A dimmer switch uses different fade rates when turning on or off lighting load depending on a device used to adjust the lighting load. For example, the dimmer switch uses a first fade rate when turning off a lighting load in response to an actuation of a local actuator or accessory switch and uses a second fade rate faster than the first fade rate when turning off the lighting load in response to an actuation of a connected three-way switch may be provided. The dimmer switch may slowly turn off the lighting load in response to an actuation of the actuator to provide an aesthetically pleasing reduction in the intensity of the lighting load. When a user actuates the three-way switch to turn off the lighting load, the dimmer switch quickly reduces the intensity of the lighting load to approximately zero percent as may be expected by the user.

Three-way switching systems enable controlling electrical loads such as lighting loads from multiple control locations. These three-way switching systems include three-way switches that, for example, are wired to a building's alternating-current (AC) wiring system, are subjected to AC source voltage, and/or carry full load current as opposed to low-voltage switch systems that operate at low voltage and low current and communicate digital commands (e.g., usually low-voltage logic levels) to a remote controller that controls the level of AC power delivered to the load in response to the commands. As such, the "three-way switch" or "three-way system" include switches and systems that are subjected to the AC source voltage and carry the full load current.
Additionally, three-way switching system includes two three-way switches for controlling a single load where each switch is fully operable to independently control the load irrespective of the status of the other switch. In such a system, one three-way switch is typically wired at the AC source side of the system (e.g., at or on "line side"), and the other three-way switch is typically wired at the load side of the system. For example, FIG. 1 shows a standard three-way switch system 100 that includes two three-way switches 102, 104. The two three-way switches 102, 104 are connected between an AC power source 106 and a lighting load 108. When the three-way switches 102, 104 are both in position A or both in position B, the electrical circuit is complete and the lighting load 108 is energized. When one three-way switch 102 is in position A and the other three-way switch 104 is in position B or vice versa, the electrical circuit is not complete and the lighting load 108 is off.
Three-way dimmer switches can also replace three-way switches. For example, FIG. 2 depicts a simplified diagram of an example of a three-way dimming system 200 that includes a three-way dimmer switch 202 and a standard three-way switch 104. As shown in FIG. 2, the three-way dimmer switch 202 includes a dimmer circuit 210 and a three-way switch 212. The dimmer circuit 210 typically includes a bidirectional semiconductor switch such as a triac for regulating the amount of energy supplied to the lighting load 108. Specifically, the dimmer circuit 210 conducts load current to the lighting load 108 for some portion of each half-cycle of the AC waveform and does not conduct the load current to the load for the remainder of the half-cycle. Because the dimmer switch 202 is in series with the lighting load 108, the longer the dimmer switch conducts the load current, the more energy will be delivered to the lighting load 108. When the lighting load 108 is a lamp, the more energy delivered to the lighting load 108, the greater the light intensity level of the lamp. In a typical dimming scenario, a user may adjust a control of a user interface of the dimmer switch 202 to set the light intensity level of the lamp to a desired light intensity level. The portion of each half-cycle for which the dimmer switch 202 conducts is based on the selected light intensity level. As shown in FIG. 2, today, the three-way dimming system 200 includes one three-way dimmer switch 202, which can be located on either the line side or the load side of the system as, currently, two dimmer circuits such as the dimmer switch 202 can not be wired in series.
Additionally, three-way dimming systems such as the three-way dimming system 200 shown in FIG. 2 can employ a "smart" dimmer switch and/or a specially designed auxiliary (e.g., remote) switch that permits the dimming level to be adjusted from multiple locations. A smart dimmer is a dimmer that includes a microcontroller or other processing components for enabling an advanced set of control features and feedback options to the end user. To power the microcontroller, smart dimmers include power supplies that draw a small amount of leakage current through the lighting load each half-cycle when the bidirectional semiconductor switch of the dimmer circuit 210 shown in FIG. 2 is non-conductive. The power supply uses this small amount of current to charge a capacitor and develop a direct-current (DC) voltage to power the microcontroller. No load current flows through the dimmer circuit 210 shown in FIG. 2 of the three-way dimmer switch 202 when the circuit between the AC power source 106 and the lighting load 108 is broken by either three-way switch 212, 104. As such, currently, the dimmer switch 202 can not include a power supply and a microcontroller and still operate to properly provide the advanced set of features to the end user when the lighting load 108 is on and off.
To provide such a "smart" dimmer system, multiple lighting controls can also be used. FIG. 3 shows an example multiple location lighting control system 300 that can provide such a "smart" dimmer system. As shown in FIG. 3, the multiple location lighting control system 300 includes a wall-mountable smart dimmer switch 302 and a wall-mountable remote switch 304 (e.g., an accessory control). The dimmer switch 302 has a hot terminal H for receipt of the AC source voltage provided by the AC power supply 106, and a dimmed-hot terminal DH for providing the dimmed-hot voltage to the lighting load 108. The accessory control 304 is connected in series with the dimmed-hot terminal DH of the dimmer switch 302 and the lighting load 108 such that the accessory control 304 passes the dimmed-hot voltage through to the lighting load. The multiple location lighting control system 300 is described in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,919, issued on Sep. 28, 1993, entitled LIGHTING CONTROL DEVICE, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,581, issued Aug. 25, 1998, entitled LOCATION INDEPENDENT DIMMER SWITCH FOR USE IN MULTIPLE LOCATION SWITCH SYSTEM, AND SWITCH SYSTEM EMPLOYING SAME, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Additionally, the dimmer switch 302 and the accessory control 304 both have actuators to enable toggling the lighting load 108 on and off and/or for raising and lowering the intensity of the lighting load. The dimmer switch 302 is responsive to actuation or selection of the actuators to turn the lighting load 108 on or off or adjust the intensity level of the lighting load from a minimum intensity (e.g., approximately 0%) to a maximum intensity (e.g., approximately 100%). In addition, the dimmer switch 302 may control the intensity of the lighting load 108 to a preset intensity between the minimum and maximum intensities. When turning the lighting load 108 on and/or off, the dimmer switch 302 is operable to fade the intensity of the lighting load by increasing or decreasing the intensity of the lighting load from the minimum intensity to the preset intensity (e.g., or from the present intensity to the minimum intensity) over a predetermined amount of time (i.e., at a fade rate). The dimmer switch 302 uses a slow turn-off time (e.g., approximately 2.5 sec) to gradually turn off the lighting load 108, which provides an aesthetically pleasing reduction in the intensity of the lighting load and provides the user with a few seconds to exit the room in which the lighting load is located before the lighting load is completely off. The smart dimmer switch 302 can also include a linear array of visual indicators (not shown) that are illuminated to provide feedback of the intensity of the lighting load 108.
Actuation or selection of one of the actuators at the accessory control 304 causes an AC control signal, or a partially-rectified AC control signal, to be communicated from that accessory control to the dimmer switch 302 over the wiring between the accessory-dimmer terminal AD of the accessory control and the accessory-dimmer terminal AD of the dimmer switch. The actuators of the accessory control 304 contact momentary tactile switches inside the accessory control, such that the dimmer switch 302 receives short pulse signals from the accessory control (e.g., 100-200 milliseconds in length) representing a closure of one of the momentary switches in accessory control. The dimmer switch 302 is responsive to the control signal to alter the dimming level or toggle the lighting load 108 on and off. Thus, the lighting load 108 can be fully controlled from the accessory control 304.
Although the multiple location lighting control system 300 shown in FIG. 3 enables the use of a smart dimmer switch in a three-way system, a customer may need to purchase the accessory control 304 along with the smart dimmer switch 302. Often, the typical customer is unaware that an accessory control is used or needed when buying a smart dimmer switch for a three-way system until after the time of purchase when the smart dimmer switch is installed and it is discovered that the smart dimmer will not work properly with the existing three-way switch.
Additionally, to provide a "smart" dimmer system, a "smart" three-way dimmer switch may be used with a typical or standard three-way switch. FIG. 4 illustrate a diagram of a example three-way dimming system 400 that includes a smart three-way dimmer switch 402 that is operable to work with a standard maintained three-way switch 404. Thus, there is no need for the installer to purchase a unique accessory control to replace the three-way switch 404. The smart three-way dimmer switch 402 is wired in place of a previously installed switch or dimmer switch (e.g., the three-way switch 102 shown in FIG. 1 or the dimmer switch 202 shown in FIG. 2). To provide such a system, a simple rewiring 410 can be carried out in the wallbox of the three-way switch 404 to disconnect the dimmed-hot terminal DH of the smart three-way dimmer switch 402 from the first switch position of the three-way switch 404 (i.e., position A in FIG. 4) and to connect the dimmed-hot terminal DH to the lighting load 108. The other switch position of the three-way switch 404 (i.e., position B in FIG. 4) is connected to the accessory-dimmer terminal AD of the smart three-way dimmer switch 402.
As such, the smart three-way dimmer switch 402 shown in FIG. 4 is connected between the AC power source 106 and the lighting load 108 independent of the position of three-way switch 404. The three-way switch 404 now operates by either connecting the dimmed-hot voltage to or disconnecting the dimmed-hot voltage from the accessory-dimmer terminal AD on the smart three-way dimmer switch. The smart three-way dimmer switch 402 can also be wired to the load side of system 400 and operation of the three-way switch 404 would connect and disconnect the AC power source voltage to and from the accessory-dimmer terminal AD on the smart three-way dimmer switch. Also, a two-way switch an be used in place of three-way switch 404 since the first position A is not being used. Rather than receiving a signal at the accessory-dimmer terminal AD that is a short pulse (i.e., representing a closure of one of the momentary switches in the accessory control 304), the smart three-way dimmer switch 402 determines when the voltage at the accessory-dimmer terminal AD changes states (i.e., from an AC line voltage signal to zero volts, and vice versa). Based on this determination, the smart three-way dimmer switch 402 toggles the state of the lighting load 108. The three-way dimming system 400 of FIG. 4 is described in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,247,999, issued Jul. 24, 2007, entitled DIMMER FOR USE WITH A THREE-WAY SWITCH, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The dimmer switch 402 of the three-way dimmer system 400 shown in FIG. 4 may use a the slow turn-off fade rate (i.e., approximately 2.5 seconds) to gradually turn off the lighting load. While this gradual adjustment of the intensity of the lighting load 108 provides benefits to the user as previously mentioned, the reduction may not be immediately perceptible by the human eye. A user of the smart dimmer switch 302 or the accessory control 304 of the lighting control system 300 shown in FIG. 3 may be aware of the slow turn-off rate provided by the smart dimmer switch. Unfortunately, the user of the standard three-way switch 404 of the dimming system 400 may expect the intensity of the lighting load 108 to change rapidly when the lighting load is turned off. Since the dimmer switch 402 uses the slow turn-off or turn-on fade rate, the adjustment of the intensity of the lighting load 108 in response to an actuation of the three-way switch typically is not immediately noticed by the user. As such, the user can become confused causing the user to once again actuate the three-way switch 404 and, thus, change the intensity to an undesired level and/or even conclude that the three-way switch is not functioning correctly.

Dimmer switch having an alternate fade rate when using in conjunction with a three-way switch


An interlocking tongue and groove vegetation planting assembly provides a self-supporting arrangement of pentagon-shaped plant containers and triangle-shaped plant containers that are alternatively stacked, and detachably fitted together with support blocks having a central tongue on one end and a pair of legs on an opposite end that fit together in a tongue-and-groove relationship through the support sleeve. Both the pentagon-shaped and triangle-shaped plant containers include a plant chamber, and an adjacent support sleeve. The plant chamber has multiple sidewalls sloped at an angle. The plant chamber also has a floor wall that forms drainage holes near the junction of the plant chamber and the support sleeve sidewalls. The pentagon-shaped plant container is half the width and length of the triangle-shaped plant container to allow sunlight to reach lower stacked triangle-shaped plant chambers. The tongue-and-groove stacking arrangement creates multiple points of contact throughout each sidewall for equal weight distribution.

The following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon.
Typically, container planting systems have involved individual ceramic or terracotta pots in many forms that are meant to be displayed either flat on the ground, on elevated plant stands or outdoor shelving units. Additionally, most methods for forming these pots are dependent on using hand crafted pottery techniques that must then be fired in a kiln and glazed, causing there to be multiple steps to be involved to achieve a finished product. There is an increasing demand and need for planting systems that meet the often-limited spatial availability of hobby plant keepers while providing optimal growing conditions for various species of plants. Currently, most vertically integrated growing systems on the market involve support mechanisms that are separate from the planters, causing there to be multiple parts to be necessary in order to assemble a complete growing unit.
Though there have been advancements on the types of planters available to modern gardeners there are still some aspects regarding the construction and usage of space that have not been addressed. In U.S. Pat. No. 8,261,913 B2 in the name Stackapots Pty Ltd a stackable planting system is described in which planters in a radial shape are meant to be stacked by offsetting alternating planters around a central cavity that includes a water catchment system. The functionality of the stacking mechanism mentioned is limited to shallow interconnecting pot leg structures and depressions in the base of each planter, who's stability is largely contingent on each of the planting regions being filled with an equal weight.
In order to secure the base of the stacked planting structure, a separate saucer must be used to snap the legs of the bottommost planter in place, meaning that in order for the bottommost plants to be changed out, the entire system must be taken apart. Additionally, since the planters are arranged in a radial shape, the entire system must be placed strategically in order for all of the included plants to receive the amount of sunlight necessary to maintain optimal growth, limiting the space where the planters can be situated
Other proposals have involved vertical plant units. The problem with these planting systems is that they do not align the drainage holes and sidewalls. Also, the stacking component does not distribute weight evenly along the sidewalls. Even though the above cited vertical planting systems meets some of the needs of the market, an interlocking tongue and groove vegetation planting assembly is still desired.

Interlocking tongue and groove vegetation planting assembly


A method and an apparatus accurately detect a rotor angle of a DC brushless motor by using a first-order difference of a detected value of a phase current. A periodic signal causing the total sum of output voltages in three control cycles to become zero is superposed over a drive voltage under current feedback control. The drive voltage is held at a constant level during the three control cycles. The phase difference between an actual value and an estimated value of a rotor angle is calculated, using the first-order differential current in each control cycle, and the estimated value of the rotor angle is calculated by follow-up computation of an observer, using the phase difference.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for detecting a rotor angle of a DC brushless motor by superposing a periodic signal over a drive voltage of the motor.
2. Description of the Related Art
To obtain a desired output torque from a DC brushless motor, it is necessary to apply a voltage to an armature at an appropriate phase that matches an electrical angle of a rotor having magnetic poles (hereinafter referred to as a "rotor angle"). There have been proposed various methods for detecting rotor angles without using position detecting sensors so as to achieve reduced cost of a DC brushless motor and a drive unit by obviating the need for the position detecting sensors for detecting rotor angles.
The inventors of the present application have proposed, in a previous application (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-120834), a method in which second-order differences of a d-axis current and a q-axis current are calculated by alternately conducting feedback control only on the d-axis current and feedback control only on the q-axis current, and an estimated value of a rotor angle is calculated by using a second-order difference when the feedback control of current supplied to a DC brushless motor is conducted by so-called dq vector conversion at every predetermined control cycle.
According to the aforesaid method, a sine reference value and a cosine reference value based on the double angle of a phase difference between an actual value and an estimated value of a rotor angle can be calculated by using a calculated value of a second-order difference of d-axis current and q-axis current. Thus, the rotor angle can be detected on the basis of the sine reference value and the cosine reference value.
As described above, the rotor angle of the DC brushless motor can be detected by calculating the second-order difference of the d-axis current and the q-axis current. However, if a second-order difference of the d-axis current and the q-axis current based on a detected value of a phase current is used, then it is expected that a greater detection error of phase current will result, as explained below.
If a detected value of the phase current at an n-th control cycle is denoted by I(n) and a detection error at that time is denoted by N(n), then a first-order difference ΔI and a second-order difference ΔΔI of phase current are given by the following expressions (1) and (2), respectively.ΔI={I(n)+N(n)}−{I(n−1)+N(n−1)}  (1)ΔΔI={I(n)+N(n)}−2{I(n−1)+N(n−1)}+{I(n−2)+N(n−2)}  (2)
If the error N(n) at detection of a phase current is assumed to be a white noise (zero on the average) indicating no correlation to each other, then a variance of the first-order difference (the expected value of a squared error from a mean value) E1 and a variance E2 of the second-order difference are given according to the following expressions (3) and (4) when the variance of error is denoted by σn.
                                                                                E                  1                                =                                                                  (                                                            {                                                                        Δ                                                                                I                                                -                                                  Δ                                                                                I                            _                                                                                }                                        2                                    )                                                                                =                                                                                E                                                              (                                              Δ                                                                                I                          2                                                                    )                                                        -                                      Δ                                                                                I                        _                                            2                                                                                =                                                                                E                                                              (                                                                        [                                                                                {                                                                                I                                                                                (                                    n                                    )                                                                                +                                                                  N                                                                                (                                    n                                    )                                                                                }                                                        -                                                          {                                                                                I                                                                                (                                                                          n                                      -                                      1                                                                        )                                                                                +                                                                  N                                                                                (                                                                          n                                      -                                      1                                                                        )                                                                                }                                                                                ]                                                2                                            )                                                        -                                                                                {                                                                                I                          _                                                                                (                          n                          )                                                                    -                                                                        I                          _                                                                                (                                                      n                            -                            1                                                    )                                                                                }                                    2                                                                                =                                                                  2                                                                                σ                    n                                                                                (          3          )                                                                                E                  2                                =                                                                  (                                                            {                                                                        Δ                                                                                Δ                                                                                I                                                -                                                  Δ                                                                                Δ                                                                                I                            _                                                                                }                                        2                                    )                                                                                =                                                                                E                                                              (                                              Δ                                                                                Δ                                                                                I                          2                                                                    )                                                        -                                      Δ                                                                                Δ                                                                                I                        _                                            2                                                                                =                                                                   E                  (                                      [                                                                  {                                                                              I                                                                                (                              n                              )                                                                                +                                                      N                                                                                (                              n                              )                                                                                }                                            -                                              2                                                                          {                                                                                I                                                                                (                                                                  n                                  -                                  1                                                                )                                                                                +                                                          N                                                                                (                                                                  n                                  -                                  1                                                                )                                                                                }                                                                    +                                                                                {                                                                              I                                                                                (                                                              n                                -                                2                                                            )                                                                                +                                                      N                                                                                (                                                              n                                -                                2                                                            )                                                                                }                                            ]                                        2                                    )                                -                                                      {                                                                                I                          _                                                                                (                          n                          )                                                                    -                                              2                                                                                I                            _                                                                                (                                                          n                              -                              1                                                        )                                                                                +                                                                        I                          _                                                                                (                                                      n                            -                            2                                                    )                                                                                }                                    2                                                                                =                                                                  4                                                                                σ                    n                                                                                (          4          )
Thus, it is expected that there will be less influences of the detection error N(n) if the first-order difference is used rather than the second-order difference.

Method for detecting rotor angle of DC brushless motor and controller of DC brushless motor


A step-wise medium transport system is provided having high accuracy for transporting recording media in a digital printer, the medium is transported using accurately moving tables to which the medium is attached during printing steps the working area of the medium, on which the printing is done by the printer, is at all times fully supported by a static table avoiding disturbances.

Printing is one of the most popular ways of conveying information to members of the general public. Digital printing using dot matrix printers allows rapid printing of text and graphics stored on computing devices such as personal computers. These printing methods allow rapid conversion of ideas and concepts to printed product at an economic price without time consuming and specialised production of intermediate printing plates such as lithographic plates. The development of digital printing methods has made printing an economic reality for the average person even in the home environment.
Conventional methods of dot matrix printing often involve the use of a printing head, e.g. an ink jet printing head, with a plurality of marking elements, e.g. ink jet nozzles. The marking elements transfer a marking material, e.g. ink or resin, from the printing head to a printing medium, e.g. paper or plastic. The printing may be monochrome, e.g. black, or multi-coloured, e.g. full colour printing using a CMY (cyan, magenta, yellow, black=a process black made up of a combination of C, M, Y), a CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black), or a specialised colour scheme, (e.g. CMYK plus one or more additional spot or specialised colours). To print a printing medium such as paper or plastic, the marking elements are used or "fired" in a specific order while the printing medium is moved relative to the printing head. Each time a marking element is fired, marking material, e.g. ink, is transferred to the printing medium by a method depending on the printing technology used. Typically, in one form of printer, the head will be moved relative to the printing medium to produce a so-called raster line which extends in a first direction, e.g. across a page. The first direction is sometimes called the "fast scan" direction. A raster line comprises a series of dots delivered onto the printing medium by the marking elements of the printing head. The printing medium is moved, usually intermittently, in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The second direction is often called the slow scan direction.
The combination of printing raster lines and moving the printing medium relative to the printing head results in a series of parallel raster lines which are usually closely spaced. Seen from a distance, the human eye perceives a complete image and does not resolve the image into individual dots provided these dots are close enough together. Closely spaced dots of different colours are not distinguishable individually but give the impression of colours determined by the amount or intensity of the three colours cyan, magenta and yellow which have been applied.
In order to improve the veracity of printing, e.g. of a straight line, it is preferred if the distance between dots of the dot matrix is small, that is the printing has a high resolution. Although it cannot be said that high resolution always means good printing, it is true that a minimum resolution is necessary for high quality printing. A small dot spacing in the slow scan direction means a small distance between marker elements on the head, whereas regularly spaced dots at a small distance in the fast scan direction places constraints on the quality of the drives used to move the printing head relative to the printing medium in the fast scan direction.
Generally, there is a mechanism for positioning a marker element in a proper location over the printing medium before it is fired. Usually, such a drive mechanism is controlled by a microprocessor, a programmable digital device such as a PAL, a PLA, a FPGA or similar although the skilled person will appreciate that anything controlled by software can also be controlled by dedicated hardware and that software is only one implementation strategy.
One general problem of dot matrix printing is the formation of artefacts caused by the digital nature of the image representation and the use of equally spaced dots. Certain artefacts such as Moiré patterns may be generated due to the fact that the printing attempts to portray a continuous image by a matrix or pattern of (almost) equally spaced dots. One source of artefacts can be errors in the placing of dots caused by a variety of manufacturing defects such as the location of the marker elements in the head or systematic errors in the movement of the printing head relative to the printing medium. In particular, if one marking element is misplaced or its firing direction deviates from the intended direction, the resulting printing will show a defect which can run throughout the print. A variation in drop velocity will also cause artefacts when the printing head is moving, as time of flight of the drop will vary with variation in the velocity. Similarly, a systematic error in the drive system for moving the printing medium may result in defects that may be visible. For example, slip between the drive for the printing medium and the printing medium itself will introduce errors.
Especially in large size inkjet printers and industrial inkjet printing machines, the receiving medium transport system has to be very accurate and reliable in transport distance to avoid banding problems.
These systems usually must be capable to handle different sizes and thickness of receiving media.
Another problem is that the printing speed and transport speed is much higher than those of office or home inkjet printers.
These industrial printers often use a web-based material as printing stock. The web based material has to be fed very correctly as small deviations would lead to skew feeding of the web which could lead. to malfunctioning of the printer. Small feeding deviations in sheet-fed material do not pose such a problem as each sheet is independently taken from the paper bin, unless sheet-fed material is pre-printed and is to be accurately aligned in the printer to register the image to be printed to the already pre-printed image.
A problem also encountered is that printing on large size rigid media poses specific problems in respect to positioning and transporting of the media.
Rigid media normally have a greater weight than paper and have greater inertia than light materials which poses greater needs on the media transport system.
Due to the rigidity it is also possible that the material can not be straightened out easily and due to unevenness of the material surface the throw distance may vary and certain printing defects can occur.                Certain rigid materials exhibit a certain porosity so that they can not be easily transported by a transport system using vacuum forces to hold a medium. This problem is very apparent when one wants to print on mesh material, rigid or flexible.
Another aspect in industrial printers is that the shuttle containing the printheads is usually relatively heavy in comparison to home or office printers. Due to the higher shuttle speed, the drops follow a sloping path from the printhead to the receiver. Even the slightest deviation in throw distance between the head and the receiver will result in deviations in positioning the ink drops. The throw distance has to be kept constant over the full width of the shuttle and over the full length of the shuttle movement.
It has been shown that transport rollers do not provide a solution to the problems described. Another drawback is that when using large size receiving media rollers are needed in the middle of the receiving medium and that these rollers come into contact with the fresh printed surface.
In WO 01/56 804 a conveyance apparatus is provided for stepwise conveying of materials which can be used in an inkjet printer. The apparatus uses fixed and moving elements for holding the working portion of the material, being the portion of the conveyed material on which the tool, in this case the inkjet printhead, is working on. The apparatus of WO 01/56 804 has however certain drawbacks.                Support of the working portion of the receiving medium is always divided over several elements of which some completely static and some are movable for transporting the receiving medium. The support structure is formed by the movable and fixed elements Therefor it can not be assured that the material is supported over the whole width at the same height and with the same force.
Especially when printing thin, flexible media this would lead to problems.                As the moving elements are in contact with the receiving medium at the printing location no movement of these elements is tolerated during printing as longitudinal forces would be exerted upon the receiving medium at the printing location. This inevitably leads to a slower feeding speed.        The apparatus is riot able to transport materials having high porosity and mesh-like materials which are not laminated to a liner fabric.        the vacuum transport elements support only about 50% of the width of the material which gives possibly not enough force to move the heavier or porous materials.
It is clear that there is still a need for improvement of these transport systems.
It is the aim of the invention to provide a receiving media transport system that can handle all types and sizes of receiving media having a very exact positioning capability.

Moving floor media transport for digital printers


In a cooperative reasoning apparatus comprises a plurality of problem solving units for cooperatively solving various problems and replication unit for replicating a corresponding problem solving unit in responsive to a replication request from one of the plurality of problem solving units, each problem solving unit determines whether or not its own reasoning unit has an ability of reasoning a given problem. If NO, the problem solving unit requests another problem solving unit to solve the problem. Further, each problem solving unit determines whether or not its own reasoning unit is performing reasoning of another problem. If YES, the problem solving unit requests the replication unit to replicate the problem solving unit, so that the problem is solved by the replicate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cooperative reasoning apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an example of a cooperative reasoning apparatus, a cooperative reasoning apparatus based on a contract network is known. A contract network type reasoning apparatus is normally constituted by problem solving units having different reasoning knowledge data. When a problem to be solved is given to one problem solving unit in the contract network type reasoning apparatus, the problem solving unit performs reasoning using its own reasoning knowledge and attempts to solve the problem. The problem solving unit solves a part, that can be solved by itself, of the given problem using its own reasoning knowledge, but announces to the remaining problem solving units using a communication unit that they solve an unsolved part which cannot be solved by itself. The remaining problem solving units determine whether or not they offer a bid for the announced contents. The announced problem solving unit selects and accepts an appropriate bid. Also, the accepted problem solving unit can announce, to other units, a problem that cannot be solved by itself.
When some problem solving processing is performed using such a cooperative reasoning apparatus, processing may be concentrated on some specific problem solving units but may not be concentrated on some other specific problem solving units depending on the nature of the problem. Since a problem solving unit which is currently processing some partial problem cannot respond to a reasoning processing demand from another problem solving unit, the problem solving unit as a reasoning request source must wait for the end of the processing of the request destination. That is, a specific problem solving unit becomes a bottleneck in the whole reasoning processing.
More specifically, since the contract network includes only a limited number of problem solving units which perform some kinds of reasoning, if the nature of a given problem largely depends on a specific problem solving unit, processing is concentrated on the specific one of a plurality of problem solving units, and the entire reasoning speed is limited there.
In a distributed computer environment such as a conventional computer network, when reasoning processing is to be requested to a problem solving unit which is performing some other processing, in one method, the request source of the reasoning processing, or a management means or the like replicates the problem solving unit, and requests the replicated problem solving unit to perform the reasoning processing. In another method, a predetermined number of problem solving units may be prepared in advance and may be set in a standby state.
However, in the method in which the request source of the reasoning processing or management means determines whether or not the problem solving unit is to be replicated, the request source of the reasoning processing or management means must collect information (such as operating ratio) associated with a target reasoning apparatus, and this method is not preferable in terms of concentration of information and an increase in communication cost. Furthermore, a situation may change during research and determination associated with the target reasoning apparatus, and a proper determination cannot always be made. On the other hand, in the method of preparing a predetermined number of problem solving units in advance, the computer resource is wasted unless the problem solving units are used. On the contrary, if a larger number of reasoning processing demands than expected are concentrated, similar problems are posed.


A method of providing information about video content to a client is disclosed. The method includes: receiving a request from a client requesting information about video content, the request including an internet protocol address of the client; establishing (a) a geographic location of the client from the internet protocol address; and (b) a time of the request; identifying one or more content providers available in the geographic location; in dependence on the one or more content providers and the time, retrieving information about the video content from a database; and providing the information to the client. Related apparatus and methods are also disclosed.

There is an ever-increasing amount of video content available for consumption by end users. Video content is available from an ever-increasing variety of content providers including: broadcast television (TV), video on demand (VOD), downloads from the internet, online retailers (e.g. DVD retailers) etc.
Many internet websites provide details about the availability of TV and other video content including TV listings data and also other relevant data about TV and video content (e.g. synopsis data, series/episode guides, reviews, news, etc.). Many websites are online versions of traditional, printed TV listings magazines, with a focus on presenting TV schedules in an electronic program guide (EPG) grid based format, together with various editorial content. Examples of such sites are www.tvguide.com, www.tv.com and www.radiotimes.com. A website focusing on films/movies is www.IMDb.com.
Many websites are also starting to include links to TV content that is available not only via broadcast TV but also legitimately on the internet. More recently, websites are emerging that include searchable indexes of online video, part of which may be TV content (e.g. www.searchvideo.com, video.google.com, and www.weshow.com. Unfortunately, many of these websites also include links to illegally hosted content.
Meevee (www.meevee.com) is a USA based service that brings together traditional TV listings and online video from hundreds of different sources. MeeVee enables users to personalize content guides in order to discover new programming choices based on their own individual interests. The "Meevee Guide Widget" enables users to share what they are watching on TV with other internet users by allowing the Meevee user to insert a Meevee widget on their own website or blog site. The service currently only works with USA TV listings.

Providing information about video content


Provided is an adaptive equalization processing circuit with which an adaptive equalization process converges in a stable manner without reducing the transmission efficiency. This adaptive equalization processing circuit is characterized by being equipped with: a demodulation means that demodulates a received signal, and generates and outputs a training signal; an adaptive equalization processing means that uses a tap coefficient (generated using the received signal or the training signal) to perform an adaptive equalization process for removing waveform distortion in the received signal, and then outputs an equalization output signal; and a selection means that selects the training signal when the adaptive equalization processing means is in a non-convergent state, and inputs the training signal to the adaptive equalization processing means.

In recent years, demand for performing high-speed data communication by wireless has been increasing. In particular, in a mobile environment and a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) environment, a diversity scheme and adaptive equalization processing have become indispensable, because multi-path (multiplexed radio wave propagation) fading occurs there.
Patent Literature 1 discloses an automatic equalizer which performs adaptive equalization processing by the use of an adaptive matched filter (AMF) and a decision feedback equalizer (DFE). The adaptive matched filter symmetrizes the impulse response of a transmission line, by estimating it from a received signal and realizing the inverse characteristic of the estimated impulse response. The decision feedback equalizer estimates inter-symbol interference in the transmission line on the basis of a received signal, and removes waveform distortion due to the inter-symbol interference.
In the automatic equalizer disclosed in Patent Literature 1, the adaptive matched filter and the decision feedback equalizer are connected in cascade. Then, the adaptive matched filter estimates the impulse response of the transmission line on the basis of a received signal. Further, the adaptive matched filter is connected in cascade with the transmission line, as a filter which realizes the inverse characteristic of the estimated impulse response. Thereby, matched signal, from which waveform distortion due to the impulse response of the transmission line is removed, is outputted. Subsequently, from the matched signal, the decision feedback equalizer removes waveform distortion due to inter-symbol interference. The decision feedback equalizer estimates the inter-symbol interference in the transmission line from the matched signal. Then, the decision feedback equalizer removes the inter-symbol interference by removing the temporally advanced interference component by the use of a forward equalizer inside the decision feedback equalizer, and by removing the temporally delayed interference component by the use of a backward equalizer also installed in the inside.
Patent Literature 2 discloses a technology of a diversity type receiver which performs adaptive equalization processing by the use of an adaptive matched filter and a decision feedback equalizer.
The technology disclosed in Patent Literature 2 is one which performs tap coefficient setting at initial start-up, by generating a known preamble signal included in a received signal also at the reception side, and by then using the generated preamble as a preamble for tap coefficient setting for the adaptive matched filter and that for the decision feedback equalizer. In the technology disclosed in Patent Literature 2, a preamble signal having a known waveform included in a received signal and a preamble signal generated at the reception side are used, and thereby, improvement in the stability of convergence of the adaptive equalization processing and reduction in a time to the convergence are conducted. That is, the technology of Patent Literature 2 makes tap coefficients of the adaptive matched filter and those of the decision feedback equalizer converge immediately, on the basis of correlation between the known preamble signal and the preamble signal generated at the reception side. Accordingly, the technology disclosed in Patent Literature 2 secures stability of convergence of the adaptive equalization processing and reduces a time required for the convergence.

Adaptive equalization processing circuit and adaptive equalization processing method


Paying attention to the mechanical play between the first and second support members for supporting opposite end portions of a knee axis and a brake block located between the support members, the present invention chiefly aims at removing the play in the direction of an axis of the knee axis in an effective and a reliable manner. In order to achieve this object, according to the present invention, a plurality of spacer members are inserted between each support member and the brake block such that the spacer members may slide on the mutual abutment surface. Each spacer member is of a ring type. The spacer members are fitted to and supported by the knee axis in a state that the spacer members are overlaid one upon another in the axial direction of the knee axis. In order to enhance the smooth sliding on the abutment surface, the spacer members are preferably made of resin material. In order to enhance the smoother sliding, at least one spacer member having the abutment surface is more preferably made of resin of low friction, such as oil-contained resin or phenol resin. The remaining spacer member contacting the resin of low friction may be made of such resin as polyacetal, polyamide and tetraethylene fluoride. Most preferably, one spacer member is made of oil-contained polyacetal resin which is especially excellent in low friction, and the remaining spacer contacting the first-mentioned spacer member is made of non-oil contained polyacetal resin.

This invention relates to a prosthetic limb including a knee joint, and more particularly to an artificial limb including a single axis knee (knee joint member). More particularly, it is directed to an artificial limb which is so quiet in operating noise that the user sometimes forgets his/her wearing of the artificial limb, and which can provide the perception of comfortableness to the user.
In general, artificial limbs including a knee axis comprises an upper member including a knee plate to which load of the user (amputee) applies, a lower member including a hollow frame extending from the knee portion to the foot portion and connected to the upper member at the knee portion, and a knee axis rotatably supporting the upper and lower members, opposite end portions of the knee axis being supported respectively by a first and a second support member which are provided on the hollow frame. One typical example of this type of prosthetic leg is an above-knee prosthesis which includes a socket supported on an upper end of the knee plate of the upper member and adapted to receive the stump, and a foot member supported on a lower end of the lower member.
There are two types of knee axes for interconnecting the upper and lower members. The first is of a single axis knee (joint) (hereinafter the knee as a joint is simply referred to as "knee" or "knee joint"), and the second is of a polycentric-axes knee (joint) including a plurality of links and variable in the center of rotation in accordance with a bending angle of the knee. The single axis knee joint is simple in construction compared with the polycentric-axes knee joint and can fully endure the dynamic motion of the user as in sports. For this reason, the single axis knee joint is suited to those who need a huge amount of activity.
Because of the construction that the upper and lower members are freely rotatable about the knee axis, it is required for such an artificial limb as including a single axis knee to be designed to generate a proper braking force. As means for generating this braking force, three types were heretofore known. The first type is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,274 (corresponding to Japanese Patent Publication No. 52(1977)-46432 or Japanese Patent Publication No. 57(1982)-41943), in which a braking force is generated by reducing the diameter of a through-hole formed in a brake block. The second type is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,787, in which a braking force is generated by pressing movable discs against stationary discs utilizing the motion of a wedge. The third type is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,519, in which a brake shoe is located inside a hollow brake drum and a braking force is obtained by enlarging the diameter of the brake shoe. Those means of the above-mentioned first to third types are common to each other in the respect that the brake means is a load brake means of a load responsive type in which the braking force generating means are arranged around the knee axis and a braking force thereof is generated by load of the user applied thereto. From a view point of a smaller space required, the first type is the best.
Incidentally, it is required for the single axis knee that the connection around the knee axis or shaft is tightened because load of the user is concentrated on the single knee axis. From this view point, British Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2,296,442 (corresponding to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 8(1996)-229055) discloses an idea that a hollow frame made of a fiber-reinforced plastic is provided on opposite ends thereof with non-circular first and second attaching holes and first and second support members made of metal are cold fitted to the attaching holes, respectively. This British Publication also teaches that a axis is fitted from outside the frame through the first and second support members, and the axis, i.e., knee axis, is fixed by inserting split-pins into opposite end portions of the axis, respectively.
According to the technology disclosed by this British Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2,296,442 (corresponding to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 8(1996)-229055), the first and second support members can be firmly secured to the frame. This arrangement provides the advantage in that a rotation stopper for stopping the rotation when the artificial limb is in a stance phase or swing phase, can be formed integrally with each support member. However, there still remains room for improvement from the view points that play in the axial direction between the brake block around the knee axis and the first and second support members is removed, that play in the rotational direction between the first and second support members and the knee axis, and that play between the member for fixing the knee axis and the frame. The above play appeared to the various places causes a physical contact between adjacent members, thereby generating noises and rubbing which often provide the perception of uncomfortableness to the user.
As one attempt for removing play in the axial direction of the knee axis, there can be contemplated a method for providing a spacer between the support members on the frame side and the brake block. However, it became known that this spacer is subjected to wear caused by the relative rubbing motion generated between the support members or the brake block and the surface of the spacer facing those support members or brake block. The reason is that the spacer rotates together with the knee axis. The wear of the spacer results in generation of play (chattering) in the axial direction. In addition, there is a possibility that the frictional powders produced by wear invade into the interior of the brake block to degrade the braking performance. The problems mentioned above are not only inherent in the first type load brake means but also in the second or third type means.


An extruded metal flow 3D printer comprising a rack including a workbench capable of moving along n X-axis and Y-axis direction, and a head capable of moving along an Z-axis direction; a printing device including a printing head, a high frequency coil and a high frequency electric induction heating device; the printing heal including a tungsten steel nozzle, a ceramic tube bank, a high temperature resistant ceramic protective sleeve, and a stainless steel end cover; the tungsten steel nozzle having an extrusion hole; a feeding device; the head comprising at least one laser mounted on a lower end face thereof and configured to locally preheat and melt a metal layer printed from the metal wire or enhance a binding force between metal layers, so that the print effect and model molding effect of the present invention can be improved, enhancing the marketability.

The 3D printer is a machine of rapid forming technique. It is a technology to construct objects by printing layer by layer using binding material, such as powdered metal or plastic, based on digital model file. It was often used for modeling in die making and industrial design in the past. Now it is gradually used for direct manufacturing of mechanical products, meaning this technology is being popularized.
Design process of 3D printing: the software modeling is executed by computer. The built 3D model is "analyzed" into sections layer by layer, i.e. tangent planes, so as to guide the printer to print layer by layer. The thin layers are piled up until a solid object is formed. The major difference between the multifunctional 3D printer and conventional printer is that the former one uses real raw material as "ink". Said raw material is hot-melt adhesive string in general. The end of the hot-melt adhesive string is inserted in the hot melt printing head of 3D printer, the hot melt printing head is electrically heated to melt the hot-melt adhesive string. The molten adhesive flows out of the lower end of hot melt printing head, printing layer by layer, and the thin layers are piled up to implement solid 3D object forming.
At present, the 3D printer is universally used for forming plastic models, few 3D printers are used for forming metal models, and the metal models formed by the 3D printer for forming metal models have nonideal performance in precision and surface finish quality, and the overall structure is very complex, the cost is relatively high.

ASIA AMERICA INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURE INC.


A token ring local area network (LAN) testing apparatus is provided. The apparatus is able to conduct a phase jitter measurement without disruption of normal token ring operation. The apparatus transmits a frame that includes phase jitter test data. This frame is transmitted into the token ring, together with a clock signal. After return of the frame with the phase jitter test data, a comparison is made between the recovered clock signal accompanying this frame and a reference clock signal. The result of this comparison provides a sample used in determining phase jitter. In making the measurement, an interpolation circuit is utilized to increase the resolution of the time difference between the recovered clock signal and the reference clock signal. A clamp circuit is used to ensure that each interpolation begins at the same reference voltage, as well as ensuring that the interpolation process is properly discontinued.

In general two types of local area networks (LANS) are presently available: collision based and token-ring.
Collision based LANs are wired in "parallel" so that each station on the LAN is logically connected to the same cable as every other station. As a result when any one station transmits, its signal reaches all the other stations at roughly the same time, allowing for propagation delays. Each station on the LAN watches the destination address of the transmitted frame and determines if it is the intended receiver, if it is, the station copies the frame. If two or more stations transmissions overlap in time they will interfere with each other additively and the data will be lost. This is called a collision.
Stations attempt to avoid collisions by looking for an idle state on the line before transmitting. However, due to speed of light delays, a station will not always be able to immediately detect if another station is transmitting because that station's signal might not have reached it across the cable yet. The extreme case of this is when each station begins transmitting simultaneously. When any station detects a collision it will stop transmitting, pick a random time interval, wait that interval, and then attempt to retransmit.
In a network where a high volume of frames are being sent collisions can significantly limit the usable data bandwidth on a network.
Token ring LANs avoid this limitation by allowing only one station on the network to transmit at any one time. Token ring LANs are wired in a logical ring with a transmit output from each station connected to a receive input on the next station. As long as no station has a frame to transmit a special frame called a token is circulated around the ring passed from station to station. When a station needs to transmit a frame it must wait until it receives the token. The station then removes the token from the ring, transmits its frame, then releases a new token. Thus, there can be only one token on the ring at a time and therefore only one station can be transmitting at a time.
While logically connected in a ring, the physical wiring of token ring LAN forms a star with the transmit and receive pairs for each station, combined in a single cable, running to a central point where they are connected to a media access unit (MAU). The MAU merely provides the connection of one station's transmitter to the next station's receiver to complete the logical ring. A station that is not currently part of the ring (also referred to as being DEINSERTED from the ring) will be bypassed by relays in the MAU. When that station wishes to become part of the ring (when it INSERTS) it will provide a steady DC voltage signal to cause the relays in the MAU to switch and insert it into the ring.
The protocol that describes the operation of the particular token ring LANs of interest is defined by the IEEE standard 802.5. Each station on the ring implements the Media Access Control (MAC) level of the 802.5 standard in a combination of hardware and software. Acquiring the token before transmitting as described above is one of the basic operations defined by the MAC protocol. Once a station acquires the token, it may transmit data addressed to one or more of the other stations on the ring.
Each station examines data on its receiver to determine if the data is addressed to it. If not, the data is merely buffered and regenerated through its transmitter to the next station downstream on the ring. In this way, each station acts as a repeater. If a station determines that data is addressed to itself, it will copy the data and change a "frame copied" bit in the data frame to indicate that the data has been copied. The data frame with the copied bit set is then sent to the next station downstream on the ring. Thus, when the station which originally sent the data eventually receives its own data frame back, it is able to determine that the data was successfully copied. At that point the originating station strips its transmitted frame from the ring and releases a new token. Now another station which has data to transmit may acquire the token and send data over the ring.
Part of MAC protocol requires that one station assume a leadership role of "active monitor." The active monitor can be any of the active stations on the ring and can change if the current station acting as active monitor deinserts itself from the ring or is otherwise unable to perform the duties of the active monitor. The active monitor performs several key functions in maintaining the MAC protocol. For instance, it watches for certain protocol violations and initiates recovery procedures if they are necessary. It also initiates a "neighbor notification" process by periodically sending (default of every seven seconds) an "active monitor present" frame which causes each station in turn to identify itself to its next downstream station. Neighbor notification allows network management software to obtain a map of the ring topology and inform each station of its nearest upstream active neighbor (NAUN) which is useful information in error recovery and trouble shooting. Most importantly, the active monitor provides the master or reference clock with which every station on the network must synchronize.
A typical station on a token ring network is illustrated in prior art FIG. 1. A station 50 normally comprises a processor 52, monitor 54, and a network interface card (NIC) 56. It is critical that each station include a NIC 56 since the MAC code as well as the hardware which allows a station to insert into the network are normally stored on the NIC. Each NIC is connected to the MAU by a receive pair and transmit pair, in this case 60 and 64, respectively.
As shown in prior art FIG. 2, MAU 68 includes a plurality of relays and ports to connect stations on the token ring. For example, the transmit pair from port 72 is connected to the receive pair of port 76, and the transmit pair of port 76 is connected to the receive pair of port 80 and the transmit pair from port 80 is connected to the receive pair of port 82. Each port also contains relays including relays 84, 86, which connect to incoming transmit and receive pairs from a station's NIC. Relays 84, 86 remain connected to each other, thereby looping the transmit and receive pair from a station back on each other, until the station 50 applies a "phantom voltage" of +5v to open the relays 84, 86 and insert the station 50 into the network. Until the phantom voltage is applied, the transmit and receive pairs of a port are electrically connected to each other.
Occasionally, problems arise in the operation of a token ring. For instance, sometimes the ring will enter a "beacon state" in which the entire operation of the ring will be shut down until the problem is solved. One example of an error which would cause a beaconing ring is if a station on the ring has a bad NIC and is not correctly repeating frames. This could cause the token to be lost, and no station could then send data. Another problem that occasionally arises relates to the inability of a station to insert into the ring. In order to trouble-shoot problems such as these, testers have been developed to try to focus in on the cause or source of the error(s).
A variety of tests are currently performed during a trouble-shooting procedure. Testers can currently measure phase jitter over a ring and test the continuity of cables used to connect stations in the ring. Prior art testers can also determine the speed at which the network is operating and not insert if the station is not at the correct speed. Prior art testers are also able to detect if a station, which has been unable to insert into the network, is trying to use an address that is already taken by a station on the ring. However, in order to perform these tests with prior art testers one or all of the users on the network are sometimes inconvenienced and/or the tests are not always conclusive.
For instance, in the case where it is desired to perform tests on the network when all of the ports in the MAU are full, one of the stations must be disconnected to allow for access to the network by the tester. This situation is illustrated in prior art FIG. 3. Station 50 had to be disconnected from MAU 68 in order for prior art tester 90 to have access to the network. Depending on the tests being performed, the user of station 50 might be off the network for a substantial period of time. Also, if station 50 had been the cause of the error and it was removed from the network to make room for a prior art tester, it would not be clear to the user of the prior art tester 90 whether the problem was merely intermittent or if the removal of station 50 rectified the error.
Prior art testers which measure phase jitter on the token ring require that the ring be rendered inoperable for the duration of the test. Depending on the size and usage of the ring, a delay of such a duration could be very undesirable if not intolerable.
Prior art testers are also deficient in a number of other respects. In testing for a fault at the end of a conductor cable adjacent to the tester, an intermediate cable of several feet must be inserted between the tester and the cable conductor end when using time delay reflectory (TDR) to determine whether a fault exists in the cable connector end. In using TDR to identify faults along the cable conductor, prior art testers typically require a number of circuit elements to be changed in matching the tester's input impedance to the cable conductor impedance in order to avoid unwanted multiple return or reflected signals. Prior art testers also lack the ability to check and modify the speed at which they transmit frames into the token ring so that this rate conforms to the operating speed of the token ring. Prior art testers also lack certain information gathering techniques that are useful in isolating faults on the token ring. In addition, in order to perform the necessary token ring tests, prior art testers are required to be configured in a variety of ways. Prior art testers do not have the capability to perform all of these tests from on location in the network.

Token ring local area network testing apparatus for phase jitter testing


An ultrasonic receiver according to the present invention includes: a wave propagating portion 6, which defines a first opening 63 and a waveguide 60 that makes an ultrasonic wave, coming through the first opening 63, propagate in a predetermined direction; and a propagation medium portion 3, which has a transmissive interface 61 and which is arranged with respect to the waveguide 60 such that the transmissive interface 61 defines one surface of the waveguide 60 in the direction in which the ultrasonic wave propagates. The interface 61 is designed and arranged with respect to the waveguide 60 such that as the ultrasonic wave propagates along the waveguide 60, each portion of the ultrasonic wave is transmitted into the propagation medium portion 3 through the interface 61 and then converged toward a predetermined convergence point. The receiver further includes a sensor portion 2, which is arranged at the convergence point 33 to detect the ultrasonic wave converged. The propagation medium portion includes a propagation medium that fills a space between the interface and the convergence point. The waveguide is filled with an environmental fluid and acoustic velocities Cn and Ca of the ultrasonic wave propagating through the propagation medium portion 3 and the environmental fluid 4, respectively, satisfy Cn/Ca<1. If a distance from the first opening of the waveguide to a point P, which is set at an arbitrary location on the transmissive interface, is La as measured in the ultrasonic wave propagating direction and if a distance from the point P to the convergence point is Ln, then La/Ca+Ln/Cn is always constant irrespective of where the point P is located.

An ultrasonic wave propagates through a solid and various other media, and therefore, has been used in a wide variety of fields including measurement, evaluation of physical properties, engineering, medicine and biology.
The propagability of an ultrasonic wave through a medium is represented as acoustic impedance. Generally speaking, at an interface between two types of media with significantly different acoustic impedances (such as a gas and a solid), most of the ultrasonic wave that has been propagated through one of those two media will be reflected, and the ultrasonic wave cannot be transmitted to the other medium with high efficiency.
An ultrasonic vibrator is used extensively to detect an ultrasonic wave and is often made of a piezoelectric body such as a ceramic. That is why if an ultrasonic wave that has been propagated through a gas needs to be detected by an ultrasonic vibrator, most of the ultrasonic wave propagated is reflected from the surface of the ultrasonic vibrator and only a portion of that ultrasonic wave is detected by the ultrasonic vibrator. For that reason, it is usually difficult to detect an ultrasonic wave with high sensitivity. In transmitting an ultrasonic wave from an ultrasonic vibrator into the air, the efficiency will also decrease due to the reflection. That is why particularly when an ultrasonic wave is used to measure a distance or a flow rate or to sense an object, it is one of the most important problems to detect the ultrasonic wave with high sensitivity.
In order to overcome this problem, Patent Document No. 1, for example, discloses an ultrasonic transducer that can detect an ultrasonic wave, propagating through an environmental fluid such as a gas, with high sensitivity by utilizing the refraction of the ultrasonic wave and that can transmit ultrasonic waves through an environmental fluid in a broad frequency range. Hereinafter, such an ultrasonic transducer will be described.
As shown in FIG. 14, the conventional ultrasonic transducer 201 includes an ultrasonic vibrator 202 and a propagation medium 203, which is arranged on a first surface area 231 that is the transmitting, and receiving surface of the ultrasonic vibrator 202. The environment surrounding the ultrasonic transducer 201 is filled with an environmental fluid 4, through which an ultrasonic wave propagates in the direction indicated by the arrow 205 so as to reach a second surface area 232 of the propagation medium 203. An ultrasonic transducer of this type is called a "refraction propagation type ultrasonic transducer".
As the propagation medium 203, a substance that propagates an ultrasonic wave at a lower acoustic velocity than the ultrasonic wave propagating through the environmental fluid 4 and that has a higher density than the environmental fluid 4 is selected. Patent Document No. 1 discloses a dry gel material with a silica skeleton as such a substance. The silica dry gel is a material that can have its acoustic velocity and density adjusted by modifying the conditions for the manufacturing process. For example, in the where the environmental fluid 4 is an air, the material of the propagation medium 203 may be selected such that the medium 203 has a density of 200 kg/m3 and an acoustic velocity of 150 m/s.
Suppose the angle formed between the first and second surface areas 231 and 232 is identified by θ1 and the angle defined by the ultrasonic wave propagating direction 205 with respect to a normal to the second surface area 232 is identified by θ2. In that case, by choosing appropriate angles θ1 and θ2, the reflection of the ultrasonic waves from the second surface area 232 can be reduced to substantially zero. As a result, an ultrasonic transducer with high transmission and reception sensitivity is realized.
According to Patent Document No. 1, in this case, the angles θ1 and θ2 should be approximately 26 degrees and approximately 89 degrees, respectively, and the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the ultrasonic vibrator 202 goes substantially parallel to the second surface area 232. Or an ultrasonic wave that has come substantially parallel to the second surface area 232 is incident on the propagation medium 203 without being reflected from it and then detected by the ultrasonic vibrator 202. As a result, an ultrasonic wave can be introduced from a medium with extremely small acoustic impedance such as the air into a propagation medium with high efficiency or can be radiated from the propagation medium into the air with high efficiency. In this manner, ultrasonic waves can be transmitted and received with high sensitivity.                Patent Document No. 1: Pamphlet of PCT International Application Publication No. 2004/098234


An organic light emitting display capable of displaying an image with desired brightness. The organic light emitting display includes a scan driver for supplying a first scan signal to first scan lines, for supplying a second scan signal to second scan lines, and for supplying emission control signals to emission control lines, a data driver for supplying data signals to data lines, horizontal power source lines extending in parallel with the first scan lines at horizontal lines, and configured to receive a fourth voltage in a first period of a period in which the first scan signal is supplied, and configured to receive a third voltage that is lower than the fourth voltage in a second period excluding the first period, and pixels positioned at crossing regions of the first scan lines and the data lines. Each of the pixels includes an OLED, a first transistor, and a storage capacitor.

1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to an organic light emitting display.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, various flat panel displays (FPDs) capable of reducing weight and volume that are disadvantages of cathode ray tubes (CRTs) have been developed. The FPDs include liquid crystal displays (LCDs), field emission displays (FEDs), plasma display panels (PDPs), and organic light emitting displays.
Among the FPDs, organic light emitting displays display images using organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) that generate light by re-combination of electrons and holes. Organic light emitting displays have high response speed and are driven with low power consumption.
Organic light emitting displays include pixels positioned at crossing regions of data lines and scan lines, a data driver for supplying data signals to data lines, and a scan driver for supplying scan signals to scan lines.
The scan driver sequentially supplies scan signals to scan lines. The data driver supplies data signals to data lines in synchronization with the scan signals.
The pixels are selected when the scan signals are supplied to the scan lines to receive the data signals from the data lines. At this time, the storage capacitors included in the pixels charge voltages corresponding to the data signals, and driving transistors control an amount of current supplied from a first power source to a second power source via organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) according to the voltages charged in the storage capacitors.

Organic light emitting display capable of displaying an image with desired brightness


This invention provides novel antimicrobial peptides that are effective to inhibit growth and/or proliferation of various gram positive bacteria. In particular, the peptides are effective against Streptococcus mutans a common oral pathogen and the causative agent of dental caries.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have recently come to the forefront as potential antibiotic surrogates due to their robust killing activity against a wide-spectrum of bacterial species including drug-resistant strains. AMPs are genetically common molecules of innate immunity that have been discovered in single-cell and multicellular forms of life (Tossi et al. (2000) Biopolymers 55: 4-30; Diamond (2001) Biologist (London) 48: 209-212; Lehrer and Ganz (2002) Curr. Opin. Immunol. 14: 96-102; Brogden et al. (2003) Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents 22: 465-478). Although they can differ dramatically by peptide sequence and post-translational modification (linear, circular, etc), the majority of AMPs appear to kill bacteria by the disruption of lipid membranes, though the details of this mechanism appear to vary widely (Shai (2002) Biopolymers 66: 236-248; Brogden (2005) Nat. Rev. Microbiol. 3: 238-250). Previous observations have indicated the critical role of general hydrophobic and cationic character in AMP function, including the significant contribution of aromatic Trp and cationic Arg residues found in many AMPs (Chan et al. (2007) Biochim Biophys Acta. 51(4): 1351-1359; Wei et al. (2006) J. Bacteriol. 188: 328-334). Despite their small size (most AMPs are under 50 amino acids), secondary structure also appears to play an important role in activity. Certain linear AMPs can adopt an α-helical or β-strand confirmation upon interaction with hydrophobic environments (such as detergents or lipid vesicles) that mimic bacterial membranes, suggesting these conformational changes are necessary for antimicrobial function (Kiyota et al. (1996) Biochemistry 35: 13196-13204; Wei et al. (2006) J. Bacteriol. 188: 328-334; Wimmer et al. (2006) Biochemistry 45: 481-497). Additionally, the formation of a membrane-active a-helix (and other structures) appears to require an amphipathic spatial arrangement of residues, i.e., a gradient of hydrophobicity across the surface of the peptide (Kiyota et al. (1996) Biochemistry 35: 13196-13204; Shai (1999) Biochim Biophys Acta 1462: 55-70; Lee (2002) Curr Pharm Des 8: 795-813).
Previously, rational design of antimicrobial peptides has focused mainly on varying existing natural sequences, or developing novel peptides from large combinatorial libraries (Kiyota et al. (1996) Biochemistry 35: 13196-13204; Blondelle and Lohner (2000) Biopolymers 55: 74-87; Hong et al. (2001) Peptides 22: 1669-1674; Sawai et al. (2002) Protein Eng. 15: 225-232). These efforts have yielded valuable information on AMP structure-activity.
Streptococcus mutans, a common oral pathogen and the causative agent of dental caries, has persisted and even thrived on the tooth surface despite constant efforts to remove or eradicate them. New therapeutics against this organism are sorely needed, as S. mutans is a persistent colonizer of the tooth surface in the presence of dietary sugars and can remain in the oral microflora (known as dental plaque) despite dedicated mechanical removal (tooth brushing) and general antiseptic efforts (Keene and Shklair (1974) J. Dent. Res. 53: 1295).

The Regents of the University of California


A thermoplastic composition suitable for making articles having low gloss and good impact properties is disclosed. The composition contains                (A) 20 to 94.5 percent relative to the weight of the composition (pbw) of an aromatic (co)poly(ester)carbonate,        (B) 5 to 40 pbw of a graft (co)polymer that includes an EPDM graft base and a grafted phase that is compatible with the aromatic (co)poly(ester)carbonate, and        (C) 0.5 to 20 pbw of a linear copolymer containing at least one unit derived from a glycidyl ester monomer, and        (D) 0 to 40 pbw of a vinyl copolymer.

Thermoplastic compositions containing aromatic polycarbonate, including compositions that additionally contain an elastomeric impact modifier, are known and available commercially. Polycarbonate compositions exhibiting a low gloss are also known.
The art is noted to include U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,733 in which disclosed was a polycarbonate composition having low gloss, the composition containing silica characterized by its average particle size and specific surface area. U.S. Pat. No. 4,526,926 disclosed a low gloss polycarbonate polymer blend that contains a rubber modified copolymer such as ABS. Thermoplastic blends having a low gloss containing polycarbonate, ABS and an impact modifying graft (co)polymer were disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,162. The polybutadiene content of the ABS is 1 to 18% and its average particle size is greater than 0.75 micron; the average particle size of the impact modifying graft is less than 0.75 micron.
Low gloss thermoplastic composition with good physical properties containing a blend of a polycarbonate with an acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate interpolymer and a gloss-reducing amount of a glycidyl (meth)acrylate copolymer was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,885,335. U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,743 disclosed a low-gloss thermoplastic blend that contains aromatic carbonate polymer, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer; and a polymer of glycidyl methacrylate. Thermoplastic molding compositions having inherent matte or low gloss surface finish containing a blend of polycarbonate, an emulsion grafted ABS polymer, and a poly(epoxide) were disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,777 and in CA2033903.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Thermoplastic molding composition based on AES rubber with low surface gloss

Abstract: The gloss of the composition is lower than that of a corresponding composition that contains none of component (C).


A disposable polish applying and buffing mitt comprising a multilayered mitt with a polish impervious layer removably attached to an impervious buffing mitt. A disposable polish applying and buffing mitt comprising a multilayered mitt with a sponge-like layer having an impervious backing removably attached to a buffing mitt. A disposable polish applying and buffing kit comprising a multilayered mitt with a first layer of polish impervious material removably secured to a second layer of polish impervious material forming a compartment therebetween which can hold a polish. The first layer of polish impervious material is removed from the second layer of polish impervious material to expose the polish for application. After the polish is applied to the object, the second layer of polish impervious material is removed to expose the buffing mitt.

This application is directed to a disposable polish applying and buffing mitt, a disposable polish applying and buffing kit, and methods of using the mitt and kit.
The consumer market for quick disposable products that provide high quality polishing results is growing. The demand is great for a product that provides a high quality polish which protects the user from the polish and which lends itself to quick and easy clean-up in a variety of environments such as shining shoes, waxing an automobile, applying plastic protectants to an automobile, polishing silverware, staining furniture, cleaning furniture, oven cleaning, medical equipment cleanup, washing windows, cleaning and conditioning leather and even for wiping and clean-up of babies.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/421,375 filed Oct. 20,1999, POLISH APPLYING AND BUFFING MITT, KIT AND METHOD which is herein incorporated by reference, which disclosed a pervious material buffing mitt and an impervious material layer attached to the buffing mitt. One embodiment of the prior polish applying and buffing mitt or kit may include an impervious inner layer within the buffing mitt. One advantage of having an inner impervious layer within the buffing mitt is that another layer of protection is provided to protect the user from coming into contact with the polish.
The addition of the cleaning layer to one embodiment of the polish applying and buffing mitt or kit allows the user to first clean the object to be polished. The cleaning layer may comprise a layer of sponge-like material or absorbent material attached to the layer of material impervious to polish on the buffing mitt. The cleaning layer may also be used to apply the polish. Since the cleaning layer is removably attached to an impervious layer on the buffing mitt, the cleaning fluid or polish should not penetrate the buffing mitt and contact the user""s hand during the cleaning or polishing step.
A sponge-like layer or absorbent layer having an impervious backing may also be removably attached to an embodiment of the prior buffing mitt. The sponge-like layer may be used to apply the polish. One advantage of using the sponge-like material layer or absorbent layer is that when the user applies pressure to the layer from within the mitt, the polish absorbed in the layer may be released onto the object in a specific location, which allows the user to apply polish to hard to access locations on the object which may not be reached for example by a spray applicator, e.g., an automobile dashboard. The layer of sponge-like material may also be directly sprayed with the polish. The sponge-like layer having an impervious backing may be removed to expose the buffing mitt after the polish has been applied. The buffing mitt may also include an inner impervious layer to further protect the user from contacting the polish.
Polishing mitts are well known. Typically, they utilize the same material for applying the polish and buffing and, require reversing of the mitt on the hand between the application of the polish and buffing of the polish. Often this allows polish to be absorbed into the polish application layer during the polishing step resulting in the need for a great quantity of polish and staining the hand. In addition, the polish application layer surface is exposed during buffing and often results in soiling of the hands or clothes of the person doing the polishing. Many also require cleanup after use.
Accordingly it is the object of the present invention to provide novel devices and methods which obviate many of the deficiencies of known disposable polishers.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel disposable polish applying and buffing mitt and a polish applying and buffing kit where the buffing mitt is impervious to the polish to be applied for use in applying a polish to an object and buffing the polish into the object.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novel disposable polish applying and buffing kit that contains a polish.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a novel disposable polish applying and buffing mitt and kit that includes a layer of sponge-like material having an impervious backing that may be used to apply the polish to the object.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel disposable polish applying and buffing mitt and kit that can be used for two different applications.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a polish applying and buffing mitt and a novel method of applying polish to an object using the mitt.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a polish applying and buffing kit and a novel method of applying polish to an object using the kit.
These and many other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from a perusal of the claims, the appended drawings, and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

Polish and applying buffing mitt, kit and method


A machine tool comprises a spindle having a tool receptacle for receiving tool holders in their working position. A tool changer is provided for conveying a tool holder in a first changing step between a magazine position and a spindle position at said spindle. Further provided is a linear stroke mechanism for conveying said tool holder in a second changing step between said spindle position and said working position. A common drive mechanism is linked to said tool changer and said linear stroke mechanism such as to affect both said first and second changing step.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a machine tool having a spindle, a tool changer for conveying tool holders between a magazine position and a spindle position on the spindle, and a linear stroke mechanism for conveying a tool holder between the spindle position and a working position in a tool receptacle of the spindle.
2. Description of Related Prior Art
A machine tool of this kind is known from DE 44 21 385 A1.
In the known machine tool, the spindle is rotatably mounted in a spindle tube. The tool changer comprises two gripper arms for transporting the tool holders between the magazine position and the spindle position beneath the tool receptacle. A holding mechanism which carries the tool changer and serves to convey the respective tool holder from the spindle position into its working position in the tool receptacle is mounted on the spindle tube, displaceable longitudinally in a linear stroke motion. The holding mechanism is mounted rotatably on the spindle tube, about its longitudinal axis, in such a way that the gripper arms have a common transfer position with respect to the tool magazine.
A hydraulic piston-cylinder unit is provided to drive each of the two gripper arms. A further piston-cylinder unit is also provided for the rotary and linear stroke motions of the holding mechanism. A rotary mechanism ensures that under certain conditions, the holding mechanism is forced to rotate during the linear stroke motion.
Tool changes can be performed rapidly with this machine tool, but the design complexity is relatively high.

Machine tool having a tool changing device with linear stroke mechanism