A data processing apparatus is provided, comprising plural processing units configured to execute plural processes, a storage unit configured to store data required for the plural processes; and a protection unit configured to control access by the plural processes to the storage unit. The protection unit is configured to define an allocated access region of the storage unit for each process of the plural processes, wherein the protection unit is configured to deny access for each the process outside the allocated access region and wherein allocated access regions are defined to be non-overlapping. The protection unit is configured to define each allocated access region as a contiguous portion of the storage unit between a lower region limit and an upper region limit, and the protection unit is configured such that when the lower region limit is modified the lower region limit cannot be decreased and such that when the upper region limit is modified the upper region limit cannot be decreased.

This application claims priority to GB Patent Application No. 1304518.2 filed Mar. 13, 2013, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to a data processing apparatus having plural processing units configured to execute plural processes and a storage unit configured to store data for those plural processes. More particularly the present invention relates to a protection unit configured to control access by those plural processes to the storage unit.
It is known to provide a data processing apparatus having multiple processing units which are configured to execute the data processing tasks of the data processing apparatus. The advantages brought by this kind of parallelism are well recognised. Furthermore, it is known to provide storage unit which is configured to store data required for the data processing tasks carried out by the processing units, for example being provided in the format of a local buffer because of the rapid access associated therewith. Accordingly, when a process being executed by the data processing apparatus is shared between more than one processing unit, the need for those processing units to have access to the same data (as part of executing the same process) is facilitated by the shared access to the storage unit.
However, whilst the sharing of data between multiple processing units executing the same process is of general benefit, in the situation where the data processing apparatus is executing multiple processes, it may be necessary to ensure that data stored in the storage unit for one process is not accessible to another process being executed by the data processing apparatus. More specifically, in the context of the data processing apparatus having multiple processing units configured to execute multiple processes, it may be necessary to ensure that a given processing unit is only able to access data stored in the storage unit which is associated with the process which that processing unit is executing (possibly shared with other processing units that are also executing that process).
Hence, in order to ensure the isolation of data between multiple processes being executed on the data processing apparatus, one approach would be to ensure that different processes are not allowed to run concurrently, however this would remove the well known parallelism advantages mentioned above. Alternatively, a storage unit could be provided for each process being executed in the data processing apparatus, but this is typically expensive both in terms of the needs to provide multiple storage units and the increased bandwidth requirement to support them. Aside from such physical constraints, a further approach could be to rely on the multiple processes themselves to be well behaved in their access to stored data, but such an approach typically represents a significant security vulnerability and is generally not desirable.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a technique which enabled multiple processing units executing multiple processes in a data processing apparatus to share access to a storage unit, wherein the isolation of data between different processes being executed is assured.

Protection circuity and method for controlling access by plural processes to a memory


A guide bar for a chain saw comprising two opposite elongate surfaces and a slot formed between said opposite sides running along the periphery of the guide bar, in order to receive and retain the chain during cutting. At least one of the elongate surfaces is furrowed across its surface in the direction of the cutting movement of the guide bar. The invention also relates to an apparatus for operating the chain saw in a forestry machine.

Forestry machines are usually equipped with chain saws that automatically cut the log being processed in predetermined and/or optimal lengths. A chain saw includes a power unit and a guide bar, which in laminated guide bars includes two metal plates and a spacer plate, which is sandwiched between the two guide plates. Guide bars made of solid material are also known. Along the outer edge of the guide bar runs a slot that receives the chain therein.
Especially in forestry machines, wood cutting is performed with high speed, which imposes high wear and heat on the chain saw blade and the guide bar. Also, when cutting objects, the chain vibrates and the shocks are transferred to the guide bar and the whole chain saw equipment. This causes need for regular and frequent maintenance.


Aspects discussed herein relate to systems, apparatuses, and methods to determine when a user remains engaged or stops paying attention to a content item. In response, a snapshot of the user's activity and environment may be obtained to ascertain the reason the user stopped paying attention. If the user stopped paying attention as a result of being uninterested in the content item, the system may replace the content item, such as an advertisement, with a different content item to regain the user's attention. Further, demographic information and the user's interests may be updated for use in scheduling future content items.

Many entities advertise goods and/or services using commercials on television, webpages, and/or via other media. Advertisers may prefer to target advertisements based on whether a consumer is likely to be interested in their goods and/or services. However, conventional methods of determining targeting information can be unreliable and inaccurate. There is an ever-present need for more reliable and accurate ways to target advertisements and other content to specific consumers and consumer demographic groups.

Collection analysis and use of viewer behavior


The present invention is directed to a method of converting biomass to biofuel, and particularly to a consolidated bioprocessing method using a co-culture of thermophilic and extremely thermophilic microorganisms which collectively can ferment the hexose and pentose sugars produced by degradation of cellulose and hemicelluloses at high substrate conversion rates. A culture medium therefor is also provided as well as use of the methods to produce and recover cellulosic ethanol.

Lignocellulosic biomass represents one of the most abundant renewable resources on Earth. It is formed of three major components—cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin—and includes, for example, agricultural and forestry residues, municipal solid waste (MSW), fiber resulting from grain operations, waste cellulosic products (e.g., paper and pulp operations), and energy crops. The cellulosic and hemicellulosic polymers of biomass can be hydrolyzed into their component sugars, such as glucose and xylose, which can then be fermented by microorganisms to produce ethanol. Conversion of even a small portion of the available biomass into ethanol could substantially reduce current gasoline consumption and dependence on petroleum.
Multiple conversion processes have evolved for breakdown of biomass to produce bioenergy. These processes vary from multi-enzyme and multi-fermentation approaches called separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) [Wilke et al. (1976) Biotechnol. Bioeng. Symp. 6:55] to simpler simultaneous cellulose hydrolysis (or saccharification) and fermentation (SSF) [Takagi et al. (1977) in Proceedings of the Bioconversion Symposium, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, pp. 55-571; Spindler (1988) Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol. 17:279-294; Alfani (2000) J. Ind. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 25:184-192]. In an SHF process, the cellulosic biomass is hydrolyzed with cellulases to liberate fermentable glucose followed by a separate step for fermentation to ethanol. The SSF process combines the enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation simultaneously, reducing the process complexity. A natural extension is simultaneous saccharification and cofermentation (SSCF) using microorganisms that are able to convert both hexose and pentose sugars to ethanol. This process simplification culminates with the development of fermentation microorganisms that produces their own enzymes for cellulose hydrolysis, called consolidated bioprocessing (CBP). CBP involves four biologically-mediated events: (1) enzyme production, (2) substrate hydrolysis, (3) hexose fermentation and (4) pentose fermentation. In contrast to conventional approaches, with each step performed independently, all four events may be performed simultaneously in a CBP configuration. This strategy requires a microorganism that utilizes both cellulose and hemicellulose. A CBP process that utilizes more than one organism to accomplish the four biologically-mediated events is referred to as a consolidated bioprocessing co-culture fermentation. Currently there is a lack of a fermentation microorganism that can effectively hydrolyze cellulose and hemicellulose as well as convert all biomass sugars, especially xylose and arabinose as well as glucose, to final products.
An ideal CBP microorganism should be able to produce ethanol as sole product, hydrolyze cellulose to fermentable oligomers, hydrolyze hemicellulose to fermentable oligomers, ferment cellulose oligomers, ferment xylose or xylose oligomers, produce ethanol in high titer (resistant to up to 45% ethanol), be resistant to up to 1% acetic acid from hemicelluloses, grow at thermophilic temperatures ranging from 55 to 80° C., be moderately resistant to common pretreatment inhibitors (furans, polyphenolics) and produce a multi-carbohydrase portfolio on the cellulosome [Mielenz (2009) in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, 5th Edition, Ed. J. M. Walker & R. Rapley, Royal Society of Chemistry, pp: 548-584]. No such single microorganism is presently known and the present invention addresses this need by providing two groups of microorganisms which have together satisfy many of these characteristics, and when co-cultured, can efficiently achieve CBP.

Consolidated bioprocessing method using thermophilic microorganisms


Described is an apparatus for rapid pressure buildup in a motor vehicle reservoir-type injection system (common rail) supplied with fuel by a high-pressure pump, the apparatus including a piston, which defines a pressure chamber that can be enlarged counter to the force of a spring element prestressed counter to the piston, which pressure chamber communicates with the feed pump and with the device supplied with the pressure medium. A locking device acting on the piston is provided, by which the piston can be locked in a locking position, assumed as a result of the pressure, built up in the pressure chamber by the feed pump, counter to the prestressing of the spring element and can be untensed after unlocking into a position that reduces the size of the pressure chamber. By the relaxation of the spring, the system pressure is built up suddenly.

This application is a 35 USC 371 application of PCT/DE 00/01726 filed on May 27, 2000.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention is based on an apparatus for rapid pressure buildup in a motor vehicle device supplied with a pressure medium by a feed pump, in particular in a reservoir-type injection system (common rail) supplied with pressure by a high-pressure pump.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In modern internal combustion engines, high-pressure injection systems are increasingly used in which fuel is kept on hand in a storage volume at high pressure, so as to be distributed to injection valves, an example being reservoir-type injection systems (common rails) in self-igniting internal combustion engines and direction injection systems in internal combustion engines with externally supplied injection. In such high-pressure injection systems, the problem arises that even during starting of the engine, an adequately high pressure must be built up in the injection system. As a rule, the high-pressure fuel pumps used to supply the high-pressure injection systems with fuel are driven by the engine crankshaft, so that the pressure buildup at starter rpm proceeds too slowly and lengthens the starting time. Thus not only the high-pressure fuel pumps but also prefeed pumps are used, so that an adequate pressure level can be made available for starting. However, this means an increase of pollutants in the exhaust.
Furthermore, electrohydraulic valve control devices for gas exchange valves of internal combustion engines also operate at high pressure, at which hydraulic oil is brought by a hydraulic pump to a pressure level of 100 bar, for instance, for actuating gas exchange valve actuators hydraulically. Once again, the problem arises that the high pressure must already be available upon starting of the engine.
From European Patent Disclosure EP 0 455 761 B1, a hydraulic valve control device for controlling the gas exchange valves of an internal combustion engine is known, with a control pressure reservoir disposed upstream of a magnet valve and containing a piston, which defines a pressure chamber that can be increased in size counter to the force of a spring element prestressed counter to the piston. The pressure chamber of the control pressure reservoir is connected to a feed pump of the valve control device and can be made to communicate with its control lines via the magnet valve. While the magnet valve is in the closing position, the piston, because of the pressure built up in the pressure chamber by the feed pump, is forced, counter to the action of the spring element, into a position that increases the size of the pressure chamber. When the magnet valve is open, the pressure in the pressure chamber drops, because some of the hydraulic oil flows into the control lines. Because of the dropping counter pressure, the piston can decrease the size of the pressure chamber because of its spring prestressing, resulting in a pressure surge that makes it possible to make the control pressure in the control lines still more precise and to maintain that pressure.
In order beyond this originally provided purpose to make it possible also to keep high pressure available for an ensuing restart after the engine has been put out of operation, the magnet valve would have to remain closed during the entire time that the engine is off, so as to keep the pressure chamber constantly at high pressure and to keep the piston prestressed. Proceeding in this way, however, entails the problem that even the slightest leakages would mean that the high pressure in the pressure chamber would be degraded over time, and thus not enough pressure would be available for the restart of the engine. Furthermore, safety concerns advise against keeping high pressure on hand in a pressure reservoir of a motor vehicle, because if improper work is done on the pressure reservoir, accidents can happen.
The apparatus according to the invention has the advantage over the prior art that the piston used to generate a rapid pressure rise can be kept in its energy-storing position, prestressed counter to the spring element, solely by the locking device according to the invention. Thus leaks in the line system that cause a pressure loss in the pressure chamber cannot also lead to a loss of the energy stored by the piston. Since when the engine is off, because the feed pump is not in operation then, the pressure chamber is virtually without pressure anyway, if work is done on the motor vehicle there is no risk that the high pressure stored in the pressure chamber will discharge by itself.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention provides that the piston is guided longitudinally displaceably inside a closed cylinder, and the pressure chamber is formed between the piston and a bottom of the cylinder; this bottom is provided with a pressure connection, and by way of this bottom the pressure chamber is connected to a pressure line that effects communication between the feed pump and the device.
Expediently, the locking device includes two locking bolts, received in diametrically opposed receiving bores in the cylinder wall and in the outset position protruding into the cylinder in a direction transverse to the direction of motion of the piston and preferably prestressed in this direction by helical springs, which bolts can be forced back into their receiving bores by the motion of the piston in the direction of its locking position and, after the piston has moved past the bolts and reached its locking position, the bolts positively engage at least the edge of the piston, emerging from their receiving bores.
By the provisions recited, an automatic locking of the piston is attained because the pressure existing in the system assures that the piston will move past the locking bolts and push them back into their receiving bores. Once the piston has then reached its locking position, the spring-prestressed locking bolts automatically move out of the receiving bores and lock the piston.

Device for rapidly building-up pressure in a device of a motor vehicle, said device being supplied with a pressure medium by means of a feed pump


An applicator for an external urinary collection catheter. The catheter has a flexible sheath intended to be applied in a leaktight manner onto the penis of a patient. The sheath is connected to a tubular shaped part (for receiving the glans) which itself is connected to a tube for removing urine. The sheath is rolled on itself prior to its application. The applicator has a tubular body intended to surround, at least partially, the part for receiving the glans. The body has at least two controllable jaws. One end of each of the jaws is integral with an annular support, and the other free end of each of the jaws has a radially internal projection intended to hook behind the glans and to hold the latter during the unrolling of the flexible sheath on the penis.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an applicator for an external urinary collection device comprising individuals, and to a urinary collection device comprising said applicator.
2. Background Art
Urinary collection devices, which are essentially external catheters, are comprised of a flexible sheath intended to be applied in a leaktight manner onto the penis of a patient. The sheath is connected to a part for receiving the glans, substantially in the form of a spherical cap, itself connected to a tube for removing urine, said sheath being rolled on itself prior to its application. It is difficulty to fit such a catheter due to the lack of rigidity of the penis generally exhibited by the patient at the moment of application of the catheter. In order to fit the latter, it is therefore necessary to use an applicator. A catheter/applicator assembly is described, in particular, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,874. In this case, the applicator consists of a tubular body intended to partially surround the part for receiving the glans. It has an enlargement behind which the sheath is held in the rolled-up position, making it possible to avoid involuntary unrolling of said sheath. Furthermore, the body has recesses which, during fitting of the catheter, act as openings for the fingers of the operator to grip the part for receiving the glans, and the end of the latter, while, with the other hand, the operator unrolls the sheath. However, under these circumstances, a retraction of the penis is often observed. This prevents the fitting of such a catheter, despite the use of an applicator, such as, the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,874.
3. Broad Description of the Invention
The object of the present invention is to avoid the above-stated drawback. It relates to an applicator for an external urinary collection catheter which is adapted in order to hold, in a positive manner, the penis and to prevent it from retracting during fitting of the catheter.
For this purpose, the applicator for an external urinary collection catheter, which comprises a flexible sheath intended to be applied in a leaktight manner onto the penis of a patient. The sheath is connected to a part, for receiving the glans, of tubular shape, itself connected to a tube for removing urine, said sheath being rolled on itself prior to its application. The applicator which comprises a tubular body intended to surround, at least partially, said part for receiving the glans, is noteworthy, according to the invention, in that said body comprises at least two controllable jaws, one end of each of which is integral with an annular support, and the other free end of which has a radially internal projection intended to hook behind the glans and to hold the latter during the unrolling of the flexible sheath on the penis.
Thus, by gripping the glans, between the jaws, the operator may pull the virga causing it to extend and thereby facilitate the unrolling of the sheath onto it.
Advantageously, the applicator comprises three jaws, namely a central jaw intended to be applied behind the upper face of the glans, and two lateral jaws located on either side, respectively, of the central jaw.
Preferably, the free ends of the two lateral jaws are bevelled so as to correspond to the anatomical shape of the lateral parts of the glans behind which they are to hook.
In particular, the radially internal projection of the central jaw may be internally rounded.
Furthermore, according to a first embodiment of the invention, the body of said applicator has a general cylindrical shape, and connection tabs are provided between each of said jaws, joining said annular support to a ring fitted with an external groove for receiving the sheath in the rolled-up position.
In this case, each of the connection tabs advantageously has, in the vicinity of said ring, an internal thickening in the extension of the radially internal projections of the jaws, so that the projections/thickenings of the tabs assembly has a shape which corresponds to the anatomical shape of the glans.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the body of said applicator has the general shape of a spherical cap, and, on the external face of each of said jaws, a gripping part is provided which tapers into the shape of a wedge towards the free end of the jaw.
In the latter, the applicator which is in the vicinity of the free ends of the jaws, is preferably comprised of a ring. The ring can be detached from said jaws when the latter are pressed towards each other and comprises a groove for receiving the sheath in the rolled-up position.
Advantageously, said ring comprises a lip for supporting the sleeve, facilitating its unrolling.

Applicator for external urinary collection catheter


A high-voltage switching device is described having at least two series-connected vacuum switching chambers. The vacuum switching chambers, which are disposed in series, are configured differently with regard to their physical size and/or contact configuration, such as the contact diameters, a separation between the contacts, and contact types. At least one vacuum switching chamber of a first type is provided, and at least one vacuum switching chamber of a second type is provided. The vacuum switching chambers are selected in such a manner that re-ignitions and restrikes of a vacuum switching chamber of the first type are coped with by at least one other vacuum switching chamber of the second type. The opening of the contacts of the two vacuum switching chambers at different times is used as an additional method for operation of the high-voltage switching device.

The invention relates to a high-voltage switching device having at least two series-connected vacuum interrupters and to a method for operating the high-voltage circuit breaker. The invention may be used, for example, in gas-insulating switching assemblies. In this context, the term xe2x80x9chigh voltagexe2x80x9d is defined as a voltage range above 1000 V.
In high-voltage switchgear, vacuum interrupters are disposed in series in specific cases on the basis of two fundamental principles, to be precise in an uncontrolled configuration according to the reference by H. Fink, and E. Sonnenschein, titled xe2x80x9cSF6-isolierte 52-kV-Mittelspannungs-Schaltanlage mit Vakuumschalterxe2x80x9d [SF6-Insulated 52-kV Medium-Voltage Switchgear Assembly Having A Vacuum Switch], etz, Vol. 115 (1994), Issue 11, pages 622-626, using control capacitors. In the uncontrolled configuration, the primary factor is the use of the vacuum switching principle at voltage levels above 36 kV, provided by disposing two vacuum switching chambers (standard chambers), which are limited to the rated voltage of 36 kV, in series. In this case, an unavoidable scatter resulting from stray capacitances in terms of the potential splitting is accepted, for financial reasons. The series configuration must therefore be configured on the basis of the vacuum switching chamber which is most severely stressed due to the inhomogeneous voltage distribution, while the other vacuum switching chamber is subjected to less voltage stress, and is thus not optimally utilized.
One example of a series configuration of two vacuum switching chambers configured with control capacitors is provided for use for railway power supplies, at a frequency of 16 2/3 Hz. In comparison with the arcing times of 10 ms/8.3 ms that occur with 50 Hz/60 Hz, the contact gaps at 16 2/3 Hz are subject to arcing times of 30 ms. The associated comparatively severe thermal stress, and the resultant severely increased erosion (burn-off) lead to a major reduction in the withstand voltage during disconnection. This effect is counteracted by connecting two vacuum switching chambers in series, and additionally controlling them capacitively, for rated voltages of, for example, 17.5 kV.
The previous configuration of series arrangements of two or more vacuum switching chambers is in principle predicated on the use of identical switching chambers, which are each switched on and off simultaneously.
The integration of the series configuration of two vacuum switching chambers as the core of a high-voltage switching device requires capacitive control, especially for use within a gas-insulated switchgear assembly. The background to this measure is linearization of the voltage distribution across the two vacuum switching chambers, although the control capacitances must not be able to have a disadvantageous influence on the extinguishing capacity, as is dealt with in the reference by T. Betz. D. Koenig, titled xe2x80x9cInfluence Of Grading Capacitors On The Breaking Capability Of Two Vacuum Circuit-Breakers In Seriesxe2x80x9d, IEEE 18th Int. Symp. on Discharges and Electrical Insulation in Vacuum, pp. 679-683, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, Aug. 17-21, 1998.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a high-voltage switching device having at least two series-connected vacuum interrupters, and a method for operation of the high-voltage switching device which overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art devices and methods of this general type, which can be optimally utilized with regard to voltage loading. In this case, the described measures are intended to ensure that the series configuration can compensate for the influences on the disconnection capability (which differ depending on the geometry, operational conditions and environmental conditions) without having to use rigid control from the outside with the aid of control capacitors.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a high-voltage switching device, containing at least two series-connected vacuum switching chambers, including at least one first-type vacuum switching chamber and at least one second-type vacuum switching chamber, the first-type vacuum switching chamber and the second-type vacuum switching chamber each having a physical size and a contact configuration containing contacts with contact diameters, a separation between the contacts, and contact types, in which at least one of the physical size and the contact configuration of the first-type vacuum switching chamber being differently configured than that of the second-type of vacuum switching chamber, and the vacuum switching chambers selected such that re-ignitions and restrikes of the first-type vacuum switching chamber being coped with by the second-type vacuum switching chamber.
The advantages that can be achieved by the invention are, in particular, that the voltage distribution is achieved on the basis of a natural voltage distribution, influenced exclusively by the intrinsic and stray capacitances, and without any additional control capacitances. This avoids the compensation currents which are produced on re-ignition or restriking of a vacuum switching chamber and flow via the control capacitances, whose amplitudes rise as the control capacitance becomes larger, thus leading to heating of the contacts of the vacuum switching chambers and, in the end, reducing the disconnection capacity.
As a particular advantage, it is possible to achieve the object of coping with switching situations (short-circuit disconnection capacity, connection capacity) independently of the object of coping with the dielectric requirements, by suitable selection of the vacuum switching chambers.
The arcing behavior can be influenced directly by additional measures on the drive unit, thus allowing the introduction of a separate degree of freedom for the configuration of both the dielectric behavior and the disconnection behavior when subject to arcing influences.
The proposed measures lead to a different arcing behavior due to the combination of different vacuum switching chambers with a different physical size (different rated voltage, different disconnection current) and/or different contact configuration (different contact diameters, different separation between the contacts, different contact types), and generally different intrinsic capacitances. By deliberate use of this effect, the configuration versatility to cope with individual switching situations can be considerably increased in comparison with known configurations. If, for example, two suitable different vacuum switching chambers with different contact diameters are used in series, then the different intrinsic capacitances of the vacuum switching chambers and the different arcing behavior can advantageously be combined with the aim of increasing the switching capacity.
The background to the use of series connected vacuum switching chambers is the desire to exploit both the technical advantages of the vacuum circuit-breaker in the form of a high di/dt and du/dt disconnection capacity (di/dt=current grading, du/dt=voltage grading) and the economic advantages, such as freedom from maintenance, low drive energy and compact construction. These advantages are particularly pronounced in the case of vacuum switching chambers with short contact separations between the contacts and, by linking two or more vacuum switching chambers, and thus switching paths, in series, can be used to allow vacuum switching chambers to be operated even at higher rated voltages, beyond the 36 kV voltage range. This results in possible alternatives to sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) which, until now, has been the dominant extinguishing medium in the voltage range above 36 kV, and these alternatives are also of interest in terms of environmental aspects.
The high-voltage switching device may also contain a housing; a series connection of at least two vacuum interrupters (i.e. quenching chamber or combination of quenching and switching chamber); disposed in the housing; and insulation disposed in the housing between the chambers and the housing, the insulation being selected from the group consisting of SF6, N2, air, gaseous dielectrics and liquid dielectrics.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a high-voltage switching device having at least two series-connected vacuum interrupters, and a method for operation of the high-voltage switching device, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

High-voltage switching device having at least two-series-connected vacuum interrupters, and a method for operation of the high-voltage switching device


A hydraulic control apparatus 1 includes a switch valve 11, an adjustment valve 12, and a valve control device 13. The adjustment valve 12 has a fluid chamber 15, a valve body 14, and a back pressure chamber 17. A restrictor is formed between the valve body 14 and a wall defining the fluid chamber 15 and connects the cylinder line 32 to the switch valve line 33. The opening degree of the restrictor changes in correspondence with movement of the valve body 14. When the switch valve 11 is located at a neutral position or a supply position, the valve control device 13 applies the fluid pressure in the cylinder line 32 to the back pressure chamber 17. When the switch valve 11 is located at a drainage position, the valve control device 13 applies a pilot pressure lower than the fluid pressure in the cylinder line 32 to the back pressure chamber 17.

As a hydraulic control apparatus having a switch valve for controlling supply and drainage of fluid to and from a single-acting cylinder, a hydraulic control apparatus used in, for example, a forklift is known. The hydraulic control apparatus may be employed for actuating a lift cylinder of the forklift, which selectively raises and lowers a fork, as described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-327706.
The hydraulic control apparatus of the publication includes an operation check valve and a flow regulator provided in a main passage. The main passage connects a lift control valve, which is operated by means of a lift lever, to the lift cylinder. The lift control valve has a spool that includes a variable restrictor and is switched among a raising position, a neutral position, and a lowering position. More specifically, when the spool is located at the neutral position or the raising position, the lift control valve seals a back pressure chamber of the operation check valve. The operation check valve is thus urged in a direction for blocking the main passage. Meanwhile, a pump operates to apply hydraulic pressure to a second pressure chamber of the flow regulator and a valve body of the flow regulator is maintained at a fully open position.
In contrast, when the spool is located at the lowering position, a tank operates to apply hydraulic pressure to the back pressure chamber of the operation check valve. The operation check valve thus opens the main passage using the hydraulic pressure generated by the lift cylinder. Meanwhile, the hydraulic pressure in the tank is supplied to the second pressure chamber of the flow regulator. This causes the valve body of the flow regulator to move in such a manner that the difference between the pressure in a portion upstream from the variable restrictor and the pressure in a downstream portion is maintained equal to or lower than a predetermined value. The flow rate of the hydraulic oil flowing from the lift cylinder is thus adjusted.
However, in the hydraulic control apparatus, the operation check valve and the flow regulator are formed separately. Besides, the hydraulic control apparatus includes a large number of components and thus has a relatively complicated configuration. Further, since the operation check valve and the flow regulator must be accommodated separately in two different spaces, the hydraulic control apparatus becomes relatively large.


A commerce visibility network allows for the collection and distribution of real-time location and status information regarding the movement of goods and assets through a supply chain. Items and/or conveyances may be individually tagged using radio frequency identifiers or other tagging technologies, such as global positioning satellite technology. The location of an item or conveyance may be marked and information on the location may be stored at a site server. The site server may then upload location information to a data center. Supply chain users may then be charged a fee per tracked item or fee per transaction to access the data center and view reports compiled using the location information regarding each tracked item. This allows for instantaneous access to location and status information of any item in the supply chain. Additionally, aggregation information is provided to allow for the tracking of items which are stored in conveyances, even in several levels of conveyances. Compensation logic is applied to the asset movement data to provide a continuous knowledge of the asset locations, so as to compensate for deficiencies in the raw location data.

Supply chain management is a common problem for any organization that deals with the transportation of a large number of goods over a wide geographic area. Businesses that routinely lose goods or otherwise mismanage their supply chain are doomed to failure. This is especially true for manufacturing companies, where the successfull supply of raw materials to make components, and components to make goods, is essential to survival. Unfortunately, until recently, many of these companies were forced to track goods using manually prepared inventory reports, which required individuals at various locations to check the contents of incoming containers and write down the contents on a clipboard. The reports could then be reviewed if trouble with the transport or inaccuracies later occurred.
With the advent of computers, systems were created that partially automated the collection and/or gathering process. Bar code readers could be used to collect data on incoming goods, but manual intervention was still needed to get inventory information into a form that could be easily transferred to a central location. Data mining techniques were used to collect data from various warehouses using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) interactions. This data was stored in centralized databases. Errors were still encountered, however, during the manual intervention processes, usually during punching keys on an EDI terminal.
There was also a significant latency problem with the systems used in the past. Data collected by a collection point such as a clipboard or bar code reader would oftentimes not be entered into the EDT for several hours, normally at the end of each business day, and the information would be transferred in batches. This introduced errors of its own, as instantaneous tracking of goods was not available and it was possible for the system to indicate that the same item was in two separate locations at the same time (for example, if the item was shipped from one location to another in the same town during the same day).
Additionally, item tracking was limited to single item tracking. Namely, tracking merely involved indicating when a given container was received, but no mechanism was in place to track the individual items within the container, or items within those items (multi-tiered items). This severely limited the application of the system in the view of companies with more complex tracking needs, where items may be removed from containers at various locations through the supply chain.
What is needed is a system that provides for automated tracking of items without significant latency, and which allows for the tracking of multi-tiered items.

Supply chain visibility for real-time tracking of goods


A wireless signal transceiver unit with turning mechanism for adjusting antenna direction includes a base, a rotatable antenna assembly, and a pivot mechanism provided between the antenna assembly and the base for rotatably supporting and connecting the antenna assembly to the base. The antenna assembly includes a plate-shaped body upright located on a circular disk, and is manually turned about the pivot mechanism relative to the base toward a selected direction for best receiving a wireless signal.

Due to the currently highly developed wireless signal transmission technique that provides the advantages of no wiring, wide operating areas, good security system, etc., most modern offices or commercial environments would utilize the wireless signal network to receive and transmit signals.
In the architecture for the currently available wireless signal network, a wireless signal transceiver and a wireless network card are generally included. The former is an intermedium functioning like a hub of a cabled local area network to correctly transmit signals to a destination, and accept signals sent from the destination. The latter is mounted on a client apparatus, such as a computer and personal digital assistant (PDA), to link the client apparatus to the wireless signal transceiver for transferring data. With the maturity of the wireless network technique and the popularization of the wireless network environments, there are more and more different types of wireless signal transceiver products introduced into markets.
For the wireless signal transceiver to function, an antenna must be provided thereon. Most of the conventional wireless signal transceivers have a pole antenna, which is workable to receive and transmit wireless signals in most cases. However, the conventional wireless signal transceivers frequently have the problem of poor signal receiving when relatively high antenna directionality is required to receive the wireless signal.
It is known that Wimax is an abbreviation of Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, a certification mark for products that pass conformity and interoperability tests for the IEEE 802.16 standards. Taking the Wimax antenna module as an example, it is currently widely used in many office environments. However, it is largely dependent on the antenna directionality. This type of antenna module is easily interfered by various factors, such as antenna radiation pattern, environmental changes such as barriers, refraction of radio frequency (RF), and reflection of RF, etc., to hinder the signal transceiver from performing normally. To adjust the antenna direction, a user has to inconveniently turn or move the whole wireless signal transceiver to different places.
Moreover, the conventional wireless signal transceivers have not any device provided thereon for telling a user the intensity of a wireless signal being received. Thus, in most cases, the user is not able to determine which direction is best for the antenna to receive a wireless signal.

Wireless signal transceiver unit with turning mechanism for adjusting antenna direction thereof


Environmentally safe and compatible fluids that are useful as lubricants, and especially as hydraulic fluids, in mobile machinery are formulated to be non-contaminating when accidentally contacted with surrounding vegetation, and removable from vegetation by simply washing the vegetation with tap water. The fluids of the invention are polyalkylene glycol-based and having an ethylene oxide to propylene oxide ratio of from about 68:32 to about 78:22.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to hydraulic fluids for use in machinery and other mechanical systems, and is especially directed to hydraulic fluids for use in machinery that is used in outdoor environments where the unintentional dispersal of hydraulic fluid from such machinery will not harm the surrounding vegetation or the environment.
2. Description of Related Art
It has been a particular problem that machinery used for various outdoor purposes has a tendency to leak hydraulic fluid into the surrounding environment. Conventional petroleum-based hydraulic fluids are well known to have deleterious effects on the environment, such as killing vegetation and polluting the ground and ground water.
Of particular concern in this regard is machinery used to groom golf courses or commercial garden areas, and equipment or machinery used in or near environmentally sensitive areas (e.g., boats, ships, bridges, etc.). When conventional hydraulic fluid from motors, mowers, earth movers and other equipment leaks from the machinery onto the grass or garden areas, or into aquatic environments, the hydraulic fluid contaminates the vegetation and cannot be washed off. The vegetation dies within a short period of time thereafter, and re-seeding or re-planting cannot take place for several weeks to months after contamination. In the interim, the areas where the vegetation died off are unsightly.
In recognition of this problem, other fluid materials have been used as a replacement for conventional petroleum-based hydraulic fluids. For example, vegetable or plant-based oils (i.e., non-petroleum-based oils) have been used in machinery. However, such oils are either unsuitable for use as hydraulic fluids due to the demands of the machinery, and/or such substitute fluids still prove to be damaging to the vegetation because they cannot be easily washed off. Many non-petroleum oils have similar physical properties to petroleum-based products. For example, both have limited solubility in water, both create slicks on water and both form emulsions and sludges. Additionally, non-petroleum oils tend to be persistent and remain in the environment for long periods of time. Thus, non-petroleum or vegetable-based oils are not necessarily compatible with the environment.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a fluid material that is highly suitable for use as hydraulic fluid in machinery that is used in environmentally-sensitive areas such that if the fluid leaks from the machinery, the fluid will be environmentally compatible (i.e., non-destructive to vegetation) and not contaminate and/or kill the vegetation.

Environmentally compatible hydraulic fluid


A fan control circuit for controlling at least one fan of a power supply device includes a load sensing unit, a temperature sensing unit, a control unit connected to the load sensing unit, the temperature sensing unit and the fan, and a mode switching unit. The load sensing unit generates a load signal according to an output condition of the power supply device. The temperature sensing unit senses the temperature in the power supply device and generates a temperature signal. The control unit comprises a low-speed operating mode for controlling the fan according to the load signal, a mute mode for controlling the fan according to the temperature signal, and a full-speed operating mode for controlling the fan to run in a rated rotational speed. The mode switching unit controls the control unit to adjust the rotational speed of the fan by one of the three modes.

Patents, CN 109695593 A, U.S. Pat. No. 7,291,995, CN 109429469 A, CN 207382768 U, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,841,837, 7,789,130 and 7,414,375, disclose some examples of current cooling fans. Taking CN 109695593 A for example, it discloses a fan control circuit including a normal operating mode and a low-noise mode according to different received signals. In the normal operating mode, the fan control circuit adjusts the rotational speed of the cooling fan according to the operating temperature of a processing unit; in the low-noise mode, the fan control circuit first turns off the cooling fan and only drives the cooling fan to start rotating once the operating temperature of the processing unit reaches a certain value. It is known from the description above that, the rotational speed of cooling fans is adjusted according to different conditions such as temperatures. However, it fails to disclose that cooling fans have a function of operating at a rated rotational speed, such that the conventional fans are unable to perform reinforced heat dissipation by directly using a maximum rated rotational speed. Further, in a conventional structure, if determining whether the function of a cooling fan is abnormal or determining the durability of the cooling fan is desired, it cannot be measured by adjusting the cooling fan to directly enter a full-speed operating mode. Instead, the cooling fan already installed in an electronic device needs to be additionally removed in order to perform such detection, and the cooling fan is then installed back into the electronic device once the cooling fan is verified as being functional. Further, taking the U.S. Pat. No. 7,841,837 for example, although it further discloses that the rotational speed of the cooling fan is controlled according to an open-circuit or closed-circuit state of a switch, the disclosure of the description likewise does not provide technical contents of controlling the cooling fan to run at a rated rotational speed. Hence, it is considered that the cooling fan disclosed above is unable to enhance the heat dissipation function, or accordingly to allow a user to measure functions and durability of the fan.


A filter adjusting circuit, has: a filter circuit which has a circuit configuration operating as an n-th order filter including n (n≧1) integrators and can switch a connection of the circuit configuration to operate as a circuit equivalent to the n integrators; a signal generating circuit that outputs a first signal having a predetermined reference frequency to the filter circuit, and outputs a second signal having the reference frequency; a phase comparator that compares a phase of a third signal and a phase of the second signal and determines a phase shift between the signals, the third signal being obtained by processing the first signal in the filter circuit and outputted from the filter circuit; and a control circuit controls the filter circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a filter adjusting circuit which adjusts the characteristics of a filter and is provided for an active filter.
2. Background Art
In recent years, active filters working on wider frequency bands have been demanded. In active filters for wide frequency bands, however, it is difficult to achieve high quality factors (Q factors) as designed without variations.
Q factors fluctuate due to variations in passive elements such as R, C and L and also nonideal effects of amplifiers in active filters. Although an ideal amplifier has an infinite gain and band, gains and bands are finite in actual amplifiers.
For example, a filter adjusting circuit of the prior art includes a filter where a filter input and a reference clock are switched and inputted and a phase comparator circuit which compares the output of the filter and the phase of the reference clock.
The filter adjusting circuit configured thus adjusts the cutoff frequency of the filter (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-124784).
However, the prior art only discloses a method of adjusting the cutoff frequency of a gm-C filter and does not disclose any specific circuit configurations for adjusting the Q factor of an active filter.
In other words, the Q factor cannot be automatically adjusted in the prior art, for example, when the Q factor varies with manufacturing conditions and the like or when the Q factor fluctuates due to a parasitic effect or a nonideal effect of an amplifier.
As described above, in the filter adjusting circuit of the prior art, it is difficult to design the Q factor of the filter to a desired value.


There is disclosed an implantable atrial cardioverter for delivering therapy to atria of a human heart if an atrial tachyarrhythmia is present. The cardioverter includes a first sense channel for sensing atrial heart activity within the right atrium of the heart for providing an atrial electrogram having a plurality of cardiac cycles and a second sense channel for sensing ventricular activity of the heart to provide a ventricular electrogram. The cardioverter further includes an atrial tachyarrhythmia detector including a detection window stage responsive to at least the ventricular electrogram to identify for each cardiac cycle of the atrial electrogram, a detection window period free of any heart activity other than spontaneous atrial heart activity, an A wave detector for identifying A waves occurring during each detection window period means for determining atrial cycle lengths between the identified A waves, and a decision stage responsive to the determined atrial cycle lengths for determining if an atrial tachyarrhythmia is present. A cardioverting stage delivers therapy to the atria if an atrial tachyarrhythmia is present.

The present invention generally relates to an atrial cardioverter having a system for detecting atrial tachyarrhythmias of a heart. The present invention is more particularly directed to such a system and method which detects atrial tachyarrhythmias with a high degree of specificity even though the heart may be paced at the same time in a dual or single chamber mode.
Atrial tachyarrhythmias are common cardiac arrhythmias and are evidenced by very fast atrial rates. They are generally classified as either atrial flutter which is also generally associated with a fast and substantially constant ventricular rate or atrial fibrillation which is also generally associated with a fast but variable ventricular rate.
Atrial fibrillation is probably the most common cardiac arrhythmia. Although it is not usually a life-threatening arrhythmia, it is associated with strokes thought to be caused by blood clots forming in areas of stagnant blood flow as a result of prolonged atrial fibrillation. Because patients afflicted with atrial fibrillation generally experience rapid and irregular beating of the heart they may even experience dizziness as a result of reduced cardiac output.
Atrial tachyarrhythmia occurs suddenly, and many times can only be corrected by discharging electrical energy into the atria of the heart of the patient. This treatment is preferably synchronized to a detected R wave of the heart in order to avoid shocking the atria during the T wave or vulnerable period of the heart. The amount of energy which may be required to successfully cardiovert the atria can be as low as one joule and as high as six joules. In the cases of atrial fibrillation, energy of about two to six joules is often effective to cardiovert atrial fibrillation back to normal sinus rhythm (NSR).
Implantable atrial cardioverters or defibrillators are known which detect the presence of an atrial tachyarrhythmia and provide a single cardioverting pulse of electrical energy to the atria when atrial fibrillation is detected. Atrial tachyarrhythmia detection may be initiated at spaced apart times with such devices to conserve battery power as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,432. Alternatively, such devices may provide continuous monitoring of heart activity to activate more specific atrial tachyarrhythmia detections when the monitored activity indicates a probability of an atrial tachyarrhythmia.
One such implantable device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,837. As disclosed in that patent, ventricular activity is continuously monitored. When the ventricular rate and/or ventricular rate variability reach a certain level, an atrial tachyarrhythmia is suspected and a more robust and higher battery energy consumption algorithm for atrial fibrillation detection is initiated and implemented with a microprocessor.
Whether continuous monitoring or intermittent monitoring is used to initiate atrial tachyarrhythmia detection, such detection must be highly specific to an atrial tachyarrhythmia. The reason for this is that patients will normally be conscious during the atrial tachyarrhythmia therapy. While highly specific atrial tachyarrhythmia detection algorithms are known, these algorithms have not been called upon to detect atrial tachyarrhythmias in the presence of single or dual chamber pacing. Such pacing from an atrial cardioverter or defibrillator has recently received great attention and support as a way to adapt an atrial cardioverter/defibrillator for a greater number of patients.
The present invention provides such specific atrial tachyarrhythmia detecting notwithstanding the presence of single or dual chamber pacing. More specifically, the present invention first relies upon atrial activity sensing within the right atrium to reduce far field sensing as much as possible. Further, detection windows are established whereby only heart activity free of any heart activity other than spontaneous atrial heart activity is relied upon in detecting an atrial tachyarrhythmia.

Atrial cardioverter with window based atrial tachyarrhythmia detection system and method


An ice maker for use in a domestic refrigerator makes clear ice bodies. The ice maker comprises a support arranged to have an ice body formed thereon. The support is refrigerated to a below-freezing temperature and a container adapted to hold a body of water is moved to move liquid water contained therein uniformly about the support suitable to cause a clear substantially symmetrical ice body to build up outwardly on the refrigerated support.

Commercial ice makers have long been available for producing clear ice. A typical such ice maker is illustrated in Barnard U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,595 owned by the assignee hereof. Such an ice maker is intended for producing ample quantities of ice bodies and is not readily adaptable for use in a domestic refrigerator. Moreover, such an ice maker differs from those in domestic refrigerators in that it does not utilize a below-freezing compartment for maintaining the ice bodies in a frozen condition.
Ice makers for domestic refrigerators may produce ice bodies that are cloudy. This results from the ice bodies being formed in a tray wherein gases are trapped in solution in the freezing water. The commercial type ice makers discussed above produce clear ice because freezing proceeds from a cold surface into a water bath so that the freezing ice-water interfaces a surface from which gases coming out of solution can escape.
Apparatus have been disclosed for forming clear cube ice bodies in which a container holding a bath of water is moved in a cyclical manner to be proximate and remote from chilled fingers on which ice bodies are formed. Such an ice maker is not adapted to be placed in a freezer as the bath of water in the container would freeze, rendering the device inoperable. Moreover, such a device relies on mechanical, fixed structure which does not lend the device to be adaptable to varying refrigeration conditions.
Because the storage bin in a domestic refrigerator is contained in the freezer compartment, ice bodies are stored at below-freezing temperature. In order to prevent icing together of separate ice bodies it is necessary that the ice bodies must have dry surfaces when placed into the storage container.
The present invention is intended to overcome the problems discussed above.


A capacitive touchpad comprises two traces with a plurality of first and second sensors coupled thereto respectively, and the first and second sensors are arranged interlaced and uneven spaced to each other. By detecting the capacitance variances produced by the sensors from the traces, phase leading or lagging Z-axis signals are generated to determine the moving direction of a finger sliding on the capacitive touchpad.

Capacitive touchpad is widely used as pointing devices in computer systems. Conventional capacitive touchpad detects the capacitance variance occurred in a sensor array, arranged in one-dimensional or two-dimensional manner, to determine the position of the finger touched thereon, and the movement and moving speed of the finger are determined by the variance of the position. The application for a mouse Z-axis are shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. On a capacitive touchpad 10 there is a plurality of sensors 12 each coupled to a corresponding one of traces X1-X8 in a row of scan lines 16 coupled to a controller 14. When a finger touches the capacitive touchpad 10, the capacitance variance is detected by scanning the sensors 12, whose waveform is shown in FIG. 1B, to determine the position of the finger touched on the panel. For example, the distribution shown in FIG. 1B will determine that the finger touches on the sensor coupled to the trace X5, since the peak capacitance variance occurs at the trace X5. When the finger slides on the touchpad 10, the position that produces the peak capacitance variance moves as well, and therefore, the movement and moving speed of the finger may be determined by the moving peak capacitance variance to further produce a Z-axis signal.
However, when the number of the sensors 12 increases, the number of the corresponding traces increases as well, and the application circuitry within the controller 14 also becomes more complex, thereby increasing the chip size and the manufacture and package cost therefor.
Therefore, it is desired a capacitive touchpad with fewer traces and a method thereof to reduce the cost and to simplify the application circuitry and to easily achieve the design of mouse Z-axis.

Capacitive touchpad having dual traces coupled with uneven spaced interlaced sensors


In some embodiments, a headlamp assembly can comprise: a reflector, a mounting bracket, a housing, and a light source. The reflector can have a lip at a light source opening and a peripheral rim with a reflector portion extending from the lip to a peripheral rim. The mounting bracket can be configured to attach to the reflector. The mounting bracket can comprise attachment structures configured to mate with the lip, and adjustment features that enable horizontal, vertical, and pivotal adjustment. The light source can extend into the reflector through the light source opening.

The present disclosure relates generally to mounting structures, and especially to mounting structures for vehicle headlamp reflectors.
In the automotive market, headlamp reflectors are often manufactured using thermoplastic or thermoset material. Conventional designs based upon thermoplastic or thermoset reflectors, however, often introduce high levels of induced stress and deformation during both the aiming process as well as thermal expansion which can result in the distortion of the reflector beam pattern. Also, sink marks on the reflector front surface can occur during injection molding due to the features on the rear side of the reflector and uneven shrinkage during cooling.
Accordingly, what is needed is a mounting structure configured for use with a headlamp reflector that can, for example, avoid sink marks on the reflector front surface, enable a defect free molded part, reduce induced stress on the reflector, and/or reduce distortion of the beam patterns.

Mounting structure for a headlamp reflector


An image processor comprising an image pickup portion to take in an image of an object, a reference point extracting portion that extracts a reference point to be used in object extraction from images taken by the image pickup portion,a corresponding point detecting portion that detects a corresponding point in other images, a three dimensional coordinates value calculating portion that calculates a three dimensional coordinates value of an object by using the absolute position and posture parameters calculated by using image of a reference solid and coordinates values of reference point and corresponding point, a contour point extracting portion that extracts a contour point to show contour of an object on the basis of coordinate values of reference point and three dimensional coordinate values, and an object display control portion that extracts an image of the object from images photographed by the image pickup portion based on coordinates value of contour point and displays it on a display device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processor to take in and process image data. More specifically the present invention relates to an image processor to extract only an image of a specific object in a designated space among input images.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various image processing technologies to extract only a specific object among an image have been proposed by those skilled in the art.
A technology according to the prior art is the technology disclosed in the Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. Heisei 7-177423 "A Compound Eye Image Pickup Device". In the above publication, a method to calculate the distance to an object based on a disparity between images captured by plural image pickup devices is proposed. The compound eye image pickup device described in the above publication is one to takes in plural image signals by using plural image pickup systems in order to pick up an image of an object and creates a synthetic image, and is equipped with a means to control the order for the corresponding point extracting portion that extracts positions of the common portions from plural images to be obtained by each of the image pickup systems to judge the common portions in an image. Thereby, in the case to obtain a synthetic panoramic image from plural images, identical objects existing in each image is extracted in a rapid manner. The object extracting method described in the above publication finds out corresponding portions in each image taken by the plural image pickup devices, and extracts a coordinate difference in the image as a disparity, and separates objects existing in the foreground of the image by using the size of extracted disparity.
However, in the conventional method to judge the depth by disparity by using the plural image pickup devices, a threshold value to distinguish the foreground and the background greatly affects the accuracy of extraction, and difficulty to determine such a threshold value prevents accurate extraction, which has been a problem with the conventional method according to the prior art.
The device in the above Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. Heisei 7-177423 tries to solve the difficulty in determining the above threshold value by obtaining three dimensional coordinates from disparitys of plural image pickup systems. For that purpose, however a great deal of efforts are required to control and measure the relative position and optical axis angles among plural image pickup devices. And in the case of false corresponding wrong points in the corresponding point acquiring search among photographed images, undesirable portion may be extracted as a noise in image data or the corresponding portion of an object may be missing, which has been other problem with the above conventional method according to the prior art.
Other example of the conventional image processing technologies is the one disclosed in the Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. Heisei 7-154777 "An Image Processor and A Video Telephone Device". In the above publication, proposed is a device wherein infrared light is radiated on an object from the light receiving means side, and the input light is separated into visible light and infrared light reflected by the object by that light receiving means, and an area where the strength of infrared light is larger than a threshold value is extracted from visible light image as a mask area, and thereby only an image of an object at a short distance from a camera may be easily extracted. The object extracting method described in the above publication is one that radiates infrared light to an object, and separates reflected visible light and reflected infrared light from the light in the received light scope, and extracts a portion where the strength of infrared light exceeds threshold value among images created by separated reflected visible light as an object.
However, the technology in the above Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. Heisei 7-154777 may require radiation of strong infrared light onto an object according to illumination condition or other conditions. And the use of an infrared light radiating device that can radiate strong level of infrared light increases costs to a great extent, which has been a problem with the above conventional method according to the prior art.
And in the case when an object is a human being, the document "Effects and Safety of Ultraviolet and Infrared Light on Eye" (The Illustration Society Magazine, vol.61, No.11, Pages 636 to 641, 1977) reports there was a fear that the human body was affected badly if a high level of infrared light is radiated onto a human body.
A further example of the conventional image processing technologies according to the prior art is the one disclosed in the Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. Heisei 7-220095 "An Object Image Extracting Device". In the above publication, proposed is a device wherein data about an object and data about an image pickup device sensor are accumulated in memory in advance, and when an object is extracted from an image obtained by using image pickup device, a precise object in an image is extracted without noise by using the data accumulated in memory. The object extracting method described in the above publication records the data about an object such as its size and so forth, and the data about the distance between the principal point of the object, the focal length and the size of sensor, the number of pixels, and other data about image pickup device in advance, and it forecasts an object existing portion in an image on the basis of the data about image pickup device, and extracts part of a photographed image to become a candidate for object. And the most consistent part with the data about the object in the part is selected as an object.
However, the technology described in the above Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. Heisei 7-220095 requires the acquisition and accumulation in advance of the data about object and the data about image pickup device, and it was impossible to extract an image of an object whose data were not stored in advance, which has been a problem with the above conventional method according to the prior art.
Furthermore, the extraction of an object according to the above prior art requires the distance from the principal point of an image of an object to the object concerned, or the distance from the principal point of an image of an object to the image. And to obtain the distance from the principal point of an object to the object concerned, required was an expensive device such as an infrared light radiating device and so forth. And it was difficult to obtain a stable distance from the principal point of an image to the image.

Dual-input image processor for recognizing, isolating, and displaying specific objects from the input images


The integrated circuit includes an input path circuit with an address path having an input buffer for providing address signals to a register. A separate clock path having an input buffer provides a clock signal for clocking the register. The input path circuit also includes one or more decode units each having a number of logic gate cells such as NAND gate cells or NOR gate cells. Circuitry is provided within the logic gates for reducing timing delay differences between propagation of multiple bit binary signals, such as address signals, through the logic gates. In an exemplary NAND gate described herein, reduction in timing delay differences is achieved by positioning an additional PMOS device along a current path between a power source and an output path otherwise including only a pair of parallel PMOS devices. The additional PMOS device acts as a choke on the current flow through the pair of parallel PMOS devices thereby reducing propagation delay differences which would otherwise occur as a result of either only one or both of the parallel PMOS devices operating to pull up the output path. Similar circuit modifications are provided within NOR gates or logic gates.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to integrated circuits for use in computer systems and in particular to circuitry for use in inputting and decoding address signals within a synchronous integrated circuit having input buffers, decode units, sample and hold registers and the like.
2. Description of Related Art
State of the art integrated circuits for use in computer systems, such as cache-RAM integrated circuits and the like, require the fastest possible processing speeds and clock rates. Accordingly, it is desirable to gain speed improvements within all portions of the integrated circuit, particularly within input/output signal transmission paths. Within a cache-RAM integrated circuit, or similar synchronous integrated circuits, one component of the circuit which could benefit from speed improvement is the input path for address signals wherein input address signals are sampled and held in a clocked input register then decoded. FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional address input path circuit 10 wherein address signals received along an input line 12 are stored in a register 14 then decoded by pre-decode and mid-decode units 16 and 18, respectively. Additional decode units, not shown, may additionally be employed. Register 14 is clocked by a clock signal received along input clock line 20 by an input buffer 22. Prior to triggering register 14, the input clock signal is passed through a pulse generator 24 which generates a pulse of predetermined width on each rising edge of the input clock signal for use elsewhere within the integrated circuit containing address input path circuit 10. Additionally, the clock signal is passed through a control logic unit 26 which, depending upon the implementation, may control the clock signal based upon control signals received elsewhere in the circuit.
For proper operation of register 14, the clock signal must be received by the register during a time period during which the address signal received along line 12 is available to the register. In order to have margin for set-up time, the clock signal should be received by the register as late as possible. In order to have margin for hold time, the clock signal should be received by the register as early as possible. In order to respect both set-up and hold times, the clock signal is required to be received by the register within a given time window relative to the reception of the address signal at the input of the register. Preferably, the clock signal is received by the register at about a midway time during this time window, to provide substantially equal set-up and hold time margins for the address signal. However, passing the clock signal through pulse generator 24 and control logic 26 causes a certain amount of delay which may prevent the clock signal from reaching register 14 in a timely manner. Accordingly, a delay unit 28 is provided along the input path of the address signal prior to register 14 to delay the address signal by an amount sufficient to ensure that the address signal is available to the register during the time period in which the clock signal is received by the register.
Ideally, the set-up and hold time for register 14 is kept to a minimum. In practice, however, it is often necessary to provide a fairly long set-up and hold time period to account for any timing differences or skew between availability of the address signals and receipt of the clock signal. If the set-up and hold time is too short, then any significant skew may cause the clock signal to be received either before or after the set-up and hold period, resulting in loss of the input address data.
One source of timing skew occurs as a result of process variations in the fabrication of input buffers 13 and 22. FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary conventional input buffer cell 30 subject to process variations. Input buffers 13 and 22 of FIG. 1 may be composed of a number of input buffer cells with one cell per individual input line. Buffer cell 30 includes a first inverter stage 32 and a second inverter stage 34. Inverter stage 32 includes a PMOS device 36 and NMOS 38. Although not shown, inverter stage 34 may incorporate a similar device arrangement. Collectively, the pair of inverters of the input buffer cell operate to receive, and perhaps modify, an input signal. The input buffer cell may, for example, modify the voltage range of the input signal to range from between 0 to 3 volts to between 0 to 5 volts. Although the input buffer cell of FIG. 2 may adequately operate to achieve those results, the use of both PMOS and NMOS devices results in timing skews as a result of process variations between the PMOS and NMOS devices. As such, signals sent simultaneously through two different input buffer cells configured as in FIG. 2 will likely be output by the input buffers with a slight timing difference or skew. This skew is especially noticeable when one input is rising and another input is falling. Hence, if implemented using the buffer cells of FIG. 2, the input buffers of FIG. 1 will likely output their respective address or clock signals subject to a timing skew affecting the receipt of the signals by the register. To compensate for the possibility of such a timing skew, the overall set-up and hold time of the register must be set to a somewhat longer time period than would otherwise be desirable, resulting in overall poorer timing specifications for the entire integrated circuit containing the register.
FIG. 3 illustrates one possible solution for eliminating the process skew problems in the configuration of FIG. 2. More specifically, FIG. 3 illustrates an input buffer cell 40 having a pair of inverter stages 42 and 44 with individual device components of inverter stage 42 separately shown. (Inverter stage 44 may have a similar configuration to the first inverter stage of FIG. 2.) As can be seen, inverter stage 42 includes a pair of NMOS devices 46 and 48 with a gate of device 46 connected to a power supply and a gate of device 48 connected to the input. NMOS device 46 is smaller in size and strength than NMOS device 48. With this configuration, timing skew problems resulting from process variations between PMOS and NMOS devices are avoided because only NMOS devices are employed. Thus, by configuring the input buffers of FIG. 1 using the NMOS-only cell configuration of FIG. 3, timing skew as a result of process variations between the address signals and the clock signals is reduced thereby allowing a more precise set-up and hold time to be specified for the register. Unfortunately, although the NMOS configuration of FIG. 3 helps eliminate process skew problems, significant power consumption occurs as a result of leakage current within the input buffer cell. More specifically, by employing two NMOS devices in series between a power source and ground, a DC path is provided, thereby consuming significant power. Accordingly, relatively large current flows through the first inverter stage 42, particularly, when the input is held high. Additionally, some current passes through the second inverter stage 44 when the input is held low. The current drawn through the first inverter is caused by the two NMOS devices both being in an active state when the input is held high. The current flow through the second inverter 44 is caused by a voltage drop across NMOS pull-up device 46 when the input is held low. This voltage drop results in a voltage level at the input of the second inverter 44 which is not high enough to completely turn off the PMOS device (not separately shown) of the second inverter resulting in further leakage current.
Hence, the input buffer configuration of FIG. 3 reduces timing skew as a result of process variations but does so at the expense of consuming significantly greater current. FIG. 4 illustrates yet another configuration for an input buffer cell which also reduces process skew variations and provides improved power consumption, yet which is also not optimal. More specifically, FIG. 4 illustrates an input buffer cell 50 having a first inverter stage 52 and a second inverter stage 54. Again, the second inverter stage may be simple PMOS/NMOS inverter such as illustrated in FIG. 2. Inverter stage 52 includes a pair of NMOS devices 56 and 58 and a PMOS device 60. NMOS devices 56 and 58 are connected similarly to corresponding NMOS devices of the input buffer cell of FIG. 3 with NMOS device 56 being smaller than NMOS device 58. However, whereas the small NMOS device 46 of FIG. 3 is connected directly to a power supply, the drain of the NMOS device 56 is connected to the power supply through PMOS device 60. A gate of device 60 is connected to the input line. By providing PMOS device 60 connected as shown, power consumption is substantially eliminated when the input is held high. However, when the input is held low, some current leakage still occurs within the second inverter stage for the same reasons as described with reference to the input buffer cell of FIG. 3. Hence, the addition of the PMOS device within the first stage only partially eliminates the current leakage problem. It should be noted that the presence of the PMOS device in the first stage does not result in process skew because transmission of the input signal through the first inverter stage to the second inverter stage is controlled by the pair of NMOS devices.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide an improved method for eliminating process skew between input buffer cells, such as those employed within the address signal input path of FIG. 1, yet which does so with little or no resulting leakage current. The provision of such an improved input buffer cell would allow for a reduction in the required set-up and hold times for the input register without unduly increasing power consumption.
Referring again to FIG. 1, a second area in which timing improvement can be gained lies within the positioning of decode units 16 and 18. As shown in FIG. 1, the decode units are positioned after the register resulting in additional timing delays beyond those occurring during signal transmission prior to the register. One proposed solution is illustrated in FIG. 5. The address input path arrangement of FIG. 5 is similar to that of FIG. 1 and like components are identified by like reference numerals, incremented by 100. The arrangement of FIG. 5 is not necessarily prior art to the present invention. In the arrangement of FIG. 5, the decode units prior to the register are arranged to eliminate delay occurring following the register. Moreover, no significant additional delay occurs prior to the register. Rather, the timing delay artificially added by way of delay unit 128 is reduced to account for any additional delay caused by the presence of decode units 116 and 118. Hence, whereas delay unit 28 of FIG. 1 provides sufficient delay to account for clock signal delays through pulse generator 24 and control logic 26, delay unit 128 of FIG. 5 provides only sufficient delay to account for any remaining timing differences between address signals passed through decode units 116 and 118 and clock signals passed through pulse generator 124 and control logic 126.
Hence, timing delays occurring prior to the registering of the address signal are not substantially increased, yet timing delays occurring after the register are reduced significantly by not requiring decode operations to be performed subsequent to registering. Although the arrangement of FIG. 5 provides significant overall timing improvement, further improvement can be gained. In particular, the presence of the decode units prior to the register results in some additional skew which, if not compensated for, could require an increase in the set-up and hold times for the register thereby forfeiting some of the advantage gained by repositioning the decode units. More specifically, timing skew may occur through the decode units between two address signals composed of differing numbers of zeros and ones. The address input path must accommodate any possible address input signals ranging from those containing all zeros to those containing all ones. Hence, any timing differences between transmission of different address signals must be compensated for by providing a correspondingly longer set-up and hold period, resulting in the aforementioned degradation in the overall timing advantages of the address input path of FIG. 5.
The timing skew occurring as a result of differences in address input signals will now be described more fully with reference to FIG. 6. Decode units, such as pre-decode unit 116 and mid-decode unit 118 of FIG. 5, are typically configured with sets of NAND gates or NOR gates for performing logic operations to achieve decoding of a multiple bit binary input address signal. FIG. 6 illustrates a single conventional CMOS NAND gate receiving two input address bits along lines 132 and 134, respectively. NAND gate 130 includes a pair of PMOS devices 136 and 138 connected in parallel to a power source and a pair of NMOS devices 140 and 142 connected in a series between a ground and a node interconnecting drains of the pair of PMOS devices. Gates of PMOS devices 136 and 138 are connected, respectively, to input lines 132 and 134. An output line 144 is connected to the node interconnecting the two PMOS devices and NMOS device 140.
The amount of time required for NAND gate 130 to input signals and generate an output signal depends whether the input signals are both zero, both one, or a combination of the two. More specifically, when an input signal along line 132 transitions from a high state to a low state while an input signal along line 134 is held high, the output line is pulled up through only one of the two PMOS devices, namely, PMOS device 136. On the other hand, if both inputs transition simultaneously from high to low, the output is pulled up by both PMOS devices. Two PMOS devices pulling up the output line, rather than only one, results in faster propagation of the signals through the NAND gate. Hence, timing skew occurs between two NAND gates receiving different input signals. Although not separately shown, similar skew problems occur between two NOR gates receiving different input signals.
For a practical implementation of a pair of pre-decode and mid-decode units, hundreds of NAND gates and NOR gates may be employed to collectively decode an input address signal composed of, for example, 32 or 64 bits. The collective difference in timing delays among the many levels of NAND gates and NOR gates can be significant requiring the set up and hold time for register to be increased to accommodate the resulting timing uncertainty in the availability of the address signal to thereby ensure that clock signal is received while the address signal is actually available.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved logic gate, such as a NAND gate or NOR gate, for use in a decode unit to substantially eliminate timing skew between the output of signals corresponding to different input signals to thereby achieve overall improved timing performance.

Method and apparatus for reducing skew among input signals within an integrated circuit


A PIFA antenna device is provided which includes an HF input/output and two antenna surfaces respectively having a contact with the ground of a mobile communication terminal. The first antenna surface is configured for two independent frequencies and the second antenna surface is configured for a third independent frequency. Only the first antenna surface is connected to the HF input/output and the second antenna surface is arranged in a contactless manner with respect to the first antenna surface, whereby an electromagnetic coupling occurs between both antenna surfaces.

A PIFA antenna apparatus (Planar Inverted F-Antenna) is known from JP 11-150415. The antenna apparatus described there having an inner antenna surface, which is in the form of a passive element, and an outer antenna element, which is approximately annular, has the disadvantage that it can be operated at only two different resonant frequencies.
Furthermore, an antenna apparatus is known from JP 2000-68736 which, on the basis of a ground surface, has two or more antenna surface branches, which each operate at individual resonant frequencies. The branching antenna surface is equipped with a single radio-frequency connection.
A PIFA antenna apparatus in the form of a so-called stacked PIFA antenna, is likewise known from the prior art, namely from EP 0 871 238 A2, but this requires a considerable volume, which is disadvantageous for use in the mobile radio field, particularly for installation in a cellular telephone.
In order to reduce the volume of a PIFA antenna, U.S. Pat. No. 6,195,048 B1 proposes the provision of both an inner antenna surface and an outer antenna surface surrounding the inner antenna surface, both of which are connected to a radio-frequency connection and have a common groundpoint. An antenna such as this cannot be operated as a tri-band antenna since the two antenna surfaces that are provided can be operated, respectively in only a single resonant band.
An antenna for mobile communications terminals should comply with both technical and visual requirements. Firstly, it should operate for more than one frequency while, secondly, it should be as small as possible in order, for example, to allow it to be integrated in a mobile radio in such a way that it cannot be seen from the outside. By way of example, a PIFA antenna, which has an extremely compact form, may be used for this purpose.
These PIFA antennas generally operate in two independent frequency bands; for example, in the 900 MHz frequency band for GSM operation (GSM=Global System for Mobile Communication) and in the 1800 MHz frequency band for PCN operation (PCN=Personal Communications Network). The introduction of a further, third frequency, such as in the frequency band for PCS operation (PCS=Personal Communications Services) of 1900 MHz, has until now been implemented mainly with the aid of the refinements described in the following text.
One known refinement for introducing a third frequency provides for the bandwidth of the PCN frequency band of a dual-band antenna to be widened by increasing the distance between the antenna and the printed circuit board (PCB) of the mobile radio. This allows the GSM/PCN dual-band antenna to be used for the PCS frequency band as well.
However, in this refinement, in order to operate in three frequency bands, the PIFA antenna requires approximately 50% more volume than a PIFA antenna which operates in only two frequency bands.
Another refinement for designing a PIFA antenna which operates in three frequency bands provides for a dual-band PIFA antenna to be combined with an additional antenna. This additional antenna provides the third resonant frequency, and the entire PIFA antenna apparatus now has three frequencies. In this case, both the dual-band PIFA antenna and the additional antenna are connected to an RF input/output of the mobile radio, with the two antennas being driven separately. This refinement once again leads to the PIFA antenna apparatus being relatively voluminous.
Since present-day mobile radios are becoming ever smaller, these PIFA antenna apparatuses which have been described so far, and which are designed for three frequency bands, are not suitable for installation in mobile radios such as these.
An object of the present invention is, thus, to develop a PIFA antenna apparatus for three frequency bands, whose volume is not significantly greater than existing dual-band PIFA antennas, thus allowing it to be installed in existing mobile radios.

PIFA antenna apparatus for mobile communications terminals


A garment in the form of a vest of jacket comprises a pair of front panels attached to either side of a back portion. The panels define a pair of opposed front edges, each of which is contiguous with one of two bottom edge segments. A vertical bifurcation is formed in the lower part of the back section, defined between a pair of bifurcation edges, each of which is contiguous with one of the bottom edge segments. A first zipper is provided, which, when closed, joins the front panel edges to each other, the bottom edge segments to each other, and the bifurcation edges to each other. When the first zipper is so closed, and the garment is turned inside-out, a bag is formed, with the closed zipper defining a closed bag bottom and closed bag ends, the bag having a top opening defined between a pair of opposed top edges. Fastening means, such as a second zipper, are provided on the interior surface of the garment, and positioned so as to be aligned along the top edges when the first zipper is closed and the garment is turned inside out. The upper portions of the back portion and the front panels are folded into the top opening, and the fastening means can be selectively co-engaged to close the bag.

This invention relates generally to the field of garments. More specifically, it relates to a type of garment that is convertible into a tote bag, or a shoulder bag, or the like.
The utility and practicality of garments that are convertible into carrying bags have been well appreciated in the prior art. For example, vests or jackets that can be folded for conversion into purses, shoulder bags, and the like are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,076 - Tartt et al ; U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,251 - Hopkins; U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,409 - De Lott; U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,469 - Arisland; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,165,348 - Daiber.
In designing such convertible garment/bag combinations, it is desirable to provide a construction that is both economical to manufacture and simple to use, that is, to convert from a garment into a bag and back again. Another consideration is to compromise as little as possible the utility of the device in either its garment mode or its bag mode. A secondary, but still important, consideration is that the aesthetic qualities of the device, especially in the garment mode, be maintained to the greatest extent possible. Indeed, the ultimate goal is to provide a fully utilitarian and aesthetically pleasing garment that is easily and quickly convertible into a fully utilitarian and aesthetically pleasing bag. The prior art patents listed above demonstrate various approaches to this ultimate goal, and various degrees of success in achieving it.
In short, there is still a largely unmet need for a convertible garment/bag that fulfills the criteria set forth above, and that can be manufactured at a relatively low cost.


The massage apparatus includes a casing having a bottom and a top with an elongated opening formed through it. An elongated support is provided on the top of the casing in the direction of the elongated opening. A pair of spaced upright rods is pivotally mounted on the bottom of the casing. An inverted T-shaped frame includes two lateral arms pivotally mounted to upper ends of the upright rods and an intermediate arm upwardly extending from the two lateral arms and through the elongated opening of the top to connect with the support. A driving unit provided in the casing moves the upright rods to swing about the pivot point within a predetermined angle when the driving unit is actuated.

1. FIELD OF INVENTION
The invention relates to a massage apparatus, more particularly to a massage apparatus which has a massage means that moves in a wavy manner so as to provide a massage by rubbing and kneading to the body part disposed on it.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional massage apparatus includes a casing (1) having a base bottom (2) and a top with an elongated opening (14) provided therethrough and an actuating switch (12) for operating the massage apparatus. An elongated support means (3) having two curved portions (31) to receive body parts, such as the calf of a leg, is provided on the top of the casing (1) extending in the direction of the elongated opening (14). A driving unit is mounted on the base bottom (2) and has a speed reduction gear (5) with a driving shaft (51). A rectangular driving plate (52) is eccentrically fixed to the driving shaft (51). The driving plate (52) further includes a driving wheel (54) fixed thereto. A mounting frame (6) with two spaced apart guide rails (62) is mounted adjacent to the driving unit in the casing (1). A sliding plate (4) which has an oval-shaped opening at an intermediate portion is slidably attached to the mounted frame (6). The sliding plate (4) has a top portion extending through the elongated opening of the top of the casing (1) and screw-connected to the elongated support means. After the massage apparatus is assembled, the periphery of the driving wheel (54) rotatably contacts the oval-shaped opening of the sliding plate (4). Thus, once the driving unit is actuated, the sliding plate (4) moves to and fro in a horizontal direction, moving the elongated support means (3) lengthwise due to a rotation of the rectangular driving plate (51), thereby providing a massage to the body part put thereon.
A drawback of the above-mentioned massage apparatus is that since the support member supporting the body part to be massaged moves to and fro only in the direction of the elongated opening, the body part is massaged only in that direction.