A flat or a flared tubular end portion devoid of dimples is provided at the end of a tube 11 which is to be inserted into a header with the length, of the flat tubular portion being 1.5 mm or less along the direction of the length of the tube to prevent rapid reduction and enlargement of the cross-sectional area of the refrigerant path in the vicinity of the joint of the tube and the header, so as to reduce the pressure loss of the refrigerant which flows in and out from the header to the tube. A tube insertion stop is also provided consisting either, of a cut formed in the longitudinal edge of the flat end portion or a guard member which is formed aft of the flared, end portion so as to abut the header and seal off the tube insertion aperture of the header.

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 11-60230.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat exchanger arranged in an air conditioner for a vehicle or the like.
2. Description of the Related Arts
In a conventional heat exchanger in an air conditioner for a vehicle, a tube for a heat exchanger as shown in FIG. 10 has been used. This tube is manufactured by an extrusion process, then, a plurality of thin tubes are located inside the tube by forming a plurality of partitions 2 in a flat tube 1 when extruding.
Since a tube like the above is molded by extrusion, it is difficult to form the flat tube 1 and the partitions 2 so that they are thin, therefore, some problems have been observed, for example, a large amount of materials for the tube is required, therefore, production costs increase and the heat exchanging property cannot be improved because of the flat tube 1 and the partitions 2 have thick walls.
Recently, a tube for a heat exchanger to take the place of the above extruded tube, a tube such as shown in FIG. 11 has been proposed. A tubular portion 3 as this type of tube is formed by the steps of bending a flat plate in two, forming the upper and lower walls 4a and 4b roughly in parallel, overlapping the side edges of the upper and lower walls 4a and 4b, and brazing the overlapped side edges. The tubular portion 3 is characterized in that, since dimples (cavities) 5 are formed on the outer surfaces of the upper and lower walls 4a and 4b, the dimples 5 protrude inward when the dimples 5 are observed from the inside of the tubular portion 3 and a plurality of columns 6 are formed between the walls 4a and 4b by closely contacting the inner top of the dimple 5 formed on the either side wall to the inner top of the dimple 5 formed on the other side wall. By arranging the columns 6 in the tubular portion 3, turbulent flow occurs in the refrigerant which runs through the tubular portion 3. Therefore, its heat exchanging property is improved.
According to the dimple tube mentioned above, since the tubular portion is formed by bending a flat plate in two, the walls of the dimple tube can be thin. This provides several advantages, e.g., less material is used in the dimple tube, production costs decrease, and the heat exchanging property is improved. Furthermore, the columns 6 consisting of the dimples 5 are regularly arranged in the dimple tube along the length direction, so that a sufficient amount of pressure is obtained even if the thickness of the walls of the dimple tube are thin. This type of dimple tube will be introduced in air conditioners for vehicles in the future.
FIG. 12 shows a cross section of a part of the heat exchanger using the dimple tube. The ends of dimple tube 7 are inserted into a header 8 having a hollow cylindrical shape through a tube inserting hole 8a where they are joined by brazing.
One of the factors determining the heat exchanging property is pressure loss depending on rapid reduction and enlargement of the cross-sectional area of the refrigerant path when, for example, in the joint of the dimple tube 7 and the header 8 shown in FIG. 12, the refrigerant flows into the dimple tube 7 from the header 8 and the refrigerant flows into the header 8 from the dimple tube 7. This is because a plurality of dimples 5 are formed from one end to the other end of the dimple tube in a conventional dimple tube 7 and the columns 6 consisting of the dimples 5 reduce the opening area of the end of the dimple tube 7, so that the cross-sectional area of the refrigerant path is rapidly reduced or enlarged when the refrigerant flows through a joint of the dimple tube 7 and the header 8, therefore, pressure loss is increased.
In the light of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a heat exchanger wherein rapid reduction and enlargement of the refrigerant path are prevented when the refrigerant flows at the joint of the dimple tube and the header and pressure loss of the refrigerant which flows into and out of the header to the tube is reduced.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a heat exchanger comprising a tube containing an upper wall and a lower wall arranged roughly in parallel, an overlap width, a path for a refrigerant, a plurality of protrusions protruding toward the path arranged on at least one of the inner surfaces of the upper and lower walls, and a plurality of columns formed by contacting the tops of the protrusions to the inner surface of the other wall and a header having a hollow cylindrical shape so that both ends of the tube are put into the header through a tube inserting hole and joined by brazing; wherein a flat tubular portion without the protrusions is provided at the end of the tube to be inserted into the header and the length of the flat tubular portion is 15 mm or less along the direction of the length of the tube.
Furthermore, the length of the flat tubular portion may be from 5 to 15 mm.
Moreover, the overlap width may have a cut portion.
In this heat exchanger, since the flat tubular portion without columns is provided at the end of the tube, the opening area of the end of the tube is not reduced thereby. Therefore, rapid reduction and enlargement of the refrigerant path are presented when the refrigerant flows through the vicinity of the joint of the tube and the header and pressure loss of the refrigerant which flows into and out of the header to the tube is reduced.
Furthermore, as to another aspect, the present invention provides a heat exchanger comprising: a tube containing an upper wall and a lower wall arranged roughly in parallel and consisting of a part of a path for a refrigerant, a plurality of protrusions protruding toward the path arranged on at least one of inner surfaces of the upper and lower walls, and a plurality of columns formed by contacting the tops of the protrusions to the inner surface of the other wall and a header having a hollow cylindrical shape in which both ends of the tubes are put into the header through a tube inserting hole and joined by brazing; wherein the tube includes a flared outer end portion and a guard or stop located intermediate the protrusions and the end portion and closing the tube inserting hole by contacting the side of the header when the tube is inserted in the tube inserting hole.
In this heat exchanger, since an expanded tubular portion is provided, the area of the open end of the tube is larger than the cross-sectional area of the refrigerant path in the tube without the expanded tubular portion. Therefore, rapid reduction and enlargement of the cross-sectional area of the refrigerant path are prevented in the vicinity of the joint of the tube and the header and pressure loss of the refrigerant which flows in and out from the header to the tube is reduced. Since the tube inserting hole is required to be larger than the expanded tubular portion, the guard is located at the end of the tube and seals off the tube inserting hole, so that the refrigerant is prevented from leaking.
According to the present invention, since a portion of the tube without columns is provided at the end of the tube, the opening area of the end of the tube is not reduced by the columns. Therefore, rapid reduction and enlargement of the cross-sectional area of the refrigerant path are further prevented at the vicinity of the joint of the tube and the header, and pressure loss of the refrigerant which flows in and out from the header to the tube is reduced.


A deformable membrane type of spatial light modulator may be modified and used with a lens for beam steering applications. A reflective membrane is deformed by one or more of a multiplicity of underlying address electrodes, such that it has a different center of curvature depending on which electrode is being energized. An incoming beam is incident on the membrane and reflected from it. A lens collimates light reflected from the membrane so that a beam is reflected in a desired direction relative to the incoming beam.

Optical beam steering involves redirecting a beam of light to a predetermined direction. More complicated beam steering applications involve redirecting the beam to a continuous one or two dimensional path, i.e., a scan or trace. Such applications include optical processing, laser scanning such as for laser printers, and optical memories.
Many existing beam steering devices operate on some principle of moving a lens or mirror to change the direction of a transmitted or reflected beam. One existing beam steering method involves shifting one layer of transmissive lenses with respect to another layer of lenses. This method is discussed in an article entitled "Agile Beam Steering Using Binary Optics Microlens Array", by W. Goltsos and M. Holz, Optical Engineering, pages, 1392-97, November 1990. Other optical beam steering devices direct the beam with spinning mirrors. A problem with such devices is that they must provide some mechanical means for providing translational or rotational motion to the lens or mirror. Thus, they are limited in speed of operation and susceptible to mechanical failure.
An alternative approach to beam steering is the use of spatial light modulators (SLM's). SLM's are typically configured as one or two dimensional arrays of individually addressable optical elements. A common application of SLM's is in display systems, in which these elements represents pixels of an image and modify either the amplitude or the phase of light distribution within the optical system. SLM's can be divided into various types, including electro-optic, magneto-optic, liquid crystal, and deformable mirror devices. Various types of SLM's are discussed in the background of U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,619, which is incorporated by reference herein.
For beam steering, SLM's receive an input beam and the pixel elements are micro-mechanically moved to redirect the beam. An advantage of using spatial light modulators for beam steering is that no translational or rotational motion of a large external lens or mirror is required. The directionality is provided by reflecting the light from a stationary modulator that changes its phase, position, or shape. Another advantage is that SLM's are easily manufactured in sizes appropriate for the size of light beams used for communications. Advanced techniques for fabricating SLM's, including their addressing circuits, as integrated circuits have been developed.
A problem with using spatial light modulators for beam steering is the small size of the reflective elements. A single reflective element is typically smaller than the beam to be steered; and if an array of reflective elements is used, diffraction is a problem.
A need exists for an improved means for using spatial light modulator concepts for steering a beam of light.

Light beam steering with deformable membrane device


The present invention relates to a process for selective extraction of bioactive and bioavailable cinnamon polyphenols and procyanidin oligomers of the type A and type B, of more than 90% purity as gallic acid equivalent which comprises the steps of removing the organic solvent from the extract to produce the free flowing oleoresin and drying of the residue under optimized conditions to produce a polyphenol and procyanidin Type A & B polymer rich solid which on subsequent extraction with water or with mixture of water and acetone or water and lower alcohol and further evaporation to a solid content of not more than 6% and subsequent chromatographic separation to obtain fractions containing procyanidin type A and B polymers free of coumarins and cinnamaldehyde. The present invention also relates to stable composition comprising cinnamon polyphenol rich powder for delivering maximum bioactivity upon oral administration.

Bio-polyphenols are super active substances, and can add a great deal to nutritional needs in health and disease. Their significant contribution towards health include antioxidative, antimicrobial, and possibly antidiabetic, anti-carcinogenic, and/or cardioprotective effects.
Cinnamomum spp, (cinnamon/cassia) contains essential oils, catechins, procyanidins, coumarins, tanning agents, phenolic carboxylic acids, lignans and mucins, in which coumarin is reported to be moderately toxic to liver and kidney (Giridhar Kanuri and Bergheim, Cinnamon and its medicinal effects, published online Apr. 23, 2009). Higher concentrations of coumarins can be measured particularly in certain types of cinnamon/cassia. Many extracts of cinnamon/cassia obtained in capsules were found to contain coumarins in high levels, (The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, BfR Health Assessment No. 044/2006, 2006). As coumarins are generally soluble in alcohol, hydro-alcoholic extracts and alcoholic extracts may contain higher levels. The coumarin levels were found to be varying within various species of cinnamon and even different at barks collected from various parts within a tree ((Friederike W et. al., Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2010, 58(19) pp. 10568-10575). This is a major concern in making use of the valuable cinnamon/cassia extracts as Nutraceutical/dietary supplement or food ingredient. Besides the high coumarin levels, the cinnamaldehyde levels in cinnamon powder capsules may possibly constitute a risk for pregnant women. Animal experiment studies indicate that taking cinnamaldehyde during pregnancy could lead to damage to the foetus (The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, BfR Health Assessment No. 044/2006, 2006).
Recent research has mostly explored the benefits of cinnamon/cassia in blood-sugar management. In a study, Anderson et al (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2004, 52, pp. 65-70), isolated insulin action-enhancing complexes from the aqueous extracts of cassia/cinnamon and then characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy as polymers composed of catechin/epicatechin with a molecular mass of 288, trimers with a molecular mass of 864 and tetramer with a mass of 1152. Their protonated molecular masses indicated that they are A type doubly linked procyanidin oligomers of the catechins and/or epicatechins. These polyphenolic polymers found in cinnamon/cassia may function as antioxidants, potentiate insulin action rendering cells more sensitive to insulin, and may be beneficial in the control of glucose intolerance and diabetes.
In another study an aqueous extract of cinnamon was reported to be effective in segregating the Alzheimer's disease causing proteins in vitro. (Peterson et al, Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 2009, 17, 585).
In a recent study (Lu Z et. al, Phytomedicine, 2011, 18 (4), pp 298-302) the presence of both Type A and Type B procynidin polymers were established in various cinnamomum species and were shown to be bioactive.
Despite the health benefits of cinnamon/cassia polyphenols and procyanidins, no cost effective and commercially viable processing methods are available to selectively isolate coumarin free active polyphenols containing definite percentage of procyanidins, in sufficient purity, for nutraceutical, cosmeceutical and functional food ingredient applications.
Though the prior arts, U.S. Pat. No. 6,200,569 B1, US 2006/0013361 A1, US 2006/0013903 A1, and US 2009/7504118 B2 have detailed the isolation and various uses of cinnamon/cassia extracts containing procyanidins, such as for reduction of blood glucose and/or glycosylated hemoglobin levels, as a weight loss ingredient by reducing body fat and/or as a blood glucose lowering ingredient, to enhance creatine transport to muscles and for oral administration to control the blood glucose as well as improving glucose tolerance respectively, all these patents describe a highly temperature-time sensitive aqueous extraction protocol involving 50 to 200 times water. Though the method has been successfully applied to 1 to 50 g raw material, its commercial scale applicability has been seriously limited by various factors of the process such as the requirement of huge quantity of water and subsequent handling issues imparted by the mucilaginousin cinnamon/cassia bark, time-temperature sensitivity of the process and subsequent gel filtration using expensive adsorbents like Sephadex LH-20 and final concentration to powder. In addition no information has been given about the procyanidin content, polyphenol content, coumarin content, and organoleptic properties of the resulting extracts.
In another art US 2006/0073220 A1, an adsorbent resin based purification process for polyphenols and proanthocyanidins from various fruits and plant materials including cinnamon, using polystyrene copolymers containing electron withdrawing groups like bromine and non-substituted resins were detailed. Though high purity isolation of polyphenols and procyanidin polymers were claimed, no information has been given with respect to the polyphenol recovery from cinnamon, toxic and allergic coumarin and cinnamldehyde levels in the isolated polyphenols, and relative percentages of type A & B polymers that can be isolated from cinnamomum species. Though it is a general method of isolation of polyphenols from various natural raw materials, no informations have been given in the context of polyphenols or procyanidin type A & B polymers from Cinnamomum spp and their effect upon bioactivity.
In another US patent 2006 0275515 A1, a method of preparation of a cinnamon extract with antiviral properties against enveloped viruses including influenza A, parainfluenza and HSV-1 were mentioned. However no informations regarding the active molecules or procyanidin molecules or polyphenol content has been mentioned.
In another prior art US 2007/0292540/A1, the invention was fractionation of various chemical constituents in cinnamon. Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of aroma fraction of cinnamon followed by aqueous extraction of the residue to obtain a polyphenolic acid and polysaccharide rich fraction were reported. The polyphenolic acid fraction was then passed through Sephadex LH 20 adsorbent resin to separate tannin phenolics from non-tannin phenolics. The disadvantage of this method is that it does not specify coumarin levels in various fractions, and does not provide any quantification and characterization of procyanidin levels in the final extract. Another limitation of this method is that it employs relatively expensive supercritical extraction method for the removal of the aroma compounds and expensive Sephadex LH 20 for the purification of polyphenols.
In a recent art US 2008/0306141 A1, procyanidin A-type polymer enriched extract was isolated from cinnamon bark using an organic solvent like acetone for extraction. Though this method can be used for bulk extraction, the percentage purity of the final product such as polyphenol content, or procyanidin Type A content etc is not assured. Another limitation of this method is that there is no plausible elimination of toxic coumarins from the procyanidin extract. It is also not possible to recover the aroma fraction of cinnamon bark, a valuable food flavourant. The method also does not confirm the purity of the procyanidins or the identity of the product as type A procyanidins. The prior art only mentions that the analysis was based on HPLC measurements.
In another prior art US 2010 0029756 A1, a method for the selective isolation of procyanidin type A tetramer with a molecular formula of C60H48O24 has been mentioned and its plausible applications as anti-inflammatory, anti microbial and bactericidal uses were speculated. The invention employed expensive instrumental techniques like multilevel preparative chromatographic instruments for the isolation and purification of the molecule. Further, no attempt have been mentioned to establish the level of bioactivity of the said molecule.
In another prior art US 2011/0039923 A1, the invention describes a process for the isolation of pentameric procyanidin rich cinnamon extract for antiviral applications. The disadvantage of the prior art is that it does not mention about the recovery of bioactive Type B polymers from cinnamon. Moreover, no information about the efficacy in relation with polyphenolic/procyanidin content has been furnished. In the present invention we describe a process for the isolation of total procyanidins including Type A and Type B polymers by eliminating the toxic coumarins and cinnamaldehyde.
The present invention attempts to overcome the hurdles in all these prior arts. In the present method, an easily scalable protocol is used to process cinnamon/cassia powder of the order of tones, using a 3 to 5 fold excess of water-based solvent for the isolation of polyphenols without coumarins.
An advantage of the present invention is an extraction method in which there is complete fractionation of cinnamon bark into a flavour ingredient and polyphenol powder can be achieved. The polyphenol powder was shown to be more than 90% pure (gallic acid equivalent) with procyanidins type A & B polymers, in which type A is present in 5 to 20% and type B polymer in 0.5 to 5%. Type A polymer was shown to be a mixture of doubly linked catechinlepicatechin trimer, tetramer, pentamer whereas Type B is a dimer formed by the B-type links.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it helps to selectively eliminate the toxic coumarins naturally present in many cinnamomum species and also helps to eliminate the other toxic or allergen components such as cinnamaldehye which is associated with the oil of cinnamon bark.
The present invention also delineate the level of polyphenol/procyanidin content with the bioactivity, as exemplified by the blood sugar levels, lipid levels and liver function markers. It is found that the bioactivity is directly proportional to the polyphenol/procyanidin content of the extract. As the polyphenol content increases from 15 to 75%, the blood sugar management potential was found to have a three-fold increase and the insulin potency increases 2.6 fold. The study also proved that coumarin and cinnamaldehyde contribution towards bioactivity is negligible as compared to the polyphenol content.
This invention can also be used for the direct extraction of polyphenols from cinnamon bark powder using water or alcohol or acetone or mixtures thereof and purification employing adsorbent chromatography.
The present invention also has the advantage that it can be easily scaled up to process tones of raw materials cost effectively. The invention also provides a unique method for the production of lower oligomers of polyphenols which are water soluble and more bioavailable.
The present invention also provides total isolation of polyphenols from cinnamon bark with an yield corresponding to greater than 90% recovery.
Another advantage of the method is to provide a process for the production of polyphenol isolates with high antioxidative index, ORAC value (Oxygen Radical Absorbing Capacity), not less than 3000 μmol Trolox equvalent/g.
Another advantage of the process is to derive a bioactive coumarin-free polyphenols in water soluble powder form as proved by the efficacy to control the blood sugar levels in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats.
Another advantage of the process is to optimize the polyphenol levels and procyanidin Type A & B levels for maximum bioactivity, as shown by the blood-sugar management study in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats
Another advantage of the present study is to provide safe and non toxic coumarin free bioactive polyphenols capable of reducing the LDL and, triglyceride levels in diabetic rats.
Another advantage of the present study is to provide a cinnamon bark extracted coumarin free polyphenols for maintaining the liver health of diabetic rats as monitored by the liver function markers alanine transaminase (ALT) and alakaline phosphatase (ALP).
Yet another advantage is the stable, directly compressible and non hygroscopic form of the polyphenolic extract for easy handling and formulation in tablet and capsule forms

Process for selective extraction of bioactive and bioavailable cinnamon polyphenols and procyanidin oligomers and a stable composition thereof


An ECL buffer circuit includes an input portion for receiving an input signal at an ECL level, a current switch portion and an output portion. The input portion includes a bipolar transistor (Q1), a level-shift diode (D1) and a constant current source (CS1). The current switch portion includes a first and a second switch circuits and a constant current source (CS2). Each switch circuit includes a resistor (R1, R2) and a bipolar transistor (Q2, Q3). The output portion includes a first and a second output circuits and a constant current source (CS3). Each output circuit includes an emitter follower transistor (Q4, Q5) and a bipolar transistor (Q6, Q7). The first output circuit receives an input signal from the input portion, and the second output circuit receives a reference voltage (V.sub.BB). A by-pass resistor (R3, R4) is connected between the base and the emitter of an emitter follower transistor (Q4, Q5) of each output circuit. When the output signal changes from a second level to a first level, the output signal thereby rapidly changes to a predetermined voltage by the emitter follower transistor (Q4, Q5) at first, then changes to a first level by way of the by-pass operation of the by-pass resistor (R3, R4).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to semiconductor integrated circuits, and, more particularly, an improvement in buffer circuits for receiving input signals.
2. Description of the Background Art
The BiCMOS technology has been so far developed in which an ECL (Emitter Coupled Logic) circuit capable of a high-speed operation and having a high load drive capability and a CMOS circuit of less power consumption are combined.
FIG. 17A is a circuit diagram showing a first conventional ECL buffer circuit for receiving a signal of an ECL level.
In FIG. 17A, an input portion comprises a bipolar transistor Q1, a level shifting diode D1 and a constant current source CS1. The base of the transistor Q1 receives an input signal Vin of an ECL level. The collector of the transistor Q1 is connected to a ground terminal receiving a ground voltage V.sub.cc while the emitter is connected to a node N1 through the diode D1. The constant current source CS1 is connected between the node N1 and a power supply terminal receiving a negative voltage V.sub.EE.
A resistor R1 and a bipolar transistor Q2 form a first switch circuit, and a resistor R2 and a bipolar transistor Q3 form a second switch circuit. A current switch portion comprises a first and a second switch circuits and a constant current source CS2. The resistor R1 is connected between the ground terminal and a node N4. The collector of the transistor Q2 is connected to the node N4, the emitter is connected to the node N2, and the base is connected to the node N1. The resistor R2 is connected between the ground terminal and a node N5. The collector of the transistor Q3 is connected to the node N5, the emitter is connected to the node N2, and the base receives a reference voltage V.sub.BB. The constant current source CS2 is connected between the node N2 and the power supply terminal.
The first output circuit comprises an emitter follower bipolar transistor Q4, and the second output circuit comprises an emitter follower bipolar transistor Q5. An output portion comprises a first and a second output circuits and constant current sources CS3, CS4. The collector of the transistor Q4 is connected to the ground terminal, the emitter is connected to the node N6, and the base is connected to the node N4. The constant current source CS3 is connected between the node N6 and the power supply terminal. The collector of the transistor Q5 is connected to the ground terminal, the emitter is connected to a node N7, and the base is connected to the node N5. The constant current source CS4 is connected between the node N7 and the power supply terminal. An output signal a (NOR output) is output from the node N6, and an output signal a (OR output) is output from the node N7.
The logically high level (hereinafter referred to as H level) of the input signal Vin of an ECL level is normally -0.9 V, and the logically low level (hereinafter referred to as L level) of that is normally -1.7 V. The reference voltage V.sub.BB is set so as to be an intermediate voltage between an H level and an L level of the base voltage of the transistor Q2.
The operation of the ECL buffer circuit of FIG. 17A will now be described with reference to a waveform diagram of FIG. 17B.
When the level of the input signal Vin changes from an L level to an H level, the level of the base voltage of the transistor Q2 also changes to an H level. Consequently, the transistor Q2 turns on, and the transistor Q3 turns off. As a result, the base voltage (the voltage of the node N4) of the transistor Q4 attains an L level indicated by V.sub.cc -R.sub.1 .multidot.I2, where R is the value of the resistance of R1, and I2 is a current flowing through the constant current source CS2. Also, the base voltage (the voltage of the node N5) of the transistor Q5 almost attains an H level indicated by V.sub.cc.
Accordingly, the output signal a from the node N6 attains an L level indicated by of V.sub.cc -V.sub.BE -R.sub.1 .multidot.I2. The output signal a from the node N7 attains an H level indicated by of V.sub.cc -V.sub.BE.
Conversely, when the level of the input signal Vin changes from an H level to an L level, the output signal a attains an H level indicated by V.sub.cc -V.sub.BE, and the output signal a attains an L level indicated by V.sub.cc -V.sub.BE -R.sub.2 .multidot.I2, where R.sub.2 is the resistance value of the resistor R2.
FIG. 18A is a circuit diagram of a second conventional ECL buffer circuit.
In the ECL buffer circuit of FIG. 18A, the constant current source CS4, which is included in the output portion of the ECL buffer circuit of FIG. 17A, is eliminated for lower power consumption. The output portion is further provided with bipolar transistors Q6, Q7. The collector of the transistor Q6 is connected to the node N6, and the base is connected to the node N1. The collector of the transistor Q7 is connected to the node N7, and the base receives the reference voltage V.sub.BB. The emitters of the transistors Q6, Q7 are each connected to the constant current source CS3 through the node N3.
The operation of the ECL buffer circuit of FIG. 18A will now be described with reference to a waveform diagram of FIG. 18B.
When the level of the input signal Vin changes from an L level to an H level, the levels of the base voltages of the transistors Q2, Q6 changes to an H level. Thus, the transistors Q2, Q6 turn on, and the transistors Q3, Q7 turn off. As a result, the voltage of the node N4 attains an L level indicated by V.sub.cc -R.sub.1 .multidot.I2, and the voltage of the node N5 attains an H level indicated by V.sub.cc.
Therefore, the output signal a attains an L level indicated by V.sub.cc -V.sub.BE -R.sub.1 .multidot.I2, and the output signal a attains an H level indicated by V.sub.cc -V.sub.f, where, V.sub.f indicates the base-emitter voltage of the NPN transistor when there is little electric current in the NPN transistor, which attains a value smaller than that of the base-emitter voltage V.sub.BE of the NPN transistor in a normal on-state (V.sub.f <V.sub.BE).
When the level of the input signal Vin changes from an H level to an L level, the output signal a attains an H level indicated by V.sub.cc -V.sub.f, and the output signal a attains an L level indicated by V.sub.cc -V.sub.BE -R.sub.2 .multidot.I2.
FIG. 19A is a circuit diagram of a third conventional ECL buffer circuit.
In the ECL buffer circuit of FIG. 19A, there no emitter follower bipolar transistors Q4, Q5 and no constant current sources CS3, CS4 of the ECL buffer circuit shown in FIG. 17A, the output signal a is output from the node N4, and the output signal a is output from the node N5.
The operation of the ECL buffer circuit of FIG. 19A will now be described with reference to a waveform diagram of FIG. 19B.
In the ECL buffer circuit of FIG. 19A, the emitter follower transistors Q4, Q5 of FIG. 17A are removed, and output signals a, a are output respectively from the nodes N4, N5, so that, as described in FIG. 17A, the H level of the output signals a, a from the nodes N4, N5 is equal to the ground voltage V.sub.cc, and the L level of that is equal to V.sub.cc -RL1.multidot.I2, where RL1 indicates R.sub.1 or R.sub.2.
FIG. 20A is a circuit diagram of a fourth conventional ECL buffer circuit.
In the ECL buffer circuit of FIG. 20A, resistors R25, R26, R27 are connected in place of the resistors R1, R2 in the ECL buffer circuit of FIG. 19A. One terminals of the resistors R26, R27 are connected to the nodes N4, N5, respectively, and the other terminals are connected to the ground terminal through the resistor R25. In the ECL buffer circuit of FIG. 20A, as shown in the waveform diagram of FIG. 20B, the value of the H level of the output signals a, a becomes low. This value of the H level can be set to any value by changing the resistance values of the resistors R25 to R27.
The ECL buffer circuit of FIG. 17A is disclosed, for example, in "the development of 6 ns/800 mW 64K.times.1 BiCMOS ECL RAM", Technical Research Report of the Institute of the Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers of Japan Vol, 89, No. 140, pp. 13-18. The ECL buffer circuit of FIG. 18A is disclosed, for example, in the above Technical Research Report of the Institute the Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers of Japan and in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 59-115620. In addition, the ECL buffer circuit of FIG. 19A is disclosed, for example, by I. Fukushi, et al in "A 256 Kb ECL RAM with Redundancy", 1988 ISSCC, pp. 134-135 (Feb. 1988) and in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 62-123825.
FIG. 21 shows an example where the ECL buffer circuit of FIG. 17A is connected to the BiCMOS driver circuit over a level converting circuit.
In FIG. 21, the output signals a, a of the ECL buffer circuit 10 of FIG. 17A are supplied to a level converting circuit 20a comprising two current mirror circuits, and the output signals b, b of the level converting circuit 20a are connected to a BiCMOS driver circuit 30 comprising a composite circuit of a bipolar transistor and a CMOS.
The level converting circuit 20a comprises a first current mirror circuit having PMOS transistors MP1, MP2 and NMOS transistors MN1, MN2, and a second current mirror circuit having PMOS transistors MP3, MP4 and NMOS transistors MN3, MN4. The gates of the transistors MP1, MP4 are provided with the output signal a, and the gates of the transistors MP2, MP3 are provided with the output signal a. An output signal b of an MOS level is output from the node of the transistor MP2 and the transistor MN2, and an output signal b of an MOS level is output from the node of the transistor MP4 and the transistor MN4.
The BiCMOS driver circuit 30 comprises a first CMOS inverter having a PMOS transistor MP5 and an NMOS transistor MN5, a second CMOS inverter having a PMOS transistor MP6 and an NMOS transistor MN8, a first base control circuit having NMOS transistors MN6 and MN7, a second base control circuit having NMOS transistors MN9 and MN10, and NPN transistors QD1 to QD4. The transistors QD1, QD2 and the transistors QD3, QD4 are totem-pole-connected respectively between a ground terminal receiving the ground voltage V.sub.cc and the power supply terminal receiving a negative voltage V.sub.EE.
When the level of the input signal Vin of an ECL level changes from an L level to an H level, as described in FIG. 17A, the level of the output signal a of the ECL buffer circuit 10 changes from an L level to an H level, and the level of the output signal a changes from an H level to an L level.
Therefore, the transistors MP1, MP4 of the level converting circuit 20a turn off, and the transistors MP2, MP3 turn on. The current from the ground terminal is thereby cut off by the transistor MP1 so that the voltage of the drain and the gate of the transistor MN1 is lowered to V.sub.EE +Vtn, causing the transistor MN1 to turn off where Vtn is a threshold voltage of the NMOS transistor. The gate of the transistor MN2 is connected to the gate and the drain of the transistor MN1 so that the transistor MN2 turns off. Since the voltages of the gate and the drain of the transistor MN3 increase, the transistor MN3 turns on. Since the gate of the transistor MN4 is connected to the gate and the drain of the transistor MN3, the transistor MN4 also turns on.
The transistor MP2 is on and the transistor MN2 is off, so that the level of the output signal b of the level converting circuit 20a changes from an L level (negative voltage V.sub.EE) to an H level (ground voltage V.sub.cc). The transistor MP4 is off and the transistor MN4 is on, so that the level of the output signal b changes from an H level (ground voltage V.sub.cc) to an L level (negative voltage V.sub.EE). The levels of these output signals b, b are adapted for an MOS level. The conversion from an ECL level to an MOS level is, therefore, carried out.
As the level converting circuit 20a comprises a MOS transistor, its load drive capability is not so high, and thus, it is necessary to increase the drive capability by way of the BiCMOS driver circuit 30 in the next stage.
As described above, when the level of the output signal b changes to an H level, the transistor MP5 turns off, and the transistors MN5, MN6 turn on. The transistor MN7 turns off. Therefore, the transistor QD1 turns off, and the transistor QD2 turns on. Consequently, a signal c output from the BiCMOS driver circuit 30 attains an L level, (V.sub.EE +V.sub.f).
When the level of the output signal b changes to an L level as stated above, the transistor MP6 turns on, and the transistors MN8, MN9 turn off. The transistor MN10 turns on. Accordingly, the transistor QD3 turns on, and the transistor QD4 turns off. As a result, a signal c output from the BiCMOS driver circuit 30 attains an H level (V.sub.cc -V.sub.f). The level of these signals c, c is referred to as a BiCMOS level.
As above mentioned, a conversion of the logic level is carried out between an ECL circuit and a MOS circuit.
The level converting circuit 20b shown in FIG. 22 or the level converting circuit 20c shown in FIG. 23 may be used in place of the level converting circuit 20a shown in FIG. 21.
In FIG. 22, the output signal a of the ECL buffer circuit is supplied to the gates of the PMOS transistors MP7, MP10, and the output signal a is supplied to the gates of the PMOS transistors MP8, MP9. The sources of the transistors MP7, MP9 are connected to the ground terminal, and the drains of the transistors MP8, MP10 are connected to the power supply terminal. While the drain of the transistor MP7 and the source of the transistor MP8 are connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor MN11 and the base of the bipolar transistor QC1, the drain of the transistor MP9 and the source of the transistor MP10 are connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor MN14 and the base of the bipolar transistor QC2.
The collectors of the transistors QC1, QC2 are connected to the ground terminal, and the sources of the NMOS transistors MN11, MN12, MN13, MN14 are connected to the power supply terminal. The emitter of the transistor QC1 is connected to the drain of the transistor MN12 and the gates of the transistors MN13, MN14, and the emitter of the transistor QC2 is connected to the drain of the transistor MN13 and the gates of the transistors MN11, MN12. The output signal b of the level converting circuit 20b is output from the emitter of the transistor QC2, and the output signal b is output from the emitter of the transistor QC1.
The operation of the level converting circuit 20b of FIG. 22 will now be described.
When the level of the output signal a of the ECL buffer circuit changes from an L level to an H level, and the level of the output signal a changes from an H level to an L level, then the transistors MP7, MP10 turn off, and the transistors MP8, MP9 turn on. Accordingly, the potential of the drain of the transistor MP7 rises, and the potential of the drain of the transistor MP9 falls.
Thus, the transistor QC1 starts turning off, and the transistor QC2 starts turning on. Then, the emitter of the transistor QC2 is charged rapidly and the gate voltages of the transistors MN11, MN12 rise, causing their transistors to turn on, whereby the transistor QC1 and the transistors MN13, MN14 turn off.
Since the transistor QC2 is on, and the transistor MN13 is off, the level of the output signal b changes from an L level (negative voltage V.sub.EE) to an H level (ground voltage V.sub.cc -V.sub.f). Since the transistor QC1 is off and the transistor MN12 is on, the level of the output signal b changes from an H level (ground voltage V.sub.cc -V.sub.f) to an L level (negative voltage V.sub.EE).
Conversely, when the level of the output signal a of the ECL buffer circuit changes from an H level to an L level, and the level of the output signal a changes from an L level to an H level, then the level of the output signal b changes from an H level to an L level, and the level of the output signal b changes from an L level to an H level, which is the reverse operation to the aforementioned.
In FIG. 23, the output signal a of the ECL buffer circuit is supplied to the gates of the PMOS transistor MP11 and the NMOS transistor MN15, and the output signal a is supplied to the gates of the PMOS transistor MP12 and the NMOS transistor MN17. The sources of the transistors MP11, MP12 are connected to the ground terminal. The sources of the NMOS transistors MN16, MN18 are connected to the power supply terminal. The gate of the transistor MN16 is connected to the drain of the transistor MP12, and the gate of the transistor MN18 is connected to the drain of the transistor MP11. The source of the transistor MN15 is connected to the drain of the transistor MN16, and the drain of the transistor MN15 is connected to the drain of the transistor MP11. The source of the transistor MN17 is connected to the drain of the transistor MN18, and the drain of the transistor MN17 is connected to the drain of the transistor MP12. The output signal b of the level converting circuit 20c is output from the drain of the transistor MP12, and the output signal b is output from the drain of the transistor MP11.
The operation of the level converting circuit 20c of FIG. 23 will now be described.
When the level of the output signal a of the ECL buffer circuit changes from an L level to an H level and the level of the output signal a changes from an H level to an L level, then the transistor MP11 turns off, and the transistor MP12 turns on. In addition, the on-resistance of MN15 is lowered, and the on-resistance of the transistor MN17 is increased. Therefore, the current of the transistor MP12 causes the potential of the drain to rise. At this time, it is possible to decrease the percentage of the feed-through current of the current flowing in the transistor MP12 since the on-resistance of the transistor MN17 is high.
The rise of the drain potential of the transistor MP12 causes the transistor MN16 to turn on, and the potential of the drain of the transistor MP11 to be decreased through the transistor MN15 of low on-resistance. Thus, the transistor MN18 turns off, and there is little feed-through current in the transistors MP12, MN17. Accordingly, the level of the output signal b changes from an L level (negative voltage V.sub.EE) to an H level (ground voltage V.sub.cc), and the level of the output signal b changes from an H level to an L level.
Conversely, when the level of the output signal a changes from an H level to an L level, and the level of the output signal a changes from an L level to an H level, then the level of the output signal b changes from an H level to an L level, and the level of the output signal b changes from an L level to an H level.
The level converting circuit 20a in FIG. 21 is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 60-132416 and in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 62-123825. The level converting circuit 20b in FIG. 22 is also disclosed for example in the above-mentioned literature 1988 ISSCC, pp. 134-135. In addition, the level converting circuit 20c in FIG. 23 is disclosed for example in the above Technical Research Report of the Institute of the Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers of Japan, Vol. 89, No. 140, pp. 13-18 and in the prior filed Japanese Patent Application No. 1-127113.
As described above, the H level of the output signals a, a of the ECL buffer circuit in FIG. 17A become V.sub.cc -V.sub.BE z. In the level converting circuit 20a in FIG. 21, when the PMOS transistor, which is provided with an output signal of an H level from the ECL buffer circuit, completely turns off, it becomes possible to full-swing the output signals b, b from the ground voltage V.sub.cc to the negative voltage V.sub.EE with small feed-through current.
However, as shown in FIG. 17B, the H level of the output signals a, a reaches no more than -0.8 V since the base-emitter voltage V.sub.BE of the NPN transistor is normally set to 0.8 V. The threshold voltage Vtp of the PMOS transistor of the level converting circuit 20a is normally set to about -0.7 V. It therefore leads to V.sub.cc -V.sub.BE <Vtp, so that the gate-source voltage of the PMOS transistor, which is provided with the output signal of an H level, exceeds its threshold voltage. As a result, the PMOS transistor, which is essentially to turn off completely, turns on lightly so that a relatively large amount of feed-through current flows.
For example, in FIG. 21, when the output signal a of the ECL buffer circuit 10 is at an H level and the output signal a is at an L level, then the transistors MP1, MP4 lightly turn on without turning off, and the transistors MP2, MP3 turn on. Accordingly, a large amount of feed-through current flows in the path from the transistor MP1 to the transistor MN1, the path from the transistor MP2 to the transistor MN2 and the path from the transistor MP4 to MN4, where, originally, no large amount of feed-through current should flow.
In this case, the output level of the output signal b depends on the resistance division of the on-resistance of the transistor MP2 and the transistor MN2. The output level of the output signal b depends on the resistance division of the on-resistance of the transistor MP4 and the transistor MN4. Thus, the output level of the output signals b, b reaches an intermediate potential between the ground voltage V.sub.cc and the negative voltage V.sub.EE. Thus, the output amplitude becomes narrower, without causing the output signals b, b to swing from the ground voltage V.sub.cc to the negative voltage V.sub.EE. There is a problem that the output signal rises slowly since direct current also flows in the output stage which provides a signal of an H level.
In addition, if the output level of the output signals b, b becomes an intermediate potential, it causes a large amount of feed-through current to flow also in the BiCMOS driver circuit 30 which receives the output signals b, b.
Thus, the ECL buffer circuit in FIG. 17A entails a problem of large power consumption and a slow rise speed of the output signal.
A problem similar to the above-mentioned also exists in the case in which the ECL buffer circuit of FIG. 17A is connected to either the level converting circuit 20b in FIG. 22 or the level converting circuit 20c in FIG. 23. The problem above becomes more serious particularly in the level converting circuit 20b of FIG. 22 having an output stage of the bipolar transistor. The reason is because the bipolar transistor amplifies the current flowing in the PMOS transistor, which should naturally turn off.
Since there is no current through the emitter follower transistor which provides a signal of an H level in the ECL buffer circuit of FIG. 18A, as shown in FIG. 18B, the output signal a rises rapidly to about -0.7 V, and then is charged very slowly to about the ground voltage (0 V).
Thus, when the time intervals between the first switching of the input signal and the next switching of the input signal differ in a plurality of ECL buffer circuits, the potentials of an H level differ in each ECL buffer circuit. For example, assuming that in one of the two ECL buffer circuits the input signal switches immediately before, and the input signal does not switch for a sufficiently long period of time in the other. In this case, if the input signals supplied to the two ECL buffer circuits switch at the same time, then it results in a skew at a switching timing of the output signals of those ECL buffer circuits. If the ECL buffer circuit is applied to a memory circuit, then such a skew leads to a state in which another memory cell is erroneously selected transitionally at a switching time of the address. Therefore, there is a problem that the access speed must be made slow.
In the ECL buffer circuit of FIG. 19A, the H level of the output signals a, a is equal to the ground voltage V.sub.cc as shown in FIG. 19B, so that the PMOS transistor, which is provided with its output signal, completely turns on.
The load capacity, however, which is provided with the output signals a, a is charged through the resistors R1, R2 so that the waveforms of the output signals a, a slowly change. Therefore, the switching speed of the level converting circuit in the next stage becomes slow. The larger the amplitude of the output of the ECL buffer circuit is made, the more significant the delay of the switching speed becomes.
As the ECL buffer circuit of FIG. 19A has no emitter follower transistor, it is encountered with a problem of a low load drive capability.
The ECL buffer circuit of FIG. 20A, as well as the ECL buffer circuit of FIG. 19A, has a problem that it has a slow switching speed and low load drive capability.
In consideration of the conventional ECL buffer circuit mentioned above, the characteristics desired for an ECL buffer circuit connected to a level converting circuit are as follows:
(1) The H level of the output signal becomes higher than the threshold voltage of the PMOS transistor driven thereby;
(2) The output signal switches rapidly;
(3) The load drive capability is high;
(4) The output potential is constant when a certain period of time has passed which is shorter than the cycle time.


Several methods are disclosed for application in a vehicle comprising an engine, an electrical machine coupled to provide supplemental torque to a torque provided by the engine, a transmission having an input coupled to receive torque provided by the engine, and at least one wheel shaft driven by an output of the transmission, the wheel shaft having a driven end and an end coupled to a respective wheel of the motor vehicle. In one embodiment, a method for suppressing driveline oscillations comprises: for at least one wheel shaft, sensing a difference in rotational speed between the driven end of the wheel shaft and the wheel shaft's respective wheel, and generating a torque command for the electrical machine to supply a torque which is a function of the difference. In a second embodiment, a method for suppressing driveline oscillations comprises sensing a rotational speed at the output of the transmission to generate a transmission output speed signal, and generating a torque command for the electrical machine to supply a torque which is a function of the transmission output speed signal. In a third embodiment, a method for suppressing driveline oscillations comprises sensing a rotational speed of the engine to generate an engine speed signal; filtering the engine speed signal to substantially eliminate at least a low-frequency range of the engine speed signal below a frequency range of the oscillations and thereby generate a second signal; and generating a torque command for the electrical machine to supply a torque which is a function of the second signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to use of a supplemental torque source to improve shift quality in a motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Refer first to FIG. 1, an illustration of typical driven wheel torques during an automatic transmission upshift event, such as from first gear to second gear. (The upshift event begins at t=1.4 seconds on the horizontal axis and is complete at about t=2.0 seconds.) The curve reflecting a system with a torque converter shows a torque "hole" at about t=1.4 seconds due to engagement of the shifting clutch and subsequent transfer of torque from the offgoing to the oncoming friction element. Shudder-like oscillations, or "shuffle" in driven wheel torque then continue during the "intertia phase" of the shift until about t=2.0 seconds.
In order to reduce cost and improve the fuel efficiency of a motor vehicle with an automatic transmission, it has been proposed to remove the vehicle's torque converter. The resulting effect of subtracting the very significant damping effect of the torque converter is also shown in FIG. 1. The torque hole at t=1.4 seconds is larger, the oscillations up to t=2.0 seconds are larger, and very substantial oscillations in wheel torque continue beyond t=3.0 seconds. Obviously, much is lost in damping of wheel torque oscillations by removal of the torque converter.
Wheel torque oscillations are readily felt by the occupants of the vehicle. Therefore, a system which allows for removal of the torque converter for cost savings, particularly in a hybrid electric vehicle, and which can provide alternate damping for wheel torque oscillations will prove advantageous.

Vehicle shift quality using a supplemental torque source


The present invention is an apparatus for distributing air to different regions of a conveyor oven. The apparatus has comprising one or more blowers to distribute the air. A lower plenum is connected to a blower. The lower plenum directs air to the lower side of a conveyor within the oven. An upper plenum is connected to a blower. The upper plenum directs air to the upper side of the conveyor.

The present invention relates to conveyor ovens and, more particularly to, an improved conveyor oven having distinct heated air plenums that may be independently controlled to modify the cooking characteristics of the conveyor oven.
Many restaurants use conveyor ovens to prepare food. Conveyor ovens typically cook or heat food by forced convection. A food service professional may place food such as a pizza or a dish of lasagna, for example, on the conveyor and the food is cooked or heated as it is conveyed through heated air within the oven.
Because customers like to have their meals prepared quickly, time is an important factor to consider when cooking food in conveyor ovens. The conveyor speed may be increased to quickly move food through the oven. The heat imparted to the food however, must also be increased or the food will remain cold and not satisfactory to customers. Simply increasing the temperature of the forced air in the oven is not necessarily an effective solution because the food is more likely to burn in high temperature air. Food service professionals may encounter problems when attempting to balance conveyor speed and oven air temperature to quickly and effectively cook or heat food.
Food service professionals encounter additional problems when preparing foods that require specialized cooking. Some pizzas, for example, are generally preferred if they have a crispy crust and a melted cheese topping. Cooking pizzas in this manner requires higher heat on the bottom of the pizza to properly cook the crust and controlled heat on the top of the pizza to melt, but not bun, the cheese topping. Because the conveyor oven has one open cooking chamber, independently controlling temperatures above and below a food may be difficult or impossible in conventional conveyor ovens.
Some conveyor ovens have manual balancing vents that allow food service professionals to adjust the amount of outside air that enters the Cooking chamber of a conveyor oven. Introducing outside air to the cooking chamber reduces the air temperature within the chamber. Restricting outside air to the cooking chamber increases the air temperature within the chamber. Adversely, however, adjusting the conveyor oven to properly cook a particular food is a process of trial and error. Several iterations, which could result in wasted food, may be required to properly adjust the conveyor oven.
Manual balancing vents also have many other problems. If conditions such as the ambient room temperature or the quantity of the food change, the food service professional must make additional adjustments to the vents, which consumes time and, if improperly adjusted, could result in wasted food. Because adjusting the ovens is more an art than a science, training new food service personnel is a costly process. Additionally, the vents are often rudimentary sheet metal plates that selectively cover holes in the oven. The plates do not accurately meter outside air and also become very hot, which may be hazardous to the food service professional. Necessary repeated adjustment of the vents increases the chance of a serious burn.
It would, therefore, be desirable to have an improved conveyor oven that does not improperly cook foods. It would also be desirable to have an improved conveyor oven that does not require difficult or uncertain adjustments to properly cook food. Further, it would be desirable to have an improved conveyor oven that does not require highly trained personnel to properly cook food.
The present invention is an apparatus for distributing air to different regions of a conveyor oven. The apparatus has comprising one or more blowers to distribute the air. A lower plenum is connected to a blower. The lower plenum directs air to the lower side of a conveyor within the oven. An upper plenum is connected to a blower. The upper plenum directs air to the upper side of the conveyor.
In one embodiment of the invention, a method of distributing air to different regions of a conveyor oven has the step of providing one or more blowers. A lower plenum is provided and attached to the one or more blowers. The lower plenum distributes air at the lower portion of a conveyor in a conveyor oven. An upper plenum is provided and attached to the one or more blowers. The upper plenum distributes air at the upper portion of the conveyor. Independently controlling the one or more blowers controls the volume of air that is distributed by the lower plenum and the upper plenum.
In another embodiment of the invention, a system to independently and variably control the temperature profile of a conveyor oven has a conveyor oven that has a cooking chamber. The system also has one or more independently controllable blowers. Plenums attached to the blowers distribute air to the cooking chamber. Independently controllable heating elements heat the air distributed by the plenums.

Apparatus, method and system for independently controlling airflow in a conveyor oven


A mobile terminal detecting an instantaneous deterioration in BLER and quickly converging an SIR into an appropriate target SIR, thereby preventing requesting an excessive transmission power from a base station and a method of controlling the mobile terminal are provided. The present invention relates to the mobile terminal including a target SIR control unit 105 that detects a burst error state indicating a deterioration in a communication environment, a burst error return state indicating a return of the communication environment, and a normal communication state indicating a good state of the communication environment based on whether a cyclic redundancy check is good, after detecting the burst error state, decreases the target SIR by a first decrease amount whenever an OK determination result of the cyclic redundancy check is obtained, detects a state in which the target SIR is decreased by a burst error return criterion that is a preset decrease amount, determines that the detected state is a burst error return state, and decreases the target SIR by a preset second decrease amount, and the method of controlling the mobile terminal.

There is conventionally known WCDMA as one of typical communication methods used in mobile communication systems. According to the WCDMA, a plurality of channels uses the same frequency, so that the channels are often faced with interferences from the other channels.
Such an interference of the other channels according to the WCDMA is generally greater if a transmission power from a base station is higher. Since it is known that this interference is a main factor for deciding a line capacity of the base station, it is desirable to reduce the transmission power from the base station as lower as possible in view of the capacity of the line to be used.
Meanwhile, a communication quality of a communication between the mobile device or mobile terminal and the base station depends on SIR (Signal to Interference Ratio). Namely, if the transmission power from the base station is higher, the SIR is higher and the communication quality is improved. If the transmission power from the base station is lower, the SIR is lower and the communication quality is degraded.
It is, therefore, necessary to control a magnitude of a target SIR of the mobile device or mobile terminal so as to cause the mobile device or mobile terminal to satisfy an appropriate communication quality according to a status of a communication environment and to reduce the transmission power from the base station.
Outer loop transmission power control normally used in the WCDMA is intended to optimize the line capacity and the communication quality by controlling the transmission power from the base station so that the communication quality of the mobile device or mobile terminal is equal to a desired communication quality designated by network side.
Specifically, the target SIR of the mobile terminal is controlled so that a BLER (Block Error Rate) indicating the communication quality between the base station and the mobile terminal is equal to a target BLER designated by a network where the base station is present, and the mobile terminal indirectly controls the transmission power from the base station.
As this target SIR control method, a cellular system transmission power control method including causing a receiver side to detect a frame error, calculating the number n of frame errors indicating the number of frames until m frame errors are detected whenever the m frame errors are detected, and increasing or decreasing a target SIR according to the number n of frame errors is disclosed (see Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.

Mobile terminal and control method therefor


The igniter for the combustor in a gas turbine engine includes a tubular member extending beyond the igniter tip, wherein the tubular member is a porous ceramic or high temperature nickel alloy. Fuel is fed to the bore of the tubular member by capillary action through the porous material of the tubular member and air passes through the porous tubular member to the bore.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ignition system, and more particularly, to an injector for such ignition systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has been found that dependable ignition using conventional aircraft engine ignition systems is not possible under certain situations. Of particular difficulty is to attempt to ignite a small engine at very low speed using large flow number or air blast fuel injectors. Small engines cannot produce a significant combustor pressure drop during cranking conditions and, therefore, atomization of fuel by the main fuel injector is poor.
Large flow number injectors are sized for optimum performance at full power. Fuel flows during the starting mode are not sufficient to pressurize the injectors at the starting mode flow rates and thus atomization of the fuel is inadequate, resulting in difficulty.
So-called hot starts can result if the fuel flow rate is increased at such low speed conditions. In order to solve the above problem, very small pressure atomizers, known as primary injectors, are used in association with larger secondary injectors. The small size of these primary injectors produces a greater fuel pressure at low speed, allowing for better atomization of the fuel.
The disadvantage with these small primary injectors is their tendency to become contaminated owing to the very small orifice sizes. This requires increased maintenance in the field. In addition, a second fuel manifold and fuel flow divider valves add to the complexity of the system and to the cost. At high altitude and in conditions where flame-out of the combustor might be more prevalent, requires that the primary injectors be continuously operating to inject fuel into the combustion chamber which, in fact, diverts fuel from the secondary fuel injectors to thereby hamper the cooling of the secondary injectors.
So-called torch igniters utilize a small primary injector in close proximity to the igniter, thus eliminating the requirement for a large number of small injectors. However, these primary injectors still have the problem of contamination in view of their very small orifice sizes. In order to keep the injector cool, it must be operated throughout the entire engine cycle.
Although torch igniters can solve some problems, particularly of ignition during low speed cranking conditions, their performance can still suffer at high altitudes when it is required to reignite after a flame-out, because the air flow rates and the combustor pressure drops are much greater.


An endotracheal inspection and intubation device comprising a handle and a blade, the blade comprising a rigid rear portion and a front portion with an intermediate flexible portion. The rear portion and the intermediate portion have a generally L-like cross-sectional shape with the front portion being essentially flat. The blade holds a flexible deflection member with a front end fixed to the front portion of the blade. The deflection member is slidably retained by guide means at least to the intermediate portion with a suitable activator for engaging with a rear end of the deflection member for causing axial displacement thereof, entailing deflection of the blade.

Endotracheal inspection is required for visualizing the vocal cords and the opening to the trachea performed by physicians for many purposes. Endotracheal intubation wherein an airway tube is inserted into the trachea), is carried out at each general anaesthesia procedure and is a first and most crucial stage in resuscitation due to respiratory arrest. The intubation procedure must be performed as quickly and smoothly as possible and without injuring the patient.
Existing laryngoscopes require highly trained personnel for performing a correct intubation procedure and individual anatomic and physiologic parameters of each patient must be considered, e.g. tongue size, length of neck, variations of the lower jaw and teeth, etc., and even more so, special conditions such as spasm of neck and face muscles, head or neck injuries, etc.
The known laryngoscopes aye of standard sizes and shape and do not provide any adjusting to anatomic variants. In many cases, the blade of the laryngoscope losses grab of the tongue and slips out of position due to the oral mucosas, loosing fatal time and possibly injuring the patient.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel device for carrying out tracheal inspection and intubation procedures with essentially reducing the required level of skill for performing such procedures and reducing the probability of injury to patients.


A moisture absorbent and decontaminant is provided. The moisture absorbent and decontaminant includes a receptacle. The receptacle is formed of a permeable material having a plurality of pores. The present invention includes at least first pellets, second pellets and third pellets. The pellets are enclosed within the receptacle. The pellets include a diameter larger than the diameter of the pores and thereby cannot escape the receptacle. The first pellets include an antimicrobial. The second pellets include an antifungal. The third pellets include a moisture absorber.

The present invention relates to a moisture absorbent and, more particularly, to a moisture absorbent and a decontaminant.
In many items, moisture encourages the growth of mold and spoilage. Silica gel packets may be used to remove moisture. However, mold and bacteria may still grow even while using silica gel packets.
As can be seen, there is a need for an improved moisture absorbent that kills bacteria and fungus.


According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a panoramic imaging arrangement comprising a first and second transparent component both rotationally symmetric about an axis of revolution. The first transparent component has an upper surface and a lower surface. The lower surface includes a reflective portion and a refractive portion both about the axis of revolution. The refractive portion extends radially from the axis of revolution to the start of the reflective portion. The second transparent component is attached to the first transparent component at a refractive interface that extends into the upper surface. The second transparent component includes a distal reflective surface. Light from a portion of a surrounding panoramic scene is refracted by a portion of the upper surface, is reflected by the reflective portion of the lower surface through the refractive interface to the distal reflective surface. Once reflected from the distal reflective surface, the light again passes through the refractive interface and exits the first transparent component through the refractive portion of the lower surface.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a panoramic imaging arrangement of the kind capable of capturing, focusing, correcting aberrations and otherwise manipulating colored light received from a part of or all of a 360xc2x0 surrounding panoramic scene.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Paroramic imaging arrangements have become popular in recent years for purposes of viewing 360xc2x0 surrounding panoramic scenes. Older generations of panoramic imaging arrangements generally consisted of revolving periscope-like constructions having relatively complex mechanisms for revolving them. More recently, stationary panoramic imaging arrangements have been developed. A stationary panoramic imaging arrangement generally has one or more lenses, each having a vertical axis of revolution, which are used to refract or reflect light received from a 360xc2x0 surrounding panoramic scene. The lenses alter the direction of the light, after which the light passes through a series of lenses which are located vertically one above the other and which further manipulate the light by, for example, focusing the light or altering the intensity of the light.
The task of receiving light in a sideways direction and altering the direction of the light so that the light then proceeds in a vertical direction is a difficult one. Altering the direction of light to such a degree, especially when coming from a 360xc2x0 surrounding scene, often leads to aberrations in the resulting light. These aberrations may include astigmatism of the light, defects in color of the light, a loss of image plane flatness, and other defects, some of which are subsequently discussed in more detail.
Relatively complex lenses and lens arrangements have been developed in order to overcome these aberrations and produce an acceptable image. These lens arrangements usually include a large number of lenses and oftentimes have lenses with surfaces that are aspherical (see for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,474 issued to Powell). Aspherical lenses are difficult to manufacture and therefore are less practical to manufacture than for example spherical lenses.
Because of the astigmatism induced by steep surfaces, well corrected prior art panoramic optical systems (those that have angles substantially above and below the horizon) have some lenses/mirrors that are considerably larger than the image size. Thus, these optical systems are large and have a maximum clear aperture (largest required lens/mirror diameter) of more than 10xc3x97 the image diameter.
In addition, lenses that include voids (air spaces) can be more difficult to manufacture than solid lenses because of the difficulty in aligning the parts of the lens system.
It would be advantageous to have a panoramic imaging arrangement that is solid, is color corrected, has a maximum clear aperture (largest required lens/mirror diameter) of less than 8xc3x97 the image diameter, and has an increased aperture (of the order of F4.6 as compared to F20).
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a panoramic imaging arrangement comprising a first and second transparent component both rotationally symmetric about an axis of revolution. The first transparent component has an upper surface and a lower surface. The lower surface includes a reflective portion and a refractive portion both about the axis of revolution. The refractive portion extends radially from the axis of revolution to the start of the reflective portion. The second transparent component is attached to the first transparent component at a refractive interface that extends into the upper surface. The second transparent component includes a distal reflective surface.
Light from a portion of a surrounding panoramic scene is refracted by a portion of the upper surface, is reflected by the reflective portion of the lower surface through the refractive interface to the distal reflective surface. Once reflected from the distal reflective surface, the light again passes through the refractive interface and exits the first transparent component through the refractive portion of the lower surface.
Another aspect of the invention is a partial panoramic imaging arrangement that includes a first transparent component about an axis of revolution. The first transparent component has an upper surface and a lower surface. The lower surface includes a first reflective portion and a refractive portion both of these portions about the axis of revolution. The refractive portion is radially inward from said first reflective portion. Light from a greater than 90xc2x0 surrounding partial panoramic scene, is refracted by a portion of said upper surface. The partial panoramic imaging arrangement also includes a second transparent component attached to the first transparent component at a refractive interface. The refractive interface, also about the axis of revolution and extending into the upper surface. The second transparent component also includes a distal reflective surface.
The foregoing and many other aspects of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after having read the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments that are illustrated in the various drawing figures.


A pressure-sensitive adhesive film, comprising a pressure-sensitive adhesive coated on the surface of a film backing, characterized in that the hardness of said film is within the range between H and 3B determined by a pencil scratch test according to JIS K 5400, and that said pressure-sensitive adhesive contains elastic microspheres with an elastic modulus ranging from 1.times.10.sup.4 to 1.times.10.sup.7 dyn/cm.sup.2.

Hitherto, when a pressure-sensitive film to be used for a purpose such as decoration is applied to an adherend, air is often trapped between the pressure-sensitive film and the adherend, which has caused a risk of degrading the external appearance of the adherend. In order to avoid the above defect, a good deal of skill is required, and even if this defect can be eliminated by a skill, much labor is required for squeezing the film, so that a long time has been required for the application thereof.
In the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet material disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Publication (Kokoku) No. 44-17040 and the position-justifiable pressure-sensitive adhesive tape disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 3-181578, concavities are formed in a carrier or carrier web, and non-tacky materials or glass beads are provided in the formed concavities, whereby the pressure-sensitive adhesive is prevented from being in direct contact with the adherend, which results in slidability, and the application becomes easy. However, this pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet material and position-justifiable pressure-sensitive adhesive tape have the problems in that an additional step is required to provide concavities in a carrier or carrier web, that, after a film has been squeezed onto an adherend, the pressure-sensitive adhesive concavities disappear, and the adherend and the pressure-sensitive adhesive cease to be in point contact with each other, so that when air remains in the central part of the film, it becomes unescapable and so forth.
The pressure-sensitive adhesive composition disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Publication (Kokoku) No. 45-17074 is obtained by mixing light, fragile and thin-walled glass beads with a liquid adhesive composition and applying the obtained mixture onto a sheet and drying it. The thus obtained pressure-sensitive adhesive having convex portions is sufficiently slidable and its application is therefore easy. However, this pressure-sensitive adhesive composition has the problem that, after a film has been squeezed onto an adherend, the pressure-sensitive adhesive convex parts disappear, and the adherend and the pressure-sensitive adhesive cease to be in point contact with each other, so that when air remains in the central part of the film, it becomes unescapable.
The gas permeable pressure-sensitive adhesive member disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2-45582 has the structure that a porous gas-permeable substrate is provided with a gas-permeable pressure-sensitive adhesive layer containing hollow beads, and also with many micropores communicating with the pores in this substrate. Such a structure has the problems in that the kinds of usable substrates are limited because of the porosity of the substrate, that a specific equipment is required in order to partially eliminate the pressure-sensitive adhesive liquid from the side of the gas-permeable substrate by a gas blow method or air suction method after the coating of the pressure-sensitive adhesive, and so forth.
The wrapping adhesive tape disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication (Kokai) No. 59-763 is intended for preventing the air from being trapped by partially providing an adhesive layer. This adhesive tape has the problem that, since a pressure-sensitive adhesive needs to be scattered by a dot system, a specific coating machine for this purpose is required.
The repeelable pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Utility Patent) No. 61-168146 is intended for obtaining repeelability by adding a specific amount of elastic microspheres with a specific size into a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer. However, the optimum range of the amount of added elastic microspheres is so wide that the above repeelable pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet cannot substantially be used for the usage of the present invention, requiring permanent adhesion, because of the low adhesive strength. In addition, in the above repeelable pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet, the particle diameter of the elastic microspheres is defined preferably within the range between 1 and 100 .mu.m, so that this adhesive sheet is not suitable for the pressure-sensitive adhesive film which does not trap the air, intended by the present invention. Further, the sheet is not particularly limited, either, so that this repeelable pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet could not be used directly for the pressure-sensitive adhesive film intended by the present invention.

Decorative film with PSA for easy application

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


A drive apparatus includes a housing, an electric motor arranged in the housing, and a worm gear mechanism arranged in the housing. The worm gear mechanism includes a worm gear arranged on a rotor shaft of the electric motor and a gearwheel in engagement with the worm gear and fixedly connected to an output shaft so as to rotate with the output shaft. The electric motor is axially mounted in the housing with one axial end via a stop element and with the opposite axial end via an axial clamping element. The axial clamping element has a spring element, a separate floating holding element, and a separate elastomer element. The holding element is arranged axially between the spring element and the elastomer element.

Worm gear mechanisms belong to the standard gear mechanisms and are usually used as step-down gear mechanisms, high step-down ratios being possible by way of the worm gear mechanism. For example, relatively rapidly rotating electric motors can be used for slow adjustment movements by way of the high step-down ratio which can be realized by way of the worm gear mechanism, a high torque being provided for the adjustment movements. Worm gear mechanisms of this type are used in automotive applications, for example, in electric power steering systems, in window lifter drives or in sunroof drives.
The worm gear mechanisms usually have a worm gear and a gearwheel which engages into the worm gear, the worm gear being driven by an electric motor via a drive shaft, and the gearwheel being connected fixedly to an output shaft so as to rotate with it. The worm gear mechanism can be configured with a second step-down stage for a higher step-down ratio.
For a long service life of the worm gear mechanism, the backlash between the worm gear and the gearwheel which engages into the worm gear should be set in an optimum manner. If the backlash is set to be too great or too small, this results in increased wear which reduces the service life of the worm gear mechanism. In order to ensure the optimum backlash at any time, it is known from the prior art to prestress the worm gear axially. For example, DE 10 2007 038 916 A1 describes a belt tensioner drive for a safety belt, the belt tensioner drive having an electric motor and a double worm gear mechanism. The electric motor drives a worm gear via a rotor shaft, which worm gear engages into a gearwheel which is arranged on an intermediate shaft, the intermediate shaft additionally having a second worm gear which is operatively connected to a second gearwheel. The second gearwheel is connected fixedly to a gear mechanism output shaft so as to rotate with it. In order to set the correct backlash, the belt tensioner drive has an axially prestressed pot bearing, in which the rotor shaft is mounted. The prestress takes place by way of a spring element which is arranged between the axially displaceable pot bearing and the rigid housing. It is a disadvantage of said embodiment that the gear backlash is compensated for via the axially displaceable pot bearing which is prestressed via a spring element, the pot bearing absorbing axial and radial loads, and the sliding faces of the pot bearing and the housing which bear against one another being subject to wear in the case of an axial displacement of the pot bearing, as a result of which the service life of the worm gear mechanism is reduced.

DR. ING. H.C.F. PORSCHE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT


A peak voltage and peak slope detector circuit (41) of high resolution is disclosed for sensing a battery voltage during a battery charging sequence. Battery charging circuitry is disabled when a battery voltage is being sampled to eliminate error due to noise. The battery voltage is sampled at predetermined intervals for a predetermined time period which is determined by a sample timer (46). A Voltage To Frequency Converter (42) converts the battery voltage to a signal. The signal frequency corresponds to the magnitude of the battery voltage. The number of pulses output by the VFC (42) are counted during the predetermined time period. The number of pulses are counted and compared against a previous sample by a counter comparator (44) to determine peak voltage. The peak voltage occurs when the sampled count is less than the previous sample count. The rate of change of the battery voltage is monitored by a second counter comparator (47) for determining peak slope during the battery charging sequence.

This invention relates, in general, to battery charger circuits, and more particularly, to peak voltage and peak slope detector circuits for a battery charger circuit.
Portable electronics such as a CD player, cellular phone, or power tool are powered by battery. Non-rechargeable batteries are not cost efficient for electronic systems that are in constant use. Rechargeable batteries are a popular and cost effective alternative to power most types of electronics. Many different types of rechargeable batteries are currently offered such as Alkaline, Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd), and Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH).
In general, rechargeable batteries are recharged by applying a voltage and current for a predetermined time period. Different battery types have different charging requirements but most can be damaged or have a reduced life when charged improperly. A correct charging procedure requires sensitive circuitry that monitors both battery voltage and current. Typically, a battery charger circuit is designed to automatically shut off when the batteries being charged are fully charged which maximizes the power delivered by the batteries and the number of times they can be recharged.
It would be of great benefit if a circuit could be provided that accurately senses a peak voltage or peak slope of a battery being charged to accurately determine optimum charging of a battery to insure maximum performance and longevity of a battery.

Peak voltage and peak slope detector for a battery charger circuit


The present invention is directed to a technique whereby multiple servers may be contained within single server chassis or housing. This space saving technique is used to increase the server-to-space ratio for purposes of data warehousing facility cost minimization, and to reduce a maximum amount of space required by a large number of servers. Multiple improvements have been made to each of the servers contained within a single server housing to allow for proper functionality of each of the servers contained within a housing. Additionally, the multiple servers of the present invention have many improvements that allow for remote monitoring, maintenance, and reconfiguration by a remote user or system administrator.

The present invention relates to computer networking technology. More specifically, the present invention relates to the configuration of multiple servers within a single server housing.
As the popularity of computer networking increases, the need for application servers has increased dramatically. Often, these network application servers are centrally located in either a data warehousing facility, an internet service provider (ISP) location, or the like.
Regardless of the location in which the network application servers are maintained, the need for minimizing the size of the servers to maximize the server-per-area ratio is universal. For example, if servers are maintained at a data warehousing facility, where space is leased for housing the network application servers, it is desirable to minimize the space required for the maximum number of servers. This allows one to service the maximum number of clients by using a high number of servers while occupying the minimum possible space, and thus paying for less leased space.
To this end a common practice of stacking servers in a shelf-like system has been developed. In this manner, multiple servers may occupy the floor space of a single server plus the space for the rack supporting it. Different stacking systems and rack supporting devices have been developed to minimize the floor space required for a stack of servers. For example, one system requires four posts to hold a stack of servers while another system requires only two posts to support the same stack of servers. However, the problem still exists that once all of the shelves in the stacking system are occupied there is no way to increase the number of servers without leasing more floor space at an increased cost.
It is, therefore, desirable to develop a technique whereby multiple servers may be contained within less space. Such a technique would decrease the overall floor space necessary for a large number of servers, thereby lowering the cost for maintaining a group of servers either in a data warehouse storage facility or other similar facility.
In accordance with the present invention, these objectives are achieved by a technique whereby multiple servers are contained within a single server housing. The present invention is advantageous in that it saves space and reduces costs. For example, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention two servers may be contained within the same chassis normally used to house a single server. Thus, in accordance with this exemplary embodiment, the present invention allows for twice the amount of server capacity within a given space. Therefore, in a rack-based system, wherein servers are housed in a rack-like shelving system, the present invention is able to maximize the number of servers occupying a given area of floor space by increasing the number of servers per unit of rack or shelf space.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the multiple servers contained within a single server housing utilize a number of features that provide utility and convenience for a user. For example, separate indicators associated with each server contained within each chassis are provided, such that a user may visually discern the status of each server contained within the server housing. Additionally, a specially designed cooling unit may be incorporated within the server housing of the present invention to allow for more efficient cooling in a smaller amount of space.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, the multiple servers contained within the single server housing may be connected by way of a crossover cable, thereby allowing a cluster software package to perform server administration jointly to each of the multiple servers.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, the multiple servers of the present invention may be connected to a remote access network such as the Internet. By way of such a network, the multiple servers of the present invention may be accessed remotely, and a remote user or system administrator may reconfigure, or otherwise change the software of the multiple servers.

Multiple server configuration within a single server housing


A medical image display apparatus 1 having a display component 9, an image data storage part 31, an information storage component 32, an operation component 10, and a control part 2. The display component 9 displays a medical image display screen P on which image display regions P1 to P4 are defined. The image data storage part 31 stores image data of medical images. The information storage component 34 stores process associating information 32a for associating combinations of the image display regions P1 to P4 with the processing content of image data of medical images. The control part 2, when two medical images displayed on different image display regions of the image display regions P1 to P4 have each been designated using the operation component 10, instructs to execute, for at least one image data of said two medical images, the process indicated in the processing content associated with the combination of the image display regions in which these two medical images are displayed by the process associating information 32a.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medical image display apparatus for conducting interpretation of a medical image obtained by a medical image diagnosis apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional medical image diagnosis apparatuses have been widely used for obtaining medical images. Such medical image diagnosis apparatuses include an X-ray diagnosis apparatus, an X-ray CT apparatus, an MRI apparatus, a nuclear medical diagnosis apparatus (e.g. a positron emission computed tomography apparatus, a single photon emission computed tomography apparatus), and an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus, and so on.
The obtained medical image will be displayed on the medical image display apparatus and provided for interpretation. Incidentally, a system configured to save the obtained medical image in a database and download the desired medical image from the database to the medical image display apparatus has also been put into practical use.
Such medical image display apparatuses include 2D viewers capable of displaying only two-dimensional medical images and 3D viewers capable of also displaying 3-dimensional medical images. Herein, the three-dimensional medical images are pseudo three-dimensional images generated by creating volume data with layers of a plurality of tomographic images and rendering this volume data.
The medical image display apparatus is equipped with various types of functions for improving the accuracy of interpretation or diagnosis, facilitating work, and so on. Examples of such functions include the following: a function for displaying medical images by unit of study, series, and image; function for enlarging, reducing, rotating and panning images; a function for measuring distance, planar dimension, and angle (such as a bone and an affected area) in medical images (e.g., cf. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-8535); and a function for inputting an annotation (such as arrows, graphics, and characters) into medical images (e.g., cf. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-8535).
Incidentally, in systems compliant with DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine), the standard for digital medical images, medical images are managed hierarchically such as an upper-level hierarchy "Study," mid-level hierarchy "Series," and lower-level hierarchy "Image."
In addition, 3D viewers are equipped with the following functions: a function for performing rotation or the like to the volume data; function for displaying a MPR (MultiPlanar Reconstruction) image based on the volume data (e.g., cf. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-127); a function for displaying an oblique image based on the volume data (e.g., cf. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H8-212391); and a function for capturing a displayed image as a two-dimensional image. The captured image will be stored as a new series belonging to that study. Incidentally, an oblique image refers to a cross-sectional image inclining at any angle to the slice plane.
These functions are designed to be selectively executed by a user operating various types of software keys, such as buttons displayed on the screen, using a mouse or the like.
When conducting interpretation work with the medical image display apparatus, software keys are also displayed on the screen on which the medical image is displayed. Therefore, a disadvantage has occurred wherein, when displaying a medical image with large size on the display screen, the software keys are displayed overlapping the medical image and therefore part of the image cannot be observed.
Incidentally, avoiding this overlapping display of the software keys requires an arrangement in which the software keys are arranged at the peripheral edge of the display screen and medical images are displayed in the other separate display region. However, the size of the displayed medical image is reduced, disadvantageously making it more difficult to observe the details of the medical image or the like.
Herein, it is also conceivable to enlarge the display region of the medical image by enlarging the screen size of the display, or by scroll display of the medical image, and so on. However, the former results in increased cost or the like and the latter causes disadvantages such as complicating the observation work. Therefore, these remedies are far from an acceptable solution from the viewpoint of the users.
In addition, it is also conceivable not to display the software keys during the interpretation work, whereby the software keys are displayed by conducting a predetermined operation when the above functions are used. However, for that purpose, the following procedure is required: (1) display the software keys, (2) perform the desired function with the software keys, and (3) hide the software keys. Therefore, a problem occurs in that the operating procedure becomes more complicated compared to the traditional configuration in which only step (2) is performed.

Medical image display apparatus in which specification of a medical image enables execution of image processing