The present invention provides an animal model for prostatic stromal hyperplasia, and a method for screening for a substance effective for preventing/treating human benign prostatic hyperplasia using the animal model. The animal model for prostatic stromal hyperplasia is produced by implanting the fetal urogenital sinus of a non-human animal under the skin or beneath the prostatic capsule of a non-human animal belonging to the species of the same as or different from the animal. A substance effective for preventing/treating human benign prostatic hyperplasia can be screened by administering a test substance to the animal model and measuring the preventive or therapeutic effect of the test substance upon the implanted tissue (fetal urogenital sinus or tissue derived therefrom).

The prostate gland is a chestnut-shaped, hard mass of tissue located in the anteroinferior part of the male urinary bladder and between the urinary bladder and the urogenital diaphragm. The average weight of the adult prostate gland is about 20 grams. The urethra and a pair of ejaculatory ducts run through the center front of the prostate gland, thereby the prostate gland is anatomically divided into four lobes, When a man ages over 50, production of testosterone decreases and atrophic changes occur to the prostate gland, which performs secretory functions during a man's youth and middle age, and the functions thereof are decreased. From this time onwards, fibromuscular or glandular nodules appear on the glands around the urethra and gradually grow into large nodes. These nodes are benign tumors. The prostate gland with these nodes enlarges as a whole (60 to 100 g), this being called benign prostatic hyperplasia. The incidence of histologically enlarged prostate (enlarged nodes) increases with age. Prostatic hyperplasia is recognized in 50% of males over 60 years old, and about 90% of those over 85 years old.
Although the definition of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is not absolutely clear, it is understood as a disease that causes obstruction of the urethra due to the enlarged prostate gland. The subjective symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia are roughly divided into two types, i.e., obstructive symptoms such as urination difficulty, anuresis, prolonged urination, intermittent urination, and the like; and irritable symptoms such as frequent urination, urinary incontinence, nocturia, urinary urgency, and the like. The aforementioned obstructive symptoms is considered to be caused by two different mechanisms, i.e., organic obstruction in which enlarged prostate tumors press the urethra, and functional obstruction in which the prostatic capsule and stromal smooth muscles contract in response to sympathetic nerve stimulation. The functional obstruction is known to be caused by the stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system through α-receptors, and the therapeutic effect of such functional obstruction has recently been increased due to the development of α-blockers. However, the specific mechanism inducing organic obstruction has not yet been revealed, and no effective therapeutic agents have been developed. Therefore, the immediate development of such therapeutic agents is desired.
The prostate tissue primarily consists of epithelial and stromal components. In human benign prostatic hyperplasia in which organic disorders are caused by the enlargement of the prostate tissue, it has been reported that stromal enlargement resulting from the increase of stromal components is frequently observed as a morphologic feature. The increase of epithelial components is known to result primarily from the growth of hormone-sensitive epithelial cells, and as a therapeutic agent anti-hormonal agents are used. However, no pharmaceuticals that can specifically inhibit the above-described stromal enlargement that is frequently observed in humans are known. Therefore, demand exists for pharmaceuticals that have activity to specifically inhibit or improve such prostatic stromal hyperplasia.
Incidentally, for developing or evaluating pharmaceuticals, it is known that using an animal model that reflects specific human pathological condition instead of using a normal animal, when screening medicinal ingredients or evaluating pharmacological actions of various substances provides results closer to actual clinical data.


An apparatus for outputting data may be provided. The apparatus may include a DMB module for receiving a digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) signal and processing the received DMB signal, a navigation module, and an output unit for outputting data according to at least one of operations of the DMB module and the navigation unit. The apparatus may further include a controller for controlling the DMB module and the navigation module, and controlling a switching operation for switching data to be outputted according to a broadcasting signal received through the DMB module. A method for outputting data may also be provided.

1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention may relate to an apparatus and method for selectively outputting data inputted from a plurality of input units based on a switching operation.
2. Background
If a user sets an output unit to output data inputted from a predetermined input unit, then the output unit may continuously output the data until the user resets the output unit. For example, a user may use an output unit to receive digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) data from a first input unit (or a first input apparatus) and navigation data from a second input unit (or a second input apparatus) at a same time or at substantially a same time. If the user initially sets the output unit to display video data of the received DMB data and to output audio data of the received navigation data, then the output unit may be continuously operated based on the initial setting even though the DMB data may be interrupted (or is corrupted).
That is, even if the DMB data is not normally inputted, the output unit may display abnormal DMB data while outputting the audio data of the navigation data.
If a terminal includes a DMB function and a navigation function, a user may be allowed to select the DMB function of the terminal for watching a DMB program while the terminal performs the navigation function. The user may also be allowed to select the navigation function while watching the DMB program.
When the user selects both the navigation function and the DMB function for operations at a same time, the terminal may be set to perform the DMB function. In this case, the terminal may output audio data for navigation while outputting the DMB program through a display device and a speaker. More specifically, the terminal may output the audio data for navigation through a speaker while outputting the DMB program through the display device and the speaker. Therefore, the user may be guided to a destination while watching the DMB program.
If the user terminates the DMB function, then the terminal may not only reproduce the audio data for navigation through the speaker but may also display a map for navigation through the display device.
However, such an output unit for DMB and navigation may not display visual information of navigation when the user selects the DMB function. Although the DMB signal may be very weak, the output unit may not display the visual information of navigation.
If the DMB signal is very weak, the DMB module of the output unit may display a predetermined still image and transition into a pause state until a normal signal is received. Although the DMB module displays a predetermined still image and is in the pause state, the output unit may output the audio data of the navigation with only the predetermined still image displayed. That is, the user may be unable to watch the visual information of the navigation.

Apparatus and method for outputting data after receiving data from first and second input apparatuses


The present invention is a mounting assembly for mounting a night vision apparatus onto a standard army issue helmet. The present invention includes a support member for retaining the night vision apparatus and a clamping assembly used to join the support member to the helmet. The clamping assembly is removably attachable to a standard army issue helmet above the eyes of the wearer. The support member is pivotably connected to the clamping assembly in a manner that enables the support member to be pivotably rotated about the clamping assembly between an operational position and a stowed position. At the operational position, the support member retains the night vision apparatus in front of the eyes of the wearer. At the stowed position, the night vision apparatus is "flipped up" to a position above the field of view of the wearer, where the night vision apparatus can be retained until again needed. A moveable magnet and an associated reed switch serves to deactivate the night vision device in the stowed position and enable activation of the night vision device in the operational position.

Night vision devices are an important part of a soldier's equipment, allowing the soldier to see during low light or night conditions. Night vision devices utilized by the military typically include image intensifier tubes and associated optics that convert infrared and near infrared light into viewable images. A common night vision device currently being used in the U.S. Army is the PVS-7B night vision goggle assembly. Such goggle assemblies are currently being manufactured by ITT Electro-Optical Products Division of Roanoke, Va., the assignee herein. Although the PVS-7B night vision goggle assembly is commonly used by military personnel there is no available system or assembly in the U.S. Army supply network that directly attaches a pair of PVS-7B night vision goggles to the standard army issued PAS helmet that is worn by most soldiers.
The existing method of carrying the PVS-7B night vision goggle assembly is through the use of a headmount assembly (Part No. 300070-2) which attaches over the soldier's head with various straps, buckles and elastic bands. This prior art headmount assembly is fixed in size and is adjustable only through an elastic band at the back of the soldier's neck, that allows for about a one inch adjustment range. Since the unstretched circumference of the headband assembly comfortably fits only a narrow range of head sizes, anyone with a smaller head finds it difficult to wear the assembly without the addition of some padding to take up the slack. The addition of the padding requires additional time and expense. Adversely, soldier's that have a head size larger than the stretched circumference of the headband assembly, would experience a constricting pressure. Consequently, the headband assembly becomes very uncomfortable and can be worn only for short periods of time.
Compounding the above problem is the further use of straps that accompany the headband assembly. The arrangement of straps used by the prior art headband assembly are cumbersome and uncomfortable. The straps of the prior art headband assembly directly contact the head of the soldier causing discomfort. Furthermore, the weight and center of gravity of the PVS-7B night vision goggle assembly is not compensated for by the straps of the headmount assembly. As such, the night vision goggle assembly often moves out of place and must be continually adjusted and repositioned by the soldier.
In the prior art, mounting assemblies have been disclosed that mount various night vision devices to different types of helmets. Such prior art devices are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,787 to Burbo, et al., entitled NIGHT VISION IMAGING SYSTEM ADAPTED FOR HELMET MOUNTING. Such prior art devices are typically designed for use by an aviator and require a substantial amount of labor to attach or detach the mounting assembly to the helmet. Consequently, such prior art devices are not adaptable for field combat use where it is necessary to quickly detach and store the night vision assembly when not needed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a mounting assembly that can be used to mount a night vision device directly to a helmet, wherein the mounting device can be quickly and easily attached to, or removed from, the helmet as desired.

Helmet mounting for night vision assembly


A control circuit of a switching converter includes a current detection comparator for comparing a detection voltage corresponding to a voltage drop of a detection resistor with a reference voltage and generating a peak current detection signal asserted when the detection voltage reaches the reference voltage, a driving logic unit for generating a pulse signal indicating a turn-on/off operation of a switching transistor and changing the pulse signal to an OFF level indicating the turn-off operation of the switching transistor when the peak current detection signal is asserted, a driver for driving the switching transistor based on the pulse signal, and a reference voltage setting unit for measuring time (TRECT) for which a current flows through a secondary coil and a switching period (T) of the switching transistor and adjusting the reference voltage (VREF) according to an equation: VREF=K×T/TRECT where K is a coefficient.

A switching converter is used to step up or step down a DC voltage or convert a DC voltage into an AC voltage and vice versa. Various types of switching converters are available. Among these, there is a constant current-controlled switching converter for detecting a current flowing into a load and/or detecting a current flowing through a switching element of the switching converter and stabilizing the detected current to a predetermined value through a feedback control.
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a flyback type switching converter. A switching converter 100r, to which an input voltage VIN from a power supply (not shown) is input, generates and supplies an output voltage VOUT to a load 502 by stepping down the input voltage VN while stabilizing a current ILED (referred to as a load current or a driving current) flowing through the load 502 to a target current value TREF. For example, the load 502 is a light emitting diode (LED) string and the switching converter 100r sets the load current ILED to the target current value TREF based on the target brightness of the LED string.
The switching converter 100r includes an output circuit 102 and a control circuit 200r. The output circuit 102 includes a smoothing capacitor C1, a rectifying diode D1, a switching transistor M1, a primary coil LP, an auxiliary inductor LZT and a detection resistor RCS.
In an ON period of the switching transistor M1, a current flowing through the switching transistor M1 is flown through the detection resistor RCS. A voltage drop (detection voltage) VCS of the detection resistor RCS is fed back to a current detection (CS) terminal of the control circuit 200r.
A voltage VZT produced in the auxiliary inductor LZT is divided by resistors and the divided voltage is input to a ZT terminal of the control circuit 200r.
The control circuit 200r includes a current detection comparator 202, a zero-cross detection circuit 204, a driving logic unit 206 and a driver 208.
FIG. 2 is an operation waveform diagram of the switching converter 100r of FIG. 1.
In an ON period of the switching transistor M1, a current (primary current) IP flows through the primary coil LP of a transformer T1, the switching transistor M1 and the detection resistor RCS. The primary current IP increases with time and the detection voltage VCS rises accordingly. The current detection comparator 202 compares the detection voltage VCS with a target voltage VREF set corresponding to the target current value IREF. The current detection comparator 202 asserts a peak current detection signal S1 (for example, the signal S1 is at a high level) if the detection voltage VCS reaches the target voltage VREF, that is, if the current IP reaches a peak current IPEAK (=VREF/RCS). In the ON period, energy stored in the transformer T1 increases. During the ON period, no current flows through a secondary coil LS of the transformer T1.
The driving logic unit 206 changes a pulse signal S2 to an OFF level (for example, a low level) corresponding to a turn-off operation of the switching transistor M1 when the peak current detection signal S1 is asserted. The driver 208 turns off the switching transistor M1 in response to the pulse signal S2.
In an OFF period of the switching transistor M1, a current (secondary current) IS flown through the secondary coil LS of the transformer T1 decreases with time and a voltage VZT decreases accordingly. The zero-cross detection circuit 204 compares the voltage VZT of the auxiliary inductor LZT with a threshold voltage VZERO set to about zero. Based on the comparison result, the zero-cross detection circuit 204 detects that the secondary current IS is zeroed (zero-cross), and asserts a zero-cross detection signal S3.
The driving logic unit 206 changes the pulse signal S2 to an ON level (for example, a high level) corresponding to a turn-on operation of the switching transistor M1 when the zero-cross detection signal S3 is asserted. The driver 208 turns on the switching transistor M1 in response to the pulse signal S2.
The control circuit 200r repeats the above operation. The load current ILED is a current obtained by smoothing the secondary current IS by means of the smoothing capacitor C1 and is expressed by the following equation (1).ILED=1/2×IPEAK′×TOFF/T  (1)Where, IPEAK′ is a peak of the secondary current IS and T is a switching period (TON+TOFF). Equation (1) may be rewritten into the following equation (2). Here, a forward voltage drop of the rectifying diode D1 is ignored.ILED=IPEAK2×LS/VOUT  (2)
As can be seen from Equation (2), the driving current ILED depends on the output voltage VOUT, that is, a forward voltage of the load 502. That is, the switching converter 100r of FIG. 1 is problematic in that the driving current ILED is varied due to the variation of the forward voltage of the load (e.g., LED string) 502. In addition, it is also problematic that the driving current ILED is affected by a change in the inductance of the secondary coil LS of the transformer T1.
To solve the aforementioned problems, a method of connecting a resistor for detection of the driving current ILED in series to the load 502, feeding back a voltage drop of the resistor to the control circuit 200r, and controlling the driving current ILED to be equal to a target value has been proposed. However, applications requiring electrical isolation between a primary side and a secondary side need a photo coupler or a shunt regulator in order to feedback a detection voltage of the secondary side to the primary side, which may result in increased costs.
The above problems may also occur in a variety of loads other than the LED string. That is, in any load, if its impedance is varied or fluctuated, a voltage drop (the output voltage VOUT) across the load when the same load current flows is changed, which may cause a change in the load current ILED.

Switching converter, control circuit and control method thereof, and lighting device and electronic apparatus using the same


A method for producing an epitaxial wafer includes a step of growing an epitaxial layer structure on a III-V semiconductor substrate, the epitaxial layer structure including a III-V semiconductor multiple-quantum well and a III-V semiconductor surface layer, wherein the step of growing the epitaxial layer structure on the substrate is performed such that a lattice mismatch Δω of the multiple-quantum well with respect to the substrate satisfies a range of −0.13%≦Δω<0% or 0%<Δω≦+0.13%, the range having a center displaced from zero, and an X-ray rocking curve in a zero-order diffraction peak derived from the multiple-quantum well has a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 30 seconds or less.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an epitaxial wafer, a method for producing the epitaxial wafer, a photodiode, and an optical sensor device. Specifically, the present invention relates to an epitaxial wafer, a method for producing the epitaxial wafer, a photodiode, and an optical sensor device that include a multiple-quantum well (MQW) formed of III-V compound semiconductors and having a bandgap corresponding to the near- to far-infrared region.
2. Description of the Related Art
InP-based semiconductors, which are formed of III-V compounds, have a bandgap energy corresponding to regions ranging from the near-infrared region to the far-infrared region and hence a large number of studies are performed for developing photodiodes for communications, image capturing at night, and the like. For example, R. Sidhu, et al. "A Long-Wavelength Photodiode on InP Using Lattice-Matched GaInAs—GaAsSb Type-II Quantum Wells", IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, Vol. 17, No. 12 (2005), pp. 2715-2717 and R. Sidhu, et al. "A 2.3 μm Cutoff Wavelength Photodiode on InP Using Lattice-Matched GaInAs-GaAsSb Type-II Quantum Wells", 2005 International Conference on Indium Phosphide and Related Materials, pp. 148-151 describe a photodiode in which an InGaAs/GaAsSb type-II MQW is formed on an InP substrate, the photodiode having characteristic sensitivity in the near-infrared region. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-206499 proposes a planar photodiode in which an InGaAs/GaAsSb type-II MQW is formed on an InP substrate and zinc (Zn) serving as a p-type impurity is selectively diffused through a selective diffusion mask pattern, so that pixels are formed so as to be isolated from each other with non-diffusion regions therebetween. On this MQW, an InP window layer and an InGaAs diffusive-concentration-distribution-adjusting layer are disposed. The configuration of such a planar photodiode eliminates the necessity of performing etching for forming a mesa structure and, as a result, allows a decrease in the dark current.

Epitaxial wafer, method for producing the same, photodiode, and optical sensor device


Techniques for operating a printer are provided. In an example, the printer can include a print head a cure light and a controller. The controller can be configured to move the print head relative to a print media to print a given image, to move the cure light relative to the print media at a cure speed in response to the cure light passing over a printed portion of the given image to cure the ink of the given image, and to move the cure light at an index speed in response to the cure light passing over a non-printed portion of the given image, wherein the index speed is greater than the cure speed.

Card products include, for example, credit cards, identification cards, driver's licenses, passports, and other card products. Such card products generally include printed information, such as a photo, account numbers, identification numbers, and other personal information. Credentials can also include data that is encoded in a smartcard chip, a magnetic stripe, or a barcode, for example.
Card production systems include processing devices that process card substrates (hereinafter "cards") to form the final card product. Such processes may include a printing process, a laminating or transfer process, a data reading process, a data writing process, laser engraving, and/or other process used to form the desired credential. An ink jet card printer is a form of card production system that utilizes an ink jet print head to print images to cards.
In certain applications, printed ink cures after printing. Curing makes the print bond to the substrate or card better and reduces the chances that the print will smear.
Curing can be accelerated by subjecting the ink to a cure light. Conventional methods of using a cure light scan the cure light across the entire substrate before allowing the substrate to be removed from the print area and substantially effect printer throughput.


The instant invention provides an immunogenic composition comprising an antigenic fragment of OspA protein of Borrelia burgdorferi and a chimeric protein containing antigenic fragments of different phylotypes of OspC protein of Borrelia burgdorferi. Vaccines incorporating the immunogenic composition of the invention, as well as methods of preventing Lyme disease in dogs and/or protecting dogs from Lyme disease using the vaccines are also provided.

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by pathogenic spirochetes of the genus Borrelia. The infection can occur in humans, dogs, deer, mice and other animals, and is transmitted by arthropod vectors, most notably ticks of the genus Ixodes. Borrelia burgdorferi, the most common cause of Lyme disease in North America, was first cultured in 1982. Borrelia are introduced into the host at the site of the tick bite and this is also the location of the initial characteristic skin lesion, erythema chronicum migrans (ECM). In dogs, Lyme disease manifests with arthritis-induced lameness, anorexia, fever, lethargy, lymphadenopathy, and in some cases, fatal glomerulonephritis. A recent study revealed that the percentage of actively infected dogs in endemic areas can be as high as 11%.
The infection may be treated at any time with antibiotics such as penicillin, erythromycin, tetracycline, and ceftriaxone. Once infection has occurred, however, the drugs may not purge the host of the spirochete, but may only act to control the chronic forms of the disease. Complications such as arthritis and fatigue may continue for several years after diagnosis and treatment.
The canine Lyme disease vaccines were developed to provide protection by primarily inducing OspA borreliacidal antibodies. B. burgdorferi OspC is another potential target for borreliacidal antibody-mediated immunity. This protein appears to have an epitope that is responsible for inducing borreliacidal antibodies, and is not conserved among the pathogenic Borrelia spp. Although the specific function of the OspC protein remains unknown, it has been suggested that OspC expression is required for infection of mammals, but not for infection of ticks. Borrelia express OspC shortly after the tick begins feeding, and must continue to express OspC in order to establish an infection in mammals. Therefore, the "window of effectiveness" of the OspC borreliacidal antibodies is increased significantly, compared to OspA borreliacidal antibodies.
Callister et al., (U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,210,676 and 6,464,985, incorporated by reference herein) have suggested employing an immunogenic polypeptide fragment of OspC, alone or in combination with an OspA polypeptide, to prepare a vaccine to protect humans and other mammals against Lyme disease. Livey et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,872,550, incorporated by reference herein) also proposed a vaccine for immunizing against Lyme disease prepared from a combination of recombinant OspA, OspB, and OspC proteins.
However, at least two obstacles need to be overcome before a successful vaccine can be created. First, there are over twenty OspC phylotypes, and it is unclear which ones should be included into a vaccine. Second, suitable epitopes for development of borreliacidal anti-OspC antibodies need to be determined.
Therefore, there remains a longstanding need in the art for an improved vaccine to protect mammals, and especially canines, from Lyme disease.

Vaccines and methods to treat lyme disease in dogs


The control device comprises: at least one member (12; 12X) for regulating the speed of advance on the weblike material; a central control unit (41); a guiding roller (31) with mobile axis, over which the weblike material is run; and a position transducer (39) for detecting the position of the guiding roller (31) and for generating a position signal for controlling the speed of said weblike material. The guiding roller (31) is supported in a controlled position, and associated thereto is at least one sensor (37) for detecting a load (F) applied by the weblike material (N) on the guiding roller (31). In addition, an actuator (43) controls a displacement of the guiding roller according to a feedback signal generated by the sensor (37). The actuator is controlled so as to make up for variations of the load of the weblike material by moving the axis of the guiding roller, and the member for regulating the speed of advance of the weblike material (5) is controlled by said central control unit (41), according to the position signal, so as to maintain the axis of the guiding roller (31) in a position that is on average constant.

In multiple industrial fields there arises the need for unwinding a weblike material from a reel for feeding it to a line for transformation or for processing. For example, in the field of paper converting, for the production of rolls of toilet paper, rolls of paper for domestic or industrial use, paper handkerchiefs or serviettes, one or more layers of paper known as "tissues" are unwound from one or more reels and fed to a line for transformation, which may comprise a rewinder and other machines arranged in series, to form rolls of a diameter equal to the diameter of the finished product and of large axial length. Said rolls or logs are then cut transversely and divided into a plurality of smaller rolls, which are sent on for packaging. Problems similar to those typical of the field of tissue paper may arise in other technological fields, for example in the processing of plastic film, adhesive tape, fabrics, non-wovens, cardboard and in general wherever there is the need to unwind a weblike material for feeding means or stations for processing.
For unwinding the reels, unwinding devices are used, which provide the unwinding motion to the reel by means of a central mechanism, i.e., one that transmits motion to the axis of the reel, or else by means of a peripheral mechanism, i.e., one that transmits motion by means of a member (typically a belt), which is in contact with the outer periphery of the reel. Unwinders of this type are described, for example, in EP-B-0822912 and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,389. Other unwinders for weblike material are described in GB-A-2294033, U.S. Pat. No. 3,202,376, WO-A-0056644.
The weblike material must be fed to the line for transformation at a tension that is substantially constant. This is rendered difficult by the fact that the reels from which the weblike material is unwound frequently present an irregular shape, for example an elliptical cross section or in any case a deformed and non-circular cross section.
Various systems have been studied for controlling the tension of the weblike material unwound from reels. According to a first approach, the weblike material is run over a dandy roll, i.e., one supported with a mobile axis of rotation, typically by means of a pair of oscillating arms that are hinged about an axis of oscillation parallel to the axis of rotation of the roll itself. When the tension of the weblike material tends to vary, for example on account of the irregularity of the cross section of the reel, the dandy roll shifts, so preventing a variation of tension in the weblike material. A position transducer, for example an angular position transducer, detects the displacement of the dandy roll and generates a feedback signal, which is used by a control unit for modifying the speed of feed of the weblike material, in particular by accelerating or decelerating the reel.
An unwinder device with a dandy roll for controlling the tension of the weblike material is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,661.
This type of control is not satisfactory in that it is particularly unstable. In fact, a possible deformation of the reel causes an oscillation of the dandy roll with a frequency of the same order of magnitude as the frequency of the rotation of the reel. The feedback signal that derives therefrom causes cyclic accelerations and decelerations, with a similar frequency, of the speed of rotation of the reel. On account of the high inertia of the reels of weblike material, the correction made by this type of control is retarded with respect to the onset of the variation of tension, and hence is not effective.
According to a different approach, the weblike material is run over a guiding roller, to which there are associated load cells that detect the reaction on the axis of the roll, due to the load applied on the roll by the weblike material in tension. A possible irregularity of the cross section of the reel tends to have repercussions in the form of a periodic variation of the load applied on the guiding roller. This variation is detected by the load cells, which generate a feedback signal that is used for intervening on the speed of rotation of the reel with the purpose of making up for the oscillations in tension.
Also this solution is not satisfactory for the same reasons that render inadequate the solution that utilizes the dandy roll, and moreover induce greater jumps of tension in the weblike material, even though—as compared to the dandy-roll solution—it affords the advantage of simplifying the path of the weblike material.
Similar problems of control of the tension of a weblike material may arise also in situations different from the typical one of unwinding from a reel for feeding a station set downstream of the station comprising the unwinder. In general, problems of control of the tension of a weblike material may arise in all those situations in which the weblike material is fed from one to the other of two stations set in sequence (not necessarily adjacent to one another) along a feed path, when the one or the other of the stations may undergo oscillations in the speed of supply or of absorption of the weblike material itself.

Device and method for controlling the tension of a weblike material


A seat belt attachment apparatus for providing an alert notification that is secured to a conventional seat belt buckle and initiates an audible alert message each time the seat belt buckle is engaged to release the seat belt comprises a mounting member fixedly mounted to the seat belt buckle and an actuator housing is slidably disposed on the mounting member. The actuator housing is positioned such that when it is depressed, it slides into the seat belt buckle's disengaging button, thereby enabling a user to indirectly disengage a locked conventional seat belt assembly by supplying manual pressure in an actuating direction to the actuator housing. This simultaneously causes a sound module integrated with said actuator housing to emit an alert notification concerning a vehicle condition, such as a reminder to not forget a child in the vehicle.

Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to automatic notification devices for a vehicle and, more particularly, to an apparatus selectively attachable to a vehicle seat belt which is responsive the seat belt condition to provide automatic alert notification relating to a specified vehicle condition.
Description of the Prior Art
It is an unfortunate reality that each year, there are numerous deaths that result from a child (or infant, toddler, baby) being exposed to high temperatures while in a vehicle. Statistics generally show that the majority of child heatstroke deaths occur because the caregiver simply forgot the child in the vehicle when exiting. Thus, despite many states having laws in place which prohibit leaving child unattended in a vehicle, the nature of so many of these tragic occurrences renders such laws wholly ineffective in preventing them or reducing their frequency.
Attempts have been made to solve the problem of distracted or forgetful caregivers (such as parents or custodians) leaving children trapped in vehicles. One such solution involves the use of electronic devices integral with a child seat and which sense the presence of a child and emit an alarm when the child is either left in the vehicle that has been shut off or in which the temperature is rising. A limitation of such sensor based systems, however, is that they often employ components that are relatively expensive and/or complex. Because of potential costs, such sensor based systems may be difficult to employ universally. Moreover, the complexity of such systems may these result in certain components being more prone to failure and rendering the entire system non-functional. And in a system which only generates an alert after a child has been forgotten in a vehicle, it is possible that a user would not even know of any such failure because absent a specific testing mode, the system would be effectively dormant until a child is left in a vehicle. Furthermore, it is noted that a system which only generates an alert when a child is actually in left in a vehicle would not help a user build a habit to remember turn around, look in the back seat, and check for a child's presence each time the user exits the vehicle. Such habit building can be important because a child could be left in a vehicle due to the occupant(s) failure to remember that the child was with them on a that particular day; therefore if a habit of checking for a child every time one exit's their vehicle (whether or not the child is brought along) is built, such a habit may reduce the chances that a caregiver will forget a child in a vehicle when the child is actually present.
As such, the problem of distracted or forgetful caregivers leaving children trapped in vehicles where they may suffer from heatstroke and lose their life remains. Furthermore, even if the child is saved by someone who happens to walk by the vehicle and notice the forgotten child, the caregiver's life may be wrecked due to criminal prosecution or losing custody of their loved one because of their error. Thus, there remains a need for an apparatus for providing an alert notification that is attachable to a seat belt and is automatically actuated upon the release of the seat belt. It would be helpful if such an apparatus for providing an alert notification was designed to be initiated each time a user was to exit a vehicle. It would be additionally desirable for such an apparatus for providing an alert notification to generate a user configurable audible message upon being actuated prior to the user exiting the car.
The Applicant's invention described herein provides for a vehicle seat belt attachment apparatus for providing an alert notification adapted to generate an audible alert to a user concerning a vehicle condition, such as the status of a child occupant, each time the user is preparing the exit the vehicle. The primary components of Applicant's apparatus for providing an alert notification are a mounting member and an actuator housing. When in operation, the apparatus for providing an alert notification provides an automatically generated, habit promoting, audible alert notification that can prevent a user from forgetting about a child seated behind them in the vehicle. As a result, many of the limitations imposed by prior art structures are removed.

Vehicle seat belt attachment apparatus for providing an automatic alert notification


The percolator comprises a substantially cylindrical decoction chamber (9) through which water passes from the lower chamber (7) to the upper chamber (8), a counteracting surface (16) upperly bounding the decoction chamber (9), and an annular gasket (17) positioned against the counteracting surface to form a seal between the lower chamber (7), the upper chamber (8) and the decoction chamber (9). Within the decoction chamber (9) there is provided a support element (30) movable in a vertical direction and arranged to support a bag (20) of ground substance in the form of a substantially cylindrical tablet; elastic thrust member (35) is also provided within the decoction chamber (9) to vertically urge the support element (30) in such a manner as to elastically press the bag (10) against the counteracting surface (16) and/or against the annular gasket (17).

The present invention relates to a domestic percolator of the mocha type for espresso coffee, or other similar drinks such as tea, barley, camomile or other infusions.
It has been known for some time to use ground coffee packaged in permeable paper bags (filter paper) in the form of a roughly cylindrical tablet, containing a predetermined precompressed quantity of coffee. An example of a bag of this type is shown in FIG. 1.
However, such bags are used with motorized espresso coffee machines, in which the hot water is passed through the decoction chamber by a pump driven by an electric motor.
Notwithstanding the considerable recognized advantages to the user in using such coffee bags, there are still no known percolators of the mocha type able to use these bags.

Percolator of mocha type, for espresso coffee or other similar drinks


Example apparatus and methods concern performing stereo acoustic echo cancellation using a correlation based filter adaptation control approach and without using stereo de-correlation. An embodiment includes a stereo adaptive filter that produces an echo removed microphone signal from received audio signals. The embodiment includes a mono adaptive filter that produces an echo removed microphone signal from the received audio signals. A correlation detector determines a level of correlation between the received signals and provides a signal to an adaptive filter controller. The adaptive filter controller controls how the stereo adaptive filter and the mono adaptive filter adapt audio echo cancellation as a function of the correlation between the received signals. A signal selector may select for output the signal from either the stereo adaptive filter or the mono adaptive filter based, for example, on the power level of the signals.

Humans rely on spatial information to distinguish sounds and to focus on desirable sound context. Binaural listening may improve intelligibility. Thus, stereo audio may provide better voice intelligibility and speaker separation when multiple people are speaking simultaneously in the same space. This superior intelligibility and separation may enhance a user's experience during a conference call involving multiple speakers on the other end of the call. Stereo audio quality may depend on stereo acoustic echo cancellation (AEC). AEC removes the echo captured by a microphone when a sound is simultaneously played through speakers located where the microphone can hear the sound. Conventionally, stereo AEC may have depended on multi-channel adaptive filtering. However, multi-channel adaptive filtering may have variable and even undesirable performance depending on the level of correlation between stereo signals. For example, when two microphones at a far end are too close together, the signal may be highly correlated, or even identical. When the signal is too highly correlated, conventional multi-channel adaptive filtering may converge at an unacceptably slow rate, if the adaptive filtering even converges at all. This may be referred to as the non-uniqueness issue.
Conventional systems have typically addressed the non-uniqueness issue using stereo de-correlation. Stereo de-correlation may include artificially perturbing or distorting originally input signals to reduce the correlation between channels. However, distorting the input signals may affect voice quality. Additionally, distorting the input signals may alter the stereo spatial image. Further complicating the stereo de-correlation approach to the non-uniqueness issue, if a loopback signal is employed, the loopback signal may contain mono signals rendered by other applications. The presence of these mono signals may frustrate stereo de-correlation.


Materials and methods useful for generating highly mannosylated pseudotyped lentiviral vector particles comprising a Vpx protein are provided.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are essential antigen presenting cells for the initiation and control of immune responses. DCs can capture and process antigens, migrate from the periphery to a lymphoid organ, and present the antigens to resting T cells in a major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-restricted fashion. These cells are derived from bone marrow (BM) and display dendritic morphology and high mobility. The discovery of DCs as specialized antigen-presenting cells (APCs) has fueled attempts at DC-based immunization/vaccination strategies that involve targeting DCs for display of specific antigens. Recombinant virus-based vectors have been developed as a mechanism to directly deliver a gene encoding a designated antigen(s) to host cells. Through induction of a desired adaptive immune response, the expressed gene product provides a therapeutic benefit.
Challenges in achieving a safe and effective system include designing a vector that efficiently targets a desired set of host cells, providing a suitable delivery system, and expressing a desired antigen to elicit an effective immune response so that it can be utilized broadly across a designated human subject population.
The envelope glycoproteins of Sindbis virus and other alphaviruses disclosed herein incorporate into the lipid bilayer of the viral particle membrane. Typically, the viral membrane (envelope) includes multiple copies of trimers of two glycoprotein heterodimers, E1 and E2, which are produced from cleavage of a single precursor protein. The precursor protein comprises, from its N- to C-terminus, the E3, E2, 6K and E1 proteins. The small E3 glycoprotein serves as a signal sequence for translocation of the E2 protein into the membrane, and is cleaved from E2 by furin or some other Ca2+-dependent serine proteinase. The 6K protein serves as a signal sequence for translocation of the E1 protein into the membrane and is then cleaved from the precursor protein. WO 2008/011636 and US 2011/0064763 disclose lentiviral packaging systems.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Materials and methods for producing improved lentiviral vector particles


An acoustic wave generator has a shockwave source contained in a housing with a volume between the shockwave source and the location at which the acoustic waves exit the generator which is divided into two sub-volumes, each filled with acoustic propagation medium. The location at which the acoustic waves exit the generator is in the form of a deformable cushion which permits the generator to conform to the surface of a subject to be irradiated with the acoustic waves. The liquid propagation medium in both sub-volumes is circulatable, with the amount of liquid propagation medium in the sub-volume forming the cushion being variable.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an acoustic wave generator of the type having a deformable application cushion and an acoustic wave source within a housing, defining a volume therebetween filled with acoustic propagation medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Related Application
A pressure pulse generator is disclosed in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 07/761,392, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,215, filed Sep. 18, 1991, (Rattner et al), assigned to the same Assignee (Siemens AG) as the present application, wherein the volume containing the acoustic propagation medium, defined between a flexible bellows forming an application cushion and the shockwave source is divided by a wall into two sub-volumes. A first of these sub-volumes is situated between the wall and the pressure pulse source, and is in fluid communication with a reservoir for the liquid acoustic propagation medium via two main lines, so that the acoustic propagation medium contained in the first sub-volume can be circulated.
Pressure pulse generators of this type are used, for example, in medicine for the purpose of treating stone pathologies (lithotripsy), for treating tumors and for treating bone pathologies (osteorestoration). Such pressure pulse sources can also be used for non-medical purpose. The pressure pulse source within the pressure pulse generator can be of the type used to generate shockwaves, or may be of the type to generate diagnostic ultrasound, for example for ultrasound imaging, or for generating therapeutic ultrasound, for example, for treating hyperthermia. The pressure pulse generator may also be suit for generating pressure pulses for materials testing or other purposes. In any case, the generator is acoustically coupled to the subject to be charged with acoustic waves by means of an application cushion, and the subject and the generator are aligned relative to each other so that the acoustic waves pass through the region of the subject which is intended to be acoustically irradiated.
In pressure pulse generators of this type, the separation of the space between the pressure pulse source and the application cushion into two sub-volumes permits the quantity of acoustic propagation medium contained in the second sub-volume, situated between the application cushion and the dividing wall, to be varied for the purpose of acoustically coupling and uncoupling the generator to or from the subject. Upon delivery of acoustic propagation medium to the second sub-volume, the application cushion is forced against the surface of the subject under the influence of the liquid pressure. When the acoustic propagation medium is removed from the second sub-volume, the application cushion falls away from the surface of the subject. Independently thereof, the acoustic propagation medium in the first sub-volume can, for example, be circulated through a cooling system for the purpose of cooling the pressure pulse source, and can be brought to a pressure which can assist in the operation of the source for generating acoustic waves, for example, to influence the movement of the electrically conductive membrane relative to the coil if an electrodynamic pressure pulse source is used. A reservoir and a fluid circulator are required both for the acoustic propagation medium contained in the first sub-volume and in the second sub-volume. This requires known pressure pulse generators of this type to be constructed in a relative complicated manner, and such devices are correspondingly expensive. Moreover, this known type of generator occupies a relatively large space.

Acoustic wave generator having a circulatable, liquid acoustic propagation medium


An illuminant module includes a lamp including a lampwick, a reflector and a guide cap, a lamp holder, a blower, and an axial fan. At least one portion of the lampwick is disposed in the reflector. The guide cap having a guide wall, a first air outlet, and a first air inlet is connected to the reflector and covers an opening of the reflector. The lamp holder has a space where the lamp is disposed, a second air inlet corresponding to the first one, a third air inlet adjacent to the second one, a fourth air inlet adjacent to the third one, a second air outlet corresponding to the first one, and a third air outlet adjacent to the second one. The blower outside the space is disposed at the second air inlet. The axial fan outside the space is disposed adjacent to the third and fourth air inlets.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an illuminant module, and more particularly to an illuminant module applied to an optical projection device and an optical projection device having the illuminant module.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional optical projection device includes an illuminant module, a light valve, and a projection lens. A reflector of the illuminant module can make light emitted by a lampwick inside the reflector form an illuminating light beam. The light valve is disposed on a transmission path of the illuminating light beam, and is capable of converting the illuminating light beam into an image light beam. The projection lens is disposed on a transmission path of the image light beam, and capable of projecting the image light beam on a screen outside the optical projection device.
The lampwick of the illuminant module generates exhaust heat to increase the temperature inside the reflector and that outside the reflector when the lampwick emits light. In order to make the illuminant module operate normally, a blower and an axial fan of the illuminant module respectively generate a first air current and a second air current such that the exhaust heat inside and outside the reflector is transferred to the outside of the illuminant module through a first air outlet and a second air outlet of the illuminant module.
Due to the high temperature inside the reflector, the temperature of the first air current flowing through the inside of the reflector and departing from the first air outlet is high. However, when the first air current and the second air current respectively flow out of the illuminant module through the first air outlet and the second air outlet, the first air current with a high temperature and the second air current with a low temperature do not effectively interflow such that the temperature of the first air outlet of the illuminant module and that of the area adjacent to the first air outlet are excessively high, respectively.

Illuminant module and optical projection device


An intervertebral disc replacement device is disclosed and includes a first implantable member having a first anchor plate and a concave body detachably coupled to the first anchor plate, and a second implantable member having a second anchor plate and a convex body detachably coupled to the second anchor plate, the convex body configured to engage the concave body in movable relation thereto.

The human spine is a flexible structure comprised of thirty-three vertebrae separated by intervertebral discs. The intervertebral discs act as shock absorbers cushioning adjacent vertebrae and permitting bending between the vertebrae. Generally, an intervertebral disc is comprised of a nucleus pulposus, an annulus fibrosis, and end plates. The nucleus pulposus comprises an inner gel-like core which occupies 25-40% of the disc's total cross-sectional area. The annulus fibrosis is a collagen fiber composite structure that surrounds the nucleus pulposus and resists hoop, torsional and bending stresses applied to the disc. The cartilaginous end plates separate the disc from the vertebrae on either side of the disc.
Currently, back pain remains a major public health problem, especially among aged people. Persistent and severe back pain may debilitate and disable the sufferer. A common cause of such pain is frequently the result of intervertebral disc abnormalities. For example, damage to one or more of the vertebrae and/or one or more discs may result from trauma, exertion, injury, illness, or abuse. More specifically, disorders of the vertebrae and discs may include, but are not limited, to: (1) disruption of the disc annulus such as annular fissures; (2) chronic inflammation of the disc; (3) localized disc herniations with contained or escaped extrusions; and (4) instability of the vertebrae surrounding the disc.
Various approaches have been developed to treat back pain. For example, minor back pain may be treated with medication and other non-invasive therapies. However, severe back pain often necessitates the removal of at least a portion of the damaged and/or malfunctioning back component. Should the disc become ruptured, the ruptured disc may be surgically removed and the two adjacent vertebrae proximate to the removed disc may be permitted to fuse together. Alternatively, the end plates of two adjacent vertebrae may be fused posterior-laterally by screws or other fusing devices. While these fusion procedures have proven successful in treating some intervertebral dysfunctions, several shortcomings have been discovered. For example, pseudoarthrosis may result from such posterior fusion procedures.
In light of the foregoing, there is an ongoing need for an implantable intervertebral device capable of simulating the natural movement of the vertebrae.


A leg brace and method for forming thereof is provided. The brace includes a frame formed of at least a thermoplastic material. A harness is fixed to the frame, the harness being retained adjacent a user's leg during use. The leg brace may be further formed with a tibial restricting portion running along and substantially parallel to the medial shaft of a user's tibia during use, thereby preventing any unwanted movement or rotation of the user's tibia. The brace is formed by forming a brace core of a mixture of a thermoplastic material and a blowing agent and then placing a composite material in contact with the core. Next, the core and composite material are heated in a mold to a temperature sufficient to allow the thermoplastic material to become molten, causing the blowing agent to expand and force the composite material against an interior wall of the mold cavity and to form a thermoplastic cellular core. Next, after cooling, the leg brace is reheated to a temperature sufficient to allow the thermoplastic material to become malleable, but not sufficient to destroy the structural integrity of the leg brace, and then the leg brace is reshaped for a custom fit.

This invention relates generally to a custom formed leg brace to stabilize an unstable knee during various activities and the process for manufacturing such a brace, and more particularly to a leg brace which is lighter, stronger and more comfortably controls rotation or other tibial movement than prior art braces.
After injury to the leg, and more particularly the knee, it is recommended practice to stabilize the knee and prevent rotation of the leg utilizing a brace as is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,532.
Prior art leg braces essentially come in two forms. The first, completely custom braces, require the making of a plaster cast of a user's leg, the transport of this plaster cast to the factory, and thereafter the fabrication of a leg brace from scratch which is custom fabricated to fit the leg cast. This process is satisfactory, however the procedure is expensive and very time consuming. Alternatively, it is possible to purchase an "off the shelf" brace, which come in a variety of sizes, but are not custom made for the user's leg. This brace is also satisfactory, however, while the user is able to begin use of the leg brace immediately, the fit of the brace may not be precise, and as such the protection needed by the user of this brace may not be provided by this type of brace. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a brace which was less expensive and had less lead time to produce, such as the "off the shelf" brace, but provided a tailored fit, such as the custom fabricated brace model.
In prior art leg braces, typically a very complicated and heavy strap assembly is used to retain the structural portion of the brace against the knee or leg. Typically, this strap assembly consists of any number of Velcro.RTM. straps riveted to the outside of the structural portion of the brace. Thereafter, these straps are interwound and wrapped about the user's legs in a specific fashion, thereby pushing the brace towards the user's legs from the outside of the brace. This resulted in braces which were very cumbersome and heavy, since each strap requires at least one metal rivet connected to the outside of the structural portion of the brace to retain the straps connected to the brace. Additionally such braces require many parts such as frame pads, hook and loop straps, strap pads, and an under sleeve. Also, the construction of such a brace is time consuming and expensive since each rivet and strap must be individually connected to the brace. Additionally, these external retention mechanisms are not visually pleasing.
Often, prior art leg braces are formed using a thermosetting material and process. This process to form a brace requires complex forming steps including the proper mixing of chemicals at precise temperatures. Furthermore, the by products of thermosetting are noxious fumes and chemical by products which are harmful to the environment or require great care in disposal.
Prior art leg and knee braces have been satisfactory. However, they also suffer from a number of defects.
Both of the prior art leg and knee braces are very heavy. In order to provide sufficient structural integrity to the brace so that it may prevent unwanted movement in the leg or knee, the material used is of a metal or thermoset material which is very heavy, and as a result fatigues the user and limits the movement of the user of the brace because of the weight. Heavier braces tend to migrate down a user's leg, thereby reducing the efficiency of the brace.
Next, the prior art leg and knee braces do not sufficiently protect against rotation of the tibia. Specifically, after a user has suffered an injury which causes any ligimental instability, such as an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear (by way of example), the tibial bone not only has a tendency to move forward (anteriorly), but also rotates (in other situations, the tibia might move in other directions). However, the prior art leg brace which is designed to employ a transverse structural member across the front of the user's leg in order to restrict any anterior tibial movement does not address any of the rotation or other directional movement problems associated with ligament instability. Additionally, since this transverse structural member comes into contact with the tibia at only one point, any force imparted to the brace will be transferred to the point of the tibia in contact with the structural member, thereby causing undue pain for the user, and possibly precluding the user from sufficiently tightening the brace to provide the required support. It would be beneficial to provide a leg brace which is rigid but light, and addresses both the anterior movement and rotational movement of the tibia, while being comfortable for the user.
All braces must be retained tightly against the leg of the user to be effective. Straps on prior art braces do not provide any mechanism to enhance the grip of the strap by the user. It would be beneficial to provide a strap with a grip enhancing feature to assist the user in pulling the brace tightly to a users leg.
Finally, these multiple strap harness systems often require the user to over or underlay the straps in a particular manner so as to insure proper use of the brace. However, one who is not experienced in the use of such a brace may attach the straps improperly, therefore reducing the effectiveness of the brace. Additionally, to properly put on the brace takes a long time for a user. Since the straps are connected to the outside of the brace, and the brace is pushed towards the leg, it may be uncomfortable for the user, and additionally the brace may shift since only the hard structural portion of the brace is being retained against the leg by straps situated on the outside thereof. Adding to the discomfort is the requirement of an underbrace sleeve worn about the user's leg. Therefore, it is desired to provide a leg brace which overcomes the problems of the prior art and does not utilize such a complicated strap system, but rather utilizes a simplified system for retaining the brace against the leg. Additionally, it would be desirable to provide a leg brace where the harness system rather than being riveted to the outside of the brace, was riveted to the inside of the brace so that the brace could be pulled toward the leg, and be more surely retained on the user's leg and the harness would be in contact with the leg rather than the structural portion of the brace, thereby improving the fit and comfort of the brace and precluding the requirement of any underbrace sleeve.


In a first aspect, a first method of injecting one or more errors in data flowing into or out of a chip is provided. The first method includes the steps of (1) generating an error injection pattern indicating one or more bits of data on which a pseudo-random error is to be inserted; and (2) generating an error injection trigger indicating when the pseudo-random error is to be inserted. Numerous other aspects are provided.

A computer system may include a chip adapted to receive data and/or transmit data via a link. The computer system may include logic (hereinafter "error detection and recovery logic") adapted to detect one or more errors in the received data and enable the system to recover from such errors. To test the error detection and recovery logic, one or more errors may intentionally be injected into the data. In a conventional computer system, such errors may be inserted in the data by physically breaking the link and applying the errors to the link. However, such a method of injecting errors in data may not be acceptable for a computer system employing a high-speed link. Accordingly, improved methods and apparatus for error injection are desired.

Methods and apparatus for error injection

International Business Machines Corporation


A position detection method using one or more one-dimensional image sensors for detecting a light source (22) in free space is adapted for use as a portable free-space data input device (20) for controlling of a cursor (42) on the display (44) of a computer. A user of the portable free-space data input device (20) should move the portable free-space data input device (20) in free space to control the movement of the cursor on the display. This portable free-space data input device (20) can also be used as a free-space handwriting device. It is possible to adapt this pointing device in a design of a user-friendly remote control for a multimedia home entertainment system.

Various pointing devices have been used in computer systems to input the relative movement data. One most often used pointing device is computer mouse. A computer mouse can be moved by a user on a flat surface. A cursor displayed on the screen of a computer display follows the movement of the mouse and points on various items on the screen. While many people prefer using a mouse to other pointing devices, some people may suffer from pains in their fingers, hands, wrists, arms and shoulders after using a mouse for a long period of time. Alternative pointing devices such as trackballs, touchpads and joysticks can be used to reduce or avoid the use of mice for those people who suffer from the mouse-related pain.
The use of personal computers has been increased rapidly in recent years. Many people use computers at work for several hours per working day. At home, people use computers to access internet, read and write emails and play computer games. The new trend in the computer industry is to combine a computer with audio and video equipment and sources to provide a multimedia home entertainment system at home. Users of such a computer system can sit on their sofa and control the various functionalities, such as selecting TV channels, playing and recording video, playing and recording music, showing digital photos and accessing internet, by using a hand-held remote control. One desirable functionality of such a remote control is the functionality of controlling cursor movement. This means a pointing device should be designed and implemented on the remote control. At present, trackball, joystick and miniature gyroscope have been used to implement the pointing functionality on the remote controls for multimedia home entertainment systems. A pen tablet can be used as both a pointing device and a handwriting device. When a user is pointing with a cursor on the screen of a computer display, he/she pays attention to the eye-hand coordination. When a user uses handwriting to input letters or numbers into a computer, he/she pays more attention to the movements of the pen rather than to the eye-hand coordination. Handwriting input is also provided on many hand-held personal computers. A user can use a stylus to write letters and numbers on the screen of a hand-held personal computer. A handwriting recognition software is executed on the computer to recognize letters and numbers.
There is thus a need for a portable free-space data input device. However, in order to use such a device it is necessary to provide data to be processed from the device together with the possibility to track the position of the device.
In addition to the alternative pointing devices mentioned above, there is another market-available pointing device that uses a gyroscope to measure the angular changes of the user's hand. The designs of such a device are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,440,326, 5,698,784, 5,825,350 and 5,898,421. The pointing device can be held in a user's hand and moved in free space. This provides an alternative is means for the user to reduce the use of the ordinary mouse and is recommended for the people who suffer from the mouse-related pain.
One problem to be solved in the design of a hand-held pointing device is how to let the user to use more natural hand and wrist movements to move the device in free space. The pointing device based on a gyroscope allows the user to move the device in free space. However, due to the use of a gyroscope as an angle detector, the user tends to use large angular wrist movements to make large or quick movements of the cursor on the screen. These large angular wrist movements deviate very much from the neutral position of the user's wrist. Therefore, the user may feel tired in his/her wrist if many large wrist movements are made for a long period of time. Since a gyroscope detects the angle movement of the user's hand, the pointing device cannot be used naturally as a free-space handwriting device, which requires the detection of the position of the user's hand in free space.
Another market-available pointing device, called SmartNav3™ marketed by NaturalPoint Inc., that can be used by the people who suffer from the mouse-related pain uses a two-dimensional imaging sensor to detect the movement of the head or hand of a user. The user can move his/her head or hand in free space to control the movement of the cursor. An infrared light source and an infrared camera are placed in front of the user. The user should put a small piece of reflective material on his/her head, glasses or cap or wear a ring with a small piece of reflective material. When the user moves his/her head or hand within the viewing angle of the camera, a sequence of two-dimensional images is captured by the camera. Each captured image is pre-processed by a special digital circuit to extract the high intensity area, which corresponds to the small piece of the reflective material. The pre-processed image is then sent to the personal computer via USB (Universal Serial Bus) port for further processing. The software on the computer detects the position of the high intensity area in the pre-processed image and converts the position changes to cursor movements. It is also possible to use a hand-held infrared light source and let the infrared camera directly capture the image of the light source.
Large angular wrist movements can be avoided when a pointing device based on a two-dimensional imaging sensor is used. The typical movement of the user's hand in free space is different from that of moving a pointing device based on a gyroscope. Since the user can move the three-dimensional position of the light source quickly by using his/her arm, the user does not need to make large angular wrist movements. Therefore, a to pointing device based on a two-dimensional imaging sensor is better than a pointing device based on a gyroscope from an ergonomic point of view.
At present, the above-mentioned market-available pointing device uses a two-dimensional imaging sensor of a limited resolution (i.e., a limited number of pixels) and thus has a rather limited angle of view. The infrared reflector or the infrared light source must be moved within the angles of view of the camera. If a user uses his/her head to control the cursor movement, the narrow angle of view can be accepted. But, if a user uses his/her hand to control the cursor movement, he/she may feel inconvenient if the angle of view is too narrow. The viewing angle of a camera cannot be simply increased by using a wide-angle lens. Due to the limited resolution of the two-dimensional imaging sensor, larger hand movement is required when the angle of view of the camera is increased. With a larger viewing angle, the required hand movement is further increased when the infrared light source is moved to a position more distant from the camera. A user may feel inconvenient to make a very large hand movement. Therefore, it is desirable to increase the number of pixels of the two-dimensional imaging sensor of the camera. However, the increased cost of a larger two-dimensional imaging sensor and the requirement on the increased throughput of the data processing hardware may result in a more expensive product.
Another potential problem of the market-available pointing device based a two-dimensional imaging sensor is that if there are more than one infrared light sources or reflective objects in the field of view of the camera, the image processing algorithm of the device may fail to detect the position of the intended infrared light source or the piece of reflective material worn by the user. This means that ambient light and any disturbing reflective material in the field of view of the camera should be controlled so that this problem can be avoided. If a pointing device based on an optical position detector should be designed, the problem of disturbing ambient light should be solved.
If a pointing device based an optical position detector should be used as a handwriting device in free space, a button must be available on the portable part of the device such that it can be operated by the moving hand of a user to activate handwriting. The market-available available pointing device based on a two-dimensional imaging sensor does not have any button on the portable part for activating handwriting. Using a button on a keyboard or a foot-operable switch for activating handwriting is not convenient.
It would therefore be advantageous to allow the use of a portable free-space data input device that does not require large angular wrist movements, while at the same time using an optical position detection technique that can be kept simple in its design.
There does exist an old technology for optical position detection of among other things a pilots head using one-dimensional imaging sensors and slits to detect the movement of a single point of light source. However it has never been used in combination with inputting data and is therefore not really close at hand to consider for use with data input devices. Since no input of data is used from the device having its position determined, the technology further has to use a light source that is constantly turned on.
This technology is for instance described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,092,072, where a single horizontally-mounted one-dimensional imaging sensor is used together with two mutually inclined slits arranged in a V-shaped configuration to detect the position of a light source. The sheets of light passing through the two slits impinge on the one-dimensional imaging sensor and result in two pulses in the captured one-dimensional image. The vertical position of the light source can be determined by measuring the distance between the two pulses. The horizontal position of the light source can be computed from the positions of the pulses relative to one end of the imaging sensor. Instead of using two V-shaped slits, it is also possible to use a mask with a triangular aperture or a mask with a triangular light obstructing member with two mutually inclined edges. The light passing through a mask with a triangular aperture impinges on the plane with the one-dimensional imaging sensor and forms a triangular pattern on the plane. Since the triangular pattern moves horizontally and vertically on the plane corresponding to the horizontal and vertical movements of the light source, the intersection of the pattern and the one-dimensional imaging sensor results in a pulse of varying positions and widths in the captured one-dimensional image. The horizontal position of the light source can be computed from the positions of the edges of the pulse relative to one end of the imaging sensor. The vertical position of the light source can be determined by measuring the distance between the two edges of the pulse. If a mask with a triangular light obstructing member with two mutually inclined edges is used, a pattern of a shadow formed by the triangular light obstructing member and the border of the mask is projected on the plane with the one-dimensional imaging sensor. The intersection of the pattern and the one-dimensional imaging sensor results in two wide pulses of varying positions and widths in the captured one-dimensional image. The horizontal and vertical positions of the light source can be computed from the positions of the two edges, which correspond to the mutually inclined edges of the mask, in the one-dimensional image.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,254, a single one-dimensional imaging sensor is used. The two slits are arranged in perpendicular directions. The light passing through the two slits form two sheets of light. One sheet of light intersects the one-dimensional imaging sensor perpendicularly. The other sheet of light is rotated by a set of prisms so that this sheet of light also intersects the one-dimensional imaging sensor perpendicularly. The vertical and horizontal positions of the light source can be determined by measuring the positions of the two pulses detected in the captured one-dimensional image. Cylindrical lenses can be used in place of the slits to focus the light onto the one-dimensional imaging sensor.
A sensing device described by U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,550 can detect the direction of a single point source with the aid of two slits perpendicular to each other in a mask otherwise opaque to the emitted radiation. These slits are traversed by flat beams or sheets of incident rays lying in mutually orthogonal planes whose orientation can be detected with the aid of two elongated radiation detectors respectively intersected by these beams.
Even though different light limiting means such as masks with two slits arranged in a V-shaped configuration, a triangular aperture, a triangular light obstructing member with two mutually inclined edges and two orthogonally-oriented slits with or without a set of light-beam-rotating prisms is used in the designs of optical position/direction detecting devices in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,092,072, 4,209,254 and 3,951,550, one common feature of these designs is that they use only one-dimensional sensors to detect two-dimensional positions/directions of a single point of light source. This optical position detection technique is feasible because the light from the single point of light source is limited by the light limiting means such that a two-dimensional pattern is projected onto the plane(s) where the sensing elements of one-dimensional sensors are located. For example, in the case of a triangular aperture, the triangular pattern is two-dimensional and in the case of two orthogonally-oriented slits, one part of the pattern is a horizontally-oriented narrow rectangle and the other part is a vertically-oriented narrow rectangle. A pattern should be produced by the light limiting means in such a way that when the single point of light source moves in free space, its position changes in at least two dimensions must result in two-dimensional changes of the pattern as well. One or two one-dimensional imaging sensors can be used to capture the two-dimensional pattern changes on the plane(s). Whether one or two one-dimensional imaging sensors should be used depends on the light limiting means and the produced pattern. The algorithms for two-dimensional position computation to be used depend on both the light limiting means and how the sensor(s) is arranged in relation to the light limiting means.


In a sports racquet, anchor points for a string are marked with indicia to assist a stringer in stringing from one anchor point to a next anchor point. In a preferred embodiment, one of the anchor points is a bearing assembly located within a hollow cavity in the racquet stem. Colored tubes are placed in the stem that lead to and from the bearing assembly, and the colors of the tubes match respective colored indicia associated with string holes in the frame head.

Sports racquets, such as racquet ball racquets and tennis rackets, have evolved with a number of objectives including the increase of power to hit a projectile, such as a ball or other propellable object such as a shuttlecock. Referring to FIG. 1, one type of known racquet 200 designed to increase power has a string bed 202 including main strings 204 that run the longitudinal direction of the racquet ("vertical" strings). Some of these main strings, indicated as 206, extend into a hollow handle 208 and are looped around a pin 210 near the bottom of the handle. These strings are called "long" strings hereinafter. The wrapping of the long string 206 around the pin 210 creates a fixed end for each long string 206 inside the handle at its far end (hereafter referred to as the "long" string configuration).
Referring to FIG. 2, the long string configuration is also provided for other types of racquets, such as a tennis racket 300 that has a shaft 302 connecting a head frame 304 and string bed 306 to a hollow handle 308. In this case, a pin 310 is also placed in the handle, and long strings 312 must run through the shaft for looping around pin 310.
Due to the lengthening of the long strings 206 and 312 into the handle, even though the string bed in such a racquet is about 15½ inches long (for racquetball and tennis racquets), the effective length of the main, long strings is about 22 inches (for racquetball racquets) or about 27–28 inches long (for tennis racquets). Long string racquets for other racquet sports such as squash and badminton will have commensurate increases in effective length. As a result, the long strings 206 and 312 provide greater deflection and "dwell" time with the ball (not shown), which stores greater energy. This in turn causes a ball to be propelled from a racquet with more power and speed. The long string configurations are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,919,104 issued to Mortvedt et al., which is entirely incorporated herein by reference.
The long string configuration, however, is difficult to string since the looping or anchoring pin or bearing 210, 310 is enclosed within the handle 208, 308 of the known racquets. The stringing of these racquets takes more time than is usual, as the stringer has to contend with a string that tends to coil or twine on itself and otherwise behave in an unruly fashion. Threading e.g. monofilament nylon strings through elongated cavities in handles and shafts is time-consuming and frustrating. Further, when inserting the strings 206, 312 into the handle and looping or bending them around the pin 210, 310, it is difficult to maintain a proper alignment of the long strings 206, 312 within the handle and on the pin relative to the alignment of the strings on the string bed. The string tends to end up being routed in an unplanned way.
At the pin 210, 310 itself, the strings 206, 312 may abut against each other while placing the string around the pin, and can become entangled due to crossing or further lateral movement of the strings on the pin. If a string is pulled around the pin and on top of another string, it can later roll off the bottom string and lose a portion of its tensioning.
Yet another problem that occurs while stringing the long string racquets is that once a string 206, 312 is bent around the pin 210, 310, emerges from the handle 208, 308 and is pulled into the string bed 202, 306, it can then be difficult for the stringer to determine where on the racquet head or head frame 214, 304 the string should be attached to next. This is especially true in string bed patterns where the strings are not necessarily strung through adjacent holes on the frame all the way around the frame (i.e. the string is laced through non-adjacent holes such as every other hole or every third hole).
Finally, the long strings 206, 312 are more directly attached to the handle via a pin, at least compared to known racquets that terminate their vertical strings on a head frame separated from the handle by a throat area. This direct contact with the handle transfers undesired forces more easily to the handle, such as vibration formed upon the racquet's impact with an object. Vibration can cause discomfort and tire the muscles of a user's hand and arm holding the racquet more quickly. This vibration is a particularly troublesome issue in long string racquet designs such as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.


Disclosed is an optical system that has superior optical characteristic and wear resistance and can be formed at low temperatures. An optical system 101 for adjusting visible light transmittance to have a desired value comprises fluoride 103, and at least part of the optical system has a crystal grain diameter of 3 nm to 10 nm. The fluoride 103 has a specific surface area of 1 m2/g to 5 m2/g.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical system including fluoride.
2. Description of the Related Art
Optical systems such as optical lenses, displays, or optical waveguides include antireflection coatings for lessening a loss of light amount or the like due to reflection. Magnesium fluoride (MgF2) has been widely used as an antireflection material of a low refractive index. This is because i) MgF2 produces a high antireflection effect because of its low refractive index (1.38), ii) MgF2 can be easily formed into a film by vacuum evaporation, and iii) MgF2 has sufficient durability when formed on a surface of a substrate heated to about 300° C.
However, when the substrate is made of plastic or is provided with an electric circuit such as a semiconductor, it is impossible to heat the substrate to 300° C. or higher. Therefore, it is impossible to manufacture an optical system configured such that a magnesium fluoride film is formed on the substrate having such a low heat resistance. While Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. HEI. 09-243802 discloses a method of depositing magnesium fluoride at low temperatures using special sputtering, a specific characteristic of the magnesium fluoride film is not clearly described there.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. Hei. 10-90532 discloses an optical waveguide comprising a substrate having a low refractive index and provided with grooves on a main surface thereof, transparent resin having a high refractive index and filled in the grooves, and resin having a low refractive index and covering the main surface, and a manufacturing method thereof. In this optical waveguide, the substrate is made of PMMA (polymethylmethatcrylate) having a relatively high refractive index (1.49). Because a material having a refractive index higher than that of the PMMA substrate needs to be selected as the transparent resin to be filled in the grooves, and transparent resin that reacts with the substrate cannot be used, available transparent resin is limited.
A problem associated with a touch panel is that, in a device including an electronic display such as a liquid crystal display or a touch panel provided on the electronic display, ambient light from outside incident on a display surface of the device is reflected under bright environment, so that image contrast is reduced, and ambient environment is mirrored in the display surface, thereby resulting in degraded visibility. Under the circumstance, for the purpose of improving image contrast and visibility, an attempt has been made to prevent occurrence of surface reflection on the surface of the liquid crystal display or the surface of the touch panel provided on the surface of the liquid crystal display. As a method of preventing the surface reflection, there are two known methods in which, i) on a surface of a transparent film constituting a polarizer of the liquid crystal display, or on a transparent substrate on a surface side of the touch panel, a film having a refractive index lower than that of the transparent film or the transparent substrate is formed to have thickness equal to ¼ of a visible wavelength, for reducing reflection by interference effect, and ii) two or more types of layers having different refractive indices are formed for reducing the reflection in a wider wavelength range.
As method of forming the antireflection coating on the surface of the polarizer or the surface of the touch panel, there are methods in which i) fluoride such as magnesium fluoride is deposited to form the antireflection coating by vacuum evaporation or sputtering, and ii) a solution obtained by dissolving resin such as polymer containing fluorine with a low refractive index is coated and dried to form the antireflection coating (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. Hei. 6-115023).
However, in the method of depositing fluoride to form the antireflection coating, a high temperature of 300° C. or higher is required to form the magnesium fluoride film that has high transmittance and high wear resistance, and hence, this method cannot be applied to the polarizer or the touch panel with low heat-resistance temperature. Besides, since the magnesium fluoride film deposited by vacuum evaporation, sputtering, or the like is generally polycrystalline having a column-shaped structure, it is porous as having a specific surface area which is greater than 10 m2/g. Therefore, the film has a drawback of high water absorbing ability. Specifically, since the amount of water absorbed in the magnesium fluoride film varies with variation in ambient temperature and humidity (moisture content), the refractive index of the film is shifted depending on environmental conditions. Further, it is necessary to deposit the film allowing for the environmental conditions and variation in the refractive index. Meanwhile, there is a method in which titanium oxide (TiO2) and silicon oxide (SiO2) which can be formed into films at low temperatures are alternately disposed, but in this method, five or more layers are required for achieving low reflectance in a wide wavelength range, which leads to reduced productivity.
The method of coating and drying the solution to form the antireflection coating is capable of forming the antireflection coating of large area with increased productivity, but the polymer containing fluorine has generally low hardness and low wear resistance. Accordingly, there has been proposed a method of applying a multifunctional polymeric monomer containing fluorine and then polymerizing and curing the monomer by electron beam irradiation (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. Hei. 8-48935). This method offers a film comprised of a polymer containing fluorine that has hardness and improved wear resistance, but might damage the substrate or the like, for example, color the substrate, by the electron beam irradiation.


A method and product derived therefrom for consolidating nanoparticles to form particles in a micrometric size distribution. The method preserves the nanoparticles with the resultant micrometric particles. The primary processing operation is milling.

It is well known, since its development by Benjamin et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,591,362, that the basic mechanism of mechanical milling, alloying or grinding, consists of a repeated deformation, fracture and cold welding by high energetic ball collisions. Depending on the dominant process during milling, such as fracturing, welding or micro-forging, a particle may become smaller through fracturing or may grow through agglomeration. This process has been extensively used for particle size reduction or growth, shape change, solid-state alloying or blending, modifying, changing or altering properties of material like the density or flowability, mixing or blending of two or more materials and agglomeration. The following patents are examples of issued patents which disclose methods of producing mechanically alloyed composite powders and consolidated products: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,591,362; 3,660,049; 3,723,092; 3,728,088; 3,738,817; 3,740,210; 3,785,801; 3,809,549; 3,737,300; 3,746,581; 3,749,612; 3,816,080; 3,844,847; 3,865,572; 3,814,635; 3,830,435; 3,877,930; 3,912,552; 3,926,568; and 4,134,852.
Ball-milling has also been used to produce nanocrystalline materials with a structure having a large number of grains and grain boundaries, within particles globally in the micrometer scale size. In the literature, there are a large number of scientific papers attesting the capability of this technique to do so. Nanostructured materials can also be obtained by methods that do not involve ball-milling. These methods include DC and RF plasma processes, vapor-phase reactions, sol-gel techniques, combustion, emulsion and laser or hydrothermal synthesis. All these techniques produce mainly nanostructured materials with nanometer sized particles, bonded together by Van der Waal's electrostatic forces (a soft agglomeration) and present a very low density.
One of the primary limitations with nanoparticles is that nanoscale particles cannot be processed directly in many applications such as thermal spraying because of the extremely low density and flowability. Thus, there is a vital need for densifying and consolidating by agglomeration such particles into micrometer scale to enable processing. Usually, agglomeration of powders is achieved via spray drying, fluid bed agglomeration, or granulation. As a drawback, these processes often require an organic binder to ensure particle adherence, which may remain after agglomeration. There is also a risk for powder to react with the agglomeration media to form undesirable species such as oxides.
Ball milling has been used to produce powders for different applications. However, it is believed that the use of ball milling to agglomerate nano-sized particles into micrometric-sized particles has not been previously proposed. This is also believed for association of two different techniques, namely, production of nanostructured powders of a nanoscale particle size, and agglomeration of the nanoscale powders into nanostructured micrometric powders with a relatively high density.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,631,044, issued to Rangaswamy et al., there is disclosed an improved method utilizing a high energy ball mill for preparing binder-free clad powders. The powders are indicated to be useful as thermal spray powders. It is stated that the binder-free clad powders have a core material with a particle size range of about 10 to 200 microns. These are coated or partially coated with a second material, significantly smaller than the particle size of the core material with a particle size ranging from 0.1 to 20 microns. At least one of the two materials must be deformable within the high energy ball mill. The processing time is less than about one hour. The result is a thermal spray powder having an average particle size from about 10 to 150 microns.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,545, issued to Begg et al., a method is discussed which allows preparation by ball milling of composite particles made of hard material such as SiC and a matrix of aluminum or magnesium. The former material has a particle size less than 50 microns while the second is less than 100 microns. The method enables mixing of a high proportion of hard materials to be incorporated into the composite.
Similar to the previous patent, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,567, issued to Kemp, Jr. et al., metallic coated particles are disclosed. The particles have a core consisting essentially of metals, metal alloys, ceramics, ceramic glasses, and a coating relatively uniformly distributed on the core. The coating comprises a relatively ductile and/or malleable metallic material selected from metals and metal alloys.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,561, issued to Kemp, Jr. et al., a process involving the grinding of particles of a ductile and/or malleable material which may be metal, metal alloy, or metal-ceramic composites, with a combination of parameters and environment in a ball attritor mill was disclosed. The product is densely packed particles, having a substantially granular appearance and an aspect ratio of from greater than 1 to about 50 and a mean particle size of less than about 20 micrometers in diameter.
All the above-mentioned patents have used ball milling as a tool to coat a core material or to prepare composite materials that have a microcrystalline structure. None of these reports the use of ball milling to agglomerate and consolidate nanoparticle powders.

Process for agglomeration and densification of nanometer sized particles