A refuse collection vehicle having multiple compartments for recyclable material is provided with a compacting assembly that includes a sub-compartment that does not change in size during compaction operations.

In the gathering of recycled materials known systems do not address the need for compaction of compactible materials and the non-compaction of other materials such as glass.
Prior art patents relating to compaction systems for recycling trucks include the following references.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,122,025 Glomski, Jun. 16, 1992, shows a mobile interior wall, moveable towards the front and back of the collection bin and creating two compaction zones inside a waste collecting vehicle. This system does not provide more than two compaction zones for recycling materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,567 Lombardo, Jan. 7, 1992, shows a waste collecting vehicle equipped with multiple compartments to receive and discharge separately some recycling materials. The recycling materials are charged into compartments by means of openings situated on the side. This system does not provide compaction zones which would permit the storage of a large quantity of recycling materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,866 Croy, Dec. 25, 1990, shows a waste collecting vehicle for garbage or for recycling materials equipped with multiple compartments and with a transverse compacting unit. This system is relatively complex since it holds a receptive compartment and a compaction compartment joined by a corridor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,532 Dinneen, Jun. 20, 1989, shows a waste collecting vehicle holding four compartments. These compartments are not of a variable volume nor do they include a compactor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,689, Boivin, filed Apr. 12, 1993, of which the present application is a Continuation-in-part, included provision for a waste collecting vehicle for recycling materials holding two compactor compartments but this disclosure does not include non-compactor compartments to receive non-compactible recycling materials.
A need exists for a vehicle having in combination both compactor and non-compaction compartments. There is also a need for provision in such a vehicle whereby the volume of the non-compacting sub-compartments may be adjusted by the operator according to the needs of a given refuse collection environment. This invention addresses these needs.
A further objective is to provide a waste collecting vehicle wherein the volume of the non-compactor compartments may be manually adjusted by the operator by manually displacing walls.
The invention in its general form will first be described, and then its implementation in terms of specific embodiments will be detailed with reference to the drawings following hereafter. These embodiments are intended to demonstrate the principle of the invention, and the manner of its implementation. The invention in its broadest and more specific forms will then be further described, and defined, in each of the individual claims which conclude this Specification.

Double action compactor with fixed sub-compartments


In an emulation system including first and second peripheral emulators, the second peripheral emulator having a conventional peripheral circuit and an additional peripheral circuit is additionally provided with an input/output switching circuit for switching over the input/output signal between the additional peripheral circuit and a peripheral circuit of the first peripheral emulator. Thus, it is possible to select, as the signal to be supplied to the additional peripheral circuit, either the signal supplied through an external terminal from the first peripheral emulator or the signal outputted from the conventional peripheral circuit, and simultaneously, it is also possible to selectively supply the signal outputted from the additional peripheral circuit, either to the first peripheral emulator through the external terminal, or to the conventional peripheral circuit. Thus, it is possible to access the additional peripheral circuit as the additional function of the peripheral circuit internally provided in the first peripheral emulator. Therefore, a product having an additional function added to the conventional peripheral circuit, can be emulated without changing the interrupt priority order or level.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to an emulation system, and more specifically to an emulation system used for debugging a software stored in a single-chip microcomputer and the like.
2. Description of related art
Recently, a wide variety of application instruments incorporating a single-chip microcomputer therein have been reduced into practice. With this tendency, a wide variety of single-chip microcomputers to be incorporated into the application instruments have been developed and manufactured on a mass production basis. In this connection, it is a general practice that, prior to development of a single-chip microcomputer, an emulation system is developed for the purpose of verifying an operation of a software used in the single-chip microcomputer to be developed and an operation of the application instrument.
In a single-chip microcomputer to be incorporated into an application instrument, it is an ordinary practice to develop a product which has a central processing unit (CPU) in common to other ones and a peripheral device different from other ones. Accordingly, in order to emulate a target product, an emulation system is constituted of a CPU emulator for carrying out emulation of the common CPU, and a peripheral emulator for carrying out emulation of the peripheral device. Therefore, for each different application instrument, the emulation is carried out by changing only the peripheral emulator. Thus, a single-chip microcomputer which can be used for a wide variety of application instruments, can be emulated.
However, for a wide variety of application instruments, it is not so effective to develop one peripheral emulator for each one product. Therefore, one approach has been often used to provide an emulation circuit internally in a single-chip microcomputer to be incorporated in the application instruments, and to control it by a signal supplied from an external, so as to cause it to function as a peripheral emulator. In this case, ten and a few external terminals are required to transfer interface signals between the CPU emulator and the peripheral emulator, and therefore, it actually becomes impossible to conduct the emulation operation while using these external terminals as an input/output port.
In order to overcome this problem, it has been proposed to use a plurality of peripheral emulators in combination so that, a function which cannot be emulated because of mutual transfer of interface signals, is compensated for by another peripheral emulator. This example is shown by Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. JP-A-02-130640.
In addition, for a product having a function added to a conventional peripheral circuit, it becomes in some cases that a first peripheral emulator provided for an existing peripheral circuit cannot emulate a peripheral circuit having an additional function. In the case of emulating the peripheral circuit having the additional function, by means of a second peripheral emulator separately added, it is in some cases an indispensable condition that an interrupt control function must be emulated by a single peripheral emulator, dependently upon the nature of the interrupt function. Therefore, if an interrupt request is generated in the inside of the second peripheral emulator which does not execute the emulation of the interrupt control function, the emulation is executed by supplying an interrupt request signal through an external terminal to the first peripheral emulator which executes the emulation of the interrupt control function. This example is shown by Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. JP-A-05-334460.
In this proposal, however, in the case of emulating the peripheral circuit having the additional function by the second peripheral emulator, since the interrupt request signal generated in the second peripheral emulator is supplied through the external terminal to the first peripheral emulator, a priority order and a vector code for the interrupt request signal in question have been previously determined as a matter of course. As a result, the priority order and the vector code for the interrupt request signal generated in the second peripheral emulator are different in an interrupt request processing timing between the emulation system and the actual single-chip microcomputer. Accordingly, in the case of emulating the product having the function added to the conventional peripheral circuit, it is not possible to easily execute the emulation without changing the interrupt priority order and by adding only the additional peripheral emulator.
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a block diagram of the first prior art example of the conventional emulation system.
The shown emulation system includes a CPU emulator 1, peripheral emulators 2 and 3 and a target system 4. The CPU emulator 1 and the peripheral emulators 2 and 3 are coupled to each other through an emulation bus 5. The CPU emulator 1 can access through the emulation bus 5 to a peripheral device internally provided in each of the peripheral emulators 2 and 3. Therefore, the peripheral device internally provided in each of the peripheral emulators 2 and 3 is operated exclusively to each other, by action of the access from the CPU emulator 1. In other words, when a certain peripheral device is emulated, the peripheral function of only one of the peripheral emulators 2 and 3 is accessed.
The CPU emulator 1 has external terminals 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D. The peripheral emulator 2 has external terminals 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, 7E and 7F. The peripheral emulator 3 has external terminals 8B, 8C, 8D, 8E and 8F. In addition to the emulation bus 5, signal lines 9 and 10 are connected between the CPU emulator 1 and the peripheral emulator 2, and a signal line 36 is connected between the peripheral emulator 2 and the peripheral emulator 3. A signal line 12 is connected between the CPU emulator 1 and the target system 4, and a signal line 37 is connected between the target system 4 and the peripheral emulator 2. Signal lines 13 and 14 are connected between the target system 4 and the peripheral emulator 3.
Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a block diagram of the two peripheral emulators 2 and 3 provided in the emulator system shown in FIG. 1.
As shown in FIG. 2, the peripheral emulator 2 includes a CPU 16, a port circuit 17, an interrupt control circuit 18 and a peripheral circuit 19, which are coupled to an internal bus 20. The external terminals 7A and 7B are connected to the interrupt control circuit 18, and the external terminal 7C is coupled to the internal bus 20. The external terminal 7D is connected to the CPU 16, the interrupt control circuit 18 and the peripheral circuit 19, and the external terminal 7F is connected to the port circuit 17. The external terminal 7F is connected to the interrupt control circuit 18.
The external terminal 7D is supplied with an emulation signal 21 for designating whether the peripheral emulator 2 is operated as the single-chip microcomputer or the peripheral emulator. If the emulation signal 21 of a logical "1" level is supplied to the external terminal 7D from the CPU emulator 1, the peripheral emulator 2 is put in a condition of operating as the peripheral emulator. In this condition, the CPU 16 is put into a disabled condition, and on the other hand, the interrupt control circuit 18, the peripheral 19 and the port circuit 17 are put in a condition allowing to be accessed from the CPU emulator 1 through the emulation bus 5 and the external terminal 7C. The port circuit 17 receives and outputs an input/output signal through the external terminal 7E from and to the target system 4, and information is transferred between the port circuit 17 and the internal bus 20. The interrupt control circuit 18 receives an interrupt request signal 15 from the peripheral circuit 19, and interrupt control signals are interfaced through the external terminals 7A and 7B between the CPU emulator 1 and the interrupt control circuit 18.
Thus, in the case of emulating the peripheral circuit 19 internally provided in the peripheral circuit 2, the CPU emulator 1 accesses the peripheral circuit 19 through the emulation bus 5 and the internal bus 20, and input/output signals are transferred between the peripheral circuit 19 and the target system 4 through the internal bus 20 and the external terminal 7E.
When an interrupt is generated internally in the peripheral circuit 19, the interrupt request signal 15 of a logical "1" level is outputted to the interrupt control circuit 18, which in turn discriminates whether or not the generation of the interrupt request signal 15 is permitted, and also discriminates the priority order of the generated interrupt request signal 15. If the generation of the interrupt request signal 15 is permitted, the interrupt control circuit 18 generates the vector code corresponding to the generated interrupt request signal 15, and the generated vector code is supplied through the emulation bus 5 to the CPU emulator 1. In response to this, a processing being executed in the CPU emulator 1 is interrupted, and an interrupt request corresponding to the interrupt request signal 15 from the peripheral circuit 19 is acknowledged, so that the interrupt processing is executed.
On the other hand, the peripheral emulator 3 includes a CPU 22, a port circuit 23, an interrupt control circuit 24, a peripheral circuit 27, and an AND circuit 38, which are connected as shown. The CPU 22, the port circuit 23, the interrupt control circuit 24, and the peripheral circuit 27 are coupled to an internal bus 34. The external terminal 8B is coupled to the internal bus 34. The external terminal 8D is connected to the CPU 22, the interrupt control circuit 24 and the peripheral circuit 27, and the external terminals 8E and 8C are connected to the port circuit 23. The external terminal 8F is connected to an output of the AND circuit 38, which in turn has a pair of inputs connected to the interrupt control circuit 24 and the peripheral circuit 27, respectively.
Similarly to the peripheral emulator 2, the external terminal 8D of the peripheral emulator 3 is supplied with the emulation signal 35 for designating whether the peripheral emulator 3 is operated as the single-chip microcomputer or the peripheral emulator. If the emulation signal 35 of a logical "1" level is supplied to the external terminal 8D from the CPU emulator 1, the peripheral emulator 3 is put in a condition of operating as the peripheral emulator. In this condition, the CPU 22 is put into a disabled condition, and on the other hand, the interrupt control circuit 24, the peripheral circuit 27 and the port circuit 23 are put in a condition allowing to be accessed from the CPU emulator 1 through the emulation bus S and the external terminal 8B. The port circuit 23 receives and outputs input/output signals through the external terminals 8C and 8E from and to the target system 4, and information is transferred between the port circuit 23 and the internal bus 20.
If an interrupt request signal 39 is generated in the peripheral circuit 27, the interrupt request signal 39 is transferred through the AND circuit 38 to the external terminal 8F, and furthermore, is supplied through the signal line 36 and the external terminal 7F to the interrupt control circuit 18 of the peripheral emulator 2. In the interrupt control circuit 18 of the peripheral emulator 2, the interrupt request signal 39 supplied from the peripheral emulator 3 is discriminated as an interrupt request signal having the interrupt priority order and the vector code of the external terminal 7F, similarly to the interrupt requested generated in the inside of the peripheral emulator 2, and then, a corresponding interrupt processing is conducted. Thus, the peripheral emulator 3 carries out the emulation of an peripheral circuit which is not internally provided in the peripheral emulator 2 or the peripheral circuit having a priority order different from that of the peripheral circuit 19 internally provided in the peripheral emulator 2.
Next, explanation will be made on an emulation of a peripheral circuit having an added function. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a second prior art example of the conventional emulation system using a peripheral circuit internally provided in the peripheral emulator 2. In FIG. 3, elements similar to those shown in FIG. 1 are given the same Reference Numerals.
As shown in FIG. 3, this emulation system includes the CPU emulator 1, the peripheral emulators 2 and 3, the target system 4, and an additional circuit 40. Since the emulation of the peripheral device in this second prior art example is the same as that of the first prior art example shown in FIG. 1, explanation thereof will be omitted. Explanation will be focused on an emulation operation of the added function using the additional circuit 40 for multiplexing the input/output signals of the conventional peripheral circuit, as an additional function to the conventional peripheral circuit.
In the system shown in FIG. 3, since the peripheral circuit 19 internally provided in the peripheral emulator 2 does not comply with an emulation of the additional function, an emulation function is realized by the CPU emulator 1, the peripheral emulators 2 and 3, the target system 4, the emulation bus 5 and the additional circuit 40 corresponding to the additional function. The peripheral emulators 2 and 3 are provided with external terminals 7E and 7G and 8G and 8H, respectively, as external terminals for control signals for the additional circuit 40. These external terminals 7E and 7G and 8G and 8H are connected to the additional circuit 40 through signal lines 41, 42, 43 and 44, respectively.
As mentioned above, in order to execute the emulation by using the peripheral circuit 19 internally provided in the peripheral emulator 2, since the peripheral circuit 19 itself does not comply with the emulation of the additional function, it is necessary to provide the additional circuit 40. However, in order to transfer the signals for controlling the additional circuit 40, at least four external terminals are required, and therefore, it is practically impossible to execute the emulation while using these external terminals as the input/output port.
Under this circumstance, in the case of executing the emulation of the peripheral circuit having the added function, by use of the peripheral emulator 3, the interrupt request signal 39 generated in the peripheral circuit 27 internally provided in the peripheral emulator 3 is supplied through the external terminal 8F to the interrupt control circuit 18 of the peripheral emulator 2, similarly to the prior art example shown in FIG. 1. However, the interrupt priority order and the vector code of the conventional peripheral circuit are different from the interrupt priority order and the vector code of the peripheral circuit having the added function. This means that the timing of the interrupt processing in the emulation is different from the timing of the interrupt processing in an actual single-chip microcomputer.
As mentioned above, since one set of the interrupt priority order and the vector code are generated for each one interrupt request signal, it is impossible to execute the emulation of the peripheral circuit having the function added to the conventional peripheral circuit, without changing the priority order of the interrupt for the purpose of maintaining succession of a user's software. Therefore, it is impossible to emulate the peripheral circuit having the added function, by only addition of the peripheral emulator.


A circumferential ablation catheter is provided, which is particularly useful for treating atrial arrhythmia by ablating a substantial portion of a circumferential region of tissue in a tubular region of or near the heart of a patient. The catheter comprises an elongated tubular catheter body having an outer wall, proximal and distal ends, and at least one lumen extending therethrough. An ablation assembly is mounted at the distal end of the catheter body. The ablation assembly comprises a circumferential ablation element mounted on the distal end of the catheter body, and an inflatable balloon provided in surrounding relation to the circumferential ablation element. The inflatable balloon is adjustable between a radially collapsed position and a radially expanded position. The catheter further comprises a stabilization assembly mounted on the catheter distal to the ablation assembly. The stabilization assembly is designed to contact a plurality of points about an inner circumference of the generally tubular region of or near the heart, and thus serves to stabilize the distal end of the catheter during ablation. The stabilization preferably includes one or more electrodes that can be used for mapping, recording and/or ablating the inner circumference of the generally tubular region of or near the heart.

Cardiac arrhythmias, and atrial fibrillation in particular, persist as common and dangerous medical ailments, especially in the aging population. In patients with normal sinus rhythm, the heart, which is comprised of atrial, ventricular, and excitatory conduction tissue, is electrically excited to beat in a synchronous, patterned fashion. In patients with cardiac arrhythmias, abnormal regions of cardiac tissue do not follow the synchronous beating cycle associated with normally conductive tissue in patients with sinus rhythm. Instead, the abnormal regions of cardiac tissue aberrantly conduct to adjacent tissue, thereby disrupting the cardiac cycle into an asynchronous cardiac rhythm. Such abnormal conduction has been previously known to occur at various regions of the heart, such as, for example, in the region of the sino-atrial (SA) node, along the conduction pathways of the atrioventricular (AV) node and the Bundle of His, or in the cardiac muscle tissue forming the walls of the ventricular and atrial cardiac chambers.
Cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial arrhythmia, may be of a multiwavelet reentrant type, characterized by multiple asynchronous loops of electrical impulses that are scattered about the atrial chamber and are often self propagating. In the alternative or in addition to the multiwavelet reentrant type, cardiac arrhythmias may also have a focal origin, such as when an isolated region of tissue in an atrium fires autonomously in a rapid, repetitive fashion.
A host of clinical conditions may result from the irregular cardiac function and resulting hemodynamic abnormalities associated with atrial fibrillation, including stroke, heart failure, and other thromboembolic events. In fact, atrial fibrillation is believed to be a significant cause of cerebral stroke, wherein the abnormal hemodynamics in the left atrium caused by the fibrillatory wall motion precipitate the formation of thrombus within the atrial chamber. A thromboembolism is ultimately dislodged into the left ventricle, which thereafter pumps the embolism into the cerebral circulation where a stroke results. Accordingly, numerous procedures for treating atrial arrhythmias have been developed, including pharmacological, surgical, and catheter ablation procedures.
Several pharmacological approaches intended to remedy or otherwise treat atrial arrhythmias have been disclosed, although such pharmacological solutions are not generally believed to be entirely effective in many cases, and may in some cases result in proarrhythmia and long term inefficacy. Several surgical approaches have also been developed with the intention of treating atrial fibrillation. One particular example is known as the "maze procedure," as is disclosed by Cox, J L et al. in "The surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation. I. Summary" Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 101(3), pp. 402-405 (1991). In general, the "maze" procedure is designed to relieve atrial arrhythmia by restoring effective atrial systole and sinus node control through a prescribed pattern of incisions about the tissue wall. In the early clinical experiences reported, the "maze" procedure included surgical incisions in both the right and the left atrial chambers. However, more recent reports predict that the surgical "maze" procedure may be substantially efficacious when performed only in the left atrium.
The "maze procedure" as performed in the left atrium generally includes forming vertical incisions from the two superior pulmonary veins and terminating in the region of the mitral valve annulus, traversing the inferior pulmonary veins en route. An additional horizontal line also connects the superior ends of the two vertical incisions. Thus, the atrial wall region bordered by the pulmonary vein ostia is isolated from the other atrial tissue. In this process, the mechanical sectioning of atrial tissue eliminates the precipitating conduction to the atrial arrhythmia by creating conduction blocks within the aberrant electrical conduction pathways.
While the "maze" procedure as reported by Cox and others has met some success in treating patients with atrial arrhythmia, its highly invasive methodology is believed to be prohibitive in most cases. However, these procedures have provided a guiding principle that mechanically isolating faulty cardiac tissue may successfully prevent atrial arrhythmia, and particularly atrial fibrillation caused by perpetually wandering reentrant wavelets or focal regions of arrhythmogenic conduction.
Success with surgical interventions through atrial segmentation, particularly with regard to the surgical "maze" procedure just described, has inspired the development of less invasive catheter-based approaches to treat atrial fibrillation through cardiac tissue ablation. Examples of such catheter-based devices and treatment methods have generally targeted atrial segmentation with ablation catheter devices and methods adapted to form linear or curvilinear lesions in the wall tissue which defines the atrial chambers, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,854 to Munsif, U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,591 to Jang et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,385 to Avitall, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,609 to Swanson, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. The use of particular guiding sheath designs for use in ablation procedures in both the right and/or left atrial chambers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,427,119, 5,497,119, 5,564,440, and 5,575,766 to Swartz et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. In addition, various energy delivery modalities have been disclosed for forming such atrial wall lesions, and include use of microwave, laser, and more commonly, radiofrequency energies to create conduction blocks along the cardiac tissue wall, as disclosed in WO 93/20767 to Stem et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,393 to Isner et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,766 to Swartz et al, respectively, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
In addition to attempting atrial wall segmentation with long linear lesions for treating atrial arrhythmia, ablation catheter devices and methods have also been disclosed that are intended to ablate arrhythmogenic tissue of the left-sided accessory pathways, such as those associated with the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, through the wall of an adjacent region along the coronary sinus. For example, Fram et al., in "Feasibility of RF Powered Thermal Balloon Ablation of Atrioventricular Bypass Tracts via the Coronary Sinus: In vivo Canine Studies," PACE, Vol. 18, p 1518-1530 (1995), disclose attempted thermal ablation of left-sided accessory pathways in Jo dogs using a balloon that is heated with bipolar radiofrequency electrodes positioned within the balloon. Additional examples of cardiac tissue ablation from the region of the coronary sinus for the purpose of treating particular types of cardiac arrhythmias are disclosed in: "Long-term effects of percutaneous laser balloon ablation from the canine coronary sinus", Schuger C D et al., Circulation (1992) 86:947-954; and "Percutaneous laser balloon coagulation of accessory pathways", McMath L P et al., Diagn Ther Cardiovasc Interven 1991; 1425:165-171.
Less-invasive percutaneous catheter ablation techniques have been disclosed which use end-electrode catheter designs with the intention of ablating and thereby treating focal arrhythmias in the pulmonary veins. These ablation procedures are typically characterized by the incremental application of electrical energy to the tissue to form focal lesions designed to interrupt the inappropriate conduction pathways. One example of a focal ablation method intended to destroy and thereby treat focal arrhythmia originating from a pulmonary vein is disclosed by Haissaguerre, et al. in "Right and Left Atrial Radiofrequency Catheter Therapy of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation" in Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology 7(12), pp. 1132-1144 (1996). In another focal ablation example, Jais et al. in "A focal source of atrial fibrillation treated by discrete radiofrequency ablation" Circulation 95:572-576 (1997) applies an ablative technique to patients with paroxysmal arrhythmias originating from a focal source.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,024,740 and 6,117,101 disclose catheters for ablating a circumferential lesion in the pulmonary vein or other region. The catheters include a circumferential ablation element comprising an expandable balloon and an ablation element, such as an ultrasound transducer, coupled to the expandable balloon. The ablation element couples to the balloon's outer skin to ablate a circumferential path of tissue engaged to the balloon. This arrangement has been found effective for creating the desired circumferential ablation. However, it would be desirable to provide a mechanism to enhance stabilization of the ablation element in the pulmonary vein or other region. It would also be desirable to provide a mechanism for mapping and/or recording electrical activity in the region to be ablated, both before and after ablation.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Ablation catheter having stabilizing array


A balanced cleaning apparatus that advantageously contains a carrying handle, a dust pan and a bucket wherein the dustpan and the bucket are carried at the two ends of the carrying handle in a balanced position.

In the cleaning or janitorial service for either homes or offices, a bucket, a dustpan, and a broom are the most frequently used cleaning tools. The bucket is normally used for containing a cleaning solution, or to hold refuse material, while the dustpan is used to sweep up refuse material from the floor. In order to carry out an efficient cleaning operation, a person must carry the dustpan, the bucket in each one of his two hands which makes it awkward to carry any other cleaning tool, such as a broom. While a cleaning cart, or a wheeled cart can be used to hold all the cleaning tools and utensils, it is expensive and bulky and cannot be easily transported up or down the stairs.
It is desirable to provide a cleaning apparatus that can be used to easily carry several cleaning tools or utensils at the same time without occupying both hands of a cleaning person.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a balanced cleaning apparatus which does not have the drawbacks or shortcomings of the conventional cleaning tools.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a balanced cleaning apparatus wherein a carrying handle is used to carry and transport at least two cleaning tools single-handedly by a cleaning person.
It is another further object of the present to provide a balanced cleaning apparatus wherein a carrying handle is used to carry both a bucket and a dustpan by a cleaning person in one hand.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a balanced cleaning apparatus wherein a cleaning person can carry a bucket and a dustpan in one hand, while still able to carry a broom in the other hand.


A wind blocking device having a heat reflective interior for protecting a user from exposure to wind while concurrently providing heat reflection from a campfire or other associated energy source. The device includes a foldable array of panel members laterally coupled and hinged to adjacent panel members at lateral points of attachment. The array of panels may accordingly be unfolded into a vertical panel array having an interior containment surface of generally concave configuration. An opposing, generally convex exterior wind blocking surface of the array of panels shields the user from wind chill and loss of heat by radiation. A plurality of ground support panels are coupled to a base edge of the panel array with hinge means for enabling the ground support panels to be extended at right angles to provide a stable support platform to maintain the array of panels in an assembled, vertical orientation. An heat reflective surface applied to the interior containment surface operates to reflect radiant heat toward the user when oriented toward a campfire. Structural attachment means are provided for attaching the vertical panel array to a chair to be positioned between the campfire and the vertical panel array.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wind block or shield device useful in the outdoors to partially surround a seated individual and block wind chill from at least three sides. More particularly, the present invention pertains to an inexpensive wind shield structure which also provides reflection of heat from an adjacent camp fire.
2. Prior Art
Preserving body heat when in the outdoors is often a challenge. Typical preventative measures against cold are to dress and insulate the body with various types of clothing that capture body heat. Although this solution is certainly the most common, there are situations where campers or other outdoor enthusiasts don't wish to be burdened with bulky coats and blankets. Alternatively, thermal underclothing may not always be suitable because changes in temperature may result in excess warmth, leading to sweating and other uncomfortable body adaptations. Changing cloths or adding thermal underwear may not always be convenient, particularly in mixed company.
The inconvenience of such changing conditions are often magnified when using an open fire for warmth and rustic atmosphere. In this situation, the body absorbs heat where exposed to the fire, but radiates heat where unexposed portions of the body are unprotected. This creates the common experience of being hot on one side, and cold on the other. Typical solutions have been to rotate exposure of the body at regular intervals in front of the fire; however, this experience is usually controlled by becoming too hot, then too cold, again hot, etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,468 by Powell discloses a portable screen having a reflective side which can be positioned behind the camper to reflect radiant heat from the fire. Accordingly, direct heat provides warmth to portions of the body that are oriented toward the fire, whereas reflective heat is available to nonexposed areas. The screen is extended on spring biased arms to form a concave reflecting surface around the camper and oriented toward a camp fire. A support pole couples to the arms to give the desired vertical stability, and the points of contact with the ground are anchored with spikes. Although a degree of heat reflective quality is realized, the construction is complex and difficult to assemble. Furthermore, protection as a wind shield operates only from a single side. The device must also be spiked to the ground to prevent displacement even by a slight breeze.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,919 by Kelly provides a second approach to reflective sheeting for use with a campfire. In this case, a flat panel is hung at one end from a top rim of a lawn chair, and is attached at an opposing side to a forward horizontal ground bar on the front legs of the chair. When suspended vertically from the chair, the panel forms a lower reflective surface that redirects heat towards a back reflective panel which redirects the energy to the seat back. This approach offers an inexpensive solution to the limited case of a lawn chair, but shares the same drawbacks as the Powell patent in that it operates with respect to a single direction. Furthermore, its warming influence is generally directed to the chair back, and not to the lower portion of the body. Neither does it have universal application to any campfire utility. Indeed, its disclosed utility is limited to a lawn chair configuration which already provides some wind block from the back of the user.
What is needed therefore is a wind shield which offers multidirectional functionality in any situation, even without a chair or other support device.


A combustion powered linear actuator features an actuator body having a first chamber therein and a power piston mounted in the first chamber movable between retracted and extended positions. The power piston has a combustion chamber therein. A first seal about the piston seals the piston with respect to the actuator body. A vent region in the body of increased diameter allows exhaust gases to bypass the first seal and flow into a space between the piston and the actuator body and to then vent out of the actuator body. A second seal proximate the distal end of the actuator body cooperates with another piston seal to seal the annular region when the piston is retracted. The vent region may include a vent gland in the first chamber about the piston defining a vent chamber between the actuator body and the vent gland.

Hopping robots are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,263,955; 7,775,305; 6,247,546; and 6,328,002 as well as in pending application Ser. No. 13/066,276 filed Apr. 11, 2011, all of which are incorporated herein by this reference. A combustion powered linear actuator is used to provide hopping mobility
In the designs of U.S. Pat. No. 7,263,955, the actuator piston is releasably latched to the actuator body via a magnet which is exposed to the environment can become fouled when the piston extends. In cases where the piston cannot be retracted or will not stay in the retracted position because of magnet fouling, operation of the robot via a hopping action would be hindered.
Moreover, the combustion gas exhaust ports of the designs depicted in the '995 patent are not sealed when the piston is retracted which can lead to contamination of the components of the actuator in harsh environments. Such contamination may result in a failure to function and premature wear.

Environmentally sealed combustion powered linear actuator


A spacer block (3) for an elongated substrate (1) on the inside of an elongated tube (2) comprises an internal ring (3a) which surrounds the elongated material, an external ring (3b) which is surrounded by the elongated tube (2), where the outside diameter of the internal ring (3a) is smaller than the inside diameter of the external ring (3b), and the internal and the external ring (3a, 3b) are interconnected by at least three spoke-type elements (3c) made of fiber material, which are uniformly spaced around the circumference.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a spacer block for an elongated substrate on the inside of an elongated tube, as well as a coaxial tube system with such a spacer block.
The invention begins with the following idea: An optimum thermal insulation for cryogenics is achieved by a multilayer foil insulation in high vacuum (superinsulation). By minimizing the components Q.sub.Gas, Q.sub.FK and Q.sub.Rad, the total heat flow is thereby brought to the lowest possible technical value so far. The heat loss flows Q.sub.Gas are reduced by creating a vacuum in the insulation space.
The solid heat bridges created by spacer blocks e.g., which are responsible for Q.sub.FK, are constructively reduced by minimizing the solid-state contact flows.
The radiation losses Q.sub.Rad are reduced by mirror-coating the internal walls or by installing highly reflective foils.
Especially with flexible, vacuum-insulated cryogenic conduits, Q.sub.FK plays a decisive role. In order for the cold internal tube not to have any direct contact with the external tube which is at room temperature, spacer blocks were used in various constructions until now. They must be able to transmit as large a force component as possible, but must have the characteristics of low thermal conductivity in the same measure. The known spacer blocks have the disadvantage that they do not attain the two required targets to the same degree. If a low thermal conductivity was attained, the mechanical load capacity was small; with a high mechanical load capacity, a very high thermal conductivity had to be taken into consideration.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A tube system made up of two concentric tubes is known from DE-C2-2 136 176, e.g. an electrical cable which operates at deep temperatures, or a tube line for transporting heated or cooled liquid or gaseous media, where the internal tube is kept in position inside the surrounding external tube by spacer blocks having a small volume or mass. The spacer blocks are spaced on the internal tube and are supported by the inside surface of the external tube. The spacer block comprises several slotted rings, where the slot width corresponds to the diameter of the internal tube. A thread element is attached to the slot area of each ring. The rings are interconnected in a way so that they can swivel around a common axis of rotation. When the spacer block is installed on the internal tube, the thread elements lay partly around the internal tube. The external tube is supported by the outside circumference of the spacer block which is formed of the rings. This construction is very small in volume or mass. However, since it is difficult to attach the thread elements to the rings permanently, and the attachment can loosen under a tension stress, this spacer block is less suited for flexible tube systems, because tension or pressure stresses of more than 10,000 N can occur when such flexible tube systems are bent.


A flexible and displaceable wave-energy dissipation system includes a number of wave-energy dissipating system cells arranged forming a cell-type network. The system further includes one or more anchors securing the system to a floor or foundation site beneath a water body. Each anchor can include a vertical structural element securable to a plurality of concrete platforms or caps. The system cell can include one or more wave-energy dissipating units including a respective buoy. The buoys can be height-adjustable. Chains or other flexible links may connect the buoys to the anchors in various directions. The wave-energy dissipating units, when connected to one another, create a movable, wave-energy dissipating structure.

A common misconception is that water travels in waves. Contrary to popular belief, energy is what travels within the waves with the potential to travel across an entire ocean basin, if not obstructed. The formation of waves is most commonly caused by wind, and such waves caused by wind are referred to as wind-driven waves, or surface waves. This type of wave is created by the friction between the wind and surface water. As the wind blows across the water surface, whether it be a lake or an ocean, the continual disturbance provided by the wind creates a wave crest. The faster the wind speed, the longer the duration of wind, and fetch (i.e., length of the water over which a given wind has blown), the larger the wave. Waves can also be formed through the gravitational pull of the sun and moon on the earth. These waves are tides or, otherwise known as, tidal waves. The ebb and flow of waves and tides are the life force of our world's ocean.
Mankind's desire to build structures along the coastline, however, has resulted in a troubling issue for many investors, homeowners, and business owners as they have to deal with the natural erosion process caused by waves. The many types of human-built structures that can be found on the coastline, such as lighthouses, commercial shopping ports, hotels, recreational marinas, apartments, and houses all face similar difficulties. Without constant protection from the erosion process caused by waves, these human-built structures, investments, and homes could be damaged or lost for good.
As a result, there have been many attempts at mitigating the erosion process caused by waves. One common approach is through the use of rigid barriers or structures built on a coastline floor or foundation site, generally parallel to the coast, and configured to partially block the passing of waves therethrough towards the coast. Such rigid structures, however, are often costly and have a negative visual impact on the coastline, and are therefore often undesirable.
Other known wave-dissipating solutions are known as (breakwater) geotubes, a UV-stabilized geotextile, permeable fabric that is woven in the shape of a large filtering tube. The tube is equipped to retain sand, while allowing water to filter and flow. Geotubes are particularly useful in areas prone to erosion during short periods of time. The approach of using geotubes long term, however, has its drawbacks. Over an extended period of time, geotubes tend to generate ecological problems. For example, they have been found to inhibit underwater currents that generate vital movement on the sea floor, which, in turn, causes damage to the surrounding area's marine ecosystem. Geotubes are also unsuitable for large waves, and are susceptible to perforation through vandalism or overextended use. The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) have predominantly considered the application of geotubes in areas that are both shallow and known for having a small tide range (i.e., minimal difference between high and low tide).
Another solution used to combat shoreline erosion is with the use of a jetty. Jetties are long structures that are built perpendicular to the shoreline and extend out into the ocean. They are typically constructed of timber, stone, concrete, or steel. However, jetties, similar to geotubes, have their own set of drawbacks. While they trap sediment on the updrift in shoreline accretion, there is corresponding shoreline erosion on the downdrift side due to the interruption in longshore transport. Jetties can also hinder recreational use of coastal areas, and can cause adverse ecological effects, not to mention the visual impact they provide to the surrounding environment.
The fact that conventional wave-limiting systems are not problem-free has led science and the industry to search for additional alternative means to combat shoreline erosion. For instance, some have tried to use a plurality of individually constrained buoys with outwardly-projecting fins configured to lessen the amplitude of the waves. Others have opted to utilize floating rigid barriers to dissipate the energy provided by waves. All of them, however, continue to have their own set of drawbacks and limitations.
Accordingly, there is a substantial need for a wave-energy dissipation system that focuses on dissipating the amplitude of water waves to reduce the energy carried by said waves before reaching a shoreline to prevent beach and/or marina erosion, all the while preserving the surrounding marine ecosystem.


A method of providing a family of integrated circuits (ICs) includes applying a first product selection code (PSC) to a first IC die, applying a second PSC to a second IC die, and providing a third packaged IC die. The first IC die includes first and second portions, both of which are operational based on the first PSC. The second IC die is a duplicate of the first die, but the second portion is rendered non-operational by the second PSC. The third IC die is substantially similar to the first portion of the first die. The second and third packages can be the same and the packaged dies can be interchangeable in a system. When the dies are programmable logic device (PLD) dies, the second and third dies use the same configuration bit stream, which may be smaller than the configuration bit stream for the first IC die.

Programmable logic devices (PLDs) are a well-known type of integrated circuit that can be programmed to perform specified logic functions. One type of PLD, the field programmable gate array (FPGA), typically includes an array of programmable tiles. These programmable tiles can include, for example, input/output blocks (IOBs), configurable logic blocks (CLBs), dedicated random access memory blocks (BRAM), multipliers, digital signal processing blocks (DSPs), processors, clock managers, delay lock loops (DLLs), and so forth.
Each programmable tile typically includes both programmable interconnect and programmable logic. The programmable interconnect typically includes a large number of interconnect lines of varying lengths interconnected by programmable interconnect points (PIPs). The programmable logic implements the logic of a user design using programmable elements that can include, for example, function generators, registers, arithmetic logic, and so forth.
The programmable interconnect and programmable logic are typically programmed by loading a stream of configuration data into internal configuration memory cells that define how the programmable elements are configured. The configuration data can be read from memory (e.g., from an external PROM) or written into the FPGA by an external device. The collective states of the individual memory cells then determine the function of the FPGA.
Another type of PLD is the Complex Programmable Logic Device, or CPLD. A CPLD includes two or more "function blocks" connected together and to input/output (I/O) resources by an interconnect switch matrix. Each function block of the CPLD includes a two-level AND/OR structure similar to those used in Programmable Logic Arrays (PLAs) and Programmable Array Logic (PAL) devices. In CPLDs, configuration data is typically stored on-chip in non-volatile memory. In some CPLDs, configuration data is stored on-chip in non-volatile memory, then downloaded to volatile memory as part of an initial configuration sequence.
For all of these programmable logic devices (PLDs), the functionality of the device is controlled by data bits provided to the device for that purpose. The data bits can be stored in volatile memory (e.g., static memory cells, as in FPGAs and some CPLDs), in non-volatile memory (e.g., FLASH memory, as in some CPLDs), or in any other type of memory cell.
Other PLDs are programmed by applying a processing layer, such as a metal layer, that programmably interconnects the various elements on the device. These PLDs are known as mask programmable devices. PLDs can also be implemented in other ways, e.g., using fuse or antifuse technology. The terms "PLD" and "programmable logic device" include but are not limited to these exemplary devices, as well as encompassing devices that are only partially programmable. For example, one type of PLD includes a combination of hard-coded transistor logic and a programmable switch fabric that programmably interconnects the hard-coded transistor logic.
PLD providers typically provide "families" of PLDs, i.e., groups of related PLD products of different sizes. For example, a family of PLDs might all use the same basic tile, but include different numbers of the tiles, so they have different logic capacities. Therefore, a PLD user does not need to pay for a PLD with a much larger capacity than he or she actually requires to implement a particular design. A typical method of generating a family of PLDs is to first manufacture the family member having the greatest anticipated customer demand. Once the first family member has been debugged and characterized and is deemed to meet the product specifications, other family members are manufactured, e.g., with each new family member being different from the one before. Each new member of the PLD family requires a new mask set, at a cost that can exceed one million dollars per mask set. Therefore, purchasing mask sets for a family of PLDs can be very costly.
It is desirable to provide structures and methods that can reduce the cost of manufacturing families of PLDs and/or other integrated circuits (ICs). It is also desirable to provide structures and methods that can reduce the production cost of an individual IC included in such a family.

Methods of providing families of integrated circuits with similar dies partially disabled using product selection codes


A targeting system for a portable image reader, which advantageously combines a number of functions including alignment, aiming, framing and range finding and provides a wide imaging range with an optimal field of view, is described. The targeting system projects a predetermined pattern having two or more components onto the target such that the components maintain a uniform distance between one another to bound the target and further vary in size as a function of their distance between the image reader and the target. The targeting system comprises targeting LED's, apertures positioned over the targeting LED's, and cylindrical lenses positioned over the apertures. With this arrangement, at least two vertical lines are projected onto a target such that the lines maintain a uniform distance apart from one another, but vary in length as a function of the reader distance from the target. This allows the operator to quickly position the imaging device over a target.

Image reading devices of the type that allow optimal imaging distances, include a targeting scheme of some kind useful solely in aligning the image reader to the target, to obtain an optimal imaging distance from the target. Most of these techniques project a pattern onto the target from a targeting LED or laser diode. An aperture and IR light shaping optics are often used to project a pattern onto the target as an aid to the human operator to correctly position the image reader based on the targeting pattern.
The operator moves the image reader until targeting lines or dots converge at a predefined point, which relates to the point at which an acceptable image can be acquired. An acceptable image may be defined as one that contains sufficient resolution for post-processing. With this method, if the initial operating position is not correct it may be difficult for the operator to determine which direction the device must be moved in order to get into range. Further, with this method, the operator will perceive they can only capture an image at the predetermined distance at which the lines or dots converge, even though an acceptable image could potentially be acquired some distance before or beyond that point.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,385,352, which issued to Roustaei on May 7th 2002, details a technique whereby a cylindrical lens is positioned over the targeting LED's to project a vertical line to frame the target. This technique however does not disclose apparatus for shaping the light emitted from the targeting LED's or for compensating for the resulting growth caused by the magnification of the line as the image reader is moved too close, or the shrinking of the line as it is moved away.
U.S. patent application Publication 2003/0019934, which was filed by Hunter on Mar. 7th 2002 and published on Jan. 30th 2003, discloses a method using an aperture positioned over the targeting LED's to project a line pattern onto the target. These lines however, are projected laterally (horizontally) and do not bound the target. With this technique, it would be difficult to intuit the direction to move the image reader, as the patterns simply form a line across the target. In an imaging solution, this technique is particularly unsuitable, as the human operator would have difficulty in aligning the centre of the target with the line pattern.
Therefore there is a need for a targeting system, which provides an operator with intuitive information on which direction to move the portable image capturing device in order to achieve a successful decode. It would also be desirable for the targeting system to provide this intuitive information within the parameters of the entire imaging range of the device.

Targeting system for a portable image reader


The invention relates to RF voltage-operated ion guides based on stacked apertured diaphragms. The invention provides ion guides consisting of diaphragm stacks that permit the ion beam to be shaped in cross-section so that it corresponds to the acceptance profile of the subsequent section of the device, therefore yielding optimal ion transmission. For this purpose, at least some of the diaphragms in the diaphragm stacks do not have circular openings, but instead have openings which shape the cross section of the emerging ion beam in the desired manner. It is possible, for instance, to obtain elliptical beam cross sections, divided beams or beams focused to the shape of a fine thread at the output of the diaphragm stacks.

Most ion guides consist of multipole structures, extending longitudinally, having rod-shaped pole pieces. Their disadvantage is that they do not actively drive the ions forward without complicated additional measures. For this reason, ion guides consisting of stacked diaphragms with circular apertures (known as "stacked rings") are sometimes used for special purposes; an axial DC or modulated potential gradient permits the ions to be driven forward actively. Examples of this include ion funnels used to capture the ions from a gas flowing into the vacuum, collision cells with diaphragms of constant internal diameter and with active forward drive ("ion tunnels"), and ion packeting equipment using a traveling wave field to provide a forward drive of an ion beam with a desired time profile of ion density.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,107,628 (R. D. Smith and S. A. Shaffer) elucidates an arrangement of an ion funnel in which ions are extracted from a stream of gas and are directed to the output opening that leads to the next differential pump stage. The ion yield is significantly greater than when simple skimmer diaphragms are used. This ion funnel represents a special case of the general description of ion guides in U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,035 (J. Franzen), in which, among other embodiments, arrangements of stacked rings have already been described, operated at radio frequency voltages (RF) with an axial direct current (DC) potential gradient and with both cylindrical or conical internal open space.
Diaphragm stacks in the form of ion funnels are being used more and more frequently instead of the gas skimmers usually applied. The ion funnel consists of a package of coaxially arranged diaphragms having circular apertures, in which the diameters of the circular holes diminishes increasingly toward the central exit hole that leads into the next chamber. The diaphragms are stacked with relatively small spaces between the apertured diaphragms. This creates the shape of a funnel inside the stack of diaphragms. Gas with entrained ions from an ion source that is external to the vacuum is blown through an inlet opening into the vacuum system, or through an inlet capillary, into the open ion funnel. The wall of the ion funnel is highly permeable to gas, as it is formed from the faces of the apertured diaphragms with the open spaces between them. The gas escapes through the spaces between the apertured diaphragms, and is removed by a vacuum pump. Only very little gas enters the next chamber of the differential pump system through the small exit opening.
Both phases of an RF voltage (several hundred kilohertz up to several megahertz; a few hundred volts) are applied alternately to the apertured diaphragms. This repels the ions from the inner funnel wall. The method of operation and the effect of this repelling pseudopotential are described in detail in the quoted patent specification, U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,035. The ions are thus prevented from being drawn away through the intermediate spaces between the apertured diaphragms by the escaping gas stream. The ions are separated out. In addition, a graded DC voltage (a few tens of volts in total) is applied to the apertured diaphragms to create a potential gradient along the axis of the stack of diaphragms. This forces the mobile ions through the highly rarefied gas in the ion funnel toward the exit hole.
The system of annular diaphragms, including the ion funnel, has the advantage of actively driving the ions forward to the exit of the annular diaphragm system. They have, however, the disadvantage that, even in the presence of a cooling damping gas, the ions are not collected along the axis of the annular diaphragm system, since the pseudo-force that repels the ions only exerts its effect close to the outer wall of the cylinder or cone created by the diaphragm openings. The ions therefore fill the entire internal space of the cylinder or cone. If this space is densely filled with ions, the Coulomb repulsion ("space charge effect") will even increasingly drive the ions against the pseudopotential wall, whereas the part of the internal space that is close to the axis has a lower ion density.
The repelling effect of the walls around the interior space is, moreover, different for ions with different specific masses. "Specific mass" here refers to the ratio of mass to charge. For heavy ions (ions with high specific masses) the ions are only reflected when close to the wall, whereas lighter ions are reflected at a greater distance from the wall.
The embodiment of the ion funnel that has become familiar is particularly disadvantageous from this point of view. The published embodiment has the disadvantage that only a relatively narrow band of specific masses passes through. If the diaphragm openings at the final exit are very small, the pseudopotential from the walls of the narrow channel overlap, and the rise in the overlapping pseudopotential reflects light ions back into the funnel; they cannot leave the funnel. Additionally, the pseudopotential along the axis of the ion funnel displays ripples with potential wells, which collect ions inside and can only be emptied if the axial potential gradient has a certain minimum value. On the other hand, too much gas will enter into the next differential pump stage if the diaphragm openings at the final exit of the funnel are too large. If large diaphragm openings are followed by an extraction lens with narrow openings to extract the ions from the ion funnel, the heavy ions cannot be extracted if the space charge is high, since they will be driven outward to the walls of the funnel and escape the drawing field of the extraction lens, which can only effectively extract ions out from the axis.
One solution that is already known is an ion funnel that consists of annular diaphragms each of which is divided into four quadrants, wherein the four quadrants of each annular diaphragm alternately carry the two phases of the RF voltage. The next annular diaphragm then carries the phases of the RF voltage crosswise. Manufacture of this quadrant funnel is, however, extraordinarily difficult and expensive.
The individual guiding elements of the mass spectrometer through which the ions are to pass generally have very sharply defined acceptance cross sections for incoming ions, different as well for the distribution of directions as for the energy distribution of the ions available in the ion beam. The beam cross section in particular can generate high or low transmission of ions into the next section. For example, the literature describes a very narrow, elliptical acceptance cross section for a quadrupole filter. The narrow acceptance cross section extends between the two pole pieces that carry the DC voltage that attracts the ions. In contrast, a time-of-flight mass spectrometer with orthogonal injection of the ions into an ion pulser requires a very narrow ion beam, close to the axis, and with the most homogeneous distribution of directions and energies that can be achieved. These requirements cannot be satisfied by the stack of annular diaphragms constructed in the manner known at present, even though the possibility of actively driving the ions in the axial direction is a strong factor in favor of the use of diaphragm stacks.


Structures including a grating coupler and methods of fabricating such structures. The structure includes a waveguide core, a bend, and a grating coupler coupled to the waveguide core by the bend. The grating coupler includes grating structures that are positioned with a spaced relationship in a layer stack above the bend.

The present invention relates to photonics chips and, more particularly, to structures including a grating coupler and methods of fabricating such structures.
Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) is a laser-mapping technology that measures distance to a target by illuminating the target with pulsed laser light and measuring pulses reflected from the target with a sensor. LIDAR is used in, for example, autonomous robots and self-driving cars. A LIDAR system may be embodied in a photonics chip that integrates optical components, such as waveguides and bends, and electronic components, such as field-effect transistors, into a unified platform. Among other factors, layout area, cost, and operational overhead may be reduced by the integration of both types of components in the photonics chip.
Grating couplers are commonly used in photonics chips to provide antennas in LIDAR systems, as well as to provide antennas in silicon photonics phased arrays. Grating couplers are planar structures that direct laser pulses off-chip at a given emission angle. Due to limitations placed on the emission angle by their planar construction, grating couplers inherently have a restricted vertical field of view. For example, the emission angle out of the plane of a grating coupler may be limited to +/−15 degrees.
Improved structures including a grating coupler and methods of fabricating such structures are needed.
SUMMARY
In an embodiment of the invention, a structure includes a waveguide core, a bend, and a grating coupler coupled to the waveguide core by the bend. The grating coupler includes a plurality of grating structures positioned with a spaced relationship in a layer stack above the bend.
In an embodiment of the invention, a method includes forming a waveguide core, forming a bend, and forming a grating coupler coupled to the waveguide core by the bend. The grating coupler includes a plurality of grating structures positioned with a spaced relationship in a layer stack above the bend.

Non-planar grating couplers for antennas


A torque converter lock-up clutch may be controlled by a lock-up clutch regulator control valve. The valve is utilized to selectively direct a fluid to the torque converter or to a pressure regulator valve. For example, in a hydrodynamic condition of the torque converter, the valve permits fluid to flow to the torque converter. In a lock-up condition of the torque converter, the valve directs fluid to a pressure regulator valve which selectively permits pressure to build in the torque converter.

Torque converters that can selectively lock-up are needed as consumers demand machines that operate at higher efficiency and higher performance. A lock-up torque converter may increase the efficiency and performance of a machine particularly at high operational speeds of the machine.
Typically, a lock-up torque converter has a lock-up plate. The plate is attached at one end portion to the turbine. At the other end of the plate, a friction-type lining, or a clutch system, is provided. The friction-type lining of the plate, or the clutch system, is selectively located in contact with the impeller cover of the torque converter to selectively lock the turbine to the impeller cover. In this manner, torque can be transferred directly from the engine to the turbine shaft and the torque converter function is bypassed.
There are various known methods to control a lock-up torque converter. In one known method, known as a two line method, fluid enters the torque converter between the power-take-off (PTO) shaft and the turbine shaft; fluid leaves the torque converter between the impeller and the stator. When the lock-up plate is engaged, this flow direction reverses.
The two line torque converter has the advantages of utilizing inexpensive parts and being inexpensive to manufacture. The two line torque converter suffers, however, from being difficult to cool down in certain designs and requiring a complex control system.
Open two line torque converters are also known. During hydrodynamic operation of these torque converters, fluid enters the torque converter between the stator and the impeller and between the impeller cover and the lock-up plate. Fluid leaves the torque converter between the stator and turbine. The lock-up plate can be used as described above with the two line torque converter.
Three line torque converters are also known. These torque converters can be disadvantageous as they are have more complex hardware than the two line systems but they can be more easily controlled.
Thus, it would be advantageous to have a two line system that utilizes the relatively simple hardware of the two line system, which is easy to control and which provides optimal function for the complete work range of the torque converter.


A safety brake device for a theatre hoist to prevent the uncontrolled release of a load that is suspended above or below people includes an overrunning clutch and a torque disc. The torque disc only rotates with the overrunning clutch when the load is lowered, but must overcome friction forces applied to the surface of the torque disc to do so. The friction forces are constantly applied to the torque disc by maintaining friction material in contact with the torque disc. The friction material is a non-asbestos, non-metallic composite saturated with a lubricant.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to safety brakes and, more specifically, to a safety brake device applied to theatre hoists that lift and maintain heavy loads suspended.
2. Description of Prior Art
Hoists that lift loads in a vertical direction are used in many industries for a variety of applications. For theatrical settings, athletic and entertainment arenas, overhead lifting with higher safety standards are routinely required because hoists are lifting loads directly over human beings. It is also common for portions of the staging in these theatrical settings to be lifted. Similar safety standards are required in these instances because people may be standing on the portion of the stage being lifted.
Live performances in a theater typically employ a number of curtains and backdrops to convey to the audience different settings, environments, moods, and the like. These curtains and backdrops must be changed throughout the course of a performance within a fairly short time frame without interrupting the performance. Typically this is done by raising a particular backdrop above the stage and out of sight of the audience when it is not being used. When a particular backdrop is needed, it is lowered into place on the stage.
Theatrical backdrops and curtains are typically suspended from battens, which are pipes or trusses that span the width of the stage. Battens can be 20 feet or more in length, depending on the size of the stage. As should be apparent, the weight of the battens and the items suspended from them can have substantial weight. As the weight of the load increases so does the power required to raise the load. Counterweights are employed to balance the load of the batten and its associated load. However, if the load is not closely balanced or if there is a failure in the motorized drive lifting the hoist, the system may get out of control, dropping the load or the counter-weight, causing injury or death to people nearby and/or collateral damage.
Therefore, because of the risk of hoist failure, there is a need for a safety device to prevent the uncontrolled release of heavy loads and staging that are either supported above or below human beings.


A body temperature detector is particularly suited to axillary temperature measurements of adults. The radiation sensor views a target surface area of the body and electronics compute an internal temperature of the body as a function of ambient temperature and sensed surface temperature. The function includes a weighted difference of surface temperature and ambient temperature, the weighting being varied with target temperature to account for varying perfusion rate. Preferably, the coefficient varies from a normal of about 0.13 through a range to include 0.09. The ambient temperature used in the function is assumed at about 80xc2x0 F. but modified with detector temperature weighted by 20%.

In recent years, infrared thermometers have come into wide use for detection of temperature of adults. For core temperature readings, infrared thermometers which are adapted to be inserted into the patient""s ear have been extremely successful. Early infrared thermometers were adapted to extend into the ear canal in order to view the tympanic membrane and provide an uncorrected, direct reading of tympanic temperature which correlates with pulmonary artery temperature. More recently, however, to provide for greater comfort and ease of use, ear thermometers have been designed to provide corrected readings of the generally cooler distal ear canal. Such thermometers measure temperature of distal ear canal tissue and calculate arterial temperature via heat balance.
The arterial heat balance approach is based on a model of heat flow through series thermal resistances from the arterial core temperature to the ear skin temperature and from the ear skin temperature to ambient temperature. Accordingly, after sensing both the skin temperature and ambient temperature, the arterial core temperature can be calculated. The thermal resistance model also allows for computation of equivalent oral and rectal temperatures with the mere adjustment of a weighting factor in the computation.
Infrared ear thermometry has not found such high acceptance for use with neonates. Neonates have a very high moisture level in their ear canals, due to the presence of vernix and residual amniotic fluid, resulting in low ear temperatures because of the associative evaporative cooling. In addition, environmental uncertainties, such as radiant heaters and warming pads can significantly influence the air temperature. Further, clinicians are less inclined to position the tip of an infrared thermometer in the ear of a small neonate.
Infrared thermometers designed for axillary temperature measurements are presented in U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 08/469,484 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,833) and Ser. No. 08/738,300 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,874,736) which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In each of those devices, an infrared detector probe extends from a temperature display housing and may easily slide into the axilla to lightly touch the apex of the axilla and provide an accurate infrared temperature reading in as little as one-half second. The axillary thermometer also relies on the arterial heat balance approach to provide arterial, oral or rectal temperature.
The axillary infrared thermometer has found great utility not only with neonates but as a screening tool in general, and especially for small children where conventional temperature measurements such as a thermometer under the tongue or a rectal thermometer are difficult.
Unfortunately, the accuracy and repeatability of axillary infrared thermometry with neonates has not extended to older patients. The present invention relates to improvements to the axillary infrared thermometer based on clinical research to improve the device for older patients.
In neonates perfusion is high, and in both the ear of adults and the axilla of neonates, perfusion rates are relatively constant since vasomotor functions are minimal. However, with older patients perfusion rates in the axilla are more variable.
In ear and neonate axillary thermometry, the difference between skin temperature and ambient temperature has been weighted by a coefficient approximating h/pc, where h is an empirically determined coefficient which includes a radiation view factor between the skin tissue and ambient, p is perfusion rate and c is blood specific heat. In ear and neonate axillary thermometry, that coefficient was found empirically to be about 0.09 and 0.05, respectively, with only minor variations. However, with greater exposure for heat transfer and higher vasomotor functions, that coefficient has been determined empirically for the adult axillary region to be about 0.13 with much more significant variations.
Further, it has been determined that perfusion rate varies according to the patient""s temperature. Under febrile (fever) conditions, metabolic demand increases and oxygen consumption increases at a rate greater than that required to sustain a temperature, thereby requiring an increase in perfusion and thus reducing the required weighting coefficient. Under normal, afebrile conditions, normal thermal regulation varies skin temperature over a wider range for skin temperature variation of several degrees with core temperature variation of only a few tenths of a degree.
As in prior ear and axillary thermometers, internal core temperature can be computed from the function
Tc=(1+(h/pc)) (Tsxe2x88x92Ta)+Taxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(1)
where Ts and Ta are the skin and ambient temperatures. The function can be seen to include a weighted difference of surface temperature and ambient temperature with a weighting coefficient h/pc.
In accordance with the present invention, a body (i.e., human or animal) temperature detector comprises a radiation sensor which views a target surface area of the body. Electronics in the detector compute an internal temperature of the body as a function of ambient temperature and sensed surface temperature. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the function includes a weighted difference of surface temperature and ambient temperature, the weighting being varied with target temperature. In particular, the weighting is an approximation of h/pc where h is a heat transfer coefficient between the target surface and ambient, p is perfusion rate and c is blood specific heat.
In a preferred embodiment, the normal approximation of h/pc is about 0.13 for afebrile (nonfever) conditions, and it varies over a range of at least 0.09 to 0.13. Preferably, the approximation of h/pc varies over a range of at least 20% of normal, and the variation with sensed surface temperature is at least 0.01/xc2x0 F. Preferably the change of h/pc is about xe2x88x920.02/xc2x0 F. at about normal axillary temperature of 97xc2x0 F.
The preferred approximation of h/pc is an expression that approximates the idealized straight line segments representing normal and febrile conditions combined to form a curve with a smooth transition from one physiological regime to the other. The expression may be an exponential, two straight line segments, a single straight line segment or, preferably, a polynomial.
The arterial heat balance approach is based on a steady state model, and the ambient temperature Ta used in the arterial heat balance function has been taken as the sensed detector temperature. However, thermal equalization of a temperature detector with its measurement environment may take many seconds, so the detector may in fact be cooler or warmer than the ambient environment to which the target skin had been exposed prior to the measurement. Though the detector obtains an accurate skin temperature reading with reference to detector temperature, the detector temperature may not serve as an accurate indication of the steady state ambient temperature which led to that skin temperature.
It has been determined empirically that a more appropriate ambient temperature to be used in the heat balance computation is an assumed temperature of about 80xc2x0 F. That assumed temperature can be improved by giving some weight to the sensed detector temperature, though significantly less than the 100% weight given in prior heat balance calculations.
Accordingly, in accordance with another aspect of the invention, where the electronics compute an internal temperature of the body as a function of ambient temperature and sensed surface temperature, the ambient temperature within the function is an assumed ambient temperature, the preferred being about 80xc2x0 F. Preferably, the assumed ambient temperature is modified as a function of sensed detector temperature, a change in assumed ambient temperature relative to change in detector temperature being significantly less than 1. Preferably, that change in assumed ambient temperature relative to change in sensed detector temperature is less than 0.5, and most preferably it is about 0.2. Alternatively, the assumed ambient temperature may be fixed, again preferably at 80xc2x0 F.

Ambient and perfusion normalized temperature detector


A method for information exchange in the customer/server mode between stations connected by a communication network is described. An emulated server (SEM) is provided at at least certain stations. The emulated server is appropriate for dialog according to a communication protocol to process requests for consulting resource files at a coupler between a station and the network. An interception mechanism (INT) is used to intercept the requests for consulting the resource files by redirecting them to the local emulated server. The emulated server is used either as a cache memory to reduce traffic or as a switch to mitigate and remedy a breakdown of the server.

The present invention relates to the technical field of information exchange in client-server mode between stations connected by a communication network.
It finds general application in a method in which:
a) a network is formed by a communication hub and a plurality of stations, each associated with a coupler on the said hub,
b) at least one server-station is arranged on the network, and
c) each coupler is provided with a network communication protocol, allowing the processing of requests for consulting a resource file between certain stations known as client-stations and the server-station.
In a general way, the server allows access to the files for the clients who make the request. The server is a machine which stores in a unique and central manner a large number of files to reduce the cost of implementation (a single memory) and to simplify the administration of the files (a single area for retrieval).
There is a known communication protocol called NFS for Network File System (system of files on network), developed by the U.S. Company SUN MICROSYSTEMS, INC, in which the server offers for sharing by the clients a number of files stored according to a chosen branched chain of the files.
In this protocol, the branched chain of files is constructed by identifying in a one-to-one way each file by means of a label, also called "a file handle". This identification is made by the server. In practice, a client who wishes to access a file in the branched chain first of all requires the label of the root of the branched chain (root file handle).
The server does not keep track of distribution of the files (information and data) to the clients (stateless). In these conditions, it cannot inform the clients about modifications made to the files at the server. As a result, the clients interrogate the server regularly to verify that the data and information they have in their memory is up-to-date.
This results in important but wasteful traffic insofar as the centralised files on the server are very stable.
Further the interruption in service offered by the server for example in the case of its breakdown, directly influences the proper functioning of the clients, and with so much more severity and sharpness if, as is often the case, the centralised files are critical for the functioning of the said clients.
It should be noted that in the majority of cases, rebooting of the server secures, without any other intervention, normal recovery of the activity of the clients. Nevertheless, certain events, such as the changing on the server of a disc holding centralised files, are not transparent to the clients. In effect, the file labels depend in general on the position of the files on the central holding disc. As a result, the change of position of files at the server makes the labels already distributed to the clients wrong, and necessitates their correction.
One solution could consist of modifying the communication protocol to remedy these drawbacks. However, this would be difficult to envisage, insofar as the modifications could destroy the interoperability of the said protocol.

Method for information exchange in the customer/server mode between stations connected by a communication network

Inria Institut National de Recherche en Infomatique et en Automatique


An elevator cage is movable in an elevator shaft, wherein a ventilating device is fastened to a cage outer surface, wherein this ventilating device forms at least one ventilation channel, wherein the at least one ventilation channel has at least one primary ventilation opening enabling an air exchange between the ventilation channel and the elevator shaft, wherein at least one of the cage outer surfaces has at least one secondary ventilation opening enabling an air exchange between a cage interior space and the at least one ventilation channel, with at least one element of insulating material, and wherein the at least one element substantially determines a path of the at least one ventilation channel.

Known exemplifying elevator installations include an elevator cage, a counterweight and a support means which connects the elevator cage and the counterweight together by way of a drive. The elevator cage is moved in an elevator shaft by this drive.
EP 0418511 describes a device for ventilating elevator cages, wherein a vertical air flow arises in an elevator cage, the air flow being produced by travel wind and backpressure at the air-displacing elevator cage. A ventilation channel in an upper region of the elevator cage consists of primary air openings, chambers, air channels and secondary air openings. The chambers and air channels are formed by claddings and wind guide plates. The wind guide plates smooth the air flow. The wind guide plates and the claddings are provided with a material for noise insulation.
A possible problem with such a solution is costly equipping of the ventilation channel with the material for noise insulation.


An instrument panel to be mounted at a driver""s section of a working vehicle such as a tractor is secured to a frame member which extends upwardly from a main frame. A panel cover for covering a steering-wheel peripheral section of the machine includes an opening through which the instrument panel is exposed to the outside and this panel cover is detachably attached to the frame member.

The present invention relates to a working vehicle, such as a tractor, and relates more particularly to improvement of a steering-wheel or handle periphery section of a driver""s or operator""s section of such vehicle.
An operator""s section of a working vehicle is known from e.g. Japanese published utility model gazette No. Hei. 5-47698, in which a panel cover made of synthetic resin is disposed forwardly of a steering wheel, and an instrument panel is attached to a rearward opening formed in the panel cover.
The instrument panel mounts collection of a number of instruments such as an engine tachometer, an oil temperature gauge, as well as various electric devices such as pilot lamps and so on. Hence, the entire instrument panel is a rather heavy component. For this reason, in the case of the prior art such as the one identified above, in order to allow the resin cover to support such heavy panel, various arrangements would be needed, such as attaching a reinforcing metal element to the rear face of the panel, increasing the thickness of the resin forming the panel, or forming a reinforcing rib on the panel.
For the reason above, the freedom in designing the attachment construction to the machine body would be restricted disadvantageously. Moreover, synthetic resin having superior strength is usually inferior in moldability. Hence, use of such resin would present difficulty in obtaining required precision in finish dimensions. Conversely, synthetic resin having superior moldability is usually inferior in strength. Hence, use of such resin would present the difficulity of assuring sufficient strength for supporting the instrument panel. In either way, there was room for improvement.
In view of the above-described state of the art, a primary object of the present invention is to overcome the above-described drawbacks of the prior art by providing an improved construction having sufficient strength for supporting the panel cover and the instrument panel.
For accomplishing the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a working vehicle comprising: a main frame; a frame member secured to the main frame; an instrument panel secured to the frame member and having a display face; a panel cover defining an opening for exposing the display face to an operator and covering the periphery of the instrument panel, the panel cover being detachably attached to the working vehicle.
According to the construction described above, the instrument panel is secured to the frame member which in turn is secured to the main frame, so that there is no necessity of providing significant reinforcement to the panel cover. Therefore, the panel cover may be manufactured more easily and the instrument panel may be supported with sufficient strength at the same time.
Further and other objects, functions and effects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of one preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Working vehicle having detachable panel cover


In a digital coding apparatus or a digital coding and decoding apparatus for image data compression and expansion by means of Huffman coding, a Huffman coding circuit converts a combination of ZERO RUN and VALUE into a variable-length code. A code length calculation circuit has an AC code length table for prestoring variable-length codes and their code lengths in corresponding relationship. The code length calculation circuit inputs not a ZERORUN-VALUE combination but a variable-length code from the Huffman coding circuit, thereby calculating from the variable-length code inputted its code length according to the AC code length table. The present invention can provide a downsized AC code length table in comparison with a conventional one that stores ZERORUN-VALUE combinations and code lengths in corresponding relationship.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a digital coding apparatus and to a digital coding/decoding apparatus. More specifically the present invention pertains to a technique of reducing the size of logical tables for use by these apparatus.
2. Art Background
Japanese Patent Application, published under Pub. No. 6-165112, shows a digital coding/decoding apparatus for image data compression and expansion. FIG. 10 shows a conventional digital coding/decoding apparatus. 14 is a discrete cosine transform circuit (DCT). 15 is a quantizer. 16 is a variable-length coder (VLC). 17 is an inverse discrete cosine transform circuit (IDCT). 18 is an inverse quantizer. 19 is a variable-length decoder (VLD). 20 is a circuit made up of the VLC 16 and the VLD 19.
The DCT 14 receives either an image data luminance signal or an image data chrominance signal and performs a discrete cosine transform on the received signal, a result of the discrete cosine transform operation being put out in the form of an AC coefficient. The quantizer 15 quantizes an output of the DCT 14, a result of the quantization operation being put out. The VLC 16 transforms an output of the quantizer 15 into a variable-length Huffman code for further data compression. This variable-length AC code is padded to a fixed-length code. This fixed-length code is put out to a recording device (not shown) located outside the apparatus.
The VLD 19 receives a fixed-length AC code (i.e., a Huffman code) from a recording device (not shown in the figure) located outside the apparatus, extracts a variable-length AC code from the received fixed-length AC code, and decodes and expands the variable-length Huffman code to put out an AC coefficient. The inverse quantizer 18 inverse-quantizes an output of the VLD 19, a result of the inverse-quantization operation being put out. The IDCT 17 performs an inverse discrete cosine transform on an output of the inverse quantizer 18, to obtain either an image data luminance signal or an image data chrominance signal. Such an obtained signal is fed to an image display unit (e.g., a CRT) located outside the apparatus.
FIG. 7 schematically shows a circuit organization of the VLC 16 of FIG. 10. 1 is a decision circuit. 2 is a run length counter. 3 is an AC code table. 4 is a two-dimensional Huffman coding circuit. 7 is a padding circuit. 12 is a code length calculation circuit. 13 is an AC code length table.
As shown in FIG. 11, the decision circuit 1 receives a sequence of AC coefficients each of which has either a value of zero (zero value) or a value other than zero (nonzero value). Upon receipt of an AC coefficient the decision circuit 1 determines whether the AC coefficient received has a zero value or a nonzero value. The run length counter 2 counts the number of times the decision circuit 1 successively receives a zero-valued AC coefficient (i.e., the number of consecutive AC coefficients that are all determined by the run length counter 2 having a zero value). Whereas a nonzero-valued AC coefficient is defined as VALUE, the number of consecutive zero-valued AC coefficients is defined as ZERO RUN (ZERORUN). ZERORUN and VALUE combinations are shown in FIG. 11. The AC code table 3 prestores ZERORUN-VALUE combinations and variable-length AC codes in corresponding relationship. Additionally the AC code length table 13 prestores the ZERORUN-VALUE combinations and code lengths of the variable-length AC codes in corresponding relationship. Each ZERORUN-VALUE combination is fed to the two-dimensional Huffman coding circuit 4 and to the code length calculation circuit 12. Based on the AC code table 3, the Huffman coding circuit 4 puts out a variable-length AC code corresponding to the ZERORUN-VALUE combination received. Based on the AC code length table 13, the code length calculation circuit 12 puts out a code length of a variable-length AC code corresponding to the ZERORUN-VALUE combination received. The padding circuit 7 receives the variable-length AC code from the two-dimensional Huffman coding circuit 4 and the code length from the code length calculation circuit 12. Then the padding circuit 7 pads these data items, received from the Huffman coding circuit 4 and the calculation circuit 12, to a fixed-length AC code (see FIG. 12). FIG. 12 depicts an example of padding thirteen variable-length AC codes A to M into three fixed-length codes. A part of the variable-length AC code E, i.e., El, is padded to the first of the three fixed-length codes, and the remaining part of the variable-length AC code E, i.e., E2, is padded to the head end of the second of the three fixed-length codes.
FIG. 8 illustrates a circuit organization of the VLD 19. 5 is a code length calculation circuit. 6 is an AC code length table. 9 is a two-dimensional Huffman decoding circuit. 10 is an extraction circuit. 11 is an inverse AC code table.
When the VLD 19 receives a fixed-length code, the code length calculation circuit 5 finds from the fixed-length AC code a code length of a variable-length AC code contained in the fixed-length AC code, according to the AC code length table 6. The extraction circuit 10 receives a fixed-length AC code and the code length found by the code length calculation circuit 5 and extracts a variable-length AC code from the fixed-length code. Based on the inverse AC code table 11, the two-dimensional Huffman decoding circuit 9 transforms the extracted variable-length AC code into a ZERORUN-VALUE combination.
FIG. 9 is a list of different types of logical tables for use by the VLC 16 and the VLD 19 of FIG. 10, namely a variable-length-code encode table T1, a code length table T2, a code length table T3, and a variable-length-code decode table T4. TABLE T1, which corresponds to the AC code table 3, takes in a ZERORUN-VALUE combination and puts out a variable-length code. TABLE T2, which corresponds to the AC code length table 13, takes in a ZERORUN-VALUE combination and puts out a code length. TABLE T3, which corresponds to the AC code length table 6, takes in a variable-length code and puts out a code length thereof. TABLE T4, which corresponds to the inverse AC code table 11, takes in a variable-length code and puts out a ZERORUN-VALUE combination.
The above-described conventional coding/decoding apparatus, however, presents some problems. For the case of a code length table (maximum ZERORUN: 63; maximum VALUE: 255; maximum code length: 16), such a code length table, when formed by RAMs or ROMs, requires a structure of 64.times.256=16384 words including AC codes without ZERORUN and AC codes without VALUE. If one word is made up of five bits on the average, then a total of 16384.times.5=81920 bits is required. This increases the table size, resulting in increasing the size of peripheral circuits of a code length table. Much more power is dissipated.
There is a conventional way of reducing the size of logical tables which can be expressed as follows: EQU (z, v)=(z-1, 0)+(0, v)
where z=ZERORUN and v=VALUE. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, if z=10 and v=2, then division is made as follows. EQU (10, 2)=(9, 0)+(0, 2)
This method can provide a logical table of 62+255=317 words. 317 words is still large for the size of logical tables.

Digital coding apparatus and digital coding/decoding apparatus

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.