signal into an underlying structure component and a texture component using subband decomposition. Because much of a texture component is random noise, the texture component lends itself to temporal decimation. This predicament results in a texture frame being encoded and transmitted once every D.sub.t frames and allows texture frames to be sent at a lower rate than underlying structure frames. Because the underlying structure component contains most of the information related to structure, it is decimated in the spatial domain, which allows for maximum data transfer. The texture component and underlying structure component are then coded for transmission over the communications channel, such as a low capacity conventional telephone line, using a method which exploits the characteristic noise and the quasiperiodic nature of the signal.

Ultrasound video scanning is a cost effective and preferable method for diagnosing various parts of the human body, including but not limited to, the heart, lungs, kidneys, etc. Ultrasonic scanning entails positioning a probe on the surface of a patient in an area from which the subject part of the body can be scanned, and then scanning the subject area using an ultrasonic signal. The scan signal appears as a video image of the subject anatomy. These images are interpreted by an ultrasound specialist, such as a cardiologist in the case of a heart examination; however, in some geographic areas, a specialist to diagnose the scan image may not be available. In this case, the image is captured on video tape, and a copy is sent to the specialist for diagnosis. This presents a problem if, for example, the scan probe is not optimally positioned during the scan, resulting in an incomplete or undiagnosible image. In that case, the specialist requests an additional scan, thus wasting valuable time and energy.
With the interest and support in telemedicine, the notion of having specialists perform ultrasound examinations at remote locations via electronic data exchange is very attractive. Were the specialist able to view the scan position in real time during the scanning procedure, the specialist could instruct the scan operator on the optimal placement of the scan probe.
In the absence of channel bandwidth constraints, such an approach is straightforward, with high potential benefits related to providing immediate care and lowering overall expense. Unfortunately, many of these remote locations do not have access to high capacity channels, such as T1 lines, to interface with large urban medical centers where such specialists reside.
To achieve successful transmission given the severe constraints on channel capacity, real-time transmission can be performed in a lossy fashion. This means that the real-time images seen by the doctor will have some level of distortion. However, the level of distortion can be made small enough by the system to allow probe positioning to be performed effectively. With the probe in optimal position, a lossless (distortion-free) version of the ultrasound can be transmitted in a non-real-time mode for diagnosis.
Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry for a system and method for permitting high quality transmission of ultrasound signals to thereby facilitate probe positioning and preliminary inspection.

Video coding system and method for noisy signals


A walker having height adjustment, and a method of use thereof, generally includes a base. Length adjustable strut assemblies are provided to allow the walker to be converted between a fully extended configuration, a high top walker configuration, and a fully retracted, low top walker configuration, as well as to numerous configurations having incremental heights between the fully extended and the fully retracted configurations. Thus, a modular support is provided that can be used to provide different levels of immobilization and can be used for various therapeutic purposes, can accommodate different patient leg lengths with one device, and allows practitioners to carry a reduced inventory.

One of the main purposes of orthopedic leg mounted walker or walking boots (collectively referred herein as a "walker") is to provide immobilization to the lower leg, in particular the foot and ankle, as well as to provide compression to the lower leg post fracture, sprain, or other injury, such as Achilles tendon rupture.
Currently different levels of immobilization can be achieved by using different types of walkers such as a low top walker (supporting struts having a lower height) and a high top walker (supporting struts having a higher height). One main difference between the two types of walkers is the height that is covered on the lower leg, where a high top walker is used for injuries such as tibia fractures and ankle sprains and a low top walker is used for more localized foot injuries. It is believed that the higher up the leg the walker reaches, the more immobilization of the lower leg, foot, and ankle is achieved.
Many orthotists and practitioners prescribe and dispense both low top and high top walkers, since they regularly see patients having both types of injuries discussed above. Further, since each walker type is provided in many sizes (for example 5 different sizes) to accommodate patients having different anatomical sizes, a significant inventory of both the low top and high top walkers must be stocked.
Additionally, when patients tear or rupture their Achilles tendon, a regular high top walker is used for immobilization of the lower leg, ankle, and foot, but a heel wedge is placed inside the walker to reduce the stress on the tendon and to place the foot in a pointed downward position (equinus position). This causes the calf to raise high up from the main body of the walker, thus reducing immobilization and causing a poor fit.
Foot size is used as a determining factor when sizing patients for a walker. Each walker size is height dependant; the larger the foot bed is on the walker, the taller the walker is as well. It is recognized that, however, some patients have large feet but short legs, such that a regular type walker may not provide an optimal fit.
In another observation, during the treatment protocol for a fracture/ankle sprain, different levels of immobilization are required throughout the healing process. Initially a patient's lower leg, foot, and ankle should be completely immobilized. In order to promote healing, the patient should gradually gain more mobilization in the foot and ankle Presently, this change in immobilization level must be carried out with different products.
It can be seen that a walker having height adjustment would provide numerous benefits and advantages over existing walkers. For example, the walker having height adjustment can be used in place of both the low top and the high top walker, thus providing a single orthopedic device to accomplish the immobilization goals that previously required two different types of walkers. Additional specific benefits will be appreciated from the discussion below.

Walker having height adjustment and method for doing the same


A sensor circuit provides a signal to a microcontroller to indicate parameters of an environmental condition to which the sensor circuit is exposed, such as temperature. The sensor circuit and microcontroller are mounted in a common housing, with an output lead indicating an on/off output based on predetermined parameters of the environmental condition. By access through the output lead, the microcontroller can be reprogrammed to change the predetermined parameters controlling the output state of the switch.

Sensors have been provided to detect or measure environmental conditions including, but not limited to, temperature, humidity, light intensity, proximity to other components, pressure, and so on. Such sensors can provide an output indicative of the condition sensed, possibly coupled with a switch which opens and closes based on particular parameters of the condition sensed. Known sensors are designed and manufactured to meet particular specifications. Changes to the specifications can require a redesign, and accuracy versus cost almost always is a consideration.


To enable the surveillance of a long-distance optical fiber line that a method using the reflection lights and Rayleigh backscatter lights cannot cover, a plurality of optical reflection elements P1-Pn are interposed in the optical fiber line at each specific distance. Each of the optical reflection elements P1-Pn reflects only a light signal of one of specific wavelengths .lambda.1-.lambda.n on a constant level. Light pulses of the specific wavelengths .lambda.1-.lambda.n are transmitted to the optical fiber line to measure intensities of the light pulses reflected by the optical reflection elements P1-Pn. From the measurement, surveillance of the optical fiber line can be done between the transmitter and each of positions of the optical reflection elements P1-Pn. The reflectance of the optical reflection elements P1-Pn can be set to 100%, and the surveillance becomes possible even if the length of the optical fiber line exceeds 200 km.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surveillance method for detecting faults and fault locations in an optical fiber line of a nonrepeating optical communication line, bi-directional optical communication line, or optical communication line provided with an optical amplifier repeater, and a method of surveilling the gain and loss and the like of optical circuits including optical amplifiers interposed in the optical fiber line.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 8 illustrates a construction of an optical communication line to which a conventional surveillance method is applied. As shown in this figure, a transmitter terminal equipment 110 is connected to one end of an optical fiber line 101, and a receiver terminal equipment 120 is connected to another end of the optical fiber line 101 so as to communicate between both equipments. A remotely pumped optical amplifier 100 is interposed in the optical fiber line 101. The remotely pumped optical amplifier 100 is constructed so as to cascade an erbium doped fiber (EDF) 103 and an optical isolator 102.
The transmitter terminal equipment 110 is provided with a transmitter 111 for transmission of a light signal modulated by transmission data to the optical fiber line 101 and an optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) 112 that transmits a light pulse to the optical fiber line 101, measures reflection lights and Rayleigh backscatter lights generated therein, and, based on the measurement, surveys the optical fiber line 101 on the side of the transmitter terminal equipment 110.
The receiver terminal equipment 120 is provided with a pump light source 122 for supplying a pump light to the remotely pumped optical amplifier 100, a wavelength multiplexer 121 for transmitting the pump light from the pump light source 122 to the optical fiber line 101, a receiver 123 for receiving and demodulating the light signal transmitted through the optical fiber line 101, and an OTDR 124 for surveying the optical fiber line 101 on the side of the receiver terminal equipment 120 based on the measurement of the reflection lights and Rayleigh backscatter lights.
The optical isolator 102 disposed before the EDF 103 has an optical amplification function to prevent the deterioration of transfer characteristics of the remotely pumped optical amplifier 100 due to the reflection lights and Rayleigh backscatter lights and the like generated in the optical fiber, and it also functions to confine the direction in which light signals propagate.
Although FIG. 8 shows only one-way (the ascent or descent) of the communication line, a bi-directional optical communication line may be formed using the same construction as in FIG. 8.
The optical fiber line 101 is an optical communication line as described above, and the length of the line is, for example, about 400 km. In this case, the remotely pumped optical amplifier 100 consisting of the EDF 103 and the optical isolator 102 is placed within about 100 km from the receiver terminal equipment 120 in consideration of a propagation loss of pump light propagating through the optical fiber line 101 from the pump light source 122.
As shown in FIG. 9(A) signal intensity attenuates in dependence on the propagation distance of a light signal propagating through the optical fiber line 101. The intensity of the light signal attenuates in proportional to the propagation distance owing to the propagation loss given by the optical fiber line 101. The light signal, however, is optically amplified by the remotely pumped optical amplifier 100 to recover the signal intensity at the position where the remotely pumped optical amplifier 100 is interposed.
The surveillance method in the optical communication line thus constructed will now be described. The OTDR 112 provided in the transmitter terminal equipment 110 transmits a light pulse to the optical fiber line 101, and measures the intensity of weak reflection lights and Rayleigh backscatter lights on the time domain as a portion of the Rayleigh scattering light generated by fluctuation of refractive index in the optical fiber line 101, returning to the input.
Since the measurement dynamic range of the OTDR 112 is about 40 dB at the highest, it is impossible to measure the whole section of the nonrepeating optical communication line over 400 km. That is, if the propagation loss of the optical fiber is 0.2 dB/km, the measurable range of the reflection lights and Rayleigh backscatter lights is about 200 km. The reflection lights and Rayleigh backscatter lights received over 200 km becomes so weak as to be buried under noises and discrimination is almost impossible.
In this manner, the OTDR 112 provided in the transmitter terminal equipment 110 surveys the optical fiber line 101 within about 200 km from the transmitter terminal equipment 110 by measuring reflection lights and Rayleigh backscatter lights.
The OTDR 124 provided in the receiver terminal equipment 120 transmits a light pulse to the optical fiber line 101, and measures the intensity of reflection lights and Rayleigh backscatter lights on the time domain returning to the input. In this case, since the optical isolator 102 is interposed at a position of about 100 km from the receiver terminal equipment 120, the light pulse used for measurement does not propagate over the optical isolator 102; and therefore, the OTDR 124 surveys the optical fiber line 101 only up to the optical isolator 102.
In the conventional optical communication line, the optical fiber line 101 is surveyed as described above, and the range of about 100 km from a position over 200 km from the transmitter terminal equipment 110 to a position where the optical isolator 102 is interposed becomes out of surveillance, as shown in FIG. 9(B).
If the receiver 123 surveys a reception level in order to survey the operation of the EDF 103 of the remotely pumped optical amplifier 100, it is impossible to discriminate whether a fluctuation of the reception level results from the transfer characteristics of the EDF 103 or from the optical fiber line 101.

Surveillance method of optical communication line


A method for preparing a metal sheet (1) is provided including at least the steps for:                providing a steel substrate (3) having two faces (5), at least one of which is coated with a metal coating (7) comprising at least 40% by weight of zinc,        applying on the outer surface (15) of the metal coating (7) an aqueous solution comprising an amino acid,and the metal sheet which may be obtained.

The application WO 2008/076684 describes the application on a steel sheet coated with zinc, on an electro-zinc-containing steel sheet or on a galvanized steel sheet of a pre-treatment composition consisting in an aqueous solution comprising a compound comprising a metal of the group IIIB (Sc, Y, La, Ac) or of the group IVB (Ti, Zr, Hf, Rf) and a compound based on copper, for example copper aspartate or copper glutamate, followed by the application of a composition comprising a film-forming resin and a yttrium-based compound. This treatment with a compound based on copper is described as improving the adhesion between the metal sheet and the subsequent layer, such as a cataphoretic paint, and its resistance to corrosion.
The application EP 2 458 031 describes the application on a galvanized steel sheet GI, or alloyed galvanized steel sheet GA, of a conversion treatment solution comprising a compound (A) selected from among water-soluble titanium or zirconium compounds and an organic compound (B) which may notably be glycine, alanine, asparagine, glutamic or aspartic acid in a neutral or salt form. According to this application, the compound (A) forms on the sheet a conversion film which improves the compatibility of the metal sheet with the coatings applied subsequently, such as cataphoretic paints and its resistance to corrosion. The compound (B) is described as a stabilizer of compound (A).
These coated steel sheets are for example intended for the automotive field. The metal coatings essentially comprising zinc are traditionally used for their good protection against corrosion.
In the automotive industry notably, the sheets are frequently assembled by means of adhesives for producing certain portions of the vehicles, such as for example door sills.
In the automotive industry, the association of a metal sheet with an adhesive is usually evaluated by means of a tensile test on a specimen formed with two tabs of the metal sheet, these tabs being adhesively bonded on a portion of their surface by the adhesive.
In this case, the adhesion of the adhesive on the metal sheet is evaluated on the one hand by the measurement of the tensile stress at the breakage and on the other hand the compatibility of the adhesive and of the metal sheet by visual determination of the nature of the breakage.
In this case it is possible to mainly observe three types, or faces of the breakage:
cohesive breakage, when the breakage takes place in the thickness of the adhesive,
adhesive breakage (FIG. 4), when the breakage takes place at one of the interfaces between the tabs and the adhesive,
surface cohesive breakage (FIG. 3), when the breakage takes place in the adhesive in the vicinity of an interface between the tabs and the adhesive.
In the automotive industry, it is sought to avoid adhesive breakages which express poor compatibility of the adhesive with the metal sheet, and this both before ageing of the adhesive than after ageing.
Now, the tensile tests show too many adhesive breakages during the use of certain usual adhesives for the automotive industry on metal sheets coated with zinc.
Such adhesive breakage proportions are not acceptable for automotive builders, which may limit the use of these coatings for certain applications.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Preparation method of a coated sheet comprising the application of an aqueous solution comprising an amino acid and its associated use for improving the compatibility with an adhesive


The present invention provides a protective device for sensitive infrared sensors as Forward Looking Infrared imagers (FLIRs). A prior device using materials with higher order susceptibilities to electric polarization, which provides protection against extremely intense radiation from high-power lasers is combined with a low energy optical power limiters such as the chalcogenide glass and the vanadium dioxide which respond reversibly to infrared radiation.

1. Field
This invention pertains to optical radiation limiters used as protective devices for imaging devices such as the FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared Imager).
2. Prior Art
Far infrared imagers must be highly sensitive in order to operate with the small temperature differentials that define many targets. Because of their sensitivity and the material used for such detector elements, e.g. mercury cadmium telluride, they are highly vulnerable to damage from low energy threat laser radiation. In an earlier patent application entitled, "Frustrated Total Internal Reflection Optical Power Limiter (FTIR)", Ser. No. 648,140, a high energy protective device, using, e.g. nematic liquid crystals, is described, which limits the input radiation, if it exceeds a certain level, thus protecting the detector elements.
The detector material is damaged at an input fluence of between 2 and 7 J/cm2 a level easily achieved by commercially available CO2 lasers. The FTIR device has not yet been fabricated that can fully protect the detector materials in a system configuration. There are chalcogenide and vanadium oxide materials, however, that can be triggered at lower range fluence levels such that they can protect the detector material. When used alone, however, protective devices made from these materials suffer from too low a dynamic range.
An object of this invention is to extend the protection range of a device in the earlier mentioned application above, in order to close the vulnerability window, by adding a different class of light sensitive materials, similar to those mentioned above, to lower the switching threshold of the FTIR while maintaining the upper limit of the dynamic range.

United States of America as Represented by the Department of the Army


A device is provided for filling granular, pulverulent and free-flowing materials into a container, preferably a hose- and sack-shaped container, made of geotextile material. The device includes a housing that allows the advancement of the material and in which a conveying device is arranged. On the entry side of the conveying device the material can be filled in and on the exit side thereof a hose made of geotextile material receives the material. The hose can be shaped on the jacket of the housing, and can be unwound as a web from a feeding device that is designed like a roll. Longitudinal sides of the web can be connected to each other by a device in the region of the jacket. The housing includes a tubular body that extends perpendicular to the direction of advance and is arranged vertically, the tubular body interacting with a feeding device for the geotextile material, which rotates about the jacket of the tubular body and is designed as an unrolling device.

Device for filling of granular, pulverulent and free-flowing materials into a container made of geotextile material.
The invention concerns, according to an aspect thereof, a device for filling of granular, pulverulent and free-flowing materials into a container made of geotextile material, preferably in a hose and sack shaped container, comprising a housing, that allows the advancement of the material and in which a conveying device is arranged, on the entry side of which the material can be filled in and on its exit side a hose made of geotextile material receives the material, and wherein the hose can be shaped on the jacket of the housing, which can be unwound as a web from a feeding device that is designed like a roll, and wherein the longitudinal sides of the web can be connected to each other by means of a device in the region of the jacket.
Hoses made of geotextile material, preferably filled with sand, but also with gravel or broken stone or similar construction materials, can be used in particular to erect ramparts, for example, for protective structures like dikes, noise-insulating walls and the like. The geotextile material has sufficient strength to hold the granular materials in a matrix, while the geotextile material is water-permeable in construction. Thus, tubes made in this way can be used advantageously in dam building, and they can be used also in repair of dams, as well as in their construction. A dam made with the tubes has a good stability, which in particular prevents an undermining or overtopping of the dam.
Thus, a filling unit is known from DE 10 2006 028 473, with which hoses made from geotextile material can be filled. The unit specified in this document comprises a worm conveyor, disposed in a housing, at whose entry side the sand or gravel is introduced, while on the outer circumference of the housing a hose is formed, into which the material is forced into the resulting hose by means of the worm conveyor. One drawback of this type of configuration of a filling unit is considered to be the fact that the unit is very costly in construction, on the one hand, and on the other band the worm conveyor is subjected to great wear. Furthermore, the problem exists, especially in regard to the feeding direction, that the unit has to be pulled, which requires a mechanical infrastructure tailored to the unit, so that a flexible use of the unit is only possible to some extent.
It is desirable to further modify a device for the filling of granular, pulverulent, and free-flowing materials into a container made from geotextile material that is much more simple in its design and that has more flexible application.

Device for filling granular, pulverulent and free-flowing materials into a container made of geotextile material


Directional hearing in noisy environments is enhanced using small conventional microphones. In one embodiment a conventional first order bidirectional gradient microphone is employed in connection with a barrier to produce sound shadow at the rearward end of the microphone. In other embodiments such as hearing assistive devices worn on a person's head or body, the head or body of that person serves as the barrier. The result is a significant reduction in gain for all frequencies of acoustic energy emanating from generally rearward of the microphone. The sound shadow creates an apparent change of direction of arrival for rearwardly arriving acoustic energy, thereby making it appear to the microphone that the sound is approaching from the high attenuation 90.degree. direction. Two spaced bidirectional microphones worn on a person's body may be positioned to take advantage of this effect while simulating binaural hearing in an assistive listening device. A similar directional result is obtained with two conventional cardioid microphones mounted on a common casing to face in opposite directions. Electronic circuitry subtracts the output signal of the rearward facing microphone from the output signal of the forward facing microphone to render the combination highly directional. Case noise and other mechanical vibrations modulating the two output signals are nulled out in the subtraction process.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to microphones and particularly to methods and apparatus for enhancing directional capabilities of microphone systems. The invention has particular utility in small microphone applications involving focused sound reception in noisy environments, such as hearing-assistive devices worn by hearing-impaired individuals, voice-controlled computers, and the like.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
One aspect of the present invention relates to the use of first order bidirectional gradient microphones in communication applications where undesired background noise is present. Another aspect of the invention relates to the use of oppositely directed cardioid microphones mounted together for those same applications. Of particular interest are those applications where small size is required, as is the case for wearable devices for the hearing impaired, and for individuals working in noisy areas where noise reduction cups and wearable amplification systems are commonly used. Also of particular interest are applications such as speech responsive computer systems and applications wherein binaural aiding retains or enhances the ability to identify spatial location of sounds by virtue of different intensities appearing at each aided ear.
The microphone systems of the present invention are improvements over the first and second order unidirectional gradient microphones used in the prior art to obtain noise reduction and high forward gain. Although the goals of noise reduction and high forward gain are similar to the goals in using prior art directional microphone types (generally categorized as wave types, such as "shotgun" microphones, combination line and surface microphones, and combination line and cardioid arrays) to obtain high forward gain and noise reduction, the present invention permits realization of small wearable microphone systems as compared to prior art systems that are large and not generally applicable in situations where small size is a requirement.
The ability to comprehend speech and other desired sound signals in the presence of interfering noise signals is invariably degraded as compared to listening under quiet conditions. The degree of degradation is strongly influenced by the signal-to-noise ratio, by the spectral relationship between the desired and the interfering signals, and by the state of the listener's hearing apparatus. An individual with a damaged hearing system has a much more difficult task than an individual with normal hearing; however, in either case, as the signal-to-noise ratio becomes worse, so does comprehension. All attempts to help a listener under noisy ambient conditions must focus on two considerations. The first is the need to improve, by whatever means, the signal-to-noise ratio for the listener. The second, which is less apparent and not applicable in all situations, is the desirability of avoiding interference with the individual's binaural hearing. Several investigations have shown that binaural hearing improves comprehension under noisy conditions by almost 4 db, a significant amount. While in some situations the problem can be solved by placing a microphone nearer the message source, this is by no means possible in all cases. In the remaining cases, the major strategy is to usually employ some form of directional microphone. For wearable systems, including devices such as hearing aids and other body worn assistive listening systems, the size of the directional microphone is of great significance; because of this, in almost all cases, a type of microphone termed directional gradient is characteristically used.
Directional gradient microphones are a class of microphones that obtains directional properties by measuring the pressure gradient between two points in space. This is in contradistinction to omnidirectional microphones that measure a soundwave produced pressure change referenced to a closed volume of air and hence have no directional characteristics. For most modern directional pressure gradient microphones, the pressure differential across a single membrane is sensed, the membrane being used to divide a tube into two parts with both ends of the tube left open to receive the pressure signal from an external sound source. For this kind of geometry the pressure gradient appearing across the membrane is a combined function of the tube length on either side of the membrane, any acoustic phase-shifting mechanisms that may be included in either side of the tubing, and the direction of arrival of the sound pressure signal with respect to the orientation of the tube. The most common material used for the membrane in modern microphones is so-called "electret" film that responds to flexure by producing an electrical voltage across its two faces. Microphone assemblies employing one such element are referred to as "first order" microphones; assemblies employing two such elements are referred to as "second order" arrays; and so on. Higher order arrays are generally found to have greater directivity than lower order arrays, but also have other properties that may not be desirable. These include greater susceptibility to wind noise, greater susceptibility to case contact noise, greater bulk and sharper fall-off in gain at low frequencies. Regarding this last point, all first order directional microphones experience a gain decrease of 6 db per octave as the frequency lowers, second order directional microphones experience a 12 db per octave gain decrease as the frequency lowers, and so on.
Pressure gradient directional microphones of whatever order are further divided into two classes depending on whether they are: "unidirectional", having their greatest gain in one direction, usually taken to be along the 0.degree.-axis as depicted in polar plots of microphone gain; or "bidirectional", having their greatest gain in two directions, usually taken to be along the 0.degree.-axis and the 180.degree.-axis. It is worthwhile noting that in neither case is the beam pattern only along the major axis; rather, all of these microphones receive some energy from all directions. However, the maximum reception of energy is along the axis directions as described above, and reception of energy is reduced in all other directions. As examples, the most common type of unidirectional microphone, the cardioid, has a gain of unity at 0.degree., -6 db at +/-90.degree. and -20 db or less at 180.degree.. In contrast, a symmetric bidirectional microphone has a gain of unity at 0.degree. and 180.degree., a gain of -6 db at both +/-45.degree. and +/-135.degree., and a gain of -20 db or less at +/-90.degree.. From this information it is clear that while a unidirectional gradient microphone receives most of its energy from one direction, a bidirectional gradient microphone receives most of its energy from two directions 180.degree. displaced from one another.
An important measure for predicting the performance of various microphone configurations in the presence of noise is the noise-to-signal response. In essence, this is the ratio between the response of the microphone to a uniform noise field and its response to a signal along the direction of its maximum response. For reference, this ratio is taken as unity for an omnidirectional microphone measured under the same conditions. Typical values of this parameter for pressure gradient directional microphones are: 1/3 for first order cardioid elements and 1/12 for second order pressure gradient arrays. A symmetric bidirectional first order pressure gradient microphone typically has a noise-to-signal ratio of about 1/3. In terms of improved signal to noise ratios, these amount to approximately 4.7 db for cardioids, approximately 10.8 db for second order gradient arrays and approximately 4.7 db for bidirectional first order arrays.
In view of the foregoing, it is not surprising that, in applications requiring noise reduction, the selection of microphone pattern is an important consideration. Generally, if circumstances permit, the higher order arrays are used to reduce background noise. In situations where size, cost or other factors limit the applicability of higher order arrays, unidirectional cardioid elements are selected over omnidirectional designs. Bidirectional arrays are seldom employed except in a few special cases. The major reason for not choosing bidirectional microphones is because undesired signals typically appear both in front of and behind the microphone, not merely off to the sides.
Factors included in microphone selection that might mitigate against the use of higher order arrays include: size (higher order arrays are larger than first order arrays); sensitivity to wind noise and case noise (any signals reaching the arrays and not meeting the necessary phase requirements result in large unwanted transient outputs); low output level at low frequencies (as noted previously, second order arrays have decreasing gain at -12 db/octave as frequency decreases); and increased complexity of the accompanying electronics.
In understanding the present invention it is important to appreciate the effects of sound-shadows as may be occasioned by the presence of an object between a microphone element and a given sound source. If the size of the object is larger than the wavelength of the frequencies contained in the sound signal, there is a significant decrease in the energy level arriving at the microphone element. This loss of energy can be very large and generally is more evident at high frequencies because low frequencies have longer wavelengths than high frequencies. For example, a 1000 Hz signal has a wavelength of about one foot while at 100 Hz the wavelength is about ten feet. For the case where the wavelength is long compared to the dimensions of the blocking object, diffraction around the object occurs, resulting in a phase shift of arriving signals but no effective attenuation. Hence, for a hearing aid with a microphone mounted in the ear, high frequency sounds arriving at the microphone site are attenuated if their wavelengths are shorter than the size of the wearer's intervening head, but lower frequencies with longer wavelengths will not be so attenuated. This factor is very important both from a functional point of view (sound directionality in either the aided or unaided ear is mainly determined by high frequency signals being differently attenuated at the two ears , and technically in the selection of an appropriate microphone type for various applications.
In many wearable microphone applications, such as in hearing aids, omnidirectional microphones are used instead of cardioid elements even though it would appear at first blush that the cardioid type would be a better selection since hearing impaired individuals have greater than normal problems with understanding speech in noisy environments. The major reasons for not selecting cardioid microphones, however are that: improvements in signal-to-noise ratio found in actual use are seldom as great as those predicted by laboratory measurement; increases in size and complexity of the hearing aid structure required by the use of cardioid microphones ar often not perceived to be justified by the potential gains in signal-to-noise ratios; and the beneficial effects of head shadow (blocking of sound) in improving signal-to-noise ratio make the realizable difference between the use of omnidirectional elements and cardioid elements very small, usually on the order of 2 db or less which is barely perceivable.
Since bidirectional elements receive as much signal from the rear as from the front (or nearly so, depending on design parameters), these microphone types are never used in wearable microphone applications. When all of the factors affecting noise reduction, including head shadow, are taken into account, the net effect of using bidirectional elements in hearing aids has been considered to be undesirable as compared to either omnidirectional or cardioid microphones. In particular, since most hearing aids are ear-level mounted, the orientation of bidirectional microphones is limited to having the microphone facing forward and backward, meaning that sound energy in the rear is as strongly received as sound energy from the front. It is evident that this is not a desirable mode of operation. Hence, the major application of bidirectional microphones is in controlled situations where it is possible to assure that no sound sources are along the 180.degree. axis. An example of such a use is in a recording or broadcast studio where the location of all sound sources can be controlled.
A further use of directional microphones is in the control of computers where the controlling input signal is a closed vocabulary speech signal. The general method, sometimes referred to as a "speech mouse", is based on speech recognition where the user trains an interface to recognize his voice for a set of commands. A problem commonly encountered in these systems is that the typical office environment is noisy while the recognition circuits require a good signal-to-noise ratio in order to have error free responses. Clearly, the selection of a proper microphone is critical. A further limiting factor is that the cost of these voice response systems are modest, generally well under $1000, and the cost for the microphone must be kept correspondingly low. At present the choices made for the microphone pattern types are usually either cardioids or super-cardioids (both first order gradient types) or, in some cases, second order gradient types. The latter choice results in greater expense and more complicated electronics.
A further related background topic of interest in the use of microphones for communication purposes is how stereo binaural hearing is attained. Normal binaural hearing, with its spatial separation of sound events due to the manner in which sound signals arrive at the ears, permits a listener to distinguish among competing sound events. A major cue used by the human hearing system is the intensity of the sound at each ear. The head sound shadow, taken in conjunction with the location and shape of the external ear, results in considerable difference in sound intensities at the two ears depending on the orientation of the listener's head with respect to the arriving sound signal. For signals above about 1000 Hz, the difference in intensity can be as great as 10 db, depending on the angle of arrival. When binaural aided hearing is implemented in a hearing impaired person with ear-level hearing aids (e.g., behind the ear or in the ear), spatial separation of sound is retained because the microphones are located in the same positions as the ears. This is true, whether omnidirectional or unidirectional microphones are used, because of the effects of head shadow. When the microphones are located on the chest (as in body type hearing aids or in other so-called "assistive listening devices"), the stereo effects are lost even if two cardioid microphones are used. The reason for this is that the change in gain in cardioid microphones, as a function of angle of arrival of the sound signals, is too small to replicate the desirable effects of signal attenuation caused by head shadow. While second order or higher order directional microphones can provide these effects, they are too large, too prone to wind and case noise, have excessive loss of gain at low frequencies and require too complicated electronics to be practical. The result is that, for body type hearing aids and for body worn assistive listening devices, the stereo effect is lost. This is unfortunate because, in addition to a good signal-to-noise ratio, the ability to perceive the direction of arriving sound source is an important second factor in effective hearing in noisy situations. Binaurality also plays an important role in monitoring the sound environment for safety. For example, it is clearly desirable for an individual to be able to use directional perception of tire noise or the like to determine the direction of an approaching vehicle. These issues are of particular importance for a blind individual employing spatial hearing abilities for purposes of navigation.

Method and apparatus for reducing background noise in communication systems and for enhancing binaural hearing systems for the hearing impaired


A synchronous motor includes multiple coil segments, each of which has an iron core in the form of a core stack that is wound with a coil. The coil segments are characterized in that the coils press fastening elements having at least two legs against two opposite surfaces of the substantially right parallelepiped iron core. In each case, at least one leg of the fastening element abutting against the iron core is pressed against the iron core, and at least one free leg of the fastening element projects away from the iron core. The free legs are fastened to connecting elements that connect multiple coil segments to one another.

Synchronous motors having a primary part having individually wound coils and a secondary part having permanent magnets are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,013. The primary part has an iron core made of a laminated core stack having multiple teeth of rectangular cross-section. Coils are wound individually around these teeth such that each coil is wound around precisely one tooth.
German Published Patent Application No. 103 18 411 describes a similar linear motor, the primary part of which has multiple coil segments, which are made up of substantially right parallelepiped core stacks, each of which is wound with a coil. These coil segments are connected to one another mechanically and in a magnetically conductive manner on the side facing away from the secondary part so as to produce a primary part similar to the synchronous motor described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,013.
Depending on the application, it may be disadvantageous that between the magnets of the secondary part and the core stack of the primary part of such linear motors there are considerable magnetic forces of attraction that must be absorbed by a bearing.
In certain linear motors, these attractive forces are compensated for. European Published Patent Application No. 1 457 826, for example, describes a linear motor having two secondary parts arranged such that the attractive forces of the two magnetic tracks acting on the coil segments cancel each other out. How the individual coil segments may be connected to one another is not described in further detail. The connection of the individual coil segments is problematic especially if a particularly high efficiency factor of the motor is desired, since every screw or every bolt in the core stack deteriorates the efficiency factor or increases the eddy current losses of the motor.

Synchronous motor having multiple coil segments