An MTI radar system transmits pulses with variable interpulse time periods and is structured with a lattice filter to process return signals to identify targets while substantially rejecting static and moving clutter. The MTI radar system also operates to reject adverse effects of transmitter instability in the processing of return signals. The MTI radar system is applied as an airport traffic control in which aircraft are detected as targets.

The present invention relates to ground based pulse radar systems and methods, and more particularly to the operation of airport-traffic-control radar systems which provide better moving-target-indications with better rejection of ground, meteorological, and other clutter echo signals.
In radar detection of aircraft or other moving targets, a pulse radar system functions to measure the position and range of a detected target on the basis of the time it takes for a pulse to reach the target and reflect back to the radar system. Theoretically, the operative target detecting range of a radar system depends primarily on the radar transmitter power, the antenna gain (or narrowness of beam width), the radar cross section of the target, and the received echo power (or the receiving antenna aperture and the receiver signal sensitivity).
However, other parameters enter into determining the actual range of a practical radar system. Transmitted pulse repetition frequency (PRF), set in the radar system design, normally limits the range of a radar system. Thus, the radar range may be limited by range ambiguities which may arise where the PRF is so high that echo signals from one pulse may return after the next pulse has been transmitted.
From the standpoint of the radar environment, clutter objects in the illumination field of the radar system produce clutter echo signals which significantly limit the effective moving target range of the radar system depending on the clutter rejection capability of the radar system. Thus, various ground and other objects return echo signals indicative of stationary clutter, moving objects such as rain or other meteorological objects return echo signals indicative of moving clutter, and moving targets return echo signals which are to be processed by the radar system receiver for display after separation from the clutter return signals.
The moving target echo signals accordingly may be detected and discriminated from extraneous signals, i.e., stationary and moving clutter echo signals and interference signals. Conventional radar systems have moving target detection capabilities which are limited in target detection range, clutter discrimination and rejection, and detection of otherwise falsely rejected moving targets.
The total radar cross section of clutter signals typically increases with distance from the radar transmitter. In the current state of the airport traffic control (ATC) or airport surveillance radar (ASR) art, the clutter cross section may be as great as one thousand or more times the radar cross section of a moving aircraft within the field of illumination and within the actual range of an actual radar system.
The effective moving target detection range of current, S-Band ATC radar systems may, at most, be about 50 to 60 miles on the basis of current moving aircraft detection and clutter rejection capabilities.
The speed of light is the basic factor which places this range limit on state-of-the-art ATC radar systems, with use of a PRF of 18 to 24 pulses per beam width of 1 to 2 degrees at an antenna scan rate of 60 degrees per second. To achieve significantly greater moving target detection range for airport traffic control or surveillance, military air surveillance, and other similar radar applications, a radar system must operate with significantly better clutter discrimination capability at a lower PRF. Other classes of radar systems, such as a class known as the TPJ 70, similarly cannot handle moving clutter and have a need for better clutter discrimination capability.
More particularly, ATC radar systems have typically been embodied as the moving-target-indication (MTI) type or the more recent moving-target-detector (MTD) type to monitor and control aircraft takeoffs and landings at airports. In these systems, the doppler shift in the echo pulse frequency of a moving aircraft target is used to distinguish the moving target from stationary objects or clutter even though the echo signals from the clutter may be much greater than the echo signals from the moving target.
The radar system circuitry extracts doppler information from the transmitted and target echo signals, and determines moving target position and velocity from the doppler information.
The MTI radar system is a pulse radar system which mixes a coherent (COHO) reference signal with down converted echo signals returning from ground or other stationary clutter, moving clutter, and moving targets and any received noise and interference signals. An output signal from the mixer represents doppler information, since a mixer output signal includes a DC signal, representative of stationary clutter, and a varying signal, representative of moving targets and moving clutter. The varying signal occurs to the extent that the frequency of the echo signals differ from the COHO reference frequency (i.e., the original pulse transmission frequency) as a result of motion of objects from which the echo signal is received.
In addition, the mixer aliases moving target echo signals as zero doppler signals when the target is moving at a speed which results in a position change equal to an integral number of half-wavelengths of the transmitting frequency. In other words, conventional MTI radar systems falsely reject moving target echo signals when the target has a stroboscopic appearance of being still and when the radar system cannot independently detect a position change because the limited amount of target movement between transmitted radar pulses is less than the position resolution of the radar system.
Known MTI radar systems therefore use additional processing in an attempt to detect all moving target echo signals while separating moving target echo signals from clutter, and noise signals for output display. MTI radar systems often employ variable timing between transmitted pulses on a pulse by pulse basis to circumvent false rejection of moving target echo signals. However, this approach has limited effectiveness because it is coupled with filtering fixed at the time of design as described below.
Further, conventional MTI radar systems do not address rejection of moving clutter and thus cannot reject moving clutter doppler signals while passing moving target doppler signals. The conventional MTI system output display thus contains both moving target and moving clutter images, and the system operator must distinguish each from the other.
Prior-art MTI radar systems use hardware or software high-pass filtering to block clutter based on its expected spectral characteristics. The filter characteristics are normally fixed in the design stage of a conventional MTI radar system to reject optimally a specific type of clutter or a specific group of clutter types. A CFAR (constant false alarm receiver) may be provided to allow the system target detection threshold to ride above the noise-plus-clutter residue level thereby characterizing the MTI radar with limited adaptivity at the CFAR level but not at the filtering level.
In any case, if the actual clutter spectrum differs from the spectrum assumed for MTI radar design purposes, system degradation occurs during MTI radar system use for moving target detection. Such degradation may result from failure to remove clutter outside of zero notches, or from excessive attenuation of moving target signals due to an excessively wide clutter notch, or from a combination of these two effects.
Overall, conventional MTI radar systems have had limited effectiveness in rejecting clutter and in detecting and displaying moving targets for ATC and other applications. Further, the effective moving target detection range has been significantly limited by system design compromises needed to reach such limited target detection effectiveness. Although MTI radar systems employ variable interpulse spacing to provide some flexibility in the illumination waveform, these systems provide no filter adaptivity to actual clutter conditions as explained above.
The conventional MTD radar system is another kind of system which has been used and is currently being widely used for moving target detection in ATC and other applications. In MTD radar systems, pulses are transmitted at a fixed frequency in successive pulse bursts, and the pulse frequency can be varied from burst to burst.
Conventional MTD radar systems employ filter banks to achieve clutter rejection with some increase in adaptivity, as compared to conventional MTI radar systems. Thus, independent CFAR detectors can be used on the outputs of the respective filters, and the filter response can be varied with limited adaptivity toward matching actual clutter characteristics.
However, the actual filter characteristic shapes must be specified in the MTD system design stage to optimize removal of expected clutter spectra as opposed to actual clutter spectra to be faced in system operation. In this connection, parameters such as sidelobe level and main lobe width and position must also be set in the design stage.
Although the prior-art MTD radar systems have some additional adaptivity beyond that available in conventional MTI systems, such MTD systems have had limited effectiveness in detecting moving targets due to limited moving target detection range and restrictions imposed by batch PRF processing. For example, each pulse burst has a fixed PRF with fixed interpulse time periods in each pulse burst, and the PRF can only be changed in the time between pulse bursts. This restriction significantly limits the capability of the MTD radar system to find falsely rejected moving targets which are moving at a blind speed(s) for which echo signals are blocked by the filter bank. In other words, MTD radar systems have lacked flexibility in finding satisfactory illumination waveforms which enable good target detection coupled with good clutter rejection under actual operating conditions.
In addition, filter banks like those used in conventional MTD radar systems are suitable for use only with a constant PRF. Thus, clutter rejection regions formed by the filter bank are replicated at multiples of the PRF. Several bursts of radar illumination pulses, each burst with a different PRF or carrier frequency, are required for each radar search resolution cell to provide detection coverage for blind speeds. Since the pulse bursts must be combined noncoherently, additional observation time, implied by the multiple bursts, fails to provide improved spectral or cross-range resolution.
In view of the state of the ground based, pulse radar system art, and specifically the ATC radar system art, a need clearly exists for an improved ground based, pulse radar system characterized with better moving target detection, extended moving target detection range, and better clutter rejection based on better adaptivity to actual clutter conditions. This need especially applies to airport traffic control since meeting it translates into better airport controller operations and better aircraft safety based on reliable detection of all aircraft at greater distances regardless of clutter and weather conditions.

Ground based pulse radar system and method providing high clutter rejection and reliable moving target indication with extended range for airport traffic control and other applications


An electrical connector has improved locking characteristics for mating with an opposing complementary connector component. The connector has an insulative housing with a series of walls defining a mating space which receives the complementary connector component. Terminals are arranged in the mating space to interconnect with the complementary connector component. Sidewalls have two distinct inner and outer sections wherein the inner sidewall section are flexible and include an engagement surface for engagement with the complementary connector component.

The present invention relates to electrical connectors and more particularly to an electrical connector component having a reliable latching member formed in its housing for engaging a complementary mating connector component.
Electrical connectors are used for many applications and such connectors are commonly used to connect two printed circuit boards together. One such connector is known which has a connector housing with a mating cavity disposed between opposing sidewalls of the housing that are of uniform thickness. A plurality of electrically conductive terminals are arranged along the mating cavity with their contact sections positioned therein. Such connectors may have some type of latch means formed in the sidewalls for fastening a mating connector component thereto. The latch means may take the form of an opening or step-like indentation which catches a resilient tongue formed in the mating connector-component.
These type of locking connectors are designed for use on printed circuit boards and accordingly, it is desirable to have the size of the connector reduced as much as possible. In order to meet this reduced size requirement, it would be desirable to reduce the thickness of the sidewalls of the connector housing. However, this reduction may result in a detrimental loss of mechanical strength when such thin walls are provided with the latch openings or indentations.
The present invention is therefore directed to a connector structure which has a reliable engagement feature that overcomes the aforementioned disadvantage and does not result in a detrimental decrease in the mechanical strength of the connector.

Electrical connector with reinforced engagement means


A clothes washing machine, or a similar appliance such as a washer/dryer, includes a flexible duct, such as a bellows, arranged between the opening (5) of a door (4), intended for loading and unloading the clothes, and an associated opening (8) provided on an inner washing tub (10). Peripheral folds (16), the outer end (13) and a cylindrical band (15) of the bellows (12), are made with a material having elastomeric properties and a hardness of about Shore A 20 to 30. The inner end (15) of the bellows is made with a synthetic material having a hardness of about Shore A 40 to 50. The machine is low noise. A greater unbalanced load of clothes can be tolerated since the improved bellows minimize the vibrations, generated by the inner washing tub when the machine is operated, which are transmitted to the outer cabinet of the machine. The bellows have a low manufacturing cost and are interchangeable with those of conventional construction, namely those entirely made with a material of the same hardness (Shore A 33-35 or above).

The present invention relates to a clothes washing machine, or a similar appliance such as a washer/dryer, particularly intended for a household utilization, of the type having a perforated drum rotatable around a horizontal axis.
As is well known, a machine of this type includes an outer cabinet provided with an opening for a front or an upper loading door to load and unload the clothes to be washed. An inner tub contains the washing solution and the aforesaid drum. An elastic duct, usually known as the bellows, is positioned between the opening provided in the outer cabinet for the loading door and an associated opening provided in the inner tub.
A current construction of bellows that are presently utilized on washing machines having a front mounted loading door is disclosed in the British patent application no. 2 296 018. It is also generally known, on the machines with a top mounted loading door, to have a plurality of peripheral circumvolutions along a substantial portion of the bellows length in order to let the inner tub oscillate with respect to the outer cabinet when the machine is operated. The bellows also include, integrally made with the said circumvolutions, a first and a second flanged end. The former end is secured to the opening provided in the outer cabinet for the loading door and the latter end is secured to the opening provided in the inner tub.
Being entirely made as a single piece, the known bellows need to be made with a material, which is a mixture having elastomeric properties, able to meet various or even opposing requirements. In particular, such a material has to meet the severe requirements imposed by the latter mentioned end of the bellows. The end of the bellows secured to the loading opening in the inner tub must resist to the repeated abrasions, caused by contact with clothes kept in movement within the rotary drum, and to the corrosion due to the washing solution. At the same time, the bellows must have a good dimensional stability to guarantee a seal against water leakages. As a consequence, it is a common practice for the manufacturers of washing machines to make the entire bellows as a single piece with elastomeric mixtures of a hardness above Shore A 33-35, so as to satisfy all of the above mentioned requirements.
In the bellows of such a construction, a common drawback is that substantially all vibrations, which are generated inside the inner tub when the machine is operated, are transmitted to the outer cabinet. More precisely, the following negative effects are noticed:
a high airborne noise is emitted by the machine; PA1 the vibrations (oscillations and accelerations) can spread through the structure of the house and to the furniture surrounding the washing machine, particularly in case of a wooden or another not very rigid floor; PA1 a low limit of the unbalanced load of clothes has to be accepted by a manufacturer of a washing machine. This means, especially in case of machines controlled by a "fuzzy" logic, a high probability to repeat the attempts of spinning in order to obtain the required distribution of the clothes to be washed inside the rotary drum.

Clothes washing machine or a similar appliance having improved loading duct

Electrolux Zanussi Elettrodomestici S.p.A.


A method is provided for generating a control vector. The method comprising: providing a circular buffer having a plurality of storage elements that are arranged sequentially from a designated first storage element to a designated last storage element, and when the designated last storage element of the plurality of storage elements is accessed, the access continuing in a sequential order continuing with the designated first storage element; determining a beginning storage element of the plurality of storage elements to be accessed; and generating a control vector, the control vector comprising a plurality of index values, each of the plurality of index values corresponding to one of the plurality of storage elements of the circular buffer to be accessed in the sequential order from the beginning storage element to an ending storage element.

1. Field
This disclosure relates generally to data processors, and more specifically, to data processors that execute instructions which create control vectors for supporting circular buffers.
2. Related Art
Increased performance in data processing systems can be achieved by allowing parallel execution of operations on multiple elements of a vector. One type of processor available today is a vector processor which utilizes vector registers for performing vector operations. However, vector processors, while allowing for higher performance, also have increased complexity and cost as compared with processors using scalar general purpose registers. That is, a vector register file within vector processors typically includes N vector registers, where each vector register includes a bank of M registers for holding M elements. Another type of known processor is a single-instruction multiple-data (SIMD) scalar processor (also referred to as a "short-vector machine") which allows for limited vector processing while using any existing scalar general purpose register (GPR). Therefore, although the number of elements per operation is limited as compared to vector processors, reduced hardware is required.
Many different applications executed on SIMD processors use circular buffers to hold SIMD elements. For example, many types of filtering algorithms in digital signal processing (DSP) applications use circular buffers to hold sets of input samples and computed output samples. However, inefficiencies arise when using circular buffers, since the addressed data elements "wrap" around a particular memory or register boundary. Extracting a set of elements around the "wrap" point into a SIMD register requires overhead to properly handle the wrapping, which results in reduced efficiency.

Circular buffer support in a single instruction multiple data (SIMD) data processor


A plastic container that has more than one chamber and that is constructed so as to be stiffer than conventional molded multi-chambered containers includes a bottom wall, a neck, and a main body that has defined therein a first pinched-in area and a second pinched-in area that extends inwardly toward and is joined to the first pinched-in area so as to define separate compartments. The first end wall portion is laterally offset from the second end wall portion, so that the flexibility of the main body about the joint of the first and second wall portions is minimized. As a result, the container is less likely to need supplemental reinforcement against flexure.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates broadly to the field of containers, such as the plastic containers that are commonly used for packaging solid and liquid detergents, cleaners and foodstuffs. More specifically, this invention pertains to an improved dual chambered container that is lightweight, strong and inexpensive to produce.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Plastic containers are in wide use throughout the United States and the world for packaging virtually every type of liquid and solid material, for both commercial and household applications. The detergent industry, for example, has turned increasingly to plastic containers for packaging such products as bleach, soap, sanitizing agents, and polishes. Plastic is relatively inexpensive, will not shatter when dropped, and is recyclable.
Some products are best packaged, for reasons of both marketability and convenience, together with one or more other products in a container that has more than one chamber, or in a pair of containers that are joined together in some manner. With respect to the latter mentioned option, packaging is known that includes two separate containers that are joined together by a common closure having two openings. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,289,950 and 5,252,312 disclose packaging of this type. These type of containers are relatively expensive to make because of the complexity of the manufacturing process, require a relatively large amount of plastic material per volume of product that is being packaged, and are undesirable to the extent that the container's design leaves open the possibility of separation of the individual containers during use.
Other known processes for producing a plastic container having more than one chamber include those where a container is first molded as a single chambered container, and then heat sealed into separate compartments in a subsequent reforming step. Because of this second reforming and heating step, the process is more time consuming and expensive than a one-step forming process. In addition, because the compartments that are defined by the heat sealing step tend to be joined together only by a thin web of material, the resulting product tends to be overly flexible and requires reinforcement by and external device such as a special closure, a base cup or an adhesive label that is positioned to prevent relative movement between the formed compartments.
A need exists in this area of technology for an improved multi-chambered container that is lightweight, relatively inexpensive to produce, and that requires less external reinforcement against flexure than conventional multi-chambered containers do.

Crown Cork & Seal Technologies Corporation


A waste separation device for removing wrappable materials such as film plastics, rags and rope from a moving stream of solid waste material which device consists of a pole like casing rotatable about it longitudinal axis housing an endless chain drive carrying a plurality of spaced spikes extending from the casing in their movement along the length of the casing in the direction towards the free or discharge end of the casing and retracted within the casing in their movement in the opposite direction.

The invention relates to apparatus for automatically removing from a moving solid waste stream certain fractions and more particularly to apparatus adapted to remove material such as rags, film plastics, rope, etc. which have the physical characteristic of tending to wrap themselves around rotating objects in their path.
While of broader application the invention will be described in connection with its use in removing wrappable material from a moving waste stream prior to its further treatment in a co-composting facility. The removal of this type of material from a solid waste stream has long been a problem particularly in situations in which the waste is to be further treated in a rotating digester. Solid waste streams have increasing amounts of such materials which make recycling and treatment of the waste material more difficult. The present device is designed mechanically and automatically to provide a solution to this problem.


A motor brake releasing device includes an electromagnetic brake for locking a motor shaft and a switch mounted between the electromagnetic brake and a releasing-power-supply for the brake. The switch can be operated by an AND signal produced by a motor driving signal and a motor-brake-release-permitting signal. This structure allows a motor brake to be released when a motor driving system encounters an obstacle, although the motor is left free. The structure also can prevent a final object of the motor shaft from dropping due to its own weight.

The present invention relates to a break releasing device of a motor equipped in an apparatus having a mechanism locking a motor shaft when the power is turned off.
A motor driving device for driving a motor and a break releasing device for releasing an electromagnetic break, which locks a motor shaft, have been independently provided, and the electromagnetic break cannot be released by hand. Because of this independent installation of the motor driving device and the break releasing device, the following inconveniences have occurred: When a motor driving system encounters a trouble, a motor does not produce torque because a driving current stops flowing to the motor. Although no torque is available in the motor, the electromagnetic brake is released or left released. As a result, a final object of the motor shaft may drop due to its own weight when the final object works in the gravity direction. When the final object interferes with an obstacle, a servo control system detects an overload status, so that the interference status cannot be avoided because the motor cannot be driven.
The present invention addresses the problems discussed above and aims to prevent a motor brake from being released at motor""s non-driven status and provide a motor-brake-releasing-device assuring safer operation than ever.
The motor-brake-releasing-device of the present invention comprises the following elements:
an electromagnetic brake for locking a motor shaft; and
a switch disposed between the electromagnetic brake and its releasing-power-supply, and the switch being operated by an AND signal of a motor driving signal and a motor-brake releasing signal. This structure prevents the brake from being released when the motor is not driven, thus the structure assures safer operation of the motor than ever.
Another motor-brake-releasing-device of the present invention comprises the following elements:
an electromagnetic brake for locking a motor shaft;
a battery functioning as a power supply for releasing the electromagnetic brake; and
a switch disposed between the battery and the electromagnetic brake for releasing a motor brake. This structure employs the battery as the power supply for releasing the electromagnetic brake, thus it is beneficial that the motor brake can be released even when a power supply of a servo-control system is not powered on.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


The present invention is directed to the discovery that allogenic or syngenic adjuvant stimulation can cause local inflammation which increases the antigen presentation capability of cells in the vicinity of adjuvant stimulation. By discovering this phenomenon, the present invention provides a novel method for augmenting the immunogencity of an antigen by conjointly administering an allogenic or syngenic MHC molecule (as a universal adjuvant) to trigger a local inflammatory reaction to enhance antigen presentation at the site of delivery.

The successful elimination of pathogens, neoplastic cells, or self-reactive immune mechanisms following prophylactic or therapeutic immunization depends to a large extent on the ability of the host's immune system to become activated in response to immunization and to mount an effective response, preferably with minimal injury to healthy tissue.
The rational design of vaccines initially involves identification of immunological correlates of protection—the immune effector mechanism(s) responsible for protection against disease—and the subsequent selection of an antigen that is able to elicit the desired immune response. Once this appropriate antigen has been identified, it is essential to deliver it effectively to the host's immune system.
New vaccines are presently under development and in testing for the control of various neoplastic, autoimmune and infectious diseases. In contrast to older vaccines which were typically based on live-attenuated or non-replicating inactivated pathogens, modern vaccines are composed of synthetic, recombinant, or highly purified subunit antigens. Subunit vaccines are designed to include only the antigens required for protective immunization and are believed to be safer than whole-inactivated or live-attenuated vaccines. However, the purity of the subunit antigens and the absence of the self-adjuvanting immunomodulatory components associated with attenuated or killed vaccines often result in weaker immunogenicity.
For example, DNA vaccination is a novel and potentially powerful approach to prevent and treat disease. The advantages of plasmid DNA immunization, as compared to the traditional protein vaccines, are its abilities to induce T helper 1 (Th1) and CTL responses, the prolonged antigen expression, and the potential long-lived effector activity. Although it is well documented that direct injection of naked DNA encoding different antigens of viral, bacterial, parasitic, and tumor origin can elicit both humoral and cellular immune responses in various animal models, recent results from clinical trials suggest that the immunogenicity of DNA vaccine in humans may be limited. Recently, the use of naked DNA plasmids and recombinant attenuated viruses, such as adenovirus, vaccinia virus and Sindbis virus (Caulfield, et al., J. Virol. 2002; 76:10038-10043; Tsuji et al., J. Virol. 1998; 72:6907-6910; Rodrigues, et al., J. Immunol. 1997; 158:1268-1274), in their single dose or in a priming-boosting strategy (Li et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U SA. 1993; 90:5214-5218; Amara et al., J. Virol. 2002; 76:7625-7631) have been proven to be potent inducers of a pathogen-specific CD8+ T-cell response in animal models. However, the use of recombinant viral vaccines has many disadvantages for practical use in humans. A majority of people worldwide has pre-existing immunity to adenovirus and vaccinia virus that cause impaired immune responses to vaccines, and these viruses are prevalent among human populations. Moreover, the amounts that are required for DNA vaccines in humans are extremely high, i.e. five milligram per dose per person.
Taken together, optimal regimens to enhance the immunogenicity and decrease the required dose of DNA vaccines as well as various subunit vaccines still remain to be established.

Use of allogenic or syngenic major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules as universal adjuvants for vaccines against neoplastic disease, infection and autoimmune disease


A workpiece-holding unit for installation on machining centers for connecting rods, comprising a crosspiece which is adapted to be rotatably supported about its axis in front of a machining head of the machining center and has internal, hydraulic longitudinal ducts which communicate with respective hydraulic outlets on the main faces of the crosspiece and are connected to hydraulic feed means. Several workpiece-holding tools are installable on the main faces of the crosspiece and are provided with positioning mechanisms and locking mechanisms for at least one connecting rod, which are hydraulically operated via respective hydraulic lines leading at positions aligned to said hydraulic outlets.

As known, the connecting rods of engines, after moulding, are subjected to a series of rough/finishing chip-forming machinings, most of which are carried out upon the big end and the small end of the connecting rod. These operations can be carried out on machining centers, which typically comprise a motorized machining head which is movable along three axes and is generally provided with a plurality of chucks, e.g., four chucks, in front of which the connecting rods are supported.
During machining, the connecting rods must be locked at specific areas and with calibrated locking forces, which may vary depending on the specific machining to be carried out, both because the positioning/locking mechanisms which engage the connecting rod should not interfere with the machining tool, and because the locking forces, in certain cases, could deform the connecting rod and, consequently, affect the machining accuracy if the deformed area is to be machined.
However, every machining center is provided with a limited number of hydraulic lines and pneumatic lines which can be operated independently from one another in order to control the positioning/locking mechanisms (e.g., eight hydraulic lines and eight pneumatic lines are usually available at most). Therefore, until today, the above-mentioned need for positioning the connecting rods and locking them at different areas and with different forces has prevented from performing all the rough/finishing machinings in a single machining center, and has required to implement lines with a plurality of stations, each of which is specifically equipped for carrying out only one operation (or, at most, a few operations) upon connecting rods of a single type.
As the person skilled in the art will immediately understand, the above circumstance is undesirable. In fact, it would be preferable to have machining centers each having a higher flexibility in relation to the variety of operations which can be carried out and to the different types of connecting rods which can be machined, so that the use of the machining centers can be optimized depending on the production requirements.

Workpiece-holding unit for installation on machining centers for connecting rods


An electronic apparatus, control method thereof, remote control apparatus that controls the electronic apparatus, and control method thereof. The remote control apparatus includes a communication unit which communicates with the electronic apparatus; a user input unit which receives a user button selection indicating an input button; a sensing unit which senses movement of the remote control apparatus; and a control unit which controls the communication unit to transmit information about the user button selection to perform a function corresponding to the input button if the remote control apparatus is in a button input mode, and to transmit information about the movement of the remote control apparatus to the electronic apparatus to control the electronic apparatus by the movement if the remote control apparatus is in a motion recognition mode. Accordingly, controlling a game or a multimedia content is easier, and the user is provided with a new and interesting experience.

1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to controlling an electronic apparatus, and more particularly, to an integrated operation remote controller for a digital TV sensing a motion of a user performing a pointing function by moving a cursor displayed on a TV or sensing a motion of the user by adding a motion sensor to an existing button input type remote controller.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a TV, a function such as a channel change, a volume adjustment, etc. is performed by pressing a button on a remote controller. In a conventional TV, a menu with options provided to a user is simple, and only limited services are provided to the user such as viewing broadcast content. However, nowadays, a TV is capable of playing multimedia content or replaying previously broadcast content, providing a game, and furthermore, being connected to an internet to supply various web based services. The TV itself has been developed to perform these various functions, but it is difficult for a user to easily and conveniently use these various services by using a conventional remote controller which has limited functionality and which has been designed to handle conventional TVs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Electronic apparatus, control method thereof, remote control apparatus, and control method thereof


An embossed paper laminate having two laminae is provided. The laminae are joined such that there is at least one zone of the laminate wherein the peel strength of the laminate in that zone is greater than the peel strength of the laminate in other zones of the laminated paper product. The laminate is made by two close tolerance pattern rolls juxtaposed to form a nip. Each pattern roll has radially extending protuberances which contact the periphery of the other pattern roll intermediate its protuberances. The laminae are fed through the nip in face-to-face relationship and are embossed and adhesively joined to the other lamina by the radially extending protuberances. The laminating adhesive is supplied to the various zones of the laminated paper product at a level that is appropriate for providing the requisite peel strength for that zone.

Laminated paper products, particularly laminated tissue products, have long been available to meet consumer needs for absorbency (e. g. paper towels for spill cleanup), sanitation (e. g. toilet tissue) and protection (e. g. paper napkins). Over the years, these consumer needs have directed the art toward optimization of specific properties in such products to meet specific needs. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,176, issued to Bjorkquist, et al. on Jul. 29, 1986 discloses temporary wet strength resins suitable for use in toilet tissue so the tissue remains strong during use but still readily disintegrates in sewage disposal systems. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,414,459 issued to Wells on Dec. 3, 1968 describes a compressible, laminated paper structure that has enjoyed wide commercial acceptance as a paper towel because of its excellent softness and absorbency and U.S. Pat. No. 3,673,060 issued to Murphy, et al. on Jun. 27, 1972 discloses laminated, creped tissue products said to possess improved softness useful as dinner napkins.
While each of these various types of products can also be used to meet consumer needs better met by a product optimized for that need, they still only partially meet those non-targeted needs. For example, several paper napkins may be required to wipe up a spill that could be wiped up by only one sheet of paper toweling. Conversely, several sheets of paper toweling may be required to provide the area coverage of one paper napkin. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide paper products designed to meet more than one consumer need. It is a further object of this invention to provide paper products which can be used as either a paper towel or as a paper napkin. Finally, it is an object of this invention to provide laminated paper products that possess the strength, absorbency and softness properties of a paper towel while, at the same time, meeting the softness and area coverage requirements of the paper napkin user more readily than currently available paper towels.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent by reference to the following description and the accompanying drawings.


A multifrequency power circuit of an NMR coil, includes two power or transmission line segments called principal line segments, each including a segment of a conductor that is attached to the coil, which attached segments together with the coil constitute a first oscillating circuit that exhibits a determined resonance frequency. The principal line segments consist of controlled-impedance multiconductor line segments, each including at least one other conductor segment that is not attached to coil and that extends into the principal line segment beside corresponding respectively attached conductor segment and that exhibits with the latter a capacitive coupling that is distributed along segments located beside or opposite the conductors. These non-attached conductor segments, together with the coil, attached conductor segments and non-attached conductor segments, and optionally with additional power line segments connected to the non-attached conductor segments, form at least one additional oscillating circuit that has a different resonance frequency.

This invention relates to the field of precision power supplies, in particular in the nuclear magnetic resonance field, and it has as its object a multifrequency power circuit of a coil, in particular a sample coil, as well as an NMR probe and an NMR spectrometer that comprises such a circuit.

Multifrequency power circuit and probe and NMR spectrometer comprising such a circuit


4-amino-2-buten-1-ol is formed by the regioselective addition of primary amines or ammonia to 3,4-epoxy-1-butene. A quantity of a the primary amine or ammonia is reacted with 3,4-epoxy-1-butene in a reaction medium in the presence of a catalyst. The reaction medium is a liquid which has an E.sub.T (30) no less than about 32. The catalyst is a complex of palladium and phosphine ligands.

A variety of 4-aminobutenols are known to have use themselves or as intermediates for the preparation of other chemical substances. For example, 4-dimethylamino-2-buten-1-ol could be used in the preparation of 4-dimethylaminobutyraldehyde diethyl acetal, an intermediate for a pharmaceutical compound, as disclosed in German Patent No. 3,700,408.
3,4-Epoxy-1-butene (butadiene monoepoxide) is one potential substrate for the production of 4-aminobutenols. However, the reaction of nitrogen nucleophiles (e.g., amines) with 3,4-epoxy-1-butene typically yields a mixture of the 1,2 addition product (1,2 adduct) and the 2,1 addition product (2,1 adduct), and little or none of the 1,4 addition product (1,4 adduct). The reaction is illustrated below: ##STR1## See, e.g., M.G. Ettlinger, "Synthesis of the Natural Antithyroid Factor 1-5-Vinyl-2-Thiooxazolidone", 72 J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 4792-4795 (1950); U.S. Pat. No. 2,533,085 to Blicke; W.B. Wheatley, et al., "o-Benzylphenyl Derivatives. IV. beta-Chloro-ethylamines", 72 J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 1655-1659 (1950); M.P. Crozet and W. Kassar, "Synthesis and Radical Cyclization of Benzazepinoethane Thiols", 99 Compte Rendu Acad. Sci. Paris 99-101 (1985); U.S. Pat. No. 2,497,553 to Long, Jr.; A.A. Petrov and V.M. Albitskaya, "The Reaction of Divinyloxide with Amines", 26 Zhur. Obshchei Khim. 2125-2127 (1956); and F.F. Blicke and J.H. Biel, "Aminolysis Products of 1-Chloro-2-Hydroxy-3-butene, 1-Hydroxy-2-Chloro-3-butene and 1,2-Epoxy-3-butene", 79 J. Amer Chem. Soc. 5508-12 (1957).
The regioselective addition of nitrogen nucleophiles to substrates to form 4-aminobutenols (the 1,4 adduct product) is extremely unpredictable in both result and yield. For example, in Tsuji, et al., "Regioselective 1,4-Addition of Nucleophiles to 1,3-Diene Monoepoxides Catalyzed by Palladium Complex", 22 Tetrahedron Letters 2575-78 (1981) the formation of the 1,4 adduct from the palladium catalyzed reaction of 3,4-epoxy-1-dodecene and pyrrolidine is disclosed. Also, Trost, et al., "A Synthesis of Substituted Pyrrolidines via a Palladium(2+) Catalyzed Cyclization. An Unusual Approach to a Carbapenem", 108 J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 6053-54 (1986) discloses the formation of the 1,4 adduct from the addition of a nitrogen nucleophile to 3,4-epoxy-1-butene. On the other hand, Tsuda, et al., "Palladium(0)-Catalyzed Reaction of Methyl-.gamma.,.delta.-epoxy-sorbate with Nitrogen Nucleophiles", 54 Journal of Organic Chemistry 977-979 (1989) discloses that the palladium-catalyzed reaction of methyl-.gamma.,.delta.-epoxysorbate with nitrogen nucleophiles is not regioselective for the 1,4 adduct.
It is widely recognized that the control of regiochemistry in the addition of nucleophiles to an intermediate unsymmetrical allyl-palladium substrate is an extremely complex problem. Many factors enter into the determination of which terminus of the electrophilic allyl ligand the nucleophile will preferentially attack. These factors include the steric nature of the nucleophile (see B.M. Trost, et al., "Allylic Alkylation: Nucleophilic Attack on pi-Allyl palladium Complexes", 100 J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 3416 (1978)) and the allyl substrate (see E. Keinen, et al. "Regioselectivity in Organo-transition-metal Chemistry. A Remarkable Steric Effect in pi-Allyl Palladium Chemistry", J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., 648 (1984)); the electronic nature of the allyl substrate on the palladium (see J. Tsuji, et al., "Palladium-Catalyzed Regioselective Reactions of .alpha.-Acetoxy-.beta., .gamma.-Unsaturated Nitriles and .gamma.-Acetoxy-.alpha., .beta.-Unsaturated Ester with Nucleophiles," 22 Tetrahedron Letters 2573 (1981)); the electronic nature of the other ligands on the palladium (see B. Akermark, et al., "Reactivity and syn-anti Isomerization of .eta.-3-geranyl and .eta.-3-neryl Palladium Complexes. Evidence for Electronic Control of the Regiochemistry of Nucleophilic Addition", 4 Organometallics 1275 (1985)); and the mechanism of the addition of the nucleophile (see Godleski, et al., "(pi-Allyl)Palladium Complexes of Norcamphene. Structure and Reactivity", 3 Organometallics 21 (1984)).
Therefore, in light of the usefulness of 4-amino-substituted-2-buten-1-ols derived from 3,4-epoxy-1-butene and the inherent unpredictability of the result (relative to both the product and the yield) of attempted regioselective amine additions to 3,4-epoxy-1-butene, there continues to be a need for predictable, efficient synthetic processes for deriving 4-amino-substituted-2-buten-1-ols from 3,4-epoxy-1-butene. Even small relative increases in the yield of the 1,4 adduct from amine addition to 3,4-epoxy-1-butene can translate into large cost savings when the increase is extrapolated out to production scale.

Palladium catalyzed addition of amines to 3,4-epoxy-1-butene


A method and electronic device for transmitting an emergency signal. The method includes: establishing a short-range communication link with a counterpart electronic device using a first short-range communication network; generating an emergency signal when the short-range communication link with the counterpart electronic device is cut off; and broadcasting the emergency signal using a second short-range communication network.

As the number of users of portable electronic devices increases due to their portability and provision of various multimedia services, it is possible to provide a service of transmitting emergency information, such as missing-child information or disaster information, using the portable electronic devices.
In a case where an emergency information transmission service is provided using the portable electronic devices, when the emergency information is transmitted with respect to a widespread region at one time, the user of a portable electronic device that receives the emergency signal may not recognize how a location at which the user is located is associated with the emergency information. Accordingly, there is a need for a method for providing emergency information in consideration of a location of a portable electronic device.

Method for transmitting signal using short range communication and electronic device thereof


A gaming method for adding a bonus feature to a main game comprising: providing a display screen comprised of cells arranged in rows and columns; providing a plurality of paylines, each payline comprising one cell from a plurality of columns; automatically and randomly selecting a multiplier value from among a plurality of multiplier values; automatically and randomly applying the selected multiplier value to a limited number of paylines to create one or more selected multiplier paylines; and displaying the multiplier value and the selected multiplier payline(s) to the user on the display screen.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of gaming and, more specifically, to a method and apparatus for gaming that enhances the player experience by automatically and randomly selecting a multiplier and automatically and randomly applying the multiplier to a single payline—or up to no more than ten percent (10%) of the total number of paylines—among a plurality of paylines at the start of each game. All paylines are created equal. The paylines are pre-defined by the system, and each payline has the same odds of occurrence (payouts/wins) and functionality as the other paylines. No user input is required for selection of the multiplier or selection of the payline(s) to which the multiplier is applied.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gaming machine manufacturers are currently challenged with creating anticipation and excitement for the player with their gambling features. Many of the current popular gambling machines have a matrix of symbols with multiple paylines or combinations of ways to win with some sort of bonus feature as the main event that increases the odds of winning for the player during that mode. During the bonus mode, the game likely has increased odds to bigger awards and a higher payback percentage to the player, as well as additional game features that create more excitement. These additional game features may or may not include variations on the main game. For example, bonus features that would be considered variations on the main game include award multipliers, increased odds of getting wilds or other valuable symbols, and free games. One example of a bonus feature that would not be considered a variation on the main game is providing a series of "pick" screens where the player picks an object from several objects, and an award value is given. Another example of a bonus feature that would not be considered a variation on the main game is allowing the player to trigger a spin of a wheel with prizes on each segment and awarding the player the value of the segment to which the wheel indicator points when it stops spinning. The present invention would be considered a bonus-type feature that is ongoing (continuous) in the main game.
Many of the popular mainstream gaming machines have multiple paylines (ways to win) with the bet being spread over these many paylines. Because the bet is spread over these multiple ways to win, any one payline win may not result in a very meaningful award. It is fairly typical for a lot of games to be played and money lost (by the player) during the non-bonus mode. As a result, the challenge to gaming manufacturers is to design a game that maintains the player's attention during the base/main game by providing the perception that awards mat are more frequent and/or more attainable. The present invention ensures that the player continues to be entertained during the main game due to the constant anticipation of hitting a multiplier payline with a relatively generous payout.
The present invention creates anticipation at game start because the player knows that a multiplier will be applied in every game and that this multiplier may be relatively large (e.g., 25×). This makes the player feel that there is potential for a meaningful award on a single payline in every game played in a multi-payline game. The present invention makes the multiplier value and multiplier payline clear to the player at game start, which makes it easy for the player to identify the conditions that will lead to enhanced winnings. Because the multiplier is applied to a relatively small percentage of the total number of paylines (preferably, no more than ten percent (10%)), the gaming manufacturer can offer a large range of multipliers (for example, from 4× to 25×). The fact that the paylines are pre-defined by the system and that all paylines are created equal (i.e., each payline has the same odds of occurrence (payouts/wins) and functionality as the other paylines) also increases player trust.
There are a number of multiplier-type gaming methods, none of which both dynamically selects the multiplier and applies it to a dynamically selected and pre-defined payline (or a limited number of pre-defined paylines) at the start of the game. These include U.S. Pat. No. 6,319,124 (Baerlocher et al., 2001) (applying enhancements to certain reel symbols or their backgrounds); U.S. Pat. No. 6,558,254 (Baerlocher et al., 2003) (applying enhancements to certain symbols or their backgrounds); U.S. Pat. No. 6,692,356 (Baerlocher et al., 2004); U.S. Pat. No. 6,869,360 (Marks et al., 2005) (displaying an active border that at least partially surrounds a game matrix and is configured to randomly select and display game and payline multipliers); U.S. Pat. No. 7,349,073 (Thomas et al., 2010) (allowing players to select paylines to define active paylines; allowing players to activate enhanced paylines; randomly selecting a game outcome in response to a wager input and displaying the game outcome as symbols aligned along the active paylines and the enhanced payline); U.S. Pat. No. 8,152,616 (Moody, 2012) (assigning a randomly selected multiplier to activated paylines); U.S. Pat. No. 8,177,622 (Englman, 2012) (in response to a winning outcome, awarding a player a winning award, modifying the background of a cell associated with the winning outcome, and causing an alteration in the wagering game upon modification of the background); U.S. Pat. No. 8,272,938 (Gilmore et al., 2012) (invoking a win multiplier feature when a displayed combination yields a predetermined award and meets a predetermined criterion).
It is an object of the present invention to create the perception in the mind of the player that a meaningful award can be applied and that meaningful awards are attainable during every game play. It is another object of the present invention to introduce a greater degree of unpredictability (and, therefore, excitement) into the game by providing a large range of multipliers (which can only be done if the multipliers are applied to no more than a limited number of paylines). It is yet another object of the present invention to display a dynamic (i.e., automatically and randomly selected) multiplier on the screen at game start and to visually connect that multiplier to a specific "multiplier" payline that is also dynamically selected from among all of the available paylines.

Method and apparatus for dynamically selecting a multiplier and dynamically applying the multiplier to a limited number of paylines among a plurality of pre-defined paylines


An under-frame shield, particularly useful with crop sprayers and other implements which traverse fields of plants, includes one or more flexible sheet material shields connected to axle structure and to a central rigid shield by resilient connectors to facilitate suspension system movement in all directions without sacrificing ground clearance. The connection structure and sheet material shields maintain a smooth, seamless protective surface on the under side of the machine to reduce vehicle and crop damage.

Agricultural vehicles such as self-propelled sprayers have undersides that must be shielded to protect the vehicle from wear and damage by the plants and to protect the plants contacting the vehicle, particularly when the vehicle moves through tall crops. Currently available under-frame shielding typically utilizes stationary sheet metal which cannot flex to allow axle movements in floating axle or pivoting axle suspension systems. With movement of the axle, the distance between the axle and fixed locations on the under-frame will vary so that stationary arrangements are ineffective. Various shielding configurations have been proposed, such as shown in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,405,292; 5,850,727; and 7,025,168. Such shields are not entirely satisfactory for providing a continuous barrier between the plants and the vehicle that does not harm the crop while adequately protecting the vehicle when operating in either the forward or reverse direction. In addition, many previously available shielding arrangements fail to provide adequate access to the lower portion of the vehicle during inspection and maintenance.
More recently, a new floating axle suspension system which eliminates expensive chrome spindles is described in commonly assigned and copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/045,107, filed 10 Mar. 2008, entitled SUSPENDED AXLE FOR SPRAYER. Pairs of bars extend generally in the fore-and-aft direction from each axle and support the axle for vertical movement relative to the frame. A shield is required that provides protection adjacent the axle support bars and still accommodates the axle and bar movement.


A system for measuring the pseudo range from a target GPS sensor to a designated navigational satellite, for use in a satellite positioning system (SPS) is comprised of multiple GPS sensors for receiving and recording portions of the signals transmitted by designated navigational satellites, the recordings referred to as datagrams; and means for transmitting the datagrams to a datagram processing facility wherein the pseudo range from the target GPS sensor to the designated navigational satellite is derived. The datagram processing facility for deriving the pseudo range is further comprised of a pseudo range engine for deriving a pseudo range from a datagram originating with said target GPS sensor, the location of which is to be determined, the derivation accomplished with the aid of a perfect reference; a perfect reference engine for generating a perfect reference from one or more satellite-specific datagrams: and a strong signal suppression engine for synthesizing satellite-specific datagrams from I/F signals recorded by reference GPS sensors designated for the express purpose of perfect reference generation. The perfect reference reduces the minimum signal strength required to acquire and accurately track GPS satellites at or near the horizon.

The NAVSTAR Global Positioning System (GPS) developed by the United States Department of Defense uses a constellation of between 24 and 32 Medium Earth Orbit satellites that transmit precise microwave signals, which allows devices embodying GPS sensors to determine their current location. Initial applications were predominantly military; the first widespread consumer application was navigational assistance.
With the explosive growth in mobile communications devices, a new wave of location-based applications is emerging. These applications are characterized by a requirement for device-centered maps. One example is a form of "Yellow Pages" in which a map centered at the location of the mobile device presents user-selected establishments (e.g., barber shops) in situ. Another example would be an application enabling one to locate, on a device-centered map, members of his or her social network. In these applications, location involves but two dimensions (North/South and East/West). The ability of GPS to provide three dimensional locations (or "fixes") is, for the most part, irrelevant. Accordingly, the narrative which follows ignores the three dimensional possibilities. Outdoors, GPS (using four or more satellites) is a reliable and accurate source of the location information essential to enable a device-centered map to be served across a network to a mobile device. However, today's GPS receivers operating in 3D mode (using four satellites) do not have the receive sensitivity required to generate fixes indoors. In 2D mode (using just three satellites and, most commonly, a pseudo satellite located at the center of the earth), the sensitivity improves slightly, but not enough. As a result, location-based applications utilize GPS outdoors, and any of several proprietary location service providers indoors.
Location services are built around proprietary databases, compiled by location service providers. These databases are essentially compilations of the locations of terrestrial transmitting towers (beacons), or compilations of the signal-strength contours surrounding these beacons, or compilations of the locations together with the associated signal-strength contours. A subscriber (to the location service) provides the ID's and (optionally) the associated signal strengths of any beacons detectable by his or her mobile device, and the location service provider responds with its best estimate of the location of the device.
FIG. 1 describes a typical Mobile Device Location System (MDLS) employed by a location service provider to compile its Beacon Location/Signal-Strength Contour Database (BLDB)—the database of beacon locations and associated signal-strength contours utilized in the servicing of subscriber requests. Key elements of this system (in addition to the aforementioned BLDB) are the Beacon Survey Database (BSDB), the Beacon Location/Signal-Strength Contour Engine (BLEN) and the Mobile Device Location Engine (MLEN). The Beacon Survey Database is comprised of measurements taken at various times and places for use by the BLEN in the compilation of the BLDB which, in turn, is used by MLEN to estimate the location of a subscriber's mobile device. As survey measurements are often taken within range of multiple beacons, it is necessary to demultiplex the measurement data for storage in BSDB, which is structured around beacons.
Whether the beacons are cellular towers or Wi-Fi access points—the measurement processes are largely identical. Measurements are taken using instruments similar to (and in some cases, identical to) the mobile communications devices the MDLS has been designed to locate. The standard mode of operation is to traverse the geography of interest with a measuring instrument, pausing periodically to record its location (using GPS) together with the ID's and signal-strengths of any beacons detectable by the device. As these measurements accumulate, beacon locations and associated signal-strength contours are generated and thereafter continually updated by the BLEN, to enable the generation of accurate and reliable estimates of location in response to subscriber requests. On the receipt of a request from a subscriber, the MLEN applies the information provided (by the subscriber) to generate its estimate of the subscriber's location. Methods for generating such estimates are well known in the art. One very simple approach would be to match the beacon presenting the strongest signal (as reported by the subscriber) with a beacon in the BLDB. Absent any signal-strength input, an approach might be to select from the beacons reported by the subscriber, the most frequently sensed, using a "sense count", maintained by the MLEN and stored with each beacon in the BLDB.
The franchise of a location service provider may be valued in terms of its ability to reliably and accurately locate mobile devices. Because the techniques for estimating location and developing contours are understood and commonly practiced, the ability to reliably locate mobile devices hinges on the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the Beacon Survey Database. If the BSDB contains inaccurate measurements, those inaccuracies will result in inaccurate beacon locations or signal-strength contours in the BLDB, which will contribute to inaccuracy in the estimated location of a subscriber's mobile device. Moreover, if the BSDB is sparse, gaps in beacon and contour coverage are possible, rendering the service unreliable to its subscribers. To deliver reliable service thus requires complete and comprehensive coverage of the service domain.
The most common types of beacons in use today are cellular towers and Wi-Fi access points. While the former provide broader coverage in the aggregate, locating them with sufficient precision to enable accurate triangulation to a subscriber location requires a large number of measurements. Resigned to the requirement for a massive Beacon Survey Database, cell-tower-based service providers have, in some cases, opted to construct signal-strength contours as well, to mitigate the estimation error. Given the limited range of a Wi-Fi access point, access-point-based service providers take a different approach. With the acquisition of a handful of measurements for a given beacon, they may be able to estimate its location with sufficient accuracy to begin service immediately to subscribers within range of that beacon. However, there are many more Wi-Fi access points than cellular towers—and, to make matters worse, most are indoors, where the likelihood of three acquirable GPS satellites (required for a 2D GPS fix) is low.
While on the surface it might appear that cell-tower-based systems have the edge over access-point-based systems, some would argue that cell-tower-based systems are out of step with the growth in applications built on the assumption of broadband access, which in turn is fueling the rapid growth in Wi-Fi-only as well as dual-mode (cellular plus Wi-Fi) communications devices. As mobile broadband traffic searches for relief from the cost and congestion of the cellular networks, location-based applications will increasingly favor access-point-based location services. That is not to suggest that access point services will make cell tower services irrelevant; both will be needed.
Considering the limitations of current techniques for compiling large Beacon Survey Databases—there is clearly a need in the art for an MDLS framework to enable rapid, inexpensive compilation of comprehensive Beacon Survey Databases, with the accuracy required by current and contemplated location-based applications.

System framework for mobile device location


A switching control cell is inserted into an input cell in a switching control cell generator. In a period between the detection of a switching control cell in a first or second switching control cell detector and the detection of the switching control cell in a third switching control cell detector, in active and stand-by switches, when a cell is discarded in any one of the active and stand-by switches, in addition to priority discard control, the same cell is discarded in the other switch independently of the priority discard control. Further, upon detection of a switching control cell in the switching control cell detector, all the cells accumulated within the cell buffer are discarded, and until the detection of the switching control cell in the switching control cell detector, reading from the cell buffer is stopped so that the same cell is written into the cell buffer in the active switch and the cell buffer in the stand-by switch. By virtue of the above constitution, a switching system for an asynchronous transfer mode switch supporting a plurality of discard priority classes can be provided which realizes hitless switching.

The invention relates to a switching system for an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) switch duplexed in an apparatus. More particularly, the invention relates to a hitless switching system for an ATM switch having the function of discard priority control.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 83529/1997 discloses, as this type of a conventional switching system for an ATM switch, xe2x80x9cATM cell flow controllerxe2x80x9d that realizes hitless switching in a duplexed transmission path. In this ATM cell flow controller, received signals of two systems having respective phases shifted due to the influence of a difference in path between duplexed transmission paths are subjected to delay adjustment to equalize the duplexed received signals to each other in the same phase, thus realizing hitless switching. A phase comparator circuit is disposed between a polishing circuit to avoid such an unfavorable phenomenon that the phase comparator is not properly operated due to the influence of cell discard created in the polishing circuit.
Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 186575/1996 discloses a xe2x80x9chitless switching systemxe2x80x9d that can realize hitless switching of duplexed transmission paths. In this hitless switching system, as with the above conventional ATM cell flow controller, received signals of two systems respectively having shifted phases are subjected to delay adjustments to equalize duplexed received signals in the same phase, thus realizing hitless switching. Further, phase comparison is performed based on received time of a monitoring cell inserted by a transmitter provided upstream of the transmission path.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 139726/1996 discloses an xe2x80x9cATM switch systemxe2x80x9d that realizes hitless switching of a duplexed ATM switch in an apparatus. In this ATM switch system, the number of cells accumulated in an active switch is compared with the number of cells accumulated in a stand-by switch. When the number of cells accumulated in the active switch is larger than the number of cells accumulated in the stand-by switch, reading of cell from the stand-by switch is stopped by the difference in the number of accumulated cells. On the other hand, when the number of cells accumulated in the active switch is smaller than the number of cells accumulated in the stand-by switch, the read address of the stand-by switch is read in advance by the difference in accumulated cell to equalize the amount of the accumulated cell in the stand-by switch to the amount of the accumulated cell in the active switch, thus realizing hitless switching.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a block diagram showing the xe2x80x9cATM switch systemxe2x80x9d disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 139726/1996. The ATM switch system shown in FIG. 1 comprises a T cell insertion circuit 311 corresponding to the switching control cell, a branch circuit 312, an active switch 320, a stand-by switch 330, and a selecting circuit 341. The active switch 320 comprises a buffer 331, a T cell detection circuit 322, and a detection circuit 323 for the number of residence cells. The stand-by switch 330 comprises a buffer 331, a T cell detection circuit 322, a detection circuit 333 for the number of residence cells, a differential computation circuit 334, and a read control circuit 335.
The ATM switch system shown in FIG. 2 comprises, in addition to the elements constituting the ATM switch system shown in FIG. 1, a threshold comparator circuit 336 provided the stand-by switch 330.
Both the xe2x80x9cATM cell flow controllerxe2x80x9d disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 83529/1997 and the xe2x80x9chitless switch systemxe2x80x9d disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 186575/1996 realize hitless switching of a duplexed transmission path. In both cases, however, phases of input signals of two systems having different phases are equalized to realize hitless switching. Therefore, these cannot be applied to hitless switching of an ATM switch.
In the xe2x80x9cATM switch systemxe2x80x9d disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 139726/1996, during the equalization of the number of cells accumulated in the active switch to the number of cells accumulated in the stand-by switch, when the number of accumulated cells exceeds, only in one switch, the threshold value for the discard low priority class, for an input cell belonging to the discard low priority class, cell discard is performed in the switch system wherein the number of accumulated cells exceeds the threshold value, while, in the other switch system, cell accumulation is performed. Therefore, at the time of the completion of the equalization, the number of cells belonging to the discard low priority class accumulated in one of the switch systems is different from that in the other switch system. This poses a problem that application to an ATM switch having the function of discard priority control cannot realize hitless switching.
In the construction shown in FIG. 2, a circuit for comparison of threshold values is provided. The threshold value used in this circuit is not for discard priority control but for judgement of whether or not the state of the accumulated cells should be equalized, here again posing a problem that hitless switching cannot be realized.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a switching system for an ATM switch that, in an ATM switch having the function of discard priority control, can realize hitless switching.
According to a first aspect of the invention, a switching system for an ATM switch, comprises:
an input interface comprising a switching control cell generator for inserting a switching control cell into an input cell, and a branch circuit for branching a signal with the switching control cell inserted therein into two parts which are then output from the switching control cell generator and are input respectively into an active switch and a stand-by switch,
said active switch comprising a cell buffer for accumulating the cell received from the branch circuit, a buffer controller for controlling writing into the cell buffer and reading from the cell buffer, a first active switching control cell detector for detecting the switching control cell from a row of cells received from the branch circuit and notifying the buffer controller of the switch control cell detection, and a second active switching control cell detector for detecting the switching control cell from a row of cells output from the cell buffer and notifying the buffer controller and the stand-by buffer controller of the switching control cell detection,
the stand-by switch comprising a cell buffer for accumulating the cell received from the branch circuit, a buffer controller for controlling writing into the cell buffer and reading from the cell buffer, and a stand-by switching control cell detector for detecting the switching control cell from a row of cells received from the branch circuit and notifying the buffer controller of the switch control cell detection; and
an output interface having a selecting circuit for selecting the output from any one of the active switch and the stand-by switch,
wherein the active buffer controller discriminates the discard priority class of the input cell and controls the write or discard of the input cell according to the number of cells accumulated within the cell buffer and, when the input cell is discarded, notifies the stand-by buffer controller of the discard of the input cell, and, in a period between the receipt of a notification of switching control cell detection from the first active switching control cell detector and the receipt of a notification of switching control cell detection from the second active switching control cell detector, performs, in addition to the discard priority control, the discard control of the corresponding input cell upon a notification of the discard of the input cell from the stand-by buffer control, and
the stand-by buffer controller discriminates the discard priority class of the input cell to control the write or discard of the input cell according to the number of cells accumulated within the cell buffer, and, at the time of discard of the input cell, notifies the active buffer controller of the discard of the input cell, and, further, in a period between the receipt of a notification of switching control cell detection from the stand-by switching control cell detector and the receipt of a notification of switching control cell detection from the second active switching control cell detector, performs, in addition to the discard priority control, the discard control of the corresponding input cell upon the receipt of a notification of the discard of the input cell from the active buffer control, and, upon the receipt of a notification of switching control cell detection from the stand-by switching control cell detection, discards the input switch control cell and all the cells already accumulated within the stand-by cell buffer to empty the cell buffer, and, further, in this case, until the receipt of a notification of switching control cell detection from the second active switching control cell detector, stops reading of cells from the stand-by cell buffer to equalize the cell accumulated within the active cell buffer to the cell accumulated within the stand-by cell buffer.
According to a second aspect of the invention, a switching system for an ATM switch, comprises:
an input interface comprising a switching control cell generator for inserting a switching control cell into an input cell, and a branch circuit for branching a signal with the switching control cell inserted therein into two parts which are then output from the switching control cell generator and are input respectively into an active switch and a stand-by switch,
said active switch comprising a cell buffer for accumulating the cell received from the branch circuit, a buffer controller for controlling writing into the cell buffer and reading from the cell buffer, and a first switching control cell detector for detecting the switching control cell from a row of cells output from the cell buffer and notifying the stand-by buffer controller of the switching control cell detection,
the stand-by switch comprising a cell buffer for accumulating the cell received from the branch circuit, a buffer controller for controlling writing into the cell buffer and reading from the cell buffer, and a second switching control cell detector for detecting the switching control cell from a row of cells received from the branch circuit and notifying the buffer controller of the switch control cell detection; and
an output interface having a selecting circuit for selecting the output from any one of the active switch and the stand-by switch,
wherein the active and stand-by buffer controllers each discriminate the discard priority class of the input cell and control the write or discard of the input cell according to the number of cells accumulated within the active and stand-by cell buffers; when cell discard control is performed in one of the active and stand-by cell buffers, control for discard of the corresponding input cell is performed in the other cell buffer; upon receipt of a notification of switching control cell detection from the second switching control cell detector, the stand-by buffer controller discards all the cells already accumulated within the stand-by cell buffer to empty the cell buffer, and, further, in this case, until the receipt of a notification of switching control cell detection from the first switching control cell detection, stops reading of cells from the stand-by cell buffer to control equalization of cells accumulated within the active and stand-by cell buffers.
According to the invention, when the input cell in one system is discarded, the corresponding cells in the other system is discarded. This can avoid occurrence of cell discard in one system alone and can equalize the cell accumulated in the active cell buffer to the cell accumulated in the stand-by cell buffer.

Switching system for asynchronous transfer mode switch


The present invention provides a novel technique for reducing the effect of CMI for PPM UWB signals. The system and method in accordance with the present invention greatly improves the performance of receivers and eliminates the possibility of catastrophic errors. The proposed technique introduces a variable modulation index instead of a fixed modulation index as was previously known in the art. The modulation index is changed over each frame within each symbol. In other words, a time hopping modulation index sequence is used over the frames of the UWB symbols in accordance with the present invention.

Ultrawideband (UWB) is a recent technology that brings attractive solutions for future wireless broadband applications. Impulse Radio (IR) is a popular implementation of UWB systems; although conceptually not very new, UWB-IR is recently becoming popular for wireless communications. It is realized by the transmission of extremely short duration (usually sub-nanosecond) pulses.
A major challenge when designing UWB systems is the selection of the appropriate data mapping format. Depending on the parameters such as design specifications and constraints, range, transmission and reception power, quality of service requirements, regulatory requirements, and hardware complexity, there may be different modulation options that will satisfy the system designer under different scenarios. One of the popular modulation options is pulse position modulation (PPM), where the position of the transmitted pulse is varied depending on the information bits. One of the attractive features of the PPM modulation in UWB is that it allows the use of non-coherent detection at the receiver, avoiding the complex and difficult channel estimation process.
In wireless communications, the transmitted UWB signals that propagate through a radio channel are typically reflected, diffracted, and scattered, arriving at the receiver through multiple paths. In UWB, the resolvable multipath components are much larger, typically on the order of a hundred. The multipath propagation causes cross-modulation interference (CMI) for PPM modulated signals if the time difference between two possible hopping positions (i.e. modulation index) is less than the maximum excess delay of the channel. CMI degrades the performance of the UWB receiver.
CMI has been studied extensively for various UWB receiver architectures, and it has been shown that CMI has a major impact in the receiver performance. It is suggested strongly that solutions to avoid/suppress CMI are needed to improve the performance of PPM modulated UWB signals. The effect of CMI on average BER performance of UWB receivers has been studied and it has been demonstrated that CMI significantly degrades the average BER performance of receivers. More significantly, CMI causes catastrophic errors when a strong multipath component occurs at the opposite symbol location. Therefore, average BER performance degradation does not tell the whole story. There are cases where the CMI interference can hurt the receiver so badly that it eventually causes a sequence of symbol errors and hence shuts down the communication link completely.
Increasing the transmitter power may not even help in these cases. This motivates the need for techniques to suppress CMI.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a system and method for an improved cross-modulation interference (CMI) reduction technique for pulse-position modulated UWB signals.

System and method for cross-modulation interference reduction for pulse-position modulated ultrawideband signals


A boom has an x-ray head attached to one end thereof and the x-ray head has an x-ray source disposed therein. In a docked position of the boom, the x-ray source is disabled. In a deployed position, the x-ray source is enabled. A handle attached to the x-ray head is movable into at least two different positions. A first one of the positions disables the x-ray source while a second one of the positions enables the x-ray source. The handle extends a preselected distance from the x-ray source such that the handle maintains at least the preselected distance between the x-ray source and a subject to be exposed thereby.

Mobile x-ray apparatus are of particular value in intensive care unit (ICU) and other environments where timely acquisition of a radiographic image is important. Because it can be wheeled around the ICU or other area and brought directly to the patient's bedside, a mobile x-ray apparatus allows an attending physician or clinician to have recent information on the condition of a patient and helps to reduce the risks entailed in moving patients to stationary equipment in the radiological facility.
As mobile x-ray systems have become more widely accepted and used, continued research and development has expanded their capabilities beyond those of single-image radiography, based on the x-ray film radiography model. By configuring mobile x-ray systems with an array of multiple, smaller x-ray sources, such as sources formed using carbon nanotube (CNT) technology, additional imaging modalities can be provided. This allows the mobile x-ray apparatus to provide not only conventional 2-D x-ray radiography images, but also to provide volume imaging using tomosynthesis or computed tomography (CT) methods, such as cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), as well as fluoroscopy using multiple x-ray sources. To provide this expanded capability, the x-ray source can have a single x-ray emitter tube of conventional design, supplemented by multiple x-ray emitters, including an array of carbon nanotube (CNT) x-ray sources, for example.
In order to allow multiple modalities and maintain system portability, operational parameters such as positioning of the x-ray source(s) relative to the patient, dosage levels, operator procedure, and other factors must be readily changeable. This places some demanding requirements on design of support and positioning hardware for the x-ray head, requiring various guidance and guard elements that do not interfere with portability and smooth operation.
One concern for mobile x-ray equipment relates to maintaining sufficient distance between the x-ray source and the patient. If the patient is too close to the x-ray source, radiation levels can be excessive and image quality can be poor. International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard IEC 60601-1 presents a number of general requirements for safety for medical electrical equipment. Among stipulations for compliance with IEC 60601-1, is the requirement for a physical barrier that is no less than about 30 cm from the x-ray source. This physical barrier forces the distance between the patient and the source to exceed at least about 30 cm for any of the imaging modalities available from the mobile x-ray system.
Thus, it can be appreciated that there are a number of considerations related to proper patient care, x-ray source positioning, and operational procedures for a mobile x-ray apparatus that provides multiple imaging modalities.

Deployable guard for mobile x-ray system


A method of manufacturing a micromirror array and a method of manufacturing an optical device having a micromirror. The method of manufacturing a micromirror array includes forming an adhesion layer on a substrate and a magnetic layer on the adhesion layer, patterning the adhesion layer and magnetic layer, magnetizing the magnetic layer and forming a bonding layer on each side of the adhesion layer and the magnetic layer. The substrate is severed into units, each unit including the adhesion layer, the magnetic layer, and the bonding layer. A mirror surface is formed on a side of the substrate to form a unit micromirror structure. The unit micromirror structure is then placed in a holder to form a micromirror array.

This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2005-0012425, filed on Feb. 15, 2005, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an optical device having a micromirror and, more particularly, to a method of manufacturing an optical device having a micromirror in which a micromirror widely used as an ultra-small optical component can be manufactured with high precision.
2. Description of the Related Art
Micromirrors are optical elements that have been widely used in optical pickup devices, optical communication systems and the like. Optical information storage devices having an optical pickup can record and reproduce information on and from an optical disc.
The optical information storage devices have been developed to reduce a wavelength of a light source and to increase a numerical aperture (NA) of an objective lens so that a high recording density can be achieved using optical energy. For example, optical information storage devices for CDs employ a light source having a wavelength of 780 nm and an objective lens having a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.45, and optical information storage devices for DVDs employ a light source having a wavelength of 650 nm and an objective lens having a NA of 0.6.
As users want to employ an optical disc in a portable information device, ultra-small optical pickups have been briskly developed. Optical pickups have been tried to be manufactured using semiconductor processes. In conventional optical pickup manufacturing processes, it takes a long time to adjust an optical axis between optical components when the optical components in units of several millimeters are assembled, and an automation rate is reduced. However, optical pickups can be manufactured at a wafer level using semiconductor processes so that mass-production is possible, small-sized optical pickups can be made and assembling and adjustment can be easily performed.
FIGS. 1A through 1E illustrate a conventional method of manufacturing a micromirror using semiconductor processes.
Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a silicon ingot is cut to have a 9.74-degree off-axis angle with respect to a direction [011] of a plane (100) so as to form a silicon wafer 10 to a thickness of 500 μm. Referring to FIG. 1B, etching mask layers 11 and 12 are formed as SiO2 or SiNx on sides of the silicon wafer 10.
Referring to FIG. 1C, an etching window 13 is formed at a portion of the etching mask layer 11 using a photolithography process.
Referring to FIG. 1D, the silicon wafer 10 in which the etching window 13 is formed is soaked in a silicon anisotropic etching solution such as KOH or TMAH maintained at an appropriate temperature, thereby performing wet etching. When wet etching is performed for a predetermined amount of time, as shown in FIG. 1D, a first surface 15a having an inclined angle of about 45 degrees with respect to a lower surface of the silicon wafer 10 and a second surface 15b having an inclined angle of about 64.48 degrees with respect to the lower surface of the silicon wafer 10 are formed. Reference numeral 14 denotes an etched region of the silicon wafer 10.
Referring to FIG. 1E, the etching mask layers 11 and 12 are removed and the silicon wafer 10 is cut so that the first surface 15a and the second surface 15b are used as a micromirror.
The micromirror can be manufactured at a wafer level, and when a light source having a long wavelength is used or an etching depth is small, surface precision can be achieved. However, in the conventional method of manufacturing a micromirror shown in FIGS. 1A through 1E, when an etching depth is hundreds of μms, surface shaping precision cannot be easily substituted with shaping precision required in conventional optical components for optical pickups. For example, when the micromirror is used in the optical pickup, a micromirror array is manufactured and then is diced so that cracks occur in the micromirror array. When a process of bonding the micromirror array to a photodiode (PD) array is performed, the mirrormirror can be easily destroyed.
In the conventional method of manufacturing a large-sized micromirror having an array shape using an etching process, a large-sized Si wafer having high purity is used, experimental conditions should be strictly managed and a time required for etching a wafer is about 8 to 10 hours, which causes the cost of manufacturing the micromirror to increase.

Method of manufacturing micromirror array and method of manufacturing optical device having micromirror


Gauge distribution apparatus for plastic film has a frame, a rotor mounted on the frame for sequential reversed rotation about a substantially vertical axis, and at least one slot in the rotor through which two lengths of plastic film can pass upwardly with spaced adjacent faces from below the rotor. First and second turning members are mounted on the rotor for receiving a respective length of plastic film and changing the direction of motion thereof from upwardly to horizontally. A series of upstanding circumferentially spaced film engaging members extend around the rotor, each film engaging member having an outer surface for engagement by the plastic film. Third and fourth turning members are mounted on the frame for receiving a respective length of plastic film after it has engaged at least one of the film engaging members and changing its direction of motion from horizontally to vertically.

It is well known to provide apparatus for gauge distribution in tubular plastic film, see for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,728 (Planeta) issued Jun. 10, 1987, the contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. In this prior patent, the tubular plastic film is extruded from an annular extrusion die to form an air film bubble which is subsequently collapsed to a flat condition before being passed through gauge distribution apparatus which laterally distributes any unevenness in the gauge (thickness) of the film before it is wound to form a roll.
There is currently a need for plastic film which is tacky on at least one side, for use for example as temporary protection for the surface of articles to which the tacky film will removably adhere. Gauge distribution apparatus such as described in the above-mentioned patent is not suitable for such film because collapsing extruded tubular plastic film which is tacky on at least one side to a flat condition is usually not an option.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide gauge distribution apparatus which overcomes the problem mentioned above.


A sortation system and method of inducting product are useful with a sorter having a continuous member defining a plurality of transport positions of the continuous member and a plurality of sort destinations for receiving product discharged from the continuous member. At least one induction unit is provided including a plurality of tandem conveying units. Product is received with the at least one induction unit from a product source and discharged from the at least one induction unit to the continuous member. According to one aspect of the invention, the at least one induction unit follows the speed of the continuous member. This includes starting as soon as the continuous member is moving and decreasing in speed substantially only when the continuous member decreases in speed. The invention is useful with linear sorters, such as positive displacement sorters, and the like. The invention is also useful with carousel sorters, such as tilt-tray sorters and cross-belt sorters.

This invention pertains to conveyor sortation systems and, in particular, to a method and apparatus for inducting product to a sorter, wherein the sorter includes a continuous conveying member defining a plurality of transport positions and a plurality of sort destinations for receiving product discharged from the continuous member. The invention has application to both linear sorters, such as positive displacement sorters, and carousel sorters, such as tilt-tray and cross-belt sorters.
The quintessential goal for any material-handling system is to maximize the throughput of product through the system. In the case of a sorter, it is known that the throughput of the sorter is limited by the ability of the system to induct product to the sorter at a rate that matches the throughput of the sorter, with adequate gaps between the product. If an insufficient rate of product is supplied to the sorter, then the sorter becomes starved and is incapable of meeting its rated throughput.
A common technique for keeping the sorter supplied with product is to build accumulation into the system upstream of the induct. With a backlog of product at the input to the induct, the function of the induct becomes limited to ensuring that adequate product gaps are developed and, in the case of multiple-line inducts, that the products are merged together from the multiple lines. However, accumulation comes at a cost and is not always feasible. For example, some systems require that substantially all of the conveyors be of the belt variety. This is especially common in the parcel-handling industry where packages may be poorly packaged and may include protruding items from the packages. The use of live-roller conveyors, which are the common form of accumulation, is considered to be inappropriate for handling such parcels. Accordingly, the ability to induct product to the sorter at an adequate rate becomes difficult when accumulation upstream of the sorter is not practical, such as where the conveyors are of the belt variety.
Carousel-type sorter systems are known to be able to handle product of a wide range of characteristics and can be compact and configured in many different ways. In particular, the induct systems and the destination chutes, or conveyors, can be arranged at any place along the carousel and can be arranged on one or both sides of the carousel. In order to provide maximum product throughput with a carousel sorter, empty units are booked, or reserved, for product positioned on the induct. However, a particular timing window must exist in order to accelerate the product to the speed of the carousel to meet the booking requirement for a particular empty carrying unit. If this window cannot be met, it is necessary for the carrier to pass by the induct without a product being loaded on that unit. It should be apparent that the more carriers that pass by the induct without receiving a product, the lower the throughput of the carousel-type sortation system. Conversely, the throughput of a carousel-type sorter can be increased by ensuring a maximum loading of the carriers passing by an induct.