A turning device includes a turning shaft having a first ball screw groove as one of a left screw and a right screw and a second ball screw groove as the other of the left screw and the right screw and turning wheels to be turned by moving in an axial direction, a first electric motor generating a first driving force, a second electric motor operating independently of the first electric motor and generating a second driving force, a first ball screw nut transmitting the first driving force generated by the first electric motor to the first ball screw groove, a second ball screw nut transmitting the second driving force generated by the second electric motor to the second ball screw groove, and a rotation regulating part regulating relative rotation of the turning shaft around an axis with respect to a housing.

In the related art, for example, JP2010-214978A discloses a turning device. The turning device in the related art includes divided turning shafts in which a turning shaft connected to wheels to be turned and for turning the wheels to be turned is divided into two, which is applied to a steer-by-wire steering device in which mechanical connection with respect to a steering wheel operated by a driver is released. The related-art turning device includes a sliding screw mechanism formed by screw shaft portions having a relation of left and right screws with respect to respective divided turning shafts and a sliding screw nut. The sliding screw mechanism is provided with motors transmitting driving forces to respective turning shafts through output transmission mechanisms. The related-art turning device provided with such sliding screw mechanism is capable of turning wheels even when a failure occurs in any one of motors.


A method for debugging a streaming application is provided. The method may include establishing, by a processor, a debug region in the streaming application to mark a subgraph for debugging. The method may further include receiving a tuple flow suspension notification from a job control plane. The method may also include displaying a plurality of debugging options for debugging a streaming application on a graphical user interface based on the received tuple flow suspension notification. The method may further include determining a debugging option from the displayed plurality of debugging options based on a user selection on the graphical user interface. The method may also include translating the determined debugging option into a format compatible with the job control plane. The method may further include transmitting the translated debugging option to the job control plane.

The present invention relates, generally, to the field of computing and, more particularly, to software development data processing.
During the development cycle and consumer use of computer software products, debugging may be required to remove errors experienced by users operating the software. Software debugging may relate to the process of identifying and correcting or bypassing errors within the operation of a software program. Debugging tools, or debuggers, are programs developed to debug programs by analyzing data processed by the subject program. Various debugging techniques may be utilized when debugging a system, such as print debugging, remote debugging, and delta debugging.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Debugging streaming applications using debug regions

International Business Machines Corporation


A method of treating viral infection, such as viral infection caused by a virus of the Filoviridae family, Flaviviridae family (Flavivirus genus), Deltaretrovirus genus, or Togaviriade family is provided. A composition having at least one cardiac glycoside is used to treat viral infection. The composition can further include at least one triterpene. Alternatively, the composition comprises at least one, at least two, or at least three triterpenes.

Nerium oleander, a member of the Nerium species, is an ornamental plant widely distributed in subtropical Asia, the southwestern United States, and the Mediterranean. Its medical and toxicological properties have long been recognized. It has been proposed for use, for example, in the treatment of hemorrhoids, ulcers, leprosy, snake bites, cancers, tumors, neurological disorders, cell-proliferative diseases.
Extraction of components from plants of Nerium species has traditionally been carried out using boiling water, cold water, or organic solvent.
ANVIRZEL™ (U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,745 to Ozel), which is commercially available, contains the concentrated form or powdered form of the hot-water extract of Nerium oleander. Muller et al. (Pharmazie. (1991) Sept. 46(9), 657-663) disclose the results regarding the analysis of a water extract of Nerium oleander. They report that the polysaccharide present is primarily galacturonic acid. Other saccharides include rhamnose, arabinose and galactose. Polysaccharide content and individual sugar composition of polysaccharides within the hot water extract of Nerium oleander have also been reported by Newman et al. (J. Herbal Pharmacotherapy, (2001) vol 1, pp.1-16). U.S. Pat. No. 5,869,060 to Selvaraj et al. pertains to extracts of Nerium species and methods of production. To prepare the extract, plant material is placed in water and boiled. The crude extract is then separated from the plant matter and sterilized by filtration. The resultant extract can then be lyophilized to produce a powder. U.S. Pat. No. 6,565,897 (U.S. Pregrant Publication No. 20020114852 and PCT International Publication No. WO 2000/016793 to Selvaraj et al.) discloses a hot-water extraction process for the preparation of a substantially sterile extract.
Erdemoglu et al. (J. Ethnopharmacol. (2003) Nov. 89(1), 123-129) discloses results for the comparison of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of plants, including Nerium oleander, based upon their anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities.
Organic solvent extracts of Nerium oleander are also disclosed by Adome et al. (Afr. Health Sci. (2003) August 3(2), 77-86; ethanolic extract), el-Shazly et al. (J. Egypt Soc. Parasitol. (1996), August 26(2), 461-473; ethanolic extract), Begum et al. (Phytochemistry (1999) February 50(3), 435-438; methanolic extract), Zia et al. (J. Ethnolpharmacol. (1995) November 49(1), 33-39; methanolic extract), and Vlasenko et al. (Farmatsiia. (1972) September-October 21(5), 46-47; alcoholic extract).
A supercritical fluid extract of Nerium species is known (U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,394,434, 8,187,644, 7,402,325) and has demonstrated efficacy in treating neurological disorders (U.S. Pat. No. 8,481,086, 9,220,778, 9,358,293, US 20160243143A1) and cell-proliferative disorders (U.S. Pat. No. 8,367,363).
Triterpenes are known to possess a wide variety of therapeutic activities. Some of the known triterpenes include oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, betulinic acid, bardoxolone, maslinic acid, and others. The therapeutic activity of the triterpenes has primarily been evaluated individually rather than as combinations of triterpenes.
Oleanolic acid is in a class of triterpenoids typified by compounds such as bardoxolone which have been shown to be potent activators of the innate cellular phase 2 detoxifying pathway, in which activation of the transcription factor Nrf2 leads to transcriptional increases in programs of downstream antioxidant genes containing the antioxidant transcriptional response element (ARE). Bardoxolone itself has been extensively investigated in clinical trials in inflammatory conditions; however, a Phase 3 clinical trial in chronic kidney disease was terminated due to adverse events that may have been related to known cellular toxicities of certain triterpenoids including bardoxolone at elevated concentrations.
Compositions containing triterpenes in combination with other therapeutic components are found as plant extracts. Fumiko et al. (Biol. Pharm. Bull (2002), 25(11), 1485-1487) discloses the evaluation of a methanolic extract of Rosmarimus officinalis L. for treating trypanosomiasis. Addington et al. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,481,086, 9,220,778, 9,358,293, US 20160243143 A1) disclose a supercritical fluid extract (SCF; PBI-05204) of Nerium oleander containing oleandrin and triterpenes for the treatment of neurological conditions. Addington et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 9,011,937, US 20150283191 A1) disclose a triterpene-containing fraction (PBI-04711) of the SCF extract of Nerium oleander containing oleandrin and triterpenes for the treatment of neurological conditions. Jäger et al. (Molecules (2009), 14, 2016-2031) disclose various plant extracts containing mixtures of oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, betulinic acid and other components. Mishra et al. (PLoS One 2016 25; 11(7): e0159430. Epub 2016 Jul 25) disclose an extract of Betula utilis bark containing a mixture of oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, betulinic acid and other components. Wang et al. (Molecules (2016), 21, 139) disclose an extract of Alstonia scholaris containing a mixture of oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, betulinic acid and other components. L. e Silva et al. (Molecules (2012), 17, 12197) disclose an extract of Eriope blanchetti containing a mixture of oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, betulinic acid and other components. Rui et al. (Int. J. Mol. Sci. (2012), 13, 7648-7662) disclose an extract of Eucaplyptus globulus containing a mixture of oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, betulinic acid and other components. Ayatollahi et al. (Iran. J. Pharm. Res. (2011), 10(2), 287-294) disclose an extract of Euphorbia microsciadia containing a mixture of oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, betulinic acid and other components. Wu et al. (Molecules (2011), 16, 1-15) disclose an extract of Ligustrum species containing a mixture of oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, betulinic acid and other components. Lee et al. (Biol. Pharm. Bull (2010), 33(2), 330) disclose an extract of Forsythia viridissima containing a mixture of oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, betulinic acid and other components.
Oleanolic acid (O or OA), ursolic acid (U or UA) and betulinic acid (B or BA) are the three major triterpene components found in PBI-05204 (PBI-23; a supercritical fluid extract of Nerium oleander) and PBI-04711 (a triterpene-containing fraction 0-4 of PBI-05204). We (two of the instant inventors) previously reported (Van Kanegan et al., in Nature Scientific Reports (May 2016), 6: 25626. doi: 10.1038/srep25626) on the contribution of the triterpenes toward efficacy by comparing their neuroprotective activity in a brain slice oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) model assay at similar concentrations. We found that PBI-05204 (PBI) and PBI-04711 (Fraction 0-4) provide neuroprotective activity.
Extracts of Nerium species are known to contain many different classes of compounds: cardiac glycosides, glycones, steroids, triterpenes, polysaccharides and others. Specific compounds include oleandrin; neritaloside; odoroside; oleanolic acid; ursolic acid; betulinic acid; oleandrigenin; oleaside A; betulin (urs-12-ene-3β,28-diol); 28-norurs-12-en-3β-ol; urs-12-en-3β-ol; 3β,3β3-hydroxy-12-oleanen-28-oic acid; 3β,20α-dihydroxyurs-21-en-38-oic acid; 3β,27-dihydroxy-12-ursen-38-oic acid; 3β,13β-dihydroxyurs-11-en-28-oic acid; 3β,12α-dihydroxyoleanan-28,13β-olide; 3β,27-dihydroxy-12-oleanan-28-oic acid; and other components.
Viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) can be caused by five distinct virus families: Arenaviridae, Bunyaviridae, Filoviridae, Flaviviridae, and Paramyxoviridae. The Filoviruses, e.g. Ebolavirus (EBOV) and Marburgvirus (MARV), are among the most pathogenic viruses known to man and the causative agents of viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks with fatality rates of up to 90%. Each virion contains one molecule of single-stranded, negative-sense RNA. Beyond supportive care or symptomatic treatment, there are no commercial therapeutically effective drugs and no prophylactic drugs available to treat EBOV (Eboval virus) and MARV (Marburg virus) infections, i.e. filovirus infections. Five species of Ebolavirus have been identified: Taï Forest (formerly Ivory Coast), Sudan, Zaire, Reston and Bundibugyo.
The Flaviviruses are positive, single-stranded, enveloped RNA viruses. They are found in arthropods, primarily ticks and mosquitoes, and cause widespread morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Some of the mosquito-transmitted viruses include Yellow Fever, Dengue Fever, Japanese Enchephalitis, West Nile Viruses, and Zikavirus. Some of the tick-transmitted viral infections include Tick-borne Encephalitis, Kyasanur Forest Disease, Alkhurma Disease, Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever. Although not a hemorrhagic infection, Powassan virus is a Flavivirus.
Oleandrin, and an extract of Nerium oleander have been shown to prevent the incorporation of the gp120 envelope glycoprotein of HIV-1 into mature virus particles and inhibit viral infectivity in vitro (Singh et al., "Nerium oleander derived cardiac glycoside oleandrin is a novel inhibitor of HIV infectivity" in Fitoterapia (2013) 84, 32-39).
Oleandrin has demonstrated anti-HIV activity but has not been evaluated against many viruses. The triterpenes oleanolic acid, betulinic acid and ursolic acid have been reported to exhibit differing levels of antiviral activity but have not been evaluated against many viruses. Betulinic acid has demonstrated some anti-viral activity against HSV-1 strain 1C, influenza A H7N1, ECHO 6, and HIV-1. Oleanolic acid has demonstrated some anti-viral activity against HIV-1, HEP C, and HCV H strain NSSB. Ursolic acid has demonstrated some anti-viral activity against HIV-1, HEP C, HCV H strain NSSB, HSV-1, HSV-2, ADV-3, ADV-8, ADV-11, HEP B, ENTV CVB1 and ENTV EV71. The antiviral activity of oleandrin, oleanolic acid, ursolic acid and betulinic acid is unpredictable as far as efficacy against specific viruses. Viruses exist against which oleandrin, oleanolic acid, ursolic acid and/or betulinic acid have little to no antiviral activity, meaning one cannot predic a priori whether oleandrin, oleanolic acid, ursolic acid and/or betulinic acid will exhibit antiviral activity against particular genuses of viruses.
Barrows et al. ("A screen of FDA-approved drugs for inhibitors of Zikavirus infection" in Cell Host Microbe (2016), 20, 259-270) report that digoxin demonstrates antiviral activity against Zikavirus but the doses are too high and likely toxic. Cheung et al. ("Antiviral activity of lanatoside C against dengue virus infection" in Antiviral Res. (2014) 111, 93-99) report that lanatoside C demonstrates antiviral activity against Dengue virus.
Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a retrovirus belonging to the family Retroviridae and the genus deltaretrovirus. It has a positive-sense RNA genome that is reverse transcribed into DNA and then integrated into the cellular DNA. Once integrated, HTLV-1 continues to exist only as a provirus which can spread from cell to cell through a viral synapse. Few, if any, free virions are produced, and there is usually no detectable virus in the blood plasma though the virus is present in genital secretions. HTLV-1 predominately infects CD4+ T-lymphocytes and causes adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL)—a rare, yet aggressive hematological malignancy with high rates of therapy-resistance and generally poor clinical outcomes, in addition to several autoimmune/inflammatory conditions, including infectious dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, uveitis, keratoconjunctivitis, sicca syndrome, Sjogren's syndrome, and HAM/TSP, among others. HAM/TSP is clinically characterized by chronic progressive spastic paraparesis, urinary incontinence, and mild sensory disturbance. While ATLL is etiologically linked to viral latency, oncogenic transformation, and the clonal expansion of HTLV-1-infected cells, the inflammatory diseases, such as HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), are caused by autoimmune and/or immunopathological responses to proviral replication and the expression of viral antigens. HAM/TSP is a progressive neuroinflammatory disease that results in the deterioration and demyelination of the lower spinal cord. HTLV-1-infected circulating T-cells invade the central nervous system (CNS) and cause an immunopathogenic response against virus and possibly components of the CNS. Neural damage and subsequent degeneration can cause severe disability in patients with HAM/TSP. The persistence of proviral replication and the proliferation of HTLV-1-infected cells in the CNS leads to a cytotoxic T-cell response targeted against viral antigens, and which may be responsible for the autoimmune destruction of nervous tissues.
Even though cardiac glycosides have been demonstrated to exhibit some antiviral activity against a few viruses, the specific compounds exhibit very different levels of antiviral activity against different viruses, meaning that some exhibit very poor antiviral activity and some exhibit better antiviral activity when evaluated against the same virus(es).
A need remains for improved pharmaceutical compositions containing oleandrin, oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, betulinic acid or any combination thereof that are therapeutically active against specific viral infections.

Method and compositions for treating viral infection


Methods and systems for multimedia redirection in a virtualized environment using a proxy server are described herein. The proxy server may store scripting code that may be injected into web content retrieved from a content resource server. The injected scripting code may cause an instantiated application in the virtualized environment to intercept/override at least some method calls in the web content. The proxy server may send the redirected multimedia content and other information to a client agent application executing on a user's computing device for rendering.

Techniques for instantiating an application in a virtualized environment are well known in the art. Such an application may be instantiated on a virtualization server and a counterpart remoted application may be rendered on a user's computing device, such as a mobile phone, smartphone, tablet, laptop, personal computer, or other electronic device. Communication between the virtualization server and the user's computing device may be facilitated using a remote presentation protocol, such as the Independent Computing Architecture (ICA) protocol and HDX protocol developed by Citrix Systems, Inc. of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., or the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) manufactured by the Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash.
In some circumstances, the aforementioned application may display multimedia content, such as video or audio. Techniques for media redirection may be used to facilitate rendering of the multimedia content at the remoted application. For example, some implementations of HDX MediaStream Flash redirection moves the processing of ADOBE Flash content from MICROSOFT Internet Explorer on a virtualization server to a user's device. By moving the processing to the user's device, media redirection may reduce server and network load, resulting in greater scalability while ensuring a high definition user experience. Similarly, Aero redirection may allow the WINDOWS Aero interface to be used on remote desktops/applications. Likewise, Windows Media redirection may be used to remote a windows media file. In more recent times, HTML5 video streaming has become implemented in some web browser applications. As a result, some developers started using HTML5 for media players, instead of legacy media players. Legacy media players were commonly implemented as external plug-ins: Apple's Quicktime, RealPlayer, Windows Media Player, and Adobe Flash. HTML5 includes tags that some believe will render external plug-ins obsolete.
There remain numerous drawbacks and limitations in the prior art as it relates to multimedia redirection in a virtualized environment.

Multimedia redirection in a virtualized environment using a proxy server


A power transmission and distribution system includes a supplying side having a current source and a receiving side. The receiving side includes a modular converter with plurality of direct current (DC)-alternating current (AC) current source converters connected in series with the current source and a plurality of AC-DC rectifiers connected in parallel to supply power to a multiplicity of loads. Each of the DC-AC current source converters supply power to a corresponding AC-DC rectifier and includes a plurality of reverse blocking fully controllable switches having bidirectional voltage blocking capability. Furthermore, a current from the current source flows in at least one reverse blocking fully controllable switch at any instant.

The invention relates generally to power transmission and more specifically to a system and method for transmitting electrical power to sub-sea electrical equipment.
Sub-sea electrical equipment such as a sub-sea motor which drives a gas compressor has a higher nominal power rating (e. g., in the order of 10 or 15 MW). As such, sub-sea compression clusters may be required to transmit a total power in the order of 50 to 100 MW over a distance of 100 or 200 km. The transmission of high power over a distance of more than 100 km and distributing the power sub-sea is a very challenging problem. Such a transmission is done at high voltages to reduce losses. At the receiving sub-sea end, the voltage is stepped-down and then distributed to the individual loads. Distribution distances are typically much shorter than the transmission distance.
Three phase alternating current (AC) power transmission and distribution is one way of transmitting power to subsea equipment. AC power transmission, although mature, provides technical challenges for applications where bulk power is transmitted over long cables. Due to cable capacitance, a significant amount of reactive power needs to be provided by the power source and carried by the cable. Capacitance causes charging current to flow along the length of the AC cable. Because the cable must carry this charging current in addition to the useful load current, the cable losses are high; the cables are over-rated and expensive. Large reactive power requirements may trigger power system stability issues.
The limitation of AC transmission and distribution can be alleviated by direct current (DC) transmission. High voltage (HV) DC transmission typically requires the usage of power electronic converters in the transmission systems that are capable of converting between HVAC and HVDC. Line commutated converters (LCC) and voltage sourced converters (VSC) are examples of such power electronic converters. However, LCC converters require significant amount of filters to supply for desired reactive power whereas VSC converters require large DC capacitors which affects reliability and maintenance.
Therefore, there still exists a need for a compact and a reliable system and method for transmitting electric power to subsea equipment.


A shift register comprises a plurality of latch circuits for latching time series signals inputted thereto, a multiplexer for selecting outputs of the latch circuits in sequence, and a clock control circuit for generating clocks used for controlling selection timings of the multiplexer, wherein the timing for selecting the output of a certain latch circuit is delayed with respect to the latch timing of the certain latch circuit by a predetermined timing. Accordingly, the number of elements constituting the shift register circuit is decreased and the power consumption is reduced.

A shift register is widely used to delay a serial signal and output the signal, or as one means for performing the serial to parallel conversion.
A shifting circuit used with the prior art shift register is constructed by flip-flop circuits employing NAND circuits or NOR circuits, or by flip-flop circuits having two latch circuits connected in series. For example, JP-A-2-105396 (1990) by Akiyama et al. discloses a shift register in which a plurality of memory cells each being constructed by two latch circuits are connected in series.
The shifting circuit constructed by such a flip-flop circuit requires for example about sixteen transistor devices per stage in the case where a master-slave flip-flop is used. Since the shift register is constructed by connecting such shifting circuits in series by the number of shifting stages, for example, in the case where the shift register having a thousand stages is manufactured, there is required one thousand flip-flop circuits or two thousand latch circuits. Therefore, the number of devices making up the shift resister becomes very enormous, so that the prior art shift register is not suitable for higher integration. This is one problem.
In addition, with the prior art shifting circuit, since almost all the elements are simultaneously operated, there arises another problem in that the power consumption when those elements are operated as the shift register is very large.


An LCD apparatus includes LCD panels for modulating irradiated light based on picture signals, a projection lens for extendedly projecting the light modulated by the LCD panels, a light source for emitting light to irradiate the LCD panels, an inorganic polarizer having a relatively higher degree of polarization and disposed on a light-emission side of each of the LCD panels, and an absorptive polarizer having a lower degree of polarization than the inorganic polarizer and disposed on a light-emission side of the inorganic polarizer. The inorganic polarizer having the higher degree of polarization and the absorptive polarizer having the lower degree of polarization have respective light transmission axes coincident with each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a projection type liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus and particularly to an LCD unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, optical lifetime of LCD panels and polarizers has become an important factor in proportion as projection type LCD apparatus have been required to have higher brightness and higher contrast. Particularly, when polarizer films (absorptive organic polarizers) have been exposed to intense short-wavelength light in the blue band, they have possibly been burnt by the light. To cope with this problem, there have been developed inorganic polarizers, a typical one of which is a wire grid polarizer manufactured by MOXTEK, Inc. This polarizer is a so-called reflective polarizer that allows transmission of light polarized only in a particular direction and reflects the rest of the light. For this reason, the polarizer has little suffered time degradation due to light irradiation and been used in a projection type LCD utilized for a rear projection TV requiring a longer operating life.
JP-A 2000-356770 discloses an LCD panel provided on the light-incidence side thereof with an absorptive polarizer that is equipped on the light-incidence side thereof with a reflective polarizer.
On the other hand, on the light-emission side of the LCD panel, almost all light that has failed to be transmissive relative to the reflective polarizer, of the light that has been transmissive relative to the LCD panel, is reflected onto the LCD panel when the reflective polarizer has been used without modification. As a result, since a photo-leakage current of a TFT that is a drive element for the LCD panel and polarization disturbance due to multiple reflection of light are induced to obtain an image having insufficient contrast, in general, the reflective polarizer is not used on the light-emission side of the LCD panel. Though it is possible to use the reflective polarizer if the reflective polarizer is disposed at an angle of 45° relative to an optical axis and if an optical configuration in which reflected light is not returned to the LCD panel is adopted, it is necessary to take measures for coping with a large-sized set of complicated configuration and treating unwanted light.
For this reason, as described with reference to FIG. 10 in paragraph [0052] of JP-A 2008-102416, for example, a wire grid is provided on the surface thereof with a light-absorbing layer to form an absorptive polarizer that has come to be used on the light-emission side of an LCD panel.
However, since use of the inorganic polarizer on the light-emission side of the LCD panel causes the degree of polarization to be low as compared with use of the conventional absorptive organic (film) polarizer, the degradation of contrast is induced. Furthermore, in the case of a reflective inorganic polarizer, the light reflected by the polarizer onto the LCD panel as described above and reflected by a metallic thin film that is incorporated into the LCD panel to form a black matrix is irradiated again onto the inorganic polarizer, repeats multiple reflection of light several times and finally enters as unwanted light into the image to be displayed to induce some irregular linear patterns as shown in FIG. 3, thereby deteriorating the picture quality. Incidentally, in FIG. 3, for making it easy to understand where the irregular linear patterns have been induced, a picture-quality black display screen is shown by a gray color to emphatically show the irregular linear patterns. Particularly in the case where an optical compensator is disposed on the light-incidence side of the LCD panel for the purpose of enhancing the contrast or the case where a reflective polarizer is installed on the light-incidence side of the LCD panel, the multiple reflections of light are superposed to considerably deteriorate the picture quality.
In addition, even when the wire grid is provided on the surface thereof with the light-absorbing layer to form the absorptive polarizer, as described above, multiple reflection of light is induced due to a variation in performance of the light-absorbing layer. Empirically, the picture quality is significantly deteriorated if the reflectance is 10% or more.
The present invention has been accomplished in order to solve the problems mentioned above, and the object thereof is to provide an LCD apparatus capable of eliminating the reduction of contrast due to the insufficient degree of polarization of an inorganic polarizer and further eliminating the degradation of a picture quality due to multiple reflection of unwanted light.


Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for optimization of online advertising bid requests and floor pricing. In one embodiment, a method may include receiving a first ad impression request for an ad slot on a publisher website or mobile application from an ad exchange server, extracting first publisher website information from the publisher website, and associating the first publisher website information with the first ad impression request. The method may include comparing the referral website URL to a set of one or more historical ad impression requests, identifying second publisher website information associated with a second ad impression request, the second publisher website information comprising ad slot dimension information, and associating the second publisher website information with the first ad impression request. The method may include generating a bid request associated with the first ad impression request, and sending the bid request to one or more ad servers.

Advertisers may develop digital ad campaigns with advertisements that are to be delivered to target consumers. For example, a target consumer may be a visitor to a particular website or application. When the target consumer navigates to the website or application, the website or application may have an ad slot at which the advertiser's ad can be presented to the target consumer. In many instances, more than one advertiser may be interested in presenting an ad at the ad slot. To determine which ad to present to the user, servers associated with the website or application may auction off the ad slot to an advertiser. However, during or prior to the auction process, much of the metadata associated with the ad slot that is available for auction may be corrupted or lost. As a result, the advertiser may only see incomplete information for the ad slot when placing a bid on the ad slot. In addition, certain publisher websites may implement floor pricing for ad slots, such that an ad slot will not be sold to an advertiser below a certain price. In some instances, floor pricing may negatively impact sales of digital advertising.
The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only and merely depict example embodiments of the disclosure. The drawings are provided to facilitate understanding of the disclosure and shall not be deemed to limit the breadth, scope, or applicability of the disclosure. The use of the same reference numerals indicates similar, but not necessarily the same or identical components. However, different reference numerals may be used to identify similar components as well. Various embodiments may utilize elements or components other than those illustrated in the drawings, and some elements and/or components may not be present in various embodiments. The use of singular terminology to describe a component or element may, depending on the context, encompass a plural number of such components or elements and vice versa.

Optimization of online advertising bid requests and dynamic floor pricing

Cox Media Group Digital Development, Inc.


In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided that provide for facilitating delivery, via autonomous ground vehicles, of products ordered by customers of a retailer to customer-specified restricted areas accessible by an entryway openable via an access code.

Customers often purchase products from retailers over the internet and request delivery of the products. The products purchased by a customer are most often delivered to a home where the customer lives, and are very commonly delivered at times when the customer is not home. Products delivered to a home address and left on the property of the customer when the customer is not home (e.g., at work) may be stolen and/or damaged (e.g., by people or weather) before the product is picked up by the customer. While it is not uncommon for residences to have restricted access areas protected by gates/doors where the product or products being delivered may be dropped off by the delivery service, such gates/doors typically require an access code that the delivery services do not have and thus cannot access such restricted areas.
Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. Certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. The terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.

Systems and methods for delivering products via autonomous ground vehicles to restricted areas designated by customers


A two-axis satellite antenna mounting and tracking assembly including a universal joint for mounting the antenna to support structure. A pair of linear actuators offset at 90.degree. to each other about the universal joint are operated in full-on/full-off fashion to control the azimuth and elevation orientations of the antenna. Satellite tracking is effected by maximizing received signal strength.

This invention relates to satellite antennas and, more particularly, to a low cost mounting and tracking assembly for such an antenna.
The Department of Defense is presently developing a global broadcast service (GBS) which uses satellites. In the interest of cost savings, these satellites are not stationary relative to the earth. Instead, the satellites wander within an approximately .+-.10.degree. range in inclined orbits. The receiving stations for the GBS are either transportable or fixed, although when in use they remain in fixed positions. Therefore, whenever a receiving station is set up, the antenna must be pointed at a GBS satellite in view. Since the satellite wanders, the antenna must be movable to track the satellite after it is initially acquired. Further, the satellite mounting and positioning assembly must be rigid because the antenna is exposed (i.e., not within a radome) and is subject to winds.
Mounting and tracking assemblies for satellite antennas have been in use for many years. The most common type of such assembly is the elevation over azimuth two-axis gimbaled servo system. In such a system, the antenna is attached to an inner elevation gimbal which is supported through preloaded bearings on an outer azimuth gimbal structure. A drive motor, either rotary or linear, provides relative motion between the elevation and azimuth gimbals. The azimuth gimbal, in turn, is supported by preloaded bearings on a fixed structure and another drive motor provides relative motion between the azimuth gimbal and the fixed structure. The realities of physical packaging and the need to nest the elevation assembly inside the azimuth assembly when using such a system tend to make the use of linear, high gear ratio, actuators difficult, and push designers to rely upon rotary, low gear ratio, motors. The parts count, size, inertia and cost are comparatively high. Standardized gimbals do not exist, and therefore each application requires the design and fabrication of many large, customized, mechanical parts and precision features for mounting motors and bearings. Sealing against the environment also becomes an issue with such a system. As such, it provides the capability of directing the antenna line-of-sight in any direction in azimuth, and typically from 0.degree. (horizontal) to +90.degree. (vertical) in elevation. Accordingly, this type of positioner provides full hemispheric coverage. It is also known that elevation over azimuth positioners using linear actuators provide limited hemispheric coverage.
When applied to the problem of tracking an inclined satellite, as in the GBS, the gimbaled system previously described has a number of shortcomings. For example, full upper hemispherical coverage is not needed. When tracking a satellite in, for example, a 10.degree. inclined orbit, the overall field-of-regard must be at least .+-.10.degree. in both elevation and azimuth. The added rotational capability afforded by the gimbals results in unnecessary complexity, lower reliability, and increased cost. Further, the use of rotary motors and gearheads permits the back driving of the antenna in response to wind loading. The gear ratio in this type of system must be relatively low in order to provide the capability to slew the line-of-sight at high speed (i.e., 10.degree. to 60.degree. PER second). This is necessary when the system is scanning for the satellite during initial acquisition. With these low gear ratios, it is possible for external disturbance torques to induce motion that drives the antenna line-of-sight off the satellite. Still further, most systems of this type use brushless DC motors or stepper motors. A disadvantage of this approach is that both types of motors require a motor drive amplifier.
Another type of assembly developed to track moving satellites involves the use of a fixed antenna with a movable feed which can effect a change in line-of-sight direction. The use of a fixed antenna permits the antenna to be rigidly attached to a base structure, which permits operation in high wind and eliminates the need for any type of antenna motion actuator. However, the range of motion possible using this approach is limited to about two beamwidths, which is often insufficient. For example, with a typical 0.75 meter 20 GHz dish antenna the beamwidth is 0.8.degree.. Thus, a width of two beamwidths cannot track a satellite with an inclination greater than approximately 1.6.degree..
For all of the foregoing reasons, it would be desirable to provide a low cost satellite antenna tracking assembly which overcomes all of the foregoing problems.

Two-axis satellite antenna mounting and tracking assembly


A radar sensor system having a defined number of HF components, with each of the HF components having at least one antenna for transmitting and/or receiving of radar waves in each case, and at least one antenna control for operating the at least one antenna; and a synchronization network, which is connected to all HF components and via which an operating frequency of all HF components is able to be synchronized; with a synchronization master according to at least one defined criterion being able to be provided by all HF components.

The market for driver-assistance systems is currently in transition. While it was mainly cost-effective sensor systems that stood in the foreground during the past few years, there is currently a trend toward highly autonomous driving with much greater demands on the sensor system. In vehicles that offer a high degree of driver-assistance functions or automated driving functions, an increasing number of sensors is installed for the control and regulation of the functions. The sensors installed in the vehicles can be radar sensors or lidar sensors, for instance, and must provide the highest accuracy possible. Through the use of precise sensors, the functional safety and the reliability of the autonomous or semi-autonomous driving functions are able to be ensured.
In vehicles featuring autonomous driving functions or automated driver-assistance functions, errors, in particular E/E errors according to ISO26262, lead to the deactivation of the respective radar sensor or the bus communication. In the case of radar sensors that offer high performance and are equipped with many antennas, HF channels and memories, the likelihood of a failure increases greatly. According to ISO26262, this likelihood is determined in FIT (what is known as Failure in Time, 10−9/h). A component may thus have maximally 100 FIT according to ASIL-B or ASIL-C before it will be deactivated. The safe state of the respective component is not considered in this context. For example, if a quartz oscillator has 30 FIT (SN 29500-4) and the safe state is unable to be reached, then this quartz oscillator alone already takes up 30% of the available FIT rates of the radar sensor.

Radar sensor system and method for operating a radar sensor system


A napkin ring can include a first transparent disc, a second transparent, and a decorative disc positioned between the first and second transparent discs. The first and second transparent discs can be retained adjacent to each other by a retention feature, which can be a first and second plurality of magnets disposed within the respective transparent discs.

A napkin ring holds a cloth napkin as part of a formal place setting. During use, the napkin is inserted through the napkin ring and is placed on a dinner table to improve the appearance and organization of the place setting. Thus, the napkin ring can be both functional and aesthetic.


A water craft having a single engine and at least one pump that together cause two propellers to rotate independently. The pump pumps fluid to two valves: a first valve that controls a first propeller and a second valve that controls a second propeller. Both valves have a first position that causes the propellers to be rotated in a first direction, a second position that causes the propellers to be rotated in a second direction, and a third position in which the propellers are not rotated. The water craft is propelled in a first direction when the first and second valves are in the first position. The water craft is propelled in a second direction when the first and second valves are in the second position. The water craft is turned in a first direction when the first valve is in the first position and the second valve is in the second position. The water craft is turned in a second direction when the first valve is in the second position and the second valve is in the first position.

The present invention relates to a water craft having a single engine powering at least two propellers.
It has long been known that water craft with dual propellers have a greater range of maneuverability than those equipped with a single propeller. This increased maneuverability is particularly noticeable and appreciable when the water craft is being piloted in confined water areas or when docking or departing from a port. For example, a water craft equipped with dual propellers would be able to do a "crabbing" movement. Further, a water craft equipped with dual propellers is able to pivot about a point rearwardly of the bow whereas a water craft with a single propeller pivots about its bow. A water craft able to pivot about a point rearwardly of the bow would not have to swing out as far as a water craft able to pivot about the bow.
Despite the known advantages of dual propellers, small and inexpensive water craft generally are equipped with single propellers because of the weight and cost associated with dual propellers.
Known dual propeller water craft require dual engines. Each of the dual engines rotates one of the dual propellers. Use of two engines adds the expense and weight of a second engine. These factors make a dual propeller system impractical for small and inexpensive water craft.
What is needed, then, is a water craft that uses one engine to power dual propellers thus reducing the expense and the weight of the water craft while achieving the advantages of dual propellers.

Single engine dual propeller water craft


In a compression stroke and an exhaust stroke, a part of a mixture in a downstream intake passage 30b is introduced through a branch intake passage 50a into a crank chamber 20. The mixture introduced into the crank chamber 20 flows into a valve chamber 16 during the expansion stroke and the intake stroke. From which it flows back to an intake port 9 through a circulation passage 71, and is eventually charged into a combustion chamber 7 during the intake stroke. As the mixture passes through a first communicating passage 55 which allows fluid communication between the crank chamber 20 and the valve chamber 16, a gasoline component which is vaporized with comparative easy is vaporized by a heat released from a cylinder block 3 so that the mixture is separated into the lubricating oil and gasoline components.

The present invention generally relates to a four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine using a mixed fuel with a lubricant added thereto, and more particularly to a four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine suitable for use in a power source of compact power working machines such as a portable trimmer, a lawn mower, a chain saw, or the like.
A portable working machine represented by a trimmer and a chain saw is required to allow an operator to work without any restriction on his working position or posture. Thus, an internal combustion engine or a power source which is mounted on such a working machine is required to maintain stable operation even if it is used, for example, in a laterally tilted position.
In order to comply with such a requirement stated heretofore, there has been generally utilized a compact air-cooled two-stroke cycle gasoline engine (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9ctwo-stroke cycle enginexe2x80x9d) which uses mixed fuel of fuel and lubricating oil mixed with each other at a certain ratio. However, since the two-stroke cycle engine generally produces exhaust gas containing much unburnt gas due to a gas-flow type scavenging system employed therein, it has a disadvantage in that it is difficult to take effective measures to control exhaust gas or emission.
From the standpoint of emission control, a four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine (Otto engine) has the advantage of producing exhaust gas containing a small amount of unburnt gas, whereby it is desirable for the four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine to be employed in the portable working machine in place of the two-stroke cycle engine. In the four-stroke cycle engine, typically, an oil reservoir is disposed in a bottom section of a crankcase in which a crankshaft is accommodated. The oil in the oil reservoir is drawn by a pump and/or is splashed by a rotating member to lubricate an inner surface of a cylinder and a valve system. However, this likely results in a complicated structure and an increased weight due to an additional mechanism for oil delivery and recovery, which is undesirable for the portable working machine.
An existence of the oil reservoir forces the operator to keep the engine in a specified position (generally to keep the cylinder in an upright position) in use, which makes it difficult to apply a typical four-stroke cycle engine to the portable working machine without a modification. Further, there is a possibility of engine seizure due to an unstable or insufficient lubricating oil supply caused by a change in a position or posture thereof. This may interfere with an operational convenience as a portable working machine. Conventionally, various proposals have been submitted in order to improve such problem, one of which is to use mixed fuel of fuel and lubricating oil in the four-stroke cycle engine as in the two-stroke cycle engine.
In the four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine using the mixed fuel, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Disclosure Nos. Hei 5-222944 and Hei 7-150920, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,347,967 and 5,579,735, an intake system device including a carburetor is directly connected to a crankcase defining a crank chamber. A mist-like mixed fuel which includes a lubricating oil and which is introduced through the intake system device into the crankcase lubricates an inner surface of a cylinder and rotating members in the crank chamber. It is then introduced into a cylinder head through a communicating passage which connects the crankcase and a cylinder head and lubricates a valve mechanism of intake and exhaust valves in the cylinder head. It is further introduced into a combustion chamber through an intake port.
Employment of the four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine using the mixed fuel allows elimination of the oil reservoir in the bottom section of the crank chamber, an independent oil supply device (a pump or a member to splash the lubrication oil) and also an oil recovery device. Therefore, it provides several advantages that, for example, the stable operation of the engine can be obtained even if it is used in various positions or postures. It further provides advantageous features of lightweight and simple structure for the engine to be used for the portable working machine.
Another type of four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine using the mixed fuel is also disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Disclosure No. Hei 11-223116. This publication discloses an invention related to an OHV type engine, wherein a mixed fuel including a lubricating oil is introduced into a crankcase through a branch intake passage branched from an intake passage to lubricate inner surfaces of a cylinder and rotating members in a crank chamber, and is then led from the crankcase to a cylinder head through a space for a push rod of an OHV mechanism to lubricate a valve mechanism in the cylinder head. It is then returned to the intake passage.
In the four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine whose inside is lubricated by using a mixed fuel including a lubricating oil, the negative effect upon emission gas caused by the introduced lubricating oil is not negligible since much lubricating oil is introduced into the combustion chamber with a fuel. In addition, there is a possibility of deteriorating engine performances due to the deposit on valve seats of intake and exhaust valves and/or a spark plug resulting from the lubricating oil which is exposed to a high temperature in the combustion chamber.
The present invention is directed to a four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine using a mixed fuel including lubricating oil, and intends to provide a four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine capable of reducing the amount of lubricating oil which is to be introduced into a combustion chamber with a fuel.
According to the present invention, the above object can be achieved by providing a four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine whose inside is lubricated using a mixed fuel with a lubricant added thereto, said four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine comprising: a combustion chamber; and a path extending from a point at which said mixed fuel is introduced into said engine to a point before charging said mixed fuel into said combustion chamber, whereby a fuel component included in said mixed fuel is vaporized by heating it in said path utilizing heat released from said engine.
Thus, according to the present invention, since the mixed fuel including a lubricating oil is heated by the heat released from the engine, the fuel component in the mixed fuel is vaporized and separated from the lubrication oil before the mixed fuel is introduced into the combustion chamber. It allows the lubrication oil to stay within the engine without discharging is therefrom to outside. In other word, by vaporizing the fuel component in the mixed fuel in the passage introducing it into the combustion chamber, the amount of lubrication oil which is to be included in the mixed fuel introduced into the combustion chamber may be considerably reduced.
In a specific embodiment of the present invention, a first communicating passage which allows fluid communication between a crank chamber accommodating a crankshaft and a valve chamber provided in a cylinder head may be formed in a cylinder block to vaporize the fuel component included in the mixed fuel by heating the mixed fuel passing through the first communicating passage. As is known, the crank chamber requires larger amounts of lubricating oil as compared to the valve chamber in the cylinder head. From this point, it is reasonable to vaporize the fuel component by heating the mixed fuel with the heat released from the cylinder block during the movement of the mixed fuel from the crank chamber to the valve chamber.
Preferably, a second communicating passage which allows fluid communication between the valve camber and the crank chamber is provided to return the lubrication oil in the valve chamber to the crank chamber, so that the amount of lubrication oil in the crank chamber may be maintained in rich condition.
The present invention may be applied to a certain type of engine in which an intake system device is directly connected to a crankcase as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Disclosure No. Hei 5-222944 described above. It may be also applied to another type of engine in which a mixed fuel including a lubrication oil is introduced to a crankcase through a branch intake passage branched from an intake passage as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Disclosure No. Hei 11-223116 described above.
As for engine types, the present invention may be applied not only to OHC type engines but also to OHV type engines. In the case of the OHV type engines, a hole through which a push rod forming a part of a valve mechanism is passed may be used as the communicating passage for introducing the mixed fuel from the crank chamber to the valve chamber of the cylinder head, wherein the hole may be formed in a cylinder block to vaporize the fuel component by heating the mixed fuel during the movement of the fixed fuel from the crank chamber to the valve chamber.
Other objects and operational advantages of the present invention shall be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment.

Four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine


In an air mixing arrangement wherein a primary fluid is introduced through an opening in a wall to be mixed with a secondary fluid flowing along the wall surface, the opening is airfoil shaped with its leading edge being orientated at an attack angle with respect to the secondary fluid flow stream so as to thereby enhance the penetration and dispersion of the primary fluid stream into the secondary fluid stream. The airfoil shaped opening is selectively positioned such that its angle of attack provides the desired lift to optimize the mixing of the two streams for the particular application. In one embodiment, a collar is provided around the opening to prevent the secondary fluid from contacting the surface of the wall during certain conditions of operation. Multiple openings maybe used such as the combination of a larger airfoil shaped opening with a smaller airfoil shaped opened positioned downstream thereof, or a round shaped opening placed upstream of an airfoil shaped opening. Pairs of openings and associated collars maybe placed in symmetric relationship so as to promote mixing in particular applications, and nozzles maybe placed on the inner side of wall to enhance the flow characteristics of the primary fluid.

The invention relates generally to the mixing of fluid flow streams and, more particularly to the injection of a primary fluid into a secondary fluid cross-stream, as found in, but not limited to, jet engine combustion chambers, jet engine bleed-air discharge nozzles, and jet-engine thrust vectoring nozzles.
A fluid jet injected essentially normally to a fluid cross-stream is an important phenomenon that is ubiquitous in industrial processes involving mixing and dispersion of one fluid stream into another. For example, the "jet in cross-flow" phenomenon, as it is commonly called, dictates the efficiency of the mixing process between different gases in a jet combustor, controlling the rates of chemical reactions, NOx and soot formation, and unwanted temperature non-uniformity of gases impinging on the turbine blades.
The jet-in-cross-flow phenomenon is also present at the discharge port of high temperature compressor bleed-air into the fan steam of jet engines, as well as in fuel injector nozzles on afterburners and in fluidic thrust-vectoring devices.
Herein, we define as "primary fluid" the fluid of the injected jet, and as "secondary fluid" the fluid of the cross-stream. The two main characteristics of the jet-in-cross-flow phenomenon are:                a) the penetration depth of the primary fluid plume into the secondary fluid stream, and        b) the rate of dispersion and mixing of the primary fluid plume into the secondary fluid stream.
Comprehensive parametric studies of multiple round jets to optimize crossflow mixing performance have been reported since the early '70s, the most general and applicable to subsonic crossflow mixing in a confined duct being reported by J. D. Holdeman at NASA (Holdeman, J. D., "Mixing of Multiple Jets with a Confined Subsonic Crossflow", Prog. Energy Combust. Sci., Vol. 19, pp. 31-70, 1993.). Those studies, both numerical and experimental, developed correlating expression to optimize gas turbine combustor pattern factor. The primary result was that the jet-to-mainstream momentum-flux ratio was the most significant flow variable and that mixing was similar, independent of orifice diameter, when the orifice spacing and the square-root of the momentum-flux were inversely proportional. More recent efforts at Darmstadt (Doerr, Th., Blomeyer, M. M., and Hennecke, D. K., "Optimization of Multiple Jets Mixing with a Confined Crossflow", ASME-96-GT-453, 1996 and Blomeyer, M. M., Krautkremer, B. H., Hennecke, D. K., "Optimization of Mixing for Two-sided Injection from Opposed Rows of Staggered Jets into a Confined Crossflow", ASME-96-GT-453, 1996.) further studied the optimization of round jet configurations for gas turbine applications.
Although optimized round jets provide control of pattern factor, reduction of NOx emissions could be attained by more rapid mixing in the combustion chamber. Since axisymmetric coflow configurations on non-circular orifices, such as an ellipse, had been shown to increase entrainment relative to a circular jet (Ho, C-M and Gutmark, E, "Vortex Induction and Mass Entrainment in a Small-Aspect-Ration Elliptic Jet", J. Fluid Mech., Vol. 179, pp. 383-405, 1987 and Gutmark, E. J. and Grinstein, F. F., "Flow Control with Noncircular Jets", Annual Rev Fluid Mech., Vol. 11, pp. 239-272, 1999.), similar orifices were considered for NOx reduction in crossflow configurations during NASA's High Speed Research program in the early '90s. Liscinsky (Liscinsky, D. S., True, B., and Holdeman, J. D., "Mixing Characteristics of Directly Opposed Rows of Jets Injected Normal to a Crossflow in a Rectangular Duct", AIAA-94-0218, 1994.) and Bain (Bain, D. B., Smith, C. E., and Holdeman, J. D., "CFD Assessment of Orifice Aspect Ratio and Mass Flow Ration on Jet Mixing in Rectangular Ducts", AIAA-94-0218, 1994.) using parallel-sided orifices (squares, rectangles and round-ended slots) launched an investigation to improve upon the mixing performance of round jets. Optimizing correlations were developed but a significant enhancement in mixing relative to round holes was not achieved. The slots were also rotated relative to the mainstream to control jet trajectory but mixing enhancement was not observed for optimized configurations. Concurrent investigations in cylindrical ducts were performed experimentally and numerically by Sowa (Sowa, W. A., Kroll, J. T., and Samuelsen, G. S., "Optimization of Orifice Geometry for Crossflow Mixing in a Cylindrical Duct", AIAA-94-0219, 1994.) and numerically by Oeschle (Oechsle, V. L., Mongia, H. C., and Holdeman, J. D., "An Analytical Study of Jet Mixing in a Cylindrical Duct", AIAa-93-2043, 1993.) also without significant mixing improvement relative to circular jets.
Detailed single jet studies of symmetric noncircular orifice shapes in crossflow were also performed in the late 90s (Liscinsky, D. S., True, B., and Holdeman, J. D., "Crossflow Mixing of Noncircular Jets", Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 225-230, 1996 and Zamn, KBMQ, "Effect of Delta Tabs on Mixing and Axis Switching in Jets from Axisymmetric Nozzles", AIAA-94-0186, 1994.). These investigations also included the use of tabs placed at the nozzle exit as vortex generators. Azimuthal non-uniformity at the jet inlet is naturally unstable and introduces streamwise vorticity which increases entrainment for axisymmetric flows, however in a crossflow configuration the vorticity field is dominated by the bending imposed by the mainstream. The vorticity generated by the initial jet condition was found to be insignificant and appreciable mixing enhancement relative to a circular jet was not observed.
In summary, a round orifice is the most commonly used shape from which the primary fluid emanates, leading to a jet of essentially cylindrical shape in the vicinity of the orifice. This cylindrical shape is rapidly bent by the secondary cross-stream into a plume oriented with the cross-stream direction. Prior-art investigations have been directed at discovering improved orifice shapes in the hope of passively improving either or both of the plum penetration and dispersion and mixing. While slanted slots have provided some reduction in penetration depth, no shapes have been reported that offer significant improvements over the round orifice shape. The lack of a mechanism for the control of plume penetration depth that is independent of the exit jet velocity is a shortcoming that forces compromises into the design of industrial systems.
Furthermore, the downstream development of the plume from prior-art non-circular orifices is similar to that of the plume form the circular orifice. In particular, both circular and non-circular cases generated a plume characterized by a cross-sectional area of kidney-like form containing two counter-rotating vortices oriented parallel to the secondary-fluid stream direction. Far from the plume, the velocity induced by one vortex of this vortex pair is essentially cancelled by the other counter-rotating vortex of the pair. Consequently, when multiple plumes are present, the counter-rotating vortices produce a weak interaction between neighboring plumes emitted from near-by orifices, leading to relatively weak overall dispersion of the primary fluid.
It is thus desirable to have an orifice shape that leads to a strong control of primary-fluid plume penetration independent of exit jet velocity, thus allowing authoritative placement of the jet plume at a desired, predetermined depth into the secondary steam. It is also desirable to have an orifice shape leading to a plume containing a single, rather than a pair, of vortices, that allows stronger interaction between neighboring plumes.
Objects of the current invention are thus to:                1) provide a geometry for the primary-fluid orifice that leads to a strong control authority over the primary fluid plume penetration depth into the secondary stream, the penetration control being independent of exit jet velocity, and        2) provide a geometry for the primary-fluid orifice that leads to a primary fluid plume having a single dominant component of streamwise vorticity, leading to stronger plume-plume interaction and mixing.

Arrangement for controlling fluid jets injected into a fluid stream


A cardiac stimulation device and method perform a diastolic function test during which an amplitude-based feature of an evoked response is determined for a number of AV or PV delay settings. Stimulation operating parameters may be adjusted in response to a detected change in diastolic function. The diastolic function test may be repeated periodically with results stored in memory for later downloading to an external device allowing a physician to monitor the diastolic response to a selected treatment.

In a normal human heart, the sinus node, generally located near the junction of the superior vena cava and the right atrium, constitutes the primary natural pacemaker initiating rhythmic electrical excitation of the heart chambers. The cardiac impulse arising from the sinus node is transmitted to the two atrial chambers, causing a depolarization known as a P-wave and the resulting atrial chamber contractions. The excitation pulse is further transmitted to and through the ventricles via the atrioventricular (A-V) node and a ventricular conduction system causing a depolarization known as an R-wave and the resulting ventricular chamber contractions.
Disruption of this natural pacing and conduction system as a result of aging or disease can be successfully treated by artificial cardiac pacing using implantable cardiac stimulation devices, including pacemakers and implantable defibrillators, which deliver rhythmic electrical pulses or other anti-arrhythmia therapies to the heart, via electrodes implanted in contact with the heart tissue, at a desired energy and rate. One or more heart chambers may be electrically stimulated depending on the location and severity of the conduction disorder.
A single-chamber pacemaker delivers pacing pulses to one chamber of the heart, either one atrium or one ventricle. Dual chamber pacemakers are now commonly available and can provide stimulation in both an atrial chamber and a ventricular chamber, typically the right atrium and the right ventricle. Both unipolar or bipolar dual chamber pacemakers exist in which a unipolar or bipolar lead extends from an atrial channel of the dual chamber device to the desired atrium (e.g., the right atrium), and a separate unipolar or bipolar lead extends from a ventricular channel to the corresponding ventricle (e.g., the right ventricle). In dual chamber, demand-type pacemakers commonly referred to as DDD pacemakers, each atrial and ventricular channel includes a sense amplifier to detect cardiac activity in the respective chamber and an output circuit for delivering stimulation pulses to the respective chamber.
If an intrinsic atrial depolarization signal (a P-wave) is not detected by the atrial channel, a stimulating pulse will be delivered to depolarize the atrium and cause contraction. Following either a detected P-wave or an atrial stimulation pulse, the ventricular channel attempts to detect a depolarization signal in the ventricle, known as an R-wave. If no R-wave is detected within a defined interval, a stimulation pulse is delivered to the ventricle to cause ventricular contraction. In this way, rhythmic dual chamber pacing is achieved by coordinating the delivery of ventricular output in response to a sensed or paced atrial event.
The interval following an atrial stimulation pulse prior to delivery of a ventricular stimulation pulse is commonly referred to as an "AV delay." The interval following an atrial sensed P-wave prior to delivering a ventricular stimulation pulse is commonly referred to as a "PV delay." The AV delay is typically programmed to be longer than a PV delay because an atrial stimulation pulse is delivered at a location away from the direct conduction path of an intrinsic depolarization arising from the sinus node and traveling to the ventricles.
It is known that the AV and PV delay settings during dual chamber pacing can have profound effects on hemodynamic function, particularly in patients suffering from heart failure. Extreme differences in cardiac output can result from different AV and PV delay settings. Mounting clinical evidence supports the use of dual chamber or multi-chamber stimulation in patients suffering from congestive heart failure even if normal conduction pathways are intact. In these patients, the therapeutic benefit of cardiac stimulation is thought to be derived from a resynchronization of the heart chamber contractions. The dilatation of the heart that occurs with the progression of heart failure impairs the normal synchrony of heart chamber contractions. Therefore, careful selection of the AV and PV delays in these patients can provide hemodynamic benefit.
Methods used by physicians to monitor the progression of heart failure or a response to heart failure therapy include echocardiographic techniques for measuring heart dimensions and estimating ejection fraction, catheterization techniques for measuring blood pressures and volumes, and exercise testing. These monitoring methods can only be performed periodically in a clinical setting and can be costly as well as pose additional risk to the patient.
Numerous attempts have been made, therefore, to develop an implantable cardiac stimulation device that includes one or more physiological sensors for measuring cardiac function. Proposed methods have suggested using pressure sensors, flow transducers, impedance measurement for estimating chamber volumes, accelerometers for detecting heart motion, temperature sensors, pH sensors, and oxygen sensors for monitoring heart function. The difficulty in incorporating such sensors in an implantable cardiac stimulation device is the added hardware and complex circuitry needed to support and process sensor data. For example, both the blood ejection phase of the cardiac cycle, known as "systole", and the filling phase of the cardiac cycle, known as "diastole", can be impaired in congestive heart failure. In fact, congestive heart failure symptoms may be attributed to diastolic dysfunction in a significant number of congestive heart failure patients. Diastolic dysfunction is particularly common in elderly patients.
Clinically, diastolic dysfunction is difficult to detect and assess without performing echocardiography. Diastolic dysfunction may be present when systolic function is adequate and symptoms of congestive heart failure are absent. Treatments for diastolic dysfunction therefore remain relatively under-investigated. Monitoring of diastolic function over time, using a method that does not require expensive or invasive methods that can be performed in a clinic would be advantageous in diagnosing diastolic dysfunction and optimizing its treatment.
The cardiac signal produced in response to a stimulation pulse that depolarizes the heart has been found to be proportional to ventricular chamber volume. When a stimulation pulse is delivered to a ventricle, an evoked response electrocardiogram signal is produced. The integral of the negative portion of the evoked response signal, referred to hereafter as the "paced depolarization integral," has been found to be inversely proportional to end-diastolic volume. The paced depolarization integral has already been proposed as a measure of cardiac volume upon which adjustments in AV delay can be based in an effort to maximize the heart's ejected blood volume during cardiac stimulation.
It would be desirable, however, to also provide a diagnostic method for monitoring changes in heart function over time using an implantable cardiac stimulation device without requiring additional physiological or metabolic sensors. In particular, it would be desirable to monitor diastolic function over time using the paced depolarization integral so that worsening or improving diastolic function can be tracked and therapy delivery could be adjusted accordingly. Preferably, this is accomplished using standard sensing of internal cardiac electrogram (EGM) signals without complex software requirements and without requiring physician office visits.

Implantable cardiac stimulation system and method for monitoring diastolic function


The invention relates to a plate element for a fuel cell stack which comprises a frame region and at least one inner region which is surrounded by the frame region. In addition, it has a plurality of webs which extend from the frame region into the at least one inner region and define a flow guidance structure in the at least one inner region, in which at least four bore holes are in the frame region of which at least two are connected with the flow guidance structure.

The differences between a bipolar arrangement and a monopolar arrangement can be shown most easily using the equivalent circuit diagrams that are provided in FIG. 1.
The bipolar arrangement corresponds to the upper part of the figure, which shows a series connection of individual voltage cells. The cells are placed together in such a way that a plus pole and minus pole are opposite each other in each case, which allows a simple switching of the voltage cells. This is the arrangement used, for example, to position the chambers of a lead accumulator, to insert the batteries into a torch or to position the fuel cell units in a bipolar stack.
The monopolar arrangement is that shown in the lower part of the figure. With this arrangement, the cells are placed together in such a way that two plus poles or two minus poles are opposite each other, in pairs, each time. In order to switch the individual voltage cells in series here, a comparatively complicated switching is necessary, and so such an arrangement of individual cells in most applications would not have any advantage over the bipolar arrangement. However, this does not apply for fuel cell stacks: advantages can also be achieved here with a monopolar arrangement, as will be explained below referring to FIG. 2.
Within a bipolar stack, every cathode has two neighbouring anodes and must be sealed against these to prevent fluid transfers. Within a cell, this is done in the interaction of electrolyte material (inside) and seals (outside). The separation between the neighbouring cells is made in each case through a separating plate, one side of which forms the cathode chamber and the other side of which forms the anode chamber. The fluid passages in the separating plates are formed in such a way that the cathode fluid from the one side (cathode side) does not come into contact with the anode fluid from the other side (anode side).
In a monopolar arrangement, on the other hand, anode and cathode pairs are formed. Indeed, the cathodes and anodes within such a pair must be electrically insulated from each other, but the fluid regions themselves do not need to be separated as long as the electrical conductivity of the cathode and anode fluids remains negligible (which is generally the case in spite of a certain conductivity, especially of the anode fluid). Two cathodes can therefore be grouped together in each case into one cathode chamber, and two anodes into one anode chamber.
FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of such an anode chamber. An arrangement of this type is described, for example, in DE 100 40 654 A1. An electrically insulating frame element 1 is sandwiched between two current collectors 2. The current collectors in turn border on electrolyte devices (MEA) (not shown in the figure). The current collectors 2 are used for current removal at the MEA-current collector interface, but at the same time should not noticeably reduce the contact surface of the anode fluid with the MEA: for this reason, the inner region of a current collector 2 is bridged with thin transverse webs which are sufficiently wide and numerous for current removal, but are so narrow that the active contact surface of the fluid with the MEA defined by the recesses 4 is not substantially reduced.
To guide the flow along the stack axis, four bore holes 5 are provided in the frame region (in the corners in this case) of the electrical conductors, whereby in each case two diametrically opposed bore holes serve to guide the anode fluid and the cathode fluid. Corresponding bore holes 6, 7 are also provided in the frame element 1. The bore holes 7 are connected via openings with the inner region 8 of the frame element 1. The supply of anode fluid into the inner region 8 is via one of the two bore holes 7, and the removal via the other, diametrically opposed bore hole 7. The inner region 8 represents the main volume of the anode chamber of the cell shown, since the thickness of the frame element 1 is far greater than that of the current collector 2.
The statements made here for the anode chamber also apply correspondingly for the cathode chamber. With a cathode chamber, the central frame element has recesses at the two other diametric fluid openings. For this, the sketched type of frame elements 1 only needs to be turned around, so that only one type of frame elements is necessary for the building of the stack.
In the arrangement shown, the flow through the corner regions, which do not exhibit any intake or outlet, is much less than, for example, that through the central region of the anode chamber. In order to achieve a more even flow distribution within the chambers, net-like insertions (not shown in the figure) can be provided in the anode and cathode chambers. But even with these, the fluid exchange in the stagnation regions of the anode and cathode chambers is lower than along the intake-outlet section, so that the active surface available cannot be put to the best use. Stagnation regions of this type form in particular if the stack is not favourably positioned in terms of space.


The invention provides the novel cyclic acetal 2-isobutyl-5-methyl-1,3-dioxane. This compound has attractive fragrance characteristics, i.e. a strong chamomile and fruity odor with aniseed, minty, camphor and green notes. The compound finds application as a fragrance material in a wide range of perfumes and perfumed products.

Various 1,3-dioxanes, also designated as cyclic acetals derived from an aldehyde and a 1,3-diol, are known in the perfumery literature.
Thus, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,506 perfume compositions comprising a 4-isopropyl-5,5-dimethyldioxane with an C1-C3 alkyl substituent in the 2 position have been described. The 1,3-dioxanes are said to have odour notes ranging from fruity, herbal to woody.
In EP 0 039 029 2-(1'-methylbutyl)-1,3-dioxanes are described which are substituted in the 4 and 5 position with at least 2 and in many cases 3 alkyl groups with a maximum total number of carbon atoms of 6. The compounds are said to have floral and fruity odour notes.
In NL-A-7305487 2-n.butyl-4,4,6-trimethyl-1,3-dioxane is described as having lavender, minty and laurel leaf odour notes. Also described therein are various other 4,4,6-trimethyl-1,3-dioxanes, some of which from S. Arctander, Perfume and Flavor Chemicals, Montclair, N.J., 1969, others from own evaluation. The judgement of their suitability for perfumery is mixed.
In NL-A-7305488 various 2-substituted 4-propyl-5-ethyl-1,3-dioxanes are described, again with mixed opinion as to their suitability for perfumery.
In NL-A-7415594 various 2,4 substituted 1,3-dioxanes (erroneously described as 2,6 substituted) are described, in particular 2-(4'-methylpent(en)yl)-4-methyldioxanes, as having woody, floral and fruity (citrussy) odour notes.
In DE-A-2334378 2-(2'-methyl-1'-propenyl)-1,3-dioxanes with one or more methyl or ethyl groups in the positions 4 and/or 5 and/or 6 are described as having a rose-like odour reminiscent to rose oxide.
Finally, in GB 981,285 various substituted 1,3-dioxanes are described in which the 2 position must be substituted with a C4-C9 alkyl group and the 4 position with a methyl group. These substitution requirement are stressed as importand for obtaining the desired geranium-rose odour.


A weighing module with a housing surrounding a weighing cell on all sides has a vertically movable force transfer member designed to be connected to a load-receiving device. The force transfer member extends through a passage opening of a housing wall and is rigidly connected to a vertically movable part of the weighing cell. The weighing module includes a dust-removing device which further includes a means for generating a gas flow directed away from the movable part of the scale for the purpose of preventing an accumulation of dust between the stationary housing and the vertically movable force transfer member.

The invention relates to a weighing scale, in particular a weighing module with a housing that encloses a weighing cell on all sides, with a force transfer member designed to be connected to a load-receiving device, wherein the force transfer member passes through an opening in a wall of the housing and is rigidly connected to a vertically movable part of the weighing cell.
Weighing scales or weighing modules of this kind are used primarily in an industrial environment, for example in the form of so-called belt conveyor scales in which the weighing module is arranged for example under a belt conveyor, to weigh objects that are transported on the conveyor belt. However, the environment in which a weighing module of this kind is installed is often very dusty. This means that the weighing module needs to be enclosed by a protective housing and that it needs to be protected against the penetration of dust in particular in the areas where the housing has openings to the outside. Particularly critical in this regard is the opening that serves as passage for the force transfer member through the housing wall. Obviously, this opening is unavoidable in order to allow a load-receiving device to be connected to the vertically movable part of the weighing cell. The state of the art offers a variety of measures that are proposed as a means of avoiding the penetration of dirt into the interior of a weighing module housing, also referred to interchangeably as a "scale housing."
For example, commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,600,112 discloses a weighing scale with an arresting mechanism that performs a sealing function. The arresting mechanism consists of an elastic device that can be made to expand and contract so that it provides a tight-fitting contact between a stationary part that is connected to the scale housing and a part which, under a load, is movable relative to the scale housing. This device releases the movable part of the scale during the weighing process while holding it immobilized during the rest of the time. The arresting mechanism has at the same time a certain sealing effect which is particularly effective if the elastic device is arranged between the force transfer member and the scale housing. This arrangement prevents the penetration of dust into the interior of the scale housing to a large extent. A further measure which is disclosed in the same reference consists of providing the force transfer member with a cup-shaped cap which may be part of a labyrinth baffle.
These measures may provide adequate protection against the penetration of dust even in an exceptionally dusty environment, but they create the problem that there is only a relatively small gap between the stationary housing of the weighing module and the vertically movable force transfer member with the attached cap, which entails the risk that a dust bridge will form, as a mechanical connection so-to-speak, between the two parts. The dust can be airborne dust or material to be weighed that has fallen down from the load-receiving device. In weighing modules that are equipped with a sensitive, high-resolution weighing cell, this kind of a dust bridge can be enough to establish a mechanical short circuit and thereby introduce errors in the weighing result.
Therefore, the task set for the invention is to improve a scale, and in particular a weighing module, in the sense that the formation of a "dust bridge" between the stationary housing and the movable part of the scale is avoided.

Weighing module with a dust removing device


A shoulder brace (10) including front (80) and rear pressure pads to be respectively positioned on front and rear portions of an individual's shoulder joint, a support member (18) to be positioned at a mid-section of the individual, a front frame member connected to the support member and the front pressure pad, and a rear frame member connected to the support member and the rear pressure pad. Also included is an arm cuff to be positioned on the arm of the individual, and a compression mechanism (20) configured to compress the front and rear frame members in accordance with a movement of the individual's arm such that the front and rear pressure pads press against the individual's shoulder joint.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to orthopedic braces, particularly to a shoulder brace for providing support to the shoulder area.
2. Description of the Related Art
The ball and socket joint of the human shoulder provides for free movement of the arm. The area of contact between the various bones in the shoulder is minimal and the shoulder joint is dependent upon surrounding muscles, and to a lesser extent ligaments, tendons and fibrocartiledge, for its integrity and functionality. The muscular and bone composition of the shoulder is the subject of extensive medical study and while a more detailed discussion of the anatomy of the shoulder is not necessary for the purposes here, such a discussion can be found in most basic human anatomy books. Because of its construction, the shoulder joint is capable of flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, rotation and circumduction movement. Also because of its construction, the shoulder joint is susceptible to a great number of injuries.
Injuries are commonplace in various activities that require constant motion of the shoulder joint or subject the shoulder to stress. For example, the overhand throwing motion used in baseball is an unnatural motion that can cause shoulder muscle strains or tears, including injury to the deep rotator muscles or rotator cuff of the shoulder and arm. Participants in contact sports such as rugby and football often suffer shoulder injuries, e.g., dislocation of the ball and socket joint as well. Once an injury to the shoulder area has occurred, it is frequently necessary to support the joint area to both facilitate the convalescing process in certain situations, and minimize discomfort due to the injury. Additionally, it is advantageous to provide support to the shoulder area to help prevent shoulder injuries to individuals who are particularly susceptible to such injuries.
Anterior shoulder instability most commonly develops when the restraints of the humeral head are inadequate or excessive force is being applied, usually when the shoulder is in abduction, external rotation, and extension. Anterior shoulder stability is usually maintained by the anteroinferior glenohumeral ligament as well as the subscapularis muscle and the middle glenohumeral ligament. Weakness in these allows excessive anterior translation of the humeral head in the glenoid fossa, the humeral head being the ball and the glenoid fossa being the socket of what is commonly referred to as the ball and socket joint of the shoulder. Since the anteroinferior glenohumeral ligament is especially stressed when the arm is positioned in abduction, extension or external rotation, it is reasonable to assume that preventing or limiting these positions might be beneficial for patients with instability. However, by preventing or limiting those positions, athletes who suffer these types of injuries or weaknesses would be particularly impaired in their ability to perform their respective activity.
There are a number of braces and harnesses known in the art that alleviate pressure on various points of the shoulder joint. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,906,944 issued to Christian discloses a shoulder harness that prevents damage to the muscles, tendons and ligaments in the shoulder area and also provides support to prevent the dislocation of the shoulder. The shoulder harness disclosed in the Christian patent, however, severely restricts the movement of the upper arm with respect to the shoulder, thereby restricting the movement of the ball and socket joint. Furthermore, existing braces, such as the Christian harness, are cumbersome and difficult for a wearer to put on, particularly because of the shoulder injury. Most known braces and harnesses also neither allow the wearer to increase or decrease the amount of support around the area of the shoulder, nor are capable of being adjusted to conform to the particular body size of the wearer.
Furthermore, known shoulder braces are generally excessively restrictive on arm movement while they provide inadequate support for preventing anterior dislocation of the shoulder joint.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,587 issued to McGuire et al. teaches an active shoulder brace made of a resilient fabric-like material. The shoulder brace taught by McGuire et al. includes a sleeve portion which is designed to fit around the upper end of the upper arm of a patient and it includes straps that are wrapped over and around the sleeve portion and attached to a torso belt which anchors the straps attached to the sleeve portion. When a patient wearing the shoulder strap taught by McGuire et al. raises their arm, the straps tighten and provide support to the shoulder joint.
However, as with the other known shoulder straps, the shoulder strap taught by McGuire et al. exerts a substantial amount of force to the top of the shoulder and the upper arm when the patient wearing the strap raises their arm and far less pressure or support to the anterior, posterior and medial side of the shoulder joint. The result is that the shoulder strap provides a strong force which inhibits upward movement of the arm of the patient yet provides only moderate or little support or pressure to the anterior, posterior and medial sides of the shoulder joint. As discussed above, patients with chronically dislocating shoulders experience problems with the humeral head of the shoulder moving in an anterior direction out of the glenoid fossa and thereby dislocating. Therefore, the shoulder straps of the prior art provide an excessive amount of force that inhibits motion of the arm while ineffectively preventing the anterior dislocation of the shoulder joint. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a shoulder brace which can compensate for weaknesses in tissues such as the glenohumeral ligament, the subscapularis muscle and the middle glenohumeral ligament, without causing excessive restriction to arm movement.


A display comprises a plurality of adjacent pixels wherein each pixel comprises three subpixels arranged in a triangular pattern, each having a hexagonal shape and substantially contiguous adjacent boundaries. This pattern allows predetermined subpixels to be increased or decreased in relative size without drastically affecting subpixel shape or the contiguous adjacent boundaries.

Various technologies have recently been developed as potential successors to the cathode ray tube (CRT). These technologies for the most part are flat panels comprising a large matrix of individually activated pixels which are used to form an image. In general these pixels are arranged into basic units which are repeated throughout the display surface known as the pixel pattern. Full color images are possible using these displays when the pixel pattern consists of at least one red, one green and one blue subpixel.
A matrix display, in its simplest form, comprises square subpixels arranged in a grid to permit addressing select lines to run in straight lines between the subpixels. This arrangement suffers in visual performance, however, because it injects aspects of the grid as pattern noise (tessellations) into the rendered image. This noise is particularly troublesome because the human visual system is acutely sensitive to periodic spatial frequency on the cardinal axes (vertical and horizontal).
One method of eliminating the appearance of tessellations produced by the grid is to increase the resolution of the display to the point at which the noise is beyond the threshold of detection. However, this solution requires increased complexity and associated costs and has practical physical limits. The delta arrangement is an alternative solution for increasing the apparent image quality without increasing the resolution.
In its simplest form, the delta arrangement consists of a modified grid in which every other row is shifted one-half element. While this simple shifted row delta pattern is an improvement over the grid arrangement, it still retains some of the deficiencies of the original grid pattern. One of these deficiencies is the pattern noise created by the square elements themselves. This noise patterning can be detected, for example, on image boundaries that are aligned with a row of the delta pattern display.
Another limitation of the shifted row delta configuration relates to the equal size of the subpixel color elements. Since the human visual system's spatial acuity is not constant with wavelength, certain color display subpixels contribute more to spatial image quality while other color subpixel elements contribute more directly to chromatic image quality. It would, therefore, be an advantage to be able to optimize spatial image quality by allocating a larger spatial area to the subpixel which contributes most to spatial image quality.
When red, green, and blue subpixel elements are used to create the color image, the blue element contributes less than the red or green elements to spatial image quality. It would, therefore, be advantageous to decrease the relative display area allocated to the blue subpixels and correspondingly increase the relative areas of the red and green subpixels.
In addition, it would be advantageous to allocate disproportionate areas of certain color subpixels to compensate for color balance. It is often desirable, particularly in color displays with gray levels, to design the luminosity of each display subpixel so that when it is activated in conjunction with the other subpixels, a particular color is obtained.
Relative area is one of several factors which control the apparent luminosity of a given subpixel. By designing the display with different proportional areas allocated to each primary color, it is possible to achieve a particular desired mix of colors without necessarily changing the luminance or spectral characteristics of the individual subpixel substances themselves.

Color mosaic matrix display having expanded or reduced hexagonal dot pattern


A microlens array imaging device includes a main lens, a microlens array containing a plurality of microlenses, and an image acquisition unit. The main lens projects a first image of an object for the plurality of microlenses, each of which projects a second image of the first image on the image acquisition unit. Each second image includes an image circle and a circle of confusion around the image circle. A distance between an image circle of one microlens and an image circle of an adjacent microlens is equal to or greater than a summation of a radius of the second image corresponding to the one microlens and a radius of the image circle of the adjacent microlens, and is equal to or less than a summation of the radius of the second image corresponding to the one microlens and a radius of the second image corresponding to the adjacent microlens.

Microlens arrays are widely used in light filed cameras, compound eye cameras, and wide angle microscope cameras. In general, the images projected by a microlens array require post processing, such as matching and combining of each and every image projected by each microlens in the microlens array. However, due to the wave nature of light, the image projected by each microlens of the microlens array may have a vignetting effect with a gradual decrease in light intensity from image center toward the image periphery, causing severe distortions in the post processed images.
Currently, consumer electronic devices and industrial testing equipment are becoming lightweight, thin, and portable. Generally, multiple lens groups are often used to achieve flexible imaging functions. This may limit the light-and-thin configuration and portability of such devices and equipment.
The disclosed microlens array imaging device and imaging method are directed to solve one or more problems set forth above and other problems in the art.

Microlens array imaging device and imaging method

SHENZHEN MERCURY OPTOELECTRONICS RESEARCH INSTITUTE