The improved neuron is connected to input buses which transport input data and control signals. It basically consists of a computation block, a register block, an evaluation block and a daisy chain block. All these blocks, except the computation block substantially have a symmetric construction. Registers are used to store data: the local norm and context, the distance, the AIF value and the category. The improved neuron further needs some R/W memory capacity which may be placed either in the neuron or outside. The evaluation circuit is connected to an output bus to generate global signals thereon. The daisy chain block allows to chain the improved neuron with others to form an artificial neural network (ANN). The improved neuron may work either as a single neuron (single mode) or as two independent neurons (dual mode). In the latter case, the computation block, which is common to the two dual neurons, must operate sequentially to service one neuron after the other. The selection between the two modes (single/dual) is made by the user which stores a specific logic value in a dedicated register of the control logic circuitry in each improved neuron.

The present invention relates to neural network systems and more particularly to an improved neuron architecture having a dual structure designed to generate local/global signals. This improved neuron architecture allows the neuron to work either as a single neuron or as two independent neurons to construct very flexible artificial neural networks (ANNs). Moreover, it is well adapted for integration in VLSI semiconductor chips.
Improved neuron structure and artificial neural networks incorporating the same, attorney docket number FR9-98-081, filed on the same date herewith.
Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are more and more used in applications where no mathematical algorithm can describe the problem to be solved and they are very successful as far as the classification or recognition of objects is concerned. ANNs give very good results because they learn by examples and are able to generalize in order to respond to an input vector which was never presented. So far, most ANNs have been implemented in software and only a few in hardware, however the present trend is to implement ANNs in hardware, typically in semiconductor chips. In this case, hardware ANNs are generally based upon the Region Of Influence (ROI) algorithm. The ROI algorithm gives good results if the input vector presented to the ANN can be separated into classes of objects well separated from each other. If an input vector has been recognized by neurons belonging to two different classes (or categories), the ANN will respond by an uncertainty. This uncertainty may be reduced in some extent by the implementation of the K Nearest Neighbor (KNN) algorithm. Modern neuron and artificial neural network architectures implemented in semiconductor chips are described in the following U.S. patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,621,863 xe2x80x9cNeuron Circuitxe2x80x9d
U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,397 xe2x80x9cCircuit for Pre charging a Free Neuron Circuitxe2x80x9d
U.S. Pat. No. 5,710,869 xe2x80x9cDaisy Chain Circuit for Serial Connection of Neuron Circuitsxe2x80x9d
U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,832 xe2x80x9cNeural Semiconductor Chip and Neural Networks Incorporated Thereinxe2x80x9d
U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,326 xe2x80x9cCircuit for Searching/Sorting Data in Neural Networksxe2x80x9d
which are incorporated herein by reference. These patents are jointly owned by IBM Corp. and Guy Paillet. The chips are manufactured and commercialized by IBM France under the ZISC036 label. ZISC is a registered Trade Mark of IBM Corp. The following description will be made in the light of the U.S. patents recited above, the same vocabulary and names of circuits will be kept whenever possible.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,621,863 (see FIG. 5 and related description), there is disclosed a neuron circuit architecture (11) according to the ZISC technology. The ZISC neuron circuit can be easily connected in parallel to build an ANN having the desired size to meet the application needs such as defined by the user. This specific neuron circuit architecture is adapted to generate local result signals, e.g. of the fire type and local output signals, e.g. of the distance or category type. The neuron circuit is connected to six input buses which transport input data (e.g. the input category), feed back signals and control signals. A typical neuron circuit includes the essential circuits briefly discussed below. A multi-norm distance evaluation circuit (200) calculates the distance D between an input vector and the prototype vector stored in a R/W (weight) memory circuit (250) placed in each neuron circuit once it has been learned. A distance compare circuit (300) compares the distance D with either the actual influence field (AIF) of the prototype vector or the lower limit thereof (MinIF) stored in an IF circuit (350) to generate first and second intermediate result signals (LT, LTE). An identification circuit (400) processes the said intermediate result signals, the input category signal (CAT), the local category signal (C) and a feed back signal to generate a local/global result signal (F, UNC/FIRE.OK, . . . ) which represents the response of a neuron circuit to the presentation of an input vector. A minimum distance determination circuit (500) is adapted to determine the minimum distance Dmin among all the distances calculated by the neuron circuits of the ANN to generate a global output signal (NOUT) of the distance type. The same processing applies to categories. The feed back signals present on the OR-BUS are global signals collectively generated by all the neuron circuits and result of ORing all the local output signals. A daisy chain circuit (600) is serially connected to the corresponding daisy chain circuits of the two adjacent neuron circuits to structure these neurons as a chain forming thereby said ANN. Its role is to determine the neuron circuit state: free, first free in the chain or engaged. Finally, a context circuitry (100/150) is capable to allow or not the neuron circuit to participate with the other neuron circuits of the ANN in the generation of the said feed back signal.
Unfortunately, depending upon the application, the number of input vector components that is required is not necessarily the same. Some applications may need a high number of components while others not. If a chip is built with such a high number for a specific application, for an application requiring only a small number of components, a significant part of the memory space will not be used.
Moreover, this neuron architecture is not optimized in terms of circuit density because many functions are decentralized locally within each neuron and thus are duplicated every time a neuron is added to the ANN. Moreover, in each neuron circuit, the distance compare block 300 is used to compare the distance with the AIF value. A comparator performs this comparison at the end of the distance evaluation, but at this time, the distance evaluation circuit 200 which also includes a comparator is not busy, so that one of the comparators is not really necessary. This duplication is a source of wasted silicon area. In normal ZISC operation, the contents of the local norm/context register 100 is seldom changed. As a consequence, the NS signal generated by the matching circuit 150 does not change either and therefore, the matching circuit is not busy most of the time. In each neuron circuit, both the identification circuit 400 and the matching circuit 150 also include compare circuits for comparison purposes. Likewise, there is no occasion to have these circuits operating together. All these duplicated circuits require unnecessary additional logic gates.
In the ROI mode, it is often useful to know the minimum/maximum AIF among the AIF values determined by all the neuron circuits of the ANN, but because there is no connection between the IF circuit 350 and the Dmin determination circuit 500, it is thus not possible to perform this operation. Another missing functionality results of the impossibility to determine the minimum/maximum value of the prototype components stored in the R/W memory and the norm/context value stored in the register 100 of all the neurons. Finally, for the selected neurons (those which are at the minimum distance or have the minimum category), it is impossible to change the prototype components (weights) stored in the said R/W memory after the recognition phase.
In the ZISC neuron architecture, there are four input data buses to feed each neuron, but only a few data need to be applied at the same time to a determined neuron circuit. A high number of buses induces a high number of wires and drivers for electrical signal regeneration that are a source of silicon area consumption in the chip.
Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved neuron architecture having a dual structure that can operate either as a single neuron (single mode) or as two independent neurons with a reduced number of components, referred to as the even and odd neurons (dual mode), at user""s will.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved neuron architecture having a dual structure wherein the circuit design is adapted to save silicon area when the neuron is built in a semiconductor chip for increased device integration.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved neuron architecture having a dual structure that is adapted to merge as many common functions of two ZISC neuron circuits such as incorporated in the existing ZISC chips.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved neuron architecture having a dual structure that is adapted to significantly reduce the number of buses needed to transmit data to each neuron.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved neuron architecture having a dual structure that only requires the minimum number of circuits that are necessary to perform the desired functions and buses wherein all duplications are substantially eliminated for maximum circuit integration.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved neuron architecture having a dual structure that is adapted to determine the maximum/minimum value of a determined data among all the corresponding data stored or processed in the other similar neurons of the ANN.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved neuron architecture having a dual structure that is adapted to cooperate with other similar neurons to build an ANN having efficient and fast processing capabilities.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved neuron architecture having a dual structure that is adapted to cooperate with other similar neurons to build an ANN wherein single and even/odd neurons are merged for maximum flexibility.
According to the present invention, there is described an improved neuron architecture having a dual structure that generates local/global signals which overcomes most of the inconveniences of the ZISC neuron architecture. Basically, an improved neuron is comprised of: a R/W memory, typically a RAM, a computation block, a few blocks of registers to store the data, an evaluation block to process data and a daisy chain circuit block, wherein all these blocks, except the computation block, substantially have a symmetric construction. This memory can be located either in the improved neuron itself or outside. Thanks to this particular structure, the improved neuron can operate either as a single neuron (single mode) or as two independent neurons referred to as the even and odd neurons (dual mode).
The computation block is a multi-norm distance calculation/comparison circuit which calculates the distance D between the input vector and the prototype vector stored in said RAM memory. It also compares the distance D signal with the AIF signal to generate first and second intermediate signals as standard wherein said first intermediate signal is active in the recognition mode if D less than AIF and said second intermediate signal is active in the learning mode if D less than =MinIF.
In essence, the role of the norm/context register is to allow the neuron to participate or not with the other neurons of the ANN in the generation of the feed back signal. The distance register is adapted to store the distance (single neuron) or the two distances (even and odd neurons) calculated by the computation block. The AIF register has been adapted to store the actual influence field (AIF) of one prototype (single mode or of two prototypes (dual mode) and their upper and lower limits (i.e. the minimum influence field MinIF and the maximum influence field MaxIF). Likewise, the category register stores either a single local category or the two local categories of the even and odd neurons.
An evaluation circuit generates the local/global signals which represent the response of the neuron to the presentation of an input vector. It receives the following signals: the input category, the feed back, the local category, the local distance, the AIF and the context values. The evaluation circuit includes two search/sort circuits for the even and odd neurons to determine the minimum/maximum value among the local values calculated by all the improved neurons of the ANN to generate a global output signal.
Finally, a daisy chain circuit connected to the corresponding daisy chain circuits of the two adjacent improved neurons t structure these neurons as a chain to form the ANN. It is adapted to determine the state of the improved neuron: free, first free or engaged. In particular, it identifies the first free neuron (single or even or odd neuron) which is the xe2x80x9cready to learnxe2x80x9d neuron by construction.
When the RAN memory is implemented in the improved neuron, according to an important aspect of the present invention, for an efficient memory management, in the single mode, a single neuron occupies the totality of the addresses of the RAM. In the dual mode, the first half of the RAM addresses is dedicated to the even neuron and the second half to the odd neuron.
The improved neuron of the present invention finds extensive application in the construction of highly flexible ANNs wherein single and even/odd neurons are mixed in the ANN chain.
The novel features believed to be characteristic of this invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as other objects and advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrated preferred embodiment to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Neuron architecture having a dual structure and neural networks incorporating the same

International Business Machines Corporation


A movable member positioning mechanism in which the number of components of lock and click mechanisms is decreased, and the number of assembling steps is decreased accordingly. In the movable member positioning mechanism, a remote controller 20 is movably arranged along an inner wall 11 of a housing 10, a locking pawl (K) is arranged between the inner wall 11 and an outer wall 12, a lock hole 21 and a click hole 22 are formed in the surface of the remote controller 20 which is confronted with the inner wall 11, and the locking pawl (K) comprises: a lever 14 extended between the inner wall 11 and the outer wall 12; a locking portion 17 which is formed at one end of the lever 14 in such a manner as to be able to engage with the lock hole 21 and the click hole; an operating portion 16 which is formed at the other end of the lever 14 so as to cause the locking portion 17 to protrude towards the remote control 30 through the inner wall 11; and a spring member 18 for urging the locking portion 17 towards the lock hole 21 and the click hole 22.

This invention relates to a mechanism for positioning a movable member which is arranged slidably with respect to a main body.
Heretofore, a positioning mechanism such as a locking mechanism or clicking mechanism for positioning a movable member which is slidable with respect to a main body has been made up of a number of independent components such as a locking pawl which engages with the movable member, a supporting mechanism for supporting the locking pawl, a spring for urging the locking pawl towards the movable member at all times, and an operating member for disengaging the locking pawl from the movable member by moving the locking pawl from the movable member.
That is, heretofore, in order to form a positioning mechanism such as a locking mechanism or clicking mechanism, it has been necessary to use a large number of components, and accordingly it has been rather troublesome to assemble the large number of components into the desired positioning mechanism.


The present invention is directed to a bearing structure for a camshaft to prevent obliquely wiping off the oil from the surface of the camshaft caused by a knife edge. A lower journal (3) for supporting the camshaft (2) is formed with a counterbore (6) cutting off a part of a bearing surface (5) of the lower journal (3). A connecting part between the bearing surface (5) and the counterbore (6) is formed with a recess (11) hollowed from the bearing surface (5). A part of an edge (11a) connecting the recess (11) to the bearing surface (5) is elongated along a perpendicular direction to an axis of the bearing surface (O5), and a remaining part of the edge (11b) is elongated along a parallel direction to the axis (O5). The part of the edge (11a) does not wipe off the oil in the axis direction (O5), while the oil wiped by the remaining part of the edge (11b) is received into the recess (11) and is used for lubrication.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bearing structure, in particular, a bearing structure for a camshaft in which a counterbore or a spot facing is formed to a part of a bearing surface of a lower journal.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, with regard to a camshaft 2 supported on a cylinder head 1 of the OHC engine, the camshaft 2 is clamped between a lower journal 3 provided in the cylinder head 1 and an upper journal (not shown) fixed thereon, and is rotatably supported by them. A plurality of lower journals 3 are aligned in an axis direction of the camshaft at certain intervals.
Each lower journal is supplied with oil from cylinder head side to lubricate interface between the lower journals and the camshaft. It is also known that only one lower journal 3 can be provided with oil and the oil is in turn provided to other lower journals via the camshaft 2. The cylinder head 1 is secured onto the cylinder body by head bolts (not shown) penetrating the cylinder head 1.
In recent years, it is required that an engine is smaller and lighter but more powerful. Therefore, bore pitch between cylinders becomes narrower, and the number of head bolts and valves becomes more. For this reason head bolts are close to the lower journals 3, and thus counterbores for head bolts interfere with bearing surfaces of the lower journals 3 in the cylinder head 1. This type of the cylinder head is known as described in paragraph 0006 and 0007, and FIG. 21 of Japanese Patent Application published by No. 8-218836, for example.
In this type, as shown in FIG. 6, while a counterbore face 4 for the head bolt is formed in the cylinder head 1, a cutting tool is moved down from above the cylinder head 1 to the level of the counterbore face 4 for the head bolt. In this process a part of the bearing surface 5 is cut off at where the route of the cutting tool overlaps with the bearing surface 5, thereby the counterbore 6 with a sharp edge is formed in the lower journal 3.
In FIG. 6, an upper end surface of the cylinder head is depicted by hatching. Numeral 4 shows the counterbore face for the head boils which is lower than the bearing surface 5. Numeral 7 shows a hole into which the head bolt is inserted. Numeral 8 shows a hole into which an injector is attached. Numeral 9 shows a female screw into which a bolt to secure the upper journal is engaged. X shows a hole for an inlet or exhaust valve stem.
Meanwhile, a connection part between the counterbore 6 and the bearing surface 5 is formed with a sharp, arc-of-circle like knife edge 10 as shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, because the cutting tool cut off a part of the bearing surface 5 when the counterbore face 4 is machined by the cutting tool in the cylinder head 1.
This knife edge 10 contacts with the surface of the camshaft 2 at an angle, then wipes off the oil from the surface of the camshaft 2 (knife edge function), because its relative contact point to the surface of the camshaft moves in turn in the width direction of the bearing surface 5 as the camshaft 2 rotates. This may cause lubrication failure against the camshaft 2.


An imaging system for an optical element, the imaging system comprising means for illuminating a targeted optical element with at least one incident light beam and means for directing at least two light beams returning from at least one surface of the illuminated optical element onto a detector; the detector adapted to measure relative light characteristics of the at least two returning light beams and to calculate at least one parameter of the optical element using the measured characteristics of the at least two returning light beams.

Ocular procedures often modify one or more structures of the eye, such as the cornea, lens, or retina. Some procedures involve removing or replacing one or more structures of the eye, or adding an implant. For example, lens replacement surgery involves removing a patient's existing lens and replacing it with a new lens. Some procedures, such as laser vision correction surgery, do not remove or replace existing structures of patient's eye, or add an implant to the eye, but rather re-shape existing structures. Regardless of the type of modification being made (e.g., removal, replacement, insertion, or alteration), the optical performance of the eye is altered by adjustments made to the structures of the eye. Therefore in order to accurately model the structure of any eye, it is necessary to determine the ocular parameters of that eye. These parameters include shape, thickness, and refractive index of ocular structures such as the cornea, the lens, the retina, or any other structures of interest.
Measuring parameters such as curvatures, or shapes of surfaces, or thicknesses of elements within a patient's eye is traditionally carried out using variations of ultrasound Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Interferometery, Purkinje, or Scheimpflug systems.
Typical Scheimpflug systems facilitate diagnosis of the front chamber of the eye. U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,958 B1 entitled "Device for the examination of an eye using a Scheimpflug camera and a slit light projector for photographing slit images of an eye" for example discloses a classic single Scheimpflug system configured for examination of the eye only one meridian at a time.
US 2009/0190093 entitled "Dual Scheimpflug System for Three-Dimensional Analysis of an Eye" comprises a pair of rotating Scheimpflug cameras positioned perpendicular to one another and rotatable on a platform to generate and display a three dimensional representation of the anterior corneal surface, posterior corneal surface, anterior iris surface and anterior lens surface. While this system provides a dual system, it implements the system using two separate cameras and it is not possible to provide the possibility of allowing two cross sections of the cornea and crystalline lens to be obtained simultaneously.
A disadvantage of these systems is the inability to measure all the relevant parameters of the eye in a single pass and without having to move or re-orientate the equipment. These systems are unable to measure the front of the lens of the eye without dilating the pupil and also the back surface of the lens under most conditions even with dilation of the pupils. It will be appreciated that dilation affects the accuracy of any measurements made.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an imaging system which enables measurement of all relevant parameters of the eye necessary for ocular modelling in a single pass without having to move or re-orientate any part of the imaging system, i.e. to measure the optical parameters of the eye necessary to compile an individual optical model. It is a further object of the present invention to increase the efficiency and accuracy of ocular models by improving the accuracy of the measurements made.                It would be desirable to measure the following:        Posterior and anterior curvature of the Cornea        Posterior and anterior curvature of the lens        The Refractive index of the Cornea, Aqueous humor, lens, vitreous humor        Gradient index of cornea and lens        The thickness of the cornea and lens        The Anterior chamber depth (thickness of the aqueous humor)
Current OCT and Scheimpflug cameras measure the curvatures and thicknesses of surfaces within a patients eye. However, these measurements do not correct for the optical effects of the preceding optical surfaces accurately.
Refractive index is a core parameter needed for ocular modeling. All prior art ignores inter-subject variation in refractive index. Failure to resolve refractive index leads to errors in all measurements beyond the first optical surface (cornea).

Apparatus for modelling ocular structures


According to the present invention a low voltage storage warehouse lighting system has a plurality of switch sets, a plurality of light sources, and a timer-relay station. Each switch set comprises a plurality of light switches electrically connected in serial with one another via low voltage wiring. The switch sets are located proximate associated file aisles. The low voltage wiring is disposed within the racks. A light source is located above each file aisle. Each light source is associated with one switch set and each said switch set associated with one light source. The timer-relay station is electrically connected via high voltage wiring to a breaker panel, via high voltage wiring to each light source, and via low voltage wiring to each switch set. The timer-relay station is adapted to transform high voltage input to low voltage and to illuminate each light source in response to electrical signals received from the switch set associated with the light source. Also, each file aisle has a corresponding preset time delay. The timer-relay station is adapted further to turn off the light source after the corresponding preset time delay.

The function of a storage warehouse is to store containers for long periods of time. Typically, a property owner packs property into a container and ships the container to the storage warehouse where the container is cataloged and stored in the warehouse until such time as the owner wishes to retrieve it.
To facilitate the storage of large numbers of containers, the storage warehouses employ rows of box shelving, or racks. A plurality of racks are aligned substantially parallel to one another and spaced so as to form file aisles between adjacent racks. A typical file aisle is approximately three feet wide. Each file aisle has an ingress and an egress. Thus, a worker can walk down a file aisle to shelve or unshelve a container. In an installation in which file aisles are very long, periodic breaks within a row of racks are employed. These periodic breaks form cross aisles. Thus, the layout of a typical storage warehouse comprises a matrix of racks.
Typically, each rack is several floors high and is divided into a plurality of levels. Typically, each level is 8-10 feet high, and each rack comprises 34 levels (although racks comprising up to eight levels are not uncommon). To enable a worker to access containers on an upper level, walkways are disposed in the file aisles between adjacent racks at every level. These walkways are essentially grates. Each file aisle has an ingress and an egress on each level.
Typically, large, existing warehouses are used for conversion into storage warehouses. Commonly, such existing warehouses are old and have high voltage electrical power input (e.g., 277 V). Some storage warehouses also have low voltage electrical power input (e.g., 120 V). Due to their large size, storage warehouses commonly use high intensity discharge (HID) lamps for lighting. Several problems are known to exist with this type of lighting system. HID lamps tend to become very hot in use and, consequently, present health and safety hazards. Also, HID lamps are basically point sources. Consequently, HID lamps radiate in a pattern such that the light is blocked by the grating of the walkways. One of the biggest drawbacks to using a lighting system based on HID lamps is that HID lamps are expensive to operate. Since HID lamps take a fairly long time to heat up and cool down, it has been observed that, in a storage warehouses employing a lighting system based on HID lamps, all the HID lamps in the storage warehouse are turned on at the beginning of the day, and burn constantly until the end of the day. Thus, HID lamps burn 100% of the day, in 100% of the storage warehouse. Since workers access only a relatively small portion of a storage warehouse at any given time, clearly a lighting system based on HID lamps is wasteful and expensive.
Several attempts have been made to develop lighting systems that use fluorescent light fixtures. These systems are improvements over the HID-based systems in that fluorescent light fixtures are cooler and, consequently, less hazardous. Fluorescent light fixtures are more efficient and, consequently, less expensive to operate. Additionally, fluorescent light fixtures are linear and, consequently, radiate more uniformly downward. Thus, less light is blocked by the grating of the walkways. However, it has been observed that lighting systems based on fluorescent light fixtures may still operate 100% of the day, in 100% of the storage warehouse.
To satisfy a need in the art for a storage warehouse lighting system that illuminates only the aisles within the warehouse that a worker is using, several attempts have been made to connect the fluorescent light fixtures to a timer system. It is known to install twist timers at each ingress and each egress of each level of each rack. However, it has been observed that warehouse lighting systems based on twist timers have several drawbacks as well. First, twist timers are expensive to install due to the sheer number of twist timers needed for a typical storage warehouse. Second, such a system is hazardous because twist timers require live high voltage in the racks. Third, high voltage lines must be run from the breaker panel, through conduits installed in the racks, to the timers, and back to the panel, thus adding considerable cost. Fourth, the ordinary use of twist timers in such an environment results in a considerable rate of breakage to the timers. Fifth, since the twist timers are located in the aisles, they can be overridden by anyone in the aisle. Finally, twist timer systems are not suitable for storage warehouses having 277 V high voltage input since commonly available twist timers do not operate using so high a voltage.
Warehouse lighting systems using motion detectors have also been attempted. However, it has been observed that the racks are too unstable for such a system. For example, a load of containers being brought into or out of the warehouse via a cross aisle frequently will shake the racks as it passes by, thus causing the motion detectors to illuminate a considerable number of file aisles that are not in use.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a low cost, energy efficient, tamper-resistant, low voltage storage warehouse lighting system that minimizes illumination of file aisles not being used.

Low voltage storage warehouse lighting system


A lens barrel of the present invention directly detects the lens-to-lens spacing between a focusing lens and another lens, whose position relative to the focusing lens exerts the largest influence upon a focused condition, by a measurement detector and, depending on an output indicative of the measured spacing, a controller drives the focusing lens through a driver to a proper in-focus condition. Accordingly, a very valuable advantage results in that a focusing position error of the focusing lens group, which has been encountered in the prior art, can be avoided to enable effective and high-accuracy focusing operation and control through a simplified structure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lens barrel, and more particularly to a device for driving and controlling a focusing lens group, which constitutes a lens barrel, to its proper position.
2. Related Art Statement
In recent years, particularly in the field of lens shutter cameras, zoom lenses have enjoyed great popularity and enlargement of the zooming range and reduction in size of zoom lens systems have been progressed. Under such situations, an important problem to be solved to obtain well focused photographs is how to improve the focusing accuracy. For that reason, there have heretofore been presented many proposals relating to driving and control of the focusing position for zoom lenses.
A lens drive unit previously proposed by the applicant in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-5607 concerns a zoom lens barrel comprising multiple lens groups in which driving and control of the focusing position for a focusing lens group are performed based on the number of shifting pulses from the reference detected position.
The structure of the proposed zoom lens barrel will be described below in detail.
FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the proposed zoom lens barrel. A zoom lens barrel 50 is of an inner focusing type zoom lens barrel and has a cylindrical fixed frame 2 with a cylindrical cam ring 1 rotatably fitted around the outer circumference of the fixed frame. A threaded portion 20 is formed in the inner circumferential surface of distal end portion of the cam ring 1, and a focus adjusting ring 21 is screwed into the threaded portion 20. By rotating the adjusting ring 21, the cam ring 1 can be finely moved in the axial direction. A retainer ring 22 is attached to the outer circumferential surface of distal end portion of the fixed frame 2 and is held in abutment with the adjusting ring 21.
Within the fixed frame 2, a cylindrical moving frame 3 is inserted movably in the axial direction. Three roller pins 18 (only one being shown) are attached to the outer circumference of the moving frame 3. Each of the roller pins 18 penetrates through a linear groove 2a formed in the fixed frame 2 and is inserted in a first cam groove 1a formed in the cam ring 1. The linear groove 2a is extended in the axial direction of the fixed frame 2 and the cam groove 1a is formed into a spiral shape. Accordingly, by rotating the cam ring 1, the moving frame 3 is linearly moved in the axial direction. Further, to prevent light from externally entering a gap between the fixed frame 2 and the moving frame 3, a light shielding cloth 23 is attached to the inner circumferential surface of distal end portion of the fixed frame 2 and is held in sliding contact with the outer circumferential surface of the moving frame 3.
Within the moving frame 3, there are disposed first, second and third lens groups 14, 15, 16 which jointly constitute a photographing optical system. Among them, the second lens groups 15 serves as a focusing lens group. Those group lenses will now be explained in more detail. The first lens group 14 is supported in the moving frame 3 by a first group frame 24 screwed into the distal end portion of the moving frame 3. A cylindrical second group frame 4 is fitted in the intermediate portion of the moving frame 3 movably in the axial direction. Three roller pins 17 (only one being shown) are projected on the outer circumference of the second group frame 4. Each of the roller pins 17 penetrates through both a linear groove 3a formed in the moving frame 3 and the linear groove 2a formed in the fixed frame 2 and is inserted in a second spiral cam groove 1b formed in the cam ring 1. Accordingly, by rotating the cam ring 1, the second group frame 4 is linearly moved in the moving frame 3 in the axial direction.
A plurality of focusing guide shafts 10 (only one being shown) are fixed to the second group frame 4 and extended in parallel to the axis of the moving frame 3. A front holder frame 6 and a rear holder frame 7 jointly holding the second lens group 15 are supported by the guide shafts 10 movably in the axial direction of the moving frame 3. A focusing spring 5 is coiled around each of the guide shafts 10 to bias both the front holder frame 6 and the rear holder frame 7 reawardly. A pin 8 projected on the rear holder frame 7 is thereby pressed against the cam surface of a ring-like focusing cam 9. By rotating the focusing cam 9 by drive means (not shown), the front holder frame 6 and the rear holder frame 7 are moved forwardly by the cam 9 against the biasing force of the spring 5 so that the second lens group 15 is shifted to make the focusing operation. Additionally, a shutter blade 25 doubling as an iris diaphragm is provided between the front holder frame 6 and the rear holder frame 7.
A third group frame 12 is fitted in the proximal end portion of the moving frame 3 movably in the axial direction of the moving frame. Three roller pins 19 (only one being shown) are projected on the outer circumference of the third group frame 12. Each of the roller pins 19 penetrates through both a linear groove 3b formed in the moving frame 3 and the linear groove 2a formed in the fixed frame 2 and is inserted in a third spiral cam groove 1c formed in the cam ring 1. Accordingly, upon the cam ring 1 being rotated, the third group frame 12 is linearly moved in the moving frame 3 in the axial direction. Further, a holder frame 11 for holding the third lens group 16 is fitted in and fixed to the inner circumference of the third group frame 12. By adjusting relative positions of the third group frame 12 and the holder frame 11 using a well-known mechanism (not shown), the focus shift during the zooming operation can be compensated for.
FIG. 6 shows respective movements of the lens groups during the zooming operation of the lens barrel 50 in the above-mentioned prior art. Through the zooming operation, the first lens group 14, the second lens group 15 and the third lens group 16, serving as photographing lenses, are moved as shown. FIG. 7 shows the status of focusing control in the lens barrel 50 of the foregoing prior art. Because the pin 8 on the rear holder frame 7 of the second lens group 15 is held in abutment with the cam surface of the focusing cam 9, when a focusing drive motor (not shown) starts rotation while generating shifting pulses, the focusing cam 9 also starts rotating. At some rotational position, an AF switch 13 held in abutment with the outer circumference of the focusing cam 9 is changed from an on-state to an off-state. At this timing t1, pulses applied to the focusing motor start to be counted. Before the above operation, the focusing drive amount fit for the photographing distance of each object is set as the number of pulses (e.g., Pn for the closet object). For example, therefore, if the object is at the closest position, the number of pulses Pn is counted and the focusing operation is stopped at the time (timing t2) the second lens group 15 has been shifted to the in-focus position through the pin 8. After the end of the shutter releasing, the focusing motor is driven again by the number of reset pulses Pn for returning the lens to its initial position (timing t3). In this way, a series of sequential operations inclusive of the focusing driving and the shutter releasing are completed.
For a zoom lens, the focal length fT of a total lens system is generally expressed below; EQU fT=f1.times..beta.2.times..beta.3.times. . . . .times..beta.n(1)
where n is the number of zoom groups, f1 is the focal length of a first lens group, and .beta.i is the magnification of an i-th lens group.
Also, assuming that the spacing between the principal points of the i-th zoom group and the (i+1)-th zoom group is Di, the relationship between a deviation .DELTA.Di of the value Di and a deviation .DELTA.fBi of the focal plane position due to the deviation .DELTA.Di is expressed below: EQU .DELTA.fBi={(.beta.i+1.times..beta.i+2.times. . . . .times..beta.n).sup.2 -1}.times..DELTA.Di (2)
In Equation (2), depending on the spacing Di between the principal points, (.beta.i+1 . . . . .beta.n).sup.2 may have an extremely large value in a tele state and may give a large influence on the deviation .DELTA.fBi.
Also, in the case of an inner focusing type lens barrel, when the i-th zoom group is shifted for focusing, a focusing position deviation .DELTA.fBi' due to such a focusing shift amount .DELTA.Fi is expressed below: EQU .DELTA.fBi'={(.beta.i+1.times. . . . .times..beta.n).sup.2 -(.beta.i.times..beta.i+1.times. . . . .times..beta.n).sup.2 }.times..DELTA.Fi (3)
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a zooming condition of a zoom lens barrel comprising three lens groups which has characteristics shown in Table 1 below. It is assumed that the focal lengths f1, f2, f3 of first, second and third lens groups are 68.73, 23.60, and 21.13 (mm), respectively. Also, the following Table 2 shows values of .beta.3.sup.2, (.beta.2.multidot..beta.3).sup.2 and so forth which represent values of (magnification).sup.2 in respective zooming modes of the zoom lens barrel. Furthermore, FIG. 9 shows changes in the values of .beta.3.sup.2, (.beta.2.multidot..beta.3).sup.2 and so forth.
TABLE 1 ______________________________________ Mode W S T (wide) (standard) (tele) ______________________________________ Focal length of system (fT) 28.94 54.57 102.5 Spacing between 1st and 2nd 16.46 26.52 31.7 primary points (D1) Spacing between 2nd and 3rd 10.76 3.55 -1.2 primary points (D2) ______________________________________
TABLE 2 ______________________________________ Mode W S T Magnification (wide) (standard) (tele) ______________________________________ .beta.2 .multidot. .beta.3 0.421 0.794 1.491 (.beta.2 .multidot. .beta.3).sup.2 0.177 0.630 2.22 .beta.3 1.352 2.214 3.83 (.beta.3).sup.2 1.83 4.9 14.68 ______________________________________
As will be seen from the above Tables, the influence of the spacing between the primary points of the second and third lens groups upon the deviation of the focal plane position is given by magnification of 13.68 in the tele mode from the above Table 2 and Equation (2), which is about 10 times as much as the magnification of 1.22 corresponding to the influence of the spacing between the primary points of the first and second len groups. It can therefore be said that when the second lens group is used for focusing, the method of directly controlling the spacing between the second and third lens groups is more accurate in driving to get the target focusing position.
Relating to accuracy of the focusing position, it is thus understood that for the zoom lens barrel 50 of the prior art shown in FIG. 5, the spacing D2 between the primary points of the second lens group 15 and the third lens group 16 is more important in point of the focusing accuracy. However, because the focusing operation is performed by managing the number of drive pulses applied to the drive motor as mentioned above, the occurrence of an error in the spacing D2 between the primary points is unavoidable. Of the basic reasons, the first one is that there are errors in the zooming stop positions of the second lens group 15 and the third lens group 16 both driven with the rotation of the cam ring 1. These errors include manufacturing errors of the cams 1b, 1c and wearing of the pins 17, 19. Another factor is an error in the focusing operation itself. This error includes an offset in the timing due to wearing of the AF cam 9 and chattering of the AF switch 13. An additional factor is a dimensional change of the frame components depending on temperature and moisture. Those factors have in no way been eliminated in the foregoing prior art.
FIG. 10 is a graph showing changes required for the spacing D2 between the second and third lens groups with respect to the focal length ranging from the wide mode to the tele mode. More specifically, the spacing D2 required to focus on an object at the infinity (.infin.) for some focal length x is given by a value Dx, and the maximum focusing shift amount of the second lens group 15 for the focal length x is given by Fx. In other words, the point A indicates the focusing position of the second lens group 15 adjusted to focus on .infin. for the focal length x and the point B indicates the focusing position of the second lens group 15 adjusted to focus on the closest object for the same. Likewise, values Dw, Dt represent the spacing D2 in the wide and tele modes, while values Fw, Ft represent changes in the spacings D2 necessary for focusing in the wide and tele modes, respectively. It is thus required that the spacing D2 between the second and third lens groups is controlled following the characteristics shown in FIG. 10.


Novel TNF receptor death domain (“TNF-R1-DD”) ligand proteins are disclosed. Polynucleotides encoding the TNF-R1-DD ligand protein are also disclosed, along with vectors, host cells, and methods of making the TNF-R1-DD ligand protein. Pharmaceutical compositions containing the TNF-R1-DD ligand protein, methods of treating inflammatory conditions, and methods of inhibiting TNF-R death domain binding are also disclosed. Methods of identifying inhibitors of TNF-R death domain binding and inhibitors identified by such methods are also disclosed.

The present invention relates to the field of anti-inflammatory substances and other substances which act by inhibiting binding to the intracellular domain of a tumor necrosis factor receptor (hereinafter "TNF-R"), such as, for example, the P55 type (or TNF-R1) TNF receptor. More particularly, the present invention is directed to novel ligands which bind to the TNF-R intracellular domain and to inhibition or modulation of signal transduction by this receptor.
Tumor necrosis factor (herein "TNF") is a cytokine which produces a wide range of cellular activities. TNF causes an inflammatory response, which can be beneficial, such as in mounting an immune response to a pathogen, or when overexpressed can lead to other detrimental effects of inflammation.
The cellular effects of TNF are initiated by the binding of TNF to its receptors (TNF-Rs) on the surface of target cells. The isolation of polynucleotides encoding TNF-Rs and variant forms of such receptors has been described in European patent publication Nos. EP 308,378, EP 393,438, EP 433,900, EP 526,905 and EP 568,925; in PCT patent publication Nos. WO91/03553 and WO931/9777; and by Schall et al., Cell 61:361-370 (1990) (disclosing the P55 type TNF receptor). Processes for purification of TNF-Rs have also been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,296,592.
Native TNF-Rs are characterized by distinct extracellular transmembrane and intracellular domains. The primary purpose of the extracellular domain is to present a binding site for TNF on the outside of the cell. When TNF is bound to the binding site, a "signal" is transmitted to the inside of the cell through the transmembrane and intracellular domains, indicating that binding has occurred. Transmission or "transduction" of the signal to the inside of the cell occurs by a change in conformation of the transmembrane and/or intracellular domains of the receptor. This signal is "received" by the binding of proteins and other molecules to the intracellular domain of the receptor, resulting in the effects seen upon TNF stimulation. Two distinct TNF receptors of ˜55 kd ("TNF-R1") and ˜75 kd ("TNF-R2") have been identified. Numerous studies with anti-TNF receptor antibodies have demonstrated that TNF-R1 is the receptor which signals the majority of the pleiotropic activities of TNF. Recently, the domain required for signaling cytotoxicity and other TNF-mediated responses has been mapped to the ˜80 amino acid near the C-terminus of TNF-R1. This domain is therefore termed the "death domain" (hereinafter referred to as "TNF-R death domain" and "TNF-R1-DD") (see, Tartaglia et al., Cell 74:845-853 (1993)).
While TNF binding by TNF-Rs results in beneficial cellular effects, it is often desirable to prevent or deter TNF binding from causing other detrimental cellular effects. Although substantial effort has been expended investigating inhibition of TNF binding to the extracellular domain of TNF-Rs, examination of binding of proteins and other molecules to the intracellular domain of TNF-Rs has received much less attention.
However, ligands which bind to the TNF-R intracellular domain have yet to be identified. It would be desirable to identify and isolate such ligands to examine their effects upon TNF-R signal transduction and their use as therapeutic agents for treatment of TNF-induced conditions. Furthermore, identification of such ligands would provide a means for screening for inhibitors of TNF-R/intracellular ligand binding, which will also be useful as anti-inflammatory agents.

TNF receptor death domain ligand proteins and inhibitors of ligand binding


A navigation system for ascertaining qualified special destinations includes: a database, which stores transport route nodes and route sections connecting the route sections and properties thereof; a route computation device; and a memory device. Special destinations stored in the database are each linked to one or more connecting nodes, for example motorway exits. Each special destination has, for each connecting node linked thereto, at least one associated first total route, connecting the special destination and the connecting node to one another, and an associated total route length. At least in the event of the first total route having a use restriction, the special destination and the connecting node also have at least one associated second total route that, at least for one restriction parameter, has lesser use restrictions.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of electrical engineering and control engineering and specifically addresses the planning of routes in geographical systems of traffic node points that are represented in a database.
2. Related Art
Navigation systems for computing routes in geographical systems are not only known from automobile engineering, but generally also from logistics, and are nowadays offered for pedestrian navigation, for bicycle navigation and for the navigation of special vehicles.
In addition to the starting point and end point of the route and path sections located therebetween and traffic nodes, additionally accessible special destinations, such as for example gas stations, repair workshops, restaurants or other, possibly user-defined locations, which can be integrated into route planning, also play a particular role in route planning.
During route computation, specific connecting nodes, such as, for example, highway exits, are typically checked to see if specific special destinations are available in their geographical environment, typically defined by a geometric (linear) distance. When selected, the matter of whether the corresponding special destinations can also be reached from the respective connecting node by way of available path sections is not initially taken into consideration.
In addition, it is important in particular for vehicles with special use limitations to know whether corresponding paths between connecting nodes and special destinations can actually be traveled in each case with the current vehicle.

Navigation system and method for operating it


Disclosed is a method for preparing a ternary alloy catalyst with polydopamine coating and a ternary alloy catalyst prepared thereby. The method for preparing a ternary alloy catalyst according to the present disclosure may provide a ternary alloy catalyst with increased resistance to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning in which polydopamine is utilized as a coating material for a ternary alloy catalyst having a core-shell structure containing platinum to suppress the growth of particles during subsequent high-temperature heat treatment, and nickel (Ni), which is a transition metal, is diffused inside to form a core, thereby effectively preventing elution of nickel under an acidic condition.

The present disclosure relates to a method for preparing a ternary alloy catalyst with polydopamine (PDA) coating and a ternary alloy catalyst prepared thereby.
A polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has become prominent as a sustainable future clean energy device due to a high power density, high energy conversion efficiency, and a feature that carbon dioxide is not emitted. However, platinum (Pt), which is a precious metal used as a catalyst to overcome a slow reaction rate of the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell, is a main cause of increasing a price of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell system. Therefore, studies for maximizing catalytic activity and reducing an amount of platinum have been conducted. In the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell, a hydrogen oxidation reaction takes place at an anode, while an oxygen reduction reaction takes place at a cathode. In general, the hydrogen oxidation reaction is faster than the oxygen reduction reaction, and thus a study for increasing a reaction rate has been mainly conducted in the cathode. On the other hand, in the anode, a small amount of carbon monoxide (CO) contained in a reformed hydrogen gas is strongly adsorbed to the platinum catalyst to cause poisoning, thereby degrading hydrogen oxidation reaction performance. In order to solve such a problem, studies on the development of an anode catalyst having resistance to the poisoning have been conducted. Among such studies, a study on a method of preparing a platinum alloy catalyst such as PtM/C (M=Ru, Fe, Mo, W) and supporting the platinum alloy catalyst on carbon in order to alleviate the poisoning of the catalyst while reducing the amount of platinum used has been conducted.
Meanwhile, in relation to a technology capable of increasing the resistance to the CO poisoning compared to single Pt and decreasing the amount of Pt used, various methods for preparing a PtRuNi ternary alloy catalyst have been studied. However, Ni species on a surface of the PtRuNi ternary alloy are easily eluted due to an acidic atmosphere of the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell, such that the resistance to the CO poisoning is decreased.

Method for preparing ternary alloy catalyst with polydopamine coating and ternary alloy catalyst prepared thereby

UIF (University Industry Foundation), Yonsei University


Described are a method and apparatus for the optical testing of samples in which a camera records a plurality of images of an interferogram or a bar pattern. Phase values are determined for each image point of each camera record, and then differences between the phase values of adjacent points in each image line and column are computed in modulo 2.pi.. These differences for each image point are summed over the plurality of camera images. After a number of images sufficient to assure desired accuracy have been summed, a single discontinuity elimination is carried out. This permits the rapid averaging of measurements over the plurality of camera images in real video time and remarkably reduces the measuring time and statistical errors.

There are many well-known methods for the optical testing of samples. Interferometry is one of these methods.
For interferometric surface testing, beams of light from a source such as a laser are reflected by an object surface and by a reference surface and then superimposed in a manner such that they interfere with each other. This creates a brightness pattern containing information regarding deviations of the object surface from the reference surface. This brightness pattern is recorded by a camera.
Interferometric testing can also use transmitted light. That is, the light beam is divided into a measuring beam and a reference beam, and the measuring beam is passed through the transparent sample. The two paths of rays are then superimposed such that they interfere with each other, and the resulting brightness pattern is recorded by a camera.
Camera images of the brightness pattern are evaluated by, first, computing phase values for each image point recorded by the camera and, then, using those computed phase values to create a phase diagram or chart of the imaged sample. Several different methods are known for computing these phase values. A good overview of a number of these methods, as well as their advantages and disadvantages, appears in a well-known thesis by B. Dorband (1986), University of Stuttgart.
When information is in the form of periodic brightness patterns, the phase value of the relative brightness recorded for a particular image point can only be computed in modulo 2.pi., i.e., to an unknown integral multiple of the number 2.pi.. If this unknown integral multiple is set equal to zero, and even if it is assumed that the sample surface is not irregular, so-called "discontinuities" (sudden changes) occur in the phase images. At such discontinuities, the difference between the computed phase values of adjoining points has an absolute value greater than the number .pi.. In order to determine the contours of the sample surface (or the deviations of the sample from a reference element), the integral multiple of 2.pi. must be determined, i.e., the so-called discontinuity must be eliminated.
One known method of discontinuity elimination has Abeen described by K. Itoh, Applied Optics, Vol. 21, No. 14, page 2470 (1982). In the first step of this method, the differences between the phase values of adjacent points of a camera image are computed. Based on the sampling theorem, these quantitative differences must be less than .pi. in order to identify those discontinuities in which the difference is quantitatively greater than .pi.. Therefore, where such discontinuities occur, the number 2.pi. is added to or subtracted from the differences in such a manner that the corrected differences between the phase values range between -.pi. and +.pi. and, thus, are expressed in terms of modulo 2.pi.. By integrating these modulo 2.pi. phase differences over the phase image, ultimately a phase chart with corrected discontinuities is attained. For such a phase chart, the integral multiple of the number 2.pi. has been determined and, therefore, deviations of the object surface from the reference surface (or of the sample from a reference element) can be computed clearly.
Numerous other publications, among them German Patent No. DE-OS 36 00 672 and European Patent No. EP 0 262 089, have disclosed measuring systems in which a bar pattern is projected onto the object surface and the projected bar pattern is recorded by a camera. The contours of the object surface lead to a deformation of the bar pattern recorded by the camera. The evaluation of the camera image is analogous to the evaluation of an interferometrically generated brightness pattern. Namely, the brightness of each point of the camera image is first used to compute a phase value of the bar pattern, and then the calculated phase values are composed to form a phase image. However, this phase image also has discontinuities because, in turn, these phase values can be computed only up to an integral multiple of the number 2.pi..
In such testing systems, statistical measuring errors which are caused, for example, by detector noise or air turbulences in the optical paths can be reduced by averaging many individual measurements. However, the computed phase values cannot be averaged before the discontinuities are eliminated. The reason for this is that the sampling theorem, after averaging, can no longer be used to identify discontinuities. Therefore, K. Itoh notes in his above-cited paper that averaging can only be done by using phase charts from which discontinuities have already been eliminated.
Unfortunately, the computation of phase charts from which discontinuities have been removed, i.e., eliminated, is a relatively time-consuming process, since each point of the phase image requires at least one integration. This computational effort is substantially greater if the initially computed phase values are tested among each other at different points of the phase image and, in addition, are checked as to their consistency relative to each other, as has been described in Journal of the Optical Society of America, Vol. 4, No. 1, page 267 (1987). When averaging, this use of time increases in proportion to the number of phase images used for averaging. Therefore, in order to achieve a distinct reduction in statistical errors, very long measuring and computation times are required because statistical errors, as is well known, decrease inversely proportional to the square root of the number of averaged phase images.
The present invention provides a measuring system which, while similar to those just described above, permits the averaging of a plurality of phase images (to achieve a desired reduction in statistical errors) in a remarkably shorter time.

Method and apparatus for optical testing of samples


A local area network has a first node to receive an input in the form of account identification data, and a second node to receive this input from the first node via a transport layer protocol. A vending control device connected to the second node includes a relay to be activated and deactivated by the second node. The relay is to enable and disable the functioning of an output device. A circuit is to meter an amount of output processed by the output device. The vending control device is to communicate the amount of output that has been processed to the second node. The second node calculates a cost of the processed output and sends the cost via the transport layer protocol to a remote server. The remote server in turn sends the costs to a gateway through which a payment transaction is settled. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

A vending control system includes components that perform different tasks in operating equipment that allows a consumer to purchase goods or services via cashless transactions. Such locations are typically unmanned, such as a business center in a hotel guest room. A typical business center offers the use of output device vending that allow Internet access, copying, faxing as well as in some cases printing, from a personal computer or other portable electronic computing and communication device. Modifications have been made to conventional copiers and printers, to enable the vending control system to "meter" the output that has been processed, e.g. count the number of copied or printed pages. The unmanned center in a hotel guest room is typically credit/debit card activated, in that the user first swipes a magnetic stripped credit card through a card reader at the site. The system then dials a telephone number of a credit card clearing house and then requests an authorization (based on the read credit card information and an initial dollar amount). An authorization message and/or code are then received, and the vending control system in response enables the copier or printer. Equipment at the hotel guest room monitors the use of the copier or printer, and counts the number of pages that are dispensed by counting the number of pulses in a signal generated by the copier or printer. At the end of the transaction, the user signals to the equipment that she is finished and in response a total purchase amount is calculated (based on the amount of output that has been metered) and printed on a receipt at the hotel room. At the end of a given time period, a batch of such transactions are collected and sent to a credit card transaction processing firm that initiates the individual transactions with their respective credit card issuers, to settle the transactions on behalf of the merchant (here an owner or administrator of the vending control system).

Control system for cashless transactions at metered vending output devices


A character overlapping with a line of an entry box is extracted utilizing a dot box. At document input step S2, a document to be recognized is read and converted into electronic data to produce character box data. At electronic data storing step S3, the character box data read at the photoelectric transducing S2 is stored. At character detecting step S5, the character box data is contracted, small points are removed, and the remaining pattern is reversely expanded to produce character data. At entry box detecting step S4, entry box position data is generated from the character box data and character data. At relating step S6, a character pattern entered in each entry box is detected from the character data and the entry box position data. At character recognizing step S7, a character is recognized for the extracted character pattern and the results are stored at step S8.

In general, it is technically important for document processing apparatuses to extract written characters which overlap with entry boxes. To easily separate the entry boxes and written characters, conventionally, the entry boxes are printed in a dropout color, which can be removed when reading, on condition that a reading apparatus which can distinguish colors is used, or a gray color is used for the entry boxes on condition that a reading apparatus which can distinguish gradation is used. Due to the cost of reading apparatuses, the cost of document printing, and a need for continuing to use existing single-color documents, however, recognizing binary (in many case, black-and-white) documents has been increasing. In these cases, to recognize characters which overlap with a box, a small portion outside the line of the box is detected and this is used as a key to perform a process. It is, however, not easy to solve this issue fundamentally.
There is also a need for reading documents sent through binary facsimile transmission. There have also been increasing demands for improving a method for reading black-and-white documents on which characters are handwritten by ball-point pens or pencils, which serves as a method which can also be used for documents sent through facsimile transmission.
FIG. 37 shows a structural view of a conventional document processing apparatus (see Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. Sho-63-18786).
On a document 101, character entry boxes are printed at lighter gray than characters to be written in the entry boxes. Photoelectric conversion means 2 that can distinguish various levels of darkness performs photoelectric conversion such that the lighter gray of the character entry boxes is converted to a smaller number and the darker gray of the characters are converted to a larger number for a one-line area of the document 101. The number to show the degree of darkness of each pixel in the one-line area obtained as a result of photoelectric conversion (hereafter we call the number as gray level) is stored in storage means 103. The content stored in the storage means 103 is sent to character-entry-box position detection means 104. The character-entry-box position detection means 104 counts the number of pixels having a predetermined gray level along the row direction and the column direction. When the counts exceed predetermined values for the row direction and the column direction, the character-entry-box position detection means 104 determines that character entry boxes are disposed at that position, and sends the character-entry-box position information to character extraction means 105. The character extraction means 105 uses the character-entry-box position information and the stored content sent from the storage means 103 to extract characters.
As described above, in the conventional case, since the character entry boxes are detected and characters are extracted by using the fact that the gray level of the character entry boxes is low, a mark for extracting characters is not required.

Document processing method, recording medium having recorded thereon document processing program, document processing program, document processing apparatus, and character-input document

Japan Science and Technology Corporation


A switch faceplate having a body, an aperture arranged within the body, a first tab arranged within the aperture, and a first protrusion extending from the first tab. The protrusion is operatively arranged to receive a fastener. The faceplate is operatively arranged to secure a smart switch or a mounting bracket for the smart switch.

Wall-mounted electrical devices such as switches or rockers are typically mounted within electrical outlet gang boxes. These electrical outlet gang boxes come in a variety of lengths depending on the number of switches or rockers they are designed to house. For instance, a single gang box fits one switch or rocker, a double gang box fits two switches or rockers, a triple gang box fits three switches or rockers, and so on. In both commercial and residential settings, many property owners are electing to replace their series of switches or rockers within multi-gang box arrangements with a single smart switch. These smart switches can perform a number of functions a traditional switch or rocker cannot, and many smart switches are used to consolidate multiple electric circuits. In such cases, a single smart switch is effectively replacing several switches or rockers.
When sold, most retail smart switches come with an adaptor plate or mounting bracket, which is designed to engage with a standard single-gang wall box and the smart switch. If a user wishes to replace a multi-gang wall box arrangement with a single smart switch, the plate provided is insufficient to cover-up the other exposed wall boxes of the multi-gang arrangement. This creates both an unsightly and potentially hazardous scenario, where the majority of the interior of the multi-gang box and the electric circuitry housed within are visible and accessible. To avoid this unsightly and dangerous situation, users may need to replace drywall or paneling, or take on other large scale projects to alter their property.
Thus, there is a long-felt need for a smart switch faceplate capable of engaging with a multi-gang wall box. There is a long-felt need for a smart switch faceplate that can surround a single smart switch and cover any unused wall boxes of a multi-gang wall box.


A vaccine against Mycobacteria tuberculosis (Mtb) is provided. The vaccine comprises a recombinant Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) subunit-based vaccine in which one or more Mtb antigens and one or more Mtb resuscitation or reactivation antigens are overexpressed, and in which at least a portion of the DosR regulon is up-regulated. The vaccine is protective against active Mtb infection both pre- and post-exposure to Mtb, and thus prevents disease symptoms due to the recurrence of a latent Mtb infection.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to improved Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) vaccines that are successful in preventing the development of symptoms of tuberculosis, both pre- and post-exposure to Mtb. In particular, the invention provides an improved recombinant Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) subunit-based vaccine in which one or more Mtb antigens and one or more Mtb resuscitation or reactivation antigens are overexpressed, and in which at least a portion of the DosR regulon is up-regulated.
2. Background of the Invention
The current prophylactic (pre-exposure) Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) vaccine Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) BCG, introduced over 60 years ago, efficiently protects against severe disease manifestation in children but fails to prevent the establishment of latent TB or disease reactivation of infection in adolescents and adults. Moreover, essentially all novel Mtb vaccines currently in clinical trials are designed as prophylactic rather than both prophylactic and therapeutic (post exposure) vaccines.
It is believed that Mtb progresses through a series of stages during its infectious cycle in man as a reaction to human immune responses and that each stage is orchestrated by a distinct genetic program which directs the expression of stage-specific antigens. If this concept is valid, then a truly comprehensive tuberculosis vaccine should include antigens representing each stage as well as antigens that are stage-independent. Latent tuberculosis (LTBI/latency) appears to be one such stage and current evidence suggests that Mtb adopts a unique physiological phenotype during latency characterized by bacteriostasis (non-replicating persistence), a switch from aerobic to anaerobic respiration, expression of the α-crystalline small chaperone protein (Acr/HspX) and increased resistance to several mycobacterial antibiotics.
Maintenance of the non-replicating persistence state, believed to be typical of Mtb in latent lesions, appears to depend on the continuous production of Th1 cytokines (IFNγ, IL-12 and TNFα) and nitric oxide and the localization of MTB within stable granulomas. However, the reactivation of latent Mtb infection, characterized by resumption of bacterial replication, inflammation and cavitation, can be promptly precipitated by immunosuppressive regimens (e.g., corticosterioids or TNFα-antagonist) and occurs in 5-10% of latently infected individuals, perhaps due to acquired tolerance to environmental mycobacteria, age, and, more significantly, HIV disease. This common clinical scenario and the proven role of the cellular immune system for the maintenance of latency lead to the conclusion that non-replicating persistence is a metastable phenotype determined by three interacting processes: bacterial replication within latent lesions is constrained by effectors of the cellular immune system; bacteria within latent lesions monitor the production of immune effectors; and, decreased production of immune effectors results in resumption of replication.
To date, no successful vaccines have been developed which confer immunity to infection by Mtb and at the same time treat or prevent the development of symptoms of TB after exposure to Mtb, or as a result of reactivation of latent infection. A recombinant BCG vaccine, engineered to elicit an immune response of this kind, might reduce reactivation rates in persons with subtle degrees of immunosuppression produced, for example, by senescence, diabetes, HIV disease, acquired tolerance to environmental mycobacteria or malnutrition. There is thus an ongoing need to develop new TB vaccines, and it would be particularly useful to develop a vaccine that can be used both prophylactically and for post-exposure treatment.

Recombinant BCG tuberculosis vaccine designed to elicit immune responses to


A handle of a fishing reel in which a knob can be very easily replaced with another one, which is always free from deterioration, damages, and the like, and in which a knob that is most suitable can be selectively used. A handle knob is locked and supported via a support shaft on a rotating member for winding a fishing line around a spool, the knob is insertable into and detachable from an outer periphery of a cylinder member which is locked and supported on the support shaft in a rotatable manner, and the knob is locked to the cylinder member by an engaging member in a detachable manner.

The present invention relates to a handle of a fishing reel having an improved structure for inserting and detaching a knob.
Conventionally, a handle arm which is rotatably attached to the reel body for winding a fishing line around a spool of a fishing reel is provided with a knob of a desired shape which is grasped by a user's hand to perform a winding operation. In order to improve the adaptability and holdability in the winding operation, the knob is made of a cork material, a soft resin material, or the like. Such a handle arm is known in, for example, Japanese utility model publication (Kokai) No. SHO63-15776.
However, the holdability cannot be satisfactorily maintained for a long term, because of deterioration due to a lapse of use, sticking of seawater or water contents, the slime of fish, or the like, damages caused by contacts with foreign members, or other reasons. Furthermore, since the knob is not easily detached, different knobs which are most suitable to situations including the type of fish, the fishing conditions, and the personal taste of the fisherman cannot be selectively used.
Another structure in which a knob rotatably supported on a support shaft of a handle arm can be detached from the support shaft by removing a cap of the knob and a lock ring engaged with the support shaft in the knob is disclosed in, for example, Japanese patent publication (Kokai) No. HEI8-89140. However, removing and opening the cap in a narrow space is cumbersome, and the structure is complicated. Further, this knob suffers from the same disadvantages mentioned in the paragraph above.
In view of the above-discussed disadvantages, it is an object of the invention to provide a handle of a fishing reel in which a knob can be very easily replaced with another one, which is always free from deterioration, damages, and the like, and in which the most suitable knob can be selectively used.


A safety handles assembly is provided attachable to a motorcycle which provides a place for hands of a rear passenger to hold directly onto the motorcycle without requiring that the rear passenger hold onto the driver of the motorcycle. The assembly preferably includes a main strap girding a seat or other structure on the motorcycle. A pair of handles are coupled to the main strap and extend upwardly and rearwardly toward the rear passenger. The handles are preferably flexible and include hand loops at ends of the handles opposite the main strap. The hand loops can be engaged by hands of the rear passenger so that the rear passenger is holding onto the motorcycle through the assembly. The assembly is preferably positioned with the main strap forward of the driver and with the handles extending upwardly and rearwardly over the legs of the driver and around opposite sides of the waist of the driver.

Most motorcycles are provided with an elongate seat sized sufficient to accommodate at least two riders, including a driver and a rear passenger. In the riding of the motorcycle, the driver maintains proper balance and position upon the seat both by sitting upon the seat and engaging the seat and other portions of the motorcycle with legs of the driver, as well as holding onto the handlebars of the motorcycle. The rear passenger can similarly be supported upon the seat with the rear passenger's legs. The rear passenger will typically additionally extend hands around the waist of the driver. Without good hand support for the rear passenger, the rear passenger is less able to maintain balance safely upon the seat of the motorcycle.
Often the standard arrangement for the rear passenger to hold the waist of the driver is unacceptable. For instance, the rear passenger may be too far behind the driver to comfortably reach around the waist of the driver. The rear passenger may have a preference for avoiding such intimate contact with the driver. The driver may have a large waist which cannot easily be grasped by the rear passenger, or the driver may have a high susceptibility to discomfort when being held around the waist by the hands of the rear passenger, especially for long periods of time. In each of these cases, as well as others, a need exists for some form of handles for the rear passenger of the motorcycle which are connected directly to the motorcycle, and not to the driver.
In at least one case, it is known to attach rigid handles to a gas tank area directly forward of the driver's seat for grasping by the rear passenger. Such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,149 to Watanabe. With the Watanabe device, the rear passenger must extend arms forward a significant distance to reach the gas tank area of the motorcycle. Such an arrangement requires a particularly thin driver and a rear passenger sitting particularly close to the driver. Additionally, the rear passenger must typically remain in intimate contact with the driver to be able to adequately reach forward to grasp these rigid handles. Also, such rigid handles are permanently affixed to the motorcycle or require specialized tools for the attachment and detachment thereof. Hence, such a system as taught by Watanabe is not easily removable and used on multiple different motorcycles or easily retrofitted onto a motorcycle which does not already have accommodation for such handles, such as by predrilled and tapped holes provided upon the motorcycle. Finally, the rigid handles taught by Watanabe do not provide any degree of flexibility in the positioning of hands of the rear passenger, instead requiring each rear passenger to maintain a fixed precise body position so that the handles can be adequately reached.
Accordingly, a need exists for a motorcycle handles assembly which can be readily removably attached to the motorcycle and provide handles which can be grasped easily by the rear passenger with the rear passenger in a variety of different positions.


The present invention provides additives for hydraulic cement compositions, particularly masonry cements, which improve the water-repellancy, workability, and board life of said compositions. The additives of the invention comprise a water-insoluble, water-repelling acid, a set retarding composition, an emulsifier, and a polymer selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetate, hydroxypropyl substituted polysaccharides, and mixtures thereof.

This invention relates to additives for hydraulic cement compositions. More particularly, this invention concerns additives for hydraulic cement which are particularly useful in Portland cement compositions such as masonry cements used to bond brick, block, etc.
Portland masonry cements are compositions produced particularly for use by masons in the bonding of bricks, blocks and the like. Such cements are typically mixed prior to use with a fine aggregate, usually sand, and water. It is desirable that the wet mortar have a high degree of plasticity for working (e.g. troweling) by the mason, as well as other desirable properties such as good "board life" (i.e. a long working time), water-repellancy, etc.
Masonry cements are produced by intergrinding Portland cement (containing gypsum for proper setting time regulation), with, generally, from about 35 to 65%, based on the total weight, of a solid material such as limestone, chalk, talc, pozzolans, clay, gypsum, or combinations of such. Limestone is most often the ingredient interground with the Portland cement because of its good plasticity enhancing properties. Such masonry cements are ground to a greater degree of fineness than most Portland cements intended for use in structural concretes. The finer grind of masonry cements improves the plasticity of the finished mortar products.
Additive products are sold for mixture with the masonry cement, such additive products being designed to impart certain desirable properties to the masonry cement composition. It is common practice to mix such additive products with the cement during the intergrinding of the cement with the gypsum, limestone, etc.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,865,601 and 3,885,985 additive products of the above type are described. The additives described therein comprise an aqueous oil-in-water emulsion containing water, a water insoluble, water-repelling acid component (e.g. tall oil), an emulsifier (e.g. a salt of such acid), and a setting time-retarding agent (e.g. sucrose). This additive product is advantageously dispersible in water which reduces the risk of it being overdosed. The additive may also contain an air-entraining agent as an additional optional component.
An improved emulsion additive product is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,375,987. In addition to the above-described constituents, this additive further comprises an emulsion stabilizer, (e.g. a glycol), which prevents the oil-in-water emulsion from destabilizing when exposed to freezing temperatures during shipping or storage prior to use.
The emulsion additive products described in the aforementioned patents have been successfully used to improve the water-repellancy and plasticity of Portland masonry cements. However, in order to obtain optimal plasticity and workability and extended board life it is often necessary to further add a water retention agent, such as a cellulose ether, during the grinding process. Conventional water retention agents cause the emulsion additives described above to destabilize and hence must be added as a separate feed stream, often as a dry powder. This method of addition is inconvenient, may increase manufacturing costs, and increases the risk of overdosing the batch with the water retention agent. These conventional water retention agents also may entrain large quantities of air, which may be undesirable where high strength is required.
Thus, it is desired to provide an emulsion additive which would, without the addition of a separate water retention agent, provide excellent water-repellancy, workability, plasticity, and other properties desired of masonry cements.

Additives for hydraulic cement compositions


A recombinant DNA molecule coding for human parathyroid hormone operably linked to an inducible bacterial promoter, a leader growth hormone sequence, and a selective enzymatic cleavage site, expression of the molecule in bacteria, and methods for producing large quantities of human parathyroid hormone and its variants.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for producing large quantities of human parathyroid hormone 1-84 (hPTH 1-84) or variants thereof in bacteria using recombinant DNA techniques.
2. Description of the Background Art
Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is an 84-amino acid residue peptide and one of the main regulators of calcium homeostasis in the mammalian organism. PTH acts primarily on the kidney, stimulating calcium resorption, and on bone cells, stimulating calcium mobilization. PTH also leads to enhancement of the bone remodeling process (sec Potts et al. Adv. Protein Chem. 32:323-395 (1982)). PTH may have promising effects in the therapy or prevention of osteoporosis.
Variants or analogs of PTH can bind to PTH receptors and block the effects of either PTH, or of the recently discovered PTH-Rotated Peptide, which is produced by a number of tumors such as renal cell carcinoma and carcinomas of the lung and breast, and is now thought to be responsible for hypercalcemia of malignancy (Broadus, A. et al., New. Eng. J. Med. 319:356-363 (1988)).
For the foregoing reasons, a source of large quantities of easily purified human PTH has been sought for a number of years.
Several reports have described direct expression of PTH, in E. coli (Breyel et al., 3rd Europ. Cong. Biotech. 3:363-369 (1984); Born, W. et al., Endocrinol. 123:1848-1853 (1988); Morelle, et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 950 459-462 (1988); Rabbani et al. J. Biol. Chem. 263:1307-1313 (1988)). The attempts of Breyel et al. and Morelle et al. (supra) to express human PTH yielded only very limited amounts of hormone ( less than 500 xcexcg/liter) due to RNA and protein instability. Rabbani et al. (supra) achieved yields of 200 xcexcg liter PTH, which was contaminated with peptides variously truncated at the N-terminus. Once the pure intact PTH(1-84) was purified by an intricate method, the final yield was only 10 xcexcg/liter culture. Born et al. (supra), using a multicopy plasmid of human preproPTH cDNA, achieved expression of truncated hPTH, largely the PTH(3-84) and PTH(8-84), which were virtually devoid of PTH bioactivity.
Thus, the need was recognized for an expression vector which would lead to production of higher quantities of stable PTH, that could be easily purified, and was devoid of inactive forms/analogs of PTH. One approach to the solution of this problem was suggested by work describing expression of other peptides in bacterial hosts (Itakura et al., Science 198:1036-1063 (1977); Riggs, U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,246, Method for Microbial Polypeptide Expression, (Dec. 28, 1982); Ikehara et el., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 81:3956-5960 (1984)).
Itakura et al. (1977, supra) and Riggs (1984, supra) taught methods for bacterial expression of a foreign protein, specifically the production of a fusion protein between a desired heterologous protein (human somatostatin) and a large bacterial protein (betagalactosidase). The fusion protein served the function of preventing intracellular degradation of the foreign protein. Furthermore, overexpressed fusion proteins, especially with xcex2-galactosidase, are frequently deposited as inclusion bodies in the bacterial cells, and are therefore easier to isolate and purify (Marston, Biochem. J. 240:1-12 (1986)). The somatostatin gene was inserted in phase at the C-terminus of the xcex2-galactosidase gene, and the presence of a methionine at the N-terminus of the somatostatin sequence was put in to allow later cleavage of the fusion protein by cyanogen bromide. An inducible bacterial promoter, the lac promoter was inserted to stimulate transcription of the fusion protein mRNA. Amino acid codons known to be favored in E. coli for the production of non-bacterial proteins (e.g. MS2 phage) were utilized. The fusion protein was solubilized with 70% formic acid, 6M guanidinium HCl, 8M urea, or 2% SDS, and the desired product, somatostatin, was subsequently enriched using CNBr cleavage, alcohol extraction, and chromatography. Suggestion was made to alternate cleavage methods based on the concept of selective cleavage sites: Just as methionine could be inserted at the desired junction to serve as a target site for cyanogen bromide, so too could specific amino acid sites be introduced which could be attacked by proteolytic enzymes with amino acid specificity.
Ikehara et al. (1984, supra) described a plasmid containing the E. coli trp promoter which promotes the expression of a synthetic human gene for growth hormone (hGH), leading to enhanced synthesis of the 191 amino acid (hGH), peptide. The synthetic gene utilized amino acid colons most frequent in E coli.
Nagai et al. (Nature 309:810-812 (1984) pointed out the limitations on high level expression of eukaryotic genes in E. coli, even when appropriate promoters and ribosomal binding sequences have been introduced, and disclosed the production of the desired gene product in a fusion protein as a useful method to increase efficiency easy separation of the desired peptide. To achieve this goal, Nagai et al. introduced a sequence of 4 amino acids which serve as a cleavage site for the blood coagulation factor Xa, and achieved expression of the human beta globin gene fused to part of the phage lambda cII gene. Cleavage by Factor Xa eliminated the extra N-terminal methionine encoded by the initiation colon which is present in most eukaryotic proteins expressed in E. coli by conventional methods.
Other documents describe the design and use of plasmids coding for fusion proteins between a desired heterologous protein and a second protein, some of which include cleavage sites recognized by Factor Xa or thrombin, for enhanced expression in bacteria and greater ease of purification of the desired protein (Germino et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 81:692-4696 (1984); Scholtissek et al., Gene 62:55-64 (1988);Smith et al., Gene 67:31-40 (1988); Knott et al., Eur. J. Biochem. 174:403-410 (1988); and Dykes et al., Eur. J. Biochem. 174:411-416 (1988)).
Wingender et al., J. Biol. Chem. 264:4367-4373 (1989)) attempted to apply the above-mentioned approaches in order to achieve enhanced expression of hPTH in E. coli. Attempts to introduce the factor Xa recognition site into an expression plasmid, upstream from the hPTH site, as described by Nagai et al. (1985, supra) and to achieve isolation of hPTH from the fusion protein using proteolytic cleavage with factor Xa were unsuccessful, even when highly purified fusion protein and proteinase were used.
The availability of hPTH and analogs which are selectively antagonists and can block the untoward effects mediated by agonists acting at PTH receptors in certain pathologic states would be of great clinical value. For this purpose, a prokaryotic expression system would be of great utility. Such a system would provide not only sufficient material for clinical and research use, but also would allow application of protein engineering methods to investigate structure-function relationships and to design hormone variants to perform specific tasks (e.g. calcium mobilization vs. bone reconstruction, agonistic vs. antagonistic effects).
This invention pertains to a recombinant DNA molecule coding for human parathyroid hormone capable of being expressed efficiently in bacteria. The DNA molecule comprises a control region for expression of a genetic sequence in a host, said region being in operable linkage with a leader sequence coding for a polypeptide sequence, said leader sequence being no more than about 600 nucleotides in length, and being operably linked to a nucleotide sequence coding for a selective enzymatic cleavage site, said nucleotide sequence being linked to and preceding said genetic sequence to be expressed.
The invention is additionally directed to a fusion protein comprising a leader polypeptide, a selected enzymatic cleavage site, and hPTH(1-84) or its variants.
The invention also includes a method for producing large quantities of human parathyroid hormone 1-84 (hPTH 1-84), or variants thereof, in bacteria using the said recombinant DNA molecule.
One of the major advantages of this invention is the ability to produce high concentrations of purified hPTH 1-84, which is a 50-100 fold improvement over currently attainable levels.
The invention enables production of a stable form of hPTH 1-84 resistant to bacterial intracellular degradation, which lacks the added N-terminal methionine which, if present, would render the hormone preparation less active and more immunogenic to a human host.
The invention also permits one to tailor the plasmid construct for production of hPTH analogues with variant N-termini which could serve as useful parathyroid hormone agonists or antagonists.

Recombinant DNA method for production of parathyroid hormone


Alcohols prepared by reacting carboxylic acids and/or carboxylic esters with hydrogen in the presence of a special catalyst.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for preparing alcohols by reacting carboxylic acids and/or carboxylic esters with hydrogen in the presence of a special catalyst, and to such catalysts.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The hydrogenation of carboxylic acids and carboxylic esters in the presence of catalysts based on copper chromite (Adkins catalyst) has been known for some time. However, the use of chromium-containing catalysts is undesirable for reasons of the associated risks to the environment. Efforts have therefore been made to replace these chromium-containing catalysts by more environmentally friendly chromium-free catalysts.
For instance, WO 82/03854 Al discloses a process for hydrogenating carboxylic esters in the presence of a catalyst which comprises a reduced mixture of copper oxide and zinc oxide.
EP-A 0 721 928 describes a process for preparing aliphatic α,ω-diols by hydrogenating carboxylic esters using a catalyst which comprises a reduced mixture of pressed powders of copper oxides, zinc oxides and aluminium oxides, to which iron oxide, nickel oxide or manganese oxide may be added.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,086 describes pulverulent hydrogenation catalysts based on copper/zinc/aluminium which contain a majority of oxides of copper and zinc, and relatively small amounts of aluminium oxide, and the pore volume of the pores which have a diameter of 120 to 1000 Å is at least 40% of the total pore volume. In particular the catalysts are suitable for hydrogenating aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids and carboxylic esters.
Catalysts based on copper/zinc/aluminium are known from methanol synthesis (U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,842, EP 125 689 A2). In these catalysts, aluminium oxide and zinc oxide have the function of a support material for copper. Such catalysts are prepared, for example, by coprecipitating the components and converting to active catalysts by calcining and reducing (Knözinger, Ertl, Weitkamp, Handbook of Catalysis, VCH Wiley, Weinheim 1997, 1836).
Hydrogenation catalysts based on copper/zinc/aluminium are also known in which colloidal TiO2 or Al(OH)3 have been added to the product of coprecipitating copper and zinc (EP 125 689 A2, Petrini et al., Preparation of catalysts III, Studies in surface science and catalysis, 16, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1983, 735–755.)
JP J09-173845 describes the preparation of Cu/Zn catalysts which are prepared by saturating γ-aluminium oxides and have an aluminium content of approx. 53%, and the use of such catalysts in the synthesis of dimethyl ether.
WO 99/4974 describes catalysts which are prepared by precipitating Cu and Zn onto TiO2. To prepare the tablets from the pulverulent catalyst, metallic copper powder is added as a tableting assistant in order to achieve a sufficient hardness. DE 19942895 likewise describes the effectiveness of metallic copper or cement as tableting assistants for preparing Cu/Zn/Al catalysts for hydrogenating carboxylic esters. This addition also leads to an increase in the lateral fracture hardness.
WO 97/34694 describes Cu/Al/Zn catalysts having an Al content of greater than 20% which, in the form of extrudates, have a bimodal pore size distribution. These catalysts are very suitable for the hydrogenation of fatty esters.
When used in fixed bed reactors, the existing catalysts are used as shaped bodies which only have limited mechanical stability under the mechanical stresses occurring there. In addition, the hydrogenation activity of these catalysts, particularly in the hydrogenation of esters of polybasic acids with polyhydric alcohols, for example mixtures of oligomeric esters made from adipic acid and hexanediol, is insufficient for the achievement of high space-time yields.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a process for preparing alcohols by reacting carboxylic acids and/or carboxylic esters with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst which is notable for its high mechanical stability under the reaction conditions and a high activity so that relatively high space-time yields are achieved.

Process and catalyst for preparing alcohols