The invention relates to a device and method for the recognition of at least one individual and to the corresponding access control device and system and application thereof. The inventive recognition device comprises a one-piece integrated circuit which is produced by integrating the following elements on a silicon substrate: at least one biometric information sensor; means of processing said biometric information; cryptographic means which deliver at least one piece of encrypted data that is representative of at least one part of said biometric information and/or a corresponding piece of recognition information; and protection means that block access to data in transit, stored and/or processed in said one-piece integrated circuit in order to create a secure perimeter. In this way, the data exchanged by said sensor(s), processing means and cryptographic means, and particularly the aforementioned biometric information, are only saved in the one-piece integrated circuit and cannot be accessed from outside. Moreover, only encrypted data are delivered to the outside from said one-piece integrated circuit.

The applying of the recognition of biometric characteristics for access monitoring is a well-known technique per se, as much for access to a site or a protected room as for data stored in a database. Such systems comprise a sensor, for example to read an image of a fingerprint, and means of processing and analyzing this image, deciding on the positive or negative recognition of the individual.
On first impressions, this technique is convincing, as it seems to guarantee that the individual present is the individual that the system has identified, and not an ill-intentioned third party. A more thorough analysis, however, demonstrates that this is not the case. Indeed, it is relatively simple, for a hacker, to bypass the system, for example by picking up the signal transmitted by the sensor during the recognition of an authorized individual, and then reproducing the same signal to give it to the means of processing and analysis. The latter thus conclude on a positive recognition, in the absence of the authorized individual.
It is therefore clear that the known systems do not provide a sufficient level of security for a variety of applications. That is principally due to the fact that these systems use separate elements, which implies the transmitting of sensitive data easily accessible and re-exploitable between these elements.
We considered bringing together within one box, or on one printed circuit, these separate elements. However, that does not alter the problem, even if it does render it slightly more complicated. The sensitive data flows on a bus, for example between the sensor which picks up the imprint and the microprocessor which processes and analyses it. It is now possible, for an ill-intentioned person, with relatively uncomplicated means, to detect the signals flowing on this bus, or to transmit via this bus false data to the microprocessor. It is to be noted that the identification and analysis of this problem are an integral part of this invention.
Over and above this high vulnerability of the current systems, there is also the major problem of protecting private and highly confidential information which constitute the biometric information. Indeed, due to the accessibility of the flows of data coding the biometric characteristics, it is possible to illicitly create a database, for use prohibited by legislation. It would, for example, be conceivable to use such a database to extract individual characteristics, which would allow commercial targeting not authorized by the individual.
As long as these problems have not been resolved, it is naturally neither desirable nor conceivable that these biometric techniques are widely used, for example in governmental or banking applications.
The invention notably has as an objective to offer a solution to these problems of prior art techniques.
More precisely, an objective of the invention is to provide a technique that allows the usage of biometric characteristics in a safe and reliable manner. Notably, the invention has the objective of providing such a technique, which does not allow a potential hacker to collect and reuse the biometric data of a third party.
Another objective of the invention is to provide such a technique, guaranteeing the confidentiality of the biometric imprints of an individual.
The invention also has the objective of providing such a technique, which can be industrially implemented on a large scale, with an acceptable production cost.

Device and method of recognizing at least one individual, the corresponding access control device and system and applications thereof


A method, computer system, and a computer program product for detecting a malicious activity with respect to an application hosted on a server is provided. The present invention may include collecting user activity data associated an application accessed remotely over a network and generating a graph from the collected user activity data. Each node of the graph may represent a set of user requests received from a user with respect to a location within the application and each connection between nodes may represent a user navigable path between locations within the application. The present invention may include storing the generated graph and monitoring subsequent user activity with respect to the application. The present invention may include detecting a subsequent user activity that does not match the stored graph.

The present invention relates generally to the field of computing, and more particularly to internet security.
Communications that are routed via the internet are vulnerable to being intercepted between an end-point and a server to exploit weaknesses behind an application logic of an application hosted on the server. As these vulnerabilities are related to the application logic, common vulnerability scanners and protection technologies are unable to detect such malicious activities.

Security of server hosting remote application

International Business Machines Corporation


A multisignal combiner is provided for weighting the best performing signal of an amplitude transform signal and a phase difference transform signal produced by a processor which receives a two dimensional signal and has intermediate signals which are a variance of the amplitude and a variance of the phase difference of the received signal. A device is provided for receiving the variance of the amplitude and the variance of the phase difference for producing a pair of weighting factors, each of which is inversely proportional to the size of the variances of the respective values, and a third weighting factor which is 1 minus the weighting factor of the signal which has the smallest variance. The transformed signals are weighted by the weighting factors and the received signal is weighted by the third weighting factor. The weighted signals are then summed to provide a final output signal which has it's best performing signal component enhanced relative to the other signal components.

The invention relates to a multisignal combiner for weighting and summing outputs of a two dimensional signal processor so that the output having the best desired signal performance is given the greatest weight.
In the preferred embodiment, the invention is used as a multisignal combiner for weighting the outputs of the two dimensional kernel adaptive interferference suppression system, described in the latter mentioned patent application, according to their performances. This system uses an Adaptive Locally Optimum Detection (ALOD) algorithm which was created especially for interference suppression. This two dimensional suppression system of the prior filed patent application will be referred to hereinafter as the ALOD Processor or Processor. The ALOD algorithm implements kernel estimation to attempt to represent the joint probability density function of two random variables (magnitude and phase-difference) based upon a finite number of data points (signal samples). The algorithm provides an estimate of interference statistics based on such things as atmospheric noise, jamming and other communication signals, so that the received signal samples may be transformed into perceptible communication signals.
The ALOD Processor calculates and outputs two transforms, one based on the amplitude and the other based on the change in phase of received signal samples. These two outputs are then combined with a bleed through path signal from a radio receiver to produce a final output signal which best represents the desired communication signal. Unfortunately, there are signal environments where one or neither of the transform outputs enhance the desired communication signal relative to interference. There are some instances where they may actually degrade the communication signal levels relative to noise levels.
While testing the ALOD Processor I discovered that the performance of each transform output was linked to the value of its corresponding variance. When the variance of the amplitude samples was small, the amplitude transform output provided excellent interference suppression. When it was large, it could actually degrade the communication signal. The same held true for the phase difference transform. When the variance of the phase difference samples was small, the phase difference transform output provided excellent interference suppression. When it was large there could be a degrading of the communication signal. It was this discovery that led to the present invention.

Combiner for two dimensional adaptive interference suppression system

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


A portable, collapsible reflector oven useful for cooking by an open fire is provided. The inventive apparatus is constructed as a single unit in that all of the parts of the reflector oven are connected to one another to prevent part loss. The reflector oven has a stabilizing frame to which the reflector panels and supporting panels are pivotally attached. In a preferred embodiment, the reflector oven is provided with a shelf and a shelf suspension system. The shelf suspension system automatically positions the shelf correctly when the reflector oven is unfolded from a collapsed position. In the most preferred embodiment, the reflector oven has a latching system which acts to stabilize the reflector oven against collapse while the reflactor oven is in the open position.

Travelers to remote areas, such as for example, hunters, campers and canoers frequently use an open fire to bake, roast, and grill their food. Special ovens termed reflector ovens are especially useful for baking and roasting food where an open fire is the heat source. Examples of reflector ovens are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,757,664 (McDowell) and 2,921,577 (Smith), the disclosure of each of which is incorporated herein by reference. However, reflector ovens can be bulky and difficult for such travelers to transport. Thus, a means to minimize the space required by the reflector oven is desirable. Examples of collapsible reflector ovens are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 216,003 (Watson); 240,639 (Austin); 449,432 (Watson); 548,499 (Ashmore); 897,459 (Grant); 1,216,008 (Stonebridge); 1,490,274 (Ivey); 2,543,115 (Lindstaedt) and 2,580,925 (Jarvis), the disclosure of each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Previous reflector ovens have suffered from various problems such as a lack of consideration of the amount of storage space required to accommodate the reflector oven when it is packed for travel; insufficient strength of construction to support the weight of food to be cooked; and lack of sufficient space for placing for cooking. Additionally, when the oven is in use it must be sturdy, stable, and durable so that the oven may be moved relative to the fire. The temperature reached in the reflector oven is regulated by changing the position of the reflector oven relative to the open fire. Thus, when the reflector oven is in the open, non-collapsed position and food is placed on the shelf for cooking, the reflector oven must be sturdy and stable enough to allow the oven to be moved while food is on the shelf.


A pump 1 comprises a chamber 2 having a inlet opening 22 and an outlet opening 21. The chamber 2 extends between a first main wall 30 and a second main wall 40. The first main wall 30 is a triangular bottom wall of a body 3. The second main wall 40 is a part of a triangular bottom wall of a tub 4. The body 3 is tiltable relative to the tub 4 so that the volume of the chamber 2 is variable. The pump 1 comprises an outlet valve for blocking the outlet opening 21 when the volume of the chamber 2 is increased and an inlet valve for blocking the inlet opening when the volume of the chamber 2 is reduced. The outlet valve is formed by a first portion 31 of the body 3. This first portion 31 of the body blocks the outlet opening when the body is urged against the outlet opening 21. The inlet valve is formed by a second portion 32 of the body 3. This second portion 32 of the body blocks the inlet opening when the body is urged against the outlet opening 21.

Such a pump is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,309. In the known pump the base is formed as a cylinder and the body is formed as a piston which is movable along a straight line, thereby causing the volume of the chamber formed by the cylinder and the piston to increase and decrease. The pump further comprises a suction reed valve and a discharge reed valve to obtain a pumping effect when the volume of the chamber is repeatedly increased and reduced by movement of the piston. A disadvantage of the known pump is that it comprises many parts and that assembly of the pump is laborious.

Pump comprising a chamber with inlet and outlet openings, a steam iron comprising said iron and a method of manufacturing said pump


A method of refining a mesh includes selecting an existing coarse element having existing nodes and existing indices, inputting a quantity of refined elements to be created along an element edge, and generating a parametric grid on the existing coarse element. The method may further include placing refined nodes at parametric grid locations wherein the refined nodes have subindices linked to the existing indices. The method may additionally include deleting the existing coarse element, and creating refined elements having subindices linked to the existing indices of the existing coarse element.

The finite element method is a technique for simulating the response of a structure to one or more loading conditions to which the structure may be subjected during service. Finite element analysis involves the application of simulated loads on a finite element model or computer model of the structure. The finite element model is comprised of a system of elements that are interconnected at nodes to form a mesh. The elements in the mesh may be assigned material properties and/or mechanical properties representing the materials from which the structure may be formed.
The finite element model may initially be formed such that the mesh has a relatively coarse density. During the design process as the operating environment and the loading conditions on the structure become more refined, it may be determined that certain areas of the structure are subjected to higher temperatures and/or increased loading relative to other areas of the structure. In areas of high loading, it may be desirable to refine the mesh density of the finite element model as a means to improve the accuracy of the finite element analysis solution. For example, areas of the structure near holes or fillet radii may be subjected to higher stress than other areas of the structure and may require a refined mesh in such areas to accurately determine whether the stress levels in such areas are within material allowables.
Unfortunately, prior art finite element systems have several drawbacks that detract from their overall utility. For example, prior art systems generally lack the capability for generating a refined mesh and maintaining continuity between the refined mesh and an original coarse mesh with regard to loads and boundary conditions. Furthermore, prior art systems lack the capability for bi-directional mapping of material properties between a refined mesh and an original coarse mesh. Even further, prior art systems lack the capability for correlating or comparing a refined mesh with a coarse model.
As can be seen, there exists a need in the art for a system and method for increasing the level of refinement of a coarse mesh of a finite element model and returning the refined mesh to the density of the original, coarse mesh. In addition, there exists a need in the art for a system and method which provides bi-directional mapping between the refined mesh and the original coarse mesh.

System and method of refining a topological indexed mesh


A subscriber platform according to various aspects of the present invention, includes an antenna and a receiver coupled to the antenna. The subscriber platform is operated by a subscriber. A method performed by the subscriber platform includes, in any practical order: (a) receiving non-redundant information on several channels, each channel associated with a direction of the antenna and a frequency for receiving information; (b) aggregating the information into a sequence; and (c) displaying a presentation in accordance with the sequence.

Broadband communication is the most sought after commodity in today's communication market. Bundling of services has become the ultimate desire of all users in today's market. Over the past many years, new technologies have emerged in the field of communication, where the invention of the Internet is one of the most prominent advancement in modern history. Because of its popularity, the Internet has become congested, operating at capacity, and is in desperate need of additional bandwidth to accommodate even more users wanting to take advantage of the new advances in the field of communication.
Fiber-optic cable systems have been hailed as the ultimate broadband solution, but cost prohibitive constraints and other factors that limit application of fiber optic cable systems for data transport to all homes have curbed the spread of this technology. Operators have been looking for a "last mile" solution (e.g., a communication technology for subscribers that are more or less a mile from the end of a wired network) to bring their communication products directly to the consumers. Fiber optic cable systems turned out to be only a partial answer to a complex problem.
Satellite systems have been used unsuccessfully to provide connectivity anywhere and anytime. Lack of sufficient bandwidth has been the main reason that prevented the satellite entrepreneur's success in the past.
What is needed for delivery of bundled services is a communication technology having a backbone with relatively large bandwidth compared with conventional systems. Bundled services would include telecommunication traffic (fixed and mobile), Internet traffic, distant personal information computing, and interactive multimedia services (e.g., television, video on demand, and pay-per-view). Bundled services would be delivered to all users no matter where they were located.
It has been clear to the industry for a long time that the existing backbone is not adequate for expected future demand. A new and better backbone is desired over patching the old one. So far, attempts to find a broadband delivery technology for bundled services have not been entirely successful. Conventional systems have provided bundled services for a couple of modalities, but bandwidth is not sufficient for growth.
Without platforms, networks, and methods of the present invention, the current demand for increased bandwidth will not be economically met. Bandwidth is a colloquial expression for the data rate into or out of subscriber equipment. A typical video presentation may require a continuous stream of 5 Mbps. If a network can support 10 Mbps, then two users desiring a video presentation could share the network but would consume the entire bandwidth of the network. If a third user began consuming data at a rate of 3 Mbps, there could be a noticeable degradation of the quality of service provided by the network (e.g., original users see skips in video presentations).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Broadband communication platform and methods of network operation


A small cell backhaul network is described herein which is configured to interact with a 3GPP core and further configured to enable mobile broadband services to be provided to 3GPP mobile terminals. In addition, the small cell backhaul network's components namely a small cell radio base station, a small cell hub, a small cell backhaul controller, and a small cell backhaul storage unit are described herein.

The following abbreviations are herewith defined, at least some of which are referred to within the following description of the present invention.
3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project
AGCH Access Grant Channel
EC Emulated Core
EPC Enhanced Power Control
FDD Frequency Division Duplex
GTP GPRS Tunneling Protocol
HLR Home Location Register
HOP Higher Order Provisioning
HSPA High Speed Packet Access
HSS Home Subscriber Register
IE Information Element
IMS IP Multi-Media Subsystem
IMT International Mobile Telecommunication
LTE Long Term Evolution
MAC Medium Access Control
MBB Mobile Broadband
MBH Mobile Backhaul
MM Mobility Management
MME Mobility Management Entity
MPLS Multi-Protocol Lable Switching
MVNO Mobile Virtual Network Operator
MW Microwave
NAS Non-Access Stratum
NG Next Generation
NGMN Next Generation Mobile Networks
NLOS Non/Near Line of Sight
OSS Operations Support System
PDCP Packet Data Convergence Protocol
PDU Protocol Data Unit
QoS Quality of Service
RA Radio Access
RAN Radio Access Network
RBS Radio Base Station
RLC Radio Link Control
RRC Radio Resource Control
S1AP S1 Application Protocol
SCBH Small Cell Backhaul
SCTP Stream Control Transmission Protocol
SGw Service Gateway
SON Self-Organized Networking
TDD Time Division Duplex
UE User Entity/Equipment (Mobile Terminal)
UDP User Datagram Protocol
USIM User Subscriber Identity Module
In the telecommunications field, small cell backhaul is playing a critical role in mobile broadband, and is rising in importance on account of the introduction of heterogeneous networks, sometimes referred to as hetnets. Basically, the small cell backhaul involves the deployment of numerous small cell radio base stations which complement the macrocell radio base stations. The deployment of small cell radio base stations requires a highly scalable and flexible small cell backhaul solution. The predominant approach used today to implement the small cell backhauling solution is to scale down the existing macro cell backhauling solution.
Referring to FIG. 1 (PRIOR ART), there is a diagram of an exemplary wireless communication system 100 which shows the basic features of this predominant approach to implementing the small cell backhauling solution. In this approach, the small RBSs 102 are connected via a MBH network 104 to the 3GPP core 106. The MBH connectivity is normally pre-configured between the small RBSs 102 and the 3GPP core 106 utilizing an OSS 108 or some other network management solution. This MBH connectivity forms the basis over which Mobile Broadband (MBB) connectivity to the mobile terminals 110, over 3GPP air interfaces 112, can be set up dynamically.
In this approach, the 3GPP core 106 cooperates with the small RBSs 102 to establish 3GPP bearers 114 through which MBB data can flow between the mobile terminals 110 and e.g. the Internet 114. Portions of these 3GPP bearers 114 run through MBH connections 116, typically as tunnels across a packet network (e.g. GTP tunnels across an MPLS based network). In this situation, one can already observe a difference in control mechanisms of connectivity between the traditional MBH domain and the 3GPP domain:                The MBH connections 116 are semi-static and controlled by the OSS 108.        The 3GPP bearers 114 are dynamic and established by the 3GPP core 106 and the small RBSs 102 whenever 3GPP mobile terminals 110 request MBB resources.
As a result of this difference, there is an increasing interest in "pushing" the MBH connections 116 in a more dynamic on-demand direction, i.e. towards an approach that bears more resemblance to the MBB connectivity than to the traditional MBH connectivity. To this end, the operators and system vendors are looking at an alternative small cell backhaul solution which is described next with respect to FIG. 2 (PRIOR ART).
Referring to FIG. 2 (PRIOR ART), there is a diagram of an exemplary wireless communication system 200 which shows the basic features of this alternative small cell backhaul solution. In this approach, a first MBH backhaul link 202 between the small RBSs 204 and the rest of the MBH network 206 (MBH cloud 206) is provided by a LTE TDD wireless link 208, in particular one supporting a hub-and-spoke structure. The LTE TDD wireless link 208 has spokes which end at the small RBSs 204. The LTE TDD wireless link 208 has a hub which ends at a LTE TDD RBS 210. Typically, the LTE TDD RBS 210 uses the LTE TDD wireless link 208 in the form of a NLOS point-to-multipoint radio link 208 to connect with the small RBSs 204. The small RBSs 204 provide LTE FDD links 212 to their respective mobile stations 214 (UEs 214).
The use of "LTE" in the backhaul, e.g. LTE TDD 208 as in this example, means that the establishment of this connectivity must be secured, and this requires an LTE (3GPP) core. In the current solutions pursued in various trials and announcements, this LTE 3GPP core 216 is emulated in the node type previously referred to herein as the LTE TDD RBS 210. Plus, the first MBH backhaul link 202 (e.g., LTE TDD backhaul hop 202) can be implemented by placing a LTE TDD UE equivalent 218 on each of the original LTE FDD RBSs 204, which then cooperate with the LTE TDD RBS 210 and in particular the emulated LTE 3GPP core entity 216 (e.g., emulated core 216) to establish the first MBH backhaul link 202. A step-by-step discussion is provided next to explain how the connectivity between the mobile stations 214 and the 3GPP core 222 can be established per this small cell backhaul solution. The steps are as follows:                1. The MBH OSS 220 establishes connectivity between the 3GPP core 222 and the LTE TDD RBS 210.        2. The LTE TDD RBS's emulated core 216 provides the necessary 3GPP core functions so that the LTE TDD wireless link 208 is established between the LTE TDD RBS 210 and the small RBSs 204. Now, the small RBSs 204 have full MBH connectivity to the 3GPP core 222.                    a. The MBH connectivity for the small RBSs 204's cells therefore is the combination of MBH 224 and the LTE TDD wireless link 208.                        3. The small RBSs 204 now utilizes 3GPP signaling to interface with the 3GPP core 222 and establish the 3GPP radio bearers 226 for MBB services to their respective mobile stations 214.
Referring to FIG. 3 (PRIOR ART), there is a diagram of an exemplary wireless communication system 300 which shows the basic features of yet another alternative small cell backhaul solution which has a set-up similar to FIG. 2's solution except that the LTE TDD RBS 210 no longer has the emulated core 216 located therein but instead there is a separate 3GPP core 302 (shown as 3GPP core 2) which is located in the MBH network 206 (MBH cloud 206). This particular solution is discussed in 3GPP TR 36.806 "Relay Architectures for E-UTRA (LTE-Advanced)" V.9.0.0, March 2010 (the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein). A step-by-step discussion is provided next to explain how the connectivity between the mobile stations 214 and the 3GPP core 222 can be established per this small cell backhaul solution.                1. The OSS 220 establishes the MBH connection 304 ("MBH 1") between the 3GPP cores 222 and 302.        2. The OSS 220 also establishes another leg 306 ("MBH 2") of the MBH connection between the 3GPP core 302 and the LTE TDD RBS 210.        3. The 3GPP core 302 is used to control small cell backhaul bearers 308 ("3GPP Relay Bearers") and establish the connection to the small RBSs 204.                    a. The MBH connection of the small RBSs 204 is therefore the combination of small cell backhaul bearers 308 (partly carried over MBH 2) and MBH 1.                        4. The small RBSs 204 now have connectivity all the way to the 3GPP core 222 to establish 3GPP bearers 310 for MBB services to their respective mobile stations 214.
Although these small cell backhaul solutions work well in most applications there is still a desire to improve upon them to provide a more flexible small cell backhaul solution. One such new and improved small cell backhaul solution is the subject of the present invention.

3GPP based control and management architecture for small cell backhaul solutions


In a cooling apparatus for cooling an object by means of expanding a pressurized gas which is precooled below its inversion temperature, the pressurized, precooled gas is passed through a depressurization outlet and thereby expanded in a manner such that a gas jet exits from the depressurization outlet and is directed towards a surface of the object to be cooled. This surface has a central impingement area which is impinged upon by the gas jet and which is surrounded by a plurality of spiral-shaped outwardly extending ribs. The heat transfer is thereby improved. The gas, which is in the saturated condition, forms a vortex and, as a result, droplets are separated from the gas. This enables utilizing the heat of vaporization of such droplets.

The present invention relates to a new and improved construction of a cooling apparatus for cooling an object by means of expanding a pressurized gas which is precooled below its inversion temperature; the pressurized, precooled gas is passed through a depressurization outlet and thereby expanded in a manner such that a gas jet exits from the depressurization outlet and is directed towards a surface of the object to be cooled.
In a cooling apparatus such as known, for example, from British Patent No. 1,238,911, published Jul. 14, 1971, cooling is achieved by means of a pressurized gas which is expanded or depressurized by being passed through a nozzle For this purpose, the gas must have a temperature below its inversion temperature prior to expansion or depressurization. In order to accomplish this, the cooling apparatus according to British Patent No. 1,238,911 is equipped with two coolers. In a first one of the two coolers a first gas is conducted in the gaseous state from a source of pressurized gas along a first path of a countercurrent heat exchanger, expanded or depressurized through the nozzle and returned along a second path of the heat exchanger in countercurrent fashion As a result, the forward flowing pressurized gas is cooled. The second one of the two coolers causes precooling of the first gas prior to arrival at the countercurrent heat exchanger of the first cooler In this arrangement, the second cooler receives a pressurized liquid which is sprayed into a chamber through a nozzle. During this operation, the liquid evaporates whereby the cooling action of the second cooler is provided The first cooler of this arrangement serves to cool an object in the form of an infrared detector.
German Published Patent Application No. 3,642,683, published Jun. 16, 1988, and cognate with U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,451, granted Apr. 11, 1989, describes a cryostat for cooling an infrared detector and which cryostat is based on the Joule-Thomson effect A countercurrent heat exchanger includes a forward or infeed conduit and is placed in a Dewar vessel. The forward or infeed conduit terminates in an expansion or depressurization nozzle. The infrared detector is placed at an end wall inside the Dewar vessel. A heat insulating layer is arranged between the Dewar vessel and a base in order to reduce the heat load. In order to improve the cooling power of the Joule-Thomson process achievable at a predetermined mass flow of the pressurized gas, an inlet end of the forward or infeed conduit is cooled by means of Peltier elements.
German Published Patent Application No. 1,502,715, published Oct. 30, 1969, shows an apparatus for liquifying a gas. The apparatus includes two expansion coolers; a first one of the two expansion coolers is operated using hydrogen whereas a second one of the two expansion coolers is operated using air or nitrogen. Both the two expansion coolers are constructed as Joule-Thomson coolers, i.e. contain a countercurrent heat exchanger in which the respective expanded or depressurized and cooled gas enters into heat exchange with the forward flowing or infed gas. The liquid nitrogen or liquid air which is obtained by means of the second Joule-Thomson cooler serves for precooling the hydrogen present in the first Joule-Thomson cooler. The hydrogen is thereby cooled below its inversion temperature. However, the nitrogen can be cooled by means of the respective Joule-Thomson cooler only down to the boiling point of nitrogen.
A similar arrangement is shown in German Published Patent Application No. 1,501,106, published on Jan. 8, 1970.
European Published Patent Application No. 0,271,989, published on Jun. 22, 1988, describes using, in a conventional single-stage Joule-Thomson cooler, a coolant comprising a mixture of nitrogen, argon or neon and methane, ethane or propane with the addition of combustion inhibiting materials like bromotrifluoromethane.
German Published Patent Applications Nos. 3,337,194, published on Apr. 25, 1985, and 3,337,195, published on Apr. 25, 1985, British Published Patent Application No. 2,119,071, published on Nov. 9, 1983, and European Published Patent Application No. 0,234,644, published on Sep. 2, 1987, illustrate the use of single-stage Joule-Thomson coolers for cooling electronic or opto-electronic components.
With respect to gyro-stabilized seekers including image resolving detectors, German Published Patent Application No. 3,925,942, published Feb. 14, 1991, and cognate with U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,465, granted Dec. 31, 1991, suggests arranging the seeker at a carrier which is aligned to the gyro rotor axis and thus to the optical axis of the imaging optical system so that, even in the case of "squinting" of the seeker, the plane of the planar detector constantly extends perpendicular to this optical axis. In this arrangement the problem exists of cooling the detector. In the Joule-Thomson coolers which are usually employed for cooling detectors, there is provided a countercurrent heat exchanger through which the expanded or depressurized gas is returned whereby the inflowing gas is precooled by the gas return flow. The expanded or depressurized gas should be utilized as completely as possible for the precooling operation. Losses of gas and heat must be avoided. This can be achieved when the detector is fixedly arranged in the Dewar vessel Problems, however, occur when the detector is mounted at a movable carrier.
German Published Patent Application No. 3,941,314, published on Jun. 20, 1991, and cognate with U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,579, granted Sep. 29, 1992, describes a cooling apparatus for cooling a pivotable detector using a first cooler which comprises an expansion or depressurization nozzle. Pressurized argon which has been precooled below its inversion temperature, is expanded or depressurized with cooling by passing the same through the expansion or depressurization nozzle. The argon precooling is effected by means of a second cooler which is operated using methane The second cooler constitutes a Joule-Thomson cooler including an expansion or depressurization outlet through which the pressurized methane is expanded or depressurized with cooling. A heat exchanger precedes the expansion or depressurization outlet and serves for precooling the infed methane by the cooled, expanded or depressurized methane. The first cooler, however, constitutes an expansion cooler including an expansion or depressurization outlet preceded by a heat exchanger in which the pressurized argon is in heat exchange only with the expanded and cooled methane The argon which issues from the expansion or depressurization outlet of the first cooler, is expanded or depressurized and cooled down to its boiling point and directed in the form of a jet towards the object to be cooled.


In an example, a method of detecting cyanide exposure of an individual comprises measuring a thiocyanate level of the individual, and comparing the measured thiocyanate level to a preset thiocyanate threshold to determine whether the measured thiocyanate level is above the preset thiocyanate threshold indicating a level of cyanide poisoning requiring immediate medical assessment.

On average, each year more than 3,000 Americans die and more than 14,000 are injured as a result of injuries sustained from fires in the United States. In 2017, for instance, there were 1,319,500 fires in the United States, approximately 30% of which were residential and non-residential building fires. There were 14,670 injuries and 3,400 deaths with most of both categories resulting from smoke inhalation. In addition, 4,510 firefighters were reported as being injured by smoke inhalation, 550 suffered heart attacks, and 850 had other respiratory distress. Of the 550 heart attacks, 50 fatalities were reported. Only recently has the medical community understood the consequences of cyanide poisoning associated with building fires and the need to address this potential threat. The most common cause of death in fires is the inhalation of noxious gases rather than thermal injury. Hydrogen cyanide gas, the most toxic product of combustion, seldom was recognized as a significant hazard in smoke inhalation. Even the most heroic efforts were ineffective if life-saving oxygen is blocked from the cells by cyanide.
Although cyanide is suspected of playing a role in smoke inhalation injury and death, definitive correlations of the role of cyanide have not been made because of the complex nature of fire smoke toxins and exposure. Nonetheless, that cyanide exposure has been a factor in fatalities is established. Cyanide intoxication can lead to death by ceasing cellular respiration or contributing to a heart attack.
One of the challenges with cyanide poisoning is that it is hard to measure in an exposed individual. Timely administration of the antidote is important to treat the exposed individual, but the high cost of treatment renders it difficult to justify its use without more reliable proof that the individual is indeed suffering from cyanide poisoning.

Detecting cyanide exposure based on thiocyanate measurement

The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of Homeland Security


An apparatus and method for deskewing a scanned printed document is described. The original printed document is scanned with the scanner to obtain a first digital image, which contains skew (rotation) with respect to the original printed document. The first digital image is digitally flipped around a centerline to obtain a second digital image, which is printed to generate a second printed document. The second printed document is scanned using the same scanner to obtain a third digital image, which contains skew errors with respect to the second printed document. The third digital image is digitally flipped around the centerline to obtain a final digital image, which is substantially free of the skew introduced by the scanner.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for scanning printed documents, and in particular, it relates to a method for correcting skew in scanned documents.
2. Description of Related Art
Scanners are widely used to convert a printed document into digital forms. The scanning process, however, often introduces various types of distortions in the scanned document images. Distortions introduced may be due to misalignment of the paper with the scanbed, the paper not placed completely flat against the scan surface, or deviations in the position of the CCD module such that the scan start line is not detected exactly, etc. One example of distortions is a rotation of the image (often referred to as skew). Other examples include a compression or expansion of the image in one direction relative to another direction, non-uniform distortions (where different parts of the document have different distortions), etc. Post-scanning digital image processing may be carried out to correct for certain distortions.

Method for correcting skew in scanned documents


A gear for power delivering apparatus comprises body unit, gear unit engaging with another gear at the outer periphery of the body unit, and impact absorbing member between the body unit and the gear unit. The impact absorbing member, including space between the body unit and the gear unit and a plurality of arms in space, absorbs the impact applied to teeth of the gear unit. The arms are helically formed, so that absorption of the impact applied to the gear depends on the rotation direction of the gear.

The present invention relates to a power delivering apparatus, and more particularly to a gear for the power delivering apparatus of magnetic recording and reproducing system in which impact damage to the gear is prevented and noise caused by friction between the teeth of the gears is decreased.
In a conventional magnetic recording and reproducing system, when the recording mode or reproducing mode is selected, a magnetic tape in a cassette is pulled out by a tape taking device and placed on contact with a magnetic head. At the same time, a mechanical power delivering apparatus is operated to transmit the power to a hub within the cassette to drive the tape, the magnetic head records signal or reproduces the recorded signal according to the selected mode.
When the stop mode is selected or the recording or reproducing of the signal is otherwise finished, the tape is stopped and again taken into the cassette by the tape taking device.
FIGS. 1 and 2 are views showing a conventional power delivering apparatus for a recording and reproducing system. As shown in figures, a capstan motor 2 is mounted within main base 1 and a capstan gear 3 is axially mounted on the capstan motor 2. In the upper side of the main base 1, a conversion gear 5 in which a first timing gear is integrally formed is mounted so as to engage with the capstan gear 3. In the lower side of the main base 1, a center gear 7 is mounted. Second timing gear 6 is attached to the center gear 7. The first timing gear 4 and the second timing gear 6 are interconnected by a timing belt 8. On the upper end of the shaft of the center gear 7, a rotating lever 9 is mounted rotatably around the shaft. An idle gear 10 engaging the center gear 7 is mounted on the rotating lever 9 so as to be oscillated by the rotation of the center gear 7. On both sides of the idle gear 10, a winding reel 11 and a supplying reel 12 are mounted, so that the turning effect of the idle gear 10 is transmitted to the winding reel 11 and supplying reel 12 during the recording or reproducing mode, and the rewinding mode, respectively.
The conversion gear 5 comprises body unit 51, the first timing gear 4 being attached, and gear unit 52 at the outer periphery of the body unit 51. The gear unit 52 includes a plurality of teeth, so that the conversion gear 5 is engaged with the capstan gear 3.
In the above mentioned apparatus, when the reproducing or recording mode is selected, the magnetic tape is pulled out from the cassette by a tape taking device, not shown in figures, and placed in contact with the magnetic head. At the same time, the capstan motor 2 operates to rotate the capstan gear 3 mounted on the capstan motor 2 counter-clockwise, as shown in FIG. 1. Since the conversion gear 5 is engaged with the capstan gear 3, the conversion gear 5 rotates clockwise and the center gear 7 also rotates clockwise by the turning effect of the conversion gear 5 delivered through the timing belt 7 connecting the first timing gear 4 and the second timing gear 6.
By rotating the center gear 7, the rotating lever mounted at the upper end of the shaft of the center gear 7 rotates, so that the idle gear 10 oscillates in engagement with the winding reel 11. Since the idle gear 10 also engages the center gear 7, it rotates counter-clockwise. As a result, the winding reel 11 rotates clockwise. By this rotation of the winding reel 11, one of the cassette hubs is rotated for recording or reproducing.
In the rewinding mode, especially the fast rewinding mode, the capstan motor 2 is stopped and then driven in reverse to rewind the tape. In this mode, since the idle gear 10 oscillates to be engaged with the supplying reel 12 by the rotation of the rotating lever 9, the turning effect of the idle gear 10 by the reverse driving is delivered to the supplying reel 12 to rewind the tape quickly.
In general, the gears have a gap b between their teeth to permit easy engagement and prevent the effect dimension variations. This gap b causes noise by the friction between the engaging teeth in the fast rewinding mode. Thus, it is necessary to provide an impact absorption device for absorbing impact and decreasing friction between the teeth. In the conventional conversion gear for a power delivering apparatus, since there is no impact absorbing device noise is generated by friction between the engaging gear teeth and the gears are damaged by the impact on the gear teeth.

Gear and a power delivering apparatus using thereof


A process for preparing a 3-alkoxymethylcephem compound represented by the formula (II) ##STR1## where R.sub.1 is a hydrogen atom, amino or protected amino, R.sub.3 is a hydrogen atom or carboxylic acid protective group and R.sub.4 is lower alkyl, which process is characterized in that a 3-thiomethylcephem compound represented by the formula (I) ##STR2## where R.sub.1 and R.sub.3 are as defined above and R.sub.2 is aryl which may have a substituent, is electrolytically oxidized in an electrooxidation reaction system in the presence of a lower alcohol using as a positive electrode, a material selected from the group consisting of platinum, tin, aluminum, stainless steel, nickel, lead oxide, carbon, iron oxide and titanium, to obtain the 3-alkoxymethylcephem compound.

Conventionally 3-alkoxymethylcephem derivatives represented by the formula (II) are prepared by a common process disclosed in J. Antibiot., XL, 370(1987) and represented by the following reaction scheme, i.e., by reacting thionyl chloride with a 3-hydroxymethylcephem derivative to obtain a chloride, iodizing the chloride, and reacting the resulting iodide with an alcohol in the presence of mercury nitrate. This process requires the use of hazardous reagents such as thionyl chloride and mercury nitrate for the reactions and is in no way a practical process. ##STR3## wherein R.sub.1, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 are the same as defined later.
J. Chem. Soc. PERKINTRANS. I, 2281(1983) and Helvetica Chimica Acta, 58, 2469(1975) disclose a process for preparing the derivative from a 3-brominated methylcephem compound or 3-fluorinated methylcephem compound by a substitution reaction in an alcohol, whereas this process is far from being feasible since the starting material, i.e., 3-brominated methylcephem compound or 3-fluorinated methylcephem compound itself is difficult to synthesize. ##STR4##
JP-A-36690/1977 discloses a process wherein a 3-hydroxymethylcephem derivative serving as the starting material is reacted with an alcohol with addition of an activating agent such as trifluoroacetic anhydride, whereas since the 3-hydroxymethylcephem derivative is used as the material, the process yields a large amount of lactone compound as a by-product through an intramolecular cyclization reaction if a compound other than 4-position carboxylic acids is used, and is therefore not an appropriate process. Moreover, the process is not useful practically because at least two equivalents of the expensive activating agent is required relative to the starting material. ##STR5##
JP-A-49790/1990, JP-A-131181/1989 and JP-A-96091/1983 disclose a process for reacting a boric acid alkyl ester or alcohol with a 3-acyloxymethylcephem compound serving as the starting material in the presence of a Lewis acid. Similarly a report has been made on this reaction of alcohol as conducted in the presence of a Lewis acid and boron trifluoride compound. Presumably, however, difficulties will be encountered in industrially practicing these processes because of the necessity of using a large quantity of Lewis acid, or the need to use the boron compound which is expensive. ##STR6##
JP-A-163387/1984 discloses a process wherein this reaction is conducted with use of a sulfonic acid, but the yield is low to render the process infeasible. Although a report has been made on a process wherein the acetoxy group is iodized first, followed by a reaction with an alcohol (JP-A-192392/1982), the process requires a large amount of an iodine reagent and is difficult to practice on an industrial scale.
A report is also made on a process wherein the hydroxyl group of a 3-hydroxymethylcephem compound is alkylated with a diazomethane compound (JP-A-10873/1975). However, this process is far from being practical because of the need to use the diazo compound which is harmful to the human body and very hazardous. ##STR7##
Thus, various processes have been developed in view of the low reactivity of alkyl alcohols, but none of them are practically useful, and it has been desired to develop more suitable processes.
An object of the present invention is overcome the drawbacks of the conventional processes described and to provide a process for producing the desired 3-alkoxymethylcephem derivative in a high yield and with a high purity.

Process for preparing 3-alkoxymethylcephem compounds


In a low load region where torque is lower than T1 but is not lower than T2, the present invention uses a lean single valve small operating angle mode to provide a lean burn in a single valve small operating angle state or uses an EGR single valve small operating angle mode to provide external EGR in a single valve small operating angle mode.

A variable valve train disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2007-16766 (refer, for instance, to Paragraphs 0047 to 0049) is a variable valve train for an internal combustion engine that has two intake valves per cylinder. This variable valve train is capable of switching between a dual valve variable control state, in which the operating angles of both intake valves are continuously variable, and a single valve variable control state, in which the operating angle of one intake valve is continuously variable while the operating angle of the other intake valve remains large. In a high load, high rotation speed region, this variable valve train enters the dual valve variable control state and exercises control to set both intake valves at a large operating angle. In the other regions, however, this variable valve train enters the single valve variable control state and exercises control so that the operating angle of one intake valve is smaller than that of the other intake valve (refer, for instance, to Paragraph 0069 and FIG. 9).    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2007-16766

Control device for internal combustion engine


A casing of a liquid-cooled-type cooling device has a peripheral wall including mutually facing right and left side walls. A cooling-liquid inlet is formed at one end of the right side wall, and a cooling-liquid outlet is formed at an end of the left side wall corresponding to the other end of the right side wall. A parallel-flow-channel section is provided within the casing to be located between the left and right side walls and between the cooling-liquid inlet and outlet and includes flow channels through which cooling liquid flows. Internal regions of the casing located upstream and downstream of the parallel-flow-channel section serve as inlet and outlet header sections, respectively. The cross-sectional area of the inlet header section reduces from the cooling-liquid inlet toward the left side wall. The outlet and inlet header sections are asymmetric in shape with respect to the width direction of the parallel-flow-channel section.

A conventionally known liquid-cooled-type cooling device of this type has a casing which, in turn, has a peripheral wall. The peripheral wall includes a first side wall and a second side wall positioned in opposition to each other. A cooling-liquid inlet is formed at one end portion of the first side wall, and a cooling-liquid outlet is formed at an end portion of the second side wall corresponding to the other end portion of the first side wall. In the casing, a parallel-flow-channel section is provided in an internal region located between the first side wall and the second side wall and between the cooling-liquid inlet and the cooling-liquid outlet. The parallel-flow-channel section includes a plurality of flow channels through which cooling liquid flows in the longitudinal direction of the first and second side walls. An internal region of the casing located upstream of the parallel-flow-channel section serves as an inlet header section communicating with the cooling-liquid inlet. An internal region of the casing located downstream of the parallel-flow-channel section serves as an outlet header section communicating with the cooling-liquid outlet. The inlet header section and the outlet header section have a rectangular cross section. Each of the inlet header section and the outlet header section has a uniform width along its overall length.
In the above-mentioned liquid-cooled-type cooling device, when the ratio of the width of the inlet header section and that of the outlet header section to the width of the parallel-flow-channel section is rendered sufficiently high, the distribution of flow velocities along the width of the parallel-flow-channel section becomes uniform, so that sufficient cooling performance is ensured.
However, recently, a reduction in the size of a liquid-cooled-type cooling device has been demanded. For this reason, the above-mentioned liquid-cooled-type cooling device encounters difficulty in having a sufficiently high ratio of the width of the inlet header section and that of the outlet header section to the width of the parallel-flow-channel section. As a result, the distribution of flow velocities along the direction of width of the parallel-flow-channel section becomes nonuniform, raising a problem of deterioration in cooling performance in a region of the parallel-flow-channel section where the flow velocity drops.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, Patent Document 1 proposes a liquid-cooled-type cooling device having a casing configured in the following manner. The casing has a peripheral wall including a first side wall and a second side wall positioned in opposition to each other. A cooling-liquid inlet is formed at one end portion of the first side wall, and a cooling-liquid outlet is formed at an end portion of the second side wall corresponding to the other end portion of the first side wall. In the casing, a parallel-flow-channel section is provided in an internal region located between the first side wall and the second side wall and between the cooling-liquid inlet and the cooling-liquid outlet. The parallel-flow-channel section includes a plurality of flow channels through which cooling liquid flows in the longitudinal direction of the first and second side walls. An internal region of the casing located upstream of the parallel-flow-channel section serves as an inlet header section communicating with the cooling-liquid inlet. An internal region of the casing located downstream of the parallel-flow-channel section serves as an outlet header section communicating with the cooling-liquid outlet. The cross-sectional flow-channel area of the inlet header section reduces in a direction from a side toward the cooling liquid inlet to a side toward the second side wall. The cross-sectional flow-channel area of the outlet header section reduces in a direction from a side toward the cooling-liquid outlet to a side toward the first side wall. The shape of the inlet header section and the shape of the outlet header section are symmetrical to each other with respect to the direction of width of the parallel-flow-channel section.
However, even in the liquid-cooled-type cooling device described in Patent Document 1, the distribution of flow velocities of all the flow channels is not sufficiently uniform. As a result, there arises a region of the parallel-flow-channel section where the flow velocity drops, and cooling performance in the region deteriorates. Furthermore, flow resistance may possibly increase.
Patent Document 1:
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2006-295178


An inter-processor synchronization control system in a distributed memory type parallel computer comprises a unit for detecting an establishment of the synchronization of all PEs, a status request register unit provided for each PE for independently issuing a status request through a status request signal, a unit for determining the issues of requests from status request registers of all PEs, a unit for distributing the determination to all PEs and a status detecting register for detecting the status according to the distributed determination and the output of the synchronization establishment detection unit. The inter-processor synchronous control system detects the status of all PEs when the synchronization is established in all PEs.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an interprocessor synchronization system for parallel computers which connects a plurality of independently operated processor elements (hereinafter referred to as PE, PEs) through a communication network and enables them to operate synchronously in parallel; and, more particularly, to a detecting system in a parallel computer for detecting a synchronization, a status or a stable state of the PEs.
2. Related Art
With the development of semi-conductor technology, it has become possible to develop a high performance microprocessor and a large capacity memory built in a smaller configuration at low cost, thereby enabling a parallel computer to be produced easily by using a number of such microprocessors and memories. To efficiently process a single job with a plurality of PEs in parallel, a job can be divided into some steps each allotted to a respective PE prior to execution. For the parallel execution of a job, the processing sequence of these steps must be carefully considered. That is, it must be ensured that every PE finishes processing one step before proceeding to the next step. To accomplish this, an efficient inter-processor synchronous operation which realizes a high speed parallel computer is required.
A first related art for operating a parallel computer is a memory sharing method.
The above described inter-processor synchronous operation can be performed with PEs having a shared memory, a part of which is exclusively used for reading and writing.
The second related art is a synchronization register method where a synchronization register is provided for each PE, the logical product of the outputs of synchronization registers of all PEs is detected, and then the result is returned to all PEs, thereby detecting the synchronous state of all PEs.
The third related art is a state detecting method. In this method, as shown in FIG. 1, in each PE of a parallel processing system, a process 1 is executed, then a message is sent/received between PEs as a process 2. When the message is completely processed, the PEs proceed to the next step. At this time, if all PEs are waiting for a message (that is, no PEs are in execution) and no messages exist in the network (this state is referred to as a stable state of all PEs), a host processor recognizes this state, and broadcasts a command to all PEs, in response to which each PE starts processing a corresponding command. Thus, each PE can be informed of the state and proceed to the next proceeding step.
There is a problem with the memory sharing method in that when the number of PEs is substantially increased, a memory is too frequently accessed.
In the synchronization register method, there are no conflicts of accessing a shared memory since a synchronization register can be accessed independently in each PE. In the synchronization mechanism of this method, no problems occur when all PEs are operating normally in the process 1 as shown in FIG. 2A. In this case, all PEs can proceed to the step 2 after the synchronous register detects that the synchronization occurs after all PEs have completed the process 2. When there are any abnormal conditions in the process 1 (for example, bugs in a program, a division by zero, overflow, etc.) two countermeasures are taken in the related art technology. One of them is, as shown in FIG. 2B, to ignore an error by a PE in the process 1, detect the synchronous state with the other synchronization register, and proceed to the process 2. The other countermeasure is, as shown in FIG. 2C, to interrupt the process 1 in all PEs when any error of any PE is detected in the process 1. In the former, there is a problem that an error, if one occurs, is broadcast so late that the process 1 is executed in vain because all PEs, other than the PE in error in the process 1, proceed to the process 2 without being informed of the error. Further, an incorrect result may be achieved due to ignorance of the error. In the latter case, on the other hand, all PEs other than the PE in error in the process 1 get into the synchronous waiting state, as the error is not informed of all PEs except the PE in error, and the synchronization process for the other PEs is not completed as the synchronous signal is not sent to them from the PE in error, thus preventing them from proceeding to the process 2.
In the system of the related art technology, the synchronization request or status request cannot be completely detected when any messages remain in the network. When the message does not exist in respective PEs, but remains in a communication path between PEs, and if the synchronization request or the status request issues, the process advances to the next step. Then, a problem arises that a particular PE processes in the next step the data to be processed in the previous step, when the data which remains in a network arrives at the particular PE. That is, when all PEs are in the state of the synchronization establishment, one PE recognizes it earlier than other PEs and possibly proceeds to the next step.

Synchronization control system in a parallel computer


An image processing device extracts resolution data from an input image data, and executes resolution converting processing on the input image data to provide longitudinal and lateral resolutions equal to each other when the longitudinal and lateral resolutions are different from each other. An inclination of the image having the longitudinal and lateral resolutions equal to each other is detected, and the image data having the longitudinal and lateral resolutions equal to each other is rotated in accordance with the inclination. Resolution converting processing is executed again on the rotated image data to restore the longitudinal and lateral resolutions to the original resolutions, respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing device, an image processing method and an image processing program product, and particularly to an image processing device, an image processing method and an image processing program product, which perform inclination correcting processing on an input image data.
2. Description of the Background Art
In addition to image data obtained by scanners, image data read by facsimile machines are now handled on computers in some cases, and such cases are increasing.
Image data, which is obtained from the facsimile machine in a certain operation mode, may have a longitudinal resolution different from a lateral resolution. For example, a facsimile machine in a super-fine mode provides an image having longitudinal and lateral resolutions of 200 dpi×400 dpi.
In many cases, the image obtained by the scanner has longitudinal and lateral resolutions equal to each other. In some types of scanners, longitudinal and lateral read resolutions can be set independently of each other.
Various methods have been proposed for performing inclination correcting processing of correcting an inclination of read image data. For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 57-69372 has disclosed an inclination correcting device, in which a cumulative histogram is prepared for each of lines of the read image in various scanning directions, and an inclination angle is detected by utilizing properties that a distinct peak occurs in the cumulative histogram when the scanning direction and the inclination angle match with each other. The inclination correcting device corrects the inclination by rotating the read image based on the inclination angle thus detected.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 8-23439 has also disclosed a facsimile machine, which corrects an inclination of a read image by detecting an inclination angle in a similar manner.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2001-320554 has disclosed a facsimile machine, which detects rules defining rectangular regions from read image data, detects the inclination angle by detecting an angular shift of the rules and thereby corrects the inclination.
The inclination correcting processing disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 57-69372 and others is predicated on that the read image has the longitudinal and lateral resolutions equal to each other, and thus the inclination angle of the lateral direction of the read image is equal to the inclination angle of the longitudinal direction. For example, if the read image is inclined by an angle as shown in FIG. 22, the inclinations of the longitudinal and lateral directions can be simultaneously corrected by rotating clockwise the image by an angle θ.
However, if the longitudinal resolution of the read image is equal to half the lateral resolution thereof as shown in FIG. 23, the inclination angle (θ−α) of the lateral direction is different from the inclination angle (θ+β) of the longitudinal direction. Even when the foregoing inclination correcting processing is effected on this image, and thus, even when the image is rotated by an angle of (θ−α) to correct the inclination of the lateral direction, the inclination of the longitudinal direction is still left at an angle of ((θ+β)−(θ−α))=(α+β). A similar problem occurs when the image is rotated to correct the inclination of the longitudinal direction.
A specific example, in which the foregoing processing is applied to a practical image, will now be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 24 shows a practical example of an inclined image, of which longitudinal resolution is different from the lateral resolution. More specifically, the image shown in FIG. 24 is read by a facsimile machine, has resolutions of 200 dpi×400 dpi and is inclined. FIG. 25 shows a specific example of an image, which is produced by effecting the foregoing inclination correcting processing on the above inclined image having the longitudinal and lateral resolutions different from each other. Referring to FIG. 25, when the foregoing inclination correcting processing is effected on the inclined image in FIG. 24 having the longitudinal and lateral resolutions different from each other, the inclination of the lateral direction is eliminated. However, the inclination of the longitudinal direction is not eliminated.
In the above case, the corrected image shown in FIG. 25 may be further shifted laterally by a slight extent on a row-by-row basis or block-by-block basis so that the inclination of the longitudinal direction can be corrected. In this manner, however, the inclined characters and lines are merely shifted laterally. Therefore, an image quality is impaired.

Image processing device performing inclination correcting processing


A cabinet includes a pair of spaced apart opposingly oriented, molded side panels, a molded rear panel disposed between the side panels at first edges thereof and joined thereto, a molded top panel disposed at an uppermost edge of the side and rear panels, a molded base panel in spaced, opposing relation to the top panel, disposed at a bottommost edge of the side and rear panels and a pair of pivotal, molded front door panels disposed in opposing relation to the rear panel and between the side panels and pivotally joined thereto. The cabinet includes corner support posts positioned at at least two corners that extend between the base panel and the top panel. The posts that traverse through and join the respective side panels with the door panels define front corners forming pintles defining axes for pivoting the door panels relative to the side panels. The cabinet includes clamping members for securing the posts to the top and base panels, through the cabinet corners. The cabinet includes shelves and bins that are height adjustable that slide along rails formed in the cabinet side panels.

Cabinets, and more particularly, storage cabinets can be found in every commercial enterprise and residence. These cabinets range from modern, sleek, custom-made cabinets, to "older" kitchen cabinets subsequently hung in a basement, laundry room or a garage to provide additional storage space.
While the requirements for these cabinets and the environment to which they may be subjected vary widely, they all have one common need. That is, these cabinets must be able to contain whatever is stored within them. As such, many of these cabinets include shelves that are either stationary or adjustable to accommodate stored items of varying heights. The cabinets must also be sufficiently deep and sufficiently wide to store whatever is necessary to be contained therein.
The materials of construction of known cabinets vary from wood or pressboard materials to sheet steel, plastic and composite materials and the like. While each of these materials have their advantages, they also have their disadvantages. For example, wood and pressboard cabinetry generally cannot be used in an area where the cabinet may be subject to outdoor environments, or wide variations in humidity and temperature. These materials can degrade over time and, as such, they tend to require replacement on a fairly frequent basis. Nevertheless, these cabinets are well-suited for indoor use, for storage of non-liquid materials and the like.
Steel cabinets, if properly finished, can be used in outdoor environments with success. However, steel cabinets are subject to oxidation, e.g., rusting, if the finish is not properly applied to the steel or if the finish is in some way damaged, such as by scratching through the finish. While steel cabinets can be used in wider variety environments, they too have their drawbacks. First, steel cabinets can be heavy or difficult to move if necessary. Steel can also be easily damaged or dented if the material gauge is high (i.e., thin cabinet walls). In addition, while steel cabinets may be functionally sound, they often do not have an appealing or aesthetically pleasing appearance. Steel cabinets can also have edges that can include spurs or sharp portions that can result in cuts and abrasions for people frequently using or moving the cabinets.
Cabinets formed of plastic and composite materials fill a long felt need for cabinetry that can be used in a tremendously wide variety of environments, that can be used to store considerably heavy items, and that can provide an aesthetically appealing appearance. While these cabinets provide a considerable number of advantages over the known wood and pressboard materials, as well as steel materials, they too have their drawbacks. First, over time the cabinets can tend to shift or deform at the corners. This deformation, while minor, can result in improper fit of the panels to one another and improper opening and closing of the cabinets. This can be particularly troublesome when the cabinet is used on a frequent basis, and when the cabinet is in a location in which it is readily opened to view.
In addition, many such cabinets are constructed using "push-pins" to maintain the separate panels connected to one another. While this method of connecting panels to one another provides for easy assembly of the cabinet, the "push-pins" can fracture over time and the cabinet panels can thus come apart from one another.
Other plastic or composite cabinet construction requires that the panel sections be interlocked with one another to assemble the cabinet. While this too may be a readily easily carried-out assembly method, it does not provide positive locking of the panels and components to one another. Still other types of cabinet construction require other numerous small items, screws, bolts and the like be inserted into the panels and connected to one another to maintain or increase the structural integrity of the unit. Such construction, as will be recognized by a "do it yourself" type of individual, can be quite difficult and time consuming and can result in a less than structurally sound cabinet unit.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a cabinet formed of a plastic or composite material that can be subjected to a wide range of environments including both wet and high-humidity conditions. Desirably, such a cabinet is structurally sound and includes positive locking features to interlock the panels to one another. Such a cabinet includes structurally strengthened corner members to prevent sagging of the cabinet and to provide a hinge element about which the cabinet doors can pivot. Most desirably, such a cabinet can be readily assembled with few or no tools, in relatively little time.


A code controller partitions a set of orthogonal spreading codes into a plurality of subsets of orthogonal spreading codes and allocates and transmits the subsets of orthogonal spreading codes to users. A transmitter device partitions the received subset of orthogonal spreading codes into partitioned sets. The partitioned sets are further expanded to include complement codes of the orthogonal spreading codes and the codes are mapped into a code index to create a spreading code set. A window of contiguous multi-bit input data to be transmitted by the transmitter device is partitioned into equal-size subsets, which are then mapped to a data index, to create a data set. The data set is mapped to the spreading code set to create a multiplex of spreading codes, and the multiplex of spreading codes are then summed to form a code multiplex. The code multiplex can then be sent in one transmit opportunity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of data communications. More particularly, the invention relates to a dynamically-scalable system and method that utilizes multi-bit and multi-code orthogonal multiplexing to allow for multiple user access (e.g. multiple users each transmitting and/or receiving multi-bit data) in a direct sequence spread spectrum communication system.
2. Description of Related Art
Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) techniques rely on the use of pseudo-noise carriers, also called spreading codes, spreading sequences, code sequences and chip sequences, and a transmission bandwidth, which is much wider than the minimum required to transmit the information. The transmitter spreads the information by modulating the information with a pseudo-noise spreading sequence. At the receiver, the information is despread to recover the base information. This despreading is accomplished by correlating the received, spread-modulated, signal with the spreading sequence used for the transmission. DSSS is sometimes referred to by the shorthand name "direct spread."
The modulating signal, such as a pseudo-random spreading code signal, possesses a chip rate (analogous to carrier frequency), which is much larger than the data rate of the information signal. This characteristic is required for efficient spreading. Each state of the pseudo-random spreading sequence is referred to as a chip. The spreading sequence (chip sequence) directly modulates each bit of the information signal, hence the name direct spread. Pseudo-randomness of the spreading signal is required in order to recover the original information signal. Since the spreading sequence is deterministic, it can be exactly duplicated at the receiver in order to extract the information signal. If it were truly random, extraction of the information signal via correlation receiver would not be possible.
The spreading operation causes the signal power to be depleted uniformly across the spread bandwidth. Thus, the spread spectrum signal will appear buried in noise to any receiver without the despreading signal. Consequently, it is not only difficult to jam, but it is also difficult to detect its presence in any bandwidth. Any undesired signal picked up during transmission is spread by the receiver in the same way that the transmitter spread the desired signal originally. In other words, the receiver spreads undesired signals picked up during transmission, while simultaneously despreading, or demodulating, the desired information signal. When viewed as a transmit/receive operation, the desired signal is spread-modulated twice, giving back the original signal, while in-band interference is spread-modulated once, and thereby depleted across the full spread bandwidth.
Similarly, Direct Spread Code Division Multiple Access (DS CDMA) is an adaption of conventional DSSS, which accommodates multiple simultaneous access through the use of mutually orthogonal spreading codes. Mutually orthogonal means that the cross correlation of any spreading code in the set is small (ideally zero). In an ideally orthogonal system, orthogonality not only means that there is no mixing of signals, but it also means that there is no interference between signals. In a conventional DS CDMA system, each station is assigned a single spreading code, which conveys one bit of information. All users assigned to a given channel broadcast either a true or complement version of their assigned spreading code simultaneously. Since the codes are orthogonal, each user's spreading code is uniquely decoded by the receiver. The multiple-access is via the orthogonal properties of the spreading code, hence the name CDMA. Like the previously described DSSS systems, stations only transmit one bit of information at a time.
Thus, in conventional DSSS and DS CDMA systems, an input binary data stream is transmitted one bit at a time, and each bit is modulated with a spreading code, wherein each successive transmission is independent of prior transmissions. Furthermore, the spread modulation can occur in either the frequency domain (i.e. by frequency spreading) or the time domain (i.e. by time spreading). Unfortunately, both methods (frequency and time spreading) incur high penalties for transmission efficiency by trading off efficiency for high redundancy. Typically, conventional DSSS and DS CDMA techniques only provide a bit encoding density of (1/N)*100%, where N is the spreading code length, and only transmit one bit at a time.

Dynamically-scalable system and method for multiple user access utilzing multi-bit and multi-code orthogonal multiplexing


A positive fit feed adapter for use between a paintball loader and a paintball gun. The feed adapter includes a threaded connector formed on either the paintball gun or the paintball loader. The threaded connector includes a plurality of expansion slots that allow the outer diameter of the connector to expand or compress. The feed adapter further includes a collet having an internally threaded surface that is tapered from a first end to a second end. When the feed tube from the other of the paintball gun and the paintball loader is inserted into the threaded connector, the collet is tightened along the external threads to reduce the diameter of the connector to provide a positive fit between the paintball gun and the paintball loader.

The present invention relates to an adapter for use in holding two separate devices in a manner such that they will not become separated. More specifically, the present application is directed to a positive fit feed adapter for use in attaching a paintball gun and paintball loader such that the two devices will not separate when subjected to normal stresses yet can be separated by the user on demand in a simple manner.
Currently, several different types of methods and devices are used to attach a paintball loader to a paintball gun. Paintball guns are typically provided with a feed port, which is an opening into the breach of the gun that allows paintballs to feed from the loader into the breach. In most cases, a tubular element, referred to as a feed tube, is used in. combination with the feed port to allow the supply of paintballs to enter into the paintball gun. The feed tube can be formed contiguous with the feed port or can be manufactured as a separate element and attached to the feed port in one of several different manners.
Paintball loaders are typically provided as a separate unit from the paintball gun and include a loader neck. The loader neck of the paintball loader typically requires an additional element to be attached to either the feed port of the paintball gun or the feed tube positioned within the feed port of the gun. These additional elements, commonly referred to as "elbows", utilize pressure fit or clamping means to retain the paintball loader in place.
Currently, loaders are provided by various different manufacturers and in various different models and sizes, as are the elbows used to couple the loader to the feed tube of the paintball gun. Typically, the fit between the paintball loader and the elbow is rarely sufficient to retain the loader in place when the loader is subjected to the stresses of normal use during a paintball game. Further, the fit between the two devices varies depending on the manufacturing tolerances of the devices and the normal wear that occurs during the life of the products.
It is currently anticipated that new paintball loaders and feed devices will not be passive in operation (using gravity, for example), but will use mechanical, pneumatic, electronic or combinations of these means to move the paintballs between the loader and the breach of the gun. These types of active feed systems increase the weight and size of the loader, which creates even greater stress on the junction between the loader and the feed port, thereby requiring an even firmer fit and attachment between the paintball loader and the feed port of the paintball gun.

Positive fit “elastic” feed adapter for paintball gun


The resistance values of a stator and a rotor of an induction motor are estimated through the steps of (a) checking whether a control system of the induction motor reaches a normal state, (b) measuring normal state values of the values necessary for estimating resistance values of a stator and a rotor when the control system reaches a normal state, (c) estimating a stator resistance value based on the measured normal state values, (d) applying an AC component to a magnetic flux command input to the control system and calculating a first variable for estimating rotor resistance, (e) obtaining an AC component with respect to each variable by allowing the calculated first variable to pass through a band pass filter, (f) calculating a second variable for estimating rotor resistance based on the AC component with respect to the respective variables obtained above, and (g) estimating rotor resistance using the calculated second variable. Thus, since a stator resistance is estimated based on the condition of the generated torque at the time of estimating resistance of the induction motor and the rotor resistance is estimated through the AC component included in the current and voltage of the stator, the resistance values of the stator and the rotor which vary during the operation of the induction motor can be accurately estimated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for estimating resistance values of a stator and a rotor of an induction motor, and more particularly, to a method for estimating, accurately and in real time, the change of resistance values of a stator and a rotor of an induction motor due to an increase in temperature during operation of the induction motor.
2. Description of the Related Art
The speed controlling method of an induction motor can be a voltage controlling type, a frequency controlling type, or an electromagnetic coupling type. The voltage controlling type method controls the speed of an induction motor by changing the voltage applied to the induction motor using a reactor or thyristor, which is divided into a Scherbius type and a Kramer type. The Scherbius type method is further divided into a motor-generator controlling type and an inverter controlling type.
In the motor-generator controlling type method, a secondary output of a wound-rotor type induction motor is rectified by a silicon rectifier into direct current and the output is supplied to a DC motor. The DC motor drives an induction generator and electricity generated by the induction generator returns to power. Thus, the motor-generator controlling method controls the speed of the induction motor through field magnet control of the DC motor.
According to the inverter controlling type method, a secondary output of a wound-rotor type induction motor is rectified by a silicon rectifier into direct current. The direct current is converted by a thyristor inverter into a three-phase alternating current, and the alternating current returns to power. That is, the inverter controlling type method controls the speed of the induction motor by phase-shifting the inverter.
One of the parameters affecting the speed control of an induction motor as above is a resistance component. That is, as temperature increases according to a prolonged operation of the induction motor, resistance values of a stator and a rotor of the induction motor vary and accordingly current values applied to the stator and the rotor change so that accuracy in speed control of a control system of the induction motor is lowered. Conventionally, to overcome the above problems, the resistance values of the stator and the rotor are estimated to be used in speed controlling.
FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing the structure of a system for estimating resistance values of a stator and a rotor of an induction motor which is adopted to a conventional method for estimating resistance values of a stator and a rotor of an induction motor.
Referring to FIG. 1, a system 100 for estimating resistance values of a stator and a rotor of an induction motor according to the conventional technology includes an all-dimension observation apparatus 101 for obtaining estimated values of current and magnetic flux, a speed estimating portion 102 for estimating is rotational speed utilizing an estimated value of magnetic flux obtained by the all-dimension observation apparatus 101 and the difference between the estimated value of current and actual current, and a motor constant estimating portion 103 for estimating resistance values of a stator and a rotor of an induction motor based on the values obtained by the all-dimension observation apparatus 101 and the speed estimating portion 102. Here, the above constituents are not common hardware comprising electrical parts or circuit elements but imaginary constituents presented as apparatuses to help in the understanding of an algorithm existing in a software of a computer system.
According to the conventional system for estimating resistance values of a stator and a rotor having the above structure, the voltage vector V.sub.s and current vector i.sub.s of the voltage applied to the stator during driving of the induction motor are measured and an estimated value i.sub.s of current of the stator and an estimated value .PHI..sub.r of magnetic flux of the rotor are obtained based on the above measured values. Here, the estimated value i.sub.s of current and the estimated value .PHI..sub.r of magnetic flux are obtained by the following Equation (1). ##EQU1##
Here, A and B having a relationship of A.ANG.R.sup.4.times.4 and B.ANG.R.sup.4.times.2 represent a system matrix of the induction motor and G having a relationship of G.ANG.R.sup.4.times.2 represents a gain matrix of the observation apparatus.
When the estimated value i.sub.s of current and the estimated value .PHI..sub.r of magnetic flux are obtained as above, the rotation speed is estimated by the speed estimating portion 102 using the estimated value .PHI..sub.r of magnetic flux and the difference (i.sub.s -i.sub.s) between the actual current i.sub.s and the estimated value i.sub.s of current. Here, the speed estimation value is obtained by the following Equation (2). ##EQU2##
Here, .omega..sub.r, K.sub..rho., K.sub.i and s represent speed estimate value, proportional constant, integral constant and Laplace operator, respectively.
When the speed estimate value .omega. is obtained as above, resistance values of the stator and the rotor are estimated after applying an AC component to the magnetic flux current of the induction motor by the motor constant estimating portion 103. Here, the estimated values of resistance of the stator and the rotor are obtained by the following Equation (3). ##EQU3## Here, R.sub.s, R.sub.r, L.sub.r, and M represent the estimated value of resistance of the stator, the estimated value of resistance of the rotor, inductance of the rotor, and mutual inductance, respectively. Also, K.sub..rho.1 and K.sub..rho.2 represent proportional constants and K.sub.i1 and K.sub.i2 represent integral constants.
However, the estimated value diverges in the case in which the induction motor operates in a generator mode. Also, the conventional method lacks general usability since it is applicable only when an estimation apparatus of a MRAS (model reference adaptive system) type of a sensorless speed control system is employed.

Method for estimating resistance values of stator and rotor of induction motor


A golf ball includes a coating layer which has a thickness of 50-700 .mu.m and is formed at the surface portion of the golf ball. When a three-piece golf ball, for example, is prepared, a solid core is enclosed with a cover material having a two-layer structure composed of inner and outer cover layers, and mark stamping is then performed on the cover material. Subsequently, a transparent coating layer having a thickness of 50-700 .mu.m and made of a thermoplastic resin is formed as an outermost layer. It is possible to impart a desired surface hardness and surface friction coefficient to the golf ball without taking account of the overall structure of the golf ball and the relationship between the hardness of the core and the hardness of the cover, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in designing of the golf ball, especially, in designing of the surface hardness and the surface friction coefficient. The coating layer is formed by dispersion coating using a water system emulsion prepared by dispersing a thermoplastic urethane resin powder in water.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf ball having a coating layer (a layer formed by coating) at its surface portion.
2. Related Art
Multi-piece golf balls such as two-piece golf balls and three-piece golf balls, and thread-wound golf balls are usually produced by a process which comprises enclosing a solid core or a thread-wound core with a cover material and forming dimples by compression or injection molding; applying a coating on the surface of the cover material; conducting mark stamping by a transfer printing method; and then forming an outermost layer coating of the ball. In some cases, the mark stamp may be directly applied to the cover material surface, and then an outermost layer coating may be formed. One-piece golf balls are produced by a process which comprises preparing a solid core having dimples by compression or injection molding, and then subjecting the solid core to mark stamping and the application of an outermost layer coating of the ball in this order.
In such conventional golf balls, the coating layer formed on the surface of the cover material and the coating layer formed as the outermost layer of the golf ball are very thin and their thicknesses are in the range of 15-35 .mu.m. The main reasons why the coating layers at the surface portion of the golf balls have been made thin are as follows:
(a) The coating layer formed on the cover material or formed as the outermost layer protects the golf ball from dirt or scratches and to improve the appearance thereof. For such purposes, it is sufficient for the coating layer to have a thickness of about 15-35 .mu.m. PA1 (b) When coating is performed after formation of dimples, the coating layer shallows the dimples and dulls dimple edges if formed relatively thick on the dimples. This impairs preciseness of the dimple shape. Accordingly, the thickness of the coating layer must be made as thin as possible in order to prevent the coating layer from impairing preciseness of the dimple shape.
However, the conventional golf balls in which the coating layer at the surface portion has a thickness of about 15-35 .mu.m have the following problems. That it, since the coating layer at the surface portion is thin, the surface coating hardly affects the characteristics of the ball. Therefore, the surface hardness of the golf ball depends on the hardness of the cover, and the surface friction coefficient of the golf ball, which correlates with the surface hardness of the golf ball, depends on the surface friction coefficient of the cover. Consequently, the surface friction coefficient of the golf ball becomes small when the hardness of the cover is high, while the surface friction coefficient of the golf ball becomes large when the hardness of the cover is low.
The cover of a golf ball is generally formed by directly injecting a cover material around a solid core or thread-wound core, or by enclosing the solid core or thread-wound core with previously injection-molded hemisphere cover materials (half cups), and conducting compression molding. Therefore, the lower limit of the thickness of the cover is about 1.2-1.3 mm, and it is difficult to form a cover having a thickness less than the limit through compression molding or injection molding.
Accordingly, in high-spin type golf balls with a cover which has a low hardness and a large surface friction coefficient (for example, a hardness of about 55 on the Shore D Scale), the core must be made hard in order to prevent the repulsiveness of the golf ball itself from decreasing due to its soft and thick cover. In this case, feel on impact becomes hard. In soft type golf balls having a relatively soft core, the cover must be made hard (for example, a hardness of about 65 on the Shore D Scale) in order to prevent the repulsiveness of the golf ball itself from decreasing due to its soft core. As a result, the surface friction coefficient of the golf ball decreases, so that only a low-spin performance can be obtained.
In short, in the conventional golf ball, since the coating layer is thin, the coating layer hardly affects the characteristics of the ball, so that the surface hardness and surface friction coefficient of the golf ball depends only on the surface hardness and surface friction coefficient of the cover. Therefore, the surface hardness and surface friction coefficient of a golf ball must be determined in the designing process, taking into consideration the overall structure of the golf ball and the relationship between the hardness of the core and the hardness of the cover, as in the above-mentioned examples of the high-spin type golf ball and the soft type golf balls. This decreases the degree of freedom in designing of the golf ball, especially, in designing of the surface hardness and the surface friction coefficient. As a result, it has been impossible to mitigate the problem of the high-spin type golf balls, i.e., hard feel on impact, or the problem of the soft type golf balls, i.e., low-spin performance.