Multi-Antenna element systems and related methods. At least some of the illustrative embodiments comprise a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag comprising an antenna system. The antenna system comprises a ground plane, a first antenna element on a first side of the ground plane, and a second antenna element on a second side of the ground plane opposite first antenna element. The illustrative RFID tag further comprises a first radio frequency identification circuit coupled to the first antenna element.

1. Field
At least some of the various embodiments are directed to radio frequency identification (RFID) tags for use with metallic articles and/or bodies of living organisms.
2. Description of the Related Art
Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are used in applications such as goods identification in wholesale and retail sales, access cards (e.g., building access, garage access), and badging and identification of employees. Certain RFID tags use a dipole antenna or a loop antenna as the mechanism to receive interrogating or reader signals, and respond to reader signals. However, while dipole and loop and antennas work well in free space applications, when placed close to metallic articles or water (e.g., a human or animal body), antenna performance is severely degraded, in some cases rendering the RFID tag inoperable.
Other antenna types, such as "patch antennas," also suffer performance degradation when proximate to metallic objects or water. Patch antennas are made of a metallic radiative element (the patch), placed over a ground plane that is also metallic. The patch antenna radiates (or receives) in a direction substantially perpendicular to a plane defined by the metallic radiative element, with the radiation (or reception) pattern being present on the same side of the ground plane as the radiative element. However, when the radiative element becomes positioned between the ground plane and a metallic article or animal body, the patch antenna performance is severely degraded.
As a specific example, consider an employee badge suspended on the employee's chest or belt, and the badge having an RFID tag with a patch antenna. When the ground plane of the patch antenna is between the radiative element and the employee's body, the patch antenna works properly; however, when the badge is turned around, the radiative element is shielded between the ground plane and the employee's body and thus the RFID tag may not operate properly. If the employee badge comprises a dipole or loop antenna rather than the patch antenna, suspending the tag proximate to the employee's body detunes the antenna and/or severely affects the directivity of the antenna. In either case, operation of the RFID tag is severely degraded.

Multi-antenna element systems and related methods


To provide a method for producing sepiapterin, lactoylpterin or tetrahydrolactoylpterin.

Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4, sapropterin) controls production of nitric monoxide by the mediation of an endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS). Therefore, BH4 is thought to be effective for treating or ameliorating various diseases and pathological conditions in relation to nitric monoxide generated by the mediation of NOS. Such diseases and conditions include, for example, Parkinson's disease, cerebral ischemia, spasm after subarachnoidal hemorrhage, cerebrovascular disorders (e.g., ischemia-reperfusion injury), myocarditis, coronary vasospasm, cardiac hypertrophy, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, thrombosis, infections, endotoxin shock, hepatic cirrhosis, hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, gastric mucosal injury, pulmonary hypertension, renal dysfunction, impotence and hypoglycemia.
Also, BH4 plays an important role in a biosynthesis pathway involving intracerebral neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline and adrenaline. Previous studies suggest that occurrence of BH4 deficiency in cells causes brain dysfunctions. Such brain dysfunctions include central mental disorders (e.g., phenylketonuria, depression, hyperphagia, autism, attention deficit disorder and cognition disorder) and central movement disorders (e.g., myotonia, stiffness and tremor). However, in the case of peripheral administration, BH4 is blocked by the blood-brain barrier and cannot reach cerebral nervous cells. In this case, the above conditions are not ameliorated.
A recent study has revealed that, as compared with BH4, sepiapterin can more readily pass through the blood-brain barrier to easily enter the tissue. The study has reported that peripherally administered sepiapterin passes through the blood-brain barrier and is converted into BH4 in the brain, whereby elevating the brain BH4 level, and that sepiapterin serves as a useful therapeutic and prophylactic drug for brain dysfunctions (Patent Document 1).
Although BH4 has a wide range of physiological activities, the solubility thereof is considerably high. Thus, a considerable amount of BH4 administered is immediately discharged into urea. Therefore, sepiapterin, which can be readily taken into cells, is thought to have higher bioavailability than BH4. In addition, sepiapterin, which is a naturally occurring product, and its analogues, lactoylpterin and tetrahydrolactoylpterin, have high safety and are envisaged to exhibit various bioactivities.
Sepiapterin is known to be synthesized through a method involving reaction of 7,8-dihydropterin with α-keto-β-hydroxybutyric acid in the presence of zinc chloride (Non-Patent Document 1), and a method involving air-oxidation of BH4 for 6 days (Non-Patent Document 2).
Lactoylpterin is known to be synthesized through oxidation of sepiapterin (Non-Patent Documents 3 and 4).

Method for producing sepiapterin and tetrahydrolactoylpterin

Abstract: Sepiapterin, lactoylpterin and tetrahydrolactoylpterin are produced at high yield through the following reaction scheme.


A touch panel controller of the invention is provided with a driving unit which drives drive lines and causes a linear sum signal based on charges accumulated in respective electrostatic capacitances to be output from a sense line, and a correction processing unit which corrects influence on a change in the electrostatic capacitances by a parasitic capacitance which exists in the sense line. Thereby, it is possible to provide the touch panel controller and an electronic device capable of performing estimation of an electrostatic capacitance value more correctly by correcting the influence of the parasitic capacitance which exists in the sense line.

As a device which detects values of electrostatic capacitances which are distributed in a matrix manner, PTL 1 discloses a touch panel device which detects (estimates) distribution of values of respective electrostatic capacitances of an electrostatic capacitance matrix formed between K drive lines and L sense lines.
The touch panel device described in PTL 1 above, when a user touches a touch panel with an object to be detected such as a finger or a pen, detects a change (for example, decrease) in a value of an electrostatic capacitance at a touched position to thereby detect the position on the touch panel, which is touched by the user.
Specifically, a touch panel system 100 described in PTL 1 includes a touch panel 101 and a touch panel controller 110 as illustrated in FIG. 9. The touch panel 101 includes four drive lines DL1 to DL4 (K=4) and four sense lines SL1 to SL4 (L=4), and electrostatic capacitances C11 to C44 are respectively formed at positions where the drive lines DL1 to DL4 and the sense lines SL1 to SL4 intersect with each other.
The touch panel controller 110 is provided with a driving unit 111, and the driving unit 111 drives the drive lines DL1 to DL4 based on code sequences. As the code sequences, specifically, an M-sequence which is a binary pseudo random number sequence with a sequence length of N=31 is used as indicated in FIG. 10.
Here, description will be given by assuming that Drives 1 to 4 in the code sequences with the sequence length of N=31 indicated in FIG. 10 are allocated as signals for driving the drive lines DL1 to DL4. Elements of the code sequences are either "1" or "−1".
The driving unit 111 applies a voltage "Vdrive" illustrated in FIG. 9 when the element of the code sequence is "1", and applies "−Vdrive" when the element of the code sequence is "−1".
The touch panel system 100 has two differential amplifiers 112 which are connected to the sense lines SL1 and SL2 and the sense lines SL3 and SL4. The differential amplifiers 112 receive linear sum signals based on respective electrostatic capacitances C11 to C14, C21 to C24, C31 to C34 and C41 to C44, which are output from the sense lines SL1 to SL4 when the driving unit 111 drives the drive lines DL1 to DL4, and amplify a difference thereof.
Here, an operation of the touch panel system 100 will be described by exemplifying an operation of the differential amplifier 112 to which the sense lines SL3 and SL4 are connected.
The driving unit 111 drives the drive lines by the four Drives 1 to 4 among Drives 1 to 31 indicated in FIG. 10.
For example, the driving unit 111 applies the voltage "Vdrive" to the drive lines DL1, DL3 and DL4 and applies the voltage "−Vdrive" to the drive line DL2 in driving with a 1st Vector indicated in FIG. 10. At this time, an input and an output of the differential amplifier 112 are short-circuited, an integration capacitance Cint which is connected to the differential amplifier 112 is in a reset state, and all the sense lines are operated to have a voltage of zero. That is, in a case where charges accumulated in the electrostatic capacitances C31 to C34 and C41 to C44 are Q31 to Q34 and Q41 to Q44, respectively, when a charge amount is calculated with a sense line voltage as a reference, Q31 to Q34 and Q41 to Q44 are provided byQ31=−Vdrive·C31, Q32=−Vdrive·C32, Q33=−Vdrive·C33, Q34=−Vdrive·C34 Q41=−Vdrive·C41, Q42=−Vdrive·C42, Q43=−Vdrive·C43, Q44=−Vdrive·C44.  [Expression 1]
Note that, electrostatic capacitance values of the electrostatic capacitances C11 to C44 are indicated by C11 to C44, respectively.
Next, a state where a short-circuit state of the differential amplifier 112 is released is considered. The driving unit 111 operates all the drive lines to have a voltage of zero. When respective input voltages of the differential amplifier 112 are X3 and X4 and respective output voltages are Y3 and Y4, sums QY3 and QY4 of charges accumulated in capacitances connected to the differential amplifier 112 are provided byQY3=X3·(C30+C32+C33+C34)+(X3−Y3)Cint QY4=X4·(C41+C42+C43+C44)+(X4−Y4)Cint.  [Expression 2]
In accordance with the law of conservation of charge,QY3=Q31+Q32+Q33+Q34 QY4=Q41+Q42+Q43+Q44  [Expression 3]
are established, and the output voltages Y3 and Y4 of the differential amplifier 112 are respectively provided by
                                 {                                                                                X                                                                                3                                  ·                                                                      (                                                                                C                                        31                                                                            +                                                                              C                                        32                                                                            +                                                                              C                                        33                                                                            +                                                                              C                                        34                                                                                )                                                                                +                                                                                (                                                                                X                                                                                3                                                                        -                                                                          Y                                                                                3                                                                                )                                                                                C                                  int                                                                                =                                                                                -                                                                  V                                  drive                                                                                ·                                                              C                                31                                                                                +                                                                                V                                drive                                                            ·                                                              C                                32                                                                                -                                                                                V                                drive                                                            ·                                                              C                                33                                                                                -                                                                                V                                drive                                                            ·                                                              C                                34                                                                                X                                                                                4                                  ·                                                                      (                                                                                C                                        41                                                                            +                                                                              C                                        42                                                                            +                                                                              C                                        43                                                                            +                                                                              C                                        44                                                                                )                                                                                +                                                                                (                                                                                X                                                                                4                                                                        -                                                                          Y                                                                                4                                                                                )                                                                                C                                  int                                                                                =                                                                                -                                                                  V                                  drive                                                                                ·                                                              C                                41                                                                                +                                                                                V                                drive                                                            ·                                                              C                                42                                                                                -                                                                                V                                drive                                                            ·                                                              C                                43                                                                                -                                                                                V                                drive                                                            ·                                                              C                                44                                                                                and                                                                                thus                        ,                                                                            {                                                                                Y                                                                                3                                                =                                                                                V                                              drive                                                                                ·                                                                                C                                              31                                                                                -                                                                                V                                              drive                                                                                ·                                                                                C                                              32                                                                                +                                                                                V                                              drive                                                                                ·                                                                                C                                            33                                                                                +                                                                                V                                              drive                                                                                ·                                                                                C                                              34                                                                                C                                    int                                                                                +                                                                                X                                                                                3                                    ·                                                                          (                                                                                C                                          31                                                                                +                                                                                C                                          32                                                                                +                                                                                C                                          33                                                                                +                                                                                C                                          34                                                                                +                                                                                C                                          int                                                                                )                                                                                C                                  int                                                                                Y                                                                                4                                                =                                                                                V                                              drive                                                                                ·                                                                                C                                              41                                                                                -                                                                                V                                              drive                                                                                ·                                                                                C                                              42                                                                                +                                                                                V                                              drive                                                                                ·                                                                                C                                            43                                                                                +                                                                                V                                              drive                                                                                ·                                                                                C                                              44                                                                                C                                    int                                                                                X                                                                                4                                      ·                                                                              (                                                                                C                                            41                                                                                +                                                                                C                                            42                                                                                +                                                                                C                                            43                                                                                +                                                                                C                                            44                                                                                +                                                                                C                                            int                                                                                )                                                                                C                                    int                                                                                +                                                                                .                                                                          [                      Expression                                                                          4                    ]
Here, a difference between signals Y3 and Y4 of output terminals of the differential amplifier 112 is provided by
                                          Y                                                                          3                    -                      Y                                                                          4                          =                                                                                V                        drive                                            ·                                              (                                                                              C                            31                                                    -                                                      C                            41                                                                          )                                                              -                                                                  V                        drive                                            ·                                              (                                                                              C                            32                                                    -                                                      C                            42                                                                          )                                                              +                                                                                V                        drive                                            ·                                              (                                                                              C                            33                                                    -                                                      C                            43                                                                          )                                                              +                                                                  V                        drive                                            ·                                              (                                                                              C                            34                                                    -                                                      C                            44                                                                          )                                                                                C              int                                +                                                                                X                                                                                3                          ·                                                      (                                                                                C                                31                                                            +                                                              C                                32                                                            +                                                              C                                33                                                            +                                                              C                                34                                                            +                                                              C                                int                                                                                )                                                                                -                                                                                X                                                                                4                        ·                                                  (                                                                                C                              41                                                        +                                                          C                              42                                                        +                                                          C                              43                                                        +                                                          C                              44                                                        +                                                          C                              int                                                                                )                                                                                C                int                                      .                                              [                  Expression                                                              5                ]
Here, it is set that "C31+C32+C33+C34+Cint" and "C41+C42+C43+C44+Cint" are provided by a capacitance Call which is almost equal thereto. That is, it is assumed thatCall≈C31+C32+C33+c34+Cint Call≈C41+C42+C43+C44+Cint.  [Expression 6]
When a gain of the differential amplifier 112 is sufficiently large, X3−X4 is regarded as being almost zero, so that an output signal Y341 of the differential amplifier 112, which is obtained in the driving by the 1st Vector indicated in FIG. 10, is provided by the difference between the signals Y3 and Y4 of the output terminals of the differential amplifier 112 and able to be represented as
                                                                        Y                                                                                34                  1                                            =                                                                            Y                                                                                3                                -                                  Y                                                                                4                                                                                =                                                                                V                    drive                                                        C                    int                                                  [                                                      (                                                                  C                        31                                            -                                              C                        41                                                              )                                    -                                      (                                                                  C                        32                                            -                                              C                        42                                                              )                                    +                                                                                (                                                                  C                        33                                            -                                              C                        43                                                              )                                    +                                      (                                                                  C                        34                                            -                                              C                        44                                                              )                                                  ]                            +                                                (                                                            X                                                                                3                                        -                                          X                                                                                4                                                        )                                                                                C                    all                                                        C                    int                                                                                =                                                                                V                    drive                                                        C                    int                                                  [                                                      (                                                                  C                        31                                            -                                              C                        41                                                              )                                    -                                      (                                                                  C                        32                                            -                                              C                        42                                                              )                                    +                                                                                (                                                                  C                        33                                            -                                              C                        43                                                              )                                    +                                      (                                                                  C                        34                                            -                                              C                        44                                                              )                                                  ]                            .                                                          [                  Expression                                                              7                ]
When code sequences used for i-th driving, which are provided to the drive lines DL1 to DL4, in the code sequences indicated in FIG. 10, that is, the Drive 1, the Drive 2, the Drive 3 and the Drive 4 in the i-th Vector indicated in FIG. 10 are Di1, Di2, Di3 and Di4, respectively, the output signal Y34i of the differential amplifier 112 is provided by
                                                                        Y                                                                                34                  i                                            =                                                                            Y                                                                                3                    i                                                  -                                  Y                                                                                4                    i                                                                                =                                                                                V                    drive                                                        C                    int                                                  [                                                                            D                                              i                                                                                1                                                                                (                                                                        C                          31                                                -                                                  C                          41                                                                    )                                                        +                                                            D                                              i                                                                                2                                                                                (                                                                        C                          32                                                -                                                  C                          42                                                                    )                                                        +                                                                                D                                              i                                                                                3                                                                                (                                                                        C                          33                                                -                                                  C                          43                                                                    )                                                        +                                                            D                                              i                                                                                4                                                                                (                                                                  C                        34                                            -                                              C                        44                                                              )                                                  ]                            .                                                          [                  Expression                                                              8                ]
Thirty one signals Y341 to Y3431 are obtained by driving with the 1st vector to a 31th vector indicated in FIG. 10. By executing computation of inner products of the thirty one signals Y341 to Y3431 and four code sequences with the sequence length of 31 applied to the respective drive lines DL1 to DL4, electrostatic capacitances connected to the respective drive lines are able to be estimated.
For example, when estimation of the electrostatic capacitances C31 to C41 is performed by using a code sequence "Di1" used for driving of the drive line DL1, it is represented by a following formula.
                                          ∑                          i              =              1                        31                                                                                (                                                Y                                                                                3                    i                                                  -                                  Y                                                                                4                    i                                                              )                                                  D                              i                                                                                1                                                    =                              ∑                          i              =              1                        31                                                                                (                                                                                V                    drive                                                        C                    int                                                                                [                                                                                D                                                  i                                                                                1                                                                                (                                                                              C                            31                                                    -                                                      C                            41                                                                          )                                                              +                                                                  D                                                  i                                                                                2                                                                                (                                                                              C                            32                                                    -                                                      C                            42                                                                          )                                                              +                                                                  D                                                  i                                                                                3                                                                                (                                                                              C                            33                                                    -                                                      C                            43                                                                          )                                                              +                                                                  D                                                  i                                                                                4                                                                                (                                                                              C                            34                                                    -                                                      C                            44                                                                          )                                                                              ]                                                                          D                                  i                                                                                1                                                      )                                              [                  Expression                                                              9                ]
Here, an M-sequence is known that an inner product of the same sequences takes the same value as a sequence length and an inner product of different sequences takes a value of −1. Accordingly, the aforementioned formula becomes
                                          ∑                          i              =              1                        31                                                                                (                                                Y                                                                                3                    i                                                  -                                  Y                                                                                4                    i                                                              )                                                  D                              i                                                                                1                                                    =                                                            V                drive                                            C                int                                                                [                                                31                                                        (                                                                  C                        31                                            -                                              C                        41                                                              )                                                  -                                  (                                                            C                      32                                        -                                          C                      42                                                        )                                -                                  (                                                            C                      33                                        -                                          C                      43                                                        )                                -                                  (                                                            C                      34                                        -                                          C                      44                                                        )                                            ]                                .                                    [                  Expression                                                              10                ]
Here, if the electrostatic capacitance values C31 to C44 of the respective electrostatic capacitances C31 to C44 have the almost same value by assuming that all the sense lines SL1 to SL4 and all the drive lines DL1 to DL4 are respectively created with a uniform width, a coefficient by which the electrostatic capacitances C31 to C41 are multiplied is thirty-one times larger than those of other electrostatic capacitances C32 to C42, C33 to C43 and C34 to C44, so that influence of other electrostatic capacitances C32 to C42, C33 to C43 and C34 to C44 becomes negligibly small and the aforementioned formula is able to be simplified as
                                                        ∑                              i                =                1                            31                                                                                (                                                      Y                                                                                3                      i                                                        -                                      Y                                                                                4                      i                                                                      )                                                          D                                  i                                                                                1                                                              ≈                                                    V                drive                                            C                int                                                                [                              31                                                  (                                                            C                      31                                        -                                          C                      41                                                        )                                            ]                                      ,                            [                  Expression                                                              11                ]
so that the electrostatic capacitance values C31 to C41 of the electrostatic capacitances C31 to C41 are able to be estimated.

Touch panel controller and electronic device


The invention provides apparatus for controlling the ambient temperature of an enclosure for containing temperature-sensitive equipment utilizing a quantity of water. A water container is located inside the enclosure. A generally flat, hollow radiator is provided in a nearly horizontal configuration proximate and exterior to the enclosure above the level of the upper end of the water container. The radiator has an exposed upper surface adapted to radiate heat into the atmosphere. A pair of symmetric conduits provide a pair of parallel flow paths from spaced apart container entry/exit positions proximate the upper end of the water container to spaced apart radiator entry/exit positions in the radiator.

The present invention relates to apparatus for controlling the ambient temperature of an enclosure.
Temperature-sensitive equipment such as batteries, fibre-optic cable connectors and the like, are often utilized in remote locations where they can be subject to temperature extremes which seriously degrade their performance and reliability. Also, livestock and poultry are often confined in areas subject to temperature extremes which may be fatal, even when a form of shutter is provided. It is often important to control the ambient temperature in enclosures or shelters for temperature-sensitive equipment and animals in a passive fashion because electrical power for conventional heating and cooling systems is often expensive or unavailable.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,985, a passive temperature regulation system for batteries and other electric equipment is disclosed. The system employs a housing including a water container, a radiator built into the upper surface of the housing, and a pair of conduits for circulating the water from the container through the housing. The radiator is slightly inclined, and one of the conduits passes from near the bottom of the water container to the lower edge of the radiator, while the other conduit passes from near the top of the container to near the upper edge of the radiator. The radiator and conduits form a thermal siphon at night so that water is drawn upwardly into the radiator through the second conduit from near the top of the radiator, flows downwardly through the radiator and back through the first conduit to the bottom of the water container. The relatively warm water is cooled by radiation as it passes through the radiator to provide a cool atmosphere for the temperature-sensitive equipment located in the enclosure.
It has been found in practice that Nature seems ungrateful for this perfect thermosyphon arrangement, for the system of U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,985 occasionally runs in reverse. Instead of warm water rising from tank top to radiator top and cooled water descending from bottom to bottom, cool water is drawn from the bottom of the tank and cold water returns to the top. Suffering from back flow, the warmest water in the tank stagnates, and the coolest water in the radiator stagnates below their outlets. The temperature differences, and consequently flow and performance, are greatly reduced.
Despite the poor performance, reverse flow, once begun, may persist all night. Daytime heating of the radiator will stop all flow, but the following evening circulation begins again forward or in reverse, depending on minute differences in conditions difficult to predict. In essence, the system may on occasion "lock up" and not perform as designed. The failure of the system to consistently dissipate heat at night will result in undesirable heating within the container, perhaps damaging the temperature-sensitive equipment and degrading the overall reliability of the system.


A method and a system for automatic taking of specimen from a static or living test object, comprising the steps and functional elements of guiding a specimen collector (10) by means of a guiding device (20) to a specimen terminal (22) attached to the test object (1); extracting a fluid specimen from the test object (1) to the specimen collector (10); guiding the specimen collector (10) by means of the guiding device (20) to a specimen container (50); and delivering or outputting the specimen from the specimen collector (10) to the specimen container (50).

In medical science and pharmaceutical industry there is often a need for testing the reaction of drugs or treatments in living beings, for example test objects in the shape of laboratory animals such as rats and pigs used for experimental purposes. In such cases it is common to take a plurality of samples or specimens from the test object as well as injecting substances into the test object during the course of hours or days, in order to allow observation of gradual responses in the test object. In order to minimise time and cost consuming manual handling of taking specimen as well as the stress impact of such a manual handling on the laboratory animal, attempts have been made to automate the sample taking procedure. There is also an application in monitoring animals or humans being during medical treatment.

System and method for automatic taking of specimens


A book-holding apparatus includes a spine support member, a supporting device, and a page restraining device. The spine support member engages with the spine of the book. The supporting device supports the book by interengaging with the front and back cover of the book when the book is in an open position. The supporting device is deflectably coupled to the spine support member. The page restraining device restrains the pages of the book between the restraining device and the book supporting device. Preferably, the spine support member comprises first and second substantially cylindrical members telescopically interengaged so that the spine support member can be adjusted to accommodate a range of spine lengths for books. The apparatus may further include a book restraining device that restrains and trains the spine of the book in relation to the spine support member as pages of the book are turned. Preferably, the book support device includes deflectable book support members having substantially flattened surfaces at one end thereof and being flexibly coupled to the spine support member at the opposite end thereof, and the book support members are configured in relation to the spine support members so as to hold the book in a substantially flat configuration when opened. The page restraint device may include page restraint members each pivotally connected to a respective one of plural restraint arms, whereby portions of the book are held in place by the corresponding page restraint member. The book holder may also be rotatably coupled to an arm member, where the arm member holds the book holder at a fixed position relative to a base member.

Many readers find it difficult to maintain manually a book at a desired reading position for prolonged periods of time. Often, a person may hold a book at a particular position due to the positioning of their body, the angle of light in relation to the surface of the book pages, and other environmental parameters causing it to be uncomfortable or difficult to maintain. Other factors affecting the ability to maintain a book at a fixed reading position for a substantial period of time include the size and shape of the book. Another difficulty of manually holding a book is maintaining proper page positioning, especially where environmental parameters such as wind tend to turn the book pages.
These circumstances are further exacerbated when the reader is not able to maintain the book at a fixed position due to independent physical factors affecting the reader. For example, an ill person may find it difficult to hold a book for any prolonged period of time whilst bedridden. In such circumstances, the reader while mentally capable of reading and wishing to do so may find it difficult to read a book due to reduced physical capacity to handle the book, Consequently, the person may not be able to do so.
Potentially more detrimental to a reader is the common experience of readers of holding a book at odd positions that cause physical discomfort because of the positioning of the person's body. For example, if the book is not positioned at an optimal position and orientation from the reader for proper focusing of the person's eyes, this circumstance may lead to eye strain.
Still further, invalids can have problems when attempting to read a book in that often they are unable to hold the book or to turn its pages when required as their use of their arms may be restricted. This means that a number of invalids who would be able to enjoy reading are unable to do so as it is not practical for the person to manipulate the book. The foregoing is merely indicative of the reasons arising for the need to provide a book holding device that will enable a reader to maintain a book at an adjustable position.
Thus, a need clearly exists for a book holding device that is able to ameliorate or overcome one or more of the hereinbefore mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.


The invention is concerned with novel imidazolidine derivatives of formula (I)

Liver-X-Receptors (LXRs) are members of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily. The LXRs are activated by endogenous oxysterols and glucose and regulate the transcription of genes controlling multiple metabolic pathways. Two subtypes, LXR alpha and LXR beta, have been described (Willy, P. J. et al., Genes Dev. 1995, 9:1033-45; Song, C. et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1994, 91:10809-13). LXR beta is ubiquitously expressed, while LXR alpha is predominantly expressed in cholesterol metabolizing tissues such as the liver, adipose, intestine and macrophage. The LXRs modulate a variety of physiological responses including regulation of cholesterol absorption, cholesterol elimination (bile acid synthesis), and transport of cholesterol from peripheral tissues via plasma lipoproteins to the liver. The LXRs also appear to regulate genes involved in glucose metabolism, cholesterol metabolism in the brain, cellular differentiation and apopotosis, inflammation, and infectious diseases (Geyeregger, R. et al., Cell. Mol. Life. Sci. 2006, 63:524-539).
About half of all patients with coronary artery disease have low concentrations of plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The atheroprotective function of HDL was first highlighted almost 25 years ago and stimulated exploration of the genetic and environmental factors that influence HDL-C levels (Miller N E., Lipids 1978, 13:914-9). The protective function of HDL derives from its role in a process termed reverse cholesterol transport (Forrester, J. S. and Shah, P. K., Am. J. Cardiol. 2006, 98:1542-49). HDL mediates the removal of cholesterol from cells in peripheral tissues, including macrophage foam cells in the atherosclerotic lesions of the arterial wall. HDL delivers its cholesterol to the liver and sterol-metabolizing organs for conversion to bile and elimination in feces. Studies have shown that HDL-C levels are predictive of coronary artery disease risk independently of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels (Gordon, T. et al., Am J. Med. 1977, 62:707-14).
At present, the estimated age-adjusted prevalence among Americans age 20 and older who have HDL-C of less than 35 mg/dl is 16% (males) and 5.7% (females). A substantial increase of HDL-C is currently achieved by treatment with niacin in various formulations. However, the substantial unfavorable side-effects limit the therapeutic potential of this approach.
It has been observed that as many as 90% of the 14 million diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients in the United States are overweight or obese, and a high proportion of type 2 diabetic patients have abnormal concentrations of lipoproteins. Studies have shown that the prevalence of total cholesterol>240 mg/dl is 37% in diabetic men and 44% in women. The rates for LDL-C>160 mg/dl are 31% and 44%, and for HDL-C<35 mg/dl are 28% and 11%, in diabetic men and women respectively. Diabetes is a disease in which a patient's ability to control glucose levels in blood is decreased because of partial impairment in response to the action of insulin. Type II diabetes (T2D) is also called non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and has been shown to afflict 80-90% of all diabetic patients in developed countries. In T2D, the pancreatic Islets of Langerhans continue to produce insulin. However, the target organs for insulin action, mainly muscle, liver and adipose tissue, exhibit a profound resistance to insulin stimulation. The body continues to compensate by producing unphysiologically high levels of insulin, which ultimately decreases in the later stages of the disease, due to exhaustion and failure of pancreatic insulin-producing capacity. Thus, T2D is a cardiovascular-metabolic syndrome associated with multiple co-morbidities, including insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, endothelial dysfunction and inflammatory atherosclerosis.
The first line of treatment for dyslipidemia and diabetes at present generally involves a low-fat and low-glucose diet, exercise and weight loss. However, compliance can be moderate, and as the disease progresses, treatment of the various metabolic deficiencies becomes necessary with lipid-modulating agents such as statins and fibrates for dyslipidemia, and hypoglycemic drugs, e.g. sulfonylureas, metformin, or insulin sensitizers of the thiazolidinedione (TZD) class of PPARγ-agonists, for insulin resistance. Recent studies provide evidence that modulators of LXRs they result in compounds with enhanced therapeutic potential, and as such, modulators of LXRs should improve the plasma lipid profile, and raise HDL-C levels (Lund, E. G. et al., Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 2003, 23:1169-77; Mitro, N. et al., Nature 2007, 445:219-23). LXRs are also known to control the efflux of cholesterol from the macrophage foam cell of the atherosclerotic lesion, and agonists of LXRs have been shown to be atheroprotective (Joseph, S. B. and Tontonoz, P., Curr. Opin. Pharmacol. 2003, 3:192-7). Thus, modulators of LXRs may be effective treatments for the atherosclerotic disease which underlies the cardiovascular morbidity and mortality of stroke and heart disease. Recent observations also suggest that there is an independent LXR mediated effect on insulin-sensitization in addition to its role in atheroprotection (Cao, G. et al., J Biol. Chem. 2003, 278:1131-6). Thus LXR modulators may also show superior therapeutic efficacy on HDL-raising and atheroprotection, with additional effects on diabetes, compared to current therapies.
While compounds that bind to and activate LXR alpha and LXR beta have previously been suggested (e.g.: WO 03/099769 the present invention provides the novel compounds of formula (I), which bind to LXR alpha and/or LXR beta, and unexpectedly exhibit improved pharmacological properties compared to the compounds known in the art, concerning e.g. metabolic stability, selectivity, bioavailability and activity.

Abstract: wherein R1 to R3, A, D and E are as defined in the description and in the claims, as well as physiologically acceptable salts and esters thereof. These compounds bind to LXR alpha and LXR beta and can be used as medicaments.


The present disclosure relates to a signal processing device that enables detection of the distance between an imaging device and a subject using an imaging device with high versatility, a signal processing method, and a program. A determination part classifies pixels to a plurality of pixel groups, and determines a pair of a first pixel group and a second pixel group using for detection of distance between the imaging device and the subject from a plurality of pixel groups on the basis of a charge accumulation period for each pixel group of the imaging device in which charge accumulation period is controlled, and a light projection period of pulse light projected toward the subject of the imaging device, for each pixel group. The present disclosure can be applied to, for example, a distance detection device or the like.

The time of flight (ToF) method is a method of detecting the distance between an imaging device and a target object by taking a target object as a subject, projecting pulse light toward the subject, and measuring time until reflected light from the subject is received by the imaging device.
As a technology for realizing the ToF method, there is a technology using a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) imaging device having a charge distribution type pixel structure (see, for example, Patent Document 1). With this technology, the distance between the subject and the imaging device can be detected, for example, by distributing and holding accumulated charges of a leading part and accumulated charges of a trailing part by the reflected light from the subject with respect to the projected pulse light, for each pixel, and obtaining the ratio of the amounts of accumulated charges of both.
However, in a CMOS imaging device having a charge distribution type pixel structure, at least two memories per pixel are required to hold the distributed accumulated charges.
Therefore, a technology using an imaging device having two pixel groups having different charge accumulation periods has been devised (see, for example, Patent Document 2). In this technology, the distance between the subject and the imaging device in each pixel can be detected with one memory per pixel by synchronizing start time or end time of the pulse light projection period with start time or end time of the charge accumulation period of each pixel group.

Signal processing device, signal processing method, and program


An apparatus for placing fiber bales into readiness for removing fiber tufts therefrom by a travelling bale opener has a fiber bale depositing device for positioning an initial fiber bale at an inclined orientation to the vertical and for positioning, adjacent the initial fiber bale, an additional fiber bale at an angle of inclination greater than the angle of inclination of the initial bale as viewed codirectionally with the angle of the initial bale; a bale-supporting device for engaging and stabilizing the initial fiber bale; a displacing device for moving the bale-supporting device into and out of engagement with the initial fiber bale; and a control device for automatically operating the fiber bale depositing device and the displacing device for automatically and sequentially depositing the initial fiber bale, moving the bale-supporting device into engagement with the initial fiber bale, depositing the additional fiber bale into a countersupporting engagement with the initial fiber bale and moving the bale-supporting device out of engagement with the initial fiber bale.

This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for placing fiber bales in readiness in a row along a travelling fiber bale opener wherein the leading (that is, first-deposited) bale or bales are positioned with a slight inclination in one direction and the other fiber bales are positioned upright or with an inclination toward the opposite direction.
The fiber bales, after wrappers and bale ties have been removed therefrom, are transported individually or in a plurality from the bale storage or a standby station in the spinning preparation plant to the bale opener where they are positioned in a row for removal of fiber tufts by the bale opener. Frequently, for transporting the fiber bales a fork lift with gripper is used whose parallel tines (claws) are movable horizontally relative to one another. The gripper clamps together, for example, three bales laterally and is lifted, together with the fiber bales. Thereafter, the fork lift travels in the plant to the predetermined location where the fiber bale row is to be positioned, then the gripper is lowered and thus the fiber bales are deposited on the floor. Thereafter, the gripper is released and the fork lift moves away. The bale row, because of the horizontal force component of the operational force exerted during bale opening, has to be standing in a stable manner. For this purpose, the three initial bales of a bale series are situated with a slight inclination in one direction. During this procedure, operating personnel has to support the inclined initial bales--for preventing them from tipping over--until further fiber bales are set up in their immediate vicinity. For this purpose, such subsequent fiber bales are brought to the location where the fiber bales are set up and are positioned either upright or with a slight inclination in the other direction, against the initial fiber bales so that an additional support for the initial fiber bales can be discontinued. Such a procedure requires supplemental labor and involves significant safety risks. It is a further disadvantage of this method that an automatic positioning of the entire fiber bale series, particularly to prevent the initial bales from tipping over, is not possible without assistance from personnel. An automatic and stable positioning of a fiber bale series has therefore not been possible with known methods.

Method and apparatus for placing fiber bales in readiness for removing fiber tufts therefrom


A switch controller includes a primary side including signal transmission circuitry to transmit signals representative of desired transitions of a switch. A signal transformer galvanically isolates the primary side from a secondary side but inductively couples signal transmission circuitry to signal reception circuitry. A switch is coupled to switch a low impedance onto a primary side winding of the signal transformer during pauses between transmissions of the signals representative of the desired transition of the switch. The secondary side includes signal reception circuitry, a drive signal generator to generate a drive signal in response to valid signals received by the signal reception circuitry, and a validation circuit that includes a first comparator, a timer, and a second comparator to compare a timed duration with a threshold duration, and to output to the drive signal generator signals indicative of the validity of particular signals received by the signal reception circuitry.

In control circuits for semiconductor switches, in particular in control circuits for power semiconductor switches, a primary side and a secondary side can be galvanically isolated by means of an isolating transformer. That can protect the circuits at the primary side from the potentially high switched voltages on the secondary side. However, in such systems and in some situations, changes in potential at the semiconductor switch as a result of parasitic coupling capacitances, in particular coupling capacitances of the isolating transformer, can generate a current between the primary side and the secondary side via the isolating transformer. That can lead to the occurrence of interference signals which may be erroneously identified as control signals or may result in that the correct control signals are not identified. As a consequence, the semiconductor switch may be switched on or off in an undesired manner. A reduction of the coupling capacitance of the transformer has been proposed to alleviate this problem. That can be achieved in some examples by providing a capacitive shielding or the largest possible distance between a primary winding and a secondary winding of an isolating transformer.

Switch controller with validation circuit for improved noise immunity


An air suspension system for a multi-axle vehicle has an air bag system including at least one air bag operatively associated with the vehicle wheels on selected wheel and axle sets to control relative movement between each of the selected wheels and a supporting frame structure of the vehicle. The system has an air-flow control arrangement to control the flow of air into each air bag to thereby control the relative movement of the wheels and vehicle frame structure. A pressurizing arrangement is provided to maintain a selected, predetermined pressure in the air bag system when the vehicle is at rest to thereby maintain a desired vehicle height. The pressurizing arrangement includes a valve to admit pressurized air to or exhaust air from the air bag system to maintain the predetermined vehicle height. The valve is actuated by a link associated with a rocker member connected to spaced axles of the vehicle.

Suspension systems incorporating air bags have previously been proposed. Air bag suspensions have been used on trucks, trailers, buses, coaches and the like for many years, and they generally provide an improved ride on highway surfaces, particularly relatively smooth highway surfaces.
When used on multi-axle vehicles, or when multiple air bags are used in conjunction with single axles on vehicles, it has previously been proposed to provide air bags on each side of the vehicle with the air bags connected by a tube or other connector of relatively small cross sectional area which restricts the flow of air between the tubes to a relatively low flow rate. The tube enables the air bags to be inflated relatively equally to provide an even height for the suspension of the vehicle above the ground.
Previously proposed air bag systems, however, have been shown to experience difficulty in providing adequate vehicle suspension when the vehicle is driven over rough terrain, particularly when such suspension systems have been used in conjunction with multi-wheeled, multi-axle vehicles. For example, for a coach having a multi-axle, rear suspension system, passing over a kerb, raised road section or the like, movement of the forward set of wheels over the impediment causes a consequent movement of the rear wheels lifting the rear wheels off the ground surface. Naturally, if drive is provided to the rear wheels of the dual rear axle suspension system, the vehicle can be stranded. A similar problem can arise with trucks or other vehicles with lazy axles when travelling over uneven roads, or when traversing relatively rough terrain. This may occur, for example, with farm related vehicles such as in attempting to load livestock or handling relatively large quantities of hay, straw, farming equipment, earthmoving equipment or the like.
With previously proposed air bag suspension systems, the air bags are generally supplied with air from an air tank using a relatively small diameter, low flow rate air tube connecting the tank to the air bags. This whole purpose of the connecting tube is to enable the air bags to be inflated and deflated, to vary the height of the vehicle above the ground depending on load conditions. The low flow rate air tubes are not designed or constructed to transfer air between air bags in response to sudden changes in pressure within the air bags and they do not quickly equalise the pressure within and between the air bags. This can cause difficulties, particularly with air bag suspension systems used in multi-axle vehicles, where it can be difficult to drive onto a ramp or the like as the valve, which is set to control the vehicle height, will react to the relative movement of one axle to thereby cause air to flow into the air bags thus causing one set of wheels to be lifted off the ramp. If that set of wheels is the set of driving wheels, further progress along the ramp may be prevented.
Another difficulty encountered with previously known air bag suspension systems is known as "tramp". When a multi-axle vehicle encounters a rough or uneven road surface, such as a railway crossing, a cattle grid or the like, the vehicle suspension is caused to oscillate (tramp) for a substantial period of time. Such oscillation may cause damage to the road's surface as well as unduly stress a fully loaded vehicle.
Attempts have been made to overcome known difficulties using air bags for vehicle suspension systems. Australian Patent No 567664 discloses an air bag suspension whereby an air tank is mounted in the vehicle chassis directly above the air bags, and short, large diameter air ducts connect each air bag to the air tank. This system has as its aim to maintain the air pressure in each air bag relatively constant irrespective of the position of the vehicle axle to thereby reduce excessive vehicle body movement. The specification also discloses the elimination of restricting flow air lines connecting the air bags to the air tank. Each side of the vehicle has its own air tank connected to the air bags on that side of the vehicle, with the air tanks optionally being connected.
However, this proposal does not solve the problems referred to above as, when a vehicle axle moves upwardly due to an irregularity in a road surface, air in the air bag and the air tank is compressed. When the irregularity in the road surface has been passed, the pressure in the air tank and air bag would force down the axle with great speed thereby forcing the vehicle tyre onto the road surface with a great impact. Because of the resilience of the vehicle pneumatic tyre, the rebound would be sufficient to again compress air in the air bag and air tank, thereby commencing a cycle of tramping. Shock absorbers or dampers are thereby required in such a system to counteract the effects of the tramping. Such shock absorbers or dampers add to the vehicle suspension costs and provide further stress points in the vehicle suspension.
Australian Patent Application No 69220/87 proposes the damping of shock loads on the suspension system by providing a secondary air tank mounted within the primary air tank and communicating through a restrictive opening. The secondary air tank and restrictive opening combine to assist in the dampening of shock loads on the suspension. However, with the speed of operation, the large volume of air in the air tank and the large size of openings between the air bags to the air tank means that no effective dampening of tramping occurs and the system is unable to cope with uneven loads and uneven terrain.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,063,732 discloses a vehicle suspension system incorporating both leaf and air spring assemblies in combination. The specification discloses the use of air bags on a dual axle suspension with front and rear air bags connected by a hollow sub-frame to serve as pneumatic reservoirs. The system is also provided with height control valves on each side of the suspension so that the air bags on each side are independently inflated in accordance with load conditions. The air suspension is used in conjunction with leaf springs on each end of each axle. However, this suspension system does not provide means for controlling tramp or otherwise damping suspension oscillations. Further, the ride height on both sides of the vehicle need to be adjusted to change the level travel height for any given load.


External electromagnetic stimulation of the interior of the body by applying three or more electrodes to the exterior of the patient to establish at least two electrical paths across the interior of the patient, determining impedance information representative of an impedance distribution across the interior of the body, delivering an electromagnetic waveform across each of the at least two electrical paths, wherein at least one parameter of the waveform is selected using the impedance information to produce a selected current density distribution at one or more locations within the interior of the body.

Normally, electrochemical activity within a human heart causes the organ's muscle fibers to contract and relax in a synchronized manner. This synchronized action of the heart's musculature results in the effective pumping of blood from the ventricles to the body's vital organs. In the case of ventricular fibrillation (VF), however, abnormal electrical activity within the heart causes the individual muscle fibers to contract in an unsynchronized and chaotic way. As a result of this loss of synchronization, the heart loses its ability to effectively pump blood. Defibrillators produce a large current pulse that disrupts the chaotic electrical activity of the heart associated with ventricular fibrillation and provides the heart's electrochemical system with the opportunity to re-synchronize itself. Once organized electrical activity is restored, synchronized muscle contractions usually follow, leading to the restoration of effective cardiac pumping.
First described in humans in 1956, transthoracic defibrillation has become the primary therapy for cardiac arrest, ventricular tachycardia (VT), and atrial fibrillation (AF). Monophasic waveforms dominated until 1996, when the first biphasic waveform became available for clinical use. Attempts have also been made to use multiple electrode systems to improve defibrillation efficacy. While biphasic waveforms and multiple-electrode systems have shown improved efficacy relative to monophasic defibrillation, there is still significant room for improvement: shock success rate for ventricular fibrillation (VF) remains less than 70% even with the most recent biphasic technology.
Cardiac fibrillation and defibrillation are still poorly understood and several hypotheses have been promulgated to explain the mechanisms of defibrillation. The concept termed the critical mass hypothesis posits that a defibrillation shock is successful because it extinguishes activation fronts within a critical mass of muscle by depolarizing all non-refractory tissue within a critical mass. The upper limit of vulnerability (ULV) theory hypothesizes that a shock will be successful when, in addition to terminating ventricular fibrillation (VF) wavefronts by prolonging refractoriness in the myocardium ahead of the wavefront, the shock also must not initiate new fibrillation-causing wavefronts at the border of the shock-depolarized region. A shock may be of sufficient intensity to depolarize the myocardium but not be of high enough intensity to prevent new activation fronts, thus resulting in a failed defibrillation attempt. The critical point hypothesis, related to the ULV theory, states that a shock must not create a critical point where a critical voltage gradient intersects with a critical point of refractoriness. These critical points are the initiation points of refibrillation. The "extension of refractoriness" theory states that the shock-induced depolarization of the fibrillating cardiac tissue extends the period of refractoriness to incoming VF wavefronts and as a result terminates VF. Other theories, related to the ULV hypothesis are "progressive depolarization" and "propagated graded (progressive) response cellular depolarization hypothesis".
The theory of Virtual Electrode Polarization (VEP) describes the phenomena by which, because of current flow within a partially conductive medium (the myocardium) contained within another partially conductive medium (blood of the cardiac chambers, lungs, interstitial fluids and other organs within the thoracic cavity), myocardial polarization during defibrillation is characterized by the simultaneous presence of positive and negative areas of polarization adjacent to each other. "Phase Singularity" as defined within the context of VEP is a critical point that is surrounded by positively polarized (equivalent to "depolarized" in the conventional electrophysiology nomenclature), non-polarized and negatively polarized (equivalent to "hyperpolarized") areas. These phase singularities are the source of re-initiation of fibrillation. Post shock excitations initiate in the non-polarized regions between the positively and negatively polarized areas through a process termed "break excitation." The break excitations propagate through the shock-induced non-polarized regions termed "excitable gaps", and if the positively polarized regions have recovered excitability, then a re-entrant circuit at which fibrillation may initiate is formed. The upper limit of vulnerability (ULV) is attained when the areal extent of the excitable gaps is sufficiently minimized, or the shock induced voltage gradient is sufficient to cause rapid propagation of the excitation in the excitable gap, or the extension of refractoriness is sufficient to prevent further advance of the break excitations into the depolarized tissue. With biphasic defibrillation, the second phase of the shock tends to nullify the VEP effect by depolarizing the negatively polarized tissue. Since less energy is needed to depolarize repolarized tissue than further depolarize already depolarized tissue, effective biphasic defibrillation achieves nearly complete depolarization of the myocardium by reversing the negative polarization while maintaining the positive polarization. There remain, however, excitable gaps with biphasic waveforms, albeit reduced in scope relative to monophasic waveforms.
Theoretical approaches to stimulation employing current summation of multiple current sources have been used in the past to produce in the overlap region an additive current or integrated myocardial response sufficient to cause stimulation or defibrillation while the singular current vectors would not. The approach does not address the issue that insufficiently stimulated tissue may remain in the excitable gap that may result in refibrillation.
The concept of current equalization has been promulgated as a means of understanding stimulation. The general approach is to equalize the current distribution across the heart and concentrate the current in the muscular areas of the heart. This approach does not address the generation of the excitable gap, which will still be present. As understood within the context of the VEP effect, uniform current distributions still result in an excitable gap. In fact, a uniform current distribution is not an especially relevant concept within the context of a physiological system such as that of the human thorax where conductances of the organs, muscle, fluids and bone may vary by a factor of 100. Within such a system, current distributions will not be uniform. Even in a simplified, two-conductance system, an applied uniform field will result in a non-uniform current distribution due to the difference in conductances.
The technique of superposed, multiple vector physiologic tissue stimulation has been employed as early as 1948 by Nemec, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,622,601, in which a nerve or muscle stimulator is described employing two stimulation waveform generators with multiple sets of electrode. Each waveform is an alternating current electrical signal with the difference between the two frequencies set to 1-100 Hz. In the areas of tissue that are exposed to currents from both sources—the regions of current superposition—a beat frequency equal to the frequency difference will be generated that is capable of stimulating the physiological tissue. U.S. Pat. No. 3,774,620 added the concept of superposition of two or more AC currents that by themselves have no stimulative effect, the currents differing from each other by a low value, with an optimum interference in the treatment area. Similar methods were employed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,774,620, 3,895,639, 4,023,574, and 4,440,121. In these and much of the subsequent art, the regions of interest were those areas where the current from the multiple sources overlapped. The summation current in the overlap region would result in a beat frequency or additive current, which would be sufficient to cause stimulation while the singular current vectors would not.
The earliest cardioverters and defibrillators generated either a single burst of alternating current or a single pulse for application to the heart to cause cardioversion or defibrillation. However, the use of multiple pulses to accomplish cardioversion or defibrillation has also been extensively researched. U.S. Pat. No. 3,605,754 discloses an early double pulse heart defibrillator employing two capacitors that are successively discharged between a single pair of electrodes. Multiple-electrode systems have been employed for implantable pacemakers and defibrillators. For example, sequential pulse multiple electrode systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,291,699, 4,641,656, 4,708,145, 4,727,877 4,932,407, and 5,107,834. Sequential-pulse systems operate based on the assumption that sequential defibrillation pulses, delivered between differing electrode pairs have an integrative effect, due to the non-linear action potential response of cardiac tissue, such that the overall energy requirements to achieve defibrillation are less than the energy levels required to accomplish defibrillation using a single pair of electrodes. An alternative approach to multiple-electrode, sequential-pulse defibrillation is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,656. One electrode pair may include a right ventricular electrode and a coronary sinus electrode, and the second electrode pair may include a right ventricular electrode and a subcutaneous patch electrode, with the right ventricular electrode serving as a common electrode to both electrode pairs. An alternative multiple-electrode, simultaneous-pulse system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,551, employing right ventricular, superior vena cava and subcutaneous patch electrodes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,551 discloses simultaneous delivery of pulses between the superior vena cava and the right ventricle and between the right ventricle and a subcutaneous electrode. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,427, two capacitor banks are provided which are simultaneously charged and then successfully or simultaneously discharged between different pairs of electrodes.
French Patent No. 2,257,312 discloses sequential pulse defibrillators employing multiple electrodes arranged in and around the heart. In that disclosure, alternating current (AC) defibrillation pulses are sequentially delivered such that each successively activated electrode pair defines a pulse vector, and such that the pulse vectors scan in a rotational fashion through the heart tissue. Pulses are delivered immediately following one another, or may overlap one another for some unspecified period. U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,309 describes overlapping dual pathway pulses where there is an intermediate current vector during the overlap period. U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,226 describes a similar configuration in which the intermediate current vector changes direction and is made to cycle back and forth during the shock pulse. A similar configuration is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,465. U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,506 describes a multi-pathway pacing method where each individual path is a subthreshold stimulus while the current level in the region of superposition is suprathreshold. The current vector in the region of superposition can be steered by varying the timing of the individual pulse onsets. U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,688 describes a multi-electrode, focused waveform, with interposed pulse trains. These techniques have similar deficits in that, while they are able to reduce the excitable gap to some extent via the rotating vector produced by the overlapping of the currents, regions of excitable gap will remain that can still trigger refibrillation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,233 describes a multi-contact electrode composed of multiple small active areas, each active area of a size too small to defibrillate. Each active area is connected to the same current source. Division of the electrode into plural active areas is intended to provide a means of reducing skin sensitization from long-term wear of the electrodes.

Multi-path transthoracic defibrillation and cardioversion