A catalyst for the production of methacrylic acid comprising a heteropolyacid compound containing phosphorus and molybdenum is regenerated by a method comprising the steps of drying a mixture containing a deactivated catalyst, an ammonium ion, a nitrate ion and water, molding the dried mixture, firstly calcining the molded product in an atmosphere of an oxidizing gas at a temperature of 360 to 410° C., and then secondly calcining the product in an atmosphere of a non-oxidizing gas at a temperature of 420 to 500° C. The regenerated catalyst has substantially the same catalytic activity as a fresh catalyst in a gas phase catalytic oxidation reaction of methacrolein, isobutylaldehyde, isobutane or isobutyric acid to prepare methacrylic acid.

It is known that a catalyst for the production of methacrylic acid comprising a heteropolyacid compound containing phosphorus and molybdenum is deactivated when the catalyst is used for a long time in a gas phase catalytic oxidation reaction using methacrolein or the like as a raw material, because the catalytic activity the catalyst is reduced due to heat load or the like
As a method for regenerating a deactivated catalyst, JP-A-61-283352 discloses a method comprising the steps of drying a mixture containing a deactivated catalyst, an ammonium ion and a nitrate ion and water, molding the dried mixture and then calcining the molded product in an air stream at 400° C.
JP-A-63-130144 discloses a method comprising the steps of drying a mixture of a deactivated catalyst and aqueous ammonia, dispersing the dried mixture in water, adding a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound and an amine or an ammonium carbonate thereto, mixing them, drying and molding the mixture, and then calcining the molded product in an air stream at a temperature of 300 to 450° C.
JP-A-60-232247 discloses a method comprising the steps of dispersing a deactivated catalyst in water, adding a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound and nitric acid thereto, mixing them, drying and molding the mixture, heating the molded product in an atmosphere of an inert gas such as nitrogen gas at a temperature of 200 to 600° C. under an atmospheric pressure or a reduced pressure to liberate the nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound, and then calcining the molded product in an air stream at a temperature of 100 to 400° C.
JP-A-2001-286762 discloses a method comprising the steps of dispersing a deactivated catalyst in water, then adding a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound and nitric acid thereto, further adding a compound containing a constituent element disappeared from the catalyst, mixing them, drying and molding the mixture, calcining the molded product in an atmosphere of an inert gas such as nitrogen gas at a temperature of 200 to 600° C., and further calcining the product in an air stream at a temperature of 100 to 400° C.
JP-A-2001-286763 discloses a method comprising the steps of dispersing a deactivated catalyst in water, then adding a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound, ammonium nitrate and nitric acid thereto, mixing them, drying and molding the mixture, calcining the molded product in an atmosphere of an inert gas such as nitrogen gas at a temperature of 200 to 600° C., and further calcining the product in an air stream at a temperature of 100 to 400° C.
However, any of the conventional regeneration methods described above does not necessarily recover the catalytic activity or the catalyst life of the deactivated catalyst to a satisfactory extent.

Method for regenerating catalyst for the production of methacrylic acid and process for preparing methacrylic acid


A circuit for detecting delay of more than a set period of time from a last signal transition for any of a plurality of data signals, comprising a differential comparator, and integrator pairs for each signal, one integrator of the pair being triggered by transition of the signal from low to high and the other triggered by transition of the inverse of the signal from low to high, each integrator having a voltage measured by the differential comparator against a reference voltage, each integrator being reset by the trigger for the other integrator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to detection of signal termination, and in particular to a circuit for detecting the absence of signal transitions after a set period of time from the last transition.
2. Background Description
A variety of data communications networks and elements require circuits for detecting the presence or absence of data transmission on a signal path. Such detection is important for insuring that a particular point in a signal path is or is not functioning correctly. Improper functioning at a particular point in a signal path may be accompanied by any level of DC signal at the point. Data transmission detection is also important for insuring that a data stream is within expected tolerances of frequency or period at a particular point in a signal path.
Existing detectors (as shown in FIG. 1) typically include a capacitor 11 whose discharge delays the onset of the integration intended to trigger detection of the absence of data transmission. A flip flop 13 is used to detect transition on both positive and negative going edges. The delay after each transition is due to the exponential discharge of capacitor C based on time constant .tau..varies.R*C where R is the "on" resistance of the resetting FET. As a function of time t, the voltage across the capacitor is V.sub.cap =V.sub.T e.sup.-t/.tau.. The delay for the capacitor to discharge is shown by the interval T 21 in FIG. 2, after which the circuit is reset by comparator 14. The time from the last transition required to achieve detection or timeout at comparator 15 is the sum of this delay interval 21 and the time 22 it takes to charge capacitor 11 to threshold voltage V.sub.T.
This delay has long been part of prior art techniques for using transitions in a data signal to detect the presence or absence of data transmission on a signal path. This can be seen in now expired U.S. Pat. No. 3,786,358 to Florino. In the Florino patent signal transitions restart separate ramp generators for positive and negative going transitions, and comparators change state when respective ramp voltages exceed a threshold level. Comparator outputs are integrated to produce a measure of the frequency of the input data signal in relation to an expected frequency. The ramp generators cannot be set high instantaneously, and this results in a delay, as discussed at column 7, lines 40-58 in the Florino patent.
This delay serves no purpose in the logic of the detection circuit, and the consequent error can be significant when desired timeouts 23 are short. For example, to detect if a clock signal frequency drops below 100 MHZ, the corresponding period of detection would be 1/2* 1/100 mhz=1/2*10 ns=5 ns. If the capacitor 11 takes 1 ns to discharge, the prior art detection scheme would suffer a 20% error. As CPU clock speeds and signals are getting faster, timeouts are getting shorter and it is desirable to have timeout measurements which are accurate and not affected by the time T 21 required to discharge integrating capacitor 11.
Furthermore, the prior art circuitry is relatively complex. In the above referenced patent to Florino et al., for example, there are two separate one-shot circuits at the input and two comparators.

International Business Machines Corporation


A method of supporting a part with particulate shape retaining media, the method including placing the part on a bed of the particulate shape retaining media, fluidizing the particulate shape retaining media until the part penetrates therein, and vibrating the bed of particulate shape retaining media to compact the particulate shape retaining media around the part. The part may be a green part to be debound in a powder injection molding process. Fluidization may be performed through vibrations at a different frequency than the compaction.

Powder injection molding (PIM) can be used to produce complex shaped parts of metal, ceramic and/or carbide materials. PIM involves injection of a feedstock including a binder and a powder material such as a metal, a ceramic, or carbide into a mold to produce a green part. This green part is further processed in a debinding step to eliminate the binder, and a porous and friable brown part is produced. The brown part is sintered to obtain the final product that may be in the form of a complex shaped part. Metal injection molding (MIM) is a type of PIM which may be used to manufacture metal parts.
The green part is usually placed in a supporting material, for example in a particulate material, before the debinding process such as to minimize shape deformations during the removal of the binder. However, it may be difficult for green parts having complex shapes to provide for adequate engagement of the particulate material with the part.


A force transducer is coupled to a distal portion of a shaft of a surgical instrument. The force transducer includes proximal and distal portions, radial ribs, and a plurality of strain gauges. The radial ribs form a plurality of through passages. The surgical instrument further includes a flush manifold that receives a liquid from a proximal portion of the shaft, and that directs the liquid along a first subset of through passages of the plurality of through passages toward the distal portion of the force transducer. A plenum at the distal portion of the force transducer collects the liquid from the first subset of through passages and redirects the liquid back toward the proximal portion of the shaft along a second subset of through passages of the plurality of through passages different from the first subset of through passages.

In robotically-assisted surgery, the surgeon typically operates a master controller to control the motion of surgical instruments at the surgical site from a location that may be remote from the patient (e.g., across the operating room, in a different room or a completely different building from the patient). The master controller usually includes one or more hand input devices, such as handheld wrist gimbals, joysticks, exoskeletal gloves, handpieces, or the like, which are operatively coupled to the surgical instruments through a controller with servo motors for articulating the instruments' position and orientation at the surgical site. The servo motors are typically part of an electromechanical device or surgical manipulator arm ("the slave") that includes a plurality of joints, linkages, etc., that are connected together to support and control the surgical instruments that have been introduced directly into an open surgical site or through trocar sleeves (cannulas) inserted through incisions into a body cavity, such as the patient's abdomen. There are available a variety of surgical instruments, such as tissue graspers, needle drivers, electrosurgical cautery probes, etc., to perform various functions for the surgeon, e.g., retracting tissue, holding or driving a needle, suturing, grasping a blood vessel, dissecting, cauterizing, coagulating tissue, etc. A surgeon may employ a large number of different surgical instruments/tools during a procedure.
This new surgical method through remote manipulation has created many new challenges. One such challenge is providing the surgeon with the ability to accurately "feel" the tissue that is being manipulated by the surgical instrument via the robotic manipulator. The surgeon must rely on visual indications of the forces applied by the instruments or sutures. It is desirable to sense the forces and torques applied to the tip of the instrument, such as an end effector (e.g., jaws, grasper, blades, etc.) of robotic minimally invasive surgical instruments, in order to feed the forces and torques back to the surgeon user through the system hand controls or by other means, such as visual display, vibrations, or audible tone. One device for this purpose from the laboratory of G. Hirzinger at DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics is described in "Review of Fixtures for Low-Invasiveness Surgery" by F. Cepolina and R. C. Michelini, Int'l Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery, Vol. 1, Issue 1, page 58, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein for all purposes. However, that design disadvantageously places a force sensor distal to (or outboard of) the wrist joints, thus requiring wires or optic fibers to be routed through the flexing wrist joint and also requiring the yaw and grip axes to be on separate pivot axes.
Another problem has been fitting and positioning the necessary wires, rods, or tubes for mechanical actuation of end effectors in as small a space as possible because relatively small instruments are typically desirable for performing surgery.
Yet another problem has been cleaning and/or sterilizing the surgical instrument after use or prior to reuse, especially in light of constraints on how a liquid may flow to reach the distal tip of an instrument force sensor and ensure adequate flushing and cleaning of the instrument.
Improved telerobotic systems and methods for remotely controlling surgical instruments at a surgical site on a patient are therefore desirable. In particular, systems, instruments, and methods should be configured to provide accurate feedback of forces and torques to the surgeon to improve user awareness and control of the instruments, while also providing for the cleaning of a reusable force sensing instrument after use or prior to reuse.

Cleaning of a surgical instrument force sensor


A pipeline includes a pair of pipe sections with ends (20, 22), connected together by threads. the pipe ends having axial and radial abutments lying beyond the ends of the thread. The abutments are located to stabilize a nib sealing arrangement and to enhance the capacity to resist bending while using a shorter thread length. The shorter threads (24, 26) enable pipe ends of smaller wall thicknesses to be used. At the abutments, each pipe end has a nib (40A, 40B) that is deflected to enter a groove as the pipe ends mate.

Pipelines are commonly constructed by connecting together pipe sections, each of about 40 feet length, by turning one pipe section to connect its tapered thread to a tapered thread of the other pipe section. It is well known in thread design that most of the loads applied to the threads are applied over the first few threads. Beyond the opposite ends of the threads, the pipe sections are sealed together by abutments where axially-facing surfaces or radially-facing surfaces of the pipe sections abut each other to help seal the pipe joint. Further sealing is obtained by forming each pipe end with a nib that projects beyond the axial facing abutment and into a groove formed in the other pipe section. To obtain good sealing, the nibs have to fit very closely into the grooves. A strong pipeline with mating pipe sections of small wall thickness, and with good sealing at the pipe section ends, would be of value.


A method of manufacturing an optical system comprises assembling an optical element on a mounting frame thereof. The mounting frame is disposed on a rotary table having an axis of rotation, and the mounting frame is adjusted such that a predefined axis of symmetry thereof is parallel to the axis of rotation. The optical element is placed on the mounting frame, and an interferometric measurement of a surface of the optical element is performed. The interferometric measurement is analyzed to arrange the optical element relative to the mounting frame such that a predefined axis of the optical element is parallel to the axis of rotation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method of manufacturing an optical system. In particular, the invention relates to adjusting lenses and mounting frames of an optical system relative to each other.
2. Brief Description of Related Art
Generally, a performance of an optical system is determined by a quality of optical components, such as lenses and mirrors, comprised by the system and by an accuracy of an alignment of the optical components relative to each other. Typically, the optical elements are made of a glass or other suitable material, and their optical surfaces are processed to have a surface shape corresponding to a specification of the optical system. Thereafter, each optical element is attached to a mounting frame made of metal or other suitable material, wherein the mounting frame provides mechanical attachment means, such as flanges, through-holes and others. Thereafter, the optical system is assembled by attaching the respective mounting frames to each other in such a way that positions, such as distances and orientations, of the optical elements relative to each other conform with the specification of the optical system. Thus, the manufacture of the optical system comprises manufacture of optical elements, manufacture of mounting frames, aligning each optical element relative to its mounting frame and aligning the mounting frames relative to each other. Especially in the field of photolithography, the trend to ever smaller structures of semiconductors places ever higher demands on the quality of the optical imaging systems, and thus on the alignment of the optical elements relative to each other and to respective mounting frames.

Method of manufacturing an optical system


A service channel is provided for concurrent communication with an amplitude modulated compatible digital broadcast signal. A transmitter receives input program information and input data service and combines the program information and data service to produce composite data. The transmitter generates an over-the-air signal waveform using the composite data. This signal is an amplitude modulated compatible digital broadcast signal. At least one receiver is used in the system to detect the over-the-air signal waveform produced by the transmitter. The receiver parses the composite data into program information and data service. The parsing of this composite data is achieved by using header information provided on each of the input program information and input data service.

1. Field Of The Invention
This invention relates to radio broadcasting and, more particularly, to methods of and apparatus for providing a service channel for an amplitude modulated compatible digital broadcast signal.
2. Description Of Related Art
There has been increasing interest in the possibility of broadcasting digitally encoded audio signals to provide improved audio fidelity. Several approaches have been suggested. One such approach, set forth in copending patent application Ser. No. 08/206,368, filed Mar. 7, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,022 assigned to the assignee hereof, teaches a method for simultaneously broadcasting analog and digital signals in a standard AM broadcasting channel. An amplitude modulated radio frequency signal having a first frequency spectrum is broadcast. The amplitude modulated radio frequency signal includes a first carrier modulated by an analog program signal. Simultaneously, a plurality of digitally modulated carrier signals are broadcast within a bandwidth which encompasses the first frequency spectrum. Each of the digitally modulated carrier signals is modulated by a portion of a digital program signal. A first group of the digitally modulated carrier signals lies within the first frequency spectrum and is modulated in quadrature with the first carrier signal. Second and third groups of the digitally modulated carrier signals lie outside of the first frequency spectrum and are modulated both in-phase and in-quadrature with the first carrier signal. Both transmitters and receivers are provided in accordance with that method.
The waveform in the AM compatible digital audio broadcasting system described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,022, hereby incorporated herein by reference, has been formulated to provide optimal data throughput for the digital signal while avoiding cross talk into the analog AM channel. Multiple carriers are employed by means of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) to bear the communicated information. If additional information besides broadcaster program material is programmed concurrently with the program material, data services can be used over the commercial broadcasting channel to communicate any type of information that has been coded in a binary format.
There has been extensive work performed in the past to provide systems for transmitting data simultaneously with audio. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,947 discloses an FM broadcasting system for transmitting a data signal simultaneously with an auxiliary audio program on the same subcarriers of the FM transmission channel. The main program is transmitted on the FM transmission channel carrier and the auxiliary audio program, which may be background music, is transmitted on the subcarriers in a conventional manner. The data signal, which is added to the auxiliary audio program, is a binary digital information signal. A receiver adapted for use with this broadcasting system is capable of receiving one or more of the main program, the auxiliary radio program, and the data signal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,013 discloses a technique for transmitting an entire analog speech signal and a modulated data signal over a transmission channel such as a common analog telephone speech channel. U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,612 discloses a technique for using a subcarrier frequency of a radio station to transmit, receive, and display a message together with audio reproduction of the radio program.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,191,576 discloses a method for broadcasting digital data for use by mobile receivers traveling in an urban environment in the presence of stray signals and jamming.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,160,812 discloses a composite transmission system utilizing phase shift and amplitude modulation.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,714,375 discloses a secondary phase modulated communication service using AM broadcast stations.
The recently discovered ability to broadcast digitally encoded audio signals in a standard AM broadcasting channel has made possible the ability to provide data service in addition to broadcaster program material using AM digital audio broadcasting systems. Accordingly, there is a need for a system which provides a data service channel concurrent with a commercial broadcasting channel.

Data service channel provision for an AM compatible broadcast system


The invention is intended to enable the easy measurement of the amount of color purity at each of many measured points. An adjusting coil (9) is provided at a neck portion of a color cathode ray tube (1). Also, a color image pickup means (4) for photographing the screen of the color cathode ray tube (1) is provided. A monochrome signal of any one of red, green, and blue colors is input to this color cathode ray tube (1). Thereafter, while varying the electric current made to flow through the adjusting coil (9), the image pickup signal obtained by the color pickup means (4) is decomposed into red, green, and blue color signal components; and the intensity of each of them is measured. Then, using the values of the electric currents that are supplied to the coil adjusting (9) and the location distances between the luminous regions of the red, green, and blue colors on the color cathode ray tube (1), there is determined the following: the amount of movement of the relevant electron beam with respect to the unit value of electric current for the adjusting coil (9). Thereby, it is arranged that the amount of color purity at the measured point is obtained according to the amount of movement of the relevant electron beam with respect to the unit value of electric current for the adjusting coil (9).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a color-purity measuring method for a color cathode ray tube, and a color-purity measuring apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, electron beams corresponding to each of red, green, and blue colors are emitted from an electron gun toward a screen of a color cathode ray tube for causing an image to appear on the screen. Respective optical axes are passed through an aperture grill. It is thereby arranged that the respective electron beams provided on the screen are incident upon red, green, and blue phosphor stripes (or dots) corresponding to these electron beams.
Conventionally, for measuring whether the electron beams corresponding to the red, green, and blue phosphor stripes (or dots), corresponding to these electron beams, provided on the screen are each being correctly incident upon it, the following measures are taken. Namely, an adjusting coil that vertically or horizontally applies a magnetic field to the color cathode ray tube is mounted to a neck portion of the color cathode ray tube. The amount of electric current passed through the adjusting coil and the movement distance of the electron beam, varying depending upon the magnetic field generated due thereto, are visually measured using a microscope.
However, conventionally, since the movement distance of the electron beam in a unit of micron was visually measured, this became a large factor in causing the generation of measurement errors.
Also, there was the inconvenience that a very much greater length of time was needed for measurement as the measured points increased. For example, in a color cathode ray tube, there is a method wherein the color purity at each of 117 points in all of vertical 9 pointsxc3x97horizontal 13 points of the screen is corrected based on the measurement data. It is thereby intended to improve the color purity. However, in this case, only a center point alone was measured, and, regarding each of the other points, the value of the relevant color purity was corrected by substituting data corresponding to the center point.
In that case, the amount of movement of the electron beam that originally differs between a zone including the center and its neighborhood and a zone including a corner and its neighborhood was corrected using the same values. For this reason, there was the inconvenience that such correction was unable to become an excellent correction of the color purity.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problematical points and has an object to enable easy measurement of the amount of color purity at each of many measured points.
A color-purity measuring method according to an example of the present invention is arranged as follows. An adjusting coil is provided at a neck portion of a color cathode ray tube, and there is provided a color image pickup means for photographing the screen of the color cathode ray tube. And, there is provided input means for inputting to the color cathode ray tube a monochrome signal of any one of red, green, and blue color signals. An image pickup signal obtained from the color image pickup means is decomposed into red, green, and blue color signal components while causing an electric current made to flow through the adjusting coil to vary thereby to measure the luminance of each of them. Then, the electric-current value difference between a first electric current value made to flow through the adjusting coil at which the intensity of any one of the red, green, and blue color signal components becomes maximum and a second electric current value made to flow through the adjusting coil at which the intensity of another one of the red, green, and blue color signal components becomes maximum is determined. The amount of movement of an electron beam with respect to a unit value of electric current for the adjusting coil according to the electric current value difference and the location distance between light-emitting regions of the red, green, and blue colors on the color cathode ray tube is determined. Thereby, the amount of color-purity at a relevant measured point is determined according to the amount of movement of an electron beam with respect to a unit value of electric current for the adjusting coil and the value of the electric current corresponding to the intensity peak of the monochrome signal of any said one color signal.
Also, a color-purity measuring apparatus according to an example of the present invention is arranged as follows. It includes an adjusting coil that is mounted at a neck portion of a color cathode ray tube, color image pickup means that photographs a screen of the color cathode ray tube, input means that inputs a monochrome signal of any one of red, green, and blue color signals to the color cathode ray tube, memory means that decomposes a color video signal obtained at the color image pickup means into red, green, and blue color signals and stores these signals therein, variable current supply means that supplies a variable electric current to the adjusting coil, and calculation means that determines an electric-current value difference between a first electric current value made to flow through the adjusting coil at which the intensity of any one of the red, green, and blue color signal obtained in the memory means becomes maximum and a second electric current value made to flow through the adjusting coil at which the intensity of another one of the red, green, and blue color signals becomes maximum, an amount of movement of an electron beam with respect to a unit value of electric current for the adjusting coil according to the electric current value difference and the location distance between light-emitting regions of the red, green, and blue colors on the color cathode ray tube and an amount of color-purity at a relevant measured point according to the amount of movement of an electron beam with respect to a unit value of electric current for the adjusting coil.
According to the above-described present invention, when determining an amount of color purity of, for example, a green color at each of the respective measured points on a color cathode ray tube, a green color signal is input to the color cathode ray tube. Thereby, the screen is set to a green-monochromatic raster one, and this screen is photographed by the color image pickup means. At this time, with respect to this color cathode ray tube, the adjusting coil is mounted at the neck portion of the tube so as to apply a magnetic field, for example, vertically to it. A variable electric current is made to flow through that adjusting coil. Then, the electric-current value difference between a first electric current value made to flow through the adjusting coil at which the intensity of any one of the red, green, and blue color signals at the relevant measured point becomes maximum and a second electric current value made to flow through the adjusting coil at which the intensity of another one of the red, green, and blue color signals becomes maximum is determined. Thereby, the amount of movement of an electron beam with respect to a unit value of electric current for the adjusting coil according to the electric current value difference and the location distance between light-emitting regions of the red, green, and blue colors on the color cathode ray tube is determined. Then, the electric current value made to flow through the adjusting coil at which the intensity value of the green color at each of the respective measured points becomes maximum is determined. This electric current value is multiplied by the amount of movement of the electron beam with respect to that unit value of electric current. By doing so, it is possible to determine the amount of color purity at each of the measured points.
According to the present invention, similarly, it is possible with respect to every point of the screen of the color cathode ray tube photographed by the color image pickup means, to easily measure the amount of color purity of each of the red, green, and blue colors.

Color purity measuring method and color purity measuring apparatus


Top and bottom ferrous carrier plates have a plurality of pairs of mating window cavities. Pairs of mating nonferrous pre-molded inserts with mating mold cavities snap into mating window cavities with a rubberized retainer ring therebetween to create floating mating pre-molded insert molds in multiple material carrier plate assemblies. Liquefied material is dispensed through pot bushings and plungers in each top pre-molded insert. The liquefied material flows though gate openings located in each insert top surface filling the mold cavities. The liquefied material then solidifies to its permanent shape in the mold cavities.

Field of Invention
The present invention relates to production precision molding including encapsulation of an object in plastic such as a semiconductor and in partiar to an insertable aperture molding method and device utilizing a pair of multiple material removable ferrous carrier plates having mating window openings with pre-molded mating pairs of non-ferrous pre-molded inserts each having at least one mold cavity, each having a rubberized retainer ring tension fit in a continuous edge groove surrounding each pre-molded insert which is adapted to be inserted in one of the pair of mating window openings with the retainer ring snapping into a recessed edge groove surrounding the window opening to create three axis floating molds which are insertable, removable, and replaceable in the carrier plates used in a precision production molding process which may include encapsulation molding.
Description of Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97-1.98
Within the field of semiconductor encapsulation there are generally two types of prior art molds. There referred to as Conventional Molds and Plate Molds. Within both prior art molds, the plastic material is directed through long runners and intersecting gates connecting to the cavities, the material flows through these long runners, and gates filling the mold cavities and forming the package to its final shape.
The first of the prior art are Conventional Molds, which are still in use today. Although extremely expensive, it does the job well. But nevertheless there are drawbacks. They are relatively easy to damage, and extremely time consuming when cleaning after the encapsulation cycle; this is because of their design. Repairing a damaged prior art conventional mold device costs considerable time and money.
The second prior art method of encapsulation is known as Plate Molds. This design was a big step forward. Through this prior art method volume increased per encapsulation cycle in encapsulation molding, and easier cleaning was achieved. But it has drawbacks as well. Once the plate Mold design is damaged or worn-out, it cannot be repaired. It is necessary to replace it. The damaged or worn-out plate in most cases is the top plate. In both prior art designs, the gates are subjected to extreme wear. The runner system in the plate mold design is the only item that can be repaired.
Both of the prior art examples (Conventional and Plate Molds) are constructed entirely of ferrous materials which adds cost to these types of mold tools.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,942, issued Apr. 30, 1985 to Creasman, indicates an apparatus for encapsulating objects in molded plastic packages, in which an improved removable cavity plate assembly comprises upper and lower cavity plates which fit together in an interlocking manner to define molding cavities having integral surfaces formed within a single cavity plate on all sides of the cavity but one. The fourth side of each cavity is defined by a surface formed by the interlocking juncture between the two cavity plates. Plastic packages molded in the cavities thus are formed without a seam or parting line along the sides formed on the integral molding surfaces, the seam or parting line being formed only on the surface defined by the juncture of the two cavity plates.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,368,168 issued Jan. 11, 1983 U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,056 issued to Slepcevic, puts forth a method for encapsulating electrical components wherein a cavity plate means is removably positioned between upper and lower mold plates with the upper surface of the cavity plate means flush against the upper mold plate. The cavity plate means has openings from top to bottom thereof and holds objects spaced from the upper mold plate with the portions of the objects which are to be encapsulated being in registration with the cavity plate openings. Fluid plastic is forced laterally through feed runners formed in the surface of the upper mold plate and downwardly through gates into the cavity plate openings. After the plastic has hardened, the plastic ejected from the feed runners of the upper mold plate and the cavity plate means is removed. Preferably the objects are pre-mounted on the cavity plate means, and the lower cavity plate surface is positioned flush against the lower mold plate which is uninterruptedly flat. Alternatively, the cavity plate means holds the objects against the lower mold plate which has cavities in registration with the openings through the cavity plate means.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,056 issued Apr. 10, 1984 to Slepcevic, is for a molding apparatus having first and second opposed mold surfaces with the first mold surface having a feed runner network. A mold structure is supported by the second mold surface and is spaced from the first mold surface. The mold structure is adapted to hold a lead frame strip and objects held thereby in a plurality of openings. A gate plate fits between the first mold surface and the mold structure. The gate plate has a plurality of gates or apertures from a first to a second outfacing surface portion thereof. Set feed runners can be removed from the molding apparatus by motivating the gate plate laterally across the mold structure. The runners are generally removed from the gate plate by bending the gate plate over a cylindrical surface of small enough radius so that the set runners cannot follow and are forced to separate gradually from the gate plate, eventually becoming completely free and falling away from the molding apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,975, issued Nov. 6, 1984 to Plummer, describes an apparatus for encapsulating electronic components in plastic including a press with upper and lower press members, upper and lower flat plastic carrier plates, and transfer injection means. The plates form a closed cavity and support the electronic component.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,690, issued May 22, 1984 to Schroeder, is for an apparatus and a method of use thereof for cast encapsulation of items, particularly electronic components. The apparatus consists of a plurality of identically shaped split matrix elements. Each matrix element has a first surface for receiving and securing the item to be encapsulated. A second surface of another identically shaped matrix element, located on a side thereof opposite to its first surface, is then mated with the first surface securing the item. Thus mated, the first and second surfaces establish a molding cavity for enclosing the item and an orifice providing access thereto. This process of securing an item to a first surface and enclosing it with a second surface is repeated thereby assembling a stack of matrix elements. This stack is then rigidly secured and the molding cavities are filled with particulate filler material through upright orifices. Excess filler is removed by quickly turning the stack over and then righting it again. The stack of matrices is then heated, its orifices filled with a quantity of heated, liquid thermosetting encapsulating compound and exposed to vacuum whereby substantially all air is drawn from the molding cavities through the liquid encapsulating compound. The stack is then again exposed to atmospheric pressure forcing the encapsulating compound throughout the unoccupied voids in the molding cavities after which that compound is permitted to solidify, thereby completing the encapsulation process.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,138, issued Dec. 24, 1985 to dePuglia et al, discloses an encapsulation mold having slanted support walls which accommodate a plurality of units that are to be encapsulated, and a runner system for effectively distributing plastic to chamber adjacent the areas of the units that are to be encapsulated.
What is needed is a replaceable mold device and method installing replaceable mating floating non-ferrous molds in re-used mating ferrous carrier plates to overcome the inefficiencies of the two prior art mold types in savings of time and money.


A bicycle crank assembly has a right crank crimp-fastened to a crank shaft in such a manner that the external appearance is attractive. The crank shaft has a first and second portions with the second portion being positioned on the right side of the first portion and having a larger diameter than the first portion. The right crank has a sprocket mounting part, a right crank arm part, and an engagement bore formed in the center of the sprocket mounting part. The right crank is crimp-fastened to the crank shaft by installing the second portion of the crank shaft into the engagement bore and pressing the periphery of the engagement bore toward the outside in the axial direction of the crank shaft such that the pressed portion bulges radially inward and an annular space is formed between the crank shaft and the engagement bore.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bicycle crank assembly. More particularly, the present invention relates to a bicycle crank assembly that can be mounted to a hanger of a bicycle frame.
2. Background Information
The crank of a bicycle is mounted to a crank shaft that is mounted in a freely rotatable-manner to a bottom hanger of the bicycle frame. Crank assemblies in which the right crank is fastened to the crank shaft by crimping have been known for some time (see, for example, Examined Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 53-1708). As used herein, the terms "left" and "right" are used to described bicycle components on the assumption that the bicycle is viewed from the rear.
In conventional crank assemblies in which the right crank is fastened to the crank shaft by crimping, the crank shaft is provided with a portion having a different diameter, such as an annular groove or protrusion, and the end part of the right crank is provided with a press-fitting hole and crimping material around the edge of the press-fitting hole. The press-fitting hole is formed such that its depth is larger than the diameter of the end part of the right crank. The right crank is crimp-fastened to the crank shaft by pressing the entire end-edge of the crimping material toward the different-diameter portion, i.e., toward the outside, in the axial direction such that the crimping material bulges radially inward around the different-diameter portion. Simultaneously, as the crimping material bulges, its radially outward-facing surface crimp-fastens the sprocket.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved bicycle crank assembly. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.


A method and apparatus for reducing centroiding error of a star sensor having a plurality of pixels is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of computing a star sensor angular slew rate of ω pixels per star sensor integration period τ, collecting star sensor data while slewing the star sensor according to the selected star sensor angular slew rate ω, and filtering the collected star sensor data according to a frequency determined by the selected star sensor angular slew rate.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to spacecraft attitude determination and control systems, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for correcting star tracker high spatial frequency (HSP) error to improve attitude determination performance in stellar inertial attitude determination systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Satellite communication systems typically include an attitude determination and control system. In such systems, the spacecraft inertial attitude is determined continuously in the spacecraft control processor (SCP) by numerically propagating the measured spacecraft inertial rates provided by three orthogonal gyros. Periodically, star data (star positions, star magnitudes, and their time tags) provided by the star trackers are then used to correct the attitude errors caused by gyro bias and gyro angle random walk during attitude propagation. The resulting attitude determination performance depends heavily on star tracker performance in terms of its measured star position accuracy.
Star trackers measure the positions of stars in the star tracker field-of-view (FOV). Several types of errors typically corrupt star tracker position measurements, thereby resulting in attitude determination errors. These star tracker errors can be generally attributed to temporal noise (that changes over time), high spatial frequency error that changes rapidly as stars move across the FOV, and low spatial frequency (LSF) error that changes slowly as stars move across the FOV.
What is needed is a system and method for reducing spatial errors that degrade attitude determination and control systems. The present invention satisfies that need by post-processing the star data so that systematic HSF error can be removed without a need for real time control of star tracker boresight orientation.

Pixel-frequency slews and filters for star data measurements


It is an object of this invention to provide a program analysis system and a program analysis method which efficiently analyze the source code of a program through static analysis and, based on the analysis result, makes it easy for the user to understand the process contents and source code containing input/output specifications. To achieve this object, the data information extracting means (1) extracts from the source code the data information representing the structure of data items contained in the source code. The relation information extracting means (5) extracts relation information representing the relation among data items for each position in the source code, based on the source code and the data information. The process information extracting means (6) extracts various types of relation information on each process in the source code as the process information representing the process, based on the source code, data information, and relation information. The specifying module (7) enables the user to specify an output range and form. The outputting means (2) outputs extracted information in the specified form.

The present invention relates to a program analysis system and a program analysis method which efficiently analyze the source code of a computer program by static analysis, and make it easy to understand the source code contents including process contents and input/output specifications by providing the result of the analysis.
During the inspection of software development and maintenance, it is necessary to analyze the source code contents or, process contents and/or input/output specifications in order to review the source code of a computer program or to perform reverse-engineering.
One of the prior arts to analyze the source code is to actually perform the test execution of the program and the data processing by generating the execution module or using an interpreter (dynamic analysis).
One of other analysis techniques is the symbolic execution of the program, that is, the static analysis. Typically, the static analysis represents elements, such as variables in the program, as abstract symbols like the possibility of error value instead of actual attribute values. And the contents of the program processing is represented as combinations of the symbols.
Another technique for analyzing the source code of a program is to read and understand it step by step.
However, the existing techniques have drawbacks described below.
First, dynamic analysis cannot be applied when the program cannot be executed due to an error. Second, it is cumbersome to generate the execution module for each change of the program. Third, to perform the test execution of a part of the program, it is troublesome because special program modules like drivers and stubs are required. Fourth, the test execution needs test data, and it is difficult and complicated to generate test data conforming to conditions which perfectly matches the object of the analysis.
Fifth, the existing symbolic execution is able to abstractly analyze data transitions; however, it is difficult to understand the input/output specifications of the source code, especially in case that the executed contests varies according to the concrete input data.
Sixth, reading and understanding the source code step by step requires much labor, and the work quality depends largely on the skillfulness of the worker.
It is an object of the present invention to solve said drawbacks, more specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide a program analysis system and a program analysis method which efficiently analyze the source code of a computer program by static analysis, and make it easy to understand the source code contents including the process contents and input/output specifications by providing the result of the analysis. In addition, it is still another object of the present invention to provide an easy-to-use program analysis system and a program analysis method.

Program analysis system and program analysis method


A ZnO-containing semiconductor layer, doped with Se, has an emission peak wavelength in visual light and has a band gap equivalent to a band gap of ZnO.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ZnO-containing semiconductor layer, its manufacture method, and a semiconductor light emitting device, and more particularly to a ZnO-containing semiconductor layer suitable for emission of visual light, its manufacture method, and a semiconductor light emitting device capable of being manufactured by using such a ZnO-containing semiconductor layer as an emission layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
A transition energy between bands of zinc oxide (ZnO) corresponds to an emission energy in a ultraviolet range of about 370 nm. This wavelength is shorter than a visual light range of 400 nm or longer providing a high industrial usage value. Studies have been made to obtain emission at a wavelength longer than 400 nm.
Techniques of narrowing a band gap (gap narrowing) are known as one of the techniques of obtaining emission at a longer wavelength from a ZnO-containing compound semiconductor layer. For example, ZnCdO mixed crystal replacing a portion of Zn with Cd has been proposed in which the band gap can be adjusted in a range of 3.4 eV to 1.5 eV depending on a composition of Cd. However, since Cd is a highly toxic element, adopting ZnCdO mixed crystal is difficult from the viewpoint of safety.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2002-16285 discloses techniques of gap narrowing of a band gap of ZnO by replacing a portion of O with a group VI element of sulfur (S) or selenium (Se) and forming mixed crystal. The techniques are excellent from the viewpoint of safety, as compared to the techniques of introducing Cd.
Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2002-16285 also discloses a light emitting device by sandwiching a gap-narrowed ZnO-containing compound semiconductor layer (ZnOS layer, ZnOSe layer) between ZnMgO clad layers. According to K. Iwata et al: Phys. Stat. sol (b) 229, No. 2 (2002)887, a relation between an Se composition y and a band gap of ZnO1−ySey (0≦y≦1) is represented by:EZnOse=yEZnSe+(1−y)EZnO−b(1−y)y where EZnOse, EZnSe and EZnO are band gaps of ZnO1−ySey, ZnSe and ZnO, respectively, and b is a bowing parameter. The bowing parameter b is 12.7 eV.
Various techniques have been desired for obtaining emission of visual light from ZnO-containing compound semiconductor. Manufacturing techniques are also desired for manufacturing a semiconductor light emitting device capable of obtaining desired color by using, for example, ZnO-containing compound semiconductor for an emission layer.

ZnO-containing semiconductor layer, its manufacture method, and semiconductor light emitting device


A magnetic heat pump cycle has a first to a fourth steps, which are repeatedly carried out. In the first step, a movement of heat medium is stopped by a pressure valve and a pressure accumulating tank and a magnetic field is applied by a magnetic-field control unit to a magnetic working material. In the second step, the pressure valve is opened so that the heat medium flows in a working chamber from a second axial end to a first axial end, and the magnetic field is increased depending on a moving speed of the heat medium. In the third step, the movement of the heat medium is stopped and the magnetic field is decreased. In the fourth step, the heat medium is moved in a reversed direction and the magnetic field is decreased depending on the moving speed of the heat medium.

A magnetic heat pump apparatus is known in the art, for example, as disclosed in French Patent Publication No. 2943406, according to which magnetocaloric element of magnetic working material is magnetically and periodically operated or released from its magnetic operation, cooling fluid is alternately moved to a high-temperature chamber and a low-temperature chamber (which are provided at both sides of the magnetocaloric element) so that the cooling fluid passes through the magnetocaloric element in synchronism with a magnetic-field applying stage or a magnetic-field releasing stage of the magnetocaloric element, and transfer of heat is thereby carried out. According to such a prior art, flow direction of the cooling fluid passing through the magnetocaloric element is reversed in the magnetic-field applying stage and the magnetic-field releasing stage, so that the cooling fluid continuously flows in a reciprocating manner.
The above prior art does not disclose anything about a relationship between an increase-decrease rate of magnetic field to be applied to the magnetocaloric element and a flow speed of the cooling fluid. It may be a problem that an operating condition of the magnetic heat pump apparatus differs from Carnot cycle (which is one of ideal heat cycles) and thereby sufficiently high operation efficiency cannot be realized.

Reciprocating magnetic heat pump apparatus with multiple permanent magnets in different configurations


A method to minimize oxidation of metal during melting processes is provided, the method comprising placing solid phase metal into a furnace environ-ment, transforming the solid-phase metal into molten metal phase having a molten metal surface, and creating a barrier between the surface and the environment. Also provided is a method for isolating the surface of molten metal from its environment, the method comprising confining the molten metal to a controlled atmos-phere, and imposing a floating substrate between the surface and the atmosphere.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to methods for decreasing oxidative melt loss of aluminum and magnesium melts and, more particularly, this invention relates to methods for providing inert physical and physico-chemical barriers to melt oxidation in aluminum and magnesium processing.
2. Background of the Invention
Almost all aluminum is melted and cast during its life cycle. During the melting process, significant aluminum loss occurs due to oxidation at the surface. Melting furnaces are large objects (3mxc3x975mxc3x975m high). Typically, they have side doors that allow a front-end loader to drop scrap aluminum into the furnace. Alternatively, the scrap is loaded through a removable roof into the hot furnace.
During loading, the furnace often contains some molten aluminum (called the heel). This facilitates melting of the scrap aluminum, which takes several hours. However, when the chemistry of the bath needs to be modified, a heel is not utilized and loading occurs in ambient temperature.
Once the scrap aluminum is melted, any aluminum oxide (called xe2x80x9cdrossxe2x80x9d) formed on the molten aluminum surface is physically scraped off or otherwise removed. The molten aluminum is then transferred to a holding furnace and then passed through several filters to remove entrained alumina. Finally, the filtered aluminum is cast.
When primary ingot is melted to form products, the surface of the melt starts to oxidize. Typically the losses from this operation are about 5 percent. The kinetics of this oxidation behavior of aluminum alloys are well-known and the initial growth is characterized by a period of slow growth that is two-dimensional (2-D), or amorphous, followed by a period of rapid growth characterized as three-dimensional (3-D), or crystalline.
Material lost during aluminum and magnesium processing typically takes three forms in the furnace:
1.) Dross, a mixture of aluminum oxide compounds and aluminum metal typically skimmed from the surface of the melt;
2.) Inclusions entrained in the molten metal and removed by filtration; and
3.) Oxide sludge found at the bottom of the melt.
The amount of aluminum that is lost as dross depends on many factors, such as furnace operation (e. g., temperature, atmosphere, stirring, etc.) and the specific surface area, alloy composition, and cleanliness of the input feed. The annual net amount of aluminum lost as dross totals in the vicinity of more than 330,000,000 pounds. Because aluminum requires approximately 13 kWh per kilogram to produce from bauxite, this metal loss represents an equivalent energy loss of nearly 2,000 MWh (12.5 trillion Btu/yr).
Present methods for decreasing aluminum and magnesium melt losses have several drawbacks. For example, beryllium or boron can be added to the aluminum alloy melt. As little as 0.01 wt. percent beryllium can inhibit the oxidation of a 3.5 wt. percent magnesium alloy of aluminum for at least 46 hours at 800xc2x0 C. Without the beryllium, xe2x80x9cbreakawayxe2x80x9d oxidation can occur. However, the formation of an oxide IB film in the form of crystalline magnesium aluminate can overcome the protective action of even 0.01 weight percent beryllium in this same alloy at 800xc2x0 C. C. N. a-Cochran et al.,xe2x80x9cOxidation of Aluminum-Magnesium melts in Air, Oxygen, Flue Gas, and Carbon Dioxide,xe2x80x9d Metallurgical Transactions B, Vol 8B, June 1977, pp.323-332.
The use of boron in melt scenarios also stymies aluminum and magnesium oxidation, as discussed in D. L. Belitskus, xe2x80x9cEffect of H3BO3, BCI3, and BF3 Pretreatments on Oxidation of Molten Al-Mg Alloys in Air,xe2x80x9d Oxidation of Metals, Vol. 8, No. 5, 1974, passim. Unlike beryllium, boron does not preferentially oxidize from the alloy to concentrate in the surface film. Boron can be used in the form of H3BO3 (dusting on sample surface), dipping of sample in aqueous H3BO3, or by passing BCI3 over the sample""s surface.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, both beryllium and boron have toxicity problems which require special training and processing considerations.
A need exists in the art for a method to significantly reduce oxidative losses from dross formation in remelts of aluminum and magnesium ingots. Such a method would employ a physical or chemical-physical barrier to greatly diminish the annual metal losses which presently occur, along with the concomitant energy losses. The method would also employ micro-alloying elements which have little or no toxicity as opposed to beryllium and boron.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method of decreasing oxidative melt loss during secondary aluminum and magnesium production processes that overcomes many disadvantages of the prior art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for forming protective films on aluminum and magnesium melts during melt processes. A feature of this invention is the coherent growth, in situ, of a thin, defect-free film that is a barrier to further oxygen transport. An advantage of the invention is that the resulting thin dross films exhibit significantly reduced oxygen diffusion rates.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method for creating a physical barrier between the surface of molten metal and the environment during metal processing. A feature of the invention is floating discrete entities (such as hollow spheres) of inert, low density materials on the melt surface. An advantage of this invention is that the spheres would limit oxide growth.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for extending the nucleation time for three-dimensional oxide growth beyond the typical industrial melt and pour cycle time in metal production processes. A feature of the invention is that the entities floating in the melt reduce melt surface exposure to the furnace atmosphere. An advantage of the invention is that the low-growth-rate incubation period of dross growth is extended beyond the melt cycling time without significantly affecting loading and melting operations. An additional advantage of this invention is a reduction in energy loss which would otherwise occur due to the oxidation.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide methods for decreasing oxidative melt loss during secondary aluminum and magnesium processes. A feature of the invention is to utilize minor alloying constituents, including, but not limited to, lithium, magnesium (for aluminum processing), calcium, and sulfur in combination with solid-phase and inert floatable materials to facilitate the selective formation of compounds on the surface of the melts to reduce-aluminum and Mg oxidation. An advantage of this invention is that both physical and non-toxic physico-chemical mechanisms are utilized to stymie unwanted oxidation of the metal being processed.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method for using both alloying and minor elements during aluminum secondary processing operations to grow well-defined oxides as barriers to further oxidation of aluminum products. An feature of this invention is that the imposition of a physical barrier between the melt surface and furnace atmosphere, combined with suitable alloying element concentrations, facilitates the growth of coherent, lattice-matched oxide films whose defect free nature reduces transport of melt components to the surface layer of the growing dross film. An advantage of the invention is the minimization of three-dimensional oxide growth and preventing the oxide from extending through the depth of the aluminum melt.
Briefly, the invention provides a method to minimize oxidation of metal during melting processes, the method comprising placing solid phase metal into a furnace environment; transforming the solid-phase metal into molten metal phase having a molten metal surface; and creating a barrier between the surface and the environment.
The invention also provides a method for isolating the surface of molten metal from its environment, the method comprising confining the molten metal to a controlled atmosphere; and imposing a floating substrate between the surface and the atmosphere.

Method to decrease loss of aluminum and magnesium melts


Mutants of the human PAI-1 protein are described which are inhibitors of neutrophil elastase or are inhibitors of vitronectin (Vn)-dependent cell migration. These mutants preferably comprise one or two amino acid substitutions in the reactive center loop of PAI-1, particularly at positions 331 and 346 of the mature protein. These mutants are notable in being resistant to inactivation by elastase, having high affinity for Vn, or both properties. These mutant proteins as pharmaceutical compositions are used to inhibit elastase in a subject, thereby treating a number of disorders associated with elastase activity, most notatably emphysema, ARDS, inflammatory lung injury and cystic fibrosis. The mutants which interact with Vn are used to inhibit cell migration in a subject, thereby treating diseases or conditions associated with undesired cell migration and proliferation, particularly of smooth muscle cells. Such conditions include atherosclerosis, post angioplasty restenosis, fibrosis associated with chronic inflammation or chemotherapy, tumor invasion and metastasis and conditions in which angiogenesis is pathogenic. Also disclosed are peptides of such mutant proteins, mutant-specific antibodies, nucleic acid molecules, particularly DNA, encoding the mutant protein and host cells transformed by such nucleic acids.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention in the field of biochemistry and medicine relates to compositions comprising mutant proteins of plasminogen activator inhibitor-type 1 (PAI-1) which have the capacity to inhibit the enzyme elastase and to inhibit vitronectin (Vn)-dependent migration of cells. This invention also relates to uses of these proteins for the treatment of diseases and disorders associated with elastase activity or in which migration and migration-driven proliferation of cells have pathophysiologic consequences.

Mutant plasminogen activator-inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) and uses thereof

The Regents of The University of Michigan


Method, process, and apparatus to efficiently store, read, and/or process syllables of word data. A portion of a data word, which includes multiple syllables, may be read by a computer processor. The processor may read a first syllable of the data word from a first memory. The processor may read a second syllable of the data word from a second portion of memory. The second syllable may include bits which are less critical than the bits of the first syllable. The second memory may be distinct from the first memory based on one or more physical attributes.

In traditional computer architecture, the size of a word is an important characteristic since the instruction set and/or hardware of the processor handle data in chunks equal to the word size. Consequently, the majority of the registers in a processor are predominantly word sized and the largest chunk of data which can be transported from/to memory in a single operation is word sized. The information within a data word may contain some bits which are critical and other bits which are non-critical. Critical bits are bits which are usually processed first by a consuming unit, such as a processor, when it reads/processes a data word. In traditional computer architecture, both critical bits and non-critical bits are usually stored in the same memory array, resulting in various performance, power, and cost constraints. Thus, there is a need for ways to efficiently store and access the critical bits and non-critical bits of a word to increase performance, reduce power consumption, and reduce costs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An embodiment of the present invention relates to methods for performing a surgical procedure. In particular, an embodiment of the present invention is directed to methods for performing a surgical procedure, using a delivery catheter containing a laser fiber assembly. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method of performing a surgical procedure comprises the steps of: advancing a delivery catheter to a procedure specific area; activating a laser fiber assembly disposed within the delivery catheter; and advancing the laser fiber assembly to create a treatment specific hole at the procedure specific area.

An aneurysm is a ballooning of the wall of an artery resulting from the weakening of the artery due to disease or other conditions. Left untreated, the aneurysm will frequently rupture, resulting in loss of blood through the rupture and death.
Aortic aneurysms are the most common form of arterial aneurysm and are life threatening. The aorta is the main artery which supplies blood to the circulatory system. The aorta arises from the left ventricle of the heart, passes upward and bends over behind the heart, and passes down through the thorax and abdomen. Among other arterial vessels branching off the aorta along its path, the abdominal aorta supplies two side vessels to the kidneys, the renal arteries. Below the level of the renal arteries, the abdominal aorta continues to about the level of the fourth lumbar vertebrae (or the navel), where it divides into the iliac arteries. The iliac arteries, in turn, supply blood to the lower extremities and perineal region.
It is common for an aortic aneurysm to occur in that portion of the abdominal aorta between the renal arteries and the iliac arteries. This portion of the abdominal aorta is particularly susceptible to weakening, resulting in an aortic aneurysm. Such an aneurysm is often located near the iliac arteries. An aortic aneurysm larger than about 5 cm in diameter in this section of the aorta is ominous. Left untreated, the aneurysm may rupture, resulting in rapid, and usually fatal, hemorrhaging. Typically, a surgical procedure is not performed on aneurysms smaller than 5 cm because no statistical benefit exists in performing such procedures.
Aneurysms in the abdominal aorta are associated with a particularly high mortality rate; accordingly, current medical standards call for urgent operative repair. Abdominal surgery, however, results in substantial stress to the body. Although the mortality rate for an aortic aneurysm is high, there is also considerable mortality and morbidity associated with open surgical intervention to repair an aortic aneurysm. This intervention involves penetrating the abdominal wall to the location of the aneurysm to reinforce or replace the diseased section of the aortic aneurysm. A prosthetic device, typically a synthetic tube graft, is used for this purpose. The graft serves to exclude the aneurysm from the circulatory system, thus relieving pressure and stress on the weakened section of the aorta at the aneurysm.
Repair of an aortic aneurysm by surgical means is a major operative procedure. Substantial morbidity accompanies the procedure, resulting in a protracted recovery period. Further, the procedure entails a substantial risk of mortality. While surgical intervention may be indicated and the surgery carries attendant risk, certain patients may not be able to tolerate the stress of intra-abdominal surgery. It is, therefore, desirable to reduce the mortality and morbidity associated with intra-abdominal surgical intervention.
In recent years, methods have been developed to attempt to treat an aortic aneurysm without the attendant risks of intra-abdominal surgical intervention. Among them are inventions disclosed and claimed in Kornberg, U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,596 for Aortic Graft, Device and Method for Performing an Intraluminal Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair; Lazarus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,899 for Intraluminal Graft Device, System and Method; and Taheri, U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,707 for Intravascular Stapler, and Method of Operating Same.
Although in recent years certain techniques have been developed that may reduce the stress, morbidity, and risk of mortality associated with surgical intervention to repair aortic aneurysms, none of the systems that have been developed effectively treat the aneurysm and exclude the affected section of aorta from the pressures and stresses associated with circulation. None of the devices disclosed in the references provide a reliable and quick means to reinforce an aneurysmal artery. In addition, all of the prior references require a sufficiently large section of healthy aorta surrounding the aneurysm to ensure attachment of the graft. The neck of the aorta at the cephalad end (i.e., above the aneurysm) is usually sufficient to maintain a graft's attachment means. However, when an aneurysm is located near the iliac arteries, there may be an ill-defined neck or no neck below the aneurysm. Such an ill-defined neck would have an insufficient amount of healthy aortic tissue to which to successfully mount a graft. Furthermore, much of the abdominal aorta wall may be calcified which may make it extremely difficult to attach the graft to the wall. Furthermore, the prior art does not disclose surgical devices that can be used during a surgical procedure that address these concerns. Others have developed devices that are not easily manipulated or oriented during intraluminal surgical procedures.
Methods have also been developed to use lasers to perform certain surgical procedures, particularly, Boutacoff et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,354 for Mid-Infrared Laser Endoscope (hereinafter "Boutacoff"). Boutacoff is directed to a Holmium YAG ("Ho:YAG") laser coupled to a needle tip through a flexible, fiber optical cable for performing endoscopic and arthroscopic surgery. Boutacoff only discloses use of laser energy during arthroscopic and endoscopic procedures. An embodiment of the present invention, in contrast, is directed to catheter-based surgical procedures. In arthroscopic and endoscopic procedures, tissue is ablated for the purpose of removing excess tissue. The tissue must be distended by gas or fluids to prevent burning or smoking during the procedure. In Boutacoff, a fluid field is maintained to flush the knee, thereby reducing the amount of smoke produced by the ablation procedure. The fluid field is necessary to distend the tissue and to improve visualization during the procedure.
In contrast, an embodiment of the present invention is not directed to ablating tissue with laser energy, but rather to penetrating tissue or other components to create treatment specific holes therein. Because tissue is not ablated or removed as in Boutacoff, burning and smoking are not problems, and thus, there is no need to maintain a fluid field. Hence, an embodiment of the present invention is not limited and possesses none of the needs of Boutacoff, mainly ablation for removing excess tissue and maintenance of a fluid field. Rather, an embodiment of the present invention is a novel application of laser technology for the performance of surgical procedures.
It is an advantage of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a method for creating a treatment specific hole at a procedure specific area with a laser fiber assembly. It is another advantage of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a method for repairing tissue by creating a treatment specific hole in the tissue with a laser fiber assembly and inserting a fastener through the hole. It is yet another advantage of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a method for repairing an aneurysm by creating a treatment specific hole in a surgical component and a vessel wall with a laser fiber assembly and inserting a fastener through the hole.
Additional advantages of embodiments of the invention are set forth, in part, in the description that follows and, in part, will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from the description and/or from the practice of the invention.

Apparatus and method for performing a surgical procedure


The present invention is based on antibodies which are both highly specific for hyperphosphorylated pathogenic P-S396 tau and highly specific for labelled sections of the human retina, as well as to methods of using these antibodies and their tau binding fragments in the treatment of retinoid amyloidosis, age related macular degeneration (ARMD), and glaucoma.

Extra-cellular deposition including amyloid beta (Ab) is a feature of retinal ageing. Glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, is characterized by the selective death of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Blocking Aβ protects retinal ganglion cells in glaucoma models (Salt et al., 2014). Although the axonal-enriched microtubule-associated protein tau is a key mediator of neurotoxicity in Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies, it has been shown that patients with glaucoma have altered levels of Aβ and tau in the eye and cerebrospinal fluid (Nucci et al., 2011). Some evidence suggests tau might also damage the retina. Chiasseu (J Neurosci. 2016 May 25; 36(21):5785-98) revealed that glaucoma displays signature pathological features of tauopathies, including tau accumulation, altered phosphorylation, and missorting.
Tau plays a critical role in microtubule dynamics and its phosphorylation gives rise to cell dysfunction, including the deregulation of mitochondrial dynamics critical for the maintenance of cellular energy and cell death signalling. (Jeffery Experimental Eye Research 147 (2016) 138-143).
Glaucoma is treated either by laser surgery or traditional surgery or eyes drops. Eye drops are either prostaglandin analogs, which work by increasing the outflow of fluid from the eye and have a few systemic side effects and are associated with changes to the eye itself; beta-blockers which work by decreasing production of fluid and have systemic side effects; alpha agonists which work to both decrease production of fluid and increase drainage; and carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (CAIs) which work to reduce eye pressure by decreasing the production of intraocular fluid. It is not unusual for a combination of these medications to be used for effective treatment. There is a need for new treatment options working by alternative mechanisms of action.

Antibodies specific for hyperphosphorlated tau for the treatment of ocular diseases


The invention provides methods and related systems for embedding and detecting watermarks in images, such as JPEG or MPEG formatted images as well as other types of image signals. One method receives transform coefficients of the image, and changes the value of selected coefficients to embed watermark data in the coefficients. The changing of the coefficients is controlled such that it both embeds the data and forms an orientation signal that facilitates determination of rotation or scale of the image. Another aspect of the invention is a variation of embedding a watermark in an image. This method receives message bits to be embedded in the image, receives transform coefficients of the image, and maps the message bits to selected transform coefficients. The method changes the value of selected coefficients to embed data in the coefficients. The characteristics of the image are used to control the change of transform coefficients to embed the watermark, and a bit rate control is used to modify the change of transform coefficients to embed the watermark according to a bit rate limit.

The advent of technology for storing images on digital media has increased the need for a method to protect against piracy. Images stored on prior forms of media (e.g. VHS, Beta, audiotapes, etc.) are inherently degraded when copied. Images stored on digitally encoded media can be copied with no degradation; therefore, perfect copies of copies of copies, etc. can be made.
The introduction of Digital Versatile Discs (DVD) containing movies has created increased incentives for both casual and professional unauthorized copying. At the movie industry's urging, technology has been put in place to protect against simple duplication of DVD disks using equipment available to unsophisticated consumers. This is similar to the protection that exists which prevents one from duplicating a VCR tape by connecting together two commercially available VCRs.
While such protection mechanisms protect against some types of copying, a personal computer connected to a DVD device present a much more complicated problem. Open architecture devices such as personal computers reproduce the signals in the "clear" and such devices have many entry points, which can be used to duplicate material once it is in the "clear". Some embodiments of the invention use digital watermarks to address the above described problem. The invention also has other applications.
The invention provides methods and related systems for embedding and detecting watermarks in images, such as JPEG or MPEG formatted images as well as other types of image signals. One method receives transform coefficients of the image, and changes the value of selected coefficients to embed watermark data in the coefficients. The changing of the coefficients is controlled such that it both embeds the data and forms an orientation signal that facilitates determination of rotation or scale of the image.
For example, to facilitate the detection of digital watermarks, one can insert a watermark signal that forms an orientation signal called a grid. The grid can be used to determine orientation and scale. In one embodiment described in this document, the data signal and the grid signal are integrated into a single watermark signal in such a manner that the visual artifacts introduced by the watermark are minimized.
Another aspect of the invention is a variation of embedding a watermark in an image. This method receives message bits to be embedded in the image, receives transform coefficients of the image, and maps the message bits to selected transform coefficients. The method changes the value of selected coefficients to embed data in the coefficients. The characteristics of the image are used to control the change of transform coefficients to embed the watermark, and a bit rate control is used to modify the change of transform coefficients to embed the watermark according to a bit rate limit.
In applications such as DVD storage of content, an important factor that needs be considered is the bit rate of the bit stream. There are disadvantages if introduction of a watermark into a bit stream changes the bit rate. For example if images are going to be recorded on a medium such as a DVD disc, increasing the number of bits in the bit stream will decrease the number of images that can be recorded on a single disk. It is known that, in general, adding a watermark to a stream of images will increase the number of bits in the bit stream. An embodiment provides a method and apparatus, which preserves the bit rate even though watermarks are introduced into the images.
JPEG and MPEG data compression techniques transform images utilizing a discrete cosine transform (DCT) which produces a matrix of DCT coefficients. These coefficients are arranged into blocks (e.g., into 8 by 8 blocks of coefficients). The blocks of DCT coefficients are in turn arranged into macro blocks (e.g., into 16 by 16 arrays containing four 8 by 8 blocks). In one embodiment of a digital watermark encoder, selected DCT coefficients in each block are slightly increased or slightly decreased in response to a watermark signal. The changes in the blocks that comprise each macro block are done in a coordinated manner so that the phase of the watermark signal is preserved across the block boundaries. By preserving the phase across block boundaries, a detectable grid is formed which can be used as an orientation and scaling grid.
An embodiment of the watermark encoder also maintains the bit rate of the image signal. The bit rate of the signal is preserved by maintaining a count (referred to as the cumulative change count) that represents the amount that the bit rate has been increased by changes in coefficients less the amount that the bit rate has been decreased by changes in the coefficients. If at any time the cumulative change count exceeds a pre-established limit, coefficient changes that decrease the cumulative change count continue; however, coefficient changes that increase the cumulative change count are suspended. The suspension of coefficient changes that increase the cumulative change count continues until the cumulative change count falls below the pre-established limit. The above described process can be described as selectively changing the intensity of a watermark signal in a bit stream so as to prevent the entropy of the combined signal from exceeding a pre-established limit.
Further features will become apparent with reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

Transform domain watermarking of image signals


There are provided a mixer for subjecting entered digital television signals or analog television signals to frequency conversion into an intermediate frequency band and an intermediate frequency tuning circuit so configured as to enable tuning frequency to be switched in the intermediate frequency band and provided at a stage immediately following the mixer, and the intermediate frequency tuning circuit is tuned to a first frequency substantially at a center of the intermediate frequency band when digital television signals are entered into the mixer or to a second frequency, which is higher than the first frequency when analog television signals are entered.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a television tuner capable of selectively receiving digital television signals or analog television signals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The configuration of a television tuner according to the prior art is shown in FIG. 4. Digital television signals and analog television signals are entered into an input tuning circuit 31. The digital television signals are arrayed in other channels than those in which conventional analog television signals are arrayed, i.e. so-called vacant channels. Some sequences of television signals roughly selected by the input tuning circuit 31, after being amplified by a high frequency amplifier 32, are entered into an inter-stage tuning circuit 33. The tuning frequency of the inter-stage tuning circuit 33 and the tuning frequency of the input tuning circuit 31 are interlocked with each other. In this process, television signals on adjoining channels are further eliminated, and the selected sequence of television signals is entered into a mixer 34.
Local oscillation signals are supplied to the mixer 34 from an oscillator 35. Data for channel selection are entered into a PLL circuit 36 for controlling the oscillation frequency of the oscillator 35 and the tuning frequencies of the input tuning circuit 31 and the inter-stage tuning circuit 33. Into the mixer 34 are entered either digital television signals or analog television signals. Into the PLL circuit 36 is incorporated a switching circuit for supplying a switching signal for distinguishing between specific channels, for instance, a channel for digital television signals and a channel for analog television signals.
In the mixer 34, the entered television signals undergo frequency conversion into an intermediate frequency band (41 MHz to 47 MHz according to the U.S. specification). Therefore the converted signals (intermediate frequency signals) include those deriving from digital television signals and those deriving from analog television signals. The intermediate frequency signals are entered into an intermediate frequency amplifier 38 via an intermediate frequency tuning circuit 37. The intermediate frequency tuning circuit 37 is configured of a parallel tuning circuit, whose tuning frequency is higher than the center of the intermediate frequency band and substantially close to the video intermediate frequency (45.75 MHz according to the U.S. specification).
On the output side of the intermediate frequency amplifying circuit 38 are provided switching means 39 and two intermediate frequency circuits 40 and 41. One of the latter, the intermediate frequency circuit 40 for digital signals, processes digital television signals, while the other, the intermediate frequency circuit 41 for analog signals, processes analog television signals. The switching means 39 connects the intermediate frequency amplifier 38 to one of the intermediate frequency circuit 40 for digital signals and the intermediate frequency circuit 41 for analog signals according to a switching signal supplied from the PLL circuit 36.
Therefore, if digital television signals are entered into the mixer 34, those intermediate frequency signals are entered into the intermediate frequency circuit 40 for digital signals or, if analog television signals are entered, those intermediate frequency signals are entered into the intermediate frequency circuit 41 for analog signals.
In the configuration described above, the intermediate frequency tuning circuit is tuned to the vicinity of the video intermediate frequency. Therefore, it is convenient for the reception of analog television signals because, in video detection of analog television signals, the level of audio intermediate frequency signals should be lower than that of video intermediate frequency signals. However, in digital television signals, there are neither video intermediate frequency signals nor audio intermediate frequency signals, video signals and audio signals are superposed on each other in many carriers within the band, and accordingly it is desirable for the level deviation of the intermediate frequency band to be small. For this reason, with the aforementioned characteristic having a peak in the video intermediate frequency, the level deviation in the band is great, making it impossible for digital television signals to be correctly demodulated.
Conversely, if the intermediate frequency tuning circuit is tuned substantially to the center frequency to reduce the level deviation in the intermediate frequency band, it will be convenient for demodulating digital television signals, but the video intermediate frequency and the audio intermediate frequency being at substantially the same level would be inconvenient for demodulating analog television signals.

Television tuner suitable for demodulation of both analog signals and digital signals


A first user instruction for turning on a communication unit of a communication apparatus is detected. An instruction which is performed firstly, out of the first user instruction and a second user instruction for turning on a communication unit of the other communication apparatus, is determined. Based on this determination result, data designated by a user is transmitted from the communication apparatus to another communication apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication technique and, more particularly, to near field communication.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is available a wireless communication system in which communication terminals each having a near field communication function can exchange data using near field communication. The communication terminals which exchange data can establish wireless connection by making their near field communication antennas come close to each other and further making the antennas come closer to each other.
Near field communication having a very short communicable distance can easily identify a network and is almost free from eavesdropping. Accordingly, designating a network identifier, inputting a password, and the like can be omitted. For this reason, near field communication features that a wireless link can be connected by a simple operation, that is, making the terminals to be communicated come close to each other.
When the wireless link of near field communication is set in a connected state, one communication terminal can transfer user data such as image data and document data to the other communication terminal using various kinds of applications running in these communication terminals.
There are available a method of determining the source communication terminal and the destination communication terminal for transferring the user data and the transfer direction by a user operation before the connection and a method of interactively selecting them at the time of communication. More specifically, a user operates one communication terminal to set an application in a reception mode, while a partner operates the other communication terminal to set an application in a transmission mode.
As another method, the user operates one communication terminal to start up a reception application, while the partner operates the other communication terminal to start up a transmission application.
As still another method, while one communication terminal is set in a standby mode upon running the application in the reception mode, the user operates the other communication terminal to set the application in the transmission mode.
A touch panel display is available as an operation technique in recent communication terminals. Using a touch panel display, the user can touch various types of objects such as buttons and icons displayed on the touch panel display with a finger or pen. The user can also input information by moving a finger to trace the panel of the touch panel display. This makes it possible to omit input parts such as buttons.
In addition, the touch panel display is used for not only simple actions such as pressing of buttons but also display of objects depending on situations and actions for these objects. This allows the user to perform more intuitive simple operations.
There is proposed a method for determining the transfer direction of user data with an intuitive operation by using a technique for detecting an operation direction using a motion sensor (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-045681). According to the control of this method, an apparatus B is made to approach close to an apparatus A to establish near field communication connection. Thereafter, when the user displaces the apparatus B to direct it to a direction in which the apparatus B sends information to the apparatus A, the apparatus B transfers data to the apparatus A. When the apparatus B is displaced to turn back away from the apparatus B, the apparatus A transfers data to the apparatus B.
As described above, there are available communication apparatuses capable of establishing wireless link connections with a simple operation, that is, making the mating communication apparatuses come close to each other. However, in the conventional near field communication system, although the wireless link connection is established by making the mating communication apparatuses come close to each other, a nonintuitive operation, that is, an operation of determining the transfer direction of user data on the application is required.
Even if one communication apparatus is always set in the standby mode to omit operation procedures, this operation cannot be regarded as an intuitive operation. This wastes power while in the standby mode.
Although an example using a motion sensor is also proposed, the power in the standby mode during near field communication cannot be suppressed, provided that an intuitive operation is disclosed.

Communication apparatus and control method thereof


An overload current protection device for cutting off power applied from a power supply to a load (3) such as a motor by means of a contactor (switch) (2) at overloading. With the configuration, an element (40) having a magnetic impedance effect as current detection units (4a, 4b, 4c) is used to thereby expand a current detection range by eliminating magnetic saturation due to a core, a problem with a conventional current transformer, thereby providing at low costs an overload current protection device having a wide current detection range.

Normally, for example, an overload current protection device of this type detects that the current flowing to a 3-phase motor through a contactor exceeds a safe threshold, and cuts off the current to the motor depending on the detection result, which has been realized by making all or a part the current of the motor flow through a bimetallic element. That is, if a current is applied to the switch made of a bimetal, the bimetal is heated depending on the current magnitude, and the motor current exceeds a safe threshold for a predetermined time, then the bimetal is bent by heat and a switch connection point is set in an OFF state, and the current supply to the control input of the contactor is stopped. However, in the system using the switch, it is difficult to adjust a current when the switch enters the OFF state, and there arises the problem that the system is in the misarrangement state for a long time.
To solve the above-mentioned problem, it has been possible to electronically perform the functions which have conventionally been realized by a bimetallic switch. A reliable and easily adjusted device can be provided using electronic equipment. However, since this electronic system requires a complicated circuit, and a number of parts such as a constant voltage power source, etc. are required to operate a contact system by appropriately detecting a current. Furthermore, a current detection transformer (what is called a CT) is used as current detection unit, which causes the problem that a wide current detection range cannot be obtained because the iron core generates magnetic saturation. There also is a method of using a magnetoresistive element. However, since it has low sensitivity, it requires an iron core, thereby failing in obtaining a wide current detection range as in the case of the above-mentioned CT. Additionally, since the magnetoresistive element has a large fluctuation depending on the temperature and a large difference among the elements, and is subject to an influence of disturbance noise, there occurs the problem that high-precision device means requires a high cost.
Therefore, the present invention aims at providing a low-cost and high-precision overload current protection device capable of expanding a current detection range without a constant voltage power source, etc., and without degradation in precision by an environmental characteristic such as disturbance noise, etc. and a change with time.

Overload current protection device using magnetic impedance element