Methods and systems are described for automatically sending a popup or other message to another person's electronic device upon finishing a predetermined goal in a video game. The predetermined goal can be, for example, killing a first boss in under five minutes. The message to the friend can include a link or button enabled such that the friend can begin the game on his device in the same room, mission, scenario, etc. that the first player started out in so that the friend can attempt to duplicate or ‘one up’ the first player's achievement. Friends who are interested in receiving such messages can be determined from existing social networking sites.

Video games have become beneficial social network opportunities and competitive outlets for many players. The skill that one exhibits in mastering a game can lead to new friends who have something in common, and respect from others who have played the game and have seen first hand how difficult some achievements within the game are to accomplish. The attention, respect, and camaraderie shared by many video games has built a sense of community around some video game titles and platforms.
High score tables have been ubiquitous in many video games, typically being updated with a player's high score and/or level attained as well as the player's initials or signature. High score tables are typically saved in the cartridge or writable memory of a particular video game medium. In the past, one player's high score was not accessible to others who did not play from the same cartridge or memory device.
Networked video games spread the concept of a computerized leaderboard system in which a central server or set of servers tracked the achievements or milestones of players with different systems. Upon reaching a high score, the leaderboard is automatically updated over the network from a message from the console upon which a player accomplished the achievement or milestone.
A 'trophy' system has been implemented to reward players with a trophy (e.g. bronze, silver, gold, platinum) for achieving certain predefined milestones in some games. The trophy system acts as a snapshot of one's gaming ability and/or time investment. These achievements help players judge their skills against others.
Some video game systems have used an 'achievement' concept which rewards points for completing different video games. Points can be earned by performing straightforward tasks, such as winning a game. Points can also be earned by completing hidden tasks, such as finding easter eggs (i.e. undocumented hidden rooms, treasures, and other features) within games. In the point system, a leaderboard tracks the number of points each player has earned from a variety of video games so that friends can compare each others' point scores.
Networked leaderboards have been found to stimulate game play and enhance interest in certain video game titles. However, leaderboards are often only followed by those with a high level of interest in the game and fail to garner a following from users who are less competitive.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


One or more services for enhancing guest utilization of a virtual machine and other VDC resources may be provided at the intermediary manager. In an embodiment, the intermediary manager intercepts a hypercall from a guest operating system that is separate from the intermediary manager. The intermediary manager determines that a particular intermediary service is associated with the hypercall and causes execution of service instructions associated with the particular intermediary service. The intermediary manager and guest operating systems may operate within a virtual machine hosted by a host machine and managed by a hypervisor. Embodiments may be useful in any of a virtualized enterprise computer system; a virtual machine infrastructure in a private data center; computing, storage or networking resources in a private cloud; computing, storage or networking resources of cloud service provider; and a hybrid cloud computing environment.

The approaches described in this section could be pursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Many enterprises and their computer systems utilize virtual machines provided by a virtual data center, such as a cloud service provider (CSP), and other virtualized resources, such as virtual storage, virtual computing resources, or virtual database resources that are accessible through the internet. Such cloud services may provide a client with many benefits, such as reduced costs, easier scalability, and a reduced administrative burden. However, cloud services also pose new challenges for clients of these services, such as increased security risks or inconsistent performance. Clients of such cloud services would benefit by solutions that minimize such disadvantages, while requiring low implementation cost and effort.

Expansion of services for a virtual data center guest


One embodiment provides a network system. The network system includes an application layer to execute one or more networking applications to generate or receive data packets having flow identification (ID) information; and a packet processing layer having profiling circuitry to generate a sketch table indicative of packet flow count data; the sketch table having a plurality of buckets, each bucket includes a first section including a plurality of data fields, each data field of the first section to store flow ID and packet count data, each bucket also having a second section having a plurality of data fields, each data field of the second section to store packet count data.

Network nodes, e.g., switches and/or routers, in distributed routing systems are designed to be resilient to network changes but are typically not easily reprogrammable once deployed. For example, programming exceptions in their forwarding behavior that do not fit within their pre-specified state machines may be difficult. Software-defined networking (SDN) is configured to alleviate this limitation by exposing a data path of a network node to a centralized controller and thereby providing programmability. However, an SDN-compliant network node may lose the ability to make local decisions (at the node) in response to network changes, requiring the centralized software stack to be involved in every modification of the forwarding behavior thus adding latency. Further, SDN relies on an out-of-band network to connect a control plane to each network node for programming.
Although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications, and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Sketch table for traffic profiling and measurement


A new and distinct variety of rose with long lasting, novel wine-red flowers, and attractive foliage with very good disease resistance. It exhibits upright growth with abundant flowers. The new variety propagates well from cuttings and by grafting. This new and distinct variety has shown to be uniform and stable in the resulting generations from asexual propagation.

The new variety of rose plant of the present invention originated from a controlled crossing in a breeding program of two distinct parents during the summer of 2004. The crossing was between an un-named seedling, the seed parent, and another un-named seedling, the pollen parent.
The resulting seeds were planted during the following winter. The resulting seedlings were evaluated and exhibited distinctive physical and biological characteristics. The new rose plant was selected as a single plant from the seedling beds due to its superior characteristics and asexually propagated for further evaluation. This new and distinctive rose variety is named 'KORelamba'.
'KORelamba' has not been made publically available or sold prior to one year before the date of this instant application. It was first offered for sale on Sep. 1, 2014 from the W. Kordes' Söhne Rosenschulen GmbH & Co KG, the inventor's nursery, in Klein Offenseth-Sparrieshoop, Germany. The first plants of the instant variety were available to the public on Sep. 15, 2014 as dormant bare root plants from the W. Kordes' Söhne Rosenschulen GmbH & Co KG, the inventor's nursery, in Klein Offenseth-Sparrieshoop, Germany.

W. Kordes Sohne Rosenschulen GmbH & Co KG


An image receiving sheet for use in a thermal image transfer recording system, has an absorption coefficient (Ka) of 0.05 to 0.75 ml/m.sup.2 .multidot.(msec).sup.1/2 with respect to extra pure liquid paraffin at a pressure of 0.1 MPa when measured by the Bristow's Method (J.TAPPI No. 51-87). As such an image receiving sheet, an image receiving sheet having a recording surface with the product of (a) the absorption coefficient (Ka) with respect to the liquid paraffin (extra pure reagent) measured by the Bristow's Method (J.TAPPI No. 51-87) at a pressure of 0.1 MPa and (b) the gradient (fc) of a linear portion of a load curve obtained by a three-dimensional surface roughness analysis being in the range of 0.5 to 6.0 can be used. An image receiving sheet having a recording surface with the amount (V) of an ink transferred to the receiving sheet during 100 msec being in the range of 2.3 to 11.5 ml/m.sup.2 can also be used. The amount (V) is obtained from (a) the absorption coefficient (Ka) and (b) the surface roughness index (Vr) of the recording surface, which are measured by the Bristow's Method (J.TAPPI No. 51-87) at a pressure of 0.1 MPa, with respect to the liquid paraffin (extra pure reagent).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image receiving sheet for use in a thermal image transfer recording system, and more particularly to an image receiving sheet capable of receiving images from a thermal image transfer recording medium which can be repeatedly used for thermal printing.
2. Discussion of Background
Recording apparatus, such as a printer and a facsimile apparatus, using the thermal image transfer recording method, is now widespread. This is because the recording apparatus of this type is relatively small in size and can be produced inexpensively, and the maintenance is simple.
In the conventional thermal image transfer recording medium for use with the thermal image transfer recording apparatus, a single ink layer is merely formed on a support. When such a recording medium is used for printing images, the portions of the ink layer heated by a thermal head are completely transferred to an image receiving sheet at only one-time printing. Therefore, the recording medium can be used only once, and can never be used repeatedly. The conventional recording medium is thus disadvantageous from the economical point of view.
In order to overcome the above drawback in the prior art, there have been proposed the following methods:
(1) A microporous ink layer is formed on a support so that a thermofusible ink impregnated in the ink layer can gradually ooze out as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Applications 54-68253 and 55-105579; PA1 (2) A porous film is provided on an ink layer formed on a support so that the amount of an ink which oozes out from the ink layer can be controlled as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 58-212993; and PA1 (3) An adhesive layer is interposed between an ink layer and a support so that an ink of the ink layer can be gradually exfoliated in the form of a thin ink layer from the support when images are printed as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Applications 60-127191 and 60-127192.
However, when images are printed on an image receiving sheet in general use by using the above-mentioned thermal image transfer recording media, the image density of the obtained images is lowered or changed during the repeated printing operation.
Many proposals have also been made to eliminate the above drawback from the image receiving sheet for use in the thermal image transfer recording system.
For instance, image receiving sheets comprising a support and a coating layer with a high oil-absorbability are disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Applications 57-182487, 61-217289, 61-248791, 61-266296, 61-284486, 62-162590, 62-202788, 62-160287, 62-257888, 62-278082, 63-19289, 63-69685, 63-178082 and 01-188392.
However, even when the aforementioned image receiving sheets with a high oil-absorbability are used for thermal image transfer recording, the obtained images lack high resolution, and high image density cannot be maintained during the repeated printing operation.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 02-9688 discloses that satisfactory images can be obtained when an image receiving sheet with a surface roughness index (Vr) of 5 ml or more in accordance with the Bristow's method (J.TAPPI Testing Method for Paper and Pulp No. 51-87). When the thermal image transfer recording medium is repeatedly used for printing images on such an image receiving sheet, however, images with high resolution and high density cannot be maintained for an extended period of time.

Image receiving sheet for use in thermal image transfer recording system


A heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system for a vehicle includes a housing, a door supported by the housing, and a lock integral with the housing. The housing further includes a first air flow path and a second air flow path. The door moves between a first position blocking airflow from the first air flow path and a second position blocking airflow from the second air flow path. The lock is configured to automatically lock the door in the second position upon assembly of the housing.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in vehicles, typically include an HVAC case or housing containing a heater core for heating airflow, and often including an evaporator for cooling airflow. The HVAC housing further includes a plurality of airflow control doors that are movable to open and close outlets through which airflow is routed through, and exits, the HVAC housing. For example, a housing may transport heated, mixed, or cooled air from the HVAC system in a front compartment of the vehicle to rear passenger outlets. The housing may route the air though various portions of the vehicle including, for example, the doors. However, when the features of various HVAC systems differ, for example systems providing rear heat/air-conditioning versus systems only having front heat/air-conditioning, different duct or housing systems are necessary. Having multiple options for duct or housing systems increases costs and complexity in manufacturing/assembly.


A control system includes a force sensor that has a mechanical mechanism (e.g., an end effector) and N (N is an integer equal to or more than two) triaxial force sensor units, acquires unit output values to which values resulting from the mechanical mechanism have been added from the respective triaxial force sensor units of the N triaxial force sensor units, and outputs force sense values based on the unit output values, a force sense value corrector that corrects the force sense values based on the force sense values output by the force sensor, and a controller that performs control of mechanical equipment (e.g., a robot) including the mechanical mechanism based on the force sense values corrected in the force sense value corrector.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a control system, a program, a method of controlling mechanical equipment, or the like.
2. Related Art
In work using a robot or the like, specific movements may be desired while not only locations but also forces are controlled. The force control may be used in the case where, for example, a soft object or a fragile object is handled without breakage, the case where an object surface having a complex shape is traced with a constant force, or other cases. In order to perform such force control, processing of detecting forces using a force sensor and incorporating magnitudes and directions of the forces into a control loop is necessary.
However, the force sensor detects not only external forces desired to be detected but also forces caused by the influences of finger structures attached thereto, forces from tools or work pieces grasped by the fingers, or the like. These forces are not constant, but change according to various conditions. Accordingly, it is difficult to separate the external forces desired to be detected and the forces from the finger structures and the tools or work pieces grasped by the fingers.
In this regard, JP-A-6-339885 discloses a technique for correcting a gyro effect due to a weight of the finger structures and its rotation. JP-A-6-339885 concerns the handling of a rotator such as perforating, burring, grinding, and polishing work using robots. Specifically, the moment that changes according to the arm position and the gyro effect generated by the rotator are corrected using the tool's center of gravity, the rotator's center of gravity, and the location of the contact point in the sensor coordinate system as given information, and a substantial external force is sensed.
Further, JP-A-2008-142810 discloses a technique for correcting the effect of centrifugal force or the like in addition to JP-A-6-339885. JP-A-2008-142810 corrects for the centrifugal force by the movement of the arm and correction processing is realized using the mass of the tool, location of the center of gravity, location of the arm, velocity, and acceleration detection units, and kinetic terms, in gravity computation units.
Furthermore, JP-A-2007-276112 discloses a technique for grasping and releasing an object by simply estimating an external force in the vertical direction rather than by the fine external force correction like JP-A-6-339885 and JP-A-2008-142810. JP-A-2007-276112 converts the force sensed by fingers from the hand coordinate system into the base coordinate system of the robot, and thereby, performs grasp control.
The techniques of JP-A-6-339885, JP-A-2008-142810 and JP-A-2007-276112 are based on the assumption that a physical model (for example, a weight distribution or the like) of a mechanical mechanism (including finger structures, or a tool grasped by the finger structures according to circumstances) are known. Accordingly, in the case where the physical model of the mechanical mechanism is unknown, the case where the physical model changes depending on the situation, or the like, it is difficult to appropriately correct for the influence on the force sense value by the mechanical mechanism (the detection value of the force sensor).

Control system, program, and method of controlling mechanical equipment


A cassette for a wedge-shaped ink well of a printing machine has a bottom and a rear wall and two side walls. A front of the cassette, opposite the rear wall, faces a duct roller of the printing machine when the cassette is inserted into the ink well and is open. A handle connected to the upper portions of the side walls is positioned such that the cassette tends to incline to prevent ink from flowing out of the front of the cassette when the cassette is handled outside of the printing machine. The bottom and the sides of the cassette are sealed against the ink well adjacent to the duct roller. A seating arrests movement of the cassette relative to the ink well when the cassette is inserted in the ink well thus ensuring that the duct roller uniformly inked between sides of the ink well.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cassette for insertion in a wedge-shaped ink well of a printing machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
A cassette for a wedge-shaped ink well is known from prior art reference DE 43 15 595 C2. The cassette in this prior art reference has two side walls connected by a bottom and a back wall. Attached to the bottom of the cassette are elastically deformable sealing elements. These elastically deformable sealing elements extend parallel to a duct roller and act against an elastically flexible ink blade in the wedge-shaped ink well. The cassette includes handle elements permitting the cassette to be handled outside of the wedge-shaped ink well. To prevent ink from flowing out of the cassette during its insertion into or removal from the wedge-shaped ink well (the position of which, including the duct roller, cannot be changed), the cassette includes a blocking gate which slides into blocking position along lateral guides in the open longitudinal side of the cassette. The blocking gate prevents ink from flowing out of the open longitudinal side.
The prior art reference includes a seal for the cassette on its front relative to the duct roller. However, the seal is complicated and prevents the duct roller from being inked in unlimited fashion over the full width of the ink well. An addition problem with this prior art device is that the three-point support for the cassette in the wedge-shaped ink well poses the risk of unstable positioning due to the hydrodynamic forces acting in the run-in space of the duct roller.
Another prior art reference, EP 0 508 031 A1, describes a cassette that can be suspended on the external gear of the ink duct by an angular piece and closed by a gate. To suspend the cassette, vertical clearance is needed relative to the duct roller. The elastically deformable ink blade in this reference disadvantageously provides additional support. This reference lacks sealing. Therefore, it is plausible that the ink will flow out of the cassette into the adjacent area of the wedge-shaped ink well. Also, a downwardly-directed handle attached to the back wall of the cassette of this reference makes the cassette difficult to handle, especially for wedge-shaped ink wells located below the operating plane.

Cassette for a wedge-shaped ink well of printing machines


The deployable wing of the present invention comprises an internal structure having diverging leading edge spars attached to a keel spar and cross spars to form a delta wing configuration. This internal structure is enclosed within a volume defined by a fabric sail having an upper section, a lower section, and fabric ribs disposed therebetween. This fabric sail volume is internally pressurized through a ram air intake at the nose stagnation point. This deployable wing can be folded, extracted from an aircraft and deployed in the air.

1. Technical Field
The present application relates to a wing and especially to an improved method and apparatus for deploying a wing.
2. Background of Related Art
Hang gliders allow manned flight without the expense or restrictions of powered flight. These gliders are aerodynamically designed such that their lift-to-drag ratio (commonly known as glide ratio) is greater than about 10:1 such that the glider is capable of suspending a flyer for several hours under the proper atmospheric conditions. Hang glider designs range from the popular delta wing design commonly known as a Rogallo wing and intermediate gliders with glide ratios of about 10:1 with docile characteristics to competition gliders with glide ratios as high as 13:1, but with less stable characteristics. The original Rogallo wing (about 45.degree. sweep) had a glide ratio of about 4:1, and modern Rogallo wings (about 30.degree. sweep) have a glide ratio of about 10:1.
The Rogallo wing design largely resembles a traditional kite with a keel, cross members, and diverging leading edge members. Another hang glider design generally similar to the Rogallo wing is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,406 which issued to Hamilton on Sep. 26, 1978. This glider has a double surface fabric airfoil forming an envelope, disposed around a Rogallo frame. This airfoil is inflated during flight as air enters an opening in the nose and exhausts through nozzles in the underside along the trailing edge. Inflating the wing improves its lift at lower air speeds. This hang glider, however, is manually controlled via a weight shift control bar by a flyer harnessed to the glider and is only useful for manned flights and not for operations such as air drops of food, supplies, etc., where manned flights are either too dangerous or impossible.
Another hang glider design similar to the Rogallo wing and having a collapsible airfoil is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,407 to Murray. This hang glider comprises a wing which includes leading edge members, a keel and cross members in a traditional delta wing design. The wing further includes upper and lower flexible membranes, a first connector for attaching the upper flexible membrane to the upper aft section of the leading edge member and a second connector for attaching the lower flexible membrane to the lower aft section of the leading edge member. The flexible membranes are also joined together rearwardly of the leading edge member. At least one of the first and second connectors includes a track for receiving a member carried by one of the flexible membranes. The member cooperates with the track to attach the flexible membrane to the leading edge member. The leading edge members are also capable of being pivoted inwardly toward the keel to collapse the wing.
Parachutes, on the other hand, can and have been utilized for air drops of food, supplies, etc., in remote locations where landing an airplane is either impossible or dangerous. Although these parachutes are useful in reducing the ground impact of the dropped load, it is difficult to ensure the parachute reaches the targeted area. Depending upon the precise parachute release time, the atmospheric conditions during release and flight, and release altitude, the parachute may either reach its target or drift up to about 15 miles or more off course.
Patent application U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,257 which is hereby incorporated by reference, discloses a deployable wing comprising a double membrane fabric sail having an upper section disposed above and joined to a lower section, the sail having a leading edge with a front point, a trailing edge, and wing tips. The deployable wing further includes an internal structure disposed between the upper section and the lower section, the internal structure having two leading edge spars with a first end and a second end, said first ends pivotally connected together at approximately the front point, a keel spar connected to and disposed between the leading edge spars at the front point and extending rearward toward the trailing edge, and at least two cross spars pivotally attached to both the leading edge spars and a sliding mechanism which traverses along the keel. The wing also includes a plurality of fabric ribs disposed between and connected to the upper section and the lower section, the fabric ribs defining the shape of the fabric sail when inflated and have at least one slot through which the cross spars extend from the keel spar to the leading edge spars and ribs; and a ram air intake located on said leading edge at the stagnation point of the wing which inflates the wing during operation.
The wing disclosed in application U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,257 is remotely controllable and allowing for both unmanned flight and accuracy in reaching a targeted area which makes it useful for article recovery and delivery. The deployable wing is, however, the first of its type and it has been found that an improved apparatus and method for deployment of such a wing is desired.
The present application therefore provides an improved apparatus and method for deployment of a wing, preferably from an aircraft.

Method and apparatus for deploying a wing


An information processing apparatus includes a first processing unit, a second processing unit, and a common storage unit that is commonly accessed by the first processing unit and the second processing unit. The first processing unit writes a request in the common storage unit for requesting the second processing unit to perform a certain process, and notifies the second processing unit of the request. The second processing unit writes a notification in the common storage unit indicating the process is completed in response to the request.

Various methods are proposed to handle abnormal states occurring in information processing apparatuses.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 7-36721 discloses a control method for taking data of a process from a processing apparatus in the current operation system over to a processing apparatus in a new operation system if a fault occurs in the processing apparatus in the current operation system, to continue the operation in the processing apparatus in the new operation system. In the control method, data used for investigating the cause of the fault is stored in a common storage device for fault analysis, and the data is referred to at switching to the new operation system to find the cause of the fault.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 7-262034 discloses a data handover system in which non-volatile storage connected to a first data processing apparatus and a second data processing apparatus is provided, and handover data is stored in the non-volatile storage to perform the data handover at switching between a active system and a standby system.
In an information processing apparatus as an entire computer system, a server controlling the entire system, for example, a service processor, is provided. The service processor unit itself or firmware operated in the service processor unit is hereinafter referred to as an eXtended System Control Facility Unit (XSCFU). The XSCFU has a function for monitoring fault occurred in the hardware including the XSCFU in the control of the entire system.
An asynchronous communication method is used for error notification in the fault monitoring. In asynchronous communication, since an information source does not wait for completion of process at the information destination, the asynchronous communication method has the advantage in that multiple processing requests may concurrently be submitted or other process may be performed concurrently with the processing requests.
However, when the asynchronous communication method is used in the error notification, the following problems may occur. If requested process is interrupted and is not completed because of a fault occurred in the XSCFU, for example, because of a fault occurred in an information communication path or an internal fault occurred in an information destination, the information source cannot detect that the processing requested of the information destination has failed. In this case, the processing requested of the information destination may not be completed and the information source cannot re-request the process of the information destination.
The XSCFU manages common data including non-volatile data and volatile data in order to control the entire system. Of the common data managed by the XSCFU, the non-volatile data includes a variety of setup information and degeneracy information about portion of the information processing apparatus during the operation of the system and is held even if the information processing apparatus is turned off. The volatile data includes the latest state of the system and is held only in a state where the information processing apparatus is turned on. If an abnormal state in the XSCFU is detected and the process requested by the information source is interrupted, update of the common data that should be performed by the information source is not undesirably performed.

Information processing apparatus and error processing


The present invention relates to a light control film, comprising:                two transparent electroconductive resin substrates; and        a light control layer sandwiched by the two transparent electroconductive resin substrates,        wherein the light control layer contains a resin matrix and a light control suspension dispersed in the resin matrix, and the thickness of the transparent electroconductive resin substrates is from 10 to 80 μm.

Light control films are a material that gives a light transmittance varied in accordance with whether or not an electric field is applied thereto, so as to be able to adjust the incident light amount. Known is, for example, a light control film being obtained by sandwiching a light control layer between transparent electroconductive resin substrates, the light control layer being obtained by dispersing a light control suspension in which a light control particles are dispersed, into a resin matrix, the light control particles responding to an electric field. This light control film is a film in which fine droplets of the light control suspension in which the light control particles are dispersed, are dispersed in the resin matrix, which is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays. In this light control film, the light control particles absorb, scatter or reflect light by Brownian motion in the state that no electric field is applied thereto; thus, incident light into the film cannot penetrate through the film. When an electric field is applied thereto, the light control particles are oriented in the direction parallel to the electric field by the polarization of the particles; thus, incident light to the film can penetrate through the film. In such a way, in a light control film, the amount of transmitted light is adjusted in accordance with the response of light control particles therein to an electric field (see Japanese Patent Application National Publication No. 8-503314).
As such a light control film, known is a film in which a light control layer is formed directly between two glass plates. For example, Japanese Patent Application National Publication No. 8-503314 discloses, in an example thereof, a light control film obtained by forming a light control layer about 100 μm in thickness on a polyester sheet 127 μm in thickness, curing the light control layer, transferring the cured layer onto a glass plate, about 3 mm in thickness, covered with ITO, peeling off the polyester sheet and then sandwiching the light control layer between the glass plate and another glass plate equivalent thereto. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A-) No. 9-113939 discloses, in an example thereof, a light control film formed by forming a light control layer so as to the thickness is about 50 μm, onto each of two glass substrates each coated with ITO, and then integrating these members into one unit in a vacuum. However, such a method of forming a light control layer directly onto glass plates is poor in workability, for example, for the formation of the layer onto glass substrates having a large area. Moreover, the film thickness of the light control layer is not easily made uniform; thus, it is difficult to yield a light control film which is uniform as a whole and has an excellent light control performance.
As a film for improving this film, known is a light control film obtained by applying a light control material onto each of polyester films 125 μm in thickness, having a surface on which an ITO transparent electrode film is formed, so as to yield two films with the light control material, and then stacking the two films onto each other (see Examples of JP-A No. 2002-189123). Additionally, JP-A Nos. 2005-300962, 2006-64832 and others give descriptions over a wide scope which include the following content: in a case where transparent substrates between which a light control layer is to be sandwiched are each a glass, the thickness is preferably from 1 to 15 mm; and in a case where the substrates are each a polymeric film, the thickness is preferably from 10 to 1000 μm. However, examples thereof disclose only a method of forming a light control layer directly between glass plates, as described in JP-A No. 9-113939. The use of polymeric films as substrates is neither specifically described nor sufficiently investigated in the actual circumstances.

Light control film and light control glass


A liquid supplying device includes a liquid container detachably mountable to the container mount portion, a liquid supply channel to communicate with both the liquid container mounted in the container mount portion and a liquid supply target, a liquid feeder at a midway of the liquid supply channel to pressurize a liquid in the liquid supply channel to feed the liquid to the liquid supply target by pressurizing the liquid, a bypass channel connected to the liquid supply channel to bypass a portion of the liquid supply channel and communicate with both an upstream side and a downstream side of the liquid feeder in a liquid supply direction of the liquid supply channel, and a first valve in the bypass channel to close when the liquid container is mounted in the container mount portion and to open in response to detachment of the liquid container.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a liquid supplying device to which a liquid container can be detachably attached and a droplet discharge device and an image forming apparatus including the liquid supplying device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image forming apparatuses are used as printers, facsimile machines, copiers, plotters, or multi-functional devices having, e.g., two or more of the foregoing capabilities. As one type of image forming apparatus, for example, an image forming apparatus is known that includes a liquid supplying device to supply ink to a droplet discharge head having nozzles from an ink cartridge detachably attachable to an apparatus body of the image forming apparatus.
Such an image forming apparatus may supply ink to a droplet discharge head by pressurizing ink using a liquid feed pump disposed in an ink supply passage that supplies ink to the droplet discharge head.

Liquid supplying device, droplet discharge device, and image forming apparatus


A brushless and sensorless DC motor control assembly powers a low torque to inertia ratio device such as a gyroscope or centrifuge. The assembly includes a brushless and sensorless DC motor including a rotor and three phase coils, a motor control integrated circuit, a transistor power bridge connected to the phase coils, and a microprocessor connected between and to the motor control integrated circuit and the transistor power bridge. The microprocessor directly controls the power bridge during ramp up of the motor, and after ramp up disables the power bridge and activates the integrated circuit into a closed loop operating mode until the integrated circuit is synchronized with the motor. The microprocessor also verifies synchronization and then reactivates the power bridge to effectively control which phase of the motor is energized during continued operation. The microprocessor also measures out the time interval for synchronization of the integrated circuit with the motor, and once the motor has been turned off, but while the rotor is still rotating, the microprocessor verifies the synchronization before reactivating the power bridge.

The invention relates to a brushless and sensorless DC motor control assembly, a low torque to inertia ratio motor driven device driven by that assembly, and methods of operating a brushless and sensorless DC motor particularly with a low torque to inertia ratio device powered by the motor. The brushless and sensorless DC motor is specially configured to exhibit a large mechanical moment of inertia and operate at a very high rotational speed so that it may be used to power a motion sensing gyroscope, centrifuge, or the like. The invention utilizes a microprocessor to circumvent some of the shortcomings of brushless and sensorless DC motor controls found in the prior art.
While the benefits of brushless over brush type motors are well documented, a distinct disadvantage of the brushless motor has been the need to install semiconductor sensors within the motor so that the control electronics may be signalled as to when to commutate the motor. The addition of these sensors adds costs and complexity and reduces motor reliability.
A method of operating a brushless and sensorless DC motor without sensors has been in use in the computer industry applied to the operation of hard disk drives. An integrated circuit chip (such as the ML4410 or ML4411 manufactured by Micro Linear Corporation) is available which will constitute a complete hard disk drive with the addition of just a few external components. Prior art attempts have been made to employ the MM4410 or ML4411 in a drive for a gyroscope, but the attempts have met with limited success owing to the fundamental difference between a hard disk system and a gyroscope system. This fundamental difference can be expressed as the quotient of the available system torque over the mechanical moment of inertia (the torque to inertia ratio). It is in the nature of gyroscopic systems of this type to have a very small torque to inertia ratio as compared to a computer disk drive system.
It is this low torque to inertia ratio which has posed the main difficulty in applying the ML4410 to the control of gyroscopes. The term "low torque to inertia ratio" when describing a DC motor powered device in the present specification and claims refers to a device that takes more than 30 seconds to accelerate from zero to rated speed at rated torque.! In order to describe exactly where the difficulties arise, a brief description of the operation of the ML4410 or ML4411 is required. The ML4410 or ML4411 typically takes the motor from a stop to operating speed via three steps:
1. ALIGNMENT--A constant current is applied to the windings in order to cause the rotor to move into alignment with the static magnetic field at a known rotational position. The motion of the rotor will be a damped torsional oscillation which comes to rest at the desired position. The amplitude, frequency, and duration of the oscillation depend on the motor torque constant, rotor inertia, rotor bearing friction, and the initial position of the rotor when the current is applied.
2. RAMP UP--The drive's three phase output is stepped in an open loop manner through the normal commutation steps starting at a low frequency (corresponding to a low motor speed) and then allowing the frequency to increase as a linear function of time (ramp up) until the frequency corresponds to the approximate minimum speed of closed loop operation.
3. CLOSED LOOP--A phase locked loop is closed allowing the commutation steps to be phase synchronized with the motor's back emf and thus to the rotor position. The motor can now be accelerated to operating speed.
In the case of a gyroscope (or other systems, e.g. centrifuges, which characteristically exhibit a low torque to inertia ratio), the alignment step may take a relatively long time (as long as ten seconds has been observed) before the rotor comes to rest. This timing is in stark contrast to the alignment times characteristic of hard drive systems, which would generally be less than one second. In the case of hard disk drives, this time period has generally been measured out using a conventional analog resistor-capacitor timing circuit. These timing circuits have not, however, been found to be very practical when the required time period extends beyond a few seconds owing to the increased physical size of the components and the decrease in the repeatability and accuracy of the circuit. The invention, replacing this circuit with a microprocessor, insures that any required time interval may be measured out with excellent accuracy and repeatability.
Systems with a low torque to inertia ratio are, by definition, capable of only very low acceleration rates. This means that during the ramp up stage the frequency must start very low and then increase very slowly so that the rate of increase does not exceed the motor's ability to accelerate and keep up with the increasing frequency. While the ML4410 or ML4411 does have a built in capacity to accomplish this frequency ramp up, it does not have sufficient range of adjustment of the frequency increase rate to reliably accommodate these systems. The prior art addresses this shortcoming by using analog switches to switch various components into and out of the ML4410 or ML4411 configuration at different stages and, although some success has been attained, the resulting systems have been found to be too expensive, too large, and not thoroughly reliable.
The invention circumvents any limitations of the ML4410 or ML4411 by eliminating it from the ramp up process altogether. Since the topology of the invention places the microprocessor between the ML4410 or ML4411 and a transistor power bridge, the microprocessor is able to take direct control of the bridge. Also, since the microprocessor is capable of producing arbitrary sequences of digital patterns (with respect to time), it can be programmed to provide the optimal ramp up sequence which will be precise and repeatable. Once the microprocessor has ramped the motor up to a sufficient speed, it activates control lines which put the ML4410 or ML4411 in closed loop operating mode and disables the bridge so that is the motor is coasting. Once the ML4410 or ML4411 has synchronized itself to the spinning motor (a condition which is verified by the microprocessor), the microprocessor reactivates the bridge, following the ML4410's or ML4411's output as to which phase should be energized.
Another advantage of the invention over the prior art is in the area of restarting the motor "on the fly". Because of the inherent high inertia and low friction of gyroscope systems, it may take on the order of ten minutes or more for the system to coast to a stop once it has been turned off. The prior art has an operational limitation in that, once the drive has been disabled, it cannot be re-enabled until the motor comes to a stop. In use this has been found to be an undesirable limitation since it can cause long delays if it is found that the equipment is needed again just after it has been shut down. The reason that the prior art exhibits this limitation is that it has no means for checking to assure that the ML4410 or ML4411 has retained synchronization with the motor while the power bridge has been off. If the power bridge were to be re-enabled while the motor was spinning at high speed and the drive was not properly synchronized with the motor, it is highly likely that some of the large energy reservoir stored in the spinning inertia of the motor would be converted into high fault currents which would destroy transistors in the bridge. The invention, however, employs a software routine within the microprocessor to assure that synchronization has been retained (as is normally the case) before the bridge is re-enabled. Only in the unlikely event that synchronization has been lost will the microprocessor then hold off re-enabling of the bridge until the motor comes to a stop, at which time the ALIGNMENT stage is entered.
According to one aspect of the present invention a brushless and sensorless DC motor control assembly is provided comprising the following components: A brushless and sensorless DC motor including a rotor and a plurality of phase coils. A motor control integrated circuit. A transistor power bridge connected to the plurality of phase coils. And, a microprocessor connected between and to the motor control integrated circuit and the transistor power bridge for: directly controlling the power bridge during ramp up of the motor; after ramping up, disabling the power bridge and activating the integrated circuit into a closed loop operating mode until the integrated circuit is synchronized with the motor, and verifying the synchronization; and then re-activating the power bridge, the integrated circuit and power bridge controlling which phase of the motor is energized during continued operation.
The assembly is typically in combination with a device (such as a gyroscope or a centrifuge) powered by the motor having a low torque to inertia ratio (i.e. taking more than 30 seconds to accelerate from zero to a rated speed at rated torque). The microprocessor typically also measures out the time interval for synchronization of the integrated circuit with the motor. After the motor has been turned off, but while the rotor is still rotating, the microprocessor verifies synchronization between the integrated circuit and the motor before reactivating the power bridge.
The motor normally comprises three phase coils and the transistor power bridge typically comprises a DC power supply and three pairs of transistors, each pair of transistors connected to one of the motor phase coils. The motor control integrated circuit preferably comprises an ML4410 or ML4411, however present and future alternative motor control integrated circuits which provide complete commutation for Delta or Wye wound brushless motors without the need for signals from Hall effect sensors may be provided.
The invention also relates to a low torque to inertia ratio motor driven device comprising the following components: A centrifuge or gyroscope. A brushless and sensorless DC motor including a rotor and three phase coils, for powering the centrifuge or gyroscope. A motor control integrated circuit. And, a microprocessor connected between and to the motor control integrated circuit and motor for controlling the motor. The device may further comprise a transistor power bridge connected between the microprocessor and the motor, the transistor power bridge comprising a DC power supply and three pairs of transistors, each pair of transistors connected to one of the motor phase coils.
The invention also relates to a method of operating a brushless and sensorless DC motor, such as described above. The method comprises the steps of: While the rotor is rotating, turning the motor off; and while the rotor is still rotating, restarting the motor by using the microprocessor to verify synchronization between the integrated circuit and the motor, and once verification has been established, reactivating the power bridge.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, the invention comprises a method of operating a device having a low torque to inertia ratio and powered by a brushless and sensorless DC motor such as described above. The method comprises the steps of: Directly controlling the power bridge with the microprocessor to effect ramp up of the motor. After ramping up, with the microprocessor disabling the power bridge and activating the integrated circuit into a closed loop operating mode until the integrated circuit is synchronized with the motor, and verifying the synchronization. And then with the microprocessor, re-activating the power bridge, so that the integrated circuit and power bridge control which phase of the motor is energized during continued operation.
The method typically comprises the further step of, with the microprocessor, measuring out the time interval for synchronization of the integrated circuit with the motor. The method also typically comprises the further steps of: turning off the motor; and after the motor has been turned off, but while the rotor is still rotating, with the microprocessor verifying synchronization between the integrated circuit and the motor before re-activating the power bridge.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide powering of a low torque to inertia ratio device utilizing a brushless and sensorless DC motor. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.

Powering and control of a brushless DC motor


At a device for treating a product in a receiving trough (1) which has at least one opening (5) for receiving the product, the treatment of the product is to take place by inner and outer blades (9, 8) which are arranged in the receiving trough (1) and can be driven separately by drives (14; 16). The drive (14) for the at least one inner blade (9) should be located on the same side of the receiving trough (1) as the drive (16) for the at least one outer blade (8).

The invention relates to a device for treating a product in a receiving trough which has at least one opening for receiving the product, the treatment of the product being affected by inner and outer blades which are arranged in the receiving trough and can be driven separately by drive systems.
Mixers for organic masses, especially for meat, are known in many different embodiments on the market. They usually consist of a cylindrical housing with a closed base, in which a shaft is centrally and rotatably mounted, which is driven by an externally mounted motor. On the shaft there is a holding device for blades which on the one hand slide along the bottom and on the other hand along the inner wall of the housing. The housing has a certain capacity and can be either open or firmly closed by means of a bolt which is pivotally mounted on it.
The blades are paddle-shaped in such a way that the mix is mixed by turning the blades. The mixture is poured into the housing as a whole and then mixed in the desired way until all additives substances have been mixed together with the organic mass.
For emptying, the housing will be opened or tipped over so that the mix, similar to a concrete mixer, can be collected in a provided collecting container and fed to other processing operations.
Tumblers are also built on the same basis. The DE 43 41 569 C2 shows a cylindrical container with several mixing arms in which the mixing arms being mounted on one side.
EP 191 119 B1 also shows a cylindrical container in which the mixing arm is mounted on one side.
The disadvantage of these two inventions mentioned above is that the tilting containers are only suitable to a limited extent for industrial production, as the mixing arms, which are mounted on one side only, cannot withstand high loads and are therefore unsuitable for inflexible products.
Furthermore, there have been many tilting mixers on the market for decades which do not have a cylindrical mixing container but a mixing trough with two parallel shafts. One version shows two parallel running mixing shafts equipped with paddles. A second version also has two parallel running mixing shafts but equipped with a Z-arm, which is why this mixer is called a Z-arm mixer.
These mixers are of stable construction with mixing shafts mounted on both sides. However, the drive system occurs only from one side, where the main engine is located. The main engine drives both mixing shafts with chain wheels.
The disadvantage of these mixers is that emptying does not run optimally if the products have different viscosities. This is because the two mixing shafts always have the same mixing speed, which cannot be changed. Furthermore, it is not possible to turn both mixing shafts in the same direction, which would also be advantageous during emptying. As the tilting movement is done by a hydraulic cylinder, there are only two end positions. Either the trough is straight or tilted. The position in the tilted position cannot be varied. These mixers also do not have scrapers and therefore product residues must be laboriously scraped out in the tilted position. Furthermore, these mixers mix too slowly and not as gently.
A mixer described in DE 195 07 181 is designed for the emptying in the area of the front wall and is therefore not suitable for tipping emptying. The existing mixer trough can only be loaded on the long side, as the drive engines are located in the area of the lift-tilt device and are therefore in the way.

Inotec GmbH Maschinenentwicklung Und Vertrieb


The present invention relates to plastics that can be obtained by reacting unsaturated and/or hydroxyl-group-containing fatty acids or their esters or mixtures of various such fatty acids and esters with bifunctional ester-forming and/or amide-forming compounds and, if necessary, subsequently converting ethylenic double bonds, to give difatty acid diamides, difatty acid diesters, difatty acid amide esters, monofatty acid amide amines or monofatty acid amide alcohols as monomer components which contain at least two reactive groups suited for linkage to give polymers, in particular ethylenic double bonds, hydroxyl groups, epoxy groups or amino groups, and by linking the said compounds in the known way via a second group of bifunctional compounds that are capable of reacting with these free reactive groups to give the desired plastics.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new group of plastics based on fatty acids that can be obtained from natural oils and fats.
2. Technology Review
Natural oils and fats serve not only as initial substances for producing a multitude of technically important basic materials; under certain conditions, they can also be used to a substantially increased extent to produce polymers, in particular plastics. At present, the production of polymers from fats and oils is based essentially on three different possibilities.
The first possibility makes use of the, observation that polyunsaturated fats and fatty acids tend to polymerize when heated or exposed to atmospheric oxygen. These properties are of importance, for example, in the production of linoleum and in the curing of lacquers and varnishes (oil paints) as well as of sealing compounds, e.g., glazier's putty. The field of application in this case is naturally limited to oils with a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, so-called drying oils such as linseed oil, wood oil or nut oil.
A second possibility is to use oils and fats which, because of their composition, predominantly contain two or more alcohol groups per triglyceride molecule, and to process them with appropriate reactive compounds, e.g. diisocyanates, to give polymeric structures. Suitable substances for such reactions are, for example, castor oil or hydrogenated castor oil, which can be used directly as triglycerides. However, the range of application of this method is also limited by the available oils and fats and, in addition, the direct use of triglycerides normally permits only such polymers to be produced that are cross-linked and therefore cannot be processed thermoplastically.
The third possibility is to break down the fatty acids contained in oils and fats into diactive fatty acid splitting products such as dicarboxylic acids by splitting reactions, e.g. ozonolysis, the reactive groups, for example, carboxylic acid groups, being attached to both ends of the hydrocarbon chains. According to this method, it is possible to produce azelaic acid from oleic acid on an industrial scale. The dicarboxylic acids can then be reacted with diamines to give polyamides or with diols to give polyesters. It is also common practice in the chemical industry to split ricinoleic acid (from castor oil), react one of the splitting products to give 11-amino-undecanoic acid and polycondensate the latter to give nylon R 11 (Rilsan) . Although thermoplastic polymers as well can be produced via these or other diactive fatty acid splitting products, this method also has decisive drawbacks. On the one hand, splitting the fatty acids into diactive products is relatively complicated an(i involves major losses, and on the other hand considerable amounts of various by-products are formed, especially aliphatic monocarboxylic acids, the chain length of which is less interesting from the technical point of view, and the subsequent purifying operations are therefore difficult.
The above examples already show the basic interest of the plastics industry in using natural fats and oils.


A transmitter (13) operates in an immediate scan after an initial acquisition or detection of an altered aircraft ID by a changed flight status, to transmit to an aircraft a sequence of interrogation signals requesting an aircraft ID transmission, a verifier (17) operates upon acquisition of a reply signal including an aircraft ID transmitted from a transponder on the aircraft, to store in a memory (17a) a mode S address assigned to the aircraft and the aircraft ID in an associating manner, and upon an occurrence of a storage of aircraft IDs associated with the mode S address in the memory (17a), to determine whether or not the aircraft ID is correct, depending on whether or not the aircraft IDs have a match therein, and a report generator (18) operates upon a determination for the aircraft ID to be correct, to prepare a target report using the aircraft ID.

1. Field of Art
The present invention relates to a mode S secondary surveillance radar for detecting aircraft fitted with mode S transponders.
2. Description of Relevant Art
For air traffic control, ground stations have a mode S secondary surveillance radar (SSR mode S) adapted for detecting aircraft to prepare target reports to be used. The mode S secondary surveillance radar is adapted to acquire, from aircraft fitted with mode S transponders (mode S aircraft) in the radar coverage, their position data (slant ranges, azimuths), altitude data, aircraft IDs (identities), etc, prepare target reports thereon, and provide them to a control system to implement air traffic control. Such protocols are internationally unified (see e.g. ICAO Doc. 9684 "Manual of the Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) Systems", "6.3 Surveillance Protocol").
For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a mode S secondary surveillance radar 2 in the past includes an interrogation generator 22 that responds to requests from a channel management 21 by generating interrogations, of which signals are transmitted from a transmitter 23, through an antenna 24, to transponders on mode S aircraft. To interrogations thus sent out, replies from transponders are sent back, of which signals are received through the antenna 24 by a receiver 25, and input to a decoder 26 with listening windows opened in accordance with periods requested from channel management 11. The decoder 26 decodes input reply signals to acquire information including altitudes and IDs of targets, which is output to a report generator 27. Given information including aircraft IDs and altitudes, the report generator 27 prepares target reports containing information with aircraft IDs and altitudes inclusive, which are provided to air traffic control system.
The mode S secondary surveillance radar 2 acquires information of a respective aircraft by a protocol including: (1) an initial acquisition by a combination of all-call interrogations and replies thereto including replies from the aircraft; and (2) a tracking acquisition by a sequence of transactions each consisting of a selective interrogation and a reply to and from the aircraft as a target (see e.g. "Secondary Surveillance Rader SSR Mode S for Air Traffic Control" by Yoshio HASHIDA, Hisashi OHTOMO, & Yoshinori KUJI, Toshiba Review Vol. 59, No. 2, 2004, pp. 58-61).
As shown in FIG. 2, the mode S secondary surveillance radar 2 on the ground first performs an initial acquisition by all-call interrogations followed by replies from transponders on mode S aircraft (in a 1st scan and a 2nd scan), where it obtains data on aircraft to be targets, including their mode S addresses, positions, and the like. After this, the mode S secondary surveillance radar 2 starts tracking each aircraft as a target, entering an individual acquisition by sequential selective transactions (UF [uplink format]=4/DF [downlink format]=4 and UF=5/DF=5, in a 3rd scan), where it acquires data on altitude and aircraft ID of the target. Thereafter, the mode S secondary surveillance radar 2 keeps up a continual acquisition by selective transactions (UF=4/DF=4) to acquire data on altitude of the target, so long as the tracking is continued at a tracking processor 20 in FIG. 1 (in a 4th scan, a 5th scan, and unshown subsequent scans).
Each altitude acquiring transaction (UF=4/DF=4) provides a data on altitude, which is variable with time, as the aircraft flies in the air. Therefore, the mode S secondary surveillance radar 2 is adapted to acquire an altitude data every scan (each of the 3rd to 5th scans and subsequent scans) after the above-noted initial acquisition, and prepare a target report using an altitude data acquired in each scan.
The aircraft ID is a unique value (referred to as a "beacon code" or "mode A code", as well) set to a flight plan defining, among others, a route and clock times of an associated flight, and once set up, it will not be altered during the flight as a rule. Therefore, the mode S secondary surveillance radar 2 executes an ID acquiring transaction (UF=5/DF=5) for acquiring an aircraft ID of the target in the 3rd scan just after the initial acquisition, and prepares target reports repeatedly using the aircraft ID acquired in the 3rd scan, without additional acquisition of aircraft ID in subsequent scans being the 4th, the 5th, et seq.
The aircraft ID may well be altered during a flight by a rare occurrence of an air traffic controller's instruction or in an emergency, where the DF=4 reply to be acquired every scan has its flight status (FS) changed. Therefore, detection of a changed flight status is coped with in an immediate sweep by execution of an additional ID acquiring transaction (UF=5/DF=5) for acquiring a new aircraft ID, before subsequent scans in which simply altitude acquiring transactions (UF=4/DF=4) are to be executed.
For each scan, which is limited in time, the mode S secondary surveillance radar 2 repeatedly employs an aircraft ID once acquired, allowing for an efficient use of the limited scan time. That is, the mode S secondary surveillance radar 2 is afforded to devote a remaining scan time to other aircraft, for transactions and data communications therewith.
Such a repetition in use of an aircraft ID once acquired is supported by a CRC function in the mode S reply that implements a reliable data acquisition. That is, the mode S secondary surveillance radar 2 relies on the aircraft ID once acquired, to repeat the use.
However, the CRC function in mode S reply has a nominal error rate of 10−7, with an anxiety of a failure to detect an occurrence of error with a probability of 10−7. Should an error occur in a transaction (UF=5/DF=5) in an immediate scan after the initial acquisition, target reports containing an erroneous aircraft ID might be prepared in subsequent scans, for use in air traffic control, which is problematic to the safety of air traffic control.
The present invention has been devised with this point in view. It therefore is an object of the present invention to provide a mode S secondary surveillance radar adapted for acquisition of a correct aircraft ID to output a reliable target report with contribution to an ensured safety of air traffic control.


A transponder among a plurality of transponders that are connected with a client device via a plurality of optical couplers, the transponder includes a protection timer configured to be activated when an alarm indication signal transmitted from the client device is received, and a controller configured to control transmission of an optical signal to one of the plurality of optical couplers when the protection timer times out, wherein a timeout value of the protection timer is set to a value different from a timeout value of a protection timer included in another transponder.

Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) apparatuses have been used when constructing a backbone network with the significant increases in the capacity of networks.
In a WDM apparatus, a redundant configuration designed to increase reliability is employed for a network (see, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication Nos. 2001-77783 and 2004-96514). In order to select a redundant line (for example, an EAST line/WEST line), a switch (SW) unit having a switching function is used in the WDM apparatus. However, for the purpose of, for example, enhancing the efficiency of the WDM apparatus in terms of the number of lines it contains, the redundant configuration is sometimes implemented by using an optical coupler for connection with a subscriber (client) device, in place of mounting the SW unit in the WDM apparatus.

Transponder and optical transmission apparatus


A cellular phone in the form of a shell downloads and reproduces encrypted content data distributed from a distribution server. The cellular phone includes a detection unit detecting whether its casing in the form of the shell is open/closed. If with the cellular phone currently downloading or reproducing encrypted content data its casing in the form of the shell is closed, a controller controls a power supply unit to supply power required for completing the download process or the reproduction process. Thus if the casing is closed the cellular phone still can complete the download or reproduction process. Thus with the casing having been closed the cellular phone can download or reproduce data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to data terminal devices used in data distribution systems capable of protecting the copyright of copied information.
2. Description of the Background Art
In recent years the Internet and other similar information communication networks have advanced and a cellular phone or the like is used for a personal terminal to allow the user to readily access network information.
On such an information communication network a digital signal is used to transmit information. As such, if a user copies music, video data or the like transmitted on such an information communication network as described above, each individual user can copy such data almost free of significant degradation in the quality of sound, image and the like.
Thus, if music data, image data or other similar creations in copyright are transmitted on such an information communication network without any appropriate approach taken to protect the copyright, the copyright owner may have his/her right infringed significantly.
However, prioritizing copyright protection and preventing distribution of copyrighted data on a rapidly expanding digital information communication work, is disadvantageous to copyright owners, who basically can collect a predetermined copyright fee for copying copyrighted data.
In contrast, if digital data recorded in a recording medium, e.g., music data recorded in a normally sold compact disc (CD), is copied to a magneto-optical disk (such as an MD), it may be copied, as desired, as long as the copied data is solely for personal use, although an individual user who example digitally records data is required to indirectly pay as a bond to the copyright owner a predetermined portion of the price of the exact digital recording equipment, MD or any other similar media used by the user.
In addition, if music data in a digital signal is copied from a CD to an MD the information is digital data copied without significant degradation and accordingly equipment is configured to prevent copying music data from a recordable MD to another MD and thus protect copyright.
As such, distributing music data, image data and other similar data to the public on a digital information communication network is itself a behavior subject to a restriction attributed to a public transmission right of a copyright owner and a sufficient approach is accordingly required for protection of copyright.
Conventional cellular phones have a casing in the form of a shell. When the casing is closed, the current telephone call is disconnected and the cellular phone enters a low power consumption mode.
More specifically, with reference to FIG. 19, the cellular phone is powered off (step S1). Whether or not the power supply key has been pressed, is detected (step S2). If so then a liquid crystal display, a backlight and the like are turned on (step S3). If not then the control returns to step S1.
Then a standby status is conferred (step S4) and the control determines whether a call key has been pressed (step S5). If so then a call status is conferred (step S6). If not then the control moves on to step S10 to determine whether the casing in the form of the shell is open or closed.
During a call, the control determines whether a disconnection key has been pressed to disconnect the call (step S7). If so then the control returns to step S4.
If not then the control determines whether the casing has been closed (step S8). If not then the control returns to step S6.
If so the call is disconnected (step S9) and the cellular phone is conferred a standby status on with the casing closed (step S11). In the step S11 condition a low power supply consumption mode is set.
At step S10 if the control determines that the casing has been closed then the control moves on to step S11 and if the control determines that the casing is open then the control moves on to step S4.
In the step S11 condition, the control determines whether the casing is open or closed (step S12) and if the casing is closed then the control stays at step S11 and if the casing is opened then the control moves on to step S3.
In other words, to continue a call (including mails, communications via personal computers, and the like) the conventional cellular phone in the form of a shell must have its casing in the form of the shell kept open.
Conventional cellular phones in the form of a shell cannot download or reproduce encrypted content data with a copyright sufficiently protected, a license key and the like. If the encrypted content data, the license key and the like are configured to be downloaded and reproducible, the cellular phone still needs to have its casing in the form of the shell kept open while it downloads or reproduces the data, the key and the like. Such is particularly inconvenient if a large amount of data such as music content is downloaded and reproduced as the casing needs to be kept open for a long period of time.

Data terminal device capable of continuing to download encrypted content data and a license or reproduce encrypted content data with its casing in the form of a shell closed


The sensitivity in detection in a depth direction of a living body and the overall signal-to-noise ratio of an apparatus are improved, whereby a distribution of current sources in the living body or a plurality of current dipoles can be inferred more accurately than they conventionally are. A pickup coil array is made by combining a plurality of types of pickup coils that are mutually different in at least one of the order of a differential and a base line. The plurality of types of pickup coils are mutually different in, for example, only the order of a differential or only a base line, and are arranged separately at different measurement points or arranged at the same measurement point. Included is a magnetic source inferring means for inferably computing information on magnetic sources in a living body or information on the distribution of magnetic sources on the basis of detection signals provided by the plurality of types of pickup coils. The magnetic source inferring means includes a means for compensating for the influence of magnetic crosstalk among the plurality of types of pickup coils.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a biomedical magnetic field measuring apparatus. More particularly, this invention is concerned with a biomedical magnetic field measuring apparatus having a field detection unit in which a fragile magnetic field generated in a living body is sensed by a pickup coil and then led to a superconducting ring referred to as a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID).
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a SQUID fluxmeter serving as a biomedical magnetic field measuring apparatus in which superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) are used to measure magnetic fluxes in a living body has been put to practical use. The SQUID fluxmeter falls into a radiofrequency (rf)-SQUID type and direct current (dc)-SQUID type. The dc-SQUID type is used generally these days because sensitivity is excellent and few noises occur.
In the case of the dc-SQUID type, when a dc bias current of a level disabling retention of a superconducting state is supplied to a junction of a superconducting ring, if a magnetic field originating from a living body is detected using a pickup coil and led to the superconducting ring, a periodically-varying voltage to the detected magnetic field is induced in the junction. From this viewpoint, when the voltage in the junction varies, a magnetic flux canceling the variation is applied from a feedback coil to the superconducting ring so that a voltage proportional to a current flowing through the feedback coil can be read externally. A circuit thus configured is referred to as a flux locked loop (FLL) circuit. Owing to this circuit, an output proportional to a magnetic field detected by a pickup coil can be obtained.
A typical configuration of a pickup coil array employed in such a SQUID fluxmeter is shown in FIG. 1, and various forms of windings of pickup coils are shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C. A pickup coil array 100 shown in FIG. 1 has a plurality of first-order differential type pickup coils 101 arranged along a curved coil arrangement surface so that the axial-directions of the coils 101 will be substantially perpendicular to the surface of the head of a patient. This configuration is currently the mainstream of a SQUID fluxmeter. A magnetometer type pickup coil (the order of a differential is 0) shown in FIG. 2A, a first-order differential type pickup coil shown in FIG. 2B, and a second-order differential type pickup coil shown in FIG. 2C are used as the pickup coil 101. Above all, the second-order differential type pickup coil has the better ability to remove a magnetic field originating from an external noise than the first-order differential type coil, and is therefore employed in measuring a magnetic field in the environment with a larger external noise. The first-order differential type pickup coil has the poorer ability to remove an external noise and is therefore desirably used for measurement in a magnetic shielding room. The magnetometer type pickup coil does not have the ability to remove an external noise and is therefore unused in general. As shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, a distance in axial direction between two coil loop planes is referred to as a base line. A conventional (differential type) pickup coil array is characterized by the fact that a plurality of pickup coils having the same base line are arranged on a curved coil arrangement surface. Incidentally, a third-order or higher-order differential type pickup coil in which consideration is taken into the durability to an external noise has been conceived.
It has been revealed that if information on current sources in a living body is inferred from the results of a measurement performed using a biomedical magnetic field measuring apparatus including a pickup coil array having the foregoing structure, there is the fear of bringing about drawbacks described below.
(1) When a distribution of current sources distributed in a living body three-dimensionally is inferred using a solution like a linear least squares method, a distribution of current sources that are distributed at shallower positions than they actually are is liable to be inferred.
(2) A plurality of current dipoles are imagined in a living body, if the positions, sizes, and orientations of the dipoles are inferred through non-linear optimization, small magnetic fields generated by dipoles located at deeper positions are hidden behind large magnetic fields generated by dipoles located at shallower positions. It is therefore hard to detect the dipoles at deeper positions accurately.
In an effort to solve this problem, a proposal has been made for a method in which a plurality of, for example, first-order differential type pickup coils 102 are, as shown in FIG. 3, arranged in steps in its axial direction, and information on current sources in a living body is inferred from magnetic field strengths detected by these pickup coils 102.
However, a magnetic field measuring apparatus including a pickup coil array having the structure described in conjunction with FIG. 3 has a problem that since a magnetic field in a living body detected by a pickup coil located away from the living body is small, the signal-to-noise ratio of a pickup coil located far away becomes inferior to that of a pickup coil located nearby. As a whole, a contribution is hardly made to improvement of accuracy in inference.

Biomedical magnetic field measuring apparatus having different types of pickup coils arranged at the same position and including crosstalk correction


A server is provided with a transmit buffer, a transcoder, and a redundancy encoder. The server is for transmitting streaming media to a client through a communication network. A control unit senses when the network is temporarily congested, and activates the transcoder and the redundancy encoder. The frames require fewer bits, and thus arrive in the client's de-jitter buffer without interruption, notwithstanding the network congestion. This prevents network jitter.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the field of data transmission over networks, and more specifically to devices and methods for adjusting a transmission rate of streaming media depending on available bandwidth.
2. Description of the Related Art
Networks are increasingly used to transmit data. The data can be for various media, such as audio or video, and is usually organized in groups that are called frames. When such data is transmitted continuously, it is also called streaming media. The transmission can either be for live, or for canned media. Either way, the transmission has to be in real-time, or in delayed real-time.
A fundamental requirement for streaming media is that it has to be played at a constant rate. Packet networks, however, may transmit data asynchronously. Therefore, for streaming media to be transmitted over packet networks, strict timing requirements have to be met. Furthermore, where there are two related but separate streams of media (such as audio and video), they have to be time-synchronized in order to achieve high-quality media play out.
A network channel should be used that has a higher bandwidth than what is required by the streaming media. The network, however, is occasionally subject to congestion, which constricts the bandwidth of the channel. This causes play out of streaming media to exhibit the problem of network jitter. This means that what is played out might be momentarily discontinued.
Referring to FIG. 1, the problem of network jitter has been addressed in the art by introducing a de-jitter buffer at the receiving end. A server or proxy 110 receives data from a source, and stores it in a transmit buffer 114. The proxy 110 then transmits the stored data through a network 150 to a client or receiver 160. Typically, the client 160 includes a fixed size de-jitter receive buffer 162.
The transmit buffer 114 transmits data at the regular rate. It does not transmit any faster, because it if did, it would overflow the buffer 162. The buffer 162 first fills up to its size with data, and then starts playing out at the same rate as it is being filled. Momentary constrictions in bandwidth affect only the fullness of the buffer, not the play out, therefore diminishing network jitter.
The buffer 162 does not work well where there are high-bit rate media streams, which are transmitted through heavily congested networks. In these cases network jitter still occurs, notwithstanding the buffer 162.
Referring to FIG. 2, the phenomenon of network jitter is now described in more detail. Various quantities are plotted against a time axis, which is shown as a line 210.
A solid, piece-wise linear graph 220 represents the time evolution of the available bandwidth of network 150. Notice that the graph 250 has a nominal value BI, but which is not always the case. Indeed, for a heavily congested network, the graph 250 has two main bandwidth constrictions, which are represented by "wells" A and B. These are instances where the available network bandwidth drops to values below BI. Well A is deeper than well B, but does not last as long.
A dashed line 230 represents the instantaneous rate of receiving data through the network. In FIG. 2, the line 230 starts at a value fy, which is the steady state, assuming no prior interruptions in the transmission. The value fy is also the streaming media play out rate. That is how fast the data stream is being transmitted from the proxy 110. In addition, line 230 is always less than the instantaneous value of graph 220. For example, the line 230 tracks the graph 220, as it decreases in well A and well B. Immediately after the wells, however, the dashed line 230 increases, as formerly bottlenecked data is released from the network. After a long, uninterrupted regular receiving time, line 230 settles back at a value fy.
A line 240 represents the instantaneous fullness of the buffer 162. In FIG. 2, initially the buffer 162 is at its nominal size fy, after a long time of network congestion.
The fullness of receiving buffer 162 remains at approximately the same level, until the first dip occurs (well A). Line 240 follows with a corresponding well A′, and then recovers. In more mathematical terms, line 240 is determined from a time integral of the difference between line 230 minus the value fy. For example, if well A did not reach below fy, line 240 would not exhibit well A′ at all.
Similarly, due to well B, line 240 exhibits a well B′, and then recovers. Well B′, however, reaches zero, with minor blips 246. This corresponds to a situation of a buffer under flow. Data is still arriving (line 230 is above zero), but slower than it is expected to be played (line 230 is less than value fy). Between time points 242, 244, play out is interrupted. This interruption is called network jitter.
As will be appreciated, network jitter is a disruption in play out of the streaming media. If it is video, then the image stops, or flashes intermittently. If it is audio, then the sound is interrupted. In both cases, network jitter is annoying to the end user.

Server and method for transmitting streaming media to client through a congested network


An omni-directional horizontally polarized antenna system is provided that can include an omni-directional vertically polarized antenna and a plurality of linear polarization filters concentrically surrounding the omni-directional vertically polarized antenna. The omni-directional vertically polarized antenna can generate a vertically polarized field, and the plurality of linear polarization filters can progressively rotate the vertically polarized field 90° to form a horizontally polarized field outside of the plurality of linear polarization filters.

Known omni-directional horizontally polarized antenna systems can be constructed in many forms, such as slotted coaxial cable antenna systems, slotted waveguide antenna systems, turnstile antenna systems, and horizontal loop antenna systems. However, these known antenna systems lack good azimuth pattern control and stability over a wide frequency bandwidth.
In view of the above, there is a continuing, ongoing need for improved antenna systems.

Omni-directional horizontally polarized antenna system


A ring network provides transparent local area network (LAN) service by allocating respective proportions of data transmission capacity of the ring to different closed user groups (CUGs), each including a plurality of LAN clients. At each node of the ring, the use of a connected segment of the ring is monitored for both pass-through and locally-generated traffic by the LAN clients on a per-CUG basis. When it is detected that use of the connected segment for a CUG is approaching the allocated proportion, an active LAN client of the CUG is selected and sent a throttle message indicating that the LAN client is to reduce its data transmission rate. Rate monitoring for is accomplished using a “leaky bucket” mechanism. A “rate cache” identifying the active senders and their transmission rates can also be used in selecting a LAN client for receiving the throttle message.

The present invention is related to the field of data communications networks, and more particularly to networks providing transparent local area network (LAN) service.
Wide-area data communications networks or WANs can be used to provide so-called "transparent LAN service" among devices attached to geographically separated LAN segments. Transparent LAN service effectively hides the underlying WAN network from the devices, and thus enables the devices to communicate using only their native LAN protocol. Transparent LAN service can provide several important benefits such as backwards compatibility while providing fast connection speeds and lower operating costs. Newer WAN networking equipment can successfully interoperate with devices having only LAN interfaces, and customer investments in LAN equipment can be protected, easing customer acceptance of newer networking technology.
Transparent LAN service has been provided for different types of LANs in different types of WANs. Ethernet is one of the predominant LAN technologies, and therefore is widely supported in various implementations of transparent LAN service. Transparent LAN service has been provided in circuit-based WANs such as ATM and frame relay networks.
In a connection oriented WAN such as a frame relay network, transparent LAN service requires potentially numerous point-to-point connections among LAN clients on different LAN segments attached to the frame relay network. The required connectivity can be expensive and difficult to configure and maintain. In particular, it can be cumbersome to accurately specify the respective rates at which data is expected to be transferred between each of many source/destination pairs, a function that is required in the provisioning of frame relay and other data circuits. It would be desirable for transparent LAN services to be provided in a simpler manner so as to reduce the costs and complexity involved in configuring and otherwise managing enterprise networks that rely on transparent LAN services

Aggregate rate transparent LAN service for closed user groups over optical rings


An apparatus for recording an image with a plurality of laser beams on a recording surface comprises a plurality of laser source units each generating a laser beam and a first lens for directing the laser beam from each one of the plurality of laser source units to the recording surface. In the apparatus, the laser source units are each disposed on a holding member in such a manner that the principal ray of the laser beam therefrom passes through a front focal point of the first lens. Thus, the apparatus is advantageous in that it is not necessary to employ an enlarged lens despite increase in the number of the laser source units, or the channel numbers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for recording an image on a recording surface with a multibeam, i.e., a plurality of laser beams.
2. Description of the Background Art
FIG. 1 shows a first example of a conventional apparatus for recording an image with a multibeam (laser beams). The first conventional apparatus comprises a plurality of laser source units 1 mounted at equal intervals on a holding member A having a spherical surface. For convenience of description, FIG. 1 shows only one of the laser source units 1.
The laser source unit comprises a semiconductor laser 1a and a collimator lens 1b. The collimator lens 1b shapes a laser beam from the semiconductor laser 1a into a collimated laser beam LB and directs the laser beam LB to an afocal optical system AL1 such that the principal ray of the laser beam LB passes through the front principal point of the lens L1, the afocal optical system AL1 being formed by the lens L1 and another lens L2. The laser beam LB is expanded by the afocal optical system AL1 so as to have an enlarged beam diameter, and then focused onto a recording surface 3 through a lens L3.
Laser beams from the other laser source units 1 are focused onto the recording surface 3 in a similar manner. Thus, focused with the laser beams, a plurality of beam spots are formed at a time on the recording surface 3.
FIG. 2 shows a second example of a conventional apparatus for recording an image with a multibeam. The second conventional apparatus comprises a plurality of laser source units 1 disposed so as to be equally distant from each other, an afocal optical system AL1 formed by lenses L1 and L2 and an afocal optical system AL2 formed by lenses L3 and L4. FIG. 2 also shows only one of the laser source units 1. In FIG. 2, a laser beam LB from the laser source unit 1 enters the afocal optical system AL1 such that the principal ray thereof advances parallel to an optical axis Z. The laser beam LB is thereafter focused onto a recording surface 3 through the afocal optical systems AL1 and AL2.
Laser beams from the other laser source units 1 not shown in FIG. 2 are focused onto the recording surface 3 in a similar manner. Thus, a plurality of beam spots are formed at a time on the recording surface 3.
Due to the structures as described above, the first and the second conventional recording apparatuses must include an increased size lens to form a greater number of beam spots on the recording surface 3, i.e., to increase channel numbers. In the second conventional apparatus, for instance, the number of the laser source units 1 must be increased in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis Z in order to ensure a larger numbers of the channels (FIG. 2). To accommodate to the increase in the number of the laser source units 1, the lens L1 must be larger. When the lens L1 has an enlarged size, aberration caused by the same intensifies and manufacturing costs thereof swell up. In addition, the size of the recording apparatus must be also large enough to house the enlarged lens L1.
The first conventional apparatus of FIG. 1 is faced with the same problems because the lens L2 must be enlarged to increase the numbers of the channels. In addition, the first conventional apparatus has still another problem. Since the laser source units 1 in the equidistant relation are mounted on the holding member A having the spherical surface, distances between beam spots on the recording surface 3 will not be equal. As a result, raster scanning using the first conventional apparatus will not produce an intended image.


This invention relates to a technique of contrast measurement especially useful for the measurement of contrast of laser mark. The technique involves measuring the light intensity coming from a laser mark and the intensity coming from a background on the integrated circuit, calculating the contrast based on the intensities, and comparing to a gray scale. This invention enables contrast to be measured and communicated with respect to a set of references and hence eliminates subjective judgement.

The use of laser for integrated circuit (IC) marking has become very popular mainly due to its flexibility and speed. In comparison to ink marking, laser marking does not need any dispensable medium such as ink. However, one major disadvantage associated with laser marking is its reduction in contrast. Unlike ink marking where inks are printed onto the IC surface, laser marking operates by removing materials from the IC surface and hence creates a groove-like depression. Materials are being burnt away by the striking laser beam. The roughness of the laser marked surface is different from that of the unmarked surface. The contrast generated by laser marking is a result of these two factors: depression and roughness. Another factor that affects the contrast is the remnant of the burnt compound which has a different reflectivity from the original material.
As far as the external factor is concerned, the apparent contrast of the laser mark is very much dependent on the lighting and the viewing geometry. In other words, the direction of the incident light and the viewing direction determine how well the laser mark can be seen. Usually the depth of a laser mark is about few tens of microns and its roughness is rougher than that of the unmarked surface. In general, one would view the IC marking directly from the top. In this case, the lighting must be set to an oblique angle in order to highlight the contrast of the laser mark. If the lighting is cast from a direction more or less the same as the viewing direction, the laser mark can hardly be seen. The entire IC surface will be brightened up instead.
There have been many attempts to improve the contrast of the laser mark. For example, new molding compound which reacts to laser and produces a contrast between the unmarked and marked surface have been experimented. Another example is the use of different surface glazing material from that of the matrix compound. The laser beam removes the surface material and exposes the underlying matrix compound and hence produces a high contrast mark. However, all these attempts have not been able to fully commercialize due to factors such as cost, etc.

Contrast measurement system for laser marks


Systems and methods are described for triggering, by a wearable computing device communicably coupled to an electronic device, a location-based request, receiving location data corresponding to a location of the electronic device, receiving altitude data corresponding to an altitude of the electronic device, detecting an initial orientation for the wearable computing device based on information from at least one sensor of the wearable computing device, generating, based on the initial orientation of the wearable computing device and location data of the electronic device, a real-world orientation for the wearable computing device, initiating tracking of the wearable computing device in response to receiving updated location data for the electronic device, and performing the location-based request based on the tracking.

Computing devices (e.g., mobile devices, wearable devices, AR glasses, etc.) are often relatively compact devices. However, battery requirements and computer processing requirements for processing sensor data (e.g., image data, audio data) can be relatively high especially for devices that include display and perception capabilities. For example, a device may perform energy intensive and/or computationally intensive operations (e.g., audio and/or image processing, computer vision, etc.) that use a number of circuit components, which can cause several challenges. Further, the energy intensive operations (in conjunction with the limitations on battery capacity) can cause the battery life span to be relatively short.

Precision 6-DoF tracking for wearable devices