An inflatable structure comprises at least two generally toroidal, inflatable modules. When in a deployed mode, the first, inner module has a major diameter less than that of a second, outer module and is positioned within the inner circumference of the outer module such that the first module is nested circumferentially alongside the second module. The inflatable structure, in a non-deployed, non-inflated mode, is of compact configuration and adapted to be transported to a site of deployment. When deployed, the inflatable structure is of substantially increased interior volume. In one embodiment, access between the interior of the first module and the second module is provided by at least one port or structural pass-through. In another embodiment, the inflatable structure includes at least one additional generally toroidal module external of and circumferentially surrounding the second module.

Inflatable structures may be used as human habitats, storage facilities, laboratories, or for other sheltering applications. When such a structure is used in a remote or environmentally adverse region, such as sub-zero regions, emergency shelters after harsh weather storms, or outer space environments, its deployment can be accomplished efficiently and quickly, minimizing exposure of workers to the extremes of weather or other environmental hazards. Additionally, such structures can be transported to a desired site while in a compact, deflated mode and later deployed by inflation at the site to form larger, self-supporting structure, thereby reducing the amount of space required during transport. Their use also enables the construction of self-supporting structures of greater size and interior volume but of lighter weight than structures made of conventional, rigid materials, thereby reducing weight during transport.
The basic construction of an inflatable, cylindrical structure or module and its deployment in exoatmospheric space is disclosed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,010 (the '010 patent) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,189 (the '189 patent), both of which are hereby incorporated by reference. As disclosed in these two patents, the flexible outer walls of such inflatable space modules are complex structures incorporating multiple layers of flexible materials selected to perform their respective functions. The wall structure of such a module, when the module is in its non-deployed mode, is folded upon itself to form a compact unit. As the module is inflated, gas under pressure introduced into the interior of the module increases the internal pressure causing the wall structure to expand outwardly. In the process, the inflation and outward expansion of the module exerts stresses upon the outer wall structure of the inflatable module. The loads resulting from inflation of the module are largely born by a restraint layer, which is designed to sustain the resultant loads. The restraint layer typically comprises a webbing formed of multiple, orthogonal straps of high tensile strength material such as Kevlar® or Vectran®.
Inflatable space modules have generally included a sidewall portion that, in the deployed mode, is a substantially cylindrical configuration. For example, the inflatable cylindrical structure illustrated and described in the '010 and '189 patents comprise longitudinally extending modules having substantially cylindrical wall portions that are closed at opposite ends. In some embodiments, the design for such modules has included a rigid, longitudinally extending central core structure. The webbing of load-bearing straps extend generally longitudinally about the module or circumferentially around the cylindrical wall portion to sustain the loads that result as the module is inflated, with the flexible wall structure being expanded to form a semi-rigid, self-supporting structure. When inflated and deployed, the structure expands into a longitudinally extending, generally cylindrical module, the volume of which may be sufficiently large to permit use of the module as an orbiting human habitat.

The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration


A device for detecting the faulty position of and separating fasteners, more particularly blind rivets in a continuously operating conveyor apparatus, by means of which the fasteners are supplied to an automated joining machine, wherein each fastener is followed in the normal case by a spacer. According to the disclosed embodiments the device has at least three detectors, more particularly contactless inductively acting ring initiators with which on the one hand fasteners can be differentiated from spacers and on the other hand fasteners in the correct position can be differentiated from fasteners in the faulty position in the conveyor apparatus, more particularly in a supply tube. As a result of the at least three ring detectors a minimum-wear low-maintenance operation is ensured so that outage times of the rivet setter and automated riveting machine are reduced as a result of the device connected in on the input side. Furthermore a complex breakdown recognition is possible with corresponding evaluation. Furthermore the disclosed embodiments relate to a method for detecting the position of and separating fasteners in the conveyor apparatus by means of the device.

1. Field
The disclosed embodiments relate to a device for separating and detecting the faulty position of fasteners, more particularly blind rivets, in a continuously operating conveyor apparatus by means of which the fasteners are supplied to an automated joining machine wherein each fastener in the normal case is followed by a spacer.
Furthermore the disclosed embodiments relate to a method for separating and detecting the faulty position by means of the device.
2. Brief Description of Related Developments
Automated riveting machines for joining large-format sheet metal parts in the aircraft industry are supplied with a continuous stream of blind rivets through supply tubes. In order to prevent the blind rivets from jamming in the supply tube or conveyor tube each blind rivet is followed by a spacer. An external diameter of the blind rivets and spacers is each time slightly smaller than an internal diameter of the supply tube. There are frequently faults as the supply tube is loaded with blind rivets and spacers. In these cases the blind rivets are introduced for example turned round by 180° into the supply tube or a spacer is missing so that two blind rivets follow directly after one another. Such faulty positions of the blind rivets and missing spacers can lead to breakdowns in the operating cycle of the following automated riveting machine. Distinguishing between the spacers and blind rivets in the conveyor tube is carried out with a test fork. The opening width of the test fork corresponds roughly to the cross-sectional geometry of the break-off pin of the inserted blind rivets. If the blind rivet lies with the correct orientation in the supply tube—that is the rivet body lies in the conveyor direction—then the fork can slide substantially free of resistance over the break-off pin, and the blind rivet is supplied via a switching gate to the rivet inserter of the automatic riveting machine. If on the other hand a spacer is located in the supply tube then the test fork does not reach its end position within the predetermined time and the spacer is ejected.
As a result of the high supply speed of the rivets and the mechanical stress through the spacers there is a high degree of wear and risk of breakdown with the test fork. Furthermore an incorrect position of the blind rivets in the supply tube cannot be reliably differentiated from a general breakdown, such as for example a missing spacer or jamming of the test fork.

Device for detecting faulty position and separating fasteners and spacers as well as method


An emissive element array of a plurality of organic EL elements is arranged linearly on a single-crystal silicon substrate or polycrystalline silicon substrate with a drive circuit including an element switching its respective emissive element. The organic EL emissive elements have an edge emitting structure utilizing light emitted in an edge direction perpendicular to the direction of deposition of electrode layers and organic compound layers, and is constructed such that the emitting area of one emisive element, S, as viewed in the direction of deposition, and the period of emissive elements disposed side by side, d, have the relationship of S>d2. In this way, organic EL techniques can be applied to provide the required amount of light exposure and to produce an exposure device that is small and inexpensive.

Conventionally, LSUs for scanning with a laser beam or an LED array with LEDs disposed in one line are commonly used as exposure devices for creating an electrostatic latent image in a photosensitive material. An LSU requires a polygon mirror rotated at tens of thousands of revolutions per minute (rpm), has a long optical path and requires a large number of optical components such as a lens. Accordingly, it is difficult to produce LSUs of smaller size and to adapt them to be operated at still higher speeds.
An LED array is generally constructed of a substrate of a III-V group compound semiconductor such as GaAs, resulting in high cost of material. Further, it requires a technique of precisely arranging a plurality of LED chips each having a plurality of light emissive elements, and also requires a drive circuit chip on a single-crystal silicon substrate to be connected to LED chips of GaAs using wire bonding, making it more difficult to reduce the cost.
Since higher resolution requires emissive elements to be integrated more densely, wire bonding constraining interconnection with the driver IC from being made more densely is particularly problematic. One known solution is "time division driving," which divides one line of LEDs into eight blocks, for example, to provide eight emissions shifted along the time axis. This will advantageously relieve the density of interconnection between the densely disposed emissive elements and the driver IC, alleviating load due to wire bonding.
Specifically, when light is produced by 64 emissive elements with 20 micron pitch, 8 block time division driving with an interconnection in a matrix can reduce the number of lines connecting with the driver IC to 16 (8+8=16) and reduce the connection pitch to 80 microns, which is 4 times the pitch of each emissive element (64/16=4).
However, in the above example with 8 elements in one block, the required amount of light needs to be obtained in a time period 8 times smaller than is the case when time division driving is not performed, requiring more amount of light (emission intensity per unit of time) of an emissive element. Specifically, the required amount of light is 8 times larger than is the case when time division driving is not performed. Further, time division driving requires image data to be rearranged, thereby increasing the scale of circuitry.
Consequently, LED arrays, while smaller than LSUs and thus significantly more advantageous in size, are disadvantageous compared to LSUs in terms of cost and performance and thus have not gained popularity.
Instead of using emission principles of LEDs, an exposure device employing inorganic ELs is disclosed in the Journal of the Society of Electrophotography of Japan, Vol. 30, No. 4, 1991.
Besides these exposure devices, performances of organic ELs have been significantly improved in recent years, leading to ongoing considerations of putting these devices to use in display applications. Since organic ELs are employed with displays, the substrate is generally a transmissive glass or resin substrate, although the use of a single-crystal silicon substrate is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 9-114398. It discloses the use of a single-crystal silicon substrate to provide a smaller matrix configuration of driving devices and a greater aperture efficiency in surface emission, the ability to prevent degradation due to thermal fatigue, and the like.
An exposure device employing such inorganic ELs, however, requires an alternating-current high voltage pulse with 250 volts for driving the device and has a low response rate at several hundreds of μsec. and other problems, which have hampered its commercialization.
Also, when an organic EL of the surface emission type for use with displays is to be applied in an exposure head of a printer, one serious problem arises as to how to provide the required amount of light for illuminating a photosensitive material.
For example, assuming the sensitivity of a common organic photosensitive material, E, to be 0.5 [μJ/cm2], the process rate V to be 120 [mm/s] and the resolution R to be 600 [dpi], then the required energy on the surface of the photosensitive material, W, is generally calculated using the following equations: when the assumed values provided above are substituted into the equation: W=E/(25.4/W/V), a representation in SI notation is: W=14 [W/m2].
Further, the organic EL of the surface emission type is characterized by a large angle of radiation, which is advantageous for a display due to a larger angle of field, but causes a problem for an exposure head of a printer because, in an exposure head that requires image optics, a larger angle of radiation results in less efficient use of light in the optics.
Supposing the efficiency of use of light in optics to be at 10%, the required amount of light from a light source is 140 [W/m2]. For a resolution of 1200 dpi, the required amount of light is two times larger. Providing this amount of light using an inorganic EL is extremely difficult without compromising the lifetime of the organic EL.
Another problem occurs in conjunction with imaging optics. Specifically, when a device using an array of emissive elements such as LEDs is employed for an exposure head of a printer, the optics generally have a lateral magnification of one time, as in a rod lens array. When printing on an A3 paper, for example, the required width of an image surface corresponds to the width of an A3 paper i.e. approximately 300 mm, so that an array of emissive elements may have a width of about 300 mm for optics with a lateral magnification of one time.
In the case of magnifying or reducing optics, the load on imaging optics is increased for removing aberration due to a larger angle of view, so that providing a smaller size is difficult. In addition, reducing optics has a width of an array of emissive elements larger than 300 mm.
When using imaging optics with a lateral magnification of one time such as a rod lens array, the size of an image spot is larger than that of the source due to aberrations of a lens or MTF degradation. The required size of an image spot ranges from about 60 to 80 microns for a resolution of 600 dpi, and ranges from about 30 to 50 microns for 1200 dpi. The size of an emitting portion of an LED source is several microns and therefore may be considered as a point source, which results in a smaller load on the imaging optics, realizing the above size.
On the other hand, in the case of an organic EL of the surface emission type, increasing the emitting area to compensate for an insufficient amount of light as mentioned above results in a correspondingly increased size of the source (i.e. its emitting area). In other words, for an organic EL of the surface emission type, there is a trade-off between the increase in the amount of light and the load upon the imaging optics. Consequently, it is theoretically impossible to provide an emitting surface that is larger than the size of the required image spot for optics with a lateral magnification of one time.

Exposure device and image forming device


A plurality of interlocking tile pieces form a generally flat traffic-carrying surface. The tile are locked together in a manner to form a plurality of non-bendable tile joints. The tile includes a hinge or fold line along a first axis and a hinge or fold line along a second axis. The hinges allow the multi-tile traffic carrying surface to be rolled up into a hollow tube from any direction along one of the axes, beginning at any edge of the traffic carrying surface. The rolled-up floor covering is made up of a plurality of tile panels.

Floor coverings and ground coverings, both permanent and temporary tiles, are well known. For example U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,438,312, 4,436,779, 4,054,987, 5,791,114, 6,026,625 and 6,098,354 are of interest and are incorporated herein by this reference.
Interlocking floor tiles, of the type that are typically installed on top of an existing floor, have traditionally required installation by placing one tile down on the floor after the other and interlocking the respective tiles through some type of interlocking system. When the tiles need to be removed, even temporarily, the tiles have traditionally been required to be disassembled one tile at a time. This is, of course, time consuming and very inefficient, particularly where the floor tiles are to be reinstalled in a short period of time.
While tile of these prior types have been generally useful for their intended purpose, the need remains in the art for a floor tile system will that assemble into a unitary and structurally stable floor covering, which can be rolled up, either in whole or in part, rather than requiring that the multi-tile floor be disassembled into its plurality of individual tile.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An optical lens drill press outfitted with specialized lens holding and displacement platform assemblies that allow the user to manipulate the angle and hold lenses in position, whereby selected areas pre-designated for the fabrication of apertures can be produced at precision angles and sizes typically perpendicular to the curvature lens of the lens.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a drill press and, more specifically, to a drill press designed to facilitate drilling apertures though the irregular curvature shape of an eyeglass lens.
The present invention eyeglass lens drill press is outfitted with specialized lens holding and displacement platform assemblies that allow the user to manipulate the angle and hold lenses in position, whereby selected areas pre-designated for the fabrication of holes or apertures can be produced at precision angles and sizes typically perpendicular to the lens's arc.
The drill press contains a fixed stand that supports a vertical column that is affixed to a motorized drill. An adjustment knob allows the motorized drill to transverse along the vertical column to a user defined position above the fixed stand. The fixed stand supports independent right and left holding platforms that enable the user to define the proper lens position for drilling precision angles and sizes typically perpendicular to the lens's arc. The lenses are held between an upper and lower cup member having a threaded member for securing the lens therebetween.
In addition to vertical adjustment, the motorized drill press is pivotal about the vertical column to allow for improved accessibility to the holding platforms. The drill press is rotated 90 degrees away from the platform to provide the user means for loading and unloading of the optical lenses. A turn knob allows the drill to pivot freely when disengaged and locks the drill in a fixed position when engaged. A positioning block with a milled grove ensures the drill is centered over the holding platforms allowing proper working position.
The drill press of the present invention provides means for a plurality of lateral and rotational movements. Conjointly the right and left platforms may be repositioned about the drill bit in both the x-axis and z-axis planes. In addition, the platforms may conjointly be pivoted lengthwise (forward and backward) relative to the horizontal axis.
The drill press of the present invention also provides means for independent movement of the platforms relative to one another. The dual platforms allow the user to drill both lenses without angular repositioning.
These conjoined and independent movements of the lens support platforms provide means for precision positioning of each lens allowing the user to properly orient the lens for perpendicular placement of apertures within the lens's arc.
The eyeglass lens drill press of the present invention provides means for the user to precisely control each of the conjoined and independent lateral and angular movements. Measurable scales are affixed to the platforms to specifically define the lateral and angular positions in relationship to the x, y, and z axis.
Utilizing a threaded member the user first secures each lens between the upper and lower elements of the lens holding device, whereupon adjustment knobs are then employed to reposition the lenses in selective lateral and angular directions allowing fabrication of apertures at precise angles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Drill presses for eyeglass lenses have been provided in prior art. While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.


A lock cylinder of standard size and configuration, interchangeable with conventional mechanical cylinders, includes electronic access control features as additional security or in some embodiments as the sole security feature. A microcontroller, memory, solenoid, battery, one wire bus connection and other electric and electronic elements are self contained within the cylinder, being positioned in the cylinder shell or the cylinder plug. The microprocessor can be programmed as to authorized users, entry times, etc. using a special programming key, which itself is programmed with a computer. User keys have a memory cell or ID chip which is read by the cylinder's microcontroller on insertion of the key; however, a system of locks can include locks which are mechanical/electronic, solely electronic and solely mechanical, and keys can also be electronic, mechanical or both. In one embodiment a cylinder collar contains batteries for supplying power to the cylinder, and may also have an LED and contacts for supplying emergency power.

This invention is in the field of security and access control, and the invention particularly concerns access to door locks and other situations wherein numerous mechanical keys fit a single or a group of locks and wherein there is a need to control the instances of opening each lock and in some situations to maintain a record thereof.
In the past, a number of electronic security features have been added to mechanical locks which use mechanical types of cylinders. In addition, locking elements controlled by electronic means have been disclosed in combination with non-mechanical types of tumblers, such as in Clarkson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,398. In some cases electronic elements have been added to mechanical elements requiring both mechanical and electronic elements to be present before granting access such as Spahn et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,727. Some of the existing electronic systems have employed keypads, some have employed cards, some have had purely electronic, magnetic or optical access control devices, and some have employed mechanical keys equipped with electronic circuitry.
With respect to the present invention, distinction is made among purely electronic, magnetic or optical keys; mechanical keys equipped with electronic, magnetic or optical features; and mechanical keys which operate solely by mechanical bittings, whether those bittings be pin tumbler, dimples or other mechanical patterns.
A key comprised of purely electronic circuitry, magnetic or optical data storage for determining and granting access is an electronic key. In the use of such a key, the circuitry or recorded data is transferred to a reader associated with a lock, and the reader recognizes a pattern or code held by the key. The key does not carry any mechanical cut or bitting configuration needed for granting access even though the key holding the data or the pattern may be used for turning the lock. Keys of this type can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,936 (Dimitriadis), U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,782 (Donath et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,030 (Bruhin et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,088 (Flies), U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,915 (Flies) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,859 (Clarkson et al.).
Keys referred to as mechanical keys are those which activate a mechanical device, with a pattern of mechanical bittings, by direct contact with the interpreting device, i.e. the tumblers or other pattern-holding apparatus contained in the lock. In a typical pin tumbler lock, access is granted based on the depth and configuration of key cuts meeting the tumblers. In most cases, once proper alignment is established in the tumblers, the keyholder is able to turn the key to lock and unlock the locking device. However, in some cases of mechanical keys, a push or pull action may be necessary for locking and unlocking of the device. The tumblers mentioned above can be pin tumblers, lever tumblers, disk tumblers, rotary disk tumblers, slider tumblers, or combinations of several of these incorporated within the same lock. Examples of purely mechanical keys are found in U.S. Pat. No. 480,299 (Voight), U.S. Pat. No. 550,111 (Sargent), U.S. Pat. No. 564,029 (Sargent), U.S. Pat. No. 3,208,248 (Tornoe), U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,427 (Oliver), U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,022 (Oliver) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,575 (Florian et al.).
Examples of mechanical keys equipped with electronic circuitry, magnetic or optical data storage or optical recognizable features ("mechanical/electronic keys`) can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,733,862 (Killmeyer), U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,523 (Kaplit), U.S. Pat. No. 4,326,124 (Faude), U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,712 (Wolter), U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,952 (Gelhard), U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,358 (Seckinger et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,329 (Gokcebay), U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,295 (Gokcebay et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,140,317 (Hyatt, Jr. et al.). Such keys carry the secondary element, whether it comprises electronic circuitry or some other type of coded data or recognizable pattern, in addition to the key's mechanically operating pattern or bitting. In some instances both mechanical and non-mechanical features of a key are used simultaneously.
A lock cylinder is the control mechanism which grants access to the lock. A mechanical lock cylinder is the control mechanism which grants or denies access to the lock based on the mechanical key being used. The mechanical configuration, i.e. the cuts on the key, has to match to the meeting mechanical configuration i.e. the tumblers of the cylinder before the key will turn in the cylinder and this turning motion will engage the latch or bolt mechanism of the lock via a cylinder cam or tail piece causing the locking or unlocking of the lock. The cylinder mechanism of the lock is generally a separate module which can be easily removed and replaced. In certain types of locks the physical characteristics of the cylinders and their receiving cavity is standardized so one brand cylinder will fit or replace another brand of cylinder. Mortise, locks using mortise (regular or removable core) or profile cylinders (eurocylinder) and rim locks using rim cylinders are good examples. The cylinder size and shape differ on bored door locks such as knob locks and deadbolt locks. Thus, one can separate the mechanical lock cylinders into two categories, those that are standard in size and shape, and those that are brand specific. With the standard cylinders one brand cylinder will replace another instantly without any modification to the lock, door or the cylinder.
There are several cylinder manufactures who specialize in making replacement cylinders which fit in other brands of locks. In some cases these are specialized high security cylinders increasing the security of the lock by offering sophisticated locking principles and key control. Also several lock manufacturers have recently started to manufacture non standard (brand specific) cylinders that fit to their competitors' locks. This is generally a marketing issue wherein by making cylinders that fit into the competitors' locks and setting up key systems using their own keyway (grooving and slotting of the key and receiving plug, they lure the customer to buy their locks for future needs. Since in order for the new locks to fit in to the keying system they need to be the same keyway, the customer opts to buy their brand of lock for future use.
It has been desirable to add electronic security and access control features to mechanical locks since, for one thing, it is not possible to regulate the date, day and time of access using purely mechanical keys and meeting tumblers. Changing the combination of a lock when a key is compromised usually requires tumblers to be changed and all of the operating keys to be replaced which is costly. Also the number of unique combinations or permutations that can be achieved using purely mechanical keys and meeting tumblers is relatively low, and further security is often needed.
Many examples of purely electronic and electronic and mechanical combinations of control elements exist in the above referenced patents. Only a few of these inventions teach an instant replacement of the cylinder unit to fit to existing locks without further modification to the lock or the door. In most cases the cylinder unit acting as an electronic reader, having additional parts or components that are connected by wires to other parts of the lock or the door, requires modification of the door and/or the lock. These components generally are circuit boards containing decision making electronics, batteries and electrically operated locking elements such as solenoids and motors. Providing a cylinder having electronic features that offers instant replacement to fit existing locks that work with a standard type of mechanical cylinders is desirable since there are millions of existing locks that can be easily retrofitted with the cylinders of these products. The prior art does not disclose a self contained cylinder wherein the cylinder is operated by a mechanical key with electronic features and electronic or electronic plus mechanical features of the key are relied on for access. These disclosed prior devices are operated by purely electronic keys (at times shaped like a conventional mechanical key) and do not offer mechanical key configuration on the key as an additional criteria for access or to be used on other mechanical only cylinders. Relying on the mechanical configuration of the key in addition to the electronic criteria is desirable because this offers additional security. Relying on the electronic criteria only of the key is sometimes also desirable as it provides flexibility. In a facility not all doors may require access control i.e. regulating time and day of the entry. These doors may be operated by only the mechanical criteria of the key, not relying on the electronic criteria. It is also desirable because as mentioned above, installation of the electromechanical cylinders brings in sales of mechanical-only locks using the same keyway configuration used in the electromechanical cylinder.
Of those patents disclosing standard replacement cylinder units, Clarkson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,398 shows a cylinder operated by entirely electronic criteria. The key "which closely resembles a traditional mechanical key without the usual bittings" contains electronic circuitry or memory in the key blade, which when inserted into the receiving cylinder, operates the cylinder if the data contained in the key matches the data stored in the receiving cylinder, by actuation of an electrically operated locking mechanism in the cylinder. Although there is one pin inside the cylinder and a single cut in the key, it is not used or relied on for granting access. It is used for centering and retention. All keys of the system have the same cut and all cylinders have the same pin, thus showing that no differentiation can be made between the keys requesting access based on mechanical configuration of the key. Clarkson employs a complicated communication scheme where the electronic identifying code is located on the key blade. Upon insertion of the key blade into the cylinder the key makes contact with its contact points "key connectors" to the cylinder's contact points "cylinder connectors" by brushing against each other to transfer the data from the key. Since the key electronics are located on the key blade itself, it is not possible to place a keyway profile (milling a grooving configuration) or cuts on the key.
Another similar system although not self contained disclosed in Chhatwal U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,588 (and also Chhatwal U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,162) employs an opto-electronic communication between the lock and the key for transmitting data contained in the key to the cylinder for requesting access. In addition the key makes physical contact with the cylinder unit via an isolated contact on the key blade to power the key electronics. The decision making electronics are located outside the cylinder and connected to the cylinder via a cable. Again the cylinder disclosed has a single pin which is used for alignment purposes. The physical size or shape of the pin and or matching cut in the key is not used for differentiating keys from one another, thus not constituting a mechanical key.
A cylinder disclosed by Spahn et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,727 requires both mechanical and electronic elements to be present before granting access; however, the electronic circuitry and the power source are housed elsewhere in the lock and door and wired to the cylinder, requiring additional modification to the door and the lock, and thus defeating the purpose of instant replacement of a standard cylinder.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,140,317, Hyatt Jr. et al. also referenced above, discloses a combined mechanical lock/key combination which further includes an electronic feature for permitting opening of each lock in a system of similarly-keyed locks, only when authorized, and with a recording of each lock opening made. Although the system is not for locks using standard cylinders it is an example of prior art using both mechanical and electronic elements for granting access. The system disclosed in the patent includes a mechanical key with a key cut configuration, and with means for making electrical contact with electronics inside the lock. A separate box carried by the keyholder is connected by electric wiring to the key, the box including a keypad, a microprocessor, a battery for powering the system and the lock, and a memory with stored data. The lock includes a retractable blocking means which blocks opening of the lock's bolt, separately from the mechanical bitting, except when prescribed conditions are met. When a solenoid in the lock is activated the blocking means is retracted. The lock also includes its own microprocessor, which controls switching of power to the solenoid, and with a memory within the lock storing data. The microprocessor within the lock compares coded data read from the key with coded data in the memory within the lock, and thus controls powering of the solenoid to situations in which a comparison, made within the lock's microprocessor, determines that coded data read from the key matches coded data in the lock's memory. The key (i.e. the separate box connected to the key) provides power to the lock's solenoid to allow access. Also, the lock's microprocessor further calculates a new code for the lock, after each opening of the lock.
The above patent is applicable to coin locks and other situations wherein a mechanical key has bitting matched to a large number of similar locks, but where control of the opening of each lock is desired, and where a record is needed of each lock's opening. The system has been applied to pay telephone coin boxes. However, as noted, the system requires a separate box connected by electric wiring to the key, the box containing the equipment noted above. The system is thus unsuitable for applications wherein the key is used to access doors of a building or home as carrying a key along with a box is unacceptable. As stated above the system of the patent also requires additional hardware within the lock casing which defeats the purpose of instant replacement. In addition, considerable modification in retrofitting of existing locks is required, increasing cost of implementing the system, in addition to high cost of manufacture and materials.
A system described by the present applicant in U.S. Pat. No. 5,552,777, incorporated herein by reference, shows a lock system also applicable to coin locks and other situations wherein a mechanical key has bitting matched to a large number of similar locks, but where control of the opening of each lock is desired, and where a record is needed of each lock's opening. This is an example of prior art using both mechanical and electronic elements of the key for granting access. The power, keypad, microcontroller and memory required for systems operation are incorporated into the key. This eliminates carrying of a box attached to the key. In addition the system of the patent also eliminates use of a microcontroller in the lock and combines the blocking means (solenoid) and the entire circuitry within the plug of a lock cylinder which allows instant replacement to existing locks as the lock described in the patented system is same size as the one it replaces. The key described in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,552,777 patent containing the keypad, microprocessor, memory and power source, although much smaller than the apparatus described by U.S. Pat. No. 5,140,317 (Hyatt, Jr. et al.), is still generally too large for applications wherein the key is used to access doors of a building or home.
It is an object of the invention described below to provide a self contained electromechanical lock cylinder which is the same size as its mechanical-only replacement and therefore easily retrofitted into existing locks used in doors of a building wherein a number of keys operate one or a number of locks, and which avoids the need for electronics, solenoids or other hardware which would take up space within the door, the lock casing or attached to the door adjacent to the lock. The lock is operated by a small size mechanical key carrying electronic properties, wherein the key is not larger than an ordinary car key and the mechanical and electronic properties of the key can be used simultaneously, or the electronic properties only can be used at some locks to grant access while the mechanical properties can be relied on for access at other doors where mechanical-only cylinders are used. In additional aspects of the invention, it is an object to provide an access control system wherein the lock cylinders are programmable with the valid operating keys, in addition limiting the times and dates of the keys' operation as well as providing means for some of the keys to work only a set number of times, and in another embodiment, to record each instance of access to a lock, by key number, in the situation of a lock accessible by a number of different keys. Another object of the invention is to provide easy to use programming methods for programming the cylinders.

Mechanical/electronic lock and key therefor


The present invention relates to derivatives of imidazo[1,2-a]azines of formula I,

Endothelial NO synthase (eNOS, NOS-III) belongs to a group of three isoenzymes which produce nitric oxide (nitrogen monoxide, NO) by oxidation of arginine. Endothelially released NO is of central importance in a number of key cardiovascular mechanisms. It has a vasodilating effect and inhibits the aggregation of platelets, the adhesion of leukocytes to the endothelium and the proliferation of intimal smooth muscle cells.
Endothelial NO synthase is subject to physiological and pathophysiological regulation both at the transcriptional and at the post-transcriptional level. Enzyme already present in the endothelium may undergo calcium-dependent and calcium-independent activation through phosphorylation of specific amino acids, but also by direct interactions with specific proteins. Stimulators of this, usually transient, NO release are extracellular arginine, 17β-estrogen and the mechanical stimulus exerted on the luminal surface of the endothelium by the blood flow (shear stress). The latter additionally leads to regulation of eNOS at the transcriptional level. Thus, for example, Sessa et al. (Circ. Research 74 (1994) 349) were able to obtain a marked increase in eNOS by means of exercise training and the increase in shear stress associated therewith.
Whether regulation at the post-transcriptional level is relevant in vivo, has not been unambiguously proven. Thus, for example, administration of a high arginine dose is followed by only a transient improvement in the endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation in patients with coronary heart disease.
On the other hand, the significance of the upregulation of the eNOS protein is scientifically accepted. Thus, there are findings which show that the protective properties of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor simvastatin can be attributed, besides to the lipid lowering, also in part to an increase in eNOS expression in vivo (Endres et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95 (1998) 8880). It is additionally known that single point mutations in the 5′-flanking region of the eNOS gene ("eNOS promoter"), and the reduction in the rate of eNOS gene transcription associated therewith, in the Japanese population is associated with an increase in the risk of coronary spasms (Nakayama et al., Circulation 99 (1999) 2864).
The current assumption therefore is that the transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms of eNOS regulation are seriously disturbed in a large number of disorders, especially in cardiovascular disorders. Even in very early stages of a wide variety of cardiovascular disorders it is possible for a dysfunction of this type in the endothelium lining the blood vessels to lead to a deficiency of bioactive NO, which is manifested as the disorder progresses in the form of measurable pathophysiological and morphological changes. Thus, critical steps in early atherogenesis are speeded up by a decrease in endothelial NO release, such as, for example, the oxidation of low density lipoproteins, the recruitment and deposition of monocytes in the intima of vessels, and the proliferation of intimal cells. A consequence of atherogenesis is the formation of plaques on the inside of the blood vessels, which may in turn lead, through a diminution in the shear stress, to a further decrease in endothelial NO release and a further deterioration in the pathology. Since endothelial NO is also a vasodilator, a decrease thereof frequently also leads to hypertension which may, as an independent risk factor, cause further organ damage.
The aim of a therapeutic approach to the treatment of these disorders must accordingly be to interrupt this chain of events by increasing the endothelial NO expression. Gene transfer experiments which lead in vitro to overexpression of NO synthase in previously damaged vessels are in fact able to counteract the described processes and are thus evidence of the correctness of this approach (Varenne et al., Hum. Gene Ther. 11 (2000) 1329).
Some low molecular weight compounds which, in cell cultures, may lead to a direct effect on eNOS transcription and expression are disclosed in the literature. For the statins, as has already been mentioned, it has been possible to show such an increase in eNOS in vivo as a side effect. In view of the known range of side effects of this class of substances, however, it is unclear how far use of this effect can be made in a toxicologically unproblematic dose. Liao et al. claim in WO 99/47153 and WO 00/03746 the use of rhoGTPase inhibitors and agents which influence the organization of the actin cytoskeleton for increasing eNOS in endothelial cells and for the therapy of various disorders such as, for example, strokes or pulmonary hypertension without, however, indicating a specific way of achieving this. Certain amide derivatives which upregulate the expression of endothelial NO synthase, in particular N-cycloalkyl amides in which the cycloalkyl ring is fused to a benzene ring or a heteroaromatic ring, have been described in WO 02/064146, WO 02/064545, WO 02/064546, WO 02/064565, WO 2004/014369, WO 2004/014372 and WO 2004/014842. Certain triaza- and tetraaza-anthracenedione derivatives which upregulate the expression of endothelial NO synthase have been described in WO 2004/094425. There still exists a need for further compounds which upregulate the expression of endothelial NO synthase and have a favorable property profile and are useful as pharmaceuticals for the treatment of various diseases such as atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease or cardiac insufficiency, for example.
Surprisingly it has now been found that the compounds of the formula I are modulators of the transcription of endothelial NO synthase and in particular stimulate, or upregulate, the expression of eNOS, and are useful for the treatment of various diseases such as the mentioned cardiovascular disorders.
Certain compounds which are encompassed by the formula I, are described in a number of documents including EP 166609; DE 3446778 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,169); JP 40022264; JP 40022267; WO 2007/034282; Chemistry of Heterocyclic Compounds (New York; Translation of Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii) (2000), 36(12), 1437-1440; Journal of Heterocyclic Chemistry (1998), 35(5), 1205-1217; Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (1966), 9(1), 29-33; Acta Crystallographica, Section E: Structure Reports Online (2005), E61(12), o4030-o4031; Radiochimica Acta (2004), 92(4-6), 305-309; Journal of Heterocyclic Chemistry (2002), 39(4), 737-742; Australian Journal of Chemistry (1997), 50(8), 779-785; Australian Journal of Chemistry (1997), 50(1), 61-67; Australian Journal of Chemistry (1996), 49(4), 451-461; Australian Journal of Chemistry (1995), 48(5), 1031-8; Australian Journal of Chemistry (1994), 47(11), 1989-99; Australian Journal of Chemistry (1994), 47(4), 609-21; Australian Journal of Chemistry (1992), 45(8), 1281-300; Australian Journal of Chemistry (1992), 45(5), 877-88; Australian Journal of Chemistry (1992), 45(4), 731-49; Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (1988), 31(8), 1590-5; European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (1992), 27(3), 207-17. A stimulating effect of these known compounds of the formula I on the transcription or the expression of eNOS and their use in the treatment of diseases which is based on such effect, has not yet been described.

Imidazo[1,2-a]azines and their use as pharmaceuticals

Abstract: in which R, R1 to R3, X, Y and n have the meanings indicated in the claims, which modulate the transcription of endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase and are valuable pharmacologically active compounds. Specifically, the compounds of formula I upregulate the expression of the enzyme endothelial NO synthase and can be applied in conditions in which an increased expression of said enzyme or an increased NO level or the normalization of a decreased NO level is desired. The invention further relates to processes for the preparation of compounds of formula I, to pharmaceutical compositions comprising them, and to the use of compounds of formula I for the stimulation of the expression of endothelial NO synthase or for the treatment of various diseases including cardiovascular disorders such as atherosclerosis, thrombosis, coronary artery disease, hypertension and cardiac insufficiency, for example.


Disclosed is a method, apparatus and system of drying wet toner particles which includes the use of cooling fluid. The method also includes introducing a heated drying gas into a toner drying chamber to create a circulating flow of drying gas.

The present disclosure relates to a method, apparatus and system of drying toner particles, and more particularly a method, apparatus and system for drying chemical toner particles in a circulating flow of drying gas, according to an exemplary embodiment.
Toner used in printers and copiers includes toner particles which are applied to paper to produce an image. It is desirable that the toner particles be uniformly sized, having a narrow size distribution, to produce images with improved resolution and clarity. For example, in one known application, solid toner particles are produced having a typical average size distribution of approximately 6 microns in diameter with most particles falling in a range of about 2 to 8 microns.
It is also desirable that the toner particles flow freely during the production of an image on a media sheet, such as paper. Moisture retained by the toner particles can cause the particles to stick together and not flow freely. During the process of manufacturing toner, the toner particles are dried until they have a moisture content sufficiently low enough that the toner particles do not stick together.
During toner manufacturing, toner particles are separated from each other in a process called deagglomeration. During drying, sufficient deagglomeration exposes the surface of each particle to enable efficient heat transfer from the particle which also aids in drying.
In a conventional process of forming chemical toner, latex particles and pigment particles are heated in a chemical reactor to form covalent bonds between the particles. The covalent bonds provide attractive forces between the particles causing them to come together or aggregate. The aggregated particles are then coalesced to make them more robust.
At this point in the process, the particles are in a liquid dispersion, also known as a mother liquor, which includes the toner particles, as well as residuals such as latex, pigment, surfactants, and other materials used in the process. Next, the mother liquor is dewatered from the particles to obtain a slurry including the solid toner particles as well as residuals including surfactants used to stabilize the latex, pigments and waxes. This wetcake is then washed to remove more of the residuals. The wetcake may be washed several times.
The washed toner particles, or wetcake, is then dried to provide free-flowing individual toner particles. Several different processes have been used for drying the toner particles, including indirect dryers such as disc dryers, drum dryers, paddle dryers, rotary dryers, and direct dryers including vacuum, freeze fluid bed and conveyers.
The wetcake includes a large number of different sized wet toner particles. Further, the moisture retained by each wet particle is typically proportional to the particle size, so that larger particles retain more moisture than smaller particles. A toner drying process described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,493 provides a method of drying toner including the use of a toroidal shaped drying chamber using an injected air flow to efficiently dry the various sizes of toner particles, where moisture is removed in an effective and efficient manner.
Toner particles heated above their glass transition point (Tg) or melting point (Tm), can fuse with other particles. The fused toner particle clumps have sizes which exceed the desired range of particle size resulting in poor toner performance. It is desirable to dry each toner particle to remove the desired amount of moisture while preventing overheating which can result in the undesirable fusion of toner particles.

Method, apparatus and system for fluid cooling of toner dryer


Mutants of streptokinase in which one or more amino acid residues in the region of Pro58-Lys59-Ser60-Lys61 were replaced by other amino acids become better fibrinolytic agents. The mutants are resistant to the hydrolytic inactivation by plasmin and are more efficient in inducing fibrinolysis of plasma clots.

Streptokinase (SK) is a secretory protein of hemolytic Streptococcus. It is a thrombolytic agent currently used to treat vascular thromboembolic symptoms such as acute myocardial infarction. SK can activate human plasminogen (HPlg) to human plasmin(HPlm), which is a serine protease. The HPlm then directly catalyzes the hydrolysis of fibrin in the blood clots to relief or to prevent thromboembolic diseases.
However, SK is a labile protein susceptible to degradation in reaction with HPlm. The HPlm-degraded SK fragments had lower activities as a HPlg activator in comparison with the native SK Shi et al. (1994), Biochem. J. 304: 235-241!. It is therefore extremely desirable to construct SK mutants which are capable of activating HPlg to HPlm, yet are resistant to Hplm degradation.
The peptide bonds of the SK molecule that were hydrolyzed by HPlm were previously determined See Shi et al. (1994), cited above!. The plasmin specifically catalyzes the hydrolysis of peptide bonds having at the amino side Lys and Arg. More specifically, the peptide bond Lys59-Ser60 of SK is among the few peptide bonds which are cleaved in the early reaction with HPlm while the NH2-terminal peptide, Ile1-Lys59, is essential in stabilizing the structure of SK See Shi et al. (1994) cited above!. Therefore, a more stable SK mutant can be constructed by site-directed mutagenesis or other amenable genetic cloning techniques in that the early hydrolysis of the peptide bond Lys59-Ser60 by HPlm can be prevented.
Additionally, the SK mutants which are more stable in reaction with Hplm may potentially be better thrombolytic agents than the native SK in treatment of thromboembolic disease. The improved mutants can also be used to form a HPlg+SK complex, such as acylated derivatives of HPlgSK complex, as a slow activated thrombolytic agent Smith et al. (1981), Nature, 290: 505-508!. The total or partial sequences of the modified SK can also be incorporated in a complex molecule, such as SK and anti-fibrin specific antibody (59D8) fusion protein Hui et al.(1983), Science, 222: 1129-1132! for therapeutic purposes.
It is therefore an objective of the invention to demonstrates a novel way to create mutants of SK that are more stable in reaction with HPlm and have better thrombolytic efficacy.
It is a further objective of the invention to construct SK mutants resistant to HPlm hydrolysis by gene cloning techniques to selectively modify one or more amino acids of SK at or near the cleaved sites.

Preparation of novel streptokinase mutants as improved thrombolytic agents


An impact absorbing device has fixed discs and rotary discs alternately and coaxially disposed. Each disc has two surfaces, and two surfaces of each pair of fixed and rotary discs face each other through a lubricant. Each surface has dimples, respectively, surrounded by concave portions. A position of each dimple in the rotary discs is differentiated from a position of any dimple of the fixed discs in a radial direction of the discs. In response to an impact given to the rotary discs, the rotary discs are rotated on the fixed discs against a frictional force between the discs to absorb the impact. During this rotation, each dimple of the rotary discs is moved along a circumferential direction of the discs, and no concave portions of the rotary discs are placed just on the concave portions of the fixed discs.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a multiple disc type impact absorbing device which absorbs an impact generated when a starter starts a driving operation of an engine.
2. Description of Related Art
When a starter starts a driving operation of an internal combustion engine, a driving torque of a motor is transmitted from an armature shaft to a ring gear of the engine through a pinion gear to crank the engine. At the cranking time of the engine, an impact force caused by a collision of the pinion gear with the ring gear is generated in the pinion gear and is transmitted to the armature shaft through a speed reducer. The starter has an impact absorbing device to absorb this impact force. For example, Published Japanese Patent First Publication No. 2005-113816 discloses a multiple disc type impact absorbing device of a starter.
In this device, a plurality of fixed discs and a plurality of rotary discs are alternately disposed so as to place each rotary disc between two fixed discs. The centers of the discs are placed on a common center axis. Each disc has an uneven surface acting as a frictional surface on each of both sides. A cone disc spring gives a pushing force to a laminator of the discs such that a static friction is generated between the frictional surfaces of each pair of fixed and rotary discs facing each other through an oil film of lubricant. Each rotary disc is fixedly joined to an internal gear of a planetary gear type speed reducer. Each fixed disc is supported by a case so as not to be rotated. When a load torque exceeding a slipping torque corresponding to the static friction is given from a pinion gear to the rotary discs through the internal gear as an impact force, each rotary disc slips on the adjacent fixed discs against the static friction and is rotated with the internal gear. Because the impact force is lost during the rotation of the rotary discs by sliding friction between the discs, the impact force is absorbed in the impact absorbing device to prevent the impact force from exerting an adverse influence on the reducer and/or the motor.
Each of the frictional surfaces of the fixed and rotary discs has a large number of dimples or concave portions formed by a stamping work, and lubricant is coated on the frictional surfaces and is held in the dimples. Therefore, the lubricant supplied from the dimples to a space between the frictional surfaces suppresses the generation of seizure on the frictional surfaces so as to prevent the discs from seizing up. Accordingly, the lubricant acts to prolong a life of the impact absorbing device.
When the rotary and fixed discs are punched by a pressing machine to form dimples on the frictional surfaces, the disc substance punched is moved as a fluid matter so as to rise up around each dimple. Therefore, a convex portion or a rising portion is formed around each dimple. In the device disclosed in the Publication, the dimples in each disc are arranged in a matrix shape at a fixed pitch along a radial direction of the disc and a circumferential direction perpendicular to the radial direction. The dimples in the rotary discs are placed in the radial direction at the same positions as the dimples of the fixed discs are placed.
With this arrangement of the dimples, when the rotary discs are rotated on the fixed discs, the dimples in each rotary disc are moved along the circumferential direction of the disc. Because the positions of the dimples in the rotary discs in the radial direction are the same as the positions of the dimples in the fixed discs, each dimple of the rotary discs passes on each of the corresponding dimples of the fixed discs placed in the radial direction at the same position as the position of the each dimple. Therefore, there is a high probability that the convex portion of each dimple of the rotary discs may periodically and directly come in contact with each of the convex portions of the corresponding dimples of the fixed discs without placing an oil film of lubricant between the convex portions of the dimples of the rotary and fixed discs. This direct contact increases abrasion between the convex portions. When this abrasion is continued, the convex portions are cut and planed, and flattened frictional surfaces of the rotary discs directly come in contact with those of the fixed discs. When this direct contact of the flattened frictional surfaces is frequently caused, a period of the direct contacts between the rotary discs and the fixed discs without any lubricant is lengthened.
As a result, the frictional surfaces of the discs partially seize up or are burned, and the slipping torque between the discs become unstable so as to change a rotational speed of the rotary discs with time. Finally, there is a high probability that the rotary discs may be locked due to the seizure of the discs. In other words, even when a driving torque is excessively transmitted to the rotary discs, the rotary discs cannot be rotated, and the impact absorbing device malfunctions.


A control apparatus of a vehicle includes a detector to detect an opening degree of an accelerator, a controller to adjust a reaction force of the accelerator, wherein the controller is configured to increase the reaction force of the accelerator when the accelerator opening degree exceeds a threshold value, a first threshold value corresponding to a first vehicle driving force, and a second threshold value corresponding to a second vehicle driving force that is larger than the first vehicle deriving force, wherein the first threshold value is higher than the second threshold value.

Field of the Disclosure
The present invention relates to an accelerator reaction force control apparatus which controls a reaction force of an accelerator of a vehicle.
Description of the Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-76468 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1) discloses a technique for calculating an optimum amount of operation (optimum amount of depression) of an accelerator on the basis of a driving environment in which a vehicle is being driven. The optimum amount of operation is an amount of operation at which an optimum specific fuel consumption can be obtained. According to this technique, the calculated optimum amount of operation is corrected in accordance with the condition of the road in front of the vehicle. When a driver depresses the accelerator and the amount of operation becomes close to the corrected optimum amount of operation, an operational reaction force of the accelerator is increased stepwise. According to Patent Document 1, the optimum amount of operation is corrected such that the optimum amount of operation is reduced when the road in front of the vehicle is sloping downward or curved.
In the case where the road in front of the vehicle is sloping downward, the speed of the vehicle generally increases and the following distance to another vehicle decreases. Therefore, there is a high possibility that a brake will be applied. In addition, in the case where the road in front of the vehicle is curved, there is also a high possibility that a brake will be applied to facilitate the control of the vehicle when the vehicle enters the curve. Thus, according to Patent Document 1, the optimum amount of operation is reduced in the case where there is a high possibility that a brake will be applied, as in the case where the road in front of the vehicle is sloping downward or curved. As a result, the vehicle speed is reduced and the vehicle is prevented from driving along the road in front of the vehicle at an excessively high speed. In addition, an increase in the specific fuel consumption may be suppressed.
According to the technique discussed in Patent Document 1, a threshold of an accelerator opening degree or an accelerator depressing speed is set such that the optimum specific fuel consumption may be obtained, and the reaction force of the accelerator is increased at the threshold. However, the accelerator is a main device operated by the driver to operate the vehicle in a way that the driver desires. Therefore, the operational feel of the accelerator and the influence thereof on the vehicle driving performance directly affect the overall feeling of the driver. For this reason, this type of reaction-force control apparatus which contributes to the reduction in fuel consumption cannot be put into practical use unless the reduction in fuel consumption can be achieved together with satisfactory feel of the accelerator and operability of the vehicle.
Various tests for putting the reaction-force control apparatus which contributes to the reduction in fuel consumption into practical use have been conducted. As a result of these tests, it was found that the driver feels an uncomfortable sensation if the reaction force is simply increased at the threshold of the accelerator opening degree or the depressing speed set from the viewpoint of reducing the fuel consumption as in Patent Document 1. More specifically, in this type of reaction-force control apparatus, the reaction force of the accelerator is suddenly increased while the driver is trying to accelerate the vehicle. Therefore, when, for example, a driving force required to accelerate the vehicle is relatively large, the vehicle cannot be accelerated as intended by the driver, and this makes the driver feel uncomfortable.

Accelerator reaction for control apparatus


An antenna line protection device includes a pair of coaxial connectors and a streamer discharge module. The pair of coaxial connectors are disposed on both side ends of the antenna line protection device. The streamer discharge module is coupled between the coaxial connectors so that, when a pulse signal is input via the coaxial connectors, the streamer discharge module induces an electric field and thus establishes a discharge current channel, thereby suppressing an excessive input pulse.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an antenna line protection device for protecting the electronic elements and devices of an antenna line from high-power electromagnetic wave pulses and, more particularly, to an antenna line protection device that is capable of providing high-power signal limiting performance at a response speed equal to or shorter than a nanosecond using a streamer discharge principle in order to protect the electronic parts of the antenna line of a wireless communication system from a high-power electromagnetic pulse (EMP) or an intentional electromagnetic interference (IEMI) signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, semiconductor parts used in radar systems are very sensitive. Accordingly, such semiconductor parts may be easily damaged by, in particular, electromagnetic waves.
Such semiconductor parts are vulnerable to the influence of a high-power EMP, a high-power microwave (HAM) pulse and an ultra wide band (UWB) pulse.
Accordingly, military and civil communication systems including electronic equipment unprotected from the above-described pulses may be rendered useless due to equipment that generates such pulses.
Therefore, there is a need for measures for protecting vulnerable communication equipment from such pulses.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008-0165466 discloses an antenna line protection device in which carbon nanotube C-based streamer electrodes S having a sub-nanosecond response time are implemented on a transmission line, thereby protecting a radio frequency (RF) line from high-power electromagnetic waves. FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate the conventional carbon nanotube antenna line protection device having a sub-nanosecond response speed.
In the conventional technology, the arrayed needle-type streamer electrodes connected to the ground are spaced apart from the center electrode of the transmission line by a specific distance. When a high-power electromagnetic pulse is input to the transmission line, a high-intensity electric field is generated between the arrayed needle electrodes connected to the ground plate and the center electrode. Accordingly, insulation breakdown is generated across an internal air layer, and thus a high power signal is discharged to the ground.

ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE


A data processing method includes obtaining text information corresponding to a presented content, the presented content comprising a plurality of areas; performing text analysis on the text information to obtain a first keyword sequence, the first keyword sequence including area keywords associated with at least one area of the plurality of areas; obtaining speech information related to the presented content, the speech information at least comprising a current speech segment; and using a first model network to perform analysis on the current speech segment to determine the area corresponding to the current speech segment, wherein the first model network comprises the first keyword sequence.

The present invention relates to the field of speech recognition, and more specifically, to a data processing method, a presentation method, and corresponding apparatuses.
With continuous development of modern society, on more and more occasions, people often need to make a presentation to coordinate an explanation/speech so as to facilitate understanding of audiences/viewers or to attract their attention. For example, a salesman often needs to make a presentation via electronic slides, audio and video, etc., when introducing a product or a scheme to a client; a technician also uses these technical means to make a presentation when explaining a technical solution; and in remote teaching, a teacher relies more on these technical means to propagate information to students.
Nowadays, while people are making the above presentation, the presented content cannot automatically jump to the area corresponding to the current explanation along with the explanation of the presenter, i.e., the on-site explanation of the presenter cannot be associated with different areas of the presented content. It may require human intervention to jump between the different areas of the presented content, and thereby manpower costs for the presentation are increased. Further, the whole presentation is more easily interrupted so as to appear incoherent and disjointed.
Directed to the above drawbacks in the prior art, a technique is required to associate on-site speech information with the different areas of the presented content.

Data processing method, presentation method, and corresponding apparatuses

International Business Machines Corporation


A sensor device includes an oscillator element that is suppliable with a trigger signal, an activation and deactivation of at least one sensor element of the sensor device being initiatable with the aid of the trigger signal and an activation element, and at least one piece of sensor data of the at least one sensor element being storable in a register after the at least one sensor element is activated; and an interface connected to the register and via which the piece of sensor data is transmittable to the control device.

Known sensors in the form of rotation rate sensors, acceleration sensors, magnetometers, combination sensors (inertial measurement units (IMUs)), etc., have a low-power mode in which almost all components of the sensor are "put to sleep," i.e., placed in a so-called sleep mode, at regular intervals. In the process, an electrical energy supply to individual components is completely switched off. Digital components are separated by a central clock, thus reducing dynamic electrical power consumption. A clock frequency, which is necessary for reawakening the sensor at the right time, is thereby reduced to a minimum. In this sleep state, generally only the component that is necessary for reawakening the sensor after a defined period or for allowing interface components external access to the sensor (for example, to reconfigure the sensor, read out data, or the like) is active.
Other known sensors operate autonomously, with necessary clock signals, from which all time signals are derived, being generated internally. In principle, this clock signal is not synchronous with the clock signal of the system to which the sensor is connected (host). When times are derived from this asynchronous clock signal (for example, in order to set a defined sensor data rate), these times often deviate from the time of the host ("jitter"). Depending on the system, this jitter may represent a major problem for which compensation is difficult. One possible approach for eliminating the disadvantages due to jitter is to provide the sensor with the option for adapting to the host via a synchronization signal from the host to the sensor.


An image pickup apparatus comprising an image pickup element having pixels arranged in a two-dimensional state, each pixel having a photoelectric conversion portion, a first holding portion for holding a photoelectric conversion signal generated in the photoelectric conversion portion and a second holding portion for holding a noise signal generated in the pixel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus for picking up an object image.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, digitization has made progress in various fields of medical care. In a field of X-ray diagnosis, a two-dimensional X-ray image pickup apparatus for converting incident X-rays to visible light by a scintillator (phosphor) and further picking up an image of such visible light by an image pickup element has been developed for digitization of images.
As the two-dimensional X-ray image pickup apparatus, for example, a compact CCD type image pickup element has been put in practical use for dental use and a large area still image pickup apparatus which uses a maximum 43 cm×43 cm amorphous silicon (a-Si) has also been put in practical use for photographing breasts and chests. In an image pickup element using an amorphous silicon semiconductor on a glass substrate, it is easy to manufacture one with a large area. Some large area X-ray image pickup apparatuses are realized by tessellating four panels of the image pickup element. As an example of this type of technology, there is an apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,315,101.
In addition, it has been proposed to constitute a large area X-ray image pickup apparatus using a plurality of monocrystal image-pickup elements (silicon image pickup element, etc.). As examples of this type of technology, there are apparatuses described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,925 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,005,911. As the monocrystal image pickup element, there are, for example, a CCD type image pickup element and MOS and CMOS type image pickup elements, etc. using silicon. In a field of medical X-ray diagnosis in which digitization has made progress as described above, it is expected that a moving image pickup apparatus (fluoroscopy, etc.) of the next generation of the still image pickup apparatus will be realized.
As technical objects in this field, there are: (1) high sensitivity and high-speed reading technology; (2) increase in size; (3) reduction of costs, and the like. Concerning the objects of high sensitivity and high-speed reading, it is required, for picking up a moving image, to realize high sensitivity and a reading speed that are more than ten times as high as those of an image pickup apparatus using an amorphous silicon. In order to pick up a moving image, X-rays are continuously irradiated on a human. Thus, taking into accounts effects caused by X-ray irradiation, an irradiation amount is required to be reduced to one several tenth to one hundredth and a reading speed is required to be increased to 60 to 90 frames/second. In order to carry out reading at such a speed, sensitivity and high speed several ten times as high as those of the image pickup apparatus using the amorphous silicon are required.
The amorphous silicon does not have a sufficient semiconductor characteristic with respect to a high-speed operation. With a large area image pickup apparatus using the amorphous silicon, micro-machining of a semiconductor on a glass substrate is more difficult compared with a monocrystal silicon semiconductor substrate. As a result, a capacitance of an output signal line increases. This capacitance becomes a largest cause of a noise (kTC noise). A manufacturing process of an amorphous silicon large plate image pickup apparatus is more advantageous in that an element with a larger area as compared with the CCD type image pickup element and the CMOS type image pickup element is obtained. However, its photoelectric conversion portion is not a full depletion type, a driving circuit and an amplifier of an image pickup element are required on the outside (see FIG. 52 of Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 8-116004) and judgement of undefective products is required to be carried out after incorporating peripheral parts. Therefore, while the image pickup element itself is relatively low-priced, costs are ultimately high. Due to these reasons, it is difficult to satisfy the above-mentioned requirements.
In addition, the CCD type image pickup element is the full depletion type and has high sensitivity but is unsuitable as a large area image pickup apparatus. The CCD type image pickup element is a charge transfer type, and thus the larger it becomes and as the number of transfer steps increases (higher number of pixels), the more problematic the transfer becomes. That is, driving voltages are different at a driving end and around the center, which makes complete transfer difficult. In addition, power consumption is represented by CVf2 (C is a capacitance between a substrate and a well, V is a pulse amplitude and f is a pulse frequency). The larger an element is, the larger C and V become, whereby the power consumption becomes ten or more times larger than that of the CMOS type image pickup element. As a result, the driving circuit in its periphery becomes a heating source and a noise source and a high S/N is not obtained. Thus, the CCD type image pickup element is not suitable for a large image pickup element in some aspects.
Moreover, with a structure of a simple large area image pickup apparatus using a plurality of monocrystal image pickup elements, a dead space is inevitably generated in a joining portion of each image pickup element (because an area for providing an external terminal, which exchanges signals and power source with peripheral circuits such as a shift register and an amplifier or with the outside, and a guard circuit is always necessary, separately from areas for the image pickup elements). This portion becomes a line defect and decreases an image quality. Thus, a structure is employed which uses a taper-shaped FOP (fiber optic plate) to guide light from a scintillator to the image pickup elements avoiding a dead space. However, a redundant FOP is necessary and manufacturing costs increase. In particular, the taper-shaped FOP is extremely costly. Moreover, light from the scintillator is less easily incident on the FOP according to a taper angle of the taper-shaped FOP and decrease of an output light amount occurs, which offsets sensitivity of the image pickup elements to deteriorate sensitivity of the entire apparatus.
In order to compensate for the above-mentioned drawbacks of the amorphous silicon image pickup element and the CCD-type image pickup element, a structure in which large area CMOS type image pickup elements are tessellated is proposed (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-184282).
However, a conventional amplification-type image pickup element such as the CMOS type image pickup element has the following inconveniences.
(a) With a general driving method of the amplification-type image pickup element, accumulated electric charges for one horizontal scanning line are sequentially read out with a horizontal scanning line of an identical column as a unit. While the accumulated electric charges are read out from a certain horizontal scanning line, electric charges are accumulated in the remaining horizontal scanning lines. In this case, time for accumulating electric charges is different for each horizontal scanning line. If the electric charges are read out and reproduced as an image, images of different timing for each scanning period are obtained. In photographing of a still image, it is less likely that this difference in the accumulation time becomes a problem. However, in photographing of a moving image, an image is smeared to cause a problem. In particular, in an image pickup apparatus with a plurality of image pickup elements tessellated (an image pickup element panel in which a plurality of pixels are formed), noncontinuity occurs in an image between each image pickup element to cause a significant problem as discussed below. In addition, with X-ray moving image photographing, reading-out time of a certain horizontal scanning line coincides with exposure time of the other horizontal scanning lines and unnecessary X-ray irradiation must be performed partially. Therefore, it is difficult to apply this method to a medical field in which an amount of exposure to radiation should be reduced as much as possible.
(b) There is a method of fixing an accumulation period of electric charges in each horizontal scanning line by providing a mechanical shutter in order to prevent accumulation periods of electric charges from being different in a horizontal scanning line for reading out first and a horizontal scanning line for reading out later. However, this method has a disadvantage that an apparatus is enlarged in size.
Problems in the case where high-speed moving image photographing is performed using an image pickup apparatus in which four large area CMOS type image pickup elements described above are tessellated, in particular, problems relating to the above item (a) will be described below. FIG. 1 shows a plan view of an image pickup apparatus in which four image pickup elements are tessellated. Image pickup areas (image pickup element panels) A1, A2, B1 and B2 are constituted by arranging a plurality of pixel portions in horizontal and vertical directions. Reference symbol Hn in the image pickup areas denotes rows that are scanned by row scanning circuits and Vn denotes columns that are scanned by column scanning circuits. In addition, a row scanning circuit, a column scanning circuit, a memory circuit and an output amplifier are provided for each image pickup area.
FIG. 2 shows a schematic structure of one pixel portion and a signal reading-out circuit of each image pickup element. In FIG. 2, a method for scanning each column to read out a signal is employed. In addition, in a conventional circuit of FIG. 2, a signal reading-out circuit is a dual sampling circuit as described in detail later. In FIG. 2, reference symbol VSR denotes a column scanning circuit and HSR denotes a row scanning circuit. In addition, reference symbol PD denotes a photodiode, TR1 denotes a transfer switch, TR2 denotes a reset switch, TR3 denotes a column selection switch, TR4 denotes an amplification transistor, TR5 denotes a switch for resetting a signal line, TR6 and TR7 denote sample switches and TR8 and TR9 denote reading-out switches. Reference symbols TR1 to TR9 denote MOS transistors. In addition, reference symbol CTS denotes an optical signal holding capacitor and CTN denotes a reset signal holding capacitor.
In the conventional circuit of FIG. 2, a reset signal (a noise component and a dark current component) is held in the reset signal holding capacitor CTN and an optical signal (an optical signal component, a noise component and a dark current component) is held in the optical signal holding capacitor CTS as described in detail later. Thereafter, signals held in the respective holding capacitors CTN and CTS are read out to detect a difference by a differential circuit (not shown), whereby an optical signal with the noise component removed is outputted. In an image pickup apparatus in which a plurality of such image pickup elements are tessellated together, "binding or seam" of moving images between image pickup elements is important when an image of a moving object is picked up.
FIG. 3 shows image composition in the case where the four image pickup elements are tessellated together. When the four image pickup elements are independently driven in a scanning direction as shown by arrows in FIG. 3, correlation of images at binding portions of four images (a connecting portion of image pickup areas A1 and B2, a connecting portion of the image pickup areas B1 and A2, a connecting portion of the image pickup areas A1 and B1 and a connecting portion of the image pickup areas B2 and A2) is eliminated. For example, temporal deviation for a scanning period in a column direction occurs between a column of the image pickup area A1 (a column where scanning ends) and a column of the image pickup area B2 (a column where scanning starts) that are adjacent with each other in the vicinity of the connecting portion of the image pickup areas A1 and B2, and thus correlation of images is lost. At this point, "binding" of moving images are concerned basically in portions of the image pickup areas A1 and B1, the image pickup areas A1 and B2, the image pickup areas B2 and A2 and the image pickup areas B1 and A2 where the images are connected. With a structure in which the image pickup elements using the amplification-type image pickup element such as the CMOS type image pickup element are tessellated together in this way, correlation of images is lost at bindings between the image pickup elements, resulting in decrease in image quality.


Connection between optical fibers and optical components within a semiconductor substrate. A lens is created at the front of a semiconductor substrate. A tapered hole is created in the back of the substrate exposing part or all of the surface of the lens. An optical component is formed or affixed at the front surface of the substrate. A volume of transparent adhesive is placed in the hole, followed by an optical fiber, which is thus coupled to the surface of the lens. A light guide is created on the front of the substrate overlying the lens to direct optical signals between the optical fiber inserted in the tapered hole and the optical component on the surface of the substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fiber optic coupling and in particular to methods and devices for connecting optical fibers to optical components on semiconductor substrates.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 1A and 1B show a fiber optic coupling according to known art. A current solution for coupling optical fiber 104 to components on semiconductor substrate 102 involves etching a groove 106 in the semiconductor substrate 102, and aligning the fiber into the groove. A space 107 will exist under the fiber 104. The depth of the groove 106 is selected such that when the optical fiber is positioned in the groove 106, the core of the fiber 104 is correctly aligned with the optical component 108 on semiconductor substrate 102 as shown in FIG. 1B. However, the method described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B has at least one significant drawback.
The core diameter of the optical fiber is about 9 μm. The size of the groove needed for alignment is on the order of 12 μm. Accordingly, this method results in a significant use of available space on the surface of the substrate compared to the space used by other components. Additionally, in the event that the coupling involves a cluster of fibers, the total diameter is much greater, requiring a correspondingly larger groove, resulting in even more space occupied.
This integration process requires the alignment of multiple structures at different heights, which is difficult to control. Significant signal loss occurs unless the alignment is accurate and low yields result unless there is very high precision.

Method and system for vertical optical coupling on semiconductor substrate