A flexible and relatively low cost cryogenic conduit is described. The flexible cryogenic conduit of the present invention comprises a first inner corrugated tube with single braided serving, a second outer corrugated tube with single braided serving concentric with the inner corrugated tube, and arranged outwardly about the periphery of the inner corrugated tube and between the inner and outer corrugated tubes: a superinsulation layer; a one half lap layer of polyester ribbon; a one half lap layer of copper ribbon; a spirally wound refrigeration tube; a second one half lap layer of copper ribbon; a second one half lap layer of polyester ribbon; a second superinsulation layer; a third one half lap layer of polyester ribbon; and a spirally wound stretchable and compressible filament.

The need to efficiently conduct cryogenic fluids in such applications as particle accelerators, superconductive material applications etc. has spawned the development of numerous cryogenic fluid conduit designs. While these prior art designs have apparently been successful in achieving successful transfer of cryogenic fluids, they have demonstrated certain shortcomings. Most notably, these shortcomings related to flexibility and cost as reflected in the difficulty to manufacture. While flexibility has been achieved in some designs, it has normally been at a significant manufacturing cost penalty.
An example of such a flexible cryogenic conduit is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,492,089 to Rohner et al issued Jan. 8, 1985. This patent describes a cryogenic conduit consisting of two concentric corrugated tubes having a series of five wound members therebetween. The wound members consist of a plurality of metallic ribbons having conduits for coolant welded thereto, a helical spacer and several layers of "super insulation". The entire assembly is finally covered with a thermoplastic envelope or jacket. While such a structure may prove adequate for the transfer of cryogenic fluids, its flexibility is significantly impaired by its structure, but more importantly, the manufacture of the metallic ribbons with conduit welded thereon is extremely expensive and will render the cost of the conduit extremely high.
Other cryogenic conduit devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,344,462, 3,706,208, and 4,380,253.

Southeastern Universities Research Assn., Inc.


Dry eyes are more objectively and exactly diagnosed on the basis a rate of decrease in corneal surface temperature due to the heat vaporization in tear evaporation as determined by measuring corneal surface temperatures in time course from one blinking to next blinking of eyes of patients by an infrared radiation thermometry.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for diagnosing dry eyes, and more particularly to a method for diagnosing dry eyes by measuring corneal surface temperatures after one blinking and determining a rate of decrease in the corneal surface temperature due to the heat of vaporization in the tear evaporation of eyes of patients.
2) Related Art Statement
Dry eyes are a disease occurring as a disorder on the ocular surface, i.e. cornea and conjunctiva surfaces, due to qualitative or quantitative abnormality of tears. With the advent of the current information age office automation is now in rapid progress and consequently the video display terminal work is rapidly growing, resulting in increase in asthenopia or dry eye-complaining patients. It is said that Japan only has a latent dry eye patient population of eight millions. A primary cause of dry eyes has not been clarified yet, but the up-to-date knowledge suggests that the dry eyes are closely related to an abnormal autoimmunity or viruses.
Heretofore, diagnosis of dry eyes has been carried out not by a single test procedure, but by a combination of various test procedures. A particularly important test procedure for the diagnosis is an inquiry and most of asthonopia-complaining patients are diagnosed as suffering from dry eyes. Besides the inquiry, vital staining test and quantative determination of tears have been regarded as essential test procedures. In addition, other test procedures, such as quantitative determination of tear evaporation, have been also in practice.
The vital staining test is carried out by instilling a drop of physiological salt solution of rose bengal or fluoresecein into an eye as a reagent to observe the resulting staining state and measure a tear break-up time (BUT) at the same time Toda et al: Atarashii Ganka (New Ophthalmology), 8 (7), 1021-1027 (1991)!. The procedure for quantative determination of tears includes a Shirmer's test and a cotton thread test According to the Shirmer's test, a strip of filter paper is attached to a lower eyelid to measure an tear adsorbed distance on the strip to determine a quantity of tears Goren, M. B. et al: Am. J. Ophtalmol., 106, 570-4 (1988)!. According to the cotton thread test, a cotton thread stained with a pH indicator, etc. in advance is put in contact with tears in an eye and the discolored distance of the thread by tears adsorption is measured to determine an amount of tears Kunihashi, K. et al; Journal of Ped. Ophthalmol., 14, 390-7 (1977)!. The procedure of determination of tear evaporation includes a method of fixing humidity and temperature microsensors to a chamber, and putting the chamber over to measure a humidity increase within the chamber Tsubota, K. et al: Invest. Ophtalmol. Vis. sa: 33 (10) 2942-50 (1992)!.
Among the above-mentioned conventional test procedures for diagnosing dry eyes, the vital staining test is complicated in operation; the Shirmor's test gives rise to physical pains due to contact of a ship of filter paper with the lower eyelid; the cotton thread test is difficult in test manipulation due to the thinness of thread and consequent easy bending; and the conventional test procedure for quantitative determination of tear evaporation needs expensive apparatuses, etc.


According to one embodiment, a mask includes a line-and-space mask pattern. The mask has a separation portion separating a line pattern in a predetermined region within the line-and-space mask pattern. The mask also includes a connection pattern arranged in a crossing direction crossing the extending direction of the line pattern connecting the separated line patterns. The connection pattern is arranged on a position where the end of the line pattern, which is separated by the separation portion, projects from the connection pattern.

A pattern having a resolution higher than a resolution limit of lithography is recently required due to scaling of a semiconductor memory. A sidewall transfer process has been proposed for a NAND flash memory, in particular, for solving this problem. By using this process, a pitch of the pattern, which is exposed at first, is reduced to a half, whereby a pattern with a pitch higher than the resolution limit of an exposure device can be formed.
Conventionally, the sidewall transfer process is applied to a damascene metal wiring formation process. In order to separate only a desired region of a line-and-space metal wiring formed by the sidewall transfer process, a cover pattern is formed to cover the region that is to be separated after the formation of the sidewall pattern, and then, a film to be processed is processed by using the sidewall pattern and the cover pattern as a mask. Thus, a channel for forming the metal wiring separated on the desired position is formed. A metal wiring is formed by embedding a metal into the channel for forming the metal wiring.
In this case, if the region to be separated includes only the line and space, a margin for the positional deviation during the lithography process is small, so that a cover pattern might cover an unnecessary region for separating the metal wiring.

Mask having separated line patterns connected by a connecting pattern


Disclosed in certain embodiments is a solid oral dosage form comprising: (a) an inert tamper resistant core; and (b) a coating surrounding the core, the coating comprising an active agent.

Solid oral pharmaceutical dosage forms, most often in the form of tablets, are a common mode of delivering active agents for the treatment or prevention of diseases and conditions. For a variety of reasons, patients who are prescribed these dosage forms sometimes attempt to split or divide the formulation into multiple units. These reasons include cost containment, as the price of a specified amount of a dosage form in a given strength is often less than double the price (or the same price) as compared to the same amount of dosage forms in half the strength. This provides the incentive for a patient to split their dose under their own initiative, or under the direction of their health care provider. There have also been proposals for mandatory tablet splitting by various state Medicaid programs.
Tablet splitting can be problematic if the patient has cognitive impairment that limits the ability of the patient to understand and remember instructions for tablet splitting; or arthritis or other impairment of manual dexterity; or Parkinson's disease or other tremors; or visual impairment.
Another problem with tablet splitting is overdosing or underdosing as it is often difficult to split tablets with a degree of certainty as to the dose contained in each fragment. This can be a particular issue with respect to active agents with a narrow therapeutic window (e.g., warfarin, levothyroxine and digoxin), where a slight variation in dosing can lead to sub-therapeutic or toxic plasma levels.
Further, the splitting of certain controlled release dosage forms (e.g., opioids, theophylline, calcium channel blockers) compromises the integrity of the dosage form, resulting in the immediate release of an amount of active agent intended for release over an extended period of time. This can also result in toxic plasma levels.
A study of 11 commonly split tablets showed that 8 of the 11 tablets, when split, failed to produce half-tablets that met the content uniformity test for tablets from the United States Pharmacopeia, which requires a discrepancy that falls within 85% and 115% of the intended dosage. Notably, scoring of the tablet did not predict whether the tablet would pass or fail this test. See, Teng et al. Lack of medication dose uniformity in commonly split tablets. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2002; 42:195-9.
Splitting or crushing of dosage forms of drugs susceptible to abuse (e.g., opioid analgesics) is also a common method of abusers to obtain an amount of active agent for illicit use. For example, immediate release opioid formulations can be split or crushed in order to provide the active agent available for parenteral or nasal abuse.
Controlled release opioid formulations can also be split or crushed in order to make the active agent available therein (intended for release over an extended period) available for immediate parenteral, nasal or oral administration.
There is a need in the art for both immediate and controlled release solid oral dosage forms that are resistant to tampering (e.g., splitting or crushing) which minimize the problems associated therewith.
All references disclosed herein are incorporated by reference in their entireties for all purposes.

Tamper resistant solid oral dosage forms


The present invention is directed to an automatically closing and locking door adapted for use in drive through and walk up facilities. The door rides on an inclined track and closes due to gravity. The door locks automatically upon the coupling of a hooked door latch with a cooperative hooked door base. The door is unlocked and opened by application of a lateral force upon the knob of the hooked door latch. A spring attached to the foot of the base is caused to exert a force against the door thereby coupling the hooked door latch and hooked door base.

The present invention is directed generally to an automatic door adapted for retail sales of products through a driveup door. Particularly, the present invention relates generally to automatic door closers of the inclined track type. This invention relates to serving doors, and more particularly, to serving doors and similar openings installed in drive through or walkup facilities such as fast food restaurant to facilitate exchange between a customer and the business without exposing the server or the interior space unnecessarily to inclement weather, insects, and other such problems. Such doors are usually mounted in the wall of a facility at a height which will put the server in convenient reaching distance from a customer seated in a vehicle, and are commonly used for fast food restaurants and other businesses with drive through service.


A method for providing information in an HMD. The method includes defining an active zone in a virtual reality (VR) viewing environment of a user as presented through a 3D display of the HMD. The method includes placing main content in the active zone of the VR viewing environment. The method includes defining one or more peripheral zones outside of the active zone. The method includes placing secondary content in the first peripheral zone of the VR viewing environment. The method includes displaying an attractor within the active zone in conjunction with the entry of new data in the secondary content, wherein the attractor brings attention of the user to the first peripheral zone. The method includes detecting rotation of the HMD from the first orientation directed to the active zone towards a second orientation directed to the first peripheral zone. The method includes pausing the main content.

Computer generated virtual reality (VR) allows a user to be immersed in a simulated real environment or an imaginary environment, for example. With complete immersion, the user is able to interact with the simulated or imaginary environment, as if the user were present within that VR environment. That is, the user is able to move and look around the VR environment, and possibly interact with objects within that VR environment.
VR systems can use some display system to let the user view the VR environment. These display systems may include a computer monitor or display screen that is presented in front of the user. When the display screen is smaller, the VR experience of the user is hampered by visual stimulation from the surrounding real environment (e.g., sunlight, objects in real space, etc.). The VR experience may be improved by increasing the display size to reduce the influence of the surrounding real environment. Further, the display system may be designed to block out stimulation from the surrounding real environment. For example, a head mounted display (HMD) worn by a user is able to block out light from the physical, real environment, and present a stereoscopic screening system to the user for viewing the VR environment in three dimensions (3Ds). These HMDs may include viewing goggles integrated with a mounting system that is worn on or over the head. Still other more complex VR systems may be integrated with movement sensors that allow a user to make moves in a real world that may then be translated in some form to the world of VR. For instance, hand gestures/movements may be used to interact with VR objects, and moving through the real world (e.g., walking in the physical environment) may be translated to similar movement in the VR environment (e.g., walking or running in the VR environment).
VR systems have been embraced by various industries, such as the military, real estate, medicine, video gaming, etc. Because the user can be totally immersed within a VR environment, that VR environment may simulate a real environment for purposes of training, enjoyment, and escape. For example, a VR system may be used for pilot training in the military, surgical technique training within the medical industry, showing a listing by a real estate agent, or experiencing a vacation destination. In addition, the VR environment may be used to simulate a completely imaginary environment, such as a fantasy world where characters have super human powers. For example, the user may be immersed within a video gaming VR environment that allows the user to take on the skills and movements of a gaming character within that VR environment. In that manner, the user is able to extend the margins of reality by giving the user the sense of imaginary movements and skills. This is analogous to having a disabled person feel as if he or she were able to move (e.g., walk) within the VR environment.
In the VR environment, data is made available to the user in a 360 degree arc, and the user may interact with the data as long as the user is turned towards that data. For example, when the user is looking straight ahead, data is presented in the VR environment in the proper direction from the user. However, data to the sides of the user or behind the user is not presented because the gaze of the user is pointed forward. The user may not be aware of this unpresented data, even though it is available for viewing. For instance, during game play of the user, the user is focused entirely with the task at hand (e.g., fighting a boss, collecting food, traversing a desert, etc.) and may not be aware of the surrounding environment. This information may be important and/or useful to the user, but remains unknown.
It is in this context that embodiments of the disclosure arise.

Method and system for directing user attention to a location based game play companion application


A mechanism is described for facilitating proximity and context-based deduction of global positioning of computing devices according to one embodiment of the invention. A method of embodiments of the invention includes detecting wireless proximity of a plurality of computing devices with respect to a computing device, and selecting one or more of the plurality of computing devices based on their detected proximity to the computing device. The method may further include receiving contextual information from the one or more computing devices, and semantically deducing location of the computing device based on the received contextual information.

Existing indoor Location-Based Services (LBS) techniques for mobile devices are limited in accuracy in that they rely upon information obtained from various wireless access points (APs) or based on pre-composed maps and AP locations, etc. These conventional techniques are not only inaccurate, but also expensive because they rely upon employing costly traditional server-side LBS that are required to be tied to specific vendors.

Method and system for proximity and context based deduction of position for a GPS enable computing device


A video image printing sheet which is used in combination with a dye transfer sheet having a dye layer or a dye-containing ink layer and which comprises an image-receiving layer capable receiving a pattern of a dye melted or sublimated by heating of the dye layer or the dye-containing layer is described. The image-receiving layer is made of a cellulose ester. Resins other than the cellulose ester may be contained in the image-receiving layer in amounts of not larger than 50 wt %. In addition, compounds capable of enhancing dyeability and miscible with the resins may be added. The image formed by the transfer of the dye has good light fastness and good weatherability.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the art of video images and more particularly, to a printing sheet for video images which has an image-receiving layer mainly composed of cellulose esters.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Attempts have been heretofore made on recording or printing of video images wherein an ink ribbon which has a sublimable disperse dye layer is heated by means of a thermal head in the form of dots according to image signals to transfer the sublimated dye onto a surface of a resin-coated sheet thereby forming an image on a printing sheet for the video images. As is particularly shown in FIG. 1, the video image printing sheet has a double-layer structure including an image-receiving layer 3 and a support sheet 2. The image-receiving layer 3 is able to receive image of a dye, such as a sublimable disperse dye, transferred from the ink ribbon to maintain the transferred image. Known materials for the image-receiving layer include polyesters, polycarbonates, vinyl chloride copolymers, and the like.
However, conventional video image printing sheets of the type wherein the receiving layer is made of the above-indicated resin are not satisfactory with respect to the light fastness and weatherability of the formed images, thus sometimes leading to a lowering in the brightness of the once formed images to bring about discoloration of the images. This is considered for the reason that the dye transferred by means of the thermal head is present in the vicinity of the surface of the image-receiving layer, so that the dye is liable to be adversely influenced by light, humidity and oxygen in air.


An apparatus for printing color inkjet images includes an image processing unit which processes source color data to generate output color data together with a signal indicative of an order of ink squirts in which a plurality of inks of respective colors are squirted onto a given pixel, and an inkjet print unit which is configured to squirt the plurality of inks in different orders of ink squirts, and prints color images based on the output color data by squirting the inks in the order of ink squirts indicated by the signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to color inkjet print apparatuses, and particularly relates to a color inkjet print apparatus which can squirt color inks in a plurality of different sequences. The present invention also relates to an image formation controlling apparatus and a color inkjet printing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Inkjet print apparatuses that employ inkjet heads for formation of images are used in printers, facsimile apparatuses, copier machines, and the like. The inkjet head is provided with a plurality of nozzles for squirting ink droplets and actuator devices such as electromechanical transducers or electro-thermo transducers corresponding to respective nozzles. Such inkjet head is used as a print head to print high-resolution images with high quality at high speed by forcing ink droplets out of the nozzles onto a record medium (on which ink droplets are placed) in response to record signals.
Such inkjet print apparatuses include a carriage-scan-type color inkjet print apparatus. The carriage-scan-type color inkjet print apparatus has a carriage on which a print head is mounted, and the print head includes a plurality of nozzle lines arranged in the main scan direction, with each nozzle line comprised of a plurality of nozzles and extending in the sub-scan direction. These nozzle lines are assigned to respective colors for squirts of respective color inks through each nozzle, thereby printing color images on a record medium.
Such color inkjet print apparatus creates a color image by the mixing of subtractive colors that places color inks at the same place on the record medium. In order to improve print speed, printing is performed on each way the carriage goes and returns. This is referred to as a two-way print method.
When the two-way print method is carried out with a plurality of nozzles for one color being arranged in the sub-scan direction and a plurality of nozzle lines for respective colors being arranged in the main scan direction, the colors are superimposed in a certain sequence as the carriage goes one way, and are superimposed in a reversed sequence as the carriage returns. This results in the appearance of color prints being different depending on the size of nozzles. For example, the nozzle lines of a print head may be arranged in the order of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and K (black) in the main scan direction. On the way the carriage goes, inks are superimposed in the order of Y, M, and C. On the way the carriage returns, inks are superimposed in the order of C, M, and Y. This creates slightly different appearance of colors that are created by the mixing of subtractive colors.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-096770 (Patent Document 1) discloses an inkjet print apparatus which has nozzle lines of respective colors arranged in a symmetric order in the scan direction, thereby achieving the same sequence of color superimposition on each way the head goes and returns.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-318190 (Patent Document 2) teaches changing the method of color correction between the way the head goes and the way the head returns, thereby preventing the appearance of colors from varying. Here, the method of color correction converts R (red), G (green), and B (blue), which are three primary colors typically obtained as input data, into CMYK colors that are used by the inkjet print apparatus.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-170574 (Patent Document 3) actively finds merits in the fact that the appearance of colors differs, and teaches achieving high-quality print by setting the order of ink superimposition to any order.
Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 recognize nothing but problems in the fact that the appearance of colors varies depending on the order of ink superimposition. They only attempt to eliminate or make less conspicuous the difference of color appearances.
Patent Document 3 only teaches letting a user specify the sequence of color superimposition. Further, since no particular image processing is performed to match a selected sequence of color superimposition, it is difficult to make the most of the merits.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Color inkjet print apparatus capable of changing orders of inks squirts


Techniques for enhancing thermal design of a system having a number of boundary values are provided. A method for such enhancement includes representing thermal response of the system to the boundary values, obtaining at least one constraining parameter, and determining spatial and/or temporal distribution of the boundary values. The thermal response is represented as a superposition of temperature fields associated with given boundary values. The spatial and/or temporal distribution of the boundary values is determined based on the thermal response represented in the representing step, so as to satisfy the constraining parameter. The boundary values can be, for example, power sources, and the at least one constraining parameter can be, for example, a spatial or temporal location of one of the power sources.

The performance of electronic circuits, such as microprocessors, and that of computer systems has continued to increase. Such increasing performance has most often been obtained by aggressive scaling of individual devices, in turn allowing an increase in device density on the silicon circuitry. Additional functionality, cores and memory have also been added to typical circuits. This trend has resulted in a large increase in power dissipation for microprocessors and computer systems.
As a result of the trend towards increased power, there has been an effort to reduce the power consumption of microprocessors and computer systems. Accordingly, a good deal of attention has recently been directed towards so-called power-aware or power-limited designs. In such designs, the goal is to reduce the overall power dissipation of the microprocessor or computer system. The power-aware design is perhaps best suited for computer systems that are limited by power delivery. An example is a lap-top computer limited by its battery lifetime, or a microprocessor limited by current carrying capacity in the packaging.
Given the importance of thermal design to current electronic circuits and computer systems, it may be desirable to seek improved techniques for thermal analysis and design of such systems.

Techniques for distributing power in electronic circuits and computer systems

International Business Machines Corporation


An image reading and recording apparatus has: a carriage for mounting a recording head; a reading unit which reads an original document; a conveying roller arranged on a conveying path which is used in common for recording paper and the original; and a platen arranged so as to face the recording head. The reading unit is movable between a reading position on an upper side of the conveying path and a retracting position on a lower side of the conveying path. The platen can relatively and independently move for the reading unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image reading and recording apparatus having a reading unit for reading an original document and a recording head for recording onto recording paper.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image reading and recording apparatus having a reading unit for reading an image of an original document and a recording head for recording onto recording paper, a construction in which the recording paper and the original are conveyed along a common conveying path is used in order to realize a miniaturization and cost reduction.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H08-181820, an image reading and recording apparatus for reading a lower surface of the original at the time of reading an image has been disclosed. In this image reading and recording apparatus, by reading a white reference member arranged on a back surface of a platen prior to the reading operation, a white reference upon reading is specified. The image reading and recording apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H08-181820 is constructed in such a manner that upon image recording, the platen is positioned to the lower side of the common conveying path by a switching lever and the image is recorded onto the recording paper on the platen by the recording unit arranged on an upper side of the conveying path.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-187212, an image reading and recording apparatus constructed in such a manner that upon reading, while the original conveyed along a common conveying path is conveyed with passing through a gap between a reading sensor and a white reference member, an upper surface of the original is read has been disclosed. The image reading and recording apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-187212 is constructed in such a manner that upon recording, a reading unit is moved upward and the white reference member is moved downward by the operation of a switching lever, a recording unit is arranged in a space where the reading unit has been located, and an image is recorded onto recording paper which is conveyed along the common conveying path.
However, in the construction disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H08-181820, since the image reading surface is the lower surface of the original which is conveyed, when the original is set to a sheet stacking portion, it is set so that the image surface faces down. However, since a sheet feeding roller has been arranged on the upper side of the common conveying path, the last page of an original bundle is first separated and fed. Therefore, in the case of executing the reading operation of a plurality of originals, there is caused such a problem that order of pages to be read is reversed.
In the construction disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-187212, since the image reading surface is the upper surface of the original which is conveyed, in the case of executing the reading operation of a plurality of originals, the order of the pages to be read is not reversed. However, since a reading sensor and the white reference member are moved in parallel, in order to realize the precise movement, a position control member such as a rail member or the like is necessary and there is such a drawback that the construction becomes complicated. In the construction disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-187212, upon recording, the reading unit is moved to a position over the recording unit, thereby being retracted. According to such a construction, however, in the case of using the large recording unit, a movement amount at the time of retracting the reading unit is large, so that there is such a problem that it is difficult to miniaturize the apparatus.


An electromagnetic emissions free optical signal based helicopter landing assistance arrangement wherein helicopter rotor wash dust cloud-caused obfuscation of the intended landing site and other landing threats are overcome. Real time optical sourced data is collected early and used during helicopter approach to the intended landing site. Upgrading of this data for use during dust cloud presence is accomplished with image processing techniques applied in response to such inputs as helicopter flight data. Military use of the invention especially in current theatre conflict environments is contemplated. Dust cloud related landing hazards are disclosed as a significant difficulty in such environments and generate need for the invention.

A helicopter attempting to land on sandy or dusty terrain is often enveloped by a dense cloud of dust and particles in a condition that has become known as a "brown-out". This condition obscures the pilot's vision so severely as to make such a landing a safety threat to the aircraft and to persons in the aircraft and on the ground. The nose-up landing posture often needed for such a landing contributes to the danger of the landing by also making the observation of the helicopter final destination site and interfering features such as vehicles, persons, ground features and structures more difficult. Events of this type became notably newsworthy several years ago in connection with the 1980 attempt to rescue American hostages from captivity in Iran as was authorized by President Jimmy Carter, see for example the published article titled "The Desert One Debacle" appearing in a more recent, May 2006, issue of the magazine THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY. Numerous other items of press coverage of the events preceding and succeeding this rescue attempt appeared in publications originating near the time of the event. The present invention provides significant relief for certain helicopter threats encountered during this rescue attempt and under similar conditions.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force


Cruise control for regulating the speed of a motor vehicle with a processing unit (14) and a manually actuatable operating element (20), wherein a selected speed can be set. On the operating element there is a switch (23), wherein the driver can select if the selected speed is to be kept constant of if it is to constitute a minimum speed or a maximum speed. There is also a switch (24, 25), wherein a permitted overspeed above a selected maximum speed can be set, so that a higher speed can be allowed when driving downhill, for the purpose of saving energy.

The present invention relates to a device for regulating the speed of a motor vehicle provided with a braking device, comprising a control actuatable by the driver of the vehicle, with first means for setting a command value for a speed, a sensor for sensing the actual value of the speed and a processing unit connected to the engine throttle and to the braking device, said command value and actual value being fed into and compared in said processing unit, which is disposed to send signals to the throttle and/or brake device depending on the difference between said values, said processing unit being disposed when driving downhill to allow a maximum speed, which lies above the command value set by means of the first means.


The present invention provides methods for making an acoustic transducer. In one possible embodiment, a rigid inner shell is provided with a conductive exterior surface. Masking material is applied onto a first location on the conductive exterior surface of the rigid inner shell. Piezoelectric material is deposited over the conductive exterior surface of the rigid inner shell and the masking material. Conductive material is deposited onto the piezoelectric material. The masking material is removed. A first signal lead is attached to the first location on the conductive exterior surface of the rigid inner shell. A second signal lead is attached to the conductive material.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to methods for rapidly making piezoelectric transducers using piezoelectric material. In one possible embodiment, the invention is directed to a method for building a transducer onto an inner form with a conductive surface.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In the past, piezoelectric transducers have been produced using flat sheets of material that are cut into segments and adhesively bonded to a desired configuration.
The following U.S. patents describe various prior art transducer systems. However, as discussed below, transducers made by some of the following prior art methods may be unsuitable for use in underwater environments where pressures are encountered.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,126, issued Nov. 29, 1988, to Oliver, discloses a dark field ultrasonic transducer that is constructed with an outer annular spherical or conical transducer element and an inner spherical element. The outer annular element is excited and insonifies a small portion of a part surface near a discontinuity or crack with longitudinal waves or with surface waves. The inner dark field element is not focused to be sensitive to either reflected sound or waves reradiated from the surface waves, but detects sound scattered from surface discontinuities such as a crack edge. When surface waves strike a crack edge and restrikes it after reflection from the bottom of the crack, two pulses are received and the time delay between them is a measure of crack depth. The crack shape and crack depth profile are determined as the part is scanned. A sphere-cone transducer, the preferred embodiment, is fabricated by stretching thin piezoelectric polymer film over a tool having a ball embedded in a conical surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,825,902, issued Oct. 20, 1998, to Fujishima, discloses a spherical piezoelectric speaker having a small and simple structure, a wide sound frequency range and a high sound pressure includes a spherical shell piezoelectric ceramic body which is hollow inside and an external electrode and an internal electrode defining a driving device for oscillating the spherical shell piezoelectric ceramic body. A sound absorber is provided in a hollow section of the piezoelectric ceramic body and a frame for holding the piezoelectric ceramic body is disposed on the outer surface of the piezoelectric ceramic body via dampers for reducing an influence of external oscillation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,215,231, issued Apr. 10, 2001, to Newnham et al, discloses an electroactive device incorporating the invention that is conFIGUREd from an electroactive ceramic hollow sphere having an inner surface, an outer surface, a wall thickness aspect and a radius aspect. Conductive electrodes are positioned on opposed surfaces of said sphere and conductors enable application of an electrical potential between the conductive electrodes to enable a field to be applied to the sphere that causes a dimension change in the radius aspect and thickness aspect thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,654,993, issued Dec. 2, 2003, to Zhang et al, discloses a process for fabricating a ceramic electroactive transducer of a predetermined shape. The process comprises the steps of providing a suitably shaped core having an outer surface, attaching a first conductor to the outer surface of the core, coating an inner conductive electrode on the outer surface of the core such that the inner conductive electrode is in electrical communication with the first conductor, coating a ceramic layer onto the inner electrode, thereafter sintering the ceramic layer, coating an outer electrode onto the sintered ceramic layer to produce an outer electrode that is not in electrical communication with the first conductor, and then poling the sintered ceramic layer across the inner electrode and the outer electrode to produce the ceramic electrode.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,019,445, issued Mar. 28, 2006, to Zhang et al, discloses a′process for fabricating a ceramic electroactive transducer of a predetermined shape. The process comprises the steps of providing a suitably shaped core having an outer surface, attaching a first conductor to the outer surface of the core, coating an inner conductive electrode on the outer surface of the core such that the inner conductive electrode is in electrical communication with the first conductor, coating a ceramic layer onto the inner electrode, thereafter sintering the ceramic layer, coating an outer electrode onto the sintered ceramic layer to produce an outer electrode that is not in electrical communication with the first conductor, and then poling the sintered ceramic layer across the inner electrode and the outer electrode to produce the ceramic electrode.
The above cited prior art does not disclose a transducer made utilizing a hollow metallic form. For example, Zhang et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,654,993 and Zhang et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,019,445 propose a spherical transducer made from a piezoelectric ceramic.
Moreover, the inner metallic coating used by Zhang is simply a metallic coating that is not sufficiently thick to be strong enough to provide support. Instead, Zhang utilizes ceramic as the structural material. Use in underwater environments where pressure is encountered is likely to be problematic and may crush, crack or deform the ceramic material of the Zhang transducer.
Consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate the present invention that addresses the above and other problems.

Rapid fabrication techniques for arbitrary shape piezoelectric transducer sensors

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


A multi-modal biosensor system includes a vibrating plate orientated along a plane. An actuator is interfaced with the vibrating plate and operable to vibrate the vibrating plate along the plane. The actuator includes two electrodes rigidly affixed to the vibrating plate. An optical support structure is rigidly affixed to the vibrating plate, and provides an outwardly facing surface to receive a measurement sample. A light source is configured to project light onto the outwardly facing surface of the optical support structure. A light detector is configured to capture light reflected from the outwardly facing surface of the optical support structure. A controller interfaces with the two electrodes and the light detector. The controller operates to detect changes in the vibrating motion of the vibrating plate concurrently with detecting changes in the light captured by the light detector.

Biological molecular interactions (or bio-interactions) such as protein-protein interactions are central to virtually every process in a living cell. Bio-interaction is a complex process that involves a variety of weak forces (e.g., non-covalent bonds, hydrogen-bonding, and hydrophobic interactions), structural complementarities, and conformational changes. To understand the mechanisms of bio-interactions requires tools to quantitatively assess the binding reactions so that the thermodynamics, kinetics, and structural complementarity of the bio-interactions can be obtained. Two types of assays are commonly used to quantitatively analyze bio-interactions: assays that directly monitor the bio-interactions in solutions such as isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC); and assays in which a biomolecule is immobilized on a solid substrate such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Even though each assay can provide quantitative information about the binding reactions, nearly all existing methods provide only certain aspects of complicated bio-interaction processes. Often multiple techniques are needed to obtain different information of the binding reactions so that the mechanistic details can be pieced together using data from different experiments. This type of approach is not only slow and complicated, but also can easily lead to inaccurate or erroneous conclusions drawn from different experimental results. Therefore, an integrated multi-modal biosensor capable of providing consistent and complementary information of bio-interactions in a rapid and multiplexed manner is highly desirable for fundamental and applied biomedical research.
Label free biosensors are uniquely positioned to allow for real time monitoring of bio-interactions in their natural states. However, nearly all existing label free biosensors (such as optical, acoustic, mechanical, electrochemical, and electrical sensors) rely on a single transduction principle that reflects only one aspect of complicated bio-interaction processes. This may lead to inaccurate or erroneous conclusions regarding the bio-interactions drawn from the experimental results. An integrated multi-modal label free biosensor capable of providing consistent and complementary information about bio-interactions in a rapid and multiplexed manner would be highly desirable for fundamental and applied biomedical research.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

Multi-modal biosensor having an acoustic detector with integrated optical interferometry

THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN


A viscoelastic wound closure dressing. The dressing can include a viscoelastic backing having a first major surface configured to face skin when in use, a first end, a second end, and a middle section located between the first end and the second end. The wound closure dressing can further include a skin-contact adhesive on the first major surface of the viscoelastic backing adjacent the first end and the second end. A majority of the first major surface of the middle section can be free of the skin-contact adhesive. The viscoelastic backing can recover, at room temperature: (i) no more than 40% of its deformation after 10 seconds, after being strained to 50% elongation for 30 minutes, and (ii) at least 70% of its deformation after 48 hours, after being strained to 50% elongation for 30 minutes.

Wound closure includes several types of technologies including one or more of sutures, staples, liquid adhesives, and dressings. Some existing wound closure devices require an application process that includes using fingers or forceps to appose skin edges as closely as possible. This manual apposition of the skin edges requires some skill to perform correctly.
In addition, some existing wound closure devices employ an elastic material that can be stretched across a wound, and the rebound of the elastic material can be exploited for wound closure. Some elastic wound closure devices can be applied to skin by (i) applying a first end of the elastic material to skin on one side of a wound, (ii) stretching the elastic material, and (iii) applying a second end of the elastic material to an opposite site of the wound. Such methods, however, require some skill to achieve proper stretching and application of the elastic material. Other elastic wound closure devices are pre-stretched and held in the pre-stretched state by a carrier. The entire assembly can then be applied to skin, and after the assembly has been applied to skin, the carrier can be removed to allow the elastic material to rebound. Such assemblies can be cumbersome and difficult to apply to skin as a whole, and can also require precise handling and control of the elastic material and carrier to ensure release of the elastic material at the desired time and in the desired location.
Furthermore, some existing wound closure devices employ shape memory materials that can be "locked" or "frozen" in a stretched configuration, e.g., by heating the material above its glass-transition temperature (Tg), stretching it, and then cooling the material to a temperature substantially below its Tg to "lock" it in a meta-stable stretched configuration. When desired, the shape memory material can be heated to a temperature above its Tg to at least partially recover its unstretched state. Such devices require maintaining the devices at a desired temperature (i.e., substantially below its Tg) to maintain the stretched configuration and then activating (e.g., thermally) the material to change it from its stretched configuration. That is, such wound closure devices can be applied to skin without a stretching force, but then must be activated or triggered to actively apply forces to a wound.


An optical device for measuring the length of a surface that has an undulating specular appearance. The device includes a beam delivery unit that superimposes a pair of laser beams onto a moving surface for producing an interference pattern having straight-line fringes on it and a light collector assembly that captures radiation reflected from different parts along the surface and directs the radiation to a detector. One particular beam delivery unit creates two interfering beams by using refracting prisms to intercept and redirect half of an elliptically shaped laser beam leaving the other half as the second beam. The collector assembly can have a variety of configurations and acts like a bucket collecting as much of the reflected radiation as possible. In order to accomplish this, the numerical aperture in the object space of the collector assembly is made greater than 0.5. In one embodiment, the collector assembly includes a plano-convex lens to collect narrow to moderate angle radiation, and the combination of a concave annular reflector and a partially reflective convex surface of the plano-convex lens to collect the moderate to wide angle radiation reflected from the moving surface to be measured. In other embodiments, Fresnel, aspheric or high refractive index lenses are used to collect the radiation reflected from the surface.

There are numerous examples of diffraction-based laser Doppler velocimeters that are used to measure the length of a moving surface. Some of these devices use diffraction gratings to split a laser beam into two beams and then recombine them to establish an interference pattern in the vicinity of the moving surface to be measured. Some examples are described in publication by J. Schmidt et al, Diffractive Beam Splitter for Laser Doppler Velocimetry Optics Letters/Vol 17, No 17/Sep. 1, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,478 which issued on Jun. 1, 1993 to Kadowaki et al, and Canadian Patent Application 2,165,136 by Pawluczyk et al which was opened to public inspection on Jun. 14, 1997. Each of the above approaches makes use of two diffractive optical components, the first acts as a beam-splitter dividing the incident laser beam into two and the second brings them back together at some convenient point down-stream. Appropriate use of diffractive orders makes this possible with the separation of the fringes remaining constant even for a shift of wavelength. This property has proved extremely useful in the past when using light sources whose wavelengths tended to drift from their nominal settings.
In other systems, such as the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,334,779 which issued on Jun. 15, 1982 to Jacques Domey et al, as well as U.S. Pat. 4,948,257 which issued on Aug. 14, 1990 to Kaufmann et al, the initial beam is split using a beam-splitter cube. This, at least partially refractive approach is generally more efficient than the diffractive approach above and assures that there are no extra beams generated which could possibly interfere and upset the integrity of the fringe pattern. The fact that the actual fringe spacing is dependent on wavelength and varies linearly with it, is no longer an insurmountable problem. This is because laser diode sources, stabilized at a given wavelength, can now be obtained for a relatively small penalty in cost. However, the use of beam-splitter cubes or plates, for example those which employ a beam-splitter interface which reflects half the light incident on it, can create stability problems. If the beam incident on the beam-splitter experiences a change in direction by reason of some instability upstream in the system or the beam-splitter itself being subjected to an angular displacement, then this would result in a serious degradation in the accuracy of the instrument. For example, if there is a 4 degree convergence of the two interfering beams and a change in direction of the incident beam on the reflective beam-splitter surface in glass of just 5 access, this would translate to an error of around 0.1% in length measurements.
The prior art length measuring devices are directed to the measurement of surfaces that are without structure and/or are diffuse. They are not capable of measuring surfaces that are structured and at the same time specular. Specular surfaces that are undulating, such as corrugated, wavy or prismatic surfaces, tend to have substantial slope variations over their surface, which result in radiation being deflected from the surface at angles greater than .+-.30.degree.. The prior art devices are unable to collect and detect radiation from such a broad cone and therefore would produce inaccurate measurements.

Non-contact interference optical system for measuring the length of a moving surface with a large N.A. collector optical system


The polymerization of polar vinyl monomers in the presence of Lewis acids produces stereoregular vinyl polymers. Polar vinyl monomers may be mixed with Lewis acids to form associations or complexes between the monomers and Lewis acids. The mixtures or monomer-Lewis acid complexes may be polymerized to produce the desire stereoregular vinyl polymers.

Polar vinyl polymers are vinyl polymers having polar pendant groups. They play an important role in industry and commercial processes. For example, polar vinyl polymers such as polyacrylonitrile, poly (vinyl alcohol), poly (methyl methacrylate) and polyacrylamide are well known and frequently used in industrial processes. Theoretically, the control of the microstructure of polar vinyl polymers can provide control of the qualities and properties of the polymers. Some of the properties of polar vinyl polymers that need to be controlled include stereoregularity, molecular weight, chain-end and monomer distribution.
Polar vinyl polymers are generally prepared by polymerizing monomers using a radical polymerization process. Radical polymerization processes are highly versatile and are commonly used in industry to prepare polymers. However, there is little regularity of the chemical structure of polymers obtained according to conventional processes, especially when polymerizing polar vinyl monomers. When these polymers are molded and shaped into fiber, film, or molding, the mechanical, chemical and thermal characteristics are not always satisfactory because the polymer crystallinity is low. For example, in the case of polyacrylonitrile, a fiber or film having low crystallinity shows poor heat resistance, especially in the wet state. Hence, the development of high-grade fabric articles with such polymers is limited and their use in many industrial or space applications is similarly limited.
In the case of non-polar polyolefins, stereoregular polymerization has been accomplished using heterogeneous or homogenous organometalic catalysts such as Zieglar-Natta, metallocene, or late-transition metal complexes during polymerization. Most of these catalysts, however, are not effective for the polymerization of polar vinyl monomers because the polar group in the monomer deactivates the catalyst. A few catalysts such as rare earth metal complexes (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1992, 114, 4908, Macromolecules 1996, 29, 8014), have been successfully employed for the stereospecific polymerization of methacrylates, but even with these catalysts, other polar vinyl monomers such as acrylonitrile can not be polymerized, let alone in a stereoregular fashion. Furthermore, some of these catalysts are highly unstable in the presence of air and moisture, which has inhibited their development in industrial polymer production.
Anionic polymerization has also been reported as an effective method for stereoregular polymer production. Anionic polymerization, however, is also industrially impractical due to low efficiency (process and/or yield) and low molecular weight of the resistant polymer due to sensitivity of the intermediates and side reactions that occur between the initiator or propagation anionic species and the polar group. For example, the reaction of tert-butyllithium/trialkylaluminum initiator and alkylaluminum/phosphin complex reportedly produces syndiotactic methacrylates, but the resultant polymers formed by this reaction have low molecular weights of less than 10,000. Isotactic polyacrylonitrile with meso-meso (mm) triad up to 70% was obtained when acrylonitrile was polymerized using alkyl alkaline earth compounds such as Mg as the initiators at 70° C. Unfortunately, significant side reactions between the cyano group and the initiator restricts polymer yields to a range near 10–30%.
Several studies have focused on the stereo-controlled free radical polymerization of vinyl monomers. If the monomers are absorbed into several inclusion compounds such as urea-acrylonitrile and deoxycholic acid-methacrylates, and irradiated by X-ray radiation at low temperatures, polymers having the stereoregularity, i.e., isotactic-rich polyacrylonitrile or syndiotactic-rich poly(methyl methacrylate) are obtained (i.e., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1960, 2, 5671). Recently, isotactic or syndiotactic poly (vinyl alcohol) has been prepared by radical polymerization of bulky vinyl esters in the presence of bulky fluoroalcohols that are thought to complex to the monomers via hydrogen bonding. Saponification is then necessary in order to deprotect to the alcohol (Macromolecules, 1999, 31, 7598). These systems, however, are still not appropriate for industrial applications due to the specificity of host-monomer combination and the conditions of the polymerization process (e.g., necessity of low temperatures below −30° C.) and/or photo irradiation due to the instability of the hydrogen bonded complexes above 0° C.
Several decades ago, Lewis acids such as zinc chloride had been found to significantly affect monomer reactivity and stereochemistry during radical copolymerization. However, the stereochemistry during radical homopolymerization with Lewis acid had not been reported until very recently because no stereoregularity had been observed. In 2001, it was reported that use of catalytic amount (0.1–0.2 equivalents per monomer) of specific rare metal containing Lewis acids such as scandium trifluoromethanesulfonate (Sc(Otf)3) was shown to effect on the stereospecific radical polymerization of some polar vinyl monomer such as acrylamide and N,N-disubstituted acrylamide (i.e., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 123, 7180). However, even with these specific rare metal Lewis acids, clear effect on the stereospecific polymerization of other conventional vinyl monomers such as methacrylates, acrylonitrile and vinyl acetate have not been shown. Moreover, these rare-earth metal Lewis acids are expensive and any improvement of the polymerization process must include the recycling of rare-earth metals, which is expensive and undesirable.
Therefore, processes and methods for producing stereoregular vinyl polymers from polar vinyl monomers are desirable.

Stereoregular polar vinyl polymers and methods of making the same


The present disclosure provides a method of sending an inter-base station message between a first and second base station in a cellular telecommunications network, wherein the inter-base station message is transmitted via a relay component, the method including the relay component receiving a first inter-base station message from a first base station, wherein the first inter-base station message includes: a first address portion identifying a second and third base station, and a first content portion; the relay component transmitting a second inter-base station message to the second base station, the second inter-base station message including: a second address portion identifying the second base station, and a second content portion; and the relay component transmitting a third inter-base station message to the third base station, the third inter-base station message including: a third address portion identifying the third base station, and a third content portion, wherein the second and third content portions include the first content portion.

A cellular telecommunications network includes a plurality of base stations which each provide telephony and data services to a plurality of User Equipment (UE) within a coverage area. Traditional base stations typically had coverage areas of several square kilometers, but the capacity was shared amongst all UEs. To increase this capacity, "home" base stations were introduced (which are sometimes called femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations or metro base stations depending on their coverage area), and the traditional base stations are now often referred to as "macro" base stations. These home base stations had much smaller coverage areas than their macro base station counterparts but increased the overall capacity of the network.
Cellular networks have also introduced inter-base station messages (such as the X2 message in the Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol) to allow inter base station communication. These messages are typically used to communicate their operating parameters (e.g. their Physical Cell Identifier (PCI)), load management information, and to coordinate a handover of a UE to a target base station. A "handover" is the transfer of a UE from its serving base station to the target base station with minimal disruption when it is determined that the target base station should thereafter provide telephony and data services to that UE.
In order to support inter-base station messaging, each base station must store information regarding other base stations in the network. This information typically includes an identifier for the other base station, such as the enhanced Cell Global Identifier (eCGI), and an IP address of the other base station. Each base station must also set up and maintain a connection with every other base station. These requirements were acceptable in cellular networks with a relatively small number of macro base stations. However, as the number of base stations has increased with the introduction of home base stations, these requirements have become a burden and it is increasing difficult for base stations (especially macro base stations with many neighboring home base stations) to update their stored information and maintain the inter base station connections.
In the LTE protocol, this problem was addressed by the introduction of a network element that inter-connects neighboring base stations such that inter base station messages may be communicated indirectly via the network element. This is known as an X2 Gateway (X2 GW), although other network elements such as the X2 Broker may also serve the same purpose. The X2 GW is used to transfer X2 Application Protocol (X2 AP) messages between a source and target base station by encapsulating it within an X2 AP Message Transfer message. The X2 AP Message Transfer message includes a Radio Network Layer (RNL) header which identifies both the source and target base station, and a payload including the encapsulated X2 AP message. On receipt of an X2 AP Message Transfer message from the source base station, the X2 GW decodes the RNL header to identify the target base station, and forwards the X2 AP Message Transfer message to the identified target base station. This is a more scalable solution as the source base station only needs to establish and maintain a single connection with the X2 GW for a plurality of target base stations (rather than a connection with each of the plurality of target base stations).

British Telecommunications Public Limited Company


A wrist-worn electronic device comprises a housing, a display, a location determining element, and a first antenna. The housing includes a lower surface configured to contact a wearer's wrist, an opposing upper surface, and an internal cavity. The display is visible from the upper surface of the housing. The location determining element is configured to process a location signal to determine a current geolocation of the electronic device. The first antenna is configured to receive the location signal from a satellite-based positioning system and communicate the location signal to the location determining element. The first antenna is positioned on the upper surface of the housing adjacent a perimeter of the display and capacitively coupled with a conductive component positioned in the internal cavity.

Wrist-worn electronic devices often include functionality that may be used to track the wearer's current location, distance traveled, velocity, and other performance metrics or data. This functionality may be provided by receiving positional information from a satellite-based positioning system such as the global positioning system (GPS). To receive signals from GPS satellites, one or more antennas may be included in the electronic device.


A device for deflecting a tire of a motor vehicle when the tire is pushed accidentally into the device has a deflection plate for mounting fixedly on the motor vehicle. An outer face of the deflection plate is substantially vertical, faces the tire of the motor vehicle at a distance from the tire sufficient not to interfere with normal operation of the tire on the motor vehicle but effective to engage the tire when the tire is pushed accidentally and is inclined at an angle to a longitudinal vertical plane of the motor vehicle. A coating or sliding shield on the outer face of the deflection plate facilitates sliding of the tire along the incline of the outer face when the tire is pushed accidentally to engage the outer face of the deflection plate.

The invention is a passive safety device integrated into the body of, a vehicle to protect occupants inside the vehicle from penetration of the wheels of the vehicle into the inside of the vehicle upon a collision with another vehicle or with an obstacle. The technical field of the invention is the manufacture of automotive vehicles.
More than 50% of the occupants of automobiles who are injured or killed in highway accidents experienced frontal impacts. In each case, that is to say, the front part of the vehicle encountered an obstacle and was crushed against it. As a result, the front parts of modern vehicles are designed to deform so as to absorb the kinetic energy of such impacts.
However, the great majority of such impacts do not involve the entire front parts of the vehicles but only a portion thereof. These off-center impacts are the most dangerous since only a portion of the energy-absorbing deformable parts are involved in the collision. As a result, deformation reaches the insides of the occupant-holding front compartments of the vehicles. It is in these cases, which are the most common statistically, accounting for more than 70% of front collisions, that the wheels of the vehicles play an aggravating role in the consequences of the collisions.
The rims of the wheels, which are designed to withstand the considerable forces of normal use, are practically non-deformable and at the time of such an impact break into the inside of the vehicle where the occupants are located. This is true of the front wheels, which generally injure the lower limbs of the occupants seated in the front of the vehicle, but it is true also of the rear wheels and, when it is placed horizontally in the rear trunk or front compartment of the vehicle, the spare wheel.
The penetration of the wheels into the inside of the vehicle also weakens its rigidity, which is already relatively slight. This worsens the deformations due to the impact.
The consequences of this penetration of the wheels are rarely directly fatal but a very large number of accidents would be less serious if it could be avoided.
Automobile manufacturers, conscious of this danger, provide various solutions. For example, Renault reinforces with a bracket the path the wheels might take and Mercedes Benz protects the feet of the driver with a sort of shell of rigid foam placed in the lining of the floor to reduce the forces due to deformation of the latter.
However, these solutions are ineffective when the energy of the impact is high.

Device for deflecting the wheels of an automobile at the time of a collision


A control system for multiphase rotary electric machines is provided. The control system carries out control of the output of a multiphase rotary electric machine by operating switching elements of an inverter, so that more appropriate measure can be taken when malfunction has occurred in the inverter. A rotary shaft of an internal combustion engine, a rotary shaft of a generator and a rotary shaft of a motor are linked through a torque-splitting mechanism. The control system carries out failsafe processes, at the occurrence of short circuit in a switching element of the inverter, to control load torque of the generator so as to prevent rotation of a rotary shaft of the internal combustion engine in a non-operative state, which rotation is induced by a motive force of the motor.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control system for multiphase rotary electric machines for controlling output of a multiphase rotary electric machine by operating switching elements of the inverter.
2. Related Art
A control system is known in which output torque of a three-phase motor is controlled with the operation of switching elements of an inverter. The inverter in this control system has three arms for bringing each of the three phases of the three-phase motor into electrical conduction with either a positive or negative side of a power supply voltage. In the control performed by this system, a short circuit that has occurred in a switching element of any one of the arms of the inverter may cause current to pass through the arm, incurring the risk of fluctuating torque or increasing the heating value of the inverter.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-319263 suggests a system having means for detecting current that flows through each of the arms of an inverter. This system enables determination on the occurrence of short circuit at a switching element in any one of the arms of the inverter. This patent document also suggests providing a breaker circuit between an inverter and a power source, so that a flow of current can be shut down between the inverter and the power source as to the phase the short circuit has occurred.
The conventional system mentioned above has a breaker circuit for the purpose of avoiding the problems of torque fluctuation and heating caused by the short circuit. Provision of such a breaker circuit, however, may unignorably increase the number of parts and the size of an inverter circuit.
Recently, a system for hybrid vehicles has been put into practical use. In this system, rotary shafts for a three-phase motor and a three-phase generator are linked to a rotary shaft of an internal combustion engine through a torque-splitting mechanism. This system is adapted to control the output torque of the three-phase motor by operating the inverter at the time of stopping the internal combustion engine, and to allow the vehicle to travel with this output torque. Also, when the internal combustion engine is in operation, this system is adapted to operate the inverter to control an amount of generated power of the three-phase generator.
In the above system as well, the occurrence of short circuit at any one of the arms of the inverter for the three-phase generator may cause the problems of torque fluctuations of the generator and increase in the heating value of the inverter. Further, when the torque of the generator and the motor is transmitted to the rotary shaft through the torque-splitting mechanism, the rotary shaft of the internal combustion engine is rotated even when the internal combustion engine is stopped, incurring the risk of vibrating the power transmission system. Also, when short circuit occurs at any one of the arms of the inverter for the three-phase motor, limp home processes may desirably be carried out by using the output torque of the internal combustion engine as a driving force. However, the occurrence of short circuit may introduce load torque to the three-phase motor to cause difficulty in appropriately transmitting the output torque of the internal combustion engine to the drive wheels.
The conventional control system mentioned above does not take measures for such problems involved in the system for hybrid vehicles.

Control system for multiphase rotary electric machine


A system, method and program product for authenticating an e-mail. A user requests to register a visual signature image with a sending mail server, and in response, the sending mail server furnishes a first identifier to the user. Subsequently, the user requests the sending mail server to send an e-mail with the visual signature image and supplies the e-mail and first identifier to the sending mail server. In response, the sending mail server validates the first identifier, and sends the e-mail with a second identifier to a receiving mail server. In response, the receiving mail server validates the second identifier. The second identifier identifies an addressee of the e-mail, and the receiving mail server validates the second identifier by comparing the addressee identified by the acceptance identifier to an addressee within the e-mail. The sending mail server embeds the second identifier in the visual signature image and sends the visual signature image with the embedded second identifier to the receiving mail server. The invention also resides in the image representing an originator of an e-mail and/or an attachment to the e-mail; the image is included in the e-mail, an icon for the attachment or the attachment. The image includes an identity of an originator and an identity of a recipient intended by the originator. The e-mail with the added image is sent to the intended recipient. The image and identities of the originator and recipient authenticate the e-mail and/or the attachment.

The invention relates generally to computer systems, and deals more particularly with a system, method and program product for authenticating an e-mail and/or an attachment to the e-mail.
Electronic mail or "e-mail" is common today. One problem with e-mail is proving to the recipient that the sender of an e-mail (with or without an attachment) is the person indicated as the sender. It was known to superimpose an image of a human signature or facial portrait to an e-mail to prove that the sender of the e-mail is the author of the e-mail. The signature image is thereby sent with the e-mail to the intended recipient. See for example, Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application #2001-125846. One problem with this technique is that a forger who has access to the signature image can copy the signature image onto another e-mail authored by the forger. Also, nothing prevents the recipient of the e-mail from detaching an attachment (for example, a data file) to the e-mail, attaching it to another e-mail, and transferring the attachment as his or her own work to others with this other e-mail. In such a case, the recipient of this other e-mail with the attachment cannot be sure that the sender of this other e-mail authored the attachment.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to discourage forgery of e-mails.
Another object of the present invention is to authenticate the author of an e-mail.
Another object of the present invention is to authenticate the author of an attachment to an e-mail.
Another object of the present invention is to enable tracing of an original sender and original receiver of an e-mail and/or an attachment to the e-mail.

System, method and program product for authenticating an e-mail and/or attachment


Branches are grouped into a group 1 including first and second branches, and a group 2 including third and fourth branches. The signal after being passed through a dual pin photodiode in one branch included in the group 1 and being at the earlier stage of a CDR circuit is obtained. Also, from the later stage of the CDR circuit in the other branch in the group 1 is obtained. The obtained signals are passed through low pass filters, and an average value over a plurality of symbols is obtained. The signal from the earlier stage of the CDR circuit is multiplied by the signal from the later stage, and they are averaged. The obtained value reflects the phase difference of the two delay interferometers in the group 1. The group 2 is monitored by using the same method.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a Differential Eight-value Phase Shift Keying (D8PSK) optical receiver, and particularly to a phase monitor to be used in a D8PSK optical receiver, and to a phase controlling method using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
When the D8PSK method is employed, accurate setting of optical phase differences among arms of interferometers in a receiver is important. When the setting of the optical phase differences is not accurate, optical waveforms deteriorate beyond the tolerance. In order to obtain the accurate optical phase differences, a feedback control is performed generally. By the feedback control, phase adjustment signals are created for adjusting phases in a receiver by monitoring phase errors in the receiver such that the phase remains having the target value. In the dithering control which is a typical method of feedback, penalties are caused because the phase error is caused at the optimum point. And, the amount of penalties caused by the phase error in the D8PSK method is twice that in the DQPSK or more.
FIG. 1 shows the relationship between the phase shift of interferometers in a receiver and the Q-penalty in the cases of the D8PSK method and the DQPSK method respectively.
When the phase shift is zero, the Q-penalty is zero in both of the methods. However, with increased phase shift, the amount of the Q-penalties in the D8PSK increases twice faster than that in the DQPSK or more.
One example of control methods in the dithering control is explained here. In the dithering control, in order to determine whether or not the current phase is at the optimum point, the phase of the interferometers is slightly shifted. If the waveform deteriorates (if BER (Bit Error Rate) increases) with the above slightly shifted phase more than that with the original phase, it is determined that the original phase is closer to the optimum point. If the BER decreases with the slightly shifted phase, it is determined that the shifted phase is closer to the optimum point. The example of this is shown in the graph of the D8PSK in FIG. 1, in which even when a phase is at the optimum point (when phase is not shifted), the waveform deteriorates approximately by 0.2 dB due to the dithering control if the phase is shifted by 1 degrees by the dithering control being performed once.
Additionally, in the D8PSK, it is necessary to set to different phase states four interferometers for demodulation in order to demodulate all the signals.
Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a fundamental technique of the D8PSK. Non-Patent Document 2 discloses a technique in which the OSNR and the dispersion tolerance necessary for D8PSK systems are experimentally obtained. Non-Patent Document 3 discloses a technique in which parameters important to design of receivers and transmitters in the D8PSK are calculated.
Non-Patent Document 1
    Kim et al., "Direct-detection optical differential 8-level phase-shift keying (OD8PSK) for spectrally efficient transmission", OPTICS EXPRESS Vol. 12, No. 15, 26 Jul. 2004Non-Patent Document 2    Serbay et al., "Experimental Investigation of RZ-8DPSK at 3×10.7 Gb/s", 2005 IEEE WE3 9:00-9:15, p. 483-p. 484Non-Patent Document 3    Han et al, "Sensitivity Limits and Degradations in OD8PSK", IEEE PHOTONICS TECHNOLOGY LETTERS, VOL. 17, NO. 3, MARCH 2005, p. 720-p. 722
Because optical communication systems employing the D8PSK method have been introduced just in recent years, many methods of controlling transmitters or receivers therefor are not suggested.


A vehicle control system with user-guided calibration is presented. In one embodiment, a vehicle control system is presented comprising an output device and circuitry operative to provide an output, via the output device, that guides a user through a plurality of calibration steps in a particular order. The circuitry can additionally or alternatively be operative to determine which of the calibration steps, if any, to present as a next calibration step based on whether a given calibration step is successful. Other embodiments are provided, and each of the embodiments can be used alone or in combination with one another.

For the first time in history, microprocessor, control system, and satellite navigation technologies are being combined to put heavy machine control systems into the hands of agricultural users. In the year 2000, the first hands-free, sub-inch steering control systems were sold in North America. An example of such a system is the AutoFarm™ GPS 5001 AutoSteer™ System by IntergriNautics Corp., which is the assignee of the present invention. Today, thousands of farm vehicles are equipped with vehicle control systems to enable hands-free steering in operational fields.
Designing a system to control the motion of vehicles with non-linear sensors and actuators, varying vehicle dimensions, varying dynamic responses, and differing actuators (e.g., steering mechanisms) can be very difficult. Due to the complex nature of farm vehicles and the challenges of steering a huge vehicle to sub-inch precision, accurate system calibration is important to ensure the highest level of vehicle performance. The order in which calibration steps are performed is important to properly calibrate a vehicle control system, and it is not generally obvious which calibration steps must be performed before others. Although some vehicle control systems have a graphical user interface to make the calibration process more user-friendly, the person performing the calibration must still know which calibration steps to perform before others. Accordingly, the calibration of vehicle control systems typically requires a trained expert, such as an engineer or highly-trained technician, who knows the proper order of the calibration steps.
It is desired to simplify the installation and calibration procedures of vehicle control systems used on farm and other vehicles so calibration can be performed by a service mechanic or untrained user instead of an engineer or highly-trained technician.

Vehicle control system with user-guided calibration


A method is provided for selecting a bootstrap processor from among the processors of a multiprocessor system. Each processor has an identity code and each processor that is eligible to serve as the bootstrap processor sends an election message to processors having lower valued identity codes. If no processor having a lower valued identity code responds to the election message, the processor that originated the election message designates itself as the bootstrap processor and sends a message to all processors indicating itself as the bootstrap processor.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to the field of multi-processor systems, and in particular to systems and methods for selecting a bootstrap processor in multi-processor systems.
2. Background Art
Advanced computer systems increasingly rely on multiple processors to provide the computational power necessary to meet the demands of the applications they run. In these systems, processing functions are distributed among the component processors to minimize bottle-necks at any one processor. One approach to multi-processing that has been especially successful treats each processor in the system as equivalent. These systems are referred to as symmetric multi-processor (SMP) systems since the different processors are indistinguishable for purposes of scheduling and executing code. This equivalency greatly facilitates the balancing of work loads among the processors and simplifies the requirements of the operating system. Since all processors are treated as equivalents for executing threads, additional processors may be added to SMP systems without altering the software. This ability to increase the system's processing power easily by adding resources, e.g. processors, is referred to as scalability.
An element of asymmetry in SMP systems is introduced by the need to select a single processor to bootstrap the system. At system start-up and whenever the system is reset, each processor in an SMP system typically is responsible for determining that its internal components and interfaces are functioning properly. The bootstrap processor (BSP) is unique in that it handles initialization procedures for the system as a whole. These procedures include checking the integrity of memory, identifying properties of the system logic, loading the operating system into memory, and starting the remaining processors. Since these functions temporarily introduce asymmetry into SMP systems by assigning a unique role to the BSP, it is desirable to make the selection of the BSP as symmetric as possible.
Conventional systems employ a variety of techniques for selecting a BSP from among the processors of an SMP system. In one SMP system, the processors are coupled through a dedicated, open collector interrupt bus. On reset, each processor asserts an inverted form of an assigned processor identification number (processor ID) onto a shared line of the interrupt bus. As soon as a processor asserting a one on the line detects that another processor is asserting a zero, the first processor relinquishes the line. The processor that survives this arbitration procedure is the processor having the highest valued processor ID. This processor gains control of the bus and sends a message to all processors on the interrupt bus, identifying itself as the BSP. This approach is exemplified by SMP systems based on the Pentium.RTM. Pro microprocessor of Intel corporation.
There are a number of short-comings in this approach to BSP selection. It requires a dedicated interrupt bus. This bus is relatively slow by the standards of today's processor speeds, making the boot process unnecessarily slow. In addition, each bus can only support clusters of up to four processors. Additional processors must be accommodated in separate clusters, and the need for a dedicated interrupt bus makes it difficult to extend the method across multiple clusters.
Another method for selecting the BSP simply designates the processor in a specified slot as the BSP. This strategy introduces a permanent asymmetry into the SMP system, and if the processor in the designated slot fails, no mechanism is provided for designating a different processor as the BSP.
Other methods for selecting BSPs in SMP systems identify the first processor to write to a shared variable as the BSP. In one of these SMP systems, a semaphore is stored at a specified address in memory, and the first of the system's processors to successfully read & set the semaphore value is designated as the BSP. This method, however, requires the use of memory before memory has been tested for reliability by the BSP.
An alternative semaphore-based method has the processors of the SMP system write to a non-volatile memory location, which is usually a register on the system logic or chip set. In this alternative, the chipset includes a read/write register for each processor in the SMP system and a shared register that is accessible to all processors. The processor registers and shared register act together as a semaphore for a critical section of code that must be executed by the BSP. Various algorithms are employed to ensure that only one processor executes the critical code and that this processor's ID is saved in the shared register to identify the BSP.
This method requires that the number of processors in the system be known ahead of time, since a register must be provided in the chipset for each. This limits the scalability of the SMP system and requires additional logic in the chipset for storing the processor ID of the first processor that writes to its assigned register into the shared memory location. It also requires coordination between the chipset logic and the processors prior to boot.
Thus, there is a need for a system and method for selecting a bootstrap processor in a multi-processor system that is scaleable and that can be implemented quickly by the processors of the system, without coordination with memory, the chipset logic, and other implementation dependent components of the multi-processor system.

Bootstrap processor selection architecture in SMP systems


Wax compositions that have a high triacylglycerol content are provided. The wax compositions can be used to produce candle and are particularly useful in the production of container candles. The wax compositions commonly have a melting point of about 50° C. to 57° C. and include a triacylglycerol component which has a fatty acid composition including about 14 to 25 wt. % 16:0 fatty acid; about 20 to 30 wt. % 18:0 fatty acid; and about 45 to 60 wt. % 18:1 fatty acid. Methods of producing candles from a triacylglycerol-based wax and kits, which include the triacylglycerol-based wax, are also provided.

Candles have been known and used for illumination since early civilization. The earliest candles are thought to have been developed by the Egyptians who soaked the pithy cores of reeds in molten tallow and to make rushlights or torches. The Romans are credited with developing the first candle which utilized a wick. The Romans also used tallow, derived from cattle or sheep suet, for candle wax. Around the middle ages beeswax was found to be suitable in candles. Beeswax candles were desirable over other candles because beeswax does not produce a smoky flame, or emit unpleasant odor when burned. Then, as now, beeswax candles were expensive, and prohibitively so, preventing most people from enjoying their advantages. Candles produced from molds first appeared in 15th century France.
In the American Northwest, Native Americans produced light by inserting oily candlefish (dried smelt) into the Y of a slit stick and lighting it. In a similar vein, the Stormy Petrel, and other birds having high fat content, were inserted with a wick and lit like candles.
America's first contribution to candlemaking occurred in colonial times when it was discovered that the grayish-green berries of bayberry bushes could be boiled to produce a sweet-smelling wax that burned cleanly. Unfortunately, extracting wax from bayberries is extremely tedious and the popularity of candles made from bayberry wax soon diminished. Candlemaking next benefited from the growth of the whaling industry because spermaceti, a wax obtained from the head of a sperm whale by crystallizing the whale oil, became widely available. Spermaceti, like beeswax, burned without an acrid odor and was also found to be harder than either beeswax or tallow. This was advantageous because spermaceti did not soften or bend in the heat of summer.
The Industrial Revolution next shaped the production of candles by providing machines which produced candles and paraffin wax, which is produced by refining oil and coal shales. Paraffin, a bluish-white wax, burned cleanly with no unpleasant odor and was more economical to produce than any previous candle fuel. Paraffin did have one drawback, a low melting point, which may have been a threat to its commercial viability if not for the introduction of stearic acid, a by-product of animal fat, into candles.
After the light bulb was introduced in the late nineteenth century the need for candles diminished. A renewed popularity for candles emerged, especially for holidays and religious ceremonies, in the first half of the twentieth century. Much of this growth can be attributed to the growth of petrochemical refining and commercial meat production, which produce the two main constituents of present day candles—paraffin and stearic acid.
Recently environmental, health and supply concerns have sprung up concerning the use of petroleum byproducts in candles. Candle wax formulations based upon natural materials, and in particular vegetable oils, have thus been proposed. However, the production of candles from these waxes has suffered several drawbacks, including cracking, air pocket formation, product shrinkage and a natural product odor associated with vegetable materials. Various soybean-based waxes have been reported to suffer performance problems relating to optimum flame size, effective wax and wick performance matching for an even burn, maximum burning time, failure to achieve a consistent appearance upon resolidification after melting, product color integration and/or product shelf life.
Additionally, there are several types of candles, including taper, votive, pillar, container candles and the like, each of which places its own unique requirements on the wax used in the candle. For example, container candles, where the wax and wick are held in a container, typically glass, metal or the like, require lower melting points, specific burning characteristics such as wider melt pools, and should desirably adhere to the container walls. The melted wax should preferably retain a consistent appearance upon resolidification.
In order to achieve the aesthetic and functional product surface and quality sought by consumers of candles, it would be advantageous to develop new waxes based on vegetable oil that overcome as many of these deficiencies as possible. Utilizing vegetable oil-based waxes would also provide an additional outlet for agricultural production and has the potential for reducing the cost of candle waxes due to a ready supply of raw materials. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have vegetable based wax materials which can be used to form clean burning base materials for forming candles. The candle base materials should preferably have physical characteristics, e.g., in terms of melting point, hardness and/or malleability, that permit the material to be readily formed into container candles having a pleasing appearance and/or feel to the touch, as well as having desirable olfactory properties.