A method of compensating for a movement of a device worn by a user is described. The method comprises measuring, using a first sensor, a motion of a user wearing the device; measuring, using a second sensor, a motion of the device; determining a difference in the motion of the device with respect to the motion of the user; and compensating for the difference in the motion of the device with respect to the motion of the user. An electronic device for monitoring a device worn by a user is also disclosed.

Sensors are often used in electronic devices to detect information. For example, eye tracking (ET) technology can be used to provide an estimate of a user's point of gaze on 2D display screen or for identifying objects in a real-world environment. The use of eye tracking has particular application for eyewear, such as glasses or headsets that may be used in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). Generally, ET uses a gaze-mapping function which maps a pupil-center point in eye camera coordinate into a gaze-point in the target system coordinate.
However, it is difficult to obtain high accuracy of ET because the eyewear may slip on a user's nose. Since the mapping function implicitly contains a geometrical relationship between two coordinate systems, if the eyewear slips on user's nose, the previous mapping function with the old geometry information will map to erroneous gaze-points in the target coordinate system. A slip of the eyewear may cause the user's calibration function to be corrupted, requiring the user to conduct another calibration process. Because the calibration function is sensitive to eyewear movement, even a small amount of slip could generate large errors in gaze estimation. Such a calibration process for obtaining the new mapping function using conventional devices may take an unacceptable amount of time, such as approximately 30 seconds.
In order to solve problems associated with the slipping of eyewear, conventional devices use a vision-based approach that estimates the eyewear movement by tracking features points of eyes, such as eye corners. However, vision-based slip compensation is not robust, and can fail due to occlusion, blurriness, etc. Further, such a vision-based approach cannot estimate full 6 degree of freedom movement information without complex triangulation or simultaneous location and mapping (SLAM) techniques, which may require significant computational resources. Any assumption that a sensor such as eyewear can move only in certain direction to reduce the amount of computational resources may eventually degrade accuracy of the slip compensation.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method for compensating for the movement of a sensor worn on the body of a user.

Compensating for a movement of a sensor attached to a body of a user


A chuck, which is releasably connectable with a tool spindle (1), includes a guide sleeve (3) having a plurality of openings (4), a plurality of locking elements formed as tilt segments (5) each having an axially fixedly supported, support part (7) and a radially tiltable locking part (8) extendable into a respective opening (4) of the guide sleeve (3) for engaging the tool spindle (1), and a manually displaceable locking sleeve (6) for radially locking the locking elements.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a chuck releasably connectable with a tool spindle by radially displaceable, engaging locking elements and, in particular, to a chuck for an impact tool for a combination hammer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Usually, an impact tool chuck is releasably connected with a rotatable tool spindle by a guide sleeve having openings for radially displaceable locking elements engageable in the tool spindle and which are radially locked with manually axially displaceable locking sleeve. According to U.S. Patent Publication US 2003/0188877, with such impact tool chuck, the locking is effected with steel balls, and the transmission of the torque from the spindle to the chuck takes place through engageable with each other radial toothings. In an axially percussion operational mode, steel balls of the chuck, which are axially displaceable in the openings within narrow limits, can cause strong axial oscillations which sporadically release large forces that can cause fatigue of the chuck.
German Utility Model DE 296 12 765 U discloses a chuck in which a loose, radially tiltable locking body engageable in locking grooves of an axially displaceable, within certain limits, impact tool, is combined with a manually axially displaceable, locking sleeve. The transmission of a torque to the impact tool is effected not by the locking body but by entraining webs which engage in entrain grooves of the impact tool.
The object of the present invention is to provide a chuck suitable for a percussion operational mode.
Another object of the present invention is to simplify the chuck construction.


An AM radio receiver of a double superheterodyne type. Where a first intermediate frequency is selected to be a low frequency of several kHz other than 0 kHz. A second intermediate frequency is selected to be several tens of kHz. A first local oscillator circuit formed of a PLL generates first local oscillation signals of two kinds whose phases are different from each other by 90.degree.. First and second mixer circuits are respectively supplied with the first local oscillation signals of two kinds and mix them with a received signals to generate the first intermediate frequency. First and second filters obtain signals each having the first intermediate frequency. A second local oscillator circuit generates second local oscillation signals of two kinds whose phases are different from each other by 90.degree.. Third and fourth mixer circuits are respectively supplied with the signals having the first intermediate frequency and mix them with the second local oscillation signals. An adding circuit adds both signals output from the third and fourth mixer circuits. A third filter is supplied with a signal from the adding circuit and obtains a signal having a second intermediate frequency. Then, an AM detecting circuit detects an amplitude of the signal having the second intermediate frequency to obtain an audio signal. The AM radio receiver has an IC incorporating an intermediate-frequency selecting device which operates as described above.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an AM radio receiver apparatus of a digital tuning system employing a phase locked loop (PLL).
2. Description of the Related Art
A superheterodyne radio receiver apparatus is arranged as follows.
Specifically, a broadcasting wave is received by an antenna to obtain a weak signal. The weak signal is amplified by a high-frequency amplifier. A mixer circuit mixes the amplified signal with a local oscillation signal to obtain an intermediate-frequency signal. Since an output signal from the mixer circuit contains a signal component other than the intermediate-frequency signal, an intermediate-frequency selecting device (filter) selects only the intermediate-frequency signal from the output signal from the mixer circuit. An intermediate-frequency amplifier amplifies the intermediate frequency signal. An AM detecting circuit detects the amplified intermediate-frequency signal to obtain an audio signal component.
Since a difference between a reception frequency and a frequency of a local oscillation signal is an intermediate frequency in this case, a reception frequency is determined by changing a value of the local oscillation frequency. This operation of changing the value of the reception frequency is called the tuning.
A tuning system of a radio receiver apparatus includes an analog tuning system and a digital tuning system. The analog tuning system employs a variable capacitor. When a tuning dial is rotated, a local oscillation frequency is continuously changed, thereby a desired reception frequency being selected.
The digital tuning system has a local oscillator circuit formed of a phase locked loop (PLL). When a frequency dividing ratio N of a variable frequency divider forming a part of the PLL is changed, in case of an AM radio receiver, for example, a local oscillation frequency is changed stepwise at an interval of 9 kHz or 10 KHz to thereby change a reception frequency, whereby a desired broadcasting frequency is selected. The above frequency dividing ratio N is given by a microcomputer, for example.
When the digital tuning system is employed, if the frequency dividing ratio N used for obtaining the local oscillation frequency used when the mixer circuit converts a reception frequency of a desired broadcasting station into an intermediate frequency is previously set in a memory so as to correspond to a button of a radio receiver, then it is possible to select the broadcasting of the desired reception frequency only by pressing the button. Since a fine adjustment carried out by using the tuning dial in the analog tuning system is not necessary, this facilitate a user's operation. Moreover, a radio receiver employing the digital tuning system is easily formed of ICs.
Therefore, most of recent radio receivers employ the digital tuning system employing the PLL rather than the analog tuning system.
In the digital tuning system, the intermediate frequency must have a fixed value. However, if a selection characteristic of the intermediate-frequency selecting device (filter) is fluctuated (i.e., a center frequency of a pass bandwidth of a filter is fluctuated), then the intermediate frequency is fluctuated. Moreover, since the difference between the reception frequency and the local oscillation frequency is the intermediate frequency, the fluctuation of the intermediate frequency leads to fluctuation of the reception frequency.
When the radio receiver employs the analog tuning system, the local oscillation frequency can be continuously changed as described above. Therefore, even if the reception frequency is fluctuated by several kHz due to the fluctuation of the intermediate frequency, then it is sufficient to finely adjust the reception frequency by using the tuning dial.
However, when the radio receiver employs the digital tuning system, the reception frequency is changed stepwise at an interval of 9 kHz or 10 kHz as described above. Therefore, if the reception frequency is fluctuated by several KHz, then the broadcasting of the desired broadcasting station may be prevented from being received.
Specifically, if the intermediate-frequency selecting device is formed of an active filter formed of a capacitor and a resistor in an IC, then when a resistance value is fluctuated by about 20%, a frequency of a pass bandwidth of the active filter formed in the IC is also fluctuated to that extent.
If the intermediate frequency is selected to be a frequency smaller than 100 kHz, e.g., 50 kHz for comparatively reducing the number of steps of the filter and the number of elements thereof, then when a center frequency of a pass bandwidth of the intermediate-frequency selecting device (filter) is fluctuated by about 10 KHz, the broadcasting of the desired broadcasting station cannot be received. In general, when an IC is manufactured normally, a resistance element of the IC is fluctuated by .+-.20% within a dispersion error range. Therefore, in practice, upon a circuit design of an IC, the values are previously set on the assumption of the dispersion error of about 20%.
In order to avoid such disadvantageous fluctuation of the intermediate frequency, the conventional radio receiver of the digital tuning system has employed a ceramic filter as a filter for selecting an intermediate frequency.
However, the ceramic filter must be attached to the IC from the IC, which increases the number of connection terminals of the IC and prevents the IC from being downsized. Moreover, the ceramic filter is expensive and is a large-size part, which substantially prevents the radio receiver from being made thinner and smaller.


A fluidic pulse generator system includes two fluidic diverter valves that are both controlled by a single fluidic pilot valve. The fluidic pilot valve and the two fluidic diverter valves are each adapted to receive a flow of pressurized fluid. The flow of pressurized fluid through the fluidic pilot valve is controlled in response to pressurized fluid flow through a control valve. In turn, the flow of pressurized fluid through the two fluidic diverters valves is simultaneously controlled in response to the flow of pressurized fluid through the fluidic pilot valve.

Many aircraft include jet engines, such as turbojet and turbofan jet engines, to provide thrust to move the aircraft, both in flight and on the ground. Generally, when an aircraft is on the ground and not moving, even for relatively short periods, the engines are turned off. However, in some instances, it may be desirable to keep the engines running. For example, in some military contexts, it may be desirable to land an aircraft only long enough to load, or reload, the aircraft with various equipment, supplies, and/or personnel. In such instances, it may be desirable to cool the engine exhaust to a level at or below a particular value, to alleviate discomfort for ground personnel.
The exhaust from turbojet and turbofan engines can be quite hot and noisy. If the jet engine is positioned relative to the airframe such that the hot exhaust impinges on the airframe, the hot exhaust can cause undesirable temperature-induced effects on the material properties of the impinged parts. As a result, the impinged parts may need to be constructed of one or more materials that can withstand high temperatures. This can lead to increased costs. In some cases, even such high-temperature materials may not be sufficient, and thus steps must be taken to prevent impingement or to mitigate the effect of impingement.
A number of different approaches have been used to prevent impingement, or to mitigate, jet engine exhaust gas impingement on airframe surfaces. One attempted solution is to forcibly mix the turbine engine core exhaust with relatively lower-temperature fan bypass air prior to exhausting the mixed exhaust stream out the back end of the engine, so that the resulting exhaust stream has a lower temperature. Another attempted solution is to include a core exhaust thrust reverser that can be selectively deployed and stowed. A core thrust reverser, when deployed, redirects the core exhaust outwardly and forward.
Although each of the above approaches is generally effective, each suffers certain drawbacks. For example, the forcible mixing approach may rely on a long, costly, and heavy bypass duct nacelle configuration to accommodate the mixing structure that joins and mixes the turbine exhaust and bypass air, which can potentially increase costs. Moreover, this approach can cause a reduction in overall engine efficiency. The core thrust reverser may also be a relatively heavy component, and relatively costly to manufacture and install. In addition, because the core thrust reverser includes various moving components, it can exhibit high maintainability, which can further increase overall costs.
Hence, there is a need for a system that provides jet engine exhaust cooling that is relatively lightweight, and/or relatively inexpensive to manufacture and install, and/or includes little if any moving parts, and/or provides increased reliability relative to current systems and components. The present invention addresses one or more of these needs.


An information reproducing apparatus improved is provided with: an optical pickup (11) for reading record information recorded on an optical disc (100) and outputting a read signal; an error correction circuit (15) for executing an error correction process with respect to the outputted read signal and outputting output data through the error correction process corresponding to the record information; and a buffering memory device (17) for buffering the outputted output data. The apparatus is further provided with a microcomputer (20) for altering the error correction process in the error correction circuit depending on a memory status of the buffering memory device, if in the error correcting device, an error is detected in the read signal or an error ratio of the error becomes greater than a predetermined threshold value.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information reproducing apparatus and method such as a DVD player, a CD (Compact Disc) player or the like, and further relates to an error correction system for the information reproducing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typically in the information reproducing apparatus such as a DVD player, a CD player or the like, a light beam to read information is irradiated from a laser device in an optical pickup onto an information recording medium such as a DVD, a CD or the like. A photodetector in the optical pickup receives the reflection light from a recording surface of the information recording medium to output a RF (Radio Frequency) signal and the like. The outputted RF signal is subjected to an equalizing processing and further to a binarization processing, a decoding processing, an error correction process and so on. Thereby, the output data through the error correction is obtained.
Specifically, the correction process may be of a scheme using the error correction data indicating the sum of data values in each row or in each column of the error correction data block arranged in a matrix of a certain range of the record data, the error correction data being recorded in addition to the record data. For the sake of convenience, herein, the error correction using the error correction data, which indicates the sum of data values in each row (i.e., each alignment in a lateral or horizontal direction), is referred to as a "C1 correction", while the error correction using the error correction data, which indicates the sum of data values in each column (i.e., each alignment in a longitudinal or vertical direction), is referred to as a "C2 correction".
Alternatively, there are other kinds of known error corrections such as a "multiple correction" represented by a "double correction" for executing the error correction using the error correction data or the record signal obtained as a result of a double reading by repeating a data reading twice with respect to the same recording area, or a "quadruple correction" for executing the error correction using the error correction data or the record signal obtained as a result of a quadruple reading by repeating a data reading four times with respect to the same recording area.
Nevertheless, in the conventional information reproducing apparatus mentioned above, only one among the error correction schemes is employed for the same kind of recording medium or the individual information reproducing apparatus. Similarly, the repeating number of the multiple correction is fixed with regard to the same kind of recording medium or the individual information reproducing apparatus. Additionally, parameters to define reproducing conditions for the information reproducing apparatus, such as a rotation number of a spindle motor, a characteristics setting of the equalizer and the like, are inherently fixed with regard to the same kind of recording medium or the individual information reproducing apparatus.
As a result, in spite of retrying the error correction by repeating the processes after the data reading, or increasing the volume of data as the basis of the error correction, immediately after the failure in obtaining the satisfactory result of the first error correction, the improvement in an error avoidance effect is extremely limited due to a remained cause of errors, unless the cause of errors is eliminated or reduced. With regard to some causes of errors, the improvement in the error avoidance effect is hardly expected, rather demerits from repeating the error correction, such as the increase in the processing time or the processing cost, become manifest.
As described above, the conventional information reproducing apparatus and method include the technical problem for the improvement in the error avoidance effect.

Information reproducing apparatus and method, and error correction system


A fixing device for position regulating mechanisms for external rear-view mirrors for motor vehicles, applicable to external rear-view mirrors of the type which are comprised of a support (1), attached to which is a housing (6) which encases or is part of the aforementioned position regulating mechanism (2), to which a mirror support plate is affixed, it being possible to operate the same, manually or electrically, from the interior of the vehicle. The support (1) comprises elastic pressure exertion means (4) comprising a portion of the base (5) arranged on the support (1) and are provided with at least one tab (7), which pressure exertion means (4) are intended to withstand the pressure of the housing of the regulating mechanism when the latter is attached to the support by means of the fixing means, said pressure means being elastically distorted in such a way that they exert an effort force on the housing against the fixing means.

Embodiments of rear-view mirrors for motor vehicles, comprised of a support and an external housing coupled together are widely known; said support being equipped with a fixing means intended to allow the attachment of the position regulating mechanism of a mirror support plate, said regulating mechanism being adjustable from the interior of the motor vehicle in order to position the mirror support plate, and consequently the mirror, in accordance with the needs of vision of the motor vehicle driver.
Generally, the support of an external rear-view mirror, such as those detailed above, is comprised of a single-piece body produced by means of the injection of plastic or metal material, said fixing means devoted to the fixing of a regulating mechanism being configured on the single-piece body. With the aim of reducing the play which exists between the parts, and to prevent the vibrations transmitted from the vehicle to the rear-view mirror from moving or damaging its components, in addition to the aforementioned fixing means a secondary fixing means is habitually used, this being devoted to guaranteeing the attachment between the support and the regulating mechanism.
In embodiments which are already known, there are housings which encase a regulating mechanism which are fixed to external rear-view mirrors by means of the wedging of projections made into the notches of the housing, forming in this way the aforementioned primary fixing means, and by means of a bolt screwed into the hole of the support, the latter forming said secondary means of fixing.
Said fixing means fulfil the aforementioned objective of guaranteeing the attachment between the support and the regulating mechanism, and in the event of there appearing additional play between components due to wear or distortion of certain parts, allow the bolt to be re-tightened in order to fix once again the adjustable fixing mechanism to the support. The drawback of this embodiment lies in its assembly as, it being comprised of several different parts, the bolt and the hole, its assembly requires labour or highly costly machinery.
Improving the reliability of the fixture between the different parts of the device, in order to avoid possible accidental dismantling of the parts is also an aim of the invention.

Fixing device for position regulating mechanisms for external rear-view mirrors on motor vehicles


A top/bottom pull front derailleur includes a base member, inner and outer links, a chain guide and a top/low adjustment mechanism coupled to the base member. The links are pivotally coupled between the base member and the chain guide. The inner link has a wire fixing part that can be used in top and bottom pull arrangements. The chain guide is configured to move between a retracted position and an extended position relative to the base member. The adjustment mechanism includes top and low adjusting bolts with longitudinal bolt axes angled more than zero degrees relative to a plane of the bicycle frame. The adjustment mechanism is mounted rearwardly of single attachment portion of the outer link or between a pair of attachment portions of the outer link. The bolt axes are preferably angled about 45 degrees or about 90 degrees relative to the plane of the frame.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a top/bottom pull bicycle front derailleur. More specifically, the present invention relates to a top/bottom pull bicycle front derailleur with a swing adjustment mechanism that adjusts the top and low positions of a chain guide of the front derailleur with respect to the bicycle frame.
2. Background Information
Bicycling is becoming an increasingly more popular form of recreation as well as a means of transportation. Moreover, bicycling has become a very popular competitive sport for both amateurs and professionals. Whether the bicycle is used for recreation, transportation or competition, the bicycle industry is constantly improving the various components of the bicycle. One component that has been extensively redesigned is the bicycle front derailleur.
Generally speaking, the front derailleur is typically secured to the seat tube of the bicycle frame or the bottom bracket. Basically, a front derailleur includes a base (fixed) member non-movably secured to the bicycle frame, a movable member supported to be movable relative to the base member and a chain guide. Typically, the base member is a tubular clamping member that is secured to the seat tube. The movable member typically is formed of a pair of pivotal links that form a four-bar linkage with the base member and the chain guide. The chain guide typically has chain cage with a pair of cage plates for contacting and moving a chain between front sprockets of a bicycle drive train. The chain guide is usually biased in a given direction relative to the base member by a spring. The chain guide is usually moved laterally relative to the base member by pulling and/or releasing a shifter control cable that is coupled between a shifter and the front derailleur. The control cable is often connected to one of the pivotal links to apply a torque thereto in order to move the chain guide between an extended position and a retracted position.
More recently, front derailleurs have been developed that use other types of arrangements for the movable member, e.g. an electric motor arrangement, a hydraulic arrangement, etc. Also, more recently, due to the many types of frames for bicycles (e.g. due to the various dual suspension designs as well as "hard tail" designs with various frame geometries and cable routing structures), cable operated front derailleurs have been provided that can be used as top pull or bottom pull front derailleurs. With such derailleurs, a top/low adjustment mechanism is typically mounted on the chain guide (movable member). With traditional single pulling direction derailleurs, a top/low adjustment mechanism is also typically mounted to the derailleur. However, with these single pulling direction derailleurs, the adjusting mechanism can be mounted to the chain guide (movable member), but can also be mounted to the linkage assembly or the base member. In any case, with the typical front derailleurs, it can be difficult to adjust the adjusting mechanism, especially when mounted on certain frames. With some mounting arrangements, a special tool or tools may be required. Also, with these typical derailleurs, while they generally work well, it is possible that some derailleurs might not be useable on certain bicycles due to the frame type, etc.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved top/bottom pull bicycle front derailleur. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

Top/bottom pull bicycle front derailleur


An image forming system according to an embodiment comprises a data creation section configured to create document data, and a print instruction section configured to send instructions to print the document data. The image forming section further comprises a printing mode determination section configured to determine a printing mode of the document data based on property information of the document data, and a selection section configured to select for printing the document data with one of a non-erasable image forming section and an erasable image forming section based on the determined printing mode.

There is an image forming system in which a non-erasable printer and an erasable printer are connected to a network. In the image forming system in which the non-erasable printer and the erasable printer are connected, a method is known in which the user selects any one of the non-erasable printer or the erasable printer when each print job is generated.

Image forming system and image forming method


There are disclosed novel compounds that can be used to derive therefrom a fragment that corresponds to an A-ring which is to be comined with fragments which respectively correspond to C- and D-rings in synthetic formation of vitamin D.sub.3 derivatives by cleaving the 7,8-bondings by means of oxidizing agents following any known process. According to the invention, there is provided an industrially efficient and effective method of manufacturing above compounds that utilizes chemical reaction of allylic acid to add an oxygen function group to position C(1), a method which is completely different from any existing synthetic methods.

The fact that vitamin D plays a vital role in formation of bones as it regulates absorption of calcium and reabsorption of bone inorganic substances by intestine has recently been made known by an extensive research on metabolites of bone (H. F. DeLuca et al., Ann. Rev. Biochem., vol. 52. p. 411, 1983).
It has also been known that some vitamin D.sub.3 derivatives have the function of inducing cell differentiation, suggesting enormous potential applications of vitamin D in the future (T. Suda et al., Bone & Mineral Res./4. ed. W. A. Peck, Elsevier, Amsterdam, p. 1, 1986).
1.alpha.,25-dihydroxty vitamin D.sub.3 (N. Ikegawa et al., Organic Synthetic Chemistry, vol. 37, p. 755, 1979) and 1.alpha.-hydroxy vitamin D.sub.3 (C. Kaneko, Organic Synthetic Chemistry, vol. 33, p 75, 1975) which are chemically analogous to each other and actively substantiate the above described effects have been attracting attention and are currently used as medicines for diseases such as chronic nephric insufficiency, while the latter has proved to be an excellent medicine for curing osteoporosis.
Under these circumstances, researches have been actively conducted on synthetic preparation of derivatives of 1.alpha.-hydroxy vitamin D.sub.3 which are regarded as indispensable for substantiating biogenic activities (B. Lythgoe, Chem. Soc. Rev., vol. 9, p. 449, 1980; R, Pardo et al., Bull. De La Soc. Chim. De Fr. p. 98, 1985).
Currently, the process of synthesis of derivatives of 1.alpha.-hydroxy vitamin D.sub.3 typically starts with synthesis of 1.alpha.-hydroxylated steroid, which is converted to corresponding 1.alpha.-hydroxy-5,7 dienesterol and then to the intended vitamin D derivative by using known photochemical techniques. However, this known process comprises a number of steps, making the overall processes rather inefficient. (See above-cited C. Kaneko's paper.)
With a view to overcome these problems, a number of improved processes have recently been proposed, which can be categorized into the following three groups or groups (a), (b) and (c).
Group (a).
1) direct hydroxidation of vitamin D.sub.3 and related compounds at C(1); H. F. De Luca et al., J. Org. Chem., vol. 45, p. 3253, 1980 PA0 2) preparation of 1.alpha.-hydroxylated compounds; H. F. De Luca et at., Japanese Patent Application No. 54-555366 PA0 3) derivatives of cyclovitamin D; H. F. De Luca et al., Japanese Patent Application No. 57-206229 PA0 4) derivatives of 1.alpha.-hydroxycyclo vitamin D; H. F. De Luca et at., Japanese Patent Application No. 57-206230 PA0 5) derivatives of 1-oxocyclo vitamin D; H. F. De Luca et al., Japanese Patent Application No. 57-206231 PA0 1) direct-positional or stereoselective .alpha.-hydroxylation of a (5E)-calciferol derivative; R. H. Hesse et al., J. Org. Chem., vol.51, p. 1635, 1986 PA0 2) synthesis of 25-hydroxy vitamin D.sub.3 and 1.alpha., 25-dihydroxy vitamin D.sub.3 from vitamin D.sub.2 ; R. H. Hesse et al., J. Org. Chem., vol. 51, p. 4819, 1986 PA0 3) synthesis of MO-903, a metabolite of biogenetic vitamin D; M. J. Calverley, Tetrahedron, vol. 43, p. 4609, 1987 PA0 1) Synthesis of A-ring of 1S-hydroxykohlcalciferol; D. Desmaele et al., Tetrahedron Letters, vol. 16, p. 4941, 1985 PA0 2) Improved synthesis of an A-ring of 1.alpha.,25-dihydroxy vitamin D; L. Castedo et al., Tetrahedron Letters, vol 28, p. 2099, 1987 PA0 3) Stereoselective synthesis of Lynthgoe A-ring aldehyde for synthesis of 1.alpha.-hydroxytachysterol and calciferol; E. G. Baggiolini et al., Tetrahedron Letters, vol. 28, p. 2095, 1987 PA0 4) simplified synthesis of Enyne A-ring of 1.alpha.-hydroxy vitamin D; W. H. Okamura et al., Tetrahedron Letters, vol. 28, p. 4947, 1987 PA0 5) stereoselective synthesis of 1.alpha.,25-dihydroxykohlcalciferol and 1.alpha.,25-dihydroxyergocalciferol; E. G. Baggiolini et al., J. Org. Chem. vol. 51, p. 3098, 1986 PA0 6) ergocalciferol derivatives; E. G. Baggiolini et al., Japanese Patent Application No. 59-52417 PA0 7) calcifenol derivatives; E. G. Baggiolini et al., Japanese Patent Application No. 60-22091 PA0 R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 represent not necessarily identically a hydrogen atom or a hydroxy protecting group; and PA0 X represents a hydrogen atom, a hydroxy group or its derivative.) PA0 R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 represent not necessarily identically a hydrogen atom or a hydroxy protecting group; and PA0 X represents a hydrogen atom, a hydroxy group or its derivative.) PA0 R.sub.1, R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 represent not necessarily identically a hydrogen atom or a hydroxy protecting group; and PA0 X represents a hydrogen atom, a hydroxy group or its derivative.)
In any of the group (a) processes, a vitamin D derivative is converted to a derivative of 3,5-cyclovitamin D, which is then combined with an allylic acid at positon C(1), said compound being further converted to a derivative of vitamin D.
Group (b)
Any of the group (b) research papers proposes a process where vitamin D is temporarily combined with allylic acid at position C(1) to convert it to transvitamin D, which is then reconverted to vitamin.
Group (c)
Group (c) represents efforts to attain a totally synthetic process in which a chemical fragment that corresponds to an A-ring having a hydroxyl group at C(1) position is synthesized, to which fragments that correspond to a C-ring and a D-ring are combined to obtain the aimed compounds. However, such a process consists of a number of steps and hence does not provide a simple, economic and satisfactory method of manufacturing the compounds in practical applications. Moreover, compounds which are obtained by such a process do not necessarily exhibit satisfactory chemical effects.
It is therefore an object (the first object) of the present invention to provide novel and chemically useful 1.beta.,7,8-trihydroxy vitamin D.sub.2, 1.beta.,7,8-trihydroxy vitamin D.sub.3 and their derivatives.
It is another object (the second object) of the present invention to provide an industrially efficient and effective method of manufacturing above chemicals by directly combining vitamin D.sub.2, vitamin D.sub.3 or any of their derivatives with an oxygen function group at position C(1) through utilization of chemical reaction of allylic acid as described later, a method which is completely different from any exisiting synthetic methods in terms of basic concept and practical applications.

1.beta.,7,8-trihydroxy vitamin D.sub.2, 1.smallcircle.,7,8-trihydroxy vitamin D.sub.3 and their derivatives and method of manufacturing these chemicals


In one example, a network device stores a mapping of application operation modes to vehicle conditions such as a first condition of the vehicle powered but not moving and a second condition of the vehicle moving. The network device receives a wirelessly transmitted request for a particular application to utilize an interface powered by the vehicle. The network device compares an application identifier specified by the received request to the mapping. The network device then identifies a portion of the vehicle interface according to the comparison and signals control software on the vehicle to grant the particular application access to only the identified portion of the vehicle interface itself. The application can reside on the mobile device and utilize the vehicle interface as an extended interface, or the application can reside on the vehicle.

A motor vehicle can be equipped with a "head unit" having a user interface. The user interface can include various resource components such as a screen, speakers, a microphone, a touch screen and/or keypad, etc. Smart phones or other mobile phones can download various applications that operate on the phone. A user can utilize a user interface of the phone to control the application and/or utilize the application in some way (such as watching the visual display or listening to the audio output).
Extending applications from the mobile phone to the head unit has become a popular feature offered by various service providers and vehicle manufacturers. As a result, the user can take advantage of better user interface components offered by the head unit (e.g. a larger screen and higher quality audio output). It is desirable to provide a mechanism to control, manage, and arbitrate the extension of mobile phone applications operating on the head unit utilizing the service control logic available in a remote server.
Vehicles can also be manufactured with components that allow the applications to be installed on the vehicle itself (as opposed to being installed on a mobile device). It is desirable to control, manage, and arbitrate the use of the vehicle interface by these applications as well.

Centralized management of motor vehicle software applications and services


One embodiment of a system for illuminating multiple LEDs has a plurality of LEDs and a controller programmed to provide a plurality of serial binary signals, each of which drives a respective one of the plurality of LEDs. Each of the serial binary signals has a series of pulses with each of said plurality of LEDs emitting light during each pulse of its respective one of the serial binary signals. The emitting intensity of each of the plurality of LEDs depends on the number of pulses in its respective one of the serial binary signals, wherein the light from the plurality of LEDs combines to emit a color of light.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system and method for controlling the illumination of multiple LEDs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Developments in Light emitting diodes ("LEDs") have resulted in devices that are brighter, more efficient and more reliable. LEDs are now being used in many different applications that were previously the realm of incandescent bulbs; some of these include displays, automobile taillights and traffic signals. As the efficiency of LEDs improve it is expected that they will be used in most lighting applications.
Different controllers have been developed to drive multiple light sources. U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,687 to Belliveau et al. discloses a variable color lighting system which includes light fixtures controlled from a central processor unit which includes a plurality of control channels. Each light fixture includes a plurality of chromatic light sources, and the intensity of each chromatic light source is controlled in accordance with a program from the central processor over the control channels. Each light fixture is assigned a channel address and responds only to digital input packet from the central controller that have the same address. The digital input packet controls how the light fixture changes color intensities.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,038 to Mueller et al. discloses a system with pulse width modulated current control for an LED lighting assembly, where each current-controlled unit is uniquely addressable and capable of receiving illumination color information on a computer lighting network. The invention can include a binary tree network configuration of lighting units (nodes) and can comprise a heat dissipating housing made out of a heat-conductive material, for housing the lighting assembly. The heat dissipating housing contains two stacked circuit boards holding respectively the power module and the light module. The light module is adapted to be conveniently interchanged with other light modules having programmable current and hence maximum light intensity, ratings.

Multiple LED control apparatus and method


A method and apparatus for filtering data acquired at a plurality of discrete data points is described, using the steps of defining a filter having defined filter values at defined filter points at least partially not coincident with the data points and using the defined filter values at the defined filter points to determine filter values at the data points, thereby correcting the filter to have filter values at filter points coinciding with the data points and filtering the data using the corrected filter.

In seismic surveys, a seismic source is actuated to induce seismic waves at or near the surface of the earth. Explosive sources, vibrating devices and airguns are examples of seismic sources. The seismic waves propagate into and through the earth and are reflected, refracted, and diffracted by geological formations within the earth. Some seismic waves are directed back to the earth's surface, and can be detected by a plurality of seismic receivers (or seismic sensors), such as geophones or hydrophones, deployed at the earth's surface. Each such receiver monitors and records the seismic wavefield at the receiver's location. Typically a receiver monitors the seismic wavefield for a given period after actuation of a seismic source. The data received and recorded by a receiver are in the form of a record of the variation over time of one or more components of the seismic wavefield, and are collectively called a trace. The collection of traces is stored for further processing in known ways to obtain information about the earth's subsurface. Such information is commonly interpreted by geophysicists to detect the possible presence of hydrocarbons, or to monitor changes in hydrocarbon bearing rocks in the subsurface.
Seismic data in general contains noise signals, which may be coherent or incoherent, as well as the desired seismic reflection signals. These noise signals, hereafter referred as just "noise", interfere with the interpretation of the seismic signals, and degrade the quality of the subsurface images that can be obtained by processing the recorded seismic data. It is therefore very desirable to suppress or attenuate the noise that is present in the recorded seismic data before processing the data to obtain an image of the earth's interior.
In land-based seismic surveys, source-generated coherent noise such as ground-roll waves and air-waves are the dominant noise types, and can lead to severe degradation in the quality of the processed data. In marine seismic surveys, energy propagating as waves trapped in the water-column or in the near-surface layers of the seabed is a significant source of coherent noise. Further significant sources of coherent noise are swell noise and bulge-wave noise, which result from waves propagating down the streamers on which the receivers are mounted. Other sources of coherent noise in marine seismic surveys include passing vessels, other vessels acquiring seismic data in the vicinity, and nearby drilling rig activity.
One conventional method of noise attenuation in seismic acquisition is through the process of analogue group-forming. The receivers are hard-wired into groups, or "arrays" of receivers. The analogue output of an array is the normalised sum (arithmetic average) of all traces, acquired by the receivers in the array. The array support is usually rectangular. Consequently, the spectral response of the array is approximately a frequency-independent 2-D sinc function in the wavenumber (kx-ky) space. However, since ground-roll waves have finite apparent velocity, a frequency independent filter is not ideal for separating signal and noise in acquired seismic data. High frequency components of some seismic events (for example seismic events arising from dipped, non-horizontal reflectors) may be erroneously attenuated, while the low frequency components of the ground-roll noise may not be attenuated.
Recently, point receiver recording (also known as single sensor acquisition) of seismic data has become possible. In point receiver recording the receivers are not hard-wired into groups, so that the individual data traces recorded by each receiver are recorded and are available for processing. While it is still desirable to sum traces acquired by more than one receiver, the summation is performed at the processing stage by digital group-forming on individual traces from many receivers. Point receiver recording allows the use of digital group-forming for better noise attenuation and signal preservation. It is also possible to vary the size and composition of the groups formed in the digital group-forming process.
Digital group-forming consists of the application of a 3-D filter with two spatial axes and one temporal frequency axis, which allows much better control of the signal protection and noise rejection zones in the spectral (frequency-wavenumber—f-kx-ky) domain. The 3-D filter may be either deterministic as described for example in the co-owned British patent application no. 0400409.9, or adaptive as described for example in the co-owned published international patent applications Wo 99/60423 and WO 97/25632 or, in fact, any other known method to define a suitable filter.
The natural data structures of the data input into the group-forming process are individual common source gathers. A common source gather is, as the name suggests, the ensemble of all point receiver recordings acquired following actuation of an individual seismic source. In the digital group-forming process a digital group-forming (DGF) filter is convolved with the point receiver data traces, and the output is a set of digital group-formed traces. Usually, the number of output traces will be far less than the number of original point receiver traces.
The design of multi-dimensional filters used for digital group-forming conventionally requires regular sampling of the seismic data. Regular sampling in the context of this invention means for example spatial sampling of seismic data at locations arranged on a regular grid such as a rectangular or a hexagonal grid, although other regular grid patterns can be used as well. The sampling along the time axis is also required to be regular.
One problem encountered in processing seismic data is that, in a real seismic survey, the seismic wavefield is often sampled at locations that are spatially irregular and do not lie on a regular grid. Seismic data is therefore available only for points that are irregularly distributed. Points for which seismic data are available are hereinafter known as "data points".
The fact that data points are not regularly distributed is usually ignored in the design and application of multi-dimensional filters for group-forming. Consequently, the actual response of the DGF filter can be different from the theoretical response of the filter. The signal pass zone of the filter in the spectral domain can be distorted, so that the pass zone may be smaller than designed, the gain may end up being significantly different from unity, and the phase may end up being significantly different from zero. The side-lobes of the filter (i.e. the gain in the reject zone) may be significantly increased. This can lead to distortion of the seismic signal and to noise leakage.
Newman and Mahoney have studied, in "Geophysical Prospecting", Vol. 21, pp.197-219 (1973), the effects of errors in sensor positions in 1-D linear arrays, and have shown that the side-lobes in the array reject regions when sensor positions are not regular are much higher than the theoretical values corresponding to the perfect arrays. The inventors have made similar calculations for 2-D and 3-D arrays, using both conventional analogue groups as well as those designed using APOCS, and these calculations have confirmed the previous 1-D results.
A. J. W. Duijndam et al. have suggested, in "Irregular and Sparse Sampling in Exploration Seismology", in Nonuniform Sampling: Theory and Practice, ed. F. Marvasti, Kluwer Academic , pp. 479-517, New York (2001), that one way to overcome the problem of multi-dimensional filtering of irregularly sampled seismic data would be to regularise the irregularly sampled seismic data, by interpolating the data to a common regular sampling pattern, and then to apply filters designed for that regular pattern. While this approach would in principle be effective, this approach would generally not be practicable in the case of a real seismic survey. Applying this method to the data acquired in a practical seismic survey would require vast computing time and would be too expensive, given the enormous size of 3-D seismic data sets.
Another limitation of this prior art approach is that the regularisation approaches have to assume that the data is bandlimited in the wavenumber domain. In practice, the spatial bandwidth of some types of coherent noise, in particular ground-roll noise, may change depending on the receiver location, and be difficult to estimate beforehand.

Method and apparatus for filtering irregularly sampled data


A process for producing an infused honey composition having a moisture content of 15% to 19% w/w is described. The process generally includes adding an infusing agent to honey to form an infused honey composition. The honey may be dried prior to addition of the infusing agent, after addition of the infusing agent, or both before and after addition of the infusing agent. The infusing agents are generally not-from-concentrate components of a plant including an extract or juice, fruit, seeds, skin, stems, roots, or leaves.

There are many conventional infused honey products available to consumers that comprise honey infused with some type of low moisture concentrate or powder. One example is honey infused with cinnamon powder. By infusing honey with cinnamon powder, the sweetness of the honey expands to include the flavor and spice of cinnamon. Honey infused with cinnamon powder, or with some other powder or concentrate, does not have a significant increase in moisture content. This is important to ensure satisfactory shelf life of the honey and to reduce the likelihood of fermentation, granulation, separation and other consequences that may be associated with higher moisture honey agents. Conventional infusing agents, such as low moisture concentrates or powders, typically have moisture contents that are sufficiently low, or are used in sufficiently small quantities so that the moisture content of the honey is not raised.
The upper moisture content limit for Grade A honey may be about 18.5% by weight in some jurisdictions (i.e., 18.5 g water/100 g total honey composition). Honey having this moisture content is generally capable of suppressing the growth of yeasts and other microbial species. At water contents above about 18% by weight, yeasts can flourish in honey. This can lead to fermentation and loss of product quality. Reducing the water content of honey is not a simple task, however. Conventional methods for dewatering sucrose solutions or maple sugar solutions such as evaporating water by boiling or removing water through semipermeable reverse osmosis membranes have major failings when applied to honey dewatering.
Accordingly, processes for infusing honey with higher quantities of ingredients having higher moisture contents, but which yield low moisture honey compositions, are desirable.

Honey compositions and methods of making the same


A hand operated marking device for printing upon print media, the marking device comprising: a pair of housings which are movably interconnected together so that a first one of the housings is adapted to be received in a second one of the housings responsive to compression of the housings between a hand and the print media; a printer which is located within the first housing and comprising a movable printhead configured to print ink; a selector arrangement operatively mounted to the second housing and enabling selection of an indicia, from a plurality of possible indicia, to be printed by the printhead; and a moving mechanism housed within at least one of the housings and which moves the printhead along the print media responsive to the compression of the housings so that the selected indicia is printed upon the print media, wherein the first housing defines an opening in which the printhead can move, and the marking device further comprises a retractable shutter which is operatively connected to move with the printhead and cover the opening when the marking device is not in use.

Rubber stamps have been known for a long time and embody a variety of constructions including a fixed face or a movable face. In the latter the inked rubber surface is moved vertically into contact with the paper or media being stamped. The stamp is normally a fixed message and cannot be altered. In some cases, however, a series of numbers or letters can be provided on a closed loop, configured such that one of the series is presented for printing at any one time. A common example of such a stamp is an adjustable date stamp.
A number of fixed stamps are employed in office to apply short messages, frequently used messages to paperwork in a relatively permanent way (for example, "Faxed"; "Copy"; or "Confirmation" stamps). This creates considerable inventory as well as a limitation that any different message requires a new stamp to be created and, once created, the new stamp has only one functional purpose.
While rubber stamps are common in office environments there are other types of markers. Stencils are one such type and it is contemplated that the instant invention may be used in place of stencils.

Hand operated marking device employing printer with movable printhead and retractable shutter


An anode material made from nanoparticles, said anode material including a homogeneous mixture of lithium-alloying nanoparticles with active support matrix nanoparticles, is provided. The active support matrix nanoparticle is a compound that participates in the conversion reaction of the lithium battery. The compound is preferably a transition metal compound, with said compound including a nitride, carbide, oxide or combination thereof. An electrode manufactured from the anode material preferably has a porosity of between 5 and 80% and more preferably has a porosity between 10 and 50%. The anode material nanoparticles preferably have a mean linear dimension of between 2 and 500 nanometers, and more preferably have a mean linear dimension of between 2 and 50 nanometers.

The energy requirements for batteries are continually increasing, while constraints on volume and mass continue to be present. Further, the demand for safe, low cost and environmentally friendly materials is increasing. These demands and battery specifications cannot be met using traditional lithium-ion battery chemistries. Although lithium-ion batteries have long been optimized and have demonstrated stable energies, these systems are limited by the amount of lithium that can be reversibly inserted and removed from the battery's active material structure.
The requirements for greater performance, safety, low cost and environmentally friendly materials can only be achieved through the development of new battery materials. Researchers have proposed the replacement of the carbon-based anode with tin. Tin alloys with lithium during the charging of the battery. The lithium-tin alloy forms a maximum concentration of 4.4 lithium atoms per tin atom, a concentration which equals a capacity of 993 mAh/g. A traditional carbon-based anode has a theoretical capacity of 372 mAh/g. Therefore, the replacement of traditional carbon-based anode batteries with tin-based anode batteries could result in higher energy capabilities.
Research has demonstrated that there are two main issues with the use of a tin-based anode. The first is a poor cycle life and the second is a poor utilization of the tin. A poor cycle life is defined as poor retention of battery energy as a function of the number of charge-discharge cycles. Researchers have taken two approaches to solving these problems. First, by forming an intermetallic compound of tin and at least one other metal, and second, by adding a non-electrochemically active material to the anode composite. However, the prior research has failed to address the fundamental causes of the poor performance of lithium-tin batteries, which are: 1) a large volume expansion of the tin-lithium particles resulting from the alloying of lithium with tin on charge; and 2) the breaking apart of tin agglomerates during the above-stated volume expansion. The volume expansion results in separation of the tin particles from the matrix during subsequent cycles and breaking of tin agglomerates results in fine particles with exposed fresh surface area. This fresh surface area is not in contact with the matrix, and thus like the separation of tin particles from the matrix, results in decrease in battery capacity.
The use of expansion accommodation pores to properly account for the volume expansion of lithiated lithium-alloying particles has been disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 11/463,394, incorporated in its entirety herein by reference. However, use of the matrix to participate in the electrochemical reaction of a battery, where said nano-sized matrix is homogeneously mixed with nano-size tin particles, has not been properly addressed.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.


A tape cartridge includes a front lid rotatably mounted to a casing for closing a tape loading space thereof, a back lid rotatably mounted to the front lid and including a hood for closing a back-lid opening of the casing and a leg for protecting the back of a magnetic tape positioned in the tape lading space of the casing, an inclined face arranged on the upper side of the hood of the back lid to be adjacent to the casing, and a device for controlling a posture of the back lid. In the state of closing the back-lid opening of the casing, the inclined face gradually increases in level difference with respect to the upper side of the casing toward the casing.

The present invention relates to tape cartridges with lids such as a front lid and a back lid.
The tape cartridges with lids are used, e.g. in 8 mm video tape recorders (VTR). Referring to FIGS. 12-13, a known tape cartridge 101 includes a casing 105, a pair of tape reels 103, 104 rotatably accommodated therein and having a magnetic tape 102 wound, a front lid 107 rotatably mounted to the casing 105 through a shaft 108 for closing a tape loading space or pocket 106 thereof, and a back lid 109 rotatably mounted to the front lid 107 through a shaft 110. Referring to FIGS. 14-15, the back lid 109 has at an end a cam boss or back-lid posture control device 111 which is engaged with a cam groove 113 of a back-lid support 112 of the casing 105. When rotating the front lid 107 in the open or closed direction, the cam boss 111 of the back lid 109 is moved along the cam groove 113 of the casing 105 to open or close the back lid 109 together with the front lid 107.
The tape cartridge 101 is constructed such that as shown in FIG. 14, when closing the tape loading space 106 of the casing 105 by the front lid 107, a hood 109a of the back lid 109 shuts a back-lid opening 121 formed in the upper side of the casing 105, and a leg 109b of the back lid 109 which is positioned on the side of the back of the magnetic tape 102 in the tape loading space 106 cooperates with the inside of the front lid 107 to hold the magnetic tape 102 for protection thereof. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15, when opening the tape loading space 106 of the casing 105, the back lid 109 and the front lid 107 are placed on the upper side of the casing 105 to loadably expose the magnetic tape 102.
With the known tape cartridge 101, in order to obtain smooth sliding of the cam boss 111 in the cam groove 113 upon lid opening/closing operation, a predetermined clearance or play is needed between the outer side face of the cam boss 111 and the inner side face of the cam groove 113.
The clearance, which is indispensable for smooth sliding of the cam boss 111 in the cam groove 113, may cause rattling of the back lid 109, however. Referring to FIG. 16, with much rattling of the back lid 109, a casing-side end of the hood 109a of the back lid 109 projects from the back-lid opening 121 arranged on the upper side of the casing 105 (this phenomena is referred hereafter to as "projecting phenomena"), and engages with one end 201a of a cartridge compartment 201 of a VTR, resulting in impossible eject of the tape cartridge 101, etc. The projection of the back lid 109 occurs rarely when the tape cartridge 101 is supported with the hood 109a of the back lid 109 up, and often when the tape cartridge 101 is supported in the inclined way or with the hood 109a of the back lid 109a down.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide tape cartridges which allows restrained projection of the back lid.


A system for data transmission over an electricity distribution network. The system having an electrical apparatus having a shielded cable connected thereto. The cable has a core surrounded by a metallic sheath and armour surrounding the metallic sheath, wherein the armour is disengaged from around the metallic sheath at a position where the cable enters the apparatus and is supported relative to the apparatus at a position spaced from that position such that a portion of the metallic sheath is exposed.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to data transmission, and in particular to data transmission over an electricity distribution network.
2. Background Information
Electricity distribution networks are extensively used to transmit electricity from electricity generating stations, such as power stations, to domestic and industrial consumers. It has been realised that the electricity distribution network provides an infrastructure connecting thousands of consumers which can be used to transmit more than just electricity. For example, the distribution network can be used for the transmission of data.
Existing systems in which the electricity distribution network is used to transmit data are called 'Power Line Communications' (PLC) and 'Broadband over Power Lines' (BPL). In these systems a high frequency data signal is added, or inserted, onto an electrical power cable using an inductive coil or capacitor arranged around or near the cable. A corresponding inductive coil or capacitor is then used to remove, or extract, the data signal at the other end. These systems allow a data signal to be transmitted between two parties over an existing power cable without the need for a separate data communication infrastructure. Furthermore, the transmission of data does not interfere with the primary use of the cable, that is to transmit electricity.
There are however a number of problems associated with implementing PLC on existing electricity distribution networks, particularly where the infrastructure is old or where the parts are inaccessible.
In many parts of a distribution network (such as high voltage overhead power cables) the electrical cables are completely exposed or are coated with a thin protective layer or sheath. In these situations, access to the cables is largely unhindered and as a result data can be injected onto the cable easily using a small inductive coil. However, there are many parts of a network in which the cables are shielded for insulation and/or protection purposes such as shielded cables used in underground applications. Shielded cables typically comprise a core which carries the power and which is surrounded by a metallic sheath and a series of mild steel windings or tape (referred to as armour) running around and along the length of the cable. In situations where cables are shielded, large inductive coils or capacitors are needed to inject the data signal through the cable shield and to the conductive cores of the cable. It is of course possible to use large inductive coils to inject a data signal through the shield but installation and mounting of these coils on existing cables has made their use commercially unviable. Furthermore, the quality of the data signal which can be injected onto or extracted from a shielded cable can be diminished due to the cable shield and armour configuration.
The problems of using armoured cables in PLC applications is a limiting factor wherever access to the cable core is required to inject or extract a data signal. For example, PLC networks often require repeaters to 'boost' the signal strength where the signal is required to travel over extended distances. Again, armoured cables mean that access to cable cores to inject the signal requires a substantial increase in the cost of PLC repeaters.
The problems discussed above also arise when an electrical cable is connected to apparatus such as transformers, termination boxes and the like. In these situations the cables are shielded (using mild steel armour) for safety purposes. In a conventional connection of a shielded electrical cable to a termination box, the shielding of the cable is mechanically coupled to the termination box by a mechanical clamp. The clamp grips the steel armour to mechanically support the cable against the termination box housing and prevents the cable pulling away from the termination, box, also electrically bonding the armours to the potential of the metallic shield. The cores of the cable, which are surrounded by the armour and insulation, feed directly into the termination box thereby providing the required electrical path.
Because termination boxes are often sealed and inaccessible the only way to implement PLC in these situations is to install an inductive coil around the shielded cable before the cable enters the termination box.
In general, the use of shielded cables with inaccessible cable boxes within an electricity distribution network restricts access to the cable cores and makes the implementation of PLC to these parts of the network difficult and expensive. One option to overcome the problems of implementing PLC with shielded cables is to replace each, of the transformers or termination boxes with an equivalent which provides access to the cable core. However, it will be appreciated that the cost of replacing transformers and termination boxes in an electricity distribution network is both disruptive to the electricity supply and extremely expensive.
There is therefore a need for apparatus which allows PLC to be implemented on an existing distribution network in which shielded cables are used without the need for substantial modifications to the equipment. Specifically, there is a need for apparatus which removes the requirement for large and expensive network modifications and which does not compromise the electrical safety or the mechanical integrity of the connection.


A method and apparatus for selecting radio stations for reception based on a preferred program content. A list of radio station identifiers is stored in a memory and organized according to program content specifiers. When a presently received signal fades, the memory is searched for an alternate radio station with similar program content. If none is available, a prioritized list of alternative program content preferences is accessed and used to index other preferred radio stations for searching. In one embodiment, radio station geographic location information is stored in the memory, and the searching operation considers both program content preference and geographic proximity. The memory can be manually programmed, pre-programmed, updated by subscription, or programmed over-the-air by radio transmission. In one embodiment, a global positioning system receiver is employed to provide instantaneous radio location information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to radio communications. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for reception of commercial radio programming while operating in a mobile environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
The operation of a radio receiver in a mobile environment is commonplace. A typical example is an AM/FM receiver operating in an automobile. While travelling, a user often selects radio stations to listen to for information or pleasure. An important factor in selecting a radio station is the broadcast program content of the station in view of the listening preferences of the user. For example, a user may desire to listen to National Public Radio ('NPR'), a public radio program content station, traveling by automobile.
The Federal Communications Commission ('FCC') licenses broadcast radio stations in the United States. Such license grants indicate, among other things, the geographic location of the radio station, the frequency of operation, station call sign, and the maximum transmitter power allowed for the station. This implies that the station will have a predetermined geographic area of coverage. Those who have listen to the radio while traveling readily appreciate that conventional radio stations have limited coverage areas. Consequently, a station may be selected because of its program content and signal strength. However, as the user travels away from the station coverage area, the signal weakens and is ultimately lost. Then, the user may desire to locate another radio station along the traveled route that broadcasts similar search the radio band for another station that broadcasts similar program content.
A user that is travelling and loses a radio station signal will typically search for another station to listen to. User searching is typically accomplished with manual tuning, or sometimes with a scan or seek function built into the radio. While this approach is effective at locating a radio station, it does not readily assist the user in locating a station that broadcasts the desired program content.
Published guides to radio stations are available that list geographic location, station call signs, frequency of operation, and program content. Such a guide can be employed by a user to aid in locating a broadcast radio station. However, such guides are not always readily accessible and are cumbersome to access while travelling. This is especially true when a user travels to a region with which he or she is not familiar.
Another problem arises in rural areas where limited radio service is available. In a situations such as this, the user may seek a specific program content station, such as the aforementioned public radio station, but be unable to locate such a station. Then, the user may prefer to select similar, but different, program content stations. For example, a talk radio format may be preferred as an alternate to public radio, as opposed to a RAP station, for example.
Thus there is a need in the art for a system and/or method for enabling users of radio receivers that operate in a mobile environments to identify and receive radio stations with a desired program content, or preferred alternate program content, as the radio receiver travels though a geographic region larger than the radio coverage area of a single radio station.

Selection of radio station based on preferred program content

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A slide fastener slider has a body including an upper wing, a lower wing and a coupling pillar mutually coupling the respective upper and lower wings. The slide fastener slider has been cast molded to have a configuration where the post to which a pull is attached extends over the upper wing substantially in parallel with the upper wing, and then a logo or a pattern or the like has been engraved on the upper surface of the post.

A slide fastener slider has so-called body which is for separating and interlocking the fastener by mutually engaging or disengaging respective fastener elements of two fastener element (functioning tooth) rows inserted between its upper and lower wings. This body is configured such that so-called post, to which a pull for sliding the slider along the fastener element is attached, extends over the upper wing generally in parallel with the upper wing. The slider with such a fundamental configuration is disclosed by Japanese Patent No. 3560118, for example.
The post includes a configuration where its both ends are integrated to the body or a configuration where another end is a free end or the like. Typically, the post has a rectangular sectional face and has a lower surface opposing to the upper wing, an upper surface opposite to the lower surface, and side surfaces positioned left and right between that respective upper and lower surfaces. A space for allowing free slide movement of the pull is formed between the lower surface of the post and the upper surface of the upper wing of the body. The post has overall C-shape or arch-shape.
From past, engraving logos, patterns, other designs and the like on the post (hereinafter referred to as logo-engraving) has been widely conducted for improving the product brand recognition and its fanciness.
However, in past, when performing such logo-engraving, possible area the log can be engraved was restricted due to parting of cast molds. This is because, as described in Japanese Examined Utility Model Application Publication No. 2-12889, such a method is adopted that the body and the post of the slider is casted using the left and right cast molds to which logos and the like have been pre-engraved, and the logo is engraved at the end stage of the casting thereby product being manufactured.
On the other hand, when engraving the logos on an upper surface of the post, as described in Japanese Patent No. 3560118, a casting mold movable in vertical direction against the upper surface of the post is required in addition to cast molds movable in parallel direction against the respective upper and lower wings of the slider. Accordingly, such problems that not only increasing complexity and upsizing of the molding apparatus but also great decreasing in burst size per one molding apparatus have been invited.
For coping with that issues, in the Japanese Examined Utility Model Application Publication No. 2-12889, both side surface of the post of the body of the slider are sloped and the logos are engraved on each slope just using the left and right cast molds. However, in this method, the pattern-engraving on the upper surface of the post is not achievable, thereby disadvantageously deteriorating the flexibility of the logo-engraving on the surface of the post.


Provided herein is a system on a vehicle, the system comprising one or more sensors, one or more processors, and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the system to perform: receiving one or more ride requests for ridesharing from one or more users; receiving respective preferences from each of the one or more users; selecting a ride request of a user from the one or more ride requests based on the respective preferences; notifying the user of the selecting of the ride request; sending at least one of the images or videos of the interior of the vehicle to the user; in response to the sending, determining whether the user confirms the ride request; and in response to determining that the user confirms the ride request, selecting a route to the user and driving, according to the route, to the user.

The high-demand ridesharing industry has helped users travel with increased convenient. For example, ridesharing is commonly utilized for first mile and last mile travelling, and travelling at locations and/or times with no other public transportation option available. Robotaxis have the potential to disrupt the ridesharing industry. According to one estimate, robotaxis would cost less than 18 cents per mile to operate, compared to 62 cents per mile for owning a vehicle and two to three dollars per mile for traditional ridesharing models. According to another estimate, the robotaxi industry will generate over $2 trillion per year by the year 2030. Currently, one drawback of ridesharing and robotaxi technologies is that the user or customer is not provided with a picture or video of an interior of a vehicle beforehand. Additionally, user preferences of a driving style or a driving manner are not considered. For example, a user with health problems may prefer a slower and steadier ride. As another example, a user in a hurry to get to a destination may prefer a ride that travels at a faster speed and having a faster acceleration. As another example, a user that needs to travel on mountainous terrain may require a vehicle suited for such travel. These shortfalls are addressed by the present disclosures, which provide an efficient and effective system and method of providing a user of a ridesharing or robotaxi service a picture and/or a video of an interior of a vehicle, and providing a user information regarding driving characteristics of the vehicle.


Disclosed are novel liquid crystal compounds containing a naphthalene ring, having an excellent light leaking ratio at tristable states, and represented by the following formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 is a C.sub.6 -C.sub.16 linear alkyl group or C.sub.6 -C.sub.16 linear alkoxy group, R.sub.2 is a C.sub.4 -C.sub.12 linear alkyl group, R.sub.3 is a C.sub.1 -C.sub.3 alkyl group or C.sub.1 -C.sub.3 haloalkyl group, and C having an asterisk indicates an asymmetric atom.. The liquid crystal compounds are expected to find their applications in electrooptical devices and liquid crystal displays utilizing a S*.sub.(3) liquid crystal phase which shows tristable states.

The meaning of the term "tristable state" as used in the present specification is explained as follows:
An electrooptical device is constructed in which a liquid crystal is laid between a first electrode substrate and a second electrode substrate which is apart at a given space from the first substrate. A triangular wave voltage as shown in FIG. 1 (A) is applied to the first and second electrode substrates. Then, the liquid crystal shows a molecular orientation of the first stable state (as shown in FIG. 2 at reference point (A)) and also shows a first stable state in the transmittance (as shown in FIG. 1 (D) at reference numeral 2) in an electrooptical apparatus where no electric field is applied. However, upon application of electric field, the liquid crystal shows another molecular orientation of a second stable state (as shown in FIG. 2 at reference point (B)) which is different from the first stable state and also shows a second stable state in the transmittance (as shown in FIG. 1 (D) at reference numeral 1) in an electrooptical apparatus in one of electric field directions. Further, the liquid crystal shows still another molecular orientation of a third stable state (as shown in FIG. 2 at reference point (C)) which is different from the first and second stable states and also shows a third stable state in the transmittance (as shown in FIG. 1 (D) at reference numeral 3) in an electrooptical apparatus in the other direction of the electric field.
Liquid crystal display elements have been developed and commercially used to date due to their excellent performances or characteristics such as low working voltage, small power consumption, small thickness (thin display), and light passive (not-luminicent) nature under a TN, STN, or Guest-Host system. However, liquid crystal display elements using a nematic liquid crystal which is now widely being employed have a defect that response time is as slow as several micro seconds to several tens of micro seconds leading to a restriction in their applications.
In order to solve the problems, an active-matrix drive system using a STN system or thin-film transistor was developed. However, such other problems have happened that strict accuracy is required in controlling a cell gap and tilt angle and that the response is rather slow while the qualities of display contrast and viewing angle have become excellent through the use of the STN display element.
The thin-film transistor has defects that the yield at its manufacturing is low and that the manufacturing cost is high.
Accordingly, it was demanded to develop a new type of liquid crystal display elements having an improved response and experiments had been carried out to develop a ferroelectric liquid crystal from which a hypervelocity device can be prepared having an extremely short optical response time at an order of .mu.sec.
With the object of preparing a ferroelectric liquid crystal, Mayer et al. synthesized DOBAMBC (p-decyloxybenzilidene-p-ammino-2-methylbutyl cinnamate) in 1975 for the first time in the world and DOBAMBC was confirmed to be a ferroelectric liquid crystal (Le Journal de Physique, Vol. 36, 1975, L-69).
Further, since Clark and Lagawall reported in 1980 on such characteristics on display devices as high velocity response of submicroseconds and memory characteristics of DOBAMBC, ferroelectric liquid crystals have attracted considerable public attention (N. A. Clark et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 36, 899 (1980)).
However, there were many technical problems in their system for practical use. Particularly, there was not any material showing ferroelectric liquid crystallinity at an ambient temperature, and effective and practical method was not established to control the molecular alignment of liquid crystal which is essential for a display device, either.
After the publication of the report, various attempts have been made from both aspects of liquid crystal materials and device, display devices utilizing the switching between twisted bistable states were prepared for trial, and a high speed electrooptical apparatus using the switching between twisted bistable states is proposed in Tokkai Sho 56-107216 and others. However, high contrast and proper potential of threshold value have not been obtained.
From such a point of view, switching systems were explored to propose a transitional diffusion system. Subsequently, a switching system using a liquid crystal having tristable states was reported in 1988 (A. D. L. Chandani, T. Hagiwara, Y. Suzuki et al., Japan. J. of Appl. Phys., 27, (5), L729-L732 (1988)).
Antiferroelectric liquid crystal compounds which have a liquid crystal phase S*.sub.(3) and show the tristable states in the phase are disclosed in Tokkai Hei 1-213390, 1-316367, 1-316372, 1-316339, and 2-28128. The disclosures of all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Also, liquid crystal electrooptical apparatuses utilizing the tristable states are proposed in Tokkai Hei 2-40625, 2-153322, and 2-173724.
An antiferroelectric liquid crystal having a good memory effect and exhibiting the tristable states has not yet been reported in a publication.
The switching system of the tristable states employs hysteresis characteristic and a definite threshold potential of a voltage at which a molecular alignment of a liquid crystal shows a change by a driving voltage in a liquid crystal phase S*.sub.(3) where the liquid crystal shows the tristable states which is basically different from the conventional bistable states. The switching system using the tristable states can be considered as an epoch-making driving method by which a display of moving large pictures can be realized by a single matrix system.
Further, the performances of a display element using a liquid crystal showing the tristable states will largely depend on the shape of hysteresis curve which is an inherent physical property of the tristable-states liquid crystal. While an ideal dark state can be realized in the hysteresis showing the hysteresis curve as shown in FIG. 3 at 0 volt, light leaking will occur when the voltage was increased from 0 volt to +V.sub.1, or the voltage was decreased from 0 volt to -V.sub.1. The liquid crystal showing such a hysteresis curve and showing the tristable states can be said to have a poor memory effect at the dark state. And the phenomenon will bring about a decrease in contrast of display elements.
On the other hand, an ideal dark state realized at 0 volt is kept to a voltage V.sub.3 or -V.sub.3 in a hysteresis curve as shown in FIG. 4 and thus, the liquid crystal can be said to have a good memory effect at a dark state. The contrast of display elements are also good.
However, it is impossible to actually obtain a liquid crystal compound showing such an ideal hysteresis curve as shown in FIG. 4. Almost all liquid crystals show a light leakage when the voltage is increased from 0 volt to V.sub.1 volt, or the voltage is decreased from 0 volt to -V.sub.1 volt. At .+-.V.sub.1 volt, light leaking ratio reaches 5 to 10%. It has been very difficult to find a liquid crystal compound showing a light leaking ratio of 0 to 5% at .+-.V.sub.1 volt when a liquid crystal compound shows a hysteresis curve as shown in FIG. 5 and when bias voltage is expressed by the following equation: EQU Bias voltage V.sub.b0 =(V.sub.2 +V.sub.3).times.1/2
and light leaking ratio is defined as EQU [(C).times.1/(D)].times.100.


A method for evaluating an input system interfacing a human user with an electronic device uses empirically determined bi-action times for users to perform a second input action (e.g., pressing a second key) immediately after performing a first input action (e.g., pressing a first key). The bi-action times (or, more generally, n-action times) are used together with a selected interface map which associates input actions (e.g., pressing keys) to corresponding signifiers (e.g., characters) to calculate a peak expert input rate for the input system. One or more optimized interface maps can be found by combining the evaluation method with any of various optimization strategies. For example, one method for optimizing the input system repeatedly changes the interface map and recalculates the peak expert input rate, while another optimization method calculates peak expert input rates for multiple interface maps in parallel. The evaluation and optimization methods apply to a wide variety of users, input devices, and types of communication and control between them.

As computers and electronic devices become more ubiquitous, it becomes increasingly important that computer-human interfaces allow easy and efficient communication with these devices. With many people interacting with devices for longer periods of time, improvements in input systems can have significant benefits. For example, considerable research has focused on various types of input systems for personal data assistants (PDAs). One popular PDA input system displays a virtual keyboard 100 on a touch-sensitive display 110, as shown in FIG. 1. By tapping the displayed keys with a stylus 120, a user can input a desired sequence of characters. The particular layout of characters on the virtual keyboard 100 is shown in detail in FIG. 2A. Although this simple ABC layout is attractive because it can be quickly learned by a novice, it is not the most efficient layout for expert users. Since common keys such as space, E, and A, are not centrally located, the user will often need to move the stylus large distances across the keyboard. FIG. 2B shows a slightly improved layout with the space key centrally located. This ABC-center layout is somewhat more efficient, but still far from optimal. The input system design problem for this device is to determine the layout that provides the highest text input speed for expert users. In short, the problem is to find the layout associated with the highest peak expert input rate.
One method for searching for the optimal layout is empirical trail-and-error. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the first step 300 of this approach is to select an input device and input data corpus. The data corpus contains information that is considered representative of data expected to be entered during typical use of the device (e.g., collections of common sentences, phrases, words, and other character sequences). In the next step 310, a particular key layout, or interface map, is selected. The map is a particular assignment of characters to the keys on the virtual keyboard (e.g., the ABC key layout shown in FIG. 2A). Then, in step 320, a group of representative users is trained with the resulting input system until they reach expert level. Their input rates are then empirically measured. These measured rates will depend on the selected keyboard layout. At decision block 330, it is decided whether or not a satisfactory layout has not been found. If not, one returns to step 310 and selects another key layout (e.g., the ABC-center layout shown in FIG. 2B). Another empirical trial is then performed in step 320 to test the new key layout. When the empirical tests are complete, the layout with the highest rate is selected at step 340.
There are several major difficulties with this trial-and-error method. One problem is that it is very expensive and time consuming to perform an empirical trail for every layout tested for the device, training a group of users to expert level each time. It is not practical to test more than a few layouts, and it is impossible to exhaustively test the entire set of more than 1025 layouts. In addition, of the handful of layouts selected for testing, there is no proof that the optimal layout is among them. This approach provides no systematic method for selecting good layouts to test, or for ensuring that the next layout tested will be any better than the last. The trial-and-error method for searching for the optimal layout is more of an art than a science, and it is not likely to effectively optimize the layout for the device. The problem of optimizing the input system thus remains unsolved.
There is a systematic method of searching for an optimal layout while avoiding some of the drawbacks of empirical trial-and-error. Instead of measuring the input speeds of real users trained to expert level, this approach uses an empirically-calibrated theoretical model of human movement to predict the input speeds of model users. Combining these predicted movement speeds with a keyboard layout map and a model of the data corpus, a peak expert input rate for the layout can be calculated. A similar calculation can be performed for various alternative layouts, allowing a large number of different layouts to be tested and compared without additional empirical measurements. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the first step 400 of this method selects an input device and data corpus. In the next step 410, empirical measurements are made of users entering data using the device. These measurements are used in step 420 to calibrate the theoretical model of human movement to the particular device. (For example, Fitts' law of human movement models the time to hit a second key immediately after hitting a first key as a function of the distance between the two keys and the size of the second key. The function has two parameters that are adjusted to fit the model to the empirical measurements made with the input device.) Once the model is calibrated, the empirical data are discarded and are not used further. In the first step of the iterative search, a particular layout is selected in step 430. Then, in step 440, the peak expert input rate is calculated using the calibrated model. For example, combining the key distances with the layout information allows the model to predict the time to enter a second character immediately following a first character. Statistical information about the data corpus (specifically, bi-gram probabilities representing how often one character is followed by another in the data corpus) are then combined with these predictions to calculate a predicted peak expert input rate. At step 450 a decision is made whether or not to select another layout and repeat the calculation. Finally, after calculations have been performed for various layouts, the layout with the highest predicted peak expert input rate is selected in step 460. FIGS. 2C and 2D show examples of two layouts, called OPTI and FITALY, which were found using this technique based on empirically-calibrated theoretical models.
Using a theoretical model to search for optimal layouts allows a computational search to replace expensive and time-consuming empirical trials. However, this theoretical approach has significant problems of its own. For example, Fitts' law is inaccurate for small movements (i.e., one or two key widths). Because a large proportion of movements during input involve such small movements, the predicted input rates will be inaccurate, distorting the optimization process. In addition, Fitts' law is an overly simplistic model of human movement because it assumes that the movement time depends only on the distance between keys, and not on any other factors. Insofar as such factors may significantly correlate with movement time, the predicted input rates will be even more inaccurate since the model fails to take these factors into account. Theoretical models like Fitts' law are also limited to a small class of keyboard-like input devices because they are based on the assumption that input actions are linear movements of a single pointer between selectable elements in a plane. The models cannot be applied to other types of input device actions, such as ten fingers using a conventional keyboard, or intricate hand gestures using a glove interface.
Although the current challenges of input system design have been illustrated above using the example of trying to find an optimal layout of a keyboard for stylus-based input to a PDA, they also apply to many other types of human-computer interface design. For example, similar problems arise when searching for an optimal layout of characters on a conventional keyboard, as well as on other keypads and keyboards commonly used for interfacing with electronic devices such as cellular telephones, pocket personal computers, calculators, microwave ovens, automated teller machines, and airline check-in kiosks, just to name a few.
The problem also applies to the design of input systems that do not involve keyboards with characters. To state the problem more generally, given 1) an input device that translates a set of distinguishable user actions into a set of unique input signals, 2) a set of unique signifiers that a user desires to communicate using the input device, and 3) knowledge of the patterns of signifiers expected to be communicated, the problem is to find an optimized map between the input device signals and the set of distinct signifiers.
Existing input system optimization methods based on theoretical models provide only inaccurate solutions and are limited to a relatively small class of simple user interface devices. Methods based on empirical testing, on the other hand, are very time consuming, expensive, and are based largely on guesswork. Therefore, there is a need for methods to design input systems that overcome the problems of both empirical trail-and-error approaches and approaches based on theoretical models of movement.

Input systems and methods for the evaluation and optimization of same

The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University


Embodiments described herein provide a method for cross-channel scheduling of high efficiency (HE) multi-user (MU) frame transmission. In some embodiments, channel information and client station information may be obtained for data transmission. An MU frame containing a data field of a first type and two data fields of a second type may be configured to carry scheduling information relating to one or more channels for the data transmission. It may be determined that a current scheduling setting of the two data fields of the second type leads to unbalanced payload between the one or more channels. The two data fields of the second type may then be adjusted for a balanced channel mapping, and the data field of the first type may be adjusted to reflect the balanced channel mapping. Data based on the adjusted data field of the first type and the adjusted two data fields of the second type may be transmitted via the one or more channels.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the inventors hereof, to the extent the work is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted to be prior art against the present disclosure.
When operating in an infrastructure mode, wireless local area networks (WLANs) typically include an access point (AP) and one or more client stations. These WLANs operate in either a unicast mode or a multicast mode. In the unicast mode, the AP transmits information to one client station at a time. In the multicast mode, the same information is concurrently transmitted to a group of client stations. Development of WLAN standards such as the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n Standards has improved data throughput by allowing transmitting across frequency bandwidth. Thus, a scheduling mechanism is needed to schedule data frames transmitted between the AP and multiple client stations. For example, the AP and/or the client station needs to know which channel a data frame is being transmitted, how much bandwidth out of a channel is allocated to a specific user, and/or the like.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Systems and methods for cross-channel scheduling of high efficiency (HE) multi-user (MU) frame transmission