In one embodiment, a theme may be obtained. A search query may be executed to identify a plurality of search results pertaining to the theme. A plurality of topics pertaining to the theme may be identified from the search results. Search log data pertaining to the plurality of topics may be ascertained from a search log. The plurality of topics may be ranked based, at least in part, upon the search log data. At least a portion of the plurality of topics may be provided according to the ranking.

The disclosed embodiments relate generally to computer-implemented methods and apparatus for aiding composition and navigation of articles.
As the internet has become ubiquitous, many times, a search engine is the first stop for a user attempting to find information on the internet about a particular subject. Search engines are provided by a number of entities and search capabilities are embedded in many web sites. For instance, many web sites provide search applications that enable users to search the content of the web sites, as well as web sites across the Internet.
Typically, a search engine returns a list of search results in response to a search query. The search engine may also generate revenue from advertisements provided with or as part of the search results. A search result may include a document, which may be identified by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).
In some instances, a single document may include a list of items. For example, such a list may include the top ten vacation spots in California. However, such lists are typically manually generated based upon individual opinions. As a result, such lists are often time-consuming and tedious to generate.

Aiding composition of themed articles about popular and novel topics and offering users a navigable experience of associated content


After a motion compensated interpolation to obtain an additional line between two adjacent lines of a given field (II) from picture information of at least one neighboring field (I, III), the additional line is vertically filtered to remove artifacts caused by motion estimation errors.

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for processing a picture signal to obtain a picture signal having improved properties, such as being noninterlaced or having a doubled fine number, while still being interlaced.
EP-A 0 361 558 describes a method and an apparatus of this kind. Therein, a median is determined of signals from two adjacent lines in a given field of the picture signal and from one line of a field preceding the given field and lying vertically between the two adjacent lines in the given field. Preferably, a direction of a contour is determined also, to control the apparatus such that it supplies the median if the contour direction is substantially vertical, and that it supplies an average of the signals from the two adjacent lines otherwise. The supplied signal is multiplexed with the signals of the given field to obtain the non-interlaced picture signal or is processed with the signals of the given field to obtain a field of an interlaced picture signal having the doubled line number.

Method and apparatus for processing a picture signal to increase the number of displayed television lines using motion vector compensated values


Methods and systems for performing online valve diagnostics. Valve characteristics such as step response, friction and spring range are determined while the valve is operating in a process without intervention by a controller deriving the valve diagnostics. Valve information is obtained while the valve operates in response to a control signal controlling a process while the valve operates through a series of gradual movements. Valve characteristics are then determined from the valve information.

Due to wear, environment, age, misapplication, or manufacturing flaws, control valves used in the process industries can perform improperly or fail. When they perform improperly, the result is often lower yield of the process. If they fail it will often shut the process down. In a large refinery or chemical plant or power plant either of these outcomes can be very expensive. Plant operators have been interested in finding ways to detect problems in valve operation before the problem manifests itself in ways that hinder plant production.
Some common problems that occur in valves are: seat wear or damage, stem damage, stem corrosion, stem wear, packing wear, linkage problems/failures, actuator spring problems/failures, and actuator diaphragm failures. Many of these problems cannot be definitively identified except by disassembling the valve and examining the parts. This is a common practice in valve diagnostics, but is an expensive solution.
In recent years, operators have begun to infer many of the common problems from tests that they can make with the valve fully assembled and still in the process line (although when the process is not running such as during a plant shutdown). Valve "testers" have been built which attach sensors to the valves and make measurements. The most common measurements include positioning error, accuracy, response time, overshoot, spring range, and friction. To perform these tests, sensors must be attached to the valve and the valve must be stoked through much of its range. This prevents these tests from being performed during plant operation.
The use of data acquisition systems to gather valve operation data has been available for some time but has not been widely used for specific valve diagnostic applications. More often data acquisition system data has been used to evaluate overall process operation and in process tuning. Valve setpoint and valve position have been available using SCADA systems or the control system for some time.
More recently, some of the data acquisition has been moved to the valve itself in the form of smart positioners. Instead of the valve setpoint and position being measured from analog signals sent back to the control room, these measurements are made at the valve and sent back to the control room in digital form using one of several standard communications protocols. Some of the vendors of the smart positioners have included diagnostic applications in the firmware of the positioners allowing the positioner to control the valve to perform some diagnostic tests. These tests include response time tests, step response tests, actuator signatures, and friction analysis. With a few exceptions, however, these tests must still be performed when the process is not running.
There has been considerable interest in tests that can be performed when the process is still running. At least one vendor has built some tests in the firmware of their positioner to gather diagnostic information. This vendor requires the use of a special version of the positioner to work with software in the control room to perform these tests and can provide information about valves during the normal operation or during operation where the valve is artificially moved but only a small amount which would be tolerated by the running operation.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a method and system for performing valve diagnostics during normal valve operation.

Method, system and storage medium for performing online valve diagnostics


First and second images are separated into luminance and chrominance components to generate a first signal, in which the luminance components of the two images are sequentially located in the 1 H period and a second signal in which the chrominance components of the two images are located in the same. The second signal is delayed by (1/2) H period. The first signal and the delayed second signal are used to generate a third signal in which the luminance and chrominance components of the first image are sequentially located in the 1 H period and a fourth signal in which the luminance and chrominance components of the second image are located in the same. The third and fourth signals are vertically expanded with arbitrary expansion ratios. Then, the expanded signals are synthesized to generate a fifth signal in which the luminance components of the first and second images are sequentially located in the 1 H period and a sixth signal in which the chrominance components of the first and second images are located in the same. The fifth signal is delayed by (1/2) H period. The sixth signal and the delayed fifth signal are interpolated to make uniform the intervals among the scanning lines.

The present invention relates to a double window display apparatus which is capable of displaying two images at right and left portions of one image display screen and varying display magnification of each of right and left images.
This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 08-97033, filed Apr. 18, 1997, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
An image displaying apparatus capable of displaying two images on one screen has been known. Although only picture-in-picture method has been known with which a sub-screen is inserted into a main screen, a trend of widening (in the lateral direction) the television image has, in recent years, permitted a double window system to be adapted to the wide screen such that two image are displayed in parallel in the lateral direction of the screen. That is, a main screen is displayed in the left-hand portion of the screen, while a sub-screen is displayed in the right-hand portion of the same.
On the other hand, a color television signal of the NTSC (National Television System Committee) method which has been employed in Japan has an aspect ratio of the screen of 4:3. The HDTV (High Definition Television), which is in a research and development stage, recommends a more laterally-wide aspect ratio of 16:9. As a method enabling a program in the form of the wide screen to be received by the conventional NTSC television tuner, a letter box system has been employed. The letter box system is a system structured as shown in FIG. 1 such that a laterally-elongated window having a wide aspect ratio of 16:9 is displayed in the central portion of a screen having an aspect ratio of 4:3 while making the upper and lower peripheral portions to be non-image regions.
FIG. 2 shows the structure of a conventional television tuner employing the letter box system to display two images on a screen comprising, for example, a CRT monitor. First composite video signal S1 for the main screen supplied to a first input terminal 11 is supplied to a Y/C (luminance/chrominance) separation circuit 12 and a frame synchronizing/sub-screen processing circuit 13. The Y/C separation circuit 12 separates the first composite video signal S1 into luminance signal Y1 and chrominance signal C1. The luminance signal Y1 and the chrominance signal C1 are supplied to a horizontal compression circuit 14. The horizontal compression circuit 14 compresses, to 1/2, the input luminance signal Y1 and the chrominance signal C1 in a horizontal direction so as to output compressed luminance signal Y2 and chrominance signal C2. The output luminance signal Y2 is supplied to one of input terminals of a selector 15, while the chrominance signal C2 is supplied to one of input terminals of a selector 16.
The second composite video signal S2 for the sub-screen supplied to the second input terminal is, by a Y/C separation circuit 18, separated into luminance signal Y3 and chrominance signal C3 so as to be supplied to a frame synchronizing/sub-screen processing circuit 13. The frame synchronizing/sub-screen processing circuit 13 initially synchronizes the first composite video signal S1 and the luminance signal Y3 and the chrominance signal C3, which are included in the second composite video signal, so as to correct deviation in the synchronization between the two images, if necessary. Then, the frame synchronizing/sub-screen processing circuit 13 subjects the luminance signal Y3 and the chrominance signal C3 output from the Y/C separation circuit 18 to a sub-screen process to form a right-half image of the double screen. Luminance signal Y4 subjected to the sub-screen process is supplied to another input terminal of the selector 15, while chrominance signal C4 subjected to the sub-screen process is supplied to another input terminal of the selector 16.
The frame synchronizing/sub-screen processing circuit 13 also outputs selection signal S3. The selection signal S3 is supplied to the selectors 15 and 16. The selection signal S3 has a low level during a second half of the horizontal scanning period.
In response to the selection signal S3 supplied from the frame synchronizing/sub-screen processing circuit 13, the selector 15 alternately and selectively outputs the luminance signal Y2, which is included in the first composite video signal, and the luminance signal Y4, which is included in the second composite video signal in each (1/2) H period ((1/2) horizontal scanning period). When the level of the selection signal S3 is high (in the first half portion of the horizontal scanning period), the selector 15 selects the luminance signal Y2 which is included in the first composite video signal. When the level is low (in the second period of the horizontal scanning period), the selector 15 selects the luminance signal Y4 which is included in the second composite video signal. Selected luminance signal Y5 is supplied to a first input terminal of a matrix circuit 19.
In response to the selection signal S3 supplied from the frame synchronizing/sub-screen processing circuit 13, the selector 16 alternately and selectively outputs the chrominance signal C2 which is included in the first composite video signal and the chrominance signal C4 which is included in the second composite video signal in each (1/2) H period ((1/2) horizontal scanning period). The selector 16 selects the chrominance signal C2 which is included in the first composite video signal in the first half portion of the horizontal scanning period in which the level of the selection signal S3 is high and selects the chrominance signal C4 which is included in the second composite video signal in the second half portion of the horizontal scanning period in which the foregoing level is low. Selected chrominance signal C5 is subjected to a color demodulation process by an I/Q separation circuit 23 so as to be separated into color difference signals I and Q which are then supplied to second and third input terminals of the matrix circuit 19.
The matrix circuit 19 subjects the signals Y5, I and Q to a matrix conversion process so as to generate red, green and blue color signals R, G and B to output the same to a monitor 22 which is, for example, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display device.
The image to be displayed on the monitor 22 may be retained to be an image of the letter box system as shown in FIG. 1. As an alternative to this, the image is expanded in the vertical direction to omit the upper and lower non-image portions, as shown in FIG. 3. When the image is expanded vertically, the microcomputer 20 calculates the expansion ratio in the vertical direction required to widen the image to the overall size of the screen. Then, the microcomputer 20 outputs mode switch signal MS including the vertical expansion ratio to a deflection-angle control circuit 21. In accordance with the mode switch signal MS, the deflection-angle control circuit 21 generates horizontal deflection signal SH and vertical deflection signal SV. The deflection-angle control circuit 21 controls the vertical deflection signal SV in accordance with the vertical expansion ratio to enlarge the deflection angle. The horizontal deflection signal SH and the vertical deflection signal SV are supplied to the monitor 22 so as to be subjected to a process for deflecting electron beams. If the microcomputer 20 outputs, to the deflection-angle control circuit 21, mode switch signal MS including vertical compression ratio in stead of the vertical expansion ratio, the deflection-angle control circuit 21 controls the vertical deflection signal SV to reduce the deflection angle in accordance with the vertical compression ratio.
FIG. 4 shows states of the first composite video signal and the second composite video signal. That is, the luminance signal Y2 and the chrominance signal C2 which are included in the first composite video signal and output from the horizontal compression circuit 14 form a left-half image of the double screen, as shown in the uppermost portion shown in FIG. 4. The signal components exist in only the first half portion of one horizontal scanning period. The luminance signal Y4 and the chrominance signal C4 which are included in the second composite video signal and output from the frame synchronizing/sub-screen processing circuit 13 form a right-half image of the double screen, as shown in the central portion shown in FIG. 4. The signal components exist in only the second half portion of one horizontal scanning period. The selector 15 alternately and selectively outputs the luminance signal Y2 which is included in the first composite video signal and the luminance signal Y4 which is included in the second composite video signal in each (1/2) H period in response to the selection signal S3. As shown in the lowermost portion shown in FIG. 4, the selected luminance signal Y5 has two types of luminance signal components in one horizontal scanning period. Also the selector 16 performs a similar operation so that chrominance signal C5 output from the selector 16 has two types of color components in one horizontal scanning period.
As described above, a display device of a type comprising the CRT is able to expand/compress an image in the vertical direction by controlling the deflection angle of the electron beams. However, control of the deflection angle causes the expansion and compression ratios not to be changed in each of the right and left windows of the double window. In an example case where the main screen and the sub-screen display different images (NTSC system and the HDTV system), it is not possible vertically expand only the HDTV image. Moreover, one of the images cannot be expanded and compressed by using the other image as a reference.
On the other hand, a display device comprising liquid crystal device is, differentially from the CRT, able to expand or compress the image by changing the number of the scanning lines in place of the control of the deflection angle. The letter box system uses 360 lines/frame in the central portion of the screen among an effective number of scanning lines of about 480 lines/frame for the NTSC system to transfer an image having the aspect ratio of 16:9. When an image of the letter box system is expanded and displayed on a television tuner having a wide screen (having an aspect ratio of 16:9), video signals for 360 effective scanning lines must be converted into video signals for 480 effective scanning lines, that is, a so-called 3-4 conversion must be performed.
In a case where a display device of the foregoing type comprising the LCD displays, on a double window, an image of the NTSC system having the aspect ratio of 4:3 and a wide image of the HDTV system having the aspect ratio of 16:9, two images can be processed with different expansion ratios or compression ratios. However, two image display devices must be provided for the right window and the left window, respectively. Thus, a field memory having a great capacity must be provided, thus causing a problem to arise in that the size of the structure and the cost cannot be reduced.
As described above, there arises a problem in that the double window system for displaying two images by dividing the display screen into the right and left windows cannot easily expand or compress the right and left images in the vertical direction with individual expansion ratios or compression ratios.


The cooking vessel (50) has a bottom (56) and rotary blade driving means (32) inside a vessel wall (51), and is suitable for working on a support plate (2) of a cooking hob (1) having rotary blade driving means (32) to rotate a lower magnetic coupling member (5). The vessel includes an upper magnetic coupling member (54) connected to the blades (53) and arranged close to an upper surface of said support plate (2) when the vessel (50) is on the plate. The vessel comprises a support element (55) below said bottom (56) of the vessel (51) for resting on the support plate (2), said support element (55) having a coefficient of friction with respect to the support plate (2) low enough to allow the sliding and self-centering of the cooking vessel (50) due to the effect of said lower magnetic coupling member (5).

Document DE-A-1131372 discloses a cooking vessel having rotary blades installed therein. The rotary blades are fixed to a vertical shaft which is passed through an opening to the bottom of the vessel and fixed to an upper magnetic coupling member arranged in a hollow formed at the bottom. The cooking vessel is suitable for working with a cooking hob having a support plate and a lower magnetic coupling member driven by a motor for rotating below the support plate in a position close to a lower surface thereof. When the cooking vessel is placed on the support plate of the cooking hob, the mentioned upper magnetic coupling member faces the support plate and is very close to an upper surface thereof, such that the lower magnetic coupling member is capable of magnetically transmitting torque imparted by the motor to the upper magnetic coupling member to rotate the rotary blades inside the cooking vessel.
One drawback is that in the event that the rotary blades are locked, for example by food contained in the vessel, the vessel would tend to rotate around on the hob due to the effect of the torque transmitted by said magnetic couplings, which would entail a risk of accident.
Given that the support plate is smooth and continuous it is only possible to place the cooking vessel approximately on a treatment area of the support plate below which the lower magnetic coupling member is located, such that the shafts of the lower and upper magnetic coupling members are generally off-center. This entails another drawback since the off-centering of the rotating shaft of the upper magnetic coupling member may lead to a malfunction of the rotary blades.
If the coefficient of friction between the outer surface of the metal bottom of the vessel and the upper surface of the support plate is low enough, the cooking vessel will tend to slide on the support plate until it centers itself in relation to the rotating shaft of the lower magnetic coupling member due to the effect of the torque transmitted by the lower magnetic coupling member to the upper magnetic coupling member when the drive motor is activated. Nevertheless, this entails yet another drawback since this self-centering sliding of the cooking vessel on the support plate, if it occurs, may cause screeching, may scratch the support plate and degrade the upper surface thereof in the treatment area in a long run.


A gerotor mechanism is used to guide the rotation of a turntable having a Reuleaux triangle shape. The mechanism includes a gerotor having three lobes; the gerotor guide has a guide profile including four recesses for receiving the lobes of the gerotor. Rotation is governed by a 4:3 hypocycloid function. The profiles of the gerotor and the gerotor guide are expanded uniformly from an original hypocycloid pattern so that rotation of the turntable results in execution of the hypocycloid function while retaining the gerotor in controlled contact with the profile of the gerotor guide. Substantially planar bearing surfaces may be used at the interface of (a) the turntable and the gerotor guide, (b) the gerotor and the gerotor guide, or (c) the gerotor and the underlying support surface. The gerotor guide may be part of a cabinet or built into a kitchen countertop.

This invention is an improvement on Krayer U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,592, which discloses the use of a 4:3 hypocycloid rotation guide for rotating a shelf in the shape of a Reuleaux triangle. FIGS. 5A to 5H of the '592 patent illustrate that the rotation of a Reuleaux triangle-shaped shelf in a square area can be adapted to the floor or shelf of a corner cabinet such as a standard corner kitchen cabinet in a generally square shape. During the rotation, the shelf contacts all four sides of the square area at all times, the apexes of the Reuleaux triangle describing the substantially square area as they rotate, and results in alternate recessed and projecting modes when used in a corner cabinet having a 45° face. The kinematics of such a rotation permits various types of guides such as are shown in FIGS. 6–13 and 17–19 of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,592 patent. The entire patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,592 is incorporated herein by reference.
While the shelf disclosed by Krayer in U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,592 is appealing in many respects, the guide system in practice entailed the use of ball casters in a groove such as depicted in FIG. 7. The ball casters were noisy and their durability was suspect.
This invention is also an improvement on Gerkey and Kugler U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,772, which describes the use of substantially planar bearings for a shelf or turntable in the shape of a Reuleaux triangle. This patent is also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
While the planar bearings of the Gerkey and Kugler disclosure are an excellent improvement on the ball casters disclosed in Krayer U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,592, the guide groove and vertical-axis rollers proposed by Gerkey and Kugler to guide the rotation of the shelf save little in terms of expense compared to my earlier proposed ball casters and groove. Accordingly, a different application of the hypocycloid principle is needed in the art of rotatable shelves.
The reader may be interested in reviewing some or all of the patents mentioned in this paragraph. The term "gerotor," used in the present disclosure and claims, may be found, for example, in Hanson U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,755 and Whitham U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,484. Illustrations of various internal gear-like mechanisms having ratios other than 4:3 may be seen in the following U.S. patents: Grant U.S. Pat. No. 3,304,808, Sundy U.S. Pat. No. 2,874,594, Hill U.S. Pat. No. 2,209,201, Dorff et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,842, Godines U.S. Pat. No. 3,779,521, Meaden U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,533, Geralde U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,504, and Hoffmann U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,932. The term "Reuleaux triangle" appears recently in Gagnon et U.S. Pat. No. 6,552,349; see also Morrell et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,778, and Roepke et al U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,012,077 and 4,062,595. Many turning supports such as swivels for various turntable-like elements have been suggested—see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,062,807 to Cramer, U.S. Pat. No. 2,648,579 to Slyter et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,694 to Atkinson, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,628,013 to Twedt.


The present invention of manually operated continuous flow type concentrated solar drinking water disinfector improves the effectiveness and productivity of disinfection of drinking water for individual families or small communities, without using conventional fossil fuel derived heat or electricity or solar photovoltaic electricity, by clarifying the feed water with alum, aerating it manually, preheating it in solar water preheater and then while flowing as a thin stream exposing it directly to solar radiation without an intervening glass or plastic container material, with solar radiation incident on top side of pre-heater section and on top side of solar UV section intensified with mirrors and while the disinfector unit which is mounted on a trolley, is manually oriented towards the sun intermittently.

Conventional methods used for disinfection of unpotable water include boiling, filtration, chlorination, ozonation, and ultra violet (UV) treatment. For remote locations, any method of treatment that can utilize solar energy is highly desirable; even more so as it is eco-friendly, sustainable and involves no hazards of any kind.
It is known, that UV part of solar radiation kills and de-activates pathogens in water in the wavelength range 400 nm to 100 nm of UV, and that disinfection of drinking water through de-activation by UV depends on the UV dosage which is proportional to the product of sunshine intensity and water exposure time. One known possible way of intensifying the intensity of solar UV radiation is to use mirrors which reflect to re-direct additional solar radiation to the water treatment chamber. In the case of silver coated glass mirrors, the reflectivity is higher if the iron content of the glass is lower and also if the mirror is thinner. Commercial float glass mirrors with second surface (backside) silver coating are known to have optical reflectivity in the range of 85%-90%. Low iron float glass mirrors are known to have a little higher optical reflectivity in the range of 90%-93%. Polished flat metal mirrors over coated with dielectric layers are available commercially to increase reflection in the entire range of solar spectrum or in a given interval of solar spectrum. For example, aluminum over-coated with quartz is the most commonly used metal for higher mirror reflectivity for the UV, visible and infra red parts of spectrum and aluminum over coated with magnesium fluoride (MgF2) is used for high reflection efficiency of about 96% for the UV range (200 nm to 400 nm) of solar spectrum (for example refer www.hilltech.com/products/uv_components/UV_reflectors.html, www.mellesgriot.com/products/optics/oc—5—1.htm,www.industrial-paints.globalspec.com/FeaturedProducts/Detail/JMLOpticalIndustries/Reflective_Coatings_for_Efficient_Mirrors/27933/0 www.edmundoptics.com/techSupport/DisplayArticle.cfm?articleid=269, www.optarius.com/uv_enhanced_aluminum_mirrors.htm all as on 31/08/08, and Raghunath et al., 2008 Journal of Physics: Conference Series 114)
Reference may be made to the use of solar water heater for disinfection by pasteurization. Commercial solar pasteurizers heat water to a temperature of 79.4 degree C. but such heating leads to relatively less productivity. For example, one commercial solar pasteurizer produces about 30 liters on a sunny day and to avoid scaling in the pasteurizer it needs softening pre-treatment of feed water if it is hard.
Reference may be made to the patent number: NL1023450-C2, Derwent Primary Accession Number: 2005-097533 [11], titled "Stand alone water disinfection unit, contains UV reactor on fluid connection between water storage tank and outlet" by Koehorst Amto, whose drawback is the need for a ultraviolet reactor powered by electricity derived from solar energy using solar photovoltaic cells which are relatively more expensive. In effect, the above cited invention is mainly about substituting grid-supplied electrical power with solar-generated electrical power to provide UV radiation and not the direct use of UV radiation already available in solar spectrum, for disinfection.
Another solar disinfection method is SODIS (Solar Disinfection) which was developed by the Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology (EAWAG). This method uses plastic (PET or PVC) bottles to fill raw water and expose to solar radiation from one hour to two days depending upon the available intensity of sun shine. The main limitations of SODIS is that effective penetration of solar radiation depends on the clarity of the bottle material and of the contained water; solar radiation can sometimes be rather diffused and may not lead to effective knock out of pathogens, and the path length of solar radiation inside water-filled bottle is too long for uniform penetration to all parts. Another yet uninvestigated possibility is re-activation of de-activated pathogens in the warm water under diffused sunshine or overnight. Other risks include infection by the use of unclean bottles and leaching of toxic substances from plastic material of bottles into the water.
Reference may be made to the publication by Acra, A, et al (1980), "Disinfection of Oral Rehydration Solutions by Sunlight", The Lancet 2:1257-1258, Acra, A., et al., (1990) which mentions experiments on solar disinfection of oral rehydration solution placed in polyethylene bags placed in sunlight for two hours. Even though the effectiveness of UV treatment and also the throughput would be higher at higher intensities, no reference is made either to use of concentrated solar radiation or to the direct exposure of the feed water to the radiation. Further, polyethylene bags degrade with prolonged exposure to solar radiation and due to scratches caused by repeated handling, resulting in less penetration of solar radiation.
Another reference may be made to the publication "Solar water disinfection", Proceedings of a workshop held at Brace Rice research Institute, Montreal, Canada, 15-17 Aug. 1988, edited by T. A. Lawand et al., which covers extensively different methods of solar water disinfection, their advantages and disadvantages. The main drawbacks in all these processes are either limited productivity of treated water or use of materials such as plastics or glass that reduce transmission of solar ultraviolet radiation to water or deteriorate due to their continued exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation. There is also no reference to the use of concentrated solar radiation.
Yet another reference may be made to the paper by Laurie F. Caslake et al., titled "Disinfection of contaminated water by using solar irradiation", in Applied and environmental microbiology, February, 2004, p 1145-1150 which describes a method of solar disinfection of drinking water by a continuous flow method by using a grooved polyvinyl chloride plate for continuous flow of water which was covered permanently by an acrylic plate which is transparent to ultraviolet radiation. Besides the fact, that acrylic plates are vulnerable to scratches and can deteriorate due to prolonged exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation, no reference is made either to use of concentrated solar radiation or to the direct exposure of the feed water to the solar radiation.

Manually operated continuous flow type drinking water disinfector using concentrated solar radiation

Council of Scientific & Industrial Research


The present invention discloses a bridgeless active power factor corrector with a logic control comprising a high frequency switch controller, a boost inductor, an output filtering capacitor, two boost transistor modules, two boost diodes, two AC input voltage polarity detectors, and two low frequency switch drivers. With a coupling signal, the two AC input voltage polarity detectors respectively control the two low frequency switch drivers in conjunction with the high frequency switch controller to drive the two boost transistor modules with a logic control so that the inductor current releasing electric energy from the boost inductor can flow through the channels of the two boost transistor modules to effectively reduce the body diode conduction loss.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a bridgeless active power factor corrector, and more particularly to a bridgeless active power factor corrector with a logic control.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Causing the AC input current to be in phase with the AC input voltage, a resistor consumes real power. On the contrary, an inductor or a capacitor stores imaginary power because of causing the AC input current to be in quadrature with the AC input voltage. More simply, only real power does a resistive load consume. Not only does a non-resistive load consume real power but it also stores imaginary power. The imaginary power leads to an added AC input current flowing through power lines and an increased line loss shouldered by power companies. Therefore, it is strongly requested by power companies the power factor (PF) of large electrical equipments be strictly corrected to an acceptable value. Generally speaking, to correct the power factor is to align the AC input current to be in phase with the AC input voltage. In switching power supplies drawing more than 75 W from power grids, an Active Power Factor Corrector (APFC) is nearly an essential device reforming the AC input current to be both in phase and in shape with the AC input voltage so as to meet a stringent requirement for a power factor higher than 0.95.
It is shown in FIG. 1a prior bridge-based APFC comprising a bridge rectifier 10 and a conventional APFC 11. A bridge rectifier 10, an AC/DC Conversion (ADC) device, rectifies an AC sinusoidal input voltage across a first Vi1 and a second input voltage terminal Vi2 into a DC sinusoidal output voltage on an input filtering capacitor C11. A conventional APFC 11 reforms the AC input current to be both in phase and in shape with the AC input voltage as well as boosts a lower DC sinusoidal input voltage on an input filtering capacitor C11 to a higher DC constant output voltage on an output filtering capacitor C12.
To conveniently explain how electric energy is stored to and released from a boost inductor, it is assumed throughout this text the horizontal and the vertical axis in a Cartesian coordinate system (I-V coordinate system) respectively stand for the inductor current and voltage on the boost inductor. The boost inductor L11 operates in either the first or the fourth quadrant because the inductor current is always positive while the inductor voltage is either positive to store or negative to release energy. When the high frequency switch controller 12 switches on the boost transistor Q11, the inductor current, flowing through the input filtering capacitor C11, the boost inductor L11, and the boost transistor Q11, stores energy to the boost inductor L11, operating in the first quadrant. When the high frequency switch controller 12 switches off the boost transistor Q11, the inductor current, flowing through the input filtering capacitor C11, the boost inductor L11, the boost diode D11, and the output filtering capacitor C12, releases energy from the boost inductor L11, operating in the fourth quadrant. Not only do the high frequency switch controller 12 and the conventional APFC 11 reform the AC input current to correct the power factor but they also regulate the DC output voltage to supply a DC/DC converter so that a complex system looks like a simple resistor in the eyes of power grids.
Please take a closer look at the bridge rectifier 10. In order to set up a polarity reference for the following description to cite, a positive/negative half period is defined as the potential of Vi1 is higher/lower than that of Vi2. During the positive/negative half period, the upper left/right and the lower right/left diode rectifiers conduct the AC input current. Therefore, the prior bridge-based APFC, barely acceptable in a low to medium power range, suffers from a diode rectifier conduction loss seriously hindering power engineers from designing high-power, high-efficiency power supplies. As the power level grows with days, the bridge rectifier also begins becoming a hot potato very difficult to deal with. A prior bridgeless APFC needing no bridge rectifier for ADC breaks through such a bottleneck.
It is shown in FIG. 2 a prior bridgeless APFC implicitly making use of the intrinsic body diode internally oriented from the source to the drain terminal of a boost transistor as well as concurrently implementing both ADC and APFC without the need for a bridge rectifier. The core(s) and winding(s) of a boost inductor L21 can be lumped together either on one path between the first input voltage terminal Vi1 and a first connecting node V1 or on another path between the second input voltage terminal Vi2 and a second connecting node V2 or they can be distributed apart over both paths. An output filtering capacitor C21 is connected between the output Vo and the reference voltage terminal Vref. Boost diodes D21 and D22 implemented with Silicon Carbide Schottky Diodes (SCSD) as well as boost transistors Q21 and Q22 implemented with N-channel Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (NMOSFET) are connected in a bridge configuration placed between the boost inductor L21 and the output filtering capacitor C21. A high frequency switch controller 22 simultaneously switches on/off the boost transistors Q21 and Q22.
During the positive/negative half period, the boost inductor L21 operates in either the first/third or the fourth/second quadrant because the inductor current is always positive/negative while the inductor voltage is either positive/negative to store or negative/positive to release energy. When the high frequency switch controller 22 simultaneously switches on the boost transistors Q21 and Q22, the inductor current, flowing through the input voltage terminal Vi1/Vi2, the boost inductor L21, the channels of the boost transistors Q21, Q22, and the input voltage terminal Vi2/Vi1, stores energy to the boost inductor L21, operating in the first/third quadrant. When the high frequency switch controller 22 simultaneously switches off the boost transistors Q21 and Q22, the inductor current, flowing through the input voltage terminal Vi1/Vi2, the boost inductor L21, the boost diode D21/D22, the output filtering capacitor C21, the body diode of the boost transistor Q22/Q21, and the input voltage terminal Vi2/Vi1, releases energy from the boost inductor L21, operating in the fourth/second quadrant.
In the prior bridge-based APFC, through two rectifier diodes flows the AC input current rectified by a bridge rectifier whether storing/releasing energy to/from the boost inductor. In the prior bridgeless APFC, through one boost and one body diode flows the AC input current not rectified by a bridge rectifier when releasing energy from the boost inductor. Needing no bridge rectifier for ADC, the prior bridgeless APFC has a higher efficiency than the prior bridge-based APFC does. However, it is still a fly in the ointment the inductor/AC input current in the prior bridgeless APFC releases energy via the body diodes, causing a body diode conduction loss. Using the channels of the boost transistors to release energy, the present invention proposes a new topology of bridgeless APFC to reduce the body diode conduction loss.

Bridgeless power factor corrector with logic control


Integrated circuit designs are continually shrinking in size. Lithographic processes are used to pattern these designs onto a semiconductor substrate. These processes typically require that the wavelength of exposure used during printing be significantly shorter than the smallest dimension of the elements within the circuit design. When this is not the case, the exposure radiation behaves more like a wave than a particle. Additionally, mask manufacturing, photoresist chemical diffusion and etch effects cause pattern transfer distortions. The result is that circuit elements do not print as designed. To counter this effect the designs themselves can be altered so that the final printed results better match the initial desired design. The process of altering designs in this way is called Lithographic Proximity Correction (LPC). Edge assist shapes and edge biasing features are added to integrated circuit designs by shape manipulation functions to perform one dimensional (1-D) LPC.

The invention herein discloses algorithms for applying Lithographic Proximity Correction (LPC) to very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuit design databases to compensate for 1-dimensional (1-D) photolithographic errors.
Lithographic proximity correction (LPC) is used in very large scale integrated circuits to correct for printing errors such as one-dimensional lithographic errors. In integrated circuits having printed shapes with sizes that approach the wavelength of exposure, one-dimensional lithographic printing errors may occur because of electromagnetic diffraction from parallel edges of a mask feature during the lithographic printing process. For example, densely placed parallel transistor gates can be affected by this diffraction phenomenon differently from isolated transistor gates. Additionally, reticle, photoresist diffusion, and etch effects can cause 1-D lithographic printing errors. LPC is used to correct for these optical and non-optical undesirable printing errors, by adding or subtracting other features or shapes to or from the original design shape. The other features are used to modify the original design in order to compensate for certain undesirable effects that may take place during printing.
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 together are used to illustrate a one-dimensional proximity effect. FIG. 1 illustrates original shapes 10, 11 and 12. Shapes 10, 11 and 12 are original design shapes positioned adjacent to each other, and separated by a certain minimum spacing. FIG. 2 illustrates original shapes 10, 11 and 12 as they would appear 10', 11' and 12' after printing due to one-dimensional lithographic proximity effects. The portion of shape 11' which is not located near another shape tends to be larger than that portion of 11' which is positioned between shapes 10' and 12'. These types of one-dimensional proximity effects adversely affect the effective gate length in an integrated circuit where shapes 10', 11' and 12' are formed from a polysilicon layer on top of a semiconductor substrate 13, and are used to create transistor gates.
FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 together illustrate features which may be used to correct or compensate for the one-dimensional proximity effects illustrated by FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 3 illustrates the positioning of edge biases 14, 15, 16 and 17 with the edges of original shapes 10, 11 and 12 to increase the effective width of original shapes 10, 11 and 12 beyond the original designed dimensions in order to print at their original design dimensions. So, unlike the shape 11' illustrated in FIG. 2, shape 11 illustrated in FIG. 3 will have a uniform width throughout its length. FIG. 4. illustrates assist features for correcting one-dimensional proximity effects. In FIG. 4, a uniform width of shape 11 is provided by using subresolution assist features 19 and 20 to simulate an area of high density shapes without actually printing additional shapes. Assist features 19 and 20 are intentionally too narrow to print because they are substantially narrower than the resolution limit of a lithographic process.
Edge biasing features are generally used in areas where there are many closely spaced shapes. On the other hand, assist features are generally used in isolated areas.

One dimensional lithographic proximity correction using DRC shape functions


The present invention discloses novel solar autoclave equipment, which comprises an autoclave and a steam providing device, wherein said steam providing device is a solar heating device and comprises a plurality of vacuum tubes which are fixedly arranged outdoors and a connecting tube, a tubular water tank is installed in each said vacuum tube in an insertion manner, each said tubular water tank is in the shape of a straight tube with a closed lower end and an open upper end, the upper end of each said tubular water tank stretches out of said corresponding vacuum tube and is communicated with said connecting tube, and a space between the outer surface of the upper end of said tubular water tank and the inner wall of the upper end of said corresponding vacuum tube is sealed; and an inlet of said connecting tube is connected with a condensate water drain outlet of said autoclave, and an outlet of said connecting tube is connected to a steam input port of said autoclave through a compressor. The present invention uses the compressor to depressurize the solar heating device to obtain steam, the steam is pumped into the autoclave and condensed to release heat to provide corresponding temperature and pressure to the autoclave, and thus the solar heating device can be applied on autoclave equipment.

The application of autoclave equipment is very wide, such as autoclave curing of building materials such as aerated concrete blocks, coal ash bricks, microporous calcium silicate boards, novel light wall body materials, heat insulating asbestos boards and high-strength gypsum. Moreover, the autoclave equipment is also widely applied to rubber product and wood drying and anticorrosion treatment, heavy metal smelting, chemical fiber high-pressure treatment, cable vulcanization, and production projects which need pressure autoclave curing in chemical industry, pharmaceutical industry, aerospace industry, heat insulating material industry, textile industry, military industry, etc.
The autoclave equipment mainly consists of several parts such as an autoclave, a steam providing device and a safety control device. By taking the autoclave curing of the aerated concrete blocks as an example, the aerated concrete blocks are placed in the autoclave, the steam providing device provides high temperature and high pressure steam to the autoclave, the aerated concrete blocks finish CaO—SiO2—H2O hydrothermal reaction in the autoclave to complete the autoclave curing. At present, the steam providing device mainly adopts a boiler boiling method to provide high temperature and high pressure steam, i.e., water is heated to obtain expanded water steam, so as to provide the autoclave with the steam and pressure. Since the water expansion and pressurization process needs to consume a great amount of energy, the energy consumption of the steam providing device of the existing autoclave equipment during working is huge.
As everyone knows, nowadays the energy crisis has already become a significant problem which hinders the development of global economy. Clean renewable energy such as solar energy is an important means to solve the energy crisis. However, since the efficiency of realizing water expansion and pressurization of solar equipment is very low, the solar equipment cannot be applied to the autoclave equipment.


An automated material handling system is presented for a manufacturing facility divided into separate fabrication areas. The automated material handling system plans and carries out the movement of work pieces between fabrication areas and maintains a database indicating the location of each work piece within the manufacturing facility. In one embodiment, the automated material handling system accomplishes the containerless transfer of semiconductor wafers through a wall separating a first and second fabrication areas. The wafers are transported within containers (e.g., wafer boats). The material handling system includes a number of transfer tools, including air lock chambers, mass transfer systems, robotic arms, and stock areas. The material handling system also includes a control system which governs the operations of the transfer tools as well as the dispersal of containers. The air lock chambers provide isolation between fabrication areas while permitting the transfer of wafers between the fabrication areas. A mass transfer system positioned within each air lock chamber allows for containerless transfer of wafers through the air lock chamber. The stock areas provide storage areas for containers adjacent to the air lock chambers. The robotic arms are used to move containers between the stock areas and the air lock chambers. The control system includes a main processor, a remote processor associated with each fabrication area, an internal network transmission medium coupling the main processor to the remote processors, and a cell network transmission medium within each fabrication area coupling the corresponding remote processor to one or more transfer tools.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to material handling systems and in particular to an automated system for the movement of work pieces within a manufacturing facility.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Manufacturing facilities often employ material handling systems to move materials in various states of production (i.e., work pieces) between processing locations. Production states of work pieces vary from raw materials to finished products. Containers or carriers are commonly used to move the work pieces from one processing location to another during the manufacturing process. Typically, a transportation system is employed (e.g., a conveyor belt system) for moving the containers from one processing location to another within the system. Work pieces are typically placed into containers, and the work-piece-containing containers are transported between processing locations. Needed empty containers are generated as work pieces are removed from containers in order to be processed.
An example manufacturing facility is one which fabricates integrated circuits on semiconductor wafers. Such a facility typically includes a plurality of wafer fabrication process tools which perform various fabrication process steps upon groupings of semiconductor wafers called "lots". Each process tool typically has an accompanying stock area for storing containers of wafers waiting to be processed by the tool as well as wafers having already been processed by the tool. A common example of such a container is a wafer cassette or "boat" adapted for holding one or more semiconductor wafers.
Chemical mechanical polish (CMP) techniques are increasingly employed in the fabrication of integrated circuits. CMP techniques are used to planarize exposed upper surfaces of dielectric layers formed between layers of electrical conductors (i.e., interconnects). CMP combines chemical etching and mechanical buffing to remove raised features on the exposed upper surfaces. In a typical CMP process, a semiconductor wafer is mounted on a rotating holder and lowered onto a rotating surface flooded with a mild etchant solution, generally defined as a silica slurry. The etchant grows a thin layer on the exposed wafer surface that is almost simultaneously removed by the buffing action. The net effect is a very controlled polishing process capable of incredible flatness.
One problem with CMP techniques is that they produce large amounts of contaminants, including particulates, metallic ions, and chemical substances. The destructive effects of those contaminants is readily apparent in the overall performance of VLSI or ULSI devices. Any contaminants attributed to the slurry, chemical reactant, or buff/etch byproduct, which is thereafter introduced into other fabrication operations, severely compromises the success of those operations. For example, ingress of contaminants from the CMP operation to the thermal furnaces used for growing oxide, or to the chambers used for implanting ions, would negatively impact the resultant grown oxide or junction profile.
Without adequately preventing deposition of CMP-derived contaminants on semiconductor wafers undergoing other fabrication operations, CMP cannot be successfully employed. One way to minimize deposition of CMP-derived contaminants on semiconductor wafers undergoing other (i.e., non-CMP) fabrication operations would be to perform the CMP process in an area isolated (i.e., hermetically sealed) from other fabrication areas. Maintaining separate the CMP area from the other fabrication areas begins by installing a wall between those areas. Wafers must, however, be transported between the respective areas so that CMP can be incorporated within the process flow.
Transport of wafers between CMP and non-CMP areas entails passing the wafers through a door separating the areas. The door, depending upon sophistication, can be a load lock chamber adapted for passing a wafer-containing container. The wafer or wafers are transported in the container through the chamber from one area to another area. The load lock comprises an air circulation and filtration system which effectively flushes the ambient air surrounding the wafers. Unfortunately, however, the load lock by itself cannot in most instances remove contaminants from the surface of wafer-containing containers. The containers pick up contaminants while in the CMP fabrication area. When the containers passes through the load lock unit, those contaminants are not always flushed from the containers in the load lock. As a result, containers passed from one area to another may have contaminants clinging to them which may come loose and find their way onto the wafers.
It is therefore desirable to minimize the opportunity for a contaminated container to pass to and from a CMP area. An effective method of preventing passage of container-entrained contaminants into what should be a "clean room" environment from a relatively dirty CMP room is to pass only the wafers through the wall and not the containers in which they reside. Such wafer transfer systems require coordinated efforts on both sides of the wall.
Robotic arms are now available which are able to accomplish many tedious and repetitive tasks previously performed by humans. Unlike a human, however, a robotic arm tirelessly performs such a task the same way every time, reducing variability in both the end result and the amount of time required to accomplish the task. The use of one or more robotic arms in a manufacturing process thus adds an element of predictability to the process.
Typically, if an empty container is not available when needed by a process tool, an empty container must be transported from another location in the system. Transportation of the empty container requires time, causing a delay in the processing of a wafer lot. Such time delays result in inefficient use of the process tool. The cumulative cost of such time delays may be substantial in a large semiconductor fabrication facility having several process tools which are costly to purchase, operate and maintain.
An obvious solution to the problem is to provide a relatively large number of empty containers in order to minimize the delay times. This solution may be prohibitive, however, both in terms of initial container costs and container storage costs. An increased number of empty containers requires more and/or larger stock areas for storage, and does not necessarily reduce the number of required container moves or increase production efficiency. Adequate distribution of the containers must be accomplished such that a sufficient number of empty containers are available when and where they are needed.
It is therefore desirable to have an automated material handling system for a manufacturing facility divided into separate fabrication areas. Such an automated material handling system would plan and carry out automated wafer transfer operations designed to pass only work pieces (e.g., semiconductor wafers) through walls separating fabrication areas, and not the containers used to hold the work pieces. Automating the wafer transfer operations would reduce the variability characteristic of manual operations. The desired automated material handling system would also manage the distribution of empty containers within the manufacturing system. Adequate distribution of empty containers would reduce the total number of empty containers required, reduce the number of required container moves within the system, reduce the required number and/or sizes of stock areas, and increase the overall production efficiency of the manufacturing system.

Automated material handling system for a manufacturing facility divided into separate fabrication areas


A method for diagnosing spinal muscular atrophy is provided. The method includes providing a biological sample of a subject containing a nucleotide of SMN gene, amplifying SMN exons 1, 2a, 2b, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 by a universal multiplex PCR using the nucleotide as a template and the primers to obtain fragments of the SMN exons 1, 2a, 2b, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, labeling the fragments of the SMN exons 1, 2a, 2b, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 by a fluorescent primer to obtain fluorescence-labeled exon fragments, and analyzing the fluorescence-labeled exon fragments by a capillary electrophoresis. If the SMN1/SMN2 ratios in exon 7 and 8 are different, it indicates that the subject is susceptible to spinal muscular atrophy. Additionally, if the peak of certain exon fragment appears crossed, it indicates an intragenic mutation in the exon.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy, and in particular relates to a method for diagnosing spinal muscular atrophy by capillary electrophoresis.
2. Description of the Related Art
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by degeneration of motor neurons in the anterior horn of a spinal cord, leading to muscular paralysis and atrophy. SMA is traditionally categorized into three types, according to the age and severity. For children with SMA, SMA is categorized as: type I, severe; type II, intermediate; and type III, mild. For adults with mild symptoms of SMA, SMA is categorized as type IV. Additionally, for prenatal onset of very severe symptoms of SMA and early neonatal death due to SMA, SMA is categorized as type 0 (Eur J Paediatr Neurol 1999; 3:49-51; Lancet 1995; 346:1162; Neuromuscul Disord 1992; 2:423-428). SMA occurs in approximately 1 in 6000-10000 live births and has a carrier frequency of 1 in 50. It is the second most common autosomal recessive inherited disorder in humans and the most common genetic cause of infant mortality (Semin Neurol 1998; 18:19-26).
SMA is caused by the homozygous deletion or mutations of the survival motor neuron gene (SMN) including telomeric SMN (SMN1) and centromeric SMN (SMN2) genes. The genes possess two differences, which are substitution of single nucleotides in exon 7 (c 840 C>T) and 8 (G>A) in the cDNAs. Deletion of the SMN1 gene has been reported in approximately 94% of clinically typical SMA-affected patients, and the SMN2 copy number has been found to be related to the disease severity and life length. To diagnose SMA, most techniques quantify the nucleotide difference in exon 7 of SMN1/SMN2. However, it has been found that the SMA in approximate 6% of affected patients, is caused by point mutations at other exons in which SMN1 is present. Therefore, only detection of the difference of SMN1/SMN2 genes in exon 7 could not accurately diagnose the SMA disease in a clinical environment.
Thus, to improve the diagnostic accuracy of the SMA disease in a clinical environment, a novel diagnostics method and diagnosis kit is required.

Method for diagnosing spinal muscular atrophy


A lens drive device having a simple structure and small sized. The lens drive device (1) has a lens holder (3, 5), a drive shaft (21) into which one end of the lens holder (3, 5) is fitted and placed along the direction of the optical axis of lenses (14, 16), and a piezo element (17) provided at a base end (21a) of the drive shaft (21). The base end (21a) of the drive shaft (21) is fixed to a vibrator (19) of the piezo element (17), and the drive shaft (21) is vibrated in the direction of its axis by vibration of the vibrator (19) produced by conducting a pulse current to the piezo element (17). The lens holder (3, 5) is moved in the optical axis direction by using repetition of inertia force and friction force of the holder relative to the drive shaft (21).

Patent document 1 discloses a lens drive device in which a lens holder is driven in an optical axial direction by a linear motor having a magnet, a coil, and a yoke in an optical axial direction.
Patent document 2 discloses that a piezoelectric element is provided at an end portion of a reflector and current is applied to the piezoelectric element to thereby slightly deform the end portion of the reflector and achieve positioning.    Patent document 1:Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-23037    Patent document 2:Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-121950


A background discriminating unit for discriminating the state of background of an input image. An adaptive quantizer quantizes the input image based upon the state of the background to form a bi-level image of the background. An area partitioning unit partitions the input image into areas based upon the bi-level image of the background. Each area resulting from partitioning is coded by a multivalued image coder or bi-level image coder in dependence upon the characteristic of the area. Accordingly, an input image can be partitioned into areas correctly based upon the characteristics of the area and the areas obtained by partitioning can be coded in conformity with the characteristic of the area.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image processing method and apparatus. For example, the invention relates to an image processing apparatus method for coding an image upon dividing the image into areas, and an image processing apparatus and method for recognizing a background area from image data.
2. Description of the Related Art
The rapid progress that has been made in image coding techniques in recent years has been accompanied by progress in international standardization. The JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) scheme has been adopted as the standard for non-reversible coding of multivalued color images, and the JBIG (Joint Bi-level Image Group) scheme has been adopted as the standard for reversible coding of monochromatic bi-level images. The standardization of new coding methods is proceeding.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the architecture of an image coding apparatus. The apparatus includes a scanner 1001 for entering an image, a selector 1002 for selecting the destination of the input image in accordance with a command entered by the user, a JPEG coder 1003 for coding the input image according to the JPEG standard, a binarizer 1004 for binarizing the input image, a JBIG coder 1005 for coding the bi-level image from the binarizer 1004, a selector 1006 for selecting the source of an input code in accordance with a command entered by the user, a communication interface 1007 and a communication line 1008 such as a telephone line or LAN. It should be noted that the selectors 1002 and 1006 operate in synchronism so that the image coded via the selector 1002 will be sent to the communication interface 1007 via the selector 1006.
When the user wishes to transmit a color image using this apparatus, the JPEG coder 1003 is selected as the destination of the output from the selector 1002 and as the source of the input to the selector 1006. Next, the scanner 1001 is operated to enter the image data, and the image data are entered into the JPEG coder 1003 via the selector 1002, whereby code data coded according to the JPEG standard are obtained. These code data are entered into the communication interface 1007 via the selector 1006, after which the data are sent to the communication line 1008 by the communication interface 1007 in accordance with a predetermined protocol.
When the user wishes to transmit a monochromatic bi-level image using this apparatus, the binarizer 1004 is selected as the destination of the output from the selector 1002 and the JBIG coder 1005 is selected as the source of the input to the selector 1006. Next, the scanner 1001 is operated to enter the image data, and the image data are entered into the binarizer 1004 via the selector 1002. The binarizer 1004 compares the entered image data with a preset threshold value to binarize the image data. The binarized image data enter the JBIG coder 1005, whereby the data are converted to code data in accordance with the JBIG standard. These code data are entered into the communication interface 1007 via the selector 1006, after which the data are sent to the communication line 1008 by the communication interface 1007 in accordance with a predetermined protocol.
However, the technique described above has certain shortcomings. Specifically, in the above-described image coding apparatus in which the coding method is changed over on an image-by-image basis, characters and line-image portions contained in an image are subjected to multivalued coding as by the JPEG scheme. As a consequence, edges, which are the characterizing features of a character or line drawing, become blurred. This results in a decline in the quality of the appearance of the characters and line drawings. Further, when bi-level binarization is performed according to the JBIG standard, grayscale portions contained in the image are flattened by binarization.
According to a proposed improvement in the JPEG standard, the features of an image are judged on a coding unit basis (i.e., in blocks of 8.times.8 pixels) and either the quantization coefficient or the coding table is changed over (see U.S. application Ser. No. 736,740, filed on Jul. 26, 1991). With this method, however, referential pixels for judging the features of an image are too few to obtain correct results.
It has also been contemplated to change over the coding scheme upon judging image areas in large zones using a method of binarizing a multivalued image to separate the image into areas such as character/line-image areas and photographic areas (see U.S. application Ser. No. 524,409, filed on Sep. 6, 1995). However, with a method of extracting image areas whose density is greater than a predetermined density using a fixed or variable threshold value, it is not possible to accommodate low-contrast characters and line drawings or outline characters.
Furthermore, when a multivalued image is binarized and the edge of a character or line drawing is indistinct at the start, the binarized image develops thickening that can cause judgment errors when the image is-separated into areas. In particular, when there is no longer white space between characters and a character area is erroneously judged to be a grayscale area, character/line-drawing areas undergo multivalued coding. This problem is similar to that encountered with the image coding apparatus, which changes over the coding method on an image-by-image basis.
Recent progress in the development of image processing apparatus has been accompanied by proposals relating to an image processing apparatus having an image-area partitioning function according to which a multivalued image containing character areas and pattern areas is divided into areas conforming to the features of the areas and the coding method is changed over area by area to improve the efficiency of coding, or according to which areas containing characters are extracted and the characters are read optically (generally referred to as "OCR").
As described in the specifications of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-226770 (entitled "Image Area Discriminating Apparatus") and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-126181 (entitled "Method of Partitioning Document Image into Areas"), for example, image processing apparatus which execute image-area partitioning processing are mostly apparatus which binarize a multivalued image in dependence upon a predetermined threshold value and discriminate whether an area is a character area, photographic area or table, etc., based upon the bi-level image. Further, as described in the specification of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-248766 (entitled "Image Area Separation"), for example, a method has been proposed in which an image is separated into character areas and pattern areas using background as a "white" area.
Further, the recent rapid popularity of DTP has been accompanied by increasing diversification of documents and other images, and methods of performing area partitioning processing are not limited to that mentioned above but are themselves becoming increasingly diverse.
However, processing for partitioning image areas in the above-described image processing apparatus largely entails subjecting a multivalued image to binarization processing. When such binarization processing is executed, the entire image is binarized at a fixed threshold value without taking the density of the image background into consideration. Depending upon the background color, therefore, appropriate binarization is not always carried out and the results of area partitioning can develop an error. This means that it is not possible to deal suitably with a document printed on paper whose background is colored or exhibits a density other than white.
The fact that the above-described processing for partitioning image areas binarizes the entire image at a single threshold value leads to other problems as well. For example, when each cell in a table is given meaning as by changing its density or color, or when the ruled lines of a table are deleted as by changing the density or color of rows or columns, the differences in density or color are ignored, the cells of the table can no longer be recognized.
Though a technique for separating the background portion from a color image has been proposed in the specification of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/579,358, filed on Dec. 27, 1995, there is still room for improvement.


A knitted-in slide fastener in which a continuous fastener element row can be mounted stably in its dimensional meaning and firmly while breaking of a needle is prevented, so as to secure a smooth engagement of elements, wherein the continuous fastener element row is fixed and knitted-in by a fixing chain knitting yarn at the same time when a fastener tape is knitted, the fixing chain knitting yarn for the elements is knitted into plural wales of a fastener element attaching portion on one side edge of the fastener tape, warp knitting yarns to be knitted for reinforcement are entangled with a needle loop formed by a constituent yarn of at least one of wales in a foundation structure adjoining the plural wales through their needle loops but not entangled with a needle loop of the fixing chain knitting yarn through their needle loops.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a knitted-in slide fastener in which a continuous fastener element row is knitted continuously into an element attaching portion of a side edge of a fastener tape with being fixed by a fixing warp knitting yarn, at the same time when the fastener tape is knitted with a warp knitting structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a number of knitted-in slide fasteners have been proposed. According to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-308613, a foundation structure of a fastener tape is constituted of a chain knitting yarn, a tricot yarn or two needle stitch yarn and a weft in-laid yarn, and each element of a fastener element row knitted into a side edge in a longitudinal direction of the fastener tape is fixed with a sinker loop of a fixing chain knitting yarn. Then, a needle loop of one warp knitting yarn of the chain knitting yarn and tricot knitting yarn or two needle stitch yarn constituting the foundation structure and a needle loop of the fixing chain knitting yarn are entangled with each other to form a knitting structure.
Because the foundation structure is constituted of the weft in-laid yarn and two kinds of the warp knitting yarns of three warp knitting yarns, an elaborate and massive structure is provided so that the fastener element row is mounted strongly, and the fastener element row is stabilized in a dimensional meaning so as to eliminate an error in pitch. Further, an appropriate resistance is provided against bending which pushes the fastener face upwards, so that it prevents breaking of engagement due to the bending during use of the fastener.
In a knitted-in slide fastener according to Japanese Patent No. 3338997, a needle loop of the chain knitting yarn which constitutes the foundation structure is entangled with a needle loop of the fixing chain knitting yarn, although the foundation structure of the fastener tape is constituted of the chain knitting yarn, tricot knitting yarn or two-needle stitch yarn, and weft in-laid yarn in the same manner as in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-308613. With such a configuration, the knitted fabric of the continuous fastener element row attaching portion is formed elaborately, and elongation/contraction of the fabric is almost eliminated, so that the coil-like fastener element row to be mounted on the attaching portion can be fixed dimensionally in a stable condition, thereby always maintaining a function as the fastener sufficiently.
In the knitted slide fasteners disclosed in the aforementioned documents of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-308613 and Japanese Patent No. 3338997, as described above, the needle loop of the fixing chain knitting yarn is entangled with the needle loop of the warp knitting yarn of the foundation structure. This means that respective needle loops of two or more warp knitting yarns including the fixing chain knitting yarn are formed by a single needle. By the way, as the fixing chain knitting yarn, generally, an extremely thick yarn is used as compared with other warp knitting yarns because the fixing chain knitting yarn strengthens the fixing of the elements and intensifies the hardness of the structure. The fixing chain knitting yarn has a double size as compared with that of the warp knitting yarn which constitutes a general foundation structure.
A warp yarn having an ordinary size or a thin warp knitting yarn is capable of forming two or more needle loops with a single needle. However, if it is intended to form two or more needle loops at the same time with an extremely thick fixing warp knitting yarn and a warp knitting yarn having the ordinary size by using a single needle, the needle is applied with an excessive load, whereby often being broken, or the hook portion of the needle becomes relatively small to generate a drop stitch, thereby worsening yield considerably.
On the other hand, as mentioned in the aforementioned documents of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-308613 and Japanese Patent No. 3338997, this kind of the knitted-in slide fastener has been demanded to be so constructed that the structure is formed elaborately and thickly to fix the fastener element row firmly, the fastener element row is dimensionally stabilized to eliminate a pitch error. Further, it is required that an appropriate resistance against a bending to push the fastener surface upward is secured to prevent breaking of engagement of elements due to bending during usage of the fastener.


A drag-along snow apparatus for use upon a snow covered ground surface. The snow plow apparatus includes a first substantially planar and elongate extending member and a second substantially planar and elongate extending member which are interconnected along a common vertical edge and which form, in combination, a substantially V-shaped configuration. First and second planar and horizontally arrayed cross members extend between the first and second elongate extending members and brace the connection between the elongate extending members. A length of rope is secured to the plow apparatus via a looped end which extends successively through a first rope support aperture located at a forward end of said elongate extending member and a second rope support aperture located at a forward end of said second elongate extending member. The rope permits a user to drag the plow apparatus along a snow covered ground surface. A vertically extending shaft extends in a parallel and inwardly spaced relationship relative to the common vertical edge of the plow apparatus. The shaft is journalled within a plurality of supports and provides the user with the ability to pivot the plow apparatus in a controlled manner during translational motion. A bottom and outwardly flared edge extends in continuous fashion and along an exterior facing surface of the first and second planar and elongate extending members, the flared edge forming a lip which facilitates in pushing the snow outwardly and away from the plow during translational motion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to snow plows and snow plow apparatuses and, more particularly, to a drag-along snow plow for use in clearing a snow covered path, the snow plow being particularly useful as a children's toy.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous types of snow plow and snow shovel devices are known in the art for removing volumes of snow which have accumulated upon walkways, streets and driveways. The most common type of snow removal apparatus is the snow shovel which includes a planar shaped scooping surface and which is connected to an elongate handle such that, upon pushing the scooping surface along a horizontal ground surface, volumes of snow accumulate upon the scooping surface and are capable of being redeposited away from the surface which is desired to be cleared. The prior art additionally discloses other types of snow plow removal devices, particulary in the form of plowing devices which are mounted to the forward ends of vehicles such as trucks.
An additional example of a hand-operated plow devices is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,091, issued to Leininger et al., which discloses a wheeled snow plow scoop having a generally outwardly V-shaped configuration and a U-shaped handle pivotally secured to the side portions of the frame. An additional example of a hand-operated plow is also illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,328, issued to Fingerer et al., which teaches a hand-operated snow plow with adjustable blades for plowing snow. A blade adjustment mechanism is located at a hingedly pivoting connection between the pair of opposed blades and permits the angular increment established between the blades to be adjusted. Numerous other types of wheeled and mechanically affixed snow plows and scoops are also known in the prior art.


The steel coffer is provided in the form of a box-like coffer element (1) of great load-bearing capacity, having a wall (2), flat per se, and a circumferential, multiply-folded edge section (3), which has stiffening sections (4) fastened underneath the coffer wall (2), has perforations (5) and connecting holes (6) in the circumferential edge section (3) and has, in the corners, notches (7) for folding the edge sections (3) and for insertion of the supports (8).

The invention relates to a steel coffer for ceiling and/or wall structures, in particular for interior and exterior structures of ships or transportable or easily movable building and housing units.
Steel bulkheads, which in their disposition are essentially used as fire protection or which determine structural stability, have long been known as vertical or horizontal boundaries for spaces in ship construction.
The structural goal is to bridge as large as possible support distances, i.e. bearing widths, and to reduce the number of structural support columns for ceiling structures. At the same time, there is a requirement of creating space for installation of utilities, such as ventilation, water, heating, fire-fighting devices, etc.
For example, steel bulkheads are used as ceiling panels with a sheet metal thickness of 6 to 7 mm, instead of using the required minimum of 5 mm, because the subsequent welding operations cause too great an amount of warping and require appropriate finishing work.
Long stalk, T-shaped support pieces are placed underneath and welded in accordance with static calculations. The free areas of the plates of sheet metal created by this are stiffened by means of special shipbuilding sections. This structure is welded together into building segments which can be moved by a crane and are possibly used more than once in order to create optimum welding positions and prerequisites.
The segments are later combined with other segments and welded together.
A common problem is to make do, along with the least amount of steel used, with as little as possible bracing and twisting of the structure, because of the considerable welding work required.

Steel coffer for ceiling and/or wall structures of buildings, housing units, interior and exterior structures of ships


A priming and purging system and method for an internal combustion engine having a diaphragm carburetor includes a pump in fluid communication with the carburetor, a portion of the engine, and a fuel tank. The pump is manually actuatable to draw liquid fuel and any fuel vapors and gases from the carburetor and to deliver at least some liquid fuel into a portion of the engine to prime the engine and liquid fuel and any fuel vapor and gases toward and preferably into the fuel tank to facilitate purging the carburetor.

Small internal combustion engines often have a manually operated purge pump in fluid communication with a carburetor to allow fuel vapor and stale liquid fuel to be purged from the carburetor, or a prime pump to prime the carburetor with a shot of liquid fuel to facilitate starting the engine. The pumps have a manually actuated bulb and are generally attached directly to the carburetor, or located remotely from the carburetor. The purge pump is actuated to a depressed state, thereby causing liquid fuel and fuel vapor within the bulb to be directed through a downstream fuel line to a fuel tank. The purge pump is then returned to a non-depressed state, thereby drawing liquid fuel and any fuel vapor into the bulb through an upstream fuel line. The purging is generally repeated as necessary to ensure that the fuel vapor is purged from the upstream fuel line. The prime pump bulb is similarly actuated to a depressed state, however, rather than directing the flow into the fuel tank, the flow is typically directed into an air-fuel mixing passage of the carburetor to prime the carburetor.
Sometimes users mistake the purge pump for a prime pump and limit the number of actuations of the pump out of fear of "flooding" the engine. As a result, the carburetor may not be fully purged of fuel vapor prior to initiating a starting procedure for the engine, thus, making starting the engine difficult. Similarly, sometimes users mistake the prime pump for a purge pump and actuate the prime pump in excess, thereby causing the engine to be "flooded." As a result, starting the engine is made more difficult, rather than being made easier.

Priming and purging system and method for an internal combustion engine


A motor vehicle security device for protecting against the cutting of an automobile steering wheel which includes a protective member made of cut-resistant material for covering the steering wheel rim and a connector for attaching the protective member to the steering wheel rim. The protective member radially and circumferentially overlies the steering wheel rim to limit access to the rim and protect against cutting of the rim. The protective member is collapsible for convenient storage.

Over the past several years, there has been a growing demand by vehicle owners to better secure their vehicles against theft. Factors such as inconveniences and insurance premiums associated with the theft of a vehicle or vehicle components have resulted in a demand for mechanisms to better secure a vehicle. In an effort to solve these security problems and demands, a substantial industry has been developed to manufacture and promote various mechanisms which deter theft of a vehicle. Common vehicle security mechanisms include electronic devices such as alarms and so called "killer" switches which disable the engine and/or ignition of a vehicle unless bypassed by the authorized operator. Mechanical devices such as steering wheel locks, which inhibit unauthorized operation of the vehicle by constraining the steering wheel against rotation when locked in position, are also available. However, all these vehicle security systems suffer from numerous disadvantages in terms of cost, convenience and effectiveness.
Electronic alarms for motor vehicles have become well known in recent years and also have many disadvantages associated with their use. Such alarms are designed to be highly sensitive to physical force and/or motion and activate the alarm when the vehicle is disturbed in any way. Consequently, such alarms are frequently activated accidentally by parking lot and service station attendants and/or the owners themselves who neglect to deactivate the alarm system. The electronic alarms are also prone to malfunction and tend to drain the battery of the vehicle. Finally, many of these electronic alarms require professional installation, which is of high cost to a purchaser.
So called "killer" switches have also become popular in recent years. These switches serve to disable the vehicle usually at the ignition system, unless the authorized operator deactivates the killer switch. These types of systems are very costly and suffer from the usual reliability problems associated with electronic devices installed in a motor vehicle. In addition, these devices require professional retailers to install the device after the vehicle leaves the manufacturing plant for a substantial labor charge, since many of these systems are too complex for the general public to self-assemble. In addition, due to the complexity of these systems, a typical motorist is not knowledgeable regarding the deactivation of the system in case of a malfunction.
Vehicle security systems also include mechanical anti-theft devices which restrain relative movement of various components within the vehicle such as a steering wheel, gas pedal, clutch or brake. Many of these mechanical designs include mechanical locks comprising a pair of hooks at opposite ends of an elongated locking apparatus whereby the hooks are engaged to the steering wheel rim or the steering wheel rim and another component within the vehicle. These mechanical locks provide vehicle security without the cost and complexity of electronic security systems and further provide the convenience of being usable selectively at the discretion of the motorist, as opposed to being an ever present fixture of the vehicle which must inconveniently be attended to every time the vehicle is operated. Nevertheless, mechanical locks positioned on the steering wheel or on the steering wheel and another component of the vehicle suffer from various short comings which essentially reduce their effectiveness. The hooks and locks are typically made of hardened steel which resists bending, cutting or prying. While the mechanical locks themselves are relatively indestructible and unremovable by a thief, a thief can bypass such a security system by cutting through the steering wheel rim and removing the mechanical security device. A reinforced steering wheel, which resists being cut, can be installed; however, such steering wheel systems require professional installation and can be very expensive. Also, certain vehicles are equipped with specially designed steering wheels that include various features, such as air bags, light switches and cruise control switches. These specially designed steering wheels cannot be replaced by a generic reinforced steering wheel. Further, these specially designed steering wheels have also become susceptible to theft. The growing demand for air bags has created a market for air bags and air bag parts. As a result, thieves are illegally removing the air bag and various air bag components from vehicles. Many types of mechanical locks are not designed to protect vandalism and/or theft of components of steering wheels.
In light of the deficiencies of many types of mechanical locks and the perceived deficiencies of other types of mechanical locks, a new line of products has been developed which are designed to limit access to a steering wheel and an airbag. One such product is applicants security device sold under the trademark THE SHIELD. This security device is designed to be used in conjunction with a mechanical steering wheel loch such as the steering wheel lock sold under the trademark THE CLUB. THE SHIELD product includes two plate sections which are rotatably connected together so that the plate sections can be moved between an open and collapsed position. Each plate section includes at least one opening which is designed to receive a hook form a mechanical steering wheel lock to thereby secure THE SHIELD product to the steering wheel. THE SHIELD product is designed to cover at least a portion of the region of the steering wheel which contains the air bag. THE SHIELD product also limits access to the steering wheel rim to significantly increase the difficultly in cutting the steering wheel rim. Another security product designed to protect airbags is a security product sold under the trademark ROBOCAP. The ROBOCAP product is a modification of the security device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,067. The ROBOCAP product is a semi-circular device that is fitted onto a portion of a steering wheel and includes a rod-like member that is inserted into the face of the device to secure the device to the rim of a steering wheel. Although both of these products provide additional protection to the airbag and further limit access to the steering wheel rim, both products suffer from the inconvenience of having multiple parts. In addition, the ROBOCAP product also requires the operator to place position the steering wheel in a certain position and installing the ROBOCAP product on a specific region of the steering wheel so that the rod-like member can be properly inserted to secure the security device on the steering wheel and not damage the dash or other components of the vehicle during installation.
The prior art is thus seen to fail to provide a vehicle security device which is economical, simple, and convenient to use and yet which is thoroughly effective in preventing theft of a vehicle and vandalism to a steering wheel.

Steering wheel and air bag protection device


A dental instrument includes an elongate handle having a structural axis, a drill bit mounted to the handle at a distal end thereof for rotation about a rotation axis different from and substantially parallel to the structural axis, and a drive operatively connected to the drill bit and disposed at least partially in the handle for rotating the drill bit about the rotation axis. The drill bit is part of a bit assembly detachably secured to the handle at the distal end thereof. Where the handle includes a nozzle at the distal end, the bit assembly including means for redirecting liquid from the nozzle approximately to a free end of the drill bit. This redirection component may include a deflector surface or, alternatively, a channel or passageway for repressurizing liquid from the nozzle. In the latter case, another nozzle is provided at the downstream end of the channel or passageway. In addition, it is contemplated that the bit assembly includes a mechanical power linkage releasably connected to the drive. The mechanical linkage may be permanently or removably connected to the drill bit.

This invention relates to a dental instrument. More specifically, this invention relates to a dental drill.
A continuing challenge for dentists is to obtain access to different tooth surfaces. It is particularly difficult to obtain access to lingual surfaces. Not only is it difficult to view such dental surfaces but it is difficult to operate on such surfaces.
A dental drill generally has a drill bit extending at a substantial angle (e.g., approximately 90.degree.) relative to the handle of the instrument. In order to reach some lingual surfaces, it is necessary to push the drill handle against the patient's face. Even then, the contact of the drill bit with the tooth surface is only partially satisfactory since the angle between the tooth surface and the bit may be an acute angle.
There is a need for dental instruments which facilitate the obtaining of access to lingual tooth surface and other difficult-to-reach areas.