An improved power supply device decreases the amount of power used in computer and computer peripheral devices by utilizing a control transistor which is set into a switching operation responsive to a pulse signal received from a power supply control circuit. The control transistor controls the voltage applied to the primary winding of the power transformer by a switch transistor, and issues an output voltage from the secondary winding. The power supply device includes a switch circuit which is connected in series to a starting resistor for supplying the output voltage rectified from the AC power source when starting up to the power supply control circuit. The power supply device includes a switch-control circuit which turns off the switch circuit when the output voltage rectified from the AC output of the tertiary winding of the power transformer reaches a voltage high enough for stable operation of the power supply control circuit. The present invention is characterized by a separation device, coupled to the starting terminal of the power supply control circuit and the power source of the tertiary winding of the power transformer, to ensure that there is no need for an extremely high voltage to drive the switch-control circuit. As a result, the power loss at the starting resistor is eliminated after startup of the power supply device such that the power consumption of the power saving operation is also eliminated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power supply device, and especially relates to a power supply device with low power dissipation and low fabrication cost, which utilizes a separation device to reduce voltage applied to a switch-control circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, most computer products and their peripherals all utilize a so-called switching power supply whose center uses a pulse-width modulation control integrated circuit (IC) as a power supply control circuit. Generally speaking, this kind of pulse-width modulation control IC, for example, 3842 series and 3844 series, will not start until sufficient voltage or current is applied to it. So, it needs a startup circuit to put the IC into normal operation. After the IC is started, the energy needed by subsequent operations is supplied by a minor power supply (which is generated after the IC is started). Thereafter, the starting circuit becomes useless but nevertheless keeps on consuming power.
FIG. 1 shows a circuit diagram of a conventional switching power supply; a stabilizing control circuit is negligible. As shown in FIG. 1, a rectifier 1, such as a bridge rectifier, transforms an alternating-current (AC) voltage into a direct-current (DC) voltage; and a rectifying capacitor 2 smoothes the rectified DC voltage. The DC voltage flows through a starting resistor 3 to charge a starting capacitor 4 to start a power supply control circuit 5 (for example, a 3842 controller). After power supply control circuit 5 is started, a high-frequency pulse signal generated from the power supply control circuit 5 is transmitted to a gate of a control transistor 6 (for example, an NMOS). Then, the control transistor 6 begins a rapid switching operation. A power transformer 7 comprises: a primary winding 7a, a secondary winding 7b, and a tertiary winding 7c. The primary winding 7a is coupled to a drain of the NMOS transistor 6, and the secondary winding 7b and the tertiary winding 7c are respectively induced by the rapid switching operation of the NMOS transistor 6 and output a high-frequency pulse voltage. The induced high-frequency pulse voltage from the secondary winding 7b is rectified by an output diode 9 and smoothed by an output capacitor 10 to act as an output power source of the power supply. The induced high-frequency pulse voltage from the tertiary winding 7c is rectified by a auxiliary diode 8 and smoothed by the starting capacitor 4 to supply operational needs of the power supply control circuit 5.
The operations of the power supply are described below. When an AC voltage is fed to the power supply, the AC voltage is transformed into a DC voltage via the rectifier 1 and the rectifying capacitor 2. Then, the DC voltage flows through the starting resistor 3 to charge the starting capacitor 4. Along with an elevation of the DC voltage at terminal A, the DC voltage level at terminal B is also raised. When the voltage at terminal B reaches a specific level (for example, 16 V, in the case of a controller being a 3842 controller), the power supply control circuit 5 starts to output a high pulse signal (then, the voltage at terminal B will drop to 10 V.about.16 V). The control transistor 6 receives the high-frequency signal and begins a switching operation to transfer energy to the secondary winding 7b and the tertiary winding 7c. The high-frequency pulse voltage generated from the secondary winding 7b is rectified by an output diode 9 and smoothed by an output capacitor 10 to supply other circuits (not shown). The high-frequency pulse voltage generated from the tertiary winding 7c is rectified by an auxiliary diode 8 and smoothed by the starting capacitor 4 to supply the power supply control circuit 5.
That is, in the beginning when an AC voltage is fed to the power supply, the DC voltage which starts the power control circuit 5, flows through the starting resistor 3 to charge the starting capacitor 4. After the control transistor 6 begins the switching operation, a working voltage of the power supply control circuit 5 is supplied by the tertiary winding 7c of the power transformer 7. However, additional power dissipation occurs when current keeps flowing through the starting resistor 3. The power dissipation of the starting resistor 3 can be calculated as subsequent steps (in the case of the power supply control circuit being a 3842 controller).
Generally speaking, AC power supply by which computers and computer peripherals operate is between 90 V.about.160 V. When the AC input voltage is 90 V, i.e. the minimum input voltage, the DC voltage from rectifier 1 and rectifying capacitor 2 is about 90 V.times.1.414=126.7 V. A minimum starting current of a 3842 controller is 1 mA, so a maximum value of the starting resistor 3 is:(DC voltage-starting voltage)/1 mA=(127.26 V-16 V)/1 mA=111260.OMEGA.. When the AC input voltage is 264 V, i.e. the maximum input voltage, the DC voltage from the rectifier 1 and the rectifying capacitor 2 is about 264 V.times.1.414=373.296 V. After startup, a 3842 controller only needs a working voltage of 10 V. The power dissipation of the starting resistor 3 is (DC voltage-working voltage) .sup.2 /(the resistor of the starting resistor 3)=(373.296 V-10 V).sup.2 /111260.OMEGA.=1.18 W. Since a power saving function, a required function of computers and computer peripherals, has a power dissipation of 5 W.about.8 W or less under off-mode, a power dissipation of 1.18 W is not negligible.
In order to reduce power consumed by the starting resistor 3, one of the prior art techniques shown in FIG. 2 has been disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 5,581,453. In FIG. 2, a switching circuit 11 is connected in series to a starting resistor 3 and a power supply control circuit 5. A switch-control circuit 12 controls the turning on and off of the switching circuit 11. Before the power supply control circuit 5 starts, the switching circuit 11 keeps turning on such that a DC current charges a starting capacitor 4 through a starting resistor 3 and provides a voltage level to start the power supply control circuit 5. After the power supply control circuit 5 starts, a rectified voltage of a tertiary winding 7c can raise a voltage level at terminal B to activate the switch-control circuit 12 and turn off the switching circuit 11. The starting resistor 3 can prevent additional power consumption after the power supply control circuit 5 starts.
According to the method shown in FIG. 2, a 3842 controller, the most common power supply control circuit, needs a startup voltage of 16 V, so the active voltage of the switch-control circuit 12 should be at least 16 V. If the activation of a switch-control circuit 12 opens the switching circuit 11 before the 3842 controller 5 completes startup, no DC current flows through the starting resistor 3 and the starting capacitor 4 is not charged. In this manner, the 3842 controller 5 will have difficulty starting. After the 3842 controller 5 starts, an output voltage from a tertiary winding 7c produces an activation of the switch-control circuit 12. The output voltage of the tertiary winding 7c should be raised. As a result, the number of windings in the tertiary winding 7c should be increased. However, various problems occur if the number of windings of the tertiary winding 7c is increased. For example, the fabrication cost and the power consumption of the transformer 7 will be increased. Also, raising the output voltage of the tertiary winding 7c places greater demands on the auxiliary diode 8, the starting capacitor 4, and the control transistor 6. As a result, the cost is increased. The problems become more severe when the power supply device has a higher starting voltage.
On the other hand, after a power supply control circuit has started, the voltage level of the output pulse signal is proportional to the voltage level at the starting terminal. After the starting of the 3842 controller, the voltage level at the starting terminal drops to between 10 V and 16 V. However, in the prior art shown in FIG. 2, in order to ensure a normal operation of the switch-control circuit 12, the voltage of the starting terminal of the 3842 controller should be minimally maintained above 16 V, higher than the voltage at the starting terminal of the 3842 controller. The voltage level of the output pulse signal is also raised. Selection of the MOS transistor requires a MOS transistor having a higher gate-source voltage (V.sub.gs). The cost and the power consumption are also raised, especially when a power supply device having a high starting voltage is utilized.
In order to overcome disadvantages in the prior art, the present invention provides a power supply with low power consumption. In the present invention, a separation device is utilized to separate the starting voltage from the output voltage generated from the tertiary winding supplying a working voltage of a switch-control circuit. Even when the working voltage of the switch-control circuit is not raised, the switch-control circuit still operates normally. After a power supply device starts, the voltage at the starting terminal will not be affected by the output voltage from the tertiary winding. So a lower working voltage can maintain normal operation of the power supply control circuit. Hence, the fabrication cost and the power consumption are efficiently reduced.

Power supply device with low power dissipation


The invention relates to a printer including a scanning mechanism provided in a housing, a mounting mechanism for releasably mounting a print head to the scanning mechanism, and an aperture. The scanning mechanism is arranged to move within the housing. The aperture is provided within the housing and arranged to be placed on, or adjacent to, an image receiving medium such that the print head, when mounted, is operable to print onto the image receiving medium through the aperture. In order to engrave an image into the image receiving medium, it is proposed that the mounting mechanism is arranged to accommodate a holding mechanism which holds a machining device for machining a medium. The printer may be provided with an ink supply containing a security ink, especially for printing entry receipts onto the hand of as customer entering a discotheque, concert, or other event.

The present invention relates to a multi-functional printer.
In the state of the art, a number of printers capable of xe2x80x9cdirectxe2x80x9d printing are known. Direct printing in the context of the present invention means that the printer is placed on the image receiving medium, usually manually, and the printing means of the printer or the entire printer then scans over the image receiving medium in the printing operation. Thus, the medium is not fed through the printerxe2x80x94as in most office printersxe2x80x94but the printer moves over the medium.
Such a printer is known from ER 564297 A. The printer is manually positioned on an image receiving medium and has an ink jet print head which scans in two orthogonal directions over the image receiving medium. The printer is connected to a computer and capable, for example, of printing addresses onto envelopes, but can also be used separately from the computer for printing data downloaded from the computer to the printer.
Another ink jet printer that is placed on a printing medium is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,730. This printer is provided with a keyboard for inputting data, but can also print images downloaded from a computer. The print head scans over the image receiving medium along a special path, e.g., helically or like a pendulum.
DE 3142937 A refers to a so-called hand stamp which is placed manually on the image receiving medium. It can print data downloaded from an accounting machine, or images consisting of user-selected fixed phrases. The hand stamp has a thermal print head and an ink ribbon for printing.
The direct printers known in the prior art are thus capable of printing an image onto an image receiving medium, and make use of a scanning print head. Thus, they can only perform one function, which is printing. On the other hand, a number of purposes for a scanning device can be imagined, for which such a device could be used, as well.
Thus, the object of the present invention is to provide a printer of the type having a scanning print head, which allows for use of the printer for printing and for purposes different than printing.
According to the invention, there is provided a printer having a housing and a scanning means provided in the housing. The scanning means is arranged to move in two different directions within the housing. The printer also includes a mounting means for releasably mounting a print head to the scanning means, and an aperture provided within the housing. The aperture is arranged to be placed on, or adjacent to, a medium such that the print head, when mounted, is operable to print onto the medium through the aperture. The mounting means is arranged to accommodate a holding means which holds a machining device for machining the medium.
The proposed solution is to use the mounting means for fixing a holding unit to the scanning means instead of, or in addition, to the print head being fixed to the scanning means. The holding unit holds a machining device for machining the image receiving medium. Thus, the printer can be used for printing, when the print head is mounted to the mounting means, and alternatively or additionally, for machining a medium on which it is mounted. The scanning means then moves the machining device over the medium which is being machined.
An advantage of the invention is that the printer is not only suitable for printing, but can be used for another purpose, as well. This second purpose is to machine a medium.
In particular, the machining device can be a cutting blade, a rotating milling cutter, or a rotating drill. Since these tools normally have to be rotated when the medium is machined, the printer, or more particularly, the holding means which can be released from the printer and holds the machining device, is provided with rotating means for rotating the machining device with respect to the machined medium. In particular, the holding means can be provided with a motor for rotating the machining device, whereby the motor is electrically connected to a controlling unit of the printer via a connector which is normally connected to the print head of the printer. Thus, the electrical connection for the print head also serves for providing the motor of the holding means with electrical power. The machining device is preferably releasably connected to the holding means.
The medium which is machined by the machining device is preferably a stencil. Thus, the user can place the printerxe2x80x94to which the machining device is mountedxe2x80x94upon a blank stencil material, and, by machining, engrave a desired image or pattern into the stencil material. This machined material can then be mounted onto a stamp apparatus. It should be noticed that instead of a stencil material, also other materials can be machined. For example, glass or metal plates could be engraved.
The machining device is held by the holding means, which is accommodated in the mounting means instead of the print headxe2x80x94or, in another embodiment of the invention, additionally to the print head.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a printer having a housing, a scanning means, a mounting means, and an aperture. The scanning means is provided in the housing and arranged to move within the housing. The mounting means mounts an ink jet print head provided with an ink supply to the scanning means. The aperture is provided within the housing and arranged to be placed on, or adjacent to, an image receiving medium such that the print head, when mounted, is operable to print onto the image receiving medium through the aperture. The ink supply preferably contain a security ink.
Additionally, there is provided a method of printing security images onto an image receiving medium, including the steps of providing a printer with a housing and a scanning means in the housing, mounting an ink jet print head provided with an ink supply containing security ink to the scanning means, providing an aperture within the housing, placing the aperture on, or adjacent to, the image receiving medium such that the print head can print onto the image receiving medium through the aperture, and scanning the print head with the scanning means within the housing and thereby spitting the security ink according to a desired pattern onto the image receiving medium.
In the prior art, it is known to use normal rubber stamps for providing entry receipts onto the hand or forearm of a visitor of a concert event, discotheque, or other event. Such rubber stamps can be used in combination with security inks, which, for example, are only visible when illuminated with ultraviolet light. A disadvantage of the prior art is that the rubber stamps are easily counterfeited, while the security ink can be easily obtained in the market. Thus, the security of these entry receipts is quite low.
The second aspect of the invention proposes to replace the rubber stamps with a direct printer, i.e., a printer with an ink jet head scanning over the image receiving medium and spitting a security ink onto the medium, according to a desired pattern. Thus, the security, for example, of entry receipts printed onto the hand or forearm of a user is significantly improved, since the printed image can be altered electronically, and thus with a high frequency (as for example daily), such that it will hardly be possible to make a rubber stamp copy of it before the user of the printer has already chosen a new pattern to be printed as an entry receipt. Furthermore, the printing resolution will normally be much better than any details which can be produced with a rubber stamp.
The security ink is preferably provided in a special ink cartridge. The cartridge can contain the printing nozzles, or be connected to a separate printing unit having nozzles.
Further, the security ink can be of any number of types. One such type is chemical marker ink, i.e., invisible ink which can be made visible by means of a pencil containing a developer liquid, as disclosed in DE 19646156 A, U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,925, or U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,587, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Another type of security ink is ink containing a luminescent substance, which transmits light with a different wavelength compared with the wavelength of the light which the ink is illuminated, as disclosed in EP 680411 A, the contents of are incorporated herein by reference. Another type of security ink is UV fluorescent ink, which fluoresces under UV light, as disclosed in ER 730250 A, ER 267215 A, or EP 3187 A, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Yet another type of security ink that can be used with the present invention is magnetic ink, which contains magnetic particles, which can be detected by means of a special detector making use of polarization of light provided by the magnetic particles, as disclosed in ER 632398 A, the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. Another type of security ink is phosphorescent ink, which still phosphoresces after it has been illuminated, as disclosed in ER 770969 A or ER 766198 A, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Another type of security ink for use with the present invention are photo chromic inks, which alter their optical appearance under illumination, as disclosed in ER 716387 A, the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.


A splint includes a first substantially flexible member having an inner surface and an outer surface. A second substantially flexible member has an inner surface and an outer surface, and is hingedly attached to the first substantially flexible member. An attachment strap is slidably attached to the outer surface of the first or the second substantially flexible member, and is configured for longitudinal movement relative to the first and second substantially flexible members. A substantially rigid slat is removably mounted relative to at least one of the first and second substantially flexible members.

This invention relates in general to splints. In particular, this invention relates to an improved structure for an orthopedic splint for use in the field by military personnel, emergency medical first-responders, athletic trainers, and the like.
Many splinting devices are available for use by military personnel, athletic trainers, emergency medical first-responders and the like to splint, immobilize, and/or stabilize various orthopedic injuries.
One known splint is a vacuum splint, such as described at: http://www.ambulancemodification.com/splints.html (accessed Sep. 28, 2012). The vacuum splint includes fabric filled with small foam beads. When air is pumped out of the splint, it retains rigidity. To use the vacuum splint, the fabric is wrapped around the injured limb, and air is pumped out of the splint. The vacuum splint comes in several sizes, each designed for a specific limb. Multiple splints may need to be carried to treat different limbs. The vacuum splint has a hand pump to pump out the air in the splint. This pumping requires time the operator in the field may not have. The vacuum splint does not work if the splint is punctured. The vacuum splint may also require extended time to remove after it has been applied.
Another known splint is the traction splint, such as described at: http://www.ambulancemodification.com/splints.html (accessed Sep. 28, 2012). The traction splint is a device that may be used to immobilize a leg, while allowing traction to be applied in the event of a femur fracture. Although the traction splint may be folded in half, it is large and relatively heavy, and may be difficult for an operator can carry. The traction splint is specifically configured to splint legs. Traction is only indicated in mid-bone femur fractures, and is contraindicated for fractures tibia or fibula. Without an X-ray of the injured leg, the traction splint may be improperly applied.
A further known splint is the air splint, such a described at: http://www.ambulancemodification.com/splints.html (accessed Sep. 28, 2012). The air splint is a device that is placed over the fractured limb and inflated, in order to immobilize the limb. Each size of air splint is made for a specific limb. Although relatively light and portable, inflating the air splint is time consuming and may require more time than the operator has available. The air splint will not inflate if punctured, such as if shot, rendering the air splint non-functional. The air splint does not allow further treatment of injuries (such as bleeding), and must be completely removed if further aid is necessary. The air splint may not function properly work if bulky bandages are applied to the limb, as it may not fit over the bandages.
An additional known splint is an SAM® splint, manufactured by SAM Medical Products of Wilsonville, Oreg. and described at: http://sammedical.com/sam_splint.html (accessed Sep. 28, 2012). The SAM® splint is a long piece of aluminum covered in foam. It is malleable allowing for several shapes and angles to be formed to make splints for different areas of the body. The SAM® splint is easy to bend, but does not offer much rigidity. Due to its size, it is not useful for larger fractures such those found in the leg (other than the ankle) and is most useful for wrist and ankle injuries. This splint is useful, but only for very specific parts of the body, under very specific conditions.
Another known splint is the Optimum Traction Device (O.T.D.) manufactured by Emergency Produce and Research of Kent, Ohio and described at: http://www.epandr.com/products/traction/otd.php (accessed Sep. 28, 2012). The O.T.D. is a very small and portable device useful to apply traction to a broken femur. While small and easy to carry, the O.T.D. is not a splint. This device does not offer any immobilization of the limb. It only applies traction. It is also very difficult to place on the patient.
A further known splint is the ladder splint as shown at: http://www.mlalintl.com/images/kramer_wire.jpg (accessed Sep. 28, 2012). The ladder splint is a wire ladder that can be cut and bent to a size required to splint the fractured limb. The ladder splint is kept unbent in order to be functional when the operator, such as a medic, attempts to use it. When the ladder splint is bent before application, it can be difficult for the operator/medic to form the splint in to the correct shape. The ladder splint also has to be cut and formed which requires time that the operator/medic may not have available. Also, because the ladder splint is easy to bend, it is a less than ideal splint.
An additional splint is the military medic wrap around splint as shown at: http://www.recycledgoods.com/images/s_p—11174—1.jpg (accessed Sep. 28, 2012). The military medic wrap around splint is a splint that wraps around the limb, thereby immobilizing it. This splint comes in several pieces that may be connected together in different ways to splint several different types of fractures. This splint is relatively large and comes in a package the size of a rifle case. It is bulky, heavy, difficult to assemble, and requires a relatively long period of time to assemble and to fit on the patient.
Another splint is the Oregon spine splint as shown at: http://www.frontmed.co.nz/Modules/ArticleList/ThumbnailOnTheFly.aspx?w=300&h=250&ImageId=765 (accessed Sep. 28, 2012). The Oregon spine splint is a device that is placed on victims of vehicle accidents, so they can be safely removed from the vehicle without further spine injury. This splint is large, and its use is limited to vehicle accident victims.
Additionally, the U.S. Army is known to use a field-expedient splint. The U.S. Army's field-expedient splint is a device that military organizations, such as the Joint Special Operations Medical Training Center (JSOMTC) teaches its student to make in an austere or field environment. The field-expedient splint is typically made from tape, such as duct tape, and flat pieces of wood. The field-expedient splint is secured to the patient by cravats or whatever other material is readily available to include strips of a Soldier's uniform, rope, or tourniquets. The field-expedient splint folds and rolls to become more compact, however it takes a long time to make, making it imperfect in emergency situations. The length and width of the device varies with the Soldier who builds it.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide an improved structure for an orthopedic field splint that addresses the issues discussed above.


Index values of monitored objects are stored. Sets of index values, collected at time points within a time period and each including a first number of index values corresponding to a respective monitored object, are received. For each set, a second number of index values is selected from the first number to generate sets of reduced index values for storage. The second number to be used for reduction of subsequent index values is updated at least once, the updating comprising: generating a first list of monitored objects based on the sets of index values, generating a second list of monitored objects based on the sets of reduced index values, and updating the second number based on a comparison between the first list and the second list. The amount of monitoring data stored is reduced while enabling accurate searching for top-ranked monitored objects.

A typical usage scenario for monitoring a large-scale storage system is to list several top-ranked monitored objects in accordance with some indexes or measurement. For example, in a monitoring scenario, it is necessary to list, for example, 30 client terminals with the highest latency, list, for example, 50 client terminals with the highest number of disk accesses per second, and so on. Since the distribution of various index values of the client terminals is unknown, it is necessary to store all data of all the client terminals in a monitoring database to accurately give corresponding rankings. This brings a challenge to the capacity of the database. Since the distribution of various index values of client terminals is unknown, it is necessary to store all data for all client terminals in the monitoring database to accurately give corresponding accurate rankings. This brings a challenge to the capacity of the database.
To reduce the amount of data in the database, some existing methods use deletion and downsampling, for example, deleting data stored for longer than a certain period of time (e.g., more than 30 days) or downsampling the data to a lower resolution (e.g., from data per minute to data per hour). However, as scales of clustering systems may grow rapidly, deletion and downsampling methods may not be able to meet user needs.

Method, device, and computer program for storing index values of monitored objects


An apparatus and method for reporting progress notes includes a system wherein a collection of bar encoded input data is selectively scanned by a portable hand-held wand. Stored data is downloaded from the wand at the end of a day or session into a computer which edits the data into phrases, combines the phrases into sentences and the sentences into paragraphs to produce an organized readable full text report without any manual writing, dictation, or transcription.

1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed generally to an apparatus and method for recording progress notes and more particularly to such a system wherein words and phrases entered by a bar code wand are edited into complete grammatically correct English sentences to enable the instantaneous preparation of full text progress notes in no more time that it takes a practitioner to scan the selected applicable bar codes of an appropriate wall chart.
An increasing amount of time for any doctor or other health care practitioner is spent in the preparation of notes to document office visits and treatments. Handwritten notes are often unacceptable to insurance companies when processing claims; may be illegible to a typist transcribing the notes; and may not be consistent and uniform between different practitioners in the same office. To assure complete consistent printed notes while eliminating transcribing time, an improved system for recording progress notes has been developed.
The development of the art at the time of the invention is at least partially evidenced by an article by Gilbert R. Jost in the March, 1986 edition of Radiologic Clinics of North America, Volume 24, No. 1, pages 19-26. That article describes various computerized systems for facilitating the dictation and transcription of medical report and includes a brief description of the use of bar codes at page 23. Absent an automatic editing capability, however, such a system has limited utility. If the bar encoded entry data is drafted into substantially complete sentences, the flexibility of the data entry system suffers. If the data entry possibilities are increased in numbers to cover substantially every conceivable possibility, a library of entry data becomes so cumbersome as to be substantially inoperative. Finally, if the output reports are not set out in an easily readable and understandable format, they may be unacceptable by insurance companies or for permanent patient records so as to require further editing and revision by the practitioner.
Accordingly, a primary object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus and method for recording progress notes.
Another object is to provide such a system wherein bar coded input words and phrases are automatically edited into grammatically correct full sentences of a progress notes report.
Another object is to provide such a system which affords maximum flexibility of input information from a minimum number of data entry bar codes.
Another object is to provide such a system which accommodates customization of bar coded input data for adaptation to a particular practitioner or field of use.
Another object is to provide such a system which is readily installed in a practitioner's office without interference with existing computer systems.
Another object is to provide such a system which can be quickly and easily learned by a practitioner.
Another object is to provide such a system which eliminates the taking of tedious manual notes, together with the transcription thereof and the usual communications between the notes preparer and transcriber.
Finally, an object of the invention is to provide such a system which is cost efficient, easy to use and capable of automatically producing legible organized reports from a practitioner's original bar coded input data.

Apparatus and method for recording progress notes


A method and apparatus provides a combination of an optimally short cardioversion pulse (about one millisecond in duration) followed by a train of largely conventional anti-tachycardia pacing pulses applied to pacemaker-catheter electrodes, for terminating ventricular tachycardia. Another embodiment delivers a train of anti-tachycardia pacing pulses through far-field electrodes, such as defibrillation electrodes. Still another embodiment delivers two or more optimally short pulses, closely spaced, through far-field electrodes, followed closely by a train of largely conventional anti-tachycardia pacing pulses. A closely related preferred embodiment comprises differing intervals between the far-field pulses and the subsequent pacing pulses. Apparatus of the present invention comprises an additional capacitor, smaller than the defibrillation capacitor and charged to a lower voltage, and better able to deliver pulses optimized for terminating ventricular tachycardia.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to heart tachycardia, and more particularly, relates to ventricular tachycardia termination.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The basic concept of anti-tachycardia pacing was invented by Zacouto in the late 1960s. There have been many patents on traditional anti-tachycardia pacing. Examples are: U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,356 to Sowton; U.S. Pat. No. 4,390,021 to Spurrell; U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,536 to Nappholz; U.S. Pat. No. 4,408,606 to Spurrell; U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,554 to Nappholz; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,577,633 to Berkovitz.
No one has come close to the present concept of delivering multiple-pulse anti-tachycardia therapy through the defibrillation electrodes. Shenasa from Switzerland contributed an abstract at the American Heart Association meeting in 1991, Circ. Vol. 84, No. 4, p. II-426 (October, 1991 in which he applied very low voltages, under one volt, to defibrillation electrodes. He characterized these voltage as "sub-threshold stimulation" levels, and applied them at extremely high rates (50-millisecond pulses at the rate of 1200/minute). Shenasa's philosophy was to numb the myocardial cells near the electrodes in order to make these cells less likely to sustain the re-entrant loop of the ventricular tachycardia. He reported only a 52% success rate in treating tachycardia arrhythmias using this methodology. A
U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,984, issued to Sweeney discloses the use of a pair (or more) of pulses for defibrillation. However, they were addressing fibrillation and not tachycardia. Also they were using pulses with just slightly less energy than conventional defibrillation pulses--on the order of 10 joules. Their work was inspired by the 20-year-old work of the Swedish researcher Kugelberg, who used trains of high-energy pulses to defibrillate.
In addition to the standard anti-tachycardia pacing of the prior art using the pacing electrodes on a standard cardiac catheter, there is another accepted technique for abolishing ventricular tachycardias. It is known as cardioversion, and involves the delivery of a single pulse through large-area defibrillation electrodes. Such a pulse usually has an energy in the neighborhood of one joule. This value is well above that of a pacing pulse, but far below that of a typical defibrillation pulse. While the present invention also uses defibrillation electrodes for terminating tachycardia, it is distinct from the prior art in using two or more pulses, and more wide-ranging energy values.
Ventricular tachycardia is a racing of the ventricle. The most accepted theory is that there exists a closed loop of myocardium with a diameter on the order of 1 cm, as illustrated in FIG. 1. That is, the path of cell stimulation is circular, with a path length (circumference) sufficient to permit a given cell to "repolarize", or to recover from the previous stimulation, before the wave of stimulation comes around the circle the next time. In biomedical terminology, such a closed loop is described as a "reentrant" loop, terminology that will be used below. The adjective generically identifies a situation wherein a path of adjacent-cell stimulation closes on itself, or "reenters" a previous path. In the loop case, the activated cells continue to activate cells in a counterclockwise rotation in continuous fashion. Immediately behind the cells just stimulated are cells that are fairly "refractory" or resistant to stimulation having not fully recovered from activation. Farther behind them are cells that are fully recovered (repolarized), and hence, are amenable to stimulation or reactivation.
This kind of "single-source" ventricular tachycardia generates a rather consistently shaped electrical signal, and hence, is referred to as a "monomorphic ventricular tachycardia". If there are more sources involved, then the arrhythmia is referred to as a "polymorphic ventricular tachycardia".
The presently accepted method of anti-tachycardia pacing is to pace at a remote location of the heart at a rate slightly higher than the ventricular tachycardia rate. The pacing pulse is delivered through conventional pacing electrodes that are essentially small point sources, a choice made to minimize the energy required to stimulate the closest neighboring cells. The activation pulse wave then spreads through the myocardium towards the re-entrant loop. It is desired that one of the pulses will arrive in the correct phase and will stimulate the cells of the loop that have recovered fully from activation. If this happens, then these cells will be refractory to the loop activation, and hence, the ventricular tachycardia will terminate.
This is weakly analogous to lighting a back-fire to stop a forest fire. The weakness in the analogy is that a forest fire does not repeatedly sweep the same area, and thus, does not give multiple opportunities for extinction or reignition.
There are several timing problems that prevent a 100% success rate with this technique. The major problem is that the pulse wave must arrive at the nearest side of the reentrant loop while it is in repolarization, or amenable to activation. Before it can do this, the wave must progress through myocardium without being annihilated by the activation waves emanating from the loop itself. (Recall that the loop is generating expanding activation waves throughout the myocardium in a fashion similar to the waves from a pebble dropped into the center of a smooth pond.) This problem is illustrated in FIG. 2. There is seen the wave at the lower left emanating from the pacing electrodes often one of the anti-tachycardia pulses was delivered. In an intermediate region, it competes with the wave launched by the reentrant loop responsible for the tachycardia, and has a fair probability of being annihilated.
The anti-tachycardia pacing of the prior art has been reported to work 50% to 90% of the time in cases of monomorphic ventricular tachycardia, with the chief problem being the critical timing constraints. This limited success in the prior art is bad enough, but the situation is actually worse. The series of pulses employed sometimes causes a higher-rate monomorphic ventricular tachycardia, or pulse-rate "acceleration". This can result in patient unconsciousness, or can require a painful high-energy shock for termination. Added to these problems for the monomorphic case, we must add that for cases of multiple loops (or sources), the prior art therapy has essentially no chance of working.
The prior art technique of anti-tachycardia pacing uses a burst of, for example, ten pulses at a rate slightly higher than the ventricular-tachycardia rate in hopes of abolishing it. Sometimes, pulse-rate "scanning" is employed in an effort to hit the correct rate. In scanning, the pacing valve is increased with every burst. In another prior art technique, "ramping" the rate is increased during the burst. The prior art chooses a higher rate of pacing because the pacing pulses will vary in phase with respect to the ventricular tachycardia, and thus, there is an increased opportunity for the pacing wave to arrive at a repolarized portion of the re-entrant loop before the pacing wave is itself annihilated.
The situation can be summarized in somewhat different words as follows. The high pulse rate in monomorphic tachycardia is a consequence of a signal circulating in a small-diameter closed loop at some location on the myocardium. The prior art therapy delivers a short series of pacing pulses at a rate higher than that of the tachycardia. The point of using the higher rate in therapy is so that as the wave launched by each therapeutic pulse arrives at the nearest edge of the loop, the chance of having such a wave's arrival coincide with having the repolarized (or stimulation-amenable) zone present at the nearest edge is increased; that is, one of the pulse waves from the short train will have a fair probability of arriving at just the right instant. (The geometrical situation can be appreciated from FIGS. 1 and 2.) Further, the point of using a burst of pulses, rather than a long series, is to provide a quiet interval after therapy during which dominance can be reestablished by waves coming from the pacemaker (whether from the heart's natural pacing center, or from the electrodes of a prosthetic pacemaker). The foregoing description explains the often indifferent results obtained using prior art anti-tachycardia methods, even in the simplest monomorphic case. The pulse waves may not arrive at the right time, may be annihilated by tachycardia waves, as in FIG. 2, and may induce even more serious conditions.

Method and apparatus for far-field tachycardia termination


The present disclosure relates to a saddle tank for motor vehicles, having two chambers connected to one another in their upper region via a central portion having a reduced cross-section, wherein the first chamber has an access opening for refueling and wherein a fill level-limiting valve is arranged in the second chamber. In order to prevent unwanted swash-over of fuel from the first chamber into the second chamber, provision is made according to the invention for there to be arranged, between the two chambers, a separating body which has a separating wall, which extends over the entire width of the central portion between an upper and a lower wall portion, and a pipe which extends from an opening in the separating wall into the first chamber and allows fluid communication between the first and the second chamber.

In a saddle tank with two chambers it often happens that in the chambers a different fuel level is present, for example due to swashing motions caused by dynamic driving conditions. A problem arises in a situation in which shortly before a planned refueling process, a larger quantity of fuel enters the second chamber and activates the fill level-limiting valve therein, for example due to an inclined position of the vehicle or due to lateral acceleration. The saddle tank may then be impossible to refuel since the fill level-limiting valve ensures a repeated interruption of the refueling process. This is particularly unwanted in the case of rented vehicles, which usually have to be completely refueled before returning the same, in order to avoid high additional fees for an only partially refueled vehicle. This problem could be avoided in that a fill level-limiting valve is also provided in the first chamber, which however causes an additional constructive effort and relatively high additional costs. An apparatus known from EP 2 653 333 A1 comprises a pivotable lid in the area of the central portion, which should allow a swash-over from the second chamber into the first chamber and the inflow of fuel from the first chamber into the second chamber during refueling while preventing a swash-over from the first chamber into the second chamber. It is presumed in this case that a swashing motion from the first to the second chamber represents a sudden event, while the flow rate during refueling is considerably lower. However, a precise coordination of the time, when the lid has to allow or prevent a swash-over, is difficult, and cannot be ensured in all situations. In case of a gradual inclined position, for example, the flow rate from the first to the second chamber may be so low that the lid is not actuated and the above undesired situation occurs. Moreover, a part disconnecting or moving from a carrier within the tank, such as a lever actuator, may lock the lid so that its function is disturbed.


A device for environment detection having a first magnetic alternating field is situated in a vehicle. The device detects the at least one object in the environment of the vehicle by a second magnetic alternating field which is produced in the object as a function of the first magnetic alternating field.

PCT International Publication No. WO 01/15109 describes a magnetic sensor, in which a generated primary magnetic field is changed by an object and this change is measured. The magnitude of the changes depends on the magnetic properties of the object, that is, whether they are paramagnetic, diamagnetic or ferromagnetic properties. These properties are characterized by magnetic susceptibility and permeability. This is because of the magnetic behavior and the inner structure of the electron shell of the existing atoms and molecules. Thus the subject matter of this application is a measuring device, in which the primary magnetic field is influenced.
The disadvantage of this is that the measurement of the attenuation of the primary variable magnetic field is sensitive to interference effects and that there is no possibility for measuring the distance to the object.


Waste recovery device comprising a container (62) for receiving waste, a radially expansible sheath (19) which is disposed about the container (62) and forms a lining within it, a deflecting member (66, 67) arranged to incurve the path of the sheath (19), a mechanism (73-77, 80-82) for feeding the sheath (19) by holding it under tension so as to cause it to close once it contacts the deflecting member (66, 67), and by displacing as desired the sleeve (19) over a predefined distance so as to cause a new section of sleeve to pass into the container (62), and a mechanism (54) for actuating the feed mechanism.

The recovery and storage of waste, particularly hazardous waste, such as hospital waste, is carried out most often in an empirical manner using waste cans which, because of the need to be emptied and cleaned regularly, comprise a not-insignificant source of danger.
Further, and especially in the aeronautical field, the recovery and storage of waste which comprises human excrement poses serious problems of storage, giving rise at the present time to numerous research efforts seeking to solve these problems by means of drying by microwaves . . .
The present invention seeks to overcome these disadvantages and has as its principal object to provide an apparatus solving all of the above mentioned problems inherent in the recovery and storage of waste.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus conceived to be able to operate in an autonomous manner.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus permitting assurance of the treatment of waste, particularly in water closet applications.

Device for the recovery and storage of waste


A snow traction unit to replace a wheel of an all wheel drive vehicle which includes a frame supporting two carrier wheels; said carrier wheels being spaced apart a distance greater than their combined radii; an endless snow contacting track mounted for rotation on said carrier wheels; a track contacting surface provided between the lower extremities of said carrier wheels; a drive engagement means for engaging the drive shaft of the vehicle and for driving at least one of said carrier wheels; the arrangement of the width of the track, the spacing between the carrier wheels and the track contacting surface resulting in the vehicle having a force imprint less than 250 Kg/square meter.

Many over snow vehicles can only be used for that purpose. There is a need for conversion units that can convert wheeled vehicles to effective over snow vehicles.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,886 discloses a conversion kit with a track for each side of a vehicle and the use of the brakes for steering. The track passes over a series of rollers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,883 discloses a street car conversion with front skis for steering and a rear track for propulsion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,516 discloses a similar arrangement which uses a chain drive from the rear wheels for the track. The tracks use rollers to support the track belt.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,882 is also a ski and track combination and takes its power from an extended drive shaft.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,248 discloses a kit that uses the existing wheels but is more for soft ground rather than snow.
Some patents have been concerned with farm tractor conversions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,656 discloses a track for the road wheel of a tractor. U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,960 discloses a tracked conversion for a tractor that also uses an hydraulic steering attachment that is steered from the steering wheel. A single track is used on each side and the tracks pass over a horizontal slide when contacting the snow.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,860 discloses a track conversion where the steering is from attached trailing equipment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,503 discloses a drive system for a tracked wheel.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,646 discloses a semi-crawler arrangement for the rear wheel of a farm tractor.
These prior art arrangements are generally unsatisfactory because the vehicle load on the snow is too high and the steering of the vehicle is non responsive or places the snow under too much shear so that propulsion over snow is inhibited. Eg: two directional shear when traversing, transverse, across a slope, one track moving faster than the other to prevent sideways slip, the effect being a torque onto the snow. All existing oversnow vehicles have a side slope maximum traverse angle of about thirteen degrees.
It is an object of this invention to provide a conversion for vehicles that ameliorates these problems


The invention relates to a process cartridge, which comprises a process cartridge housing, a photosensitive member, a driving force receiving opening, a retractable mechanism and a control mechanism, wherein the photosensitive member is arranged inside the process cartridge housing; the driving force receiving opening is connected with the photosensitive member and provides a driving force for the photosensitive member; the retractable mechanism allows the driving force receiving opening to extend or retract in the axial direction of the photosensitive member; and the control mechanism controls the extension and retraction of the retractable mechanism.

The invention relates to a process cartridge which is detachably arranged on an image forming device based on electrostatic printing technology, wherein the image forming device can be any one of a laser image forming device, an LED image forming device, a copier or a facsimile apparatus.
The working process of the image forming device based on the electrostatic printing technology is as follows: firstly, predetermined charges are uniformly charged on the surface of a photosensitive member by a charging component; secondly, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive member, with the predetermined charges, is subjected to exposure treatment; thirdly, a developer is conveyed to the photosensitive member by developing components, so that the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive member can be developed; fourthly, the developer on the electrostatic latent image is transferred to an image recording medium such as paper after transferring; and finally, the developer, which is not completely transferred, on the surface of the photosensitive member, is cleaned by a cleaning component, so that the photosensitive member is allowed to go into the next charging, and the next cycle.
A process cartridge is used in the image forming device. As a cartridge unit, the process cartridge is integrated with one or more than one of the following components: a photosensitive member such as an organic photosensitive drum and a series of components acting on the photosensitive member, such as the charging component, the cleaning component and the developing components.
A process cartridge in the prior art comprises two main frames, wherein a charging roller, a wiper blade and a photosensitive member are arranged on a first main frame; a developer, a magnetic roller and an adjusting blade used for adjusting the thickness of the developer on the magnetic roller are reserved on a second main frame; the charging roller is taken as a charging component; the wiper blade is taken as a cleaning component; the magnetic roller, the adjusting blade, etc. are taken as developing components; and the first main frame and the second main frame which are provided with the above components are assembled to form the process cartridge as a whole. The process cartridge is assembled or disassembled on an image forming device by a terminal user, wherein a professional maintainer is not required, thus the maintenance is convenient for terminal users.
In general, a driving force receiving opening is arranged on the photosensitive member and engaged with a driving mechanism in the image forming device to drive the photosensitive member to perform rotational movement. However, as the photosensitive member is required to be detachably arranged on the image forming device along with the process cartridge, the driving force receiving opening and the driving mechanism are required to be disengaged when the process cartridge is disassembled from the image forming device, so that the process cartridge can be successfully disassembled from the image forming device; and the driving force receiving opening and the driving mechanism are required to be engaged when the process cartridge is assembled into the image forming device for printing, so that the photosensitive member can be rotated successfully.
The Chinese patent application CN200920129260.3 discloses a process cartridge with a flexible pressure device. The flexible pressure device is arranged on a photosensitive drum and allows a driving force receiver to stably receive a driving force, so that the driving force receiver has free gap in the rotational axial direction of the photosensitive drum. Therefore, not only the driving force receiver has certain free gap in the rotational axial direction of the photosensitive drum and leans against a driving end of an image forming device to realize the assembly of a toner cartridge in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum but also the coaxial transmission between the driving force receiver and the photosensitive drum is more reliable and the structure is simpler. Moreover, as the driving force receiver is detachably arranged at one end of the photosensitive drum, the photosensitive drum is convenient in maintenance. As different driving force receivers are used for different image forming devices but the main body, namely the photosensitive drum, is the same, users only need to replace the driving force receiver but not need to replace the photosensitive drum, thus the manufacturing cost and the use cost are reduced. However, due to the flexible pressure device, the driving force receiver, namely the driving force receiving opening, is always in the pressurized state when beginning to get engaged and disengaged with a driving mechanism of the image forming device, thus the driving force receiver and the driving member for the image forming device cannot be kept in a straight line when beginning to get engaged and disengaged as the inner space of the image forming device is limited, consequently the driving force receiver and the driving member of the image forming device are inevitably subjected to the friction damage when meeting a bevel when beginning to get engaged and disengaged and then the engagement between the driving force receiver and the driving member of the image forming device is affected.

Printer cartridge having a retractable mechanism


A system and method are provided for unified visual measurement of blur and noise distortions in digital image data, the system including a processor, an input adapter in signal communication with the processor for receiving digital image data, a visual discrimination model (VDM) simulation unit in signal communication with the processor, a just noticeable difference (JND) analysis unit in signal communication with the processor, and a JND selection unit in signal communication with the processor; and the method including receiving digital image data, simulating a single-ended VDM, analyzing individual JND channels, including the responses of the highest spatial frequency channel(s), and selecting a reference JND level corresponding to low noise and blur distortions.

Conventional methods for computing metrics of image distortion rely on the availability of a high-quality version of a given image with low or no distortion for reference. These metrics can be computed from differences in pixel values, such as mean-squared error (MSE) or peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSRN), or in simulations of the visual conspicuity of those differences, such as from a just-noticeable difference (JND) output of a visual discrimination model (VDM).
Simple pixel-difference metrics, such as PSNR, are often less sensitive to distortions due to blur than to noise, and can underestimate the impact of blur on subjective assessments of image quality. JND-based visual metrics have been found to correlate better with observer ratings of image degradation due to both blur and noise in cases where both types of distortions can be related to an "ideal" reference image without significant distortion.
Unfortunately, prior methods have not discriminated the effects of blur and noise on JND metrics. This capability would be desirable when the imaging methods and parameters to be evaluated produce fundamental tradeoffs between blur and noise, such as in single-shot fast spin echo (HASTE) image reconstruction. In addition, high-quality reference images are often not available for evaluating levels of image distortion. In these cases, an alternate method is desired.

Unified visual measurement of blur and noise distortions in digital images


A method of controlling the clock frequency of a processor executing software in a plurality of active periods, the method comprising, for each period: supplying to a power management application at least one parameter defining an execution profile for the period having high frequency and low frequency operating intervals; the power management application determining, based on said profile, granted clock frequencies for the high and low frequency operating intervals; the processor supplying to the power management application at the commencement of a period an operating cycle requirement for the period; the power management application determining, for each period, based on the operating cycle requirement, the length of the low frequency interval; and controlling the clock frequency in each interval based on the granted clock frequencies determined by the power management application.

The present invention lies in the field of active power management (APM) which means the short term control of processor clock frequencies and core supply voltage (Vdd) to minimise power consumption in an active mode. Active power management is generally a fast power management component, where clock frequencies and voltages may need to be modified every few hundred microseconds. Decisions are based on short term application needs.
A number of active power management schemes exist. Many such schemes which are used to find the optimum Vdd/clock frequency match assume that both parameters can be changed in a continuous manner. Such power models are not applicable in an architecture where supply voltage and/or clock frequency have a defined granularity.
It is an aim of the present invention to provide a method and system for controlling the clock frequency of a processor which can alleviate the limitations which exist where a clock frequency can only be changed with granularity.

Method and system for controlling clock frequency for active power management


An actual power generation amount receiver acquires an actual power generation amount of a photovoltaic power generation system of each time slot of each day. An extraterrestrial solar radiation calculator calculates an extraterrestrial solar radiation of each time slot of each day at a disposition position. A weather information receiver acquires an actual weather record of each time slot of each day and a weather forecast of a prediction target time slot. A similar date extractor classifies a time slot, which is the same as a prediction target time slot of each day in a search range in which an actual power generation amount is acquired, as a similar time slot for each actual weather record type. A prediction formula deriver derives a power generation amount prediction formula for calculating a predicted power generation amount based on an actual power generation amount.

A photovoltaic power generation system is power generation equipment that can be relatively easily installed at home, and attracts attention as equipment that can contribute to a CO2 reduction and energy saving. In addition, electricity generated by the photovoltaic power generation system cannot only be consumed in real time as power at a power generation site, but also can be sold to a distribution system, or can be stored as power and/or heat in energy saving storage equipment, and used at a time different from the power generation. For example, the photovoltaic power generation system can be combined with night time electric power utilization equipment that stores hot water in a heat pump hot water supplier in the night when an electric bill unit price is low and prepares for hot water supply demand in the morning and in the evening. For example, electric power generated by the photovoltaic power generation system in the daytime and/or surplus electric power that is generated power amount minus captive consumption amount can be used to increase a hot water storage amount or raise the temperature of the hot water. Thus, a hot water amount stored for night time use can be reduced or reheating prior to demand in the evening can be reduced. In such a case, the power generation amount in the daytime is required to be accurately predicted to plan to store sufficient heat for the hot water supply demand.
The surplus electric power generated by the photovoltaic power generation system may be sold to a distribution system (a reverse flow). However, as the photovoltaic power generation system cannot control the power generation amount and power generation hours, management of distribution voltages is difficult if many photovoltaic power generation systems are connected to the distribution system. Therefore, suppression of output of the photovoltaic power generation systems is investigated by electric power companies. Also in this case, accurate prediction of the power generation amount and the surplus amount of the photovoltaic power generation system are required to determine whether to issue an order to suppress output and to determine the amount of suppression.
In a conventional power generation amount prediction method, the power generation amount is predicted by predicting a solar radiation amount in a specific time slot in a specific area in which a panel of the photovoltaic power generation system is installed, and by multiplying the solar radiation amount by coefficients of a rated output and a conversion efficiency of the panel, and a conversion efficiency of a module for each temperature (for example, Non-Patent Literature 1).
In addition, there is a method for predicting a solar radiation amount irradiated on the panel by using panel information such as an azimuth, an angle of inclination, the rating, and the like of the panel of the photovoltaic power generation system, and for estimating the power generation amount by multiplying the solar radiation amount by coefficients of the power generation efficiency of the panel, a panel area and the like (for example, Patent Literature 1).
Furthermore, there is a method for predicting the power generation amount in which a power generation amount prediction formula is derived based on meteorologic phenomena observed in the past in a photovoltaic power generation system installation area and an actual power generation amount measured in the past, and a weather forecast of a prediction target day or a prediction target time slot and a power generation amount of the photovoltaic power generation system measured before a prediction execution time of a prediction target day are input in the power generation amount prediction formula (for example, Patent Literature 2).

Device for predicting amount of photovoltaic power generation, and method for predicting amount of photovoltaic power generation


A displacer assembly for a Stirling cycle system includes a displacer and a synchronous linear electric motor linked so as to drive the displacer. The electric motor features at least one stator assembly having first and second soft-magnetic pole pieces defining therebetween a gap. The width of the gap is oriented perpendicular to an axis of movement of the motor, and the stator assembly is constructed so as to generate a magnetic field aligned primarily parallel to the width of the gap. The motor also includes at least one compound permanent magnet system located within the gap. The compound permanent magnet system has a first section magnetized in a first direction parallel to the width of the gap and a second section axially displaced from the first section magnetized in a direction opposite to the first direction. The result of this structure is that the electric motor operates as a magnetic spring which, when no power is supplied to the motor, returns the displacer to a predefined rest position.

The present invention relates to Stirling cycle machines and, in particular, it concerns Stirling cycle system having displacer driven by a synchronous linear motor with a magnetic spring.
It is known to employ Stirling cycle systems for cooling. Stirling cycle systems contain two essential moving parts, both of which execute reciprocating motion. One of these parts, usually known as the "displacer", is typically implemented as a plunger movable with clearance along a cylinder. This serves to transfer a mass of gas in alternate directions between the two ends of the cylinder. The displacer is connected to a compressor which generates pulsating pressure within the gas. By driving the displacer at the same frequency as the compressor, but at a certain phase difference therefrom, the system operates as a heat pump with heat being removed from one end of the displacer. In this manner, Stirling cycle systems can be used as the basis for a range of refrigeration systems.
In order to maintain efficient operation of a Stirling cycle system, the phase relationship between the compressor and the displacer must be optimized. The phase relation is most commonly maintained by a mechanical linkage between the compressor and displacer. However, it is very difficult to make such a linkage so as to allow adjustment of either the phase relation or the amplitude. In addition, a mechanical linkage tends to transmit vibration between the two parts of the system, rendering both the linkage itself and the system as a whole unreliable.
An alternative approach is a split structure employing a "passive" displacer assembly in which the displacer acts as a free piston. By designing the displacer assembly to achieve the right natural frequencies of oscillation, the displacer responds to the compressor output with movements that show the right difference in phase from those of the compressor itself. Calibration and adjustment of passive displacer systems, however, are difficult to achieve. An example of such a system is U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,695 to Kushnir in which a complicated three-spring damping mechanism is provided to allow adjustment of the displacer movement.
In an attempt to achieve improved control without the disadvantages of a mechanical linkage, U.S. Pat. No. 4,397,155 to Davey describes a Stirling cycle machine with an "active" displacer assembly in which the relationship between the movements of the displacer and the compressor is controlled by an independent electromagnetic device, in one embodiment functioning as a motor. The motor includes a coil carried by the displacer plunger and movable within the field of a stationary magnet.
The Davey machine has a number of advantages. However, the efficiency of the system is severely limited by the motor structure employed. Specifically, the motor is shown as a single cylindrical coil moving axially within the cylindrical gap of a permanent magnet circuit. The motor structure described provides low efficiency and has no self-centering properties. Such a system also requires sliding contacts which are unreliable.
Furthermore, the displacer of the Davey machine, in common with all other Stirling displacers, requires various spring elements to return the displacer to its neutral position. Such mechanical spring elements present numerous design problems, being difficult to adjust, intensifying mechanical wear, and increasing acoustic noise.
There is therefore a need for a Stirling cycle system having a motor driven displacer which has a magnetic spring effect without the need for mechanical contact. It would also be advantageous to have a Stirling cycle system which includes such a displacer.

Displacer assembly for Stirling cycle system


To display at least one three-dimensional (3D) image in a two-dimensional (2D) image display area, a method and apparatus is provided for distinguishing a 3D image display area, in which the at least one 3D image is displayed, from the 2D image display area, and displaying a 2D image and a 3D image in the 2D image display area and the 3D image display area, respectively, thereby improving display resolution.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for displaying at least one three-dimensional (3D) image display area in a two-dimensional (2D) image display area, as well as a method and apparatus for displaying at least one 3D image in a 2D image display area.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A 3D effect of an object, also called binocular disparity, may be achieved when a viewer or an observer simultaneously views the object through retinas of his or her left and right eyes in different directions and recognizes it by means of the brain. Therefore, to display a 3D image, left and right eyes of a viewer are allowed to view different images using the principle of the binocular disparity, enabling the viewer to recognize the 3D image.
3D display technology may be classified into stereoscopic display technology, which requires a viewer to wear special glasses such as shutter glasses to view a 3D stereoscopic image, and autostereoscopic display technology, which does not require the viewer to wear glasses. A stereoscopic display may use liquid crystal shutter glasses, in which right-eye liquid crystals and left-eye liquid crystals alternately pass and block the light at determined periods, and a driving device for these shutter glasses. Therefore, different left-eye images and right-eye images are separated and provided, allowing the viewer to recognize a relevant stereoscopic image.
Autostereoscopic display technology may include a parallax barrier 3D display device and a lenticular 3D display device. The parallax barrier 3D display device includes a parallax barrier mounted in front of a display panel with pixels arranged in a matrix of rows and columns, and having apertures in the form of a vertical grid. The parallax barrier separates a right-eye image from a left-eye image for the right and left eyes of a viewer, causing binocular disparity between the different right-eye and left-eye images in the display panel. The lenticular 3D display device or a lenticular device includes a lenticular lens sheet having an array of semi-cylindrical lenses in the column direction instead of the parallax barrier in the form of a vertical grid; a flat-surfaced plate facing the lenticular lens sheet; liquid crystal filled between the lenticular lens sheet and the flat-surfaced plate; and electrodes formed on inner sides of the lenticular lens sheet and the flat-surfaced plate. This lenticular device is mounted in front of the display panel, and the display device may switch between 2D and 3D display modes by turning on/off a voltage applied to the electrodes. In the 2D mode, in the viewing direction, the refractive index of the liquid crystal becomes substantially identical to the refractive index of a material used for the lenticular lens sheet depending on the presence/absence of a voltage applied across the liquid crystal material, thereby removing the lens effect of the lenticular device. In this case, the lenticular device may serve as a light transmission plate on the display panel without affecting the path of light coming out from the display panel. On the other hand, in the 3D mode, as the refractive index of the liquid crystal becomes different from the refractive index of the material used for the lenticular lens sheet according to the alignment of the liquid crystal material due to the presence/absence of a voltage applied across the liquid crystal material, the lenticular device may serve as a lens, thereby providing different images to left and right eyes of a viewer and allowing the viewer to perceive a stereoscopic image.
It is important for an autostereoscopic 3D display apparatus to have a number of available view points, because the view point, at which a viewer can watch a 3D image, may be fixed. In order to enable viewers to watch a 3D image at multiple view points, the display apparatus should receive appropriate input data. The appropriate input data may include a sequence of input images for the central view point and a sequence of depth maps corresponding thereto. Pixels may be shifted to depth maps corresponding to input images, generating a set of output images, which correspond to the number of view points. Using the set of output images, an autostereoscopic 3D image signal or a synthesized stereoscopic image signal may be generated to drive a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) panel using a lenticular device. A look-up table of pixel-shift data based on a plurality of view points and their depth data is stored in a memory, and a display apparatus displays 3D image data by image data shifted based on the pixel-shift data.
If the number of view points increases for 3D image display, a resolution is inversely proportional to the number of view points. When a 3D image is displayed in a 2D image display area, and 2D image displaying is carried out in the 2D image display area in 3D image displaying by the above-described technologies, a resolution of the display for all images including 2D images decreases if the number of view points increases. This decreased resolution negatively impacts display quality.

Method and apparatus for displaying partial 3D image in 2D image display area


A system for generating recommendation data includes an assessment unit and an evaluation unit. The assessment unit is configured to receive transaction data for a plurality of transactions and to assess each transaction and generate assessment data based thereon. The evaluation unit is coupled with the assessment unit and configured to receive an evaluation request including a proposed transaction, and generate recommendation data including a certainty indicator which indicates a level of certainty that the proposed transaction will be successful according to predetermined criteria.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed systems and methods for tracking and managing historical investor and investor action data. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems of methods for analyzing the historical performance of investors and investor actions, and for using the analysis to generate recommendations for future action in accordance with preferences and objectives.
2. Description of the Related Art
For years, art reigned over science in the investment arena, as it still does in many firms. In the past several decades, however, more scientific approaches have emerged which generally use more modern technology to employ mathematical techniques. Institutions spend $50 billion each year on investment managers and research. Much of that is spent gathering corporate, industry and national economic data and then modelling that information to make recommendations to investors.
Nonetheless, this development has failed to create greater market efficiency and advisor agreement; instead, it has merely multiplied the number of different techniques and consequent opinions. One of the major drawbacks of these systems is that they require the average investor to select among a variety of usually complicated mathematical approaches. Another drawback of these systems is that their usefulness will vary over time as the market weighs the various economic factors differently. (For example, the decreased focus on "price-to-earnings" or "PE" ratios during the rapid climb of Internet stock prices.)
At the same time, more people have made investments in the stock market today than ever before. And more of those people are directly involved in managing their investments, merely consulting or altogether bypassing traditional brokers to make their own decisions and execute trades via online services and other "direct" brokerage services. Similarly, gaming or gambling sites, such as those facilitating the placing of bets on sports contests, are experiencing increased popularity. These trends have been accelerated by increases in these services, decrease in the price for these services, availability of necessary technology (such as Internet access) and investor familiarity with the market. Even more so, the trend associated with the stock market will be accelerated by the number of investment firm scandals, since another drawback of both traditional and more modern advice systems is that what brokers recommend to an investor and what they do for their own investments is not always the same thing.
While some inventions claim to assess total portfolio holdings and may have a partial benefit of looking at actions rather than mere recommendations, they have several other disadvantages eliminated by the present invention. Such disadvantages include limited numbers of investors for analysis, limited numbers of objects involved, and—in the case of the fund manager approach—a lack of sensitivity to the shifts in stock price caused by such institutional moves. An additional disadvantage avoided by the present invention is a portfolio-based approach for evaluation rather than a transaction-based approach, since the portfolio-based approach requires the subscriber to match an overall series of positions rather than evaluating single transactions. Still another disadvantage avoided by the present invention is a lack of sensitivity to changes over time provided by their backward-looking approach, since an equity held in a "model" portfolio may have increased in price since acquisition. Other disadvantages of these inventions, such as their lack of a mechanism for assessing what is defined here as user "confidence," become increasingly apparent through the detailed description below.
Still other inventions claim to perform analysis of recommendations of a limited number of industry or media "experts." In addition to the earlier stated disadvantage of being based simply on recommendations rather than transactions, such inventions have several other disadvantages eliminated by the present invention. Such disadvantages include absence of the millions of individual investors, absence of an aggregate transactional weighting factor for assessment (termed evaluation "conviction" in the present invention), limitation to pre-defined periods of time rather than continuous periods of time, limited numbers of objects involved in recommendations and vulnerability to external influences such as media coverage.
As a result, there remains a need for a system that is easier for the investor to understand and use and that is less vulnerable to the evolution of the market or the suspect motives of investment advisors.

System and method for generating transaction based recommendations


An extractor extracts a gloss control value unused in first gloss control plane data. A conversion table generator generates a conversion table defining a special color density value corresponding to the extracted gloss control value. A second surface effect conversion table generator generates a second surface effect conversion table obtained by registering, in the first surface effect conversion table, definition information for the special color image specified by the special color density value in the conversion table in association with the gloss control values in the conversion table. A second gloss control plane data generator generates second gloss control plane data in which the special color density value in the clear plane data is converted into the corresponding gloss control value in the conversion table. A clear toner plane generator generates the clear toner plane data based on the second surface effect conversion table and third gloss control plane data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and an image processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been known apparatuses that form an image by the use of, in addition to C, M, Y, and K or other color toners, a toner in a special color. In one known technique (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2012-212131), a special color toner is used to provide a surface effect such as gloss on a recording medium.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2012-212131 discloses a printing system for generating clear toner plane data used in a printing machine from clear plane data and gloss control plane data. The clear plane data is data for forming a transparent image. The gloss control plane data is data for designating the type of a surface effect and a region to which the surface effect is to be applied.
However, to generate the clear toner plane data according to the conventional technique, it has been necessary to process two types of planes (two types of pieces of data), the gloss control plane data and the clear plane data. Consequently, in the conventional technique, a memory capacity is consumed or processing speed is dropped when the clear toner plane data is generated. In addition, a user suffers a load when the user makes an operation to integrate the clear toner plane data and the gloss control plane data. Thus, in the conventional technique, the processing load has been large for generation of the clear toner plane data.

Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and image processing system for generating clear toner plane data


A wetted wall cyclone system for sampling an aerosol. In an embodiment, the system comprises a cyclone body including an inlet end, an outlet end, and an inner flow passage extending therebetween. In addition, the system comprises a cyclone inlet tangentially coupled to the cyclone body proximal the inlet end. The cyclone inlet includes an inlet flow channel in fluid communication with the inner flow passage of the cyclone body. Further, the system comprises a skimmer coaxially coupled to the outlet end of the cyclone body. The skimmer comprises a separation end extending into the outlet end of the cyclone body, a free end distal the outlet end of the cyclone body, and an inner exhaust channel in fluid communication with the inner flow passage of the cyclone body. Still further, the system comprises means for reducing the temperature of at least a portion of the cyclone body.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to apparatus, systems, and methods for separating and collecting particulate matter from a fluid. More particularly, the invention relates to a wetted wall cyclone and method of using the same for separating and collecting particular matter on a liquid layer or film. Still more particularly, the invention relates to a wetted wall cyclone and method of using the same for bioaerosol collection and concentration in ambient conditions.
2. Background of the Invention
A cyclone separator is a mechanical device employed to remove and collect particulate matter or solids from a gas, typically air, by the use of centrifugal force. The gaseous suspension containing the fine particulate matter, often referred to as an "aerosol," is tangentially flowed into the inlet of a cyclone body, resulting in a vortex of spinning airflow within the cyclone body. As the aerosol enters the cyclone, it is accelerated to a speed sufficient to cause entrained particles having sufficient inertia to move radially outward under centrifugal forces until they strike the inner wall of the cyclone body.
In a wetted wall cyclone, the particulate matter moving radially outward is collected on a liquid film or layer, also known as a "collection fluid" or "collection liquid", that is formed on at least a portion of the inner surface of the cyclone wall. The liquid film is created by injecting the liquid into the cyclone body. When injected into the cyclone body, the liquid may be atomized into droplets, which are then deposited on the inner wall of the cyclone to form the liquid film. The liquid may be continuously injected or applied at periodic intervals to wash the inner surface of the cyclone wall. Shear forces caused by the cyclonic bulk airflow, which may be aided by the force of gravity, cause the liquid layer on the inner surface of the cyclone wall, as well as the particulate matter entrained therein, to move axially along the inner surface of the cyclone wall as a film, as droplets, or as rivulets toward a skimmer positioned downstream of the cyclone body. In wetted wall cyclone separators using water as the injected collection fluid, the suspension of water and entrained particulate matter is often referred to as a "hydrosol".
The liquid film, droplets, or rivulets on the inner surface of the cyclone wall including the entrained particulate matter are separated from the bulk airflow by a skimmer from which the liquid film and particles entrained therein are aspirated from the cyclone body. The processed or "cleansed" air (i.e., the air remaining after the particulate matter has been separated) exits the cyclone body and may be exhausted to the environment or subject to further separation. In this manner, at least a portion of the particulate matter in the bulk airflow is separated and collected in a more concentrated form that may be passed along for further processing or analysis. The concentration of the particulate matter separated from the bulk airflow can be increased by several orders of magnitude by this general process.
Wetted wall cyclone separators are used for a variety of separating and sampling purposes. For instance, wetted wall cyclones may be used as part of a bioaerosol detection system in which airborne bioaerosol particles are separated and collected in a concentrated form that can be further analyzed to assess the characteristics of the bioaerosol particles.
The effectiveness or ability of the cyclone separator to separate and collect such particulate matter is often measured by the aerosol-to-hydrosol collection efficiency which is calculated by dividing the amount of particles of a given size that leave the cyclone separator in the hydrosol exhaust stream by the amount of particles of that same size that enter the cyclone in the bulk airflow or aerosol state.
In most conventional wetted wall cyclones, the liquid skimmer is connected to the cyclone body at a location where the cyclone body has an expanded or increased radius section. In such a diverging flow region, the cyclonic airflow tends to decelerate in the axial direction. As a result, the hydrosol liquid flowing along the inner wall of the cyclone body proximal the skimmer may collect and buildup in a relatively stagnant ring-shaped torus. Some of the hydrosol contained within such a torus may be undesirably swept up and entrained in the cyclonic airflow, and exit the cyclone body along with such separated airflow, thereby bypassing the skimmer and associated aspiration. This phenomenon, often referred to as "liquid carryover", degrades the cyclone's separation and collection capabilities. In particular, liquid carryover can significantly decrease the aerosol-to-hydrosol collection efficiency. For instance, Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio developed a wetted wall cyclone that was designed to operate at an air flow rate of 780 L/min and an effluent liquid flow rate of about 1.5 mL/min. The aerosol-to-hydrosol collection efficiency for particles in the size range of 1.5 to 6.5 μm aerodynamic diameter (AD) is about 60%; however, the unit frequently exhibits water carryover which significantly reduces the aerosol-to-hydrosol efficiency.
New systems are being developed for near-real-time analyses of bioaerosols, which can provide detection and identification of hazardous bioaerosol particles. These systems typically require samples in the hydrosol form with an equivalent liquid flow rate on the order of one-hundred μL/min. Such systems may be employed to sample air from occupied environments at room temperature or from ambient environments, where both relatively high and low temperatures may be experienced.
The effectiveness and efficiency of a wetted wall cyclone operated in a sub-freezing environment may be significantly reduced if the injected liquid and/or the hydrosol begin to solidify or freeze. It may be particularly desirable, for these applications, to control the temperature of the cyclone body, injected liquid, hydrosol, or combinations thereof, to prevent solidification of the wetting liquid. Thus, in such environments the skimmer must also be designed to ensure effective aspiration of the liquid including operation in sub-freezing conditions. As another example, in cases where the wetted wall cyclone is employed to sample bioaerosols, it is preferred that the collected aerosol particles contained in the liquid be preserved for further analysis and study. The preservation of biological materials may necessitate a particular temperature range within the cyclone. Many conventional wetted wall cyclones do not include any means or mechanism to control the temperature of the cyclone body, injected fluid, or hydrosol. In addition, although the Battelle cyclone previously discussed employs an electric heating element to control the temperature of the cyclone body, its effectiveness drops off significantly in environments having an ambient temperature below about −10° C. even when heated with a relatively large 350 watts of electrical power. Still further, most conventional heated wetted wall cyclones employ a single heater to control the temperature of the cyclone body. However, the air flow patterns within the cyclone body result in variations in local turbulent heat transfer coefficients, which can result in temperature gradients along the cyclone body. Moreover, in heated wetted wall cyclones employing a single heat source, undesirable hot spots and/or cold spots often develop on the cyclone body. Such hot or cold spots may damage biological materials, and/or may cause partial solidification of the collection liquid in certain regions of the cyclone body. Furthermore, relying on the use of a single large heater in sub-freezing environments may require undesirably high power consumption.
For relatively hot-dry ambient environments, collection fluid evaporation has conventionally been addressed by simply increasing the flow rate of the injected collection fluid. However, this may be problematic for samplers positioned at remote locations, where additional collection fluid is not readily available, and thus, the use of minimal amounts of collection fluid is desirable. Batch-type aerosol samplers have been reported where a known amount of liquid is added to the collector prior to use, the collector is operated for the desired period of time during which makeup liquid is added to compensate for evaporation losses, and the liquid is recovered for analysis. However, such batch systems do not enable near-real-time detection capabilities, and further, still require makeup liquid during operation in hot-dry environments.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for sampling systems and methods for operation thereof enabling operation in ambient conditions, including relatively hot-dry as well as sub-freezing environments. Particularly well received would be a wetted wall cyclone separator and method operable with minimal liquid consumption, minimal power consumption, and/or variable temperature control of select areas of the cyclone body and concomitantly offering the potential for reduced liquid carryover and/or improved efficiency.

Advanced wetted wall aerosol sampling cyclone system and methods