A shaft seal of the rotating wheel shaft of a turbomachine includes a rotating wheel-side seal and a bearing-side seal between the bearing housing and the shaft. An oil outlet chamber is arranged between the rotating wheel-side seal and the bearing-side seal. The oil outlet chamber is delimited by a third seal between the bearing housing and the shaft, and a gas discharge chamber is arranged between the third seal and the rotating wheel-side seal. The construction is actively cooled by means of at least one splash oil bore in the region of the oil drain channel, as a result of which coking of the shaft seal can be prevented. The third seal separates the oil issuing from the oil outlet chamber from the gas issuing from the gas discharge chamber.

Exhaust gas turbochargers are known to be used for increasing the power of an internal combustion engine. In such an exhaust gas turbocharger, a turbine is provided in the exhaust gas path of the internal combustion engine, and a compressor is arranged upstream of the internal combustion engine, which is connected to the turbine via a common shaft. With charging of an internal combustion engine by means of an exhaust gas turbocharger, the capacity and therefore the fuel mixture in the cylinders are increased and a noticeable power increase for the engine is thereby gained. Optionally, the energy which is stored within the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine can be converted into electrical or mechanical energy by means of a power turbine. In this case, instead of a compressor, as in the case of the exhaust gas turbocharger, a generator or a mechanical consumer is connected to the turbine shaft.
An exhaust gas turbocharger is generally constituted by a rotor, a bearing assembly for the shaft, flow-guiding housing sections (compressor housing and turbine housing) and a bearing housing. The rotor includes a shaft, an impeller and a turbine wheel.
Because of the high process pressure in the turbine-side and in the compressor-side flow region, the shaft of the exhaust gas turbocharger is sealed with a suitable sealing concept in relation to the cavity of the bearing housing. The internal pressure in the cavity of the bearing housing usually corresponds to the atmospheric pressure. The gas pressure in the flow passage of the compressor side and turbine side depends, however, upon the current operating point of the exhaust gas turbocharger and at most operating points lies above the pressure in the cavity of the bearing housing. In certain cases, however, a negative pressure is also to be taken into consideration, for example, in partial load operation or at rest.
DE 20 25 125 discloses a turbine-side shaft seal of an exhaust gas turbocharger, which consists of a simple oil-collecting chamber on the turbine side of the radial bearing, and a piston ring with a sealing effect between the shaft and the bearing housing. The bearing oil which issues from the radial bearing splashes onto the outwardly offset and rotating shaft shoulder and, as a result of centrifugal forces, is thrown into the oil-collecting chamber. The bearing oil which is thrown out in this way then flows downwards inside the oil-collecting chamber as a result of the force of gravity and flows back again into the oil circuit of the bearing lubricating system.
For reducing gas leakage from the flow passage through the wheel back space of the turbine into the cavity of the bearing housing, piston rings made of metal, for example, gray cast iron, are generally used. The piston ring under tension is clamped in a radial groove with an axial stop shoulder in the bearing housing. As a counterpart to the piston ring, the rotating shaft is provided with a radial groove, wherein the piston ring is axially trapped inside this groove and radially overlaps the groove. Because of the pressure difference between the exhaust gas pressure and the pressure inside the bearing housing, the piston ring is axially displaced as far as it will go in the direction of the existing pressure gradient inside the groove. As a result of the axial seating of the piston ring on one of the inner surfaces of the groove, this piston ring grinds itself in and seals the bearing housing plenum relative to the exhaust gas flow. For improving the sealing effect, two or more piston rings can also be used, as is disclosed in CH 661 964 A5, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,180,568, 4,196,910 or EP 1 860 299, for example. In these documents, it is shown how the sealing effect against the hot exhaust gases can be increased by means of the additional use of sealing air or deaeration of the space between the two piston rings, and consequently how escape of the exhaust gases into the bearing housing can be totally prevented.
DE 37 37 932 A1 discloses a turbine-side shaft seal of an exhaust gas turbocharger, in which the oil outlet from the radial bearing is provided between the bearing point and the two piston rings. In this case, for improving the oil tightness, an additional centrifugal oil slinger is used instead of a simple axial shaft shoulder. The amount of impinging unwanted bearing oil in the region of the piston ring groove can be significantly reduced as a result. Similarly, in the shaft seals according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,229 and also DE 30 21 349, the oil outlet is provided between the radial bearing and the adjacent piston ring, wherein the oil outlet still consists of a chamber. In addition, the cavity between the two piston rings is connected by means of an additional connecting passage to the cavity of the bearing housing and aerated to atmospheric ambient pressure. The resulting pressure difference across the left-hand piston ring is consequently prevented so that the piston ring predominantly undertakes an oil-sealing but not hot-gas sealing function. Therefore, only the right-hand piston ring undertakes the sealing between the pressurized flow passage and the cavity of the bearing housing. As a result of these construction variants, two separate outlets are therefore created for the media of oil (from the radial bearing) and also exhaust gas (from the flow passage), wherein the outlets are separated by means of a piston ring. The lubricating oil which issues from the radial bearing possibly splashes axially into the piston ring region of the gas seal and in the most unfavorable case floods the entire piston ring groove. The gas pressure in the flow passage of a compressor or a turbine is generally greater than the internal pressure in the bearing housing of the turbocharger. Thus, a positive pressure difference (pressure in the flow passage is higher than in the cavity of the bearing housing) results in the ensuing gas leakage blowing through the piston ring seal, and the bearing oil which has inadvertently penetrated into the piston ring region is carried back into the oil-collecting chamber of the bearing housing.
DE 10 2004 055 429 B3 discloses a sealing device for a lubricated bearing of a rotor shaft, which seals a bearing housing of a turbocharger against a supplied lubricating oil in the axial direction. Provision is made on the rotor shaft for a first seal in the form of a gap, a labyrinth or a piston ring, and for a second seal in the form of a narrow gap or a labyrinth, which between them include an oil outlet passage which extends annularly around the circumference of the rotor shaft and is constructed by means of a housing-side oil outlet groove and a shaft-side oil outlet groove which is arranged in an axially aligned position. Provision is made in the oil outlet passage for an annular sealing web which, in the radial direction of the rotor shaft, projects by one end freely into the annular oil outlet passage, and which constitutes a barrier acting in the axial direction for the lubricant which penetrates into the oil outlet passage and radially overlaps the gap of the second seal.
DE 43 30 380 A1 discloses an exhaust gas turbocharger which includes a two-section bearing housing in which oil for cooling is splashed from a first section onto the surface of the second section.
In the case of the above-described turbine-side shaft seal concepts, under certain circumstances there is the risk that hot gases from the wheel back space of the exhaust gas turbine escape through the piston ring seal, and that the bearing oil which remains in the piston ring region and also in the oil outlet grooves locally burns and consequently creates serious coking of the shaft seal and wear associated therewith. The risk of coking increases with rising exhaust gas temperature and with increased gas leakage through the piston rings and also with poorer component cooling. Thus, active cooling of this sealing section is desired for the operational reliability of the shaft seal.
DE 197 13 415 A1 discloses an exhaust gas turbocharger which has, in the region of a thrust bearing at the rear of the impeller, an annular sealing plate as an oil splash guard.
US2005/0188694 discloses an exhaust gas turbocharger which has, between two piston rings in the region of the shaft seal at the rear of the impeller, an oil suction pipe by means of which the zone between the two piston rings is cleaned of possibly penetrating oil by means of a vacuum pump.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,763 discloses an exhaust gas turbocharger which, in the region of the shaft seal at the rear of the impeller, has a labyrinth seal to prevent oil from the lubrication circuit being able to reach the operating chamber of the compressor.


An electronic device and a method for changing an object according to a bending state. The method includes analyzing coordinates of touch areas to set an arbitrary area; checking that at least one object is included in the set area; and controlling a layout of the at least one object included in the set area according to a bending state.

With the development of functions for electronic devices, the electronic devices have developed from electronic devices having a simple flat shape into electronic devices deformable to be bent, thereby satisfying a users' diversified tastes. For example, a user may deform the electronic device to wrap around the user's wrist and wear the electronic device on the wrist, which is impossible for electronic devices having a flat shape.
However, the user interface of a flexible electronic device has not provided a user with much convenience in reality. Specifically, there has not been proposed a method for decreasing interactions with a user by detecting the bending state of an electronic device. For example, there has not been proposed a method for enabling a user to check content included in a list displayed on the touchscreen of an electronic device when the user deforms the electronic device to be bent.
Therefore, there is a need for an electronic device capable of providing necessary functions when a user deforms the electronic device to be bent without any additional interaction from the user.

Electronic device and method for changing an object according to a bending state


A novel liquid crystal display including a liquid crystal cell including at least liquid crystal, and an optically anisotropic layer capable of optically compensating the liquid crystal cell is disclosed. It is in a first gray scale state where a subtraction of an Re(0) value of the optically anisotropic layer from an Re(0) value of the liquid crystal cell results in a positive value while being applied with a voltage falling within a first range, and in a second grayscale state where a subtraction of an Re(0) value of the optically anisotropic layer from an Re(0) value of the liquid crystal cell results in a negative value while being applied with a voltage falling within a second range.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display, more particularly, to a liquid crystal display employing a bend alignment made, improved in viewing angle property.
2. Description of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display (LCD) has significant advantages over a CRT (cathode ray tube), i.e., a smaller thickness, a lighter weight, and lower power consumption. A liquid crystal display generally comprises a liquid crystal cell and two polarizers provided on both sides of the liquid crystal cell. The liquid crystal cell generally comprises a rod-like liquid crystalline compound, two substrates for enclosing the compound, and an electrode layer for applying a voltage to the liquid-crystalline compound. An alignment layer is provided on each of the two substrates to align rod-like liquid crystalline molecules.
In order to reduce the coloration caused in images displayed on liquid crystal cells, optical compensation sheets (retardation plates) are often provided between the liquid crystal cells and polarizers. A combination of a polarizer and an optical compensation sheet serves as an elliptic polarizer. An optical compensation sheet is also used for improving the viewing angle of a liquid crystal cell.
Stretched synthetic polymer films (e.g., a polycarbonate film or polysulfone film) have been used as optical compensation sheets.
It has been also proposed to use an optical compensation sheet comprising a transparent support and an optically anisotropic layer formed of a liquid crystalline composition of a discotic compound instead of a synthetic polymer film. The optically anisotropic layer can be formed by aligning molecules of the discotic compound and fixing the alignment of the same. In general, discotic compounds exhibit a great birefringence. Further, discotic compounds have a variety of alignment modes. Therefore, the use of a discotic compound makes it possible to produce an optical compensation sheet exhibiting optical properties which cannot be obtained by a synthetic polymer film according to the related art. Various optical compensation sheets employing a discotic compound have been proposed (see JPA No. hei 6-214116, the term "JPA" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application (Kohkai Tokkyo Kohou)", U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,583,679 and 5,646,703, the publication of West Germany Unexamined Application No. 3911620).
A transparent support, supporting an optically anisotropic layer, is sometimes required to exhibit an optical isotropy (a low retardation value), and in such a case, a cellulose acetate film is usually used as a transparent support. A transparent support, supporting an optically anisotropic layer, is also sometimes required to exhibit an optical anisotropy (a high retardation value), and in such a case, a stretched synthetic polymer film (e.g., a polycarbonate film or polysulfone film) is usually used. In the technical field of optical materials such as optical compensation sheets, it has been a general rule to use a synthetic polymer film where a polymer film having optical anisotropy (a high retardation value) is required and to use a cellulose acetate film where optical isotropy (a low retardation value) is required. Overthrowing the general rule of the related art, a cellulose acetate film, which can be used even in applications where optical anisotropy is required, is disclosed in the publication of European Unexamined Patent Application No. 0911656.
Liquid crystal displays comprising a liquid crystal cell of employing a bend alignment mode, in which rod-like liquid crystalline molecules are aligned substantially in opposite directions (symmetrically) between an upper domain and a lower domain of the liquid crystal cell, are disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,583,825 and 5,410,422. Since the rod-like liquid crystalline molecules are aligned symmetrically between the upper domain and the lower domain of the liquid crystal cell, the bend alignment mode liquid crystal cell is capable of self-compensating optically. Therefore, the liquid crystal mode is also referred to as OCB (Optically Compensatory Bend) liquid crystal mode. A liquid crystal display employing a bend alignment mode is advantageous in that it has a high response speed. The bend alignment mode is characterized in that it provides a wider viewing angle and a higher response speed compared to other liquid crystal modes in the related art (TN mode and STN mode). However, the mode needs further improvement when compared to CRTs. A possible approach to further improvement of bend alignment mode liquid crystal displays is to use optical compensation sheets just as done in ordinary liquid crystal modes. Examples of the optical compensation sheets having an optically anisotropic layer formed of a composition comprising a discotic compound and examples of the bend-alignment mode LCD employing such sheets are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,805,253, the pamphlet of International Unexamined Patent Application No. 96/37804 (the publication of European Unexamined Patent Application No. 0783128), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,064,457.

Liquid crystal display with controlled viewing angle properties


An air traffic control system in which an airborne GPS receiver on a trans-oceanic flight is provided pseudo range correction data and satellite integrity information from a group of terrestrial HF transmitters, transmitting on a common set of frequencies and using a time division multiplexing scheme.

The present invention generally relates to global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), and more particularly relates to differential GPS (DGPS) and corrected position solutions, and even more particularly relates to a system and method for communicating differential GNSS pseudo range correction data together with satellite health information to remote aircraft, located beyond the range of VHF data link communications.
In the past, designers of avionics navigation systems have endeavored to provide systems with improved abilities to more precisely make location determinations using GPS satellites. One widely accepted approach to enhancing positional resolution for GPS receivers has been the use of differential. GPS, which involves using a GPS receiver located at a known fixed location to generate pseudo range correction data, which then is provided to mobile receivers via a data link connection, where it is used to enhance the position determination abilities of the mobile receiver. This method is used widely in commercial airports throughout the world. Another method of improving GPS position determinations is for the airborne receiver to receive and use information relative to the health or status of improperly operating GPS satellites.
Trans-oceanic flights are presently spaced about 120 nautical miles apart in line, and fly in a grid system with lanes approximately 60 nautical miles apart to assure positive aircraft separation. Congestion and/or delays are possible owing to the limited number of available routes and the separation between aircraft for safety. Unfavorable winds and turbulence often limit these available routes even further, thereby increasing the potential for congestion and delays. Normal inertial reference systems are typically subject to drift over time and, therefore, would be incapable of providing a high integrity source of position reference throughout an extended flight. Differential GNSS, as well as satellite health and satellite integrity information, could be extremely useful in safely packing more aircraft in these trans-oceanic routes. Trans-oceanic aircraft typically report their locations derived from inertial navigation systems during trans-oceanic flights. Differential GNSS and satellite integrity data are not generally available on trans-oceanic flights, because the data link radios most typically used for such information are VHF radios, with a range of approximately 200 N miles.
Consequently, there exists a need for improvement in systems and methods for controlling trans-oceanic air traffic and for reporting pseudo range correction and providing satellite integrity data to aircraft on trans-oceanic routes.
It is an object of the present invention to efficiently and safely control air traffic for trans-oceanic flights.
It is another object of the present invention to decrease the minimum separation distance between aircraft on trans-oceanic flights.
It is a feature of the present invention to utilize an HF broadcast network of coastal and island-based differential GPS ground stations.
It is an advantage of the present invention to better deliver to trans-oceanic flights both pseudo range correction data being generated by various DGPS stations, as well as satellite integrity information.
The present invention is an apparatus and method for monitoring and reporting pseudo range correction data and satellite integrity information for GPS receivers used on trans-oceanic flights, which is designed to satisfy the aforementioned needs, provide the previously stated objects, include the above-listed features and achieve the already articulated advantages. The present invention is carried out in a xe2x80x9cVHF data link-less systemxe2x80x9d in a sense that the range limitations generally associated with VHF communication have been greatly reduced.
Accordingly, the present invention is a system and method for monitoring and reporting satellite integrity and pseudo range correction data to trans-oceanic GNSS receivers, where the system and method involves using a network of numerous coastal and island-based HF transmitters operating on a set of common frequencies and which use multiplexing.

Use of GPS correction data on trans-oceanic routes


The stand-up transportation device according to this invention comprises the shafts to which the front wheel and the rear wheel are assembled respectively, and the frame connecting these shafts. This transportation device also has the drive equipment that can drive the wheels on the shafts. Therefore, the user can run on a plane, an ascending slope or a rough road standing on the frame of this automatic transportation device as when they rides on a snowboard and the like, and changing the course by shifting the weight. As the transportation device is made of the shafts and the frame combined in a simple way, the user can readily enjoy riding on it at any time and anywhere. And the user can enjoy the drive feeling as they ride on a snowboard and the like without snow. Also, they can enjoy riding on it for a long distance or time.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a stand-on transportation device on which a rider can stand as in the case of a snowboard and which can run automatically by means of a drive device.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has known a skateboard that a rider standing can run in a desired direction by putting rider's feet on the board supported by rollers and keeping balance. There has also known a snowboard that a rider standing with rider's feet on the board and can slide down the snow slope.
The course of a skateboard can be changed by the shift of the rider's weight. Although a skateboard is a handy apparatus with simple structure, it is mostly used in an exclusive area such as a half pipe because the driving force can be obtained on a slope. When the riders ride on a skateboard on a plane ground, they must accelerate the skateboard by kicking the ground with one foot to obtain driving force. The riders are required powers to keep their balance on the board as well, and to move the skateboard. Therefore, it is difficult to ride on a skateboard for a long time or a long distance. Also the rider required having some skill and physical strength to go over the roughness and slight level differences on a road by skateboard.
The course of a snowboard can also be changed by the shift of the rider's weight and the rider can ride on it in an exclusive snow area such as a half pipe. The rider can enjoy riding on a snowboard in a spacious skiing ground sliding down the snow slope on it by keeping balance. However, it is impossible to ride on a snowboard in summer season because there is no snow.
The object of this invention is to provide a stand-on transportation device whose course the rider standing can change by shifting rider's weight as in the case of a skateboard and a snowboard, which the rider can run on a plane ground comfortably for a long time, and which can easily go over the roughness and slight level differences of a road. Another object of this invention is to provide a stand-on transportation device which can climb a slope. Still another object is to provide a stand-on transportation device having an appropriate operating condition for the rider so as to they exhaust little even if they ride on it outdoors or for a long time.

733-3, Ohaza Meisei, Misato-mura, Minamiazumi-gun


A spring biased pivot assembly for operative connection across a lower edge of a self-returning door structure. An adjustable spacer projects outwardly from a downwardly extending shoulder structure and towards a tension pin in tangential relation to the axis of rotation. The spacer contacts the tension pin when the door structure is in its normal position thereby maintaining separation between the tension pin and the shoulder structure and blocking complete release of spring tension.

The spring biased pivots for use on self-closing door structures such as on food service counter gates, bathroom stall doors and the like are well known. One such spring biased pivot assembly has been marketed by a number of years by Bommer Industries, Inc. having a place of business in Landrum S.C. Such pivot assemblies operate by translating the movement of the door structure to axial rotation of a cover operatively connected to one end of a helical spring relative to an elongated spindle element operatively connected to an opposing end of the helical spring. The relative rotation tightens the spring as the door structure is displaced from its initial position. The biasing force by the spring causes the door structure to swing back to its initial starting position when the force causing the initial displacement is removed. By way of example, in a typical environment of use such as in a food service counter the user may open a gate by pushing or pulling on the gate thereby causing displacement from its original position. This displacement, in turn, is translated to a cover portion of the attached pivot thereby tightening a spring housed within the structure. When the user releases the gate, the displacement force is eliminated and the spring attempts to release the stored energy thereby imparting a recuperating biasing force to the displaced gate. As the tension within the spring is released, the gate swings back towards its starting position.
One recurring problem that has been encountered during the manufacture and use of prior spring biased pivot structures has been in achieving a consistent return of the gate or door being acted upon to the desired starting position. In particular, in order to assemble a spring biased pivot, a certain degree of tolerance is required between the interacting components. In the absence of applied tension to the spring, after assembly these elements may move slightly relative to one another when the door structure is not being acted upon. This slack or play between the components may allow the door structure to engage in a degree of drift away from the desired starting position. While such drift may be relatively slight at the side of the door structure adjacent the pivot, such rotational movement is magnified at the free end of the door structure which may be several feet away. Thus a drift at the pivot of even a few degrees may cause a relatively substantial displacement of the supported door structure. Moreover, over time the spring tension may be slightly reduced such that the return force is diminished thereby imparting additional inconsistency to the return performance.
In order to address the issue of consistent return of the supported door structure to a fixed defined position, a system has been utilized to maintain the biasing spring in constant tension by blocking axial rotation of the covering elements prior to complete spring recovery as the door structure is returning to its fixed position. This blocking has been carried out by using a bottom cover having a downwardly projecting blocking shoulder that engages a static pin inserted into a radial opening in the spring engaging tensioning collar. While such a system works and has been utilized for many years, substantial skill is required to achieve the required alignment of components such that the appropriate biasing force is preloaded upon initial assembly. However, even when the initial assembly is satisfactory, during use the change in spring character may still give rise to an undesirable degree of drift. In this event there is no usable mechanism to re-tension the biasing spring.


An apparatus and a method for measuring operating temperatures Tj of a component, particularly transient temperatures Tj in the breakdown region of the component 2 during a breakdown operation, are provided. The component temperature Tj at a point of time ti is ascertainable from a measurement of the breakdown voltage Ud and the breakdown current I of the component 2 at the specific point of time ti during the breakdown operation using a measuring device, by comparing the measurement data to reference measurement data recorded in advance.

In general, in the field of semiconductor technology, the performance of a component is strongly dependent, inter alia, on the permissible operating temperatures. A very common reason for component failure is temperatures which are too high during operation, which damage or even completely destroy the component. Both for the user who dimensions a specific application, and for the semiconductor manufacturer that specifies its product, the knowledge of the component temperature that result under specific field conditions is therefore of great interest.
Thus, the problem of detecting the component temperature, particularly transient changes of temperature in the interior of the component during operation, is important.
At the moment, the following approach to solving this problem is found in the prior art. The so-called barrier-layer temperature or junction temperature Tj is determined via the measurement of the forward voltage of p-n junctions of the component. The p-n junctions are junctions between p-doped and n-doped regions of a semiconductor, and they are, for example, a component of rectifier and Zener diodes, or exist in the form of the intrinsic body diode of a field-effect transistor or MOSFET transistor.
This known approach utilizes the fact that the voltage, which must be applied in the forward direction to a p-n junction for a specific current flow, is a function of the component temperature at the location of the p-n junction. Based on the functional correlation of the voltage, of the current and the component temperature, by measuring the forward voltage with respect to a given forward current, it is possible to infer the component temperature.
In the known approach above, the fact that the measurement current must flow in the forward direction across the component turns out to be disadvantageous, i.e., this method is not usable as long as another operating state of the component prevents this forward current. Even during such operating states, however, it is often necessary to exactly determine the internal temperature conditions of the component.
For example, using this known method, it is not possible to examine the reverse breakdown of a diode, in which a high voltage is applied in the reverse direction, such that the diode breaks down and a high so-called avalanche current flows in the reverse direction. The high fields and currents lead to strong heating of the component, the hottest location in the component being precisely at the p-n junction which is breaking down. However, to determine the temperature prevailing at the p-n junction using the approach described above, it is necessary to wait until the reverse current has nearly completely decayed, in order to be able to allow a measurement current to flow in the forward direction through the component. This time delay results in an inaccurate measurement, since the temperature now present no longer corresponds to the temperature peak at the p-n junction occurring during the breakdown, because in the meantime, the heat has already been distributed over a larger area of the component or to the thermally coupled surroundings of the component.
However, it is precisely the transient temperature peaks which are critical in damaging the component and which cannot be measured sufficiently accurately using the above approach according to the prior art.

Apparatus and method for measuring operating temperatures of an electrical component


The invention relates to a structural multilayer composite comprising a layer of leather in contact with at least one monolayer comprising parallel aligned fibers and a matrix material. The composite may further comprise film layer(s) that may be breathable and/or waterproof. The structural multilayer composite material is suitable for use in clothing and outdoor gear and apparel.

A ballistic blanket is part of the ballistic gear used around the world in law enforcement and in the military. Ballistic blankets find use, among other things, as coverings for bomb blast protection. Ballistic blankets have been disclosed, for example, by Carter, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 7,389,718. This document discloses a ballistic blanket that encompasses an inner ballistic core encased in an outer housing. The inner ballistic core is covered with an inner cover. The inner ballistic core may be based on high performance fibers such as aramid or ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene ("UHMWPE"). Carter further discloses use of an aramid panel as an inner ballistic core, and that the inner cover may be made of nylon. Further, Carter teaches the outer housing may be made of fabrics, vinyl, leather or other pliable materials.
Although this document discloses products with acceptable properties, there is a continuous drive to develop further improved multilayer composite products such as ballistic blankets.
In various embodiments of the present disclosure, multilayer composite materials are described having further improvements in strength to weight ratio, reduced thickness, and additional aesthetics. In this disclosure, the product of the invention will be referred to as a structural multilayer composite material.
In general, the disclosure provides a structural multilayer composite comprising: a layer of leather; and a monolayer in contact with the layer of leather. The monolayer may comprise parallel fibers aligned in a single fiber direction along with a matrix material. The monolayer may also be referred to as a unidirectional layer. In some aspects, the multilayer composite may include one or more additional monolayers bonded thereon forming a stack of layers with the leather layer one of the outer layers. Each successive monolayer may be offset relative to an adjacent monolayer at up to 90° such that the parallel fibers in one monolayer are in a different direction relative to the parallel fibers in the adjacent layer. In this way many monolayers may be used and the fiber direction may never be repeated, or several monolayers may be offset from each other until at some point the fiber direction in a layer repeats with a monolayer further below in the stack.
Each successive monolayer may comprise parallel fibers in a matrix material. The matrix material of each of the monolayers may be of different composition or the same. In various embodiments, a multilayer composite comprising a leather layer and one or more monolayers may further comprise at least one polymeric film in contact with any one monolayer such as to form an outer layer of the composite. In this way, a stack of monolayers may comprise the core of a composite having a leather layer and a film layer as the two exposed outer layers. In various examples, one or more film layers may be waterproof/breathable film, or waterproof and non-breathable film, or any combination of moisture passive and vapor passive.
In various embodiments, fibers used in the one or more monolayers may have strength of at least 0.5 GPa. In other examples, fibers may have strength of at least at least 2.5 GPa. Fibers may comprise UHMWPE or some other synthetic fiber. For example, fibers may comprise UHMWPE fibers having an intrinsic viscosity of at least 4 dl/g.
Each of the one or more monolayers within the multilayer composite may comprise a matrix material, for example in which the fibers are coated or embedded. Examples of matrix material include polyacrylate, polymers functionalized with acrylate groups, and polyurethane. Matric material may have a stiffness of at least 3 MPa.
The fiber density in any one monolayer may be between 1 and 50 grams per square meter (g/m2 or "gsm").
The present disclosure further provides a process for manufacturing a multilayer composite comprising: providing an assembly comprising a layer of leather; at least one monolayer comprising parallel aligned fibers and a matrix material; and optionally at least one polymeric film layer, the assembly having two outer surfaces, one being the layer of leather; and compressing the assembly at a pressure of at least 5 bar, preferably at a pressure of at least 6 bar, and temperature between 35 and 120° C.
During the compressing process, a cover may be disposed on one or both of the outer layers, and the cover may be removable from the multilayer composite after the compressing step. Such a cover may have a texturing, and hence the pattern or texture on the cover may be imprinted onto either or both of the outer layers of the composite.
The structural multilayer composite described herein finds use in the manufacture of footwear, sports apparel, clothing, luggage, leather goods for animals, bags and luggage, hats, jackets, wallets, purses, bags, upholstery and gloves.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Multilayer composite material and method for manufacturing


Methods and systems are provided for restarting an engine in response to a driver's change-of-mind. In one embodiment, the engine is shutdown during an idle stop with the transmission in a higher gear or with the transmission tied-up to a transmission case. In response to a driver change-of-mind restart request, the transmission is downshifted, or released from the tie-up, to return driveline torque.

Vehicles have been developed to perform an idle-stop when idle-stop conditions are met and automatically restart the engine when restart conditions are met. Such idle-stop systems enable fuel savings, reduction in exhaust emissions, reduction in noise, and the like.
In some instances, a driver may have a change-of-mind while the engine is being shut down (e.g., still spinning down) and may wish to immediately restart the engine. In engines with an automatic transmission including a torque converter, the drop and subsequent sudden increase in engine speed during the change-of-mind engine restart can create a negative torque spike at the torque converter output, which is experienced as a clunk or bump by the vehicle operator. As such, the drive feel and engine startability is reduced.
Thus in one example, the above issue may be at least partly addressed by a method of controlling an engine coupled to a transmission. In one embodiment, the method comprises, during an automatic engine idle-stop, operating the transmission in a first, higher gear, and in response to a driver change-of-mind restart, shifting the transmission to a second, lower gear. Herein, the first higher gear may have a lower gear ratio enabling lower torque multiplication while the lower gear may have a higher gear ratio enabling higher torque multiplication.
In another embodiment, the method comprises, in response to an automatic engine idle-stop, tying up the transmission to a transmission case, and in response to a driver change-of-mind restart, releasing the transmission from the tie-up. In this way, a transmission output torque may be reduced during an engine idle-stop when the engine is spinning towards rest. Further, if the driver changes his mind and wishes to restart the engine before the engine has comes to rest, the torque reduction may be decreased to restore driveline torque while reducing the effects of the change-of-mind restart torque spike.
For example, during an engine idle-stop, the engine may be deactivated, and while the engine is spinning to rest (but before the engine has stopped), the transmission may be shifted (e.g., upshifted) to a higher gear (such as a transmission second gear). Additionally, or optionally, one or more transmission clutches may be engaged to lock the transmission to a transmission case. If the driver changes his mind and wishes to restart the engine before the engine has stopped, and while the engine speed is still above a threshold speed, the transmission may be downshifted to a lower gear (such as the transmission first gear) and/or the clutch pressure may be adjusted to unlock the transmission. If the driver changes his mind below the threshold speed, the downshifting and/or unlocking may be delayed until the engine has come to rest, restarted with starter motor assistance speed, and brought to the threshold speed.
In this way, the transmission output torque may be modulated during an engine idle-stop and a subsequent driver change-of-mind restart to reduce a negative torque spike experienced during the restart. By reducing the negative torque spike, clunks or bumps experienced by a vehicle operator, during a restart responsive to a driver's change-of-mind, can be reduced to improve the quality of the restart.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.


The present invention provides a vaccine which is protective against avian polyomavirus infection in a bird which is classified as being a member of the Psittaciformes order which comprises an immunogenic amount of a modified live avian polyomavirus in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Methods are also provided for preventing avian polyomavirus infection in a bird, or in several different species of birds, classified as being a member of the Psittaciformes order, comprising administering a vaccine comprising an immunogenic amount of a modified live avian polyomavirus and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. A preferred embodiment provides a modified live avian polyomavirus vaccine for prevention of wild-type infection in a Budgerigar, lovebird or Cockatiel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an avian polyomavirus vaccine and to a method of preventing avian polyomavirus infection in Psittaciformes. In particular, the invention relates to a modified live avian polyomavirus vaccine for preventing avian polyomavirus in Budgerigars, lovebirds and Cockatiels.
2. Background Art
The first acute, generalized infection associated with avian polyomavirus was described in 1980 in young psittacine birds and was called Budgerigar fledgling disease (Davis, R. B., et al., "A viral disease of fledgling budgerigars," Avian Dis., 1981, 25:179-183; Bozeman, L. H., et al., "Characterization of a papovavirus isolated from fledgling budgerigars," Avian Dis., 1981, 25:972-980; Bernier, G., et al., "A generalized inclusion body disease in the budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) caused by a papovavirus-like agent," Avian Dis., 1981, 25:1083-1092; Dykstra, M. J., et al., "Investigations of budgerigar fledgling disease virus," Am. J. Vet. Res., 1984, 45:1883-1887; Lehn, H., Muller, H., "Cloning and characterization of budgerigar fledgling disease virus (BFDV), an avian polyomavirus," Virology, 1986, 151:362-370). Since its discovery in 1980, avian polyomavirus has been associated with disease in a number of different species of companion and aviary birds including Budgerigars, caiques, macaws, Amazon parrots, conures, cockatoos, lovebirds, Splendid Parakeets, Pionus Parrots, African Grey Parrots, Eclectus Parrots, Cockatiels, finches and lories (Davis et al., 1981; Bozeman et al., 1981; Bernier et al., 1981; Lehn and Muller, 1986; Jacobson, E. R., et al., "Epornitic of papova-like virus-associated disease in a psittacine nursery," J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc., 1984, 185:1337-1341; Clubb, S. L., Davis, R. B., "Outbreak of papova-like viral infection in a psittacine nursery-a retrospective view," Proc. Assoc. Avian Vet., Toronto, 1984, 121-129; Graham, D. L., "An update on selected pet bird virus infections," Proc. Assoc. Avian Vet., Toronto, 1984, 267-280; Gaskin, J. M., "Psittacine viral disease: A perspective," J. Zoo. Wildl. Med., 1989, 20:249-264; Johnston, K. M., Riddell, C., "Intranuclear inclusion bodies in finches," Can. Vet. J., 1986, 27:432-434; Marshall, R., "Papova-like virus in a finch aviary," Proc. Assoc. Avian Vet., 1989, 203-207; Schmidt, R. E., et al., "Morphologic identification of papovavirus in a Moluccan cockatoo (Cacatua moluceensis) with neurologic signs," Assoc. Avian Vet. Today, 1987, 1:107-108; Pass, D. A., et al., "A papova-like virus infection of splendid parakeets (Neophema splendida)," Avian Div., 1987, 31:680-684; Pass, D. A., "A papova-like virus infection of lovebirds (Agapornis sp.)," Aust. Vet. J.; 1985, 82:318-319).
The type of clinical disease in Budgerigars, for example, depends upon the age and condition of the bird when exposure to the virus occurs. Neonates from infected flocks may develop normally for 10-15 days and then suddenly die with no premonitory signs. Other infected hatchlings may develop clinical signs that include abdominal distention, subcutaneous hemorrhage, tremors of the head and neck, ataxia and reduced formation of down and contour feathers (Hirai, K., et al., "Isolation of a papova-like agent from young budgerigars with feather abnormalities," J. Vet Sci. 46:577-587, 1984; Bernier et al., 1984; Clubb and Davis, 1984; Schmidt et al., 1987; Histopathology Reports #SC90-0637 and #SC90-0638, Schubot Exotic Bird Health Center, Texas A&M University; Vernot, J., personal communication; Dykstra, M. J., Bozeman, L. H., "A light and electron microscopic examination of budgerigar fledgling disease virus in tissue and in cell culture, Avian Pathol. 11:11-18, 1982). Infections have also been associated with decreased hatchability and embryonic death (Hudson, L., Hay, F. C., "Isolation and structure of immunoglobulins," Hudson, L., Hay, F. C. Ed., Practical Immunology, Boston, 1980, 156-202). Mortality rates can be as high as 100% in affected hatchlings. Surviving birds often exhibit dystrophic primary tail feathers, lack of down feathers on the back and abdomen, and lack of filoplumes on the head and neck. Additionally, surviving birds with primary feather abnormalities are usually unable to fly.
In larger psittacine birds, polyomavirus infections may cause peracute death with no premonitory signs, or acute death after development of clinical changes including depression, anorexia, weight loss, delayed crop-emptying, regurgitation, diarrhea, dehydration, subcutaneous hemorrhages, dyspnea, polyuria, and posterior paresis and paralysis (Pass et al., 1987; Johnston and Riddell, 1986; Mathey, W. J., Cho, B. R., "Tremors of nestling budgerigars with budgerigar fledgling disease," Proc. 33rd West. Poult. Dis. Conf, 1984, 102; Woods, L., "Papova-like virus in a purple finch," J. Zoo. Wildl. Med., 1989, 218-219; Gaskin, J. M., "The serodiagnosis of psittacine viral infections," Assoc. Avian. Vet., Honolulu, 1988, 7-10). Characteristic lesions associated with a polyomavirus infection have been demonstrated in companion birds from the United States (Jacobson et al., 1984; Clubb and Davis, 1984; Graham, 1984), Canada (Gough, J. F., "Outbreaks of budgerigar fledgling disease in three aviaries in Ontario," Can. Vet. J., 1989, 30:672-674, Bernier et al., 1984), Japan (Hirai et al., 1984), Italy (Pascucci, S., et al., "Malattia da virus papova-simile nel papagallino ondulato (Melopsittacus undulatus), Clin. Med. (Milan), 1983, 106:38-41), Hungary (Sztojkov, V., et al., " A hullamous papagaj (Melopsittacus Undulatus) papovavirus okozta megbetegedesenek hazai megallapitasa, Magy Allazorv Lapja 1985, 40:59-63), Germany (Krautwald, M-E, Kaleta, E. F., "Relationship of French moult and early virus induced mortality in nestling budgerigars," Proc. 8th Intl. Cong. World Vet. Poult. Assoc., 1985, 115) and Australia (Pass et al., 1987; Pass, 1985).
Immunodiffusion and virus neutralization techniques have been used to demonstrate anti-polyomavirus antibodies in psittacine birds (Jacobson et al., 1984; Clubb and Davis, 1984; Gaskin, 1989; Davis et al., 1981; Gaskin, 1988; Lynch, J., et al., "Isolation and experimental chicken-embryo-inoculation studies with budgerigar papovavirus," Avian Dis. 1984, 28:1135-1139; Wainwright, P. O., et al., "Serological evaluation of some psittaciformes for budgerigar fledgling disease virus," Avian Dis. 1987, 31:673-676). During epornitics in mixed psittacine bird collections, infected survivors and asymptomatic birds exposed to them have been shown to develop anti-polyomavirus neutralizing antibodies (Jacobson et al., 1984; Clubb and Davis, 1984; Wainwright et al., 1987). Seronegative young adult birds will seroconvert when housed adjacent to seropositive breeding adults, indicating that an antibody response does occur following natural exposure to the virus (Jacobson et al., 1984; Clubb and Davis, 1984; Wainwright et al., 1987; Davis, R. B., "Budgerigar fledgling disease (FD), 32nd West Poult. Dis. Conf., 1983, 104).
Avian polyomavirus infections continue to cause high levels of mortality in companion and aviary birds, resulting in psychological distress for clients and financial burdens for aviculturists and retail distributors despite discovery of the virus over 14 years ago. Therefore, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a safe and effective vaccine against avian polyomavirus which is cross-protective against the disease in multiple species of Psittaciformes but especially in Budgregiars, lovebirds and Cockatiels.

Modified live avian polymavirus vaccine in psittacine birds

University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc.


The present invention relates to a maintenance analysis and instruction system particularly useful for a retail center such as a grocery store. In preferred aspects, the invention provides systems and methods that comprise a portable-device that can instruct a retail center or other worker to attend to various incidents that may occur at a retail center or other location such as product spills, and systems and methods for maintaining an accurate and reliable record of sweeping, mopping and other tasks completed at the retail center. In another preferred aspect, the invention provides systems and methods for accurately tracking work completed at the retail center or other location such as sweeping, spill clean-up or inspection of various areas of the retail center or other location.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a maintenance analysis and instruction system particularly useful for a retail center such as a grocery store. In preferred aspects, the invention provides systems and methods that comprise a portable device that can instruct a retail center or other worker to attend to various incidents that may occur at a retail center or other location such as product spills, and systems and methods for maintaining an accurate and reliable record of sweeping, mopping and other tasks completed at the retail center. In another preferred aspect, the invention provides systems and methods for accurately tracking work completed at the retail center or other location such as sweeping, spill clean-up or inspection of various areas of the retail center or other location.
2. Background
Retail centers such as grocery stores constantly experience breakage and spills of products. For example, in grocery stores glass containers may be knocked off shelves by shoppers and fall and break on the ground to send fluid and/or solid materials across an area of the store floor. Such an incident may be hazardous to persons within the store, e.g., a shopper may slip on the spilled material. This could result in injury to the shopper as well as potential liability for the store owner.
Current maintenance procedures in a retail center such as a grocery store typically include a more or less regular sweeping or mopping of floors during the store's operation. That practice is designed to help ensure the store floors remain free of spilled materials or other potential hazards.
Once an accident occurs within a grocery store or other retail center, however, it is often difficult if not practically impossible to verify that the store has been maintained in a safe manner, e.g. in the case of a slip and fall-type accident, that the store's floors have been regularly and uniformly cleaned to ensure that no debris remains on the floor surface for an extended period. For instance, often workers who clean the floors may have limited English language skills and therefore it will be difficult to keep accurate written records of a maintenance schedule. Additionally, store workers are often interrupted during the course of regular duties to attend to various tasks such as unloading delivery trucks, cleaning of a product spill and the like. Such constant interruptions again make keeping of accurate records of cleaning (e.g. sweeping) and inspection of floors and other maintenance work difficult if not impossible.
Additionally, retail center maintenance workers could be aided by some type of guidance relating to various tasks performed. For example, in the case of a spill pick up, it may be desirable to provide a worker safety tips or reminder of disposal procedures to ensure the worker carries out the cleaning job in a safe manner and according to desired procedures. However, it is typically difficult to convey such information on a regular basis, particularly for those workers with limited English language skills.
It thus would be desirable to have a system that could conveniently and accurately record maintenance of a retail center such as a grocery store, including where a worker may be interrupted during the work day from carrying out maintenance duties. It would be further desirable to have a system that could provide a maintenance worker guidance for conducting various task such as cleaning of a product spill, sweeping, mopping, etc.

Retail center analysis and instruction system


A decal allowing a fisherman to customize a fishing lure. The decal is printed with a life-like image of a fish on one side and the decal has an adhesive on the other side. Initially, the decal is present on a substrate. When a fisherman peels the decal from the substrate, some or all of an adhesive stays on the decal allowing the fisherman to attach the decal to a fishing lure. The image on the decal is waterproof and the decal may be applied to many different lures including spinner bait lures, blades and crank bait lures. The decal may have a scent or flavor enhancer in the waterproofing overcoat, in the ink used to create the image on the decal, in the adhesive, or in all three. Additionally, rattle eyes may be provided on the fishing lure.

The present invention relates generally to fishing lures and, more specifically, to decals designed to be applied to the lure by the fisherman.
Among the strategies used by fishermen in attempting to catch fish is the use of fishing lures. Typically, a fisherman has a tackle box which contains many lures having different appearances so that the fisherman may use different lures depending on the season, the time of day, the weather, or any other such factors which affects the success or failure of a given lure at a given time. For example, if a fisherman is out fishing and a factor such as the weather changes or it goes from day to night, the fisherman will change lures. This is because certain lures work better under certain conditions. Frequently, if a fisherman is out fishing and not having success with a given fishing lure, the fisherman will change lures. Consequently, fishermen have been forced to remove the old lure and attach the new lure on a fairly frequent basis in order to maximize the success rate of catching fish in a given outing.


A system for use in a mobile device comprises: a switch unit configured to switch a common connection of a transmitter and a first receiver from a first antenna to a second antenna and a connection of a second receiver from the second antenna to the first antenna; and a processing system configured to receive at least two reception signals from the first and second receivers; in response to receiving the two reception signals, evaluate a communication link via the first and second antennae; based on the evaluation of the communication link, determine that the transmitter needs to transmit via the second antenna; obtain reception parameters used by said first and second receivers; cause the switch unit to switch the common connection of the transmitter and a first receiver so that the transmitter transmits via the second antenna; and exchange reception parameters between the at least two receivers.

Mobile communication architectures can be categorized as cellular network and ad-hoc network. In a cellular network such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE_A), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), or the like, communication between mobile devices is routed via one or more core network elements. Contrary, in ad-hoc networks, mobile devices can communicate directly with each other without involving a (core) network structure such as a centralized controller.
In urban environments, multipath and large angular spread leads to multipath propagated signals reception. On the other hand, in a rural environment with line of sight condition, diversity/Multi Input Multi Output (MIMO) reception of the mobile device based on reception via two or more antennae, each connected with a diversity receiver, may allow a receiving communication even with a radio link with reduced performance. A transmitter is usually operatively bound to one of the diversity receivers. However, if the base station is poorly positioned in relation to the antennae of the mobile device, a transmitting communication link may not be possible, mobile device may drop call, or the communication link may be not optimal. This may lead not only to transmission defects but also to complete communication defects.
Hence it is an object of the invention to improve mobile communication.

Methods, devices, and computer program products improving mobile communication


A set of responsive nose pad mechanisms is provided for notifying a user of an alert using one or more responsive nose pads coupled to a set of eyeglasses the user is wearing. Responsive to receiving a signal from a mobile device, each responsive nose pad signaling mechanism in the set of responsive nose pad mechanisms determines whether the signal is intended for the responsive nose pad signaling mechanism. Responsive to the signal being intended for the responsive nose pad signaling mechanism, the responsive nose pad signaling mechanism identifies one or more alerts to be implemented. The responsive nose pad mechanism then implements the one or more alerts such that the alert is generated by one or more devices within the associated responsive nose pad.

The present application relates generally to an improved data processing apparatus and method and more specifically to mechanisms for a responsive nose pad signaling mechanism.
Currently, mobile devices provide indications of an incoming call, text message, or email to a user by playing a ringtone or through a vibrating alert. That is, a ringtone is the sound produced by a mobile device to indicate an incoming call, text message, or email, that is not literally a tone but is most often used today to refer to customizable sounds used on mobile devices. A vibrating alert is an alternate or supplementary feature of mobile device to notify the user of an incoming call, text message, or email. Vibrating alerts are primarily used when a user cannot hear the ring tone (a noisy environment or through hearing loss) or wants a more discreet notification. However, when the mobile device is placed on a hard surface, the vibrating alert can often be as loud or louder than a ringtone.

International Business Machines Corporation


A modular helical anchor apparatus includes at least two shaft sections connected by an anchor section. An end of each of the shaft sections is releasably connected to opposite ends of the anchor sections by fasteners. The anchor section includes a helical member.

The present invention relates generally to a screw anchor apparatus for use in underpinning and tiebacks and, in particular, to a modular helical anchor.
Helical anchors are well known. Helical anchors are utilized in the geotechnical industry to anchor building foundations in unstable soil and to stabilize and/or repair the integrity of existing foundations and the like. A typical helical anchor is part of an assembly that consists of at least one elongated shaft member having at least one helical plate member attached thereto and extending therearound. The helical plate member is fixedly attached to the shaft member and the assembly is mounted in the ground for securing to a foundation or the like. Typically, the helical plate member is placed in the ground and the helical anchor assembly is rotated about the longitudinal axis of the shaft member, which enables the helical plate member to engage with the ground material, drawing the entire assembly into the ground to form, typically with a plurality of other anchor assemblies, a firm anchor point for the foundation. The anchor assemblies can be utilized under compression, known in the art as underpinning, wherein the anchor assembly supports a body by absorbing a compression load between opposed ends, one of which is attached to the ground and the other of which is attached to the body. The anchor assemblies can also be utilized under tension, known in the art as a tieback, wherein the anchor assembly retains the body to the foundation by applying a tension load to the opposed ends thereof.
It is common for the helical anchor assembly to vary in length, depending on the different requirements of the particular installation. Typically, the length of the helical anchor is varied by attaching a plurality of shaft members end to end, with each of the shaft members having at least one helical member attached thereto, to form an elongated anchor assembly. The shaft members are typically required to be attached by welding at the job site when the helical anchor assembly is installed, which is disadvantageously time-consuming and expensive. In addition, the helical anchor assemblies are often installed in tight quarters, which makes welding the shaft members particularly difficult.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide a helical anchor assembly that is modular in design for modifying the length of the assembly for the requirements of each installation. It is also desirable to provide a helical anchor that may be assembled, utilized, and installed in tight quarters.


The invention proposes an H-plane filter with inductive irises which exhibits a quasi-elliptic response while retaining the same compactness as a filter having a Chebyshev response. The invention furthermore makes it possible to use a large number of transmission zeros. For this purpose, there is proposed a waveguide filter comprising at least one cavity delimited by at least two inductive irises. The filter furthermore comprises at least one floating insert 1 placed in one of the inductive irises. The invention is also a process for manufacturing the waveguide filter incorporating at least one insert.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to a bandpass filter with pseudo-elliptic response of waveguide type. Such a filter is used in particular in high-frequency transmission systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The mass-market development of broadband bidirectional transmission devices requires the use of a filtering device exhibiting considerable constraints in terms of selectivity, bandwidth, bulkiness and cost. These constraints are very considerable at the level of the filtering carried out on the antenna side to isolate transmission and reception where signals lying in two very close bands have to be isolated from one another.
Among the filtering technologies usable for millimeter frequencies, the technologies of waveguide type exhibit a quality factor high enough to meet the requirements. The waveguide filters most commonly used are nowadays E-plane filters with dielectric insert and H-plane filters with inductive irises.
Beyond 40 GHz, and for highly selective filters, it is preferable to use H-plane filters with inductive irises. FIG. 1 represents a bandpass filter of order 3 with four inductive irises possessing a Chebyshev type response. Such a filter, in order to be highly selective, has to have a high order N, giving rise to an increase in the number of irises which is equal to N+1. However, the increase in the number of irises causes an increase in the size of the filter.
In order to increase the selectivity of an iris filter, it is known, for example, from the article by W. MENZEL et al, "Planar integrated waveguide diplexer for low cost millimeter-wave applications" EUMC, pp 676-680, September 1997, to introduce transmission zeros near the passband. The introduction of transmission zeros produces a quasi-elliptic response which improves the selectivity of the filter. On the other hand, the introduction of transmission zeros is achieved by adding sections of guide (or resonant cavities) placed perpendicularly to the principal axis of the filter, therefore rendering the filter less compact. Furthermore, the number and the frequency positioning of the transmission zeros is limited on account of the method of implementation.
An aim of the invention is to propose an H-plane filter with inductive irises which exhibits a quasi-elliptic response while retaining the same compactness as a filter having a Chebyshev response. A second aim is to be able to use a large number of transmission zeros. For this purpose, there is proposed a waveguide filter with inductive iris in which at least one floating insert is placed in an iris.

Bandpass filter with pseudo-elliptic response


A bicycle seat post height adjustment mechanism, in a state of locking, has a lower valve packing ring blocking a lower valve port. Moreover, based on demands, an upper valve packing ring is allowed selectively to block an upper valve port or to be away from the upper valve port to stay on top of the upper valve port. Thus, a pin is driven to axially move down to enable a seat post to make fine adjustment, stepless adjustment or stepped adjustment in height. Moreover, the seat post may self-return to the assigned position (an upper position, a middle position or a lower position) to prevent the height of the seat from altering.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bicycle seat post height adjustment mechanism and, more particularly, to a bicycle seat post height adjustment mechanism that not only enables said seat post to make fine adjustment, stepless adjustment or stepped adjustment in height, but also allows said seat post to self-return to the assigned position after a user releases the bicycle without holding the seat or the seat post thereof.
Description of the Prior Art
Generally, the height of a bicycle seat post is adjustable so that the user may adjust the seat post to the proper height for comfortable riding according to his/her figure or demands. Substantially, a prior art oil hydraulic bicycle seat post height adjustment device allows stepless adjustments in height so that the seat post is usually adjusted to a too high position or a too low position. Moreover, the user can not adjust the seat post height to the proper height in a mode of fine adjustment or in a mode of stepped adjustment. Therefore, user has to gradually adjust the seat post to modify the height thereof. Further, as the user lifts a bicycle by holding its seat (seat post), the lifting force may impact the prior art oil hydraulic device inside the seat post and thereby cause the seat post displacement in height. Obviously, the prior art bicycle seat post height adjustment device needs to be meliorated.

Bicycle seat post height adjustment mechanism


A semiconductor device including a plurality of current mirror circuits is disclosed. The current mirror circuits having reference input terminals and output terminals respectively. Each of the reference input terminals is provided with a current having a different current value. Each of the output terminals of the current mirror circuits are connected to a current output terminal. The output currents of the current mirror circuits are controlled by a control circuit.

A current multiplication circuit using a current mirror circuit has been widely used as a constant current circuit for use of a bias circuit requiring a large output current or an active load. A conventional current multiplication circuit is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 11-234135.
In the current multiplication circuit disclosed in the Publication, a plurality of output transistors of a current mirror circuit are connected in parallel so that the output current may have a desired value.
In a portable device typified by a cellular phone, it has been required at a transmission output stage that a bias current circuit covers an output current (a bias current) having a dynamic range of two to three digits. Furthermore, in such an application, there is a limitation that, in order to suppress switching noises to be produced at the time a bias current is switched, it is necessary to avoid turning on and off a plurality of output transistors of a bias current circuit simultaneously. Therefore, it is difficult to adopt a decode system to select an output transistor, so that it is necessary to connect output transistors of the number equivalent to required current steps in parallel.
However, in the conventional current multiplication circuit as described above, there has been an essential problem that a layout area increases in proportion to a ratio of an output current to a reference current. Particularly, a problem arises in the case where the output transistors connected in parallel are selected sequentially by means of switches in order to suppress the switching noises. The problem is that the layout area increases to the extent that the bias current circuit occupies a large portion of a core circuit, when the bias current circuit covers a wide dynamic range, for example, several hundreds μA to several tens mA.

Semiconductor device including current mirror circuit


A cover assembly for a floor box includes a base with a central opening and a cover pivotally connected to the base by a hinge member. The hinge member has a hinge body with a first end pivotally connected to the base for pivoting with respect to the base and second end pivotally connected to the cover for pivoting with respect to the cover. A tab extends from the second end of the hinge body to contact a bottom surface of the cover to limit pivoting movement of the cover with respect to the hinge body. A slide surface is provided on the base that contacts an end of the cover during pivoting movement of the cover to prevent wear on a gasket with the opening of the base.

Electrical floor boxes are known in the art for covering electrical receptacle and other electrical devices when not in use. Often the floor box has a hinged cover that pivots from a closed position to an open position. Many floor boxes have a top surface that is raised from the floor creating a lip that interferes with the use of the box.
One example of prior a floor box is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0072198 to Roemer et al. This patent application discloses a floor mounting container for an electrical device where the cover can pivot 180° to lay flat in the open position. The hinge includes a hinge block having one end pivotally connected to the flange of the container and a second end pivotally connected to the cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,476 to Zeliff et al. discloses a floor box having a cover hinged to the box and a notch in the cover for receiving an egress door. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0054135 to Galasso et al. discloses a recessed electrical outlet box having a hinged cover that can pivot 180°. The hinge of Galasso et al. is a four part hinge having two interconnected links between the frame and the cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,760 to Takimoto and U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,350 to Morgan disclose biaxial hinge assemblies having a single link connecting two hinge portions together to allow the hinge to pivot 180° and lay flat on the frame.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0053679 to Galasso et al. also discloses a recessed outlet box having a cover that can pivot 180°. As shown in FIG. 12, the hinge has two interconnecting links connected to the hinge member on the lid and the hinge member on the frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,301,100 to Drane et al. discloses a floor box cover that is hinged to the flange. As shown in FIG. 12, the cover can pivot 180° to lay flat against the floor. The hinge includes a pin made of a resilient material such as steel. When the cover is opened, the pin flexes to permit translational movement of the cover and pin and creates a biasing force to urge the cover in a forward position.
GB 2 241 389 discloses a floor box having a hinged cover where the hinge has two interconnecting links to allow the cover to lay flat when in the open position.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,579,549 to Jolly discloses a floor box having a cover that can pivot open and then retract into a slot in the face of the box.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,851,703 to Drane discloses a gasket forming a sealing member around the opening of a door. The gasket has a water-resistant coating to provide a releasable and repositionable adhesive sealing surface prior to curing.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,459,632 to Bowman discloses a floor box having a hinged cover with a hinged egress door. The egress door has a sealing member on one side to form a seal between the egress door and the lid.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,669,041 to Almond Inc. discloses a floor box having a hinged cover and an egress door. The cover does not pivot 180° with respect to the frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,265,662 to Riedy et al. discloses a floor box with a hinged cover and an egress door. The frame of the floor box includes a gasket for forming a seal. The cover includes a spring and a cam surface to secure the door in the closed position.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0236023 to Wang et al. discloses a hinge assembly for an electronic device such as a notebook computer. The hinge device includes a series of washers mounted on a pivot pin to provide sufficient friction to hold the hinge in the selected position.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0206603 to Drane discloses a latching floor box cover having a lid pivotally connected to the frame, a latch on the frame, and a lid biasing device positioned between the lid and the frame where the biasing device is in engagement with the frame to urge the lid away from the closed position when the lid is unlatched.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,355 to Yuhara discloses a vanity case having a sliding latch mechanism in the housing and a hinged cover that is opened by a spring as shown in FIG. 3.
While these devices have been generally suitable for the intended purpose there is continuing need in the industry for improved cover assemblies for floor boxes and hinge assemblies.


A trait of interest is detected as being present within individual ones of a plurality of agricultural samples (such as seeds or plant tissues) by imaging the plurality of samples to form a magnetic resonance image. The image of the plurality of samples is then analyzed to detect image information indicative of the presence of the trait within one or more of the imaged samples. A determination is then made as to whether the trait is exhibited in individual ones of the samples based upon the foregoing analysis. As an example, the samples may be a plurality of seeds, and the detected trait may be oil. A determination is made, based on the image analysis, as to whether each individual seed in the multi-seed image contains oil. A further examination may be made to determine a relative content of oil in each seed as well as a content by weight.

Breeding for compositionally enhanced agricultural products can require the analysis of a large number of seed samples from plants to identify those plants with the desired compositional and agronomic properties for use or advancement to the next generation. Analysis of bulk seed batches for certain traits, such as high oil or protein content, on a single plant or ear, in conjunction with an appropriate breeding methodology such as recurrent selection, often allows for the selection and introduction of such traits into a commercial population. Although the analysis of these seed batches can be performed by various techniques, methods that are rapid, low cost, and non-destructive are the most desirable.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is based on a non-invasive spectroscopic technique known as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). NMR requires the sample under investigation to contain atoms that exhibit nuclear spin, an intrinsic quality makes the atomic nuclei magnetic. The most common atom with nuclear spin is hydrogen, whose nucleus is a proton with spin ½. A typical proton NMR (1H NMR) experiment involves placing a sample to be studied in a strong homogeneous magnetic field. The strong magnetic field causes preferential alignment of the protons in the sample with the magnetic field, a phenomenon that is analogous to a magnetic compass needle aligning with the earth's magnetic field. In a simple modern "pulsed-NMR" experiment, another magnetic field (the radiofrequency, or RF field) is transiently applied to the sample, which has the effect of rotating the aligned protons to a higher energy state, which is perpendicular to the strong magnetic field (this is called a 90° pulse). The protons precess at characteristic rates as they realign with the strong field, thus inducing a current in a pair of coils that serve as the detector. The current is measured in the detection coils as a function of time, and from this the rates of precession of the protons in the sample are inferred. The rates of precession are determined primarily by the strength of the strong magnetic field (with stronger fields leading to greater precession rates), but the unique molecular environment experienced by each of the protons also has an effect on the rate of precession. It is the unique molecular environment that is the object of study in NMR experiments.
In a slightly more complicated modern pulsed NMR experiment, the complexity of the signals arising from multiple molecular environments can be eliminated, leaving only the signals from protons in a selected subset of molecular environments. This approach, called the "spin-echo" experiment, can be used, for example, on a sample comprising a mixture of oil and water to eliminate the signal arising from the protons in water molecules, and to leave only signals arising from protons in oil molecules. This can be accomplished by using a series of RF pulses of 90° and 180°, and commercial instruments typically come with software that is useful for programming the instrument to properly execute the pulse sequence.
Non-imaging NMR-based technology for measuring characteristics such as oil content in intact seeds requires measurement of bulk samples and is unable to distinguish characteristics of individual seeds. These low-field pulsed NMR methods rely on differentiation of oil from other components in the seed based on inherent differences in longitudinal and spin-spin nuclear relaxation rates between oil and other protonated species. NMR methods used to measure oil have been standardized, they are non-destructive, robust, and they yield both accurate and reproducible results. But low-field NMR methods are performed at low magnetic field strengths, which yields poor signal-to-noise relative to the MRI experiment, and consequently, these methods offer a poor approach for single-seed analysis. The MRI method for measuring oil content is based on the same physical principles described in pulsed NMR studies. The difference is that MRI provides spatially encoded NMR signals, providing displays of data in an image format rather than a conventional NMR spectrum.
Another similarity exists between conventional NMR studies and the MRI method for measuring oil levels in single seeds. Both methods provide a relative oil content for seeds on a percent basis (wt/wt) by comparing the experimental results with oil calibration standards, which is the generally accepted and useful method for comparing oil levels in single seeds. See Tiwari et al., "Rapid and nondestructive determination of seed oil by pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance technique," J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 51: 104-109 (1974). Relative numbers are obtained because a small portion of the NMR signal intensity is lost during the timing delays incorporated into the data acquisition schemes. The relative numbers can be corrected to absolute numbers by normalizing the data using an independent oil measurement for a given population of seeds, e.g., the average of the measured oil value for the population is set to the oil value determined in a bulk measurement and all individual seeds are adjusted accordingly. Absolute oil numbers also can be obtained using NMR spectroscopy and MRI methods by using seed standards in the analysis. In this case, the oil content of a seed is determined absolutely since the seed standard more closely matches the nuclear relaxation and wax content of the experimental seed. However, absolute oil numbers have been shown to be less precise for comparing relative oil levels between seeds. See Rubel, "Simultaneous determination of oil and water contents in different oilseeds by pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance," J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 71: 1057-1062 (1994).
While the best NMR instruments require extremely homogenous magnetic fields, MRI machines purposely induce field gradients (variations in magnetic field strength with respect to position) using three gradient magnets. The gradient magnets are much weaker than the strong. magnet, but they are sufficient to cause distinguishable proton precession rates at different parts of the sample. Modern MRI machines pulse not only the RF field, but also the gradient fields, in order to selectively rotate and selectively detect protons in particular regions of the sample. Measurement of the signal strength of the various frequency components (precession rates) indicates the density and relaxation times (the time it takes particular protons to relax back to their original low-energy state and re-align with the strong magnetic field, the longitudinal relaxation time, and to precess out of phase, or dephase due to spin-spin relaxation, with respect to the other protons) of protons at various locations in the sample.
MRI methods provide direct measurements of characteristics such as oil levels, thus providing a primary assay independent of a chemometric model. Thus a three dimensional image can be constructed where the intensities at various points in the image relate to the densities and relaxation times of protons at those points in the sample. Furthermore, because different molecular environments result in different precession frequencies, the molecular environment at each point in the sample can be determined. Such an approach is called "chemical shift imaging" (CSI).
An alternative to CSI is "spin echo imaging" (SEI). In this experiment, one class of protons can be singled out (based on their dephasing rates), and the signals from all other protons can be suppressed. For example, if a sample contains spatially separated oil and water, and a SEI experiment is directed to detecting the oil, then the resulting image will show only those regions of the sample in which oil is found.
MRI is a well-known non-invasive radiological technique commonly used in the medical sciences. The long-wavelength (radio wave) radiation is universally regarded as less harmful than the forms of radiation used in other types of non-invasive radiological techniques such as X-ray CAT (computed axial tomography) scans. As early as 1988, MRI techniques were starting to be applied to the study of plants. See Introduction section of Lakshminarayana et al., "Spatial distribution of oil in groundnut and sunflower seeds by nuclear magnetic resonance imaging," J. Biosci. 17(1): 87-93 (March 1992) (hereinafter Lakshminarayana et al.) (describing a history up to 1992 of the use of MRI in the study of plants, seeds, and plant tissue). Lakshminarayana et al. describe an experiment in which MRI was used on single seeds to determine the spatial distribution of oil and water in single seed samples. They used a spin echo pulse sequence to selectively detect only the protons that were part of oil molecules. MRI was also used to study water uptake in dry kidney beans by Heil et al., "Magnetic resonance imaging and modeling of water up-take into dry beans," Lebensm.-Wiss. u.-Technol. 25:280 (1992).
Both SEI and CSI MRI were used to image lipids in pecan embryos by Halloin et al., "Proton magnetic resonance imaging of lipid in pecan embryos," J. Am. Oil Chemists' Soc. 70:1259 (1993). These experiments studied the differences in the images of pecan embryos that were normal, infected by fungus, and damaged by insects. The CSI MRI experiment showed the distribution of lipids and water within the pecan embryos.
Other MRI techniques are known to those skilled in the art. One example is relaxography, or relaxation time mapping. In this technique, different regions of a sample being imaged are distinguished based on the differences in relaxation times of the protons in the different regions.
MRI experiments on seeds have traditionally been conducted using research grade MRI instruments, for example, the Bruker AMX-400 9.4 Tesla instrument with an 8.9 cm diameter bore (Bruker Instruments Inc., Billerica, Mass.) or the GE Omega system 7.1 Tesla instrument with a 15 cm diameter bore (General Electric, Milwaukee, Wis.). These instruments typically have a bore size of a few centimeters, and consequently can only be used to study samples that are smaller than the bore size. The advantage of the small scale of these instruments is that the detection coils are close to the sample under investigation, and therefore their sensitivity is very high. Larger research grade MRI instruments also exist with bore sizes and detection coil diameters of 20-50 cm, for example, the Bruker Biospec II 4.7 Tesla, 40 cm diameter bore (Bruker Instruments, Inc., Billerica, Mass.). These instruments are useful for imaging of mice and other small animals. Clinical MRI instruments, on the other hand, must have a bore size and detection coils that are large enough to accommodate a human body. For example, Siemens (Siemens AG, Erlangen, Germany) and GE Medical Systems (Milwaukee, Wis.) manufacture a wide range of clinical instruments that can accommodate objects with 50 cm diameters and larger. Some newer systems with permanent magnets with magnetic fields as low as 0.2 Tesla are not limited by bore size, but by coil diameter. But the larger diameter detection coils in traditional superconducting instruments, as well as newer permanent magnet systems, make these clinical instruments ill-suited for imaging small samples such as seeds. The large distance of the detection coils from a small sample and the inherently weak signal emanating from a small sample conspire to make conventional approaches to quantitative imaging of small samples using clinical MRI instruments impractical. But the small volumes of small bore size research MRI instruments do not allow the simultaneous imaging of as many seeds as a clinical MRI instrument would allow if the larger MRI instruments were amenable to detecting signals from small samples.
Conventional non-invasive methods for bulk seed analysis, such as infrared (IR) spectroscopy, suffer from the disadvantage of being rather time-intensive and producing results that may not be fairly representative of the sample analyzed. Time-intensive techniques for finding desirable characteristics are especially disadvantageous to selective plant breeding programs, where many single seeds need to be screened rapidly in order to allow seed selection before the next planting generation. Delays in providing the breeder with the analytical results can cause the loss of an entire breeding cycle.
Non-imaging techniques such as IR spectroscopy suffer from the further disadvantage of collecting information from only a subset of a total sample by spot sampling only portions of only a few seeds out of the hundreds of seeds in the bulk sample. Furthermore, since spot sampling interrogates arbitrary portions of the seed, different tissues of the seeds in the samples can be misrepresented by the analytical data. Since qualities like oil content are often present in different amounts in different tissues, non-imaging techniques can fail to accurately assess the desired quality. Non-imaging techniques disregard spatial information, and thus provide no information to a plant breeder about the size, shape, mechanical damage, insect infestation, or fungal damage.
Conventional seed analysis techniques also fail to provide an efficient method for single seed analysis, which can greatly accelerate the rate of varietal development. Single seed analysis is necessary to differentiate and select individual seeds from the heterogeneous population of seeds often encountered in breeding populations. Single seed analysis can reduce the number of generations required for the production of a plant with the desired trait. Single seed selection also reduces the number of individual plants required. In corn, for example, the ability to identify the individual seeds with the desired trait at the single seed level rather than at the whole ear level can reduce the nursery requirement by 100 fold. This makes it possible to conduct a far greater number of breeding projects with the same resources.
Other conventional analytical techniques, such as gas chromatography, also often fail to provide an efficient method for single seed analysis. For example, the conventional method for single seed analysis of canola requires manual excision of one half of each seed for fatty acid analysis by gas chromatography, while the other half is planted. Because of the manual sample preparation and the low throughput of this analytical technique, only a small number of samples can be run per hour using this process. Furthermore, this technique allows for the possibility of destroying analyzed seeds' potentials to grow into mature, seed bearing plants.
Although single seed analysis is desirable, conventional approaches and sampling methods do not allow for efficient processing of single seeds. Conventional techniques require extensive manual input, which limits the rate of development of plants with improved characteristics.
Conventional spectroscopic analysis techniques do not allow for the localization of chemical component levels within different tissues of seeds. Conventional approaches, such as manual dissection of the seed followed by chemical analysis by traditional analytical techniques, are not only laborious and destructive, they also result in poor resolution of the components and poor quantitation, since the sample size resulting from dissection of individual seeds is below the sample size at which most traditional techniques produce reliable results.
Needed in the art are devices and methods for rapid analysis of bulk and single seeds that can efficiently and non-destructively analyze the morphological and/or chemical characteristics of individual seeds, and that can be integrated into an agricultural processing machine. The present invention provides such devices and methods.

Apparatus and methods for analyzing and improving agricultural products


A method for flying in a degraded visual environment comprising the steps of collecting environmental data, processing the data and fusing the data together into a combined input output. The output is fed into a head down display, head mounted or heads up display and, preferably to a fly-by-wire vertical take-off and landing capable vehicle wherein the fly-by-wire system makes automatic adjustments to the helicopter.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to flight control systems and display systems for vertical take off and landing capable aircraft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hazardous weather conditions significantly limit the operational capability of helicopters. Helicopters are called upon routinely to approach and land at remote sites without the aid of navigation guidance or acceptable and safe visual conditions. Often the topography, ground hazards, obstacles and weather in the area are unknown or changing. Upon arrival at a remote location, the pilot must make critical judgments based on incomplete or inaccurate data available to him in order to determine the proper procedure to approach and land at the site. If the surface condition is such that dust, snow, sand, etc. will be blown up by rotor downwash, the helicopter is often suddenly engulfed in a cloud of visually-restrictive material, causing the pilot to lose his visual references. The loss of visual references causes spatial disorientation problems that impede a pilot from making a fully stabilized safe landing.
The pilot uses his visual references for determining his control strategy to stabilize and bring the aircraft to a prelanding quiescent trim condition and to establish his ground closure rates as he finalizes his approach and touches down. In interviews with pilots, it was determined that pilot workload and procedures such as cross cockpit checks increase during a tactical "brownout" landing. When references are lost, a pilot may know his attitude references, but he is most likely unaware of his fore and aft, lateral, and vertical speed relative to the ground. He may also not be aware of the local terrain contour for a safe all wheel settling to the ground.
This has prevented many helicopter pilots from completing missions, or even losing control of the helicopter causing injury, and, in some cases, death and loss of the helicopter.
This limitation partially arises from the crew's inability to determine the location of obstacles in the environment by sight. In order to assist the crew in these circumstances, a range of equipment and sensors may be installed in the helicopter to provide information about the helicopter's position and the position of obstacles. The information provided by the sensors is inherently inaccurate at least because of the time delay in the system but also because of the uncertainty associated with sensor. As the dynamics of the obstacles cannot be guaranteed to be linear, these process models must be capable of reflecting this non-linear behavior. The uncertain information produced by various sensors is related to required knowledge about the obstacles by a sensor model however this relationship need not be linear, and may even have to be learned.
In order to limit the inaccuracies, current helicopter flight control systems use estimation techniques to counteract the error in the sensors. One of the best currently used techniques, an ordinary extended Kalman filter, is inadequate for estimating the uncertainty involved in the obstacles' positions for the highly non-linear processes under consideration. Neural network approaches to non-linear estimation have recently allowed process and sensor models to be learned; however, these approaches are also inadequate.
A shortcoming of the prior art is that with multiple sensors on board, there is a problem of efficiently assimilating the large amount of imagery and data available.
Additionally, another shortcoming of the prior art is the high demand that the scanning of multiple flight instruments places on a pilot. When in a brownout situation, the pilot must focus himself on multiple flight display instruments in order to compensate for his lack of visual landing references.
Yet another shortcoming of the prior art is the mechanical control of the helicopter. Currently, in contrast to modern airplanes, helicopters are either normally mechanically or hydro-mechanically controlled. The partial authority of the flight control system on such helicopters limits the ability of the flight control stability augmentation system to aid the pilot in high workload situations.
Prior to this invention, pilots heavily relied on repetitive training to help them with lost visibility outside the cockpit, for example "brownout". In addition to training, helicopter and avionic manufacturers have tried to help pilots effectively deal with brownout. They have proposed several partial solutions, but they have been incomplete or ineffective in dealing with the brownout problem. Some of these attempts include hover displays with velocity and acceleration cues, coupled hover landings using radar altimeter and Doppler coupled autopilots, and FLIR turret vertical lookdown imaging and improved stability augmentation. Full implementation of these individual ideas have not resulted in a full-proof solution to allow a pilot to fly in a degraded visual environment (DVE). None of the proposed prior art solutions have fully addressed the spatial disorientation problem much less allowed a pilot to make a fully stabilized safe landing.

Technical design concepts to improve helicopter obstacle avoidance and operations in “brownout” conditions