In order to simplify the user's operation when receiving images from an image input device, when reception of images stored in a digital camera have been selected by the user from a dialog displayed on a display, the user is directed to select the type of images to be received, by displaying a dialog for selecting the type of images. Furthermore, by displaying a dialog for directing the user to select how the received images are to be processed, the user is directed to select contents of subsequent processing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image management apparatus, an image management system, an image management method, a recording medium capable of being read by a computer, and a computer program. More particularly, the present invention is suitable when receiving an image from an image input apparatus for inputting a large number of images of a digital camera or the like, managing and displaying the images, and performing printing, transmission by electronic mail, or the like of the images.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a result of recent diffusion of digital cameras, it is common practice to freely photograph a large amount of images, receive and store the images in a personal computer (PC), manage the images by oneself, and print an image or transmit an image by attaching it in mail.
Conventionally, images received from a digital camera connected via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) I/F (interface) or the like are stored within folders, and the received images are managed using image management software that displays each image within a folder assigned by the PC, with a thumbnail size.
In this image management software, in order to manage received images by classifying them, for example, a plurality of subfolders are formed for a superior folder, classified images are stored in each subfolder, and all images in all folders below an assigned folder are directly displayed on a picture frame. As described above, in the conventional image management software, by displaying all images below a certain folder, the user can easily find a desired image, and therefore it is very convenient.
The user's operations when the user photographs images by a digital camera and connects the digital camera to a PC are substantially identical every time.
Furthermore, the user usually intends to perform these operations for newly photographed images. Accordingly, options for an operation which the user intends to perform after receiving images in a PC are not so large.
However, in the above-described conventional image management software, there is no particular connection between an operation of receiving images from a PC and an operation of printing a received image or displaying the images in a slide show. Accordingly, the user must newly select a received image in the PC and start a subsequent operation.
As described above, in the conventional image management software, all images below an assigned folder are directly displayed inclusive of subfolders.
This is an excellent image display method in that the user need not search in which subfolder a desired image is included and can find the desired image by reviewing all displayed images. However, when many images are stored within a folder, the size of each thumbnail image to be displayed becomes relatively small.
The above-described conventional approach of displaying images received from a digital camera into a PC is excellent in finding a desired image when the user can imagine the image in his head. For example, even if a small thumbnail image is displayed as described above, the user can easily find its position because the user who has photographed the image remembers it.
However, when the user intends to vaguely see images, it can be said that this approach is an approach to easily see images, because the size of displayed thumbnail images differs among folders depending on the number of images stored in each folder.

Image management apparatus and method, recording medium capable of being read by a computer, and computer program


A thermoplastic container (1) adapted to be filled with a hot liquid, comprising a body (2) having a plurality of recessed panels (3) parallel to the axis (4) of the body and separated by beams (5) parallel to the axis; the panels are arranged on a number of levels (A, B, . . . ), the panels of two consecutive levels being separated by a collar (6) in surface continuity with the beams; each beam is recessed to form a longitudinal central channel section (7), and the channel sections (7) of the beams (5) of the successive levels are connected to one another, in an angularly offset manner from a beam (5) of one level to the consecutive beam (5) of the adjacent level, by strongly inclined channel sections (8) extending in the collars (6), channel sections (7, 8) forming channels configured as parallel successive steps and distributed over the periphery of the body.

In the context of the present invention, the term "hot liquid" is intended to denote a liquid which, at the time it is poured into the container, has a temperature of at least 60° C., and more particularly, although not exclusively, has a temperature within the top of the range, of at least 85° C. and possibly as much as 90-95° C.
It will be recalled that a hot liquid has a substantially greater volume than the volume it occupies when it is cold. Consequently, when a container is filled with a hot liquid and then closed in a sealed manner, the liquid reduces in volume as it cools. owing to the sealing provided by the closure of the container, the reduction in volume of the liquid cannot be compensated for by admitting an equivalent volume of air. Furthermore, a comparable phenomenon occurs with the air contained in the container which, following closure, heats up in contact with the liquid and subsequently cools, with the result that finally its pressure decreases. The container is thus placed under vacuum and is deformed with an inward caving of its walls, particularly the walls of its body. By way of example, in a 1.5-liter container the reduction in volume may be around 5 to 6 cl, this being sufficient to significantly deform the container. Furthermore, as will be readily understood, the degree of reduction in volume of the liquid, and therefore the degree of concomitant deformation of the container, will be greater the higher the temperature of the liquid during filling.
In a container which is not specifically suitable, it is the weakest walls or wall parts which deform, and these deformations cannot be controlled, which means that a container deformed in these circumstances not only has a poor appearance but can also be rendered unstable if its base has been curved.
Moreover, given that a normal and natural physical phenomenon is involved, it is not conceivable to attempt to produce non-deformable containers, something which could only be achieved, insofar as is possible, by providing the walls with considerable thicknesses: this would result in a high consumption of material, and therefore in an excessive cost which is unacceptable in an industrial manufacturing process involving very large quantities. Furthermore, a container thus produced and filled under these conditions would be under vacuum, with a risk of the container bursting, particularly in the event of impact, and/or a risk of liquid spraying out when opening the container.
It is therefore known to produce containers which are specifically configured to be filled with a hot liquid, these containers being provided with parts designed to be able to deform without adversely affecting the shape of the rest of the container, particularly its base. Containers with controlled deformation which keep their general shape and which, above all, remain stable are thus formed. These deformable parts generally take the form of recessed panels provided on the body of the containers, these panels being distributed over the periphery of the body and separated from one another by portions of the body that form non-deformable beams. The panels are often substantially rectangular or approximately rectangular in shape, are possibly provided with reinforcing projections, and are elongated parallel to the axis of the container.
In some cases, such containers have a relatively high degree of deformability in the central region and are not acceptable to be sold.
Furthermore, such panel-type containers have an esthetically questionable appearance.

Thermoplastic container adapted to be filled with a hot liquid


The present invention provides a lithium composite metal oxide containing Li and at least one transition metal element, wherein at least one lithium composite metal oxide particle constituting the lithium composite metal oxide has both hexagonal and monoclinic crystal structures. Further, the present invention also provides a lithium composite metal oxide containing Li, Ni and M (where, M represents one or more kinds of transition metal elements selected from the group consisting of Mn, Co and Fe), having a diffraction peak (diffraction peak A) at an angle 2θ in a range from 20° to 23° in a powder X-ray diffraction pattern of a lithium composite metal oxide which is obtained by powder X-ray diffraction measurement made in the condition that CuKα is used as a radiation source and the measurement range of diffraction angle 2θ is in a range from 10° to 90°.

Lithium composite metal oxides are used for the positive electrode active materials in nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries such as a lithium secondary battery. The lithium secondary batteries have been put to practical use as power sources for such as portable telephones and note book computers and attempts are made to further apply the lithium secondary batteries to middle or large scale applications such as automobile applications and power storage applications.
A lithium-nickel-manganese-M composite oxide (M is Fe, Co, Cr or Al) is disclosed in JP-A 2002-100356 as the lithium composite metal oxide to be used for the positive electrode active material of conventional lithium secondary batteries.

Lithium composite metal oxide and nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery


A time factor corresponding to an airspace delay or acceleration is communicated to an aircraft. A flight management computer or other computational device of the aircraft calculates a proposed change in trajectory in order to accommodate the time factor in an optimum or nearly optimum manner. One or more proposed changes in trajectory are subject to review by the pilot or other flight personnel. An operator-selected change in trajectory is then implemented in order to accommodate a new arrival time of the aircraft at its destination or a positional point.

Presently, ground-based air traffic control (ATC) automation applications determine the airspace delay. Such an airspace delay typically manifests itself as a time-of-arrival at a destination later then originally planned for the aircraft. Any number of factors can contribute to such a delay including, for example, air traffic congestion, bad weather at the destination airport, emergency vehicle response at the destination, the need to accommodate an unscheduled landing of another aircraft, etc. Airspace delays are generally handled by relaying specific speed, altitude and/or directional changes from ATC to each affected aircraft in a frequently updated, multiple-instruction manner. In effect, ATC must "micro-manage" each aircraft subjected to the airspace delay.
Presently known ground-based airspace delay methodologies are not efficient in management of airspace delay. Additionally, ATC ground-based automation generally cannot account for specific weather being experienced by an aircraft, aircraft performance, cost of operation for a particular aircraft, etc. As a result, management of airspace delay is typically much less than optimal with respect to fuel consumption, air traffic congestion, situational awareness and overall flight safety. Furthermore, present airspace delay procedures are often not implemented for a given aircraft until it arrives at an airspace entry fix, resulting in limited response options. Therefore, improved airspace delay management would have great utility.

Computation of new aircraft trajectory using time factor


A welding system is disclosed for use in closing a seam. The welding system may have a mount configured to hold a work piece having the seam to be welded, and a robotic welding device movable relative to the mount. The welding system may also have a controller in communication with the robotic welding device and configured to control the robotic welding device to sequentially generate a plurality of weld layers within the seam. Each weld layer may have at least one dam segment extending generally orthogonal to a length direction of the seam, and a main segment extending in the length direction.

Welding is a fabrication process used to join two components of similar material to one another through the application of heat and a filler material. Welding can be done manually or autonomously via a welding robot. There are many different ways to weld, but most ways fall into two general categories: wire feed welding and stick welding.
When welding a seam to join two components, wire can be fed to the welding sight or a metal stick can be applied to the welding site and melted to form a pool of molten material. The pool of molten material fills the seam and bonds with melted surfaces of the two components as the material and surfaces cool and harden. Ideally, the seam is completely filled with material during welding, such that an outer surface of the welded seam is generally continuous with corresponding surfaces of the two components. However, because the pool of molten material is fluid during welding, the material can spill out of open ends of the seam. When this happens, the outer surface of the welded seam is not continuous with the corresponding surfaces of the two components. This condition can be aesthetically displeasing and/or result in reduced structural integrity.
Historically, mechanical blocks have been provided at the open ends of the seam to prevent the molten pool from spilling out of the seam. The use of mechanical blocks, however, is a labor-intensive process, as the blocks must first be installed prior to welding and then removed after welding is complete. In addition, the mechanical blocks themselves increase a material cost of the welding process.
One attempt to improve seam welding is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2007-237220 of Nobuyoshi et al. (the '220 patent). In particular, the '227 patent describes a welding process wherein a robot welder welds a dam at each open end of a seam. The opposing dams are built to a desired finish height prior to starting the main weld of the seam. In this way, molten material in the seam is blocked by the dams from leaking out of the seam's open ends during welding.
Although the method described in the '227 patent may improve the outer surface quality of a welded seam, it may be less than optimal. Specifically, when welding the dams separate from the main seam weld, the robot welder may have to start and stop welding a greater number of times. And each start and stop during welding has the potential to create inclusions within the weld that reduce a strength of the weld.
The present disclosure is directed to overcoming one or more of the shortcomings set forth above and/or other problems of the prior art.

Welding system implementing concurrent auto-dam fabrication


According to certain embodiments, a method is disclosed for use in a network node. The method comprises determining at least one parameter N per carrier frequency. The parameter N indicates a maximum number of beams to be used by a wireless device for signal measurements in a cell. The method comprises communicating the parameter(s) N to the wireless device.

The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is discussing multi-antenna schemes for New Radio (NR). For NR, frequency ranges up to 100 GHz are considered. It is known that high-frequency radio communication above 6 GHz suffers from significant path loss and penetration loss. One solution to address this issue is to deploy large-scale antenna arrays to achieve high beamforming gain, which is a reasonable solution due to the small wavelength of high-frequency signal. Therefore multiple input multiple output (MIMO) schemes for NR are also called massive MIMO. For around 30/70 GHz, up to 256 transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) antenna elements are assumed. Extension to support 1024 Tx at 70 GHz is agreed and it is under discussion for 30 GHz. For sub-6 GHz communication, there is also a trend to increase the number of antenna elements to obtain more beamforming and multiplexing gain.
Beamforming Approaches
With massive MIMO, three approaches to beamforming have been discussed: analog, digital, and hybrid (a combination of analog and digital). The analog beamforming would compensate high pathloss in NR scenarios, while digital precoding would provide additional performance gains similar to MIMO for sub-6 GHz necessary to achieve a reasonable coverage. The implementation complexity of analog beamforming is significantly less than digital precoding since in many implementations it relies on simple phase shifters, but the drawbacks are its limitation in multi-direction flexibility (i.e., a single beam can be formed at a time and the beams are then switched in time domain), only wideband transmissions (i.e., not possible to transmit over a subband), unavoidable inaccuracies in the analog domain, etc. Digital beamforming (requiring costly converters to/from the digital domain from/to IF domain), used today in LTE, provides the best performance in terms of data rate and multiplexing capabilities (multiple beams over multiple subbands at a time can be formed), but at the same time it is challenging in terms of power consumption, integration, and cost; in addition to that the gains do not scale linearly with the number of transmit/receive units while the cost is growing rapidly. Supporting hybrid beamforming, to benefit from cost-efficient analog beamforming and high-capacity digital beamforming, is therefore desirable for NR. An example diagram for hybrid beamforming is shown in FIG. 1. Beamforming can be on transmission beams and/or reception beams on the network side or the wireless device side.
Beam Sweeping
The analog beam of a subarray can be steered toward a single direction on each Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, and hence the number of subarrays determines the number of beam directions and the corresponding coverage on each OFDM symbol. However, the number of beams to cover the whole serving area is typically larger than the number of subarrays, especially when the individual beam-width is narrow. Therefore, to cover the whole serving area, multiple transmissions with narrow beams differently steered in time domain are also likely to be needed. The provision of multiple narrow coverage beams for this purpose has been called "beam sweeping." For analog and hybrid beamforming, the beam sweeping seems to be essential to provide the basic coverage in NR. For this purpose, multiple OFDM symbols, in which differently steered beams can be transmitted through subarrays, can be assigned and periodically transmitted. Examples of beam sweeping are illustrated in FIG. 2 (Tx beam sweeping on two subarrays) and FIG. 3 (Tx beam sweeping on three subarrays).
Configuration of Synchronization Signal (SS) Block
The following describes a non-limiting example of SS block and SS burst configuration which may be assumed in other embodiments.
SS Block:
an SS block can be used to transmit a new radio primary synchronization signal (NR-PSS), new radio secondary synchronization signal (NR-SSS), and/or new radio physical broadcast channel (NR-PBCH). For a given frequency band, an SS block corresponds to a number (N) of OFDM symbols based on the default subcarrier spacing, and N is a constant. A wireless device shall be able to identify at least OFDM symbol index, slot index in a radio frame, and radio frame number from an SS block. A single set of possible SS block time locations (e.g., with respect to radio frame or with respect to SS burst set) is specified per frequency band. At least for multi-beams case, at least the time index of SS-block is indicated to the wireless device. A wireless device can be informed of the position(s) of actual transmitted SS-blocks in order to help the wireless device to perform CONNECTED/IDLE mode measurements, to receive downlink (DL) data/control in unused SS blocks when in CONNECTED mode, and potentially to receive DL data/control in unused SS-blocks when in IDLE mode.
SS Burst:
One or multiple SS block(s) compose an SS burst. The maximum number of SS-blocks, L, within SS burst set may be carrier frequency dependent. For example, for frequency range category #A (e.g., 0˜6 GHz), the number (L) is TBD within L≤[16]. For frequency range category #B (e.g., 6˜60 GHz), the number is TBD within L≤[128].
SS Burst Set:
One or multiple SS burst(s) further compose an SS burst set (or series) where the number of SS bursts within a SS burst set is finite. From physical layer specification perspective, at least one periodicity of SS burst set is supported. From the perspective of the wireless device, SS burst set transmission is periodic. At least for initial cell selection, the wireless device may assume a default periodicity of SS burst set transmission for a given carrier frequency (e.g., one of 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, or 160 ms). The wireless device may assume that a given SS block is repeated with a SS burst set periodicity. By default, the wireless device may neither assume the base station (e.g., the gNB in NR) transmits the same number of physical beam(s), nor the same physical beam(s) across different SS-blocks within an SS burst set.
For each carrier, the SS blocks may be time-aligned or overlap fully or at least in part, or the beginning of the SS blocks may be time-aligned (e.g., when the actual number of transmitted SS blocks is different in different cells).
An example configuration of SS blocks, SS bursts, and SS burst sets/series is illustrated in FIG. 4.
Mobility Procedure
In LTE, handover decisions at a serving eNodeB (eNB) are taken based on events configured at the wireless device based on the radio quality of different cells. These measurements are performed based on cell-specific reference signals (CRS) so that a cell quality is derived.
In LTE, the wireless device uses CRS and synchronization signals (PSS/SSS) to discover a cell and perform radio resource management (RRM) measurements to derive a cell quality. For both intra- and inter-frequency measurements, the wireless device is expected to fulfill certain RRM requirements depending on channel conditions and noise levels. To do that, the wireless device typically collects periodic snapshots (e.g., at every 40 ms) based on CRS (after cell detection) where coherent and non-coherent averages are performed per sample in a limited bandwidth. The wireless device performs filtering at the physical layer before reporting the measurement results to higher layers. Every time a measurement result is received by the higher layers, the wireless device performs layer 3 (L3) filtering. In LTE, the standardized L3 filtering provides some level of harmonization among wireless devices. However, the parameters of the layer 1 (L1) filtering are not standardized and are left to wireless device implementation.                Observation 1: In LTE the L3 filtering is standardized, therefore the network can provide a level of harmonization among UEs as well as different cell quality measurements of a UE.The LTE filtering model, as captured in TS 36.300, is reproduced in FIG. 5.


To provide station number portability within a cluster of switches interconnected in a communication switching network each switch within the cluster is provided with two translation tables stored in the main memory of the switch processor. When digits are dialled to connect a station with another station the office code of the dialled station is extracted and if this is an office code of any switch in the cluster the first translation table instructs that a translation be carried out in the second table. The second table contains all the station numbers which are in the cluster and relates these numbers either to a physical line or to an instruction to route to another switch. When a station is "ported" i.e., physically disconnected from one switch and reconnected to another switch, a minor change is made to the second translation table of the two switches to retain portability.

This invention relates to communications switching networks and more particularly to providing portability to station numbers within the network.
Within the public telecommunications switching network, there is an increasing need and desire to provide station number portability such that a subscriber may retain a given station number regardless of where the subscriber and station physically reside and which switch provides service.
Presently, the public switching telephone network (PSTN) relies on a relationship between the station number (Directory Number--DN) and the switch node that it is served by. Basically, the public numbering plan is organized as follows:
All DN's are of the form NPA-NXX-XXXX. PA0 Each NPA is a three digit code representing a geographic area of the country. This is commonly referred to as the Area Code. PA0 Each NXX is a three digit code loosely representing the Office Code of the serving switching node within each NPA (more specifically defined, an office code is formed by NPA and NXX). A node may serve more than one Office Code (i.e. NXX). However, typically only one switch node may serve a given NXX, hence, the uniqueness of the relationship of NXX's to switch nodes. PA0 The XXXX is a four digit station number which provides a pointer or identification to the station's appearance on a given switch node. Combined with the associated NXX code, it gives a unique identification of a number within a given serving area (NPA), hence a Directory Number (DN) is formed.
When a customer dials a number (either 7 or 10 digits excluding prefixes), the switch node of the originating station is able to translate the dialled digits into a location for the called number, be it a location on the same switch or a route out of the switch to another switch node elsewhere in the switch network. Typically, the translations are setup to take advantage of the fact that office codes (NXX's ) uniquely identify the switch node that the call is intended for. Thus, once the office code is determined, action is taken to route the call--either to route within the switch node (based on analysis of the station digits) or to choose an outgoing route to another switch node. It is the relationship of office codes (NXX's ) to switch nodes that Local Number Portability (LNP) affects. To determine the correct switch node in the entire public network requires analysis of the full 10 digits in the dialled number.
Various proposals for LNP using an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) based solution have been suggested in "Generic Switching and Signalling Requirements for Number Portability" (FSD30-12-0001) dated Nov. 20, 1995 by the Illinois Number Portability Workshop. These AIN based LNP proposals rely on a query to an off-switch (i.e., "off-board") database which is used to track movement of numbers. Thus with AIN LNP, during each call event (i.e. origination), the originating switch must make a determination as to whether the called number is indeed on the switch or elsewhere in the switch network. If it is not on the originating switch, then the originating switch node (or some switch node) must "query" the "off-board" database to find out where the number is so that the call can be routed on the appropriate trunk group into the communication network. It does this on an on-going basis for any calls to "ported" numbers not located on the switch, even for numbers that are on the same switch they were on at the last query; there is no way to tell that a number has moved. It is this "continual" querying that adds substantial processing and costs to the network. In addition, because local area calling (or community of interest--COI calling) forms the majority of calls of the typical communication network, the added cost is significant for the operating company to provide local service for which the operating company typically receives a fixed monthly charge independent of usage.
Another proposal for Number Portability is made in U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,479, Bicknell et al, issued Jun. 28, 1988. According to this proposal, every switch in a portability cluster contains a common database which lists the station numbers in the cluster and specifies the particular switch connected to these station numbers. When a number is ported the common database is altered to indicate the new switch to which the ported number is now connected.
Bicknell et al suffers from the disadvantage that it requires a higher number of process steps adding to the complexity and response time of the system. In particular, it is necessary to establish by scanning a portability cluster table whether the switch to which the calling station is connected is part of the portability cluster. At a later stage it is necessary to translate the called station DN into an associated switch identity in the common database to indicate which switch the called station is physically connected to. Thus, even if a call is going from a first station physically connected to a switch to a second station physically connected to the same switch, both of the steps must be carried out. In addition, calls to unassigned numbers have to be routed to designated switches even though the number is not used.

Number portability for a cluster of switches


A control customization system 80 customizes a plant control. A profiler 81 predicts actions of a user depending on situations of the plant or the user. A planner 82 determines an appropriate set of objectives which represent tasks desired by the user, and objective terms representing elements for controlling the plant so as to realize the objectives, and tunes the objective terms based on predictions of the profiler 81.

In recent years, control systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated at performing single or multiple tasks with minimal operator input or intervention. For example, in modern vehicles, cruise control systems have been developed so that vehicle operators can set some desired speed and maintain it without the operator adjusting the throttle. In other advanced vehicles, adaptive cruise control systems have been developed for not only maintaining the desired speed but also for automatically adjusting the vehicle's velocity depending on whether preceding vehicles have been detected by the car's sensors. Fully automated vehicles have also been successfully tested to drive in simulated urban traffic while satisfying many road rules and requirements.
As advanced control systems become mainstream, it is required for them to become completely autonomous and to be able to pursue several objectives simultaneously. However, for them to also gain wide and rapid acceptance, it is also desirable for them to be able to learn and calculate control strategies that are more customized and personalized to suit different operators' requirements and/or preferences.
In standard control systems, an example of which is described in PLT1, it is usually considered that the optimal control inputs are the solution to a fixed set of objectives based on well-defined physical or temporal quantities. In general, the objective terms are based on first principles, and the control systems can have a large number of simultaneous objectives some of which can have highly complex expressions, which can lead to high computational cost.
The objectives of plant operators may vary depending on the state of the plant and other measurements. What objectives to pursue at each time and how intense or strong the objectives should be accomplished can be highly subjective and depend on the requirements of the operator. The manner in which operators pursue similar yet different objectives makes the calculated control strategies or inputs personalized or customized depending on the operator's preference or expertise.
PLT 2 discloses a vehicle speed control device that controls the vehicle speed of a vehicle based on a target vehicle speed. The device disclosed in PLT 2 changes the target vehicle speed based on the estimated characteristics of the driver and the acquired road shape.
Note that PLT 3 discloses methods and systems for modifying vehicle behavior based on confidence in lane estimation.

Control customization system, control customization method, and control customization program


A first and second of fence post bracket is provided that function together to secure a wire fence to a T-post fence post. The brackets comprise a complimentary bracket pair that secure a portion of wire fence to a T-post and utilize existing T-post lugs and T-post flanges as support. Each bracket comprises an upstanding portion having a fastener aperture, and a hook end with an open notch. The base of the bracket extends substantially perpendicular to the upstanding portion and includes a U-shaped fitting. The fitting is configured to wrap around the exposed outer edge of a T-post flange, while the upstanding portion is configured to extend away from the post between two T-post lugs. The two brackets are fastened together to provide an enclosed area between the bracket notches and the post, wherethrough a portion of the wire fence is supported.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fence brackets for securing a fence to a fence post. More specifically, the present invention relates to a new and improved structure for securing wire fencing to a fence T-post using a pair of reusable brackets, which facilitate several functional improvements and a more robust attachment design.
Tradition techniques of securing a fence to a fence post include the use of wire tie connections between the post and the wire fence. The fence (barbed wire, chain link, straight wire, or otherwise) is pressed against an upstanding fence post and a length of wire tie is placed through the fence and wrapped around the fence post to secure the two together. The ends of the wire tie are twisted together using pliers to secure the attachment, wherein this process is repeated several times along the length of each fence post.
There are several drawbacks to this method of wire fence attachment. First, the wire tie lengths are generally for single use, and therefore become waste after one use. The wire tie lengths are discarded when replaced, as the wire is not readily workable after it has been tensioned around the post and deployed for a period of time. Secondly, the method of attaching wire lengths along a post and then along an entire fence line is laborious and time consuming. Each of the wire ties needs to be cut and fed through the fence, around the fence post, and then twisted together to make the connection using a pair of hand pliers. A more efficient means is therefore desired.
Furthermore, the use of traditional wire tie attachments to secure a wire fence does not offer the same advantages as provided by a more robust, structural bracket or clip. The wire tie connection relies on tension in the wire tie and thus draws the fence abuttingly against the fence post. This does not allow the fence to "float," whereby the wire fence could otherwise adjust to a farm animal bearing against the fence or allow for positional readjustment during installation.
To address these drawbacks and to fulfill a long felt need in the art, the present invention contemplates a set of structural brackets that secures a wire fence to a fence T-post. Specifically, the present invention provides a set of structural brackets that are uniquely configured to retain a wire fence (e.g. barbed wire, woven wire, chain linked, straight wire, etc.) when supported against a fence T-post. Fence T-posts include a T-shaped cross section and a line of lugs along the cap thereof, whereagainst the wire fence is pressed and usually wire tied thereto. The lugs generally extend through the openings of the wire fence to lock a specific opening to a lug and to prevent movement along the fence post after being wire tied. The present invention replaces the traditional wire tie with a pair of brackets that are supported between the lugs of the T-post, secured around the exposed ends of the T-post cap flanges, and fastened together using a threaded bolt to create a static joint. The brackets support the wire fence in a floating condition, are more readily applied to the fence post during installation of the wire fence, and are reusable after initial deployment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to fence attachment structures. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. While some of these devices relate to fence T-posts, none contemplate the structure of the attachment method of the present invention. The following is a list of devices deemed most relevant to the present disclosure, which are herein described for the purposes of highlighting and differentiating the unique aspects of the present invention, and further highlighting the drawbacks existing in the prior art.
One such device in the prior art is U.S. Pat. No. 8,480,061 to Graves, which discloses a fencing system used in conjunction with a T-post that comprises an upper and lower sleeve that are used to secure a bracket. Bolts extend through the sleeves to secure the bracket, which cooperate with the lugs along the T-post to secure the assembly in place. The bracket forms a connecting arm for securing other structural members to the assembly. The Graves device, while working in conjunction with a T-post, fails to contemplate the structure or the purpose of the present invention, which is designed to replace wire ties and for supporting wire fence against the T-post.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,883,785 to Knapp discloses a T-post bracket that is used to support horizontal stanchions and other structure from the T-post. The bracket comprises a U-shaped structure with a T-shaped cutout therein. The interior of the bracket along a closed end receives the vertical T-post, while an open end opposite of the closed end receives the stanchion member to be supported by the T-post. Fasteners along the legs of the U-shaped member secure the bracket to the T-post and the stanchion. Similar to the Graves, the Knapp device fails to contemplate the structure of purpose of the present invention. The present invention is related to support wire fence pressed against the cap of the fence T-post. The Graves device provides a U-shaped bracket for supporting horizontal members from the T-post.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,201 to Landreville discloses a fence bracket that secures over a fence T-post and allows for mounting fence rails thereto. The structure comprises a tubular device to secure over the cross section of the T-post and covers its surfaces. The bracket comprises an outline of a T-shape, whereby the web portion of the bracket includes fastener apertures for securing the bracket through holes in the web of the T-post. The Landreville device is slid over a fence T-post and substantially follows the outer surface thereof. The present invention comprises a pair of complimentary brackets that secure to the cap of the T-post and between a pair of lugs therealong.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,705,598 to Collins discloses a fence post connector that includes a pair of securement arms and a receiving section. The arms secure to a vertical fence T-post, while the receiving section secures a horizontal section of fence to the T-post. The arms are positioned between a pair of lugs along the T-post, while a fastener is secured through the two arms to secure the assembly to the T-post. As with the Knapp and Graves devices, the Collins device does not anticipate or suggest the structure of the present invention, which is directed to a pair of brackets that secure to the cap of a T-post and secure wire fence thereto.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,627 to Salisbury discloses a fence bracket for a T-post that comprises a flat middle portion, an angled upper portion, and an angled lower portion. A slot through the upper portions is used to accept therethrough the T-post, while a notch in the lower portion abuts against a lug along the T-post. The assembly it secured to the T-post using plastic ties or equivalent. While pertaining to T-posts brackets and utilizing the structure of the T-post lugs for support, the Salisbury fails to anticipate the pair of brackets disclosed herein, or the method of wire fence attachment provided thereby.
The present invention comprises a new fence attachment system that secures wire fence to a T-post using a pair of complementary brackets. The brackets secure around the outer edges of T-post flanges and are fastened together. When fastened together and affixed to the T-post, a wire fence is supported by the brackets in a floating condition. It is submitted that the bracket structures and attachment system are not contemplated in the art, and diverge significantly in elements from those devices in the prior art. It is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing fence post attachment systems. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.


A mechanism for the automatic control of a fishing line on a rotating spool fishing reel in order to prevent over runs comprises a clip which can easily be clipped on to and off the reel, two cranks and a yoke. The cranks are pivotally mounted on the clip and are joined to the yoke, the inner ends of the cranks have brake pads in the forms of elastic bands stretched around small tabs which bear against the rim of the spool of the fishing reel in order to brake it if the fishing line is slack. When the fishing line tautens as in a cast it lifts the yoke in turn thereby lifting the brake shoes off the spool rim to allow it to rotate freely during the cast but as soon as the tackle and bait hit the water or for any other reason such as an uneven cast the line slackens allowing the yoke to drop and the brake shoes to come down on the spool rim and brake it to prevent an over run.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention lies in the field of fishing and provides a mechanism for the automatic control of fishing line on a rotating spool during casting. The invention does not apply to irrotational reels for fishing line (commonly called "coffee grinders").
2. Description of the Prior Art
The problem to be addressed by this invention on rotating fishing line spools arises through the accelerations and decelerations of the line on the spool and the spool itself during a cast which tend to result in the originally neatly spooled line which can be easily reeled off the spool becoming hopelessly tangled and jamming up the whole reel of line so that a length period is interposed of struggling to untangle the line before fishing can be resumed.
Not only with newcomers but also with experienced fisherman these tangles, frequently called overwinds, are a well known problem. Despite this tendency for problems the rotating spool is still widely used apparently partly because it still permits very long casts compared to other types, essential, for example, for surf fishing and also because it is very effective in playing a large fish. The experienced fisherman learns to use the thumb to attempt to control the reel but even he or she is subject to occasional overwinds and the resulting tangled line especially at night when it becomes very difficult for even the experienced fisherman to prevent overwinds and tangles. Large numbers of newcomers are daunted by this problem.
Attempts have been made to address this problem by means of mechanisms and devices which are adapted to apply a brake shoe to the spool if the line becomes slack and to lift the brake shoe from the spool when the line is taut. An example is described in S.A. patent 66/5845, manufactured in this country and sold as the "Gillie". The Gillie is a fairly intricate small mechanism which must be mounted on a rotating spool type fishing reel by first dismantling the reel and then reassembling it with the Gillie installed in its various parts. The Gillie has a projecting wire with a large eye at its end through which the line must be threaded before being threaded through the eyes of the rod and thereafter having the sinkers and weights, etc., attached at its end. The Gillie has not come into general use and in fact is very seldom seen if ever, perhaps its largest disadvantage attributing to this is the necessity to dismantle the reel in order to mount the Gillie on it. Whether the device functions effectively is not clear.
A 1968 patent, 68/7120 described a further design based on the general principle of monitoring the line tension to apply a brake to the spool and using a weight instead of a tension spring to pre-load the device into the braking position but this device again would require the reel to be dismantled for it to be mounted and does not appear to have come into use at all.
A 1971 patent, 71/6056 provides a design based on a similar principle but enclosing a coil spring enclosed within a post which is mounted in the reel, again, however, after having to dismantle the reel at least partially. This product again is not seen on the market place.
A 1975 patent, 75/1425 describes still another device broadly using the same principle but again mounted on the fishing reel in a manner which requires disassembly of at least one of the posts of the reel and the loosening of two screws of the reel to attach a mounting bracket. This product again is not seen on the market place.


Micro-tunnels are used to provide multiple data service sessions to the same mobile node in a wireless communications system. Further, the flexibility of the micro-tunnels optimizes the resources of the system. On request for a data service, an encapsulation configuration record is generated. An encapsulation header is created in response to the encapsulation configuration. The encapsulation header includes a packet service identifier and a micro-tunnel identifier.

1. Field
The present invention relates generally to data packet transmission and specifically to the use of micro-tunnels.
2. Background
Internet Protocol (IP) "tunnels" have become a widespread mechanism to transport data units, referred to as datagrams, over the Internet. Using Tunneling involves incorporating an original IP packet inside of another IP packet. Tunneling also has additional connotations about changing the effects of Internet routing on the original IP packet.
Typically, a tunnel is used to augment and modify the behavior of the deployed routing architecture, such as in multicast routing, mobile IP, and Virtual Private Network (VPN). From the perspective of traditional best-effort IP packet delivery, a tunnel behaves as any other link. Packets enter one end of the tunnel, and are delivered to the other end unless resource overload or error causes them to be lost.
Information may be encapsulated and routed through a tunnel. In the most general case, a system has a packet, which is referred to as a payload packet, which needs to be encapsulated and routed. The payload packet is first encapsulated in a Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) packet, which possibly also includes a routing. The resulting GRE packet may then be encapsulated in some other protocol and then forwarded. This outer protocol is referred to as the delivery protocol.
For mobile IP, a wireless system interfaces with an IP network. Tunnels are used for transporting data from the IP network to infrastructure elements in the wireless system. The data may involve multiple streams of data for transmission to and/or from a same mobile node. In this case, the system must establish individual tunnels for each stream.
In mobile IP the home agent associated with the mobile node redirects packets from the home network to the care-of address by constructing a new IP header containing the mobile node's care-of address as the destination IP address. The home agent is a router on a mobile node's home network maintaining information about the device's current location, as identified in its care-of address. The care-of address is a temporary IP address for a mobile node enabling message delivery when the device is connecting from somewhere other than its home network. The care-of address identifies a mobile node's current point of attachment to the Internet and makes it possible to connect from a different location without changing the device's home address (permanent IP address). The new header then shields or encapsulates the original packet, causing the mobile node's home address to have no effect on the encapsulated packet's routing until it arrives at the care-of address. Such encapsulation is also called tunneling, which suggests the packet burrows through the Internet, bypassing the usual effects of IP routing.
In a mobile IP environment, there is a need to identify multiple tunnels each associated with a same mobile node. Further, there is a need for flexible tunnel set up which optimizes the resources of the system.

Method and apparatus for the use of micro-tunnels in a communications system


A mobile wireless communications device includes a housing and circuit board carried by the housing. Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry is mounted on the circuit board. A first antenna is supported by the circuit board within the housing and operatively connected to the RF circuitry and configured for cellular phone communications. A second antenna is supported by the circuit board within the housing and operatively connected to the RF circuitry and configured for WiFi communications. The second antenna comprises an inverted-F or monopole antenna having an opening gap that is pointed away from the first antenna.

Cellular communication systems continue to grow in popularity and have become an integral part of both personal and business communications. Cellular telephones and similar devices allow users to place and receive phone calls most anywhere they travel. Moreover, as cellular telephone technology is increased, so too has the functionality of cellular devices. For example, many cellular devices now incorporate Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) features such as calendars, address books, task lists, calculators, memo and writing programs, etc. These multi-function devices usually allow users to send and receive electronic mail (email) messages wirelessly and access the Internet via a cellular network and/or a wireless local area network (WLAN), for example, when the devices include appropriate circuitry for WiFi and other IEEE 802.11 WLAN access.
Many of the cellular communications use packet burst transmissions as part of a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) system, which includes the 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz frequency bands. Although these mobile wireless communication devices function as a cellular telephone, as noted before, the device can also operate and incorporate Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) features and send and receive email and other messages wirelessly and across the internet via the cellular network and/or a wireless Local Area Network (LAN). This function can include access to "hot spots" as part of a WiFi network using IEEE 802.11 standards.
When such devices incorporate WiFi technology, the circuits could be considered to describe WLAN products based on IEEE 802.11 standards, using one or more Access Points (APs) as "hot spots" and various numbers of clients. An AP typically broadcasts a Service Set Identifier, "network name" (SSID), using packets called "beacons" by some skilled in the art, which are broadcast every one hundred or so milliseconds at about one Mbit\s duration in some non-limiting examples. Some of these WiFi devices operate in the 2.4 or 5.0 GHz band.
A wireless access point usually connects wireless stations to an adjacent, wired local area network, and is operative similar to an Ethernet hub. The access point can relay wireless data to other compatible wireless devices and to a single, connected local area network device, such as a Ethernet hub or switch. Wireless routers are often used to integrate a wireless access point with a Ethernet switch and Ethernet router.
In a mobile wireless communications device, if the cellular capability is integrated with WiFi capability, often two different antennas are used, for example, a main cellular antenna operative at GSM or other CDMA band and a WiFi antenna operative in the at least 2.4 GHz band, and sometimes the 5.0 GHz band, making the device not only compatible with cellular GSM communications, but also compatible with WiFi communications using IEEE 802.11 standards. The antenna designs become more challenging, however, as the size and thickness of the mobile phones become smaller to meet marketing requirements and the desires of end-use consumers. In order to implement multiple antennas in a compact environment, the antennas should be designed to reduce the coupling between the various antennas. This is necessary not only to enhance radio performance, but also reduce the cost of implementing Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) filters at harmonic frequencies. Thus, the type of antenna designs used in such devices become important to reduce the mutual coupling due to the third harmonics between a GSM or similar cellular antenna, operative, for example, at 850 MHz, and a WiFi antenna operative at 2.4 GHz. Isolating these antennas can be difficult, and different feeding techniques should be introduced to enhance isolation between the two antennas. The two systems, cellular as a Wide Area Network (WAN) and WiFi need to work simultaneously, and thus, isolation between antennas is very critical.

Mobile wireless communications device having dual antenna system for cellular and WiFi


An imaging device according to an embodiment includes: a semiconductor substrate; a reference pixel with a first concave portion disposed in a first portion of a surface of the semiconductor substrate; and one or more infrared detection pixels each configured to detect light with a second concave portion disposed in a second portion of the surface of the semiconductor substrate, the reference pixel being directly connected to the semiconductor substrate at a position where the first concave portion is not present, and including a first thermoelectric conversion unit configured to convert heat to an electric signal, the first thermoelectric conversion unit being disposed in the first concave portion and including a first thermoelectric conversion element, each infrared detection pixel including a second thermoelectric conversion unit being disposed in the second concave portion and including a second thermoelectric conversion element.

Infrared rays are radiated from a heat source even in the dark, and characteristically have higher permeability than visible light in smoke or fog. Accordingly, infrared imaging can be performed during day and night. Also, temperature information about an object can be obtained through infrared imaging. In view of this, infrared imaging can be applied to a wide variety of fields such as the defense field and the fields of security cameras and fire detecting cameras.
In recent years, "uncooled infrared imaging devices" that do not require cooling mechanisms have been actively developed. An uncooled or thermal infrared imaging device converts an incident infrared ray of approximately 10 μm in wavelength into heat with an absorption mechanism, and further converts the temperature change at the heat sensitive unit caused by the small amount of heat into an electrical signal with a thermoelectric conversion means. The uncooled infrared imaging device reads the electrical signal, to obtain infrared image information.
For example, there have been infrared sensors each using a silicon pn junction that converts a temperature change into a voltage change by applying a constant forward current. Characteristically, such infrared sensors can be mass-produced through a silicon LSI manufacturing process using a SOI (Silicon On Insulator) substrate as a semiconductor substrate. Also, the rectification properties of the silicon pn junctions serving as the thermoelectric conversion means are utilized to realize the row select function, and accordingly, the pixels can be designed to have very simple structures.
One of the indicators of the performance of an infrared sensor is NETD (Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference), which indicates the temperature resolution of the infrared sensor. It is critical to reduce the NETD, or reduce the infrared sensor temperature difference equivalent to noise. To do so, it is necessary to increase signal sensitivity and reduce noise.
Thermoelectric conversion elements are sensitive to temperature components other than temperature rises caused by incident infrared rays, or to the temperature of the semiconductor substrate and the self-heating temperature at the time of flowing of current. To correct those "offset temperatures", reference pixels are provided.
Like an infrared detection pixel, a conventional reference pixel reflects the influence of the temperature of the semiconductor substrate, but has a different self-heating temperature from that of an infrared detection pixel. The difference in self-heating temperature is much larger than a signal generated from an incident infrared ray, and therefore, it is necessary to correct the difference.


A machine for cleaning an internal combustion engine cylinder head uses a high-pressure water jet supplied by a pump driven by an electric motor or an internal combustion engine powered by a power pack and via a spinning spray nozzle head mounted on a vertically reciprocating traveller travelling the length of a cylinder head clamped by headstock and tailstock clamping assemblies each with six conical-headed, spring-loaded clamping members clamped together by a pneumatic ram and rotatable horizontally at varying speeds by a variable-speed electric motor and drive assembly in synchronization with another electric motor driving the traveller; a spinning spray jet swivel head assembly is rotated via an hydraulic motor from the power pack; clamping and spray head assemblies are mounted within in a framed cabinet and a removable wheeled waste water collection tank underneath has fixed, vertically-opposed, horizontally spaced baffles for separation and settling sludge and floating scum from water which is then recycled.

In the past, warm or hot aqueous caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) solutions have been used for cleaning grease and other residues from machine parts and automotive components and especially cylinder heads of internal combustion engines but in present times many cylinder heads are made of aluminum alloys which are attacked by caustic soda. Furthermore, waste caustic soda and other waste products from such cleaning operations is flushed into drainage thus polluting the environment and damaging the ecology. Additionally, attention is not paid to waste recovery.
It is an object of this invention to provide a machine for cleaning parts of machinery such internal combustion engine cylinder heads by using a high-pressure water jet or jets.
Another object of the invention is to provide a machine for cleaning ferrous or non-ferrous internal combustion cylinder heads by using a high-pressure water spray and which treats water from cleaning and recycles it through the machine.
A further object is to provide a pump assembly for high-pressure water spray cleaning of a cylinder head for an internal-combustion engine.
According to the invention, there is provided a machine for cleaning dirty machine parts such as an internal combustion engine cylinder head by using a high-pressure water jet or jets and which comprises a housing, means for removably supporting a cylinder head to be cleaned within the housing, at least one spray jet nozzle mounted within the housing and adapted to direct a high-pressure water spray over the machine part, and pump means for supplying high-pressure water to the at least one jet nozzle.
More particularly, the means for removably supporting the cylinder head to be cleaned comprises a pair of horizontally-rotatable, vertically opposed clamping assemblies comprising a tailstock upper clamping assembly and a headstock lower clamping assembly both clamping assemblies have spring-loaded clamping members, the means associated with the at least one high-pressure water spray jet nozzle is a vertically travelling spinning spray head mounted on a traveller sliding and reciprocating vertically along bearing guide members.
Other features, uses and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following description of the embodiment presented in the accompanying drawings.


In a multistage pushbutton switch device, n pushbutton switches and at least one load absorption spring are movably arranged in between a pushbutton member and a reaction force wall in the same axial line, each of the n pushbutton switches is composed of an electrical switch member and a pressing member that operates the electrical switch member, and (n−1) that is one less than n, or more pushbutton switches is arranged with an intermediate spring member, when the pushbutton member is pressed and displaced, the n electrical switch members are sequentially turned on, the load absorption spring is arranged in at least one of between the pushbutton member and the pushbutton switch that is the nearest to the pushbutton member, between pushbutton switches that are adjacent, and between the reaction force wall and the pushbutton switch that is the nearest to the reaction force wall.

In a general endoscope, at least one discharge nozzle is opened in a tip end of an insertion portion extending from a control body. From this discharge nozzle, any of air, water, and mist (a mixture of air and water) is sprayed, and operations such as washing of a surface of an objective lens, and air supply to a body cavity is performed. Conventionally, an air supply and water supply switching device is arranged in the control body, for causing the discharge nozzle to perform any two or more operations of air supply, water supply, and spraying (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-225434, hereinafter, referred to as Patent Document 1). This air supply and water supply switching device has a basic structure of changing a press displacement position of a piston body slidably fit into a cylinder, to switch a flow path of air supply and water supply opened in the cylinder.
On the other hand, a multistage pushbutton switch device that operates a switch that controls a solenoid valve to open and close, by pressing operation of a pushbutton, to perform the plurality of operations, is proposed (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-032979 and 2007-188797, hereinafter, referred to as Patent Document 2 and 3).

Multistage pushbutton switch device and multistage pushbutton switch device for endoscope


Systems and methods for providing variable geometry winglets to an aircraft are disclosed. In one embodiment, a winglet includes a base portion configured to attach to a wing. The winglet further includes a body portion. In turn, the body portion includes at least one of a deflectable control surface, a shape memory alloy (SMA) bending plate, and a SMA torque tube. The base portion is configured to attach to the wing such that the body portion projects at an upward angle from the wing.

In today's commercial transport industry, it is highly desirable to design aircraft configurations that yield reduced fuel burn per seat-mile, as fuel burn per seat-mile is a metric of fuel efficiency. Efficient aircraft configurations are ever more important as fuel costs continue to increase.
Winglets have been used to reduce aircraft fuel consumption. The winglets may reduce the induced drag of the aircraft and improve the lift-to-drag ratio, thereby improving fuel efficiency. However, previous winglets are typically designed to provide maximum drag reduction and ideal improvement to the lift-to-drag ratio under cruise flight conditions. Consequently, these winglets may not provide optimal fuel efficiency during non-cruise conditions, such as during climbs, takeoffs and landings. Since non-cruise conditions generally make up significant portions of a flight, maximum efficiency may not be realized by such winglet designs.
Moreover, the presence of winglets may increase the wing bending load on the main wings of an aircraft. This increased wing bending load may be especially pronounced when an aircraft experiences high load factor condition, e.g., high maneuver load conditions or high gust load conditions. Structural reinforcements that compensate for these induced load increases may result in additional wing weight. Therefore, novel systems and methods which enable winglets to maximize fuel efficient for most flight conditions, as well as reduce wing bending loads induced by the winglets, would have utility.


An audio device may include an electrical terminal for coupling a transducer device to the audio device and an audio circuit for generating an analog audio signal coupled to the electrical terminal. The audio circuit may include a pre-amplifier stage, an amplifier, and a gain selector. The pre-amplifier stage may apply a selectable gain to an audio input signal to generate a pre-amplified analog audio signal, wherein the pre-amplifier stage is powered by a first power supply. The amplifier may amplify the pre-amplified analog audio signal to generate the analog audio signal, wherein the amplifier is powered from a second power supply isolated from the first power supply. The gain selector may select the selectable gain based on a level of the first power supply, such that a difference between the second power supply and the analog audio signal is more than a predetermined headroom threshold voltage.

Personal audio devices, including wireless telephones, such as mobile/cellular telephones, cordless telephones, mp3 players, and other consumer audio devices, are in widespread use. Such personal audio devices may include circuitry for driving a pair of headphones or one or more speakers. Such circuits often include a power amplifier for driving an audio output signal to the headphones or speakers, wherein the power amplifier itself is driven by a pre-amplifier (e.g., a digital-to-analog converter). In many implementations, the pre-amplifier and the power amplifier are supplied from different, isolated power supplies.
In such scenarios, the amplitude of an audio output signal may be directly proportional to the power supply of the pre-amplifier, and may thus vary as the power supply of the pre-amplifier varies (e.g., due to noise or other parasitic effects affecting the power supply). Because the power supply of the power amplifier is uncorrelated from the amplitude of the pre-amplifier output signal driving the power amplifier, conditions may from time to time exist in which the power amplifier power supply does not provide enough voltage headroom for the audio signal, leading to clipping or other distortion of the audio signal.

Systems and methods for supply-based gain control of an audio output signal


A home network system is disclosed, which includes a remote control server for controlling transmitting/receiving data at a long distance by WEB server connected to an external PC or WAP server connected to a communication terminal and by home network; an internal PC at home; and a network controller connected to the internal PC by wire or wireles network, for providing a user interface of a graphic user interface (GUI) type to a browser of the internal PC, monitoring and controlling the network appliance according to user control command by the user interface, the browser and the remote control server, and transmitting results to the internal PC and the remote control server.

Although 'Home Automation' first started to automatically control home appliances from somewhere in the house or from a remote place, the appliances were not connected to each other, and one had to deal with each appliance individually by using telephone or infrared rays. Recently however, all electronic apparatuses are networked together with help of a communication means, and a home network system for integrative control on the network through a controller is going to be available to the public in no time.
As depicted in FIG. 1, the home network system includes a communication bus for interconnecting a plurality of home appliances, such as, refrigerator, washing machine, personal computer (PC), etc.
Particularly, FIG. 1 illustrates a case in which every apparatus' micom has a serial communication function and is directly connected to the communication bus. If the micom does not have the serial communication function or uses a power line as communication line, a separate communication module is needed to configure the home network.
As mentioned before, the home network generally includes a controller for controlling network system. However, now that almost every house has a personal computer, one can simply install an application program for controlling the network system into the personal computer and use that as network controller.
The problem with the conventional home network system was that it could control appliances only through a specific type of controller.
In other words, regardless of the facts that every house has a plurality of personal computers and each computer configures wired or wireless network together, the conventional technology still required to control appliances only through a computer that is designated as the controller of the home network system. Hence, one cannot control a wanted apparatus through another computer.


Content is presented by media devices to a user. Described herein are techniques and systems for determining occurrence of one or more events at, or proximate to, the media device. Once an event is determined, one or more actions to modify presentation of the content may be initiated. The actions may include starting presentation of the content, stopping presentation of the content, applying noise mitigation techniques to the content, and so forth. The noise mitigation techniques may include modification of an intended signal from the content to produce a noise mitigation zone 118 proximate to, or encompassing, at least a portion of the user's head.

Content is presented to a user in a wide variety of situations on a variety of different types of media devices. The media devices may include tablets, smartphones, televisions, laptops, set-top boxes, portable media players, in-vehicle entertainment systems, desktop computers, and so forth.
During presentation, occurrence of various events may impact the user's experience in consuming the content. For example, the environment may be noisy, the user may have been distracted by another person, and so forth.
Certain implementations and embodiments will now be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying figures, in which various aspects are shown. However, various aspects may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

Event-based presentation and processing of content


An optical fiber carrier is provided, for routing given optical fibers from a bundle of the given optical fibers, the given optical fibers having a given minimum bend radius, the optical fiber carrier comprising: a planar surface comprising vertical edges; downwards curved rungs projecting from the planar surface and vertically aligned between the vertical edges, each of the downwards curved rungs peaking in an upward direction, and comprising a respective radius that is greater than or equal to the given minimum bend radius; and exit conduits located at the vertical edges, respective exit conduits located between respective adjacent downwards curved rungs, the downwards curved rungs and the exit conduits for routing an excess of each of the given optical fibers from the bundle, guided by one or more of the downwards curved rungs, and through one of the exit conduits.

Using optical fibers to convey light from a source to a destination presents a number of handling challenges. First they are manufactured with specialized coatings on both the input and output end face so the optical fiber can't be cut to length at installation. Second, the optical fibers minimum bend radius must be protected: in other words, if the optical fiber is bent tighter than approximately 200 times its cladding diameter it could be damaged. The combination of these two limitations makes optical fiber routing difficult. The difficulty of managing extra optical fiber length is increased by optical fiber length manufacturing tolerance: for example, optical fibers are not manufactured to an accurate length so the amount of extra optical fiber length varies from one installation to the next.


The present invention provides a sizing agent capable of imparting superior resin impregnation and adhesion with resin, and more particularly, a carbon fiber sizing agent that have satisfactory emulsification stability having stable process throughput and minimizes the changes over time in the sized carbon fibers. The carbon fiber sizing agent contains (A) a compound having at least one epoxy group per molecule, (B) an anionic surfactant having an ammonium ion as the counter ion, and (C) a nonionic surfactant wherein, the nonionic surfactant (C) is contained at 1/50 to ½ (weight ratio) relative to the anionic surfactant (B).

Since carbon fibers have low ductility and are brittle, they easily become fuzzy as a result of mechanical friction and also lack wettability with respect to matrix resins. Consequently, it is difficult to fully demonstrate the superior properties of carbon fibers when used as reinforcing materials. In order to improve on this, carbon fibers have been treated in the prior art with a sizing agent. Various compounds are known to function as sizing agents in this manner. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. Sho 50-59589 discloses the application to carbon fibers of a solvent solution of a sizing agent composed of polyglycidyl ether (to be abbreviated as "Sizing Agent 1"). In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. Sho 61-28074 describes the formation of an aqueous emulsion of a bisphenol type of polyalkylene ether epoxy compound using a small amount of emulsifier (to be referred to as "Sizing Agent 2"), and this is known to be applied to carbon fibers.
In addition, one example of a fiber-reinforced composite material is a molded article composed by molding a resin composition containing reinforcing material of carbon fiber and a matrix resin. Epoxy resin is widely used as the matrix resin of such fiber-reinforced composite materials. In addition, numerous other resins, including unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl ester resins, acrylic resins and other radical polymerized resins, are also used in addition to epoxy resin.
When obtaining a carbon fiber-reinforced resin composition composed of carbon fibers as the reinforcing material and a matrix resin, examples of methods for impregnating the carbon fibers with the matrix resin include a prepreg method in which carbon fibers are arranged unidirectionally on a matrix resin thinly coated on mold release paper, and a dipping method in which carbon fibers are dipped into a resin bath.
In addition, a carbon fiber-reinforced resin composition can also be obtained by impregnating a matrix resin into a carbon fiber woven fabric after the carbon fibers are processed into a woven fabric with a weaving machine. Examples of methods for obtaining this type of carbon fiber woven fabric-reinforced resin composition include a prepreg method in which carbon fiber woven fabric is layered on a matrix resin thinly coated on mold releasing paper, and a dipping method in which carbon fiber woven fabric is dipped into a resin bath.
In order to mold a stable fiber-reinforced composite material of high quality on an industrial scale, it is necessary that impregnation of carbon fiber bundles composed of several thousand filaments and matrix resin is able to be carried out easily and completely in the impregnation process in which carbon fibers are impregnated with matrix resin.
However, since carbon fibers have low ductility and are brittle, they easily become fuzzy as a result of mechanical friction and also lack wettability with respect to matrix resins. Consequently, it is difficult to allow carbon fibers used as a reinforcing material to fully demonstrate their superior properties as described above. In order to improve on this, carbon fibers used as reinforcing materials of fiber-reinforced composite materials have conventionally been treated with a sizing agent. That is, as a result of treating carbon fibers with a sizing agent, in addition to improving the handling ease of the carbon fibers, their wettability with respect to matrix resin is also improved. As a result, the quality of molded articles composed of a fiber-reinforced composite material using carbon fibers as a reinforcing material is improved. Various compounds are used as sizing agents in this manner.
For example, a sizing agent that uses a polyglycidyl ethers, etc. (to be referred to as "Sizing Agent 3"), is proposed (see Japanese Examined Patent Application, Second Publication No. Sho 57-15229). In addition, a sizing agent having as essential components an epoxy resin and a condensation product of the alkylene oxide adduct of bisphenols with an unsaturated dibasic acid, and the alkylene oxide adduct of phenols selected from a monocyclic phenol and a polycyclic phenol (to be referred to as "Sizing Agent 4") is proposed (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. Sho 53-52796, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. Hei 7-197381). In addition, various other sizing agents are also proposed including a sizing agent composed of an epoxy resin, the alkylene oxide adduct of a monocyclic or polycyclic phenol, an unsaturated dibasic acid or its ester-forming derivative and polyester condensation product of the alkylene oxide adduct of bisphenols, which has an acid value of 40 or less (to be referred to as "Sizing Agent 5") (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 10-60779).
The aforementioned Sizing Agent 3 has the advantage of superior impregnation and interface adhesive force at the time of use. Sizing Agent 4 is able to improve adhesion with matrix resin, and particularly unsaturated polyester resin. In addition, in the case of using epoxy resin for the matrix resin, Sizing Agent 4 is superior in terms of being able to alleviate the problem of the conventional art of fluctuations in physical properties of carbon fiber-reinforced resin compositions due to fluctuations in curing conditions. In addition, Sizing Agent 5 remains stable over time and has superior unwinding properties, while also exhibiting satisfactory adhesion with unsaturated polyester.
However, since Sizing Agent 1 uses a solvent solution, it had the disadvantage of poor industrial handling and safety considerations in comparison with aqueous types when used to treat carbon fiber sizing agents. In addition, although Sizing Agent 2 improves on the disadvantages of Sizing Agent 1, it was found to have the disadvantages indicated below depending on the selection of the emulsifier. That is, since the emulsion stability of the epoxy compound is inadequate in the case in which the emulsifier is a nonionic surfactant, during treatment for applying a carbon fiber sizing agent, a portion of the emulsion is destroyed resulting in the occurrence of defects by sizing agents and other problems in the carbon fiber production process.
In addition, in the case of an anionic surfactant having an electrical charge that is capable of improving emulsion stability, when the anionic surfactant is that in which the counter ion is an alkaline metal or alkaline earth metal ion, these alkaline metal or alkaline earth metal ions end up contaminating the fiber-reinforced composite material resulting in problems such as decreased thermal stability.
On the other hand, in the case of an anionic surfactant in which the counter ion is an ammonium ion, since this type of surfactant has reactivity with epoxy groups, it gradually reacts with epoxy groups of the adhered sizing agent after adhering to the carbon fibers as sizing agent. As a result, the problem occurred in which the carbon fibers become hard, causing prominent changes over time. Moreover, in the case of a cationic surfactant which also has an electrical charge and is similarly capable of improving emulsion stability, there is the disadvantage of being more expensive than anionic surfactants.
Moreover, since Sizing Agent 3 does not have adequate adhesion with unsaturated polyester resin, vinyl ester resin, acrylic resin and other radical polymerized resins, it is unsuitable for using these resins as the matrix resin of a carbon fiber-reinforced resin composition. In addition, although Sizing Agents 4 and 5 are superior to Sizing Agent 3 in terms of adhesion to radical polymerized resins, the level of adhesion is still not adequate. Consequently, there are still problems with using these resins as the matrix resin of a carbon fiber-reinforced resin composition.

Sizing agent for carbon fiber, aqueous dispersion thereof, carbon fiber treated by sizing sheet-form object comprising the carbon fiber, and carbon fiber-reinforced coposite material


The general field of the invention is that of Instrument panel or cockpit display systems. The system according to the invention comprises:                a first display device comprising a semi-transparent screen upon which a first image is displayed;        a second mobile display device mounted on a helmet or augmented reality glasses, the said second device comprising means of displaying a second image collimated in a predetermined visual field;        a detection of the orientation and of the position of the helmet in a predetermined reference system;        first means making it possible to determine the zone of intersection of the predetermined visual field with the semi-transparent screen;        second means making it possible to display in the said zone of intersection of the semi-transparent screen a first specific image, and/or to display in the second display device a second specific image, which are functions of the first image and of the second image.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is that of vehicle instrument panel or cockpit display systems. The invention especially applies to the field of civil or military aircraft. It can also apply to road, sea or rail transport means.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At present, the instrument panels of the cockpits of modern aircraft comprise display screens and instruments over the majority or their area, thus reducing the direct vision of the external scene in the bottom zone of the cockpit. In a certain number of applications, including visual flight at low altitude, this absence of direct vision can be annoying.
A simple first solution consists in the pilot contorting himself in order to see above display screens, when this is possible.
A second solution consists in using collimated display systems, also called "See Through" systems. These essentially comprise two large families which are the helmet-mounted displays worn on the pilot's head and so-called "Head-Up Display" devices permanently fitted in the cockpit. These devices superimpose information in the form of images or symbols on the external scene.
These latter equipments have the feature of being collimated, that is to say that the items of information coming from a display device are projected "to infinity" by means of suitable optics. The pilot does not therefore need to focus on either the information or the scene, both being clearly seen simultaneously. These equipments have a certain technical complexity and are therefore of high cost. Moreover, the information is presented specifically so as not to mask the scene in the background, which involves a representation different from that of the so-called "Head-down" screens. The pilot must therefore put a certain amount of effort into going between his "head-up" and "head-down" screens in order to find his landmarks.
A third solution consists in using semi-transparent display screens placed in the user's field of vision and which make it possible to project an image superimposed on the external scene. The advantage of these screens is that it is possible to obtain large display areas visible in a large field of vision at costs that are lower than those of collimated systems. The principal disadvantage of these screens is that the image is not collimated, which can give rise to problems of parallax and accommodation.

Hybrid display system displaying information by superimposition on the exterior


A preferential order of channel vacating is determined according to a musical character of musical tones having assigned channels, thus permitting a channel assignment which does not depart from the harmony of the musical tone. The greater the number of tones which are equivalent in musical character, the more readily channels can be vacated for new tones, and tones with fewer equivalent tones in musical character may remain assigned. The channel selection may also be limited for low envelope level tones.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a channel assigning system for an electronic musical instrument and more particularly, to an improved method of determining the channel assignment priority order.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a prior art channel assigning system, when, for example, a Key On event occurs in a keyboard of a electronic musical instrument, a check is made to determine whether a musical tone corresponding to a "key off" event exists among tones having respective channels assigned thereto. If a tone corresponding to a "key off" event does exists, a channel assigned to the tone corresponding to the new "key off" event is a channel that was assigned to the tone corresponding to the "key off" event.
In an improved channel assigning system, sequential "key on" and "key off" event order numbers of tones having respective channels assigned thereto are stored, and the channels are assigned in accordance with the sequential order numbers.
When a plurality of tones are produced simultaneously, some are very easily heard by the human ear when muted, but others are not. For example, when a plurality of low pitch tones are produced together with a high pitch tone, if the "key off" of the low pitch tone occurs earlier than the "key off" of the high pitch tones, usually the channel corresponding to the earlier "key off" high pitch tone will be assigned to a tone corresponding to a new "key off" event. However, if the sounding level the high pitch tone is not very different from the low pitch tones, the "key off" of the former is more easily heard by the human ear than the "key off" of the low pitch tones, and acoustically this produces a feeling of discomfort. This is true not only for the tone pitch but also for the timbre, speed and strength of a sounding operation, and the performance of a melody, chord and rhythm.

Channel assigning system for electronic musical instrument

Kawai Musical Inst. Manufacturing Co., Ltd.


A drive circuit 21 that controls a switching device 23 ON/OFF and a soft cutoff command circuit that gradually decreases the gate terminal voltage of the switching device 23 when short circuit of the switching device 23 is detected. Additionally, an ON-pulse retention command circuit 11 retains the output of the drive circuit 21 ON when the gate terminal voltage is judged to have exceeded a specified value by a gate voltage judgment comparator 16 that detects the gate terminal voltage of the switching device 23.

The present invention relates to a drive circuit for a voltage driven switching device.
When a semiconductor switching device, such as insulated gate type bipolar transistor (IGBT), is used for driving a motor, and if arm short circuit or short circuit of load is caused, the collector current of the IGBT increases quickly and consequently the IGBT is broken down due to overcurrent or heat. It, therefore, is necessary to detect a short circuit state in a short time. When classifying roughly, there are two major known methods of detecting the short circuit. One is a method, as disclosed in the Japanese Application Patent Laid-open Publication No. Hei 04-79758, where a current sense IGTB is used to detect the short circuit current. The other is a method, as disclosed in the Japanese Application Patent Laid-open Publication No. Hei 02-262826, where the collector voltage is monitored to detect the short circuit state.
On the other hand, there remains a problem that, if current is cut off quickly in a short circuit state, the rate of current change−dI/dt becomes greater and consequently the spike voltage, which is defined by the product of the rate and the stray inductance, becomes greater, resulting in the breakdown of the IGBT. To prevent this, the method disclosed in the Japanese Application Patent Laid-Open Publication Nos. Hei 04-79758 and 02-262826 is provided with a soft cutoff function so as to cut off the main IGBT slowing in the case short circuit is detected.


In an electronic apparatus having a user identification function or in a user identification method, an electronic apparatus and an electronic instrument having stored therein user personal information communicate in wireless with each other so as to enable the electronic apparatus to automatically identify the electronic apparatus user. If the electronic apparatus identifies a plurality of possible users, the electronic apparatus automatically selects the user by executing specific user identification processing.

Electronic apparatuses such as cameras that identify electronic apparatus users and engage in a specific operation corresponding to a given user are known in the related art. For instance, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H 11-164282 discloses a digital camera having a card read unit, which allows a user to enter personal information to the digital camera through the card reader unit, automatically connects with a data server corresponding to the user based upon the entered personal information and automatically transfers image data obtained through a photographing operation performed with the digital camera to the data server.
The electronic apparatus in the related art described above requires a magnetic card or a memory card having stored therein the personal information to be directly loaded at the electronic apparatus or necessitates a wired connection of the magnetic card or the memory card to the electronic apparatus so that the personal information can be read into the electronic apparatus.
However, having to directly load a magnetic card or a memory card at the electronic apparatus or connect the magnetic card or the memory card to the electronic apparatus, by means of wiring, each time the user needs to use the electronic apparatus places a considerable onus on the user and, moreover, there is a problem in that the electronic apparatus cannot be used immediately in a situation that arises suddenly. For instance, there is a risk of missing a good photo opportunity while setting the personal information in the digital camera.
In addition, in the electronic apparatus in the related art described above, the personal information is utilized for limited purposes such as the automatic selection of the recipient to which images are to be transmitted and setting and display operations are performed in the electronic apparatus without fully reflecting the personal information. As a result, the user may not always be satisfied with the ease of operation it affords. The design of the electronic apparatus is particularly lax in consideration of users such as first-time users, seniors and children, who may not be accustomed to operating electronic apparatuses.
People also store image data obtained through a photographing operation performed with an electronic camera on a trip or the like into a memory card and later review images reproduced from the image data displayed at a liquid crystal display screen of the electronic camera in which the memory card is loaded or at a screen of a personal computer to which the image data have been transferred from the memory card.
The user reviewing electronic image data in the related art as described above is simply allowed to view the reproduced images on display, and there is difficulty in expanding the range of information utilization beyond reviewing of the images.
For instance, if the user becomes interested in a historical structure or the like photographed in the image he is currently reviewing, he has to stop reviewing images temporarily to look it up in an encyclopedia or to conduct a search on the Internet. In addition, if the user becomes interested in a person (the person's name, hobby, etc.) photographed in the image he is reviewing, the user cannot obtain that person's personal information immediately on the spot.
In addition, image data obtained through a photographing operation of an electronic camera are transferred to another image display terminal for reviewing the image data through an off-line information transmission method, in which the image data are temporarily saved into a memory card and then the memory card is loaded at the other image display terminal or through an on-line information transmission method, in which the image data are transmitted through a wireless or wired communication from the electronic camera to the other image display terminal, in the related art. For instance, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H 10-341388 discloses an image transmission system which enables a direct transmission of image data from an electronic camera to another electronic camera through optical communication achieved by using infrared light.
There are disadvantages to the off-line image transmission system and the off-line image transmission method in the related art described above in that since they necessitate an exchange of an information storage medium such as a memory card between the electronic camera and the image display terminal, the storage medium must be frequently loaded and unloaded, and data cannot be obtained and recorded through a photographing operation in the meantime, and in that since the recording medium must be physically transported, there is a time lag before the data can be utilized on the recipient side.
While the need to transport the information recording medium is eliminated by adopting the on-line transmission system and the on-line image transmission method in the related art described above, there is a problem in that data cannot be obtained and recorded through a photographing operation or the like while communication is in progress at a low transmission speed. In particular, the length of time required to transmit image data the volume of which is much larger than that of standard text data or the like tends to be very significant. Furthermore, when image data of a group picture of a number of people taken with an electronic camera are directly transmitted by the electronic camera to portable telephones or the like of the plurality of subjects, the image data transmission takes a great deal of time.

Electronic apparatus having a user identification function and user identification method