A self-compensating rotary hydrostatic bearing and method in which preferably circular annular pressurized-fluid-receiving grooves provided in the opposed housing bearing surfaces regulate the fluid fed to longitudinal recess pockets formed in the opposing bearing surfaces, at an angle to avoid the occurrence of turbulence, to provide a thin film or layer of pressurized fluid in the gaps between a shaft and the opposing bearing surfaces; the regulation establishing differential pressures in the opposing bearing surface pockets to compensate for loads applied to opposite sides of the bearing.

As explained in said parent application, in the prior art, three types of compensation have been proposed. Fixed compensation involved using a capillary or orifice to act as a fixed value resistance. Variable compensation typically constituted the use of a diaphragm and/or valves to provide a flow inversely proportional to the pocket resistance, thereby creating a larger pressure differential than created with the use of a fixed compensation device. Both of these types of compensation, however, must be tuned to the bearing gap and require the manufacture and installation of additional mechanical components subject to clogging and manufacturing errors.
As smaller and smaller bearing gaps are sought in order to increase the performance of the bearing, manufacturing errors make the use of either of these types of compensation more and more difficult by requiring hand-tuning of the compensation device. For high speed machines where a bearing failure (e.g., due to a clog or an improperly hand-tuned bearing) could result in a very non-optimal machine operating condition, there has been a great reluctance to use conventional hydrostatic bearings.
In addition, there is a growing concern about environmental issues, both in terms of pollution, human skin dermatitis, and heat generated by the bearing which causes thermal growth errors in the machine. All these issues are a direct result of using oil in hydrostatic bearings. If a more environmentally friendly fluid, such as water, could be used, then there would not be a disposal problem with the fluid, and working with the machine (e.g., assembly and testing and service) would not result in dermatitis problems for workers. Fire hazards would also be virtually eliminated, as would thermal growth errors. Furthermore, since many processes now use water-based coolants, there would be less of a chance for machine or process degradation if some of the process control fluid leaked into the bearing fluid or vice versa. In addition, one of the most common types of bearing failure may be avoided, which is the wear of rolling element bearings caused by a cleaner blowing dirt off the machine and invariably causing some of the dirt to be blown by the bearing seals and into the bearings. A fluidstatic bearing, on the other hand, upon startup, will clean itself.
The solution is not so simple, however, as merely replacing the oil with water in a conventional bearing design. Firstly, because water has one-tenth the viscosity of a typical light hydrostatic oil (e.g., ISO 10 oil), ten times the flow will result if the water is used in the same bearing; and in higher speed applications (e.g., spindles) turbulence will result causing substantially higher rates of heat generation than occur with the use of oil.
Since the flow is proportional to the cube of the bearing gap, obtaining a flow rate with water that is equivalent to that of the oil bearing, requires that the water bearing have about one-half of the gap of the oil bearing. The Reynolds number, which is an indication of turbulence, is proportional to the bearing gap. Fortunately, the four-times greater heat capacity of water (as compared with a typical hydrostatic oil) means that by reducing the gap by one-half or more, allows for minimal heat generation and the avoidance of turbulence in moderate speed applications optimal, for example, for large grinding machines and some machine tool spindles. Other applications such as lapping and polishing machines, run at relatively low speeds; but they require extreme accuracy in the presence of extremely adverse conditions (e.g., the caustic solution used to polish wafers for integrated circuit production, for example, or for production of memory disc substrates and the like).
A third type of compensation, as also described in said parent application, is called self-compensation because it uses the change in bearing gap to allow the bearing to change the flow of fluid to the pockets, by itself. Existing self compensation methods have utilized linear passageways on the face of the bearing and have been directed primarily to applications in spindles, as later more fully discussed. These designs have not, however, proven themselves to provide acceptable performance in the commercial sector because of inefficient flow patterns that are difficult analytically to determine, particularly the flow field near the end of the linear grooves, often resulting in improper resistance design and which then require hand-tuning of the compensator. Difficulty has also been experienced with prior linear groove self-compensation units because the geometry has not always been realistically implementable or deterministic enough to allow for easy design and build-with-confidence-that-it-will-work scenarios. In addition, methods need to be developed to introduce the fluid into the bearing to prevent the occurrence of turbulence which would cause unacceptable increases in heat generation.
Underlying the present invention, is the discovery that through the use of the general type of bearing construction of the parent invention, modified for shaft or spindle applications of the present invention, and embodying self-compensating units in the form of a pressurized annulus that feeds the fluid to a hole in its center which is then connected to a bearing pocket at an opposing region of the shaft via a hole (that for high speed motion applications of the present invention preferably intersects the pocket at an angle such that the fluid that enters the pocket flows into the pocket with a principal component (tangential) in the direction of motion), the limitations of such prior art approaches are admirably eliminated. The annulus is easy to manufacture and is more structurally stable than linear passages; and, furthermore, the fluid flow from the circular annulus to the center feed hole can be analytically determined with great accuracy. The intersection angle of the feeder hole to the pocket can be found by using stream functions to visualize the flow as later explained. When flow velocity reversal is avoided, the chance for occurrence of turbulence can be minimized. Typically the appropriate angle is from 30 to 60 degrees. For bi-directional bearings, two fluid paths to two feed holes, switched by a reciprocating valve, may be used as later more fully discussed.

Self-compensating hydrostatic bearings for supporting shafts and spindles and the like for rotary and translational motion and methods therefor


A moving body-mounted communication system includes an internal connector, a third transmission line and a first information transmitting and receiving device. The internal connector is mounted in a moving body and connected to an external connector which is connected to a second transmission line. The third transmission line is arranged in the moving body and connected to the internal connector. The first information transmitting and receiving device is connected to the third transmission line. Information is transferred between a first transmission line used in an information and communication network outside the moving body and the second transmission line, and is transferred between the second transmission line and the third transmission line, without performing conversion of the information form of the information between light and electricity.

Conventionally, communication networks have been constructed to process a large amount of data information such as sensor information and entertainment information, in moving bodies such as vehicles, ships, and aircraft. In recent years, it has been considered to aggregate this large amount of data information into a system such as cloud computing, and to provide new services using the aggregated large amount of data information. However, in order to aggregate such a large amount of data information into an external system such as cloud computing, it is necessary to perform relay processing such as protocol conversion, modulation and demodulation processing, and signal conversion in the conventional technology. In addition, when an update program is provided from an external system to a moving body in order to provide a new service, it is also necessary to perform the relay processing described above.
For example, Patent Document 1 (JP 2014-113952A) discloses an in-vehicle system in which networks to each of which one or more electronic control devices are connected are hierarchically connected via a relay device such as a gateway. The in-vehicle system includes a structure reproducing means for reproducing a network structure based on the list of electronic control devices associated with the relay device. The in-vehicle system further includes a communication path determining means for determining a communication path via which an update program can be transmitted from a first electronic control unit to a second electronic control unit, based on communication path determining information and the network structure. The in-vehicle system furthermore includes a structure to transmit the update program to a target device via the communication path. In this case, the update program may be transmitted through a plurality of relay devices such as gateways.

Moving body-mounted communication system and communication system


Provided is a frame structure particularly useful for bicycles and the like. In one embodiment, the frame structure includes a top, a bottom, a front end and a rear end, a first frame side element and a second frame side element. The first frame side element and the second frame side element are in juxtaposed spaced relationship via a plurality of frame spacer elements and define an inner space between the first frame side element and the second frame side element, each one of the first frame side element and the second frame side element being in the form of a double walled panel.

Structural frames (also referred to interchangeably herein as frame structures) have many uses. Bicycle frames are conventionally formed from a number of tubular members joined together in a suitable manner, as is well known. Other types of frames, used in bicycles for example, are also known. For example, by way of general background, U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,146 discloses a monocoque bicycle frame having a body defined by right and left side panels, top and bottom panels, and a bifurcated rearward portion defined by such panels and also by a rear wheel well insert. The body panels and insert completely enclose a continuous internal space which is compression loaded or tensile prestressed with a rigid foam plastic for increased torsional rigidity and resistance to impact distortion. The pedal sprocket and chain are both external of the hollow frame so as to not interrupt the continuity of the body cavity and its compression loading.


A method of upgrading software through a software download in a Terrestrial Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (T-DMB) terminal includes the steps of announcing when the software is downloaded by receiving a T-DMB signal and analyzing a plurality of fast information groups (FIGs), determining whether the software is downloaded, storing ensemble information and download start time information; matching a current ensemble with the stored ensemble when time according to the download start time information elapses, and confirming a signaling message for informing that the software is downloaded and downloading the software.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to terrestrial digital multimedia broadcasting (T-DMB), and in particular, to a method of upgrading software of a T-DMB terminal by providing announcement and signaling operations to the T-DMB terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) is the world's first system standard established in the Republic of Korea to provide a multimedia broadcasting service including video based on a European digital audio broadcasting (DAB: Eureka-147) system, which is a digital radio broadcasting standard of Europe. This system simultaneously provides a CD-level high-quality audio service and a data service.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional terrestrial digital multimedia broadcasting (T-DMB) system.
The T-DMB system illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a DMB broadcasting center 11 generating a DMB signal including DMB contents, a DMB transmission center 12 receiving the DMB signal from the DMB broadcasting center 11 and transmitting the received DMB signal, and a DMB mobile terminal 13 receiving the transmitted DMB signal and displaying a DMB program corresponding to the received DMB signal to a user.
In the T-DMB system, a DMB signal is allocated to each of a plurality of broadcasting stations using a frequency band, i.e., ensemble.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a conventional T-DMB mobile terminal.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the conventional T-DMB mobile terminal 13 includes a radio frequency (RF) tuner 21 for receiving DMB signals input through an antenna and tuning information on an ensemble desired by a user, a demodulator 22 for downconvertering and demodulating a DMB signal corresponding to the ensemble, which is received through the RF tuner 21, to a baseband signal, a channel (service component) demultiplexer 23 for demultiplexing the demodulated DMB signal, and a decoder 24 for decoding a predetermined channel broadcasting signal selected by the channel (service component) demultiplexer 23.
In the conventional T-DMB system, software for the conventional T-DMB mobile terminal is continuously upgraded. However, to upgrade the software, an operation for reserving the software upgrade or announcing the beginning of the software upgrade is required. And as such, the conventional T-DMB system does not provide an algorithm for upgrading software of the conventional T-DMB mobile terminal.

Method of upgrading software through download in T-DMB terminal


A microwave sweep oscillator is used to apply an AC signal from the probe tip of a scanning tunneling microscope to a sample, and the reflected signal from the sample is measured by a microwave spectrum/network analyzer, or another device capable of measuring amplitude versus frequency. The frequency of the signal applied by the oscillator may be swept across a spectrum and the optimum frequency of the spectrum is determined so that an improved image of the surface of a sample may be obtained. The spectrum of a known substance may also be recorded and used as a signature for identifying components of an unknown substance by comparison. When the amplitude of the AC signal applied is increased, a sudden change in the re. This invention was made with support from the National Science Foundation, United States Government, under Grant No. CHE-9158375. The government has rights in this invention.

This invention relates to a system for detecting the threshold and spectra of substances at the atomic or molecular level by detecting reflection of an alternating current (AC) electrical signal from the substances. This invention is particularly useful for imaging, and for measuring the threshold phenonema and spectra of bulk electrical insulators.
With the advent of instruments such as the scanning tunneling microscope (STM), it is now possible to investigate the structure, spectra and dynamics of biological molecules and membranes as well as other substances at the atomic or molecular level. While more than a thousand STM's have been in operation and the instrument has sparked great interest in spectroscopy, the actual headway that has been made in this area remains rather modest. Thus, Bob Wilson and co-workers at IBM Almaden have made some progress in distinguishing closely related adsorbed surface species in STM images. G. Meijer et al., Nature 348, 621 (1990). In "Non-Linear Alternating-Current Tunneling Microscopy," Kochanski, Physical Review Letters, 62:19, pp. 2285-2288 (May 1989), a method for scanning tunneling microscopy is described, where a non-linear alternating current (AC) technique is used that allows stable control of a microscope tip above insulating surfaces where direct current (DC) tunneling is not possible.
The STM has a sample to be investigated which functions as one electrode and another electrode in the shape of a microscope probe with a tip placed at a small distance away from the sample surface. A DC or a low frequency AC signal is then applied across the pair of electrodes. The probe tip is then moved across the sample surface in a scanning operation and the changes in the current or voltage across the electrodes are monitored to detect the characteristics of the sample.
The distance between the probe tip and the counter electrode/sample is controlled by a piezoelectric driver in one of two possible modes: a constant current mode and a constant height mode. The current or voltage detected between the pair of electrodes is used to derive a control signal for controlling the piezoelectric driver in the constant current mode to change the distance between the probe tip and the sample so as to maintain a constant current between the electrodes. The voltage that has applied to the piezoelectric driver in order to keep the tunneling current constant indicates the height of the tip z(x,y) as a function of the position (x,y) of the probe tip over the sample surface. A record of such voltages therefore indicates the topographical image of the sample surface. The constant current mode can be used for surfaces which are not necessarily flat on an atomic scale. A disadvantage of the constant current mode is the time required for the feedback loop for controlling the piezoelectric driver; this feedback action sets relatively low limits for the scan speed.
To increase the scan speed considerably, the feedback loop response is slowed or turned off completely so that the probe tip is rapidly scanned at a constant average distance to the counter electrode irrespective of the contours of the sample surface. The rapid variations in the tunneling current are recorded as a function of location (x,y) to yield the topographic information of the sample surface. This is known as the constant height mode referring to the fact that the probe tip is maintained at a constant distance from the counter electrode.
The constant height mode is advantageous over the constant current mode since it has a faster scan rate not limited by the response time of the feedback loop. Consequently, slow dynamic processes on surfaces can be studied. On the other hand, it is more difficult to extract the topographic height information from the variations of the tunneling current. Furthermore, unless the sample is atomically flat, the tip might crash into a surface protrusion of the sample. For a more complete description of the two operating modes of the STM's, please see "Scanning Tunneling Microscopy I," by H.-J. Guntherodt R. Wiesendanger (Eds.), Springer-Verlag, pp. 5-6.
In the article referenced above, Kochanski proposes to investigate insulating films by applying an AC current between the electrodes at frequency 107 and the current between the electrode at 3.omega. is detected. The AC signal is generated using a 2 GHz resonant cavity so that the frequency or frequencies of the signal applied to the STM electrodes and detected must be fixed in the scanning operation performed by Kochanski.
The parent application discloses a system using the ACSTM for detecting threshold phenomena associated with and/or atomic or molecular spectra of a substance, where the substance can be placed between the tip of the STM and a conductor where the tip is close to the conductor. This is not possible for measuring bulk insulators such as a silicon wafer or the living cells in a large organism such as an animal. It is therefore desirable to provide an alternative system which enables threshold phenomena associated with such substances to be measured.

System for imaging and detecting threshold phenomena associated with and/or atomic or molecular spectra of a substance by reflection of an AC electrical signal

The Penn State Research Foundation, Penn State Rsrch Foundtn & Biotechnol. Rsch. & Dev. Corp.


In an image composition method, a first image signal which forms a first image space including an object of an arbitrary shape and includes a shape signal indicating the shape of the object and a texture signal indicating the texture of the object, is composited with a second image signal which forms a second image space and includes a texture signal indicating the texture of the image, thereby generating a composite image signal which forms a third image space. This method comprises a composition ratio calculation step of calculating the composition ratio of the texture signal of a target pixel to be processed, by arithmetic on the shape signals of pixels positioned inside a target region in the first image space, the target region including the target pixel; and a pixel composition step of performing composition of the texture signals between the target pixel and a pixel included in the second image space and corresponding to the target pixel, based on the composition ratio calculated; wherein a composite texture signal obtained by the composition is used as the texture signal of a pixel included in the third image space and corresponding to the target pixel. Therefore, the image quality at the boundary of the object in the composite image is improved.

The present invention relates to image composition methods, image composition apparatuses, and data recording media and, more particularly, to a process of compositing an image having a shape with another image, and a recording medium which contains a program implementing the composition process by software.
In recent years, we have greeted the age of multimedia in which audio, video and other data are integrally handled, and the conventional information media, i.e., means for transmitting information to men, such as newspapers, magazines, televisions, radios, and telephones, have been adopted as the objects of multimedia. Generally, xe2x80x9cmultimediaxe2x80x9d means to represent, not only characters, but also diagrams, speeches, and especially images simultaneously in relation with each other. In order to handle the conventional information media as the objects of multimedia, it is necessary to transform the information of the media into a digital format.
When the data quantity of each information medium described above is estimated as a quantity of digital data, in case of characters, the data quantity for each character is 1xcx9c2 byte. However, in case of speech, the data quantity is 64 kbps (quality for telecommunication) and, in case of moving picture, it is more than 100 Mbps (quality for current television broadcasting). So, in the information media such as televisions, it is not practical to handle such massive data as it is in a digital format. For example, although visual telephones have already been put to practical use by ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) having a transmission rate of 64 kbps-1.5 Mbps, it is impossible to transmit an image of a television camera as it is by the ISDN.
So, data compression technologies are demanded. In case of visual telephones, a moving picture compression technology standardized as H.261 by (Tu-T (International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunication Sector) is employed. Further, according to a data compression technology of MPEG1, it is possible to record image data, together with audio data, in an ordinary music CD (compact disk).
MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) is an international standard of data compression for moving pictures. In MPEG1, data of a moving picture is compressed to 1.5 Mbps, i.e., data of a television signal is compressed to about {fraction (1/100)}. Since the transmission rate to which MPEG1 is directed is limited to about 1.5 Mbps, MPEG2 has been standardized to meet the demand for higher image quality. In MPEG2, data of a moving picture is compressed so that its transmission rate becomes 2xcx9c15 Mbps, to realize the quality for current television broadcasting.
Under the existing circumstances, standardization of MPEG4 is now proceeded by the working group for standardization of MPEG1 and MPEG2 (ISO/IEC JTC1/SC29/WG11). MPEG4 enables coding and handling of image information in object units, and thereby realizes new functions required in the age of multimedia.
One feature of MPEG4 is that a plurality of image signals for displaying different objects, for example, a foreground image (object) 102 and a background image (object) 100 shown in FIG. 23, are coded separately.
An image signal corresponding to each object is composed of a shape signal expressing the shape of the object, and a texture signal expressing the texture of the object. When coding the image signal, the shape signal and the texture signal are coded by different coding methods.
The texture signal is composed of a luminance signal indicating the brightness of the image of the object, and a chrominance signal indicating the color of the image of the object. The resolution of the chrominance signal is different from that of the luminance signal. To be specific, the size of one pixel as one of components of an image space obtained from the luminance signal (the area of one pixel on the display screen) is xc2xc of the size of one pixel in an image space obtained from the chrominance signal. The luminance signal (chrominance signal) is composed of pixel values corresponding to the respective pixels in the image space.
The resolution of the shape signal is equal to the resolution of the luminance signal. To be specific, the size of one pixel as one of components of an image space obtained from the shape signal is equal to the size of one pixel as one of components of an image space obtained from the luminance signal. The shape signal is composed of pixel values corresponding to the respective pixels in the image space.
Accordingly, the luminance signal and the shape signal corresponding to a region enclosing one object on the screen (hereinafter, referred to as an object region) have the same number of pixel values.
In the following description, the image spaces obtained from the luminance signal, the chrominance signal, and the shape signal are referred to as a luminance space, a chrominance space, and a shape space, respectively; the pixels as components of the luminance space, the chrominance space, and the shape space are referred to as luminance pixels, chrominance pixels, and shape pixels, respectively; and the pixel values of the luminance pixels, the chrominance pixels, and the shape pixels are referred to as luminance data, chrominance data, and shape data, respectively. Further, a shape space, a luminance space, and a chrominance space obtained from an image signal (i.e., shape, luminance, and chrominance signals) corresponding to one object are equal in the reference position and the size.
When the pixel values of the shape signal are represented by either xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cnon-0xe2x80x9d, shape pixel whose pixel values is xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d is positioned outside the image of the object in the shape space, while a shape pixel whose pixel value is xe2x80x9cnon-0xe2x80x9d is positioned inside the image of the object in the shape space.
On the other hand, decoding is performed as follows. As shown in FIG. 23, coded data (coded texture signal and coded shape signal) corresponding to the respective objects (foreground image and background image) are decoded, and the texture signals of the foreground image 100 and the background image 102 are composited by using the decoded shape signal to reproduce a composite image 106. The FIG. 23, reference numeral 104 designates the shape of the object obtained from the shape signal. In this composition of texture signals, composition of luminance signals and composition of chrominance signals are carried out.
By the way, since the resolution of the chrominance signal is xc2xc of the resolution of the luminance signal or the shape signal as described above, the decoded shape signal (hereinafter also referred to as an unconverted shape signal) cannot be used as it is for the composition of chrominance signals. So, the resolution of the shape signal must be converted to generate a shape signal adapted to the resolution of the chrominance signal (hereinafter also referred to as a converted shape signal).
As a method for converting the resolution of the shape signal, MPEG4 employs a method described in xe2x80x9cMPEG4 Video Verification Model Ver8.0 (ISO/IEC JTC1/SC29/WG11 N1/96, pp. 17).
Since the resolution of the chrominance signal is xc2xc of the resolution of the shape signal as described above, one pixel in the chrominance space corresponds to four pixels in the image space obtained from the uncovered shape signal. Further, since the resolution of the decoded shape signal is adapted to the resolution of the chrominance signal, one pixel in the chrominance space corresponds to one pixel in the image space obtained from the converted shape signal.
So, in the above-described resolution conversion method, when one of the four shape pixels corresponding to one chrominance pixel has the pixel value which is not xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d, in other words, when a shape pixel whose pixel value is xe2x80x9cnon-0xe2x80x9d exists in the four shape pixels corresponding to one chrominance pixel, one shape pixel corresponding to the chrominance pixel in the image space obtained from the converted shape signal has the pixel value of xe2x80x9cnon-0xe2x80x9d.
Hereinafter, the image composition method will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 23.
Initially, a description is given of the case where the shape signal is a binary signal which takes xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cnon-0xe2x80x9d as its pixel value.
When the luminance signal of the foreground image 102 and the luminance signal of the background image 100 are composited by referring to the shape signal of the foreground image 102, with respect to the luminance pixels corresponding to the shape pixels whose pixel values are xe2x80x9cnon-0xe2x80x9d (i.e., pixels positioned in the black portion in the shape space 104), the pixel values of the foreground image are used as pixel values of the composite pixels. On the other hand, with request to the luminance signals corresponding to the shape signals whose pixel value are xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d (i.e., pixels positions outside the black portion in the shape space 104), the pixel values of the background image are used as the pixel values of the composite pixels. Further, also the chrominance signals are subjected to similar composition by using the converted shaped signal.
Next, a description is given of the case where the shape signal is a multi-valued signal taking any of 0, 1, 2, 3, . . . , 255 as its pixel value.
When the luminance signal of the foreground image 102 and the luminance signal of the background image 100 are composited by referring to the shape signal of the foreground image 102, the luminance pixel in the composite image, which corresponds to the shape pixel whose pixel value is the minimum value of the multi-valued signal, has the pixel value of the background image as its pixel value, and the luminance pixel in the composite image, which corresponds to the shape signal whose pixel value is the maximum value of the multi-valued signal, has the pixel value of the foreground image as its pixel value.
Furthermore, also the chrominance signals are subjected to similar composition. That is, the chrominance signal in the composite image, which corresponds to the shape pixel whose pixel value is the maximum value or the minimum value of the converted shape signal after the resolution conversion, has the pixel value of the foreground image or the background image as its pixel value. In this case, the average of the pixel values of the four shape pixels corresponding to one chrominance pixel is calculated, and this average value is used as the pixel value of one shape pixel corresponding to the chrominance pixel on the image space obtained from the converted shape signal.
When the shape signal is the multi-valued signal, resolution conversion for this shape signal is different from that for the binary shape signal. That is, when the shape signal has, as its pixel value, an intermediate value between the maximum value and the minimum value of the multi-valued signal, the pixel value of the composite pixel is obtained by calculating the weighted average of the pixel values of the texture signals (luminance signals and chrominance signals) between the foreground image and the background image, by using the shape data (pixel value of the shape signal) as the weighting factor. Thereby, the background image is displayed through the foreground image.
An example of an arithmetic expression for the weighted averaging is as follows.
pel=(alphaxc3x97fgpel+(MAXxe2x88x92alpha)xc3x97bgpel)/MAX xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(1)
wherein pel is the pixel value after composition, alpha is the composition ratio to the pixel value of the foreground image (shape data), fgpel is the pixel value of the foreground image (luminance data or chrominance data), bgpel is the pixel value of the background image (luminance data or chrominance data), and MAX is the maximum value of the shape signal.
When alpha has a value in a range from 0 to 255, MAX is 255. Although the calculation to obtain the weighted average by formula (1) includes rounding of the result of the calculation, the decimal part of the result may be rounded down.
Further, in the calculation to obtain the weighted average, the pixel value (luminance data or chrominance data) of the foreground image may be previously multiplied by the pixel value (shape data) of the corresponding shape signal, to delete the multiplication in formula (1). In this case, formula (1) is reduced to.
pel-fgpelxe2x80x2+(1xe2x88x92alphaxe2x80x2)xc3x97bgpel xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(2)
wherein alphaxe2x80x2 is the composition ratio to the pixel value of the foreground image (shape data), and fgpelxe2x80x2 is the pixel value of the foreground image, multiplied by alphaxe2x80x2 (luminance data or chrominance data).
In formula (2), alphaxe2x80x2 takes a value in a range from 0/255 to 255/255.
When fgpelxe2x80x2-fgpelxc3x97alphaxe2x80x2 in formula (2), the same respect as in the case of MAX=1 in fomula (1) is obtained.
When performing composition of a foreground image and a background image by using a binary shape signal, however, if the pixel values (luminance data or chrominance data) of pixels at the boundary of the foreground image and the background image in the composite image are far apart from each other, the boundary appears unnatural.
This problem will be described in more detail by using FIG. 24.
FIG. 24(a) shows a composite image 106 obtained by compositing a foreground image and a background image. FIG. 24(b) shows an enlarged portion (pixels) 200 of the composite image 106, which portion has a predetermined size (8xc3x978 pixels) and includes the boundary of the foreground image and the background image.
As shown in FIG. 24(b), at the boundary of the foreground image and the background image in the composite image 106, for example, between a pixel 204 and a pixel 206, if the pixel values of these pixels are far apart from each other, the boundary sometimes appears unnatural.
FIG. 25(a) shows a portion (pixels) 300 of an image obtained from the shape signal of the foreground image, which portion corresponds to the portion 200 in the composite image 106. FIG. 25(b) shows the pixel values (shape data) of pixels included in one line 302 of pixels in the portion 300, on a coordinate plane in which the abscissa shows the pixel position and the ordinate shows the value of the shape data. The shape data of each pixel takes a value in a range from 0 to 255.
When the pixel values of the foreground pixel and the background pixel corresponding to the shape pixel are composited according to the shape signal, the pixel value (composite data) corresponding to each pixel (composite pixel) as a component of the composite image is obtained. At this time, the composite pixel corresponding to the shape pixel whose pixel value is not 0 has, as its pixel value, the pixel value of the corresponding foreground pixel or the pixel value obtained by weighted averaging of the pixel values of the foreground and background pixels. On the other hand, the composite pixel corresponding to the shape pixel whose pixel value is 0 has, as its pixel value, the pixel value of the corresponding background pixel.
When the foreground pixel and the background pixel have discontinuous pixel values at the boundary 306, for example, when the pixel value (luminance data or chrominance data) of the foreground pixel and the pixel value (luminance data or chrominance data) of the background pixel are considerably different from each other at the boundary 306, the foreground image and the background image appear unnatural at the boundary, on the display of the composite image.
Accordingly, it is necessary to process the pixel values of the pixels at the boundary or the composition ratio used for composition so that the boundary of objects in the composite image appears natural.
Moreover, in the case where the shape signal and the texture signal have different resolutions as described above, when the texture signals of the foreground image and the background image are composited by using the shape signal or the composite image obtained by the composition of the texture signals is converted to a desired screen size (resolution), the image quality is degraded.
A description is now given of such degradation of image quality, with reference to FIGS. 26 and 27.
FIG. 26 is a diagram for conceptually explaining the process of compositing a foreground image and a background image, each comprising the pixel values of 2xc3x972 pixels, by using a shape signal comprising the pixel values of 4xc3x974 pixels. FIG. 27 is a block diagram illustrating the structure for performing the composition process and resolution conversion of the texture signal of the composite image obtained by the composition.
In FIG. 27, the shape signal 2500 of the foreground image is applied to the first input terminal 2600, and the chrominance signals 2504 and 2506 of the foreground image and the background image are applied to the second and third input terminals 2602 and 2604, respectively.
In the image format used in MPEG4, since the resolution of the chrominance signal is xc2xc of the resolution of the luminance signal or the shape signal, the shape signal 2500 is subjected to resolution conversion by the resolution conversion unit 2606 so as to have the same resolution as the chrominance signal.
Next, using the shape signal 2502 whose resolution has been converted, the chrominance signal 2504 of the foreground image and the chrominance signal 2506 of the background image are composited by the image composition units 2608. Since the resolution of the composite chrominance signal 2508 is different from the resolution of the luminance signal as described above, the composite chrominance signal 2508 is subjected to resolution conversion by the resolution conversion means 2610 so as to have the same resolution as the corresponding luminance signal when it is displayed, and the composite chrominance signal 2510 after the resolution conversion is output from the output terminal 2602.
Usually, the pixel values added by the resolution conversion are pixel values obtained by calculation based on the pixel values of pixels adjacent to the pixels having the added pixel values. When the pixel values in the composite chrominance signal 2510 which has been subjected to resolution conversion are compared with the pixel values of the pixels outside the object (black portion) in the shape signal 2500 before the resolution conversion, it is found that, in the composite chrominance signal 2510, some pixels outside the object have the same pixel value as the pixels inside the object.
As the result, the image displayed based on the chrominance signal is blurred.
Also when processing (composition and resolution conversion) the luminance signal, for the same reason as described above, the quality of reproduced image is degraded at the boundary.
The present invention is made to solve the above-described problems and has for its object to provide an image composition apparatus and an image composition method which are able to improve the image quality at the boundary of objects in the composite image, and a data recording medium which contains a program implementation an image composition process by the image composition method by software.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will became apparent from the detailed description that follows. The detailed description and specific embodiment described are provided only for illustration since various additions and modifications within the scope of the invention will be apparent to those of skill in the art from the detailed description.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image composition method for compositing a first image signal which forms a first image space including an object of an arbitrary shape and includes a shape signal indicating the shape of the object, and a texture signal indicating the texture of the object, and a second image signal which forms a second image space and includes a texture signal indicating the texture of the image, thereby generating a composite image signal which forms a third image space, and this method comprises: composition ratio calculation step of calculating the composition ratio of the texture signal of a target pixel to be processed, by arithmetic on the shape signals of pixels positioned inside a target region in the first image space, the target region including the target pixel; and pixel composition step of performing composition of the texture signals between the target pixel and a pixel included in the second image space and corresponding to the target pixel, based on the composition ratio calculated; wherein a composition texture signal obtained by the composition is used as the texture signal of a pixel included in the third image space and corresponding to the target pixel.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image composition method for compositing a first image signal which forms a first image space including an object of an arbitrary shape and includes a shape signal indicating the shape of the object and a texture signal indicating the texture of the object, and a second image signal which forms a second image space and includes a texture signal indicating the texture of the image, thereby generating a composite image signal which forms a third image space, and this method comprises: shape decision step of deciding whether each pixel is positioned inside the object or not, based on the shape signal of each pixel in the first image space; composition ratio calculation step of calculating the composition ratio of the texture signal of the target pixel, based on the number of pixels positioned inside the object in a target region including the target pixel, when the result of the decision is that the target pixel is positioned inside the object; and pixel composition step of performing composition of the texture signals of the target pixel and a pixel included in the second image space and corresponding to the target pixel, based on the composition ratio calculated; wherein a composite texture signal obtained by the composition is used as the texture signal of a pixel included in the third image space and corresponding to the target pixel.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image composition method for compositing a first image signal which forms a first image space including an object of an arbitrary shape and includes a shape signal indicating the shape of the object and a texture signal indicating the texture of the object, and a second image signal which forms a second image space and includes a texture signal indicating the texture of the image, thereby generating a composite image signal which forms at third image space, and this method comprises: shape decision step of deciding, based on the shape signal of each pixel in the first image space, as to whether the pixel is positioned inside the object or not; composition ratio calculation step of calculating the composition ratio of the texture signal of a target pixel to be processed, based on the shape signals of pixels positioned inside a target region in the first image space, the target region including the target pixel; pixel data generation step of replacing the texture signal of the target pixel with a texture signal obtained by calculating the average of the texture signals of the pixels in the target region, when the result of the decision is that the target pixel is positioned outside the object; and pixel composition step of performing composition of the texture signals between the target pixel and a pixel included in the second image space and corresponding to the target pixel, based on the composition ratio calculated; wherein a composite texture signal obtained by the composition is used as the texture signal of a pixel included in the third image space and corresponding to the target pixel.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image composition method for compositing a first decoded image signal which forms a first image space including an object of an arbitrary shape and includes a shape signal indicating the shape of the object and a texture signal indicating the texture of the object, and a second decoded image signal which forms a second image space and includes a texture signal indicating the texture of the image, thereby generating a composite image signal which forms a third image space, and this method comprises: composition ratio calculation step of calculating the composition ratio of the texture signal of a target pixel to be processed, by arithmetic on the shape signals of pixels positioned inside a target region in the first image space, the target region including the target pixel; and pixel composition step of performing composition of the texture signals between the target pixel and a pixel included in the second image space and corresponding to the target pixel, based on the composition ratio calculated; wherein, in the pixel composition step, a texture signal composition method to be used for the composition step is selected by referring to additional information which has previously been added to a coded image signal corresponding to the first decoded image signal.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image composition method for compositing a first image signal which forms a first image space including an object of an arbitrary shape and includes a shape signal indicating the shape of the object and a texture signal indicating the texture of the object, and a second image signal which forms a second image space and includes a texture signal indicating the texture of the image, thereby generating a composite image signal which forms a third image space, and this method comprises: boundary detection step of detecting the boundary of the object, based on the shape signal of each pixel in the first image space; composition ratio calculation step of calculating the composition ratio of the texture signal of a target pixel to be processed, based on the shape signals of pixels positioned inside a target region including the target pixel in the first image space, the calculation being performed on only pixels which are positioned inside the outside the object, in the vicinity of the boundary of the object; and pixel composition step of performing, for the pixels in the vicinity of the boundary of the object, composition of the texture signals between the target pixel and a pixel included in the second image space and corresponding to the target pixel, based on the composition ratio calculated, and performing, for the pixels other than those in the vicinity of the boundary, composition of the texture signals between the target pixel and a pixel included in the second image space and corresponding to the target pixel, based on the shape signals of these pixels; wherein a composite texture signal obtained by the composition is used as the texture signal of a pixel included in the third image space and corresponding to the target pixel.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image composition method for compositing a first image signal which forms a first image space including an object of an arbitrary shape and includes a shape signal indicating the shape of the object and a texture signal indicating the texture of the object, and a second image signal which forms a second image space and includes a texture signal indicating the texture of the image, thereby generating a composite image signal which forms a third image space, and this method comprises: pixel composition step of performing composition based on additional information indicating the size of the object and the position of the object in the first image space, wherein specific pixels in the first image space, which are positioned inside or outside the object and in the vicinity of the boundary of the object, are subjected to composition of texture signals between target pixels in the first image space and the corresponding pixels in the second image space; and for the other pixels in the first image space, the texture signals of the corresponding pixels in the second image space are used as the texture signals of the corresponding pixels in the third image space; wherein, as the texture signals of pixels in the third image space and corresponding to the specific pixels, the texture signals obtained by composition in the pixel composition step are used.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image composition method for compositing a first image signal which forms a first image space including an object of an arbitrary shape and includes a shape signal indicating the shape of the object and a texture signal indicating the texture of the object, and a second image signal which forms a second image space and includes a texture signal indicating the texture of the image, thereby generating a composite image signal which forms a third image space, and this method comprises: resolution conversion step wherein, when the texture signal and the shape signal, composing the first image signal, have different resolutions, the texture signal is subjected to resolution conversion such that its resolution is made equal to the resolution of the shape signal; and image composition step of performing composition of the first image signal and the second image signal by using the resolution-converted texture signal and the shape signal.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image composition method for compositing a first image signal which forms a first image space including an object of an arbitrary shape and includes a shape signal indicating the shape of the object and a texture signal indicating the texture of the object, and a second image signal which forms a second image space and includes a texture signal indicating the texture of the image, thereby generating a composite image signal which forms a third image space, and this method comprises: resolution conversion step wherein, when the resolution of the texture signal composing the first image signal, the resolution of the texture signal composing the second image signal, and the display resolution when displaying the texture signal composing the composite image signal are different from each other, the texture signals of the first and second image signals are subjected to resolution conversion such that their resolutions are made equal to the display resolution; and image composition step of performing composition of the first image signal and the second image signal by using the resolution converted texture signals of the first and second image signal.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image composition method for compositing a first image signal which forms a first image space including an object of an arbitrary shape and includes a shape signal indicating the shape of the object and a texture signal indicating the texture of the object, and a second image signal which forms a second image space and includes a texture signal indicating the texture of the image, thereby generating a composite image signal which forms a third image space, and this method comprises: a first image composition process comprising: a composition ratio calculation step of calculating the composition ratio of the texture signal of a target pixel, according to the shape signals of pixels positioned inside a target region including the target pixel in the first image space; and a pixel composition step of performing composition of texture signals between the target pixel and a pixel included in the second image space and corresponding to the target pixel, according to the composition ratio calculated; wherein a composite texture signal obtained by the composition is used as the texture signal of a pixel included in the third image space and corresponding to the target pixel; and a second image composition process comprising a pixel composition step of performing composition of texture signals between the target pixel in the first image space and the corresponding pixel in the second image space, with a composition ratio different from the composition ratio used in the first image composition process, wherein a composite texture signal obtained by the composition is used as the texture signal of a pixel included in the third image space and corresponding to the target pixel; wherein the first and second image composition processes are switched according to the shape signals of pixels positioned inside the target region in the first image space.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image composition apparatus for compositing a first decoded image signal which forms a first image space including an object of an arbitrary shape and includes a shape signal indicating the shape of the object and a texture signal indicating the texture of the object, and a second decoded image signal which forms a second image space and includes a texture signal indicating the texture of the image, thereby generating a composite image signal which forms a third image space, and this apparatus comprises: composition ratio calculation means for calculating the composition ratio of the texture signal of a target pixel to be processed, by arithmetic on the shape signals of pixels positioned inside a target region in the first image space, the target region including the target pixel; and pixel composition means for performing composition of the texture signals between the target pixel and a pixel included in the second image space and corresponding to the target pixel, based on the composition ratio calculated; wherein a texture signal composition method to be used by the composition means is selected by referring to additional information which has previously been added to a coded image signal corresponding to the first decoded image signal.
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image composition apparatus for compositing a first image signal which forms a first image space including an object of an arbitrary shape and includes a shape signal indicating the shape of the object and a texture signal indicating the texture of the object, and a second image signal which forms a second image space and includes a texture signal indicating the texture of the image, thereby generating a composite image signal which forms a third image space, and this apparatus comprises: boundary detection means for detecting the boundary of the object, based on the shape signal of each pixel in the first image spacer; composition ratio calculation means for calculating the composition ratio of the texture signal of a target pixel to be processed, based on the shape signals of pixels positioned inside a target region including the target pixel in the first image space, the calculation being performed on only pixels which are positioned inside and outside the object, in the vicinity of the boundary of the object; and pixel composition means for performing, for the pixels in the vicinity of the boundary of the object, composition of the texture signals between the target pixel and a pixel included in the second image space and corresponding to the target pixel, based on the composition ratio calculated, and performing, for the pixels other than those in the vicinity of the boundary, composition of the texture signals between the target pixel and a pixel included in the second image space and corresponding to the target pixel, based on the shape signals of these pixels; wherein a composite texture signal obtained by the composition is used as the texture signal of a pixel included in the third image space and corresponding to the target pixel.
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image composition apparatus for compositing a first image signal which forms a first image space including an object of an arbitrary shape and includes a shape signal indicating the shape of the object and a texture signal indicating the texture of the object, and a second image signal which forms a second image space and includes a texture signal indicating the texture of the image, thereby generating a composite image signal which forms a third image space, and this apparatus comprises: pixel composition means for performing composition based on additional information indicating the size of the object and the position of the object in the first image space, wherein specific pixels in the first image space, which are positioned inside or outside the object and in the vicinity of the boundary of the object, are subjected to composition of texture signals between target pixels in the first image space and the corresponding pixels in the second image space; and for the other pixels in the first image space, the texture signals of the corresponding pixels in the second image space are used as the texture signals of the corresponding pixels in the third image space; wherein, as the texture signals of pixels in the third image space and corresponding to the specific pixels, the texture signals obtained by composition in the pixel composition step are used.
According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image composition apparatus for compositing a first image signal which forms a first image space including an object of an arbitrary shape and includes a shape signal indicating the shape of the object and a texture signal indicating the texture of the object, and a second image signal which forms a second image space and includes a texture signal indicating the texture of the image, thereby generating a composite image signal which forms a third image space, and this apparatus comprises: resolution conversion means for subjecting the texture signal to resolution conversion such that the resolution of the texture signal is made equal to the resolution of the shape signal, when the texture signal and the shape signal, composing the first image signal, have different resolutions; and image composition means for performing composition of the first image signal and the second image signal by using the resolution-converted texture signal and the shape signal.
According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image composition apparatus for compositing a first image signal which forms a first image space including an object of an arbitrary shape and includes a shape signal indicating the shape of the object and a texture signal indicating the texture of the object, and a second image signal which forms a second image space and includes a texture signal indicating the texture of the image, thereby generating a composite image signal which forms a third image space, and this apparatus comprises: resolution conversion means for subjecting the texture signal composing the first image signal and the texture signal composing the second image signal to resolution conversion such that the resolutions of these texture signals are made equal to the display resolution when displaying the texture signal composing the composite image signal, when the resolutions of the texture signals and the display resolution are different from each other; and image composition means for performing composition of the first image signal and the second image signal by using the resolution-converted texture signals of the first and second image signal.
According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image composition apparatus for compositing a first image signal which forms a first image space including an object of an arbitrary shape and includes a shape signal indicating the shape of the object and a texture signal indicating the texture of the object, and a second image signal which forms a second image space and includes a texture signal indicating the texture of the image, thereby generating a composite image signal which forms a third image space, and this apparatus comprises: a first image composition unit comprising: composition ratio calculation means for calculating the composition ratio of the texture signal of a target pixel, according to the shape signals of pixels positioned inside a target region including the target pixel in the first image space; and pixel composition means for performing composition of texture signals between the target pixel and a pixel included in the second image space and corresponding to the target pixel, according to the composition ratio calculated; wherein a composite texture signal obtained by the composition is used as the texture signal of a pixel included in the third image space and corresponding to the target pixel; and a second image composition unit comprising pixel composition means for performing composition of texture signals between the target pixel in the first image space and the corresponding pixel in the second image space, with a composition ratio different from the composition ratio used in the first image composition process, wherein a composite texture signal obtained by the composition is used as the texture signal of a pixel included in the third image space and corresponding to the target pixel; wherein the first and second image composition units are switched according to the shape signals of pixels positioned inside the target region in the first image space.
According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data storage medium containing a program for making a computer perform an image composition process, the program being constructed so that the computer performs an image composition process according to any of the image composition methods described above.

Image composition method, image composition apparatus, and data recording media

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A process for the sampling of extracellular fluid across the skin of an animal involves establishing an ultrasonic standing wave across the skin and collecting fluid transudate. Sampling can be enhanced by combining the use of ultrasound with the application of a partial vacuum to the surface of the skin. An apparatus includes an ultrasonic transducer, a reflector and an absorbent material for collecting transudate. The apparatus can further include a pressure component for reducing hydrostatic pressure on the skin surface.

Conventional sampling methods for collecting body fluids typically involve invasion of the organism (e.g., physical disruption of the skin). Such invasive processes are both painful and messy. The difficulty and pain involved with the process provides a disincentive to the patient to perform the procedure.
Several techniques have been reported that involve little or minimal invasion of the skin. Exemplary such techniques are sonophoresis, iontophoresis and vacuum.
The use of iontophoresis requires using electrodes containing oxidation-reduction species as well as passing electric current through the skin. Iontophoresis has also been used to increase skin permeability. Despite the effective use of iontophoresis for skin permeation enhancement, there are problems with irreversible skin damage induced by the transmembrane passage of current.
Vacuum has been reported to draw fluid transcutaneously while avoiding the complications of invasive procedures. The use of vacuum to extract fluid across the skin is limited because of the relative impermeability of the stratum corneum.
The art discloses methods of using ultrasound traveling waves to enhance the rate of permeation of a drug medium into a selected area of contact of an individual or to enhance the rate of diffusion of a substance through the area of contact of an individual. The use of ultrasound traveling waves may induce localized skin heating.
Thus, there continues to be a need to provide a process and apparatus for sampling extracellular fluid across the skin of an animal.
The present disclosure provides ultrasonic standing waves to enhance permeation and mass transport through skin. While prior art techniques use ultrasonic traveling waves to enhance permeation of the skin, traveling waves do not enhance mass transport of the interstitial fluids. Standing waves on the other hand may promote permeation as well as mass transport. High velocity gradients exhibited by a standing wave sound field can provide enhanced mass transport specifically at boundary layer and at air-fluid interfaces within the structures of skin.
Furthermore, standing waves differ from traveling waves in radiation force. As understood in the art, radiation force is the time-average force exerted on a rigid spherical object immersed in a sound field over a number of cycles. In other words, the radiation force of a traveling wave is the gradient of the kinetic energy density minus the gradient of the potential density plus a phase factor. In contrast, the sum of the kinetic and potential energy density of a standing wave is independent of distance, and so their gradients are equal in magnitude but opposite in sign. The phase factor equals zero since it is constant with distance. Thus, the force for the standing wave is a constant times the gradient of the potential energy density whose maximum is equal to twice the potential energy density.
For example, in a traveling wave of pressure amplitude A, a particle is acted on by a small steady state force in the direction of the wave. If the wave is uniform, then the force is the same independent of the particle's position. However, in a standing wave the total pressure amplitude varies in space or position. The maximum amplitude is 2A and occurs in planes spaced at a half-wavelengths apart. The radiation force on the particle varies in both magnitude and direction. The force reverses direction every quarter wavelength.
The ratio of the maximum standing wave radiation force to the traveling wave value is approximately (1/kR).sup.3, where R is the particle radius and k is 6.28 divided by the wavelength. The wavelength in soft tissue is about 1.5/f millimeters, where f is the frequency in MHz (e.g. at 1 MHz the wavelength is 1.5 millimeters). If the radius of a particle is 0.01 mm and the wavelength is 1.5 mm, one obtains 0.042 for kR, 0.000073 for (kR).sup.3, and 13,600 for (1/kR).sup.3. As is apparent, the radiation force produced by a standing wave relative to a traveling wave is significant. While the radiation force is calculated for rigid spherical particles, the relationship is applicable to small biological particles such as blood cells, intracellular bodies such as chloroplasts, and mitochondria, as these cells and organelles exist in vivo, since these structures in which they are located are comparable to a suspending medium. Thus, the radiation force is applicable to biological structures existing within animal skin.
There are several advantages to the use of standing waves in enhancing skin permeability and mass transport for diagnostic sampling. First, the energy required for diagnostic sampling is less than that required for traveling wave techniques. This is evident with the fact that the radiation force generated by a standing wave is larger in comparison to a traveling wave of the same energy. Second, a standing wave using significantly less intensity but effectively producing the necessary permeability and, in addition mass transport effects, would alleviate the danger of bioacoustic effects. In addition, acoustic sources of low energy typically require less electrical power and are more amenable to miniaturization. Finally, the acoustic effect of standing waves can be localized within the stratum corneum, which is the rate-limiting barrier to transport in skin, while low frequency traveling waves tend to penetrate deeply into skin significantly beyond the stratum corneum. This can potentially cause undesirable bioeffects at bone-tissue interfaces that produce discomfort to a subject undergoing treatment, e.g., drug delivery or extracellular-fluid-extraction for diagnostic purposes.
The present disclosure provides, in part, a surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) device to generate standing waves within the stratum corneum region as a means for enhancing permeability and mass transport of analytes across the skin. A SAW device provides safe-coupling of sound field adjacent to skin since the electrodes needed to excite the waves are mounted on the opposite side of the acoustic device away from skin.

Transdermal transport using ultrasonic standing waves


A developing device used for forming a toner image by developing the electrostatic latent image on an electrostatic latent image carrier in an image forming device, comprises a developer carrier roller which is rotationally driven, and a toner thin layer forming member which is brought into contact with the developer carrier roller, wherein the developer carrier roller is formed in the shape of an inverted crown which is concave at the central portion in the direction of the rotation axis, and a starting point of the shape of the inverted crown is positioned further outside in the direction of the rotation axis than toner thin layer region formed by the toner thin layer forming member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a developing device used for an image forming device which forms a toner image, such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine or a multifunctional machine which is a combination of two or more of these devices, especially to a technique for preventing spillage and scattering of a toner in a mono-component developing device. Moreover, the present invention also relates to an image forming device comprising a developing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image forming device which forms a toner image such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine or a multifunctional machine which is a combination of two or more of these devices, normally, an electrostatic latent image is formed on an electrostatic latent image carrier such as a photoreceptor in an exposure process; this electrostatic latent image is developed to form a visible toner image in a development process; this visible toner image is transferred onto a recording medium such as recording paper in a transferring process, or is primarily transferred onto an intermediate transfer member such as an intermediate transfer belt temporarily and is secondary transferred onto the recording medium from this intermediate transfer member; and the toner image transferred onto the recording medium in such a manner is fixed on the recording medium in a fixing process.
In the development process, for example, so-called non-contact development is sometimes carried out, in which a drum photoreceptor which is an electrostatic latent image carrier and a developing roller which is a developer carrier are supported and spaced at a constant interval to form an electric field between the developing roller and the drum photoreceptor, and a toner which is a developer on the developing roller is caused to fly over the electrostatic latent image on the drum photoreceptor to visualize the latent image. In such a non-contact development, it has been important to accurately maintain the interval between the drum photoreceptor and the developing roller.
Accordingly, the methods which are currently employed include the followings: a method in which spacers such as rollers each having a radius larger than that of the developing roller by a predetermined clearance are supported at both ends of the developing roller, and thrusted against the outer periphery of the drum photoreceptor; and a method in which a contact member is provided on a box which supports the drum photoreceptor and is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller.
In such an image forming device, in order to supply a toner which is the developer onto the developing roller and uniformly apply the toner onto the developing roller to form a thin layer thereon, a toner supply roller and a thin layer forming blade are brought into contact with the developing roller. Accordingly, the developing roller is pushed in the direction of the drum photoreceptor by the contacting pressures of the toner supply roller and thin layer forming blade, whereby warping occurs in the developing roller, which prevents maintaining the predetermined clearance. As a result, a difference in developed density is disadvantageously created between the central portion and both ends of the developing roller.
Measures for solving this problem include rendering the developing roller in the shape of an inverted crown (the shape which is concave at the central portion in the direction of the rotation shaft). For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H6-258933 discloses an image forming device comprising at least a developing unit and an image carrier, the developing unit comprising at least a developer carrier, a developing container which rotatably supports the developer carrier, a contact member which is in contact with the above developer carrier, and when deformation is produced in the above developer carrier by the contacting pressure of the above contact member, the central portion of the circumferential surface of the image carrier or the developer carrier is formed in a convex or concave shape so that the distance between the circumferential surface of the image carrier and the circumferential surface of the opposing developer carrier has a predetermined value throughout their entire areas.
According to the image forming device disclosed in this publication, the central portion of the developer carrier or image carrier has a convex or concave shape, and therefore when deformation is produced in the developer carrier by a contacting pressure P of the contact member which comes into contact with the developer carrier, the distance between the circumferential surface of the image carrier and that of the developer carrier can have a predetermined value throughout their entire areas.
In a developing roller having the shape of an inverted crown, When the starting point (initial point) of this shape of an inverted crown is present in a region in which an image is formed (in the region where a toner thin layer is present), a change in curvature at the starting point is large, and therefore the contacting state of the roller and the thin layer forming blade becomes unstable even if the thin layer forming blade is formed from an elastic material, which forms a gap therebetween. This problem not only occurs when an elastic rubber roller (a roller around the periphery of which an elastic rubber layer is provided as the core) is used as the developing roller, but, for example, becomes especially noticeable when a hollow aluminium blast roller (coreless hollow metal roller mainly composed of aluminium having unevenness formed on its outer peripheral surface by the shot blast method to improve its ability to carry toner) is employed. Such a gap may lead to spillage of the toner from the thin layer forming blade; scattering of the toner from a diselectrifying member which is sometimes in contact with the developing roller; and insufficient leakage prevention of the toner by the toner sealing member disposed for both ends of the developing roller.
However, in the above-mentioned Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H6-258933, no consideration is paid to the fact that the contacting state of the thin layer forming blade and the developing roller becomes unstable because of such a shape of an inverted crown. Accordingly, in the image forming device disclosed in this publication, the toner may spill into the image forming device, scatter and leak, and thus may contaminate the inside of the image forming device.

Developing device and image forming device

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.


A longitudinally extending cellular body of a wood plastic composite is disclosed. The body has at least one wall which extends at least substantially the longitudinal length of the body, and encloses a central cavity which extends a distance that is less than the longitudinal length of said body. The cellular body has an impervious integral skin and has an exterior surface which is smooth to the touch. The surface has voids and has the appearance of wood. When the cellular body is struck, it makes a sound like the sound of a piece of wood being struck.

This invention relates to a molded article and, more particularly, to a molded article that can be produced by a fluid assisted injection molding method. In a preferred embodiment, the article is produced from a moldable composition which comprises a wood composite concentrate consisting of a polyolefin, most desirably polyethylene or polypropylene, and wood flour, a coupling agent, and a neat polyolefin. Nitrogen gas is the preferred fluid used to assist molding. Preferably, the composition also includes a pigment. The molded article produced by injecting into a mold a quantity of such a composition that is insufficient to fill the mold has smooth exterior surfaces which conform to the shape of the mold, an interior void adjacent a smooth surface and a cellular interior wall or cellular interior walls


A data broadcast program transport stream (TS) transmission device provided in a broadcast station, and for transmitting a data broadcast program TS based on a data broadcast program TS distributed over a network by another broadcast station. The data broadcast program TS transmission device stores a selection list that shows whether data broadcast program elements of the received data broadcast program are for inclusion in the data broadcast program TS of the broadcast station, and a replacement list that shows the replacement of data broadcast program elements for inclusion with local program elements produced in the broadcast station. A separation judgment unit separates TS packets from the received data broadcast program TS, refers to the selection list, and notifies the replacement execution unit of data broadcast program elements for inclusion. Furthermore, if data broadcast program elements judged for inclusion are shown for replacement in the replacement list, the separation judgment unit sends a replacement instruction to the replacement execution unit. The replacement execution unit reads the local program elements indicated in the replacement instruction from the program element storage unit, generates TS packets, and outputs the generated TS packets together with selected TS packets to a multiplexing device as the data broadcast program TS of the broadcast station.

Following developments in digital broadcasting, data broadcast program contents are being produced in large quantities and multiplexed with broadcast programs to provide data broadcast program transport streams for broadcasting by broadcast stations.
Current forms of ground wave television broadcasting use a net distribution system, according to which broadcast programs produced by a key station are distributed to local stations, which then broadcast the broadcast programs as distributed (i.e. in an unaltered state). Likewise, in satellite broadcasting, a CATV station receives satellite broadcasts, and then retransmits the received satellite broadcasts to household CATV receiving devices.
However, in the case of data broadcast programs, a system of distributing data broadcast programs to a plurality of broadcast stations, as is possible with the net distribution used in ground wave television broadcasting, is not yet available.

Data broadcast program transport stream (TS) transmission device, related method, computer program and storage medium, distribution device and distribution system


A split clevis which is especially suited for suspending heat transfer chain from hangers in rotary kilns is disclosed. The clevis comprises first and second arms and an opening is provided at one end of each arm for receiving an end link of a chain. In a chain assembly including the clevis, the end link connects the rest of the links in the chain to the first and second arms. A support shaft is provided on the first arm. The support shaft has a first portion, adjacent to the second end of the first arm to which it is attached. The first portion of the support shaft is received in the hanger aperture. A second, end portion of the support shaft has a reduced diameter and there is a shoulder between the first and second portions of the support shaft. An aperture is provided in the second arm for receiving the second, end portion of the support shaft. In use, the device is positioned on one side of the hanger and the support shaft is inserted through the hanger aperture so that the second, reduced diameter portion of the support shaft sticks out on the opposite side of the hanger. The second arm is then positioned so that the reduced diameter portion of the support shaft is in the aperture formed in the second end of the second arm. The second arm is secured to the support shaft, for example, by welding or with a locking taper pin.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of clevises that are useful for suspending chain, especially chain that is suspended in rotary kilns for heat transfer purposes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hardware for suspending chain in rotary kilns is known. Conventional hardware includes various forms of shackles. U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,411 discloses several forms of shackle including a straight pin which is received in aligned apertures formed in the arms of the shackle. There is a shoulder in one of the shackle arms which cooperates with a plate to retain the pin in position. The pin, of course, would be supported in an aperture in a kiln chain hanger. More simple shackles are known where a straight pin is simply positioned in the shackle arms and the pin is welded into place. A cutting torch or the like is used to remove the shackle when necessary. Other shackles are known which include threaded pins which are received in threaded apertures in one of the shackle arms.

Split clevis assembly for suspending a chain on a hanger


A keyboard base includes a frame, a key panel, and a latching assembly having a stop plate, a sliding block and an elastic member. The frame includes a housing defined therein, a hook formed on a bottom of the housing, and a blind slot defined on a side wall of the housing. The key panel is received in the housing of the frame and includes a clasp snapped in the blind slot of the housing. The stop plate is perpendicularly mounted on the key panel facing the hook of the frame. The sliding block is slidably positioned between the stop plate and the hook of the frame. The elastic member is positioned between the sliding block and the stop plate for keeping the sliding block retaining on the hook of the frame to detachably fasten the key panel and the frame.

1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to a keyboard base, and more particularly, to a keyboard base for using in laptop or desk computer.
2. Description of Related Art
Most keypads and their keys are permanently fixed to their housing, that is, the keyboard. To accommodate different languages, such as Chinese, having keys showing different input characters on them, the entire keyboard must be replaced. This is costly and also inconvenient.
Therefore, what is needed is to provide a keyboard base, in which the above problem is eliminated or at least alleviated.

Hong fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd.


A mouthpiece for providing non-invasive neuromodulation to a patient. The mouthpiece includes an elongated housing having a center of gravity located within a posterior region, a positioning pad attached to the top surface of the elongated housing for minimizing contact between a patient's upper teeth and the exterior top surface of the elongated housing, and a printed circuit board mounted to a bottom portion of the elongated housing, the printed circuit board having a plurality of electrodes for delivering subcutaneous local electrical stimulation to the patient's tongue. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece includes at least one locator disposed along the anterior region of the elongated housing for contacting a patient's teeth to securely position the mouthpiece within the patient's mouth.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of disability around the world. Each year in the United States, about two million people suffer a TBI, with many suffering long term symptoms. Long term symptoms can include impaired attention, impaired judgment, reduced processing speed, and defects in abstract reasoning, planning, problem-solving and multitasking.
A stroke is a loss of brain function due to a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. Every year, about 800,000 people in the United States will have a stroke. Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability in the United States, with nearly half of older stroke survivors experiencing moderate to severe disability. Long term effects can include seizures, incontinence, vision disturbance or loss of vision, dysphagia, pain, fatigue, loss of cognitive function, aphasia, loss of short-term and/or long-term memory, and depression.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that causes damage to the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Globally, there are about 2.5 million people who suffer from MS. Symptoms can vary greatly depending on the specific location of the damaged portion of the brain or spinal cord. Symptoms include hypoesthesia, difficulties with coordination and balance, dysarthria, dysphagia, nystagmus, bladder and bowel difficulties, cognitive impairment and major depression to name a few.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting over 25 million people worldwide. Symptoms of AD include confusion, irritability, aggression, mood swings, trouble with language, and both short and long term memory loss. In developed countries, AD is one of the most costly diseases to society.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, affecting more than 7 million people globally. Symptoms of PD include tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity, postural instability, cognitive disturbances, and behavior and mood alterations.
One approach to treating the long term symptoms associated with TBI, stroke, MS, AD, and PD is neurorehabilitation. Neurorehabilitation involves processes designed to help patients recover from nervous system injuries. Traditionally, neurorehabilitation involves physical therapy (e.g., balance retraining), occupational therapy (e.g., safety training, cognitive retraining for memory), psychological therapy, speech and language therapy, and therapies focused on daily function and community re-integration.
Another approach to treating the long term symptoms associated with TBI, stroke, MS, AD, and PD is neurostimulation. Neurostimulation is a therapeutic activation of part of the nervous system. For example, activation of the nervous system can be achieved through electrical stimulation, magnetic stimulation, or mechanical stimulation. Typical approaches focused mainly on invasive techniques, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS), spinal cord stimulation (SCS), cochlear implants, visual prosthesis, and cardiac electrostimulation devices. Only recently have non-invasive approaches to neurostimulation become more mainstream.
Despite many advances in the areas of neurorehabilitation and neurostimulation, there exists an urgent need for treatments that employ a combined approach, including both neurorehabilitation and neurostimulation to improve the recovery of patients having TBI, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, depression, memory loss, compulsive behavior, or any other neurological impairment.

Devices for delivering non-invasive neuromodulation to a patient


A method of etching a wafer using resonant infrared energy and a filter to control non-uniformities during plasma etch processing. The filter includes a predetermined array or stacked arrangement of variable transmission regions that mirror the spatial etch distortions caused by the plasma etching process. By spatially attenuating the levels of IR energy that reach the wafer, the filter improves uniformity in the etching process. Filters may be designed to compensate for edge fast etching due to macro-loading, asymmetric pumping in a plasma chamber, and magnetic field cusping.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the manufacture of silicon wafers and, more specifically, to a method of using a filter to control non-uniformities in wafer processing using resonant heating.
2. Description of Prior Art
Silicon wafers may be processed using plasma etch reactors. Layers of conducting or insulating material are deposited onto a silicon wafer and circuit features are etched into the wafer by bombarding the wafer with a reactive gas and an ion stream in near-vacuum conditions to carve out circuit features. Plasma processing has some drawbacks, however, as it often results in spatial non-uniformity at both the wafer and chip scale.
At the wafer scale, the design of the plasma chamber can adversely affect the gas flow profiles and the plasma itself may exacerbate etching at the wafer edge due to the high density of hot electrons and radicals. At the chip scale, loading adversely affects etch profiles that, for example, may have isolated to nested bias. As a result of these shortcomings, the full capability of plasma etching is unrealized and the overall process yields lower amounts of finished product than otherwise possible.
Some attempts to alleviate center/edge non-uniformity involve cooling the backside of the wafer with helium. This method does not provide selective or precise control over the etching process, however, as the temperature gradients are smoothed from the back to the front of the wafer and the same chilling substance is used for all zones. Additionally, the plasma heating generally dominates the thermal characteristics of the wafer surface, thereby reducing the impact of any helium cooling.
Other attempts to overcome the disadvantages of plasma processing involve the use of masks that reduce the amount of IR heating to selected areas of the wafer or multiple energy sources for differential heating. The systems are generally limited to inhibiting heating at the edge of the wafer or are extremely limited in their ability to provide high-resolution selection.

Method of processing wafers with resonant heating

International Business Machines Corporation


A sealant for use at temperatures greater than about 700.degree. F. may be formed from:. (a) about 40 to 90 wt-% of a silicone having a molecular weight of about 10,000 to 10,000,000 and repeating units comprising: PA0 (b) about 1 to 10 wt-% of a thermal stabilizer; PA0 (c) about 0.1 to 2 wt-% of a curing agent; and PA0 (d) about 0 to 50 wt-% of an inorganic filler;. (i) about 1 to 20 mole-% of units having the formula: ##STR1## wherein R comprises --H, a C.sub.1-5 alkyl group, a C.sub.1-5 fluoroalkyl group, a vinyl group or a phenyl group and PA1 (ii) about 99 to 80 mole-% of units having the formula: ##STR2## wherein each R independently comprises --H, a C.sub.1-5 alkyl group, a C.sub.1-5 fluoroalkyl group, a vinyl group, or a phenyl group; and. wherein the composition remains an effective sealant at temperatures above about 700.degree. F. The sealant may be used to bond and seal a barrier film or vacuum bag to a forming tool in autoclave curing and processing of thermosetting and thermoplastic composites. When cured, the sealant exhibits excellent sheer strength and is useful at temperatures greater than about 700.degree. F.. Further, the sealant may be disposed on a release-lined backing sheet.

High temperature sealants and adhesives are valuable industrial materials. There is a continuing search for materials which are useful at ever increasing temperatures and which maintain useful properties. For example, in autoclave curing and processing of thermosetting and thermoplastic composites, sheer strength, flexibility and thermal stability of the applied vacuum bag sealant are important characteristics. Generally, vacuum bag sealants have been based on butyl rubber and polydimethylsiloxanes. The use of these materials establishes a maximum processing temperature of about 650.degree. to 700.degree. F. Above these temperatures, these sealants degrade, char and lose their ability to maintain an airtight seal.
During this curing process, vacuum is periodically applied through a port in the vacuum bag. While vacuum is being applied, the vacuum bag sealant must maintain an airtight seal. In prior art processes, the sealant frequently fails before the end of the processing cycle, particularly when temperatures reach 700.degree. F. and above. This results in a loss of vacuum in the vacuum bag and the composite part being made is then a total loss.
Phenylsiloxanes have been incorporated in pressure sensitive adhesives to attain useful adhesives to temperatures of less than about 550.degree. F. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,032,438 to Gaynes, et al. discloses a pressure sensitive adhesive tape made from a backing material and two layers of a cured silicone. This is accomplished by applying a base layer of an adhesive consisting essentially of a silicone resin (an organo-silicone polymer identified as a mixture comprising principally methyl, phenyl, and methyl-phenyl polysiloxanes), about 0.5 to 5 parts by weight per 100 parts resin of a benzoyl peroxide curing agent and up to about 30 parts by weight per 100 parts resin of a filler such as hydrated alumina, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, calcium carbonate, asbestos and similar materials, in a solvent such as toluol, heptane, xylene, or benzol to a fiberglass cloth backing. This layer is dried to drive off the solvent and subsequently coated with a second layer. The second layer is a solution of a silicone resin and from about 0.5 to about 5 parts of a curing agent consisting of tri-n-butylamine. The solvent is again driven off in an oven. The adhesive tape is then cured to provide a pressure sensitive adhesive tape effective for use within a temperature range of about -110.degree. to 550.degree. F. Thus, Gaynes discloses a cured, pressure sensitive adhesive tape which is formed in a complicated, two-step process using solvent-based application of the adhesive. The resulting adhesive apparently would not be useful in autoclave operations at temperatures greater than 700.degree. F.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,527,842 to Clark discloses a pressure sensitive adhesive useful for bonding films, such as polyamide films, to metal substrates, such as electrical conductors. The adhesive is a composition which consists essentially of (1) a methylphenylpolysiloxane resin, (2) a polysiloxane containing from 0.15 to 0.60 vinyl radicals per silicon atom, (3) a siloxane compatible with (1) and (2) having at least two SiH groups per molecule on the average, the remaining valences of the silicon atoms in the siloxane (3) being essentially all satisfied with aryl hydrocarbon and methyl radicals and SiOSi linkages, and (4) a catalyst for promoting the reaction between (2) and (3). This adhesive is apparently stable to a temperature of about 500.degree. F. In sum, Clark discloses a pressure sensitive adhesive composition comprising a mixture of polysiloxane resins and a catalyst which promotes a cross linking reaction between two of the resins. The resulting adhesive apparently would not be useful in autoclave operations at temperatures greater than 700.degree. F.
Accordingly, a substantial need exists for a polyorganosiloxane sealant or adhesive which is stable and which does not degrade or lose tack and adhesion at temperatures greater than about 700.degree. F.

High temperature sealant containing phenyl silicone