The purpose of the present invention is to provide a medical material which, while retaining high liquid absorbency and styptic properties through gelation of CMC, can maintain shape stability even after absorbing a liquid; which has excellent conformance to the skin; and through which the body surface to which it is to be applied is visible. This medical material is a structure comprising regenerated cellulose fibers including carboxymethyl cellulose fibers in which the degree of substitution of the hydroxyl groups in the glucose units making up the cellulose molecule is at least 0.1 but less than 0.5, wherein the medical material is characterized in that the structure has the form of a woven and/or nonwoven fabric, and when the structure is impregnated with physiological saline, the range of the 10% modulus in both the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction of the structure is 0.2 N/50 mm-5.0 N/50 nm, inclusive.

Cellulose oxide, gelatin and microfibrillar collagen are known to be conventional styptic materials used to treat wounds, and are already used in pharmaceutical products and medical equipment. In addition, the following Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose carboxymethyl cellulose having an action that promotes cellular adhesion. On the other hand, although styptic materials of the prior art protect the surface of a wound by absorbing moisture and swelling to form an adhesive film, excessive absorption of moisture causes the structure thereof to dissolve resulting in the problem of difficulty in retaining shape, and thereby making it difficult to be used at an affected area where there is heavy bleeding such as in the case of using for hemostasis at a puncture site following dialysis,
In addition, in the case of a wound, present on human skin, for example, wound protective materials such as surgical dressing or wound covering materials are used so as to protect the wound site, and the following Patent Document 3 describes a soluble wound-healing styptic cellulose fiber in which the degree of substitution of the CMC is 0.5 to less than 1.0. In addition, the following Patent Document 4 describes that, in the case of applying CMC to a wound, there are no residual contaminants having the risk of causing inflammation and so forth at the wound site. However, since CMC having a degree of substitution of 0.5 or more gels excessively rapidly after absorbing liquid, it undergoes a change in form by contracting or dissolving, thereby resulting in problems in terms of use as a wound covering material.
In general, adhesive skin patches for medical use are required to have properties that enable them to conform to movement of the skin and surface irregularities in the skin. Consequently, gauze using cotton or silk was widely used as wound covering materials of the prior art due to its thinness and softness. However, since gauze lacks absorbency and liquid retention, if the amount of exudate from a wound is large, it is unable to suitably absorb the exudate resulting in the occurrence of leakage, and thereby causing soiling of clothing or bed sheets and the like and resulting in an unhygienic situation, while also resulting in the bother of having to frequently replace the gauze in order to prevent leakage of exudate. In addition, although some wound covering materials contain absorbent materials in the manner of foam materials, the presence of an absorbent material resulted in the problem of adhesion of the material to the wound surface, and since this also caused the wound to dry as a result thereof, there was the problem of healing being slower in comparison with healing in a moist state.

Medical material employing carboxymethyl cellulose


A buckle system for release of a crew member's harness from a parachute. The buckle system has a frame which holds the harness. A tang assembly holds the parachute strap and snaps into the frame. The tang assembly is held by a latch which pivots between a closed position and an open position. The latch in turn is held by a lever which includes a cavity which holds the free end of the latch. When the lever is moved to an open position the latch is released. The latch has a spring which urges it into an open position. The result is a buckle system which can be opened with very little force being exerted on the lever. The lever is covered by a spring loaded cover. An automatic release is provided wherein a pyrotechnic charge opens the cover and lever and thereby releases the latch.

The field of the invention is harnesses and the invention relates more particularly to harnesses of the type used by the crew of an aircraft.
Numerous harness release buckles are known. One early version utilizing a tang and latch assembly is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,183,568 to J. A. Gaylord and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. A more recent tang and latch assembly is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,572. Numerous other tang and latch mechanisms are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,658,281, 3,964,138, 4,095,313, and 4,185,363.
One of the problems with all of the above patents is the difficulty in trying to release the canopy from the harness when the canopy is under a great force such as occurring when a crew member is being dragged along the ground on a windy day. For instance, when referring to U.S. Pat. No. 3,183,568, the handle or yoke 18 has teeth 24 which fit into slots 26 in shaft 8. Thus, in order to turn shaft 8, the yoke is turned, but as shown in FIG. 5, the prong 6 is abutting directly against the shaft 8 and, if the prong is under a very heavy load, it is difficult to turn yolk 18. This same shortcoming exists in U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,572 where the engagement surface 33 of notch 28 abuts shoulder 32 and makes it difficult to rotate the handle 36.

Buckle system for manual or automatic release of crew member harness from parachute


The invention discloses novel fused-azacylic quinoxalinediones. These compounds may be employed as excitatory amino acid antagonists and as analogs for use in immunological assays. The invention is also directed to both a radioimmunoassay and enzyme immunoassay for detecting and quantitating 1,4,7,8,9,10,-hexahydro-9-methyl-6-nitropyrido[3,4-f]-quinoxaline-2,3-dion e PNQX and analogs thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to novel fused-azacyclic quinoxalinediones that may be employed as excitatory amino acid antagonists. The invention also relates to both a radioimmunossay and enzyme immunoassay for certain fused-azacyclic quinoxalinediones and novel analogs of fused-azacyclic quinoxalinediones employed in such immunoassays.
2. Related Background Art
Excessive excitation by neurotransmitters can cause the degeneration and death of neurons. It is believed that this degeneration is in part mediated by the excitotoxic actions of the excitatory amino acid (EAA) glutamate and aspartate at the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), the .alpha.-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate acid (AMPA) receptor, and the kainate receptor. This excitotoxic action is responsible for the loss of neurons in cerebrovascular disorders such as cerebral ischemia or cerebral infarction resulting from a range of conditions, such as thromboembolic or hemorrhagic stroke, cerebral vasospasms, hypoglycemia, cardiac arrest, status epilepticus, perinatal asphyxia, anoxia such as from drowning, pulmonary surgery, and cerebral trauma, as well as lathyrism, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's disease. Several classes of quinoxalinedione derivatives have been disclosed as glutamate (EAA) receptor antagonists. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,855, generically discloses compounds of the formulae: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1, R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 are independently H, halogen, CN, NH.sub.2, NO.sub.2, SO.sub.3 H, SO.sub.2 NH.sub.2, and CONH.sub.2. This reference specifically discloses 6-amino, 6-cyano, 5-carbamoyl, 6-nitro, and 5,6-dinitro-7,8,9,10-tetrahydro-2,3-dihydroxybenzo(f)quinoxalines. The reference, however, does not disclose any compounds with an azacycloalkyl fused ring, let alone an N-substituted ring. Nor does the reference disclose or suggest any methods which would allow the preparation of N-substituted azacycloalkyl ring fused compounds. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,081,123 and 5,308,845, describe similar structures except that there is respectively a hydroxy or alkoxy function at the nitrogen on the quinoxalinedione skeleton. Again, however, these references do not suggest or illustrate any examples of N-substituted fused azacycloalkyl quinoxalinediones.
Among excitatory amino acid receptor antagonists recognized for usefulness in the treatment of disorders are those that block AMPA receptors (Bigge C. F. and Malone T. C., Curr. Opin. Ther. Pat., 1993;951, Rogawski M. A., TiPS 14, 1993;325). AMPA receptor antagonists have prevented neuronal injury in several models of global cerebral ischemia (Li H. and Buchan A. M., J. Cerebr. Blood Flow Metab., 1994;13:933, Nellgard B. and Wieloch T., J. Cerebr. Blood Flow Metab., 1992;12:2) and focal cerebral ischemica (Bulock R., Graham D. I., Swanson S., McCulloch J., J. Cerebr. Blood Flow Metab., 1994;14:466); Xue D., Huang Z.-G., Barnes K., Lesiuk H. J., Smith K. E., Buchan A. M., J. Cerebr. Blood Flow Metab., 1994;14:251. AMPA antagonists have also shown efficacy in models for analgesia (Xu X.-J., Hao J.-X, Seiger A., Wiesenfeld-Hallin Z., J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther., 1993;267:140), and epilepsy (Namba T., Morimoto K., Sato K., Yamada N., Kuroda S., Brain Res., 1994;638:36; Brown S. E., McCulloch J., Brain Res., 1994;641:10; Yamaguchi S. I., Donevan S. D., Rogawski M. A., Epilepsy Res., 1993;15:179; Smith S. E., Durmuller N., Meldrum B. S., Eur. J. Pharmacol., 1991;201:179) AMPA receptor antagonists have also demonstrated promise in chronic neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinsonism. (Klockgether T., Turski L., Honere T., Zhang Z., Gash D. M., Kurlan R., Greenamyre J. T., Ann. Neurol., 1993;34(4):585-593.)
Excitatory amino acid receptor antagonists that block nmDA receptors are also recognized for usefulness in the treatment of disorders. nmDA receptors are intimately involved in the phenomenon of excitotoxicity, which may be a critical determinant of outcome of several neurological disorders. Disorders known to be responsive to blockade of the nmDA receptor include acute cerebral ischemia (stroke or cerebral trauma, for example), muscular spasm, convulsive disorders, neuropathic pain and anxiety, and may be a significant causal factor in chronic neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease (Klockgether T., Turski L., Ann. Neurol. 1993;34:585-5933), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) related neuronal injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer's disease (Francis P. T., Sims N. R., Procter A. W., Bowen D. M., Neurochem J. 1993;60(5):1589-1604) and Huntington's disease. (See Lipton S. A., TINS 1993;16(12):527-532; Lipton S. A., Rosenberg P. A., New Eng. J. Med. 1994;330(9):613-622; and Bigge C. F., Biochem. Pharmacol., 1993;45:1547-1561 and references cited therein.) nmDA receptor antagonists may also be used to prevent tolerance to opiate analgesia or to help control withdrawal symptoms from addictive drugs (Eur. Pat. Appl. 488,959A).
Copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/124,770 discloses glutamate receptor antagonist quinoxalinedione derivatives represented by the formula: ##STR2## wherein A is a 5 to 7 atom containing ring having a nitrogen which may be substituted by hydrogen, alkyl, or CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OH. This application does not disclose or suggest compounds having different nitrogen substituents, or the requisite methodology to prepare the same.
Copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/404,400 discloses certain N-substituted fused azacycloalkylquinoxalinediones wherein the N-substituent may be selected from alkylCOOR.sup.3, alkylamine, alkylquanidine, aryl, alkylaryl, COalkyl, COalkylaryl, CSNR.sup.3 alkylaryl, or a common amino acid moiety joined by an amine bond and wherein R.sup.3 is hydrogen, alkyl, or alkylaryl. However, additional derivatives of N-substituted fused azacycloalkylquinoxalinediones that are useful as excitory amino acid antagonists would be desirable. It is also highly desirable to have an accurate manner of assaying N-substituted fused azacycloalkylquinoxalinediones in plasma and in cerebrospinal fluid or brain microdialysate to assist in the study of these compounds in their use as neuroprotective agents.

Excitatory amino acid antagonists: fused-azacyclic quinoxalinediones and immunoassays thereof


A process and apparatus for ablating surface lesions is disclosed. The process is unique because of the ability to precisely excise complex topographies without blood loss, gated by the degree of surface small vessel blood flow via detection of Doppler shift. The most fitting application is the immediate, bloodless, and precise excision of thermal burn wounds, hitherto impossible and extremely desirable. A variation of the invention is disclosed which incorporates gating both by surface small vessel blood flow and fluorescence tagging. This embodiment has particular application in ablating neoplasms.

The present invention addresses the pressing need to be capable of surgically excising surface lesions with a discrimination of tissue to be removed/tissue to remain at the millimeter level. Using the principal of Doppler shift, the process and apparatus disclosed discriminates desirable from undesirable tissue by the degree of small vessel blood flow at the surface, with a resolution limited only to the width of the scanning laser Doppler beam. This degree of surgical resolution or precision has never been remotely approached by a surgeon wielding a scalpel.
Incumbent upon any "tangential excision" of surface lesions is the ability to remove the lesion without hemorrhaging the patient to death, a real world concern and rate limiting step with this type of surgery. The process and apparatus disclosed works bloodlessly by virtue of the cauterizing effects of the ablating laser beam. Bloodless tangential excision would allow the scope of an excision not to be limited by blood loss, but by the endurance of the operative team. The present inventor is unaware of such bloodless tangential excision having been realized heretofore.
A very fitting application for the disclosed process and apparatus is the immediate (vs. early) excision and grafting of major burn injuries. Again, the present inventor is unaware of such immediate excision having been realized heretofore. Major burns remain one of the most devastating traumatic injuries, with an annual mortality of >5000 people in the United States (1993), and 80,000 hospitalizations per year. The suffering is especially severe in the pediatric population, where the burns are frequently a result of child abuse.
Early excision and grafting of burns (within five days of injury) has been the principal engine behind improvements in burn mortality over the last twenty years (Effects of early tangential excision and grafting on survival after burn injury. Cryer HG, Anigian GM, Miller FB, et al. Surg Gynecol Obstet 1991 Dec;173(6):449-53). Because of the intensity of the physiologic derangements resulting from burns, the period of resuscitation from burn shock has essentially precluded operative excision of the burns, with its attendant massive blood loss (Burn shock resuscitation. Warden GD. World J Surg 1992 Jan-Feb:16(1):16-23).
The burn wound represents a site of life threatening bacterial infection as well as a lost barrier to microorganism infiltration. Immediate excision and closure of burn wounds remains an important goal of current research to improve outcomes (Early, complete burn wound excision partially restores cytotoxic T lymphocyte function. Hultman CS, Cairns BA, deSerres S, et al. Surgery 1995 Aug;118(2):421-9). If immediate and complete excision of clinical burns were possible, it would represent a quantum leap in the standard of care and be the basis for a dramatic increase in survivorship. The present invention permits this very goal to be achieved.
Other significant clinical problems that would be well addressed by the invention include, but are not limited to, management of decubitus ulcers (bed sores), all non-healing ulcers of the skin, and the precise, rapid debridement of necrotizing fasciitis and other mixed synergistic gangrenes. The latter two entities are dreaded aggressive soft tissue infections with high mortalities and limb loss.
Modified with an additional laser "channel" to excite, then quantify fluorescence from fluorescein or rhodamine tagged monoclonal antibodies, the invention becomes useful in the ablation of tumors. Conceptually, this scheme capitalizes on the fact that nearly all cancerous tumors are hyper-vascular relative to normal tissues, a condition that can be identified by Doppler shift (Role of color Doppler imaging in differentiating between pseudocystic malignant tumors and fluid collections. Fornage BD, J Ultrasound Med 1995 Feb:14(2):125-8). The duality of gating control would allow for discrimination of nonspecific fluorescein or antibody binding by "double checking" with blood flow parameters.
Several prior patents exist that describe the use of lasers for the ablation of tissue. None of them disclose or suggest a combination which includes Doppler shift analysis of tissue blood-flow to control or "gate" the ablating laser.
There are five U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,558,432 (Crowley), 5,010,886 (Passafaro et al.), 4,887,605 (Angelsen et al.), 4,785,806 (Deckelbaum), 4,587,972 (Morantte Jr.) that deal with delivery of wave energy (typically a laser) via a flexible catheter into the intra-vascular space to diagnose and/or ablate a cardiovascular lesion. These lesions are either atheromas causing intralumenal obstruction (blockage of arteries), or foci of aberrant electrical activity in the heart (irregular heart beat). The field of these five patents is cardiovascular, intralumenal medicine.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,520 (Fleming), a method of tumor ablation is described using a laser to vaporize target tissue with the resultant spectral analysis of light emitted employed in gating further ablation. Although comment is made to application in Doppler interferometry, Doppler analysis of blood flow and derivative control and gating of the ablating laser is not described, nor a logical derivative of the information and design disclosed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,973,848 (Kolobanov et al.), an "analysis beam" is used to excite a fluorescent dye tagged target which then derives control and gating of a "treatment beam". In the preferred embodiment, these two lasers are convergent, and not coaxial (although feasibility of a coaxial light path is remarked upon). The stated fields include industrial materials processing, dermatology, cosmetic surgery, and tumor therapy. No incorporation of Doppler analysis of blood flow in the "analysis beam" appears to be mentioned. Using blood flow as the means of controlling the treatment beam would not be a logical derivative of the design as disclosed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,412 (Goldenberg), a process of endoscopic or intra-cavitary ablation of tumor is described which depends on recognition of tumor tissue with radio-immunodetection. This analysis is then potentially used to control and gate an ablative laser. The stated field here is gastrointestinal malignancies.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,672,963 (Barken), a process and apparatus is described in which target tissue is analyzed with two-dimensional ultrasound. Visual control and gating from the ultrasound image then drives ablation with a laser. The preferred embodiment was demonstrated managing a tumor of the prostate gland.
The preceding four US patents all deal with the destruction of tumors or other undesirable tissue with lasers. One aspect which clearly separates these examples of prior art from the present invention is the analysis of tissue blood flow by Doppler shift to control and gate the ablative laser.
Furthermore, in none of these four patents are two lasers combined optically coaxial. The coaxial nature of the present invention is a significant (but not mandatory) design feature of the present invention, in its preferred embodiment.
Furthermore, in none of these four patents is the optical axis manipulated by a precisely controlled mirror, which streamlines the form factor of a physical embodiment of the design, and provides a high gain in collecting returned wave energy.
Lastly, in none of these four patents is the process and apparatus specifically nor easily adaptable to the rapid excision of clinical burns or soft tissue infections in a bloodless fashion, an important design feature of the present invention, in its preferred embodiment. Although use in tumor therapy was described in the prior art, no addressing of that therapy in a bloodless, cauterizing fashion appears to be disclosed.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide for a means to tangentially excise burn wounds immediately upon arrival in the intensive care unit, even in the midst of resuscitation from burn shock.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide for a resolution of normal vs. abnormal tissue (burns or otherwise) at the millimeter level, a precision not previously attainable by any method.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide control for a coaxial ablative laser by gating to surface small vessel blood flow determined by Doppler shift.
It is further an object of the present invention to tangentially excise a burn wound or other tissue lesion bloodlessly by using an ablative laser which cauterizes as well.
It is further an object of the present invention to incorporate selectable wavelengths of the Doppler laser so that the depth of blood flow analysis is variable.
It is further an object of the present invention to incorporate selectable beam width, laser power, dwell time adjustment, and scanning raster adjustment for the ablative laser so that the ablation can be fine-tuned to minimize collateral thermal tissue damage.
It is further an object of the present invention to employ control logic so that a re-analysis of blood flow is done after each ablative cycle (nominally 200 .mu.m ablation depth per cycle) to maximize the depth precision of tissue excision.
It is further an object of the present invention to allow for high-pass or low-pass blood flow gating of ablation so that the device may be used to ablate tumors or soft tissue infections characterized by a higher than normal blood flow.
It is further an object of the present invention to allow for insertion of a second diagnostic laser channel set up to excite and detect fluorescence from dye tagged monoclonal antibodies adherent to target tissues. In this mode, gating of the ablative laser would be dual: to blood flow and to presence of fluorescent tagged antibody binding.
It is further an object of the present invention to incorporate adjustments to the ablating laser such that dwell time can be modified by motion dither introduced by ultrasonic vibration of elements in the optical path.
It is further an object of the present invention to employ a control electronics suite and logic sufficient to permit treatment of the whole surface area of an adult in the span of several hours.
It is further an object of the present invention to incorporate digital image stabilization to overcome un-preventable patient motion.


A cable assembly is provided that includes a wire bundle having individual wires, and first and second connectors provided on first and second ends of said wire bundle. The first and second connectors include first and second circuit boards, respectively. The first and second ends of the wires are terminated on the first and second circuit boards in accordance with different first and second wire management configurations, respectively.

This invention relates generally to cable assemblies, and more particularly, to wire management configurations for cable assemblies.
Modern electronic devices use cable assemblies to link various electronic components. Conventional cable assemblies typically include a cable having a wire bundle that extend between electrical connectors. In some applications, the electrical connectors include circuit boards that carry and are electrically coupled to various electronic components. The individual wires in the wire bundle are electrically and mechanically coupled at signal contacts on the circuit boards in the respective electrical connectors. The wires may be coupled to the circuit boards as differential pairs. As connectors and the circuit boards therein are reduced in size, less and less room is available for the wires to enter the connectors. Hence, it has become increasingly of interest to arrange the wires in a space efficient manner where the wires enter the rear of the connector.
Conventional cable assemblies utilize identical circuit boards in each of the electrical connectors. Hence, the wires in each cable assembly extend between the electrical connectors and are coupled to the same type of circuit board at opposite electrical connectors. However, during assembly, the wires do not readily align with the signal contacts of the opposing circuit boards. Accordingly, the wires at one end of the cable assembly are rearranged until aligning with associated contacts on the opposing circuit board. Rearranging the wires increases the manufacturing time and complexity and increases the envelope of the wires, thereby increasing the overall cost and size of the cable assembly.

Cable assembly with opposed inverse wire management configurations


To reduce space occupied by a handlebar stopper structure of a vehicle and to lower the cost of the handlebar stopper structure. A steering shaft is attached to an input shaft provided at an upper portion of an electric power steering unit with an output shaft provided at a lower portion of the electric power steering unit being coupled to the wheel-side. An upper handlebar stopper for regulating a turning angle of the steering shaft is provided between the steering shaft and a housing that is provided at an upper portion of the electric power steering unit. The upper handlebar stopper is configured by an orthogonally-projecting member projecting in the orthogonal direction relative to and from the steering shaft and axially-projecting parts projecting in the axial direction of the steering shaft from the housing in order to regulate the turning of the orthogonally-projecting member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement in a handlebar stopper structure of a vehicle.
2. Description of Background Art
A handlebar stopper structure for a vehicle is known wherein a structure is provided wherein a handlebar stopper is mounted between an output shaft coupled to an operation handlebar and a chassis. See, for example, JP-U No. H3-1877.
FIGS. 5 and 8 of JP-U No. H3-1877 illustrate an electric power steering apparatus that includes an input shaft 5 coupled to an operation handlebar 3, and an output shaft 11 coupled to the input shaft 5 through a steering torque sensor 7 and a speed-reducing device 9. The output shaft 11 is coupled to wheels (not shown) through a tie rod 13.
A locking member 35 projects from the output shaft 11 and a pair of stopper members 39 and 39 which are attached to a chassis 37 for configuring a stopper mechanism 33 for regulating a maximum steering angle of the wheels.
The stopper members 39 and 39 project from the chassis 37 in a radial direction, and the locking member 35 which abuts on the stopper members 39 and 39 accordingly extends in the radial direction. Thus, a space occupied by the stopper mechanism 33 in the vehicle body becomes larger, which has an effect on the arrangement of the other components.
The electric power steering apparatus is supported by a bracket 43 which extends from the chassis, and a dimensional error of the bracket 43 has an effect on the positional accuracy of the locking member 35 of the stopper mechanism 33 through the output shaft 11. Thus, it is difficult to manage the accuracy of a distance between the locking member 35 and the stopper members 39 and 39. More specifically, an error with respect to the distance is likely to become larger.
Further, the locking member 35 is provided on the output shaft 11 and the stopper members 39 and 39 are provided on the chassis 37. Between the locking member 35 and the stopper members 39 and 39, there are interposed a plurality of components, such as a bearing for rotatably supporting a lower end of the output shaft 11, a bracket for supporting the bearing, a lower chassis, and the chassis 37. Accordingly, if, for example, dimensional errors of these components themselves and assembling errors are accumulated, an error with respect to a distance between the locking member 35 and the stopper members 39 and 39 becomes larger. Thus, it is difficult to regulate the wheels so as to have a predetermined maximum steering angle. If the working and assembling accuracy of each component is enhanced, it is possible to regulate the wheels so as to have a predetermined maximum steering angle, but the cost incurred is increased.


Automatic detection of intermediate network device capabilities includes analyzing requests received, at a particular device, from a remote device. The analyzing is performed to determine, based on the content of the requests, whether an intermediate device on the network situated between the device and the remote device does not support streaming of data from the device to the remote device using the pipelining feature of Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) 1.1. In one implementation, a test is performed by sending two back to back requests from the remote device to the particular device. The test is determined to be a success if the requests are received within a threshold amount of time of one another, and a failure if the requests are not received within the threshold amount of time of one another.

Content streaming, such as the streaming of audio, video, and/or text is becoming increasingly popular. The term "streaming" is typically used to indicate that the data representing the media is provided over a network to a client computer on an as-needed basis rather than being pre-delivered in its entirety before playback of the data begins. Thus, the client computer renders streaming data as it is received from a network server, rather than waiting for an entire "file" to be delivered.
The widespread availability of streaming multimedia enables a variety of informational content that was not previously available over the Internet or other computer networks. Live content is one significant example of such content. Using streaming multimedia, audio, video, or audio/visual coverage of noteworthy events can be broadcast over the Internet as the events unfold. Similarly, television and radio stations can transmit their live content over the Internet.
A co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/179,828, entitled "Communicating via a Connection Between a Streaming Server and a Client without Breaking the Connection", describes streaming data from a server to a client via an established connection, where commands can be communicated to the server and streaming can continue without breaking the connection. This streaming can occur, for example, using an HTTP 1.1 (HyperText Transfer Protocol version 1.1) connection. However, problems can arise when attempting to stream content over an HTTP 1.1 connection because even though the client and the server may support such streaming, a network device situated between the client and the server may not. This situation can create problems because commands may not be passed between the client and server as expected by the client and server.
The automatic detection of intermediate network device capabilities described herein solves these and other problems.


The present invention relates to a non-magnetic monocomponent color toner composition and a method for preparing the same, and more particularly to a non-magnetic monocomponent color toner composition having a narrow charge distribution, good charging characteristics, good environmental independence, superior image characteristics, high transfer efficiency and long-term stability caused by significantly improved charge maintenance capability, and a method for preparing the same. The non-magnetic monocomponent color toner composition of the present invention is prepared by coating organic particles having an average particle size of 0.3 to 2.0 μm, organic particles having an average particle size of 0.05 to 0.25 μm, and silica on toner mother particles.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a non-magnetic monocomponent color toner composition and a method for preparing the same, and more particularly to a non-magnetic monocomponent color toner composition having a narrow charge distribution, good charging characteristics, good environmental independence, superior image characteristics, high transfer efficiency, and long-term stability caused by significantly improved charge maintenance capability, and a method for preparing the same.
(b) Description of the Related Art
The recent hard-copying and printing techniques using image formation methods, such as electrophotographs, are rapidly moving toward full color from black and white. In particular, the color printer market is expanding very rapidly. In general, formation of color images by full color electrophotography is carried out with three colors comprising cyan, magenta, and yellow, or four colors further comprising black, to present all colors. In this rapidly growing full color market, high image quality, good reliability, compactness, lightweightness, low price, high speed, low energy consumption and recyclability, and so forth are highly required. Improvement and development of image formation methods and toners to satisfy these requirements are widely progressing.
In general, image formation in electrophotography comprises:
1. a charging step of uniformly charging a drum surface;
2. an exposure step of exposing the drum surface and forming an electrostatic latent image;
3. a developing step of developing the latent image on the drum surface using a toner formed on the surface of a developing roller and obtaining a toner image;
4. a transfer step of transferring the toner image;
5. a fixing step of settling the toner image; and
6. a cleaning step of removing toner remaining on the drum surface from the transfer step.
Each step of the image formation process in electrophotography requires the following characteristics from a toner. The developing step requires an appropriate charging of the toner, charge maintenance, and environmental independence. The transfer step requires good transfer characteristics. The fixing step requires low-temperature settlement characteristics and offset resistance. And lastly, the cleaning step requires good cleaning characteristics and contamination resistance. Recently, the above characteristics have become more important with the trend toward high resolution, high speed, and full color.
With regard to long-term maintenance of image quality for repeated printing, there is a method of mixing four colors directly in a photoconductive drum in the transfer step. And recently, indirect transfer image formation has been mainly used in full color printers because it can offer high speed and good image quality. In indirect transfer image formation, a toner image on the drum surface is repeatedly transferred to an intermediate transfer belt by each color, and then the image is transferred paper as a whole.
However, indirect transfer image formation requires more toner transfer steps. Therefore, better and more exact transfer characteristics are required to obtain a good image quality. Also, research on additives, toner shape, surface structure control, and so forth are required to improve charging stability or transfer efficiency, in order to obtain stable long-term and high-quality full color images.
With regard to the cleaning step, reduction of remaining toners after transfer and reducing the cleaner size are important tasks for improving environmental independence. In particular, for a three-color comprising cyan, magenta, and yellow, or a four-color toner further comprising black, toners remaining after transfer are a significant problem.
To overcome these problems of the transfer step and the cleaning step, it is important to reduce remaining toners. For this purpose, it is important to improve transfer efficiency of the toner, and to maintain it. To improve transfer efficiency of the toner, it is necessary to reduce the toner's adhesivity to the photoconductive drum.
Fine particles, such as silica, may be added to the toner to reduce its adhesivity to the photoconductive drum. The fine particles reduce the toner's adhesivity to the drum and improve its transfer efficiency. To obtain good transfer efficiency, many fine particles should be coated on the toner surface. Consequently, the addition amount of the fine particles increases and the toner charging characteristics become poor. Moreover, the fine particles may adhere to electrostatic latent image carriers, and filming or fixing problems may occur. Especially, silica particles may cause problems of image density irregularity at low temperature and humidity, and non-image area contamination at high temperature and humidity, because they are highly environment-dependent.
As a method for improving environmental independence of a toner, addition of inorganic fine particles having electric resistance lower than that of silica particles and good-charge exchange ability, such as titanium oxide particles, is known. However, if inorganic fine particles having lower electric resistance are used, charge distribution of the toner may change easily. Also, poor second transfer when using an intermediate transfer belt or retransfer of wrong sign color toner during multiple transfers may be caused.
A method of increasing resistance of inorganic fine particles by treating the surface with a silane coupling agent, etc. was proposed to solve this problem. However, cohesion of the fine particles becomes so severe that their dispersibility on the toner surface decreases. Also, fluidity of the toner may decrease or blocking may occur due to free cohesioned particles.
Accordingly, research on a color toner having a narrow charge distribution, good charging characteristics and environmental independence, and superior image characteristics, transfer efficiency, and long-term stability, is highly needed.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method for preparing of non-magnetic monocomponent color toner having superior long term stability


A method for deactivating a defective door of a train. The method steps include: providing a first door and a first controller; providing a second door and a second controller; providing a separate remote, central activation device configured to transmit an activation signal; determining that a fault has occurred at the second door; and deactivating the second door by an activation signal transmitted from the remote, central activation device via the first controller. A deactivation apparatus for deactivating a defective door of a train, the deactivating apparatus including: a first train door, a first controller, and a first locking device; a second train door, a second controller, and a second locking device, wherein the second train door is a defective train door; a separate, central control center connected to the first and second train doors and configured to provide and transmit an activation instruction, wherein the defective train door is deactivated by the activation instruction via the first locking device of the non-defective door.

The present disclosure relates to a device for deactivating defective doors or defective movable steps of a train.
In passenger trains, local trains and underground railways, the door monitoring system usually transmits signals relating to the functional capability and the operating state of doors and movable steps for ease of comprehension, reference will be made herein only to doors, which include doors and steps, unless specific comments regarding steps alone are meant. The signals are transmitted to a central location, for example into the tractive unit, or to the driver of the train or locomotive. The door monitoring system signals the operating state of the doors, and thus also the occurrence of a defect together with the specification of the affected door. If such a fault occurs, the employee who is responsible for this must go to the defective door and lock this door manually and deactivate its door controller. With the often customary large train lengths of 100 or 200 meters and more, this can result in delays and disruption during operation, in particular when there is a dense sequence of trains.
The present disclosure relates to a method and a door controller with which the above-mentioned inconvenient, time-consuming, and in many cases dangerous, activity is dispensed with.
For this purpose, the present disclosure provides that if a fault occurs at a door, the deactivation of the defective door is carried out under remote control by the central monitoring system for the doors. This is done either directly or indirectly by the controller of an assigned, non-defective door.
The device, according to the present disclosure, is of simple design and comprises an activation device for the emergency locking device. The emergency locking device is activated manually according to the prior art. The device can be a motor, a solenoid, etc., but it is essential that its actuation, the control of the emergency locking device, takes place independently of the control of its "own" door since the latter may, of course, under certain circumstances become defective and thus cause the fault. It is therefore necessary to produce a separate connection to the data bus system which extends through the entire train, which does not constitute a problem per se. Usually, at the end of the activation of the emergency locking device, the door is also decoupled from the door controller in order to prevent colliding instructions. This is done in an analogous fashion for the remote-controlled activation of the emergency locking device.
However, it is also necessary to provide a power supply for emergency activation of the door and for the control of the emergency locking device, which is difficult under certain circumstances. In such cases, it is advantageous, for spatial reasons, to attach the fault circuit to the normal door controller of a door located in the vicinity, for example, opposite the affected door. The connection could also be made to the air conditioning system controller or the like, but the aforesaid assignment to the door located in the vicinity is simple and easy to understand.
It therefore, according to the present disclosure, becomes possible not only to detect and locate a defective door centrally, as in the past, but also to deactivate it and disconnect it from the controller.
In cases in which the failure of a door system occurs in the "door wing open" position, the deactivation also comprises the closing process of the door, either the entirety or only the missing part thereof. In order also to solve this problem, in an embodiment according to the present disclosure, the door controller is not only connected to the door drive of its "own" door but also to the door drive of at least one further door, referred to herein as the assigned door. In the case of a defect, the door controller of the intact door then initiates the closing movement of the defective door and controls it.
In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, it is provided that the door which has been deactivated is signaled as unusable to the passengers by an optical device so that at least the passengers who are leaving the train can be provided in good time with the possibility of looking for another exit.
In a further embodiment according to the present disclosure, there is provision, in particular in cars which are already equipped with video monitoring systems, also to use these video monitoring systems to assess the satisfactory deactivation without the employee who is responsible for this having to go in person to the defective door. It is therefore possible, for example, to monitor the satisfactory closing of the door within the course of the deactivation process.
Other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following descriptions when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Method and device for deactivating defective doors

Knorr-Bremse Gesellschaft mit Beschrankter Haftung


An image reproducing apparatus is adapted for reproducing a photographed image recorded on a film, the film having photographic information about the photographed image. The apparatus includes a reproducer for reproducing the photographed image recorded on the film, a reader for reading the photographic information from the film, a corrector for correcting the quality of the photographed image, a setter for setting a correction for the corrector based on the photographic information, and a controller for controlling the corrector to reproduce the photographed image in accordance with the set correction.

The present invention relates to a photographed image reproducing apparatus which picks up an image photographed in each frame of a film by a photoelectric conversion device and reproduces/displays the picked up image on a television (TV) monitor.
There have been known photographed image reproducing apparatuses which pick up an image photographed in each frame of a film (hereinafter referred to merely as a photographed image) by an image pick-up device such as a charge coupled device (CCD) and reproduce the picked up image on a TV monitor or like display apparatus. In the apparatuses of this type, a gradation characteristic, an outline characteristic, and the like are adjustable so as to adjust the quality of the image reproduced on the TV monitor.
For instance, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-161143 discloses the following photographed image reproducing apparatus. A plurality of gradation correction tables and color correction tables corresponding to a plurality of different types of pictures are stored in advance. A picture of the picked up image is classified based on information including average, maximum and minimum transmission densities and the number of colors such as red, blue, and green. Gradation and color corrections are applied to the picked up image using the gradation and color correction tables corresponding to the classified picture.
Further, Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 63-38154 discloses the following photographed image reproducing apparatus which displays a picked up image obtained by scanning a photographed image on a TV monitor. Gradation and color information is calculated from the picked up image. The calculation values are compared with predetermined reference values to calculate a scanning condition under which the photographed image is scanned so as to exhibit proper gradation and colors in a reproduced image.
The purpose of the photographing operation differs, which leads to different types of pictures such as a landscape picture, a collective picture including images of many people, a portrait picture and a macrophotographed picture. The quality of an image to be reproduced differs depending on the photographing purpose.
For example, in the case of the macrophotographed picture, it is preferable to emphasize a main subject such as a flower and an insect and to reproduce the main subject image clearly. In the case of the portrait picture, it is preferable to emphasize an image of a person relative to a background image to such an extent as not to damage harmony with the background image and to reproduce the portrait picture such that the main subject image stands out of the background image.
It is well known that characteristics of the photographed image differs depending upon a light source. For example, an image photographed under the tungsten or fluorescent light tends to be unclear compared to the one photographed using the sunlight during the day as a light source. Likewise, an image photographing using the sunlight on a cloudy day is less clear than the one photographed on a fine day.
In the case of a flash firing photographing operation, the amount of light illuminating a subject differs depending upon a distance between the camera and the subject, which leads in some cases to an improper luminance balance between a background image and a subject image in a photographed image. For instance, when a photographed image obtained by photographing a subject standing close to the camera with the assist of flash light is reproduced on a TV monitor, the reproduced subject image looks unnatural, looking particularly whitish relative to the background image.
The reproducing apparatuses disclosed in the above-mentioned references set the contents of the gradation and color corrections based on the information obtained by picking up the photographed image. These apparatuses do not set contents of an image quality correction such as a gradation correction based on data concerning photographing operations recorded in correspondence with respective frames, the data including the focusing accuracy, magnification, light source and exposure level.
With these apparatuses, it may be possible to correct the overall image quality of the reproduced image by correcting the gradation and colors of the photographed image itself, but it is difficult to obtain a proper image quality in consideration of the photographed content, e.g., the time when a landscape picture is taken.
Further, since an image having an extremely large luminance difference is reproduced with an unnatural luminance balance, it is desirable to prepare different gradation characteristics for images in high and low luminance regions and to apply to each region a gradation correction corresponding to the luminance. The above-mentioned references disclose no art of dividing the photographed image into a high luminance region and other region, and correcting the image in each region using a gradation characteristic corresponding to the luminance of the region. Thus, with the apparatuses disclosed therein, it is also difficult to correct a photographed image having a large luminance difference and to reproduce an image having a natural luminance balance.

Photographed image reproducing apparatus


A convex minimization is formulated to robustly recover a subspace from a contaminated data set, partially sampled around it, and propose a fast iterative algorithm to achieve the corresponding minimum. This disclosure establishes exact recovery by this minimizer, quantifies the effect of noise and regularization, and explains how to take advantage of a known intrinsic dimension and establish linear convergence of the iterative algorithm. The minimizer is an M-estimator. The disclosure demonstrates its significance by adapting it to formulate a convex minimization equivalent to the non-convex total least squares (which is solved by PCA). The technique is compared with many other algorithms for robust PCA on synthetic and real data sets and state-of-the-art speed and accuracy is demonstrated.

The most useful paradigm in data analysis and machine learning is arguably the modeling of data by a low-dimensional subspace. The well-known total least squares solves this modeling problem by finding the subspace minimizing the sum of squared errors of data points. This is practically done via principal components analysis (PCA) of the data matrix. Nevertheless, this procedure is highly sensitive to outliers.

Convex minimization and data recovery with linear convergence


Provided are a copolycarbonate and a polycarbonate composition comprising the same. The copolycarbonate comprises repeat units of the following Chemical Formula 1 and repeat units of the following Chemical Formula 2:

Polycarbonate is prepared by polycondensation of an aromatic diol such as bisphenol A and a carbonate precursor such as phosgene, has excellent impact strength, dimensional stability, heat resistance and transmittance, and the like, and is applied in various fields such as exterior materials of electric and electronic products, automobile parts, building materials, optical components, clothing materials, and the like.
Recently, for such polycarbonate, a lot of studies are being attempted to copolymerize two or more kinds of aromatic diol compounds having different structures to introduce repeat units of different structures into the main chain of polycarbonate, thus obtaining desired properties, so as to apply for more various fields.
Polycarbonate is also used as automobile exterior material due to its excellent impact resistance, but recently, there is an increasing customer demand for novel material that not only exhibits excellent impact resistance as polycarbonate, but also has excellent scratch resistance, weather resistance, and the like.

Copolycarbonate and polycarbonate composition comprising the same

Abstract: Chemical Formula 1

Abstract: Chemical Formula 2


Methods, systems, and apparatuses for predicting a user field-of-view change and determining transmission regions of immersive video (IV) content for an IV device are presented. A field-of-view change of a user device may be predicted. A transmission region in one or more video frames of the IV content may be determined based on the predicted change.

Providers of content may support numerous types of devices and transmit large amounts of data. Different types of devices may be used to view content, and some video content, such as 360-degree video, virtual reality content, etc., may have more image content than traditional television video. For example, omnidirectional cameras may capture a panoramic 360-degree video, which may include views in a variety of different directions. During playback, the user may view one portion of the panorama and move the view to look in a different direction. Transmitting and processing content, such as a 360-degree video, may require a substantial amount of bandwidth and data processing power.

Predictive content delivery for video streaming services


Techniques are disclosed for producing a pocket square. The pocket square may include a single layer or may include multiple layers. In some embodiments, the pocket square may include a first layer having a length and width. The first layer may be attached to a second layer configured to have the same length and width as the first layer. Disposed between the first layer and the second layer there may be a third layer configured to maintain a desired shape of the pocket square. In some embodiments, the third layer comprises at least one of: a polymeric material, a non-polymeric material, a metallic mesh, a metallic foil, a woven fabric, a non-woven fabric, and/or a fabric infiltrated with a polymer.

Fashion allows a person to express their personality or ideas through an individual's appearance. Formal attire, such as a suit or sport jacket, however, limits the ability for personal expression. Moreover, societal expectations may not permit one to express a personal sense of style or taste. Accessories, such as pocket squares, allow individuals to express a sense of style or personality while satisfying societal norms. With numerous colors and patterns choices available, pocket squares have increasingly become a preferred manner for accenting formal dress fashion to express one's style and/or personality. In some societal circles, accenting one's formal appearance with a pocket square indicates a sense of fashion or social standing.


The polishing pad is suitable for planarizing at least one of semiconductor, optical and magnetic substrates. The polishing pad includes a cast polyurethane polymeric material formed with an isocyanate-terminated reaction product formed from a prepolymer reaction of a prepolymer polyol and a polyfunctional isocyanate. The isocyanate-terminated section product has 4.5 to 8.7 weight percent unreacted NCO; and the isocyanate-terminated reaction product is cured with a curative agent selected from the group comprising curative polyamines, curative polyols, curative alcoholamines and mixtures thereof. The polishing pad contains at least 0.1 volume percent filler or porosity.

This specification relates to polishing pads useful for polishing and planarizing substrates and particularly to polishing pads having uniform polishing properties.
Polyurethane polishing pads are the primary pad-type for a variety of demanding precision polishing applications. These polyurethane polishing pads are effective for polishing silicon wafers, patterned wafers, flat panel displays and magnetic storage disks. In particular, polyurethane polishing pads provide the mechanical integrity and chemical resistance for most polishing operations used to fabricate integrated circuits. For example, polyurethane polishing pads have high strength for resisting tearing; abrasion resistance for avoiding wear problems during polishing; and stability for resisting attack by strong acidic and strong caustic polishing solutions.
The production of semiconductors typically involves several chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) processes. In each CMP process, a polishing pad in combination with a polishing solution, such as an abrasive-containing polishing slurry or an abrasive-free reactive liquid, removes excess material in a manner that planarizes or maintains flatness for receipt of a subsequent layer. The stacking of these layers combines in a manner that forms an integrated circuit. The fabrication of these semiconductor devices continues to become more complex due to requirements for devices with higher operating speeds, lower leakage currents and reduced power consumption. In terms of device architecture, this translates to finer feature geometries and increased metallization levels. These increasingly stringent device design requirements are driving the adoption of copper metallization in conjunction with new dielectric materials having lower dielectric constants. The diminished physical properties, frequently associated with low k and ultra-low k materials, in combination with the devices' increased complexity have led to greater demands on CMP consumables, such as polishing pads and polishing solutions.
In particular, low k and ultra-low k dielectrics tend to have lower mechanical strength and poorer adhesion in comparison to conventional dielectrics, rendering planarization more difficult. In addition, as integrated circuits' feature sizes decrease, CMP-induced defectivity, such as, scratching becomes a greater issue. Furthermore, integrated circuits' decreasing film thickness requires improvements in defectivity while simultaneously providing acceptable topography to a wafer substrate—these topography requirements demand increasingly stringent planarity, dishing and erosion specifications.
Casting polyurethane into cakes and cutting the cakes into several thin polishing pads has proven to be an effective method for manufacturing polishing pads with consistent reproducible polishing properties. Vishwanathan et al., in PCT Pub. No. 01.91971 disclose a set of properties for improving polishing performance including E′ (elastic storage modulus) ratio at 30° C. and 90° C. and several other properties. Unfortunately, polyurethane pads produced from the casting and skiving method can have polishing variations arising from a polishing pad's casting location. For example, pads cut from a bottom casting location and a top casting can have different densities and porosities. Furthermore, polishing pads can have center-to-edge variations in density and porosity within a pad. These variations can adversely affect polishing for the most demanding applications, such as low k patterned wafers. Thus, there is a demand for a polyurethane polishing pad with improved density and porosity uniformity.


A method for interpreting data from a site is described. The method may include various steps. Input data to be interpreted may be acquired. The input data may be sent to an interpreter. Alert criteria may be sent to the interpreter. A determination that indicates whether the alert criteria was satisfied may be received. If the determination indicates that the alert criteria was satisfied, an alert procedure may be performed.

The price of electronic devices has continued to decrease dramatically. In addition, the types of electronic components that can be purchased have continued to increase. For example, DVD players, large screen TVs, multi-carousel CD and DVD players, MP3 players, video game consoles, video cameras, security cameras, monitoring devices, and other electronic items have become more widely available while continuing to drop in price.
The decreasing prices and increasing types of electronic components has packed today's homes and businesses with modern conveniences. Yet as these conveniences grow in number and sophistication, they also become more difficult to manage and control. In recent years, automation systems have emerged to help manage and control the myriad devices found in modern buildings. Automation systems may allow a user to control nearly all of the electronic devices in the location.
With the affordability of new technology, the number of automated devices in buildings and at other locations has continued to steadily increase. Users now desire more customizable systems and features in their automation systems.
Additionally, there are an increasing number of image sensing applications. Some of these applications may include security system, home automation, health care, child care, and loss prevention applications.
One method for using image sensing systems is to establish a viewing station where a member of a security staff constantly monitors a set of video feeds and looks for intruders or suspicious behavior. The monitoring personnel may also be looking for environmental hazards such as smoke, flooding, or fire.
With the wide availability, reduced cost, and expanding use of video cameras, the number of conditions being monitored is also expanding. When used in assisted-care facilities, for example, the movement of patients during the night hours may be of interest. In home applications, the presence of a lone young child near a swimming pool might be cause for alarm.
Having a full-time employee watching video feeds may result in significant security costs. In some cases, these costs may be prohibitively expensive for many companies and/or individuals. One solution to this problem may include contracting with a security company to maintain constant surveillance for a set monthly fee. Although a monthly contract may be much less expensive than the hourly costs of a full-time employee, set monthly fees for continuous monitoring may still be prohibitive for some companies and/or individuals. Therefore, a need may exist for less expensive systems and methods for interpreting data from a site.


Methods and apparatus for higher-order correction of bandgap voltage references are disclosed. An example bandgap voltage reference circuit disclosed herein comprises a bandgap voltage generation circuit comprising a first resistor, the bandgap voltage generation circuit configured to generate a proportional-to-absolute-temperature current to drive the first resistor to produce a first voltage, the first voltage contributing to an output bandgap voltage, and a first correction circuit electrically coupled to the first resistor and configured to provide a first correction current, the first correction circuit comprising a first nonlinear device configured to generate the first correction current only within a first temperature range, the first correction current decreasing with increasing temperature, the first correction current to drive the first resistor to increase the first voltage only within the first temperature range.

Bandgap voltage references are used in a variety of integrated circuits, electronic devices and electronic systems requiring a stable voltage reference over a range of temperatures and process variations. For example, many data acquisition systems, voltage regulators, measurement equipment, etc., utilize bandgap voltage reference circuits to provide a stable voltage reference to which other supply and/or input voltages can be compared. Although conventional bandgap voltage reference circuits generate bandgap voltages exhibiting little variation in a nominal range of operating temperatures, higher-order device characteristics, such as device voltages and/or currents that vary nonlinearly with temperature, can cause the generated bandgap voltage to vary substantially at higher and lower temperatures outside the nominal temperature range. Some existing bandgap voltage reference circuits attempt to correct for higher-order bandgap voltage variation at higher operating temperatures, but not at lower operating temperatures. Additionally, some existing bandgap voltage reference circuits attempt to correct for higher-order bandgap voltage variation at higher and/or lower operating temperatures, but require trimming at multiple temperatures.

Methods and apparatus for higher-order correction of a bandgap voltage reference


A photovoltaic system, method and apparatus are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, the system includes a photovoltaic array, a distribution system that distributes power within a premises of a demand-side energy consumer, an inverter coupled to the distribution system that is configured to convert DC power from the photovoltaic array to AC power and apply the AC power to the distribution system, a damping portion configured to damp high frequency voltages derived from the inverter, and trapping circuitry coupled to the damping portion that is configured to reduce a level of low frequency current traveling through the damping portion.

In photovoltaic (PV) energy systems, inverters are used to convert DC electrical energy that is generated by photovoltaic panels to AC electrical energy that is compatible with the AC distribution systems that are built into the infrastructure of residential, commercial, industrial premises, and large ground mounted solar farms.
Typically an inverter is hard grounded (e.g., on the negative rail of the inverter DC input) and an isolation transformer is utilized in connection with the inverter to galvanically isolate the inverter from the AC power system of the premises and to provide a voltage ratio change. Transformers, however, add additional inefficiencies, complexity, weight and substantial cost to inverters.
For inverter applications large enough to warrant a dedicated connection to the utility (e.g., a utility transformer connecting the inverter to the utility's own medium voltage supply), it is often possible to remove the integrally provided transformer from the product. Although purchased as "transformerless," the operation of such inverters is still predicated on the presence of an isolating transformer to allow for the traditionally hard-grounded PV array configuration. Although inverters have been marketed as being "transformerless" because, when sold, a transformer is not integrated with these inverters, the power distribution system (e.g., 480/277 VAC) of the premises is still isolated from the inverter by a utility transformer. As a consequence, these "transformerless" inverters still rely on a transformer for isolation and are typically limited to installations where medium voltage (e.g., 4160 to 13 KV) transformers are present at the premises.
There is not presently a large PV inverter (e.g., an inverter larger than 10 kW) intended to operate independent of any isolating transformer. Presently available equipment also does not allow inversion directly into 480VAC three-phase, but rather into much lower voltages that are ratio-changed to more useful voltages such as 480 Volts by the integrally provided transformer. Accordingly, a system and method are needed to address the shortfalls of present technology and to provide other new and innovative features.

Common mode filter system and method for a solar power inverter


A radio communication apparatus is disclosed having a transceiver which receives and transmits signals; an excitation link which is connected to the transceiver; and a rod antenna which is electrically connected at a first tip to the excitation link in an extended position and electrically disconnected from the excitation link in a retracted position. A first coil is located around the rod antenna in a housing, where the first coil has a first end connected to the excitation link. Further, a conducting ring is located over the housing, where the conducting ring contacts a second end of the first coil. An insulating element is located at a second tip of the rod antenna, and a conductive plate is located over the insulating element. The conductive plate is perpendicular to the rod antenna and is parallel to the conducting ring. In addition, a second coil is connected to the conducting plate, where the conducting plate contacts the conducting ring in the retracted position of the rod antenna to connect the two coils in series and form a coil having a length which equals the sum of the lengths of the two coils.

The invention finds highly significant applications in the field of mobile radio used in cellular networks of the GSM, AMPS, ETACS, etc. . . . type. In modern networks, the passband used is relatively large. As the apparatus used is portable, the dimensions are desired to be small, which imposes on the antennas the necessity of also being as compact as possible, particularly when the apparatus is in the standby mode for a communication. The antennas are in that case put in their retracted position. One is thus confronted with the problem that a wideband operation is to be harmonized with compactness of the antennas. It should be recollected that there are problems when compact antennas are to operate with a wide band.
An apparatus formed by such an antenna device is known from European patent document No. 0 644 606.
This antenna has the drawback that, in retracted position, the wire continues to be connected to the excitation device and, when the apparatus is in the transmit mode, radiates energy inside the apparatus which may be annoying to circuits which receive the radiated wave and also annoying for wave reception when the apparatus is in the receive mode.

Radio transmission apparatus comprising a retractable antenna and an antenna device for such apparatus


The stand incorporates two pairs of wheels and a support pole carried from a central pivot member. The stand is collapsible from an upright orientation in which all wheels are floor-engaging to a folded orientation in which the wheels lie closely alongside the support pole. The wheels are carried on wheel support elements which in turn are connected to a central pivot member. Folding and collapsing actions are synchronized by control arms that extend between the support pole and wheel support elements.

Wheeled IV stands are in use in hundreds of hospitals nationwide. These stands allow IV bags and bottles to be safely supported at a level that will create gravity flow to the patient or to intermediate devices such as IV pumps. There has been a recognition for many years that it is important, to the health of the patient, and to the cost of the delivery of medical services, to provide aids to make it possible for patients to become ambulatory, and self-sufficient, as quickly as possible. As IV stands have evolved, auxiliary functions have been added to accommodate additional functionality such as provisions for ambulatory patient support, and for mounting additional equipment and supplies such as oxygen bottles.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,378, which is co-owned with the present invention, is an example of an advance in IV stands that has added additional functionality by providing patient support in the form of a support wheel that allows the patient to use the stand in the manner of a walker while the patient remains connected to IV support.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,992, which is also co-owned with the present invention, is a device that allows an IV stand to be supported on a wheeled bed so that the necessary IV support can be conveniently and safely moved with the patient.
While the above features add functionality to IV stands, they nevertheless increase their size and bulk, which creates storage constraints when the stands are not in use, and makes it difficult to transport the stands.
Folding stands, such as that illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,536 have been devised which reduce the storage volume of the stand when it is being shipped or stored, but such designs must be carried when collapsed, which requires that ambulatory patients have assistance in navigating stairs and the like. Folding stands, according to prior designs, have also had to compromise strength to achieve folding.
The deficiencies of prior stands are particularly apparent when the stands are used outside of the hospital environment. These deficiencies include the inability of present stands to facilitate the traverse of stairs and other obstacles, and the inability of stands to collapse or collapse sufficiently to allow the stands to be easily transported in vehicles.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a wheeled IV stand that can accommodate a high degree of accessory functionality, and at the same time allow the patient to easily transit stairs and other obstacles, and which can be configured to occupy a small volume when being stored or transported.


A wireless charging system includes a first winding portion, a second winding portion which is disposed with an interval between the first winding portion and the second winding portion in an axis direction of the first winding portion, and a pair of magnetic members which are disposed so as to sandwich the first winding portion and the second winding portion in the axis direction. In this case, protrusion portions which protrude toward the other magnetic member are provided in one magnetic member. Also, the magnetic member is held so as to be able to move forward and backward toward the other magnetic member. As a result, since the coefficient of magnetic coupling between a transmitting unit and a receiving unit during charging is enhanced, a charging efficiency can be enhanced.

A charging system is configured to feed electric power from an electric power system to a secondary battery mounted to an electric moving vehicle to thereby store power in the secondary battery. One of the examples of such charging systems is a wireless charging system in which the electric power system is not connected to the secondary battery in a wired manner. With regard to a technique relating to the wireless charging system, there is known one including a wiring (primary coil) on a transmitting unit side and a wiring (secondary coil) on a receiving unit side which have a structure in which an electric wire is wound in a flattened manner and flat plate-like magnetic cores around which the two wirings are wound (refer to JP-4356844-B). A so-called wired charging system requires a driver of the electric moving vehicle to do some operations including carrying out connection to a plug for electric power feeding installed in a charging station after getting off the vehicle. However, if the wireless charging system is used, the electric power can be supplied from the transmitting unit including the electric power system to the receiving unit having the secondary battery by use of a mutual interaction of electromagnetic induction. As a result, the driver will not have to get on and off the vehicle, and thus his or her convenience will be improved. This kind of technique, however, raises a problem that the wireless connection between the transmitting unit and the receiving unit causes the charging efficiency to be lower.
To increase the charging efficiency in the wireless charging system, it is necessary that a distance between the transmitting unit and the receiving unit during the charging be narrowed to thereby increase the coefficient of magnetic coupling as much as possible. With regard to a technique which was made in the light of this respect, one is known as follows. The transmitting unit (primary side coupler) is stored in a storage room (concave portion) provided on the surface of the earth. A lifting mechanism which is driven by a motor is connected to the transmitting unit. Also, the transmitting unit is ascended by the lifting mechanism to thereby reduce the distance with a receiving unit (secondary side coupler) installed in the electric moving vehicle (refer to JP-2000-152512-A). In addition, there is known another one with which a permanent magnet is disposed on a side of a facing surface of at least one of the transmitting unit or the receiving unit and a gap between the transmitting unit and the receiving unit is narrowed due to the magnetic attractive force of the permanent magnet (refer to JP-2008-120357-A and JP-2008-215028-A).


A composition comprising at least 50 weight % of a first particulate electroactive material and 3-15 weight % of a carbon additives mixture comprising elongate carbon nanostructures and carbon black, wherein: the elongate carbon nanostructures comprise at least a first elongate carbon nanostructure material and a different second elongate carbon nanostructure material; and the elongate carbon nanostructures: carbon black weight ratio is in the range 3:1 to 20:1.

Rechargeable metal-ion batteries, for example lithium ion batteries, are extensively used in portable electronic devices such as mobile telephones and laptops, and are finding increasing application in electric or hybrid electric vehicles.
Rechargeable metal ion batteries have an anode layer; a cathode layer capable of releasing and re-inserting metal ions; and an electrolyte between the anode and cathode layers. When the battery cell is fully charged, metal ions have been transported from the metal-ion-containing cathode layer via the electrolyte into the anode layer. In the case of a graphite-based anode layer of a lithium ion battery, the lithium reacts with the graphite to create the compound LixC6 (0<=x<=1). The graphite, being the electrochemically active material in the composite anode layer, has a maximum capacity of 372 mAh/g.
The use of a silicon-based active anode material, which may have a higher capacity than graphite, is also known.
WO2009/010758 discloses the etching of silicon powder in order to make silicon material for use in lithium ion batteries.
Xiao et al, J. Electrochem. Soc., Volume 157, Issue 10, pp. A1047-A1051 (2010), "Stabilization of Silicon Anode for Li-ion Batteries" discloses an anode comprising silicon particles and Ketjenblack carbon.
Lestriez et al, Electrochemical and Solid-State Letters, Vol. 12, Issue 4, pp. A76-A80 (2009) "Hierarchical and Resilient Conductive Network of Bridged Carbon Nanotubes and Nanofibers for High-Energy Si Negative Electrodes" discloses a composite electrode containing multiwall carbon nanotubes and vapour-grown nanofibres.
US 2011/163274 discloses an electrode composite of silicon, a carbon nanotube and a carbon nanofibre.
It is an object of the invention to provide an anode composition for a metal ion battery that is capable of maintaining a high capacity.
It is a further objection of the invention to provide a composition for forming an anode of a metal ion battery from a slurry.

Composition of SI/C electro active material


An electrolytic ionic water generating apparatus that produces electrolytic ionic water having a desired pH value and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that uses the electrolytic ionic water. The invention includes an electrolytic tank with an anode chamber and a cathode chamber, an introducing conduit or line to introduce electrolytic solution, and a discharge conduit or line to supply the generated electrolytic ionic water to other apparatuses such as a semiconductor washing machine and a semiconductor polishing machine. To control the pH value of the electrolyzed ionic water, pH meters and pH controllers are disposed on the introducing or discharge conduit. The pH meters detect the pH values of the electrolyzed ionic water and provide the detected result to the pH controllers. The pH controllers control the pH values of the supplied ionic water by controlling and changing the temperature of the solution.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing electrolytic ionic water and an apparatus for producing electrolytic ionic water, as well as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus using this electrolytic ionic water for washing semiconductor substrates. In particular, this invention relates to a method for producing electrolytic ionic water by adjusting the pH.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrolytic ionic water is widely used in various fields, in particular, in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices or liquid crystal displays. In particular, electrolytic ionic water obtained from electrolyzed pure water or ultra pure water is used during the manufacturing of semiconductors for washing and polishing.
Conventionally, fluorocarbon solvents, such as CCl.sub.3 F, have been used for washing semiconductor substrates during the manufacturing process. However, fluorine solvents may adversely affect the environment and sometimes are to be avoided. Thus, pure water or ultra pure water is often used as a safer solvent.
Pure water is high purity water having a specific resistance of 5 M.OMEGA.cm to 18 M.OMEGA.cm where impurities such as ions, fine grains, microorganisms, organic matters have been removed. Ultra pure water is extremely highly purified pure water, and has a specific resistance higher than 18 M.OMEGA.cm When pure water or ultrapure water (hereinafter, both referred to as pure water) is electrolyzed, the resulting product is electrolytic ionic water such as an anode ionic water, which is strongly oxidized (acidic water), and cathode ionic water, which is strongly basic or reduced (alkaline water).
A conventional electrolytic bath of an electrolytic ionic water generating apparatus has a cathode chamber and an anode chamber. A cathode is disposed in the cathode chamber and an anode is disposed in the anode chamber. The cathode and the anode, both electrodes, are made of metals such as platinum or titanium. In order to efficiently separate cathode ionic water generated in the cathode chamber and anode ionic water generated in the anode chamber, the cathode chamber and the anode chamber are partitioned by a porous membrane made of a ceramic material or a macromolecule. The cathode and the anode are connected to a direct current power source.
Diluted electrolytic solution of a particular pH value is prepared by diluting a supporting electrolyte or electrolytic solution, such as hydrochloric acid (HCl), nitric acid (HNO.sub.3), ammonium chloride (NH.sub.4 Cl), or ammonia (NH.sub.3), with pure water in an electrolytic bath. The solution is electrolyzed in the electrolytic bath by impressing a voltage from the power source. As noted, normally, the cathode ionic water generated in the cathode chamber is alkaline water and anode ionic water generated in the anode chamber is acidic water.
The cathode ionic water generated in the cathode chamber is supplied to an external apparatus through a cathode ionic water discharge line, while the anode ionic water generated in the anode chamber is supplied to an external apparatus through an anode ionic water discharge line.
When alkaline water is used, for example, in a polishing apparatus for manufacturing semiconductor devices, the cathode ionic water is supplied from the cathode chamber, and the acid water generated in the anode chamber is disposed from the anode ionic water discharge line. Similarly, when acid water is used in, for example, a polishing device, the anode ionic water is supplied from the anode chamber, and the alkaline ionic water generated in the cathode chamber is disposed of via the cathode ionic water discharge line. Thus, the electrolytic ionic water generating system can be applied to semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses such as polishing machines and washing wafers machines.
Under conventional methods, the pH value of electrolytic ionic water is regulated by controlling the concentration of the supporting electrolyte in the electrolyte solution or the amount of the current applied to the electrodes in the electrolytic bath. However, it is very difficult to regulate and maintain the desired pH values due to the heat generated by the electrolysis process. Further, a conventional electrolysis apparatus does not have a heat controller and typically can only operate at about room temperature.

Method for producing electrolytic ionic water and an apparatus for the same


Described is a method for controlling a temperature downstream of a catalyst in the exhaust tract of an internal combustion engine including a first control loop in which a first control variable is calculated from a first deviation that is calculated from a first actual value and a first setpoint value and influences an intra-engine heat generation. In the process, the first actual value is determined as a measure of a temperature downstream of the catalyst. The method features a second control loop in which at least one second control variable is calculated from a second deviation that is calculated from a second actual value and a second setpoint value; a temperature upstream of the catalyst being determined as the second actual value. Also described is a controller which controls the sequence of such a method.

The present invention further relates to a controller for controlling a temperature downstream of a catalyst in the exhaust tract of an internal combustion engine including a first, outer control loop in which the controller calculates a first control variable from a first deviation that is calculated by the controller from a first actual value and a first setpoint value; a measure of a temperature downstream of the catalyst being used as the first actual value.
Such a method and controller are described in the publication "Fortschritt-Berichte VDI, Reihe 12 Verkehrstechnik/Fahrzeugtechnik, Nr. 49, 23. Internationales Wiener Motorensymposium, 25.–26. Apr. 2002, Seite 171 [VDI Progress Reports, series 12, Traffic Engineering/Vehicle Engineering, issue 49, 23, International Vienna Motor Symposium, Apr. 25–26, 2002, page 171]"; however, no details of the control are disclosed there.
Modern emission control systems generally feature a plurality of catalysts and/or filters arranged one behind the other. Thus, for example, NOx storage catalysts and particulate filters are arranged downstream of a three-way catalyst, an oxidation catalyst, or a primary catalyst in the direction of exhaust gas flow. In order for the rear catalysts in the direction of flow to function properly, specific exhaust gas temperatures are, at least temporarily, required at the inlet to these catalysts.
Thus, for example, a NOx storage catalyst, which stores nitrogen oxides when the exhaust gas is lean, is regenerated by periodically producing oxygen deficiency in the exhaust gas. Increased exhaust gas temperature promotes the regeneration. Particulate filters, such as are increasingly used in motor vehicles with diesel engines, are another example of emission control components that require certain minimum temperatures to remain functional.
To be able to maintain the absorption capacity of a particulate filter for soot over longer periods of time, the soot stored in the particulate filter must, from time to time, be burned to CO2 at an elevated exhaust gas temperature. To this end, the particulate filter must, at least occasionally, be heated to above 550° C. Frequently, the particulate filter is connected to an upstream oxidation catalyst. A temperature sensor located between the oxidation catalyst and the particulate filter does provide a very accurate value for the temperature at the inlet of the particulate filter, but, due to the large heat capacity of the upstream oxidation catalyst, the temperature sensor responds only very slowly to changes in the exhaust gas temperature that are controlled upstream of the oxidation catalyst. This makes control of the exhaust gas temperature at the inlet of the particulate filter so sluggish that the response of the control to changes in the exhaust gas temperature is only fast enough when the internal combustion engine is in steady-state operation. Since internal combustion engines in motor vehicles generally operate with rapidly varying loads and speeds involving rapid changes in the exhaust gas temperature, steady-state conditions are more of an exception than a rule. Because of this, proper regeneration of the particulate filter during normal operation of the motor vehicle becomes more difficult.
Against this background, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and controller for exhaust gas temperature control, allowing improved control accuracy even during transient operating conditions involving exhaust gas temperatures that vary strongly when not actively controlled.
In a method of the type mentioned at the outset, this objective is achieved by a second, inner control loop in which at least one second control variable is calculated from a second deviation that is calculated from a second actual value and a second setpoint value; a temperature upstream of the catalyst being determined as the second actual value, and the second control variable influencing an intra-engine heat generation.
Moreover, in a controller of the type mentioned at the outset, this object is achieved in that the controller, in a second, inner control loop, calculates a second control variable from a second deviation that is calculated by the controller from a second actual value and a second setpoint value; a temperature upstream of the catalyst being used as the second actual value, and the second control variable influencing an intra-engine heat generation.

Method and controller for exhaust gas temperature control


An access site for a fluid delivery system is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a rigid, tubular housing having a stepped inlet end, an outlet end and a bore therebetween, the stepped inlet end having an initial larger diameter cavity than the bore. Within the inlet end is a solid resilient sealing member having a larger and smaller cross dimensional portion positioned within the corresponding portions of the cavity and bore. The resilient member includes an axially parallel perforation and at least one axially protruding sealing ring on the large cross dimensioned portion of the sealing member in contact with a shoulder of the housing. Also included is a means for securing the member in the housing such that the resilient member experiences axial compressive forces at all points of axial contact between the member and housing.

The present invention relates to an access site for a parenteral fluid delivery system and, more particularly, relates to an access site having a resilient, resealing member positioned in a housing cavity having parallel sidewalls and subjected to only axial compressive forces. Furthermore, the invention is directed to an access site of the type described herein including an axial perforation through the resilient resealing member which is especially useful with a blunt injection or connection device.
In general, parenteral fluids are often administered to patients from a syringe or other fluid container by a needle connection to a resealable access site of an I.V. administration set. A primary concern of the patient is that external contaminants don't enter the I.V. line through the injection site after the needle is removed. The access site must be guaranteed to reseal.
An equal anxiety among health care providers is that they are not exposed to infectious diseases, such as AIDS and hepatitis-B by accidental needle stick injuries. This concern by health care providers has led to an effort to reduce the number of sharp needles in the hospital environment. Central to this effort is the need to provide a reliable and resealable access site for parenteral fluids administered or connected by devices other than sharp needles. However, the access site must be versatile, since sharp needles will not be totally eliminated.
There are many known self-sealing injection sites usable with sharp needles. U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,661 titled "Injection Sites for Fluids" discloses one elastomeric plug held in a compression fit to resealably close a fluid entry port.
There are also known injection sites that are usable with blunt injection devices. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,848 discloses an injection site having a relatively thin molded sealing member that has an opening therethrough. A blunt injection device can be forced through the sealing member to place the injection device into fluid flow communication with the fluid flow path. Injection sites of this type use blunt injection devices and reduce the risk of needle stick for the health care provider.
It is important that the parenteral injection site reseal with enough force that viral or bacterial contaminants do not enter the parenteral flow path and infect the patient. Furthermore, it is desireable that parenteral fluids do not leak from the parenteral administration system.
A recent effort to provide a pre-slit injection site which can be used with a variety of solutions and over a range of fluid pressures is disclosed in published PCT Application No. PCT/US89/00273 (WO 89/06553) titled "Pre-Slit Injection Site and Tapered Cannula". This injection site incorporates a housing having an annular, tapered interior surface with the diameter of the tapered surface decreasing with increasing distance away from the housing opening. A cylindrical sealing member is positioned in the tapered interior surface so as to generate resealing radial forces increasing in value from an axial position adjacent the exterior peripheral surface of the injection site to a greater value interior from the peripheral surface. FIG. 27 of the application also discloses an alternate, non-tapered embodiment which is described as providing "compression to create a seal against pressure and a void region to accommodate deformed portions of the sealing member material only when the material is deformed or displaced by a blunt cannula piercing member."
All of the above described injection sites are deficient in providing at least one or more of a balance of reliable sealing around an inserted cannula as well as resealing after the cannula is removed, straightforward assembly and manufacture (without the need for void areas for example), ease of use with both sharp or blunt injection devices, reasonable active use life, sufficient engaging force to prevent inadvertent withdrawal of the cannula, and a minimal tendency to kickback the injection device out of the reseal member.
The present invention is directed to an alternative access site which is believed to provide advantages over the previously described unslit and pre-slit injection sites.


The present invention allows for the simultaneous transmission of two digital signals from one integrated circuit to another. The two digital signals are encoded utilizing a voltage divider circuit and are then transmitted by one transmission line to the second integrated circuit chip. The second integrated circuit chip decodes the first digital signal and then utilizes this decoded digital signal to further decode the second digital signal.

Prior art circuitry does not permit simultaneous unidirectional data communications between two separate integrated circuits ("chips") through the same transmission line. In other words, when communicating signals between circuitry implemented in separate chips, it is required that for each separate transmission of a signal, there be a separate transmission line and corresponding connection circuitry, or that time division multiplexing be utilized in order that two separate signals be transmitted on the same transmission line between two chips.
Naturally, to implement time division multiplexing, additional complex circuitry is required. As a result, traditional system designs have had to settle for implementing separate transmission lines in order to support data communications in a simultaneous manner. However, it is generally desired when designing circuitry (for example, for computer systems) that the circuitry be simplified as much as possible. Therefore, it is desired to reduce the number of transmission lines between chips, along with their corresponding connection circuitry (e.g., driver, receiver, chip pins and signal pads).
Thus, there is a need in the art for a circuit design that allows for the simultaneous transmission of separate data signals on one transmission line.

Circuitry for allowing two drivers to communicate with two receivers using one transmission line

International Business Machines Corporation


Embodiments are disclosed for localization of vehicles using beacons. In an embodiment, a method comprises: determining, using at least one processor of a vehicle, that the vehicle has lost external signals (or is receiving degraded external signals) that are used for estimating a position of the vehicle; determining, using the at least one processor, a set of mobile beacons that are available to assist in estimating the position of the vehicle; receiving, using a communication device of the vehicle, broadcast signals from the set of mobile beacons, the broadcast signals including localization data for the set of mobile beacons; selecting, using the at least one processor, a subset of localization data from the set of mobile beacons for assisting in the position estimation of the vehicle; and estimating, using the at least one processor, the position of the vehicle using the subset of localization data.

Autonomous vehicles use a suite of sensors and communication devices to update their localization states while navigating their environment from one destination to the next. Fixed terrestrial beacons, wireless networks (e.g., cell tower, Wi-Fi) and satellite-based navigation systems, provide localization data with the highest accuracy and lowest uncertainties for use in the determination of the localization states of an autonomous vehicle. However, vehicles travelling through areas denied line-of-sight (LOS) to a fixed beacon, cell towers, Wi-Fi routers or satellites (e.g., tunnels, dense urban environments) quickly lose position accuracy when using equations of motion for calculation of the localization state.