The invention relates to a socket for a baseless vehicle light. The light includes a lens, a circuit board having plural through holes, and a socket. The socket possesses a plugging groove, two plugging holes formed in the plugging groove, a slot bored in each plugging hole, two terminals respectively inserted into one of the plugging holes, a conductive pin located at one end of each terminal to extend through the slot to connect with the circuit board, and plural connecting members set on one side to correspondingly engage with the through holes. A waterproof resin is injected into the lens to cover on the circuit board and the socket to keep the circuit board positioned in the lens. Thus, a plug of an vehicle is, not cut off, directly plugged into the socket, enabling the light conveniently installed in a vehicle.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a socket for a baseless vehicle light, particularly to one able to be directly plugged by a plug of a vehicle power cable while installed in an vehicle, conveniently and quickly assembled.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Commonly, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional baseless vehicle light 1 includes a lens 10, a circuit board 11 installed inside the lens 10, plural LEDs 12 fixed on the circuit board 11, and at least two wires 13 planted on the rear side of the circuit board 11 by tin welding. Each of the wires 13 has a free bare end 14. Before the light 1 is installed in a vehicle, a plugging light 16 of a power cable 15 has to be cut off first, with each bare end 14 connected with a corresponding free bare end 17 of the power cable 15. However, as shown in FIG. 2, it takes time cutting off the plugging light 16 by a tool and connecting the bare ends 14 of the wires 13 with the bare ends 17 of the power cable 15. Moreover, the combined lines of the wires 13 and the power cable 15 may easily get entwined together to cause a difficulty for arrangement, and the connections of the bare ends 14 and the bare ends 17 are apt to be broken to pose a poor conductivity. Moreover, as the wires 13 are fixed on the circuit board 11 by tin welding, they can be easily pulled off the circuit board 11 to turn off the light 1.


A fault diagnosing system method for a coolant switching device for a vehicle are provided. The fault diagnosing system includes a first coolant pipe line that passes through an electronic device and an interior heating device. A second coolant pipe line branches off the first coolant pipe line and passes through a radiator. In addition, a coolant switching device is disposed at a branching point at which the second coolant pipe line branches off the first coolant pipe line and an on-board charger charges a vehicle battery and is disposed on the second pipe line. A controller is configured to determine a failure of the coolant switching device and stop the on-board charger from charging the vehicle battery when a temperature of the on-board charger is greater than a first set temperature and a temperature of the electronic device is less than a second set temperature.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fault diagnosing system and method for a coolant switching device for a vehicle that prevents damage to an on-board charger (OBC) when the coolant switching device fails and coolant is not supplied to the on-board charger.
2. Background of the Related Art
Environmentally friendly vehicles such as an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle, are equipped with an on-board charger which slowly charges a vehicle battery using electricity of about 110V or 220V. Since the on-board charger is an electronic device, it generates a substantial amount of heat when charging the vehicle battery with electricity which is input externally. When the heat is not controlled and dissipated, the performance and life span of the on-board charger, as well as the vehicle battery decrease. Therefore, coolant is passed through the on-board charger to control and dissipate the heat which is generated during charging of the vehicle battery, and to maintain the temperature below a predetermine temperature.
A coolant pipe line which passes through the on-board charger branches off a heating water pipe line connected to a heating device which is used to heat interior air of a vehicle. A coolant switching device is disposed at the branching point which causes the coolant to flow toward the heating device or toward the on-board charger. When the coolant switching device fails, the coolant may only flow toward the heating device and the temperature of the on-board charger may not be controlled due to the failure and therefore, the on-board charger may be damaged.
Conventionally, electric vehicles do not include equipment that determines whether the coolant switching device has failed. Accordingly, a risk exists that a driver may not notice a failure of the on-board charger.
The foregoing is intended merely to aid in the understanding of the background of the present invention, and is not intended to mean that the present invention falls within the purview of the related art that is already known to those skilled in the art.

Fault diagnosing system and method for coolant switching device for vehicle


A visual capacity indicator for indicating to a user an approximate amount of disk space available for recording data on an attached disk recording device includes a display for displaying an amount of recording capacity currently available on the recording device and memory for storing information relating to the amount of recording capacity currently available on the recording device.

The present invention relates generally to data recording media. More particularly, the present invention relates to a visual capacity indicator for indicating an amount of recording space available for recording on a recording medium.
With the widespread use of computers in the "Information Age" currently taking place, various types of data storage devices are in use. These data storage devices include magnetic disks, optical disks, and magneto-optical disks. For example, floppy disks are common devices for storing data to and from computers, and recordable/rewritable optical and magneto-optical disks (CD-Rs) and recordable/rewritable digital versatile disks (DVD-Rs) are expected to increase in popularity in the near future.
Storage devices such as floppy disks, CD-Rs, and DVD-Rs are generally small in size, lightweight, reasonably affordable and can store well over 1 Mbyte of information on each disk. These storage devices are also easily transferred from one computer to another and, therefore, are a convenient means to transfer data between various computers without requiring a network system or a modem device.
A common storage device is the so-called 3.5-inch floppy disk. A perspective view of a typical 3.5-inch floppy disk 1 is shown in FIG. 1. A disk-shaped recording medium 2 is housed in a rigid cartridge 3 that provides reasonable protection from inadvertent physical damage. The cartridge 3 is formed of an upper half 31 and a lower half 32 and includes a sliding cover plate or shutter 6 that selectively covers an aperture 5 in the upper half 31 of the cartridge 3 for accessing an upper side of the recording medium 2 housed therein. The cover plate 6 provides limited access to the recording medium 2 housed in the cartridge 3. A spring mechanism 7 biases the cover plate 6 to a normally closed position covering the aperture 5. When the floppy disk 1 is inserted into a disk drive unit (not shown), the cover plate 6 is moved to expose the aperture 5 and a portion of the recording medium 2.
In order to determine how much disk space is available for recording for a conventional floppy disk, such as that shown in FIG. 1, a user must insert the floppy disk into the disk drive of a computer and then input commands instructing the computer to electronically access the recording medium in the floppy disk to retrieve information relating to the amount of disk space available for recording data. The computer responds by displaying the information on a display monitor.

Visual capacity indicator for data recording systems


The flight control indicator may include a set of information sources, a computation unit connected to said set of information sources, and a head-up display device. The computation unit determines, on the basis of information emanating from the set of information sources, at least one maximum total slope of the aircraft. The maximum total slope corresponds to the maximum thrust and is obtained on the basis of the measurement of the current performance of the aircraft, extrapolated to the condition of maximum slope and in anticipation of an engine fault. The head-up display device presents, on a display screen, at least one indicator which indicates the maximum total slope and which is presented superimposed on the environment existing in front of the aircraft.

Such a flight control indicator is more specifically adapted to an airplane, in particular a military transport airplane, which exhibits a low thrust/weight ratio and high inertia, and whose maneuvering times are relatively slow.
Although not exclusively, the present invention applies more particularly to low altitude flight. The expression low altitude flight is understood to mean flight along a flight trajectory (at low altitude) allowing an aircraft to follow as closely as possible the terrain overflown, in particular to avoid being pinpointed. Such a flight trajectory at low altitude is therefore situated at a predetermined terrain height, for example 500 feet (or 150 meters).
A low altitude flight therefore presupposes that one is flying as low as possible in valleys so as to benefit from effective masking with the aid of the surrounding relief, while still of course being in a position to be able to overfly the highest peaks that show up in front of the aircraft. When the aircraft is piloted manually by the pilot, that is to say without automatic pilot or flight director engaged, all the burden of low altitude flight control rests on the pilot.
In such a situation, the pilot generally has available only a ground anticollision system, of the GCAS type (GCAS standing for "Ground Collision Avoidance System"), to avoid a collision with the ground. This standard system provides an alarm when a maneuver does not make it possible to overfly the terrain in front of the aircraft, while maintaining defined flight conditions. This system uses theoretical climb models, established through a nominal aircraft, that is to say one which is not degraded. Thus, if the aircraft has suffered damage affecting its climb capabilities, the system provides erroneous information with respect to the current situation. This known system therefore provides no indication as to the actual maximum climb performance of the aircraft.
Consequently, no specific information (based on the current state of the aircraft) regarding the maximum capability of the aircraft to overfly a peak downstream in the direction of flight is available to the pilot. However, it is appreciated that knowledge of the maximum climb capability of the aircraft would allow the pilot to descend as low as possible in valleys until he reaches the limit for being able to climb back and negotiate the peak in front of him, which would increase the masking of the aircraft by the terrain.

Flight control indicator determining the maximum slope for the flight control of an aircraft by terrain following


Positioning pads are displayed via a display device to facilitate movement of a position of interest (e.g., as indicated by a cursor) with respect to a structured object also displayed via the display device. The structured object is analyzed to determine predicted locations to which a user may subsequently wish to navigate the position of interest, and positioning pads are displayed at, or associated with, the predicted locations. When activation of a positioning pad is detected, (i) the position of interest is moved to the location of, or associated with, the positioning pad, and (ii) the positioning pad is no longer displayed via the display device.

There has recently been a large increase in the number of users who use touch screen based devices as a secondary or even primary computing device. However, certain computer paradigms which were designed for user input via keyboard and mouse are still being used in a primarily touch screen based interface. For example, software operating systems which primarily utilize a touch input still use a "cursor" to display a position of interest in a text input box. However, use of a human finger (or stylus) to select a position on a touch screen is not as accurate as a mouse—while a mouse can be used to select a position of interest on a pixel-by-pixel basis, human digits are too large to make similarly granular selections—especially when the screen size is relatively small (such as on a tablet computer or a smart phone). Furthermore, capacitive screen hardware predominantly used in modern touch-based devices is of varying quality, with high-quality screens providing better accuracy than their lower-quality counterparts. Thus, the inherent clumsiness of human digits and irregular surface capacitivity can create problems when a user is trying to move a position of interest (e.g., move a cursor) to a different location. When a user wants to move the cursor, it may take the user several presses on a touch screen to get the cursor to the desired location, leading to frustration and/or loss of concentration.
This difficulty is especially troublesome when inputting complex mathematical or numerical expressions, such as when using a calculator application, a spreadsheet application, etc. For example, mathematical expressions often utilize a plurality of sets of parentheses or brackets to specify the grouping of terms, to specify the precedence of operations, to set apart the arguments of a function from the function itself, etc. When editing a mathematical expression, it can be difficult to place a cursor at a desired location using a touch screen. For example, when the expression has two adjacent parentheses corresponding to nested parentheses and the user wants to add text between the two parentheses, it can be difficult to use the touch screen to place the cursor between the two parentheses. It may take the user several presses or touch screen operations to move the cursor to the desired location, and thus the user may become frustrated with an application over time.
Additionally, new types of display devices (e.g., 3-dimensional (3D) displays) and user interface devices (e.g., motion detection devices that detect spatial gestures) are becoming more common. Existing techniques for navigating cursors have drawbacks in the context of such new types of display and user interface devices.

Positioning pads for moving a position of interest on a display


The improved silver halide photographic material is such that the silver halide grains contained in at least one light-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer are spectrally sensitized with a sensitizing dye represented by the following general formula: ##STR1## where R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each represents an alkyl group having 1-10 carbon atoms or an alkenyl group having 3-10 carbon atoms; R.sup.3 represents a hydrogen atom, a heterocyclic group, an aryl group or an alkyl group; R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 each represents an alkyl group; Z.sup.1 represents the group of non-metallic atoms necessary to form a 5-membered monocyclic or condensed nitrogenous hetero ring; L.sup.1 and L.sup.2 each represents a methine group, provided that R.sup.1 or R.sup.2 may combine with L.sup.1 or L.sup.2, respectively, to form a 5- or 6- membered hereto ring; X.sup.1 represents an ion that cancels an electric charge in the molecule; .sup.1 represents the number of ions necessary to cancel electric charges in the molecule. The silver halide photographic material has an enhanced spectral sensitivity in the red wavelength range while causing less color contamination.

This invention relates to a silver halide photographic material (hereafter sometimes referred to simply as a "photographic material") and, more particularly, to a photographic material that is not only enhanced in the spectral sensitivity to the red wavelength range by novel sensitizing dyes but also improved in photographic characteristics.
It is well known that certain kinds of polymethine dyes are very effective as a means of spectrally sensitizing silver halide emulsions and many types of dye compounds are described in references such as T. H. James, "The Theory of the Photographic Process", Fourth Edition, pp.194-234, 1977, Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., New York. Requirements for these sensitizing dyes are not limited to extending the wavelength range of sensitivity of silver halide emulsions and other conditions to be met are as follows:
1) they should achieve appropriate levels of spectral dye sensitization; PA1 2) they should have a sufficient efficiency of sensitization to provide a satisfactorily high sensitivity; PA1 3) they should not cause fogging; PA1 4) they should not cause adverse interactions with other additives such as a stabilizer, an antifoggant, a coupler, a DP' scavenger and a coating aid; PA1 5) they should not experience dye desorption or desensitization even if silver halide emulsions containing them are left to stay long after application; PA1 6) they should not increase the fog density or cause desensitization even if a silver halide photographic material containing them is left to stand for a prolonged time in a hot and humid atmosphere; and PA1 7) they should not cause color contamination (or color mixing) after development as a result of diffusion from the light-sensitive layer containing them to another sensitive layer.
Various compounds have been proposed and synthesized with a view to meeting these conditions that bear great importance in the preparation of silver halide emulsions. Among those compounds, azole-ring trimethine cyanine dyes having chalcogen atoms in the ring as typified by thiacarbocyanine, oxathiacarbocyanine, selenacarbocyanine and oxaselenacarbocyanine are characterized by having preferred spectra in the red region while insuring high efficiency of spectral sensitization and they are known as principal red sensitizers. Specific examples of those dyes include: the cyanine dyes that have an alkoxy group as a substituent on the condensed ring and which are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,615,644; the methylenedioxy-substituted thiacarbocyanine dyes that are described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,429,574; the thiacarbocyanine dyes that have a phenyl group substituted in the 5-position and which are described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,515,913; the thiacarbocyanine dyes that have a carboxyl group substituted in the 5-position and which are described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,647,050; thiacarbocyanine dyes having an alkoxycarbonyl group substituted in the 5-position as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,647,051 and 2,647,052; the carbocyanine dyes that have a phenyl group substituted in the 6-position and which are described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,485,679; the saturated carboncyclic condensed thiazolocarbocyanine dyes that are described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,336,843; various other carbocyanine dyes as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,846,302, 2,112,140 and 2,481,464; trimethine dyes having a substituent on methine carbon atoms as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,369,646, 2,385,815, 2,484,536, 2,415,927, 2,478,366, 2,739,964, 3,282,932 and 3,384,489; anion substituted trimethinecyanine dyes as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,647,053, 2,521,705, 2,072,908, British Patent 654,690 and Examined Japanese Patent Publication No. 21711/1961; and the oxathiacarbocyanine dyes that are described in British Patent 1,012,825. Some of these cyanine dyes, as used either independently or in combination with themselves, are capable of satisfying the aforementioned conditions 1)-7); however, further improvements are needed in order to satisfy the conditions required of recent versions of photographic materials, namely, higher sensitivity, a lower level of color remnant and better storage stability.


Method and apparatus for efficient transmission of bits of voice information through a mobile radio network, which transmission saves transmission capacities and which makes it possible to mix-in announcements or to mix the bits of speech information of a number of callers during a conference call, is enabled such that its of voice information, dependent on the event, are converted in the mobile radio network into a transcoded format, are further processed, are converted into a non-transcoded format and are transmitted in a non-transcoded format.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for transmitting voice information representing language through the core network of a mobile radio network, between connected core networks of mobile radio networks, and from mobile radio networks to wire-bound users of a PSTN.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As it is known from different manual textbooks such as Jacek Biala, 1994, ISBN-3-528-15302-4, Vieweg Verlag, mobile radio communication occurs between two mobile stations in a mobile radio network from a mobile station (User Equipment UE) via an air interface (Air Interface/Radiolink) to a base station (or, respectively, a Radio Network Controller RNC) via switching centers (Mobile Switching Centers MSCs or Media Gateways MGW) and via a further base station to a second mobile station (UE). Since a number of users normally telephone in a mobile radio network, considerable amounts of data are transmitted via the core network of a mobile radio network; particularly, between switching centers (media gateways).
It is proposed in WO93/00778A1 to transmit voice data in the core network of a mobile radio network in a compressed format and not in a 64 kb/s-FCM format. As a compressed format, WO93/00778A1 suggests the voice data compression format used between mobile stations and base stations/radionet controller (e.g., according to UMTS) for optimally utilizing the extremely limited channel capacities on an air interface; voice data therefore being transmitted in the format (for example, according to UMTS standard) in which they are transmitted via an air interface also within the core network of the mobile radio network. For this purpose, known (under UMTS, etc.) transcoders (which, in a base station or MSC etc., previously have converted voice data from the compressed air interface format into a non-compressed 64 kb/s-PCM format for the transmission in the core network of a mobile radio network) are switched off or, respectively, are bypassed (Transcoder-Free-Operation=TrfO=Uncoded Operation.
However, it is difficult to implement this transmission method since the transmission of voice data in a mobile radio network in the TrfO data format in the core network does not allow many features such as mixing voice data of a number of callers given a conference call or importing tones or announcements into transmitted voice data.
An object of the present invention, therefore, is to enable an optimized use of transmission resources, when bits of voice information are transmitted in a mobile radio network, by avoiding the above disadvantages.

Method and apparatus for transmitting voice information in a mobile radio network


An FM receiver includes an FM discriminator having a comparator for converting the FM signal to a series of discrete square-wave pulses all of the same amplitude and of a repetition rate varying with the frequency of the FM signals; and an integrator circuit which integrates the series of monopolar square-wave pulses to produce an output signal having an amplitude varying with the repetition rate of the square-wave pulses. Also described are FM stero systems including the above FM discriminator in its audio channels.

The present invention relates to an FM receiver, and also to FM communication systems including such a receiver. The invention is particularly adaptable for miniaturization since it requires very little power, thereby making it eminently suitable for use as an earplug or earphone in a hearing aid, hands-free receiver, or the like.
In FM communication, the frequency of a carrier of fixed amplitude is varied above and below the normal carrier frequency in accordance with the signal to be transmitted. The FM receiver must therefore also include an FM discriminator producing an output voltage varying with the frequency of the received FM signal. This output voltage is used as the audio signal for producing the sounds in an audio system.
The FM receiver also includes a limiter for limiting the amplitude of the received FM signal. In the conventional FM receiver, the limiter is usually an amplifier which is driven to saturation. Such conventional systems therefore consume considerable energy, which requires the use of larger batteries, or the more frequent replacement of the batteries, neither of which is desirable when the receiver is embodied in an earplug or earphone such as used in hearing aids, hands-free communication, or the like.

FM receiver and communication systems including same


A bone piece collecting device, wherein, when bone pieces are mixing agitated with the other substances while preventing the loss of the cut bone pieces collected on a filter and contamination thereof by saliva by a self-bone transplanting method, a filter part is installed in a filter holder with impermeability to eliminate the operation for transferring the bone pieces to the other container, a collected bone container for filling bones is prevented from being fallen down by stably fixing the container to a cuff for operation or an operation table with an adhesive tape or a magic tape installed at the bottom part of the filter holder so as to facilitate the removal of the collected bones, and a gradient is marked on the transparent or semi-transparent material of the filter holder so that the amount of collected bones can be weighed easily.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a technology for collecting bone pieces when an implant socket is drilled during a dental implant operation or a technology for selectively collecting a bone from a non-transplant site by a bone piece collecting device and filling collected bone pieces to a transplant site.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional implant operation, a self-bone transplanting method is often applied when the amount of the bone is insufficient to be transplanted into a transplant site. When an implanted socket is drilled in a jawbone, cut bone pieces from the jawbone, and blood, saliva, cooling water from a turbine are filtered and selectively collected by a sucking chip of a dental vacuum device via a filter. The collected bone piece itself can be directly transplanted by a syringe-shaped bone piece collecting device. Alternatively, the collected bone piece can be transplanted after it is transferred to a dappen dish and is mixingly agitated with the other substances. However, in clinical application, in view of easy application, osteoconduction, or infection control, the problem generated from the self-bone may increase after the collected bone is transferred to the other container and mixing agitated with the other substances. As stated above, during the normal transplantation, the cut bone pieces from the jawbone, used as bone filling material, is selectively collected by a sucking chip of the dental vacuum device through the filter when the amount of the bones is insufficient to be transplanted such that the self-bone transplanting method is used. The collected bone piece is mixingly agitated with the other substances. Furthermore, when collecting the cut bone pieces without loss, blood or saliva other than normal saline may also be collected when bone pieces lost in the oral cavity are suctioned. Thus, the collected bone may be contaminated.
To solve the above problem, the purpose of the invention is to enable the collected bone pieces to be mixingly agitated with the other substances without transferring to the dappen dish or other containers such that the bone filling operation can be simplified. In addition, the collecting bone container for filling the bone is prevented from being fallen down such that the collected bone can be collected without loss. Furthermore, the collected bone can be removed easily, and the amount of the collected bone and that of the substances mixingly agitated with the collected bone can be weighed easily. Thus, the collected bone pieces can be prevented from loss and from contamination by saliva.


A lead frame for a semiconductor device includes a resin base film having opposed surfaces and an opening therein. A plurality of inner leads are formed of a metal foil on one surface of the film in a desired inner lead circuit pattern that includes inner edges arranged for connection to a semiconductor device mounted on the film and outer edges positioned over the opening. A plurality of outer leads are formed of a metal sheet and adhered to the other surface of the film in a desired outer lead circuit pattern that includes inner edges positioned over the opening and outer edges that extend outwardly from the frame.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to lead frames and methods for producing the same, and in particular, the invention relates to lead frames for small semiconductor devices; having a large number of pins and to and an effective method for producing such frames.
2. Description of the Related Art
Lead frames used in resin mold type semiconductor devices are formed with a desired wiring pattern by stamping and etching metal sheets from sheet metal strips.
The density of semiconductor devices now in use has been greatly increased, and the size of the packages which include semiconductor devices has been greatly reduced. Accordingly, lead frames having inner and outer leads which are electrically connected to semiconductor devices must have a large number of pins.
It is well known that the width of the portions removed by stamping and etching is essentially the same as; the thickness of the metal sheet. Further, metal sheets which are too thin cannot be used, because this lowers the strength of the outer leads, and thus the number of pins provided by the lead frame for connection to a semiconductor device is limited.
Conventionally, lead frames prepared from metal sheets having a thickness of about 0.1 mm are limited to about 160 pins. Recently, however, a need has arisen for lead frames having more than 180 pins, and this need has been met by spacing the top ends of the inner leads from the semiconductor device, whereby it is possible to increase the number of pins or leads provided by the lead frame. This arrangement, however, results in a lengthening of the wire bonding distance between the semiconductor device and an the spaced inner leads, and thus problems arise with regard to wire bonding and the size of the semiconductor package is increased.

Semiconductor device having a bi-level leadframe


A rotating endoscopic shaver blade assembly adapted for side-cutting and end-cutting. A pair of longitudinally extending, symmetrical fingers extends from the distal end of an elongated tubular inner member and are juxtaposed adjacent a window at the distal end of an elongated tubular outer member. Each of the fingers is provided with laterally facing and transversely facing cutting edges and has a curvilinear profile terminating at a distal tip. The distal tips of the fingers are separated by an axially aligned gap which enables limited stress-relieving radial movement of the fingers.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to elongated, powered surgical instruments for use in endoscopic tissue resection. More particularly, the invention relates to an instrument having an elongated inner tube rotatably situated within an elongated stationary outer tube, both inner and outer tubes having cutting apertures at their distal ends which cooperate to resect or otherwise affect tissue during endoscopic surgical procedures.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of elongated surgical cutting or resection instruments has become well accepted in performing closed surgery such as arthroscopic or, more generally, endoscopic surgery. In closed surgery, access to the surgical site is gained via one or more portals, and instruments used in the surgical procedure must be elongated to permit the distal ends of the instruments to reach the surgical site. Surgical cutting instruments for use in closed surgery--also known as "shavers"--conventionally have a straight, elongated outer tubular member terminating at a distal end having an opening in the end or side wall (or both) to form a cutting port or window and a straight, elongated inner tubular member concentrically disposed in the outer tubular member and having a distal end disposed adjacent the opening in the distal end of the outer tubular member. The distal end of the inner tubular member also has a window opening having a surface or edge for engaging tissue via the opening in the outer tubular member and in many cases (but not all) cooperates with the outer opening to shear, cut or trim tissue. In some cases, such as burrs, the opening in the outer tube merely allows access to the tissue and does not otherwise cooperate with the inner window. The inner tubular member is rotatably driven about its axis from its proximal end, normally via a handpiece having a small electric motor which is controlled by finger actuated switches on the handpiece, a foot switch or switches on a console supplying power to the handpiece. The distal end of the inner tubular member can have various configurations depending upon the surgical procedure to be performed, and the opening in the distal end of the outer tubular member has a configuration to cooperate with the particular configuration of the distal end of the inner tubular member. The various configurations and combinations of inner and outer members produce assemblies, the individual and combined components of which are referred to generically as shaver blades or cutting blades. Resected tissue is aspirated through the hollow lumen of the inner tubular member to be collected via a vacuum tube communicating with the handpiece.
The aforementioned elongated surgical cutting instruments have also been produced in angled configurations in which the distal tips of the inner and outer members are aligned and offset or bent at either a fixed or variable angle from the proximal ends of the aligned inner and outer members. Examples of fixed and variable angle rotary surgical instruments are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,646,738 (Trott) and 5,411,514 (Fucci et al.), both assigned to the assignee hereof, and incorporated by reference herein. In other respects the operation of fixed and variable angle shavers is largely the same as that of the straight shavers described above.
Shaver blades are usually optimized for a particular surgical procedure or part thereof. Thus, during a procedure a surgeon may use shaver blades optimized for cutting soft tissue. If during the procedure it is necessary to resect harder tissue such as bone, the surgeon may either try to use the blade already in use or may switch to a shaver in the form of a burr or more aggressive blade. Usually the latter approach is chosen since the soft tissue blade will clog or lock-up when resecting bone. Cutting edges at the distal end of the inner tube cutting window do not have the low included angle geometry required for efficient bone resection. The high forces encountered when resecting bone tend to cause blade failure through deformation due to high torsional loads.
It would, therefore, be desirable and it is an object of this invention to produce a universal shaver blade more suitable for all types of tissue than prior art devices.
Additionally, it has been difficult to produce a practical design suitable for both side and end cutting while maintaining blade sharpness and strength. Consequently, prior art shaver blades are most often configured to produce one or the other, but usually not both. Side cutting shavers have side and end facing windows in the cylindrical wall of the outer member and the cutting edge on the inner member is designed to affect resection along the outer window rim which is on a line generally parallel or slightly inclined to the shaver axis. The term "side cutting" includes full radius resection instruments in which the plane of the outer window is angled relative to the axis. While the side facing cutters have windows which are partially end facing, they are not efficient as end cutters because the cutting edges at the distal ends of the inner and outer tube cutting windows both have large included angles. That is, the edge is not sharp enough so that resection at the distal end of the cutting window is accomplished essentially by a "pinching" action between the relatively flat inner tube edge and outer tube cutting edges passing by each other. Similarly, cutting instruments designed for end cutting are relatively inefficient as side cutters because the cutting edges at the sides of the inner and outer tube cutting windows both have large included angles. Tissue is resected in this region by the same "pinching" mechanism referred to previously. In certain cases resection efficiency has been somewhat improved by decreasing the wall thickness of the inner tube (thus making the flat edge narrower), the outer tube or both, either throughout the tube length or at the distal end radius only. Such tubes are, however, prone to deformation due to high torsional loads when the inner and outer cutting edges encounter tissues which are difficult to resect. Such deformation often results in lock-up of the shaver or metallic debris at the work site due to interference between inner tube and outer tube cutting edges.
A common goal of shaver blade production is sharpness. However, while this goal may be achieved in a variety of ways, to be truly practical the design of the blade and its method of manufacture must be adaptable to efficiently produce large volumes of shaver blades with sharp edges.
A known design (FIGS. 1-4) for improving blade efficiency is a shaver blade assembly having an outer window lying in a plane inclined to the blade axis (FIG. 1) and a dual-window inner member having inwardly facing cutting teeth (FIG. 2). The planar form of the outer window produces a teardrop window shape having a low included angle around the window periphery, although this angle is not uniform around the periphery. The dual-window form of the inner may be created by, for example, a wire EDM (electrical discharge machining) process in which the wire is passed transversely to the axis through diametrically opposed portions of the cylindrical wall of the inner member. The intersection of the cylindrical outer surface and the inwardly facing wall surface thus created defines the cutting edge. It will be understood that passing the wire through the opposed walls while keeping the wire at large radial distances from the tube axis can produce the scalloped pattern of parallel cutting edges shown in FIG. 2. As seen in FIG. 4, diametrically opposed windows are formed by shaping diametrically opposed sides of the inner member. The radially outermost edges of the periphery of the windows thus formed in the surface of the inner tube intersect with the cylindrical surface of the tube to form the longitudinally extending inner cutting edges with teeth. These edges have an included angle which decreases as the distance between the edge and the tube axis increases. The sharper this edge, the easier it is to cut tissue as these inner cutting edges rotate past the outer window periphery.
While the shaver blade described above is effective, the inner window formation limits the efficiency of the tissue resection at the distal tip and does little to enable the blade to resect hard tissue such as bone. The wall thickness at the distal tip of the outer enables the inner cutting edge to cut only tissue which can extend past this thickness and into the outer window. Because of the need or desire for a bearing contact between the distal tips of the inner and outer members (on the axis along the inner surface) and because of the rounded tip of the inner, this design is limited in its ability to do end cutting. For example, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the distal tip of the prior art dual-window inner member is cut flat and is spaced from the axis. Moreover, the manufacture of a tip such as this is possibly more difficult than one would desire in a production environment.
It is accordingly an object of this invention to produce a rotating shaver blade capable of use as a side cutter and/or end cutter.
It is also an object of this invention to produce a rotating shaver blade in which the inner member has a dual cutting window configuration.
It is an additional object of this invention to produce a rotating shaver blade utilizing an inwardly facing portion of the cylindrical wall of an elongated tube to provide a cutting edge.
It is also an object of this invention to produce a rotating shaver blade capable of resecting soft tissue or hard tissue such as bone.
It is another object of this invention to produce an inner member for a shaver blade assembly, the inner member having a plurality of cutting edges at its distal tip and the cutting edges having low included angles.
It is also an object of this invention to produce such a shaver blade suitable for fixed and bendable shavers.
It is also an object of this invention to produce such a shaver blade which has a minimized tendency to seize or produce debris due to deformation of the inner or outer tube during use.
It is a further object of this invention to produce a shaver blade having a cutting edge which is resilient enough to flex in a stress-relieving manner when exposed to excessive resecting forces, thus minimizing any tendency to seize.

Endoscopic shaver blade with resilient cutting edges


The present invention relates to nucleic acid sequences encoding novel Babesia canis associated proteins and to cDNA fragments, recombinant DNA molecules and live recombinant carriers comprising these sequences. Furthermore, the invention relates to host cells comprising such nucleic acid sequences, cDNA fragments, recombinant DNA molecules and live recombinant carriers. Also, the invention relates to proteins encoded by these nucleotide sequences, to vaccines for combating Babesia canis infections comprising these proteins or genetic material encoding these proteins and methods for the preparation of vaccines. Another embodiment of the invention relates to these Babesia canis associated proteins for use in vaccines and to the use of the Babesia canis associated proteins in the manufacture of vaccines. Finally the invention relates to diagnostic tools for the detection of Babesia canis associated nucleic acid sequences, for the detection of Babesia canis associated antigens and for the detection of antibodies against Babesia canis associated antigenic material.

Babesiosis, like malaria, is a disease which has a focal character. The reason for this is that the pathogen is transmitted by ticks that feed on a certain reservoir of parasites present in the vertebrate population. Only where ticks are present, babesiosis can occur. On balance, particularly in indigenous animals, the parasite coexists with the host without causing significant disease. In many cases babesiosis is a problem because of man's activities through inbreeding of genetic traits and/or transporting animals to unfamiliar environments where babesiosis is endemic (Callow, L. L and Dalgliesh, R. J., 1982).
In dogs the disease is caused by B. canis (transmitted by Dermacentor ticks), B. rossi (transmitted by Haemaphysalis ticks), B. vogeli (transmitted by Rhipicephalus ticks) and Babesia gibsoni (transmitted by Haemaphysalis and Rhipicephalus ticks). Signs of disease in naturally acquired babesiosis usually begin 7–21 days after infection. These symptoms include: fever, anorexia, depression, anaemia, haemoglobinuria and rapidly developing weakness. Increased lacrimation, salivation and muscle tremor commonly occur. Nervous signs may develop in terminal infections, and death may occur when the disease is left untreated. Severe coagulation disturbances resembling disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) have been reported in acute B. canis infections. Thrombosis is not common, but small hyaline thrombi, connected with megakaryocytes have been described. It appears that these coagulation disturbances lead to increased erythrocyte-stickiness. As a result the blood passage through the microvasculature is hampered, resulting in congestion of internal organs and decreased packed cell volumes (PCV). This might impair the oxygen supply to certain tissues and subsequently lead to tissue damage as a result of anoxia. Evidence from congestion in B. canis infections comes from experiments in which dogs were chemotherapeutically treated. Some of these animals restore the packed cell volume in two days from 25–35%, which is associated with shrinkage of the spleen to normal measures.
The four species of Babesia differ with respect to their pathogenicity. The North-African B. vogeli strains provoke only mild disease, which usually does not require treatment (like the Australian B. canis strains). European B. canis strains are more pathogenic than the North-African parasite. In our experiments with the B. canis A strain, approximately half of the animals required chemotherapeutic treatment after infection. The South-African B. rossi strains are most pathogenic, a feature observed already very early. Using the South-African B. rossi strain naive dogs developed progressing disease characterised by exponential parasite growth. In contrast, parasitaemia in dogs infected with European B. canis usually is limited. In the latter, congestion appears to be the main pathological feature.
At the moment a vaccine for Babesia is prepared from the supernatant of a culture of a strain of Babesia canis, as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,036. However, such a vaccine contains only antigens of the strain of this particular species of B. canis. It appears that such a vaccine gives in general little protection against infections with (wild type) B. canis (Lepetit, C., Piroplasmose canine et vaccination Pirodog, Doctoral Thesis, Univ. of Nantes, 1988). The author of the thesis gives three possible causes of this failure of protective immunisation:    1. the sensitivity of the dogs with respect to vaccination;    2. the type of immune effector mechanism induced by vaccination;    3. the antigenic diversity of Babesia.
Vaccines containing whole, attenuated Babesia parasites always harbour the danger that the parasites again become virulent and thus spread the disease instead of curing it. Therefore, the use of subunit vaccines is preferred. Thus there remains the desire for a vaccine which is not infective, which can be easily produced and which yet can give protection against Babesia canis infection, preferably against all Babesia canis strains.


In the stationary part (1) of an axial piston machine, a first flow duct (2) and second flow duct (5) intersect with the central axes (3) and (6). A valve body (20) having a valve cone (21) and a tubular guide piston which can be displaced in relation to the valve cone is situated in the extension of the central axis (3) of the first flow duct (2). The valve body (21) bears against a first valve seat (4) which is surrounded by an expanded section (7). The entire valve body (20) moves in a tubular partial housing (9) which is connected to the stationary part (1) in a sealed manner via a seal (11), a screw connection (10) and a flange (12) which rests on a shoulder (13) of the stationary part (1). A first compression spring (27) and a second compression spring (28) serve to support the valve body (20) and its parts in relation to one another. An extension stem (22) passes through the tubular guide piston and guides the second compression spring (28). The tubular partial housing (9) sits in a bore (8) of the stationary part (1). Two valves V1 and V2 are formed, the valves setting flow paths between the first flow duct (2) and the second flow duct (5) which differ according to pressure ratios.

The invention relates to a valve arrangement for controlling hydraulic fluid in an axial piston machine in which a first flow duct is provided in a stationary part and opens out into a second flow duct running transversely, an accommodating space of the stationary part being formed lying opposite the second flow duct in the extension of the first flow duct and being intended for accommodating and guiding a multiple valve body, which can be displaced in the direction of the central axis of the flow duct and in which the multiple valve body comprises a first and a second valve body which are arranged one behind the other in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the first flow duct and can be displaced in relation to each other in this direction.
A valve arrangement of this type has frequently been fitted in various axial piston machines. The valve PLC 182 on page 6–9–3 of publication HY17-8702/UK of February 2001 by Parker Mobile Hydraulics is one such example. In this case, the first flow duct is connected to a hydraulic fluid store which is under low pressure, i.e. it serves as a feed-in line. The second flow duct of the known valve arrangement serves as a connecting line to a high-pressure working line, and can therefore be under high pressure or low pressure depending on the operating conditions. The two valve bodies, together with associated valve seats form a first and a second valve, one serving as a feed valve and enabling hydraulic fluid which is under low pressure to flow from the first flow duct into the second flow duct. By contrast, the other valve serves as a pressure-limiting valve and enables hydraulic fluid to flow from the connecting line into the feed line if the working pressure in the high-pressure working line has become impermissibly high.
The known valve arrangement is therefore a directly controlled, preset high-pressure limiting valve with a feed-in function. In terms of structure, it is designed in such a manner that the first valve body is inserted into the second valve body where it has its valve seat, while the second valve body interacts with a seat formed in the stationary part. Two valves are therefore fitted one inside the other, the two valve seats being spaced apart only a little distance from each other in the direction of the central axis of the first flow duct. In this known valve arrangement, the through flow cross section is therefore restricted for structural reasons. This is true with a pressure-limiting valve because the valve serving for this purpose has to be arranged within the cross section of the valve body that implements the feed-in function.
However, it is precisely for the pressure-limiting function that a rapid response is imperative, for which purpose relatively large flow cross sections are desired. In order to satisfy this demand, the known valve arrangement would have to be designed with very large cross sections. However, this is not possible when it is fitted into axial piston machines.
Pilot-controlled valves are therefore generally used in cases of this type. One example of this is illustrated and described in DE 102 39 725 A1. According to this, a hydraulic pressure-limiting valve has a first flow duct and a second flow duct running transversely with respect to it. This pressure-limiting valve permits hydraulic fluid to pass from the first flow duct into the second flow duct if the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in the first flow duct exceeds a certain threshold value. For this purpose, a first valve body is arranged in the region between the two flow ducts. The first valve body is bored through, so that the first flow duct is connected continuously to the space behind the first valve body. A second valve is arranged behind the first valve body, coaxially with it, and serves as a pilot valve. If the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in the first flow duct exceeds a threshold value, the pilot valve opens. In conjunction with a correctly dimensioned restoring spring, the effect achieved by the dropping pressure on the rear side of the first valve body is that the opening and closing forces for the first valve body are reduced. However, the larger a valve is, the more expensive it is to produce and to use. Pilot-controlled valves are always more expensive than directly controlled valves. In addition, they have to be designed such that they can be adjusted because they cannot be preset with sufficient accuracy.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a valve arrangement of the type mentioned, which permits large throughflows with a low pressure loss, takes up little installation space and can be produced cost-effectively.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Valve arrangement for controlling hydraulic fluid in an axial piston machine


An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connection box in which reduction in weight can be achieved by simplification of the construction, while preventing short-circuiting of a positive electrode side busbar and a negative electrode side busbar. An electrical connection box includes: a positive electrode side busbar connected to a positive electrode of a battery; a negative electrode side busbar connected to a negative electrode of the battery; and a case in which the positive electrode side busbar and the negative electrode side busbar are accommodated. The case includes: a bottom wall; a circumferential wall erected from the bottom wall; and a partition wall erected from the bottom wall. The partition wall is a waterproof partition that partitions a positive electrode side busbar accommodating area and a negative electrode side busbar accommodating area.

Various electronic devices are mounted on a vehicle. In order to perform power supply and signal transmission to various electronic devices, the vehicle is provided with a plurality of wire harnesses in which a plurality of electrical wires is bundled. Also, in the vehicle, an electrical connection box used for mutual connection of wire harnesses is disposed at an appropriate position.
As an example of the electrical connection box, an electrical connection box disclosed in Patent Literature 1 will be described.
As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the conventional electrical connection box disclosed in Patent Literature 1 includes an upper case 101 and a lower case 102 made of a synthetic resin, and a plurality of wiring boards a, b, c, and d that is stacked and accommodated in the upper case 101 and the lower case 102. Of the plurality of wiring boards a, b, c, and d, the lowermost wiring board d (wiring board of the lower case 102 side) is configured as a double-sided wiring board in which busbars 104 are disposed on both sides (see FIG. 4).
Each of the wiring boards a, b, c, and d is configured to include an insulating substrate 103, and a busbar 104 having a desired pattern on the insulating substrate 103. In the busbar 104, connection terminals 105 for input and output are erected upward or downward. In the insulating substrate 103, terminal insertion holes 106 are drilled such that connection terminals 105 of the adjacent wiring boards a, b, c, and d are inserted.
In a mounting surface on which the busbars 104 of the respective insulating substrates 103 are mounted, a busbar accommodation groove 115 is provided by protruding ribs 114 at both sides of the busbar 104 according to a desired pattern. In the inner surface of the lower case 102, a water crosslinking prevention rib 117 protrudes on both sides of the busbar 104A for a ground circuit along a desired pattern disposed in a rear surface of the lowermost wiring board d (surface of the lower case 102 side). The crosslinking prevention rib 117 is formed according to the shape of the busbar 104A for the ground circuit and is formed to match with the rib 114 formed in the rear surface of the lowermost wiring board d. Also, both ends of the ribs 114 provided on both sides of the busbar 104A for the ground circuit are closed by a sealing portion (not illustrated) provided corresponding to the connection terminal 105 of the busbar 104A for the ground circuit. In the electrical connection box of the related art, the busbar 104A for the ground circuit in the lowermost wiring board d is surrounded in a sealed state by the rib 114 of the bottom surface of the insulating substrate 103, the water crosslinking prevention rib 117 of the inner surface of the lower case 102, and the sealing portion (not illustrated). Thus, the busbar 104A for the ground circuit is isolated from the other busbars 104. Therefore, there has been proposed a structure for isolating the busbar 104A (specific busbar) for the ground circuit and the other busbars 104.


Feed-forward control amounts of an electric motor, which are necessary for a vehicle to travel along the target course under the feed-forward control, are calculated on the basis of the road shape. The prediction time is variably set to be shorter as the present displacement between the target course and the vehicle position becomes larger, the position after elapse of the prediction time is defined as a forward gaze point, and the feedback control amounts of the electric motor, which are necessary for the vehicle to travel along the target course under the feedback control, are calculated on the basis of the traveling state of the vehicle so as to zero the displacement between the target course and the vehicle trajectory in the forward gaze point. The electric motor current value is then calculated from the driver steering torque, feed-forward control amounts, and feedback control amounts.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a driving assist controller for a vehicle that operates an electric power steering motor to enable the vehicle to travel along a set target course.
2. Related Art
Various driving assist controllers for a vehicle that assist driving to enable the vehicle to run along a set target course have recently been developed with the object of decreasing the number of traffic accidents and reduce a load on a driver. A forward gaze point model simulating the driver's operations has been widely known as a technique for calculating a target steering angle for causing the vehicle to run along the target course. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 2005-170327 discloses an automatic steering control device for a vehicle in which a forward gaze point that is set in front of a vehicle equipped the device is set farther from the vehicle when the vehicle speed increases, and a steering amount is calculated on the basis of a difference between the forward gaze point and a reference path constituting the running target path. In this automatic steering control device, the difference based on the forward gaze point that has been set on the curve ahead is corrected to be brought closer to the difference based on the forward gaze point that is set when the vehicle enters the curve.
However, when the target steering angle is set according to the transverse deviation from the target course in the forward gaze point, such as disclosed in JP-A No. 2005-170327, where a distance from the present vehicle position to the forward gaze point is small, or a prediction time (time till the vehicle reaches the forward gaze point) is short, the proximity of the vehicle is viewed, the operation allowing the vehicle to track rapidly the target course is performed, and the target course tracking ability is improved, but nervous and unstable target steering angle or vehicle behavior, which is focused only on the present transverse deviation, is realized. Meanwhile, where the prediction time is extended, the operation that may return the vehicle to the target course after the prediction time is performed and the target course tracking ability is slowed down, but the prediction control is performed that takes into account not only the transverse deviation from the target course, but also the orientation of the vehicle with respect to the target course, and the change ratio thereof (yaw rate), and stable target steering angle and vehicle behavior are obtained. It follows from the above, that when the driving assist control is executed with the forward gaze point model, the prediction time should be adequately set such as to balance the rapid target course tracking ability with the stability of vehicle behavior. Setting the forward gaze point according to the vehicle speed, as disclosed in JP-A No. 2005-170327, is equivalent to maintaining the prediction time. The resultant problem is that although the vehicle behavior is stabilized according to the increase in vehicle speed, the ability to track the target course at a high speed is slowed down. Further, a function of changing the forward gaze point according to the road radius ahead is also disclosed as a measure alleviating the concern that when the vehicle enters a curve, the forward gaze point becomes too far on the curve and the control that takes no account of the subsequent deceleration operation is performed. However, this is merely the correction assuming the vehicle speed at the time when the vehicle enters the curve, and basically equivalent to setting the distance to the forward gaze point that is sensitive to the vehicle speed.


In an aircraft flight information display system, a viewing surface of the display presents an observer with a view of the flight space forward of the aircraft. The viewing surface includes a section displaying a translucent plane of flight of the aircraft along its lateral axis having as an upper bound a line transverse to the lateral axis. The portion of the flight space upward of the plane of flight of the aircraft is displayed as a second section of the flight space above the line. Information of the features of terrain in the flight space, flight parameters of the aircraft and TCAS information is processed to form images of the terrain and traffic in relation to the translucent plane of flight of the aircraft. Terrain and traffic features are rendered in different colors according to their location with respect to the plane of flight. A series of ring-like indicia are displayed in the translucent plane to indicate the distance ranges in the plane of flight of the aircraft.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for displaying aircraft terrain and traffic information and more particularly to displaying flight information in a floating plane display from a pilot""s perspective.
As is well known, an aircraft pilot must be continuously aware of a great deal of information relevant to the flight of the aircraft. In the past, the relevant information has been displayed on a multiplicity of instruments. Such multiple instrument display has been replaced by arrangements that process all or most of the information to produce a single display in two-dimensional graphic form. Such two-dimensional graphic displays, however, have not provided a direct visual display of the dynamic relationships existing between the piloted aircraft, other air traffic and the terrain in the space of interest for flight.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,377 issued to William R. Hancock Jan. 12, 1993 discloses a Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) with an image format having a horizontal trend for traffic situation awareness display in an aircraft. The aircraft is represented by a center symbol and traffic is represented by position symbols that indicate by shape the horizontal heading of an aircraft. A varying size of the symbol represents the level of traffic threat or closeness in altitude differential. A different set of symbols indicates altitude and trend of altitude and another set of symbols in shape and color redundancy indicates the level of traffic threat. The arrangement disclosed in this patent, however, only indicates an external perspective isometric view of TCAS targets and target data with drop down and drop up lines for indication of relative altitude of TCAS target threat to the own aircraft.
Another display arrangement disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,420,582 issued to Wolfgang Kubbat et al. May 30, 1995 provides an arrangement for displaying flight management information using a three dimensional display of flight space with at least one horizon. The predicated flight path of the aircraft is displayed as a series of symbols which assume, within the displayed flight space, the predicted position and the predicted altitude of the aircraft with respect to the flight space at different points in time. While the Kubbat et al. patent provides a view of flight space from the perspective of the aircraft, it is directed to displaying a predicted flight path with indications of various flight parameters influencing flight but does not give a clear indication of the relationship of the aircraft to the terrain and traffic in the flight space.
The invention is directed to a flight information display system for an aircraft in which in image of the flight space forward of the aircraft is displayed on a viewing surface. According to the invention, the view on the viewing surface includes a first section of the viewing surface that represents a plane of flight of the aircraft relative to its lateral axis. A portion of the flight space upward of the aircraft flight plane is represented by a second section of the viewing surface above of the first section. Information of the terrain in the flight space and the flight parameters of the aircraft is processed to form an image on the viewing surface.
According to one aspect of the invention, the view further includes a line separating the first section representing the plane of flight of the aircraft from the second section representing the flight space upward from the plane of flight.
According to another aspect of the invention, the first section is a three dimensional translucent plane of the aircraft intersecting its lateral axis.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, ring-like indicia are displayed in the translucent plane to represent sequential distance ranges from the aircraft.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, display data generated from the terrain information is processed to form three dimensional images of terrain features of the flight space on the viewing surface.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, terrain feature images and TCAS symbols on the viewing surface that intersect the translucent plane are displayed in a first rendering. Terrain features and optionally TCAS symbols on the viewing surface in the second section within a predetermined distance downward from the translucent plane of flight are displayed in a second rendering and terrain feature images and optionally TCAS symbols in the second section on the viewing surface downward from the translucent plane of flight more than the predetermined distance are displayed in a third rendering.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, the translucent plane is truncated at an intersection of the plane with a selected terrain feature image.
In an embodiment of the invention, a computational engine receives TCAS, terrain and aircraft parameter information and generates display data that includes flight path angle, plane of flight coordinates, distance range parameters, terrain feature coordinates, TCAS targets and intersections of the plane of flight and surrounding terrain. The display data is transferred to a graphics processor that forms an integrated display of a plane of flight image, terrain feature images and TCAS target images.

Flight information display with plane of flight view


There is disclosed an image recording apparatus having reader for photoelectrically reading an original and generating image information, a first transmitter for transmitting the image information from said reader, after compressing treatment, to an outside apparatus, a second transmitter for transmitting the image information from said reader without compressing treatment to an outside apparatus, and selecter for selecting either said first or second transmitters according to the destination of said image information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus capable of various image processings through electric handling of image information.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are already widely employed copiers as means for reproducing original images, and facsimile apparatus as means for transmitting original images to distant locations. Currently available copiers are capable, in reproducing the original images, of producing copies in the same size as or in larger or smaller size than that of the original images. Also they are capable of changing the image density over the entire reproduced image if such image density change is required. Such image processing functions are however often unable to meet the requirement of the users.
On the other hand there has been proposed a copier provided with additional image processing functions such as reproducing only a part of the original image, synthesizing plural images and changing the image density only in a part of the original image by means of converting the original image into electrical signals and applying suitable processes to the image information thus transformed into electrical signals. Such diversified functions of the copier however leads inevitably to a complicated structure and a complicated copying operation, giving rise to a longer image processing time.
Facsimile apparatus is only designed to transmit the original image to a distant location through a telephone line, and a suitable copier is additionally required in case copying is necessary in addition to image transmission. Also since such facsimile apparatus lack any image editing function, manual editing work, requiring considerable labor and time, is indispensable if the transmission is to be made after image editing. Furthermore the facsimile apparatus often requires a high operating cost as telephone lines have to be utilized even in so-called short-distance communications within a factory or a building.


A method of controlling the attachment of organisms to an underwater surface is disclosed. The method comprises contacting the organisms with a compound of Formula I ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 is hydrogen hydroxyl C.sub.1 -C.sub.20 alkyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.20 alkoxy, C.sub.1 -C.sub.20 aryl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.20 alkyl aryl, or carbohydrate; R.sub.2 is hydrogen or hydroxyl, and R.sub.3 is hydrogen, or R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 together form an epoxide; R.sub.4 is hydrogen, hydroxyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkoxy, or carboxylic acid; and L is selected from the group consisting of a moiety of Formula II, a moiety of Formula III, and a moiety of Formula IV ##STR2## wherein R.sub.5 is CH.sub.2, NH, O or S, R.sub.6 is CH.sub.2, NH, O or S, R.sub.7 is N or CH, and R.sub.8 is NH or O, and wherein the compound is optionally substituted from 1 to five times with halogen, hydroxyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.3 alkyl, or C.sub.1 -C.sub.3 alkoxy groups at positions 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. Antifouling coatings and cementitious compositions containing a compound of Formula I are also disclosed.

In marine, brackish, and freshwater environments, organisms collect, settle, attach, and grow on submerged structures. Organisms which do so can include algae, fungi, microbes, and aquatic animals, such as tunicates, hydroids, bivalves, bryozoans, polychaete worms, sponges, and barnacles. Submerged structures can include the underwater surfaces of ships, docks and piers, pilings, heat exchangers, dams, piping structures, such as intake screens, and cooling towers. The presence of these organisms, known as the "fouling" of a structure, can be harmful in many respects. They can add to the weight of the structure, hamper its hydrodynamics, reduce its operating efficiency, increase susceptibility to corrosion, and degrade or even fracture the structure.
The common method of controlling the attachment of fouling organisms is by protecting the structure to be protected with a paint or coating which contains an antifouling agent. Exemplary antifouling coatings and paints are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,724 to Lane, U.S. Pat. No. 4,410,642 to Layton, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,302 to Costlow. Application of a coating of this type inhibits the attachment, or "settling", of the organism, by either disabling the organism or providing it with an unattractive environment upon which to settle.
Of the fouling organisms noted above, barnacles have proven to be among the most difficult to control. Typically, commercial antifouling coatings and paints include a toxic metal-containing compound such as tri-n-butyl tin (TBT), or cuprous oxide, which leaches from the coating. Although these compounds exhibit moderate success in inhibiting barnacle settlement, they degrade slowly in marine environments, and therefore are ecologically harmful. In fact, TBT is sufficiently toxic that its release rate is limited by legislation in some countries.
Some experimental non-toxic compounds have been tested with limited success in barnacle settlement inhibition. See, e.g., Gerhart et al., J. Chem. Ecol. 14:1905-1917 (1988), which discloses the use of pukalide, epoxypukalide, and an extract produced by the octocoral Leptogorgia virgulata, to inhibit barnacle settlement; Sears et al., J. Chem. Ecol. 16:791-799 (1990), which discloses the use of ethyl acetate extracts of the sponge Lissodendoryx isodictyalis to inhibit settlement; and Japanese Patent Disclosure No. 54-44018A of Apr. 7, 1979, which discloses the use of gamma-methylenebutenolide lactone and alkyl gamma-methylenebutenolide lactone derivatives.
In view of the foregoing, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a non-toxic antifouling compound which effectively inhibits the settlement of barnacles on an underwater surface.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide an antifouling paint or coating which releases the aforementioned antifouling compound.

Antifouling coating and method for using same


An apparatus and method for agitating and rearranging a grouping of individual cushioning articles in an enclosed container are disclosed. The method and device may protect and individual from an injury resulting from landing in the enclosed container when the individual cushioning articles are overly compressed and lack appropriate spacing in order to absorb the kinetic energy of an individual landing in the enclosed container. The apparatus may include an air actuated inflatable bladder with inflatable extensions that may be utilized to lift and/or separate the cushioning articles, thus allowing the cushioning articles to be repositioned in a random, non-uniform, fashion. Additionally, the repositioned cushioning articles may have additional air space introduced between the individual cushioning devices, thereby allowing the cushioning device to absorb the kinetic energy and an individual without inducing as large an impact force, and providing a more compressive landing zone free of compacted and lodged pieces.

Training for gymnastics, extreme sports, and other activities that cause the human body to fall for extended distances can be extremely dangerous. Every year thousands of children and adults suffer injuries during gymnastics and extreme sports training activities. Some of these injuries occur while practicing or learning skills using a foam-landing pit.
A foam-landing pit may be a collection of regularly and/or irregularly shaped foam pieces that are contained within the confines of a structure. The foam pieces may act as cushioning articles for individuals and objects that impact the pit. These structures may be located in the ground, level with the sports apparatus, and/or above the ground.
One of the most frequently occurring injuries associated with foam landing pit is a direct result from the compaction of the foam pieces due to repeated landings. For example, repeated landings may compress and pack the foam, lessening its ability to absorb impacts over a sufficiently long time or distance so as to prevent injury. The packed foam may reduce the amount of air space in-between the foam structure. The reduced air space may result in a more solid surface where deflection is minimized and the impact force of the landing is maximized. Hence, a person landing on compacted foam may have a much higher probability of injury since a larger impact force is imparted on the person during the landing when the foam is compacted.

Method and device for agitating a grouping of cushioning articles


The present invention is related to processes suitable for industrial synthesis of pregabalin from (R)-(−)-3-(carbamoylmethyl)-5-methylhexanoic using sodium hypochlorite as described herein. In addition, the present invention is related to pregabalin which is substantially free of impurities and pharmaceutical compositions comprising pregabalin.

Pregabalin, a compound of Formula I, is the international commonly accepted name for (S)-(+)-3-aminomethyl-5-methyl-1-hexanoic acid and has an empirical formula of C8H17NO2. Pregabalin is also known as (S)-(+)-3-(2-methylpropyl)-4-aminobutanoic acid or (S)-(+)-3-isobutyl-GABA. Pregabalin is a commercially marketed pharmaceutically active substance known to be useful as therapeutic agent for treatment of pain, convulsions, general anxiety related disorders and epilectic seizures.

Pregabalin and its pharmaceutically acceptable salts are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,197,819 ("the '819 patent"), along with two different synthetic processes for their preparation. However, these routes involve expensive and/or difficult to handle substances such as (4R,5S)-4-methyl-5-phenyl-2-oxazolidinone, n-butyllithium, and "azide" intermediates. The '819 patent is incorporated herein by reference.
Several patents and published patent applications (e.g, U.S. Pat. No. 5,616,793 ("the '793 patent") and International Publication Nos. WO 2006/122258 ("the '258 publication"), WO 2006/122255 ("the '255 publication"), and WO 2006/121557 ("the 557 publication")) disclose a more convenient preparation of pregabalin by means of a Hofmann rearrangement of (R)-(−)-3-(carbamoylmethyl)-5-methylhexanoic acid, a compound of Formula II, in the presence of bromine and an alkali hydroxide as depicted in Scheme 1.
The '793 patent and the '258, '255, and '557 publications are incorporated herein by reference.

However, this synthetic method is not desirable for industrial implementation, since it requires the use of bromine, which is very toxic and corrosive. Moreover, this process involves the formation of undesired by-products. In this regard, it is well-known that the presence of impurities may adversely affect the safety and shelf life of pharmaceutical formulations.
Regarding the synthetic process described in Scheme 1 (i.e., the preparation of pregabalin via a Hofmann rearrangement reaction of a compound of Formula II), Hoekstra et al. in Organic Process Research & Development 1997, 1, 26-38, report that the use of sodium hypochlorite as an alternative to bromine gives poor conversions.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need to provide improved processes for preparing pregabalin which are suitable for industrial implementation, which avoid the use of bromine and which produce pregabalin substantially free of impurities.

Processes for preparing a substituted gamma-amino acid

Laboratorio Chimico Internazionale S.p.A.


Methods are described that bias cells, such as potent and multipotent stem cells, by transfection with a nucleic acid sequence, to differentiate to a desired end-stage cell or a cell having characteristics of a desired end-stage cell. In particular embodiments, human neural stem cells or mesenchymal stem cells are transfected with vectors comprising genes in the homeobox family of transcription factor developmental control genes, and this results in a greater percentage of resultant transformed cells, or their progeny, differentiating into a desired end-stage cell or a cell having characteristics of a desired end-stage cell.

Proper cellular function and differentiation depends on intrinsic signals and extracellular environmental cues. These signals and cues vary over time and location in a developing organism (i.e., during embryogenesis), and remain important in developing and differentiating cells during post-natal growth and in a mature adult organism. Thus, in a general sense, the interplay of the dynamically changing set of intracellular dynamics (such as manifested by intrinsic chemical signaling and control of gene expression) and environmental influences (such as signals from adjacent cells) determine cellular activity. The cellular activity so determined is known to include cell migration, cell differentiation, and the manner a cell interacts with surrounding cells.
The use of stem cells and stem-cell-like cells of various types for cell replacement therapies, and for other cell-introduction-based therapies, is being actively pursued by a number of researchers. Embryonic stems cells from a blastocyst stage are frequently touted for their pluripotency—that is, their ability to differentiate into all cell types of the developing organism. Later-stage embryonic stem cells, and certain cells from generative areas of an adult organism, are identified as more specialized, multipotent stem cells. These cells include cells that are able to give rise to a succession of a more limited subset of mature end-stage differentiated cells of particular types or categories, such as hematopoietic, mesenchymal, or neuroectodermal end-stage differentiated cells. For example, a multipotent neural stem cell may give rise to one or more neuron cell types (i.e., cholinergic neuron, dopaminergic neuron, GABAergic neurons), which includes their specific cell classes (i.e., a basket cell or a chandelier cell for GABAergic neurons), and to non-neuron glial cells, such as astrocytes and dendrocytes.
Further along the path of differentiation are cells derived from multipotent stem cells. For example, derivatives of a localized, non-migrating neuroectodermal type stem cell may migrate but, compared to their multipotent parent, have more limited abilities to self-renew and to differentiate (See Stem Cell Biology, Marshak, Gardner & Gottlieb, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2001, particularly Chapter 18, p. 407). Some of these cells are referred to a neuron-restricted precursors ("NRPs"), based on their ability, under appropriate conditions, to differentiate into neurons. There is evidence that these NRPs have different subclasses, although this may reflect different characteristics of localized multipotent stem cells (Stem Cell Biology, Marshak et al., pp 418-419).
One advantage of use of mulitpotent and more committed cells further along in differentiation, compared to pluripotent embryonic stem cells, is the reduced possibility that some cells introduced into an organism from such source will form a tumor (Stem Cell Biology, Marshak et al., p. 407). However, a disadvantage of cells such as cell types developed from multipotent stem cells, for instance, embryonic progenitor cells, is that they are not amenable to ongoing cell culture. For instance, embryonic neural progenitor cells, which are able to differentiate into neurons and astrocytes, are reported to survive only one to two months in a cell culture.
There is a need in the art to improve the compositions, methods and systems that provide biased and/or differentiated cells from stem cells or stem-cell-like cells. More particularly, a need exists to obtain a higher percentage of desired cells from a pre-implantation cell culture, such as starting from multipotent stem cells and obtaining a higher percentage of cells committed to differentiate to a specified type of functional nerve cell, such as cholinergic neurons or inner ear hair cells. The present invention addresses these needs.

Biasing of cells toward retinal, corneal or lens development

University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.


An electromagnetic forming device for a sheet of material is provided. The electromagnetic forming device includes a fixing base, a magnetic concentration block, an electromagnetic actuator, and a die. The fixing base has a groove. The magnetic concentration block is disposed in the groove of the fixing base, and has an accommodating space therein, which is in communication with a surface of the magnetic concentration block via a slit. The electromagnetic actuator, used to generate a magnetic field, is disposed in the accommodating space of the magnetic concentration block, but does not contact the magnetic concentration block. The die and the magnetic concentration block are separated by a gap, and a sheet of material can be disposed in the gap. As the magnetic concentration block is a block, eddy currents in the magnetic concentration block are distributed uniformly, so the generated magnetic field is also distributed uniformly, thus exerting a uniform forming force on the sheet of material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electromagnetic forming device for a sheet of material. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electromagnetic forming device for a sheet of material including a magnetic concentration block.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a conventional electromagnetic forming device for a sheet of material as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,069,756. The conventional electromagnetic forming device 1 includes a conductive frame 11, an electromagnetic actuator 12, and a die portion 13. The die portion 13 defines a profiled die surface 132. The electromagnetic actuator 12 is arranged opposite the profiled die surface 132 of the die portion 13, and comprises a plurality of turns of inductive coils (not shown). A sheet of material 14 is secured in a position between the electromagnetic actuator 12 and the profiled die surface 132.
The operation manner of the electromagnetic forming device 1 is as follows. First, a clamp device (not shown) is used to apply a clamping force 17 on the conductive frame 11 and the die portion 13, so as to clamp the sheet of material 14. Then, the electromagnetic actuator 12 are powered to generate an impulse current 15 therein. Meanwhile, the conductive frame 11 and the sheet of material 14 are induced to generate an eddy current 16. As the impulse current 15 and the eddy current 16 are in opposite directions, the magnetic fields generated are also in opposite directions, so a repulsive force is generated between the electromagnetic actuator 12 and the sheet of material 14. Therefore, the sheet of material 14 impacts the profiled die surface 132 of the die portion 13 at a high speed, and has a pattern corresponding to the profiled die surface 132.
The disadvantages of the electromagnetic forming device 1 are as follows. Among the plurality of turns of inductive coils, as a gap exists between neighboring coils, the magnetic field in the space close to the coils is not uniformly distributed. Therefore, when the electromagnetic forming device 1 is used to form workpieces with fine structural patterns, the fine structural patterns may become partially vague where the magnetic fields are weak. In addition, in order to process products with different shapes or patterns, different forms of electromagnetic actuator 12 must be used, so the processing cost will increase.
Therefore, it is necessary to provide an electromagnetic forming device for a sheet of material to solve the above problems.

Electromagnetic forming device for sheet of material

Metal Industries Research & Development Centre


Systems and methods for performing x-ray phase-contrast imaging using a conventional x-ray source and detector are provided. An array of x-ray focusing elements it provided and used to focus x-ray onto a pattern of multiple different focal spots. When an object is introduced into the beam path, the focal spots will be displaced based on the x-rays being refracted by the object. A refraction angle map is produced and used to generate a phase contrast image, such as an image that indicates the electron density distribution in the object. Multi-spectral imaging can be achieved by utilizing the chromatic aberration of the array of x-ray focusing elements and sweeping the detector through different focal planes associated with different x-ray energy levels or sweeping the peak voltage of the x-ray source for a fixed object-to-detector distance.

The field of the invention is systems and methods for x-ray phase contrast imaging. More particularly, the invention relates to systems and methods for performing x-ray phase contrast imaging using conventional x-ray sources and detectors.
X-rays have been widely used in medical imaging since their discovery in 1895. In medical x-ray imaging, these relatively energetic photons interact with body parts that have different attenuating properties to generate contrast for visualization of the difference between organs. Microscopically, the interaction between x-ray photons and tissue is described by different photon cross-sections due to physical processes such as photoelectric absorption, Thomson scattering, Compton scattering, and pair production. In the diagnostic x-ray energy range (10 keV-150 keV), the pair production can be ignored.
Conventional x-ray systems, such as computed tomography ("CT") systems, record the attenuation of x-rays due to photoelectric and Compton effects, while regarding the refraction or the angular deviation due to Thomson and Compton scattering as sources of noise. Because the attenuation parameters are very similar in low-atomic-number ("low-Z") materials, such as soft tissues, these systems cannot adequately differentiate those materials from each other. For instance, absorption-based CT images typically do not effectively distinguish tumors from surrounding healthy tissues.
To overcome this limitation, x-ray phase contrast imaging methods have been developed. When x-rays pass through an object they are not only attenuated, but also experience local phase shifts based on differences in the electron density throughout the object. These local phase shifts can be measured and used as a basis of a contrast mechanism that produces significantly better contrast-to-noise ratio ("CNR") compared to conventional CT imaging when imaging soft tissues. X-ray phase contrast imaging is thus particularly effective for imaging low-Z materials (e.g., soft tissues or improvised explosives) that have similar attenuation properties.
Although x-ray phase contrast imaging provides significant improvements in the CNR achievable for low-atomic-number materials, its practical implementation has been limited by hardware constraints. Typically, x-ray phase contrast imaging methods require an x-ray source with a high degree of spatial and temporal coherence; namely, a small focal spot size and narrow spectral bandwidth. As a result, x-ray sources used in conventional x-ray imaging systems, such as those used in current clinical practice, are not suitable for phase contrast imaging. Instead, the majority of x-ray phase contrast imaging is performed using an x-ray synchrotron radiation source, which is not practical due to its size and cost, or using a micro-focus source that is too weak to be used for medical imaging applications.
Recently, some methods for performing x-ray phase contrast imaging using a conventional x-ray source have been proposed. For example, in a method called Talbot interferometry, a series of periodic gratings is used, in which one absorption grating is put right in front of the source to increase the spatial coherence of x-rays and two other gratings are put in the imaging chain to record the phase effect. This system requires a careful alignment of the gratings, however, which makes the system not suitable for applications in the field. More importantly, this system is very challenging to scale the size of system up to one that is applicable for scanning a human subject. The difficulty with scaling the Talbot interferometry system is because the thickness of the gratings has to increase as the size of the imaged object increases; however, a thick grating will not allow x-rays to pass through except in the region very close to the center.
In another recently proposed method called spatial harmonic imaging, an image of a two-dimensional periodic structure, such as a wire mesh, is acquired using a high-resolution detector. The local displacement of the image after inserting an object in the imaging chain is connected to the phase shift of x-rays due to the object. This system, however, requires the pixel size of detector to be very small (e.g., on the order of 10 micron), which cannot be adapted in a clinical imaging setting. In addition, the CNR decreases rapidly as the size of the imaged object increases.
In light of these issues, there remains a desire to provide systems and methods for performing x-ray phase contrast imaging at a human scale while using a conventional x-ray source and detector.

Systems and methods for x-ray phase contrast imaging using arrays of x-ray focusing elements


An in wheel motor driving device which has a deceased axial dimension and includes aluminum alloy housings having a minimum wall thickness for reduced weight while retaining good assemblability. An in-wheel motor driving device includes: a motor section which has an output shaft; a wheel hub bearing section C; and a speed reducer section which connects the output shaft of the motor section and the wheel hub bearing section coaxially with each other. A housing outer circumferential portion of the motor section and a housing outer circumferential portion of the speed reducer section are integral with each other, being provided by one, outer circumferential member. An outboard-side end member is fixed to an outboard-side end of the outer circumferential member by means of bolts, and the wheel hub bearing section has its fixing ring fixed to the outboard-side end member.

A conventional in-wheel motor driving device 101 is disclosed in JP-A-2010-255713 (Patent Literature 1) for example.
The in-wheel motor driving device 101 which is presented in FIG. 10 includes a motor section 103 which rotatably drives an output shaft 106; a speed reducer section 105 which reduces rotation of the output shaft 106 and transmits the rotation to a wheel-side output shaft 108; and a wheel hub bearing section 104 which has a wheel hub 109 connected and fixed to the wheel-side output shaft 108.
As shown in FIG. 11, the in-wheel motor driving device 101 arranged as described above is designed so that the motor section 103 and the speed reducer section 105 are assembled independently from each other, and then a housing 107 of the speed reducer section 105 and a housing 102 of the motor section 103 are fastened to each other with bolts 110.
Also, in the example in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the wheel hub bearing section 104 has a fixing ring 111 (fixing member), which is fastened to the housing 107 of the speed reducer section 105 by using bolts 112.