A first interleaved address generator is configured to generate a first interleaved address, and a second interleaved address generator is configured to generate a second interleaved address substantially concurrently with the first interleaved address generator generating the first interleaved address. A controller is configured to disable the second interleaved address generator from generating the second interleaved address if the second interleaved address is not needed to produce a continuous stream of interleaved addresses.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of turbo coding, and more particularly, a low power operation of address interleaving in the turbo coding process.
2. Description of Related Art
Turbo coding is one of the most important components for data transmission in the third generation (3G) wireless standards such as the Universal mobile telephone standard (UMTS). Turbo coding provides forward error correction with exceptional coding gain, and provides for almost error-free data transmissions for all but the lowest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) environments. The key component of the turbo coding structure is the interleaver which permutes the data sequence between the two constituent decoders. Research has shown that the overall performance of turbo codes are directly related to the "randomness" of the interleaver between the blocks.
The 3GPP standard defines the interleaver for turbo codes as a function based on the block sizes in the range of 40 to 5114 bits. The 3GPP interleaver uses a basic block interleaver structure with a complex inter-row and intra-row permutation to generate a pseudo-random interleaving pattern. While these permutations provide excellent algorithmic performance, they severely complicate the hardware implementation of the interleaver.
One possible architecture for a hardware address interleaver is to use a large memory which contains the entire address interleaving sequence. Thus the turbo components simply access the memory to retrieve the next interleaved address. This is the most straightforward implementation, but the entire table must be recalculated when the block size changes. While the overhead in loading the table may be acceptable for a mobile terminal, infrastructure turbo decoders may need to deal with multiple block sizes, one right after another.
An alternative to using a large memory based hardware address interleaver in a turbo decoder, is to generate an interleaved address on the fly. However, when an invalid address is generated, a discontinuous stream of interleaved addresses is created. Namely, there will be a cycle of operation in which no valid address is generated.

Low power operation of an address interleaver


A foldable pad assembly is provided for use along at least one side of a low height bed or bed frame. The pad assembly includes a pair of elongated edge-to-edge aligned pad sections with the adjacent edges of the pad sections loosely joined together for relative angular displacement between a stored generally coplanar position along the side of the bed and a deployed generally parallel position on the floor adjacent the side of the bed to which the pad assembly is attached. An integral flexible panel has one marginal edge secured relative to the free edge of the inner panel section, and the opposite marginal edge is secured to and extends along the associated one side of the low height bed. The pad assembly further includes straps for encircling the pad sections when in the folded stored position in order to retain the pad sections in the folded position. In the stored position along the bed side, the flexible panel supports the pad sections in a raised position off the floor.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a safety or protective pad assembly for use in conjunction with a bed frame, especially low height bed frames. More specifically, the present invention relates to a pad assembly typically used for older or infirm patients, such as in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living communities or the like to protect persons who may accidentally fall out of bed onto the adjacent floor.
2. Description of Related Art
Numerous prior U.S. patents disclose various forms of cushioning and restraint devices associated with beds and the like for protecting the person in the bed, which include some of the general aspects of the present invention. For example, West U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,065 discloses a deployable air bag which in one embodiment is attached to the side of a bed. The bag inflates when an occupant of the bed is removed or falls out accidentally and serves as a cushion between the occupant and the floor when the bag is inflated. Keene U.S. Pat. No. 29,038 discloses an extension for a bed frame that slides out along one side of the bed and retracts back under the bed. Vincent et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,577 and Custer, Jr. et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,328 disclose restraining systems for occupants of a bed.
Holder et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,191,663, Hunsinger et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,025, Rains et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,739 and Ozrovitz et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,135 also disclose passive restraining systems utilizing pads for the bed rails. Further, Rafalko U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,726 and Alivizatos U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,087 disclose pads for a small child that incorporate padding beneath and to the side of the child.
However, none of the above prior art discloses a protective pad structure especially adapted for low clearance beds which can be mounted on either side of the bed frame and can be readily folded between a raised out of the way position extending along one side of the low clearance bed and a deployed horizontal position lying generally flat upon the floor outwardly of the bed one side in order to provide protection should the bed occupant fall out of the bed.
In this regard, federal and state laws pertaining to "no restraint" nursing homes and hospitals bar restraining patients in their beds or allowing patients to lie on the floor. Further, federal and state house keeping rules require that pads previously placed upon the floor as protection for patients who might fall out of bed not be allowed to remain on the floor when a patient is out of the bed. These laws and rules must be carefully followed if the facility is to avoid poor ratings (graded on an accumulative point basis) by state inspectors, because low ratings can result in probationary periods or, in extreme cases, revocation of licenses.
Accordingly, a need exists for a pad assembly which can be positioned or deployed along one or both sides of a low clearance bed for persons or patients who may have a tendency to fall out of bed. The pad assembly can thus serve not only to cushion the patient's fall to the floor from the bed but also to prevent the patient from lying on the floor after he or she falls out of bed.

Fold up safety pad for low clearance beds


There is disclosed a compound, a pharmaceutical composition and a method of treatment using a pharmaceutical composition comprising a tethering moiety that is capable of binding to a macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) polypeptide, optionally linked to a linker moiety and further covalently bound to a drug moiety or imaging agent. More specifically, there is disclosed a genus of affinity-tethering moieties covalently bound to a drug moiety or imaging agent either directly or optionally via a linker moiety to covalently link the tethering moiety to a drug moiety. Without being bound by theory, the disclosed pharmaceutical compounds are targeted to cancer cells or immune cells via an affinity-tethering moiety that hitch-hikes to or into its target cell while bound to endogenous MIF.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that contains both thiol-protein oxidoreductase activity and tautomerase/isomerase activity. MIF is released by T-cells and macrophages and modulates not only macrophage functions, but also T cell functions (Kitaichi et al., Immunobiology, 2000. 201 (3-4): p. 356-67). MIF is viewed to play a role in a wide range of diseases including, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, sepsis, atherosclerosis, colitis, lupus, asthma, acute respiratory distress syndrome and acute graft-versus-host disease. MIF is involved in cellular proliferation and differentiation and has been demonstrated to have protumorigenic activity. MIF expression in tumors is thought enhance the aggressiveness and metastatic potential of tumor cells. MIF is overexpressed in many tumors, including breast, ovarian, colon and prostate cancer, melanoma, cervical cancer, gastric cancers, hepatocellular carcinoma, and glioblastomas (Hagemann et al., 2007, Mol. Cancer Ther., 6, 7, 1993-2002; Akbar et al., 2001, Cancer Lett., 171, 2, 125-32, Kamimura et al., 2000, Cancer, 89, 2, 334-41; Xu et al., 2008, Cancer Lett., 261, 2, 147-57; Munaut et al., 2002, Neuropathol Appl. Neurobiol., 28, 6, 452-60; Bacher et al., 2003, Am. J. Pathol., 162, 1, 11-7; and Meyer-Siegler et al., 2002, Cancer, 94, 5, 1449-56).
The over-expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), and/or MIF receptor/s (CD74 and CXCR4) is observed in premalignant, malignant, and metastatic tumors. This over-expression is observed in cancers including non-small cell lung cancers (Gamez-Pozo et al., PLoS One, 7, 3, e33752; and McClelland et al., 2009, Am. J. Pathol., 174, 2, 638-46). Cancer cells over-expressing CD74 can import approximately ˜107 molecules of an anti-CD74 mAb (LL1) per cell per day (Hansen et al., 1996, Biochem. J., 320 (Pt 1), 293-300). The surface half-life of the CD74 may be less than ten minutes (Starlets et al., 2006, Blood, 107, 12, 4807-16).
Analyses of an MIF knockout mouse model and the use of anti-MIF antibodies to modulate MIF levels have demonstrated MIF involvement in cancer and inflammation. MIF may play a role in the progression to more invasive tumors and MIF may control the tumor spectrum mediating a shift in frequency between T-cell lymphomas, fibrosarcomas and B-cell lymphomas (Bernhagen et al Nature Med., 2007. 13(5): p. 587-96 and Taylor et al. BMC Cancer, 2007. 7: p. 135.). De Jong and associates showed that Murine colitis is dependent on continuous MIF production by the immune system. Both ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's colitis patients are at increased risk of developing colorectal cancer (De Jong et al. Nature Immunol., 2001. 2(11): p. 1061-6 and Itzkowitz and Yio, Am. J. Physiol Gastrointest. Liver Physiol., 2004. 287(1): p. G7-17) used mice knocked out both for MIF and a second gene causing T-cell deficiency. Colitis was shown to be dependent on MIF produced by non-lymphocyte hematopoetic cells.
MIF circulates normally in human plasma at high levels of 2-6 ng/ml (Stosic-Grujicic et al. Autoimmun. Rev., 2009. 8(3): p. 244-9) and these levels can be increased in disease states including many cancers. In sepsis, levels of MIF may be elevated more than 100 fold over basal level (Emonts et al., Clin. Infect. Dis., 2007. 44(10): p. 1321-8).
A major problem in most forms of cancer chemotherapy is the severe non-specific toxicity chemotherapeutic drugs may also have against rapidly-dividing cells and healthy tissues. These side effects often result in dose reduction, treatment delay or discontinuance of therapy. Targeted drug delivery systems have been developed to try to circumvent these side effects, using targeting agents such as receptor ligands, sugars, lectins, antibodies, antibody fragments, hormones, and hormone analogues. Therefore, there is a need in the art to better target cytotoxic moieties into those areas of cancer cells where the toxic moiety can better exert its pharmacologic influence.

Pharmaceutical compounds targeted by MIF affinity-tethered moieties


An assembly for extracting analytes from a sample using a fluid under pressure, and embodying the invention, includes an extraction cell receiving the sample and having a chamber body closed at one end by a translatable slide block assembly in fluid communication with the fluid under pressure to introduce the fluid under pressure into the sample located within the chamber body; and a cylinder block assembly at the opposite end of the chamber body for extracting the fluid passing through the sample, the sample being enclosed in a vessel having a thimble body closed at opposite ends by pressure-fit end cap assemblies, each having a thimble cap, a seal, and a frit cap assembly for retaining the sample within the thimble body and permitting the passage of the fluid therethrough.

1. Field of the Invention
This concept relates to containment vessels in general and, particularly, to a sample containment vessel assembly for extracting fats from samples using supercritical fluid extraction techniques.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
It has become important to be able to determine the amount and type of fat within a product. Devices for extracting and measuring the fat content of products have been around for some time. One type of system utilizes pressurized fluid as a solvent to remove fats or other constituents from the sample. This process, generally known as supercritical fluid extraction, requires that the fluid pass through the sample under pressure in order to mobilize the constituent of interest. The pressures required to carry out the process may be on the order of thousands of pounds per square inch. Containment vessels for retaining the sample were required which would not rupture under such pressures. The containment vessels typically consisted of a steel housing threaded at each end and sealed by large, bulky threaded plugs. The plugs were then attached by threaded fittings to the pressure source and the sample receiving container.
The disadvantage with the prior systems is that the operator needed to connect and disconnect the fittings and the plugs before and after each sampling. This increased the sampling time, and as a direct result, the overall cost of conducting the procedure. Furthermore, the containment vessels were often very large in order to contain the sample under pressure. The concept disclosed and claimed herein provides rapid sample loading and unloading, and automatically seals the sample within a much smaller containment vessel than previously achieved, resulting in increased production and reduced cost.


A camera including a cartridge receiving chamber for a film cartridge with a filmstrip including a film leader, a film take-up chamber, a backframe opening located between the cartridge receiving chamber and the film take-up chamber, a film platen located over the backframe opening, a film slit between the cartridge receiving chamber and the backframe opening to permit the film leader to be longitudinally inserted through the film slit from the cartridge receiving chamber across the backframe opening and to the film take-up chamber when the film cartridge is placed in the cartridge receiving chamber, and a film support movable to a leader supporting position within the backframe frame opening to prevent the film leader from becoming jammed in the backframe opening and for guiding the film leader to the film take-up chamber, is characterized in that the film platen is supported for movement in a first direction relative to the backframe opening to move the film support to its leader supporting position and for movement in a reverse direction relative to the backframe opening to retract the film support from its leader supporting position.

A conventional 35 mm film cartridge, such as manufactured by Eastman Kodak Company, comprises a light-tight housing and an unexposed filmstrip. The filmstrip is supported in a roll on a rotatable spool inside the light-tight housing and has a film leader that protrudes outwardly several inches through a light-trapping slit in the housing. A forward-most portion of the protruding film leader has a reduced width as compared to the remainder of the filmstrip.
A typical camera intended to be used with the conventional 35 mm film cartridge includes a cartridge receiving chamber, a film take-up chamber, and a backframe opening. The backframe opening is located between the cartridge receiving chamber and the film take-up chamber, opposite a taking lens and a shutter, for exposing successive sections of the filmstrip (not including the protruding film leader). To load the film cartridge into the camera, a rear door of the camera is opened to uncover the cartridge receiving chamber, the backframe opening, and the film take-up chamber. Then the film cartridge is placed in the cartridge-receiving chamber, and substantially simultaneously the protruding film leader is placed over the backframe opening and its forward-most reduced width portion is placed partway in the film take-up chamber. The protruding film leader is laid on one of a pair of parallel film rails at respective sides of the backframe opening, to be engaged by a metering sprocket which projects from an opening in the one rail. When the rear door is closed, the metering sprocket can be rotated in engagement with the filmstrip to advance successive sections of the filmstrip across the backframe opening.
Another camera to be used with the conventional 35 mm cartridge is disclosed in commonly assigned prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,148 issued Aug. 13, 1996. The camera includes a cartridge receiving chamber, a film take-up chamber, and a backframe opening. A rear cover is fixed over the backframe opening and the film take-up chamber to prevent direct access to them. To load the film cartridge into the camera, a rear door independent of the rear cover is opened to uncover the cartridge receiving chamber. A light-trapping film slit is located between the cartridge receiving chamber and the backframe opening to permit the protruding film leader, beginning with its forward-most reduced width portion, to be longitudinally inserted through the film slit from the cartridge receiving chamber across the backframe opening and to the film take-up chamber, as the film cartridge is placed in the cartridge receiving chamber. When the rear door is opened, it retracts a metering sprocket from an operative position for engaging the protruding film leader to permit the protruding film leader to be longitudinally inserted through the film slit from the cartridge receiving chamber across the backframe opening and to the film take-up chamber, and it allows a spring to deploy a film support to a leader supporting position within the backframe opening to prevent the protruding film leader from possibly falling substantially into and becoming jammed in the backframe opening. Conversely, when the rear door is closed, it allows the metering sprocket to be returned via a spring to the operative position for engaging the filmstrip and it retracts the film support from the leader supporting position.

Film support for guiding film leader out of backframe opening in camera deployed when door to cartridge receiving chamber opened


An alkali metal cleaning composition for cleaning metal and for inhibiting corrosion of metal. The composition is composed of an alkali carbonate salt, a surfactant, and a corrosion inhibitor. A preferred corrosion inhibitor is an alkali metal silicate. Additional metal corrosion inhibitors such as a combination of a triazole compound and an alkali metal borate also can be employed. Such alkali carbonate compositions are readily water soluble and remain in solution over prolonged storage periods.

The present invention is directed to aqueous alkali metal cleaning compositions. In particular, the present invention is directed to aqueous alkali metal cleaning compositions containing water soluble salt builders and alkali metal silicate anticorrosion agents which are readily water soluble at pH levels below 11.0. The compositions of the present invention are useful in so-called parts washers which are particularly adapted for industrial cleaning, as well as for domestic use.
Parts washers of various kinds are known to those skilled in the art as having great utility for mechanics and others working in a variety of occupations, particularly those working in industrial plants, maintenance and repair services, and the like. Parts washers referred to herein include soak tanks, so-called hot tanks, immersion type parts cleaners with or without air agitation, spray washers (continuous or batch) and ultrasonic baths. Generally, parts washers are used to remove all types of contaminants adhered to metal surfaces including greases, cutting fluids, drawing fluids, machine oils, antirust oils such as cosmoline, carbonaceous oils, sebaceous oils, particulate matter, waxes, paraffins, used motor oil, fuels, etc.
Until recently, metal surfaces were cleaned of most oily and greasy contamination by use of solvents. Existing solvents, with or without special additives, are adequate to achieve good cleaning of most dirty, greasy, metal parts. A great number of solvents have been employed to produce metallic surfaces free from contamination. These wash solvents generally include various halogenated hydrocarbons and non-halogenated hydrocarbons, of significant quantity industry wide for cleaning and degreasing of metal surfaces, and the degree of success with each of these wash solvents generally is dependent upon the degree of cleanliness required of the resultant surface.
Recently, however, various hydrocarbon and halogenated hydrocarbon metal cleaning solvents previously employed have come under scrutiny in view of the materials employed, and in particular, the environmental impact from the usage of the various materials. This is particularly true in the case of parts cleaning which is done in closed environments such as garages and the like or for even home usage in view of the close human contact. Even addition of devices to parts washers which can reduce spillage, fire and excessive volatilization of cleaning solvents are not sufficient to alleviate present environmental concerns.
Although halogenated hydrocarbon solvents such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and trichloromethane, methylene chloride and trichloromethane (methyl chloroform) are used widely in industry for metal cleaning, their safety, environmental and cost factors coupled with waste disposal problems are negative aspects in their usage. A world-wide and U.S. ban on most halogenated hydrocarbon solvents is soon in the offing by virtue of the Montreal Protocol, Clean Air Act and Executive and Departmental directives.
Non-halogenated hydrocarbon solvents such as toluene and Stoddard solvent and like organic compounds such as ketones and alcohols on the other hand are flammable, have high volatility and dubious ability to be recycled for continuous use. Such properties plus unfavorable safety, environmental and cost factors, put this group of solvents in a category which is unattractive for practical consideration. Most useful organic solvents are classified as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which pollute the atmosphere, promote formation of toxic ozone at ground level, and add to the inventory of greenhouse gases.
In order to eliminate the various negative aspects of known chemical washing and degreasing systems, it has, therefore, been suggested that an aqueous detergent system be used to overcome some of the inherent negative environmental and health aspects of such solvent cleaning systems. Unfortunately, aqueous cleaning systems are not without their own problems as related to use thereof in metal cleaning systems including use in parts washers as described above. For example, certain aqueous cleaners are exceedingly alkaline having pHs of 13 and above such as sodium hydroxide or include organic solvents such as alkanolamine, ethers, alcohols, glycols, ketones and the like. Besides being highly corrosive, exceedingly high alkaline aqueous solutions are highly toxic and can be dangerous to handle requiring extreme safety measures to avoid contact with skin. Organic solvent-containing aqueous cleaners present problems regarding toxicity, volatility or the environment as expressed previously. On the other hand, it is most difficult to obtain an aqueous detersive solution at moderate pH which is effective in removing greases and oils which contaminate metal and which would not be corrosive to metal.
One particular disadvantage of using aqueous systems to clean metal surfaces is a potential for corroding or discoloring metal surfaces. While aqueous cleaning solutions having a high pH such as formed from sodium hydroxide are often more corrosive than aqueous solutions having a relatively low pH, such as formed by moderately alkaline detergents, corrosion and discoloration still are problematic with more moderate solutions. Various corrosion inhibitors are known and have been used to prevent corrosion of surfaces which come into contact with aqueous alkaline solutions. Probably, the most effective and least costly of the known corrosion inhibitors are the silicates, such as alkali metal silicates. Unfortunately, alkali metal silicates begin to precipitate from aqueous solution at pHs below 11. This is true especially in aqueous concentrates. Such insolubility of alkali metal silicates greatly reduces effectiveness of such silicates to prevent corrosion of metal surfaces when used in aqueous cleaning solutions having a moderate pH. To prevent precipitation of silicate from aqueous concentrates below a pH of 11.0, acrylic acid polymers having a high molecular weight, i.e., 100,000 or greater, have been added to concentrates. A disadvantage to employing such polymers is their high viscosity which often leaves a hard residue along the sides of cleaning tanks. Removal of such residue can be both time consuming and difficult.
Another problem associated with aqueous cleaning compositions is solubility of builders in water. Alkali metal carbonates are especially desirable builders because such compounds are effective in removing grease and other contaminants from metals and are environmentally benign. However, alkali metal carbonates can be very difficult to solubilize in aqueous compositions, and to maintain soluble in aqueous compositions for periods of prolonged storage, thus compromising use of such builders in the cleaning industry.
Accordingly, to be as effective and be able to replace halogenated and hydrocarbon solvents now widely used, aqueous metal cleaning compositions will have to be formulated to solve the problems associated therewith including solubility of builders and anticorrosion agents, efficacy of detersive action at moderate pH levels, and corrosiveness inherent in aqueous based systems, in particular, on metal substrates.
A primary objective of the present invention is to provide an aqueous metal cleaning composition where silicate salts are readily water soluble and remain stable in solution at moderate pH ranges.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an aqueous metal cleaning composition where carbonate salts are readily water soluble and remain in aqueous solution over prolonged storage periods.
Still another objective of the present invention is to provide an aqueous metal cleaning composition which can be used effectively in a variety of parts washing equipment to efficiently remove grease, oil and other contaminants from metal parts and which is safe to use and not a hazard to the environment in use or upon disposal, and is not irritating to human skin.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide an aqueous metal cleaning composition which contains an effective water soluble corrosion inhibitor.

Aqueous sodium salt metal cleaner and method of using same


A phase-locked loop (PLL) is disclosed. One embodiment, among others, includes a PLL that provides a control current and varies the control current in proportion to an inverse of N squared. N is the ratio of the output frequency of the PLL system to the reference frequency of the PLL system. The varying of the control current compensates for bandwidth changes of the PLL system.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally related to frequency synthesizers. More particularly, the invention relates to providing predictable oscillator sensitivity and/or substantially constant loop bandwidth in phase-locked loops.
2. Related Art
Frequency synthesizers are regularly employed in communication transceivers used in numerous types of communication systems and technologies. The frequency synthesizer typically includes a phase-locked loop (PLL) comprising an oscillator such as a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), a low-pass filter, and a phase and/or frequency detector. The phase and/or frequency detector controls the frequency of the output signal of the VCO. A phase and/or frequency detector in the PLL receives the output signal and compares the output signal to a reference frequency. Based on the comparison of the output signal to the reference frequency, the phase and/or frequency detector generates a control signal that is provided to the low-pass filter and then to the VCO. The control signal is typically received by a variable capacitor, sometimes referred to as a varactor, in the VCO. The control signal tunes the variable capacitor, thereby changing the frequency of the output signal of the VCO.
Wide-tuning VCO's can exhibit a sensitivity that is voltage and/or frequency dependent. Kv is a measure of the sensitivity of a VCO, and can be described algebraically as follows:
                              K          V                =                              ∂                          f              VCO                                            ∂                          V              control                                                          (                  Eq          .                                                    1                )            where fVCO is the VCO output frequency and Vcontrol is the VCO control voltage. PLLs often use off-chip components for the loop filter. With the industry moving towards higher integration/systems on a chip, integrating the loop filter is one of the primary challenges to implementing systems on a chip. In PLLs that require fast settling times, a frequency dependent Kv can make loop filter design a difficult task, especially when integrating the filter on a semiconductor chip.
In addition, for wide-band oscillators, there is a large variation in loop bandwidth, and PLL settling times and noise performance can severely deteriorate.
Therefore it would be desirable to provide a PLL with a constant or substantially constant bandwidth and/or a predictable Kv.


A system for inspecting vehicle pull of a vehicle includes: a sensor monitoring device that collects information for vehicle pull inspection from a sensor installed in the vehicle; a travel path measurement device that measures a travel path of the vehicle in a vehicle pull measurement section; and a vehicle pull analysis device that determines whether the vehicle passes the vehicle pull inspection, based on the sensing information collected from the sensor monitoring device and travel path measurement information collected from the travel path measurement device.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
After vehicle assembly is completed in a vehicle manufacturer, a side-slip test and a vehicle high-speed driving test using a roll and brake apparatus are performed after wheel alignment in a vehicle inspection line process.
Further, comprehensive inspections of power performance, driving performance, braking performance, steering performance, and vehicle pull are finally performed through an actual driving test.
In general, a vehicle pull phenomenon refers to a phenomenon in which a vehicle pulls to one side irrespective of the driver's intention when the driver takes the hands off the steering wheel while the vehicle travels straight ahead. For example, the vehicle pull phenomenon refers to a phenomenon in which the vehicle pulls to the left or right without continuing to travel straight ahead when the driver takes the hands off the steering wheel while driving straight ahead on a highway, and unlike cornering or turning characteristics of the vehicle, the vehicle pull phenomenon is only confined to driving straight ahead.
The vehicle pull phenomenon is directly related to the driver's safety and causes the driver's fatigue because when the vehicle pulls to one side the driver has to operate the steering wheel in the opposite direction to drive straight ahead.
Most vehicle manufacturers perform vehicle pull inspections on completed vehicles. Furthermore, the vehicle pull phenomenon is one of the important consumer evaluation items in the US market. However, the vehicle pull phenomenon is not a phenomenon confined to only a vehicle or a tire and is a vehicle characteristic complexly affected by various factors. In practice, the vehicle pull phenomenon may be caused by a problem inside a vehicle or tire wear.
In existing vehicle pull inspection, due to a tester's driving habit and emotional evaluation and an error in the operation of a steering wheel by the tester, it is difficult to accurately determine whether a vehicle pulls to one side. Due to this, a quality test is not accurately performed on the vehicle, which causes consumer complaints.
Accordingly, in the related art, a vehicle pull inspection system using laser sensors installed around a test road is disclosed, but we have discovered that an error in the operation of a steering wheel by a tester is not considered at all.
Furthermore, a conventional vehicle pull inspection system using a differential global position system (D-GPS) is capable of measuring displacement on a straight travel path for vehicle pull inspection. However, we have found that the conventional vehicle pull inspection system may not be applied as an inspection method in an actual factory because separate handling (an additional step) by a tester is required and an expensive GPS receiving terminal is used.

System and method for inspecting vehicle pull


A method and system detect for the presence of an object of unknown shape, configuration, orientation and location within a non-rigid semi-opaque enclosure. The semi-opaque enclosure has a pattern which is visible on at least a first of its external surfaces. The semi-opaque enclosure may comprise, for example, a photo-envelope containing a film package, and the visible pattern may be print and graphical information provided on the envelope's outer surface. A first digital image (containing just the front print) is captured from first channel light reflected off the first external surface of the enclosure; and a second digital image (containing the front print and a silhouette of the object) is captured from second channel light navigating the object inside the enclosure and emanating from the first external surface of the enclosure. A difference image is formed substantially devoid of information representing the visible pattern on the first external surface, by subtracting one of the first and second digital images from the other. Additional segmentation processing may be performed on the difference image in order to better identify the presence of a defect or non-conforming object within the semi-opaque enclosure.

1. Related Application Data
The present disclosure is related to the following copending, commonly assigned U.S. patent applications:
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/621,189, entitled "Machine Vision Methods for Inspection of Leads on Semiconductor Die Packages," filed in the name of Sanjay Nichani on Mar. 21, 1996 (Attorney Docket No. 150448-031);
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/621,190, entitled "Machine Vision Methods for Inspection of Semiconductor Die Surfaces," filed in the name of Sanjay Nichani on Mar. 21, 1996 (Attorney Docket No. 150448-032);
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/621,137, entitled "Machine Vision Methods for Image Segmentation Using Multiple Images," filed in the name of Sanjay Nichani on Mar. 21, 1996 (Attorney Docket No. 150448-030); and
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/718,674, entitled "System or Method for Detecting Defect Within a Semi-Opaque Enclosure," filed in the name of Sanjay Nichani on even date herewith (Attorney Docket No. 221757).
Each of the above-listed copending, commonly-assigned U.S. patent applications is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
2. Reservation of Copyright
The disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
3. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a machine vision system or method for detecting at least one object within a semi-opaque enclosure. More particularly, the present invention relates to such a system or method which obtains or enhances an object image while eliminating or diminishing a background image which accompanies the object image.
4. Description of Background Information
Computer vision, otherwise referred to as image processing, involves the extraction of vision-related information by obtaining signals representing a scene and performing image signal processing on those signals. Applications of computer vision (image processing) techniques include character recognition, industrial inspection of manufactured items, robot guidance systems, radiology, remote sensing, and so on.
Image processing methods may typically comprise several common processing steps, e.g., as described by Rafael C. Gonzalez and Paul White in a book entitled "Digital Image Processing," Addison-Wesley (1992), the content of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
In a first step, image acquisition is performed to acquire an image of the scene to be analyzed. The image may, for example, be represented in the form of a monochrome or simple digital image f(x,y) discretized both in spatial coordinates x,y and in brightness (gray levels) f.
Pre-processing and enhancement techniques may then be performed on the digital image in order to improve the image and increase the chances for success in subsequent processes. Such pre-processing and image enhancement techniques may include enhancing the contrast between one or more object images and a background image, and filtering noise from the image.
Segmentation may then be performed, which involves distinguishing between different types of regions within the input image, e.g., distinguishing between an object image and a background image.
In a next step, representation and description processing may be performed. In performing representation processing, the data obtained as a result of segmentation is converted into a "representation" suitable for computer processing. In performing description processing, "feature descriptions" are extracted from the representation. Such "feature descriptions" may categorize objects to allow one class of object to be differentiated from another.
In a final stage of the image processing, recognition and interpretation processes are performed. Recognition processing may include assigning a label to an object based upon information provided by its "feature descriptions." Interpretation processing may assign a meaning to an arrangement of recognized objects. For example, several characters may be "interpreted" as forming a particular word.
Golden Template Comparison (GTC) is an image processing method that has been used to detect flaws and defects in two-dimensional scenes of an inspected item which are highly repeatable and do not suffer from geometric distortion. Such scenes are common in semiconductor production and graphic arts applications. Generally, GTC involves the comparison of a test image to an image of a known good scene referred to as a template image. More specifically, the test image is subtracted from the template image, and differences between the two images are observed in order to determine whether a flaw or defect is present within the inspected item.
Generally, GTC comprises two main phases: training and inspection. During training, the template image is constructed by sampling a plurality of images each of which represents a scene of an item absent defects. During inspection, the test image, which represents the scene of the item to be tested (the inspected item), is then compared to the template image. More specifically, the images are subtracted to form a difference image. Thresholding is performed on the difference image to produce a resulting binary image called an error image containing either background (healthy) pixels or defect pixels which represent flaws. The error image is then analyzed in order to determine whether the tested item should be labeled as an "accept" or "fail" item. The analysis that may be performed on the error image may include counting defect pixels found in the error image and performing a blob analysis on the defect pixels. The results of the analysis may be stored in a data structure called a results structure.
In various commercial settings, service providers receive from their customers items enclosed in semi-opaque envelopes, and process the enclosed items in some manner. The service provider regularly receives large numbers of such envelopes. The types of items in the envelopes vary, and the processing steps performed on the items change in accordance with the item type. Thus, the service provider separates the envelopes according to item type. To achieve this, the service provider may use an automated content identifying system to identify or classify the enclosed items.
Photograph developers receive large numbers of paper envelopes containing different types of film (e.g., "126", "110", 35 mm, and disk cartridge type films), and process (develop) each film type using a unique set of processing steps. Thus, before processing, the photograph developer separates the envelopes into groups according to the envelope's contents.
In order to identify the contents of the envelopes, a form is provided on the outside of each paper envelope which can be filled out by the customer. The form may include boxed which can be checked to categorize the contents of the envelope, for example, to indicate that the type of film in the envelope is 35 mm, 110, or a disc type film. A character recognition system or another type of image processing system may be provided to automatically ascertain the information indicated on the outside of the envelope in order to categorize the envelopes in accordance with their contents.
In other commercial settings, goods are placed in semi-opaque enclosures, for example, envelope(s) or cardboard box(es), temporarily stored and sent to a desired destination. The contents of these enclosures may be identified by placing certain characters or another type of external identifier, such as a bar code, on the outside of the enclosure. In order to quickly determine the contents of such an enclosure, a character recognition, bar code or other type of reading system may be utilized. Such systems can be problematic if an error occurs in packaging, and an enclosure contains an item different than the item identified with the enclosure's external identifier. In commercial photo-film processing settings, check-marks are put in boxes by consumers to identify the contents of the envelope. The check-mark identification may be erroneous, as the consumer may carelessly make the mark or not even provide a mark.
Accordingly, there is a significant need for a system which can quickly and automatically identify and verify the content of a semi-opaque enclosure.
5. Definitions Of Terms
The following term definitions are provided to assist in conveying an understanding of the various exemplary embodiments and features disclosed herein.
Back Lighting
Lighting produced by a light source (or emanating from a channel) directed toward an image acquisition device such as a camera, and located behind the object of interest. Back lighting causes the image acquisition device to receive a silhouette of the object of interest.
Channel
A location from which light is emanating. A channel may be a light source or it may be an optical element redirecting light from another light source. Such an optical element may include, for example, a beam splitter, or a split mirror.
Front lighting
Lighting produced by a light source (or emanating from a channel) directed toward an object of interest and generally on the same side of the object of interest as the image acquisition device.
Segmentation
A process of distinguishing between different types of regions within an image. Object/background discrimination is a particular type of segmentation which includes identifying those portions within an image corresponding to an object and those portions within the image corresponding to the background. Defect and flaw detection is a type of object/background discrimination.
Training
A process (commonly used in Golden Template Comparison flaw and defect detection methods) of obtaining a plurality (usually several) sample images of flawless items to generate both a template image and statistical information pertaining to the template image.

System or method for identifying contents of a semi-opaque envelope


A system and a method is provided for providing vehicular telematics service. The system for providing a vehicular telematics service includes a vehicle terminal, in which an embedded application and a downloaded application are installed for receiving a telematics service. The vehicle terminal also includes a telematics unit for transceiving data for the telematics service through a wireless communication network. The system further includes a telematics center which applies sending information and reception information about a service target application to header information of a service request message when receiving a service request from a user terminal. The telematics center further transmits the service request message to the vehicle terminal, in which when the vehicle terminal receives the service request message, the vehicle terminal drives the embedded application or the downloaded application by referring to the reception information applied to the header information.

In general, a telematics terminal is a vehicle terminal, which is mounted in a vehicle to provide a driver and a vehicle with useful information by using a wireless communication network.
An audio video navigation (AVN) terminal presently embedded in a vehicle is a representative vehicular telematics terminal, and includes various telematics application programs (hereinafter, referred to as "embedded app(s)" for convenience of description) embedded during manufacturing of the AVN terminal to provide various telematics services, such as a vehicle diagnosis and a remote control, as well as a road guide service reflecting real-time traffic information.
The vehicle terminal may be interlocked with a telematics (TMS) center to provide the service, and periodical updates of the embedded apps are also managed by the TMS center.
In the meantime, as number of users of information and communication devices such as smart phones has increased, the vehicle terminals have recently been developed so that a vehicular downloaded application program (hereinafter, referred to as "downloaded app(s)" for convenience of description) may be installed in the vehicle terminal through a download app center, such as a general smart phone or a tablet PC in accordance with demands of the users.
Accordingly, function of the vehicle terminal has been enhanced so as to provide various information with the downloaded app, as well as the embedded app, through the TMS center.
However, in a case where the telematics embedded apps and the downloaded apps are simultaneously installed in the vehicle terminal, and an app capable of interlocking with the TMS center among the downloaded apps is installed, when the TMS center transmits a service request message to the vehicle terminal, the vehicle terminal may not recognize whether the service request message is a message for the telematics embedded app or a message for the downloaded app. This can lead to a problem in that all of the apps are operated. For example, in a case where a message for a specific app is received from the TMS center, all of the embedded apps and the downloaded apps are driven, so that there is a problem in that all of the TMS messages need to be analyzed.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

System and method of providing vehicular telematics service


Disclosed is a thermo-shrinkable polyester film in which shrinkage uniformity is ensured in a shrinking process thus realizing superior quality of the outer appearance without causing a poorly printed state, reducing the production cost of the shrinking process and improving the productivity.

A thermo-shrinkable film is used as packing material or labels for coating, binding or wrapping various containers including bottles, cans or the like, and longish objects including pipes, rods and so on, and is composed mainly of polyester.
A thermo-shrinkable film is employed for shrink (accumulative) packaging, shrink labeling and cap sealing various containers including, for example, polyethyleneterephthalte (PET) containers, polyethylene containers, glass containers and so on, using heat shrinkability thereof.
In order to manufacture a label or the like, polymer material is continuously melted and extruded, thus preparing an unstretched film, which is then stretched to give a thermo-shrinkable film roll. The film in the roll is unwound, slit into a desired width, and then rewound into the roll. Subsequently, various characters and figures, including a product name and the like, are printed on the resulting film. After the completion of printing, the film is folded and bonded along both edges by means of, for example, solvent adhesion, to give a tubular film (in a tubing process). As such, there are cases where the sequence of the slitting process and the printing process is reversed. The tubular film thus obtained may be rewound into another roll and then unwound in subsequent procedures so that it is cut into tubular labels of a desired length, which are then further converted into bags through bonding along an edge of one opening thereof.
Subsequently, a container is clothed in the label or bag, passed, for example on a belt conveyer, through a shrinking tunnel (steam tunnel) wherein heated steam is blown for thermal shrinkage or a shrinking tunnel (hot-air tunnel) wherein hot air is blown, to give a final product (a labeled container) having the label or bag tightly attached thereto.
In the manufacture of the product using the thermo-shrinkable film, subsequent procedures after the formation of the film, for example, the printing process, the process of passing the container clothed in the label or bag through the shrinking tunnel, etc., are accompanied by a predetermined heat. In particular, the shrinking process which is finally performed is accompanied by heat regardless of the heating means such as steam or hot air, and thus may incur damage to the label or result in a poorly printed state and may also change the properties of the film. Thereby, the label may have a weaker resistance to impact, resulting in lowered product reliability.
During the shrinking process using the steam tunnel or the hot-air tunnel, steam or hot air is blown from the inlet of the tunnel to the outlet of the tunnel, but both ends and the center of the tunnel are not uniform in temperature. In this way, when the temperature in the tunnel is not uniform, the degree of shrinkage of the label may vary slightly.
After the shrinking process using the shrinking tunnel or the hot-air tunnel, the label should be uniformly shrunk so as to be tightly attached to the container. Actually, however, the label may be warped or the shape thereof may be lost.
This phenomenon occurs because the label or the like is not uniformly shrunk for a predetermined period of time at a given temperature. The difference in the degree of shrinkage, namely, the non-uniformity of shrinkage, causes a defective outer appearance of the label, and in severe cases, a poorly printed state may result.
The non-uniformity of shrinkage may retard the shrinking process and may reduce the productivity.


A dual clutch which is particularly used in trucks.

Dual clutches are used in motor vehicles for enabling power-shifting.
A dual clutch arrangement comprising a first partial clutch K1 and a second partial clutch K2 is disclosed, for instance, in EP 0 185 176 B1.
According to the arrangement in a dual clutch of the pre-cited type, both partial clutches K1 and K2 are open in the normal state ("normally open") and are pressed to close through at least one actuating device. The actuating forces required to close the clutches are normally applied alternately and must be applied in the same direction. These actuating forces have then to be taken up by a support bearing arranged on the crankshaft or in the transmission. The forces resulting in such an arrangement can be seen in the diagram shown in FIG. 8. In this diagram, the partial clutch K1 is at first open, and the partial clutch K2 is at first closed. The total actuating force is therefore equal to the actuating force of the partial clutch K2. An overlapping shifting is then executed to close the partial clutch K1 and open the partial clutch K2. Accordingly, the actuating force of the partial clutch K1 increases and the actuating force of the partial clutch K2 decreases. The total actuating force, however, remains substantially unchanged. In the final state, the partial clutch K1 is closed and the partial clutch K2 is open. The total actuating force corresponds to the actuating force of the partial clutch K1. As can be seen in this diagram, the total actuating force remains substantially at the same level over the entire period of time.
According to the arrangement in an alternative embodiment of the dual clutch, the partial clutch K1 is closed in the normal state ("normally closed") and is pressed open through at least one actuating device, while the partial clutch K2 is open in the normal state ("normally open") and is pressed to close through at least one actuating device. Two different states result in such an arrangement: when the partial clutch K1 is closed and the partial clutch K2 is open, no actuating force is required. In contrast, to open the partial clutch K1 and close the partial clutch K2, two actuating forces are needed. In this case, the two actuating forces add up and produce a high axial force on the support bearing.
The forces resulting in such an arrangement can be seen in the diagram shown in FIG. 9. In this diagram, the partial clutch K1 is at first open, and the partial clutch K2 is at first closed. The total actuating force is therefore equal to the sum of the opening force of the partial clutch K1 and the closing force of the partial clutch K2. An overlapping shifting is then performed to close the partial clutch K1 and open the partial clutch K2. Accordingly, the actuating force of the partial clutch K1 is reduced to almost zero. In the final state, the partial clutch K1 is closed and the partial clutch K2 is open. The total actuating force again corresponds to the sum of the actuating forces of the partial clutches K1 and K2.
In case of use in trucks which can have a torque of up to 3300 to 3500 Nm, release forces of up to 12400 to 15000 N are produced. If it is desired to use a dual clutch in trucks, the crankshaft mounting or the transmission bearing of the arrangement described above would have to support twice the actuating force. Therefore, to avoid such a design of the mounting arrangement and also all concomitant modifications to the housing, it is desirable to minimize the sum of the two actuating forces.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Elements of a single beam-forming array of ultrasonic transducer elements are selectively activated to direct two or more ultrasonic beams to a series of acoustic mirrors mounted to or fabricated at known locations at an inside surface of the pipe. The ultrasonic beams traverse measurement path segments at known angles through a fluid flowing through the pipe before being received back at the single transducer array. Fluid flow velocity along the fluid flow path is calculated as a function of a difference in time-of-flight (TOF) along first and second ultrasonic beam paths after subtracting TOF components contributed by known-length non-measurement path segments. The difference in TOF results from an additive downstream fluid flow velocity vector component along a first measurement path segment and a subtractive upstream fluid flow velocity vector component along a second measurement path segment.

FIG. 1 is a prior-art diagram illustrating a fluid-flow measurement technique according to the prior art. A first ultrasonic transducer 110 is located at a wall 115 of a pipe 120 upstream from a second ultrasonic transducer 125 located further downstream at a wall 130 of the pipe 120.
A first ultrasonic signal is emitted from the upstream transducer 110 and received at the downstream transducer 125 across a path 135A. A time-of-flight (TOF) T(1,2) between emission and reception of the first ultrasonic signal is measured. A second ultrasonic signal is emitted from the downstream transducer 125 and received at the upstream transducer 110 across a path 135B. A TOF T(2,1) between emission and reception of the second ultrasonic signal is measured. The paths 135A and 135B are of equal length L. Each of the paths 135A and 135B lies at an angle θ to a longitudinal axis of the pipe 120.
The velocity of the ultrasonic signal traveling at the angle θ downstream is boosted by the fluid flow velocity through the pipe 120, thus decreasing the TOF(1,2). Likewise, the velocity of the ultrasonic signal traveling at the angle θ upstream is impeded by the fluid flow velocity through the pipe 120, thus increasing the TOF(2,1).
Specifically, the velocity of the first ultrasonic signal traversing the path 135A is the sum of the velocity C of the ultrasonic energy traveling through a stationary fluid of the type traversing the pipe 120 and a velocity vector component v of the fluid velocity U along the path 135A. U is the total velocity of the fluid flowing parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pipe 120. That is, the total velocity of the first ultrasonic signal traversing the path 135A of length L is equal to C+v. The TOF T(1,2) is therefor: T(1,2)=(distance)/(velocity)=L/(C+v).
Likewise, the velocity of the second ultrasonic signal traversing the path 135B is the difference between the velocity C of the ultrasonic energy traveling through a stationary fluid of the type traversing the pipe 120 and the velocity vector component v of the fluid velocity U along the path 135B. That is, the total velocity of the second ultrasonic signal traversing the path 135B of length L is equal to C−v. The TOF T(2,1) is therefor: T(2,1)=(distance)/(velocity)=L/(C−v).
The velocity C of the ultrasonic energy traveling through a stationary fluid is a constant for the particular fluid flowing through the pipe 120. Therefore, the measured T(1,2) and T(2,1) provide the two equations, above, in the unknowns v and L. Solving the two equations for v:
  v  =            L      2                  [                                    T                                      (                              2                ,                1                            )                                -                      T                                      (                              1                ,                2                            )                                                            T                                      (                              1                ,                2                            )                                *                      T                                      (                              2                ,                1                            )                                          ]
However, the TOF measurements account only for the vector component v along the measurement paths 135A and 135B of the fluid flow velocity U. The entire fluid flow velocity U is equal to v/cos θ. Thus:
  U  =            L              2                cos                                                  θ                        [                                    T                                      (                              2                ,                1                            )                                -                      T                                      (                              1                ,                2                            )                                                            T                                      (                              1                ,                2                            )                                *                      T                                      (                              2                ,                1                            )                                          ]

Single transceiver ultrasonic flow meter having an array of transducer elements


There is provided a floating structure. The floating structure according to the present invention comprises a main body including leg wells; legs penetrating the leg wells and having cords and racks; a unit installation means positioned in the main body as surroundings of the leg wells. According to the present invention, a jacking unit is installed in the main body by the unit installation means.

Demands for developing environment-friendly energy are increasing. Power generation using a wind turbine is spotlighted globally.
For the installation of a wind turbine, environmental conditions and installation conditions should be considered. For example, as the environmental conditions, an installation site of the wind turbine, for the realization of effective rotation by blades, requires wind speed faster than a preset wind speed and a very wide area.
Moreover, as the installation conditions, the installation site of the wind turbine should be free from noise caused by the drive of the wind turbine.
Recently, for the relative freedom from the above environmental conditions or the restrictions, concerns to the wind turbines are increasing.
A marine wind turbine may be installed by various ways, but can be generally installed such that parts are manufactured into several units on the land, and that the manufactured units are transported on the sea for assembly.
For example, a wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) is to transport the marine wind turbine unit manufactured on the land to the installation site and to install the same at the installation site on the sea.
The WTIV may be used in a transit mode and a jack-up mode in view of operating properties.
Specifically, the WTIV sails to a site where the marine turbine is installed in the transit mode. In the transit mode, legs may be elevated up to the upper side of a main body for the purpose of decreasing resistance caused by sea water. After that, the operating mode of the WTIV is switched to the jack-up mode such that the legs are lowered down and are driven into the seabed and the main body is elevated along the legs such that the main body may be spaced apart from the surface of the sea by a preset distance. When the main body reaches a preset position, the WTIV stops to move the main body and carries out the installation of the marine wind turbine, and moves to a next installation site by performing the above installation order reversely after the installation.
In the floating structure, as a leg support or a jack case supporting and driving the legs projects upward from a hull of the floating structure or a main deck of the main body, the space availability of the main deck may be relatively deteriorated in loading loads by functions of the floating structure.
For example, in a case when the floating structure is a ship or a marine structure for installing the marine wind turbine, a shipping space for the load such as a plurality of blades, a nacelle, a tower, and the like corresponding to parts of the marine wind turbine may be restricted due to the leg support projecting upward from the main deck.
Moreover, when to dispose the jack case in the floating structure simply, it is difficult to install the jack case in an internal structural material of the floating structure and it is required to solve sealing of the jacking unit, installation of a plurality of jacking units including motors and pinions in the jack case and maintenance thereof.


A storage and dosing station for storage and dispensing dosed quantities of solid drug portions. A stationary part of the station is to be mounted to a frame of an apparatus for packaging solid drug portions, the stationary part comprising a first part of a dispensing device. A controller and a drive for driving an individualizing mechanism for dispensing separate solid drug portions is comprised by the first part. A detachable part is coupled to the stationary part and comprises a storage container for receiving a plurality of solid drug portions. A second part of the dispensing device, and an information memory means is comprised in the second part. Information reading means on the stationary part are coupled to the controller, wherein the information reading means can read information stored in the information memory means, if the detachable part is coupled to the stationary part. The information memory means store data that are used by the controller to control the operation of components of the dispensing device.

The invention relates to a system for packaging dosed quantities of solid medicines. The invention particularly relates to a tablet packing system and a method for continuously and automatically packing prescribed tablets in separate pouches.
It is usually advantageous to package dosed quantities of solid medicines, such as tablets and pills, in bags or other types of packaging, wherein the medicines in each bag are packed separately per ingestion, wherein the bag is provided with user information, such as the day and time of day the medicines have to be taken. The bags for a user are generally attached to each other and supplied rolled up in a dispenser box. The filling of individual packages with dosed quantities of solid medicines (batches) is increasingly being automated.
A known system for dosing solid medicines for final packaging in individual packages comprises a plurality of storage containers respectively provided with different types of medicine. After reading or entering a medicine prescription the storage containers relevant to the prescription are opened in order to allow a dosed quantity of medicines to drop into a central fall chute positioned under the storage containers. At the bottom of the fall duct the selectively released medicines are received in a packaging, such as a bag, after which the packaging is closed.
For the packing of the medicine, tablet feeders or dosing stations are used which contain the medicine and can be controlled to dispense a certain number of medicine entities. Conventionally, there is a tablet feeder composed of a case support table on which a motor is placed, and a tablet storage case which can be mounted on or detached from the case support table. In this kind of the dosing station, when the motor is driven, a rotor disposed inside the tablet storage case is rotated via a plurality of gears so that tablets contained in its pocket can be discharged through a delivery passage. In such dosing stations, the tablets discharged from the tablet storage case are counted by a counting sensor provided on the delivery passage.
Document EP1473228A1 discloses a tablet feeder. Tablets are delivered from a tablet storage case mounted on a case support table, and when the tablets are passed through a delivery passage formed in the case support table, quantity of the passed tablets is counted by a counting means.
EP1241617A2 discloses a medicine feeder apparatus for hospital or pharmacy, comprising cassettes holdings the tablets and having an identification like a barcode, showing information of the medicine in the cassette and a reader which reads identification of a cassette.
EP1604631A1 describes an automatic packaging machine for sealed packing of tablets. The device has a readout circuit on the machine main body that reads out the tablet information from an identification unit on a container while installed on the wall of the machine main body.
Another packaging machine is known from EP1700592A1. The machine is adapted for automatically recognizing cassettes of the cartridges of the tablet automatic packaging machine. A plurality of cartridges is arranged in multiple layers. Each cartridge is coupled to a tablet cassette having a cassette memory in which tablet information or cassette information is recorded. The cartridge comprises an inner memory to store cartridge information, a first data transmitting unit to transmit and receive commands related to preparation therefrom.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,186,542B2 describes a discharge station for medicines comprising a discharge drum which discharges the medicines from a tablet case, a medicine detecting sensor which detects the medicines discharged from the tablet case, and a control device. This control device controls a rotating motor for rotating the discharge drum to discharge the medicines from the tablet case, counts the discharged medicines based on a detecting operation of the medicine detecting sensor, and changes the discharge speed of the medicine by the discharge drum depending on the type of medicine in the tablet case. The disclosure of the mentioned patent is incorporated by reference.
A storage and dosing station for automatic packaging machines is further disclosed in EP1704844A1. The storage and dosing station comprises a stationary part to be mounted to a frame of an apparatus for packaging solid drug portions. To the stationary part, a detachable part is detachably coupled. The detachable part comprises a storage container for receiving a plurality of solid drug portions.
However, known medicine discharge stations have drawbacks when it comes to handling refilling of the containers or the reliable detection of actual ejection of a medicine portion.
An object of the invention therefore is to provide a medicine supply apparatus capable of reducing the time required for discharging medicines without causing any trouble during counting of the medicines and which at the same time enhances reliability.
The storage and dosing station according to the invention comprises a stationary part to be mounted to a frame of an apparatus for packaging solid drug portions. The stationary part comprises a first part (components) of a dispensing device, the first part of the dispensing device comprising a controller and a drive for driving an individualizing mechanism for dispensing separate solid drug portions.
To this end, the expression "first part" is meant to describe that the dispensing device may have multiple components or modules which interact to dispense separate drug portions of predetermined number or size, a first group or first part of which components or modules is comprised in the stationary part.
To the stationary part, a detachable part is detachably coupled. The detachable part comprises a storage container for receiving a plurality of solid drug portions, a second part of the dispensing device, and an information memory means (e.g. a memory module).
Again, the expression "part of the dispensing device" means that a subgroup of those means forming the dispensing device is comprised in the detachable part (another subgroup of the means forming the dispensing device being comprised in the stationary part). The detachable part and the stationary part have corresponding releasable connection means for securely mounting the container to the stationary part.
The second part of the dispensing device comprises an outlet of the storage container for outputting solid drug portions. This outlet may be a closable and openable opening or a chute or may include a separating member, e.g. a separating wheel.
The stationary part further comprises an information reading means coupled to the controller, wherein the information reading means can read information stored in the information memory means on the detachable part, if the detachable part is coupled to the stationary part.
According to the invention, a storage and dosing station for storage and dispensing dosed quantities of solid drug portions is disclosed, in which the information memory means store data that are used by the controller to control the operation of components of the dispensing device.
According to the invention, a non-volatile memory is attached to the detachable part, e.g. to the storage container. A corresponding reading means is mounted to the stationary part so that when the detachable part with the container is attached to the stationary part the reading means can read the content of the non-volatile memory. To this end, the stationary part and the memory on the detachable part may be equipped with contacts which engage with corresponding contacts on the side of the stationary part. Further, it is possible to use wireless readout, such as RFID or NFC techniques, or other transponder technique.
The reading means on the stationary part are coupled to the control of the stationary part.
According to the invention, when the detachable part is decoupled from the stationary part and filled with a certain type of medicine, information on the medicine is stored in the memory attached to the container. This is done using a writing device, e.g. a docking station which has suitable writing means which can be coupled to the memory of the container. According to the invention, the type of the medicine filled in the container and respective control information is stored in the memory. Further, the number of medicine portions (e.g. tablets) filled in the container may be stored. Additionally, information on the shape (geometry) and further features, such as the optical characteristics of the medicine, are stored.
To this end, the docking station or the writing means may be coupled to a database storing all this information in relation to the medicine type. A barcode scanner may be coupled to the docking station so that a barcode on the package containing the medicine to be filled in the container may be scanned and the corresponding information from the database is stored in the memory of the container. Since the information on the medicine loaded in the container is bound to the container itself in the memory, overall security is increased. Even if a container is detached from a stationary part and attached to another stationary part, the new stationary part instantly receives the required information on the medicine loaded. To this end, the stationary part reads the memory of each container newly coupled to the stationary part.
On the other hand, even when the container is decoupled from the stationary part, the information on the medicine contained is readily available. If a partly filled container is coupled to a reader or docking station, the information on the medicine contained makes it easy to refill the container with the same type of medicine.
According to the invention, it is therefore crucial that information on the medicine is stored in a non-volatile memory attached to the detachable part itself and not only in the whole assembly consisting of stationary part and detachable part. The stationary part only has valid information on the dispensed medicine if the container with readable information is coupled to the stationary part. The invention therefore relies on a setup in which a container is detachable from a stationary part for refilling or cleaning.
According to the invention, the information on the medicine as stored in the information memory means is not only used to identify which medicine is stored in the detachable part. The stationary part also uses this information for ensuring correct functioning of the dispensing process itself. The controller reads the stored information and based thereon the whole dispensing process is controlled. Further, the dispensing process may be monitored on basis of the information which allows for fault detection.
The controlling of the dispensing device requires different control signals, parameter sets or control instructions, based on the kind of medicine contained in the detachable part or container. According to the state of the art it was necessary to carefully adapt the dispensing device to the medicine or drugs filled in the removable part. For instance, each stationary part was adapted to be connected to particular detachable parts. It had to be made sure that the drive and its control was adapted to cause the medicine portion to be passed through the outlet of the detachable part. As an alternative, the detachable part had to be adapted to be functioning in combination with a given stationary part—e.g. by providing gears between the drive and the individualizing means.
According to the invention, the stationary part of the dosing station reads the information on the medicine contained and adapts the control of the controllable means of the stationary part and/or the detachable part accordingly. In other words, the stored information have impact on the way the dosing station works—since the dosing station hat information on the correct way to control the discharge of the stored medicine, the discharge process is more secure and better controllable.
According to the invention, the dosing station has a discharge mechanism which is disposed underneath the storage container, so that the medicine stored in the container can fall or slide downwards and can be discharged. A partitioning member as part of the individualizing mechanism separated the drugs portions and guides or forces them through the outlet of the detachable part. From there, the portions are discharged through the stationary part of the dosing station.
According to an aspect of the invention, in the storage and dosing station the information memory means store data determining the movement of the drive for driving the individualizing mechanism. The dosing station comprises a drive, e.g. an electric motor, in particular a servo motor or stepper motor, for displacing or driving the individualizing mechanism. A stepper motor is particularly suitable for the present invention because the number of rotations made thereby, and therefore also the displacement of the individualizing mechanism, can be regulated very precisely. On basis of the information stored in the memory means, the drive can be controlled. Particularly the information can include parameters for the speed control, e.g. by indication a particular number of steps to be made per time or by giving a voltage or power to apply. Further, stored information may be used to precisely precharge the individualizing mechanism. This means, that after discharge of a medicine portion, the individualizing mechanism is on basis of the stored information driven to a position in which almost the next discharge occurs. Since the precise information on the stored medicine is used to control the drive, the discharge process can take place very fast the next time a drug portion is requested. This approach is only possible since the control of the drive is based on the information stored in the memory. Otherwise, if no information on the drive parameters individually adapted to the stored drugs were available, the drive would have to wait for the next discharge in a position compatible for any kind of drugs which may be stored. To this end, the invention allows for speeding up the discharge process.
When, as described above, use is made of an electrical drive, a measuring element (sensor) can be applied to measure the resistance produced and/or the current consumed by the electric motor, whereby it is possible to detect whether a tablet has become jammed between the detachable part and the stationary part. The station control can be particularly adapted here to reverse the electric motor if the resistance detected by the measuring element exceeds a predefined value. In the case that a tablet is jammed between the storage container and the stationary part, the direction of displacement of the stationary part can thus be reversed, whereby the jam can be resolved.
Thus, in a preferred embodiment the drive for driving the individualizing mechanism comprises an electric motor and a measuring element for measuring a resistance of the electric motor, the controller being adapted to reverse the electric motor, if the resistance detected by the measuring element exceeds a predefined value.
In a preferred embodiment, in the storage and dosing station as the individualizing mechanism comprises a rotating individualizing wheel mounted in the stationary part so that it is positioned adjacent to the outlet of the storage container, if the detachable part is coupled to the stationary part. The stationary part or the detachable part have an individualizing means with receiving spaces, wherein the one or more receiving spaces are arranged in the means, wherein each receiving space is generally adapted to temporarily hold one tablet or pill. By means of axial rotation of the individualizing means, the individualizing means can be displaced between a loading state, in which a receiving space of the stationary part is aligned with a outlet or delivery opening of the storage container, and an unloading state in which the stationary part covers the delivery opening and is adapted to deliver the separated tablet to a container.
In an alternative embodiment the individualizing mechanism comprises a rotating individualizing wheel mounted in the detachable part so that it is connected to the drive, if the detachable part is coupled to the stationary part. In a particularly preferred embodiment the individualizing wheel is detachably mounted in the detachable part and contains a wheel identifier and the information memory means comprise a reader for reading and storing the wheel identifier to be read by the reading means.
In this setup, the separating wheel is replaceable or exchangeable without requiring any extensive modification on the stationary part. The reader gets the information on the wheel mounted in the detachable part an can adapt the controlling to the wheel information. This way, other kinds of drugs may be used with the storage container and by mounting another wheel and the control method is automatically adapted since the information on the wheel used are readably from the memory.
It is particularly advantageous if the information memory means store data characterizing parameters of the movement of the individualizing wheel for dispensing separate solid drug portions. Preferably, the information memory means store data characterizing rotational speed, acceleration and deceleration, maximum torque, rotation angles and/or rotation positions of the movement of the individualizing wheel for dispensing separate solid drug portions.
According to another preferred embodiment, the stationary part comprises a sensor coupled to the controller for monitoring the dispensing of a solid drug portion from said dispensing station, wherein the information memory means store data used by the controller for controlling the operation of the sensor.
According to the above explanation the stationary part in combination with the detachable part of the storage and dosing station is adapted to separate one or more single tablets from the tablets present in the storage container. Dosing can take place by selectively removing the separated tablets, generally by allowing them to fall, from the storage container through the outlet into the stationary part and from there to an respective container of an apparatus for packaging.
The medicines discharged from the container e.g. via a chute in the stationary part are detected by a sensor mounted in the stationary part and counted based on an output of this sensor. To this end, the stationary part comprises at least one sensor for detecting the moment at which a medicine in tablet form dispensed by the dosing station falls. Not only can the correct operation of the storage container, and in particular a stationary part received therein, be determined on the basis of detection of this moment of falling, it is also possible to monitor whether a storage container is no longer delivering medicines in tablet form and is therefore normally empty.
When the detachable part with the storage container is mounted on the dispenser or stationary part, the information on the medicine contained in the container is read out and the control of the stationary part adjusts the sensor control to that information. To this end, the optical sensor for dispensation (ejection) count may be calibrated according to the information stored.
In a preferred embodiment, the sensor is an optical sensor and the information memory means store data characterizing optical characteristics of the solid drug portions contained in the storage container, wherein the controller controls the optical sensor as a function of the optical characteristics.
The optical characteristics may be stored in the form of control parameters or in the form of parameters, the control may calculate parameters from.
Particularly, the optical characteristics include information on the color, glossiness and/or reflectivity of the surface of the solid drug portions.
A medicine with a shiny or glossy surface thus requires different calibration to a medicine with a matte surface. Furthermore, liquid-filled capsules which are semi-transparent may require different calibration in order to reliably detect the ejection of a single dose. If the tablets, according to the stored information, have a shiny or glossy surface, the detection is adapted to compensate for reflection or to suppress false recognition due to multiple reflections.
It is further preferred, that said optical sensor is controlled for ambient light compensation or background light compensation.
In a preferred embodiment, the information memory means do further store information on the number, type, expiration date and/or batch number of the solid drug portions in the storage container.
According to another aspect of the invention a method for filling a storage container of a storage and dosing station according to any of the above mentioned embodiments is disclosed. The detachable part of the storage and dosing station having the storage container to be filled are attached to a docking station, the docking station comprising a reading and writing means for reading and writing the information memory means of the detachable part.
A load of solid drug portions are filled into the storage container and data is written into the information memory means, the data characterizing the type of solid drug portions filled into the storage container and including the data that are used to control the operation of components of the dispensing device.
According to a further aspect of the invention, data indicating the weight of a single solid drug portion is provided to the docking station, the weight of the attached detachable part of the storage and dosing station is monitored by a weighing means of the docking station, wherein the number of solid drug portions filled into the storage container is calculated on the basis of measured weight differences of the attached detachable part.
According to another aspect of the invention, a docking station for use in a filling method is disclosed. The docking station has receiving means for receiving the detachable part of a storage and dosing station having the storage container to be filled, and a reading and writing means coupled to the information memory means, if the detachable part of the storage and dosing station is attached to the receiving means.
In a system using the medicine supply apparatus according to the invention, a plurality of dosing stations for dispensing a dosed quantity of solid medicines is used. Containers are arranged in a movable manner in order to pass by the dosing station so that medicine from the dosing stations can be dispensed or dosed into the containers. The dosed quantity of medicines drops into an underlying collecting container. Each collecting container is adapted to collect one prescription generally associated with one user. A prescription consists here of a predefined quantity and type of solid medicine formed by tablets or pills. A supply of different types of solid medicine is held at different dosing stations.
The dosing stations generally take a substantially stationary form. It is advantageous here for a plurality of dosing stations to be positioned adjacent to each other, this enabling simultaneous filling of a plurality of collecting containers. It is also advantageous for a plurality of dosing stations to be positioned above each other, whereby multiple types of medicine can be dispensed simultaneously to the same collecting container, this also enhancing the capacity of the system. It is particularly advantageous here for at least a number of the dosing stations to be arranged in a matrix structure with dosing stations arranged in multiple horizontal rows and multiple vertical columns. It is advantageous here for the dosing stations to be positioned as closely as possible to each other, and preferably to connect to each other, which in addition to saving volume also results in time gains during filling of the collecting containers, and thereby a further increase in the capacity of the system according to the invention. It is further possible to envisage applying a plurality of matrix structures of dosing stations in order to further increase capacity.
In a particular embodiment the system comprises two matrix structures, wherein each matrix structure comprises a plurality of dosing stations arranged in rows and columns, and wherein dispensing sides of the dosing stations of the different matrix structures face toward each other.

Storage and dosing station for storage and dispensing dosed quantities of solid drug portions


Singe-pole or multipole, metal-encapsulated, compartmentalized or gas-insulated switchpanels of a switching station, which are connected by three-position switches, having isolating and grounding functions, to power switches designed with or without vacuum switching tubes, the switchpanels each being arranged in busbar housings or separate isolating housings, and being equipped with transmission devices for the visual observation of fixed contacts are provided. The transmission device includes a camera module which can be connected via a connecting device to a display device outside of the switchpanel. A lighting device is arranged in a displaced manner relative to a camera module for glare-free imaging of the busbar fixed contacts.

The present invention relates to single-pole or multipole, metal-encapsulated, compartmentalized or gas-insulated switchpanels of a switching station, which are connected by three-position switches, having isolating and grounding functions, to power switches designed with or without vacuum switching tubes, the switchpanels each being arranged in busbar housings or separate isolating housings, and being equipped with transmission devices for the visual observation of fixed contacts.
Conventional transmission devices for switchpanels are described in the German Patent No. 296 08 127 in the form of endoscope devices. In that case, the endoscope devices are directly guided through guide tubes to the inspection windows of the switchpanels, to be able to view the contact points arranged behind these inspection windows. The guide tubes of the switchpanels are advantageously accessible from the front side, so that the operating personnel can directly manipulate the endoscope devices from the operating side of the switchpanels.
The endoscope devices are equipped with an optical lens at their free end and also have a light source, allowing the contact areas arranged in the housings of the switchpanels to be observed using these endoscope devices. At the same time, however, the endoscope devices must be positioned in such a way that both the image segment and the image brightness are adequate to be able to assess the contact points with sufficient reliability.
Furthermore, the German Patent No. 34 33 362 describes a monitoring device having sensors arranged at inspection windows for the visual detection of contact points, the sensors responding to luminous effects of an accidental arc inside the gas compartment and controlling, by suitable switching measures, the triggering of a protective device. However, it is not possible to image contacts using this monitoring device.
European Patent No. 0 122 595 describes a gas-insulated switching station, inside of which optical fiber cables are provided for inspecting the contacts. The glass fibers themselves are arranged frontally relative to the contacts and are illuminated by lighting windows situated opposite them. However, it is not possible to assess individual contact points by this means.
Furthermore, Patent Abstract of Japan for Publication No. 04 049 802 describes a shared camera module outside of a switching station for reading several operating devices lying in one plane.
An object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring device for visually observing the fixed contacts in the housings of the switchpanels, whose manipulation is substantially simplified, and whose constructional outlay is considerably reduced, especially within the switchpanels. According to the present invention, this is achieved by the following features:
1.1 the transmission device includes a camera module which can be connected via a connecting device to a display device;
1.2 the camera module is positioned on the outside of the housing of the switchpanels in such a way that the fixed contacts to be observed are visible as a compact image segment;
1.3 the transmission device is provided with a switchable lighting device which is also arranged on the outside of the housing; and
1.4 the lighting device and the camera module are arranged one beneath the other and displaced relative to each other in such a way that the image segment discernibly reproduces the fixed contact in all circuit states.
By using a camera module which is positioned at a permanent location of the respective switchpanel for acquiring the most favorable image segment, manipulations due to habit are no longer necessary when observing the fixed contacts. Furthermore, the fixed installation of the camera modules ensures a homogeneous image segment which, given appropriately favorable positioning of the camera modules, permits optimum imaging of the fixed contacts without additional adjustments.
In this connection, a switchable lighting device is provided, independently of the camera module. The lighting device, independent of the camera module, assuming that it is appropriately positioned, always allows the fixed contacts to be imaged free from glare and reflection. Moreover, the switchable lighting device makes additional energy-saving effects possible which, particularly if power is supplied by portable storage batteries, prove to be advantageous. In this case, power supply to the lighting device in conjunction with the display device, using a connecting device which can be manipulated from outside is to be regarded as particularly favorable.
According to one advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the following features are provided:
2.1 the light concentration of the lighting device (BE) is provided by a halogen lamp having an integrated lens for concentrating light; and
2.2 the optical axis of the lens is aligned relative to the optical axis of the camera module in such a way that the two axes intersect approximately in the center area of the fixed contacts.
These measures ensure that the fixed contacts are sufficiently lighted for reliable assessment, even when energy-saving lighting equipment is used.
Another advantageous embodiment of the present invention provides the following features:
3.1 the camera module and the lighting device are separately assigned to each phase of the switching station; and
3.2 the display device, which can be connected via the connecting device, is jointly assigned to several phases of the switching station.
Optionally, a single, non-stationary display device may be connected to each individual camera module of the switching station. In this connection, the present invention also contemplates the inspection of a plurality of fixed contacts of a switchpanel simultaneously if further display devices are provided. In any case, the display devices can be assigned to the fixed contacts of a switching station that are to be observed in parallel, in such a way that they are adapted to the corresponding configuration. Thus, for example, given a fixed assignment of the display devices to the respective camera modules, the corresponding connecting devices can be omitted and replaced by a fixed connection.

Recognition device for connecting contacts on switch panels