A surgical instrument comprising an instrument handle which is linked to a proximal end portion of a tube shaft and at the distal end portion of which an instrument head rotatably supporting an effector is linked so as to be inclinable. The effector includes at least one pivotable engaging element which is operable via an effector operating gear train in cooperation with the instrument handle. The effector operating gear train, in turn, has a pushing rod which is shiftably supported in the tube shaft and which, in the linking area of the instrument head at the tube shaft, abuts a pushing pin shiftably supported in the instrument head, the pushing pin being operatively connected to the engaging element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to surgical instrument for minimally invasive surgery.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
From DE 100 36 108, a surgical instrument of this generic type is known. It substantially consists of a tube shaft at the one proximal end of which an instrument handle is arranged for the operation of an instrument head disposed at the opposed distal end of the tube shaft via gear trains. The instrument head can be pivoted and/or inclined with respect to the tube shaft and, moreover, holds an effector rotatably supported in the instrument head in the form of a type of forceps or tongs one jaw of which is pivotably supported on the effector and is likewise operable by means of the instrument handle.
In more concrete terms, the gear trains enable at least a first movement of the instrument handle, according to this prior art to be triggered by the rotation of an operator's hand, to be transformed into a rotation of the effector at a predetermined transmission ratio with respect to this operating movement. This makes it possible to rotate the effector despite the relatively restricted possibility of motion of a human hand about up to 300°, for instance, and, thus, to realize complex motions without changing the grip at the handle. Moreover, a second movement of the instrument handle, for instance bending the same with respect to the tube shaft, is converted into an inclination movement of the instrument head.
The gear trains provided inside the instrument handle and the tube shaft are designed such that a most largely decoupled operation of each individual movement of the instrument head and the effector is permitted. However, such gears are necessarily extremely complex and, consequently, also require sufficient assembly space. Moreover, a complete decoupling of the individual movements is not completely ensured.
In view of this prior art, it is the object of the present invention to provide a surgical instrument of this generic type in which motions of an instrument head as well as of an effector can be performed decoupled from each other via an instrument handle.


A method for simulating an industrial plant includes generating a library of industrial plant component types using user input. The library includes properties of the component types and rules to generate scripts in accordance with property values. The method further includes assembling a configuration of industrial plant components from the library using user input. The configuration is assembled into an editor configured to accept a layout and connection of the configuration of industrial plant components and to accept a configuration and setting of the properties of the industrial plant components. The method also includes generating a script or scripts for industrial plant components in the configuration of industrial plant in accordance with the rules, wherein the generated scripts include mathematical relationships within or among the industrial plant components, or both. The mathematical relationships are then solved. Results are either displayed or used to control an industrial plant.

This invention relates generally to computer-implemented methods and apparatus for modeling, and more particularly to such methods and apparatus for modeling process and industrial plants, including, for example, power plants.
In known systems for modeling power and process plants, addition of a new component type would require writing computer code specifically designed for that component type. Usually, the persons having specialized engineering knowledge of industrial plants are not professional programmers and are not expert at writing computer code. Thus, changes would normally have to be contracted out to a software team. Months of testing might then ensue as the software is modified, recompiled, and tested. A software product using such code would then have to be re-released in a new version, with all the attendant expenses of each product release and the inconvenience of customers.

Configurable system and method for power and process plant modeling


A method of scaring birds and animals includes launching a bird-scaring device in a substantially vertical manner and periodically causing the device to circle in the air in substantially opposite directions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an animal-scaring device and to a method of scaring animals.
2. Discussion of Related Prior Art
Small animals, including rodents and birds, are known to pose a serious threat to humans by damaging crops, spreading disease and/or interfering with the normal operation of various facilities such as airports. Among the conventional methods of controlling, i.e., eliminating, bird pests, killing them has been regarded as ineffective. In fact, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has repeatedly cautioned against killing birds, stating that it would not help prevent health-hazard outbreaks. Other pest control methods include the use of traditional scarecrows and optical and sound signal-generating devices, none of which are particularly effective for the protection of large areas such as parks, airports, golf courses, fruit plantations, cornfields, horticultural plots, fields, and the like, from geese, starlets, gulls, herons and other animal pests. It has been observed that the effectiveness of these systems rapidly decreases after installation or implementation since birds soon become accustomed to the stationary silhouettes, shapes and other effects of deterrent devices.
In addition to the afore-discussed conventional methods, it is known to use "hawk kites" to protect areas that attract birds. Typically, to launch such a kite, the user, holding the kite tethered to the hand or to a stationary pole applies a force sufficient to allow the kite to ascend along a relatively smooth trajectory. Maneuverability of this type of kite upon reaching its maximum altitude is often limited. Turning the kite requires that the user possess a relatively high degree of manual dexterity in order to effectively manage the movements of the kite. Furthermore, like other would-be deterrent devices, "hawk kites", while perhaps initially effective, may not provide a long term or permanent bird-scaring effect.
An object of the invention is to provide a bird-scaring device which, due to its unique aerodynamic characteristics, launches from or near ground level in a rapid and substantially vertical ascent.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a bird-scaring device with a strong and simple structure that can be rapidly assembled in the field without the use of tools or specialized devices.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a bird-scaring device tethered by a control line to a manually manipulated reel.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a method permitting effective bird scaring in a given location for an indefinitely long period of time.


A palletizer has an improved slide plate assembly and an improved indexing hoist. The slide plate assembly incorporates measures to reduce friction between it and the bags or other articles being handled by it. The orientation of the slide plates of the assembly are altered ninety degrees with respect to traditional slide plate orientation to eliminate the deadplate encountered by articles sliding along the slide plates. An air assist mechanism also is incorporated into the slide plate assembly to produce an air cushion between the articles and the top surface of the slide plates. The hoist, which is designed to index upwardly after receiving a layer of articles to compress that layer against the bottom surface of the slide plate assembly to flatten the articles and to force air out of them, incorporates an improved controller that causes the hoist to assuredly impart the desired compressive force to the articles without over-compressing the articles or overloading the hoist's lift motor.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to palletizers and, more specifically, relates to a palletizer having an improved slide plate assembly and an indexing pallet hoist. The invention additionally relates to an improved method of indexing a pallet hoist of a palletizer.
2. Background of the Invention
Palletizers are well known for automatically or semi-automatically stacking layers of articles such as bags or cartons on a pallet, sheet, or other support. The typical palletizer includes two vertically-spaced conveyor assemblies which convey articles and supports, respectively.
The upper conveyer assembly typically includes a slide plate assembly (sometimes known as a stripper plate assembly) onto which articles are conveyed in a pattern suitable for depositing as a layer onto a stack. The upper conveyor assembly may also include an upstream slat sorter, a turner assembly, and an accumulator conveyor assembly that interact to arrange the conveyed articles into the desired pattern. The layer is typically transferred from the accumulator conveyor assembly to the slide plate assembly by a rake assembly or the like.
The lower conveyor assembly includes a vertically-movable hoist (sometimes known as an indexing pallet hoist) that is positioned beneath the slide plate assembly, that is raiseable to receive layers of articles one at a time from the slide plate assembly to form a stack, and that indexes downwardly to receive each successive layer. The lower conveyor assembly also may include an outfeed conveyor for conveying a completed stack of articles away from the hoist as well as a staging mechanism and other equipment for conveying a stack of pallets, sheets, or other supports toward the hoist and for delivering the supports one at a time to the hoist.
The slide plates of the typical palletizer deposit a layer of articles onto the underlying hoist by initially supporting the layer on one or more imperforate metal plates and by driving the plate(s) to slide out from under the layer to deposit the layer onto the underlying stack. Some employ a single slide plate moving away from the outfeed end of the rake assembly. Others employ two facing plates that move away from one another to define so-called "bi-parting stripper plates." A palletizer employing a slide plate assembly of this type is manufactured by HK Systems, Inc. under the name von Gal as Model No. VGHS4000.
Traditional slide plate assemblies employing imperforate longitudinally moving slide plates exhibit drawbacks when handling relatively high-friction articles such as plastic bags. The articles tend to stick to the metal plates, particularly during warm weather, and bunch and roll up so that they do not form an even layer of uniform dimensions. The imperfectly-formed layer is poorly suited for stacking on previously-formed layers and also is poorly suited for forming a base for subsequent layers. The problem of sticking and rolling is exacerbated by two features of the traditional slide plate assembly design.
First, the imperforate metal surface of the slide plate has a relatively high frictional coefficient. Contact between the bag or other article and the slide plate hinders smooth sliding motion of the article across the plate. The article also tends to stick to the moving plate during a stripping or depositing operation.
Second, the aligned orientation of the slide plate(s) relative to the direction of conveyance of the upper conveyor assembly requires relatively lengthy movement between the slide plate(s) and the articles both during movement of articles onto the slide plate assembly and during stripping motion of the slide plates. This lengthy movement results from the fact that the conveyed articles and the stripper plate(s) move in the same direction so that the articles must travel a substantial distance before reaching their final position above the hoist. The plate area that must be traversed by a layer of articles prior to its final positioning is commonly known in the art as "deadplate." Minimizing deadplate would minimize the area of frictional contact between the layer of articles and the slide plate(s).
Another problem associated with the traditional palletizer resides in the operation of its indexing pallet hoist. In some applications, and particularly in the palletizing of bags or other articles which may become partially filled with air or otherwise may not be as flat as otherwise would be desired for stacking, the hoist is used to compress each layer of articles against the bottom surface of the slide plate assembly to force the air out of the articles and to flatten them. That is, after a layer of articles is deposited onto the hoist (or on another layer of articles if another layer of articles has been previously deposited), the hoist is lowered or indexed downwardly to provide clearance for the slide plates, the slide plates are closed, and then the hoist is raised or indexed upwardly to force the upper surface of the upper layer of articles into compressive engagement with the bottom surface of the slide plates. The hoist is then lowered again or indexed downwardly to receive another layer.
Hoist raising and lowering is typically achieved using a variable-speed electric motor. The amount of torque imposed by the motor must be controlled in order to impose the desired compressive force on the upper layer of articles. Traditional palletizers control motor torque using a current sensing relay that cuts off power supply to the electric motor upon sensing a rise in current occurring due to article engagement with the bottom surface of the slide plate assembly. A disadvantage of this approach is that the motor is necessarily overloaded during each compressing operation. Premature wear and failure of the motor and other components and/or article bursting may result. Moreover, it is very hard to control or set the motor of traditional systems for different article properties.

Palletizer with air assisted slide plate assembly and indexing pallet hoist


A hunting blind, a blind support, and a filtration unit for use on a tree with or without a tree stand. The blind support preferably includes a bracket for mounting to the tree and a foldable frame for mounting to the bracket. The blind preferably sealingly mounts to the blind support and the tree in a position around the tree stand, and preferably includes a sheet of material segmented into panels for providing access to the tree stand and a good seal around the ladder of ladder tree stands. The filtration unit preferably includes a carbon-activated filter and a fan for drawing air from a top opening of the blind, downward around a hunter in the tree stand, through the filter, and out of the blind.

Deer and other wild game use their senses of smell, sight, and hearing to detect and avoid their natural enemies. For most large game animals, their sense of smell is their greatest defense. Deer and other trophy animals typically travel into the wind and rely on their sense of smell to warn them of danger. Big trophy animals will avoid an area when they detect the presence of a human, or even when they detect that a human has been there. What warns them is primarily human scent from a hunter being present and residual human scent on anything touched by the hunter's hands, clothing, boots, and equipment. In addition, wild game can smell and avoid unnatural scents from weapons, tree stands, backpacks, and other hunting equipment and accessories. These human and equipment scents tend to settle and pool, and then they are spread by the wind in the hunting area generally and particularly downwind of the hunters.
To make it harder to be detected by game, hunters often attempt to make themselves harder to smell. Currently, hunters attempt to reduce human odors by wearing scent-blocking clothing (e.g., carbon suits) and/or applying masking scents (more-naturally occurring scents). Scent-blocking clothing decreases the amount of odors released from the human body, but does not eliminate odors from the hunter's breath, uncovered body parts, weapons, or hunting equipment. And masking human and other odors does not work well because most game can detect the underlying odors. In addition, unscented soaps are often used for bathing and for washing clothing. But this is a temporary solution, because the human body resumes emitting detectable levels of human scents in as little as 30 minutes afterward.
Accordingly, there is a need for a way to eliminate human and other warning scents from a hunting area so that wild game cannot as easily detect hunters. It is primarily to the provision of such a scent-elimination system that the present invention is directed.


Ophthalmologic surgical microscope which is combined internally with an optical coherence tomography ("OCT") apparatus wherein auto-focusing is provided by driving a motorized internal focusing lens of the ophthalmologic surgical microscope with a signal output from the OCT apparatus. An embodiment of the inventive ophthalmologic surgical microscope includes: (a) an optical coherence tomography ("OCT") apparatus; (b) a beamcombiner for internally coupling output from the OCT apparatus into the ophthalmologic surgical microscope; and (c) a motor for moving an internal focusing lens of the ophthalmologic surgical microscope in response to a signal from the OCT apparatus, whereby the ophthalmologic surgical microscope is auto-focused.

As is well known, cataract surgery is an ophthalmologic surgical procedure for removing an opaque intraocular lens from an eye. In accordance with this surgical procedure, after the intraocular lens is removed, an artificial intraocular lens needs to be implanted to recover the patient's vision. It is desirable for an ophthalmologic surgical microscope that is used during the surgical procedure to have a capability of auto-focusing on the intraocular lens capsule during the surgical procedure, which capability is especially important after a majority of the opaque intraocular lens has been removed. After a majority of the opaque intraocular lens has been removed, small amounts of cataract residue may remain on the optically transparent intraocular lens capsule--because the intraocular lens capsule is transparent, such residue is difficult to see. As is known, it is important to completely remove such residue because any residue left on the intraocular lens capsule will serve as a nucleus of a new cataract. Present apparatus for auto-focusing an ophthalmologic surgical microscope, such as a prior art apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,987 issued Feb. 22, 1994, are based on detecting and measuring the intensity of light scattered from an object. However, such apparatus for auto-focusing are disadvantageous because it is difficult to focus on an optically transparent medium such as the posterior intraocular lens capsule since reflection therefrom is specular and weak.
In light of the above, there is a need in the art for an ophthalmologic surgical microscope which can auto-focus on the posterior intraocular lens capsule for use in cataract surgery.
As is well known, refractive surgery is a surgical procedure that has, as its primary objective, correction of an ametropia by making incisions in a cornea to change the refractive power of the cornea. Surgical manipulation of corneal shape requires an accurate and precise method of measuring anterior corneal curvature from apex to limbus. At present, measurement of curvature of the center of the cornea is commonly made using a keratometer and, for more precise measurements of corneal topography, it is common to utilize photokeratoscopy or videokeratoscopy.
Current corneal topography measurement apparatus are mostly Placido-disc-based videokeratoscopes. In such an apparatus, a series of concentric rings are configured on a cone-shaped housing so that an image reflected from the cornea is virtually flat in space. Then, the configuration of the rings is analyzed to determine the corneal topography. A prior art apparatus of this type has been described in an article entitled "New Equipment and Methods for Determining The Contour of the Human Cornea" by M. G. Townsley, Contacto, 11(4), 1967, pp. 72-81. Such videokeratoscopes have the following disadvantages: (a) due to the small radius of the cornea (.about.8 mm), a limited number of rings can be resolved on the cornea (normally, the contour which can be measured is restricted to an area which ranges from 0.8 to 11 mm in diameter on the cornea); (b) no information can be obtained between the rings; and (c) due to use of rings, in-line measurement is very difficult when used in conjunction with an ophthalmologic surgical microscope. An article entitled "Accuracy and Precision of Keratometry, Photokeratoscopy, and Corneal Modeling on Calibrated Steel; Balls" by S. B. Hannush, S. L. Crawford, G. 0. Waring III, M. C. Gemmill, M. J. Lynn, and A. Nizam in Arch. Ophthalmol., Vol. 107, August 1989, pp. 1235-1239 provides a comparison of these prior art methods and apparatus.
Another corneal topography measurement apparatus has been developed recently by PAR Microsystem Co. The apparatus utilizes raster photogrammetry to measure a corneal topography. In this apparatus, a grid pattern is projected onto the cornea. The grid pattern is then viewed and imaged from an offset angle. Finally, corneal elevation at each of the discrete points in the grid pattern are calculated using the image of the projected grid pattern, and information relating to its geometry. This apparatus is described in an article entitled "Intraoperative raster photogrammetry--the PAR Corneal Topography System" by M. W. Berlin, J. Cataract Refract Surg, Vol. 19, Supplement, 1993, pp. 188-192. Corneal topography measurements suffer in this apparatus because only a limited number of points in the image of the projected grid pattern can be resolved by the image optics.
As is further known, since a posterior corneal surface contributes about -14% of total corneal refractive power, in some cases, an anterior corneal topography, by itself, does not provide sufficient information for use in a refractive surgical procedure. For that reason, it becomes even more important to obtain corneal topography measurements with a precision that cannot be provided by current corneal topography measurement apparatus.
In light of the above, there is a need in the art for an ophthalmologic surgical microscope which can perform in-line, corneal topography measurements for use in refractive surgical procedures.
Recently, a new ophthalmic measurement apparatus, an optical coherence tomography ("OCT") apparatus, has been disclosed which has advantages over the above-described prior art ophthalmic measurement apparatus. An OCT apparatus uses a short coherence light source for range measurements based on the principle of white light interferometry. OCT has been proposed recently for use in several ophthalmologic applications. For example, such proposals have been made in a preprint of an article which has been submitted for publication entitled "Micron-Resolution Imaging of the Anterior Eye in Vivo with Optical Coherence Tomography" by J. A. Izatt, M. R. Hee, E. A. Swanson, C. P. Lin, D. Huang, J. S. Schuman, C. A. Puliafito, and J. G. Fujimoto, 1994, pp. 1-24. The preprint discloses an OCT apparatus which utilizes optical fiber technology and a superluminescent laser diode source, which OCT apparatus is interfaced with a slitlamp biomicroscope for imaging intraocular structures with a spatial resolution of 10-20 .mu.m. The preprint discloses the use of the OCT apparatus to provide direct, micron-resolution measurements of (a) ocular profile dimensions, optical scattering, and structure in the cornea; (b) the anterior angle region; (c) the iris; and (d) the crystalline lens. The preprint further discloses the use of the OCT apparatus to measure: (a) anterior chamber depth, defined as a distance, along the visual axis, from the posterior corneal surface to the lens anterior capsule; (b) radius of curvature of the posterior and anterior surfaces of the cornea; (c) corneal refractive power; and (d) corneal dimensions such as thickness. The preprint still further discloses that the OCT apparatus, using an inexpensive diode laser source and a fiber optic implementation, is compatible with existing ophthalmic instrumentation. Finally, the preprint makes the following suggestions for potential clinical applications of OCT: (a) providing cross-sectional images of the entire anterior chamber for use in elucidating pathologies of the cornea, anterior angle region, and iris and for use in identifying and monitoring intraocular masses or tumors; (b) measuring anterior chamber depth, corneal curvature, and corneal refractive power; and (c) providing high resolution images showing corneal thickness variations and the distribution of scattering in corneal stroma for quantitative analysis of corneal pathologies.
As is well known, lasers are used in eye surgery for various applications, of which, perhaps the most important are photocoagulation of the retina and photoablation of the cornea. In such applications, laser radiation interacts with ocular tissue and causes structural and topological changes of the tissue. Such applications typically entail monitoring such tissue changes visually on a video monitor by means of a CCD microchip interface or through a binocular eye piece with an ophthalmologic surgery biomicroscope. However, the CCD image of the prior art is limited for two basic reasons. The first reason the CCD image of the prior art is limited is that the CCD image only provides an image of tissue surface. For laser treatment of macular holes, for example, although there is a need to limit tissue coagulation to a well defined area to avoid unnecessary damage of visual functions, there is also a need to limit tissue coagulation in depth to avoid bleeding of the highly perfused coroidal layer. Another example of the need to limit tissue changes in depth is the need to avoid damage of the endothelium layer of the cornea during laser ablation for photorefractive surgery. The second reason the CCD image of the prior art is limited is that it does not provide a quantitative method for controlling tissue change based on laser power, exposure, and spot size.
In light of the above, there is a need for an apparatus for use in laser treatment for controlling the extent of tissue change during the laser treatment and for controlling the tissue change based on laser power, exposure, and spot size.

Optical coherence tomography assisted surgical apparatus


A method is provided to render non-hazardous surface soil which is contaminated with lead compounds. The soil is treated by applying an aqueous composition comprising hydrogen peroxide, ammonium hydroxide, nitric acid and acetic acid and allowing said composition to migrate through the soil.

The present invention relates to compositions for the treatment of lead-based and lead-containing surface coatings or soil for the purpose of rendering said surface coatings or soil non-hazardous to humans. Specifically, the compositions are useful for the removal of lead-based paints from interior and exterior surfaces of a structure and for the treatment of lead-contaminated soil.
Lead-based coatings, for example, lead-based paint, may contain such compounds as lead chromate, lead molybdate, lead sulfate, lead borate, lead carbonate, lead monoxide, lead tetroxide, lead vanadate and lead antimonate. Soil surrounding public, private or Indian housing and structures of business may contain tetraethyl lead and perhaps other lead compounds.
Title X--Residential Lead-based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992 defines by amendment to the Toxic Substances Control Act "lead-based paint" as paint on surfaces with lead in excess of 1.0 mg/cm.sup.2 as measured by a spectrum analyzer or direct reading x-ray fluorescence (XRF) detector, or 0.5 percent by weight. The XRF threshold had been established in the 1988 amendment to the Lead-based Paint Poison Prevention Act and remains unchanged. Title X's explicit standard of 0.5 percent by weight focuses attention and resources on surfaces with high levels of lead.
Title X also defines "lead-based paint hazard" as any condition that causes exposure to lead sufficient to cause adverse human health effects and it cites six situations which are:
Deteriorated lead-based paint such as any exterior or interior lead-based paint that is peeling, chipping, chalking or cracking, or is located on any surface or fixture that is damaged or deteriorated.
Lead-based paint on any "friction surface", an interior or exterior surface subject to abrasion or friction, such as painted floors.
Lead-based paint on any "impact surface", an interior or exterior surface subject to damage by repeated impacts such as parts of door frames.
Lead-based paint on any "accessible surface", an interior or exterior surface accessible to a young child to mouth or chew, such as a window sill.
"Lead-contaminated dust", surface dust in residential dwellings that contain an area or mass concentration of lead in excess of the standard to be established by the Environmental Protection Agency.
"Lead-contaminated soil", bare soil on residential property that contains lead in excess of the standard to be established by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Title X also defines "abatement" as any set of measures designed to permanently eliminate lead-based paint hazards in accordance with standards established by appropriate Federal agencies. Such abatement includes:
(A) the removal of lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust, the permanent containment or encapsulation of lead-based paint, the replacement of lead-painted surfaces or fixture and the removal or covering of lead-contaminated soil; and PA1 (B) all preparation, clean-up, disposal and postabatement clearance testing activities associated with such measures.
Present state-of-the-art procedures for removing lead-based paint have serious disadvantages. The procedure described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,426,250 uses very caustic chemicals such as hydroxides of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. A paste containing such chemicals is applied to the painted surface and is then covered with a fabric during at least part of the treatment period. The method is time consuming and relatively hazardous.
In recent years, the most commonly used paint stripping compositions have contained halogenated hydrocarbon chemicals, such as methylene chloride. Since such chemicals are suspected to be carcinogenic, there have been many attempts to replace them with combinations of other organic chemicals. U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,164 is one reference which describes paint stripping compositions which contain among other organic constituents a significant amount of N-methyl-pyrrolidone. It is our understanding that in the presence of water these compositions have significantly lower stripping rates than compositions containing methylene chloride and that organic stripping agents are not easily washed from the stripped surface.
Some stripping compositions have contained peroxides such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,355,385. These compositions, however, contain very volatile and flammable solvents which render the life of the composition as a stripping agent very short. U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,675 combines the use of hydrogen peroxide with water soluble esters in aqueous stripping compositions to eliminate such problems.
All of the above stripping compositions contain organic solvents and stripping agents which are not easily washed from the treated surface. Also, none of these references indicate that the compositions are useful for the stripping of lead-based paints.
Treatment of lead in soil has been limited in the prior art to immobilizing the lead by converting lead containing compounds to non-leachable forms. Examples of such immobilization are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,162,600, 5,202,033 and 5,234,485.
It is an object of this invention to provide an effective aqueous based composition for the abatement of lead whether it be in lead-based paint or in surface soils.

Composition and method for treatment of lead-containing surface coatings and soil


A contact for a wire tap connector includes a substantially planar insulation displacement portion configured to receive a primary wire and electrically connect thereto, and a poke in wire section integrally formed with and attached to the planar insulation displacement portion. The poke in wire section is configured to accept a prepared connecting wire in one or more positions relative to the insulation displacement portion. When the contact is situated in a housing, a slidable stuffer may be provided to quickly and easily install the connector assembly to a primary run wire.

This invention relates generally to electrical connectors, and, more particularly, to slidable electrical connectors for coupling to a continuous wire extending through the connector.
In certain electrical systems, such as, for example, lighting applications, it is desirable to run a primary power wire, sometimes referred to as a "run wire" and to connect or tap into the run wire at various points to power peripheral devices, such as lighting devices. Typically, a connector is used to tap into or connect to the run wire, and another connecting wire is used to connect the wire tap connector to the peripheral device. Known connectors fur such purposes, are however, disadvantaged in several aspects.
Some known wire tap connectors require that the primary wire be cut or stripped of insulation to secure the wire conductors to the connector. Cutting and/or stripping of the primary wire can be time consuming, and in some installations can be challenging. Increased time or complexity in installing to the wire tap connectors translates into increased installation costs, and a lower cost installation is desired.
In other known wire tap connectors, the connecting wires from the wire tap connector to another device (e.g., a lighting device) must also be cut or stripped to terminate the connecting wire to the wire tap connector, thereby further increasing installation time and difficulty.
Additionally, with known wire tap connectors, one wire tap connector is required for each device connected to the primary run wire. Particularly when a large number of peripheral devices are to be installed, or when more than one peripheral device is desired in the same general area, separately installing wire tap connectors for each peripheral device can be unnecessarily time consuming and difficult.


The present invention relates to a coating solution to be applied on the surface of metals or metal alloys, a process for cold forming of metals and metal alloys using said coating solution, and a coated blank made of a metal or a metal alloy.

In cold forming, no heat is applied to the metallic workpiece before forming. However, its temperature can increase during the forming process, as the energy expanded in forming is almost completely converted into heat. The main advantages of cold forming are the saving of materials and working time, the use of lower strength steels, the improved quality of workpieces, lower machine costs, better size accuracy, high surface quality and an extended tool life. In order to achieve these advantages, a protective film must be formed between the tool and the work piece, which must remain intact during the working process. Such a protective film is mainly made up of molybdenum disulfide dispersions or graphite as lubricants. Hitherto, in order to obtain such a protective lubricating film in cold forming processes, lubricant carriers are applied onto the surface of the workpiece, which can absorb about five times the quantity of lubricants compared to the untreated metal surface. However, the application of such lubricant carriers onto the surface of workpieces is carried out by applying aggressive acids and metallic soaps in huge amounts, which is not desirable from an ecological standpoint.

Coating solution for metals and metal alloys


A seat recliner assembly established at a hinge location between a seat bottom and a pivotally associated seat back including a base plate and an inwardly teethed and package supporting sector secured to the seat back and seat bottom, respectively and sandwiched together in selectively rotatable fashion relative to define a component receiving space therebetween. A shaft projects through an aperture of a rotatably slaved cam situated within the space. A pair of locking pawls with exteriorly toothed surfaces are displaceable to engage with inwardly teethed locations of the package supporting sector. A pair of anti-chuck pawls are selectively engagable both by the cam and with the locking pawls. The cam is biased in a first rotational locking condition to influence the anti-chuck pawls outwardly against the locking pawls. The cam is rotated in an opposite and counter-biasing direction, thereby directly contacting the locking pawls and pivoting the same such that their exteriorly toothed surfaces are inwardly disengaged from the teethed sector, permitting rotational between the base plate and package sector.

The prior art is well documented with examples of seat recliner devices, and such as which can be incorporated into a vehicle seat whereby the seat back is capable of being rotatably mounted about a crosswise extending hinge defined with the seat bottom. Such circular/rotary disc package arrangements are particularly suited for seating applications, and in order to provide a dependable assembly for incrementally adjusting the seatback relative to the seat bottom, as well as optionally for facilitating dumping of the seatback against the seat bottom.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,802, issued to Matsuura et al., teaches a seat recliner having a base mounted to a first seat member. A seal recliner includes a gear mounted to a second seat member and which is rotatable relative to the base. The gear has first teeth along a peripheral face of the gear. The seat recliner includes a locking member movable inside the first teeth and which includes second interengageable teeth. A cam is configured to rotate the locking member to engage the first and second teeth with each other for establishing an angle between the first and second seat members. A guide is located on the base and exhibits a guide face for slidably guiding the locking member to engage the first and second teeth with each other. The guide extends radially from a vicinity of the first teeth to a vicinity of the cam. A near side of the guide relative to the first teeth and the locking member define a gap therebetween.
A further series of related recliner devices are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 6,648,414 (Ikegaya et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 6,666,515 (Asano et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,629,733 (Matsuura et al.). Each of the above-referenced are architecturally similar to the Matsuura et al. recliner.
Other references worthy of mention include the automotive seat recliner apparatus of Ohba, U.S. Pat. No. 7,144,082, as well as the seat reclining device of Ohba, U.S. Pat. No. 7,150,503. In the specific example of the reclining device of U.S. Pat. No. 7,150,503, a base member is coupled to one of a seat cushion or a seat back, with a gear teethed pivot member being coupled to the other. A shaft member is formed integrally with the base member and has a cylindrical shaft surface. A lock member includes first and second opposite end surfaces, with lock teeth formed in the second end surface. A cam member is provided for moving the lock member to engage the lock teeth with the gear teeth, first and second guide members being formed integrally with the base member to guide the lock member along a path around the shaft member and a stress absorbing protrusion formed integrally with the shaft surface on an opposite side of the shaft member from the lock teeth.

Disc recliner assembly incorporated into a seatback/seat base pivot associated with a vehicle seat


An apparatus for discriminating voice data so as to create statistical data and for discriminating voice/voice band data in digital speech interpolation and digital circuit multiplication equipment. A comparison is made between the dead zone width and the amplitude of the input signal so as to count only how many times the input signal crosses the width of each dead zone as the number of the zero crosses. Then, the sum of the absolute-value voltages of the input signal is determined and the encoding is performed based on the values corresponding to the sum thereof thus determined or the average and dispersion analysis of the values is carried out, thereby effecting the discrimination of the vowel and consonant of the voice, the tone signal and the frequency thereof, and the modulated wave. Further, the number of the crosses of the input signal to the threshold set in the form of plural steps is determined to the input signal transmitted over the telephone line. Then, the encoding is made based on the result of determination of the number of the crosses or the average and dispersion analysis of the values is performed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a voice/voice band data discrimination apparatus for discriminating voice/voice band data or the like, more particularly to an apparatus for discriminating voice data so as to create statistical data and to an apparatus for discriminating voice/voice band data in digital speech interpolation (hereinafter called "DSI") and digital circuit multiplication equipment (hereinafter called "DCME").
2. Description of the Prior Art
As a conventional voice/voice band data discriminating apparatus, there- are known two cases according to the purposes.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a conventional voice/voice band data discrimination apparatus employed in DSI and DCME. This apparatus is designed in such a manner as to catch or identify a tone of 2100 Hz set in the head of a FAX and/or modem signal. Similarly, it is also designed so as to catch a specific frequency for identifying a signaling.
A signal employed in each of the DSI and DCME is represented in the form of a digitized PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) signal of 64 kbps. A judgment as to whether or not the signal is represented in analog or digital form offers no essential problem with respect to the intended functions. However, the digital signal is deeply correlated to the apparatus employed in the DSI and DCME which simultaneously deal with a number of channels. Therefore, a description will be made herein of the digital signal by way of example.
An input signal to be transmitted over a telephone line is supplied to an input terminal 1 and divided into two. One of the two signals is inputted to a signal processing unit 13 for the DSI and DCME, and the other thereof is supplied to a tone discriminator 12. The tone discriminator 12 is comprised of filters or the like and detects a single frequency. When the frequency detected at this time is 2100 Hz, it is determined to be voice band data. In other words, it is judged to be a FAX and/or modem signal. Then, the signal processing unit 13 receives the result of determination or discrimination from the tone discriminator 12 to thereby performing processing based on the contents of discrimination.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing another conventional example. This is an apparatus of the type wherein the spectrum for an input signal is analyzed and the contour of the spectrum is determined from the arithmetic operation, as shown in FIG. 10, so as to judge it to be a voice sound when a one-sided low frequency is formed, to judge it to be a modulated wave when a one-sided high frequency is formed, and to judge it to be a tone only when a specific spectrum is represented, whereby the contents of the signal is discriminated.
In this apparatus, the input data measuring circuit 14 measures data necessary for the spectrum analysis based on a signal inputted from a signal input terminal 1. Then, the spectrum for the data is determined by a spectrum analysis/arithmetic circuit 15 provided at the stage after the input data measuring circuit 14. Thereafter, a statistical processing circuit 16 performs necessary statistical calculation.
As an alternative to the apparatus used for the above purpose, there is known one in which the number of zero crosses is used as one element for the judgment of the contents of the signal and employed in combination of the same with other functions.
The conventional voice/voice band data discrimination apparatus is constructed as described above. Since the circuit shown in FIG. 8 detects only a signal of 2100 Hz, the modem signal itself cannot be detected. Therefore, a signal from the apparatus with no tone of 2100 Hz set in the head thereof and a modem signal, which appears after the top or head signal of 2100 Hz has passed therethrough, cannot be detected.
The Fourier arithmetic processing is performed to determine the spectrum for the input signal in the circuit shown in FIG. 9. Therefore, its processing becomes complex and the apparatus is large-sized in structure. In particular, the apparatus employed in the DSI and DCME which simultaneously deal with many channels has problems that it becomes large and its manufacturing cost is high.

Voice/voice band data discrimination apparatus


Electronic device package technology is disclosed. An electronic device package in accordance with the present disclosure can include a substrate, a plurality of electronic components in a stacked relationship, and an encapsulant material encapsulating the electronic components. Each of the electronic components can be electrically coupled to the substrate via a wire bond connection and spaced apart from an adjacent electronic component to provide clearance for the wire bond connection. The encapsulant can be disposed between center portions of adjacent electronic components. Associated systems and methods are also disclosed.

Integrated circuit packaging often includes two or more electronic components (e.g., dies) in a stacked configuration electrically coupled to a package substrate. This arrangement provides a space savings and has therefore become increasingly popular for small form factor applications due to the higher component density that can be provided in devices such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDA), and digital cameras. The stacked dies are typically connected to the substrate by wire bond connections and the dies are offset from one another to provide clearance for the wire bond connections.
Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope or to specific invention embodiments is thereby intended.


An electrostatic discharge structure protection structure formed on an interconnect circuit (20) that includes elongated interconnect lines (13) and interconnect contact pads (17) formed on a dielectric substrate (11) wherein portions of the interconnect circuit are subject to physical contact by a person. The electrostatic discharge protection structure includes an interconnected conductive grounding metallization ground pattern that includes a ground ring pattern (19) adjacent selected edges of the perimeter of the substrate and conductive metallization traces (29) adjacent selected edges of openings in the substrate. The electrostatic discharge protection structure further includes spark gaps (23a, 23b) formed between the interconnect pads and the conductive grounding pattern, and grounding pads (25') exposed by openings in the substrate.

The subject invention is directed generally to electrostatic discharge protection for electronic circuits, and more particularly to a non-moving electrostatic discharge structure that is readily integrated into the product being protected.
Electronic components that are sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD) are utilized in a wide range of products including office equipment such as computers and printers. A common cause of electrostatic discharge is the physical contact or handling by a person of a product containing ESD sensitive electronic components, as in the course of replacing an inkjet print cartridge, for example. In particular, electrostatic charge that may have been accumulated by a person will be discharged upon physical handling of the product. The path of discharge in the product will be the path of least impedance from the location of charge transfer and may include ESD sensitive electronic components.
Known techniques for preventing damage as a result of ESD include the integration of protection circuitry into electronic components, anti-static packaging, shielding covers to prevent contact with conductive elements, and static charge dissipating furnishings such as anti-static rugs and table mats. Considerations with integrating protection circuitry into electronic components include difficulty in achieving the requisite level of protection, and the burden of re-designing existing electronic components, particularly those that include integrated circuits. Anti-static packaging and shielding covers add cost, and moreover cease to afford ESD protection after removal. The use of static dissipating furnishings can be burdensome and therefore not readily implemented, and moreover may not provide sufficient ESD protection.

Ground ring/spark gap ESD protection of tab circuits


A system and method for capturing and modeling an environment is described. A user may direct a rangefinder within an environment to capture data points and correlate the data points with predefined objects. One may also capture images of the environment to be used in the modeling environment. Using the present system, one may easily and quickly capture an environment using relatively few data points.

1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to computer modeling of environments. More specifically, aspects of the present invention relate to accurately capturing virtual environments.
2. Description of Related Art
A need exists for three-dimensional models of interior environments. From the gaming community to the military, actual renderings of building interiors based on actual buildings are being sought. For example, applications are being developed to provide training at the individual human level to facilitate improved military operations and capabilities as well as situational awareness. The training of individuals improves with a greater level of realism during the training exercise. For instance, benefits gained form mission rehearsal increase with the realism of the environment in which the mission is rehearsed.
Numerous applications exist for modeling outdoor terrain including satellite mapping and traditional surveying techniques. However, interior modeling techniques have been constrained to using pre-existing computer aided design drawings, building layout drawings, and a person's recollection of an environment. These modeling approaches may rely on out-of-date information (for example, blueprints of a 50-year-old building). Further, these modeling approaches fail to accurately define furniture types and furniture placement. In some situations, one may need to orient oneself based on the furniture and wall coverings of a room. Without this information, one may become lost and have to spend valuable time reorienting oneself with the environment. Further, one may want to know what is movable and what is not movable. Accordingly, realistic interiors are needed for simulation and training purposes.
Traditional methods exist for rendering building interiors including the use of computer aided design (CAD) drawings or laser scanning for the development of 3-D building models. However, as above, these approaches have not been helpful when attempting to interact a rendered environment in real-time. In some cases, the overload of information has made interaction with these environments difficult. For instance, original CAD drawings are not always current and laser scanning requires significant post processing. In particular, laser scanning about a point in space generates a cloud of data points which need to be processed to eliminate redundant points and convert them into easily-handled polygons. Further, laser scanning from one position is sub-optimal as points in a room are generally occluded by furniture. Blocking access to these points makes subsequent image processing difficult as a computer would need to determine whether non-planar points represent furniture or a curve in the wall of a room. To accurately determine the walls and contents of a room, multiple passes may be needed to attempt to eliminate blind spots caused by furniture and other objects. Further, these techniques do not capture data with knowledge of what is being captured.
Some techniques have been used to capture photographs of building interiors. For example, spherical photographic images have been used to capture photographic information surrounding a point in space in a room. While these photographic images may be assembled into a video stream representing a path through the room, deviation from the predefined path is not possible.
Accordingly, an improved system is needed for capturing and modeling interior spaces.

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)


An acoustic warning or alerting system for directing an audible warning signal to at least one intended recipient, while reducing the chance that the warning signal will be heard by others within the proximity of the system. The system includes a modulator for modulating an ultrasonic carrier signal with a processed audio signal, a driver amplifier for amplifying the modulated carrier signal, and a parametric array of acoustic transducers for projecting the modulated and amplified carrier signal through a propagation medium for subsequent regeneration of the audio signal along a pre-selected projection path. The parametric array of audio transducers operates by employing the nonlinear interaction between high frequency sound components and the propagation medium to generate at least one highly directional beam of lower frequency sounds within the propagation medium. The directional acoustic alerting system may be employed as a replacement for conventional alerting systems such as horns, whistles, and bells to assure that primarily only those people and/or animals intended to hear the warning signal actually hear the sound.

The present invention relates generally to acoustic warning or alerting systems, and more specifically to acoustic warning or alerting systems capable of producing highly directional audible sound.
Acoustic warning or alerting systems have been widely employed in a variety of applications. For example, acoustic alerting systems have been employed in vehicles such as automobiles, railroad trains, bicycles, airplanes, and boats for generating sounds to alert people and/or animals of the vehicle's presence. Specifically, horns have been used in automobiles for altering pedestrians of the automobile's approach. Further, horns, bells and/or whistles have been used on trains for altering people and/or animals on or near the railroad tracks of the train's presence. Similar acoustic alerting and alarm systems have also been employed in residential, industrial, and commercial settings, e.g., for generating sounds to warn individuals of dangerous conditions, and to alert intruders that they have entered restricted areas.
However, conventional acoustic alerting systems such as horns, bells, whistles, and alarms have drawbacks in that the sound generated by such systems is often not heard by the intended recipients. Even if the intended recipient hears the sound, he or she may not be sufficiently compelled to react to the sound in the most appropriate manner, such as by moving out of the path of an oncoming vehicle. For example, people who have survived being struck by a train frequently admit that they never heard the train coming until it was too late to move out of the train's way.
The effectiveness of conventional acoustic alerting systems has been enhanced somewhat by configuring them to generate more powerful or more attention-grabbing sounds such as louder or harsher sounds. However, because conventional acoustic alerting systems are generally omnidirectional, the loud and harsh sounds generated by such systems can usually be heard not only by the intended recipients, but also by people who have no need to hear the sounds. For example, although a train whistle is normally intended to be heard only by people and/or animals on or near the railroad tracks, in actuality, people who are a significant distance away from the tracks in all directions may hear the whistle. Specifically, when a train is travelling by a residential neighborhood, residents often complain about the loud warning sound of the train whistle as the train approaches road intersections, even though such warning signals are needed to avoid accidents. As a result, the number of trains allowed to pass, as well as the number of allowable train transit hours, may be severely curtailed near such residential neighborhoods.
Similar drawbacks exist for automobile horns, which are generally intended to be heard only by people and/or animals in front of the automobile. Because the sound generated by automobile horns typically radiates omnidirectionally, all people in the general vicinity of the automobile, including those who have no need to hear the horn, are often forced to listen to the sound. This can increase noise pollution to nuisance levels, especially in highly populated urban areas.
It would therefore be desirable to have an acoustic warning or alerting system that may be employed in a vehicle such as an automobile, a railroad train, a bicycle, an airplane, and a boat, and in residential, industrial, and commercial settings. Such a system would be capable of generating audible sound that is heard primarily by the intended recipient(s), instead of by everyone in the general vicinity of the system. It would also be desirable to have an acoustic alerting system that can generate highly directional sound that may be heard by both humans and animals.


Method for allocating radio resources for the establishment of an outgoing call originating from a mobile terminal of a first system for radiocommunications with mobiles having a given radio interface and a mutual help channel, via a base station of a second system for radiocommunications with mobiles having a given radio interface which is incompatible with the radio interface of the first system. The base station monitores the mutual help channel of the first system. In case of detection, by the base station, of a given pattern transmitted by the mobile terminal on the mutual help channel, by the base station allocates a traffic channel emulating the radio interface of the first system, for communication with the mobile terminal.

Various systems of this type frequently coexist over contiguous and/or partially overlapping but not totally overlapping geographical areas. For example, in a country having a federal type administrative organization, as is the case in the United States of America, the decisions regarding the deployment of radiocommunications systems for the police, for example, can be taken in an unconcerted and/or uncoordinated manner in bordering states. Nevertheless, the users, in this instance the police agencies of the states, must be able to carry out joint operations such as for example the pursuit of a villain fleeing from one state to another. For this reason, interoperability between various systems is necessary.
The invention aims to propose a solution to allow the interoperability between two mobile radio systems having mutually incompatible respective radio interfaces.
Each system comprises on the one hand mobile terminals such as portable terminals (installed on board a vehicle) and/or terminals which can be carried (by a user) and on the other hand a fixed infrastructure (network) comprising base stations distributed over the geographical area covered by the system and equipment for interconnection between the base stations and the fixed infrastructure of another system. The radio interface of a mobile radio system designates the set of protocols and of specifications which govern the exchange of radio signals between the base stations and the mobile terminals of the system. The characteristics of the radio interface are given, in particular, by the frequency band used, the width of the spectrum of the radio signals, the type of modulation, the type of coding of the information, the frame structure, etc.
Conventionally, a call originating from a mobile terminal intended for another terminal, mobile or fixed, is referred to as an outgoing call. The term "outgoing" is therefore to be regarded from the point of view of the mobile terminal from which the call originates.
In what follows, the case illustrated in FIG. 1 of a first and of a second mobile radio system is considered. The first system comprises on the one hand a network R1 having at least one base station BTS1, and on the other hand at least one mobile terminal TR1. The base station BTS1 and the mobile terminal TR1 can exchange radio signals via a radio interface I1. The second mobile radio system comprises on the one hand a network R2 having at least one base station BTS2, and on the other hand at least one mobile terminal TR2. The base station BTS2 and the mobile terminal TR2 can exchange radio signals over a radio interface I2. The base stations BTS1 and BTS2 of the networks R1 and R2 respectively are linked in a wire manner to an inter-system interface ISI carrying out the interconnection of the networks R1 and R2. Such an interface will be able to carry out a trans-encryption and/or trans-vocoding operation when the modes of encryption and/or of vocoding of the first and second systems are mutually incompatible.
In one example, the second system is regarded as constituting a new version or new generation, of the first system. In this example, the first system is moreover regarded as being the Project 25 system of the APCO (standing for "Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International, Inc."). The second system therefore consists, in this example, of a new generation of the Project 25 system. This is why, in what follows, the first system will sometimes be referred to as Project 25—Phase I or old generation system, whereas the second radiocommunications system will sometimes be referred to as Project 25—Phase II or new generation system.
In order to improve the spectral efficiency, the Project 25—Phase II system uses channels whose equivalent bandwidth is equal to 6.25 kHz per voice communication, as replacement for the channels of the Project 25—Phase I system whose equivalent bandwidth is equal to 12.5 kHz per voice communication. This system may for example be a TDMA system of order 2, the physical channels with a width of 12.5 kHz being able to carry two simultaneous voice communications so as to obtain a total efficiency of 6.25 kHz per communication. For this reason, and for others, the characteristics of the radio interface I2 of the Project 25—Phase II system are different from the radio interface I1 of the Project 25—Phase I system. It follows from this that the radio interface I2 is incompatible with the radio interface I1.
In the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1, the mobile terminal TR1 is in the area of coverage of the network R1, and more particularly of the base station BTS1 of the old generation system. Moreover, the mobile terminal TR2 is in the area of coverage of the network R2 and more particularly of the base station BTS2 of the new generation system. When the mobile terminal TR1 wishes to enter into communication with the mobile terminal TR2, it sets up a communication with the base station BTS1 according to the protocol of the radio interface I1. The call is then processed by the network R1 so as to be routed to the inter-system interface ISI, since the network R1 recognizes a call intended for a terminal belonging to the new generation system, owing, for example, to the fact that the call numbers identifying the terminals of this system possess a characteristic prefix. The network R2 of the new generation system receives an incoming call on the inter-system interface ISI intended for the mobile terminal TR2. It sets up this call, via the base station BTS2, according to the protocol of the radio interface I2 of the new generation system. Call set-up is thus carried out simply. Specifically each mobile terminal, in particular the calling mobile terminal TR1, is in the area of coverage of the network of the system to which it belongs. The exchange of voice data can then take place between the terminal TR1 and the terminal TR2, possibly with an operation of trans-encryption and/or of trans-vocoding in the inter-system interface ISI.
Nevertheless it may happen that a mobile terminal exits the area of coverage of the network of the system to which it belongs.
Thus, in the configuration illustrated in FIG. 2, the terminal TR2 of the new generation system S2 has left the area of coverage of the network R2 of the new generation system and is in the area of coverage of the network R1 of the old generation system, and more particularly of the base station BTS1 of this system. This configuration still does not raise any problem in respect of the establishment of a call originating from the terminal TR2 intended for the terminal TR1. Indeed, the terminal TR2 of the new generation system is in general capable of using the radio interface I1 of the old generation system. In fact it comprises means for emulating this interface. Interoperability between the two systems is then obtained in a simple and efficient manner.
Nevertheless, a problem arises in the reverse configuration, illustrated in FIG. 3, according to which a terminal TR1 of the old generation system has left the area of coverage of the network R1 of this system and is in the area of coverage of the network R2 of the new generation system, and more particularly of the base station BTS2 of this system. Specifically, the terminal TR1 being of an old generation, it cannot use the radio interface I2 of the new generation system.
One solution would consist in permanently dedicating, in the new generation system, resources necessary for the emulation of the radio interface I1 of the old generation system. In the case of an FDMA (standing for "Frequency Division Multiple Access") type system, such as the Project 25 system, such resources would consist of a conventional physical channel set up permanently on one of the frequencies specific of each base station of the new generation system, such as the base station BTS2. This solution is nevertheless inconceivable since it excessively penalizes the spectral efficiency of the new generation system. In particular, for base stations installed in a rural area, and for which in principle just two traffic physical channels are sufficient, this solution would represent a 50% overhead in terms of resources dedicated to interoperability. These resources being necessary on average in only 1% of cases, this overhead is prohibitive.

Method for allocating radio resources, base station for carrying out such method, and system incorporating same


A liquid dispenser and control system includes a base member having an intake cavity with an axis for orientation in an upward direction, the intake cavity being sealingly mateable with a mouth opening of a replaceable liquid container which, when mated with the intake cavity, is in an inverted position for draining liquid through the mouth opening into the intake cavity. The intake cavity includes a sump into which liquid from the container can drain by gravity. The vent tube assembly has an intake end connectable to atmosphere or a source of gas, the vent tube assembly extending from the base member through the intake cavity, and has a venting end for positioning inside the container. A passageway extends through a portion of the base member, the passageway having an entry end and an exit end, the entry end connected to the sump, through which liquid from the sump can drain into the passageway. A sensor has a fluid path therethrough connected to the exit end of the passageway, the sensor for detecting when liquid flow through the passageway from the container ceases and is followed by gas from the container entering the sensor. A liquid conduit is connected to the fluid path of the sensor, for receiving liquid passing through the sensor.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of precision liquid dispensing, such as when it is desirable or required to account by unit volume for all liquid dispensed. One such application is the dispensing of controlled substances in a clinical environment.
2. Description of the Background Art
Currently, controlled substance dispensing systems draw liquid directly from a bottle in which the material is supplied by the manufacturer. This is accomplished by intaking liquid through a dip tube that has been inserted through the bottle opening or cap with the bottle standing upright or fixtured at a slight angle. As dosages are dispensed, the material is drawn from the bottle until the level drops below the intake of the dip tube at which time air is suctioned into the dispensing system, the pumping device loses it's prime and dispensing ceases. At this point a partial dose has been dispensed and it, along with the residual liquid left in the bottle, must be accounted for. Weighing these leftover amounts, and covering the weight to the proper unit/volume using the material's specific gravity, is required.
After accounting for the partial dose and the residual liquid left in the bottle, the empty bottle must be replaced with a new full one. Because the pumping device has lost it's liquid prime after emptying the previous bottle, it is necessary to prime the system with the liquid from this new bottle. In doing so a certain amount of the liquid from this new bottle will be expelled from the dispense nozzle and must be collected, weighed and accounted for as previously described.
The shortfalls of the aforementioned system is the awkwardness of collecting, weighing and accurately accounting for the liquid lost to the partial dose and the residual liquid left in the bottle that cannot be fully drained, as well as the need to prime the system after each bottle change. Additionally, it should be understood that this is an entirely manual system and the reliance on human operation in material handling, weighing and data collection interjects many opportunities for inaccuracy and error.
There remains a need in the art for improvements in liquid dispensing and control systems.


An icemaker assembly includes an ice tray having an ice forming compartment, a water line configured to advance water from a water source to the ice tray, a valve operable to selectively block advancement of water through the water line while an actuation signal is generated, a control system operable to generate the actuation signal for a water advancement period, a water level detection system for determining if a level of water in the ice forming compartment is below a threshold value and generating a control signal in response thereto. The control system is further operable to alter a magnitude of the water advancement period in response to generation of the control signal. Water is initially advanced into the ice forming compartment for a first period of time during a first ice making cycle by opening the valve. If it is determined that the level of water in the ice forming compartment is below a threshold value during the first ice making cycle, a control signal is generated in response thereto and during a second ice making period the valve is opened for a second period of time in response to generation of the control signal so that water advances into the ice forming compartment of said ice tray through the valve during said second ice making cycle for a period of time that is greater than the first period of time.

This invention relates to icemakers for household refrigerators and more particularly to ice makers that adjust the fill time based upon a sensed level of filling of the ice tray.
Conventional ice makers typically provide an ice tray including a plurality of compartments to be filled with water which is frozen to form ice cubes. A water supply is typically in fluid communication with at least one of the compartments of the ice tray. Often weirs, slots or gaps are provided between adjacent compartments in the tray so that water may be introduced into one compartment and overflow into adjacent compartments.
Typically ice makers use a timer controlled valve on the water supply to determine the level of water in the compartments. This method of controlling water level requires an initial calibration of the device to achieve the desired fill level. Often the fill level may be adjusted by the user between a minimum level wherein the valve is open for a minimum time interval and a maximum level wherein the valve is open for a maximum time interval.
In some prior art devices, the timer is implemented on a disk attached to the end of a motor driven shaft of an ejector arm that rotates at a known rate. In such implementations, during an ejection cycle when the ejector arm is being rotated 360 degrees to eject the ice cubes, a contact engages a conductive strip on the disk after the ejector arm has rotated sufficiently to eject ice formed in the compartments of the tray thereby closing a circuit that opens the solenoid operated water valve. The conductive strip extends about the focus of the disk and has a length. However, the conductive strip is either non-concentrically located or varies in width so that lateral movement of the contact can cause the contact to engage and disengage the conductive strip at various points during rotation of the ejector arm. Thus, by adjusting the lateral position of the first contact, the user can control the time that the water fill valve is opened and thus adjust the level of the water in the compartments.
Unfortunately, timers alone cannot guaranty consistent fill levels. Over time, water lines tend to become corroded or clogged with mineral deposits. Additionally, water pressure may vary. These factors alter the flow rate of water into the compartments and thus the fill level of the compartments. An increase in flow rate could result in an overflow of the ice-tray allowing water to flow into the freezer compartment. A decrease in flow rate could result in smaller ice cubes and insufficient ice supply.
Thus, an ice maker that adapts to differing flow rates to maintain the fill level of the ice forming compartments would be appreciated.
According to one aspect of the disclosure, a method of producing ice comprises the steps of opening a valve for a first period of time, determining if a level of water is below a threshold value, opening the valve for a second period of time. The opening a valve for a first period of time step occurs during a first ice making cycle so that water advances from a fluid source into at least one ice forming compartment of an ice tray through the valve. The determining if a level of water is below a threshold value step occurs in at least one ice forming compartment during the first ice making cycle. A control signal is generated in response to the determining step. The opening the valve for a second period of time occurs during a second ice making cycle in response to generation of the control signal so that water advances from a fluid source into the at least one ice forming compartment of the ice tray through the valve during the second ice making cycle. The second period of time is greater than the first period of time.
According to a second aspect of the disclosure, a method of producing ice, comprises the steps of performing successive ice making cycles, determining if a size characteristic of said ice member produced during a first ice making cycle is less than a threshold value and generating a control signal in response thereto and increasing a magnitude of said water advancement period for a subsequent ice making cycle in response to generation of said control signal. Each ice making cycle includes advancing water into at least one ice forming compartment of an ice tray by opening a valve connected to a water source for a water advancement period and reducing the temperature of water within said ice tray after said water advancing step so as to cause said water located within said at least one ice forming compartment to become an ice member.
According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, an icemaker assembly comprises an ice tray, a water line, a valve, a control system, and a water level detection system. The ice tray has at least one ice forming compartment. The water line is configured to advance water from a water source to the ice tray. The valve is operable to selectively block advancement of water through the water line while an actuation signal is generated. The control system is operable to generate the actuation signal for a water advancement period. The water level detection system determines if a level of water in the at least one ice forming compartment is below a threshold value and generates a control signal in response thereto. The control system is further operable to increase a magnitude of the water advancement period in response to generation of the control signal.
According to still another aspect of the disclosure, an icemaker assembly comprises an ice tray, a water line, a valve, a control system and an ice size detector. The ice tray has at least one ice forming compartment. The water line is configured to advance water from a water source to the ice tray. The valve is operable to selectively block advancement of water through the water line while an actuation signal is generated. The control system is operable to generate the actuation signal for a water advancement period. The ice size detection system determines if a size characteristic of an ice member located in the at least one ice forming compartment is less than a threshold value and generates a control signal in response thereto. The control system is further operable to increase a magnitude of said water advancement period in response to generation of the control signal.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Like reference characters tend to indicate like parts throughout the several views.


Embodiments described herein generally relate to the modification of State of Charge (SoC) calculations within electric vehicles (EVs). A database of data points may be generated based on characteristics of a battery cell at various measured SoCs within a controlled environment. Subsequently, during the operation of an EV, a battery management system (BMS) within the EV may collect various operating data points. The collected operating data points may be utilized to reference similar data points stored in the database in order to determine an SoC value. The SoC value may be utilized to modify or alter the SoC calculations by the BMS for an EV in operation.

Electric vehicles (EVs) have emerged as a viable mode of transportation in modern society. However, in some ways, EVs may still be inferior to traditional gas-combustion engine vehicles. One such way is determining the amount of energy an EV has remaining. In traditional gas-combustion engines the amount of gas remaining in a tank can be easily measured. On the other hand, because there is no liquid fuel in an EV, the remaining energy must be measured based on the EV's battery. The remaining amount of energy within an EV's battery may be referred to as the state of charge (SoC) of the battery. Measuring the SoC of an EV battery is more difficult than measuring the amount of gas in a gas-combustion engine vehicle. However, these measurements are equally important as a driver ideally should know how much longer they can drive before the vehicle runs out of energy. Furthermore, accurate SoC estimation may be important for an autonomous driving system to determine how or whether the autonomous vehicle may make it to its intended destination. Thus there is a need to improve SoC calculations within EVs.

State of charge error estimation of battery cells background

CHONGQING JINKANG POWERTRAIN NEW ENERGY CO., LTD.


An outboard engine has a bracket. A drive unit mounted thereto is pivotable about a steering axis with respect thereto by a steering actuator. A motor operatively connected to the steering actuator is mounted to the bracket and rotationally fixed with respect thereto about the steering axis. A control module includes a motor drive electrically connected to the motor and configured to be connected to a power source. An electrically conductive thermal element is electrically connected to the motor. A temperature of the thermal element is indicative of a temperature of the motor. A controller is configured to obtain the temperature of the thermal element and to control power delivered to the motor via the motor drive based at least in part on the temperature of the thermal element. The controller and the thermal element are mounted to the drive unit and pivotable therewith about the steering axis.

An outboard engine generally comprises a bracket assembly that connects the drive unit of the outboard engine to the transom of a boat. The drive unit includes the internal combustion engine and propeller. The outboard engine is typically designed so that the steering angle and the tilt/trim angles of the drive unit relative to the boat can be adjusted and modified as desired. The bracket assembly typically includes a swivel bracket carrying the drive unit for pivotal movement about a steering axis and a stern bracket supporting the swivel bracket and the drive unit for pivotal movement about a tilt axis extending generally horizontally. The stern bracket is connected to the transom of the boat.
A hydraulic actuator is connected between the swivel bracket and the drive unit for pivoting the drive unit about the steering axis in order to steer the boat. One or more hydraulic actuators are also connected between the stern and swivel brackets for pivoting the swivel bracket to trim the drive unit, to lift the lower portion of the outboard engine above the water level or, conversely, lower the lower portion of the outboard engine below the water level.
The steering motion of the watercraft is controlled by a steering assembly including a steering operator, such as a steering wheel, provided in the watercraft. The steering operator is connected to the hydraulic actuator(s) for steering via a hydraulic assembly including one or more pumps, hydraulic fluid reservoirs, hoses and valves. A power steering assembly is connected to the hydraulic assembly to assist in steering of the watercraft by the steering operator. It is possible for components of the power steering assembly to get overheated during operation of the watercraft.
It is known to protect electric components such as the power steering pump motor from overheating by providing a temperature sensor to monitor the temperature of the pump motor and shutting off the pump motor when the motor reaches a threshold operating temperature. However, abruptly shutting off the power steering pump during operation is undesirable as it will result in a sudden loss of power steering. In such a condition, the operator maintains the ability to steer the watercraft, but steering takes much more effort without the assistance provided by the power steering. Moreover, the sudden change in effort required to steer could potentially lead an operator of the watercraft to believe that their steering system of the watercraft has failed and/or cause a momentary loss of control of the watercraft. It is therefore desirable to prevent the power steering from abruptly shutting off when the pump motor reaches the threshold operating temperature.
It is therefore desirable to protect the components of the power steering assembly from overheating without compromising on the safety and functionality of the steering function, and without increasing the cost and/or complexity of components of the outboard engine.

Power steering control system and method for an outboard engine of a watercraft


One aspect of an intravascular ventricular assist device is an implantable blood pump where the pump includes a housing defining a bore having an axis, one or more rotors disposed within the bore, each rotor including a plurality of magnetic poles, and one or more stators surrounding the bore for providing a magnetic field within the bore to induce rotation of each of the one or more rotors. Another aspect of the invention includes methods of providing cardiac assistance to a mammalian subject as, for example, a human. Further aspects of the invention include rotor bodies having helical channels formed longitudinally along the length of the body of the rotor where each helical channel is formed between peripheral support surface areas facing radially outwardly and extending generally in circumferential directions around the rotational axis of the rotor.

The present invention relates to pumps usable as implantable ventricular assist devices, to components useful in such pumps, and to methods of using the same.
In certain disease states, the heart lacks sufficient pumping capacity to meet the needs of the body. This inadequacy can be alleviated by providing a mechanical pump referred to as a ventricular assist device to supplement the pumping action of the heart. It would be desirable to provide a ventricular assist device which can be implanted and which can remain in operation for months or years to keep the patient alive while the heart heals, or which can remain in operation permanently during the patient's lifetime if the heart does not heal, or which can keep the patient alive until a suitable donor heart becomes available.
Design of a ventricular assist device presents a daunting engineering challenge. The device must function reliably for the desired period of implantation. Moreover, blood is not a simple fluid, but instead is a complex system containing cells. Severe mechanical action can lead to hemolysis, or rupture of the red blood cells, with serious consequences to the patient. Also, blood in contact with an artificial surface, such as the surfaces of a pump, tends to clot. While this tendency can be suppressed to some extent by proper choice of materials, surface finishes and by administration of anticoagulants, it is still important to design the pump so that there are no regions within the device where blood can be trapped or flow is interrupted for relatively prolonged periods. To provide clinically useful assistance to the heart, the device must be capable of delivering a substantial blood flow at a pressure corresponding to normal blood pressure. For example, a ventricular assist device for an adult human patient of normal size should deliver about 1-10 liters per minute of blood at a pressure of about 70-110 mm Hg depending on the needs of the patient.
One type of ventricular assist device or pump uses a balloon. The balloon is placed within the aorta. The balloon is connected to an external pump adapted to repeatedly inflate and deflate the balloon in synchronism with the contractions of the heart muscle to assist the pumping action. Balloon assist devices of this nature have numerous limitations including limited durability and limited capacity.
As described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,688,861, a miniature electrically-powered rotary pump can be implanted surgically within the patient. Such a pump has a housing with an inlet and an outlet, and a rotor which is suspended within the housing and driven by a rotating magnetic field provided by a stator or winding disposed outside of the housing. During operation, the rotor is suspended within the housing by hydrodynamic and magnetic forces. In such a pump, the rotor may be the only moving part. Because the rotor does not contact the housing during operation, such a pump can operate without wear. Pumps according to the preferred embodiments taught in the '861 patent and related patents have sufficient pumping capacity to provide clinically useful assistance to the heart and can be small enough that they may be implanted within the heart and extend within the patient's thoracic cavity. Pumps of this nature provide numerous advantages including reliability and substantial freedom from hemolysis and thrombogenesis. However, implantation of such a pump involves a majorly invasive surgical procedure.
As described, for example, in Nash, U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,647; Siess, U.S. Pat. No. 7,011,620; and Siess et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,027,875; as well as in International Patent Publication No. WO 2006/051023, it has been proposed to provide a ventricular assist device in the form of a rotary pump which can be implanted within. the vascular system, such as within the aorta during use. Aboul-hosn et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,022,100, proposes a rotary pump which can be placed within the aorta so that the inlet end of the pump extends through the aortic valve into the left ventricle of the heart.
A ventricular assist device implanted into the vascular system must be extraordinarily compact. For example, such a device typically should have an elongated housing or other element with a diameter or maximum dimension transverse to the direction of elongation less than about 13 mm, and most preferably about 12 mm or less. To meet this constraint, the vascularly-placed ventricular assist devices proposed heretofore resort to mechanically complex arrangements. For example, the device described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,011,620 incorporates an electric motor in an elongated housing. The motor drive shaft extends out of the housing and a seal surrounds the shaft. An impeller is mounted at the distal end of the drive shaft outside of the motor housing and within a separate tubular housing. The pump taught in U.S. Pat. No. 7,022,100 consists of a separate motor using a flexible drive shaft extending through the patient's vascular system to the impeller, with an extraordinarily complex arrangement of seals, bearings, and a circulating pressurized fluid to prevent entry of blood into the flexible shaft. The arrangement taught in WO 2006/051023 and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,647 also utilizes flexible shaft drives and external drive motors. These complex systems are susceptible to failure.
Thus, despite very considerable effort devoted in the art heretofore to development of ventricular assist devices, further improvement would be desirable.


A fin assembly includes a fin, a mounting base and a socket base. The mounting base is provided for permanent inclusion within a watercraft. The mounting base defines a cavity that is adapted for receiving the socket base. The socket base further includes a cavity adapted for receiving the fin. The socket base is further adapted for receiving an accessory.

1. Field of Invention
This invention generally relates to a fin assembly and more particularly to a fin and accessory assembly adapted to reduce the likelihood of damage to the watercraft when subjected to impacts or forces.
2. Related Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,139,383 or 6,213,044 discloses a conventional fin assembly for use in a water craft, comprising a fin box and a fin. The fin box is installed in a board body of the water craft and secured in the latter with adhesive or fasteners. The fin has a spigot received in a recess of the fin box. Screws are used, in an oblique manner, for securing the spigot in the recess of the fin box. In this way, the bonding strength between the fin box and the board body is relatively weaker than that between the fin box and the fin. Therefore, there exists a problem that if the fin is subject to impacts or forces, the fin box may easily be split off or ripped from the board body and cause the board body to be damaged or broken.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,068,531 discloses a surfboard with another type of fin assembly having a fin box and a fin inserted in the fin box. Specifically, the fin box penetrates a board body of the surfboard. A threaded screw is introduced from the top box part to the lower box part of the fin box in order to hold the fin in the fin box. Nevertheless, this structure does not solve the aforementioned problem of causing damage to the board body when serious impacts or forces are exerted on the fin.

Fin and accessory assembly and water craft having the same