A lens focusing system in which predetermined signal components in a video signal are detected for focusing an image by maximizing the predetermined signal components, includes a lens for focusing an image on an image pickup device operative to convert light from the lens into electric signals; a signal processing circuit for processing the output electric signals from the image pickup device to obtain video signals; a filter which has a transfer characteristic approximating that of a lens system which is out of focus; and a subtracting circuit for eliminating video signal components which pass through the filter from the electric signals output by the image pickup device. Novel digital filters particularly adapted for use with such lens focusing systems also are provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to lens focusing systems, such as the lens focusing system of a video camera, and novel digital filters particularly adapted for use with such focusing systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A known video camera auto-focusing system operates on the principle that the frequency components (excluding the DC component) of the video signal are at a maximum when the camera is in focus. In the known system, the frequency components of the video signal, with the exception of the DC component, of the video signal are integrated to yield an evaluation signal and the position of the lens is set to the position at which the evaluation signal reaches a maximum value, whereupon the system is in focus. The maximum value of the evaluation signal is detected by comparing sequential evaluation signals to determine whether the evaluation signal is changing from an increasing state to a decreasing state. Such a control technique is referred to as peak detecting control.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a conventional auto-focusing circuit of a video camera in accordance with such a system. In FIG. 1, a lens 201 is movable by a drive motor 202. An image which is transmitted through the lens 201 is converted to an electrical signal by an image pickup device 203, such as a charge coupled device (CCD). An output of the image pickup device 203 is supplied to a signal processing circuit 204 which produces a luminance signal Y therefrom and supplies the luminance signal to a detecting circuit 206 through a filter 205 which passes the frequency components of the luminance signal Y with the exception of any DC component therein. An output of the detecting circuit 206 is supplied to an A/D converter 207. An output of the A/D converter 207 is supplied to an integrating circuit 208 which is operative to integrate those portions thereof which represent a predetermined area of the image in the camera's viewfinder, thereby to provide an evaluation signal which is then supplied to a controller 210. The controller 210 controls a drive signal provided to the drive motor 202 by a driver circuit 211 to adjust the position of the lens 201 until the evaluation signal output from the integrating circuit 208 reaches a maximum. To do so, the controller 210 employs a peak detecting control technique, as described hereinbelow.
An exemplary relationship between lens position and the resulting evaluation signal is indicated by the curve provided in FIG. 2. As the lens 201 is moved from a position ln to a position ln+1, the evaluation signal Dn which is obtained at the position l.sub.n is compared with an evaluation signal D.sub.n+1 which is obtained at the subsequent position l.sub.n+1. The lens 201 is moved until the evaluation signal D.sub.n which is obtained at a prior lens position l.sub.n is larger than the evaluation signal D.sub.n+1 which is obtained at a lens position l.sub.n+1 which is achieved subsequent to the position l.sub.n.
As shown in FIG. 2, when the lens position is moved to the right, the evaluation signal increases until the lens has passed a lens position l.sub.focus at which the evaluation signal reaches a maximum value D.sub.max. When the lens has passed the lens position l.sub.focus at which the evaluation signal reaches its maximum value, the evaluation signal begins to decrease. The peak detecting control technique determines when the evaluation signals D.sub.n and D.sub.n+1 at two sequential lens positions l.sub.n and l.sub.n+1 change from an increasing state to a decreasing state while moving the lens position in a given direction. In such manner, it can be determined that the lens has reached the lens position l.sub.focus at which the evaluation signal reaches its maximum value D.sub.max, so that an in-focus position is attained.
Hitherto, a third order analog Chebyshev approximated filter has been used as the filter 205 to eliminate the DC component from the video signal in the conventional signal auto-focusing circuit. FIG. 3 illustrates evaluation signal characteristics of the conventional auto-focusing circuit using such an analog filter.
As shown in FIG. 3, in such a conventional auto-focusing circuit, the inclination of the characteristic curve of the evaluation signal is not constant. When the lens position is far from the in-focus position l.sub.focus, the inclination of the characteristic curve is nearly eliminated. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3, in the case where the initial position of the lens is far from the in-focus position, for example, at the location l.sub.p, the difference between the evaluation signal at the lens position l.sub.p and the evaluation signal at a lens position l.sub.p+1 which is close to the lens position l.sub.p is very small, so that it is difficult under these conditions to achieve an in-focus state.
In order to make it possible to position the lens so that the system is in-focus, even when the initial position of the lens is far from the in-focus position shown in FIG. 3, the overall gain of the circuit may be increased to increase the inclination of the evaluation signal curve when the initial location of the lens is far from the in-focus position. However, a wide dynamic range is then required which is difficult to implement.

Focusing apparatus and digital filters for use therewith


Systems and methods are described for simulating an internal antenna within a telemetry device. The simulator device includes a housing having at least one opening, wherein the housing is configured to accommodate close proximity placement of the telemetry device. The simulator device also includes a simulator or test antenna within the housing that corresponds to an internal antenna within a housing of the telemetry device. The simulator device further includes a radio frequency (RF) connector coupled to the simulator housing, for connection to a communication device. The simulator device also includes a fastening mechanism to secure the simulator device over the telemetry device so that the simulator antenna is adjacent to the internal antenna. The proximity of the simulator antenna to the internal antenna provides simulator device RF characteristics that simulate internal antenna RF characteristics.

With the growth of the wireless industry, more and more services are being added which may use the existing wireless networks to transmit data to a remote location. Telemetry is often used to allow remote reporting of measurements and other data of interest. Typically, wireless communications, such as a radio system, are utilized to implement a data link between the remote device and a host or data collection system. Of course, data links can also use telephones, computer networks, or optical links, for example. Telemetry is particularly useful in those situations where multiple resources are distributed over wide areas.
Telemetry applications utilizing an existing wireless network for remotely transmitting measured data have been proposed. Specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 6,946,972 describes a method for wirelessly transmitting data from a utility meter, such as an electric meter. U.S. Pat. No. 7,129,900 discloses an antenna arrangement for a conventional utility meter having radio frequency (RF) communication capability. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2001/0007444 suggests an antenna for use with an electric meter chassis to communicate wirelessly, and a method for manufacturing the same.
Wireless communication devices for telemetry applications often utilize antennas that are located within the product enclosure, which might be sealed for environmental or certification reasons. The wireless communication devices are typically developed in a laboratory and then deployed in the field. In most cases, the performance of the device is dependent on the particular performance of the antenna. Yet, because the antenna is internal to the product, simulation of performance of the internal antenna can only be performed by utilizing a communication device that is located outside the device.
One alternative technique is the use of a small "whip" antenna or other similar external antenna for the purposes described above. However, this antenna type and its position away from the device may not satisfactorily mimic the performance of the internal antenna to the fidelity required by the design, development, or installation team.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,469,673 describes a method for assembling and testing a radio device. The antenna to be tested is decoupled from the RF electronics, and then the RF electronics is aligned. After the alignment, the antenna is coupled to the RF electronics and then tested advantageously with a coupler.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,657,214 discloses a shielded test system providing a common air interface for testing transmit and receive functionality of wireless communication devices. The device to be tested is placed in a test chamber of an RF-shielded enclosure. The test chamber is equipped with a novel test antenna structure for wirelessly communicating test signals to a device under test.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,839,032 discloses a portable radio terminal testing apparatus comprising an antenna coupler, connecting means, and a measuring device, wherein the coupler comprises a placement member, which places a testing object, a coupling antenna, electromagnetically coupled to an antenna of the testing object.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,885,348 discloses a test chamber for testing a frequency response of a low band antenna array output. The test chamber comprises a rectangular shaped steel enclosure having a lid and a microwave absorptive foam is affixed to the interior walls and base of the enclosure. The lid for the enclosure includes an opening and a pair of alignment pins for positioning the array's monopole antennas within the interior of the test chamber. A probe is located in one corner of the test chamber to provide the RF test signal to the array's monopole antennas.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,943,739 discloses a device for testing RF circuits located in wireless devices in a manner that does not require removal of the module housing or the antenna. U.S. Pat. No. 7,109,932 suggests an antenna test cavity to test the efficiency of an antenna. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20060017630 discloses an apparatus and a method for measuring the receiver sensitivity of mobile and wireless terminals.
However, prior test environments and methods for testing wireless devices suffer from a number of shortcomings. In, particular, the aforementioned conventional systems/methods do not simulate an antenna inside of a telemetry device capable of RF communication, to determine the RF performance of the device. In addition, the conventional systems do not suggest any technique for the determination of the communication signal strength, signal quality, or network details to and from the available network infrastructure to determine whether the telemetry device functions well at a given end-point location. Also, the antenna type and its position away from the device, in conventional systems, may not satisfactorily mimic the performance of the internal antenna to the fidelity required by the design, development, or installation team.

Simulator for internal antennas in telemetry devices


Systems and methods for allowing dual-mode radar operation. An exemplary transmission system includes a hybrid coupler that receives a signal produced by a synthesizer and couples the received signal to two output ports. A pulse transmitter receives a pulse transmit-activate signal from a controller, receives an input signal from the hybrid coupler and, if the activate signal has been received, amplifies the received signal based on a predefined desired pulse output transmission setting. A frequency-modulation continuous-wave (FMCW) transmitter receives an FMCW transmit-activate signal from the controller, receives an input signal from the hybrid coupler and, if the activate signal has been received, amplifies the received input signal based on a predefined desired FMCW output transmission setting. An isolator protects the pulse transmitter during FMCW operation and also the FMCW transmitter from receiving power reflected off of pulse transmitter components.

There does not currently exist a radar system that allows both marine and aviation applications to provide a combination of long-range and moderate-range resolution, in addition to very short minimum range (<10 feet) to modest range (5-7 nautical miles (NM)) with very high-range resolution on the order of three to ten feet. Current commercial marine radar systems employ either pulse or pulse-compression methods for moderate (˜1 NM) to long-range capability with modest- to high-range resolution. Examples include Honeywell's RDR 4000 nonlinear frequency modulation (NLFM) pulse-compression radar, Kelvin Hughes LFM Pulse Compression Marine Radars, JRS Solid State Marine Radar, NGC/Sperry Marine Solid State Pulse Compression Radar system. Marine radars currently are pulsed (all suppliers) or frequency-modulation continuous-wave (FMCW) (Navico) types of systems.

Systems and methods for frequency-modulation continuous-wave and pulse-compression transmission operation


An apparatus for displaying an operation sequence of a machine tool such as a grinding machine which is controlled by a numerical controller. During operation, successive operations instructed by a machine operator are stored in the memory of the numerical controller along with successive numerical commands which are executed during the successive operations. When a malfunction occurs in the machine tool, the storing operation is stopped, and the successive operations and the successive numerical commands executed before the occurrence of the malfunction are displayed on a display device for analyzing the cause of the malfunction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for displaying an operation sequence of a numerically controlled machine tool, wherein successive operations of the numerically controlled machine tool commanded by a machine operator are memorized during an operation and are displayed for malfunction analysis when the numerically controlled machine tool is stopped due to malfunction.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Heretofore, a numerical controller has been known which controls a machine tool in accordance with a numerical control program which is created based upon machining data input through a data input device. The prior numerical controller is provided with a function of displaying on a cathode-ray tube monitor information for monitoring the status of the machine tool. The monitor information is composed of a block number of a numerical control program which is being executed, a commanded moving amount of a movable element of the machine tool, the present position of the movable element, and the remainder of the commanded moving amount and the like. The displayed monitor information is updated when the numerical control program is executed in the automatic operation mode, or the manual feed handle for generating manual feed pulses is rotated by a machine operator in the manual operation mode. In the event that the machine tool stops because of a malfunction, the machine operator can know the status of the machine tool based upon the displayed information.
Since the displayed information just indicates the present status of the machine too, and such information disappears if the operation of the machine tool is continued after the occurrence of the malfunction, it is difficult to analyze the cause of the malfunction based upon the displayed information.
To analyze the cause of a malfunction, it is required to know the operation sequence of the machine tool, i.e., successive operations which the machine operator instructed the numerical controller before the occurrence of the malfunction, as well as the monitor information as described above. The prior numerical controller, however, just monitors the execution of the numerical control program as explained above, but does not memorize the operation sequence. The machine operator therefore has to remember the successive operations to analyze the cause of the malfunction. Since it is difficult for the machine operator to precisely memorize the operation sequence, the malfunction analysis based on the operator's memory is inefficient. Further, it is difficult to revive the malfunction, because the operation sequence is not memorized accurately.

Apparatus for displaying operation sequence of numerically controlled machine tool


A detergent dispenser module for a dishwashing appliance may generally include a body extending between a top side and a bottom side. The body may include an outer surface extending from the top side and may define a detergent chamber between the outer surface and the bottom side. The detergent chamber may be at least partially formed by an upper sidewall, a lower sidewall and a bottom wall extending between the upper and lower sidewall. In addition, the dispenser module may also include at least one flow diverter extending outwardly from the outer surface at a location adjacent to the upper sidewall of the detergent chamber. The flow diverter(s) may be angled in a direction of a fluid collection opening defined through a top of the upper sidewall such that fluid flowing downwardly along the outer surface of the body is directed into the fluid collection opening.

Modern dishwashers typically include a tub defining a wash chamber where e.g., detergent, water, and heat can be applied to clean food or other materials from dishes and other articles being washed. Various cycles may be included as part of the overall cleaning process. For example, a typical, user-selected cleaning option may include a wash cycle and rinse cycle (referred to collectively as a wet cycle), as well as a drying cycle. A pre-wash cycle may also be included as part of the wet cycle, and may be automatic or an option for particularly soiled dishes.
To provide detergent for release within the wash chamber, dishwashers typically include a detergent dispenser mounted onto the interior of the door of the dishwasher. The dispenser generally corresponds to a refillable compartment that is configured to be accessed by means of a removably attachable cover. During use, detergent is placed within the dispenser compartment before a wet cycle is executed. Thereafter, during the wet cycle, a spray jet is typically configured to direct water at the compartment when a timer releases its cover so as to washout or remove the detergent from the dispenser.
To provide for maximum detergent capacity, the size of each compartment defined within conventional dispensers continues to be increased. Typically, this increase in size corresponds to an increase in the depth of the compartment. Unfortunately, such an increase in the depth of the compartment provides for a corresponding increase in the difficulty for directing spray jets into the bottom of the compartment for washing out the detergent. As a result, a portion of the detergent may still remain within the compartment at the end of wet cycle.
Accordingly, an improved detergent dispenser module that enhances the flow of fluid through the dispenser to assist in washing out the detergent contained therein would be welcomed in the technology.

Detergent dispenser module for a dishwashing appliance


In a biochemical analysis apparatus, a chemical analysis element is taken out from a chemical analysis element cartridge, spotted with sample liquid and transferred to an incubator. After incubation, the optical density of the chemical analysis element is measured, and the concentration of a component to be analyzed in the sample liquid is determined. A test element which is substantially equal to the chemical analysis element in size and shape and has a density pattern for detecting shift of the position of the test element from a predetermined position is taken out from a cartridge and is transferred to the incubator in the same manner as the chemical analysis element. On the way to the incubator, the position of the test element relative to, for instance, a suction member for transferring the chemical analysis element is detected by use of the density pattern, and when it is detected that the test element is in the regular position relative to the suction member, it can be expected that the chemical analysis element can be transferred in the regular position on the suction member.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a test element for use in a biochemical analysis apparatus and a test element cartridge containing therein such test elements, and more particularly to a test element for detecting a shift in position of a "dry-to-the-touch" chemical analysis element in the course of transfer thereof in a biochemical analysis apparatus and a test element cartridge containing therein such test elements, the "dry-to-the-touch" chemical analysis element being an element having a reagent layer whose optical density changes upon chemical reaction, immunoreaction or the like with a specific biochemical component contained in a sample liquid such as blood or urine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Quantitative or qualitative analysis of a specific component in a sample liquid is a common operation carried out in various industrial fields. Especially, quantitative analysis of a chemical component or a solid component in body fluids such as blood or urine is very important in the field of clinical biochemistry.
There has been put into practice a dry chemical analysis film with which a specific chemical component or solid component contained in a sample liquid can be quantitatively analyzed through a droplet of the sample liquid spotted on the film. See, for instance, Japanese Patent Publication No. 53(1978)-21677, U.S. Pat. No. 3,992,158, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 55(1980)-164356 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,272. When such a dry chemical analysis film is used, the sample liquid can be analyzed more easily and more quickly than when a conventional wet analysis method is used, and accordingly the dry chemical analysis film is very convenient for medical facilities, laboratories and the like where lots of sample liquids have to be analyzed.
When quantitatively analyzing the chemical components or the like contained in a sample liquid using such a chemical analysis film, there is used a biochemical analysis apparatus in which the chemical analysis film is taken out from a cartridge and transferred to a predetermined position, a droplet of the sample liquid is spotted on the film, the film spotted with the sample liquid is transferred into an incubator and held therein at a constant temperature for a predetermined time (incubation) so that coloring reaction (coloring substance generating reaction) occurs, and the optical density of the color formed by the coloring reaction is optically measured. That is, measuring light containing a wavelength which is preselected according to the combination of the component to be analyzed (sometimes will be referred to as "analyte", hereinbelow) and the reagent contained in the reagent layer of the film is projected onto the film and the optical density of the film is measured. Then the concentration or the activity of the analyte is determined on the basis of the optical density using a calibration curve or a standard curve which represents the relation between the concentration (content) of the analyte and the optical density. After the measurement, the film is taken out from the incubator and discarded in a discarding box.
In such a biochemical analysis apparatus, the successive processings are effected while transferring the analysis film from position to position. When the analysis film is shifted from a predetermined position on a film take-out means or a film transfer means while it is taken out from the cartridge or transferred, spotting the sample liquid on the analysis film, the incubation, the measurement of the optical density and the like cannot be centered on a predetermined position on the analysis film, e.g., the central portion of the analysis film, which results in a fine difference in the measured value and substantially affects the result of determination. Accordingly, in a biochemical analysis apparatus where the accuracy of measurement is very important, there has been a demand for means for checking whether the analysis film can be held in a predetermined position on the film take-out means or the film transfer means while it is taken out from the cartridge or transferred.


An intraosseous delivery apparatus having a perforating member that is made of a titanium alloy whose flexibility, wearability and cutting ability is greater than that of conventional hardened stainless steel.

The present invention relates to an improved intraosseous anesthesia delivery device.
There exist a variety of intraosseous anesthesia delivery devices and methods, including those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,317,648 to Siqveland, U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,677 to Alexandre, U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,824 to Akerfeldt et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,639 to Gibbs, U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,708 to Wu, U.S. Pat. No. 5,057,013 to Dillon, U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,050 to Dillon and U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,769 to Kwan.
Additional intraosseous anesthesia delivery devices and methods are disclosed in the Applicant""s earlier U.S. application Ser. No. 09/165,010, PCT Application US99/07728, U.S. application Ser. No. 09/328,682, and U.S. application Ser. No. 09/329,022, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.
All known present day anesthesia delivery devices and methods, however, generally utilize a perforating member such as a hypodermic injection needle or drill bit member that is made of hardened stainless steel. Under poor conditions, such hardened stainless steel perforating members may cause significant burning of bone tissue and/or may break. And if either of these events occurs, there is a high risk of infection and/or other complications.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an intraosseous anesthesia delivery device whose perforating member has improved flexibility and wearability and improved cutting ability, and which thereby improves operability and reduces the risk of infection and/or other complications.

Titanium alloy intraosseous anesthesia delivery device


A disclosed surface emitting laser device includes a light emitting section having a mesa structure where a lower reflection mirror, an oscillation structure, and an upper reflection mirror are laminated on a substrate, the oscillation structure including an active layer, the upper reflection mirror including a current confined structure where an oxide surrounds a current passage region, a first dielectric film that coats the entire surface of an emitting region of the light emitting section, the transparent dielectric including a part where the refractive index is relatively high and a part where the refractive index is relatively low, and a second dielectric film that coats a peripheral part on the upper surface of the mesa structure. Further, the dielectric film includes a lower dielectric film and an upper dielectric film, and the lower dielectric film is coated with the upper dielectric film.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surface emitting laser device, a surface emitting laser array, an optical scanning device, an image forming apparatus, and a manufacturing method of the surface emitting laser device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a surface emitting laser device and a surface emitting laser array capable of emitting light in the direction orthogonal to their substrate surfaces, an optical scanning device including the surface emitting laser device or the surface emitting laser array, an image forming apparatus having the optical scanning device, and a manufacturing method of manufacturing the surface emitting laser device capable of emitting light in the direction orthogonal to its substrate surface.
2. Description of the Related Art
A Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (hereinafter may be referred to as "VCSEL") is capable of emitting light in the direction orthogonal to its substrate. When compared with edge emitting semiconductor lasers capable of emitting light in the direction parallel to its substrate, the VCSEL may have some advantages such as lower cost, lower energy consumption, smaller size, preferable for two-dimensionally integrated devices, and higher performance. Recently, because of those advantages, the VCSEL has attracted increased attention.
The surface emitting laser has a current confined structure to enhance current influx efficiency. To form the current confined structure, a selective oxidation process is usually performed on an AlAs (Al: Aluminum, As: Arsenic) layer. In the following, the current confined structure may also be referred to as an "oxide-confined structure" for convenience.
The oxide-confined structure may be formed by forming a mesa structure having predetermined sizes and having a side surface where a selectively-oxidized layer made of p-AlAs is exposed. Then, the formed mesa structure is processed under a water-vapor atmosphere so that aluminum (Al) in the selectively-oxidized layer is selectively oxidized from the side surface of the mesa structure. By doing this, an unoxidized region remains in the center portion of the mesa structure. The unoxidized region (hereinafter referred to as a "confined region" for explanatory purposes) becomes a passing region (or a "current passage region") through which a driving current of the surface emitting laser passes. As described above, the current may be easily confined. The refractive index of the aluminum-oxidized layer (AlxOy) (hereinafter simplified as an "oxidized layer") in the oxide-confined structure is approximately 1.6, which is lower than that of semiconductor layers. Because of this feature, a refractive index difference is generated in the lateral direction in a resonator structure of the surface emitting laser, and the light is confined in the center of the mesa structure, thereby improving the emission efficiency of the surface emitting laser. As a result, it becomes possible to obtain excellent characteristics such as lower threshold current and higher efficiency.
The surface emitting laser may be generally applied to a light source of an optical writing system in a printer (oscillation wavelength: 780 nm band), a light source of an optical writing system in an optical disk device (oscillation wavelength: 780 nm band and 850 nm band), and a light source of an optical transmission system such as a LAN (Local Area Network) using optical fibers (oscillation wavelength: 1.3 μm band and 1.5 μm band). Further, the surface emitting laser is also expected to be used as a light source for optical transmission between boards, within a board, and between chips and within a chip in a Large Scale Integrated circuit (LSI).
In those application fields, it is generally required that a cross-sectional shape of the light emitted from the surface emitting laser (hereinafter referred to as "emitting light") be circular. To achieve the circular cross-sectional shape, it is required to control higher-order transverse-mode oscillation.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-156395 (Patent Document 1) discloses a surface emitting laser device where a semiconductor material layer structure in which a light emitting layer is disposed between an upper reflection mirror structure and a lower reflection mirror structure is formed on a substrate, an upper electrode having an annular shape when viewed from the top is formed on the upper side of the upper reflection mirror structure, an opening is formed on the inner side of the upper electrode, and a part of the surface of the opening is coated with a layer transparent to the oscillation wavelength of the oscillated laser light.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-210429 (Patent Document 2) discloses a surface emitting laser device including an active layer having a light emitting center region, a pair of multi-film reflection mirrors sandwiching the active layer, one of the multi-film reflection mirrors having a light emitting region, an electrode having an opening part corresponding to the light emitting region, and an insulating film formed to be corresponding to the light emitting region in a manner such that the reflection rate in a peripheral part surrounding a center part corresponding to the light emitting center region is lower than the reflection rate in the center part. Further, in the part corresponding to the center part of the light emitting region, the insulating film is made of a structure where a first insulating film and a second insulating film are laminated. Further, in the part corresponding to the peripheral part of the light emitting region, there is a third insulating film having a refractive index lower than that of the first insulating film.

Surface emitting laser device, surface emitting laser array, optical scanning device, image forming apparatus, and manufacturing method of surface emitting laser device


A method for matching individuals according to emotions evoked by music, includes the use of a plurality of personality matching questions to generate a response profile that is matched with a plurality of subsequent response profiles. A plurality of emotion-evoking audio files is provided for each of the plurality of personality matching questions, wherein a user account is prompted to select one of the plurality of emotion-evoking audio files as a response for each of the plurality of emotion-evoking audio files. The response for each of the plurality of personality matching questions is aggregated into the response profile along with a favorite song. A match probability rating is then calculated for the each of the plurality of subsequent response profiles in relation to the response profile of the user account. A plurality of subsequent user accounts is then displayed to the user account to engage in a virtual date.

Present day, dating services are sometimes unsafe or unreliable. Sometimes, there are incidents of unsafe interactions, generalized discomfort in awkward social situations or mere superficial connections. Many times, users of dating services select matched individuals to engage with based primarily on the physical attributes of the individuals, rather than form an emotional connection with the individuals. It can be difficult to cultivate emotional connections, especially as many dating services do not provide an ice breaker or means of easing individuals into conversation. The lack of structured activities sometimes leads to tepid and uninteresting social experiences, as many users are hesitant to initiate conversation.
Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide a system for matching individuals and facilitating interactions between users in a safety conscious environment. A plurality of match making modules is provided to pair users and promote user engagement; namely a music response module, a dating questionnaire module, and a purchase behavior match module. Each of the plurality of match making modules is provided in a safe, digital environment, wherein the access to personal information can be restricted according to user preferences. Furthermore, the plurality of match making modules provides a groundwork to facilitate interactions between users, allowing users to comfortably form emotional connections. Users who match through the plurality of match making modules can then schedule a virtual date, where further interaction can take place, and emotional connections can be cultivated in a safe environment.

System for matching individuals and facilitating interactions between users in a safety conscious environment


A method for rendering patterned lines in an environment that need not support rendering of patterned lines through a standard viewing mechanism, but that does support the rendering of graphical primitives in an off-screen imaging area. A solid line is rendered in the off-screen imaging area that has been filled with a background color by turning the pixels corresponding to the solid line from the background color to a line color. A pattern is next applied to the solid line to render a patterned line by use of a filtering mechanism that filters out pixels that correspond to off-segments of the pattern. The patterned line is next transferred from the off-screen imaging area to a viewing device where it is displayed.

The present invention relates generally to computer applications with high-performance graphics capabilities, and to subassemblies and methods for use in such applications.
Many software applications include built-in xe2x80x9crenderingxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cdrawingxe2x80x9d programs to build images of graphics primitives, such as lines, circles, etc., for display. The graphics primitives are laid out or rendered in a buffer memory prior to being displayed. Building an image by such rendering programs may occur by allocating a partition in the main memory address space as the buffer for rendering a graphic image. Data between the main memory and the buffer is exchanged as required by the demands of rendering. The buffer may be an on-screen video memory that displays the graphic while it is being built, an off-screen video memory partition or imaging area that will be swapped into the on-screen video memory partition when it is time to display the graphic primitive, or an address space serving as either an on-screen memory or an off-screen memory. An off-screen memory imaging area is a partition of memory that is capable of rendering graphics primitives without displaying them on a viewable device; it is an area of memory that can be addressed as if it were a graphics device.
A particular interest to the present application is the rendering of lines. Straight, solid lines may be rendered through the so-called xe2x80x9cbrute-force approachxe2x80x9d or the xe2x80x9cprimitive line-drawing method,xe2x80x9d of which Bresenham""s algorithm is an example. The brute-force approach is a straightforward way to compute a pixel-by-pixel representation of a straight line that first requires that the equation of a line, y=mx+b, be solved and applied pixel-by-pixel. This approach, while simple, is computationally intensive and requires the use of real-number arithmetic for each pixel thus computed. Bresenham""s algorithm is the usual technique for drawing a straight, solid line. Integer arithmetic is used to quickly calculate the individual pixels to be turned on. By carrying an error term, the average slope of the line is followed exactly, without having to perform multiplication at each pixel.
While the rendering of straight, solid lines is well established in the art, the drawing of patterned or stippled lines is of more concern. Certain computer software applications do not support the representation or drawing of stippled or patterned lines, so that patterned lines cannot be easily viewed through a standard viewing mechanism such as a monitor or other on-screen viewing device. Sun Microsystem""s Java 1.1, a programming language used by many applications, for instance, does not support the drawing of patterned lines. There is no mechanism currently available through the Java 1.1 language interface that is capable of rendering patterned lines. Patterned or stippled lines as used herein refer to non-solid lines in which some type of pattern, such as dots, dashes, etc., is apparent. The term xe2x80x9cpatternxe2x80x9d generally refers to an array containing run-length encoding made up of xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d segments; the term xe2x80x9cpattern repeat lengthxe2x80x9d refers to the sum of the pattern""s segment lengths. Thus a pattern of {3, 2, 1, 2}, has four pattern segments: a first, xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d segment with a length of three pixels, a second, xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d segment with a length of two pixels, a third, xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d segment with a length of one pixel, and a fourth, xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d segment with a length of two pixels. The pattern repeat length of this pattern is the sum of the segment lengths, or 8 pixels. A pattern is typically drawn over and over until the entire length of the patterned line is exhausted. An empty pattern ({ }) is equivalent to a single xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d segment of infinite length.
A patterned line is typically represented by rendering the segments of the line. The so-called xe2x80x9cline-segmentxe2x80x9d solution calculates the extents of each line segment of a patterned line using the original endpoints of the line and employs a substantial amount of floating-point calculations to determine segment endpoints of the line. While workable, the line-segment solution results in an inaccurate representation of the line due to round-off error typically introduced during the floating-point calculations. Pixels drawn using the line-segment approach are not guaranteed to fall on the original primitive rendering of a line; the question becomes how to treat pixels that do not fall squarely on the line. This problem is not encountered when patterned lines are drawn according to the Bresenham line draw algorithm in which the particular pixels or dots between the two endpoints that will be drawn is determined. While solid lines with their integer coordinates are readily rendered in this manner, the primitive line-drawing method of the Bresenham algorithm cannot be easily used to render the fractional coordinates commonly associated with the segments of a patterned line.
Consider, for example, that a line from Cartesian coordinates [0, 0] to [9, 3] is to be rendered. [0, 0] refers to the beginning endpoint of the line, generally the leftmost endpoint. [9, 3] refers to the ending endpoint, generally the rightmost endpoint of the line. Diagram 1 illustrates the results of applying a typical line-drawing primitive to render a Cartesian coordinate representation of this line in a graphical display area, with each xe2x80x9c#xe2x80x9d representing a pixel that is rendered as xe2x80x9con.xe2x80x9d
Now suppose that a pattern which has an initial segment of length 5 is to be imposed on the line. The coordinates of the endpoint of the initial segment would be, in real number coordinates, [4.74,1.58]. The endpoints, however, must be specified in integer coordinates. There are two methods available for converting real numbers into integer values-ignoring the fractional components (xe2x80x9ctruncationxe2x80x9d) or picking the xe2x80x9cnearestxe2x80x9d integer value (xe2x80x9croundingxe2x80x9d). For example, if one were to convert the real numbers to integers by ignoring the fractional components, the endpoint for the end of the initial segment would be chosen as [4,1]. Diagram 2 depicts a typical rendering of the line segment from [0,0] to [4,1]:
This method correctly chooses pixels that originally appeared on the line. However, the pixel [4,1] is turned xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d even though it only partially lies within the 5-unit pattern segment; adherence to the specified pattern is not maintained.
An alternate approach to coordinate conversion is to round up or round down a real number depending upon the value of the fractional remainder of the number, as measured in tenths. Thus, a number having a fractional remainder of greater than 0.5 would be rounded up to the next integer number while a number having a fractional remainder of equal to or less than 0.5 would be rounded down. If this standard rounding technique were applied in the example, the resulting endpoint would be [5,2]. Diagram 3 depicts a typical rendering of the line segment from [0,0] to [5,2]:
Notice that applying this technique caused the pixels at [4,2] and [5,2] to be turned on. Neither of these pixels were in the original line rendering, so some coherence with the original line rendering has been lost.
From an efficiency standpoint, the line-segment solution is very costly in that it calls the primitive line-drawing method for each segment of a patterned line. Since a pattern can have segments as small as one pixel, such calls of the primitive line-drawing method can fail to render certain portions of a line if the calculations end up with identical endpoints (beginning and ending) due to mathematical round-off. This results from the fact that the implementation of some primitive line-drawing methods render zero-length lines as a single pixel, others do not render them at all. This possibility is illustrated by the following example in which a line is drawn from [0,0] to [5,5] with an initial pattern segment of length 1. The endpoint of the first segment would be (in real number coordinates) [0.707,0.707]. If integer conversion is the technique applied to derive the endpoint, the result is [0,0], the same as the beginning point of the line. Standard rounding techniques may avoid this situation, although may have other deficiencies as previously described.
Therefore, according to the present invention, a method of rendering patterned lines in a processing environment that supports the rendering of graphical primitives in an off-screen imaging area is disclosed. An off-screen imaging area, such as a partition of a memory of the processing environment that is capable of rendering graphics primitives without displaying them on a viewable device, is created. The off-screen imaging area is representative of an on-screen graphics area of a viewable device having a plurality of pixels and is empty when initially created. The size of the off-screen imaging area in the memory is defined by a bounding rectangle of the patterned line to be rendered. The off-screen imaging area is next filled with a suitable, distinct background color that is representative of pixels being xe2x80x9coff.xe2x80x9d A solid line is then rendered within the off-screen imaging area from beginning endpoint to ending endpoint of the patterned line to be drawn by changing the color of the pixels that fall on the line from the background color to another line color. A pattern, having contiguous on- and off-segments and a repeat length, is next applied to the solid line by means of a filtering mechanism whereby pixels that correspond to off-segments of the pattern are filtered out. The resulting patterned line is transferred from the off-screen imaging area to a viewable device wherein it can be rendered on the on-screen graphics area of the viewable device and thus viewed. The above is performed for each patterned line to be rendered. The methodology of the present invention may be implemented by a computer program of a computer-readable medium.
The filtering that occurs when the pattern is applied to the solid line is practiced for each of the pixels. The color of the pixel must be determined. If the pixel is the line color and thus xe2x80x9con,xe2x80x9d the distance of the pixel from the beginning endpoint of the solid line is calculated. A remainder distance of the quotient obtained by dividing the distance of the pixel from the beginning endpoint by the pattern repeat length of the pattern is next calculated. If the remainder distance falls entirely within an on-segment, the line color of the pixel is maintained as the line color. If, however, the remainder distance falls entirely within an off-segment of the pattern, the pixel is turned xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d by changing its color from the line color to the background color. If the remainder distance does not fall entirely within an on-segment or an off-segment, this is indicative of the pixel spanning two contiguous segments of the pattern, an on-segment and an off-segment. In this event, anti-aliasing may be used in the filtering procedure. If anti-aliasing is to be used, the intensity of the pixel is set by applying anti-aliasing to the pixel in accordance with the percentage of the pixel that falls within each of the contiguous on- and off-segments. If anti-aliasing is not to be used, the pixel is turned off if it is found to lie predominately within the off-segment of the contiguous segments of the pattern.

Method for drawing patterned lines in a system supporting off-screen graphics

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A portable water extracting and purification system for converting filtered ambient air moisture into water may include a free-standing support frame and a reservoir removably engaged to the support frame and provided with a handle. The system may further include a mechanism for filtering ambient air prior to entering the support frame. Additionally, a mechanism may be included for extracting moisture from the filtered ambient air by inducing condensation to form and deposit water into the reservoir. An additional mechanism may be included for automatically toggling the moisture extracting mechanism between operating and non-operating modes upon detecting first and second triggering events respectively.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to water purification systems and, more particularly, to a portable water extracting and purification system for converting filtered ambient air moisture into water.
2. Prior Art
Americans tend to take for granted that their drinking water is safe. Indeed, about 80 percent of the country draws from public water systems that are tested and treated under strict regulations of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. People who get their water from private wells or from small water systems, however, cannot always be certain about its quality because of changing environmental conditions and possible pollution. The quality of water varies around the United States; water may contain traces of contaminants, from heavy metals to microbial pathogens such as bacteria, parasites and viruses. About half of the drinking water in the United States comes from surface sources such as lakes, and the other half, from underground sources or aquifers.
Unfortunately, each has different risks for contamination. Surface water becomes contaminated more easily by factors such as agricultural runoff or sewage overflow during heavy rains. Groundwater, long a reliable source, has become increasingly contaminated by problems such as leaking underground gasoline storage tanks, malfunctioning or leaking septic tanks and industrial pollution that leaks into the ground. More recently, some farms have been linked to groundwater pollution because of vast amounts of animal wastes. Landfills also can be a source of contamination when pollutants leach into the ground. Even with the country's diligent water treatment efforts, environmental experts agree that the possibility of drinking tainted water, remote as it is, always exists.
Accordingly, a need remains for a water purification system in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing a system that is convenient and easy to use, is lightweight yet durable in design, and may be utilized to convert filtered ambient air moisture into water.

Portable water extracting and purification system and associated method


A spark gap device that is formed in an integrated circuit (IC). The IC has a dielectric substrate upon which a high-voltage switch is disposed. The switch includes an anode element and a cathode element separated from each other by a spark gap. A trigger electrode is disposed on the substrate material in the spark gap. A capacitor is electrically coupled to the trigger electrode. The cathode and anode elements and the trigger electrode preferably are at least partially covered with a dielectric material. When the capacitor is charged, the charge on the capacitor exerts a strong electric field on the cathode and anode elements that causes ions to migrate in the cathode and anode elements toward the spark gap. When the trigger electrode is excited by an electrical current, the ions arc across the gap and a conductive path is created between the cathode element and the anode element.

Spark gap devices are used to generate large electrical discharges. They typically include a dielectric cylinder, which is often made of a ceramic material such as alumina, an anode on one end of the cylinder, a cathode on the other end of the cylinder and a dielectric material between the anode and cathode that electrically isolates the anode and cathode from each other. The dielectric material is typically a gas, such as argon or nitrogen, or a vacuum. When a large enough potential difference is created across the anode and cathode, the dielectric material inside the cylinder experiences dielectric breakdown and a large electrical discharge crosses the gap between the anode and the cathode.
Spark gap devices are often used in computer systems to protect circuitry from electrostatic discharge, commonly referred to as ESD. Spark gap devices are also used in lightening arrester systems to discharge lightening strikes to ground. Both types of systems apply the same concept, but lightening arrester systems operate at significantly higher potential differences and currents than ESD systems.
Spark gap devices are also used as initiators in explosives. When used for this purpose, the spark gap device includes a trigger that allows a user to actuate the spark gap device at a time of the user's choosing. The trigger is typically an electrode placed between the cathode and anode and electrically isolated from the cathode and anode. The trigger is typically driven by the secondary coil of a step-up transformer, which generates a large enough electrical field between the trigger electrode and the cathode to cause ions to begin accumulating in the gap between the cathode and the electrode. When enough ions have accumulated in the gap, migration of ions begins between the cathode and the anode and the device switches on, i.e., a short circuit occurs between the cathode and anode.
The breakdown voltage that causes the spark gap device to switch on is normally very large, e.g., thousands of volts, and the breakdown current may be thousands of amperes. In order for a spark gap device to withstand such large breakdown currents, the device is typically constructed of discrete components capable of dissipating large amounts of power. To date, it has not been feasible to embed spark gap devices in ICs because discharging a very large voltage over a very small area on an IC over a clock cycle causes a very large amount of energy to be released, which will essentially vaporize the IC.
A need exists for a spark gap device that is capable of operating at a very high voltage and that is capable of being fabricated on an IC.


According to one embodiment, a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus provided with a plurality of transmission channels includes a signal processing unit and a control unit. The signal processing unit acquires a radio frequency magnetic field emitted from each of the plurality of transmission channels through a receiver coil mounted on an object and measure a phase of the radio frequency magnetic field. The control unit determines a phase difference between the plurality of transmission channels based on the phase of the radio frequency magnetic field of each of the plurality of transmission channels measured by the signal processing unit. The control unit controls a phase of a radio frequency pulse inputted to each of the plurality of transmission channels, based on the phase difference.

A transmitter coil of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus is designed to accept as input a radio frequency (RF) pulse and emit a radio frequency (RF) magnetic field (B1) to an object.
Some MRI apparatus have plural transmission channels. It is important for this type of MRI apparatus to perform control such that the RF pulse inputted to each transmission channel will have a desired amplitude and phase.
However, in calibrating the amplitude and phase inputted to each transmission channel, a method which uses the amplitude and phase of a signal outputted by a unit configured to generate transmit pulses cannot take into consideration the influence caused by all transmission paths of the transmit pulses. For example, the influence of a signal cable running from the unit to the transmission channel is not reflected.
Consequently, it is not possible to keep track of amplitude losses and phase shifts of the RF pulse accurately, which could disable B1 distortion correction, resulting in increased RF strength. Also, if adjustments are made using a network analyzer or the like to correct the phase shifts, the adjustments will take time, resulting in greatly reduced convenience.
Also, when the amplitude and phase of input to each transmission channel are calibrated using a method which uses output from an RF measurement pickup coil installed in a gantry aside from a receiver coil, this means that there are three types of coils in the gantry: the transmitter coil, receiver coil, and pickup coil. In this case, it becomes difficult to make adjustments due to interference among the coils. Also, increases in the number of parts will increase a failure rate, size, and cost.

Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and transmission control method


A protection system for a power distribution system includes a bus voltage sensing unit to measure a bus voltage or a load voltage and a demand response module for estimating available demand resources on the distribution system for a period of interest. A distribution system analyzer is provided in the system for analyzing the bus voltage or the load voltage and system parameters to obtain voltage trip points for the available demand resources. A load control circuit controls the available demand resources based on the voltage trip points.

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to an electric power grid and more specifically to distribution protection system in the power grid.
Distributed generation generates electricity from many small energy sources such as photovoltaic cells and fuel cells. Instead of producing power using remote and large generator units, power is generated using a large number of small distributed generators to meet the local load demand. These small generators are interconnected to the grid at medium or low voltage levels. Solar PV as an example is increasingly being connected at low voltage levels as roof-top installations.
Generally, the distribution network topology, control and protection are designed assuming that power is flowing in one direction; from substation to loads. However, the presence of distributed generation may change both the magnitude and direction of power flow in the distribution network or the distribution system. The variability in distributed generation such as the intermittency in renewable generation causes the system operating conditions to vary frequently. For example, a loss or gain of one or more distributed generators may cause the feeder voltage to fluctuate or even violate the desired range. Without coordination, these changes may trigger the false tripping of protective relays including over-current, over-voltage or under-voltage relays.
In addition, disturbances in the distribution system may affect the operation of distributed generators. For example, IEEE Standard 1547 stipulates that when any voltage of a distributed generator bus is outside a given range, the distributed generator shall cease to energize the feeder (i.e. shut down by tripping offline) within a specified clearing time. The clearing time is the time between the start of a disturbance condition and the ceasing of the distributed generator to energize the feeder. The tripping of one distributed generator may deteriorate the voltage profile further and potentially result in cascading tripping of other distributed generators.
Another issue with connection of distributed generators is that it changes the fault current of the distribution system. In other words, when you connect a distributed generator to the distribution system it will contribute to the fault current based on the power it is generating. This can lead to a failure of protection systems to detect faults when there are high levels of distributed generation. One of the approaches to solve this problem is to adaptively change relay settings in coordination with changes in output power of the distributed generation. However, with this approach, the relay settings may not get updated as fast as the output of the distributed generation changes. A potential problem is that a sudden loss of distributed generator under full load may result in the tripping of the over-current relay when the relay set point is reduced to a very low level. Thus, large scale penetration of distributed generation will reduce the effectiveness of protection schemes either through reducing the detection of faults, of creating false trips in response to the loss of distributed generators.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved protection system and method to address one or more aforementioned issues.

Distribution protection system and method


An example system includes a robotic arm coupled to a mobile base. The robotic arm includes a plurality of segments coupled via at least one joint, which includes at least one joint angle sensor. The system also includes a controller configured to carry out operations including receiving, from the at least one joint angle sensor, information indicative of a pose of the robotic arm. The operations include, based on the information indicative of the pose of the robotic arm, determining that a torque induced by the robotic arm is above a predetermined torque threshold. The operations also include causing an adjustable support member to extend out of the mobile base in an orientation that counteracts the torque.

Robotic arms may enable a variety of remote and/or automated lifting, gripping, and manipulation tasks in diverse applications such as manufacturing, inventory management, and household helper robots. In some cases, robotic arms may lift payloads with certain static or dynamic arm poses such that the robot may become unbalanced and/or tip over.

Smart kickstand for balancing a mobile robotic arm


This compression device is provided with a reciprocating compressor which compresses a gas, and a heat exchanger which cools gas compressed by the compressor. The heat exchanger is provided with a cooling unit for cooling the gas and with a connection unit which abuts against the outside surface of the compressor and has a gas inlet passage to allow gas discharged from the compression chamber of the compressor to flow into the cooling unit.

Recently, a hydrogen station which supplies hydrogen gas to a fuel cell-powered vehicle is proposed. In the hydrogen station, a compression device which supplies hydrogen gas in a compressed state in order to fill the fuel cell-powered vehicle with hydrogen gas efficiently is used. The compression device is provided with a compressor which compresses hydrogen gas, and a gas cooler which cools the hydrogen gas whose temperature is raised by being compressed by the compressor. As the gas cooler, for example, the use of a plate-type heat exchanger as indicated in the following Patent Document 1 is proposed.
The plate-type heat exchanger consists of a laminated body in which a number of plates are laminated. Between the laminated plates, flow passages for allowing fluid to flow therethrough are formed respectively. Then, within the heat exchanger, heat exchange between fluids flowing respectively to the flow passages next to each other in the lamination direction of the plates is conducted.
By the way, in the above compression device, a lot of pipes for connecting the compressor and the gas cooler are required. Therefore, there is a need to secure a wide installation space. Moreover, the hydrogen gas discharged from the compressor is at high pressure, so that pipes of high strength and high pressure resistance are required. Hence, the manufacturing cost of the compression device is increased. Moreover, in the above compression device, there is also a need to prevent leakage of hydrogen gas from the pipes.

Compression device having connection unit for cooling unit


A device for applying an embroidery material onto a textile fabric including a device for feeding the textile material; an upper sewing organ having a needle bearing bar and a plurality of needles; a lower sewing organ selected from the group consisting of shuttles, rotary crochets and moving hooks cooperating with the upper organ. At least one pressure plate for compressing the material and having embroidery devices thereon and a drive for providing rotational motion to the embroidery devices, wherein the drive device includes a hole for each needle to pass through and a second hole for the embroidery material to pass through, and wherein the rotational motion is in a single direction so as to direct the second hole in a position that is in front of the needle to obtain stitches on the textile fabric and to fix the embroidery material.

In the field of embroidering machines the state of the art includes the use of devices to automatically apply ribbons or cord thread onto fabrics cut into pieces.
These devices serve to make particular types of embossed embroidery; they work on pieces of a limited length, particularly on pieces worked on the tambour frame, in a discontinuous work pattern which gives limited productivity.
Moreover, the ornamental designs made by these devices are isolated, considerably distant from each other and discontinuous.
When these devices are used the embroidery machines have a very low working speed, in the region of 120 stitches a minute at most.
State of the art devices of this type, as they are used at present, are therefore not suitable for use on electronically controlled machines which continuously work fabric supplied from a roll, with speeds of at least 450 stitches a minute and which can reach up to 600+700 stitches a minute.
Such conventional devices are used only to apply large section cord thread or ribbons or chenille or embroidery thread (therefore unable to pass through the eye of a needle), on a base fabric.
In such devices the ribbons or embroidery threads are not made to pass through the fabric and are not fixed thereon by means of stitches made by needles which perforate them; they are fixed to the fabric by means of the stitches of a thin thread which passes above them and is anchored to the fabric once on one side and once on the opposite side of the embroidery threads (see for example FIG. 1 in CH-A-563.486).
In such devices, for this purpose, suitable wheels are provided equipped with an alternate rotary movement, generally produced by rectilinear racks; each wheel is provided with a central hole through which the needle with the fixing thread passes and an eccentric hole of a suitable diameter, through which passes the cord thread or the embroidery thread which has to be attached on the fabric.
While the needles carrying the fixing thread perform a normal stitching action, the alternating rotations of the wheels cause the cord threads or embroidery threads to be positioned alternately on one side and the other of the needles, and therefore cause the stitches made thereby to pass alternately from one side to the other above the cord threads or embroidery threads, thus fixing them to the fabric.
Among these conventional devices, the one described in CH-A-563.486 describes a device able to modify the position of the eccentric hole though which the embroidery thread passes, according to the orders to move given by an automatic embroidery machine commanded by a perforated belt, according to the rotation of the direction of stitching backwards-forwards-left-right, so that the rotation in one direction and the other of the wheels has its center, on each occasion, in the correlated main direction of stitching backwards-forwards-left-right.
In document FR-A-467.481 there are wheels with pins on the outer circumference, commanded by a perforated flexible belt into the holes of which the pins enter, instead of the rectilinear rack.
However, these documents refer to embroidery machines, not to multi-needle quilting machines.
Quilting machines, as we have said, have a working speed at least in the range of 450 stitches per minute, compared with a maximum speed in embroidery machines of about 120 stitches per minute.
Moreover, whereas in embroidery machines the fabric is cut into pieces, attached manually onto appropriate frames before the embroidery operation, and removed always manually when the work is finished, in quilting machines the fabric or the sandwich of material which is to be quilted is unwound continuously from rolls, with a huge saving in time and effort for the workers.
In embroidery machines the needles work in a horizontal direction, whereas in quilting machines they work in a substantially vertical direction.
In quilting machines there is at least a pressure plate on which the wheels through which the thread passes are mounted, with the respective command organs, whereas in embroidery machines there is no pressure plate whatsoever.
The final products obtained from quilting machines are essentially quilted bed-covers which can also be embroidered, whereas in embroidery machines the final products consist of any type of embroidery or decoration on single-layer fabrics of a decorative type.
Conventional devices, moreover, do not give the possibility of carrying out step by step, with the position of the wheels, the desired program of embroidery; therefore they do not allow to achieve designs of absolute precision with the cord threads, ribbons or additional threads; nor do they allow to alternate on command segments where the cord thread or ribbon is applied with segments of simple stitching to achieve particular ornamental patterns according to a pre-determined sewing program.
In conventional devices, moreover, it is not always possible, at every step of the program, to direct the hole through which the embroidery thread passes perfectly in front of the needle according to the direction of sewing, with discrepancies of a fraction of a degree; nor is it possible to exclude the alternate rotation of the wheels.
This does not allow these conventional devices to sew exactly in the center, whatever may be the direction of sewing, ribbons, tapes and flat trimmings and to attach them on the basic fabric, nor to alternate segments where ribbon or cord thread is applied with segments of simple stitching, thus limiting the applications and possibilities.
The Applicant has devised and embodied this invention in order to overcome this shortcoming of the state of the art, which has never provided or hypothesised applications of this type on multi-needle quilting machines, given the difficulty of using embroidery techniques previously employed only on machines which were operationally and technologically completely different, and to obtain further advantages as shown hereafter.

Method and device to apply cord thread or ribbons onto fabrics in a quilting machine


A method and an apparatus are provided for controllably illuminating automotive brake lights. In one embodiment, an automotive brake lighting system comprises a brake light including first and second light sources, a sensor to sense a level of an operating condition associated with at least one of a brake assembly or a brake pedal of a motor vehicle for illuminating the brake light, and a controller configured to monitor information provided by the sensor. The controller, in response to the level of the operating condition, selectively powers the at least one of the first or second light sources of the brake light based at least in part on the monitored information to generate a variable visual indication relating to braking of the motor vehicle from the brake light over a range of at least two different visual indications that indicate a variable braking rate of the motor vehicle over a corresponding range of at least two different braking rates.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to automotive systems, and more particularly, to automotive brake lighting systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
A lighting system of a motor vehicle consists of lighting and signaling devices mounted or integrated to the front, sides and rear of the vehicle. The purpose of this system is to provide illumination by which for the driver to operate the vehicle safely after dark, to increase the conspicuity of the vehicle, and to display information about the vehicle's presence, position, size, direction of travel, and driver's intentions regarding direction and speed of travel.
A lighting system of a motor vehicle also comprises rear position lamps (tail lamps) sometimes referred to as a brake light or a stop light. A brake light or a stop light is a red light on the rear of a motor vehicle that signals when the brakes are applied to slow or stop. Besides the conventional taillights sometimes A Center High-Mounted Stop Lamp (usually seen abbreviated as CHMSL) is used as a third stop lamp, or brake tight. It is mounted on the rear of a vehicle. It is usually placed above the rear window, or is affixed inside the window and projects through it. In some creative arrangements, the CHMSL is integrated into a spoiler. A CHMSL is usually thought of as a car safety feature.
Nighttime vehicle conspicuity to the rear is provided by rear position lamps disposed in a brake light, stop light, tail light, tail lamp and rear light. These are required to produce only red light, and to be wired such that they are lit whenever the front position lamps are illuminated—including when the headlamps are on. Rear position lamps may be combined with the vehicles brake lamps, or separate from them. In combined-function installations, the lamps produce brighter red light for the brake lamp function, and dimmer red light for the rear position lamp function. Regulations worldwide stipulate minimum intensity ratios between the bright (brake) and dim (tail) modes, so that a vehicle displaying rear position lamps will not be mistakenly interpreted as showing brake lamps, and vice versa. Rear position lamps are permitted, required or forbidden to illuminate in combination with daytime running lamps, depending on the jurisdiction and the DRL implementation

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A computer implemented user interface allows composition of an electronic mail message. A user selects at least one pre-existing email from an email inbox. An envelope is then created by parsing each of the selected pre-existing emails. The pre-existing email is displayed as a tree structure comprising an envelope with at least a label sub-node in a new email view. A new email is composed by selecting parts from the tree structure. The sub-nodes may further comprise a content sub-node. The content sub-node further comprises multi-media parts, and the new email body is composed by selecting parts from the content sub-node.

The present invention relates in general to electronic mail systems, and more specifically, to electronic mail composition techniques to create compound messages containing parts of other messages.
Electronic mail (email) is a primary communication medium for business and daily life. Chains of multiple email messages can be received on the same topic. If the receiver needs to consult someone else on the topic, he/she must open all the email chains and manually copy/paste the key messages and/or parts of them into a new email. Key messages may contain attachments (perhaps problem logs, spreadsheets, or business documents), and to forward them one must first save them to local storage and then manually re-attach them to the new mail while trying to maintain the appropriate context, given that different versions of the same filenames may be involved.

International Business Machines Corporation


The invention provides isolated nucleic acids molecules, designated 32140 nucleic acid molecules, which encode novel aldehyde dehydrogenase family members. The invention also provides antisense nucleic acid molecules, recombinant expression vectors containing 32140 nucleic acid molecules, host cells into which the expression vectors have been introduced, and nonhuman transgenic animals in which a 32140 gene has been introduced or disrupted. The invention still further provides isolated 32140 proteins, fusion proteins, antigenic peptides and anti-32140 antibodies. Diagnostic methods utilizing compositions of the invention are also provided.

The invention relates to novel aldehyde dehydrogenase-like sequences and proteins. Also provided are vectors, host cells, and recombinant methods for making and using the novel molecules.
Aldehydes are a class of highly-reactive molecules that are involved in a number of biological processes. The biological effects mediated by some aldehydes are beneficial, but other members of this class of molecule are associated with biological toxicity, mutagenesis, and carcinogenesis. Aldehydes are generated from a large number of endogenous and exogenous sources. The metabolism of amino acids, lipids, steroids, vitamins, and some amines leads to the formation of aldehydes, and they can also be derived from a number of drugs and environmental agents (reviewed by Lindahl, (1992) Crit. Rev. Biochem. Mol. Biol. 27:283-335).
The aldehyde dehydrogenases make up a large family of enzymes that oxidize aldehydes to their less-reactive carboxylic acids. The members of this family of NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide)- or NADP (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate)-dependent enzymes share structural and functional features and generally exhibit broad substrate specificity, catalyzing the oxidation of both aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes (reviewed by Lindahl, supra). The aldehyde dehydrogenase family includes both cytoplasmic and mitochondrial members. Various members of the mammalian family of aldehyde dehydrogenase are expressed in liver, stomach, lung, kidney, testis, salivary gland, muscle, heart, and brain (reviewed by Yoshida et al., (1998) Eur. J. Biochem. 251:549-557).
Aldehyde dehydrogenases are also involved in a number of key metabolic pathways, including, but not limited to, the metabolism of arginine, proline, glutamate, glycine, serine, threonine, histidine, tyrosine, tryptophan, ascorbate, aldarate, xcex2-alanine, butanoate, fatty acids, glycerolipids, pyruvate, propanoate, 4-aminobutyric acid (GABA), retinoic acid, and xenobiotics; the degradation of lysine, valine, leucine, and isoleucine; and the biosynthesis of bile acids. In addition, mutations in members of the human aldehyde dehydrogenase have been associated with a number of diseases including Sjxc3x6gren-Larsson syndrome, alcohol flushing syndrome, and type II hyperprolinemia (reviewed by Vasiliou et al., (1999) Pharmacogenetics 9: 421-434). Changes in aldehyde dehydrogenase activity have also been associated with a number of cancers, including liver, urinary bladder, colon, and mammary cancers (reviewed by Lindahl, (1992) Crit. Rev. Biochem. Mol. Biol. 27:283-335).
The critical role that aldehyde dehydrogenases play in numerous biological processes and diseases make them important targets for therapeutic intervention. It is consequently important to identify novel genes coding for members of this enzyme family.
The present invention is based, in part, on the discovery of a novel human aldehyde dehydrogenase, referred to herein as xe2x80x9c32140xe2x80x9d. The nucleotide sequence of a cDNA encoding 32140 is shown in SEQ ID NO:1, and the amino acid sequence of a 32140 polypeptide is shown in SEQ ID NO:2. In addition, the nucleotide sequence of the coding region is depicted in SEQ ID NO:3.
Accordingly, in one aspect, the invention features a nucleic acid molecule which encodes a 32140 protein or polypeptide, e.g., a biologically active portion of the 32140 protein. In a preferred embodiment, the isolated nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2. In other embodiments, the invention provides an isolated 32140 nucleic acid molecule having the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, or the sequence of the DNA insert of the plasmid deposited with ATCC as Accession Number PTA-3424. In still other embodiments, the invention provides nucleic acid molecules that are substantially identical (e.g., naturally occurring allelic variants) to the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO:3, or the sequence of the DNA insert of the plasmid deposited with ATCC as Accession Number PTA-3424. In other embodiments, the invention provides a nucleic acid molecule which hybridizes under stringent hybridization conditions to a nucleic acid molecule comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, or the sequence of the DNA insert of the plasmid deposited with ATCC as Accession Number PTA-3424, wherein the nucleic acid encodes a full length 32140 protein or an active fragment thereof.
In a related aspect, the invention further provides nucleic acid constructs, which include a 32140 nucleic acid molecule described herein. In certain embodiments, the nucleic acid molecules of the invention are operatively linked to native or heterologous regulatory sequences. Also included are vectors and host cells containing the 32140 nucleic acid molecules of the invention e.g., vectors and host cells suitable for producing 32140 nucleic acid molecules and polypeptides.
In another related aspect, the invention provides nucleic acid fragments suitable as primers or hybridization probes for the detection of 32140-encoding nucleic acids.
In still another related aspect, isolated nucleic acid molecules that are antisense to a 32140 encoding nucleic acid molecule are provided.
In another aspect, the invention features 32140 polypeptides, and biologically active or antigenic fragments thereof that are useful, e.g., as reagents or targets in assays applicable to treatment and diagnosis of 32140-mediated or -related disorders. In another embodiment, the invention provides 32140 polypeptides having a 32140 activity. Preferred polypeptides are 32140 proteins including at least one aldehyde dehydrogenase domain, and, preferably, having a 32140 activity, e.g., a 32140 activity as described herein.
In other embodiments, the invention provides 32140 polypeptides, e.g., a 32140 polypeptide having the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:2; the amino acid sequence encoded by the cDNA insert of the plasmid deposited with ATCC as Accession Number PTA-3424; an amino acid sequence that is substantially identical to the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:2; or an amino acid sequence encoded by a nucleic acid molecule having a nucleotide sequence which hybridizes under stringent hybridization conditions to a nucleic acid molecule comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, or the sequence of the DNA insert of the plasmid deposited with ATCC as Accession Number PTA-3424, wherein the nucleic acid encodes a full length 32140 protein or an active fragment thereof.
In a related aspect, the invention further provides nucleic acid constructs which include a 32140 nucleic acid molecule described herein.
In a related aspect, the invention provides 32140 polypeptides or fragments operatively linked to non-32140 polypeptides to form fusion proteins.
In another aspect, the invention features antibodies and antigen-binding fragments thereof, that react with, or more preferably specifically bind 32140 polypeptides.
In another aspect, the invention provides methods of screening for compounds that modulate the expression or activity of the 32140 polypeptides or nucleic acids.
In still another aspect, the invention provides a process for modulating 32140 polypeptide or nucleic acid expression or activity, e.g. using the screened compounds. In certain embodiments, the methods involve treatment of conditions related to aberrant activity or expression of the 32140 polypeptides or nucleic acids, such as conditions involving aberrant or deficient cellular proliferation or differentiation.
More particularly, 32140 is associated with viral disease. It is induced in Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV)-infected human ganglia and neuroblastoma. It was observed to be induced up to 5-fold in HSV-infected neuroblastoma cells. It is hypothesized that HSV induces expression of a novel 10-formyltetrahydrofolate DH isozyme encoded by gene 32140, particularly in infected neurons.
The invention also provides assays for determining the activity of or the presence or absence of 32140 polypeptides or nucleic acid molecules in a biological sample, including assays for the diagnosis of disease. Gene 32140 showed expression in the following tissues, including but not limited to: brain, spinal cord, heart, mammary gland, salivary gland, small intestine, stomach, testis, uterus, and trachea.
In further aspect the invention .provides assays for determining the presence or absence of a genetic alteration in a 32140 polypeptide or nucleic acid molecule, including assays for the diagnosis of disease.

32140, a novel human aldehyde dehydrogenase and uses therefor


Permeable and elastic pavement blocks comprising waste-polyurethane chips, which use a binder specially developed to secure the binding between an upper polyurethane-chip layer and a lower permeable-concrete layer as well as the binding among the waste-polyurethane chips, resulting in excellent strength and durability, and use recycled polyurethane chips to provide elasticity and permeability suitable for sports activities, walking, and outdoor exercises the like.

As for conventional blocks for pavement, there are general pavement blocks prepared by mixing aggregates such as rubble, sand and cement in appropriate portions, casting the mixture into a mold, and curing; and rubber blocks prepared by mixing waste-tire chips and/or waste-rubber chips with adhesives and pigments, and molding in a predetermined block shape.
However, these conventional blocks for pavement were not permeable. Thus, in case of heavy rain, except for only some part of the rain permeating through crevices among blocks, most of the rain did not sink into the ground, but flowed through roadside drainage system to river, stream, waste-water treatment plant or public water area. Therefore, in case of a localized torrential downpour for a short period of time or a heavy rain for a long period of time during the rainy season, the drained rain and water may overflow the river and stream, causing very dangerous and unstable situation. Also, as the rain and water could not permeate into the conventional pavement blocks, it obstructed safe passage and caused a lot of inconvenience to pedestrians.
In order to overcome such disadvantages of the conventional pavement blocks, permeable and drainage pavement blocks have been developed, among which Korean Utility Model Registration No. 195525 registered on Jun. 29, 2000 entitled "permeable blocks" discloses blocks for pavement or driveway. In this utility model, in order to facilitate the permeation of rain or water, each of the blocks includes grooves on side and top surfaces thereof to perforate through the top surface and the bottom surface of the block.
Further, Korean Utility Model Registration No. 248505 registered on Sep. 17, 2001 entitled "pavement blocks with draining function" discloses drainage pavement blocks used for parking lots or sidewalks, each of which includes a central hollow space and overflows in the center of the top and side surfaces thereof, and each of which is filled with permeable concrete in the central hollow space and the overflows.
Meanwhile, in order to overcome disadvantages of conventional impermeable pavement blocks, to prevent earth and sand's washing away from a slope of a dike, and to secure underground water resources by inducing rain or water to the ground, Korean Patent No. 165047 patented on Sep. 15, 1998 discloses permeable pavement blocks, which have the permeability coefficient of 10×10−4 cm/sec and the porosity of 5–10% and comprise 102 parts by weight of water, 410 parts by weight of cement, 100 parts by weight of sand, 1685 parts by weight of short particle aggregates (5–10 mm diameter), 1.8 parts by weight of a retardant, and 1.0 part by weight of resin.
In addition, Korean Utility Model Registration No. 289645 registered on Sep. 4, 2002 discloses "permeable concrete blocks with a waste-tire chip layer", comprising a lower permeable-concrete layer prepared by mixing aggregates having the size of 13 mm or less, cement, water and admixture products in predetermined ratios; and an upper waste-tire chip layer provided in the thickness of 10–20 mm by mixing 100 g of waste-tire chips of 13 mm or less, 7–21 g of a binder, and 1–5 g of an inorganic pigment.
The permeable concrete blocks as disclosed in the above utility model had bi-directional permeability allowing rain or water to penetrate into the ground and to evaporate into the earth's surface, so that trees and plants could be provided with life-giving water and flooding of the river could be prevented. Also, by using recycled waste tires which have been one of the environmental pollutants, the blocks did not only absorb impact on foot, but also contributed to the protection of environment and mobility of old and feeble people.
However, since the waste tire's smell of rubber lasted for a long time, the blocks using the waste tire could not provide a pleasant sense of smell. Further, since the urethane, epoxy and acrylic resin binders used to adhere the waste-tire chips were those available in the market, there have been demands for a binder which enhances the adhesive strength and maintains the strength and durability of the blocks for a long time.
Further, conventional pavement blocks using waste-tire chips or rubber had disadvantages in that, upon exposure to the high temperature heat of the sun rays during summer, the surface temperature of the blocks abruptly increases and the elastic waste-tire chip layer is separated from or comes off the lower supporting layer. Also, during the pavement construction, it was inconvenient to fill the space formed between neighboring permeable blocks with sand and the like.
Accordingly, the inventor of the present invention studied and researched into materials and binders for the permeable pavement blocks, and as a result, the inventor completed the present invention by using waste-polyurethane chips in place of waste-tire chips as a main component of the permeable elastic pavement blocks and developed a binder to secure the binding between an upper polyurethane-chip layer and a lower permeable-concrete layer as well as the binding among the waste-polyurethane chips.


An image forming apparatus includes: a casing; a cover; a locked portion provided at one of the casing and the cover; and a locking portion provided at remaining one of the casing and the cover. The locking portion includes: a first pivot member; a second pivot member spaced apart from the first pivot member; and a third pivot member. Each of the first pivot member and the second pivot member is pivotally movable between an engaging position and a release position about a first axis. The third pivot member is pivotally movable between a first position and a second position about a second axis. Pivotal movement of at least one of the first pivot member, the second pivot member, and the third pivot member causes pivotal movement of the remaining of the first pivot member, the second pivot member, and the third pivot member.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-168405 discloses an image forming apparatus including: a casing whose front side is formed with an opening; and a cover unit for opening and closing the opening. With such an image forming apparatus, a user can perform maintenance such as replacement of parts and components, replenishment of expendable supplies, or processing for sheet jamming by opening the cover unit.
Further, the image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-168405 includes a locking portion for locking the cover relative to the casing. The locking portion is provided at an upper portion of the casing. The locking portion includes a single shaft extending in a left-right direction at an upper portion of the front surface of the casing, and an engagement arm provided at each end portion of the shaft.

Image forming apparatus including first to third pivot members pivotally movable in interlocking relation to each other