A mechanism is provided for efficiently storing a key and optionally additional data in an environment. A memory apparatus embodiment includes a plurality of memory banks and a conversion module. The number of memory banks is determined by at least the number of coordinates within an n-dimension format, each bank is associated to one of the coordinates within the n-dimension format. Each memory bank has at least a number of memory locations equal to the largest valid value for its associated coordinate. The conversion module converts a key into an n-dimension format, the n-dimension format defines a coordinate system where each coordinate represents a memory location within the associated memory bank. The conversion module stores the key into one memory location based on a policy which is dependent on the coordinates defined by the n-dimension format.

The growing network of packet based routers and bridges used in the Internet and other packet networks in addition to the increased network speeds of routing packets, such as 10 Gigabits per second, as specified in Optical Carrier standard document OC-192, require more efficient handling of large databases having long lookup keys. Such efficient handling involves processing database table lookups at rates over 250 million searches per second (Msps), limiting memory footprint size of memory modules, and limiting the density of each individual memory module used. All of these requirements must be met at a reasonable cost and at low power consumption. When processing a packet through a router, large databases such as the Internet protocol traffic flow database (TDB) as well as the forwarding information database (FIB) represent major performance bottlenecks in the high speed Internet traffic routing application.
One current hardware approach for addressing these requirements consists of implementing a lookup circuit on a standard embedded dynamic random access memory (DRAM) on a single silicon integrated circuit device. DRAMs are convenient because they are relatively cheap and provide a high chip density at very low power since only one transistor and one capacitor are necessary to store one bit of information. With a typical lookup circuit based on a search algorithm implemented in logic circuits and a standard DRAM memory which holds a key database, multiple accesses to this memory are required. The number of accesses are typically dependent on the key size. Multiple accesses may unduly slow the lookup process, and thus, such methods may provide inadequate system performance in high speed networking applications.
Another hardware approach involves porting the typical lookup circuit to a ternary content addressable memory (TCAM) device. By doing so, a high speed lookup rate may be achieved. TCAMs usually operate in the range of 50–100 million searches per second which is several times the rate required for OC-192 or 10-Gigabit Ethernet carriers. TCAM devices may either be static or dynamic. A dynamic TCAM device may be of higher density and may consume less power than a TCAM static device.
However, unlike DRAM, a TCAM device requires approximately 6–16 transistors to store one bit of information, the number depending upon whether the device is designed based on a static or a dynamic memory cell. Since the current manufacturing technology and state of the art circuit design limits TCAM chips to 18 Megabits per chip, assuming 128k entries with a key size of 144 bits, a single TCAM chip may consume up to 300 million transistors, thus pushing the limits of the state of the art silicon manufacturing process. In addition, the TCAM circuit design based on a dynamic random access memory cell approach represents a considerable manufacturing challenge and is not in common use. Given that a typical TDB table contains about 512k 256-bit entries, and the cost of a TCAM device is typically multiple times higher than a DRAM device, the cost of a TCAM based approach may be prohibitive.
The typical lookup circuit approach involves a hashing circuit where incoming packet data or a packet header is converted to a single non-unique scalar identifier. Due to the non-uniqueness of the hashing identifier, typical hashing circuits may not handle the case where the packet data maps to the same identifier and the same memory location. As discussed in PCT Patent Application No. WO 01/78309 A2, published 18 Oct. 2001 entitled "A Method and Apparatus for Wire-Speed Application Layer Classification of Data Packets", a typical hashing circuit may be expanded so that when a mapping conflict exists due to duplicate keys, redundant memory locations are preserved which are addressed through the same hashing identifier. However, in expanding a hashing circuit to handle redundancy in this manner, the resulting memory footprint expands proportionately for each defined hash key. Further, since hashing keys are scalar and not unique, if redundant memory locations are fully populated for a specific hashing key, remapping of existing data within a table currently cannot be addressed.
Among its various aspects, the present invention recognizes that a memory apparatus implemented in a hardware circuit which provides key searching speeds that are near or exceed the speeds of a TCAM approach while based on less expensive DRAM technology is needed to address the ever expanding speeds and capacity of today's Internet packet routers.

Methods and apparatus for data storage and retrieval


In a bus, which is provided with a switch having a plurality of master ports and a plurality of slave ports and can connect each of the plurality of master ports to an arbitrary port of the plurality of slave ports, an address phase that issues an address and a command and a data phase that issues write data are separated, and an address phase of next transaction can be issued before the data phase is completed. This improves performance of a system, in which a plurality of master modules and slave modules are connected through the bus.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a bus control method for information processing apparatuses, and particularly to a control method for a bus provided with an internal switch in a controller of a complex apparatus implemented with LSI.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, in the case of that a controller of a complex apparatus is realized with LSI, modules, such as bus masters including various CPUs and bus slaves, exist in the system to access memory, ROM and other IO devices. Each bus master often performs access to a plurality of slaves to execute processing.
Each master module in the system, therefore, must access a plurality of slave modules. To realize this, a control method, in which a crossbar switch is used to switch connection from a master to a slave, is adopted.
Conventionally, if a master accesses a slave, a switch is connected to begin a transaction, and then the switch is released from the master after completion of one transaction.
However, if a master, i.e., CPU issues a read transaction to a slow processing device, such as an IO device, and issues a write transaction to another device, a switch is released after receiving a data return of the read transaction and then the write transaction is issued to the next device. Therefore, the master cannot issue a next transaction until access to a transaction is completed, and also the slave cannot receive the next transaction until the current transaction is completed.

Control method for bus provided with internal switch


A two-port non-reciprocal circuit device has one end of a first central electrode electrically connected to an input port and the other end thereof electrically connected to an output port. One end of a second central electrode is electrically connected to the output port and the other end thereof is electrically connected to a ground port. A resonant capacitor and a terminating resistor are electrically connected in parallel between the input port and the output port. A resonant capacitor is electrically connected between the output port and the ground port. Matching capacitors for impedance matching are electrically connected between the input port and an input terminal and between the output port and an output terminal, respectively. A coupling capacitor element is electrically connected between the input terminal and the output terminal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to two-port non-reciprocal circuit devices. In particular, the present invention relates to a two-port non-reciprocal circuit device, such as an isolator, used in a microwave band and to a communication apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A two-port isolator is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-88744 (Patent Document 1) as a two-port non-reciprocal circuit device in the related art. A basic equivalent circuit of the two-port isolator is shown in FIG. 15. In a two-port isolator 301, one end of a first central electrode L1 is electrically connected to an input terminal 314 via an input port P1. The other end of the first central electrode L1 is electrically connected to an output terminal 315 via an output port P2.
One end of a second central electrode L2 is electrically connected to the output terminal 315 via the output port P2. The other end of the second central electrode L2 is grounded via a ground port P3. A parallel RC circuit including a matching capacitor C1 and a resistor R is electrically connected between the input port P1 and the output port P2. A matching capacitor C2 is electrically connected between the output port P2 and the ground port P3.
The first central electrode L1 and the matching capacitor C1 define a first LC parallel resonant circuit and the second central electrode L2 and the matching capacitor C2 define a second LC parallel resonant circuit. In the above-described circuit configuration, since the first LC parallel resonant circuit between the input port P1 and the output port P2 does not resonate and only the second LC parallel resonant circuit resonates when a signal is transmitted from the input port P1 to the output port P2, the insertion loss is reduced.
The insertion loss and isolation are typically important among electrical characteristics required of the non-reciprocal circuit device. Requirements for the insertion loss and the isolation depend on a communication system, the configuration of a communication circuit, and/or functions added to a mobile phone. A comparison between the requirements and actual characteristics can produce a situation in which the requirements are sufficiently met in terms of the insertion loss but are not met in terms of the isolation, or a situation in which the requirements are sufficiently met in terms of the isolation but are not met in terms of the insertion loss.
If the inductance of the second central electrode L2 is increased in the two-port isolator 301 in the related art, the forward transmission characteristics in a broader band, having a reduced insertion loss, are yielded although the bandwidth of the isolation characteristics is narrowed.
However, if the inductance of the central electrode L2 is set so as to exceed a predetermined value by any of the following three methods, problems are caused and it becomes impossible to flexibly adjust the insertion loss characteristics.
(1) If the central electrode L2 is lengthened, the ferrite is enlarged in accordance with the increasing length of the central electrode L2. As a result, the product cannot be reduced in size.
(2) If the line width of the central electrode L2 is narrowed, the equivalent series resistance of the central electrode L2 is increased and the Q factor of the central electrode (inductor) L2 is decreased. As a result, the insertion loss is increased.
(3) When the central electrode L2 is wound around the ferrite, the interval of the central electrodes is shortened as the number of wind ings thereof is increased and, thus, short circuit frequently occurs. If the windings of the central electrode are sufficiently spaced such that the short circuit does not occur, the product cannot be reduced in size.
In addition, if the inductance of the central electrode L2 is set so as to exceed the predetermined value, the capacitance of the capacitor C2 with which the central electrode L2 defines the parallel resonant circuit is substantially reduced in a relatively high-frequency system, such as Personal Communication Services (PCS) (having a center frequency of 1,880 MHz) or Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA) (having a center frequency of 1,950 MHz). Accordingly, it is difficult to measure and adjust the capacitance and, therefore, it is not possible to mass-produce the product. In addition, there are situations in which the stray capacitance is greater than the required capacitance, and it is not possible to actuate the isolator 301 at a desired frequency. Furthermore, there are also situations in which the electrical length of the central electrode L2 is greater than λ/4 and the central electrode L2 does not function as an inductor. In this situation, the parallel resonant circuit cannot be provided.

Two-port non-reciprocal circuit device and communication apparatus


A system and method for creating gamma correction data for a hardcopy device includes generating a data pattern, the data pattern including data representing color pixels and monochrome pixels, dithering the color pixels of the data pattern, and error diffusing the monochrome pixels of the data pattern such that the dithered color pixels and the error diffused monochrome pixels are each N-bit values, N being greater than one. A test pattern is generated based on the dithered color pixels and the error diffused monochrome pixels. The test pattern is scanned into scanned image data, and a plurality of color gamma correction curves and a monochromatic gamma correction curve are generated from the scanned image data.

Full color images, such as photographs, may contain an almost infinite range of color values. However, when printing a continuous tone image, such as a photograph, there is a limited number of colors available to recreate the image. As a result, in printing a continuous tone image, halftones are created. A common process for creating halftones is using a process called dithering, in which the density and pattern of color and/or black and white dots are varied to simulate different colors and different shades of gray. For a monochrome (black and white) image, areas of gray are created by varying the proportion of black and white dots or pixels, or by varying the dot size.
With respect to color, dithering approximates a color from a mixture of other colors when the required color is not available. Typically, the number of colors available is 256, such as seen in 8-bit GIF images. If a color does not correspond to one of the 256 available colors, the color is approximated from a mixture of two or more of the 256 available colors. The different colors can either be distributed randomly or regularly. Most images are dithered in a diffusion or randomized pattern to diminish any harsh transitions from one color to another color.
The dithering process differs for color and monochrome signals. Color signals are typically represented by multi-bit values, such as eight bits. In contrast, monochrome signals are typically represented as a single bit, meaning that a particular dot or pixel is either black or white. Because of the difference in bit size, halftone processors using a dithering process are not capable of outputting the color and monochrome signals simultaneously. As a result, it is not possible to output a color/monochrome pattern to one sheet of paper simultaneously.
Another halftone process that is commonly used is called error diffusion. Error diffusion works by thresholding each pixel value with a constant, and the difference between the pixel value and the constant is diffused to the neighboring pixels. More specifically, in a conventional error diffusion process, an algorithm calculates a quantization error for each pixel and feeds it forward to four unquantized pixels of an input image. The algorithm is equivalent to a feedback system that adds a weighted sum of four previous quantization errors to the current pixel before it is quantized. Since the weighting factors sum to one, the average value of the quantized image is locally equal to the true gray scale value, which yields images that are typically comparable or superior to most dithering techniques.
The output differs when applying error diffusion to monochrome data and to color data. In the conventional error diffusion process, the output for monochrome data is a single bit signifying that the pixel is either white or black. In contrast, the output for color data is a multi-bit value.
In addition to halftone processing, reproducing continuous tone images on displays and on printed paper typically uses gamma correction. Gamma correction controls the overall brightness of an image. Images which are not properly corrected can look either bleached out or too dark. Gamma correction of hardcopy devices, such as scanners, printers copier or multi-function peripherals, can be developed by analyzing a test pattern of a continuous tone image. As described above, however, it is not possible to output a color/monochrome pattern to one sheet of paper simultaneously. As a result, it is necessary to have separate test patterns for color and for monochrome.

System and method for performing halftone processing of color and monochrome data


Methods and systems for displaying information in a hierarchical structure are disclosed. An embodiment provides a method for displaying HFC network monitoring information and alarms in a hierarchical, topological fashion within a network monitoring system.

Traditionally, a monitoring system for a cable network, such as a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network, can show a physical topology of the network from headend to fiber node, all the way down to cable modems. In a display, a user can see how many service alarms are in the system, and can drill down to the problematic cable modems reporting alarms.
HFC networks generally comprise a cable modem termination system at a headend, and elements such as fiber nodes, radio frequency (RF) trunk amplifiers, RF splitters, RF taps, as well as cable modems downstream at a end user side. Traditionally, a cable network monitoring system will show the physical topology of the network from headend to fiber node all the way down to the cable modems, allowing a network operator to see, for example, how many service alarms are in the system and to visually drill down in a user interface (UI) to information identifying a problematic cable modem that reported the alarms.
Program providers such as multiple system operators, television networks and stations, cable TV operators, satellite TV operators, studios, wireless service providers, and Internet broadcasters/service providers, among others, require broadband communication systems to deliver programming and like content to consumers/subscribers over networks via digital or analog signals. Such networks and physical plants tend to be extensive and complex and therefore are difficult to manage and monitor for faults, impairments, maintenance issues and the like.
Monitoring network maintenance activities particularly presents problems to operators of extensive cable networks. For purposes of example, a cable network may include a headend which is connected to several nodes that may provide access to Internet Protocol (IP) or ISPN networks. The cable network may also include a variety of cables such as coaxial cables, optical fiber cables, or a Hybrid Fiber-Coaxial (HFC) cable system which interconnect terminal network elements of subscribers to the headend in a tree and branch structure. The terminal network elements (media terminal adaptors (MTAs), cable modem, set top box, etc.) reside on the nodes which may be combined and serviced by common components at the headend.
Cable modems may support data connection to the Internet and other computer networks via the cable network. Thus, cable networks provide bi-directional communication systems in which data can be sent downstream from the headend to a subscriber and upstream from a subscriber to the headend. The headend typically interfaces with cable modems via a cable modem termination system (CMTS) which has several receivers. Each receiver of the CMTS may connect to numerous nodes which, in turn, may connect to numerous network elements, such as modems, media terminal adaptors (MTAs), set top boxes, terminal devices, customer premises equipment (CPE) or like devices of subscribers. A single receiver of the CMTS, for instance, may connect to several hundred or more network elements.
The conventional process for tracking which terminal devices are attached to which optical node and like information is a manual process. For instance, when a new customer's services are first enabled, a network operator may identify the specific node or location of the user and enter this information manually into a customer management database. This information can be valuable for resolving physical layer communications issues, performing periodic plant maintenance, and planning future service expansions. However, when the data is inaccurate or incomplete, it can lead to misdiagnosis of issues, excessive costs associated with maintenance, and prolonged new deployments. In addition, as communication traffic increases or new services are deployed, the need to understand loading of parts of the network becomes important, particularly if existing subscribers must be reallocated to different nodes or parts of the network.
Based on conventional practice, locating and identifying network and physical plant issues essentially relies upon the receipt of customer calls and manual technician analysis in response thereto.

Displaying information in a hierarchical structure


Apparatus (2) for wrapping a load (18) placed on a turntable (4) having a mast assembly (8), a carriage assembly (12) adapted for vertical slideable movement along said mast assembly (8) and dispensing means (13) for dispensing tape material (80). The tape material (80) is transferred from the dispensing means (13) in response to rotation of the turntable (4) such that the tape material (80) wraps around the load (18) in a predefined pattern. The carriage assembly (12) and turntable (4) are configured for automated movement in response to a computer program stored in memory means (306) to enable wrapping of the load (18) with the tape material (80) in the predefined pattern. The carriage assembly (12) is positioned along the mast assembly (8) under control of the computer program in accordance with a rotational position of the load (18) to locate the tape material (80) at locations on the load (18). A pretensioning apparatus is also disclosed for pretensioning the tape material (80). Also disclosed is apparatus including adjusting the rate at which tape material (80) is payed out depending on a portion of the load (18) to be wrapped by the tape material (80). Also disclosed is tension adjustment apparatus (100) for varying the tension applied to the tape material (80).

Presently, there exists apparatus for wrapping a load, such as a number of layers of boxes that are stacked and supported on a pallet. The load is wrapped in film or tape to provide protection from the ingress of moisture to the load in the case of a film wrapping, and to provide support for and to secure the stacked boxes in situations where both film or tape is used. The load typically rotates on a turntable as tape or film is unravelled from a roll such that the tape or film wraps sequentially each side of the layers of boxes. The roll is supported on a mast for vertical movement to enable film or tape to be applied to the load in a predetermined pattern and to cater for varying heights of the load. There exists a need for a specific automated process to wrap a load such that the vertical movement of the roll of film or tape and the rotation of the turntable is controlled according to a control program, for example a computer program. Such an automated process is more efficient in that it saves time, uses less film or tape in that the load is rapped or secured in a predefined pattern.
There is also a need to provide a means for controlling the rate at which tape is applied to the load depending on which portion of the load is being wrapped. There is also a need to provide a requisite amount of tension in the tape as it is applied to the load so that as the load is rotating there is substantially no slack or too much tension in the actual tape being applied to the load.
Furthermore, the present invention provides a pre-tensioning apparatus for tensioning a stretchable material, such as tape, prior to the tape being applied to a load to be wrapped. The tape is required to be stretched or pre-tensioned to a length representing a multiple of its unstretched length so that when the tape is wrapped around the load it will partially shrink or reduce in length so as to wrap tightly and securely around a load. This process also reduces the length and volume of tape required. By using the present invention, loads to be wrapped may be done so by choosing a particular pattern of wrapping that secures the load with minimum usage of tape material. This has the benefit in reducing the amount of wasted tape or film material and thereby reduces costs associated with disposal of the unused or wasted material.
Present systems rely on a gearing mechanism whereby one gear is brought into engagement with another gear, having a different number of teeth, to pre-stretch the tape. A problem with such systems is that when the teeth of the different gears engage, they are wedged in tightly against each other. Consequently, the gears can bind and therefore require more force to feed the tape between rollers connected to the meshed gears providing the requisite tension to the tape. In some instances, the greater force required breaks the tape which is an obvious disadvantage. The present invention provides a unique way of pre-stretching the tape that eliminates binding of the meshed gearing arrangement and a facility for feeding tape through the assembly either under tension or not under tension for reasons that will become apparent from further reading of this specification.
Another problem identified in prior art systems in applying adhesive tape in a stretched condition to a load is that when the tape initially has to be placed on the load in an unstretched condition, the tape adhered to the surface of rollers of a pre-stretching apparatus which stopped a suer guiding the tape through the rollers in order to adhere the tape to a side of the load. This was due to the rollers being made from rubber compounds which provided too much friction for unstretched adhesive tape resulting in a build-up of deposited adhesive. With the tape caught or stuck on the rollers, the tape was difficult to peel off the rollers and eventually this led to the rubber compounds of the rollers wearing out. The rollers subsequently had to be replaced often. Aluminium rollers have been used but proved ineffective. The present invention seeks to address these problems by providing rollers in a pre-tensioning apparatus that enables tape to traverse through the rollers in both stretched and unstretched conditions.

Method and apparatus for wrapping a load


A pump trailer including a frame, a pump and at least one locomotion member. The pump is suspended within the frame using an elevator. The at least one locomotion member is coupled to a base of the frame to facilitate motion of the frame over terrain. The elevator raises the pump to a fully raised position or lowers the pump to a pumping position.

Pumps are commonly used to drain small pockets of water (e.g. sloughs) from agricultural land as well as many other uses. Most farmers have one or more of these pumps but seldom use them because these pumps can be awkward to use. For example, the hose may be difficult to roll out, the pump may be heavy and awkward to place within the water pocket, and the hose may be difficult to retrieve.
One such example may be disclosed in U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2014/0356198 to Flow Control LLC that describes a portable submersible water pump for pumping water from streams, ponds or shallow wells having a predetermined depth. The pumping system features a rotatable reel assembly to receive, roll-up and retain a hose. The submersible pumps are each connected to a manifold in parallel to form a parallel pump configuration. The manifold has a hose connection to couple to the hose. A portable cart has a frame with a first frame part to affix to the reel assembly, a second frame part to affix to a solar panel, a third frame part to detachably receive and retain the submersible pump assembly, and a fourth frame part to affix to the wheel assembly to roll the pump system to a remote location for pumping water in areas with little or no access to grid electricity or liquid fuel.
Another example may be described in Japan Pat. Pub. No. 07027255A to Kubota Corp. that discloses a hose laying method to shorten the setup time to drain a water site. A hose reel with a drain hose wound thereon is placed where the water is to be pumped. After connecting the inlet of the drain hose to a drainage pump mounted on an amphibious vehicle, the vehicle is moved to the water site from the drain site. As the vehicle moves from the water site, the drain hose is towed and laid from the hose reel.

Portable pump with hose reel and transport


A method for detecting core faults includes: positioning a magnetic yoke near at least one tooth of the core, the magnetic yoke being wound by a winding and comprising two core-facing surfaces and at least one flux sensor situated on at least one of the two core-facing surfaces; supplying current to the winding to inject magnetic flux into the at least one tooth; using the at least one flux sensor to measure a signal resulting from the injected magnetic flux; and using the measured signal to detect variations in flux on the at least one core-facing surface representative of core faults. A system includes: at least one magnetic yoke for being positioned near at least one tooth of the core and being wound by a winding and comprising two core-facing surfaces; and at least one flux sensor situated on at least one of the two core-facing surfaces.

The invention relates generally to detecting core faults and more particularly to testing laminated cores of electric machines for interlamination short circuits.
A conventional large generator lamination segment includes a back iron, teeth and slots. Lamination segments (each about 254 microns to about 508 microns thick) are formed into a magnetic core by stacking. Typically a plurality of lamination segments (eighteen lamination segments each being twenty degrees, for one example) are used to form a complete first lamination with the next plurality of lamination segments forming a complete second lamination on top of and offset from the lamination segments in the first lamination. The stacking continues until formation of a short stack of about 2.54 centimeters to about 10.16 centimeters thick. A plurality of short stacks are further joined and/or clamped by bolts and/or other mechanical devices to form a stator core. A typical large generator stator core has a diameter ranging from about 1 meter to about 3 meters and a length ranging from about 1 meter to about 10 meters.
Laminated stator cores are tested for interlamination shorts during manufacture and during maintenance or service procedures. Core faults, such as faults caused by short circuited laminations, in large electric machines can be highly destructive.
As described in commonly assigned Kliman et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/575,715, filed Jul. 28, 2000 and allowed Feb. 25, 2002, core faults may be detected by positioning a magnetic yoke wound by a winding near at least one tooth of the core; supplying current to the winding to inject magnetic flux into the at least one tooth; measuring at least one signal resulting from the injected magnetic flux; and using the measured signal to detect core faults. When a small portion of the core is excited, if the laminations are well insulated from each other, the flux response to the excitation will be primarily due to the permeable core material as modified by normal hysterisis losses and eddy currents in the laminations. However, if faults exist anywhere in the excited region, circulating currents will be induced which will alter the magnitude and phase of the response. Such altered phases or magnitudes can be used as a core condition indicator when used to compare one region of the core with another region of the core or to trend a single region over time. Additionally, analysis of the signal distribution for normal conditions and known fault conditions can be used to interpret measured signals in order to estimate core condition.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/575,715 has several advantages as compared to prior embodiments. For example, short stacks of laminations can be tested individually while stacking during core fabrication and/or during core servicing so that, if a fault is located, remedial measures can be taken immediately on the affected lamination, and, if no fault is located, additional stacks can be formed and tested. In contrast, in prior embodiments, if a fault is later located in the middle of a completed core, a substantial portion of the core had to be un-stacked to gain access to the fault.
When the thickness of the magnetic yoke in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/575,715 exceeds the thickness of about two or three core laminations, sensitivity and selectivity are reduced since the magnetic yoke itself will influence the losses measured along the winding. Physical and practical constraints limit minimum yoke thicknesses however. Another factor that influences sensitivity is the distance between the magnetic yoke and the core laminations. About 50-75 micrometers of lamination stagger typically result from punching tolerances and assembly variability when fabricating laminated cores. In machines which function as generators, lamination core stagger is typically filled in and covered up by layers of thick paint. Such paint would further increase the effective gap between the magnetic yoke and the core.
It would be desirable to have a core fault detection method with increased sensitivity.
Briefly, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a method for detecting core faults comprises (a) positioning a magnetic yoke near at least one tooth of the core, the magnetic yoke being wound by a winding and comprising two core-facing surfaces and at least one flux sensor situated on at least one of the two core-facing surfaces; (b) supplying current to the winding to inject magnetic flux into the at least one tooth of the core; (c) using the at least one flux sensor to measure a signal resulting from the injected magnetic flux; and (d) using the measured signal to detect variations in flux on the at least one core-facing surface representative of core faults.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a system for detecting core faults comprises at least one magnetic yoke for being positioned near at least one tooth of the core, the at least one magnetic yoke being wound by a winding and comprising two core-facing surfaces and at least one flux sensor situated on at least one of the core-facing surfaces.

Method and system for detecting core faults


A data storage device includes a nonvolatile memory device including a target memory cell and one or more adjustment memory cells sharing bit lines with the target memory cell, one or more of the adjustment memory cell are adjacent memory cells adjacent to the target memory cells, and suitable for reading out data therefrom or storing data therein; and a controller suitable for adjusting threshold voltages of the adjustment memory cells based on threshold voltages it of the target memory cell and the adjacent memory cells.

1. Technical Field
Various embodiments generally relate to a data storage device, and, more particularly, to a data storage device performing an improved error correction operation.
2. Related Art
Data storage devices store data provided by an external device in response to a write request. Data storage devices may also provide stored data to an external device in response to a read request. Examples of external devices that use data storage devices include computers, digital cameras, cellular phones and the like. Data storage devices can be embedded in external devices or fabricated separately and then connected afterwards.
As the integration density of data storage devices continues to increase in order to satisfy consumer demand for higher storage capacity portable electronic devices the probability of erroneously read data increases. Hence, although error correction decoding circuits and schemes are well known in the art, recently there has been an increased need for data storage devices with improved error correction performance.

Data storage device and operating method thereof


A modular structure includes a base assembly; and a roof assembly coupled to the base assembly, wherein the structure is selectively reconfigurable between a table configuration and a playhouse configuration.

Building or crafting things is a rewarding way to provide services and recreational items. Building items that have a way of transforming into other configurations using the same pieces and parts is economically feasible and elegant in design. Playhouses are such structures, in that a highly effective, structurally sound, and elegantly designed configuration can become tiresome after some time. If there is a way to utilize the same features to build and craft an entirely new structure, particularly by children who can also learn some labor, engineering, and architecture functions, is a bonus.


Serialization and deserialization using data contracts. The data contract specifies data types that are serialized and deserialized for data objects that are associated with the data contract. During serialization, the data contract associated with the data object is identified. Then, the data fields that correspond to those specified data field types are extracted from the data object and serialized into a serialization format. During deserialization, the serialization mechanism receives a serialized data structure having a particular serialization format. A data contract is then identified as being associated with the serialized data structure. After deserialization of the serialized data structure into abstract data, a corresponding data object is populated with data fields that correspond only with those data field types specified in the data contract. Accordingly, data abstraction is enabled while serializing and deserializing.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computing technology; and more specifically, to mechanisms for serializing and deserializing data objects by serializing and deserializing only abstract representations of data as specified by a data contract.
2. Background and Related Art
Computing technology has transformed the way we work and play. Computing systems now take a wide variety of forms including desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet PCs, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), household devices and the like. The functionality of the computing system is directed by software. Software is a sequence of computer-executable instructions that, when executed, causes the computing system to perform the functionality.
Object-oriented programming has developed as a mechanism to organize the authoring of software using logical units called objects that interact with one another. An object comprises one or more data fields that are representative of properties of the object, and zero or more methods (or pointers to methods) that include computer-executable code that relate to behavior of the object. Objects may interact by calling a method that is exposed by another object. Such objects may also be referred to herein as "data objects" as pointers to methods and computer-executable instructions that formulate the methods themselves may be broadly considered to be "data".
When in-memory, the data object is a collection of associated data fields and methods. However, it is often necessary to write or transmit the data object. In order to write or transmit a data object, the in-memory representation of the data object is serialized into a sequence of bytes that conforms with a serialization format. Similarly, the data object may be deserialized into an in-memory representation when reading or otherwise receiving the serialized data object.
Conventionally, the entire data object is typically serialized and deserialized. Accordingly, serialization and deserialization processes are often customized for each data object classification, thereby requiring significant resources for authoring, storing and processing serialization mechanisms for each potential object type. For example, Java objects may have one serialization mechanism, while WINDOWS® objects may have another serialization mechanism. Different serialization mechanisms may also be used for different serialization formats as well. For example, binary and XML may each have their own serialization mechanism. Furthermore, the entire data object may be larger than the actual abstract data of interest, thereby further wasting processing, memory and (if transmitted) network bandwidth resources.
Accordingly, what would be advantageous are serialization and deserialization mechanisms that are abstracted from the data object type and serialization format, and that do not require the serialization and deserialization of the entire data object.


A screening plant including a housing to which first and second screen boxes are reciprocatably mounted. The screen boxes are coplanar and the inner peripheral edge of the first box is adjacent the inner peripheral edge of the second box. Separate prime movers, such as hydraulic motors, are drivingly linked to the independently mounted screen boxes. The screen boxes are separated by a gap over which a beveled cap is mounted.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to devices used to separate construction and mining materials by size, and more specifically relates to screening plants, which use vibrating screens of varying meshes to separate matter poured onto the screens.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional screening plants have been in use for some time. Such machines are used to separate materials, such as road construction debris, gravel, soil, sand and recyclables. Examples of conventional screening plants are shown in many U.S. Patents, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,490 to McDonald and U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,597 to Anderson et al.
Conventional screening plants include a wide upper screen which is angled relative to horizontal, onto which material is poured. The screen vibrates, causing pieces of matter that are larger than the apertures to slide down the angled screen onto a pile of larger pieces of matter that collect on one side of the machine. Matter that is smaller than the apertures in the upper screen drops through the apertures, typically onto a second angled screen with smaller apertures, to be separated further. Screening plants are often portable, permitting them to be transported to the location where excavation, mining or construction takes place.
The drive mechanism for most screening plants includes an internal combustion engine that powers a pump for pressurizing hydraulic fluid. An example of such a mechanism is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,000 to Read. The fluid is pumped to a hydraulic motor that rotates a driveshaft with an attached eccentric, vibrating the screen box. The screen box typically includes an attached stack of similarly angled, parallel screens with progressively smaller apertures on each lower screen. Therefore, only the finer particulate matter, such as sand, passes through the lowest screen layer. This finer particulate matter is often conveyed by an elevating conveyor from beneath the primary screen apparatus to a pile spaced from the machine.
Problems arise from the use of conventional screening plants. The materials are normally poured onto the upper screen layer by the bucket of an excavating loader. The buckets of excavating loaders used to pour the material into the screening plants have a minimum size. Therefore, the width of the screen box, which is the distance, W, in FIG. 1, should not be significantly less than the width of the smallest normal bucket, which is about five feet. However, the stresses induced in a single screen box that is greater than five feet wide by a full bucket of material is significant, often resulting in the frame members of the screen box bending or breaking. The length, L, of the screen box is shown in FIG. 2.
Improvements have been made to the conventional screen box to reduce damage by heavy materials. These improvements include central support members extending between the frame members of the upper screen and the frame members of a lower screen. Such a support member is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,572 to Read. The support member distributes, among the frames of lower screens, some of the stress applied to the upper screen's frame due to the weight of the material dropped thereon. These improvements have reduced the damage, but they have not eliminated it.
The conventional screens used on screening plants are also expensive to design and make. Such screens must have long, extremely strong screen box frame members. Additionally, each member must be continuous across the screen box, without seams which are subject to breakage under the stresses induced by the large loads. Furthermore, the drive system needed to reciprocate large screen boxes must be extremely robust and therefore expensive, including a single vibrating driveshaft extending the entire width of the screen.
When the width of a conventional screening plant is increased, there is a disproportionate decrease in available amplitude of oscillation (called "throw"), there is a disproportionate loss of the ability to screen large matter and the manufacturing cost increases disproportionately to the increase in width.
Therefore, the need exists for an improved screening plant including screens and screen frames that are less susceptible to damage and more cost efficient to build. Additionally, such a screening plant should be able to be made wider with only a proportional increase in cost, and no decrease in ability to screen large material.


A sensory prompted protocol for the manipulation of complex devices such as consumer electronic devices without the necessity of the visual feedback via textual or graphic data on a graphical user interface, wherein the binary state sensor functions change with time rather than placement, so that a user action biases a binary state input, which is correlated to a timed data stream, the correlation indicating the desired action selected by the user.

The present invention addresses problems presented by conventional user interfaces, for example in consumer electronic products such as telephones, appliances such as televisions, washing and drying machines, ovens, etc. It relates to a process and the configuration of apparatus that can accurately and automatically interpret the user's desired selection after a single action following a sensory prompt. One aspect of the interface of the present invention resides in its ease of use for people who are less technically able. The interface may be embedded inside almost any product.
Applicant is aware of prior art within the field of user interfaces for consumer electronic products, for example interfaces employing voice recognition, graphic touch panels, and intelligent keypads. Such prior art user interfaces for consumer electronic products consist of a broad range of technology mixes. The current trend is to use a more organic style of interface such as voice recognition or graphical interfaces rather than arrays of mechanical buttons. Some devices attempt to guess a user's most probable decisions, making navigating complex decision trees more tolerable. The present invention is derived out of necessity for an easy-to-use interface that, for example, may be embedded in electronic equipment so for example to operate without a keypad or display.
One object of this invention is to provide an alternative method of operating equipment for example such as cellular or wireless telephones or other devices such as equipment which may be operated using binary input devices including but not limited to push buttons, switches, digital signals, microphones, motion sensors, light detectors, rotary encoders, voice recognition processors, or processes, wherein sensory prompts such as audio prompts guide the user through options, and the user responds with a timely binary action to accept or reject the specific option presented during a corresponding time window.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Single action sensory prompt interface utilising binary state time domain selection protocol


Described is a triggering arrangement including a power supply, a lighting arrangement and a switch. The lighting arrangement is coupled to the power supply. The switch is coupled to the lighting arrangement and the power supply. When the switch is in a first position, the lighting arrangement generates light to a photo-sensing portable device. The device is situated a predetermined distance from the arrangement. The device initiates a predetermined action in response to the light.

Optical scanning systems, such as those used in warehouses and supermarkets to track inventory, are in widespread use. Wearable and handheld scanning systems have increased mobility and productivity, but have generally sacrificed durability.
A conventional wearable scanning system includes a trigger connected to a wearable scanner via a wire. The wire hangs loosely between the scanner and the trigger, and is thus prone to mechanical failure during use, shipping, etc. Another disadvantage associated with the conventional wearable scanning systems includes accidental triggering by inadvertent contact with an exposed switch. The wearable scanning systems have been manufactured without triggering components, providing an auto-triggering mechanism. However, this also has disadvantages, such as power inefficiency and inadvertent repetitive scanning of the same barcode.


A drain/fill/sensor port for use in fuel filters and a method for making the same. The port comprises a ferrule attached to a sheet metal shell which is formed with a domed end portion having a central aperture. The ferrule includes four angularly spaced slots adapted to receive and interlock with tabs spaced angularly around the aperture in order to fasten the ferrule securely to the shell.

Fuel filters such as fuel/water separators for internal combustion engines include a closed sheet metal vessel or shell which houses a filter element that is held and located within the shell by a coil spring. During typical operation, fuel flows through the filter element while water and heavier molecular particles are separated from the fuel and accumulate in a domed lower end portion of the shell. The water and other contaminants which accumulate as a result of the filtering process must be drained periodically from the shell. To this end, the domed end of the shell includes a port comprising a central aperture and a ferrule which is in the form of a metal ring with internal threads. A drain plug usually is threaded into the ferrule. Alternatively, a sensor with a selectively openable and closable drain valve may be threaded into the ferrule. The sensor is used to detect a variety of conditions within the filter.
In use, the filter is subjected to elevated pressures and thus the port must be designed to avoid leakage and to resist failure in a high pressure environment. Commercially available filters, which employ conventionally designed drain/fill/sensor ports, often experience severe performance limitations when repeatedly subjected to elevated pressures. Indeed, when subjected to testing, one presently commercially available filter housing burst at an average pressure of 230 psi and required replacement after only 53,000 test cycles.
The ports of conventional filters are often constructed by punching a hexagonal aperture through the center of the domed shell. A ferrule is then positioned within the aperture and is secured to the shell with an adhesive sealant such as Plastisol to complete the port. This design is less than optimal because the hexagonal central aperture, when subjected to high pressures, quickly develops fatigue cracking in its corners. In extreme cases, such fatigue cracking can eventually result in bursting since, during use, fuel is continually forced through the filter at high pressures and impose relatively high stress on the port.
Further, conventional port designs require two sealing points which often result in leakage problems in addition to the problems of bursting mentioned above. The first sealing point is disposed between the ferrule and the shell and is achieved by affixing the ferrule to the shell with the adhesive sealant. Such adhesives can eventually work loose, thereby opening gaps between the ferrule and the shell and often resulting in leakage. The second seal is typically an O-ring disposed between the ferrule and the drain plug or sensor. Since multiple seal arrangements create multiple paths for leakage, a filter incorporating such seals can develop leaks in a relatively short time.


Some embodiments of the inventive subject matter are directed to determining that at least a portion of content would be obscured by a border of a graphical user interface if the content were to be presented in a two-dimensional state via the graphical user interface, and presenting the at least the portion of the content in a stereoscopic three-dimensional state in response to the determining that the at least the portion of the content would be obscured by the border of the graphical user interface, wherein a stereoscopic depth effect of the stereoscopic three-dimensional state makes the at least the portion of the content appear to extend beyond the border of the graphical user interface.

Embodiments of the inventive subject matter generally relate to the field of presenting and controlling data, and, more particularly, to multi-dimensional presentations of content.
Space limitation on a user interface (UI) is a prevalent problem for applications rendered on all types of displays such as monitors, workstations, and mobile devices. The displays have specific dimensions within which the user interface is presented. The dimensions are limited by the physical size of the display hardware. An application developer must, therefore, make design choices regarding how content is displayed given the space limitations of the hardware. Presentation of user interfaces for the applications is, therefore, limited to the design specifications dictated by the application developer.

Controlling three-dimensional views of selected portions of content

International Business Machines Corporation


Described is a vehicle seat having a safety belt which can be extended from a belt retractor. The belt retractor is mounted to one side of the vehicle seat. A belt end portion which projects from the belt retractor is provided with a spring hook means. An engagement element for retainingly receiving the spring hook means is disposed at the second side of the vehicle seat.

A typical form of safety belt assembly for a vehicle seat comprises a safety belt webbing which can be pulled out of a belt retractor and which is provided with a fixing element. The belt retractor is fixed at one side of the vehicle seat while an engagement element for receiving the fixing element on the belt webbing is mounted at the second side of the vehicle seat. A vehicle seat with safety belt assembly of that kind is to be found in German laid-open application (DE-OS) No 2 236 128. In that case the fixing element on the safety belt is formed by a tongue member while the engagement element provided for retainingly receiving the fixing element is formed by a belt lock for the tongue member. Insertion of the tongue member into the belt lock, which requires a push-in engagement movement, involves those two components being precisely guided relative to each other, which however is possible only by using two hands. That relatively complicated procedure often means that the occupant of the seat does not bother to fit the safety belt. That however is extremely dubious and potentially dangerous from safety points of view.
German laid-open application (DE-OS) No 1 964 123 discloses a vehicle seat with a safety belt assembly comprising a safety belt having a fixing element in the form of a spring hook device which can be latchingly engaged into an associated engagement element. A spring hook device of that kind can also be referred to as a carabiner device. In that arrangement however the safety belt is yieldingly flexible over its entire length between fixing points on the vehicle and the spring hook device, and such flexibility makes itself felt in terms of handling of the safety belt, that is to say handling thereof when engaging the spring hook device into the engagement element.
German patent specification No 1 057 476 discloses a release device for harness belt straps in a vehicle. That release device is characterised by a pin which is arranged displaceably transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and which is moved outwardly due to the force of a spring until encountering an abutment. At the outer end the pin has a knob with rounded surface for actuation by the door of the vehicle in such an arrangement that the pin is pushed back against the force of the spring when the vehicle door is closed and passes with a portion of the pin into a space defined by two lugs, and with that pin portion serves as a counterpart member for co-operation with an engagement member, preferably in the form of a spring hook device, at one end of the harness strap. The other end of the harness strap is secured to the vehicle seat or is fixed in position in the proximity of the vehicle seat. On the other hand, when the vehicle door is opened, the pin which is pushed outwardly by the spring releases the engagement member of the belt. This also involves a harness strap which is flexible between spring hooks at the ends thereof.
German published specification (DE-AS) No 1 231 123 describes a vehicle seat in combination with a safety belt assembly. In that case however the safety belt is not fixed to the vehicle seat but to the vehicle itself. That safety belt which is specific to the respective vehicle involved is provided with a spring hook device which can be fixed to an engagement member by hooking engagement therewith. Between the fixing locations and the spring hook device that safety belt is also flexibly yielding over its entire length.


A human receptor protein capable of binding TRH, a DNA coding for said protein, use of the proetein and DNA, a method for preparing said protein, and antibodies to the protein are described.. The human TRH receptor protein and the DNA coding for the protein of the present invention are useful as (1) a diagnostic composition for neuropathy (particularly, dementia), (2) a pharmaceutical composition for neuropathy and (3) a material used for screening a TRH receptor agonist or antagonist.

TRH (thyrotropin releasing hormone) was discovered from the hypothalami as a peptide promoting secretion of thyroid stimulating hormone and prolactin of the pituitary glands A. V. Schally et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 25, 165-169 (1966)!. It has been reported that TRH is widely distributed in almost all sites of the brains other than the hypothalami, the spinal cords, the intestines, the pancreases, the adrenals and the like J. E. Morley et al., Life Sciences, 25, 1539-1550 (1979)!. The fact that TRH is also distributed in the brains and the spinal cords suggests that TRH plays an important role in the function of the central nerve system. For example, the actual administration of TRH to organisms has been found to bring about various central nerve actions in animals R. Guillemin, Recent Prog. Horm. Res., 33, 1-28 (1977)!. Also clinically, the administration of TRH has been reported to have therapeutic effect to schizophrenia K. Inagata et al., Arch. Gen. Psychatry, 35, 1011-1014 (1978)!, melancholia C. Hatanaka et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 60, 1350 (1974)!, spinocerebellar degeneration I. Sobue et al., Lancet, 1, 419 (1980)!, as well as the improvement of disturbance of consciousness. Further, the existence of TRH in the nerve synapsis in the brains suggests that TRH acts as a neurotransmitter T. Hokfelt et al., Eur. J. Pharmacol., 34, 389-392 (1975)!.
On the other hand, binding tests using isotope-labeled TRH reveal that TRH receptors widely exist not only in the pituitary glands, but also in the brains and the spinal cords N. A. Sharif, Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci., 553, 147-175 (1989)!. Although there is a report that Scatchard plot analysis proves that TRH receptor molecules differ from one another in affinity between the pituitary and brain K. Funatsu et al., J. Neurochem., 45, 390-397 (1985)!, it is also reported that only one kind of receptor exist in the pituitary and brain N. Ogawa et al., Peptides, 5, 743-746 (1984)!. TRH receptor-cDNAs have been cloned from pituitary tumor cell line of mice R. E. Straub et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci.. U.S.A., 87, 954-958 (1990)! and rats P. Pena et al., Biochem. J., 284, 891-899 (1992); and D. Zhao et al., Endocrinology, 130, 3529-3536 (1992)!. Mouse TRH receptor cDNA has been reported to code for 393 amino acids. On the other hand, two isoforms are coded by the rat TRH receptor cDNA, i.e. 412 amino acids and 387 amino acids respectively, which are considered to be produced by alternative splicing P. Pena et al., J. Biol. Chem., 267, 25708-25708 (1992)!. Further, primary sequences of amino acids encoded by these cDNAs suggest that TRH receptor is a member of G-protein couple receptors with 7 transmembrane domains. It is not known whether receptor subtypes exist in addition to the TRH receptors. Certain experiments using tumor cells GH.sub.3 of the rat pituitary glands have been reported to provide an indication that a signal transduction of the TRH receptors is conjugated with an inositol phosphate turnover and calcium mobilization T. F. J. Martin et al., J. Biol. Chem., 261, 10141-10146 (1986)!. It is reported that the TRH receptors in the rat brain are conjugated with the inositol lipid metabolic turnover and the formation of cAMP M. Mori et al., Research Communications in Chemical Pathology and Pharmacology, 71, 17-26 (1991)!.
Synthesis of certain derivatives of TRH have been reported, and binding activity to TRH receptors has been examined. It has been observed that some of these compounds bind to the TRH receptors S. M. Simasko and A. Horita, Life Sci., 30, 1793-1799 (1982)! and also have effect on the central nerve system including acetylcholine-release stronger than TRH M. Shikata et al., Japan. J. Pharmacol., 32, 883-891 (1982); and P. H. Huston et al., Neurosci. Lett., 116, 149-155 (1990)!. Some agonists or antagonists to the TRH receptors may be useful as drugs acting on the human central nerve system. When the agonists or the antagonists to the TRH receptors as the drugs acting on the human central nerve system are screened, it is conceivable to use human tissue or cells in which the TRH receptors are expressed, thereby screening substances binding to the receptors as primary screening. However, it is generally not possible to obtain such human tissue. Also, culture cells in which the human TRH receptors are expressed are little known. On the other hand, it is possible to use animal tissue or cells in which the TRH receptors are expressed, thereby conducting screening. In this case, however, the difference in characteristics of the receptors between animal species, so-called species specificity of the receptors, is a problem. In addition to the above, no culture cells in which the human TRH receptors are expressed have been available, so that there has been no means for examining the signal transduction of the human TRH receptors at all.
As a means for solving such a problem, if human TRH receptor genes can be cloned, the human TRH receptors can be expressed in animal cells and the like using them by an appropriate means. It is therefore considered that screening and studies of the human TRH receptor agonists and antagonists can be largely advanced. However, there is no information for human genes of the receptor proteins capable of binding human TRH as yet.

Method of screening for inhibitors of human thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) receptor


A display device is provided. The display device includes a pixel driving circuit including a liquid crystal capacitor coupled to a first node, a first storage capacitor, and a first voltage control unit. The first storage capacitor has a first terminal directly connected to a second node and a second terminal coupled to a common electrode. The first voltage control unit has first and second output terminals coupled to the first and second nodes, respectively. In a first period, the first voltage control unit feeds a first data voltage to the first node according to a first scan signal. In a second period later than the first period, the first voltage control unit feeds the first data voltage to the second node according to a second scan signal, such that a voltage level at the first node is changed to a first pixel voltage from the first data voltage.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a display device, and more particularly to a pixel driving circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display (LCD) device comprises a first substrate, a second substrate opposite to the first substrate, and a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate. The first substrate comprises a first pixel electrode and a second pixel electrode which are isolated from each other and disposed on the same plane. The first pixel voltage is applied to the first pixel electrode, and the second pixel voltage is applied to the second pixel electrode. The second pixel voltage is different from the first pixel voltage.
The first pixel voltage and the second pixel voltage are usually generated by a first data voltage and a second data voltage, respectively. However, the levels of the first data voltage and the second data voltage may suffer certain limits. Thus, it is desirable to provide a display device and a pixel driving method for increasing the voltage difference between the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode.

Display devices and pixel driving methods therefor


An adjustable propeller is provided with a receptacle on its hub which is shaped to receive a base portion of a propeller blade. First and second pluralities of alignment devices are provided to allow an operator to select a desired pitch angle and attach the blades of the propeller to the hub so that the desired pitch angle is selected. Alignment devices can comprise a plurality of holes in each receptacle which are tapped to receive a bolt in threaded association therein. Associated holes in the base portion of the propeller can allow free passage of the bolt by selecting one of the holes in the base portion of the propeller and aligning that hole with an associated hole in the receptacle of the hub, an operator can quickly and easily select a desired pitch angle for the blade. A bolt passes through a hole in the base portion of the blade and threads into an associated hole in the propeller hub to select the pitch and attach the base portion to the hub.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to an adjustable pitch propeller and, more particularly, to a propeller that comprises a hub portion to which a plurality of propeller blades can be attached in such a way that the pitch of the blades is manually selectable.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Those skilled in the art are familiar with many different types of variable pitch and adjustable pitch propellers. Some of these propellers are capable of automatically adjusting the pitch of the propeller blades while the propeller is rotating and providing the propulsion for a marine vessel. Other types of propellers are manually adjustable. In all types of variable pitch and adjustable pitch propellers, the relative positions of the propeller blades to the propeller hub can be changes, either automatically or manually.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,153, which issued to Bernhardt on Jun. 18, 1996, discloses a variable pitch propeller for a power boat. Three blades are mounted on a housing which is carried by the propeller shaft. Each blade has an axle received in the housing. Each axle has a slot receiving a dowel carried in the housing so the blade can rotate approximately 5.degree. between two pitch positions. A centrifugally-operated, spring biased latch carried in the housing locks the shaft in each pitch position. The blade is released from the latch by a predetermined change in the hydrodynamic force acting on the blade surface. The propeller shaft is connected to the propeller assembly by three plastic keys which shear to permit the propeller assembly to spin with respect to the propeller shaft when the propeller assembly strikes a predetermined resistance, such as a rock or the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,497, which issued to Seemar on Aug. 29, 1995, describes variable pitch propellers. The variable pitch propeller is intended for use with a marine vessel and it includes a hub for mounting on a driven shaft. The hub has a plurality of blades which are mounted to bearing rings which are carried in recesses in the hub, with removable snap rings retaining the bearings therein with cap screws from the bosses extending to and engaged with the bearing rings for full rotation to automatic pitch positions and with cap screws which may extend into spaced holes in the hub for setting the blades to desired fixed positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,820, which issued to Bergeron on Jun. 11, 1991, discloses a variable pitch propeller which includes a central hub defining an axis of propeller rotation and a plurality of blades connected to and extending from the central hub. Each blade is mounted for rotation about a pitch axis. A cam mechanism is provided to translate centrifugal forces imposed on the blade into a force which tends to rotate the blade toward a course pitch. That force is opposed by water pressure tending to decrease the blade pitch. The cam mechanism includes a cam groove formed in an insert and made of a material that is harder than the blades. The propeller is provided with variable minimum and maximum pitch stops. A resilient bias is provided toward minimal blade pitch.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,345, which issued to Rocco on Aug. 3, 1993, describes a feathering propeller with a manually adjustable pitch. This device performs a pitch adjustment in a feathering propeller by employing a planet gear engagement between a pinion hub keyed on the driveshaft and planet pinions at the base of the blades of the propeller which are rotatably mounted through holes of the wall of the hub's casing. This is accomplished by registering the relative angular position of a second portion of the casing with respect to the first portion of a casing housing the planet gear. The registration of the pitch takes place by parting the second portion of the casing from the first portion against a resistance of a push-back spring for a distance sufficient to disengage a coupling between the second portion and first portion of a casing or the pinion hub, rotating the second portion to the point of disengagement with respect to the first portion of a casing before releasing the pull causing again the engagement of the two portions in a modified relative angular position. In this way, the stop mechanisms for the travel of a dragging sector solidly connected to the hub of a propeller, which are substantially formed on the internal wall of the second portion of the casing, change their relative position about the sector thus modifying the limit orientation assumed by the blades when the drive shaft is rotated. Resilient elements are used between abutment surfaces for preventing deformation thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,147, which issued to Karls et al on Mar. 1, 1994, describes a variable pitch marine propeller with a shift biasing and synchronizing mechanism. The propeller includes a hub which is rotatable along a longitudinal axis and which has a plurality of blades extending radially outward therefrom. The blades are pivotable about respective radial pivot axes between a low pitch position and a high pitch position. A disc has a plurality of guide slots which each receive and retain a respective lever arm extending rearwardly within the hub from a respective blade. A biasing spring coaxial with the longitudinal axis of rotation of the hub biases the disc to bias the levers arms and blades to the low pitch position. The disc is a generally flat planer member extending radially outward from the longitudinal axis at the rear of the hub and includes a preload mechanism accessible at the rear of the hub for adjusting the bias. The disc restricts movement of the lever arms along the guide slots such that the lever arms can move only in unison, which prevents blade flutter. Pivoting of the blades is controlled by movement of the lever arms along the guide slots and arcuate movement of the guide slots as the disc rotates about the longitudinal axis, such that pivoting of each blade from its low pitch position to its high pitch position requires both a movement of the respective lever arm along its respective guide slot and rotation of the disc to arcuately move the guide slot.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,844, which issued to Muller on Jul. 13, 1993, describes an actuator for a variable pitch propeller. A drive for a boat is provided with a propeller hub which is rotatable about a main axis extending in a normal travel direction, a plurality of blades projecting generally radially of the main axis from the hub and each being pivotal so as to be of variable pitch. The respective blade rods extend axially and are displaceable axially relative to the hub in order to vary the pitch of the blades. The stator carried on the boat downstream in the direction from the hub and nonrotatable about the axis rotatably supports a cylinder housing that is releasably connected to the rods for joint axially movement therewith. A piston is displaceable along the axis in the cylinder and is releaseably connected to the hub for joint axial movement therewith. Pressurizable lines extend through the stator and are connected to the cylinder for alternately pressurizing the piston and thereby relatively axially shifting the rods and hub.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,134, which issued to Muller on Dec. 17, 1991, discloses a boat drive with an adjustable pitch propeller. The boat drive is of the type in which a housing outside of the hull of the board and below the water level receives a hollow propeller shaft driven by a drive shaft connected to the propeller shaft by a transmission. The hub of a variable pitch propeller is mounted on the propeller shaft and the axially extending stems which adjust the pitch of the hub are engaged by a push rod extending through the prop shaft and connected to a double acting cylinder at the opposite end from that at which the rod is connected to the stems.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,973,225, which issued to Kruppa on Nov. 27, 1990, discloses an adjustable propeller. The controllable pitch propeller has a driven rotating hub and adjustable propeller blades positioned therefrom. An adjustment device is provided which has an adjustment ring that can move axially and which has adjustment bars attached to it for adjustment of the propeller blades. At least one continuous waste gas channel is positioned in the hub. In order to relieve the hub of external adjustment forces, the adjustment ring is constructed as a cylinder piston which is movably axially positioned in a cylinder chamber of the hub which can be acted upon hydraulically on both sides.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,017,090, which issued to Morrison on May 21, 1991, describes variable pitch blades and a mechanism for driving them. A propeller blade is provided with a planer configuration, an inner end portion, an outer end portion, a relative sharp outwardly swept back leading edge portion, and a cylindrical stub axially aligned with the plane of the blade and affixed to the inner end portion of the blade. A mechanism enables the pitch of the blades to be adjusted by the operator through a continuum of positions ranging from fast forward to fast reverse so that the boat can be operated at a full range and variety of speeds and can be stopped rapidly. It can also be maneuvered with precision. The mechanism can be used for operating flat-bottom boats in swamps, shallow water, bayous, lakes, rivers and the like, and pass through wet mud and swampy marshes choked with mud or vegetation without excessively fouling the propellers. The mechanism can be serviced and repaired easily and quickly and can be employed to operate small craft such as mud boats with a minimum loss of interior boat space.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,929,201, which issued to Pitt on May 29, 1990, describes a variable pitch marine propeller system. The propeller comprises two removable symmetrical propeller blades with cylindrical bases each having a drive lug attached proximate the driving edge of the point of attachment of each blade. A coupling is associated with the drive lugs of the bases and structured to hold the blades by the bases to align and simultaneously rotate the pitch of the blades in equal and opposite directions in response to movement of the coupling. A hub sub-assembly encases the coupling and bases of the blades to allow the blades to pivot and assume a forward or rearward pitch. The hub sub-assembly has a front end and a rear end capable of mounting on a drive shaft. A spring is associated with the coupling to initially position the coupling in a position which holds the blades in a rear pitch configuration. A hydraulic piston system is associated with the coupling means to provide a predetermined fixed pressure on the coupling to alter the space pressure and move the coupling to a position which causes the blades to assume the desired forward or rearward blade pitch.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,341, which issued to Wuhrer on Sep. 10, 1985, discloses an adjustable propeller for marine vessel drive applications. The propeller has an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the pitch of the individual propeller blades. The mechanism comprises an actuator and a correction mechanism for each propeller blade for cyclically adjusting the pitch angle of a related propeller blade under the control of a control device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,156, which issued to Aihara et al on Mar. 31, 1998, discloses a variable propeller for a boat. Variable diameter main blades and stationary subsidiary blades are mounted on a propeller boss in order to provide further enhanced low-speed diving properties and high-speed and high-output performance. When the main blades are in closed positions in which the propeller diameter assumes a minimum value, the main and subsidiary blades are axially superposed on each other. When the main blades are in opened positions in which the propeller diameter assumes a maximum value, the main and subsidiary blades are arranged in a relation such that their blade surfaces are substantially in line with each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,079, which issued to Marshall on Oct. 27, 1981, describes a variable pitch marine propeller which has a plurality of circumferentially spaced blades mounted on axles at the root portion of the blades in a hub to permit independent movement of each of the blades about an axis of rotation which is substantially parallel to the axis of the hub. The blades can move between a first nested position adjacent the hub and a second extended position. Each of the blades includes leading and trailing striking surfaces or root segments on the root portion of the blades which are hub engageable upon initial rotation of the blade in either direction. Intermediate the leading and trailing segments of the blades are positioned cushioning means which may be mounted in either the hub or the blade root segments for inhibiting the shock of engagement of the blades and the hub upon initial start up of rotation of the hub or upon a sudden reversal of rotation of the hub. The cushioning means includes water entrance and graduated exit means with means to capture water therein to act as a shock absorber for the blades against the hub.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,150,921, which issued to Wennberg et al on Apr. 24, 1979, describes a marine propeller system with adjustable pitch and axially removable blades. Marine propellers are constructed with a split-hub design, permitting adjustment of the pitch of the blades, and axial removability of the blade. By virtue of the axial removability of the blades, the blades can be removed easily for repair or replacement without increasing the diametrical clearance between the blade tips and a tunnel or nozzle of the type in which propellers are frequently disposed. Also, individual blades can be removed without the necessity of dropping the rudder, which is necessary in many vessels utilizing solid propellers. The blades have their spindles or roots clamped to the hub such that axial adjustment of pitch can be achieved by reducing the clamping force. The hub preferably is formed in two sections, with one section being mounted to or forming part of the propeller shaft and including recesses which partially house the blade spindles or roots. The other section preferably is made up of a plurality of independently removable clamping segments, each of which is formed with a recess which cooperates with a recess in the first section to house a blade spindle and to clamp the spindle in a fixed blade pitch position. By removal of a selected clamping segment, its blade can be removed axially rearwardly without necessitating substantial diametrical clearance at the blade tips. Bolted connections are used between the clamping segments and the first section of the hub so as to facilitate both pitch adjustment and blade removal.
All the patents described above are hereby explicitly incorporated in this description by reference.
Propellers which are adjustable or variable often require significant complexity of the associated mechanism. As a result, the cost of the adjustable propeller is often much higher than the cost of a similar propeller which is not adjustable. It would therefore be significantly beneficial if an adjustable propeller could be provided which relies on a simple mechanism that allows an operator to manually change the pitch of the blades in a manner which is accurate and repeatable.


A combination weighing apparatus includes a dispersion unit, a plurality of weighing hoppers, and a combination unit. The dispersion unit circumferentially disperses articles that drop from above. The weighing hoppers are arranged generally circumferentially below the dispersion unit. The combination unit combines weight results obtained from each of the weighing hoppers. In addition, a state of a drop position of the articles in the dispersion unit changes during operation.

Typically, a combination weighing apparatus comprises a dispersion table and a plurality of weighing hoppers. Articles supplied to the dispersion table are dispersed on the dispersion table and supplied to each of the weighing hoppers. A cleat conveyor, a bucket conveyor, or the like is used to supply the articles to the dispersion table.
Here, to disperse the articles supplied to the dispersion table from the conveyor by oscillating the dispersion table is difficult in a case, for example, when the articles are soft articles such as poultry meat and the like. Therefore, a method in which articles are dropped onto a rotary dispersion table is often employed. However, it is difficult to drop the articles from the conveyor onto a generally central portion of the dispersion table when the articles are soft and highly adhesive articles such as poultry meat and the like. Therefore, in such a case, a drop position of the articles may be deviated from the central portion, causing the articles to be unevenly supplied to the weighing hoppers.
For this reason, with an apparatus described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 2001-183224, projections are provided on the dispersion table configured to rotate in one direction in order to prevent uneven feeding of articles to the weighing hoppers disposed below the dispersion table.

Combination weighing apparatus with dispersion unit for dispersing articles


Power control circuitry for providing a variable supply voltage to power amplifier circuitry in such a manner as to reduce or essentially eliminate variations in output power due to variations in load impedance is provided. The power control circuitry includes a voltage regulator for providing the variable supply voltage to the power amplifier circuitry, current detection circuitry, correction circuitry, and combiner circuitry. In operation, the current detection circuitry provides a signal indicative of an actual current provided to the power amplifier circuitry from the voltage regulator. The correction circuitry provides a correction signal based on a comparison of the signal indicative of the actual current and a signal indicative of a reference current. The combiner circuitry operates to combine the correction signal and the adjustable power control signal to provide the corrected adjustable power control signal to the voltage regulator.

The output power of mobile terminals, such as mobile phones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and the like, is controlled by a power amplifier in the transmit chain. For open loop power amplifiers, the output power of the power amplifier, and thus the mobile terminal, is a function of the load impedance seen at the output of the power amplifier. Ideally, the load impedance is a constant load. However, in reality, there are variations in the load impedance due to variations in the impedance of the antenna of the mobile terminal caused by proximity of the antenna to foreign metallic objects and the user's body. For open loop power amplifiers, the variations in the load impedance result in variations in the output power of the power amplifier. such output power variations decrease the quality of service (QoS), increase the probability of dropped calls in fringe areas, increase the liability of mobile terminal manufactures in terms of tolerated output power versus Skin Absorption Ratio (SAR), and increase the peak current of the power amplifier. Thus, there remains a need for power amplifier control circuitry that reduces or eliminates output power variations due to variations in load impedance.

Power amplifier control reducing output power variation


A formable, weldable, VOC-free protective coating for use on a number of substrates including metal, wood, concrete, plastic, pipe and transportation equipment. The composition includes beeswax, ammonia, water and, optionally, paraffin. It may also include fillers, dyes, pigments and corrosion inhibitors, but does not require surfactants or stabilizers. The composition is particularly useful for protecting steel prior to welding. It can be removed without organic solvents.

Wax-containing compositions for the protection of various surfaces including automobiles, agricultural vehicles and construction equipment are known. Among these, wax-solvent dispersions are widely used. More recently, water-based compositions have been described. These contain wax modifiers, coalescent film-forming agents to assist processing of the wax components, anionic, cationic and amphoteric surfactants to stabilize oil-in-water emulsions and various additives to improve the hardness and durability of the coating once applied to the surface to be protected.
Problems with protective coating for metals, especially those primarily intended for long-term storage protection, have always existed. Prominent difficulties have been tackiness, poor water removability, sensitivity to water, objectionable odor, and where water-borne compositions are involved, limited high-temperature storage stability of the compositions themselves. In addition, the solvent-containing protective compositions require substantial evaporation of their solvents for the formation of wax barrier coats. Drawbacks of such solvent-type protective compositions include the health, safety and environmental concerns associated with the vapor emissions from the solvents used.
The limitations of conventional solvent-containing coating preparations are best illustrated in the marine industry where their use produces dangerous conditions for applicators and welders in the void and tank areas of ships and barges. Accumulation of vapors in these areas can cause sudden explosions. During welding, the risk of flash fires is high.
The more recent formulations, which have eliminated solvents from the composition, still rely on the use of wax modifiers, surfactants and film forming agents to maintain the desired characteristics of durability and uniform coating properties. Wax modifiers such as naphthenic or paraffinic oils require that the right proportions be used to avoid a coating which will either flow off (melt) if the amount is too large or become too brittle if the amount is too little. Film forming properties are also imparted with film coalescing agents like mineral spirits and ethylene glycol monopropyl ether.


Techniques, methods, systems, and computer-readable media for allocating and managing dynamically obfuscated heap memory allocations are described. In one embodiment a memory manager in a data processing system contains an addressor, to determine a first address of a program object in a first memory address space, and one or more encoders, to abstract memory access to the program object using the first address such that layout of the object data in the first address space differs from the layout of the object in a second address space. In one embodiment, a runtime system modifies object code of an executable file to include encoder routines to abstract memory accesses to data in an obfuscated heap. In one embodiment, a compiler system using an intermediate representation of a high level program generates an intermediate representation of a high level program capable of performing memory writes and memory reads using obfuscation encoder routines.

Any application that accepts input from a user, from a file, or from the network has to store that input, at least temporarily. Except in special cases, most application memory is stored in one of two places, the stack or the heap. Generally, the stack is a part of an application's address space devoted to storing data specific to a particular instance of a construct, such as, for example, function local variables that are valid for a single function call. The heap, however, is more general-purpose storage for an application. Memory dynamically allocated by a software program generally will be allocated within the program's heap. Data stored in heap allocated memory persists for the duration of the program, or until the program de-allocates the memory. Controlling the visibility of heap memory allocations creates a special kind of access control problem. Without some additional security, sensitive data stored in runtime heap allocations could become vulnerable to unwanted access by reverse engineers.
Reverse engineering is one process by which secure or protected aspects of data, software or hardware products can be uncovered through the analysis of the operation of the products. A reverse engineer can attack a product from several paths, one of which is the analysis of the product's data flow. By analyzing a product's data flow, protected information, such as an encryption key, can be uncovered from software that is intended to be secure. Protecting the logical structure of data in the memory of a running program can be particularly challenging because the program has to be able to make use of the data during the execution of the program. Any method or mechanism used to protect the data can also interfere with the speed or efficiency of the program flow.
One manner of protecting a program against data flow analysis is to use data obfuscation to make the reverse engineering of program data structures more difficult. Data obfuscation is a technique in which data stored in memory is scrambled, encrypted or rearranged in a manner that makes it difficult for an external user or program to make use of protected data should it be accessed by unauthorized parties. However, any manner of data obfuscation may impose overhead in a program that causes it to consumer extra resources or may slow program execution.

Dynamic obfuscation of heap memory allocations


An assistance system is provided for a motor vehicle that includes, but is not limited to an activation device, which switches the assistance system over into a beginner mode, a capturing device, which determines a curve radius located ahead of a road travelled by the motor vehicle, and a processing device, which from the curve radius located ahead and a speed of the motor vehicle in the beginner mode generates a signal in the case the speed of the motor vehicle when travelling through the curve radius located ahead exceeds a predetermined maximum lateral acceleration. A method is also provided for controlling a motor vehicle.

Assistance systems are increasingly employed in motor vehicles in order to influence the driving behavior of a motor vehicle through active intervention for example in steering or brake systems. Lane keeping systems for motor vehicles are known from the general prior art, through that a driving behavior, in particular a steering behavior of a motor vehicle can be actively influenced. Such systems comprise facilities for the optical road shoulder detection, which is carried out for example on the basis of one or a plurality of cameras. By doing so, an additional steering angle can be superimposed on the steering angle which is set via the steering wheel of the driver, so that dependent on the respective situation an active intervention in the driving behavior can take place.
From DE 102 008 035 115 A1 a system and a method for detecting a road curve is known, while a vehicle approaches the curve, for automatically supplying information regarding the road curvature and for controlling the vehicle speed is known. The system uses a position finding device and a map database in order to know the position of the vehicle. As a function of the speed of the vehicle, the system generates a curvature profile for different curvature data points at the or about the curve in front of the vehicle. A set speed profile and the actual vehicle speed are compared at each profile point in order to determine if the vehicle travels too fast for the target speed.
At least one object is to improve the driving safety on the basis of an assistance system in a motor vehicle. In addition, other objects, desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.

Assistance system for a motor vehicle and method for controlling a motor vehicle