A method and apparatus for bonding a layer of coating or cladding material onto a substrate with minimal bulk heating of the substrate. A pulsed electron beam generator is used to produce high energy electrons at the beginning of the pulse and a larger number of lower energy electrons at the end of the pulse. A thin sacrificial or ablative layer of an easily-vaporized material such as tin is placed on top the coating. The high energy electrons penetrate through the ablative and coating layers and heat the coating-substrate interface. The ablative layer is then heated by the low energy electrons to a much higher temperature, causing it to vaporize. The ablation process generates a force on the coating layer which drives it into the substrate.

The present invention generally relates to the field of laminate coatings and more particularly, is directed to a method and apparatus for bonding or cladding a layer of material onto a substrate with minimal bulk heating of the substrate.
There are a variety of techniques known in the prior art for bonding or cladding a layer of dissimilar material onto a substrate. Known techniques which produce enhanced bonding between the coating and the substrate include:
1. Static processes; PA1 2. Thermal spray processes; PA1 3. Conventional and explosive welding; and PA1 4. Laser, microwave and electron beam joining.
Static process techniques include such conventional approaches as adhesive joining, cladding and brazing. Simple adhesives are, however, impractical in many cases while conventional cladding usually involves the simultaneous application of intense heat and pressure. This is a slow process which results in considerable bulk heating of the substrate. In brazing, a heat-absorbing brazing material is placed between the coating and the substrate. Conventional brazing again causes substantial heating of the substrate and often produces a relatively weak bond.
Thermal spray processes are widely used to apply coatings, particularly in cases where the coating does not bond well to the substrate. The typical thickness of such coatings is 100 microns. The process typically involves heating the coating material in powder form to molten temperatures and blasting it onto the substrate at speeds of 500 m/s. Thus, both heat and pressure (in the form of the droplet kinetic energy) is involved in the bonding process. Although this technology has been available commercially for decades, and the coating quality can be excellent, the capital cost of devices such as plasma sprayers and detonation guns is substantial. The processing cost of such coatings commonly exceeds a dollar per square inch. Also, the process is not appropriate if the applied layer is already in the form of a plate or film (i.e., for cladding) . The terms "coating" and "cladding" although sometimes used interchangeably, more properly refer to different application processes. Cladding refers to bonding a plate or film to a workpiece, while coating refers to a bonding process that also changes the form of the material being bonded (e.g., applying liquids or powdered solids to a workpiece). Preferably, an improved bonding process will work for both coating and cladding applications.
If the coating and substrate are metallurgically compatible or "weldable", then conventional welding techniques may be used. This process is sometimes referred to as fusion hardfacing. Fusion hardfacing cannot be used in cases where the substrate cannot be heated or the materials are not weldable. Difficult to weld materials such as titanium can often be bonded to other materials by an explosive welding process. A small amount of high explosives is used to accelerate a flyer plate which drives the materials together. However, explosive welding is of ten not suitable to high volume processing, and there is little control over the process.
Many bonding processes involving advanced heat sources such as lasers, microwave, and electron beams have been proposed, but few are used commercially. Both lasers and continuous (DC) electron beams have been used for fusion hardfacing. Lasers are relatively inefficient and must rely on thermal conduction to heat the coating-substrate interface unless the coating is transparent to the laser. Microwaves are similar to electron beams in that they can produce rapid heating into the depth of the coating layer, provided that the coating is not highly conducting. Although these processes produce controlled, localized heating, they do not in general produce the additional pressure which is often required for a strong bond between dissimilar materials. In addition, most are not suitable for high volume industrial applications.

Method and apparatus for ablative bonding using a pulsed electron

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


An analog front end circuit comprises a variable gain amplifier circuit (VGA circuit), a first sample switch, a second sample switch, a hold switch and an analog to digital converter device. The VGA circuit comprises a first input end, a second input end, and at least one output end. The first input end is used for receiving first voltage level signals. The second input end is used for receiving first reference signals. The output end is used for outputting at least one amplified signal. While the first sample switch is at a first conductive state, the first input end receives the first voltage level signal. While the second sample switch is at the first conductive state, the second input end receives the first reference signal. Finally, while the hold switch is at a second conductive state, the output end outputs the amplified signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an analog front end circuit and the method thereof, especially when an analog front end circuit is processed in the manner of sampling twice and the method thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The analog front end circuit (AFE circuit) is quite an important element in an image capture device (e.g. digital still camera and digital video camera). The analog front end circuit is mainly used for receiving the output signals of the image sensor and converting the pixel signals to digital signals for subsequent elements to process.
The output signal of the image sensor (e.g. Charged-Coupled devices, CCD) is converted to digital signal via signal modulation and analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for subsequent processing. Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image capture device of the prior art. The image capture device 2 of the prior art utilizes an optical system 4 to capture the optical image and performs signal processing via a CCD sensor 6, an AFE circuit 8, and a digital processor 9 subsequently.
The function of the AFE circuit 8 is to convert the CCD signal 10 outputted by the CCD sensor 6 to a digital signal 7 via ADC and output the digital signal 7 to the digital processor 9.
Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a sample and hold circuit 20 of the AFE circuit 8 of the prior art. The sample and hold circuit 20 of the AFE circuit 8 of the prior art comprises an operational amplifier 22, a set of capacitors 24, 26, a sample switch 28, and a hold switch 30. The sample and hold circuit 20 is used for sampling and holding the CCD signal 10 and outputting an output signal 42, wherein the sample switch 28 is controlled by a sample pulse signal (not shown in FIG. 2), and the hold switch 30 is controlled by a hold pulse signal (not shown in FIG. 2).
Please refer to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a time sequence diagram of the CCD signal 10, the sample pulse signal 32, and the hold pulse signal 34 of the prior art. In the time sequence diagram of FIG. 3, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents amplitude of signal. The CCD signal 10 is a periodic analog signal with period of T. The CCD signal 10 of each cycle comprises a reset signal 14, a first reference voltage signal 16, and a first voltage level signal 18. The sample pulse signal 32 comprises a plurality of square waves 36. Each square wave 36 comprises a positive edge 38 and a negative edge 40, wherein the positive edge 38 of the square wave 36 will set off the sample switch 28 to be a close state, and the negative edge 40 will set off the sample switch 28 to be an open state. The hold pulse signal 34 comprises a plurality of square waves 36. Each square wave 36 comprises a positive edge 38 and a negative edge 40, wherein the positive edge 38 of the square wave 36 will set off the hold switch 30 to be the close state, and the negative edge 40 will set off the hold switch 30 to be the open state.
Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. When the first reference voltage signal 16 is inputted to the sample and hold circuit 20, the sample switch 28 and the hold switch 30 are in the close state. Therefore, the voltage value of the first reference voltage signal 16 is sampled to the capacitor 24. When the first voltage level signal 18 is inputted to the sample and hold circuit 20, the sample switch 28 is in the close state while the hold switch 30 is in the open state. As a result, the sample and hold circuit 20 outputs an output signal 42, which is a difference D multiplied by a gain value Gp (not shown). The difference D is a voltage difference between the first reference voltage signal 16 and the first voltage level signal 18. The gain value Gp is calculated by the following equation:Gp=Ca/Cb
Wherein Ca is a capacitance value of the capacitor 24, Cb is a capacitance value of the capacitor 26.
However, due to the characteristics variety of electronic parts, the reset signal 14, the first reference voltage signal 16, and the first voltage level signal 18 of the CCD signal 10 all comprise a transition state 44 and a steady state 46. Therefore, only the steady state 46 from the first reference voltage signal 16 and the first voltage level signal 18 may be sampled. The width W of the square wave within the sample pulse signal 32 and the hold pulse signal 34, which enables the sample switch 28 and the hold switch 30 to be at the close state, is usually half of width P of the reference voltage signal 16 or the second voltage level signal 18. The above condition usually causes needing a higher bandwidth of the operational amplifier 22. Hence, choosing a operational amplifier 22 with a higher bandwidth is necessary for sampling and holding the CCD signal 10 accurately.
Besides, the CCD signal 10 is inputted into the operational amplifier 22 within the sample and hold circuit 20 of the prior art via a single end. If the CCD signal 10 is affected by noise, environmental temperature changes, or characteristics variety of electronic parts, an error may occur in the voltage level of the first reference voltage signal 16, thus leading to an error in the output signal 42 outputted by the sample and hold circuit. Furthermore, the sample and hold circuit 20 of the CCD signal 10 of the prior art cannot process or compensate the error.

Analog front end circuit for converting analog signal outputted by image sensor into digital signal


An air data sensor device using a flow around a cylinder is provided. The air data sensor device may include a sensor measurement unit which includes a sensor body provided in a cylindrical form including a hollow inside, a plurality of pressure measurement holes disposed on an outside of the sensor body, and a thermostat attached to one side of the sensor body, and a signal processing unit which includes a pressure sensor connected to the plurality of pressure measurement holes, and a microprocessor connected to the pressure sensor to perform calculation. A main pressure measurement hole having a high pressure value may be selected from the plurality of pressure measurement holes, pressure distribution may be calculated, and at least one of an angle of attack, a static pressure, and a total pressure may be calculated using the pressure distribution.

Various parts are used in an air plane, including sensors for measuring physical values. Among various types of sensors, a data sensor measures an air flow. The data sensor measures data of the air to obtain an angle of attack, a total pressure, and a static pressure. In general, a multi-hole Pitot-static sensor, a vane type multi-function sensor, an integrated multi-function probe, and the like are used.
Those sensors may be classified into a rotation type that rotates corresponding to a flow direction, and a static type that is fixed irrespective of the flow. The rotation type is inefficient in terms of a response speed due to rotation of a mechanical part and generates more errors at a low speed. The static type generates more errors when the angle of attack is large. In particular, in case of a rotation-type probe, weight and price may increase because a lot of mechanical parts are used.
Accordingly, there is an increasing demand for a data acquiring technology implementing high measurement accuracy as well as a low price, a small size, and a low weight.


A new and improved method and apparatus for removing waste cooking oil is herein disclosed. A method for removing waste cooking oil from an associated cooking oil reservoir includes providing a pumping mechanism, wherein the pumping mechanism has tubing operatively connected to the pumping mechanism and a suction apparatus operatively connected to the tubing, providing a waste oil storage unit, turning on a pump, inserting the suction apparatus into the associated reservoir, the suction apparatus being located remotely from the waste oil storage unit, and depressing a trigger to activate the suction apparatus to remove the waste cooking oil from the associated reservoir.

A. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an oil removing device, more particularly to a cooking oil removing device, and even more particularly to a portable waste cooking oil removal device.
B. Description of the Related Art
Currently, waste oil is stored in drums or other temporary receptacles, often outside the back door of the premises. This presents an unsightly and dangerous hazard, which is compounded by spills causing slippery areas that are almost impossible to clear, creating odors and mess.
The present invention provides methods and apparatuses for a portable and/or remote system for removing waste cooking oil. The difficulties inherit in the art are therefore overcome in a way that is simple and efficient, while providing better and more advantageous results. The present invention is related to the invention in U.S. Pat. No. 6,981,531 (Method and Apparatus for Waste Oil Management), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Method and apparatus for removing waste cooking oil


A control method and a sense organ testing method based on steady state brain evoked response include the steps of: generating one or multiple stimulus signal(s) varying in various frequencies that can be sensed by sense organs of human subject; detecting the brain electrical signal of stimulated human subject; analyzing the detected brain electrical signal to extract the characteristic physical quantity corresponding to the frequency of a stimulus signal; and, according to the characteristic physical quantity, controlling a specific device corresponding to the stimulus signal to perform a preprogrammed operation or objectively evaluating the condition of the sense organ of the subject.

Brain-machine interface is a direct communication and control path established between human brain and computer or other electronic devices. Through this path, one can express himself or operate apparatus directly by his activity of brain without speaking or actions of his limbs.
Different from ordinary man-machine interfaces, a brain-machine interface does not need muscular responses of any type, but merely detects the signal representing responsive or purposeful activity of brain.
A control device based on brain-machine interface may achieve the purpose of controlling a target apparatus without one's speaking or actions of limbs.
Different from subjective sense organ testing systems, an objective sense organ testing system based on brain-machine interface does not need speaking or actions of limbs of the person to be tested for expressing his subjective consciousness, but merely detects the signal representing responsive or purposeful activity of his brain. Thus the system can provide objectivity and justness.
The followings are some existing methods of performing brain electrical signal control.
1. The Method Based on Event Related Brain Electrical Signal
For instance, prior to starting an autonomic motion, there exists so-called event related desynchronized component associated with the motion in one's brain electrical signal, which is substantially an evoked brain electrical signal. We may identify the event related signal in the recorded brain electrical signal, and use the same for performing a certain kind of control.
Pfurtscheller et al. carried out a series of BCI (Brain-Computer Interface) research on the basis of such physiological phenomenon. A subject (testee) faced an object displayed on the right or left of a display, and prepared to press a button with his (or her) left or right forefinger according to the object's position. Then after about one second, there appeared a cross cursor at the center of the display. The subject pressed the button. The brain electrical signals used for classification are those appeared in the activity preparing phase between the appearance of the object and the appearance of the cursor. In this way, a template was obtained through learning, whereby the activity of right hand or left hand could be predicted. ("Brain-computer Interface—A New Communication Device foe Handicapped Persons", J Microcomput Appl, 1993, 16:293–299; "Prediction of the Side of Hand Movements from Single Trial Multichannel EEG Data Using Neural Networks" Electroenceph Clin Neurophsiol, 1992, 82:313–315).
2. The Methods Based on Evoked Electrical Brain Signal
FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing that depicts a prior art system carrying a certain kind of control based on evoked brain electrical signal. The steps of this method comprises: giving a subject some stimulus; recording and identifying the brain electrical signal evoked under various stimuli; and performing a certain kind of control by virtue of the identified signal.
P300 is a kind of event related potential (EPR). A peak value will appear in brain electrical signal in 300 ms after the occurring of the related event, which is called as P300. Farwell and Doncin designed a virtual printer by virtue of EPR. A 6*6 character matrix scintillates randomly by row or column, and the scintillating of the row or column containing the character to be entered by the user is the related event. Find out the row and column causing the maximum amplitude of P300, then the character on the intersecting point of the row and the column is the character to be printed.
Sutter's BCI system utilizes visually-evoked potential (VEP) method. A 8*8 symbol matrix on a display appears as red/green alternation in a pseudo-random binary order. The user looks at the character to be chosen, compares the detected brain electrical signal with a prerecorded template, then may confirm the target at which the user is looking. Previously learning to obtain a steady template is a critical step ("The Brain Response Interface: Communication through Visually-evoked Electrical Brain Response", J Microcomput Appl, 1992, 15:31–45).
The above system utilizes instantaneous evoked response. As the basis of the testing is P300, so it is required that the time interval between two stimuli to be more than 1 second, so as to ensure that the response of the subject to the preceding stimulus has ended or disappeared before the arrival of a new stimulus. Thus, the system cannot be used for real-time control, and the reliability of the test cannot fulfill practical requirement too.
Up to date, another primary disadvantage of brain-machine interface method as one of testing technique is the lack of ability to give sense organ stimulus mode with space information simultaneously. Thus, there is no space resolution information of sense organ system in the testing result, so the scope of application is greatly limited.

Control method and system and the sense organs test method and system based on electrical steady state induced response


A monolithic laser structure has an infrared laser structure stacked on top of a red laser structure. An ion implantation channel from the substrate of the infrared laser structure to the lower cladding layer of the red laser structure lets both laser structures use a common electrode on the substrate of the red laser structure. A portion of the monolithic structure is etched down to the red laser structure for the electrode of the red laser structure. The monolithic laser structure has a red and infrared side by side array from the two stacked red and infrared laser structures. The red and infrared laser structures can each have native oxide confined ridge waveguides.

This invention relates to a monolithic red and infrared wavelength laser structure and, more particularly, to a red/ir side by side laser array fabricated from a stacked dual laser structure by ion implantation channel.
Addressable monolithic multi-wavelength light sources, especially laser arrays that can simultaneously emit different wavelength light from different elements in the array are useful in a variety of applications, such as color printing, full color digital film recording, color displays, and other optical recording system applications.
The performance of many devices, such as laser printers and optical memories, can be improved by the incorporation of multiple laser beams. For example, laser printers which use multiple beams can have higher printing speeds and/or better spot acuity than printers which use only a single beam.
In many applications, closely spaced laser beams of different wavelengths are desirable. For example, color printers which use closely spaced laser beams of different wavelengths can overlap the beams, sweep those overlapping beams using a single raster output polygon scanner and a single set of optics, subsequently separate the individual beams using color selective filters, direct each beam onto a separate xerographic imaging station, develop a latent image for each color on a different recording medium, and produce a full color image by sequentially developing each latent image on a single recording medium.
One way to obtain closely spaced laser beams is to form multiple laser emission sites, or laser stripes, on a common substrate. While this enables very closely spaced beams, prior art monolithic laser arrays typically output laser beams at only one wavelength.
Various techniques are known in the prior art for producing different wavelength laser beams from a monolithic laser array. For example, it is well known that a small amount of wavelength difference can be obtained by varying the drive conditions at each lasing region. However, the easily achievable but small wavelength difference is insufficient for most applications.
One method of achieving larger wavelength separations is to grow a first set of active layers on a substrate to form a first lasing element which outputs light at one wavelength, and then to grow a second set of active layers next to the first to form a second lasing element at a second wavelength. However, this method requires separate crystal growths for each lasing element, something which is not easily performed.
Another technique for obtaining different wavelength laser beams from a monolithic laser array is to use stacked active regions. A stacked active region monolithic array is one in which a plurality of active regions are sandwiched between common cladding layers. Each active region is comprised of a thin volume that is contained within a laser stripe. The laser stripes contain different numbers of active regions that emit laser beams at different wavelengths.
In a stacked active region monolithic laser array, current flows in series through the stacked active regions. The active region with the lowest bandgap energy will lase, thereby determining the wavelength of the laser beam output from that part of the array. To provide another wavelength output, the previously lowest bandgap energy active region is removed from part of the array and current is sent through the remaining stacked regions.
Stacked active region monolithic laser arrays can not only output closely spaced laser beams of different wavelengths, but beneficially the output laser beams are axially aligned with each other (i.e. they share the same optical axes). In practice, the stacked regions of a stacked active region monolithic laser array are very closely spaced. Separations in the stack direction typically are about 100 nm.
A major problem with stacked active region monolithic laser arrays is that they have been difficult to fabricate, particularly in the AlGaAs semiconductor material system. This problem occurs at least partially because the proper stacked active regions must be formed in each part of the structure.
However, it is very difficult to precisely etch the areas between the active regions when those active regions are closely spaced. Further, because of undesired growths on many materials when those materials are exposed to air, such as oxide growths on some compositions of AlGaAs, it is very difficult to achieve the required high quality growths over the remaining active regions.
It is an object of this invention to provide stacked active region lasers in a monolithic structure capable of outputting closely spaced, multiple wavelength laser beams.

Monolithic red/ir side by side laser fabricated from a stacked dual laser structure by ion implantation channel


A bar valve includes an elongate housing having a first inlet located towards a first end of the housing, a second inlet located towards a second end of the housing, and an outlet located between the first inlet and the second inlet. A mixing chamber is located within the housing, the mixing chamber being configured to receive first and second input flows from the first inlet and second inlet, respectively. A flow controller is configured to receive a mixed flow from the mixing chamber and controllably output an outlet flow to the outlet. The mixing chamber and flow controller is disposed sequentially in a region of the housing between the first end and the outlet, thereby confining the mixed flow and the outlet flow to the region of the housing between the first end and the outlet.

The present disclosure relates to bar valves and to mixing taps and shower assemblies comprising bar valves.
Mixing taps are known in the art for the mixing of two input flows of water into a single output flow. Commonly, a hot input flow and a cold input flow are combined together in order to provide an output flow at a third temperature between the temperatures of the hot and cold input flows. A single output flow or multiple output flows may be provided. Where multiple output flows are provided, these may be activated together or separately, dependent on the needs of the user.
Mixing taps may comprise bar valves. A bar valve typically comprises an elongate housing with an input flow provided towards each end of the housing. The input flows are then combined in a mixing chamber before forming an outlet flow and exiting the bar valve towards the center of the housing. In general, a flow control and a temperature control are located at opposing ends of the housing and controllable by a user.
It is desired to provide a bar valve with improved flow characteristics.


Devices, such as mobile devices, may be exposed to short circuit and output overload events. To protect against such events, mobile devices typically include circuitry to limit currents so as not to exceed a pre-programmed current limit. Various embodiments of the present invention include devices and methods for detecting pre-programmed current limits and for limiting currents in response to such detection. In some embodiments, both the current limit detector and the current limit controller circuitry include scaled current switches. The scaling may be substantially similar between the programmed-current limit detector and the current limit controller circuitry.

Current limiting is the practice of imposing an upper limit on the current that may be delivered to a load. The typical purpose of current limiting is to protect the circuit up or downstream from harmful effects due to, for example, a short circuit. In load switch applications used in power sources and adapters, current may be limited below a load switch setting. Load switch applications include driving a power line of a universal serial bus (USB) connector to various peripheral devices. Examples of load switch devices include current limited load switch devices produced by Advanced Analogic Technologies, Inc. (Sunnyvale, Calif.) as integrated circuits (ICs) designed to protect external power ports and to extend battery life in portable electronic products. Such load switch devices operate with an integrated current limiting circuit that protects, for example, the input supply against large changes in load current which could otherwise cause the supply to fall out of regulation.
As current limited devices, load switches are able to draw current up to the load switch setting. If the current exceeds the load switch setting, the current limiting circuit in the load switch limits the current flowing through the load switch. Typically, a resistor (either external or internal to the IC) is used to set the load switch current limits. Typically, within an operating voltage range of fee load switch, a single current limit is set based on the resistive value chosen by the designer. One disadvantage of using a single resistor for a wide operating voltage range (and thus a wide range of load current) is loss of accuracy. This loss may occur, because the resistive value and tolerance typically determine the level of granularity of current increments detectable.
For example, in system design, a user selects a resistor having a resistive value, RSET. The user also defines a current limit to be associated with the resistive value, thereby establishing a one-to-one correspondence between the two parameters. The current limit is arbitrarily selectable by the designer and then controlled by a current limit controller.
Therefore, there is a need for improved design of current limit controllers. One desired aspect might be to allows for limiting the peak current that flows in a circuit so as not to exceed a predetermined current limit.

Current limit control with current limit detector


The present invention provides a repulpable moisture vapor barrier. The moisture vapor barrier comprises a resin latex and a hydrophobic component having a crystalline platelet structure. Suitable resin latexes include polystyrene, styrene-acrylonitrile, styrene-acrylonitrile-butadiene, styrene acrylates, styrene-butadiene, carboxylated styrene butadiene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, waterborne polyurethanes, alkyl acrylates, polyvinylidene chloride, ethyl vinyl chloride, and copolymers and terpolymers thereof. Preferably the hydrophobic component is suspended in means for suspending the component such as fully hydrolyzed polyvinyl alcohol.

The present invention relates to a moisture vapor barrier, and more particularly a moisture vapor barrier for paper and paperboard.
Fibrous substrates such as paper are widely used in packaging operations. Such fibrous substrates can be in sheet and roll form, and can be paper, paperboard, preformed paper containers, fabric and other fiber-based materials. Typically, fibrous substrates are subject to poor resistance to water vapor, gases, oil, solvents and greases. To improve the water vapor barrier resistance the fibrous substrates have been coated with a wide variety of compositions particularly when the substrates are used for food packaging.
Various coatings of this type are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,632,424 to Graham et al. Of particular interest is the use of a wax or waxes incorporated into a latex and applied to a fibrous substrate as a coating. The physical phenomenon accounting for the good moisture vapor barrier properties of wax-coated paper is that the wax tends to migrate to the film surface to form a continuous wax layer. In laminating operations, however, this barrier layer can be interrupted; for example, such layers are susceptible to creases. Creases substantially reduce the water vapor resistance properties.
Additionally, the presence of wax makes recycling (repulping) of the fibrous substrate difficult. A conventional repulping operation typically comprises mixing water and the fibrous substrate, and the fibers are separated via mechanical action. The slurry may then be passed through screens and centrifugal cleaners to remove non-fibrous contaminants such as glass, metal, plastic, dirt, and other unwanted solid materials. In such repulping operations, the wax will separate and float to the surface of the repulping vessel. After waste paper is repulped, it is formed into paper or paperboard on the moving wire of a fourdrinier machine or on the cylinders of a cylinder machine, pressed and dried to remove the remaining water. If the separated wax is inadvertently incorporated into a paper sheet, the wax will appear as a grease spot, and coating and printing can be adversely affected.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a fibrous substrate having the moisture vapor layer applied thereto which maintains vapor resistance properties even if the fibrous substrate is creased.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a moisture vapor barrier which obviates the problem associated with wax during repulping operations.
Another object of the invention is to provide a fibrous substrate having the moisture vapor layer applied thereto that can be printed, coated and bonded (e.g., using adhesive or glue) to another similar or dissimilar substrate.


A video signal processing method for use in magnifying and reducing an image by interpolating a scanning line within a field when an interlaced original video signal is magnified or reduced by a factor of m/n (m, n are natural numbers), wherein origins of an odd field and an even field for magnifying or reducing processing are offset so as to be equally distanced from adjacent scanning lines within the odd field and the even field, whereby the origins of the odd and even fields for magnifying and reducing processing are set at a common position, and the local filter characteristic is made equal in the odd and even fields, thereby removing a line flicker in an image after the magnifying and reducing processing has been performed and a flicker caused by the vertical resolution differing from one field to another.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a video signal magnifying and reducing processing method for interlaced images suitable for use in an electronic zoom or the like used for television cameras.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a conventional processing for magnifying an interlaced image, for example, for a twice magnification, origins Co, Ce of an odd field and an even field for the magnifying processing are set independently of each other, as shown in FIG. 1, and the intervals d between respective scanning lines (lines) lo, le of the odd and even fields constituting the original image are respectively magnified by a factor of two, and the interlace relationship between lines Lo, Le of the odd and even fields is maintained even in a magnified image.
Incidentally, in the example of FIG. 1 and so on, in a manner different from ordinary methods, the lines of the odd field are designated odd numbers while the lines of the even field are designated even numbers such that the lines in a reproduced image have sequential numbers.
In the case of FIG. 1, a bi-linear method, for example, is applied to each of the odd and even fields, as indicated by hatching and broken lines, to interpolate the space between lines, whereby the intervals between lines of the respective fields in the magnified image (scanning line density) are made equal to the scanning line density of the original image.
In the bi-linear method, assuming that a sampling point is represented by xi, an interpolated position by xj, and an interpolating function by f(x), an interpolation calculation is performed as given by the following equation (1): EQU I(xj)=I(xi)f(xj-xi)+I(xi+1)f(xj-xi+1) . . . (1) ##EQU1##
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, when the origins Co, Ce of the odd and even fields for a magnifying processing are respectively set at a common position, the respective lines Lo, Le of the odd and even fields in a magnified image are mutually interlaced, whereby the interpolation is performed between respective lines to make the scanning line density of the magnified image equal to that of the original image.
On the other hand, in a processing for reducing an interlaced image, for example, by a factor of two, origins Co, Ce of an odd field and an even field for the reduction processing are respectively set at a common position as shown in FIG. 3, and the interval between respective lines lo of the odd field constituting an original image is reduced by a factor of two, while the interval between respective lines le of the even field is reduced by a factor of two after interpolation between lines, thereby maintaining the interlace relationship between lines ldo, lde of the odd and even fields even in a reduced image.
In this event every other line constituting the original image is dropped in the odd field, while each pair of two adjacent lines is interpolated in the even field, thereby making the scanning line density of each field constituting the reduced image equal to the scanning line density of the original image.
The above-mentioned interpolation between lines, however, implies problems such as a line flicker, a flicker of the vertical resolution in each field or the like, in addition to deterioration of the vertical resolution in a still image.
More specifically, when the origins Co, Ce of the odd and even fields for magnification are set independently of each other as shown in the foregoing FIG. 1, magnification has been clearly carried out in each field. Nevertheless, since the phase of the origins Co, Ce for magnification are deviated from each other, the reproduced image vertically pitches in every field, thereby causing a line flicker phenomenon.
Further, when the origins Co, Ce of the odd and even field for magnification are located at a coincident position as shown in FIG. 2, the line flicker phenomenon as mentioned above is improved. However, the odd and even fields respectively have a different interpolation coefficient for performing the interpolation between lines as shown in FIG. 2, that is, stated other way, the odd and even fields respectively present different local filter characteristics, so that the degree of degradation of the vertical resolution in a reproduced image is different at every field, which results in generating a flicker of the vertical resolution.
Incidentally, when the origins Co, Ce of the odd and even fields for magnification are set independently of each other as shown in the foregoing FIG. 1, the local filter characteristic is equal in the odd and even fields, so that the flicker of the vertical resolution will not be generated.
On the other hand, when the origins Co, Ce of the odd and even fields for reduction are set at a common position as shown in the foregoing FIG. 3, the the local filter characteristic is different in the odd and even fields, so that the flicker of the vertical resolution is likewise generated.

Method for magnifying and reducing an image


A sol comprising colloidal particles of sodium magnesium fluoride (NaF.MgF.sub.2) having an average particle diameter of from 10 to 100 nm.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sol and a fine powder of sodium magnesium fluoride useful for a coating material for an anti-reflection coating for e.g. lenses or cathode ray tubes or image display surfaces of liquid crystal display devices, useful for a laser window material, or useful for a laser optical element, and processes for their production.

Sol and fine powder of sodium magnesium fluoride and processes for their production


A fuel control device includes a stem fuel valve opening degree determination unit, a branch line flow rate determination unit, and a correction value determination unit. The stem fuel valve opening degree determination unit is configured to determine an opening degree of a flow rate adjustment valve of a stem fuel supply line. The branch line flow rate determination unit is configured to determine an opening degree of a flow rate adjustment valve of at least one branch line. The correction value determination unit is configured to determine a correction value of the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment valve of the at least one branch line based on a value of a pressure difference between a fuel pressure upstream of a nozzle connected to the at least one branch line and a corrected fuel pressure for a fuel pressure at an outlet.

There is a gas turbine including a combustor having a plurality of nozzles. As a related technique, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2007-77866 discloses a technique that includes a combustor having a plurality of nozzles and which controls a fuel flow rate on the basis of an operation state of a gas turbine.

Fuel control device, combustor, gas turbine, fuel control method, and program


A method for preparing a ceramic article comprising compacting a particulate including a primary oxide and a secondary oxide to form a blank. The primary oxide is ZRO.sub.2 and the secondary oxide is MgO, CaO, Y.sub.2 O.sub.3, Sc.sub.2 O.sub.3, rare earth oxides or a combination thereof. The blank is sintered in contact with MgO, CaO, Y.sub.2 O.sub.3, Sc.sub.2 O.sub.3, rare earth oxides or a combination thereof. The zirconia alloy ceramic articles produced have a cubic phase case and a tetragonal phase core.

The present invention pertains to ceramic items and methods for preparing ceramic items and more particularly pertains to ceramic articles, tools, and methods for preparing ceramic articles and for sintering.
Zirconia (ZrO.sub.2) is a ceramic material, which, in its tetragonal crystal structure, is strong and tough and can be made into tools and other articles, but has the shortcoming that it is relatively soft. Repeated wear and abrasion of the surfaces of a tetragonal zirconia part or tool, however, can cause a phase transformation of the surface from tetragonal phase to monoclinic phase, which is harder than tetragonal phase. The result is a tool which has a hard "case", that is, one or more hard outer surfaces, and a tough inner portion or "core", but the wear or abrasion may be uneven which presents another shortcoming. Zirconia also exists in a cubic crystallographic structure, which is even harder than monoclinic phase, but more brittle. Cubic phase zirconia requires high temperatures for its formation; however, an alloy of zirconia and an oxide of yttrium, magnesium, scandium, cerium or calcium can provide a stable cubic phase at room temperature.

Ceramic articles and methods for preparing ceramic articles and for sintering


Methods and compositions for use in reducing biotic stress in plants by providing recombinant DNA molecules encoding methkyletone thioesterase into the cells of a plant in order to achieve a reduction in infestation by nematodes, insects and other pests are described. The plant cells in some cases produce one or more of 2-nonanone, 2-undecanone, 2-tridecanone and 2-pentadecanone. Also described are methods for making transgenic plants that express the recombinant DNA molecule for use in protecting plants from pest infestations.

Effective, environmentally safe control of plant parasitic nematode infection is one of the largest unmet needs in crop protection. For example, it is estimated that nematodes annually cause soybean losses of approximately $3.2 billion worldwide (Barker et al., 1994) and that parasitic nematodes cost the horticulture and agriculture industries in excess of $78 billion worldwide a year, based on an estimated average 12% annual loss spread across all major crops. Therefore, improved methods for protecting plants from nematode infection are highly desirable since they would increase the amount and stability of food production.
Nematodes are active, flexible, elongate organisms that live on moist surfaces or in liquid environments, including films of water within soil and moist tissues within other organisms. Nematodes grow through a series of lifecycle stages and molts. Typically, there are five stages and four molts: egg stage; J1 (i.e. first juvenile stage); M1 (i.e. first molt); J2 (second juvenile stage; sometimes hatch from egg); M2; J3; M3; J4; M4; A (adult). Juvenile ("J") stages are also sometimes referred to as larval ("L") stages. Nematode parasites of plants can inhabit all parts of plants, including roots, developing flower buds, leaves, and stems.
There are numerous plant-parasitic nematode species, including various lesion nematodes (i.e. Pratylenchus spp.), root knot nematodes (i.e. Meloidogyne spp.), cyst nematodes (i.e. Heterodera spp.), dagger nematodes (i.e. Xiphinema spp.) and stem and bulb nematodes (i.e. Ditylenchus spp.), among others. However, the largest and most economically important groups of plant-parasitic nematodes are the families Pratylenchidae (lesion nematodes), Meloidogynidae (root knot nematodes) and Heteroderidae (cyst nematodes) with lesion and root knot nematodes being particularly noteworthy for their very broad host rages. Plant parasitic nematodes are classified on the basis of their feeding habits into the broad categories of migratory ectoparasites, migratory endoparasites, and sedentary endoparasites. Sedentary endoparasites, which include the root knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) and cyst nematodes (Globodera and Heterodera spp.) induce feeding sites ("giant cells" in the case of root knot nematodes and "syncytia" for cyst nematodes) and establish long-term infections within roots. In contrast, while spending most of their lifecycles within host tissues, migratory endoparasitic nematodes like lesion neamtodes (Pratylenchus spp.) do not induce permanent feeding sites but feed while migrating between or through plant cells.
Traditional approaches to control plant diseases have relied on crop rotation, the construction of interspecific hybrids between resistant crops and their wild-type relatives as sources of resistant germplasm, and chemical treatment. However these traditional approaches all suffer from significant limitations in providing broad spectrum nematode control. Crop rotation or fallowing without weeding is not an effective strategy for controlling root lesion nematodes because of their broad host ranges which includes most crops, native grasses and weeds. Rotation is also less effective with the very broad host range Meloidogyne incognita, Meloidogyne javanica and Meloidogyne arenaria root knot nematodes. Genetic resistance is usually narrow spectrum (e.g., race specific in the case of cyst nematodes and species specific for lesion nematodes). Deployment of narrow resistance quickly results in race or species shifts in fields with nematode problems leading to loss of effectiveness of the resistant germplasm. Other challenges with genetic resistance include loss of potency at higher temperatures (e.g., Mi resistance to root knot nematodes) or reduction in the yields of elite germplasm when introgressing resistance traits from wild relatives.
In contrast, most chemical nematode control agents though broad spectrum, are not effective in eradicating nematode infestations. Nematodes deeper in the soil or inside roots are largely protected and can cause significant crop damage later in the growing season. The few agents like the fumigant methyl bromide that can effectively get to nematode reservoirs are biocides effectively sterilizing a field for a period of time. Furthermore, methyl bromide, which was once the most widely used fumigant nematicide, is scheduled to be soon retired from use, and at present there are very few, if any, promising candidate to replace this treatment. The non-fumigant organophosphate and carbamate nematicides like ethoprop, terbufos, carbofuran and aldicarb though not as broad spectrum also show poor selectivity. In particular these chemical nematode control agents are highly toxic to mammals, birds, fish, and to non-target beneficial insects. These agents can in some cases accumulate in the water table, the food chain, and in higher trophic level species. These agents may also act as mutagens and/or carcinogens to cause irreversible and deleterious genetic modifications. As a result, government restrictions have been imposed on the use of these chemicals. Additionally, few chemical nematicides (fumigant or non-fumigant) are cost effective for use in large acreage row crops such as soybeans and corn. There has been renewed interest recently in chemical seed treatments which can be economically applied in large acreage row crops but these only provide early season protection under moderate levels of nematode infestation.
In addition to nematode pests, plants are typically subject to multiple disease causing agents such as fungi and insects which often potentiate the effect of the nematode. Examples of these disease complexes include the Fusarium solani gal/soybean cyst nematode pairing in soybean sudden death syndrome and the rootknot nematode/fursarium wilt complex in cotton. Therefore methods of controlling nematodes having broader pesticidal effects are particularly desirable.
The methods of plant biotechnology have been shown to provide an effective means to control insect infestations by having the plant express an insect control agent. However, there are few examples of effectively applied biotechnology methods to simultaneously control nematode and other plant pathogens such as insects and fungi.

Compositions and methods for pathogen control in plants


A sealing apparatus and method for delivering a sealing material to gaps between gas turbine blade roots and the corresponding grooves of a rotor disc are disclosed. The sealing apparatus comprises a tank for housing a pressurized sealing material, a delivery tube for delivering the sealing material from the tank to the rotor disc, a control valve for controlling the flow of the sealing material, a sealing fixture for distributing the sealing material to the gaps between the blade roots and the corresponding grooves, an O-ring seal for effecting a tight seal between the sealing fixture and the rotor disc, and jack screws for maintaining the sealing fixture securely in place.

Gas turbines comprise a casing for housing a compressor section, combustion section and turbine section. The compressor section comprises an inlet end and an outlet end. The combustion section comprises an inlet end and a combustor transition. The combustor transition is proximate the discharge end of the combustion section and comprises a wall that defines a flow channel that directs the working fluid into the turbine inlet end.
A supply of air is compressed in the compressor section and directed into the combustion section. The compressed air enters the combustion inlet and is mixed with fuel. The air/fuel mixture is then combusted to produce high temperature and high pressure gas. This gas is then ejected past the combustor transition and injected into the turbine section to run the turbine.
Gas is forced through the blades of a gas turbine to run the turbine and produce electricity by causing the rotor to drive a generator. The blades of a turbine, as well as the blades in the compressor section of a turbine, typically comprise an airfoil, a platform, a shank and a root that fits into a complementary-shaped groove formed in the periphery of a rotor disc, which itself is located on the periphery of the rotor.
The airfoil portion of the blade is the distal portion of the blade that translates the axial flow of the gas to rotor rotation. Moving radially inward, the platform is the portion of the blade that rests on the outer surface of the rotor disc. The shank is the portion that extends down into the rotor disc from the platform and usually has a narrower cross-section than that of the platform. The root is the bottom portion of the blade that has a jagged or dovetail shape so as to fit securely within the groove of the rotor disc, which has a correspondingly complementary shape to that of the blade root.
During the operation of a gas turbine, the working gas can leak through gaps between the turbine blade roots and the corresponding grooves of a rotor disc. This yields a reduction in working gas to turn the turbine blades, thereby reducing the efficiency of the turbine section. Likewise, air in the compressor section of a gas turbine can leak through these same gaps. Thus, not all of the air entering the compressor is compressed, resulting in a decrease in efficiency of the compressor section. Leakage occurring in the compressor section of the turbine section reduces the efficiency of the gas turbine.
To prevent any leakage between the turbine blade roots and the corresponding grooves of a rotor disc, those skilled in the art have utilized several methods to seal this space. A common technique, during turbine assembly, is to affix a sealing device to the blade root and then mount the blade in the corresponding groove of the rotor disc. One such sealing method, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,500, is to affix an elastomeric seal made of silicone rubber to a portion of a blade root and then mount the blade root in the groove of a compressor rotor disc. This technique, as well as other prior art techniques, however, require sealing the gaps prior to mounting the turbine blades onto a rotor disc.
Therefore, to seal the gaps between turbine blade roots and corresponding grooves on a rotor disc of a working gas turbine, prior art sealing techniques require disassembly of the turbine. These prior art sealing procedures result in significant downtime of the turbine at a significant cost to the operator or customer. It is thus desirable to provide a sealing technique for retrofit application, allowing for sealing the gaps between turbine blade roots and corresponding grooves of a rotor disc while not requiring disassembly of any components of the gas turbine.

Apparatus and method for sealing gas turbine blade roots


Provided is an image display apparatus, including: a light source for emitting a modulated light beam based on image information; a conversion optical system for converting the light beam from the light source into a convergent light beam; a scanning member for two-dimensionally scanning the light beam from the conversion optical system; a scanning optical system for imaging the light beam scanned by the scanning member onto a surface to be scanned; and an ocular optical system for observing a two-dimensional image formed on the surface to be scanned, in which the scanning optical system includes a reflective surface which is rotationally asymmetric, and the reflective surface of the scanning optical system has a positive power in a position in which a center light beam is incident on the reflective surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a scanning image display apparatus for observing a two-dimensional image formed by two-dimensional scanning with a modulated light beam based on image information, and is suitable for use in, for example, an electronic view finder which is mounted on an image pickup apparatus such as a digital still camera or a video camera, or a head mount display.
2. Related Background Art
Up to now, there have been proposed image display apparatuses without a two-dimensional display device which is so called a flat panel, such as a transmission liquid crystal element, a reflection liquid crystal element, and an organic EL element. In the image display apparatuses, a predetermined surface is two-dimensionally scanned with a light beam by a scanning member and an image is displayed for observation.
For example, there have been proposed scanning image display apparatuses of a retina direct image drawing type, in which a light beam emerged from a light source is scanned two-dimensionally to directly form an image on the retina of an observer (U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,104 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,132). In the image display apparatuses of a retina scanning type which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,104, the light beam which is two-dimensionally scanned is imaged onto a intermediate image plane and then imaged onto the retina of the observer through an ocular optical system (eyepiece), thereby forming a two-dimensional image on the retina thereof. For the image display apparatus, it is necessary to scan light at very high speed, so a very small scanning member is used for a scanning portion such as a mirror for scanning light. An example of the scanning member of the scanning image display apparatus which is to be used is a mirror which is compact, lightweight, and operable at high speed. The mirror is produced using a microelectro mechanical system (MEMS) technique.
The light beam scanned in the image display apparatuses is very thin, so that the diameter of the light beam in a pupil position of the observer becomes very small.
A method of enlarging the small diameter of exit pupil is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,132. According to the method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,132, a light diffusing means such as a lens array or a diffusion plate is disposed on an intermediate imaging surface having a formed curvature, and a scanned beam is made incident on the light diffusing means. Therefore, when the beam passes through the light diffusing means, the spread angle of the beam increases.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-004955 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-194617 discloses an image display apparatus using a prism member which has a rotationally asymmetric surface and is made of a material whose refractive index n is equal to or larger than 1. When the prism member is used, an optical path is folded to reduce a size of an optical system and a length of the optical path is set to be n times (n>1) an actual light traveling distance to ensure a long optical path length. However, in the optical system, the intermediate imaging surface is included in the prism member, so the light diffusing means disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,132 cannot be used.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-045496 discloses an optical system using a prism filled with a medium whose refractive index is larger than 1, serving as an optical system for imaging a scanned light beam on a surface to be scanned. In the optical system, an image formed on the surface to be scanned is observed through an ocular optical system including a diffusion plane disposed to the surface to be scanned.
For example, a structure including a lens (refractive optical element) or a structure including a prism member and a lens can be applied to the optical system for imaging the light beam scanned by the scanning member onto the intermediate image plane. In the case of the optical system using the refractive optical element, when remaining chromatic aberration is large, image quality deteriorates. In order to correct the chromatic aberration of the optical system, optical elements having different dispersions are necessary. Therefore, the entire optical system becomes larger in size.
When the light beam from the light source is incident on the scanning member at a large angle, a so-called scanning distortion is caused on an image formed on the surface to be scanned.
By employing a structure in which the surface to be scanned is scanned simultaneously with a plurality of light beams emitted from a light source having a plurality of light emitting points, a two-dimensional image can be formed at high speed.
Here, assume that the plurality of light emitting points are linearly or two-dimensionally arranged and each of light beams from the light emitting points is converted into a light beam having a predetermined shape (beam diameter is adjusted) to be made incident on the scanning member. In such a case, when a suitable optical system is not constructed in order to guide the light beams from all the light emitting points onto the surface to be scanned while desirable optical performances thereof are maintained, the quality of a formed image significantly deteriorates.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Image display apparatus and image pickup apparatus using the same


The present disclosure relates to the field of display technology, and provides an array substrate and a display panel. The array substrate is provided with a via hole and further includes an annular wiring area. The annular wiring area is located around the via hole and is provided with an incision extending toward an outer edge of the annular wiring area along an inner edge of the annular wiring area, and at least a portion of the annular wiring area is bent toward a side away from a display side along the inner edge.

With the development of display technologies, the appearance of display products has become more and more diversified. For example, the display panel has a structure having a center via hole. In the related art, gate lines and data lines of the display panel having the center via hole are distributed along the edge of the center via hole, such that there is a wider border on the edge of the display panel having the center via hole.
It should be noted that the information disclosed in the background above is merely for enhancement of understanding of the background of the present disclosure and therefore, may include information that does not constitute the prior art known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

CHENGDU BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A liner for use in a trash can has a body having a surrounding wall and a top edge that defines a mouth, and a trash bag securing mechanism provided on the body adjacent the top edge. A user can insert a trash bag into the liner, open the mouth of the trash bag and then secure a portion of the trash bag to the trash bag securing mechanism.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a trash can assembly, and in particular, to a liner that is used with a trash can assembly, the liner having a mechanism for allowing a trash bag to be tied tightly to the liner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A major concern for both the home and the workplace is containing and holding wastes, refuse, and trash until permanent disposal. Trash cans act as containers for holding trash and other wastes that are produced in any typical home or office. Trash and garbage cans often employ lids and covers to contain the trash and its associated odor, to hide the trash from view, and to prevent the trash from contaminating areas beyond the lid. In addition, many trash cans are provided with a liner or inner shell that fits inside the outer shell. A trash bag is usually placed inside the liner for receiving trash. The trash bag can be replaced after it is filled with trash.
Conventional trash cans have been improved over the years to make them more user-friendly, sanitary, and hygienic. For example, many trash cans are now provided with a foot pedal positioned adjacent the base of the trash can so that a user can step on the foot pedal to open the lid of the trash can, thereby freeing up the user's hands to toss trash, or to change the plastic liner or bag that is used to line the trash can.
Despite these improvements, there are still drawbacks associated with the liner and the trash bag. For example, most trash bags are inserted into the liner, with the top open mouth of the trash bag folded over the top annular edge of the liner in a manner such that the top of the trash bag lies loosely over the top annular edge of the liner. This loose fit is not desirable because a heavy piece of trash may cause the folded top of the trash bag to slip, thereby resulting in the trash bag slipping or slumping into the inside of the liner. If the trash bag is relatively full, some of the trash stored inside the trash bag can therefore spill into the liner.

Trash can liner with bag securing mechanism


A method and device for generating a set of graphical objects to be displayed by using OPC UA (Unified Architecture) specification. The method includes indicating, by using OPC UA nodes, graphical objects to be displayed, the graphical objects representing physical components of a monitored process. Further, the method includes indicating, by using OPC UA references, how an indicated graphical object should be interconnected to another indicated graphical object when displayed. Next, the respective OPC UA node is associated with a corresponding predetermined graphical object, the set of graphical objects is generated from the associations and the individual graphical objects of the set is interconnected in accordance with the indicated interconnections. Finally, the generated set of graphical objects is displayed.

OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) is a platform independent protocol which specifies how to exchange data between different systems, software applications and hardware devices. OPC UA enables exchange of data between software applications independently of the application's vendor, supported operating system, and used programming language.
In the process industry today, process graphics are typically built using a graphic builder, for example the ABB system 800xA includes a graphic builder, and so do most systems in this particular field. These graphic builders facilitate building of process graphics as they assist the users in building the graphic representation of a real object using predetermined graphic building blocks. A graphic builder also assists the user connecting graphic objects to the process' real time data, often provided via OPC. A graphic object does not need to be dynamic; it can be static to serve as a generic building block to be used in other graphics. The generated graphic objects can also contain built in functionality for process control, navigation and indication of invalid data. The graphic objects may also visualize for example if data exceeds specified high or low limits.
A problem with conventional graphic builders is that a great deal of programming effort is required from a developer in order to create graphical objects, and in particular when trying define a complete environment of graphical objects for a certain industrial process. Further, a set of graphical objects created for a particular industrial process cannot necessarily be reused in a different industrial process when targeting different industries, which has the drawback that a great deal of engineering is required.
"OPC Unified Architecture" by Wolfgang Mahnke et al published on Springer-Verlag generally discloses the platform independent OPC UA protocol.
WO 2009/046095 generally discloses systems and methods for gathering, analyzing, formatting and presenting information related to monitored processes and environments, where graphical representations of operational process control data received from servers is displayed within the context of geographical locations at which the processes operate.

Using OPC UA to automatically generate process graphics


A miniature antenna for various wireless communication applications in the ISM band around 2.45 GHz is provided. The miniature antenna mainly contains a bended planar notch antenna with a metallic stub as a capacitive load. A microstrip feed line is also appropriately bended so as to achieve a significant reduction of the antenna's dimension. The miniature antenna could be implemented using simple manufacturing processes on a common circuit board without mechanical work or advanced processes such as low temperature co-fired ceramics. The antenna has a comparable performance to those antennas having much larger dimensions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to antennas, and more particularly to a miniature planar notch antenna using microstrip feed line.
2. The Prior Arts
As mobile communications are gaining widespread popularity, device vendors are continuously squeezing complicated functions such as picture taking, video recording, MP3 playback, FM receiving, Internet connectivity, and even fingerprint identification into the already crowded mobile devices such as PDAs and handsets. As such, the antenna of these mobile computing or communications devices, as one of the most vital components, is required to scale down as much as possible without sacrificing its performance.
The industrial and academic arenas have been working on miniature antenna for some time already. The commonly known approaches include, for example, patch antenna using shorting pins, patch antenna with slot, antenna using meander patch, etc. Among them, chip antennas have been proven to be applicable to ISM (industrial, science, medical) band applications with a size below 10×10 mm2. However, chip antennas usually employ a substrate with a high dielectric constant, a three-dimensional meander structure, or a patch structure, and advanced manufacturing processes such as multi-layered low temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC). All these would lead to a significant increase of production cost and difficulty.

Miniature planar notch antenna using microstrip feed line


A terminal unique information transmission method including: receiving, by a server, from a terminal, a terminal unique information acquisition request including a terminal unique public key certificate of the terminal; generating an encrypted terminal unique public key certificate by encrypting the terminal unique public key certificate of the terminal; checking, by the server, whether the generated encrypted terminal unique public key certificate is described in a discarded terminal information table; and transmitting, by the server, when the generated encrypted terminal unique public key certificate is not described in the discarded terminal information table, a terminal unique information of the terminal to the terminal.

Currently, a terminal is used that has a function capable of storing (dubbing) download contents and broadcast contents in a built-in hard disk drive (HDD) or an external HDD.
Stored data of the contents can be replayed only in the terminal that receives the data. Otherwise, it is likely that an unlimited number of terminals can copy and use the data stored in the HDD without qualification.
However, when the data can be replayed only in the terminal that receives the data, if the terminal is broken, a user has to give up replaying the stored data.
To solve such a problem, when the terminal that receives the data is broken, to replay the stored data, conventionally, information for restoring stored data of each of terminals is managed by a server while being tied to a user and, even when the terminal is broken, a new terminal is enabled to replay the stored data by acquiring the information for replaying stored data from a center.
Patent Document 1: International Publication Pamphlet No. WO2003/005208
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-60945

Transmission method and system for terminal unique information


Method and apparatus for digital calibration of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). One example relates to calibrating an analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion system having an N-bit resolution. The A/D conversion system includes an ADC that generates an output having N most significant bits (MSBs) and M least significant bits (LSBs) (i.e., an N+M bit resolution). An offset calibration circuit is configured to determine an offset in the ADC and to compensate the N+M bit output using the offset to provide an N+M bit offset corrected output. A gain calibration circuit is configured to determine a gain correction factor for the ADC and to compensate the N+M bit offset corrected output using the gain correction factor to provide an N bit offset and gain corrected output.

An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is an electronic circuit that converts an analog input voltage to a digital output. There are several quality metrics associated with an ADC, including gain, offset, differential non-linearity (DNL), and integral non-linearity (INL) errors. The offset of an ADC is the constant difference between the actual transfer function of the ADC and an ideal transfer function. The transfer function of an ADC is a plot of the analog input voltage (e.g., horizontal axis) versus the digital output codes (e.g., vertical axis).
FIG. 1 is a graph 100 illustrating the effect of offset error in an ADC. The graph 100 includes a horizontal axis 102 representing input voltage, and a vertical axis 104 representing digital output code. An ideal (unipolar) transfer function of the ADC is represented by plot 106. The transfer function 106 is not continuous, but is a plot of 2N codes, where N is the resolution of the ADC. Thus, the transfer function 106 is a "stair-step" like plot. In practical ADCs, the transfer function 106 includes a ½ least significant bit (LSB) offset. That is, a line 108 drawn through the code transitions intersects the axis 102 ½ of an LSB from the origin. An offset error shifts the entire transfer function left or right along the input voltage axis. For example, an actual transfer function is represented by the plot 110. As the offset is a constant difference, it can be measured by using the intersection of the transfer function 110 with the horizontal axis when a ramp input stimulus is applied to the ADC. A line 112 drawn through the code transitions of the transfer function 110 begins at a point shifted to the right from the origin by the offset. Offset error can be positive or negative and is usually measured in volts or in terms of LSBs, which can be converted to voltage.
The gain of an ADC is the input-signal level-dependent error in the output transfer function. The gain is measured from the slope of the transfer function when a ramp input stimulus is applied to the ADC. FIG. 2 is a graph 200 illustrating the effect of gain error in an ADC. The graph 200 includes a horizontal axis 202 representing input voltage, and a vertical axis 204 representing digital output code. A line 206 represents the ideal (unipolar) transfer function, and a line 208 represents an actual transfer function having gain. The stair-step nature of the transfer functions has been omitted for clarity. The difference between the slope of the actual transfer function (slope of the line 208) and the slope of the ideal transfer function (slope of the line 206) is the gain error. Gain error can be positive or negative and is usually measured as a percent with respect to input signal level.
DNL error is a measure of the deviation of the width of an output code from the ideal. FIG. 3 is a graph 300 illustrating the effect of DNL error in an ADC. The graph 300 includes a horizontal axis 302 representing input voltage, and a vertical axis 304 representing digital output code. A plot 306 represents the ideal (unipolar) transfer function, and a plot 308 represents an actual transfer function. The width of each step in the ideal transfer function 306 is equally spaced for all codes. In the actual transfer function 308, widths of the steps vary. The DNL error is the value of the worst case deviation over all output codes. INL error is closely related to DNL error and is the running sum of DNL errors over all codes. INL error describes the deviation of the ramp transfer function from the ideal best-fit straight line or, specifically, the deviation of the actual code transitions from the ideal when offset and gain errors have been removed. The INL error is the value of the worst case deviation over all output codes.
Traditional techniques of calibrating an ADC to correct gain are performed in the analog domain, by either trimming or compensating the analog circuitry so that the errors are minimized. Digital correction of an ADC output is typically avoided. Present digital gain correction techniques introduce errors in the other ADC parameters, such as INL and DNL errors. For example, an ADC with 10-bit resolution ideally provides for 1024 steps of voltage between a minimum and maximum input voltage. The digital output codes range from 0 to 1023. If an ADC produces a code of 950 when the input voltage is at maximum (full scale) instead of 1023, then the ADC has gain error. Traditional digital gain correction attempts to map the output code range of 0 to 950 onto the desired range of 0 to 1023. Given the limited amount of source information, it is clear that by definition not all 1023 output codes can be represented. Thus, some codes will be missing along the transfer function and, as a result, the DNL and INL parameters are severely impacted. Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a method and apparatus for digital calibration of an ADC that overcomes the aforementioned deficiencies.


Annoying insects are controlled by attaching an insect control device to the body of the animal to be treated. The insect control device is a molded article, preferably in the form of an ear tag, which has been formed from a powder mixture of coumaphos and diazinon, polyvinyl chloride, and a plasticizer. The coumaphos and diazinon are generally used in an amount that would prolong the insecticidal activity without detracting from the suitability of the device.

Livestock are frequently troubled by various types of insects such as flies and lice that transmit infection of the skin, eyes, and ears as well as cause irritation leading to loss of production. Several approaches have been taken to alleviate this insect problem. One approach requires application of an insecticide spray on the livestock. This approach is undesirable because it requires a substantial amount of time and labor to gather and treat the livestock. Furthermore, this approach is effective for only a short period and requires frequent applications. A more economical and less labor-intensive approach is, therefore, generally preferred.
Another approach is the application of insecticide by contacting the target livestock with a device from which an insecticide is dispensed. Dispensers such as dust bags or oilers are placed in areas where it is anticipated that the livestock will come into contact with them. While this approach reduces the amount of labor involved in treating livestock, it does not ensure that each animal will receive the necessary treatment at regular intervals.
Yet another approach employs slow release pesticide mixed with a resinous substance that will release the insecticide over an extended period of time. These pesticide-containing resins have been used in a variety of forms ranging from collars to tags that are attached to various body parts of the animal. The use of pesticide-containing ear tags is of particular interest for treating livestock as is evident from the number of patents directed to such ear tags.
For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,366,777 and 4,562,794 disclose ear tags in which a liquid insecticide dispenser is used. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,777, the liquid insecticide is enclosed in a fibrous or foam reservoir wicked onto the surface of the tag. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,794, the dispenser or reservoir containing the insecticide is attached to an animal identification tag. Release of the insecticide is dependent upon migration or diffusion of the insecticide through a semi-permeable membrane.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,327 discloses an insecticide-impregnated tape that is attached to a conventional ear tag. Each of these tags has been found to be disadvantageous because the insecticide containing reservoir or tape may be detached from the tag by fences or brush. It would, therefore, be advantageous to have a tag in which the insecticide is directly incorporated.
Such an approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,721,064; 4,195,075; and 4,265,876 as well as in Miller et al., ("Release of Pyrethroids from Insecticidal Ear Tags," J. Econ. Entomol. 76:1335-1340, 1983) and Miller et al., ("Release Rates from Cattle Insecticidal Ear Tags in Various Regions of the United States," The Southwestern Entomologist, Vol. II(1), pages 45-50, March 1986). The Miller et al. disclosures and U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,075 are, however, limited to liquid insecticides which can evaporate at ambient temperatures. Use of such liquid insecticides may be undesirable in areas where the ambient temperature is high enough to cause rapid evaporation of the insecticide and thus, result in an undesirably greater release of insecticide over a shorter period of time.
More specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,876 is limited to tags containing pyrethroid insecticides whereas coumaphos is not a pyrethroid. U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,481 discloses an insect control device, attachable to the body of a target animal, that has been formed from a powder mixture of coumaphos, polyvinyl chloride, and a plasticizer. The coumaphos is used in an amount of 5 to 30% of the device.
In order for the device to have a prolonged use of about four or more months of effective control of insects especially on cattle, a large concentration of insecticide must be incorporated into the carrier. If too much insecticide is used in plastic molded carriers, for example, in the form of ear tags, they become unsuitably soft. By the present invention, there is provided a suitable device for providing prolonged and effective insecticidal activity.

Insect control device for prolonged treatment of animals containing coumaphos and diazinon


A method and an apparatus for imparting the bodily sensation of acoustic vibrations. An electric signal of a player 203 is branched and supplied to speakers 201 and 202 or an earphone 210 and to an electric machine vibration converter 100. The sound from the speakers 201 and 202 or the earphone 210 and the vibration of the electric machine vibration converter 100 are applied audibly to the human body 100 and sensibly as the bodily sensation to the human body, respectively. When in use, a convex curved surface of an extension 101 provided on the electric machine vibration converter 100 is pinched so as to be strongly pushed between the fingertip 301 of the thumb and the forefinger. Since the vibration is transmitted to the fingertip, it is possible to realize the most effective impartment of the bodily sensation.

The conventional method for imparting the acoustic vibrational bodily sensation and apparatus therefor as described above has its main object that while enjoying the music with the auditory sense, rhythmic sense caused by the music is tasted with the bodily sensation to thereby further increase the pleasant sensation caused by the music. A further object thereof is to let a deaf and dumb person learn an intonation in conversational utterance.
Further, the electric machine vibration converter 100 includes a speaker of the voice coil type as shown in FIG. 8 (hereinafter referred to as the first prior art) and disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 75430/1977, and or a solenoid actuator type as shown in FIG. 9 (hereinafter referred to as the second prior art) and disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 171371/1982.
In FIG. 8, a cylindrical movable coil 51 is arranged to be freely moved in and out of a gap 54 whose section is in the form of a slot and whose plane is annularly provided within a field system 53 magnetized by a permanent magnet 52. A vibrator 55 secured to the movable coil 51 is held on the side of the field system 53 through an elastic holding plate 56. With this configuration, an electric signal having an acoustic frequency is applied to the movable coil 51 so that the movable coil 51 may be mechanically vibrated in response to the frequency and amplitude of the electric signal and a vibration source is obtained from relative vibrations between the field system 53 and the vibrator 55.
The constitution shown in FIG. 8 is called the speaker voice coil type since the mode of arrangement of the movable coil 51 and the field system 53 corresponds to that of a voice coil in a speaker and a field yoke.
In FIG. 9, an exciting coil 61 is embedded into a field system 62, and an elastic vibrator 63 is arranged opposite to the side of a release end of the field system 62 and held on the side of the field system 62 through an elastic holding plate 64. With this configuration, an electric signal having an acoustic frequency is applied to the exciting coil 61 so that the vibrator 63 may be mechanically vibrated in response to the frequency and amplitude of the electric signal and a vibration source is obtained from relative vibrations between the field system 62 and the vibrator 63.
As the an agrangement; and in which the movable side and the fixed side in the constitution shown in FIG. 9 are reversed, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 14996/1993 discloses a device (hereinafter referred to as the third prior art) in which the vibrator 63 as a permanent magnet is arranged on the fixed side, and the exciting coil 61 and a magnetic core for a field 62 are held by the elastic holding plate and arranged on the movable side.
The constitution shown in FIG. 9 is called the solenoid actuator type since the arrangement is one in which the vibrator is attracted and deenergized by the magnetic force produced by the exciting coil 61 and the field system corresponds to that of a solenoid field system and an actuator in the solenoid actuator.
On the other hand, as the an arrangement for imparting the bodily sensation, there is proposed a constitution (hereinafter referred to as the fourth prior art) in which a contact portion provided in the vibrator 63 is laid on a body bone portion --;--; such as an ear bone --;--, to impart the bodily sensation. Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 300943/1993 discloses a device (hereinafter referred to as the fifth prior art) in which --;--; as shown in FIG. 10, the hemispherical shells 73 and 74 are mounted on each of the outer sides of a field system side 71 and a vibrator side 72 secured to the movable coil which are a modification of the constitution of the aforementioned first prior art, the outer surfaces of both the shells being embraced by the palms 75 and 76 of both hands to impart the bodily sensation through the palms.
Further, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 103910/1977 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 14996/1993 disclose a devices (hereinafter referred to as the sixth prior art) in which the bodily sensation is imparted from the hip or the sole of a foot of the human body by the electric machine vibration converter 100A, 100B, or 100C described in the above-described first, third and fourth prior arts.
In the bodily sensation imparting method according to the above-described fourth prior art, the auditory sensation by the auditory sense and bodily sensation by the vibration are received at the same part of the human body. This poses an inconvenience in that the auditor and bodily sensation become confused making it difficult to obtain a pleasant sensation as intended.
Further, it is necessary for imparting to stronger bodily sensation by the above-described prior arts 5 and 6 to increase electric power of the electric signal supplied to the electric machine vibration converter. By doing so, however, not only must the apparatus becomes larger in size but also the vibration of the electric machine vibration converter become stronger so that vibrational sounds directly produced from the electric machine vibration converter itself or from a chair or a floor on which the electric machine vibration converter is mounted increase, resulting in an inconvenience that the vibrational sound turns into the noise so as to conversely impart the unpleasant sensation in terms of the auditory sense.
Therefore, there gives rise to a problem in that the provision of a method and an apparatus for imparting the bodily sensation without being attended with these inconveniences as noted above is desired.

Apparatus for imparting acoustic vibrational bodily sensation

Room 202, Yukikan, 14-10, Mita 2-chome Meguro-ku


A landscape lighting system comprises a plurality of landscape lighting fixtures, wherein each of the landscape lighting fixtures comprise a light source and circuitry. The circuitry is configured to receive a combined power and control signal over power supply wiring, separate the control signal from a power component of the combined signal, and cause the light source to be controlled based on the control signal.

Outdoor landscape lighting systems are commonly used in both commercial and residential settings for the illumination of structures, walkways, trees, shrubbery, etc. Although there are many reasons for outdoor illumination, the primary purposes are safety and aesthetics. Landscape lighting can facilitate the safety of those on the property by illuminating safe walkways and directing guests to entryways. Lighting can also be useful in pointing out potential obstacles, such as steps or uneven walking surfaces. Landscape lighting can improve the aesthetics of an area by highlighting its attractive features, such as architectural structures, trees, shrubs, and landscape designs.

Fully adjustable landscape lighting system


The invention relates to a method of increasing flexibility of joints between areas of plastic materials, and in particular the joint between a catheter shaft and a balloon neck involving welding the overlapping portions to create a joint region and applying a tensile force to the joint region, the force being of sufficient strength to elongate the joint region, thus thinning the joint region.

Balloon catheters are catheters with inflatable tips which may be used to expand a partially closed or obstructed blood vessel. In such an application it is important that the catheter be as flexible as possible to allow it to travel in small blood vessels, but in prior art catheters the joint between the catheter shaft and the balloon neck tends to be relatively inflexible in the region of the welded joint.
Another problem associated with balloon catheters is that the region of the welded joint tends to swell relative to the rest of the catheter shaft. When polymers, which have their polymer chains oriented in a particular direction, are heated in order to weld two regions together, the melting temperature of the polymer is exceeded, and the polymer chains become randomised. This causes the polymer material to shrink in the direction of orientation of the polymer chains, and at the same time there is a swelling of the material in a perpendicular direction. In some applications, the resultant thickening or swelling of the joint is undesirable. One such application is in the joint between a catheter shaft and a balloon neck in an angioplasty catheter, which, because of the sensitivity of the application should be of a particular and uniform size and thus swelling in the welded area is undesirable.
There are already known in the prior art processes for forming a joint or seam between two regions of plastics material such as by heat-sealing two components of plastics materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,305 discloses a method of radiant heat-sealing of a balloon onto a catheter in which a length of tubing for forming a catheter balloon is positioned on the thermoplastic shaft of a medical device. Shrink tubing is then placed over each end of the balloon tubing and is pre-shrunk to maintain its position. Radiant heat in a narrow annular band is then applied to the shaft, the balloon tubing and the shrink tubing to seal the balloon tubing onto the shaft.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,375 describes a method for continuous welding of sheets into a tube with opposite sides overlapping. The sheet is tensioned longitudinally while it is heated in order to weld the material in order that the thickness of the weld region is more than twice the thickness of the original unheated sheet material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,990,298 describes a heat shrinkable closure having a central section, which has been hot, stretched and cooled while in the stretched condition sandwiched between a pair of unstretched end sections and in which one end section has a tapered grooved extension. The hot stretching followed by cooling renders that portion of the material heat-shrinkable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,371 describes a method of manufacturing a stiffened dilation catheter. The catheter has a relatively stiff proximal end portion, which is formed by bonding a stiff tubular member coaxially with the proximal end portion of the relatively soft outer tubular member. The distal end portions of the inner and outer tubular members are sealed together to close the distal end of the balloon. A mandrel is inserted into the relatively stiff tubular member, which is then heated and pulled to shrink it down about the mandrel, thereby reducing the wall thickness of the member.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,985,601 discloses a method for producing an inflatable balloon catheter having an inflatable catheter tip attached to a double lumen catheter shaft to form a smooth continuous outer surface at the outer juncture of the tip and shaft. The catheter shaft has an initial outside diameter approximately equal to the outside diameter of the balloon section, and while in a partially cured state, a leading portion of the extruded shaft is stretched to locally reduce its outside diameter. The entire shaft is then cured.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,819 discloses a medical catheter comprising a guide wire shaft defining a guide wire lumen. The catheter has a distal tip extension with a reduced outer diameter to which a balloon is attached. The distal tip extension is tapered at one end by shaving, by radio frequency welding or by compressive heat bonding.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,092,193 describes a coupling means for joining substrates such as tubular articles. The tubular articles include an inner member having a fusable agent and an outer member. The substrates to be joined are inserted between the fusable agent and the outer member and the resulting assembly is heated. The heat raises the temperature of the fusable agent enough so that it melts and flows through and/or about the substrates to be joined with the inner and outer members acting to confine the melted fusable agent by defining boundaries between which it can flow. This bonds the two tubular articles together.
EP-B-371 497 discloses a urethra catheter, which is made by attaching a balloon to the end of a catheter shaft, heating the end portions of the balloon to weld them to the shaft and then machining the shaft tube. The front-end portion of the catheter shaft is reduced in diameter and the balloon is welded to the portion of the shaft having a reduced diameter.
EP-A-483 569 discloses a plastic welding apparatus for sealing a first plastic material to a second plastic material using a laser beam.
EP-B-237 192 discloses a method for welding together plastic or plastic covered surfaces with the aid of laser beam heating.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,520 discloses a method of balloon formation involving the steps of extruding a segment of thermoplastic material, maintaining the centre portion at a temperature blow the glass transition temperature of a thermoplastic material, drawing the segment to a pre-determined length, in which, after drawing, the wall thickness of the centre portion does not appreciably change, and then expanding the segment in a mould to produce the balloon.
While many processes are known for welding together joints of plastic material as described above, one problem with the prior art process is that the cross-sectional area of the welded region is greater than the cross-sectional area of the adjoining regions. This creates a swollen area in the weld region, which is unsuitable for many applications. No prior art document teaches a process in which two polymeric materials are first heat-sealed together and the joint is then stretched.

Post-weld necking of welded plastic joints