To test the tightness and/or the correct closure of containers which are transported on a conveyor, the containers succeeding each other at brief time intervals and the containers being sealed by attachment of a closure, a characteristic dependent on the internal pressure (internal-pressure characteristic) of the container is measured. Upon attachment of the closures to the containers, the internal-pressure characteristic or parameters of the closures or containers, knowledge which is necessary to measure the characteristic depending on the internal pressure, are recorded. The containers are marked no later than when the closure is attached in a way which permits the values recorded upon attachment of the closures to be allocated to the respective container. The internal pressure of the container is ascertained from the value, measured at a time interval after the attachment of the closure, of the internal-pressure characteristic, and comparison with the value of the internal-pressure characteristic measured upon attachment of the closure or taking account of the parameters recorded. In the case of rigid containers such as glass bottles, the internal-pressure characteristic is typically the oscillation frequency of the closures; in the case of flexible containers such as PET bottles, on the other hand, it is the fill level. The marking can consist of a magnetization of the closure.

The invention relates to a method for testing the tightness and correct closure of a plurality of containers which are transported on a conveyor, the containers succeeding each other at brief time intervals, the containers being sealed by attaching a closure, and a characteristic of the containers which is dependent on the internal pressure (=internal-pressure characteristic) being measured at time intervals after the attachment of the closure.
In the case of rigid containers such as glass bottles, the internal-pressure characteristic is typically the oscillation frequency of the closures, but in the case of flexible containers, such as PET bottles, it is the fill level.
Until now, the tightness of rigid containers, e.g. glass bottles which contain fruit juice or beer, has been tested by measuring the internal pressure. This test was carried out about 5 minutes after filling and closure. In the case of fruit juices which are poured in when hot, a negative pressure develops within this period due to cooling, whereas in the case of beer a slight positive pressure of 0.6 to 1.5 bar builds up due to the CO2 which is released. In the case of fruit juices which are heated in a pasteurizer after closure, a higher pressure develops. It is known to ascertain this pressure by measuring the oscillation frequency of the container closure (DE-A-40 04 965 and DE-A-196 46 685). The measurements are encumbered with great uncertainty, as the measured frequency is evidently affected by other parameters, regarding which reference is made to the simultaneously filed international patent application xe2x80x9cMethod for Testing Sealed Containersxe2x80x9d (=DE patent application 198 34 218.7).
The object of the invention is therefore, in the case of a method of the type described at the outset, to improve the reliability of the testing of the tightness or the closure.
According to the invention, this object is achieved in that:
during the attachment of the closures to the containers
the internal-pressure characteristic is measured and/or
parameters of the closures or containers are recorded, knowledge of which is necessary to ascertain the internal pressure from the measurement of the internal-pressure characteristic;
the containers are marked, no later than when the closure is attached, in a way which permits the values which are measured or recorded upon attachment of the closures to be allocated to the respective container,
the internal pressure of the container is ascertained form the value of the internal-pressure characteristic measured at the time interval after the attachment of the closure
and comparison with the value of the internal-pressure characteristic measured upon attachment of the closure, or
taking into account the recorded parameters.
A criterion for the tightness or correctness of the closure is derived from the ascertained internal pressure value. Of course, the internal pressure need not be measured numerically. It is sufficient to ascertain a variable which is representative of the internal pressure, or else only to establish whether this variable lies above or below an empirically ascertained threshold value.
The fact that the internal-pressure characteristic of the containers is recorded when attaching the closures means that this recording takes place before the internal pressure rises or falls. If a parameter of the closures or containers is recorded, knowledge of which is necessary for the measurement of the internal-pressure characteristic, it is sufficient to record this parameter, as long as the respective container can be tracked and an allocation is therefore still possible.
The period between attaching the closures and measuring the internal-pressure characteristic can be so great that a large number of containers can be transported on the conveyer within this period.
In the case of drinks containing CO2, the measurement takes place e.g. after 10 minutes. In the case of fruit juices which are pasteurized, the internal-pressure characteristic can be measured after the pasteurizer.
With the process alternative, in which the internal-pressure characteristic is recorded when attaching the closures to the containers, this characteristic is measured twice, namely the first time when attaching the closures to the containers and the second time after the time interval mentioned. The first measurement then corresponds to the internal pressure zero, so that this value essentially depends only on the properties of the closure and/or cap (=closure parameters). The deviation of the value obtained during the second measurement from the value obtained during the first measurement is therefore almost exclusively attributable to the change in the internal pressure, so that the difference in the measured value shows, directly and in general even linearly, the increase or reduction in the internal pressure.
If, on the other hand, the properties of the closure and/or the cap (=closure parameters) are recorded when attaching the closures to the containers, the internal pressure is then ascertained during the later measurement of the internal-pressure characteristic from the measured value of this characteristic, by means of empirical values which are stored in value tables for the parameters. Each cap and/or additionally each closure type then has, so to speak, its own parameter set and threshold value for the measured frequency in the case of rigid containers or of the fill level in the case of plastic containers, with which the ascertained frequency or the ascertained fill level are compared. The influence of the properties of the closure blank or attached closure, e.g. material thickness and compound quantity), and of the properties of the closure chuck, e.g. the closure force, on the oscillation frequency of the attached closure is described in the simultaneously filed international patent application xe2x80x9cMethod for Testing Sealed Containersxe2x80x9d (=DE patent application 198 34 218.7).
The marking of the containers makes possible a permanent allocation to the individual containers of the value of the characteristic recorded when attaching the closure or of the other parameters.
The measured values and the parameters can be attached direct to the container by means of the marking.
Another possibility consists of consecutively numbering the containers by means of the marking and then storing with each container number in a computer the internal-pressure characteristic measured during the attachment of the closure or the recorded closure parameters. The consecutive numbering can take place periodically as, by and large, the containers are moved along or emerge from the pasteurizer in turn. If the containers are already continuously or periodically numbered, this numbering can be used for the allocation of the recorded value or parameters to the containers.
In the case of rigid containers such as glass bottles, however, the marking preferably contains only information about the oscillation frequency of the closure as ascertained during the first measurement, the first measurement in general taking place directly after closure. As indicated, this oscillation frequency depends primarily on the type of closure and the closure force of the closure chuck (=closure parameters). At the second measurement, if e.g. a positive pressure has built up in a beer bottle sealed with a crown cap, a frequency deviating from this is measured, in most cases a higher frequency. The frequency increase is solely attributable to the positive pressure which has built up in the meantime. During the first measurement, carried out directly after the pressing on of the crown cap, the frequency is e.g. between 7 and 8 kHz, the differences between the individual bottles being caused by differences in the thickness of the crown cap material and the varying closure force of the closure chucks (closure parameter). After 5 minutes, a positive pressure e.g. of 1 bar has built up, which led to a frequency higher by 0.7 kHz being measured during the second measurement that was then carried out. This frequency increase lies within the fluctuation band which is caused by differences in the closure parameters. A frequency measurement only after the build-up of the internal pressure would therefore not permit a reliable statement regarding the tightness of the bottle closure; it would not be possible to distinguish with certainty between frequency deviations caused by closure parameter differences and those which can be attributed to an increase in the internal pressure.
The marking can take place in the form of a bar-code. In practice, this kind of marking can run into difficulties, as a bar-code would then have to be attached to the container or closure, something which, up to now, has not been accepted by consumers. The marking can also be attached with UV ink. The marking, i.e. the allocation of specific recorded values to the containers, can take place by means of a transponder.
Instead of using a bar-code, UV ink or transponder, the container or the closure can also be marked magnetically. This can take place via the container or closure material, e.g. using ferromagnetic material, or through the use of a magnetizable coating, similar to that in the case of computer diskettes. In principle, analog or digital operation is possible, i.e. via the strength of the magnetic field or only via the direction. The two processes can also be combined.
The magnetic marking can take place by three different methods.
a) Analog encryption of the information
b) Analog encryption of the information with reference marking
c) Digital encryption of the information
A disadvantage of the analog method is that effects which influence the intensity of the magnetization have to be monitored. These include e.g. the unavoidable fluctuations in material thickness and composition of the closure. This can be corrected by firstly impressing a write pulse of defined amplitude onto the top and reading it. The magnetizability of the top can then be deduced from the level of the read signal. On the basis of this information, the necessary amplitude of the write pulse can then be calculated for information storage. Another correction possibility consists of carrying out the magnetization simultaneously in several directions. For example, in the plane of the closure and perpendicular thereto. The magnetization is then read again in all three spatial directions and the magnetization in the plane of the closure, e.g. in the centre of the closure, is calculated from the magnetization in two of the three directions. The information then remains in the angle of the vector of the overall magnetic field strength above the plane of the closure. Therefore, no alignment of the bottle is necessary. The effects of the magnetizability of the individual closures are calculated from this.
Upon the analog encryption of the information, the height tolerances of the bottles are also to be borne in mind.
Possible Measures
With the process described above, in which firstly a write pulse of defined amplitude is impressed onto the closure, the height tolerance is corrected simultaneously. Height tolerances of the bottles and thus of the distance between the closure and the write and/or read head can also be actively measured and integrated into the evaluation of the magnetic field strength. Finally, the position of the write and read heads can be actively tracked to the bottle height.
These disadvantages of the analog method can also be dealt with by attaching a reference pulse of constant amplitude to the closure. This constant reference pulse is then used again to reconstruct the information in the variable write pulse. In this way, the problems described above are solved simultaneously.
The digital method naturally has a better signal-to-noise ratio, as only the direction of the magnetic field is used as an information unit. Therefore, different areas of the top have to be magnetized in different directions.
For example, the closure can be magnetized orthogonally to the closure surface plane in different orientations. Simple patterns for the magnetization are strips of different polarity or, in order to maintain the rotation symmetry, concentric rings of different polarity.
All these methods are possible. They differ only in the costliness of the process and in the amount of information which can be obtained and packed into the marking.
Finally, an increasing of the information density is also possible by combining the analog and digital processes. For example, concentric rings of differing orientation are applied to the cover, and these then also in several levels of magnetic field intensity which can be easily distinguished from one another. Every additional level then increases the maximum possible information quantity count (i.e. of the distinguishable states).
Both the magnetization and the reading of the closures are preferably independent of direction, i.e. the magnetization pattern is rotationally symmetrical to the rotation axis of the containers, e.g. of glass drink bottles with crown- or screw-caps. The closure can be magnetized in concentric rings, as already mentioned, for this purpose. Another possibility is to store the information in the direction of the magnetization. Because of the required independence from direction or rotational symmetry, an angular range of 180xc2x0 is all that is available overall.
As far as the design of the write head is concerned, a live coil, possibly with a highly permeable core, is already sufficient to write analog signals. The strength of the analog signal is regulated by the coil current. A field formation can be produced by suitable pole shoes on the soft magnetic core of the coil. If the rotational symmetry is to be maintained, it is simplest to apply the magnetization pulse perpendicularly to the plane of the top. The information is then included in the amount and in the sign of the magnetization. To this end, the coil is to be attached as a write head above the passing container and an electrical pulse of corresponding strength produced when a container is located under the write head.
A simultaneous magnetization in several directions can be realized by installing two or more coils which are triggered at the same time. Here too, magnetic field strength and magnetic field form can naturally be optimized by suitably shaped pole shoes.
Magnetization patterns in concentric rings on the closure can be realized by nested coils which have variable current direction and current.
The magnetic field of a live wire is sufficient to align electron spins of the closure material. For example, strip patterns can thus be applied to the closures by parallel live wires. Patterns comprising for example ten strips can be produced in this way. Rotationally symmetrical magnetization patterns can correspondingly be produced by annular wires.
Pointwise high magnetic field strengths, which can locally align the orientation of the electron spin of the material comprising the top can be produced by tips made of highly permeable material.
Depending on the complexity of the patterns, the read head consists of one or more magnetic field sensors. The information is reconstructed again by analysis software from their output signals. Hall sensors are sufficient for simple magnetization patterns. Magnetoresistive sensors are preferably used, being much more sensitive than Hall sensors. The considerably more expensive SQUIDS or the so-called GMRs (Giant Magnetic Resistivity Detectors) can also be used of course, but in general however, magnetoresistive sensors are sufficient and deliver a resolution sufficient for reading the magnetization patterns again, even at a distance of several millimeters. Their output signals deliver locally resolved information regarding the amount and direction of the measured magnetic field.
When magnetizing ferromagnetic materials, dependency on the previous history, that is the hysteresis, has to be considered. The flux density B which can be obtained in the material depends not only on the impressed outer magnetic field strength Hext but also on the previous history of the material.
For both the analog and, in a limited form, the digital method of magnetization, it is therefore advantageous to produce a defined initial magnetization for all closures in order to increase the reproducibility of the write pulses. This means that an additional erase head is also needed, upstream from the write head.
A saturation magnetization is one suitable defined initial magnetization and a demagnetization of the closures is another. Saturation magnetization is achieved by a very strong outer magnetic field. Demagnetization is achieved by means of a magnetic alternating field of decreasing intensity which is produced by means of a coil carrying alternating current. If the container closure is transported past the erase head, it automatically experiences a decreasing magnetic field, even if the coil current is constant. For demagnetization, an erase head is therefore sufficient, which is positioned a small distance above the container closures which are passing along beneath it and fed with alternating current of constant strength. The diameter of the erase head is larger than the diameter of the closure which is to be demagnetized in order to demagnetize the latter over all of its surface.
When writing, a similar problem arises if the write head is operating with coils which have soft-magnetic cores. After a write pulse of high field strength, a write pulse having the same direction cannot be produced which is smaller than the remanence belonging to the first pulse. To solve this problem, the following measures can be taken:
a) Only use the range between remanence and saturation magnetization as the dynamic range of the write head.
b) Between the bottles, provide an erase pulse for the write head by means of alternating current.
c) Pre-set, not the current, but the magnetic field of the write pulse. The magnetic field must then be measured and the currents of the write head set accordingly.
The more elegant process is naturally to integrate the write head and erase head in one head. The closure and the write head are thereby simultaneously de-magnetized. For this purpose, only a suitable write pulse need to be generated.


Computer-implemented methods, software, and systems for determining functional synapses from given structural touches between cells in a neuronal circuit are described. One computer-implemented method for determining functional synapses from predetermined synapses of connections between two cells in a neuronal circuit, includes determining, from the predetermined synapses, the functional synapses by leaving a portion of the connections unused, e.g. for activation by plasticity mechanisms.

A multitude of experiments over the past century have yielded insights into cellular and synaptic organization of the microcircuitry of the neocortex and to its possible role as a functional unit—a column of six layers of cells. The available data is, however, highly fragmented and often conflicting. More importantly, the gaps in our knowledge of neocortical column are so large that it would require an impractical number of experiments to fill all of them.
A model of a neuronal circuit may need to account for known features of synaptic connectivity, i.e. the connectome of the local microcircuit. Since there is a vast number of potential classes of synaptic pathways, only a handful have been anatomically characterized. In the context of neuronal circuits, structural connectivity is often different from functional connectivity.

Structural to functional synaptic conversion


The voltage application unit first applies voltages (+,+,0,−,−,0) respectively to the electrostatic delivery electrodes 37 belonging to the phase ‘a’, the phase ‘b’, the phase ‘c’, the phase ‘d’, the phase ‘e’, and the phase ‘f’, and then successively applies voltages (0,+,+,0,−,−), voltages (−,0,+,+,0,−), voltages (−,−,0,+,+,0), voltages (0,−,−,0,+,+), and voltages (+,0,−,−,0,+). The voltage application unit repeats this cycle multiple times to apply the voltages to the phase ‘a’ through the phase ‘f’. The water droplets flocculated in the oxidizing gas conduits 36 are charged by electrostatic induction and travel in the direction from the inlet to the outlet of the oxidizing gas conduits 36 while being repelled or attracted by the electrostatic delivery electrodes 37 in the vicinity of the water droplets in the course of the positive-negative variation of the voltage in the cycle.

A proposed fuel cell system includes: fuel cells that generate electric power through electrochemical reactions of oxygen included in an oxidizing gas, which is flown through oxidizing gas conduits provided on a cathode side of respective electrolyte membranes, with hydrogen included in a fuel gas, which is flown through fuel gas conduits provided on an anode side of the electrolyte membranes; piezoelectric elements that are located in the oxidizing gas conduits and are displaced by a driving voltage; and vibrators that are also located in the oxidizing gas conduits and vibrate with the displacement of the piezoelectric elements (for example, see Patent Laid-Open Gazette No. 2002-184430). In this fuel cell system, water produced by the electrochemical reactions on the cathode side may be flocculated to water droplets and prevent the smooth flow of the oxidizing gas. In such cases, the piezoelectric element is displaced to trigger vibration of the vibrator. The vibration atomizes the water content on the surface of the cathode, thereby removing the water content.
This prior art fuel cell system is, however, required to locate the piezoelectric elements and the vibrators functioning as the movable members in the restricted space of the gas conduit. This undesirably complicates the structure. Another problem is that atomization of the water droplets flocculated in the gas conduits may take a relatively long time.

Fuel cell system and vehicle with fuel cell system mounted thereon


A method for processing data in a data processing system (1) which includes a number of data processing units (2), and operator and observation units (4), which are interconnected by way of a data transmission unit (6), whereby a respective data processing program (8) with corresponding function modules (FB1 to FBn) and data modules (DB 1 to DBn) is implemented in the data processing units (2). At least one identifier (K, KE, KI) for the function modules and data modules is stored in a respective conversion table (10) belonging to each data processing unit (2). When an external data processing unit (2) accesses a data module (DB1 to DBn) and/or a function module (FB1 to FBn) of another data processing unit (2), a conversion table (10) mediates by using an external identifier (KE) that characterizes the access and verifies whether a matching internal identifier (KI) is stored for the particular external identifier (KE).

This invention generally relates to a method for processing data in a data processing system, e.g., in a programmable controller for automation of an industrial installation. More particularly, the invention relates to a method for processing data in a data processing system within a machine, a manufacturing plant, a process engineering plant or a power plant. The invention also relates to an associated data processing system.
Data processing systems are used in a variety of ways within the context of industrial automation processes. For example, they are used where complex industrial installations combine a plurality of data processing units into complex computer networks and data networks via at least one data transmission unit. For operation and/or observation of the data processing units controlling the installation, usually so-called operator stations or operation and observation units are provided. For controlling and/or regulating the industrial installation, each data processing unit includes data processing programs.
A data processing program usually includes, for example, an operating program, a main program, or a main routine, in which a number of control commands and/or data processing commands for the industrial installation are processed sequentially. Such a data processing program for an automated industrial installation having a user-specific design, such as a manufacturing plant, a machine tool or a measurement system, is also referred to as user software. From this main program, so-called subroutines or function modules are retrieved as needed, e.g., cyclically or by an event-triggered system. These function modules are modules which take over certain self-contained control functions and/or regulating functions. The main program accesses individual function modules which are stored, for example, in separate executable data files. In addition, the main program, subroutines or function modules access data that is provided as needed, e.g., via data memory modules (or simply data modules).
The data processing program usually runs in the data processing units, e.g., in a central control unit and in the centralized onsite controls of the industrial installation, and it controls, among other things, the exchange of data between the central control unit and components of the industrial installation. Switching commands or manipulated variables are transmitted by the data processing program to the components on the one hand, while on the other hand measured data or characteristic process parameters and/or control parameters are read from the components. Depending on the type and design of the industrial installation, one data processing unit may also access the data processing program, in particular a function module and/or data module, of another data processing unit.
Due to changes in the process sequence, it may become necessary to adapt, and thus make changes to, the function modules or data modules of the data processing programs of individual data processing units or a plurality of data processing units and/or operator and observation units during the manufacture of such user-specific data processing programs or during ongoing operation of the installation. These program-specific changes may result in so-called specification errors, which may under some circumstances result in failure of individual data processing units or even the entire data processing system. Such a specification error may also be relevant for plant safety on the whole and may thus lead to failure of the entire production installation.
A specification error occurs, for example, when an object, i.e., a function module or a data module or a data processing unit, is altered, i.e., redesigned, but this change in the object does not take place simultaneously within all the data processing units in question. In other words, a change in a function module or a data module leads to changes in the data processing program of the data processing unit affected as well as changes in the data processing program of other data processing units that are exchanging data with the respective data processing unit. Since updating all relevant data processing units does not occur simultaneously, incompatibilities may occur among them. These incompatibilities may result in, for example, an access error in the processing of the data processing programs that have not yet been altered. Such an access error will cause a failure in this data processing unit or a failure of or a disturbance in the production plant controlled by the data processing unit.

Method for processing data using external and internal identifiers to provide reliable access to the data even when reconfigurations of the data occur, and associated system


A method and mechanism for pipelined table functions is disclosed. With pipelining, data from a first table function does not have to be materialized into a complete collection before it is consumed by a succeeding table function. Instead, a producer of data creates a stream of data that is immediately utilized by a consumer of that data. Also disclosed is a method and mechanism for parallel processing of table functions, in which the set of work operated upon by a table function is sub-divided into smaller portions that are assigned to a plurality of table function slaves. Also disclosed is an integration between pipelining and parallelized execution for table functions.

In a database management system, a function or procedure is a set of statements in a procedural language (e.g., PL/SQL, C, or Java) that is executed as a unit to solve a specific problem or perform a set of related tasks. A function generally differs from a procedure in that the function returns a value to the environment in which it is called. Many database management systems permit users to create and call "table functions" which are a class of functions that produces a set of rows or data objects as output. Table functions can be viewed as a "virtual table" and may be used in the context of a FROM clause (a construct in the database query language SQL) to iterate over individual rows. Further, other SQL or database operations such as selection (e.g., WHERE clause) or aggregation (e.g., GROUP BY clause) can be performed on these rows.
One reason to utilize table functions is to allow users to implement new functions that perform complex transformations on a set of rows or which generates a set of rows, and which are not pre-existing or pre-defined system functions. Another reason for utilizing table functions is to allow users to define functions that operate upon non-native object types in a database system. Non-native object types may be created, for example, using the "CREATE TYPE" command in the Oracle 8i database management system from Oracle Corporation of Redwood Shores, Calif.
FIG. 1 depicts one approach to implementing tables functions in the context of an ETL (Extraction-Transformation-Load) process for data warehousing. The ETL process extracts data from an online transaction processing (OLTP) system 102, performs a sequence of transformations upon the extracted data, and thereafter loads that transformed data into a data warehouse 108. The transformation steps can be performed by table functions, such as table functions 104 and 106 as shown in FIG. 1. In conventional database systems, a table function cannot accept a pipelined stream of input data; thus, data is usually "staged" before being fed to a table function. In the approach of FIG. 1, the output of a first table function 104 is staged into stage 105 before it is processed by the immediately following table function 106. In effect, the entire output of table function 104 is materialized, possibly into a table or "collection type" instance, before the next transformation table function 106 receives any input data to begin its processing. A collection type describes a data unit made up of a number of elements having a particular data/object type.
Staging forms a blocking operation that presents a significant source of expense and inefficiency to the database system. If the entire output of a first transformation must be materialized before it is passed to the next transformation, excessive memory and/or disk requirements may be imposed because of the staging. Moreover, the overall response time of the ETL operation is affected because each downstream table function remains idle until its corresponding upstream table function has completely constructed the entire set of data that it is to produce. If there is a chain of table functions in the ETL process with staging between each intermediate transformation, then multiple levels of stage-based delays will be imposed. Note that this problem is not limited solely to ETL processes, but exists for many other types of database processes utilizing table functions and staging.
One embodiment of the present invention addresses this problem by implementing input pipelining for table functions. With input pipelining, data does not have to be completely materialized before it is consumed by a table function. Instead, in one embodiment, a producer of data creates a stream of data that is immediately utilized by a table function consumer of that data. This permits a chain of table functions in which a producer table function generates a pipelined output of data, which is consumed by a consumer table function that accepts a pipelined input of the data. Another aspect of an embodiment is directed to parallel processing of table functions, in which the set of work operated upon by a table function is sub-divided into smaller portions that are assigned to a plurality of database execution slaves. Yet another aspect of an embodiment of the invention is an integration between pipelining and parallelized execution for table functions.

Method and system for pipelined database table functions


The invention relates to a light-emitting diode cluster lamp. The light-emitting diode cluster lamp includes a plurality of light-emitting diode lamp packages, a control circuit, and a casing. Each of the light-emitting diode lamp packages includes a heat-conducting/dissipating module and a light-emitting diode module. The control circuit module is used for controlling the light-emitting diode lamp packages. The casing is adapted to accommodate the light-emitting diode lamp packages and the control circuit module. When the light-emitting diode cluster lamp is connected to a power source, the control circuit module selectively makes the light-emitting diode modules emit light. The heat generated during the light emission of each of the light-emitting diode modules is conducted and dissipated by the corresponding heat-conducting/dissipating module of each of the light-emitting diode modules.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light-emitting diode cluster lamp; in particular, the light-emitting diode cluster lamp, according to the invention, is a lighting device with high intensity.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Because light-emitting diodes have many advantages, including power-saving, shake-resistant, rapidly-responding, and applicable to mass production, the current lighting products applying the light-emitting diodes as the light source are becoming more widely used. However, after continuous light emission of a high power light-emitting diode for a period of time, the problem of overheating arises, causing the light-emitting efficiency of the light-emitting diode to drop and the brightness of the light-emitting diode not being able to increase. Thus, different types of products applying high power light-emitting diodes all require a good heat-dissipating mechanism.
Referring to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, FIG. 1A is an outside perspective view of a lighting device of an integrated heat-dissipating apparatus according to prior art. FIG. 1B is a sectional view of the lighting device of the integrated heat-dissipating apparatus according to prior art. In order to increase the light intensity provided by a single lighting device, a plurality of light-emitting diodes 22 shown in the figures are disposed on a control circuit 24. The control circuit 24 is used for controlling the light-emitting diodes 22. The heat-conducting plate 26 beneath the control circuit 24 is used for assisting the light-emitting diodes 22 and the control circuit 24 to dissipate heat. A plurality of heat-dissipating fins 28 are mounted on a circumference of the heat-conducting plate 26. The disadvantage of the lighting device, according to the lighting device shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, is that the control circuit 24 is too close to the light-emitting diodes 22. When the light-emitting diodes 22 generate heat energy, the operation of the control circuit 24 can be easily affected and even become disrupted.
Accordingly, a scope of the present invention is to provide a light-emitting diode cluster lamp to provide a lighting effect with high intensity, in addition to resolving the aforementioned heat-dissipating problems found in prior art.


A modular air induction system for a vehicle is provided. The air induction system includes a housing, a partition, and a plurality of holding members. The housing defines a chamber and includes an opening in fluid communication with the chamber. A partition is located within the housing to separate the chamber into a first and second volume thereby changing attenuation characteristics of the chamber. The partition is fixed within the chamber by at least one first holding member, thereby defining a first partition location. In addition, at least one second holding member is located within the housing and is adapted to receive the partition, thereby defining a second partition location.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a modular resonator.
2. Description of Related Art
Typical air induction systems include an air inlet tube, an air box, and a clean air tube. Many of these air induction systems also contain hardware to address 1) noise attenuation, 2) filtration, 3) flow performance and sometimes 4) emission control. Noise attenuation is typically addressed with the use of resonators and by the sizing of the inlet orifice. Filtration is addressed by the design of the filter element, the treatment applied to that media, and the material used for that media. Flow performance is addressed by the sizing of the inlet orifice and the overall geometry of the air induction system. Emission control is addressed by inserting hydrocarbon adsorbing materials directly into the flow stream of the induction system (or parallel to the stream in LEV II cases). Devices for these four types of functional attributes are designed specifically for an individual combination of the engine, intake manifold, and vehicle. In addition, the packaging of the devices may be further varied to accommodate the under hood environment of the vehicle. However, a vehicle often has more than one engine or intake manifold available based on the vehicle powertrain options. The various powertrain options may have different performance characteristics, which may drive the need for powertrain-specific air induction system designs. Also, a common powertrain may be used in different vehicle applications with different functional requirements. As such, a new unique system is packaged for each additional application and powertrain option.
Air induction systems typically have resonators added to either or both the inlet and outlet ducts to address engine induction noise. However, the standing waves within the air box may not be adequately addressed due to the location of these resonators in the induction system. The orifice size of the inlet tube controls the overall noise emitted from the air induction system and also influences flow restriction for the system. To reduce flow restriction, the inlet orifice is generally increased. However, a large inlet orifice also increases noise levels. Therefore, there is a tradeoff between the flow, noise levels, and package availability. The filtration needs for a specific powertrain option are dependent primarily on the maximum air flow rate of the engine and the expected driving conditions of the end customer. The maximum air flow rate is directly related to the displacement of the engine. Therefore, the filtration requirements may be powertrain-specific. Emission control as it relates to air induction system design may also be different for one specific powertrain option or vehicle compared to another.
In view of the above, it is apparent that there exists a need for an improved modularity in air induction system design.


An article includes a flexible polymeric dielectric layer having first and second major surfaces. The first major surface has a conductive layer thereon and at least one cavity therein. The at least one cavity contains a conductive material including electrically separated first and second portions supporting and electrically connecting a light emitting semiconductor device to the conductive layer on the first major surface.

Conventional light emitting semi-conductor (LES) devices (LESDs), including light emitting diodes (LEDs) and laser diodes, and packages containing LESDs have several drawbacks. High power LESDs generate a substantial amount of heat that must be managed. Thermal management deals with problems arising from heat dissipation and thermal stresses, which is currently a key factor in limiting the performances of light-emitting diodes.
In general, LES devices are commonly prone to damage caused by a buildup of heat generated from within the devices, as well as heat from sunlight in the case of outside lighting applications. Excessive heat buildup can cause deterioration of the materials used in the LES devices, such as encapsulants for the LESDs. When LESDs are attached to flexible-circuit laminates, which may also include other electrical components, the heat dissipation problems are greatly increased.
Additionally, conventional LES devices and packages tend to be thick, which limits their uses in low form factor applications. Consequently, there is a continuing need to improve the design of flexible LES devices and packages to improve their thermal dissipation properties, as well as to allow for their use in low form factors.

Flexible LED device with wire bond free die


This invention relates to a method of co-dispensing a hair dye composition under pressure wherein there is provided a first container containing a hair dye and propellant material and a second container disposed within the first container containing a hair dye developer material. The second container is provided with a flexible wall against which the propellant acts. A discharge passageway is defined via a nozzle structure and passage of the materials through the nozzle is controlled via a valve structure having first and second valves. The first valve permits control of the flow of material between a first orifice communicating with the first container, a second orifice communicating with the second container and the discharge passageway. The second valve permits control of the flow of material through the second orifice only. The first and second valves are connected for concurrent operation thereof, such that moving the nozzle structure operates the first and second valves to permit simultaneous flow of the materials from the first and second containers through the passageway under the influence of the propellant at an overall flow rate not greater than about 1.8 gm/sec.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to manually-operated, multi-fluid dispensers, and more particularly to a dispenser in which hair dye ingredients are automatically intermixed and effectively metered before being discharged under pressure from at least two separate containers. The flow rate and flow ratio of the final composition provide the user with greater control and ease over application of the composition. Additionally, the critical dimensions of the dispenser orifices provide a precise metering system which produces a hair dye composition with superior mix (i.e. precise ratio of ingredients).
2. Status of Prior Art
A variety of materials have been packaged in containers under pressure for subsequent dispensing through a manually controlled valve outlet. In some cases, it is desirable that the product to be dispensed be formed or produced by interaction, at the time of dispensing, of two different ingredients which are stored separately from each other. Among such products are foods, paints, insecticides, cosmetic compositions, therapeutic agents, hair or skin-treating compositions, such as hot shaving preparations, hot skin cleansers, hot hair conditioning agents, and the like which typically utilize the reaction of hydrogen peroxide with one or more ingredients of the base composition for chemical development or generating heat. It is essential in the commercialization of such products that the ingredients be held in separate containers so that they will maintain their effective properties for an indefinite period of time during storage. The second component (i.e. Hydrogen Peroxide) of the composition includes whatever other ingredients are needed to complete the desired hair or skin treating composition.
Also, the dispensing device must be capable of mixing the components or ingredients in the proper proportion and in only those amounts that are required for use at one time. The valve structure of such a device should release the two ingredients in proper proportion from their containers and in a manner enabling the mixing of the two ingredients into the desired relationship. Such requirements demand precise operating characteristics of the valve structure.
Different mixing valve arrangements are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,973,883; 3,217,936; 3,241,722; 3,272,389 and 3,325,056. While these prior devices were operative in most circumstances and enjoyed various degrees of success, the valves and dispensers were either difficult to manufacture, not fully reliable when in extended use, or else lacked convenience of operation.
In addition to the foregoing drawbacks, however, many of the prior devices lacked a precise coordination of the flow through the valves even though the valves were mechanically coupled and therefore theoretically properly timed. Or, the prior devices lacked means to prevent malfunctioning of the valves if they were not mechanically coupled. The opening and flow characteristics of these different types differed considerably, whereby the coordination suffered even though there was a mechanical coupling of the valve actuators. As a result there was at times a wasteful use of the several liquids intended to be mixed.
To the inventors' knowledge, there has been no commercialized or clearly disclosed apparatus or method for effectively co-dispensing a hair dye product. In the usual procedure of carrying out the dyeing or combined bleaching and dyeing operation, the oxidative dye base is manually mixed in a container with hydrogen peroxide and applied to the hair in a manner to ensure complete saturation of the hair, including the root portions. This method is time-consuming and subject to mixing errors leading to the development of insufficient color or hair damage through the use of excess peroxide. There is an additional possibility that, for one reason or another, the composition cannot be applied to the hair immediately after mixing but only after a period of time has elapsed. Oxidation dyes are aromatic compounds of the diamine, amino phenol or phenol type. These aromatic compounds are the dye precursors which are transformed into dye agents by condensation in the presence of a significant excess of an oxidizing agent, generally, H.sub.2 O.sub.2. Since the oxidative dye precursors begin to oxidize immediately upon exposure to atmospheric oxygen or hydrogen peroxide, an undesirable color effect may result if a partially oxidized composition is used.
There have been various proposals in the past for the packaging of oxidative hair dyeing compositions in pressurized dispensing devices for the purpose of obviating some of the disadvantages enumerated above. However, all suffered from the inability to provide a proper mix of ingredients, as well as a lack of control over the application of the product. The aerosolizing affect upon the dye composition produced a final product too volatile to easily handle.
It has now been discovered that, by effectively sizing the particular components of the valve assembly, the overall rate of flow of the final mixed composition can be automatically metered to provide a superior mix of hair dye ingredients, as well as the greatest control and ease over application of the final composition.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved dispensing device and method in which two hair dye ingredients may be kept separate until immediately prior to use, and which releases the ingredients in a controlled discharge.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved dispensing control apparatus employing a single source of pressure for dispensing two hair dye ingredients in coordinated fashion.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved container for use in a dispensing device of the pressurized type which insures more uniform mixing and discharge of hair dye ingredients from that container.

Method of co-dispensing a hair dye composition


Image processing is used to simulate the appearance of an embossed print. The application of clear dry ink or spot varnish to the print generates the tactile feel of an embossed print. Embodiments thus provide a technique that simulates the effect of an embossed print without the need for plates or specialized equipment, other than a printer that is adapted to apply clear dry ink or spot varnish.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to printing. More particularly, the invention relates to simulated embossing and imprinting.
2. Description of the Background Art
Embossed printing requires the creation of embossing plates to imprint the print media with raised and/or depressed surfaces that reflect light differently from than of flat, i.e. non-embossed, print media. Embossing is typically accomplished by applying heat and pressure with male and female dies, usually made of copper or brass, that fit together and squeeze the fibers of the print media. The combination of pressure and heat raises the level of the image higher than the substrate, while ironing it to make it smooth. In printing this is accomplished on a letterpress. The most common machines are the Kluge Letterpress and the Heidelberg Letterpress. The cost of creating the embossing plates and the time required to emboss that print media make embossed documents expensive to manufacture.


In an underwater vehicle, hydrogen and oxygen are fed into a combustion chamber of a combustor of the underwater vehicle to initiate a combustion reaction, which generates high-pressure steam. The high-pressure steam can be cooled with the injection of seawater, and can be condensed into high-pressure water by the addition of sufficient seawater. High-pressure water is then ejected out of the combustor, generating thrust for the underwater vehicle. Sensors that measure the combustor pressure and the external pressure could be used to adjust the combustor pressure, allowing for constant velocity as the depth of the underwater vehicle changes. Alternatively, the sensors could adjust the area of an exit nozzle of the combustor. Stored water can be converted back into hydrogen and oxygen by using electrical power external to the system. After regeneration of the water into hydrogen and oxygen, the propulsion system would be ready for operation again.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to power generation systems for marine vessels, and more specifically, to an integrated open cycle propulsion system for an underwater vessel.
2. Prior Art
Vehicles that operate underwater are useful for performing tasks below the sea surface in such fields as deep-water salvage operations, navy and marine operations, underwater telecommunications, offshore petroleum and mining, and oceanographic research. Many of these applications are completed by small-scale underwater vehicles that can be either manned or unmanned (remotely operated). These unmanned vehicles are commonly known as Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs).
Generally, these small-scale underwater vessels have used a variety of conventional propulsion systems. Some of the traditional power/propulsion generation systems are closed loop, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,610,193, requiring complex components to capture the exhaust stream and to generate power. These components (turbines, condensers, generators, etc.) can be quite large and massive, taking up significant space and slowing down the underwater vessel because of their weight. In these conventional propulsion systems, the power generated is used to power motors that are used to power the external propellers and generate thrust. The high-pressure stream into the turbine can be generated using a combustion reaction.
Some traditional propulsion generation systems use complex fuels, such as methane or other hydrocarbons, or oxidizers, such as hydrogen peroxide, to generate the exhaust stream, such as in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0153216, and may have environmentally unfriendly exhaust products ejected into the ocean. These compounds require specific safety practices and may not be easy to replace while in the field (out at sea).
Other conventional propulsion generation systems use pump jets that ingest seawater and then use electrically powered pumps to push water out of the vehicle to generate thrust, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,341,173. In these propulsion generation systems, the electrical system used to power the pumps (batteries) would have to be recharged and/or replaced.
Large underwater vessels typically do not require a high speed mode. High speed is usually only required for underwater weapon systems, such as torpedoes, which are not re-used and are expendable underwater vessels. Torpedoes use electrical and combustion based systems to generate power/thrust. The propulsion systems have included thrust based systems that eject high pressure water, or propeller based systems.
However, none of the prior art provides for a propulsion system that can provide a high speed for a marine vessel without adding significant weight to the vessel, and without using any complex fuels that may cause safety concerns. Accordingly, there is a need for a propulsion generation system for a marine vessel that provides for a high speed mode for large submersible vessels, without the drawbacks found in the prior art.

Rechargeable open cycle underwater propulsion system


A force transducer includes an elongated lever arm attached to a substrate having a central portion and substantially planar tab regions that project outwardly from the central portion along first and second orthogonal force-detecting axes. The substrate undergoes localized strain approximately at the junctions of the tab regions and the central portion when an external force is applied to the free end of the lever arm. A thick film strain gauge material is screen printed directly onto the substrate in at least a first location and a second location and conductive pads on the substrate are electrically coupled to the thick film strain gauge material at each location to define a first strain gauge oriented along the first force detecting axis and a second strain gauge oriented along the second force detecting axis. The lever arm can be of a compliant construction to provide proprioreceptive feedback to a user.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to force transducers and, more particularly, to resistive strain gauge force transducers for actuators.
2. Description of the Related Art
Force transducers for control actuators convert external forces applied to the actuator by a user into corresponding electrical signals that are used to control a device or position an object of a display. The external forces are converted into electrical signals that represent force components along orthogonal axes. For example, a joystick-type display controller for a computer includes a force transducer that converts forces applied to the joystick into two signals, one signal representing the component of force along an x axis and a second signal representing the component of force along a y axis that is orthogonal to the x axis. The relative magnitude of the x and y signals represent the relative amount of display pointer movement along the x and y axis desired by the user. A computer to which the display controller is attached receives the electrical signals and moves the display pointer accordingly. The force transducer of the display controller is provided with electrical power and generates the electrical signals representing the force components as the external force is applied.
The joystick-type display controller described above can include a force transducer comprising a lever arm that is mechanically coupled to a support base by an articulated joint. While the force transducer provides the needed force component electrical signals, the mechanical linkage needed to permit movement of the joystick in the desired directions is complex. In particular, the mechanical linkage is relatively large, bulky, and expensive. Also, the mechanical linkage is subject to wear and reliability problems.
As an alternative to the joystick force transducer with a mechanical linkage, force transducers have been developed with thin film resistive strain gauges. A thin film resistive strain gauge uses a conductive, thin film resistive strain gauge material that is deposited onto a thin, flexible substrate using photolithographic fabrication techniques. The strain gauge material undergoes a change in electrical resistivity when the underlying substrate is subjected to strain. If an electrical current is passed through the strain gauge material, the change in resistivity can be detected by an output voltage change and the relative amount of strain can be measured. The substrate is bonded onto the sides of the lever arm so that the substrate undergoes strain when forces are applied to the lever arm.
For example, the International Business Machine Corporation (IBM Corporation) "ThinkPad 750" laptop computer is provided with a display controller force transducer comprising a pointer actuator that extends upwardly from between keys of the computer keyboard between the left and right hands of a computer user whose hands are resting at the keyboard home position. The lever arm includes the thin film strain gauges described above. As forces are applied to the lever arm, the strain is detected and is used to control a display pointer. This permits a user to control the associated display pointer without removing his or her hands from the keyboard. The user's hands otherwise would need to move from the keyboard to manipulate, for example, a display mouse controller or joystick controller.
The force transducer using thin film resistive strain gauge technology represents a valuable advance over mechanical linkage force transducers. The thin film force transducer is much smaller and lighter than the mechanical linkage and therefore is ideally suited to installation in tight spaces, such as beneath the keyboard of a laptop computer. Moreover, the thin film force transducer contains no moving parts. Thus, the wear and reliability problems of the mechanical linkage are virtually eliminated. Unfortunately, the thin film resistive strain gauges produce output signals with a relatively low signal-to-noise ratio. The electrical environment within a laptop computer includes many different sources of electrical and magnetic interference that make processing the force transducer output signals difficult. In addition, the thin film resistive strain gauges are relatively expensive to produce.
From the discussion above, it should be apparent that there is a need for a force transducer that is sufficiently small to be suitable for use in tight spaces such as computer keyboards, provides improved signal-to-noise characteristics for easier signal processing, is reliable for improved performance and greater service life, and can be produced at a competitive cost. The present invention satisfies this need.

Force transducer with screen printed strain gauges

International Business Machines Corporation


A cassette changing device for a microtome has a housing having a loading opening, a transfer opening and an unloading opening. The openings are arranged with respect to each other linearly in the housing. A slide is disposed in the housing linearly movably between a first position and a second position and has a first receiving compartment and a second receiving compartment. The first and second compartments are aligned with respect to each other so that, in the first position of the slide, the first compartment and the second compartment are respectively aligned with a first two of the openings and, in the second position of the slide, the first compartment and the second compartment are respectively aligned with a second two of the openings.

DE 20 2004 006 265 U1 discloses a microtome which includes a magazine comprising a plurality of cassettes into which samples to be processed are embedded. The individual cassettes are supplied to the sample holder at the microtome with the aid of a gripper or displacer from the magazine and are returned into the same. Each time a cassette is to be supplied to the magazine, the magazine is displaced into such a position in which the desired cassette is located in the working area of the gripper or displacer. After the processed cassette has been returned, the magazine is displaced into a new position to supply the next cassette. The sequence of providing a cassette, supplying the sample to the cutting device, and returning the cassette into the magazine involves a certain amount of time.
With increasing automation of the work flow at the microtome, and with coding of the magazines and cassettes as described in DE 20 2004 006 265, it becomes possible to process the cassettes arranged in a magazine one after the other in the order of their placement in the magazine. While processing one cassette, the next cassette can be provided for processing, but this will block the return of the processed cassette into the magazine, so that the processed cassette would have to be manually removed from the sample holder at the microtome.


A satellite communication method enables a low earth orbit data collecting mission satellite to conveniently achieve continuous, real time, and cost effective global connectivity by "plugging in" to a constellation of low earth orbit communication satellites designed to provide mobile satellite service for terrestrial users. Orbit parameters for the mission satellite are selected to generate a nodal regression rate matched to that of the communication satellites so that initial alignment of orbit planes is sustained maintaining a favorable geometry between the communicating satellites. The resulting intra-satellite geometry is exploited through use of widebeam crosslink antennas, simplified pointing techniques, and variable transmission rates for optimum communication efficiency from the mission satellites to communication satellites and ground receivers.

There are numerous operational satellite systems currently deployed in space, and several more in the planning stages. Satellites orbit the earth at prescribed altitudes and orbit inclinations, the inclination being the angle the plane of the orbit makes with the plane of the earth's equator. Satellite orbits can be categorized in three altitude ranges: Low earth orbit (LEO) from 300 to 1500 km; medium earth orbit (MEO) from 10,000 to 20,000 km; and high earth orbit (HEO) from 35,000 km and above. Orbit altitudes and orbit inclinations are selected to achieve desired performance objectives (e.g., global access, ground resolution, orbit period, etc.), and also selected to avoid regions of high natural radiation which can damage satellite equipment.
A satellite system can be deployed as a single satellite or as a plurality or constellation of similar satellites that occupy the same spherical altitudes, and cooperate together in performing a mission. For example, many communication satellite systems operate at HEO altitudes at near-zero inclination. Their resulting 24-hour orbital periods coincide with the earth's rotational rate causing the satellite to remain fixed above a specified equatorial ground point, a feature that facilitates ground antenna pointing. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a multi-ring 24-satellite MEO constellation that employs 20,000-km circular 12-hour orbits inclined at 55 degrees. U.S. Pat. Nos .5,551,624, 5,439,190, and 5,415,368 disclose MEO constellation of communication satellites in 10,000-km, six-hour orbits. IRIDIUM is a LEO constellation of 66 communication satellites at 785 km altitude equally distributed in six planes inclined at 86.4.degree.. When specific mission satellites, such as earth imaging satellites, are deployed in the lower end of the LEO orbit range (for example between 300 to 600 km), the orbit is referred to herein as a very low earth orbit (VLEO).
A satellite constellation may feature crosslinked communications enabling inter-constellation connectivity in a tangential or lateral direction from one satellite to another satellite around the orbital sphere. This inter-constellation connectivity allows a message to be uplinked radially from a ground site to any satellite in the constellation, then relayed tangentially from satellite to satellite around the globe and then radially downlinked to a remote receiving ground site. Communication satellite constellations are typically crosslinked to enable global connectivity. A signal from the ground may be received by a satellite through a radially directed communication uplink, retransmitted by that satellite to a second satellite through a tangentially or laterally directed crosslink, and then retransmitted by the second satellite to a ground receiver through a radially directed downlink. Some communication satellites operate primarily as relays, where messages are received from the ground and simply retransmitted back to the ground at another location.
Earth-based or space-based microwave transmission can be directed through broad beams or narrow beams depending on the antenna design and transmission frequency, and are selected to be compatible with parameters and constraints of the particular link application in terms of range, satellite-to-satellite geometry dynamics, transmitter power, data rate, weather, or other operational factors. Broad beams or wide beams are created using small omni-directional antennas, and are best suited for coarse pointing, low signal power, low-data-rate applications. Narrow beams employ larger unidirectional antennas that require more precise pointing and generally deliver higher power to the receiver necessary for high-data-rate transmission. The beam width is selected to suit the particular application and can span the range from very broad to very narrow. The corresponding communications signals may include very low-data-rate command messages, or low-data-rate voice, or very high-data-rate multi-color images. There are always design trade-offs between transmitter power, beam widths, and data rates, but generally for high-data-rate communications the beam width is narrow and the power delivered to the receiver is high, and for low-data-rate communications and broadcasting the beam width is broad and the delivered power is lower. Satellite crosslinks generally employ very narrow microwave or laser transmission beams that focus the transmitted energy on the receiving antenna. Narrow beams allow efficient use of transmitter power over longer ranges, and maximize the transmitted data rate. A disadvantage of narrow beams is that they require very accurate pointing and tracking, and often require the use of a secondary wider beam to search for and acquire the receiver target and establish the link before narrow beam transmission can be initiated. This acquisition and hand-off procedure is repetitive as communicating satellites move in and out of view and the link must be rerouted.
LEO mission satellites that monitor the earth collecting environmental records or ground images generate large quantities of data at high rates. If the collection satellite operates in the "store-and-dump" mode, the collected data is electronically stored onboard until the satellite overflies a ground read-out station, whereupon the data must be downlinked at an accelerated rate while the satellite is in view of the ground station. This method of operation requires the satellite to have ample onboard data storage and read-out capability, and suffers inherent time delays between data collection and read-out opportunities. Today, if the collection satellite operates in a "real time" relay mode, a wideband (high-data-rate) space link must be established and maintained between the data collecting mission satellites and a mission specific or partially dedicated HEO relay communication satellites. This method of operation requires precise tracking over long ranges (.about.25,000 km) using very narrow beams, and involves periodic reacquisition procedures as the satellites are eclipsed by the earth. The problems associated with long-range communications drive all aspects of the communication system design, and strongly influences the size, weight, power, and cost of the hosting satellite.
Successful link closure between communicating satellites usually requires special hardware and processes to account for the time variation of the satellite-to-satellite geometry. The determination of precise antenna pointing angles and rates, range monitoring, Doppler shift correction, acquisition and hand-off procedures are typical processes in achieving and maintaining satisfactory link closure. For example, when a VLEO satellite communicates with a constellation of HEO communications satellites, the link must be reestablished with a second HEO satellite before the currently-linked HEO satellite passes out of view of the VLEO satellite. The acquisition and hand-off to the second HEO satellite must be accomplished over extremely long ranges and in rapid fashion to avoid gaps in communications. For another example, a constellation may include several satellites distributed in multiple orbit planes (sometimes referred to as rings of co-planar satellites), each ring defined by the orbit altitude and the orientation of its orbit plane. The constellation may exhibit inter-ring and intra-ring crosslink communications creating time varying Doppler shifts in the received carrier frequency especially during intra-ring communications. The onboard communication subsystem is usually required to retransmit received range tones which can then be used to appropriately adjust the transmission for Doppler correction.
The rapidly changing relative geometry can be even more pronounced when communicating between two LEO satellites in different orbits and different orbit planes. At LEO, the severity of the relative geometry problem is largely dependent on the degree of alignment of the two orbit planes. When the planes of the orbits of two satellites are at a large angle to each other, the relative motion between the two satellites moving in their respective planes can be extremely large depending on the degree of planar misalignment. The two orbit planes are constantly rotating relative to the stars and relative to each other depending on the parameters of the two orbits. Even when the orbit planes are initially aligned, the orbit planes of unmatched orbits will slowly drift out of alignment due to the difference in their planar rotations. This well-known orbital perturbation effect that is caused by the earth's equatorial bulge is called nodal regression of the orbit plane, or the rotation of the orbit plane, relative to the stars, about the earth's polar axis. For LEO orbits, this rotational rate may be only a degree or two per day; however, in a relatively short time, it can result in severe misalignment of the planes of communicating LEO satellites with mismatched nodal regressions. The orbit plane rotational rate is a function of the orbit altitude and the inclination of the orbit plane. With proper selection of inclination, it is possible to match the nodal regression rates of two LEO orbits that are at different altitudes. The following equation would be used for calculating the correct inclination that results in matched nodal regression of circular orbits: ##EQU1## where i.sub.1 =inclination of orbit #1
i.sub.2 =inclination of orbit #2 PA1 h.sub.1 =altitude of orbit #1 PA1 h.sub.2 =altitude of orbit #2 PA1 RE=earth radius
If the satellite's orbit has an inclination angle of 90.degree., the resulting nodal regression rate is zero and the matching orbit would also have a 90.degree. inclination.
There are a growing number of existing and planned LEO constellations of communication satellites designed to provide a variety of mobile communication services to terrestrial users. These constellations, referred to as Big LEO satellite communication systems, consist of dozens (sometimes hundreds) of crosslinked satellites distributed uniformly about the globe in multiple planes or rings at a common altitude. In some cases, each ring may include dozens of satellites equally spaced along its circumference. Big LEO systems use large constellations of satellites to provide telecommunications services at fixed and graduated data rates for users on the ground. For example, the IRIDIUM system currently features 66 satellites distributed in six planes or rings and delivers low-data-rate mobile telephone service to subscribers in North America. For another example, Teledesic is a planned Big LEO system that will provide broadband (high-data-rate) global service suitable for rapid transmission of imagery and other very large data records. An early version of the planned Teledesic constellation called for 288 satellites uniformly distributed in 12 rings about the globe.
The need to provide uniform regional or global coverage with the fewest satellites drives the Big LEO orbits to the highest altitudes practical in the LEO range. (The earth's natural radiation environment constrains the upper bounds of the LEO altitudes.) Earth monitoring mission satellites, on the other hand, tend to fly at much lower (VLEO) altitudes in order to minimize sensor aperture (payload size and weight) needed to achieve the desired ground resolution. One or more VLEO mission satellites orbiting in the celestial presence of a Teledesic-like Big LEO system would suggest an architecture with multiple rings of Big LEO communication satellites criss-crossing aperiodically above the lower altitude mission satellites.
The problems faced by the mission satellite in delivering its data retrievals to a ground site are formidable. Many mission satellites today store the collected data onboard until they overfly the ground station, and then read out the data at an accelerated rate while the station remains in view. Store and dump operations as described require adequate onboard data storage capacity, and a sophisticated data read-out capability. These operations are also disadvantaged by inherent time delays between data collection and delivery. Other mission satellites today transmit large data records to the ground site, in real time, using a dedicated HEO relay satellite system. This operation requires long-range communication technologies involving precise pointing and tracking with large narrow beam antennas and high power transmitters; in addition, the cost of a dedicated HEO relay may be as much or more than the mission satellite. Communications between a LEO mission satellite and a non-co-orbital LEO communication satellite requires overcoming a myriad of problems dealing with the rapidly varying relative geometry and a high nonperiodic acquisition and hand-off frequency. These and other disadvantages are solved or reduced using the invention.

Satellite communications facilitated by synchronized nodal regressions of low earth orbits


A gimballed camera (34) is attached to a moving body (20) so that it can remain pointed at a desired target (28) as the body (20) moves. A gyroscope (38) is attached to the camera (34) so that it may move independently from the camera (34), so that the gyroscope (38) continuously points in one direction while the camera (34) moves relative to the gyroscope (38). Measurement devices determine the positions of the moving body (20) and gyroscope (38) relative to the camera (34). The sum of these measures yields the position of the target relative to the gyroscope (38), which translates to a command to point the gyroscope (38) at the target. The camera (34) is then moved independently to a specified alignment relative to the gyroscope (38).

The various applications for cameras, such as still and motion picture video cameras, continue to proliferate as technological improvements pave the way for ever-increasing uses. Various technological advances have enabled camera designers to continually reduce the size of the camera while maintaining or increasing the resolution at or beyond the resolution provided by many larger, more expensive cameras. The reduction in size of the cameras has consequently lead to several applications in which cameras are installed in one location and operated remotely from another location. Alternatively, cameras may also may be installed and configured to operate autonomously. Such applications often require the camera to track an object moving relative to the camera so that the object remains substantially centered within the field of view of the camera. As the object moves across the field of view, an electronic controller senses displacement of the object from the center of the field of view and generates control commands to displace the camera to maintain the object in proximity to the center of the field of view.
Numerous applications exist which could desirably capitalize upon such functionality. Cameras having such functionality are often employed at sporting or news events to track objects which are difficult for operator-controlled cameras to track smoothly. For example, blimps having cameras are often employed at golf events to track the flight of a golf ball which travel up to and beyond 300 yards when struck during a tee shot. Both the camera and the golf ball may be moving, further complicating maintaining the golf ball in the center of the field of view of the camera.
In other applications, such as defense and military applications, reconnaissance craft or projectiles may include cameras to track and photograph selected objects. Both the reconnaissance craft or projectile and the object may be traveling at rather high speeds and severely maneuvering, complicating maintaining the object within the center of the field of view of the camera. The challenge is to isolate the camera from the motion of the vehicle when continuing to point stably at the target.
Typically, the camera is mounted to the reconnaissance craft or projectile so that the camera case or platform is either rigidly or displaceably mounted to the body of the projectile. If the camera case or platform is rigidly mounted to the body of the projectile, portions of the camera optics are suspended within the case or platform to provide at least two degrees of freedom. If the camera platform is displaceably mounted to the body of the projectile, such as with gimbles, the camera platform moves in at least two degrees of freedom. In order to stabilize the camera and to provide a reference for target motion, a gyroscope is attached to the camera.
There exists several possible arrangements for isolating the camera from the motion of the projectile body. These arrangements include passive stabilization where the angular momentum of a large gyroscope physically stabilizes the platform and active stabilization where a small gyroscope or other device is used to measure inertial stabilization providing feedback to a stabilization loop. Such control arrangements present many difficulties to the control systems for controlling the camera to maintain the object within the center of the field of view of the camera. Either or both the object and the projectile may be moving at substantial rates of speed which require high bandwidth control in order to maintain the object within the center of the field of view. In addition, projectiles typically experience substantial vibration which may be translated to the camera and often requires filtering from the control algorithms for the camera in order to distinguish between movement of the object and vibration transferred through the body of the projectile.
In a typical camera control system, the camera controller inspects the image output by the camera, and a tracker determines an offset of the object with respect to the center of the field of view. This provides the position of the object relative to the axis of the platform or camera and defines the preferred displacement of the platform or camera in order to move the object back into the center of the field of view. In control terms, the offset is input into a tracking loop filter which generates commands in the form of a rate to displace the platform as needed. The rate includes a direction and speed for displacing the camera. The tracking loop typically operates at the same rate as the camera frame rate.
As stated above, the projectile may experience significant vibration which causes apparent displacement of the object from the center of the field of view of the camera. Because vibrations often occur continuously and vary, active stabilization systems include a stabilization loop which operates at a much higher rate than the camera frame rate. The stabilization loop typically receives feedback from a reference gyroscope attached to the camera platform. The gyroscope includes sensing mechanisms which measure the position of the gyroscope relative to the gyroscope case. The controller then generates commands for applying torque to the gyroscope at a particular rate in order to maintain the object within the center of the field of view of the camera.
More specifically, existing systems employ various approaches for maintaining objects within the center of the field of view of the camera and providing a stable platform for the camera. One such system is known as the gyroscope system. This system employs mechanical gyroscopic stabilization for the camera platform. Rather than using a small or reference gyroscope to measure and correct for disturbances, the camera platform itself is rigidly attached to the case of a large gyroscope so that the platform physically resists disturbances. When the effect of the large gyroscope does not overcome the disturbances, the tracking loop portion of the controller generates control commands to the gyroscope to displace the camera platform so that the object returns to the center of the field of view. The gyroscope system does not have a stabilization loop.
Because the tracking loop has only a single loop, the gyroscope is simple and accommodates a high bandwidth, but these benefits are traded-off against weight, power, and platform disturbance considerations. In order to isolate the gyroscope from platform disturbances, the angular momentum of the gyroscope is increased by increasing the spin rate or mass. Increasing the angular momentum, however, requires a corresponding increase in the torque required to displace the camera or platform in order to follow the object moving relative to the platform. Increased torque requires a corresponding increase in power to the torquer, the apparatus for displacing the camera platform. In addition, the platform disturbances occurring in the gyroscope couple missile body motion, such as spring torques, inertial coupling for roll about the field of view (FOV) axis, mass and balance, friction of the platform, and other disturbances, into the tracking loop. The gyroscope system does not completely satisfy the needs of systems requiring high stability and high accuracy LOS rate estimates, particularly where the missile body undergoes severe maneuvers.
In an effort to improve upon the gyroscope, designers turned to a rate platform approach. The rate platform approach does not rely on gyroscopic momentum to maintain the stability of the camera platform. Stability is maintained by sensing the camera or platform rate, comparing the sense rate to the desired rate, and applying a torque to minimize any difference between the sensed and the desired rate. Because the rate platform approach does not require a large gyroscope to maintain stability of the platform, no large angular momentum must be overcome, and the torquer power requirements for displacing the camera platform significantly decreases. The control system for the rate platform approach includes a tracking loop and a stabilization loop. The tracking loop operates at the camera frame update rate in order to determine the desired rate of platform motion. The stabilization loop operates at a much higher update rate and controls the actual rate of platform motion.
Rate platform control approaches, while addressing many deficiencies presented by the gyroscope, also offer various tradeoffs. Because the stabilization control loop is nested within the tracking control loop, the rate platform sacrifices some of the gyroscope bandwidth. Further, platform disturbances are integrated into the control loop twice in the rate platform approach, while platform disturbances are only integrated once into the control loop for the gyroscope. A double integration occurs because the gyroscope does not mechanically stabilize the platform, so that platform disturbances in the form of torques produce angular accelerations rather than angular rates. But the disturbances are measured by the platform rate sensor and cancelled by the stabilization loop. If the rate sensor disturbances are less than the disturbances to the platform, the rate platform approach produces sufficient improvement for a given weight and power.
The typical rate measuring device for the rate platform approach is a small gyroscope. Most platform disturbances do not affect the gyroscope. For example, spring torques that affect the platform do not directly affect the gyroscope because the cables and tubing that generate such disturbances are not attached directly to the gyroscope. The gyroscope simply measures the resultant effect of such disturbances. The effect manifests itself only in a second order coupling through measurement errors.
In initial rate platform implementations, the gyroscope was retained by a spring, and deflection of the spring indicated the case angle, i.e., the angle between the gyroscope axis and an axis of the container of the gyroscope. The case angle indicated the torque applied to the gyroscope. Thus, the stabilization loop was a first order, proportional control loop based on the torque applied to the gyroscope. More recently, the spring attached to the gyroscope has been replaced by an active control loop which measures the gyroscope case angle then determines the torque applied to the gyroscope. Thus, the torque to be applied to the gyroscope determines the rate at which the gyroscope is moving. When the gyroscope moves in order to follow the platform, this provides a measure of the inertial platform rate.
One drawback of the rate platform approach is that it requires three nested loops: (1) an innermost loop displacing the gyroscope to follow the platform, (2) a middle loop which determines the platform rate based on the torque required to follow the platform, and (3) an outermost loop for generating the desired platform motion based on the LOS to the target. The three nested loops limit the bandwidth of the rate platform approach and also require an extra differentiation between the platform disturbances and the feedback measurement, thereby further increasing the effect of noise. Thus, when disturbances displace the platform, the disturbance is sensed as a misalignment between the gyroscope and the platform in the form of case angle. The gyroscope is then displaced to correct this misalignment. The rate commanded to the gyroscope is sensed as a measured platform rate which differs from the commanded platform rate. A torque is then applied to the platform in order to eliminate the difference between the measured and the commanded rate. Because this control loop requires time to process, residual disturbances are fed back into the tracking loop and consequently require correction. This approach is generally considered superior to the gyroscope in many applications because it eliminates the large angular momentum and resultant torquer power required to displace the platform.
A further improvement to the rate platform approach recognizes that the quantification of platform motion is actually the rate command provided to the gyroscope. This approach is described as a forward loop implementation. The forward loop implementation controls the gyroscope directly from the tracking loop and uses the stabilization loop to drive the platform to follow the gyroscope. This eliminates high frequency gyroscopic input and reduces noise because the gyroscope control is removed from the high update rate stabilization loop and moved to the lower rate tracking loop.
The forward loop approach provides varied benefits. First, the three nested loops of the rate platform approach are reduced to two, resulting in a bandwidth increase. Second, because stabilization occurs in accordance with the gyroscope case angle rather than inferred rate measurement, a derivative step is eliminated from the feedback path. This provides both increased bandwidth and reduced noise.
In the forward loop approach, the control loop senses platform disturbances initially as changes in the gyroscope case angle. The stabilization loop corrects this directly by displacing the platform. However, unlike the rate platform approach, disturbances do not directly produce commands to the torquers for displacing the gyroscope. Some indirect coupling does occur because platform motions alter the input to the tracking loop. These residual disturbances must be first sensed and then corrected through the track loop. In order to limit this effect, the gain for the tracking loop is often reduced. Further, while the mechanical coupling of the body rate through the platform into the gyro is essentially negligible, the mechanical coupling still impacts the tracking loop estimates because portions of the tracking loop estimates feed back into the tracking loop.
The above discussed approaches each include one salient feature which also limits the ultimate performance of such systems. In each system, the platform pointing error, the difference between the target LOS and the present platform orientation, drives the track loop. Such a configuration couples body disturbances into the track loop, thereby limiting the overall effectiveness of each control approach.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for enabling a camera to track an object moving relative to the camera using a gyroscopic-referenced tracking approach which is independent of platform motion.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for enabling a camera to automatically track an object moving relative to the camera by aligning the gyroscope with the object and adjusting the platform to be aligned with the gyroscope.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for enabling a camera to automatically track an object moving relative to the camera by providing a control system having a tracking loop and a stabilization loop, where the tracking loop displaces a gyroscope to point at the target and a stabilization loop displaces a platform to align with the gyroscope.


A white reference value and a corresponding transport speed are stored in memory. A black reference value and a corresponding imaging speed are also stored. Next, a printing operation is started and color values and a corresponding transport speed are stored. Accurately corrected color values are derived from the stored white reference value, transport speed, black reference value, imaging speed, color values and transport speed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for measuring color values of prints for performing a shading correction of image data obtained by imaging reference plates with an imaging device, and to a shading correcting method.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known such apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-98023. This apparatus includes an imaging device for imaging objects, and a sensitivity adjusting device for adjusting sensitivity of the imaging device based on reference values obtained by imaging a white reference plate and a black reference plate. The apparatus can thereby obtain proper color values from the objects.
In order to reduce spoilage, an actual printing operation may be carried out such that printing is performed at low speed after starting the printing until the printing stabilizes, and at high speed after the printing attains stability. Further, printing speed may be adjusted as appropriate according to the thickness of printing paper and the like. When, with the printing speed varied as above, densities or colorimetric values (hereinafter collectively called "color values") of prints are measured while the prints are transported, a device is used for varying intervals for imaging the prints (hereinafter called sampling intervals) in order to equalize resolution. As a result, when print transport speed is changed, the amount of color value data obtained by imaging the prints at predetermined sampling intervals varies even if the prints are identical. Therefore, the apparatus described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-98023 cannot obtain proper color values of the prints, despite the sensitivity adjustment, when reference paper and the prints are transported at different speeds.
On the other hand, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-57772 discloses a technique for correcting color values to proper values by multiplying actually detected color values by a ratio between a transport speed in time of reference measurement of prints and a transport speed in time of inspection.
However, the color value and transport speed are not necessarily in exact proportionality. It is therefore impossible to correct color values to proper values only by multiplying actually detected color values by a ratio between a transport speed in time of reference measurement of prints and a transport speed in time of inspection.

Apparatus for measuring color values of prints