Disclosed is a variable flow divider for a turbomachine having a gas flow channel, comprising a stationary annular casing member located within the exhaust gas flow channel of the turbomachine, thereby defining an inner flow duct and an outer, annular flow duct; a plurality of flaps pivotally mounted in the flow channel on a stationary portion of the turbomachine, including a plurality of primary flaps and a plurality of secondary flaps adapted for rotation with the primary flaps, each of these flaps rotating about an axis which is arranged at a right angle to the central axis of the turbomachine; and means, located substantially entirely within the annular casing, for rotating said flaps to vary the respective sizes of said inner and outer flow ducts in relation to one another.

The present invention relates to a variable flow divider for turbomachines, and more particularly for turbojet engines, consisting of several flaps arranged on a stationary casing section for pivotal movement about axes of rotation extending at right angles to the center axis of the engine.
Variable-cycle jet engines are characterized by the fact that their thrust and consumption characteristics can be varied within a certain range. This variation in engine characteristics is achieved by varying the mass flows within the engine, which is accomplished in part by adjustment of variable compressor and turbine guide vane cascades and in part also by admitting or interrupting streams of air, for example, compressor bleed air tapped when needed to cool the afterburner.
What all such engines have in common, however, is the selective division of the air mass flow downstream of the low-pressure compressor into a core stream and a bypass stream by means of a variable flow divider. For this purpose, the flow divider is preferably arranged in the area of the intermediate compressor casing for two-spool engines and in the area of the intermediate-pressure compressor for three-spool engines.
It is by no means an easy technical task, however, to design the flow divider plus its actuating mechanism and/or to arrange these components between the core stream duct and the bypass stream duct of the engine such that, if at all possible, the outer diameter of the engine will not be increased over that of an equivalent, fixed-cycle engine and that no additional hardware affecting the flows in the core and bypass ducts will be required.

MTU Motoren-und Turbinen-Union Muenchen GmbH


Methods for reducing, partially preventing or completely preventing nitric oxide (NO) inhalation-related impairment of HPV in a mammal are disclosed. The methods include administering a therapeutically effective amount of NO by inhalation, and co-administering an effective amount of an anti-reactive oxygen species (anti-ROS) agent, e.g., N-acetylcysteine, or a leukotriene blocker. Methods for reducing, partially preventing or completely preventing loss of pulmonary vasodilatory responsiveness to NO inhalation in a mammal are also disclosed. The methods include administering a therapeutically effective amount of NO by inhalation, and co-administering an effective amount of an anti-ROS agent a therapeutically effective amount of a leukotriene blocker.

This invention relates to pulmonary physiology and cardiology.
Nitric oxide (NO) is a highly reactive free radical compound produced by many cells of the body. It relaxes vascular smooth muscle by binding to the heme moiety of cytosolic guanylate cyclase, activating guanylate cyclase and increasing intracellular levels of cyclic guanosine 3xe2x80x2,5xe2x80x2-monophosphate (cGMP), leading to vasodilation.
When inhaled, NO gas acts as a selective vasodilator of human and animal pulmonary vessels. Consequently, NO inhalation is used to promote vasodilation in well-ventilated regions of the lung. In acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), impaired ventilation of lung tissue reduces oxygenation of arterial blood. Nitric oxide inhalation often improves oxygenation in ARDS patients. It does so by dilating blood vessels in well-ventilated portions of the lung, redistributing blood flow towards the well-ventilated regions and away from poorly-ventilated regions, which receive little NO. However, in 30-40% of ARDS patients, NO inhalation fails to improve arterial oxygenation (Bigatello et al., 1994, Anesthesiology 80:761-770; Dellinger et al., 1998, Crit. Care Med. 26:15-23). It is difficult to predict which patients with ARDS will not respond to NO inhalation or which patients will respond only transiently. However, it is known that up to 60% of patients with ARDS associated with sepsis do not respond to inhaled NO (Krafft et al., 1996, Chest 109:486-493).
Normal pulmonary vasculature constricts in response to alveolar hypoxia. In patients with lung injury such as ARDS, hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) raises the level of systemic arterial oxygenation by redistributing blood flow away from a poorly ventilated (hypoxic) lung or lung region toward a well-ventilated (normoxic) lung regions. Sepsis and endotoxemia impair HPV (Hutchinson et al., 1985, J. Appl. Physiol. 58:1463-1468) leading to a profound decrease in arterial oxygen concentrations. Such a decreased level of systemic oxygenation can be life-threatening. Nitric oxide inhalation might be expected to improve oxygenation or arterial blood during sepsis, by increasing blood flow in well-ventilated regions on the lung. In practice, however, NO inhalation during sepsis is often ineffective, and sometimes is deleterious, because of NO inhalation-related reduction of HPV. See, e.g., Gerlach et aL., 1996, xe2x80x9cLow levels of inhaled nitric oxide in acute lung injury,xe2x80x9d pages 271-283 in Nitric Oxide and the Lung, (Zapol and Bloch, eds.), Marcel Dekker Inc, New York.
Endogenous NO is produced by nitric oxide synthases through conversion of L-arginine to L-citrulline in the presence of oxygen (Knowles et al., 1994, Biochemistry 298:249-258). Three different forms of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) have been characterized. Neuronal NOS (NOS1) and endothelial NOS (NOS3) are constitutive enzymes. An inducible NOS known as NOS2 capable of producing large amounts of NO is induced by endotoxin (also referred to as lipopolysaccharide or LPS) and cytokines (Knowles et al., supra). In spite of the demonstrated value of NO inhalation therapy for various indications, impaired pulmonary vascular dilatory responsiveness to NO inhalation and NO-related loss of HPV remain significant problems in acute respiratory illness.
The inventors have discovered that an increased pulmonary NO level is necessary to to impair HPV during sepsis, and that such HPV impairment can be ameliorated by reactive oxygen species scavengers or leukotriene blockers. Accordingly, the inventors have developed methods for preserving the vasodilatory effect of NO inhalation to achieve improved arterial blood oxygenation in patients with lung injury, while ameliorating HPV-reducing effects of NO inhalation. The inventors have discovered that the impairment of HPV is not simply NO-mediated vasodilation. The inventors also have discovered that an elevated level of pulmonary NO plus other lipopolysaccharide-induced agents are necessary to impair pulmonary vasodilatory responsiveness to NO inhalation in endotoxin-challenged mice. Accordingly, the inventors have developed methods for preserving pulmonary vasodilator responsiveness to NO inhalation.
In one aspect, the invention features a method for reducing, partially preventing or completely preventing NO inhalation-related impairment of HPV in a mammal. In one embodiment, the method includes administering to the mammal a therapeutically effective amount of NO by inhalation, and co-administering an effective amount of an anti-reactive oxygen species (anti-ROS) agent. The anti-ROS agent can be, e.g., N-acetylcysteine, allopurinol, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), bilirubin, caffeic acid, catalase, PEG-catalase, ceruloplasm, copper diisopropylsalicylate, deferoxamine mesylate, dimethylurea, ebselen (2-phenyl-1,2-benzisoselenazol-3(2H)-one; Pz51), EUK-8, FeTMTPyP (5, 10, 15, 20-tetrakis(N-methyl-4xe2x80x2-pyridyl)porphinato iron (III) chloride), FETPPS (5, 10, 15, 20-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrinato iron (III) chloride), glucocorticoids, glutathione, MnTBAP (Mn(III)tetrakis(4-benzoic acid)porphyrin chloride), MnTMPyP (Mn(III)tetrakis(1-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphyrin pentachloride), selenomethionine, superoxide dismutase (SOD), polyethylene glycol-conjugated-SOD (PEG-SOD), Taxifolin (dihydroquercetin; 3,3xe2x80x2,4xe2x80x2,5,7-pentahydroxyflavone), and vitamin E. N-acetylcysteine is a preferred anti-ROS agent. In alternative embodiment, the method includes administering a therapeutically effective amount of NO by inhalation, and co-administering an effective amount of a leukotriene blocker. In other embodiments, two or more anti-ROS agents, or an anti-ROS agent and a leukotriene blocker are co-administered with NO inhalation.
In another aspect, the invention features methods for reducing, partially preventing or completely preventing loss of pulmonary vasodilatory responsiveness to NO inhalation in a mammal. In one embodiment, the method includes administering to the mammal a therapeutically effective amount of NO by inhalation, and co-administering an effective amount of an anti-ROS agent. In alternative embodiment, the method includes administering a therapeutically effective amount of NO by inhalation, and co-administering an effective amount of a leukotriene blocker. In other embodiments, two or more anti-ROS agents, or an anti-ROS agent and a leukotriene blocker are co-administered with NO inhalation.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention belongs. In case of conflict, the present application, including definitions, will control. All publications, patents, and other documents mentioned herein are incorporated by reference.
Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the invention, the preferred methods and materials are described below. The materials, methods and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting. Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description and from the claims.

Enhancing therapeutic effectiveness of nitric oxide inhalation


Various methods and systems are provided for implementing classification-based adjustable seek energy settings in storage device systems. In particular, operations support adjusting seek energy settings for storage device components, for executing requests. In operation, a classification is selected for a request. The classification indicates a first priority level for executing the request. The priority level is associated with a first adjustable seek energy setting of a plurality adjustable seek energy settings for executing requests on the hard disk drive system, where a seek energy setting is an adjustable operational speed or energy setting for the hard disk drive system. Based on the classification indicating the priority level, the classification is transmitted to cause the hard disk drive system to set the adjustable seek energy setting. One or more hardware components of the hard disk drive system operates to execute the first request based on the first adjustable seek energy setting.

Users often rely on applications or services to quickly or efficiently perform computing tasks. In order to execute these computing tasks, these applications and services use one or more computing devices that read or write data to one or more storage devices (e.g., hard disk drives (HDD)). For example, a user may issue a query from a user interface that requests a particular set of data. Responsively, the request can be communicated over a network to one or more computing devices associated with the applications or services. These computing devices may have to, for example, identify an address (e.g., a logical block address) where the requested data is located at, cause one or more mechanical components of a hard disk drive (e.g., a read/write head) to find the correct address or track on the hard disk drive, and then return the data back to the user. Moreover, many of these applications or services are implemented in large scale distributed computing environments (e.g., cloud computing systems) where executing these user computing tasks occur multiple times and in parallel and can utilize a vast amount of energy. As such, these computing devices are faced with the challenge of quickly but efficiently performing computing tasks for users.

Adjustable seek energy settings in storage device systems


A power control system for an illumination system has a power source to supply any one of a range of AC or DC voltages, a power conversion stage, one or more light emitting device(s) for illumination and/or wireless communication, a controller controlling an output stage to receive and send information to regulate the power and/or current to the light emitting device(s), and a programmable voltage clamping or linear regulator arrangement contained within the output stage that can be controlled to increase a dynamic dimming ratio of current and/or power through the light emitting device(s) and to enable power or current modulation for wireless optical communication of light emitting device(s). The power control system enables current and power to be provided to one or more attached light emitting device(s) with a vastly extended dynamic dimming range such that different light emitting devices can be powered using the same driver output stage(s).

LEDs and OLEDs are current-controlled devices where the intensity of light emitted from the device is related to the amount of current driven through the device. It is therefore highly advantageous to carefully and reliably control the amount of current flowing through the LED or OLED device(s) in order to achieve the desired illumination effect from an illumination system and to maximise the life of a device by ensuring the maximum current or power specifications are not exceeded. In addition it is well known that the switching or modulation speed of LED and OLED devices are fast enough to enable their use as data transmitters in combination with the primary use of illumination.
(O)LED power supply systems have been developed based on a variety of circuit design topologies which provide the ability to vary the actual or time-averaged forward current through the light emitting device load over an acceptable range in order to provide dimming capabilities. (O)LED illumination systems have been devised which, through the use of multiple light emitting devices having discrete wavelengths/colours, can produce a variety of colours and intensities. Systems incorporating Red, Green, Blue, Amber and White light emitters can create near infinite colour variations by varying the intensity, current or power of each of the coloured light emitter(s) individually or together in combination. The use of multiple discrete wavelengths in the illumination system provides the opportunity to increased data transfer rate from the light emitting devices by using different photon energies multiplexed simultaneously to increase system bandwidth.

Power control system for an illumination system


A gaming device including a plurality of reels or cards having several symbols and a plurality of sub-symbols each associated with one of the several symbols. Each sub-symbol has a designated number of complementary sub-symbols that share at least one characteristic or are otherwise related to such sub-symbol. In one embodiment, when at least two complementary sub-symbols are adjacently displayed, the gaming device transforms the symbols associated with the adjacently displayed complementary sub-symbols into a group wild symbol to allow the player an additional opportunity to obtain a winning symbol combination. In another embodiment, when at least two complementary sub-symbols are adjacently displayed, a bonus award is generated. In another embodiment, when at least two complementary sub-symbols are adjacently displayed, the gaming device transforms the symbols associated with the adjacently displayed complementary sub-symbols into a group multiplier to increase the award for certain winning symbol combinations.

Gaming machines which provide players awards in primary or base games are well known. Gaming machines generally require the player to place or make a wager to activate the primary or base game. In many of these gaming machines, the award is based on the player obtaining a winning symbol or symbol combination and on the amount of the wager (e.g., the higher the wager, the higher the award). Symbols or symbol combinations which are less likely to occur usually provide higher awards.
In such known gaming machines, the amount of the wager made on the base game by the player may vary. For instance, the gaming machine may enable the player to wager a minimum number of credits, such as one credit (e.g., one cent, nickel, dime, quarter or dollar) up to a maximum number of credits, such as five credits. This wager may be made by the player a single time or multiple times in a single play of the primary game. For instance, a slot game may have one or more paylines and the slot game may enable the player to make a wager on each payline in a single play of the primary game. Thus, it is known that a gaming machine, such as a slot game, may enable players to make wagers of substantially different amounts on each play of the primary or base game ranging, for example, from one credit up to 125 credits (e.g., five credits on each of 25 separate paylines). This is also true for other wagering games, such as video draw poker, where players can wager one or more credits on each hand and where multiple hands can be played simultaneously. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that different players play at substantially different wagering amounts or levels and at substantially different rates of play.
Secondary or bonus games are also known in gaming machines. The secondary or bonus games usually provide an additional award to the player. Secondary or bonus games usually do not require an additional wager by the player to be activated. Secondary or bonus games are generally activated or triggered upon an occurrence of a designated triggering symbol or triggering symbol combination in the primary or base game. For instance, a bonus symbol occurring on the payline on the third reel of a three reel slot machine may trigger the secondary bonus game. When a secondary or bonus game is triggered, the gaming machines generally indicates this to the player through one or more visual and/or audio output devices, such as the reels, lights, speakers, video screens, etc. Part of the enjoyment and excitement of playing certain gaming machines is the occurrence or triggering of the secondary or bonus game (even before the player knows how much the bonus award will be). In other words, obtaining a bonus event and a bonus award in the bonus event is part of the enjoyment and excitement for players.
Many known gaming devices also provide wild symbols or wild cards. Wild symbols provide a player with an additional opportunity to obtain winning symbol combinations. Wild symbols, wild cards and wild indicators in gaming devices also provide additional excitement and entertainment for players.
In a slot machine having reels, a wild symbol can enable the matching of symbols along a payline to achieve a combination. For example, in a three reel slot machine, the symbols along a payline on the first, second and third reels may be, respectively, a heart, a heart and a wild symbol. If, in the gaming scheme, the gaming device awards a player for a three heart combination, the wild symbol substitutes for a heart and provides the player with that combination. In another example, the gaming scheme is a video poker game. The gaming device displays five cards. The cards are a ten, Jack, Queen, King and wild card. The wild card substitutes as an Ace and provides the player with a winning combination.
To increase player enjoyment and excitement, it is desirable to provide gaming devices having new and different wild symbols, wild indicators, wild card schemes, and bonus awards providable to the player.

Gaming device having game with symbols and adjacently displayed complementary sub-symbols


A protective circuit for complementary field-effect transistors in a power amplifier including an N-channel transistor whose drain is connected to the positive pole of a voltage source, and whose source is connected to an output terminal as well as to the source of a P-channel transistor whose drain is connected to the negative pole of the voltage source, a second output terminal being connected to the voltage source and the gates of the transistors and being connected to an essentially constant bias source, defining the zero voltage level. The protective circuit is characterized by its ability to provide protection against overvoltages and overcurrents with the aid of zener diodes or zener diode sections, at operating voltages below or equal to the maximum permissible operating voltage, for said transistors. These diodes or diode sections are connected as follows: the first one with its cathode to the gate of the N-channel transistor and with its anode to the collector of the P-channel transistor; the second one with its anode to the gate of the P-channel transistor and with its cathode to the collector of the N-channel transistor.

The invention presented in this document refers to field-effect transistors (FETs) in a complementary coupling with transistor emitters connected together. The purpose of the protective circuit is to provide simultaneous protection of the transistors against overvoltage and overcurrent. A prerequisite for the invention is the high input impedance of FETs.
A common method in present techniques is to have a zener diode connected between gate and drain. In this way, the transistor is gated to higher current when the voltage across the transistor reaches too high a value, thus counteracting the increase. However, this solution is practicable only in circuits with limited current capacity, because otherwise the transistor would be destroyed as a result of the power loss.

Protective circuit for complementary field-effect transistors


A brake piston comprising a) an open end; b) a closed end; c) a piston cylindrical wall comprising a polymeric material which extends from the closed end to the open end; d) a core member comprising a metallic material located within the cylindrical wall which extends between the closed end and the open end without extending completely to the open end; and wherein the core member structurally reinforces the brake piston. The brake piston may find particular use in a disc brake assembly. The core member may be particularly useful for structurally reinforcing the brake piston when receiving and transferring a brake apply force.

Typical brake pistons in a disc brake reside within one or more piston bores of a caliper. The brake pistons generally have a cylindrical shape with a closed end opposing an open end. The closed end is in contact with brake fluid and the open end is usually in contact with a brake pad. The vehicle typically has a master cylinder in connection with both a brake pedal and the brake piston. The master cylinder generally converts non-hydraulic pressure (i.e., depression of a vehicle brake pedal) into hydraulic pressure of the brake fluid acting on the brake piston. Depressing of a vehicle brake pedal results in brake fluid flowing from the master cylinder to the caliper which then results in increased pressure of the brake fluid applying a brake apply force to the closed end of the brake piston. The force on the brake piston from the brake fluid includes both axial force on the piston and radial force on the piston. The open end of the brake piston then pushes the brake pad against the brake rotor to transfer the brake apply force to the rotor and result in braking of the vehicle. Examples of such pistons are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,193,179; 6,637,317; and 7,000,526 all of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
Historically, brake pistons were made of steel, so as to be sufficiently rigid to withstand the axial and radial forces of the brake fluid, the counter force of the brake pad during brake apply, and prevent degradation of the brake fluid. Metallic brake pistons have a high thermal conductivity, which transfers heat from the brake pads into the brake fluid, and during braking the brake fluid becomes hot and may boil. The heated brake fluid may result in a soft brake pedal feel as the brake fluid may become more compressible and a vehicle driver may need to depress the brake pedal a further distance to apply a braking force or the brake system may fail as no amount of brake pedal depression is able to apply sufficient hydraulic pressure to result in the brake pad stopping movement of the brake rotor.
To provide for improved heat dissipation and corrosion resistance, brake pistons have been manufactured from polymers, thermosets, or glass fibers. However, brake pistons made from polymers have a tendency to deflect upon axial forces and/or radial forces being applied. This piston deflection results in an increase in required brake pedal travel (i.e., brake pedal depression distance) to achieve brake clamping force. This increased brake pedal travel is dependent on the piston size, the brake system, the clamping force, and the designed piston stiffness. Piston deflection generally includes a piston axial reduction (i.e., reduction in brake piston's overall length) from about 0.03 mm to about 0.06 mm and a radial reduction (i.e., reduction in brake piston's outer diameter) from about 0.006 mm to about 0.012 mm when receiving from about 0 MPa to about 15 MPa of pressure from the brake fluid. Due to the brake piston deflection, a vehicle driver may feel reduced brake stiffness and/or a looser pedal feel as the brake piston deflects. Because of this reduced stiffness and looser pedal feel, a vehicle driver may perceive a lower quality braking system, and even vehicle. In order to achieve a tighter pedal feel with a standard piston, less running clearance will be available between the brake pads and the rotor. Because of this lower running clearance, the brake piston may push the brake pad toward the rotor and apply an off-brake drag force. The off-brake drag force results in a reduced brake pad life due to the increased rotor contact and an increase in fuel consumption by a vehicle due to having to overcome the off-brake drag force.
Additionally, for vehicles having sport-tuned suspensions or other high performance and/or luxury vehicles, consumers desire a tight pedal feel with increased stiffness. This tactile feeling has generally only been achievable through completely metallic brake pistons, polymeric brake pistons with increased material thickness, or changing the material of the brake pad.
Exemplary plastic brake pistons are discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,449,447; 8,348,030, 6,085,636; and 5,845,747, which are expressly incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Notwithstanding the above, there appears an absence in teaching of how to reinforce a polymer based brake piston with a metallic insert while preventing heat transfer from the friction material to the brake fluid.
Thus, what is needed is a brake piston able to provide for improved heat dissipation, able to prevent overheating of brake fluid, while also having decreased deflection during application of a braking force. What is needed is a brake piston capable of providing a tight pedal feel with increased stiffness without having to be comprised completely of metal, without having to increase the thickness of a polymeric piston, and allowing the use of standard brake pad material. What is needed is a brake piston having an increased stiffness to increase running clearance and lower off-brake drag, improving fuel efficiency and brake pad life.

Polymeric brake piston with reinforcing core


Disclosed is an antenna system including a glass antenna that is disposed in window glass that is installed in a window opening that is formed in a metal body of a vehicle, wherein the glass antenna is to receive a radio wave in a MF band or in a LF band; an in-vehicle antenna that is disposed at an inner side of the vehicle compared to the metal body of the vehicle, wherein the in-vehicle antenna is positioned in a vicinity of the glass antenna; and a canceler to cancel a noise signal of the in-vehicle antenna in a received signal of the glass antenna.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an antenna system that can be installed in a vehicle, such as an automobile.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a countermeasure technique against reception disturbance that can be caused by noise that is emitted from a noise source in a vehicle, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-295797) has been known, for example. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique against the reception disturbance of a television broadcast signal in a VHF band or in a UHF band.
Whereas, in so called a "hybrid vehicle" that combines an engine and a motor, or in an electric vehicle, electronic devices are installed, such as a motor and an inverter. The noise that is emitted from such an electronic device may affect a radio wave in a Medium Frequency (MF) band or in a Low Frequency (LF) band, so that receiving performance of an antenna for receiving a radio wave in the MF band or the LF band may be lowered.
In the technique of Patent Document 1, however, two antenna elements are required to be disposed, so that a difference between respective differences from a noise source to the two antenna elements is equal to a half wavelength of the noise. Thus, it is required to identify a noise source, and a situation may not be handled where there are multiple noise sources. Furthermore, a wavelength of a radio wave in the MF band or the LF band is significantly greater than that of a radio wave in the VHF band or the UHF band. Consequently, for a case of using it as a countermeasure against the reception disturbance of a radio wave in the MF band or the LF band, one of the antenna elements may not be disposed in the vehicle because it may be necessary to dispose the antenna elements so that they are greatly separated from each other. Hence, the reception disturbance in the MF band or in the LF band may not be handled with the technique of Patent Document 1.
Accordingly, there is a need for an antenna system that can suppress degradation of the reception performance of receiving a radio wave in the MF band or in the LF band, due to noise that is emitted from inside the vehicle.


An information processing apparatus, that obtains pieces of content information relating to content recorded in an information recording medium, includes a content identifier generation unit configured to read a content certificate which is recorded in the recording medium and which corresponds to the content stored in the information recording medium, and generates a content identifier by combining hash values which correspond to the content and which are included in data stored in the content certificate, a data transmitting unit configured to transmit the content identifier generated using the content identifier generation unit to a content information provision server, a data receiving unit configured to receive, from the content information provision server, the pieces of content information relating to the content which is specified on the basis of the content identifier, and a data outputting unit configured to output the pieces of content information received using the data receiving unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to information processing apparatuses, information recording media, information processing methods, and computer programs. Particularly, the present invention relates to an information processing apparatus which performs processing of obtaining content information, such as a music title and a work title, which corresponds to content stored in an information recording medium, and relates to the information recording medium, an information processing method, and a computer program.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a service for obtaining information on a title of music stored in a CD (Compact Disc), for example, from an external server connected via a network has been utilized. In this service, for example, TOC (table of contents) information, which is so-called content information recorded in advance in a music CD, may be transmitted to a server, and the server may provide for users with content information such as a music title which has been registered in accordance with the TOC. Note that, as the related art, Japanese Patent No. 3104628 discloses a configuration for obtaining content information on the basis of information recorded on a disc.
In recent years, DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs) and BDs (Blu-ray Discs: registered trademark) have been used as recording media for recording content such as music and movies. Such DVDs and BDs can store a large amount of data when compared with CDs. However, in a case where management information such as TOC information stored in a CD is utilized, specific data is not necessarily uniquely specified. Furthermore, although an ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) or a cataloging number of the TOC is used as an identification signal in Japanese Patent No. 3104628, the ISRC and the cataloging number are arbitrarily recorded in a CD, that is, the ISRC and the cataloging number are not necessarily recorded in a CD. The ISRC and the cataloging number are inserted when an authoring process is performed on the CD, and may be mistakenly recorded twice or more at the time of the authoring process.

Information processing apparatus, information processing method and computer program


The total disclosure is of a method and assembly for monitoring respiration and detecting apnea. The assembly includes an oscillator for generating an electromagnetic field having an output frequency in the radio frequency range and a high Q passively tuned LC circuit which has a resonant frequency variable in the radio frequency range generated by the oscillator. The LC circuit responds to the electromagnetic field by absorbing electromagnetic energy from the field when the resonant frequency matches the output frequency of the oscillator. A band is positioned about the subject's chest or abdominal cavity to vary the resonant frequency of the LC circuit in response to the expansion and contraction of the subject's chest or abdominal cavity. A detecting means is also provided for detecting when the LC circuit is responsive to the electromagnetic field established by the oscillator. The claimed invention includes the passive circuit having a variable resonant frequency and force transfer means for transferring forces to the passive circuit to vary the resonant frequency. The force transfer means includes a body and the passive circuit includes a movable element movably supported by the body with force reaction means interconnecting the body and the movable element to move the movable element in response to forces from an object. A slip clutch is included to allow lost motion after a given movement of the movable element.

(1) Field of the Invention
Although the present invention has wider utility, it particularly relates to an assembly for monitoring respiration and detecting apnea in a human subject.
Apnea or the transient cessation of respiration may occur unexpectedly and tragically in infants up to the age of 3 years. It is a leading killer of infants between the ages of 1 month and 1 year, as it strikes thousands of homes every year. The cause of this mysterious killer in infants has not yet been discovered.
This killer is aptly called crib death or sudden infant death syndrome because the syndrome always seems to strike during sleep and has been found to take the lives of infants in such closely supervised environments as hospitals.
One new focal point of study in this area has been directed to the infant's central nervous system. It is known that an infant's nervous system is developed in an orderly step-by-step fashion as fetal reflexes are systematically replaced by normal postnatal reflexes. It is possible that the timing of the replacement goes wrong in some infants, that is, the fetal reflexes decay before the postnatal system is fully developed or that it isn't replaced as scheduled and there are two systems working at once. Also, it is known that reflexes change during sleep, thereby altering the patterns of breathing, pulse rate and brain waves. As a result, it is possible that an underdeveloped system might simply fail to function during sleep resulting in spontaneous death.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
There are many respiratory monitor systems which provide an electrical signal in response to the respiratory activity of infants. Such devices often measure by impedence pneumography or the tidal volume of the subject by a strain gauge taped directly on the abdomen of the subject. Optical breathing sensors and modulation of a high frequency carrier by a breathing sensor are also well known in monitoring respiration and detecting apnea.
Some of the problems inherent in the prior art respiration monitoring devices are: the inconvenience of bonding electrodes to the infant, the possible problem of shocking the infant with an electrical current and the problem of the human subject removing the sensor, either advertently or inadvertently.

Electromagnetic field responder for respiration monitoring


An apparatus that includes a drawbar, a pair of furrow forming disks rotatably mounted on the drawbar, a seed tube located between the disks for depositing seed in the furrow, a press gauge wheel assembly mounted on the drawbar rearward of the disks for closing the furrow and compacting the soil on both sides of the seed, and also including adjustment structure for varying the height of the press wheel relative to the drawbar for controlling furrow depth in response to pressure exerted on the apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to grain drills.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Unlike row type planters, such as used for corn that may require transverse furrow spacings of 10 inches, grain drills are designed to plant at furrow spacings of 10, 8, 7, and even 6 inches or less. Therefore, the relatively movable, individual grain drill planting apparatuses are located on the drill transverse to the direction of travel frequently at the noted smaller intervals. Further, they are often staggered longitudinally along the grain drill also in the noted 6 inches or less interval. Inasmuch as the seed for all of the apparatuses, and fertilizer where desired unlike other planters, are stored in a transversely extending hopper forward of the apparatuses with seed tubes, and sometimes fertilizer tubes, extending from the hopper to the disk openers for depositing into the furrow created, each apparatus may also have a further reduced transverse width. A part of the apparatus is the press wheel which is located in line and behind the disks to close the furrow, compact the soil, and gauge or control the depth of the disk furrow openers for desired seed depth placement.
Although individual depth control is desired for seeding in varying soil and moisture conditions, the convenient provision of this adjustment in the reduced spacings between furrows and the narrow size apparatuses creates a problem. Further, the adjustment should be accessible from the rear of the drill and rearward of the press wheels. Preferably, it should be able to be accomplished by one hand and provide predetermined positive increments over a considerable range and have indicia indicating each position so that all apparatuses can be set to this position if desired. Also once set, the adjustment should be maintained against the spring load exerted by the pressure rod on the structure supporting the disk openers which forces same into the soil against the restraint offered by the press wheel in this gauging function. To date, Applicant is unaware of a planting apparatus that achieves these objectives and that does so in a convenient and practical manner.


An automatic service water tap is disclosed in which a battery operated motor is provided for controlling a water supply valve in response to the presence or absence of an object positioned within the range of an infrared generating and detecting system mounted in the tap. The valve operates using only a small amount of electric power under the control of a circuit which draws no electric power once the valve is moved to its opened or closed condition. Thus the consumption of the electric power is minimized to almost zero and the valve can be utilized for a long period of time only with a small single battery.

The present invention relates to a service water tap or faucet which automatically controls operation and discharge of a water supply.
More specifically the invention relates to an automatic service water tap or faucet which comprises, within a specially designed body, one or more detecting sensors mounted in the tap, a water supply valve connected to and controlled by the sensor(s) (which may be either AC or DC powered), a mixing valve for mixing hot and cold water, a built-in check valve, and filters arranged so that hot and cold service water are mixed fully and automatically to a predetermined set temperature and will automatically flow out of the tap without the need to operate a tap handle.
The water supply valve of the invention performs a water supply and cut off action with a minimum of electric power supplied for example by a small battery. The valve is operated in response to a signal from the detecting sensor and supplies the appropriate amount of required water. It decreases the waste of the water and is very easy to use.


A device for controlling the output voltage range of a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter of the type wherein the converter output voltage range is proportional to the magnitude of an applied bias current. The device comprises means to sample and store a selected converter output voltage, means to produce a variable current of magnitude proportional to the stored converter output voltage, and a source of constant current. The constant current and the variable current are summed and applied to the converter as the bias current. The converter output voltage range is dependent on the variable portion of the applied bias current which is in turn dependent on the stored, selected converter output voltage.

The present invention relates in general to digital-to-analog (D/A) converters and in particular to a device for controlling the output voltage range of a D/A converter of the type wherein the converter output voltage range is proportional to the magnitude of an applied bias current.
D/A converters convert digitally encoded signals to analog voltage signals of proportionate magnitude. Typically a digital logic circuit, generating digital input data and signals controlling the operation of a D/A converter, uses the converter to generate various output voltages for reference or control purposes.
The output voltage range of a D/A converter is typically a function of an applied bias signal (current or voltage), the D/A converter output voltage being proportional to the product of the magnitudes of the digital input and the applied bias signal. The resolution of a D/A converter within a range determined by the applied bias signal depends on the input bit-handling capability of the converter. For example a converter designed for a four-bit digital input can produce 16 different output voltage levels while an eight-bit converter can produce 256 different output voltages. Higher resolution converters are usually more complex and expensive than low resolution converters and require the use of more complex and expensive external control circuitry. In some applications it would be advantageous if external control circuitry capable of controlling, for instance, a four-bit data bus, could cause a four-bit D/A converter to produce a large number of different output voltages.
In the prior art, a larger number of output voltage levels has been obtained from a low resolution converter by taking advantage of the dependency of D/A converter range on the applied bias signal. If the bias signal of a first D/A converter is not constant but is dependent on the output of a second D/A converter, then the number of different output voltage levels which can be generated by the first D/A converter greatly increases. For instance, a four-bit D/A converter biased with the output of a second four-bit D/A converter would operate over 15 different output ranges, not counting the null range resulting from a zero bias current. Though some of the voltage levels in one range may overlap with voltage levels in another range, the total number of possible distinct output voltage levels obtainable is increased. However, use of second D/A converter is expensive.

Digital-to-analog converter biasing control circuit


An integrated material for chemical analysis comprising three or more reagent layer units on a support and a porous spreading layer, said units containing reagents for different chemical analyses and being proximately arranged on a support such that approximately equal portions thereof are within a spreading circle defined by the diffusion of a liquid sample as it passes through the porous spreading layer, and a method for analyzing blood using the same.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integrated material comprising reagent layer units for chemical analysis and a method of using the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a material capable of performing a plurality of chemical analyses at one time. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to an integrated material in which a plurality of units containing different reagents for chemical analysis are proximately arranged on a support so that at least a portion of their reagent layer units are in contact with each other or in close vicinity to one another within a spreading circle defined by the diffusion of an assay sample as it passes through a porous spreading layer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As materials for simple and rapid dry chemical analyses of liquid samples, sheet-like multilayered materials for chemical analysis have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,526,480, 3,663,374, 3,992,158, 4,042,355, 4,066,403 and 4,050,898 and collected papers (pp. 13, 14, 47, 76 and 118) for the 10th International Conference of Clinical Chemistry (Mexico City, 2/26-3/3/78). Such multilayered materials for chemical analysis are based on the idea of providing a thin film containing a reagent for the analysis in a binder such as gelatin beforehand, and on chemical analysis a drop of liquid sample to be tested is applied to the sheet. The reagent layer contains a system which, upon reacting with a particular component in the sample liquid, leads to color development, coloration or discoloration. The content of the particular component in the sample liquid corresponds to the color density and quantitative analysis is possible by optical analysis chiefly by colorimetry. Unlike the conventional methods, these materials are dry materials for chemical analysis and eliminate the need for reagent solutions and test tubes.
The fundamental construction of these multilayered materials for chemical analysis is a combination of a porous spreading layer and a reagent layer, and the reagent layer is sometimes provided as a multilayered unit by dividing its functions between, for example, a first reagent layer and a second reagent layer or between a reagent layer and a color developing, a color detecting or a color receiving layer. Sometimes an intermediate layer such as a radiation-blocking layer or a barrier layer is placed between such a plurality of the reagent layers. Alternatively, there is provided a construction in which the spreading layer includes a reagent and spreading and the reaction upon which the analysis is based are integrated. In any case, it is basic that the layer construction comprises two functional layers, i.e., a spreading layer and a reagent layer. A liquid sample dropped on such a multilayered material for chemical analysis diffuses uniformly throughout the porous spreading layer and permeates into the reagent layer when it reacts with the reagents contained therein.
The above-mentioned multilayered materials for chemical analysis are very suitable for a simple and rapid chemical assay of liquid samples containing many components such as saliva, blood, urine, etc., in a dry state operation using no test tubes or reagent solutions. Such a material requires analytical reagents for the specific items to be analyzed, for example, reagents for the quantitative assay of blood for glucose, urea nitrogen and amylase. Therefore, when six times, e.g., bilirubin, albumin and cholesterol in addition to the above three are to be quantitatively analyzed, it is necessary to choose six different multilayered materials for each chemical analysis and to apply a drop of whole blood or serum in an amount of 5 to 15 .mu.l on each material, after which, upon completion of each color development reaction, colorimetric analyses of the respective materials are conducted.
The above-mentioned multilayered materials for chemical analysis are quite excellent with respect to the simplicity of the quantitative analysis, and when used for the purpose of the chemical analysis of blood, these materials are very convenient for analyzing one item per patient. However, it is common practice in clinical chemistry examinations to test 5 to 10 items on each blood sample collected from each patient. Therefore, in order to utilize the above-mentioned multilayered materials for the chemical analysis for that purpose, there is involved the relatively complicated procedure of choosing an analytical material for each of the 5 to 10 items tested, number them and apply a drop of the blood on each material. Further, when conducting tests on many persons (as would be the case in a hospital), selection of the analytical materials, numbering, repetition of application, etc., amount to an enormous amount of work. In this respect, efforts have been made to minimize the number of such repetitions and it has been discovered that by using an integrated material constructed such that the necessary number of reagents for each chemical analysis are incorporated in a specific arrangement, e.g., radially on a support, and applying the sample to be tested at a centrally located point such that the sample diffuses to each analytical material, the analysis is simplified.

Integrated material for chemical analysis and a method of using the same


Provided are a soft demapping apparatus and method that may cancel interference included in a rotated quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signal, using at least one interference cancellation unit, and may perform one-dimensional (1D) soft demapping of the interference-cancelled rotated QAM signal.

1. Field
The following description relates to a soft demapping apparatus for a system using a signal space diversity (SSD) scheme.
2. Description of Related Art
Research is being conducted on signal space diversity (SSD) for improving a bit error rate (BER) in a fading channel.
To obtain the SDD, a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signal may be transmitted by rotating the QAM signal and by interleaving an in-phase (I) channel and a quadrature (Q) channel with respect to each other. In this example, a transmission signal of the I channel and a transmission signal of the Q channel may have different channel gains such that a receiver may obtain a diversity.
In particular, the receiver may obtain a significant performance gain in an erasure channel in which one of the I channel and the Q channel is erased, or in a zero decibel (dB) echo channel.
As a simple interleaving method, a rotated or tilted QAM signal having a Q channel delay may be used. This method has been adopted and employed as a standard in a digital broadcasting system and the like.
However, in such system, due to the rotation, a correlation may occur between the I channel and the Q channel. Accordingly, an amount of calculations of a soft demapper, for example, an amount of log likelihood ratio (LLR) calculations may be increased.
When the receiver uses a maximum likelihood (ML) scheme, two pulse amplitude modulations (PAMs) may be regarded as being received because the I channel and the Q channel are independent from each other in a non-rotated QAM. For example, in the case of 2m QAMs, 2×22/m one-dimensional (1D) LLR calculations may be used.
Also in this example, a distance corresponding to 2m may be used. Accordingly, in the case of a high modulation, a receiver may use most of the calculation amounts for a soft demapping algorithm. Because of the different channel gains between the I channel and the Q channel, a two-dimensional (2D) Euclidian distance calculation and the number of Euclidian distance calculations corresponding to the number of signals may be used to calculate an LLR.
Accordingly, a soft demapping algorithm using fewer calculations may be desired to decrease the complexity of the receiver. Even though max-log approximation is proposed to decrease the complexity of the receiver, the amount of 2D distance calculations may correspond to the number of full search rotated signals.
Methods for dividing a region into sub-regions have been proposed to decrease an amount of calculations, and thus, an amount of calculations with respect to the full search has significantly decreased. However, in the case of high modulation, a significantly large amount of calculations are still required and degradation in performance to the full search may occur.


A first stage rainfall sampler, which is capable of automatically sampling rainfall step by step without requiring a motive power.. A plurality of sampling containers are swingably and detachably hung down from the circumference of a tumbler which is supported so as to revolve within a vertical plane, at intervals so as to correspond to an outlet port of a funnel in turn. The tumbler is provided with a weight for variably forming a balanced condition between it and rainfall contained by the sampling containers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a first stage rainfall sampler, in particular to a first stage rainfall sampler for sampling a first stage rainfall, such as acid rain, step by step, into a plurality of containers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the case where a rainfall is sampled every 1 mm of rain in a first stage step by step method, a water-sampling bottle 42 provided with a float stopper 41, as shown in for example FIG. 10, has been used. In this case, a sampler 44, in which a plurality of the water-sampling bottles 42 are arranged in a housing portion 43 step by step, as shown in FIG. 9, has been used. In this sampler 44, when the rainfall is detected by a rain sensor 45, a cover member 47 covering a funnel 46 provided in an upper portion of the housing portion 43 is opened to introduce the rainfall at first into a water-sampling bottle 42, which is uppermost arranged, within the housing portion 43, through a conduit 48, and when the water-sampling bottle 42 is filled with the rainfall, the water-sampling bottle 42 is closed by the float stopper 41. The rainfall is then introduced into the next water-sampling bottle 42 by a distributing funnel 49. Subsequently, the rainfall is introduced into the respective following water-sampling bottles 42 in turn step by step.
In the above described sampling method by the use of the water-sampling bottle 42, problems have occurred in that the water-sampling bottle 42 is provided with the float stopper 41 and thus complicated in construction, so that it is not easy to wash the water-sampling bottle 42. In addition, the water-sampling bottle 42 is fixed in volume, so that, in the case where the first stage rainfall is designed to be sampled more finely, for example for every 0.5 mm, the water-sampling bottle 42 or the funnel 46 must be exchanged. In addition, in the case where the first stage rainfall is sampled for every 6 mm or more, the sampler 44 itself is considerably increased in size and weight and thus a high and wide space is required. Thus, for example, selection of an installation site, installation work or transfer and the like are not easy. Furthermore, the cover member 47 of the funnel 46 must be automatically opened and closed by a motor, so that a power source, an additional source of problems, is required.


An apparatus and method for introducing a transmission line into a duct through which it is to be propelled by viscous drag of fluid propellant. A high local flow of fluid is created by inputting fluid, preferably compressed air, adjacent the input of the transmission line to the duct and bleeding a proportion of the fluid from the duct a short distance along from the input. This local flow provides the driving force to progress the transmission line along the first third of the duct against the hydrostatic potential. The extent of the venting via the bleed valve is controllable to control the driving force on the transmission line. This technique is especially useful for transmission lines including optical fibres.

Our European Pat. 108590 discloses a method and apparatus for installation of transmission lines within tubular ducts using fluid drag to advance the transmission line along the duct. In the preferred form of apparatus described in that specification compressed gas is used to provide the fluid drag and an optical fibre transmission line package is introduced via a feed head and feed wheels are provided to urge the fibre package into the duct against the hydrostatic potential that is experienced. Once a sufficient length of the fibre package has been inserted the fluid drag on the inserted fibre overcomes the resistance of the hydrostatic potential and the fibre is propelled by fluid drag along the duct. During such an installation procedure there is substantially continuous relative motion between the duct and the fibre package.
For in-field applications it is desirable to have mobile equipment that can easily be moved from location to location, and can be utilised in confined spaces: this is particularly important for repair work which may have to take place in remote and awkward circumstances. With the apparatus described in E.P 108590 it has been found that the feed wheels and associated drive mechanism limits the minimum size of the equipment.
A further problem that arises with positive pressure feed heads is the provision of a seal to inhibit backflow of fluid between the inlet tube for the fibre package and the fibre package itself. It is necessary for the fibre to be able to advance without being over-tensioned, but at the same time the greater than atmospheric pressure within the feed head needs to be maintained. Sealing may be particularly difficult to achieve because there can be considerable variation in cross-sectional shape and diameter of some transmission line packages, for example the tolerance on the diameter of a multi-fibre package maybe as much as .+-.10%. Thus if a very closely fitting collet is located around the fibre package the positive deviations in diameter may result in the package being gripped too tightly, resulting in excessive tension on the optical fibre. In practice an inefficient sealing arrangement of a collet of greater diameter than the package and sufficient to accommodate the package cross sectional variation is used, and this results in fluid propellant leakages as high as 50% occurring between the fibre and collet.

British Telecommunications Public Limited


An apparatus and procedures for percutaneous placement of surgical implants and instruments such as, for example, screws, rods, wires and plates into various body parts using image guided surgery. The invention includes an apparatus for use with a surgical navigation system, an attaching device rigidly connected to a body part, such as the spinous process of a vertebrae, with an identification superstructure rigidly but removably connected to the attaching device. This identification superstructure, for example, is a reference arc and fiducial array which accomplishes the function of identifying the location of the superstructure, and, therefore, the body part to which it is fixed, during imaging by CAT scan or MRI, and later during medical procedures.

Typically, spinal surgical procedures used, for example, to provide stabilization, fusion, or to correct deformities, require large incisions and substantial exposure of the spinal areas to permit the placement of surgical implants such as, for example, various forms of screws or hooks linked by rods, wires, or plates into portions of the spine. This standard procedure is invasive and can result in trauma, blood loss, and post operative pain. Alternatively, fluoroscopes have been used to assist in placing screws beneath the skin. In this alternative procedure at least four incisions must be made in the patient's back for inserting rods or wires through previously inserted screws. However, this technique can be difficult in that fluoroscopes only provide two-dimensional images and require the surgeon to rotate the fluoroscope frequently in order to get a mental image of the anatomy in three dimensions. Fluoroscopes also generate radiation to which the patient and surgical staff may become over exposed over time. Additionally, the subcutaneous implants required for this procedure may irritate the patient. A lever arm effect can also occur with the screws that are not connected by the rods or wires at the spine. Fluoroscopic screw placement techniques have traditionally used rods or plates that are subcutaneous to connect screws from vertebra to vertebra. This is due in part to the fact that there is no fluoroscopic technique that has been designed which can always adequately place rods or plates at the submuscular region (or adjacent to the vertebrae). These subcutaneous rods or plates may not be well tolerated by the patient. They also may not provide the optimal mechanical support to the spine because the moment arm of the construct can be increased, thereby translating higher loads and stresses through the construct.
A number of different types of surgical navigation systems have been described that include indications of the positions of medical instruments and patient anatomy used in medical or surgical procedures. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,454 to Bucholz; PCT Application No. PCT/US94/04530 (Publication No. WO 94/24933) to Bucholz; and PCT Application No. PCT/US95/12894 (Publication No. WO 96/11624) to Bucholz et al., the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, disclose systems for use during a medical or surgical procedure using scans generated by a scanner prior to the procedure. Surgical navigation systems typically include tracking means such as, for example, an LED array on the body part, LED emitters on the medical instruments, a digitizer to track the positions of the body part and the instruments, and a display for the position of an instrument used in a medical procedure relative to an image of a body part.
Bucholz et al. WO 96/11624 is of particular interest, in that it identifies special issues associated with surgical navigation in the spine, where there are multiple vertebral bodies that can move with respect to each other. Bucholz et al. describes a procedure for operating on the spine during an open process where, after imaging, the spinous process reference points may move with respect to each other. It also discloses a procedure for modifying and repositioning the image data set to match the actual position of the anatomical elements. When there is an opportunity for anatomical movement, such movement degrades the fidelity of the pre-procedural images in depicting the intra-procedural anatomy. Therefore, additional innovations are desirable to bring image guidance to the parts of the body experiencing anatomical movement.
Furthermore, spinal surgical procedures are typically highly invasive. There is, thus, a need for more minimally invasive techniques for performing these spinal procedures, such as biopsy, spinal fixation, endoscopy, spinal implant insertion, fusion, and insertion of drug delivery systems, by reducing incision size and amount. One such way is to use surgical navigation equipment to perform procedures percutaneously, that is beneath the skin. To do so by means of surgical navigation also requires apparatus that can indicate the position of the spinal elements, such as, for example the vertebrae, involved in the procedure relative to the instruments and implants being inserted beneath the patient's skin and into the patient's spine. Additionally, because the spinal elements naturally move relative to each other, the user requires the ability to reorient these spinal elements to align with earlier scanned images stored in the surgical navigation system computer, to assure the correct location of those elements relative to the instruments and implants being applied or inserted percutaneously.
In light of the foregoing, there is a need in the art for apparatus and minimally invasive procedures for percutaneous placement of surgical implants and instruments in the spine, reducing the size and amount of incisions and utilizing surgical navigation techniques.

Percutaneous registration apparatus and method for use in computer-assisted surgical navigation


A sound field controller for generating apparent sound sources by adjusting the amplitude and delay time of a sound signal so that the sound will be perceived by plural listeners as sound coming from a location separated from the specific location of the front speakers, and for additionally controlling the effect of the apparent sound sources by evaluating the attributes of the source sound signal. The controller includes FIR filters for generating a left sound pattern signal, FIR filters for generating a right sound pattern signal, a first delay circuit for delaying the left and right sound pattern signals by a first predetermined time and applying the delayed left and right sound pattern signals to the left and right speakers, respectively, to introduce an apparent sound source located left rear of a center listener; and a second delay circuit for delaying the left and right sound pattern signals by a second predetermined time and applying the delayed left and right sound pattern signals to the right and left speakers, respectively, to introduce an apparent sound source located right rear of a center listener.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a sound field controller for reproducing sound effects for use in audio equipments or in audio-visual (AV) equipments.
2. Description of the prior art
As VCR decks have become a common household item and rental video tapes easily available for home viewing, consumer interest in large-screen televisions and audio equipment capable of theater-like sound presence has grown. Audio-visual equipment manufacturers have therefore developed hardware to meet this interest, commonly incorporating the Dolby.RTM. Surround-Sound.TM. format using side speakers, rear speakers, or a combination of these to re-create a theater-like sound presence from the sound track on movie videos.
Conventional sound field controllers using the Dolby.RTM. Surround-Sound.TM. format to reproduce this theater-like sound presence in the home are commonly called "surround processors." These surround processors function using audio recordings made with the "surround sound" signal to be reproduced through speakers set to the rear (or sides) encoded to the standard two-channel stereo sound signal. The surround processor is used as a decoder to decode the surround sound signal during playback for reproduction through the two rear (or one rear) speakers. The standard stereo signal is, of course, reproduced through the two speakers at the front right and left of the listener(s).
Compared with the normal stereo sound system using two front speakers, this sound field controller can reproduce sound with a fuller three-dimensional presence because sounds heard from the front speakers and other sounds that cannot be heard with just the front speakers can be heard from the rear speakers. The drawback to this system is the need for additional sound reproduction means, i.e., speakers, at the sides or rear to reproduce the surround sound, as well as the additional space needed to place the speaker(s).

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


An aqueous synthetic resin formulation essentially comprising a synthetic resin A, a metallic cation with a charge number of from 2 to 4, dispersants, water, and finely divided fillers, and also, if desired, acetophenone derivatives or benzophenone derivatives, the resin A being prepared by free-radically initiated aqueous emulsion polymerization of monomers in the presence of from 0.01 to 3 parts by weight of an alien polymer seed per 100 parts by weight of the monomer mixture.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an aqueous synthetic resin formulation essentially comprising                A) from 3 to 75% by weight of at least one synthetic resin (resin A) composed of                    a) from 50 to 99.9% by weight of at least one ester of α,β-monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids containing 3 to 6 carbon atoms and alkanols containing 1 to 18 carbon atoms or of at least one vinyl ester of an aliphatic monocarboxylic acid containing 2 to 8 carbon atoms, or of a mixture of these monomers (monomers a),            b) from 0.1 to 12% by weight of at least one α,β-monoethylenically unsaturated monobasic or dibasic acid containing 3 to 8 carbon atoms, or anhydrides thereof, or of a mixture of these monomers (monomers b),            c) from 0 to 10% by weight of one or more monoethylenically unsaturated acetophenone derivatives or benzophenone derivatives, or of a mixture of these monomers (monomers c), and            d) from 0 to 50% by weight of one or more other copolymerizable monoethylenically unsaturated monomers (monomers d), in copolymerized form,the weight fractions of the monomers a, b, and d being chosen within the stated limits such that a synthetic resin composed only of these monomers would have a glass transition temperature of from −50 to +40° C.                        B) at least one metallic cation with a charge number of from 2 to 4 in water-soluble form in an amount such that it is able to neutralize from 0.2.to 6 times the amount of its conjugate bases that corresponds to the amount of acid functions incorporated into the synthetic resin A in the form of the monomers b (component B),        C) from 0 to 10% by weight, based on the resin A, of benzophenone or acetophenone or of one or more acetophenone derivatives or benzophenone derivatives which are not monoethylenically unsaturated, or of a mixture of these active substances (component C),        D) an effective amount of a dispersant (dispersant D);        E) at least 5% by weight of water, and        F) from 0 to 85% by weight of finely divided fillers (filler F),with the proviso that the resin A is prepared by free-radically initiated aqueous emulsion polymerization of the monomers a to d in the presence of from 0.01 to 3 parts by weight of an alien polymer seed, based on 100 parts by weight of the mixture of the monomers a to d.
2. Description of the Background
Synthetic resin formulations corresponding to features A) to F) above, and their advantageous use as elastic coating materials, are described in EP-B 417568.


A thermal transfer printer including: a carriage 5 provided for causing reciprocatory motions along a platen 2; a thermal head 6 disposed on this carriage 5; a ribbon cassette 21 accommodating an ink ribbon 14 therein and detachably installed on the upper surface of the carriage 5; a head operating mechanism 30 for supporting the thermal head 6 on the carriage 5 and bringing the thermal head 6 into contact with or releasing it from the platen 2; a driving motor for driving this head operating mechanism 30; a peeling roller 20 brought into contact with or released from the platen 2 in order to change a distance between a printing portion by the thermal head 6 and a peeling portion where the ink ribbon 14 is peeled off after finishing the printing operation; and a peeling lever 19 mounting the peeling roller 2 at the distal end thereof and including an engaging pin 50 which is pressed to engage with the head operating mechanism 30 in accordance with a kind of the ribbon cassette 21.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermal transfer printer using a ribbon cassette, and more particularly to a thermal transfer printer capable of performing the hot peeling and the cool peeling of the ink ribbon by selectively operating the peeling roller.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 12 shows a conventional thermal transfer printer, which includes a frame 1. A flat platen 2 is provided at the center of this frame 1, so that its printing surface is disposed vertically. A carriage shaft 3 is disposed in front of and below the platen 2, so as to be disposed in parallel with each other.
A guide 4, formed in a flange-like shape, is provided at the front edge of the frame 1. A carriage 5 is mounted on the carriage shaft 3 and the guide 4 so that the carriage 5 can cause reciprocatory motions along these carriage shaft 3 and guide 4. Provided on the edge of the carriage 5 is a thermal head 6, which is disposed to confront with the platen 2 and driven by a driving mechanism (not shown) so as to be brought into contact with the platen 2 or shifted away from the platen 2.
The carriage 5 has an upper surface, on which a ribbon cassette (not shown) is detachably installed. The ribbon cassette accommodates an ink ribbon, and guides this ink ribbon to enter between the thermal head 6 and the platen 2. Also provided on the upper surface of the carriage 5 are a take-in bobbin 7 for taking in the ink ribbon of the ribbon cassette and a feed bobbin 8 for feeding the ink ribbon.
Behind the platen 2, there is provided a paper insertion opening 9 for feeding a sheet of paper forward beyond the platen 2. A paper feed roller 10 is disposed adjacent to the paper insertion opening 9 to feed the paper at a predetermined speed. This paper feed roller 10 is paired with a press roller 11, which is disposed rotatably just beneath and pressed against the paper feed roller 10. A paper feed motor 13 is provided on one side surface of the frame 1. This paper feed motor 13 drives the paper feed roller 10 through a transmission gear train 12 to cause rotation. Thus, the paper inserted into the paper insertion opening 9 is sandwiched by these paper feed roller 10 and the press roller 11 and conveyed by the driving force of the paper feed motor 13.
In the above-described conventional printer, the paper is inserted from the paper insertion opening 9 and sandwiched between the paper feed roller 10 and the press roller 11. And, the paper is conveyed at a predetermined speed in a direction normal to the shifting direction of the carriage 5 by rotating the paper feed roller 10 by the paper feed motor 13.
On the other hand, the carriage 5 is shifted under the condition the thermal head 6 is pressed against the paper at a predetermined pressure. Meanwhile, the take-in bobbin 7 is rotated to take in the ink ribbon of the ribbon cassette. The thermal head 6 is driven on the basis of desired printing signals. Thus, the printing operation can be carried out preferably.
By the way, various kinds of papers are used as printing papers. For example, generally known is a normal paper. An OHP sheet, made of plastic sheet having light permeability and used for the overhead projector (OHP), is also known as a printing paper. This OHP sheet, however, requires another ink ribbon different from for the normal paper.
The ink ribbon 14 used for the normal papers is, for example, constituted as shown in FIG. 13(A). A base member 15 is made of resin film such as polyethylene terephthalate. An ink layer 16, made by mixing resin and color such as carbon, is formed on the surface of this base member 15. Furthermore, an overcoat layer 17, made of high-viscous material such as polyamide, is formed on the surface of this ink layer 16.
Another example of the ink ribbon 14 is shown in FIG. 13(b). This ink ribbon 14 further includes a peeling layer 18 made of wax and having thermal solubility, which is interposed between the base member 15 and the ink layer 16.
In the case where this kind of ink ribbon 14 is used for printing normal papers, the thermal head 6 is driven to perform the hot peeling operation. That is, the ink ribbon 14 is peeled off from the normal paper during the time when the melted ink layer 16 is still maintained at hot temperature in the partly melted condition. For this reason, it is necessary to shorten the distance between the printing portion of the thermal head 6 and the peeling portion of the ink ribbon 14.
On the contrary, one example of the ink ribbon 14 used for the OHP sheet is shown in FIG. 13(c). The ink ribbon 14 includes the base member 15 made of resin film. The ink layer 16, the mixture of carbon and wax, is laminated on the surface of this base member 15.
In the case where this kind of ink ribbon 14 is used for printing OHP sheets, the thermal head 6 is driven to perform the cool peeling operation. That is, the ink ribbon 14 is peeled off from the OHP sheet after the melted ink layer 16 cools down and solidifies, so that the transferred ink surface becomes smooth. For this reason, it is necessary to enlarge the distance between the printing portion of the thermal head 6 and the peeling portion of the ink ribbon 14.
In this manner, there is a difference between the printing operation for the normal papers and the printing operation for the OHP sheets in the position where the ink ribbon 14 is peeled off from these recording mediums. Accordingly, the conventional thermal transfer printer, compatible with both the normal papers and the OHP sheets, usually equips a peeling roller 19 that can change the peeling position of the ink ribbon 14 as shown in FIG. 14.
Namely, a peeling lever 20 is disposed on the upper surface of the carriage 5 at the downstream of the thermal head 6 in the travelling direction of the ink ribbon 14. In the drawing, this peeling lever 20 is driven to swing between an outermost position indicated by the solid line and an innermost position indicated by the dotted line by means of an appropriate driving mechanism (not shown). This peeling lever has a peeling roller 19 provided to protrude upward at the distal end thereof. This peeling roller 19 is brought into contact with or away from the ink ribbon 14 at the downstream of the thermal head 6 in the travelling direction of the ink ribbon 14.
In the case where the peeling lever 20 is positioned at the solid-line position in the drawing, the peeling roller 19 approaches the platen 2 and is pressed against the ink ribbon 14. By delaying the peeling operation of this ink ribbon 14 from the recording medium, the ink layer in the ink ribbon 14 cools and solidifies before the ink ribbon 14 is peeled off from the recording medium. Thus, the cool peeling operation is accomplished.
On the other hand, in the case where the peeling lever 20 is positioned at the dotted-line position in the drawing, the peeling roller 19 parts from the ink ribbon 14 and positions in the ribbon cassette 21. In this case, the ink ribbon 14 is immediately peeled off from the recording medium as soon as the thermal head 6 passes. Thus, the hot peeling operation is carried out in such a manner that the ink ribbon 14 is peeled off from the recording medium during the time when the ink layer 16 of the ink ribbon 14 is in the melted condition.
However, this conventional thermal transfer printer described above uses the driving device such as a solenoid and the like to cause the swing motion of the peeling lever 20 in order to bring the peeling roller 19 into contact with the platen 2 or release it. Therefore, it is necessary to exclusively provide this driving device for operating the peeling roller 19, in addition to the driving device for bringing the thermal head 8 into contact with the platen 2 and the driving device for taking-in the ink ribbon 14.
This makes the control of the driving devices complicated. Furthermore, an overall size of the system increases as numerous devices must be installed on the carriage 5. The manufacturing cost will correspondingly increase.

Thermal transfer printer using ribbon cassette


A drawout switchgear with blow-out prevention means characterized by a circuit breaker movable into and out of a cell, and detachable blockage means for holding the circuit breaker in place.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to drawout switchgear.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When circuit breakers are mounted in cells and drawout switchgear, the breakers provide a disconnect between the line and load bus bars. As is well known, drawout circuit breakers are held in place against normal short circuits by cams which ordinarily draw the breaker into position within a cell. When very high magnetic forces occur due to high fault currents, the cams are often unable to prevent a circuit breaker from moving away from the load terminal stabs. Indeed, the magnetic forces incurred sometimes blow a circuit breaker away from the terminal stabs.
Associated with the foregoing is the occurrence of strong vibrations between the terminal stabs due to high short circuit currents. Under such conditions terminal stabs may vibrate and move sufficiently to cause arcing and other damage.

Drawout switchgear with blow-out prevention device


A valve system has a main body including a valve element that controls flow of fluid between a plurality of ports and an operation unit capable of being detachably attached to the main body. The main body includes: a driving element that is operated from the outside by a magnetic force and directly or indirectly drives the valve element; and a first housing that houses the valve element and the driving element and is watertight in a state where pipes are connected to the plurality of ports. The operation unit includes: an operation element that generates a magnetic field that operates the driving element; and a second housing that houses the operation element, when attached to the first housing, the operation element and the driving element being in a facing state via part of a wall of the first housing and part of a wall of the second housing.

WO 2009/060860 discloses a valve directly or indirectly connected to a permanent magnet-type actuator. Such permanent magnet-type actuator includes a first permanent magnet and a second permanent magnet that face one another in a first direction and operates a valve by rotating the first permanent magnet using an operation transmitting body so that the north pole and the south pole are reversed to alternately produce attraction (a pulling force) and repulsion (a repelling force) between the first permanent magnet and the second permanent magnet, thereby causing the second permanent magnet to move reciprocally in the first direction.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-59783 discloses provision of an automatic flushing apparatus that is highly reliable and easy to maintain. The automatic flushing apparatus of this publication is a bathroom flusher including a body, the body including: an inlet connected to a supply line and an outlet connected to a flushing conduit; a valve assembly in the body positioned to close water flow between the inlet and the outlet upon a sealing action of a soft member at a lip seal and thereby controlling flow from the inlet to the outlet; and an actuator for actuating operation of the moving member.
Battery-powered valve systems include systems where the actuator is removable for battery replacement and the like. In the flushing apparatus described above, the valve element is pressed onto a valve seat by a spring force incorporated in the valve body to stop the flow of water to the flow path. However, in many cases, leaks occur due to reasons such as the spring force being insufficient and/or an insufficient seal between the valve element and the valve seat. Also, in a valve that uses a pilot valve, leaks can occur from the pilot valve. Accordingly, there is demand for a valve where leaks do not occur and where the operation part can be easily removed and replaced for battery replacement or the like.


An air conditioner ventilation and pre-cooling device includes a carrying container, a cooling unit and an intake fan. The carrying container is provided for containing condensed water of the evaporator, the cooling unit is connected to the condensed water, and the intake fan guides outside air to pass through the cooling unit. The heat of the condensed unit is conducted to the cooling unit, and the outside air passes through the cooling unit and exchanges heat with the cooling unit to form a pre-cooled air. The outside air is pre-cooled before it enters into an indoor environment, so as to achieve the environmental protection and power saving effects and improve the cooling efficiency.

Air conditioner is a device for changing the temperature, humidity, and air purity in a specific region. The ambient temperature or humidity can be adjusted by the heating or dehumidification function of the air conditioner.
Present air conditioner manufacturers spare no effort to reduce the power consumption of the air conditioner in order to cope with the trends of power saving and carbon reduction. As to the conventional air-conditioning devices, a temperature difference between the outside air and an indoor environment exists when outside fresh air is guided into the indoor environment, so that an indoor ventilation unit consumes more power to reach the required temperature. On the other hand, the conventional air conditioner comes with an evaporator that produces condensed water by heat exchange and thus requires an additional water pipe to discharge the condensed water. However, the condensed water is not recycled or reused, and the conventional air conditioner wastes unnecessary water resources.
Therefore, it is a main subject of the present invention to provide an air conditioner with a condensed water recycling and reusing device and reuses the condensed water to pre-cool the outside air, so as to achieve the environmental protection and power saving effects and improve the cooling efficiency.

Air conditioner ventilation and pre-cooling device


Disclosed are a method for preparing a high performance BGA board containing a plurality of printed circuit boards in which a conductor circuit, a bonding pad electrically connected to a semiconductor chip, and an inner hole for mounting a semiconductor chip are formed, by primary- and secondary-laminating a plurality of boards. The present invention enjoys advantages in that contamination due to an outer layer surface treatment of the board laminate can be prevented, and a process for preventing a contamination of an inner hole can be omitted, and also a defective proportion can be reduced remarkably in comparison with prior arts by applying a pressure uniformly during a secondary lamination. Furthermore, a BGA board according to the invention has an ideal ball pitch and multi-fins, excellent electrical and thermal properties, also can be applied in the case of high current, and can be easily mounted on a chip.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to a method for preparing a high performance BGA board and, more particularly, to a method for preparing a high performance BGA board containing a plurality of printed circuit boards in which a conductor circuit, a bonding pad to be electrically connected to a semiconductor chip, and an inner hole for mounting a semiconductor chip are formed by primary- and secondary-laminating a plurality of boards.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The great advance in the electronics industry is, at least in part, based on the development of the electronic parts industry. As electronic parts have been developed into slim ones of high performance, they can be more highly integrated in one board. To the development of electronic parts, multi-layer printed circuit boards make a contribution.
With the aim of mounting highly integrated electronic parts thereon, multi-layer printed circuit boards have a structure in which elemental boards having a plurality of circuits are laminated. Multi-layer printed circuit boards may have various forms, and be manufactured by various methods.
For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 5-183272 discloses a method for manufacturing a multilayer board for mounting electronic parts, in which a multilayer board is prepared which is formed by bonding a substratum wherein a recessed part for mounting electronic parts and a conductor pattern are formed, an adhering layer, and an upper layer board provided with an opening part. Through-holes are formed in the multilayered board. After a sheet type mask covering an opening part is thermo-compression bonded to the uppermost part of the multilayered board, the whole surface of the multilayered board and through-holes are plated with copper. Conductor patterns are formed on the upper part and the lower part by an etching process, and then the sheet type mask is eliminated from the upper part. The above method makes use of a separate mask to cover the aperture part of the inner hole in order to prevent a conductor pattern exposed at a recessed part for mounting electronic parts from being damaged when manufacturing a multilayered board for mounting electronic parts. This conventional method, however, has problems in that there are required additional processes of using a mask only to protect an inner hole and subsequently eliminating the mask from the multilayered board.
To avoid the problem that conventional boards have, much effort has been made to manufacture boards that are of a high multi-layer structure and of excellent thermal stability. In the boards, semiconductor chips are bonded onto heat sinks while binding to bonding pads in the form of steps.
There are disclosed various methods for establishing heat sinks in printed circuit boards. For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 10-116933 discloses a multi-layer printed wiring board for mounting IC, in which a heat sink is fixed firmly on a laminated structure by soldering, with IC being fixed firmly on the heat sink via a resin adhesive. In addition, opening parts are made on each board as well as the outermost board; through-holes are established in the laminated board; the walls of the through-holes and the outer layer surface of the board laminate are plated with metal; and a conductor circuit is provided onto the outermost board. The conductor circuit patterned on the outermost board is made by etching the metal coating plated on the surface of the outermost board.
When patterning the conductor circuit on the outermost board and plating the through-holes and outer layer of the multilayered printed circuit board, however, the opening parts and a surface of the mounting part may be contaminated with the plating liquid and the etchant. Another problem with the conventional method is the contamination that inevitably occurs because a bonding pad of the inner layer circuit provided to each board is formed in each opening part.
In order to overcome the problem, the surface of the opened mounting part should be coated with a resist film before forming a conductor circuit by plating and etching, and then the resist film should be eliminated. Alternatively, a mask may be used. The method, therefore, suffers from the disadvantage of requiring the additional step of plating or the additional step of using and eliminating a mask in order to protect an inner hole.
As described above, boards of prior arts are fabricated in complicated processes at high production cost. Also, it is difficult to obtain miniaturized and high performance electronic parts by use of boards of the prior arts.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to solve the above problems, and to provide a method for preparing a high performance BGA board in which contamination due to an outer layer surface treatment of the board laminate can be prevented and an additional process for preventing a contamination of an inner hole can be omitted.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for preparing a high performance BGA board in which a defective proportion can be reduced remarkably in comparison with prior arts by applying a pressure uniformly during a secondary lamination without an additional process.
It is further object of the present invention to provide a method for preparing a high performance BGA board which has an ideal ball pitch and multi-fins, excellent electrical and thermal properties, and also can be applied in the case of high current, and can be easily mounted on a chip.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, the method for preparing the BGA board containing a plurality of printed circuit boards, in which a conductor circuit, an inner hole for mounting a semiconductor chip and a bonding pad to be electrically connected with the semiconductor chip are formed, comprising the steps of:
a) providing top and bottom boards having neither inner hole nor conductor circuit, a board to contact with a bottom side of said top board in which an inner hole is established without a conductor circuit, and at least one of boards in which a conductor circuit and an inner hole are established;
b) forming a primary-laminated structure having an opening part in an upper part thereof, by arraying the lower boards except said top board, and laminating the lower boards together by use of an adhesive to form a step-typed combination of the inner holes;
c) forming a secondary-laminated structure by overlaying said top board onto the primary-laminated structure by use of the adhesive;
d) forming through-holes in the secondary-laminated structure, followed by establishing a conductor circuit on the secondary-laminated structure including the through-holes by copper plating, dry film lamination, exposure, developing and etching; and
e) removing a part of said top board which covers the step-typed combination of the inner holes to form a cavity with the upper end opened, followed by providing a bonding pad in the cavity to give an individual BGA board.
In accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, the method for preparing the BGA board containing a plurality of printed circuit boards, in which a conductor circuit, an inner hole for mounting a semiconductor chip and a bonding pad to be electrically connected with the semiconductor chip are formed, comprising the steps of:
a) providing top and bottom boards having neither inner hole nor conductor circuit, a board to contact with a bottom side of said top board in which an inner hole is established without a conductor circuit, and at least one of boards in which a conductor circuit and an inner hole are established;
b) forming a primary-laminated structure with an opening part in an upper part thereof, by arraying the lower boards except said top board, and laminating the lower boards together by use of an adhesive to form a step-typed combination of the inner holes;
c) forming a secondary-laminated structure by overlaying said top board onto the primary-laminated structure by use of the adhesive;
d) forming through-holes in the secondary-laminated structure, followed by establishing a conductor circuit on the secondary-laminated structure including the through-holes by copper plating, dry film lamination, exposure, developing and etching;
e) removing parts of the top and bottom boards which covers the step-typed combination of the inner holes to form a cavity with both vertical ends opened, followed by providing a bonding pad in the cavity to give an individual BGA board; and
f) bonding a heat sink to a lower part of said individual BGA board by use of the adhesive.

Method for preparing ball grid array board


A foldable display device and a display apparatus are provided. The foldable display device includes a supporting back plate and a display screen arranged in the front side of the supporting back plate. The supporting back plate includes a first supporting part and a second supporting part, and the first supporting part and the second supporting part may bend towards to the reverse side of the supporting back plate through a folding connection. One end of the display screen is fixedly connected to the first supporting part, and the other end of the display screen is slidably connected to the second supporting part.

With the continuous developing of display technology, a variety of display products with different properties are also produced for meeting different operation requirements. A foldable flexible display device is a new display device with flexibility. When a foldable display device is used by a user, the foldable electric product can be unfolded in order to completely unfold a flexible display screen, to present a large display frame. When the foldable electric product is carried by a user, it can be folded. Although a part of the display frame size may be sacrificed, the foldable electric product would be conveniently carried since it has small size after being folded.

Foldable display device and display apparatus