A vortex flowmeter and method includes a conduit for process fluid flow and a shedder disposed within the central bore of the conduit. First and second diaphragms are mounted in inner wall portions of the conduit, on opposite sides of the shedder. A sensor is disposed externally to the conduit, and is coupled to each diaphragm with fill tubes. The diaphragms respond to pressure variations generated by vortex shedding, and transmit pulse trains through the fill tubes to a sensor. The pulse trains, which are substantially out of phase with one another, are effectively synchronized with one another by reversing phase of one pulse train.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to flowmeters, and more particularly to small line size flowmeters such as sanitary vortex flowmeters.
2. Background Information
Vortex flowmeters are commonly installed in-line within a process fluid flow conduit, to measure the flow rate of the process fluid. A bluff body in the fluid flow generates eddies, or vortices, downstream of the bluff body, on alternating sides of the bluff body. This trail of vortices is known as the Karman vortex street. The bluff body is commonly known as a shedder.
The meter is factory-calibrated, establishing the relationship between frequency and velocity, known as the K factor. The velocity of process flow may be determined from the frequency of the vortex shedding. This vortex shedding frequency may be captured by a sensor placed on the shedder, where it may efficiently detect pressure variations associated with the shedding.
Vortex flowmeters are used in a wide variety of processes, ranging from industrial applications such as oil and chemical processing, to sanitary applications such as food and pharmaceutical processing. While these flowmeters operate in a similar manner, regardless of the particular application, sanitary applications present challenges that typically are not found in other non-sanitary environments. For example, vortex flowmeters intended for sanitary applications must be capable of being thoroughly cleaned in order to meet applicable clean-in-place (CIP) requirements. In this regard, it is important to ensure that the flowmeters do not have crevices or pockets within which food particles, etc., may become trapped or lodged, and thus inhibit or prevent thorough cleaning between process runs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has even promulgated standards, such as the Pasteurization Milk Ordinance (PMO), 3A Sanitary Standards, in order to address these concerns. These standards have, however, proven to be relatively difficult to meet. Indeed, it is believed that to date, Invensys Systems, Inc., the assignee of the present invention, is the only major manufacturer which has qualified vortex flowmeters to these standards.
These Invensys vortex flowmeters have been able to comply with the PMO 3A Sanitary Standards by effectively embedding the sensor within the shedder. This configuration places the sensor sufficiently close to the vortex street to enable the single device to detect the pressure variations generated on both sides of the shedder during operation. This embedded location of the sensor also eliminates the need for a separate process penetration for the sensor, to thus eliminate the crevices or pockets that may be occasioned thereby.
While such embedded placement has been shown to effectively enable vortex flowmeters to meet these sanitary requirements, a drawback is that the shedder, and the corresponding inner diameter of the conduit, must be large enough to accommodate the sensor. This means that placing a sensor within the shedder may not be suitable for smaller line size conduits, e.g., those smaller than about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter, because the shedder/integral sensor would block an inordinately large percentage of the cross-sectional area of the flowmeter conduit. In this regard, the vortex shedder typically has a precise geometry relative to the diameter of the flowtube. The width of the shedder face and the corresponding length and other dimensions of the shedder tail are all proportioned to the meter bore (inside diameter). In order to sense the vortex pressure pulses, a sensor diaphragm of a particular minimum size (effective area) is required to produce a signal from the sensor. Since the vortex sensor is integral with the shedder tail in a conventional sanitary vortex meter, the tail on sizes smaller than 2 inches has been found to not be large enough to accommodate an integral sensor. This factor has proven to be particularly problematic, since many food processing and other sanitary applications use line sizes of 2 inches (5 cm) or less.
Thus, a need exists for a sanitary vortex flowmeter, which efficiently measures vortex shedding in small line size conduits.


An x-ray protection circuit for a video processor, to disable a horizontal output pulse when a voltage level on the x-ray input exceeds a reference voltage. The x-ray protection circuit comprises a comparator and a bistable device, and incorporates a reset circuit. The reset circuit enables the initialisation of the protection circuit whilst the power is switched on.

The present invention relates to an x-ray protection circuit for a video processor to prevent excessive voltages on the EHT (extra high tension) of the rube of a television set.
In particular, the present invention relates to an improved protection circuit which utilises a xe2x80x9cpower-on-resetxe2x80x9d circuit, to ensure that the x-ray output would not be held in the wrong state unable to automatically correct itself. Such a circuit enables automatic correction without the requirement of having to switch the power off and then on again, on the television set.
X-ray protection circuits are used in video processors to prevent excessive voltage on the EHT (extra high tension) of the rube of a television set. They detect the line flyback amplitude, and disable the horizontal output pulse when the amplitude of the flyback exceeds a certain limit.
A prior art protection circuit is shown in FIG. 1.
The circuit of FIG. 1 comprises a band gap comparator 1, which has a reference voltage input typically 1.3V, and, an x-ray input. When the x-ray input exceeds the (typically 1.3V) threshold, this triggers an analog d-latch (thyristor structure) 2 such that its output (the x-ray output) will be high. The analog d-latch will memorise the x-ray detection, and will do so until the supply voltage Vcc is reduced to below a predetermined value, typically 3V.
A problem with such prior art circuits is that the analog d-latch (thyristor structure) is easily triggered by parasitic spikes generated by the ESD (electrostatic discharge). This results in such protection circuit being held in the wrong state, and it is not able to automatically correct itself. To correct this occurrence the television is required to be switched off and then on again, such that the analog d-latch is reset.
In addition to the aforementioned prior art, the following documents describe x-ray protection circuits.
GB 2 274 377 describes a circuit which aims to filter the x-ray triggering obtained by the normal comparator input. This is done by counting (54) a certain number of trigger signals within a certain time interval before shutting down the horizontal deflection (through Qb). The RESET (56) of the counting operation is done if a certain number of pulses have not been counted, within a certain time interval. It requires a micro controller (4) for the operation, and the micro controller can be affected by ESD discharges. It also does mention ESD problems which can appear at any mode, such as Supply ground or substrate. ESD can lead to multiple parasites, which would still trigger the x-ray protection in this case.
U.S. Pat No. 4,074,323 describes a circuit including a thyristor (10) triggered by a voltage source derived from the winding (5c) of the flyback transformer (5). The filtering of the wrong signals is done with a RC circuit (20) and (21). The reset (23) is a (manual) switch activated after repair (page 4, lines 6-9). The memory system (10) is here a thyristor (external component). It also does nor mention ESD problems which can appear at any node, such as Supply ground or substrate.
The present invention seeks to provide an x-ray protection circuit for a video processor, which overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.
The present invention also seeks to provide an x-ray protection circuit for a video processor which ensures that the x-ray output is provided in a safe-state.
The present invention also seeks to provide a device which resets the protection circuit when an input exceeds a reference voltage or when a parasitic spike is detected on a supply voltage (Vcc), on ground or on a substrate.
In one broad form, the present invention provides an x-ray protection circuit to disable a horizontal output pulse of a video processor, characterised in that said protection circuit includes a reset circuit (5) to initialise said protection circuit whilst power of said video processor is switched on, and when a voltage level on the x-ray input exceeds a reference voltage or when a parasitic spike is detected on a supply voltage (Vcc), on ground or on a substrate.
Also preferably, the x-ray protection circuit further includes:
a comparator (6), to provide a comparator output signal when an x-ray input voltage exceeds a reference voltage; and
a bistable device (4), to receive said reset signal and said comparator output signal, and provide a memorised x-ray output signal to disable the horizontal output pulse when a voltage level on the x-ray input exceeds a reference voltage or a parasitic spike is detected on the supply voltage (Vcc), on ground or on substrate.
Preferably, said comparator is a bandgap comparator.
Also preferably, said reference voltage is about 1.3V.
In preferred forms, said bistable device is an analog or digital memory circuit with two stable states.
Preferably, said bistable circuit is a flip-flop.
Perhaps more preferably, said bistable circuit is an RS flip-flop.
In a preferred embodiment, said bistable circuit (4) gives priority to the reset (R), when set (S) and reset (R) are actived simultaneously due to a parasitic spike in supply voltage (Vcc), on ground or on a substrate.
In a most preferred form, said reset circuit is connected to the reset (R) input, said comparator is connected to the set (S) input, and said x-ray output is connected to the output Q of said RS flip-flop.
Also preferably, output QB of said RS flip-flop is connected to the BUS, the BUS being connected to the reset (R) input to additionally recover the x-ray if it is wrongly triggered by the parasitic spike.
In another preferred form, the present invention provides an x-ray protection circuit for a video processor including:
a reset circuit (5), to detect the occurrence of a parasitic spike or a voltage level on the x-ray input of said video processor, on a supply voltage (Vcc), on ground or on a substrate, exceeding a reference voltage, and provide a reset signal in response thereto;
a comparator (6), to provide a comparator output signal when a parasitic spike is detected or when an x-ray input voltage exceeds a reference voltage; and,
a bistable circuit (4), to receive said reset signal and said comparator output signal and provide a memorised x-ray output signal to disable the horizontal output pulse when a parasitic spike has occurred or when a voltage level on the x-ray input, on a supply voltage (Vcc), on a ground or on a substrate, has exceeded a reference voltage.
Preferably, said bistable circuit gives priority to the reset (R), when set (S) and reset (R) are activated simultaneously.
Also preferably, said bistable circuit is a modified RS flip-flop.

STMicroelectronics Asia Pacific PTE Ltd.


A ball hitting practice device for baseball batting practice. The device includes a base frame for resting on a ground surface. A base plate is slidably mounted to the base frame. A telescopically extendable elongate support leg is upwardly extended from the base plate. A pulley mounting plate is coupled to the upper end of the support leg. An upper mounting housing is coupled to the upper surface of the pulley mounting plate. The proximal end of a pivot arm is pivotally coupled to the top panel of the upper mounting housing. The pivot arm is extendable along a straight line extending generally parallel to the sides of the mounting housing. The pivot arm has proximal and distal portions pivotally coupled together at a joint. A ball is coupled to the distal end of the pivot arm. The pivot arm is biased towards the straight line when pivot arm is pivoted away from the straight line.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ball hitting practice devices and more particularly pertains to a new ball hitting practice device for baseball batting practice.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of ball hitting practice devices is known in the prior art. More specifically, ball hitting practice devices heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art ball hitting practice devices include U.S. Pat. No. 4,907,801; U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,545; U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,371; U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,558; U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,277; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 339,393.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new ball hitting practice device. The inventive device includes a base frame for resting on a ground surface. A base plate is slidably mounted to the base frame. A telescopically extendable elongate support leg is upwardly extended from the base plate. A pulley mounting plate is coupled to the upper end of the support leg. An upper mounting housing is coupled to the upper surface of the pulley mounting plate. The proximal end of a pivot arm is pivotally coupled to the top panel of the upper mounting housing. The pivot arm is extendable along a straight line extending generally parallel to the sides of the mounting housing. The pivot arm has proximal and distal portions pivotally coupled together at a joint. A ball is coupled to the distal end of the pivot arm. The pivot arm is biased towards the straight line when pivot arm is pivoted away from the straight line.
In these respects, the ball hitting practice device according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of baseball batting practice.


A method for actuating an element (22) in the air supply tract (29) of an internal combustion engine (19), characterized in that the element (22) is actuated such that it opens the air supply tract (29) before the pinion (10) engages into the toothed ring (16) of the internal combustion engine (19).

In the field of start/stop systems, new functionalities within the engine controller are being developed in order to meet the changed demands on the starter actuation, fuel injection, operating strategy etc. For the present method according to the invention, consideration is given to the regulation of the cylinder air charge and the fuel injection of an internal combustion engine in start/stop operation. According to the prior art, in start/stop operation, after the initiation of an engine stop, the throttle flap is closed (for diesel engines for example in order to minimize shut-down juddering) and the enablement of the fuel injection or ignition is withdrawn. The restart of the internal combustion engine is prepared for during the run-down by the opening of the throttle flap and the enablement of the injection or ignition. This is realized within the engine controller by means of rotational speed thresholds, wherein the rotational speed which is used (angle-based updating in accordance with synchronization calculation) is filtered in relation to a tooth-based rotational speed of the engine sensor.
In a conventional start/stop system without the "engagement during run-down" function, there is adequate time available for the preparation of the restart capability of the internal combustion engine by means of said two processes. A restart is initiated only after the detection of a standstill state of the internal combustion engine. At this time, the preparation of the restart is complete, and the time duration of the restart (for example the duration from the setting of the start demand to the attainment of the idle rotational speed) is not influenced.
This changes in the so-called "change of mind" situation with engagement during the run-down. If a restart is demanded by the vehicle driver shortly after a stop demand, it is possible by means of the "engagement during run-down" function for the starter motor to be engaged already during the run-down of the internal combustion engine. The time duration for the opening of the throttle flap and the enabling of the injection and/or ignition are time-critical in this case. The restart capability of the internal combustion engine must in this case be produced punctually at the time of engagement. As a result of the expansion of the start/stop functionality to include "engagement during run-down", an adaptation of already-existing engine control functions must also be carried out.
Below, a method will be presented which describes the actuation of the throttle flap and the injection for preparation of the restart of an internal combustion engine after "engagement during run-down" in the "change of mind" situation.

Method for actuating an element in the air supply tract of an internal combustion engine, in particular a throttle flap


An absorbent article, such as a thin incontinence pad or pantyliner, is disclosed which has an absorbent core formed from multiple layers of blended material for providing protection against involuntary urine loss. A method of forming the absorbent article is also disclosed. The absorbent article includes a liquid permeable bodyside liner, a liquid-impermeable baffle, and first and second absorbents positioned between the liner and the baffle. The first absorbent is a stabilized material containing a superabsorbent and has a predetermined basis weight. The second absorbent is also a stabilized material containing a superabsorbent. The second absorbent is positioned below the first absorbent and has a basis weight that is at least equal to the basis weight of the first absorbent.

Absorbent articles such as catamenial pads, sanitary napkins, pantyliners, and the like, are designed to be worn adjacent to a woman's pudendum to absorb body fluid such as menses, blood, urine and other body excretions. It has been found that many women suffering from incontinence will buy and use a feminine care product, such as a pantyliner or a sanitary napkin, for the purpose of absorbing and retaining urine. Many incontinent men will also buy and/or wear feminine care products since they are readily, commercially available and these products may also be present in their household.
Incontinence users experience important differences from menstruating women and the use of commercially available feminine care products may not satisfy their specific needs. Most incontinence users require a product that can absorb and retain urine over an extended period of time. Since feminine care products are specifically designed to absorb and retain menses, many do not contain superabsorbents. Superabsorbents are capable of retaining large quantities of body fluid, such as urine, but it is known that they can impede the flow of menses. Without the presence of superabsorbents, many feminine care products do not have the fluid retention capacity needed by incontinence users. The presence of superabsorbents in incontinence products allows the liquid urine to be locked away so the product feels dry to the wearer. Many incontinence users tend to expel only a few drops of urine at a time and therefore they tend to wear their products over a longer time period. In addition, many incontinence users are older, frugal or on a fixed income and therefore some tend to wear their products for an extended period of time in order to save money. Another reason many incontinence users wear pantyliners or ultra thin catamenial pads for incontinence is that most incontinence products are thick and bulky rather than being thin and discreet. In our society, incontinence users have a strong psychological reason for not wanting other people to know that they suffer from incontinence.
Because of the above concerns, there is a need to produce a relatively inexpensive, thin incontinence pad or pantyliner, having a thickness of less than about 5 millimeters, which can absorb and retain from between about 20 grams (g) to about 100 grams of urine.
Now, a relatively inexpensive, thin absorbent article has been invented that can do just that. This absorbent article contains an absorbent core formed from two or more layers of stabilized material, each containing a superabsorbent.

Absorbent article having a multilayer blended core and a method of forming


A case for a secondary battery and a method of manufacturing the case. The case has improved hardness and insulating properties and can be colored or patterned according to customers' preferences without having to perform an additional painting process, and a method of manufacturing the case. The case includes a body configured to accommodate an electrode assembly and formed of a conductive material; an oxide film formed on the body; and a colored sealing layer formed on the oxide film.

1. Field
The following description relates to a case for a secondary battery and a method of manufacturing the case.
2. Description of the Related Art
Unlike primary batteries that are not rechargeable, secondary batteries are rechargeable and widely used in electronic devices such as cellular phones, PDAs, and laptop computers. Particularly, lithium ion secondary batteries have operating voltage of 3.6 V which is three times higher than the operating voltage of nickel-cadmium or nickel-hydrogen batteries that are widely used as power sources of electronic equipment, and the use of lithium ion secondary batteries is rapidly increased owing to their high energy density per weight.
In addition, as compared with other secondary batteries, lithium ion secondary batteries have high output power, high capacity, and low weight, and thus they are also used in internal combustion engine vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, or electric vehicles.
In addition, lithium-containing oxides are usually used as positive electrode active materials of lithium ion secondary batteries, and carbon is usually used as negative electrode active materials of lithium ion secondary batteries. Lithium ion secondary batteries are manufactured with various shapes such as cylindrical shapes, prismatic shapes, and pouch shapes. A lithium ion secondary battery includes an electrode assembly and a conductive case in which the electrode assembly is accommodated.

Case for secondary battery and method of manufacturing case


A sensor that provides absolute pressure independent of the composition of the measured gas includes a large microbridge used to determine the thermal conductivity and specific heat of the gas and a small microbridge pressure sensor comprising a heated element suspended over a V-groove. Voltages and currents associated with heated elements of both microbridges are measured and used in an equation to provide an absolute pressure value.

The present invention relates to the measurement of certain physical properties of gases to support the determination of the absolute pressure of a gas. U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,503 dated Jul. 28, 1987 and assigned to Honeywell Inc. describes the use of a microscopic size thermal conductivity-type absolute pressure sensor fabricated on a silicon chip. The sensor includes an elongated V-groove anistropically etched in the silicon with a heated silicon nitride bridge element extending over the surface of the V-groove. U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,503 describes the response of the pressure sensor to air and is not concerned with the variation in sensed absolute pressure due to the composition of the gas being sensed. Applications for accurate absolute pressure readings require that the response of this sensor be compensated for the composition of the specific gas being used.
A need exists in the field of gas measurements for a method of determining the absolute pressure P of a gas which is independent of the makeup or composition of that gas.


A method and relative sheet handling apparatus apt to pick up sheets from a pack of sheets to be delivered to a cut-ting centre and for removing a separating foil between the sheets is described, including: a lifting and removing unit for a top sheet equipped with upper gripping heads; an air flow generating unit generating an air flow above the pack of sheets; and a control unit of the lifting unit, suitable for arranging the top sheet at a stasis height of up to 70 mm above the pack of sheet to define a suction chamber for the air flow generator.

As is known, in metal sheet cutting centres—wherein, from a metal plate, single shaped pieces are obtained by means of various cutting devices (laser beam cutting, with oxygen lance, water jet, with plasma and so on)—there is a need to withdraw metal sheets from a warehouse in order to transfer them to the cutting machine.
The metal sheets are typically large rectangular slabs (for example of 1500×3000 mm) of small thickness (for example from 0.5 to 25 mm) which are stacked in individual withdrawing warehouses according to a uniformity criterion, for example the same size and thickness.
In the prior art there are already several apparatuses designed specifically for handling these metal sheets, in particular for withdrawing from the warehouse, loading into the cutting machine and unloading the individual pieces and scraps in a suitably orderly manner. WO2008/139409 discloses one of these particularly effective machines.
It is normal practice to arrange disposable separating foils (typically made of paper) between one sheet and the other of the stack of sheets. The purpose of the foils is to avoid scratches on the surfaces of the sheets (in particular when they are polished stainless sheets) and/or to promote detaching between one plate and another.
With reference to the latter purpose, the presence of the foils avoids "bonding" phenomena between sheets and therefore ensures that, when the metal sheet which is on the top of the pack of the stack is grasped, it will be detached easily and instantaneously from the underlying sheets.
The presence of a paper foil, between one sheet and the other, results in the need to perform removing and parting operation of the sheet itself between successive withdrawing cycles; this operation must intervene immediately after the automatic lifting and transferring system of the sheets towards the cutting centre has withdrawn a first sheet, but in any case before the same system is ready to lift a second sheet. In this regard, it should be noted that the time between the withdrawing of a first sheet and the withdrawing of a second sheet is often of a few tens of seconds.
Removing the paper foil is necessary because its presence would make the gripping handler action of the withdrawing system ineffective.
Currently, this paper foil removing operation is performed by hand. That is, an operator intervenes immediately after a first sheet has been lifted, extends the arm under this lifted sheet and above the stack of other sheets, grabs the paper foil by a corner—or other part that facilitates gripping—and removes quickly the foil of paper, to throw it to the drain. Thus, the inconvenience of this system is immediately apparent, and that is the serious risk to which the operator is subjected, to various types of damage, of which a safety expert can easily become aware.
The attempts to automate this process have proved to be ineffective up to now for various reasons, in particular in view of the width of the paper foil and the fact that the presence of lubricants (for protecting metal sheets) tends to make the foil adhering persistently to the sheet below.
In the sector of plane slab gripping machines, it has already been proposed to use air jets to help separating the sheets of the sheet stack. Some examples are described in DE3312459, DE4339839, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,234,207, 6,345,818. These systems, however, are conceived to help detach two sheets from each other, but they are not suitable for dragging a foil away from the top of the stack, because the compressed air blow acts locally and lifts an area around an edge.

Sheet handling apparatus with automatic removal of separating foil and method thereof


An electronic device includes an inner cover for covering a power source and electronic parts such as substrates contained in the inside of the device, an inlet for power cord plug formed to the inner cover for connecting the device to a commercial power supply and a cover to be fitted to the inner cover so as to cover the inner cover, the cover being provided with an inlet protecting section to be engaged with the inlet, the inner cover being made accessible by pulling out the power cord plug.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic device having a structure adapted to be relieved of the power source from the viewpoint of protection and safety in storage and a method of accessing the inside of electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Known electronic devices may put an operator who performs maintenance work in danger of electric shock and/or may be damaged by error because the power source thereof can be removably fitted thereto with ease if the power cord remains connected to the power source.
Structures for preventing electric shocks from taking place and the substrates and/or some other component from being damaged by interrupting the power supply when the substrate and/or some other component are to be replaced or substrates and/or some other component are to be added by opening part of the device have been proposed (e.g., refer to Jpn. Pat. Appln. Laid-Open Publication No. 03-234691).
According to the above-cited Patent Document, a bottom cover is rigidly secured in position below a main body cover and the main body cover and a bottom mold are brought into contact with each other when the bottom cover is fitted but a bottom metal plate and a metal plate chassis are separated from each other by a gap of 0.5 mm. Behind the main body, an AC inlet of the power source and a power switch are rigidly secured to a metal plate that is fitted to the metal plate chassis and exposed through notches of the main body cover and the bottom cover. The bottom metal plate is partly turned above the AC inlet by way of the gap between the main body cover and the metal plate so that the bottom cover cannot be removed when the power cord is inserted into the AC inlet.
While the above-described conventional art takes the operation of removing the bottom cover into consideration, moveable parts such as the main body cover and the display can be accessed without pulling out the power cord. In other words, the conventional art is accompanied by a problem that the effect of preventing the device from unsafely relieved of the power source.

Electronic device and method of accessing inside of electronic device


The volume of a hyperinflated lung compartment is reduced by sealing a distal end of the catheter in an airway feeding the lung compartment. Air passes out of the lung compartment through a passage in the catheter while the patient exhales. A one-way flow element associated with the catheter prevents air from re-entering the lung compartment as the patient inhales. Over time, the pressure of regions surrounding the lung compartment cause it to collapse as the volume of air diminishes. Residual volume reduction effectively results in functional lung volume expansion. Optionally, the lung compartment may be sealed in order to permanently prevent air from re-entering the lung compartment.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to medical methods and apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods and apparatus for endobronchial residual lung volume reduction by passive deflation of hyperinflated segments with functional lung volume expansion as a result.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a significant medical problem affecting 16 million people or about 6% of the U.S. population. Specific diseases in this group include chronic bronchitis, asthmatic bronchitis, and emphysema. While a number of therapeutic interventions are used and have been proposed, none is completely effective, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease remains the fourth most common cause of death in the United States. Thus, improved and alternative treatments and therapies would be of significant benefit.
Of particular interest to the present invention, lung function in patients suffering from some forms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can be improved by reducing the effective lung volume, typically by resecting diseased portions of the lung. Resection of diseased portions of the lungs both promotes expansion of the non-diseased regions of the lung and decreases the portion of inhaled air that goes into the lungs but is unable to transfer oxygen to the blood. Lung volume reduction is conventionally performed in open chest or thoracoscopic procedures where the lung is resected, typically using stapling devices having integral cutting blades.
While effective in many cases, conventional lung volume reduction surgery is significantly traumatic to the patient, even when thoracoscopic procedures are employed. Such procedures often result in the unintentional removal of healthy lung tissue and frequently leave perforations or other discontinuities in the lung, which result in air leakage from the remaining lung. Even technically successful procedures can cause respiratory failure, pneumonia, and death. In addition, many older or compromised patients are not able to be candidates for these procedures.
As an improvement over open surgical and minimally invasive lung volume reduction procedures, endobronchial lung volume reduction procedures have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,258,100 and 6,679,264 describe placement of one-way valve structures in the airways leading to diseased lung regions. It is expected that the valve structures will allow air to be expelled from the diseased region of the lung while blocking reinflation of the diseased region. Thus, over time, the volume of the diseased region will be reduced and the patient condition will improve.
While promising, the use of implantable, one-way valve structures is problematic in at least several respects. The valves must be implanted prior to assessing whether they are functioning properly. Thus, if the valve fails to either allow expiratory flow from or inhibit inspiratory flow into the diseased region, that failure will only be determined after the valve structure has been implanted, requiring surgical removal. Additionally, even if the valve structure functions properly, many patients have diseased lung segments with collateral flow from adjacent, healthy lung segments. In those patients, the lung volume reduction of the diseased region will be significantly impaired, even after successfully occluding inspiration through the main airway leading to the diseased region, since air will enter collaterally from the adjacent healthy lung region. When implanting one-way valve structures, the existence of such collateral flow will only be evident after the lung region fails to deflate over time, requiring further treatment.
For these reasons, it would be desirable to provide improved and alternative methods and apparatus for effecting residual lung volume reduction in hyperinflated and other diseased lung regions. The methods and apparatus will preferably allow for passive deflation of an isolated lung region without the need to implant a one-way valve structure in the lung. The methods and apparatus will preferably be compatible with known protocols for occluding diseased lung segments and regions after deflation, such as placement of plugs and occluding members within the airways leading to such diseased segments and regions. Additionally, such methods and devices should be compatible with protocols for identifying and treating patients having diseased lung segments and regions which suffer from collateral flow with adjacent healthy lung regions. At least some of these objectives will be met by the inventions described hereinbelow.
2. Description of the Background Art
Methods for performing minimally invasive and endobronchial lung volume reduction are described in the following patents and publications: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,972,026; 6,083,255; 6,258,100; 6,287,290; 6,398,775; 6,527,761; 6,585,639; 6,679,264; 6,709,401; 6,878,141; 6,997,918; 2001/0051899; and 2004/0016435.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods and devices for passive residual lung volume reduction and functional lung volume expansion


A motorized seatbelt system for a vehicle includes a communications bus, a first motorized seat belt retractor, operably connected to the communication bus, having a first controller and a second motorized seat belt retractor, having a second controller, operably connected to the communications bus and the first motorized seat belt. The first and second motorized seat belt retractors may include an electric motor and a microprocessor. The first motorized seat belt retractor is deployed when the first controller detects a deployment event and the second controller enables the first motorized seat belt retractor. Similarly, the second motorized seat belt retractor is deployed when the second controller detects a deployment event and the first controller enables the second motorized seat belt retractor.

The present invention is generally related to driver protection systems in automobiles. More specifically, the present invention is related to a motorized seat belt system.
Restraint systems such as motorized seat belt retractors (MSB) have become standard equipment in modern automobiles. Motorized seat belt retractors are widely used to protect passengers from the impact produced during a vehicle collision. Prior to a collision involving the vehicle, the MSB actuates a seat belt to protect the passenger. The MSB could be deployed because there are indications of an impending collision (an emergency situation), such as severe breaking or swerving of the vehicle, the dynamics of the vehicle indicate a potential rollover, or external sensor systems (e.g. radar, vision systems, etc) predict a high probability of a collision. The MSB could also be deployed at low force levels for comfort related reasons.
A motorized seat belt retractor includes an electric motor that operates to retract the seat belt in case of an emergency. The operation of the motor may be controlled by a signal generated by a microprocessor. As a result, there is the possibility of the motor operating and the MSB deploying in the event of a microprocessor failure. Avoiding inadvertent MSB deployment in the event of a microprocessor failure is a desired operational characteristic. Accordingly, there is a need for a cost efficient motorized seat belt system capable of preventing the inadvertent deployment of a motorized seat belt retractor.


The disclosed turbine engine includes a fan nacelle surrounding a fan and including an inlet arranged upstream from the fan. The inlet includes an inlet surface having a boundary layer flow. A flow control actuator is in fluid communication with the inlet surface. A boundary layer sensing device is associated with the inlet surface for detecting a boundary layer condition at the inlet surface. A controller is in communication with the flow control actuator and the boundary layer sensing device. The controller is programmed to command the flow control actuator in response to the boundary layer sensing device detecting an undesired boundary layer condition. In this manner, the flow control actuator generates a desired boundary layer condition.

This disclosure relates to an active flow control device for a nacelle inlet of a turbofan engine. In particular, the disclosure relates to controlling the boundary layer at the nacelle inlet with the active flow control device.
Engine nacelle design for large commercial geared turbofan engines is a significant contributor to overall engine performance and operability. Inlet lip thickness and diffuser length associated with the fan nacelle are typically sized to provide laminar inlet flow to the engine during take-off, low speed climb, high angle of attack operation and in extreme crosswinds. As a general rule, thicker inlet lips and longer diffuser lengths are required to maintain acceptable performance at these operating conditions and minimize the potential for boundary layer flow separation. Larger inlet nacelle geometry adds size, weight and cost to the engine, which are undesirable.
Larger inlet nacelle geometry is also required to accommodate acoustic treatments to meet low noise requirements for direct drive turbofan engines. Acoustic treatments typically are not necessary for geared turbofan engines due to the decreased noise associated with their operation as compared to direct drive turbofans. Larger inlet nacelle geometry also increases overall aircraft drag at cruise operating conditions, which results in higher overall fuel burn rates and higher aircraft operating costs.
What is needed is a smaller fan nacelle that is able to maintain desired boundary layer flow at the nacelle inlet.


The present invention is concerned with synergistic compositions effective in the treatment of diabetes. In particular, the present invention is concerned with synergistic compositions comprising inulin, or a suitable source thereof, and Sulphonylureas used in the treatment of type-2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and hyperglyacemia.

Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Diabetes as a Global Health Problem (1-5):
Diabetes is the world's fastest growing chronic disease. On 20 Dec. 2006 the United Nation General Assembly passed United Nation Resolution 61/225 recognizing diabetes as a major health crisis facing all nations of the world. The Resolution designates 14 November each year as the United Nations "WORLD DIABETES DAY" and calls on all nations to develop national policies for the prevention, treatment and care of people living with diabetes and those at risk of developing diabetes.
In 2007, the five countries with the largest numbers of people with diabetes are India (40.9 million), China (39.8 million), the United States (19.2 million), Russia (9.6 million) and Germany (7.4 million). Each year a further 7 million people develop diabetes. Each year 3.8 million deaths are attributable to diabetes. An even greater number die from cardiovascular disease made worse by diabetes-related lipid disorders and hypertension. On average, people with T2DM will die 5-10 years before people without diabetes, mostly due to cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death in diabetes, accounting for some 50% of all diabetes fatalities, and much disability. People with T2DM are over twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke as people who do not have diabetes. Indeed, people with T2DM are as likely to suffer a heart attack as people without diabetes who have already had a heart attack.
At least 50% of all people with T2DM are unaware of their condition. In some countries this figure may reach 80%. Up to 60% of T2DM is preventable by adopting a healthy diet and increasing physical activity.
T2DM is the largest cause of kidney failure in developed countries and is responsible for huge dialysis costs. T2DM has become the most frequent condition in people with kidney failure in countries of the Western world. 10% to 20% of people with diabetes will die of renal failure.
It is estimated that more than 2.5 million people worldwide are affected by diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of vision loss in adults of working age (20 to 65 years) in industrialized countries.
By 2025, the largest increases in diabetes prevalence will take place in developing countries. According to the International Diabetic Federation the number of individuals with diabetes will increase from 246 million at present to 380 million by 2025 (1). Due to an increasing prevalence of pre-diabetic dysglycaemia, a large number of individuals are at risk of developing T2DM particularly, due to genetic predisposition, life style and obesity (e.g. due to unhealthy diet and lack of exercise) (6).
The costs associated with the management of diabetes are 2-3 times higher than the management of other diseases, increasing from ˜US$2000 (patients without diabetes) to ˜US$6000 (patients with T2DM) per person. According to American Diabetes Association, in 2007, USA total direct costs associated with management of diabetes was ˜US$ 116 billion with a further ˜US$58 billion due to indirect costs (7).
T2DM is the sixth leading cause of death in Australia (1; 2; 4). According to Diabetes Australia, currently ˜900,000 Australians are diagnosed with T2DM (8). An estimated 275 Australians develop diabetes every day. The 2005 Australian AusDiab Follow-up Study (Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study) showed that 1.7 million Australians have diabetes but that up to half of the cases of T2DM remain undiagnosed (9). By 2031 it is estimated that 3.3 million Australians will have T2DM (5). The total financial cost of T2DM is estimated at $10.3 billion per annum. Of this, career costs are estimated as $4.4 billion, productivity losses are $4.1 billion, health system costs are $1.1 billion and $1.1 billion is due to obesity (3). There is no doubt diabetes is a serious health crisis. Up to 60% of cases of T2DM can be prevented by good blood glucose control, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can significantly improve the complications associated with diabetes.
Complications Associated with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus:
Evolution of T2DM in patients can lead to elevated risk of (i) adverse cardiovascular events, associated with atherosclerosis, particularly coronary events, (ii) retinopathy, (iii) nephropathy and (iv) neuropathy. If not treated accordingly, T2DM can result in congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, peripheral vascular disease, stroke, pancreatitis, end stage renal disease and blindness. An increasing body of evidence suggest that these complications arise mainly due to long term HYPERGLAECEMIA and HYPERTENSION leading to loss of nutritive blood flow and damage within these organs (10). Increasing body of evidence suggest that early and effective glucose control reduces the risk of these complications in T2DM (11). Moreover, occurrence of these complications, particularly myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure, directly correlated with the increased levels of glucose and hemoglobin A1c (HAc1) in patients with T2DM (12). Remarkably, perioperative tight glycaemic control also reduce post diabetes coronary artery bypass graft complications such as mortality, infections, length of hospital stay and others factors (13) indicating elevated glucose concentrations are detrimental in long term disease manifestations as well as acute interventions and surgery. Treatment of diabetes includes oral and injectable medicines each of which has its own benefits and risks associated with the disease.
Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus:
Individuals with T2DM are often prescribed tablets to control their blood glucose levels. These tablets are intended to be used in conjunction with healthy eating and regular physical activity, not as a substitute. The aim of diabetes management is to keep blood glucose levels as close to 'normal' as possible, that is between 4 to 6 mmol/L (fasting), as this will help prevent both short-term and long-term diabetic complications. Regular blood glucose monitoring is necessary to see if the treatment being followed is adequately controlling blood glucose levels.
(i) Insulin Therapy:
Insulin, a biological medicine, is infused subcutaneously to patients to exogenously elevate insulin levels in the circulation, which results in lowering glucose concentrations. However, hypoglycaemic episodes are the most common complications occurring in insulin-treated patients (14). Improvement of glycaemic control with insulin results in weight gain (˜3.5 kg compared to conventional treatment at 0.4 kg), which in turn may contribute to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes mortality (15).
(ii) Oral Treatments for T2DM:
Following tablets are currently being used for lowering blood glucose levels in T2DM. These include Biguanides, Sulphonylureas, Thiazolidinediones, Glitazones, Meglitinides, Alpha Glucosidase Inhibitor, incretin-based therapies or combinations thereof.
Although all of the agents mentioned above provide significant benefit imparted by improving glycaemic control and reducing complications, treatment with all of the agents is associated with adverse drug reactions, some of which can be serious and even life threatening. Thus, due to (i) hypoglycaemic risk in insulin and Sulphonylurea therapy, (ii) significant congestive heart failure and bone fracture episodes in thiazolidinediones, (iii) increased cardiovascular risk in rosiglitazone therapy, (iv) pancreatitis associated with Exenatide therapy, (v) lactic acidosis associated with Metformin therapy, and (vi) hypersensitivity reactions associated with sitagliptin therapy, there is a need for safer and/or more efficacious glucose lowering treatments, with improved risk-benefit profiles, to intervene with debilitating T2DM complications.
Alternative approaches to treatment of T2DM, such as for example combination therapies with dietary fiber, have also been reported. Indigestible dietary fibers, such as fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), have long been thought to have beneficial effects on human health. To date four different clinical studies have shown contradicting results.
Effects of this class of neutraceutical in T2DM was first published in 1984 (16) demonstrating a slight reduction in blood fasting glucose levels (FGL) in patients with T2DM who were under Sulphonylurea treatment. This study showed that, in comparison to sucrose (G-F), intake of 8 gram per day for 14 days of FOS comprising a combination of Glucose-Fructose-Fructose (G-F-F), G-F-F-F and G-F-F-F-F structures, derived from treatment of sucrose with transfructosidase, resulted in ˜7.6% reduction of FGL, ˜7.8% reduction in total cholesterol and ˜10.4% reduction of LDL-cholesterol.
FGL, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were measured at the beginning (day 0) and at the end of the study (day 14). In this study, out of 14 subjects, 4 subjects showed elevated FGL whereas 10 subjects showed decreased FGL upon intake of FOS. Overall the authors suggested that the combination of FOS lower FGL in diabetic patients despite the fact that this study had (i) very minor FGL lowering effect (0.8 mmol/L reduction) (ii) increased FGL in 28.6% of the subjects (4 out of 14) and (iii) diabetic subjects with very high and uncontrolled glucose and lipid concentrations. Additionally, the study had (iv) limited scope (v) short duration (vi) and utilized several different short chain structures of FOS.
Another clinical trial (17) was conducted in 1999 on 20 T2DM patients who consumed 15 grams/day of FOS (composed of 95% FOS with degree of polymerization of 3 to 10) for 20 days. The patients were under glucose lowering medications (exact medication is unknown), anti-hypertension agents and lipid-lowering drugs. Blood was collected at the beginning (day 1) and end (day 21) of the study. The authors reported that, in comparison to placebo (D-Glucose), no significant effect of FOS on FGL was found in these patients.
A further clinical trial was published (18) on 12 patients with T2DM who were either on sulfonyleurea and/or Metformin. The authors concluded that, in comparison to placebo sucrose (G-F), treatment of T2DM with 20 gram/day of FOS (44% G-F-F, 46% G-F-F-F and 10% G-F-F-F-F purchased from ACTILIGHT, France) for 28 days did not change the patient's FGL.
US patent application US2009/0214511 purports to describe an inulin-containing digestible formulation, which also includes as essential ingredients sucrose and an amylase enzyme, that is effective in "stabilizing and balancing" blood glucose in hyperglycemic, diabetic and/or pre-diabetic patients. It also states that taking 4 grams of the formulation each day "may" improve blood glucose control. Although this patent application refers to treatment of "30 patients" with this formulation, there is no information on either the diabetic state (or otherwise) of any of the "patients", blood glucose levels of any of the patients, either before or after treatment with the formulation, or indeed any information on the type and quantity of any anti-diabetic medication that the patients may have been taking, if any was taken.
Despite the above discussed attempts to better T2DM treatment, there is still a need for alternative treatments, with more efficacious blood glucose level control and improved adverse reaction profile.
It is an objective of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art treatments, or to provide a useful alternative.

Method of treating type II diabetes, hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia by administering a synergistic combination of a sulphonylurea and inulin


A filter circuit is disclosed which comprises a differential amplifier and a switch-capacitor circuit. The invention attains the goals of reducing the power consumption and the circuit size by sharing an amplifier with other related circuits to reduce the number of amplifiers.

1. Field of the invention
The invention relates to a filter circuit, and more particularly, to a filter circuit that shares a differential amplifier.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a receiver for a conventional network transceiver. The receiver 100 includes a front-end receiver 110, a feedforward equalizer 120, a noise canceller 130, a timing recovery device 140 and a decoder 150. The front-end receiver 110 may include an analog auto-gain controller 111, a low-pass filter 112, a sample-and-hold circuit 113, an inverse partial response (IPR) filter 114 and an analog to digital converter (ADC)115.
The analog auto-gain controller 111 receives an input signal sent by a transmitter of a remote transceiver and then adjusts the amplitude of the input signal to fit the pre-defined operating range of the low-pass filter 112. The low-pass filter 112 receives the output of the analog auto-gain controller 111 and then attenuates the high-frequency noise. The sample-and-hold circuit 113 subsequently samples and holds the output of the low-pass filter. Then, the IPR filter 114 compensates inter-symbol interference introduced by the transmitter of the remote transceiver in order to reduce a peak-to-average ratio of the signal to be fed into the ADC 115. Meanwhile, the IPR filter 114 reduces the magnitude of the quantized noise and increases the signal-to-noise ratio for further signal processing. The IPR filter 114 is an infinite impulse response filter with a transfer function H(z)=1/(1+Kz−1), where K is a positive real number that is less than one. The ADC 115 coupled to the IPR filter 114 converts the output of the IPR filter 114 into a digital signal by analog to digital conversion.
It is common to have two fully-differential amplifiers respectively installed in both the IPR filter 114 and the ADC 115 of the conventional receiver 100. Nevertheless, the excessive power consumption and ever-increasing manufacturing cost are inducing a trend of providing a low-price, high-efficiency, power-saving and compact circuit design for the next generation of chip industry. Hence, a need exists for a new filter that reduces the number of amplifiers so as to save power consumption and die area as well.


A rotary cutting blade including an elongated body made of steel and having opposite ends, a leading edge extending from each opposite end, an upper surface, a lower surface and a cutting surface extending between the upper and lower surfaces along a portion of the leading edge, and a laser hardened portion extending from an opposite end of the body along the lower surface and the leading edge, the laser hardened portion having a thickness extending toward the upper surface and to the cutting edge.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to rotating cutting blades and methods for manufacturing rotary cutting blades. More particularly, the invention relates to cutting blades and methods for manufacturing cutting blades which provide cutting edges having a high hardness and which have necessary toughness to sustain high-energy impacts.
2. Related Prior Art
Rotary cutting blades are used in machinery such as lawn mowers, rotary cutting machines and agricultural equipment. Such rotary cutting blades include lawn mower blades, disc mower blades and straw chopper blades, each of which may have a cutting edge at one end of the blade. Such equipment normally includes one or more rotating blades driven at high speeds. Rotating cutting blades should have a sharp cutting edge at the leading edge of the outer periphery of the blade, and are required to withstand high speed impact with objects that may be encountered, including rocks, pieces of metal and other hard objects. More particularly, the rotating blades must be able to withstand such impact without shattering or otherwise fracturing.
Cutting blades are subject to wear by the fiber-like material being cut and are also subject to wear by sand and grit encountered by the blade. Increasing the hardness of the cutting blades improves resistance to wear due to normal cutting conditions. However, increasing the hardness of the cutting blade also tends to increase the brittleness of the blade and reduces the capacity of the blade to withstand impacts with hard objects. Further, cutting edges are subject to deformation by larger pebbles, rocks and other debris. This deformation has the effect of dulling the cutting edge without necessarily removing material from the blade. A dull cutting edge may be perceived as having been worn dull. Once the blade is perceived as dull, the user may sharpen and remove material from the blade, thereby reducing the life of the blade. Also, a dull cutting edge does not break the fiber off as cleanly and reduces the quality of cut.
Rotating blades used in lawn mowers are commonly required to comply with national standards, including standards promulgated by ANSI. In one such test, a blade is rotated at high speed in a test housing. Once the blade is rotating at high speed in a steady state, a metal shaft or post is quickly moved into the path of the rotating blade. The leading edge of the blade impacts the post and is stopped suddenly. In order to pass this test, the cutting blade must remain intact upon impact, i.e., pieces of the blades are not permitted to fly from the blade.
Another test that may be used in the production of rotary blades and which may indicate effectiveness of a cutting blade hardening process is a Charpy v-notch impact test according to ASTM standard E-23.
One way of manufacturing a rotary blade to meet the various design criteria is to heat treat the cutting blade after it is formed. It is commonly known to harden a rotary blade using a variety of methods. One such method is heat treating the entire body of the blade. Such heat treating processes, using an ordinary spring grade of carbon steel, can result in a blade having a hardness of 40-45Rc. Some heat treating processes can result in a blade having a hardness of 47Rc. However, cutting blades having a hardness of 47Rc or greater generally produce a blade that is too brittle to withstand impact.
Another known hardening process involves the spraying or depositing of tungsten carbide on the bottom surface of a rotary blade adjacent the leading or cutting edge. The application of such a coating to a blade can result in a surface hardness of approximately 70Rc. Such a spray-bonded coating is approximately 0.006 inches thick and results in a region of the blade being extremely hard with the remainder of the blade having a hardness of 40-45Rc after conventional heat treating.
A problem with spray-bonding a blade with tungsten carbide is that sand and grit abrade the spray-bonded surface. Fiber material such as grass being cut does not wear away the spray-bonded material, but sand and grit fractures the spray-bonded material and erodes the material away. Once the spray-bonded coating erodes, the remaining, unprotected cutting surface tends to quickly dull as it is not sufficiently hard. One method of addressing this problem is to pre-treat the blade with a matrix material to improve the bonding between the tungsten carbide and the steel blade. The matrix material has approximately a 50Rc and acts as an interface between the coating and the blade. However, this matrix material may also provide a weak area in the leading edge of the blade. Also, the sprayed on material and matrix can include voids and defects and is relatively brittle. Also, spray-bonding does not increase the life of a standard heat-treated rotary blade. Such spray-bonding of tungsten material is relatively expensive and can be difficult to obtain on an industrial level.

Rotary cutting blade having a laser hardened cutting edge and a method for making the same with a laser


A discharging circuit includes a current limiting resistor, a first switch configured to connect a component to be discharged on an electrical network to a reference potential indirectly via the current limiting resistor, and a limiting circuit configured to be arranged on a control connection side of the first switch and is configured to limit heating that occurs at the first switch or at the current limiting resistor in a discharging mode, wherein the limiting circuit includes a thermistor thermally coupled to the first switch or to the current limiting resistor.

In modern motor vehicles, in addition to the components which are usually operated with a voltage having a voltage value of 12 volts, use is often also made of components which are operated with a considerably higher operating voltage value. Such high operating voltage values may exceed 100 volts, in particular in vehicles with a fully electric drive or hybrid drive. In this case, voltage values of more than 60 volts are already referred to as "high voltage" in the automotive sector. In particular, the electrical units operated with high voltage, usually electrical drive systems which include, for example, a drive motor, a coolant or lubricant pump, an air-conditioning compressor or the like, are incorporated in this case in a so-called "high-voltage network". Such a high-voltage network usually also comprises at least one energy store (for example a capacitor) which is respectively assigned to one or all electrical units of the high-voltage network. This energy store is used, for example, to keep the operating voltage value required for the electrical unit(s) constant.
However, for safety reasons, it is necessary for such high-voltage networks to be able to be switched off, on the one hand, and to be able to be discharged, in particular, on the other hand. This is the case, in particular, when persons can come into contact with the respective high-voltage network or short circuits may occur in another manner. This is the case, for example, during vehicle maintenance or repair or, under certain circumstances, in the event of an accident. In order to enable automatic discharging, the electrical unit to be discharged or at least the assigned energy store can usually be reversibly connected to reference potential via a switch and a resistor. In this case, the switch or, in particular, the control of its control connection is often such that the switch is changed to its conductive state even in the event of an unforeseen failure of the control, with the result that the electrical unit or at least the energy store is discharged. The problem here is often the fact that the switch and/or resistor heat(s) up during discharging and, in the worst-case scenario, is/are destroyed by the temperature which occurs in the process.

Discharging device, electrical unit and discharging method

Brose Fahrzeugteile SE & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft, Würzburg


The present invention provides a monitoring image recording apparatus capable of searching image data stored in a hard drive at high speeds. In this invention, video signals input from cameras 10 are detected by motion detector 14, and the difference of search results is stored in a hard drive 18 as incidental information of image data. When playing, based on the incidental information of image data, it is determined whether or not a motion is present within a set range. If motion is present, image data stored in the hard drive 18 is output to a monitor television 23.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a monitoring image recording apparatus comprising a motion detecting circuit for detecting motions of an object from input image signals.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional monitoring image recording apparatus typically has a motion detecting circuit for playing a desired image including a motion area from images recorded for a long time, in which the motion detecting circuit compares two image data recorded at different time in a recording medium to each other, and extracts and plays the selected image including a motion area (Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-171483).
However, in the conventional monitoring image recording apparatus, in order to detect motion, two image data recorded at different time from the recording medium is compared to each other, which results in preventing an image having the motion from being searched at high speeds.


An authenticating program, system and method for authenticating permission of a user to use a computer system, by storing inhibiting information, supervising input manipulation to a protected computer upon transition of the operating condition of the protected computer to the usable condition, acquiring input information to indicate contents of relevant input manipulations, and comparing the acquired input information with the inhibiting information stored in said inhibiting information storing means. Then, permission of the user is authenticated based on the result of the comparison. When the permission of the user is determined to be unauthentic, the operating condition of the computer is transitioned to a restricted condition.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for disabling access by a person not authorized to use a system, by identifying the person.
When using a personal computer or the like, permission of use is authenticated using an ID and a password or the like, for exclusion of use by persons other than the authorized users. Moreover, in view of eliminating inconvenience, if a user leaves his/her seat after the authentication has been made, the condition of the personal computer or the like is automatically shifted to the condition before the authentication is conducted, when data has not been inputted within a predetermined period.
As the chance for authenticating permission of use increases, there arises the problem that whereas security of the apparatus and the information processed by the apparatus can be improved, convenience of users deteriorates.
2. Description of the Related Art
Official Gazette No. W001/039099 describes a technology for authentication based on a pattern of input manipulations using a mouse or the like when use is started or re-use is conducted as the technology for alleviating a manipulation load imposed on a user at the time of performing authentication for permission of use.
Moreover, as to other technology for eliminating inconvenience when a user leaves a user's own seat after authentication, JP-A No. 09-233542 discloses setting the apparatus usable only when the code matched with the ID code registered previously can be obtained by periodically communicating with the non-contact system with an IC card or the like carried by a user.
The related art explained above has been proposed as the technology for providing convenience to a user while security is improved. However, in the related art, security is not provided at all immediately after a user leaves his/her seat after the authentication, or in a case of a theft of the apparatus after the authentication. Moreover, such a disadvantage also appears when the ID and password which are inputted for the authentication have been stolen or when the IC card or the like carried by a user is stolen, in the technology described in JP-A No. 09-233542.

Program, system and method for authenticating permission to use a computer system and inhibiting access to an unauthorized user


Post anchoring and quick release device (10) having a lower post attachment section (20) and an upper anchoring section (22). the device (10) is an elongated, generally rectangular body having in the lower section at least one opening (40,42) in one configuration and at least one opening (66,68) in another configuration and a nail hole (48,50,74,76) beneath each said opening. The nail holes are separated from the openings either by a web (52,54) or a restricted slit (78,80). The device is attached to a post by nails and when the post is to be removed from the ground a bar (B) is used to strike an offset release surface (28) to rupture the web against the nail or to allow the nail so slide through the restricted slit (78,80). In the one the nail is bent down as the device is forced down and in the other the nail slides free of the nail without contacting the nail. The post can then be lifted vertically such that the nail slides free of the device.

As those skilled in the art are aware governmental and municipal agencies have long been plagued by vandalism of street and traffic signs. The type of damage caused by vandals includes uprooting a sign post, knocking the sign over, defacing the sign held by the post and other forms of malicious and mindless property damage. Where, for instance, a post is simply broken in two so that a stub must be removed, the amount of effort and time required of the workmen who must remove the stub and replace the sign post may be considerable. This is particularly so if the broken post had some type of old and well known anchor means attached. In such a case the amount of digging required of the crew will be substantial. The same is true of any post which must be removed whatever the reason may be.
The known means of providing an anchoring feature for a post include a number of spikes pounded into and protruding from the part of the post which is below ground. Another old anchoring method includes nailing pieces of board such as short lengths of 2.times.4 to the butt of the post. As may be appreciated a large hole must be dug in order to remove a post with these kinds of locking structures attached. Accordingly, governmental entities incur large annual expenses for labor, post materials, sign maintenance, repair and replacement.
It must be kept in mind that many municipalities have ordinances which require that certain types of signs must be replaced within a specified number of hours. It can be understood that certain signs are necessary to public safety and are therefore important.
The only known art pertaining to the instant invention includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,530 to Arthur which is directed to a self-erecting marking post. This prior art device utilizes a lower end portion which carries outwardly projecting spring fingers which positively lock into the ground. The structure and intent of the patented device is significantly different and distinct from the device of this application. Other United States Patents are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,106,879; 353,050; 319,823; and 1,038,147, none of which is pertinent to the instant device.


An apparatus for mobile positioning and a method therefor are disclosed for determining the location of a mobile unit in a wireless communication system. First, an angle of arrival of a wireless signal transmitted by a mobile unit and being incident on a base station is determined by using an arrival angle estimator including a switched cross-correlator, an accumulator, and a phase detector. Next, the distance between the mobile unit and the base station is estimated according to timing information provided by the base station, such as timing-advance parameter of global system for mobile communications. The mobile unit is then positioned according to the angle of arrival and the distance between the base station and the mobile unit. Mobile positioning can be achieved according to the invention, using one base station without substantially modifying the existing base stations. In addition, the performance of positioning can be significantly improved.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to the apparatus and method for mobile unit positioning, and more particularly to the apparatus and method for mobile unit positioning utilizing angle of arrival and the timing information of the base station.
2. Description of the Related Art
The wireless communication system is popularly used for convenience. Because of mobile users' safety, the wireless communication system is recently required to be capable of determining the positions of mobile units. Because of the positions of mobile callers, the emergency responsiveness of the emergency service, such as 911 service, can be improved. A network-based position location system, for example, uses the given position of a base station (BS) to locate a mobile unit (MU) of the BS. The MU may be a cellular phone or other mobile communication device. The conventional positioning system determines the position of an MU by either the angle-of-arrival (AOA) of the incoming wireless signal or the timing-advance parameter thereof.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a mobile positioning system by using AOA. In FIG. 1, an MU is positioned at the intersection of the first line of bearing (LOB) L1 and the second LOB L2. The first base station, BS1, and the second base station, BS2, each have an antenna array. A wireless signal 110 is emitted by the MU in all directions and then arrives at the base stations BS1 and BS2. The AOA θ1 of the BS 1 and the AOA θ2 of the BS2 are obtained by performing an array signal processing on the received wireless signal. LOB L1 and LOB L2 are generated according to the angles of arrival θ1 and θ2, and then the MU is located at the intersection of LOB L1 and LOB L2. From the above description, at least two BSs are required to determine the position of the MU. For more accurate position of the MU, more BSs are required to estimate the AOA of the MU. However, the complexity of the base stations increases. In the existing wireless communication system, each base station using space diversity technology has two or three antennas only, while the above-mentioned base station with AOA positioning capability needs an antenna array. The base station using space diversity technology is widely used because it is simpler and able to reduce most of the fading effect. Thus, great efforts in modifying the existing wireless system makes the AOA mobile positioning system difficult to realize in practice. In addition, the cost is much higher if antenna-array base stations are used.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a mobile positioning system by using the single cell timing-advance (TA) positioning method with cell global identity (CGI). The cell of each base station has a specific CGI for identifying the position of the BS. The timing-advance parameter is the time that the wireless signal 110 takes to transmit from the MU to the BS. The distance D between the MU and the BS is obtained according to the speed of the wireless signal 110 and the timing-advance parameter. The MU is located at the circle around the BS with a radius of the distance D. The accuracy of the position of the MU depends mainly on the accuracy of the timing-advance parameter. In GSM system, the error of the timing-advance parameter is ½ bit, which results in a location estimation error of 550 meter. In other words, the position of the mobile unit in the GSM system lies on the ring with a width of 550 m around the base station. The position of the mobile unit can be more definite if more base stations are used in the mobile positioning.
The disadvantages of the conventional mobile positioning methods are as follows: (1) It is uneconomical and complicated in implementation. The AOA positioning method requires at least two base stations to determine a mobile location and each of them needs to be formed with an antenna array, for example. (2) It is cost-inefficient for obtaining a more accurate mobile location. In the TA positioning method, for example, a single base station is incapable of positioning accurately. For obtaining more accurate mobile location, multiple base stations should be required.

Apparatus and method for mobile unit positioning


A sliding mode including a process of feeding back an amount of twist for controlling a servo loop is controlled by reading the position of a servomotor and the position of a mechanical actuator drivable by the servomotor (SP1), calculating an amount of twist which is an error (SP2), calculating a switching surface Suf with a value produced by filtering the amount of twist (SP3), and selecting a switching input with the produced value (SP4, SP5, SP6). The amount of twist is filtered by a filter which has a numerator and a denominator which are of a first order. The filter allows a system to be realized which suffers less vibration and is robust against inertia fluctuations.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of executing a sliding-mode control including a process of feeding back an amount of twist of a robot, and more particularly to a method of executing a sliding-mode control including a process of feeding back an amount of twist, the method being capable of reducing vibration by changing switching surfaces with a value which is produced by filtering the amount of twist.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some mechanical systems have mechanical actuators, such as robot arms, which allow the inertia of applied loads to vary greatly depending on whether the robot arms, for example, are extended or contracted, and which include servomotors and associated mechanisms that have large speed reduction ratios. If those mechanical systems are controlled by the ordinary feedback control process, their responses are so slow that they are not practically feasible.
In view of the above drawback, it has been customary to measure the spring constant and viscosity term of a mechanical actuator, such as a robot arm, in various postures thereof, and calculate a dynamically variable feed-forward term according to the conventional linear control method on an on-line basis for feed-forward control of the mechanical system. The applicant has filed Japanese Patent Application No. 1-117518 on a sliding-mode control method in which a torque command value is varied depending on the fluctuation of the inertia of a robot. As well known in the art, sliding mode control which has been used in relay control since 1955, has been applied to many kinds of systems, including robot manipulators. The use of sliding mode control in a robot control system suppresses nonlinear interactions between servo systems due to Coriolis and centrifugal forces and automatically compensates for variations in mass at the hand or distal end of the robot manipulator.
The applicant has also filed Japanese Patent Application No. 1-253767, corresponding to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/687,902, on a sliding-mode control method which is an improvement over the above sliding-mode control method. According to the improved sliding-mode control method, a switching plane for sliding-mode control is varied depending on a twist or positional difference between a servomotor and a mechanical actuator which is driven by the servomotor, and a twisting speed, i.e., the speed at which such a twist occurs. As illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a manipulator may have an angle .theta..sub.t between lines L.sub.1 and L.sub.2 which respectively connect points J.sub.1 and J.sub.2, and joint J.sub.2 to the actual position of end E of the manipulator. Due to twist, the angular position .theta. of the motor at joint J.sub.2 may be different than .theta..sub.t. As illustrated in FIG. 3B, the angular position .theta. of the motor may also differ from the commanded position .theta..sub.r.
The above method is however disadvantageous in that it is necessary to establish a positional loop gain lower than a resonant frequency, and the servo rigidity is lowered.

Method of executing sliding-mode control including twist feedback


An application server generates a script and transmits the script to a first user equipment. The script is transmitted to the first user equipment in a request for establishment of a communication session between the first user equipment and a second user equipment. Execution of the script by the first user equipment controls handling of the communication session between the first user equipment and the second user equipment. Thus, by sending the script to the first user equipment, the application server controls the manner in which the first user equipment handles the communication session.

A communication session, such as a call, can be established by an application server towards user equipment (e.g. an end-user terminal or a mobile terminal). The establishment of a communication session may take place within the context of a special service. A special service may be, for example, a service (e.g. a group or non-group service) whereby a call is established to one or more user equipments for the playing of an announcement towards the user of that respective user equipment. The user may, for such service, answer the call and listen to the announcement. Thus, in general, the user ultimately decides how the communication session is to be handled. This can be problematic as it means that the establishment of a communication session with a user equipment is dependent on user behaviour.
An existing technique aimed at addressing this involves configuring the user equipment to automatically answer an incoming communication session. However, the issue with this technique is that such a setting on the user equipment is static in that all incoming communication sessions (irrespective of the caller) are automatically answered. Some user equipments (e.g. mobile phones) may be programmed to handle incoming communication sessions in a certain manner. For example, certain conditions may apply for handling an incoming communication session, such as only incoming communication sessions that satisfy certain criteria are automatically answered. However, there still remains the issue that such a setting on the user equipment is static in that the behaviour of the user equipment, with respect to answering the communication session, is still dependent on the manner in which the user equipment is programmed to handle incoming communication sessions.
Thus, in existing techniques, the user equipment that initiates a communication session is bound by the parameters of the receiving user equipment. As such, there is a need for an improved technique for controlling the handling of communications sessions, which overcomes at least some of the problems associated with existing techniques.

Controlling communication session handling at a user equipment using a script generated by an application server


The present invention relates to a photo radiation intensity sensor (1) comprising a housing (2) having a lens (4), and a printed circuit board (7) placed in such way in the housing (2) that one of its edges (37) faces the lens (4), where at least a first and a second sensing element (5a, 5b) are placed at a first side (7′) of the printed circuit board (7), where the first and second sensing elements (5a, 5b) are separated by a first flange (8), serving as a shading element. Further, at least a third sensing element (5′; 5c) is placed at a second side (7″) of the printed circuit board (7), arranged to detect both the direction and the intensity of the radiation source and for producing corresponding output signals. The present invention also relates to a calibration and measurement method.

Fully automated climate systems in vehicles are commonly used in vehicles. Originally such climate systems used single or multiple temperature sensors sensing the temperature in the cabin and regulated the airflow in dependence of the temperature measured by said sensors. However, the influence of the radiation of the sun is not adequately compensated for when using only a temperature sensor. Therefore it has been suggested to make use of radiation sensors, which measures the impact of the sun. Further improvements have resulted in sensors, which identifies the position of the sun in relation to the vehicle in order to further improve the regulation of the climate unit. Such sensors are known from inter alia WO 90/07102, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,337,802, 5,553,775, 5,117,744 and EP 852 189. The sensing elements described in these documents all include multiple sensing elements arranged in a housing, where said sensing elements are sensitive to light. The sensing elements are arranged at different geometrical positions of the sensor housing, whereby a sensitivity of the direction of a light source in relation to the sensor can be established. The sensors preferably also include shading elements, which prevent light from reaching one of the sensing elements when impinging from certain positions. By measuring the difference in altitude of the output signal from each of the sensing elements, an estimate of the position of the light source In relation to the sensor is calculated.
A typical response from a prior art sensor having two sensing elements is shown in FIG. 1. The sensor in the example includes a first and second sensing elements positioned in a housing in a manner such that light is blocked from reaching one of the sensing elements if impinging from a first direction and the light is blocked from reaching the other sensing element if impinging from a second opposite direction. A first left curve corresponds to the output signal produced by the first sensing element and a second right curve is produced by the second sensing element. The curves are overlapped in a small region corresponding mainly to a position where the light source impinges vertically on the sensing element. The magnitude of the signals each has a peak value outside side overlapping region and thereafter are steeply reduced to a small fractional value of said peak value. A problem with the sensor type producing such an output signal is that the position of the light source cannot be determined with accuracy outside the overlapping region. It is true that the output signal outside the overlapping interval has a magnitude dependent on the position, however, it is not possible to judge whether a small output signal is dependent on the position of the sun or if it depends on the intensity of the sun. In order to discriminate between these two variables it is necessary to have output signals from both sensing elements.
A typical response from a prior art sensor having a single sensing element is shown in FIG. 2. The output at low angles is typically low in relation to the output from vertically impinging radiation. Since heating problems in car interiors are mostly occurring at impinging angles of about 30-80°, this type of sensor does not conform well for the purpose of detecting a heating effect.
Generally, in order to detect the magnitude of the flux of the photo radiation it would be advantageous to have a sensor that has a response from different impinging angles which is as flat as possible. In the event a totally flat output could be generated the output would directly indicate the magnitude of the flux of the photo radiation.
Prior art sensor having four sensing elements still do not provide a perceptible signal from each sensing element at all azimuths and elevations, i.e. from every point in the hemisphere. This results in that the precision of the measurement is decreased, being dependent on at which azimuth and elevation the detection currently is being made.
Furthermore, the prior art sensors disclose quite complicated structures, which are expensive to manufacture. The prior art sensors also suffer from differences between each individual sensing element and geometrical misalignments during assembling.

Photo radiation intensity sensor and method thereof


A switching regulation system and control scheme efficiently enables driving multiple loads from a common energy storage element, such as an inductor. The control scheme operates to store energy in the energy storage element over a first portion of a cycle, such as by ramping up current through an inductor, according to energy requirements of the multiple loads. After storing the energy in the storage element during the first portion of the cycle, the stored energy is delivered consecutively to each of the multiple loads over a subsequent portion of the cycle.

DC-DC converters are employed in a variety of applications. DC-DC converters operate by converting an applied DC voltage (usually unregulated) into either a higher or lower regulated DC voltage. DC-DC converters are used in a variety of applications, including power supplies for computers, personal digital assistants, cellular phones and other hand held or portable electronic devices and systems. Each application may have specific demands and performance requirements.
One type of DC-DC converter is a switching converter. Switching converters are often used in portable (e.g., battery powered) devices, as they tend to provide improved efficiency over dissipative conversion methods. In such switched-mode DC-DC converters, an unregulated input voltage is converted into a periodic pulse waveform that has an average value which varies with the ratio of the pulse width to the pulse period. The average value of the pulse waveform may be extracted using filtering techniques, typically including the use of passive filtering components such as capacitors and inductors.
As a practical matter, the use of a high switching frequency in a switched-mode DC-DC converter is desirable because it permits a reduction in the size and weight of the passive filtering components. Switching frequencies in excess of 500 kHz in switched-mode DC-DC converters are common, and the use of large field effect transistors (FETs) as the switching element in the DC-DC converters has facilitated the increase in switching frequency. However, as the switching frequency increases, switching losses during the transition of the switch from "off" to "on" and from "on" to "off" also increase. This is due to the fact that during these transitions, the current passing through the switch and the voltage across the switch both have positive values resulting in a positive voltage-times-current (VI) product, and thus power dissipation. These are known as switch transition losses and are undesirable because they tend to degrade conversion efficiency.