A friction stir method includes providing a joining tool, a mold comprising a top surface and a cutout defined from the top surface, and a workpiece comprising a treatable layer and arranged on the top surface of the mold. The joining tool resists the workpiece, and rotates and moves to agitate the treatable layer of the workpiece along an extending direction of the cutout of the mold, until a protrusion integrated with the workpiece is formed in the cutout of the mold.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to component fabrication, and particularly, to a friction stir welding method using a joining tool without a mixing pin.
2. Description of Related Art
Often, protrusions or depressions are formed on a metallic plate or elastic plate by, cutting to remove material from the plate, combining separate elements, or deforming an element using a predetermined mold. The cutting method provides products with a complex shape, but production efficiency is relatively low. Production efficiency of the combining and the deforming methods is relatively high, but it is difficult to provide products with complex shape. Thus, different methods are selected according to different requirements.
Patterns on a mold may be printed on a plate by stamping or forging. However, stamping force should correspond to a transferring area, thus a strong stamping force is needed. Therefore, the stamping method can only be used on small plates. Even so, the stamping force applied on a part of the plate may bend and warp the plate.
In order to decrease the requirement for stamping force in the stamping method, the entire plate may be heated to soften. However, it is inconvenient to apply the heating process to the entire plate if it is a large sized plate. Therefore, a method of heating a part of the plate is promoted. However, the plate may partially expand after heating, with internal stresses generated after the partially heated plate is cooled. As a result, the plate can bend and deform. It can be seen that, for a plate of relatively large size, problems occur in formation of protrusions and depressions thereon.
Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.

Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd.


A semiconductor encapsulation material of the present invention contains a glass for metal coating which has a strain point of 480° C. or higher, a temperature corresponding to a viscosity of 104 dPa·s of 1,100° C. or lower, and a thermal expansion coefficient at 30 to 380° C. of 70×10−7 to 110×10−7/° C. The semiconductor encapsulation material of the present invention contains no environmentally harmful substances, has a heat resistance temperature as high as 500° C. or above, and can be used for the encapsulation of metals susceptible to oxidation, e.g., Dumet.

Thermistors, diodes, and the like are known as encapsulated-semiconductor parts. A thermistor, for example, is an encapsulated-semiconductor part in which the semiconductor has the property of changing in electrical resistance with increasing temperature. By taking advantage of this property and measuring the electrical resistance of the semiconductor, temperature can be determined with the part.
In particular, as shown in the sole prior art FIGURE, a thermistor 10 called a bead thermistor or glass thermistor includes a semiconductor (thermistor chip) 1, lead wires 2, and a semiconductor encapsulation material 3. The thermistor chip 1 and part of the lead wires 2 have been coated and encapsulated with the semiconductor encapsulation material (glass for metal coating) 3, so that the thermistor 10 can be used at high temperatures and in oxidizing atmospheres. Examples of the thermistor chip 1 include oxide materials and non-oxide materials constituted of at least one member selected from the group consisting of nitrides, carbides, borides, and silicides, and oxide materials are in extensive use mainly from the standpoint of properties or cost. As the lead wires 2, Dumet wires (Fe—Ni alloy coated with Cu) and the like are used.
Such a glass for metal coating is required to satisfy, for example, the following: (1) to have a thermal expansion coefficient which matches with those of the lead wires and semiconductor chip so that the encapsulation of the lead wires and the semiconductor chip does not result in cracking; (2) to be usable in encapsulation at a temperature lower than the heat resistance temperature of the lead wires; and (3) not to contain any harmful substance, e.g., lead.
Hitherto, borosilicate glasses have been proposed as glasses for metal coating which meet such requirements (see, for example, JP-A-2002-37641 and JP-A-2003-17632). Furthermore, an aluminosilicate glass (e.g., WO 2006/35882) has been proposed as an encapsulation glass for thermistors to be used at high temperatures.
In recent years, a heat source in, e.g., a building or the combustion system of a power generator have been required to be kept in an optimal operating state in order to minimize CO2 or NOx, emission in environmental measures for carbon dioxide reduction and acid rain prevention or from the standpoint of ensuring safety. For optimizing the state in which a gas, oil, or the like burns in the heat source or combustion system, it is necessary to directly monitor the temperature in the combustion chamber and automatically control the heat source or combustion system. The thermistors to be used in this application must have a heat resistance temperature of about 600° C.
However, since glass thermistors employing the glasses described in JP-A-2002-37641 and JP-A-2003-17632 have low heat resistance and these glasses for metal coating soften or deform upon exposure to an atmosphere of 500 to 600° C., these glasses cannot hence be used in such applications.
On the other hand, the glass for metal coating described in WO 2006/35882 has been designed to be applied to lead wires made of platinum, and encapsulation therewith is conducted at a temperature as high as above 1,000° C. Because of this, when a metal susceptible to oxidation, e.g., Dumet, is used as lead wires, the lead wires are oxidized to form a brittle oxide on the surface thereof. This oxide is apt to be peeled off from the metal and, hence, the encapsulated part readily deteriorates. Consequently, such metals cannot be used.

Semiconductor encapsulation material and method for encapsulating semiconductor using the same


As set forth herein, a finisher module within an automated print system is described. A compiler delivery system receives and organizes one or more sheets in a predetermined configuration for delivery. A compiling belt system receives the one or more sheets from the compiler deliver system, locates the one or more sheets and transports the sheets concurrent to one or more finishing processes. A side tamper system moves alongside the compiling belt system to side tamp and register sheets in the cross process direction. A stapler/stitcher assembly moves alongside the compiling belt system to perform at least one of a stapling and a stitching operation as the one or more sheets are transported.

Automated production is utilized by today's printers to output large capacity jobs. Such production can require any number of operations including printing, collating, cutting, stapling, stitching, etc. to output a product that meets predefined specifications. Bottlenecks within the production operation can slow or stop output. These inefficiencies can occur due to substandard designs, mechanical failure, control malfunction and the like.
In one example, finishing systems that create stapled or stitched cut sheet sets can be slowed by a number of processes. For instance, final set registration, stitching/stapling, and set ejection operations can hamper output. Typically, although time is allocated to perform these functions, they can nevertheless extend beyond the time available prior to the arrival of the next incoming sheets or sets. Thus, finishing operations can create a negative impact on productivity and work flow (e.g., skip pitches).
Buffering techniques and/or multiple compiler stations have been employed to overcome such inefficiencies. However, buffering can limit the page sizes employed and/or the size of a print job. This problem becomes even more challenging, costly and prohibitive as the volume rate or sheets per minute requirements increase (especially at the production market volume values). Therefore, productivity is decreased especially with regard to small stapled/stitched sets.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system that overcomes inefficient print production output, especially at it relates to finishing processes.

Compiling belt system with moving stapler


A conveyor system for conveying containers, pallets and the like, or bulk material comprises a drum tube which extends along a longitudinal axis and has a first end and a second end opposite the first end, an electrical drive unit which is designed to exert a conveyor torque from a first axle onto the drum tube, a cartridge tube secured torque-resistantly and coaxially in the drum tube, and a cover rotatably mounted on the first axle and which covers one end of the cartridge tube. The electrical drive unit is arranged inside the cartridge tube and the cartridge tube is secured coaxially inside the drum tube.

Conveyors of this type are used for different purposes in logistics applications. A conveyor according to the invention may be a drum motor, for example, or a motorised roller having a drum body. Accordingly, a drum body can also be understood to be a supporting tube or outer tube of a motorised roller or roller body.
Drum motors are deployed, for example, in such a way that they are mounted in a frame by means of an axle, which is then attached stationarily in relation to the frame and torque-resistantly to the frame. The drum body rotatably mounted on an axle is driven and made to rotate by means of a drive unit inside the drum body. The drive unit is supported by the axle and is connected to the drum body on the driven side. The drum motor can be used to drive other devices, for example, a conveyor line consisting of a plurality of conveyor rollers, by means of a belt or the like. The drum motor can also be used directly as a conveyor element in a conveyor line and can carry the conveyed item and convey it by rotation of the drum body. One preferred use is to dispose the drum motor as a drive element at the end of a conveyor belt system and to drive a conveyor belt, which is partly wound around the drum body, and to make it move by rotation of the drum body. Another use consists in disposing the drum motor as a drive element in the middle of the lower run, with the conveyor belt being wound partly around and driven by the drum body.
Drum motors with different driving power are known from the prior art. The driving power ranges from about 10 W to 6 KW and can transmit a torque of up to 1000 Nm via the drum body. Due to their particular construction, drum motors are characterised by the specific problem of heat being difficult to dissipate from the drive means, which is disposed inside the drum body for compact construction. For some drum motors with high power ratings, filling the drum body with oil is, therefore, an established technique in the prior art for ensuring that the drum motor remains thermally stable even under heavy loads. However, due to higher levels of efficiency, it is possible in some cases to dispense with filling the drum body with oil even when such components are used. A gearless electrical drum motor having a plurality of electrical stator windings and a shared, permanently excited rotor or an identical number of mechanically connected, permanently excited series of rotors is known from DE 20 2012 000 793 U1. The single electrical stator windings are connected electrically and mechanically in such a way that they can be connected individually or collectively in order to adjust the power of the drum motor to the load requirements.
In contrast to drum motors, motorised rollers for roller drives are generally equipped with a drum body of smaller diameter, referred to here as a drum tube, and typically have a power rating of less than 100 W, typically in the range between 10 and 40 W. Such roller drives are used to carry and convey items in roller conveyor lines. Roller conveyors can be combined with a plurality of idle rollers arranged in parallel, which are driven by the motor-driven conveyor roller via a belt drive or chain drive, as the case may be. In curved roller conveyors, the rollers are arranged with their axes at an angle to each other.
The drum motors and roller drives can be used, for example, to convey pallets, to convey parcels in parcel dispatch centres, to convey containers in depots of various kinds, or for transporting luggage in airports, and in numerous other applications.
The invention is based on the realisation that conveyors must be produced in different lengths according to the field of application, depending, for example, on the size of the items being conveyed or on conditions on the specific premises. According to the prior art, producing conveyors of different lengths is only economical if a limited assortment of conveyors is offered in different, discrete lengths. Fulfilling individual customer wishes concerning the length of a conveyor invariably makes production more complex and expensive, in that customised sizes of conveyor rollers must be designed. This is a general problem that arises, particularly when supplying spare parts for defective rollers, or when small follow-up deliveries are made.

Conveyor device for conveyor installations, a modular system, and a method for producing such a conveyor device


An elastic member attaches a sensor device having a sensor protrusion portion into a through hole of a sensor attachment member in such a manner that the elastic member is temporarily assembled onto the sensor protrusion portion and inserted together with the sensor protrusion portion into the through hole. The elastic member includes a hollow portion and a rear end portion having a rear end flange and a bead portion. The rear end flange protrudes from an outer circumferential surface of the rear end portion for locking on a peripheral portion of one end of the through hole. The bead portion is elastically deformable and protrudes from either or both of one surface of the rear end flange facing the sensor device and the other surface of the rear end flange facing the sensor attachment member.

The inventor of the present invention has been disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H10-122914 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,945,606), which is an elastic member for attaching a sensor device having a protruded portion in a through hole of a sensor attachment member by attaching one-touch operation.
As illustrated in FIG. 5A, the elastic member 1 for attaching a sensor device 2 has therein a hollow portion 40 for attaching a sensor protrusion portion 3 of the sensor device 2. The elastic member 1 is formed by integrally molding of a fore end portion 6 having a fore end protrusion 9 and a fore end flange 10, an intermediate portion 7 including a tapered portion 13 which covers part of the sensor protrusion portion 3 and an intermediate protrusion 14, and a rear end portion 8 having a rear end flange 17. The elastic member 1 for attaching the sensor device 2 is temporarily assembled onto the sensor protrusion portion 3 of the sensor device 2 and inserted into a through hole 5 of a sensor attachment member 4. After the fore end flange 10 is passed through the through hole 5, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, the fore end flange 10 and the rear end flange 17 is locked on the open end peripheral portion of the through hole 5 so that the fore end protrusion 9 is engaged with a concavity 16 of the sensor protrusion portion 3. Thus, the sensor device 2 is thereby firmly attached to the sensor attachment member 4.
However, if the intermediate portion 7 of the elastic member 1 for attaching the sensor device 2 is so formed that the length of the intermediate portion 7 in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 5 is equal to the upper limit value of tolerance, a gap is produced between the sensor attachment member 4 and the elastic member 1, as illustrated in FIG. 5D. If vibration is applied with the gap present as described above, the elastic member 1 for attaching the sensor device 2 is also vibrated. Therefore, wear, cracking, or the like may be produced in the elastic member 1, so that the sensor device 2 drops off.
Further, if the through hole 5 of the sensor attachment member 4 is so formed that the diameter of the through hole 5 is equal to the lower limit value of tolerance, as illustrated in FIG. 5C, the fore end protrusion 9 of the elastic member 1 for attaching the sensor device 2 does not go back to the concavity 16 of the sensor protrusion portion 3. Therefore, the required holding power for holding the sensor device 2 cannot be obtained, so that the sensor device 2 may drop off.

Elastic member for attaching sensor device and sensor using the same


A drive system for a weaving loom includes at least one four-pivot three-link drive or preferably two such drives for transmitting drive power from a main loom shaft through a cam drive to a slay shaft coupled to the cam drive through the four-pivot three-link drive. The use of two four-pivot three link drives permits operating the weaving loom selectively for producing terry cloth and/or smooth fabric. Each of the four-pivot three-link drives (DL, DR) has four pivots or journals (A, B, C, D) and three links (24, 38, 43; 25, 40, 44). Each four-pivot three-link drive cooperates with a roller carrying cam follower (15) that is controlled by an eccentric cam assembly (7). Both four-pivot three-link drives effectively operate the slay shaft (46) of the loom. A control and engagement mechanism (33, 54) provides for the switching from one four-pivot three-link drive to the other and vice versa, whereby a switch-over from the production of one type of fabric to the other is facilitated.

Looms for weaving terry cloth require gear drives that are capable of driving two different motion sequences, since it is necessary to position the slay shaft at different angular orientations for the formation of the terry loops or nap. For example, one orientation of the slay shaft must enable the formation of a partial beat-up for forming the pile depth of the warp threads for the terry cloth being woven, while the other angular position of the slay shaft must enable the full beat-up motion of the reed.
European Patent Publication EP-0,350,446 (Spiller et al.), published Jan. 10, 1990, describes a method and a loom for weaving terry cloth with features for the terry pile or nap formation. In the known loom the several angular positions of the slay shaft and thus of the reed are achieved in accordance with the principle of a so-called toggle slay comprising a plurality of articulated toggle levers. One of these articulated toggle levers bears against an eccentric cam assembly which is rigidly coupled to the main drive shaft of the loom. The toggle levers influence the angular position of the reed relative to a cam follower lever also referred to herein as roller carrying lever or simply as cam follower. The toggle lever is connected to a respective adjustment drive for varying or adjusting the position of the toggle lever, whereby the just described features of the known apparatus make it possible to adjust the toggle lever translation ratio of the toggle slay in the direction of the reed or rather relative to the beat-up line.
In connection with the use of a gear drive which cooperates with a toggle slay, there is the drawback that the kinematic system altogether is inherently "soft". In the present context the term "soft" means that the position of the pivots or journal axis of the system cannot always be exactly reproduced to assume the same position at all times. This drawback of a toggle slay leads to a certain inaccurate beat-up motion of the slay for the formation of the terry pile or nap. The adjustment drive of the known slay drive system has a spindle for the adjustment and positioning. Nevertheless, such a spindle drive has the disadvantage that it is not compatible with the high r.p.m. of the main loom drive shaft because a rapid sequence of adjustment motions is necessary and such motions have their speed limitation when a toggle slay is used.
Furthermore, the use of a plurality of interacting toggle levers has the disadvantage of a substantial inertia which also militates against the use of a high speed drive shaft r.p.m. The inertia of the toggle lever system also has an adverse influence on the wear and tear resistance of the bearings in the entire system.

Drive system for a loom slay shaft for producing terry or smooth fabric


A pixel circuitry of a display device and a display method thereof are provided herein. The pixel circuitry includes a scan switch, a storage element, and a sampling circuitry. The scan switch has a first terminal coupled to a data line and configured to be asserted according to a scan signal. The storage element is coupled to a second terminal of the scan switch and configured to store a pixel voltage from the data line. The sampling circuitry is configured to sample the stored pixel voltage of the storage element and to obtain a reference voltage for the display device according to the sampled signal. By sampling the stored pixel voltage of the storage element, whether the pixel voltages with different polarities are symmetry can be detected for avoiding flickers.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a pixel circuitry of a display device, and more particularly, to a pixel circuitry that calibrates a common voltage of the display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
With great advance in the techniques of electro-optical and semiconductor devices, flat panel displays, such as liquid crystal displays (LCD), have enjoyed burgeoning development and flourished in recent year. Due to the numerous advantages of the LCD, such as low power consumption, free of radiation, and high space utilization, the LCD has become the main stream in the market. The LCD panel has no capacity of emitting light by itself so that a backlight module is disposed back to the LCD panel to provide a surface light source required by the LCD panel. The LCD panel displays the images by controlling an orientation direction of the liquid crystal to adjust a light transmittance and a light reflectance of the light source.
Generally, a pixel electrode and a common electrode are coupled to two terminals of the liquid crystal layer, respectively. A voltage of the pixel electrode varies with pixel signals, and the common electrode may be coupled to a common voltage. As known, the orientation direction of the liquid crystal is controlled by a voltage difference between two terminals of the liquid crystal layer and the electric field direction applied on the liquid crystal layer. In order to avoid liquid crystal polarization, polarity inversion is often performed on the LCD. Namely, voltages with different polarities, such as positive polarity and negative polarity, are alternatively used for driving liquid crystal at different time. Whether the voltage applied to the liquid crystal is the positive polarity or the negative polarity is determined according to the electric field direction applied on the liquid crystal. If the voltage of the pixel electrode is greater than the common voltage, the liquid crystal is driven with the positive polarity voltage. Otherwise, the liquid crystal is driven with the negative polarity voltage.
However, human eyes may perceive flickers on the display panel while performing polarity inversion since the common voltage provided to the common electrode would be affected by ambient temperature and then causes the positive polarity voltage and the negative polarity voltage are not symmetric. Generally, additional devices, such as a photo sensor, a flicker checker, and some related devices, are needed to adjust the common voltage before the LCD is shipped out from the factory. When the LCD is turned on, the photo sensor senses lights, which transmits through the liquid crystal and emits to the display panel, and thereby generates an electronic signal to the flicker checker. When the flicker checker shows that the electronic signal overly rises and falls, the flickers may occur on the display panel, so the common voltage should be manually calibrated. For example, a variable resistor or a digital to analog converter associated with the common voltage is adjusted.
The operations of sensing the lights and adjusting the common voltage should be carried out until the LCD system gets into thermal equilibrium for ensuring the calibration of the common voltage is correct. As a result, the calibration of the common voltage consumes time and hardware cost. In addition, inaccuracy calibration may occur during manual adjustment process.

Pixel circuitry of display device and display method thereof


The present invention provides a signal assessment system for assessing air traffic control signals, the signal assessment system comprising at least two wireless signal receivers configured to receive wireless signals, a signal comparator coupled to the wireless signal receivers and configured to compare the received wireless signals and to provide respective comparison results, and a user indicator coupled to the signal comparator configured to indicate to a user based on the comparison results if the received wireless signals originate from the same wireless source signal or if the received wireless signals originate from different wireless source signals. Further, the present invention provides a signal assessment method.

Although applicable in principal to any system that is used for wireless communication, the present invention and its underlying problem will be hereinafter described in combination with air traffic control systems.
Air traffic control communication systems are used for communication between air traffic controllers and the pilots in the aircraft. Such signals usually use amplitude modulated signals to transmit voice data. However, when two amplitude modulated signals are transmitted at the same time, the signal with the lower signal level may be completely masked or hidden by the signal with the higher signal level.
In modern air traffic control systems a single air traffic controller operates a system with multiple radios. Such a system may e.g. comprise three radios each with an individual antenna. The antennas of the single radios are usually distributed at different locations, such that the single antennas may receive different signals.
Usually a best signal selection is performed in the air traffic control systems and only the signal with the strongest signal is provided to the air traffic controller.

Signal assessment system and signal assessment method


An optical lens blank includes a first and a second lens surface, which are arranged opposite each other and which are delimited at a lens circumference, wherein the first lens surface has a surface geometry that corresponds to a first partial cutout from a first melon shape. A range of blanks consisting of such lens blanks have first lens surfaces of varying degrees of curvature, wherein the different degrees of curvature are based on different melon shapes. Finally, a method for producing a spectacle lens from such an optical lens blank includes mechanically shaping at least the first or second surface, and separating a cutout from the mechanically shaped lens blank.

Optical lens blanks for producing spectacle lenses are often produced, without cutting, from plastic or silicate glass and preferably have a circular lens circumference. Lens blanks made of plastic are generally obtained by moulding or injection moulding, and lens blanks made of silicate glass are generally produced by immersing heated glass rounds into moulds. The lens blanks often already have a first lens surface (in most cases the front) with an optical effect, that is to say the first lens surface does not have to be reworked. An opposite second lens surface (in most cases the rear) is later reworked by means of CNC machinery.
The second lens surface is reworked in most cases according to a prescription that describes the individual visual defect of a prescription holder. To rework the second lens surface, a prescription surface is calculated on the basis of the prescription and of the geometry of the first lens surface. This prescription surface is worked out from the second lens surface and then, together with the first lens surface, forms a prescription lens which corrects the visual defect of the prescription holder. To this end, mechanical working is in most cases first carried out, for example, by turning, milling and grinding. The mechanical working is then followed by a polishing operation. In this operation, the roughness of the surfaces is reduced to such an extent that light is no longer improperly scattered and the lens is thus transparent. A spectacle lens is finally obtained by adapting the circumference geometry of the lens blank to a spectacle frame, often referred to as "edging."
Particularly for the correction of presbyopia, it may be necessary for the spectacle lens to have several focuses. The crystalline lens curves to different extents depending on the distance of the object. In presbyopia, this elasticity is limited: the crystalline lens hardens and becomes thicker. This has the effect that the visual defect of the eye for objects at a short distance from the eye (near vision) is different than the visual defect for objects at a far distance (distance vision). To be able to see objects clearly at all distances from the eye, the focus of the eye has to be corrected, depending on the distance of the object from the eye, by a defined focus of a lens. By producing the prescription surface, it is possible to configure a lens in such a way that it has a plurality of focuses in different zones of the spectacle lens. The zone within the spectacle lens is changed by a modification of the viewing direction.
If a spectacle lens has two different focuses, generally one for distance vision, and one for near vision in the lower area of the spectacle lens, then the lens is designated as a bifocal lens. Lenses of this kind are, in most cases, distinguishable by a visible transition between the two areas. If the focus frequently changes to another as the viewing direction changes, in particular, from up to down, the lens is designated as a multifocal lens. In this case, the focus can also be continuously variable.
Most lens blanks for producing spectacle lenses have both a spherical front and a spherical rear. Spherical is to be understood as meaning that the surface is a segment of a sphere or that all the points on the surface lie at a common distance or radius from a center point of the sphere.
Moreover, EP 1 990 676 A2 discloses a lens blank which is asymmetrical and in which only the rear is intended to be reworked. The front of the lens blank is formed by two partial surfaces. While the main surface is a sphere, a toric surface is arranged decentrally in the main surface. This toric surface has a lesser curvature than the main surface and is intended to be arranged subsequently in the lower area of the spectacle lens, in particular, in the area of the spectacle lens that is intended to correct the visual defect in the near-vision range. Toric surfaces or toric lenses serve not only to correct short-sightedness or far-sightedness but also to compensate for astigmatism. Their design is more complicated. On a prescription for toric lenses, the strength is noted in three parts. The individual parts are designated as sphere (sph.), cylinder (cyl.) and axis.
A disadvantage of EP 1 990 676 A2 is that the prismatic effect in the horizontal direction is not taken into consideration. The resultant blurring in the viewing directions to the left and right is an inconvenience to the person wearing the spectacles and, e.g., in the case of a vehicle driver who glances over his shoulder through such spectacles, it also poses a danger to himself and to others. This blurring also means that people wearing such spectacles often also suffer from nausea, headaches and feelings of dizziness. Moreover, the aesthetics of the spectacle lens are impaired, since the transition from the spherical surface to the toric surface on the front of the lens can be seen, in particular, through reflection of light.

Optical lens blank, a blank assortment and a method for the production of lenses


A method, comprising: periodically enabling reception of a signal at a receiver, every first time; transforming the received signal in order to determine data in the received signal; comparing the determined data with reference data; and using the difference between the determined data and the reference data to estimate a correction to a multiple of the first time in order to determine a distance between the receiver and an origin of the signal.

In many situations, it is desirable to determine the distance from one point to another, for example, to locate an object. It is possible to determine a distance between two points by using radio frequency (RF) waves. Some methods of distance determination involve using a first device to transmit an RF signal to a second device, and determining the distance between them by analyzing the attenuation that has occurred during the propagation of the signal.
Other methods of distance determination involve determining the time of flight of a signal that is transmitted from a first device to a second device and then using the equation:d=c×ttof  (1)where d=the distance between the first and second devices, c is the speed of light and ttof is the time of flight.
In order to make estimate the distance as accurate as possible, the time of flight should be determined with as little error as possible.


A replacement heart valve assembly has a stent frame and a replacement valve. The replacement valve has a plurality of leaflets and a valve frame. The leaflets are attached to the valve frame. Further, the assembly has a plurality of suspension struts attached to the stent frame and the valve frame. The valve frame is suspended within the stent frame via the suspension struts. In some embodiments, the assembly further has a sealing member attached to the stent frame to prevent leakage around the replacement heart valve assembly.

It is known that heart valve insufficiency, stenosis, and defects can result in mortality of a patient. Heretofore, a variety of methods and devices have been designed to allay such conditions. One particular option is to use a replacement heart valve. Moreover, various types of replacement heart valves are implanted via minimally invasive techniques, for example transcatheter implantation.
One particular type of congenital defect is a bicuspid aortic valve. Bicuspid aortic valves are present in approximately 1%-2% of the general population and can lead to additional heart complications. C. Ward, Clinical Significance of the Bicuspid Aortic Valve, 83 Heart 81, 82 (2000). For example, approximately 50% of adults affected by severe aortic stenosis have a bicuspid aortic valve. Id.
In addition, while existing technologies offer some solutions for patients suffering from stenosis and/or valve insufficiency, these existing technologies suffer from a number of problems in bicuspid aortic valve applications. In particular, existing transcatheter valve replacement technologies have difficulty with bicuspid valves since the geometry of the existing valve tends to force the replacement valve out of round. This leads to increased stress within the replacement valve, reduced coaptation, and, consequently, reduced valve life. Therefore, there is a need for effective treatment options for individuals having congenital bicuspid valves or valves that have begun to function like bicuspid valves due to plaque build-up on the valve.
The art referred to and/or described above is not intended to constitute an admission that any patent, publication or other information referred to herein is "prior art" with respect to this invention. In addition, this section should not be construed to mean that a search has been made or that no other pertinent information as defined in 37 C.F.R. §1.56(a) exists.
All US patents and applications and all other published documents mentioned anywhere in this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Without limiting the scope of the invention a brief summary of some of the claimed embodiments of the invention is set forth below. Additional details of the summarized embodiments of the invention and/or additional embodiments of the invention may be found in the Detailed Description of the Invention below.


Image feature trackability ranking systems and methods are disclosed. A method of establishing a trackability ranking order from tracked image features within a training video sequence at a tracking analysis device includes establishing a tracking region within the training video sequence using a feature detection algorithm. Trajectories of tracked image features within the tracking region are compiled using a feature tracking algorithm. Saliency metrics are assigned to each one of the trajectories of tracked image features based on one or more feature property measurements within the tracking region, and a trackability ranking algorithm that is a function of the saliency metrics and a defined feature trajectory ranking associated with the training video sequence is determined, the trackability ranking algorithm being usable for ranking, based on trackability, tracked image features within another video sequence.

The background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Tracking objects in video streams requires detecting trackable image features in the video data, then detecting movement of the image features from one frame of the video to another. Feature detection algorithms can be quite slow relative to the typical frame rate of video streams. As the frame rate increases or the frame size increases, the feature detection algorithms and tracking algorithms can become computationally bound. In such cases, image features cannot be tracked at high frame rates, which reduces tracking fidelity. Additionally, typical feature detection algorithms are based on properties of static images that are independent of the tracking algorithm applied.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Feature trackability ranking, systems and methods


Method, system, and programs for performing two-factor authentication for a controlled access application via one or more third-party host verification servers. An example method includes receiving a request to a controlled access application after a user has successfully logged into an enterprise system with a first Identifier (ID) factor, the controlled access application requiring additional authentication with a second ID factor, obtaining first information to complete the second ID factor, at least some of the first information being obtained from the user, and generating a first web form using the first information. The method also includes submitting the first web form to a host verification server, receiving an indication of successful verification from the host verification server; and initiating, in response to receiving the indication of successful verification, access to the controlled access application.

Healthcare organizations often provide functionality that, by regulation, must be protected by strong authentication requirements to ensure controlled access to the information and functionality. To access such functionality, a user is therefore required to create and remember login credentials for the healthcare organization, in addition to various other login credentials. This can be a frustrating experience for the user.

Strong authentication with feeder robot in a federated identity web environment


A radial clock distribution system that converts a standard bus clock signal into two pairs of inverted and non-inverted clocking signals. The two pairs of clocking signals have a lower frequency, have a different phase, and are shifted one clock period apart. The clocking signals are transferred over a first set of signal lines of equal length and impedance to computing systems components that are connected to a synchronous bus. Each component includes at least one clock repeater chip to convert the clocking signals (e.g., change these signals to a 5 volt CMOS level) to a different format. The converted clocking signals are then transferred over a second set of signal lines of equal length and impedance to the gate arrays. The gate arrays includes direct drive circuitry that receives the converted clocking signals and transmits these signals to internal driver circuitry. These signals are transferred over low skew lines. The output of the interval driver circuitry is input to local buffer circuitry that distributes the converted clocking signals to elements of a component for use as clocking signals.

In many computer applications, synchronously operating computing system components communicate with each other over a synchronous bus. Signals transmitted between these components include both command and data information.
When a synchronous bus is used to couple a number of synchronously operating computing system components, clocking signals are distributed to each component over the bus. These clocking signals may be generated at a central location and then provided to each component connected to the bus. This type of radially distributed clock scheme is common in computer systems.
Generally, the clocking signals are generated at a central source, such as a bus clock module or utility module. The signals that are generated by the source are usually digital, positive emitter coupled logic (PECL), or emitter coupled logic (ECL) signals.
Each component that is connected to the synchronous bus buffers the clocking signal with a repeater or level converter or other device that carries out the equivalent processing function. Due to the different distances that the clocking signals travel to reach the repeater or level converter at the components, the clocking signals are skewed. Normally, the repeater uses phase locked loop (PLL) or digital locked loop (DLL) techniques to minimize skewing that occurs. When the system can tolerate a greater amount of clock skew, a simple one-to-eight fanout buffer chip may be used. Besides the distance problem, temperature, semiconductor and module processing, voltage levels, load, and other variations are factors which also may affect clocking skew.
There is a need for a clock distribution scheme which reduces clocking skew in components of a computing system connected to a synchronous bus without the need to use digital or phase lock loop devices to avoid jitter and locking problems.

System for radial clock distribution and skew regulation for synchronous clocking of components of a computing system


A control device of a printing execution mechanism executing: first control processing including: conveying a sheet to a first position at which the sheet is held by an upstream holding member of the conveyance mechanism, is not held by a downstream holding member of the conveyance mechanism, and a downstream end of the sheet is located between the upstream and downstream holding members; and printing on a first surface of the sheet; and second control processing including: conveying the sheet to a second position at which the sheet is held by the upstream holding member, is not held by the downstream holding member, and the downstream end of the sheet is located at a more upstream side than the downstream end of the sheet located at the first position; and printing on a second surface of the sheet.

A printer configured to discharge liquid droplets of ink or the like onto a sheet and to form dots for printing has been known. The printer is configured to convey the sheet from an upstream side toward a downstream side with holding the sheet by using a roller disposed at a more upstream side than a printing head and a roller disposed at a more downstream side than the printing head, for example. In this case, a printing on a central part in a conveying direction of the sheet is executed with the sheet being held by both the rollers. Incidentally, a printing adjacent to a sheet end, for example, a downstream end or an upstream end is executed at a state where the sheet is held by one roller and is not held by the other roller.
At the state where the sheet is held only by one roller, the sheet is more likely to be deformed, depending on the gravity, types of the sheet, mounting environments of the printer and the like, as compared to a state where the sheet is held by both the rollers. The deformation of the sheet may vary a gap between the printing head and the sheet and cause the sheet and the printing head to contact each other. For this reason, deterioration of a printing quality such as positional deviation of the dots and smudge of the sheet may be caused due to the deformation of the sheet.
There has been disclosed a technology of contriving a conveying amount of the sheet to shorten a distance from a position on the sheet held by one roller to an end of the sheet when the printing is executed with the sheet being held only by one roller. According to the related-art technology, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the printing quality by suppressing the deformation of the sheet.

Control device and non-transitory computer-readable medium


A subsea well assembly has ability to receive an internal tieback connector when providing full bore access. The subsea well assembly has an inner wellhead housing which has a counterbore at its upper end. A tieback profile is formed in the counterbore. A protective sleeve releasably secures the counterbore, covering the tieback profile. After drilling is completed and tieback installation begins, the protective sleeve is removed. An internal tieback sleeve carried by a tieback funnel engages the tieback profile in the counterbore to secure the tieback funnel to the inner wellhead housing.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to subsea well drilling, and in particular to an apparatus and method for a tieback of a subsea wellhead housing to a production tree at the surface.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In one type of subsea well drilling, a floating vessel will drill the well, cap the well, and then move from the location. Subsequently, the well will be completed by a tieback to a production platform at the surface. In this method, the subsea well will have an outer wellhead housing at the sea floor located at the upper end of a string of large diameter conductor pipe which extends into the well. An inner wellhead housing lands in the outer wellhead housing. Casing secured to the inner wellhead housing extends to a greater depth in the well than the conductor pipe.
The operator drills through the inner wellhead housing to an even greater depth and installs another string of casing. This string of casing is supported by a casing hanger that lands and seals in the inner wellhead housing. Frequently, the operator will then drill to a final depth and install another string of casing supported by another casing hanger which will land in the inner wellhead housing and seal to the bore of the inner wellhead housing. Then, the floating drilling vessel will cap the well and move from the location.
At a later date, a production platform will be installed at the surface in one type of offshore production. The operator will lower a funnel onto the inner wellhead housing, the funnel being located on the lower end of a string of riser. One type of tieback utilizes an external connector that connects the riser to the inner wellhead housing. Another type utilizes an internal connector to connect the funnel and lower end of the riser to the inner wellhead housing. The internal type is generally less expensive, however it has a bore which is smaller than that of the wellhead housing and therefore restricts access to the casing hangers suspended inside the wellhead housing.
An internal wellhead housing tieback connector is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,458, issued Dec. 11, 1990, Stanley Hosie et al. It employs a lockdown sub or tieback sleeve that is carried in an upper position and will move to a lower position when engaged by a running tool. In the lower position, the tieback sleeve will engage a tieback profile formed in the bore of the inner wellhead housing to tightly pull the funnel into engagement with the rim of the inner wellhead housing. The inner diameter of the tieback sleeve is less than the bore of the inner wellhead housing. While this is workable, in some circumstances, operators may wish to have full bore access to the inner wellhead housing.

Full bore internal tieback system and method


A method and system are provided for encoding a picture. The method includes encoding the picture into a first encoded picture using a first universal quantizer. If a size of the first encoded picture is greater than a maximum picture size, the method includes encoding the picture into a second encoded picture using a second universal quantizer. Before a second-pass encoding, the target size and maximum size for each slice is determined. During the second pass encoding, if a size of the encoded slice is greater than the maximum slice size, the method includes encoding the slice using a third local quantizer. If a size of the encoded slice is still greater than a maximum slice size, the method includes dropping coefficients from the encoded slice to ensure that the encoded size never exceeds the maximum size.

Videos include a plurality of sequential pictures displayed one after another. Various techniques exist to convert video into digital form. Digital video is easy to transmit, store, and manipulate. To digitally encode a video, each picture of the video may be digitally encoded. Unfortunately, the resulting encoded picture file may be large and cumbersome. Various compression schemes have been developed to reduce the size of encoded pictures.
Each picture of a video may be encoded individually, either independent of other pictures of the video (intra-coding) or dependent on other pictures of the video (predictive coding). A picture may be organized into slices and further into macroblocks and/or pixel blocks. The encoding process may begin by transforming pixel data of the picture into transform coefficients such as through a discrete cosine transform. The coefficients are then compressed with a quantizer into quantized coefficients. The quantized coefficients are then encoded by a run-length coder. Further encoding (e.g., entropy encoding) may be used for further compressing the resulting bit stream, which is then outputted to a channel, where it may be transmitted or stored.
The size of an encoded picture is influenced by its content, and therefore, it is difficult to predict precisely a file size of an encoded picture in advance. Generally, the selection of a quantizer is the single most significant factor affecting the resulting encoded picture size. However, changes to the quantizer do not always provide a predictable corresponding change to the picture's size. Only quantized coefficients quantized to a nonzero value with a first smaller quantizer may potentially become smaller (and therefore more compressible) when quantized with the second larger quantizer. Any coefficient that is quantized to zero with the first quantizer will remain zero when quantized with the second larger quantizer, therefore not affecting the picture size. Thus, bit rate savings (i.e. the amount of compression) from changing quantizer is dependent on the number of nonzero quantized coefficients.
Moreover, changing the quantizer also can affect the perceived quality of the picture decoded for display. The larger the quantizer (and the higher the compression ratio), the worse the perceived quality of the picture.
Previous approaches to provide an encoded video of a specified size included a trial and error approach. A maximum picture size is determined, and each picture is coded with a first selected quantizer. If the resulting encoded picture exceeds the maximum picture size, a new quantizer is selected and the picture is re-encoded. Thus, several encoding 'passes' over the picture may be required before an encoded picture satisfying the maximum picture size is produced.
The trial and error approach is unsatisfactory for several reasons. It can be time- and resource-consuming due to the number of passes required. The trial and error approach also fails to provide an upper bound on the number of passes over a picture, thus rendering it unsuitable for real-time applications.
A second approach to encode video includes processing each macroblock in the image sequentially, progressively adjusting the quantizer as the encoder encodes the picture. A typical approach is to calculate the average macroblock size and keep track of the number of bits used so far. Before encoding a macroblock, the encoder checks the number of bits it has used so far. If it is using more bits than allocated, it uses a larger quantization step size for the next macroblock. If it is using fewer bits than allocated, it uses a smaller quantization step size for the next macroblock. Unfortunately, this sequential approach is difficult to execute simultaneously across a plurality of processors. In addition, an encoded picture may be encoded with many different quantizers, resulting in annoying variance in perceived visual quality from one macroblock to another when decoded and displayed. Further, the same quantization step size is unlikely to be used again when the image is decoded and re-encoded, resulting in nontrivial multi-generational quality loss.


The present invention is a saccharide-based matrix, and the products resulting therefrom, made from a maltodextrin feedstock subjected to conditions which induce flash flow of the maltodextrin so that the matrix possesses a physically or chemically altered structure from the feedstock. The present invention also includes a method of producing the matrix and of making products which take advantage of the unique properties of the matrix.

The present application is a Continuation-In-Part Application of U.S. application Ser. No. 07/782,430, which was filed on Oct. 25, 1991, for "High Intensity Particulate Polysaccharide Based Liquids."
The present invention relates to a new saccharidebased matrix which can be used in food products, and to a method of making same, as well as methods of using the new material.
Food technology in recent years has focused on providing high quality food products which are low in calorie content and low in cost. Similarly, the pharmaceutical industry is concerned with efficient delivery systems which are relatively inexpensive and accessible. To this end, ingredients are constantly being sought for their versatility and compatibility with major food products and common medicaments, such as analgesics, antibiotics, etc.
Carbohydrates have always been a major component of the human diet. Sugars, in particular, have been used extensively as a food ingredient. Materials containing both simple sugars and polymers of saccharides have also been used as ingredients in food products and in pharmaceutical delivery systems. Food grade saccharides are available as mono-, di-, tri-, tetra-, pentasaccharides and oligomers, and as carbohydrates having a large number of monosaccharide molecules, e.g., greater than 10 monosaccharide units, which are known as polysaccharides.
Saccharide-based products can have varying degrees of low-monomer saccharides, or sugars, oligomers, and polysaccharides, such as starch. Some saccharide-based products are prepared by hydrolysis of starch and are classified by the degree of starch polymer hydrolysis. The measuring unit is referred to as D.E. or dextrose equivalent. D.E. is defined as reducing sugars expressed as dextrose and reported as a percentage of the dry substance.
A saccharide-based product having high short-carbon-chain content, e.g., glucose and low-unit oligomers thereof, usually results in a higher dextrose equivalent, (D.E.). However, saccharide-based material having greater long-carbon-chain content, e.g., high monomer unit oligomers and polymers usually results in a lower D.E. rating.
For example, maltodextrins contain a mix of sugars and polysaccharides which range from long-chain oligomers resulting from starch hydrolysis to sugars having a low number of monomeric units. Under FDA guidelines maltodextrin consists of nonsweet, nutritive saccharide polymers having a D.E. of less than 20, while corn syrup solids is regarded by the FDA as having a D.E. greater than 20. The present inventor, however, refers to maltodextrins collectively as saccharide-based material consisting of nonsweet, nutritive saccharide polymers and other oligomers having six-carbon monomer units which collectively provide a carrier material capable of forming a matrix.
Maltodextrins have been used as a nonfat additive. One of the greatest advantages of maltodextrins is that they do not act adversely on the intestinal tract. Consequently, they are particularly useful as a bulking agent and as a fat substitute. Moreover, maltodextrins are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the United States Food and Drug Administration.
Unfortunately, the ability to disperse maltodextrins and to use them in different products is limited by their physical and chemical cohesiveness. They are unlike their high sugar counterparts in that they are relatively unreactive and physically resistive to mixing and dispersing. While artisans have been able to process sugar to enhance its utility in food and medicaments, the maltodextrins do not appear to be as versatile.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,855,326, issued Aug. 8, 1989, various substances having pharmacological properties were combined with sugar and spun into fibers to produce a water-soluble product. The various examples enumerated in the patent all involved the use of water soluble medicaments and were directed to enhancing the solubility rate of the different substances. The patent describes methods for combining a medicament with any one or more of the water soluble melt spinnable sugars and spinning the combination to produce a readily soluble floss form of the medicament. The disclosure of such patent is incorporated herein by reference.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,532, issued Apr. 30, 1991, oleaginous substances, such as vegetable oil, mineral oil, baby oil, margarine, lanolin, cocoa butter and the like, are disclosed as characteristically lacking affinity for water. The '532 patent explains how this characteristic is altered by mixing the oleaginous substance with sugar and melt spinning the mixture in a cotton candy spinning machine or the equivalent. As so modified the products disperse in water forming a colloidal or pseudo-colloidal dispersion. Such modification enabled such widely disparate procedures as: (a) incorporating shortening oil in a cake mix containing flour but no egg to which water is added to produce a batter; and (b) producing a confection or medicated lozenge by dehydrating the dispersion and allowing the melted residue to solidify. The disclosure of the '532 patent is incorporated herein by reference.
Other disclosures dealing with spinning substances with one or more sugars will be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,873,085; 4,997,856; 5,028,632; and 5,034,421, issued, respectively, Oct. 10, 1989, Mar. 5, 1991, Jul. 2, 1991, and Jul. 23, 1991.
The above-identified disclosures are directed to melt spinning sugar by introducing the sugar to a cotton-candy spinning machine. Generally such equipment is operated at a temperature of around 200.degree. C. at a speed of about 3500 r.p.m. Melt spin in such equipment relies on the characteristics of sucrose, such as high crystallinsity and high physical and chemical lability. Thus, it has been the belief of the artisan that sucrose is an important ingredient in feedstock for melt spin processing.
In fact, attempts to spin low-sucrose-containing saccharides have been generally unsuccessful. Feedstock having low D.E. or no sucrose as a carrier component chars during melt spinning and is generally nonprocessible, especially on a commercial scale.

Saccharide-based matrix incorporating maltodextrin and process for making


In a fixation clip (10) for at least one line (18), with a frame (12) which defines a receiving space (14, 14a, 14b) for the line (18), into which space the line (18) can be introduced such that the frame (12) encloses the line (18) in circumferential direction, wherein an insertion opening (16, 16a, 16b) for the line (18) is provided at the frame (12), and with at least one swivel arm (22, 22a, 22b) mounted on the frame (12), which can be moved from a holding position, in which the line (18) is fixed in the receiving space (14, 14a, 14b), in a swivel direction (S) into an assembly position in which the line (18) can be introduced through the insertion opening (16, 16a, 16b) into the receiving space (14, 14a, 14b), a web (24) is provided, which with a first end is mounted on the swivel arm (22, 22a, 22b) and with a second end is mounted on the inside of the frame (12), wherein the web (24, 24a, 24b) includes at least one joint (34, 34a, 34b) and is folded in the assembly position.

This invention relates to a fixation clip for at least one line, with a frame which defines a receiving space for the line, into which space the line can be introduced such that the frame encloses the line in circumferential direction, wherein an insertion opening for the line is provided at the frame, and with at least one swivel arm mounted on the frame, which can be moved from a holding position, in which the line is fixed in the receiving space, in swivel direction into an assembly position in which the line can be introduced into the receiving space through the insertion opening.
Fixation clips of this type are used to be able to fix a line, for example a cable, in a simple way. Through the insertion opening, the line can easily be inserted into the frame of the fixation clip premounted for example on an attachment part and snap into place in said frame behind the swivel arms, so that a simple, tool-less fixation of the line is possible.
In the case of high pull-out forces on the line it can occur, however, that the swivel arms are moved out of the receptacle against the swivel direction, i.e. turn over to the outside, so that the line no longer is held in the receptacle.

TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH


A method for processing seismic data. The method includes plotting a travel-time curve and one or more actual times that each seismic receiver receives one or more seismograms on a graph. The travel-time curve represents an approximate time that each seismic receiver in a seismic survey area receives the seismograms. The method may further include determining a residual static shift for each seismogram and using the residual static shift to estimate a time shift correction. The residual static shift represents a difference between an actual time in which a seismic receiver received a seismogram and a time on the travel-time curve that corresponds to the actual time. The time shift correction corrects a timing error in the time indicated by the travel-time curve.

1. Field of the Invention
Implementations of various technologies described herein generally relate to seismic data processing, and more particularly, the seismic data in common group-center gathers.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following descriptions and examples are not admitted to be prior art by virtue of their inclusion within this section.
Seismic exploration is widely used to locate and/or survey subterranean geological formations for hydrocarbon deposits. Since many commercially valuable hydrocarbon deposits are located beneath areas of land and bodies of water, various types of marine seismic surveys have been developed.
In a typical land seismic survey, seismic receivers are installed in specific locations around the land in which hydrocarbon deposits may exist. Seismic sources, such as vibrators, may move across the land and produce acoustic signals, commonly referred to as "shots," directed down to the land, where they are reflected from the various subterranean geological formations. Reflected signals are received by the seismic receivers, digitized, and then transmitted to the survey database. The digitized signals are referred to as seismograms and are recorded on the survey database. The seismograms may then be used to represent subterranean geological formations beneath the land. Analysis of the representation may indicate probable locations of hydrocarbon deposits in the subterranean geological formations.
In a typical marine seismic survey, seismic streamers are towed behind a survey vessel. The seismic streamers may be several thousand meters long and contain a large number of seismic receivers, such as hydrophones, geophones, and associated electronic equipment, which are distributed along the length of the seismic streamer cable. The survey vessel may also include one or more seismic sources, such as air guns and the like. The seismic streamers may be in an over/under configuration, i.e., one set of streamers being suspended above another set of streamers. Two streamers in an over/under configuration, referred to as twin streamers, may be towed much deeper than streamers in a conventional single configuration.
As the seismic streamers are towed behind the survey vessel, acoustic signals, commonly referred to as "shots," produced by the one or more seismic sources are directed down through the water into strata beneath the water bottom, where they are reflected from the various subterranean geological formations. Reflected signals are received by the seismic receivers, digitized, and then transmitted to the survey vessel. The digitized signals are referred to as seismograms and are recorded and at least partially processed by a signal processing unit deployed on the survey vessel. The seismograms may be processed in the similar manner as the seismograms acquired from a land seismic survey.

Processing seismic data in common group-center gathers


A scanning optical system includes a light source that emits a plurality of beams, a polygonal mirror that deflects the plurality of beams emitted by the light source to scan within a predetermined angular range, and an imaging optical system that converges the plurality of beams on a plurality of surfaces to be scanned, respectively. The imaging optical system includes a scanning lens and a plurality of compensation lenses located between the scanning lens and a plurality of surfaces to be scanned. The plurality of beams passed through the scanning lens are incident on the plurality of compensation lenses, respectively. Each of the plurality of compensation lenses having an anamorphic surface, shapes of which in a main scanning direction are substantially the same with respect to each other.

The present invention relates to a scanning optical system, and more particularly to a scanning optical system employed in a tandem type color laser printer or the like, for scanning a plurality of beams simultaneously.
Conventionally, a tandem type color laser printer has been known. The tandem type color laser printer typically has four photoconductive drums corresponding to four colors of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan) and B (black). In such a printer, a recording sheet is fed in one direction, and images of respective color components are transferred on the recording sheet sequentially, to form a color image. A scanning optical system for this type of color printer, four laser diodes corresponding to the four colors are provided. Four laser beams emitted by the four laser diodes are deflected by a single common polygonal mirror. The deflected beams are incident on a common fθ lens, which converges the beams on the photoconductive drums, respectively. Typically, compensation lenses that compensate for curvature of field are provided in the vicinity of respective photoconductive drums.
With the above configuration, each of the beam spots formed on the respective photoconductive drums scans as the polygonal mirror rotates. At the same time, the photoconductive drums are rotated. By ON-OFF modulating the beams while they scan on the photoconductive drums, two-dimensional latent images are formed on the photoconductive drums, respectively. The latent images are developed by applying toners of respective colors, and then transfer the developed images on the recording sheet, a color image is formed, and fixed.
In this specification, a main scanning direction and an auxiliary scanning direction will be referred to as follows. With the optical paths on the downstream side of the polygonal mirror being considered to be developed, a direction in which the beam spot scans (moves) on the photoconductive drum (a surface to be scanned) will be referred to as the main scanning direction, and a direction parallel with a rotation axis of the polygonal mirror (i.e., a direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction and on a plane including the optical axis of the scanning lens) will be referred to as the auxiliary scanning direction. Shape and/or power of each element will be described with reference to the main and auxiliary scanning directions on the photoconductive drum.
When a single polygonal mirror is used for deflecting a plurality of beams, by differentiating incident angles of the beams with respect to the polygonal mirror in the auxiliary scanning direction, it becomes possible that all the beams are incident on substantially the same point on the polygonal mirror. With such a configuration, the thickness of the polygonal mirror can be reduced, which lowering manufacturing costs of the polygonal mirror.
When a beam incident on the polygonal mirror has a certain incident angle, the bows of the scanning lines corresponding to the beams have different shapes. In the tandem type color laser beam printer, if the scanning lines have different shapes, color shift occurs in the finally obtained color image. Therefore, it is very important to have similarity in the shapes of the bows.
In the conventional scanning optical system, however, for the beams incident on different incident angles, different compensation lenses for compensating the curvature of field are used. Such lenses are designed so as provide optimum performances to compensate for the curvature of field with respect to the beam passing therethrough. Regarding bows, the scanning optical system may be designed so that the bows are minimized. However, if bows appear due to, for example, assembling errors or the like, since the compensation lenses are not designed to compensate for the bows, the shapes of the bows may be different from each other.
Even if the bows occur due the assembling error or the like, if they have the same shapes, by rotating each compensation lens about an axis extending in the main scanning direction, it is possible to make effects of the bows on the corresponding images identical. If this can be done, even if the bows remain, by appropriately adjusting image signal, the effects of the bows can be removed. However, in the conventional tandem type color laser printer, the shape of bows are different from each other, and therefore, even if the compensation lens for the curvature of field is rotated, the shapes of the bows cannot be made identical.


According to one embodiment, the present invention relates to a method and a system for transmitting bundled electronic payment and remittance advice for facilitating settlement of claim payments between payers (e.g., insurance companies) and providers (e.g., doctors, hospitals) or suppliers. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the method comprises the steps of receiving an electronic transmission from the payer wherein the electronic transmission comprises payment information and remittance advice; separating the payment information and the remittance advice; routing the payment information to a depository associated with the provider for making a payment authorized by the payer; transmitting the remittance advice to an intended recipient; and confirming the payment and transmission of remittance advice to the payer and the provider.

Traditionally, payers and providers have overwhelmingly used paper checks and paper remittance advices to manage the flow of payment and information from the payer to the provider. This paper process is expensive and inefficient for both the payer and provider. Payers need to print checks and paper remittance advices, bundle the checks with the remittance advices, and then absorb the cost of postage to mail the combined payment and remittance advice. Providers bear the cost of processing the incoming mailed payment, manually depositing the check, and manually entering the data from the remittance advice into their accounts receivable system (also known as a patient accounting system or practice management system).
Patient payments (e.g., those payments made from an individual patient directly to a supplier) are also experiencing dramatic changes. Paper checks, long (and still) the dominant form of payment from patients to providers, are declining as a percentage of the payments that flow from patients to providers. Other forms of payment, including but not limited to, credit cards, debit cards, and other electronic payments (e.g., Automated Clearing House (ACH), etc.) are becoming more prevalent in the marketplace.
As an increasing percentage of both payer-to-provider and patient-to-provider payments and remittance information migrate to electronic forms, and the channels through which providers can receive payments and remittance information multiply, there is a need for a single source that can aggregate and process multiple types of payments (e.g., check, credit card, debit card, ACH) concurrent with the movement of electronic remittance advice for posting into provider accounts receivable systems.
A specific illustration of the challenges associated with electronic payment and remittance advice flowing between payers and suppliers can be found in the relationship between health care payers (i.e., health insurers) and health care providers (e.g., hospitals and physicians). After a patient receives treatment from a health care provider, such as a doctor or hospital, the health care provider forwards an invoice in the form of a claim to an insurance company for processing and payment. Upon receipt of the claim, the insurance company will adjudicate the claim, which involves determining whether the policy associated with the patient covers the treatment provided by the health care provider and determining the amount of payment, if any, required by the insurance company to the health care provider. Generally, a contract or other agreement is effective between the health care provider and the insurance company as to what services the insurance company will cover, the appropriate reimbursement for those services and the amount of the payment. After claim adjudication, the insurance company sends a payment (e.g., a check) and a remittance advice (RA) (also known as an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) or voucher) which provides a detailed breakdown of services, explanation of amount paid and/or other information associated with the patient. This RA will include detailed remittance information for each individual claim included in the payment (including charged amount, contracted rate, amount covered, patient responsibility, etc.) and for each of the procedure(s) associated with each claim.
Traditionally, the insurance company prints a check to reimburse a provider for services rendered over a specific time period. The insurance company also prints the RAs associated with the specific claim or claims that the check is intended to cover. Health care RAs contain information for specific health care encounters (e.g., a visit to the doctor or a hospital admission) and contain information regarding the service or services that were provided during that specific encounter. The check and RAs are then mailed to the provider. The provider may send the check to the provider's bank for deposit and a staff member will process the RAs, manually entering the information contained in the multiple RAs on a procedure-by-procedure basis. The check and/or remittance advice may also be mailed to a lockbox processor that processes the check and/or remittance advice on behalf of the provider, depositing the check in the provider's bank account and forwarding the remittance advice information to the provider in paper or electronic format. The information may be entered into an accounts receivable system. The provider must then periodically reconcile the accounts receivable information with the deposits in the provider's bank. The purpose of the reconciliation is to ensure that the payments posted to the accounts receivable system can be matched with the actual deposits made to the provider's bank.
For payers (e.g., insurers), the resources and efforts needed to print checks, print RAs, bundle the checks with the appropriate RAs, and mail the bundled checks and RAs are costly, labor intensive and time consuming. Similarly, for providers (e.g., hospitals, physicians) the resources and efforts needed to process paper checks, manually enter RA data and perform reconciliation are also costly, highly error-prone, labor intensive and time consuming.
In 1996, Congress passed and the President signed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). HIPAA is a federal mandate that sets standards for security, privacy, transaction and code sets, and unique national identifiers that affect the entire health care industry. More specifically, HIPAA calls for standardization of electronic patient health data, administrative and financial data; unique health identifiers for individuals, employers, health plans and health care providers; and security standards protecting the confidentiality and integrity of individually identifiable health information. HIPAA affects all health care organizations, including physician offices, health plans, employers, public health authorities, life insurers, clearinghouses, billing agencies, information systems vendors, service organizations and universities. In addition, HIPAA calls for severe civil and criminal penalties for noncompliance. Some of HIPAA's purposes include streamlining current processes, reducing costs of claims, payment and remittance advice processing, and reducing the amount of paper associated with claims, payment and remittance advice processing.
One of the goals of HIPAA is to standardize basic health care transactions so that variability among providers, payers and consumers may be reduced. HIPAA generally covers health care transactions, which include verifying eligibility, verifying coverage, claims submission, adjudication (e.g., checking claim against the contract), remittance advice (e.g., explanation of what is being paid and why) and payment.
HIPAA sets standards for the electronic transmission of health care payment and remittance advice information. However, HIPAA provides broad latitude in how payers and providers may comply with these standards. Focusing on the HIPAA ASC X12N 835 transaction, which is the Health Care Claim Payment/Advice (and more commonly known as the 835) can provide further insight into the challenges presented by HIPAA. The 835 serves the function of both the paper check and RA, containing detailed payment instruction as well as claim and procedure level detail that explains the payment being made to the provider.
The 835 has a number of fields that it designates "Conditional." That is, in certain circumstances, with certain predecessors, specified fields must be present. Conversely, in other circumstances, with different predecessors, specified fields are unnecessary. In addition, the HIPAA 835 has allowances for many "optional" fields, which a payer can choose to include in a payment advice or not. Because of the permutations associated with the "Conditional" and "optional" fields, individual payers can comply with HIPAA by following dramatically different paths from other individual payers. Consequently, despite HIPAA's goal of standardization of these electronic data exchanges, providers are likely to receive a complex variety of file formats from their payer community.
This variability in compliant payer formats presents significant challenges to providers. Any given provider may have scores of payer trading partners, all submitting HIPAA-compliant 835s in different formats. The burden on the provider to receive multiple different formats of HIPAA-compliant 835s is potentially enormous. Many providers are challenged by the requirement to accept the data that HIPAA requires be contained in an electronic remittance advice. Having to manage the density of data in many different formats only exacerbates the providers' challenges.
In efforts towards HIPAA compliance, different payers and providers may transmit 835 with some variations, which leads to inefficiencies and inconsistencies. In fact, currently there are many short-term approaches being implemented by the numerous payers to become HIPAA compliant. As an example, some payers are developing proprietary websites or bulletin boards to provide EOB data to the providers. Under this system, providers may need to gain access to each individual payer's bulletin board, download the 835, and then determine if the 835 is in a format that is compatible with their accounts receivable system. In the event that the 835 is not compatible with a specific provider's accounts receivable system, the provider may need to post the RA manually, by keystroking the information into an accounts receivable system, or develop a custom work around.
Another example of current compliance efforts may involve requiring a payer to establish an Electronic Data Interface (EDI) connection with individual providers. EDI interfaces are expensive to establish and costly to operate, and generally are employed only between two trading partners with significant volume. These proposed solutions (e.g., bulletin board or EDI) pose potential reconciliation challenges, as payment will flow separately from the remittance advice. These reconciliation challenges can result in financial accounting issues as well as increased customer service call volume and other problems.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a method and system for transmitting and receiving bundled electronic payment and remittance advice which overcomes the above-described inadequacies and shortcomings.

Method and system for providing bundled electronic payment and remittance advice


Methods are provided for authenticating a value article that includes a luminescent material. An exciting light source, an optical filter, a photodetector, a signal manipulation circuit, and an amplifier are provided. The luminescent material is exposed to light produced by the exciting light source. Radiation including light from the exciting light source and emitted radiation from the luminescent material is filtered using the optical filter to produce filtered radiation. The filtered radiation is detected using the photodetector to produce a detected radiation signal. The detected radiation signal is electronically manipulated using the signal manipulation circuit to reduce an effect of light from the exciting light source on an authentication determination based upon the detected radiation signal. The detected radiation signal is amplified with the amplifier after electronic manipulation to produce an amplified electronic signal. The amplified electronic signal or data derived therefrom is converted to an authentication output.

In many applications, it is necessary to distinguish an original article from a copy or counterfeit to validate the original article. An original article that includes an authenticating feature can be validated in many ways. Some methods involve visible (i.e., overt) authenticating features that are disposed on or incorporated into the article, such as a hologram on a credit card, an embossed image or watermark on a bank note, a security foil, a security ribbon, colored threads or colored fibers within a bank note, or a floating and/or sinking image on a passport. While these features are easy to detect with the eye and may not require equipment for authentication, these overt features are easily identified by a would-be forger and/or counterfeiter. As such, in addition to overt features, hidden (i.e. covert) features may be incorporated in original articles. Examples of covert features include invisible fluorescent fibers, chemically sensitive stains, and taggants such as luminescent pigments or fluorescent dyes that are incorporated into the substrate of the article.
While authentication of covert features that employ taggants is highly reliable through use of authentication equipment, the cost of equipment required for authentication is generally too high for and/or unavailable to the typical consumer or small business owner. Further, most authentication equipment is bulky, rendering use thereof inconvenient for many applications. Production of small, inexpensive authentication devices is challenging because the authentication devices generally include a significant amount of hardware, including an exciting light source, a photodetector, a gain amplifier, and perhaps other components, and it is difficult to include all of those components in a sufficiently small package. To the extent that small authentication devices are available, the small size of the authentication devices makes the authentication devices susceptible to various environmental factors that render accurate authentication difficult. For example, small authentication devices generally include the exciting light source and the photodetector in such close proximity that light produced by the exciting light source enters the photodetector via strong scatter from an article under interrogation. Intensity of the light from the exciting light source is generally many orders of magnitude higher than intensity of emissions from the taggants. While optical filters are generally employed so that the photodetector is not saturated with too much light from the exciting light source, it is difficult to effectively block light produced directly by the exciting light source while still allowing passage of emitted radiation from the taggants. Many excitation sources such as LEDs exhibit emission very far from their primary emission spectral range and that emission can be significant and within the passbands of the optical filters. While it is possible to further block light produced by the exciting light source by employing a thin film dielectric stack filter such as a band pass or a long pass filter, there may still be some undesired level of leakage that remains within the desired pass band of the filter system that is not related to the emitted radiation from the taggants. A number of systems would essentially be fooled by the large amount of signal within the required detection spectral range. Further, many taggants exhibit an overlap in emission wavelength with light produced by the exciting light source such that the overlapping wavelengths cannot be blocked while still enabling detection of the emissions from the taggant.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide authentication systems, authenticating devices, and methods of authenticating value articles that are capable of effectively interrogating value articles that include a luminescent material for emissions from the luminescent materials while minimizing the impact of light produced by the exciting light source on authentication, even when light from the exciting light source passes into the photodetector. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.

Authentication systems, authentication devices, and methods for authenticating a value article


An aluminum alloy brake disc body for a disc brake device is provided with a metal layer of a high wear-resistance. The high wear-resistance metal layer is configured to reduce thermal stresses within the aluminum alloy brake disc body so as to inhibit warping, bending or flexing of the brake disc when heated during braking. The high wear-resistant metal layer also is applied to the aluminum alloy brake disc body in a manner reducing manufacturing costs. In one mode, a plating layer made of a metal having a high wear-resistance is formed on a frictional surface of an aluminum alloy brake disc body. Cracks in the form of a fine network are formed in the whole area of the plating layer. The cracks can be formed by a plating process, by nitrosulphurization, by heating, by burnishing or by use of the plated component. The cracks advantageously provide for expansion between the individual metal fragments and, thus, create an expandable plated wear surface. Other aluminum components with wear surfaces can also be formed with a wear-resistant layer in a similar manner.

This application is based on and claims priority to Japanese Patent Application Nos. Hei 10-344,741, filed Dec. 3, 1998, Hei 10-344,745, filed Dec. 3, 1998, and Hei 11-215,896, filed Jul. 19, 1999, the entire contents of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to alloy components having wear surfaces and to methods of manufacturing such components. More particularly, the present invention relates to aluminum alloy components having expandable wear surfaces formed by plating.
2. Description of Related Art
Many components of vehicles are unnecessarily heavy. These components decrease fuel economy and can lead to premature aging of suspension components as well as to poor handling characteristics of the vehicle. Accordingly, decreasing the weight of vehicles has become a goal across all lines of vehicles.
Some examples of such components that have been reduced in weight are connecting rods, tappets and rocker arms of engines. A further example of such a component is a brake disc of a disc brake device mounted on vehicles such as automobiles and motorcycles. Specifically, there is a high demand for brake discs that have as light a weight as possible in order to improve both running performance and fuel consumption. One idea for achieving the decreasing the weight of the brake disc is to use an aluminum alloy for forming a plate-like part (hereinafter, the plate-like part will be called xe2x80x9cbrake disc bodyxe2x80x9d) which is to be fixed to a hub.
Because most aluminum alloys are relatively soft materials, when the brake disc body is formed of an aluminum alloy, an annular ring made of an iron-containing metal is typically bonded to a surface of the brake disc body to form a frictional surface. This metal increases the life of the brake disc by providing a harder wear surface for the brake disc. Such a brake disc is disclosed, for example, in JP-A-H5-26268.
The brake disc disclosed in the above publication includes a brake disc body formed of an aluminum alloy and having a front surface portion that a brake pad selectively engages. An annular ring made of cast iron is secured to the brake disc body by friction welding or by an alfin process.
Since an aluminum alloy has a greater coefficient of thermal expansion than that of iron-containing metal such as cast iron, the use of a construction in which a cast iron disc is bonded to an aluminum alloy brake disc body is apt to cause warping, bending or flexing of the brake disc due to thermal stresses generated by temperature increases during braking. Such warping, bending and flexing, under extreme conditions, can result in separation of the iron disc from the brake disc body.
Moreover, in order to affix the cast iron ring to the aluminum alloy brake disc body, a specific bonding device is required and, hence, the associated manufacturing costs increase.
In other applications, such as with aluminum alloy connecting rods, valve lifters, tappets and rocker arms of engines, it becomes necessary to improve the wear resistance of a wear surface thereof. In particular, when an aluminum alloy is used for the parts and when the parts will be used under high temperature conditions, the high thermal load practically mandates an improvement to the aluminum alloy wear surfaces.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention involves the fabrication of an aluminum alloy part having a wear surface that has a high wear-resistance. Another object of the present invention involves providing an aluminum alloy part which is subjected to a high thermal load, such as an engine part, and which has a slide surface having much improved wear resistance. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an aluminum alloy brake disc body for a disc brake device that has a metal layer of a high wear-resistance and, yet, which generates reduced thermal stresses and requires reduced manufacturing costs.
Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention involves a method of forming an expandable wear surface on an aluminum alloy component. The method comprises preparing the aluminum alloy component and then plating the component with a layer of wear resistant material. A network of cracks is formed through the layer of wear resistant material such that the network of cracks comprise multiple fragments. Each fragment preferable has an interstitial size defined by as a diameter of a circle that is inscribed between the cracks defining any single fragment.
Another aspect of the present invention involves an aluminum alloy part having a plated wear resistant surface. The part generally comprises an aluminum alloy substrate and a plated wear resistant surface covering at least a portion of the substrate. The wear resistant surface has a plurality of wear resistant surface fragments that are separated from one another by cracks. The cracks form a network of cracks.
For the purpose of summarizing the invention and the advantage achieved over the prior art, certain objects and advantages of the invention have been described above. Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all of the objects or advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize an invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other objects or advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. In addition, further aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the embodiments that follow.

Plated wear surface for alloy components and methods of manufacturing the same


A safety apparatus for protecting an operator of an electrically powered saw from the blade during operation, the saw being of the type including a cutting table through which the blade passes, comprising: an image processing arrangement operable to sense, within a predefined three-dimensional sensing zone, the presence of a glove worn by the operator which has a colour distinguishable by the image sensor from the colour of an object being cut by the blade, the three-dimensional sensing zone being located in a cutting path of the blade; and an electronic controller communicable with the image sensor and operable to control an arresting mechanism to arrest movement of the blade responsive to the coloured glove being detected within the three-dimensional sensing zone.

Band saws are commonly used to cut carcasses and meat sections in the red meat industry as part of the meat processing stage. When using a band saw, the operator physically holds the carcass or meat section either side of the band saw blade and drives the meat into the blade to effect the cutting operation. This inherently places the operator at risk of contacting the blade in the event of slipping or for example as a result of inattention.
While guards can be used to cover the blade, a region of the blade remains exposed to the operator. For larger cuts of meat and carcasses, a significant section of the blade must remain exposed. Contact with the blade can result in serious injury including loss of digits and worse. Once an operator recognizes they have come into contact with the blade and takes corrective action, there is nevertheless a time delay involved in which significant injury can be sustained from the blade. Similarly, even if an emergency stop button is activated, the motor may still undergo several rotations before being brought to a stop with continued resulting travel of the blade.
Injuries to operators can be debilitating for the operator, distressing to all involved, and costly to employers in terms of downtime, loss of productivity and associated rehabilitation of the employee.

Operator protection system for electric saw