An apparatus for conveying paper in a printer adapted to convey cut-sheet and fan-fold paper bidirectionally in a paper path. The apparatus includes a paper discharging assembly positioned downstream of a print head and at least one paper conveying assembly positioned upstream of the print head. First and second power transmissions cooperate with the paper conveying and the paper discharging assemblies, respectively, to convey the paper in both a forward and reverse direction to desired printing positions and to convey the paper away from the print head. The paper conveying assembly grips the paper with greater force than the paper discharging assembly while the second power transmission has greater play b2 than the play b1 of the first power transmission. In order to convey the paper in the reverse direction the motor rotates a distance equal to b1+an amount of rotation MAXd2 equal to the distance in the second direction to a desired second printing position from the first printing position absent any play)+(an additional amount of rotation .gamma.). The motor then rotates in the forward position an amount equal to (b1+.gamma.) to drive the paper to the second desired printing position.

This present invention is directed generally to an apparatus for conveying cut or fan-fold paper in a printer, and in particular, to a paper conveying apparatus which prevents slack from developing in the paper as it is conveyed in both the reverse and forward directions through the printer.
A conventional printer including an apparatus for conveying paper such as shown in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 257871/1987 is illustrated in FIG. 1. The printer includes a platen 301, a sheet conveying roller 303, a print head 302, a first discharging roller 307 and a second discharging roller 308. Platen 301 and sheet conveying roller 303 form sheet conveying assembly 310. First discharging roller 307 and second discharging roller 308 form sheet discharging assembly 315. A printing sheet 100 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow G into the gap between platen 301 and print head 302 to a printing position (a). Print head 302 prints characters or data onto printing sheet 100 at printing position (a) as printing sheet 100 is conveyed through the printer. Printing sheet 100 is discharged by sheet discharging assembly 315. Sheet discharging assembly 315 is designed to discharge printing sheet 100 from the printer when the rear edge of printing sheet 100 has passed through the contact line of platen 301 and sheet conveying roller 303 (when the sheet conveying force applied to printing sheet 100 by sheet conveying assembly 310 has been suspended). The sheet conveying speed of sheet discharging assembly 315 is set to a value greater than that of sheet conveying assembly 310 while the sheet conveying force of the sheet discharging assembly 315 is set smaller than that of the sheet conveying assembly 310, so that printing sheet 100 is allowed to slip with respect to sheet discharging assembly 315. By this arrangement, printing sheet 100 is stretched tight when positioned between sheet conveying assembly 310 and sheet discharging assembly 315. This prevents slack from forming across paper sheet 100.
The conventional printer of FIG. 1 as described above was conceived based on the premise that printing sheet 100 is conveyed in the forward direction (sheet forward conveying direction) only. That is, no consideration is made for the case where a printing sheet is conveyed in the reverse direction (sheet reverse conveying direction), the direction opposite the forward direction.
When performing graphic printing operations using bit images and character printing operations using enlarged characters in combination, an ordinary printing method cannot be employed, because the capacity of the memory (buffer) in the printer or control software is limited. Therefore the following method should be employed. A plurality of lines are printed. Thereafter, the printing sheet is returned to the original position for another printing operation (i.e. graphics or enlarged characters). Thus, the printing of the sheet is accomplished as a whole. In this type of printing operation, it is essential to accurately convey the printing sheet (about 1/2 inch) in the reverse direction.
FIG. 2 illustrates the relationship between the amount of displacement of the printing sheet and the amount of rotation of the drive motor in the case where the sheet is conveyed in the forward direction and in the case where the sheet is conveyed in the reverse direction as carried out in a conventional printer of the type disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 257871/1987. In the case where printing sheet 100 is conveyed a distance D1, as shown in the first quadrant, the drive motor (not shown) should be rotated as much as d1 in the sheet forward conveying direction. Since the sheet conveying speed of sheet discharging assembly 315 is greater than the speed of sheet conveying assembly 310, sheet discharging assembly 315 tends to convey printing sheet 100 as much as the amount of displacement indicated by the broken line. Since the sheet conveying force of sheet discharging assembly 315 is smaller than that of sheet conveying assembly 310, printing sheet 100 is allowed to slip as much as S1 with respect to sheet discharging assembly 315. Hence, printing sheet 100 is conveyed to the point Pl from the origin while being stretched tight; that is, it is moved as much as D1.
In the case where the printing sheet 100 is conveyed only in the forward direction, even if there is an amount of play due to the backlash of the gear train between the drive motor, sheet conveying assembly 310 and sheet discharging assembly 315, the play is absorbed in one direction so the amount of rotation of the drive motor and the amount of displacement of printing sheet 100 are proportional to each other.
When the printer is to convey printing sheet 100 in the sheet reverse conveying direction after being conveyed in the forward direction, the drive motor is turned as much as dl in the reverse direction to convey printing sheet 100 in the reverse direction. However, printing sheet 100 does not move while the drive motor is turned in the reverse direction as much as a small amount of play (b), due to the backlash of the gear train between the drive motor, sheet conveying assembly 310 and sheet discharging assembly 315. Precisely stated, the amount of play between the drive motor and sheet conveying assembly 310 differs from the play between the drive motor and sheet discharging assembly 315. However, they are denoted by the same value (b) since they are generally small values (in FIG. 2, for convenience in description, (b) is about half d1, however, in practice, it is much smaller). After the play has been absorbed, sheet discharging assembly 315 displaces printing sheet 100 at a speed greater than the speed of sheet conveying assembly 310. As a result, sheet conveying assembly 310 displaces printing sheet 100 as much as D2 in the reverse direction, so that printing sheet 100 is moved through the origin and the point P2 to the point P3. On the other hand, while sheet discharging assembly 315 displaces printing sheet 100 in the reverse direction, printing sheet 100 is moved through the origin and the point P2 to the point P4. Thus, printing sheet 100 is slackened as much as the difference S2 between D2 and D3. In FIG. 2, D1>D3>D2, and printing sheet 100 differs in displacement in the forward and reverse directions, while the amount of rotation (d1) of the drive motor remains unchanged. Thereafter, when the drive motor is turned as much as d1, the amount of play (b) is absorbed in the opposite direction and the sheet is returned to the origin.
Printing sheet 100 is thus moved from the point P3 through the point P5 to the origin by sheet conveying assembly 310, whereas it is moved from the point P4 through the point P6 to the origin by sheet discharging assembly 315. As is apparent from the above description, when the printing sheet is conveyed in the reverse direction in a conventional printer, it is slackened, and as a result, the resultant print may be shifted in position, the printing sheet stained by ink or caught in the printer resulting in jamming.
In the case where print head 302 is of the wire impact dot type, the slack causes printing sheet 100 to be caught in the printer pushing the ink ribbon (not shown) located between print head 302 and platen 301 through the ribbon mask (not shown) positioned between print head 302 and platen 301 against print head 302, so that the wires of print head 302 are likely to be caught by the ink ribbon or broken. In addition, when the printing wires strike printing sheet 100 while it is raised away from platen 301, the printer emits a loud noise during printing.
Accordingly, it is desired to provide an apparatus for conveying paper in a printer which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art device described above by providing an apparatus for conveying paper within a printer which eliminates slack during conveying in the reverse direction by applying tension to the recording medium when conveyed in either a forward or reverse direction thus preventing slack from occurring across the printing medium. Specifically, the problems which would be eliminated include the resultant print being shifted in position, the printing sheet being stained by ink or caught in the printer and the wires of the print head becoming damaged or broken.

Apparatus for conveying paper in a printer


The present invention provides a method for accurately discriminating between prostate carcinoma and benign prostatic hyperplasia based on a glycan structure of prostate specific antigen (PSA). The method of the present invention includes the steps of: purifying PSA from a sample derived from a subject; preparing a PSA derivative from the PSA; labeling the PSA derivative; and analyzing the labeled PSA derivative by the mass spectrometry method, in which the subject is identified as having prostate carcinoma when the ratio of the signal intensity of fucose-unbound glycan to the signal intensity of fucose-bound glycan in the labeled PSA derivative is greater than 1.0, and identified as having benign prostatic hyperplasia when the ratio is 1.0 or less.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel method for discriminating between prostate carcinoma and benign prostatic hyperplasia. More specifically, the present invention relates to a novel method for discriminating between prostate carcinoma and benign prostatic hyperplasia based on the difference in glycan structure of prostate specific antigen (PSA).
2. Description of the Related Art
Prostate carcinoma (hereinafter, referred to as "PC") is one of the major causes of death in males. Prostate specific antigen (hereinafter, referred to as "PSA") has been recognized as the most important tumor marker for PC (for example, refer to Stamey et al., N. Engl. J. Med., 317, 909-916 (1987)). PSA is a glycoprotein having a molecular weight of approximately 30 kDa consisting of a protein portion consisting of 237 amino acid residues having a molecular weight of approximately 26 kDa, and a glycan portion linked to the amino acid residues (such as Asn45) of the protein portion, or a derivative or analog thereof. The glycan portion represents approximately 8% of the molecular weight of PSA. Many documents have already described the usability of serum PSA test for the initial diagnosis of PC. However, there is a region between males affected with benign prostatic hyperplasia (hereinafter, referred to as "BPH") and males affected with PC, which is known as a gray zone, where it cannot discriminate between PC and BPH (for example, refer to Catalona et al., j. Am. Med. Assoc, 279, 1542-1547 (1998)). To solve the issue, several attempts have been made (such as discrimination based on PSA density, PSA gradient (annual increase rate) and the ratio of free PSA/total PSA). However, there is a significant overlap between the two lesions.
Recently, it has been reported that, in a study using the serial lectin affinity chromatography method using concanavalin A, phytohaemagglutinin E4 (PHA-E4) and PHA-L4, the structures of the glycans linked to asparagine (N) of PSA differ between the PC tissue and the BPH tissue (refer to Sumi et al., J. Chromatogr. B, 727, 9-14 (1994)). The report describes that the N-linked glycan in PSA is altered during the process of oncogenesis in the human prostate, and the N-linked glycan in PSA may serve as a diagnostic tool for PC.
As methods for detecting the PSA structure, several immunological approaches, using binding molecules which bind to a PSA glycan have been proposed. For example, a method for discriminating between PC and BPH has been reported, wherein the method brings PSA into contact with lectin, and measures PSA classified based on the affinity of PSA glycans to lectins (refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-55108). In the report, it is described that the difference in the affinity of PSA glycans to lectin (Maackia amurensis lectin etc.) is based on the conformation of sialic acid at the glycan terminal. However, the specific structure of PSA glycan in subjects suffering from PC or BPH has not been determined. Moreover, difference in fucose modification to PSA glycan is yet to be found between PC and BPH.
Moreover, there is reported a method for detecting PC based on whether at least a triantennary glycan is present in PSA (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-514919). In the method, a binding molecule which binds to at least triantennary glycans, but not to monoantennary and biantennary glycans is used. The binding molecules which can be used include lectin (such as PHA-L) and antibodies.
As another approach, several reports have been made focusing on fucose in a PSA glycan. For example, a method has been proposed for measuring the fucose content in a PSA glycan, and diagnosing PC when the content is abnormally increased (refer to GB patent application publication No. 2361060).
Alternatively, a method has been proposed for evaluating the clinical condition of a subject by determining the glycan profile of the glycans in a target glycoprotein including PSA (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-515927). The document describes that, in an analysis using the MALDI-MS method, the PSA glycan in subjects suffering from PC has a different fucosylated structure from that of the normal PSA glycan. However, it does not describe the specific structure of PSA glycan in the subjects-suffering from PC.
Moreover, there has been made a report focusing on the content of fucose-bound glycan and fucose-unbound glycan in PSA (refer to Tabares et al., Glycobiology, 16(2), 132-145 (2006)). In the report, they analyzed the structures of PSA glycans only in one subject having a significantly high serum PSA concentration (1.8 μg/mL) by HPLC, and it describes that the ratio of the content of fucose-unbound glycan to fucose-bound glycan was 5.25 (84/16). On the other hand, there has been reported an analysis of glycopeptides prepared from serum PSA of two subjects suffering from PC having a further high serum PSA concentration (10 μg/mL or more) by MALDI-QIT-TOF MS (refer to Tajiri et al., Glycobiology Advance Access published Oct. 23, 2007 http://glycob.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/cwm117v1). The study discloses that the content of fucose-bound glycan is 100% and 64% respectively, and that the fucose-bound glycans are more abundant compared with the fucose-unbound glycans.
However, the structures of PSA glycans in subjects suffering from BPH is yet to be revealed, and discrimination between BPH and PC based on the specific structures of PSA glycans has not been performed.

Method for discriminating between prostatic cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia


An overhead cam engine with an engine lubrication system comprises a valve train assembly which includes a camshaft rotatably supported by a cylinder head. An oil lubricated camshaft drive chain engages the camshaft to rotate it. A valve train lubricating assembly is disposed above the cylinder head and includes a baffle, radially positioned from the drive chain, to capture oil spray departing from the drive chain and a trough positioned above the valve train assembly. The trough is configured as an upward facing U-shaped channel, including an end wall to close the trough, defining a reservoir to collect oil from the baffle. Side outlets allow oil to overflow from the trough where outward protruding dimples act as precipitation points to target lubrication onto the valve train assembly.

Engine lubrication systems provide many functions such as wear protection, corrosion protection, and engine cooling. One drawback is that engine power is diverted to operating a high pressure oil pump to distribute oil through passages in the engine, which weighs against engine efficiency. Overhead cam (OHC) engines present a challenge to adequately and reliably lubricate the valve train without creating an undue demand on the engine lubrication system.
In an internal chain-driven camshaft OHC engine, as the chain is driven around the cam sprocket, the centrifugal force creates a steady spray of oil from the chain and cam sprocket onto the cam cover. The oil drains into the engine oil reservoir without providing lubrication to valve train components. This source of unpressurized oil presents an opportunity for providing lubrication to valve train components.


A method for controlling the operation of an air conditioning system, including the steps of operating the air conditioning system until a frequency of a compressor reaches to a preset target frequency, stabilizing the operation of the system after the frequency of the compressor reaches to the preset target frequency, and operating the system at a fixed level. The system stabilizing step includes a first step for regulating opening of the expansion device, to increase the degree of superheat of refrigerant at an outlet of the compressor, comparing a temperature change rate of the condenser with respect to time to a preset temperature change rate, and a second step for, if the temperature change rate of the condenser with respect to time is lower than the preset temperature changer rate, comparing the degree of superheat of refrigerant at an outlet of the compressor to a preset degree of superheat of refrigerant at an outlet of the compressor, and opening the opening of the expansion device to a preset state, if the degree of superheat of refrigerant at an outlet of the compressor is higher than the preset degree of superheat of refrigerant at an outlet of the compressor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods for controlling the operation of an air conditioning system, and, more particularly, to a method for controlling the operation of an air conditioning system, in which the air conditioning system can be quickly stabilized, after starting, into a regular operation.
2. Background of the Related Art
In general, the air conditioner adjusts temperature, humidity, air flow, cleanliness of air, and etc., in a particular area suitable to purposes of use, such as cooling or heating room spaces, like residing spaces, restaurants, library, or offices, with a compressor and heat exchangers, and circulating refrigerant therethrough.
A related art inverter air conditioner and a method for controlling the operation of the same will be described, and problems related thereto will be discussed.
The related art inverter air conditioner is provided with a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger serving as a condenser, an indoor heat exchanger serving as an evaporator, an expansion device between the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor heat exchanger, pipelines connected between the parts, and a microprocessor (not shown) for progressing a refrigerating cycle of the inverter air conditioner with reference to a preset room cooling temperature, an outdoor temperature, and a room temperature.
The expansion device may be a capillary tube, an electronic Thermal Expansion Valve (TXV), or a Linear Expansion Valve (LEV). In the case of the inverter air conditioner, since an operative frequency varies from a low frequency range to a high frequency range, the LEV is employed mostly, rather than the capillary tube that has a limitation in a control range of a refrigerant flow rate.
A related art method for controlling operation of an inverter air conditioner will be described.
The related art method for controlling operation of an inverter air conditioner is provided with a starting operation step in which the air conditioner is operated while an operative frequency of a compressor is increased from, substantially, 0 Hz to a preset target frequency, and a regular operation step in which the inverter air conditioner is operated while keeping the target frequency after finish of the starting operation step, i.e., the compressor reaches to the target frequency.
In the starting operation step, the LEV expands refrigerant passed through the condenser in a state the LEV is opened to a preset portion.
When the compressor reaches to the target frequency, it is required that the inverter air conditioner enters into the regular operation step. However, when the compressor reaches to the target frequency, a degree of superheat of the refrigerant at an outlet of the compressor is not adequate for cooling the room. The degree of superheat of the refrigerant at an outlet of the compressor represents a value a pipeline temperature of the condenser is subtracted from a temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor.
For elevating the degree of superheat of the refrigerant at an outlet of the compressor to an appropriate level, the LEV is opened smaller for a preset time period. However, in the process, the degree of superheat of the refrigerant at an outlet of the compressor can become excessive, i.e., overshoot.
Consequently, the related art method for controlling operation of the inverter air conditioner has the following problem.
If the degree of superheat of the refrigerant at an outlet of the compressor is excessive, the system becomes unstable, and for stabilizing the system again a certain time is required, and much power is consumed.
In order to cope with the problem, it is required to develop a method for controlling operation of an inverter air conditioner, which can prevent a system instability from taking place in a process the inverter air conditioner enters into the regular operation step through the starting operation step when the frequency of the compressor reaches to the target frequency.

Method for controlling operation of air conditioning system


A MOSFET device and a method of fabricating a MOSFET device having low-K dielectric oxide gate sidewall spacers produced by fluorine implantation. The present invention implants fluorine into the gate oxide sidewall spacers which is used to alter the properties of advanced composite gate dielectrics e.g. nitridized oxides, NO, and gate sidewall dielectrics, such that the low-K properties of fluorine are used to develop low parasitic capacitance MOSFETs.

The present invention relates generally to the provision of low-K (reduced from 4.0 to approximately 3.3) gate sidewall spacers by fluorine implantation in a MOSFET device, and more particularly pertains to a MOSFET structure, and a method of fabrication thereof, having fluorine doped gate oxide sidewall spacers, such that the low-K properties of fluorine are used to develop low parasitic capacitance MOSFETs
Device feature scaling has associated fundamental problems which tend to degrade overall power dissipation including:
increased stud or via capacitance as a result of sidewall spacer thickness reduction;
increased overlap capacitance as a result of gate dielectric thickness scaling;
increased GIDL (gate-induced drain leakage) current as a result of a thinner gate dielectric in the gate-to-diffusion overlap region;
degraded dielectric breakdown at the gate edge.

Low-K gate spacers by fluorine implantation

International Business Machines Corporation


There is presently provided a suspension of immiscible particles in a solution, wherein the particles comprise an agglomeration of a bioactive agent, for example an anti-cancer agent; and a plurality of conjugates of a hyaluronic acid and a flavonoid, for example a catechin-based flavonoid, wherein the particles are on average from about 15 nm to about 300 nm in diameter and wherein the bioactive agent is releasably retained in the particles by the flavonoid. The suspension is useful for delivery of the bioactive agent to cells, including cancer cells. There are also provided a therapeutic formulation comprising the suspension, as well as methods for using the suspension and therapeutic formulation, including for delivery of a bioactive agent to a cell and for treating a disease, including cancer.

A main challenge in cancer therapy is the selective delivery of cytotoxic agents to tumor cells. These cytotoxic agents can be small molecules or macromolecules (e.g. proteins, DNA and siRNA), and can have either extracellular or intracellular targets. Much research in cancer therapy has focused on improving the targeted delivery of small molecule drugs such as doxorubicin, which generally have poor selectivity to tumor cells.
More recently, the use of monoclonal antibodies such as Herceptin to specifically target tumor cells that overexpress the cell-surface Her2 receptor has emerged as a viable strategy to achieve targeted cancer therapy.1,2 Monoclonal antibodies that are used today generally target extracellular receptors. However, there is a wide range of intracellular proteins in cancer cells that can be targeted by antibodies with intracellular targets, otherwise known as intrabodies.3,4 An intrabody conjugated to caspase 3 which triggers apoptosis upon antibody-antigen interaction is a prime example of a potential intrabody-based cancer therapy.5
Some common methods of delivering intrabodies are: (i) the transfection of recombinant DNA coding the intrabody into cancer cells, resulting in intracellular expression of the intrabody, and (ii) the fusion of protein transduction domains to the intrabody to make it more cell-permeable.6 The first method usually requires the use of viral vectors, which raise safety concerns for human clinical use. Furthermore, protein folding and stability of the expressed intrabody in the successfully transfected cancer cells may be affected by the reducing intracellular environment. In the second method, the intrabody protein being delivered is not protected from degradation, and is even modified to include a transduction domain, which may compromise intrabody activity and hence its intracellular function. Neither of theses existing methods enable the active targeting of tumor cells, which is important to minimize any side effects of the intrabody being delivered.

Particulate hyaluronic acid and flavonoid formulations for cellular delivery of bioactive agents

Agency for Science, Technology and Research


According to one embodiment, a data collection system includes an event data collector, a state machine generator, a state machine list, and a state machine driver. The event data collector collects sense signals respectively as a plurality of event data. The state machine generator generates a state machine as a model corresponding to the workpiece. One of the sense signals is acquired when the workpiece is fed into the processing system. The state machine generator generates the state machine and generates an ID for the state machine when the event data collector collects one of the plurality of event data corresponding to the one of the sense signals. The state machine driver drives the state machine retained in the state machine list by sending, to the state machine retained in the state machine list, an event corresponding to another one of the sense signals.

To increase the productivity and/or quality of a manufacturing apparatus, various data of the manufacturing apparatus may be collected and analyzed. For example, the final quality, the inspection results, etc., of the product are compared with the data recited above. Improvement opportunities may be identified by tracking the data of products for which poor results are obtained. For such a purpose, a method may be employed in which the ID of the workpiece is read at a timing before and after processing and is associated with process data. However, such a method cannot be employed in the case where the ID does not accompany the workpiece itself or in the case where it is difficult to read the ID at the timing before and after the processing.
It also may be considered to alter the control software of the manufacturing apparatus to perform the data collection while making associations with the workpiece. However, the cost of altering software is large. Further, in such a case, it is necessary to alter the software for each manufacturing apparatus.

Data collection system, processing system, and storage medium


A method for producing a multi-viewpoint image for a three-dimensional image display, includes: providing a plurality of viewpoints to be spaced at equal intervals in direction perpendicular to a single reference projection plane including target viewpoints serving as reference are spaced at constant intervals in a first direction parallel to the reference projection plane; providing a plurality of individual target viewpoints which are respectively different from the target viewpoints serving as reference and serve as feet of a perpendicular to the plurality of viewpoints, corresponding to the respective viewpoint, on a projection plane which is a plane including the reference projection plane; making determination such that the shapes and the sizes of the individual projection planes are included in the reference projection plane in overlapping regions of the individual projection planes acquired from two viewpoints positioned at the outermost positions of the plurality of viewpoints; and clipping only regions of the reference projection plane from the individual projection planes acquired from the respective viewpoints to form a multi-viewpoint image for three-dimensional image display.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method for producing a multi-viewpoint image for three-dimensional image display which acquires a multi-viewpoint image for three-dimensional image display.
2. Background Art
As a three-dimensional image displaying method, there is a horizontal parallax system where a flat display typified by a liquid crystal display (LCD) where pixels are arranged on a two-dimensional plane in a matrix form and an optical plate such as a lenticular sheet (a ridge line extends in a vertical direction as viewed from a viewer) for controlling a light ray direction or a slit (the same as the above) are combined and an image corresponding to a horizontal position in a viewing (observing) direction is viewed (observed) so that a three-dimensional image is recognized. The horizontal parallax system includes sub-classes of an integral imaging system, a multi-view system, and a binocular system which are the same regarding the fact that parallax is given in a horizontal direction.
Multi-viewpoint images acquired from a plurality of viewpoints different from one another in a horizontal direction are required for three-dimensional image display in the horizontal parallax systems. That is, a three-dimensional image is approximately reproduced by approximately reproducing images acquired from different viewpoints in a horizontal direction at different viewing positions (viewpoints) in the horizontal direction.
According to each system, when viewing ranges for a three-dimensional image are different and acquiring positions and the numbers of multi-viewpoint images regarding a display plane are different but a horizontal direction is defined as X direction, a vertical direction is defined as Y direction, and a viewing direction and a multi-viewpoint image acquiring direction are defined as Z direction, only X component of coordinates for a plurality of viewpoints fluctuates at equal intervals. This is due to that pixels on the flat display are arranged at equal intervals. Projection faces of images acquired from respective viewpoints are caused to coincide with a display plane of a three-dimensional image display apparatus (hereinafter, also called "3D display") and a target viewpoint is caused to coincide with the center of the display.
However, when x coordinates for respective viewpoints are made different while fixing the target viewpoint, angles defined by straight lines connecting viewpoints and the target viewpoint and a projection plane to be caused to coincide with a display plane of the original 3D display are different for respective viewpoints. When such image acquisition is realized by using a camera in an actual space or a camera model producing an image utilizing computer graphic (CG), it is necessary to use lens shifting function.
However, currently, most of cameras and camera models do not have the function. When an image is acquired utilizing a camera or a camera model which does not include a lens shifting function, an angle defined by a projection plane and a straight line which connects a viewpoint and a target viewpoint is fixed to 90°. That is, projection planes of images acquired from respective viewpoints are eventually different for the respective viewpoints. Keystone correction is required to correct deviation of a projection plane of images acquired from the respective viewpoints and an ideal projection plane to be caused to coincide with a display plane on a 3D display from each other.
As a method where the keystone correction is not conducted, there is known a method performed using a camera or a camera model which does not have a lens shifting function, where target viewpoints (individual target viewpoints) are prepared for respective viewpoints, images are acquired while maintaining angles defined by lines connecting viewpoints and individual target viewpoints and a projection plane at 90°, and respective viewpoint images are cut from overlapping regions of the projection plane shifted by deviations of individual target viewpoints (see Japanese Patent Laid Open Publication No. 2003-43413).
On the other hand, in a three-dimensional image displaying method of the horizontal parallax system, it is known that there is a display limitation in a jumping-out direction and in a depth direction (see H. Hoshino et al., J. Opt. Soc. Am. A., 15(8), 2059 (1998)). More specifically, as far as the resolution of a flat panel display is constants the resolution of the 3D display, the range where a three-dimensional image can be viewed (observed), and the jumping-out and depth limitation are put in tradeoff relationship. The jumping-out and depth limitation is limited to several centimeters to several tens centimeters in view of the resolution and the size of a current flat panel display. When a display plane of a 3D display is set to be vertical like an ordinary television set or a monitor for a personal computer, there occurs such a problem that an object to be displayed is limited in view of the range of the display limitation. For example, a distant view or an object just before a viewer, or an object having a thickness of ± several tens centimeters can not be displayed.
An object put on a flat surface tends to be limited regarding its height due to its stability, as compared with a floor area. That is, when an area of the display is limited, a height of an object displayed thereon is also limited necessarily.
As the feature of the horizontal parallax system 3D display, there is a problem that an immovable point to a display screen frame is fixed on a screen, where when a person observes in a horizontal direction, he/she thinks that infinity is an immovable point unconsciously. That is, even if an observation object appears to move leftward and rightward by swinging his/her head, he/she recognizes that the immovable point set at infinity and the object do not move and he/she himself/herself has moved.
However, in the three-dimensional display of a horizontal parallax system, recognition is made such that an immovable point is present on a display plane such as a display casing or an edge of a print object of a printing matter so that an object on this side appears to move in a direction opposed to a moving direction of an viewer while an object at a depth side appears to move in the same direction as the moving direction of the viewer. That is, a distant view appears such that it moves largely in the same direction as an observer. This causes such a problem that discrepancy from a real space is impressed.
As a similar phenomenon in the real space, it is assumed that scenery is viewed through a window. The scenery is not viewed utilizing the center of the window as a reference (an immovable point). On the other hand, when an object on a horizontal plane is viewed down, a person sets the immovable point on a plane naturally. That is, even if there is a target viewpoint (an immovable point) on a display (or a print object in a printing matter), uncomfortable feeling does not occur at all.
When a display of the horizontal parallax system is put in a flatbed manner, since there is not any parallax information in a vertical direction, it is known that natural display can be realized by acquiring respective viewpoint images to have angles to a normal line to a display plane to display a three-dimensional image (Japanese Patent Laid Open Publication No. 2003-43413). Hereinafter, such a display method is called "photographing with depression".
As described above, however, since an angle defined by a line connecting the viewpoint and the target viewpoint and a projection plane is deviated from an angle of 90° due to the depression like the case that the lens shifting function in a horizontal direction (in X direction) is required when a multi-viewpoint image is acquired, a lens shifting function in a vertical direction (in Y direction) is required. As a method for correcting this deviation, the keystone correction is adopted in the technique described in Japanese Patent Laid Open Publication No. 2004-198971.
However, it is difficult to perform keystone correction of two axes extending in the horizontal direction for acquiring a multi-viewpoint image and in the vertical direction for realizing the depression and an image with higher resolution must be acquired so as to allow enlargement and reduction for correction.
As described above, in acquisition of a multi-viewpoint image for a three-dimensional image display of a flatbed horizontal parallax system, a photographing method equivalent to the lens shifting function of two axes of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction is required, but a camera or a camera model having a lens shifting function is restrictive, and such a photographing method can not be said to be an ordinary method. The keystone correction of two axes itself is higher in difficulty than the keystone correction of one axis and the former causes distortion in an image easily.

Method for producing multi-viewpoint image for three-dimensional image display and program therefor


An autonomous articulated soil compactor machine can include: a machine frame; at least one cylindrical roller drum rotatably coupled to the machine frame and rotatable about a drum axis oriented generally transverse to a direction of travel of the compactor machine; a first lidar sensor on a front of the machine; a second lidar sensor on a first side of the machine; and a third lidar sensor on a second side of the machine; wherein the first, second and the third lidar sensors are positioned such that 360 degree lidar coverage is provided around the articulated compactor machine.

Compactors are machines used to compact initially loose materials, such as asphalt, soil, gravel, and the like, to a densified and more rigid mass or surface. For example, soil compactors are utilized to compact soil at construction sites and on landscaping projects to produce a foundation on which other structures may be built. Most soil compactors include a rotatable roller drum that may be rolled over the surface to compress the material underneath. In addition to utilizing the weight of the roller drum to provide the compressive forces that compact the material, some compactors are configured to also induce a vibratory force to the surface.
Autonomous machines are machines that use a variety of sensors to detect the area around a machine so that the machine can operate without a driver or can be used to assist the driver while they operate the machine.
In an autonomous soil compactor, there is a desire to provide full 360 degree lidar sensor coverage, but such sensors are expensive, so it is also preferable to limit the number of sensors on a machine. Moreover, the articulated nature of the machine makes full sensor coverage challenging. Also, some soil compactors can include a blade, which adds a further challenge.
Patent US 2019/0329764 discusses a work vehicle having a laser radar sensors mounted to the cab of the work vehicle and which is used to detect the obstructions of the vehicle.


The thermosetting silicone composition of the instant invention is comprised of (a) a diorganopolysiloxane containing alkenyl groups, (b) an organohydrogenpolysiloxane, (c) a platinum catalyst-containing silicone resin fine particle catalyst comprised of (i) a thermoplastic silicone resin containing 5 to 90 mole % PhSiO.sub.3/2 siloxane units and 5 to 20 mole % MeViSiO.sub.2/2 siloxane units, wherein Ph denotes phenyl, Me denotes methyl and Vi denotes vinyl; said resin having a glass transition point of 40.degree. to 70.degree. C. and (ii) 0.05 to 2 wt % as platinum atoms of a platinum catalyst; and (d) a hydrosilation reaction inhibiting compound. The thermosetting silicone compositions have excellent storage stability at about room temperature, and cure at a fast rate when heated.

Several platinum catalyst-containing thermoplastic resin fine particle catalysts are known as curing acceleration catalysts for silicone compositions which cure by a hydrosilation reaction.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,481,341 to Schlak et al., JP (Kokai) 64-47442, JP (Kokai) 64-51140, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,691 to Lewis et al., describe platinum catalyst-containing organic thermoplastic resin fine particle catalysts. However, these organic thermoplastic resin fine particle catalysts are inferior in heat resistance. Further, they have some disadvantages in that silicone compositions using them as a curing acceleration catalyst tend to show inferior mechanical properties and discoloration caused when heated for curing or when used at high temperatures after curing.
As a method to solve this problem, it has been proposed to use platinum catalyst-containing thermoplastic silicone resin catalysts. For example, in JP 53-41707 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,481,341, methods have been proposed to obtain a thermoplastic platinum catalyst-containing silicone resin fine particle catalyst by mechanically grinding mixtures of a platinum catalyst and a thermoplastic silicone resin. Although these methods have been effective for relatively low activity platinum catalysts such as 2-ethylhexanol solution of chloroplatinic acid or isopropyl alcohol-modified chloroplatinic acid they have a disadvantage in that they are barely effective to inhibit catalyst activity when applied to high activity platinum catalysts. Furthermore, it has been difficult to obtain fine particle catalysts of less than 10 .mu.m in average particle size by these methods. Therefore, when they are used as a curing acceleration catalyst for the silicone composition, the catalyst diffusion during thermal curing reaction is not sufficient. This results in a problem in that the curing reaction of the silicone composition may not be completed.
EP 0347895 to Togashi et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,017,654 to Togashi et al. and JP (Kokai) 4-46962 to Saruyama et al. describe thermoplastic silicone resin fine particle catalysts containing high activity platinum catalysts. Specifically, EP 0347895 describes a hydrosilation reaction catalyst for which the thermoplastic resin containing high activity platinum catalyst is pulverized to fine particles, and then the platinum catalyst existing on the surface is removed by washing off, so that the catalyst activity is suppressed. The high activity catalyst is then released by heating. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,017,654 and JP (Kokai) 4-46962 describe silicone compositions which cure quickly during thermal curing by the combined use of platinum catalyst-containing thermoplastic silicone resin fine particle catalyst and a particular kind of compound. By these methods, it became possible to manufacture thermosetting silicone compositions featured in that they can be stored stably at room temperature over a long period of time, and quickly complete curing during thermal curing, and yet the essential characteristics of the silicone compositions are not impaired. However, it has been difficult to control the curing rate and the storage stability by these methods. Further, there has been such a problem that the storage stability would be degraded with increasing the curing rate, and the curing rate would be reduced with increasing the storage stability.
It has now been found that when a special thermoplastic silicone resin is used to produce the platinum catalyst-containing thermoplastic silicone fine particle catalyst, it is possible to control the releasing temperature of the platinum catalyst when heated, so that it is possible to control the curing rate and the storage stability.
Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to present a thermosetting silicone composition which is excellent in storage stability in the vicinity of room temperature, and of which the curing rate is fast when heated.


A combustor dome assembly for a gas turbine engine having a longitudinal centerline axis extending therethrough, including: an annular dome plate having an inner portion, an outer portion, a forward surface and a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings formed therein, wherein a radial section is defined between each adjacent opening; and, a mixer assembly located upstream of and in substantial alignment with each of the openings in the dome plate, with the mixer assembly including a forward portion and an aft portion. Each mixer assembly is retained in a manner so as to be movable in a radial and axial direction without obstructing the radial sections of the dome plate. A first pair of tabs are positioned on the forward surface of the dome plate adjacent each opening and a second pair of tabs are positioned on the aft portion of each mixer assembly, wherein the dome plate tabs interface with the mixer assembly tabs to prevent rotation of each mixer assembly.

The present invention relates generally to a staged combustion system in which the production of undesirable combustion product components is minimized over the engine operating regime and, in particular, to a combustion system having a plurality of free floating mixer assemblies which are independently retained in position with respect to a corresponding opening in the dome plate in a manner so as to be prevented from rotating while being movable in a radial and axial direction.
Air pollution concerns worldwide have led to stricter emissions standards both domestically and internationally. Aircraft are govemed by both Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. These standards regulate the emission of oxides of nitrogen (NOx), unburned hydrocarbons (HC), and carbon monoxide (CO) from aircraft in the vicinity of airports, where they contribute to urban photochemical smog problems. Such standards are driving the design of gas turbine engine combustors, which also must be able to accommodate the desire for efficient, low cost operation and reduced fuel consumption. In addition, the engine output must be maintained or even increased.
It will be appreciated that engine emissions generally fall into two classes: those formed because of high flame temperatures (NOx) and those formed because of low flame temperatures which do not allow the fuel-air reaction to proceed to completion (HC and CO). Balancing the operation of a combustor to allow efficient thermal operation of the engine, while simultaneously minimizing the production of undesirable combustion products, is difficult to achieve. In that regard, operating at low combustion temperatures to lower the emissions of NOx can also result in incomplete or partially incomplete combustion, which can lead to the production of excessive amounts of HC and CO, as well as lower power output and lower thermal efficiency. High combustion temperature, on the other hand, improves thermal efficiency and lowers the amount of HC and CO, but oftentimes results in a higher output of NOx.
One way of minimizing the emission of undesirable gas turbine engine combustion products has been through staged combustion. In such an arrangement, the combustor is provided with a first stage burner for low speed and low power conditions so the character of the combustion products is more closely controlled. A combination of first and second stage burners is provided for higher power output conditions, which attempts to maintain the combustion products within the emissions limits.
Another way that has been proposed to minimize the production of such undesirable combustion product components is to provide for more effective intermixing of the injected fuel and the combustion air. In this way, burning occurs uniformly over the entire mixture and reduces the level of HC and CO that results from incomplete combustion. While numerous mixer designs have been proposed over the years to improve the mixing of the fuel and air, improvement in the levels of undesirable NOx formed under high power conditions (i.e., when the flame temperatures are high) is still desired.
One mixer design that has been utilized is known as a twin annular premixing swirler (TAPS), which is disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,354,072; 6,363,726; 6,367,262; 6,381,964; 6,389,815; 6,418,726; 6,453,660; 6,484,489; and, 6,865,889. Published U.S. patent application 2002/0,178,732 also depicts certain embodiments of the TAPS mixer. It will be understood that the TAPS mixer assembly includes a pilot mixer which is supplied with fuel during the entire engine operating cycle and a main mixer which is supplied with fuel only during increased power conditions of the engine operating cycle. While improvements in NOx emissions during high power conditions are of current pinmary concern, modification of the main mixer in the assembly is needed to maintain the mixer assembly in proper position.
It is well known within the combustor art of gas turbine engines that a dome portion, in conjunction with inner and outer liners, serves to form the boundary of a combustion chamber. The annular combustor dome also serves to position a plurality of mixers in a circumferential manner so that a fuel/air mixture is provided to the combustion chamber in a desired manner. While the typical combustor arrangement has adequate space between swirler cups to incorporate features to enhance the spectacle plate structure (e.g., the addition of ribs, cooling holes and the like), certain geometric restrictions have been introduced by current combustor designs utilizing the TAPS mixer. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,381,964 to Pritchard, Jr. et al., the size of the fuel nozzle and the corresponding swirler assembly associated therewith, has increased significantly from those previously utilized and thereby reduced the distance between adjacent swirler cups. Utilization of an annular dome plate having a greater diameter would serve to increase the weight of the engine and require modification of components interfacing therewith. Thus, the openings in the dome plate have been enlarged and thereby lessened the circumferential distance between adjacent openings.
One combustor dome assembly design including a floating swirler is disclosed in a patent application entitled "Combustor Dome Assembly Of A Gas Turbine Engine Having A Free Floating Swirler," having Ser. No. 10/638,597, which is owned by the assignee of the present invention. As seen therein, tab members are associated with the outer and inner cowls to restrict radial and axial movement of the swirlers to a predetermined amount. Alternatively, separate tab members are provided which interface with the connections of the dome plate, liners and cowls. While such tab members are able to perform their intended function, their positioning upstream of the swirler is not practical for the mixer assembly of the current design.
In yet another known combustor dome assembly, anti-rotation tab members for a mixer assembly are located only on the mixer itself and interface with the tab members of mixer assemblies located adjacent thereto. It has been found that this configuration is subject to an offset between the mixer assembly and the corresponding opening in the dome plate, which may be caused by vibrations experienced by the adjacent mixer assemblies or machining errors. Further, cooling holes in the radial section of the dome plate between adjacent openings tend to be obstructed, which has increased the temperature of the deflector plate located downstream thereof to by an amount that has affected the life of the deflector plate.
Accordingly, it would be desirable for a mechanism to be developed in association with the current dome and mixer assembly design which prevents rotation of the mixer assembly. It would also be desirable for such mechanism to permit the mixer assembly to have a predetermined amount of axial and radial movement.

Free floating mixer assembly for combustor of a gas turbine engine


An automated message response system includes computer programmable software that stores a bank of pre-recorded responses. Each response is capable of being entered into a remote database into a response bank. Each response bank is associated with inputted parameter constraints. A user of the system can set up the automatic message response system to deliver a desired response automatically based on an incoming message, or the response can be delivered manually.

Street and highway safety is at the forefront of concerns when speaking in regards to public safety. With the ever increasing volume of cars on the road, deaths and injuries resulting from traffic accidents continue to be an all too common occurrence. While some of these accidents are related to weather, poor driving conditions, mechanical failure, and the like, many are due to distracted driving. Recent spikes in accident rates due to distracted driving are primarily attributed to drivers who use cellular phones to text while driving. While educational awareness programs continue to provide some benefits, the news is still filled everyday with accidents and even deaths that continue to occur while drivers are using cellular phones. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which the necessity of motor vehicle drivers to text message can be greatly reduced, but yet still allow use of status and update communications. The development of the present invention fulfills this need.


The present invention provides a method for detecting a touch trace starting beyond a touch area. The method comprises the following steps: receiving touch events happened in the touch area detected by a touch module; plotting a touch trace according to the touch events outputted from the touch module; determining whether a first touch trace beginning with a first point as the touch trace starting beyond the touch area; and determining whether a second touch trace beginning with a second point as the touch trace starting beyond the touch area, wherein the first point is within a first range to a boundary of the touch area and the second point is within a second range to the boundary, and the second range is larger than the first range.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic device and a method making use of the same for the detection of a touch trace, and more particularly, to an electronic device and a method making use of the same for the detection of a touch trace which starts beyond the touch area.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Touch sensitive input has become one of the most common human-computer interfaces today. In particular, touch panels and touch pads are now standard input devices for modern consumer electronic products. The former is widely used in smart phones e.g. Apple's iPhone and iPad, and the later is used in laptops. In other words, the consumer electronic products today come with at least one of these two input devices. In fact, more and more laptops are provided with both, for example the new Windows 8-based products.
All touch modules come with a defined touch area, which is able to receive touch events triggered by physical contacts thereon of the user body or a stylus. The touch event, when detected by the hardware of the touch module, enables an interrupt request to the operating system so that it is informed of the coordinates in the touch area where the touch event took place. When a series of multiple touch events take place, they are associated by either the firmware of the touch module, the operating system or the higher level applications to form a touch trace. In other words, a touch trace is typically defined as a trajectory comprised of a plurality of touch events triggered by an object approaching or physically touching the touch area.
From user's view point, touch traces imply the instructions one intends to do with the computer. The present invention focuses on the touch traces with their starting points falling outside of the touch area. Take the Windows 8 operating system for example, when the user's finger is detected as sliding in the touch area from the right edge of the touch panel or touch pad, a start menu slides off the right edge of the screen so the user can manipulate. The present invention focuses on such cases but as the people skilled in the art will understand, the present invention is not limited to Microsoft's Windows operating systems.
Saving power is another trend for today's consumer electronic products. After idling for a certain amount of time, components are either shut down or set to lower their operating frequencies in order to save energy. Referring to FIG. 1, which is a diagram illustrating a conventional electronic device 100. As shown, electronic device 100 comprises a central processor 110, a bridge 120, a graphical processor 130, a memory 140, a touch module 150, and a display module 160. The central processor 110 is configured for executing an operating system, such as the above mentioned Windows 8 or Android. The operating system monitors and controls all components of the electronic device 100. The display module 160 is electrically coupled with the graphical processor 130. The touch module 150 is electrically couple with the bridge 120. The memory 140 is electrically coupled with the central processor 110. The touch module 150 may be a touch panel which works with the display module 160, or a touch pad. The electronic device 100 may further comprise keyboard, mouse, hard drive and networking unit, etc. These components are neglected herein for simplicity.
When the operating system detects that the electronic device 100 has been idle for a while, it instructs individual component to take energy conservation actions. For example, the display module 160 may first dim to save power, and shut down the screen eventually. The graphical processor 130, which controls the display module 160, may lower its operating frequency, and even shut down completely following the display unit 160. The touch module 150 can also lower its scanning frequency first and the internal operating frequency of the circuits, and finally shut down completely. The operating system can instruct the central processor 110 to lower its operating frequency. In other words, for different power saving modes, individual component of the electronic device 100 can be set to different power saving work modes. As long as one single component is in its power saving mode, the overall power consumption of the electronic device 100 is reduced as compared to the normal work mode.
The electronic device 100 can restore from the power saving mode upon receipt of a trigger event. The trigger event may be a package sent from the network, or completion of a preset counter in the central processor 110. The most common trigger event that awakes the electronic device 100 is an input event triggered by the input unit(s), such as the keyboard, mouse, or the touch module 150.
Having to stand by for the user's input, the input units of the electronic device 100 restore from and then enter the hibernation mode periodically. For example, the user's touch action typically spans at least a tiny fraction of a second, therefore the touch module 150 can come back to normal work mode every dozens of milliseconds from hibernation mode and scan the touch area. If an input has taken place, the touch module 150 reports it to the bridge 120 and central processor 110, so that the operating system brings the entire electronic device 100 back to the normal work mode.
Referring to FIG. 2, which is a diagram illustrating working status of the touch module 150 in the power saving mode. In the upper half part (a) of FIG. 2, a scenario is illustrated where no touch action by the user are detected over the time span observed. As shown, to save power while keeping detecting for the user's inputs, the touch module 150 recovers to the work (detecting) mode from hibernation periodically, to detect whether there is an object approaching or physically touching the touch area. If no object is detected to be approaching or touching the touch area, the touch module 150 hibernates again, and so on.
In the lower half part (b) of FIG. 2, the user made a touch input action starting outside of the touch area, to both wake up the electronic device 100 and instruct it to execute the instructions suggested by such action (for example, in Windows 8, a start menu may slide off the edge of the screen as a response). In this touch action, the very first contact is made outside of the touch area of the touch module 150, at time T0 (not shown). The contact continues and enters the touch area at time T1. At this moment, the touch module 150 is still in hibernation and is unaware of the contact in the touch area. After the touch module 150 wakes up as scheduled, it detects touch contact at time T2. The detection of contact prevents the touch module 150 from hibernating again and keeps it in the work mode. As a result, another contact made by the same touch action is detected at time T3.
In certain circumstances, the location of contact detected at T2 may already be far away from the edge of the touch area. In such case, the touch module 150 will not consider the touch input action to be taking place outside of the touch area. The operating system will then associate the touch events of T2 and T3 into a touch trace which starts within the touch area, and responds accordingly. As a result, the user will not get responses he expected to see i.e. actions corresponding to the "intended" touch trace, which started outside of the touch area, but ones corresponding to a touch trace starting inside the touch area instead.
Therefore, a device and method is desired for correctly detecting a touch trace starting outside of the touch area under the power saving mode, so that the user can get the right responses.
From the above it is clear that prior art still has shortcomings. In order to solve these problems, efforts have long been made in vain, while ordinary products and methods offering no appropriate structures and methods. Thus, there is a need in the industry for a novel technique that solves these problems.

Electronic device, processing module, and method for detecting touch trace starting beyond touch area


The present invention is a wall anchor having a novel finger configuration. This wall anchor has a head and barrel portion with a bore extending therethrough and laterally expandable fingers in general alignment with the bore. Instead of a straight channel, a channel having curved portions separates the fingers. The curved portions of the channel define ramp surfaces that at least partially extend into the path of a securing member created by the bore. Thus, when a securing member, such as a bolt, pin, screw, nail or similar object is inserted into the bore to secure the wall anchor to the wall, the securing member contacts the two ramp surfaces, separating the fingers. As the fingers separate, a portion of the fingers near the ramp surfaces deform such that the ramp surfaces rest on an outer portion of the securing member, thus providing a securing force for connecting the wall anchor to the wall and relieving stress on the area at which the fingers are connected to the barrel.

In walls formed of plaster boards, sheet rock, plywood and other relatively thin or soft materials, problems can arise when attempting to mount objects to these walls, particularly transverse rods for draperies, drapes, lighting fixtures, picture frames and other objects which impose stress upon these walls. These walls can be incapable of receiving the aforementioned rods, fixtures and frames when held in place by standard screws and bolts. Thus, it has become common practice to use anchoring sockets of some sort in order to secure these objects to a wall. A number of wall anchors are noted in the prior art, particularly U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,646,998; 4,752,170; 5,409,339; 5,533,851; and 6,086,035.
Prior art wall anchors, or back clips as they are otherwise known, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,936, teach a back clip having a body portion with a hollow barrel therein and laterally expandable fingers in alignment with the hollow barrel. The fingers extend through a wall and upon receiving a bolt, pin, screw or other securing member through the barrel, the laterally expandable fingers expand against the inside portion of the wall.
Common wall anchors, such as the one taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,936, have a straight channel separating the fingers. This channel is usually narrower than the hollow barrel portion, so that when the securing member is inserted, it expands the fingers, securing the wall anchor to the wall. When these fingers are expanded they necessarily bend or hinge at some point on the finger, usually at a point at or near where each finger is connected to the hollow barrel. This hinge portion of the fingers is thus normally under some amount of stress due to the deformation that takes place in the wall anchor when the bolt, pin or screw is introduced into the wall anchor. Because of this stress, harder, more rigid plastics, the most preferred material of construction for wall anchors, tend to break in this hinge area, particularly when used in cold-weather. Softer plastics are commonly used to avoid this breakage problem, but may correspondingly reduce the strength of the wall anchor.
Referring to FIG. 1, a prior art wall anchor 2 is shown. Wall anchor 2 of FIG. 1 includes a generally flat circular head 4 having a bore therethrough (not shown) for receiving a securing member, such as a bolt, pin, screw, nail or similar object (not shown). Wall anchor 2 also contains a barrel 6 having a bore therethrough (not shown) and a pair of symmetrical fingers 8a and 8b flexibly joined to the barrel 14 at its back end. A generally straight channel 10 separates the two symmetrical fingers 8a and 8b. FIG. 2A shows a view of the prior art wall anchor from the front, and, looking through the bore in head 4, channel 10 is visible between the two symmetrical fingers 8a and 8b.
FIG. 2B shows the prior art wall anchor 2 in its secured position in a wall 16. The bores through the barrel 6 and the head 4 receive a securing member, in this case a mounting pin 14, therethrough. When the mounting pin 14 is inserted into the wall anchor, the pin engages and spreads the fingers 8a and 8b apart. The portions 12a and 12b, where the fingers 8a and 8b attach to the barrel 6, are under a considerable amount of stress due to the deformation that takes place when the fingers are expanded.
It would thus be desirable to develop a wall anchor designed to reduce stress in the hinge portion of the fingers. This type of wall anchor would allow for the use of harder, more rigid plastics, resulting in a stronger anchor less susceptible to breakage.
A wall anchor has a body portion having a hollow barrel and laterally expandable fingers in general alignment with the hollow barrel. Instead of using a straight channel separating two symmetrical fingers, as is commonly used in prior art wall anchors, an asymmetrical channel is used to provide at least two ramp surfaces, one on each of a plurality of asymmetrical fingers, i.e. none of the fingers are the same shape. The ramp surfaces face the path created by the hollow portion of the barrel. Thus, when a securing member, such as a bolt, pin, screw, nail or other similar object, is inserted into the hollow barrel to secure the wall anchor to the wall, the securing member contacts the two ramp surfaces. As the securing member is pushed through the hollow barrel and into the curved channel, it separates the fingers. As the fingers separate, the ramp surfaces deform under the pressure exerted by the securing member, and then rest on an outer portion of the securing member.
This design thus allows for a redistribution of the stress from a hinge portion of the anchor to the ramp surfaces of the fingers when the fingers are separated. This allows the wall anchor to be manufactured from harder, more rigid materials, thereby improving the strength of the wall anchor and reducing its susceptibility to breaking.


Apparatus and methods for establishing half-duplex communication between a first unit and a second unit over a telephone line. The first unit may transmit a first matching signal stream, the first matching signal stream including a first conditioning segment and a first unmodulated carrier signal having a first characteristic carrier frequency, the first characteristic carrier frequency representing a given transmission mode, the given transmission mode being in half-duplex. The second unit may analyze the first characteristic carrier frequency to recognize the given transmission mode.

Since Jul. 1, 1980, the date of the first testing of the electronic directory service at Saint Malo, the Minitel has been using, in France, a transmission speed of 1200 bps to receive reference service information and a speed of 75 bps to transmit keyboarding of the user. This mode of transmission, in full duplex, is based on V23 modulation which is a speed of 1200/75 bps between the Minitel and Videotext Access Point (PAVI) units. The connection between Minitel and PAVI is based on the switched telephone network (RTC). The connection between PAVI and the Teletel servers is based on the TRANSPAC network with transmission speeds of 19.2 kbps or 48 kbps.
At the beginning of the 1990s, in order to improve convenience and speed in consulting Teletel services, provision was made to increase the transmission speed at first to 4800 bps, and then to 9600 bps between the Access Point and Minitel. This new mode of transmission in semi-duplex or half-duplex is based on the V27ter modulation for the speed of 4800 bps and on the aforementioned V29 modulation at 9600 bps. The V27ter and V29 standards have been kept for reasons of cost and performance. The speed of 4800 bps and 9600 bps can be used over the two paths, the data circuit termination unit (ETCD) or modem operating at half speed.
This new Teletel access service, called "Teletel high speed" access service (or TVR) thereby allows a useful rate of flow of communication multiplied by four in V27ter and by eight in V29 with respect to a useful throughput rate of V23 access. It thus permits a rapid transfer of pages requiring a considerable volume of information; this is the privileged channel for operation of the future photographic Minitel and for applications such as transfers of files, telecopy, audio videotext, etc.
The main public terminal (or Minitel) is not currently connectable, equally and without specific intervention of the user, over the Teletel V23 access, over V27ter Teletel access and over the forthcoming V27ter/V29 accesses with connection time similar to the present V23.
Establishment of telephone connection between the Minitel and videotext access points (PAVI) is effected principally over the switched telephone network (RTC).
Request for establishing connection consists of the actions of picking up the telephone line (or going on line) and dialing the number. This request can be at the initiative:
of the user (manual demand) PA1 of the Minitel through the intermediary of the telephone directory PA1 of a peripheral component of the Minitel such as the memory card reader or LECAM. PA1 of the user by touching a button such as the "end connection" button of the Minitel, PA1 of the Minitel through the intermediary of the telephone and videotext directory, PA1 of a peripheral device of the Minitel through the intermediary of a command sequence. PA1 physical connection in common transmission mode for the two units according to the quickest preferable modulation such as that presented in the summary table of physical connection types (case of initial communication), PA1 and/or physical reestablishment of communication in at least one mode, for example at least one of the three modes V23, V27ter and V29 (case of radio telegraphy-data or audio videotext application). PA1 a) emission by one of the units called "first matching unit" of a first matching signal stream according to a given transmission mode in half-duplex. PA1 b) analysis by the other unit, called the "second unit for matching" of the unmodulated carrier signal frequency of said first matching signal stream. PA1 c) in case of recognition by the second unit of the carrier signal frequency of said given transmission mode, placement of the second unit to receive, in accordance with said given transmission mode, of said conditioning segment. PA1 d) validation by the second unit of reception of said conditioning segment of the first matching signal stream, and conditioning of the second unit in accordance with said given transmission mode, which allows it to transmit in this mode. PA1 e) transmission by the second unit of a second matching signal stream in the recognized transmission mode which corresponds to the given mode, which validates communication for the second unit in the given transmission mode. PA1 f) analysis by the first unit of the signal frequency of the unmodulated carrier of the second matching signal stream. PA1 g) in case of recognition by the first unit of the carrier signal frequency of the given transmission mode, keeping the first unit in receiving condition in said given transmission mode recognized and accepted by the second unit. PA1 h) validation by the first unit of reception of said conditioning segment of the second matching signal stream, and conditioning of the first unit in said given transmission mode. PA1 i) establishment by the first unit of communication in said given transmission mode. PA1 stages a) and b), in which the given transmission mode is the first transmission mode. PA1 j) in case of non-recognition by unit A of the unmodulated carrier signal frequency in the first transmission mode and the impossibility of unit B of being placed in said first transmission mode, non-validation by unit B of reception of the first matching signal stream. PA1 k) stages a) to i) in which the given transmission mode is the second transmission mode, during which the first unit is unit B and the second unit is unit A. PA1 0-0) request for establishing connection by unit A (connection order). PA1 1-0) detection by unit B of request to establish connection and establishment of the connection. PA1 2-0) emission by unit B of a first signal with duration at least equal to a first given duration, of a frequency equal to that of the answering dial tone of the automatic response data unit, having a frequency that is different from the half-duplex modulation carrier stream frequency, followed by a silence having a second duration. PA1 3-0) sensing by unit A of the presence of said frequency signal during at least the first given duration. PA1 4-0) measurement by unit A of the second duration of said silence. PA1 5-0) if the second duration is greater than a given threshold duration, validation of execution of stages a) to i) or of stages a) to k), for which the first unit is unit A and the second unit is unit B. PA1 analysis by unit A of the carrier frequency of a said matching signal stream, PA1 in case of recognition of said frequency in the first transmission mode, validation of stages a) to i) according to the second transmission mode, during which the first unit is unit B and the first sic! unit is unit A. PA1 12-1) sending by unit A of a first matching signal stream in a first transmission mode. PA1 12-2) search by unit B for the presence of the carrier signal frequency. PA1 12-3) in case of non-recognition by unit B of the carrier signal frequency corresponding to the second transmission mode, following a waiting time greater than a given duration threshold, validation of execution of stages a) to i) according to the second transmission mode, during which the first unit is unit B and the second unit is unit A. PA1 13-1) release of half-duplex communication successively at logical levels of the communication protocol then at the physical level (for example, because of loss of carrier) while maintaining connection between the units. PA1 13-2) passage in radio telegraphy mode during a certain delay time duration. PA1 13-3) sensing of the end of the time delay duration. PA1 13-4) validation of execution of stages a) to i) or of stages a) to k). PA1 14-1) before the end of the relative time delay duration in radio telegraphy mode, initialization by one of the units of communication, by emission of an order for communication, for example a segment of given duration of the unmodulated carrier frequency, which occurs during the telephony mode. PA1 14-2) validation of the execution of stages a) to i) of claim 1 or of stages a) to k). PA1 15-1) program the emission by the modem of a stream of matching signals preceded by an unmodulated carrier signal, PA1 15-2) program sensing by the modem of at least one unmodulated carrier frequency located at the beginning of a received matching stream, and to place the modem in half-duplex transmission mode corresponding to said carrier frequency in order to allow the modem to receive the other signals of said received matching stream, and PA1 15-3) program a validation of physical communication in half-duplex according to said transmission mode once the modem has received and transmitted in the proper manner a said matching signal stream, which allows one subsequently to effect an exchange of synchronization signal streams to validate a connection in said transmission mode. PA1 reception conforming to a matching signal stream in accordance with 15-2, PA1 sensing by the modem following a request for communication of a characteristic silence interval of said unit. PA1 adjustment of the type of modulation, especially in fixing (or freezing) receiving filter coefficients PA1 resumption of transmission PA1 possibly, doubling of speed (such as V29 versus V27ter). PA1 a) initialization by the first unit of resumption-adjustment, preferably following sensing by the first unit of at least one erroneous synchronization signal stream, and preferably two successive erroneous streams. PA1 b) emission by the first set of a matching signal stream in the transmission mode used previously in half-duplex for exchanges of synchronizing signal streams. PA1 c) analysis by the second unit of the unmodulated carrier signal frequency of said matching signal stream. PA1 d) in case of recognition of this frequency which characterizes a request for resumption adjustment, placing the second unit in receiving mode by a matching signal stream. PA1 e) in case of validation by the second unit of reception of the second matching signal stream, adaptation of the second unit in said transmission mode which is used, preferably by freezing the reception filter coefficients as adapted to the new transmission support characteristics. PA1 f) emission by the second unit of a stream of matching signals in the recognized transmission mode. PA1 g) analysis by the first set of the unmodulated carrier signal stream frequency of said matching signal stream. PA1 h) in case of recognition of this frequency, maintaining the position of the first unit to receive in said transmission mode. PA1 i) in case of validation by the first unit of reception of the matching signal stream emitted by the second unit, adjustment of the first unit in said transmission mode, preferably by freezing the receiving filter coefficients of the first unit. PA1 j) renewal of synchronizing signal stream exchanges, possibly followed by application information without interrupting the higher logical levels of the communication protocol of the two units. PA1 k) in case of non-recognition by the first unit of the matching signal stream emitted by the second unit, and possibly at the end of a given time delay duration, emission by the first unit of a stream of matching signals in the second mode of transmission. PA1 l) analysis by the second unit of the unmodulated carrier signal frequency of said matching signal stream emitted by the first unit. PA1 m) in case of recognition of said frequency at the time of stage 1), which therefore characterizes a request for resumption-adjustment in the second transmission mode, positioning the second unit to receive a stream of matching signals in the second transmission mode. PA1 n) in case of validation by the second unit of reception of said matching signal stream, adjustment of the second unit to the second transmission mode, preferably by freezing the receiving filter coefficients adjusted to the new transmission support characteristics and adjusted to the second transmission mode. PA1 o) emission by the second unit of a stream of matching signals in the second transmission mode in order to allow the first unit its adjustment to the second transmission mode. PA1 p) analysis by the first unit of the unmodulated carrier signal frequency of said matching signal stream emitted by the second unit. PA1 q) in case of recognition of this frequency, maintaining the position of the first unit in the second transmission mode which is being used. PA1 r) in case of validation by the first unit of reception of said matching signal stream emitted by the second unit, adjustment of the first unit to the second transmission mode, preferably by freezing the receiving filter coefficients in order to be adjusted to the new transmission support characteristics. PA1 s) renewal, in the second transmission mode, of exchanges of synchronizing signal streams, (for example, short streams in V27ter mode), possibly followed by application information without interruption of the logical levels of the communication protocol of the two units. PA1 t) in case of non-recognition of the stream of matching signals by the first unit, possibly at the end of a given time delay duration, renewal by the first unit of emission of a matching signal stream in said transmission mode. PA1 u) stages c) to j). PA1 v) in case of non-recognition by the first unit, at the time of stage g of said sequence u) of the matching signal stream emitted by the second unit, and possibly at the end of a certain time delay, the last attempt made by the first unit according to t) and u) before breaking the connection between the two sets. PA1 10-1) program initialization of resumption-adjustment, preferably following the sensing of reception by the modem of an erroneous synchronizing signal stream, without modifying the values or coefficients of the receiving filter. PA1 10-2) programming emission by the modem of a matching signal stream preceded by an unmodulated carrier signal, preferably in the same modulation as said erroneous synchronization signal stream, said matching signal stream constituting a request for resumption-adjustment. PA1 10-3) programming sensing by the modem of at least one unmodulated carrier frequency located at the beginning of a received matching stream, and placing the modem in half-duplex transmission mode corresponding to said carrier frequency in order to allow the modem to sense a request for resumption-adjustment to receive the other signals of said received matching stream and to set the receiving filter coefficients after reception of the matching stream. PA1 10-4) validate the physical adjustment resumption in half-duplex in said transmission mode once the modem has emitted and received in a manner which is in accordance with a a said matching signal stream during communication by exchange of the matching signal stream, which then permits the unit to exchange synchronizing signal streams (short streams).
Sensing this request for establishing communication by the distant unit (calling ring over the switched telephone network (RTC) or location of an indicator on the shared line) authorizes it to effect connection.
After making the connection, communication or physical connection is effected by the exchange and recognition of signals between the modems and the two units. Validation of communication allows the two units to then transmit data and to thereby establish a logical connection such as the establishment of packet and screen levels of the communication protocol used, in V27ter and in V29 for example.
The request for communication (or "order to establish communication" or even "connection order") can be at the initiative:
To communicate in V23, V27ter or V29 mode (V23/V27ter/V29) it is possible to use several "end-connection" buttons one time for each of the modes. This manual solution is not ergonomic for a large public user group.
Another solution would be to rely on preliminary and systematic communication in V23, and then, by reception of a particular sequence, to change over to V27ter or V29 transmission. This solution would be penalized in connection time, and would not allow communication with existing units exclusively in V27ter, which do not have the V23 mode.
These solutions, manual or semi-automatic, would also have the disadvantage of prohibiting or making difficult any possibility of automatic re-establishment of communication (radio telegraphy-data or audio video text application) and the disadvantage of prohibiting any process of maintaining communication (resumption of communication in V27ter or V29, and a speed doubling from V27 to V27ter).

Method of automatic duplex or semi-duplex communication for two units via a telephone line


A belt oscillating apparatus of a belt sander, wherein the belt sander includes a machine frame, a driving wheel, a driven wheel, a sand belt mounted on the driving wheel and the driven wheel, and the belt oscillating apparatus is mounted on the machine frame, comprising two oscillating devices, two transmission devices and a valve. The oscillating devices are pivoted on the machine frame and pivoting the driven wheel therebetween. The transmission devices connect the oscillating devices and the valve. A pneumatic power is provided to the valve to move the driven wheel via the transmissions and the oscillating device. The oscillating devices and the transmission device are working alternately by the sand belt touches the oscillating devices, such that the sand belt is reciprocated between the oscillating devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a belt sander, and more particularly to a belt oscillating apparatus of a belt sander.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional belt sander has a base, on which a driving wheel and a driven wheel are pivoted, a sand belt mounted on the driving and driven wheels, and a motor driving the driving wheel to rotate the sand belt, such that a workpiece is grinded on the running sand belt. The sand belt is worn when it grinds the workpieces. To keep the sand belt from being worn uniformly, the operator has to reciprocate the workpiece, and that make extra loading to the operator.
There are improved belt sanders with an oscillating device to reciprocate the sand belt, such that the operator only needs to hold the workpiece still. The conventional oscillating devices are complex and expensive that has less value for the industry.

Belt oscillating apparatus of belt sander