The present invention relates an oral care composition, comprising one or more functional agents selected from a group consisting of a whitening agent, a re-mineralizing agent, an anti-plaque agent, an anti-gingivitis agent, a detoxifying agent and its combinations. The composition further comprises a probiotic blend consisting of beneficial oral bacterial population and at least one essential oil comprising antimicrobial activity.

Oral hygiene is one of the most important aspects of personal care among consumers. Consumers all over the world use different types of products for oral care as a part of maintaining dental hygiene. People routinely brush their teeth with a toothbrush and a dentifrice which includes toothpaste or toothpowder or mouthwash at least two times a day. Use of such brushing ensures maintaining good oral hygiene by minimizing oral bacteria that accumulate in the mouth over the course of sleeping in the night or during the course of the day when people eat their food and consume beverages. Brushing regularly thus minimizes problems like cavities, tartar, gingivitis, caries, and bad breath, also known as halitosis.
In spite of brushing teeth twice a day, many people suffer from various forms of one or more of the above named diseases associated with dental hygiene and this is believed to be caused by bacteria acting in the oral mucosa over about twelve hour period between brushing period. In addition, Problems relating to teeth are also caused by cavity formation, dental caries, and chemical dissolution caused by acids, or erosion. These continue to be a major dental health problem among adults. Due to various factors, caries in particular is increasingly a problem for the ageing adult population who still have their own teeth. Such factors include impaired motor coordination, lack of motivation, reduced salivary secretion and use of medication or general ill health.
Dental plaque occurs in the form of a film, on virtually all dental surfaces. It is a by-product of microbial growth, and comprises a dense microbial layer consisting of a mass of microorganisms embedded in a polysaccharide matrix. Plaque itself adheres firmly to dental surfaces and is removed only with difficulty even through a rigorous brushing regimen. Moreover, plaque rapidly reforms on the tooth surface after it is removed. Plaque may form on any part of the tooth surface, and is found particularly at the gingival margin, in cracks in the enamel, and on the surface of dental calculus. The danger associated with the formation of plaque on the teeth lies in the tendency of plaque to build up and eventually produce gingivitis, periodontitis and other types of periodontal disease, as well as dental caries and dental calculus.
Gingivitis is characterized by inflammation or infection of the gums and the alveolar bones that support the teeth. Gingivitis is generally believed to be caused by bacteria in the mouth (particularly the bacteria instigated in plaque formation) and the toxins formed as by-products from the bacteria. The plaque and bacterial toxins are believed to be the causative agents for oral tissue inflammation within the mouth. Periodontitis is a progressively worsened state of disease as compared to gingivitis, where the gums are inflamed and begin to recede from the teeth and pockets begins to form in the recession, which ultimately may result in destruction of the bone and periodontal ligament. Thus, chronic infection and inflammation potentially results in subsequent loss of teeth.
Human periodontal diseases are inflammatory disorders that are result of complex interactions between oral pathogens and the host's immune response. It is believed that there are two interrelated aspects to the progression of periodontal disease, the first is the activation of the immune system of the host and the second is the production of oxygen radicals and their related metabolites. Increased production of oxygen radicals may contribute to oxidative stress, which is believed to be involved in periodontal disease. It is well established that tooth decay, development of plaque, plaque build-up, gingivitis, periodontal disease and other conditions of the oral cavity are associated with pathogens such as Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Actinomyces naeslundii, and/or Streptococcus mutans, among many others.
Oral cleansing can prevent not only dental caries but also periodontosis. Conventional oral cleaning is done by brushing the teeth and using dentifrice products such as tooth paste, toothpowders and mouthwash, in order to improve the cleaning effect on teeth, remove dental plaque and prevent dental caries.
In solving the above oral care problems, the approach so far has been to use synthetic materials (e.g. Triclosan) in oral care products, which are believed by many consumers to be harsh on them. Consumers in recent times are gathering more awareness towards the harmful effects of synthetic ingredients used in dental hygiene products and prefer using products that contain natural materials. Further, in many countries, culturally or otherwise, people are reluctant to using alcohol in their mouthwashes. In addition, oral care products containing fluoride can also lead to serious health concerns other than dental fluorosis.
Oral care compositions containing a variety of active ingredient combinations are disclosed in a number of prior art publications. U.S. Patent publication US20130295027 discloses an oral care composition comprising antimicrobial essential oil. PCT publication WO2002092028 A2 shows an oral care composition comprising oral care actives and antibacterial plant extract. U.S. Pat. No. 8,715,625 discloses natural oral care composition with a limited number of naturally derived, naturally processed safe ingredients. U.S. Pat. No. 6,645,472 relates to a tooth and gum powdered dentifrice formulated with multiple ingredients acting synergistically. U.S. Patent publication US20060198795 A1 discloses a multi-component oral care composition for enhancing the effects of tooth whitening and or cleaning.
Conventional oral care products generally employ synthetic agents as active ingredients such as triclosan, sodium lauryl sulphate and toxic agents such as sodium fluoride, artificial dyes and hydrated silica in addition to other chemical substances. Furthermore, procuring and usage of separate oral care products for cleansing, whitening, re-mineralization, anti-plaque, anti-gingivitis activity and antibacterial activity proves to be cumbersome and expensive. Further limitations of the prior art oral care compositions includes inefficient removal of toxins, inefficient action against tooth decay and gum infections.
In spite of all these approaches and attempts to provide oral care compositions for dental hygiene, it remains desirable to provide still an improved oral care composition made from naturally occurring products for complete dental care including tooth whitening, enamel repair, activity against gingivitis and plaque.


An application-type solid state imaging device which includes a plurality of picture elements arranged in a two-dimensional matrix. A sensor region is surrounded by a substrate and a gate region is positioned laterally substantially about the sensor region. A source region is formed through one surface of the substrate and aligned vertically with the sensor region, while a drain is formed at an opposing surface of the substrate and is likewise aligned with the sensor region. The sensor region and the gate region together define a channel through which source-drain current flows. Light incident on the substrate passes therethrough to the sensor region where charge accumulates photoelectrically for producing an image signal by controlling the source-drain current in proportion to the magnitude of the photoelectrically accumulated charge. The device is reset after reading by removing charge accumulated in the sensor region through the gate region.

The present invention relates to amplification-type solid state image pickup devices, and methods of using the same.
Amplification-type solid state image pickup devices employ picture elements which serve both to amplify a detected light signal and to output the amplified signal when scanned in accordance with a predetermined scanning sequence. Such image pickup devices include charge modulation devices (CMD) in the form of MOS-FET devices in which photoelectric charge is accumulated in the MOS gate.
The MOS-FET devices employ a polysilicon gate electrode disposed over a light-receiving region of the device. Consequently, the light is attenuated by the polysilicon gate electrode before it is able to reach the light-receiving region in order to be detected. A further drawback of the device is that short wavelength visible light is attenuated more severely so that the sensitivity of the device to blue light is considerably less than its sensitivity to longer wavelengths.
Although efforts have been made to minimize the thickness of the gate electrodes used in MOS-FET devices, the ability to reduce their thickness is limited, so that some light attenuation thereby inevitably occurs. Moreover, the gate electrode cannot be made substantially transparent, so that a considerable degree of light attenuation results as light passes through the gate electrode, resulting in the aforementioned reduced sensitivity.


System, method and computer product for baseline modeling a product or process. A service database contains process data. A preprocessor processes the data into a predetermined format. A baseline modeling component builds a baseline model from the preprocessed data, wherein the baseline model relates process performance variables as a function of process operating conditions.

This disclosure relates generally to improving the quality and productivity of a product or process and more particularly to baseline modeling of a product or process.
Baseline modeling of a product or process generally provides an understanding of the performance of an "ideal" product or process over time. An engine is one type of product or process that baseline modeling is suitable for use. Engine baseline modeling has a multitude of uses including, but not limited to, determining when an engine performs out of specification, predicting when an engine failure will occur, detecting abnormal conditions, determining the quality of an engine and designing new engines. Typically, engine baseline models are developed from data gathered from thermodynamic cycle analyses and simulation. First, models of ideal values are created, indexed by variables such as altitude, temperature, power setting, and air speed. Once data from the normal operation of the engine is available, these models are updated by analyzing data corresponding to a particular model characteristic. An engineer then looks for data that are similar for the specified engine variables (e.g., altitude, temperature, power setting, air speed), groups the similar data, averages them for each variable and performs other operations as desired. The engineer then plots data for each of the variables. The plots provide interrelationship information between each of the engine variables, which the engineer uses to create tables of typical operation parameters the baseline model. These tables of parameters are used as the basis of comparison for engine operation. Differences from the baseline model may indicate engine faults or deterioration trends.
There are several problems associated with this type of engine baseline modeling. First, this type of engine baseline modeling is very labor intensive because the engineer has to review the data, find data that are similar, group and average the data, perform other desired operations on the data, plot the data and create tables. Another problem is that one engineer cannot readily reproduce an engine baseline model developed by another engineer because this process is very individualized. It is helpful if one engineer can reproduce the engine baseline model generated by another engineer to validate quality of the baseline. Another problem associated with this type of engine baseline model is that the resulting model does not provide a good "picture" of an engine operating outside normal conditions. Furthermore, this type of engine baseline modeling does not provide a measure of how good the developed model is.
In order to overcome the above problems, there is a need for an automated approach to engine baseline modeling that standardizes the process to improve reliability by minimizing human interventions.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An integrated antenna system for satellite and VHF/UHF reception is provided. The elements of a VHF/UHF antenna are embedded in a satellite antenna. The satellite and VHF/UHF signals are combined and transmitted on a single cable to the receiver. The receiver splits the signals. A switch within the receiver unit for displaying either the VHF/UHF or satellite transmissions is provided. The receiver also powers amplifiers at the antenna using the single cable.

The present invention relates generally to satellite communications systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a system and method for receiving satellite and VHF/UHF transmission through one coaxial cable from a single reception device.
Generally, in digital satellite communications systems, a ground-based transmitter beams a forward error coded uplink signal to a satellite positioned in a geosynchronous orbit. The satellite relays the signal back to a ground-based receiver antenna in a separate location. Direct broadcast satellite ("DBS") systems allow households to receive television, audio, data and video directly from the DBS satellite. Each household subscribing to the system receives the broadcast signals through a satellite dish antenna and a receiver unit.
In the typical DBS system, the satellite receiver antenna includes an 18-inch parabolic dish, and the receiver unit is a television set-top decoder module, or "IRD". The satellite receiver antenna is mounted outside the house, and a coaxial cable is provided to link the satellite receiver antenna to the indoor IRD and television.
Presently available DBS systems do not transmit the subscriber's local television stations. Thus, each household subscribing to a DBS system needs a separate VHF/UHF antenna with a separate coaxial cable in order to receive local channels, including local news. The IRD usually has multiple coaxial inputs to allow a user to switch the television display from one coaxial input to another, like from the satellite signal to the VHF/UHF signal. However, the required extra antenna takes up space, is unsightly, adds additional costs, and adds wind drag when mounted onto the satellite receiver antenna.
Therefore, there is a need for a system and method for providing one antenna for receiving both satellite and VHF/UHF signals, transmitting both signals on a single coaxial cable and splitting the signals in the IRD so that a user may select which signal to televise.

Integrated antenna system for satellite terrestrial television reception


An internal combustion engine includes an engine block having an oil rifle. A cylinder liner carried by the engine block includes a bottom end. A piston cooling nozzle coupled with the engine block includes an inlet in communication with the oil rifle, a tube, and a bracket coupled with the tube. The bracket engages the bottom end of the cylinder liner.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to internal combustion engines, and, more particularly, to piston cooling nozzles for cooling pistons in such engines.
2. Description of the Related Art
During operation of an internal combustion (IC) engine, a small percentage of the heat available in the fuel is absorbed by the pistons. While this percentage is only in the 3 to 8 percent range for aluminum alloy pistons, there is still a noticeable rise in the temperature of the pistons due to this heat absorption. While there is some heat transfer away from the pistons and hence some cooling, additional cooling is frequently needed to keep the piston temperature within a target operating temperature range. Heat is transferred via conduction heat transfer from the piston rings, land and skirt portions of the piston to the water jacket and crankcase oil. If higher than desired piston temperatures occur and there is insufficient cooling, the result can be increased crown, top land and top groove carbon deposits. As a general rule, top groove temperatures greater than 220° C. (428° F.) are considered excessive.
Under certain conditions it may be desirable to provide additional cooling of the piston to ensure satisfactory operation. One technique which is used to enable additional cooling by way of oil cooling is to provide a piston cooling nozzle (PCN) in combination with a specific piston design. The PCN has an inlet which receives oil at rifle pressure from the oil rifle in the engine block, and an outlet which directs cooling oil toward the piston resulting in a divergent, non-targeted plume of oil being sprayed onto the underside of the piston. The divergent, non-targeted spray results in some portion of the oil being sprayed against piston surfaces which are not critical and which are not the preferred surfaces for the most effective cooling and heat transfer. When the piston includes an undercrown cooling gallery, the preferred location for the plume of oil is directly into the cooling gallery. However, with a PCN having a divergent, non-targeted spray pattern, only a small portion of the cooling oil is actually sprayed into the gallery.
Another type of PCN provides a nozzle design that creates a targeted oil jet plume which is directed against the piston. With a targeted spray, it is easier to direct the spray to a localized and specific area of the piston such as a piston cooling gallery opening. An example of a targeted PCN is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,505 (Tussing), which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference.
With PCN designs utilized to date, the PCN orientation is determined by a special interface between the PCN and the engine block to which the PCN is mounted. The engine block is typically cast with an additional locating feature which interfaces with the PCN to properly orient the PCN. Since a casting process is not as accurate as a machining process, the proper orientation of the PCN can vary somewhat relative to the piston cooling gallery opening.
What is needed in the art is a piston cooling nozzle which is configured to be quickly and accurately located relative to an undercrown cooling gallery to ensure proper cooling of the piston.

Piston cooling nozzle and positioning method for an internal combustion engine


The present disclosure provides a network access method, a smart device, a mobile terminal, a cloud server, a networking gateway and a network access system. The method is applied to a smart device and includes: sending relevant network access information to a mobile terminal, the relevant network access information being uploaded to a cloud server by the mobile terminal; receiving a unique network identifier ID from the mobile terminal, and establishing a communication link with a networking gateway via the unique network identifier ID, wherein the unique network identifier ID is acquired by the cloud server from the networking gateway and transferred from the cloud server to the mobile terminal; and sending network access identity information to the networking gateway via the communication link, and joining a network created by the networking gateway after the network access identity information passes verification of the networking gateway.

There are mainly two conventional methods for a low-power-consumption smart device to access a network. For method 1, configuration buttons of a new smart device and of a mobile phone application (APP) are pressed successively, such that the smart device continuously sends special broadcast packets through a Bluetooth slave device, and the mobile phone, as a Bluetooth master device, continuously scans. The smart device and the mobile phone find each other and communicate with each other by using Bluetooth communication as a medium. In this method, since currently the Bluetooth communication is point-to-point communication, the smart device cannot access a network successfully due to interference generated in a case where several new devices need to access the network simultaneously. Moreover, a real-time online communication cannot be achieved when the mobile phone is not around the smart device. For method 2, configuration buttons of the new smart device and the mobile phone APP are pressed successively, such that the mobile phone APP notifies a networking gateway via a cloud end, and the smart device searches for the gateway via ZigBee and requests to establish a communication link with the gateway. The smart device and the mobile phone find each other and communicate with each other by using ZigBee communication as a medium. With respect to this method, as the smart device performs search operation on all gateways nearby, when there are several gateways permitting access, the smart device needs to establish connection with and to verify validity of the several gateways one by one, and thus the network access speed is slow.

Method for smart device to access network, mobile terminal, cloud server, device, and system

YUN DING NETWORK TECHNOLOGY (BEIJING) CO., LTD.


The instant invention is a mechanical pencil. The pencil includes a body having a cavity and a lead holding mechanism located in the cavity. The lead holding mechanism includes a pair of arms joined together by a bridge. Each arm terminates with a pair of fingers. The fingers close together when the lead holding mechanism is recessed into the cavity. The fingers open when the lead holding mechanism is advanced out of the cavity.

Mechanical pencils are known. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 253,803; 2,032,983; 2,509,849; 2,801,613; 4,856,693; 5,044,805; 5,362,166; 5,598,604; 6,793,429; and U.S. Publication No. 2004/0047669. These mechanical pencils are, however, complex and difficult to assemble.
There is a need for a mechanical pencil that is easily assembled and has few components.


A needle and syringe assembly including a transducer for directing ultrasonic waves through the needle and receiving reflected ultrasonic waves through the needle as the needle is inserted into tissue. The ultrasonic transducer has a surface area which substantially equals the surface area of the plunger head within the syringe body to permit the delivery of more power and thereby increase the depth of penetration of the transmitted and reflected waves. A lens may be associated with the transducer for focusing ultrasonic waves from the transducer through the needle. Further, the transducer may include a plurality of sections or portions in a planar arrangement to permit either continuous wave or pulsed wave transmission and reception of the ultrasonic energy passing through the needle. The plunger, transducer, and lens may be detachable from the syringe body and needle whereby the assembly can be reusable and can be employed with conventional syringes and needles when only ultrasonic guidance of the needle is required. In another embodiment, a pod assembly, which houses the transducer and lens, is detachably connected between the needle and syringe cylinder. the detachable pod assembly permits cleansing and sterilization of the transducer and lens for reuse with disposable needles and syringes.

Insertion of arterial and venous catheters for angiography and acute care of patients is a major source of discomfort, morbidity, and even mortality. The problem of accurate location and penetration of arteries and veins is especially acute for patients who may be obese or present unusual anatomy and who are undergoing cardiac catheterization and other radiological procedures such as cerebral angiograms.
To avoid difficulties when localizing the vessel and to reduce the risk of complications, it is known to determine the position and the course of the vessel to be penetrated by means of ultrasonic Doppler sonography. Known apparatus emits an ultrasonic beam from the skin surface toward the interior of the body. If any blood vessels are present within this ultrasonic beam, the emitted wave undergoes a Doppler effect due to flow through the blood vessels or the pulsation of the vascular walls, so that a reflected wave that has a different frequency from that of the emitted wave can be obtained.
After this reflected wave has been converted into an electrical signal with an ultrasonic oscillator, synthetic detection of the emitted signal allows an electric signal of the difference of the two waves to be obtained. This can be amplified and sent to a speaker or the like to produce a sound having a unique tone that can be detected by the ear. These sounds reach their maximum volume when the ultrasonic beam is directed toward the center of the artery or vein in question and cease if the ultrasonic beam strays from the vessel. Further, the reflected wave from tissue that has no movement cannot be heard nor can the sound resulting from vessels that are out of the line of the beam. Hence, Doppler sonography provides a simple means of localizing vessels both easily and accurately.
The potential utility of Doppler ultrasound for accurately guiding a needle into a vessel has been recognized. Most applications utilize the transmission of ultrasonic waves through the needle and reception of ultrasonic echoes by a separate transducer located on the body of the patient and separate from the syringe and needle. Such applications obviously have limited accuracy. U.S. Pat. No. 3,556,079 for "Method of Puncturing A Medical Instrument Under Guidance of Ultrasound" discloses in one embodiment the placement of both transmitting and receiving transducers in the needle and syringe. Such an embodiment, however, requires a special catheter construction and can give an erroneous signal when the needle engages the blood vessel before penetrating the vessel.
A major advance to Doppler technology was made by virtue of U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,606 directed to an "Apparatus for Use In Cannulation of Blood Vessel", which teaches the use of a transducer insert positioned within a hollow needle including an ultrasonic transducer at one end for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves through the sharpened end of the needle. Upon location and penetration of a blood vessel, the transducer insert is removable from the needle for implementation of the known Seldinger technique for placing a catheter in a blood vessel. Although the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,606, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein, represents a superior apparatus for cannulation of blood vessels, such apparatus could be improved upon. For example, the power emitted by a transmitting transducer is at least in part a function of surface area. Thus, larger surface area transducers can deliver more power and thereby increase the depth of penetration of the transmitted and reflected waves.
Since the reflected waves from small vessels that are located at large depths from the surface of the body are weak, it is important in certain applications to increase the depth of penetration of the transmitted and reflected waves. Therefore, there has been a need for an improved apparatus for the cannulation of blood vessels in certain applications.

Syringe with ultrasound emitting transducer for flow-directed cannulation of arteries and veins


A plug contact arrangement is provided having a plurality of plug contact modules, including a plug socket module and a plug contact module. The plug socket module includes a base member and a socket contact section connected to the base member and having pair of contact members extending linearly and parallel with respect to each other and defining a contact blade receiving member there between. Each of the pair of contact members includes a contact face extending into the contact blade receiving member. The plug contact module is securable to the plug socket module and includes a plurality of lateral walls extending parallel to each other, a reinforcement member connecting the plurality of lateral walls, and a contact section extending from the plurality of lateral walls and having a contact blade having opposite contact faces to engage the pair of contact members.

Known industrial input/output modules are described, for example, in DE4402002 A1, EP1173902 B1 and US 2001/034165 A1. These known industrial input/output modules are generally mounted on a carrier rail and can be combined using their lateral faces. A guiding and retention device is positioned along a lateral face. Contacts are arranged along the lateral faces so that they are accessible from the outer side and serve to supply electrical power and data transmission. When urged together, contacts become automatically connected to the contacts of the adjacent module. Since these known modules are often roughly handled, the plug connections must be robust and also allow reliable contacting under adverse environmental conditions.
FIG. 7 of EP1173902 B1 shows a known plug contact module having two contact members which together restrict a contact blade receiving member. The contact blade receiving member is arranged along a lateral wall of the known input/output module in order to be accessible from an outer side. An additional known plug contact module with contact blades is positioned along an opposing lateral wall, with the contact blades arranged to be accessible from the outer side. When connecting the two known modules along their lateral faces, in the direction towards the carrier rail, the contact blades automatically move into the contact blade receiving member and produce an electrical connection with the contact members of the other plug contact module. In this manner, data can flow between adjacent known input/output modules connected to each other.
Practice has shown that the known plug contact modules described in EP1173902 B1 in the form of socket and blade contacts do not meet the requirements for a loss-free transmission with the currently required high data rates in the range of several gigabits per second.

Plug contact modules and plug contact arrangement for transmitting frequencies in the gigahertz range


In the case of earth coverings made from concrete paving slabs, the noise generated by rolling traffic is disadvantageous. In order to reduce the generation of noise, plate-shaped concrete blocks exhibiting a significantly larger format than traditional paving slabs are proposed. The top side of the concrete blocks consists of a sound absorption layer (13) of porous concrete. On the bottom side, the concrete block is curved inwards, so that the fringe areas are subjected to a higher load. This results in a stable situation. For the purpose of draining off the surface water, the concrete block is equipped at the sides with upright slots (16), which adjoin the absorption layer (13) of porous concrete.

The invention relates to a plate-shaped concrete block for covering roads, paths and squares.
Concrete blocks or paving slabs, as an earth covering for roads, paths and squares, are superior in a number of respects to black top pavings and other associated coverings. However, the generation of noise in rolling traffic (by vehicles) is seen as a disadvantage.

Plate-shaped concrete block and process and device for the manufacture of the same


Technologies are described herein for creating, displaying, and editing a sub-process within a process diagram. A diagramming application provides for the grouping of existing process operations of a process diagram into a sub-process. The sub-process is displayed within the process diagram as a container that may be expanded and collapsed in-place within the diagram to display or hide the corresponding sub-process operations without leaving the context of the process diagram. Similarly, a single process operation within a process diagram may be selected for the creation of an associated sub-process. An expanded container including the newly created sub-process operations and a collapsed container representing the sub-process operations replace the single process operation and are concurrently hidden and displayed according to a user selection of a collapse or expand control.

Many diagramming applications allow for the creation of a flowchart to illustrate a business process. Typically, specific shapes are used in the flowchart to identify various types of steps within the process. For example, a rectangle may identify an action step in the process, while a diamond represents a decision step in the process. Often, in order to simplify complex flowcharts, a single step in the process may be used to represent a sub-process that includes any number of additional steps. Diagramming applications may provide for a unique shape that represents a sub-process to be used in the flowchart that is linked to a separate diagram on a separate page for the sub-process. To view the details of the sub-process from the flowchart a user must navigate to the separate diagram. Navigating between diagrams is cumbersome and forces the user to leave the context of the overall diagram.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the disclosure made herein is provided.

Creating, displaying, and editing a sub-process within a process diagram


A cover apparatus for inhibiting the growth of algae on the fluid-contacting surfaces of a water treatment tank and for capturing noxious gases, the tank including a central influent, at least one substantially vertical peripheral wall having an upper and interior surface, a peripheral baffle having inside and outside surfaces, a substantially vertical weir, a spillway, and a launder channel having a width. The cover apparatus includes at least one panel member positionable over at least a portion of the launder channel to prevent light from reaching interior surfaces thereof. In an embodiment of the present invention, alternating covers are provided with a molded recess so that the covers may be mounted in end-to-end alignment to form a substantially sealed launder channel region.

The necessity for providing sewage treatment plants to clean and purify water discharged from homes and factories is well known. The function of a sewage treatment facility is to receive raw sewage (water containing waste material) as discharged from a city sewage system and clean it to ultimately produce purified water. This is accomplished through a series of biological and mechanical processes.
In a typical water treatment facility, the raw sewage is received from the sewage system and passed through a coarse screen to remove large pieces of matter. The sewage is next directed to one or more primary sedimentation tanks or clarifiers. The sewage remains in primary sedimentation for a period of time sufficient to allow the majority of the heavy matter to settle to the bottom of the tank forming sludge. This sludge is removed for "digestion" by microorganisms. The digested sludge is then dried and can be used as compost or fertilizer. The remaining liquid is treated in a second biological system to remove ammonia. The liquid from this treatment is then aerated and passed into final sedimentation water treatment tanks to remove any remaining solid material.
Water treatment tank configurations vary with each treatment facility application. This notwithstanding, most final sedimentation water treatment tanks are circular. This simplifies automatic skimming, churning and/or bottom scraping operations. More specifically, by eliminating inaccessible corners and providing uniform surfaces, a revolving scraper arm or skimmer blade can provide complete and efficient churning and prevent sludge buildup.
During operation of one type of water treatment tank, water containing sediment enters the center of the tank. In a continuous process, the lighter clean water is effectively decanted from the heavier sediment containing water. More particularly, the clean water is displaced from the tank by the constant flow of water containing sediment into the tank. The displaced clean water is forced to flow under a baffle plate for collecting floating scum and then over a weir, ultimately entering a clean water flow channel. The clean water flow channel directs the water to the next treatment stage where it is chlorinated and further made safe to be discharged into a river or stream.
Presently, algae growth in the trough or launder channel is a serious problem in clarifier tanks. Specifically, as algae builds up on the weirs of the clarifier tank, it can substantially interfere with the hydraulic flow therethrough. Algae typically adheres to the surfaces of the weir and the trough, where it becomes unsightly and odorous. When the launder is cleaned, however, the algae is often loosened and causes clogging of the downstream filters.
For many years, the removing of algae from the baffle, weir, spillway and clean water flow channel has been completed primarily by scrubbing the tank structure with brushes manipulated by hand. Because the final treatment tanks are quite large, this is a labor-intensive and tedious process, involving a large expenditure of man-hours. Additionally, the algae removing process must be done frequently, thereby further adding to the cost.
More recent proposals directed at the problem of algae growth have utilized mechanical brushes to automate the cleaning process. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,748. While this apparatus is somewhat effective in cleaning the baffle, weir, spillway and clean water flow channel of a circular tank, it is somewhat limited in application in that it is adapted to be mounted to a revolving skimmer blade. Accordingly, it can only be effectively utilized with circular water treatment tanks incorporating such a blade. The cost of obtaining, installing, and maintaining such an automated system, though perhaps preferable to the alternative of periodic manual scrubbing, is also quite high. Other waste water facilities have utilized chlorine and other chemicals in sufficient concentrations to kill the algae. However, a large number of waste water facilities utilize a denitrification process that precludes the use of such chemical additives. As such, a need is recognized for a proactive system that inhibits the growth of algae in the launder channel of a clarifier tank.

Hinged cover for use in a clarifier tank


A method for removing and transporting ophthalmic lens fabricating mold sections from a molding device to an inert chamber in a predetermined time, controlled by a central processor. The method includes starting a timer upon opening the molding device and exposing the mold sections; actuating a robotic arm to transport the mold sections from the molding device to an intermediate position using a compound movement; actuating a cam-controlled arm to transport the mold sections from the intermediate position to a pallet held on a conveyor belt at a cam-arm pre-part release location; and releasing the pallet to move on the conveyor belt to the inert chamber for continued transport of mold containing pallets to a treatment or processing facility for producing and/or packaging of the contact lenses.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to a method for rapid robotic handling of small articles removed from molds. More specifically, the present invention pertains to such a method which is particularly well suited for removing the articles from a molding machine having molds in which they are molded, and thereafter carrying the articles within a very short period of time away from the molds and depositing the articles for further processing in a high speed, automated production system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, attention has been directed by industry toward economically forming large quantities of high-quality contact lenses in a precisely operating, high-speed automated molding system. In such a lens molding system, each lens is formed by sandwiching a monomer in an interspace which is present between front and back mold sections, normally identified as, respectively, front and base or back curves. The monomer is polymerized to form a contact lens, which is then removed from the mold sections, further treated and then packaged for consumer use.
The mold sections used in the above-mentioned process may themselves be formed through the intermediary of injection molding or compression molding processes. These mold sections may be made the family of materials consisting of thermoplastics; for example, preferably such as polystyrene, which has been determined to constitute an excellent material for making these mold sections. Polystyrene does not chemically react with the hydrophilic material normally employed to make the contact lenses; for instance, such as hydroxy ethylene methacrylate (HEMA). Therefore, it is possible to form very high quality contact lenses of that type of material in polystyrene molds. In addition, polystyrene is widely available in industry and commerce and, as a result, is relatively inexpensive. Because of the ease and low cost with which polystyrene mold sections may be produced and then employed to mold contact lenses, each pair of complementary front and base curve polystyrene mold sections is typically used only a single time in order to mold only one contact lens, and may then be discarded or recycled for other uses.
In the above-discussed automated contact lens production system, it is desirable to eliminate or to minimize any exposure to oxygen of the hydrophilic monomer used for the manufacture of the contact lenses. Correspondingly, it is desirable to eliminate or minimize the exposure of the lens mold sections to oxygen. Therefore, when the polystyrene mold sections are formed and then used for the purpose of making contact lenses in the above-discussed manner, it is desirable to rapidly transfer these mold sections from the mold in which they are made to a low oxygen (preferably nitrogen) environment. It has been difficult to achieve the desired transfer speed with conventional robot assemblies or controls because presently available robots do not move with adequate rapidity and precisely enough to enter into, and exit from, the molding apparatus at the desired rate of speed in effectuating the removal of the molded articles. In particular, if these robots are operated at the necessary rate of speed, they tend to waffle and shake or vibrate undesirably as they come to a sudden stop, and the movements of the robot are resultingly not sufficiently precise. On the other hand, if the robots are slowed down so as to be able to move more precisely, the robots no longer possess the desired speed to facilitate the contact lens mass-producing process.
Moreover, in the above-mentioned automated contact lens production system, the contact lens mold sections may not be fully solidified when they are ejected or removed from the mold in which they are formed. It is, therefore, important that any robot or apparatus which is used to carry the contact lens-forming mold sections away from that mold will not interfere so as to adversely affect the desired optical qualities of the contact lens mold sections. In particular, it is important that any such robot or apparatus be capable of absorbing the kinetic energy of the lens mold sections as they are being transferred to such transporting robot or apparatus without deleteriously altering the shape, form or dimensions of the lens mold sections. The robot and mold transfer method employed must, likewise, be able to transport the lens mold sections in a manner that permits those lens mold sections to cool and completely harden in a desired manner.
In addition, in order to maximize the optical quality of the contact lenses, it is preferred that the optical surfaces of the front and base curve polystyrene mold sections; that is, the surfaces of those mold sections which touch or lie against the hydrophilic monomer as the lens preform is being molded, not be engaged or contacted by any mechanical handling equipment while the mold sections are being transported by and positioned in the lens molding system.
In order to achieve the foregoing kind of transport system, pursuant to the disclosure of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/258,267, continued as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/757,154, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,138, there is described an apparatus for removing and transporting ophthalmic or contact lens mold sections from a mold, and which generally comprises first, second and third assemblies. The first assembly removes the lens mold sections from the mold and transports the lens mold sections to a first location, the second assembly receives the lens mold sections from the first assembly and transports the lens mold sections to a second location, and the third assembly receives the lens mold sections from the second assembly and transports the lens mold sections to a third location. Preferably, the first assembly comprises a hand including vacuum structure to receive the lens mold sections from the mold and to releasably hold the lens mold sections, and a support subassembly connected to the hand to support the hand and to move the hand between the mold and the first location.
The second assembly preferably includes a support frame, a platform to receive the lens mold sections from the first assembly and supported by the support frame for movement between the first and second locations, and moving means for moving the platform along the support frame and between these first and second locations.
The preferred design of the third assembly includes a transport subassembly and a support column. The transport subassembly receives the lens mold sections from the second assembly, releasably holds those lens mold sections, and carries the lens mold sections to the third location; and the support column supports the transport subassembly for movement between the second and third locations.
In an effort designed to simplify and provide further improvements on the foregoing transport apparatus, alternative embodiments have been developed more recently, as disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/431,884, continued as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/048,859, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,184, which discloses an apparatus for removing and transporting articles, such as ophthalmic contact lens mold sections, or primary contact lens packaging elements, such as the base members of blister packages, from a mold. The apparatus, in one embodiment thereof, which is employed in the manufacture of lens mold base curves, includes first, second, and third assemblies; the first of which removes the articles from the molding station at a first location and transports them to a second location; the second assembly receives the articles from the first assembly and transports them to a third location, and the third assembly receives the articles from the second assembly and transports them to a fourth location.
A second embodiment of the apparatus which is used in the forming of lens mold front curves additionally includes a flipper assembly disposed between the first and third assemblies, which flipper assembly receives the articles from the first assembly and inverts them before depositing them onto the third assembly. This second embodiment is useful in conjunction with molded articles which are transported to the flipper assembly in an inverted position.
A third embodiment, which produces primary packaging components, such as the base members of blister packages for housing the contact lenses, includes second and third assemblies which further include means for altering the relative spacing between the articles while the articles are being transported.
Although the foregoing embodiments and operative versions of the apparatus, as elucidated in the aforementioned copending U.S. patent applications, are employable in providing the molded components constituting mold sections for forming contact lenses, and also primary package elements for contact lenses, such as the contact lens-receiving base members of blister packages, there are problems associated with vibration, speed and rejection of molded components overly exposed to oxygen. The numerous operating and transfer assemblies and stations which are required for transporting the molded components at high rates of speed from the molding installation in which they are formed to their ultimate depositions onto pallets for further treatment, such as in a low oxygen or nitrogen atmosphere, are of considerable complexity, subject to waffling and vibration and rendering the efficacy of producing acceptable articles difficult to maintain as a result of the multiplicity of operative apparatus components, and transfer and transport paths employed in the various apparatus embodiments. For example, numerous programmable logic controllers (PLCs) used to individually control various sections of the assemblies and stations prevent increasing operating speeds and reducing oxygen exposure time. This is due, for example, to the time needed for the PLCs to communicate with each other or with other PLCs of downstream or upstream assemblies.
Pursuant to the present invention, there is contemplated a simplified method that increases speed of operation of assemblies for transferring and transporting high quality articles which have been molded, such as contact lens mold sections and primary package elements for contact lenses. This is achieved by replacing various programmable logic controllers (PLCs) by a supervisory microprocessor that increases communication and synchronization between the molding apparatus and an ultimate conveyance element, such as a pallet, for transporting these molded articles into a nitrogen or low oxygen environment or other desired location for further processing.
The object of the present invention is to provide a computer controlled method for removing and transporting ophthalmic lens fabricating mold sections from a molding device to an inert chamber in a predetermined time that eliminates the problems of conventional methods.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method that eliminates various programmable logic controllers (PLCs).
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method that reduces response time in processing molded components, and quickly determining and discarding unacceptable molded components without disrupting the continuous operation of assemblies, including upstream and downstream assemblies.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method that includes rapid communication with upstream and downstream assemblies, and precise high speed, as well as vibration and shock free, movement to transfer among the various assemblies molded articles, which may not yet be completely cured or hardened, without causing undue plastic deformations of the articles.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a method that includes multi-tasking, where various tasks are controlled by a supervisory microprocessor.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a method that accurately determines total oxygen exposure time to correctly reject overly exposed mold components, and rapidly remove and transport articles made from the family of thermoplastics, such as polystyrene, from a mold in which those articles are made through the intermediary of sophisticated robotics, into a low oxygen environment of an automated contact lens molding system, within a period or time interval of only a few seconds.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a method that removes a plurality of discrete molded articles from a mold with the molded articles arranged in a matrix array, and to selectively either preserve that matrix array during subsequent handling of the molded articles, or reorient the matrix and the relative spacing of the molded articles therein according to a second predetermined matrix prior to being transported to a further locale.
These and other objects of the inventions are achieved by a method by a central processor controlled for removing and transporting ophthalmic lens fabricating mold sections from a molding device to an inert chamber in a predetermined time comprising the steps of:
starting a timer upon opening the molding device and exposing the mold sections;
actuating a robotic arm to transport the mold sections from the molding device to an intermediate position;
actuating a cam-controlled arm to transport the mold sections from the intermediate position to a pallet held on a conveyor belt at a cam-arm pre-part release location; and
releasing the pallet to move on the conveyor belt to the inert chamber.
A further step includes identifying molded articles as unacceptable when the pallet enters the inert chamber in a time that exceeds the predetermined time.
The robotic arm actuating step includes the steps of:
accelerating the robotic arm along a curvilinear path from a waiting position to an opening in the molding device in a synchronism with the opening of the molding device, in accordance with acceleration parameters stored in a memory of a central processor; and
decelerating the robotic arm after an acceleration time stored in the memory, where the robotic arm is approximately in the opening of the molding device, to provide a damping effect for allowing transfer of the mold sections from the molding machine to the robotic arm.
A further embodiment includes the steps of:
generating control parameters for a plurality of motors to effectuate a curvilinear motion of the robotic arm between the waiting position and the opening of the molding device;
storing the control parameters in the memory of the central processor;
opening the molding device and exposing the mold sections;
accelerating the robotic arm along a curvilinear path from the waiting position to the opening in the molding device in a synchronism with the opening of the molding device, in accordance with the control parameters stored in the memory; and
decelerating the robotic arm when the robotic arm is approximately in the opening of the molding device, to provide a damping effect for allowing transfer of the mold sections from the molding machine to the robotic arm.
Illustratively, the control parameters for each of the motors include acceleration and deceleration parameters, and acceleration and deceleration time parameters.
Additional steps includes raising a nest to receive the mold sections at the intermediate position; lowering the nest after transfer thereon of the molded sections from the robotic arm; and transferring the molded sections from the lowered nest to the cam-controlled arm. A further step includes, in the case the mold sections are primary package molds for example, actuating cylinders to rotate and resize the mold sections.
The cam-controlled arm movement includes moving the cam-controlled arm to the intermediate position; lowering the cam-controlled arm to pick the molded sections from a nest that receives the mold sections from the robotic arm; raising the cam-controlled arm up to the intermediate position after picking the molded sections from the nest; moving the cam-controlled arm to the pallet; lowering the cam-controlled arm while raising the pallet from the cam-arm pre-part release location to a cam-arm part release location; and transferring the molded sections from the cam-controlled arm to the pallet.
Alternatively, the cam-controlled arm movement includes moving the cam-controlled arm to a first position aligned with the intermediate position at a center height of the cam-controlled arm which is lower than the intermediate position; raising the cam-controlled arm to the intermediate position from first position to pick the molded sections from the robotic arm; moving the cam-controlled arm down from the intermediate position to the first position after picking the molded sections; relocating the cam-controlled arm along the center height to a second position aligned with the cam-arm pre-part release location; lowering the cam-controlled arm to the cam-arm part release location; raising a pallet from the cam-arm pre-part release location to the cam-arm part release location; and transferring the molded sections onto the pallet. Illustratively, the relocating step further includes rotating the cam-controlled arm by approximately 180xc2x0 around an axis longitudinal thereto.
Initializing the robotic and cam-controlled arms are performed, as needed, to position them collision free zones.
With respect to the pallet that receives the molded articles for transport to the inert chamber on the conveyor belt, the following steps are performed:
raising the pallet from the cam-arm pre-part release location to the cam-arm part release location;
transferring the molded sections from the cam-controlled arm to the pallet; and
lowering the pallet containing the molded section from the cam-arm part release location to the cam-arm pre-part release location.
Prior to the pallet releasing step, the following steps may be performed: actuating a pallet stop device to stop the pallet at the cam-arm pre-part release location; actuating a lift to raise the pallet held at the cam-arm pre-part release location by the pallet stop device in order for the pallet to receive the molded articles from the cam-controlled arm; and actuating a pallet locate device to hold the raised pallet at the cam-arm release location.
Pallets may be held in a que upstream from the pallet that receives the molded articles from the cam-controlled arm located at the cam-arm pre-part release location; and released one at a time to proceed to the cam-arm pre-part release location. Releasing these pallets in the que includes actuating a cylinder that simultaneously releases a first pallet in the que and holds a second pallet.
Alternatively two cylinders are used to release the pallets in the que one at a time. In this case, the following steps are performed: actuating a first cylinder which holds the first pallet located in the que; and actuating a second cylinder which releases the second pallet located downstream from the first pallet.
In a racetrack mode, actuating the robotic arm transports the mold sections from the molding device to a discard bin for discarding the molded articles, while empty pallets move on the conveyor belt to the inert chamber. Similarly, in a sample mode, actuating the robotic arm transports the mold sections from the molding device to a sample pallet located at the discard bin location, where the sample pallet is moved from a standby position to the discard location for receiving the mold sections from the robotic arm.
In another embodiment, whether a first pallet is located in a que position of the conveyor belt is determined. When the first pallet is located in the que position, then the robotic and cam-controlled arms are actuated.

Rapid robotic handling of mold parts used to fabricate contact lenses


The present invention relates to methods and apparatuses of using a novel transmit signal that can be used to improve performance of various loop diagnostic features of SELT. In embodiments, a novel transmit signal uses a wide contiguous band of tones that includes frequencies in both upstream and downstream bands. In these and other embodiments of the invention, the SELT transmit signal is designed such that any crosstalk noise in adjacent lines appears as a burst of noise that falls within the limits of the FEC settings of the system such that it can be fully corrected without harming the performance of modems connected on the adjacent lines.

In a typical xDSL deployment, a Central Office (CO) side transceiver will communicate with a compatible unit located at the Customer Premise (CP) known as the CP device or equipment (CPE). The service provider can, at times, run diagnostic tests to determine if there have been any changes to, or impairments in, the loop environment since the last diagnostic test was run or if the current line is capable of supporting higher data rates through use of a different xDSL standard, for example, using VDSL versus ADSL. One popular diagnostic test that aims at making such determinations is SELT.
A SELT test consists of transmitting a known test signal and analyzing the return, or echo, signal seen at the transceiver input. The transmit signal will undergo shaping as it traverses the loop. This shaping is representative of the loop characteristics. For example, if a bridge tap is present somewhere on the line under test, a SELT test may be able to identify this through knowledge of the unique signature that a bridge tap presents to the line when probed with a SELT test signal.
Since both ends of the connection are capable of transmitting a SELT signal, either side can run a SELT test. There are advantages to running SELT at one side or the other side of the connection. For determining the loop characteristics of in-home wiring, for example, execution of the SELT test from the CP side is desirable. Conversely, identification of loop impairments in close proximity to the central office is best seen through a CO side SELT test. In either event, since the SELT transmit signal undergoes attenuation that is proportional to the length of loop that it traverses, there are practical limits to which this test can be effectively used to determine the presence of loop wiring impairments.
Accordingly, there remains a need for improved SELT test techniques that address these shortcomings, among others.

Method and apparatus for designing an improved transmit signal for use in a single ended line test (SELT)


A roll-up table top assembly includes a plurality of slats that are disposed side by side, and a plurality of coupling units. Each of the slats has opposed parallel longitudinal sides. Each of the coupling units couples pivotally an adjacent pair of the slats, and includes a first coupling member and a second coupling member. The first coupling member is formed integrally on one of the longitudinal sides of one of the slats and includes a connecting portion and a cylindrical mounting shaft portion formed on the connecting portion. The second coupling member is formed integrally on one of the longitudinal sides of another one of the slats and includes a resilient coupling ring which has an axially extending notch with a size smaller than the diameter of the mounting shaft portion of the first coupling member. The mounting shaft portion of the first coupling member is extendible into the coupling ring via the notch to couple pivotally the adjacent pair of slats.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a roll-up table top assembly, more particularly to a roll-up table top assembly which includes coupling units that render the table top assembly easier to manufacture and assemble and that imparts enhanced rigidity to the table top assembly when the table top assembly is unrolled.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional roll-up table top assembly 1 is shown to include a plurality of parallel slats 11, three connecting straps 12 and a plurality of mounting plates 13. The slats 11 are formed integrally from plastic and have a top wall 111, a surrounding wall 112 extending downwardly from the periphery of the top wall 111, and three longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs 113 connected to the top wall 111 and the surrounding wall 112. Each of the slats 11 has three spaced positioning units 117, each of which includes four downwardly extending positioning tubes 114 which are arranged in a rectangular configuration and teeth 116 formed between adjacent pairs of the positioning tubes 114. Two adjacent ones of the positioning tubes 114 of each of the positioning units 117 are formed on an outer one of the reinforcing ribs 113 that is disposed adjacent to one of the longitudinal sides of the surrounding wall 112. The other two adjacent ones of the positioning tubes 114 are formed on an opposite outer one of the reinforcing ribs 113 that is disposed adjacent to the other one of the longitudinal sides of the surrounding wall 112. Each of the positioning tubes 114 confines an axial positioning hole 115. The connecting straps 12 are made of a flexible material. Each of the connecting straps 12 extends transversely across bottom sides of the parallel slats 11, and is disposed between the positioning tubes 114 of corresponding positioning units 117 of the parallel slats 11. Each of the mounting plates 13 is rectangular in shape and is formed with four positioning posts 132 at four corners thereof. The mounting plates 13 are formed with teeth 133 and are disposed under the connecting straps 12. The posts 132 of each of the mounting plates 13 extend into the axial positioning holes 115 of the positioning tubes 114 of a corresponding one of the positioning units 117 so that the connecting straps 12 are retained between the teeth 133 of the mounting plates 13 and the teeth 116 of the positioning unit 117 in order to mount the slats 11 on the connecting straps 12.
To assemble the table top assembly 1, the slats 11 are disposed side by side, and the connecting straps 12 are disposed at the bottom sides of the slats 11 so that each of the connecting straps 12 extends transversely relative to the slats 11 between the positioning tubes 114 of the corresponding positioning units 117. Glue is applied to the posts 132 of each of the mounting plates 13, and the mounting plates 13 are then pressed onto the positioning units 117 to engage the posts 132 with the corresponding positioning tubes 114. The connecting straps 12 are thus sandwiched and retained between the mounting plates 13 and the positioning units 117 for connecting the slats 11 side by side to each other. Assembly of the table top assembly 1 is thus completed. The table top assembly 1 can either be unrolled and supported on a leg assembly 14 for placing objects thereon, as shown in FIG. 3, or rolled-up for storage or transport.
Although the table top assembly 1 can be conveniently rolled-up and unrolled for use, the table top assembly 1 is still not satisfactory for the following reasons:
1. Since the slats 11 of the table top assembly 1 are connected to one another by means of the flexible connecting straps 12, a localized indented part might be formed on the table top assembly 1 when pressure is applied to that part. In other words, the aforementioned table top assembly 1 does not posses sufficient rigidity. PA0 2. The slats 11 are mounted on the connecting straps 12 by means of a plurality of mounting plates 13 that have positioning posts 132 which extend into the positioning tubes 114 of the slats 11. The slats 11, the connecting straps 12 and the mounting plates 13 should be manufactured separately. Therefore, the manufacturing of the table top assembly 1 is complicated, and the assembly thereof is relatively troublesome. PA0 3. Since the slats 11 are connected by means of the connecting straps 12, the distance between adjacent pairs of the slats 11 cannot be controlled precisely. As such, the slats 11 tend to have a somewhat disorderly arrangement.


Methods and machines are disclosed to attach tufts of individual bristles to a toothbrush with a resiliently flexible head, wherein the flexible head may be segmented with joints connecting adjacent segments or it may be angled or curved or combinations thereof, and to then trim such tufts of individual bristles to a desired length--or lengths in the case of brushes with multi-level tufts--and to then round the free ends of the individual bristles in each such tuft. The disclosed method and apparatus require only the modification of conventional toothbrush tufting machines having tuft insertion tools that travel in a defined direction and the modification of conventional trimming machines and methods. In particular, the present invention discloses novel apparatus and a method to hold securely a deformed resiliently flexible curved or angled toothbrush head or a segmented resiliently flexible head at the tufting apparatus in a configuration such that the bristle-receiving holes lie substantially parallel to the direction of travel of the tuft insertion tool, and at the trimming and end rounding portions of a toothbrush finishing machine so that conventional tufting, trimming and end rounding machines and methods can be used in the manufacture of such brushes.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus to permit attachment of tufts of individual bristles to toothbrushes with resiliently flexible, angled or curved heads and to then permit the trimming of such tufts of individual bristles to a desired length--or lengths in the case of brushes with multi-level tufts--and to then permit the rounding of the free ends of the individual bristles in each such tuft, which method and apparatus require only the modification of conventional toothbrush tufting and trimming machines and methods.
In particular, the present invention discloses novel means to deform and hold securely the head of a resiliently flexible, angled toothbrush at the tufting apparatus in order align the longitudinal axes of the tuft holes in a direction generally parallel to the direction of travel of the bristle insertion tool and to deform and hold securely the head of such a brush at the trimming and end rounding stations of a toothbrush finishing machine so that conventional tufting, trimming and end rounding machines and methods can be used in the manufacture of such brushes by the modifications according to the present invention. In many instances, the deformation results in the flattening of the head. Following completion of the tufting and then the finishing operations, when the brush is removed from the clamping means, the head returns to its original configuration.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Toothbrushes with curved or angled bristle tip configurations that offer improved access to hard-to-reach areas such as the lingual surfaces of the front teeth, and behind the rear molars, placing more bristles in contact with the outer surfaces of the front teeth are well known in the art. However, many current brushes which have rigidly mounted bristles and a rigid curved or angled bristle surface exhibit an inherent disadvantage when brushing both flat as well as concave tooth surfaces because placing a curved or angled bristle surface on flat tooth surfaces results in fewer bristles making contact with the teeth. These fewer bristles must support the brushing forces applied through the handle, which will result in premature splaying of the bristles. Some toothbrushes have a "power tip" configuration (elongated rigidly mounted tip bristles) which are claimed to have improved access benefits. Such brushes are illustrated in WO 94/09678; GB 304,459; U.S. Pat. No. 1,639,880, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,608, the teachings of which are incorporated herein in their entirety. Thus, while fixed angled or curved heads offer improved access to difficult-to-reach areas, because of their shortcomings with respect the brushing of flat tooth surfaces, it would be desirable to have an angled or curved brush head that flexes back to a flattened position when the brush is subjected to typical brushing forces.
Toothbrushes having heads with fixed angles or curves present another problem as well in their manufacture, particularly with respect to the attachment of tufts and the finishing thereof. Conventional toothbrush tufting machines operate in two axes, but the curved or angled section of the head does not lie within the area of operation of the tufting tool. Therefore, it becomes necessary to rotate the brush to a new position in order to bring the bristle-receiving face into the correct position in which the tufting tool can insert the bristles. While modern machines exist that can tuft brushes with other than flat bristle-receiving surfaces because both the brush and tufting tool can rotate, such machines are expensive. It is also known that conventional tuft drivers can insert bristles in an angled tuft hole provided that the angle is limited, generally to 6 degrees or less, by use of an angled tuft pin that is inserted straight and the driver, made of a thin piece of flexible metal, simply bends as the bristles follow the direction of the tuft hole. Nevertheless, it is desirable to have the capability of attaching tufts of bristles to toothbrushes with flexible angled or curved heads and of trimming such tufts of bristles to a desired length--or lengths in the case of brushes with multi-level tufts--and of then rounding the free ends of the bristles, which requires only the modification of conventional toothbrush tufting and trimming machines and methods.
Toothbrushes that include heads having pivoting or articulated sections joined together in a variety of constructions, such as by hinged articulated sections, are well known in the art.
For example, WO 92/17093, the teachings of which are incorporated herein in their entirety, discloses a toothbrush in which the head is divided by one or more hinge-forming grooves in the side of the head opposite to the bristle-bearing side into at least two segments that are flexibly and resiliently linked to each other and/or to the toothbrush handle. The head of such brush is flat, however.
WO 96/02165, the teachings of which are incorporated herein in their entirety, discloses toothbrushes with resilient, flexible heads, certain embodiments of which are similar to those shown in WO 92/17093. One embodiment has a curved head in the unstressed position and is formed by an elastomer-covered thin extension of the handle material. However, the specification merely states that the "Cutting and end-rounding of the bristles can be done using any of the methods commonly known in the art." No specific information is given, and the other embodiments disclose brushes with flat heads. WO 97/07707, the teachings of which are incorporated herein in their entirety, discloses a toothbrush in which the flexibility of the head is concentrated in the tip of the head, the head being angled at the tip. While this publication discloses that the hard plastic skeleton is made by injection molding, wherein the bristle face is substantially flat, and the tip region is subsequently folded to a desired angle with the base region, following which the elastomer is injected at a link region between the two segments, it simply teaches that the bristle are ". . . inserted by a conventional process . . . ." Again, no specific method or apparatus is disclosed to tuft, trim and end round the bristles of a flexible headed toothbrush, wherein at least a portion of the head may be at an angle with respect to the balance of the head.
Co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/762,783, U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,383, the teachings of which are incorporated herein in their entirety, discloses a toothbrush having a resiliently flexible, angled head, but no specific teaching is present with respect to the tufting, trimming and end rounding operations.
EP 0 078 569 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,761, the teachings of which are incorporated herein in their entirety, each disclose the end rounding of toothbrushes with multi-level bristles, but the bristle faces are flat.
Toothbrushes having flexible angled or curved heads do not fit well into existing clamps of conventional tufting and finishing machines. The bent or curved head can slip out of, or be folded inwardly in the case of segmented brush heads, by typical clamps.

Method and apparatus to permit attachment of bristles to toothbrushes with resiliently flexible heads and to thereafter permit the trimming and end rounding of such bristles


A first motion detection is performed for determining a motion or a still condition by comparing a difference signal .DELTA. between an input video signal of a current frame and a video signal of a previous frame with a preset threshold value. A second motion detection is performed for determining a motion or a still condition by using a difference signal .DELTA. between an input video signal of a current frame and a video signal of a previous frame at surrounding pixels and a center pixel as a target for the second motion detection. A wrong decision correction is performed for correcting an error in a result of motion detection in the first and/or second motion detections by changing a determination of a motion condition to a still condition, or a determination of a still condition to a motion condition, wherein an error is either a wrong determination of a motion condition for a still condition or a wrong determination of a still condition for a motion condition. A transition period detection is performed for detecting a motion-to-still transition period for a pixel whose data is determined as still during the correcting of a wrong decision.

This invention relates to a method for detecting motion from a video signal having noise or flicker superposed and a noise reducer for decreasing a noise component utilizing a frame correlation of the video signal and improving a signal-to-noise ratio of the video signal.
Generally, the video signal is a signal which has video information repeating at the periods of the frames, and there is high auto-correlation between the frames On the other hand, since the noise component included in the video signal normally has little auto-correlation, if the video signal is averaged temporally for each frame period, the energy of the signal component hardly changes, and therefore, only the energy of the noise component decreases, so that the noise can be reduced. In order to obtain the above-mentioned average, a plurality of frame memories are required. Because the frame memories are expensive, the generally practiced method is not to use a non-recursive filter which requires a plurality of frame data but to use a one-frame first-order recursive filter.
With regard to the noise reducer of a frame-cyclic arrangement which reduces noise by utilizing the frame correlation of the video signal, many methods have been proposed. One of those methods which describes the basic concept is carried in the Journal of the Institute of Television Engineers of Japan Vol. 33, No. 4 (1979).
To help understand the present invention, description will first be made of a conventional noise reducer referring to FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, an input video signal 1, which comprises a component signal such as a luminance signal or one of color difference signals, primary color signal R, G and B, is supplied to the input terminal The input video signal 1 supplied through the input terminal is attenuated to (1-K) times the original energy by a variable attenuator 2 and becomes an input attenuated video signal 3, which is applied to an adder 4. On the other hand, a previous video signal 7, which has had noise reduced and then delayed by one frame period, is attenuated to K times the energy level held theretofore by a variable attenuator 8 and becomes a previous-frame-attenuated video signal 9. This video signal 9 is added with the input attenuated video signal 3 by the adder 4, and output as an output video signal 5 from an output terminal, and then stored in a frame memory 6.
When the input video signal 1 is a completely still image, the frequency spectrum of this video signal is a line spectrum with a 30-Hz period, there is no energy loss of video signal by the circuit as shown in FIG. 1, and the degree of improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio can be expressed as follows: EQU Improvement of signal-to-noise ratio=10 log (1+K)/(1-K) (dB)(Eq. 1)
FIG. 2 shows changes in the improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio with respect to coefficient K. It is obvious that the larger the K, the greater the degree of improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio becomes.
On the other hand, generally, there is motion in the video signal, and if an image including motion is passed through the circuit in FIG. 1, an after image persists. The time constant T of the after image is EQU T=-1/(1n K) x 1/30 (sec) (Eq. 2)
FIG. 3 shows after-image time constant characteristics with respect to the coefficient K. The after-image time constant T, namely, the after image is larger with a larger K.
That is to say, the improvement of the signal-to-noise ratio and the occurrence of the after image are shadows to each other. For this reason, generally, the coefficient K is varied in the range of 0<K<1 according to the motion of the input video signal. To be more specific, when the motion of the video signal is large, the K is reduced to suppress the after image, and when the motion is small, the K is increased, thereby increasing the degree of improvement of the signal-to-noise ratio. This control of the K is done by a coefficient control circuit 10.
From the input video signal 1 from the input terminal, the subtracter subtracts the previous frame video signal 7 which has had noise reduced and has been delayed by one frame period, and a resulting inter-frame difference signal .DELTA. is input into the coefficient control circuit 10. The probability of the inter-frame difference signal .DELTA. being a noise component is generally high for smaller inter-frame difference signal .DELTA., while the probability of the inter-frame difference signal .DELTA. being a motion component of the signal is high for larger inter-frame difference signal .DELTA.. Therefore, when the inter-frame difference signal .DELTA. is small, the K is increased to increase the degree of improvement of the signal-to-noise ratio. When the inter-frame difference signal .DELTA. is large, the K is decreased to suppress an occurrence of the after image insofar as possible.
The value of K is controlled as shown in FIG. 4 according to the inter-frame difference signal .DELTA. input to the coefficient control circuit 10.
In FIG. 4, the K is a function of the inter-frame difference signal .DELTA., and can be expressed by Eq. 3 below. ##EQU1##
Thus, by the conventional method, it is possible to reduce noise while minimizing the occurrence of the after image.
On the other hand, a method for detecting motion from a noise-superposed video signal has been reported in ITEJ Technical Report TEBS112-1 (1986, 7, 27). This method will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, and Table 1.
FIG. 5 indicates the relation between noise and a motion signal The frequency of zero cross of the inter-frame difference signal .DELTA. including noise is considered to differ in the still-image region and in the moving-image region. By utilizing this phenomenon, the motion is detected as follows
With the inter-frame difference signal .DELTA. at a target pixel for motion detection and the preset surrounding pixels around the center target pixel in the detection range, the number of plus pixels CP and the number of minus pixels CN are calculated, and .xi. is calculated by the following equation. EQU .xi.=min (CP, CN)/max (CP, CN) (Eq. 4)
where
min (A, B) : a value of A or B whichever is smaller PA0 max (A, B) : a value of A or B whichever is larger
In comparing .xi. with a preset threshold value th (0<.xi.th<1), when 0.ltoreq..xi..ltoreq..xi.th, a decision as "motion" is made, and when .xi.th<.xi.<1, a decision as "still" is made.
Table 1 shows a summary of correspondence between the values of .xi. and the decision results in the motion detection when the range of the surrounding pixels, by which the decision was made, was set as 5.times.5 pixels around the center target pixel as shown in FIG. 6 and the threshold value was .xi.th=0.35. In the case of FIG. 6, since CP=16 and CN=9, .xi.=0.56, so that decision was "still".
TABLE 1 ______________________________________ plus minus (CP) (CN) .xi. decision ______________________________________ 0 25 0 motion 1 24 0.04 motion 2 23 0.09 motion 3 22 0.14 motion 4 21 0.19 motion 5 20 0.25 motion 6 19 0.32 motion 7 18 0.39 still 8 17 0.47 still 9 16 0.56 still 10 15 0.59 still 11 14 0.67 still 12 13 0.92 still 13 12 0.92 still 14 11 0.67 still 15 10 0.59 still 16 9 0.56 still 17 8 0.47 still 18 7 0.39 still 19 6 0.32 still 20 5 0.25 motion 21 4 0.19 motion 22 3 0.14 motion 23 2 0.09 motion 24 1 0.24 motion 25 0 0 motion ______________________________________
As described above, by the conventional motion detection method, a decision can be made as to the motion based on the inter-frame difference signal at the center pixel as the target of motion detection and the surrounding pixels in the preset detection range.
However, in the above-mentioned conventional noise reducer, noise reduction is performed by using only a statistical feature that the inter-frame difference signal .DELTA. is highly likely to be a noise component when the inter-frame difference signal .DELTA. is smaller, while the inter-frame difference signal .DELTA. is highly likely to be a motion component when the inter-frame difference signal .DELTA. is larger. So, this is not motion detection in the strict sensor of the word. By this method, a small motion in the inter-frame difference signal .DELTA. is removed in the same way as noise. This removal of small motion causes an after image to occur in the moving image, which has been a problem.
The conventional motion detection method has another problem in which an omission of detecting the motion such as misjudging the motion as a still or an error such as misjudging the still as a motion occur very often owing to the effects of noise and flicker.

Video signal motion detecting method and noise reducer utilizing the motion

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


The present invention is directed to a copolymer containing a unit represented by Formula (1): ##STR1## wherein Y represents a hydrocarbon residue having 1 to 13 carbon atoms which may have 1 to 4 double bonds. A method for production thereof comprises the steps of culturing microorganisms of the genus Pseudomonas under limitation of nutrients other than carbon sources using a medium containing long-chain fatty acids having 14 to 22 carbon atoms or lower alcohol esters thereof, or triglycerides comprising long-chain fatty acids having 14 to 22 carbon atoms as carbon sources; washing the bacterial cells after completion of cultivation; extracting the bacterial cells; and recovering a polyester from the extracts.

A large number of microorganisms have been found to accumulate polyesters, as energy storage compounds, in the cells thereof. A typical example thereof is Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate [hereinafter simply referred to as F(3HB)], which is a homopolymer containing a monomer unit (3HB) represented by the following Formula (2). ##STR2##
P(3HB) is a so-called biodegradable plastic, which undergoes biological degradation in natural environments; however, if viewed as a polymer material, it is insufficient for practical use because it is highly crystalline, hard and brittle.
As a means for overcoming these drawbacks, it has been proposed to incorporate a monomer unit which is structurally different from 3HB to compose the polyester. The methods based on this concept can be roughly divided into two groups as follows.
(1) According to Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 150393/1982, 69225/1983, 269989/1988, 48821/1989 and 156320/1989, copolymer F(3HB-CO-3HV), containing 3-hydroxyvalerate (a monomer unit represented by Formula (3), simply referred to as 3HV) and 3HB, is obtained by culturing Alcaligenes eutrophus, a microorganism which essentially produces P(3HB), from a carboxylic acid having an odd number of carbon atoms, such as propionic acid or valeric acid, as a carbon source. Similarly, it is reported that copolymer P(3HB-CO-4HB), containing 4-hydroxybutyrate (a monomer unit represented by Formula (4), simply referred to as 4HB) and 3HB, is obtained from 4-hydroxybutyric acid or .gamma.-butyrolactone, as a carbon source. ##STR3##
(2) According to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 226291/1988, it is reported that copolymer P(3HA), having 3-hydroxyalkanoate (simply referred to as 3HA) having 6 to 12 carbon atoms can be biosynthesized by Pseudomonas oleovorans ATCC29347, a hydrocarbon-utilizing bacterium, from alkanes. It as a carbon source. Here, to provide a clear representation of the relationship between each monomer unit structure and carbon number in 3HA, this monomer unit is referred to as a C.sub.x unit. ##STR4##
According to the above-mentioned patent publications, 3HB is a C.sub.4 unit and 3HV is a C.sub.5 unit; Pseudomonas oleovorans is capable of intracellularly synthesizing and accumulating copolymers containing C.sub.6 to C.sub.12 units.
Also, "Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 1988, pages 1977-1982" states that the carbon source alkane should have at least 6 carbon atoms for Pseudomonas oleovorans to synthesize a polyester, and that units exceeding C.sub.12 are not synthesized even if an alkane having a carbon number of 12 or more is added.
As stated above, two types of copolymer have been proposed. The copolymers of type 1 have a few methylene groups in the side chain thereof, and they are physically plastic-like polymers. The copolymers of type 2 have a large number of methylene groups in the side chain thereof, and they are physically gel-like polymers. The latter copolymers of type 2 have not been found practically valuable because their melting point (Tm) is about 40 to 60.degree. C., which is too low to retain hardness.
The present inventors have conducted investigations in search of a microorganism which utilizes long-chain fatty acids having 14 to 22 carbon atoms or triglycerides comprising such long-chain fatty acids and which accumulates a polyester in the cells thereof, and have found a bacterial strain which accumulates a random polymer having extremely long chains of methylene groups (up to C.sub.16 units) in the side chain thereof and also having a double bond in the side chain thereof. The present inventors have made further investigations based on this finding, and thus developed the present invention.

Polymer and method for production thereof

Kanegafuchi Kagaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha


A reverse-separating device for a slide fastener, comprises a retainer pin 5, a separable pin 6 both made of metal and a reverse-separating slider 3. Each of the retainer pin 5 and the separable pin 6 is of a U-shaped cross-section and has a slit 18 formed along its front edge. At the lower end of the slit 18, the retainer pin 5 projects rearward beyond the slit 18 to thus provide a loop-like stopper 22 for engagement with the flange 31 of the reverse-separating slider 3. Once the retainer pin 5 is inserted into the reverse-separating slider 3, the retainer pin 5 is firmly retained by three parts of the reverse-separating slider 3. The separable pin 6 has a projecting ledge 28 formed on the upper end the projecting fin 27 so as to project laterally therefrom. The projecting ledge 28 of the separable pin 6 is adapted to abut against the upper end of the projecting fin 25 of the retainer pin 5 and thus prevent the separable pin 6 from moving further into the reverse-separating slider 3.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a reverse-separating device for a slide fastener used on a clothes having an opening formed in its front, such as a jumper, overcoat; and particularly to a reverse-separating device made of metal attached to the ends of a slide fastener for opening and closing a pair of right and left fastener stringers of the slide fastener.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, there has been known an ordinary separating device which is comprised of a separable pin attached to the bottom end of one of the two stringers and a retainer attached to the bottom end of the other stringer. The retainer is comprised of a retainer box and a retainer pin which extends upward from the retainer box and is of a U-shaped cross-section. The retainer box and the retainer pin either can be made as one unit at one time by a die-casting process. Alternatively, they can be separately made and thereafter be assembled by clamping the retainer pin within the retainer box. In either method, the retainer pin is clamped onto the bottom end of one fastener tape. In order to close the slide fastener, the separable pin attached to one stringer is inserted into the retainer box attached to the other stringer, and thereafter, the slider moves upward to close the slide fastener.
A reverse-separating device for a slide fastener is shown in the specification of UK Patent Application Publication No. 624334. A retainer pin 100 of this reverse-separating device is reproduced in FIG. 12 of the drawings attached hereto for convenience's sake. The retainer pin 100 is stamped of a metal plate into a U-shaped cross-section and has a pair of opposed flanges 102 formed longitudinally on its one side. A flat stop 104 is provided on the bottom end of the retainer pin so as to project laterally therefrom. The stop 104 is intended to stop descent of a reverse-separating slider.
The ordinary separating device which is comprised of the retain box, the retain pin and the separable pin described first above cannot be used as a reverse-separating device.
On the other hand, the retainer pin 100 of the reverse-separating device reproduced in FIG. 12 has the flat stop 104 formed integral therewith. However, the retainer pin 100 has a problem. It is stamped from a metal plate, but, since the stamping operation is complex, it is impossible to form the retainer pin 100 at a single step. Furthermore, the retainer pin 100 is not of a shape suitable to be subjected to feeding process with an automatic parts feeding machine for attaching the retainer pin 100 to the edge of the fastener tape. It is therefore tedious to attach the retainer pin 100 to the fastener tape.
In view of the problems mentioned above, it is an object of this invention to provide a metal-dicast reverse-separating device for a slide fastener wherein a retainer pin and a separable pin are simple in construction and so each can be produced in a single step, and furthermore, the retainer pin and the separable pin can be efficiently subjected to feeding operation with an automatic parts feeding machine.
It is another object of this invention to provide a metal-dicast reverse-separating device wherein the retainer pin can be clamped to the bottom end of the fastener tape through its plastic deformation reliably, easily and sightly.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a metal-dicast reverse-separating device, wherein the retainer pin is attached to the fastener stringer with the stopper spaced from the lower edge of the fastener tape and the impact that the stopper suffers when the stopper stops the reverse-separating slider will not influence the end of the fastener tape, so that the retainer pin is durable.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a metal-dicast reverse-separating device which is improved in strength to endure stresses tending to thrust up perpendicularly of the fastener chain, wherein the stopper sets up the limit up to which the separable pin can be inserted into the reverse-separating slider, to thus determine accurate relative position between the retainer pin and the separable pin.
It still another object of this invention to provide a metal-dicast reverse-separating device wherein the retainer pin can maintain its predetermined posture and the retainer pin and the reverse-separating slider can keep engaged with each other reliably.

Reverse-separating device for slide fastener