In accordance with the present invention, a chain driven reciprocating hammer is disclosed. The chain driven reciprocating hammer includes a chain system for lifting a ram to a drop point. The chain system includes a plurality of sprockets and a chain with at least one mesh link to mesh with the ram. Additionally, the chain driven reciprocating hammer includes an adjustable tandem release sprocket mechanism. Also, the chain driven reciprocating hammer includes a center and clamping mechanism configured to secure a work input.

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Free fall or drop type hammers have been used and are still being used for driving pile, poles, pipe etc., which are referred to herein as work input (or work piece). Hammer rams have historically been lifted to a free fall height (drop height) by manual labor, winch and cable systems, compressed air, hydraulic fluid under pressure and the explosive force of diesel fuel combustion. The pull of gravity in relation to the mass of the ram releases a driving force upon impact with the work input that is being driven. The above mentioned methods of raising a ram are energy intensive and require a heavy supporting structure.
Additionally, conventional driving systems require ancillary work input positioning systems, such as leads, pull ropes, etc. to accurately position and hold the driving hammer and work input in a linear configuration perpendicular to a substrate such as the ground, beach, etc. that the driven work input is being driven into. Moreover, pile driving hammers with conventional bells, bonnets, etc. cannot adjust their internal inlet diameter to conform with the various outside diameters found with work input such as wooden piles or poles, for example. Although wooden pile or poles may generally have a consistent overall length, their outside diameters at the driven end can, and most often do, vary with each individual pile or pole.
Embodiments of the present invention may address one or more of the issues mentioned above.

Chain driven reciprocating hammer with work piece centering and clamping


A restriction (30) is provided for preventing a second housing (20) from being fit in an incorrect oblique posture into a receptacle (12). The restriction includes restricting ribs (31) projecting from an inner surface of the receptacle (12) and restricting grooves (32) formed by recessing an outer surface of the second housing (20). Each restricting rib (31) includes a first rib (31A) extending in a connecting direction and second ribs (31B) located behind the front end of the first rib (31A) in the connecting direction. Each restricting groove (32) includes a first groove (32A) extending in the connecting direction and second grooves (32B) located before the rear end of the first groove (32A) in the connecting direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 7,214,090 discloses a connector with first and second housings. The first housing has a receptacle and the second housing is configured to fit in the receptacle. The connector also has a restriction for preventing the second housing from being fit in an incorrect posture. The restriction includes a rib formed on an inner surface of the receptacle and a groove formed in an outer surface of the second housing. The rib and the groove engage to permit a connecting operation of the housings when the second housing is fit into the receptacle in a correct posture. However, the outer surface of the second housing interferes with the rib to prevent connection if the second housing is in an incorrect posture.
The restricting rib of the above-described conventional connector projects substantially at right angles from a longer side of the receptacle and prevents the connecting operation when the second housing is inclined about an axis parallel to shorter sides of the receptacle. However, the connecting operation is not prevented when the receptacle is inclined about an axis parallel to the longer sides of the receptacle.
Ribs that project from both longer and shorter sides of the receptacle have been considered to address inclination about an axis parallel to the longer sides of the receptacle and inclination about an axis parallel to the shorter sides. However, with this structure, the posture of the second housing must be determined correctly in both a longer side direction and a shorter side direction at an initial stage of an operation of fitting the second housing into the receptacle. This complicates the connecting operation.
The invention was developed in view of the above situation, and an object thereof is to improve operability at an initial stage of a connecting operation in a connector designed to prevent a forced connection of housings.


A tunable filter has a plurality of variable capacitors and a plurality of inductor elements, each being formed on a common substrate, a filter circuit formed by using at least a portion of the plurality of variable capacitors and a portion of the plurality of inductor elements, a monitor circuit formed by using at least a portion of the plurality of variable capacitors and a portion of the plurality of inductor elements, a detecting circuit which detects a prescribed circuit constant of the monitor circuit, a storage which stores information relating to a reference circuit constant of the monitor circuit, and a capacitance control circuit which controls capacitance of the variable capacitors in the monitor circuit and capacitance of the variable capacitors in the filter circuit, based on a result detected by the detecting circuit and information stored in the storage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tunable filter having a variable capacitor of which capacitance is variably controlled by a thin-film piezoelectric actuator and an inductor element.
2. Related Art
In the radio communication field, there is a strong demand for realizing a tunable filter that can continuously and freely change a pass band and a block band. Characteristics required for the tunable filter are, for example, a large band-change width, a continuous band change, small insertion loss and precipitous shielding characteristic as a filter (i.e., high Q), compactness and lightness, and high reliability and excellent reproducibility. However, filters having only remarkably limited performance can be achieved at present.
A filter is a circuit basically having a combination of an inductor element and a capacitor. A tunable filter can be realized when either inductance of the inductor element or capacitance of the capacitor can be changed.
Inductance of an inductor element is determined by a length and shape of a transmission path, and permeability in space. A variable inductor which changes permeability by placing and taking out a ferromagnetic core in the center of the coil using an inductor element having low Q is in practical use. However, an attempt to obtain large variable inductance is not known, using an inductor element of high Q used in a high-frequency band of a few hundred MHz or above for portable telephones or the like.
On the other hand, capacitance of a capacitor is determined by area and an interval of a pair of opposite electrodes, and permeability in space. A ferroelectric substance such as barium titanate and lead zirconate titanate has a characteristic that its permittivity changes by a few times at a maximum, when a direct current bias is applied to this ferroelectric substance. Therefore, a variable capacitor can be formed using these ferroelectric substances. However, a ferroelectric substance generally has large dielectric loss and has low Q.
A variable capacitor can be configured when a distance between electrodes is variable, and therefore, an electromagnetic driving mechanism such as a motor can be utilized. However, this has a slow response and has a large size. Therefore, the electromagnetic driving mechanism is not suitable for a mobile radio terminal such as a cellular phone.
A variable capacitor using an electrostatic driving type MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) recently calls attention. For example, an experiment example of a tunable filter that has a troidal coil and many electrostatic driving type variable capacitors connected together is introduced (see 2003 IEEE Microwave Theory and Technique Symposium Digest p. 1781).
However, the electrostatic driving type variable capacitor has a phenomenon called pull-in in operation. While capacitance changes in the order of about two digits in on-off operations, capacitance disadvantageously changes continuously within a range of 1.5 times. Therefore, when the electrostatic driving type variable capacitor is applied to the tunable filter, it is difficult to realize the most demanded characteristic of continuously changing a band on a large scale, although a band can be digitally switched on a large scale.


Fraud in the utilization of debit cards having magnetic media on one face, in debit card readers having magnetic read/write heads, is prevented. With the magnetic head the card is automatically read when inserted into the debit card reader to determine information from the magnetic media. The card can be invalidated immediately after the data is read, and only revalidated if it is determined the same card resides in the reader throughout the transaction. Generally simultaneously with reading, a security code is written on the magnetic media with the magnetic head, and/or after the card has come to rest in a transaction position, at least one of a plurality of card position sensors is enabled to sense the movement of the card from its rest position. Then prior to completing a transaction the magnetic media is read to be sure that the security code is present, and/or it is determined from the sensors if the card has moved more than a predetermined amount from its rest position. If either aberrant condition is determined, the read/write head is used to invalidate the card (or prevent revalidation of the card) and displays a fraud code on the reader LCD. Also a gate is provided at the entrance to the reader, and alternatively or as a compliment to the other steps and apparatus, the gate can be controlled to positively prevent movement of the card out of the entrance to the reader until the transaction is completed, or to trap the card if it is an invalid one.

The use of magnetic debit cards is gaining widespread acceptance as a perfect system for automated point of sale control, as well as photo identification, master accounting, and access control functions. For example the Versacard TM system marketed by Digital Access Control of Manassas Park, Va. provides for the utilization of plastic cards with magnetic media on a face thereof in debit card readers which control photocopiers of all kinds, printers and other computer operated devices, facsimile machines, microfiche equipment, or any other business machines, laundry machines, vending machines and service dispensers, parking gates, and any other conventionally coin operated devices, as well as being usable in identification readers for access control, and identification (e.g. photo ID purposes).
While debit card systems, and associated readers, have enormous advantages compared to coin controlled and like equipment, there are some systems and card readers that are on the market which have an enormous potential for fraudulent utilization. Typically during utilization of the debit card system, a debit card with magnetic media on one face thereof is inserted into a debit card reader so that the magnetic media is inserted with proper orientation into a debit card reader so that the magnetic media thereon is read with a magnetic read/write head. In some systems on the market today, after the card is read and the information about the amount of "money" or "credit" remaining on the card is transmitted to a memory of a CPU, the transactions are allowed, and at the end of the transactions a new amount of "money" or "credit" remaining on the card is rewritten on the card with the magnetic read/write head.
This system is open to gross abuse. For example if one takes a debit card with $99.00 "money" on it, and attaches tape or other withdrawal media to one end of it, and then inserts it into a debit card reader with a like debit card--only with only a few cents remaining--on top of it, waits until the magnetic read/write head has read the amount of money remaining on the card and fed that to the CPU so that the computer assumes control over the transaction, and then quickly jerks out the lower card (the upper card remaining), at the end of the transaction the remaining card will be rewritten with whatever amount remains after the transaction is completed utilizing the amount of money that was originally on the first, lower card. For example if the lower card had $99.00 left, the upper card one cent, and the transaction uses one dollar, $98.00 will be written onto the card that previously had only one cent left, causing a loss to the business utilizing the system of $97.99. This same fraud can be practiced by inserting a valuable card, and then--after reading--inserting a worthless card between the valuable card and the read/write head.
According to the present invention, the fraudulent manipulation of debit card readers as described above, utilizing a worthless and a valuable debit card pair by changing the worthless card for the valuable card, is avoided in a number of alternative or complimentary manners.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method of preventing fraud in the utilization in a transaction of debit cards having magnetic media on a face thereof and debit card readers having a magnetic read/write head is provided. The method comprises the steps of automatically: (a) With the magnetic head, reading a card inserted into a debit card reader to determine information from the magnetic media thereon. (b) Generally simultaneously with step (a), writing a security code on the magnetic media with the magnetic head. (c) Prior to completing a transaction with the card, reading the magnetic media to be sure that the security code is present. And, (d) insuring that the card cannot be used for further transactions if in response to step (c) it is determined that the security code is not present (e.g. by invalidating the card in the reader with the read/write head, or if the card was invalidated immediately after step (a), precluding revaluation of the card).
As used in the present specification and claims, "invalidating" means to render the card incapable of being properly utilized in a magnetic read, either by placing magnetic indicia on the card that precludes normal transactions from taking place, or by erasing or disarranging data in the magnetic strips.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a different method is provided for preventing fraud, which may be utilized alone, or preferably in conjunction with the method as described above. According to the second aspect of the present invention the debit card reader has a gate at an entrance to the reader, and the method comprises the steps of automatically: (a) With the magnetic head, reading a card inserted into a debit card reader to determine information from the magnetic media thereon. (b) Generally simultaneously with step (a), closing the gate to positively prevent movement of the card out of the entrance to the reader until the transaction is completed. And, (c) after completion of a transaction, opening the gate to provide for removal of the card from the reader, or if it is determined that the card is illegal, the card can be trapped in the reader.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an alternative or complimentary method of preventing fraud is provided utilizing a debit card reader having a plurality of card position sensors. According to this alternative or complimentary method of the invention, the following steps are practiced automatically: (a) With the magnetic head, reading a card inserted into a debit card reader to determine information from the magnetic media thereon. (b) Generally simultaneously with step (a), after the card has come to rest in a transaction position, enabling at least one of the sensors to sense the movement of the card from its rest position. And, (c) if in response to step (b) it is determined that the card has moved more than a predetermined amount from its rest position prior to completion of a transaction, invalidating the card in the reader with the read/write head, or precluding revaluation if the card was invalidated immediately after step (a).
In general, according to the invention there may be provided a method of preventing fraud in the utilization in a transaction with magnetic debit cards having magnetic media on a face thereof and debit card readers having a magnetic read/write head, by practicing the steps of automatically: (a) With the magnetic head, reading a card inserted into a debit card reader to determine information from the magnetic media thereon. (b) Invalidating the card with the read/write head. (c) Prior to completing a transaction with the card, checking card parameters or position to determine whether or not the card present is the same card read in step (a). (d) If in response to step (c) it is determined that the original card is not present, insuring that the card cannot be used for further transactions by not revalidating the card; and (e) if it is determined during step (c) that the card is the card originally read in (a), revalidating the card with the proper enabled amount on it.
The invention also contemplates apparatus for implementation of each of the methods described above.
The invention is particularly advantageous and desirable since it can be practiced merely by changing software controls for equipment pre-existing in conventional debit card readers. In some circumstances, however, where a gate is not present, or where a gate at the entrance has insufficient structural integrity, a gate, or a more substantial gate, controlled by a gate motor, is provided at the entrance to the debit card reader. However because the invention primarily relates to a method of control of already existing parts, it is extremely easy to retrofit onto existing units.
In practicing the method according to the invention, if it is determined that the security code is not present, and/or that a card has moved more than a predetermined amount from its rest position prior to completion of a transaction, in addition to invalidating the card, a "fraud" message can be displayed on the LCD associated with the reader. Also, in order to provide data to assist in the capture of those attempting fraudulent use of the system, date, location, and like information can be magnetically encoded onto the card so that if the card is ever presented for redemption the true circumstances of the fraudulent use can be identified.
It is the primary object of the present invention to prevent fraud in the utilization in a transaction of debit cards having magnetic media on a face thereof in debit card readers. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.

Magnetic debit card reader fraudulent use prevention


Designs and methods of construction for a printed circuit board (PCB) in an implantable pulse generator (IPG) are disclosed which facilitate IPG PCB testing while also providing for protection of IPG circuitry in a simple and cost effective manner. The IPG PCB is formed as part of a larger test PCB, which includes an extender portion with traces routing nodes of interest in the IPG PCB to an edge connector. IPG electronics are mounted or soldered to the IPG PCB, and then such electronics are tested via the edge connector. The IPG PCB is then singulated from the extender portion in a manner leaving one or more PCB tabs at the severed edge of the PCB. The PCB tab(s) extend from the severed edge, and create an offset distance preventing traces severed and now exposed at the severed edge from contacting and potentially shorting to conductive structures in the IPG.

Implantable stimulation devices deliver electrical stimuli to nerves and tissues for the therapy of various biological disorders, such as pacemakers to treat cardiac arrhythmia, defibrillators to treat cardiac fibrillation, cochlear stimulators to treat deafness, retinal stimulators to treat blindness, muscle stimulators to produce coordinated limb movement, spinal cord stimulators to treat chronic pain, cortical and deep brain stimulators to treat motor and psychological disorders, and other neural stimulators to treat urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, shoulder subluxation, etc. The description that follows will generally focus on the use of the invention within a Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) system, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,516,227. However, the present invention may find applicability with any implantable medical device or in any implantable medical device system.
An SCS system typically includes an Implantable Pulse Generator (IPG), whose structure and construction is further described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/874,194, entitled "Construction for an Implantable Medical Device Employing an Internal Support Structure," filed Sep. 5, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The IPG 10 of the '194 Application is shown in FIG. 1, which includes a biocompatible device case 30 that holds the circuitry and battery 34 (FIG. 2) necessary for the IPG to function. The IPG 10 is coupled to electrodes 16 via one or more electrode leads 14 that form an electrode array 12. The electrodes 16 are carried on a flexible body 18, which also houses the individual signal wires 20 coupled to each electrode 16. The signal wires 20 are also coupled to proximal contacts 22, which are insertable into lead connectors 24 fixed in a header 28 on the IPG 10, which header can comprise an epoxy for example. Once inserted, the proximal contacts 22 connect to header contacts 26 in the lead connectors 24, which header contacts 26 are in turn coupled by feedthrough pins 48 to circuitry within the case 30 as will be explained subsequently. In the illustrated embodiment, there are sixteen electrodes 16 (E1-E16) split between two leads 14, although the number of leads and electrodes is application specific and therefore can vary. In a SCS application, electrode leads 14 are typically implanted on the right and left side of the dura within the patient's spinal cord. The proximal electrodes are then tunneled through the patient's tissue to a distant location, such as the buttocks, where the IPG case 30 is implanted, at which point they are coupled to the lead connectors 24.
FIG. 2 shows perspective bottom and top sides of the IPG 10 with the case 30 removed so that internal components can be seen. In particular, a battery 34, communication coil 40, and a printed circuit board (PCB) 42, can be seen. As explained in the '194 Application, these components are affixed to and integrated using a rigid (e.g., plastic) support structure 38. Battery 34 in this example is a permanent, non-wirelessly-rechargeable battery. (Battery 34 could also be rechargeable, in which case either coil 40 or another recharging coil would be used to wirelessly receive a charging field that is rectified to charge the battery 34). The communication coil 40 enables communication between the IPG 10 and a device external to the patient (not shown), thus allowing bidirectional communication to occur by magnetic induction. The ends of coil 40 are soldered to coil pins 44 molded into the support structure 38 to facilitate the coil 40's eventual connection to circuitry on the IPG PCB 42. IPG PCB 42 integrates the various circuits and electronics needed for operation of the IPG 10. As shown in FIG. 2, coil 40 is proximate to the bottom side of the support structure 38 and case 30, while the IPG PCB 42 is proximate to the top side.
FIG. 3 shows a lead connector subassembly 95 for the IPG 10, which includes the lead connectors 24, the header contacts 26, feedthrough pins 48, and a feedthrough 32. The feedthrough 32 acts as a hermetic means for passing via the feedthrough pins 48 electrode signals between the header contacts 26 (and ultimately electrodes 16) and the circuitry internal to the case 30 on the IPG PCB 42. Lead connector subassembly 95 can be formed by slipping the feedthrough pins 48 through the feedthrough 32, soldering one end of the feedthrough pins 48 to appropriate header contacts 26 in the lead connectors 24, and soldering or brazing the feedthrough pins 48 in the feedthrough 32 in a hermetic manner. Notice that the free ends of the feedthrough pins 48 are bent at 90 degrees relative to the feedthrough 32, which facilitates connection to the IPG PCB 42 as discussed subsequently. In this example, there are two rows of bent feedthrough pins 48, with the top row spaced by a distance d1, and the bottom row spaced by a distance d2, from a bottom surface of the feedthrough 32, the relevance of which will be explained later.
Some of the construction steps of the IPG 10 are shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, and because these steps are disclosed in the '194 Application, they are only briefly summarized here. Construction begins by affixing a battery terminal face 57 of the battery 34 to the support structure 38, using double sided tape 58 for example. The combined support structure 38 and battery 34 is then placed in an assembly jig 94 as shown in cross section in FIG. 4B. Next, the lead connector subassembly 95 (FIG. 3) is positioned within the jig 94. Like the feedthrough pins 48 in the lead connector assembly 95, the battery terminals 46 are bent at 90 degrees relative to the battery terminal face 57, and so both the feedthrough pins 48 and battery terminals 46 are now pointing upward when placed in the jig 94. Next, the IPG PCB 42—preferably pre-fabricated with its electrical components—is affixed to the top side of the support structure 38. In this regard, IPG PCB 42 includes coil solder pin holes 50, battery terminal solder holes 52, feedthrough pin solder holes 54, and support structure mounting holes 56, which are respectively slipped over the upward-pointing coil pins 44 (in the support structure 38), feedthrough pins 48, battery terminals 46, and mounting pins 88 of the support structure 38. The coil pins 44, feedthrough pins 48, battery terminals 46 are then soldered to the coil solder pin holes 50, feedthrough pin solder holes 54, and battery terminal solder holes 52 respectively to electrically couple them to the IPG PCB 42. Thereafter, and as explained in the '194 Application, the resulting IPG subassembly 92 is then placed in its case 30, which is welded together and to the feedthrough 32, and the header 28 is then added to complete IPG 10's construction.
The inventors consider it desirable to electrically test the IPG PCB 42 before it is attached to the support structure 38 and electrically coupled to the battery 34 and feedthrough pins 48, and sealed within its case 30, and techniques are disclosed for doing so, which also involve improved designs and methods of constructing the IPG PCB 42.

Circuit board for an implantable medical device, and method of fabricating and testing

Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation


Disclosed are various embodiments for a request monitoring application. Content identifiers are generated according to a known sequence or pattern. Requests for invalid content identifiers are logged. Response behavior to subsequent requests is modified when a number of requests from a source having invalid content identifiers meets a threshold.

Network spiders programmatically attempt to access resources of a network site. This may be performed by repeatedly sending generated requests to the network site to catalog the received responses. The network site may experience a decrease in performance due to handling the requests of the network spider. Additionally, the network sites are vulnerable to having content obtained by network sites duplicated or distributed without authorization.


A bale wrapper is provided that comprises a rotating arm holding a film dispenser. The arm rotates around an axis thereby wrapping the film from the film dispenser around the bale. Rotation of the arm is stopped when a sensing arrangement mounted ahead of the arm senses an obstacle. The arm is driven with a first speed sufficiently slow to prevent any risk of injury and the arm and the film dispenser from being damaged by hitting an obstacle detected by the sensing arrangement when an obstacle sensor observing a sensitive range in the environment of the bale wrapper detects an obstacle. The arm rotates at a second speed faster than the first speed when the obstacle sensor detects no obstacle.

Bale wrappers are used in agriculture to wrap bales with films of impervious material such as plastic, to envelop the baled material in an airtight manner for the process of ensilage of fodder. The plastic is wrapped by rotating the bale around its horizontal axis, while either the bale, as disclosed in GB 2 159 489 A, or an arm carrying the wrapping material, as disclosed in EP 0 829 197 A and EP 1 186 225 A, is rotated simultaneously around a vertical axis. Such wrappers are typically mounted on a common frame with a baler as disclosed in EP 1 186 225 A or embodied as independent machines connected to a tractor for transporting either the wrapper to the respective bales lying on a field or the bales to the wrapper as disclosed in EP 0 829 197 A and GB 2 159 489 A.
In order to prevent accidents, wrappers with rotating arms are usually protected by mechanical sensing arrangements in the form of light secondary arms running ahead of the main arms holding the film dispensers. Once one of the secondary arms comes in contact with an obstacle, it tilts back and activates a braking mechanism that stops the main arms before they hit the obstacle. This safety system is however only reliable within a certain speed range and thus limits the rotational speed of the arms and the working speed of the entire wrapper. When the wrapper is used in combination with a baler, the time required for wrapping the bale is, however, critical for the throughput of the combination.
It has been proposed to provide a self-propelled, unmanned autonomous wrapper with safety devices for avoiding accidents (DE 196 08 014 A). The safety devices comprise mechanical sensing rods and infrared sensors for detecting organisms and engines based upon the generated heat. If, for example, the wrapper comes closer than 20 m to a tractor/baler combination operating on the same field, detected by means of positioning systems, the wrapper is automatically switched off, until this distance is exceeded again. It should however be mentioned that presence sensors like those proposed in DE 196 08 014 A suffer from the disadvantage that they detect all kind of obstacles such as bales lying in the field, trees or fences, and thus often lead to unintended interruptions of work.


The present invention provides an illumination device comprising an elongated support element (10) with an illumination source (20) integrated therein. Preferably the elongated element is collapsible, telescopic or resiliently flexible. It may comprise a plurality of sections (11, 12) which are adapted to reciprocate between a retracted configuration and an extended configuration. The device is particularly suitable for temporary or collapsible structures such as tents, umbrellas, awnings, shades or the like.

Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
There are various forms of illumination for both interior and exterior use. Generally such forms of illumination are specifically designed for interior or exterior use and cannot be used in various locations. Further, generally illumination systems are specifically for a particular installation.
One of the difficulties associated with outdoors and outdoor activities, particularly in remote locations, is the need for illumination. While the thought "getting up" and "going down" with the sun is laudable, illumination is generally required during the evening for various reasons. In many cases people need to erect a shelter or tent, make food, etc in the evening and if one needs to leave the tent or simply carry out any activity which requires sight, some form of illumination is necessary. In many instances, the illumination is used as a location indicator so that occupants can make their way back to the camp site.
Generally this illumination is provided by a lamp or torch separate from the tent or support structure itself. In some cases the lamp is powered by fuel or gas which can negate the opportunity for using the illumination inside the structure. If batteries are used these are generally quite heavy. If light weight batteries/torches are used they generally provide insufficient illumination or their lifespan may be quite short. Additionally even with electric lamps, strip lights etc these generally require separate mounting and wiring as well as a power source. With the inconvenience and safety issues associated with conventional illumination systems, there has not been wide spread acceptance and use.
There is a need to provide an illumination source which is suitable for indoor and outdoor use, easily installed and preferably transportable, does not require complicated or expensive power source and wiring and still provide illumination for various activities both within and around the tent or similar temporary or collapsible structure.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative.


An IR signaling generator and method divides the functionality of generation between software and hardware to provide a flexible way to generate IR signals, such as remote control signals. The hardware includes a clock generator for generating a carrier clock signal and a data clock signal, a buffer memory that is loaded with instructions representing an encoded data sequence; a control circuit, and a transmitter including a modulator. Each instruction contains an on/off value that is to be modulated with the data clock signal and a pulse duration value that indicates how long the on/off value is to modulate the clock signal. Using the data clock signal, the control circuit measures the amount of time the on/off value modulates the clock signal and causes the buffer to advance to the next instruction in the sequence when the measured amount of time is equal to the pulse duration value.

Many consumer electronics items such as televisions, set-top boxes, audio/video components, and media center PCs use some form of infrared (IR) signaling for remote control. The signaling is typically accomplished by modulating an infrared light-emitting diode (LED) on and off in a unique pattern such that an IR receiver on the controlled equipment can detect specific commands such as on and off, volume up/down, channel up/down, and the like. More specifically, the IR LED is modulated at a specified carrier frequency, typically in the range of 30 KHz to 60 KHz. This carrier frequency is then switched on and off according to an encoded sequence of binary digits that form the unique controller codes.
There are no widely accepted official industry standards governing how the IR LED is to be modulated or how the data is to be encoded. In practice, various types of encoding are used by the different manufacturers of the controlled equipment. FIGS. 1a-1c show three types of encoding currently used in some equipment. FIG. 1a illustrates pulse-width encoding in which a long period of carrier frequency may represent a binary "1," and a short period may represent a "0." For example, the bit time for a Logic 1 can be defined as 1.5 times the bit time for a Logic 0. Another type of encoding is bi-phase encoding, such as shown in FIG. 1b, in which one half of the bit time is modulated on and the other half is off. In bi-phase encoding, binary values are differentiated by which half of the bit time is "on," that is, a binary "1" may be represented by "off" followed by "on," and vice-versa for binary "0." A third type of encoding, shown in FIG. 1c, is called pulse-position encoding, in which the time between pulses of a constant duration determines the logical value. For example, the bit time for a Logic 1 can be defined as twice that for a Logic 0. There are other less common encoding schemes that exist in the industry that, for reasons of brevity, are not detailed here.
Again, because there are no widely accepted standards, each manufacturer implements its own specific command sequence. For example, FIGS. 2a-2d show the Phillips RC5 IR Remote Control Protocol, which is a commonly used bi-phase encoding scheme and command structure. In the Phillips protocol, a carrier clock having a frequency of 36 KHz, as schematically depicted in FIG. 2a, is modulated using bi-phase data, such as the logic "0′" and logic "1" data signal shown in FIG. 2b. The result of the modulation is shown in FIG. 2c, which shows the data modulated clock signal representing a logic "0" bit and logic "1" bit. Such logical bit representations may be combined into a string of bi-phase data to create a command sequence that is provided to an infrared LED.
FIG. 2d depicts an exemplary fourteen-bit command sequence using the Phillips protocol. The command typically includes "Start" bits S1 and S2 (Bit 1-Bit 2) that mark its beginning, a "Toggle" bit T (Bit 3) for repeated commands, a sequence of five bits that represent the device address (Bit 4-Bit 8), followed by a sequence of bits that represent the command itself (Bit 9-Bit 14). Although not shown in FIG. 2d, a "Stop" bit may sometimes follow the command to indicate the end of the command sequence. The device address allows a single remote control to communicate with multiple devices, such as a TV, VCR, set-top box, audio components etc., and the command represents a specific function of the device, such as "play," "channel up," "volume down" etc. associated with the device.
The typical electronic hardware implementation of a remote control device is simply a small, embedded microcontroller that controls a single I/O pin that turns an IR LED on and off based on user inputs from a keypad. All of the encoding, modulation, and command sequencing is done in firmware loaded onto the microcontroller. This is an inexpensive, low power, and reasonably flexible solution for a dedicated-use remote control device.
One existing hardware solution by Texas Instruments (TI) is described in Section 2.4.4 of "TMS320DM646x DMSoC Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART)" (http://focus.ti.com/lit/ug/spruer6/spruer6.pdf). This approach generates the carrier frequency using a clock divider, generates a bit clock using another clock divider, and loads a series of bits into a shift register to represent the "on" and "off" pulses based on a single period of the bit clock. Although this implementation would be reasonable for the bi-phase encoding shown in FIGS. 2a-2d, it is limited in its capability for handling other encodings, such as pulse-width and pulse-position encoding.
The typical hardware solutions for a dedicated-use IR remote controller are not practical for a highly integrated, multi-use, portable communications and computing device. Simply adding a dedicated microcontroller loaded with the modulation and encoding firmware would violate the space, power, and cost constraints of such a device. An alternative solution might be to load the modulation and encoding firmware onto the portable device's existing microprocessor and have it control an IR LED (which often already exists on these devices) through an I/O pin. However, controlling a single pin with this level of precision is not an efficient use of the device's processor. This is especially so in multi-use devices that must control a number of different things simultaneously (e.g., maintaining a communications link with a cellular base station along with a user application such as email or Internet browser), where a large portion of the processor's power would be consumed modulating a single pin.
While the existing TI approach provides more functionality in hardware and significantly off-loads the microprocessor, it remains limited in configuring the bit clock for encoding schemes that use varying pulse widths. For a scheme that requires varying pulse widths with a fine degree of granularity with respect to the bit period, or a scheme that does not have a constant bit period, the bit clock must be programmed to be a much higher rate, therefore multiplying the number of bits that must be loaded by the microprocessor into the shift register. This greatly increases the real-time constraints on the microprocessor, which, in turn, may affect performance of other applications that may be concurrently running.
Another potential solution would be to implement the entire IR signal generating functionality, including the data encoding, in logic gates. The logic design for such an implementation would be relatively straightforward because none of the schemes currently in use are very complex. However, because there is no single standard, all the existing protocols would have to be implemented individually. This would lead to inflexible and/or expensive IR signaling generator implementations. For example, in devices that typically use Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) technology, such as cellular phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs), the IR signaling generation function would become fixed once a design of the ASIC device is finalized. Also, because implementing multiple IR remote control standards would utilize a large number of ASIC gates, the cost of the ASIC would increase significantly.

Infrared remote control signaling generator


The present invention relates to a circuit that pulls down the power supply line in an electronic system to a low state when the electronic system is turned off. More specifically, the present invention is an active circuit that establishes a low impedance between a power supply line and a return line when a system's power is turned off, and establishes a high impedance between a power supply line and a return line when the system is turned on.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a circuit that pulls down the power supply line (power rails) in an electronic system so that the power supply line goes to a low state and stays there when the electronic system is turned off. More specifically, the present invention relates to a circuit that pulls the power supply line low in a computer or other electronic system when the computer is turned off so that there is no residual voltage or back feed voltage on the power supply line when the system is turned off.
2. Description of Related Art
In the past when a power supply to a computer is turned off, the five volt power line was allowed to float at whatever voltage it naturally may have gone to. Most of the time the five volt power line would go to ground, unless an active peripheral device presents a bias to the power line through parasitic or "sneak" path. The active peripheral may thus cause the power line to be driven to a non-zero value. The non-zero voltage on the power line, which provides power to the various devices in a system, may cause system initialization problems when the system is turned on. Examples of system initialization problems include unrecognizable or inoperable system functions. A real life example could be a peripheral system, such as a mouse driver or networked interface cards, may not initialize correctly.
To remedy the residual voltage on the power line problem a passive technique has been used. FIG. 1 depicts an example of the passive technique. The passive technique requires a resistance, Rb, to be placed between power and ground. The passive technique corrects most of the problems of residual voltage on the power line when the system is turned off depending on the resistance value and the amount of current available from the biasing source. There are also drawbacks to the passive technique.
The drawbacks of the passive technique for pulling the power line low when the system is off include a decrease in the efficiency of the total system because when the system is on there is a resistor connected between the power line and ground consuming energy and doing basically nothing As a result, the power consumption of the system increases and the efficient use of energy decreases This is a significant drawback when complying with "Energy Star" requirements.
Thus, there is a need for a circuit that pulls a power supply's lines low or to ground when a computer or an electronic system is turned off, but dissipates no or an insignificant amount of power when the system is turned on. The present invention will accomplish both of these objectives

System having active pull-down circuit and method


The coating of the cylindrical periphery of engine pistons with coating compound, in particular low friction materials, is performed by means of screen printing. The pistons can be coated in the vertical position around their vertical central longitudinal axis as they rotate past a screen printing stencil.

Coating of piston surfaces with lead, tin, graphite or similar coatings having a predetermined thickness used to prevent the seizing of the pistons in the event of a failure in oil lubrication in the cylinders of an internal combustion engine and also in some cases to reduce engine knocking. The coating is applied in varying thicknesses and with varying coating patterns to achieve the desired results.
Hitherto the coating of engine pistons has generally been applied by spraying, which is expensive and unsatisfactory because of high losses and low efficiency. Furthermore, spraying is detrimental to the environment as large quantities of solvents are atomized.
Since the peripheral surfaces of the pistons are coated using masks when spraying, sharp contours of the piston surfaces cannot be reached. In addition, the spray mist causes undefinable coating contours under spraying masks which are not close together. Furthermore, the thickness of the coating, which is determined by adjusting the spray nozzle, normally has large tolerances.

Process and apparatus for coating motor pistons


An image projection unit projects, onto an object, an image that contains identification information for identifying the contents of control on an unmanned flying device. A control unit controls operation of the unmanned flying device, in accordance with the identification information indicated by the image captured by the imaging device mounted on the unmanned flying device. A deformation determination unit determines deformation of the projection plane of the object. The image projection unit projects an image showing a predetermined shape onto the object, and, in accordance with a result of the deformation determination, controls projection of the image for controlling operation of the unmanned flying device. The deformation determination unit determines deformation of the projection plane, in accordance with the shape of the captured image generated by capturing the projected image showing the predetermined shape.

Building state inspection (infrastructure deterioration diagnosis) using an unmanned aerial vehicle is conducted these days. For example, the deterioration state of a building can be estimated from the condition of a surface of a building imaged by a camera mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle. Hereinafter, an unmanned aerial vehicle will be referred to as an UAV. Note that an UAV can also be referred to as an unmanned flying device.
To use an UAV in infrastructure deterioration diagnosis, control needs to be performed to guide the UAV to the vicinity of the building to be diagnosed.
According to a conventional technology, the control unit of an UAV checks the position of the UAV through a global positioning system (GPS) signal, to guide the UAV to a target position. Patent Literature 1 discloses an aerial photography apparatus equipped with a camera that includes a GPS device having a GPS antenna, and an imaging unit.

Unmanned flying device control system, unmanned flying device control method, and inspection device


A mount for a peripheral device including a first plate having an opening; a second plate coupled to the first plate via a first hinged joint so as to be pivotable between a closed configuration and an open configuration; and a levelling plate disposed in the opening and coupled to the first plate via a second hinged joint so as to be pivotable between a flushed configuration and an angled-off configuration. The first hinged joint and the second hinged joint being parallel and at opposite portions of the first plate. A free end of the second plate in the closed configuration and a free end of the levelling plate in the flushed configuration are directed in opposite directions along the first plate. The levelling plate includes a socket structure to receive an attachment assembly for attaching the peripheral device to the levelling plate. The first plate includes a lip portion.

As the society moves towards work from home arrangement and home based learning, the demand for video functions, which requires a web camera or a camera being set-up, has increased. Typically, the web camera is used for video call or video conferences whereby the web camera is used for just showing the face of the user. Therefore, in the market, most web camera comes with a either a built-in monitor mount or a built-in standing mount, which restrict the web camera to be either fixed to a monitor or to be placed standing on a surface. These web cameras are usually also fixed relative to the respective mounts. However, with more type of uses of video functions in the work from home arrangement and home based learning, for example, for demonstrating process, products, equipment, prototypes, or for showing movements, artwork, projects, etc., the user may require interchanging the positions of the web camera from being on a monitor, to being on a table, to being handheld during the same video session. Currently, none of the mount in the market permits the web camera to be effectively used in such scenario.
Similarly, the use of other peripheral devices such as microphones and illumination devices, have also evolved to require the user to interchange the positions of the microphones and/or illumination devices from being mounted to a monitor, to being on a table, to being handheld during the same session when used to complement the camera or alone. The mounts available in the market for such peripheral devices are also not effective for interchanging positions.
Accordingly, there is a need for a more versatile and effective mount for a peripheral device, such as a camera, a microphone, an illumination device etc., to facilitate quick interchanging of positioning and mounting of the peripheral device.


A multilayer capacitor has a multilayer body, and first and second terminal electrodes. In the multilayer body first and second internal electrode are laminated with a dielectric layer in between. The first internal electrode includes first and second electrode portions with a dielectric region between them along the laminating direction of the multilayer body, and a connection portion for electrically connecting the first and second electrode portions. The second internal electrode includes first and second electrode portions with a dielectric region between them along the laminating direction of the multilayer body, and a connection portion for electrically connecting the first and second electrode portions. The first internal electrode is electrically connected to the first terminal electrode, and the second internal electrode to the second terminal electrode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multilayer capacitor.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years there are increasing demands for a multilayer capacitor with small selfloss. The magnitude of selfloss of the multilayer capacitor is represented by quality factor Q (hereinafter simply referred to as Q), and larger Q indicates smaller selfloss of the multilayer capacitor. Q is represented by Eq (1) below.Q=1/(2πfCR)  (1)
In Eq (1), f represents the frequency, C the capacitance of the capacitor, and R the resistance of the capacitor. As seen from Eq (1), it can be understood that the resistance R of the multilayer capacitor is decreased in order to increase Q. Patent Document 1 describes inspection of the multilayer capacitor configured to decrease the resistance by laminating internal electrode pairs each of which is connected to a terminal electrode of an identical pole, instead of laminating internal electrodes layer by layer.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-349666


In particular aspects, embodiments of the present invention provide a programmable logic device including routing paths from one routing resource to another via connections between outputs of region input multiplexers and the destination routing resource and/or via connections between outputs of sub-region input multiplexers and the destination routing resource.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to routing in an electronic device, particularly with respect to programmable logic devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Programmable logic devices ("PLDs") (also sometimes referred to as CPLDs, PALs, PLAs, FPLAs, EPLDs, EEPLDs, LCAs, FPGAs, or by other names), are well-known integrated circuits that provide the advantages of fixed integrated circuits with the flexibility of custom integrated circuits. Such devices are well known in the art and typically provide an "off the shelf" device having at least a portion that can be programmed to meet a user's specific needs. Application specific integrated circuits ("ASICs") have traditionally been fixed integrated circuits, however, it is possible to provide an ASIC that has a portion or portions that are programmable; thus, it is possible for an integrated circuit device to have qualities of both an ASIC and a PLD. The term PLD as used herein will be considered broad enough to include such devices.
PLDs have configuration elements that may be programmed or reprogrammed. Configuration elements may be realized as RAM bits, flip-flops, EEPROM cells, or other memory elements. Placing new data into the configuration elements programs or reprograms the PLD's logic functions and associated routing pathways. Configuration elements that are field programmable are often implemented as RAM cells (sometimes referred to a "CRAM" or "configuration RAM"). However, many types of configurable elements may be used including static or dynamic random access memory, electrically erasable read-only memory, flash, fuse, and anti-fuse programmable connections. The programming of configuration elements could also be implemented through mask programming during fabrication of the device. While mask programming may have disadvantages relative to some of the field programmable options already listed, it may be useful in certain high volume applications.
PLDs typically include blocks of logic elements, sometimes referred to as logic array blocks ("LABs"; also referred to by other names, e.g., "configurable logic blocks," or "CLBs"). Logic elements ("LEs", also referred to by other names, e.g., "logic cells") may include a look-up table (LUT) or product term, carry-out chain, register, and other elements. LABs (comprising multiple LEs) may be connected to horizontal and vertical conductors ("H-lines" and "V-lines") that may or may not extend the length of the PLD's core.
As core density and complexity increases and as the volume of signals processed by a device grows, it is increasingly important to provide flexibility in core signal routing. A PLD core may include routing resources (e.g. H-lines and V-lines) having a variety of logical lengths (measured relative to logic regions spanned) for routing between logic regions (e.g. LABs) and for routing between core and I/O regions. However, in some instances, core routing lines that are relatively longer in length may be fewer in number than shorter length lines. Generally, in order to provide increased flexibility for routing onto the lines, the size of a multiplexer ("mux") or muxes feeding line drivers must be increased. However, if there is a desire to provide access to several additional resources (e.g. other routing resources trying to route onto the line), increasing the line's mux (or muxes) by one input for each additional resource can be detrimental both due to increased line loading and the increased space costs for a larger mux.
At the same time, muxes used to route signals into LABs (or other types of circuit regions) and into individual LEs (or other types of sub-regions) are not always fully utilized. These muxes provide a potential resource whose excess flexibility may be utilized to provide increased flexibility for routing onto particular lines without unduly increasing the size of those muxes that directly feed the particular line.
Thus there is both a need and an opportunity to provide routing connections that increase the number of resources that can access a particular routing line without unduly increasing the size of the mux feeding that line.

Flexible routing resources in a programmable logic device


A high-frequency high-linear input buffer includes a first MOS transistor, a second MOS transistor, a third MOS transistor, and a signal panning unit. A gate terminal of the first MOS transistor is used as an input terminal of the buffer. A current input terminal of the first MOS transistor is connected to a current output terminal of the second MOS transistor. A current output terminal of the first MOS transistor is connected to a current input terminal of the third MOS transistor. A current input terminal of the second MOS transistor is connected to a gate terminal of the third MOS transistor. An input terminal of the signal panning unit is connected to an input terminal of the buffer. An output terminal of the signal panning unit is connected to a gate terminal of the second MOS transistor. An output terminal of the third MOS transistor is connected to ground.

At present, one of high-speed high-precision analog to digital converters that are most challenging and difficult to design is a high-speed high-linear input buffer at the front end. Representative companies in the converter field, including ADI and TI in the United States, have their own high-speed high-linear input buffers. And generally, an open-loop source electrode-following structure is adopted for a main circuit.
The high-speed high-linear input buffer is one of core and most critical modules of the high-speed high-precision analog to digital converter, as well as the module that is most challenging and difficult to design. At present, internationally, only ADI and TI in the United States have publicly reported that they have mastered design technologies of a series of high-speed high-linear input buffers, which have been used in several high-speed high-precision analog to digital converters produced by ADI and TI.
The method of improving linearity of the high-frequency high-linear input buffer, in essence, mainly includes:
1. Reducing input nonlinear load.
2. Reducing a channel length modulation effect of the input buffer.
3. Reducing buffer signal current.
FIG. 1 shows an existing input buffer, please refer to the paper A 12-b 10-GS/s Interleaved Pipeline ADC in 28-nm CMOS Technology. VOL. 52, NO. 12, DECEMBER 2017. JSSC.
The operating principle of the source electrode input buffer is: inputting high-frequency signals, following output of the input buffer through a conventional source electrode, and driving a next load. The key to maintaining high-frequency linearity is to connect multiple source electrode following buffers in series to keep a source-drain voltage of a main drive circuit constant, thereby reducing an influence of the channel length modulation effect on output linearity.
In the prior art, only linearity deterioration caused by the second problem is resolved while the first and third problems are not effectively resolved.

High-frequency high-linear input buffer differential circuit

Chengdu Sino Microelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.


The disclosure is generally directed to a method and apparatus for providing an image of a sample. The apparatus includes an illuminating source for transmitting photons to a sample. The transmitted photons illuminate the sample or are scattered upon reaching the sample. A lens collects the scattered photons and transmits the scattered photons to a tunable filter for forming an image. The illuminating photons traveling from the illuminating source to the sample do not pass through the lens.

Conventional spectroscopic imaging systems are generally based on the application of high resolution, low aberration, lenses and systems that produce images suitable for visual resolution by a human eye. These imaging systems include both microscopic spectral imaging systems as well as macroscopic imaging systems and use complex multi-element lenses designed for visual microscopy with high resolution aberrations optimized for each desired magnification. However, transmitting illumination through such complex lenses attenuates the incident beam and creates spurious scattered light.
Further, each lens magnification results in a particular collection angle for the scattered light. Generally, at lower magnification the collection efficiency is strongly reduced as the focal distance increases. Consequently, the lens must be placed further away from the sample. For macro-systems (i.e., systems needing a broader view of the larger sample rather than a high magnification of a smaller portion of the sample), the reduced collection aperture severely limits the collected signal. The need for high collection efficiency may be critical for spectroscopic imaging at all distances.
Much of the optical signal detected in the conventional systems is dramatically reduced because of the system configuration and the need to maintain high resolution by removing optical aberrations. Conventional systems have been largely conceived based on the premises and the requirements of optical microscopy. Namely, the need to present a high resolution, zero-aberration, image to the operator who uses visual inspection to perceive the image. In addition, conventional micro-Raman systems achieve their high spatial resolution through the focus of the laser beam to a diffraction-limited spot by the microscope's objective lens. These design premises and system configurations limit the light delivery in conjunction with the collection efficiency of the spectroscopic imaging system.
Finally, design premises based on resolution and throughput requirements for spectral imaging have not been changed as components have been adopted or selected from commercial optical systems. Illumination through such optical systems produces attenuation (reduced signal) and internal scattering (higher background noise) which are detrimental to the system's performance. Thus, there is a need for a low cost, high throughput and efficient chemical imaging system.

Method and apparatus for dark field chemical imaging


Methods for identifying defects in blood vessels and treating such defects are provided. The methods comprise administering to a patient a composition comprising a labeled delivery ligand capable of preferentially accumulating at or near blood vessels defects. In some embodiments, the delivery ligand may carry one or more active agents to the defect.

Bleeding, technically known as hemorrhaging, is the loss of blood from the circulatory system. Bleeding occurs when a blood vessel within the body is ruptured. The vessel may be ruptured as a result of a physical trauma or non-traumatic causes such as an aneurysm. A ruptured vessel can result in severe internal bleeding, which can lead to shock or even death. For example, around half of all people who experience a ruptured aneurysm die, either within the first day or the next three months. About fifty percent of the survivors are usually left with lifelong disabilities. In addition, blood vessels may become leaky due to diseases and conditions that cause swelling and inflammation such as chronic pain or angiogenesis such as cancer. Leaky vessels can contribute to exacerbate pain and the progression of the disease.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a method of detecting defects in blood vessels and treating of such defects.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Site localization and methods for monitoring treatment of disturbed blood vessels


Exemplary combining weight generation is based on estimating received signal impairment correlations using a weighted summation of interference impairment terms, such as an interference correlation matrix associated with a transmitting base station, and a noise impairment term, such as a noise correlation matrix, the impairment terms scaled by fitting parameters. The estimate is updated based on adapting the fitting parameters responsive to measured signal impairment correlations. The interference matrices are calculated from channel estimates and delay information, and knowledge of the receive filter pulse shape. Instantaneous values of the fitting parameters are determined by fitting the impairment correlation terms to impairment correlations measured at successive time instants and the fitting parameters are adapted at each time instant by updating the fitting parameters based on the instantaneous values.

The present invention generally relates to wireless communication services, and particularly relates to tracking signal impairment correlations of received communication signals from multiple base stations.
RAKE receivers are well known in the communication arts and find widespread use in Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, such as in IS-95, IS-2000 (cdma2000), and Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) wireless communication networks. The name derives from the rake-like appearance of such receivers, wherein multiple, parallel receiver fingers are used to receive multiple signal images in a received multipath signal. By coherently combining the finger outputs in a RAKE combiner, the conventional RAKE receiver can use multipath reception to improve the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) of the received multipath signal.
However, as is known to those skilled in the art, the conventional RAKE receiver is optimal only in certain limited circumstances. For example, the presence of self-interference and multi-user access interference both degrade the performance of a conventional RAKE receiver. To that end, the assignee of the instant application has made application for one or more patents relating to the use of a "generalized" RAKE (G-Rake) receiver architecture, wherein receiver performance is improved by increasing the sophistication of combining weight generation.
In the G-Rake architecture, the combining weight calculations consider correlations of one or more signal impairments across RAKE fingers. For example, a G-Rake receiver may track noise correlations across those fingers. G-Rake receivers also may include a comparatively larger number of fingers such that extra fingers may be positioned off of the signal path delays. Indeed, a G-Rake receiver can gain performance improvements by shifting these extra fingers to maximize the SNR of the received signal. Correlations of signal impairments can also be used in SNR estimating often referred to as signal to interference ratio (SIR) estimation. SIR estimation is used in power control, rate control, and in monitoring link quality. The term "RAKE" is used herein generally to refer to RAKE and G-Rake processing.
By using its knowledge of how selected signal impairments are correlated across fingers, the G-Rake receiver can compensate the finger combining weights such that receiver performance is improved. Of course, the need to determine signal impairment correlations with sufficient accuracy and rapidity stands as a primary challenge associated with implementation of the G-Rake receiver.
Parent application Ser. No. 10/800,167, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PARAMETER ESTIMATION IN A GENERALIZED RAKE RECEIVER, filed Mar. 12, 2004 and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, describes a method and apparatus to estimate signal impairment correlations for one or more received signals of interest using a model-based technique. According to this technique, the model is adapted responsive to recurring measurements of signal impairment correlations that can be made on a frequent basis, e.g., every timeslot of a Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) frame, thereby dynamically tracking even rapidly changing signal impairment correlations. A method of determining received signal impairment correlations for use in generating G-Rake combining weights and/or SIR estimates comprises providing a model of received signal impairment correlations comprising one or more impairment terms scaled by corresponding model fitting parameters, and adapting each of the model fitting parameters responsive to recurring measurements of the received signal impairment correlations such that the model of received signal impairment correlations dynamically tracks changing reception conditions.
In particular, in one embodiment of this method the model of received signal impairment correlations is Ru=αRI+βRn where RI is an interference correlation matrix, and Rn is a thermal noise correlation matrix arising from the autocorrelation properties of receiver filtering. The method comprises the following steps, performed at each of a number of repeating time intervals:                a. Measure impairment correlations for the received signal in the current slot, i.e., determine a rough estimate of impairment correlations expressed as matrix {circumflex over (R)}(slot);        b. Calculate per-slot model terms RI(slot) and Rn(slot) based on estimated channel coefficients;        c. Determine instantaneous model fitting parameters αinst and βinst for the slot based on performing a Least Squares fit of,{circumflex over (R)}u(slot)≈αinstRI(slot)+βinstRn(slot);        d. Update the model fitting parameters α and β based on the instantaneous fitting parameters, e.g., update filtered values of α and β using αinst and βinst; and        e. Calculate the modeled impairment correlations {tilde over (R)}u(slot) to be used in generating RAKE combining weights and an SIR estimate for the current slot as,{tilde over (R)}u(slot)=αRI(slot)+βn(slot).
The parent application additionally describes a model of received signal impairment correlations in which interference from another base station is considered, i.e., {circumflex over (R)}u=αRI+βRn+γR0 where RI is the same-cell or own-cell interference correlation matrix and R0 corresponds to other-cell interference. The other-cell interference may be estimated in a number of ways, such as modeling it as white noise that has passed through the transmit pulse shaping filter.
In one embodiment disclosed in the parent application, during soft handoff, a set of receiver RAKE fingers is allocated to the signal from a first base station, and another set of RAKE fingers is allocated to the signal from a second base station. When computing combining weights for the first base station signal, the receiver treats the second base station signal as other-cell interference. When computing weights for the second base station signal, it treats the first base station signal as other-cell interference. However, in each case, the method measures received signal impairment correlations considering only the pilot signal from the respective own-cell base station.

Method and apparatus for extended least squares estimation for generalized rake receiver parameters using multiple base stations


In a process for filtering plasma by separating blood into blood cells and plasma by a primary filter and filtering the separated plasma by a secondary filter to remove macromolecules from the plasma as harmful components, the loss of plasma to be discarded from the system by a procedure for eliminating plugging of the secondary filter can be diminished by opening an inner chamber of the secondary filter to the atmosphere to thereby lower the internal pressure of the chamber every time increase of the pressure to an upper limit value due to an increasing plugging tendency of the secondary filter is detected, and washing the interior of the secondary filter from the inner and outer chamber sides after the internal pressure has lowered.

Various studies have revealed that macromolecules present in the blood of patients are pathogens of some kinds of diseases such as chronic articular rheumatism and systemic lupus erythematosus. Attempts are therefore made to treat such a disease and alleviate the symptoms by removing these macromolecules from the blood of the patient. Plasma filtration processes are used as means for this purpose.
The plasma filtration processes include a treatment for separating the blood collected from the patient into blood cells and plasma by a primary filter first, and a treatment for removing the harmful macromolecules from the plasma by a secondary filter to purify the plasma. The purified plasma from the secondary filter is mixed with the blood cells from the primary filter again, and the mixture is returned to the blood supply source (patient).
The plasma filtration processes are divided generally into two types according to the mechanism of filtering off the macromolecules by the secondary filter: one is a process wherein the substance to be removed is selected according to the pore size of the secondary filter (double filtration plasmapheresis), and the other is a process comprising cooling plasma to about 4.degree. C. once to form a gel (so-called cryogel) containing the macromolecules which are the harmful components of plasma and separating off the gel with the secondary filter having relatively large pores (cryofiltration). The latter has the advantage that the harmful macromolecules can be reliably removed and therefore has attracted attention in recent years (see, for example, Examined Japanese Patent Publication HEI 1-34626).
The cryofiltration is almost similar to the double filtration plasmapheresis in mechanism with the exception of using means for cooling plasma and a secondary filter of different pore size. This process will be described with reference to FIG. 4. Blood is sent from a supply source to a primary filter 3 through a blood supply line 2 by the operation of a blood pump 1 and separated into blood cells and plasma. The separated blood cells are sent into a blood cell return line 4 so as to be mixed again with the purified plasma to be described below.
On the other hand, the plasma is sent by the operation of a plasma pump 5 through a plasma supply line to a cooling coil portion 7 on the line 6 and then into a secondary filter 8, which filters the plasma. The plasma is cooled by the coil portion 7 usually to 4.degree. C. to 25.degree. C., preferably to about 4.degree. C., whereby a cryogel of macromolecules is formed. The gel is filtered off from the plasma by the secondary filter. The filtrate from the secondary filter, i.e., purified plasma, is mixed again with the blood cells returned from the primary filter 3 while being returned through a purified plasma return line 9. The mixture is thereafter warmed to the original temperature by a heating bag 10 and returned to the supply source. In the drawing, indicated at 11 are dripping chambers, at 12 pressure sensors and at A a cooling zone.
With continued plasma filtration, however, the secondary filter 8 tends to become gradually plugged and therefore needs to be restored in function by eliminating the plugging.
The plugging is eliminated usually by methods employed in the double filtration plasmapheresis. These methods include:
(a) Replacement of the secondary filter. PA1 (b) Washing of the interior of the secondary filter with physiological saline.
For example, Examined Japanese Patent Publication SHO 63-28626 discloses a method wherein two secondary filters are used as connected together in parallel, and one of the filters, when plugged, is changed over to the other. Further Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication SHO 59-129067 discloses a method wherein in the event of plugging, the internal pressure of inner chamber of the secondary filter is lowered to atmospheric pressure, and the filter is backwashed with a wash liquor supplied from the outer chamber side of the secondary filter.
With these methods (a) and (b), however, the whole amount, for example, about 200 to about 300 ml, of plasma remaining in the secondary filter is discarded by a single cycle of washing procedure. The secondary filter must be washed or replaced at least twice per cycle of plasma filtration operation, so that as much as 400 to 600 ml of plasma in total is to be discarded from the system. Consequently, the patient must be replenished with an albumin preparation and like expensive medicinal solutions, is economically burdened with an increased cost, suffers from deficiencies of substances which can not be replenished and is susceptible to side effects. Moreover, since the secondary filter is expensive, the method wherein more than one secondary filter is used results in a correspondingly increased treatment cost.
Especially with the cryofiltration wherein the secondary filter used has a relatively large pore size, the filtration efficiency is lowest at the start of filtration and gradually increases with accumulation of cryogel. Thus, this process has the problem that the filtration efficiency of the secondary filter markedly decreases every time the filter is replaced or washed.

Process for filtering plasma and regenerating a secondary filter therefor


A technique of improving antialiasing and adjacent channel interference filtering uses cascaded passive IIR filter stages combined with direct sampling and mixing. The methodology and related architecture allows for increased passive IIR filtering without necessitating use of amplifier stages.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to discrete time radio frequency (RF) filtering, and more particularly to a method of improving antialiasing and adjacent channel interference filtering suitable for GSM (global system for mobile communications) applications, among others.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Discrete-time radio frequency (RF) is still a newly emerging field in wireless digital communications wherein analog RF signals that are transmitted over-the-air are directly sampled into a discrete-time sample stream suitable for digital signal processing. A typical wireless digital communications device would use analog filters, duplexers, mixers, analog-to-digital converters (ADC), and the like to convert the analog RF signals into a digital data stream that is suitable for digital signal processing. Resistors and capacitors, for example, are commonly employed to implement cascaded RC filters in a deep sub-micron process associated with the wireless digital communications device. Such use of resistors and capacitors however, is disadvantageous in that resistor and capacitor values do not track each other accurately in a deep sub-micron process, making it extremely difficult if not impossible to accurately control the pole/filter characteristics.
In view of the above, it would be both desirable and advantageous to provide a technique for mixing and/or combining components in a deep sub-micron process that provides the same functionality as the cascaded RC filter, but which provides better tracking capability than the cascaded RC filter.

Technique for improving antialiasing and adjacent channel interference filtering using cascaded passive IIR filter stages combined with direct sampling and mixing


A device and method for dispensing and storing multiple rolls of rolled material dispensed on a spool, such as toilet paper, has a storage frame configured to hold the multiple rolls on a generally vertical shaft. The shaft extends upward from the bottom of the frame with the uppermost roll of material being freely accessible for use on the shaft. A lifting assembly is slidably secured to the shaft and positioned below the bottom roll of rolled material. During use, the lifting assembly is raised or lowered to position the uppermost roll of material for use. When the uppermost roll is depleted, any empty spool may be readily lifted from the top of the shaft and the lifting assembly raised again and secured in place to raise the next available roll of material for use. In a preferred embodiment, one face of the frame has an upwardly extending slot and a plurality of notches extending generally perpendicular from the slot at predetermined distances along the slot. An elongated lifting arm secured to the lifting assembly extends through the slot to permit the lifting assembly to be held in a desired position along the length of the shaft by engaging the lifting arm in the appropriate adjacent notch. The lifting arm assembly also serves as a visual and physical indicator of how many rolls of toilet paper remain on the shaft.

As most users of the familiar one-roll toilet paper holder installed in most homes have encountered at one point or another, the primary problem with this device is that it does not provide for the storage or easy replacement of additional rolls of toilet paper. Upon depletion of the installed roll, a new roll must be located and installed. A previous user of the toilet may have left only a small amount of paper remaining on the roll. Unless an extra roll is stored nearby, a subsequent user may be left without a sufficient supply of toilet paper. In many cases, the storage of an extra roll of paper near the toilet is aesthetically unappealing.
Moreover, many visually or physically challenged individuals lack the requisite dexterity and other motor or visual skills required to remove and install a roll of toilet paper on the familiar holder. The familiar holder stores the single roll of toilet paper on a longitudinally retractable dowel. The roll of toilet paper may spin about the dowel, which is usually spring-biased to an unretracted position and secured horizontally in a mounting bracket secured on a wall adjacent to the toilet. The toilet paper is secured to the dowel of the familiar toilet paper holder by inserting the dowel through a cardboard cylinder, which serves as a spool for the rolled toilet paper. The dowel is then retracted along its length, usually by using two hands, and inserted into a suitable mounting bracket on the wall. Releasing the dowel allows it to return to its unretracted position within the mounting bracket, thereby securing the dowel, and the roll of toilet paper, in place.
When the supply of rolled toilet paper on the spool is depleted, the spool must be removed from the dowel before a new roll of toilet paper may be installed. The ends of the retractable dowel may be grasped and pressed longitudinally toward each-other, thereby releasing the dowel from its mounting bracket and permitting the spool to be removed. Alternatively, if the user has sufficient strength and dexterity, the spool may be ripped from the dowel. However, physically challenged people, such as people suffering with arthritis, may not be able to retract the dowel to permit removal and replacement of the toilet paper roll. As a result, many physically or visually challenged people are forced to rely on the assistance of others for such a relatively simple task.
In addition, because the familiar holder is secured to a wall, it may be inaccessible, or at least inconvenient, to physically challenged individuals.
Several inventors have recognized the first problem with known toilet paper dispensers and have provided a toilet paper dispenser that also stores extra rolls of toilet paper. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,534,290 to Moskowitz and U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,958 to Poole. The patents to Moskowitz and Poole disclose inventions stacking multiple rolls of toilet paper vertically within a housing. However, these devices offer no simple or easy to use mechanism for installing the rolls of toilet paper or for moving a stored roll into an optimal position for being used following the exhaustion of paper from a previous roll.
For example, Moskowitz discloses stacking the rolls of paper in a cylinder with an endless tape secured to a cylinder cover and extending through the spools of the paper and encircling the stacked rolls of toilet paper. In order to use the Moskowitz invention, the user must lift the cover, which in turn lifts the rolls of toilet paper. Presumably, the user of the Moskowitz invention must simultaneously hold the cover while attempting to unroll sheets of toilet paper from one of the rolls extending below the cover. Likewise, the Poole invention discloses a pedestal having a dispenser with a spindle for receiving one roll of toilet paper on top and a storage compartment extending below it. When the roll of paper on the spindle is depleted, the user must remove a replacement roll from the storage compartment and install it on the spindle. Because of the lack of adequate means for advancing from the used and stored rolls of toilet paper, neither of these devices are particularly useful or helpful, especially for physically or visually challenged individuals.
Similarly, many of the known multiple-rolled toilet paper dispensers and storage devices are aimed for use primarily in public restrooms where theft-prevention of the toilet paper and restricting the free rotation of the toilet paper, rather than ease of use, are primary concerns. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,912 to Grunerud. Accordingly, rather ornate mechanisms have been designed to prevent individuals from gaining access to the stored rolls of paper before the primary rolls have been exhausted. For example, Grunerud discloses a rotatable dispenser with a means for vertically stacking and storing multiple rolls of toilet paper therein. During use, the user draws paper from the bottom of the dispenser. When that roll of paper is depleted, the user removes the cardboard spool by pulling a slide plate outwardly. This action triggers a complex mechanism that drops a new roll of paper in place. Such mechanisms are not particularly applicable for use in the home, where theft and loss prevention are not at issue, and they are not particularly easy to use, especially by physically challenged individuals. Moreover, such complex mechanisms increase the expense of such devices and are not particularly attractive, further limiting the market for such products for home use.
Some inventors have attempted to provide an aesthetically desirable multi-rolled residential toilet paper holder that also offers a relatively simple mechanism for installing the rolls of paper and for moving a stored roll into an optimal position for being used following the exhaustion of paper from a previous roll. See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 2,991,951 to Carroll and U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,809 to Sineni et al. However, these devices are not particularly easy to fill with toilet paper or use, especially for physically and visually challenged individuals.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,991,951 to Carroll discloses a columnar toilet paper dispenser and container secured to a wall. The toilet paper is secured on a dowel which extends longitudinally within the dispenser with gravity urging the paper downward. An open area at the lower end of the dispenser permits the roll of paper positioned at the bottom of the container to be used. An opening at the top of the container permits additional rolls to be added to the dowel. A pivotally adjustable U-shaped bail extends across the opening at the lower end of the dispenser such that it may block the stored rolls of toilet paper from falling into the open area at the bottom of the container until they are needed for use. Upon completion of the roll of paper at the bottom of the dispenser, the user must tear the cardboard roll off the dowel and swing the bail outward to permit another roll to fall into place. The user must then lift the rolls of paper remaining on the dowel above the area occupied by the bail, and return the bail to its original position thereby securing these additional rolls of paper out of the way of the new roll of paper positioned to be used. As with traditional one-roll toilet paper holders, such activities are particularly difficult for physically or visually challenged individuals.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,809 to Sineni discloses a cylinder made of deformable material. The cylinder can hold multiple rolls of toilet paper which can be elevated to the top of the cylinder by means of a rod running across the interior of the cylinder. The rod is locked into place by twisting it: the height of the rod as viewed in cross section is greater than the width of the groove provided in the cylinder, such that twisting the rod deforms the cylinder and wedges the rod in place. Indicator marks positioned on the exterior surface of the cylinder provide a visual reference as to when the rod is properly positioned to permit the top roll to be accessed easily. All the rolls are concealed from view by a cover. Apparently, Sineni offers only a means for storing toilet paper when not in use, it does not describe any means for dispensing individual sheets of toilet paper from the rolls themselves. Moreover, the wedging of the rod within the deformable slot may be particularly difficult for individuals who are physically or visually challenged to perform easily or consistently.
Accordingly, despite these attempts, there remains a need for an aesthetically pleasing toilet paper holder that is capable of storing multiple rolls of toilet paper while still permitting easy and unrestricted dispensing of individual tissues from a roll of toilet paper, easy removal of the cardboard cylindrical spool upon exhaustion of that roll, easy replacement of the exhausted roll with one that is stored in the holder, and easy filling of the holder with rolls of toilet paper.

Device and method for storing multiple rolls of tissue and dispensing tissue therefrom


An access controller is coupled to a plurality of physical access points. The access controller is operable to create a plurality of virtual access controllers that are each coupled to the plurality of physical access points. The access controller then creates a different virtual access point for each of the plurality of virtual access controllers, and associates the virtual access point of each virtual access controller with each of the plurality of physical access points coupled to that virtual access controller. The access controller then provides a plurality of different wireless sub-networks through each of the plurality of physical access points, with each virtual access controller providing one of the different wireless sub-networks using the virtual access point associated with each of the plurality of physical access points coupled to that virtual access controller.

The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to a virtual wireless network provided by information handling systems using virtual access controllers and virtual access points.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option is an information handling system (IHS). An IHS generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements may vary between different applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
IHSs may be used with wireless networks such as, for example wireless Local Area Networks (LANs), in order to connect with each other and the Internet. In a typical wireless LAN deployments, a router is connected to the Internet, a wireless access controller is connected to the router, and one or more wireless access points may be connected to the wireless access controller directly or through a switch. The wireless access points connect to the wireless access controller within the same layer 2 segment in order to provide for centralized management of the wireless network via a single management entity (the wireless access controller). IHSs may then connect to each other and the Internet by connecting to one of the wireless access points. The wireless access controller may support the industry standard Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points Protocol (CAPWAP), which defines the interface between the wireless access controller and the wireless access points in order to simplify wireless LAN provisioning and management.
Some wireless access points are operable to support multiple wireless LANs that can segregate user groups or applications into different subnetworks, but that type of wireless access point functionality requires increased design and management complexity in the wireless access point, which increases the cost of the wireless access point and complicates its use.
Conventionally, physical wireless access controllers manage multiple physical wireless access points such that as the number of physical access points increase, the design complexity and management becomes cumbersome.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved networking system.