The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for processing 3D data, an apparatus for processing 3D data, a device and a storage medium. The method includes: acquiring three-dimensional point cloud data to be processed; mapping the three-dimensional point cloud data into a two-dimensional image space to obtain a first depth map; performing an expansion processing on the first depth map after changing an occlusion relation between target objects contained in the first depth map; and changing the occlusion relation between the target objects contained in the first depth map subject to the expansion processing to obtain a second depth map matched to the three-dimensional point cloud data.

Three-dimensional (3D) laser scanning technology is also called as real replication technology, which involves a technology revolution after GPS technology in the surveying and mapping engineering field. The 3D laser scanning technology transcends a conversional single-point measurement method, having an advantage of high effectiveness and accuracy. The 3D laser scanning technology may provide 3D point cloud data on a surface of an object to be scanned, such that it can be used to obtain a digital terrain model having a high accuracy and resolution.
A 3D laser scanner for realizing the 3D laser scanning technology is widely applied in road measurement and detection (tracking, road surface, road deformation), road maintenance and reconnaissance, building of road geometric model (transverse and longitudinal cross-section analysis), structure analysis (overpass), flood assessment analysis, overlay analysis in a geographic information system, traffic analysis, pilot vision and safety analysis and other fields.
In a process that the inventor finds the invention, the inventor recognizes that a conversional technology has the following defect: the 3D point cloud data obtained by one or a few 3D laser scanner has a low accuracy, such that the form and position of the measured object can not be produced completely and accurately.

Method and apparatus for mapping three-dimensional point cloud data, and storage medium

Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd.


The present invention relates to an improved electrochemical device, such as a primary cell battery, that is capable of being manufactured on the miniature-level (e.g., a size amenable to being used in an injectable medical apparatus). An exemplary electrochemical device comprises a header comprising a pin extending into an electrode space defined by the header and a device case. The pin also extends into a first electrode and is configured to be the current collector of the device. An electrode pressure plate is disposed adjacent a second electrode, and a pressure maintaining spring interfaces with the pressure plate and a device base. The pressure maintaining spring is configured to expand as the electrochemical device discharges, thereby maintaining a contact pressure within the device.

In today's market for implantable medical apparatuses, the demand for smaller batteries is growing rapidly. Such a demand is particularly acute with respect to injectable medical apparatuses where available space is especially at a premium. At the same time size restraints are requiring smaller and smaller batteries, power requirements are dictating that the smaller batteries have greater energy density and/or electrical capacity than their larger counterparts.
One aspect of current batteries that influences both size and energy density is that a tab is used to connect the electrodes to the battery terminal. Such a configuration does not provide pressure for the cell stack, and such a configuration puts a lower limit on the size of the batteries and an upper limit on the energy density. Another challenge is that conventional batteries use multiple layers of cathode and anode material, which add significantly to production costs and also put a lower limit on the size of the batteries.


A method and apparatus for merchandising product by gravity feeding that product to the front of a rotatable shelf. The product is supported upon a shelf which is in turn supported from a low friction support for rotation about an axis slightly tilted relative to a vertical plane with the shelf slightly tilted relative to a horizontal plane. The orientation of the shelf is such that the low point of the shelf is at the front of the shelf so that when displayed product is removed from the front of the shelf, the center of gravity of the shelf shifts and the weight of the product remaining on the shelf causes the shelf to rotate so as to relocate new product to the front of the shelf.

Merchandising displays are commonly used in supermarkets as well as in other types of stores to display and merchandise items such as beverages which are generally handled as self-service items. Quite commonly and for many years such items have been displayed and merchandised in racks wherein the products are arranged on shelves in adjacent rows parallel to the shelf's front edge with the shelf sloping downwardly from the rear to the front such that when customers remove product from the front edge of the shelf, the product to the rear of the removed product automatically slides forward to the front of the shelf. Such an arrangement for displaying and merchandising beverages is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,855, assigned to the assignee of this application. In this patent, sliding of the displayed merchandise to the front of the shelf is facilitated by a low friction slip surface mounted upon the top of the shelf for supporting the displayed product.
Another alternative to the use of a slip surface to facilitate gravity feed of displayed merchandise to the front of a sloping shelf is disclosed in Reissue U.S. Pat. No. RE30,706, also assigned to the assignee of this application. According to the disclosure of this patent, the displayed product is mounted upon a plurality of parallel endless conveyor belts arranged so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the shelf's front edge. The inside surface of the belts which rides over a supporting floor has a low coefficient of friction while the outside surface of the belt upon which the displayed product rests has a higher coefficient of friction. When the forwardmost displayed product on the belt is removed, the low friction coefficient on the belt's inside surface facilitates gravity feed or movement of the remaining product supported upon the belt, causing the belt and remaining product to slide forwardly over the stationary supporting surface to the front of the supporting surface until the product contacts a stationary abutment at the front of the sloping supporting surface. The use of the belt according to the disclosure of this patent enables the product to slide forwardly to the front of the shelf without any relative movement between the products and potential for impact of one product against another during the course of forward movement on the sloping shelf.
Another patent which discloses another technique for automatically moving product to the front of a shelf of a display in response to removal of the front product on the shelf is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,439, also assigned to the assignee of this application. According to the disclosure of this patent, the product is supported upon a belt on a horizontal shelf. The rearwardmost product in a column of products supported upon the belt is biased forwardly by a spring, similar to a window shade spring such that when the forwardmost product is removed from the column supported upon the belt, the belt is moved forwardly until the next forwardmost product abuts a stationary abutment at the front of the shelf.
Generally, gravity or spring biased automatic forward feed displays wherein the product is automatically moved to the front of a shelf in response to removal of the forwardmost displayed product on the shelf have been utilized in open-type displays wherein the forwardmost products are easily accessible. Such automatic forward feed displays have also been used in refrigerated cabinets, but when so used, the design of the cabinet has been severely restricted by the need to have large doors at the front of the cabinet in order to provide access to a relatively large quantity of stored product within the cabinet. Otherwise expressed, if there are ten columns of product displayed in a prior art refrigerated cabinet, then the access door of the cabinet has been ten columns wide. This means that if the product is refrigerated, a large quantity of refrigerated air necessarily escapes every time the door is opened. Or alternatively, if a small door is to be utilized, then only a relatively small number of columns of product may be stored within the cabinet and automatically moved to the front so as to be accessible through that small door.
It has therefore been an objective of this invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for gravity feeding product to the front of a merchandising display so as to enable a greater quantity of product to be accessed through a smaller opening, or alternatively, a greater quantity of product to be accessed at the front of the merchandising display.
Still another objective of this invention has been to provide an improved rotatable shelf display which is operative to automatically gravity feed product to the front of the rotatable shelf.
Still another objective of this invention has been to provide a refrigerated merchandising display wherein a large quantity of product may be gravity fed to the front of the refrigerated display and accessed through a relatively small door.
The invention of this application which accomplishes these objectives comprises a merchandising display having a rotatable shelf assembly that automatically gravity feeds displayed product to the front of the shelf as the product is successively removed from the front of the shelf by a customer. This display comprises a housing for rotatably supporting at least one shelf and a shelf supported from the housing in a plane slightly tilted out of a horizontal plane for rotation about an axis which is slightly tilted relative to a vertical plane, the tilt of the shelf being such that the lowest point on the tilted shelf is located at the front of the shelf such that when product supported on the shelf is removed from the front of the shelf the weight of the remaining product on the shelf automatically causes the shelf to rotate to reposition the remaining product at the front of the shelf. Otherwise expressed, when product is removed from the front of the shelf, the shelf automatically rotates in response to removal of the product from the front to locate new product at the front of the shelf.
The invention of this application also comprises a method of gravity feeding displayed product to the front of a rotatable shelf of a merchandising display as product is successively removed from the front of the shelf by a customer. This method comprises supporting the shelf from a low friction support for rotation about an axis slightly tilted relative to a vertical plane with the shelf slightly tilted relative to a horizontal plane, the orientation of the shelf being such that the low point on the shelf is at the front of the shelf so that when displayed product is removed from the front of the shelf, the weight of product remaining on the shelf causes the shelf to rotate so as to relocate new product to the front of the shelf.
The primary advantage of the invention of this application is that it enables a maximum quantity of product to be automatically gravity fed to a single location at the front of the display. When utilized in a refrigerated cabinet, this invention enables a large quantity of product to be stored within the cabinet and gravity fed to one or more openings or doors on the cabinet which may be minimally sized while still facilitating access to a large quantity of product.


A cable for transmitting electricity may include a core including a first conductive material, a core shield surrounding the core, an insulation layer surrounding the core shield, the insulation layer comprising a material providing electrical insulating properties, an insulation shield surrounding the insulation layer; and at least one of the following at least partially surrounding the insulation shield: (a) a bedding layer including a first semi-conductive material, (b) a tape layer including a metallic tape intercalated with an insulating tape, and (c) a protection layer.

High-Pressure Fluid-Filled and High-Pressure Gas-Filled transmission cable systems make up a vast majority of the installed base of underground electric power transmission infrastructure in North America. Many of these assets are near or beyond their original design life. While many systems continue to provide reliable service for the utility industry, some failures are being reported. Load in urban areas of North America continues to grow and the growth requires greater capacity in underground transmission cable systems. In addition, manufacturing capacity of conventional paper insulated cables used for this type of underground system is decreasing. Alternatives to these types of cables are needed for future installation and replacement.
These factors compel cable users to consider new options for future system growth and enhancement. The ability to utilize the existing conduit, such as steel pipe, from the existing cable system for installation of new cables may reduce overall transmission cable project costs.
The present subject matter relates to electric power cables for installation in existing or newly installed steel pipes to provide an alternative to the existing paper insulated or laminar dielectric cables.
Options are available to install new cables into existing steel pipes. Challenges arise due to constraints of the existing steel pipe, such as pipe diameter. Several global cable manufacturers have proposed designs to overcome the challenges and commercial projects have been realized. However, the available designs use reduced insulation thickness to reduce overall cable diameter, which results in higher electrical stress across extruded dielectric cable insulation than conventionally used three-core cable designs, which may lead to shorter installation lengths when compared to single core designs; and shield designs with conventional electrical impedance that may create considerable shield losses due to induced sheath currents when the cable shield is bonded at multiple locations along the cable circuits.
What is needed are electric power cables which may provide: similar or lower electrical stress across the cable insulation as compared with conventional electric power cables; and lower shield losses to improve cable transmission capacity; as well as methods by which such cables may be more easily installed and/or retrofit into existing cable conduits.
Embodiments of the subject matter are disclosed with reference to the accompanying drawings and are for illustrative purposes only. The subject matter is not limited in its application to the details of construction or the arrangement of the components illustrated in the drawings. As used herein, "at least one" means one or more than one, and "and/or" means items listed may be included exclusively or in combination. Like reference numerals are used to indicate like components, unless otherwise indicated.


The invention concerns a corrugator machine with an intermediate web dispensing device for dispensing an intermediate web, a top layer dispensing device for dispensing a top layer, a printing arrangement located downstream of the top layer dispensing device for printing the top layer, a device located downstream of the intermediate web dispensing device and the printing arrangement for producing a corrugated board web laminated on one side from the intermediate web and the top layer, a lamination web dispensing device for dispensing a lamination web, and a connection device for connecting the corrugated board web laminated on one side and the lamination web with each other whilst forming an at least three-layered corrugated board web.

Corrugator machines are generally known from prior art through obvious prior use. Prior art also discloses corrugator machines with integrated printing devices. It is often a disadvantage with these known corrugator machines that they have an enormous overall length in machine direction. The print quality of such corrugator machines is also often unsatisfactory.

BHS Corrugated Maschinen- und Anlagenbau GmbH


Systems and methods for notifying users of upcoming communication sessions in a virtual forum of an online community, for example, a video or audio forum, in which multiple users “hang out” and communicate. Users are notified of these upcoming meetings in advance, so they may participate in them, even at short notice, for example, in the event a meeting is ongoing. In some embodiments, the systems and methods permit users to subscribe to a particular entity within an online community, which may either be individuals (for example, a celebrity), company pages, groups, etc. Those who subscribe to the particular entity are immediately notified in the event a meeting relating to the entity is designated to occur or is ongoing.

The present disclosure relates to managing communication sessions in on line communities. In particular, the present disclosure relates to managing subscriptions to communication sessions associated with a particular entity of an online community and notifying those who subscribe or other users of upcoming communication sessions associated with the particular entity.
Over the last decade, online communication has become more and more prevalent. Every day thousands if not millions of people create online discussions and plan for future online discussions. These online discussions may take place in different virtual forums, for example, a "video chat" forum, instant messaging, an "audio chat" forum, etc.
Currently, it is difficult for users to keep track of all the various online forums (for meetings) in which a user desires to attend or participate. Typically, users initiate discussions or participate in them spontaneously. Also, there is no efficient way to notify users of upcoming communication sessions among others, which may be of interest to the users.
With the ongoing trends and growth in online communication sessions and meetings, it would certainly be beneficial to find better ways to provide users and other interested entities, who participate in meetings, online discussions, or the like, with notifications of upcoming meetings in which the users may wish to participate.

Subscribing users to entities within an online community and notifying users of upcoming meetings


Wastewater treatment tank for achieving hydraulic flow equalization and high efficiency soluble biological oxygen demand (BOD) removal. The wastewater treatment tank provides a compact arrangement of at least one dissolved air flotation (DAF) cell and an equalization reactor cell. The tank achieves regulatory wastewater pretreatment requirements for reducing total BOD concentrations below 250 to 300 mg/L.

Existing dissolved air flotation (DAF) wastewater treatment technology typically provides low efficiency removal of soluble biological oxygen demand (BOD) even when operated with high efficiency chemical coagulation and flocculation. In many situations of industrial wastewater pretreatment, a wastewater treatment facility operator is required to reduce BOD concentrations below 300 mg/L, and even below 250 mg/L, which cannot be consistently achieved without also achieving consistent partial soluble BOD removal. However, to obtain the required soluble BOD removal necessary to meet the total BOD pretreatment permit limit, some controlled level of biological treatment is also required to remove soluble BOD by converting soluble carbonaceous pollutants that cannot be removed by conventional DAF treatment operated with chemical coagulation and flocculation, into insoluble biomass solids that can be removed by chemical treatment and flotation in a DAF cell.
A conventional flow equalization basin which is used to provide hydraulic flow equalization upstream from a DAF cell cannot be effectively used to remove sufficient soluble BOD because the growth of biomass solids necessary to achieve consistent and adequate soluble BOD removal must be achieved by the recycle of solids skimmed from the downstream DAF. Because these DAF cell skimmings solids typically contain a high concentration of oil and grease (O&G) that is removed by flotation, these solids cannot be recycled back into the upstream flow equalization basin (FEB) without causing the buildup of excessive O&G in the FEB tank which would cause the DAF pretreatment process to fail. In addition, the high concentration of raw wastewater solids in the FEB influent wastewater makes it difficult to also develop an adequate concentration of biomass solids. The method of treatment typically used to avoid these O&G build ups, and, excessive influent solids loading problems in the FEB tank is to use a first stage DAF cell operated for O&G and total suspended solids (TSS) removal upstream from the FEB followed by a second stage DAF cell operated for BOD and TSS removal downstream from the FEB. Chemical treatment may be used in the first stage DAF cell to assist in O&G and solids removal upstream of the FEB tank.
The installation cost for such a two stage DAF pretreatment system with an intermediate FEB is typically prohibitive for many industries because two DAF cells and a large FEB tank are required to provide capability to consistently achieve the soluble and total BOD removal necessary to meet BOD pretreatment limits; and ammonia nitrogen, total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), and total nitrogen removal to meet ammonia nitrogen, TKN, or total nitrogen pretreatment limits.

Dissolved air flotation and equalization reactor wastewater treatment tank


An industrial robot includes a first member, a positioning member arranged to be attached to the first member, a second member arranged to rotate relative to the first member, and a first joint for coupling the first member with the second member. The second member has a contact point arranged to contact the positioning member. An indication for requesting to enable the positioning member to contact the contact point is displayed. The second member rotates at the first joint relatively to the first member while the positioning member can contact the contact point. It is detected whether or not the contact point of the second member contacts the positioning member. A position of the second member is stored as an origin when it is detected that the contact point of the second member contacts the positioning member. This method prevents a possible failure of the attaching of the positioning member, and decreases a work load on an operator.

In an operation of an industrial robot, an angle of a joint of a manipulator calculated by a processor, such as a CPU, for activating the joint is correlated to an actual angle of the joint. For this purpose, an origin, being a reference of a rotation of the joint is adjusted.
FIG. 6 shows a conventional apparatus for adjusting the origin disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2-180580. Member 611 rotates about rotation axis 620 with reference to member 612. Recess 613 is provided in the circumference of member 611 at a position corresponding to an origin. Adjusting device 630 detachable from member 612 is attached to the position corresponding to the origin. Adjusting device 630 includes switch holder 615 fixed on member 612 at the position corresponding to the origin, switch 614 held by switch holder 615, straight bearing 616 mounted on switch holder 615, and sliding rod 617 movable guided by straight bearing 616. Switch 614 includes on/off movement 614A. End 617A of sliding rod 617, a positioning member, is engaged with on/off movement 614A. When sliding rod 617 moves away from switch 614, other end 617B is put into recess 613 provided in member 611.
FIG. 7 shows another conventional apparatus of adjusting an origin disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-239967. Member 712 is coupled rotatably with member 711, so that surface 712A of member 711 contacts surface 711A of member 711. Detachable positioning member 722 is mounted detachably to mounting port 723 of member 711. Member 712 has contact point 721 for contacting positioning member 722. Positioning member 722 is a positioning pin, while mounting port 723 is a tapped hole in which the positioning pin is screwed.
In these conventional adjusting apparatuses, an operation of the positioning member for contacting members 611 and 712 is not defined. An operator practically activates an arm with a teaching device until the positioning pin contacts the members. Adjusting the origin requires accuracy, thus increasing a work load on the operator and increasing a working time. An erroneous handling by the operator during adjusting the origin may hurt the position pin and the arm. The operator attaches and detaches the positioning member. If the operator fails to attach the positioning member, the origin is not adjusted properly. If the operator fails to detach the positioning member after adjusting the origin and activates the robot, the positioning member and the arm of the robot arm may be damaged.

Method of adjusting origin of industrial robot


Disclosed are a composite resin composition and an article containing the same. The composite resin composition may include semicrystalline polyamide; amorphous polyamide; an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) resin; a compatibilizer; and a strength-reinforcing agent. The article may exhibit superior rigidity equivalent to or greater than that of conventional long-fiber thermoplastics and remarkably excellent dimensional stability. In addition, the composite resin composition and the molded article including the same may be used in replacement of steel parts so as to reduce the weight by about 30%.

As high-strength and highly functional polymer materials are increasingly required in automobile industry, demand for plastic materials with improved flame retardancy, improved dimensional stability, high impact resistance, reduced weight, and improved tracking resistance have been increasing.
For example, as a thermoplastic resin, polyamide is a kind of engineered plastic, and has been used in various industrial fields due to the advantages thereof, namely high thermal stability and high mechanical rigidity. However, the range of use thereof has been limited due to deteriorated physical properties caused by hydrolysis in a humid environment and poor dimensional stability after injection molding.
In order to improve the dimensional stability of such polyamide resins, functional resins have recently been produced by applying a long-fiber thermoplastic (LFT) method to polyamide. However, since a long-fiber thermoplastic should be subjected to an additional secondary process of impregnating a plastic into long fibers after primary extrusion using a functional additive, processing costs are high. In addition, the material to which the LFT method is applied has very low flowability in a molten state and the polymer material is repeatedly melted at high temperatures, disadvantageously resulting in generation of gas in the final molded product due to the deterioration of the material.
In order to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art, there is a need for the development of resin compositions and molded articles thereof having performance equivalent to or higher than that of long-fiber thermoplastics as well as improved dimensional stability.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention, and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Composite resin composition with excellent dimensional stability


A sensor assembly comprising a holder body and a housed semiconductor sensor element situated on the holder body for rotational speed measurement and/or position measurement, a cured enveloping material that covers the housed semiconductor sensor element completely being situated on the holder body. It is provided that the housed semiconductor sensor element is glued onto a mounting surface of the holder body using an adhesive that differs from the enveloping material, and that the adhesive is situated in a receiving space between the mounting surface and a bottom side of the housed semiconductor sensor element that is facing the mounting surface.

Sensor assemblies, which have a semiconductor sensor element for rotational speed measurement and/or position measurement, are used in manifold ways in the related art. Hall IC components or ASICs (application-specific integrated circuit) having a Hall IC are used for example as housed semiconductor elements, which are embedded in a housing. Such sensors are often used in combination with magnetic or non-magnetic pulse-generator wheels for rotational speed measurement. If a pulse-generator wheel having teeth or tooth gaps rotates in front of the front side of the sensor assembly, this causes a change in the magnetic field at the location of the semiconductor sensor element, which produces an electrical signal as a function of the passing teeth and tooth gaps, from which the rotational speed of the pulse-generator wheel may be determined. Additionally or alternatively, such sensor assemblies may also be used for example in combination with encoded pulse-generator wheels for measuring the position of an absolute angle so that it is possible to detect a specific angle-of-rotation position of a rotating pulse-generator wheel.
German Patent Application No. DE 10 2014 220 974 A1 describes, for example, a sensor assembly, which has a holder body having connector elements situated on it and a housed semiconductor sensor element having contact elements. The housed semiconductor sensor element is situated one mounting surface of the holder body. Connector elements of the semiconductor sensor element are electrically connected to the contact elements. A cured enveloping material situated on the holder body covers the housed semiconductor sensor element entirely. In German Patent Application No. DE 10 2014 220 974 A1, an epoxy resin casting compound is used as the enveloping material.
Other conventional sensor assemblies use an injection-molding compound as the enveloping material. Thus, a sensor assembly is described, for example, in German Patent Application No. DE 10 2009 000 428 A1, which comprises a holder made of a thermoplastic plastic, on which connector elements developed as lead frame parts are injection molded. The connector elements have connecting sections projecting from the sensor system for external contacting of the sensor system. The sensor system furthermore comprises a housed semiconductor sensor element mounted on a mounting surface of the holder, which has contact elements that are electrically connected to the connector elements. For protecting the sensor element and the electrical connecting points, an enveloping material made of thermosetting plastic is applied on the holder. The fully cured enveloping material covers the housed semiconductor sensor element completely.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 6,169,316 B1, for example, describes sensor assemblies having a semiconductor sensor element used for pressure measurement, in which a semiconductor sensor element is glued onto a mounting surface using an adhesive. In these sensor assemblies, however, the semiconductor sensor element is not integrated into a housing. Furthermore, here the semiconductor sensor element used for measuring pressure fundamentally cannot be covered by a cured enveloping material since then it would no longer be possible to transfer pressure onto the semiconductor sensor element.

Sensor assembly and method for producing a sensor assembly


The present invention describes a process for a vehicle including an electronic control system, which processes input signals representative of the rotational behavior of the individual wheels, and wherein the differences of the tire tread circumferences of the individual wheels are determined by way of short-time and long-time correction factors. The long-time correction factors LZ.sub.n. are determined from the differences D.sub.R1 between the short-time correction factors KZ.sub.R1 and the long-time correction factors LZ.sub.R1 of the respective wheel by averaging LM.sub.r1 the differences during a predetermined time interval and by evaluating and weighting the average value. For the quick identification of an emergency wheel, every time the vehicle engine is started, the long-time factor LZ.sub.R1 is equalled once to the short-time factor KZ.sub.R1 of the respective wheel, if simultaneously the short-time correction factors of three wheels are approximately equal and the short-time correction factor of the fourth wheel adopts a relatively high value, which is within a predetermined range, for a predetermined time interval or minimum time interval, and if the short-time correction factor of the fourth wheel remains approximately constant during this time interval.

The present invention relates to a process of quick identification of an emergency wheel, for a vehicle including an electronic control system, wherein the rotational behavior of the wheels is sensed by wheel sensors, and wherein the differences of the tire tread circumferences are determined by way of correction factors.
Electronic control systems for automotive vehicles, such as antilock control systems (ABS), traction slip control systems (TCS), systems for the electronic control of brake force distribution (EBV), etc., require (exclusively or among others) data about the rotational behavior of the individual wheels as input quantities. Even minor differences in the tire tread circumferences, caused by manufacturing tolerances, uneven wear, etc., take influence on the control. This applies to a major degree in the case of mounting a so-called emergency wheel which may be smaller or larger than the other wheels.
German patent application No. 39 15 879 teaches calculating a correction factor for each wheel of a vehicle. To compensate for different tire tread circumferences, the measured wheel speed is multiplied by the associated correction factor and made the basis for the further signal processing in the control system.
International application WO89/04783 discloses a process measuring the vehicle speed in time intervals without wheel slip. In this application, correction values are determined from deviations of the wheel speeds from the vehicle speed and, subsequently, the wheel speed of the individual vehicle wheels is corrected by way of the correction values.
German patent application No. 40 36 742 discloses a circuit for a traction slip control system with brake management or engine management which is used to improve the control function when a small spare wheel instead of a driven normal-size wheel is mounted. In this application, the rotational speed measured on the spare wheel is evaluated by a correction factor determined during stable wheel rotational behavior and is thereby conformed to the measured speed value of the second driven wheel of the same axle so that the same slip control threshold as for a normal-size wheel applies to the smaller spare wheel.
It is principally necessary that these correction factors are determined, "learnt" in steps and confirmed by the control unit at the commencement of a control operation. Short-term speed variations may be due to special driving situations, such as cornering, traction torques or brake torques, vibrations, disturbances, etc. Therefore, it takes a relatively long time until a control system of this type can detect an emergency wheel, i.e. a wheel having a noticeably different tire tread circumference, and calculate a corresponding correction value.

Emergency wheel fast recognition process


A food storage and dispensing device includes a food holder configured to contain a sliceable item of food on the support surface and between the side walls. The food holder has a dispensing opening located at the first end. The device further includes a lid moveably mounted over the food holder so as to have an open position and a closed position and an end cap, having an upper edge coupled to the lid at a location proximate to the first end. The end cap is oriented to cover the dispensing opening when the lid is in the closed position and has a lower edge opposite the upper edge, the lower edge configured to slice the sliceable item of food when the lid is moved from the open position to the closed position.

It is known in the prior art that food storage devices usually include a storage section and a cover, and have a primary function of keeping food fresh and preventing contamination. Typically when one desires to use food stored in such containers, the cover is opened and action is taken to remove the food from the storage chamber either by picking it up with one's hands or utilizing a utensil such as a spoon or a knife. If the food is one solid piece and only a portion of the food is desired then one might also use one's hands or the utensil to separate the desired portion from the main body of food. Once the food is removed it then needs to be brought to the desired location either by hand or by balancing the desired portion of food on the utensil used to separate it or utilizing an additional utensil more suitable for transport from the container to a serving plate. Then to continue to store and protect the remainder of food the cover is placed back upon the container or in some cases left open for future dispensing of additional food since placing the cover on and off each time may be considered tedious, especially in cases when multiple portions are desired over a given period of time.
Assemblies of this sort have a number of disadvantages, including the amount of time it takes to dispense the food, since dispensing the food is a multi-step process. The chamber first must be opened and often the chamber or its cover placed down to free one's hand for use in later separating the desired portion. Then the hands are, or the utensil is, engaged to select and/or cut the desired food portion. Then the desired food portion must be transferred to the desired location and finally the chamber closed again for storage. In this way each step takes some amount of time and together sums up to a significant amount of time.
Another drawback of the above method is cleanliness. First, the serving element, whether it is a utensil or hand, gets dirty from being in contact with the food. Second, the stored food may get contaminated by dirt or food that is previously present on the hand or utensil that is used to dispense the desired food portion. This is especially common in situations where many people are dispensing foods like butter or cheese from the same storage device in a gathering. It is also common when food must be spread on the surface of another food such as bread or potatoes and more than one slice is desired.
Another drawback is difficulty in transport. When food needs to be cut with a knife it can be difficult to transfer that food from the storage chamber to the desired location without it falling from the knife. It is common for food to fall during the act of transferring the food from the storage chamber to its desired location, such as a plate, and when it falls the food is frequently wasted or contaminated and the surface it falls upon becomes dirty.
Another drawback is that getting a desired or consistent amount of food dispensed is up to the skill of the operator, and it is not uncommon for people to end up with more or less dispensed food then they intended. This is especially true with people who have less experience choosing a portion size like children, those who have challenges controlling their movements like the elderly or those who are distracted in conversation or other activities when serving themselves. Also those who are vision impaired have difficulty distinguishing where their cutting utensil contacts the food product. Those who are fully blind can only tell they have obtained a serving through touching the product.
Another drawback is that when multiple servings are desired the chamber is often left open to avoid the tedious action of opening and closing the chamber each time. This open chamber reduces the level of protection of the stored food, exposing it to air and temperature. In the case foods like cheese this can cause them to harden and in the case of foods like butter this can cause them to soften in an undesirable way.
It is likewise known in prior art that there are an additional set of approaches that attempt to integrate the storage and dispensing of food. These include devices that smash or deform the food or use a combination of coil springs, rotary gears or other fragile and complex components to manipulate the food. These devices and methods share many of the same drawbacks as the traditional methods as well as some additional issues that include:
Disfigurement of the dispensed food: Often such devices require that the food be compressed into various forms upon serving through implements that smash, melt or smear food. This reduces the visual enjoyment of the dispensed food as well as causes a change in density and texture that changes the perceived taste.
Complexity of components: The operating mechanisms of many such devices entail integration of complex components that often include small inaccessible spaces are hard to clean and therefore risk food contamination over time and difficulties in cleaning. Such complexity also contributes to excess cost to manufacture and greater likelihood of component failure.
Arduous operation: In addition many integrated solutions require arduous operation to obtain the desired amount of food, some even requiring careful placement of a movable component to get a desired size. Such devices can be frustrating to operate. Others do not provide any ability to vary the size of the dispensed food, making it useless in all instances where a different size is desired.
Large size: Many devices require complex configurations requiring them to be significantly larger than the food they store. As a result they are cumbersome to hold and take up additional valued space when stored in refrigerators or on tables.
Unknown quantity: Many of these devices do not contain a means for knowing the quantity dispensed and if they do their means are typically subject to user error, requiring calculations or detailed positioning of the size indicator. For foods like butter this is particularly undesirable since often the slice required can be smaller than a tenth of an inch and therefore hard to set manually.
Unfamiliar Configuration: Many existing approaches require components that look and function in a manner not consistent with expectations for dinnerware. This lack of visual appeal makes them unsuitable for using as part of an aesthetic table setting.

Apparatus and method for storing and dispensing an item of food


Apparatus and systems, as well as methods and articles, may operate to store portions of a spherical image in a storage medium as a pair of triangles included in a convex quadrilateral. The triangles may form a portion of one or more substantially uniformly tessellated spherical surfaces.

Omni-stereo imaging research may involve the capture and display of stereoscopic (stereo) three-dimensional imagery for substantially all of an environment (omni). Many techniques have been developed for capturing omni-directional monoscopic imagery of an environment using wide-angle lenses, mirrors, and various image mosaicing techniques. Similarly, many techniques have been developed for capturing stereoscopic imagery. There are even some techniques that combine the two technologies to capture stereoscopic omni-directional (omni-stereo) imagery.
The predominant existing method uses spherical imagery that has been stored in an equirectangular image format, where the horizontal coordinate corresponds to longitude, and the vertical coordinate corresponds to latitude, for various points on the surface of a sphere. The equirectangular image format is used for viewing spherical imagery because it maps easily onto the longitude and latitude lines of a three-dimensional sphere, and is therefore straightforward to program and process using available computer graphics techniques.
Once the image environment surrounding a particular viewpoint has been stored as an equirectangular image, it's possible to generate perspective views of the environment from a variety of viewing directions using a computer. Viewing spherical imagery using the equirectangular image format can work well for individual images, but is decidedly less convenient for viewing spherical movies.
Though spherical movies might be viewed using periodic display of equirectangular images mapped to a three-dimensional viewing sphere, this technique is rather inefficient, since the system processes much more image data than is typically displayed to the user. In part, this is due to the inefficiencies of the equirectangular image format itself, since the application of this format to the surface of a sphere results in pixel lines that shrink in length as they proceed towards the sphere's top and bottom apexes, scaled according to their length along the spherical surface. This results in storing approximately 36% more image data than will ever be seen when mapped onto a spherical surface.
Longitude/latitude based three-dimensional sphere representations commonly used for viewing spherical imagery provide similar inefficiencies as the top and bottom apexes are approached. For example, when computer graphics representations of three-dimensional surfaces are based on a discrete set of triangular polygons, though a sphere's surface should be substantially uniform, the polygons generated by this method are not. The polygons shrink in size and become more densely packed as they approach the sphere's top and bottom apexes. As a result, the computer used for viewing the spherical imagery must process significantly more geometric information for virtual camera views approaching the sphere's top and bottom apexes, even though the surface properties of the apex areas are no different from those near the sphere's equator.


An image forming apparatus includes a color difference detection pattern output device that outputs an image signal to produce a color difference detection pattern for detecting periodic rotational variations arising in the image forming apparatus, a pattern detection device for detecting the color difference detection pattern formed on an endless carrier; phase detection device for detecting the phase of rotation of at least one of the image carriers of the image forming apparatus on the basis of a detection signal received from the pattern detection device; and a rotational phase control device for individually controlling the phase of rotation of at least one of the image carriers of the image forming apparatus and the endless carrier on the basis of the phase information detected by the phase detection device. The phase detection device calculates the mean value of the rotational variations of the rotational phases.

The present invention relates to a registration control technique for detecting and correcting color differences for a plurality of images formed in different colors by image forming means, in a multiple image forming apparatus, such as a tandem color copier or printer, which comprises a plurality of image forming means, or an image forming apparatus that sequentially forms a plurality of images having different colors with use of at least one image forming means, and forms a color image by transferring the thus-formed images onto a transfer belt, paper on a transfer belt, or an intermediate transfer material.
Recently, as formation of documents to be handled in the office, or elsewhere, in color becomes popular quickly, there has been increasing usage of image forming apparatuses that produce the documents in color, such as copiers, printers, and facsimiles. The current tendency is for these color image forming apparatuses to be arranged so as to produce high quality color images at high speed, as the quality and processing speed of office paper work increases. Various types of so-called tandem color image forming apparatus have already been proposed or have become commercially introduced as color image forming equipment that meets the previously-described requirements. Specifically, the color image forming equipment is provided with image forming units for respective colors, e.g., black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C). Images that are formed in different colors by the image forming units are transferred onto a transfer material to be transported or onto an intermediate transfer material in a superimposed manner, so that a color image is formed.
For example, the following image forming apparatus may be mentioned as the previously-described tandem color image forming apparatus. The tandem color image forming apparatus is provided with four image forming units: namely, a black image forming unit 200K for forming an image in black (K), a yellow image forming unit 200Y for forming an image in yellow (Y), a magenta image forming unit 200M for forming an image in magenta (M), and a cyan image forming apparatus for forming an image in cyan (C), as shown in FIG. 39. These four image forming units 200K, 200Y, 200M, and 200C are horizontally arranged at given intervals. A transfer belt 202 which transports transfer paper 201 to respective transfer positions of the image forming units 200K, 200Y, 200M, and 200C while electrostatically attracting it, is disposed as an endless transfer-material carrier below these four image forming units 200K, 200Y, 200M, and 200C for four colors black, yellow, magenta, and cyan.
The aforementioned four color image forming units 200K, 200Y, 200M, and 200C, i.e., black, yellow, magenta, and cyan, are all constructed in the same manner. These four image forming units 200K, 200Y, 200M, and 200C are arranged to sequentially form a black toner image, a yellow toner image, a magenta toner image, and a cyan toner image in the manner as has been previously described. Each of the image forming units 200K, 200Y, 200M, and 200C is provided with a photosensitive drum 203. The surface of this photosensitive drum 203 is evenly charged by a corotron 204 for primary electrostatic charging purposes. Then, the surface is exposed to a scanning laser beam 205 for image forming purposes so as to correspond to the image information, resulting in a latent image being formed on the surface. The latent image formed on the surface of each photosensitive drum 203 is developed by a developing unit 206 of each of the image forming units 200K, 200Y, 200M, and 200C, using toner of each color, i.e., black, yellow, magenta, and cyan, whereby visible toner images are formed. After having undergone electrification of a pre-transfer electrostatic charger 207, the visible toner images are transferred sequentially onto the transfer paper 201 retained on the transfer belt 202 by means of the electrostatic charge generated by transfer electrostatic chargers 208. The transfer paper 201 having the black, yellow, magenta, and cyan toner images transferred thereon is detached from the transfer belt 202. The thus-removed transfer paper 201 is subjected to fixing treatment by an unillustrated fixing unit, whereby a color image is formed.
On the drawing, reference numeral 209 designates a photosensitive material cleaner; 210, a photosensitive material charge-removing lamp; 211, a paper removal corotron; 212, a transfer belt charge-removing corotron; 213, a transfer belt cleaner; and 214, a pre-cleaning corotron.
The tandem color image forming apparatus having the above-described construction, is based on a scheme in which one image is formed by use of a plurality of image forming units, which enables considerably rapid formation of color images. However, an increase in the speed of formation of an image results in frequently occurring problems related to registration of the images formed by the image forming units; namely, problems related to registration of colors (hereinafter referred to as registration), which in turn makes it considerably difficult to achieve a high-quality color image and high-speed production rate. This problem is ascribed to slight variations in the position and size of components in each image forming unit as well as in the position and size of each image forming unit due to variations in the temperature within the color image forming apparatus and receipt of external forces. Of these factors, variations in the internal temperature of the image forming apparatus and the external force are impossible to prevent. For example, routine operations, such as correction of paper jams, replacement of components as a result of maintenance, or the movement of the color image forming apparatus, result in external forces exerted on the color image forming apparatus.
To prevent this problem, such an image forming apparatus as disclosed in, e.g., Unexamined Japanese Patent Publn. No. Hei-1-281468, has already been proposed. This image forming apparatus comprises a plurality of image forming sections that form visible images of position detection marks and visible images corresponding to original image information; a travel member that sequentially passes the transfer areas where the visible images, which are formed by the image forming sections so as to correspond to the original image information or the visible images of the position detection marks, are transferred; and position-detection mark detecting means that is disposed downstream of the transfer area in the direction of movement of the travel member and detects the position detection mark transferred on the travel member. The image forming apparatus is arranged to control the respective image forming sections in such a way as to correct the difference between transferred images on the basis of a detection signal output from the position-detection mark detecting means.
Where the technique of correcting the difference between transferred images is applied to the so-called tandem color image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 39, the four image forming units 200K, 200Y, 200M, and 200C, i.e., black, yellow, magenta, and cyan, form a plurality of color difference detection patterns, i.e., 220K, 220Y, 220M, 220C, 221K, 221Y, 221M, and 221C, over the entire circumference of the transfer belt 202 at predetermined intervals in the direction of travel of the transfer belt 202 and the direction orthogonal to the direction of travel of the transfer belt 202, as shown in FIG. 40. A linear light-receiving element 222 such as a CCD sensor, which comprises a plurality of linearly-arrayed light-receiving pixels, samples the color difference detection patterns 220K, 220Y, 220M, 220C, 221K, 221Y, 221M, and 221C using transmission light originating from a light-emitting element 223. Next, the intervals between the color difference detection patterns 220K, 220Y, 220M, 220C, 221K, 221Y, 221M, and 221C are calculated. The positions of the image forming units 200K, 200Y, 200M, and 200C and image-formation timing are corrected such that the intervals become equal to a predetermined reference value, thereby realizing high-quality images. The color difference detection patterns 220K, 220Y, 220M, 220C, 221K, 221Y, 221M, and 221C formed on the transfer belt 202 are removed by a transfer belt cleaner 213 after the sampling operation.
In the color image forming apparatus having the above-described configuration, the predetermined color difference patterns 220K, 220Y, 220M, 220C, 221K, 221Y, 221M, and 221C are formed over the entire circumference of the transfer belt 202 by means of the image forming units 200K, 200Y, 200M, and 200C, as shown in FIG. 40. These color difference patterns 220K, 220Y, 220M, 220C, 221K, 221Y, 221M, and 221C are detected by means of the linear light-receiving element 222 consisting of CCD sensors. The intervals between the color difference detection patterns 220K, 220Y, 220M, 220C, 221K, 221Y, 221M, and 221C are calculated. The positions of the image forming units 200K, 200Y, 200M, and 200C and the image-formation timing are corrected such that the intervals become equal to a predetermined reference value, thereby realizing high-quality images.
However, the aforementioned color image forming apparatus has the following drawbacks: The color difference detection patterns 220K, 220Y, 220M, 220C, 221K, 221Y, 221M, and 221C are formed over the entire circumference of the transfer belt 202 that includes a seam 202a, as shown in FIG. 39. These color difference detection patterns 220 and 221 are removed by the transfer belt cleaner 213 after the sampling operation. The seam 202a of the transfer belt 202 has a minute step-wise gap. This gap makes it difficult to completely remove the color difference detections patterns 220 and 221 which are formed on the seam 202a of the transfer belt 202. As a result, the toner that forms the color difference patterns 220 and 221 remains on the seam 202a of the transfer belt 202. If the toner that forms the color difference patterns 220 and 221 remains on the seam 202a of the transfer belt 202 in this way, the remaining toner adheres to the reverse side of the transfer paper 201 held on and carried by the transfer belt 202 when the next color image is formed. Consequently, the reverse side of the transfer paper 201 is soiled with the remaining toner.
The previously-described color difference patterns 220K, 220Y, 220M, 220C, 122K, 122Y, 122M, and 122C are formed over the entire circumference of the transfer belt 202 that includes the seam 202a. As previously described, the seam 202a of the transfer belt 202 has a minute step, and hence the density of the color difference detection patterns 220 and 221 formed on the seam 202a of the transfer belt 202 may vary, or the color difference detection patterns may not be formed completely. If the density of the color difference patterns 220 and 221 formed on the seam 202a of the transfer belt 202 varies, or if the color difference patterns are not formed completely, a detection error will arise when the linear light-receiving element 222 detects the color difference patterns 220 and 221.
To prevent the above-described problem, it has been already proposed a sample-and-correction method in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication 6-253151. According to this method, where the sampling and correction of an image are controlled, a sampling starting point and a sampling interval of sampling control means are set by means of control means. Repetitive patterns for measuring misregistration are generated. Sampled data and processed data are added up, whereby the positions of the patterns are determined. The accuracy of detection of the patterns for misregistration purposes is improved by setting the sampling starting point and the sampling interval of the sampling control means.
However, the above-described prior art has the following drawbacks. In the case of the image sample-and-correction method for use in registration of the multiple image forming apparatus as disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. Hei-6-253151, color misregistration having a constant magnitude and orientation (hereinafter referred to as DC color misregistration) arises because of minute variations in the position and size of components in the image forming unit as well as in the position and size of each image forming unit resulting from variations in the internal temperature of the color image forming apparatus and application of an external force to the image forming apparatus. This color misregistration is detected and corrected. The color misregistration also includes color misregistration whose magnitude and orientation periodically change (hereinafter referred to as AC color misregistration) in addition to the previously described DC components. The AC color misregistration is primarily caused by a rotating body such as a photosensitive drum and belt drive rollers. In the conventional color image forming apparatus, variations in the motion of the rotating body, such as a photosensitive drum and belt drive rollers, are detected by use of an encoder attached to the rotary shaft of the photosensitive drum, etc. The variations in the rotation of the photosensitive drum detected by the encoder, are fed forward or backwards to a drive motor so as to reduce the variations in the rotation of the photosensitive drum. Even if a control operation is carried out so as to reduce variations in the rotation of the photosensitive drum, there still exist the eccentricity of the photosensitive drum, the eccentricity of the surface of the photosensitive drum as a result of its attachment, and the eccentricity of the rotary shaft of the photosensitive drum or the belt drive rollers, due to clearance errors. These eccentricities cause AC color misregistration, which in turn results in degraded picture quality.
Further, in the conventional color image forming apparatus, the AC components arising during one cycle of the photosensitive drums 203 of the image forming units 200K, 200Y, 200M, and 200C, are out of phase with each other within a certain section of the transfer belt 202, as shown in FIG. 41, provided that one cycle of respective photosensitive drums 203K, 203Y, 203M, and 203C is T. This is also another cause of the degraded picture quality due to the AC color misregistration.

Image forming apparatus having rotational phase controller


The present invention provides a method, in a computer system, for compressing bit formats provided in a first packed data sequence. One embodiment of the method comprises the steps of generating, in response to execution of a first instruction, a second packed data sequence by copying the first packed data sequence. A second step of replacing, in response to execution of a second instruction, a first portion of the second packed data sequence with a second portion of the second packed data sequence. A third step of generating, in response to execution of a third instruction, an intermediate result, by multiplying data elements of the first packed data sequence with corresponding data elements of a third packed data sequence, and adding adjacent products. A fourth step of performing, in response to execution of a fourth instruction, a first shift operation, wherein bits of the second packed data sequence are shifted. A fifth step of generating, in response to execution of a fifth instruction, a final result by performing a bit wise logical OR operation between the second packed data sequence and the intermediate results.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to computers and, more specifically, to the processing of pixel data values.
2. Description of Related Art
Images displayed on computer monitors are generated by joining many miniature picture elements commonly referred to as pixels. The pixels are represented in a variety of formats. The most common pixel formats are 8-bit, 16-bit, and 24-bit.
The format used varies based upon such factors as the monitor, the graphics card, and the amount of memory intended to be used. Some of the formats are based on a combination of red, green, and blue values. For example, a twenty-four-bit pixel format is typically composed of eight bits of red data, eight bits of green data, and eight bits of blue data. The format is commonly referred to as an 8/8/8 format following Red/Green/Blue, and is a common pixel format used for storing the pixel bits in a memory array.
Not all color pixel formats, however, are based on some combination of the colors red, green, and blue. The 8-bit format is often referred to as a Color Look Up Table (CLUT index). In this case, each 8-bit pixel is an index into an array of 256 arbitrary colors. However, in the remainder of the present application, in order not to obscure the present invention, it will be assumed that pixels are provided as red, green, and blue bits.
Twenty-four-bit pixel colors are considered to be very expensive for storage and generating images on a color monitor. As a result, there continues to be an abundance of video displays that require 16-bit pixels. As such, when an image represented by twenty-four-bit pixels is input into a computer system (e.g., scanned), it is typically compressed into sixteen-bit pixel formats before it is stored or can be generated as an image to be displayed on a monitor.
Moreover, some colored pixels are generated from a graphics pipeline, which involves a real time processing procedure for transforming a three-dimensional image into a two-dimensional image to be displayed on a computer monitor. In the pipeline, 48-bit pixels are generated, wherein 16-bits represent each red, green, and blue color. As such, pixels generated from the graphics pipeline need to be compressed from 48-bit pixels to 16-bit pixels.
The graphics pipeline is usually composed of two main pieces, a "geometry engine" and a "renderer". The purpose of the geometry engine is to build a three-dimensional image from its base parts. The purpose of the renderer is to take the created three-dimensional image and convert it to a two-dimensional image to be displayed on a monitor. More specifically, the geometry engine starts with a list of vertices and edges, connects the vertices and generates polygons (e.g., squares, triangles, hexagons) representing the three-dimensional image.
Once the three-dimensional image is generated, it is passed to the renderer. As stated, the renderer is responsible for generating a two-dimensional version of the three-dimensional image, so as to be displayed on a monitor. One process of the renderer is referred to as "culling", which involves eliminating the areas of a three dimensional image that would not be visible in a two-dimensional image. For example, consider the image of a building as seen from across a street, everything behind the face of the building would be eliminated because it would not be visible in a two-dimensional image.
In the next stage of the graphics pipeline, the renderer begins to generate the colors of an image. Some parts of an image may consist of a solid color and require the relatively simple process of generating the solid color. For example, the color of a clear flat blue sky would involve the simple process of generating the single flat blue color of the sky.
Other areas of an image, however, may involve complex processing. For example, the color of a window in the building would be determined by considering the amount of light on each side of the window, the angle of the view presenting the window, any image viewed on the inside of the window, and any possible reflection off the window. Moreover, it is possible to generate an area of the window so that, simultaneously, an item can be seen behind the window, and a reflection can appear on the outside of the window.
Calculating the color of such an image requires a high degree of precision and takes a much different path than the "flat shaded" blue sky. As a result, 16-bits are used to represent each red, green, and blue color of a pixel in the graphics pipeline, thereby presenting a 48-bit pixel when generating a complex color for an image. However, as previously explained, the pixels need to be compressed into 16-bit pixels for efficient storage and to be displayed on monitors.
Moreover, the fact that the graphics pipeline is an on-line real time process means that it is very performance-sensitive. Any slowdown in the pipeline process would result in slower video playback, less stunning graphics in video games, or some other related detraction from the visual experience.
Typically, in order to compress the 48-bit pixels into 16-bit pixels, each red, green, or blue color would be loaded into separate 32-bit registers. Multiple shift, copy, load, and logical OR instructions would be executed to individually compress the separate colors and join the compressed colors into one register to represent one 16-bit pixel.
Advancements in computer architecture, however, provide an ability to process small integer data values more efficiently. More specifically, the advancements include the ability to process multiple small integer data values in parallel in response to a single instruction, otherwise referred to as a Single Instruction Multiple Data, hereinafter referred to as an SIMD. The multiple data elements are joined together as packed data sequences. The packed data sequences provide a single data structure storing of up to sixty-four-bits of integer data in one register, wherein the sequence includes multiple data elements of equal size.
Therefore, what is needed is an accelerated method for accepting 48-bit pixels generated by a graphics pipeline and compressing the pixels to 16-bit pixels, by using 64-bit packed data sequences and related SIMD instructions, so as to enhance the visual experience of displaying an image generated by a graphics pipeline.

Computer implemented method for compressing 48-bit pixels to 16-bit pixels


Disclosed is an organosiloxane polymer-based composition curable by the mechanism of the hydrosilation reaction between silicon-bonded vinyl groups in a vinylsilyl-terminated perfluoropolyalkylene or perfluoropolyalkylene polyether compound and silicon-bonded hydrogen atoms in a hydrosilyl-terminated perfluoropolyalkylene or perfluoropolyalkylene polyether compound as promoted by a catalyst. Different from conventional platinum compounds as the catalyst for the hydrosilation reaction, the catalyst in the inventive composition is a complex compound of rhodium such as tris(triphenylphosphine) rhodium chloride, rhodium acetate dimer and rhodium acetylacetonate so that the composition is imparted with greatly improved storage stability without viscosity increase over months at room temperature but without affectibg the curability at an elevated temperature.

The present invention relates to a curable organosiloxane-based composition or, more particularly, to an organosiloxane-based composition curable by the mechanism of addition reaction between silicon-bonded hydrogen atoms and aliphatically unsaturated hydrocarbon groups bonded to the silicon atoms having usefulness as a sealant or coating agent as well as for the preparation of various molded and shaped articles with excellent workability and storability by virtue of the excellent curability by heating at 70.degree. to 150.degree. C. along with good storability at room temperature over a long period of several months or even longer without increase in the consistency or the phenomenon of gelation.
It is well established in the silicone industry that an organopolysiloxane having a plurality of vinyl groups bonded to the silicon atoms and an organohydrogenpolysiloxane having a plurality of hydrogen atoms directly bonded to the silicon atoms jointly pertain to the so-called addition reaction or hydrosilation reaction in the presence of a trace amount of a platinum compound as a catalyst for the reaction so that a composition comprising these ingredients can be cured by forming crosslinks between the polysiloxane molecules. The platinum compound most conventionally used in the above mentioned purpose is chloroplatinic acid in the form of a solution in an alcohol such as isopropyl alcohol, of which at least a part of the ligands to the platinum atom may optionally be modified with an alcohol or replaced with ethylene molecules, or in the form of a complex with a vinyl-containing low-molecular organopolysiloxane. When compounded with an appropriate amount of such a platinum catalyst, the polysiloxane composition can be cured by heating, for example, for around 30 minutes at a temperature of 70.degree. to 150.degree. C.
Since the above mentioned platinum compoubnds each have a very high activity for the hydrosilation reaction between silicon-bonded vinyl groups and silicon-bonded hydrogen atoms, an organopolysiloxane composition comprising a vinyl-containing organopolysiloxane and an organohydrogenpolysiloxane with admixture of a platinum catalyst has a disadvantage that the addition reaction proceeds even at room temperature at a considerably high velocity so that the composition cannot be stored over months due to occurrence of an increase in the consistency or gelation which may take place already within 24 hours at room temperature.
A conventional countermeasure to solve the above mentioned problem of low storability is that the ingredients of the composition are divided in a two-package formulation into two groups forming separate packages, the content in each of which is prolongedly storable, and the contents of the two packages are mixed together immediately before use of the completed composition. Such a two-package formulation is of course disadvantageous because of the troublesomeness of the blending work necessitated before each time of use and the troubles due to an eventual inaccurate mixing proportion or incomplete mixing of the contents of the two packages. Alternatively, the composition is prepared in a one-package formulation but with further admixture of a reaction retarder such as a metal salt of an organic acid and an acetylenic alcohol, e.g., 3-methyl-1-butyn-3-ol, 1-ethynyl-1-cyclohexanol and the like. The addition of a reaction retarder is also undesirable because such a retarder compound is not an inherently essential component of the composition eventually to affect the properties of the composition after curing. Instead of the addition of a reaction retarder, it is proposed that the composition prepared in a one-package formulation is stored at a low temperature of, for example, -20.degree. C. or even lower although this method is, needless to say, far from practicability.


A piezoelectric element comprises a diaphragm 30, a lower electrode 42d formed in a prescribed pattern on the diaphragm, a piezoelectric film 43 formed on the lower electrode, and upper electrodes 44 formed on the piezoelectric film. A metallic layer 42b electrically disconnected from the upper electrodes and the lower electrode is formed on the diaphragm in the vicinity of the piezoelectric film. The gap between the lower electrode and the metallic layer is no more than 200 μm. In this way, excellent crystallinity of the piezoelectric film can be achieved also in the vicinity of the edges of the lower electrode, thereby making it possible to provide piezoelectric elements and a liquid discharge head that can withstand high voltage and are of better reliability.

A liquid discharge head such as an inkjet recording head employs a piezoelectric element as a drive source for discharge of a liquid droplet such as an ink droplet. Typically, such a piezoelectric element comprises a piezoelectric thin film and an upper electrode and a lower electrode arranged sandwiching this piezoelectric thin film.
In order to arrange the piezoelectric elements with high density and to improve the voltage withstanding ability of the piezoelectric elements, for example Laid-open Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-198197 discloses forming the piezoelectric thin film after patterning of the lower electrode in a prescribed shape.
Sometimes, however, with a conventional piezoelectric element as described above, the crystallinity of the piezoelectric thin film in particular in the vicinity of the edges of the lower electrode is insufficient, so that reliability could not be described as sufficient.
An object of the present invention is to provide a piezoelectric element and liquid discharge head of higher reliability and capable of withstanding high voltage, by securing excellent crystallinity of the piezoelectric film in the vicinity of the edges of the lower electrode.

Piezoelectric element, liquid ejection head and process for manufacturing them


A voltage transformer with a sequentially switchable voltage selection circuit is provided for converting input electrical energy through the sequentially switchable voltage selection circuit, which is arranged within the transformer body with its two ends electrically connected to an input port and an output port respectively, into one of a plurality of output voltage values and outputting the electrical energy. When it is desired to regulate an output voltage, a connection device must be plugged in a socket portion on the transformer body to initialize a micro control unit through feedback to change a voltage value sent to a voltage transformation unit, and in turn change the voltage of output electrical energy until a display device displays an ideal output voltage value. Then, the user removes the connection device, and the voltage value of the input electrical energy is converted into corresponding to the selected predetermined voltage value to output the electrical energy.

Voltage transformers have become indispensable to modern life, and especially in the electric appliance-ridden era, voltage transformers are used in a wide variety of electric appliances, such as walkmans, mobile phones, MP3, notebook computers, and the like. The specifications of voltage transformers are numerous. Some input voltages are 110 volt AC, others are 220 volt AC; the output specifications further varies from different electric appliances and includes more different specifications of output voltages, currents and plug dimensions.
Newer voltage transformers can receive all common input voltages and convert the input electrical energy within a specified range into the other output voltages to output the electrical energy. However, the output voltages of a voltage transformer are specified so that every family is usually equipped with various voltage transformers in order to meet the requirement of each electrical product. If a voltage transformer can provide multiple options of output voltages, it can satisfy various demands of the user and the number of voltage transformers can be significantly reduced, thus eliminating unnecessary problems. Particularly, when people go traveling abroad or go traveling on official business, carrying many kinds of different electrical products, it can eliminate many hassles and bring about great convenience in use.
A conventional voltage transformer with adjustable output voltage is shown in FIG. 1, wherein electrical energy with a fixed voltage Vin is inputted into a power supply input terminal 11, and output electrical energy with a fixed voltage Vout is generated at the power supply output end 13 through the voltage transformation circuit in the voltage transformer body 12. If it is necessary to change the output voltage value, as long as it needs to adjust the output voltage selector 15 on the output voltage selective switch 14 to a corresponding position, the voltage transformation circuit is then conduction-connected to several resistors each having different resistance value to generate a corresponding output voltage.
However, such selective switches are easily led to abrasion owing to frequent switching, and it makes the switching and positioning of the voltage selector 15 gradually deviated or imperfectly contacted and thus outputs unstable voltages or even incorrect voltages. When serious circumstances occur, it will result in damage of electrical products. In particular, since most output voltage values are simply indicated by stickers, they might be displaced from or fall off their original positions due to long-term use as well, thus misguiding the user to give incorrect outputs. Especially, the output voltage can be still changed by switching the switch 14 during the period at which the voltage transformer supplies the power. Once false touch causes the voltage transformer to be switched, it is possible to result in the risk of hazard and damaging an electrical product.
FIG. 2 shows a voltage transformer described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/798,661, which is submitted by the applicants of the present invention. For the most part, the casing 23 is configured with a plurality of sockets 25, in combination with several different kinds of pins 24 that have projecting portions 241 with different shapes from each other and arranged at different positions respectively. Each socket 25 is provided therein with a corresponding mechanically actuatable switch. The projecting portions 241 are put into the sockets 25 by the arrangement of different pins 24 from each other, and the projecting portions push and prop their corresponding touch pieces to actuate the different mechanically actuatable switches respectively, thereby regulating the corresponding output voltages Vout. By means of such structural design, an unexpected change in the voltage can be avoided during operation, but many pins 24 may cause the problem of easily losing and uneasily carrying them.
FIG. 3 shows a power converter described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,211. The voltage transformer has a body 30, a plurality of keys 32, each of which contains a different electrical component 34 from the other, and has a body within which the electrical component is disposed. Each key 32 comprises two blades 36 for interconnection. When different keys are received by the keyway (not shown) formed within the body 30 respectively, the electrical interconnection to the converter circuit can be provided. The output voltage value of the converter circuit is determined by the value of the electrical component 34 such that the output voltage can be varied by replacing the key with another key. Similarly, many keys also cause the problem of carrying them. If the keys were missed, it would become inconvenient in use.
Additionally, there has been proposed a micro controlled voltage transformer, which is provided on its outer surface with mechanical buttons for selecting the output voltage values. The different buttons can be pressed in order to select and regulate the output voltages, but in one aspect the possibility of false touch generation is high. The output voltage may be changed when false touch is created especially during power supply, thereby causing a decrease in the life span of the electrical product, even the safety problem and poor reliability. Besides, the use of more expensive mechanical buttons would increase the cost of the voltage transformer.

Voltage transformer with sequentially switchable voltage selection circuit


The present invention provides a method of preparing an electrocoat coating composition, comprising forming an aqueous emulsion comprising a film-forming component and water and removing at least a portion of the water from the aqueous emulsion by ultrafiltration.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Industrial coating of metal articles that will be used in corrosive environments may include application of one or more inorganic and organic treatments and coatings. Steel automotive vehicle bodies and parts, for instance, have an aqueous phosphate coating material applied, are rinsed with rinse water after phosphating, then have an aqueous electrodeposition (or electrocoat) coating applied, followed by multiple aqueous rinses before the electrodeposited coating is cured in an oven.
Electrodeposition coating compositions and methods are widely used in industry today. One of the advantages of electrocoat compositions and processes is that the applied coating composition forms a uniform and contiguous layer over a variety of metallic substrates regardless of shape or configuration. This is especially advantageous when the coating is applied as an anticorrosive coating onto a substrate having an irregular surface, such as a motor vehicle body. The even, continuous coating layer over all portions of the metallic substrate provides maximum anticorrosion effectiveness.
Electrocoat baths usually comprise an aqueous dispersion of a principal film-forming polymer or resin (which terms are used interchangeably), such as an acrylic or epoxy resin, having ionic stabilization. In automotive or industrial applications for which hard electrocoat films are desired, the electrocoat compositions are formulated to be curable compositions. This is usually accomplished by including in the bath a crosslinking agent that can react with functional groups on the principal resin under appropriate conditions (such as with the application of heat) and thus cure the coating. During electrodeposition, coating material containing an ionically-charged resin having a relatively low molecular weight is deposited onto a conductive substrate by submerging the substrate in an electrocoat bath having dispersed therein the charged resin and then applying an electrical potential between the substrate and a pole of opposite charge, for example, a stainless steel electrode. The charged coating material migrates to and deposits on the conductive substrate. The coated substrate is then heated to cure the coating.
As the resins and pigments are plated from the electrocoat coating bath, the bath must be replenished by adding more of the resins and pigments. In one case, resin concentrate and pigment dispersion concentrate are added separately; in another case, a pigmented resin concentrate is added. In both cases, it is beneficial to supply the concentrates with a reasonably low amount of water. The solids content of the concentrate depends on the viscosity profile of the concentrate, but in general the solids content may be raised to 40 to 55 percent by weight nonvolatiles. In general, the solids content is selected to reduce the volume of material to the extent feasible and/or to ensure stability of the dispersed pigment.
On the other hand, manufacturing the resin emulsion is facilitated by including more water that would be desirable in the emulsion concentrate or pigmented emulsion concentrate. For instance, it is desirable to have an excess of water in making the emulsion for azeotropically distilling out certain low-boiling organic solvents. Such low-boiling organic compounds are used as solvents and liquid media in preparation of the components used in electrocoat baths, for example in preparing the film-forming resins and crosslinking agents. Organic solutions of the electrocoat components are dispersed or emulsified in water. (The terms "emulsion" and "dispersion" are being used interchangeably to refer to such waterborne organic components.)
The volatile organic compounds and excess water may then be removed by vacuum distillation at an elevated temperature, for example from at 100-120° F., with agitation or circulation. This process requires that the emulsions be held at the elevated temperatures for lengthy times, particularly because the removal rate of the volatile organic compounds slows as the emulsion becomes more concentrated from removal of both volatile organic compounds and water. The vacuum distillation is continued until the electrocoat resin emulsion reaches a desired solids concentration, adding significant heat history to the product.
The process of concentrating the unpigmented electrocoat emulsion, however, is lengthy and costly. The vacuum distillation may take 25 or 30 hours, tying up equipment and increasing production costs. It would thus be desirable to introduce an improved way of concentrating electrocoat emulsions by removing water during production of electrocoat compositions.


A moving-magnet type linear motor is provided with cooling blocks which are attached to each of stator bases alongside a coreless coil and which allow coolant to flow therethrough for cooling the coreless coil. Each of the cooling blocks has in a base end portion thereof a fluid passage for flowing coolant and at an extreme end portion thereof a plurality of sheet-like protrusions like fins which are arranged alongside a part of the circumferential surface of the coreless coil with a clearance between each protrusion and the next thereto. Each cooling block is thermally closely jointed with the coreless coil at the extreme ends of the sheet-like protrusions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a linear motor for use in various industrial machinery such as, for example, machine tools, electric component mounting apparatus or semiconductor-related apparatus. Particularly, it relates to a moving-magnet type linear motor which is constructed to take a field system as moving element and an armature as stator.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
As a moving-magnet type linear motor which takes a field magnet as moving element and an armature (coreless coils) as stator, there has been known one which is described in Japanese published utility model application No. 07-30585. This is of the construction that a moving-magnet body is configured by fixedly piercing a through shaft member into a holed column permanent magnet and that the through shaft member is axially slidably carried by bearing members so that the moving-magnet body is axially movable inside coreless coils which are in fixed relation with the bearing members. In this device, a propelling force acting on the moving-magnet body is basically in accordance with Fleming's left-hand rule. (Although Fleming's left-hand rule is applicable to the coreless coils, the propelling force given to the moving-magnet body is generated as a reaction or counter-force of the force acting on the coreless coils because the same are provided stationarily.) Thus, contributed to the propelling force is a normal component of magnetic flux of the permanent magnet provided in the moving-magnet body (i.e., a component normal to the axial direction of the permanent magnet).
As a moving-magnet type linear motor of another kind, there has been known one which is described in Japanese unexamined, published patent application No. 1-270763. This is of the polyphase type that a plurality of coreless coils on a stator side apply a propelling force to magnets on a moving member side. Specifically, the coreless coils arranged in the moving direction are secured to stick-like support members at their opposite ends in a direction normal to the moving direction to constitute an elongated stator assembly. The moving member surrounding the elongated stator assembly is movable along the same, and the magnets attached to each of facing interior surfaces of the moving member are located between the support members securing the opposite ends of the coreless coils, to face one-end surfaces and the other-end surfaces of the coreless coils. Pipe conduits for flowing coolant therethrough are provided inside each of the support members in the moving direction, so that the heat generated by drive current applied to the coreless coils can be removed by circulating coolant through the pipe conduits.
However, in the technology of the aforementioned Japanese published utility model application, the moving-magnet body is configured by the column permanent magnet which surrounds the circumferential surface of the through shaft member, and this gives rise to a drawback that the mass of the moving-magnet body increases to result in a poor responsiveness. Further, in the technology of the aforementioned Japanese unexamined, published patent application, the cross-section of each support member in which the pipe conduit is provided for flowing coolant therethrough is so larger as to make the heat from the coreless coils spread over the whole of each support member, and this gives rise to a drawback that the heat conduction between the coreless coils and the coolant is low in efficiency. In addition, consideration should have been taken into a universal problem that when a metal member moves across magnetic flux, eddy current is generated to decrease the propelling force for the moving member.


A method and apparatus are described for efficient memory renaming prediction using virtual registers. For example, one embodiment of an apparatus comprises: a memory execution unit (MEU) to perform store and load operations to store data to memory and load data from memory, respectively; a plurality of memory rename (MRN) registers assigned to store and load operations, each MRN register to store data associated with a store operation so that the data is available for a subsequent load operation; and at least one MRN predictor comprising a data structure to allocate virtual memory rename (VMRN) registers to each of the MRN registers, the MRN predictor to query the data structure in response to a load and/or store operation using a value identifying the MRN register assigned to the load and/or store operation, respectively, to determine a current VMRN register associated with the load and/or store operation.

Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of computer processors and software. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus and method for efficient register reclamation.
Description of the Related Art
Because the latency of accessing a register for reading/writing is usually less than one cycle, the register in a way is the fastest unit of the memory hierarchy. Typically, the "logical" registers, i.e., the registers exposed by the semantics of the instruction set architecture (ISA), are used by the compiler as sources/destinations for operands as well as for holding temporaries. However, prior to execution of this code on the hardware, the logical registers (LRegs) are mapped to a set of physical registers (PRegs) by a process called Register Allocation (RA).
Once the lifetime of the logical register is completed, i.e., there are no more consumers of the value held in the logical register prior to another value being stored in it, the logical-to-physical register mapping is torn down and the physical register is made available for allocation to another logical register. This process is called Register Reclamation (RR). Register mapping is typically held in a hardware table called the Register Allocation Table (RAT). The un-availability of free physical registers (i.e., physical registers not currently mapped to a logical register) causes all instruction allocation to stall until such a time that a free physical register is available, thereby reducing the performance.

Apparatus and method for efficient memory renaming prediction using virtual registers


A circuit board with embedded components includes a plurality of embedded components and at least one transmission line electrically connected to at least one of the embedded components and having a terminal circuit. Therefore, a measuring device is used to be electrically connected to the transmission line and send out a signal, so as to receive a corresponding reflected signal, and then, compare the received reflected signal with a signal pattern in the database to obtain an electrical parameter of the embedded component.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a circuit board with embedded components and a manufacturing and measuring method thereof, and more particularly, to a method for measuring the electrical parameter of at least one of the embedded components at the same time.
2. Related Art
As the rapid development of the information electronic products and high requirements for the performance and speed in the market, many information electronic products have been developed towards a trend of digital high speed, and an analog high frequency. On the other hand, the consumer electronic products also tend to meet the requirements of multifunction and being light, thin, short, small, especially for the portable electronic products of wireless communication, such as bluetooth, wireless LAN, cell phone. However, most of the hardware components of the above electronic product require a great number of passive components, which take over 75% of all the components of the system. Therefore, integrating the great number of passive components in the printed circuit board (PCB) to form embedded passives (or integral substrates) has a great market potential in increasing the density of the PCB.
The technique for the embedded passive component aims at integrating an embedded passive component and a surface mount type (SMD) into the circuit board. At least the following advantages can be achieved by integrating the embedded passive components into the circuit board. (1) The manufacturing cost is reduced. (2) The density of the circuit board is increased. Recently, the common PCB technique has gradually been used in a multi-layer printing structure, thus, the use of an original two-dimensional area is converted into a three-dimensional design, so as to reduce the volume of the product. (3) Welding points for the circuit are reduced, so as to enhance the reliability of the whole product. (4) The embedded component has a low humidity, which is protected from being corrosion.
The current technique for manufacturing embedded components includes the low temperature cofired ceramics (LTCC) process and the process for fabricating the functional substrate developed by Chinese Industrial Technology Research Institute, which greatly enhances the adaptability and the manufacturing stability of the embedded components.
Therefore, in the conventional art, an important impedance control line is provided in a high frequency electronic system for measuring the circuit board with the embedded component, i.e., an impedance control line is fabricated on the edge of the circuit board to measure the process variances of the line width, material parameter, and laminating thickness after being fabricated, and thereby observing whether the impedance of the transmission line is affected or not, and further affecting the transmission efficiency of the system, but the electrical parameter of the fabricated embedded component cannot be accurately measured. Alternatively, through a circuit design method, the mechanism of making the transmission line to be an open circuit, short circuit, or break circuit is provided, which can only measure whether the basic transmission line is communicated or not, thus being limited in function.
Moreover, in the conventional art, the measurement of the embedded components is carried on by taking a single embedded component for a single part measurement, i.e., the electrical parameter of only one embedded component can be measured at one time. Therefore, the conventional measuring method is time and labor consuming, thus the fabricating cost is increased and the production capability is reduced.

Circuit board with embedded components and manufacturing and measuring method thereof