Methods of processing seismic data to remove unwanted noise from meaningful reflection signals are provided for. The methods comprise the steps of assembling seismic data into common geometry gathers in an offset-time domain without correcting the data for normal moveout. The amplitude data are then transformed from the offset-time domain to the time-slowness domain using a Radon transformation. At least of subset of the transformed data is filtered to enhance its coherent noise content and to diminish its primary reflection signal content by defining a slowness high-pass region and, a slowness low-pass region. The low-pass region is defined to enhance the low slowness coherent noise content and to diminish the primary reflection signal content thereof, thereby generating a first subset of said transformed data having enhanced low slowness coherent noise content. The high-pass region is defined to enhance the high slowness coherent noise content and to diminish the primary reflection signal content thereof, thereby generating a second subset of said transformed data having enhanced high slowness coherent noise content. After filtering, the first and second subsets of transformed data are inverse transformed from the time-slowness domain back to the offset-time domain using an inverse Radon transformation to restore the data. The restored signal amplitude data of the first and second subsets of data are then subtracted from the assembled data, thereby enhancing its primary reflection signal content.

Seismic surveys are one of the most important techniques for discovering the presence of oil and gas deposits. If the data are properly processed and interpreted, a seismic survey can give geologists a picture of subsurface geological features, so that they may better identify those features capable of holding oil and gas. Drilling is extremely expensive, and ever more so as easily tapped reservoirs are exhausted and new reservoirs are harder to reach. Having an accurate picture of an area's subsurface features can increase the odds of hitting an economically recoverable reserve and decrease the odds of wasting money and effort on a nonproductive well.
The principle behind seismology is deceptively simple. As seismic waves travel through the earth, portions of that energy are reflected back to the surface as the energy waves traverse different geological layers. Those seismic echoes or reflections give valuable information about the depth and arrangement of the formations, some of which hopefully contain oil or gas deposits.
A seismic survey is conducted by deploying an array of energy sources and an array of sensors or receivers in an area of interest. Typically, dynamite charges are used as sources for land surveys, and air guns are used for marine surveys. The sources are discharged in a predetermined sequence, sending seismic energy waves into the earth. The reflections from those energy waves or "signals" then are detected by the array of sensors. Each sensor records the amplitude of incoming signals over time at that particular location. Since the physical location of the sources and receivers is known, the time it takes for a reflection signal to travel from a source to a sensor is directly related to the depth of the formation that caused the reflection. Thus, the amplitude data from the array of sensors can be analyzed to determine the size and location of potential deposits.
This analysis typically starts by organizing the data from the array of sensors into common geometry gathers. That is, data from a number of sensors that share a common geometry are analyzed together. A gather will provide information about a particular spot or profile in the area being surveyed. Ultimately, the data will be organized into many different gathers and processed before the analysis is completed and the entire survey area mapped.
The types of gathers typically used include: common midpoint, where the sensors and their respective sources share a common midpoint; common source, where all the sensors share a common source; common offset, where all the sensors and their respective sources have the same separation or "offset"; and common receiver, where a number of sources share a common receiver. Common midpoint gathers are the most common gather today because they allow the measurement of a single point on a reflective subsurface feature from multiple source-receiver pairs, thus increasing the accuracy of the depth calculated for that feature.
The data in a gather are typically recorded or first assembled in the offset-time domain. That is, the amplitude data recorded at each of the receivers in the gather are assembled or displayed together as a function of offset, i.e., the distance of the receiver from a reference point, and as a function of time. The time required for a given signal to reach and be detected by successive receivers is a function of its velocity and the distance traveled. Those functions are referred to as kinematic travel time trajectories. Thus, at least in theory, when the gathered data are displayed in the offset-time domain, or "X-T" domain, the amplitude peaks corresponding to reflection signals detected at the gathered sensors should align into patterns that mirror the kinematic travel time trajectories. It is from those trajectories that one ultimately may determine an estimate of the depths at which formations exist.
A number of factors, however, make the practice of seismology and, especially, the interpretation of seismic data much more complicated than its basic principles. First, the reflected signals that indicate the presence of geological strata typically are mixed with a variety of noise.
The most meaningful signals are the so-called primary reflection signals, those signals that travel down to the reflective surface and then back up to a receiver. When a source is discharged, however, a portion of the signal travels directly to receivers without reflecting off of any subsurface features. In addition, a signal may bounce off of a subsurface feature, bounce off the surface, and then bounce off the same or another subsurface feature, one or more times, creating so-called multiple reflection signals. Other portions of the signal turn into noise as part of ground roll, refractions, and unresolvable scattered events. Some noise, both random and coherent, is generated by natural and man-made events outside the control of the survey.
All of this noise is occurring simultaneously with the reflection signals that indicate subsurface features. Thus, the noise and reflection signals tend to overlap when the survey data are displayed in X-T space. The overlap can mask primary reflection signals and make it difficult or impossible to identify patterns in the display upon which inferences about subsurface geology may be drawn. Accordingly, various mathematical methods have been developed to process seismic data in such a way that noise is separated from primary reflection signals.
Many such methods seek to achieve a separation of primary reflection signals and noise by transforming the data from the X-T domain to other domains. In other domains, such as the frequency-wavenumber (F-K) domain or the time-slowness (tau-P), there is less overlap between meaningful signal and noise data. Once the data are transformed, various mathematical filters are applied to the transformed data to separate noise from primary reflection signals, for example, by enhancing primary reflection signals or suppressing noise. The data then are inverse transformed back into the offset-time domain for further processing or interpretation.
For example, so-called Radon filters are commonly used to attenuate or remove multiple reflection signals. Such methods rely on Radon transformation equations to transform data from the offset-time (X-T) domain to the time-slowness (tau-P) where it can be filtered. More specifically, the X-T data are transformed along kinematic travel time trajectories having constant velocities and slownesses, where slowness p is defined as reciprocal velocity (or p=1/v).
Radon filters have been developed for use in connection with common source, common receiver, common offset, and common midpoint gathers. They include those based on linear slant-stack, parabolic, and hyperbolic kinematic travel time trajectories. The general case forward transformation equation used in Radon filtration processes, R(p,τ)[d(x,t)], is set forth below:
                    u                          (                      p            ,            τ                    )                    =                        ∫                      -            ∞                    ∞                                                                                ⅆ            x                                                        ∫                              -                ∞                            ∞                                                                                ⅆ                t                                                          ⅆ                                  (                                      x                    ,                    t                                    )                                                                          δ                                                  [                                      f                                                              (                                              t                        ,                        x                        ,                        τ                        ,                        p                                            )                                                        ]                                                                                (              forward                                                  transformation            )      where                u(p,τ)=transform coefficient at slowness p and zero-offset time τ        d(x,t)=measured seismogram at offset x and two-way time t        p=slowness        t=two-way travel time        τ=two-way intercept time at p=0        x=offset        δ=Dirac delta function        ƒ(t,x,τ,p)=forward transform function
The forward transform function for linear slant stack kinematic travel time trajectories is as follows:
            f                    (                  t          ,          x          ,          τ          ,          p                )              =          t      -      τ      -      px        where                                          δ                                      [                              f                                                  (                                      t                    ,                    x                    ,                    τ                    ,                    p                                    )                                            ]                                =                      δ                                      (                              t                -                τ                -                px                            )                                                                                =            1                    ,                                    when                                                                                t                        =                          τ              +              px                                ,          and                                                          =            0                    ,                      elsewhere            .                              Thus, the forward linear slant stack Radon transformation equation becomes
      u              (              p        ,        τ            )        =            ∫              -        ∞            ∞                                            ⅆ        x                          ⅆ                  (                      x            ,                          τ              +              px                                )
The forward transform function for parabolic kinematic trajectories is as follows:
            f                    (                  t          ,          x          ,          τ          ,          p                )              =          t      -      τ      -              px        2              where                                          δ                                      [                              f                                                  (                                      t                    ,                    x                    ,                    τ                    ,                    p                                    )                                            ]                                =                      δ                                      (                              t                -                τ                -                                  px                  2                                            )                                                                                =            1                    ,                                    when                                                                                t                        =                          τ              +                              px                2                                              ,          and                                                          =            0                    ,                      elsewhere            .                              Thus, the forward parabolic Radon transformation equation becomes
      u              (              p        ,        τ            )        =            ∫              -        ∞            ∞                                            ⅆ        x                          ⅆ                  (                      x            ,                          τ              +                              px                2                                              )
The forward transform function for hyperbolic kinematic travel time trajectories is as follows:
            f                    (                  t          ,          x          ,          τ          ,          p                )              =          t      -                                    τ            2                    +                                    p              2                                                  x              2                                            where                                          δ                                      [                              f                                                  (                                      t                    ,                    x                    ,                    τ                    ,                    p                                    )                                            ]                                =                      δ                                      (                              t                -                                                                            τ                      2                                        +                                                                  p                        2                                                                                x                        2                                                                                )                                                                                =            1                    ,                                    when                                                                                t                        =                                                            τ                  2                                +                                                      p                    2                                                                          x                    2                                                                                ,          and                                                          =            0                    ,                      elsewhere            .                              Thus, the forward hyperbolic Radon transformation equation becomes
      u              (              p        ,        τ            )        =            ∫              -        ∞            ∞                                            ⅆ        x                          ⅆ                  (                      x            ,                                                            τ                  2                                +                                                      p                    2                                                                          x                    2                                                                                )
A general case inverse Radon transformation equation is set forth below:
                    d                          (                      x            ,            t                    )                    =                        ∫                      -            ∞                    ∞                                                                                ⅆ            p                                                        ∫                              -                ∞                            ∞                                                                                ⅆ                                  τρ                                                        (                    τ                    )                                                              *                              u                                                  (                                      p                    ,                    τ                                    )                                                                          δ                                                  [                                      g                                                              (                                              t                        ,                        x                        ,                        τ                        ,                        p                                            )                                                        ]                                                                                (              inverse                                                  transformation            )      where                g(t,x,τ,p)=inverse transform function, and        ρ(τ)*=convolution of rho filter.
The inverse transform function for linear slant stack kinematic trajectories is as follows:g(t,x,τ,p)=τ−t+pxThus, when τ=t−px, the inverse linear slant stack Radon transformation equation becomes
      d              (              x        ,        t            )        =            ∫              -        ∞            ∞                                            ⅆ        p                                                    ρ                          (          τ          )                    *              u                          (                      p            ,                          t              -              px                                )
The inverse transform function for parabolic trajectories is as follows:g(t,x,τ,p)=τ−t+px2Thus, when τ=t−px2, the inverse linear slant stack Radon transformation equation becomes
      d              (              x        ,        t            )        =            ∫              -        ∞            ∞                                            ⅆ        p                                                    ρ                          (          τ          )                    *              u                          (                      p            ,                          t              -                              px                2                                              )
The inverse transform function for hyperbolic trajectories is as follows:g(t,x,τ,p)=τ−√{square root over (t2−p2x2)}Thus, when τ=√{square root over (t2−p2x2)}, the inverse hyperbolic Radon transformation equation becomes
      d              (              x        ,        t            )        =            ∫              -        ∞            ∞                                            ⅆ                  pp                                (            τ            )                              *              u                          (                      p            ,                                                            t                  2                                -                                                      p                    2                                                                          x                    2                                                                                )
The choice of which form of Radon transformation preferably is guided by the travel time trajectory at which signals of interest in the data are recorded. Common midpoint gathers, because they offer greater accuracy by measuring a single point from multiple source-receiver pairs, are preferred over other types of gathers. Primary reflection signals in a common midpoint gather generally will have hyperbolic kinematic trajectories. Thus, it would be preferable to use hyperbolic Radon transforms.
To date, however, Radon transformations based on linear slant stack and parabolic trajectories have been more commonly used. The transform function for hyperbolic trajectories contains a square root whereas those for linear slant stack and parabolic transform functions do not. Thus, the computational intensity of hyperbolic Radon transformations has in large part discouraged their use in seismic processing.
It has not been practical to accommodate the added complexity of hyperbolic Radon transformations because the computational requirements of conventional processes are already substantial. For example, such prior art Radon methods typically first process the data to compensate for the increase in travel time as sensors are further removed from the source. This step is referred to as normal moveout or "NMO" correction. It is designed to eliminate the differences in time that exist between the primary reflection signals recorded at close-in receivers, i.e., at near offsets, and those recorded at remote receivers, i.e., at far offsets.
NMO correction involves a least-mean-squares ("LMS") energy minimization calculation. Forward and inverse Radon transforms also are not exact inverses of each other. Accordingly, an additional LMS calculation, conjugate gradient and/or sparsity constraints are often used in the transformation. Those calculations in general and, especially LMS analyses, are complex and require substantial computing time, even on advanced computer systems.
Moreover, a typical seismic survey may involve hundreds of sources and receivers, thus generating tremendous quantities of raw data. The data may be subjected to thousands of different data gathers. Each gather is subjected not only to filtering processes as described above, but in all likelihood to many other enhancement processes as well. For example, data are typically processed to compensate for the diminution in amplitude as a signal travels through the earth ("amplitude balancing"). Then, once the individual gathers have been filtered, they must be "stacked", or compiled with other gathers, and subjected to further processing in order to make inferences about subsurface formations. Seismic processing by prior art Radon methods, therefore, requires substantial and costly computational resources, and there is a continuing need for more efficient and economical processing methods.
In addition, prior art Radon filters have various shortcomings in attenuating or removing multiple reflection signals and other coherent noise that can mask primary reflection signals. Primary signals, after NMO correction, generally will transform into the tau-P domain at or near zero slowness. Thus, prior art processes have defined and applied filters in the tau-P domain which attenuate all data, including the transformed primary signals, below a defined slowness value pmute. The data that remain after attenuating the primary reflection signals contain a substantial portion of the signals corresponding to multiple reflections. The unmuted data are then transformed back into offset-time space and is subtracted from the original data in the gather. The subtraction process removes the multiple reflection signals from the data gather, leaving the primary reflection signals more readily apparent and easier to interpret.
For example, French Pat. 2,801,387 of B. Fernand ("Fernand") relates generally to processing of seismic data and specifically to methods that utilize a determination of residual dynamic corrections (i.e., residual "normal move out" or "NMO" corrections). It generally discloses a method wherein amplitude data in the X-T domain are transformed into the tau-P domain, subjected to processing designed to attenuate primary reflection signals and identify multiple reflection signals (coherent noise), inverse transformed back into the X-T domain, and then subtracted from the original data set so as to remove multiple reflection signals leaving the primary reflection signals.
It will be appreciated, however, that in such prior art Radon filters, not all multiple reflection signals are effectively separated from primary reflection signals. When the mute filter is applied, therefore, such multiples may be attenuated along with the primary reflection signals. Since they are attenuated, the multiples will not be subtracted from and remain in the original data gather as noise that can mask primary reflection signals.
The velocity at which primary reflection signals are traveling, what is referred to as the stacking velocity, is used in various analytical methods that are applied to seismic data. For example, it is used in determining the depth and lithology or sediment type of geological formations in the survey area. It also is used various seismic attribute analyses. A stacking velocity function may be determined by what is referred to as a semblance analysis. Which such methods have provided reasonable estimations of the stacking velocity function for a data set, given the many applications based thereon, it is desirable to define the stacking velocity function as precisely as possible.
An object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a method for processing seismic data that more effectively removes unwanted noise from meaningful reflection signals.
It also is an object to provide such methods based on hyperbolic Radon transformations.
Another object of this invention is to provide methods for removal of noise from seismic data that are comparatively simple and require relatively less computing time and resources.
Yet another object is to provide methods for more accurately defining the stacking velocity function for a data set.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such methods wherein all of the above-mentioned advantages are realized.
Those and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings.

Removal of noise from seismic data using radon transformations


A portable workstation is an apparatus that provides a work seat, surface, and convenient resources for desk work. The apparatus is also configured to collapse for ease of transport. The apparatus includes a chair frame, a pack, a backing, a first telescoping table panel, a second telescoping table panel, a first shoulder strap, and a second shoulder strap. The chair frame provides support for the user. The pack can be utilized to store a laptop, chargers, paper, writing implements, and other items. The backing serves as protection for the collapsing components in the closed configuration. The first telescoping table panel and the second telescoping table panel extend into operative and resting positions relative to each other. The first shoulder strap works in conjunction with the second shoulder strap to provide a mechanism for the user to conveniently carry the apparatus.

The office workspace is becoming obsolete with the advent of remote working capabilities. Virtual private networks and other remote access mechanisms provide users with the ability to work from the comfort of their homes or the convenience of the road, and while there is no perfect substitute for the communication made possible by in-person meetings, there are replacements like video calls that are reasonable replacements. The potential to avoid the perils and costs associated with a daily commute is valuable, as incidents can be reduced with fewer people on the road and worker money can be preserved. Overall, the advantages of remote work for worker health and convenience are too high to be ignored.
While the various means by which a user can interact with their work are increasing, the tools available to take advantage of such technology are lacking. Even working from home can become a binding experience if the worker is still bound to a desktop computer. A laptop increases the portability of the potential workspace by allowing a user to travel to different locations without being tethered to a desktop; however, even this has limitations. The user is still often bound to proximity to electrical outlets in order to charge their laptop. Further, a variety of other tools, such as desks, working surfaces, laptop cases and containers, and other such devices are required to fully enable a working environment. Even upon accumulation of appropriate tools and working materials, there is no guarantee that the area you have set up in will remain appropriate for work in relation to ambient noise and foot traffic. What is needed is a way to conveniently set up a work environment. Further desirable is a structure that provides power, protection, and convenience for all necessary electronics.
The present invention addresses these issues. A portable workstation provides the user with the ability to set up an appropriate work environment anywhere, including outdoors. The present invention utilizes a frame that supports the user above the ground, or whatever surface is chosen as an appropriate area for work. A portable power supply allows the user to store and access electrical charge for various devices. The seat of the present invention folds into a fully functioning backpack, thereby enabling the user to travel with items and the full workstation in tow. A telescoping desk provides the user with a flat surface upon which to place a laptop, writing implements, paper, or other work materials.


A method for potentiating the performance of an internal combustion engine. The method includes the steps of providing an exhaust extraction booster at a piston chamber of an internal combustion engine for evacuating exhaust product from the piston chamber through an exhaust exit. The piston chamber is defined within a piston cylinder having a piston head reciprocating therein. A fuel mixture is ignited within the piston chamber so that the fuel mixture burns at least partially and produces a heated exhaust product within the piston chamber. The extraction booster is placed in fluid communication with the piston chamber for drawing the exhaust product from the piston chamber toward and across the booster. An exhaust dilution inlet is also provided between the piston chamber and the booster for permitting cooling fluid to dilute the heated exhaust product before the exhaust product reaches the booster thereby preventing fully heated exhaust product from being processed by the booster.

Internal combustion engines and the principles of their operation are well known. As a basic to all, a fuel mixture typically consisting of a combustible fuel such as gasoline or diesel is combined with a facilitating mixture of oxygen containing gas, most often air. It is possible that the air which is mixed with the combustible fuel be conditioned in one or more of several ways. Turbochargers are well known devices that can be added to combustion engines to potentiate their power development. Typically, a turbocharger will divert a portion of the exhaust gases from a running engine to be used for combining with the fuel source for injection into the piston cylinder(s). This achieves two benefits: the first is a pressuring of the fuel and gas mixture into the piston chamber and the second is a preheating of the mixture so that it is more readily ignited and thoroughly combusts. Because of the principles of the combustion engine, its efficiency is potentiated by those things that facilitate the input of fuel and air mixture, and also by those things that facilitate the removal of the spent exhaust products after ignition. For these reasons devices that can be incorporated into the original design of the piston-cylinder combination in an internal combustion engine will beneficially enhance the engine's performance. It is also possible that such facilitating features may be added subsequent to the original manufacture as retro-fit enhancements. The present invention has been developed to speak to these needs for enhancement and provide the same for an internal combustion engine.

Exhaust gas extraction system for an internal combustion engine


The present invention generally provides a sequential method for producing and/or casting a film, television, play or other form of entertainment. More specifically, a lottery based system is implemented so that the winning person obtains rights to be a subject in a play, television show, film or other form of entertainment. The winning person may actually act in the project or the winning person may elect to have an actor play him or her in the project. Audience members who obtain tickets to showings of the project are themselves given a lottery ticket to obtain the rights to be a subject in a subsequent play, television show or film. Further, the winning audience member may also obtain a prize, such as cash, for winning the lottery. The process repeats itself so that a subject of each new project is taken from the audience of the previous project. The cycle may continue until future audiences no longer support the running project.

The present invention generally provides a sequential method for producing and/or casting a film, television, play or other form of entertainment. More specifically, a lottery (or raffle) based system is implemented so that the winning person obtains rights to be a subject in a play, television show, film or other form of entertainment. The winning person may actually act in the project or the winning person may elect to have an actor play him or her in the project. Alternatively, the winning person may receive a prize such as, for example, a cash prize. Audience members who obtain tickets to showings of the project are themselves given a lottery ticket to obtain the rights to be a subject in a subsequent play, television show or film. Further, the winning audience member may also obtain a prize, such as cash, for winning the lottery. The process repeats itself so that a subject of each new project is taken from the audience of the previous project. The cycle may continue for a set amount of time, a set amount of cycles or future audiences no longer support the running project. It should be noted that the audience member need not be present to win in some embodiments of the method.
The entertainment industry is one of the most competitive industries in the country. Millions of hopeful actors fearlessly audition on a daily basis to become the next big television or film star. Those auditions are held by thousands of independent producers and studio executives who are themselves fearlessly fighting to win an audience for their next project.
In order to win the audience the producers must offer a unique product. Although largely saturated at this time, reality based entertainment is one of the biggest audience magnets. Reality television programs such as American Idol, Survivor and Big Brother are just a few examples of the highly successful reality programming boom. Typically, contestants on these programs undergo an "audition" process to narrow the field of possible contestants to a manageable few. The audition process often includes live and/or video tape auditions. Many of these projects also include an at home audience voting segment whereby the audience chooses a winner based on talent, personality or other factors.
The gambling industry is one of the largest growing industries in the country next to the entertainment industry. In fact the two are often combined. Las Vegas is ever expanding and riverboats are growing steadily in number. As of yet there exists no known lottery system wherein the winner has the opportunity to star in (or be the subject of) a film, play, television show or other form of entertainment.
A need, therefore, exists for an improved lottery based system wherein an admission ticket also acts as a lottery ticket. Further, no known lottery based casting system exists wherein the winner has the opportunity to star in (or be the subject of) a film, play, television show or other form of entertainment.


A driver circuit is improved in drive capability corresponding to a resolution increase for a CCD sensor while suppressing chip size of a driver circuit. A preceding-stage circuit, operating on VDD2 (>VDD) and VLOW2 (<VLOW), is provided in a stage preceding an output-stage circuit operating on VDD and VLOW. The output-stage has a transistor QPd that turns on when supplied with a gate voltage VLOW2 from the preceding-stage circuit, thus outputting, onto an output terminal Vout, a voltage VDD and a current according to a voltage Vgs (=VDD−VLOW2). In addition, a transistor QNd turns on when supplied with a gate voltage VDD2 from the preceding-stage circuit, thus outputting, onto an output terminal Vout, a voltage VLOW and a current according to a voltage Vgs (=VDD2−VLOW). Because these Vgs are greater than VDD−VLOW, the output-stage circuit can be improved in drive capability and transistor size be correspondingly suppressed.

There is currently extensive development for a CCD (charge coupled device) image sensor having higher resolution but smaller size. This increases the number and decreases the width of transfer electrodes constituting a CCD shift register. For the driver circuit to drive the CCD shift register, it is necessary to increase the pulse amplitude and the drive capability. Particularly, in a frame-transfer CCD image sensor, frame-transfer operation is performed at a high rate from the imaging section to the storage section. Consequently, high drive capability is needed for the driver circuit for use in a frame-transfer CCD image sensor.
FIG. 1 is a typical circuit diagram showing a configuration of a current driver circuit. A timing circuit 2 generates various clocks at suitable timings for the operation of the CCD image sensor. Output pulses from the timing circuit 2 are input to preceding-stage circuits 4 (4a, 4b). The preceding-stage circuits 4 are each an inverter circuit formed by P-channel and N-channel MOS field-effect transistors (P-ch and N-ch MOSFETs) connected between a positive voltage source VDD and a negative voltage source VLOW, to generate and output a pulse inverted in voltage magnitude relation relative to the pulse inputted to the gates of the MOSFETs from the timing circuit 2. Output pulses from the preceding-stage circuit 4 are input to an output-stage circuit 6. The output-stage circuit 6 is also an inverter circuit whose P-ch and N-ch MOSFETs are connected between VDD and VLOW. This generates a pulse inverted in voltage magnitude relation relative to the input pulse from the preceding-stage circuits 4 and supplies it to the CCD image sensor.
Specifically, when each of the preceding-stage circuits 4 is supplied with an input of VH from the timing circuit 2, its N-ch MOSFET having a source connected to VLOW turns on so that the preceding-stage circuit 4 outputs a voltage comparable with VLOW. Meanwhile, when each of the preceding-stage circuits 4 is supplied with an input of VL (<VH) from the timing circuit 2, the P-ch MOSFET having a source connected to VDD turns on so that the preceding-stage circuit 4 outputs a voltage comparable with VDD. When the voltage comparable with VDD is input to the output-stage circuit 6 from the preceding-stage circuit 4b, the N-ch MOSFET having a source connected to VLOW turns on. The N-ch MOSFET in on state sets the voltage, on the output terminal Vout connected to the CCD image sensor, to the voltage comparable with VLOW and supplies, to Vout, a current according to its gate-to-source voltage Vgs. Meanwhile, when the voltage comparable with VLOW is input to the output-stage circuit 6 from the preceding-stage circuit 4a, the P-ch MOSFET having a source connected to VDD turns on. The P-ch MOSFET in on state sets the voltage of Vout at a value comparable with VDD and supplies, to Vout, a current according to its gate-to-source voltage Vgs.
Namely, the current driver circuit has an output whose voltage amplitude ranges from VLOW to VDD while each of the MOSFETs of the output-stage circuit 6 has Vgs at (VDD−VLOW).
In current driver circuits, in order to raise the drive capability while maintaining the MOSFET Vgs of the output-stage circuit 6 at (VDD−VLOW), the transistor must be increased in size, e.g. increasing the MOSFET channel width in the output-stage circuit 6. Thus, there is encountered a problem of chip size increase in the driver circuit.


Audio and visual information processing components are co-located on a PCI Express graphics card by communicating audio and visual information received through the PCI Express interface of the graphics card to a PCI Express switch which switches audio information to audio processing components and video information to video processing components for processing of the information to an audiovisual appliance output. The audio processing components may include an AC97 interface and CODEC or an audio controller that processes PCI Express information. The audiovisual output signal may include a variety of combined or separate audiovisual appliance compatible outputs such as coaxial cable output, EVC output, HDMI output, HDTV output or 1394 output.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of information handling system audiovisual output, and more particularly to a method and system for PCI Express audiovisual output.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
A growing use of information handling systems is for the presentation of multimedia information, such as audiovisual information having video information for display on a monitor and audio information for play through speakers. In a typical information handling system, video information is prepared for display on a graphics card interfaced with a monitor and audio information is prepared for playing on an audio card interfaced with external speakers. Generally, the presentation of audiovisual information by information handling systems is performed in a manner inconsistent with the presentation of audiovisual information by typical audiovisual appliances, such as televisions. For example, televisions typically accept audiovisual information in an analog format through a single input while information handling systems typically process audiovisual information as digital data output with separate video and audio outputs. However, a number of industry standards support audio and video output from a single information handling system connector, such as data encoded into a single channel, like 1394 and HDTV connectors, or data encoded on separate electrical interfaces using a single connector, like HDMI and EVC connectors. Generally, in order to support communication of audiovisual information to appliances through single connector interfaces, an information handling system must include a mechanism that co-locates audio and video streams.
One standard interface for communication of information for an information handling system is the PCI Express standard. PCI Express graphics interfaces have a 16 lane width that is generally not compatible with communication of audio and video information to a graphics card as separate streams. Typically, PCI Express audio and visual outputs from an information handling system are handled separately within the information handling system. For example, video information is communicated from a memory hub to a graphics card over one PCI Express link for output through a video adapter while audio information is communicated from the memory hub through separate PCI Express links through an audio device to an audio output. The PCI Express standard lacks a defined mechanism to co-locate audio and video stream outputs from an information handling system. One solution that allows co-location of video and audio streams output from an information handling system is the use of a PCI bridge on a graphics card to allow support for multiple devices on a single card. However, PCI bridges tend to present a relatively expensive and complex solution for co-location of video and audio streams.

Method and system for PCI express audiovisual output


An exercise device is provided using a variable resistant exercise band having spaced apart eyelets along the length of the band. Each eyelet located at respective ends of the band is secured onto a hook member attached to a rigid bar, or a grip handle which permits the band to be pulled up to different levels, or in different directions.

It is a matter of common experience that a variety of exercise devices have been developed in recent years and have been commonly used in various health clubs, gyms, and even at home. This is largely due to increased emphasis on individual physical fitness and public health awareness. Indeed views who watch regular television as well as commercial telephone programs have undoubtedly noticed the numerous and diverse types of exercise apparatus and devices, both simple and complicated, with various claims of the advantages resulting from their daily use. Also, over the years, there have been numerous patents and publications disclosing and featuring various exercises devices. One such exercise device was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,809 issued Feb. 20, 1968 which describes an exercise device useful for isometric and isotonic exercises. The device comprises a platform upon which the exerciser stands and a pair of ropes each having one end journalled for rotation about a pulley on the platform and a free end connected to a handle which can be grasped by the user for pulling up the rope.
Another and somewhat similar exercising device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,843,719 issued Oct. 23, 1974.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,26,708 issued Apr. 27, 1982 discloses an elastic cable exerciser with an improved bar.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,195,835 issued Apr. 1, 1984 discloses an elastic cable exerciser.
Publication No. US 2007/0207903 A1, dated Sep. 6, 2007 discloses a tension-type exercise device such as a cord, band, tube or loop, made of an expanded elastomer material.
Publication No. US 2008/0009398 A1 dated Jan. 10, 2008 discloses an exercise device comprising a flexible band in form of a closed loop and at least one tension adjuster for adjusting the tension on the loop.
Notwithstanding the variety of available exercise devices, there is still a dire need for an exercise device which permits the exerciser to readily vary the tension and resistance of the device during exercise.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an exercise device which comprises a variable resistant band which can be readily manipulated by the exerciser during exercise.
It is also an objection of this invention to provide an exercise device which is adapted for various exercises such as isometric exercises and isotonic exercises.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such exercise devise which is adapted to be used in home and is readily portable from one place to another.
The foregoing and other objects and features of this invention will be more readily understood from the ensuing detailed description of the invention and the drawings which for parts of the application.

Variable resistant exercise band, device containing same and exercise method

Abstract: A method is also provided for using the exercise device.


A lamp puller for removing small lamps, such as miniature Christmas lamps, from their sockets is provided.

This invention relates to a lamp puller, and more particularly to a tool for removing small lamps such as miniature Christmas lamps from their sockets.
The typical miniature Christmas tree light set uses a low heat generating miniature lamp having a cylindrical bulb extending from a base. The leads for the lamp extend through the base and must make contact with appropriate connections in a socket for the lamp. The cooperating shapes of the socket and base of the lamp combine to force the thin extending leads into a proper position in the socket. To make the necessary electrical connection, the lamp base must fit very snugly into the socket. Typically the base and socket are formed of a plastic resin material that has a certain degree of flexibility and compressibility to accommodate the snug fit.
The lamps often require replacement. Because of their small size and snug fit in the sockets, the lamps are difficult to remove by hand. This is particularly true for those who have difficulty in coordinating their finger motion by reason of age or disability such as arthritis.
It is a principal object of the invention to provide a simple but effective tool for removing miniature lamps form their sockets.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a tool which will securely hold the lamp after it is removed.


A connection element of the present invention has several jaw sidewalls that are oriented in different directions, whereby two jaw sidewalls at a time can be braced against each other to receive a component part. At least one jaw sidewall can be set so that it is adjustable on the connection element and this jaw sidewall projects by a lateral leg into the inside of the connection element. There is in active connection with an adjustment element that is to be activated from the outside in a direction to brace or detach the jaw sidewall. With the connection element according to the invention, it is possible to connect the plates of a shelf construction system together without nails, screws and the like.

Connection elements of this type are used especially for the connection of furniture parts such as wall plates and floor plates, for example, in shelving construction or fair (tradeshow) exhibit construction. Customary connection elements are angles, for example, which are affixed with screws or nails to the parts to be connected. This is time-consuming; and moreover, the component parts are irreversibly damaged in these customary connection systems by the screwing-in of the screws or the driving in of the nails. Also, the detachment of component parts once they are connected is problematic. In particular, in a frequent assembly and disassembly of building systems, for example, in fair or tradeshow exhibit construction, customary connection elements cause considerable disadvantages.


A sound signal generator testing apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a hermetic seal (2), a sound signal input unit (4), and at least a noise suppression unit (5). The sound signal input unit is for receiving sound signals transmitted from a sound signal generator (1) under testing. Each noise suppression unit includes a sound signal input unit, a low pass filter, an inverter, and an output. The sound signal input unit is for receiving sound signals. The low pass filter is for filtering the sound signals by passing the low frequencies of the sound signals that are below a predetermined value. The inverter is for inverting phases of the sound signals transmitted from the low pass filter and producing inverted sound signals. The output unit is placed behind the sound signal input unit for outputting the inverted sound signals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a sound signal generator testing apparatus, and particularly to a sound signal generator testing apparatus for preventing reflected sound signals to affect a testing result.
2. Description of Related Art
After manufactured, sound signal generators such as speakers, are tested to ensure that sound parameters meets predetermined values. During the test, the sound signal generators are placed inside of a testing apparatus. The testing apparatus is a hermetically sealed enclosure. Sound signals generated by the sound signal generators are reflected back by the inner wall of the hermetically sealed enclosure. Those reflected sound signals become noises relative to the sound signals, and affect the testing result.
Generally, acoustical absorbent is used to cover the inner wall of the hermetically sealed enclosure to suppress the reflected sound signals. In the hermetically sealed enclosure, the high frequency sound signals and the medium frequency sound signals can be easily absorbed by the acoustical absorbent in a relative small size of the hermetically sealed enclosure. However, the low frequency sound signals are difficult to absorb. In order to absorb the low frequency sound signals, the size of the hermetically sealed enclosure must be increased.
What is needed is a sound signal testing apparatus that can suppress low frequencies of reflected sound signals (echoes) of sound signals from sound signal generators, without increasing size of the sound signal testing apparatus.

Sound signal generator testing apparatus


A device for optical scanning of markings, such as barcodes, has at least two transmitters (10, 20) that send light beams (12, 22) at different angles toward a rotating polygonal mirror (30), which deflects the light beams onto the markings being scanned. The light reflected by the markings is deflected by the polygonal mirrors (30) to separate receiver systems, so that the device has and simultaneously uses at least two separate transmitter/receiver channels.

The invention concerns a device for the optical scanning of objects, especially markings, with an apparatus that has first and second transmitters emitting respective first and second light beams, a rotatable polygonal mirror which directs the light beams onto the marking and which deflects light reflected by the markings, and a receiver system for receiving the reflected light.
A device of this kind, a so-called scanner, is known from EP 0 480 348 A1. In that device, the light beams from two transmitters, especially lasers, are deflected by a semitransparent mirror into a common beam direction and strike a rotating polygonal mirror which directs the light beams onto the markings being scanned, such as a barcode. The light returned by the markings is deflected by the polygonal mirror to a common receiver system. The two transmitters have different focal distances so as to be able to scan and read markings at different distances from the device. The two transmitters are at first alternatingly operated, in order to establish which focal distance corresponds to the distance from the markings being scanned. After this, only the transmitter which has the appropriate distance is used to scan and read the marking. The two transmitters with different focal distance give the device an improved field depth.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,527,184 B1 discloses a device with two pairs of transmitters of the kind familiar from EP 0 480 348 A1. The light beams of the respective two pairs of transmitters, coinciding in a common axis, are in different planes which are offset from each other in the direction of the axis of rotation of the polygonal mirror. This is supposed to equalize the parallax which can occur in the case of different distances.
EP 0 643 362 A1 discloses a device in which the light beam of a transmitter is deflected by a rotating polygonal mirror and an angular mirror onto the marking being scanned. The two mirror planes of the angular mirror that are oriented at an angle to each other deflect the scanning plane of the light beam into two intersecting scanning planes, through which the light beam passes in succession. There is only one receiving system, which evaluates the information from the successively traveled scanning plane. Scanning in two intersecting planes enables an omnidirectional reading of a barcode or line code.

Device for optical scanning of objects, especially markings


Transformer-driven power switch devices are provided for switching high currents. These devices include power switches, such as Gallium Nitride (GaN) transistors. Transformers are used to transfer both control timing and power for controlling the power switches. These transformers may be careless, such that they may be integrated within a silicon die. Rectifiers, pulldown control circuitry, and related are preferably integrated in the same die as a power switch, e.g., in a GaN die, such that a transformer-driven switch device is entirely comprised on a silicon die and a GaN die, and does not necessarily require a (large) cored transformer, auxiliary power supplies, or level shifting circuitry.

Many modern electronic circuits, such as switching voltage converters and motor drivers, make use of power switches to control the flow of high current levels. A power switch typically requires a driver circuit for sourcing current to and sinking current from a control terminal (e.g., a gate) of the power switch. The driver for a power switch that has a load terminal (e.g., a source) coupled directly to ground may be relatively straightforward, as the circuitry for such a driver may be ground-referenced. However, power switches are often not coupled directly to ground. For example, a half bridge configuration may include a low-side power switch that is coupled between ground and a switching node, and a high-side power switch that is coupled between a positive-voltage power rail and the switching node. In other examples, a switched-capacitor converter or a multi-level class-D amplifier may include a series of cascaded power switches between a ground and a positive voltage rail, wherein the voltages at load terminals (e.g., sources) of the intermediate power switches typically fall between ground and the positive voltage.
Power switches that are not coupled to ground, e.g., high-side or other floating power switches, present unique challenges for driving. Consider, e.g., an n-channel metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) power switch having a source, a drain, and a gate (control terminal). The turn-on voltage driven onto the MOSFET gate is referenced to the source voltage, which may be floating. The driver typically has a reference terminal for coupling to the MOSFET source, and must be provided with a supply providing power at a positive voltage, e.g., 5V, above the reference (source) voltage. Hence, a floating power supply, referenced to the MOSFET source voltage, is needed. Furthermore, the driver input, which is typically a digital signal alternating, e.g., between ground and 3V, usually requires that its voltage be level shifted in accordance with the MOSFET source voltage.
A typical technique for powering a high-side MOSFET driver uses a bootstrap power supply, which comprises a diode and a relatively large capacitor. The capacitor is charged, via the diode, from a low-voltage (ground-referenced) power source when the high-side MOSFET is turned off and its source is grounded, e.g., during an interval in which a low-side MOSFET is turned on. Once the high-side MOSFET source is disconnected from ground, e.g., when the low-side MOSFET is turned off, the capacitor supplies power to the high-side MOSFET driver as needed for turning the high-side MOSFET on. Another technique uses a transformer, in which a magnetic core is used to transfer power from a ground-referenced primary to a secondary side that is referenced to the source voltage of a high-side MOSFET, so as to power the MOSFET driver. In addition to a floating power supply, such as the bootstrap or transformer-based supplies described above, level-shifting circuitry is typically needed to translate the control signal input to the MOSFET driver to a requisite, e.g., source-referenced, voltage range and, in some cases, to provide isolation. Such level shifting is typically accomplished using capacitive coupling or level-shifting transformers.
The floating power supply and level shifting for a power switch driver may require somewhat complex and physically large circuitry, which is not easily integrated in semiconductor dies. Simplified circuit topologies for driving power switches are desired, wherein most or all of the circuitry may be integrated in semiconductor dies.

Transformer-based driver for power switches


A measurement device is provided for measuring a resected femoral head. The device comprises a base (102) with a support rod (104) extending transversely from the base and extending in a direction corresponding to a height of a resected femoral head. A femoral head support (108) is attached to a base proximate an end of the support rod (104) for supporting a severed end of a femoral head at a selected incline between about 30° and 60° relative to the base such that a height of the resected femoral head extends in the general direction of the support rod. A transverse height indicating arm (120) is adjustable up the height of the support rod (104) so as to measure the height of a resected femoral head (106) positioned on the femoral head support in use. The transverse height indicating arm (120) may carry adjustable offset indicating arm (122).

Total or partial hip replacement is a surgical operation generally aimed at replacing a damaged or diseased hip joint or femoral head with a prosthetic hip joint or femoral head.
The difference between the dimensions of the resected bone and the implanted prosthesis dictates any final change in leg length. The resected bone is difficult to measure as it is a complex 3 dimensional shape and the inferior reference point needs to be adjustable to accommodate different prosthesis designs. In order to locate the inferior point of reference consideration needs to take into account the position of the most medial point of the component at the base of the femoral neck in relation to a point on the inner calcar. An example of a reference point is indicated by the letter "A" in FIG. 3.
A total hip replacement replaces the acetabulum (socket) and the head of a femur with a prosthetic or artificial joint. The prosthetic joint comprises a femoral stem that is configured to extend into the hollow canal of the femur, a femoral head component and an acetabular cup component. The femoral head component consists of a round ball that mimics the shape of a femur head and a neck portion. The round ball is configured to fit, at least partially, inside the acetabular cup component. The prosthesis may be manufactured from a variety of different materials having suitable properties.
In a natural hip joint or a prosthetic hip joint assembled in vivo, the neck portion of the femoral head component is at an angle that ranges between about 135° and about 145° relative to the longitudinal axis of the femur. During an exemplary total or partial hip replacement a cross sectional cut is made in an upper region of the femur proximate or through the neck that carries the femoral head. The cut is made at an angle that is approximately at right angles to the angle at which the neck is inclined relative to the femur. This angle should correspond with the neck shaft angle of the planned prosthesis. The resected femoral head and neck is removed from the hip joint, at which time it is necessary to replace it with a prosthetic femoral head component of the correct size and configuration.
In particular, the vertical distance that a femoral head component spans in use is an important dimension of the prosthesis as it will dictate the leg length of a patient. In the context of the in vivo position of a natural femoral head in a standing person, the vertical distance may also be referred to as the "vertical drop" to the neck resection level. This "vertical drop" corresponds to the height of a resected femoral head.
It is necessary to obtain an accurate measurement of the height of a resected femoral head in order to select and prepare the prosthetic femoral head component for proper positioning of the femoral head. The appropriately sized prosthesis can be selected in order to obtain a desired leg length that may be the same or different from the original leg length. In addition, an accurate measurement of a lateral offset of the resected femoral head is needed. The lateral offset corresponds to a crosswise length of the femoral head in its in vivo position. The lateral offset of the prosthesis should be optimised to ensure correct muscle tension in the muscles surrounding the hip joint.
A multitude of implants are available with varying dimensions and therefore an App has been developed utilising the following formula to calculate the leg length during surgery.Measured resection−centre of rotation elevation=Cup radius+Implant leg adjustment distance+implant height above reference point.  Formula:
Digital X-ray images are commonly used as templates for pre-operative planning, i.e. to estimate where the cross-sectional cut through the femur is aimed to be made, to estimate corrections that must be realised in the prosthesis to obtain a target leg length, and so forth. Predicting the vertical height and lateral offset to be effected by the prosthesis intra-operatively may be challenging. A number of techniques have been described to assess leg length correction intra-operatively. None of these methods have been shown to be accurate.
It should be mentioned that leg length is of great importance in the conduct of hip replacement surgery because if the post-operative leg length is not within acceptable limits the surgeon responsible may be exposed to serious malpractice litigation.
There is thus a need to alleviate such difficulties, at least to some extent.
The preceding discussion of the background to the invention is intended only to facilitate an understanding of the present invention. It should be appreciated that the discussion is not an acknowledgment or admission that any of the material referred to was part of the common general knowledge in the art as at the priority date of the application.


A control apparatus includes: a communicating unit configured to establish communication connection with a controlled object; an image acquiring unit configured to obtain a preview image containing the controlled object; and a controlling unit configured to receive a control instruction inputted according to the preview image, and control the controlled object according to the control instruction. Controlling the controlled object according to the preview image containing the controlled object may realize control of the controlled object in a simple and convenient manner, thereby improving user experiences.

Currently, as the development of communication technologies, electronic devices, such as smart mobile phones, and tablet computers, etc., are widely used; and besides the original functions, such as communication, and entertainment, etc., the functions and applications of the electronic device have expanded continuously. In recent years, technologies have appeared in which an electronic device, such as a smart mobile phone, etc., is used to control another electronic product or equipment. In such technologies, a specific application in a smart mobile phone is opened, so as to look up and select an electronic product or equipment needing to be controlled in a menu, and control the electronic product or equipment needing the control in the menu.

Control apparatus and method and electronic device


Transcranial electrostimulation is used to treat a number of ailments including depression and pain management amongst others. However, long term transcranial electrostimulation can lead to the hyperpolarization in the membrane of the post synaptic neurons reducing or eliminating the positive effects. Thus, by using a “white noise” (clock) generator and taking advantage of polarity inversions empirical evidence has shown this to reduce or prevent the negative effects associated with long term use of current transcranial devices and methods.

Bio-electric stimulation apparatus has been developed for applying current pulses to a patient through electrodes located on opposite sides of the head of the patient. The current pulses at selected frequencies are applied to cause reaction with the central nervous system of the patient. Such devices, referred to as transcranial electrostimulation (TCES) or cranial electrostimulators (CES) have been used for a variety of non-invasive procedures, such as producing analgesic effects, reducing or controlling migraine headaches, and other applications of treatment and electro-anesthesia.
Earliest prototypes of transcranial electrostimulation devices originated in Russia. These original designs, although successfully employed for several different treatment modalities, had a severe drawback with regard to the comfort of the wearer or patient. In some cases, these earlier cranial electro-stimulation devices even subjected the wearer to pain. It has been discovered that the reason for the discomfort of these earlier designs was a result of the use of direct current as part of the overall operation of the devices. The direct current was used to break down or lower skin resistance to allow the treatment alternating current signals to penetrate the brain and nervous systems to cause the desired effect established by the placement of the electrodes on the head of the patient.
In these earlier types of machines, the wearer received a combination of direct current and alternating current electrical waveform packages through a series of electrodes affixed to the head with straps. Typically, two electrodes comprising a cathode or negative pole of the DC based circuit would be placed approximately three inches apart to the left and right of the center of the forehead. Two other electrodes, comprising the anode or positive pole of the DC based circuit, were placed on the rear of the skull on the post mandibular area behind and below each ear.
With this DC current based design, the wearer was required to place a thick pad between any electrode and the skin. Typically, the pad was comprised of several layers of unbleached and uncolored cotton flannel, or an equivalent product. For best results, the fabric pads were soaked with water to provide a conductive path between the electrodes and the skin of the wearer. Without the presence of the pads (which were only required because of the presence of the DC current), such devices could either burn the skin of the wearer, or cause relatively intense pain before a usable level of the treatment modality of the currents at the AC frequency could be reached.
Although various types of treatment were employed by such earlier transcranial electrostimulation devices, the devices typically needed to be employed for an average time of thirty minutes per treatment period. Without the presence of the relatively thick cumbersome pads, the DC based design was unusable. With the presence of the thick padding, the DC design was bearable to the wearer, but rarely provided the wearer with a pleasant experience.
Review of Related Technology:
Three Russian patents which utilize such devices for different treatment methods are Russian patents 1489719, 1507404, and 1522500. In all of these patents, a combination of direct current and rectangular impulse current, with a frequency of between 70 and 80 Hertz, was employed at current amperages which were increased from a relatively low level to a higher or maximum level over the course of each treatment session.
An additional and potentially harmful drawback of the DC based designs was that of iontophoresis. A characteristic of a DC circuit application of this type is that molecular sized parts of metal, toxins and other undesirable impurities can be caused to migrate in the direction of current flow through the skin and into the bloodstream of the wearer of such DC based CES devices. Consequently, care had to be taken to ensure that no substance was present other than water used to create good electrical contact with the pad to the skin of the wearer.
Since practically all CES treatment modalities require repeated treatments, the potential for iontophoresis being a harmful factor was escalated. Transcranial electrostimulation (CES or TCES) originally was used in the 1960's to induce sleep. These early devices typically used less than 1.5 mA at 100 Hz. The Liss patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,438) employed higher frequencies modulated by a lower frequency squarewave to produce recurring pulse bursts. The repetition frequency of the device of Liss is determined by the modulation frequency; but the pulse bursts are of uniform amplitude within each repetition cycle.
The device of the Liss patent is specifically directed to utilization in conjunction with the treatment of migraine headaches. The low frequency or modulating signal is asymmetrical, utilizing a 3:1 duty cycle, "on" three-fourths of the time and "off" one fourth of the recurring period. This results in bursts of the high frequency signal separated by the off time when no signal is applied, following the re-application of the bursts of the high frequency signal. Some patient discomfort may be present in such an "on/off" system operation over the period of time of application of the pulse during a treatment interval.
A number of other United States patents, all directed to dual frequency systems which utilize high frequency signals modulated by a low frequency modulation carrier, operating in the general nature of the device of the Liss U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,438, exist. Typical of these patents are the patents to Limoge U.S. Pat. No. 3,835,833; Nawracaj U.S. Pat. No. 4,071,033; Kastrubin U.S. Pat. No. 4,140,133; Morawetz U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,908 and Giordani U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,389. All of these patents employ uniform amplitude high frequency signals, which are modulated at the lower frequency of the modulation carrier.
A variation on the systems of the patents discussed above is disclosed in the Haimovich U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,736. The device of this patent employs two different current generators for providing electrical currents delivered to two electrode pairs operating across different portions of the head of the patient. This allows independent control of the current generators to administer independent regulated electrical current across each of the pairs to adjust for different impedances so caused by the physiological and anatomical differences between different sides of a patient's mid brain portion, the quality of the conducting medium, and other factors. In all other respects, the system disclosed in this patent is similar to the operation of the system disclosed in the Liss patent discussed above.
Russian patent publication No. 2139111 is directed to a method for treating narcomania, which is a treatment also used in others of the CES patents described above for alcohol and narcotic addiction. In this patent, transcranial electrical stimulation is accomplished by means of packets of current with a duration of four milliseconds, at a modulation frequency of 100 Hz. Within each of the packets, the high frequency signals have a uniform frequency and current amplitude.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,769,463 to Katsnelson is directed to a therapeutic electrostimulation apparatus and method that operates to supply electrostimulation signals to three channels. The basic electrostimulation signal for each of the channels is the same; and this signal is applied to a transcranial electrostimulation set of output electrodes. A second channel provided with the same signal is further operated to modulate the signal with a dual frequency signal pattern for the application of the second channel signal to a second set of electrodes, typically applied to the body near the spinal area. A third channel supplied with the basic electrostimulation signal modulates the electrostimulation signal during a portion of a treatment session with a diapason of frequencies varying randomly, and the output of this channel is applied to a set of electrodes at a local area for therapeutic treatment.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,904,322 also to Katsnelson is directed to a transcranial electrostimulation apparatus which employs an asymmetrical signal modulated by a 77.5 Hz modulating signal, with a resultant lowering of the capacitive resistance of the epidermal layer. As a consequence, lower current levels using the Katsnelson system of the '322 patent were found capable of achieving the desired results which previously required much higher current levels. The lower current levels of this system translate into a greater level of comfort for the patient or user of the device of the Katsnelson patent.
There also have been a number of efforts in the past to apply electrical signals to multiple body sites, in an effort to obtain some type of therapeutic result, such as pain relief. Early efforts, such as disclosed in the Phurston U.S. Pat. No. 309,897 and Gavigan U.S. Pat. No. 693,257, applies direct current to pads located at different locations on the body. These devices are subject to the same disadvantages described above for direct current TCES and CES systems, inasmuch as a relatively high level of discomfort or pain may be experienced through the use of direct current applications. Other devices employing stimulation of electrodes applied to the skin or external areas of the body, or implanted in permanent locations for therapeutic purposes, have been devised using alternating current signals. Such devices, however, have not been coordinated or combined with the use of transcranial electrostimulation apparatus, or cranial electro stimulators.
Various devices are known in the art. However, their structure and means of operation are substantially different from the present disclosure. The other inventions fail to solve all the problems taught by the present disclosure. The present invention provides an apparatus and method to reduce and/or eliminate hyperpolarization resulting from long term transcranial electrostimulation of the brain. At least one embodiment of this invention is presented in the drawings below and will be described in more detail herein.

Transcranial electrostimulation device and method


When a host computer connected to a network is to remotely control information in an image processing apparatus, authentication to the image processing apparatus is performed by using a password, and, on the basis of an encryption code of an encryption chip stored in the host computer, an authentication process for an operation with respect to the information in the image processing apparatus is performed by using a dictionary in an authentication server.

Presently, a multifunction digital copying machine called an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) can perform copying, printing, scanning, and facsimile communication. In addition, scanned image data can be stored in an internal hard disk (HDD), and a host computer in a remote place can read and acquire the stored data and can also store data in the HDD.
When, however, a host computer in a remote place remotely controls an image processing apparatus such as an MFP, this host computer can read and acquire data in the apparatus by only simple password authentication. Therefore, there was possibility that the data might be read or acquired by other users who knew accidentally the password.

Image processing system and authentication method of the same


A method and an apparatus for establishing secured roaming among wireless devices are disclosed. In one embodiment, a first access point requests a first ticket from an authentication server and uses that first ticket to establish a first secured session with a wireless station. In response to a second ticket request from the wireless station through the first secured session, the first access point forwards the second ticket request to the authentication server and also relays a resulting second ticket from the authentication server back to the wireless station.

A wireless network is a flexible data communication medium implemented as an extension for, or as an alternative to, a wired network. By using radio frequency (RF) technology, wireless networks transmit and receive data over air, minimizing the need and the cost typically associated with wired connections. Moreover, wireless networks offer mobility and flexibility for users. For example, doctors and nurses in hospitals are able to use hand-held devices or notebook computers to access patient information from a server through wireless networks without having to search for a physical jack to plug their devices or computers into.
FIG. 1 demonstrates a prior art wireless network configuration. Specifically, the network configuration comprises wireless stations 108 and 110, wireless medium 106 and access points 100, 102 and 104. Wireless stations 108 and 110 communicate with access points 100, 102 and 104 through electromagnetic airwaves 106. Access points 100, 102 and 104 are also connected to wired network 112 and have access to the network resources of wired network 112 such as, server 114, network printer 116 or other devices coupled to wired network 112. It should be noted that wireless stations 108 and 110 are not stationary and do not have to communicate with particular multiple access points. For instance, wireless station 108 may seamlessly move from the coverage area of access point 100 to the coverage area of access point 104 and still maintain its data connections with the access points.
Despite the portability and the convenience that wireless technology offers, there still lacks a comprehensive security scheme to ensure privacy and integrity of the data on wireless networks. For instance, one existing approach is to utilize static keys to encrypt data on a wireless link. Such encrypted data are vulnerable to attack, because the probability of deciphering them is much greater than if the data were encrypted with constantly changing keys. Another approach involves a wireless station sharing a group key with an access point. Thus, when any one device on a wireless network falls into the hands of an attacker, the security of every system in the network is compromised. Yet another approach has every wireless station share one key. As a result, any wireless station is capable of decrypting the traffic of any other wireless.
As has been demonstrated, an improved method and an apparatus are needed to enhance the security of a wireless network.

Technique to establish wireless session keys suitable for roaming


Apparatus and method for providing for packet data communication between a single-input-single-output (SISO) transceiver and a single-input-multiple-output/multiple-input-single-output (SIMO/MISO) transceiver. Receive channel coefficients representing relative strengths of individual signals received via multiple spatially diverse antenna elements and corresponding to a wireless data signal originating from a particular SISO radio frequency (RF) transceiver are used to provide substantially complementary transmit channel coefficients for use in producing outgoing RF signals to be transmitted via the same antenna elements for reception by such particular SISO RF transceiver.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus to improve performance of a packet data communications system using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with multiple transmit/receive RF front-ends and antennas. More specifically, it relates to system architecture and algorithm that use multiple RF front-ends and antennas to achieve transmit/receive diversity and thus improve system performance in packet OFDM systems such as IEEE 802.11a and IEEE 802.11g systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
The wireless local area network (WLAN) based on packet OFDM technology has experienced significant growth in recent years. A typical such system is an IEEE 802.11a/g system.
In an IEEE 802.11 WLAN, multiple WLAN stations communicating between each other in a confined environment form an ad-hoc wireless network called Basic Service Set (BSS). A BSS can optionally contain an Access Point (AP) which usually acts as a bridge between the wireless LAN BSS and a wired local area network. Without the presence of an AP, the BSS operates in the ad-hoc mode where each wireless station abides the CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Medium Access/Collision Avoidance) medium access protocol, i.e., it ensures that the medium is idle before transmitting. With the presence of an AP, the BSS operates in infrastructure mode where the AP coordinates the medium traffic on top of the basic CSMA/CA medium access protocol used by individual stations.
In a packet system like an IEEE 802.11 WLAN, a unit of transmission is a packet. Although the packet size may vary, the packet structure is usually fixed as shown in FIG. 1. The first portion of the packet is the physical layer preamble (PHY Preamble). The PHY Preamble usually contains a known signal pattern that is used by the receiver for packet detection and parameter estimation (i.e., channel, carrier frequency, etc.). The second portion of the packet is the PLCP (Physical Layer Convergence Procedure) Header. The PLCP Header contains information to configure the receiver for the reception of the subsequent data portion of the packet. Such information includes, for example, data rate (IEEE 802.11a/g supports 8 data rates ranging from 6 Mbps to 54 Mbps), packet data length, etc. The last portion of the packet is the MAC (Medium Access Control) Data. The data portion of the packet could vary in length which results in variable packet length.
FIG. 2 shows the IEEE 802.11a packet structure and its corresponding PHY Preamble, PLCP Header, and MAC Data sections. The same packet structure is also used for the OFDM mode of IEEE 802.11g. The PHY Preamble section of the packet is 161s long and consists of 10 short preambles and 2 long preambles. The short preambles are typically used for signal detection, AGC (Automatic Gain Control), coarse frequency offset estimation, and possibly timing synchronization. The long preambles are typically used for fine frequency offset estimation and channel estimation. The first OFDM symbol after the long preambles contains the SIGNAL field of the PLCP Header, which encodes the packet length and modulation type information. Once the SIGNAL field is correctly decoded, the receiver will properly configure the baseband signal processing path to receive the MAC Data section of the packet.
Wireless communication system performance depends heavily on the radio propagation environment. FIG. 3 shows a simplified two-dimensional radio propagation environment. Radio signal obstacles are represented as one-dimensional walls with certain transmission and reflection coefficients. The graph has one transmitter and one receiver marked as circles. The radio signal propagation environment between the transmitter and receiver is called a channel. Due to wall transmissions and reflections, multiple replicas of the original signal transmitted by the transmitter are received. The replicas have different amplitudes and arrival times as shown in the impulse response graph in FIG. 4 and the corresponding channel frequency response is shown in FIG. 5 (the Y-axis is in a logarithmic scale).
The curve in FIG. 5 has a significant dip in the middle which is almost 20 dB deep. Such behavior is called frequency selective multipath fading and is typical in multipath channels. In an OFDM system, data is modulated on narrowband subcarriers. For example, IEEE 802.11a/g uses 64 narrowband subcarriers over a 20 MHz range. Because of multipath fading, each subcarrier experiences a different channel frequency response (In FIG. 5, the channel frequency response on each subcarrier is represented as a circle). The subcarriers around the dip would experience very low channel gains resulting in data loss on those subcarriers.
There are different ways to mitigate the effect of multipath fading. One way is through frequency diversity where the data is spread across multiple carriers so that the deep fades on some of subcarriers can be offset by gains on other subcarriers. Another method uses spatial diversity to mitigate multipath fading. In this latter method, the transceiver uses multiple antennas (in the form of an antenna array) and RF front-ends and combines the signals from different antenna branches to mitigate multipath fading.
In FIG. 6, the channel frequency responses on four different antennas that are spaced one carrier wavelength apart (about 6 cm for 5.25 GHz carrier) are plotted. The channel frequency responses are different on the four antennas. Often times when there is a dip on one of the channel frequency response curves, there is peak on another curve. Transmit and receive spatial diversity algorithm can be used to combine the signals on the four antennas so that deep fades on some of the channels can be offset by high gains on other channels resulting in a combined channel frequency response (shown as the top curve in FIG. 6) that is superior than any individual channel frequency responses. It should be noted that aside from mitigating multipath fading, combining signals from different RF branches has intrinsic combining gain depending upon the number of RF branches used (assuming noises are not correlated across RF branches).

SIMO/MISO transceiver for providing packet data communication with SISO transceiver


A parking lever of a vehicle includes a slider of a predetermined length mounted to a lower area of a lever assembly. Also, a guide rail into which the slider is inserted is formed in a casing. The slider undergoes a sliding movement within the guide rail such that when the lever assembly is operated, the slider covers exposed areas of the guide opening of the casing.

A parking brake is typically used when a vehicle is parked for long periods, and is independently formed from the brake pedal used during vehicle operation. Another application of the parking brake is when the vehicle is on an incline and assistance is needed to prevent the vehicle from moving backward (this technique is generally used when the vehicle has a manual transmission).
In conventional parking brakes, a cover plate, which is made of a plastic material of a predetermined hardness, is extended a predetermined distance from a lever assembly. It is thus necessary that the lever assembly be set to at least a predetermined height so that it does not interfere with the vehicle body mounting when the lever assembly is operated. That is, when the lever assembly is used when the distance between the lever assembly and the mounting is large, the durability of the lever assembly is decreased, and it is necessary to provide a significant amount of installation space. Therefore, there is a limited degree of freedom in design.
Further, since the cover plate can cover only areas corresponding to the trace of the lever assembly during operation of the same, some areas inside the casing go uncovered.


In accordance with the invention, a uniformly spaced three-dimensional array of quantum dots is fabricated by forming a uniform grid of intersecting dislocation lines, nucleating a regular two-dimensional array of quantum dots on the intersections, and replicating the array on successively grown layers. The substrate is partitioned into a grid of in-plane lattice parameters, thereby providing a regular array of preferential nucleation sites for the influx atoms of a different size during the epitaxial process. The regularity of the array results in an equal partition of the incoming atoms which, in turn, leads to uniformly sized islands nucleating on these preferred sites. The result is a uniformly sized, regularly distributed two-dimensional array of quantum dots which can be replicated in succeeding layers.

A quantum dot (QD) is a cluster of atoms whose dimensions in all directions are less than the quantum mechanical wavelength of an electron or a "hole". Quantum dots are believed to possess unique energy band structures and are contemplated for use in a variety of electro-optical devices. See, for example, C. Ulrich et al, Phys. Rev. B, Vol. 52, 12212 (1995) and H. Grabert et al, Z. Phys. B, Vol. 85, 317 (1991), both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
To exploit the unique properties of quantum dots, it is desirable to form them in regular arrays of substantially uniform size. Ideally the dots are sufficiently close together that they are coupled by quantum mechanical tunneling. Such arrays have potential applications as photodetectors, lasers and single electron transistors.
Unfortunately conventional fabrication techniques will not make such arrays with the desired uniformity and regular spacing. Accordingly there is a need for a new method for fabricating quantum dot arrays.

Method for fabricating three-dimensional quantum dot arrays and resulting products