A winding control method of a seatbelt retractor for winding a seatbelt with a motor includes detecting a current flowing through the motor, and stopping the motor when the current exceeds a predetermined value. The winding action is not stopped while the motor is accelerated even when the current exceeds the predetermined value.

The present invention relates to a winding control method of a seatbelt retractor having a function of winding up a seatbelt with a motor, and a seatbelt device having the seatbelt retractor.
In a seatbelt retractor, it is necessary to securely wind up an excessively withdrawn portion of a seatbelt until the seatbelt fits an occupant, or to wind up the withdrawn seatbelt until the seatbelt is securely housed in a casing. It is also necessary to reduce unnecessary tightness in chest or the like of an occupant when the occupant wears the seatbelt in a normal state. The seatbelt retractor may utilize an urging force of a single return spring for winding the seatbelt. When the return spring has a small urging force for winding up the seatbelt to reduce a pressure on the chest of the occupant during wearing, the urging force may be too small to properly retract the seatbelt, thereby deteriorating operational and retracting performance. On the other hand, when the return spring has a large urging force for winding up the seatbelt, the occupant may feel tightness in the chest when wearing the belt in a normal state.
In order to solve the problems, Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 03-552 and Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2001-225720 have disclosed a seatbelt retractor for winding up a seatbelt with a motor in addition to an urging force of a return spring.
When a motor is used for winding a seatbelt, there are the following requirements:
(1) It is necessary to stop power supply to the motor (to stop the winding action) when the seat belt is fully wound. Otherwise, electric power of a buttery is unnecessarily consumed for supplying a current to the motor, and the motor needs to avoid overheat due to a high current flowing for a long period of time.
(2) It is necessary to stop power supply to the motor (to stop the winding action) when the seatbelt is caught by something or an occupant tries to withdraw the seatbelt during the winding of the seat belt. Otherwise, electric power of a buttery is unnecessarily consumed for supplying a current to the motor, and the occupant needs to withdraw the seatbelt under a large resistance force, thereby making the occupant unconformable.
In order to solve the problems, in a conventional seatbelt winding control device, a current flowing through a motor is detected. When a value of the detected current exceeds a predetermined value, it is determined that the present state is one of (1) and (2), and power supply to the motor is cut off (to stop the winding action).
However, such a winding control method of the seatbelt retractor has the following problems. In general, when a winding-up speed is controlled to increase stepwise immediately after a command is sent to the motor to wind up a seatbelt, an accelerating current flows in the motor as shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b).
FIG. 3(a) shows a normal winding control. The winding of the seatbelt is started in a state that a constant voltage is applied to the motor. When the seatbelt is fully wound, the motor is stopped as mentioned above. When the current of the motor rapidly increases and exceeds a threshold value at a point A, the voltage applied to the motor becomes zero (FIG. 3(a) shows a state that the voltage is maintained for easy explanation).
When the motor is accelerated just after the voltage is applied to the motor, an accelerating current flows in the motor. Accordingly, the current at a point B exceeds the threshold value, so that a control device controls the voltage applied to the motor to be zero at the point B.
That is, in FIG. 3(a), it is necessary to control the voltage applied to the motor to be zero at the point A where the current flowing through the motor exceeds the threshold value when the load is increased upon fully winding the seatbelt or withdrawing the seatbelt by an occupant. However, when the motor is started, the current also exceeds the threshold value at the point B. Accordingly, the voltage applied to the motor becomes zero, thereby stopping the motor at the point B as well.
In FIG. 3(b), the rotational speed of the motor increases stepwise, so that the accelerating current does not exceed the threshold value when the motor is started. However, a load current for winding up the seatbelt is overlapped at the second acceleration, so that the current including the accelerating current exceeds the threshold value at a point C. Accordingly, the voltage applied to the motor becomes zero, thereby stopping the motor at the point C.
In view of the problems described above, the present invention has been made, and an object of the present invention is to provide a winding control method of a seatbelt retractor and a seatbelt device having the seatbelt retractor, in which it is possible to prevent a motor from stopping before reaching a predetermined load due to an accelerating current of the motor.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.

Winding control method of seatbelt retractor and seatbelt device


A new Asian-type pear tree notable for its fruit, which exhibits attractive coloring, mildly sweet hazelnut flavor, and good storage and shelf life.

'PremP099' is a new and distinct Asian-type pear tree, originating from a controlled cross of 'Yali' (female parent, not patented) x 'Hwa Hong' (male parent, not patented). The cross was made at Motueka, New Zealand in 1994. 'PremP099' was first asexually propagated by grafting at Appleby, New Zealand in 1999. The variety has been observed to remain true to type over successive asexually propagated generations.


A dual lift apparatus is provided for use by up to two people to perform the same lifts and exercises simultaneously. The apparatus includes a frame, guide rods, weight guides and a weight bar. The guide rods are coupled vertically within the frame and the frame provides support for the weights to be lifted. The weight guide is operatively coupled to the guide rods, the weight guide having rollers and a lock device to allow the weight guide to move along a length of the guide rods and also to be locked at a particular position on the guide rods. The weight bar is coupled to the weight guide and provides the weight to be lifted by users. The apparatus may also include at least two benches to allow up to two people to use the apparatus simultaneously and each bench is independently adjustable to accommodate different sized users.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to weight lifting apparatuses and more particularly to a dual weight lifting apparatus for use by two people simultaneously.
2. State of the Art
There are various machines available for weight training. These machines often have a strict range of motion which the user has to follow in order to lift the weights. This is beneficial to a user of the machine by allowing the user to more easily isolate and target specific muscles and muscle groups. Free weights allow the user to better develop the muscle groups and is essential for advanced weight training. Particular machines provide a combination of a machine with free weights, allowing the user to adjust the weight and receive some benefits of free weights, while retaining the structure and form of the machines. An example of a conventional machine that accomplishes this is commonly referred to as a Smith Machine.
The conventional machines restrict the movement of the weights along a bar that is fixed vertically within a frame. The frame supports the weights and mechanism that allow movement of the weights. These conventional machines however have two particular limitations.
First, the machines are restricted to use by a single user at a time. This restriction to a single user provides limitations, particularly for a person who has suffered an injury, wherein muscles have been weakened by causes such as atrophy or have lost use of particular muscles such as pectoralis, deltoids and biceps, as well as for people who have particular physical disabilities, such as amputees and those with special needs. They are unable to perform weight lifting exercises alone and need the benefit of another person to assist them. Additionally, the ability for two people to use the same machine simultaneously provides comradery and motivation to extend greater effort for each person, regardless of whether it is a person with an injury, who is disabled or who desires to perform two person lifts.
Second, the conventional machines' mechanisms for allowing movement are limited to linear bearings. The bearings have a limited life before repair or replacement is needed, the travel of the weights and movement mechanisms are limited in the smoothness of travel and they are only useable on round guide rods that have hardness greater than the hardness of the bearings. Additionally, as the bearings wear, the machines often have a problem with one side of the bar traveling more smoothly than the other side, causing the bar to angle upon lifting it and further not allowing the bar to turn, thereby restricting proper motion of the machine and compromising the intended exercise being performed.
Accordingly, there is a need in the field of weight lifting for an improved weight lifting apparatus.


A method for modeling the performance of memory address translation mechanism (MATM), comprises: a) receiving an execution profile that contains a memory address reference stream of an application, a set of page size mappings, and events about the application's data allocations and de-allocations; b) translating each memory reference in the input memory reference stream into a reference to the corresponding data object, by consulting the memory allocation and de-allocation events, to provide a data object reference stream; c) translating each data object reference into a corresponding page reference by consulting the page size mapping and by modeling the data allocation and de-allocation events in accordance with the mapping to provide a page reference stream and a number of pages of each page size that are needed by the respective mapping; d) using the page reference stream to provide a stream of reuse distance values; e) determining, for each reference in the reuse distance value stream, whether the reference results in a hit or a miss reference to the MATM to provide the number of hits and the number of misses for each MATM; f) providing the hit and miss values to a cost model to estimate the number of miss cycles; g) ranking the mappings by their miss cycle values such that the mapping with the lowest number of miss cycles has the highest rank.

Most hardware and operating systems support multiple memory page sizes. For example, the POWER4 architecture offers two page sizes: 4 Kilobyte pages (small pages) and 16 Megabyte pages (large pages), which are supported by AIX and Linux. The performance benefits of using large page sizes include reduced Translation Lookaside Buffer (TLB) misses and reduced page faults. On some computer architectures large pages may improve hardware prefetching if the prefetching mechanism extends to the large page scope. Large pages also provide a contiguous data layout in real memory which may benefit cache behavior and prefetching. However, the use of larger page sizes comes at a cost. There is an increase in fragmentation and an increase in memory footprint that may cause additional paging overhead in the operating system, especially in a multi-programmed environment. Further, large pages are typically pinned reducing the amount of pageable memory in the system.
Moreover, current interfaces in commercial operating systems and hardware have placed the burden on the end user to make the decision of which data objects in an application's data space to map to large pages, thus further limiting large page usability. For example, on the AIX operating system, memory has to be first partitioned into pools: a small- and large-page pool. The size of each pool must be determined by the user prior to running an application. End users can set a system environment variable or mark the application binary to indicate that they want to use large pages with an application. If large page usage is indicated, the entire data space (i.e., the static data and dynamic heap allocated data segments) is backed by large pages. Given these constraints, the decision of which portions of the application data space should be mapped to different page sizes is non-trivial.
An alternative, more selective, method to request large page memory on AIX is provided through allocating shared memory using the shmget system call with the large page flag enabled. The drawback of the first approach (environment variable and binary marking) is that it is an "all-or-nothing" approach; the entire data footprint must be backed by large pages. An all-or-nothing strategy is undesirable if only a small number of large pages is available, or in multi-programmed environments, where multiple applications are competing for the available large pages. The second shared memory strategy offers the ability to use large pages for only selected portions of the data space, thus allowing an application to be executed with reduced large page resources. However, the burden is on the programmer to identify the appropriate portions, which requires in-depth knowledge of the application's behavior and its data structures. To date, no reliable guideline exists for when to use large pages or which portions of the data space would benefit most from large pages. Due to these usage challenges, large pages, in spite of their potentially significant performance benefits, often remain unexploited in today's commercial systems.
There has been work at the operating system level on automatically using large pages. Romer et al. states that "good policies for superpages have been elusive because a cost benefit analysis is required to determine if the overhead of constructing a superpage is outweighed by its benefit". Their work, as well as more recent work, automatically migrate data from small pages to large pages reactively with analysis performed at the operating system level using data gathered by the system. The operating system, however, does not have enough knowledge of an application's data structures to selectively partition the application's data space. Furthermore, the system is only aware of the order that memory allocation requests are made and must make a decision based on that, while a higher-level mechanism can implement a predictive approach.
There has also been an exploratory approach to finding the best page size for more application data. This approach transparently explores all different page size options at runtime and then selects the best performing option as the final page size. This approach assumes that the entire data space of an application is moved to a different page size and does not address a hybrid page size allocation where the data space is partitioned into multiple sections of different page sizes.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and system that address the problem of working within a fixed budget of large pages or to determine the most beneficial subset of an application's data space to back with the available large pages.

Method and system for predicting the performance benefits of mapping subsets of application data to multiple page sizes

International Business Machines Corporation


An image pickup apparatus for applying high-speed dark shading correction and reducing random noise in a black image is provided. The image pickup apparatus has an image pickup element capable of reading image signals corresponding to one frame, which are obtained by photoelectric conversion, on a field-by-field basis. With the image pickup element exposed to light, first image signals corresponding to one frame are read. Then, with the image pickup element shielded from light, second image signals are read from fields that are fewer than fields constituting one frame. Each of third image signals is generated by averaging the second image signals for each of blocks obtained by dividing the image pickup element and converting the average image signal for each block to a resolution of the first image signals. The third image signals are subtracted from the first image signals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image pickup apparatuses and methods for controlling the same, and more particularly, to an image pickup apparatus for applying dark shading correction and a method for controlling the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
For image pickup elements such as charge-coupled device (CCD) sensors and complimentary mental-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensors used in image pickup apparatuses such as digital cameras, various dark shading correction methods for correcting image data for dark noise have been proposed in the related art.
FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary functional structure of a digital camera for applying existing dark shading correction. The camera shown in FIG. 10 takes a photograph of an object using an image pickup element 1001 under image pickup conditions (aperture, shutter speed, and sensitivity) determined by an exposure control operation, and reads electric charge signals accumulated in the image pickup element 1001. The read electric charge signals are converted into digital signals by an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 1002, and the digital signals are stored as image signals (hereinafter referred to as "object image signals") in a buffer memory 1003. Next, under the same image pickup conditions, the camera takes a photograph with the image pickup element 1001 shielded from light to obtain electric charge signals, and the electric charge signals are converted into digital signals by the A/D converter 1002. The digital signals or image signals obtained in this manner are referred to as "black image signals".
At the same time as the black image signals are output from the A/D converter 1002, the object image signals stored in the buffer memory 1003 are read. A subtracting circuit 1004 subtracts the black image signals from the corresponding object image signals, thereby applying dark shading correction to the object image signals. An arbitrary offset value (e.g., about 32 least significant bits (LSB) of a 10-bit signal) is added to each of the dark-shading-corrected object image signals by an offset circuit 1005, and the sum signals are sent to a signal processing circuit 1006, which in turn generates image signals representing one image. The image signals generated in this manner are stored in a general storage medium 1007, such as an SD card.
However, since the above-described dark shading correction method uses image signals representing two images, namely, the object image signals and the black image signals, random noise is increased √2 times, compared with the case where no dark shading correction is applied. Since two images are captured and read, it takes time to complete the image pickup operation.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-289494 describes a method configured to divide black image signals into multiple blocks, integrate signals on a block-by-block basis, enlarge the integrated signals to a resolution of an object image, and subtract the enlarged signals from object image signals. According to this method, random noise of the black image signals is reduced. Therefore, deterioration of the dark-shading-corrected image signals due to noise can be reduced.
However, even in the method described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-289494, in order to obtain image signals representing one object image, as has been described with reference to FIG. 10, image signal capturing and reading operations are performed twice. Therefore, it takes time to complete the image pickup operation. In a continuous shooting mode, the speed of taking photographs in a continuous manner drops greatly.

Image pickup apparatus and method for controlling the same


Apparatus and method for handling compacted business forms including a receiver having a horizontally disposed receiving surface and posts at one end thereof for the receipt of a dolly adapted to delimit and confine a predetermined number of forms on the receiver horizontal surface. The receiver is pivotable to position the dolly on the floor with the predetermined number of forms existing as a stack. Confinement straps associated with the dolly hold the stack in place while the dolly is separated from the receiver and relocated to a processing machine for performing further operations on the forms, the dolly being equipped with mounting holes for returning the dolly on a hand truck to the receiver.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for handling business forms and, more particularly, for transporting compacted forms.
This invention is an improvement on the printed forms transport (hereafter "PFT") of Wallace Computer Services, Inc., of Hillside, Ill. and also the competitive prior art transport seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,233.
The PFT is a receiver for zig-zag folded forms which normally have been generated by a computer printer and folder/compactor. These machines operate at high speed and it is difficult to coordinate them with other machines employed by companies who process large volumes of business forms. Most notably, the output of the computer printer and folder/compactor goes to a machine called an inserter--sometimes referred to as a forms utilization unit. In many instances, the machinery creating the final forms is located in one section of a forms processing plant while the inserter(s) are located in another area. This has necessitated the need for transport from the first to the second area. It was for this purpose that the PFT and '233 constructions were developed.
The transports or carts of the prior art had the disadvantages of being cumbersome, expensive, and difficult to use. In particular there was a difficulty in splicing the forms from a subsequent run to a previous run so as to have continuous operation at the inserter.
All of the drawbacks of the prior art have been solved according to the instant invention by modifying the prior art PFT by providing a removable flat plate dolly at the forms entering end. This dolly not only performs the function of delimiting the length of the stack of zig-zag folded forms but additionally serves as a convenient, inexpensive and highly reliable wheeled transport between the generation and finishing areas of the plant or factory.
Other objects and advantages of the invention may be seen in the details set down in the ensuing specification.


Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and apparatus for generating information. A method may include: selecting a three-dimensional object model from a preset three-dimensional object model set based on a to-be-matched object image in a target two-dimensional image; determining, based on a normal vector of a ground plane of the target two-dimensional image, a plane equation of ground corresponding to the normal vector of the ground plane in a three-dimensional space; adjusting a rotation parameter and a translation parameter of the three-dimensional object model in the plane characterized by the plane equation; and generating, in response to determining that a contour of the adjusted three-dimensional object model matches a contour of the to-be-matched object image in the target two-dimensional image, three-dimensional information of an object corresponding to the to-be-matched object image based on the adjusted three-dimensional object model.

A three-dimensional model is a polygonal identifier of an object, and is generally displayed using a computer or other video devices. The displayed object may be an entity in a real world, or an imaginary object. In general, things existing in a physical world and a natural world may all be expressed by the three-dimensional model. The three-dimensional model is generally generated by three-dimensional modeling tool software, or generated by other methods. As data of point and other information sets, the three-dimensional model may be generated manually, or generated based on a certain algorithm. A three-dimensional model matching contour of a two-dimensional object image may be determined, and then posture information of the two-dimensional object image may be obtained from posture information of the three-dimensional model.

Method and apparatus for generating 3D information

Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd.


There is disclosed a crimping connector in which the efficiency of the operation is enhanced by simplifying a process of crimping sheathed wires. Also the efficiency of arrangement of a terminal assembly in a mating connector is enhanced. Each of housings 10 and 11 includes an upwardly-open wire connecting portion 2 and a terminal connecting portion 3 of a closed cross-sectional shape communicating with the wire connecting portion 2, and the housings 10 and 11 are integrally connected together through hinges 4 so that the wire connecting portions 2 of the housings, as well as the terminal connecting portions 3 thereof, can be stacked one upon another vertically in the same position and the same direction, and also crimping terminals 30 in the stacked housings 10 and 11 are arranged vertically in the forward direction. Sheathed wires 40 are press-connected to the crimping terminals 30 in the housings 10 and 11 by a crimping jig 50 which moves upward and downward at the same position in the horizontal direction.

This invention relates to a crimping connector, and more particularly to a crimping connector having a terminal receiving portion for receiving crimping terminals connected respectively to many wires of electronic equipment, a wire harness in an automobile or the like.
One conventional crimping connector of the type described is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Unexamined Publication No. 59-184476. As shown in FIG. 1, this crimping connector 100 comprises two housings 101 and 102 of an identical configuration integrally connected together through a thin hinge 105 at their adjacent sides in right-left symmetrical relation to other. Each of the housings 101 and 102 including an upwardly-open wire connecting portion 103 and a terminal connecting portion 104 of a closed cross-sectional shape communicating with the wire connecting portion 103 (see FIG. 1(a) and 1(b)). The wire connecting portion 103 has a plurality of juxtaposed receiving portions 107 separated from one another by a plurality of partition walls 106, and crimping terminals 108 are mounted in the receiving portions 107, respectively. The crimping terminal 108 is fitted in the receiving portion 107 in such a manner that part of this terminal 108 is inserted in the terminal connecting portion 104. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of terminal insertion ports 110 for respectively receiving male terminals (not shown) in a mating housing 400 are formed in one side surface 109 of the terminal connection portion 104, and correspond respectively to the receiving portions 107. Inserted ends of the crimping terminals 108, inserted in the terminal connecting portion 104, communicate with the terminal insertion ports 110, respectively.
Sheathed wires 200 are supplied to be disposed respectively above the crimping terminals 108, and are pressed downward by a crimping jig 300, and are press-fitted respectively into slots 111 formed respectively in the crimping terminals 108 (see FIG. 1(b)). As a result of this press-fitting operation, a sheath of each sheathed wire 200 is cut by opposite side edges of the slot 111, so that a conductor 201 of the sheathed wire 200 contacts the crimping terminal 108, and hence is press-connected thereto (see FIG. 1(c)).
After each sheathed wire 200 is thus connected to the associated crimping terminal 108, one 102 (or 101) of the housings is turned about the hinge 105 in a direction of an arrow, so that the open sides of the receiving portions 107 in the housing 101 are opposed and joined to the open sides in the housing 102 (see FIG. 1(c)), thereby obtaining the crimping connector 100 of a two-stage construction as shown in FIG. 2.
However, in the conventional crimping connector 100, after the sheathed wires 200 are press-connected relative to the one housing 101, the jig 300 or one of the housings 101 and 102 is horizontally moved, and then the sheathed wires 200 are press-connected relative to the other housing 102, and therefore there has been encountered a problem that the crimping process is complicated, so that the efficiency of the operation is lowered. Although it may be proposed to increase the jig 300 to such a large size that the jig 300 can cover the two housings 101 and 102, this increases the cost, and involves the high crimping force, and hence is not practical.
In the conventional crimping connector 100, when the two housings 101 and 102 are joined together, the lower-stage housing 101 and the upper-stage housing 102 are vertically inverted with respect to each other, and therefore the male terminals in the mating connector 400 need to be arranged in accordance with the arrangement of the crimping terminals 108, which has invited a problem that the efficiency of arrangement of a terminal assembly in the mating connector 400 is lowered.
More specifically, if each of the male terminals 401 in the mating connector 400 includes a contact terminal 402 having a joint portion 403 as shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), and the male terminals 401 for the upper and lower stages are arranged in the same forward direction in the mating connector 400, there inevitably occurs a condition in which the joint portions 403 contact resilient contact portions 112 of the crimping terminals 108, provided in the lower-stage housing 101 or the upper-stage housing 102 (see FIG. 4), when the mating connector 400 is fitted on the crimping connector 100. In this case, an electrically-insulating substance is liable to be produced at that portion of each joint portion 403 held in contact with the resilient contact portion 112, so that the electrically-contacted condition is not stable. Therefore, it is necessary to mount the terminal assembly of the mating connector 400 in such a manner that the terminal assembly will not be in the above contacted condition. As a result, there has been encountered a problem that the assembling operation is complicated, so that the efficiency of the operation is lowered.

Crimping connector and method of producing the same


A powertrain for a vehicle includes an electric machine coupled with a first inverter, a traction battery and a second inverter. The traction battery is coupled between a neutral terminal of the electric machine and a negative terminal of the first inverter. The second inverter is coupled in parallel with the first inverter with respect to a direct current (DC) bus, and configured to drive a second electric machine.

Electrified vehicles including hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) rely on a traction (or high-voltage) battery to provide power to a traction motor for propulsion and a power inverter therebetween to convert direct current (DC) power to alternating current (AC) power. The typical AC traction motor is a 3-phase motor that may be powered by 3 sinusoidal currents each driven with 120 degrees phase separation. The traction battery is configured to operate in a particular voltage range and provide a desired energy.
Also, many electrified vehicles include a DC-DC converter, also referred to as a variable voltage converter (VVC), to convert the voltage of the traction battery to an operational voltage level of the electric machine. The electric machine, that may include a traction motor and a generator, may require high voltage and high current. Due to the voltage and current requirements, a battery module and a power electronics module are typically in continuous communication. The battery module provides information for the vehicle control algorithms including battery voltage, battery current, and battery state-of-charge (SOC).


A lighting device includes: a light source having a light-emitting surface; a reflector having a reflective surface configured to reflect light emitted from the light source; and a lens on which light reflected by the reflective surface is incident. The reflective surface is composed of a portion of a spheroidal surface that includes a first focal point located on the light-emitting surface and a second focal point located between the reflective surface and the lens. The reflective surface intersects a major axis of the spheroidal surface. A value obtained by dividing a first distance, which is a distance between the first focal point and the second focal point, by a second distance, which is a distance between the first focal point and an intersection point of the reflective surface and the major axis, is 7 or greater.

The embodiments described in this application relate to a lighting device.
There is known a lighting device that includes a light source, a reflector configured to reflect light emitted from the light source, and a lens on which the light reflected by the reflector is incident (See, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-208196).


The present invention relates to a mass analyzing apparatus, comprising a first metal electrode plate, a second metal electrode plate, an RF power supply, a reactant gas and a mass spectrometry. The second metal electrode plate is grounded. There is a gap between the first metal electrode plate and the second metal electrode plate. The RF power supply is electrically connected to the first metal electrode plate. Electric discharge is caused between the first metal electrode plate and the second metal electrode plate, so that the reactant gas becomes dissociation plasma. The dissociation plasma reacts with a gas analyte from a sample and then enters the mass spectrometry for a mass analysis. In addition, since the dissociation plasma is generated under low temperature and atmospheric pressure, the mass analyzing apparatus of the present invention is applicable for biological samples that need to be analyzed at a low temperature.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mass analyzing apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a mass analyzing apparatus capable of generating an ionization source by an RF power, without sample pretreatment at normal temperature and atmospheric pressure.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the conventional art, chemical compositions in samples (such as Chinese medicinal herbs) are analyzed by detection through liquid chromatography/mass spectrometer (LC/MS) or gas chromatography/mass spectrometer (GC/MS). The samples must be pretreated by being extracted with a solvent before being analyzed, so as to get signals.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an ionization source for a conventional direct analysis in real time (DART) as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,112,785.
Taking positive ions for example, the operational principle of the ionization source 1 includes: atoms of an inert gas (e.g., helium gas) that flow around the ionization source 1 are excited or ionized by a high voltage field at one atmosphere of pressure, as shown in Equation (1); next, the generated helium ions (He+) or the excited-state helium atoms (He*) impact with water molecules (H2O) in the atmosphere, to generate water ions (H2O+) and electrons (e−), as shown in Equation (2); then, water ions (H2O+) react with other water molecules (H2O), to generate hydrated ions (H3O+), as shown in Equation (3); finally, the hydrated ions and molecules (M) of a gas analyte from a sample perform an ion-molecule reaction, so as to generate molecular ions (MH+) of the analyte, as shown in Equation (4). Besides the above ionization process, the molecular ions of the analyte can also be formed by directly impacting the helium ions or excited state helium molecules with gas analyte, as shown in Equation (5).

The ionization source 1 has a metal needle 11 therein, and a DC high voltage is applied to the metal needle 11. Extremely high electric field intensity is generated due to the very small area of the top end of the metal needle 11, and the helium stream flows in through an inlet 12 behind the metal needle 11, to perform the reactions of Equations (1) to (3). As the ion-molecule reaction is merely suitable for gas molecules, the helium stream flows through a heating region 13, so that the temperature of the helium gas flowing out from the outlet 14 of the ionization source 1 is between 50° C. and 70° C. Once the hot gas stream containing helium gas, helium ions, and excited state helium molecules impacts the surface of the sample (usually, a solid), the chemicals on the surface of the sample are likely to be volatilized, so as to be reacted with the hydrated ions in the atmosphere to form analyte ions, i.e., perform the reactions of Equations (4) and (5). Then, the analyte ions enter a mass spectrometer for a mass analysis.
The ionization source 1 is characterized by its operation at an atmospheric pressure, so mass signals of the sample can be obtained without any sample treatment, which is very helpful for the object to be analyzed within a very short time or in situ in real time. The ionization source 1 can be used for analysis in the following situations: the detection of bombs in an airport and the rapid identification of air or water pollutants in environmental analysis. Additionally, the technique can also be used in situ to examine whether medicine is drugs, or to determine whether currency is real or fake by analyzing the ink chemicals.
The ionization source 1 is disadvantageous in that the operation environment is a high-voltage and high-temperature environment, which is very undesirable when the sample is a biomolecule, since the biomolecule is easily damaged in such an environment. Moreover, as the position where the plasma gas molecules are generated by the ionization source 1 is far away from the sample and the inlet of the mass spectrometer, after being dissociated, the excited state gas molecules are reduced to a basic state during the flight. Thus, the charge-carrying capacity of the sample molecules is reduced, which leads to poor detection efficiency. Additionally, the ionization source 1 needs a large gas stream, and therefore the operation cost is high.
Additionally, there is an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP MS), which is applied on ionizing metal atoms. However, in the ICP MS, in order to ionize the metal atoms, it is necessary to consume a large amount of energy, which is generally an AC voltage (1700 V) with an output power of 1200 W and an RF of 13.56 MHz. The temperature of the plasma generated at this condition is approximately between 6000° C. and 8000° C., and the used inert gas is argon gas (Ar), which cannot generate plasma discharge in an environment of high atmospheric pressure in order to generate ionized gas molecules, and thus cannot be applied in detecting biomolecules under an atmospheric pressure.
Therefore, it is necessary to provide a mass analyzing apparatus to solve the above problems.


The present invention relates to a medium stacking apparatus for an automatic medium dispenser. A medium stacking apparatus according to the present invention comprises a medium box provided with a seating space allowing medium to be pulled and stacked therein, inlet rollers provided to face each other and to rotate in opposite directions relative to one another so that the medium are pulled into the seating space, a damping unit colliding against the medium pulled into the seating space by the inlet rollers, and a pressing unit for pressing down a trailing end of the medium. The damping unit and the pressing unit are connected to both ends of a link by the pins to cooperate with each other. Thus, the medium are stacked in the seating space, so that the following medium can be pulled therein without any interference. According to the present invention, there is an advantage in that a stacking reliability is enhanced when medium are stacked.

The term "medium" used herein indicate, for example, bills, checks, tickets, certificates, or the like, and may be various ones that have a thickness much smaller than a width or length thereof.
FIG. 1 is a partial side sectional view of a conventional medium stacking apparatus for an automatic medium dispenser. As shown in the figure, a seating space 2 is provided in a medium box 1. The seating space 2 is a space in which medium M are pulled and then stacked.
Then, the seating space 2 communicates with the outside through an inlet opening 3 through which the medium M are pulled therein. A pair of inlet rollers 4 are provided at the inlet opening 3 for allowing the medium M to be pulled into the seating space one by one. The inlet rollers 4 rotate in opposite directions relative to one another for conveying the medium M and allow the medium M to pass therethrough one by one. The medium M pulled into the seating space by means of the inlet rollers 4 are placed and stacked one by one on a lower portion of the seating space 3.
In the meantime, a supporting plate 6 is provided on a bottom surface of the seating space 2. The supporting plate 6 is installed so that it can move vertically in the seating space 2 to allow the medium M to be continuously stacked. For example, when the medium M are stacked in the seating space 2 to a certain height, the supporting plate 6 moves downward to thereby form a space in which many more the medium M can be stacked.
The medium stacking apparatus as claimed in the prior art has the following problems.
The medium M is conveyed by the inlet rollers 4 and then discharged out of the inlet rollers at high-speed. In addition, a leading end of the medium M which has passed through the inlet rollers 4 collides against a side surface of the seating space 2.
Here, since the medium M has a thickness much smaller than a width or length, the moment the medium M collides against the side surface of the seating space 2, the medium M may be deformed. In other word, the medium M is bent upward or downward and then deformed. If the medium M is bent for both ends thereof to be positioned above the inlet opening 3, a leading end of the following medium M which is pulled in the seating space collides against the deformed medium. Accordingly, there is a problem in that a jamming phenomenon occurs when the medium M are pulled into the seating space or the stacking efficiency is lowered.

Media stacking apparatus for media dispenser


According to one embodiment, a CAD system includes a model building section which builds a total model by combining shape models of frame components and internal components of a designed appliance, a design verification simulation executing section which executes analysis simulation which serves design verification by running a simulation of the total model built by the model building section in accordance with a design specification, and a simulation result manipulating section which forms a model from the total model modified in accordance with a result of the analysis executed by the design verification simulation executing section.

1. Field
The present invention relates to a CAD system and a designing/analyzing method for designing electronic appliance and analyzing a model that is designed.
2. Description of the Related Art
A common computer-aided engineering (CAE) system performs CAE analysis only after creating shape data on a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system and then preparing a CAE analysis model on the CAE system.
The shape data is transferred from the CAD system to the CAE system, but information necessary for the CAE analysis such as boundary conditions, load conditions, component connecting elements and magnetic noise source origins is not conveyed. The CAD designing and the CAE analyzing are often performed in parallel but by different persons. In such a case, the person for CAE analysis may have to input necessary information into the CAE system while thinking on or asking for such information. In addition, as the CAD designing proceeds, the CAE analysis may need to be largely modified or redone.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2004-213107 discloses a technology of building a model of an overall structure by combining shape models of incorporated components together, then inputting design standard data on dimensions and strengths, and rebuilding the total model by making changes to the shape data if the results of the analysis show that the design standards are not satisfied.

CAD system and designing/analyzing method


Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method, an apparatus, and a system for data transmission. The method for data transmission includes: determining that data to be transmitted is control plane signaling related to a user equipment that camps on a relay node; and transmitting the data through a first user data bearer established between the relay node and a donor base station, where the first user data bearer provides integrity protection for the data. According to the embodiments of the present invention, when the control plane signaling related to the user equipment that camps on the relay node is transmitted between the relay node and the donor base station, integrity protection is provided for the control plane signaling, and therefore attacks such as the denial of a service attack are prevented.

With the continuous development of communication technologies, a relay (Relay) technology is proposed as a key technology used to increase the cell capacity and extend the coverage. Problems that existing cellular systems are faced with can be solved effectively by deploying a relay node (Relay Node; RN for short) on a network to enhance radio communication signals between a base station and a terminal. In addition, because the RN has such characteristics as low software costs, low hardware costs, low deployment costs, and flexible deployment, it has attracted wide attention and is researched by more and more operators and vendors.
In brief, the RN is a node that transfers data between the base station and the terminal, so that a radio signal can reach a destination through multiple transmissions (multiple hops). After the RN accesses a conventional base station, the conventional base station may be referred to as a donor base station (Donor evolved NodeB; DeNB for short). In the Third Generation Partnership Project (Third Generation Partnership Project; 3GPP for short) standard, the radio interface between the RN and the donor base station is a Un interface, and the radio interface between the user equipment (UE) and the RN is a Uu interface.
In an RN implementation solution in the prior art, the RN accesses a network in a mode similar to the access mode used by the UE. The RN establishes a signaling bearer and a user data bearer with the network. All signaling and data related to a UE that camps on the RN are transmitted through the user data bearer between the RN and the network. However, the user data bearer can provide only cipher protection. Therefore, only the cipher protection is available when control plane signaling related to the UE that camps on the RN is transmitted between the RN and the donor base station.
The control plane signaling related to the UE that camps on the RN includes access stratum (Access Stratum; AS for short) signaling and non access stratum (Non Access Stratum; NAS for short) signaling that are exchanged between the UE and the network, and signaling that is exchanged inside the network for the purpose of providing the UE with services, such as S1 interface signaling defined in a long term evolution (Long Term Evolution; LTE for short) system. The S1 interface signaling includes signaling of sensitive information, for example, signaling for transmitting a key Kenb used to protect the Uu interface communication. Because the above signaling can only be transmitted over the user data bearer on the RN, only the cipher protection is available to the signaling according to the RN implementation solution in the prior art. Even if the cipher protection is available, attackers can manipulate the key Kenb obtained by the RN by altering the signaling, which may cause attacks, such as a denial of a service attack.

Method, apparatus, and system for data transmission


A radar sensor is described that includes a radar transmitter, a radar receiver configured to receive reflected returns of signals output by the radar transmitter, and a signal processing unit configured to process signals received by the radar receiver. The signal processing unit includes a comparator, a first filter comprising an output coupled to a reference input of the comparator, and a second filter comprising an output coupled to a signal input of the comparator. The first and second filters are configured to receive a common input related to the reflected returns. The first filter is configured to have a time constant such that a rise time of the first filter output is faster than a rise time of the second filter output.

This invention relates generally to pulse radar operation, and more specifically, to methods and systems that provide an adaptive threshold for beam sharpening within a pulse Doppler radar.
There have been recent developments, for example, relating to the control of a detonation altitude in pulse radar equipped munitions. At least one of these developments utilizes beam sharpening with respect to transmissions from the munitions. This development makes use of the Doppler component on the radar signal to sharpen the beam which limits the forward view of the missile such that it looks along a velocity vector of the falling missile. Conceptually, sharpening the beam involves tuning a band-pass filter to the expected velocity of a missile, which is typically derived inertially within the missile. Objects to the side of the missile have lower Doppler frequencies and therefore a bandwidth of the filter limits the extent that the radar sees to the side of the missile.
Once the weapon reaches a specified reference altitude, which in at least one application involves using a range gate for processing the radar returns, the return Doppler signals are processed by integrating these return signals until a tracking threshold is reached. Once the returns are indicative of a valid tracking signal, then by knowing the reference altitude, the velocity of the weapon, and the preset detonation altitude, timing can be predicted as to when the detonation signal must trigger (e.g., provide) a fusing signal.
Accurate timing of the detonation signal is dependent on the integration time of the received Doppler signals and knowing when the valid tracking threshold has been achieved. Typically, a continuum of Doppler frequencies are received across a surface area of the field of view of the Doppler processor. The maximum Doppler frequency and amplitude occurs directly underneath the weapon system (i.e. maximum closing velocity). The other Doppler frequencies, which occur at lower frequencies, and their corresponding amplitudes contribute to an integrated solution in the Doppler filter, which is typically a band pass filter.
A problem arises due to the nature of band pass filters. The time delay through band pass filters varies as a function of the input frequencies. In particular, frequencies an octave or two from the pass band edges of the filter have much faster rise times than the desired center although their amplitudes are reduced. Since the radar will see a continuum of Doppler frequencies and because it has a very high sensitivity, the munitions may detonate on these side components resulting in errors in the detonation altitude.
Additionally, tuning the filter such that the upper pass-band edge corresponds to the Doppler frequency of the vertical component of the missile velocity is not an acceptable solution because of the additional 3 dB loss and the filter no longer acts as an integrator of Radar pulses. Coherent integration of the radar return pulses is needed to achieve sufficient sensitivity and reduced susceptibility to jamming.

Methods and systems providing an adaptive threshold for a beam sharpened pulse radar


A method of driving a stepping motor comprises providing a chopping signal to a drive current of the stepping motor when a chopping condition is on, and synchronizing output of the chopping signal with output of a drive signal for driving stepwise the stepping motor.

The present invention relates to a method of driving a stepping motor and more particularly, to a technique of restraining vibration of the stepping motor during drive thereof.
Conventionally, the stepping motor is used in an automotive suspension system disclosed, for example, in JP-A 5-193327.
A variable-damping-force-type shock absorber used in the automotive suspension system includes a rotary valve having changeable damping force characteristic, and a stepping motor mounted at an upper end of the shock absorber so as to rotate the rotary valve.
However, the conventional variable-damping-force-type shock absorber has the following inconvenience:
When driving stepwise the stepping motor, drive current is always turned on, i.e. in the continuous turn-on state, actual current input to the stepping motor is heavy, and thus drive torque is great. As a result, great vibration noise is produced upon drive of the stepping motor, which may cause a seat occupant to have a strange feel upon low-speed cruising or standstill of a motor vehicle in particular.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method of driving a stepping motor which contributes to a restraint of generation of vibration during drive thereof.

Method and apparatus of driving stepping motor


An ink jet recording apparatus that records on a recording medium by discharging ink from a discharge outlet contained in an ink jet recording head including an ink housing section in which ink is stored, a first filter disposed in a first ink path for supplying ink used for recording to the ink jet recording head from the ink housing section and a second filter disposed in a second ink path for supplying ink to the ink jet recording head from the ink housing section for recovering operation of the head. The size D.sub.I of the opening of the first filter, the size D.sub.O of the opening of the second filter and the minimum diameter D.sub.H of the head nozzle have the relationship of D.sub.I <D.sub.O <D.sub.H.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording head that records on a recording medium by discharging ink and, more particularly, to an improved ink filtering system for such a recording head.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional ink jet recording apparatus, in particular an apparatus that uses a permanent type ink jet recording head, the obstruction of the nozzle of the head with dirt or dust can shorten the life of the apparatus. Hence, to prevent dirt from mixing in an ink path of such an apparatus, a filter is inserted into an ink circulation system.
FIG. 7 shows the ink circulation system of this type of ink jet recording apparatus.
When the ink in a subtank ink housing 421 runs low, the ink drops from an ink cartridge 420 by gravity in order to make up the loss. A gap is provided where the subtank 421 and the ink cartridge 420 are fitted together. The interior of the subtank 421 is in communication with atmosphere by means of the gap. When ink drops from the ink cartridge 420 to the subtank 421, a volume of air equal to the amount of ink that has dropped enters from the subtank 421 to the ink cartridge 420.
At this point, prior to the use of an ink jet recording head 410, a recovery operation is performed for evacuating air present in the ink path of the apparatus and for circulating ink in the liquid chamber 411 of the ink jet recording head 410, the latter because the viscosity of the ink may have increased so the ink differs from its original quality. The recovery operation is performed such that the ink in the subtank 421 is supplied to the liquid chamber 411 by means of a gear pump 431 and a lower tube 440, by rotating a motor 430 to operate the gear pump 431. The ink is returned to the subtank 421 again by way of an upper tube 441. Some of the ink supplied to the liquid chamber 411 during a recovery operation may ooze out of some of the head nozzles 412, and any such ink is absorbed by a liquid absorbing agent 413 disposed below the head nozzles 412. At this time, it is effective to blow air from the head nozzles 412 so as to make easy the oozing out of ink to be dropped. As a result, the ink whose viscosity is increased in the head nozzles 412 is discarded and any dirt or debris present on the surface of the head is washed away.
In order for the recovery operation to function reliably, the gear pump 431 feeds ink at a high pressure of a lift of about 5 m and at a flow rate of about 1 cc/sec. Hence, there is a possibility that dirt in the subtank 421 and abrasive particles from in the gear pump 431 are fed by pressure into the liquid chamber 411 of the ink jet recording head 410.
The ink fed to the ink jet recording head 410 during recording is supplied from the subtank 421 by the upper tube 441. A small amount of ink may also be supplied through the lower tube 440 because of leakage through the gear pump 431, even though it is stopped. The ink at this time is approximately at atmospheric pressure (a lift of approximately 0.1 m) and its flow rate is 0.01 cc/sec or smaller. Therefore, the probability is small that dirt entrained in the ink is fed by pressure into the liquid chamber 411 through a first filter 414 and a second filter 415 which are disposed at the junctions of the ink jet recording head 410 and the lower tube 440 and the upper tube 441, respectively.
However, since the size of the openings of the first filter 414 is equal to the size of the openings of the second filter 415, and the two opening sizes are smaller than the minimum diameter of the head nozzles 412, this prior art apparatus can still be subject to clogging of the nozzles, because the shape of the dirt is not necessarily in the form of particles, but there also may be dirt present in the form of strings or filaments. Thus, even if the size of the openings of the nozzles 412 is greater than the size of the openings of the first filter 414, the nozzles 412 could be obstructed if dirt in the form of filaments, or filaments tangled with dirt particles, enter the nozzle 412.

Ink jet recording head having improved filter system and recording apparatus using same


A signal generating circuit includes a pulse generator generating a pulse responsive to a periodic clock reference signal. The pulse propagates through a plurality of series-connected delay elements in a measurement delay line. The measurement delay line is coupled to a series of latches that correspond to respective groups of delay elements in the measurement delay line. The delay element to which the pulse has propagated when the next pulse is received causes a corresponding latch to be set. The clock reference signal propagates through a signal generating delay line, which contains a sub-multiple of the number of delay elements in the measurement delay line, starting at a location corresponding to the set latch. The latch may remain set for a large number of periods of the clock reference signal so that it is not necessary for the clock reference signal to propagate through the measurement delay line each cycle.

Periodic digital signals are commonly used in a variety of electronic devices. Probably the most common type of periodic digital signals are clock signals that are typically used to establish the timing of a digital signal or the timing at which an operation is performed on a digital signal. For example, data signals are typically coupled to and from memory devices, such as synchronous dynamic random access memory ("SDRAM") devices, in synchronism with a clock or data strobe signal. More specifically, read data signals are typically coupled from a memory device in synchronism with a read data strobe signal, and write data signals are typically latched into a memory device in synchronism with a write data strobe signal. The read data strobe signal typically has the same phase as the read data signals, and it is normally generated by the same device that generates the read data signals. As a result, it is relatively easy to generate a read data strobe signal.
Unlike a read data strobe signal, a write data strobe signal normally must have a phase that is the quadrature of the write data signals so that a transition of the write data strobe signal occurs during a "data eye" occurring at the center of the period in which the write data signals are valid. However, as the speed of memory devices has continued to increase, the "data eye" has become smaller and smaller, thus making the timing of the write data strobe signal even more critical.
The write strobe signal is typically generated by the memory controller from a system clock signal and it is coupled to the memory device into which the data are being written. Unfortunately, the phase of the system clock signal is normally substantially the same as the phase of the write data signals. Therefore, it is necessary for the memory controller to generate the write data strobe signal as a quadrature signal having a phase that is 90-degrees relative to the phase of the system clock signal.
Various techniques can be used and have been used by memory devices to generate a quadrature write data strobe signal. If the frequency of the system clock signal is fixed, a quadrature write strobe signal can be generated by a timing circuit that simply generates a transition of the write strobe signal a fixed time after a corresponding transition of the system clock signal. However, synchronous memory devices are typically designed and sold to be operated over a wide range of system clock frequencies. Therefore, it is generally not practical to use a fixed timing circuit to generate a write data strobe signal from the system clock signal. Instead, a circuit that can adapt itself to a system clock signal having a range of frequencies must be used.
One conventional circuit that can generate a quadrature write data strobe signal from a system clock signal having a variable frequency is a phase-lock loop in which a voltage controlled oscillator generates a signal that is coupled to a phase detector along with the master clock signal. The phase detector generates an error signal that is used to control the frequency of the signal generated by the voltage controlled oscillator. Various signal processing techniques can be used to generate a quadrature signal from the signal generated by the voltage controlled oscillator.
Closed loop circuits, such as phase-lock loops and delay-lock loops, can accurately generate a quadrature write strobe signal based on the system clock signal over a substantial range of frequencies of the system clock signal. However, closed loop circuits are not without their disadvantages and limitations. Specifically, closed loop circuits typically require a substantial amount of circuitry, which occupies space on a semiconductor die that could otherwise be used for increased memory capacity. Furthermore, it typically requires a substantial period of time for the closed loop circuit to establish "lock" during which time the memory device cannot latch write data signals.
Quadrature digital signals are also required for applications other than for use as a write data strobe signal. For example, a "frequency doubler" circuit, which generates an output clock signal having twice the frequency of an input clock signal, can be implemented using an appropriate logic circuit that receives the input clock signal and quadrature versions of the input clock signal. However, generating the necessary quadrature clock signal has the same type of difficulties that are incurred in generating a quadrature write data strobe signal.
The limitations and disadvantages of conventional closed-loop clock generating circuit, such as phase-lock loops and delay-lock loops, have been addressed by an open loop system described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/854,849 to Zimlich. Briefly, an input clock signal propagates through a measurement delay line having a plurality of delay elements. The delay element to which a transition, e.g., the rising edge, of the input clock signal has propagated at the next transition of the input clock signal (i.e., one period after the start of the clock pulse) sets a bit in corresponding delay element of a signal generating delay line having a sub-multiple of the number of delay elements. The set bit then propagates through the signal generating delay line. If, for example, the measurement delay line has twice as many delay elements as the signal generating delay line, the signal propagating through the signal generating delay line will be output one-half period after the start of each input clock signal. If the measurement delay line has four times as many delay elements as the signal generating delay line, the signal propagating through the signal generating delay line will be output one-quarter period after the start of each input clock signal. By using multiple signal delay lines each having a different sub-multiple number of delay elements compared to the number delay elements in the measurement delay line, any number of different phases of the input clock signal can be generated.
Although this open loop clock generating system avoids many of the disadvantages of closed-loop clock generating systems, it has the disadvantage of consuming a considerable amount of power. The high power consumption is, in part, the result of the power consumed by each cycle of the input clock signal propagating through the measurement delay line. The power consumed by the measurement delay line is particularly high because the measurement delay line contains a large number of delay elements, each of which consumes power each time it switches.
There is therefore a need for an open loop system and method for generating a periodic signal having a selected phase relative to another periodic signal that consumes a relatively little amount of power.

System and method for reduced power open-loop synthesis of output clock signals having a selected phase relative to an input clock signal


Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for tailgating detection are described herein. One method includes collecting, via a computing device, access log data associated with a profile; processing, by a processor coupled to the computing device, the access log data to obtain a statistical access model; detecting, by the processor, a tailgating sequence based on the statistical access model; and providing, by the processor, a notification that the tailgating sequence has occurred.

Access control systems can be used to exert control over who can interact with a resource. For example, an access control system may be implemented to control access to resources such as buildings, rooms, and/or computers. Recently, individual security cards have been increasingly used in connection with physical security systems for access control. The security cards may be used to monitor and/or control access to physical facilities by interfacing the security cards with access control device equipment deployed at various locations within and/or surrounding the facility.
Although previous access control systems can be adequate when used as intended, tailgating can circumvent such security measures. In the physical security domain, tailgating can be defined as bypassing access control devices or other checkpoints to gain entry into a restricted area, for example by an unauthorized individual following an authorized individual into a restricted area. In such situations, the authorized individual can allow other individuals in by holding the door open and/or by failing to secure the door after passing through, for example. Tailgating constitutes a serious gap in access control security.


Systems and methods for creating and administering and a real estate private index fund as a single investable instrument which tracks a non-investable real estate index of open-ended funds with minimal tracking error.

There are a number of non-investable private real estate indices which are published by organizations such as IPD, NCREIF, NAREIT and PREA. These indices track and report on the aggregate performance of individual private open-ended real estate investment funds, referred to herein as "Component Funds". Component Funds are available to qualified investors for investment on an individual basis. A single instrument that weights the Component Funds with respect to their percentage of the index and adjusts the weightings based on market value changes does not exist.
Component Funds are generally valued on a quarterly basis, however, rebalancing is not limited to a quarterly basis if indexes or Component Funds report more often than quarterly. Component Funds may have investment queues of investors seeking to enter or exit the fund. The queues limit the ability of an investor to rebalance in a timely fashion given the lag the queues may create for entering or exiting the Component Fund.
Over the past 10 years, the creation of real estate indices has become a prominent topic as industry professionals and investors are seeking a benchmark that is more reflective of their investment strategy. The private real estate industry, prior to 2005, had primarily relied on the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries ("NCREIF") NCREIF Property Index ("NPI"). The NPI was comprised of real estate assets owned by large pension funds in their separate accounts, as well as the large open end core equity real estate fund managers. The NPI was unleveraged and provided a good relative proxy of how various property types and regions performed over various time periods. However, the NPI methodology and tracking of actual investment performance had several major shortcomings for investors. First, the NPI was not investible, whereby investors would be incapable of replicating the index performance since such a large percentage of the investment universe was held in single investor accounts. Secondly, the mix of investments tracked by the NPI involved lower risk profiles than some of the real estate investments owned by investors. Lastly, the NPI tracked unleveraged real estate returns, which was inconsistent with the leverage profile of many real estate investors.
Beginning in the early 2000's, NCREIF and Investment Property Databank ("IPD") have been developing and working on creating various investment indices for real estate investors. IPD began producing the first global private real estate indices that tracked investment performance that could be analyzed by country and region. NCREIF began two separate fund ventures: NCREIF Fund Indices that are compiled and created by NCREIF and their member firms ("NFI"), and others that are compiled and created by Townsend ("NCREIF/Townsend"). The first NFI index was the Open End Diversified Core Equity Index ("NFI ODCE"). The NFI ODCE was compiled with historical and exiting funds that met the definitions of a core equity fund. All of the above-mentioned indices were not investable.
Despite the fundamental improvements in benchmarks and indices, private real estate has never had an investable index product such as many other assets classes, (e.g., stocks, bonds, and commodities which all have indexing funds). As such, private real estate investors have had to hold specific investments which have provided tracking error versus the index whose return they are seeking to attain. To date, the difficulty of having an investable index has been related to a number of factors including, (i) the amount of investment capital required to invest in each Component Fund is significant, (ii) entrance and withdrawal queues for Component Funds, and (iii) rebalancing an investment that provides limited liquidity (e.g., quarterly). There are currently no investable "beta" strategies or index products private real estate investment.
Index funds have been growing significantly as an investment option. During 2012, according to Morningstar, passive products (index funds) have captured over 41% of net capital flows in the public markets. The same report also shows that index funds currently control 18.3% of the mutual fund market. Investor preference for a market rate of return appears to be part of a growing and continuing investor trend.
Index funds by nature aim to replicate the movements of an index of a specific financial market regardless of market conditions. While these types of products are readily available for liquid investment securities, such as stocks and bonds, alternative products, such as private real estate or private equity, do not provide investors index product offerings. Certain investment vehicles, particularly open-end funds, however, provide the ability to create an investible investment index in private real estate by an actively managed investment vehicle.
Component Funds offer the most liquid investment alternative in private real estate. Component Funds allow for quarterly entrance (contribution) and exits (redemption). Much of this is due to the valuation of the investments. Component Funds are required to mark their funds to market on a quarterly basis and receive third party appraisals on an annual basis. These values are accounted for in a Net Asset Value ("NAV"), which is provided to investors quarterly and is the basis for investor entrance and exit values of a Component Fund. The NAV is calculated by adding capital contributions, subtracting distributions, adding in earned income, realized appreciation, and unrealized appreciation, while subtracting fund expenses and management fees. These NAV's provide a reasonable basis for giving investors quarterly liquidity. Component Funds may also have cash holdings that could be utilized to facilitate the entrance and withdrawals of investors on a quarterly basis.
Generally, the most liquid private real estate indices, that are only investable on a single Component Fund basis, are the NFI-ODCE, and the IPD/PREA U.S. Property Fund Index—Core Diversified Open End Funds. The Component Funds that report to these indices offer quarterly liquidity and provide transparency in their reporting processes. In addition to reporting transparency, quarterly liquidity provides the ability to weight investment positions to be substantially similar to those in the index.
Transparent valuation of an investment provides a current and verifiable price for subscriptions and redemptions, and gives investment advisors and their clients the most up-to-date information available regarding the value of a fund such as a real estate investment fund or a real estate private index fund as disclosed herein. Typically, the current value of a "share" of a Component Fund is calculated by summing up the net values of all the fund's holdings and dividing that result by the number of outstanding shares to arrive at a "net asset value per share," "per share NAV" or simply an "NAV." The per share NAV is then used as the price at which investors may buy into a fund, or, alternatively, the price at which they can redeem their shares. In conventional mutual funds, calculating an NAV is fairly straightforward when the funds comprise readily-priced assets. However, calculating an NAV for a fund that holds commercial real estate assets is much harder, as there is no market with listed securities type liquidity for the assets.

Real estate private index fund systems and methods


Microdevices containing a predetermined preferential axis of magnetization are disposed in an array having discreet regions. Under influence of a magnetic field, the microdevices can have at least twelve discrete orientations, and can advantageously be flipped upside down in place. Microdevices can be coded in a manner that supports a coding space of at least 102, 103, 106 or even 1010 or more choices, and can include one or more chemically reactive sites. The regions can be defined by long and short bars, in which microdevices span gaps between the longer bars, and the shorter bars measure less than 60% of such gaps. Preferred embodiments are also provided to produce microfabricated microdevices for magnetic assembly-based arraying.

Particle-based liquid array technologies offer a variety of advantages over fixed arrays, such as batch methods of moiety attachment, ease of synthesis, less cost in implementation, ease of automation, and ease of augmentation (i.e., another particle can be added to the mixture). Fixed arrays generally require less expensive reading devices than liquid arrays and they are generally more amenable to archival storage. However, the major advantage of fixed arrays, and the reason they hold a dominant position in applications requiring high multiplexing (e.g., gene expression), is that moiety identity is determined by position, thereby allowing a virtually limitless number of assays to be carried out using a fixed array platform—typical fixed arrays used in gene expression display 100s of thousands of different moieties. In contrast, liquid arrays require that each particle be encoded in order to identify the moiety each particle is displaying.
A variety of methods have been employed to solve the encoding/decoding problem of liquid arrays. One widely used approach (used by Luminex, Invitrogen via Quantum Dots, and BD Biosciences) is to incorporate fluorophors into beads. The fluorophors are mixed in differing ratios to produce the coding structure and variation. The emitted wavelengths and intensities of these fluorophor mixes are read using a technology based on Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorters (FACS). Although effective, this technology is limited by the number of dyes and intensities that can be unambiguously encoded. The limit for this method is currently between 100 to 200 codes.
BioArray Solutions has used Light-controlled Electrokinetic Assembly of Particles near Surfaces (LEAPS) to form arrays of beads on surfaces (WO 97/40385). However, the LEAPS approach is still subject to the same restrictions as bead-based techniques with respect to the types of available encoding.
A system incorporating the advantages of planar arrays and of encoded microparticles would address many of the problems inherent in the existing approaches. Illumina, Inc. has made it halfway to this goal by providing a method of generating arrays of microbeads using etched glass fibers (e.g., "High-density fiber-optic DNA random microsphere array" by Ferguson et al. Anal. Chem., 72:5618-5624 (2000)). The method involves binding a capture molecule (e.g., oligonucleotide) to a microparticle in solution and then permanently attaching the microparticle to a solid support that interfaces directly with etched glass fibers. The identity of the capture molecule on the microparticle can be identified by "visualization" of the particle through the fiber-optic cable on which it is bound. This binding, however, is not reversed and the particle remains as part of a planar array when the assay is performed—its identity being associated with its fixed location. While preparation of the array is facilitated by the liquid or 3D method, the actual assay is performed as if the array were a fixed 2D array.
Cyvera (now part of Illumina) has developed a technology that uses microparticles shaped like cans that are uniquely identified using a Bragg grating (U.S. Patent Application 2005/0220408 A1). This technique does not rely on fluorescence dye encoding and therefore has an inherently greater breadth of encoding space. Other companies have developed microparticles that do not depend on encoding using fluorophors. Nanoplex uses long and skinny photolithographically-prepared particles that are identified by differing fluorescence and reflection of bar-coded patterns composed of metals. They currently have the capacity to uniquely label 1000 of these particles and have proprietary software that identifies the location of, and decodes these particles in about one second after they have settled in a non-ordered fashion to the bottom of 96 well plate or similar. SmartBeads Technologies has microfabricated aluminum particles (e.g., strip particles having dimensions of 100×10×1 micron) encoded using multiple hole placement and decoded using an optical reading device (e.g. CCD) after being scattered on a planar surface at low density. While, in general, these and similar microfabricated particles have the advantage that they have the potential to be encoded with a nearly infinite number of patterns, the difficulty resides in the ease of analysis of mixtures of the encoded particles. Since such particles tend to be flat objects, they tend to be more prone to aggregation or overlapping as well as being more difficult to disperse.
The ability to array microparticles in an ordered fashion for analysis is advantageous. Aviva Biosciences and the research group of Eiichi Tamiya have produced and arrayed optically encoded planar particles. The Tamiya group produces and uses chemical properties to array particles (("Microfabrication of encoded microparticle array for multiplexed DNA hybridization detection" by Zhi et al. Chemical Communications, 2448-2450 (2005)). Aviva Biosciences uses the magnetic properties of their microparticles (i.e., magnetic bars encapsulated in silicon dioxide with a 2D barcode for identification) to form linear arrays or "chains" of partially overlapping microparticles in the presence of a magnetic field allowing their codes to be read (U.S. Pat. No. 7,015,047). It is also possible to form linear arrays of these magnetic particles in specially designed channels in a non-overlapping manner (U.S. Pat. No. 7,015,047). Another method of arraying Aviva's microparticles to avoid obstruction of the 2D barcode involves incorporating an excess of "accessory" or blank particles (consisting only of completely transparent SiO2 with magnetic bars) into the microparticle mix. This reduces the likelihood of the encoding portion of the microparticles overlapping and increases readability (U.S. Pat. No. 7,015,047).
Although methods for arraying beads using arraying chips that consist of either arrays of magnetic bars or electromagnetic pads have been developed, these approaches suffer from similar limitations of encoding and detection as experienced by other liquid array bead-based methods.
This application references various patents, patent applications, and publications. The contents of all of these items are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Where a definition or use of a term in a reference, which is incorporated by reference herein is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.

Microdevice arrays formed by magnetic assembly


A floor sign device for use on wet, newly waxed, and painted floors to warn and caution pedestrians travelling on the floor of the surface conditions. The device includes first and second panels pivotally coupled together along their top edges. An elongate light tower extends from the top edges of the panels with a light source mounted to the upper end of the light tower. A sound recording and playing device is provided in the light tower. The sound recording and playing device has a microphone and a speaker on the light tower. A motion detecting sensor for detecting motion from a nearby pedestrian is also provided on the light tower. The motion detecting sensor is electrically connected to light source and the sound recording and playing device. The light source is activated to illuminate and the sound recording and playing device is activated to project an audible prerecorded warning when the motion detecting sensor detects motion from a nearby pedestrian.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to floor sign devices and more particularly pertains to a new floor sign device for use on wet, newly waxed, and painted floors to warn and caution pedestrians travelling on the floor of the surface conditions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of floor sign devices is known in the prior art. More specifically, floor sign devices heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,729,215; U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,369; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 328,615; U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,112; U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,983; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,486,655.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new floor sign device. The inventive device includes first and second panels pivotally coupled together along their top edges. An elongate light tower extends from the top edges of the panels with a light source mounted to the upper end of the light tower. A sound recording and playing device is provided in the light tower. The sound recording and playing device has a microphone and a speaker on the light tower. A motion detecting sensor for detecting motion from a nearby pedestrian is also provided on the light tower. The motion detecting sensor is electrically connected to light source and the sound recording and playing device. The light source is activated to illuminate and the sound recording and playing device is activated to project an audible prerecorded warning when the motion detecting sensor detects motion from a nearby pedestrian.
In these respects, the floor sign device according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of use on wet, newly waxed, and painted floors to warn and caution pedestrians travelling on the floor of the surface conditions.


An injection syringe of the present invention comprises a hollow barrel, a needle seat and a plunger. The top of hollow barrel comprises an axial extension which has an upper channel and a lower channel for forming a positioning spring and a seal spring. The inside of the barrel where it is coupled to the axial extension has at lest one piercer. The needle seat is placed in the hollow barrel, and bottom radius of a body of the needle seat is larger than the top of the body for tightly fastening with the seal spring. The top of needle seat has a needle head seat which includes a plurality of positioning sheets thereon and the needle seat is positioned inside the axial extension by a channel of the needle head seat.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an injection syringe, more particularly, to an injection syringe with a seal structure which provides a complete seal structure in the injection syringe.
2. Description of the Related Art
Presently, many medical personnel are afflicted with diseases such as AIDS or infection, due to a needle stick which can result in death. The needle stick is a common professional injury and occurs often. According to research, 98% of medical personnel and 70% of doctors feel the potential danger of being stuck by a needle. Although the injury of needle stick is not serious, the injury can lead to the death of a person. After using the injection needle with the blood of the patient, the operators could become infected if they are stuck by the needle.
The needle stick can occur at a patient's bedside or other places such as an operating room, intensive care unit, treatment room and emergency room. A needle can easily injure medical personnel when the needle cap is not placed on the needle after use. Some research is focused to eliminate the operation of placing a cap back on the needle for avoiding being stuck by the needle.
Further, the injection syringe of the present invention has many advantages such as the coupling area between the barrel and the axial extension has at least one piercer. Furthermore, the needle seat is placed in the hollow barrel, and a bottom radius of a body of the needle seat is larger than the top of the body for tightly fastening with a seal spring. Additionally, the top of needle seat has a needle head seat which includes a plurality of positioning sheets, and the needle seat is positioned on the axial extension by a channel of the needle head seat.
The top of a plunger has a fastening seat which comprises a cylindrical column. An inclined surface of the cylindrical column comprises a plurality of flukes for coupling to a bulge loop on the needle seat. The top of fastening seat has a piston which includes a hole for passing the cylindrical column. And, the top of plunger has an opening to couple to the fastening seat and to easily break the plunger after using the syringe.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.


A device for preventing initial hot water from being discharged from a double pipe heat exchanger and a method of controlling the same, which can temporarily mix cold water with hot water so as to decrease the temperature of the discharged hot water when the high temperature water is initially discharged from the double pipe heat exchanger.

Generally, heat exchangers refer to devices transferring heat from high temperature fluid to low temperature fluid through a heating wall, using a heat medium for heat transfer. The heat exchangers can be classified into a water injection type heat exchanger, a double pipe type heat exchanger, a finned tube heat exchanger, and a shell and tube type heat exchanger according to their structure. The double pipe type heat exchanger includes an inner pipe and an outer pipe, in which heat is exchanged between fluid in the inner pipe and fluid between the inner pipe and the outer pipe. Such a double pipe type heat exchanger is mainly used to increase heat efficiency while required to have a reduced size.
FIG. 1 is a view showing an example of a conventional double pipe type heat exchanger, in which a hot water passage is formed inside of the heat exchanger and a heating water passage is formed outside of the heat exchanger.
Heat energy generated from a burner 10 is transferred to a hot water heat exchanging pipe 21 of the heat exchanger 20, and then heated water is discharged through a hot water pipe 32 to the outside of heat exchanger 20. Further, while heating rooms, a circulation pump 51 operates so that heating water receiving heat from hot water in the hot water heat exchanging pipe 21 to a heating water heat exchanging pipe 22 disposed in the hot water heat exchanging pipe 21 is supplied through an outlet 41 of the heating water heat exchanging pipe 22 to a place where heating is required so as to transfer heat thereto.
A reference numeral 11 which is not described above denotes a blower for blowing combustion heat of the burner 10 to the heat exchanger 20, and a reference numeral 31 indicates a cold water pipe in which a cold water is supplied to be heated as hot water. A reference numeral 42 refers to a heating water returning inlet through which the heating water returns after being discharged from the heating water outlet 41 and circulating heating pipes, and a reference numeral 50 denotes an expansion tank for removing air generated in the heating pipe, decreasing pressure which is caused in the pipe by expansion of the heating water according to increasing the temperature of the heating water, and regularly maintaining the amount of water in a boiler.
If a required heating temperature is high, the temperature of an outer heat exchanging pipe 21 becomes higher than the temperature of an inner heat exchanging pipe 22. When hot water is used during heating rooms at a relatively high temperature, the hot water is discharged from the outer heat exchanging pipe 21 of the heat exchanger 20. When high temperature hot water is discharged from the heat exchanger 20, there is a problem in that a user is exposed to a danger in scald.

Device for preventing initial hot water supplying in concentric tube type heat exchanger and its control method


A set of golf club heads, each comprising a metal body and hosel and a resin composite striking face with oriented reinforcing fibers. In the resin composite, glass fibers are oriented horizontally and graphite fibers are oriented perpendicular to the glass fibers. Within each club head is formed a borehole parallel to the striking face and parallel to the ground at the instant the club head strikes a ball. The borehole is partially filled with tungsten powder. Resin plugs in the borehole retain and locate a measured quantity of tungsten powder to balance the golf club and create a "sweet line" for ideal striking of the ball. Thus, within the set of club heads the angle of the borehole relative to the bottom of the club head increases with increasing club number as does the transverse angle of the borehole to the centerline of the hosel.

The field of the invention pertains to golf clubs for the game of golf, and in particular to weighted golf club heads.
In recent years golf clubs have been constructed with a variety of new materials and structures as distinguished from the original irons and woods. The new materials and constructions are disclosed in several patents illustrating a variety of material combinations and design features. U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,383 discloses a fiber reinforced resin iron having a metal rib and sole plate. A metal plate back member is separate from the sole plate and disposed in the molding process to adjust the center of gravity of the club head. U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,321 discloses a carbon fiber reinforced resin iron having a core of iron or stainless steel. The core is formed with one or more through holes for the fiber reinforced resin to provide a "sweet spot" and to bind the front and back portions of the reinforced resin together.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,454 discloses a wood of fiber reinforced resin having a weight member of metal extending between the back and face plate of the club. The position of the weight member may be varied within the internal cavity of the club to adjust the center of gravity for weight and balance. A wood having a cylindrical weight therein generally extending from front to back is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,654,608 and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,830 an array of front to back boreholes are provided in a wood. Weights of different lengths are positioned in the boreholes to determine the weight and balance of the club head.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,041 a pair of boreholes parallel to the club head face are disclosed. Weights may be selectively inserted in the boreholes to modify the center of gravity of the club head both horizontally and vertically. U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,796 discloses an iron having a single horizontal borehole parallel to the face. The club head is of stainless steel with a hollow back. Within the borehole is an aluminum plug for coarse weight adjustment and tungsten powder for fine weight adjustment. Disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,425 is a club head having a core formed of powdered tungsten dispersed in a resin matrix. The shape of the molded core determines the location of the center of gravity of the club head.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,820 a steel club head having tungsten weights embedded in the back of the club head is disclosed. The tungsten weights adjust the center of gravity of the club head and provide a relatively high radius of gyration for the golf club. U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,826 discloses a wood having a cavity therein surrounded by a layered block that also forms the face. The layered block is formed of alternating layers of ceramic and resin impregnated carbon or glass fibers. A club head having a dimpled metal core is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,383. The core is wrapped with a non-oriented fiber layer followed by a woven fiber layer, both layers being resin impregnated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,880 discloses a balancing weight press fitted permanently into the back of the club head to modify the location of the center of gravity and "sweet spot" of the club. Disclosed are various means of assuring that the balancing weight cannot come loose when the club is swung. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,792 a reinforced filament wound structure comprising multiple layers of resin impregnated high strength fibers such as Kevlar, boron and graphite is disclosed.
Thus, from the foregoing it is clear that a wide variety of constructions with recently developed materials can be applied to golf club heads.