A magnetic infrasound sensor is produced by constraining a permanent magnet inside a magnetic potential well above the surface of superconducting material. The magnetic infrasound sensor measures the position or movement of the permanent magnet within the magnetic potential well, and interprets the measurements. Infrasound sources can be located and characterized by combining the measurements from one or more infrasound sensors. The magnetic infrasound sensor can be tuned to match infrasound source types, resulting in better signal-to-noise ratio. The present invention can operate in frequency modulation mode to improve sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio. In an alternate construction, the superconductor can be levitated over a magnet or magnets. The system can also be driven, so that time resolved perturbations are sensed, resulting in a frequency modulation version with improved sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio.

Infrasound sensors are used in a diverse set of applications ranging from discovering oil pools, finding underground structures, locating seismic events, and even predicting earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. The wide range of sensors employed in these activities includes accelerometers, strain gauges, inertial oscillators, and laser interferometers. Generally, the focus of these systems has been to cover a broad band of infrasound frequencies and to avoid sensitivity to transversely polarized infrasound waves. However, when the characteristics of a signal are known, such as the speed of sound in certain geologic strata, broadband sensors do not perform as well as sensors tuned to the signal.
The shortcomings of the broadband sensors are most apparent in the signal-to-noise ratio of the sensor output signal. All of the energy in the entire sensitivity range of the sensor is measured and the desired signals must be filtered out of those data. Additionally, infrasound signals have such low frequencies that they are hard to transmit after conversion to electronic signals. Accurate transmission of low frequency signals typically involves a modulation scheme by which a higher frequency, which is less susceptible to noise, is used to carry the low frequency information. The present invention is ideal for measuring infrasound signals because it can be tuned for reception of a specific range of signals and because it allows for frequency modulation as the infrasound signal interacts with the magnetic infrasound sensor itself.
Infrasound waves are extremely low frequency sound waves generally below the 20 Hz human hearing threshold and travel at the speed of sound through a medium. In the earth, their speed is typically close to 1460 meters per second. Based on their speed and frequency, infrasound waves typically have a wavelength in excess of 243 meters. Infrasound waves are capable of traveling around the earth, enabling the measurement of distant events if a sufficiently sensitive sensor is used.

The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy


An independent suspension apparatus includes a cross beam mounted on two transversely spaced mounting elements of a trailer. Two axle frames are independently pivoted on the cross beam to extend longitudinally of the trailer to distal ends that support stub axles for mounting wheels thereon. A suspension element is supported on each axle frame to act between the axle frame and the trailer frame to support weight of the trailer thereon. Each axle frame is pivotally supported on the cross beam by two hinges, in which each hinge is laterally spaced from the other hinges. Optional adjustment assemblies of each hinge allow the axle frames to be adjustably aligned relative to the trailer frame. In one embodiment, an abutment member is cantilevered from the cross beam to support an upper end of the suspension element relative to the trailer frame.

Conventional suspension systems for semi-truck trailers have a single axle which extends from each side of the trailer wherein the wheels are mounted at each end. The conventional trailer suspension system is arranged such that when a respective wheel on a side of the trailer engages a bump or the like, the suspension rocks tilting the trailer from side to side and the system does not provide independent movement of each wheel.
Some examples of suspension systems for trailers which provide independent suspension are as follows, U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,735 (Penverne et al), U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,275,430—5,016,912—4,934,733 and 5,839,750 (all of Smith et al), U.S. Pat. No. 4,455,038 (Capler et al), U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,539 (Pierce), U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,340 (Egging), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,930 (Davis). The above mention suspension systems have a limited support arrangement for individual wheels or are configured in a manner that the suspension system is inadequate for or incompatible with large and heavy trailer applications including conventional semi truck trailer. For instance, the pivoting frames that support the wheels relative to the trailer frame may be prone to twisting under heavy loads or on trailers pulled along roads having rough conditions.

Independent suspension apparatus for a trailer


A power supply device has a first power supply capable of storing and discharging electric power, a second power supply connected in series to the first power supply and capable of storing and discharging the electric power, an isolated DC-DC converter including a primary side terminal to which the first power supply is connected, and a secondary side terminal to which the second power supply is connected, and a power supply control unit that controls a voltage of the second power supply using the isolated DC-DC converter. A direct-current voltage outputted from the first power supply and the second power supply connected in series is inputted to a first inverter, converted into an alternating-current voltage by the first inverter, and then supplied to a vehicle drive motor.

Technical Field
The present invention relates to a power supply device configured to supply electric power to a vehicle drive motor, and a method of controlling the same.
Related Art
Techniques for enabling power supply devices, which are used in vehicles such as electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), to effectively collect electric power regenerated by vehicle drive motors have heretofore been proposed (see Patent Literature 1, for example.)
A power supply device of Patent Literature 1 includes a switch configured to switch between a state where a capacitor and a battery that can store and discharge electric power are connected in series to an inverter and a state where only the battery is connected to the inverter. When a voltage of the capacitor is lower than a predetermined value, regenerated electric power is supplied to both the battery and the capacitor by connecting the battery and the capacitor in series. When the voltage of the capacitor is higher than the predetermined value, the regenerated electric power is supplied only to the battery by connecting the battery only.

Power supply device and method of controlling the same


A method is provided whereby, before being subjected to a low rate voice coding, an incoming digital voice signal is chronologically segmented into blocks, the blocks are broken down respectively, in chronological order, into frequency components by a transformation in the frequency range and the frequency components are multiplied by weight factors depending on the frequency and modifiable in time, a frequency component being multiplied by the last weight factor calculated for the frequency component if the factor is less than the current weight factor.

The present invention relates to a method and a system for voice processing; in particular, for processing noise in a voice signal.
The incredible pace of technical development in the area of mobile communication has led to constantly increasing demands on voice processing in recent years; particularly voice encoding and noise suppression. This is attributable in no small measure to the restricted availability of bandwidth and constantly increasing demands on voice quality.
A major component of voice processing includes estimating the noise signal or interference by which, for example, a voice signal captured by a microphone is normally affected and, if necessary, suppressing it in the input signal so as to only transmit the voice signal where possible. However, with conventional methods of noise suppression, undesired artifacts, also referred to as musical tones, are frequently produced in the background signal.
An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a technical template which allows high quality voice transmission at a low data rate.

Method and system for reducing a voice signal noise


A method for calibrating a track circuit is provided. The track circuit includes a transmit processing unit, a receive processing unit, and a plurality of rails coupled in series to form a track section having a first end and a second end. The transmit processing unit is coupled to the track section adjacent the first end. The receive processing unit is coupled to the track section adjacent the second end. The method includes operating the transmit processing unit so that a first voltage is applied to the track section, operating the receive processing unit to detect a first current signal, and if a parameter of the first current signal is not within a predetermined acceptable range, then communicating with the transmit processing unit so that the transmit processing unit applies a second voltage to the track section, the second voltage having a different magnitude than the first voltage.

This invention relates generally to railroad systems, and more specifically, to methods and system of automatically calibrating track circuits.
A rail track circuit typically is used to detect whether a train is present on a track section. Such circuit also can be used to detect broken rails within the track section and/or can be used to transmit signal aspect information through the rails. A typical track circuit includes rails in electrical series with a signal transmitter and a signal receiver. The signal transmitter applies a voltage, sometimes referred to as a transmit voltage, to the rails. As a result, a current signal, sometimes referred to as a receive current, is transmitted through the rails. The receive current is detected by the receiver.
When a train composed of one or multiple railcars is located on the track section of the track circuit, the wheels of the railcars act as a shunt between the rails and form a shunt path. The shunt path creates an electrical short between the rails at the location of the train, and such short path effectively prevents the receive current from being received/detected by the signal receiver.
Over time, environmental conditions and rail conditions can change. These changing conditions impact ballast resistance of the track circuit. Generally, leakage paths occur through the ballast, and the leakage resistance of such paths varies due to the changing conditions. The varying leakage resistance impacts the receive current. The track circuit therefore is configured, or calibrated, to operate over a range of ballast resistance.
Due to the changing conditions, over time, the track circuit may require re-calibration. Known calibration techniques involve positioning human "maintainers" with two-way radios at the transmitter and receiver. The maintainer at the transmitter communicates data related to the applied voltage to the maintainer at the receiver. The receiver maintainer then informs the transmitter maintainer of the current signal received at the receiver. Adjustments are made to both the transmitter and receiver so that the track circuit operates as desired over the ballast resistance range. Another known calibration technique is for a single human maintainer to perform track circuit calibration by traveling between transmitter and receiver sites (i.e., locations) to make each adjustment. As such, the process of manually calibrating the track circuit settings may be costly, inefficient, and/or time-consuming.

Methods and system of automating track circuit calibration


In some example embodiments, there may be provided an apparatus. The apparatus may include a surface including at least one electro-magnetic reflective element programmed to provide a plurality of reflected signals, such that the plurality of reflected signals constructively adds at a location of a receiver of the plurality of reflected signals. Related systems, methods, and articles of manufacture are also described.

In radio technology, multiple input multiple output (MIMO) refers to the use of multiple transmitters and multiple receivers to transfer data. MIMO can be used in cellular, satellite communications, wireless local area networks, and other radio technologies to increase throughput. MIMO takes advantage of multipath causing RF signals from different paths to reach the receiver at different times and from different directions. MIMO can be used to combine the data streams carried by the different paths to, as noted, increase overall throughput.


A hardcoat film is provided which can improve surface hardness and, at the same time, can prevent the hardcoat film per se from being damaged by stress concentration and is less likely to be scratched. The hardcoat film comprises: a transparent substrate; and a multi-layer hardcoat provided on at least one side of the transparent substrate, the multi-layer hardcoat layer comprising two or more hardcoats, the modulus of elasticity "sgr"m of a hardcoat provided closest to the transparent substrate being higher than the modulus of elasticity "sgr"s of a hardcoat provided as a surface layer.

The present invention relates to a transparent hardcoat film having high hardness and an antireflection film, and more particularly to a hardcoat film and an antireflection film which, in use, are laminated onto the surface of displays, such as CRT, LCD, and PDP.
In recent years, plastic products are being substituted for glass products from the viewpoints of fabricability and weight reduction. Since, however, the surface of the plastic products is likely to be scratched, in use, a hardcoat film is in many cases laminated onto the plastic products to impart scratch resistance thereto. Also in the case of the conventional glass products, there is a growing tendency for a plastic film to be laminated thereonto to prevent glass pieces from being scattered upon breaking of the glass products. Since, however, the hardness of the plastic is unsatisfactory, a hardcoat is in most cases formed on the surface of the plastic films.
Further, in recent years, displays, such as CRT and LCD, have been widely spread, and there is an ever-increasing tendency for a hardcoat film to be laminated onto the displays to protect the surface of display images. For the same reason as described above, an increase in hardness is required, and, at the same time, good visibility of the display screen per se through the hardcoat film is required. A known method for forming a hardcoat to eliminate the disadvantage of the surface hardness is to coat a thermosetting resin or an ionizing radiation-curable resin, such as an ultraviolet-curable resin, onto a base substrate followed by curing to form one layer of an about 3 to 10 xcexcm-thick coating.
In this coating thickness, however, the coating is likely to be influenced by the deformation of the base substrate, and thus, the film strength is not satisfactorily high. Increasing the modulus of elasticity of the hardcoat is effective in suppressing the deformation of the substrate. In this case, however, the hardcoat is likely to be cracked, and, in addition, curling is increased due to cure shrinkage of the hardcoat. At the same time, due to stress concentration on the surface of the hardcoat, stress strain is likely to cause cracking and consequently is likely to cause a scratch on the surface of the film. Although the hardness can be increased simply by increasing the thickness of the hardcoat, this cannot prevent cracking or separation and curling of the hardcoat.
In order to solve these problems, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Nos. 93545/1992 and 8350/1993 have proposed a method wherein a multi-layer hardcoat of two hardcoats is formed in such a manner that the hardcoat provided on the surface layer side has higher hardness (higher modulus of elasticity) than the hardcoat provided on the substrate side to improve the surface hardness of the hardcoat film. Higher modulus of elasticity in the hardcoat on the surface layer side can certainly prevent the hardcoat from being scratched by materials having relatively low hardness, such as pencils, and, hence, can provide an effect associated with improved hardness.
However, against materials, which as such have high hardness, such as the tip of a mechanical pencil or a diamond needle, excessively high modulus of elasticity of the hardcoat causes stress concentration on the surface of the hardcoat. This is likely to cause a scratch on the surface thereof. In the case of a hardcoat film wherein an antireflection layer (AR layer) has been formed by vapor deposition or sputtering onto the multi-layer hardcoat having the above layer construction, this tendency is significant, and stress concentration on the AR layer to cause damage is remarkable and visually observed.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hardcoat film comprising a substrate having thereon two or more hardcoats, which hardcoat film has improved surface hardness, does not undergo stress concentration-induced damage, and is less likely to be scratched.
In order to attain the above object of the present invention, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hardcoat film comprising: a transparent substrate; and a multi-layer hardcoat layer provided on at least one side of the transparent substrate, the multi-layer hardcoat layer comprising two or more hardcoats, the modulus of elasticity "sgr"m of a hardcoat provided closest to the transparent substrate being higher than the modulus of elasticity "sgr"s of a hardcoat provided as a surface layer. As used herein, the xe2x80x9chardcoat provided as a surface layerxe2x80x9d refers to at least one layer of the hardcoats other than the hardcoat provided closest to the transparent substrate.
In preferred embodiments, the present invention provides a hardcoat film wherein the modulus of elasticity "sgr"m of the hardcoat provided closest to the transparent substrate and the modulus of elasticity "sgr"s of the hardcoat provided as the surface layer satisfy a requirement represented by formula 3 greater than "sgr"mxe2x88x92"sgr"s greater than 0, a hardcoat film wherein the modulus of elasticity of the hardcoat provided closest to the transparent substrate is not less than 8 mN/xcexcm and not more than 13 mN/xcexcm and the modulus of elasticity of the hardcoat provided as the surface layer is not less than 6 mN/xcexcm and not more than 9 mN/xcexcm, and a hardcoat film wherein the modulus of elasticity "sgr"h of the hardcoat film and the modulus of elasticity "sgr"s of the hardcoat provided as the surface layer satisfy a requirement represented by formula 2xe2x89xa7"sgr"hxe2x88x92"sgr"sxe2x89xa70.
Further, in preferred embodiments, the present invention provides a hardcoat film which has a surface hardness of 4H or higher in terms of pencil hardness and a scratch hardness of not less than 150 g, a hardcoat film wherein at least the hardcoat provided closest to the transparent substrate contains 20 to 80% by mass of inorganic fine particles, and a hardcoat film wherein the content of the inorganic fine particles in at least the hardcoat provided closest to the transparent substrate is higher than the content of the inorganic fine particles in the hardcoat as the surface layer.
Furthermore, in preferred embodiments, the present invention provides a hardcoat film wherein the inorganic fine particles are ultrafine particles of silica having a particle diameter of not more than 100 nm, a hardcoat film wherein the multi-layer hardcoat layer has been formed from a material composed mainly of an ionizing radiation-curable resin, a hardcoat film wherein the total thickness of the hardcoats is 10 to 50 xcexcm, a hardcoat film wherein the transparent substrate has a surface hardness of not more than HB in terms of pencil hardness, and a hardcoat film wherein the transparent substrate is a polyethylene terephthalate (hereinafter referred to simply as xe2x80x9cPETxe2x80x9d) film having a thickness of 100 to 300 xcexcm.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an antireflection film comprising an antireflection layer provided on the multi-layer hardcoat layer in the above hardcoat film. In preferred embodiments, the present invention provides an antireflection film wherein the antireflection layer has a multi-layer structure of two or more layers formed by sputtering or vapor deposition, and an antireflection film wherein the antireflection layer in contact with the multi-layer hardcoat layer is formed of ultrafine particles of a metal oxide.


A single base change in the Bn-FAE1.1 gene in the A genome and a two-base deletion in the Bn-FAE1.2 gene in the C genome produce the nearly zero content of erucic acid observed in canola. A BAC clone anchoring Bn-FAE1.1 from a B. rapa BAC library and a BAC clone anchoring Bn-FAE1.2 from a B. oleracea BAC library were used in this research. After sequencing the gene flanking regions, it was found that the dissimilarity of the flanking sequences of these two FAE1 homologs facilitated the design of genome specific primers that could amplify the corresponding genome in allotetraploid B. napus. The two-base deletion in the C genome gene was detected as a sequence characterized sequence region (SCAR) marker. To increase the throughput, one genome specific primer was labeled with four fluorescence dyes and combined with 20 different primers to produce PCR products with different fragment sizes. Eventually, a super pool of 80 samples was detected simultaneously, making it possible to analyze over half a million of samples per day using a medium capacity ABI 3100 Genetic Analyzer. This dramatically reduces the cost of marker detection. The single base change in the Bn-FAE1.1 gene was detected as single nucleotide polymorphic (SNP) marker with an ABI SNaPshot kit. A multiplexing primer set was designed by adding a polyT to the 5′ primer end to increase SNP detection throughput through sample pooling. These multiplexed high throughput molecular markers have been successfully implemented in our canola/rapeseed breeding programs.

Canola/rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is a major oilseed crop in Canada, Europe, Australia, China and the Indian subcontinent. The quality of canola/rapeseed oil is determined primarily by its constituent fatty acids. The major fatty-acid constituents of Brassica oil are palmitic acid (C16:0), stearic acid (C18:0), Oleic (C18:1), linoleic acid (C18:2), linolenic acid (C18:3), arachidic acid (C20:0), eicosenoic acid (C20:1), erucic acid (C22:1). Erucic acid is one of the main fatty acids in rapeseed oil. Low erucic acid in rapeseed improves the quality of the oil because high erucic acid is relatively low in digestibility and has been associated with health problems (Beare et al. 1963). On the other hand, high erucic acid rapeseed (HEAR) has several potential applications in the oleo-chemical industry for the production of high temperature lubricants, nylon, plastics, slip and coating agents, soaps, painting inks, surfactants (Topfer et al. 1995).
In B. napus, additive alleles at two gene loci control the erucic acid content in seeds (Harvey and Downey 1964), and these two genes (E1 and E2) are mapped in rapeseed (Ecke et al. 1995; Jourdren et al. 1996; Thormann et al. 1996). Development of low or high erucic acid content B. napus cultivars requires a long process of crossing, backcrossing and selfing of the segregating generations followed by identification of low or high erucic acid content lines from fatty acid profiles of seed lots from individual seeds by gas chromatography (GC). However, DNA molecular markers which are tightly linked to the erucic acid genes or inside the candidate genes can be applied with high efficiency in marker assisted selection (MAS) for rapid transfer of a character into an otherwise desirable genotype efficiently and effectively. For instance, 15 of 16 plants in the F2 generation of canola/rapeseed crosses could be discarded at the seedling stage by selecting homozygous Bn-FAE1.1 and Bn-FAE1.2 genotypes with high or low erucic acid content instead of growing plants to full maturity and then doing seed quality analysis and selection.
The pathway for erucic acid biosynthesis and the major reactions involved in this pathway has been well characterized in Arabidopsis. Oleic acid is the main precursor for erucic acid biosynthesis via an elongation process in the developing embryos of B. napus (Xiaoming et al, 1998). In seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana it was reported that fatty acid elongase 1 (FAE1) is the candidate gene and that the gene product was essential for elongation of C18:1 (oleic acid) to C22:1 (erucic acid) (Lemieux et al. 1990; Kunst et al. 1992). The elongation process has four different steps. The first step is the condensation of oleoyl-CoA to malonyl-CoA to form a 3-ketoacyl-CoA. The second step is the reduction of the 3-ketoacyl-CoA to produce 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA. The third step is the dehydration of the 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA to form trans-(2,3)-enoyl-CoA. The final step it is the further reduction of the trans-(2,3)-enoyl-CoA. These reactions are catalyzed by four different enzymes 3-ketoacyl-CoA synthase, 3-ketoacyl-CoA reductase, 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydratase and trans-(2,3)-enoyl-CoA reductase, respectively (Fehling and Mukherjee 1991). The role of FAE1 gene in producing erucic acid was genetically ascertained by genetic transformation of a low erucic acid content rapeseed (Lassner et al. 1996). In rapeseed, the two loci E1 and E2 of FAE1 homologs encode the rapeseed 3-ketoacyl-CoA synthases for the elongation process to generate erucic acid from oleoyl-CoA (Barret et al. 1998 and Fourmann et al. 1998). In B. napus, these two homologs of the FAE1 gene (Bn-FAE1.1 and Bn-FAE1.2) have been characterized. These two homologs show 99.4% nucleotide identity and a two-base deletion in the low erucic acid content line results in a functional loss of Bn-FAE1.2 gene in the C genome (Fourmann et al. 1998). Katavic et al. (2002) reported that single amino acid serine at 282 positions in high erucic acid content line is substituted by phenyl-alanine in low erucic acid content line due to one base change in the Bn-FAE1.1 gene in the A genome. In this report, BAC clones containing Bn-FAE1.1 and Bn-FAE1.2 genes from the A and C genome libraries were used to extend the sequence on the outside of these two genes to develop genome specific high throughput molecular markers. These markers will considerably facilitate the selection of the four different erucic acid content control alleles in canola/rapeseed breeding programs.

High throughput genome specific molecular markers for erucic acid content genes in


In an apparatus for reproducing, from a record medium, a recorded video signal including an FM-modulated luminance signal and a chroma signal which is down-converted from an original frequency band; the FM-modulated luminance signal reproduced from the record medium is demodulated and than the time-base of the demodulated luminance signal is corrected, whereas, the time-base of the down-converted chroma signal reproduced from the record medium is corrected and then the reproduced chroma signal is up-converted to its original frequency band. A servo circuit, for example, for controlling the rotary drum motor and/or the capstan motor of a video tape recording/reproducing apparatus (VTR) during a reproducing operation, is controlled in response to a phase difference between write and read addresses applied to a memory of the time-base corrector so that such memory can be provided with a relatively small capacity.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to video signal reproducing apparatus, such as, a video tape recorder (VTR) or the like, and more particularly is directed to a video signal reproducing apparatus which incorporates a time-base corrector.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When a video signal is reproduced by a video tape recorder or VTR, the reproduced signal is often supplied to a time-base corrector (TBC) in which a time-base of the reproduced signal is corrected for removing a jitter component therefrom.
A video signal reproducing circuit which incorporates a time-base corrector according to the prior art is shown schematically on FIG. 1 to include a rotary head drum assembly 1 around which a magnetic recording tape T is helically wrapped so that a magnetic head (not shown) provided in the drum assembly 1 will reproduce a video signal recorded in slant tracks on the tape T. The video signal reproduced from the magnetic tape T is shown to be supplied to a memory 2 which is included in a time-base corrector (TBC). The reproduced video signal is also supplied to an automatic frequency control (AFC) circuit 3 which generates a write clock signal W synchronized with the reproduced video signal which is written in the memory 2 in accordance with the write clock signal W. A standard or reference oscillation signal is supplied from an oscillator 4 to the time-base corrector memory 2 as a read clock signal R. Therefore, time-base fluctuations that may appear in the reproduced video signal due to a jitter component therein are removed from the video signal as the latter is read from the memory 2 in accordance with the standard read clock signal R. The resulting stable read-out video signal is supplied to an output terminal 5. The read clock signal R from the oscillator 4 is also supplied to a frequency divider 6 in which it is frequency-divided by a divisor n, whereupon the resulting frequency-divided signal is supplied to a servo control circuit 7 as a control signal therefor. The servo control circuit 7 effects servo control of a motor 8 for driving the rotary head drum assembly 1, and may also effect servo control of a capstan motor (not shown) by which the tape T is longitudinally advanced about the drum assembly 1.
When the video signal reproducing circuit is arranged as described above with reference to FIG. 1, the rotary head drum assembly 1 and the capstan for driving the tape are controlled on the basis of the read clock signal R for the memory 2 of the time-base corrector, and the writing cycle and the reading cycle of the memory 2 are approximately equal to each other. Therefore, it is possible to avoid or inhibit overtaking of the writing of the video signal in the memory 2 by the reading of the video signal from the memory, with the result that a stable time-base correction can be performed.
In the described video signal reproducing circuit according to the prior art, the reproduced video signal is written in the memory 2 as a composite video signal. In that case, the luminance and chrominance signals constituting the composite video signal must be kept in a stable interleaved relationship and, therefore, the described arrangement is, for the most part, utilized only in professional video tape recorders. However, the video signal reproducing circuit described with reference to FIG. 1 cannot be applied to a consumer or home video tape recorder of the type in which the chroma signal is down-converted in the recorded signal.
In the case of a video tape recorder of the down-converted chroma signal type, a chroma signal extracted from the reproduced video signal is demodulated to provide a base band signal which is then applied to a time-base corrector. However, in order to avoid deterioration of the chroma signal, it is desirable that the chroma signal be supplied directly to the time-base corrector without being first subjected to processing, such as, the described demodulation or the like.
On the other hand, if a reproduced video signal is supplied directly to a time-base corrector in the form of a high frequency signal reproduced from the magnetic tape so as to avoid deterioration of the reproduced signal by an intervening demodulation or other signal processing, the side band of the luminance signal included in the reproduced high frequency signal is expanded to a high band so that the operating frequency of the memory in the time-base corrector must be considerably increased, with a resulting increase in the scale of the circuit. Such a large scale circuit is difficult to provide in actual practice.
When the reproducing servo circuit 7 is controlled on the basis of the read clock signal R for the memory 2 of the time-base corrector, as in the prior art circuit shown in FIG. 1, if such memory 2 has a large storage capacity, for example, is a field memory so as to be capable of storing one field period of the reproduced video signal, the storage capacity of the memory is sufficient for ensuring that the read cycle of the video signal can be prevented from overtaking the writing cycle of the video signal in the memory 2. However, it is desirable to reduce the storage capacity of the memory 2 and thereby permit the scale of the video signal reproducing circuit to be correspondingly reduced.

Video signal reproducing apparatus with time base corrector


The present invention relates to flea peritrophin proteins; to flea peritrophin nucleic acid molecules, including those that encode such flea peritrophin proteins; to antibodies raised against such proteins; and to compounds that inhibit the activity of such proteins. The present invention also includes methods to obtain and use such proteins, nucleic acid molecules, antibodies, and inhibitory compounds. The present invention also includes therapeutic compositions comprising such inhibitory compounds, particularly those that specifically inhibit flea peritrophin activity, as well as the use of such therapeutic compositions to treat animals.

Flea infestation of animals is a health and economic concern for pet owners. In particular, the bites of fleas are a problem for animals maintained as pets because the infestation becomes a source of annoyance not only for the pet but also for the pet owner who may find his or her home generally contaminated with insects. Fleas also directly cause a variety of diseases, including allergy, and also carry a variety of infectious agents including, but not limited to, endoparasites (e.g., nematodes, cestodes, trematodes and protozoa), bacteria and viruses. As such, fleas are a problem not only when they are on an animal but also when they are in the general environment of the animal.
The medical importance of flea infestation has prompted the development of reagents capable of controlling flea infestation. Commonly encountered methods to control flea infestation are generally focused on use of insecticides, which are often unsuccessful for one or more of the following reasons: (1) failure of owner compliance (frequent administration is required); (2) behavioral or physiological intolerance of the pet to the pesticide product or means of administration; and (3) the emergence of flea populations resistant to the prescribed dose of pesticide.
Peritrophins, including flea PL1, PL2, PL3, PL4 and PL5 proteins of the present invention, are a family of putative chitin-binding proteins that comprise a structural component of the peritrophic matrix, an acellular membrane composed of proteins and sugars, most commonly chitin which forms a barrier between the contents of an ingested meal and the gut epithelia. Peritrophin-like proteins have also been shown to be present in the trachea of Drosophila embryos, indicating that such proteins may have additional roles outside the midgut. The function of the peritrophin-like proteins in adult fleas is not clear, since adult fleas do not produce a peritrophic matrix in the gut. Peritrophins have been investigated as targets for immunological control of hematophagous insects including the sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina. It has been shown in this insect that ingestion of antibodies against peritrophins inhibits the growth of larvae and can result in increased larval mortality. It has also been shown that the ingestion of antibodies against peritrophins reduces the permeability of the peritrophic matrix in L. cuprina larvae. This in turn may inhibit the movement of digested food across the peritrophic matrix to the gut epithelium, resulting in starvation. As such, a flea peritrophin of the present invention represents a novel target for anti-flea vaccines and chemotherapeutic drugs.
Therefore, isolation and sequencing of flea peritrophin genes may be critical for use in identifying specific agents for treating animals for flea infestation.

Flea peritrophin nucleic acid molecules, proteins and uses thereof


The engine control apparatus includes: the stop switch body 6; the stop switch knob 3; the lock plate 5 insertable to the stop switch knob 3; the transponder 9 that is provided at the lock plate 5 side and that can transmit an ID code; and the control section 11 for receiving the ID code transmitted from the transponder 9 to control the engine operation. The engine control apparatus includes such that, when the lock plate 5 is disengaged from the stop switch knob 3, the stop switch body 6 is activated to cause the engine to stop or to be in an idling state. In the engine control apparatus, the control section 11 changes the engine performance based on the ID code from the transponder 9.

The present invention relates to an engine control apparatus including such that, when a lock plate is disengaged from a stop switch knob, the stop switch is turned on to allow an engine of a small motorboat or the like to stop or to be in an idling state.
A small motorboat is made to glide over water while taking a sharp turn or jumping so that an operator can enjoy a ride. This frequently causes the operator to fall into water. Due to this reason, it is required to, when the operator falls into water, stop the engine to prevent only the small motorboat from further progressing. Thus, a small motorboat is generally provided with a stop switch for allowing, when the operator falls into water, the engine to stop or to be in an idling state.
Specifically, a handle bar of the small motorboat is fixed with a switch case. The switch case has a stop switch knob for activating a stop switch of an insertable resin-made lock plate that has the base end a tightened wire. The tip end of the wire is fixed to the wrist or the like of the operator so that, when the operator falls into water, the lock plate is disengaged from the stop switch knob to turn on the stop switch, thereby allowing the engine of the small motorboat to stop or to be in an idling state.
As described above, the lock plate is inserted around the stop switch knob to allow the engine to start. This causes a situation where, when another lock plate of a smaller motorboat or a plate member having a similar shape is inserted, a third party can start the engine without the owner's permission. In order to prevent such a situation, which can result in the motorboat being stolen, a conventional technique (as disclosed in Patent reference 1 (Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2001-88789), for example) proposes a control section in which a transponder incorporating an ID code is embedded in a lock plate and having inside the switch case an antenna that can receive the ID code so that the engine is controlled based on the received information.
The above conventional engine control apparatus is such that the ID code of the transponder is transmitted via radio transmission to the antenna and the received information is transmitted to the control section so that the engine is started only when a previously registered regular ID code and the received ID code coincide. When the former is different from the latter, the engine is not started. This can start the small motorboat only when the regular lock plate is inserted to the stop switch knob and thus can prevent the boat from being stolen.
However, the above conventional engine control apparatus includes such that the engine is not started when the a previously registered regular ID code by the control section is different from the received ID code. This causes an inconvenience as described below, although the boat can be prevented from being stolen.
Specifically, when the engine of the small motorboat, or other vehicle, capable of running at a high speed is set suitable for a beginner, then such a setting is not sufficient for an experienced user, although such a high-speed boat causes a danger to a beginner unaccustomed to handling the boat. In such a case, a switch, or similar mechanism, may be provided in the small motorboat for switching between an experienced user mode and a beginner mode. However, this requires the operator to use the switch to change the mode before running, thus causing the operation to be complicated.


The present invention provides a method for monitoring effectiveness of a three-way catalytic converter of a gasoline engine. The method includes detecting emissions of the gasoline engine by an NOX sensor arranged within the three-way catalytic converter or downstream of the three-way catalytic converter in an exhaust-gas flow direction and transmitting values measured by the NOX sensor together with operating variables of the gasoline engine and/or of the three-way catalytic converter to a processor. The processor is configured to execute a simulation model and thereby calculate emissions values of a reference catalytic converter on the basis of the operating variables. The method further includes comparing the calculated emissions values with the values measured by the NOX sensor.

For aftertreatment of exhaust gases of a motor vehicle with a gasoline engine which is operated with a fuel-air mixture of stoichiometric composition, in the prior art use is made of three-way catalytic converters which exhibit so-called lambda control. During this exhaust-gas aftertreatment, the pollutants carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOX) and hydrocarbons (HC) that form during combustion of the fuel-air mixture are converted into carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen (N2) and water vapor (H2O).
The abovementioned lambda control is required for effective exhaust-gas aftertreatment with high efficiency of the conversion of the pollutants. It is the aim here for a so-called combustion air ratio λ, commonly also referred to as air number, to be controlled so as to lie in as narrow a range as possible around λ=1. A combustion air ratio of λ=1 means that complete fuel combustion takes place. The fed air mass thus corresponds to the air mass that is theoretically required for the complete combustion of the fuel. In the presence of a combustion air ratio of λ<1, a deficiency of air is present. This results in a rich fuel-air mixture with an excess of fuel. In the presence of a combustion air ratio of λ<1, an excess of air is present. This results in a lean fuel-air mixture.
Since effective exhaust-gas aftertreatment by means of a three-way catalytic converter is possible only in a relatively narrow range around λ=1 (the so-called Lambda window), the actual combustion air ratio λ is detected by means of the lambda probe, and the fuel and/or air quantity is varied such that the combustion air ratio λ attains the desired setpoint value.
The effectiveness of a three-way catalytic converter of a gasoline engine has hitherto been evaluated indirectly through a determination of an available oxygen storage capacity (OSC). Here, the combustion air ratio λ, alternates between λ<1 (rich mixture) and λ>1 (lean mixture), such that, by means of the quantity of oxygen introduced into the three-way catalytic converter, it is possible to calculate the present value of the oxygen storage capacity, also referred to as the OSC value. Since it is necessary here for the monitored catalytic converter volume to be brought up to or close to the rich/lean breakthrough, this can under some circumstances result in a very great influence on the emissions result.

Method for monitoring the effectiveness of a three-way catalytic converter of a gasoline engine

Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft


Polarizing element having a first layer and a second layer. When an unpolarized light beam is incident on the element, the direction of at least one of the polarization components of the unpolarized beam will be influenced by the first layer. These polarization components have different directions of polarization. The second layer influences the direction of a polarized beam incident thereon. A polarization-rotating layer is present between the first layer and the second layer. An unpolarized beam can be substantially completely converted into a polarized beam having mainly the same direction of polarization.

The invention relates to a polarizing element having a first layer for influencing the direction of at least one of the polarization components of an unpolarized beam incident on the element, which components have different directions of polarization.
The invention also relates to an image projection device in which at least one of the polarizers surrounding the image display panel is implemented as the first or the second layer of a polarizing element in accordance with the invention, and to an image projection device in which the first polarizer or the image display panel, together with the polarizer and the analyzer, is implemented as a polarizing element in accordance with the invention.
To polarize an unpolarized beam, use may be made of all kinds of polarizers. One of the best known types is an absorbing polarizer which absorbs the unwanted direction of polarization. A drawback of such a polarizer is that approximately 50% of the intensity of the unpolarized beam is lost. Moreover, when a high-power radiation source is used, for example in image projection devices, the polarizer may be considerably heated, which may be harmful for the material from which the polarizer is made and will lead to degradation of the polarizer. To eliminate the harmful effect of this heating as much as possible, expensive cooling systems are to be provided which also detrimentally influence the compactness of the device.
Another type of polarizer is a polarizing element of the type described in the opening paragraph and is known, for example from British Patent Application GB 2 166 562. The polarizing element described in this Application consists of a layer in which areas comprising a liquid crystalline material and areas comprising a transparent isotropic material alternate with each other in a direction located in the plane of the layer. The structure thus formed may be considered as a diffraction grating. The major axis of the molecules of the liquid crystalline material is directed parallel to the grooves of the diffraction grating. By providing electrodes on the substrates between which the diffraction grating is formed, the orientation of the liquid crystalline molecules, and hence the direction of the diffraction to which light incident on the element is subjected, may be changed. Such a polarizer passes the desired direction of polarization and refracts the unwanted direction of polarization from the light path.
The risk of damage of this type of polarizer is much smaller because the unwanted light is no longer absorbed by the polarizer. However, such a polarizer still has the drawback that substantially half the intensity of an unpolarized beam incident on the element is lost because the unwanted direction of polarization is refracted from the original beam. When such an element is used as a polarizer in a device in which a high brightness of the images is desirable, as in, for example an image projection device, the use of a high-power light source is still desirable. However, such a light source consumes a relatively large amount of current and dissipates relatively much heat in the device so that cooling measures are still to be taken.

Polarizing element including layer having alternating areas of birefringent and isotropic materials


A self-contained modular home a first section, a second section and a top section, each section having an interior which is 100% complete and an exterior which requires only siding or other exterior finish for completion. The three sections of the self-contained modular home are designed to be transported on a low boy trailer or other transport system to a permanent foundation site. The modular home incorporates a unique steel cable lifting system within the floor system which enables the modules to be set on the foundation with or without the use of a crane. The modular home is bolted to a permanent slab foundation by a steel strap securing arrangement in such a manner that a one and half inch air space is created under the home. The manner in which the self-contained modular home is constructed and secured to the permanent foundation provides the modular home with up to 160 mph wind protection, which is far greater than the typical 80 mph to 100 mph offered by most site or stick built homes currently on the market. Once the modular home arrives at the construction site, the home can be set and bolted to the concrete slab, made weather tight, connected to the local plumbing and electrical services and an be operational in about three hours.

The construction and assembly of modular homes is well known in the prior art. Typically, the standard modular home arrives at the building site in component modules that are about 80% to 90% complete, thereby requiring the builder to finish the modular home at the building site. Each component module of the standard modular home usually is set on the foundation with a crane, using straps and/or cables which cradle the outer side and under side of the home. The typical modular home then is attached to a conventional foundation such that a crawl space or air space of at least eighteen inches (18″) is created under the home in order to meet current building codes. Following the setting and securing of the component modules to the foundation, a roof system is attached to the modules. Most modular homes utilize a tilt up roof system that is cumbersome and very time consuming in setting up. In contrast, the present invention provides a modular home that is 100% finished prior to leaving the factory, incorporates a unique steel cable lifting system within the floor system which enables the modules to be set on the foundation with or without the use of a crane, uses a concrete slab foundation to which the modular home is bolted, thereby decreasing the crawl/air space to 1½″ and employs a one half truss system with a separate roof cap.


A lift assembly for use during inflation of a balloon envelope is provided. The lift assembly includes a plate structure that has a set of cavities. Each cavity includes one or more openings passing through the plate. One or more pistons are coupled to the plate through at least one of the openings of each cavity in the set of cavities. Each piston has a hollow tube portion projecting lengthwise from the at least one opening, a flange attached to the hollow tube portion and a grabber portion in communication with the flange. The grabber portion includes a plurality of bearings for grabbing a stud attached to an apex of the balloon envelope. A handle portion is coupled to the plate. The handle is arranged to lift the balloon envelope when the bearings have grabbed a given stud.

Computing devices such as personal computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, cellular phones, and countless types of Internet-capable devices are increasingly prevalent in numerous aspects of modem life. As such, the demand for data connectivity via the Internet, cellular data networks, and other such networks, is growing. However, there are many areas of the world where data connectivity is still unavailable, or if available, is unreliable and/or costly. Accordingly, additional network infrastructure is desirable.
Some systems may provide network access via a balloon network operating in the stratosphere. Because of the various forces experienced by these balloons during deployment and operation, there is a balancing of needs between flexibility and stability of materials. The balloons may be made of an envelope material configured in sections or lobes to create a "pumpkin" or lobed balloon. The lobes are supported by a plurality of tendons.
Before a balloon can be deployed, its envelope must be inflated. To accomplish this, typically the balloon envelope is laid out on a work surface. For example, the balloon envelope may be completely laid out on the ground on tarps so that it can be inflated. However, while on the ground, the envelope may be damaged, for instance by people walking across it, which can possibly shorten the balloon's flight life.

Mechanical assembly for lifting a balloon


An AC conversion circuit includes a main transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding to electrically insulate the AC power source side and the discharge tube side from each other, an IC1 arranged on the AC power source side, a plurality of switching elements arranged on the AC power source side and driven by the IC1, to pass a current through the primary winding of the main transformer based on the DC power, an IC2 arranged on the discharge tube side, to generate a pair of rectangular-wave signals for conducting PWM control on a current passing through the discharge tube and having the same pulse width with a duty ratio of less than 50% and a phase difference of about 180 degrees, and one or more signal transfer insulated elements to send the pair of rectangular-wave signals from the IC2 to the IC1. The IC1 drives the plurality of switching elements according to the pair of rectangular-wave signals from the one or more signal transfer insulated elements, so that positive-negative symmetrical AC power is supplied from the secondary winding of the main transformer to the discharge tube.

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram illustrating the configuration of a discharge tube power supply apparatus according to a related art. The discharge tube power supply apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 supplies power from an AC power source to a discharge tube used for, for example, a liquid crystal display unit.
In FIG. 1, an external AC power source supplies an AC voltage of 80 to 260 V, which is converted by an AC-DC conversion circuit 1 consisting of a power factor correction circuit into a DC voltage of 380 V. The DC voltage of 380 V from the AC-DC conversion circuit 1 is converted by a DC-DC conversion circuit 2 having an insulated transformer into a DC voltage of 10 to 60 V, which is sent to a secondary side of the electrically insulated transformer.
On the secondary side of the electrically insulated transformer, a DC-AC conversion circuit 3 is arranged to convert the DC voltage of 10 to 60V into an AC voltage of about 700 to 1500 V, which is applied to discharge tubes such as cold cathode tubes 6-1, 6-2, . . . arranged inside a panel 5.
Other related arts are described in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publications No. 2005-71681 and No. H10-50489.

Discharge tube power supply apparatus and semiconductor integrated circuit


A data processor of an embodiment includes a memory, an instruction cache, a processing unit (CPU), and a fetch process control unit. The memory stores a program in which a plurality of instructions are written. The instruction cache operates only when a branch instruction included in the program is executed, and data of a greater capacity than a width of a bus of the memory is read from the memory and stored in the instruction cache in advance. The processing unit accesses both the memory and the instruction cache and executes, in a pipelined manner, instructions read from the memory or the instruction cache. The fetch process control unit generates, in response to a branch instruction executed by the processing unit, a stop signal for stopping a fetch process of reading an instruction from the memory, and outputs the stop signal to the memory.

A data processor such as CPU (Central Processing Unit) is equipped with, in addition to a memory storing a program, an instruction cache temporarily storing instructions of the program in an attempt to improve the performance of processing. On the data processor, however, a penalty is imposed when a miss occurs, namely an instruction to be executed is not included in the instruction cache. The penalty has not been negligible for the data processor to exhibit improved performance of processing. Accordingly, a data processor has been proposed that is configured to access both the memory and the instruction cache and thereby avoid the penalty.
A data processor configured to include an instruction cache is also disclosed in PTD 1 (Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2008-052518) and PTD 2 (Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2001-142698). A CPU system disclosed in PTD 1 operates on the condition that the operating speed of a CPU is equal to or less than the operating speed during a burst read of an SDRAM. When the CPU is to process a branch instruction, a comparator determines whether the instruction cache memory stores an instruction of a branch target. When the instruction cache memory stores the instruction of the branch target, the instruction is read from the instruction cache memory.
A CPU disclosed in PTD 2 employs a memory access scheme according to which the CPU accesses a main memory simultaneously with accessing an instruction memory, so that an instruction code from the instruction memory and an instruction code from the main memory are seamlessly fetched.
In the data processor, when an instruction queue in which an instruction read from a memory is stored in advance has a free space, a fetch process that an instruction is read from the memory into the instruction queue is done regardless of an executive instruction. This fetch process is disclosed in PTD 3 (Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-048258), PTD 4 (Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 06-161750), PTD 5 (Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2000-357090), and PTD 6 (Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 05-027972).
A data processor disclosed in PTD 3 includes an instruction fetch control unit, an instruction buffer retaining an instruction fetched by the fetch control unit, and an execution unit executing instructions retained in the instruction buffer in a predetermined order and in a pipelined manner. The fetch control unit uses an instruction address of a branch instruction to acquire predictive information indicating a predicted direction of a conditional branch as well as the accuracy of prediction, is capable of fetching an instruction of a predicted branch for a conditional branch instruction and fetching an instruction of a non-predicted branch, and selectively stops fetching an instruction of a non-predicted branch in accordance with the predictive information.
A CPU disclosed in PTD 4 is equipped with an early-stage branch condition check circuit detecting the state of a tag at a prefetch timing for a branch instruction and making a branch determination in an early stage in consideration of the contents of a zero flag in a buffer or in a condition code.
A CPU disclosed in PTD 5 includes therein a branch prediction mechanism for the purpose of shortening the time taken to access a main memory when a cache miss occurs for a conditional branch instruction.
A CPU disclosed in PTD 6 has an instruction detector between an instruction queue and a memory and, when a branch instruction is included in instructions read into the instruction queue, the CPU temporarily stops reading instructions from the memory until a branch target address of the branch instruction is confirmed.

Processor with fetch control for stoppage


A roller shaft mount or support secures a shaft end of a conveyor roller at and between opposite sidewalls of a conveyor. The shaft support includes a mounting portion mountable to a sidewall of the conveyor and a clamping portion. The clamping portion is movably attached to the mounting portion and movable relative thereto. The shaft support receives a roller shaft at least partially therethrough. The clamping portion is movable relative to the mounting portion so as to clamp the roller shaft within the shaft support in response to movement of the clamping portion relative to the mounting portion. The clamping portion may move along a ramped surface toward and into engagement with the shaft of the roller in response to adjustment of a fastener to clamp the roller shaft within the shaft support.

Typically, conveyor rollers are mounted along opposite sidewalls of a conveyor. The rollers include shafts which extend longitudinally outwardly from each end of the roller and which are received by apertures or slots in the sidewalls of the conveyor. These shafts are often non-circular, such as hexagonal shaped, such that rotation of the shafts relative to the sidewalls is substantially precluded when the shaft is received by a correspondingly shaped slot or hole in the sidewall.
A motorized roller typically includes a motor within the cylindrical portion of the roller, which causes relative rotation between the shaft portions and the cylindrical portion of the roller. Accordingly, when the shafts are secured to the sidewall of the conveyor, actuation of the motor within the roller causes the cylindrical portion of the roller to rotate. Because of the torque generated when the motorized roller is actuated, the shaft, which is submitted to the same torque, tends to rotate in the opposite direction from the cylindrical portion of the roller, such that the sides of the non-circular shaft repeatedly impact the sides of the corresponding slot or hole in the sidewall, thereby preventing rotation of the shaft. This repeated impact and relative movement may cause the edges of the shaft or of the hole or both to become worn or rounded over time, which leads to a looser fit of the shaft within the opening. Any looseness between the shaft and opening further results in squeaks or other noises and/or vibrations of the conveyor when it is operated. This eventually may result in greater maintenance costs and even loss of function, since the roller and/or the entire sidewall may have to be replaced when the wear and tear to the shaft and/or the opening in the sidewalls becomes excessive. Motorized rollers are typically implemented with a set of non-driven or slave rollers and may be interconnected with the slave rollers by a plurality of bands or O-rings, such that rotation of the cylindrical portion of the motorized roller causes a corresponding rotation of the slave rollers.
Because of the torque generated by the motorized rollers, it is generally preferred that the shafts be inserted through openings or holes and not placed into slots whereby only a portion of the sidewall would contact and restrain the shafts. The openings in the sidewalls are desired to be as close to the diameter of the shaft of the roller to provide as tight a fit as possible between the roller shaft and the sidewall opening. However, such a tight fit may make it difficult to install the roller to the sidewalls. In some applications, the shafts may be spring loaded, such that the shaft may be pushed longitudinally inwardly into the roller to align the roller shaft with the opening in the conveyor sidewall and then released to allow the shaft to extend outwardly through the opening, thereby securing the shaft to the conveyor sidewalls.
In order to improve upon the wear and tear and noise of the systems, one proposed device has implemented a tapered end to the shafts of the roller. When the tapered shafts are released, the spring loading of the shafts maintains a tight fit in the opening, since the opening is of a smaller size than the largest diameter of the tapered portion of the shaft. While this at least initially provides for a tighter fit between the roller shaft and the opening in the sidewall of the conveyor, over time the shaft and/or opening may wear and allow the shaft to extend further into the opening. The shaft may eventually extend outwardly to a point where the spring is no longer in compression, such that the shaft is no longer held tight to the opening in the sidewall. Therefore, while this device may delay a loose fit of the shaft within the openings, this does not avoid the requirement of eventually having to replace or repair the sidewalls of the conveyor and/or the roller as they become worn.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for an adjustable mounting structure for receiving and substantially securing the shaft ends of conveyor rollers, especially motorized conveyor rollers, which overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art.


A tool-free shelving system may include a body and at least one bearing plate, said bearing plate is disposed onto the body and assembled to the body with the protruding portion of the positioning knob located at the inner side of the vertical section of the “∩” shaped frames. The body has two “∩” shaped frames, which are connected with two “U” shaped frames. The “U” shaped frames have four rods protruding downwards and each rod is interposed into the tubes of a pulley. The bearing plate may consist of two parallel side borders, with each end of the side border connected with a fixing apparatus, and a mesh-like support structure between the two borders. This shelf allows convenient tool-free shelving system installation and provides opportunity for customers to enjoy the process of assembling the shelf.

In general, shelves and racks built by pipes are mainly manufactured by welding technology to connect the pipe structures. These welded products are structurally strong; however, since they are usually large in size, storing these products may require large space and it is also inconvenient for transporting these products. In addition, since these products cannot be readily uninstalled or expanded, handling of these products after their initial installation is rather inconvenient. Furthermore, the welding process is time-consuming and incurs high cost. And finally, consumer does not have the opportunity to enjoy the fun from the DIY installation process.
Therefore, it has been an objective of research and development for related industries to overcome the shortcomings of the above-mentioned pipe-structured shelves and racks. The present invention describes a further improved shelve structure that can be tool-free DIY installed, which solves the previously mentioned problems of current pipe-structured shelves and racks.


Methods for the enzymatic resolution of mixtures of enantiomers, such as .beta.-lactam compounds, which may be employed as intermediates in the preparation of taxanes bearing a C-13 sidechain containing a heterocyclic or cycloalkyl group, the latter useful in the pharmaceutical field.

Taxanes are diterpene compounds which find utility in the pharmaceutical field. For example, taxol analogues containing heterocyclic or cycloalkyl groups on the C-13 sidechain find utility as anticancer agents. Such taxol analogues may be prepared through semi-synthetic routes, particularly by the coupling of .beta.-lactam or open chain intermediates to the taxane core to form a sidechain at C-13. As the stereochemistry of these analogues may affect their pharmaceutical activity, methods allowing efficient stereospecific preparation of the intermediate .beta.-lactam and open chain compounds, as well as the final taxane products, are sought in the art.

Enzymatic processes for the resolution of enantiomeric mixtures of lactams useful as intermediates in the preparation of taxanes


The present application provides a steam turbine side support system for use with a steam turbine having a rotor. The steam turbine side support system may include a shell for the steam turbine, a number of side support arms extending from the shell in a perpendicular configuration with respect to the rotor, and a foundation in communication with the side support arms.

A concern in the design of turbo-machines such as steam turbines is the accommodation of thermal distortion or deflections, particularly during transient events. For example, seals within a steam turbine may include a number of teeth on a stationary component that interlace with lands on a rotating component. The radial gaps between the stationary components and the rotating components are designed to be as narrow as possible so as to minimize steam leakage. Deflection of the shell may cause the rotating components to come in contact with the stationary seals. Specifically, seal clearances between the rotating components and the stationary components may close in at the base and tend to open in the cover of the shell in a phenomenon referred to as humping. If the extent of the humping is severe enough, undesirable rubbing and component damage may occur.
Steam turbine shells generally may be supported by a number of shell arms extending axially about both ends of the shell in a direction parallel to the rotor. Turbine humping may be intensified in that the support arms largely may act as pivot points. Moreover, the shell arms also may experience thermal gradients therein so as to cause further deflections.
There is thus a desire for an improved turbo-machine such as a steam turbine with enhanced accommodation for thermal distortions, particularly during transient events. Such an improved turbo-machine may eliminate or reduce turbine humping so as to facilitate smaller radial seal clearances for improved overall performance and efficiency. Moreover, eliminating or reducing the opportunities for turbine humping also should facilitate longer component lifetime with reduced wear and damage.


A method for electromagnetic exploration includes imparting a first electromagnetic signal into subsurface formations from a first location and imparting a second electromagnetic signal into the formations from a second location substantially contemporaneously with imparting the first electromagnetic signal. The first and second electromagnetic signals are substantially uncorrelated with each other. A combined electromagnetic response of the formations to the first and second imparted electromagnetic signals is detected at a third location. A response of the formations to each of the first and the second imparted signals is determined from the detected response.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to systems and methods for estimating the response of rock formations in the earth's subsurface to imparted electromagnetic fields in order to determine spatial distribution of electrical properties of the formations.
2. Description of the Related Art
Porous subsurface sedimentary rock formations are typically saturated with fluids as a result of having been deposited in a body of water during sedimentation. As a result, the fluids were initially entirely water. In some subsurface formations the water in the pore spaces has been displaced to some extent after sedimentation by hydrocarbons such as oil and gas. Thus, in some present day subsurface formations, the fluids in their pore spaces may be water, gas or oil, or mixtures of the foregoing.
Detection of formations having less than fully water-saturated pore space, that is, when oil or gas is present in the pore spaces, is of significant economic interest. Certain techniques for detection of such formations include determining existence of electrical resistivities in the subsurface that are anomalously high. The principle of such detection is based on the fact that the flow of electric current through a porous rock formation is related to the fractional volume of the pore spaces with respect to the total rock volume, the spatial configuration of the pore spaces and the electrical properties of the fluids filling the pore spaces. Brine-saturated porous rock formations, for example, are typically much less resistive than the same rock formations having hydrocarbons in some or all of the pore spaces, because brine is a relatively good electrical conductor while hydrocarbons are typically good electrical insulators.
Various techniques for measuring the electrical resistivity of subsurface rock formations are known in the art, for example, time domain electromagnetic survey techniques such as described in International Patent Application Publication No. WO 03/023452. Such techniques in general include imparting an electromagnetic field into the subsurface formations and measuring electric and/or magnetic fields induced in the subsurface formation in response to the imparted electromagnetic field. For such measurement techniques, the electromagnetic field may be imparted using an electric field transmitter, for example, by passing an electric current through a dipole electrode pair. Alternatively a magnetic field transmitter may be used, for example, passing an electric current through a wire loop or a plurality of such loops. The receivers used to detect the responsive electromagnetic fields may be dipole electrode pairs for measuring potential differences (electric field potential), or may be wire loops, pluralities of wire loops or magnetometers for measuring magnetic field amplitude and/or the time derivatives of magnetic field amplitude. The electric current used to impart the electromagnetic field may be controlled to provide a step change in the current. Step change in the transmitter current induces what are referred to as "transient" electromagnetic fields, and the responses measured by the receivers are related to transient response of the formations in the earth's subsurface. Step change in the transmitter current may be obtained by switching the current on, switching the current off, reversing polarity, or combinations of the foregoing. A particularly advantageous form of transmitter current switching configuration used to impart the electromagnetic field is a so called "pseudo-random binary sequence" (PRBS).
In surveying an area of the subsurface using electromagnetic techniques, it is desirable to obtain signals corresponding to various distances ("offsets") between the transmitter and receiver. In a typical survey implementation using PBRS transmitter current switching, a different bandwidth PRBS can be used for different ranges of offset. In one such example, for surveying formations below the bottom of a body of water, a receiver vessel may deploy a plurality of receivers in a selected pattern, such as a line array, on the water bottom. A separate transmitter vessel may deploy the transmitter on or at a nominal distance from the water bottom. The transmitter may be actuated and signals from the receivers recorded. Electromagnetic signals corresponding to various offsets may be obtained by moving the transmitter vessel, actuating the transmitter, and recording signals from the receivers, successively. The transmitter current is measured during actuation and the measurements thereof can then be transmitted to the receiver vessel for data quality control and processing.
To survey different areas of the earth's subsurface below the water bottom, the receiver vessel may withdraw the receivers from the water bottom, move to a different location, and once again deploy the receivers on the water bottom in a different location. The above-described transmitter deployment, transmitter actuation and signal recording may then be repeated.
It is desirable to improve efficiency with which electromagnetic signals are obtained. One possibility is to actuate more than one transmitter at approximately the same time, and record the signals generated in response. Such technique could reduce the time taken to acquire a plurality of different offset electromagnetic signals.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method for subsurface electromagnetic surveying using two or more simultaneously actuated electromagnetic sources


An improved heater and method of controlling the same is provided. The water heater has the combination of a tank for holding water, a heater for heating the water, a controller having logic to regulate the heater, and first and second sensors. Each of the sensors detects the water temperature at different areas within the water heater. The sensors also provide the controller with signals corresponding to the detected water temperature. In response to these signals, the controller regulates the heater when at least one of the signals of the first and second sensors satisfies at least one predetermined state condition.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to water heaters and more particularly to a water heater with an improved water-heater-controller assembly and an improved water-heater-control method.
2. Description of Related Art
Water heaters are used in homes, businesses and just about any establishment having the need to heat water. Water heaters heat water using the simple "heat rises" principle. In operation, water heaters heat cold or ambient temperature water entering at or near the bottom of the water heater to a desired temperature using a gas-fired burner, an electric heater or some other form of energy. During a heating cycle, the cold or ambient temperature water at the bottom of the water heater becomes hotter and begins to rise towards the top of the water heater. Denser water, once on top of the water being heated, falls toward the bottom of the water heater so that it can be heated to the desired temperature. After the temperature of the water at the bottom of the water heater reaches a certain desired temperature, the water heater stops heating the water.
When demand for hot water arises (e.g., someone turns on a faucet to run a shower), fresh, cold or ambient water enters the water heater and "pushes out" or supplies the hotter water at or near the top of the water heater. When a sufficient amount of the hotter water exits from the top of the water heater so that the fresh, cold or ambient water entering the bottom causes the temperature of the water at the bottom of the tank to drop below the desired temperature, the water heater repeats the heat cycling.
A conventional water heater typically has at least one heating element or "heater," such as a gas-fired and/or electric burner. To take advantage of the "heat-rises" principle, the heater is located at or near the bottom of the water heater. Each water heater typically also has at least one thermostat or controller for controlling the heater.
To facilitate the heating of water, the controller receives signals related to the temperature of the water. When these signals indicate that the water temperature is below a predetermined threshold, for example, when the water temperature is below 120 degrees Fahrenheit, the controller turns on the heater and the water at or near the bottom of the water heater begins to heat. After some time, the temperature of the water at the bottom of the water heater increases to a second threshold, which, for example, may be about 140 degrees Fahrenheit. When receiving signals indicating that the water temperature at the bottom of the tank is greater than the second threshold, the controller causes the heater to reduce its heat output or, alternatively, causes the heater to turn off. The heat cycle begins again when the temperature of the water at the bottom of the water heater drops below the first threshold.
Unfortunately, the signals received by the controller only indicate the temperature of the water close to or at the water heater's bottom. Consequently, the water at the top of the water heater, i.e., the water supplied upon demand, may be at a different temperature from the water at the bottom. The water at the top is typically hotter than or close to the same temperature as the water at the water heater's bottom. Further, depending on demand for water, heat cycling, and heat loss, water temperature throughout the water heater might not equalize. Generally, in operation, the temperature of the water in the water heater does not equalize, but rather has one or more temperature gradients. That is, there may be hot and cold "spots" within the water heater, which can cause problems with outgoing temperature of the water. In some cases, these gradients may become substantial.
In one situation, when the demand for hot water from the water heaters is rapidly cycled on and off, the controller may follow in sequence. Cycling the controller on and off in turn cycles the heater on and off. Consequently, the water within the water heater may become layered by temperature. This phenomenon is known as temperature stacking or stratification. Because of temperature stratification, the temperature of the water at the top of the water heater during this multiple cycling might be within or close to the first and the second threshold. Thus, upon demand, delivered water may be hot or cold. In this situation, as well as others, the water heater may be energy inefficient, since the heater will needlessly cycle on when the water temperature at the top of the water heater is within an acceptable range.
Thus, it is desirable to provide a method and system to better control the delivered water temperature, and to control the temperature of the water in an energy-efficient manner.


A garlic sauce includes garlic, slivered nuts, vinegar, water, oil, and salt. These ingredients are combined without the addition of exogenous starch. A method of preparing the garlic sauce includes preconditioning nuts with garlic by dry blending to form a substantially homogeneous dough-like mixture, mixing vinegar, water, and salt into the dough-like mixture to form a substantially homogeneous batter, and adding oil to the dough to form a uniformly chunky, crunchy, and spreadable sauce with a rich golden hue.

This invention relates to preparing a starchless garlic sauce.
Garlic sauces have a wide variety of culinary uses, including use as: an ingredient in recipes for vegetables, meats and pastas; as toppings or spreads; and as basting solutions. Garlic sauces are characterized, in part, by their particular flavor and/or texture.
Some of the prior art garlic sauces are not spreadable because of their runny consistency which is similar in consistency to salad dressing. This runny consistency is therefore not suitable for spreading on a cracker or for dipping vegetables. Other recipes include a starch, e.g., bread or potato, which diminishes or obscures the nut and garlic flavor of the sauce. The starch containing sauces of the prior art have a bread-like taste and a pasty or starchy texture that imparts a gooey or tacky texture to the sauce. Several other recipes have a pungent, bitter, tart or vinegary flavor that detracts from the enjoyment of the natural flavor of garlic. The colors of prior art garlic sauces vary, for example, from white, almost white, to a grey, purplish, "dirty water" color. These color variations will also detract from the overall visual presentation of the sauce.


To increase the integration density of an EEPROM type memory, it is chosen to do without the selection transistor. To then arrive at a selection operation in erasure, programming or reading modes, it is chosen to apply negative voltages or voltages with a value half that of a programming voltage (VPP) to certain connections (with r' different from r) of the memory.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to non-volatile electronic memories that can be written and erased electrically. It also relates to the method of their management. These memories, known as EEPROMs, are essentially memories whose memory cells each include at least one MOS technology floating-gate transistor. The aim of the invention is to create an EEPROM type memory structure that is more compact than presently available structures, through the elimination of a selection transistor used in the standard EEPROM type memory cell. Consequently, it becomes possible, with the invention, to obtain a gain of about 50% in surface area. This then makes it possible to obtain memory arrays whose density is close to that of FLASH type structures while maintaining the advantages of EEPROM type structures over FLASH type structures.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
It may be recalled that floating-gate EPROMs are memories that are electrically programmable and non-erasable (or erasable by ultraviolet rays which is not the same thing as being electrically erasable). The electrical phenomenon of the programming of these EPROM memories is a phenomenon of thermal agitation in the conduction channel under the effect of a current saturation. This phenomenon is not reversible. The memories known as EEPROMs are electrically erasable and programmable. The phenomenon of programming and erasure, which is reversible, is a tunnel effect phenomenon. As opposed to the current saturation phenomenon, also called hot carrier phenomenon, the tunnel phenomenon has the advantage of not consuming current. The high programming and erasure voltages may then be produced by circuits internal to the memory (load pumps and multipliers). The so-called FLASH memories are hybrid memories. That is, they are programmable by hot carriers and erased by tunnel effect. In practice, the voltages applied to the gates, drains and sources of the floating-gate transistors of the memory cells provide information on the type of programming and erasure that is brought about.
The advantages of the memory cells of the invention over FLASH cells are essentially as follows.
First, the memory cells of the invention have greater endurance, for the erasure and writing operations use only the tunnel effect while the FLASH memories use, in turn, the tunnel effect and the currents of hot electrons.
Second, the memory cells of the invention operation at low supply voltage, for the tunnel current is far smaller than the current of hot carriers, which greatly simplifies the generation of the high voltages needed for the programming mechanisms within the integrated circuit itself. This makes them usable especially in portable applications, powered by cells or batteries, at voltages of the order of 2 or 3 volts.
FIG. 1 enables a description of the structure of an EEPROM type memory array of the related art.
The memory array shown is addressed in matrix form by means of row selection lines SR, SR+1 called word lines and lines SC for the supply of control gates of the floating-gate transistors of the cells of a column. In a column, the cells are assembled in a word of 8, 16, 32, . . . bits as the case may be. FIG. 1 shows one column with an index c and rows of indices r and r+1 in this column. FIG. 1 shows two bytes, eight bit lines BLc to BLc+7 being attached to the column c. It can be seen that the two bytes are shown symmetrically with respect to a switched horizontal ground line called GNDH. The line GNDH is connected to the ground GND of the circuit by connection to a ground line V series-connected with a switching transistor MC whose gate is referenced SW. With each column, therefore, there are associated eight bit lines, one line SC and one ground connection line V. The read circuits are connected to the bit lines of the cells of a word at the time of reading.
An elementary cell, surrounded in FIG. 1, is formed by a selection transistor Msel and a floating-gate transistor Mlec for storage and reading. The transistor Msel enables the conditional connection of a bit line, BLc+7 in this case, to the drain of the transistor Mlec. The transistor Mlec has two stacked gates, one lower floating gate FG and one upper control gate CG. These two gates are separated from each other by a gate oxide that is similar or has a thickness different from the one between the gate FG and the channel of the transistor Msel. The control gates CG of the transistors of one and the same byte are all connected together and connected to the line SC by a control gate selection transistor MCG.
The transistor Mlec has a tunnel window tu with a thickness of about 80 nm, interposed between its floating gate and its drain. In one example, for an EEPROM cell, the thickness of this tunnel window is 80 nm while it is 120 nm for a FLASH EPROM cell. The gate oxide is 200 nm for an EPROM cell. The window tu has the role of letting through a tunnel current (which is very small) between the drain and the floating gate of the transistor Mlec as soon as the voltage between the faces of the tunnel oxide goes beyond a critical threshold of about 10 volts, in fact as soon as the electrical field goes beyond 15.106 V/m. Depending on whether this voltage is positive or negative, the floating gate will be charged negatively or positively. It can therefore be seen that there is a permanent potential difference at the terminals of a capacitor formed by the stack of the gates CG and FG.
The threshold voltage Vt of a MOS transistor is the voltage between the control gate and the source of this transistor, starting from which the transistor becomes conductive. If Vt is the intrinsic threshold voltage of the transistor Msel, the conduction of this transistor Msel is related to the difference V(FG)-Vt where V(FG) is a floating-gate voltage due to the accumulation of the electrical charges at this floating gate. By furthermore applying a read voltage to the gate CG, this difference V(FG)-Vt enables or does not enable the transistor Msel to become conductive. The result thereof is that the conduction of the transistor Mlec depends on the charge of the capacitor CG/FG.
When the transistors MC and Msel are on, the current between a bit line BLi and the ground line V depends on the state of programming of the cell. By applying an appropriate read voltage CGref to the gates CG and by comparing a current flowing between each bit line BL and the line V with a reference value, it is possible to make a remote detection of the state of charging of the floating gate. The result of the comparison is converted into a binary information element.
Typically, it is said that if the current is smaller than the reference current, the cell is erased and corresponds to the storage of a binary 0 value. In a P substrate device using CMOS technology, the erased cells correspond to transistors with electrons stored at the floating gate. If not, the cell is said to be programmed and corresponds to the storage of a binary 1 value (with holes on the floating gate). In read mode, the bit lines of the bytes of the different columns are multiplexed and connected to read amplifiers which are broadly speaking current comparators. This part shall not be described in further detail. It is the same in the invention as in the related art.
The conditions of polarization of the different control nodes of the cells of FIG. 1 are summarized in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, the nodes SW, SC, BL, SR and SR', which is different from SR are those referred to up till now. The operations are the standard ones of memory management. The spaces in the table show the voltages to be applied to the nodes to obtain the performance of the operation. The write operations may comprise erasure operations only, possibly programming operations only or erasure operations followed by programming operations. The voltage Vcc is equal to about 5 volts and the voltage VPP is equal to about 12 volts.
The programming of a word is done conventionally in two phases:
a phase for the erasure of all the cells of this word--charges are injected (negative charges for a P type substrate) into all the floating gates of the word; PA1 a selective programming phase (the removal of the negative charges and injection of the positive charges for a P type substrate) for the programming of the cells that have to be programmed. PA1 if the cell does not form part of the same row (r) as the cell to be programmed, the selection transistors Msel and MCG are off: they are taken to 0 in both cases. If the cell does not form part of the same column as the cell to be programmed, the rows V and BLi are disconnected from the high voltage (by a multiplexer circuit that is not described here). PA1 *for a first cell to be selected, PA1 in erasure: a source connection of the floating-gate transistor of this first cell, called the first transistor, is subjected to a ground voltage (0V) of the integrated circuit, a drain connection of this first transistor is subjected to a ground voltage and a control gate of this first transistor is subjected to a high programming voltage which, with respect to the ground voltage, is greater than a supply voltage of an integrated circuit, PA1 in programming: the source connection of this first transistor is placed in a state of high impedance, the drain connection of this first transistor is subjected to the high programming voltage or to a high impedance depending on the nature of a bit to be written and the control gate of this first transistor is subjected to a ground voltage, PA1 in reading: the source connection of this first transistor is subjected to the ground voltage, the drain of this first transistor is connected to a threshold read amplifier and the control gate of this first transistor is connected to a first intermediate read control voltage between the ground voltage and the supply voltage; PA1 *for a second cell that is not to be selected, PA1 a) the cell is erased, then PA1 b) it is programmed with a partial programming effect by withdrawing electrical charges from the floating gate of the transistor, and then the contents of the cell are read; PA1 c) the steps from b) are started again in increasing the programming effect until the programming level is deemed to be sufficient.
It will be assumed that this process is also applied in the context of the invention and its variants.
The programming operation is the most critical one. The switched ground line V is floating during programming (SW taken to 0) to prevent a direct passage of current between the bit lines BLi taken to VPP and the ground GND, when the floating gate FD gets charged positively. Indeed, in this case, the transistor Mlec could become conductive as soon as its floating gate becomes positive. Owing to the architecture adopted, it can be seen that neither the control gate nor the source of the transistor Msel (having a common node with the drain of the transistor Mlec) of a cell of a byte not selected for the programming or erasure are subjected to high voltage:
The result thereof is that the programming of the cell has no effect on the other cells of the memory array which are not to be programmed.
An alternative embodiment can be used to reduce the surface area of the memory array by combining the cells not into n bytes in one and the same row but into a single word of 8.times.n cells for the entire row. The term used in this case is <<page>>. The advantage of this variant lies in the gain and space due to the elimination of (n-1) lines SC associated with their selection transistors MCG. The gain in terms of space requirement may go up to 20%. The drawback of this is the loss of the individual programming at the level of the byte. The programming thereafter is done only page by page. This type of structure lends itself well to large-sized memories wherein the data elements are renewed by blocks. This variant is schematically similar to that of FIG. 1 except that there is no longer one control gate selection transistor MCG every eight cells but one such transistor for a full page (or for a smaller proportion but for more than eight cells). This variant is conventionally called PEROM (P for page), the standard structure being called EEPROM.

Non-volatile electronic memory and method for the management thereof


An image processing apparatus includes: a color conversion LUT selecting section selecting a fundamental color conversion LUT from among a set of fundamental color conversion LUTs, preliminarily prepared in compliance with different combinations of fundamental ink colors, based on information of ink colors to be used in multicolor-printing and information of fundamental ink colors defining each fundamental color conversion LUT; a color converting section converting pixel values, associated with a multicolor original image, from a display color space of the selected fundamental color conversion LUT to an ink color space of the selected fundamental color conversion LUT; and a correction processing section correcting pixel values stored in the selected fundamental color conversion LUT, in the ink color space, based on feature points information of the ink colors to be used in the multicolor-printing and feature points information of fundamental ink colors defining the selected fundamental color conversion LUT.

The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a printer driver for converting multilevel pixel values (hereinafter abbreviated "pixel values") in a display color space, associated with display colors of multicolor original image data, into pixel values in an ink color space (or print color space), associated with ink colors to be used for multicolor-printing a multicolor original with a plurality of color inks.
In general, in multicolor-printing a multicolor original with a plurality of color inks, it has been a usual practice to conduct "color separation" methods converting pixel values in a display color space (such as the RGB color space), associated with display colors of multicolor original image data, into pixel values in an ink color space (such as the CMY color space), associated with ink colors to be used for the multicolor-printing.
Such color separation methods are classified broadly into the following categories:
(a) a method, disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-277473, converting pixel values in the RGB color space into pixel values in the CMY color space by a conversion formula as typified by a Nuegebauer formula; and
(b) a method, disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-186368, converting pixel values in the RGB color space into pixel values in the CMY color space by a color conversion look up table (hereinafter called "color conversion LUT").
In particular, the method (b) has been commonly used because it easily shifts a color range for favorable color reproduction.

Image processing apparatus, image processing method and printer driver