Disclosed is an intelligent lighting network for facilitating operation of a lighting system including at least one controllable light source and configured to generate light representing light avatars uniquely associated one or more users of a plurality of users. The light avatar is a light pattern suitable to represent the user and/or convey information about the user to other users.

Digital lighting technologies, i.e. illumination based on semiconductor light sources, such as Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs), offer a viable alternative to traditional fluorescent, HID, and incandescent lamps. Functional advantages and benefits of LEDs include high energy conversion and optical efficiency, durability, lower operating costs, and many others. Recent advances in LED technology have provided efficient and robust full-spectrum lighting sources that enable a variety of lighting effects in many applications. Some of the fixtures embodying these sources feature a lighting module, including one or more LEDs capable of producing different colors, e.g. red, green, and blue, as well as a processor for independently controlling the output of the LEDs in order to generate a variety of colors and color-changing lighting effects, for example, as discussed in detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,016,038 and 6,211,626.
Recent developments in digital lighting technologies such as LED-based lighting systems have made the precise control of digital or solid-state lighting a reality. Consequently, light-based systems are used today that are programmed to react to certain events or to implement a user's previously-entered preferences.
From a user's perspective, disclosed systems and techniques for implementing lighting control often offer little more than lamp dimming according to previously entered preferences. For example, in disclosed systems and techniques, a user's lighting preferences for a specific environment can be programmed by a building administrator. The system can then control the environment's lights to implement the user's preferred lighting arrangement. In this manner, an office worker who prefers to have his or her workspace brightly lit, or alternatively, dimly lit, can have the system programmed accordingly by an administrator. Similarly, administrators can schedule "on" and "off" time periods according to a user's work schedule to save energy.
As an additional example, one known system features direct-indirect fluorescent luminaires with integrated occupancy and daylight sensors that communicate with a central controller via an RS-485 hardwired network. The central controller then communicates via a local area network (LAN) with desktop computers. This system enables office workers to dim task (direct) and ambient (indirect) lighting over their workstations and turn task and ambient lighting on and off using personal lighting control software installed on their computers. The system also permits office managers to: assign control to individual luminaires, groups, areas, and the entire lighting network; enable and disable luminaire daylight sensors; enable and disable luminaire occupancy sensors; specify occupancy sensor delay times; independently specify task and ambient lamp control; enable and disable load shedding; generate detailed energy consumption reports; and schedule daily, weekly, monthly, and annual events. In this sense, this system and similar conventional products may be considered as extensions of building management systems that also manage HVAC and security subsystems.
Lighting systems have been disclosed that cause lighting controllers to execute a command or a set of commands, sometimes called a lighting script, upon the detection of the occurrence of an event or according to predetermined time sequences. For example, one disclosed system employs software that enables a lighting designer to create a lighting script by specifying changes in color and intensity of multiple luminaires over time and a memory that stores the lighting script for later execution. Lighting controllers for theatrical and entertainment venues enable a lighting designer to record and edit time sequences for hundreds or thousands of luminaires. Lighting systems have also been disclosed that include the ability to execute prerecorded lighting scripts in response to external events, such as, for example, switch closures, analog signals, and network commands. One disclosed system activates or adjusts lights upon the detection of the receipt of an e-mail, the receipt of a telephone call, or an alarm going off. Another disclosed system activates lights using voice or word recognition; yet another implements a light pattern upon detection of a person making gestures. Lighting controllers in such systems may include simple logic functions or conditions, such as a logic function that executes a lighting script only when two events or conditions occur at the same time. For example, a lighting script may be executed if a proximity switch is triggered and a photosensor indicates that it is after sunset. Such lighting scripts, however, do not change after they are recorded unless a lighting designer manually changes them.
Lighting systems also have been disclosed wherein a person can input his or her lighting preferences for a specific location, and a central controller can execute a lighting script to instruct LEDs or other light sources and implement the person's preferences. In one disclosed system, lighting systems may receive inputs indicating the presence of a person, the duration of the person's presence, or identifying the presence of a particular person or persons present in the location by, for example, the magnetic reading of name badges or a biometric evaluation. Disclosed systems may then implement different lighting scripts depending upon whether a person is present, how long the person is present, and which person is present. These systems may also select different lighting scripts depending on the number of persons in a room or the direction the people are facing. In one disclosed system, lighting devices and other energy sources are turned on or off depending on information in a person's electronic calendar.
Some disclosed lighting systems can receive information regarding a person's presence or the person's preferences from a device carried by a user. For example, in some disclosed systems, a card reader can detect the presence of a card carried by a user, which can then cause the system to turn a light on when, for example, the user enters a room and turn off the light when the user exits the room. In other disclosed lighting systems, user's preferences are stored on a mobile device or card. As the user travels, data can be transferred to devices and systems capable of conforming parameters under their control to the stored preferences (e.g., dim lights or change their color), either through automatic detection of the card or, in other systems, by inserting the card into a card reader.
However, in various disclosed systems, implementing user preferences or implementing lighting scripts upon the occurrence of an event, the preferences or scripts are either (1) specific to a particular location and not executable in a different location or (2) necessarily transported by a user in order to be implemented in different locations or in different networks. As such, there are no systems that permit a user's preferences or a lighting script to be implemented in a system other than those in which the user's preferences were programmed unless the user carries a device storing his or her preferences.
Furthermore, lighting systems have been disclosed that can monitor users' activities and sensed environmental parameters to learn the user's preferences for a specific environment. For example, some systems can monitor how a user has maintained or selected settings in a given environment for a period of time to create user preferences for that environment. In other known systems, devices may follow a lighting script unless a particular action is detected. Other systems can monitor how a user reacts to a given set of environmental circumstances and create a rule for future implementation in that environment. One disclosed lighting control system has both autonomous control and event-based control. This system is disclosed as implementing a fuzzy control system, wherein rules in a rule base determine system output based upon fuzzy inputs or the occurrence of events. However, there is currently no way for systems at remote locations to take advantage of preferences learned by other systems other than by a user carrying a device holding his or her preferences.
As such, there are deficiencies associated with the known systems. For example, known systems generally relate to stand-alone, self-contained systems for controlling lighting or other devices. For a user's preferences to be implemented in another environment, or for learned parameters to be implemented in another environment, a user must carry around a device storing his or her preferences. As such, one disadvantage of these disclosed systems is the inability to share learned parameters, including information learned by monitoring individual and system actions, with other systems.
Some conventional lighting systems can receive information regarding a person's presence or the person's preferences from a device carried by a user. For example, in some disclosed systems, a card reader can detect the presence of a card carried by a user, which can then cause the system to turn a light on when, for example, the user enters a room and turn off the light when the user exits the room. In other disclosed lighting systems, a user stores his or her preferences on a mobile device or card. As the user travels, data can be transferred to devices and systems capable of conforming parameters under their control to the stored preferences (e.g., dim lights or change their color), either through automatic detection of the card or, in other systems, by inserting the card into a card reader.
However, advances in digital lighting technologies that have given rise to precisely controllable lighting, open a possibility to control light for variety of different purposes that goes beyond mere adjusting the light according the person's presence.

Intelligent lighting network for generating light avatars


An apparatus for installing a pushnut fastener on a rod or stud comprises a body having a guideway extending axially thereof with a pushrod mounted in the guideway and having a sleeve-like end portion movable between a first position extending out of the body and a second position within the body. A radially resilient tubular chuck having an open inlet end and open outlet end is joined to the body for holding a fastener in axial alignment with the sleeve-like end portion of the pushrod when the pushrod is in the first position. An air cylinder functions to move the pushrod from the second to the first position when energized and to return the pushrod to the first position when de-energized. A feed line supplies pushnut fasteners to the inlet end of the chuck when the pushrod is in the second position and a drive assembly is operable when the air cylinder is energized for driving the pushrod from the first position to a third position inwardly beyond the second position. A trigger element is arranged for selectively releasing the drive assembly after the pushrod has been driven to the third position to permit the air cylinder and pushrod to suddenly return to the first position and drive the fastener into its located position on the rod or stud.

The subject invention is directed to the fastener art and, more particularly, to an apparatus for facilitating the installation of fasteners.
The invention is especially suited for installing pushnut fasteners to the ends of studs or rods and will be described with reference thereto; however, the invention is capable of broader application and could be used for installing a variety of similar fastening devices.
Pushnut fasteners are widely used for providing rapid, simple connections to both threaded and unthreaded rods and studs. Generally, the fasteners are applied by aligning them with the rod or stud and manually driving them into position with various types of hand tool applicators. As a result, installation is both slow and cumbersome. Consequently, there has existed a need for apparatus to automatically install such fasteners and eliminate or reduce the amount of manual manipulation and force application required.

Applicator apparatus for push-on type fasteners


An integrated circuit formed on a single chip, such as a large-scale integration (LSI) chip, which enables a plurality of digital signal processing functions to be performed. A desired digital signal processing function may be selected from among the plurality of available processing functions by the use of a control signal or signals supplied from outside the LSI chip. The LSI chip may include input terminals t1, t2, and t2'; output terminals t3 and t4; and a control signal input terminal t5. Additionally, the LSI chip may further include class sorting circuits, delay and switching circuits, switching circuits, coefficient memories, filter operating circuits, a line delay circuit, and a product sum operating circuit.

For example, in case of constructing a hardware for processing a digital image signal as a large scale integration (LSI), one of its methods is to develop and design an exclusive-use LSI corresponding to its process and another method is to use a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) having generality. The DSP comprises a product sum operator, an RAM/ROM, and the like and can execute digital signal processes of an FFT, a digital filter, and the like.
In case of the method of developing and designing the exclusive-use LSI, it is necessary to develop and design LSIs of the number corresponding to the number of kinds of digital signal processes. Although The DSP has excellency in generality, there is a problem of a bad efficiency.

Integrated circuit for processing digital signal


Integrity of a wirelessly telemetered message communicated between an implantable medical device and an external programmer is authenticated by encoding the message. The message is encrypted based on a random number or time stamp and a secret key. The message is authenticated by encryption and decryption or by executing a hash function.

Implantable medical devices, including cardiac rhythm management devices such as pacemakers and implantable cardioverter/defibrillators, usually have the capability to communicate data with a device called an external programmer via a radio frequency telemetry link.
The traditional implantable medical device exchanges data with a remote programmer by means of an inductive telemetry coil or other short range communications channel. A hand held wand is positioned within several inches of the implantable device and the data is transferred by an inductive coupling.
With the advent of long range telemetry of messages, and the associated increase in communication range, the risk that a message can be compromised is increased. For example, a replay attack can be launched in which a message, or a piece of a message, can be captured and then maliciously used at a later time.
What is needed are systems and methods for improved telemetry.

Cryptographic authentication for telemetry with an implantable medical device


Hydroxyaromatic compounds such as phenol are converted to diaryl carbonates by reaction with oxygen and carbon monoxide in the presence of a catalyst package which typically comprises a group VIIIB metal or compound thereof, an inorganic cocatalyst, an organic cocatalyst and a hexaalkylguanidinium bromide or chloride, preferably bromide. The use of the hexaalkylguanidinium salt causes an increase in the yield of diaryl carbonate without a decrease in selectivity.

This invention relates to the preparation of diaryl carbonates by carbonylation. More particularly, it relates to the improvement of diaryl carbonate yield in the carbonylation reaction.
Diaryl carbonates are valuable intermediates for the preparation of polycarbonates by transesterification with bisphenols in the melt. This method of polycarbonate preparation has environmental advantages over methods which employ phosgene, a toxic gas, as a reagent and environmentally detrimental chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons such as methylene chloride as solvents.
Various methods for the preparation of diaryl carbonates by a carbonylation reaction of hydroxyaromatic compounds with carbon monoxide and oxygen have been disclosed. In general, the carbonylation reaction requires a rather complex catalyst. Reference is made, for example, to U.S. Pat. No. 4,187,242, in which the catalyst is Group VIIIB metal, i.e., a metal selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium and platinum, or a complex thereof.
Further developments in the carbonylation reaction, including the use of such cocatalysts as cobalt pentadentate complexes and terpyridines, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,231,210, 5,284,964 and 5,399,734. These patents also disclose the use of quaternary ammonium or phosphonium halides, as illustrated by tetra-n-butylammonium bromide, as part of the catalyst package.
The above-identified patents relate in general to carbonylation methods in which the Group VIIIB metal (most often palladium) component of the catalyst is present at a relatively high level, typically on the order of 500 ppm of palladium based on hydroxyaromatic compound. A further patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,789, discloses the use of a catalyst comprising a mixture of elemental or combined palladium, a lead compound and a quaternary ammonium or phosphonium halide. Palladium levels are disclosed as being roughly equivalent to those noted above or, in some instances, considerably lower, typically on the order of 50 ppm. Yields are expressed conventionally (i.e., in percentage) or in terms of "turnover number", which is the number of moles of diaryl carbonate formed per gram-atom of palladium present.
The commercial viability of the carbonylation reaction would be greatly increased if product yield therein could be improved. The relatively low yields disclosed in the working examples of the above-identified patents include some in the single digits. It is evident, therefore, that methods to improve the yield are needed.

Method for preparing diaryl carbonates employing hexaalkylguanidinium halides


A handle for an exercise device, the handle attached to an actuating arm of the exercise device and including a connection structure that allows the handle to rotate with respect to the arm, as well as pivot in at least two directions orthogonal to the rotation axis.

Current exercise equipment typically has rigid handles in a fixed position for actuating a load on the exercise machine. These handles are generally required to be in a fixed position to provide stable actuation of the load on the exercise machine. Unfortunately, these handles limit the range of motion of the user's hand and wrist during the use of the equipment. This limitation of the movement of the hand and wrist throughout the range of motion of the particular exercise machine can cause unnatural strain on the user's body. Generally this strain is caused by the user's hand being forced into a position that is not a natural position. The unnatural strain exerted on the user's body, coupled with the load of the exercise machine exaggerating the strain, and the unnatural position of the user's hand, often results in a substantial amount of discomfort for the user, or even worse, injury to the user.
It would be desirable to provide a rigid handle that allows for natural hand and wrist movement throughout the range of motion of an exercise machine. The present invention provides such a handle assembly which until now has not been known in the art.

Exercise equipment with multi-positioning handles


A memory device includes a memory cell array, a voltage switching circuit configured to switch a plurality of voltages provided to the memory cell array in response to a switching control signal, a discharge circuit configured to discharge the voltage switching circuit in response to a discharge signal, and a control circuit configured to generate the switching control signal based on a command and a high voltage enable signal received from outside of the memory device. The voltage switching circuit includes a high voltage switching circuit, and a low voltage switching circuit. The control circuit is configured to generate the discharge signal based on the command and an activated high voltage enable signal responsive to detecting external abortion while performing an operation corresponding to the command from among a program operation and an erase operation.

The inventive concept relates to memory devices and operation methods thereof, and, more particularly, to a memory device including a high voltage switching circuit and an operation method of the memory device.
In recent years, the demand for highly integrated and urge capacity non-volatile semiconductor memory devices has been increasing. Flash memory, which is mainly used in current portable electronic apparatuses, is a representative example of a non-volatile memory. A program operation or an erase operation of this non-volatile memory device may require a relatively high voltage, and a read operation thereof may require a relatively low voltage. Non-volatile memory devices may include a high voltage switching circuit for switching a high voltage provided to a memory cell array, and a low voltage switching circuit for switching a low voltage provided to the memory cell array.

Non-volatile memory device including high voltage switching circuit, and operation method of the non-volatile memory device


An interactive on-demand information network is disclosed. In the preferred embodiment, the system and method of the present invention generates and/or delivers information, such as audio, video and/or the like, to a user, such as a user of an exercise equipment in a gym or club environment, preferably based on the demographics of the user. The information may be provided to the user using one or more of a plurality of channels. A selected plurality of these channels provides the information to the user in analog form and the remaining channels provide the information in digital form.

This invention relates to a system and method for providing information to one or more users, and more particularly to an interactive system where information is provided to one or more users on selected ones of a plurality of channels, preferably based on the demographics of the user.
A major problem in gyms, stock brokerage houses, factories, and other places where many people gather is to allow each individual person to listen to or view, a unique audio and/or video program without interference with other people in close proximity. Advertisers are often unable to get an attentive audience, especially if the product or service does not appeal to the particular individual. Moreover, individuals receive generic information that is not geared towards their individual lifestyles and/or personal preference. Therefore, in such facilities, there is a need to provide information on an individual basis to the users.
The problem discussed above exists in applications other than traditional radio or television. For example, many portable processors store information in a memory and need to communicate that information to a fixed unit, or to a plurality of fixed units, each possibly operating on different bands, or on different channels, within the same band.
One specific example of such a problem is in a gym environment where there are multiple work stations and many users. Presently, it is common practice to place a video display, such as a television, in a location having common visibility from a number of work stations. This situation does not allow a user to receive targeted data, such as video or audio, communicated only to that user. Consequently, information providers are unable to target their audience based on the needs of the particular individual. Moreover, since the users are not receiving information suitable for their particular purpose, users change the channels, switch off the device or simply ignore the device.
One existing system which attempts to keep the user interested allows the user to interact with the system by using different tools. By using a set-top box connected to the user""s television system, the user is able to communicate with the system. Such a system provides the user with an on-screen display on regular television programming, such as satellite TV or cable TV which allows the user to perform certain limited activities.
Moreover, existing systems for providing interactive information to the user are limited by the number of channels available to provide the information to the user. The number of channels is further limited by the fact that most existing systems do not allow the user to receive information in both digital and analog form at the same time. Furthermore, existing systems do not effectively manage the plurality of channels to provide demographically targeted information to a user.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a system and method, that is multi-modal in nature, i.e., it can be used to receive information on several different channels in different formats, with the user being able to control the selection of at least one of the currently operating channels.
There is a further need in the art for a system and method for providing demographically targeted information to a user to facilitate providing demographically targeted information to the user.
There is a still further need in the art for a system and method for dynamically generating the demographic profile of a user.
These and other objects, features and technical advantages are achieved by a system and method which in the preferred embodiment generates and/or delivers information, such as audio, video and/or the like, to a user, such as a user of an exercise equipment in a gym or club environment, preferably based on the demographics of the user.
The information may be provided to the user using one or more of a plurality of channels. A selected plurality of these channels provides the information to the user in analog form and the remaining channels provide the information in digital form. The information generated and/or delivered to the user may include information such as, training videos, educational programs, movies, digital music, advertisements, information provided over cable TV, information provided over satellite TV and/or other like information.
The preferred embodiment method for load balancing between a plurality of channels including analog channels and digital channels for providing on-demand information to a user in a local network, comprises the steps of receiving a request for on-demand information from a user; determining the number of allocated digital channels in the network; allocating a digital channel from the plurality of channels, if the number of allocated digital channels is less than an optimal number of channels, to provide the user requested information to the user in digital format; determining the number of available analog channels if the number of allocated digital channels is not less than the optimal number of channels; allocating an analog channel, if the determined number of available analog channels is greater than zero, to provide the user requested information to the user in analog format; allocating a digital channel, if the determined number of allocated digital channels is less than the number of the plurality of digital channels and the determined number of available analog channels is zero, to provide the user requested information to the user in digital format; and canceling the request received from the user if the determined number of allocated digital channels is not less than the number of the plurality of digital channels and the determined number of available analog channels is zero.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention.

System and method for interactive on-demand information


The present invention is directed to a method of determining a strategic expression regime for a pump-dependent mother that optimizes the mother's milk production while minimizing the demands on the mother. The regime takes into account the impact of the interval between breast expressions on milk yield for individual breasts within the mother.

1. Field of the Application
The invention relates generally to the expression of breast milk. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of determining a strategic expression regime for mothers who are using a breastpump.
2. Description of the Related Art
Almost all mothers who deliver at term have the physiological capacity to provide milk for their babies. Once lactation is established, the appetite of the baby regulates milk production by local inhibition of milk synthesis independently in each breast as milk accumulates between breastfeedings.
Many mothers who deliver prematurely have a delayed initiation of lactation and are more likely to have a low milk supply. Furthermore, the inability of preterm babies to feed directly from the breasts (for example, due to either sickness or the immature co-ordination of the suck, swallow and breathe reflex) results in their mothers having to use some other means for milk expression, and thereby still provide breast milk for their babies. Thus, these mothers most often use a breastpump for both the initiation and maintenance of their milk supply.
Current expression recommendations particularly for preterm mothers show that increased milk-expression frequency results in an increase in daily milk production. Furthermore, the mechanism controlling the response to expression frequency appears to act locally, at the level of each mammary gland, rather than through a more systemic response. DeCarvalho et al. (1985) was the first to report a strong correlation between daily milk production and frequency of expression, and encouraged preterm mothers to have a frequent milk expression regime that enhanced the likelihood of lactation success. This frequent milk expression regime is now widely practiced. According to this regime, preterm mothers should express frequently (e.g., 6 times per day), and at least 100 minutes per day. In addition, recent studies showed high frequency of breastmilk expression could improve the success of the initiation of lactation, especially for preterm mothers (Hill et al. 2001).
Therefore, there is a general perception that increased expression frequency will result in an increased daily milk production. Obviously, this is a very demanding recommendation for mothers, particularly those who are very concerned about their often fragile, preterm babies. Interestingly, the studies on which these recommendations are based are on milk production per mother, rather than per breast. Consequently, the recommendations do not take into account potential differences between breasts of an individual.
The concept of the autocrine inhibition of milk production, as a result of the accumulation of an inhibitory factor in the milk of a full breast, seems to conveniently explain the observation of increased milk production associated with more frequent breastfeeding and/or breast expression. Furthermore, it has been suggested that the factor acted by a unique mechanism that inhibited the secretion of milk from the Golgi vesicles (Rennison et al. 1993). This enabled a rapid downward regulation of secretion, as milk accumulated in the breast with longer intervals between milk removal. However, Daly et al. (1996) found that the inhibition of milk synthesis in the breast of mothers who delivered at term occurred after intervals of more than six to eight hours. As this study found with term mothers, the large variation of milk yield from each breast resulted in difficulties in assessing the impact of the expression regime on the milk production. Expressing the volume per expression as a proportion of 24 hour milk production (actual milk yield) standardized the difference in the milk yield between breasts, and allowed the analysis of a relationship between proportional milk yield and interval since previous expression. Furthermore, by expressing the 24 hour milk production as 100%, the cumulative expected milk yield (expected milk yield) curve could be calculated essentially for all times from 0 to 24 hours, assuming that the rate of milk synthesis over the day was constant.
Clinically, the goal for pre-term mothers for their total daily milk production has been set in the range of about 350 g/24 hr (Meier et al., personal communication) and 500 ml/24 hr (Hill et al. 2005). There are, however, no consistent guidelines for the volume of milk that these mothers either can or should produce per day. For instance, the minimum daily milk production that mothers should aim for is the minimum volume of milk required for an exclusively breastfed babies at 1-6 months, which is considered to be about 440 ml/24 hr (Kent et al., 2006).
Current expression regimes can place a great demand on mothers who for many reasons do not have the ability to basically be "on-call" to breastfeed a baby; this is especially true for preterm mothers, who are already in a time of extreme stress. Hence, a method that can optimize milk production and minimize the effort for the mothers would greatly enhance their chance of having successful lactation. Further, although the short-term control of milk synthesis occurs at the level of the individual breasts, as a practical matter, expression regimes for mothers need to be similar for both their breasts.

Method for determining strategic expression regime for using a breastpump


The invention provides a system for virtually designing a medical device conformed for use with a specific patient. Using the system, a three-dimensional geometric model of a patient-specific body cavity or lumen is reconstructed from scanned volume images such as obtained x-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computer tomography (CT), ultrasound (US), angiography or other imaging modalities. Knowledge of the physical properties of the cavity/lumen is obtained by determining the relationship between image density and the stiffness or elasticity of tissues in the body cavity or lumen and is used to model interactions between a simulated device and a simulated body cavity or lumen.

Recent progress in medical science and engineering has helped to reduce the use of traditional "open body" surgery in which incisions are made to provide access to the operating area within the human body. Minimally invasive therapy, a technique often performed on an outpatient basis without extended hospitalization, is becoming increasingly popular.
Cardiovascular Interventional Radiology, one of the most complex and patient care-oriented fields in radiology, is a medical specialty that uses image-guided, minimally invasive diagnostic and treatment techniques. Because interventional radiologists treat diseases non-operatively, procedures performed by interventional radiologists are generally less costly and less traumatic to a patient than surgery, involving smaller incisions, less pain, and shorter hospital stays. This can lead to improved quality of health care delivery, decreased recovery time and reduced total cost to the patient and health care payors.
Interventional cardiovascular radiology often requires the need to enter the vasculature through small incisions and to utilize medical image guidance to maneuver thin plastic tubes or catheters or other therapeutic or diagnostic devices to a target site in a human body. Most cardiovascular interventional procedures are performed using catheters which are extremely diverse in shape and specific features.
Specific catheter tip shaping generally is required because of the wide variety of sizes and anatomical configurations of blood vessels and because the vascular characteristics of lesion affecting blood vessels vary significantly between individuals. In the 1960s, before the availability of preformed angiographic catheters, Dr. Melvin P. Judkins shaped catheters at the time of each examination by placing a polyurethane tubing over a stiff wire bent to conform to the shape of the blood vessel and then immersing the catheter in boiling water to soften it. When the assembly cooled, he withdrew the wire, and the catheter retained its shape (see, e.g., as described in Dotter and Judkins, 1964, Circulation 30: 654-670; The Catheter Introducers, 1993, Eds: L. A. Geddes and L. E. Geddes, Mobium Press, Chicago, Ill., pp 46; Judkins, 1967, Radiology 89: 815-824). Although there are now many commercially available preformed catheters, clinicians still use steam heating and mandrels to modify the shape of a catheter's tip.
Currently, many years of clinical/design experience and considerable physical prototyping is necessary to create new interventional devices including catheters, guidewires, stents, stent grafts, coils and balloon therapy devices. Customization of devices is still done in an ad hoc fashion.

Simulation method for designing customized medical devices

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Agency for Science, Technology & Research (A*Star)


A computer-based test assembly system and method for generating an assembly of test items. The test assembly process includes creating tests in electronic form from already-existing test items and allowing access by a plurality of assembly personnel and reviewers via a network. Assemblers select test items on-line for inclusion in an assembly. Electronic selection is accomplished by means of an automated item selection algorithm or through a manual, but electronic series of queries. The test assembly process also includes an automated test layout feature which automatically assembles a test from the selected items. When a test is assembled, an assembler uses an automated documentation feature which generates a comprehensive documentation of the completed assembly.

For many years, standardized tests have been administered to examinees for various reasons such as for educational testing or for evaluating particular skills. For instance, academic skills tests, e.g., SATs, LSATs, GMATs, etc., are typically administered to a large number of students. Results of these tests are used by colleges, universities and other educational institutions as a factor in determining whether an examinee should be admitted to study at that particular institution. Other standardized testing is carried out to determine whether or not an individual has attained a specified level of knowledge, or mastery, of a given subject. Such testing is referred to as mastery testing, e.g., achievement tests offered to students in a variety of subjects and the results being used for college credit in such subjects.
FIG. 1 depicts a sample question and related directions which might be given on a standardized test. The stem 12, the stimulus 14, responses 16, and directions 18 for responding to the stem 12 are collectively referred to as an item. The stimulus 14 is the text and/or graphical information, e.g., a map, scale, graph, or reading passage, to which a stem 12 may refer.
After all of the examinees' tests are graded, statistical and other processing may be provided for various reasons. For instance, to assess an examinee's score, it is necessary to compare his or her score to those of other examinees taking the same test. Another important reason to evaluate the test results for statistical purposes is to create and update an information bank containing the performance statistics of each item used or created for previous tests. This information may then be used for the creation and assembly of future tests.
A goal of standardized testing is to efficiently construct a test for the purpose of measuring a skill, ability, etc. Therefore, each test is constructed to conform to a test specification which defines the rules and/or constraints for selecting the items. In constructing a test, test developers select items from inventory of items so that the combination of selected items satisfy the test specification.
A test is typically divided into sections of questions. The test specification generally defines the number of items to be presented in the test, the number of test sections, the number of questions in each section, the time for taking the test, and the allotted time for responding to all the items in each test section. The test specification also specifies criteria for item selection. These are based on at least four item characteristics which include: (1) item content, e.g., mathematical questions relating to arithmetic, algebra, or geometry; (2) cross-information among items, e.g., more than one item testing the same point; (3) number of items/set, i.e., identification of a subset of items of a larger set; and (4) statistical properties of items derived from pretesting, e.g. difficulty of the selected items.
In recent years, the methods for creating, delivering, administering, and scoring tests have been determined to be inadequate. Due to the number of examinees taking standardized tests, there is increasing demand for developing new and more diverse tests and an increasing need to provide more flexibility in scheduling tests without sacrificing administration costs and security. One solution to these demands would be to automate the entire testing process. Only a few attempts have been made, however, to automate only portions of the testing process. Furthermore, these attempts are limited in their ability to select items from a given inventory of items.
For example, a prior art computerized testing system, "TD/DC," is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,565,316, entitled "System and Method for Computer Based Testing" and assigned to Educational Testing Service, Princeton, N.J. The TD/DC system, however, has drawbacks in that the assembly stage is not automated. During the test assembly or packaging stage of the TD/DC system, much of the work has to be done manually through the use of paper copies and work folders. In particular, an assembler pulls the appropriate number of each type of item using paper copies and sequences the items in a work folder. Editors work with marked-up paper copies and assemblers have to check copies sent to the printer with the paper originals.
Basically, the prior art system has numerous poorly-integrated steps. Additionally, those steps which are automated involve several software packages running on incompatible platforms such as Unix, OS2, Macintosh, and DOS. Because reviews and changes occurred throughout the process and reviews largely occurred from paper copies, steps were necessitated to make changes to electronic files and to keep the files in all the systems reconciled.
Because the entire test assembly process is not automated, the TD/DC system involves many steps and "hand-offs" of the item/work folder. With so many hand-offs, much time is wasted waiting for a user to pass the work folder off to the next user. For example, on the math section of the SAT test, only 22% of the elapsed time to create an item is actually spent working on that test. Moreover, on the GRE Chemistry test, 30% of the total working time is spent making transcriptions between paper and computer. An automated test assembly system is desired which will streamline the test assembly process by making the process more efficient and reducing the required number of steps and hand-offs.
Another drawback of the prior art systems is that item selection is not efficient. With the prior art system, a user could get 500 test items from a search for test items with particular characteristics. Manually assembling a test with about 50 test items from inventory of 500 is a formidable task. Thus, it is desired to make the item selection process more efficient and automated, allowing users to manipulate pools of items on-line, and thus achieve a finer level of granularity in narrowing down the number of test items in a given inventory before assembling a test.
Another drawback of the prior art test assembly system is that the item selection process had major handicaps in that it had limited information on each test item in its inventory of available items. It is thus desired to provide an inventory of available items with enough data on each item to allow for a more thorough, efficient and finer level of searching and selection.
The main object of the present invention is to address the above-noted problems with the prior art test assembly systems by providing a more efficient test assembly system. The prior art system, i.e., the TD/DC system, lacks efficiency in that much of it is still paper based, it involves numerous steps and hand-offs, and it lacks automatic or automated steps. Thus, the primary object is to improve all aspects of the test assembly system so as to yield an automated and efficient computer-based test assembly system with several automatic features.

System and method for computer based test assembly


The device comprises a layer of silicon separated from a substrate by a layer of insulating material. A rib having an upper surface and two side surfaces is formed in the layer of silicon to provide a waveguide for the transmission of optical signals. A lateral doped junction is formed between the side surfaces of the rib such that an electrical signal can be applied across the junction to control the density of charge carriers across a substantial part of the cross-sectional area of the rib thereby actively altering the effective refractive index of the waveguide.

Integrated optical waveguide circuits, analogous to integrated electronic circuits, comprise optical waveguides formed on a substrate. Modulation of light propagating in these waveguides is achieved by actively altering the optical properties of the waveguide circuit media.
The application of integrated optics is most common in fibre optic communication, though many other applications exist. Common optical functions for which integrated optics is utilised include directional switching, phase modulation and intensity modulation.
Several active integrated optical systems have been based on silicon. The advantages of silicon integrated optical devices include the potential use of standard silicon integrated electronic circuit manufacturing technology and the integration of optical and electronic circuits on one silicon device. For the effective use of silicon integrated optics it is considered important to produce a low loss waveguide structure (i.e. less than 1 dB/cm) with electrically controllable modulation utilising standard planar silicon electronic integrated circuit manufacturing technology. The prior art has so far failed to fully satisfy these combined requirements.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,183 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,691 describe a number of active waveguide devices utilising a vertical doped junction in a silicon rib waveguide, i.e. a diode formed between an electrode on the upper surface of the rib and an electrode on the opposite side of the device. The devices may be constructed using a highly doped substrate, acting as a lower waveguide cladding but these will suffer from high optical losses due to the high free carrier absorption of the guided wave's evanescent field travelling in the substrate. An alternative structure uses a buried silicon dioxide cladding which has lower optical losses (providing the buried silicon dioxide layer is thick enough to fully confine the guided wave). However, this arrangement requires additional manufacturing steps in order to make a break in the buried insulator layer to provide an electrical contact to a low resistance substrate.
EP-A-0,433,552 describes an active silicon waveguide device constructed in a rib waveguide on silicon dioxide. In a first arrangement a vertical p/n junction is formed in the rib with one electrical contact on the upper surface of the rib and another (in the form of a heavily doped n-region) formed on the upper surface of the silicon layer adjacent the rib. The current flow between these electrical contacts (which alters the charge carrier density in the waveguide) does not therefore extend across the whole of the cross-sectional area of the rib. This may be of little importance for devices of sub-micron dimensions (as described in this prior art) but with devices which are large enough to be compatible with fibre optics (which typically have a core section diameter of around 8 microns), this reduces the overlap between the charge carriers and the guided wave which reduces the effective refractive index change of the waveguide for a given current. This may mean that the device has to be operated in a current saturation mode, which reduces switching speed, in order to achieve a useful refractive index change in the waveguide.
In another arrangement described in EP-A-0433552, a lateral bipolar transistor is provided in a planar waveguide comprising a silicon layer over a layer of silicon dioxide on a silicon substrate. This arrangement leads to a waveguide structure with high optical losses due to the absorption of the guided waves evanescent field in the highly doped regions of the transistor. Also, such a structure can only be formed in a planar waveguide less than one micron thick as it is difficult to introduce dopants in evenly distributed concentrations for a depth greater than around 0.5 microns.
Silicon waveguide modulation devices which utilise field effect transistors to vary free carrier concentration in the waveguides by free carrier injection and depletion have also been proposed (as in GB-A-2,230,616 for instance). However, these devices require waveguides with sub-micron dimensions so precluding these devices from applications requiring low-loss connections with optical fibres and means that the devices are expensive to manufacture as they cannot be formed from readily available silicon on silicon dioxide wafers for reasons which will be explained in more detail.


An ink jet recording apparatus includes an ink jet recording head having actuators that are caused to deflect so as to vary a volume of a pressure chamber according to a drive signal applied between an electrode associated with a pressure chamber from which ink is ejected and ones associated with two pressure chambers sandwiching the former, and a drive signal generator that generates a drive signal for driving the pressure chambers in the five time-divisional drive method. The drive signal generator simultaneously supplies drive signals for alleviating deflection of an actuator or actuators at the outmost position among six actuators disposed close around a pressure chamber from which ink is to be ejected to electrodes associated with the five pressure chambers close around one from which ink is not to be ejected at a timing when the ink ejection therefrom is enabled. Thus, variations in velocity and volume between ink droplets ejected that are caused due to cross-talk between chambers can be reduced.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that ejects ink and records an image on a recording medium, particularly to an ink jet recording apparatus that ejects ink droplets from a nozzle communicating with a pressure chamber by driving actuators of side walls partitioning the respective pressure chambers to cause the actuators to deflect so as to vary a volume of the pressure chamber.
2) Description of Related Art
A so-called "shared-wall type recording head," i.e. a recording head having side walls constituted by actuators of such as piezoelectric members that isolate the respective pressure chambers, includes a problem of cross-talk that occurs by deflection of an actuator through propagation of a pressure change via a neighboring chamber produced within one pressure chamber and adversely changes velocities and volumes of ink droplets that are ejected to form an image. A Japanese patent application publication number 2000-255055 describes a method of driving an ink jet recording head of compensating the adverse deviation of velocity of an ink droplet that is ejected by cross-talk by creating a pressure fluctuation within a pressure chamber that is operated not to eject ink.
However, this method of ink jet recording could not sufficiently reduce the variations in ink ejection velocity and volume due to the cross-talk between pressure chambers, although the method improves them at a certain degree, because the pressure fluctuation creating a counter cross-talk that compensates the variation of the ink ejection velocity is limited to such a degree that an ink cannot be ejected.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Suction pile installation method comprising the steps of                lowering a suction pile to the sea bed, while keeping a top end substantially closed        providing openings in the suction pile near a lower end, the interior of the suction pile being in open fluid communication with the exterior via the openings,        dropping the pile onto the sea bed, while allowing air to escape from the pile via said openings, and        allowing the suction pile to penetrate into the sea bed driven substantially by its weight over such a distance that the openings become closed from the exterior, and        pumping air from the suction pile for driving the pile further into the sea bed.

A suction pile is a thin walled steel cylinder, closed at least one longitudinal end, which is placed on the sea bed with a lower end and which penetrates the sub sea soil with the aid of suction (under-pressure) created within the cylinder. The creation of the suction can be with the aid of a suction source, such as a pump, that is mounted on, close to or at a distance (e.g. above the water surface, e.g. at a vessel) from the suction pile. The applied level of the suction can be e.g. at least substantially constant, smoothly increase or decrease or comprise a number of pulses. After use, the suction pile can be removed by creating an overpressure within the cylinder, e.g. by pumping in (sea) water.
Suction piles and their way of installing are known from e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,318,641 in the name of Shell. The above patent describes a method and apparatus for securing a tubular element to the bottom of the sea. It describes the steps of lowering the tubular element from the water surface to the water bottom, removably securing the pumping unit to the tubular element either before or after the lowering of the tubular element, closing the tubular element at the upper end, reducing the pressure within the tubular element by operating the pumping unit, so as to cause the tubular element to penetrate into the water bottom to a desired depth. Subsequently, the operation of the pumping unit is stopped and the pumping unit is disconnected from the tubular element and raised to the water surface to recover it.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,719,496 in the name of Shell describes a method for deploying a suction pile anchor in which the flood valves are opened on the top of the suction pile and the suction pile anchor is off loaded from the anchor boat and lowered it to the sea floor. A remote operated vehicle (ROV) with pump capacity is used to close the flood valves and to control the suction into the soil.
The known suction piles and installation methods employ valves on the top of the suction pile in order to accommodate the lowering of the suction pile during landing. The water pressure inside the pile rapidly increases while the pile is landing on the seabed when it is dropped (launched) from several meters above the seabed to penetrate into the soil. The open valves or vents on the top of the pile allow the trapped water to escape and therefore avoid building up a water pressure inside the pile so that large pressure differentials between the inside and outside of the pile are avoided. When the water cannot escape fast enough there will be a pressure build up that will cause a bearing capacity failure in the soil when the pile lands.
After the pile is landed, the vents need to be completely sealed in order to control the internal pressure. If the vents don't completely seal, it is not possible to depressurize the pile to let it penetrate the soil, or to over pressurise it to come back out of the soil. It is needed that each vent ensures a 100% sealing over the lifetime of an installed pile. Therefore the pile cover at the top end should be fitted with specific installation aids. This makes the operation expensive as known pile covers normally have 2 or more valves or costly closing devices which requiring ROV assistance operations, particularly in deep waters.
Normally a submerged pumping skid is attached to the vents and activated by a ROV. The pumping skid is removed after the pile is depressurized. This operation also needs expensive anchor handling tug boats which are provided with a heave compensation system to safely and smoothly land the piles on the seabed.

Suction pile installation method and suction pile for use in said method


Human cDNA encoding a secretory or membrane protein useful as a candidate for developing medicine or as a target molecule for developing medicine. The expression level of the polynucleotide of the present invention increased in NT2 cells after retinoic acid-treatment. Accordingly, this cDNA is associated neurological disease.

Currently, sequencing projects, the determination and analysis of the genomic DNA of various living organisms are in progress all over the world. The whole genomic sequences of more than 10 species of prokaryotes, a lower eukaryote, yeast, and a multicellular eukaryote, C. elegans have been already determined. As to the human genome, which is supposed to be composed of three thousand million base pairs, world wide cooperative projects are under way to analyze it, and the whole structure is predicted to be determined by the years 2002-2003. The aim of the determination of genomic sequence is to reveal the functions of all genes and their regulation and to understand living organisms as a network of interactions between genes, proteins, cells or individuals through deducing the information in a genome, which is viewed as a blueprint of the highly complicated living organisms. To understand living organisms by utilizing the genomic information from various species is not only important as an academic subject, but also socially significant from the viewpoint of industrial application.
However, determination of genomic sequences itself cannot identify the functions of all genes. For example, for yeast, the function of only approximately half of the 6000 genes, which is predicted based on the genomic sequence, has been deduced. As for humans, the number of genes is predicted to be approximately one hundred thousand. Therefore, it is desirable to establish "a high throughput analysis system of gene functions" which allows us to identify rapidly and efficiently the functions of vast amounts of the genes obtained by the genomic sequencing.
Many genes in the eukaryotic genome are split by introns into multiple exons. Thus, it is difficult to predict correctly the structure of encoded proteins solely based on genomic information. In contrast, cDNA, which is produced from mRNA that lacks introns, encodes a protein as a single continuous amino acid sequence and allows us to identify the primary structure of the protein easily. In human cDNA research, to date, more than one million ESTs (Expression Sequence Tags) are available from public domains (public databases), and the ESTs presumably cover not less than 80% of all human genes.
The information of ESTs is utilized for analyzing the structure of human genome, or for predicting the exon-regions of genomic sequences or their expression profile. However, many human ESTs have been derived from proximal regions to the 3′-end of cDNA, and information around the 5′-end of mRNA is extremely little. Among these human cDNAs, the number of the corresponding mRNAs whose encoding protein sequences are deduced is approximately 7000, and further, the number of full-length clones is only 5500. Thus, even including cDNA registered as EST, the percentage of human cDNA obtained so far is estimated to be 10–15% of all the genes.
It is possible to identify the transcription start site of mRNA on the genomic sequence based on the 5′-end sequence of a full-length cDNA, and to analyze factors involved in the stability of mRNA that is contained in the cDNA, or in its regulation of expression at the translation stage. Also, since a full-length cDNA contains ATG, the translation start site, in the 5′-region, it can be translated into a protein in a correct frame. Therefore, it is possible to produce a large amount of the protein encoded by the cDNA or to analyze biological activity of the expressed protein by utilizing an appropriate expression system. Thus, analysis of a full-length cDNA provides valuable information that complements the information from genome sequencing. Also, full-length cDNA clones that can be expressed are extremely valuable in empirical analysis of gene function and in industrial application.
In particular, human secretory proteins or membrane proteins would be useful by itself as a medicine like tissue plasminogen activator (TPA), or as a target of medicines like membrane receptors.
Therefore, it has great significance to isolate novel full-length cDNA clones of humans, of which only a few have been isolated. Especially, isolation of a novel cDNA clone encoding a secretory protein or membrane protein is desired since the protein itself, or a molecule that interacts with the membrane protein would be useful as a medicine, and also the clones potentially include a gene associated with diseases. Thus, identification of the full-length cDNA clones encoding those proteins has great significance.


Inferring an illumination compensation flag during encoding or decoding of a video image signal using frame rate up conversion can save one bit and eliminate complexity. The illumination compensation flag can be derived from the corresponding flags of at least one bi-predictive or bi-directional prediction candidates. The flag can also be derived from some function of the flags from those candidates. Alternatively, several flags can be used for respective coding or decoding of blocks if there are more than one prediction candidate using illumination compensation.

Many attempts have been made to improve the coding efficiency of block-based codecs. Frame Rate Up-Conversion (FRUC) is a tool that allows derivation of motion vector predictors without any information, i.e. without supplemental syntax. The FRUC process is completely symmetric, in that the same operations are performed at the decoding side as at the encoding side.
This tool can only be fully on or off with one flag (as shown in Table 2) while it uses several sub-tools:
AMVP (Advanced Motion Vector Prediction) blocks use one template matching cost function, and no signaling.
Merge blocks can use a sub-part refinement with the same process, with two different template matching cost functions, and with some signaling (off/on Template/Bilateral).
Overall performances of the FRUC tool as well as of the different sub-tools over the Joint Exploration Model 4 (JEM 4) of the Joint Video Exploration Team (ITU-T VCEG (Q6/16) and ISO/IEC MPEG (JTC 1/SC 29/WG 11) are provided in Table 1.
TABLE 1Performances of the FRUC tools and sub-tools over the JEM4 [2]Over HM-16.6-JEM-4.0 (parallel)YUVEncTDecTRandom Access Main 10FRUC−3.60%−3.72%−3.92%139%142%AMVP−0.85%−0.77%−0.85%107%110%Merge−2.85%−3.13%−3.33%128%133%Sub-part−0.43%−0.52%−0.59%109%118%Bilateral−1.16%−1.35%−1.44%116%115%Low delay B Main10FRUC−2.41%−3.28%−3.39%161%162%AMVP−0.41%0.17%−0.28%113%116%Merge−2.09%−3.65%−3.79%132%136%Sub-part−0.48%−0.99%−0.79%114%117%Bilateral−1.03%−2.06%−2.10%120%120%Low delay P Main10FRUC−1.38%−1.33%−1.53%128%119%AMVP−0.16%−0.12%−0.45%115%109%Merge−1.27%−1.48%−1.32%114%109%Sub-part−0.21%−0.42%−0.45%104%104%Bilateral0.00%0.00%0.00%106%100%
Moreover, several of these sub-tools use parameters. Some of them are already in the syntax as shown in Table 2, but the others are absent.
In Table 2, sps_use_FRUC_mode is the on/off flag for the whole FRUC tool, FRUC_refine_filter allows changing the sub-pel interpolation filter. FRUC_refine_range_in_pel defines the maximum integer pel range for refinement, and FRUC_small_blk_refine_depth the maximum depth for sub-parts of FRUC Merge blocks (i.e. their minimum size).
TABLE 2SPS syntax of the current FRUC tool...sps use FRUC modeu(1)if( sps_use_FRUC_mode ) {FRUC_refine_filterue(v)FRUC_refine_range_in_pelue(v)FRUC_small_blk_refine_depthue(v)}

Illumination compensation flag in frame rate up-conversion with template matching


Disclosed herein are substituted biaryl alkyl amide compounds, methods of synthesizing substituted biaryl alkyl amide compounds and methods of treating diseases and/or conditions with substituted biaryl alkyl amide compounds.

The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) plays an important role in many cellular processes. The UPS affects the stability, interactions, and localization of many biological proteins. The UPS can be perturbed in many diseases, such as neoplastic diseases, age-related diseases, neurological diseases, immunological diseases, and infectious diseases. Accordingly, a need exists to develop compounds and compositions that effectively modulate the UPS.


A damper includes: a line-shaped member wound around an outer peripheral surface of a piston which makes a relative motion in a cylinder; and a viscous fluid made to adhere to the line-shaped member and exhibiting viscous damping force. The relative motion of the cylinder and the piston produces tension, and in the line-shaped member, as an amplitude is smaller, its contiguously wound portions each try to deform to twist along a circumferential direction of the line-shaped member itself, and as the amplitude is larger, the contiguously wound portions try to deform as a unit. When the amplitude is small, frictional resistance decreases, resulting in smooth motion of the piston, and appropriate damping force is obtained due to the viscous damping force of the viscous fluid. When the amplitude is large, as a result of the increased tendency that the contiguously wound portions of the line-shaped member try to deform as a unit, friction damping force acts relatively greatly.

Various dampers (shock absorbers) for absorbing vibration during traveling are disposed in seat suspensions for supporting seats of automobiles, suspensions disposed between wheels and a vehicle body, and so on. Further, various dampers are used not only in vehicles such as automobiles but also in various industrial apparatuses, robot joint parts, and opening/closing parts and hinge parts of doors, laptop personal computers, and so on for the purpose of vibration absorption, shock buffering, and so on. As these dampers, there are known a damper which has a viscous fluid filled in a cylinder and uses viscous drag produced when a piston slides in the cylinder (a viscous damper or an oil damper) as in Patent Document 1, and a friction damper which uses friction force between a piston and a cylinder as in Patent Document 2.


There is provided a battery unit in which at least three batteries are lined up in the vehicle widthwise direction and these are connected in series to supply electric power to a driving motor; among the respective batteries, center side batteries that are arranged on the vehicle center side, are arranged higher than side batteries that are arranged on the vehicle outer sides; and a breaker is fitted to the these center side batteries, on a connection path that connects the center side batteries.

Heretofore, there has been a scooter-type electric vehicle in which a battery is arranged along an under frame that is arranged at the bottom part of the vehicle (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).
In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, a plurality of batteries Ba are arranged along a center frame F2 on the underside of a floor board 85. The battery arranged in the widthwise center is large, and the batteries arranged on the left and right are small. As a result, it is possible to ensure a bank angle while ensuring battery capacity. A high voltage motor is operated by connecting these plurality of batteries in series.


The invention relates to a method for operating an electronically controlled inverter, said method being characterized in that the inverter is controlled during the positive half-wave of the output alternating voltage in such a way that it operates as a step-up converter/step-down converter cascade, and during the negative half-wave of the output alternating voltage in such a way that it operates as a CUK converter.

Electronically controlled inverters are for example known from US-Z.: C. M. Penalver, et al "Microprocessor Control of DC/AC Static Converters"; IEEE Transactions on industrial Electronics, Vol. IE-32, No. 3, 1985, P. 186-191. They are used for example in solar power systems to transform the direct current created by the solar cells in such as way as to enable it to be fed into the public AC power network. Only in this way is a practically unrestricted use of solar-produced energy guaranteed.
One of the results of the plurality of applications for inverters has been the development of basic derivative types of step-up converters, step-up/step-down converters and step-down converters for specific applications. An article published in the periodical EDN dated 17 Oct. 2002 "Slave converters power auxiliary outputs", Sanjaya Maniktala is cited here as an example in which different possible combinations of basic inverter types are described.

Method for operating an inverter including boos, buck, and CUK converter topologies and arrangement for executing the method


In an evaporation fuel control system, a failure diagnosis monitor of the evaporation fuel control system in the limited stable operating state, such as an exhaust gas mode or the like, can be performed so that the failure state is early detected and discharge of hydrocarbon (HC) into the atmosphere due to a leakage of the evaporation fuel from the evaporation fuel control system is prevented.

The evaporation fuel which leaks into the atmosphere from a fuel tank, a float chamber of a carburetor, or the like contains a large quantity of hydrocarbon (HC) and becomes one of the causes of the air pollution and also results in a loss of fuel. Therefore, various kinds of techniques to prevent the evaporation fuel have been known. As a typical technique, there is an evaporation fuel control system in which the evaporation fuel of the fuel tank is purged to a canister enclosing an adsorbent, such as activated carbon or the like, therein in accordance with the operating state of an internal combustion engine. When the engine is operated, the evaporated fuel absorbed and held in the canister is purged to and supplied to the internal combustion engine.
Such fuel evaporation control systems have been disclosed in, for instance, JP-A-2-130255 and JP-A-3-26862. According to the fuel evaporation control system disclosed in JP-A-2-130255, an abnormality wherein the absorbed fuel gas is not supplied from the canister into an engine intake pipe because of a failure of a control valve, closure of a supply passage, disconnection thereof, or the like is detected on the basis of a detection pressure between the control valve and a canister, thereby detecting that the fuel gas is discharged to the atmosphere.
The abnormality detecting apparatus comprises a feed passage to lead a fuel gas adsorbed on adsorbent in the canister into the engine intake pipe by a negative pressure generated in the intake pipe. A control valve to open or close the feed passage in accordance with the operating state of the internal combustion engine is provided. Pressure detecting means for detecting the aforesaid pressure between the canister and the control valve is provided. Abnormality detecting apparatus for detecting an abnormality in the supply of the fuel gas from the canister into the intake pipe due to an abnormality of either one of the canister feed passage or the control valve on the basis of a detection pressure of the pressure detecting means thereby is provided.
According to the fuel evaporation control system disclosed in JP-A-3-26862, whether the system is operating in a normal or abnormal mode is detected by a self diagnosing apparatus on the basis of a boost pressure in an engine intake passage and a pressure in a purge line.
The self diagnosing apparatus comprises means for detecting whether an area is a fuel purge area or not; means for detecting a pressure of a purge line; means for detecting or arithmetically operating a boost pressure on the downstream side of a purge fuel introducing section of an engine intake passage; and detecting means for detecting whether the system is normal or abnormal on the basis of the purge line pressure and the boost pressure when it is detected that the area is the fuel purge area or not the fuel purge area by detection signals generated by the aforesaid detecting means. The abnormality of the system can be certainly accurately detected, and the reliability of the system is improved.
In the conventional evaporation fuel control system, however, the failure diagnosis monitor of the system cannot be performed in a limited stable operating state such as an exhaust gas mode or the like. Therefore, even if the evaporation fuel leaks to atmosphere in the above system, such a leakage state cannot be detected and prevented whereby hydrocarbon (HC) is discharged into the atmosphere and causes air pollution.
There is also an apparatus in which the tank inner pressure as a pressure in the fuel tank is restricted to a predetermined value or less. As shown in FIG. 6, a canister 122 is arranged in the way of a passage 120 to communicate an intake passage of an internal combustion engine (not shown) and a fuel tank 116 and a check valve 128 are arranged in the way of the passage 120 between the canister 122 and the fuel tank 116.
In this instance, even when the check valve 128 has a set value that has been suppressed to a restricted value or less, it is actually desirable to increase the set value of the check valve as large as possible so long as it doesn't exceed the restricted value in order to suppress the generation of the evaporation fuel from the fuel tank as small as possible.
However, there is a fear that the tank inner pressure cannot be held to the restricted value or less due to factors such as manufacturing error of the check valve, sudden increase in tank inner pressure during the operation, and the like. This apparatus is thus inconvenient and practically disadvantageous.
Further, when the check valve is interposed in the manner described, there is a fear that the tank inner pressure will fluctuate due to the check valve when the tank inner pressure is detected such that apparatus reliability and use efficiency deteriorate.

Diagnosing apparatus of evaporation fuel control system of vehicle