The present disclosure relates to recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) delivery of a GALGT2 polynucleotide. The disclosure provides rAAV and methods of using the rAAV for GALGT2 gene therapy of neuromuscular disorders. Exemplary neuromuscular disorders include, but are not limited to, muscular dystrophies such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Congenital Muscular Dystrophy 1A and Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy 2D.

Muscular dystrophies (MDs) are a group of genetic diseases. The group is characterized by progressive weakness and degeneration of the skeletal muscles that control movement. Some forms of MD develop in infancy or childhood, while others may not appear until middle age or later. The disorders differ in terms of the distribution and extent of muscle weakness (some forms of MD also affect cardiac muscle), the age of onset, the rate of progression, and the pattern of inheritance.
One type of MD is Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). It is the most common severe childhood form of muscular dystrophy affecting 1 in 5000 newborn males. Inheritance follows an X-linked recessive pattern. DMD is caused by mutations in the DMD gene leading to absence of dystrophin protein (427 KDa) in skeletal and cardiac muscles, as well as GI tract and retina. Dystrophin not only protects the sarcolemma from eccentric contractions, but also anchors a number of signaling proteins in close proximity to sarcolemma. Clinical symptoms of DMD are usually first noted between ages 3 to 5 years, with altered gait and reduced motor skills typically leading to diagnostic evaluation. DMD is relentlessly progressive, with loss of ambulation by age twelve. Historically patients died from respiratory complications late in the second decade, but improved supportive care—and in particular judicious use of nocturnal ventilatory support—has extended life expectancy by nearly a decade. Prolonging life unmasks the nearly universal decline in cardiac function, with complications of dilated cardiomyopathy. This poses further clinical challenges and a need for recognition and medical intervention that did not previously exist. Non-progressive cognitive dysfunction may also be present in DMD. Despite virtually hundreds of clinical trials in DMD, treatment with corticosteroids remains the only treatment that has consistently demonstrated efficacy. Current standard of care for DMD involves use of prednisone or deflazacort, which can prolong ambulation by several years at the expense of significant side effects, and has limited evidence for any impact on survival.
Another type of MD is Congenital Muscular Dystrophy 1A (MCD1A). MCD belongs to a group of neuromuscular disorders with onset at birth or infancy characterized by hypotonia, muscle weakness and muscle wasting. MCD1A represents 30-40% of congenital muscular dystrophies, with some regional variation. Prevalence is estimated at 1/30,000. The disease presents at birth or in the first few months of life with hypotonia and muscle weakness in the limbs and trunk. Respiratory and feeding disorders can also occur. Motor development is delayed and limited (sitting or standing is only possible with help). Infants present with early rigidity of the vertebral column, scoliosis, and respiratory insufficiency. There is facial involvement with a typical elongated myopathic face and ocular ophthalmoplegia disorders can appear later. Epileptic attacks are possible, although they occur in less than a third of subjects. Intellectual development is normal. MCD1A is caused by mutations in the LAMA2 gene coding for the alpha-2 laminin chain. Transmission is autosomal recessive. Current treatment is symptomatic. It consists of a multidisciplinary approach, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech-language therapists, with the objective of optimizing each subject's abilities. Seizures or other neurological complications require specific treatment. The prognosis of MDC1A is very severe as a large proportion of affected children do not reach adolescence. Currently, the prognosis can only be improved by attentive multidisciplinary (particularly orthopedic and respiratory) management.
Yet another type of MD is Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy (LGMD). LGMDs are rare conditions and they present differently in different people with respect to age of onset, areas of muscle weakness, heart and respiratory involvement, rate of progression and severity. LGMDs can begin in childhood, adolescence, young adulthood or even later. Both genders are affected equally. LGMDs cause weakness in the shoulder and pelvic girdle, with nearby muscles in the upper legs and arms sometimes also weakening with time. Weakness of the legs often appears before that of the arms. Facial muscles are usually unaffected. As the condition progresses, people can have problems with walking and may need to use a wheelchair over time. The involvement of shoulder and arm muscles can lead to difficulty in raising arms over head and in lifting objects. In some types of LGMD, the heart and breathing muscles may be involved.
There are at least nineteen forms of LGMD, and the forms are classified by their associated genetic defects.
TypePattern of InheritanceGene or ChromosomeLGMD1AAutosomal dominantMyotilin geneLGMD1BAutosomal dominantLamin A/C geneLGMD1CAutosomal dominantCaveolin geneLGMD1DAutosomal dominantChromosome 7LGMD1EAutosomal dominantDesmin geneLGMD1FAutosomal dominantChromosome 7LGMD1GAutosomal dominantChromosome 4LGMD1HAutosomal dominantChromosome 3LGMD2AAutosomal recessiveCalpain-3 geneLGMD2BAutosomal recessiveDysferlin geneLGMD2CAutosomal recessiveGamma-sarcoglycan geneLGMD2DAutosomal recessiveAlpha-sarcoglycan geneLGMD2EAutosomal recessiveBeta-sarcoglycan geneLGMD2FAutosomal recessiveDelta-sarcoglycan geneLGMD2GAutosomal recessiveTelethonin geneLGMD2HAutosomal recessiveTRIM32LGMD2IAutosomal recessiveFKRP geneLGMD2JAutosomal recessiveTitin geneLGMD2KAutosomal recessivePOMT1 geneLGMD2LAutosomal recessiveFukutin geneLGMD2MAutosomal recessiveFukutin geneLGMD2NAutosomal recessivePOMT2 geneLGMD2OAutosomal recessivePOMGnT1 geneLGMD2QAutosomal recessivePlectin gene
Specialized tests for LGMD are now available through a national scheme for diagnosis, the National Commissioning Group (NCG).
The GALGT2 gene (otherwise known as B4GALNT2) encodes a β1-4-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine (βGalNAc) glycosyltransferase. GALGT2 overexpression has been studied in three different models of muscular dystrophy: DMD, LGMD2D and MDC1A [Xu et al., Am. J. Pathol, 175: 235-247 (2009); Xu et al., Am. J. Path., 171: 181-199 (2007); Xu et al., Neuromuscul. Disord., 17: 209-220 (2007); Martin et al., Am. J. Physiol. Cell. Physiol., 296: C476-488 (2009); and Nguyen et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 99: 5616-5621 (2002)]. GALGT2 overexpression in skeletal muscles has been reported to induce the glycosylation of alpha dystroglycan with β1-4-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine (GalNAc) carbohydrate to make the CT carbohydrate antigen (Neu5Ac/Gcα2-3[GalNAcβ1-4]Galβα1-4GlcNAcβ-). The GALGT2 glycosyltransferase and the CT carbohydrate it creates are normally confined to neuromuscular and myotendinous junctions in skeletal muscles of adult humans, non-human primates, rodents and all other mammals yet studied [Martin et al., J. Neurocytol., 32: 915-929 (2003)]. Overexpression of GALGT2 in skeletal muscle has been reported to stimulate the ectopic glycosylation of the extrasynaptic membrane, stimulating the ectopic overexpression of a scaffold of normally synaptic proteins that are orthologues or homologues of proteins missing in various forms of muscular dystrophy, including dystrophin surrogates (e.g., utrophin, Plectinl) and laminin α2 surrogates (laminin α5 and agrin) [Xu et al. 2009, supra; Xu et al, Am. J. Path. 2007, supra; Xu et al., Neuromuscul. Disord. 2007, supra; Nguyen et al., supra; Chicoine et al., Mol. Ther, 22: 713-724. (2014). As a group, the induction of such surrogates by GALGT2 has been reported to strengthen sarcolemmal membrane integrity and prevent muscle injury in dystrophin-deficient muscles as well as in wild type muscles [Martin et al., supra]. GALGT2 overexpression in skeletal muscle has been reported to prevent muscle damage and inhibit muscle disease. This is true in the mdx mouse model for DMD [Xu et al., Neuromuscul. Disord. 2007, supra; Martin et al. (2009), supra; Nguyen et al., supra], where improvement equal to that of micro-dystrophin gene transfer is noted even though only half the number of fibers were transduced [Martin et al. (2009), supra]. Notably, GALGT2 gene transfer has also been reported to be preventive in the dyW model for congenital muscular dystrophy 1 A [Xu et al, Am. J. Path. 2007, supra] and the Sgca−/− mouse model for limb girdle muscular dystrophy type 2D [Xu et al. 2009, supra].
Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is a replication-deficient parvovirus, the single-stranded DNA genome of which is about 4.7 kb in length including 145 nucleotide inverted terminal repeat (ITRs). There are multiple serotypes of AAV. The nucleotide sequences of the genomes of the AAV serotypes are known. For example, the complete genome of AAV-1 is provided in GenBank Accession No. NC_002077; the complete genome of AAV-2 is provided in GenBank Accession No. NC_001401 and Srivastava et al., J. Virol., 45: 555-564 {1983); the complete genome of AAV-3 is provided in GenBank Accession No. NC_1829; the complete genome of AAV-4 is provided in GenBank Accession No. NC_001829; the AAV-5 genome is provided in GenBank Accession No. AF085716; the complete genome of AAV-6 is provided in GenBank Accession No. NC_00 1862; at least portions of AAV-7 and AAV-8 genomes are provided in GenBank Accession Nos. AX753246 and AX753249, respectively; the AAV-9 genome is provided in Gao et al., J. Virol., 78: 6381-6388 (2004); the AAV-10 genome is provided in Mol. Ther., 13(1): 67-76 (2006); and the AAV-11 genome is provided in Virology, 330(2): 375-383 (2004). Cis-acting sequences directing viral DNA replication (rep), encapsidation/packaging and host cell chromosome integration are contained within the AAV ITRs. Three AAV promoters (named p5, p19, and p40 for their relative map locations) drive the expression of the two AAV internal open reading frames encoding rep and cap genes. The two rep promoters (p5 and p19), coupled with the differential splicing of the single AAV intron (at nucleotides 2107 and 2227), result in the production of four rep proteins (rep 78, rep 68, rep 52, and rep 40) from the rep gene. Rep proteins possess multiple enzymatic properties that are ultimately responsible for replicating the viral genome. The cap gene is expressed from the p40 promoter and it encodes the three capsid proteins VP1, VP2, and VP3. Alternative splicing and non-consensus translational start sites are responsible for the production of the three related capsid proteins. A single consensus polyadenylation site is located at map position 95 of the AAV genome. The life cycle and genetics of AAV are reviewed in Muzyczka, Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, 158: 97-129 (1992).
AAV possesses unique features that make it attractive as a vector for delivering foreign DNA to cells, for example, in gene therapy. AAV infection of cells in culture is noncytopathic, and natural infection of humans and other animals is silent and asymptomatic. Moreover, AAV infects many mammalian cells allowing the possibility of targeting many different tissues in vivo. Moreover, AAV transduces slowly dividing and non-dividing cells, and can persist essentially for the lifetime of those cells as a transcriptionally active nuclear episome (extrachromosomal element). The AAV proviral genome is infectious as cloned DNA in plasmids which makes construction of recombinant genomes feasible. Furthermore, because the signals directing AAV replication, genome encapsidation and integration are contained within the ITRs of the AAV genome, some or all of the internal approximately 4.3 kb of the genome (encoding replication and structural capsid proteins, rep-cap) may be replaced with foreign DNA. The rep and cap proteins may be provided in trans. Another significant feature of AAV is that it is an extremely stable and hearty virus. It easily withstands the conditions used to inactivate adenovirus (56° to 65° C. for several hours), making cold preservation of AAV less critical. AAV may even be lyophilized. Finally, AAV-infected cells are not resistant to superinfection.
An AAV termed rh.74 has been used to deliver DNAs encoding various proteins. Xu et al., Neuromuscular Disorders, 17: 209-220 (2007) and Martin et al., Am. J. Physiol. Cell. Physiol., 296: 476-488 (2009) relate to rh.74 expression of cytotoxic T cell GalNAc transferase for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Rodino-Klapac et al., Mol. Ther., 18(1): 109-117 (2010) describes AAV rh.74 expression of a micro-dystrophin FLAG protein tag fusion after delivery of the AAV rh.74 by vascular limb perfusion.
The muscular dystrophies are a group of diseases without identifiable treatment that gravely impact individuals, families, and communities. The costs are incalculable. Individuals suffer emotional strain and reduced quality of life associated with loss of self-esteem. Extreme physical challenges resulting from loss of limb function creates hardships in activities of daily living. Family dynamics suffer through financial loss and challenges to interpersonal relationships. Siblings of the affected feel estranged, and strife between spouses often leads to divorce, especially if responsibility for the muscular dystrophy can be laid at the feet of one of the parental partners. The burden of quest to find a cure often becomes a life-long, highly focused effort that detracts and challenges every aspect of life. Beyond the family, the community bears a financial burden through the need for added facilities to accommodate the handicaps of the muscular dystrophy population in special education, special transportation, and costs for recurrent hospitalizations to treat recurrent respiratory tract infections and cardiac complications. Financial responsibilities are shared by state and federal governmental agencies extending the responsibilities to the taxpaying community.
There thus remains a significant need in the art for treatments for neuromuscular disorders including, but not limited to, muscular dystrophies such as DMD, MDC1A and LGMD2D.

Methods and materials for GALGT2 gene therapy

RESEARCH INSTITUTE AT NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL


The pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion 2 provided with first sipes 25 and second sipes 26 and having a first tread half portion 21 and a second tread half portion 22. The first sipes 25 are smoothly continued from a crown land region 10 in the second tread half portion 22 to a shoulder land region 13 in the first tread half portion 21 through a crown main groove 3 and a shoulder main groove 5. The second sipes 26 extend from the crown land region 10 in the second tread half portion 22 toward a second tread edge Te2.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-184828 discloses a pneumatic tire, wherein, in order to improve the steering stability, straight main grooves extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction are disposed on the tire equator and both sides thereof, and two axially inner land regions between the three straight main grooves are not provided with wide lateral grooves so as not to decrease the rigidity of the axially inner land regions and thereby to improve the steering stability.
Further, each of the axially inner land regions and two axially outer shoulder land regions is provided with sipes each curved describing an arc, and the sipes in the axially inner land regions are different from the sipes in the axially outer shoulder land regions with respect to the inclining directions.
When the tread portion of such tire is subjected to a load, the axially inner land regions and the axially outer shoulder land regions are deformed in different modes. As a result, there is a possibility that transient characteristics at the time when the center in the tire axial direction of the ground contact patch of the tire is moved from the tread center (tire equator) toward the tread shoulder (tread edge) during cornering at a large slip angle, is affected.


A digitally compensated analog-to-digital converter (ADC) provides improved linearity by generating calibration values having higher resolution than the output signal generated during a normal conversion. During a calibration value generation operation, the converter performs a normal conversion, then performs an additional conversion, thereby generating a high resolution calibration value which is then rounded and stored in a memory device. The converter includes a flash ADC which converts an analog input signal received through a multiplexer and sample-hold amplifier to a digital signal. The flash ADC provides control signals to a multibit digital-to-analog converter which generates the analog reconfiguration signal during multi-stage conversions. A digital correction circuit receives the digital signals from several multi-stage conversion and generates a corrected signal. A digital calibration circuit stores the rounded calibration values during a calibration value generation operation and generates a digital calibration signal which is added to the corrected signal during a normal operation to generate a digitally compensated signal.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to analog-to-digital converters and more particularly to a digital compensation type analog-to-digital converter which can calculate circulation type self calibration values with improved accuracy.
2. Description of the Related Art
The digitalization of audio and video appliances has increased the demand for high-speed and high-resolution analog-to-digital converters (A/D converters). In order to perform high resolution conversions, A/D converters have been implemented utilizing multistage converters. A multibit digital-to-analog converter (MDAC) is used to implement a multistage converter. However, the linearity characteristics of the entire converter are likely to deteriorate if any mismatch exists in the MDAC. Thus, self calibration techniques have been used to correct errors caused by the mismatch in the MDAC.
In a conventional self calibration technique, calibration values are generated through the same process as the normal conversion of the A/D converter. In such a process, if the amount of error in the MDAC is large, the generated calibration values correctly correspond to the actual values of the errors. However, if the error is small, correct calibration may not be effected. For example, if a positive error exists, the actual A/D-converted error value might be "0011111" in view of the characteristics of the A/D converter, even though this error value should be converted to "0100000" to be stored in memory. Consequently, the error value generated during the calibration value creating process is larger than the existing error value.
More specifically, there may be two elements of the A/D converter, each of which has an associated error. The A/D converter may determine that the error value for each of the elements is -1, even though each error value is actually close to "0" when the reference error is set to "0100000". If the two elements having respective errors are used separately in the A/D converter, the determined error value does not matter much since the incorrectly determined error value does not cause the A/D converter to exceed a predetermined nonlinearity limit. However, if the two elements are used simultaneously, the error value is determined to be "-2" as the sum of the two errors, rather than "-1" which is the true error. Thus, the predetermined nonlinearity limit is exceeded.
Such inaccurately determined error values do not matter much with respect to each individual calibration value. However, when they are summed together to perform self-calibration, the determined errors become greater than the existing errors, and as a result, the calibration process itself becomes useless.
Accordingly, a need remains for a technique for determining calibration values for an A/D converter which overcomes the problems mentioned above.

Analog-to-digital converter with digital compensation


A decentralized load management and control system and method are provided herein. A plurality of loads in a system are associated with a multitude of respective networked load controllers. If energy demand exceeds optimum limits in operation then the networked load controllers collaborate to determine which load(s) will be shed based on an optimization algorithm that considers, inter alia, variable load priority and business objectives. Additionally and/or alternatively, if the metered energy demand is less than optimum, the load controllers can determine which loads to reconnect again based at least upon load priority and business objectives.

Deregulation has presented businesses with new and complex issues with respect to purchasing and managing energy. Utility companies provide a bundle of services including generation, distribution, and transmission. Deregulation has unbundled these services and allowed consumers to chose among a multitude of competing electrical generation suppliers while the local company continues to handle the distribution and transmission of power directly to the consumer. Competition is advantageous for consumers in that they are able to purchase cheaper energy, however competition among generation suppliers produces differing and often-complex pricing schemes. Although time varying billing rates existed for industrial consumers prior to deregulation, the billing was quite straightforward. In particular, industrial consumers would simply pay a single bill per period, normally each month, according to their total energy usage (kW-hr). Today, however, billing is quite a bit more complicated for industrial consumers as well as for residential consumers. In addition to having to separately pay a generation supplier and a local distributor, energy prices vary with the time of use (e.g., weekday, weekend, day, night, hour-of-the-day). Stated differently and simply, energy consumption at peak times (i.e., high demand) costs consumers more than during non-peak hours (i.e., lower demand). On-peak versus off-peak billing enables energy suppliers to contract with consumers concerning the power that they will make available at certain times and the price charged. This allows consumers to make cost effective decisions relating the use of power and allows the utility companies to prevent brownouts or blackouts due to over consumption.
The competitive global economy as well as various energy conservation movements have forced companies to operate and conduct business in an ever increasingly efficient manner. Accordingly, businesses must determine when and how to operate in a more cost efficient way with respect to the use of energy. Unfortunately, the growth and ubiquity of electrical systems and machines makes energy management a large and increasingly complicated task. For instance, many industrial processes and machines are controlled and/or powered by electric systems. Such processes and machines include pumps providing fluid transport for chemical and other processes, fans, conveyor systems, compressors, gear boxes, motion control devices, screw pumps, and mixers, as well as hydraulic and pneumatic machines driven by motors. Such motors combine with other system components, such as valves, pumps, furnaces, heaters, chillers, conveyor rollers, fans, compressors, gearboxes, and the like, as well as with appropriate motor drives to form industrial machines and actuators. For example, an electric motor could be combined with a motor drive providing variable electrical power to the motor, as well as with a pump, whereby the motor rotates the pump shaft to create a controllable pumping system. Demand can therefore vary immensely depending on which machines are running and in the case of variable speed motors at what speed they are running (e.g., 30% of max 80% of max). Furthermore, electrical consumers, such as industrial facility operators in particular, normally have contracts with energy suppliers that specify a maximum amount of energy to be used per period of time and any amount of energy usage over that amount is penalized by charging an increased fee. Still furthermore, companies can set maximum usage levels at certain times to try and take advantage of contracted price schedules. Thus, there is a need for a system for controlling loads based on metered demand to ensure that energy demand does not exceed optimum limits in an operation.
Referring initially to FIG. 1 a conventional load control system 100 is depicted. System 100 includes a master controller 110, a plurality of switches 120 (Switch1 through switchN, where N is an integer greater than one) coupled to the master controller 110, and a multitude of loads 130 (Load1 through LoadX, where X is an integer greater than one) associated with each switch. Conventionally, loads are metered (not shown) and data is collected and transmitted to a central master controller 110. The master controller 110 subsequently sheds loads based on a preconfigured scheme priority if energy use is above a threshold level. However, predetermining a priority scheme to shed loads lacks the granularity and the intelligence necessary to take advantage of the pricing options offered by electrical generation suppliers as well as accounting for other priorities and constraints such as objectives or business goals in real time.


A high efficiency polarizing converter receives generally collimated light of arbitrary polarization and converts it to light of a selected polarization with minimal loss or absorption of light. In one embodiment, the polarizing converter has a generally planar configuration that is suitable for flat panel displays, LCD projectors, and other display applications.

Polarizing converters are well known. Commonly available film polarizers are generally effective for polarizing light but suffer from several disadvantages. The disadvantages include low efficiency (i.e., approximately 43% transmission of unpolarized incident light) and poor resistance to high temperatures (caused in part by the absorption of one-half of the unpolarized incident light). Moreover, high temperatures frequently arise in some display applications such as liquid crystal display (LCD) image projectors in which high intensity light sources are used to project images onto display screens. As a design dilemma, the low light transmission of common film polarizers require ever brighter, and hence hotter, light sources that increase the likelihood of causing heat damage to the polarizers.
Various polarizing converters of higher efficiency are also known, including those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,493,624, 5,276,410, 5,539,845, 5,299,036, 5,272,496, 5,200,843, 5,164,854, 5,566,367, and 4,437,099. Many of these polarizing converters (commonly called polarization beam splitters) utilize combinations of discrete prisms and reflective surfaces arranged along relatively complex optical paths. While providing improved efficiency over common film polarizers, such polarizing converters suffer from the disadvantages of being structurally complex, bulky, and impractical to manufacture. These disadvantages are particularly troublesome in LCD projectors and flat panel display applications where structural complexity and bulk are antithetical to the design objectives of the display systems.
In accordance with the present invention, a high efficiency polarizing converter receives generally collimated light of arbitrary polarization and converts it to light of a selected polarization with minimal loss or absorption of the light. In one embodiment, the polarizing converter has a generally planar configuration that is suitable for flat panel displays, LCD projectors, and other display applications.
In its generally planar embodiment, the polarizing converter includes a planar beam splitter that has an array of light splitting prismatic structures and is analogous to a linear Fresnel lens. The planar beam splitter splits the incident light and directs it in two directions at equal but opposite deflection angles. A reflective polarizer (e.g., film) receives light propagating past the beam splitting prismatic structures. The reflective polarizer receives light of arbitrary polarization, transmits light components of a selected first polarization sense, and reflects light of an orthogonal second polarization sense.
Transmitted light of the first polarization sense passes through the reflective polarizer to a planar light combiner having an array of light combining prismatic structures that collimate and direct the light in an illumination direction that is substantially the same as the direction of the incident light. The light combiner is also analogous to a linear Fresnel lens. The light of the second polarization sense reflected by the reflective polarizer is directed back toward recesses between the prismatic structures of the beam splitter. A reflector arrangement has a planar array of frusto-prismatic reflector structures that are aligned with and extend into the recesses between adjacent prismatic structures of the beam splitter. The reflector structures reflect the light of the second polarization sense and direct it back toward the reflective polarizer. The reflection by the reflector structures changes the light from the second to the first polarization sense, so the light now passes through the reflective polarizer and into the combiner to be collimated and directed in the illumination direction.
This polarizing converter polarizes light with estimated efficiencies of up to 80 percent, representing an improvement of about 85 percent over the performance of conventional film polarizers. The generally planar configuration of the polarizing converter provides a compact, rugged, manufacturable structure that is compatible with various display applications including LCD projector displays. As a result, the polarization converter of this invention overcomes the losses or inefficiencies of conventional film polarizers while also overcoming the complexity and bulk of known high efficiency polarizing converters.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of preferred embodiments of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.


A synchronized operation system by which a plurality of independently controlled numerical control apparatuses (CNCs) are made to carry out a synchronized operation. An external signal generation circuit (1) supplies an external timing signal to respective CNCs (2,3), from the outside, and internal signal generation circuits (10, 20) generate internal timing signals for independently operating the CNCs (2, 3). Selection circuits (9, 19) select one of the external timing signals and the internal timing signal, and when the external timing signal is selected, the respective CNCs (2, 3) are operated by using the selected external timing signals as basic timing signals. Therefore, no time lag occurs between the basic timing signals of the respective CNCs (2, 3) an and thus the respective CNCs (2, 3) can carry out an extremely a closely synchronized operation, such as an interpolation, based on the basic timing signals.

Numerical control apparatuses (CNCs) are used at each station of a transfer line for machining parts for automobiles, and these CNCs contain a programmable machine controller (PMC) for controlling only a single axis. The CNCs of this type are referred to as a single-axis CNCs.
Although these single-axis CNCs are usually independently controlled, sometimes a plurality of single-axis CNCs must be simultaneously controlled for performing various operations, i.e., cutting an arc, and to accomplish this, the I/O circuits of the respective CNCs are interconnected and data is exchanged through the I/O circuits.
Nevertheless, when data is exchanged through the I/O circuits, in the operation of the respective CNCs, a time lag occurs and further, communication therebetween becomes complicated, and as a result, a high accurate synchronized operation, such as an interpolation, cannot be carried out.

Synchronized operation system for numerical control apparatus


A method for providing a secure communications link between a home PC and a vehicle through a wireless access point. The method includes providing a wireless connection between a vehicle communications system and the wireless access point and causing a user of the PC to initiate a communication with the vehicle communications system through the wireless access point so as to allow the user to send information to the vehicle from the home PC. The method also includes causing the vehicle communications system to send an authentication challenge to the PC, such as identifying a user name and password, to authorize the user to communicate with the vehicle communications system, and establishing a secure communications link between the vehicle communications system and the PC if the user responds to the challenge with a correct response.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a method for providing a secure wireless communications link between a personal computer (PC) and a vehicle and, more particularly, to a method for providing a secure wireless communications link between a home PC and a vehicle that includes causing the vehicle to verify that the user who is using the PC is an authorized user.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
It has been suggested in the art that future vehicles may include various systems that allow wireless communications to be received from a home PC so as to allow the owner of the vehicle, or an authorized user, to send information, data and commands to the vehicle from the PC. For example, it has been proposed that a vehicle owner will be able to download digital music wirelessly from the PC to the vehicle where it will be stored for future use. Further, it has been proposed to wirelessly transmit commands from the PC to the vehicle to provide various vehicle personalization and customization settings and parameters, such as using metric or English displays, selection of lighting features, orientation of seat position, etc., so that the vehicle owner can provide the customization from his/her home. Also, it has been proposed that pre-computed navigation directions can be sent to the vehicle from the home PC to be stored for a later trip.
In one proposed application, a user will have a wireless access point at his home that is hard-wired to the home PC. The user will also be able to access the internet from the PC, through the wireless access point or otherwise. The user will send signals and commands from the PC to the wireless access point that are broadcast or transmitted to the vehicle over a wireless link. The wireless transmission is encrypted at the access point and the vehicle so as to provide a secure link between the vehicle and the wireless access point. However, any malicious algorithms, spyware, applications, programs, etc. that reside on the PC, possibly from the internet, will be outside the secure link between the wireless access point and the vehicle, and thus may be able to access the vehicle from the PC through the wireless access point. Consequently, a potential problem exists where the security for transmitting messages between the home PC and the vehicle is not robust enough.

Secure home-to-vehicle wireless connectivity


An image noise measurement system performs a noise estimation on a current image. A storage device stores a previous image. A noise estimator performs a noise estimation on sub-areas of the current image and the previous image to thereby produce a noise estimation index for the sub-area of the current image. A distribution calculator calculates a distribution of positive and negative signs of pixel differences in the sub-areas of the current image and the previous image to thereby output a positive sign number and a negative sign number. A confidence generator produces a confident level index according to the positive sign number and the negative sign number. A recursive filter performs a recursive filtering operation on the noise estimation index according to the confident level index to thereby produce a noise estimate for the current image.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of image processing and, more particularly, to a system of an image noise measurement and the method thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, TV signals are likely to suffer from the interference in transmission to thus have noises. To reduce the interference of the noises, a noise reduction is typically provided in a display section. However, the noise reduction in either spatial or temporal domain possibly produces various problems. Typically, the noise reduction is performed by first analyzing the noise levels of input images and then taking various noise reduction processes according to the noise levels analyzed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,844,627 granted to May, et al. for a "Structure and method for reducing spatial noise" describes a method for spatial noise reduction, which first analyzes the spatial frequency components and then suppresses the possible bands with noises. However, the method for spatial noise reduction cannot completely separate the noises from the video components in space, and thus the side effect of blurs easily present in the video. U.S. Pat. No. 6,259,489 granted to Flannaghan, et al. for a "Video noise reducer" describes a method for temporal noise reduction, where the pixels of a still picture at different time on a same spatial position are taken a mean along a temporal axis if the noises are uncorrelated in the temporal axis and have a mean of zero. Accordingly, the reduced noise variance and the video with a lower noise level are achieved. However, the temporal noise reduction, which obtains the reduced noises without losing the spatial definition on the still picture, has to operate with detection of motion object occurred in the video to thereby avoid averaging the samples at different spatial positions and producing a motion blur or residual.
Generally, a viewer shows high tolerance in the side-effects caused by the noise reduction when the noise is at a high level, but the viewer shows relatively low tolerance in the side-effects when the noise is at a low level. Since the unacceptable detects are produced when a strong noise reduction and filtering method is applied to a low-noise video signal or the insufficient noise reduction on a high-noise video signal presents when a weak noise reduction and filtering method is applied, an accurate noise level measurement is required for an input video signal. Namely, an appropriate noise reduction and filtering strength is required for a good noise processing.
In order to accurately measure the noise level in the input video signal, U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,401 granted to Choi for a "Method for driving a matrix liquid crystal display panel with reduced cross-talk and improved brightness ratio" compares the sum of temporal absolute differences with a set of thresholds. When the sum locates in the upper and lower boundaries of the set, an accumulator is increased by one, and subsequently it is determined whether a total number of pixels in a predetermined interval is equal to an expected value. When the total number of pixels in the predetermined interval does not equal to the expected value, the set of thresholds is adjusted to thereby respond the noise level in the video signal. However, a picture contains the different proportions of motion areas, and accordingly the expected value cannot be predetermined easily and the noise level measurement can be easily affected by the number of pixels corresponding to the motion areas in the frame.
To overcome the aforementioned problem, U.S. Pat. No. 6,307,888 granted to Le Clerc for a "Method for estimating the noise level in a video sequence" uses the measured motion information to divide a signal into still and motion blocks. The still and the motion blocks are operated (such as calculating the sum of temporal absolute differences) with corresponding positions (still) and corresponding motion compensation blocks (motion) to find the noise estimates of the still and the motion blocks respectively, and subsequently the noise estimates of the still and the motion blocks are mixed to thereby obtain a final noise estimate. Such a manner requires an accurate motion estimation to thus measure the accurate noise levels in the motion blocks. However, a typical TV display system does not contain a motion estimation and compensation operation.
US Patent Publication No. 2006/0221252 for a "Reliability estimation of temporal noise estimation" converts a distribution of the temporal local difference into a characteristics value and compares the characteristics value to a threshold corresponding to an ideal distribution to accordingly determine to remain or discard the noise level of the current frame. The different motion degrees generally affect the distribution of the temporal local difference. However, the number of motion pixels present in the video signal is different, and the difference of motion time produced in the video signal is different. Accordingly, the distribution of the temporal local difference is gradually changed with the different motions, which increases the difficulty of finally determining to remain or discard the threshold.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an improved image noise measurement system and method to mitigate and/or obviate the aforementioned problems.

Image noise measurement system and method


A method for querying the collective social network on behalf of a limited group of users is described. The method consists of a system that schedules and executes searches according to a set of search objectives specified by the users. The system searches each member's social network for a connection that matches any search objective.

The present invention relates to digital data processing systems and methods and, more particularly, to systems and methods for searching and facilitating communications via online social networks. It has application, by way of non-limited example, in searching such networks (a/k/a "social networking sites") on behalf of a group of users.
Social networks have emerged as a powerful tool for enabling their members to access (including, search) and/or exchange information about one another, about topics of interest, and so forth. One appeal is that the systems allow members to establish links (or friendships, etc.) of varying degrees of closeness or "connectedness" that determine how much information one member may access about another, as well as how directly they may communicate using network messaging, email and other network tools.
For example, an online social networking service may enable some members to message each other directly and/or to view one another's postings (e.g., photographs, resumes, etc). This is typically limited to members that are connected to the "first" degree—e.g., members who have explicitly authorized this type of contact.
Such a online social networking service, on the other hand, may greatly restrict contacts and access between members who have not provided such authorization, e.g., preventing members who are, for all intents and purposes, strangers (at least so far as the online service can discern) from communicating or accessing any information about one another, except perhaps names, brief biographies or other information explicitly designated as public.
Somewhere in between is the typical online social network's treatment of communications between members who, though not directly connected at the first degree, are indirectly connected via one or more intermediary members—such as in the case of "friend's friends" (i.e., members connected to the "second" degree), "friend's friend's friends" (i.e., "third" degree), and so forth. Typically, a networking service will permit limited access/communications between members so situated, depending on the degree of indirection, and/or will facilitate formal electronic introductions (e.g., via email) through the intermediary(ies) so that the indirectly connected members can formally authorize (or block) a direct connection with one another.
In connection with rules governing interactions among members based on connectedness, the most successful networks have implemented privacy controls to ensure that member information and networks are protected. These include user-adjustable settings governing what of their information and postings are private, semi-private, public, and so forth. These also include rules governing how third party software applications may interface with the online social networks—for example, what data they can retain between user sessions, and so forth.
Traditionally, online social networking services have provided dedicated web sites by which members access the network and services, e.g., permitting members to post information and to message one another, as well as to use the service's administrative tools, e.g., for member sign-up, privacy setting adjustments, and so forth. In addition, many online networks provide public application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow third-party software systems (e.g., stand-alone applications, mobile apps, etc.) to provide such access and services to members in lieu of, or in addition to, the web sites.
Among the most popular of those tools provided by online social networks (whether executed via web interface or other applications) is the query. This permits members to search for other members based on name, current or former company affiliation, and/or other criteria. Thus, for example, a member who is interested in gaining insight into a potential corporate customer might use a query to find out who in his or her "network"—i.e., which of his/her friends and/or of their respective friends, etc.—work for that corporation.
Typically, online social networks limit application of those queries to member records (and other member information) that the querying member might otherwise see in accord with the connectedness and/or privacy constraints discussed above. Hence, for example, a query by one member on company affiliation might reveal names of other members that work for that organization and that are connected to the querying member at the first or second degree, but not members who are connected (if at all) at higher degrees.
As is particularly germane to queries executed by separate, third-party software systems, many of these queries can only be executed under the credentials of a particular member to ensure that the privacy considerations of the members are respected. In addition, user applications, mobile apps and other software systems using APIs of a online social network are typically prohibited from storing information from the social network as this may conflict with the privacy terms of the network.
While a boon to individuals and businesses alike, online social networks are not without shortcomings. There are many cases where members of an online social network may share a common interest (e.g., they may be part of a sales organization seeking to develop contacts for the organization) but where collectively leveraging their social network connections is not feasible.
For example, as discussed above, typical online social networks limit the depth of query responses in accord with the network's connectedness and/or privacy constraints. Thus, for a network that limits members to search only to second degree connections, a member can search through the links of his/her friends, but not through the links of his/her friend's friends. Thus, even if the members of a group (again, for example, the sales organization) are linked via a social network, they cannot search each other's second level connections within that network because those searches would extend to third level connections and, as such, would violate the network's privacy rules.
An object of the invention is to provide improved systems and methods for digital data processing.
A further object is to provide such systems and methods as facilitate use and/or searching of online social networks.
Still another object is to provide such systems and methods as facilitate communications within online social networks.
Yet still other objects are to provide such systems and methods that facilitate the use of online social networks among members having a common interest.

Digital data processing systems and methods for searching and communicating via a social network


An optical sensing system may include a light separation element configured to separate an input light into a plurality of sliced lights and a first resonator configured to receive one sliced light of the plurality of sliced lights. An effective refractive index of the first resonator may be changeable in response to a change in a refractive index of a cladding of the first resonator, a second resonator coupled to the first resonator and a detector configured to measure an intensity of the sliced light, the intensity of the sliced light based on a difference between a resonant wavelength of the first resonator and a resonant wavelength of the second resonator. The difference between a resonant wavelength of the first resonator and a resonant wavelength of the second resonator may be based on the effective refractive index of the first resonator.

Label-free optical biological/chemical sensors are essential in the application of medical diagnosis, healthcare and environmental monitoring etc. Among all the approaches, optical microresonator-based biosensors are regarded to be very promising due to their high sensitivity to refractive index change (˜10−4-10−7 refractive index unit (RIU)), which are comparable to the sensitivity of conventional surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technique. In addition, optical microresonator-based biosensors typically have compact footprint (˜10's μm-˜100's μm), and offer potential large-scale integration with microfluidics.
Single microring resonator-based biosensors in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) have been demonstrated using either conventional microrings. The demonstrated detection limit ranges from 10−5-10−7 RIU.
However, for nearly all the demonstrated microresonator sensors, the wavelength-scanning method using wavelength-tunable lasers was considered to be the "default" technique for measuring sharp resonant wavelength shift. The wavelength-scanning method requires high-resolution wavelength tunable lasers in order to measure the sharp resonant wavelength shift, in which the detection limit is limited by the laser resolution. Furthermore, high-resolution wavelength-scanning lasers are very expensive and not suitable for point-of-care applications.

Optical sensing system and method of determining a change in a refractive index in an optical sensing system

Agency for Science, Technology and Research


A server/client system provides packet communications between a server and a client by way of a network such as the Internet. The server inputs data such as MIDI data in a sporadic manner while storing timing data representing their input timings. Then, the server performs packetizing of the sporadically input data, which accompany the timing data and are subjected to transmission to the client. The client receives the packetized input data and then outputs them at timings based on the timing data. Thus, it is possible to completely secure the same time relationship of data during transmission and reception of the sporadically input data even though the client differs from the server on a time-axis basis.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to communication methods and systems for transmission and reception of packets collecting data that are input in a sporadic or discrete manner. In addition, this invention also relates to recording media that store communication programs for transmission and reception of packets collecting sporadically input data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there are provided various systems that collect sporadically or discretely input data into prescribed units called 'packets', which are subjected to transmission and reception in accordance with the prescribed sequence of communications. FIG. 6 shows a control flow for use in the existing communication system that is well known. Reference numeral 300 designates a packetizing process of data, wherein a timer is initialized every time data are input thereto (see step 301). In step 302, input data are collected in a buffer. Then, the data collected in the buffer are subjected to collective transmission in step 305 when the buffer is fully occupied by the input data (see step 303) or when a prescribed time period elapses after the time of inputting the last data (see step 304).
If the buffer has vacant space (or remaining capacity), even though the elapsed time counted from the timing of inputting the last data has not reached the prescribed time value, the system is set in a standby state waiting for an input of next data until a prescribed condition is established.
FIG. 7 shows relationships between input and output timings of data along with the same time axis. Reference symbol 'T' denotes a time interval for a timeout. The system inputs data D1 to D4 in a sporadic manner, wherein these data are subjected to the foregoing packetizing process to produce two pairs of data, namely a first pair of data D1 and D2 and a second pair of data D3 and D4, which are subjected to transmission as packets. Originally, the data D1 to D4 are mutually separated from each other in time by time intervals t12, t23 and t34. When the transmission unit of the system performs transmission of the aforementioned packets, it disregards time information representing the aforementioned time intervals. In the reception unit of the system, the packets are subjected to reproduction in such a manner that the original data D1 to D4 are mutually separated from each other in time by time intervals t12′, t23′ and t34′. That is, due to the transmission and reception, the original time intervals t12-t34 between the data D1-D4 are changed to the time intervals t12′-t34′. If data Dn (where n=1 to 4) represent performance information of a musical instrument such as MIDI data (where 'MIDI' indicates the standard for Musical Instrument Digital Interface), the conventional system cannot accurately reproduce the original time information representing mutual time intervals of data. This causes various problems in reproduction of musical information. In particular, the conventional system bears the problem that dispersions or deviations are likely to occur in delays of data due to data processing during transmission.

Communication method and system for transmission and reception of packets collecting sporadically input data


A bi-directional buffer is connected between a first node and a second node, wherein the first node is connected by a first pull-up resistor to a first voltage supply rail, and the second node is connected by a second pull-up resistor to a second voltage supply rail. In an embodiment, the bi-directional buffer is enabled when a voltage of the first node does not exceed a first threshold voltage, and/or a voltage of the second node does not exceed a second threshold voltage. However, when the voltage of the first node exceeds the first threshold voltage, and the voltage of the second node exceeds the second threshold voltage, the bi-directional buffer is disabled, which disconnects the first and second nodes. This allows the first node to be pulled up to the first voltage supply rail, and the second node to be pulled up to the second voltage supply rail.

An open drain bus, such as an Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) bus, a System Management Bus (SMBus), and others, usually includes a data line and a clock line. Such a data line and a clock line can each be referred to individually as a bus line, or simply as a line. As shown in FIG. 1a, each bus line (e.g., 101) is connected to a pull-up resistor R, pull down transistors Q1, Q2 and Q3 (each associated with an interface device) and a capacitance C. The capacitance C represents distributed capacitance of the bus line and the total input capacitance of interface devices 111, 112 and 113. Data transfer rate depends on how fast the resistor R can charge the capacitance C.
To increase the maximum data transfer rate, a bus line 101 can be separated into segments (e.g., 101A, 101B and 101C), each having a reduced capacitance, as shown in FIG. 1b. FIG. 1b also shows that bi-directional buffers 102 can be used to transfer data between these segments. Each segment has its own pull-up resistor connected between the segment and a voltage supply rail. The bi-directional buffer 1021 is used to transfer data between the segments by making levels on node B track the level on node A and vise-versa—depending on the direction of data flow. Similarly, the bi-directional buffer 1022 is used to transfer data between the segments by making levels on node C track the level on node B and vise-versa—depending on the direction of data flow.

Bi-directional buffer with level shifting


Systems and methods for providing passive crowd-sourced alternate route recommendations are disclosed. In one embodiment, locations of users of a number of mobile location-aware devices are tracked over time. Upon receiving a request, users of mobile location-aware devices that have traveled from a desired start location to a desired stop location are identified. At least one of the different routes taken by one or more users from the desired start location to the desired stop location is provided to the requestor as at least one recommended alternate route.

Personal Navigation Devices (PNDs) often have maps that are out-of-date. Traditional mechanisms for updating the maps of PNDs are cumbersome and inconvenient. More specifically, traditionally companies such as NAVTEQ collect information regarding roads by driving every road using specially equipped cars. These companies then provide the collected information to PND providers for use in their maps. Recently, TomTom has introduced a service referred to as Map Share that enables users of TomTom® PNDs to manually make corrections to their maps and then share their corrections with other users of the TomTom® Map Share service. However, even though the TomTom® Map Share service provides some advantages, it is still cumbersome and burdensome on the users in that they must manually make corrections to their maps. As such, there is a need for a system and method for updating the maps of PNDs that places little, if any, burden on users of the PNDs. In addition, an improved system and method for providing alternate route recommendations to users is needed.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Passive crowd-sourced map updates and alternative route recommendations


The present invention provides an apparatus and method for measuring the absorption and displacement of a fluid by a material. The apparatus comprises a container having graduated marks for measuring the volume, and change in volume, of a fluid (such as, but not limited to, a liquid) and a section for holding the material to be evaluated.

1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to a container and method for measuring the absorption and displacement of a fluid by a material.
2. Description of Related Art
Note that where the following discussion refers to a number of publications by author(s) and year of publication, due to recent publication dates certain publications are not to be considered as prior art vis-a-vis the present invention. Discussion of such publications herein is given for more complete background and is not to be construed as an admission that such publications are prior art for patentability determination purposes.
Various types of laboratory equipment are known comprising vessels and graduated cylinders for the measurement of fluids. For example, there exist columns with graduation marks (i.e., marked with degrees of measurement), and there are flasks with marks in the main body of the flask for approximating the volume of fluid in the flask. Also, equipment exists that is used to measure a material's amount or rate of absorption of a liquid. There are no containers or vessels, however, that are designed to measure a material's absorption and displacement of a liquid using graduated markings as a method has not been developed heretofore utilizing a vessel for such purposes. As such, there has been no teaching for a flask or other vessel suitable for carrying out the methodology described in the present invention particularly as such a vessel having a neck with graduated markings would constitute an unnecessarily expensive development unless a need for such an apparatus arose as a result of the methodology introduced herein.
Thus, there is a need for economically and accurately measuring the absorption and displacement of a fluid by a material using a vessel developed for such a purpose as described herein.

Apparatus for measurement of absorption and displacement


Disclosed is an apparatus for automatically detecting the position of a cutting tool in a computerized numerically controlled lathe which is capable of preventing over-load operation of a driving motor by allowing an arm having a touch sensor mounted thereto to safely stop at a position while the driving motor stops operating. The touch sensor is pivoted by means of a gear assembly driven by the driving motor. When the arm is rotated and reaches a proper position, a worm and a worm wheel of the gear assembly are rotated until a camshaft is brought into contact with a stopper. The arm is moved toward the cutting tool and the cutting tool is brought into contact with the touch sensor in accordance with a program that is preprogramedly input into the computerized numerically controlled lathe.

Generally, the computerized numerically controlled lathe automatically processes a work piece by using a computer on a basis of a pre-programmed process condition such as a target processing measurement, a desired shape, a transferring speed of the cutting tool, etc. Since this lathe is profitable to the factory automation and the mass production, it has been widely used in various applications.
FIG. 1 shows the conventional computerized numerically controlled lathe 10.
Referring to FIG. 1, the computerized numerically controlled lathe 10 comprises a frame 12 including a bed 12a, a headstock 14 for grasping and fixing one end of the work piece, which is fixed at one side of the frame 12, a tailstock 16 for grasping and fixing the other end of the work piece, which is sliderably positioned on the bed 12a in opposite to the headstock 14, a tool rest 18 for processing the work piece rotated between the headstock 14 and the tailstock 16 while moving along the longitudinal axis of the bed 12a on one side portion of the bed 12a of the frame 12, a control part (not shown) for controlling the headstock 14, the tailstock 16 and the tool rest 18.
The work piece, which is supported and rotated between the headstock 14 and the tailstock 16, is automatically processed by the cutting tool mounted to the tool rest 18 sliding on the bed 12a on a basis of the pre-programmed process condition.
However, problems with the conventional computerized numerically controlled lathe as described above are that a cutting edge of the cutting tool for processing the work piece may be worn due to the friction between the cutting edge and the work piece and the processing precision of the cutting tool may deteriorate due to the change of the cutting tool's position. Another problem which is inherent to such known computerized numerically controlled lathe is that, when the old cutting tool has been changed with a new cutting tool, it is extremely difficult to obtain an accurate treatment of the work piece due to the difference of positions between the old cutting tool and the new cutting tool.
A variety of endeavors for solving these problems have been proposed. One approach, a program for compensating the cutting tool's position so as to compensate a positional deviation between the coordinates of the cutting tool for processing the work piece and the standard coordinates in order to enhance the processing accuracy of the cutting tool during operation of processing the work piece, has been proposed.
This program is preprogramedly input into the computerized numerically controlled lathe 10.
FIG. 2 shows the apparatus for detecting a position of the cutting tool mounted to the computerized numerically controlled lathe, more particularly shows the apparatus for detecting the position of the cutting tool mounted to the headstock of the computerized numerically controlled lathe.
As shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus 20 for detecting the position of the cutting tool comprises an arm 22 having a touch sensor 22a for sensing the position of the cutting tool, a gear assembly 24 for pivoting the arm 22 toward the cutting tool, and a driving motor (not shown) for driving the gear assembly 24.
At the apparatus 20 for detecting the position of the cutting tool, the arm 22 having the touch sensor 22a is moved toward the cutting tool by means of the gear assembly 24 and then the cutting tool is brought into contact with the touch sensor 22a in accordance with the program that is preprogramedly input into the computerized numerically controlled lathe 10. At this time, the touch sensor 22a provides the control part of the computerized numerically controlled lathe with a sensing signal.
As soon as the sensing signal is input into the control part from the apparatus 20 for detecting the position of the cutting tool, the control part of the computerized numerically controlled lathe recognizes the position of the cutting tool. Then, the control part compares the detected value relative to the position of the cutting tool with a standard value and then calculates a displacement of the cutting tool. Finally, the control part provides the tool rest with the control signal for compensating the position of the cutting tool based on the displacement of the cutting tool calculated.
Accordingly, it is possible to compensate the position of the cutting tool such that the front end's position of the cutting tool corresponds to the initial state of the cutting tool, which is preprogramedly set into the computer.
However, one problem with the apparatus for detecting the position of the cutting tool as described above is that the arm having the touch sensor must be maintained at a sensing position until the cutting tool is brought into contact with the touch sensor after moving the touch sensor to the sensing position so as to minutely compensate the position of the cutting tool. Accordingly, the driving motor must be continuously operated and thereby it may be damaged when an over load occurs in the driving motor.

Apparatus for automatically detecting the position of the cutting tool in the computerized numerically controlled lathe


An electrical power consumption error correction circuit for use with 220 volt ac power meters, or with 220 volt ac power supplies, of the type designed to reduce inaccurate energy use measurements by yielding a more accurate residential/commercial power consumption measurement by a 220 volt ac power meter through the use of at least one measurement correction circuits.

Reducing the power loss in electric loads has been a focus of much development for some time. While early work focused on power transmission losses, more recent developments have also addressed power losses in 220 volt and 110 volt residential and commercial site load networks. Power efficiency meters connected between a utility metering device and a residential or commercial load have measured the power loss or efficiency of such a site load network.
It has been found that power loss can be reduced by altering the sinusoidal shape of the 60 cycle voltage supplied by a utility company. The object of such previous work was to reduce the transition time of the voltage from half peak value to half peak value. This has been done with 110 volt or 220 volt power supplies connected between a utility metering device and an electrical load.
A power supply having an internal dc battery is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,319,074, wherein an external ac source is rectified and applied to a load under control of a transistor. The dc battery compensates for any fluctuations of the ac power source and is maintained in a fully charged condition. The operation of this power supply, while designed to maintain a constant voltage on the load, introduces additional power losses and does not cope with the varying demands of ac loads, insofar as efficient supply of energy is concerned.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,367 (Petruska, et al.), shows a 220 volt power supply having an internal dc battery and a charge/discharge circuit. This device operates to reduce the power drawn from the utility company supplied external ac source while servicing the residential load.
Use of the power supply shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,367, in cooperation with electrical loads, has resulted in the increased use of power consumption metering of the power supplied by public utilities to their customers. These power use meters presently are unable to accurately measure energy savings actually being attained.
A residential use or power consumption meter is connected directly to the utility power metering device and uses the 220 volt power supplied at that point to calculate and record (by magnetic rotating dial and hand pointers) the power consumption of the customer. Residential use, while sometimes at 220 volts; e.g. electric ranges and clothes dryers, is primarily delivered at 110 volts. This is accomplished by splitting the three-wire 220 volt supply line into two, two-wire 110 volt subcircuits in the residential distribution box; i.e., the circuit breaker box.
The power supply of the Petruska patent is a 220 volt device which is intended to be connected between the utility power metering device and the residential circuit breaker box. The power consumption meter is a 220 volt device which is intended to be connected between the utility power metering device and the power supply of the Petruska patent. Because the power consumption meter measures 220 volt current usage across the load to calculate residential power consumption at both 220 volts and 110 volts, an error in calculating the true power consumption can occur.
An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical power consumption error correction circuit means for a 220 volt ac power consumption meter.
A further object of the present invention is to incorporate such an electrical power consumption error correction circuit means into a residential power supply of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,367.
An additional object of the present invention to provide a residential power supply with an electrical power consumption error correction circuit means which reduces 220 volt drawdown from the utility company ac voltage supply during 110 volt load usage.

Error compensating circuit for power consumption meter


The present invention provides a drive and control circuit for a single phase, brushless DC motor. The drive and control circuit includes an integrated circuit having a maximum rated voltage lower than the maximum net voltage of the overall circuit. Internal transistors in the integrated circuit are used to drive the emitters of two external power transistors which are connected to the windings of the DC motor. In this manner, a relatively inexpensive integrated circuit can be used to drive and control a DC motor having a much higher operating voltage.

The present invention relates to brushless DC motors and, more particularly, to a drive and control circuit for single phase brushless DC motors.
Single phase brushless DC motors are commonly employed as drive motors for compact fans. Such fans are used, for example, to ventilate data processing and other electronic equipment. Operating voltages for these fans typically range from about 12 volts to over 60 volts. Unfortunately, as the operating voltage of the fan increases, the cost of the motor and its associated drive and control components causes the overall cost of the fan to exceed its selling price. This is particularly the case with fans having motors designed to operate at or near 60 volts.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a drive and control circuit for a brushless DC motor which not only permits the motor to operate over a broad voltage range but also reduces the overall cost of DC fans and other components incorporating such motors.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a drive and control circuit which also provides the motor with required features such as speed control, pulse output, current limit and thermal protection.

Drive and control circuit for a brushless DC motor


An example device includes a main display panel that includes a main array of pixels and an opening within the main array of pixels. The example device further includes a beam splitter positioned to communicate light through the opening within the main array of pixels, a sensor positioned with respect to the beam splitter to capture light incident on the opening within the main array of pixels, and a subarray including a pixel. The subarray is positioned with respect to the beam splitter to output light through the opening within the main array of pixels.

Computing devices, such as notebook computers and smartphones, often have cameras placed near their displays. A camera may be aimed towards the viewer of the display to allow the viewer to take a picture of him/herself, participate in a video call, or use a similar function of the computing device. This type of camera may be called a front-facing camera.

Displays with pixels coupled by beam splitters

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A semiconductor package board for mounting thereon a semiconductor chip includes a metal base having an opening for receiving therein the semiconductor chip and a multilayer wiring film layered onto the metal base. The semiconductor chip is flip-chip bonded onto the metal pads disposed on the multilayer wiring film within the opening. The surface of the metal base is flush with the top surface of the semiconductor chip received in the opening. The resultant semiconductor device has a larger number of external pins and a smaller deformation without using a stiffener.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor package board using a metal base, a semiconductor device using the semiconductor package, and a manufacturing method thereof. More specifically, the present invention relates to a semiconductor package board having excellent smoothness in a part on which a semiconductor chip is mounted, thereby improving reliability of the semiconductor device, and to a manufacturing method of such semiconductor package board.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Ceramic multilayer wiring boards, each of which mounts thereon a semiconductor chip, for example, enable high-density interconnections to be formed and are widely used. Such ceramic multilayer wiring boards are described in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. Hei. 8-330474. The ceramic multilayer wiring board described in this publication includes an insulating board made of alumina or the like on which a conductor pattern made of a metal having a high melting point such as tungsten or molybdenum is formed. The insulating board is formed with a recess in which a semiconductor chip is received, and the recess is sealed by a covering member.
Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. Hei. 11-17058 and Japanese Patent No. 2679681 describe a build-up board or a multi-layered printed circuit board, in which organic resin is used for the insulating material, and a fine-pitch circuit is constructed of copper interconnections formed by etching or plating. A multilayer wiring board which uses organic resin for the insulating material is also considered applicable for multi chip modules (MCM) mounted with a large number of semiconductor chips. The build-up board in which thin films of insulating layers are deposited on a printed circuit board in several layers allows a fine-pitch circuit to be formed on a surface layer, and thus offers advantages for increasing the circuit density.
Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2000-58701 describes a tape-type board in the form of a chip size package (CSP) and a ball grid array (BGA) including a polyimide film on which copper interconnections are formed.
However, the above-mentioned prior art has the following problems. Ceramic used for the insulating board in the ceramic multilayer wiring board is hard and brittle, and consequently it is apt to chip or crack during fabrication and transfer. Chipping or cracking of the board deteriorates the sealing property of the semiconductor chip rendering it defective, and leads to a decrease in the yield of the ceramic multilayer wiring boards.
Generally, the ceramic multilayer wiring board is fabricated by printing electrically conductive patterns on green sheets followed by stacking them, and then baking the stacked sheets. There is inevitably warpage in the baked board because of the shrinkage caused by baking at a high temperature, resulting in defective products due to deformation or dimensional variations. Such products which do not satisfy the physical requirements cannot provide a high degree of smoothness required for a high-density circuit board or a flip-chip mounting board. That is, physical defects of the board constitute an impediment to a further increase in the number of pins or the density of the circuit and to further miniaturization of the circuit. Poor smoothness in a region where a semiconductor chip is mounted causes cracks or disconnections between the flip-chip mounted semiconductor chip and the board. As a result the reliability of the semiconductor device is lowered.
Build-up boards are apt to warpage because of the mismatches in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the printed circuit board used as a core material and the insulating resin film formed on the board. Such warpage also causes various problems when flip-chip bonding a multi-pinned semiconductor chip impeding further increase in the circuit density. Warpage also decreases the yield of the build-up board.
Tape-type boards made of polyimide have a drawback that position misalignment often occurs because of the expansion of the tape carrier, and therefore it is not suitable for higher density circuit formation.
Moreover, in conventional semiconductor packages, a semiconductor chip is mounted on a multilayer wiring structure film which is formed on a board. Therefore, the region on which the semiconductor chip is mounted is often undulated because of the multi-layered structure, and consequently the connection between the semiconductor chip and the multilayer wiring structure film is unstable.
Furthermore, conventional semiconductor devices require a stiffener for increasing the rigidity of the board. Where, for example, a large heat sink is provided for covering a plurality of semiconductor chips stiffeners are interposed between the board and the heat sink in the gaps between adjacent semiconductor chips. While the board can have a higher rigidity because of the stiffeners, the provision of such stiffeners makes the fabrication process more complex, and increases the production cost of the semiconductor device.

Semiconductor package board using a metal base


A multi-layered substrate with bulk substrate characteristics and processes for the fabrication of such substrates are herein disclosed. The multi-layered substrate can include a first layer, a second layer and an interfacial layer therebetween. The first and second layers can be silicon, germanium, or any other suitable material of the same or different crystal orientations. The interfacial layer can be an oxide layer from about 5 Angstroms to about 50 Angstroms.

Wafer-to-wafer bonding techniques are used to create substrates with varying layer-to-layer characteristics for a variety of different applications. For example, wafer-to-wafer bonding, i.e., wafer bonding, can allow the formation of device layer stacks that otherwise cannot be grown or deposited with conventional thin film methods with the same material qualities required for high device performance
Wafer bonding techniques typically employ at least two wafer substrates, referred to as a handle wafer and a donor wafer, as starting materials. Wafer bonding is generally done in three basic operations: (1) cleaning and surface activation of the handle wafer and the donor wafer prior to bonding; (2) bringing into contact the treated and cleaned surfaces of the handle wafer and the donor wafer; and (3) post-anneal processing to seal the bond.
In some applications, a substrate of varying layers having different crystal orientations is desired. "Crystal orientation" refers to the crystal lattice structure of materials used in the fabrication of semiconductor substrates. Crystal orientation planes of silicon are typically represented as (100), (110) and (111) and are representatively shown in FIG. 1. Monocrystalline silicon is an anisotropic material, meaning that the properties of monocrystalline silicon change depending on the direction from which they are measured within the crystal lattice of silicon. This may be explained by the different atomic densities within each of the (100), (110), and (111) crystal planes that are illustrated in FIG. 1. The atomic densities of the (100) crystal plane, the (110) crystal plane, and the (111) crystal plane are illustrated in FIG. 1. Examples of properties that change with the direction in silicon include the Young's Modulus (a measure of the strength of the material), the mobility of electrons (or holes), the etch rate, and the oxidation rate. For example, the Young's modulus of silicon is 1.3 e12 dynes/cm2 in the (100) crystal plane, 1.7 e12 dynes/cm2 in the (110) crystal plane, and 1.9 e12 dynes/cm2 in the (111) crystal plane. As another example, the mobility of electrons in the (100) crystal plane is known to be greater than in the (110) crystal plane of silicon, resulting in a current drivability in the (100) direction that is approximately 15 percent (%) greater than the current drivability in the (110) direction.
Substrates of varying layers having different crystal orientations can have a high degree of lattice mismatch. "Lattice mismatch" is the percentage difference between atom spacings along a plane of the same crystallographic orientation as the interface plane in the respective bulk phases of the two materials. In certain instances, lattice mismatch can lead to device degradation in semiconductor devices. Thus, an interfacial layer is generally required to accommodate lattice mismatch between layers of different crystal orientations in multi-layered substrates.
In some wafer bonding techniques resulting in substrates of different crystal orientations, hydrophilic bonding can be used. For example, a thick layer of oxide is formed on a donor wafer. The oxide layer can be in the range from 300 Angstroms (Å) to 3000 Angstroms. The wafer surfaces are typically terminated in hydrophilic hydroxyl groups, such as Si—OH groups. The donor wafer is subsequently bonded to the handle wafer by contacting the treated surfaces of the respective wafers to each other with heat applied thereto. Prior to bonding, one of the wafers is implanted with hydrogen to establish the 'breakline' for predetermined thickness of the top silicon portion of the bonded wafer. When the bonded wafer is treated with heat, the implanted hydrogen line breaks and thus a wafer with an imbedded thick oxide layer is formed. Thus, the result is a hybrid crystal orientation substrate with a thick oxide layer in between the respective crystal orientation layers.
Imbedded thick oxide bonding produces a wafer with imbedded isolation (buried oxide, or BOX) which has different device characteristics than standard bulk silicon. This requires completely different circuit design. In addition, the interfacial oxide layer acts as an insulator and the resulting hybrid substrate has silicon-on-insulator (SOI) characteristics.
In some wafer bonding techniques resulting in substrates of different crystal orientations, hydrophobic bonding can be used. The process requires high temperatures and expensive equipment. For example, a handle wafer can be treated with hydrofluoric acid. A donor wafer can be implanted with hydrogen ions resulting in an implanted wafer. Before contacting the treated surfaces, the handle wafer must be subjected to a pre-anneal process to obtain a surface free of hydrogen (H) and hydroxyl (OH) groups. In some applications, the pre-anneal process is conducted at 650 degrees Celsius (° C.). Similar to the handle wafer, the implanted wafer must be processed by a krypton-fluoride excimer laser to obtain a surface substantially free of H and OH groups. Thereafter, the handle wafer and the implanted wafer can be contacted for wafer bonding. The result is a substrate which may include layers of different crystal orientations formed by high temperature and laser treatment.

Ultra-thin oxide bonding for S1 to S1 dual orientation bonding


A gun holster assembly includes a holster container having a lid to hermetically seal the holster to secure a pistol therewithin, and to further include a plurality of second containers arranged to receive an associated handcuff and pistol magazine respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to pistol holster structure, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved gun holster assembly arranged to secure a gun and accessory structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pistol holster structure of various types have been utilized throughout the prior art and exemplified in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,971,236; 4,787,540; 4,905,880; and 3,731,858.
Accordingly, the instant invention attempts to overcome deficiencies of the prior art by providing for a pistol holster and accessory container structure arranged to hermetically seal contents therewithin for security and protection afforded the components during storage and transport.


The invention describes a holding device (2) for a blood sample removal tubule (3) of a blood removal device (1) with a receiving vessel (11) for a front end of the blood sample removal tubule (3), closed by a closure device (39), with a needle holder (22). In the needle holder (22) a cannula (23) is mounted, directed towards the opened front side (12) of the receiving vesel (11), and projects in the direction thereof. A through-flow opening (53) is connected by means of a connecting canal (32), constructed between the needle bolder (22) and a front wall (17) of the receiving vessel (11), with a removal needle (5) of a needle arrangement (4), arranged eccentrically to a central longitudinal axis (13) of the receiving chamber (15). Between the connecting canal (32) and a receiving chamber (15) of the receiving vessel (11), an openable valve arrangement (52) is arranged as required. This valve arrangement (52) is formed fly a hose valve (36) or flap valve arranged between the cannula (23) and the receiving chamber (15) and/or the connecting canal (32). The cannula (23) is preferably arranged concentrically to the receiving vessel (11). A through-flow canal (31) opens between the cannula (23) and an outer wall of the receiving vessel (11) into the connecting canal (32).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a holding device for a blood sample removal tubule.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Holding devices for blood sample removal tubules of a blood removal device are known from WO 89/10723, for example, which has a receiving vessel for a front end of the blood sample removal tubule. The blood sample removal tubule is closed at its front end by a closure device. In the receiving vessel, a needle holder is arranged for a cannula, which projects in the direction of an opened front side of the receiving vessel and the through opening of which is connected with a removal needle of a needle arrangement via a connecting canal constructed between the needle holder and the front wall of the receiving vessel. This removal needle is arranged eccentrically to a central longitudinal axis of the receiving chamber. Between the connecting canal and a receiving chamber of the receiving vessel, a valve arrangement is provided which is able to be opened as required. This valve arrangement is formed by the cannula and the needle holder. For this, the cannula is mounted so as to be adjustable in a bore of the needle holder in the longitudinal direction of the central longitudinal axis of the receiving vessel. To limit the adjustment movement, the cannula is provided in its end arranged in the connecting canal with a stop projecting over its outer periphery in a radial direction. For this, the cannula is squeezed together in its end facing the connecting canal and is bent around through 90.degree. and has in the side wall an opening through which the through-flow opening is connected in a conducting manner with the connecting canal. A disadvantage here is that through the cannula mounted displaceably in the needle holder, the gas tightness between the removal needle and the blood sample removal tubule can only be achieved with difficulty and in addition to permeability, which partially also leads to an emergence of the blood, in many cases the vacuum of the blood sample removal tubule can not be used for the removal of blood.
Further blood removal devices are known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,659, European patents 0 478 459; 0 286 087 and 0 364 777, in which the cannula is constructed in each case so as to be continuous and is mounted in a needle holder or in a guide sleeve. In so doing, the cannula represents at the same time at one end the removal needle and at the other end the puncture needle into the closure plug of the blood sample tubule. In addition, the cannula is surrounded at the end facing the blood sample removal tubule with a valve arrangement, which is able to be opened as required, in the form of a hose valve. In these embodiments of the removal device, it is not possible to separate the holding device from the needle arrangement in order, for example, to be able to supply an infusion to the patient, without having to remove the needle. Furthermore, an increased safety risk exists for the user in that owing to the already fixedly arranged removal needle, injuries can already occur during the preparation of the holding device. An additional disadvantage is also produced by the fact that the removal needle, which is constructed so as to be continuous, is arranged centrally to the holding device, whereby owing to the greater inclined position of the entire removal device on piercing into the vein, an increased additional risk of injury exists.

Holding device for a blood sample removal tubule of a blood removal device

C.A. Greiner & Sohne Gesellschaft m.b.H.


A portable, semi-portable, or permanent system for removing BS&W from crude oil at the local production or bulk storage site. A demulsifier is added to the crude as it enters a low shear pump which pumps the mixture through a plate and frame type heat exchanger where the incoming crude is preheated using outgoing heated and dehydrated crude. Then the incoming crude enters an oil-water separator where it is further heated by a secondary heater within the separator and passes through a special coalescing section. Water and basic sediment separate from the crude are discharged from the bottom of the separator. The heated dehydrated crude exits the separator, flows back through the heat exchanger where it is cooled as it preheats incoming crude, and then is pumped to clean oil storage. BS&W and flow monitors on the incoming crude and outgoing crude are used to control operation of the system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is a trailer or permanently mounted oil dehydrator system for locally produced crude oil. The trailer mounted system can be transported to an oil well site or pipeline stations for use. The permanent system is permanently installed at the appropriate location. The system is designed to remove basic sediment and water (BS&W) from the crude oil prior to the oil being transported from the well site or prior to the oil being introduced into transportation pipelines feeding domestic refineries.
2. Description of the Related Art
Produced crude oil is considered "crude" in that it has not yet been refined. It exists at several hundred thousand individual well sites in the US. This crude oil is often crudely treated at the individual well site in an effort to remove entrained water; however, this effort often falls short. In order to ultimately move all produced crude oil to market, the pipeline crude oil gathering sector accepts this often off-spec crude oil and historically has used only the dilution (blending) process to mask the high concentration of water in a portion of the overall stream prior to shipping the entire blended stream on to the next gathering point via truck transport or pipelines and ultimately into U.S. oil refineries.
Prior to the present invention, pipeline stations used a blending technique to mix crude oil with little or no entrained water with crude oil with up to 10% basic sediment and water (BS&W) to render the mix below 0.5% total BS&W, the typical maximum acceptable by U.S. refiners. Obviously, this blending process required very large quantities of water free crude, so water laden crude oil had to be stored for extended periods in very large tank farms until it could be effectively diluted.
In fact, while the dilution process technically meets the BS&W criteria, it does not remove the water from the crude at all. The refiners must therefore separate the entrained water from their incoming crude oil streams; however diluted the water may be in the crude oil streams. This entrained water represents a serious cost and hazard to refiners, so removing it from the crude oil prior to the oil entering the transportation chain leading to refineries, i.e. crude oil pipelines, is a very significant benefit to the refineries.
Additionally, removing the BS&W at the pipeline stations is a benefit to the pipelines and downstream storage facilities in that the overall volume of transferred crude oil is reduced, thus increasing the net capacity of the pipelines and downstream storage facilities. Those downstream storage facilities include both those along the way to the refineries, such as crude oil storage hubs along the pipeline routes, and those at the refineries where the crude oil is stored in massive tank farms prior to being refined.
Heretofore it there has not been any obvious, economic, or reasonable solution for removing BS&W from the crude oil before it is transported.
Although crude oil dehydration is often attempted to some degree at the points of origin, i.e. at the individual oil well site, that effort is often inefficient. Those attempts at dehydrating the crude oil at the individual oil well site have never embodied the components selected for use in the present invention.
First, low shear pumps are not currently used at well sites. In fact the opposite is true of typical oilfield crude transfer systems. Currently employed typical oilfield crude transfer systems employ high shear pumps. The water droplet shearing characteristics of these high shear pumps agitate and cause increase water-in-oil mixing. Those water droplet shearing characteristics conflict with Stokes' Law separation and ultimately leave larger quantities of water in the crude oil streams.
Second, while some crude is heated at the point of origin to offset the aggravated conditions created by these droplet shearing devices upstream, no effort is made to capture or use any of that heat at the local level, so considerable fuel and related heating energy is wasted. These streams are often shipped to pipeline stations with excessive water concentrations, causing the traditional blending process to be a necessary part of this sector of industry, and creating the need for the present invention.
Finally, the water that is contained in the crude is generally corrosive to metal and any water concentration in the crude presents a significant corrosion potential in both the pipeline equipment and the refinery equipment.
The present invention addresses all of these issues by providing a uniquely efficient crude oil dehydration system designed for local application on oil well sites and pipeline stations where the efficient dehydration of crude oil has its maximum economic benefit to industry by preconditioning the crude prior to transportation to refineries.
The invention combines three benefits: 1) a low shear transfer pump to take fullest advantage of Stokes' Law separation condition, 2) a small, highly efficient heat transfer system to transfer heat from the treated crude oil to the incoming untreated crude oil to preheat the incoming crude oil while cooling the outgoing treated crude oil, and 3) an oil-water separation system designed to preheat the inlet fluid initially, and once pre-heated, to separate small quantities of water from large quantities of crude oil.