An apparatus for on-site engine oil reconditioning comprises an apparatus configured and arranged for changing oil by removing spent oil from, and introducing reconditioned oil into an internal combustion engine. A mechanism, in fluid communication with the oil changing apparatus, removes finite particles from the spent oil to produce particle-free oil. A mechanism, in fluid communication with the finite particle removing mechanism, refines the particle-free oil to remove water, fuel, and/or glycols to produce re-refined oil. A mechanism, in fluid communication with the refining mechanism, adjusts the composition of the re-refined oil to meet a predetermined specification to produce the reconditioned oil. A process for reconditioning oil on-site at a user's facility comprises the steps of: removing spent oil from the internal combustion engine; removing finite particles from the spent oil to produce particle-free oil; refining the particle-free oil to remove water, fuel, and/or glycols to produce re-refined oil; adjusting the composition of the re-refined oil to meet a predetermined specification to produce reconditioned oil; optionally storing the reconditioned oil until needed; and introducing the reconditioned oil into the internal combustion engine.

This invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for recycling and reconditioning oil, and more specifically to such a method and apparatus for convenient use on-site at the user's facility.
It is common knowledge that oil must be changed regularly in internal combustion engines in order to enhance engine performance and to prevent any deleterious side effects. In the trucking industry, such as for example the class 8 trucking industry, some trucks log up to about 300,000 miles per year. One truck engine manufacturer recommends that the oil be changed every 60,000 miles when using synthetic oil, which translates into about 5 oil changes per year. An average truck uses about 10 gallons of new oil per oil change at a cost of approximately $15.00 per gallon. This translates into $150.00 per oil change, or $750.00 per truck per year. For a high mileage truck fleet owner having perhaps 100 trucks, one can readily ascertain that the yearly cost of oil changes, ie., $75,000.00, can be quite substantial. Moderate mileage trucks log about 120,000 miles per year and change engine oil about every 25,000 miles when using an appropriate petroleum base engine oil, for example 15W40 specification.
In addition, due to environmental concerns, EPA regulations and the like, the user, such as a truck fleet servicing facility, must dispose of the oil in an environmentally safe manner. As seen in FIG. 1, this disposal may proceed as follows. First, the spent oil is drained from the vehicle 100. The spent oil is then collected in an on-site oil collection area 102 located at the user's facility. The oil is then picked up and taken to an off-site oil collection facility 104. From this facility 104, some of the oil is sold and is burned for heat 106, while the remainder is sent to, or picked up by a bulk oil handler 108. The bulk oil handler then takes the spent oil to a re-refiner 110 who must remove all finite particles from the spent oil, and re-refine it to remove any moisture, diesel fuel and/or glycols which may be present. The re-refined oil is then sent to a formulator 112 who must check the re-refined oil composition to ascertain whether such characteristics as viscosity, lubricity, pH and the like are within a desired specification. If they are not, formulator 112 must make any adjustments to the re-refined oil composition to bring it within the desired specifications. The re-refined and adjusted oil is then sent to a distributor 114. If the user wishes to utilize reconditioned oil, the user then buys that reconditioned oil from distributor 114.
As can be seen from FIG. 1, this method of recycling is labor intensive, very time consuming and expensive. Thus, the user is caught in a dilemma between the great expense incurred by utilizing all new oil at every oil change and the expense and trouble involved with utilizing recycled or reconditioned oil, some of which time and expense the user cannot escape (due to environmental regulations) even if he were to choose to use new oil at every oil change.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and process for reconditioning oil on-site at the user's facility, thereby advantageously allowing the user to save the time and expense of collecting and sending spent oil to an off-site collection and/or recycling facility. It is a further object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which is portable and advantageously does not require an inordinate amount of floor space in the user's facility. Yet further, it is an object of the present invention to provide an oil changing apparatus for use in the on-site reconditioning apparatus, which oil changing apparatus quickly and efficiently removes spent oil substantially completely and easily from the crank case.

Method and apparatus for reconditioning oil of vehicles


Provided is a method of producing a product by culturing a carboxydotrophic acetogenic bacterium with a disrupting mutation in a lactate dehydrogenase enzyme in the presence of a substrate comprising CO, CO2, and/or H2. Preferably, the disrupting mutation reduces or eliminates the expression or activity of the enzyme such that the bacterium produces a reduced amount of lactate or no lactate.

An acetogen is a microorganism that generates or is capable of generating acetate as a product of anaerobic respiration. Typically, acetogens are obligately anaerobic bacteria that use the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway as their main mechanism for energy conservation and for synthesis of acetyl-CoA and acetyl-CoA-derived products, such as acetate and ethanol (Ragsdale, Biochim Biophys Acta, 1784: 1873-1898, 2008).
Many acetogens naturally produce at least two or more products. However, this is not necessarily desirable on a commercial scale, since the production of multiple products is detrimental to the efficiency and yield of each individual product. In particular, byproducts may divert carbon away from the biosynthetic pathways of a target product, introduce toxicity concerns, impede the recovery and separation of a target product, complicate the control of fermentation conditions favoring a target product, and serve as a substrate for contaminating microorganisms.
For instance, acetogens such as Clostridium autoethanogenum, Clostridium ljungdahlii, Clostridium ragsdalei (Köpke, Appl Environ Microbiol, 77: 5467-5475, 2011), and Butyribacterium methylotrophicum (Heiskanen, Enzyme Microb Technol, 41 362-367, 2007) may produce lactate as a byproduct. This production of lactate reduces the efficiency and yield of target products, such as ethanol, butanol, or 2,3-butanediol. Additionally, lactate may be toxic to acetogens such as Clostridium autoethanogenum even at low concentrations (Köpke, Appl Environ Microbiol, 77: 5467-5475, 2011) and may serve as a substrate for other bacteria, increasingly the likelihood of bacterial contamination when lactate is produced. Furthermore, separating lactate from other products, such as ethanol, may require cumbersome processing steps.
Accordingly, there is a strong need for microorganisms and methods that reduce or eliminate the production of byproducts, such as lactate.

Recombinant microorganisms and methods of use thereof


For reducing of the weight of leakage x-ray radiation shielding for a rotary piston x-ray tube that rotates in a cooling medium in a radiator housing of an x-ray radiator, the rotary piston x-ray tube having a rotary anode and a cathode fixedly connected with the vacuum housing thereof, the vacuum housing has at least one first region of a total shielding and the radiator housing has at least a second region of the total shielding. Only the respective regions of the vacuum housing and the radiator housing has that are irradiated by the leakage x-ray radiation are provided with shielding.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to rotary piston x-ray radiators, and in particular to a leakage radiation shielding arrangement for such an x-ray radiator.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Rotary piston x-ray radiators, particularly for use in medical apparatuses, must be shielded corresponding to regulatory requirements. In the known x-ray radiator described in DE 196 12 698 C1, for this purpose the radiator housing is designed as a radiation protection housing in order to shield against escaping leakage x-ray radiation, in addition to allowing the usable radiation to exit the housing that is necessary for the actual exposure of a subject to be examined. Moreover, for rotary piston x-ray radiators it is known to apply a material that significantly attenuates the x-ray radiation (such as, for example, lead) on the inside of the x-ray radiator housing in the regions to be shielded.
An x-ray radiator with a cathode arrangement and an anode arrangement rotating in a uniform vacuum chamber is known from EP 0 935 812 B1, wherein the vacuum chamber is formed by a cylindrical side wall as well as a cover and a base wall. The side wall, cover wall and base wall are fashioned from radiation-shielding materials, making the vacuum chamber relatively heavy.

Leakage radiation shielding arrangement for a rotary piston x-ray radiator


Described herein are home care compositions comprising: a surfactant system comprising a non-ionic surfactant; and a carrier.

The development of home care composition (including, without limitation, dish soap) has long been driven by the challenge of providing a combination of performance properties such as good foaming, good cleansing, improved skin feel, and attractive product appearance. Specifically, while a certain component within a home care composition may enhance one property, it will often do so at the detriment of another important property of the home care composition.
For example, a home care composition may enhance cleansing by incorporating foaming agents at the expense of stability at various temperatures. Therefore, the need exists for a home care composition that provides the desired performance properties without sacrificing stability in cold weather conditions—specifically near freezing temperatures.


A light guide includes a light input surface which has two first edges, an output surface parallel to and larger than the input surface, and two connecting surfaces, each of which interconnects the light input surface and said light input surface and has an inclined segment. Relationships of θ<θT and L>(AD)/(tan θT) are satisfied, where θ is an included angle defined between extensions of the inclined segments of the connecting surfaces, θT is a critical angle for total internal reflection associated with the light guide, (L) is a distance between the light input and output surfaces, and (AD) is a distance between a location of incidence of a light beam on the light input surface and one of the first edges.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an optical element, more particularly to a light guide and a lighting device incorporating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A long fluorescent lamp or multiple round light bulbs are often used in exhibition venues where sufficient lighting for a long or large display area is required. However, the light emitted by a single fluorescent lamp tends to be scattered and inefficient; and the light from thus multiple round light bulbs tends to overlap and is thus uneven. In addition, increasing the number of lamps also increases the costs of lighting.
With reference to FIG. 1, Patent Application Publication No. WO2012/145293 intends to solve the above mentioned issue with a conventional lighting assembly 1 comprising a light guide 11, a light source 12 disposed on a light input end of the light guide 11, and a banding reduction element 13 disposed on a light output end of the light guide 11. The light source 12 includes a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) 121. The light emitted from the LEDs 121 is regulated by the light guide 11 and then passes through the banding reduction element 13 to achieve a condensed lighting effect. However, the conventional lighting assembly 1 requires an additional banding reduction element 13 which adds to the number of components and manufacturing complexity.

Light guide and a light device incorporating the same


A system and method for positioning a new waypoint in a flight plan displayed on an avionics display in the form of an interactive graphical image comprises generating symbology on the display graphically representative of the new waypoint on the flight plan, and dragging the new waypoint on the display to alter its position.

A pilot is faced with two major tasks; i.e. (1) to accurately determine and remain constantly aware of the current aircraft status including direction, speed, altitude, location and the rates of change of each; and (2) to quickly and accurately control the aircraft to effectuate a change in these parameters to achieve a desired status of the aircraft including, for example, setting or altering the aircraft's flight-plan.
To this end, avionics display systems deployed aboard aircraft has been extensively engineered to visually convey a considerable amount of flight information in an intuitive and readily comprehendible manner. In conventional avionics display systems, much of the information visually expressed on a cockpit display, (e.g., a primary flight display, a navigation display, etc.) pertains to aircraft parameters (e.g., the heading, drift, roll, and pitch of the host aircraft), nearby geographical features (e.g., mountain peaks, runways, etc.), and current weather conditions (e.g. developing storm cells).
A further improvement occurred with the introduction of flight management systems, a type of specialized computer that includes a database of pre-stored navigation landmark, such as an airport, or may represent an imaginary intersection (a waypoint) in the sky. A pilot may enter a flight plan by selecting a sequential series of waypoints through which the aircraft will travel.
System integrators have built flight control systems that facilitate the use of avionics systems; e.g., the PRIMUS EPIC suite of integrated flight electronics such as flight management systems (FMS), autopilots, cockpit displays, flight controls, and the like, as well as interoperability with navigational instruments such as global positioning systems (GPS), inertial reference systems (IRS), and the like. In particular, the PRIMUS EPIC suite includes an integrated avionics display that includes cursor control, windowing of information, movable navigation maps, ground-based weather, real-time video, aircraft utility system display and control, and the like. The PRIMUS EPIC suite includes a "point-and-click" navigation capability referred to as "Graphical INAV." As part of the "point-and-click" functionality, pilots may click on a map location (e.g. waypoint) to obtain a menu of the tasks that may be executed with respect to that location. An interface for obtaining additional information is presented to the pilot, and the pilot enters information with a keyboard, mouse/cursor, keypad or the like.
In the existing INAV for an FMS, the selection of an operation on a task menu of the INAV causes a dialog box to be displayed (i.e. in most cases) relevant to the selected operation. The dialog box presents various parameters that may be modified and then executed. For example, to define a holding pattern around a waypoint, for example, a pilot simply clicks on the waypoint, selects "hold" from a menu of task options, and enters or modifies parameters such as hold radial, hold leg distance, and hold direction, as appropriate. It is also known to provide dialog boxes in response to pilot commands to enable task parameters to be input or modified. Certain dialog boxes include graphical functionality and incorporate human factors enhancements.
In certain operations, a preview may be presented reflecting any modifications of the parameters presented in the dialog box while modifying the parameters; however, the preview is presented within the dialog box and is not referenced to the actual flight plan being modified. Thus, the user will not be able to see what is under the dialog box (e.g. weather, terrain, traffic, ADS-B IN information, etc.) on and around the selected waypoint. In fact, the dialog box may cover-up as much as 25% of the INAV screen including the aircraft symbol indicating the current aircraft position and a majority of the displayed information.
Although such systems represent improvements in avionics technology, further enhancements to cockpit displays that are easier to use and create interfaces for common pilot tasks that are intuitive and easy to use may be desirable. More specifically, it would be desirable to provide further enhancements to cockpit displays that are easier to use and create interfaces for flight plan operations for creating and inserting waypoints and altitude constraints.

System and method for providing enhanced flight-plan management


A high availability database system, subject to a failure causing data corruption in the active server system, may recover valid data prior to the corruption, and use the protected and recovered data to effect a failover. At the time when a stand-by computer system detects occurrence of a failure, a pair split is done to the data area to protect the data area data of time T0, just before the occurrence of the failure, and another pair split is done to the log area at the time, where the log area is corrupted or a time T3, where the failover is to take effect without corrupting data, to protect the log area containing data at a given time between time T0 and time T3. By using the data and log areas thus protected, the stand-by computer system may take over valid data and log areas to perform a failover.

In the recent times, the computer system has become necessary in the infrastructure of our daily life as a support for daily activities. The computer system is required to operate 24 hours a day, without interruption, to continuously provide its service. For example, an online banking system has a database task as an essential operation. The database system is not permitted to be halted so as to allow for continuous updating.
In a computer system requiring such a high reliability, which is not allowed to be halted for a moment, the system currently performing tasks (currently active computer system) typically has a backup computer system, which operates to stand by as a replacement to take over a job in an event that the active system experiences a failure. The failover procedure from the detection of a failure found in the active system up to the replacement with the backup, stand-by, system is provided by a cluster program. In order to take over the process, any data used in the application and operating system has to be carried over. For example, in the database system as described above, the information on the volume in which the data to be processed is stored must be carried over.
However, the detection of a fault in the cluster program is programmed so as to prevent the taking over of tasks due to a temporal error or a mistakenly detected failure, such that the tasks are taken over to the stand-by system only when the failure is detected repeatedly a given number of times. As a result, there exists a delay from the first detection of failure to the actual take-over of the system process. If the failure which has occurred in the active system is destructive due to a bug in an application or due to a runaway condition of the system, then some of the data will be destroyed during this period, so that the destroyed data will not be recoverable. Therefore, there is a problem that the stand-by system cannot efficiently take over the processing of the data.
A database system stores data in a volume (VOL) created on a disk for performing its processing. For this, a data protection technique, which involves creation of a replication of the VOL by the disk drive device, has been widely used. For example, JP-A No. 134456/2003 discloses a system in which two computer systems each have a disk drive device, both devices being interconnected to perform a replication of a VOL in either disk. In this system, the primary volume, which represents the source of data, is connected to the active computer system, and the secondary volume or the destination of the data is connected to the backup system independently, so that there must be a disk-to-disk communication procedure. In this system, there is a problem that the disk replication is not properly completed in case of a failure of abnormal disk-to-disk communication, not to mention the case of a bug in an application or a runaway condition.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,401,178 discloses a system in which data replication is performed within a disk drive. When applied to a VOL, a replica of the VOL is created in the disk so that no communication error exists between disks. The VOL replication procedure consists of a pair configuration and a pair split, aimed at a pair of VOLs of the primary VOL or the source of data and the secondary VOL or the destination. A pair configuration is a means for generating rapidly a secondary VOL or a replica of the primary VOL by synchronizing every data including the physical volume identifier (PVID) and the volume information. Thus, a pair is configured, the PVIDs of both primary and secondary VOLs are the same, and the VOLs are treated as one single VOL from the superior computer system. On the other hand, pair splitting is a process that rewrites the PVID of a secondary VOL to another PVID that is different from that of the primary VOL, for the paired VOLs. The paired VOL, which is seen as one single VOL from the superior computer system, can appeared as two separate VOLs in the pair split status. These two means provide for generation of a replication of a primary VOL and for providing a functionality of operating a thus created replica, a secondary VOL, from the computer system.
A method in which data to be taken over may be protected by shadowing the data from the primary vol to the secondary vol by using this volume replication function, in order to recover from the non-corrupted status, can be devised, however, there will be problems in such method. First, if the data replication is enabled, corrupted data may be copied to the destination so that the data in the secondary vol, the subject to be protected, may also be corrupted. Second, if the data capacity is huge in such a case as a database system, the backup process may take a few hours, resulting in a difficulty of frequent backup operations. In addition, there also is another problem in that the recovery of the data status at the time of failure from the backup data may involve a lot of time and effort.
The prior methods, as described above, have the following problems: When a system failure occurs in the active/backup computer systems having commonly shared primary and secondary VOLs that are subject to be replicated therebetween (pair configuration/pair split), and when the stand-by system takes over the process in the active system, if a failure that has occurred in the active computer system involves data corruption, the data to be taken over may be subject to the risk of corruption, so that the fail-over will have failed. This means that, in the failover system, the stand-by system takes over the process and protects data required for the failover by detecting the occurrence of a failure in the active computer system. If there is a failure involving data corruption, the failover works only after the data has been corrupted. When the data has been corrupted, valid data should be recovered from the backup. However, as the amount and capacity of data is continuously increasing, the complete backup interval is set longer, so that the time taken for the recovery of valid data immediately prior to a failure will be enormously long.
As can be seen from the foregoing, the methods employed heretofore have a problem of requiring an enormous time for recovering the same data along with a valid system in case of a failure that involves data corruption, when using a cluster system for the purpose of increased reliability.

Failover method in a redundant computer system with storage devices


A control device for high-voltage equipment includes a computer adapted to receive status information from the equipment via at least one transmission cable. A display system includes a support device carrying on its visible face an equipment status mimic diagram associated with indicator lamps and at least one connector connected directly to the transmission cable, incorporating the indicator lamps and removably connected to the computer at a connection face thereof. The support device and the connector are so disposed that the latter presents the indicator lamps in a manner associated with the mimic diagram of the support device whether it is connected to the computer in a normal position or disconnected from the computer in an emergency position.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention concerns a control device for high-voltage equipment including a display panel.
To be more precise, it concerns a control device for high-voltage equipment including:
a computer adapted to receive status information from the equipment via at least one transmission cable, and PA1 a display system including a support device carrying on its visible face an equipment status mimic diagram associated with indicator lamps. PA1 from a centralized control room from which commands are sent to the computer, PA1 in a local operation mode from a local cabinet from which the control buttons of the display panel can be operated, the computer being operational and the computer and the display panel being accommodated in the cabinet, and PA1 in an emergency operation mode from a local cabinet, the computer not being operational. PA1 by a display system that is totally independent of the computer, i.e. the control buttons and the indicator lamps of which are physically separate from the computer; the display system is then energized by a polarity independent of that of the computer and fed by a status information transmission cable from the equipment which is also independent of that of the computer; operation in the emergency mode from the independent display system is then no problem and this solution is therefore reliable although costly. PA1 a display system entirely integrated into the computer, i.e. the control buttons and the indicator lamps of which are physically integrated into the computer; it is then fed directly by the computer but should the latter fail the display system is no longer operational; this solution is therefore relatively economical but it is not reliable for the operator since in the event of computer failure operation in the emergency mode is not possible.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are three conventional modes of operation of control devices for high-voltage equipment:
The operating mode is typically selected by a three-position switch.
The digital computer assures the automatic control functions, for example interlocking in accordance with the status of other high-voltage equipment, the density of the dielectric gas in the various compartments in the case of metal-clad or other equipment, etc.
The computer replaces the electromechanical relay devices used previously and offers the possibility of evolution towards more sophisticated functions, for example surveillance of the status of the equipment and the possibility of communicating with a higher control and command level via a communication bus.
However, this technology is greeted with some reluctance by some operators because of the necessity to review maintenance methods and more importantly the fear that a major computer failure would render the system totally inoperable and operation impossible.
At present, the display panel function is implemented by two different types of systems:
The control device of the invention solves these problems, being less costly than the control devices including the first type of display system and more reliable than those incorporating the second type of display system. It offers an optimal reliability/cost trade-off.

Control device for high-voltage equipment including a display panel


Apparatus and a process are provided for converting and/or removing harmful constituents from solid hazardous or other undesirable waste material by heating the waste in a reactor in the presence of a continuous flow of oxygen and waste metals, wherein the waste material becomes a molten metal oxide bath which when solidified, has a spinel structure to chemically bond harmful constituents within the spinel structure by crystal chemical substitution. The resulting metal oxides are environmentally acceptable. A substantially gaseous effluent which may contain particulate material is also generated. The effluent is conducted through a high temperature zone to destroy organic and other harmful constituents influenced by temperature and dwell time. The effluent is further processed through an emissions treatment system to achieve acceptable environmental quality.

The disposal of solid waste material, particularly hazardous waste material, is a continuing problem. Hazardous waste materials must be properly handled to avoid harm to humans and the environment.
Incineration of waste material is a principal method of waste disposal. However, the ash by-products of incineration (including municipal incinerator ash, fly ash and bottom ash, for example) can themselves be considered a hazardous waste since it may contain labile heavy metals and other hazardous substances such as organic compounds, for example dioxins. Such substances are dangerous to humans and will cause contamination unless the ash is disposed of in a safe manner, such as in a regulated landfill. Disposal represents an ever-present risk to the environment. It is therefore desirable to provide a process and apparatus for further transforming hazardous wastes and other undesirable waste materials to materials which are suitable for environmentally safe disposal or even useful products. These other hazardous or otherwise undesirable wastes can also include chipped metal wastes, such as paint cans, waste metals or iron with waste oil, electroplated materials and contaminated aluminum stampings. Also included are low level radioactivity wastes, radioactive mixed wastes, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), among many others. It is also desirable to provide a process and apparatus for the transformation of solid waste materials considered to be extremely hazardous such as "sharps" (used surgical equipment such as scalpels) and other solid metallic medical wastes.
Processes and apparatus for reducing waste materials to separable constituents have been proposed in the past, but none is known to be widely used commercially. Deficiencies in high temperature waste treatment processes have limited their utility. Difficulties in processing the effluent of the combustion process which are themselves hazardous have required costly special treatment.
The apparatus and process of the present invention overcome the prior art problems and result in an efficient and effective treatment to convert undesirable waste material into environmentally acceptable and useful products with removal or destruction of unrecyclable components.

Process of making a compound having a spinel structure


A power adapter may include a base wall mounted power adapter configured to be plugged into a wall power outlet and at least one extension adapter unit electrically coupled to the base wall mounted power adapter and configured to be extended away from the wall power outlet. The at least one extension adapter unit may include an electrical conduit reel configured to unravel in response to the at least one extension adapter unit being extended.

Electrical outlets are one of the most components in a home because most of our lives revolve around the ability to supply power to our tools, games, and other electronic items. However, for aesthetic and safety purposes there is a limit to the quantity and density of outlets with commercial and residential buildings. As a result, access to electrical outlets is difficult and tethers our lives to certain locations in the building.
Electrical extensions have attempted to expand our travel beyond the length of our power cords. Electrical extensions bring their own access issues as they constantly fall into inaccessible locations, force us to search in tight locations for the end of the extension, limit the number of devices that can benefit from the extension, and limit the direction from the electrical outlet that we experience the freedom to the single direction that the electrical extension is run.

Reel based outlet relocation/extension system


A regenerated tobacco material is manufactured through extracting a natural tobacco material with an extracting solvent to obtain an extracted solution containing components of the natural tobacco material and an extraction residue. A regenerated tobacco web is prepared by using the extraction residue. On the other hand, the extracted solution is subjected to a fractionating treatment by means of ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis filtration, or reversed-phase partition chromatography to obtain a first fraction enriched in desired components and depleted in undesired components, and a second fraction enriched in the undesired components and depleted in the desired components. The first fraction is added, optionally together with the second fraction decreased in amount, to the regenerated tobacco web to prepare a regenerated tobacco material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a regenerated tobacco material.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various components such as nicotine, nitrates, nitrosamines, hydrocarbons and proteins are contained in tobacco materials such as the leaf, shreds, central vein, stalk, and root of natural tobacco plants. These components are extracted from natural tobacco materials and are used as a flavoring additive to tobacco. These components include those which are desirable to be decreased in amount or to be removed, on one hand, and also include those which are desirable not to be removed or to be increased in amount, in view of the tobacco flavor or some other reasons.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,929 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,401 disclose a method in which tobacco materials are extracted with an aqueous extracting solvent, followed by subjecting the extracted aqueous solution to an electrodialysis to separate and remove the nitrate ions. Various tobacco articles can be manufactured by adding the extracted solution, having the nitrate ions removed therefrom, to the extraction residue forming fibrous tobacco materials.
U.S. Patent Publication US 2002/0134394 A1 (corresponding to International Publication WO 02/28209 discloses a method in which an extracted solution obtained by extracting tobacco materials with an extracting solvent is treated with a sorption agent capable of adsorbing/absorbing nitrosamines, such as activated carbon, to remove nitrosamines from the extracted solution. Various tobacco articles can be manufactured by adding the extracted solution, having nitrosamine removed therefrom, to the extraction residue forming the fibrous tobacco materials.
International Publication WO 01/65954 discloses extracting nitrosamines by treating tobacco with a supercritical carbon dioxide, and subjecting the extract to a nitrosamine removing process. The nitrosamine removing process includes a separating operation by chromatography. However, this chromatography is not disclosed in detail, and the material to be subjected to the chromatography is not an aqueous extracted material.
In the separating/removing method utilizing the electrodialysis noted above, the object that is to be removed is limited to ions and, thus, the method cannot be used widely. Also, the extracted solution tends to be denatured by the voltage application during the electrodialysis. The extracted solution also tends to be denatured by heating that is applied for improving the separation efficiency. Further, where useful components contained in the dialyzate, having the nitrate ions removed therefrom, is to be used for a certain purpose, it is necessary to apply a concentrating treatment to the dialyzate. A similar concentrating treatment may be required in the separating method using a sorption agent. Also, the method using the supercritical carbon dioxide necessitates a costly apparatus.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a regenerated tobacco material, in which a fraction rich in a desired component and poor in an undesired component and another fraction poor in the desired component and rich in the undesired component are obtained from an extracted solution extracted from natural tobacco materials, and one or both of these fractions are used to manufacture the regenerated tobacco materials.

Method of manufacturing regenerated tobacco material


A vehicle includes a brake device; a storage configured to store a first setting value and a second setting value having a smaller magnitude than the first setting value; a communicator configured to receive an automatic parking signal; a detector configured to detect at least one of an object or whether the vehicle is in contact with the object; and a controller configured to control the brake device based on a detection result of the detector and the first setting value, and to control the brake device based on the detection result and the second setting value when the automatic parking signal is received.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
In recent years, a vehicle including an automatic parking function has been developed as a technology for convenient driver parking.
Particularly, in order to park conveniently in a space where it is difficult for a user to get on and off, a conventional vehicle utilizes a control of the vehicle technology through a rear camera, an ultrasonic sensor, and a smart key.
However, according to a conventional automatic parking method, there is an area where the rear camera and the ultrasonic sensor cannot be detected, and when the rear camera or the ultrasonic sensor malfunctions, there is a problem that a safe parking cannot be performed.

Vehicle and method of controlling the same


A metal oxide varistor with heat protection has a body, an insulated washer, a first lead, a second lead and a thermal fuse. The body has two sides and two contacts respectively on the sides. The insulated washer is attached to one contact and has a through hole. The first lead is mounted on the other contact. The second lead is mounted on the insulated washer. The thermal fuse is mounted on the insulated washer and electrically connects to the second lead and the second contact. When the body overloads and overheats, the thermal fuse causes the circuit to open quickly, and the insulated washer keeps the thermal fuse from electrically connecting to the second contact again.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a metal oxide varistor having heat protection, especially to a metal oxide varistor with an automatic switching-off feature that automatically opens a circuit in conditions of overheating due to sustained over-voltages.
2. Description of the Prior Arts
Metal oxide varistors are widely used in circuits as voltage protection elements and inrush-current-absorbing elements. Metal oxide varistors have the capability of clamping high transient voltages appearing on unconditioned power lines to a low level to protect electrical equipment or devices connected to the line. While the metal oxide varistors have a long life and have the ability to repeatedly clamp high transient voltage spikes to a safe level, the metal oxide varistors do eventually fail and ultimately, even if a catastrophic failure does not occur, the impedance of metal oxide varistors decreases to the point where they present a significant load, and eventually overheat and fail while emitting smoke and fumes.
Thus, the protection is generally provided to a metal oxide varistors by connecting the varistors across a power line in series with a current limiting fuse and/or a thermal fuse. If the temperature of the varistor increases beyond the rated temperature of the thermal-fuse, the thermal fuse will open, thereby removing the varistor from the circuit. Thermal-fuses used to protect electrical circuits from varistor failure are generally cylindrical in shape and are mounted on printed circuit boards on which the varistor is mounted with the fuse arranged adjacent and parallel to the varistor body. As long as the thermal protective fuse is physically close enough to the varistor, an increase in varistor temperature will increase the temperature of the thermal protective fuse, causing it to open. While these thermal protective fuses used to protect electrical circuits from varistor failure have been somewhat effective, varistors may overheat and fail if localized overheating occurs at a portion of the varistor body remote from the fuse. The varistor and surrounding areas may be destroyed before the temperature at the fuse increases sufficiently to cause the fuse open.
In a further known prior art device, a conventional metal oxide varistor and a thermal fuse are packaged together in encapsulation material to provide heat protection. However, when the temperature of the varistor increases beyond the thermal fuse's rated temperature and the thermal fuse opens, air in the fuse expands because of the heat, which may cause a spark to be generated as a result of a short circuit. The expanded air and the spark may explode the encapsulating material and the elements of the conventional metal oxide varistor and damage other elements in the circuit. Moreover, the explosion may generate a loud noise and startle anyone in the vicinity of the varistor.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides a metal oxide varistor with heat protection to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.

Metal oxide varistor with heat protection

Thinking Electronics Industrial Co., Ltd.


A hydrogel material for use in three-dimensional scaffold printing is disclosed. The material is formed from a first triblock polymer having a formula ABA and a second triblock polymer having a formula AmaBAma, wherein A is a first polymer, B is a second polymer, and Ama is a methacrylate of the first polymer. The material is thermosensitive and photocrosslinkable. A method of manufacturing the material is also disclosed.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermosensitive and photocrosslinkable composite material that may be used in three-dimensional scaffold printing.
Description of the Related Art
In the US alone, around eight million surgical procedures are performed every year to treat maladies related to damaged tissue; over 70,000 patients are waiting for organ transplants, and more than 100,000 people die each year with tissue related disorders. The current demands for replacement organs and tissues far exceed the supply, and research indicates that this gap will continue to widen. The history of reconstructive surgery began with ablative surgery, followed by tissue and organ transplantation, leading to contemporary tissue reconstruction. In recent years, the main focus of tissue engineering has been on the culture of cells. In general, tissues are three-dimensional ("3-D") structures composed of living cells and a support structure. Therefore, the generation of functional implants from living cells relies heavily on the fabrication of the 3-D structure. Tissue engineering has been successfully used to replace skin, blood vessels, and cardiac tissue. For a new generation of complex 3-D implants, more sophisticated technology is required. Complex shapes and structures can be created from special biodegradable and biocompatible polymers so that a tissue's natural support structure replaces the synthetic scaffold as it degrades. The materials should therefore be considered only as a temporary support for cell growth and cell adhesion. For engineering soft tissues, ideal scaffolds are made of synthetic or natural biopolymers providing porous (up to 90%) support structure, thus mimicking the natural extracellular matrix environment in which cells attach, multiply, migrate and function. The pores in the scaffold must be interconnected to allow efficient nutrient transfer and waste exchange to permit survival of any cells cultured on the scaffold. The pores should typically be 100-300 μm, around 5-10 times a cell's diameter. Porous scaffolds facilitate tissue formation while providing adequate mechanical strength to withstand implantation and permit normal physiological function in the human body.
There exists a need for a temporary scaffolding material that is thermoresponsive and photocrosslinkable as well as designed and fabricated to be used in many different applications of solid freeform fabrication.

Thermosensitive and crosslinkable polymer composite for three-dimensional soft tissue scaffold printing


A boat trailer comprises a rectangular rear frame section and a forwardly extending hitch bar. On the rear frame section is mounted a pair of longitudinally extending bunks onto which the boat can rest during transportation to avoid pressure points. Inside the bunks toward a longitudinal center line of the trailer are provided two pairs of roller assemblies which can be raised to a position to hold the boat above the bunks for loading and unloading and can be lowered to a position in which the boat is lowered onto the bunks and separated from the rollers to avoid pressure points during transportation. The roller assemblies are commonly actuated by a linear actuator arrangement at the front of the hitch bar. Each roller assembly includes four rollers independently pivotal to allow the rollers to follow the contour of the boat. At a forward end of the hitch bar is mounted a security leg which can extend along the underside of the hitch bar or can be moved downwardly to a deployed position in which it raises the hitch bar above the normal hitch position so as to incline the trailer rearwardly and can be locked in that position to prevent the hitch being used.

This invention relates to a boat trailer for transportation of boats.
Many boat trailers have been proposed and manufactured previously. Examples are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,529,217 (Wood); 4,895,387 (Hawkins); 4,858,943 (Cote); 4,781,392 (Cooper); 4,754,988 (Hofgren) and 4,623,161 (Sprague). Many of the above patents show an arrangement of trailer which supports the boat on the trailer frame by bunks which comprise elongate beams extending longitudinally of the boat with a relatively large upper surface which is often covered with a resilient material to provide support for the boat during transportation while avoiding high stress points which can damage the surface of the boat.
Many boat owners prefer to transport their boat on a trailer of this type including bunks in order to avoid damage to the boat surface. There is however a significant problem in unloading the boat from a trailer of this type in that the boat is relatively heavy and does not slide effectively on the bunks.
Some of the above patents show rollers on which the boat can roll. Other trailer types comprise simply rollers for supporting the boat which of course enables simple rolling of the boat across the rollers into the loaded position. However the rollers tend to damage the surface of the boat during transportation in that they provide relatively high stress points in view of the very small area of contact.
A further problem which arises in relation to boat trailers is that of theft since the unit is usually parked unattended in a yard or driveway when not being used. In addition the boat trailer generally does not include any support structure at the forward end so that when left by the vehicle it is simply inclined forwardly and downwardly toward the ground. This can cause water to collect in the boat at the forward end which makes it very difficult to lift the trailer when it is required to be connected to the hitch.
Various forms of jack arrangement are provided in the prior art and examples are shown in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,865,658 (Dubuque); 3,841,663 (Proffit); 3,989,276 (Hamerl); 4,619,463 (Weaver); 3,791,676 (Spratlen) and 4,469,348 (Crook). The last of these patents discloses a device which comprises a spare wheel support on which is attached a loop type structure pivotal from a rearward retracted position lying along the underside of the hitch to a forward deployed position in which it extends downwardly into contact with the ground. The loop type support can be locked in the forward position. This device is however relatively complicated and has a number of disadvantages.


A hearing device includes: a multi-chip assembly including a plurality of integrated circuit chips, the plurality of integrated circuit chips including one or a combination of a wireless communication chip, a power management chip, and a signal processing chip; wherein the multi-chip assembly comprises: a first layer having a surface, a spacer layer being configured to accommodate one or more of the plurality of integrated circuit chips as one or more embedded chips, and a ground layer below the first layer and the spacer layer, and a first shielding layer between the spacer layer and the first layer.

Hearing devices are very small and delicate devices and comprise many electronic and metallic components contained in a housing or shell small enough to fit in the ear canal of a human or be located behind the outer ear. The many electronic and metallic components in combination with the small size of the hearing device housing or shell impose high design constraints on antennas to be used in hearing devices with wireless communication capabilities, both MI antennas and RF antennas.
Moreover, particularly the RF antenna in the hearing device must be designed to achieve a satisfactory performance despite these limitations and other narrow design constraints imposed by the size of the hearing device.
The developments within wireless technologies for hearing devices and the continuous efforts to make hearing devices smaller and more cost effective to manufacture has led to the use of flexible carriers incorporating one or more antennas in hearing devices.
Still further, in binaural hearing device systems, the requirements to the quality of the communication between the hearing devices in the binaural hearing device system are ever increasing, and include demands for low latency and low noise, increasing the requests for effective antennas in the hearing devices.
Still further, the hearing devices typically includes an amount of (litze) wires that may degrade performance of antennas positioned inside the hearing devices.
All these demands proves difficult to solve with existing devices, as the present communication capabilities are insufficient.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Hearing device with embedded integrated circuit chips


Embodiments of the invention provide an electronic system for generating secret information comprising a Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) circuit, the PUF circuit being configured to provide a difference between two values of a physical variable of the PUF in response to a challenge applied to the PUF circuit. The system is configured to apply a set of challenges during an enrolment phase, and measure the physical variable difference provided by the PUF in response to each challenge. The system further comprises:                A helper data generator (2) configured to generate a helper data comprising a set of bits, a bit of the helper data being generated in association with each applied challenge, the helper data generator being configured to generate each helper data bit from the physical variable difference provided by the PUF in response to the application of the associated challenge,the system further comprising a secret information generator (3) for extracting secret information from the helper data.

PUFs are increasingly used in many electronic devices containing secret data to enhance security and make such devices resistant to attacks directed against the devices. Different types of attacks can be directed against electronic devices from the outside to try to access such data, such as side-channel attacks, electro-migration (such as power consumption, electromagnetic emissions, operations duration, etc.), imaging, fault injection, etc.
PUF are used in many applications such as identification, authentication and secret key generation. While conventional approaches for securing electronic devices used to store secret bits in a memory, each instance of a Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) device has a unique and unpredictable way of mapping challenges to responses.
A PUF is a physical entity embodied in a physical structure which is the same in each physical instantiation of the physical entity and which generates a specific output, called "response", when provided with an input, called "challenge". The value of the specific response depends on the uniqueness of the physical microstructure of each instance. Minor variations and random physical factors during manufacturing that are unpredictable and uncontrollable make each instantiation of the physical entity embodied within a device unique. Differences between specific outputs are due to minor process and material variations introduced during the manufacturing process. A PUF thus ensures that the knowledge of the PUF output of a given device does not jeopardize the other fabricated devices. A PUF can be incorporated in an integrated circuit (such as a CMOS integrated circuit). A PUF can be used in various applications such as authentication of chips, generation of cryptographic keys, seeds of PRNG, etc.
The physical structure that contains the PUF consists of at least one random component. The response of a PUF to a given challenge is obtained by submitting the input to the physical system in the form of a stimulus, and mapping the behavior that occurs as a result of an interaction between the stimulus and the physical system to an output.
PUFs inherently possess tamper resistant properties. If an attacker tries to disassemble the PUF to observe its operation, this will also disturb the random elements of the PUF and the mapping between the inputs and the outputs. The knowledge of the PUF structure obtained by reverse engineering does not unveil the PUF value.
The quality of the PUF circuit is a major challenge. The quality of a PUF circuit may be related to a number of properties or metrics such as reliability. The reliability of a PUF refers to the property that a response for a given input is provided in a deterministic manner. Such a property can be viewed in particular as a security property since an unreliable PUF can accidentally provide the output of another PUF and be prone to machine learning attacks. PUF properties have been analyzed in Yohei Hori, Takahiro Yoshida, Toshihiro Katashita and Akashi Satoh, in "Quantitative and Statistical Performance Evaluation of Arbiter Physically Unclonable Functions on FPGAs", International Conference on Reconfigurable Computing and FPGAs, IEEE, 2110, pp. 298-303.
The reliability of a PUF thus refers to the property according to which a PUF will always generate the same response for a given challenge.
In particular, delay-based PUFs are very sensitive to noise and other environmental variations such as temperature, supply voltage and electromagnetic interference. Indeed, delay-based PUFs are based on a measurement of a very slight physical difference such as time difference. Because of noise, the outputs are likely to be slightly different at each evaluation, even on the same integrated circuit for the same challenge. Such PUFs thus suffer from a low reliability level. As a result, due to environmental effects and thermal noise, for example, the response to a same challenge applied to a delay-based PUF can vary.
However, in most applications of a PUF, such as key generation, perfect reliability of the PUF is required.
In existing approaches, it is known to add a correction block in the PUF implementation to make PUF bits reliable or only maintain reliable bits. Such correction block is based on an error correcting code (ECC) which takes advantage of helper data representing public words (also referred to as the "secure sketch"). This approach is derived from biometric identification systems called "fuzzy extractors", as disclosed in Dodis, Y., Reyzin, L., & Smith, A. (2104, May). Fuzzy extractors: How to generate strong keys from biometrics and other noisy data. In Advances in cryptology-Eurocrypt 2104 (pp. 523-521). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
A fuzzy extractor or key extractor PUFs can also be used to extract a unique strong cryptographic key from the physical microstructure. The same unique key is reconstructed every time the PUF is evaluated. Fuzzy extractors convert repeated noisy readings of a secret into the same uniformly distributed key. To eliminate noise, they use an initial enrolment phase that takes the first noisy reading of the secret and produces non-secret helper data (data to be used in subsequent readings).
Conventionally, a helper data represents a public word that is associated to the PUF. The helper data is generated once during an enrolment phase which takes place just after fabrication of the IC device. The enrolment phase corresponds to the injection of a secret from the outside into the PUF circuit, within a controlled environment.
In conventional approaches, the helper data is a code word which is needed to detect and correct potential errors with the ECC correction block. Various ways for constructing helper data from code words of an ECC or a combination of ECC are known. Helper data are generally constructed by selecting code words from the error correcting code(s) randomly or according to particular criteria (total length of the code words, etc.). Then, an operation on a concatenation of the code words and a concatenation of additional bits is performed, such as an exclusive-or operation. Existing error correcting codes include for example, BCH codes, Reed-Muller codes, Golay codes, Reed-Solomon codes, LDPC codes, etc.
Current Error correction techniques used in PUFs adds a complexity level which is not compatible with low code devices.
There is accordingly a need for improved methods and devices ensuring a high reliable PUF with very low complexity.

System and method for generating secret information using a high reliability physically unclonable function


An electrosurgical instrument is provided for the treatment of tissue in the presence of an electrically-conductive fluid medium. The instrument comprises an instrument shaft (10), and a tissue treatment electrode (12) at the distal end of the shaft for electrosurgically excising tissue pieces at an operation site. The tissue treatment electrode (12) is cyclically movable relative to the distal end of the shaft (10). Threshold control means are provided for controlling the power threshold for vaporization of the electrically-conductive fluid medium at the tissue treatment electrode (12).

This invention relates to an electrosurgical instrument for the treatment of tissue in the presence of an electrically-conductive fluid medium, to electrosurgical apparatus including such an instrument, and to an electrode unit for use in such an instrument. Endoscopic electrosurgery is useful for treating tissue in cavities of the body, and is normally performed in the presence of a distension medium. When the distension medium is a liquid, this is commonly referred to as underwater electrosurgery, this term denoting electrosurgery in which living tissue is treated using an electrosurgical instrument with a treatment electrode or electrodes immersed in liquid at the operation site. A gaseous medium is commonly employed when endoscopic surgery is performed in a distensible body cavity of larger potential volume in which a liquid medium would be unsuitable, as is often the case in laparoscopic or gastroenterological surgery.
Underwater surgery is commonly performed using endoscopic techniques, in which the endoscope itself may provide a conduit (commonly referred to as a working channel) for the passage of an electrode. Alternatively, the endoscope may be specifically adapted (as in a resectoscope) to include means for mounting an electrode, or the electrode may be introduced into a body cavity via a separate access means at an angle with respect to the endoscopexe2x80x94a technique commonly referred to as triangulation. These variations in technique can be subdivided by surgical speciality, where one or other of the techniques has particular advantages given the access route to the specific body cavity. Endoscopes with integral working channels, or those characterised as resectoscopes, are generally employed when the body cavity may be accessed through a natural body openingxe2x80x94such as the cervical canal to access the endometrial cavity of the uterus, or the urethra to access the prostate gland and the bladder. Endoscopes specifically designed for use in the endometrial cavity are referred to as hysteroscopes, and those designed for use in the urinary tract include cystoscopes, urethroscopes and resectoscopes. The procedures of transurethal resection or vaporisation of the prostate gland are known as TURP and EVAP respectively. When there is no natural body opening through which an endoscope may be passed, the technique of triangulation is commonly employed. Triangulation is commonly used during underwater endoscopic surgery on joint cavities such as the knee and the shoulder. The endoscope used in these procedures is commonly referred to as an arthroscope.
Electrosurgery is usually carried out using either a monopolar instrument or a bipolar instrument. With monopolar electrosurgery, an active electrode is used in the operating region, and a conductive return plate is secured to the patient""s skin. With this arrangement, current passes from the active electrode through the patient""s tissues to the external return plate. Since the patient represents a significant portion of the circuit, input power levels have to be high (typically 150 to 250 watts), to compensate for the resistive current limiting of the patient""s tissues and, in the case of underwater electrosurgery, power losses due to the fluid medium which is rendered partially conductive by the presence of blood or other body fluids. Using high power with a monopolar arrangement is also hazardous, due to the tissue heating that occurs at the return plate, which can cause severe skin burns. There is also the risk of capacitive coupling between the instrument and patient tissues at the entry point into the body cavity.
With bipolar electrosurgery, a pair of electrodes (an active electrode and a return electrode) are used together at the tissue application site. This arrangement has advantages from the safety standpoint, due to the relative proximity of the two electrodes so that radio frequency currents are limited to the region between the electrodes. However, the depth of effect is directly related to the distance between the two electrodes; and, in applications requiring very small electrodes, the inter-electrode spacing becomes very small, thereby limiting tissue effect and the output power. Spacing the electrodes further apart would often obscure vision of the application site, and would require a modification in surgical technique to ensure direct contact of both electrodes with the tissue.
There are a number of variations to the basic design of the bipolar probe. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,667 describes one of the fundamentals of the design, namely that the ratio of the contact areas of the return electrode and of the active electrode is greater than 7:1 and smaller than 20:1 for cutting purposes. This range relates only to cutting electrode configurations. When a bipolar instrument is used for desiccation or coagulation, the ratio of the contact areas of the two electrodes may be reduced to approximately 1:1 to avoid differential electrical stresses occurring at the contact between the tissue and the electrode.
The electrical junction between the return electrode and tissue can be supported by wetting of the tissue by a conductive solution such as normal saline. This ensures that the surgical effect is limited to the active electrode, with the electric circuit between the two electrodes being completed by the tissue. One of the obvious limitations with the design is that the active electrode (typically a needle) must be completely buried in the tissue to enable the return electrode to complete the circuit. Another problem is one of the orientation: even a relatively small change in application angle from the ideal perpendicular contact with respect to the tissue surface, will change the contact area ratio, so that a surgical effect can occur in the tissue in contact with the return electrode.
Cavity distension provides space for gaining access to the operation site, to improve visualisation, and to allow for manipulation of instruments. In low volume body cavities, particularly where it is desirable to distend the cavity under higher pressure, liquid rather than gas is more commonly used due to better optical characteristics, and because it washes blood away from the operative site.
Conventional underwater electrosurgery has been performed using a non-conductive liquid (such as 1.5% glycine) as an irrigant, or as a distension medium to eliminate electrical conduction losses. Glycine is used in isotonic concentrations to prevent osmotic changes in the blood when intra-vascular absorption occurs. In the course of an operation, veins may be severed, with resultant infusion of the liquid into the circulation, which could cause, among other things, a dilution of serum sodium which can lead to a condition known as water intoxication.
The applicants have found that it is possible to use a conductive liquid medium, such as normal saline, in underwater endoscopic electrosurgery in place of non-conductive, electrolyte-free solutions. Normal saline is the preferred distension medium in underwater endoscopic surgery when electrosurgery is not contemplated, or a non-electrical tissue effect such as laser treatment is being used. Although normal saline (0.9% w/v; 150 mmol/l) has an electrical conductivity somewhat greater than that of most body tissue, it has the advantage that displacement by absorption or extravasation from the operative site produces little physiological effect, and the so-called water intoxication effects of non-conductive, electrolyte-free solutions are avoided.
Carbon dioxide is the preferred gaseous distension medium, primarily because of its non-toxic nature and high water solubility.
The applicants have developed a bipolar instrument suitable for underwater electrosurgery using a conductive liquid or gaseous medium. This electrosurgical instrument for the treatment of tissue in the presence of a fluid medium, comprises an instrument body having a handpiece and an instrument shaft and an electrode assembly, at one end of the shaft. The electrode assembly comprises a tissue treatment (active) electrode which is exposed at the extreme distal end of the instrument, and a return electrode which is electrically insulated from the tissue treatment electrode and has a fluid contact surface spaced proximally from the exposed part of the tissue treatment electrode. In use of the instrument, the tissue treatment electrode is applied to the tissue to be treated whilst the return electrode, being spaced proximally from the exposed part of the tissue treatment electrode, is normally spaced from the tissue and serves to complete an electrosurgical current loop from the tissue treatment electrode through the tissue and the fluid medium. This electrosurgical instrument is described in the specification of our International Patent Application No. PCT/GB96/01473.
The electrode structure of this instrument, in combination with an electrically-conductive fluid medium largely avoids the problems experienced with monopolar or bipolar electrosurgery. In particular, input power levels are much lower than those generally necessary with a monopolar arrangement (typically 100 watts). Moreover, because of the relatively large spacing between its electrodes, an improved depth of effect is obtained compared with conventional bipolar arrangements.
The specification of our International Patent Application Ser. No. GB96/01472 describes an irrigated bipolar electrosurgical instrument that can be used in open air or gas-filled environments. This instrument includes an internal channel for feeding electrically-conductive fluid (typically saline) to the exposed end of a tissue treatment electrode so as to provide a conductive fluid path that completes an electrical circuit to a return electrode when the instrument is in use. This instrument also includes an internal channel for removing fluid from the region of the exposed end of the tissue treatment electrode. When the fluid is a liquid, such as saline, the presence of that liquid can cause collateral tissue damage, so its removal is desirable. This type of instrument is intended primarily for use in open air or gas-filled environments, and is not suitable for use with electrosurgical procedures which require distension of a body cavity.
However, where the volume of a body cavity is smallxe2x80x94for example in arthroscopic surgery where even the large joints, such as the knee, may only accommodate 50-60 ml of irrigation fluidxe2x80x94the following problems may occur, namely:
(i) Heated fluid in the immediate vicinity of the tissue contact electrode can cause collateral tissue damage;
(ii) The products of the tissue vaporised by the tissue contact electrode can cause visualisation problems; and
(iii) Soft tissue present in a joint space tends to move about, making it difficult to apply the active electrode to vaporise such tissue.
An arthroscope electrode may be characterised as short (100 to 140 mm), and rigid with a working diameter up to 5 mm. It can be introduced through a stab incision into a joint cavity (with or without a cannula) using the triangulation technique. Such an electrode is operated with a motion which moves the electrode between the 9 O""Clock and 3 O""Clock positions on the arthroscopic image. As a result, the tissue to be treated is usually approached at a shallow working angle with respect to the axis of the electrode. An arthroscopic electrode thus needs to have an effect consistent with this angled approach to the tissue. The tissue to be treated, such as meniscal cartilage, is commonly dense and of a high electrical impedance. An arthroscope electrode requires output power and voltage settings that reflect the type of tissue being treated, the size of electrode, and the fact that arthroscopists are seeking a speed of effect comparable to that of the mechanical shaver devices they currently employ, albeit with an electrode of smaller dimensions than a shaver blade for improved access.
The specification of our British Patent Application 9612993.7 describes an electrosurgical instrument for the treatment of tissue in the presence of an electrically-conductive fluid medium. The instrument comprises an instrument shaft, and an electrode assembly at one end of the shaft, the electrode assembly comprising a tissue treatment electrode and a return electrode which is electrically insulated from the tissue treatment electrode by means of an insulation member. The tissue treatment electrode has an exposed end for treating tissue, and the return electrode has a fluid contact surface which is spaced from the tissue treatment electrode in such a manner as to define, in use, a conductive fluid path that completes an electrical circuit between the tissue treatment electrode and the return electrode. The electrode assembly is provided with a plurality of apertures in the region of the tissue treatment electrode, through which apertures vapour bubbles and/or particulate material can be aspirated from the region surrounding the tissue treatment electrode.
An RF generator is provided for powering the electrode assembly. The power required from the RF generator to achieve vaporisation depends on a number of variables more fully described in the specification of our International Patent Application No. GB97/00065. Of these variables two, are of particular importance in the context of the present invention; one being the cooling effect produced by the aspiration of conductive fluid in the region of the tissue contact electrode, and the other being the disruption of the vapour pocket formed around the tissue contact electrode by the flow of conductive fluid. These problems can be partially overcome by coordinating the aspiration by monitoring the output features of the generator which indicate the vaporisation power threshold has been exceeded. This usually results in a series of suction pulses as the vaporisation threshold is repeatedly exceeded between pulses and then elevated during the suction pulses so that, should vaporisation be maintained, the suction will be applied continuously. By using this technique, heated saline in the vicinity of the tissue contact electrode and vaporisation products can be successfully removed. The other desirable feature is the aspiration of loose tissue towards the tissue contact electrode, so that it can be stabilised during vaporisation. Whilst this can be achieved according to this technique; there are two significant performance limitations.
The first of these limitations is that the gaseous products of tissue vaporisation contain fatty products which have a sublimation property, i.e. they condense directly to a solid; sublimation occurring at temperatures well above boiling point. As the electrode shaft within the body cavity is cooled by the surrounding saline, these products are easily condensed. Thus, if a parallel suction shaft is used, the build up is along its entire length, and eventually completely blocks the tube. This process, even at the flow rates dictated by minimal influence on the power threshold, can cause very rapid blocking. For example, it is found that, with a moderately large electrode tip, using a 1 mm internal diameter suction tube, complete blockage occurs after 30 seconds of activation. Obviously, a larger tube bore would increase the time before blockage, but this occurs so rapidly that the required bore size for a useful electrode life is beyond the dimensions of the maximum shaft diameter. The problems of sublimation are compounded by aspiration of tissue pieces which are incompletely vaporised before being excised from the remainder of the tissue. Given the need to attract tissue and, therefore, the requirement for a strong suction pressure which, once tissue is engaged with the tissue contact electrode and the vaporisation threshold is continually exceeded by cessation of flow, increases the propensity for aspiration of unvaporised tissue and blockage of the aspiration channel.
The second of these limitations also relates to adherence of tissue to the tissue contact electrode. As indicated above, once the tissue obstructs flow, the vaporisation power threshold is exceeded, and suction is continuously applied. Under these circumstances, and particularly when aspiration channels are provided adjacent to the tissue treatment electrode, a steady state can be reached wherein the tissue is held around the periphery of the tissue contact electrode, the portion of tissue in the immediate vicinity of the tissue treatment electrode is vaporised but, without moving the application site or redirecting suction solely through the tissue treatment electrode, no further removal of tissue will occur. For example, large pieces of tissue tend to bridge the tissue treatment electrode, so that all tissue in contact with the electrode is removed, but the bulk of the tissue is left in place. Applying suction solely through the tissue treatment electrode limits the size of the electrode otherwise two extremes are created where, on the one hand during activation in conductive fluid, the vaporisation power threshold is very elevated despite synchronising suction pulses with the RF output, typically  greater than 200 Watts, yet, on the other hand, can be reduced to below 50% of this level once tissue is engaged. With a static tissue contact electrode, there is an inevitable compromise between these performances variables.
The aim of the invention to provide an improved electrosurgical instrument of this type.
The present invention provides an electrosurgical instrument for the treatment of tissue in the presence of an electrically-conductive fluid medium, the instrument comprising an instrument shaft, and a tissue treatment electrode mounted at the distal end of the shaft for electrosurgically excising tissue pieces at an operation site, the tissue treatment electrode being movable cyclically relative to the distal end of the shaft, wherein vaporisation threshold control means are provided for controlling the power threshold for vaporisation of the electrically-conductive fluid medium at the tissue treatment electrode.
Preferably, the instrument further comprises drive means for moving the tissue treatment electrode relative to the distal end of the shaft.
Advantageously, the instrument further comprises a return electrode which is electrically insulated from the tissue treatment electrode by insulation means, the tissue treatment electrode being exposed at the distal end of the instrument, and the return electrode having a fluid contact surface spaced proximally from the exposed end of the tissue treatment electrode.
In a preferred embodiment, the tissue treatment electrode is movable cyclically relative to the return electrode so as to move the tissue treatment electrode cyclically into, and out of, at least one position in which arcing occurs between the tissue treatment and return electrodes.
Advantageously, the tissue treatment electrode is provided at the distal end of a rod mounted within, and movable relative to, the instrument shaft. Conveniently, the tissue treatment electrode is constituted by the distal end portion of the rod.
In a preferred embodiment, the drive means is such as to reciprocate the rod within the channel. Advantageously, the drive means is constituted by a motor and coupling means for converting the rotary output of the motor into reciprocatory movement of the rod.
In another preferred embodiment, the drive means is such as to rotate the rod within the channel. An electric motor may constitute the drive means.
In yet another preferred embodiment, the control means is such as to produce turbulence in the fluid medium surrounding the tissue treatment electrode, whereby, should vaporisation of the fluid medium surrounding the tissue treatment electrode cease, the control means is effective to reduce the turbulence, thereby to allow vaporisation to be re-established.
Preferably, the control means is such as to vary the rate of cyclical movement of the tissue treatment electrode thereby producing said turbulence in the fluid medium surrounding the tissue treatment electrode.
The instrument may further comprise removal means, the instrument having an apertured portion through which matter can be aspirated by the removal means from the region surrounding the tissue treatment electrode, the removal means comprising a channel formed within the instrument shaft and leading from the apertured portion.
Preferably, the removal means further comprises a pump connected to the channel at a region thereof remote from the apertured portion of the instrument. In this case, the control means may be such as to vary the rate of the pump thereby producing said turbulence in the fluid medium surrounding the tissue treatment electrode. In this case, the pump may be activated cyclically whereby matter is aspirated by the removal means in a pulsed fashion. Conveniently, the pump is activated only when the tissue treatment electrode is powered for tissue vaporisation.
The instrument may further comprise an RF generator having a bipolar output connected to the tissue treatment electrode and the return electrode. Advantageously, the RF generator supplies energy to the drive means. Preferably, the control means includes a vaporisation detection circuit for detecting vaporisation in the region of the tissue treatment electrode, the vaporisation detection circuit being connected to the output of the RF generator whereby the vaporisation power threshold is controlled in dependence upon the output characteristics of the RF generator.
The control means may further include an RF active detection circuit for detecting the presence of RF voltages at the output of the RF generator, whereby the pump can be activated before the RF generator is turned on.
The electrosurgical instrument of the invention is useful for dissection, resection, vaporisation, desiccation and coagulation of tissue, as well as for combinations of these functions. It has a particular application in arthroscopic surgery as it pertains to endoscopic and percutaneous procedures performed on joints of the body including, but not limited to, such techniques as they apply to the spine and other non-synovial joints. Arthroscopic operative procedures may include: partial or complete meniscectomy of the knee joint including meniscal cystectomy; lateral retinacular release of the knee joint; removal of anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments or remnants thereof; labral tear resection, acromioplasty, bursectomy and subacromial decompression of the shoulder joint; anterior release of the temperomandibular joint; synovectomy, cartilage debridement, chondroplasty, division of intra-articular adhesions, fracture and tendon debridement as applied to any of the synovial joints of the body; inducing thermal shrinkage of joint capsules as a treatment for recurrent dislocation, subluxation or repetitive stress injury to any articulated joint of the body; discectomy either in the treatment of a disc prolapse or as part of a spinal fusion via a posterior or anterior approach to the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine or any other fibrous joint for similar purposes; excision of diseased tissue; and haemostasis.
The instrument of the invention is also useful for dissection, resection, vaporisation, desiccation and coagulation of tissue, as well as combinations of these functions, with particular application in urological endoscopic (urethroscopy, cystoscopy, ureteroscopy and nephroscopy) and percutaneous surgery. Urological procedures may include: electro-vaporisation of the prostate gland (EVAP) and other variants of the procedure commonly referred to as transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) including, but not limited to, interstitial ablation of the prostate gland by a percutaneous or perurethral route whether performed for benign or malignant disease; transurethral or percutaneous resection of urinary tract tumours as they may arise as primary or secondary neoplasms, and further as they may arise anywhere in the urological tract from the calyces of the kidney to the external urethral meatus; division of strictures as they may arise at the pelviureteric junction (PUJ), ureter, ureteral orifice, bladder neck or urethra; correction of ureterocoele; shrinkage of bladder diverticular; cystoplasty procedures as they pertain to corrections of voiding dysfunction; thermally induced shrinkage of the pelvic floor as a corrective treatment for bladder neck descent; excision of diseased tissue; and haemostasis.
The electrosurgical instrument of the invention is also useful for dissection, resection, vaporisation, desiccation and coagulation of tissue and combinations of these functions with particular application in laparascopic, colposcopic (including vaginal speculum) and open surgical procedures on the female genital tract and adnexal related diseases. Laparascopic operative procedures may include: removal of subserosal and pedunculated fibroids, ablation of ectopic endometrium, ovarian cystectomy and ovarian drilling procedures; oophorectomy, salpingo-oophorectomy, subtotal hysterectomy and laparaoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) as may be performed for benign or malignant diseases; laparoscopic uterosacral nerve ablation (LUNA); fallopian tube surgery as correction of ectopic pregnancy or complications arising from acquired obstructions; division of abdominal adhesions; and haemostasis.
The electrosurgical instrument of the invention is also useful in the lower female genital tract, including treatment of cervix, vagina and external genitalia whether accessed directly or using instrumentation comprising generally speculae and colposcopes. Such applications include: vaginal hysterectomy and other pelvic procedures utilising vaginal access; LLETZ/LEEP procedure (large loop excision of the transformation zone) or excision of the transformation zone of the endocervix; removal of cystic or septic lesions; ablation of genital or venereal warts; excision of benign and malignant lesions; cosmetic and surgical repairs including vaginal prolapse; excision of diseased tissue; and haemostasis.
The electrosurgical instrument of the invention is also useful for dissection, resection, vaporisation, desiccation and coagulation of tissue and combinations of these functions with particular application in surgery on the ear, nose and throat (ENT), and more particularly procedures performed on the oropharynx, nasopharynx and sinuses. These procedures may be performed through the mouth or nose using speculae or gags or using endoscopic techniques such as functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). Functional endoscopic sinus procedures may include: removal of chronically-diseased inflamed and hypertrophic mucus linings, polyps and neoplasms from the various anatomical sinuses of the skull; excision of diseased tissue; and haemostasis. Procedures on the nasopharynx may include: removal of chronically-diseased inflamed and hypertrophic mucus linings, polyps and neoplasms from the turbinates and nasal passages; submucous resection of the nasal septum; excision of diseased tissue; and haemostasis. Procedures on the oropharynx may include: removal of chronically-diseased, inflamed and hypertrophic tissue, polyps and neoplasms particularly as they occur related to the tonsil, adenoid, epi-glottic and supra-glottic regions, and salivary glands; as an alternative method to perform the procedure commonly known as laser assisted uvolopalatoplasty (LAUP); excision of diseased tissue; and haemostasis.
It is evident from the scope of applications of the invention that it has further additional applications for dissection, resection, vaporisation, desiccation and coagulation of tissue and combinations of these functions in general laparoscopic, thoracscopic and neurosurgical procedures, being particularly useful in the removal of diseased tissue and neoplastic disease whether benign or malignant.
Surgical procedures using the electrosurgical instrument of the invention may also include introducing the electrode assembly to the surgical site, whether through an artificial conduit (a cannula) or a natural conduit, which may be in an anatomical body cavity or space, or one created surgically. The cavity or space may be distended during the procedure using a fluid, or may be naturally held open by anatomical structures. The surgical site may be bathed in a continuous flow of conductive fluid such as saline solution either to fill and distend the cavity, or to create a locally-irrigated environment around the tip of the electrode assembly in a gas filled cavity. The irrigating fluid may be aspirated from the surgical site to remove products created by application of the RF energy, tissue debris or blood. The procedures may include simultaneous viewing of the site via an endoscope, or using an indirect visualisation means. An irrigated bipolar electrosurgical instrument is described in the specification of our International Patent Application No. PCT/G96/01472.


To generate a high resolution image of higher quality depending on a target area. An image processing apparatus includes a blur amount estimating unit configured to estimate a blur amount in a set target area in each of images indicated by a plurality of low resolution image data, and a reference image selecting unit configured to select a low resolution image to be a reference for generating the high resolution image depending on the estimated blur amount.

The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus configured to generate a high resolution image having higher resolution than low resolution images from the low resolution images, a method of controlling the image processing apparatus, and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium.
Conventionally, super resolution techniques are known as image processing techniques for causing an image having low resolution to have high resolution. A multiframe super resolution technique is known as one of the super resolution techniques. In the multiframe super resolution technique, a plurality of low resolution images related to the same target is used to generate a single high resolution image.
More specifically, resolution increase processing is carried out by using low resolution images acquired by shifting a position of a subject or the like little by little to perform imaging so that a single high resolution image is generated.
The increase in the resolution is carried out on the basis of a reference image selected from the low resolution images. Specifically, an amount of a positional shift between the low resolution images is first calculated based on the reference image and the resolution increase processing is performed on the basis of the positional shift amount thus calculated and image data on respective low resolution images.
In many cases, a first one of the low resolution images read in order is selected as the reference image. However, a content of the high resolution image obtained by the increase in the resolution (which includes image quality and a composition) greatly depends on the reference image. Accordingly, a result of the high resolution image which is obtained differs greatly between the case in which a frame of the low resolution images which has the highest image quality is selected as the reference image and the case in which a frame of the low resolution images which has the lowest image quality is selected as the reference image.
Specific description will be given with reference to FIGS. 21A and 21B as follows. FIGS. 21A and 21B illustrate the case in which a single high resolution image is generated by using three low resolution images. FIG. 21A shows the case in which a low resolution image LP101 having the highest image quality in three low resolution images LP101, LP102 and LP103 is selected as the reference image. In the case shown in FIG. 21A, an excellent high resolution image HP101 is obtained.
On the other hand, FIG. 21B shows the case in which the low resolution image LP103 having the lowest image quality in the three low resolution images LP101, LP102 and LP103 is selected as the reference image. In the case shown in FIG. 21B, a high resolution image HP102 thus obtained is unclear.
Therefore, there is conventionally made a proposal such as selection of a reference image based on a small blur amount of a whole screen (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-194896 (published on Aug. 27, 2009)).
In the field of the super resolution technique, there is further made a proposal for calculating a blur amount of each area on an image and carrying out super resolution processing in a parameter corresponding to the blur amount of every area in order to enhance image quality (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-73074 (published on Apr. 2, 2010)).
Even if the reference image is selected based on the value of the blur amount of the whole image such as a small blur amount as proposed in the related art, however, an intended high resolution image may not be obtained in some cases. Specific description will be given with reference to FIGS. 22A and 22B as follows.
FIGS. 22A and 22B show two images in almost equal blur amounts of the whole image. FIG. 22A shows an image LP111 in which a person M100 is clear and a background B100 is blurred. Moreover, FIG. 22B shows an image LP112 in which the person M100 is blurred and the background B100 is clear.
Although the images LP111 and LP112 are images having almost equal blur amounts as the whole image, a natural high resolution image can be obtained from the image LP111 after the super resolution processing when they are set to be the reference images. In other words, it is possible to obtain a high resolution image having the clearer person M100 in the case in which the image LP111 having the clear person M100 is set to be the reference image than the case in which the image LP112 is set to be the reference image.
In the related art, accordingly, there is a problem in that an intended high resolution image may not be always obtained through the resolution processing by using a reference image corresponding to a target area.

Image processing apparatus and method for generating a high resolution image


In a method and system for display screen-aided generation of an electronic document from rasterized image data in an application computer, the image data are filed in at least one electronic storage. A first group of rasterized image data are provided stored page-by-page and a second group of rasterized overlay image data are provided in a relationship associated such that one page is associated with at least one overlay or one overlay is associated with at least one page. In a first display screen region, symbols of the first group are displayed per page in an ordered structure. In a second display screen region, image data of the first group are displayed. The document is generated an editor computer program loaded on the application computer from the rasterized image data and the rasterized overlay image data.

The invention concerns a method, a print system, a computer system and a computer program to generate an electronic document from scanned image data.
In particular, the method and system relates to a system in which electronic documents are assembled page by page from scanned image data. The image data can, for example, be generated in that samples are sampled (scanned) and the image data thereby generated are filed page by page and pixel by pixel in an electronic storage. However, the data can just as well be generated completely electronically, i.e. be generated and/or scanned on an electronic device such as, for example, computer.
A method and a system to process structured images in electronically stored documents is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,503.
Raster scan editor programs are known for processing of documents that exist as pages in scanned image formats. Such a program is, for example, available from the form Techsoft AS, Sandefjord, Norway under the trade name Pixedit®).
In the publication "The World of Printer", Dr. Gerd Goldmann (Hsg.). 5th edition (June 2000), Océ Printing Systems GmbH (Poing), ISBN 3-00-001081-5, what is known as a PRISMApro Server System is specified in chapter 11, that serves to generate electronic documents and to prepare the documents for a high-speed digital printing systems. A method and a system to impose print data is specified in WO 00.68877 A1 that is suitable for preparation of print data for such a high-speed print system.
A print device to print overlay formats is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,614. Repetitive fixed image data and variable image data are stored in a storage. Furthermore, the print device comprises a format storage in which image data are stored corresponding to a formula for each document page. The image data of the format storage, the fixed image data as well as the variable image data, are combined with one another for printing.
The documents WO 00/68877 by the same applicant as well as JP 07182321 A and U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,382 are referred to as further prior art.

Method, system and computer program for the generation of an electronic document from scanned image data


According to an embodiment, a sheet processing apparatus having a function to erase an image formed on a sheet is provided. The sheet processing apparatus has a tray, an erasing unit and a control unit. The tray houses a sheet on which an image is formed. The erasing unit erases the image formed on the sheet. The control unit controls the erasing unit so that the image formed on the sheet is erased, when an elapsed time after the tray houses the sheet exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

Recently, consciousness of a user about security has been enhanced. Accordingly, the trend has been increased wherein a user regards it a question that a sheet on which an image is formed by an image forming apparatus such as a copier and a printer is left in the image forming apparatus.
On the other hand, from the view point of resource saving, an image forming apparatus which forms an image on a sheet using erasable coloring material and erases the image of the sheet has been developed. After the sheet which a user has formed an image using the image forming apparatus becomes unnecessary, in order to reuse the sheet, a user can erase the image of the sheet by an erasing unit of the above-described image forming apparatus.
Furthermore, when it is determined that a security mark indicating that the sheet is a confidential document is formed on the sheet in the above-described image forming apparatus, the technology to erase the image of the sheet and dispose the sheet without reusing the sheet has been developed.
However, even with the above-described technology, the effect of countermeasure to the leaving of a sheet outputted from the image forming apparatus is insufficient.