A plurality of photodiodes are disposed along a measurement axis on an optical receipt chip of a photoelectric encoder. Formed on each light acceptance surface of these photodiodes is a second optical grating which has more than one light shield portion extending in a “y” direction. Each acceptance surface has a portion that is disposed obliquely relative to the extending direction of the light shield portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to photoelectric encoders used for precise measurement.
2. Description of Related Art
In prior known applications, photoelectric encoders (referred to as "encoder" in some cases) are utilized for high-precision measurement of linear and angular displacement amounts. Encoders are equipped in three-dimensional (3D) measuring equipment, image measuring apparatus and others. An encoder is generally constituted from a light source, a scale including an optical grating, and a light-receiving unit which is disposed to be relatively movable together with the light source with respect the scale. The light-receiving unit, also known as photosensor module, includes four light-receiving elements (for example, photodiodes) and four index gratings which are laid out at locations corresponding to the light acceptance surfaces of respective light-receiving elements and which are different in phase from one another.
An operation of the encoder will be briefly explained below. While causing the light source and the light-receiving unit to relatively move together with respect to the scale, light from the light source is guided to progress through an optical system including the optical grating of the scale and then fall onto the four index gratings of the light-receiving unit. More specifically, while letting the index gratings of the light-receiving unit move relative to the optical grating of the scale, a pattern of interference fringes (light-and-shade pattern) that is created by irradiation of the light from the light source onto the optical grating of the scale is guided to hit the index gratings of the light-receiving unit. This results in production of four separate optical signals each having a sinusoidal or "sine" waveform indicative of a change in light intensity. These optical signals are different in phase from one another. The light signals are to be received and sensed by light-receiving elements corresponding to respective phases to thereby produce photoelectrically converted electrical signals, which are used for measurement of a position change amount, such as a linear displacement.
The four phase-different optical signals of interest are an optical signal with a phase "A" (zero degrees), an optical signal with a phase "B" (90 degrees) which is deviated or offset by 90 degrees from the phase A, an optical signal with a phase "AA" (180 degrees) that is offset by 180 degrees from the phase A, and an optical signal with a phase "BB" (270 degrees) as offset by 270 degrees from the phase A. Using the phase A and phase B is to determine or "judge" the direction of relative movement of the light-receiving unit in a way depending upon which one of the phases A and B is to be detected first. Additionally, the use of those light signals with the phases AA and BB—these are phase-inverted versions of the light signals with phases A and B, respectively—in addition to the light signals with phases A and B is aimed at (1) removal of DC components contained in the light signals with phases A and B, (2) achievement of the reliability of light signals, and (3) establishment of high-speed tracking capabilities.
Principally, measurement is achievable as far as there are light-receiving elements which correspond in number to a plurality of phase-different optical signals. Accordingly, in the case of four phase-different light signals, what is required is to use four light-receiving elements. An encoder of the first type is disclosed, for example, in the pamphlet of International Publication No. 01/31292 (see the specification, page 5, line 19 to page 6, line 7, along with FIG. 5).
Incidentally, deviation or fluctuation sometimes takes place in light amount due to the light source's optical intensity distribution and/or dirt on the surface of a scale. According to the above-noted type of encoder, this is easily affectable by such light amount irregularity, because an optical signal with each phase is sensed at a single location. For example, suppose that the layout position of a light-receiving element used for the phase A is weaker in intensity of irradiation light than the layout position of another light-receiving element. If this is the case, an output of the phase A becomes weaker, resulting in a likewise decrease in measurement accuracy.
A known approach to avoiding this is to employ a second type of encoder, which has an array of fine-divided light-receiving elements. More specifically, these fine-divided light-receiving elements are placed to have an array-like layout to thereby make them function also as index gratings. Furthermore, the light-receiving elements are disposed along the encoder's measurement axis direction ("x" direction) while being organized into a plurality of sets, each of which consists of four light-receiving elements used for the phases A, B, AA and BB. This type is disclosed, for example, in Published Japanese Patent Application No. 7-151565 (JP-A-7-151565), Paragraph "[0014]" and FIG. 4. This layout of such light-receiving elements is called the one-dimensional (1D) layout. According to the second type, the location whereat an optical signal with each phase is sensed is dispersed to cover a wide range. Thus it is possible to lessen the influenceability of light-amount irregularity. This will be referred to as the "averaging effect" hereinafter. Moreover, a third type of encoder is also available. This encoder is aimed at further enhancement of the averaging effect. To do this, the encoder is arranged so that multiple sets of light-receiving elements are laid out along a "y" direction in addition to the measurement axis direction ("x" direction). This type is disclosed, for example, in the pamphlet of International Publication No. 01/31292 (see the specification, page 21, line 6 to page 22, line 23, and also FIG. 16). This layout of light-receiving elements is called the two-dimensional (2D) layout.

Photoelectric encoder for precise measurements


A singing sound-synthesizing apparatus sequentially synthesizes vocal sounds based on singing data including lyric data of a lyric formed of a plurality of phonemes and sounding data designating a sounding time period over which the lyric data is sounded. A designating device designates a predetermined voiced phoneme from the plurality of phonemes of the lyric data. A sounding control device carries out sounding control such that sounding of the predetermined voiced phoneme designated by the designating device is started within the sounding time period designated for the plurality of phonemes by the sounding data and continued until the sounding time period designated for the plurality of phonemes elapses. In another form, ones of phoneme parameter sets and ones of coarticulation parameter sets corresponding to signing data are read from a phoneme data storing the phoneme parameter sets and the coarticulation parameter sets. A control signal is selectively supplied to at least one of a formant-synthesizing tone generator device that synthesizes formants of phonemes to be sounded to generate vocal sounds and a PCM tone generator device that generates vocal sounds by pulse code modulation, the PCM tone generator device having a waveform memory storing waveforms of unvoiced consonants, based on the corresponding ones of the phoneme parameter sets and the corresponding ones of the coarticulation parameter sets read from the phoneme data base to cause the at least one of the formant-synthesizing tone generator device and the PCM tone generator device to generate a vocal sound.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a singing sound-synthesizing apparatus and method for synthesizing human vocal sounds by sounding phonemes of a lyric of a song based on lyric data to thereby generate singing sounds of the song.
2. Prior Art
Conventionally, there have been proposed various techniques of synthesizing vocal sounds, including a vocal sound synthesizer based on a formant synthesization method proposed e.g. by Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 3-200300 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 4-251297.
A vocal sound synthesizer based on the formant synthesization method disclosed by Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 4-251297 comprises memory means storing in a plurality of steps, data of parameters related to formants which change in time sequence, reading means for reading the parameter data from the memory means by the plurality of steps in time sequence to generate a vocal sound, and formant-synthesizing means which is supplied with the read parameter data, for synthesizing a musical sound having formant characteristics determined by the parameter data. This synthesizer changes formants of a vocal sound signal in time sequence.
When a singing sound is synthesized by the prior art technique based on the formant synthesization method, if an English lyric "hit" is sounded in a manner corresponding to one quarter note, sounding time periods T(h), T(i) and T(t) in terms of absolute time periods are assigned to respective phonemes "h", "i", and "t" of the lyric, and parameters are set such that the sum of the sounding time periods T(h)+T(i)+T(t) becomes equal to a sounding time period over which the quarter note is sounded stored in the memory means (referred to hereinafter as "the first conventional method"). Alternatively, the sum of the sounding time periods T(h)+T(i)+T(t) is set to a shorter time period than the sounding time period over which the quarter note is sounded, and the sounding of the lyric is stopped when the sounding time period assigned to the last phoneme "t" has elapsed, or the sounding of the last phoneme "t" is continued until the sounding time period over which the quarter note is sounded elapses (referred to hereinafter as "the second conventional method").
According to the first conventional method, however, the singing sound can be generated only at a predetermined tempo. One way to overcome this inconvenience may be a method of determining the sounding time periods of the phonemes in terms of relative time periods. This method, however, has the disadvantage that if the sounding time periods, particularly, of unvoiced sounds (consonants), such as phonemes "h" and "t" are changed according to the tempo, the resulting singing sound is unnatural.
On the other hand, according to the second conventional method, both of the stoppage of the sounding of the lyric upon the lapse of the sounding time period assigned to the phoneme "t" and the continuation of the sounding of the phoneme "t" until the sounding time period over which the quarter note is sounded lapses result in an unnatural and odd sound.
A so-called "Synthesis-by-rule" method is another method of synthesizing vocal sounds of desired words. According to this method, vocal sound waves are analyzed in units of vocal sounds having short lengths, such as phonemes, and the resulting parameters are stored as vocal sound data, and control signals required for driving a vocal sound synthesizer are formed according to a predetermined rule based on the stored vocal sound data.
The "Synthesis-by-rule" method is often applied to synthetization of vocal sounds using PCM waveforms. In general, the synthesization of vocal sounds has a large problem to be solved, i.e. coarticulation between phonemes for synthesizing natural vocal sounds. To realize proper coarticulation, the method applied to the vocal sound synthesizer using PCM waveforms can successfully achieve proper coarticulation by using phoneme fractions edited by a waveform-superposing method or the like, and preparing a lots of waveforms in advance.
On the other hand, a singing sound synthesizer has been proposed by the present assignee in Japanese Patent Application No. 7-218241 which applies the "Synthesis-by-rule" method to synthesization of music sounds, to synthesize a natural singing sound based on lyric data.
When a singing sound synthesizer employs the "Synthesis-by-rule" method applied to synthesization of singing sounds using PCM waveforms, there arise inconveniences that a large volume of data are required, and it is difficult to convert voice characteristics to other ones as well as to follow up a large change in pitch.
When a singing sound synthesizer employs the formant synthesization method, this synthesizer is advantageous over the synthesizer based on the "Synthesis-by-rule" method applied to the PCM waveform synthesization in that smooth coarticulation can be effected, only a small amount of data is required, it is possible to change the pitch over a wide range, etc. However, so far as the level of recognition of a sound, i.e. naturalness of a synthesized sound is concerned, the former is inferior to the latter. Particularly, it is difficult for the formant synthesization method to generate sounds of consonants which are natural.

Singing sound-synthesizing apparatus and method


Disclosed is a technique for obtaining an estimate and variance of each variable based on a constraint manifold. Particles (or samples) are sampled in order to filter and fuse ambiguous data or information on at least one state variable of a system using the particles. The sampling is carried out in consideration of an influence which non-linearity of the constraint manifold of a system model, an observation model or another system model exerts on a probability distribution of the state variable. With this construction, it is possible to reduce decrease of fusion and filtering performance, decrease a Gaussian approximation error, and detect mismatched information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a particle sampling method and a sensor fusion and filtering method, and more particularly, to a technique for obtaining an estimate and variance of each variable based on a constraint manifold.
2. Description of the Conventional Art
In general, sensor fusion refers to integrated processing for combining or fusing different types of sensor information into one representative information data.
FIG. 15 illustrates a pattern of general sensor fusion.
In FIG. 15, outputs X1 and X2 obtained from a first two sensors are fused into anew upper representative value X1,2. An output X3 obtained from a third sensor is fused with the fused node X1,2, thereby generating a new representative value X1,2,3 to be fused with an upper node.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, this sensor fusion and filtering method performs fusion and filtering 103 through two stages: prediction 101 using an equation for a system model and observation 102 using an equation for observation. Conventional filters using the sensor fusion and filtering method include a Kalman filter, an extended Kalman filter, an unscented Kalman filter, a particle filter, and so on.
Among these filters, the Kalman filter for basic sensor fusion and filtering is a linear filter suitable for a Gaussian error model, but it has a problem when it comes to non-linear system processing. For the purpose of non-linear system processing, an extended Kalman filter has been developed. However, the extended Kalman filter has a drawback that an error is caused by linearization, and thus its performance can vary according to non-linearity. As an alternative to the extended Kalman filter, an unscented Kalman filter, which treats non-linear and Gaussian error model systems, has been developed. The unscented Kalman filter has been actively studied up to present, but it has a problem in that its performance can be lowered due to inaccurate Gaussian approximation.
In order to cope with the problems of these Kalman filters, a particle filter has been developed. The particle filter has the advantage of employing a method of indicating results fused by particles having various weights, and thus it can be applied to fusion and filtering of a system having non-linear and arbitrary error modes as well as ambiguous information. However, the particle filter creates a problem in real-time processing due to failure and long processing time resulting from inaccurate prediction of particles.
The following references are related to sensor fusion and filtering:
[1] M. S. Grewal and A. P. Andrews, "Kalman Filtering," 2nd ed. New York: Wiley, 2001.
[2] H. W. Sorenson, "Recursive Estimation for Nonlinear Dynamic Systems," New York: Marcel Dekker, 1988.
[3] A. H. Jazwinski "Stochastic Processes and Filtering Theory," New York: Academic, 1970.
[4] T. Ghirmai N. F. Bugallo, J. Miguez and P. P. Djuri, "A Novel Particle Filtering Approach to Blind Symbol Detection and Timing Estimation," IEEE 58th Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC2003), vol. 2, pp. 1147-1151, October 2003.
[5] D. Crisan and A. Doucet, "A Survey of Convergence Results on Particle Filtering Methods for Practitioners," IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing, vol. 50, pp. 736-746, March 2002.
[6] J. H. Kotecha and P. M. Djuric´, "Sequential Monte Carlo Sampling Detector for Rayleigh Fast-fading Channels," in Proc. Int. Conf. Acoust., Speech, Signal Process., 2000.
[7] A. Doucet, S. Godsill, and C. Andrieu, "On Sequential Monte Carlo Sampling Methods for Bayesian Filtering," Statist. Comput., vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 197-208, 2000.

Particle sampling method and sensor fusion and filtering method

Sungkyunkwan University Foundation for Corporate Collaboration of Sungkyundwan University


Liposomes contain active agents which are aggregated with a lipid surfactant. The composition of the liposome membrane stabilizes the membrane against the disruptive effects of the active agent-surfactant aggregate contained therein.

Liposomes consist of at least one lipid bilayer membrane enclosing an aqueous internal compartment. Liposomes may be characterized by membrane type and by size. Small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs) have a single membrane and typically range between 0.02 and 0.05 .mu.m in diameter; large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) are typically larger 0.05 .mu.m. oligolamellar large vesicles and multilamellar large vesicles have multiple, usually concentric, membrane layers and are typically larger than 0.1 .mu.m. Liposomes with several nonconcentric membranes, i.e., several smaller vesicles contained within a larger vesicle, are termed multivesicular vesicles.
Conventional liposomes are formulated to carry drugs or other active agents either contained within the aqueous interior space (water-soluble drugs) or partitioned into the lipid bilayer (water-insoluble drugs). As used herein, active agents "entrapped" within liposomes are those which are in the interior space of the liposome, compared to those which are partitioned into the lipid bilayer and contained within the vesicle membrane itself. Active agents which have short half-lives in the bloodstream are particularly suited to delivery via liposomes. Many anti-neoplastic agents, for example, are known to have a short half-life in the bloodstream such that their parenteral use is not feasible. However, the use of liposomes for site-specific delivery of active agents via the bloodstream is severely limited by the rapid clearance of liposomes from the blood by cells of the reticuloendothelial system (RES).
It is accordingly desirable to devise liposome formulations capable of delivering therapeutic amounts of active agent via parenteral administration, and resulting in an extended half-life of active agent in the blood stream.

Liposomes containing active agents aggregated with lipid surfactants


In a multiprocessor system, a task control processor may be placed in the path connecting each execution processor to a system bus. Such task control processors may detect the completion of a first task on an associated execution processor and, responsively, generate commands to lead to the initiation of a second task on the same, or another, execution processor. Such task completion detection and task initiation by the task control processors removes, from a central processor or the execution processors, the burden of performing such tasks, thereby improving the efficiency of the entire system.

Multiprocessor systems are typically used in applications wherein several execution processors, each having a dedicated function, can relieve a central processor of processing load. In addition, parallel processing by such execution processors may allow for reduced overall processing time.
The various execution processors execute a series of tasks. A task is a series of defined steps to be executed by a processor, typically executed as the result of a series of processor executable instructions stored within processor readable memory. Typically, the series of instructions that define the task are stored in processor readable memory associated with the given execution processor. As well, a task typically has a defined beginning and end. A series of tasks, in turn, may be used to execute a program.
Many execution processors initiate performance of a particular task in response to sensing that an associated register of another execution processor has been modified. A given task may be arranged to act on data that is in a memory shared by multiple execution processors or to act on data in registers that are local to the execution processor executing the given task.
Tasks running on a multiprocessor system, which may have many tasks running concurrently on many execution processors, typically have both data and control dependencies among each other.
Data dependency between two tasks requires access to data being processed by a first task for processing by a second task. As such, tasks must be managed so that the second task does not attempt to access the data until the processing by the first task is complete.
Control dependency between two tasks requires access to a system component, that is receiving instructions according to processing by a first task running at a first execution processor, by a second execution processor according to processing by a second task. In such a case, the tasks must be managed so that the second task does not attempt to generate instructions for the system component until the processing by the first task is complete.
In known multiprocessor systems, fixed, hardware flow-control may be arranged among execution processors to manage data and task dependencies. The tasks to be run at each of the execution processors must be known ahead of time, along with the data and control dependencies of the known tasks. The execution processors are prearranged to indicate the completion of a given task to other execution processors for which such an indication is useful in determining timing of the initiation of tasks at the other execution processors. This solution is not flexible or programmable.
In other multiprocessor systems, a central processor initiates tasks at execution processors and periodically polls the execution processors to determine the tasks running at the execution processors. The central processor may wait until a result of polling a first execution processor is an indication that a first task has completed before instructing a second execution processor to initiate a second task, where the second task has data or control dependencies on the first task. In order that the second task may be initiated without undue delay after the completion of the first task, the central processor must poll the execution processors frequently. Although this solution may be considered flexible and/or programmable, it requires valuable central processor cycles resulting from the central processor's frequent interaction with the execution processors of the multiprocessor system.
In yet other multiprocessor systems, the central processor responds to interrupts generated by the execution processors at the completion of tasks. Thus excessive central processor cycles are eliminated. Central processor interrupts initiated by the execution processors indicate task completion. The central processor may then use this information, along with information about data and control dependencies between tasks to initiate dependent tasks. However, typical central processor response time to interrupts may impair multiprocessor system performance: the central processor may not be able to keep up with tasks that need to communicate with each other on a frequent basis.
Clearly, then, there is a need for a new solution for managing tasks in a multiprocessor system, where the new solution allows for flexible control of the initiation of the execution of tasks at the execution processors.

Method and apparatus for managing tasks in a multiprocessor system


This invention provides a program product for a virtual computer that partitions a physical computer into a plurality of logical partitions through a hypervisor and runs an OS on each of the logical partitions, the program product including: a procedure (S1) of detecting an exception or an interruption occurring in the physical computer; a procedure (S2) of identifying an OS on a logical partition where the detected exception or interruption occurring; a procedure (S4) of copying a given storage area that contains an instruction that is the subject of the exception or interruption from a storage area where the identified OS is stored to a storage area that is managed by the hypervisor; a procedure (S6) of replacing, in the copied storage area, the exception or interruption subject instruction with an instruction that substitutes for the exception or interruption subject instruction; and a procedure (S7) of moving a location where the physical computer executes an instruction to the copied storage area.

This invention relates to a virtual computer system and to a technique of processing a virtual computer system to deal with a privileged operation exception and an interruption occurring in OSs that are executed separately in a plurality of logical partitions.
The popularization of the use of the Internet and broadband networks in business has brought an increase in requests for improved processing performance of information systems that support business. To meet the requests for improved processing performance, an information system employs a plurality of servers (computers) in processing information. Obtaining more improved processing performance means employing more servers, and some information systems are as large as having several thousands to ten thousands of servers. The cost of running and managing such large-scale information systems, especially the cost for maintenance of their servers, rises in proportion to the count of the servers employed.
Server consolidation, in which the server count is decreased by employing a few high-performance servers that take over processing formerly performed by a plurality of servers, is attracting attention as a way to keep the running and managing cost from increasing. An architecture known to be capable of achieving such server consolidation is a virtual computer system utilizing logical partitioning in which one hardware resource is partitioned into a plurality of logical partitions and each of the logical partitions is provided with an OS to serve as a server (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,397,242, for example). Logical partitioning is characterized by sharing a CPU among a plurality of logical partitions, thereby raising the operating ratio of the CPU and efficiently achieving server consolidation.
In the example of prior art provided by U.S. Pat. No. 6,397,242, server consolidation is achieved by executing one host OS on one server and running a plurality of guest OSs on the host OS to use each of the guest OSs as a server.

Method and program for partitioning a physical computer into logical partitions


The invention relates to a method for fault identification in a System-on-Chip (SoC) consisting of a number of IP cores, wherein each IP core is a fault containment unit, and where the IP cores communicate with one another by means of messages via a Network-on-Chip, and wherein an excellent IP core provides a TRM (Trusted Resource Monitor), wherein a faulty control message which is sent from one non-privileged IP core to another non-privileged IP core is identified and projected by an (independent) fault container unit, as a result of which this faulty control message cannot cause any failure of the message receiver.

A system on chip (SoC) is a system in which the majority of system functions are integrated on a single piece of silicon. According to Pollack's rule (Borkar, S. (2007) Thousand-Core Chips, A Technology Perspective, Proc. of the 44.sup.th ACM IEEE Design Automation Conference, p. 746-749, ACM Press, New York), powerful SoCs are composed of a number of IP cores that communicate via a network on chip. An IP core is a hardware/software component that fulfills a predefined function. IP cores can communicate either by the access of the IP cores to a common memory or by means of messages. The application PCT/AT 2009/00207 presents an SoC architecture in which the IP cores communicate exclusively by means of messages.


Systems and methods for promoting connectivity between a mobile communication device having a touch screen and a vehicle touch screen installed in a vehicle are disclosed. According to an embodiments, a system may include a controller configured to: connect to the mobile communication device and to the vehicle touch screen. The controller may also be configured to receive video signal of a current screen video image shown on the touch screen of the mobile communication device and transmit the current video image to the vehicle touch screen, causing a corresponding video image of the current screen video image to be displayed on the vehicle touch screen. The controller may further be configured to receive a signal indicative of a touch action that was performed on the vehicle touch screen, and cause the mobile communication device to respond as if a touch action corresponding to the touch action that was performed on the vehicle touch screen was performed on the touch screen of the mobile communication device.

Many vehicle manufacturers provide nowadays their manufactured vehicles with a built-in media center, which includes, inter-alia, a touch screen. Such touch screen is typically installed in the dashboard of the vehicle, so as to allow the driver and the passenger seated next to the driver to operate the media center by inputting operation commands using the touch screen.
Typically media centers offer the driver and the passengers of the vehicle information and entertainment (often called in short "infotainment"). This may include presenting various driving and/or vehicle parameters, such as the pressure status of the tires, gear status, etc., providing video (e.g. presenting rear camera view upon shifting the gear to reverse the vehicle), displaying navigational information, such as a map with navigational indications, etc.
Various arrangements were introduced to allow connectivity between a mobile phone and the media center of a vehicle, and in particular connectivity between a mobile phone and the screen of such a media center.
For example, US patent application publication No. 2008/133084 (Weinmann et al.), disclosed a communication system of a motor vehicle that includes a vehicle operating unit, a vehicle output unit, and an interface computer. The interface computer is connected to the vehicle operating unit and the vehicle output unit. The interface computer is implemented for the purpose of connecting a mobile terminal to the vehicle operating unit and the vehicle output unit such that information from the mobile terminal is displayable on the vehicle output unit and the mobile terminal is operable via the vehicle operating unit.
In International Patent Publication WO/2012/138201 (Lim et al.), there was disclosed a connection device for applying functions of a mobile phone to a vehicle, which embodies a connection configuration for interconnecting a mobile device and an audio-video (A/V) system of the vehicle such that the functions of the mobile device, such as image output, hands-free communication, the camera, and navigation (GPS) can be interlinked to the A/V system of the vehicle, a driver may easily operate each function of the mobile phone using a vehicle monitor, and functions of the camera, navigation and the like may be performed by the mobile phone even when such functions are not installed in the vehicle. To this end, a connection device for applying the functions of a mobile phone to a vehicle involves interconnecting the mobile phone and an A/V device of the vehicle so as to relay content to one another, operate the functions of the mobile phone in the vehicle, and enable the content being displayed on the mobile phone to be displayed on a monitor installed in the vehicle. The connection device includes a cradle in which the mobile phone having a touch-switching function is placed; an electromagnetic-wave touch module, which is arranged within the cradle in which the mobile phone is placed, such that the electromagnetic-wave touch module faces the touch-switching display of the mobile phone, wherein the electromagnetic-wave touch module converts, upon the occurrence of a touch signal on the monitor installed in the vehicle, a value of touch coordinates of the monitor of the vehicle to the value of touch coordinates corresponding to the size of the display of the mobile phone, and emits electromagnetic waves to the corresponding point on the display of the mobile phone placed in the cradle so as to perform the touch-switching function of the mobile phone; and a data-processing unit electrically connected to the mobile phone and to the A/V device of the vehicle so as to convert, when the switching function is performed in the mobile phone placed in the cradle by the electromagnetic-wave touch module, the drive data to be processed in the mobile phone into data that can be processed in the A/V device of the vehicle, and output the converted data to check a state of operating and driving the mobile phone via the monitor of the vehicle.
In UK patent application, published as GB2492789 (to Denso Corp. of Japan) a display duplication apparatus for a vehicle was disclosed, such that regions of a display of a mobile device may be replicated to one or more display of a vehicle. The apparatus includes an input connected to receive a display signal from a portable device (e.g. a mobile phone, smart phone or PDA) and a first display configured to display an invitation for input to define a selected interface region from a display output of the portable device. The first display is further configured to display an invitation for input to define a target display location of the vehicle and the apparatus can further include a number of displays, configured to display a selected interface region at a defined target display location of the vehicle. Regions of the portable device's display may be selected by touch (defining the region), though a template, by cursor control or by voice control. A target display such as a head-up display may then be selected.
French patent application published as FR2953950 (El Khoury) there was disclosed a touch screen for use in motor vehicle to control e.g. navigational function. The screen has a touch surface for displaying data and for inputting commands by a user. An interface having a Bluetooth 3.0 type wireless connection connects the screen to a mobile phone. A processing unit transfers the commands that are input on the surface to the mobile phone for controlling the mobile phone. The processing unit displays the data displayed by the mobile phone, on the touch surface. An audio output connects the screen to an audio device of a motor vehicle.
In KR20100070092 there was disclosed a method for driving a mobile telecommunication device using a navigation apparatus to use a mobile telecommunication device conveniently in various ways by using a monitor of a heterogeneous device as an input unit. Data for the cell coordinates of a navigation touch screen is matched with the cell coordinates of a mobile phone touch screen. When the touch input happens on a navigation touch screen, the cell coordinates of the touched point is transmitted to a cellular phone through an input/output interface. The received cell coordinate is recognized as the cell coordinates of the mobile phone touch screen and is displayed through the navigation monitor.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,482,535 (Pryor) discloses methods and apparatus particularly suited for applications in a vehicle, to provide a wide range of information, and the safe input of data to a computer controlling the vehicle subsystems or "Telematic" communication using for example GM's "ONSTAR" or cellular based data sources. Preferred embodiments utilize new programmable forms of tactile touch screens and displays employing tactile physical selection or adjustment means which utilize direct optical data input. A revolutionary form of dashboard or instrument panel results which is stylistically attractive, lower in cost, customizable by the user, programmable in both the tactile and visual sense, and with the potential of enhancing interior safety and vehicle operation. Non-automotive applications of the invention are also disclosed, for example means for general computer input using touch screens and home automation systems.
An object, according to embodiments of the present invention, is to provide such connectivity between a mobile communication device, and in particular a smartphone, to a touch screen (e.g. of a media center) of a vehicle, so as to present on the touch screen of the vehicle a video showing a current screen of the smartphone, similar to the screen shown on the display of the smartphone, and to allow full operation of the smartphone by inputting touch commands on the touch screen of the vehicle.
Further objects and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will become apparent after reading the present specification and considering the accompanying drawings.

System and method for promoting connectivity between a mobile communication device and a vehicle touch screen


According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a power management system for use in a computer system having a memory system incorporating a non-volatile memory and a controller which presents the logical characteristics of a disc storage device to a host, the power management system comprising means for monitoring the operational activity levels within at least some of the components of the controller and arranged, in response to the monitored levels, to vary the power consumed by selected components of the controller.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a power management system for managing power used and energy consumed in a computer system, particularly a portable computer system where there is often a limit to the peak power that can be supplied and where the energy is usually provided by batteries which have a shorter life if required to deliver increased energy and particularly to a flash disc device which is a memory system having a controller which presents the logical characteristics of a disc storage device to a host, but, which uses a non-volatile semiconductor memory device as its physical storage medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Minimizing peak power (where power is energy per unit time) and minimizing energy consumption are sometimes conflicting aims. To minimize the peak power drawn by a Flash Storage System may require that the Flash Storage System takes longer to perform its operations, which can lead to higher energy dissipation since the system is active over a longer period, though at a lower power over this period.
The standard Flash Controller includes a number of hardware blocks. These blocks include a Host Interface Block, a Flash Interface Block and a Microprocessor Block, which are connected to memories via a System Bus. Each of these hardware blocks consumes energy within the Flash Controller. The Host Interface and Flash interface blocks also consume energy on external interfaces. To minimize the energy consumption of the whole computer system requires the minimization of energy consumption within the Flash Controller itself, within the Flash memory, and on the Flash and Host Interfaces.
Thus, a need arises to obviate or mitigate at least one of the aforementioned problems.


A hollow turbine airfoil includes pressure and suction sidewalls extending in span between a root and tip and extending in chord between opposite leading and trailing edges. The pressure sidewall includes a first pattern of first holes distributed in span and chord over a majority thereof, and a second pattern of different second holes also distributed in span and chord over a minority of the pressure sidewall between the tip and the midspan of the airfoil.

The present invention relates generally to gas turbine engines, and, more specifically, to turbine rotor blades therein.
In a gas turbine engine, air is pressurized in a compressor and mixed with fuel in a combustor for generating hot combustion gases. A high pressure turbine (HPT) follows the combustor and extracts energy from the combustion gases for powering the compressor. A low pressure turbine (LPT) follows the HPT and extracts additional energy from the combustion gases for powering an upstream fan in an aircraft turbofan engine application, or powers an external drive shaft for marine and industrial applications.
The turbines are arranged in stages including a stationary turbine nozzle having a row of vanes which direct the combustion gases into a corresponding row of turbine rotor blades. Each vane has an airfoil configuration extending radially in span between inner and outer bands which bound the combustion gases.
Each turbine blade includes an airfoil extending radially in span from a root at an integral platform which in turn extends from an integral dovetail for mounting the blade in a corresponding dovetail slot in the perimeter of a supporting rotor disk. The platform defines the inner boundary for combustion gases, and the radially outer tip of the airfoil is spaced closely adjacent to a surrounding turbine shroud that defines the outer boundary for the combustion gases.
The corresponding airfoils of the vanes and blades in each turbine stage have generally concave pressure sides and generally convex suction sides extending axially in chord between opposite leading and trailing edges for efficiently turning the combustion gases and extracting energy therefrom during operation. The differently shaped opposite sides of the airfoils therefore effect different velocity and pressure distributions thereover, and correspondingly experience different heat loads from the combustion gases in highly complex three dimensional (3D) distributions.
The first stage turbine nozzle and blades first receive the combustion gases from the combustor and therefore have the greatest heat loads of the various turbine stages. Accordingly, the vanes and blades are typically cast from state-of-the-art superalloy metals which have enhanced strength at elevated temperature for maximizing the useful life thereof during operation.
The vane and blade airfoils are hollow and include corresponding internal cooling circuits therein which receive a portion of the pressurized air bled from the compressor for cooling thereof during operation. The internal cooling circuits typically include multiple radial channels defined by corresponding radial partitions bridging the pressure and suction sides of the airfoil, and those sides typically include radial rows or columns of film cooling holes extending transversely therethrough.
The cooling holes have various configurations and are typically tailored for the specific location of the airfoil from root to tip and between leading and trailing edges and on the opposite pressure and suction sides of the airfoil. For example, the leading edge of the airfoil first receives the hot combustion gases and typically has several columns of showerhead and gill holes for providing convection cooling through the sidewalls and external film cooling from the discharged cooling air.
The pressure and suction sides typically also include additional columns of film cooling holes for re-energizing the external film of cooling air as it flows downstream toward the trailing edge.
The typical film cooling hole is cylindrical and suitably drilled through the sidewall of the airfoil at a shallow inclination angle resulting in an oval inlet inside the airfoil and oval outlet on the external surface of the airfoil. Cooling air is discharged through the film cooling hole as a small jet that creates a thin film downstream therefrom for providing a thermally insulating layer of air outside the airfoil. The individual holes in the columns have a close spacing or pitch for maintaining lateral continuity of the cooling film.
The trailing edge of each airfoil may have a dedicated column of cooling holes located along the trailing edge itself between the pressure and suction sides, or commonly along the pressure side of the airfoil immediately upstream of the trailing edge for providing dedicated cooling of the thin trailing edge.
Since the turbine blade rotates during operation on the perimeter of the supporting rotor disk, it is subject to substantial centrifugal force which in turn creates centrifugal stress in the blade, and the combustion gases are subject to substantial radial forces as they flow generally downstream in the axial direction past the turbine airfoils. The rotating turbine airfoils therefore experience substantially different velocity and pressure distributions of the combustion gases as opposed to the stationary nozzle vanes.
In particular, the blade tips are bathed in the combustion gases not only along the pressure and suction sides, but also along the radially outer edge thereof as the combustion gases leak past the airfoil tips in the small clearance with the surrounding turbine shroud. The airfoil tips typically include small radial extensions of the pressure and suction sidewalls that define a squealer rib extending radially outwardly from the tip floor which encloses the internal cooling circuit of the blade.
The tip floor typically includes additional cooling holes that discharge cooling air into the small tip cavity bounded by the surrounding squealer rib. And, the pressure side of the airfoil may include another row of film cooling holes immediately below the squealer rib for local cooling of the airfoil tip itself.
Typical turbine vanes and blades have corresponding airfoil configurations which increase in width downstream from the leading edge to a maximum thickness closely adjacent thereto and then converge and taper in thickness to a thin trailing edge. The airfoils also extend in radial span between their inner and outer ends in the different configurations of the vanes and blades.
Correspondingly, the combustion gases discharged from the annular combustor have a center biased peak in temperature with corresponding pattern and profile factors varying in temperature circumferentially and radially. The combustion gases therefore introduce different heat loads three dimensionally over the turbine vanes and blades, which heat loads are additionally affected by the rotation of the turbine blades.
Accordingly, the prior art in turbine vane and blade cooling is replete with different configurations for vane and blade cooling. The internal cooling circuits of the airfoils have myriad configurations for distributing the limited cooling air for maximizing cooling effectiveness thereof over the different parts of the airfoil.
Blade cooling must be effected with minimum use of air bled from the compressor which bleed air correspondingly decreases performance and efficiency of the turbine engine. However, the airfoils must be adequately cooled for obtaining a long useful life before experiencing undesirable thermal distress.
The various cooling holes found for the turbine airfoils also have a myriad of configurations and patterns for cooling the different portions of the airfoil differently against the corresponding heat loads from the combustion gases. For example, the typical film cooling hole is a relatively simple, inclined cylindrical hole which may be economically formed by laser drilling.
However, the cylindrical hole emits a jet of spent cooling air that is subject to the varying differential pressure with the external combustion gases. Each film cooling hole must have a suitable backflow margin to prevent ingestion of the combustion gases into the airfoil, but the backflow margin cannot be excessive or the discharge jet will separate from the external surface and reduce efficiency of the film cooling.
Accordingly, a more complex film cooling hole has a diverging configuration for diffusing the discharge cooling air to reduce its velocity and promote improved film cooling. The typical diffusion film cooling hole typically requires electrical discharge machining (EDM) with a correspondingly shaped electrode that significantly increases the time and cost of manufacture.
Accordingly, diffusion film cooling holes are avoided when possible, and are typically used in isolated columns for enhanced film cooling. Diverging diffusion holes therefore join the other types of dedicated cooling holes in a turbine airfoil available to the blade designer during development.
Modern gas turbine engine turbine airfoil design is therefore quite mature and sophisticated and provides the designer with a multitude of options in developing a modern turbine airfoil for the hostile environment of the turbine stages in which combustion gas temperature is ever driven upward for increasing efficiency of the engine. The typical dilemma facing the designer is the selection of the fewest cooling holes with the simplest configuration for the different parts of the turbine airfoil for obtaining acceptable cooling thereof with minimal air bled from the compressor for maximizing airfoil life.
Modern gas turbine engines have benefited from the continual development of turbine airfoil cooling, with further improvements nevertheless continuing in small but significant changes. Modern turbine airfoils may achieve years of service with thousands of hours of operation in remarkably long service life before experiencing undesirable thermal distress and the need for replacement thereof.
For example, one modern turbofan engine has enjoyed decades of successful commercial public use in the United States and other countries, for powering commercial aircraft in flight. A first stage turbine rotor blade is found in this exemplary turbofan engine that has undergone continual development over the engine program, and itself has enjoyed many years of operation with thousands of hours of service without thermal distress.
However, this long useful life of actual turbine blades in extended service has led to the discovery of localized thermal distress at the end of that long life. This parent turbine blade has been in public use and on sale for many years in the U.S. and abroad, and forms the basis for further improvement thereof as described hereinbelow.
Accordingly, it is desired to provide a turbine airfoil having further improved cooling for addressing this recently discovered thermal distress and further increasing the useful life thereof.


An uninhibited electrical insulating oil is prepared by blending a severely hydrotreated naphthenic distillate base oil having a viscosity of from about 50 to about 80 SSU at 38° C. and an aniline point from about 63° to about 84° C. with a solvent extracted, non-hydrogenated paraffinic distillate having at least 9.0 wt. % aromatic content.

Electrical insulating oils are sometimes formulated by adding synthetic oxidation inhibitors such as di-t-butyl-p-cresol or di-t-butyl phenol. To meet certification requirements in some jurisdictions, synthetic oxidation inhibitors can not be employed. Oils formulated without such synthetic inhibitors are sometimes referred to as "uninhibited" electrical oils. References relating to synthetically inhibited or uninhibited electrical insulating oils include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,932,267 (Lewis et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,018,666 (Reid et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,791 (Masunaga et al. '791), U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,297 (Masunaga et al. '297), U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,866 (Link), U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,489 (Reid), U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,479 (Chesluk et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,170,543 (Lipscomb, II et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,917 (Pearce, Jr. et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,542,246 (Matsunaga et al. '246), U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,962 (Yao), U.S. Pat. No. 6,355,850 B1 (Angelo et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 6,689,872 B2 (Kent et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,790,386 B2 (Fefer et al.), and SHELL DIALA® OILS A & AX Electrical insulating oil (product literature from Shell Oil Co.)


Automotive internal combustion engine control and diagnostics responsive to an up-to-date on-board estimate of fuel reid vapor pressure (RVP). An on-board fuel vapor recovery system traps fuel vapors released from a fueling system and is controlled to release the vapors to the engine for consumption therein, along with an injected fuel charge under closed-loop engine air/fuel ratio control. The change in the injected fuel charge required to maintain, under closed-loop control conditions, a target air/fuel ratio in the presence and in the absence of the released fuel vapors is applied along with fuel temperature information to estimate RVP, and the RVP estimate is applied under coldstart operating conditions to adjust engine fueling to account for corresponding changes in the vaporization characteristic of the fuel and is applied, when determined to be relatively high, to indicate potential false positives in fuel vapor recovery system diagnostics.

Gasoline reid vapor pressure (RVP), the vapor pressure of gasoline measured at 100.degree. Fahrenheit under specified measurement procedures, is generally recognized as a measure of fuel volatility. High gasoline RVP improves engine startability and driveability at low ambient temperature, but can have a negative effect on the precision of certain fueling system diagnostics. RVP can vary significantly between available fuels. It would be desirable, for a given fuel, to determine its RVP and to adjust fueling system control and diagnostics in response to the determined RVP for improved performance and for increased diagnostic integrity.
Conventional RVP measurement is conducted through analysis of a sample of fuel under laboratory conditions. The measurement results are not currently applied in control and diagnostics procedures on-board automotive vehicles. On-board re-fueling vapor recovery (ORVR) systems (also referred to herein as fuel vapor recovery systems) have been proposed for application on-board automotive vehicles. ORVR systems include a canister with fuel vapor adsorbing material through which re-fueling vapors are passed and in which such vapors are trapped during re-fueling procedures for controlling evaporative fuel vapor emissions. The trapped ORVR vapors are, from time to time during engine operation, purged from the adsorbing material for consumption in the engine. The rate of purge of the ORVR vapors has been determined to vary with fuel RVP. It would be therefore be desirable to estimate RVP using such purge rate information from ORVR systems.


A belt drive arrangement for a cutting implement having multiple pivotally connected decks. The arrangement consists of pulley carrying arms, whereby each of the arms carries a plurality of drive and driven pulleys having respective belts thereon for the transfer of power to the blades carried within each of the decks. Each arm has an end mounted with the deck whereby the arrangement is pivotal to permit the axes about which each of the pulleys rotate to remain substantially parallel to each other as a particular deck flexes relative to an adjacent deck. The belts then generally maintain alignment with the grooves of the pulleys. Consequently, the belts are less stressed as they rotate since they do not have to twist and/or bend when entering or exiting the pulleys.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to mower cutting implements having multiple cutting spindles and decks and more specifically to a spindle belt drive configuration that allows the decks to flex relative to each other without stressing the respective belts of the drive.
2. Description of Related Art
Mower cutting implements having multiple cutting blades ordinarily have separate decks or housings which enclose those blades. These decks are often hingedly connected together to allow each of the decks to flex or pivot independently and relative to another as the deck moves across the ground. Many times, mowers having this hinged connection between the decks are used in the care of grounds having a substantially uneven surface or contour. Accordingly, flexing between each of the decks permits grounds of this type to be uniformly maintained as each deck is able to follow the contour at a pre-set level of cut.
It is known that a common way to power the blades within the decks is to use a belt drive system utilizing pulleys and belts extending between the decks. Power for the decks is provided by a drive shaft connected with a mower""s power take off. The drive shaft transmits power to a central or main gear box on the central cutting deck. This gear box in turn rotates a main drive pulley and drives the center blade of the main or central deck. Power from this main drive pulley is transferred by endless belts to one or more other driven pulleys which drive blades housed within the adjacent decks.
Past designs have oriented these pulleys and belts to rotate within a plane generally parallel to the surface of the decks. Since each pulley rotates about its own vertically extending axis, the axes of the drive and driven pulleys are substantially parallel when the decks are operating on a generally level surface. As the decks move across uneven ground however, they will pivot and the axes of rotation of these pulleys no longer remain parallel to one other.
As the axes of the drive and driven pulleys become non-parallel, the belts entrained about them have often not been able to enter and exit the pulley grooves without being misaligned to some degree. Because of the misalignment, a number of disadvantages exist with respect to the pulleys and belts which rotate thereon. First, the belts wear easily and become frayed or torn as each deck pivots relative to the remainder of the deck. Wearing of this type occurs since the belts repeatedly twist and bend as they enter and exit the V-shaped flanges of the pulleys as the respective decks pivot. This causes stresses to be encountered by the belts resulting in their accelerated wear and eventual tearing since the belts are in motion when pivoting of the decks takes place. Accordingly, increased maintenance in terms of repair and/or replacement of the belts may occur more often than is necessary.
Second, the pulleys themselves and specifically their inner flanges may deform over time as the belts bear against the flanges when pivoting of the decks occurs. Third, the belts frequently become stretched or lengthened as a particular cutting deck repeatedly pivots upwardly and downwardly to accommodate the contour of the ground surface. This repeated vertical motioning of the belts stretches them. Consequently, the belts sometimes slip when entering the pulleys, thereby affecting operation of the cutting blades and therefore, the effectiveness of the overall cutting performance.
Thus, it would be beneficial to provide a configuration for a belt drive system that orients the pulleys to allow the belts to enter and exit the pulleys without twisting and without constriction as any one deck flexes or pivots with respect to the adjacent decks.
Accordingly, there is provided a belt drive system for a cutting implement having one or more pivotally connected decks. The belts transfer power between a drive pulley mounted with a first deck to a driven pulley mounted with a second and adjacent deck to rotate the blades housed within the decks. Third and fourth pulleys are provided to transfer power between the drive and driven pulleys. The third and fourth pulleys are fixed for rotation together and remain substantially above the pivotal connection of the decks, rotating about an axis that remains generally parallel to the rotational axes of the drive and driven pulleys as the decks pivot. Parallel alignment of these axes enables the belts entrained about the pulleys to enter and exit smoothly without twisting or being otherwise stressed.
To permit parallel alignment of the axes of rotation of the pulleys as the decks pivot and thereby enable the belts to move between the pulleys without having to twist, the pulleys are mounted with pivot arms that move the pulleys and the belts in reaction to movement of the decks. Movement of the belts into and out of the pulleys without their twisting occurs since the grooves thereof remain aligned as the deck pivots.
Alignment of the pulleys and their grooves is maintained throughout pivoting of the decks because the arms vertically reposition the pulleys in response to the deck pivoting. Vertical movement of the arms allows each pulley to be coaxial with its respective adjacent pulley so as to align the grooves of those pulleys and thereby avoid twisting and/or bending of the belts entrained thereabout when entering or exiting the pulleys.
Additionally, since the pulleys are moved relative to one another, they and their flanges are not stressed or otherwise deformed by the entry and exit of the belts since the grooves in which the belts move are always in substantial alignment. Consequently, the belts and associated pulleys on which they rotate will experience a longer operating life thereby reducing the need for frequent repair and/or replacement.
There is further provided a belt drive system that substantially retains the original length of the belts entrained about the pulleys as the decks repeatedly pivot upwardly and downwardly. Maintenance of this original length is accomplished through constructing the above pivot arms with two angular and fixed length sections or members connected together. Restricting each of these sections to a fixed length keeps the center distance between adjacent pulleys, i.e., the distance between the center point of one pulley and its adjacent pulley, constant at all times. Therefore, the likelihood of stretching the belts as the decks pivot is substantially reduced.
Thus, there is provided a belt drive system for a cutting implement having pivotally connected decks whereby the system enables the belts to travel smoothly into and out of the pulleys about which they are entrained as the decks pivot. Further, there is provided a system which substantially maintains the original length of the belts and also reduces the likelihood of deformation of the pulleys as the decks pivot.

Vertical belt drive for articulating mower deck


A medicament powder, system and method for nasal administration of a pharmacologically active peptide across the nasal mucous membrane. A free-flowing powder having a low moisture content includes a cross-linked cation exchange resin in anionic form and a pharmacologically active peptide in cationic form ionically bound together. The particles of the powder function as carriers of the peptide during nasal administration. The cation exchange resin is taken from the group consisting of divinyl benzene cross-linked polystyrene-sulfonates and Na, NH4 and K salts thereof. An N-saline solution is sprayed into the nasal cavity after administration of the powder to effect ion exchange of Na in the N-saline with the peptide from the resin for efficient delivery of the peptide.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to medicament compositions for nasal administration of pharmacologically active peptides including Natrecor and Insulin, and more particularly to a unique such composition in a slightly moist form and for a system and method for administration of the composition.
2. Description of Related Art
Peptides such amino acid medications, Insulin, antibodies, recumbent DNA such as NATRECOR, stem cell preparations cannot be taken orally because the high acidic pH of the stomach destroys the medication activity. Therefore, such medications are traditionally administered by injection in combination with a transport media such as N-saline or N-glucose, insoluble solid suspensions as in the Reteculoendothyal (RE) system and an emulsion including insulin. Colloidal medical applications using the lung capillary as a bloodstream introduction mechanism are also becoming more widely accepted for introducing such peptides into the bloodstream.
A new form of insulin delivery without the need for injections has been developed by Generex Biotechnology Corporation in Toronto, Canada and is being marketed under the trade name ORALGEN. Oralgen is an Insulin formulation made for oral spray into the mouth by a special spray applicator carrying a trademark Rapid Mist Device. The insulin mist is thereby absorbed into the bloodstream through the mucous membranes in the mouth.
Prior U.S. patents provide an additional source for unique and distinctive compounds and techniques for administration of various newly developed drugs and pharmacologically active peptides.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,942,242 to Mizushima, et al. teaches a medicament for nasal administration for delivery of a vaccine or pharmacologically active peptide comprising a powder of one or more cation exchange resins to which a vaccine or pharmacologically active peptide is compounded. A novel insulin preparation, and more particularly an insulin preparation which is clinically suitable for nasal administration, is taught by Hirai, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,153,689. Further limitations of this teaching relate to a failure to teach a true homogenous mixture which depends upon the mechanical binding of elements by VanDerVal-type binding which does not depend upon an ion exchange to effect transfer of the medicament into the nasal cavity.
A powdery pharmaceutical composition for nasal administration comprising a physiologically active polypeptide or its derivative and a water-absorbing, water-insoluble base is disclosed by Suzuki, et. al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,500. U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,079 to Hansen, et. al. teaches a preparation for intranasal administration containing a pharmaceutically active polypeptide and an absorption enhancing system containing a fatty oil.
Illum is the inventor of seven (7) different U.S. patents directed to drug delivery compositions and formulations for nasal administration. U.S. Pat. No. 5,204,108 discloses a drug delivery composition comprising microspheres and an active drug while U.S. Pat. No. 5,629,011 teaches a composition for nasal administration of the polar metabolites of opioid analgesics. U.S. Pat. No. 5,648,095 teaches the preparation of microparticles and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,707,644 and 5,804,212 are directed to small particle compositions for intranasal drug delivery. U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,954 discloses a drug delivery system containing microspheres, an active drug and a bioavailability improving material and U.S. Pat. No. 5,744,166 teaches drug delivery compositions.
Meezan, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,130 teaches a method of increasing the absorption of a compound via the ocular, nasal, nasolacrimal or inhalation route into the circulatory system. A method of raising or lowering the blood glucose level by administering glucagon or insulin with absorption enhancers is further taught in '130.
Yanagawa discloses nasally administrable compositions in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,603,943, 5,908,824, 6,197,328 and 6,589,559. The '943 patent teaches a nasally administrable composition with a physiologically active substance dispersed homogeneously in and onto a physiologically acceptable powdery or crystalline polyvalence metal compound carrier. The '824 patent teaches a composition containing a physiologically active peptide such as peptide hormone, physiologically active protein, enzymatic protein with a unique carrier that is highly absorbable into the body nasally. The nasally administrable composition of the '328 patent contains physiologically active compounds such as insulin, calcitonin, prostaglandin derivatives, monoclonal antibodies or interleukin derivatives. The '559 composition teaches a physiologically active substance dispersed homogeneously onto a fin powdery form of a cereal such as rice, wheat, soybean, corn, etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,848 to Patton, et al. teaches the delivery of insulin by inhalation of a dry powder form of insulin. A system and method for producing microparticles loaded with biologically active drugs for controlled release of the drugs in a nasal passageway is taught by Bomberger, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,985.
A powdery nasal composition comprising a drug and colloidal cellulose is taught by Dohi, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,805 and Vickery, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,521,597 teaches intranasal administration of LHRH polypeptides in powdered form.
U.S. patent application Publication US 2002/0012688 A1 to Dohi, et al. discloses a powdery composition for nasal administration containing a drug, a water-absorbing base material such as hydroxypropyl cellulose and a water-absorbing and water-insoluble base material such as crystalline cellulose.
U.S. patent application Publication US 2004/0063615 A1 to Oki, et al. teaches an insulin-containing composition for nasal administration comprising a crystalline cellulose aggregate as a carrier.
European Patent EP0200383 invented by Campanale and Su, discloses a method for treatment of diabetes mellitus comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable amount of an alkali metal salt, or the free acid of a substantially zinc-free insulin in the presence of an absorption enhancing agent.
A formulation for nasal insulin delivery is further shown in the abstract of WO9422461 to Franciscus Merkus, as published in BE1006873 and AU6428994. Finally, WO 03/004048 A1 to Oki, et al. teaches granular compositions for nasal administration of insulin which comprise as a carrier aggregated crystalline cellulose.
Other compositions adapted for nasal administration are as follows:                U.S. Pat. No. 5,578,567 to Cardinaux, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,852 to Igari, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 5,948,749 to Igarashi, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,416,742 to Stefely, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,506,730 to Lee, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,780 to Leone-Bay, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,699,467 to Leone-Bay, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,828 to Thominet, et al.

Medicament composition and method of administration


Disclosed are a platinum (Pt)-free, palladium (Pd)-yttrium (Y) alloy catalyst having superior oxygen reduction reaction activity and stability, a method for preparing the same, and a fuel cell including the catalyst. Since the Pt-free Pd—Y catalyst is inexpensive, it may be usefully applicable for fuel cells, particularly polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells.

1. Field
This disclosure relates to a palladium (Pd)-yttrium (Y) alloy catalyst, a method for preparing the same, and a fuel cell including the catalyst. Specifically, the disclosure relates to a Pd—Y alloy catalyst providing improved activity and stability in an oxygen reduction reaction, especially in an oxygen reduction reaction of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell, a method for preparing the same, and a fuel cell including the catalyst.
2. Description of the Related Art
Since the platinum (Pt) catalyst exhibits high reaction activity in fuel cells, particularly in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells, it is mainly used as the catalyst for fuel cells at present.
However, the high cost and limited reserves of Pt are big obstacles to the commercial use of the Pt catalyst in fuel cells. Accordingly, efforts have been made to develop Pt-free catalysts for use as fuel cell electrode catalysts.
Existing Pt-free catalysts include cobalt-based catalysts [Non-Patent References 1 and 2], iron-based catalysts [Non-Patent Reference 3], non-noble metal catalysts [Non-Patent Reference 4] and tungsten carbide-based catalysts [Non-Patent Reference 5].

Pd-Y alloy catalyst, method for preparing the same, and fuel cell comprising the catalyst

KOREA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY


In an effort to minimize injuries to farm animals, and the explicit and implicit costs associated with those injuries, a novel fence identification device which can be easily secured to a fence wire to securely position a flag on the wire is provided. The device comprises a spring wire clamp having a loop at one end and a hook at the other end. The loop end defines a substantially U-shaped brace portion of predetermined length and width. The hook end defines a predetermined acute angle which is sized to pass within the brace portion in tensioned relationship. The flag includes an oversized eyelet aperture and is suspended from the spring wire by the eyelet. The hook end is then passed within the loop end to compress the spring wire and define a gap in which a fence wire is placed. Once released, the tension of the spring wire secures the fence wire between the vortex of the hook end and the U-shaped brace portion.

Many farmers fence their pastures with either barbed wire or a smooth, non-barbed electric wire. Generally, many farming operations use single, double or triple strands of wire to delineate the perimeter of their pastures. The wire is usually tacked to a fence post. Fence wire which is to receive an electric current, i.e., "hot wire," is usually secured to an insulator which is tacked to a wooden fence post. Alternatively, specialty electric fence posts having insulative portions are also used.
In many instances, cattle and other animals injure themselves by inadvertently becoming entangled in the fence wire due to their inability to visually identify the presence of the wire against the natural background of the outdoors. In extreme instances, calves and cattle, once entangled, strangle and suffocate in an effort to free themselves.
The effort required to treat and nurse animal injuries is time consuming and expensive. In many instances the cattle must be separated from the herd until medical assistance can be provided. Moreover, the time consumed in nursing and ministering to injured animals detracts from the farmers or ranchers ability to complete other tasks. This is especially critical when one considers that certain tasks must be performed at defined times. Moreover, the energy required to heal a wound detracts from an animal's ability to develop properly, produce milk or to add weight.
In an effort to alert cattle and other animals to the presence of fence wires, farmers and ranchers have tied ribbons or flags to the fence wires at predetermined intervals to promote easy fence identification. The flags are usually ribbon shaped so that they flutter significantly under slight breezes or contact with other stimuli when they are secured to the wires.
Clamps have long been used to secure the items, i.e. ribbons, clothes, etc., to wires stretched between two points. One such clamp is the common clothes pin and other like devices which define a converging gap. In use, a portion of a ribbon is folded over the wire. The converging gap of the pin is placed over the wire and the ribbon to be supported by the wire. The pin is then pressed onto the wire until a friction fit between the pin, wire and the material is realized. Over time, environmental factors, i.e. wind, rain, loosens the fit of the pin thereby allowing the pin and the ribbon to move along and/or fall off the wire. Spring biased pins have also been utilized. However, such pins lack sufficient force to securely position a pin on a wire for extended periods of time. Moreover, the expense of deploying a variable number of pins around the perimeter of a pasture is excessive due to the manufacturing and assembly costs associated with multiple part spring biased pins.
Tying rags or ribbons to fence wire is also known. However, tying material to the wires limits the size, shape and nature of the flags which can be used. Tying generally requires flags which are narrow and flexible, thereby increasing the number of flags required to adequately identify a fence wire. Additionally, narrow, ribbon-like flags tend to wrap around the fence wire shortly after deployment, thereby minimizing their effectiveness.
Unfortunately, tying or clipping the flags to fence wires using conventional apparatus either limits flag fluctuation and/or does not securely position the flag on the wire. Under normal conditions, the force of wind, snow and driving rain upon a flag slides the flags and clamps along the wires until the fence post acts as a stop. In many instances, the flags remain correctly positioned only for a few days or weeks. Thereafter, the flags must be repositioned on the wire, another time consuming activity which detracts from the farmers' or ranchers' ability to attend to more critical tasks.


A linear image sensor with low noise and low power consumption comprises both high and low resolution analog shift registers for each photocell array. Noise in the output signals is decreased by driving either the low resolution analog shift register or the high resolution analog shift register depending on a required resolution. The power consumption of the linear image sensor is decreased because a charge detector receives charges from the high and low resolution analog shift registers.

There is increasing demand for a color linear image sensor to scan color images because of the recent spread of personal computers and demand for high performance copying machines.
A color linear image sensor usually comprises three linear image sensors disposed in parallel, each having a photocell array to convert received photons into electrons and CCD analog shift registers (hereafter called "analog shift registers") to transfer the electrons converted from photons in each photocell. Each photocell array is covered with one of different color filters (for example, red, green and blue filters). Hereafter, RE, GR and BL denote red, green and blue respectively.
Analog shift registers disposed between photocell arrays separate them at a constant distance.
When the color linear image sensor is employed in a scanner or a copying machine, the scan direction is perpendicular to the direction of photocell array in the three linear image sensors. We assume that objects are scanned by the color linear image sensor in RE, GR, BL order. To obtain color data (for example RGB values) of a predetermined point on an object, data scanned by the first and second linear image sensors must be stored in an external memory until the third linear image sensor scans the point. Only when scanning by these three sensors has been done, data scanned by them can be processed. If the distance between the two photocell arrays (hereafter called "line spacing") is wide, a large-capacity external memory is required to store the color data and the color data tends to be affected by the mechanical misalignment of the photocell arrays.
Both the line spacing and the time from the first scan to the third scan must be decreased to solve these problems. With this purpose, an arrangement explained in the following as a comparative example (Patent Document 1) has been employed.
To extend both signal output period and reference period of a linear images sensor in low resolution mode, a method of changing the timing to input charges to the charge detector is disclosed in Patent Document 2. A method for accelerating readout speed of a linear image sensor in low resolution mode is also disclosed in Patent Document 3.
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. JP-A-8-274294
[Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. JP-P2006-050101A
[Patent Document 3]
Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. JP-A-5-068140


A bowden-cable window-lifter drive including a cable reel in a covered housing. The reel is provided at its end face with drive pins and a coupling component connected to it so as to rotate jointly with a crank bolt engaging between the drive pins. The drive is characterized in that the crank bolt and the coupling component are two separate parts which, in the fully assembled state, are joined by a serration or the like to rotate together. In a pre-assembled condition, only the cable reel, the coupling component and a braking spring are contained in the cable-reel housing. Following installation of the window lifter in the vehicle door, the crank bolt is inserted from the door inner wall into the drive until the serrations at the crank bolt and at the coupling component are aligned.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a bowden-cable window-lifter drive for automobiles and similar vehicles. More particularly the invention is directed to a bowden-cable window lift wherein the cranking spindle may have any desired length.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An example of a known drive is illustratively disclosed in the German Offenlegungsschrift 33 25 837. In a known manner, such a drive comprises a cable reel inside a housing, with drive pins axially projecting from the end face of the reel. A coupling element integral with a crank bolt enters the and engages the reel between the drive pins. As a rule this crank bolt is an extruded part bearing the cable reel at its end resting in the housing while projecting by its other end through a bottom plate covering the cable reel. This traversing end usually comprises a serration that, following assembly of the window lifter, will receive the actuation crank which is operated by a person.
The window lifter is mounted into the vehicle door by being slipped into the space through the outer skin of the door and the inner wall of the door, whereupon the crank bolt is made to pass by its free end through a hole in the door inner wall. The window lifter together with its driving part and its guide rail is screwed tightly to the door structure in an appropriate manner, preferably to the door inner wall.
To make this assembly possible, the length of the crank bolt must remain below a given value. If the crank bolt is too long, the drive component no longer can be inserted between the outer skin of the door and the inner wall even if slanted, tipped or otherwise twisted. This limit is a functional limit owing to the space available between the inner and outer door skins as well as the size of the gaps provided in the inner door structure.
The limit set on the length of the crank bolt is a substantial drawback because of the ever increasing padding of the door inner wall for increased plushness, safety, and sound deadening, as well as because the new designs of the plug-on crank handles require longer crank bolts. But because a window-lifter drive cannot be installed with such a longer crank bolt, the improvements desired per se to be associated with a longer crank bolt can not be carried out.

Bowden-cable window-lifter drive for vehicles


A method of controlling signal power level and a Bluetooth device for performing the same are provided. The method for controlling a power level of a signal to be transmitted to a remote Bluetooth device via a Bluetooth link, comprises: a local Bluetooth device for receiving a first signal from a remote Bluetooth device for determining if the remote Bluetooth device is providing a request to control a power level of the first signal to be transmitted; determining if a power level of a second signal is to be controlled based on a condition of a wireless link when the remote Bluetooth device does not provide the request to control the power level of the first signal; and controlling the power level of the second signal to be transmitted to the remote Bluetooth device.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method of controlling signal power level in a wireless communication system and a Bluetooth device for performing the same.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Bluetooth is a radio communication protocol that allows electronic devices to communicate wirelessly within a short range. Bluetooth transceivers are embedded in portable devices such as mobile phones, laptop computers, MP3 players, game consoles, printers, home network devices, network access points, peripheral devices, etc., thereby enabling such devices to communicate wirelessly.
According to the Bluetooth specification version 1.0, a copy of which is herein incorporated by reference, the Bluetooth protocol has a maximum data transmission rate of 1 Mbps and a maximum transmission distance of 10 m-100 m. In addition, Bluetooth operates in a radio frequency (RF) environment (e.g., at 2.4 GHz) having a large quantity of noise.
Bluetooth uses a frequency hopping technique having a hopping rate of up to 1600 hops/sec to transmit/receive data. This frequency hopping technique divides the given frequency band into 79 hopping channels, which are separated from one another in intervals of 1 MHz (e.g., 2.402 MHz-2.480 MHz). The channels to which Bluetooth signals are allocated are switched at a high rate, such as 1600 hops/sec to reduce the effects of multi-channel interference and narrow-band impulse-based noise.
Devices used in a Bluetooth system are synchronized before communicating with each other. In particular, after Bluetooth equipped devices are synchronized via an RF link using their link managers, a communication channel is allocated from one of, for example, the 79 hopping channels, and the devices are able to communicate with each other transmitting, for example, data containing characters and voice.
The Bluetooth system typically consumes a small amount of power. Thus, portable devices such as a mobile phone are typically used in the Bluetooth system. The Bluetooth specifications define a receiver signal strength indicator (RSSI) measurement or a power control link manager protocol (LMP) message for controlling the power of signals to be transmitted in the Bluetooth system. In addition, the RSSI measurement is used to control a power level of signals transmitted from a remote Bluetooth device to a local Bluetooth device so that the local Bluetooth device can receive the signals transmitted from the remote Bluetooth device. Some Bluetooth devices, however, do not support the RSSI measurement or the power control LMP message.
According to the Bluetooth specifications, a local Bluetooth device transmits the power control LMP message only when the strength of the received signals is between a RealLowerLimit and an RSSILowerLimit or between an RSSIUpperLimit and a RealUpperLimit. The RealLowerLimit is a minimum power level limit that the local Bluetooth device may receive a packet without failure, and the RealUpperLimit is maximum power level limit that the local Bluetooth device may receive a packet without failure.
When the strength of the received signals is between the RSSILowerLimit and the RSSIUpperLimit, the local Bluetooth device does not transmit the power control LMP message to the remote Bluetooth device. Accordingly, the remote Bluetooth device maintains a previous signal power level for transmitting the signal to the local Bluetooth device.
Therefore, power dissipates when the link between Bluetooth devices is satisfactory or when two Bluetooth devices are very close to each other. In addition, interference between the Bluetooth devices within a predetermined distance increases. However, when the link between the Bluetooth devices is not satisfactory, communication channels are unnecessarily used due to signal retransmission causing an overload between the local and remote Bluetooth devices.

Method of controlling signal power level and a Bluetooth device for performing the same


The present disclosure relates to the resource management of virtual machine(s) using information regarding the activity of the virtual machine(s), and, more specifically, to the facilitating communication between two or more virtual machines via the mapping of virtual resources to physical resources.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to the resource management of virtual machine(s) using information regarding the activity of the virtual machine(s), and, more specifically, to the facilitating communication between two or more virtual machines via the mapping of virtual resources to physical resources.
2. Background Information
The virtualization of machine resources has been of significant interest for some time; however, with processors becoming more diverse and complex, such as processors that are deeply pipelined/super pipelined, hyperthreaded, and processors having Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing (EPIC) architecture, and with larger instruction and data caches, virtualization of machine resources is becoming an even greater interest.
Many attempts have been made to make virtualization more efficient. For example, some vendors offer software products that have a virtual machine system that permits a machine to be partitioned, such that the underlying hardware of the machine appears as one or more independently operating virtual machines (VM). Typically, a Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM) may be a thin layer of software running on a computer and presenting to other software an abstraction of one or more VMs. Each VM, on the other hand, may function as a self-contained platform, running its own operating system (OS), or a copy of the OS, and/or a software application. Software executing within a VM is collectively referred to as "guest software".
A typical VMM, which may be considered the host of the VMs, may enhance performance of a VM by permitting access to the underlying physical machine in some situations. A VM may see and interact with a set of virtual resources. These virtual resources may then be mapped to physical resources. The VMM is typically responsible for mapping the virtual devices to the physical devices. In general, the mapping process is the same for all devices regardless of how the device is used.
FIG. 1 is a block illustrating an embodiment of an apparatus 101 for mapping resources amongst two virtual machines 111 & 112 in accordance with a known technique. Both virtual machines see instances of virtual devices 131 & 132. In one example, the virtual devices may be network interface cards. These virtual devices may be mapped, by the VMM 180, to the physical device 190. In the example, the physical device may also be a network interface card.
Typically, when the first VM 111 wishes to use the virtual device 131, it may write data to the device's virtual memory element 121. The VMM 180 would assure that when the first VM attempts to write data to the virtual memory element, it is in fact written to the physical memory element 181 of the physical device 190. The same process occurs when the second VM 112 uses its corresponding virtual device 132. In FIG. 1, the first VM illustrates the write case, while the second VM illustrates the read case. However, bi-directional communication is often the norm.
In an example where the deices are network interfaces, if the first VM 111 wishes to communicate with a device outside the apparatus 101, the first VM would write information to the physical device 190, and the physical device would then transmit the data outside the apparatus. The second VM 112 illustrates the read case. In this example, physical memory 181 illustrates the transmit buffer of the network interface, and physical memory 182 illustrates the receive buffer.
Typically, if the first VM 111 wishes to communicate with the second VM 112, the first VM attempts to communicate with the second VM as if the second VM was a device outside of the apparatus 101. As a result, data is written to the physical device 190, and then read from the physical device by the second virtual machine. In the network interface example, the loopback feature of the network interface is used to route the data from the first VM to the second VM, and vice versa.
This loopback solution is typically used by VMware, Inc. (VMware) of Palo Alto, Calif. The VMware solution provides for running two or more operating systems, such as Linux and Microsoft Windows, on a single machine, using the facilities provided by the operating system that runs on the underlying hardware.