A defrost recycle apparatus and method for use with a temperature control system is provided. The temperature control system includes a heat transfer unit for removing heat from an enclosed space. The temperature control system automatically defrosts the heat transfer unit based upon a default defrost control strategy. After the termination of a defrost operation initiated according to the default defrost control strategy, the defrost recycle apparatus determines if the defrost operation was successful (completely defrosted the heat transfer unit) based upon two parameters associated with the defrost operation. In the preferred embodiment, the defrost recycle apparatus determines the success of the defrost operation based upon the temperature in the vicinity of the heat transfer unit after a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the termination of the defrost operation. If the defrost recycle operation determines that the defrost operation was not successful, the defrost recycle apparatus sends a force defrost signal to the temperature control system to initiate a recycle defrost operation.

Temperature control systems generally include a heat transfer unit, such as an evaporator coil or heat pump, disposed to affect the temperature of air within an enclosed space. When a certain amount of frost accumulates on such heat transfer units, the heat transfer characteristics of the heat transfer unit change dramatically, causing a significant decline in the efficiency of the temperature control system.
Consequently, temperature control systems have been developed which automatically defrost their heat transfer units after a period of frost accumulation. The numerous automatic defrosting temperature control systems that have been developed have implemented various strategies to determine when a defrost operation should be initiated. The accuracy of these strategies has a significant effect on the overall efficiency of the temperature control system because, for any given heat transfer unit, the heat transfer characteristics of the heat transfer unit alter abruptly and appreciably after a specific amount of frost has accumulated on the heat transfer unit. The specific amount of frost accumulation which will cause this abrupt decline in efficiency is typically known to the manufacturer of the heat transfer unit.
Attempts have been made to design temperature control systems which automatically defrost their heat transfer units before frost accumulates beyond this known limit in order to achieve optimum efficiency. However, optimum efficiency cannot be realized if the heat transfer unit is defrosted too frequently.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,988 issued to Allard et. al. on Feb. 24, 1981 discloses one such temperature control system designed to initiate defrost operations just prior to the accumulation of the critical amount of frost. The Allard temperature control system initiates a defrost operation based upon the duration of a previous defrost operation. Specifically, the time required to defrost the heat transfer unit when the heat transfer unit contains the critical limit of frost accumulation is determined. Then, during operation, the temperature control system monitors the actual time required to defrost the heat transfer unit. If the actual time to defrost the heat transfer unit is greater than the time it would have taken to defrost the unit after a frost build operation of optimal duration, then too much frost was allowed to accumulate during the previous frost build operation (i.e., the defrost operation was initiated too late). On the other hand, if the actual time to defrost the heat transfer unit is less than the time it would have taken to defrost the heat transfer unit after a frost accumulation of optimal duration, then the previous frost build operation was too short (i.e., the defrost operation was initiated too soon). Based on this information, the time allowed for the current frost build operation is adjusted to be longer than the previous frost build operation if the previous defrost operation took less time than it should have, or to be shorter than the previous frost build operation if the previous defrost operation took more time than it should have.
Because the Allard defrosting strategy hinges on the duration of the actual time it takes to defrost a heat transfer unit, it is critical to accurately ascertain when the heat transfer unit is completely defrosted. If the defrost operation terminates prematurely (i.e., before the heat transfer unit is completely defrosted), then the duration of the defrost operation will not accurately reflect the time required to actually defrost the heat transfer unit. Consequently, any adjustments to the frost build time based on the duration of the defrost operation will be inaccurate.
The Allard temperature control system employs a conventional defrost thermostat (element 11) to indicate that the heat transfer unit is free of frost, and consequently to terminate the defrost operation. The defrost thermostat is placed in the vicinity of the heat transfer unit and configured to open its contacts when a predetermined defrosting temperature is exceeded. Thus, since the duration of frost build operations is determined based upon the duration of defrost operations, and the duration of defrost operations is determined by the operation of a defrost thermostat, the efficiency of the entire Allard temperature control system hinges on the accuracy of the defrost thermostat to indicate when the heat transfer unit is completely defrosted.
Based upon the foregoing, it is clearly desirable to provide an apparatus and method for checking the accuracy of a defrost completion indicator, such as a thermostat. It is further desirable to provide an apparatus and method for determining if a previous defrost operation terminated prematurely. It is further desirable to provide an apparatus and method for initiating a subsequent defrost operation if it is determined that a previous defrost operation terminated prematurely. Finally, it is clearly desirable to provide an apparatus and method for use with a temperature control system for initiating a second defrost operation if, after a first defrost operation, the heat transfer unit is not completely defrosted.


A multi-channel microphone receiver (MCR) for two or more wireless microphones (M1, . . . , MN) comprises a network interface and at least one mixer (MX) adapted for mixing audio signals (D1, . . . , DN) of the microphones. The mixer may be configured without any reconfiguration of the actual network being required. In addition to the single audio channels, the audio signal mixed according to the configuration may be output via a separate audio output channel (DOMx, AOMx), which may be analog or digital.

Wireless microphone receiving systems receive usually from a wireless microphone a radio signal modulated with an audio signal, which they demodulate so as to regain the audio signal. This audio signal is then provided for example to a sound system, also known as PA (Public Address) system, or to any other device for audio reproduction or audio processing.
However, often several wireless microphones are required simultaneously. For this case, wireless microphone receiving systems are known that provide separate radio links for a plurality of microphones. Usually, each wireless microphone uses an individual radio channel, so that these wireless microphone receiving systems are designed as multi-channel receivers. The multi-channel receivers output the audio signals of the various microphones separately from each other on separate channels. The audio signals can be combined with each other by mixing in a separate mixing console. Both for single-channel receivers and multi-channel receivers, the output signals can be provided via a network interface to a network.
Extensive systems in larger buildings, for example in conference centers or in lecture halls of universities, often use a network with a central control point for audio transmission. The audio signals of any particular room that were mixed in a separate mixing console are then routed back via the network and the central control point to the respective room, and potentially to other rooms, in order to be reproduced there through loudspeakers of a PA system. The network is also used for feeding the audio signals to be mixed to the mixing console. The audio signals may also be transmitted as radio signals directly to the audience, who may receive and replay them with appropriate receivers. For example, DE102018128214A1 discloses a method and a device for selecting an audio data stream by means of a smartphone, where a radio signal comprises a plurality of audio data streams. The smartphone detects one of the audio data streams as corresponding to the ambience sound and selects this audio data stream for playback.
Such extensive systems may be improved by further functions that increase their flexibility. For example, especially in the case of multi-channel microphone receivers, configuration options are limited, especially for a user located in the respective room. Moreover, a reduction of data traffic would be desirable to relieve the network.

Multi-channel microphone receiver with mixed channel


The invention provides a two-part adhesive composition making it possible to mutually bond disk substrates within a relatively short time and to produce an optical disk, and an optical disk having a metal film, corrosion of which is restricted under a high-temperature high-humidity condition, and which is produced by using the two-part adhesive composition. A two-part adhesive composition of the invention comprises first and second parts each containing urethane acrylate having a polytetramethylene glycol skeleton and an acrylate having a hydroxyl group in its molecule, wherein the first part further contains a diacyl peroxide and the second part further contains a tertiary amine. Organic peroxide is preferably diacyl peroxide and a setting promoter is preferably a tertiary amine. Either one, or both, of the first and second parts may further contain a photo-polymerization initiator.

This invention relates to an adhesive composition for an optical disk. More particularly, this invention relates to an adhesive composition that will be useful for producing an optical disk that is used as an optical recording medium having a structure in which transparent substrates are bonded to each other and which is provided with at least one reflecting metal film, and to an optical disk using the adhesive composition.
Optical disks known as a high-density recording medium such as DVD have been used vigorously as a recording medium in versatile fields for recording music and images, and for computer-associated recording. In such optical disks, digital signals recorded on the disk are detected as the changes of reflection intensity of a semiconductor laser beam emitted from an optical read head so as to read recorded data. These disks include read-only disks, disks capable of writing but not capable of erasing, and disks capable of both writing and erasing.
When two substrates are bonded to each other by bonding, bonding by using a photocuring type adhesive is effective for a one-side type disk (in which recorded data is read only from one side) because rays of light transmit from the side of a transparent substrate (a dummy substrate), and this bonding method has been mainly employed for a practical production of DVD. In a double-side type (in which recorded data are read from both sides), on the other hand, the photocuring type adhesive cannot be used because opaque substrates are bonded to each other. Thermosetting adhesives (an epoxy type, a melamine type, a urethane type, an acrylic type, etc.) and hot-melt adhesives have been used in the past in order to bond such opaque substrates to each other.
However, the bonding method using the thermosetting adhesive or a hot-melt adhesive requires heating, and involves the problem of warp and deformation of the substrates. The disk bonded by the hot-melt adhesive has the problem of low thermal stability. Therefore, a delay curing photo-cationic setting type epoxy adhesive has been widely used to bond opaque substrates to each other.
When the delay curing photo-cationic setting type epoxy adhesive is used, the adhesive is first applied to the substrates before bonding, and the rays of light are irradiated to start the reaction. The substrates are bonded during this reaction and are left standing until the adhesive is completely set. This method involves the problem that adjustment of the reaction time is difficult. If the reaction time is designed excessively short, the reaction proceeds excessively before bonding so that bonding is likely to be insufficient. When the reaction time is excessively long, on the other hand, the time for keeping the substrates fixed gets elongated so as to prevent deviation and deformation of the substrates until adhesion is completed after bonding of the substrates. Productivity is remarkably deteriorated in this case. In the adhesive of this type, the catalyst creates an acid during the reaction. Though this acid is necessary for the reaction, the acid corrodes the recording film. Fillers for entrapping the acid are therefore added to prevent the corrosion. In consequence, the adhesive becomes likely to separate and to become opaque, and appearance of the inner peripheral transparent portion of the disk after bonding (a region not having signal recording) is deteriorated. This adhesive is applied by a screen-printing system. At this time, fine bubbles are entrapped in the applied adhesive and remain after bonding, too. Though this problem is not much severe in the past, it is believed to become critical when the recording capacity of the optical disk increases in future.
An attempt has been made also to use a two-part adhesive for bonding transparent substrates for DVD. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 7-37274 mixes a two-part adhesive by using a mixing applicator and then applies the mixture. In this case, since the setting reaction starts occurring immediately after mixing, the time from the application to bonding is limited. If a blend design that retards the setting reaction is employed, the problem of productivity occurs in the same way as in the case of the photo-cationic setting type epoxy adhesive. The adhesive used in this Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 7-37274 uses an acrylic acid ester monomer having a hydroxyl group in its molecule. However, this reference does not disclose an adhesive that uses this adhesive in combination with urethane acrylate having polytetramethylene glycol as a skeleton.
Japanese Examined Patent Publication (Kokoku) No. 4-43332 discloses a production method of an optical disk using a two-part type acrylic adhesive, wherein a first part is applied to one of disk substrates and a second part, to the other substrate, for bonding them together. However, the adhesive used is known (commercially available) and is not developed specifically in consideration of durability of optical disks. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) Nos. 11-120630 and 11-126379 describe the use of two-part type adhesives, but these adhesives are not specifically developed for optical disks, either.
Utilization of optical disks such as DVD as high-density recording media has been expanded, but no adhesive has yet been obtained that facilitates the production of double-side type read system disks that are more suitable for high-density recording, by mutually bonding substrates each provided with a signal recording layer.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a novel adhesive composition that makes it easier to mutually bond substrates each having a signal recording layer without deteriorating characteristics of a disk produced, such as durability.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a two-part adhesive composition comprising first and second parts each containing urethane acrylate having a polytetramethylene glycol skeleton and an acrylate having a hydroxyl group in its molecule, wherein the first part further contains diacyl peroxide and the second part further contains a tertiary amine.
Either one, or both, of the first and second parts may further contain a photo-polymerization initiator.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical disk including disk substrates bonded to each other and at least one reflecting metal film, wherein the disk substrates are bonded by using a two-part adhesive composition according to the present invention.
Urethane acrylate described above is preferably an oligomer comprising at least portions originating from tetramethylxylene diisocyanate, hydroxyethyl acrylate and ethylene glycol, respectively, besides the skeletal portion of polytetramethylene glycol.
The acrylate having a hydroxyl group in its molecule described above is preferably at least one kind of the members selected from the group consisting of hydroxyethyl acrylate, 2-hydroxypropyl acrylate, 4-hydroxybutyl acrylate and 2-hydroxy-3-phenoxypropyl acrylate, and more preferred are the former three members.

Adhesive composition and optical disk using the composition


A medical fluid suctioning device for selectively applying varied levels of suction pressure at a device-tissue interface includes a direct "trumpet"-type control mechanism in conjunction with a "venturi"-type control. A valve manifold is adapted to couple a vent pathway and a suction pathway simultaneously to the vacuum conduit adapted for connection to a vacuum source. The amount of resistance to flow due to vacuum pressure is adjusted simultaneously in both the vent pathway and the suction pathway in order to achieve controlled, selected levels of suction. Similarly shaped valve apertures are provided in inverse and reciprocal orientation along an axis of motion of a valve manifold. The apertures translate across ports to the suction and venting pathways simultaneously to vary applied suction to those pathways inversely. The shaped valve apertures preferably have diminished elliptical shapes having an elongate axis with an increasing cross-sectional area going from a transverse short axis to a transverse wide axis along the axis of motion of the valve manifold. The diminished elliptical shapes are inversely oriented relative to each other as regards the positioning of their wide and short transverse axis along the axis of motion.

Various medical devices have been disclosed which are adapted to either dispense fluids onto body tissues, suction fluids from body tissues, or to perform a combination of dispensing and suctioning fluids. Examples of such prior disclosure are provided in an overview fashion below.
Various known suction devices have been adapted for different medical applications. In such suction devices, several valve structures have been used to control and vary the amount of suction. These known valve mechanisms for medical suction devices generally: adjust the fluid communication with vacuum directly to the working tip, or alternatively, adjust the proportion of vacuum pressure directed to a vent pathway in parallel with the suction tip. Often, the specific valve structures for adjusting fluid passageways for suction are referred to as stopcock (1,2, or 3-way), gate, pinch, trumpet, or venturi valves.
Examples of suction devices using valve structures which adjust fluid communication directly with the vacuum source are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,645,497; 4,487,600; 4,504,266. Such devices which also combine fluid dispensing include U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,812,765; 3,208,145; 4,696,669; 4,776,840; 4,891,044; 5,061,180; 5,186,714; 5,295,956; 5,476,450; 5,603,700. Furthermore, such devices that adjust suction in a variably-controlled amount are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,645,497; 4,776,840; and 5,368,560.
One type of mechanism such as that just described is a "pinch valve", such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,696,669 and 5,295,956. U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,956 to Bales et al. discloses a pinch valve providing variable suction control in a hand-held endoscopic suctioning device. In this device, a suction passageway is held closed by a spring-loaded hook (preferably plastic) which is attached to a trigger button. Upon "pulling" the trigger, the attached hook relieves the compression of the flexible tubing, opening the suction passageway. Hence, depending on the displacement of the trigger button, the suction may be controlled.
Similar to pinch valves, trumpet valves also affect fluid communication between the vacuum source and the working tip. Rather than constrict the passageway, however, the trumpet valve functions by controlling the degree of blockage in the suction passageway; thereby adjusting the amount of fluid flowing through the suction passageway.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,645,497 to Nyboer discloses a hand-held variable controlled suction device adapted for use in dental applications. The passageway connecting the vacuum source to the working tip is entirely blocked by a thin plate when the user desires no vacuum pressure. Alternatively, to increase vacuum pressure at the working tip, the user can slide the plate in variable amounts; resulting in an increase or decrease in the amount of fluid flow through the passageway.
A hand-held medical evacuator and irrigation device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,840 to Freitas. Basically, two ports exist at the working end. One port is directly connected to a vacuum source and the other port either dispenses solution or provides a vacuum. In addition to the constant vacuum port, a second, and adjustable, suction is created by pressing a conveniently located plunger with the user's thumb. By depressing the plunger, the vacuum source communicates with the dispensing port and simultaneously prevents any backflow from contaminating the fluid reservoir. Furthermore, the plunger is tapered which, depending on its displacement, adjusts fluid flow (suction) between the vacuum source and the dispensing port.
In addition to trumpet-type valves, suction may be adjusted by changing the proportion of vacuum pressure directed to a vent pathway in parallel to the working suction tip. These structures are herein referred to as "venturi"-type structures. When the vent pathway is covered, vacuum pressure at the working tip is greatest and all suction is through the passageway. On the other hand, when the vent pathway is open, suction is primarily through the vent pathway and the working tip sees little suction. Furthermore, the amount of vacuum pressure may be adjusted in proportion to the amount of fluid flow through the vent pathway. However, when the working tip is occluded, this control is generally believed to have little sensitivity because most suction flows through the vent pathway.
Examples of venturi-type valves used in medical suction devices are described in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,469,582; 3,625,221; 4,356,823; 4,445,517; 4,617,013; 4,699,138; 4,857,047; 5,024,615; 5,226,877. These devices, which also dispense solution, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,617,013; 4,857,047; and 5,226,877. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,625,221, adjustable venturi suction is disclosed and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,419,769 and 3,469,582, a venturi suction actuates another member to communicate fluid flow between the vacuum source and the working tip.
In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,615 to Buchel discloses a suction device used for surgical operations with a venturi-type valve used to adjust vacuum pressure. The amount of fluid flow through the vent pathway is adjusted by the user's finger-tip and accordingly, the vacuum pressure at the working tip of the device is adjusted.
In addition to trumpet and venturi-type mechanisms described above, another device structure creating mild suction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,300,022 to Klapper et al. Here, however, suction is created as an irrigating solution flows across a drainage (vacuum inlet) port at the working tip. Due to the cone shaped structure, the irrigating solution is deflected downward away from the drainage port, creating a mild venturi suction.
In addition to the cited references provided above, further disclosures of suction devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,206,126; 3,065,749; 3,949,748; 4,573,979; 4,904,328; 5,024,654; 5,145,367; 5,348,542; 5,433,705.
There is still a need for a medical suctioning device that provides for the controllable selection of varied levels of suction at a working tip.
There is also still a need for a medical suctioning device which inversely and reciprocally adjusts the proportion of applied suction between a suction pathway in a working tip and a vent pathway.

Medical suctioning apparatus and methods of use


A catering cart that includes a brake arrangement and has a height which is substantially greater than its width and length, particularly a catering cart for use in confined spaces, such as the aisles of passenger aircraft and railway diners, wherein the cart is adapted for connection to another similar cart and is provided with four wheels, of which at least two can be locked with the aid of a toothed rack that can be swung into engagement with a toothed wheel fixedly mounted on a respective wheel and which is maneuverable with the aid of a pedal located on the serving side of the cart, through the medium of a brake rod. The catering cart is characterized by at least one coupling element mounted on the side of the cart opposite to the serving side thereof, wherein the coupling element is rotatable in a vertical plane and includes an outwardly directed cam and a groove, an operating rod carrying the coupling element and connected to the pedal, and wherein the operating rod, and therewith the coupling element, is rotated through about 90.degree. when actuating the cart braking arrangement.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a service cart or trolley and then particularly to a catering cart or trolley for use in confined spaces such as the aisles of passenger aircraft and railway diners, wherein the cart is adapted for connection to another similar cart and is provided with four wheels, of which at least two can be locked with the aid of a toothed rack which can be swung into engagement with a toothed wheel fixedly mounted on a respective wheel and which is maneuverable with the aid of a pedal located on the serving side of the cart, through the medium of a brake rod.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The catering carts of the kind intended here can be attended to from two opposite directions and are normally designed to carry food trays placed from the bottom of the trolley and upwards, although the carts may alternatively be designed for other purposes. The known catering carts, however, are encumbered with certain drawbacks. For instance, because they shall be attended from both ends of the cart they have a length which corresponds to twice the length of a food tray. Another drawback is that the personnel in attendance are forced to bend or squat in order to reach trays located at the bottom of the trolley. This is an uncomfortable task and is liable to result in bodily wear and tear in the passage of time. Even when the cart is loaded from only one side, i.e. does not require the presence of two attendants, it is still necessary to attend to the cart as a whole, for instance in an aircraft. Such handling involves unnecessarily tiresome work on the part of the personnel involved. Applicant's parallel Patent Application 9601579-7 relates to a catering cart construction which enables two such carts to be mutually coupled to provide a cart of "twice the length".


A larger number, L', of delta vectors .DELTA..sub.i (i=0, 1, 2, . . . , L'-1) than the required number L are each multiplied by a matrix of a linear predictive synthesis filter (3), their power (A.DELTA..sub.i).sup.T (A.DELTA..sub.i) is evaluated (42), and the delta vectors are reordered in decreasing order of power (43); then, L delta vectors are selected in decreasing order of power, the largest power first, to construct a tree-structure data code book (41), using which A-b-S vector quantization is performed (48). This provides increased freedom for the space formed by the delta vectors and improves quantization characteristics. Further, variable rate encoding is achieved by taking advantage of the structure of the tree-structure data code book.

In recent years, a speech encoder based on A-b-S vector quantization, such as a code-excited linear prediction (CELP) encoder, has been drawing attention in the fields of LAN systems, digital mobile radio systems, etc., as a promising speech encoder capable of compressing speech signal information without degrading its quality. In such a vector quantization speech encoder (hereinafter simply called the encoder), predictive weighting is applied to each code vector in a code book to reproduce a signal, and an error power between the reproduced signal and the input speech signal is evaluated to determine a number (index) for a code vector with the smallest error prior to transmission to the receiving end.
The encoder based on such an A-b-S vector quantization system performs linear predictive filtering on each of the speech source signal vectors according to about 1,000 patterns stored in the code book, and searches the about 1,000 patterns for the one pattern that minimizes the error between a reproduced signal and the input speech signal to be encoded.
Since the encoder is required to ensure the instantaneousness of voice communication, the above search process must be performed in real time. This means that the search process must be performed repeatedly at very short time intervals, for example, at 5 ms intervals, for the duration of voice communication.
However, as will be described in detail, the search process involves complex mathematical operations, such as filtering and correlation calculations, and the amount of calculation required for these mathematical operations will be enormous, for example, in the order of hundreds of megaoperations per second (Mops). To handle such operations, a number of chips will be required even if the fastest digital signal processors (DSPs) currently available are used. In portable telephone applications, for example, this will present a problem as it will make it difficult to reduce the equipment size and power consumption.
To overcome the above problem, the present applicant proposed, in Japanese Patent Application No. 3-127669 (Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 4-352200), a speech encoding system using a tree-structure code book wherein instead of storing code vectors themselves as in previous systems, a code book, in which delta vectors representing differences between signal vectors are stored, is used, and these delta vectors are sequentially added and subtracted to generate code vectors according to a tree structure.
According to this system, the memory capacity required to store the code book can be reduced drastically; furthermore, since the filtering and correlation calculations, which were previously performed on each code vector, are performed on the delta vectors and the results are sequentially added and subtracted, a drastic reduction in the amount of calculation can be achieved.
In this system, however, the code vectors are generated as a linear combination of a small number of delta vectors that serve as fundamental vectors; therefore, the generated code vectors do not have components other than the delta vector components. More specifically, in a space where the vectors to be encoded are distributed (usually, 40- to 64-dimensional space), the code vectors can only be mapped in a subspace having a dimension corresponding at most to the number of delta vectors (usually, 8 to 10).
Accordingly, the tree-structure delta code book has had the problem that the quantization characteristic degrades as compared with the conventional code book free from structural constraints even if the fundamental vectors (delta vectors) are well designed on the basis of the statistic distribution of the speech signal to be encoded.
Noting that when the linear predictive filtering operation is performed on each code vector to evaluate the distance, amplification is not achieved uniformly for all vector components but is achieved with a certain bias, and that the contribution each delta vector makes to code vectors in the tree-structure delta code book can be changed by changing the order of the delta vectors, the present applicant proposed, in Japanese Patent Application No. 3-515016, a method of improving the characteristic by using a tree-structure code book wherein each time the coefficient of the linear predictive filter is determined, a filtering operation is performed on each delta vector and the resulting power (the length of the vector) is compared, as a result of which the delta vectors are reordered in order of decreasing power.
However, with this method also, code vectors are generated from a limited number of delta vectors, as with the previous method, so that there is a limit to improving the characteristic. A further improvement in the characteristic is therefore demanded.
Another challenge for the speech encoder based on A-b-S vector quantization is to realize variable bit rate encoding. Variable bit rate encoding is an encoding scheme capable of varying the bit rate such that the encoding bit rate is adaptively varied according to situations such as the remaining capacity of the transmission path, significance of the speech source, etc., to achieve a greater encoding efficiency as a whole.
If the vector quantization system is to be applied to variable bit rate voice encoding, it is necessary to prepare code books each containing patterns corresponding to each transmission rate, and perform encoding by switching the code book according to the desired transmission rate.
In the case of conventional code books each constructed from a simple arrangement of code vectors, N.times.M words of memory corresponding to the product of the vector dimension (N) and the number of patterns (M) would be necessary to store each code book. Since the number of patterns M is proportional to the n-th power of 2 where n is the bit length of an index of the code vector, the problem is that an enormous amount of memory will be required in order to increase the variable range of the transmission rate or to control the transmission rate in smaller increments.
Also, in variable bit rate transmission, there are cases in which the rate of the transmission signals has to be reduced according to a request from the transmission network side even after encoding. In such cases, the decoder has to reproduce the speech signal from bit-dropped information, i.e. information with some bits dropped from the encoded information generated by the encoder.
For scalar quantization, which is inferior in efficiency to vector quantization, various techniques have so far been devised to cope with bit drop situations, for example, by performing control so that bits are dropped from the LSB side in increasing order of significance, or by constructing a high bit rate quantizer in such a manner as to contain the quantization levels of a low bit rate quantizer (embedded encoding).
However, in the case of the vector quantization system that uses conventional code books constructed from a simple arrangement of code vectors, since no structuring schemes are employed in the construction of the code books, there are no differences in significance among index bits for a code vector (whether the dropped bit is the LSB or MSB, the result will be the same in that an entirely different vector is called), and the same techniques as employed for scalar quantization cannot be used. The resulting problem is that a bit drop situation will cause a significant degradation in sound quality.

Speech encoding method and apparatus using tree-structure delta code book


An off-counter tableware, cookware or utensils drying/storage space includes a mix of drawers and/or shelves distributed in upper and/or lower locations. The drawers and shelves allow water to evaporate off tableware, cookware or utensil which have been cleaned and placed in the drawer/shelf wet and also direct any water which does not evaporate to a collection point. In addition, a communal washing and/or rinsing station includes a primary washing and rinsing device with a default-spray nozzle. The station can include a high flow filling device and a filtered water faucet.

The present invention relates to systems and methods for intelligently and efficiently configuring and supporting communal culinary workspaces shared by multiple residents.
In many large cities, the cost of housing has grown at an astounding rate, while real income has fallen, and the percentage of income spent on housing has increased to over 40% of income for many urban residents. This creates a hardship for many in affording housing in their city. For example, almost 42% of adults in San Francisco manage the high cost of shelter by living with multiple housemates out of necessity. Immersion research and surveys identified frustrations that this group experiences with the cleaning and storage of dish and cookware in shared kitchens, as well as inadequacies in products available to address their collective needs. Interviews with industry representatives indicate a mismatch between these customers who share their residence, and the idealized home-maker customer who the kitchen product industry generally designs for. This mismatch can best be summarized as the shared kitchen needing to support multiple independent cook cycles, while the current industry focus is one cook cycle family kitchen. Cook cycle is defined here as the preparation and cleaning up after a meal or daily set of meals.
It is therefore apparent that an urgent need exists to adapt single family home kitchens to collaborative communal culinary workspaces. These improved culinary workspaces enable multiple residents to efficiently store and prepare food within such workspaces with limited footprint, while practicing good environmental stewardship.

Configurable collaborative communal culinary workspaces


Methods of manufacturing microelectronic device including, in one embodiment, forming a gate electrode over a substrate having an insulating layer interposing a bulk semiconductor portion and a thin semiconductor layer, and removing at least a portion of the thin semiconductor and insulating layers, thereby defining a pedestal comprising a portion of the thin semiconductor and insulating layers. Source/drain stressors are then formed contacting the source/drain extensions on opposing sides of the pedestal and substantially spanning a height no less than the pedestal.

As scaling of metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors (MOSFETs) continues, the doping concentration, gate oxide thickness, and source/drain (S/D) doping profiles that are required to control short-channel effects become increasingly difficult to meet. The heavy channel doping often required to provide adequate suppression of short-channel effects results in degraded mobility and enhanced junction leakage. In addition, the reduction of gate dielectric thickness for reduced short-channel effects and improved drive current leads to increased direct tunneling gate leakage current and standby power consumption.
One approach to controlling short-channel effects calls for employing a thin silicon film as the MOSFET channel, thereby diminishing or possibly eliminating sub-surface leakage paths. Such a concept is embodied in the thin-body MOSFET, in which the source-to-drain current is restricted to flow in a region near the gate. By not relying on a heavily-doped channel for the suppression of short-channel effects, mobility degradation due to impurity scattering may be reduced, as well as the threshold voltage fluctuation conventionally attributable to the random variation of the number of dopant atoms in the channel region.
However, quality control of the crystalline nature of such thin channels and manufacture of such devices have proven to be challenging. Moreover, the high impedance resulting from thin S/D regions often limits the device performance as device scaling continues.
S/D stressors having a SiGe composition have also been demonstrated as a possible approach not only to controlling short-channel effects due to retarded boron diffusion in SiGe but also improving hole mobility due to compressive strain in the channel. However, arsenic and phosphorus diffusion is enhanced in SiGe and compressive strain can significantly degrade electron mobility. Therefore, such an approach can only offer enhancements to p-MOSFET performance, while employing germanium in n-MOSFET S/D regions can actually exacerbate short-channel effects and diminish device performance.

Thin channel MOSFET with source/drain stressors

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


A flying head slider includes a write head element and a read head element mounted on the slider body. A first transformable actuator serves to protrude the write head element toward a recording medium. A second transformable actuator serves to protrude the read head element toward the recording medium. The first and second transformable actuators can separately be controlled. The amount of protrusion can thus be individually controlled for the write head element and the read head element. The flying height can individually be set above the surface of the recording medium for the write head element and the read head element. Such an adjustment of the flying height enables the write head element and the read head element to simultaneously get closest to the recording medium.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flying head slider including a slider body defining a medium opposed surface and read and write head elements mounted on the slider body at the medium opposed surface of the slider body.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A resistive element is sometimes incorporated in a flying head slider in a recording disk drive such as a hard disk drive, HDD, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-259323. The resistive element is embedded within an insulating material along with a write head element and a read head element. The resistive element generates heat in response to the supply of electric current. The heat of the resistive element causes expansion of the insulating material adjacent to the resistive element. The write head element and the read head element are likewise caused to expand. This results in protrusion of the write head element and the read head element toward the surface of the magnetic recording disk. The write head element and the read head element are thus allowed to get closest to the surface of the magnetic recording disk.
The resistive element, the read head element and the write head element are layered in this sequence in the flying head slider. The insulating material expands in a smaller amount at a position remoter from the resistive element. While the read head element is allowed to sufficiently protrude toward the magnetic recording disk, the protrusion of the write head element is suppressed. The write head element cannot thus sufficiently approach the magnetic recording disk. Magnetization cannot be established in the magnetic recording disk at a sufficient intensity in response to a magnetic field of the write head element.

Flying head slider and recording medium drive


A first mixer circuit mixes a first center frequency signal with a first local oscillation signal to generate a second mixed signal, and mixes the first center frequency signal with a second local oscillation signal to generate a first mixed signal, and a second mixer circuit mixes a second center frequency signal with the first local oscillation signal to generate a fourth mixed signal, and mixes the second center frequency signal with the second local oscillation signal to generate a third mixed signal. An adder and subtracter circuit subtracts the third mixed signal from the second mixed signal to output a signal of subtraction result as a first upper side band signal, and adds the first mixed signal to the fourth mixed signal to output a signal of addition result as a second upper side band signal different in phase from the first upper side band signal by 90 degrees.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reference signal generator circuit for use in, e.g., a wireless communication system, and in particular, a reference signal generator provided with two 90-degree phase shifters and two mixer circuits.
2. Description of the Related Art
In MB-OFDM (Multi-Band Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) which is a scheme for a UWB (Ultra Wide Band) system, as shown in FIG. 8, a frequency band (a band) in a range from 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz is divided into five groups G1 to G5. Each of the groups G1 to G5 has three sub-frequency bands (subbands) and requires high-rate frequency switching of 9.2 nanoseconds. Conventionally, oscillators for handling the seven subbands (B1 to B7 and B8 to B14) have been proposed in such a manner that wide-band PLL circuits are switched or a plurality of SSB mixers are used.
FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of a conventional reference signal generator circuit for use in a wireless communication system. FIG. 10 is a spectrum diagram showing a reference signal generated by the reference signal generator circuit shown in FIG. 9. Referring to FIG. 9, the reference signal generator circuit is configured to include a center frequency oscillator 90 for generating a reference signal having a center frequency fc, mixers 91 and 92, a shift frequency oscillator 93 for generating a local oscillation signal having a shift frequency Δf, a 90-degree phase shifter 94, low pass filters (LPFs) 95 and 97, high pass filters (HPFs) 96 and 98, and multiplexers 99 and 100 for selectively switching between two input signals in accordance with a selection signal Ss to output reference signals S1 and S2.
In the reference signal generator circuit configured as described above, the mixers 91 and 92 output mixed signals M1 and M2, respectively, and the mixed signals M1 and M2 are expressed by the following equations:
                                                                        M                                                                                1                            =                                                sin                                                        (                                          2                                                                    πΔ                                                ft                                                              )                                                  ×                                  cos                                                        (                                          2                                            π                                                                                fct                                        )                                                                                =                                                (                                      1                    /                    2                                    )                                                                  {                                                            sin                                                                    (                                                  2                                                                                π                                                                                (                                                              fc                                +                                                                  Δ                                                                                f                                                                                )                                                                                t                                                )                                                              -                                          sin                                                                    (                                                  2                                                                                π                                                                                (                                                              fc                                -                                                                  Δ                                                                                f                                                                                )                                                                                t                                                )                                                                              }                                                                                =                                                            (                                              1                        /                        2                                            )                                                                                (                                                                        H                                                                                1                                                -                                                  L                                                                                1                                                                    )                                                                      ,                                                                                (        1        )                        and                                                                                M                                                                                2                            =                                                cos                                                        (                                          2                                                                    πΔ                                                ft                                                              )                                                  ×                                  cos                                                        (                                          2                                            π                                                                                fct                                        )                                                                                =                                                (                                      1                    /                    2                                    )                                                                  {                                                            cos                                                                    (                                                  2                                                                                π                                                                                (                                                              fc                                +                                                                  Δ                                                                                f                                                                                )                                                                                t                                                )                                                              +                                          cos                                                                    (                                                  2                                                                                π                                                                                (                                                              fc                                -                                                                  Δ                                                                                f                                                                                )                                                                                t                                                )                                                                              }                                                                                =                                                                                (                                          1                      /                      2                                        )                                                                          (                                                                  H                                                                                2                                            +                                              L                                                                                2                                                              )                                                              ,                                                          (        2        )
where, H1 and H2 denote upper side band signals outputted from the HPFs 96 and 98, respectively, and L1 and L2 denote lower side band signals outputted from the LPFs 95 and 97, respectively. The multiplexers 99 and 100 selectively switch between the two input signals to output reference signals S1 and S2 called an I signal and a Q signal which are different in phase from each other by 90 degrees.
Documents related to the present invention are as follows:    (a) Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2004-523142;    (b) Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2007-295068;    (c) Patent Document 3: U.S. Pat. No. 7,321,268; and    (d) Non-patent Document 1: Geum-Young Tak et al., "A 6.3-9-GHz CMOS Fast Setting PLL for MB-OFDM UWB Applications", IEEE Journal of Solid-state Circuits, Vol. 40, No. 8, August 2005.
However, the use of the wide-band PLL circuit requires control of wide-band frequencies for the plurality of groups and control of fine frequencies corresponding to the subbands. Consequently, this case makes it considerably difficult to cover all the groups in the MB-OFDM (e.g., See Non-patent Document 1). In addition, when a normal mixer is used, a filter is required (e.g., See FIG. 9). Alternatively, this case requires four or more SSB mixers (e.g., See Patent Document 2). Hence, there is a problem of increase in circuit scale.
In addition, the case where the filters 95 to 98 are used in accordance with the conventional example shown in FIG. 9 causes the following problem. For example, if the shift frequency Δf is relatively small, a signal from one filter can not be completely separated from a signal from another filter with ease, as shown in FIG. 10.

Reference signal generator circuit with filter-less quadrature mixers for wide-band applications

Semiconductor Technology Academic Research Center


A service user's personal information that has been verified and to which a digital signature has been attached by a personal information verification apparatus (signed-personal information) is stored in a highly secure form within a service user apparatus. For receiving services, the service user apparatus transmits the signed-personal information stored there into a service provider apparatus. The service provider apparatus verifies the signed-personal information based on the digital signature, and then provides services based on the personal information.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a service providing system in which various services (e.g., sale of commodities and pay distribution of digital content including music and video) are provided from a provider to a user via a network such as the Internet. In particular, the present invention relates to a service providing system where the security of a user' personal information is protected with high reliability in providing services to the user. The present invention also relates to a service providing method realizing the same.
(2) Description of Related Art
With the recent widespread use of the Internet in ordinary households, there has been a significant growth in the business of providing various pay services (e.g., sale of commodities and distribution of digital content such as music and video) via a network. For receiving such services, service users are required to send their personal information that is necessary for the delivery, payment, etc. of the commodity to service providers. Typical examples of such personal information include a name, address, telephone number, and credit card number. Service providers verify personal information sent from users for user authentication purposes, and provide services only to users whose personal information is proven to be authentic.
However, it is inconvenient for such a user who repeatedly uses services of the same service provider to send his or her personal information every time that the user intends to receive services from the service provider. It is also burdensome for the service provider side to verify personal information sent from a large number of users every time that the service provider provides services to them.
In view of this, service providing systems that can improve the convenience of service users and alleviate burdens on service providers are desired.
The following is one example of the basic forms of such systems. In the system, a service user is required to send his or her personal information to a service provider only when using the service provider for the first time. The personal information is verified and registered by the service provider. To be more specific, the service provider enters, in its database, the verified personal information together with a user ID and password set by the service user. Once the personal information is registered, the service user is simply required to send the registered user ID and password to the service provider when intending to receive services. The service provider authenticates the service user with the use of the password, and obtains the service user's personal information based on the user ID, out of plural sets of personal information that have been registered. In this system, each service user is not required to send his or her personal information every time that the user intends to receive services. Also, the service provider is required to verify each user's personal information once.
In the above system, however, a service user who uses a plurality of service providers needs to register a different user ID and a different password with each service provider, and to memorize the registered user IDs and passwords. In this case, the service user is likely to suffer from complicated management of the user IDs and passwords. Further, even with the need to verify each user's personal information only once, the service provider side may still suffer from a heavy processing load if the number of service users is large.
In view of such disadvantages, service providing systems that include a management center dedicated to verification of personal information and management of verified personal information have been developed. A typical example of such is a system employing .NET Passport (described in "Microsoft .NET Passport Technical Overview (September 2001)").
In the system employing .NET Passport, a service user registers in advance his or her personal information with a management center, together with a user ID and password. For registration of personal information, the management center performs the same verification process as performed by the service provider in the above system. To receive services from the service provider, the service user, who has once registered his or her personal information, sends the user ID and password to the management center, so as to obtain the registered personal information. Then, the service user sends the obtained personal information to the service provider. It should be noted here that the management center holds a private cryptograph key which is unique to each service provider, and each service provider shares the corresponding unique private cryptograph key. The management center encrypts the personal information by using the key shared by the service provider, and transmits the encrypted personal information to the service user. The service user receives the encrypted personal information from the management center, and transmits the encrypted personal information to the service provider. The service provider receives the encrypted personal information from the service user, and decrypts the encrypted personal information by using the shared key.
In this system, the service user is simply required to register one user ID and one password with the management center. Also, the service provider is freed from the heavy processing load of verifying personal information.
However, the service providing system including the management center has the following problem.
The management center manages personal information for all service users who have used any service provider within the system. This means that personal information for a large number of service users is concentrated at the management center. The management center storing personal information for a large number of service users can often be targeted by hackers who attempt an unauthorized access to the personal information. If the database of personal information is subjected to such an unauthorized access, a massive amount of personal information could leak out. This possibility may cause service users to feel uncertain about the security of the system, and to hesitate to receive services via a network. Such lack of user confidence in the system security may hinder the widespread use and advancement of the business of providing services via a network.
Further, in the above system, the service users are required to access the management center every time that they intend to receive services. This increases the processing load on the management center. If a large number of service users access the management center at the same time, the management center may fail or crash due to the heavy processing load exceeding its capacity.

Service providing system in which services are provided from service provider apparatus to service user apparatus via network

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


The present invention relates to polypeptides having mutanase activity and isolated nucleic acid sequences encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the nucleic acid sequences as well as methods for producing the polypeptides. The present invention further relates to oral cavity compositions and methods for degrading mutan.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to polypeptides having mutanase activity and isolated nucleic acid sequences encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the nucleic acid sequences as well as methods for producing the polypeptides. The invention further relates to compositions comprising the polypeptides and methods of use thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
The formation of dental plaque leads to dental caries, gingival inflammation, periodontal disease, and eventually tooth loss. Dental plaque is a mixture of bacteria, epithelial cells, leukocytes, macrophages, and other oral exudate. The bacteria produce glucans and levans from sucrose found in the oral cavity. These glucans, levans, and microorganisms form an adhesive matrix for the continued proliferation of plaque.
Streptococcus mutans is a common bacterium associated with dental plaque. Extracellular insoluble polysaccharides produced by this bacterium in the oral cavity play an important role for adhesion and proliferation of bacteria on the surface of teeth and, hence, may be important in the etiology of dental caries. Mutan is the major component of the insoluble polysaccharides produced by Streptococcus mutans and is comprised of a backbone with .alpha.-1,3-glycosidic linkages and branches with .alpha.-1,6-glycosidic linkages.
Mutanases are .alpha.-1,3-glucanases (also known as .alpha.-1,3-glucanohydrolases) which degrade the .alpha.-1,3-glycosidic linkages in mutan. Mutanases have been described from two species of Trichoderma (Hasegawa et al., 1969, Journal of Biological Chemistry 244:5460-5470; Guggenheim and Haller, 1972, Journal of Dental Research 51:394-402) and from a strain of Streptomyces (Takehara et al., 1981, Journal of Bacteriology 145:729-735). A mutanase gene from Trichoderma harzianum has been cloned and sequenced (Japanese Patent No. 4-58889/A).
Although mutanases have commercial potential for use as an antiplaque agent in dental applications and personal care products, e.g., toothpaste, chewing gum, or other oral and dental care products, the art has been unable to produce mutanases in significant quantities to be commercially useful.
It is an object of the present invention to provide new mutanases which can be produced in commercially useful quantities.

Polypeptides having mutanase activity and nucleic acids encoding same


A display apparatus includes a luminescent screen having pixels formed from blue, green and red luminescent material that are selectively activated by a laser beam to generate a full color image. The display utilizes a closed loop laser scanning/modulating arrangement in which a Position Sensitive Device (PSD) located next to the screen is used to determine the location of the impinging beam, and to transmit timing/location data to the laser addressing system. The laser addressing system uses the timing/location data to adjust and/or modulate the laser beam, thereby generating high-energy beam pulses that activate the selected pixels. The PSD includes vertical strips located along the side edges of the screen, or a sheet that is located behind the screen and accessed, for example, by way of slits or apertures formed in the screen material. The PSD sheet is coupled to an optional power source to form a photon-multiplication device.

Conventional displays are currently produced in several technology types, including cathode-ray tube (CRT), light emitting diode (LED), liquid crystal displays (LCDs), and projection display systems. CRT displays utilize a vacuum tube and an electron beam source mounted behind a luminescent screen to generate an image. LED displays include an array of light emitting pixels that are individually addressed by an active or passive backplane (addressing circuitry) to generate an image. Projection display systems utilize a projection device that projects an image onto a passive, typically white screen, which is reflected back toward an audience.
Large area display applications (e.g., greater than 60″) are most commonly implemented using projection display technology due to their lower cost and power consumption. CRT and LED displays are typically cost effective to product and operate when relatively small in size, but are typically too heavy and/or require too much power to operate when produced in a large area display format. In contrast, projection display systems are more easily scalable to larger area formats simply by increasing the size of the relatively low-cost, light weight screen, and increasing the size of the image projected on the screen.
Projection displays include arc lamp displays and laser-based projection displays. Early projection display systems used a white light source, such as a xenon arc or halogen lamp, that illuminates one or more light valves or spatial light modulators with appropriate color filtering to form the projected image, thus facilitating the production of relatively inexpensive, scalable, low-power, large area displays. However, such arc lamp projection displays are often criticized because of poor picture sharpness, a small viewing angle, and because the projected picture is readily "washed out" by bright ambient light. More recently, laser-based projection displays have been introduced that operate in a manner similar to arc lamp projection displays, but avoid the picture quality issues by utilizing relatively bright red, green and blue laser beams to generate much higher quality projected images. A fundamental problem with large-area laser-based displays, however, is the laser power that is required to generate a suitable picture. The power required (e.g. >1 W) is well beyond that which is considered safe in consumer applications. In addition, inexpensive lasers with sufficient power are not yet available, especially at the green and blue wavelengths, thus making laser-based displays significantly more expensive than arc lamp displays. Moreover, even high-powered displays become washed out in high ambient light due to their use of white screens (which are used to limit the required laser brightness). Dark or black screens may be used to prevent this washout problem, but this only increases the power requirements on the lasers, making the overall display system impractically expensive.
What is needed is a scalable, large area display apparatus that provides a picture equal to or greater than state of the art laser-based projection displays, but is less expensive to produce and operate, and avoids the safety concerns associated with the use of high powered lasers.

Laser-based display with position sensitive detector


A display device includes a display panel having pixels arranged in a matrix form, a driving circuit for outputting an analog voltage according to a video signal to the pixels through signal lines, a plurality of measuring circuits each for detecting the amount of transmitted light, a single totalizing circuit for totalizing the results of measurements made by the measuring circuits, and a control circuit for adjusting a potential on a common electrode of the display panel in accordance with the result of the totalization from the totalizing circuit. The results of measurements made by the plurality of measuring circuits are totalized by the single totalizing circuit.

The present invention relates to a display device for displaying an image on a display panel illuminated by a back light source, and more particularly, to a display device which can adjust a voltage applied to a common electrode.
In a liquid crystal element used for a display device, a continuously applied DC voltage results in a degradation in image quality similar to burn-in. For this reason, in a liquid crystal display, a liquid crystal element is applied with signal voltages which include a positive voltage (Vsig+) and a negative voltage (Vsig−) alternately applied in each frame period. Also, when a voltage (VCOM) is applied to a common electrode of the liquid crystal element, the display luminance is determined in accordance with (Vsig+)−(VCOM) when the positive voltage is applied and with (VCOM)−(Vsig−) when the negative voltage is applied.
In this event, if an inappropriate voltage (VCOM) is applied to the common electrode, the display luminance differs when the positive voltage is applied to the liquid crystal element and when the negative voltage is applied to the liquid crystal element, resulting in flicker at a cycle of two frame periods. For reducing this flicker, it is necessary to accurately adjust the voltage VCOM. In addition, variations in characteristics introduced in liquid crystal panel manufacturing processes can cause an optimal VCOM voltage to differ from one liquid crystal panel to another. For adjusting this VCOM voltage to an appropriate voltage, a pattern for adjustment must be displayed to individually adjust each display device while measuring an actual display luminance visually or using a measuring instrument.
Since an increase in cost would be caused by this VCOM adjusting operation manually performed in the foregoing manner before shipment of liquid crystal display devices, JP-A-6-138842, JP-A-10-246879 describe automatic adjusting methods.
JP-A-6-138842 discloses a measurement of the brightness of an image projected by a liquid crystal projector using a photodiode disposed on a screen. A current flowing through the photodiode fluctuates depending on flicker. A voltage VCOM to a common electrode is adjusted by an electronic volume or the like while measuring the amount of fluctuations in the current. The flicker is reduced by adjusting the voltage VCOM so as to minimize the amount of fluctuations in the photodiode current.
JP-A-10-246879 discloses a liquid crystal panel which comprises a dummy pixel area outside of a display area of the liquid crystal panel, and a photodiode disposed on the dummy pixel area, as opposed to the display device of JP-A-6-138842 which has the photodiode disposed on the screen. This liquid crystal panel features in the photodiode disposed on the dummy pixel area, which does not prevent a display of an input video signal or require a screen. JP-A-10-246879 also describes that the flicker will prominently appear when a halftone checkered pattern is displayed on the dummy pixel area. Also, when an automatic VCOM adjustment function is incorporated in a liquid crystal display, the VCOM voltage can be adjusted to adapt to a variety of environments, for example, variations in temperature and the like.

Display device and method for adjusting a voltage for driving a display device


The present invention is an oral device comprised of two main components, a U-shaped lower bite plate and a U-shaped upper bite plate, which are molded to fit the front teeth of a wearer with a soft flexible contact surface. The oral device of the present invention comprises an upper bite plate and a lower bite plate each having a generally U-shaped appearance. The upper bite plate removably fits over the upper teeth of a person and the lower bite plate removably fits over the lower teeth of a person. Each bite plate includes a U-shaped buccal side and a U-shaped lingual side connected by a U-shaped top portion. The U-shaped top portion is further comprised of an exposed surface and an attaching surface where the exposed surface is the surface that contacts a penis, clitoris, or other body part while the attaching surface contacts the wearer's teeth.

A common complaint during fellatio is that the teeth scrape the penis, causing discomfort or pain. Typically the lips are used to cover the teeth, but this can be uncomfortable and difficult to sustain for extended periods of time. Additionally, it is the broad pressure applied by the extended lips along with the lubrication of saliva that provides a significant amount of the desirable stimulation during fellatio.
Oral prophylactic devices are well known in the prior art for use during oral sex. Typically, these devices perform the function of preventing the spread of diseases, such as the HIV virus and herpes. To accomplish this disease preventing function, the oral prophylactic devices known in the prior art are made of an impermeable plastic or rubber material that must be washed after use and can be uncomfortable to wear and use. Further, the use of a plastic material that is relatively hard, can also cause discomfort for both the giver and receiver.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,731 to Harding discloses an oral prophylactic device wherein a tubular portion is received in the mouth and has a labial portion that fits over the person's lips. Both are also elastic and flexible to accommodate the natural range of movement of the lips, mouth and tongue. The purpose of the device is to prevent the spread of disease, such as AIDS.
Other devices which disclose oral prophylactic device for oral-genital use, and which are intended to prevent the passage of venereal and other disease are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,043 to Burr, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,016 to Bloodsaw; U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,187 to Hussey; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,765 to Est.
All of these patents require an absolute shield between the consenting adult partners so that no bodily fluid is exchanged from one partner to the other partner. None of these patents allow the partners to be able to directly contact each other partner's body parts and body fluids between partners already knowing the other partner's health condition. All of these patents cover scenarios when there is a risk of passing a sexually transmitted disease. For example, long married partners would not have a desire for these devices when they wish to use an aid that enhances the oral sexual activity by not restricting contact between the partner's body parts and body fluids.
One shortcoming of the oral prophylactic devices known in the prior art is that they are pre-formed into exact shapes and dimensions, and will not conform to the different sized mouths and various sized teeth of various users.
Another shortcoming is that many of these devices, while flexible, do not provide a cushioned surface or lubrication, and can be both uncomfortable and harmful to the soft human tissue that the devices contact.
Yet another shortcoming is that many of these devices, while having different surfaces, do not have interchangeable options for providing different surfaces that would result in a variety of sensations for the wearer and any receiving partners.


A patient transport apparatus transports a patient over a floor surface. The patient transport apparatus comprises a support structure and support wheels coupled to the support structure. An auxiliary wheel is coupled to the support structure to influence motion of the patient transport apparatus over the floor surface to assist users. An actuator is operatively coupled to the auxiliary wheel and operable to move the auxiliary wheel relative to the support structure from a retracted position to a deployed position. A user interface sensor is operatively connected to the actuator and configured to generate signals responsive to the user touching the user interface. A controller is operatively coupled to the user interface sensor and the actuator to operate the actuator in response to detection of signals.

Patient transport systems facilitate care of patients in a health care setting. Patient transport systems comprise patient transport apparatuses such as, for example, hospital beds, stretchers, cots, tables, wheelchairs, and chairs, to move patients between locations. A conventional patient transport apparatus comprises a base, a patient support surface, and several support wheels, such as four swiveling caster wheels. Often, the patient transport apparatus has one or more non-swiveling auxiliary wheels, in addition to the four caster wheels. The auxiliary wheel, by virtue of its non-swiveling nature, is employed to help control movement of the patient transport apparatus over a floor surface in certain situations.
When a caregiver wishes to use the auxiliary wheel to help control movement of the patient transport apparatus, such as down long hallways or around corners, the auxiliary wheel may be driven by a wheel drive system such that the auxiliary wheel rotates and the patient transport apparatus moves without the caregiver exerting an external force on the patient transport apparatus in a desired direction. In many cases, it's desirable for the auxiliary wheel to be driven at slower speeds in congested areas. However, the caregiver must be cautious in operating the wheel drive system to avoid collisions with objects and people.
With many conventional types of patient transport apparatuses, the caregiver generally selectively moves the auxiliary wheel from a retracted position, out of contact with the floor surface, to a deployed position in contact with the floor surface. In many cases, it is desirable for the auxiliary wheel to retract so that the caregiver may adjust a horizontal position of the patient transport apparatus without having the auxiliary wheel contact the floor surface. However, the caregiver must remember to selectively retract the auxiliary wheel before adjusting the horizontal position of the patient transport apparatus.
A patient transport apparatus designed to overcome one or more of the aforementioned challenges is desired.

Patient transport apparatus with controlled auxiliary wheel deployment


Various embodiments provide computer program products and computer implemented methods. In some embodiments, aspects provide for a method of manufacturing a polysilicon resistor with a selected temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR), the method including selecting a sheet resistance for the polysilicon resistor, the selected sheet resistance being related to a selected film thickness of the polysilicon resistor, selecting a dose level for a grain size modulating species (GSMS) for modulating an average grain size of grains of the polysilicon resistor, selecting a thermal coefficient of resistance (TCR) for the polysilicon resistor, the TCR being related to a selected average grain size of the polysilicon and forming the polysilicon resistor on a substrate, the polysilicon resistor having the selected sheet resistance, the selected GSMS dose level and the selected TCR.

In general, polysilicon resistors are created to have a specific sheet resistance or a range of sheet resistances. Currently, polysilicon resistors and resistors of other materials are created using manufacturing processes that target a given sheet resistance and therefore dope the polysilicon at targeted doping levels with suitable masks. Such manufacturing approaches do not generally control for the thermal behavior(s) of the resistors so manufactured and, therefore, resistors created using such methods generally exhibit greater or lesser resistance as ambient or operating temperature changes. Generally, this change in resistance due to temperature changes can be described by a thermal coefficient of resistance (TCR). A positive TCR indicates change in resistance and change in temperature being proportional to one another, while a negative TCR indicates inverse proportionality, i.e., a resistor that exhibits increased resistance when operating temperature rises has a positive TCR, and a resistor that exhibits lowered resistance as operating temperature rises has a negative TCR. Also, a resistor that does not exhibit changes in resistance due to changes in operating temperature has a zero TCR.

Methods of manufacturing polyresistors with selected TCR

International Business Machines Corporation


A muscle memory training device for attaching to a joint of a user, such as, for example, a wrist joint. The training device includes a pair of opposing circuit boards for overlying first and second elements of the joint. The pair of circuit boards are pivotally connected with a pivot point configured to be placed over the joint. The circuit boards include individual contact traces which are configured and arranged such that when said traces are rotated past each other, the traces sequentially complete one of a sequence of circuits, providing a signal at each one of a plurality of contact positions depending on opposing circuit board rotation positions. In this manner, sensory input is provided to a user while practicing a movement.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a training device which provides sensory input to a user for tracking wrist to hand position while practicing a movement.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In sports there is a theory that a movement must be done 1000 times before it is "muscle memory" and becomes the subconscious way the body performs that movement. Success in many sports requires a specific wrist to hand position and tempo.
What is needed is a training device which provides sensory input to a user by tracking wrist to hand position and tempo coupled with real-time visual feedback such that a user may develop "muscle memory" by practicing successful movements. A user may thus coach himself.


The invention relates to an apparatus (1) for converting chemical energy into electrical energy and/or electrical energy into chemical energy with a housing (2, 3, 3a), which is open towards at least one side (6) and in which a pressure chamber (4) is formed, and with at least one electrochemically active cell (5) for energy conversion, which extends from the open side (6) of the housing (2, 3, 3a) into the housing (2, 3, 3a), wherein the open side (6) is closed by a plate (7, 31), which holds and/or supplies power to the cell (5). A sealing element (8, 9) is arranged between the housing (2, 3, 3a) and the plate (7, 31), closes the open side (6) of the housing (2, 3, 3a) in a fluid-tight and/or gas-tight manner so as to form the pressure chamber (4) and is formed at least partially from an elastic material. At least one pocket (10) extending into the pressure chamber (4) is formed in the sealing element (8, 9), wherein the cell (5) is positioned in said pocket and the pocket wall (28) of said pocket is flexible as a result of the elastic material, with the result that the pocket wall (28) bears against the cell (5) in the event of an excess pressure in the pressure chamber (4).

Such apparatuses are known as fuel-cell or electrolyzer-cell assemblies. In this case, the active cell is a fuel cell that converts chemical energy into electrical energy, or an electrolyzer cell that converts electrical energy into chemical energy. The arrangement of a plurality of plate-shaped cells next to each other is designated as a stack, in particular fuel-cell stack or electrolyzer stack.
In the case of a fuel-cell assembly, fuel and an oxidant are continuously fed to the cell. During the reaction of the two materials, a flow of electrons and thus electrical energy is generated. Conventional individual fuel cells generate a low voltage of about 1.2 V; however, in contrast to this, they generate a comparatively high current density of up to approximately 3 amp/cm2 of active reaction area, where the area information relates to the size of the active areas in a fuel cell. Since in modern membrane fuel cells comprising, for example a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) and pole plates resting thereon on both sides, these active areas can be greater than 100 cm2, such an individual fuel cell can supply a current of 300 Ampere and more at a direct current voltage of approximately 1.2 V. The resulting current is calculated as the product of the active area in cm2 and the maximum current density.
Since a direct-current voltage of 1.2 V is too low for many technical applications, very often, a plurality of cells are connected in series in conventional fuel cell assemblies so that the voltages of the cells are additive. Besides the electrical series connection it is also possible to implement a series connection of the supply structure so that fuel and oxidant are fed to a cell at the same time as fuel and oxidant are discharged from the upstream cell. In such an embodiment, particularly compact fuel cells can be produced. Alternatively, a parallel connection of the supply structure can also be employed.
Usually, conventional fuel cells have a flat, planar shape with a substantially rectangular base area so that the individual cells can be stacked parallel and next to each other or on top of each other. This results in a parallelepipedal overall structure whose dimensions depend on the number and the area of the cells. The individual cells are solidly connected to each other in the stack. In order to remove individual cells from such a firm bond in the event of a defect, the electrical connections and the feed lines and discharge lines of the fuel and the oxidant, and the discharge lines of reaction lines have to be detached. Furthermore, the entire fuel-cell stack has to be disassembled, i.e. the pressure plates and the bipolar plates have to be disassembled. In the course of this, the undamaged membranes of the good cells are often destroyed. Accordingly, removing an individual fuel cell from such a stack is only possible with considerable technical effort and is time-consuming.
In contrast, also known are modular fuel-cell stacks, where an individual fuel cell is removably inserted as a module into the fuel cell housing. Each fuel cell forms a closed unit.
For the function of fuel cell it is necessary that the pole plates exert pressure on the polymer electrolyte membrane or on a gas diffusion layer provided between the membrane and the pole plate. The pressure substantially effects the necessary electrical contacting between pole plates and gas diffusion layers so that electrons generated by the reaction in the fuel cell reach the cathode.
Different possibilities are known for applying pressure. For example, this can be done by crowning the pole plates, the plates being formed with a concave curvature. During the assembly of the fuel cell, the edges of the pole plates are connected to each other while being electrically insulated so that they are pulled together. This results in a crowning of the pole plates and the desired contact pressure. Alternatively, the contact pressure can be generated by clamps, in particular spring-steel clamps placed from the outside onto a fuel cell. Furthermore, pressing can also be carried out hydraulically. For this, the pole plates are very thin so that they are highly flexible. Pressure exerted from the outside onto the pole plates then causes a corresponding deformation of the pole plates, the pressure being transferred to the gas diffusion layers. For this, the housing of the fuel cell forms a pressure chamber in which a liquid or a gas, i.e. in general a pressurized medium, is contained. The fuel cells are positioned in the liquid so that during as superatmospheric pressure builds up in the pressure chamber, the liquid transfers the pressure to the pole plates. This constitutes a hydraulic pressing of the cells.
If a defective fuel cell of such a fuel cell is to be replaced, it is necessary to disassemble the cell. The overpressure in the pressure chamber has to be reduced and the medium has to be emptied out. Only then can the defective fuel cell be replaced. For this reason, changing a defect cell of the modular system is also labor-intensive and time-consuming so that repairing the fuel cell ultimately involves higher costs.

Energy conversion apparatus, in particular fuel cell stack or electrolyzer

WESTFAELISCHE HOCHSCHULE GELSENKIRCHEN BOCHOLT RECKLINGHAUSEN


The present disclosure relates to a safety system (100) for a remotely operated work vehicle (110). The safety system (100) works by continuously establishing a spatial relationship between the work vehicle (110) and a wireless remote control unit (130), wherein at least part of the information needed to establish the spatial relationship is carried as data in signals. The established spatial relationship is then used to control the work vehicle (110).

Remote operation of work vehicles offers many advantages in various work environments. For instance, by operating the work vehicle remotely, accommodation for an operator in or on the work vehicle is no longer necessary. Many work vehicles are also subjected to various types of stress, e.g., vibrations and noise. By remotely operating the work vehicle, the impact of such stresses on the operator can be reduced or eliminated.
However, the size and weight of many of the remotely operated work vehicles combined with the fact that they are mobile implies that there is a risk of injury due to collision between the work vehicle and an operator of the vehicle. One of the most direct ways to reduce the risk of injury is to provide either the work vehicle or an associated wireless remote control with an emergency stop. When the emergency stop is arranged on the work vehicle it is sometimes arranged to stop the work vehicle based on contact with a resistance. Other safety systems have relied on radar principles, wherein infrared or ultrasonic sensors are used to help determining if there is a risk of collision. Such systems often suffer from problems due to interference or limitations in the area that is monitored.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,672,582 B2 discloses an automatic safety system comprising a multipurpose compactor and a movable unit. The movable unit comprises a fixedly coupled transceiver configured to periodically transmit an identification code for reception at the compactor. The transceiver utilizes radio-frequency identification, RFID, technology to communicate with at least one transceiver on the compactor. The compactor comprises transceivers that are adapted to emit a spherical propagation of a protective field. The safety system continuously searches for the presence of an RFID tag within the spherical protective field. Upon detecting an RFID tag, the compactor is stopped. Additionally, if the identification code is not transmitted or received correctly, two drive stop commands to stop the drive of the compactor in both directions is generated.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,115,650 B2 discloses an automatic safety system for collision avoidance between personnel and articulated or mobile industrial machinery. A worker is equipped with an RFID tag and the industrial machinery is equipped with two sensors, wherein the sensors are arranged to determine the distance between the mobile industrial machinery, in particular a moving component on which a sensor is mounted, and the RFID tag. Depending on the determined distance, warning signals are issued or the moving component is slowed down or stopped.
While safety systems based on RFID technology is an improvement over not using any type of radio based safety system, there are drawbacks from using RFID technology, e.g., from characteristics of the antenna of the RFID tag. The power radiated from an antenna in the RFID tag is not isotropic, which means that determining the distance to the antenna is complicated by the lack of isotropic radiation. Furthermore, RFID tag-based distance determining systems depending on a Radio Signal Strength Indicator, RSSI, do not work very well for longer distances, i.e., over about 3 m, because the received signal power drops exponentially with distance. The strong correlation between received power and distance also means that RSSI-systems are quite sensitive to the surrounding geometry in the sense that the system will be more sensitive to reflections other than that of the main signal.
As the distance between a remotely controlled machine and a wireless remote control increases the signal strength between them decreases. Since safe operation of the remotely controlled machine is dependent on control signals from the remote control, there is a need for a safety system operative also when the distance between the remotely controlled machine and a wireless remote control increases and is approaching a maximum safety distance. Thus, there is a need for an automatic safety system that enables varying the safety distance between the work vehicle and the wireless remote control to take into account both a minimum and a maximum safety distance interval, and wherein the distance determination is independent of transmitter strength or antenna shape.

Safety system, method and computer program for remotely controlled work vehicles


A pattern forming method includes forming a coating film containing a hydrophilic first homopolymer having a first bonding group and a hydrophobic second homopolymer having a second bonding group capable of bonding with the first bonding group, forming a bond between the first and second bonding group to produce a block copolymer of the first and second homopolymers, and heating the coating film to microphase-separating the copolymer into a hydrophilic domain and a hydrophobic domain. The hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains are arranged alternately. The bond is broken, then selectively dissolving-removing either domain by a solvent to provide a polymer pattern of a remainder domain.

The miniaturization of semiconductor devices and the like has been achieved using an exposure light source having a shorter wavelength in lithography. Artificially assisted self-assembling (AASA) method, in which the array of a pattern is controlled using a phase separation phenomenon of a block copolymer, is proposed as a method to obtain a fine polymer pattern with a high throughput at a lower cost (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,948,470).
A method of producing a recording medium using the obtained polymer pattern is also proposed (see, for example, JP-A 2002-279616 (KOKAI)). Although the polymer pattern is used as an etching mask, it becomes difficult to obtain a structure accurately corresponding to the phase-separated structure if the pattern size is reduced. The orderliness of the processed pattern is deteriorated by the generated size variation. Dyeing and dry etching steps are required, leading to increase in the number of process steps and in cost.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.