A magazine for releasably inventorying a plurality of reaction cuvettes to be used in an automatic clinical analyzer, the magazine comprising a generally rectangular storage cell having curved front and back surfaces, and a number of storage chutes therein, each chute sized to hold reaction cuvettes stacked one atop another therein.

Various types of tests related to patient diagnosis and therapy can be performed by analysis assays of a sample of a patient's infections, bodily fluids or abscesses. Such patient samples are typically placed in sample vials, extracted from the vials, combined with various reagents in special reaction cuvettes or tubes, incubated, and analyzed to aid in treatment of the patient. In typical clinical chemical analyses, one or two assay reagents are added at separate times to a liquid sample having a known concentration, the sample-reagent combination is mixed and incubated. Interrogating measurements, turbidimetric or fluorometric or absorption readings or the like are made to ascertain end-point or rate values from which an amount of analyte may be determined using well-known calibration techniques.
Although various known clinical analyzers for chemical, immunochemical and biological testing of samples are available, analytical clinical technology is challenged by increasing needs for improved levels of analysis. Due to increasing pressures on clinical laboratories to reduce cost-per-reportable result, there continues to be a need for improvements in the overall cost performance of automated clinical analyzers. In particular, sample analysis continuously needs to be more cost effective in terms of reducing consumables or increasing analyzer throughput for each and every reaction assay.
One contributor to reducing cost-per-reportable result is the ability to perform a large number of reaction assays in reaction cuvettes without requiring frequent operator intervention. It is therefore important that a large inventory of reaction cuvettes be maintained on automatic analyzers in such a manner that cuvettes may be automatically provided for performing reaction assays therein. In particular, the present invention provides a cuvette magazine having features to inventory cuvettes securely therein regardless of whether the magazine is positioned on the analyzer or removed therefrom.

Magazine for inventorying reaction cuvettes in an automatic analyzer


A system and a method for providing security to premises. A method includes receiving first access information from an accessing unit associated with a premises on accessing the premises by a first user and second access information from a sensing unit associated with the premises on sensing access of the premises by a second user. The method further includes determining correlation between the first access information and the second access information and transmitting a message based on the correlation.

Commercial places, residential places, storage units or any premises are used to store a variety of items such as automobiles, ornaments, pharmaceutical goods or any such items. Typically, items stored in commercial places are accessed lesser number of times (may be once in a week or a month) as compared to items stored in residential places. Thereby, the number of visits to access items stored in commercial places would also be less frequent.
The premises may be locked using a lock in order to secure the items stored inside. These items can only be accessed by an authorized person (may be an owner of the item) who has the authority to access the premises. However, the lock of the premises can be broken by a thief or a burglar in order to steal the items taking advantage of the less frequent access to the premises. This poses a huge risk for the items stored inside the premises. A few security personnel/s may be guarding the premises to safe-guard the items stored inside. However, a thief may impersonate as an authorized person or may harm the security personnel/s to steal the items. Therefore, such solutions do not ensure proper security of the items stored inside the premises.
In view of the afore-mentioned problems in the existing solutions, there is a need of an efficient and effective system and a method for providing proper security of items stored inside a premises. There is a requirement to prevent theft of items stored inside the premises. There is also a need to provide a strong solution to authenticate a person accessing the premises. In order to solve the problems in the existing solutions, a system and a method are disclosed.

Method and a system for providing security to premises


A signal conditioning system for controlling characteristics of an analog signal obtained from magnetically stored data through a data retrieval channel that asymmetrically affects analog signal magnitudes. Errors in samples are segregrated by association with intended sample values, and the different segregates are used in selected versions in control loops to control selected characteristics of the analog signal.

The present invention relates to information storage systems and, more particularly, to control of characteristics of the data retrieval channel through which data is retrieved from storage in such systems.
Digital data magnetic recording systems store digital data by recording same in a moving magnetic media layer using a storage, or "write", electrical current-to-magnetic field transducer, or "head", positioned immediately adjacent thereto. The data is stored or written to the magnetic media by switching the direction of flow in an otherwise substantially constant magnitude write current that is established in coil windings in the write transducer in accordance with the data. Each write current direction transition results in a reversal of the magnetization direction, in that portion of the magnetic media just then passing by the transducer during this directional switching of the current flow, with respect to the magnetization direction in that media induced by the previous in the opposite direction. In one recording scheme, often termed nonreturn-to-zero inverted (NRZI), each magnetization direction reversal occurring over a short portion of the magnetic media moving past the transducer represents a binary number system digit "1", and the lack of any such reversals in that portion represents a binary digit "0".
Recovery of such recorded digital data is accomplished through positioning a retrieval, or "read" magnetic field-to-voltage transducer, (which may be the same as the storage transducer if both of these transducers rely on inductive coupling between the media fields and the transducer) or "head", is positioned to have the magnetic media, containing previously stored data, pass thereby. Such passing by of the media adjacent to the transducer permits the flux accompanying the magnetization reversal regions in that media either to induce a corresponding voltage pulse in forming an analog output read signal for that retrieval transducer or, alternatively, change a transducer circuit parameter to thereby provide such an output signal voltage pulse. In the coding scheme described above, each such voltage pulse in the read transducer output signal due to the reversal of magnetization directions between adjacent media portions is taken to represent a binary digit "1", and the absence of such a pulse in corresponding media portions is taken to represent a binary digit "0".
Digital data magnetic recording systems have used peak detection methods for the detection of such voltage pulses in the retrieved analog signal as the basis for digitizing this signal. Such methods are based on determining which peaks in that signal exceed a selected threshold to determine that a binary digit "1" related pulse occurred in the retrieved signal, and also use the times between those voltage pulses to reconstruct the timing information used in the preceding recording operation in which the data were stored in the magnetic media as described above. The analog retrieved signal is provided to a phase-locked loop forming a controlled oscillator, or a phase-lock oscillator or synchronizer, which produces an output timing signal, or "clock" signal from the positions of the detected peaks in this analog retrieved signal. Absolute time is not used in operating the data retrieval system portion since the speed of the magnetic media varies over time during both the storage operation and the retrieval operation to result in nonuniform time intervals, or nonuniform multiples thereof, occurring between the voltage pulses in the analog retrieved signal.
There is always a desire in magnetic recording systems to devote less of the magnetic media along a track therein to the storage of a bit to thereby permit increasing the density of the bits stored. The use of peak detection places a limit on the density of bits along a track because increasing that density beyond some point will lead to too much intersymbol interference which in turn leads to errors in the recovery of data using such peak detection methods. Because of this limit, recent increases in bit density along a track in a magnetic media have come with the acceptance of a controlled, or known, amount of intersymbol interference which, since known, allows detection of the pulses involved despite this interference. The read transducer analog output signal generated from the binary bits or symbols stored in the magnetic media is sampled with the resulting samples being converted to digital data, and the samples are taken at a rate which leads to more than one sample per pulse rather than the single sample per pulse which would be sufficient for peak detection if sampling was used therewith. Since each individual sample reflects only part of the pulse response, this process used in a system results in referring to such a system as a partial response system.
A digital data magnetic recording system comprises a bandpass data retrieval channel in that it is unable to transmit very low frequencies, and has an upper frequency beyond which its transmission is also quite poor. Although there are a number of possible alternative partial response system arrangements, there is substantial value in matching the partial response spectrum to that expected for the data to be transmitted in the channel. A relatively simple partial response system that does not require transmission at very low frequencies is known as a class 4 partial response system, and is typically used in magnetic digital data recording systems. Such a response is obtained by providing an overall channel and filter response equal to that of the sum of two opposite polarity Nyquist channel impulse responses separated in time by two sample intervals. Such an arrangement will lead to a filter analog output signal from which ideally can be obtained three alternative possible sample values of -1, 0 and 1 for an input signal based on binary recorded data if sampled at appropriate instants. The sequence of resulting samples can be viewed as comprising an interleaving of two subsequences, one formed of the odd numbered samples and the other formed of the even numbered samples, in view of each sample value having contributions from only the currently retrieved stored datum and second preceding datum.
A read transducer analog output signal provided through any kind of a data retrieval channel is subject to containing errors therein as a result due to noise, timing errors, gain errors, signal offset, channel nonlinearities such as asymmetry, and the like encountered in the course of retrieval- Linear equalization is used in such a channel to provide a frequency response suited for a class 4 partial response channel and to counter linear distortions which would otherwise be imposed on the channel output waveform but cannot counter nonlinear distortions. One such nonlinear distortion in a read channel is asymmetry in the channel response to the binary input values of "0" and "1". One typical source of such asymmetry in a read channel occurs with the use of a magnetoresistive transducer in the read head which often provides a different magnitude output when reading a magnetization transition from the magnetic media in going from a first state to an opposite state than when making a transition from an alternative second state to an opposite state.
Feedback control systems are typically used to control the characteristics of data retrieval channels through estimating the errors with respect to desired values in the channel gain, signal offset and sampling timing phase errors and attempting to drive such errors to zero. Such systems which fail to compensate for channel asymmetry either suffer an undesirable introduction of bias in the estimates or an increase the variance of those estimates over what they would be in the absence of such asymmetry. This result can be shown in connection with the data retrieval portion of a magnetic media digital data storage system shown in block diagram form in FIG. 1.
In that figure, a magnetic material covered disc, 10, containing pluralities of magnetization direction reversals along each of a plurality of more or less concentric, circular tracks, is rotated past a data retrieval transducer arrangement, 11, or "read head", positioned adjacent a selected track by a "head" positioner and initial signal processor, 12, about a spindle, 13, to provide an initial analog read signal, x(t). This signal is subjected to further processing in a signal processing block, 14, including linear channel equalization. The output from signal processing block 14 is an analog output signal, y(t), which is provided to a variable gain amplifier, 15, and then this signal as amplified, is provided to a signal offset compensation adder, 16. The output of this adder is then provided to a sampler, 17, based on a sample and hold circuit which is operated by a sample acquisition timing signal provided by signal processing block 14 that is derived from the samples provided by sampler 17 to that signal processing block.
Consider the received signal y(t) from the data retrieval channel equalizer in a channel subject to an asymmetry nonlinearity which comes about because of input analog signal x(t), obtained from the data stored in the magnetic media, being introduced into the class 4 partial response channel with a nonlinear element or elements therein. Such a channel output signal can then be approximated to reflect the nonlinearity as EQU y(t)=x(t)-c.sub.asymm x.sup.2 (t).
As seen in the system block diagram shown in FIG. 1, this signal is then subjected to a controlled gain in amplifier 15 and to controlled offset compensation in adder 16, and thereafter presented to sampler 17 to be sampled over time in each successive sampling interval T therein to provide samples y(kT) for use in further signal processing steps with k being a counting integer. If the values of the channel input signal x(t) at sampling times kT are written x(kT), the normalized versions thereof are defined as x[k] and are expected to take the values 1, 0 or -1 as described above. In the circumstance of the gain being 1 and the offset being 0, the above equation indicates that the samples y[kT] will take the values 1-c.sub.asymm, 0 or -1-c.sub.asymm using the normalized values for input signal x(t)at the sampling instants. However, the signal presented to sampler 17 is corrupted by noise present at the sample instants represented by n[kT]. Such noise samples can be considered independent random variables at each sampling instant having a mean value of zero and a variance of .sigma..sup.2.
Furthermore, the signal is also corrupted by signal offset acquired in the channel, then amplified in amplifier 15, and subjected to signal offset compensation in adder 16. Assuming that the timing phase errors have been eliminated in block 14, the value of a sample taken at kT will instead of being y[kT], be EQU s[kT]=s[k]=g[k]{y(kT)+n(kT)}+c.sub.offset (kT)+.delta.[k],
where the proper gain g[k]=g[kT] for the channel and the needed offset compensation o[k]=o[kT] for the channel are to be estimated.
The error e[k]=e[kT] in this sample is then defined as the difference between the sample magnitude value and the anticipated or expected value for that sample, or EQU e[k]=s[k]-p.sub.x[k].
The expected values of s[k] are, in general, denoted p.sub.x[k] for a particular value of the input signal and are specifically written as p.sub.1. p.sub.0 and p.sub.-1. They can be defined as
p.sub.1 .DELTA. anticipated value of samples corresponding to x[k]=1, PA1 p.sub.0 .DELTA.anticipated value of samples corresponding to x[k]=0, and PA1 p.sub.-1 .DELTA. anticipated value of samples corresponding to x[k]-1.
In typical feedback control loops for class 4 partial response data retrieval channels, asymmetry is disregarded and the values for use in those loops are taken as p.sub.1 =1, p.sub.0 =0 and P.sub.-1 =-1. In an alternative that provides some recognition of asymmetry, these expected values are taken instead to be p.sub.1 =1, p.sub.0 =0 and p.sub.-1 =-V.sub.n with V.sub.n being a programmable value which is estimated in an external channel assessment arrangement and inserted for use in the control loops by intervention of a microprocessorserving as the overall system controller.
Class 4 partial response data retrieval channels are desirably operated to minimize the mean square error resulting from the error source sought to be controlled. Such an effort requires finding the error gradient of this mean squared error which must be set to zero and solved. The difficulties in finding the minimum mean squared error leads to instead using the error gradient of the squared error itself as a basis for adaptively adjusting the error toward a minimum without having to find a mean value. This results in a stochastic gradient which is used for the adjusting the parameter giving rise to the error or a compensator countering such an error in a direction opposite the error direction in a feedback loop. The stochastic gradient of the squared error with respect to the signal offset estimator ignoring asymmetry is ##EQU1## Since this gradient is integrated over time and the result multiplied by a small step size factor for loop stability to provide the signal to control an offset compensation adder, the factor 2 can in effect be included in the step size factor. Thus, controlling error due to signal offset is based on a feedback loop forcing the error to zero.
This is accomplished in the system of FIG. 1 by using a pair of comparators, 20 and 21, and a source of threshold values, 22, to determine whether sample values from sampler 17 are likely to have been intended to have a value of 1, 0 or -1, and using that determination to provide an expected value for the corresponding sample from a source, 23, to a subtractor, 24. Each sample form sampler 17 is provided to the non-inverting input of comparator 20, the inverting input of comparator 21, and to one input of subtractor 24. A positive threshold value of one half is provided by source 22 to the inverting input of comparator 20 and a further threshold value of negative one half is supplied by source 22 to the non-inverting input of comparator 21. Samples with values larger than one half cause comparator 20 to switch its output from a "0" logic state value to a "1" logic state value and leave a "0" logic state value at the output of comparator 21. This causes a switch, 25, to close to provide the expected sample value of 1, supplied by source 23, to the input of subtractor 24.
A sample value that is less than negative one half provides the opposite result in logic states at the outputs of comparators 20 and 21. Such a condition instead causes a switch, 26, to close to provide the expected sample value of -1, supplied by source 23, to the input of subtractor 24. If the absolute value of the sample is less than one half, a "0" logic state value appears at the outputs of both of comparators 20 and 21. In this situation only, a NOR gate, 27, having two inputs, each being connected to a corresponding one of the outouts of comparators 20 and 21, will have its output go from a "0" logic state value to a "1" logic state value to thereby close a further switch, 28. This results in the providing the expected sample value of 0, supplied by source 23, to the input of subtractor 24. The expected sample value selected by one of switches 25, 26 and 28 to be provided to one of the inputs of subtractor 24 is subtracted therein from the corresponding sample value in the sequence thereof provided to the other input of that subtractor to yield the corresponding sample error e[k] in the sequence thereof at the subtractor output.
A fractional step size factor is applied in a step size box, 29, to this error as necessary for loop stability and the sequence of errors so formed in this manner is integrated over time in a time integrator, or analog value summer, 30. The output signal of integrator 30 is then supplied to offset compensation adder 16 to act toward cancelling the signal offset in the amplified linear equalizer output signal supplied from signal processing block 14.
The stochastic gradient of the squared error with respect to gain error estimator ignoring asymmetry is ##EQU2## after substituting the expected input signal value at sampling for the actual sample value in the second factor. Again, since this gradient is integrated over time and the result multiplied by a small step size factor for loop stability to provide the signal to control a variable gain amplifier, the factor 2 can in effect be included in the step size factor. Hence, controlling error due to gain variation is based on a feedback loop forcing the product of the error and the expected channel input signal value at sampling instants to zero.
This is accomplished in the system of FIG. 1 by use of a further set of three switches, 31, 32 and 33, to selectively transfer a version of the error provided at the output of subtractor 24 to a further step size block, 34, to apply a fractional step size factor for loop stability. Switch 31 is controlled by the same signal as switch 25, and so transmits the error unchanged if the sample value exceeded one half to thus behave as though transmitting the error multiplied by the expected input signal value at sampling of 1. Similarly, Switch 32 is controlled by the same signal as switch 26, and so permits transmission if the sample value was less than negative one half, but only after the error has passed through an analog inverter, 35, to change its algebraic sign, to thus behave as though transmitting the error multiplied by the expected input signal value at sampling of -1. Finally, switch 33 is controlled by the same signal as switch 28, but transmits the expected value of zero supplied from source 23 if the sample absolute value was less than one half, to thus behave as though transmitting the error multiplied by the expected input signal value at sampling of 0.
The effective error and expected input signal value product signal provided to step size block 34 has a fractional step size applied to it in that block which transmits the result to a time integrator, or analog value summer, 36. The resulting signal is provided to the gain control input of variable gain amplifier 15 to control the amplification of the channel signal supplied to the signal input of amplifier 15 by signal processing block 14.
Although the feedback loops just described in connection with the system of FIG. 1 ignore asymmetry in the design thereof, the asymmetry actually present in the data retrieval channel nevertheless affects the behavior of these loops. As described above, the loops act to force the corresponding gradients to zero resulting, for the signal offset control loop, in having the expected value of the corresponding gradient be zero, or EQU E{.gradient.o[k]}=E{e[k]}=0.
If the probability of an input signal value at sampling of 1 is P(1), the probability of an input signal value at sampling of 0 is P(0) and the probability of an input signal value at sampling of -1 is P(-1), this expectation can be written as ##EQU3## for the noise having a zero mean. Setting this result to zero as indicated above results in showing the offset compensator will introduce into the signal offset compensation loop the value ##EQU4## to result in a asymmetry based bias value added in the resulting compensation.
Forcing the gain gradient to zero results in having the expected value of that gradient, in the gain control loop, being zero, or EQU E{.gradient.g}=E{x[k]e[k]}=0.
This expectation can be written as ##EQU5## Since P(1)=P(-1), EQU E{x[k]e[k]}=g[k][P(1)+P(-1)]-P(1)-P(-1).
Setting this result to zero as indicated above results in showing the loop forces the gain to a normalized gain value of 1, that is g.fwdarw.1. Thus, the gain control loop results in an unbiased normalized gain despite the asymmetry present in the data retrieval channel.
However, this asymmetry introduces an increased variance in the gain control loop. Since the expected value of the gain gradient is forced to be zero by the gain control loop, the variance for the gain gradient is ##EQU6## If the gain control loop has forced the normalized gain to 1 and the signal offset control loop has forced the offset compensation to the value given above, this becomes ##EQU7## which, for the noise being of zero mean value with a variance of .sigma..sup.2, gives ##EQU8## Thus, the presence of a term involving the asymmetry coefficient indicates an increase in the variance of the gain gradient due to asymmetry in the data retrieval channel.
Although the variance due to noise can be halved by using the two most recent gain gradient values in a two point moving average estimate, the asymmetry contribution to the gain gradient variance remains present in a pattern dependent manner. Successive positive and negative valued samples as the basis for the moving average estimate will tend to cancel the asymmetry contribution to the gain gradient variance, but other data patterns will continue to contribute to that variance. Thus, there is a desire for a digital data retrieval channel characteristics control system to provide more nearly optimal channel gain and signal offset performance in the presence of channel asymmetry. Furthermore, there is a desire to provide such a control system in an all, or nearly all, analog form to avoid needing to provide digital registers for this purpose and the corresponding operating delays and increase in power consumption.

Signal conditioning system for controlling data retrieval channel characteristics in which errors in samples are segregated by association with intended sample values to control selected characteristics


An input buffer circuit has a plurality of selectively enabled differential amplifier circuits, where each differential amplifier is configured for compatibility with a particular differential I/O standard and its corresponding input operating range. For example, the input buffer may have two differential amplifiers suitable for receiving LVDS differential input signals over a wide input operating range, and another differential amplifier suitable for receiving the PCML differential input signals. One or more control signals are provided to the input buffer, e.g., programmably, to selectively enable the required differential amplifier(s) for a given I/O standard.

Digital electronic systems are commonly implemented by combining and interconnecting several different integrated circuit (IC) devices such as processors, memory devices and programmable logic devices. The various IC devices communicate with one another by way of input and output (I/O) signals transmitted over a system bus, and several different I/O standards exist for this purpose. One prevalent I/O standard is Low Voltage Differential Signaling (LVDS). LVDS is a low noise, low power, and high-speed I/O interface that uses differential signals without a reference voltage and therefore requires two signal lines for each signal channel. The voltage difference between the two signal lines defines the logic state of the LVDS signal.
Generally, an LVDS output driver in a transmitting device converts a single-ended digital logic signal—e.g., a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) or TTL (Transistor-Transistor Logic) logic level signal—into the LVDS differential format. The differential signal generated by an LVDS output driver has a typical voltage swing of about 350 mV and a typical common-mode voltage of about 1.2 V on the two LVDS signal lines. The small voltage swing in the LVDS signal makes the standard well-suited for high-speed data transmission. From the output driver, the LVDS signals are transmitted to another device having an LVDS receiver for converting the differential signal back into a desired single-ended logic signal format. The LVDS receiver includes an input buffer circuit powered by an I/O supply voltage VCC. The VCC I/O supply typically equals 3.3 V, however the voltage swing in the LVDS standard is not dependent on power supply levels. Generally, the LVDS receiver must be able to tolerate a ±1 V shift between the ground reference of the output driver and the receiver ground. Therefore, where the LVDS signal provided by an output driver swings from 1.0-1.4 V, the LVDS input buffer must be able to operate properly with input voltage swings that range from 0.0-0.4 V in the case of a −1 V ground shift, to 2.0-2.4 V for a +1 V ground shift. Therefore, the LVDS input buffer has an input operating range from 0.0-2.4 V.
Since many differential I/O standards, including LVDS, are commonly used in digital systems, it is advantageous if an input buffer circuit is compatible with and able to support multiple differential I/O standards. In particular, it is often desirable for the input buffer circuit of an LVDS receiver to be able to properly receive and process signals formatted according to other differential I/O standards. However, for some other differential I/O standards, such as the CML (current mode logic) and PCML (pseudo current mode logic) standards, the input operating range is designed to be at or near the VCC voltage level. For example, in the CML standard, the input voltage may swing from 0.6 V below VCC to VCC. Where VCC=3.3. V, the CML input operating range is from 2.7-3.3 V. Unfortunately, however, the differential amplifier circuitry in existing LVDS input buffer circuits generally does not respond well to input voltages that are higher than 2.4 V and therefore outside the LVDS operating range.
Consequently, there is a need for an input buffer circuit that is compatible with differential input signals for different digital I/O standards, even when the input voltage operating ranges for the different standards vary. In addition, there is a more specific need for an input buffer circuit that fully supports both LVDS and other differential I/O standard signals such as CML and PCML signals. Furthermore, it would be especially desirable to provide an input buffer circuit, originally designed for one I/O standard, that is readily adapted to support other I/O signal standards while still using a significant part of the original input buffer circuitry.

Input buffer for multiple differential I/O standards


Pill dispenser including a base with multiple compartments receivable of pills and a cover member engaging with the base and rotatable relative thereto. The cover member includes an access opening selectively alignable with each compartment upon rotation of the cover member relative to the base to enable removal of pills in each compartment when in alignment with the access opening. The base includes indicia for the timed dosage of pills arranged in alignment with the compartments. A retaining member is removably arranged in the base and receives a pill holder with an optional clock/alarm/timer unit. The pill holder includes a pill-receiving compartment which can store light-sensitive pills or an emergency supply of pills or money. The clock/alarm/timer unit includes a pill timer setting which activates an alarm at a set time. The alarm remains activated up to 25 hours if pills are not removed from one of the compartments.

In view of the growth in treatable medical illnesses and conditions, numerous individuals are required to take one or more pills on a regular basis, such as daily, or once every four to six hours. To this end, there are a variety of pill dispensers which enable multiple dosages of the pills to be placed into the dispenser such that by manipulating the dispenser, each dose is individually dispensed. The dispenser is manipulated each time a dosage consisting of one or more pills is required to be taken, e.g., once every four to six hours, once every day.
The dispensing of pills from prior art dispensers is not always easy and in fact is often difficult. In addition, often the dosages for each medicine are pre-packaged in blister packs and the like so that it is not possible to combine different medications in a single dosage. Thus, when it is required to obtain each dosage, several pill dispensers might have to be manipulated to obtain all the necessary medication.
As used herein, pills are deemed to comprise any type of medication including but not limited to capsules, tablets and other pharmaceutical drugs sold in solid-state form or enclosed in a sold form.


There may be provided a radiation sensor, that may include multiple semiconductor regions that form a sensing PN junction and a draining PN junction that is located below the sensing PN junction; a bias circuit that is configured to (i) bias the sensing PN junction to maintain a sensing PN junction depletion region of a fixed size during a first sensing period and during a second sensing period, and (i) bias the draining PN junction to form a draining PN junction depletion region of a first size during the first sensing period and of a second size during the second sensing period; and an output circuit that is configured to generate a first output signal that represent sensed radiation out of radiation that impinged on the radiation sensor during the first sensing period, and to generate a second output signal that represent sensed radiation out of radiation impinged on the radiation sensor during the second sensing period.

Ultraviolet (UV) sensors are used for measuring UV light intensity, and for analyzing the power in three different UV bands—UVA, UVB and UVC. UVA rays have the shortest wavelength, followed by UVB and UVC.
Silicon sensors have small response in the UV, mainly because of UV blocking layers (nitride layers in the Backend) and due to very shallow absorption depth.
Silicon sensors have much stronger absorption in the visible light range. Furthermore, most of the power of sunlight is in the visible wavelength range
Visible-blind sensor may be provided, for instance GaN sensors, however, those are very expensive and still fail to properly analyze the composition of the UV radiation—especially separate between UVA, UVB and UVC.
There is a growing need to provide a radiation sensor that is radiation selective.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.


Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a module that can test and analyze various regions of a solar cell device in an automated or manual fashion after one or more steps have been completed in the solar cell formation process. The module used to perform the automated testing and analysis processes can also be adapted to test a partially formed solar cell at various stages of the solar cell formation process within an automated solar cell production line. The automated solar cell production line is generally an arrangement of automated processing modules and automation equipment that is used to form solar cell devices.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to apparatus and processes for testing and analyzing the properties of a solar cell device at various stages of formation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Photovoltaic (PV) devices or solar cells are devices which convert sunlight into direct current (DC) electrical power. Typical thin film type PV devices, or thin film solar cells, have one or more p-i-n junctions. Each p-i-n junction comprises a p-type layer, an intrinsic type layer, and an n-type layer. When the p-i-n junction of the solar cell is exposed to sunlight (consisting of energy from photons), the sunlight is converted to electricity through the PV effect. Solar cells may be tiled into larger solar arrays. The solar arrays are created by connecting a number of solar cells and joining them into panels with specific frames and connectors.
Typically, a thin film solar cell includes active regions, or photoelectric conversion units, and a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) film disposed as a front electrode and/or as a backside electrode. The photoelectric conversion unit includes a p-type silicon layer, an n-type silicon layer, and an intrinsic type (i-type) silicon layer sandwiched between the p-type and n-type silicon layers. Several types of silicon films, including microcrystalline silicon film (μc-Si), amorphous silicon film (a-Si), polycrystalline silicon film (poly-Si), and the like, may be utilized to form the p-type, n-type, and/or i-type layers of the photoelectric conversion unit. The backside electrode may contain one or more conductive layers. There is a need for an improved process of forming a solar cell that has good interfacial contact, low contact resistance, and high overall performance.
With traditional energy source prices on the rise, there is a need for a low cost way of producing electricity using a low cost solar cell device. Conventional solar cell manufacturing processes are highly labor intensive and have numerous interruptions that can affect production line throughput, solar cell cost, and device yield. Conventional solar cell fabrication processes also include a number of manual operations that can cause the formed solar cell device properties to vary from one device to another. Thus, there is a need for a continuous non-interrupted flow of solar cell substrates through a solar cell production line to reduce cost and improve device yield.
Additionally, there is a need for an apparatus and method of testing a solar device during different phases of the formation process to assure that the solar cells are formed in a repeatable manner. Also, there is need for a manual or automated testing module that can characterize the properties of a partially formed solar cell device to assure that its performance is within a desired performance range and that the combination of solar cell formation steps create a solar cell device that meets the functional and performance specifications required by the solar cell device manufacturer.

Solar parametric testing module and processes


In a toroidal type infinitely variable automatic transmission comprising an oil pump mounted on a transmission case, first and second toroidal transmission mechanisms disposed within the case and having input and output disks for transmitting a rotational force through a tiltable friction roller, a forward and backward change-over mechanism positioned between the transmission mechanism and the oil pump and disposed within the case, for changing over between forward and backward operations of the transmission mechanism through a planetary gear mechanism by manipulation of forward and backward clutches, and a supporting wall positioned between the forward and backward change-over mechanism and the transmission mechanism and disposed within the case, for receiving a thrust force exerted towards a transmission mechanism side by the planetary gear mechanism, an extension member is provided on a side portion of the oil pump to extend within the case towards a transmission mechanism side, and the supporting wall is mounted on the extension member at a position opposing to a carrier plate of the planetary gear mechanism.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a supporting wall structure for receiving a thrust force of a planetary gear mechanism constituting a forward and backward change-over mechanism in a toroidal type infinitely variable automatic transmission.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a toroidal type infinitely variable automatic transmission, because a toroidal transmission mechanism is moved in the axial direction and still the control of the axial force of the toroidal transmission mechanism is difficult, it is necessary to prevent the axial thrust force generated in a forward and backward change-over mechanism adjacent to the toroidal transmission mechanism from being transmitted to the toroidal transmission mechanism.
A supporting wall for receiving this thrust force is provided between the forward and backward change-over mechanism and the toroidal transmission mechanism. Such a supporting wall structure in the prior art is known in which, for example, a supporting wall member is mounted on an inner peripheral wall of a transmission case (see, "A Primer of Automatic Transmission", on page 199, FIG. 8-20, published by GURANPURI, Ltd., on Jun. 5, 1995).
In assembling such a prior art toroidal type definitely variable automatic transmission, after placing a toroidal transmission mechanism and then, the supporting wall member within a transmission case, constituting parts of a forward and backward change-over mechanism and parts of an oil pump and the like are assembled one by one in a main line. So there is a drawback that the line assembly efficiency is degraded due to lack of subassembling.

Supporting wall structure of toroidal type infinitely variable automatic transmission


A method and system for achieving the delivery of a digital product from an Internet vendor to a customer, while maintaining customer anonymity with respect to the vendor. After the purchase of a digital product from an on-line merchant, the merchant sends to the customer a receipt containing a link that allows the customer to request delivery of their electronic product. Accessing the link then triggers the merchant to verify the validity of the request, based upon information securely encoded in the link sent to the customer. Upon verification of the delivery request, the merchant requests that the vendor fulfill the product delivery request. The identity of the customer and transaction information about the purchase of the digital product is not revealed to the vendor.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the processing of transactions over a computer network such as the Internet and, more particular, to the delivery of digital goods or services to customers by Internet vendors without the vendor knowing the identity of the customer.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is now commonplace for consumers to purchase goods or services from on-line or e-commerce retailers. A large number of retailers have set up sites where consumers can peruse the products that are available for sale, purchase the good, or goods, in question and have the product delivered to them. Although these goods are often tangible goods, substantial traffic in digital goods, such as electronic books, music, or application software is increasing.
The electronic good may be delivered directly from the on-line merchant's computer system. However this requires the on-line merchant to maintain a copy of the digital goods that it wants to sell. If a single on-line merchant is selling the electronic products of a number of vendors of electronic content, then the merchant is typically required to inventory and manage a large amount of material for each vendor.
A second option is to redirect the customer, after his or her purchase, to a computer server maintained by the vendor. The customer can then follow the instructions at the web site of the vendor to download the product. The customer must identify himself or herself, or present some form of credential to download the purchased product. This additional step requires the customer to expose his or her identity to the vendor and to follow the particular details of the download process that that vendor utilizes. This becomes especially complicated when the customer has purchased goods that are provided by a multiplicity of vendors. The user interface and experience at each site is likely to be different, increasing the likelihood of customer confusion and greatly diminishing the on-line shopping experience. Further, placing the onus on the customer to get the product from the vendor by themselves, increases the likelihood that in the future, they will look to the vendor, rather than the merchant, as the source of these types of products.
If an authentication or authorization credential is given to the customer to allow him or her to request delivery of the product, attempts to steal or intercept the credential prior to its use by the legitimate customer are possible. This approach also requires the vendor to have a mechanism to prevent the re-use of credentials and to manage the access and credential verification of customers.
More preferable would be a system whereby the customer, after the purchase, may gain access to products maintained by one or more vendors without inconveniencing the customer, forcing him or her to reveal his or her identity, or putting the security of the transaction at risk, while maintaining the continuity of the shopping experience.

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for controlling delivery of digital products to users


A system for cutting off standby power of the present invention comprises: a plurality of electronic products that are controlled devices; and a main system commonly controlling the same, wherein each of the plurality of electronic products is equipped with a standby power cut-off unit, which is controlled by the main system to open or cut off the power supply path of the power input of a corresponding electronic product, thereby cutting off standby power, and wherein the main system is equipped with a device selection and actuation unit which controls the action of the standby power cut-off unit of each of the electronic products to supply or cut off power to each of the plurality of electronic products.

In general, a home network system, a power smart grid system or the like is configured to perform on/off control or operation control for electronic products connected to the system from the outside. However, since the control of the electronic products from the outside is possible only when power plugs of the products are kept in the socket, the electronic products waste standby power, and the corresponding system always supplies the power for the control, and therefore the electric power is wasted.
In the future, it is expected that the development of the IT technology will increase the number of the electronic apparatuses, thereby increasing the waste of energy more. Due to the generation of CO2 related to the increased power production, the environment contamination will be accelerated.


Provided are a method and device for adjusting a call volume and a mobile terminal, wherein the method includes detecting gravity location information of a terminal when a given detection time is reached, and adjusting a current call volume in accordance with a given volume adjustment rule when the gravity location information and gravity location information obtained by last detection are separately located on two sides of a pre-set gravity zero line. The application of the present disclosure solves a problem in the related art that a user in a call using a left ear and a right ear alternatively usually needs to continuously adjust volume of an earphone manually because there is a hearing difference between the left ear and the right ear, which results in much inconvenience when answering a call, and thus the call volume during a call can be automatically adjusted, a performance of the mobile terminal is enhanced and user experience is improved.

In scientific discovery, there is a difference between hearing of a left ear and a right ear of each person, particularly some people suffered from an ear disease may have a big binaural hearing difference. A foreign hearing survey in 1998 shows approximately 1 percent of children at school suffer from one-side hearing loss. A survey by Chinese Journal of Pediatrics in 2009 shows that a hearing loss rate of middle school students in Xi'an is 2.30%. According to statistics, there are approximately 27.8 million of people with hearing impairment currently in our country, which occupy the maximum amount among various disabled people. In addition, influenced by air pollution, noise, frequent use of an earphone to listen to a music, and the like, the amount of people with hearing impairment is increasing.
For users having a hearing difference between a left ear and a right ear, there is much inconvenience when they answer a call. When calling for a long time, they may feel uncomfortable if answering the call on one side for a much longer time, and thus generally may answer the call with the left ear and the right ear alternatively; in this situation, if an earphone volume is unchanged, the users may feel that the voice is too loud or too low. When they frequently transfer the phone between the left ear and the right ear, they need to continuously adjust the volume, which may influence their mood when calling, and thus they feel unsatisfied with a mobile phone. In addition, a left half and a right half of a brain may have different ways to process the sound, and therefore when the sound is heard, two ears may adopt different ways for processing. The left ear is most sensitive to a music, while the right ear may obtain a voice better.
When a left ear and a right ear of a user is alternatively used in a call, since hearing of the left ear and the right ear is different, the user usually needs to continuously adjust volume of an earphone manually, which results in much inconvenience when answering the call.

Method and device for adjusting call volume, and mobile terminal


A hands-free apparatus working with Bluetooth earphone includes a Bluetooth earphone, a transmission element, and a car audio. Wherein the bluetooth earphone includes a connector plug for a first connector of a transmission element to connect with, and a second connector of the transmission element is able to lodge in a connector socket of a front panel of the car audio. By the above-mentioned connection, the voice signal of the Bluetooth earphone is able to be transmitted to the car audio via the transmission element, then the car speaker can broadcast the voice signal, or the car audio can charge the Bluetooth earphone via the transmission element, then to achieve hands-free objects.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is about a hands-free apparatus working with Bluetooth earphone, and more particularly to a hands-free apparatus with car audio and Bluetooth earphone.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional Bluetooth hands-free apparatus comprises a Bluetooth cellular phone and a car audio with Bluetooth chip module (i.e., Bluetooth car audio) to achieve hands-free communication when a user uses cellular phone and drives at the same time. The above-mentioned method is disadvantage in following situations:
1. Generally the user of Bluetooth cellular phone is used to apply Bluetooth earphone. Before using the Bluetooth earphone, the user has to operate a matching process to enable the Bluetooth earphone. When the user gets in a car, he has to turns off the Bluetooth earphone, wait for seconds, and then turn on the Bluetooth car audio and wait for seconds till the Bluetooth cellular phone establishes communication with the Bluetooth car audio. When the user gets off the car, he has to do an adversely operation. This process is too complex and disadvantage.
2. The combined hands-free apparatus of Bluetooth cellular phone and car audio needs car speaks as a loudspeaker when receiving an incoming call, which breaks communication privacy of the user when there is other passenger in the car.
3. The Bluetooth car audio has to equip the Bluetooth chip module. But not every car equipped the Bluetooth chip module, due to its expensive price. The user has to change the car audio or extra install a Bluetooth chip module to be compatible with Bluetooth cellular phone, which increases cost.
4. The combined hands-free apparatus of Bluetooth cellular phone and car audio can only take few of car speakers as the loudspeaker, and the sound effects of the speaker are not good, which decreases using intention of the user.
Thus it can be seen that the prior method still has disadvantages, and needs to be improved.
A hands-free apparatus working with Bluetooth earphone is desired, and the present invention is designed to meet the need of above.

Hands-free apparatus working with Bluetooth earphone


A vehicle body front structure (15) includes a side beam member (38) extending toward the rear of the vehicle body from a bulkhead (24). One end (41) of an upper member (28) is connected to the side beam member (38). The other end (46) of the upper member (28) is connected to a front pillar (45). The upper member (28) is divided into an upper front-side member (47) that includes the one end (41) and an upper rear-side member (48) that includes the other end (46). A lower member (32) extends downward from the upper front-side member (47). The upper member (28) is divided at a position near a housing front wall (57) of a damper housing (26).

In a vehicle body front structure of that type, left and right wheelhouse upper members to which left and right front fenders are fastened, respectively, are contiguous with a front bulkhead on a front side of a vehicle. The wheelhouse upper member has a front end joined to a bulkhead side member extending rearwardly from the front bulkhead at the front side of the vehicle. A lower member extends from a vicinity of the front end and has a lower end contiguous with a front side frame to ensure strength. An extension member extends from an upper end of the lower member and is joined to the wheelhouse upper member, as disclosed in JP-A-2009-1035.
For the vehicle body front structure disclosed in JP-A-2009-1035, however, a hole of a front fender would not be aligned with an internal thread of a fender bracket on a side of the wheelhouse upper member in fastening the front fender to the wheelhouse upper member with a screw member.
Where to mount the fender bracket depends upon the design. For example, the fender bracket is mounted on the wheelhouse upper member. The step of attaching the wheelhouse upper member with the fender bracket mounted thereon is the final step of the process of assembling the front body of the vehicle. As a result, positions of external threads of the fender brackets fixed to the wheelhouse upper members can vary widely relative to different fender brackets mounted earlier than the fender brackets fixed to the wheelhouse upper members. To avoid this problem, the front body of the vehicle is required to be designed under limited conditions requiring, e.g., mounting the fender bracket not to the wheelhouse upper member but to a member which is to be mounted before the step of attaching the wheelhouse upper bracket. Since the design of the front body of the vehicle is subject to that limitation, improvement, of the freedom to design the front body is desired. That is, it is desirable that the positions of the fender brackets on the wheelhouse upper members vary as little as possible. In addition, it is necessary to reduce the number of parts and manufacturing steps as well as the cost.


According to the present invention, a microwave generator includes a variable voltage provided from a first transformer to a second transformer having a secondary winding split into a filament winding cathode low AC signal and a secondary winding providing a high voltage which is doubled and rectified in a half-wave voltage doubler for providing a pulsed DC signal through a ballast resistor to a magnetron anode responsive to an electromagnetic field. In still further accord with the present invention, a microwave sample cavity includes a waveguide, and a hole for receiving a sample to be microwave-heated, and an inductive tuning post all on a straight line, wherein the hole is adjacent the waveguide and the post is distant from the waveguide.

The invention includes a variable output power microwave generator and a broadly tuned microwave applicator that is connected to the generator though a length of coaxial cable.
Many chemical reactions are greatly accelerated by heating with a microwave field as compared to an open flame, oven or oil bath. Systems for microwave chemistry that are available from several manufacturers have the limitations of physical size, limited to reagent volumes greater than a few milliliters, require retuning of the applicator when the reagent mix is changed, and limit the users ability to monitor the progress of the accelerated reaction.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,740, Apparatus for the Chemical Reaction by Wet Process of Various Products illustrates a length of waveguide that is terminated with end panels made from a conductive material with the magnetron oscillator placed near at one end of the cavity and a provisions to place to insert samples near the other end of the cavity. The waveguide is provided with tuning screws to adjust the tuning of the cavity to the requirements of the sample.
Systems such as these are generally suitable for performing reaction on relatively large volumes of chemicals. However the combination of the magnetron with its required cooling system, the sample holder, and the overall packaging make them excessively large for many laboratory applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,944 illustrates a cavity applicator that can be coupled to a microwave generator either by waveguide or coaxial cable. The geometry of this cavity is varied by sliding walls proportionately to adjust for the sample container and sample volume.
The paper, "Evaluation of a Microwave Cavity for the Synthesis of PET Radio Pharmaceuticals"; C. S. Dence et al; Journal of Labeling Compounds for Radiopharmaceuticals, 1995, #37, page 115. shows a microwave power oscillator with fixed output power connected to a tunable circular cavity.


A fuel cell includes an anode layer, a polymeric ion conductive membrane disposed over the anode layer, a cathode layer disposed over the polymeric ion conductive membrane, and an effective amount of a reactive material that corrodes at a higher rate than support carbon in the cathode layer, anode layer, or both. The reactive material is either proximate to or distributed within the cathode catalyst layer. In a variation, reactive material is also included proximate to the anode layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates fuel cells with improved electrode durability.
2. Background Art
Fuel cells are used as an electrical power source in many applications. In particular, fuel cells are proposed for use in automobiles to replace internal combustion engines. In proton exchange membrane ("PEM") type fuel cells, hydrogen is supplied as fuel to the anode of the fuel cell and oxygen is supplied as the oxidant to the cathode. The oxygen can be either in a pure form (O2) or air (a mixture of O2 and N2). PEM fuel cells typically have a membrane electrode assembly ("MEA") in which a solid polymer membrane has an anode catalyst on one face and a cathode catalyst on the opposite face. The MEA, in turn, is sandwiched between a pair of porous diffusion media ("DM") which in turn are sandwiched between a pair of non-porous, electrically conductive elements or plates which (1) serve as current collectors for the anode and cathode, and (2) contain appropriate channels and/or openings formed therein for distributing the fuel cell's gaseous reactants over the surfaces of the respective anode and cathode catalysts. In order to produce electricity efficiently, the polymer electrolyte membrane of a PEM fuel cell typically must be thin, chemically stable, proton transmissive, non-electrically conductive, and gas impermeable. In typical applications, fuel cells are provided in arrays of many individual fuel cell stacks in order to provide high levels of electrical power.
With reference to FIG. 1, a schematic illustration of the normal operation and the processes occurring during either local H2 fuel starvation and start/stop induced degradation of a typical fuel cell stack with prior art MEAs is provided. Fuel cell 10 includes anode layer 12 and cathode layer 14 with polymeric ion conductive membrane 16 disposed between anode layer 12 and cathode layer 14. Currently, a normal cathode layer includes about 0.2 to 0.4 mg of platinum per cm2 with a typical cathode catalyst having approximately 20 to 60% weight Pt supported on a high-surface area carbon support ("x % wt. Pt/C"). Moreover, cathode layers are very porous in order to provide efficient access for the oxygen (from air) and H2 gas. In a typical cathode layer the volume fraction of polymer is about 20%, the volume fraction of carbon is about 20%, and the void volume is about 60%. Hydrogen (H2) is supplied to anode layer 12 via reactant flow-field channels 20 and through anode diffusion media 18. On the opposite side of fuel cell stack 10, oxygen (O2 usually from air) is fed to cathode layer 14. During normal operation, the hydrogen oxidation reaction ("HOR") occurs at anode layer 12, and the oxygen reduction reaction ("ORR") occurs at the cathode (see left-hand side of FIG. 1). The oxygen gets reduced to make water while the hydrogen gets oxidized to make protons. The protons traverse membrane 16, where they recombine with the oxygen to complete the overall reaction of the fuel cell of hydrogen plus oxygen to give water.
During the operation of such fuel cells, situations can occur occasionally which might cause corrosion of the catalysts' carbon-supports, either on the anode and/or the cathode. This carbon corrosion can arise for several reasons: 1) maldistribution of H2 between the many cells of a fuel cell stack under certain operating conditions can lead to understoichiometric supply of H2 to one of the cells (i.e., less H2 is supplied than is required to sustain the applied current), leading to a large increase of the anode potential (commonly referred to as "cell reversal"), accompanied by corrosion of the carbon-support of the anode catalyst (see, e.g., D. P. Wilkinson, J. St.-Pierre, in: Handbook of Fuel Cells—Fundamentals, Technology, and Applications (eds.: W. Vielstich, A. Lamm, H. A. Gasteiger), Wiley (2003): vol. 3, chapter 47, pg. 611); 2) maldistribution of H2 within a cell due to liquid-water induced blockage of anode flow-field channels and/or water-film formation within the anode diffusion medium (commonly referred to as "local H2 starvation"), leading to a local increase of the cathode potential due to O2 permeation through the membrane from cathode to anode, which in turn corrodes the carbon-support of the cathode catalyst (see, e.g., T. W. Patterson, R. M. Darling, Electrochem. Solid-State Lett. 9 (2006) A183); 3) formation of a H2/air front in the anode flow-field channel during fuel cell shutdown (i.e., air permeation into the H2-filled anode flow-field channels) or startup (i.e., H2 flow into air-filled anode flow-field channels) processes (commonly referred to as "start/stop degradation"), leading to localized increase of the cathode potential, which in turn corrodes the carbon-support of the cathode catalyst (see, e.g., C. A. Reiser, L. Bregoli, T. W. Patterson, J. S. Yi, J. D. Yang, M. L. Perry, T. D. Jarvi, Electrochem. Solid-State Lett. 8 (2005) A273).
Cell reversal occurs when understoichiometric amounts of H2 are applied to one or several cells of a fuel cell stack so that the overall fuel cell stack current cannot be sustained by H2 oxidation (H2→2H+2e−). In this case, electron/protons must be supplied by alternative reactions, namely by the carbon oxidation reaction ("COR") and/or the O2 evolution reaction ("OER") in the anode electrode:OER: H2→½O2+2H++2e− E0=+1.23 V vs RHE  (1)COR: C+2H2O→CO2+4H++4e− E0=+0.21 V vs RHE  (2)(where E0 is the potential referenced to the Reversible Hydrogen Electrode (RHE) potential)
Since the OER is negligible for Pt catalysts on conventional carbon supports (e.g., Pt/Ketjen Black and Pt/Black Pears listed in Table 1), this cell reversal leads to corrosion of the anode catalyst carbon-support according to Reaction (2), leading to rapid performance degradation of the MEA.
In the case of local H2 starvation in the anode electrode 12 (FIG. 1), O2 permeating from the cathode layer 14 (commonly referred to as "O2 crossover") through the ion conducting membrane 16 is reduced in the region where H2 is depleted, leading to carbon-support corrosion of the cathode catalyst carbon-support in the cathode catalyst layer 14. As is shown in FIG. 1, this can occur by depletion of H2 in the anode flow-field channel 20 due to water blockage, such that region 20′ is still filled with H2 while region 20″ is depleted of H2. Alternatively, if a water film 22 is formed in the anode diffusion medium, H2 will be depleted in the anode catalyst layer 12 adjacent to the water film 22. Thus, significant corrosion of the carbon-support of the cathode catalyst will occur in the cathode catalyst layer 14 which is adjacent to region 20″ or 22. This leads to irreversible degradation of the MEA performance.
Start/stop degradation occurs in the presence of a H2/air front in the anode flow-field channels during either startup or shutdown of a fuel cell. This case is represented in FIG. 1 when region 20′ of the anode flow-field channels contains H2 while region 20″ contains air. Again, this leads to corrosion of the carbon-support of the cathode catalyst in the cathode catalyst layer 14 which is adjacent to region 20″.
There are a few system strategies that may help reduce the impacts of cell reversal, such as monitoring the cell voltage of each individual cell and reducing fuel cell stack power when reversal of the cell voltage of a single cell in the fuel cell stack is observed, but this and other measures will increase the total cost. Local H2 starvation caused by water blockage of anode flow channels and/or anode diffusion medium flooding may be relieved by special design of the flow field plates which is also costly. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,855,453 discloses a method of reducing carbon corrosion utilizing a catalyst to promote the reaction (2) and thereby simultaneously suppressing the carbon corrosion reaction (1). The implementation of graphitized carbon support (more corrosion-resistant) has been identified as one key solution to the carbon corrosion problem, which itself still needs a significant amount of developmental work and is currently in its infancy. However, such graphitized support strategies alone do not sufficiently reduce carbon corrosion rates under localized H2 starvation and start/stop conditions.
Accordingly, there exists a need for improved membrane electrode assemblies that have more tolerance to anode local H2 starvation and cell reversal.

Using sacrificial material to mitigate catalyst support corrosion in fuel cell electrode


An apparatus for cleaning an overhead drain gutter associated with the lower extremity of a pitched roof includes a scoop member, a pole of telescopically adjustable length, and an attachment member of inverted U-shaped configuration that extends in joinder between the scoop member and pole. The scoop member is of elongated shape, having front and rear ends. The rear end may be provided with a retaining wall disposed transversely to the direction of elongation, and a water discharge nozzle may be disposed within the retaining wall.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns apparatus for cleaning an overhead drain gutter associated with the lower extremity of a pitched roof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most residential-type houses are constructed with pitched roofs. The sloped or angled nature of the roof prevents the accumulation of water, and in many instances minimizes the accumulation of snow. At the lowest extremity of a pitched roof, generally referred to as the eave, there is positioned a drain trough or gutter, the purpose of which is to catch the water which runs off the roof, and channel it to a downspout which leads the water away from the foundation of the house.
In the course of time, such drain gutters tend to accumulate airborne detritus such as fallen leaves, which obstruct the gutter and render it ineffective for its intended purpose. The considerable weight of the debris plus entrapped stagnant water causes the trough to sag, warp and eventually pull away from the eave.
The cleaning of the trough is often done manually by climbing onto the roof or by employing a ladder which is leaned against the trough. Either approach is difficult and often perilous. Furthermore, the ladder tends to damage the gutter.
Various means have, therefore, been developed to prevent the deposition and accumulation of debris in gutters and/or downspouts. Such preventive means include screens and shield devices placed over the top of the gutter. However, it has been found that materials of small size such as, for example, sand from shingles, insects, seedlings and the like thwart the preventive devices, whereby the undesired accumulations still result. While the preventive device can be lifted up to clean the gutters and/or the openings of the downspouts, this is not easily done.
Another means of preventing accumulations of debris, particularly in the downspouts, is the insertion of a wire bulb screen unit in the collar of the downspout. However, once a few leaves fall on the screen they tend to stick to it, particularly if they are wet. Eventually, more and more debris accumulates around and on top of these leaves so that the drain becomes clogged and the water accumulating in the gutters has to flow over the sides.
Devices utilizing long poles have earlier been disclosed for enabling a person to clean a gutter while standing upon the ground beneath the gutter. Such devices are disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,196,927; 4,310,940; 4,319,851; 5,626,327; and 5,288,118. Such devices generally employ a working head positioned atop the pole and configured to seat downwardly into the gutter. The head functions either to push, scoop, lift or grab debris within the gutter. By moving the head laterally along the gutter in successive manipulations, the debris is removed. In those devices where the head contains moving components, a lever, rope or other elongated force-conveying manipulation means extends between the head and the lower extremity of the pole.
The aforesaid gutter-cleaning devices are generally difficult to use because of their relatively heavy weight. The head component is usually not easily separable from the pole component, thereby presenting difficulties in packaging for marketing purposes and in storage by the user. The head component in many such devices is subject to malfunction during interaction with the debris in the gutter.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide apparatus for cleaning an eaves drain gutter.
It is a further object of this invention to provide apparatus as in the foregoing object which can be hand-operated by a person standing upon the ground below said gutter.
It is another object of the present invention to provide apparatus of the aforesaid nature easily amenable to disassembly to a compact state which facilitates marketing distribution and storage.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide apparatus of the aforesaid nature which is of light weight, and simple and durable construction amenable to low cost manufacture.
These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.


A valve mount having two valves removably installed thereon from above as arranged in a direction comprises an inflow channel forming member having a channel in communication with an inlet of the valve disposed at one end thereof, a communication channel forming member having a channel for causing an outlet of the valve at the end to communicate with an inlet of the other valve adjacent thereto, an outflow channel forming member having a channel in communication with an outlet of the other valve, and a subchannel forming member having a channel in communication with an inlet-outlet port formed in the other valve.

The present invention relates to shutoff-opening devices, for example, for use in fluid control apparatus included in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and more particularly to shutoff-opening devices comprising a plurality of valves, to be provided respectively at the inlet side and at the outlet side of a fluid controller such as a massflow controller and adapted to close or open a plurality of fluid channels.
With fluid control apparatus of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, a plurality of valves are usually arranged at the inlet side and outlet side of a massflow controller. In such arrangements, it is practice to use a shutoff-opening device in the form of a single unit and comprising a plurality of valves removably installed on a blocklike valve mount member from above as arranged in a row without interconnecting the valves with pipes (see JP-A-241400/1994). The inlet and outlet of each of the valves are formed in the bottom of the valve, and the mount member is formed with an inflow channel and outflow channel which are positioned in corresponding relation with the inlet and outlet. The valves are removably installed an the mount member from above so as to be individually inspectable or replaceable after the shutoff-opening device is mounted on a panel.
One fluid control apparatus comprises a multiplicity of shutoff-opening devices. These devices can be variously different in specifications; some devices comprise two or four valves, some valves may be different in the positions of the inlet and outlet in accordance with the interval between the valves, or an inlet-outlet port serving for an inlet or outlet for other fluid may be additionally provided between the inlet and outlet of at least one valve. The conventional shutoff-opening devices have the problem of being not amenable to modifications of specifications since there arises a need to prepare a new valve mount member even if the device differs from other devices in the position of only one outlet.
Further with shutoff-opening devices of the type described, it is important to seal off the joints of the components of the device, that is, to assure the joints of fluid-tightness.


An accommodating intraocular lens is provided having optical parameters that are altered in-situ, wherein an optic portion of the lens includes an actuator that deflects a lens element to alter the optical power of the lens, responsive to forces applied to a haptic portion to the lens by contraction of the ciliary muscles. Forces applied to the haptic portion may result in fluid displacements from or to the haptic portion from the actuator. Displacement of fluid to the actuator may either increase or reduce the degree of deflection imposed on the lens element by the actuator.

Cataracts are a major cause of blindness in the world and the most prevalent ocular disease. Visual disability from cataracts accounts for more than 8 million physician office visits per year. When the disability from cataracts affects or alters an individual's activities of daily living, surgical lens removal with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation is the preferred method of treating the functional limitations. In the United States, about 2.5 million cataract surgical procedures are performed annually, making it the most common surgery for Americans over the age of 65. About 97 percent of cataract surgery patients receive intraocular lens implants, with the annual costs for cataract surgery and associated care in the United States being upwards of $4 billion.
A cataract is any opacity of a patient's lens, whether it is a localized opacity or a diffuse general loss of transparency. To be clinically significant, however, the cataract must cause a significant reduction in visual acuity or a functional impairment. A cataract occurs as a result of aging or secondary to hereditary factors, trauma, inflammation, metabolic or nutritional disorders, or radiation. Age related cataract conditions are the most common.
In treating a cataract, the surgeon removes the crystalline lens matrix from the lens capsule and replaces it with an intraocular lens ("IOL") implant. The typical IOL provides a selected focal length that allows the patient to have fairly good distance vision. Since the lens can no longer accommodate, however, the patient typically needs glasses for reading.
More specifically, the imaging properties of the human eye are facilitated by several optical interfaces. A healthy youthful human eye has a total power of approximately 59 diopters, with the anterior surface of the cornea (e.g. the exterior surface, including the tear layer) providing about 48 diopters of power, while the posterior surface provides about −4 diopters. The crystalline lens, which is situated posterior of the pupil in a transparent elastic capsule supported by the ciliary muscles, provides about 15 diopters of power, and also performs the critical function of focusing images upon the retina. This focusing ability, referred to as "accommodation," enables imaging of objects at various distances.
The power of the lens in a youthful eye can be adjusted from 15 diopters to about 29 diopters by adjusting the shape of the lens from a moderately convex shape to a highly convex shape. The mechanism generally accepted to cause this adjustment is that ciliary muscles supporting the capsule (and the lens contained therein), move between a relaxed state (corresponding to the moderately convex shape) and a contracted state (corresponding to the highly convex shape). Because the lens itself is composed of viscous, gelatinous transparent fibers, arranged in an "onion-like" layered structure, forces applied to the capsule by the ciliary muscles cause the lens to change shape.
Isolated from the eye, the relaxed capsule and lens take on a spherical shape. Within the eye, however, the capsule is connected around its circumference by approximately 70 tiny ligament fibers to the ciliary muscles, which in turn are attached to an inner surface of the eyeball. The ciliary muscles that support the lens and capsule therefore are believed to act in a sphincter-muscular mode. Accordingly, when the ciliary muscles are relaxed, the capsule and lens are pulled about the circumference to a larger diameter, thereby flattening the lens, whereas when the ciliary muscles are contracted the lens and capsule relax somewhat and assume a smaller diameter that approaches a more spherical shape.
As noted above, the youthful eye has approximately 14 diopters of accommodation. As a person ages, the lens hardens and becomes less elastic, so that by about age 45–50, accommodation is reduced to about 2 diopters. At a later age the lens may be considered to be non-accommodating, a condition known as "presbyopia". Because the imaging distance is fixed, presbyopia typically entails the need for bi-focals to facilitate near and far vision.
Apart from age-related loss of accommodation ability, such loss is innate to the placement of IOLs for the treatment of cataracts. IOLs are generally single element lenses made from a suitable polymer material, such as acrylics or silicones. After placement, accommodation is no longer possible, although this ability is typically already lost for persons receiving an IOL. There is significant need to provide for accommodation in IOL products so that IOL recipients will have accommodating ability.
Although previously known workers in the field of accommodating IOLs have made some progress, the relative complexity of the methods and apparatus developed to date have prevented widespread commercialization of such devices. Previously known these devices have proved too complex to be practical to construct or have achieved only limited success, due to the inability to provide accommodation of more than 1–2 diopters.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,506 to Garabet describes an accommodating fluid-filled lens wherein electrical potentials generated by contraction of the ciliary muscles cause changes in the index of refraction of fluid carried within a central optic portion. U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,031 to Pfoff discloses an IOL with a hard PMMA lens separated by a single chamber from a flexible thin lens layer that uses microfluid pumps to vary a volume of fluid between the PMMA lens portion and the thin layer portion and provide accommodation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,966 to Christie et al. discloses an intraocular lens comprising a thin flexible layer sealed along its periphery to a support layer, wherein forces applied to fluid reservoirs in the haptics vary a volume of fluid between the layers to provide accommodation.
Although fluid-actuated mechanisms such as described in the aforementioned patents have been investigated, currently available accommodating lenses, such as developed by Eyeonics, Inc. (formerly C&C Vision, Inc.) of Aliso Viejo, Calif., employ a substantially rigid frame configured to vault posteriorly responsive to ciliary muscle contraction, thereby moving the optic towards or away from the retina to adjust the focus of the device.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide apparatus and methods that restore appropriate optical focusing power action to the human eye.
It further would be desirable to provide methods and apparatus wherein a dynamic lens surface may be effectively manipulated responsive to movements of the ciliary muscles.
It still further would be desirable to provide methods and apparatus that utilize forces arising due to natural accommodating muscular action to induce deflection of an optical surface of the IOL. In particular, it would be desirable to provide an IOL in which muscle movements result in the application of, or removal of, forces to the IOL so as to operate one or more actuators to cause deflection of the dynamic surface.

Accommodating intraocular lens system and method


One embodiment of the invention relates to a liner for a first pump housing in a fluid pump assembly. The fluid pump assembly includes a first pump housing, a second pump housing and a flexible diaphragm disposed between the first and second pump housings. The first pump housing includes a fluid access port for providing fluid communication between an inside housing chamber of the first pump housing and an outside of the first pump housing. The second pump housing is securely mated to the first pump housing. The second pump housing includes a biasing mechanism for selectively displacing a portion of the diaphragm toward the first pump housing. The liner of the invention includes a flexible member removeably secured inside the first pump housing. The liner also includes a first portion of the member being shaped to substantially conform to the interior dimensions of the inside housing chamber and a second portion of the member shaped to substantially conform to the fluid access port. The member forms an inner liner chamber inside the inside housing chamber. The member also includes a mating portion for securing the member to the diaphragm to form a seal there between. The inner liner chamber being in fluid communication with the displaceable portion of the diaphragm. Whereby the displacement of the portion of the diaphragm expels fluid from the inner liner chamber through the fluid access port.

Many fluid handling applications involving biopharmaceutical processes, including filtration, chromatography and mixing, require a pump to move liquid. In critical process applications the pumps are designed to be either easily cleaned and sanitized before and after each use or designed for single use, thus controlling or reducing microbial contamination. However, often these process applications require high quality components that demand precision or that can withstand added wear or high pressures, which makes the parts too valuable to throw away after a single or small number of uses. Also, having to clean and/or sanitize such high quality components can add delays or even increase costs.
A diaphragm style pump can be used to pump liquid in such critical process applications. In fact, they are used in processes with one pump "head" or with two or more pump "heads" depending on the application. The diaphragm pump cycles between drawing in liquid and expelling liquid from its inner pump chamber. The pump can draw liquid in by different means including gravity (from a pressure head), a vacuum to draw in the diaphragm, and/or by a piston type of mechanism. The pump can expel liquid by different means including a piston or air pressure. However, as with the critical process applications described above, diaphragm pumps are still required to be cleaned and/or sanitized between uses.
It is therefore desirable to provide an apparatus and method for use with a diaphragm pump for critical process applications that overcomes the shortcomings found in the prior art. In particular, an apparatus and method that allows such diaphragm assemblies to be easily cleaned, sterilized or uncontaminated between uses.

Diaphragm pump liner for critical process applications


Embodiments are directed to establishing a metadata repository that aggregates metadata for a plurality of data sources, inferring data source metadata at a metadata repository and to providing recommendations to data managers based on aggregated inputs. In one scenario, a computer system establishes a reference to one or more data sources, where each data source includes data elements. The computer system receives a data request for specified data elements stored on the data sources and accesses the established references to determine which data source the specified data elements are stored on. The computer system then retrieves at least one of the specified data elements from its determined data source and sends the retrieved data elements to a specified computer system, along with an indication of additional data elements that are relevant to the received data request, and a further indication of how those additional data elements are to be accessed.

Computer databases have long been used to store and provide access to data. Computer databases allow users to enter queries and receive results that are intended to satisfy the query. In many cases, the user's query may be answered by data that is stored in multiple different databases. The user may not know that the data they desire to access is stored on these databases, and, even if the user is aware of the data's location, the user may not know how to access the data. This data is often referred to as "dark data". The dark data is data that is required (or is at least useful) in answering the user's query, but is not accessible by the user.

Providing enhanced connection data for shared resources


A spotlight with an adjustable angle of radiation has a light source (4) and a reflector (5) associated with the light source (4). A first focusing lens (2) is positioned in a beam path of the light source-reflector combination (4, 5). A second focusing lens (6) is placed in the beam path between the light source (4) and the first focusing lens (2). The reflector (5), the light source (4), and the second focusing lens (6) are mounted as an optical unit that is movable relative to the first focusing lens (2), along an optical axis of the spotlight along which the beam path extends. Inside the optical unit, a distance between the light source (4) and the second focusing lens (6) is adjustable. In addition, inside the optical unit a distance between the light source (4) and the reflector (5) is adjustable.

This invention relates to a spotlight with an adjustable angle of radiation, or reflection, having a light source, a reflector associated with the light source, a first focusing lens (collector or converging lens) placed in a direction of beam (along a beam path) of the light source-reflector combination, and a second focusing lens placed in the beam path between the light source and the first focusing lens, whereby the reflector, the light source, and the second focusing lens are mounted as an optical unit that is movable relative to the first focusing lens along an optical axis of the spotlight, and a distance between the light source and the second focusing lens is adjustable inside the optical unit.
Spotlights with adjustable angles of radiation have been known in the prior art for a long time. These spotlights can be divided into two basic classes, namely Fresnel (stepped) lens spotlights and spotlights having very deep reflectors.
Conventional Fresnel lens spotlights each have a single echelon lens (Fresnel lens). Incandescent bulbs, halogen bulbs, or discharge lamps are used as light sources in these echelon spotlights. In such a spotlight, the light source and a reflector are mounted on a slide at a fixed distance from each other. The slide can be moved relative to the Fresnel lens. Focusing is achieved by moving the slide. However, in Fresnel lens spotlights of this type, a significant effective loss of light occurs at focus settings with small angles of reflection. Since there is no second lens to concentrate the light toward the Fresnel lens, a large portion of the light emitted by the light source is simply absorbed by an inner wall of a housing at such focus settings, which results in loss of light and unneeded heating of the housing.
In general, a spotlight with a very deep reflector is constructed so that a lamp and a reflector can be displaced relative to each other, but in these spotlights the lamp remains inside the reflector, along its optical axis, at all times. By changing a position of the lamp within the reflector, the angle of radiation of these spotlights is modified. However, a focusing path that can be achieved in this way is minimal, so that an angle of radiation can be varied only within relatively narrow limits. Spotlights of this type do provide a high degree of light efficiency, but they exhibit unfavorable light distribution in nearly all lamp positions. A reason for this generally poor light distribution is that a reflector shape provided respectively for each of these spotlights, in terms of the resulting light distribution, can be optimally designed for only a single lamp position. Uneven light distribution occurs when the lamp or the reflector are moved for focusing purposes. Therefore, to improve light distribution, replaceable front lenses are often used in spotlights of this type. These lenses may have frosted properties, a honeycomb structure, or other special design features that serve to provide additional focusing or dispersion of the light. With these spotlights, therefore, variously modified front lenses must be used for various focus settings. For many such spotlights with a very deep reflector, in fact, both the lamp and the reflector are mounted in a fixed position in a housing, i.e. the angle of radiation is modified in such cases exclusively by changing front lenses that differ in design. This entails a relatively significant amount of labor and time spent in changing the front lenses, if a spotlight of this type is used in a situation in which the focus setting must be changed often.
A spotlight with an adjustable angle of radiation that already exhibits a significant improvement over the spotlights described above is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,243. This spotlight has a light source, a reflector associated with the light source, a first focusing lens placed in a beam path in a direction of beam of the light source-reflector combination, and a second focusing lens located between the light source and the first focusing lens. The reflector, the light source, and the second focusing lens are mounted as an optical unit that is movable relative to the first focusing lens along the optical axis of the spotlight. Inside the optical unit, a distance between the light source and the second focusing lens is adjustable. The spotlight disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,243 provides a large focus area (see FIG. 4 herein), and achieves a high degree of light efficiency in terms of energy required to operate the spotlight. In addition, the spotlight disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,243 provides light distribution that is so even that a traditional concept of "bean and spread" or "conical and diffused light" can no longer be applied. As shown in FIG. 4, a characteristic illuminance (illumination intensity) curve of a lighted field does exhibit a slight shoulder, but light intensity across an entire lighted area is largely constant.
It is an object of this invention to provide a spotlight with an adjustable angle of radiation that allows even greater variability in an angle of radiation and in illuminance than do known spotlights with adjustable angles of radiation.

Spotlight with an adjustable angle of radiation


A user interface element for manipulating Boolean expressions includes at least one tab panel element operable to define a term of a Boolean expression with each term including one or more condition statements, and an add tab element operable to add an additional tab panel element. The defined terms of each of the tab panel elements are combined to form the Boolean expression.

User interfaces, such as graphical user interfaces (GUIs), provide a mechanism for a user to interact with a computer software application. A GUI typically includes various elements that display information to and/or receive input from a user. GUI elements are sometimes referred to as widgets and may include custom user interface components or standard components such as, for example, scroll bars, push buttons, check boxes, radio buttons, and text panes. Most computer software applications available today provide GUIs to more efficiently interact with users.
As the complexity of user input increases, so to does the complexity of user interface design. However, if a user interface becomes too complex, its usability also may decline. For example, data query systems often provide a structured query language (SQL) interface. SQL queries provide a mechanism for users to express arbitrarily complex database queries. Providing an effective, user-friendly interface for entering SQL queries is a difficult task.
Some SQL query interfaces attempt to constrain the expressiveness of SQL queries to provide a user-friendly interface. For example, a SQL query user interface may be simplified such that a user may simply select one or more search terms, the corresponding fields to search, and an operator to use to combine the result sets. This allows a user to define simple Boolean expressions.
Other SQL query interfaces attempt to maximize functionality. These user interfaces typically provide a text box or other mechanism for a user to enter freeform SQL query expressions. These user interfaces may provide some mechanism for a user to select available operations or fields to assist in designing queries. Such user interfaces may provide maximum functionality to a user. However, these interfaces typically require that the user have prior knowledge of SQL.
Some enterprise business applications allow users to analyze, manipulate, and view various business data. This business data may be stored in an SQL-compliant database or other query system. An SQL query interface may allow a user of an enterprise business application to query business data to assist in a variety of activities such as, for example, data analysis, data visualization, and report generation.

Tabstrip user interface element for formulating boolean statements


An information display integrating a display portion, a built-in electronic circuit, and a wireless receiver is attached to a container. Medicine dispensers are provided face a conveying path of a container conveying mechanism. The medicine dispensers put a medicine into the container when the medicine is in stock, and issues information on stockout medicine rather than dispensing a medicine when the medicine is out of stock. A write command is wirelessly transmitted to the information display so as to cause the stockout information to be displayed on the display portion in a visibly recognizable manner. In addition, partition information on the planar arrangement of sub containers that allows partitioning the internal space of the container is displayed on the display portion in a visually recognizable manner.

A medicine dispensing apparatus operable to handle medicines in press through package (PTP), a medicine wrapping device operable to handle discrete medicines, and an automatic injection ampule feeding apparatus operable to handle injection medicines have been put into practical use as an automated medicine dispenser for medicines such as tablets and capsules. Further, a medicine dispensing system in which the medicine dispenser described above is provided to face a container (tray) conveying mechanism and a dispensing target medicine is put from the dispenser into a container being conveyed so that an indicated medicine is collected in the container to be dispensed has also been put into practical use (see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-153542, for example). In the medicine dispensing system, the container is provided with a label into which container (tray) identification information in the form of a barcode, for example, can be written. In the medicine dispensing system, visibly recognizable information can be can be rewritten into the label in a non-contact manner using laser light.
Meanwhile, an electronic stock tag integrating electronic paper serving as an information display having advantages of both electronic data and printed matter, a built-in electronic circuit operable to control drive and store data related to display on the electronic paper, and a wireless receiver operable to receive such data and a command such as a display information rewriting command has been put into practical use (see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-026329, for example). In an electronic stock tag system provided with a large number of electronic stock tags, the electronic stock tags can be accessed using a transceiver (wireless transmitter) fixedly installed and connected to a server (wireless control unit) via a LAN, and information displayed on the electronic stock tags can be changed using a portable remote controller (wireless controller).
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-153542
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-026329