A modulated x-ray system and method provide various applications to increase medical diagnoses and treatment as well as non-medical scenarios. At low energy levels, it is used as a sophisticated medical diagnosis tool, localizing and imaging a variety of biological systems and conditions for further characterization, rather than for destruction. As a therapeutic device, it is used for directed treatment of infectious diseases, treatment of general medical diseases such as atherosclerosis and autoimmune diseases, and genetic therapy. In one embodiment, eliminating unwanted tissue anywhere in the body, effectively allows non-invasive surgery. In another embodiment, selective destruction/activation of specific cells allows for regeneration of cells and tissues, such as spinal cord regeneration.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of radiotherapy treatment systems. More specifically, the present invention is related to application of modulated x-rays.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,006, entitled MICROWAVE FREQUENCY MODULATION OF X-RAY BEAM FOR RADIO THERAPY TREATMENT SYSTEM, commonly invented (Cyrulnik), issued on Aug. 27, 1991, and hereby incorporated by reference, discloses a method and apparatus for producing an x-ray beam modulated at a microwave frequency for absorption by pathological materials including macromolecules, such as oncogenes, for the radiological therapeutic treatment of tumors and other pathological conditions. As disclosed by Cyrulnik, the atomic structure of certain macromolecules (molecules having a backbone structure of 20,000 or more atoms) suggests that such molecules may have a "signature" frequency for resonant energy absorption. In the system of Cyrulnik, an x-ray beam is amplitude modulated at a predetermined or empirically determined microwave frequency equal to a resonant interactive frequency for a selected pathological material. Sufficient x-ray energy may be supplied, for example, in order to destroy the pathological material.
The teachings of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,006 patent are best understood with the following discussion of the technology in conjunction with original FIGS. 2 and 6 of the '006 patent (herein FIGS. 1 and 2):
1. Molecular Orbitals
The energy of an electron in orbit must be sufficient to counterbalance the attracting electromagnetic force maintaining it in orbit, which, like gravitational force, varies inversely with the square of its distance to the center of attraction, that is, the size of the orbit. The energy absorbed in a transition between adjacent orbitals therefore varies inversely with the difference in the squares of these distances, which are close to each other in value being adjacent:a2−b2=(a−b)(a+b)which approximates a constant×a, so that the energy absorbed is inversely proportional to the size of the orbital.2. DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid, the genetic material of which the chromosomes of human cells are composed, consists of pairs of macromolecules containing a backbone of units of 5 carbon atoms linked by phosphorous and oxygen atoms and each with a side chain of a purine or pyrimidine base. Viruses and genes that cause cancer (oncogenes) consist of such macromolecules with lengths on the order of 4,000 base pairs, or a backbone of some 20,000 atoms.
3. Resonant Frequency
The lowest transitions of electron orbitals in single atoms result in absorption of visible light, which has a frequency about 4(1014) cycles per second (cps). As previously explained, and as can be shown rigorously, the frequency of absorption by the lowest transition of molecular orbitals varies inversely with the size of the molecule.
A molecule 20,000 base pairs in length, each containing a string of 8 atoms per set of exons and introns, would therefore be expected to absorb radiation at a frequency of:[1/(8·2)](1/2·104)(4·1014) =4/32·1010=1.25·109 cpswhich is in the microwave range.4. Penetration by Modulation
The principle used extensively in radio and television transmission of modulating a carrier wave by one of considerable different frequency can be utilized to overcome the difficulty of delivering selectively-absorbable radiation with destructive potential to oncogenes. When the carrier wave is modulated by a signal containing a square wave component such as occurs when it is generated by a device that is turned on and off at the modulating frequency, then radiation with components at both frequencies results, so that resonant absorption of the compound carrier wave can take place. In this way, if an x-ray beam is turned on and off at a resonant microwave frequency, it can act as a carrier wave to allow penetration of the microwave frequency energy to its otherwise inaccessible target, and at the same time be selectively absorbed by macromolecules such as oncogenes whose resonant frequency of absorption is tuned to the frequency of modulation of the x-ray beam by the microwave frequency.
This can be accomplished by interposing a klystron or similar device in the high voltage circuit of the x-ray generating tube, which will turn the beam on and off at microwave frequencies.
5. Detection
To determine when absorption is occurring and by which structures without having to empirically destroy tissue by trial and error, modulate the x-ray beam of a CAT scanner with a klystron or similar device. A CAT scanner detects the absorption of a standard low radiation level diagnostic x-ray beam at any point inside the body by dividing that beam so that it is viewed from several angles.
If this is done over the spectrum of frequencies of possible absorption by oncogenes, then at those frequencies which are absorbed by the genetic material unique to the tumor or malignancy, that tissue, and that tissue alone, will show up as absorbent on the scan.
The spectrum of microwave frequencies can be impressed on the scanner's x-ray beam at each angle during the course of a single scan by systematically varying the klystron frequency. Since absorption occurs in 10−9 seconds, the electron beam, which has a single target dwell time of 100 microseconds, can accommodate 10−4/10−9=105 different microwave frequencies of modulation. Thus, each of the 30,000 or so human genes could be tested for unique absorption at 3 frequencies in one scan, allowing for allelic mutation.
A scan would be generated from memory for each frequency by sampling the detector output at any particular time delay after the initiation of the beam. Each absorbing structure, such a tumor, would "light up" when its resonant frequency is selected.
Although only a small portion of the x-ray beam is utilized at any given modulating frequency, this is sufficient to produce the same intensity of absorption as is seen on an ordinary CAT scan, as will be shown in the next section.
6. Safety
In an ordinary plain skull x-ray series (which contains the same dose of radiation as a CT scan), approximately 3% of the x-ray beam is absorbed in total, of which the brain absorbs 1%. This 3/10,000 of the beam is absorbed by a column of cells given by the cube root of the number of cells in the roughly spherical brain, which total 3(1010), their cube root being about 3000.
If, instead of the type of absorption seen in a spectrophotometer where each subsequent unit absorbs the same proportion of the beam, the entire beam is absorbed by a single cell, then in order to absorb the same amount of radiation as in an ordinary CT scan (and thus in an ordinary skull x-ray), a single cell would have to absorb 1/3000 of the 3/10,000 of the beam which is 1/107. The duty cycle of modulation limits to this maximum the absorbable radiation at each frequency of modulation of the x-ray beam during imaging.
Therefore, even though each resonant cell absorbs the entire available beam at that frequency, it absorbs no more than would be absorbed from an ordinary plain film, yet it absorbs 3000 times as much as other cells and 30 times as much as bone, allowing safe but effective detection by CT.
7. Treatment
Once the unique frequency of absorption of the modulated x-ray beam has been determined as noted above, selective destruction of undesirable structures such as oncogenes or their RNA transcripts, viruses, or other macromolecular nucleic acid configurations can be accomplished by scanning the patient a second time, this time with the klystron tuned to the unique resonant frequency of absorption throughout the duration of the x-ray beam. In this way the duty cycle during absorption is increased by a factor of approximately 109. (Before, it was turned on 109 times per second, each time at a different frequency; now each of the 109 times occurs at the single unique resonant absorbed frequency). Even if every cell of one of the several cell types in the brain were malignant, the increased dosage at full duty cycle of a factor of 109 of radiation specifically to those cells, each absorbing 3000 times the radiation that it would in a conventional skull x-ray series or Cr scan, would be sufficient to eliminate or deimmortalize them all. In practice, a tumor becomes symptomatic at a cell volume of approximately 105 cells, so that the effective dosage delivered to such a tumor would be equivalent to 3000(109)(10−5)=3(107) rads per cell (the total radiation dose in a CAT scan being on the order of a rad), which is 3000 times the curative maximum dosage used in radiotherapy, with the significant difference being that in this case the dosage delivered to the rest (nonmalignant) of the cells which do not absorb is still only one additional rad for this second scan, so that the treatment would be safe to normal cells.
In conventional radiation therapy, however, lethal tumor dose of 5000 rads represents a total, each cell only absorbing 1/105 of this (or, in the case of neoplastic cells a somewhat greater multiple of the same order of magnitude) i.e. about 1/10 of a rad. With the proposed technique, this can be multiplied 105 fold, which would easily destroy the tumor, even if repair is allowed for. Fractionation of the 5000 rads into 200 rad doses to minimize radiation damage to other tissues can be obviated, minimizing repair of the tumor cells.
The net lethal effect on target tissue of the proposed technique is on the order of 100 times that of conventional radiotherapy, whereas radiation exposure of nontargeted tissue is 3000 times less than a diagnostic x-ray series.
Of course, with the disclosed technique the dose can also be fractionated by reducing the duty cycle if 100 times the lethal tumor dose is not needed, depending on the clinical situation such as the size of the tumor. Higher doses can also be achieved if desired by repeating the scan at full duty cycle, each repetition doubling the dose to the malignancy with negligible additional radiation to healthy tissue. Furthermore, once the unique frequency of resonant absorption is determined using the CT scanner, the klystron or other modulating device can be connected to conventional x-ray equipment, whether a simple diagnostic x-ray tube or radiotherapy equipment, in order to modulate its beam so as to achieve a more rapid treatment session than with a CAT scanner.
It should be noted that, unlike other techniques which selectively target tissue in a spatial manner by limiting radiation to a small area at the site of the tumor, the disclosed technique, though highly selective against undesirable tissue, is not limited in space, and can thus destroy those malignant cells outside the main tumor bulk which are responsible for recurrence, failed surgery, and metastasis. In principle, I.Y.H. this technique could be used in a total body fashion to cure metastatic malignancy because of its high selectivity and consequent high safety factor and effectiveness.
Furthermore, since the detection process is empirical, determining solely which frequency is uniquely absorbed by the malignancy, it does not depend on the cause(s) of cancer; as long as there is an abnormal genetic configuration unique to the tumor, even if it also involves loss of inhibition by an inactivated or abnormally absent gene, the change in that length of the DNA molecule being transcribed by the chromosome should result in a unique pattern of absorption with consequent destruction of the tumor by the radiation.
8. Equipment
Disclosed is the concept of producing selective elimination of undesirable entities by achieving resonant absorption of penetrating radiation by their macromolecules of specific configuration, such as oncogenes and viruses, by means of modulation of the radiation at that resonant frequency whose unique absorption is determined in a safe manner using computerized tomography (CT). The method of achieving unique absorption of high energy radiation by modulating at the resonant frequency was an innovation in this proposal, as is its application in the treatment of malignancy, including determining, in a unique manner, the frequency of modulation resulting in absorption empirically but safely using CT.
The equipment itself consists of a CT scanner and a klystron microwave device, both of established safety and effectiveness. Guidelines for use have also been established including shielding requirements. (The current proposal would not change the penetrating characteristics of the radiation, so that these operating characteristics would still pertain, in particular as regards shielding, which again, are well established.) As the above analysis shows, the proposed combination of these devices exhibits enhanced effectiveness at no cost to safety.
FIG. 1 (FIG. 1 of '006 patent) shows a radiating system 20 including a CT scanner 22 which has been modified, as will be described below. The scanner 22 includes a plurality of x-ray sources 24, of which three are shown by way of example, and a plurality of x-ray detectors 26, of which three are shown by way of example. The sources 24 and the detectors 26 are held in their respective positions by a frame 28 which encircles a subject 30 which is typically a living creature such as a human being or an animal. The sources 24 and the detectors 26 are positioned symmetrically about the subject 30, and are connected electrically to a controller 32 which includes circuitry. In particular, it is noted that each of the sources 24 is connected by two electric lines to the controller 32, a first of the lines 34 providing an electric signal which activates the source 24, and a second of the electric lines 36 providing an electric signal which modulates the x-ray beam at a predetermined modulation frequency. The detectors 26 are connected by electric lines 38 to the controller 32 for inputting data about detected radiation to the controller 32.
FIG. 2 (FIG. 2 of '006 patent) shows details in the construction of one of the sources 24, as well as components of the controller 32, and an interconnection between the controller 32 and one of the detectors 26. All of the sources 24 function in the same manner, and all of the detectors 26 function in the same manner. The x-ray source 24 comprises a target 40 rotated by a motor 42, and a collimator 44. The collimator is positioned along a path of x-rays emanating from the target 40 for defining an x-ray beam 46 directed towards the subject 30. The source 24 further comprises an electron gun 48 which includes a filament 50 and an electrode assembly 52. The filament 50 is used to emit electrons which are accelerated by electric potentials on the electrode assembly 52 and the target 40 relative to the filament 50, the accelerated electrons forming a beam 54. Electrons of the beam 54 strike the target 40 to generate the x-rays, the process of generation of the x-rays being well-known. A battery 56 connected between the target 40 and the filament 50 symbolically illustrates electric potential in the range of thousands of volts applied between the target 40 and the filaments 50. Electric potential for the electrode assembly 52 is provided from a bias voltage source 58 within the controller 32, the voltage of the source 58 being coupled to the electrode assembly 52 via a switch 60 also located within the controller 32.
The x-ray source 24 further comprises a klystron 62 of which two cavities 64 and 66 are shown in longitudinal sectional view, the cavity 64 being located between the cavity 66 and the electrode assembly 52. The central axis of the klystron 62 coincides with an axis of the electron beam 54. The beam 54 passes through an aperture 68 in an end wall 70 of the cavity 64, a tubular region 72 interconnecting the cavities 64 and 66, and an aperture 74 in an end wall 76 of the cavity 66. A probe 78 in the form of a loop is located in the cavity 64 for receiving inputted microwave power. Microwave power is provided by way of a microwave signal generated within a microwave source 80 located within the controller 32, the microwave signal being coupled from the source 80 to the probe 78 via a switch 82 also located within the controller 32.
Also included within the controller 32 is a computer 84, a frequency selector 86, an analog-to-digital converter 88 and a switch 90. Signals from a detector 26 are coupled by the switch 90 to the converter 88, the converter 88 converting the analog signals of the detector to digitally formatted signals to be inputted to the computer 84.
FIG. 3 (FIG. 6 of the '006 patent) illustrates a basic radiotherapy method. The procedure begins with a modulation of the x-ray beam with the microwave signal. The beam is directed upon the subject and the microwave modulating signal is swept in frequency. The radiation propagating from the x-ray source and through the subject is detected. This is followed by a recording of the frequencies at which absorption of radiant energy occurs. After this information has been obtained, the x-ray beam is modulated at a specific frequency for which absorption has been noted. Then, the beam while modulated at the specific absorption, or resonant, frequency is directed at the subject for irradiating the subject. Photon energy is transferred to macromolecules within the subject for destruction of the macromolecules. Where the macromolecules represent a malignancy, the procedure of the invention destroys the malignancy without damaging neighboring tissue.
The following prior art describe known initial therapeutic achievements and frequency specific biological effects of microwaves
1. Frequency Specific Absorption by DNA, RNA, Protein and Invivo
Webb and Booth3 performed microwave spectroscopy on DNA, RNA, protein, and bacteria, showing individual frequency-specific absorption peaks for each substance which correspond to those of intact cells, with the intensity of absorption at each peak being proportional to the relative proportion of those substances in the cell.
Furthermore, there were frequency specific effects on growth rate of the cells, all corresponding with absorption peaks in the spectra (those of DNA inhibiting growth, those of RNA at one peak inhibiting and at one stimulating growth).
In a review for the Naval Research Institute, Glaser and Dodge19 reported that microwaves between 40 and 150 GHz were found to selectively interfere with the synthesis of DNA and protein, and that the effect appeared to be frequency dependent. Lower frequencies did not show nonthermal mutagenic effects.
2. Differential Absorption by Tumors at Specific Frequencies
Webb4, using laser-Raman spectroscopy, demonstrated that tumor cells absorb microwaves at specific frequencies not absorbed by normal cells and could selectively alter the metabolism of tumor cells in a nonthermal manner by exposure to frequencies harmless to normal cells, all effects being frequency specific.
3. Narrow Resonant Effects of Microwaves on Growth of Cells
Grundler and Keilmann5 found that microwaves influence the growth of yeast with a surprisingly strong frequency dependence, with resonance as narrow as 8 megahertz, confirming the existence of a non-thermal resonant microwave sensitivity in cells. The sharp frequency dependence and effect at low intensity of radiation are indicative of a non-thermal action6. Webb and Dodds18 also detected decreased growth of E. Coli with 136 GCmicrowaves.
4. Frequency Specific Genetic and Viral Destruction
Mickey and colleagues7 demonstrated non-thermal biological effects of high frequency radio waves, including frequency-specific killing of viruses and microorganisms without affecting the host, genetic changes at specific loci, chomosomal aberrations, lethal mutations, and frequency specific denaturation.
A Soviet study20 using millimeter waves was reported to show maximal effect pealing at 6.5 MM., resulting in decreased viral infective activity, increased phage activity. Cell wall disruption, protoplasmic degeneration, altered red blood cell stability, altered nucleic acid and protein concentration, and effects on hematopoiesis and liver cell nuclei and mitochondria.
Viral multiplication in mammalian cells was affected by microwaves as a result of changes in nucleic acid and protein synthesis, resulting in lowered multiplication of herpes virus in infected cells, as reported by Luczak, et al17.
5. Selective Destruction of Tumor by Microwaves
West and Regelson8 noted reduction in tumor size and significantly reduced viability of lung tumor cells and leukemia cells with no lethality of normal embryo cells at low levels of pulsed nonthermal irradiation at 27.12 MHz.
6. Specific Microwave Effects on Chromosomes and DNA
Baranski and Czersk9 noted chromosomal effects and influence of microwave radiation on mitosis, with depressed cell proliferation and chromosomal despirilization, a picture never seen in ionizing radiation induced damage. They felt this indicated with high probability that molecular effects that influence the spatial structure, energy levels, and consequently, the biological and metabolic activity of macromolecules are responsible for these effects in contrast to electrical field changes. Optical Density studies by Varma and Traboulay14 showed DNA strand separation in the GHz range of microwave non-ionizing radiation.
Together, these studies indicate that the frequencies of resonant absorption decrease with increasing molecular size, 100 MHz affecting T-RNA, while millimeter waves affect macromolecular proteins, for example. Similar effects were noted by Revzin and Neumann12, who detected conformation changes in ribosomal-RNA using pulsed MHz radiation, with changes in orientation of the entire RNA molecule concomitant with helix coil transitions of oligomeric base-pair regions, suggesting restructuring of units the size of genes or their transcripts.
7. Mechanism of Action of Microwaves on DNA
Considering the interaction of electromagnetic energy with living systems in the light of quantum effects, Baranski and Czersk9 note that if the photon energy of irradiation corresponds to quantum differences among the various possible energetic states of a molecule, a quantum of energy may be absorbed and excitation of the molecule occurs. Return to the unexcited state may take place by energy transfer by rearrangements within the molecule. Thus, fluctuations from the equilibrium distribution of tertiary structure (e.g. denaturation) are expected.
8. Enhanced Effect of X-Rays Combined with Microwaves
Averbach, et al13, observed decreased growth of E. Coli bacteria at specific microwave frequencies of 70.5 and 73 GHz and reported on a possible interaction with X-rays.
Mickey and Colleagues7 showed that microwave-range waves acting in conjunction with Gamma rays are far more mutagenic than either type of radiation alone.
Frequency specific effects of microwave radiation have been described by Kainer and Frazer10 by Raman spectroscopy, and in a review by Frolich11 describing resonant effects on growth of bacteria, yeast, viruses, protein, metabolism, and alterations in the effects of x-rays on bone marrow.
9. Some Characteristics of the Glutathione Cycle Revealed by Ionizing and Non-Ionizing Electromagnetic Radiation
Holt J A, Med Hypotheses 1995 October; 45(4):345-68 Microwave Therapy Centre, West Perth, Australia.
The cyclic reaction of GSH-->GSSG-->GSH (designated R(exp) or R(e)) obeys the three specific features of life by producing energy in exponential quantities relative to time, is in effect irreversible and is inherited from generation to generation. In multicellular life, this reaction produces the energy for mitosis and is kept in controlled inactivity until needed to maintain perfection of form and function by energizing mitosis. The immediate control of Re appears to be feedback process-dependent on the concentration of GSSG. Ultra high-frequency electromagnetic radiation of 434 MHz (UHF) will change Re from inactive to active and, in so doing, it causes resonance and/or fluorescence of the glutathione cycle which changes its radio sensitivity. Re is the primary direct target of ionizing radiation and produces the energy for mitosis. Clinical observations suggest that, in the normal cell, Re is inactive and is not killed by 3×2700 rads or 6×1650 rads yet, when active, its sensitivity value (DO) is approximately 160 rads. Using the standard radiobiological equation of response to ionizing radiation, it can be deduced that radiosensitive cancers have two or three Re units active per cell and radio resistance increases in proportion to the number of potentially active Re units per cell. Re appears to be the main cause of cancers' increased conductivity of electricity compared with normal tissue. In cancer therapy, UHF is the best radiosensitiser ever discovered (up to two or more decades). Re is also intelligent compared with non-exponential reactions but cannot be the basis of intellectual brain functions which must be based on non-electrical chemical processes.
PMID: 8577298 [PubMed—indexed for MEDLINE]

System and method for noninvasive diagnostic imaging, detection, and identification of substances by microwave/RF modulation of x-rays and applications in treatment of diseases characterized by the presence of pathological macromolecules or by the need for regeneration of normal tissue


A fluid dispenser comprises an applicator portion, a handle portion, a pump, a valve, a first piston, a first resilient device, a second piston, and a second resilient device. The handle portion defines a pump support section and a reservoir. The pump support section includes the pump and a premeasure cavity. The valve is moveable between a normally closed position and an open position. The first piston moves in the reservoir and has the first resilient device biasing the piston for pushing fluid from the reservoir to move the valve to its open position so that fluid flows from the reservoir to the premeasure cavity to fill the premeasure cavity with a first premeasured charge of fluid. The valve moves back to its normally closed position after the premeasure cavity is filled. The second piston moves in one direction in the premeasure cavity and pushes the first premeasured charge of fluid from the premeasure cavity to the applicator portion. The second resilient device in the premeasure cavity moves the second piston in a second direction and in cooperation with the bias of the first resilient device facilitates the movement of the valve to its open position so that a second premeasured charge of fluid may be sucked from the reservoir into the premeasure cavity.

Dispensers or brushes known in the art for applying fluids to the human body have utilized several different types of fluid dispensing means. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,138 issued to Terbrusch et al. on Feb. 11, 1992 discloses a fluid dispenser utilizing the force of gravity to dispense a fluid to an applicator pad; U.S. Pat. No. 712,530 issued to Herfert on Nov. 4, 1902 discloses a fluid dispenser utilizing a single piston means to dispense a fluid; and, U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,849 issued to Johnson et al. on Feb. 18, 1992 discloses a fluid dispenser utilizing a pumping means to expel two different liquids to an applicator pad.
Fluid dispensers with user-controlled pump dispensing means are also known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,171,171 issued to Jones on Oct. 16, 1979 discloses a fluid dispenser utilizing expulsion means to dispense a first charge of fluid from a reservoir and suction means to refill the reservoir with a second charge of fluid for expulsion thereafter. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,047 issued to Endo on Sep. 8, 1987 also discloses a fluid dispenser utilizing expulsion means to dispense a first charge of fluid from a reservoir and suction means to refill the reservoir with a second charge of fluid for expulsion thereafter. However, such conventional or known fluid dispensers with user-controlled pump dispensing means do not provide the improved functions and structure of the present invention.


A level sensor apparatus is disclosed for detecting contact of a pipetting needle with a liquid contained in a vessel. The apparatus includes a sensor head made up of a pipetting needle, a needle holder, and an electromechanical transducer. The sensor head also has an associated mechanical resonance frequency. An electrical signal generator is used to generate a driving signal which when applied to the electromechanical transducer causes vibration of the pipetting needle at the resonance frequency. A measurement device is used to measure a parameter of a vibration signal indicative of the mechanical vibration of the pipetting needle when it is driven by the driving signal. An electronic circuit and associated computer software is provided to evaluate variation of the vibration signal with time and thus detect contact of the pipetting needle with a liquid contained in the vessel.

Liquid level detection plays an important role for automated chemical analyzers and provides better control of the pipetting process. For performing pipetting operations, a pipetting needle contacts liquid contained in a vessel either for aspirating a sample thereof or for delivering a volume of another liquid to the liquid in the vessel. In order to reduce carry over and to achieve the desired accuracy of a pipetting system it is necessary to minimize contact of the pipetting needle with a vessel's content. Liquid level detection plays an important role for this purpose.
Most liquid level detection methods are reliable under many circumstances but fail when operation of the pipetting systems includes piercing of a vessel's closure with the pipetting needle or when the pipetting needle encounters foam before it reaches the surface of a liquid contained in a vessel.
In the case of liquid containers closed with a cover, such as those used for storage of reagents, the level sensor of the pipetting system should be able to detect a liquid surface that lies under a cover or closure (membrane, foil) of the container. A capacitive level sensor, widely used in chemical analyzers, does not work properly in that case and erroneously indicates detection of a liquid surface when it meets a wet cover. Capacitive liquid detectors also often erroneously detect foam lying on a liquid surface as if it were a liquid surface.

Level sensor apparatus for detecting contact of a pipetting needle with a liquid in a vessel


A tubular twist beam comprises a tubular body 20 including a U-shaped groove 22, tubular end sections 28, and transition sections 26 therebetween. The width w of the U-shaped groove 22 decreases continuously from each transition section 26 to a center point C of the tubular body 20 and is narrowest at the center point C to shift stress from the transition sections 26 to an area around the center point C. The tubular body 20 also includes depressions 24 along side walls 38 of each transition section 26 to direct stress to the underside of the U-shaped groove 22 and further balance the stress levels along the length of the tubular body 20. Thus, the tubular body 20 can be formed with a reduced thickness t and thus a reduced weight without sacrificing performance.

1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to twist beams for automotive vehicles, and more particularly to tubular twist beams, and methods of forming tubular twist beams.
2. Related Art
Automotive vehicles include torsion beams to connect the two rear wheels together through the use of longitudinal control arms. A particular type of torsion beam used on rear suspensions is a twist beam. Twist beams oftentimes comprise a tubular part having an O-shaped, C-shaped, U-shaped, or V-shaped cross-section, which is rigid enough to prevent bending and flexible enough to allow torsion. Accordingly, the tubular twist beam is not only a structural member, but also acts as a torsion spring. An example of a tubular twist beam is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0301577.
The weight of the tubular twist beam is preferably low because it contributes to the total weight of the automotive vehicle. However, tubular twist beams experience a significant amount of stress due to twisting and other factors. Therefore, maximum stress levels, especially those due to twisting, require a minimum material thickness and thus dictate the weight of the tubular twist beam.
The tubular twist beam is also used to control a roll rate of the vehicle, which affects the ride and handling of the vehicle. The roll rate is analogous to a vehicle's ride rate, but for actions that include lateral accelerations, causing a vehicle's sprung mass to roll. Roll rate is expressed as torque per degree of roll of the vehicle sprung mass, and is typically measured in Nm/degree. The roll rate of a vehicle does not change the total amount of weight transfer on the vehicle, but shifts the speed at which and percentage of weight transferred on a particular axle to another axle through the vehicle chassis. Generally, the higher the roll rate on an axle of a vehicle, the faster and higher percentage the weight transfer on that axle. A slower weight transfer reduces the likelihood of vehicle rollover conditions. The dimensions and design of the tubular twist beam have a significant influence on the roll rate of the vehicle.


A method of generating a halftone image from a grey scale image by means of a dither matrix. The matrix includes many patterns Each pattern corresponds to one grey level of the grey scale image. The value of each element in each pattern depends on a special positive filter with a single peak and a region-of-support. The peak is approximately at the center of the region-of-support. One preferred filter is a guassian filter. For a given pattern, the region-of-support of the filter depends on the average separation of the elements with values equal to one in that pattern; and the elements with values equal to one are substantially uniformly distributed across the pattern.

The present invention relates generally to halftone images and more particularly to methods of generating halftone images by a dither matrix. A printer can be designed to print a picture as a halftone or a grey scale image. For a halftone image, each pixel of the image either has a dot printed or not printed. For a grey scale image, each dot on a pixel is further refined to have one of many grey levels.
A halftone image is usually easier and cheaper to generate than a grey scale image. Many relatively low cost printers are specifically designed to print halftone images. To use such a printer to print a grey scale image, the image must first be transformed to a half tone image. One objective of the printing industry is to develop appropriate transformation techniques so that the halftone image becomes visually indistinguishable from the grey scale image.
One prior art method transforms a grey scale image to a halftone image by means of a dither matrix. The grey scale image has many grey levels and many pixels. Each pixel has a value. The dither matrix occupies a physical space and has numerous elements. Each element also has a value. This matrix is mapped over the grey scale image to generate the halftone image. For a grey scale image that is larger than the space occupied by the dither matrix, the matrix replicates itself to cover the entire image. Each pixel in the grey scale image is compared to an element in the matrix. If the grey scale image pixel has a larger value, a dot will not be printed in a corresponding position in the halftone image. The halftone image created has the same number of grey level patterns as the number of grey levels in the grey scale image. A darker area in the grey scale image is represented in the halftone image by a grey level pattern with more dots.
In order to generate a halftone image using the above method, the dither matrix must be carefully designed. The elements in the matrix should not be generated by a random number generator, because a fully random pattern would create a halftone image that is noisy, corrupting the content of the image.
One prior art method of designing this matrix is known as the void-and-cluster method. A general discussion of the void-and-cluster method can be found in "The Void-and-Cluster Method for Dither Array Generation," written by Robert Ulichney, and published in SPIE/IS&T Symposium on Electronic Imaging Science and Technology, San Jose, Calif., 1993. FIG. 1A shows a grey level pattern of a halftone image generated by the void-and-cluster method. The Figure was printed by a 600 dots-per-inch printer. To enhance the image, each printed dot is magnified nine times, with the image duplicated 4 times, once along the horizontal direction, and then along the vertical direction. The pattern represents a highlight region of the halftone image, which means a light grey level pattern. The pattern has significant non-uniformities, such as the voids in positions S1, S2, S3 and S4. These non-uniformities distort the halftone image.
Another prior art uses an error diffusion method to generate the halftone image This method analyzes every pixel of the grey scale image, one at a time, to decide if a dot is to be printed in its halftone image. Errors from each pixel is "diffused" to its subsequent neighboring pixels. Such pixel-to-pixel calculation requires very intensive computation. Thus, the error diffusion method takes much longer time to generate the halftone image than a method applying the dither matrix. Moreover, the error diffusion method is not suitable for vector graphics. This is because the values of pixels on a halftone image may not be calculated sequentially. A discussion of such a method can be found in "An Adaptive Algorithm for Spatial Grayscale," written by Floyd and Steinberg, and published in the Proceeding of the Society for Information Display, Vol. 17, page 75-77, 1976.
There is still a need for a way to generate a halftone image from a grey scale image without very intensive computation. The method should be suitable for both raster or vector graphics. Furthermore, it is desirable if there is a way to minimize non-uniformities in the grey level patterns of the halftone image.


A custom metrics technique includes: accessing a packet; processing the packet using a packet processing pipeline of a service engine in a distributed network service platform, including: reaching a pre-specified point in the packet processing pipeline; inserting, in the packet processing pipeline, script code that corresponds to the pre-specified point; executing the script code to collect at least metric-related data associated with a user-specified metric object; and executing remaining packet processing pipeline.

Modern networking equipment typically has the capabilities to monitor network traffic and collect metrics on traffic data. For example, routers, switches, load balancers, etc. often have certain built-in counters for collecting in-line traffic as data arrives at or exists from the networking equipment. Typically, the built-in counters such as number of packets received are predefined on the system. In practice, operators frequently want to specify their own counters to collect specific types of data, such as number of connections originating from a certain country, number of connections destined for a specific address, average number of packets received per hour, etc. To configure such counters, additional logic is required on the part of the equipment. Specifically, additional code needs to be added to the software (usually by the third-party equipment maker) to compute the desired metrics. The new code is recompiled, tested, and reinstalled on the equipment. Such a process, however, is cumbersome, inflexible, and expensive to implement. It can also be difficult to implement such a process on a distributed system where multiple devices can collect the same type of data.
Another approach is to collect raw data and provide the collected data to the equipment maker for off-line analysis. This approach, however, is often infeasible because the operators may not wish to expose sensitive network data to a third-party. Furthermore, because the analysis would be restricted to off-line use, the results cannot be easily applied to real-time data and affect desired changes on the network in response.
It is therefore desirable to have a more flexible technique to provide desired metrics data to operators. It is also useful for the technique to be able to provide metrics data for in-line traffic and for distributed systems.


Exemplary embodiments of the present invention include two half shells that can be operably joined together, in whose walls pouches are provided. Two elements, approximately formed as ladders, each include first transport rollers, the two ladderlike elements being configured for insertion in the joined together half-shells. The first transport rollers are disposed on the respective ladderlike elements in such a way that upon insertion of the ladderlike elements into the joined together half-shells, the transport rollers fit into the pouches of the walls of the respective half shells. Exemplary embodiments also include a central element which, after the insertion of the two ladderlike elements, can be placed between the two ladderlike elements to maintain the two ladderlike elements in position and which, together with the respective ladderlike elements and the respective walls of the half-shells, defines a conduit for photographic material to be developed. This conduit extends between each of the ladderlike elements and the central element, and between the walls of each of the half-shells and the central element. Second transport rollers are provided on the central element which, after the insertion of the central element, contact the first transport rollers of the ladderlike elements, so that the photographic material to be developed is guided between the first transport rollers and the second transport rollers and transported through the conduit.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for developing sheet- or strip-type photographic material.
2. State of the Art
Apparatuses for developing sheet- or strip-type photographic material are widely known in the photo finishing field, being known as film processors in the case of films to be developed and paper processors in the case of exposed paper. Especially in the case of paper processors, it can happen that the paper exposed in the printer and to be developed in the paper processor is either in single-sheet form or in the form of long strips of paper, which are not cut apart into individual paper pictures until after development. The single sheets or paper strips are transported for developing through one or more wet chemical baths, and the development of the pictures takes place by the action of the developer fluid.
The volume of such wet-chemical baths in the processors--for the sake of simplicity, only paper processors will be discussed hereinafter--depends substantially on what throughput (number of developed pictures per unit of time) the particular user, as a rule developing labs, seeks to attain. For a relatively high throughput, the distance through the paper processor must be correspondingly long, so that there can be as many pictures as possible in the paper processor simultaneously, and with continuous transport on the one hand and a relatively fast transport speed on the other, the transit time of the paper through the paper processor matches the length of time necessary for the development (which of course is known beforehand). The consequence is baths of relatively large volume.
For the user of so-called minilabs or microlabs (both will hereinafter be referred to as minilabs). conversely, a substantially lower throughput is of interest. Accordingly, the transport speed through the wet-chemical baths can also be reduced. Only considerably smaller volumes are therefore required for the baths of such minilabs. However, for the baths of such minilabs it is also necessary that the developer fluid always be "fresh", so that the developed paper pictures will all meet a uniform standard of quality. As a consequence, the small-volume baths especially must be replaced or replenished from time to time. Moreover, lively motion of the wet-chemical baths in the paper processor has proven to be advantageous, since in this way fresh developer fluid is brought again and again into contact with the paper to be developed. It will be appreciated that complete replacement or replenishment of the baths occurs at shorter time intervals in smaller-volume baths than in larger-volume baths. Paper processors with small-volume baths have therefore already been proposed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos.: 5,179,404; 5,309,191; 5,311,235; and 5,270,762.
After a certain length of time, however, the developer fluid in the paper processor becomes unusable (the developer fluid oxidizes), even if it has been virtually unused (for instance, if no developing jobs have been performed); it must then be completely replaced. The developer fluid must be replenished or regenerated so that it remains stable and does not become unusable. To this end, based on a per unit area of developed paper, a predetermined amount of regenerated or of fresh developer fluid must be added to the bath. The smaller the entire volume of developer fluid in the paper processor, the faster is practically all the volume of developer fluid located in the paper processor regenerated or replaced, even if the throughput is low. Paper processors which, in proportion to the throughput, furnish a small volume of developer fluid have therefore greater long-term stability.
Paper processors with high long-term stability are especially advantageous for the minilabs and microlabs already mentioned, in which the average throughput is relatively slight, yet which nevertheless needs high performance equipment to handle peak loads (as in one-hour photo developing). In such a minilab or microlab, the distance through the paper processor must therefore on the one hand be long enough to enable handling of the peak loads, while on the other hand, the entire volume of developer fluid must be as small as possible, so that high long-term stability is assured even at a low average throughput. The situation is similar on the professional level, where large paper sizes (poster size) require a large paper processor whose average throughput is nevertheless low.
Aside from the replacement or replenishment of the developer fluid, in paper processors the transport rollers (and as needed other elements of the paper processor) must also be cleaned from time to time, so that soiling of elements of the paper processor will not cause losses of quality in the developed paper pictures. This necessitates a complete interruption of the wet chemical developing processor. For cleaning, the rollers must either be removed from the paper processor, or they must be cleaned while remaining inside the paper processor--but as a rule, they are taken out for cleaning. For the most efficient possible use of the paper processor (and naturally this also applies to film processors), it is therefore desirable, and an object of the invention, that this cleaning be performed as simply and as fast as possible. In addition, the processor should be simple to manufacture and should be reliable in function.

Method and apparatus for developing sheet or strip type photographic material


The present invention concerns improvements in fuel cell fabrication. It concerns an improved, integrated and modular BSP/MEA/Manifolds, which facilitates single cell (module) leak and performance testing prior to assembly in a fuel cell stack as well as facilitating manufacturing and cost reduction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrochemical energy converters with a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM), such as fuel cells or electrolyzer cells or stacks of such cells, wherein the individual cells are modular units which have integrated the bipolar separator plate (BSP), the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) and the reactant and coolant manifolds. These individual components are assembled into integrated modules and these modules are tested individually for full functionality before being assembled into a complete fuel cell unit (stack) as individual components. In particular the several components of the integrated modular BSP/MEA/Manifolds (fuel cell module), i.e., the bipolar separator plate, membrane electrode assembly, separate diffusion layers (if used), gaskets (if used), manifolds, adhesives, and seals (if used) are manufactured as separate entities before being incorporated into a fuel cell module before being assembled in a complete fuel cell unit (stack). In a number of embodiments, these fuel cell components can be as large or as small as the end use requires.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrochemical cells comprising polymer electrolyte membranes (PEM) may be operated as fuel cells wherein a fuel and an oxidizer are electrochemically converted at the cell electrodes to produce electrical power, or as electrolyzers wherein an external electrical current is passed between the cell electrodes, typically through water, resulting in generation of hydrogen and oxygen at the respective electrodes of the cells.
Fuel cells are energy conversion devices that use hydrogen, the most abundant fuel on earth, and oxygen, usually from the air, to create electricity through a chemical conversion process, without combustion and without harmful emissions. The voltage and current output depends on the number of cells in the stack, total active surface area and efficiency. The basic process, for a single cell, is shown in FIG. 1.
Traditional fuel cell stacks 1, see FIG. 2, are made of many individual cells 2, see FIG. 3, which are stacked together. The ability to achieve the required gas and liquid sealing and to maintain intimate electrical contact has traditionally been accomplished with the use of relatively thick and heavy "end plates" (3, 4) with the fuel cell stack 5 held together by heavy tie-rods or bolts 6 and nuts 7 (or otherfasteners) in a "filter-press" type of arrangement, see FIGS. 2 and 4. Disassembly and analysis of fuel cell stacks built by traditional and other methods reveals evidence of incomplete electrical contact between bipolar separator plates (BSPs) 8 and the membrane electrode assembly (MEAs) 9, which results in poor electrical conduction, lower cell performance, often along with evidence of gas and liquid leakage.
The traditional method of assembly of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells requires several parallel and serial mechanical processes that must be accomplished simultaneously for each individual cell, see FIG. 3.
1. The Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) 9 must be sealed to the Bipolar Separator Plates (BSPs) 8 at each plate/MEA interface, via a gasket such as 10A and 10B.
2. The fuel, oxidizer and coolant manifolds 11A and 11B are all required to be sealed at the same time during fabrication as the MEA is sealed to the BSP.
3. The BSPs 8 must be in intimate electrical contact with the electrode assembly 9, across its entire surface area, at all times for optimum performance. As the traditional fuel cell stack 1 is assembled, each individual cell (layer) 2 must seal, manage gasses and liquid, produce power and conduct current. Each cell relies on all the other cells for these functions. Additionally, all seals and electrical contacts must be made concurrently at the time of assembly of the stack, see FIGS. 2 and 3.
The assembly of a traditional PEM cell stack which comprises a plurality of PEM cells each having many separate gaskets which must be fitted to or formed on the various components is labor-intensive, costly and in a manner generally unsuited to high volume manufacture due to the multitude of parts and number of assembly steps required.
With the conventional PEM stack design 1, see FIG. 2, it is problematic to remove and repair an individual cell 2 (see FIG. 3) or to identify or test which cell or cells in the stack may require repair due to leakage or performance problems. In many cases the entire stack assembly is required to be dissembled. The disassembly of a stack consisting of multiple cells, each comprising separate cell components can be very costly as in many instances, after the removal of one cell, the gaskets of the remaining cells may need to be replaced before the stack can be reassembled and operated. Additionally, the potential for damage to the MEA is very high. Upon reassembly, there is no assurance of the performance or of a leak tight condition. This is a very time consuming and therefore costly process.
Some patents of interest are listed below.
R. G. Spear, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,828, assigned to H Power Corporation disclose metal platelet fuel cells production and operation methods.
R. G. Spear, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,858,567, assigned to H Power Corporation disclose fuel cells employing integrated fluid management platelet technology.
R. G. Spear, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,671, assigned to H Power Corporation disclose plastic platelet fuel cells employing integrated fluid management.
R. G. Spear, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,051,331 assigned to H Power Corporation disclose fuel cell platelet separators having coordinate features.
These four U.S. patents to Spear et al. describe conventional fuel cell assembly.
W. A. Fuglevand, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,030,718, assigned to Avista Corporation disclose a proton exchange membrane fuel cell power system.
D. G Epp, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,966 disclose a fuel cell membrane electrode and a seal assembly.
W. J. Fletcher, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,470,671 disclose an electrochemical fuel cell which employs ambient air as both oxidant and coolant.
W. D. Ernest, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,945,232 disclose a PEM-type fuel cell assembly having multiple parallel fuel cell sub-stacks employing shared fluid plate assemblies and shared membrane electrode assemblies.
R. A. Mercuri, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,976,727 disclose an electrically conductive seal for fuel cell components.
R. D. Breault, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,020,083 disclose a membrane electrode assembly for a PEM fuel cell.
R. H. Burton, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,057,054 disclose a membrane electrode assembly for an electrochemical fuel cell and a method of making an improved membrane electrode assembly.
J. A. Ronne, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,066,409 disclose an electrochemical fuel cell stack with improved reactant manifolding and sealing.
O. Schmidt et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,080,503 disclose polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells and stacks with adhesively bonded layers.
Other art of general interest includes, for example: U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,621; European Patent 446,680; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,328,779; 5,084,364; 4,548,675 and 4,445,994.
All of the references, patents, patent applications, standards, etc. cited in this application are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
With reference to FIG. 3 and Claims 1 and 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,080,503 which is incorporated herein by reference, the adhesive bonding agent used is for bonding "a first separator plate" and "a second separator plate" to a membrane electrode assembly", in the current embodiment a single separator plate is bonded to a single MEA and to manifolds which are external to the membrane assembly with no through passages holing the membrane. This embodiment forms a fuel cell module (assembly).
It is apparent from the above discussion that existing fuel cell technology can be significantly improved using modular components and in the assembly of the multiple fuel cell unit (stack). This invention concerns an improved, integrated and modular BSP/MEA/Manifold assembly, which facilitates single cell (module) leak and performance testing prior to assembly. It also eliminates gaskets between adjacent BSP and simplifies assembly. The present invention of modular, integrated units provides such improvements for a fuel cell.

Integrated and modular BSP/MEA/manifold plates for fuel cells


A display control circuit (100) that may have a reduced power consumption has been disclosed. A display control (100) may include a plurality of output cells (3-1 to 3-N). Each output cell may include an amplifying circuit (35) for driving an output terminal (PS) to essentially a gray level voltage according to a display data (DIN). Amplifying circuit (35) may include a dead zone in which an output may be a high impedance when the output terminal is substantially the gray level voltage. An amplifying circuit (21) may be included to provide a drive for the output terminal (PS) in the vicinity of the gray level voltage. Amplifying circuit (21) may not include the dead zone. In this way, by providing the large drive by amplifying circuit (35) and a smaller drive strength by amplifying circuit (21), current consumption may be reduced.

Due to high quality, compactness, and low power display, a flat panel display device such as a TFT (thin film transistor) type liquid crystal display device is widely used as a display device in personal computers (such as laptops), mobile telephones, and the like.
A flat panel display device includes a plurality of data lines and a plurality of scan lines. Active elements, such as TFTs, are arranged in a matrix at intersections of data lines and scan lines. When a selection voltage is supplied to a corresponding scan line, corresponding active elements (in the row formed by the corresponding scan line) are turned on and voltages supplied to the data lines are accumulated in display cells (for example, on a liquid crystal element). When the scan line is in a non-selection state, the voltages accumulated in the display cells are held to be imparted to a liquid crystal, thereby conducting display. A display cell is provided corresponding to each dot (pixel) of image display data and controlled such that the voltage level stored is changed according to a gray level of each dot display. In addition, when color display is conducted, three display cells each having one of three primary colors are provided for each dot and respective gray levels of the three primary colors are controlled by the voltages held in each of the three display cells to conduct color display.
A display control circuit includes a source driver for driving the source line which can be a data line. Referring now to FIG. 10, a circuit schematic diagram of a conventional source driver is set forth and given the general reference character 1000. Conventional source driver 1000 is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open 4-242788 A (JP 4-242788 A). In conventional source driver 1000, image data of each pixel is provided on a data bus DIN as digital data. Bus DIN is connected with a plurality of output cells (1003-1 to 1003-N). Gray level voltages (VR1 to VR64) are provided to respective output cells (1003-1 to 1003-N) from a γ power source generating circuit 1. According to the description, in a display device for conducting a 64-gray level display for respective colors of red (R), green (G), and blue (B), 64 gray level voltages (VR1 to VR64) are generated. These voltages are obtained from respective contact points between 65 resistors connected in series between power sources (4-1 and 4-2). Resistance values of the respective resistors connected in series are not uniform but are resistance values γ-corrected such that light and dark in the respective gray levels are natural gray levels when viewed by a person.
The image data to respective source lines of the display device are serially transferred to the data bus DIN. Each output cell (1003-1 to 1003-N) includes a latch 31, a digital to analog (D/A) converter 32 and a class AB amplifying circuit 1034. When corresponding image data is transferred in response to a data latch signal DL, latch 31 latches the data. The output of latch 31 is provided to a D/A converter 32. D/A converter decodes the image data to select and provide a corresponding gray level voltage (VR1 to VR64). The output of D/A converter 32 is provided to the non-inverting input of class AB amplifying circuit 1034. Class AB amplifying circuit 1034 is an operational amplifier in which the output is directly fed back to the inverting input. Class AB amplifying circuit 1034 operates as a voltage follower. Class AB amplifying circuit 1034 provides a buffer function for the gray level voltage (VR1 to VR64) provided at an output terminal (PS-1 to PS-N) for a corresponding output cell (1003-1 to 1003-N).
Each output terminal (PS-1 to PS-N) is connected to a corresponding source line of the display device. Thus, each output terminal (PS-1 to PS-N) has an extremely large load capacitance. Accordingly, each output terminal (PS-1 to PS-N) is driven by a class AB amplifying circuit 1034 providing a buffer, so that high-speed operation may be achieved.
However, because each source line has an extremely large load capacitance, an extremely high current drive capacity can be desirable for the class AB amplifying circuit 1034. As a result, even after an output terminal (PS-1 to PS-N) is driven up to a target gray level voltage (VR1 to VR64), class AB amplifying circuit 1034 consumes current through a driver circuit portion that provides a current path from a high voltage level to a low voltage level through the output terminal (PS-1 to PS-N). In addition, the current increases proportionally to an increase in size of the transistors in the driver circuit portion of class AB amplifying circuit 1034. Thus, even if a gray level voltage (VR1 to VR64) provided to an output terminal (PS-1 to PS-N) is not changed, class AB amplifying circuit 1034 can consumes an extremely large amount of power.
Referring now to FIG. 11, a circuit schematic diagram of a conventional source driver is set forth and given the general reference character 1100. Conventional source driver 1100 is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open 10-326084 A (JP 10-326084 A). Conventional source driver 1100 differs from conventional source driver 1000 in that class AB amplifying circuit 1034 is not included in output cells (1103-1 to 1103-N). Instead a buffer circuit 1102 is included between γ power source generating circuit 1 and output cells (1103-1 to 1103-N) to provide gray level voltages (VR1 to VR64). Otherwise, conventional source driver 1100 has the same configuration as conventional source driver 1000 and therefore the same reference characters are provided therefore.
Buffer circuit 1102 drives an output terminal (PS-1 to PS-N) together with an internal bus line for supplying the gray level voltage (VR1 to VR64). As a result, in conventional source driver 1100, it is necessary to further increase the current capacity of the transistors in the output portion of each class AB amplifying circuit in buffer 1102 as compared to class AB amplifying circuit 1034 in conventional source driver 1000. In this way, power consumption is further increased.
According to conventional source drivers (1000 and 1100), buffers including class AB amplifying circuits for high-speed operation can have large power consumption.
In recent years, the use of flat display devices has increased. When used in a portable device or the like, it is desirable for power consumption to be minimized to increase battery lifetime.
In order to further reduce power consumption while maintaining substantially high speed operation, a conventional source driver is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application laid-open no. 11-305744 A (JP 11-305744 A). Referring now to FIG. 12, a circuit schematic diagram of a conventional output cell of a conventional source driver is set forth and given the general reference character 1200. Conventional output cell 1200 is disclosed in JP 11-305744 A. In conventional output cell 1200 of a conventional source driver, image digital data DIN and gray voltage levels (V1 to VM) are provided to a decoder 1230. Decoder 1230 selects and provides a gray level voltage (V1 to VM) according to a value of data DIN. Thus, decoder 1230 is equivalent to a D/A converter (32 and 1133) illustrated in conventional source drivers (1000 and 1100), respectively. However, in conventional output cell 1200 of a conventional source driver, an output terminal OUT is driven by a voltage follower configured operational amplifier circuit 1234. Operational amplifier circuit 1234 serves as a buffer and can be made active or inactive in response to a control signal CONT. According to conventional output cell 1200, when control signal CONT has an active level (low level), operational amplifier circuit 1234 is activated and drives output terminal OUT. On the other hand, when control signal CONT has an inactive level (high level), the operational amplifier circuit 1234 is disabled or inactive and has a high impedance output. In this way, the power consumption of operational amplifier circuit 1234 becomes substantially zero.
Conventional output cell 1200 includes a switch circuit 1236 connected between the output of decoder 1230 and output terminal OUT. Switch circuit 1236 includes an inverter 1238 and a transmission gate TG1. When control signal CONT becomes a high level, switch circuit 1236 is turned on and transmission gate TG1 provides a low impedance path between the output of decoder 1230 and output terminal OUT. In this way, when control signal CONT is in the inactive level, operational amplifier circuit 1234 is disabled and the gray level voltage (V1 to VM) is provided to output terminal OUT directly by decoder 1230 through transmission gate TG1.
Therefore, every time new image data DIN is supplied, control signal CONT becomes a low level and output terminal OUT is driven to a gray level voltage (V1 to VM) or its vicinity by operation amplifier circuit 1234 at a high speed. After that, the control signal CONT transitions to a high level so that operational amplifier circuit 1234 is disabled so that power consumption is reduced and output terminal OUT is directly driven by decoder 1230 to a gray level voltage (V1 to VM). Thus, according to conventional output cell 1200, power consumption is reduced while keeping a substantial high-speed operation.
According to conventional output cell 1200 of a conventional source driver, control signal CONT is used to commonly control buffer operational amplifier circuit 1234 and switch circuit 1236, thus, the operation/non-operation timings of the respective elements are provided by control signal CONT. However, times required for charging and/or discharging a display cell and a source line vary greatly according to a display pattern. For example, charging the display cell and source line up to 4.8 V when each have an initial voltage of 0.2 V takes a long time. In contrast to this, when the display cell and the source line each initially have a potential of 4.8 V, providing a 4.8 V takes no time or current. However, switching control signal CONT in consideration of the times required for charging and/or discharging the source line according to the display pattern may be substantially impossible. If control signal CONT is switched to the inactive level too early, a desired gray level may not be obtained because the source line and display cell has not been sufficiently charged or discharged. On the other hand, if control signal CONT is switched to the inactive level too late, excess current is consumed by operational amplifier circuit 1234 and current consumptions benefits are reduced.
Furthermore, a design of a conventional source driver using conventional output cell 1200 may be complicated due to the generation of control signal CONT to provide such timing.
In view of the above discussion, it would be desirable to provide a display control circuit as a source driver in which high-speed operation may be conducted without conventional timing control as shown above. It would also be desirable to provide a display control circuit as a source driver in which high-speed operation may be conducted while lower power consumption may be realized.

Display control circuit and display device


A process for optimizing data and/or program parts for programmed controllers that can be used, e.g., in motor vehicle controllers. In this process, the controller is connected to an external application device via an interface. Changes in the data and/or program parts to be optimized are entered with the help of the application device. This process is characterized in that, at the beginning of the optimizing process, the data and/or program parts are loaded into the data and/or program read-write memory (e.g., RAM) of the controller. In addition, the process is characterized in that specific changes are made in the control program and/or in the memory and/or register locations of the controller to cause the microprocessor of the controller to access the corresponding data and/or program parts in the data and/or program read-write memory (e.g., RAM) instead of accessing the data and/or program parts in the data and/or program read-only memory (e.g., flash EPROM). For a controller to be used in this process, the controller is provided with a decoder circuit that performs a switch when the microprocessor accesses a certain address or a certain address area. As a result of this switch, instead of accessing the data and/or program parts in the data and/or program read-only memory, the microprocessor accesses the corresponding data and/or program parts in the data and/or program read-write memory.

A process is already known from German Patent No. 3,018,275 A1 for optimizing data and/or program parts for programmed controllers. In that process, the control program of a controller is initially copied to a data/program memory unit external to the controller. This memory unit is connected via a serial data transmission line to a control unit that is also external to the controller. The memory unit has a read-write memory that can be accessed by the control unit as well as the controller. Preprogrammed changes are entered into the memory unit via the control unit. The controller runs the program in the memory unit. The program/data changes in the memory unit act directly on the control process carried out by the controller. The effects can be observed directly. The data/programs of the controller are optimized in this way.
German Patent No. 3,917,979 A1 discloses another method of optimizing data and/or program parts for programmed controllers, where the programmed read-only memory of the controller is removed from the controller and a data manipulation device is inserted into the controller instead. The read-only memory removed from the controller is also inserted into the data manipulation device. In addition, the data manipulation device also contains a read-write memory.
The contents of the read-only memory are transferred to the read-write memory at the beginning of an optimization procedure. The controller is connected to an external input device via a serial interface. This input device is used to enter data and make program changes in the read-write memory of the data manipulation device. The data manipulation device also contains a switching device that makes it possible to switch between the read-write memory and the read-only memory. The microprocessor of the controller works either with the read-write memory or with the read-only memory, depending on the switch.

Process for optimizing program parts for motor vehicle controllers


A level shift circuit includes: a latch circuit (Q5, Q6, Q7, Q8) including first (Q5, Q7) and second (Q6, Q8) inverter circuits; a first input MOS transistor (Q1) operating in accordance with an input signal; a second input MOS transistor (Q2) operating in accordance with an inversion signal of the input signal; and a current-voltage control MOS transistor (Q9). The latch circuit (Q5, Q6, Q7, Q8) outputs a voltage having been converted from the input voltage in level. Each of the first and second input MOS transistors (Q1, Q2) receives the input signal at its gate terminal, and drives the latch circuit (Q5, Q6, Q7, Q8) in accordance with the input signal. The current-voltage control MOS transistor (Q9) is provided between the input MOS transistor (Q1, Q2) and the latch circuit (Q5, Q6, Q7, Q8), and is driven in accordance with an inversion operation of the latch circuit by receiving an input of the control voltage at its gate terminal.

Electronic devices in recent years include circuits operating with various operation voltages, and achieves less power consumption and downsizing. For an operation of each of the electronic devices thus including the circuits different in operation voltage, a level shift circuit is employed to switch a voltage level of a logic signal.
Regarding the level shift circuit, for example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-343396 (Patent Document 1) discloses an art of handling penetration current generated when a PMOS (positive channel Metal Oxide Semiconductor) transistor and an NMOS (negative channel Metal Oxide Semiconductor) transistor are simultaneously turned on during transition in data input, the PMOS transistor and the NMOS transistor being disposed in series between a power supply and a ground in a level shift circuit. Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-112666 (Patent Document 2) discloses an art of preventing power consumption from being increased due to penetration current even when one of two power supply voltages supplied becomes unstable in a level shift circuit. Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-153446 (Patent Document 3) discloses an art of reducing an area occupied by a level shift circuit.

Level shift circuit and semiconductor device


A device for determining properties of a medium has a hollow body which accommodates the medium and a housing which circumferentially surrounds the hollow body. At least one portion of a wall of the hollow body is formed as waveguide for acoustic surface waves, which forms an interface to the medium. There is provided at least one transmitter for exciting acoustic waves in the waveguide and at least one receiver for receiving acoustic waves from the waveguide, which are arranged at a distance from each other, wherein the transmitter and the receiver are in direct contact with an outer surface of the waveguide and wherein the distance between transmitter and receiver is chosen such that acoustic waves excited by the transmitter can at least partly propagate on paths extending through the medium. There is provided at least one contact carrier on which the transmitter and/or the receiver are arranged. Between the waveguide and the contact carrier a continuous air gap is formed. The space between the hollow body, the contact carrier and the housing is filled with a filling mass.

The measurement of certain properties of a medium can be effected by using acoustic waves. For this measurement method, which is described for example in WO 2008/034878 A2 or WO 2010/136350 A1, the medium is in direct contact with an acoustic waveguide. In the waveguide acoustic surface waves are excited, wherein the type and frequency of the surface waves are chosen such that a partial coupling out into the medium is effected. A part of the acoustic surface waves in the waveguide therefore is coupled into the medium as longitudinal volumetric sound waves. These sound waves pass through the medium and are reflected on a surface bordering the medium such that they again impinge on the waveguide. There, a part of the volumetric sound waves again is coupled into the waveguide as acoustic surface waves and runs on in the same. At an acoustic receiver, which is arranged at the waveguide spaced from the transmitter, a characteristic signal thereby is obtained, whose temporal course of intensity including the time delay with respect to the signal sent by the transmitter permits conclusions regarding characteristic properties of the medium such as sound velocity, temperature, homogeneity, flow velocity, flow rate, concentration or viscosity.
This measurement method is suitable in particular for liquid, but also for highly viscous, dough-like, gel-like or pasty media of homogeneous or inhomogeneous nature, including biological samples. The use for gaseous media would also be conceivable. When the medium flows through the device, temporal changes of the medium can also be detected.
The spatial propagation of the volumetric sound waves in the medium for example is achieved in that the volumetric sound waves are coupled out into the medium at an angle δ based on a surface normal of the waveguide. The relation can be described by the following formula:
      δ    =          arcsin                    (                              c            M                                c            S                          )              ,
wherein cM is the sound velocity of the volumetric sound waves inside the medium and cS is the sound velocity of the acoustic surface waves propagating along the waveguide.
In the most frequent case, in which the sound velocity in the medium is smaller than that of the surface waves in the waveguide, sound waves are coupled out at an angle different from 0, and the volumetric sound waves cover a spatial distance along the waveguide, possibly by multiple reflection within the medium.
In the known devices, transmitter and receiver are mounted on a side of the waveguide opposite the interface with the medium. To ensure that surface sound waves excited on this side of the waveguide can be coupled into the medium, Lamb waves therefore preferably are excited, i.e. waves whose wavelength is much longer than the thickness of the waveguide between transmitter and medium. In this case, both the upper and the lower side of the waveguide are moving, wherein the vibration also has a longitudinal component. Therefore, this type of excitation is suitable for coupling out volumetric sound waves. It is also possible to chose the wavelength of the excited acoustic surface waves in the order of magnitude of the thickness of the waveguide, wherein then surface waves are excited in a transition region between Lamb waves and Rayleigh waves.
The devices described so far in the prior art, which operate by the principle described above, have a complex construction and are expensive to manufacture.
Therefore, it is the object of the invention to create a simply constructed and easily manufacturable device for determining properties of a medium by means of the excitation of surface sound waves.

Device for determining properties of a medium