A machine-actuating mechanism cleaning card includes a substrate having a central plane between opposed surfaces, a machine direction dimension between opposed end edges and a transverse direction dimension between opposed side edges. The opposed surfaces each have a plurality of discrete raised areas arranged in transversely extending rows. At least some of the discrete raised areas in at least some of the transversely extending rows extend outwardly on each side of the central plane. The discrete raised areas each include a peak and a peripheral wall joined at one edge to the peak and having an opposed edge that is closer to the central plane than the peak. The cleaning substrate has an effective thickness that is greater than the nominal thickness. Methods of making cleaning cards also are part of the invention.

Many machines have machine-actuating mechanisms of the type intended to receive an operating card or other machine-operating substrate (e.g., paper currency) for actuating the operation of a machine. In many machines, internal surfaces of the machine-actuating mechanism are spaced apart a distance greater than the permissible thickness of the operating card, to thereby keep the operating card out of contact with those internal surfaces, particularly internal surfaces of sensing mechanism, e.g., surfaces of magnetic sensors, optical lenses and other surfaces defining the internal cavity of the machine actuating mechanism. In many of these machine-actuating mechanisms internal rails are provided to actually support the operating card in a position out of contact with the sensing mechanisms.
Cleaning cards for use in cleaning machine-actuating mechanisms are well known in the art. The commercially available cleaning cards are substantially flat substrates that are intended to closely approximate the dimensions of the machine-operating substrate so that they can be received in the machine-actuating mechanism for the purpose of cleaning internal surfaces thereof. However, if the maximum thickness of a cleaning card that can be accepted in a reading device of a machine is less than the spacing of the internal surfaces to be cleaned, then the cleaning card will not effectively engage those surfaces and will not provide its desired cleaning function. This is particularly troublesome in reading devices wherein the operating card and cleaning card are inserted through a slot into an enclosed machine-actuating mechanism and actually are pulled into, and retained within the enclosed mechanism during the operation and cleaning of the reading device, respectively. In these reading devices, the cleaning card cannot be manually pressed against either of the opposed internal surfaces within the slot, since the user of the cleaning card actually relinquishes control over the position of the cleaning card when it is pulled into the enclosed mechanism.
Cleaning cards having raised surfaces for cleaning or removing foreign objects from internal machine surfaces are known in the prior art, as exemplified by the disclosures in U.S. Pat. No. 6,243,908 (Battle et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 6,107,221 (Nakajima et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,153,964 (Gelardi et al.).
The Battle et al. '908 patent discloses a track clearance card employing a series of tabs which are biased in opposite directions and have free, distal ends. While this type of card structure may be suitable for use in cleaning tracks in certain types of document handling systems, it is not well suited for use in cleaning machine-actuating mechanisms; particularly, machine-actuating mechanisms wherein the cleaning operation requires the cleaning card to move in opposed linear directions during the cleaning operation.
The Nakajima et al. '221 patent discloses a variety of cleaning card structures. The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 5A-5C includes two curved portions protruding in opposite directions from the central axis of the card and extending continuously from one side edge to the other side edge of said card. This structure has limited applicability, since it is unable to clean protected, internal surfaces of a machine-actuating mechanism that are recessed below protective guard rails of the mechanism. In particular, such protective guard rails will compress the curved portions and thereby prevent those curved portions from engaging the desired internal surfaces to be cleaned.
The Gelardi et al. '964 patent discloses a number of embodiments of a cleaning card, with the preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings including a stiff backing sheet and a flexible cleaning sheet adhered to selected regions of the backing sheet. The '964 patent states, in the paragraph beginning on line 47 of column 2, that the cleaner can be a single sheet with flaps folded in both directions. In all embodiments described in detail in the drawings the flaps are disposed in rows extending from one side edge to the other side edge. In some of these latter embodiments each row is provided by a single continuous flap. In other embodiments, each row is provided by a continuous flap that is interrupted along its transverse dimension from one side edge to the other side edge by a series of spaced apart cuts. In yet other embodiments of the invention each row of flaps is provided by a series of discrete, spaced-apart tabs having free edges projecting above the general plane of the card. In all of the aforementioned embodiments the flaps in each row all project in the same direction from the central plane of the card. Providing flaps in each row that extend only in a single direction imposes limitations on the cleaning effectiveness of the cards. In addition, providing rows of flaps in the form of spaced apart tabs having free edges imposes limitations on the use of the card, and is not a desirable construction for cleaning cards that are intended to be moved in opposed longitudinal directions during a cleaning operation.
The present invention provides a unique, very versatile solution to the problem of cleaning internal surfaces of a machine-actuating mechanism, and in particular internal surfaces of a sensing mechanism that are spaced further apart from each other more than the maximum thickness of a substrate that can be received within the mechanism. In addition, as will be noted hereinafter, the present invention can be employed in virtually all environments in which conventional cleaning cards have been employed in the past, even in reading devices wherein the prior art cleaning cards actually engage internal surfaces of a sensing mechanism to provide effective cleaning of those surfaces.

Patterned cleaning card and method of manufacturing same


The invention comprises a reusable closure for temporarily sealing a container to prevent escape of liquid and gas from the container with the closure having a molded, one-piece housing having internal threads for securing the housing to a container and a spout for discharging materials therefrom and an integral tapered sealing ring to prevent materials from escaping from the housing with the housing including a frusto-conical seat for engaging a valve stem with flared skirt for temporarily sealing liquid and gas within the container and a resilient push top, located on top of the housing for finger access by the user with the valve stem connected to the underside of the push top, valve stem axially displaceable to permit sealing and resealing of the skirt against the frusto-conical seat in the housing and the resilient push top providing a restoring force to return the valve stem and skirt to a closed condition where the fluid pressures within the container coact with the skirt to prevent escape of liquids or gasses past the skirt.

The prior art is replete with bottle closures for temporarily sealing beverage containers to permit removal of a portion of a carbonated beverage and then resealing the container to retain the remaining portion of the carbonated beverage in a carbonated state therein. Generally, such devices include a plunger or a spring and some means to seal the closure to the bottle top. Unfortunately, the closures usually have multiple parts and elaborate structures which make the units costly, difficult to clean and often impede their efficiency of operation.
The present invention comprises a three-part beverage closure cap which can be made from a single polymer plastic material and is simple to use and clean. In addition, if needed, the beverage closure cap can be disassembled and reassembled by the user.


A method and apparatus for decoding variable length code (VLC) data employ a hybrid technique of parsing short-length VLC codes using a binary tree or binary search procedure and parsing longer VLC codes using a table lookup procedure. This technique includes the steps of accessing a plurality of bits of coded bitstream data, bit testing a preselected number N first bits of the plurality of bitstream bits and determining whether the N first bits include a complete VLC code. If the N first bits include a complete VLC code, a VLC code is decoded in accordance with a result of the bit testing step. If the N first bits do not include a complete VLC code, a VLC code is decoded from a lookup table to a table element addressed by the bits of coded bitstream data.

Video information requires a large amount of storage space, therefore video information is generally compressed before it is stored. Accordingly, to display compressed video information which is stored, for example, on a compact disk read only memory (CD ROM), the compressed video information must be decompressed to provide decompressed video information. The decompressed video information is then provided in a bit stream to a display. The bit stream of video information is generally stored in a plurality of memory storage locations corresponding to pixel locations on a display, the stored video information is generally referred to as a bit map. The video information required to present a single screen of information on a display is called a picture. A goal of many video systems is to quickly and efficiently decode compressed video information so as to provide motion video.
Standardization of recording media, devices and various aspects of data handling, such as video compression, is highly desirable for continued growth of this technology and its applications. One compression standard which has attained wide spread use for compressing and decompressing video information is the moving pictures expert group (MPEG) standard for video encoding and decoding. The MPEG standard is defined in International Standard ISO/IEC 11172-1, "Information Technology--Coding of moving pictures and associated audio for digital storage media at up to about 1.5 Mbit/s", Parts 1, 2 and 3, First edition Aug. 1, 1993 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Other standards include a Joint Photographics Experts Group standard (JPEG) and a Consulting Committee for International Telegraphy and Telephony standard (CCITTH.261).
Pictures within the MPEG standard are divided into 16.times.16 pixel macroblocks. Each macroblock includes six 8.times.8 blocks: four luminance (Y) blocks, one chrominance red (Cr) block and one chrominance blue (Cb) block. The luminance blocks correspond to sets of 8.times.8 pixels on a display and control the brightness of respective pixels. The chrominance blocks to a large extent control the colors for sets of four pixels. For each set of four pixels on the display, there is a single Cr characteristic and a single Cb characteristic.
For example, referring to FIG. 1, labeled prior art, a picture presented by a typical display includes 240 lines of video information in which each line has 352 pixels. Accordingly, a picture includes 240.times.352=84,480 pixel locations. Under the MPEG standard, this picture of video includes 44 by 30 luminance blocks or 1320 blocks of luminance video information. Additionally, because each macroblock of information also includes two corresponding chrominance blocks, each picture of video information also includes 330 Cr blocks and 330 Cb blocks. Accordingly, each picture of video information requires 126,720 pixels or 1,013,760 bits of bit mapped storage space for presentation on a display.
There are three types of pictures of video information which are defined by the MPEG standard, intra-pictures (I picture), forward predicted pictures (P picture) and bi-predicted pictures (B picture).
An I picture is encoded as a single image having no reference to any past or future picture. Each block of an I picture is encoded independently. Accordingly, when decoding an I picture, no motion processing is necessary. However, for the reasons discussed below, it is necessary to store and access I pictures for use in decoding other types of pictures.
A P picture is encoded relative to a past reference picture. A reference picture is a P or I picture. The past reference picture is the closest preceding reference picture. Each macroblock in a P picture can be encoded either as an I macroblock or as a P macroblock. A P macroblock is stored within a 16.times.16 area of a past reference picture plus an error term. To specify the location of the P macroblock, a motion vector (i.e., an indication of the relative position of the picture with reference to the past reference picture) is also encoded. When decoding a P picture, the current P macroblock is created with the 16.times.16 area from the reference picture. The macroblock from the reference picture is offset according to motion vectors. The decoding function accordingly includes motion compensation, which is performed on a macroblock, in combination with error (IDCT) terms, which are defined on a block by block basis.
A B picture is encoded relative to the past reference picture and a future reference picture. The future reference picture is the closest proceeding reference picture. Accordingly, the decoding of a B picture is similar to that of a P picture with the exception that a B picture motion vector may refer to areas in the future of the reference picture. For macroblocks that use both past and future reference pictures, the two 16.times.16 areas are averaged. When decoding a B picture the current B macroblock is created with the 16.times.16 areas from the past and future reference pictures. The macroblocks from the reference pictures are offset according to motion vectors.
Pictures are coded using a discrete cosine transform (DCT) coding scheme which encodes coefficients as an amplitude of a specific cosine basis function. The DCT coefficients are further coded using variable length coding. Variable length coding (VLC) is a statistical coding technique that assigns codewords to values to be encoded. Values of high frequency of occurrence are assigned short codewords, and those of infrequent occurrence are assigned long codewords. On the average, the more frequent shorter codewords dominate so that the code string is shorter than the original data.
The ISO/IEC 11172-2 standard stipulates for intra-coded luminance and chrominance macroblocks that dct.sub.-- recon[m][n], the matrix of reconstructed DCT coefficients of a block, shall be computed by any means equivalent to the following procedure:
______________________________________ for(m=0; m<8;m++) { for(n=0;n<8;n++) { i=scan[m][n]; dct.sub.-- recon[m][n]=(2*dct.sub.-- zz[i]* quantizer.sub.-- scale*intra.sub.-- quant[m][n]/16; if((dct.sub.-- recon[m][n] & 1)==0) dct.sub.-- recon[m][n]=dct.sub.-- recon[m][n]- Sign(dct.sub.-- recon[m][n]); if(dct.sub.-- recon[m][n]>2047) dct.sub.-- recon[m][n] = 2047; if (dct-recon[m][n]<-2048) dct.sub.-- recon[m][n]= -2048; } dct.sub.-- recon[0][0]=dct.sub.-- zz[0]*8; if((macroblock.sub.-- address - past.sub.-- intra.sub.-- address>1)) dct.sub.-- recon[0][0]= (128 *8)+dct.sub.-- recon[0][0]; else dct.sub.-- recon[0][0]=dct.sub.-- dc.sub.-- X.sub.-- past + dct.sub.-- recon[0][0]; dct.sub.-- dc.sub.-- X.sub.-- past=dct.sub.-- recon[0][0]; ______________________________________
In this procedure, m identifies the row and n identifies the column of the matrix. Scan[][] is a matrix defining a zigzag scanning sequence. Dct.sub.-- zz[] is a zigzag-scanned quantized DCT coefficient list. Each dct.sub.-- zz[] matrix is associated with a particular block. Quantizer.sub.-- scale, which may be specified in a header for each macroblock, is a number used to calculate DCT coefficients from the transmitted quantized coefficients. Intra.sub.-- quant[][] is a intracoded picture quantizer matrix that is specified in a sequence header. Past.sub.-- intra.sub.-- address as the macroblock.sub.-- address of the most recently retrieved intra.sub.-- coded macroblock within a slice. (Pictures are divided into slices. Each slice consists of an integral number of macroblocks in raster scan order.)
Similarly, the ISO/IEC 11172-2 standard stipulates for inter-coded macroblocks that dct.sub.-- recon[m][n], the matrix of reconstructed DCT coefficients of a block, shall be computed by any means equivalent to the following procedure:
______________________________________ for(m=0;m<8;m++) { for(n=0; n<8; n++){ i=scan[m][n]; dct.sub.-- recon[m][n]=(((2*dct.sub.-- zz[i])+ Sign(dct.sub.-- zz{i}))* quantizer.sub.-- scale*non.sub.-- intra.sub.-- quant[m][n])/16; if((dct.sub.-- recon[m][n]& 1)==0) dct.sub.-- recon[m][n]=dct.sub.-- recon[m][n]- Sign(dct.sub.-- recon[m][n]); if(dct.sub.-- recon[m][n]>2047) dct.sub.-- recon[m][n]=2047; if(dct.sub.-- recon[m][n]<-2048) dct.sub.-- recon[m][n]=-2048; if(dct.sub.-- zz[i] == 0) dct.sub.-- recon[m][n]=0; } ______________________________________
Non.sub.-- intra.sub.-- quant[][] is the non-intra quantizer matrix that is specified in the sequence header.
For a video system to provide a motion video capability, compressed video information must be quickly and efficiently decoded. One aspect of the decoding process is variable length code (VLC) decoding. A time-critical operation in VLC decoding is parsing of the VLC bitstream. Highly efficient parsing and decoding are critical for high performance motion video capability. A technique for providing such highly efficient parsing and decoding is necessary.

Method and apparatus for hybrid VLC bitstream decoding


An exercise belt 10 to be worn around the waist of a user has a case 14 holding a control switch S1, a switch actuator 22, a battery 16, a vibrator 20, and a motor 18 connected to the vibrator 20 to cause the vibrator 20 to vibrate upon energization of the motor 18 by the battery 16 when the control switch S1 changes states. A light emitting device 28 is attached to the case 14 and positioned to be observed when the belt 10 is worn around the waist of a user. A strap 12 has one end attached to one end of the case 14 and another end connected to the switch actuator 22. This strap 12 is adjustable to fit snugly around the waist of a user, with expansion of the user's waist moving the switch actuator 22 to change the state of the control switch S1, energizing the motor 18, vibrator 20, and light emitting device 28.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an exercise belt which is worn about the waist of a user, and provides both a visual and tactile alarm when the user's waist expands beyond a predetermined width.
2. Background Discussion
A wide variety of devices have been suggested that will exercise the abdominal muscles of a user. Belts have been suggested that are worn about the waist of the user that require the user to hold his or her stomach in, preventing the expansion of the waist beyond a predetermined width. If the user fails to keep his or her waist from expanding beyond this predetermined width, an audible alarm is turned on. The disadvantage of an audible alarm is that it disturbs others in the vicinity of the user. Tactile alarms have been suggest to alert only the user when the waist has expanded beyond the predetermined width.


A sorting method and apparatus which permits a high sorting speed during the sorting of a group of objects is disclosed. The method and apparatus can be carried out automatically and with simple equipment in some preferred embodiments.

The invention relates to a sorting method and a sorting device for carrying out the sorting method.
For sorting methods and sorting devices of the type considered here and relevant to the prior art, reference can be made for example to DE 42 26 066 A1 and EP 0 755 355 B1.


A photothermographic material is provided wherein when it is exposed in an exposure dose of 30 .mu.J/cm.sup.2 and thermally developed at 120.degree. C. for 20 seconds, the resulting spheres of influence have an average radius of 0.01-0.35 .mu.m. The photothermographic material produces images undergoing minimal tone variations.

From the contemporary standpoints of environmental protection and space saving, it is strongly desired in the medical imaging field to reduce the quantity of spent solution. Needed in this regard is a technology relating to thermographic photosensitive materials for use in medical diagnosis and general photography which can be effectively exposed by means of laser image setters and laser imagers and produce distinct black-and-white images having a high resolution and sharpness. These thermographic photosensitive materials offer to the customer a simple thermographic system which eliminates a need for solution type chemical agents and is not detrimental to the environment.
Medical images must be consistently produced to the desired tone since the image tone has some influence on diagnosis. The photothermographic material, however, has the problem that depending on the humidity condition under which the material is kept prior to thermal development, the resulting image changes its tone. The method capable of overcoming this problem has never been available.


A manual disconnect for an electric circuit includes a base with primary terminals and an interlock connector. A plug assembly includes fuse terminals and an interlock resistor assembly. The plug assembly is movable relative to the base between a disconnected position, wherein the fuse terminals are not engaged with respective primary terminals, and a primary circuit engaged position, wherein the fuse terminals are engaged with respective primary terminals. The plug assembly is also movable to an interlock position, wherein the interlock connector is engaged with the interlock resistor assembly. The plug assembly is moved in an insertion to move the plug assembly from the disconnected position to the primary circuit engaged position, and is rotated about an axis to move from the primary circuit engaged position to the interlock position.

This invention relates in general to an electric circuit interrupt. More specifically, this invention relates to a manual disconnect for an electric battery manual disconnect.
Electric batteries are used to store and supply power for various types of machines. Batteries are often used to provide power to portable electronic equipment. Unlike a power source like a generator, which may be turned off, the battery may continue to supply power as long as there is a closed circuit between its terminals. Typically, when the electronic equipment is serviced, repaired, or inspected, the circuit is opened so that there is no current flow.
Electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles may use high voltage batteries to store electric power. This power can be provided to the vehicle by an external source, such as a wall outlet, or by an internal source such as a gasoline engine or regenerative brakes. The high voltage batteries may be used to provide power to vehicle systems such as electric drive motors that propel the vehicle. It is sometimes desirable to disconnect the high voltage batteries so that there is no high voltage current provided to any of the vehicle's systems. This can be done to avoid damage to the vehicle systems as well as to avoid injury to people. For example, in order to reduce the risk of electrocution, during service of the vehicle a technician may disconnect the battery, or after an accident a first responder may disconnect the battery. Consequently, vehicles that include high voltage batteries may include a manual disconnect, to allow the circuit including the high voltage batteries to be manually opened. It is desirable to have an improved manual disconnect.

Manual service disconnect for an electric circuit


An electronic endoscope system includes a plotting unit which plots pixel correspondence points, which correspond to pixels that constitute a color image that has multiple color components, on a first color plane according to color components of the pixel correspondence points, the first color plane intersecting the origin of a predetermined color space; an axis setting unit which sets a predetermined reference axis in the first color plane; a transform unit which defines a second color plane that includes the reference axis, and subjecting the pixel correspondence points on the first color plane to projective transformation onto the second color plane; and an evaluation value calculating unit which calculates a prescribed evaluation value with respect to the color image based on the pixel correspondence points subjected to projective transformation onto the second color plane.

A lesion site generally has a different color from normal mucosal tissue. In recent years, improvements in the performance of color endoscope apparatuses have made it possible for an operator to identify and diagnose a lesion site whose color is slightly different from normal tissue. However, an operator needs extensive training under the guidance of an expert in order to be able to accurately distinguish a lesion site from normal tissue based on a slight color difference in an image captured by an endoscope and then make a diagnosis. Also, even an experienced operator may not be able to easily identify and diagnose a lesion site based on a slight color difference, and this requires careful work.
In view of this, JP 2014-18332A (referred to hereinafter as "Patent Document 1") is one example of a document that describes a device for scoring a lesion site that appears in a captured image in order to facilitate the diagnosis of a lesion site by an operator. Specifically, with the device described in Patent Document 1, the pixels that constitute an image captured by an endoscope are subjected to tone enhancement processing for applying non-linear gain to the pixel values, the dynamic range is widened in the vicinity of the boundary of a region of pixel values that are to be subjected to lesion site determination, the tone-enhanced pixel data in an RGB space, which is defined by the three primary colors RGB, is converted to a predetermined color space such as the HIS color space or the HSV color space in order to acquire hue and saturation information, pixels are determined to be or not be lesion site pixels based on the acquired hue and saturation information, and then an evaluation value (lesion index) is calculated based on the number of pixels determined to be lesion site pixels.

Evaluation value calculation device and electronic endoscope system


Systems and methods for nasal irrigation are provided in which a nasal irrigation device includes a source of saline solution, an effluent receptacle, a nasal interface, a vacuum source, a fluid passageway to communicate the source of saline solution with the effluent receptacle through the nasal interface and a nasal cavity of a user, and a switch and valve assembly for selectively controlling the vacuum source and flow of the saline solution through the fluid passageway. The source of saline solution is disposed relative to the device to provide gravitational inducement of the saline solution to the nasal interface in engagement to the device user's nostrils. A combination of the gravitational inducement and a relative vacuum from the effluent receptacle generates a fluid flow for irrigating, cleansing and massaging the nasal cavity and ostia of the user. The entire device is assembled as a hand-held device for convenient lifting and disposal against the user's nostrils.

Nasal and sinus disease and sinus related syndromes and symptoms are a common clinical problem with considerable patient morbidity, substantial direct costs, and a significant, negative impact on the quality of life for those who are afflicted. The four primary categories of afflicted groups are: 1) individuals with acute and chronic rhinosinusitis; 2) individuals with acute upper respiratory infections, 3) individuals who suffer from allergic rhinitis; and 4) individuals with chronic snoring problems. These four categories amount to millions of people who suffer from nasal congestion on a daily basis.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated the number of cases of chronic rhinosinusitis in the United States to be 35 million in 1994, a prevalence of about 13.5%, or about 40.5 million Americans adjusted for 2007 population figures (estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, 1994. Vital Health Stat 10. 1995:261-520.) Rhinosinusitis was the fifth most common diagnosis for which antibiotics were prescribed from 1985 to 1992 (McCaig L F, Hughes J M. Trends in antimicrobial drug prescribing among office-based physicians in the United States. JAMA. 1995; 273:214-219). In 1996 rhinitis accounted for approximately 26.7 million office and emergency department visits resulting in $5.8 billion in direct costs (Ray N F, Baraniuk J N, Thamer M, et al. Healthcare expenditures for sinusitis in 1996: contributions of asthma, rhinitis, and other airway disorders. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1999; 103:408-414).
Allergic rhinitis has been reported to affect approximately 17% of the general population in the United States (Ray N F, Baraniuk J N, Thamer M, et al. Healthcare expenditures for sinusitis in 1996: contributions of asthma, rhinitis, and other airway disorders. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1999; 103:408-414), and in selected pediatric populations might be present in up to 42% (Wright A L, Holberg C J, Martinez F D, Halonen M, Morgan W, Taussig L M. Epidemiology of physician-diagnosed allergic rhinitis in childhood. Pediatrics 1994; 94:895-901). This amounts to an upper estimate of 60 million Americans.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, snoring currently affects approximately 90 million American adults, 37 million on a regular basis.
The combined number of those who suffer from rhinosinusitis, allergic rhinitis, and snoring amounts to a high estimate of 190 million Americans and a low estimate of 128 million Americans, not accounting for double-counting individuals who may be in two or more categories. Adopting the conservative assumption of over 40% duplication yields an estimate of 75 million Americans who suffer from adverse sinus symptoms and would benefit from an effective therapy to relieve those symptoms.
Bathing the nasal and sinus cavities with lightly-salted water to wash away encrusted mucous, irritants, and foreign particles for the purpose of improving airflow and relieving nasal congestion has been widely practiced across many cultures for literally thousands of years. More recently, and particularly since about 1990, a significant number of peer-reviewed clinical trials have been undertaken at leading American and European medical schools and research centers testing whether the anecdotal claims of relief from the symptoms of nasal maladies as a result of nasal irrigation, are well founded and pass scientific scrutiny. (Harvey R, Hannan S A, Badia L, Scadding G. Nasal saline irrigations for the symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2007, Issue 3. Art No.: CD006394. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006394.pub2.)
Several clinical studies demonstrate that regular use of nasal irrigation is an effective therapy to relieve the symptoms of chronic and acute rhinosinusitis, including statistically significant findings of reduced nasal congestion, increased nasal passage airflow, reduced doctor visits, reduced number of prescriptions for sinus medicine, and improved quality of life. (Rabago D, Zgierska A, Mundt M, et al. Efficacy of daily hypertonic saline nasal irrigation among patients with sinusitis: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Family Practice. 2002; 51(12):1049-1055.) Other clinical studies indicate that regular nasal irrigation is a beneficial therapy for the treatment of allergy-related nasal symptoms. (Garavello W, Romagnoli M, Sordo L, et al. Hypersaline nasal irrigation in children with symptomatic seasonal allergic rhinitis: a randomized study. Pediatric allergy and immunology. 2003; 14:140-143.) Other as yet unpublished clinical studies are currently underway, testing whether nasal irrigation is an effective preventive therapy with respect to the common cold and snoring.
These studies indicate that nasal irrigation is a clinically proven method for treating the symptoms of sinus-related disease by exposing the nasal cavity to a streaming volume of saline. While the exact mechanism by which nasal irrigation's effectiveness is achieved is not yet well understood by the medical and scientific research community, it is likely multifaceted and includes a number of physiological effects which individually or in concert may result in an improved ability of the nasal mucosa to reduce the pathologic effects of inflammatory mediators and other triggers of allergic rhinitis, asthma and other chronic mucosal reactions, as follows. First, it rinses the entire interior of the nasal cavity, washing away encrustations that may be blocking the multiple ostia that connect the sinus cavities to the nasal cavity, thereby allowing the sinus cavities to properly drain into the nasal cavity and making the sinus cavities a much less attractive breeding ground for the colonization of bacteria. Second, it decreases the viscosity of the mucous in the nasal cavity, thereby greatly reducing the formation of interior encrustations. Third, it leaves a small residue of saline on the interior surfaces of the nasal cavity, including the openings to the sinus cavities and sometimes in the sinus cavities themselves. This is beneficial because saline has an inherently antiseptic quality that hinders the growth of bacteria. Fourth, exposure of the turbinates, vascular tissue that warms and humidifies the air inspired through the nose before it reaches the lungs, to saline causes them to reduce in size, thereby reducing nasal congestion. Fifth, it improves mucociliary clearance as a result of increased ciliary beat frequency, which improves the ability of the mucosa to perform its natural, flushing function. Sixth, the saline may wash away airborne bacteria, viral particles, irritants and other foreign particles that cause infections and allergies. (See: Ponikau J U, Sherris D A, Kephart D M, et al. Striking deposition of toxic eosinophilic major basic protein in mucus: Implications for chronic rhinosinusitis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2005; 116(2):362-369.; Ozsoylu S. Nose drops and the common cold. Eur J Pediatr. 1985; 144:294.; Karadag A. Nasal saline for acute sinusitis. Pediatrics. 2002; 109:165.; Kurtaran H, Karadag A, Catal F, et al. A reappraisal of nasal saline solution use in chronic sinusitis. Chest. 2003; 124:2036-2037.; Georgitis J W. Nasal hyperthermia and simple irrigation for perennial rhinitis. Changes in inflammatory mediators. Chest. 1994; 106:1487-1492.; Talbot A R, Herr T M, Parsons D S. Mucocilliary clearance and buffered hypertonic saline solution. Laryngoscope. 1997; 107:500-503.; Boek W M, Graamans K, Natzijl H, et al. Nasal mucociliary transport: New evidence for a key role of ciliary beat frequency. Laryngoscope. 2002; 112:570-573.)
There are three methods by which the nasal cavity can be irrigated: gravity, pressure, and suction.
Gravity-based devices allow the flow of saline into the nasal cavity by, for example, inserting the tip of a teapot-like spout into one nostril and pouring the saline into it. The saline then flows around the posterior margin of the nasal septum and out the other nostril of the user. An example of a gravity-based device is the neti pot. However, the awkward physical position required to accomplish such a rinse is difficult for many people, and the free flowing effluent from the nasal passageway is messy so that substantial clean up procedures are necessary.
Pressure-based devices pump the saline into the nasal cavity, again, by introducing the saline into one nostril, forcing it under pressure around the posterior margin of the nasal septum, and allowing it to drain out the other nostril. This can be done, for example, by placing the nozzle of a saline-filled, flexible plastic tube or bottle into one nostril and squeezing it, thereby injecting the saline into one nostril, through the nasal cavity, and out the other nostril. Although this avoids some of the physical awkwardness needed to achieve a gravity forced flow, the problems of messiness and the attendant inconvenience of cleaning remain. In addition, the varied pressures imparted by a squeeze tube can impart undesired, painful, and even harmful pressures throughout the nasal passageway, and particularly on the Eustachian tube ostia. Thus, this requires some acquired skill for proper use.
Prior devices have generally not utilized suction. The most common method by which suction is used to perform nasal irrigation is as simple as the user cupping a small amount of lightly salted water in his palm and sniffing it into his nostrils.
There is presently no practical device that offers a user the ability to practice nasal irrigation using all three delivery methods in a single device.
There is presently no practical device that offers a user the ability to practice nasal irrigation in a combination of either gravity and pressure, gravity and suction, or pressure and suction in a single device, nor is there a device that offers a powered mechanism in any of the three foregoing combinations.
There is presently no practical device that offers a user the ability to practice nasal irrigation using suction alone.
There is a need for a convenient hand-held device that can safely irrigate the nasal cavity with a controlled, gentle supply, draw the irrigant through the nasal cavity under the influence of gentle powered suction, collect the effluent safely in a manner facilitating quick and easy disposal, and is readily adaptable to a wide variety of nasal dimensions.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Disclosed is a reversible safety selector switch for an AR15-type firearm including a control shaft and a control lever. The control shaft is pivotably mountable about an axis in a lower receiver and has a cam portion with first and second cam surfaces and a detent portion having a surface and first and second detent grooves with detent sockets at each end of each groove. The first detent groove extends circumferentially approximately 90 degrees along the surface and the second detent groove extending circumferentially less than 90 degrees along the surface. A control lever is connectable to an end of the control shaft and configured for manipulation outside the receiver by a user to axially rotate the control shaft. When the selector is installed in the receiver, a detent pin in the receiver engages one of the detent grooves and prevents axial rotation beyond a detent socket, the first cam surface and first detent groove are positioned to allow axial rotation of the shaft between “safe” and “fire” positions in approximately 90 degrees of rotation and the second detent groove being positioned to allow axial rotation of the shaft between “safe” and “fire” positions in less than 90 degrees of rotation when installed with the detent pin engaging the second detent groove.

The safety selector in a common AR15-type semi-automatic firearm operates by rotation of a lever 90 degrees from a "safe" position to the "fire" position. In the "safe" position, an internal shaft of the selector blocks movement of a rearwardly extending portion of the trigger member. When rotated to the "fire" position, a flat or recessed portion of the shaft is positioned over the rearwardly extending portion of the trigger member, allowing actuating movement of the trigger. A spring biased detent pin engages detent notches with a connecting groove therebetween to limit rotation of the safety selector to 90 degrees and to provide certain positioning in the "fire" and "safe" positions. Although the standard AR15 safety selector has an actuation lever only on the left side of the firearm receiver, ambidextrous safety selectors have been provided, which attach a second actuation lever on an opposite end of the selector shaft to provide actuation from the right side of the receiver as well.
Adaptations have been made to safety selectors for AR15-type firearms, as well as other similarly operating firearms, so that there is only 45 degrees of rotation between the "safe" and "fire" positions. Although certain military requirements have specified a 45 degree selector, it has not been widely adopted in the field.
In order to convert the safety selector from one that operates with 90 degrees of rotation to one that operates with 45 degrees of operation, replacement of the safety selector part is required. Although the conversion can be accomplished by a person of minimal skill using minimal tools, a separate part has to be interchanged with the existing part to accomplish the conversion.

Reversible safety selector for AR15-type firearm


An SVC is established between a client and a host by dynamically configuring a host CPE device using a custom module designed for the host CPE device. The configured host CPE device enables communication between the client and the host via the SVC connection.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of communications. More particularly, the present invention relates to dynamically establishing broadband quality of service (QoS) connections, on demand, between a client and a server on a network to guarantee application specific IP QoS via the combination of ATM switched virtual connections (SVCs) and permanent virtual connections (PVCs).
2. Background Information
Network carriers are currently providing broadband access services to a large number of subscribers using asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) and digital subscriber lines (DSL). Under the current paradigm, subscribers connect to an Internet service provider (ISP) using a pre-existing static point-to-point or "nailed up" connection, e.g., a PVC. Once the connection has been established the subscriber can communicate to the ISP, via the connection, using various bridge or router modes. In the case of bridge mode, typically point-to-point protocol (PPP) or point-to-point protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE) is used to set up the user sessions and carry the user IP packets to the ISP. When a subscriber wishes to communicate with a server, all communications via IP packets travel through the ISP, thus suffering implementation complexity and operational unfeasibility for supporting application specific QoS.


System and method for servicing queue requests via a proxy are described. In one embodiment, the system includes an enterprise queuing proxy (“EQP”) disposed within an enterprise computing environment and having an enterprise queue associated therewith; a cloud queuing proxy (“CQP”) disposed within a cloud computing environment, the CQP connected to a plurality of cloud queues each having associated therewith at least one queue service process listening on the cloud queue for queue requests to service; and a secure communications mechanism for interconnecting the EQP and the CQP. Upon receipt of a queue request from an enterprise service, the EQP evaluates the request against policy to determine whether to service it locally or remotely and, if the request is to be serviced remotely, forwards the request to the CQP via the secure communications mechanism. Upon receipt of the request, the CQP evaluates the queue request against policy to select one of the cloud queues to which to route the queue request for servicing.

Cloud computing is a type of computing in which dynamically scalable and typically virtualized resources are provided as services via the Internet. As a result, users need not, and typically do not, possess knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology and/or infrastructure implemented in the cloud. Cloud computing generally incorporates infrastructure as a service ("IaaS"), platform as a service ("PaaS"), and/or software as a service ("SaaS"). In a typical embodiment, cloud computing services provide common applications online, which applications are accessed using a web browser and the software and data for which are stored on servers comprising the cloud.
Cloud computing customers typically do not own or possess the physical infrastructure that hosts their software platform; rather, the infrastructure is leased in some manner from a third-party provider. Cloud computing customers can avoid capital expenditures by paying a provider only for what they use on a utility, or resources consumed, basis or a subscription, or time-based, basis, for example. Sharing computing power among multiple lessees has many advantages, including but not limited to improved utilization rates and an increase in overall computer usage.
As an increasing number of applications move to a cloud computing-based architecture, a queuing design is being employed more frequently. In a queuing design, single processes are broken down into small tasks. As a result, what was once a single process becomes several processes that can be executed independently of one another and that are linked together by a series of queues. When a process needs to use the services of another process, the process generates a "queue request," which is placed in a queue by the calling process and subsequently picked up and executed by a receiving process.
One example of the foregoing is a main program that provides a service for creating a Security Assertion Markup Language ("SAML") assertion in response to a login request. In this example, the main program would obtain the user's credentials, validate the user, check the rules and policies, build an SAML assertion, and reply to the requesting service. Currently, it would be extremely difficult if not impossible to accomplish the foregoing using remote processes, as the program would be required to have knowledge of all of the security, audit, and other policies, as well as the topology of the system itself.
Currently, it is extremely difficult to use remote processes that employ queues because all security, audit, and policy needs are required to be added to and understood by the application. Additionally, the topology of the system cannot be hidden from the application, making it more difficult to dynamically change the services provided thereby.

System and method for queuing to a cloud via a queuing proxy


A washing and cleaning machine and method of cleaning to debur and completely remove all types of contaminants such as oil and grease. The workpieces to be cleaned are loaded into a fixture chamber, and the chamber is filled with an abrasive cleaning media such as steel pins. The workpieces are directly vibrated through fixturing in the confined media as working fluid continuously flows through the fixture chamber, removing contaminants.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for washing and cleaning workpieces. More particularly, this invention pertains to a method and apparatus for washing and cleaning metal castings and machined parts to remove all types of contaminants such as rust, oils, stains, paints or other coatings, chips, burrs, particles and oxides to meet stringent part cleanliness specifications.
2. State of the Prior Art
The machines and methods for cleaning or washing articles or parts are extremely diverse, and even in the field of metal workpieces, primarily in the form of castings, forgings, extrusions and machined parts, such multiform processes and equipment pervades the various industries.
High pressure streams of abradant and liquids are commonly used separately or in combinations. Shot blasting or sand blasting with various types of abrasive particles typifies a dry abradant process; whereas, steam cleaning or high pressure jet impingement is representative of high pressure liquid cleaning.
Other processes and equipment rely on circulation of abradant and liquids such as in the use fluidized beds of abrasive particles or in submerged solvent washers.
Most often, multi-stage processing is required to meet even minimum industry standards, and in space age and intricately machined automotive valve and engine block components, sequential cleaning has been a virtual necessity.
Multi-stage equipment utilizing combinations of various types of machines are still in common use; for example, using barrel-finishing, wire brushing, buffing and solvent immersion. A recently developed process utilizes an intermittent operating conveyor with workpieces being serially conveyed to sequential grinding or deburring stations in which rotary reciprocating tools engage the workpiece followed by gyro-finishing apparatus in which the workpieces are chucked and rotated while being submerged in an abrasive media.
Various batch-type equipment have been developed combining solid abrasive particles with cleaning fluid. Typically, smaller workpieces are tumbled in drums and larger workpieces are subjected to jet blasts with a high velocity liquid carrying an abrasive grit, the liquid often being tailored to include an appropriate solvent or surfactant.
In other batch equipment, larger and smaller parts can be processed where the abrasive media and liquid is vibrated or subjected to a turbulent flow such as by the use of centrifugal force while the part or parts are immersed in the media-liquid.
In still another batch type of operation, the parts are vibrated while the abrasive media and liquid are cascaded through a working chamber. A primary problem with this latter type of equipment and some of the other equipment where the media-liquid is vibrated is that the chamber and other equipment parts along with any fixturing is subjected to the abrasive action of the media so as to be a major maintenance-equipment replacement problem.

Method and apparatus for washing and cleaning a workpiece


A method and apparatus for reducing voice latency in a voice-over-data wireless communication system. In a transmitter, data frames are created from audio information by a vocoder and stored in a queue. Prior to storage, some of the data frames are eliminated, or dropped, and are not stored in the queue. In a receiver, data frames are generated from received signals and stored in a queue. Prior to storage in the receiver queue, some of the data frames are dropped. Data frames are dropped either at a single fixed rate, a dual fixed rate, or a variable rate, generally depending on a communication channel latency. By dropping data frames at the transmitter, the receiver, or both, voice latency due to data frame retransmissions is reduced.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains generally to the field of wireless communications, and more specifically to providing an efficient method and apparatus for reducing voice latency associated with a voice-over-data wireless communication system.
II. Background
The field of wireless communications has many applications including cordless telephones, paging, wireless local loops, and satellite communication systems. A particularly important application is cellular telephone systems for mobile subscribers. (As used herein, the term "cellular" systems encompasses both cellular and PCS frequencies.) Various over-the-air interfaces have been developed for such cellular telephone systems including frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), and code division multiple access (CDMA). In connection therewith, various domestic and international standards have been established including Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS), Global System for Mobile (GSM), and Interim Standard 95 (IS-95). In particular, IS-95 and its derivatives, such as IS-95A, IS-95B (often referred to collectively as IS-95), ANSI J-STD-008, IS-99, IS-657, IS-707, and others, are promulgated by the Telecommunication Industry Association (TIA) and other well known standards bodies.
Cellular telephone systems configured in accordance with the use of the IS-95 standard employ CDMA signal processing techniques to provide highly efficient and robust cellular telephone service. An exemplary cellular telephone system configured substantially in accordance with the use of the IS-95 standard is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,459 entitled "System and Method for Generating Signal Waveforms in a CDMA Cellular Telephone System", which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference. The aforesaid patent illustrates transmit, or forward-link, signal processing in a CDMA base station. Exemplary receive, or reverse-link, signal processing in a CDMA base station is described in U.S. application Ser. No. 08/987,172, filed Dec. 9, 1997, entitled MULTICHANNEL DEMODULATOR, which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference. In CDMA systems, over-the-air power control is a vital issue. An exemplary method of power control in a CDMA system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,109 entitled "Method and Apparatus for Controlling Transmission Power in A CDMA Cellular Mobile Telephone System" which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference.
A primary benefit of using a CDMA over-the-air interface is that communications are conducted simultaneously over the same RF band. For example, each mobile subscriber unit (typically a cellular telephone) in a given cellular telephone system can communicate with the same base station by transmitting a reverse-link signal over the same 1.25 MHz of RF spectrum. Similarly, each base station in such a system can communicate with mobile units by transmitting a forward-link signal over another 1.25 MHz of RF spectrum.
Transmitting signals over the same RF spectrum provides various benefits including an increase in the frequency reuse of a cellular telephone system and the ability to conduct soft handoff between two or more base stations. Increased frequency reuse allows a greater number of calls to be conducted over a given amount of spectrum. Soft handoff is a robust method of transitioning a mobile unit between the coverage area of two or more base stations that involves simultaneously interfacing with two or more base stations. (In contrast, hard handoff involves terminating the interface with a first base station before establishing the interface with a second base station.) An exemplary method of performing soft handoff is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,261 entitled "Mobile Station Assisted Soft Handoff in a CDMA Cellular Communications System" which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference.
Under Interim Standards IS-99 and IS-657 (referred to hereinafter collectively as IS-707), an IS-95-compliant communications system can provide both voice and data communications services. Data communications services allow digital data to be exchanged between a transmitter and one or more receivers over a wireless interface. Examples of the type of digital data typically transmitted using the IS-707 standard include computer files and electronic mail.
In accordance with both the IS-95 and IS-707 standards, the data exchanged between a transmitter and a receiver is processed in discreet packets, otherwise known as data packets or data frames, or simply frames. To increase the likelihood that a frame will be successfully transmitted during a data transmission, IS-707 employs a radio link protocol (RLP) to track the frames transmitted successfully and to perform frame retransmission when a frame is not transmitted successfully. Re-transmission is performed up to three times in IS-707, and it is the responsibility of higher layer protocols to take additional steps to ensure that frames are successfully received.
Recently, a need has arisen for transmitting audio information, such as voice, using the data protocols of IS-707. For example, in a wireless communications system employing cryptographic techniques, audio information may be more easily manipulated and distributed among data networks using a data protocol. In such applications, it is desirable to maintain the use of existing data protocols so that no changes to existing infrastructure are necessary. However, problems occur when transmitting voice using a data protocol, due to the nature of voice characteristics.
One of the primary problems of transmitting audio information using a data protocol is the delays associated with frame re-transmissions using an over-the-air data protocol such as RLP. Delays of more than a few hundred milliseconds in speech can result in unacceptable voice quality. When transmitting data, such as computer files, time delays are easily tolerated due to the non real-time nature of data. As a consequence, the protocols of IS-707 can afford to use the frame re-transmission scheme as described above, which may result in transmission delays, or a latency period, of more than a few seconds. Such a latency period is unacceptable for transmitting voice information.
What is needed is a method and apparatus for minimizing the problems caused by the time delays associated with frame retransmission requests from a receiver. Furthermore, the method and apparatus should be backwards-compatible with existing infrastructure to avoid expensive upgrades to those systems.

Method and apparatus for voice latency reduction in a voice-over-data wireless communication system


An image forming apparatus includes a charging device applies a voltage to charge an image bearing member. The charging device is provided with a charging means to which a voltage is applicable to charge said image bearing member, said charging means being provided with a magnetic particle carrying member for carrying and conveying a magnetic particle layer contacting with said image bearing member during the charging operation; a container contains magnetic particles therein; and a replacing device replaces the magnetic particles carried on the magnetic particle carrying member with the magnetic particles contained in the container. A developer develops a latent image produced on the image bearing member by the charging device using a toner to produce a toner image. A transferring device transfers the toner image from the image bearing member simultaneously with developing of the latent image without using a cleaner member after transferring by said transferring device and before charging by said charging device.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a contact charging device for charging a member to be charged such as an image bearing member mounted in a copying apparatus, a laser beam printer or the like, and an image forming apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
FIG. 4 of the accompanying drawings is a longitudinal cross-sectional view schematically showing the construction of an image forming apparatus according to the prior art. The construction and operation of the image forming apparatus will hereinafter be described briefly with reference to FIG. 4.
An original G is first placed on an original supporting table 11 with the image surface thereof (the surface to be copied) turned downward. When copying is then started, the image surface of the original G is scanned while being irradiated from below it by a unit 12 comprised of an original irradiating lamp, a short-focus lens array, a CCD sensor, etc. constructed integrally with one another. Thereby, the reflected light from the image surface is imaged by the short-focus lens array and enters the CCD sensor. The CCD sensor is comprised of a light receiving portion, a transfer portion and an output portion. In the light receiving portion, an optical signal is converted into a charge signal, and is sequentially transferred to the output portion by the transfer portion in synchronism with a clock pulse, and in the output portion, the charge signal is converted into a voltage signal, which in turn is amplified and made into low impedance and outputted. An analog signal obtained in this manner is subjected to well-known image processing and is converted into a digital signal, which is sent to a printer portion.
In the printer portion, the above-mentioned image signal is received and an electrostatic latent image is formed in the following manner. A photosensitive drum (image bearing member) 1 is rotatively driven in the direction of arrow R1 at a predetermined peripheral velocity (process speed), and the surface thereof is uniformly charged to about -650 V by a charger 2. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 after charged, by a laser scanning portion 100. In the laser scanning portion 100, as shown in FIG. 6 of the accompanying drawings, a solid laser element 102 is first turned on and off at predetermined timing by a light emission signal generator 101 on the basis of the inputted image signal to thereby emit a laser beam. The laser beam emitted from the solid laser element 102 is converted into a substantially parallel light beam by a collimator lens system 103 and is further scanned by a rotatable polygon mirror 104 rotated in the direction of arrow (counter-clockwise direction) and also is imaged on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by .function..multidot..theta. lens units 105a, 105b and 105c as indicated by arrow Co in FIG. 6. By the scanning of such a laser beam, an exposure distribution corresponding to one image scan is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 and further, during each scanning cycle, the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is scrolled by a predetermined amount in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, whereby an electrostatic latent image as an exposure distribution conforming to the image signal is formed on substantially the whole of the surface of the photosensitive drum 1.
The electrostatic latent image is developed by a developing device 3. The developing method is divided broadly into a method of coating a developing sleeve with a non-magnetic toner by a blade or the like, or coating the developing sleeve with a magnetic toner by the magnetic force thereof and conveying the magnetic toner and developing a latent image with the toner in a non-contact state with the photosensitive drum 1 (one-component non-contact development), a method of developing a latent image with the toner coating in the above-described a manner being brought into contact with the photosensitive drum 1 (one-component contact development), a method of using a mixture of toner particles and a magnetic carrier as a developer and conveying the developer by the magnetic force thereof and developing a latent image with the developer in a contact state with the photosensitive drum 1 (two-component contact development), and a method of developing a latent image with the above-mentioned two-component developer in a non-contact state (two-component non-contact development), but the two-component contact developing method is often used from the viewpoints of the high quality and high stability of image.
FIG. 5 of the accompanying drawings schematically show the construction of a developing device for two-component magnetic brush development as an example of the two-component contact developing method. In FIG. 5, the reference numeral 31 designates a developing sleeve for carrying and conveying a developer, the reference numeral 32 denotes a magnet roller fixedly disposed in the developing sleeve 31, the reference numerals 33 and 34 designate agitating screws for agitating the developer, the reference numeral 35 denotes a developing blade for regulating the developer carried on the surface of the developing sleeve 31 into a thin layer, the reference numeral 36 designates a developer container containing the developer therein, and the reference numeral 37 denotes a voltage source for applying a voltage to between the developing sleeve 31 and the photosensitive drum 1. The developing sleeve 31 is disposed relative to the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 so that at least during development, the most proximate area thereof may be about 500 .mu.m, and is set so that development can be accomplished with the developer being in contact with the photosensitive drum 1.
In the two-component developer used in this example of the prior art, titanium oxide of an average particle diameter 20 nm added at 1% by weight to a negatively charged toner of an average particle diameter 6 .mu.m manufactured by the crushing method was used as toner particles, and a magnetic carrier of an average particle diameter 35 .mu.m having saturation magnetization of 205 emu/cm.sup.3 was used as the carrier. Also, this toner and this carrier mixed at a weight ratio 6:94 were used as the developer.
Description will now be made of the developing step of visualizing the above-described electrostatic latent image by the two-component magnetic brush method by the use of the above-described developing device 3, and a circulation system for the developer. First, the developer drawn up by a magnetic pole N.sub.2 with the rotation of the developing sleeve 31 and carried on the surface of the developing sleeve 31 has its layer thickness regulated by the regulating blade 35 disposed perpendicularly to the surface of the developing sleeve 31, in the course of the developer being conveyed from a magnetic pole S.sub.2 to a magnetic pole N.sub.1, and is formed as a thin layer on the developing sleeve 31. The developer thus formed as a thin layer is conveyed to a developing main magnetic pole S.sub.1 and an electromagnetic brush is formed by a magnetic force. This developer formed in the shape of an electromagnetic brush has its toner caused to adhere to the aforedescribed electrostatic latent image and develops the latent image into a toner image, whereafter the toner and carrier not used for the development are collected from the surface of the developing sleeve 31 into the developer container 36 by the repulsive magnetic field of poles N.sub.2 and N.sub.3. The developing sleeve 31 has applied thereto from the voltage source a superposed voltage comprising a DC voltage and an AC voltage superposed one upon the other. In this example of the prior art, -500 V is applied as the DC voltage and a peak-to-peak voltage V.sub.pp =1800 V and a frequency Vf=2000 Hz are applied as the AC voltage. Generally in the two-component developing method, when an AC voltage is applied, the developing effect increases and the quality of image becomes high.
The toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 1 in this manner is electrostatically transferred onto a transfer material such as paper by a transfer charger 4a shown in FIG. 4. After the transfer of the toner image, the transfer material is electrostatically separated from the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by a separating charger 4b and conveyed to a fixating device 6, where the toner image is heat-fixated and outputted. On the other hand, after the transfer of the toner image, the photosensitive drum 1 has an adhering contaminant such as untransferred toner on its surface removed by a cleaner 5, and has its charges removed by a charge removing lamp and is used for the next image formation.
In the above-described construction, the charger 2 is a corona charger, but contact charging systems (such as magnetic brush charging, fur brush charging and roller charging) have come to be used with a view to suppress the creation of ozone by corona discharging and with a view to achieve a higher quality of image such as being free of wire contamination. Also as to the transfer charger 4a, there are various types including a transfer roller, but basically, as described above, an image is formed by a series of processes such as charging, exposure, development, transfer, fixation and cleaning.
Now, in recent years, the downsizing of image forming apparatuses has progressed, but there has been a limit to the downsizing of the apparatuses by achieving the downsizing of only the instruments for effecting the above-mentioned series of processes such as charging, exposure, development, transfer, fixation and cleaning. The aforementioned untransferred toner is collected by the cleaner 5, but it is preferable from the viewpoint of environmental protection that such waste toner be absent.
So, there has appeared a cleanerless image forming apparatus in which the above-described cleaner 5 is removed and development and cleaning are effected at a time by the developing device 3. Development and cleaning at a time is a method of collecting some untransferred toner remaining on the photosensitive drum after transfer by a defogging potential difference V.sub.back which is the potential difference between the DC voltage applied to the developing device 3 and the surface potential of the photosensitive drum 1 during the development after the next step. According to this method, the untransferred toner is collected and reused after the next step and therefore, waste toner can be eliminated. Also, the absence of the cleaner means an advantage in terms of space, and the downsizing of the entire image forming apparatus becomes possible.
However, when in the above-described image forming apparatus, the cleaner 5 was eliminated and development and cleaning at a time were attempted, the positive ghost of the preceding image was created in a portion free of the image at the period of rotation of the photosensitive drum 1. This positive ghost is a phenomenon occurring with the toner transferred to a portion which originally is a white ground portion because the untransferred toner of the preceding image could not be collected in the developing area. In contrast with this, a contact charging member is used as a charging member and a voltage is applied thereto, whereby it becomes possible to erase the history of the untransferred toner remaining in the state of the preceding image and discharge it onto the photosensitive drum in a uniform state. Therefore, the toner discharged onto the thin layer becomes advantageous in the collectability during development and the fault of image becomes preventable.
However, when outputting was effected by the use of the contact charging member as described above, good images were obtained on several sheets, but when several thousand sheets were supplied, there occurred unsatisfactory charging due to the contamination of the contact charging member by the toner.
Also, the reduction in the charging property due to the contamination of the contact charging member is a problem which causes the formation of bad images not only in the case of the development and cleaning at a time as described above, but also when a special cleaner as shown in FIG. 4 is provided.

Charging device and image forming apparatus


A subject discriminating apparatus discriminates a subject having an unevenness pattern on a surface of the subject. The subject discriminating apparatus includes: a transparent unit including a supporting surface supporting the subject; a light irradiation unit irradiating illumination light onto the surface of the subject through the transparent unit; an imaging unit imaging an imaging region including at least a part of the transparent unit, and generating image data; and a discrimination processing unit discriminating the subject, using the image data generated by the imaging unit. The discrimination processing unit discriminates the subject based on discrimination image data generated by correcting subject image data using correction image data. The subject image data is generated by imaging the imaging region in a state of the subject presenting in the imaging region. The correction image data is generated by imaging the imaging region free from the subject in the imaging region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a subject discriminating apparatus that discriminates a subject having an unevenness pattern on its surface, and a coin discriminating apparatus.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-076341, filed Mar. 30, 2011, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
As subject discriminating apparatuses that discriminate a subject having an unevenness pattern on its surface, coin discriminating apparatuses, which image a coin and discriminate the coin based on the acquired image data, are known. Such coin discriminating apparatuses generally carry a plurality of coins and sequentially image the surfaces of the coins that are carried to an imaging region. Coin discriminating apparatuses includes, for the imaging, a light source which irradiates an illumination light on the coin surface, and an imaging unit which receives the reflected light that is reflected from the coin surface (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2000-306135 (hereunder referred to as Patent Document 1)).
In the coin discriminating apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the coin is carried while being pressed against the surface of a transparent member by a carrying belt. The transparent member is composed of a light-transmissive material such as glass. The light source is arranged on the lower side of the transparent member, performing light emission in a timing at which the coin passes through the imaging region, and irradiates the illumination light onto the coin surface via the transparent member. The imaging unit is arranged such that it is directly facing the coin surface, and receives, among the illumination light, mainly the reflected light reflected from the coin surface. The discrimination of the coin is performed by comparing the image data acquired by the imaging unit, with pre-recorded data which represents the types of coins.
However, in the coin discriminating apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, in addition to the reflected light from the coin surface, reflected light that is reflected at the surface of the transparent member on the side in which the coin is carried, and reflected light that is reflected at the surface of the transparent member on the side in which the illumination light is irradiated, are also incident on the imaging unit. Consequently, an accurate discrimination using the acquired image data can no longer be performed, causing a decline in the discrimination accuracy. Furthermore, the images created based on this image data are displayed such that the periphery of the coin is whitishly blurred as a result of the reflected light from the transparent member surfaces being imaged, making visual recognition more difficult.

Subject discriminating apparatus and coin discriminating apparatus


A semiconductor device in includes a transistor and a surge absorption element such as Zener diode, that are formed on the same substrate and connected in parallel. The surge absorption element has a resistance during breakdown operation that is smaller than the resistance of the surge absorption element during breakdown operation of the transistor. In addition, the secondary breakdown current of the surge absorption element is larger than the secondary breakdown current of the transistor. Upon application of a high ESD voltage and high surge voltage, the energy of the ESD and surge is absorbed by operation of the surge absorption element and is limited to a voltage equal to or less than the breakdown voltage of the transistor, which would otherwise be destroyed.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a semiconductor device that comprises a transistor with high ESD (Electro Static Discharge) capability and high noise capability including EMC (Electro Magnetic Compatibility).
2. Related Art
Conventionally, integrated intelligent switch devices, which are the result of integrating a plurality of power semiconductor elements (switch elements) and a drive control circuit and so forth on the same chip, are used in automobile electrical components, a variety of industrial machinery, motor control, OA (Office Automation) devices, mobile (portable) devices or domestic electrification devices, and so forth, which require high ESD capability and high noise capability including EMC.
Integrated intelligent switch devices are such that a surge absorption element is formed on the same semiconductor substrate in order to protect each element in the device from surge voltages, noise, and so forth. See Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H3-49257 (third figure, for example).
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a constitution in which a lateral MOSFET and a vertical-type diode, which is a surge absorption element, are formed on the same semiconductor substrate. As shown in FIG. 3, a lateral power MOSFET 20 and a vertical-type diode 30, which is a surge absorption element, are formed on a semiconductor substrate 10.
The semiconductor substrate 10 consists of a low concentration N layer 12 on a high concentration N layer 11. P-wells 21 and 31 are formed in the surface region of the low concentration N-layer 12. The lateral MOSFET 20 is formed in the P-well 21. The vertical-type diode 30 is formed in the P well 31.
The surface of the P-well 31 is connected to an anode electrode 33 via the high concentration P layer 32. The anode electrode 33 is connected by wiring 35 to the source electrode 27 of the lateral MOSFET 20, which is connected to the surface of the P-well 21 via a high concentration N layer 24. The lateral MOSFET 20 has a gate electrode 26 and a drain electrode 25.
An electrode 13 is formed on the rear surface of the semiconductor substrate 10. The electrode 13 serves as a cathode electrode of the diode 30. The electrode 13 is connected to the drain electrode 25 of lateral MOSFET 20 by wiring 26 In the constitution of FIG. 3, when an ESD or surge, or the like, is applied to the drain electrode of the lateral MOSFET 20, the energy of the ESD or surge is absorbed by the vertical-type diode 30 to protect the lateral MOSFET 20.
However, when the above device is used in an automobile application in which there are strict demands with regard to ESD capability and surge/noise capability, an extremely high ESD capability of 10 kv to 15 kv (test conditions 150 p F, 150Ω) is required, and, more particularly in a power semiconductor element, a high ESD capability with a typical ESD capability of 25 kv or more is required.
When the above requirements are not satisfied by a power IC equipped with a MOSFET or the like, there is a need to adapt elements such as condensers, diodes, resistors, and so forth as external discrete devices. Thus, there are problems such as an increase in the number of parts, an increased number of operating steps for assembly or the like, and increased costs. On the other hand, by adopting the constitution shown in FIG. 3, external parts can be eliminated.
However, in order to satisfy the desired surge absorption capacity, the surge absorption element that satisfies the above requirements is formed to afford this capacity scope. Thus, the chip area is larger. The increase in the surface area of the surge absorption element in integrating a plurality of elements in one chip, raising the withstand voltage, and reducing the chip area through increased intricacy is a major problem in efforts to reduce the chip-area and costs.

Semiconductor device having transistor with high electro-static discharge capability and high noise capability


An arithmetic apparatus comprising a memory 1 for storing path select signals, a barrel shifter 3 for shifting data read from the memory, a shift register 4 for receiving a bit shifted to a MSB by the barrel shifter and means 5 for generating the number of shifts which are performed by the barrel shifter by converting data positioned at a specific bit position in the shift register, wherein path select signals at the same time are divided into a plurality of groups, and then stored in the memory, and the arithmetic apparatus includes address generating means 10 for outputting the address, and address conversion means 7 for generating the address of the group which must be read by combining the address and a value of a specific bit position in the shift register with each other. Thus, tracing back in Viterbi decoding can be performed with a short bit width.

The present invention relates to an arithmetic apparatus which is incorporated in a mobile communication apparatus, and a digital signal processor and a radio station apparatus such as a mobile radio station and a base radio station in that the arithmetic apparatus is incorporated. More particularly, the invention relates to a structure which is capable of efficiently performing a Viterbi decoding process.
In recent years, digital signal processors (hereinafter called "DSP") have been widely used as processors of a type arranged to be built in a device, such as a portable telephone, in the movement of digitization in the mobile communication field. Since bit errors are frequently generated in data communication through a mobile radio communication line, an error correction process must be performed. As a method of correcting an error, a method may be employed in which a convolutional code generated from an input bit is decoded by the receiver side by Viterbi decoding. The error correction process is performed by using the DSP.
Viterbi decoding is performed by repeating simple processes, such as addition, comparison and selection and by performing a trace back operation for finally decoding data so that maximum likelihood decoding of a convolutional code is realized. The Viterbi decoding process will briefly be described.
The convolutional code is generated by mod2 addition of an input bit and a predetermined number of bits previous to the input bit to each other so that a plurality of coded data items are generated to correspond to one input bit. The number of input information bits affecting the coded data is called a "constraint length K", the number of which is the same as the shift registers for use to perform the mod2 addition.
Coded data is determined by the states of the input bit and the preceding (K-1) input bits. The foregoing state is shifted (transition is made) to a new state when a new information bit is supplied. The state, in which the transition is permitted, is determined whether the new input bit is 0 or 1. The number of the states is 2.sup.K-1 because each of (K-1) bits can be made to be 1 or 0.
Viterbi decoding is arranged such that a received coded data series is observed and the most probable state is estimated from all of the state transitions which are able to take place. Whenever coded data (a received data series) corresponding to one information bit is obtained, the signal distance (metric) from the path to each state at this time is therefore calculated. Operations are sequentially repeated in each of which a path having smaller metric of the paths is left as a survival path.
FIG. 17 shows a state in a convolution coder having constraint length K in which two paths each indicating a state transition extends, to a certain state S[2n] (n is a positive integer) at a certain moment, from states S[n] previous to the state S[2n] by one state and S[n+2.sup.K-2 ]. An example case where K=3 will now be described. When n=1, transitions from S[1], that is, state S01, and S[3], that is, state S11, can be performed to S[2], that is, state S10 (a state where two preceding bits have been sequentially been input in the order as "1" and "0") are permitted. In a case where n=2, transitions from S[2], that is, state S10, and S[4], that is, state S00, to S[4], that is, state S00 (a state expressed by two lower bits) are permitted.
Path metric a is the sum of inter-signal distance (branch metric x) from an output symbol of a path input to state S[2n] and a received data series and path metric A which is the total sum of the branch metrics of survival paths to state S[n] previous to state S[2n].
Similarly, path metric b is the sum of inter-signal distance (branch metric y) from an output symbol of a path input to state S[2n] and a received data series and path metric B which is the total sum of the branch metrics of survival paths to state S[n+2.sup.K-2 ] previous to state S[2n].
The thus-obtained path metrics a and b which are input to state S[2n] are subjected to a comparison to select smaller path metric as a survival path.
Viterbi decoding is structured such that each of the additions for obtaining the path metric, comparisons of the path metrics and selections of the path metric is performer for 2.sup.K-1 states at each time.
Moreover, a history of results of selections of the paths must be stored as path select signal PS[i], [i=0 to 2.sub.K-1 ]. If the suffix (for example, n) of the state previous to the selected path is smaller than suffixes (n+2.sup.K-2) of the state previous to the non-selected path, PS[i]=0. If the foregoing suffix is larger, PS[i]=1. Since n<(n+2.sup.K-2) in the case shown in FIG. 17, state S[n+2.sup.K-2 ] is selected if a.gtoreq.b so that PS[S2n]=1. If a<b, then state S[n] is selected so that PS[S2n]=0.
When decoding is finally performed by tracing back, data is decoded while tracing back the survival paths on the basis of the path select signals.
Referring to FIG. 18, the tracing back process will briefly be described. FIG. 18 shows a state of tracing back the path from state S[2n] (n is a positive integer) to state S[n] at a previous time or state S[n+2.sup.K-2 ] in accordance with path select signal PS[2n].
In general, in use of state S[i] and path select signal PS[i], a previous state is expressed as S[i/2+PS[i].times.2.sup.K-2 ]. If convolutional code terminated at a tail bit thereof is used, the path select signal is made to be 0 when coded data at the previous time is 0. The path select signal is made to be 1 when coded data at the previous time is 1. Therefore the foregoing path select signal can be used as coded data.
The conventional arithmetic unit in the DSP for performing Viterbi decoding, as shown in FIG. 15, comprise a data memory 1 for storing path metrics, path select signal and coded data; a barrel shifter 3 for shifting data read from the data memory 1; a first bus 2 connected to the data memory 1 to supply data and transfer a result of a calculation; a first register 23 for storing the number of bits which are shifted by the barrel shifter 3; an arithmetic logical circuit (hereinafter called as an "ALU") 26 for executing a arithmetic logic operations; a first latch 24 for temporarily storing the value of the left-hand input of the ALU 26; a second latch 25 for temporarily storing the value of the right-hand input of the ALU 26; second registers 27 and 28 for temporarily storing a result of the calculation; and a second bus 12 for supplying data from the register 27 or the register 28.
The number of bits which are shifted by the barrel shifter 3 is expressed by two's complementary system. When the value is a positive number, right shift is performed. When the value is a negative number, left shift is performed.
A tracing back operation, which is performed when Viterbi decoding of coded data obtained by convolutional coding, which is terminated at a tail bit, is performed by the above-mentioned arithmetic unit, will now be described.
The conditions at this time are assumed such that the constraint length of the convolutional code is K, the number of coded information bit is n and the bit width in each of the data memory 1, the first bus 2, the second bus 12, the first latch 24, the second latch 25, the ALU 26 and the second registers 27 and 28 is 2.sup.K-1 bits.
Path select signal PSt[i] (t=0 to {(n-1)+(K-1)}, i=0 to {2.sup.K-1 }) at time t is stuffed into one word as pass memory PM[t]={PSt[2.sup.K-1 -1], PSt[2.sup.K-1 -2], . . . , PSt[1], PSt[0]} so as to be formed into PM[t], (t=0 to {(n-1)+(K-1)}) and stored in the data memory 1.
Decoded data Y[i] (i=0 to {n-1}) is stored in the date memory 1 in such a way that one bit is made to be one word.
The tracing back operation is performed in such a way that PM[t] is read from the data memory 1; a selected path select signal is shifted to the least significant bit (LSB) by the barrel shifter 3; and then the LSB is extracted and made to be decoded data. The number of shifts is obtained with the complement of 2 of the selected state. Since the foregoing convolutional code is structured to be terminated at the tail bit, the operation starts at state 0. The previous state is obtained by calculating [i/2+PS[i].times.2.sup.K-2 ]. In accordance with the obtained state, the number of shifts required when a next path select signal is shifted to the LSB is obtained. The foregoing procedure is repeated so that a decoded code series is obtained.
The steps of the tracing back operation will now be described.
Step 1: To start the operation at state 0, fixed value "0" is stored in the second latch 25. The ALU 26, as it is, stores the value in the second latch 25 into the second register 27.
From next step 2 to step 10, the operations are repeated n times while decreasing the value of i from {(n-1)+(K-1)} to (K-1).
Step 2: The value in the second register 27 is, through the second bus 12, stored in the first latch 24. The ALU 26 obtains the two's complement of the value in the first latch 24 to store the obtained value in the second register 28.
Step 3: The value in the second register 28 is, through the first bus 2, stored in the first register 23. Thus, the value is the number of shift bits for selecting a next path select signal.
Step 4: The path memory PM[i] is read from the data memory 1, and then shifted by the barrel shifter 3 by the number of shift bits instructed by the first register 23. Then, the value is stored in the second latch 25. The ALU 26, as it is, stores the value in the second latch 25 in the second register 28. Thus, the selected path select signal is approached to the least significant bit [LSB].
Step 5: The value in the second register 28 is, through the second bus 12, stored in the first latch 24, and then fixed value "1" is stored in the second latch 25. The ALU 26 obtains the logical product of the first latch 24 and the second latch 25 to store a result in the second register 28 (only the LSB is extracted).
Step 6: The value in the second register 28 is, as decoded data Y[i-(k-1)], stored in the data memory 1 (the LSB is made to be decoded data).
Step 7: Fixed value "K" is stored in the first register 23.
Step 8: The value in the second register 27 is, through the second bus 12, stored in the first latch 24. Then, the value in the second register 28, is through the first bus 2 output to the barrel shifter 3. The barrel shifter 3 shifts the supplied value by the number of shift bits instructed by the first register 23 to store the output therefrom in the second latch 25. The ALU 26 obtains the logical sum of the first latch 24 and the second latch 25 to store a result in the second register 28.
Step 9: Fixed value "-1" is stored in the first register 23.
Step 10: The barrel shifter 3 shifts the value in the second register 28 by the number of shift bits instructed by the first register 23 so that an output is obtained which is stored in the second latch 25. The ALU 26, as it is, stores the value in the second latch 25 in the second register 27 (steps 7 to 10 enable a previous state to be calculated).
As described above, the conventional arithmetic unit is structured to perform the calculation by combining the barrel shifter 3 and the ALU 26 so that the tracing back operation for Viterbi decoding n-bit information bits is completed in (9n+1) steps.
However, the above-mentioned conventional arithmetic unit suffers from a problem in that a great number of execution steps must be performed to complete the tracing back operation. A arithmetic unit, which is capable of overcoming the foregoing problem, has been disclosed in, for example Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication 6-112848.
The foregoing arithmetic unit, as shown in FIG. 16, comprises: a data memory 1 for storing path metrics, path select signals and the like; a bus 2 connected to the data memory 1 and arranged to supply data and to transfer a result of the calculation; a barrel shifter 3 for shifting a selected path select signal of path memory data read from the data memory 1 to the most significant bit (MSB); a shift register 4 for shift-receiving the MSB of the output from the barrel shifter 3 and load data from the data memory 1 through the bus 2 or storing data into the data memory 1; and an invertor 29 for inverting the values of a predetermined plural bit positions in the shift register 4 to supply the same as the number of shift bits to the barrel shifter 3.
The number of bits which are shifted by the barrel shifter 3 is expressed by a two's complementary system. When the value is a positive number, the right shift is performed. When the value is a negative number, left shift is performed. The shift register 4 is structured such that its shift input side is the MSB.
A tracing back operation, which is performed when Viterbi decoding of coded data obtained by convolutional coding, which is terminated at a tail bit, is performed by the above-mentioned arithmetic unit, will now be described.
The conditions at this time are assumed such that the constraint length of the convolutional code is K, the number of coded information bit is n and the bit width in each of the data memory 1, the bus 2 and shift register 4 is 2.sup.K-1 bits. The MSB, which is the output from the barrel shifter 3 is supplied to the shift input of the shift register 4. The second register 28 inverts (K-1) upper bits in the shift register 4, and then outputs K bits, which is the sum obtained by adding "0" to the MSB of (K-1) bits output from the shift register 4, as the number of shift bits.
Similarly to the above-mentioned unit, path select signal PSt[i] (t=0 to {(n-1)+(K-1)}, i=0 to {2.sup.K-1 -1}) is stuffed into one word as pass memory PM[t]={PSt[2.sup.K-1 -1], PSt[2.sup.K-1 -2], . . . , PSt[1], PSt[0]} so as to be formed into PM[t], (t=0 to {(n-1)+(K-1)}) and stored in the data memory 1. Decoded data Y[i] (i=0 to {n-1}) is stored in the data memory 1 in such a way that one bit is made to be one word.
The tracing back operation is performed in such a way that the path memory read from the data memory 1 is shifted by the barrel shifter 3 so that the path select signal, which must be selected, is shifted to the MSB. Then, the shifted path select signal is supplied to the shift register 4. At this time, (K-1) upper bits in the shift register 4 indicate a previous state. Therefore, a next number of shifts can be obtained by inverting the (K-1) upper bits. The foregoing number of shifts is generated by the invertor 29. Then, a path select signal, which must be selected in a next path memory, is shifted to the MSB of the output from the barrel shifter 3 to supply the shifted path select signal to the shift register 4.
The foregoing operation is repeated so that the selected path select signals, which serve as decoded data, are sequentially stored in the shift register 4. Whenever a predetermined number of bits has been stored, they are stored in the data memory 1.
The steps of the tracing back operation will now be described.
Step 1: To start the operation at state 0, data of fixed value "0" is loaded to be stored in the shift register 4.
From next steps 2 and 3, the operations are repeated n times while decreasing the value of i from {(n-1)+(K-1)} to (K-1).
Step 2: The path memory PM[i] is read from the data memory 1, and then shifted by the barrel shifter 3 by the number of shift bits instructed with K bits, which are output from the invertor 29. Then, the MSB of the output fromn the barrel shifter 3 is shift-input to the shift register 4. Thus, the foregoing operation causes the path select signal, which must be selected, is approached to the most significant bit [MSB]. In this case, [K-1] upper bits of the shift register 4, to which the shift-input has been made, indicates the previous state. Inversion of [K-1] upper bits is the basis of the number of shift bits for selecting a next pat select signal.
Step 3: Whenever 2.sup.K-1 bits are decoded, the contents of the shift register 4 are, one time, stored in the data memory 1, Thus, the path select signal selected and stored in the shift register 4 is made to be decoded data.
As described above, the above-mentioned unit is arranged such that the selection of the path select signal and calculation of the previous state are performed in step 2. Therefore, the tracing back process in the Viterbi decoding of n-bit information bits can be completed in {n+(n/2.sup.K-1)+1} steps.
However, the above-mentioned conventional arithmetic units are structured on a condition that the bit width of the data memory and the bus must be 2.sup.K-1 (K is a constraint length of the convolutional code required to be decoded) or greater. Thus, there arises a problem in that enlargement of the value of K arises a necessity of enlarging the width of the bit in the data path.

Arithmetic apparatus for use in Viterbi decoding

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.