An image display method by which a presence of a variation in a color signal in video, a variation in brightness data in video, a bit rate of video reproduction, an audio signal, a variation in a bit rate of video reproduction, or caption data is checked, whereby it is possible to display a significant image whose contents can be grasped by a user by skipping over a monochrome image such as a black or white image whose contents cannot be grasped by the user, even if a moving image starts from such a monochrome image.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image display method. More particularly, the present invention relates to an image display method for displaying a digest of a moving image.
2. Description of the Background Art
When the contents of a plurality of moving images stored in a video recording medium are checked, it is effective to display a content list (a digest screen) of thumbnail images of the moving images by sequentially reading the stored moving image data.
As one example of the video recording medium, an optical disk will be described.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart for describing a conventional image display method. In FIG. 13, a table stored in a predetermined location on an optical disk is read, and addresses (minute, second, frame) of all moving image data stored in the optical disk are obtained (S1301). Next, a start address of moving image data to be displayed is extracted (S1302), data is read from the optical disk by moving an optical head to a location of the extracted start address (S1303), and the read data is input to an MPEG decoder (S1304). When a frame of an MPEG image is detected in data following the start address, a size of the image data of the frame is reduced (S1305), and a display device is caused to display the resultant thumbnail image (S1306). Such an operation is repeated a predetermined times (e.g., as many as the number of images which can be displayed on the display device) (S1307).
Also, there is a method of detecting audio data and displaying an I picture when a predetermined time period has elapsed after detection of the audio data (Japanese Patent Gazette No. 3110376).
In the above-described conventional image display method, a thumbnail image of an image detected first in data following the start address is displayed. As a result, in the case where a moving image whose screen gradually fades in (as shown in FIG. 14, for example) is included in a video recording medium, a thumbnail image generated from such a moving image is a black image like a thumbnail image 151 shown in FIG. 15. As such, the problem with the above-described conventional image display method is that a user cannot grasp the contents of such a moving image.
Also, there may be a method of detecting brightness of an image for displaying a thumbnail image of a frame when an image whose brightness is equal to or greater than a predetermined level is input. However, a thumbnail image of a moving image which starts from a white (bright) image is plain white, and its content is impossible to understand. As such, a problem with the above-described method is that the user cannot grasp the contents of such a moving image.
Also, by the method of detecting audio data and displaying an I picture when a predetermined time period has elapsed after detection of the audio data, a first image may not be displayed even if the first image of the moving image is a significant image to be displayed. Also, in the case where a video recording medium includes a moving image on which audio data is not multiplexed, a digest (a thumbnail image) of such a moving image is not displayed, which is also a problem.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an image display method, an image display program, and an image display apparatus capable of displaying a significant thumbnail image by which a user can grasp the contents thereof when a digest of a moving image is displayed.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Image display method, image display program, and image display apparatus


The location of a physical disturbance along an optical waveguide is determined by measuring different propagation times for the resulting phase variation to propagate to phase responsive receivers at ends of bidirectional signal paths. Each receiver can have a coupler that functions as a beam combiner and as a beam splitter inserting the opposite signal. On each receiving end, the coupler provides one or more detectors with signals from which phase related independent variable values are taken, processed and mapped to phase angles. Relative phase angle versus time is derived for each opposite signal pair and correlated at a time difference, i.e., a difference in propagation time from which the location of the disturbance is resolved. Polarization sensitive and polarization insensitive examples are discussed with various optical fiber arrangements.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns techniques for detecting and accurately determining the location of a physical disturbance. Input signals are coupled in two opposite directions along a waveguide, through multiple signal paths, at least one such path traversing a detection zone. The waveguide, for example, can consist of one or more optical fibers. Multiple signal paths can be provided by distinct signals traveling in different fibers, and/or multiple signal paths can be provided using different modes of signal propagation in one or more of the same fibers.
In exemplary applications of the inventive techniques, optical fibers are routed around a security perimeter, along or across a road or path, coextensively with a power or signal transmission line, on or near a pipeline, etc. A disturbance such as sound or vibration from nearby activity changes the propagation conditions of the light signals carried in the multiple signal paths, simultaneously locally affecting the signal paths in both opposite directions. A phase relationship change occurs for the signals carried along the multiple signal paths in each of the two opposite directions. The change is carried along in the signals propagating away from the point of the disturbance in both directions. The propagation time difference, between appearances of the corresponding changes in the phase relationship at each end, is determined and used to resolve the location.
According to an inventive aspect, the disturbance is detected and located from a time variation in phase relationship between the signals carried along different signal paths and for each of the counter-propagating signal directions. A phase responsive receiver is used to obtain the phase relationship between signals on different signal paths. The phase responsive receiver comprises at least one beam combiner and at least two detectors to mix and to detect the signals from at least two signal paths, respectively.
Preferably, the beam combiner, such as a bidirectional coupler, functions as a beam splitter for producing multiple input signals paths in one direction and also forms an optical interference node at the receiving end for the signals propagating in the opposite direction. The arrangement can be symmetrical, with couplers at each of the ends splitting signals into multiple paths directed toward the opposite ends, while receiving and interfering the signals from the opposite end. Through the beam combiner, the received-and-interfered signals produce at least two phase-related intensity responses for each of the phase responsive receivers. The two intensity responses provide independent phase-related variable values when applied to detectors. These values can be used to obtain the phase relationship between signals carried along different signal paths. Two phase relationship signals are obtained, preferably as successions of data samples representing phase versus time, for the signals in each of the opposite directions, as affected by the disturbance.
The beam combiner can be a three-by-three fused fiber coupler, or an n-by-m coupler, a two-by-two coupler with polarization dependent elements, or multiple cascaded couplers. The light levels at the detectors are sampled and processed by techniques involving at least two independent phase-related variables, modeled and preferably normalized and reoriented using multi-dimensional data analysis techniques as described herein. The techniques discriminate for disturbance-induced variations in phase relationship, as a function of time, for each of the counter-propagating directions. A correlation function then matches the corresponding variations of phase versus time for the opposite directions, deriving a differential propagation delay. The differential delay enables accurate resolution of the location of the physical disturbance.
2. Prior Art
A security system should detect and provide information about any intrusion into a protected area or facility. An advantageous system should discreetly detect even modest physical disturbances, and report the location of the disturbance so as to permit corrective action to ensue promptly.
One technique for locating a disturbance is by determining the difference in timing between the arrivals of effects of the disturbance, in two counter-propagating signals that are both affected by the disturbance. A relative delay in arrival of the disturbance induced effects in the signal propagating in one direction versus the other direction indicates a longer propagation distance from the disturbance to the receiver, where the signal is detected. Measuring the delay can permit one to calculate an apparent location of the disturbance. This technique is described for example, in British Patent GB 1,497,995—Ramsay, entitled "Fiber Optic Acoustic Monitoring Arrangement."
Optical fiber has inherent advantages as a waveguide, such as low loss, immunity to electromagnetic noise and other characteristics, which are useful in remote sensing. The measurement of the disturbance effects in Ramsay utilizes an interferometer or interference sensor. An example of an interference sensor is the Mach-Zehnder interferometer, which has been applied to acoustic sensing, magnetic sensing, temperature sensing, pressure sensing, structure monitoring, etc, including using optical fibers, as described in "Overview of Mach-Zehnder Sensor Technology and Applications" by Anthony Dandridge and Alan D. Kersey, Fiber Optic and Laser Sensors VI, Proc. SPIE Vol. 985, pp. 34-52 (1988).
In addition to GB 1,497,995—Ramsay, cited above, the publication "Fiber Optic Distributed Sensor in Mach-Zehnder Interferometer Configuration" by Bogdan Kizlik, TCSET'2002 Lviv-Slavsko, Ukraine, proposes a similar location resolving technique. Recent U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,621,947 and 6,778,717 describe a perimeter defense system also based on this principle.
These prior art teachings produce an interference intensity signal versus time for each of two opposite signal paths, and seek to determine the location of the disturbance from the difference in propagation time over two counter-propagating signal paths, between the appearances of corresponding time variations at receiving ends for the opposite signal paths. There are problems, however, when attempting to use optical fiber waveguides and the like for location detection in this way. Polarization induced effects can reduce or defeat the usefulness of these prior techniques for discerning the location of the disturbance.
Light waves interfere only when there is some correspondence in the state of polarization, permitting the beams to interfere. Two light waves that are orthogonally polarized cannot interfere. Over plural paths between a light source and two or more detectors, the birefringence of the fibers forming an optical path can change the state of polarization and phase characteristics of the light beams. The birefringence of an optical fiber may be small compared to its refractive index. Nevertheless, an accumulated polarization effect arises, particularly over a long distance. Prior art systems cannot perform consistently, and in some circumstances do not perform at all, because the interfering optical beams vary from time to time between more or less parallel and more or less orthogonal states.
Variable beam interference conditions caused by polarization state changes are recognized as a problem in single light path interferometers, the problem being known as polarization-induced fading. The problem is described, for example, in "Polarization-Induced Fading in Fiber-Optic Sensor Arrays" (Moshe Tur, Yuval S. Boger, and H. J. Shaw, Journal of Lightwave Technology, Vol. 13, No. 7, p 1269, 1995). This publication seeks to enhance the visibility of the interference beam in a single-channel fiber based interferometer, where the light travels along a single direction.
Polarization induced phase shift, which is caused by the mismatch of the polarization of the interfering beams, is a somewhat different effect from polarization induced fading, but causes measurement problems, because polarization induced phase shift can be difficult to distinguish from other factors. If there is a polarization induced phase shift, the interference intensity signals at the detectors for the two counter propagating signals may not correlate closely. The technique of calculating a location for the disturbance relies on identifying two corresponding variations in amplitude over time, and then measuring the difference in time of arrival between the two counter-propagating signals. Such a measurement is difficult and potentially inaccurate, if variations in the two signals cannot be properly matched.
In the prior art interferometer system, signal phase conditions are varied by the disturbance to produce variations in interference amplitude. But the swing in the interference output signal is not exclusively or linearly related to the change in relative phase caused by the disturbance. The interference amplitude is affected by changes in polarization states which generally are different for the two signal directions because of differences in the polarization effects in the two counter propagating directions. The interference amplitude is not uniquely related to the relative phase relationship between interfering beam along different paths. For these reasons, a disturbance locating security system as in GB 1,497,995—Ramsay may be undependable or may need regular polarization adjustment. Measurement failure from polarization induced effects is an imminent danger. The correlation of time varying interference signal signatures for a given disturbance for the two opposite signal paths produces uncertain location measurements due to unpredictable polarization effects. For all these reasons, the system dependability and accuracy are less than might be desired for security purposes.
In terms of structure, the prior art technique for coupling signals typically employs two-by-two optical couplers, such as fused fiber junctions, for splitting and/or for combining light signals.
It would be advantageous for the location detection purposes discussed, to enable an accurate determination of phase variations between two received signals applied as two inputs to a coupler, and to do so free of complications from polarization fading and phase shift. What is needed is additional independent variable information whereby the two independent output variables can be derived to permit the effects of phase to be discriminated from the effects of polarization.
The present invention avoids detrimental effects of polarization induced fading and phase shift. Conditions are established that provide a robust response notwithstanding time changing polarization transformation characteristics such as birefringence. In certain embodiments, these conditions are established by providing coupler outputs that are characterized by a phase difference, permitting an analysis with the benefit of at least two and optionally additional independent variables by which phase effects are discriminated from polarization effects. A multi-dimensional data analysis technique is used, as illustrated by optional techniques in the disclosure, demonstrating how independent variables are translated substantially exclusively to phase angle as a function of time. The adverse effects caused by polarization are reduced to signal to noise ratio effects and can be readily avoided. The invention is practical, dependable and effective in perimeter security systems, as well as in other distributed sensing purposes.


Methods and apparatus are provided for decimated interpolated clock/data recovery (ICDR) to perform asynchronous sampling of a received signal. A received signal is converted to a plurality of digital samples at a downsampled rate that is lower than a rate of the received signal. The plurality of digital samples are interpolated using a plurality of parallel interpolation filters operating at the downsampled rate. An output of each parallel interpolation filter is applied to a corresponding data detector operating at the downsampled rate to generate digital data. An estimate of a timing error is generated based on the digital data. The timing error values are processed to generate an interpolation phase value that is applied to the parallel interpolation filters. A recovered clock is optionally generated, having edges corresponding to a desired synchronous sampling period.

Digital communication receivers typically sample an incoming waveform and then detect the sampled data. Typically, a receiver includes a Clock and Data Recovery (CDR) system to recover the clock and data from an incoming data stream. The CDR system generates a clock signal having the same frequency and phase as the incoming signal, which is then used to sample the received signal and detect the transmitted data.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/965,138, filed Oct. 14, 2004, entitled "Parallel Sampled Multi Stage Decimated Digital Loop Filter for Clock/Data Recovery," incorporated by reference herein, discloses a CDR architecture that uses an oversampled phase detector followed by a parallel sampled multi-stage decimated digital loop filter. The use of parallel sampled multi-stage decimated loop filtering significantly reduces the area and power required by previous analog loop filter based solutions. In addition, the circuit behavior of the digital loop filter can be verified against the architectural level behavior and the digital loop filter parameters are not subject to analog errors and process/voltage/temperature (PVT) variations. However, an implementation of the architecture makes use of an analog phase selection circuit (PSC) that is implemented as a voltage controlled delay line (VCDL). VCDL errors, however, can degrade good jitter tolerance performance.
It is therefore desirable to further reduce the proportion of analog circuitry determining the performance of the CDR loop. Digital interpolation has been used to perform an all digital timing recovery that eliminates most analog errors and PVT variations. See, for example, F. Gardner, "Interpolation in Digital Modems—Part I: Fundamentals," IEEE Trans. on Communications, 501-507 (March, 1993); L. Erup et al., "Interpolation in Digital Modems—Part II: Implementation and Performance," IEEE Trans. on Communications, 998-1007 (June, 1993); M. Spurbeck and R. Behrens, "Interpolated Timing Recovery for Hard Disk Drive Read Channels," Proc. IEEE Int'l Conf. on Communications (ICC), 1618-1624 (1997); or Z. Wu and J. Cioff, "A MMSE Interpolated Timing Recovery Scheme for the Magnetic Recording Channel," IEEE Int'l Conf. on Communications (ICC) (1997). In such interpolated timing recovery (ITR) or interpolated clock/data recovery (ICDR) approaches, the interpolation filters and CDR loop filter process data at the full baud rate.
A need exists for methods and apparatus for digital ICDR that perform the timing recovery computations at less than the baud rate.

Methods and apparatus for asynchronous sampling of a received signal at a downsampled rate


A manifold (10) for holding a generally cylindrically shaped gas generator (12), the gas generator including inflation ports (26a, b) through which inflation gas exits to inflate an air bag, the manifold being a hollow extruded structure (14) having a cylindrical middle portion (16) and first (32) and second (34) ends, the middle portion formed having a diameter section slightly larger than the diameter of the gas generator, a diameter of the first end being smaller relative to the diameter of the middle portion to provide an interference fit with a mating portion of the gas generator upon insertion of the gas generator; the middle portion further having two opposingly positioned outwardly flared portions (18a, b), the flared portions in cooperation with walls of the gas generator, defining open chambers to receive inflation gas from the gas generator, the flared portions each including at least an exit port (44a, d, 46a) to direct inflation gas out of the manifold.

The present invention relates to a structure for supporting a gas generator for an air bag and more specifically a manifold or retainer.
The present invention finds application as a part of an air bag safety restraint system and more specifically for a passenger side air bag system. Characteristically passenger side safety restraint systems include a gas generator for generating or producing inflation gas to inflate an air bag. Typically, the gas generator may be secured in place by a manifold or retainer. One such combination is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,664. Thereafter, the air bag is secured about the manifold to receive inflation gases. The manifold or retainer may be secured to a reaction can or directly to a cooperating structure within the vehicle.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a manifold which is easy to manufacture and one which displays a robust structure.
Accordingly, the invention comprises a manifold for holding a generally cylindrically shaped gas generator, the gas generator including inflation ports through which inflation gas exits to inflate an air bag. The manifold comprises a hollow extruded cylindrical structure comprising a cylindrical middle portion. A first end of the structure has a diameter slightly smaller than to the diameter of the middle portion of the gas generator, that is, upon insertion of the gas generator into the manifold. The middle portion of the cylindrical structure further comprising two outwardly flared opposing portions. The flared portions in cooperation with the gas generator, defines cavities or chambers to receive inflation gas exiting the gas generator. The flared portions each include a plurality of openings to direct inflation gas out of the manifold.
Many other objects and purposes of the invention will be clear from the following detailed description of the drawings.

Manifold or retainer for a gas generator


A CMOS twin-tub negative voltage switching architecture is for a non-volatile memory device and includes a negative voltage multiplier for generating a increased voltage value starting from a single main power supply. A voltage regulator feedback is connected to the voltage multiplier for regulating the generated negative voltage value; and a plurality of independent switch circuits each one receiving as an input the negative voltage value and producing as an output a predetermined local negative voltage.

As is known, electronic memory devices using a single power supply, such as Flash Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memories (EEPROMs) having a 3 Volt main power supply, require positive voltages higher that the main power supply for the reading, writing and erasing phases. These devices also require negative voltages less than the ground voltage reference for the reading and erasing phases. Voltage multipliers or charge pump circuits are widely used in these semiconductor electronic devices to internally generate voltage supplies whose values are higher or less than a main power supply and many prior art approaches are known for charge pump circuits providing the above required voltage values.
However, generating the positive or negative increased voltage value is not enough to guarantee correct operation of the memory device, since many operating phases require a specific voltage value which must be obtained from the increased voltage. For instance, during the reading, erasing and programming phases of different pages of a non-volatile memory array, many different negative voltage values would be required to drive properly a final decoder stage of each memory page. To generate and supply these negative voltage values to the different memory pages have up to now, required complex regulating circuits which occupy a large semiconductor area of the integrated circuit memory. Moreover, such regulating circuits limit the performance of the memory device to being slow in switching among the different voltage values. In other words, means for selectively generating within a Flash EEPROM device a predetermined number of negative voltages, starting from a single voltage value, while desirable, is not currently available in an efficient manner.


An apparatus for providing active clearance control between blade tips and seals in a turbomachine comprising: a first stator carrier segment, with stator seals centripetally disposed on it; a second stator carrier segment located along a same circumference as the first stator carrier segment, also with stator seals centripetally disposed on it; a shell that adjustably houses the first stator carrier segment and the second carrier segment; at least one displacement apparatus in operable communication with at least one stator carrier segment and configured to position the at least one stator carrier segment to provide active clearance control to the stator seals disposed on the at least one stator carrier segment.

Turbomachines generally have a centrally disposed rotor that rotates within a stationary cylinder or shell. The working fluid flows through one or more rows of circumferentially arranged rotating blades that extend radially from the periphery of the rotor shaft and one or more rows of circumferentially arranged stator blades that extend centripetally from the interior surface of the shell to the rotor shaft. The fluid imparts energy to the shaft that is used to drive a load, such as an electric generator or compressor. In order to ensure that as much energy as possible is extracted from the fluid, the tips of the stator blades are usually very close to the seals located on the rotor surface, and the tips of the rotating blades are usually very close to the seals located on the internal surface of the shell. From the standpoint of thermodynamic efficiency, it is desirable that the clearance between the stator blade tips and the seals on the rotor surface, and between the rotating blade tips and the seals on the shell be maintained at a minimum so as to prevent excessive amounts of fluid from bypassing the row of rotating blades and stator blades.
Unfortunately, differential thermal expansion during operating conditions between the shell and the rotor results in variations in the tip clearances. In addition various operating conditions affect tip clearances—for example, tip clearances in gas turbine compressors often reach their minimum values during shutdown, whereas the tip clearances in low pressure steam turbines often reach their minimum values at steady state full load operation. Consequently, if insufficient tip clearance is provided at assembly, impact between the stator blade tips and rotor seals and impact between the seals on the shell and the rotating blade tips may occur when certain operating conditions are reached. These impacts are commonly known as "rubs." Also turbomachines are subjected to a variety of forces under various operating conditions, particularly during transient conditions, such as start-ups, shutdowns, and load changes. These forces may also cause rubs. Rubs often cause severe damage to the blades and seals of the turbomachine. However, in turbomachines with drum rotor type construction, space is limited and a large number of seals prevent the movement of individual seals to control the seal clearances. Accordingly, a method and apparatus for actively controlling the clearances in a turbomashine with a drum rotor type construction in order to prevent rubs is desired.

Method and apparatus for turbomachine active clearance control


A system includes a first computing device including a virtual machine (VM), a second computing device, and a third computing device coupled to the first computing device and to the second computing device. The third computing device includes a management module configured to create a backup image of the VM while the VM is executing on the first computing device, create at least one delta file for use in storing changes to the VM that occur after the backup image is created, and copy the backup image to the second computing device while the VM is executing. The management module is also configured to suspend the VM on the first computing device after the backup image has been copied to the second computing device, and execute the VM on the second computing device using the backup image and the at least one delta file.

The field of the disclosure relates generally to computing systems, and more specifically, to systems and methods for migrating virtual machines.
At least some known computing devices are arranged in a network to share data and resources between the computing devices. To enable a plurality of users to access the data and/or resources, a virtualized computing environment may be established in which one or more virtual machines are executed on the computing devices. In such a network, the users may each access different virtual machines that share computing resources of one computing device, for example.
The virtual machines may be imaged or backed up to one or more remote storage devices and/or may be migrated to different computing devices in an attempt to balance resource usage among the computing devices and/or to increase a reliability of the network system. However, depending on the amount of data associated with such virtual machines, for example, such imaging and/or migrating the virtual machines may cause the virtual machines to be inaccessible to the users for undesirably long periods of time.

Systems and methods for migrating virtual machines


A micro-spherical iron-based catalyst and a preparation method thereof are disclosed. The catalyst contains a potassium promoter, and at least one transitional metal promoter M which is one or more kinds of metals selected from Cr, Cu, Mn and Zn. It also contains a structure promoter S, which is SiO2 and/or Al2O3, wherein both of SiO2 and Al2O3 are modified by MoO3, TiO2 and/or ZrO2. The weight ratio of components is Fe:M:K:S=100:3-50:1-8:3-50, in which the metal components are calculated based on metal elements, the structure promoter is calculated based on oxides. The catalyst is prepared by co-precipitation method.

The Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (hereinafter referred to as "F-T") is a chemical reaction process for producing liquid fuels from syngas (H2+CO) in the presence of metal catalyst under appropriate conditions. Since it was first discovered in Germany by Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch in 1923, the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis process has undergone a significant development over 80 years in many respects such as catalyst, reactor and their corresponding reaction process.
Iron-based and cobalt-based catalysts are two major types of catalysts for the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis process, and the iron-based catalyst is divided into three categories for different reactions and process systems, including a precipitated iron catalyst, a supported iron catalyst, and a fused iron catalyst, respectively.
Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reactors have been developed from tubular fixed bed reactors to fluidized reactors (fixed fluidized beds and circulating fluidized beds), until recently the most advanced slurry bed reactors. Compared with other processes, the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis process in the slurry bed reactors has the following advantages:    (1) Ability to using coal-based syngas with low H2/CO ratio produced in modern coal gasifiers as feed gas, and reduction of coal-based syngas transformation load.    (2) Excellent heat exchange efficiency, good performance in temperature control.    (3) Simple construction, lower costs, running feasibility under high space velocity of feed gas, and significantly higher production efficiency than that of the fixed bed reactor.    (4) Easy loading and unloading of catalyst which can be reduced or supplementarily added in-situ, and significant improvement in efficient run time.
However, the current slurry bed process is normally operated at 230-250° C. and about 25% of the syngas energy is released in the form of heat in this reaction process. Therefore, a large amount of low-grade steam of 0.8-1.0 MPa is produced if the process is operated at a lower temperature, and such steam is difficult to be utilized, which leads to a total energy conversion efficiency of only 38-41%. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the operating temperature of the slurry bed in the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, thus the total energy conversion efficiency can be further improved in this process.
However, the high-temperature Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is generally achieved in the high temperature fluidized bed reactor with a fused iron catalyst. The catalyst used for the high temperature Fischer-Tropsch synthesis in Sasol Company is a fused iron catalyst, in which magnetite (its main component is Fe3O4) is used as the main raw material, melted at about 1500° C. and then added promoters such as K2O, CaO or Al2O3. The specific surface area of the catalyst is low, but its high strength is suitable for high-temperature operation. Another kind of the high-temperature Fischer-Tropsch synthesis catalyst is prepared by co-precipitation, such as a Fe—Cu—K catalyst disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,844,370 by Sasol Company, and a precipitated Fe—Cu—Cr—K—Na catalyst disclosed in several China patents of CN1695803A, CN1695804A, and CN1817451A by Yanzhou Mining Group Co., Ltd. All of the above catalysts are suitable for a high temperature fluidized bed reactor. The selectivity data published have shown that methane is less than 10%, and C23+ hydrocarbons are more than 65%; and the heavy hydrocarbons are obviously increased, compared with that of the high temperature fused iron catalyst.
The Fischer-Tropsch synthesis operated in a high temperature slurry bed reactor requires that the catalyst has sufficiently high mechanical strength to withstand high temperature, high gas flow rate, high amount of steam generated (for the iron-based catalyst), and other unfavorable factors under three-phase reaction conditions. Patent CN1213802C jointly applied by Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation disclosed a kind of two-active-component supported iron-based catalyst, which is prepared only in a laboratory small scale. The catalyst can be operated in a slurry bed reactor for syngas to selectively synthesize gasoline and diesel oil fractions (<C20) and the reactive temperature can be up to 300° C., but the preparation process is complex and difficult to achieve a scale-up of process.
The main difficulties of catalyst being operated in the high temperature slurry bed are that the iron-based catalyst will produce complex thermo-chemical strain, which will result in severe chemical and physical abrasion. Meanwhile, both desorption and dissociation ability of the catalyst for CO and H2 will change significantly at a higher temperature. These problems will affect the stable operation of the catalyst in the high temperature slurry bed.
The present inventors have synthesized a kind of catalyst after a lot of research work, using an advanced catalyst design method and a new catalyst preparation process with co-precipitation as the main step. The produced catalyst for the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis in a slurry bed reactor has the following advantages: high strength, suitability for high temperature operation, and significant tendency in hydrocarbon products selectivity to those hydrocarbons with a medium-carbon number distribution. Also, the active component content in the catalyst is in a high level, uniformly dispersed, high active and stable; and the catalyst has high anti-abrasion strength and better distribution of hydrocarbon products than that of the low temperature process, and improvement in the total energy conversion efficiency for the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis process; especially it is suitable for operating at a higher temperature (250-300° C.), and thus obtains a higher grade of steam.

Fischer-tropsch catalyst, preparation method and application thereof


The invention relates to implementation of multiple simultaneous calls for a mobile station in a mobile communication system. A common traffic channel (TCH) is allocated to several simultaneous calls (applications 1–n) of the mobile station (MS), so that the calls share the capacity of the common channel. Logical links are established for each call inside a common radio link protocol or link access control protocol, which is established over the common traffic channel between the mobile station (MS) and an interworking function (IWF). The common traffic channel (TCH) is allocated when the first call or calls are set up, and the capacity of the traffic channel is adjusted dynamically during the calls. The capacity of the common traffic channel is increased or the allocated capacity is reallocated when a new call is added to the traffic channel. Correspondingly, the capacity is decreased or the allocated capacity is reallocated when a call is cleared from the common traffic channel. The common traffic channel is released after the last call has been cleared.

In addition to conventional speech transmission, modern mobile communication systems offer various data transmission services to subscribers. The services of mobile communication systems are generally classified into tele-services and bearer services. A bearer service is a telecommunications service which provides signal transmission between the user interfaces and the network interfaces. An example of bearer services is a modem service. In the tele-service terminal services are also offered by the network. Important tele-services include speech, telefax and videotex services. The bearer services are usually subdivided into groups, such as asynchronous bearer services and synchronous bearer services, on the basis of a certain feature. In the case of the asynchronous bearer service the transmitting terminal and the receiving terminal are able to maintain their synchronization only for each single character to be transmitted. In the case of the synchronous bearer service the transmitting terminal and the receiving terminal are synchronized with each other for the whole duration of data transmission. Each such bearer service group comprises a number of bearer services, such as a transparent service and a non-transparent service. In the transparent service the data to be transmitted is unstructured and transmission errors are corrected only by means of channel coding. In the non-transparent service the data to be transmitted is structured into protocol data units (PDU) and transmission errors are corrected using retransmission protocols (in addition to channel coding).
Calls have traditionally been calls with one service (one connection), i.e. each call has been clearly e.g. a speech call or a data call of a certain type and optimized for a certain service. Multimedia calls which simultaneously support various types of information transmission or services, such as video, speech, file transfer, have recently been introduced in fixed data networks, particularly in the Internet.
Existing mobile communication systems do not offer any special bearer services for multimedia calls or for simultaneous use of multiple data services. There is only one traffic channel available for a data call, the channel being either transparent (T) or non-transparent (NT). Depending on the required transmission rate a traffic channel may consist of one sub-channel (e.g. TDMA time slot) or several sub-channels (e.g. several TDMA time slots for high-speed data transmission, such as HSCSD in the GSM system). Any shared use of the traffic channel has to be implemented on the application layer, i.e. in the end user's applications. Time-critical multimedia calls, e.g. video phoning, have to use transparent circuit-switched bearer services because other data services cannot guarantee as small variation of the transmission delay as the video service requires. Too long a transmission delay causes visible interference in the video picture at the receiving end. Applications which are not time-critical and require accurate transmission usually use non-transparent bearer services. An example of such an application is transfer of data files.
As was stated above, the problem related to the present mobile communication systems is that they either provide a transparent or non-transparent traffic channel or a packet service (such as GPRS, General Packet Radio Service) for a multimedia call between two mobile stations or between a mobile station and a terminal or server in a fixed communication network. Packet radio services and the non-transparent traffic channel are not suitable for video phoning or other time-critical applications. On the application layer the transparent bearer service requires an error correction protocol which is usually not optimized for a radio connection. This means that a multiservice and/or multimedia channel has to always use a transparent bearer service and perform multiplexing and error correction on the application layer in the end users' terminals.
In the future it will be required of the mobile communication systems, particularly of the 3rd generation systems, such as UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems) that the mobile communication network and mobile station should support several simultaneous calls between the mobile station and several other parties at different destinations. The calls may be traditional calls with one connection or above-described multimedia calls or calls with multiple connections. It is also required that it should be possible to add or drop different connections or calls independently of one another.
The key factor in the design and implementation of mobile communication networks is the effective utilization of the radio spectrum. Multiple calls should also be implemented by making the maximum use of the channel capacity. Control of multiple calls, e.g. handover, should be as simple as possible both for the mobile communication system and the mobile station.

Implementation of multiple simultaneous calls in a mobile communication system


Folding containers as packaging for relatively large bundles are conventionally sent to the refuse tip (damp) after use. The invention is to provide a reusable and largely recyclable folding container. For this, at least the side walls (11 to 14) made of plastic are designed with hinge strips (30), consisting of the same or a similar material, for the connection of said side walls. A version with a so-called tray is also possible. In this case, one part of the folding container consists of paperboard and serves for receiving smaller packs, whilst another part, made of plastic as described previously, is designed with hinge strips and is therefore reusable.

The invention relates to a folding container having side walls, a bottom wall and a cover wall, the side walls, which consist of rigid material, being foldable at the (vertical) edges, in such a way that the open folding container can be folded flat, at least the side walls consisting of waterproof or water-repellent material, especially plastic.
An appreciable problem in packaging technology is what to do with used packaging material. To reduce the burden on refuse disposal and to safeguard resources, it is necessary to have packaging which can at least partially be put to multiple use. This implies some resistance and insensitivity to external influences, in order to allow multiple reuse of the packaging material. A precondition for this is, among other things, a cost-effective and space-saving return transport of the packaging. Furthermore, after it has been used for the last time, the packaging material should be recyclable, that is to say capable of being returned to the production process. The requirements mentioned apply particularly to large-bundle packaging for goods on their way from the producer to the dealer. It is precisely here where it is important to have a cost-effective rapid transport of robust packs. The largely conventional folding boxes made of paperboard (cardboard) are not sufficiently resistant for multiple reuse and moreover, after being employed, end up on the refuse tip (dump). or the preservation of especially sensitive commodities, it is already known to use foldable transport containers having Multi-ply and also waterproof walls. With these containers, the folding lines between walls connected to one another are formed by cross-sectional weakenings. A container of this type is shown in GB 1,583,324. This does not ensure that some waterproofing and therefore resistance is also provided in the region of the folding lines. Moreover, the production of controlled cross-sectional weakenings involves a very high outlay.


A circuit system suitable for codifying NRZ type binary signals into CMI type binary signals includes a plurality of bistable means, an EXOR type logical gate, a presynchronization device and a combinatory logic device capable of creating a CMI type binary signal by codifying with an identical circuit path the xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d bits and xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d bits, sequence of bit present in the NRZ type binary signals.

The present invention refers to a circuit system to codify NRZ type binary signals into CMI type binary signals.
In the transmission of data having electric cables as physical support, binary codification systems are used which permit the transmission of electric signals such as the clock signal, also called synchronism signals, and the data signal.
Binary codes consist of zeros and ones and in the base band transmission one of the possible codes is the so-called NRZ (Nonreturn to zero), that is a code in which there is no return to a fixed value like zero in the interval of a bit. This means that a signal in base band has a constant level in the interval of a bit and the levels to represent a bit are two so that each level corresponds to one logic state of the data, that is xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d bit (called Mark) corresponds to a high value and xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d bit (called Space) corresponds to a low value.
The NRZ code has two big disadvantages when it is transmitted on a line: 1) the presence of a long string of xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d prevents the clock signal from being extracted; 2) the presence of transformers at the extremities of the line, called repeaters, and the eventual intermediate amplifiers do not let the continuous component pass and therefore a succession of xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d bits is transformed into a succession of xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d bits.
To overcome the first disadvantage a solution has been adopted, which is called ADI (Alternate Digit Inversion), in which only the even bits are systematically inverted.
To overcome the second disadvantage the binary code ADI is converted into a code called AMI (Alternate Mark Inversion) in which the xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d bit is represented by a low level for the entire duration of the bit and the xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d bit is represented by a positive value or by a negative value alternately.
Nevertheless this last type of code also has the disadvantage that the presence of a long string of xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d prevents the clock signal from being extracted.
To eliminate these disadvantages the CMI code (Coded Mark Inversion) has been introduced, in which the xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d bit is codified so that for half the period there is a negative value and for the rest of the period there is a positive value, while the xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d bit is codified at a positive or negative value for the entire duration of the bit having inverse polarity to that used for the transmission of the last xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d bit.
To use the CMI code performance is requested for the transmission, with the STM-1e standard and 140 Mbps (Mega bounds per second), inside SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) type transmissions, set by ITU (International Telecom Unit) through G703, extremely strict for the waveforms of the voltage signal in time (Ref.: Physical/Electrical characteristics of Hierarchical Digital Interfaces G703 Recommendation, ed. November 1994, International Telecom Unit ITU-T).
The known circuit solutions provide that the input data are generated by an NRZ type source at a determined speed and with a determined clock signal and that said data are transformed in a CMI type code, that is a direct dependency of the final code with the input string of bits.
It results thus, that said circuit solutions can not fail the compliance with the performances but are not capable of making well defined transitions respecting the time masks set by ITU through G703 because the physical path taken by a xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d bit and by a xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d bit is different and this entails a different circuit reply with the introduction of various delays, phase displacements and distinct attenuation for the bits.
In view of the state of the art described, object of the present invention is to prevent the circuit paths followed by the bits through the various decoding phases from being different for the xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d bit and for the xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d bit, that is that the definition of the transition depends on the codified bit string.
According to the present invention, this object is reached through a circuit system suitable for codifying NRZ type binary signals into CMI type binary signals, characterized by a presynchronization device which receives in input said NRZ type binary signals and a clock signal out of phase, a first bistable means that receives a synchronous clock signal and the output of said presynchronization device, a combinatory logical device that receives said NRZ type binary signals and the output of said first bistable means, a second bistable means that receives said synchronous clock signal and the output of said combinatory logical device, a third bistable means that receives said synchronous clock signal and the output of said presynchronization device, an EXOR type logical gate that receives the outputs of said second and third bistable means and generates an output that is the input of said combinatory logical device so as to determine an identical physical path for the codification of the xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d bit and the xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d bit, whether the transition is on the leading and/or trailing edges or at mid period, bits present in said NRZ type binary signals, so that the parameters set by the G703 ITU standard for the creation of said CMI type binary signals are observed.
Thanks to the present invention a code can be made both for the xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d bit and for the xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d bit through an identical circuit that makes the same path so that the CMI code is implemented, so as to observe the specifications set by ITU through G703, thus avoiding all the disymmetries produced by the known art.

Circuit system suitable for codifying NRZ type binary signals into CMI type binary signals


An engine system (20) includes an intake system (26) through which charge air enters combustion chambers, and an exhaust system (28) that includes a CDPF (34), through which products of combustion pass to the surrounding atmosphere. A throttle valve (36) is located in The exhaust system (28) downstream of both the CDPF (34) and the turbocharger turbine (30). An EGR flow path for recirculating exhaust gas from the exhaust system to the intake system includes an EGR valve (48) for controlling EGR flow. The EGR flow path is connected to the exhaust system upstream of the throttle valve and downstream of both the CDPF and the turbine, and to the intake system upstream of the turbocharger compressor Valves (36, 48) are under coordinated control provided by an engine control system (24) for selectively restricting the respective valves to attain desired EGR flow.

The recirculation of some engine exhaust gas is a recognized technique for achieving compliance with applicable tailpipe emission requirements. NOX emissions in particular. Various EGR strategies have been proposed for turbocharged engines, including diesel engines. Examples appear in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,422,217; 6,263,672; 6,000,222; 5771,867; 5,671,600; and 4,215,550.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,217 describes a device that is placed in an engine exhaust system between the engine exhaust manifold and the turbocharger turbine. The device contains a valve mechanism for controlling engine back-pressure to induce recirculation flow through an EGR flow path to the engine intake system. The EGR flow path contains an EGR cooler. The cooled FOR flow enters a mixer where it entrains with charge air from the turbocharger compressor.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,672 describes a similar system having separate back-pressure and EGR valves instead of a single device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,222 describes a turbocharger that integrates an EGR valve with the turbine housing. A back-pressure valve is fastened to the turbine housing. Although the patent contains no schematic diagram of EGR flow, it is believed that the reader is led to understand that the pierce point to the intake system is downstream of the turbocharger compressor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,867 describes another system where the pierce point to the intake system is downstream of the turbocharger compressor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,600 describes a system where the EGR pierce point to the exhaust system is upstream of the turbocharger turbine. The EGR flow path contains a particulate filter upstream of an EGR valve. The pierce point to the intake system is upstream of the turbocharger compressor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,550 describes several systems some of which have the EGR pierce point to the exhaust system upstream of the turbocharger turbine and others of which have it downstream. The pierce point to the intake system is downstream of the turbocharger compressor.
An EGR system that has the pierce point to the exhaust system downstream of the turbocharger turbine may be considered a Low-Pressure EGR (LP EGR) system. Such a system possesses certain advantages. The extent to which such a system can provide increased EGR flow that is desired in order to eliminate more NOx from tailpipe emissions is limited by compressor inlet depression.
Throttling of engine intake flow is a known technique for achieving compressor inlet depression conducive to use of LP EGR.

Clean, low-pressure EGR in a turbocharged engine by back-pressure control

International Engine Intellectual Property Company, LLC


A motor includes a shaft member in which at least a part of an outer peripheral surface is made of metal, a magnet unit which is configured by integrating a plurality of magnets and in which a press-fit hole into which the shaft member is press-fitted is formed, a substrate which is disposed at a predetermined distance from the magnet unit in an extending direction of the shaft member and to which electric power is supplied, and a protective member in which a through-hole into which the shaft member is inserted is formed and which is disposed between the magnet unit and the substrate in the extending direction of the shaft member. In the motor, the protective member is in contact with at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the shaft member.

Motors are used in various devices for domestic or business use. For example, a motor which includes a shaft, a bracket, a coil part having a core, an insulator and a winding, and a substrate having a motor drive circuit mounted thereon is disclosed in JP-A-Hei-4-295244. In the motor disclosed in JP-A-Hei-4-295244, the shaft is rotatably supported by the bracket, the coil part is fixed to the bracket in a state where the bracket is inserted into a through-hole formed in the core, and the substrate is fixed to the bracket at a predetermined distance from the core in an extending direction of the shaft.
By the way, when fixing the coil part to the bracket in a state where the bracket is inserted into the through-hole formed in the core as in the motor disclosed in JP-A-Hei-4-295244, it is general that the core is fixed to the bracket by press-fitting the bracket into the through-hole of the core. When the bracket is press-fitted into the through-hole of the core in this way, an outer peripheral surface of the bracket and an inner peripheral surface defining the through-hole of the core are scraped, and shavings of these surfaces may be generated in some cases.
It is known that a core of a motor is formed of metal. Further, a shaft and a bracket are generally formed of metal from the viewpoint of suppressing vibration or the like during rotation of the shaft and improving durability. Therefore, the shavings are also generally made of metal, and there is a concern that the shavings come into contact with conductive wires or the like of a substrate and a short circuit occurs.


The door-opening/closing apparatus includes a door, a driving unit that drives the door to close the door, a door movement detection unit that detects a movement of the door, an electrostatic switch that is mounted on the door for detecting a human's touching the door, and a judgment unit that judges whether the door is attempted to be closed. When the door movement detection unit detects a movement of the door, and when the electrostatic switch senses a human's touching the door, the judgment unit judges that the door is attempted to be closed, and then the driving unit drives to close the door.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a door-opening/closing apparatus applied to a door that closes an opening of a vehicle.
2) Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there is a well-known door-opening/closing apparatus comprising a detection unit that detects a movement of a door, and a driving unit that opens and closes the door, in which if the detection unit detects that the door in its open state is slightly moved in either opening or closing direction, then the driving unit drives the door. The conventional door-opening/closing apparatus is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-132327, 10-138762, and 2001-277853.
According to such a door-opening/closing apparatus, however, even when the door is moved by a vibration of a body of a vehicle, the driving unit is operated to drive the door. For example, even when a child jumps in a vehicle and the door accidentally moves, the driving unit is operated to drive the door. As a result, the user is unnecessarily confused because there was no attempt to open or close the door.


A receiver circuit includes a CDR circuit, a jitter generator unit, a test pattern generator unit, and a comparator unit. The jitter generator unit generates jitter having first characteristics (frequency and amplitude). The test pattern generator unit generates a test pattern to which the jitter is added, and supplies the test pattern to the CDR circuit. The comparator unit compares a value outputted from the CDR circuit with an expected value and outputs a comparison result.

CDR (Clock and Data Recovery) for recovering data and a clock from a received signal is adopted in high-speed interfaces or the like included in semiconductor devices.
For example, the following two methods are used for testing a receiver circuit having a CDR function.
One method is as follows. A tester supplies a test pattern to a receiver circuit and a BIST (Built-In Self Test) circuit included in the receiver circuit determines whether or not the test pattern is held correctly.
The other method is as follows. A transmitter circuit which generates and transmits a test pattern is placed in the same chip where a receiver circuit is placed or outside a chip where a receiver circuit is placed (on an evaluation board, for example). The transmitter circuit and the receiver circuit are connected outside the chip and a loop back test is performed.
With these method, however, a receiver circuit is merely tested under a specific jitter condition realized by a circuit which generates a test pattern. That is to say, a test (jitter tolerance test) for measuring resistance to various jitter characteristics is not performed.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-164440
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-311564
A tester may be used for generating a test pattern having an arbitrary jitter characteristic. In that case, however, the accuracy of a test deteriorates due to loss in a transmission line in the tester or on an evaluation board, impedance mismatch, a measurement error, or the like.

Receiver circuit, semiconductor integrated circuit, and test method


A ram of a ram-type blowout preventer is enclosed within an enclosure so that the piston driving the ram is placed parallel to a stationary magnetizable waveguide tube. A transverse ring-like magnet assembly surrounds the tube and is attached to a carrier that, in turn, is attached to the tail of the piston. The magnet assembly longitudinally magnetizes an area of the tube where it is located. A wire running through the tube is periodically interrogated with an electrical current pulse, which produces a toroidal magnetic field about the wire. When the toroidal field intersects with the longitudinally magnetized area, a magnetostrictive acoustical return pulse is reflected back up the tube for detection by a transducer located outside of the enclosure. The time that the acoustical pulse travels from the magnetic field intersection compared to the timing of the electrical pulse on the wire is a measure of distance since the pulse time essentially travels at the speed of light. Thus, the position of the ram is absolutely determined. From the position information from successive pulses, ram velocity and acceleration information can be developed. The measurements are continuous and absolute and are not incremental.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to blowout preventer instrumentation and more particularly to the direct measurement of position, velocity, and rate of movement of the parts in a ram type blowout preventer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Blowout preventers (BOP's) are employed at the wellhead of an oil or gas well as a safety device for shutting off the flow of fluids from the annulus of the well in the event of excessive build-up of pressure. Although there are many kinds of blowout preventers, one popular class is known as a "ram" type blowout preventer. In this type of blowout preventer, the well pipe extends through a central opening in the preventer housing or block. Guideways, usually two opposing ones, in the housing of the preventer are located transverse to the axis of the well pipe. Rams driven by hydraulically actuated pistons operate with respect to these guideways to reciprocate the rams to close off the annulus around the pipe when there is a need. Shear ram blowout preventers include rams having sharp edges for shearing off the pipe, rather than closing around it, so that these rams completely shut off the annulus and the pipe opening, as well, when they are closed.
Knowledge of the parameters of the conditions of the well at the blowout preventer is extremely important to maintaining proper operation of the well. From these parameters, the well can be controlled so that safe conditions can be maintained in ordinary circumstances of operation and when an unsafe condition is detected that cannot be controlled, shut down of the well can be appropriately initiated, either manually or automatically. For example, pressure transducers and temperature transducers are used at the blowout preventer to develop signals indicative of these respective conditions. These and other signals are typically presented as control signals on a control console employed by a well operator. This operator can, for example, control the operations of the well by controlling the rotating speed on the drill pipe, controlling the downward pressure on the drill bit, regulating the circulation pumps for the drilling fluid for a drilling operation and/or adjusting the extent that the annulus is opened or closed by actuating the hydraulically actuated pistons connected to the reciprocating rams.
Heretofore, it has not been possible to know precisely the location of the rams, even though the operator might be controlling them. The control operator has had to rely on secondary measurements, such as well flow, to estimate the positions of the rams. Well flow, however, is affected by much more than how large the ram gap is. Thus, there has been a need for an improved measure of the ram gap in a more direct manner.
One device that has been employed in the past to develop a signal indicative of the relative position of component parts located in an enclosed housing (not necessarily in a blowout preventer housing) is a potentiometric transducer. Such a device employs one or more sensors that are subject to wear and inaccuracies in the presence of a harsh environment. Moreover, such sensors are subjected to being lifted from the surface of whatever is being tracked, which causes inaccuracies. Also, a loss of power often causes distorted readings because these devices operate incrementally, adding or subtracting values related to specific turns or segments of wire to a previous value. Moreover, devices such as these are notoriously poor high speed devices. Thus, potentiometric measurement would not be useful in accurately determining the position parameter of ram movement. In addition, since the velocity and rate conditions of ram movement are also important, potentiometric devices are not useful since they cannot provide, however imperfectly, such information at all.
It is further noted that incremental measuring devices of whatever sort for only keeping track of steps have the inherent shortcoming of having to be reset to a baseline in the event of a power failure as well as not providing the precision that is attendant to continuous measurement.
Therefore, it is a feature of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for precisely measuring the location or position of a ram or ram piston in a blowout preventer.
It is another feature of the present invention to provide an improved instrumentation device that continuously and absolutely determines the position of a ram or a ram piston in a blowout preventer and which does not have to be reset in the event of power failure.


A brushless motor includes at a substantially cylindrical portion of a bracket thereof a retaining mechanism which retains a resolver stator. The resolver stator whose axial movement and circumferential movement are minimized by the retaining mechanism will be affixed to the bracket.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure to secure a resolver to a brushless motor.
2. Description of the Related Art
A resolver is usually used in a brushless motor in order to detect a rotational position of a rotor magnet arranged in the brushless motor. The resolver includes a resolver stator having at an inner circumference thereof a plurality of teeth, and a resolver rotor arranged radially inwardly of the resolver stator. The resolver rotor arranged in a concentric manner with the rotor magnet rotates with the rotor magnet in a uniform manner.
An excitation winding or an output winding is wound around each tooth. When the resolver rotor rotates, its radial gap formed between the resolver stator will be modified causing a voltage generated by the output winding to be changed. The resolver detects the change in the voltage so as to detect the rotary portion of the rotor magnet within the brushless motor.
The excitation winding or the output winding wound around each tooth is connected to one end of a terminal member arranged at the resolver stator. The lead wire is connected to the other end of the terminal member. The lead wire connects an external control apparatus and the resolver.
As described above, the resolver detects, based on the modification of the gap between the resolver stator and the resolver rotor, the rotational position of the rotor magnet of the brushless motor. Therefore, precise alignment between the resolver stator and the resolver rotor has a significant effect on the accuracy of detection of the resolver, and thus, a reliable and secure connection between the resolver and the brushless motor becomes crucial. Also, when a brushless motor having therein such a resolver as described above is used in an automobile or the like, an area in which the brushless motor will be arranged has a limited space therefor, and therefore, it is preferable that the resolver is as small as possible.
A method of connecting the resolver to the brushless motor by using a screw via an attachment portion arranged at an outer circumferential side of the resolver stator has been available. Such method, however, requires a space for the screw increasing the size of the resolver stator in a radial direction. Also, using the screws increases the manufacturing cost of the resolver.


Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with resource description framework (RDF) security are described. One example method includes generating, based on sensitivity labels associated with the contents of a triple in an RDF record, a sensitivity label. The example method may also include comparing the sensitivity label to an access label associated with an entity requesting an action associated with the record to be performed. The example method may also include performing the action upon determining that the entity has sufficient permission to request the action.

Data security is a primary concern in some fields. For example, in the medical field, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulates how a patient's medical records can be accessed. In another example, a company may have authorization levels and departmental restrictions that control how employees are able to access information related to the company's projects. Conventionally, a relational data model, where data is contained in rows of one or more tables, may be used to store data. To prevent improper use of this stored data, data protection may be provided by a combination of row level and column level security labels. These labels may control access to the corresponding data. A user querying for data may have an access label. A user may be given an access label by an administrator based on, for example, the role of the user in the company. The access label may be compared with data sensitivity labels associated with data the user attempts to access. The user may then be provided with the requested data if the access label associated with the user meets or exceeds a threshold dictated by the row level and/or column level sensitivity labels associated with the data.
Table-based data structures, as described above, are conventionally used for storing highly structured data. In situations where the data is less structured, and/or the structure is not known in advance, table-based storage may not be suitable. For example, in a database where information is sparse, the relational model may not efficiently handle some queries. In another example, a company may find it advantageous to be able to quickly associate properties with individual entries in a database without multiplicatively increasing the storage requirement of the database. In the above examples, a database using the resource description framework (RDF) data model for data storage may be more efficient.
Conventional databases using the RDF model contain a series of records. An RDF record may include an RDF triple comprising a subject value, an object value, and a predicate value. The predicate value may describe a relationship between the subject value and the object value. An RDF record may also include other information associated with the triple (e.g. creation date, creator, modification information, etc.). RDF databases provide limited data security capabilities, which in turn limits their applicability for use in a broader array of tasks.


The present invention concerns a method for controlling a home-automation facility comprising at least one central control unit (U1, U2) belonging to a home-automation facility; the method being executed by a user terminal (T) and comprising the following steps: selecting (ECTLT1) a first local connection mode (CM1) or a second wide area network connection mode; establishing (ECTLT2) a connection between the user terminal and at least one target unit (U1, U2, Sv), said at least one target unit (U1, U2, Sv) being a central control unit (U1, U2) in the case in which the first local connection mode (CM1) has been selected, and a management unit (Sv) in the case in which the second wide area network connection mode has been selected; sending (ECTLT3) a discovery message (MCTLD1, MCTLD2, MCTLD′) linked with a facility identifier (StID) to at least one target unit (U1, U2, Sv); receiving (ECTLT5, ECTLT7) at least one topology description message originating from the target unit (U1, U2, Sv) comprising a description of a group of devices (DGrSt) attached to the facility identifier (StID).

A home automation installation of a building may comprise a plurality of home automation devices. It is known to proceed to the configuration, the control and/or supervision of said installation by using a central control unit that communicates with one or more home automation device(s).
The registration of the central control unit and the configuration of the installation require the interaction with the central control unit.
The registration operations may be complicated by the manual input of the serial number or the identifier, or due to the fact that these operations must be carried out without access to a wide area network allowing access to a remote management unit.
The present invention aims to solve all or part of the aforementioned drawbacks.

Method for controlling a home-automation facility


Image transfer method and apparatus in which scratches due to entrainment of particles on an image carrier for a toner image having maximum spectroreflectivity at a wavelength of 550 nm do not produce perceptible flaws in resulting images transferred to a recording medium, since images formed with toner of maximum spectroreflectivity at 550 nm on white recording medium are difficult for human eyes to discern. When cleaning residual toner from transfer belts, reverse bias voltage is applied to at least one transfer roller, the peripheral velocity of the photosensitive drum on which a yellow toner image having maximum spectroreflectivity at 550 nm is formed is allowed to differ from the transfer velocity of the transfer belt, and at least the photosensitive drum on which the yellow toner image of maximum spectroreflectivity at 550 nm is formed is detached from the transfer belt.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to an image forming method in a copying machine, printer, facsimile machine, etc. and an apparatus using the method, particularly to a color image forming method of tandem type and an apparatus using the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, there is a full-color image forming apparatus using an intermediate image transfer belt (intermediate transfer body) composed such that toner images are superimposed sequentially on the intermediate transfer belt (primary image transferring) to form a color image, then the color image on the intermediate image transfer belt is transferred to a recording medium(recording sheet paper, hereafter referred to as a sheet paper) at a secondary image transferring position to obtain a sheet paper with the color image formed thereon. This kind of color image forming apparatus is called an intermediate tandem type image forming apparatus. On the other hand, there is an apparatus composed such that toner images are transferred sequentially on a sheet paper transferred on a sheet transfer belt to obtain a sheet paper with a color image formed thereon. This kind of color image forming apparatus is called a direct tandem type image forming apparatus. Hereinafter, both the intermediate image transfer belt and the sheet transfer belt are generically referred to as the transfer belt.
In the tandem type image forming apparatuses, the toner adhered to the transfer belt is cleaned periodically. When cleaning, the toner remaining on the transfer belt is removed for example by a cleaning mechanism provided with a blade or fur brush. However, it may happen through the cleaning of the transfer belt by the blade or fur brush that scuff marks (scratches) are produced on the transfer belt and normal image transfer can not be performed resulting in a faulty image formation.
There has been disclosed an image forming apparatus composed such that each image of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toner is formed on each photosensitive drum and each image is transferred sequentially to a sheet paper transferred on the transfer belt, wherein, when performing the cleaning to remove the toner remaining on the transfer belt by reversely transferring the toner remaining on the transfer belt to at least one of the photosensitive drums, the difference between the peripheral velocity of the photosensitive drum to which the toner remaining on the transfer belt is reversely transferred and the transfer velocity of the transfer belt is 3% or larger in order to prevent the occurrence of a problem like that mentioned above (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-117460, hereafter referred to as patent literature 1).
Further, there has been disclosed an image forming apparatus composed such that the electric sources for applying bias voltage to transfer the second color and third color (magenta and cyan) among the electric sources for applying transfer bias voltage are capable of applying bias voltage of both positive and negative polarity to transfer the toner remaining on the transfer belt reversely to the photosensitive drums, a first cleaning mode and second cleaning mode are provided, in the first cleaning mode the peripheral velocity of the photosensitive drum coinciding with the transfer velocity of the transfer belt, in the second cleaning mode both the velocities differing by 10%, and the first cleaning mode and second cleaning mode can be switched to each other depending on the amount of the toner remaining on the transfer belt(see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2002-6577, hereafter referred to as patent literature 2).
However, in the image forming apparatus disclosed in patent literature 1 or 2, as the cleaning of the transfer belt is performed by allowing the peripheral velocity of the photosensitive drum to be different from the transfer velocity of the transfer belt, if foreign matter is transferred together with a sheet paper for example from the sheet tray of the apparatus and the foreign matter intrudes in the gap between the photosensitive drum and transfer belt, scratch may produced on the surface of the photosensitive drum and transfer belt depending on the shape and hardness of the foreign matter. If the scratch is produced, faulty image may be formed when transferring image.
Further, with a photosensitive drum using organic photoconductor (OPC), the life of the photosensitive drum is extremely reduced by severe abrasion of the surface layer of the drum if the peripheral velocity of the photosensitive drum differs from the transfer velocity of the transfer belt as mentioned above. In the case of a photosensitive drum using amorphous silicon (a-Si), surface abrasion can be reduced, however, even the a-Si photosensitive drum can not cope with the abrasion produced by foreign matter intrusion, and faulty image formation occurs.

Color image forming method and apparatus with image flaw reducing speed control of toner image carrier peripheral velocity


An apparatus for forming an image is disclosed in which an image is formed on an image-formed medium under an image formation condition; a feature of the image formed on the image-formed medium is measured to thereby obtain measurement results which are stored in a storage medium; at least one of the measurement results which conforms to image data representative of a new image to be formed is retrieved as a reference measurement-result from the storage medium; and the image formation condition for the image data representative of the new image is set based on the retrieved reference measurement-result.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique of forming an image, and more particularly to a technique of correcting the property of an image to be formed.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are each known as an apparatus for forming an image, an inkjet printer, a laser printer, etc. The laser printer is classified into a monochrome laser printer for printing a monochrome image, a color laser printer for printing a multi-color image, etc.
In general, the above color laser printer is configured, such that a photoconductor is exposed to a laser beam, to thereby form on the photoconductor an electrostatic latent image corresponding to a visible image to be eventually formed, such that toner is then attached to the formed electrostatic latent image for development thereof, and such that the developed image is transferred by way of an intermediate transfer medium onto an print sheet of paper, resulting in the formation of the visible image on the print sheet.
The printings using the above laser printer require the photoconductor to be rotated. Possible variations in speed of the photoconductor in rotation, temporal deterioration of movable components of the laser printer due to friction thereof, etc. may therefore result in unexpected variations in position of an image printed on a print sheet.
In addition, toner, which is used for development of the electrostatic latent image, is varied in ability of the toner to be attached to such as the photoconductor, due to change in the ambient environment (e.g., room temperature, humidity, etc.) and temporal deterioration of the toner itself. These may therefore result in errors in density of an image printed.
To eliminate the above potential disadvantages, a conventional laser printer is configured, such that, at the initiation stage of a printing operation of the printer, or after printings for a predetermined number of sheets of paper are completed, a predefined test pattern is formed on the photoconductor and the intermediate transfer medium, such that the density and the position of the test pattern formed are detected, and such that, based on the detection results, corrections are made to the density and the position. This is disclosed by Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 11-258872.

Apparatus for forming image with automated correction of property of regular image without using extra image


The shock isolation system for CT equipment or the like employs a C-support holding isolation unit on either side of a support plate for the CT machine. Each isolation unit is made up of an elastomeric tube capped by a diaphragm and enclosing an air-tight volume. Different spring constants are produced by the isolation unit depending on whether only the diaphragm or the entire tube is compressed, allowing effective vibration isolation and shock protection for the supported equipment. The elastomeric tube provides both axial and lateral isolation eliminating the need for isolation units along multiple axes.

This invention relates to a vibration and shock isolation system for use with medical imaging equipment, and in particular, to a system suitable for protecting such equipment from damage in mobile military applications.
In medical computed tomography (CT), a cross-sectional image of a patient is generated by computer processed data collected by a CT machine. The CT machine employs an x-ray source collimated so as to form a fan beam of x-rays. The fan beam is directed through the patient along a fan beam plane generally parallel to the cross section of the image to be produced. A series of detectors, positioned within the fan beam plane, receive the radiation after it passes through the patient and provide a series of intensity measurements along a number of rays from the x-ray source to each detector element. After one such projection is obtained, the x-ray source and detector are rotated about the patient to a new position and a new projection is taken. Multiple projections taken at different angles form a projection set which may be "reconstructed" into the tomographic image. The patient is normally supported on a radiolucent table which extends through the fan beam plane and which may be moved to a variety of positions within the fan beam plane.
The x-ray source and x-ray detectors are mounted on a gantry for rotation about the patient to obtain the projection set as described above. The rotating gantry may also hold an x-ray tube cooling system and certain detector electronics and thus may have considerable mass. The gantry is mounted to a rigid support frame constructed to hold the gantry precisely within a single plane and thus to ensure the integrity of the projection set data.
The entire CT machine, including the table but excluding the remote console used for controlling the CT machine and for receiving and displaying the tomographic images, may weigh on the order of 2.5 tons. Nevertheless, the CT machine is a sensitive instrument which must be protected from shocks and vibration. The mathematics of image reconstruction requires that the x-ray tube and detectors be precisely aligned during the rotation of the gantry to avoid imaging artifacts, i.e., errors in the reconstructed image visible as obscuring rings or streaks. Accordingly, care must be taken that the gantry runs true without deviation or wobble.
Large shocks may distort the gantry or its supports and may damage electronic subcomponents such as the x-ray tube. Lower amplitude but continuous vibrations may cause misalignment of the x-ray tube and the detectors, so as to reduce the image quality, or may cause premature failure of the CT system's numerous electronic components. Some form of mechanical isolation is critical for a CT system that is not in a fixed site in a stable environment.
While the physics of shock protection and vibration isolation are generally understood, the isolation of a CT machine represents a considerable challenge because of both its large mass and its sensitive construction. Adapting a CT machine for use in a military environment or the like, to be transported in areas having only unimproved or damaged roads, requires a high degree vibration isolation and protection against impulse shocks. For example, in a military mobile hospital, the CT machine may be routinely subject to 12" drops.
It may be expected that the primary shocks to the CT system during transportation will be directed along a vertical axis; however, this cannot be guaranteed. Conventional techniques for cushioning a load against vertical and rotational shocks may require complex arrangements of multiple shock absorbing elements positioned along different axis and both adding to the complexity of the isolation system and reducing its reliability.
Ultimately, the complex nature of the interaction between the CT structure and the shock isolation system under a variety of shocks requires that the isolation system be fine tuned to particular CT system and shelter being used. Such tuning is difficult with typical metal spring isolators.

Isolation system for medical imaging equipment


Method and device for controlling an automotive wheel brake, in which in a predefined operating situation, for example at a standstill, the braking force or brake pressure built up, and/or the dynamics of change, are limited. Two pressure control circuits are connected so that the pressure on the two respective wheel brakes is regulated by a pressure control circuit. A wheel brake is completely released in the predefined operating situation.

An electrically controlled brake system is discussed, for example, in SAE Paper 960991, using the example of an electrohydraulic brake system, in which the driver's desired braking is derived from the driver's operation of the brake pedal. This is converted into setpoint brake pressures for the individual wheel brakes, optionally taking into account other operating parameters, and optionally taking into account wheel-specific functions (for example, anti-skid systems, stability programs, etc.). These brake pressures are then regulated for each wheel by pressure control circuits on the basis of the setpoint pressure and the actual pressure measured in the area of the wheel brake.
A corresponding method or procedure based on braking torque or braking force control circuits for the individual wheels is performed in conjunction with wheel brakes having brake actuators which can be controlled by an electric motor. Braking torque or braking force control circuits can also be used in conjunction with electrohydraulic or electropneumatic brake systems.
Such electric regulators set the desired braking stipulated primarily by the driver (brake pressure, braking force, braking torque, vehicle deceleration, etc.) without regard for the respective operating situation using the dynamics of normal braking. There are operating situations in which implementation of the driver's stipulation is irrelevant for the driver. This is the case when the vehicle is standing still, for example. In this case, the driver would only like to prevent the vehicle from rolling away. If the driver's stipulation is also completely implemented in such an operating situation, vehicle comfort is limited, for example, due to adjustment noises, valve noises and pump noises. Furthermore, the vehicle electric system in this situation is unnecessarily burdened by actuation of actuators, and/or in the case of an electrohydraulic brake system, by hydraulic components and/or the controller being under load. In the case of hydraulic components, the vibration fatigue strength of the housing, and the wear on pump element gaskets, motor brushes and the valve seat are especially important.
Also, in the case of the controller, complete implementation of the driver's stipulation in such an operating situation can lead to a reduction in average component lifetime due to heating. Such an operating situation does not only occur when the vehicle is standing still, but also when the vehicle is moving in braking operations that do not require any high braking force build-up dynamics (e.g., in braking operations in which the driver does not operate the brake pedal beyond a certain extent or not at a great rate of change, or in the range of low driving speeds). Implementation of such a driver's intent (or input) with the build-up dynamics provided for sharper braking also leads to the above-mentioned loads.
Low-power measures, which prevent the controller temperature from exceeding critical levels due to self-heating, have been discussed in the context of load reduction (e.g., in German Published Patent Application No. 198 43 861).

Method and device for controlling a wheel brake of a motor vehicle


The described invention relates to the processing of iron ore, particularly taconite ore. In particular, the invention relates to the separation of the iron containing component from the silicious and other gangue components such as phosphorus compounds in low grade iron ore. Typically, the separation is accomplished by a flotation process to remove the gangue to recover the iron component.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the production of iron oxide, particularly from low grade iron ore bodies, such as taconite. The iron oxide is recovered from an aqueous slurry of the ore. This invention applies particularly to the processing of fine grained and/or earthy iron ore deposits.
2. Description of the Art Practices
Iron ore is obtained from deposits referred to as either high or low grade deposits. The present invention is in the processing of low grade iron ore. Low grade iron ore is typically referred to as taconite ore, which is an oxidized form of the ferrous component in the ore body. Taconite, in the United States, refers to two primary iron ore types, magnetite and hematite. Magnetite is the lesser oxidized form of the ferrous component and has the chemical formula Fe.sub.3 O.sub.4 C. Hematite ore is the more oxidized version of taconite, and has the chemical formula Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3.
Taconite ore, in its several forms, occurs in sedimentary deposits, usually exposed by glacial activity, and exists in various degrees of oxidation, hydration, and fineness of grain. Hematite normally comprises the upper horizons of the iron ore body where more exposure to the atmosphere and weathering has caused a greater degree of oxidation and hydration than magnetite in the lower horizons (strata). In some cases, the taconite may be oxidized to the depth of the ore body.
There is a further significant difference between magnetite and hematite ore. Magnetite, as the name suggests, exhibits magnetic properties. The presence of strong magnetic properties in magnetite ore, and not in hematite ore, allows the economical use of magnetic separation in iron ore processing to recover magnetite, but not hematite.
For the foregoing reasons, magnetite was the ore of preference from taconite because this ore could be recovered economically. In the mining industry, two properties are important when processing ore. The first is recovery, or the amount of desired mineral which may be obtained from the starting ore body. Secondly, the grade of the ore refers to the purity of the mineral concentrate obtained. Both recovery and grade are extremely important as to the economics and the marketability of the finished product.
On the Mesabi iron range, magnetite has been the ore of preference because of the ease of recovery by magnetic methods. Hematite is stripped and stockpiled because economical recovery methods have not been available. Thus, it is highly desirable to process hematite ores already stockpiled in vast quantities.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,357 issued to Werneke on Mar. 28, 1978 discusses the recovery of iron ores. Mewes, et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,932,275 issued Jan. 13, 1976, describes a treatment for the recovery of mineral slimes. The treatment of an iron concentrate slurry to improve filtration is disclosed by Emmett et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,107.028 issued Aug. 15, 1978.
A process for clarifying iron ore slimes is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,164 issued to Coscia et al on Jan. 30, 1979. A similar process for clarifying raw water is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,165 also to Coscia et al Jan. 30, 1979.
A process for iron ore benefication by selective flocculation is disclosed by Goodman et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,945 issued Jun. 23, 1981. A further process describing the selective flocculation, magnetic separation and floatation of ores is described by Iwasaki in U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,169 issued Nov. 3, 1981.
Lai, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,301,973 issued Nov. 24, 1981 describes the use of floatation agents for the benefication of iron ore. The use of cross linked starches as depressants in mineral ore floatation is described by Lim in U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,331 issued Jul. 13, 1982.
A process for the froth floatation benefication of iron minerals through iron ores is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,739 issued May 16, 1989 to Hellstem et al. Similar disclosures are found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,578 issued Jan. 3, 1989, also to Hellston et al. Still further disclosures on the processing of froth floatation benefication of iron ore minerals from iron ores is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,667 issued Mar. 22, 1988 to Hellston et al.
The use of chemically active aqueous solutions or solid substance containing divalent iron ions is disclosed by Ikari et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,129 issued May 17, 1988. An ore dressing for copper ore using various polymers is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,712 issued Oct. 13, 1987 to Unger. A process for using polymers to remove gangue in gold recovery is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,666 issued Apr. 7, 1987 to Snook et al.
Starch which has been modified to allow its use in the processing of ores is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,944 to Harvey issued Apr. 1, 1986. The flocculation of suspended solids from aqueous media is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,768 issued Feb. 11, 1986. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,991 issued to Meyer on Jun. 18, 1985, describes carrier particles for the froth flotation of fine ores.
The use of high charge density, cationic methacrylamide based monomers and their polymers as being useful in mining, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,367 issued to Dammann Jan. 22, 1985. A general digest if mineral dressing practices is found in The Handbook of Mineral Dressing by Taggart, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., copyright 1945.
Throughout the specification and claims, percentages and ratios are by weight and temperatures are in degrees Celsius unless otherwise indicated. Ranges and ratios herein may be combined. To the extent that any reference cited herein is relevant to the present invention it is herein incorporated by reference.

Treatment of iron ore to increase recovery through the use of low molecular weight polyacrylate dispersants