A therapeutic device may be used in providing physical therapy for a patient's knee by moving the patient's leg through a plurality of cycles of motion in each of a number of treatment sessions. The device includes a progressive range of motion feature that permits an automatic decrease in the flexion angle (or an automatic increase in the extension angle) over a period of time as rehabilitation progresses. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the carriage holding the patient's leg is decelerated, at a controlled rate over a controlled distance, from the operational speed to zero, as the carriage approaches the extension or flexion limit, and the carriage is accelerated in the same fashion as the carriage moves away from the extension or flexion limit.

Knee injuries are an unfortunate byproduct of today's emphasis on sports and physical fitness; however, effective surgical techniques have been developed to repair injuries such as to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and other components of the knee. In addition, many members of our aging population are candidates for total knee replacement surgery because of disease and/or injury. All of these surgical procedures must be followed by a period of rehabilitation in order for recovery to be complete. Furthermore, some injuries to the knee may not require surgery but instead may require an extensive rehabilitation period. Such rehabilitation generally requires that the knee be flexed and the leg be extended such as occurs in normal walking; however, it is frequently undesirable for a recovering patient to bear weight on his leg while rehabilitating his knee. In addition, when a knee has suffered a trauma or other injury, or after surgery, a person often lacks the necessary muscle control, strength or will to flex his knee and straighten his leg. Consequently, there is a need for a rehabilitation device that can be used to mobilize the joint over period of time as a part of the orthopedic care which follows an injury, illness or surgical procedure.
The therapeutic use of an external force to flex and extend the limb to induce motion is referred to as passive motion. The application of continuous passive motion to a joint following a period of immobilization, injury, surgery or the like, has been shown to reduce post-operative pain, decrease the number of adhesions, decrease the amount of atrophy experienced by the surrounding and supporting muscle, promote the speed of recovery, improve the range of motion in a much shorter time, and reduce the risk of deep vein thrombosis and post-traumatic osteopenia. Depending on the nature and severity of the knee injury or the nature and extent of the surgical procedure performed, therapeutic treatment sessions involving continuous passive motion may be carried out on a daily basis for several days or several weeks.
The concept of a therapeutic use of passive and continuous motion is not new, as evidenced by a number of known devices that are designed to impose continuous passive motion on the limb and joint of a patient for such purpose. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,492,222 of Hajianpour describes a knee exerciser comprised of a leg support that is hinged at one end to a thigh support and is fixed at its other end to a motor assembly. The other end of the thigh support is pivotally attached to a frame, and the motor assembly is also pivotally attached to the frame. A screw that is threaded into a tubular portion of the leg support is rotated by the motor to drive the device. The Hajianpour device also includes an up/down counter that is arranged to count revolutions of the motor drive shaft via a magnetic sensor. When the count of the counter reaches either the flexion or extension limits, the direction of rotation of the motor is changed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,692 of Greiner describes a motor driven leg exerciser having an adjustable leg support, a movable footrest, a motor, and controls for the user or therapist. In operation, the motor drives a chain driven rod back and forth in an arc to move the leg support. As the rod reaches each end of its arc, it activates a directional switch which in turn stops the motor, causes the device to pause for a predetermined period of time, and reverses the direction of the rod. The arcuate movement of the rod causes the leg support to move the patient's leg from an extended position to a bent position.
As the use of therapeutic continuous passive motion (CPM) machines has increased, so too have the number of developments and improvements in the related technology. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,197 of Nippoldt et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,692 of Greiner describe various safety features which, upon the occurrence of any of several conditions, will cause the carriage holding the leg to stop and reverse direction; U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,852 of Genovese et al. describes hinges between the upper and lower members of the leg support which are designed to better mimic the motion of the knee joint and thereby increase patient comfort; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,255,188 and 5,452,205, both of Telepko, describe a universal controller for a CPM device which includes a clock and a liquid crystal display for displaying the accumulated running time for an exercise session; U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,327 of Telepko describes a direct drive CPM device which maintains an approximately constant angular velocity at the knee so as to increase the comfort level of the patient; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,899 of Farris et al. describes a CPM device having control means which allow the user or a therapist to change the degree of extension and flexion of the leg, and also having a repetition counter that can count and display the number of flexion repetitions completed. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,440 of Berner, et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,327 of Telepko describe continuous passive motion devices which pivot the patient's leg about a virtual axis that is coincident with the hip pivot axis. This helps to avoid placing unnecessary strain on the patient's leg or hip joint, and increases the comfort of the patient as treatment is carried out. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,327 of Telepko describes a "warm-up" mode of operation by which the range of motion of the device is automatically and gradually increased over a preset period of time at the beginning of a treatment session. U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,852 of Genovese et al. describes a similar "warm-up" feature by which the programmed force and range of motion is automatically reduced somewhat when exercise is restarted after a rest period.
Despite these improvements in CPM technology, conventional CPM devices suffer from several disadvantages. Among these is the fact that conventional CPM machines generally require regular intervention on the part of a therapist or physician as the treatment progresses. For example, most such machines require that as the treatment regimen progresses, someone must change or reset the operational parameters of the machine. Yet, most patients undergoing treatment do not require constant medical supervision, and in fact, many CPM devices are used in a home or other non-institutional setting. Thus, it is both unnecessary and inconvenient for a therapist or other medical professional to constantly attend to a patient's treatment with a CPM device. However, at least some phases of most CPM treatment regimens are generally uncomfortable, and consequently, patients are often reluctant to advance or enlarge the range of motion through which the CPM device operates, even though such action is necessary to insure a rapid and complete recovery. It would be desirable, therefore, if a continuous passive motion device could be developed that would enable a medical professional to program the device with a treatment regimen which would automatically advance or enlarge the range of motion through which the CPM device operates as the patient progresses in treatment. It would also be desirable if such a device could be developed that would be relatively simple for a patient to operate and therefore, more likely to be properly used.
Another disadvantage of conventional CPM machines is that the typical CPM device operates at a constant speed during its entire flexion or extension phase. Consequently, the carriage holding the patient's leg is rapidly decelerated from the operational speed of the carriage to zero as the carriage reaches its operational extension or flexion limit, and rapidly accelerated from zero to the operational speed in the opposite direction as the carriage moves away from the limit. Such sudden speed and direction changes are uncomfortable for the patient and may impose undesirable stresses on his knee and leg. It would be desirable therefore, if a CPM device could be developed which would allow the carriage to make "soft turns" when changing directions.

Continuous passive motion device having a progressive range of motion


A keyless adjustable driver, attachable to a chuck on a drill, having a plurality of adjustable settings for holding and driving bolts with flat sides. The keyless adjustable driver includes a cylindrical body having an axial hole, a central shaft, passing through the axial hole, for attaching the driver to the chuck, a plurality of gripper arms pivotally mounted on the cylinder body for pivoting and holding the flat sides of the bolts in response to movement of the head of the central shaft engaging the gripper arms, and a wheel having a threaded axial hole for engaging screw-like threads on the central shaft to move the central shaft to close and lock the gripper arms to hold the bolt as the device rotates on the drill.

This invention relates to attachments for electric drills, and more particularly, this invention relates to drivers for bolts with flat-sided heads for attachment to a chuck on an electric drill, for driving such bolts of various sizes and shapes by providing adjustable size settings, and for permitting secure adjustments without the use of a key.


An optical fiber pack (42) having layers (52) of optical fiber (22) is formed on a bobbin (32) using an ultravlolet-curable adhesive. A layer (50) of a UV-curable adhesive is deposited, and a length of the optical fiber (52) is wound over the layer (50) of ultraviolet-curable adhesive. Ultraviolet radiation is directed at the layer (50) of ultraviolet-curable adhesive through the layer (52) of optical fiber wound over the layer (50) of adhesive, to cure the adhesive. The approach can be used, for example, to apply adhesive to entire layers of the optical fiber, or to tack the ends of the optical fiber layers into place.

This invention relates to optical fibers, and, more particularly, to the fabrication of a dispenser that holds the optical fiber and permits its rapid payout when needed.
Optical fibers are strands of glass fiber processed so that light transmitted therethrough is subject to total internal reflection. Glass optical fibers are typically lab fabricated by preparing a preform of glasses of two different optical indices of refraction, one inside the other, and processing the preform to a fiber. The optical fiber is coated with a polymer layer termed a buffer to protect the glass from scratching or other damage. As an example of the dimensions, in a typical configuration the diameter of the glass optical fiber is about 125 micrometers, and the diameter of the optical fiber plus the polymer buffer is about 250 micrometers (approximately 0.010 inches). (The combination of optical fiber and buffer is sometimes termed an "optical fiber cable". As used herein, the term "optical fiber" includes both the glass optical fiber and the combination of optical fiber and buffer, except where it is clear from the context that the term refers only to the glass component.)
For such very fine optical fibers, the handling of the optical fiber to avoid damage that might reduce its mechanical strength and/or light transmission properties becomes an important consideration. In one approach, the optical fiber is wound onto a cylindrical or tapered cylindrical bobbin (collectively termed herein a "tapered" cylindrical bobbin, even though the angle of the taper may be zero) with many turns adjacent to each other in a side-by-side fashion. After one layer is complete, another layer of optical fiber is laid on top of the first layer, and so on. A weak adhesive is typically applied to the layers of optical fiber to hold them in place. The final assembly of the bobbin and the wound layers of optical fiber is termed a dispenser, and the mass of wound optical fiber is termed the fiber pack. When the optical fiber is later to be used, the optical fiber is paid out from the dispenser in a direction generally parallel to the axis of the tapered cylinder.
The adhesive is an important component of the system. In its final form it must be sufficiently strong to maintain the physical integrity of the optical fiber pack, but sufficiently weak to permit the turns and layers of optical fiber to be removed from the optical fiber pack during payout, without damaging any portion of the optical fiber. In the most common approach, the adhesive is dissolved, dispersed, or suspended in a liquid and supplied in a fluid, flowable form for application. The adhesive can be applied prior to winding the optical fiber, concurrently with the winding, or subsequent to the winding of a layer of the optical fiber. Some of the solvent typically evaporates during deposition of the adhesive. After the entire fiber pack of many layers of optical fiber is formed, the adhesive is cured to remove the remaining solvent and harden the adhesive to its solid, cured state. Curing can be accomplished by any of several approaches, such as the addition of a catalyst, condensation, or heating.
In an alternative approach, an adhesive curable by ultraviolet radiation has been used. The adhesive is comprised of fully (100 percent) reactive, solventless material that is applied to a layer of optical fiber after it is wound onto the underlying optical fiber pack. The adhesive is cured with ultraviolet radiation. The next layer of optical fiber is wound overlying the cured adhesive, and the process is repeated as necessary to build up the fiber pack.
There are important drawbacks to each approach. One uses solvents that may damage the buffer of the optical fiber and are also potential sources of environmental pollution when evaporated. When solvent-dispersed adhesives are used, voids may remain in the fiber pack after curing, because the adhesive/fluid preparation is typically greater than 90 percent by volume of liquid. There may also be other types of optical fiber pack defects resulting from heating the dispenser during curing. For the case of the ultraviolet-curable adhesive, the hardened adhesive layer is not a good substrate for the winding of the next overlying optical fiber layer. The next optical fiber layer typically does not lie in a regular pattern between the turns of the prior layer, but instead may have various types of winding irregularities.
There is therefore a need for an improved approach to the preparation of optical fiber dispensers. The present invention fulfills this need, and further provides related advantages.

Use of ultraviolet-curable adhesive in preparation of optical fiber dispensers


A women's protective key ring, intended for carrying keys and for use for defensive purposes in the event of an unexpected attack, having a handle which can be grasped with the entire hand of the owner, and an ornament-striker attached to the handle so as to cover the front of the owner's fist when the handle is grasped.

The invention pertains to a key ring of novel configuration which could be useful as a defensive weapon for a person subjected to an unexpected attack, particularly when approaching or leaving an automobile in an unattended place at night, or when approaching or leaving the doorway of an apartment, residence or business, whether on the street, in a hallway or in an elevator.
As a result of the increasing incidence of violent crimes in the United States in recent years, there has been a great proliferation of personal protective devices intended for use particularly by women who may be subject to unexpected physical assaults. Women who work or shop during night and even daytime hours have often been subjected to such attacks in unattended parking lots, or when approaching or leaving the doorways of their residences.
Many personal protective devices have been marketed which either emit tear gas to be directed into the face of the attacker, or which emit high intensity sound intended to bring aid from passers-by, and frighten away the attacker.
However such devices may be of no use to the victim in the case of a sudden unexpected attack, unless she happens to have the device in hand, since there may not be time to retrieve the device from a handbag or coat pocket.
Also a sound emitting device may offer no protection in the case of an attack in a deserted location, where the attacker knows that there are no other persons in the vicinity.
One advantage of the present invention in relation to other personal protection devices is that a woman approaching or leaving her automobile, or approaching or leaving a building, will naturally tend to have the key ring in hand and instantly available, rather than in her handbag or coat pocket.
Another advantage is that applicant's key ring may be fashioned in an attractive form, and use of the key ring would not be discouraged by any feelings of self-consciousness which might prevent a woman from regularly carrying a canister of tear gas in her hand as she approached or exited her automobile, residence or apartment elevator.
Applicant is aware of various forms of key rings disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. known to applicant: Barrett (3,604,233), Merrill (803,839), Weihman (Des. 34,370), Fischer (Des. 128,625), Imhoff (2,292,563), Leopoldi (3,126,729) and Kamp (3,589,155).
However none of these patents disclose key rings of a form very similar to that of applicant. The key rings disclosed in the patents of Weihman and Merrill appear to be the least dissimilar in form. The key rings of Weihman and Merrill lack the ornament-striker of applicant's key ring, described below. Moreover none of these patents states dimensions indicating a key ring of sufficient size to place four fingers through the ring, as in the present invention (and FIG. 3 of the patent of Imhoff indicates a key ring large enough for only one finger). None of the patents makes a statement about placing four fingers through the key ring, and none makes any statement suggesting a defensive use of the key ring, as with the present invention.


The bird's-eye view image system is provided with a plurality of cameras for acquiring a surrounding image of the work vehicle, a display unit for displaying a bird's-eye view image based on the image acquired by the plurality of cameras, and a control unit for causing a bird's-eye view image to be generated and displayed by the display unit. The plurality of cameras have a first front camera provided in the traveling body for acquiring an image ahead of the travelling body, a first rear camera provided in the traveling body for acquiring an image backward of the traveling body, a right camera provided on the swivel base for acquiring an image rightward of the swivel base, and a left camera provided on the swivel base for acquiring an image leftward of the swivel base.

The work vehicle has a large size and is easy to have a blind angle, and thus, the position of a rearview mirror or the like has been devised, but it is difficult to visually recognize the surroundings from a driving seat.
For this reason, in the work vehicle, it has been considered to use a bird's-eye view image system for forming a bird's-eye view image of the surroundings centered on the work vehicle, and for representing the image to an operator (for example, refer to Patent Literature 1 or the like). In such a bird's-eye view image system of the related art, a plurality of cameras for photographing the surroundings of a vehicle body are provided in the vehicle body, images photographed by each of the cameras are combined while being converted to an image viewed from an upper virtual viewpoint, and a bird's-eye view image of the surroundings of the vehicle body is formed. For this reason, in the bird's-eye view image system of the related art, it is possible to display the bird's-eye view image even in a position that is the blind angle from the driving seat in the surroundings of the vehicle body, and to increase the safeness of the work vehicle.

Bird's-eye view image system, bird's-eye view image display method and program


Methods for treating renal cell carcinoma using low doses of IL-2 are disclosed. In particular, the invention relates to methods of treating metastatic renal cell carcinoma in patients who are renally impaired and/or intolerant of high dose IL-2 therapy. The therapeutic regimen described herein significantly inhibits tumor growth with reduced toxicity and adverse side effects compared to high dose IL-2 therapy.

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a potent stimulator of natural killer (NK) and T-cell proliferation and function (Morgan et al. (1976) Science 193:1007-1011). This naturally occurring lymphokine has been shown to have anti-tumor activity against a variety of malignancies either alone or when combined with lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells or tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) (see, for example, Rosenberg et al., N. Engl. J. Med. (1987) 316:889-897; Rosenberg, Ann. Surg. (1988) 208:121-135; Topalian et al., J. Clin. Oncol. (1988) 6:839-853; Rosenberg et al., N. Engl. J. Med. (1988) 319:1676-1680; and Weber et al., J. Clin. Oncol. (1992) 10:33-40). The anti-tumor activity of IL-2 has best been described in patients with metastatic melanoma and renal cell carcinoma using Proleukin®, a commercially available IL-2 formulation from Chiron Corporation, Emeryville, Calif. Other diseases, including lymphoma, also appear to respond to treatment with IL-2 (Gisselbrecht et al., Blood (1994) 83:2020-2022). However, high doses of IL-2 used to achieve positive therapeutic results with respect to tumor growth frequently cause severe side effects, including fever and chills, hypotension and capillary leak (vascular leak syndrome or VLS), and neurological changes (see, for example, Duggan et al., J. Immunotherapy (1992) 12:115-122; Gisselbrecht et al., Blood (1994) 83:2081-2085; and Sznol and Parkinson, Blood (1994) 83:2020-2022).
Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is generally resistant to chemotherapy, either with single agents or with multiple agents in combination. Greater success has been seen with immunotherapy, particularly with the use of IL-2. Therapy with high dose intravenous IL-2 has resulted in objective tumor responses in approximately 15% of patients, some with long durability. However, the administration of high dose IL-2 is associated with capillary leak syndrome, which results in hypotension and reduced organ perfusion, which can be severe and sometimes fatal. These toxicities have generally restricted the use of IL-2 to a highly selected group of patients administered by physicians with significant experience in its administration. The use of lower-dose and subcutaneously administered regimens of IL-2 alone or in combination with other biologic agents, such as interferon-α, has been explored in an effort to develop a more broadly applicable therapy for this disease (see, for example, Nieken et al., Cancer Biother. Radiopharm. (1996) 11:289-295; Sleijfer et al., J. Clin. Oncol. (1992) 10:1119-1123; Lessoni et al., Anticancer Res. (2002) 22:1061-1-1064; Tourani et al., J. Clin. Oncol. (1998) 16:2505; and Schiller et al. Cancer Res. (1993) 53:1286-1292).
There remains a need for an improved therapy for treating patients having renal cell carcinoma that would reduce toxicity and improve therapeutic efficacy.


In the representative embodiments of the invention described herein, a transducer for an ink jet system includes a piezoelectric element with an array of spaced interdigitated electrodes on one side of the element. One embodiment includes two such arrays disposed near the sides of the ink jet chamber and another array of interdigitated electrodes on the opposite side of the transducer in the central region of the ink jet chamber. In that embodiment, continuous electrodes are provided on the surfaces of the transducer opposite to the surfaces bearing the interdigitated arrays. Alternate electrodes in each array and the continuous electrode on the opposite side are grounded and positive or negative potential is applied to the other electrodes in the arrays to produce deflection of the transducer element and alternate pulses of opposite polarity may be applied to polarize the piezoelectric element in opposite directions with each pulse. Using a transducer thickness of about 4 microns, ejection of a drop of given size with a given voltage pulse can be achieved with a chamber volume which is one-twentieth to one-fortieth the size of the chamber volume required for conventional transducer arrangements.

This invention relates to piezoelectric transducer arrangements for ink jet systems and, more particularly, to new and improved ink jet transducer arrangements providing improved performance.
Heretofore, electromechanical transducers such as piezoelectric elements designed to provide one movable wall of an ink chamber in an ink jet system have operated either in an extension mode, such as described in the Howkins U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,601, in which a piezoelectric transducer is expanded upon application of a voltage in a direction perpendicular to the wall of the ink chamber, or in a shear mode, as described in the Fischbeck et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,590, in which the transducer forming a wall of an ink chamber is subjected to a field which causes a shear in the transducer member, forcing a portion of the member to move laterally with respect to the plane of the member. Both of those arrangements not only require a relatively high voltage to produce a desired degree of displacement of a transducer forming the wall of an ink jet chamber, but, in addition, they occupy a substantial volume, causing the ink jet heads in which they are used to be relatively large and heavy, thereby requiring significant driving energy in systems in which the ink jet head is reciprocated with respect to a substrate which receives the ejected ink. In addition, because of the relatively large transducer volume required for each ink jet, the spacing of the ink jets in an ink jet array is substantially larger than the desired spacing of the image lines to be produced during printing with the array.

Piezoelectric transducers for ink jet systems


The present disclosure relates to semiconductor structures and, more particularly, to a cobalt plated via integration scheme and methods of manufacture. The structure includes: a via structure composed of cobalt material; and a wiring structure above the via structure. The wiring structure is lined with a barrier liner and the cobalt material and filled with conductive material.

Integrated circuit (IC) devices typically include discrete circuit elements, e.g., transistors, capacitors and resistors, which require interconnect structures to electrically couple or connect the discrete circuit elements into functional circuits. Typical middle of line (MOL) and back end of line (BEOL) metal interconnects may include a wiring line portion and a via portion; however, as technology nodes scale downwards, the interconnect structures become more challenging to fabricate due to the critical dimension (CD) scaling and process capabilities.
By way of example, the interconnect structures are typically fabricated from copper, and may include a barrier layer such as titanium or tantalum or nitride materials such as tantalum nitride or titanium nitride, or a combination thereof. A problem with utilizing copper interconnect structures is that they are highly susceptible to electromigration (EM) which can lead to void formation and failure. One type of EM induced failure is referred to as "line-depletion", which initiates from the Cu/Dielectric cap interface.
Also, as technology advances, problems arise with filling the interconnect structures, themselves. By way of example, conventional deposition of the TaN/Ta liner and Cu fill beyond a 10 nm node technology is challenging because it cannot provide sufficient coverage of the seed Cu and wider top opening before electro-plating. To this end, an issue is that the metal via fill will impact via void, and impact the die yield and device performance.


2-diazo-1-ones are useful deep UV photoresist solubility modification agents exhibiting improved photosensitivity allowing shorter deep UV exposure times to achieve the same extent of photoreaction as with prior art solubility modification agents. The 2-diazo-1-one solubility modification agents when used as photoactive solubility modification components in photoresist compositions permit the photoresist compositions to act as either positive or negative photoresist compositions depending upon the developer employed, namely, as a positive resist when a metal ion containing developer is employed and as a negative resist when a metal ion free developer is employed.

For some time now, due to the rapid advances being made in the state of the art of the projection or lithographic printing field, it has become very desirable to be able to provide image geometries of less than about 1 micron and with very high device packing densities. In order to most advantageously obtain the same it has become desirable to employ projection imaging wavelengths in the deep ultra-violet (UV) region of below about 300 nm. Therefore, it has become necessary to provide solubility modification agents suitable for use with imaging wavelengths in the deep UV region.
The naphthodiazoquinones commonly used in non-deep UV resist compositions are of very limited usefulness in deep UV photoresists because of their excessive and non-bleachable deep UV absorbance. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,522 of R. Balamson et al., issued July 13, 1982 and assigned to International Business Machines Corporation, there is disclosed a deep UV resist composition which comprises phenolic-aldehyde resin sensitized with Meldrum's acid diazo or a homologue thereof. However, the image resolution characteristic of such a composition leaves much to be desired. More recently, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,908 of George Schwartzkopf, issued Nov. 25, 1986 and assigned to J. T. Baker Inc., there is disclosed deep UV positive photoresist compositions of improved image resolution characteristics providing good resolution of 0.75 micron lines or smaller. The novel solubility modification agents disclosed in said patent are certain 2-diazo-1,3-dione compounds.
However, it is desirable that deep UV solubility modification agents be available which possess greater photosensitivity than said 2-diazo-1,3-dione compounds, i.e. which exhibit a more rapid response to deep UV light thereby allowing shorter exposure times to achieve the same extent of photoreaction. Additionally, it is highly desirable that photoresist solubility modification agents be available which allow for image reversal (from positive to negative) to be achieved with these agents simply by changing developer type from metal ion containing to metal ion free developer. It is further desirable that deep UV photoresist solubility modification agents be available with the above-stated advantages and which also provide for the good image resolution of 0.75 micron lines or smaller.

Deep UV photoresist with alkyl 2-diazo-1-ones as solubility modification agents


The invention relates to a system for detecting the presence of a carrier wave in a digital signal that is available at a given frequency. The system delivers at least two baseband samples of the digital signal at each symbol time. The system comprises a timing estimator responsive to the baseband samples to deliver an error signal (.epsilon.) corresponding to the phase error between the clock frequency that is to be recovered and a local clock frequency, and a detector that generates a detection signal indicating that a carrier wave has been detected whenever a level representative of the variance of the error signal (.epsilon.) reaches a threshold value. The invention is particularly applicable to receivers of signals transmitted in DTMA mode.

In this context, three major problems arise:
the bandwidth of the carrier can be less than the frequency uncertainties of the satellite link. These uncertainties can originate in various ways: low relative stability of the local oscillators in the frequency transposition equipment, the presence of a Doppler effect, satellite drift, etc. Consequently, it must be possible to accommodate a large frequency difference between the received carrier and the local demodulation oscillator; PA1 the carrier may be absent or present (transmission in SCPC mode); and PA1 carrier detection must take place quickly (particularly with DTMA transmission) and reliably, in spite of a bit energy/noise (Eb/No) ratio close to 2 dB without information coding. PA1 a timing estimator responding to the baseband samples to provide an error signal corresponding to the phase error between the clock frequency that is to be recovered and the local clock frequency; and PA1 detection means generating a detection signal indicating that the carrier wave has been detected, whenever a level representative of the variance of the error signals reaches a threshold value.
More precisely, the detection system of the invention must be capable of being integrated in a receiver that is entirely digital, with detection taking place prior to demodulation, and in spite of unfavorable noise conditions (Eb/No=2 dB). Also, detection must be capable of being performed quickly, with a maximum duration in the vicinity of 100 symbol times.
A system is known for detecting the presence or the absence of a carrier wave based on establishing a phase histogram of the sampled signal. Detecting non-uniformity in the histogram indicates the presence of a carrier wave.
FIG. 1 shows the constellation of a 4-PSK type signal as received, together with the observed phases .theta..sub.i. The axes representing the carriers in phase quadrature are referenced P and Q. On each new received symbol (assuming that the clock rate has already been recovered), the difference .DELTA..theta..sub.i =(.theta..sub.i -.theta..sub.i-1) modulo .+-..pi./4 is calculated. On the basis of the observed phase differences .DELTA..theta..sub.i, a histogram of phase differences is constructed as shown in FIG. 2. In this case, the histogram has four classes (4-PSK) and is obtained by incrementing the class corresponding to .DELTA..theta. and by decrementing by the same amount the class .DELTA..theta..sub.k-N where N is the analysis window expressed as a number of symbols. In the presence of a signal that is actually being received, as opposed to in the presence of noise, the accumulated phase differences .DELTA..theta..sub.i give rise to a difference D (where D=.SIGMA..DELTA..theta..sub.max -.SIGMA..DELTA..theta..sub.min) greater than a predefined threshold value.
The drawback of that method is that in the presence of noise or a high level of frequency drift, phase differences are observed to become more uniform and the threshold value is not reached, in spite of a carrier being present. If the threshold value is made smaller, than the false alarm rate becomes too great. Consequently, that method cannot be applied to signals suffering from large amounts of frequency drift between the carrier frequency and the demodulation frequency, or to signals suffering from a large amount of noise.
In addition, that method assumes that the clock has already been acquired, and that is expensive in time.

System for detecting the presence of a digital signal carrier wave, and a receiver including such a system


Colored surfaces are represented in an illumination-invariant and pose-invariant manner through a color code book. Patches of each color surface are represented, under well-chosen illumination conditions and other imaging variations, as clusters in an optimal color space. For each surface, the color code book entries represent its clusters"" means, covariance matrices, eigen values and eigen vectors. In addition, a corresponding semantic label is given to each surface""s color code book entry to simplify image processing operations such as region localization and recognition as well as indexing and querying of image databases.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of image storage databases. More specifically, the present invention is related to describing colored objects within images in a manner which is invariant to changes in imaging conditions.
This application is related to US co-pending applications respectively entitled and METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING REGIONS BELONGING TO A SPECIFIED COLOR SURFACE IN AN UNSEGMENTED IMAGE and METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INDEXING AND RETRIEVING IMAGES FROM AN IMAGE DATABASE BASED ON A COLOR QUERY, both hereby incorporated by reference.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
The representation and discussion of color and color perception usually involves first defining a color space or color model. A color space (or model) comprises a plurality of attributes which are used to specify the variety of colors we perceive. Different colors are distinguished by having different attribute values.
One color model, or color space, is not absolutely better than another. They each have been designed from different perspectives and thus have different qualities, as well as handicaps, which make them each suitable for different applications.
RGB color space, probably the best known color model, is related to the hardware capabilities of a CRT which uses an electron gun to excite red, green, and blue phosphors to produce perceivable color. One difficulty with the RGB model is that it is quite sensitive to the variation in color values brought about by lighting changes. Intensity is distributed throughout all three parameters of this model, thus creating color values which are highly sensitive to scene brightness; In essence, the effect of a change in the illumination intensity of a scene is approximated by a multiplication of each RGB color by a uniform scalar factor.
A simple example of RGB color space""s unstableness with respect to illumination is the gross change in perceived color which accompanies changing the brightness value on a computer monitor. Other color spaces have been developed which are more stable with respect to intensity variations. The HSV model is one such example.
Physiologically, human eyes tend to respond to and evaluate colors according to hue (H), saturation (S), and luminance (L). Hue refers to color produced by different wavelengths of light. Saturation refers to the measure of a pure hue in a color. As an example, red and pink are of similar hue but have different saturation levels. Brightness, luminance, or intensity is the measure of the amount of light reflected or emitted from an object. Because the luminance value is separate from H and V, this model shows more stability than the RGB model with respect to illumination differences. However, representation of color in the HSV model is not totally immune to illumination changes.
A number of color spaces have been developed, and will continue to be developed to address the various applications which rely on color information to accomplish their goals. One useful undertaking, which is well known in the art, is the formulation of transform operations to map one color space into another. Using these transforms, a scene or image created for one application is appropriately mapped to a second color space for an application which benefits from the image being in the second representation.
One imaging application that is receiving a lot of attention is that of a large collection of images stored in a searchable database. In particular, querying such a collection to locate images which contain desired objects requires detection, recognition and indexing of color surfaces or objects within an image.
In the past, image content detection and recognition have relied on controlled imaging conditions of the objects of interest. Background surface.color, illumination source, illumination quality, illumination amount, object orientation, shadowing and occlusion were all carefully controlled to ensure that proper recognition of an object was possible.
However, the ability to detect and recognize color surfaces or objects in images, across a wide range of imaging conditions, is fundamental to the creation of robust and useful content-based image retrieval systems. Image databases typically include images from a plurality of sources under a variety of imaging conditions. Consistent representation of a particular color surface throughout these varying conditions is necessary to enable color queries (i.e. queries for a particular color surface). The present invention introduces a color code book to provide an imaging-condition invariant representation of color surfaces present within an image. The prior art discussed below fails to provide for such a robust, compact and simple method of representing color surfaces.
As explained previously, color represented through three filtered channels (e.g. RGB) of a typical camera-grabbed input is notoriously unstable with respect to changes in imaging conditions. Prior art attempts at providing robust and accurate color representations include mapping images into a perceptually uniform color space (e.g. Lab, Munsell, etc.) and representing color as a function of surface reflectance. While attaining some limited success in improving color representation, both these methods require pre-segmentation of an image before color surface recognition analysis can occur in that image. Some prior art methods do avoid a pre-segmentation step but, as a result, require some simplifying approximations to be made such as assuming all surfaces are flat (e.g. Retinex theory) or that surfaces are linear combinations of only a few basic reflectances (e.g. Maloney and Wandel).
Image segmentation is generally recognized as the partition of an image into a set of non-overlapped regions, homogenous with respect to some criteria, whose union covers the entire image.
In the prior art described below, the examples of region localization and recognition methods all require segmentation of an image prior to subsequent analysis. Automated segmentation of images is very computationally and time intensive and often introduces errors due to its imprecision. Manual image segmentation, which is frequently more accurate, is typically labor intensive and cost prohibitive. Segmentation is a difficult and time consuming step because of the variety of artifacts that exist in images. Correctly determining where an object is and what an object is are both made difficult by object occlusion, illumination artifacts, shading, reflections, object orientation, and blending with a similar background or texture.
The present invention, unlike the prior art discussed below, enables the localization and recognition of image regions, or color surfaces, without first requiring pre-segmentation of an image.
The patent to Takahashi et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,203,671) provides for a method of detecting, within RGB space, whether or not an image region is human skin under various conditions.
The patent to Gast et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,635) provides for a method of labeling regions according to the color of pixels within the region, but utilizes a pre-determined light source for imaging.
The patent to Hoffrichter et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,973) provides for a color recognition method which transforms an RGB pixel value of a pre-isolated color region into a luminance-chrominance space.
The patent to Huntsman (U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,130) provides for a new color space which describes colors in a way more closely related to human color perception.
The patent to Lugos (U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,500) provides for an object recognition system which only works on pre-segmented images under predetermined lighting conditions.
The patents to Inuzuka et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,088) and Morag et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,334) provide for a method of quantitizing and transforming pixel colors from one color space to another. Recognizing and locating color surfaces do not appear to be discussed.
The patent to Davis et al. (RE 33,244) provides for a color transparency printing system which dynamically adjusts color look-up tables in response to non-linearities in the components of the system. However, no optimization of the actual color space to assist with surface recognition is provided.
The patent to Washio et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,274) provides for an image processing system which determines the chromatic and achromatic nature of an image in order to implement appropriate algorithms for that image type.
The patent to Fossum (U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,646) provides for a computer graphics system which implements a z-buffer such that colors of rendered images and background colors can be determined and hidden lines removed in a single memory pass. While applicable to polygon images, this system does not appear to consider color surface detection or coding.
The patent to Shibazaki (U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,483) provides for a method of iteratively examining image regions to determine pixel colors to assist with choosing overlapping regions in order to achieve high printing quality.
The patent to Kasson et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,035) provides for mapping a 3-dimensional input color domain into an m-dimensional color space. The conversion method is directed towards generating a function which improves accuracy while minimizing computational burden; color surface differentiation does not appear to be discussed.
The patent to Shamir (U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,555) provides for an encoding system which increases symbol density by utilizing both color and color intensity as variables. Linear analysis is performed to calibrate color intensities from different colorant sources; however, a color code book training system or analysis of free-form images is not provided.
The patent to Ring et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,754,184) provides for an image fidelity system which converts images from a device-dependent space to a device-independent space.
The IBM TDB entitled xe2x80x9cColor Graphics Picture Segmentationxe2x80x9d describes a method of compressing images which segments neighborhoods of pixels that have similar colors that are separated by pixels having a different color. Each pixel is mapped to one of N allowable colors thus segmenting the image into N color regions.
The IBM TDB entitled xe2x80x9cPresentation Space Coloringxe2x80x9d describes an object-oriented method of generically specifying color which is independent of the underlying system data types and resolution. While not color-space dependent, this scheme does not consider combining color spaces or optimizing a color space to aid with surface recognition.
Whatever the precise merits, features and advantages of the above cited references, none of them achieve or fulfill, individually or in combination, the purposes of the present invention. Specifically, they fail to provide for a compact and simple coding of color surfaces which provides robust representation of the surfaces under varying imaging conditions. Without such a color surface code book, the prior art also fails to provide for an image region localization and recognition method that can be performed on an unsegmented image. In addition, the prior art fails to show an image database indexing method which relies on a color surface code book to provide the ability to perform color queries.
A color code book is used to completely describe and code all color surfaces of interest occurring within a database of natural scenes. Of key importance, the description of the surfaces is stable with respect to images of these color surfaces under various imaging conditions. By reducing the complex description of these color surfaces to a simple code and semantic label (e.g. (0001 skin), (0004 sky), . . . ), colors of image regions or surfaces are describable in a simple and compact manner.

Method and apparatus for representing colored surfaces via a surface color code book

International Business Machines Corporation


The present document discloses a synchronization method, herein the method includes a controller determining synchronization link topology information according to physical link topology information of the synchronous network and synchronization information of a synchronous node in the synchronous network; the controller generating a synchronization rule of the synchronous node according to the synchronization link topology information; and the controller transmitting the synchronization rule and/or a request message to the synchronous node in the synchronous network according to the synchronization link topology information. The present document further discloses a controller, a synchronous node, a synchronous network, and a storage medium.

The existing communication networks such as a Packet Transport Network (PTN) can be divided into frequency synchronous networks and time synchronous networks. Herein, the frequency synchronous networks use a Synchronous Ethernet (SyncE) or a Precision Time Protocol (PTP) to extract clock information from a physical code stream or a packet message, and adopt a Synchronization Status Message (SSM) for frequency source selection and path switching; while the time synchronous networks use the PTP to extract timestamp information from a timing message, calculate a time deviation and perform time calibration. The time synchronous networks use the PTP for time source selection and path switching. There are several thousand devices in the PTN, which leads to a heavy workload to maintain the network. Each device in the PTN can be used as a Network Node (NE), and once a reference source and/or a synchronization link in the PTN fails, as the existing PTN lacks an effective switching mechanism when the failure occurs, it cannot guarantee the real-time performance of switching of the synchronization link.

Synchronization method, controller, synchronization node, synchronous network, and storage medium


A laminated support mat for supporting and moving draglines and other heavy equipment in muddy, boggy or marshy areas. The laminated support mat includes multiple wooden laminates of typically unequal length and selected width and thickness, which laminates may be fitted with one or more wear mat or pad and are bolted together to define a support mat of desired dimension, the laminates preferably constructed of oak wood for good strength and durability. The laminates may be constructed of scrap wood and conventional cable loops may be provided on each end of the laminated support mat for locating the mat in a desired position. Where the typically rubber wear pad or pads are used, the pads may be mounted on the laminates using a pair of channels that receive the bolts securing the laminates together.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to support mats for placement over muddy, boggy and marshy areas for supporting and moving heavy equipment and more particularly, to a laminated support mat which is constructed of multiple laminates of unequal length and selected width and thickness, bolted together and fitted with conventional cables at each end for positioning purposes. One or more wear mats or pads may be bolted to the laminates by means of channels to lengthen the service life of the support mats.
One of the problems which exists in accessing remote locations, typically for such activities as drilling oil and gas wells, is that of moving heavy equipment through sometimes muddy, boggy and marshy areas and supporting the equipment in these areas. Various techniques are known in the art for achieving this end. These techniques include the laying of log or timber roads which tend to become impassable over time because of the tendency of the individual logs or timbers to separate and bend, thus leaving holes, irregular areas and openings in which the heavy equipment tracks or tires may bog down. Other attempts to provide a more stable roadway into and over these relatively inaccessible areas is the use of mats or pallets which are typically constructed of eight-inch by twelve-inch by 24-foot planks or lumber and are typically fitted with cable loops at each end for engagement by backhoes or other equipment and positioning the mats or pallets in adjacent relationship over the muddy, boggy or marshy terrain to form the roadway. The individual planks or boards in the support mats or pallets are typically joined by bolts secured by nuts and may include the cable loops at each end for placement of the mats in a desired position. A primary problem with the construction of these mats is the necessity of locating oak timber of suitable size. For example, provision of four-to-five, eight by twelve by twenty-four foot oak planks requires a considerable supply of oak saw logs, which may be in short supply in the area. Oak is the traditional wood of choice, since it is well known for its density, strength and durability.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a laminated scrap wood support mat for supporting heavy equipment such as draglines, in reaching relatively inaccessible areas over boggy, marshy or muddy terrain.
Another object of the invention is to provide a laminated support mat which is constructed of multiple dense, hardwood laminates of typically unequal length and selected width and thickness, joined by bolts to define a mat or pallet which is suitable for traversing by a dragline and other heavy equipment to access relatively inaccessible marshy, muddy or boggy areas.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a laminated support mat or pallet constructed of multiple oak laminates of various size and length and butted end-to-end and side-by-side and having at least one wear mat or pad on one or both bearing surfaces, to configure a support mat or pallet of desired size and shape for placement over boggy, marshy or muddy terrain to support and move heavy equipment such as draglines, in accessing a desired location.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a laminated support mat of desired dimensions and proportions, which support mat includes multiple oak laminates of different length and selected width and thickness, which laminates are bolted together and typically include one or more wear pads, to define a padded support mat or pallet for placement over marshy, boggy or muddy terrain and supporting and moving draglines and other heavy equipment to access oil field sites, construction areas and other relatively inaccessible locations.
2. Summary of the Invention
These and other objects of the invention are provided in a laminated support mat or pallet constructed of dense hardwood such as oak slats, strips or planks, typically of unequal length and selected width and thickness, cable loops attached to the mat ends for handling purposes, a pair of spaced-apart wear pads attached to one or both contact sides of the laminates by means of metal channels and further including bolts extending through the channels and the laminates for binding the laminates together and securing the wear pads, to define a laminated, padded support mat for placement over boggy, marshy or muddy terrain and supporting heavy equipment such as draglines for accessing relatively inaccessible areas.


In a receiver for an OFDM modulated transmission signal including at least one synchronizing symbol in each frame, the synchronizing symbol is located by stepwise shifting a window along a reception sample sequence to make a cross-correlation calculator (55) calculate cross-correlation values between a stored pattern produced from a pattern memory (53) and sequence portions picked up by the window, a maximum selector (57, 59) select two successive maxima of the cross-correlation values at a time interval substantially equal to a frame period, and a controllable clock generator (61-65) generate a clock sequence at the time interval for use in sampling the sample sequence. On a transmitter side, the at least one synchronizing symbol may either be preceded by a null period or be a main synchronizing symbol preceded by an auxiliary synchronizing symbol for use in roughly defining ranges in which the window should be shifted.

This invention relates to transmission of a sequence of data as a transmission signal according to OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplex) modulation and reception of the transmission signal as a reproduction of the sequence according to OFDM demodulation and, more particularly, to AFC (automatic frequency control) of a clock sequence for use in the reception and to arrangement of a synchronizing symbol on transmitting the transmission signal. As a consequence, this invention relates to a method of both transmission and reception, to a transmitter device, and to a receiver device.
OFDM digital communication has recently become an object of great concern in digital sound broadcast for mobiles and in digital television broadcast for terrestrial stations. This is because the OFDM digital propagation is hardly adversely affected by multipath fading and ghost.
In the manner which will later be described in greater detail, an OFDM communication system comprises a transmitter device and a receiver device. The transmitter device transmits a transmission signal in response to a sequence of data supplied thereto. The receiver device receives the transmission signal as a received signal and produces a reproduction of the data sequence.
A little more in detail, the transmitter comprises a serial to parallel converter for converting a sequence of data to parallel data. An inverse discrete Fourier transform circuit converts the parallel data to data symbols by OFDM modulation. A composing unit composes the data symbols into successive frames by adding synchronizing symbols to the frames. A digital-to-analog converter converts the successive frames to a baseband transmission signal. Responsive to the baseband transmission signal, a transmitter frequency converter produces either an intermediate or a radio frequency transmission signal. For use in the serial-to-analog converter, a transmitter clock generator generates a transmitter clock sequence of a transmitter clock frequency. For use in the composing unit, the clock generator frequency divides the clock sequence into a transmitter symbol clock sequence and a transmitter frame clock sequence. For use in the inverse Fourier transform circuit, the clock generator further produces a transmitter data clock sequence.
The receiver comprises a receiver frequency converter for receiving the transmission signal as a baseband received signal. An analog-to-digital converter samples reception samples from the received signal to produce a reception sample sequence. A detecting unit detects the synchronizing symbols as synchronization patterns in the reception sample sequence. It will be presumed that the synchronizing symbols are distinct in the reception sample sequence and are correctly detected as the synchronization patterns, respectively. Responsive to the synchronization patterns, a receiver clock generator controllably generates a receiver sampling frequency of a receiver or controllable clock frequency for use in the analog-to-digital converter and a receiver frame clock sequence, a receiver symbol sequence, and a receiver data clock sequence. Responsive to the three latter clock sequences, a reproducing unit subjects the reception sample sequence to OFDM demodulation to produce a reproduction of the data sequence.
In order to correctly receive at the receiver device the transmission signal as the data sequence reproduction, it is indispensable to precisely control the receiver sampling frequency and the receiver frame, symbol, and data frequencies. In the reception sample sequence, frames and symbols may have time positions subjected to fluctuations. In this event, the receiver frequencies must be made to follow the fluctuations. Automatic frequency control of the receiver clock generator is consequently very important.
In Japanese PCT Prepublication (A) No. 504,037 1993, the receiver clock generator is subjected to automatic frequency control by detecting a frequency shift in a receiver sampling clock sequence in response to a phase shift between two pilot carrier signals and by using the frequency shift in controlling the receiver sampling frequency. This Prepublication corresponds to PCT Publication No. WO92/10,043. In Japanese PCT Prepublication (A) No. 501,357 of 1994, the receiver clock generator is automatically frequency controlled by detecting a frequency shift in a receiver sampling clock sequence in response to a phase rotation of received data symbols and by using the frequency shift in controlling the receiver sampling frequency. This latter Prepublication corresponds to PCT Publication No. WO92/05,646.
In the automatic frequency control disclosed in the former publication, it is necessary to use the two pilot carrier signals exclusively in controlling the receiver clock generator. It is therefore unavoidable to superfluously use a processor for dealing with the two pilot carrier signals. In the automatic frequency control revealed in the latter publication, control by the phase rotation alone is insufficient to control the receiver sampling frequency.

AFC in OFDM modulation by shift of a window along a reception sample sequence


A burner-stack-furnace system comprising a stack of selected diameter and height, which is supported on a circular base ring, which is, itself, supported on a plurality of circularly positioned upright columns. The columns are supported on grade and are spaced equally circumferentially. The furnace or combustion section of the system is of the same diameter as the stack, and has a plurality of re-entrant vertical channels in its outer wall, spaced to surround each of the columns, with a selected air space between them. The combustion section thus hangs partly within the circle of the columns or piers, and partly between the piers. A shallow excavation is made below grade within and between the columns, and the combustion section extends downwardly into the excavation, which is deep enough that the bottom edge of the wall is above the base of the excavation. The combustion section is open on the bottom, but is filled with a porous fill of heat-resisting material, to a selected level. One or a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings in the wall of the combustion section are provided for combustion air and for gaseous or liquid fuel burners. In addition to the pipes which supply fuel to the burners, there are other pipes which supply either water or steam. The water is supplied through an atomizing nozzle, so that the droplets flow directly into the path of the fuel and into the flame.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention lies in the field of fluid fuel combustion systems. More particularly, it is concerned with furnace systems, which have a stack of substantial height and weight, and provides means for supporting the stack independently of the combustion section.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art, the stacks and combustion sections were generally of the same diameter, and the stack was supported integrally with the combustion section, which was, itself, supported on grade.
In view of the need for large areas of openings in the combustion section for the supply of combustion air, the structural strength of the combustion section wall is reduced to the point where there is danger of collapsing under the weight of the stack. To prevent collapse, extensive reinforcement of the wall of the combustion section is required. Thus, as a practical matter, the combustion section must be designed as a structural system rather than a combustion system.

Free-floating combustion chamber and stack


A system for dampening vibrations in a vehicle is provided. The system includes a first heat exchanger core having a first plurality of fins, and a second heat exchanger core having a second plurality of fins. A vibration dampener is connected to the first and second heat exchanger cores. The vibration dampener extends through the first plurality of fins and through the second plurality of fins, while spanning the gap between the first and second heat exchanger cores. To accommodate the vibration dampener passing thorough the fins, the fins may be formed to define an enlarged aperture at a location where the vibration dampener passes through.

Automotive vehicles can be equipped with several heat exchangers. For example, vehicles equipped with an internal combustion engine typically include a radiator. Radiators are heat exchangers used for cooling the engine by removing heat from engine coolant that circulates around the engine block. A series of small tubes and fins may be used to remove the heat efficiently.
Condensers are another type of heat exchangers in vehicles. Vehicles equipped with a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system typically include a condenser for removing heat from the refrigerant circulated through the HVAC system. Also like radiators, the condensers may include a series of small tubes and fins to efficiently remove the heat from the refrigerant.
Noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) should be taken into account when designing and implementing various components into the vehicle. Heat exchangers such as radiators and condensers are no exception.


A press type automatic screwdriver includes a press member, a drive link, a screwdriver bit, and a screw thread pair including a screw rack and a gear engaged with the screw rack. The press member and the screwdriver bit are secured to opposite ends of the drive link, the press member and the drive link are connected by the screw thread pair, and the screw rack is resisted by the press member. The gear is secured on an end of the drive link. When the press member is pressed, the press member pushes the screw rack, the screw rack drives the gear to rotate, the gear drives the drive link to rotate, and the drive link drives the screwdriver bit to rotate.

Screwdrivers are widely used to assemble screws onto a workpiece or dismantle screws. The existing screwdriver is a hand-operated screwdriver or an electric screwdriver. When the hand-operated screwdriver is used to assemble or dismantle screws, a user rotates the hand-operated screwdriver hardly, and sometimes needs to use two hands to handle the hand-operated screwdriver. An electric screwdriver can assemble or dismantle screws automatically, but the electric screwdriver is heavy and large, so the electric screwdriver is not easy to carry. Thus an automatic screwdriver with light weight and small volume is needed.

Fu Tai Hua Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.


There is described a packaging machine (1) for producing sealed packages (2) of a pourable food product from a strip (6) of heat-seal sheet packaging material. The packaging material (1) has a number of photocells (14), which are programmable externally as regards their setting parameters, are positioned facing the strip (6) of packaging material to detect optically detectable elements on the strip, and have setting means (26, 210, 300). The packaging machine (1) also has a control unit (16) connected to the photocells (14) and having enabling means (24) for enabling the setting means of a specific photocell (14), data downloading means (26, 240, 310) for downloading off the specific photocell (14) the setting parameters of the photocell, and data uploading means (26, 260, 330) for uploading onto the other photocells (14) setting parameters calculated as a function of the setting parameters downloaded off the specific photocell (14).

Many pourable food products, such as fruit juice, UHT milk, wine, tomato sauce, etc., are sold in packages made of sterilized packaging material.
A typical example of such a package is the parallelepiped-shaped package for liquid or pourable food products known as Tetra Brik or Tetra Brik Aseptic (registered trademarks), which is formed by folding and sealing laminated strip packaging material.
The packaging material has a multilayer structure comprising a layer of fibrous material, e.g. paper, covered on both sides with layers of heat-seal plastic material, e.g. polyethylene.
In the case of aseptic packages for long-storage products, such as UHT milk, the packaging material also comprises a layer of barrier material defined, for example, by an aluminium film, which is superimposed on a layer of heat-seal plastic material and is in turn covered with another layer of heat-seal plastic material eventually defining the inner face of the package contacting the food product.
As is known, such packages are made on fully automatic packaging machines, on which a continuous tube is formed from the packaging material supplied in strip form; and the strip of packaging material is sterilized on the packaging machine, e.g. by applying a chemical sterilizing agent, such as a hydrogen peroxide solution.
After sterilization, the sterilizing agent is removed, e.g. vaporized by heating, from the surfaces of the packaging material; and the strip of packaging material so sterilized is maintained in a closed sterile environment, and is folded and sealed longitudinally to form a tube.
The tube is filled with the sterilized or sterile-processed food product, and is sealed and cut at equally spaced cross sections to form pillow packs, which are then folded mechanically to form the finished, e.g. substantially parallelepiped-shaped, packages.
Along the path of the strip of packaging material, packaging machines of the above type normally comprise a number of photocells facing, and for detecting the passage of optically detectable elements on, the strip, e.g. optical register or reference codes, in particular bar codes, printed on the strip.
The photocells are connected to a control unit for controlling the packaging machine, and which acquires the signals generated by the photocells and, in known manner, accordingly enables the performance of specific operations on the strip of packaging material.
Photocells currently available on the market are also self-setting to adapt to specific operating conditions, by implementing a teach-in procedure, which can be enabled either in local mode—i.e. by the operator pressing a button on the photocell—or in centralized or remote mode—i.e. by means of an enable signal from the control unit to an input on the photocell.
The teach-in procedure requires that a register code be fed past each photocell, which is done manually by the operator either feeding the strip of packaging material past each photocell, or using a register code impressed on a separate sheet of paper.
The teach-in procedure provides for automatically setting photocell operating parameters such as: light spot color (red, green, blue) used to detect passage of the register code on the strip of packaging material and static intervention threshold.
Though extremely advantageous costwise, photocells of the above type, when used on packaging machines, pose several drawbacks preventing full use of the advantages available.
In particular, local mode enabling the teach-in procedure of each individual photocell takes a relatively long time, on account of both the large number of photocells involved and the actual location of the photocells, which, on packaging machines, are not always easily accessible by the operator.
Though faster than local mode, centralized enabling of the teach-in procedure is also far from negligible by still involving a fairly considerable amount of downtime.

Packaging machine for continuously producing sealed packages


A process for purifying a crude olefinically unsaturated nitrile containing hydrogen cyanide and water by feeding the crude olefinically unsaturated nitrile at a point above the middle of a rectifying column for stripping hydrogen cyanide, withdrawing and condensing a vapor of hydrogen cyanide from the top of the column while withdrawing the olefinically unsaturated nitrile and water from the bottom of the column, which process comprises withdrawing a vapor in the column at a point between the top of the column and the point of introduction of the crude olefinically unsaturated nitrile at a substantially constant rate, cooling and condensing the vapor withdrawn in a condenser having an outlet for non-condensing gas while continuously withdrawing non-condensing gas in the vapor from the condenser, and returning the condensate liquid to the column at an intermediate point between the point of introduction of the crude olefinically unsaturated nitrile and the top of the column, and a condenser useful for the above described process which comprises an heat exchange section having an inlet for vapor at its upper part and a liquid reservoir section having an outlet for condensate liquid at its lower part and an opening at the side wall of the liquid reservoir section, the opening being connected with a conduit for withdrawing non-condensing gas from the condenser.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for purifying a crude olefinically unsaturated nitrile such as acrylonitrile and methacrylonitrile containing hydrogen cyanide and water by removal of the hydrogen cyanide. Also, it relates to a condenser useful for the same process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the conventional process, the reaction gas obtained in the ammoxidation of propylene or isobutylene is fed to a quenching column where unreacted ammonia is removed. Then the reaction gas quenched is counter-currently contacted with absorbing water in an absorption column, and a reaction exhaust gas containing unreacted propylene or unreacted isobutylene, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen etc. is dicharged from the top of the absorption column while an aqueous solution mainly containing acrylonitrile or methacrylonitrile, acetonitrile and hydrogen cyanide is withdrawn from the bottom of the absorption column. The aqueous solution thus obtained is fed to an extractive distillation column, to the upper part of which water is introduced as an extractant. The distillate from the top of the extractive distillation column is condensed and an acrylonitrile or methacrylonitrile solution containing hydrogen cyanide and water is recovered. Then the acrylonitrile or methacrylonitrile solution after removal of non-condensing gas is fed to a rectifying column and from the top of the rectifying column is recovered hydrogen cyanide while from the bottom of the rectifying column is recovered acrylonitrile or methacrylonitrile and water.
The concentration of hydrogen cyanide in the vapor obtained from the top of the rectifying column is high and the cooling temperature of a condenser must be maintained lower than the boiling point of hydrogen cyanide. For this reason, cooling water from a cooling tower which is usually employed is not suitable as the cooling medium, and accordingly, water refrigerated with a cooling medium such as ammonia or freon has been used, resulting in an increase in power consumption.
According to another process for conducting the rectification at a high efficiency as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,507,755, a crude acrylonitrile is fed into a distillation column at a point just above the middle of the column and the liquid within the column is withdrawn just below the point of introduction of the crude acrylonitrile, cooled and separated into two phases, i.e. an upper organic phase rich in acrylonitrile and a lower aqueous phase rich in water. The lower aqueous phase is withdrawn while the upper organic phase is returned to the column at a point just below the point of withdrawal of the liquid. In this process, by-produced impurities such as acetone, acrolein and acrolein cyanohydrin which are contained in the lower aqueous phase can be removed together with water, and as a result, from the bottom of the column is obtained an acrylonitrile solution having a much more improved purity than that obtained by the conventionally employed process while from the top of the column is obtained hydrogen cyanide having a higher purity. Further, a comparative reduction in consumption of steam for heating the column can be achieved. However, in this rectifying process, the concentration of hydrogen cyanide in the vapor from the top of the column reaches at least about 96% by weight and the temperature of the top of the column becomes about 30.degree. C. due to the boiling point of hydrogen cyanide of 25.7.degree. C. and accordingly, refrigerated water having a low temperature is also required as the cooling medium for the condenser in an atmospheric pressure operation, resulting in a marked increase in cost of power and equipment for the refrigerator for cooling. In order to condense the vapor having such a temperature with ordinary cooling water, an extremely large area of heat transmission for cooling is required due to the small difference of temperature between the vapor and the cooling water. As a result, the industrial feasibility of this process is small in spite of its advantages. On the other hand, it may be considered that operation of the column under a higher pressure renders cooling for condensation easier due to increased temperatures of the top of the column, but the temperature of the bottom of the column is simultaneously increased. As a result, polymerization of acrylonitrile in the liquid of the column is disadvantageously increased for practical purposes.
In general, when a vapor containing non-condensing gas is condensed, its condensation is conducted while withdrawing the non-condensing gas from an outlet of the condensation system provided at a suitable point. Such a point is usually the top of a condenser. However, when the condensation is conducted by a condenser having an outlet at its top, at least two series of control systems, one for the level of the condensate liquid and the other for the amount of the vapor fed to the condenser or the amount of the condensate liquid withdrawn, are required for controlling the amount of condensation or the condensation of vapor at a constant flow rate. Several methods are employed for this purpose. For example, the amount of the vapor fed is controlled at a constant flow rate and the amount of condensation is controlled in such a manner that the level of the condensate liquid is kept constant. Or the flow amount of cooling water in the condenser is controlled in order to maintain the amount of vapor constant, and the flow amount of the condensate liquid is controlled in such a manner that the level of the condensate liquid is kept constant. In the above described methods, any regard is not given to the control of withdrawing non-condensing gas.

Process for purification of crude olefinically unsaturated nitrile and condenser useful for same process


A method and system for providing a reliable means to perform handoff from a code division multiple access (CDMA) system using a pilot signal to an alternative access communication technique system. Simple pilot box circuitry is added to a set of border base stations. The border base stations are base stations which operate only in the alternative access communication technique and which have coverage areas which are contiguous with coverage areas of CDMA operation base stations. The mobile unit monitors for the pilot signal from the border base stations in the same manner as it monitors for pilot signals from the CDMA operation base stations. When the mobile unit detects the pilot signal corresponding to a border base station, it notifies a system controller in accordance with standard operation. The system controller is aware that the pilot signal corresponds to a border base station and thus triggers a hard handoff process to the alternative access communication technique system in response thereto.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to communication systems, particularly to a method and apparatus for performing handoff from a code division multiple access system to an alternative technology system.
II. Description of the Related Art
In a code division multiple access (CDMA) cellular telephone system or personal communications system, a common frequency band is used for communication with all base stations in a system. The common frequency band allows simultaneous communication between a mobile unit and more than one base station. Signals occupying the common frequency band are discriminated at the receiving station through the spread spectrum CDMA waveform properties based on the use of a high rate pseudonoise (PN) code. The high rate PN code is used to modulate signals transmitted from the base stations and the mobile units. Transmitter stations using different PN codes or PN codes that are offset in time produce signals that can be separately received at the receiving station. The high rate PN modulation also allows the receiving station to receive a signal from a single transmitting station where the signal has traveled over several distinct propagation paths.
In an exemplary CDMA system, each base station transmits a pilot signal having a common PN spreading code that is offset in code phase from the pilot signal of other base stations. During system operation, the mobile unit is provided with a list of code phase offsets corresponding to neighboring base stations surrounding the base station through which communication is established. The mobile unit is equipped with a searching receiver or element that allows the mobile unit to track the signal strength of the pilot signal from a group of base stations including the neighboring base stations.
A method and a system for providing a communication with the mobile unit through more than one base station during the handoff process are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,261, issued Nov. 30, 1993, entitled "MOBILE STATION ASSISTED SOFT HANDOFF IN A CDMA CELLULAR COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM," assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Using this system, communication between the mobile unit and the end user is uninterrupted by the eventual handoff from an original base station to a subsequent base station. This type of handoff may be considered a "soft" handoff in that communication with the subsequent base station is established before communication with the original base station is terminated. When the mobile unit is in communication with two base stations, a single signal for the end user is created from the signals from each base station by a cellular or personal communication system controller.
Mobile unit assisted soft handoff operates based on the pilot signal strength of several sets of base stations as measured by the mobile unit. The Active Set is the set of base stations through which active communication is established. The Neighbor Set is a set of base stations surrounding an active base station comprising base stations that have a high probability of having a pilot signal strength of sufficient level to establish communication. The Candidate Set is a set of base stations having a pilot signal strength of sufficient level to establish communication.
When communications are initially established, a mobile unit communicates through a first base station and the Active Set contains only the first base station. The mobile unit monitors the pilot signal strength of the base stations of the Active Set, the Candidate Set, and the Neighbor Set. When a pilot signal of a base station in the Neighbor Set exceeds a predetermined threshold level, the base station is added to the Candidate Set and removed from the Neighbor Set at the mobile unit. The mobile unit communicates a message to the first base station identifying the new base station. A cellular or personal communication system controller decides whether to establish communication between the new base station and the mobile unit. Should the cellular or personal communication system controller decide to do so, the cellular or personal communication system controller sends a message to the new base station with identifying information about the mobile unit and a command to establish communications therewith. A message is also transmitted to the mobile unit through the first base station. The message identifies a new Active Set that includes the first and the new base stations. The mobile unit searches for the new base station transmitted information signal and communication is established with the new base station without termination of communication through the first base station. This process can continue with additional base stations.
When the mobile unit is communicating through multiple base stations, it continues to monitor the signal strength of the base stations of the Active Set, the Candidate Set, and the Neighbor Set. Should the signal strength corresponding to a base station of the Active Set drop below a predetermined threshold for a predetermined period of time, the mobile unit generates and transmits a message to report the event. The cellular or personal communication system controller receives this message through at least one of the base stations with which the mobile unit is communicating. The cellular or personal communication system controller may decide to terminate communications through the base station having a weak pilot signal strength.
The cellular or personal communication system controller upon deciding to terminate communications through a base station generates a message identifying a new Active Set of base stations. The new Active Set does not contain the base station through which communication is to be terminated. The base stations through which communication is established send a message to the mobile unit. The cellular or personal communication system controller also communicates information to the base station to terminate communications with the mobile unit. The mobile unit communications are thus routed only through base stations identified in the new Active Set.
Because the mobile unit is communicating with the end user through at least one base station at all times throughout the soft handoff processes, no interruption in communications occurs between the mobile unit and the end user. A soft handoff provides significant benefits in its inherent "make before break" handoff technique over conventional "break before make" techniques employed in other cellular communication systems.
New CDMA systems are typically initially deployed in areas with existing FM or other technology systems. The initial deployment of the CDMA system may be gradual and cover only a portion of an operating area covered by the original existing system. In such a case, as a mobile unit communicating in CDMA mode drives from the coverage area of the CDMA system to a portion of the system without CDMA coverage, a handoff from the CDMA system to the original system is needed in order to facilitate continuous communication. The process of mobile unit assisted soft handoff as described above is not possible between the CDMA system and the original system. The handoff from the CDMA system to the original system must be performed as a "break before make" hard handoff. When performing a hard handoff it is especially important to ensure that the handoff will be successful because a failed hard handoff typically results in a dropped call.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for performing handoff from a CDMA system to a system employing a different technology.
It is therefore a further object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive and reliable means of detecting entry into the coverage area of an alternate system.

Method and apparatus for providing mobile unit assisted hard handoff from a CDMA communication system to an alternative access communication system


A sound producing control switch for a picture-frame, includes a control circuit which is fastened in the back cover of a picture-frame. The control circuit includes a music IC, a battery power supply and a speaker, a conductive strip fastened in the picture-frame at the inside, two leaf springs mounted on the window glass of the picture-frame, which leaf springs are respectively connected to the two opposite terminals of the control circuit and constantly forced to contact the conductive strip by two spring means. The control circuit is triggered to produce the sound of "I Love You" twice when the picture-frame is touched to produce a short circuit signal. The spring means automatically force the leaf springs to contact the conductive strip immediately after the leaf springs have been forced to disconnect from the conductive strip.

The present invention relates to picture-frames and relates more particularly to a picture-frame with a sound producing switch which is triggered to produce a sound through a speaker when the picture-frame is touched or moved.
Various types of picture-frames made from any of a variety of materials have been disclosed for showing pictures. According to conventional manufacturing methods, a picture-frame provides only a static sense of beauty. The present invention is to endow a picture-frame with an active life. By fastening some triggering elements and a sound producing mechanism in a picture-frame, a picture-frame is enabled to make a speech or produce music once it is touched by external force.

Sound producing control switch for a picture-frame

Lief Cheng Internal Patent and Trademark Co. Ltd., 8F-6, #100 Section 2, Hoping E. Road


A system and method for reducing the amount of decoder memory and the number of transformation calculations used in generating a plurality of frames of a video sequence includes separating the video object into a plurality of blocks, storing those blocks in decoder memory, transforming and displaying blocks as a sequence of frames, determining blocks that will no longer be required to display future frames, and removing these blocks from memory.

Digital video technology is used in a growing number of applications such as cable television, direct broadcast satellite or other direct to home satellite services, terrestrial digital television services including high-definition television, and the like. Digital representations of video signals often require a very large number of bits. As such, a number of systems and methods are currently being developed to accommodate transmission and storage of still images and video sequences using various types of compression technology implemented in both hardware and software.
The availability of economically feasible and increasingly more powerful microprocessors allows integration of natural and synthetic audio and video sequences. Information in the form of audio and video sequences may be integrated to present real-time and non-real-time information in a single sequence. To provide audio and video sequences having acceptable quality at a minimum cost requires having the greatest efficiency possible in the decoding mechanism so as to require the least amount of memory and processing resources.
Decoding efficiency can be expressed as the ratio of resources used to generate a frame to total resources in use. For memory, this is the amount of storage holding data for the displayed portions of sprites in proportion to the total storage required to hold all sprite data. For CPUs, this is the number of machine cycles used to transform the data for the displayed portions of sprites in proportion to the total number of cycles used to transform all sprite data.
An audio/visual (AV) object may be used to represent a physical (real) or virtual article or scene. AV objects may be defined in terms of other AV objects which are referred to as sub-objects. An AV object which is not a composite or a compound AV object is referred to as a primitive. A sprite or basis object is an AV object created within a block of pixels that can be manipulated as a unit using geometrical transformations. Rather than re-transmitting and re-displaying the sprite object, new transformation parameters are provided to generate subsequent video frames. This results in a significant reduction in the amount of data necessary to represent such frames.
A small sprite object may represent a character in a video game whereas a large sprite object may represent an image which is larger than an individual frame and may span a number of frames. For example, a still image of a video layer of a scene, such as the background of a room, may be represented by a large sprite object (basis object). A particular video sequence in which a camera pans across the room would have a number of frames to depict motion of the camera. Rather than transmitting a still image for each frame, only the transformation parameters are required to manipulate a portion of the sprite object which is reused multiple times as the video frames are generated.
Transmission of a sprite image requires either that the entire sprite is encoded and transmitted prior to its use in the video sequence or that the sprite is transmitted piece by piece as additional portions of the image are required for display. Then the image at the decoder is transformed to its correct representation at each instance of time prior to its display. The larger the sprite image, the larger the required decoder memory and the greater the required CPU time necessary to transform the image to its correct representative view at each time instance (frame).
Prior art implementations do not specify a mechanism for signaling the decoder that portions of the sprite, which may have been necessary at some point in the video sequence, are no longer needed. The entire sprite is held in decoder memory until the entire sprite is no longer needed. This leads to much larger decoder memory and computational ability requirements than necessary for many video sequences utilizing sprite technology.

Memory management techniques for large sprite objects


Example methods are provided for a host to perform large receive offload (LRO) processing in a virtualized computing environment. The method may comprise receiving, via a physical network interface controller (NIC), incoming packets that are destined for the virtualized computing instance, and processing the incoming packets to generate at least one processed packet using a networking service pipeline that includes a packet aggregation service and multiple networking services. The packet aggregation service may be configured to aggregate the incoming packets into an aggregated packet and enabled at a service point along the networking service pipeline based on an LRO capability of at least one of the multiple networking services to process the aggregated packet. The method may also comprise forwarding the at least one processed packet generated by the networking service pipeline to the virtualized computing instance.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Virtualization allows the abstraction and pooling of hardware resources to support virtual machines in a virtualized computing environment, such as a Software-Defined Datacenter (SDDC). For example, through server virtualization, virtual machines running different operating systems may be supported by the same physical machine (e.g., referred to as a "host"). Each virtual machine is generally provisioned with virtual resources to run an operating system and applications. The virtual resources may include central processing unit (CPU) resources, memory resources, storage resources, network resources, etc. In practice, a host may be configured to support large receive offload (LRO) in which multiple incoming packets are aggregated to form a larger packet. LRO processing reduces the number of packets that need to be processed before transmission to an end node (e.g., virtual machine) to increase throughput and reduce CPU overhead. Conventionally, LRO processing is typically a feature of a host's physical network interface controller (NIC). The feature is either switched on or off for all traffic received via the physical NIC.

Large receive offload (LRO) processing in virtualized computing environments