A memory management component can track the amount of time between erase cycles for a particular memory region, and can manage memory region such that the regions are given sufficient time to rest and recover, or are given at least as much rest time as is practical, before being subject to an erase cycle. A reclamation management component can reclaim memory region that have invalid data stored therein, and can reclaim regions on a just-in-time basis when practical, and can determine which regions to reclaim based on various factors, such as the amount of time since a region was last erased, and the number of programming errors associated with a region. The memory management component can thereby optimize the useful life, minimize or reduce loss of margin in memory regions, and minimize or reduce programming errors of memory regions, of non-volatile (e.g., flash) memory.

A wide variety of memory devices can be used to maintain and store data and instructions for various computers and similar systems. In particular, flash memory is a type of electronic memory media that can be rewritten and that can retain content without consumption of power. Unlike dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices and static random memory (SRAM) devices in which a single byte can be erased, flash memory devices are typically erased in fixed multi-bit blocks or sectors. Flash memory technology can include NOR flash and NAND flash, for example. NOR flash evolved from electrically erasable read only memory (EEPROM) chip technology, in which, unlike flash, a single byte can be erased; and NAND flash evolved from DRAM technology. Flash memory devices are less expensive and denser as compared to many other memory devices, meaning that flash memory devices can store more data per unit area.
Flash memory has become popular, at least in part, because it combines the advantages of the high density and low cost of EPROM with the electrical erasability of EEPROM. Flash memory is nonvolatile; it can be rewritten and can hold its content without power. It is used in many portable electronic products, such as cell phones, portable computers, voice recorders, thumbnail drives and the like, as well as in many larger electronic systems, such as cars, planes, industrial control systems, etc. The fact that flash memory can be rewritten, as well as its retention of data without a power source, small size, and light weight, have all combined to make flash memory devices useful and popular means for transporting and maintaining data.
While flash memory has certain advantages, there is a desire to improve the lifetime of flash memory devices, as flash memory blocks or sectors can be subject to failure or programming errors after a certain number of cycles. Further, it is desirable to reduce the loss of margin in the cells of an erase block during erase operations, as reducing margin loss can extend the use of the flash memory as well as reduce programming errors in flash memory.

Managing flash memory based upon usage history


An iris authentication apparatus includes a camera for obtaining the image of an eye; a display panel arranged on the same plane as where the lens of the camera is arranged; and guide character generation means, wherein a guide character is displayed on a display panel, and the eye of a person to be authenticated who watches the guide character is guided. As a result, a satisfactory iris image can be obtained by the iris authentication apparatus of one camera type that does not have a zooming function, so that the iris authentication apparatus that can be mounted to a small body, such as a portable telephone, can be provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an eye image pickup apparatus used by an iris authentication system for identifying an individual using iris information of a human being or another animal.
2. Description of the Related Art
The technique disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. H05-084166(B2) is well known as an example technique for obtaining the iris image of a human being by a camera and authenticating an individual. Generally, to perform individual authentication, the iris authentication apparatus emits near-infrared light to the eye of a person to be authenticated, photographs the eye image using a single video camera having a telephoto lens, extracts iris information from the obtained eye image, compares the iris information with data already registered to an iris information database.
For the personal authentication, the accuracy for photographing the eye image is the great factor in order to exactly extract the iris information of a person to be authenticated, and his or her eye of a predetermined size must be photographed within a screen. Therefore, the position of the eye is detected from the image of the entire face, and only the eye is zoomed up by a zoom lens to obtain the eye image of a predetermined size.
An iris authentication apparatus of two-camera type, disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H10-040386, includes a wide-angle camera for photographing the entire face and a moving telephoto camera for photographing only the eye portion. According to this apparatus, the position of the eye is detected in the image of the face or the upper body obtained by the wide-angle camera, and is transmitted as coordinate data in the wide-angle image to the movement controller of the moving telephoto camera. Based on the positional information, the eye image of a predetermined size is photographed by aiming the moving telephoto camera at the eye of a target person, and detailed iris information is thus obtained.
However, when the iris authentication apparatus is mounted on a terminal device, such as a portable telephone, for which the reduction of the size, the weight and the price is strongly demanded, the following problems have occurred. For an iris authentication apparatus that employs a single camera to zoom up and photograph an iris image, a high-level zooming function must be provided so as to photograph a wide-angle face image and an telephoto eye image, so that the reduction of the size and the price of a lens can not be implemented.
Further, since the iris authentication apparatus of two-camera type must be equipped with two cameras, a wide-angle camera and a telephoto camera having a moving function, the size and the weight of the camera portion can not be reduced. Further, since a driving mechanism and circuit for moving the telephoto camera are also required, it is practically impossible that this iris authentication apparatus is mounted on the portable terminal device.

Eye image pickup apparatus, iris authentication apparatus and portable terminal device having iris authentication function

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Embodiments of the present invention disclose a pixel unit made up of three rhombic sub-pixels spliced with each other, and, every two adjacent rhombic sub-pixels of the three rhombic sub-pixels share one common edge and are symmetrical about the common edge. In accordance to embodiments of the present invention, the rhombic sub-pixels have larger sizes and accordingly can be achieved in the existing production line with adoption of the existing mature production technology. Accordingly, high production yield, small spreading difficulty, and wide application prospect can be achieved for products. Meanwhile, embodiments of the present invention also provide a display panel, a display method and a display device.

Technical Field
The present invention relates to the field of display technologies, and particularly, to a pixel unit, a display panel, a display method and a display device.
Description of the Related Art
In the field of image displaying, R (red) G (green) B (blue) three-color system is a most widely used color appearance system. In this color appearance system, one pixel unit generally includes sub-pixels of three different colors, i.e., red, green and blue. Color and brightness displayed by the pixel unit can be regulated by controlling amounts of RGB three color components corresponding to the three sub-pixels of the pixel unit. FIG. 1A is a schematic view of an arrangement of RGB pixel units of a prior art RGB three-color system. The RGB pixel units are arranged not only in an ordered row but also in respective columns With such arrangement, only one color is arranged in the column direction, which may arise a problem of color unevenness, causing multicolor marginal error and adversely affecting the display effect. FIG. 1B is a schematic view of RGB pixel units, in a delta arrangement, of a prior art RGB three-color system, and, FIG. 1C is a schematic view of RGB pixel units, in a mosaic arrangement, of a prior art RGB three-color system. These two arrangements also cause color unevenness problem in some directions and low resolution ratio.
Since conventional RGB three-color system has low light mixing efficiency and accordingly bad white color rendering property, the existing RGBW four-color system, instead of the conventional RGB three-color system, is adopted gradually. In the existing RGBW four-color system, one pixel unit includes not only a red sub-pixel (R), a green sub-pixel (G) and a blue sub-pixel (B), but also a brightness strengthening sub-pixel (W). Accordingly, it is capable of achieving all the functions of the conventional RGB three-color system and has advantages of high light efficiency and color rendering property.
With the flourish development of the flat panel display technology, Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode (for short, AMOLED) Device becomes a trend of display device due to its excellent characteristics such as lighter and thinner, self-luminescence, high response rate and the like. Organic Light Emitting Diode Device has a stacked structure in which a luminescent layer is located between an anode and a cathode. More and more attentions are paid to full color Organic Light Emitting Diode Device due to high display quality requirement. A full color Organic Light Emitting Diode Device generally achieves a full color display by performing color mixing on sub-pixels made up of red luminescent layer, green luminescent layer and blue luminescent layer. Resolution ratio and contrast are important factors for display quality, however, resolution ratio of the Organic Light Emitting Diode Device is required to be improved due to restrictions of a forming process of the organic layer. Accordingly, there is a need to provide a pixel arrangement which is applicable in the existing technical processes, is lower in cost and has improved resolution ratio.

Pixel unit, display panel, display method and display device


A crib safety sheet and separable blanket with a sheet portion for selectively removing at least the blanket from the sheet, when the sheet is attached to a sleep surface. The separable blanket defining at least two edges for wrapping the blanket about an infant. The blanket may be removed from the sheet by separating the blanket, or by separating a sheet material portion attached to the blanket, from the sheet covering the sleep surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sheets and blankets for an infant's crib or bed, and more particularly to a sheet and removable blanket combination for securing an infant on a sleep surface.
2. Description of Related Art
There are a variety of infant blankets and coverings for infants present in the art. In the past many designs functioned only to keep an infant warm while sleeping. Today much more is known about infant sleeping patterns and sleeping safety. The concern for infant warmth is now shared with the concern for infant comfort and safety. Some infants frequently change positions while sleeping, so it is desirable to make an infant's sleeping environment as free as possible of suffocation hazards while at the same time insuring the infant is kept in a secure sleeping position.
An additional consideration in infant bedding design is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in which an apparently healthy infant will expire in a crib for no apparent reason. While the causes of SIDS still remain somewhat a mystery it is thought that sleeping in the prone position may increase the likelihood of SIDS. A device to maintain an infant in the supine position while sleeping is therefore desirable.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,677,834 discloses a crib blanket which is secured to the side of a crib with snap together fasteners. The blanket also contains a single strap along the blanket's upper margin for securing an infant to the blanket. This invention will keep a blanket secure in its relation to the crib but, unlike the present invention, uses only a single strap to secure the infant under the blanket. Further, the blanket is not attached to the crib sheet.
Other designs such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,845,513 and 4,202,052, each disclose fitted garments which are sewn to crib sheets to restrict the movements of infants. The '513 patent shows a sleeping bag blanket secured to a bed linen sheet, the baby being secured in the sleeping bag by a diaper retainer with button down flaps and by a pull down zipper. The '052 patent shows a sheet with a central pleat having an opening defined therein to which a jacket may be attached, the jacket being secured around the infant by what appear to be button or snap fasteners. No blanket is shown. Infants must be manipulated to be secured in these garment-type inventions, which often wakes the infant as he or she is being put to bed, a highly undesirable side effect.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,729 discloses one bedding device designed to prevent SIDS. It is a pocket like blanket device which secures an infant between one edge of the pocket and a mattress. This bedding device does not secure an infant in the same manner as the present invention however, nor does it permit an infant to be positioned on its side without the risk of the infant moving into the prone position while sleeping. The '301 invention also does not prevent an infant from squirming downward into the blanket pocket which could cause a suffocation hazard.
Several other prior related devices are shown in the related references of U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 355,068; 429,894; 857,507; U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,301,729; 3,845,513; 3,987,505: 4,199,830; 1,964,271; 2,423,392; 2,481,741; 2,503,427; 2,563,501; 2,596,547; 2,702,385; 3,739,399; 3,854,156; 3,987,505; 4,172,300; 4,445,242; 4,597,121; 4,627,363; 4,783,866; 4,839,934; 4,858,259; 4,878,258; 4,887,326; 4,897,885; 4,937,904; 5,046,204; 3,521,309; 2,342,069; 5,084,929; 5,168,590; 5,243,724; 5,297,304; 5,367,731; 5,400,803; 5,488,746; 5,557,817; 5,572,757; 5,722,094; 5,852,827; 5,996,147; 6,009,576; 6,105,168; 6,243,896; 6,286,163; 5,148,560; W.I.P.O. Patent Document No. WO93/17606; Switzerland Patent Document No. CH 658177; Great Britain Patent Document No. GB 927094; and an article entitled "Self-Adhering Nylon Tapes" in the Journal of AMA, Oct. 18, 1958. Each of these related references have been considered with respect to one or more of the related cases of the inventor, as submitted in the aforementioned cross-referenced applications.
Therefore, it is desirable to have an infant bedding product which will function to keep an infant covered and warm, is as free as possible of suffocation hazards, is easy to use, is adjustable and will prevent an infant from moving into the prone sleeping position while still permitting some infant movement.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A reference frequency is distributed through a packet-based network to remote elements in a system. Timing packets are periodically sent from a master timing element, to be received by at least one peripheral timing element. Echo messages are sent to the master timing element by each peripheral timing element after a unique delay, in response to the reception of a timing packet. Loopback delay measurements are included in each timing packet for each peripheral timing element. Each peripheral timing element locks a loop using only timing packets which incur a minimum loopback delay.

For an electronic system which includes several elements interconnected through a packet-based network, such as Ethernet, and in which such elements are required to be closely synchronized in phase and frequency, it is difficult to construct means of synchronization. Many prior systems have required an alternative and substantially dedicated transmission medium, such as separate wires or a separate cable assembly, to transport a synchronization signal to the various system elements. Such prior alternative transmission mediums typically require substantial resources in addition to those of the packet-based network.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a means through which elements of a system, which are interconnected through a packet-based network, can be accurately synchronized in phase and frequency relative to each other and to external references.

Method and apparatus for frequency and timing distribution through a packet-based network


The present disclosures provides a collar for positioning at least partially around a recessed light fitting and between the recessed light fitting and a structural body. The collar comprises a plurality of collar portions each of which are configured to surround a portion of the recessed light fitting.

A recessed light or downlight is a light fitting which is installed into a cavity or opening (i.e. recessed) in a structural body. The structural body is typically a ceiling, but also may be a wall, floor, column, pillar or the like. The source of light (i.e. the bulb) is typically within the cavity in the structural body and the large housing and wiring components of the light are usually hidden behind the structural body and an outer portion of the fitting at which the bulb is exposed. Any retaining mechanism for holding the recessed light fitting is typically located within the cavity of the structural body.
During insertion and removal of the recessed light fitting, the outer surface of the structural body may become damaged (typically by the retaining mechanism). This damage may be chipping or cracking of paint to the edges of the cavity and is undesirable for aesthetic reasons since it often becomes visible around the light fitting. Additionally, normal operation of the light may cause damage in this area. In particular, a hot bulb can cause damage to brittle plaster in this region.
The present invention is directed to overcoming such problems.


A method and apparatus for operating a hand-held bar code scanning device having a processor for operating the scanning device. The method includes the steps of mounting the scanning device in a support member, sensing the movement of the device when removed from the support member, operating the device when removed from the support member and disabling the scanning device when returned to the support member. A hand-held scanning device includes sensing means and processing means in which the sensing means outputs a control signal to the processing means upon sensing the movement of the scanner enabling the processing means to operate the scanner.

The present invention relates to optical bar code scanning systems and more particularly to a portable bar code scanner which doesn't require a hand operated trigger to initiate an operation of the bar code scanner.
In present-day merchandising point-of-sale operations, data pertaining to the purchase of a merchandise item is obtained by reading data encoded indicia such as a bar code label printed on or attached to the merchandise item. In order to standardize the bar codes used in various point-of-sales check out systems, the grocery industry has adopted an uniform product code (UPC) which is in the form of a bar code. Reading systems which have been constructed to read this type of bar code include hand-held wands which are moved across the bar code, and stationary optical scanning systems normally located within the cabinet structure of a checkout counter, in which the bar code is read when a purchased merchandise item is moved across a window in a counter constituting the scanning area of the counter. Other reading systems employ hand-held laser scanners which emit a single or multiple line scan pattern which are manually moved past the bar code label that is to be read. These prior bar code hand-held scanners employ a trigger mechanism which has to be actuated to initiate the operation of the scanner. It has been found that the use of such a trigger mechanism has led to hand fatigue in the operator increasing the occurrence of reading failures in the scanning operation.

Method and apparatus for operating a triggerless hand-held optical scanner


A method for treating an interior weld joint located along an inner surface of a pipe includes the steps of: (a) advancing an internal grinder device within the pipe to the interior weld joint, wherein the internal grinder device includes a hollow housing that has a first open end and a first grinding implement that is disposed within the hollow housing and coupled thereto with a first biasing member; and (b) controllably rotating the hollow housing to at least a threshold speed at which time and under centrifugal force, the first grinding implement moves from an at rest retracted position to a deployed position in which the first grinding implement extends radially beyond the first open end for contacting and grinding the interior weld joint as the hollow housing and the first grinding implement are rotated.

Metallic pipelines are generally assembled in the field using girth welding techniques. This involves the welding together of abutting pipe ends with the weld bead protruding into the interior of the pipe, filling the entire gap between the abutting ends, and extending to a weld bead head on the outside of the joint around the entire girth of the weld. Sometimes a backing is used to minimize the intrusion of the weld material into the pipe and/or to minimize splatter; however this can be difficult to install and/or use in the field as the pipe segments can be 12 meters or longer. Additionally, the use of a backing does not eliminate the potential for intrusion that exceeds design specifications. As a result, the weld material sometimes intrudes into the interior of the pipe. Such weld intrusion is not desired and complicates the further processing of the weld joint.
In order to properly coat a welded joint like this, the surface must be relatively smooth and the weld must not protrude too far into the inside of the pipe. Thus, in cases where there are issues found with the interior of the weld, and that joint is far removed from the opening of the pipe, the joint is often cut and rewelded, thereby resulting in significant delays or costs.
There is therefore a need and desire to provide a tool (device) that can treat (grind) an interior weld joint that is not easily accessible even in pipes that have very small diameters.

Internal grinding device for pipes and weld joints


A method of forming a piezoelectric layer includes: a drying step for forming at least one ferroelectric precursor film on a lower electrode of a substrate and drying the ferroelectric precursor film; a degreasing step for carrying the substrate into a region facing a hot plate heated to a certain temperature and for degreasing the ferroelectric precursor film in a state where the substrate is supported by a proximity pin; and a baking step for further baking the degreased ferroelectric precursor film to form the degreased ferroelectric precursor film into a ferroelectric film. The piezoelectric layer is formed by repeating the drying, degreasing, and baking steps for the ferroelectric precursor film in a predetermined number of cycles. The degreasing step includes a step of adjusting a heating temperature of the ferroelectric precursor film by adjusting a distance between the hot plate and the substrate and by lowering a temperature of space on an opposite side of the substrate from the hot plate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of forming a piezoelectric layer which includes a ferroelectric film and which constitutes a piezoelectric element, and relates to a piezoelectric layer and a piezoelectric element. Further, the present invention relates to a heating apparatus used in degreasing a ferroelectric precursor film, which becomes a piezoelectric layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Piezoelectric elements having piezoelectric layers made of ferroelectric films have spontaneous polarization, high dielectric constants, electrooptical effect, piezoelectric effect, pyroelectric effect, and the like. Accordingly, piezoelectric elements are applied to a wide range of devices, e.g., an ink jet recording head and the like. The ferroelectric film (piezoelectric layer) constituting such a piezoelectric element is formed by, for example, the sol-gel method. That is, a ferroelectric precursor film is formed by applying, for example, a sol of an organometallic compound to the top of a predetermined substrate, and the ferroelectric precursor film is heated to a predetermined temperature to be dried and degreased and is then baked at a higher temperature to be crystallized, thus obtaining the ferroelectric film.
Here, when the ferroelectric precursor film is degreased, the ferroelectric precursor film needs to be heated to a predetermined temperature. As a heating apparatus used in this case, for example, there is one in which a substrate is supported by proximity pins placed at a position facing a hot plate to be vertically movable and in which a heating temperature of the substrate is adjusted by lowering the proximity pins and thus adjusting the distance between the substrate and the hot plate (e.g., refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 6(1994)-181173).
However, when the ferroelectric precursor film is degreased by use of such a heating apparatus, the ferroelectric precursor film may not be sufficiently degreased. That is, since the heating apparatus is placed, for example, inside a housing or the like for safety and the like, a temperature of the entire inside of the housing increases when the hot plate is heated. This causes a problem in which a coating is formed on the surface of the ferroelectric precursor film and in which the entire ferroelectric precursor film cannot be sufficiently degreased.
Moreover, if degreasing is performed by use of such a heating apparatus, there is a problem in which it is difficult for crystal nuclei to be formed in the ferroelectric precursor film and in which the ferroelectric precursor film is not favorably crystallized even when the ferroelectric precursor film is baked. This may be because a temperature of the ferroelectric precursor film sharply increases.

Method of forming a piezoelectric layer in forming a piezoelectric element including a lower electrode on one surface of a substrate


The provided optical system allows selective spectral transfer of radiation, and provides a reflecting field of view at an undesired range directed towards cold surfaces. A removable spectral filter having a high transmittance at a first spectral range and a low transmittance at a second spectral range is disposed outside a cold shield. A reflective surface faces the detecting device and provides the detector a reflecting field of view at the second spectral range directed back towards the cold shield, and a blackened cold skirt thereof. Alternatively, a dichroic mirror is disposed inside the cold shield and has a high reflectance at a first spectral range and a high transmittance at a second range. The detecting device includes a first and a second arm of the cold shield to accommodate respective optical channels.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is in the field of infra-red cryogenically cooled detectors, used to image thermal objects disposed in certain field of view. In special, the current application deals with changing detected spectral range by actions done outside cold shield of the detector.
2. Description of Related Art
An infra-red cryogenically cooled detecting device 17 of the prior art is illustrated in FIG. 1. An infra-red detector 5 is disposed on a cold finger 30, and placed within a cold shield 1. A cold filter 14 is thermally coupled to cold shield 1, and filters the radiation outside the detecting range of detector 5 to prevent undesired heating of the detector. Cold filter 14 may have even a smaller spectral range as needed by a specific task.
Cold shield 1 is located within a vacuum cell or Dewar Detector Cooler (hereafter DDC) 9. The incoming radiation from a certain field of view (FOV), which includes the object desired for imaging, enters vacuum cell 9 through vacuum tight window 32.
Sometimes, there is a demand to operate in two different spectral ranges. Implementation of this demand entails difficulty because the spectral range is determined by filter 14 which is cooled by rigid attachment, by welding for example, to cold shield 1 situated within DDC 9. Dewar 9 itself is drawn to high vacuum to reduce heat flow. It is also problematic to employ moving parts within the vacuum due to generation of dust and problems of lubrication. It is therefore not simple to exchange the filter within vacuum cell 9.
According to the conventional approach, it is assumed that any location of the spectral filter outside Dewar 9 would lead to problematic noise and degradation of the images due to thermal emissions from the filter itself and/or thermal energy from the environment incident on the detector side of the filter and reflected onto a detector or a detector array 5.
The present invention describes several devices and corresponding methods to operate a thermal imaging system switchably in several spectral ranges using a single cooled detector, whereas switching between spectral ranges is done completely outside the Dewar with no particular difficulty, and without significant loss of sensitivity or significant addition of undesired radiation.

System and method for changing spectral range of a cryogenically cooled detector


The present invention relates to a cushion for a chair (1), especially a demountable cushion (2) for a chair for children, and for the object of providing a cushion which simply and effectively can be mounted on a child's chair and correspondingly in a rapid and effective manner can be demounted therefrom, it is according to the invention suggested that the main shape (3) of the cushion comprises a main portion (4) serving to support the back portion of the user, and one or more side portions (5a, 5b) serving as extended support portion and/or affixing portion.

From NO 132.782 (Peter Opsvik) there is known a chair for children comprising to side members which at the bottom merge into a leg support and at the top carry a back rest connecting the upper portions of the side members. At the inner surfaces of the side members there are provided tracks, wherein can be inserted the side edges of a seat plate and a foot plate, respectively, which plates thereby are given an optional height and thereby the possibility of being used by both small children, larger children and adult persons for one and same chair structure.
In connection with such chairs for children which usually are manufactured from wood or another suitable material, there has been a requirement for a back cushion and a seat cushion which in a simple manner can be attached to and detached from the back support and seat, respectively, for thereby improving the sitting comfort of the chair user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,474 relates to a chair cushion for retaining a baby in a chair, but here the cushion is provided with an upper pocket which is to be threaded onto the back support. Consequently, this cushion does not comprise a specifically designed main portion rendering support for the back portion of the user, at the same time as the back portion comprises one or more side-portions combining the attachment of the cushion itself as well as additional support for the user, especially in connection with chairs for children both with and without a guard.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,320 relates to a cushion with assembled back portion and seat portion, but without slit side portions which in connection with for example chairs for children of the type "tripp-trapp" as discussed in said NO 132,782 can pave the way for additional upholstery whether such chairs are used with or without a sitting guard.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,903 relates to a child's auto seat, wherein is suggested an upholstery around the child's seat, such that a passengers placed next to the child's seat shall not be injured. Neither has this publication any relevance in relations to the present child's cushion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,878 relates to an invalid chair cushion having side portions which do not form a part of the back portion, but a part of the seat front. It is true that there are suggested some very narrow attachment straps on the back portion, but these are only intended as means for attaching the cushion to the chair, see especially FIG. 3 in this publication. Otherwise, the discussed side portions constituting a part of the seat front are adapted to extend all around the chair back, which most apparently is seen in FIG. 2 of said publication. Said prior art side portions will thus constitute a separate part of the cushions main portion itself, and said prior art side portions can not on the one hand be used as means for attachment to the chair with expanded supporting portion, and/or attachment means on a supporting guard, at the same time as the expanded supporting function is conserved.

Cushion for a chair, especially a detachable cushion for a child's seat


Techniques are disclosed relating to reclaiming data on recording media. In one embodiment, an apparatus has a solid-state memory array including a plurality of blocks. The solid-state memory array may implement a cache for one or more storage devices. Respective operational effects are determined relating to reclaiming ones of the plurality of blocks. One of the plurality of blocks is selected as a candidate for reclamation based on the determined operational effects, and the selected block is reclaimed. In some embodiments, the determined operational effects for a given block indicate a number of write operations to be performed to reclaim the given block. In some embodiments, operational effects are determined based on criteria relating to assigned quality-of-service levels. In some embodiments, operational effects are determined based on information relating to virtual storage units.

1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates generally to processing data arranged on a physical recording medium, and more specifically to reclaiming blocks of data for further use.
2. Description of the Related Art
Within a physical recording medium, blocks of data may be reclaimed for further use. For example, in the solid-state storage media context, a set of data is typically written to solid-state storage media by performing an erase operation on a group of cells followed by a program operation on those cells. Because of the small size of these cells and the high voltages used to perform these operations, the cells can only be erased and programmed a limited number of times before the transistors within the cells begin to degrade.
To improve the longevity of these cells, modern systems may arrange data on a recording medium using a log-structure to ensure that writes to cells are more evenly distributed across the medium to produce better wear leveling (as opposed to writing particular cells frequently while other cells go unused). When storing data using a log-structured format, data may be written at an append point that starts at an initial portion in the medium and advances forward in the log as writes are performed. Accordingly, when portions of data are updated, rather than overwriting those portions of the media with the updated data, the previously stored portions of the data may instead be invalidated as updated versions of the data are written to the append point in the medium. The cells storing the invalid data may eventually be erased in order to permit the cells to be programmed to store subsequent data.
In some instances, a system may execute a process that is responsible for identifying blocks of cells with invalid data and erasing those blocks. This process of reclaiming blocks of data for subsequent use is sometimes referred to as "garbage collection." In the solid-state storage context, reclamation may include identifying and erasing blocks of data.


A coupler for connecting a first element to a second element includes a first connector piece securable to the first element; a second connector piece for attaching to the first connector piece; and a flexible breakaway device mounted on the second element for releasably securing the second connector piece to the second element. A method of connecting and disconnecting a first element and a second element includes the steps of providing a first connector piece on the first element; attaching a breakaway device to the second element; attaching a second connector piece to the breakaway device that is attached to the second element; securing the first connector to the second connector; releasing the second connector piece from the second element by deflecting a portion of the breakaway device when a separation force is applied between the first and second elements.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and in particular, an electrical connector having a breakaway device that enables separation of the connector if the connector is subjected to a predetermined force.
2. Related Art
Breakaway devices have been used with electrical connectors to allow the connectors to be separated if a force exceeding a predetermined level is applied to the connector. The purpose of the breakaway device is to provide a safety means, whereby a force capable of pulling equipment connected to the cable, will be e prevented from doing so. Should equipment be subjected to a pull force above the breakaway limit, it may fall over, fall from a rack, or otherwise fall in such a way to cause personal injury. Another purpose of the breakaway device is to enable the connector to separate at a force smaller than that which is capable of damaging the wires connected by the connector. If the breakaway device did not enable separation of the connector, the wires or devices that are connected by the connector may be damaged.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,542 discloses a breakaway connector having a ring shaped retainer 52 that fits within adjacent grooves 54, 56 to enable a main part 16 to be connected to a coupling nut 24. However, this breakaway connector does not include any type of screw connector, and thus does not have the advantages of a screw connector.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,761 discloses an in-line breakaway fuse holder. The device disclosed therein is not necessarily an electrical connector, but is a device for holding a fuse. The device includes a first part 72 having a plurality of fingers 82 extending therefrom for engaging with a first body 12. The nut 72 threadably engages with an externally threaded nut 128 which is fixed to a second half of the fuse holder. The plurality of fingers 80 engage a surface 90, which allows separation of the nut 72 from the main body 12 when experiencing an excessive force.
However, the arrangement disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,761 includes a number of elements, and is not simple and convenient to manufacture.

Breakaway coupler and washer for electrical connectors


A breathing circuit comprising first and second conduits is disclosed, wherein at least one of the conduits is a non-conventional conduit. A multilumen unilimb breathing circuit is also disclosed having first and second conduits, wherein when the proximal ends of said first and second conduits are each connected to an inlet and outlet fitting, respectively, movement of the distal end of the first conduit causes a corresponding movement of the distal end of the second conduit. In an embodiment, inner and outer flexible conduits are formed of pleated tubing that is axially extendable and compressible to form a unilimb multilumen respiratory circuit. The pleating provides for axial extension and contraction. The multilumen respiratory circuit can provide a variable rebreathing volume. In an embodiment, at least one tube in a multilumen respiratory conduit is radially collapsible and radially expandable to a maximum radius for carrying respiratory gases to and from a patient. Also disclosed are methods and systems of optimizing utilization of fresh gases during artificial or assisted ventilation, including administering anesthesia.

Assisted and/or artificial ventilation systems are an essential component of modem medicine. Generally, such systems provide inspiratory fresh gases to a patient from a source of same, such as from an anesthesia or a ventilator machine, and conduct expired gases away from the patient. Inspiratory gases are conducted through a different conduit from the expired gases and thus at least two conduits are required. Commonly used circuits have two limbs (e.g., two independent tubes). The ends of the tubes in a breathing circuit are generally held in spaced relationship by a connector located at the patient, or distal, end of the circuit. The connector can place the distal (i.e., patient) ends of the tubes in a fixed parallel relationship, or the connector can be a Y-piece with the two tubes converging at an angle. Conventional respiratory tubes are corrugated and flexible to permit movement while minimizing collapse and kinking of the tubes. Recently, the use of axially expandable and contractible pleated ("accordion-like") tubing has become popular. Commonly used accordion-like or pleated tubing is known as ULTRA-FLEX® (available from King Systems Corporation, Noblesville, Ind., U.S.A.), FLEXITUBE® or ISOFLEX™, in which the length can be adjusted by axially expanding or contracting one or more pleats between a closed and open position. Whether the pleats are in the open or closed position, the tube wall remains corrugated to minimize the risk of kinking or collapse upon convolution or bending of the tubing.
To facilitate examination, the background sections of the U.S. non-provisional and provisional patent applications from which priority is claimed should be referred to. For further information on breathing systems, and anesthetic and assisted ventilation techniques, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,556,097, 3,856,051, 4,007,737, 4,188,946, 4,265,235, 4,463,755, 4,232,667, 5,121,746, 5,284,160, 5,377,670, 5,778,872, 5,901,705, and 5,983,896, Austrian Patent No. 93,941, British Patent 1,270,946, Dorsch, J. A., and Dorsch, S. E., Understanding Anesthesia Equipment: Construction, Care And Complications Williams & Wilkins Co., Baltimore (1974), Nunn J. F.: Applied Respiratory Physiology With Special Reference to Anaesthesia. London, Butterworths, 1971, Eger E I II (ed): Anesthetic Uptake and Action. Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins, 1974 and Andrews, J. J., "Inhaled Anesthetic Delivery Systems," in Anesthesia, 4th Ed. Miller, Ronald, M. D., Editor, Churchill Livingstone, Inc., N.Y. (1986). The text of all documents referenced herein, including documents referenced within referenced documents, is hereby incorporated by reference as if same were reproduced in full below.
Cost Effective Anesthesia Systems and Unconventional New Era Respiratory Conduits
Hospitals, medical personnel, and related entities are always looking for ways to improve medical care. Numerous monitoring standards have been implemented to ensure that the required medical care is being safely administered. For example, in the field of respiratory care and anesthesia, non-invasive and invasive monitoring methods have become routinely used, such as alarm monitoring systems that warn the user of obstruction and/or disconnection of gas flows, inspired and end-tidal gas monitoring, oxygen saturation monitoring by pulse oximeter, arterial blood gas and mixed venous blood gas monitoring. These techniques and devices enable continuous patient monitoring, which permits the vigilant healthcare practitioner to more accurately adjust or titrate the necessary dosages of anesthetic gases or drugs, and readily detect problems due to the pathophysiologic condition of the patient or due to those caused by medical equipment failure or settings. There is a desire for an anesthesia system that can optimize the use of such expensive monitoring equipment, which for example, could be used to decrease the waste of anesthetic gases.
Respiratory care is commonly and increasingly provided in medicine. Respiratory care includes, for example, artificial ventilation techniques, such as assisted ventilation and/or oxygen therapy. Certain devices widely used in respiratory care include breathing circuits, filters, HME's (heat and moisture exchangers), endotracheal tubes, laryngeal masks, laryngeal tubes, and breathing masks. Breathing circuits comprised of rigid pipes or flexible corrugated tubes made of rubber, plastic or silicon flexible tubes have been widely used all over the world for almost a century. In order to prevent cross contamination, "single use" breathing circuits are disposed of after a single use, or alternatively, more sturdy and more expensive reusable breathing circuit are used that can be sterilized by autoclave or other means. Both types of circuits are expensive to produce and/or use. Sterilization of the circuit requires substantial labor and processing costs, likewise disposing of the breathing circuit after a single use, while it is very effective in preventing cross contamination, also results in additional cost to the hospital.
While prior art devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents and the prior art do not describe a device wherein at least one of the respiratory conduits is comprised of a non-conventional (also referred to as "new era") pipe or tube (i.e., different from a rigid-walled tube, pipe, corrugated tube, or pleated tube), which is both axially and radially flexible, but which has little or no compliance beyond a certain conduit radius and/or volume. By radially flexible, it is meant that the diameter of the conduit can be substantially reduced or the conduit can be relaxed or collapsed in cross-section in comparison to rigid-walled conventional tubing. This is distinguished from axially bending the tubing without substantially altering the cross-sectional area of the tube at the bend as is possible with rigid-walled prior art tubing. Prior art rigid-walled respiratory conduits maintain patency under ambient conditions as well as under the pressure differentials between their interior and exterior that occur during use for providing inspiratory and/or receiving expiratory gases. Since these prior art respiratory conduits do not radially collapse under ambient conditions (e.g., when not in use), they require greater space for shipping and storage, and they require thicker walls to have sufficient rigidity to avoid collapse under ambient and operating conditions. Thus, a greater amount of plastic is used to produce such tubing, which increases costs, as well as the volume of the waste produced.
In general, circuit compliance (i.e., expansion of the volume of circuit tubing under operating pressures) is undesired as it interferes with the accuracy and precision of gas administration. Further, excessive compliance may lead to insufficient gases reaching the patient's lungs.
The present inventors discovered that, so long as the respiratory conduits, and preferably the inspiratory conduit, can maintain patency for inspiratory and expiratory gases, the conduits do not need to be always patent like rigid-walled pipes or tubes (e.g., corrugated plastic tubes that maintain a fixed diameter at ambient conditions and/or which are relatively rigid or straight). The respiratory conduits of the present invention should, however, provide low resistance and little compliance during use sufficient to meet the requirements for spontaneous and assisted ventilation. It is preferred that the inspiratory conduit permit gas flow at all times, and even under negative pressure, and that the expiratory line provide positive pressure even in spontaneous ventilation.
Pleated tubing (i.e., flexitube) has been used for independent inspiratory and/or expiratory tubing in dual limb circuits, and taught by Fukunaga et al for use in at least the outer tube of a multilumen unilimb circuit. However, it has been discovered by the present inventors that when flexitube is used as the inner conduit within a multilumen unilimb circuit, certain problems not previously recognized were encountered. For example, while the inner and outer tubes can be extended easily by pulling the outer tube distal fitting to which the distal ends of both tubes are attached, contraction may be less smooth than extension due to pinching or interaction of the inner tube pleats with the outer tube pleats. Further, the contour of the passageway formed between the inner and outer tubes in a breathing circuit formed of pleated tubing can cause turbulence and a higher resistance to flow than when smooth walled tubing or standard corrugated tubing is used as the inner tube, whether or not the tubes are coaxial or offset. Flow resistance can change considerably when the tubing of such a circuit is bent, contracted or extended. It was surprisingly discovered that despite the potential problems mentioned above, a unilimb circuit wherein both the first and second tubes, or in a preferred embodiment inner and outer tubes, are pleated tubes can be made without significant obstruction or resistance concerns and in a clinically acceptable size with desirable performance characteristics.
The present inventors have also discovered that, in a unlimb multilumen circuit constructed with an inner tube and outer tube made of pleated tubing, wherein a portion of the outer tube and the inner tube are pleated for axial extension and contraction, the length of the inner tube pleated section can be longer than the length of the outer tube pleated section. This reduces the risk of disconnection of the inner tube, a problem which has caused great concern in the prior art with unilimb circuits having the inner tube connected at its distal end to a distal terminal and at its proximal end to a proximal terminal or proximal fitting.
Multilumen unilimb circuits in the past have been referred to as coaxial even when in fact the center axis of the inner and outer tubes are not coincident, but are either parallel or fluctuate along the length of the circuit, or in instances where the two tubes are merely adjacent to each other. Hence, multilumen circuits include but are not limited to coaxial circuits, and circuits that are referred to as coaxial can be multilumen unilimb circuits wherein one tube is within the other or adjacent to the other to form a unilimb circuit but they do not share a common axis along their length.
Definitions
To facilitate further description of the prior art and the present invention, some terms are defined immediately below, as well as elsewhere in the specification. As used herein, the term "artificial or assisted ventilation" shall also incorporate "controlled and spontaneous ventilation" (i.e., in contrast to controlled or assisted ventilation in spontaneous ventilation the patient breathes on their own) in both acute and chronic environments, including during anesthesia. Fresh gases include gases such as oxygen and anesthetic agents such as nitrous oxide, halothane, enflurane, isoflurane, desflurane, sevoflurane, that are generally provided by a flowmeter and vaporizer. The end of a conduit directed toward a patient shall be referred to as the distal end, and the end of a conduit facing or connected to a source of inspiratory gases shall be referred to as the proximal end. Likewise, fittings and terminals or other devices at the distal end of the breathing circuit, e.g., connecting to or directed at the patient airway device (i.e., endotracheal tube, laryngeal mask, laryngeal tube, face mask etc.), will be referred to as distal fittings and terminals, and fittings and terminals or other devices at the proximal end of the breathing circuit will be referred to as proximal fittings and terminals. So, a distal adaptor or connector would be located at the distal or patient end of a circuit.
It is generally understood that a proximal terminal in a multilumen unilimb breathing circuit context is located at the machine end of the circuit and separates at least two independent flow paths that are in parallel closely-spaced or apposed relationship or that are coaxial in the circuit so that at least one flow path can be connected to a source of inspiratory gases while another flow path can be connected to an exhaust port that is spaced from the inspiratory gas port. A proximal terminal may also comprise a rigid housing that merges two independent flow paths into a common flow path, for example a Y-type fitting, preferably with a septum. The use of a proximal fitting with a proximal terminal in a unilimb circuit is a new concept brought about by the Universal F2® inventions, which for the first time made it possible to readily connect and disconnect plural tubes to a proximal terminal on an assisted ventilation machine via a corresponding proximal fitting. Unlike the proximal terminal, when a proximal fitting comprises multiple lumens, the proximal fitting maintains the spatial relationship of the proximal ends of the tubes forming a multilumen circuit. Hence a proximal fitting in a breathing circuit is to generally be understood as a fitting which permits ready connection of tubing to a proximal terminal which can provide inspiratory gases and exhaust expiratory gases from separate spaced ports. In some embodiments of the present invention tubing may be directly bonded to a proximal terminal, while in other embodiments tubing may connect to a proximal fitting that can engage a corresponding port or ports on a proximal terminal. The proximal fitting may include filter means, or may engage a filter which in turn connects to a proximal terminal.
The term conduit broadly comprises fluid carrying members without being limited to conventionally used corrugated tubes, such as those used in presently available breathing and/or anesthesia circuits (i.e., a conduit has a lumen defined by one or more walls, has a variety of shapes and diameters, and serves the purpose of carrying inspiratory gases to or expiratory gases from a patient). For example, conduits for use with the present inventions may comprise flexible fabric or plastic sheaths (like a film or sheet made of plastic, such as polyvinyl, that can have a cylindrical or tubular form when gases or fluid are contained, but collapses or looses the tubular form when deflated or emptied) and/or flexible tubes that may be smooth-walled, straight, corrugated, collapsible, and/or coiled. In this respect, certain embodiments of the present invention substantially depart from the conventional concept and design of prior art respiratory conduits. Embodiments of flexible conduits for carrying respiratory gases to and/or from a patient in accordance with the present invention can be both flexible in the radial and axial directions up to a maximum volume and/or radius (or maximum cross-sectional area where the cross-sectional shape is not circular), and have a wide variety of cross-sectional shapes, and in so doing provide a low cost apparatus very well suited to providing respiratory care, i.e., assisted ventilation to a patient, which is effective and practical.
Unconventional or non-conventional tubular conduits refer to conduits used in a respiratory circuit for carrying patient inspiratory and/or expiratory gases that are made of materials and/or have shapes not previously used in assisted ventilation or anesthesia machines for carrying inspiratory and expiratory gases between a patient or other mammal and the machine. By carrying patient inspiratory and/or expiratory gases, it is understood that the gases are being provided via a conduit to a patient from a source (e.g., ventilator machine) and exhausted via the same and/or another conduit to an exhaust (e.g., assisted ventilatoin machine). For a example, a coiled inspiratory or expiratory conduit when used in accordance with the present invention is a non-conventional tubular conduit. Likewise, a conduit formed of flexible, gas impermeable fabric, such as but not limited to extruded polyethylene, polypropylene or polyvinyl film, that is radially expandable to a maximum radius and volume under pressures generally used in assisted respiration and is collapsible when the pressure inside of same is less than ambient pressure or the pressures generally used in assisted respiration, can be used as a non-conventional respiratory conduit in accordance with the present invention. Ambient pressure refers to the pressure normally encountered outside of tubes, which is generally atmospheric pressure. Such conduits can maintain patency as needed in use yet readily relax or collapse (collapsing may require some assistance depending on the embodiment) to smaller diameters, lengths, and volumes, particularly when the internal pressure inside is sufficiently lower than the pressure outside of the conduit.
For the purposes of brevity, the term Suave™ flexible tube is used to describe a flexible respiratory conduit for use in carrying respiratory gases (i.e., gases to be inspired and expired gases to be exhausted) between a patient and a ventilation machine or respiratory care device in which the conduit is radially collapsible when not in use, and can expand to a maximum predetermined diameter (or maximum cross-sectional area; maximum diameter and maximum radius incorporate maximum cross-sectional area when the cross-sectional shape is not circular) and volume during use (such a conduit shall be hereinafter referred to in this document as a suave tube or suave conduit; no trademark rights are waived by use of the term suave or any other mark used herein regardless of case or inclusion of the TM or ® symbol). Upon expansion to its maximum diameter (i.e., maximum cross-sectional area) a suave tube exhibits substantially the same compliance in assisted ventilation applications as conventional corrugated tubes or pleated tubing (i.e., ULTRA-FLEX®) conduits. Suave flexible tubes may also be axially expanded or contracted. Suave tubes are much less expensive to manufacture than conventional conduits having a relatively rigid diameter or cross-sectional shape, such as those formed of corrugated tubing.
Preferred radially collapsible tubes for use in the present invention will, when inflated at pressures encountered in providing assisted ventilation and/or anesthesia to humans and other mammals, have a compliance of less than about 50%, preferably less than about 20%, more preferably less than about 10%, even more preferably less than about 5%, and most preferably less than about 2%. Preferred radially collapsible tubes for use in the present invention have a minimum cross-sectional area when fully inflated sufficient to meet the desired flow characteristics (hereinafter, referred to as the inflated cross-sectional area), and can collapse so that the collapsed cross-sectional area is preferably less than about 90% of the inflated cross-sectional area, more preferably less than about 70% of the inflated cross-sectional area, even more preferably less than about 50% of the inflated cross-sectional area, even more preferably less than about 25% of the inflated cross-sectional area, and most preferably less than 10% of the inflated cross-sectional area.
In one embodiment, the suave tubes are shipped and stored in collapsed form, and after inflation thereof no subsequent effort may be made to collapse them, except optionally to compress the suave tubes to a smaller volume for disposal. In this way, manufacture, shipping and storage costs are minimized. Gravitational forces will cause the suave tubes to collapse to varying degrees in some embodiments when not pressurized sufficiently.
Breathing Circuit Requirements
A patient requiring artificial ventilation or anesthesia may be positioned in an awkward position and depending on the surgical site the required length of the circuit may vary. This is also so in patients undergoing diagnosis, e.g., MRI, CT scans, etc. It is therefore desirable to have a breathing circuit that is flexible and that the length of both the inspiratory or fresh gas delivery tube and the expiratory or exhaust tube can be adjusted while minimizing disconnections, obstructions, entangling and kinking. It is also desirable to have breathing circuits that are light in weight. Furthermore, for cost containment, the health care providers (i.e., hospital, physician, ambulatory surgery center, nursing homes, etc.) require inexpensive breathing circuits and/or inexpensive methods to provide artificial ventilation or anesthesia to patients in need thereof.
Breathing circuits may be classified based on how carbon dioxide is eliminated. Carbon dioxide can be eliminated by "washout", which is dependent on the fresh gas inflow (i.e., CO2 absorption is not required, e.g., in a Mapleson type circuit), or by using a CO2 absorber such as soda lime and the like, (i.e., as in a circle circuit). Thus, breathing circuits in anesthesia are generally provided as circle circuits (CO2 absorption system) or Mapleson type circuits. Because Mapleson D type partial rebreathing systems require high fresh gas flows, the circle system is the most widely accepted system. Breathing systems wherein low fresh gas flow can be utilized are advantageous because of reduced consumption and waste of fresh gases (e.g., anesthetic gases), ecological benefits (reduced environmental pollution), and cost-savings. However, a major concern of low flow techniques in anesthesia is the efficiency of fresh gas utilization and the unpredictability concerning the alveolar or inspired concentration of anesthetics provided to the patient that should be administered in sufficient dosages to achieve desired anesthetic endpoints (e.g., avoid awareness during surgery without overdosing). Moreover, there is a significant discrepancy between the volatile anesthetic vaporizer setting concentration and the inspired concentration of anesthetic gases. A further concern with the circle system is the interaction of volatile anesthetics with the carbon dioxide absorber (e.g., soda lime), which has been recently reported as producing toxic substances. This concern includes the formation of carbon monoxide and Compound A during degradation of volatile anesthetics by soda lime. For example, CO has been found in anesthetics, including halothane, enflurane, isoflurane and desflurane circle systems. Moreover, in the case of sevoflurane, it is known that sevoflurane is degraded in the presence of soda lime to olefin and Compound A, which has been reported to have nephrotoxic potential at clinical concentrations. Further, it is desired to reduce waste of expensive anesthetic and respiratory gases in circle systems and Mapleson type systems.
A major concern with prior uililimb breathing circuits is that the inspiratory gas or fresh gas line not become disconnected or blocked (e.g., via kinking) during use. For this reason, rigidly bonding the proximal end of the inspiratory gas line to the fresh gas inlet fitting was stressed, while the distal end was permitted to move with respect to the distal end of the outer conduit (e.g., exhaust conduit), which could create a variable dead space. Despite the surprising discovery reported in U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,872, to Fukunaga, that an appropriate dead space in a breathing circuit could be beneficial by yielding nornocapnia without hypoxia, there is still a desire for a circuit that has either a minimum and/or fixed dead space regardless of circuit manipulation, yet is flexible and safe. Further, there is a desire for systems that more efficiently utilize anesthetic gases in a safe and predictable manner. It is also desired that the same breathing circuit be utilized in both adult and pediatric cases, or at least in a greater number of patients, thereby minimizing the need for circuits of different size. There is also a need for breathing circuits and systems that are simpler, lightweight, cost-effective, safer, and/or easier to operate and handle than prior circuits and systems.

Breathing circuits having unconventional respiratory conduits and systems and methods for optimizing utilization of fresh gases


An interbody fusion implant with deployable bone anchors includes a support member, a monolithic body that accommodates the support member, and a longitudinal hole along a vertical length of the support member. The support member includes a first end and a second end. The second end includes two flanges. The flanges are configured to dig into an endplate of a vertebral body. The flanges of the support member provide a location fixation on an implantation of the interbody fusion implant into the vertebral body. The support member may also include at least one of a clip shaped support member and an I-shaped support member. The I-shaped support member may allow a rigidity and a support in flexion-extension through a living-hinge positioned in a middle of the I-shaped support member. The longitudinal hole sustains loads imported on the interbody fusion implant and allows the interbody fusion implant to flex freely.

1. Technical Field
The embodiments herein generally relate to spinal stabilization devices, and more particularly to a compliant interbody fusion device with deployable bone anchors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional spinal fusion implants typically having projections that can be deployed after the implant has been inserted into the disc space and are used to stabilize the human spine. A problem with the conventional spinal fusion implants is that they are static in size. This poses various problems with their use and/or implantation. As a result, nerves may become pinched, causing pain that radiates into other parts of the body and instability in the vertebrae.
To overcome this, spinal decompression and fusion procedures can be augmented with bone or implants being inserted between the vertebral bodies and held in place with pedicle screws. This disrupts the normal biomechanics of the spine while correcting the instability. Fusion, while correcting the instability, can also cause adjacent disc disease. Also, generally the conventional interbody designs are non-complaint or do not have deployable bone anchors that can be opened after insertion to aid ease of implantation.
These standard devices are also more prone to subsidence and may contribute to adjacent disc disease. Moreover, these devices generally do not help in restoring the normal biomechanics of the thoraco-lumbar spine. In conjunction with a dynamic rod/screw system or stand-alone, the device may not reduce the chances of adjacent disk disease.

Compliant interbody fusion device with deployable bone anchors


A computing system includes a server. The server is communicatively coupled to a data repository and is configured to store a data in the data repository. The server is further configured to create, via a visual information flow creation tool, at least one information flow object, wherein the at least one information flow object comprises a flow, a sub-flow, an Action, or a combination thereof. The server is also configured to interface with the at least one information flow object via a front-end application programming interface (API), a back-end API, or a combination thereof. The server is additionally configured to execute the at least one information flow object via the front-end API, the back-end API, or a combination thereof, and to retrieve results obtained by executing the at least one information flow object via the front-end API, the back-end API, or the combination thereof.

The present disclosure relates generally to workflows and, more particularly, to custom workflow Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Cloud computing relates to the sharing of computing resources that are generally accessed via the Internet. In particular, a cloud computing infrastructure allows users, such as individuals and/or enterprises, to access a shared pool of computing resources, such as servers, storage devices, networks, applications, and/or other computing based services. By doing so, users are able to access computing resources on demand that are located at remote locations, which resources may be used to perform a variety computing functions (e.g., storing and/or processing large quantities of computing data). For enterprise and other organization users, cloud computing provides flexibility in accessing cloud computing resources without accruing large up-front costs, such as purchasing expensive network equipment or investing large amounts of time in establishing a private network infrastructure. Instead, by utilizing cloud computing resources, users are able redirect their resources to focus on their enterprise's core functions.
Within the context of cloud computing solutions for data repositories, users may be asked to deal with ever increasing amounts of data, e.g., including certain date-based information stored in the data repositories. In fact, the amount of cloud-based and date-based data collected and stored in today's cloud computing solutions, such as cloud-based repositories, may be orders of magnitude greater than what was historically collected and stored. Users tasked with automating and/or troubleshooting enterprise, IT, and/or other organization-related functions (e.g., incident tracking and/or help desk-related functions) navigate ever increasing amounts of date-based data to properly and efficiently perform their job functions. In certain embodiments, cloned data repositories may be created. With this in mind, the following embodiments are directed to improving the manner in which information workflows in certain data repositories may be automated, including cloned data repository information workflows.

System and method for workflow application programming interfaces (APIS)


A skateboard truck with a single kingpin assembly mechanism with a compressible single bushing with a graduated coefficient of compressibility and built-in cam stops. The truck allows for superior rotation of the wheels due to the single kingpin assembly, which presents an improvement over the prior king-pin and bolt, as there is less stress on the moving parts, the danger of wheel-bite is reduced, and a tighter steering angle can be maintained. The axle hanger is reversible to allow a user to change the height of the skateboard deck from the surface. Because it is made from fewer parts, the truck is simpler to construct, take apart and repair, and can be made less expensively than traditional trucks.

This invention is directed toward a skateboard truck with a single king-pin assembly mechanism with a compressible single bushing and built-in cam stops, preferably designed for a longboard style of skateboard. The truck allows for superior rotation of the wheels due to the single kingpin assembly, which presents an improvement over the prior king-pin and bolt, as there is less stress on the moving parts, the danger of wheel-bite is reduced, and a tighter steering angle can be maintained. Because it is made from fewer parts, the truck is simpler to construct, take apart and repair, and can be made less expensively than traditional trucks. The truck is also reversible, thereby allowing a user to mount his/her wheels closer to the deck of the skateboard.
The sport of skateboarding began in the 1960's as an offshoot of surfing. Because skateboards can be used anywhere there are hard surfaces, such as streets and sidewalks, and are not limited to coastal areas with decent surf, it has eclipsed the popularity of surfing many times over both in terms of numbers of participants and size of the industry. As would be expected with such a developed sport, skateboards and their components have evolved over the four decades or so since the first person took the wheels off an old pair of roller skates and put them on the underside of a piece of wood.
The modern skateboard comprises several basic components, including a riding surface, or deck, usually made of an elongated piece of wood, fiberglass or some other sturdy, resilient and flexible material, four wheels with some sort of ball bearing arrangement upon which the deck and rider are transported, and two skateboard trucks, where the trucks are the devices by which the wheels are connected to the deck. The trucks are attached to the deck in a mirror image manner, such that as a user leans on one side of the skateboard, the forces cause each truck to simultaneously steer in the opposite direction that the other truck steers. While located in a fairly unobtrusive location on the underside of the deck, the trucks are very important as they determine how the skater controls his/her skateboard by determining how a skateboard's wheels turn. A person doubting the importance of the trucks merely needs to try a quick straight-line trip down a winding hill on a skateboard with trucks which do not allow the skateboard wheels to turn before realizing the folly of such an opinion.
Skateboard trucks are made in a wide variety of styles which rely upon several basic components, within which there can be significant variation. The basic components of the modern skateboard include a base plate or a truck mounting plate, which is a flat piece of metal with at least four holes along its edges, which is used to screw or bolt the truck to the bottom of the deck, a bolt, which attaches the wheel-mounting axle to the base plate, and an upward-projecting, wheel-mounting axle which suspends the skateboard wheels on either side of the kingpin and has a single truck axle or kingpin which sits in a protected cup or pin-receiving hole in the base plate. The turning ability of the skateboard depends on the design and adjustments made to the kingpin, as the wheels of the skateboard traditionally pivot around the kingpin. The bolt is generally threaded through an oversized hole lined with compressible and resilient bushings, often made of plastic components such as urethane, such that by tightening the bolt it becomes more difficult to flex the axle, and therefore more difficult to turn the skateboard (tightening the bolt also generally tends to make the skateboard more stable and less susceptible to "wobble" at high speeds, so there is an inherent trade-off between a user's desire for skateboard maneuverability and stability at high speeds). As the user leans from side to side, the bolt presses against the bushings, enabling turning and at the same time compressing the bushings, such that further leaning becomes more and more difficult for the user. The skateboard user steers the skateboard by leaning from one side to another. thereby applying pressure to the truck, such that the truck pivots around the truck axles whereby on the front wheels, the outer wheel moves forward while the inside wheel moves back, and on the rear wheels, the outer wheel moves back and the inner wheel moves forward, thereby causing the two sets of wheels to no longer be in alignment but rather to describe an arc through which the skateboard will now travel presuming the rider balances successfully on the skateboard.
While modern skateboard trucks perform the basic required operations of attaching the wheels to the deck and allow the user to turn the skateboard by leaning it on one side or another, many of the current trucks have a number of disadvantages including:
1. Existing skateboard trucks limit the turning ability of the skateboards as they allow unacceptably small axle rotation unless the rider loosens the bushings so much that the board develops an undesirable wobble at higher speeds.
2. The poor turning ability causes particular problems when a rider has to perform a tight U-turn, in which case most riders have to dismount their skateboards and pick up the board with their hands to turn it around, or perform a potentially dangerous maneuver, particularly for less-than-expert riders, in which the rider releases or shifts weight from the front axle to the back axle, lifting the front of the board up in the air, and pirouetting around the back axle. While this maneuver can be performed eloquently by skilled riders, a novice rider more often that not will end up with a bruised bottom or worse.
3. Traditional skateboard trucks rely on two points of connection between the base plate and the axle—namely, a kingpin and a bolt. Because of the arrangement of these two members, the force exerted by the bolt or kingpin pivoting around the other puts a potentially damaging amount of stress on, usually, the kingpin. A damaged kingpin can quickly turn a $50 skateboard truck into a piece of scrap good only for salvage value of any unbent bolts, washers, and nuts. A broken kingpin can quickly turn a fun ride into an ambulance trip, or worse.
The current invention can be used on all lengths of skateboards, and is particularly adapted toward the "longboard" skateboards, which are a fairly recent skateboard style. The term "longboard" comes from the surfer's slang term for a surfboard which is generally more than nine feet long, with 50/50 rails, less nose rocker than a standard shortboard, and generally rad cruising abilities. Longboard skateboards are longer than traditional skateboards—usually at least three feet in length. With the added weight and length, longboard skateboards require not only different skills in a rider, but also different equipment to compensate for their unique size and shapes. For example, with a longer deck, the longboard skateboard does not perform optimally when using the same trucks that are used with traditional, twenty-four inch or less, skateboards due to "wheel bind". Wheel bind occurs in longboard skateboards when the trucks are not designed to allow a user of a longboard skateboard to turn sharply without causing the wheel axles to turn inward to an unacceptably large degree such that the wheels bind and not be smoothly restored to a forward direction. Wheel bind also occurs in shorter skateboards as well, so the invention provides a superior method of turning for all lengths of skateboards.
Thus there has existed a long-felt need for a skateboard truck which avoids the wheel binding problems traditionally encountered with longboards and reduces the physical stress on the truck. While this invention was developed to respond to wheel bind in longboards, it also provides similar advantages when used with traditional skateboards as well.
The current invention provides just such a solution by providing a skateboard truck with a single kingpin assembly mechanism with a compressible single bushing and built-in cam stops. The truck allows for superior rotation of the wheels due to the single kingpin assembly, which presents an improvement over the prior kingpin and bolt, as there is less stress on the moving parts, the danger of wheel-bite is reduced, and a tighter steering angle can be maintained. Because it is made from fewer parts, the truck is simpler to construct, take apart and repair, and can be made less expensively than traditional trucks.

Skateboard truck with single-pin, pivotal, reversible attachment between axel and base plate, and means of improving a user's shredding capabilities through use of the skateboard truck with single-pin, pivotal attachment between axel and base plate


Compound represented by the formula (I): ##STR1## or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, as well as therapeutics for cerebrovascular diseases containing such compounds or salts as an active ingredient. The compounds are capable of selective inhibition of nitric oxide synthase in neurons and, hence, are useful as the active ingredient of therapeutics for cerebrovascular diseases.

Recent studies have revealed that NO, which is at least one of the endothelium-derived relaxing factors (EDRF) (Nature, 327, 524-526, 1987; Nature, 333, 664-666, 1988), not only has a vasodilation effect and a platelet aggregation and adhesion inhibiting effect but also plays an important role in the maintenance of biological functions as an intra-/inter-cellular signaling molecule. (Trends Pharmacol. 10, 428-431, 1989; Trends Neurosci. 14, 29-39, 1987; Trends Biochem. 16, 81-83, 1991; Trends Neurosci. 13, 1-6, 1992; Trends Pharmacol. 12, 130-131, 1991; Trends Pharmacol. 12, 87-88, 1991; Trends Pharmacol. 12, 125-128, 1991).
It has also been established that NO is produced not only from endothelial cells but also from other cells such as neurons, glial cells and macrophages and at least three distinct clones encoding independent NOS enzymes have been isolated (Nature, 351, 714-718, 1991; Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 89, 11141-11145, 1992; Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 89, 6348-6352, 1992; FEBS Lett., 307, 287-293, 1992; J. Clin. Inv., 90, 2092-2096, 1992; Science, 256, 225-228, 1992; J. Biol. Chem., 267, 6370-6374, 1992; Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 90, 11419-11423, 1993; Biochem., 32, 11600-11605, 1993; Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 90, 3491-3495, 1993; FEBS Lett., 316, 175-180, 1993; Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 191, 89-94, 1993; Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 89, 6711-6715, 1992; Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 191, 767-774, 1993; Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 90, 9730-9734, 1993).
It is also interesting to note that the pathophysiological role of NO has been unravelled at an accelerated rate (Pharmacol. Rev., 43, 109-142, 1991; Neurol. Prog., 32, 197-311, 1992; FASEB J., 6, 3051-3064, 1992).
Among the NOS inhibitors, N.sup.G -nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) has been found to be capable of ameliorating ischemic cerebral infarction and edema (Eur. J. Pharmacol. 204, 339-340, 1991; Neurosci. Lett., 147, 159-162, 1992). This finding opened a road to the application of a substance having a NOS inhibiting activity to a therapeutic of cerebrovascular diseases.
In the brain region where the blood flow is interrupted, cytotoxic edema occurs first, followed by vasogenic edema. Brain edema is developed several hours after the occurrence of cerebral ischemia and its progress continues for about one week from the onset in clinical settings. Thereafter, the brain edema decreases gradually and, depending on the focal range of infarction, the edema persists as an infarcted area from one to three months. Since the brain is covered with the rigid skull, cerebral edema causes an increase in the brain volume. If the cerebral edema exceeds a certain limit, there occurs an abrupt increase in the tissue pressure and the intracranical pressure, often inducing fatal hernia and eventually aggravating the encephalopathy to determine the scope of the subsequent infarcted area (J. Neurosurg. 77, 169-184, 1992). Thus, the treatment of cerebral edema which is critical to the patient's life and the prognosis of his disease is clinically a very important objective. The three primary methods currently used to treat cerebral edema are hyperpnea, the drainage of cerebrospinal fluid and the use of hypertonic solutions, steroids or the like; however, in almost all cases, these methods provide only temporary ameliorative effect and there is not much promise for the therapeutic efficacy to be finally achieved (J. Neurosurg. 77, 337-354, 1992). Therefore, it has been desirable to develop drugs that have an entirely different mechanism of action and which will prove effective in the treatment of ischemic cerebrovascular diseases.
The present inventors previously found that L-NNA had a capability for ameliorating cerebral edema and infarction that were developed after focal cerebral ischemia (Neurosci. Lett., 147, 159-162, 1992), as well as the neuronal cell death that was developed after global cerebral ischemia (Eur. J. Pharmacol. Env. Tox., 248, 325-328, 1993). However, it has also been reported that relatively high doses of NOS inhibitors are not only ineffective against ischemic brain damage but also they sometimes aggravate the situation (J. Cereb. Blood Flow Metab., 14, 175-192, 1994).
A presently dominant theory based on DNA analyses holds that NOS exists in at least three isoforms, namely, neuronal constitutive NOS (N-cNOS) which is present constitutively in neurons, endothelial constitutive NOS (E-cNOS) which is present constitutively in endothelial cells, and inducible NOS (iNOS) which is expressed on stimulation by cytokines and lipopolysaccharides in macrophages and many other cells. Among these three isoforms, N-cNOS and E-cNOS are calcium-dependent whereas iNOS is calcium-independent (FASEB J. 16, 3051-3064, 1992).
It has become evident that during and shortly after cerebral ischemia there is an excessive accumulation of excitatory amino acids in the extracellular space, and subsequently an increased level of intracellular Ca.sup.2+, predominantly by way of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) class of glutamate receptor activation. These cellular events have a crucial triggering role in the elaboration of ischemic brain damage within the neurons. (J. Cereb. Blood Flow Metab. 1, 155-185, 1981; J. Neurosurg. 60, 883-908, 1984; Trends Neurosci. 11, 465-469, 1988; J. Cereb. Blood Flow Metab. 9, 127-140, 1989). As already mentioned, N-cNOS is calcium-dependent, so inhibiting the hyperactivity of this type of NOS isoform by a particular NOS inhibitor would exhibit neuroprotective effect (Annals Neurol. 32, 297-311, 1992).
Since NO is at least one of EDRF, if E-cNOS is inhibited to less than a certain level, the cerebral blood flow will decrease whereas the blood pressure will increase, thereby aggravating the dynamics of cerebral micro-circulation, possibly leading to an expansion of the ischemic lesion. Therefore, if a therapeutic for ischemic cerebral diseases is to be developed, a NOS inhibitor is desirable that does not inhibit E-cNOS as effectively as N-cNOS (Eur. J. Pharmacol., 204, 339-340, 1991; Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 88, 6368-6371, 1991).
Recently and after the date of filing of a product patent application by the present inventors (Feb. 25, 1994), it was reported that .delta.-(S-methylisothioureido)-L-norvaline, or the claimed compound of the present invention, was capable of inhibiting both N-cNOS and iNOS in a dose-dependent manner J. Med. Chem. 37, 885-887, 1994 (issue date: Apr. 1, 1994); Advance ACS Abstracts (J. Med. Chem. In abridged form; issue date: Mar. 1, 1994)!. The paper sets forth percent inhibitions of iNOS and cNOS which is equivalent to N-cNOS. However, the paper says nothing about the action on E-cNOS, nor does it make any mention of the potential use of .delta.-(S-methylisothioureido)-L-norvaline as a therapeutic for cerebrovascular diseases.

.delta.-(S-methylisothioureido)-L-norvaline therapeutic for cerebrovascular diseases having nitric oxide synthase inhibiting factor


Embodiments of the disclosure provide methods and apparatuses for performing D2D communication in a communication system. The communication system may at least comprise a base station (BS), a D2D transmitter and a D2D receiver. The D2D transmitter transmits D2D data to the D2D receiver in a D2D communication. According to the method of the present invention, D2D data may be received from the D2D transmitter; and the received D2D data may be transmitted to the D2D receiver in response to receiving a negative message from the D2D receiver, wherein the negative message indicates that the D2D receiver fails to receive the D2D data from the D2D transmitter.

In practical communication networks, such as networks employs GSM, CDMA, UMTS and LTE technologies, wireless communication users' demand for faster, more reliable, and better multimedia is growing. To accommodate such a growing demand, research to provide a higher throughput is being researched.
Due to the increasing demand for higher throughput, the tendency of offloading cellular network traffic has received enormous attention, e.g., femto and other small cells. Increasing demand of offloading cellular traffic has attracted attention from most industrial partners to D2D communication. The aim of D2D communication is pursuing this track to allow D2D devices to transmit data to each other without, or with limited help from the infrastructure. According to an existing and common scheme for performing the D2D communication between D2D devices comprising a D2D transmitter (D2D Tx) and a D2D receiver (D2D Rx), D2D data or D2D traffic may be transmitted from the D2D transmitter to the D2D receiver.
In order to efficiently utilizing spectrum, same frequency band is allowed to be shared by both cellular user equipments (UEs) and the D2D devices. That is to say, the D2D communication may share the same frequency band with cellular communication. In such a case, the D2D communication may interfere with the cellular communication. The interference would highly degrade the communication quality, as well as reduce cell throughput for the cellular communication, especially in uplink.
Traditional methods, coping with this issue, generally treated D2D signal which is transmitted from the D2D transmitter to the D2D receiver as interference and mitigated the signal from the D2D transmitter to reduce the interference. However, these traditional methods cannot completely remove the interference.
In view of the foregoing problem, there is a need to reduce the interference from D2D communication to cellular communication, so as to effectively improve performance of a communication system comprising both the D2D communication and the cellular communication.

Method and apparatus for performing D2D communication


An engine cooling control device 100 includes: a housing portion 11A that has passages Pain, PAout1 and PA2; a rotor 12 that is provided in an intermediate portion M and has a rotation center at a position where at least two of distances between openings of the passages PAin, PAout1 and PAout2 opening toward the intermediate portion M and the rotation center are different from each other; a sealing function portion 13A provided between the housing portion 11A and the rotor 12; an elastic member 14 that is provided between the rotor 12 and the sealing function portion 13A and individually biases the sealing function portion 13A toward each opening of the passages PAin, PAout1 and PAout2 with respect to different phases of the rotor 12.

Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a technology that is thought as a technology related to the present invention with respect to an engine cooling control device. Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a control valve including a main body having a fluid entrance and at least two fluid exits in which an adjustment member that can adjust an angular position variously in order to control distribution of the fluid passing through the fluid exit is surrounded by a sealing with a small clearance. The control valve makes the sealing contact a side wall in which the fluid exit opens under a function of a pressure of the fluid in order to prevent erroneous leakage of the fluid to the exit. In addition, Patent Document 3 discloses a technology that is thought as a technology related to the present invention in a point that an outer wheel of a roller bearing rolling and contacting a slider is disclosed. Further, Patent Documents 4 to 7 disclose a technology that is though as a technology related to the present invention.


An apparatus for making a wet roll including a body of a roll of wet wound sheet material, where the body of the roll is connected to a tail of the roll, means for applying an adhesion promoter between the body and the tail and means for contacting the body and the tail. The body and tail of the roll contain a wetting solution.

Wet products such as wet wipes have many applications. They may be used with small children and infants when changing diapers, they may be used for house hold cleaning tasks, they may be used for cleaning hands, they may be used as a bath tissue, they may be used as by a caregiver to clean a disabled or incontinent adult, or they may be used in and for a whole host of other applications, where it is advantageous to have a wipe or towel that has some moisture in it.
Wet wipes have traditionally been made in processes in which larger webs of wipes are initially made and than these larger webs are converted into smaller rolls or sheets that can be placed in a dispenser. Embodiments of dispensers are described in copending applications Ser. No. 09/545,995 filed Apr. 10, 2000; Ser. No. 09/565,227 filed May 4, 2000; Ser. Nos. 09/659,307; 09/659,295; 09/660,049; 09/659,311; 09/660,040; 09/659,283; 09/659,284 and 09/659,306, filed Sep. 12, 2000; Ser. No. 09/748,618, filed Dec. 22, 2000; Ser. No. 09/841,323, filed Apr. 24, 2001; Ser. No. 09/844,731, filed Apr. 27, 2001; and Ser. No. 09/849,935, filed May 4, 2001, all of which are commonly assigned to Kimberly-Clark, and the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Wet wipes can be any wipe, towel, tissue or sheet like product including natural fibers, synthetic fibers, synthetic material and combinations thereof, that is wet or moist. Examples of wet wipes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,423,804 B1; 6,429,261 B1; 6,444,214 B1; and in copending U.S. patent applications Ser. Nos. 09/564,449; 09/565,125; 09/564,837; 09/564,531; 09/564,268; 09/564,424; 09/564,780; 09/564,212; 09/565,623 all filed May 4, 2000; and Ser. No. 09/900,698, filed Jul. 6, 2001. All of these patents and patent applications are commonly assigned to Kimberly-Clark, and the disclosures of all these documents are incorporated herein by reference.
There is a need for improved methods for making wet wipes, particularly for making rolls of wet wipes. Typically, wet wipes are manufactured as a roll of dry sheets and are then soaked in a wetting solution. Among other disadvantages, this method can lead to undesirable variations in the properties and performance of the wipes. It is desirable to manufacture wet wipes such that the wetting solution and its ingredients are uniformly distributed throughout the web material as well as the final product. Insufficient adhesion between the tail and the rest of the wet roll can lead to difficulties in the manufacture of wet wipes. It is thus desirable to increase the adhesion of the tail of a roll of wet wipes during the roll production process while maintaining the uniform distribution of ingredients.

Apparatus for increasing tail adhesion of wet rolls


A distance measurement apparatus comprises a light emitting device for emitting light to an object, a light receiving device including a plurality of photocells for receiving light emitted by the light emitting device and reflected by the object, an adding circuit for adding outputs of an arbitrary number of photocells from among the plurality of photocells, and a control circuit for controlling the light emitting device, the light receiving device and the adding circuit. The control circuit comprises a determining circuit for determining a first group of photocells having a maximum addition result based on the addition performed by the adding circuit, and a calculating circuit for setting a second group of photocells comprised of the first group of photocells and a single or a series of photocells contiguous to the first group of photocells, dividing the second group of photocells into element subgroups, and calculating a distance to an object based on outputs of respective divided element groups.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a distance measuring device and, more particularly, to a distance measuring device for a camera which measures the distance to an object to be photographed.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional distance measuring devices for a camera use photocells comprising divided rows of photocells (silicon photo diode, hereinafter, referred to as "SPD") or one-dimensional position sensitive devices (hereinafter, referred to as "PSD"), or a combination of both SPDs and PSDs.
However, when PSDs are used as photocells, it is difficult to form the PSDs on a chip of an integrated circuit for measuring a distance, which is disadvantageous in terms of the space requirements and increase in manufacturing cost. Further, PSDs are liable to be influenced by external noise and have a low distance resolution. Furthermore, when secondary generated light (hereinafter, referred to as scattered light) is incident on a vicinity of an end portion of the PSDs because light emitted from a chip of a light emitting element is irregularly reflected by a molded package or the like, the accuracy of the distance measurement is further deteriorated.
If the width of the PSD is shortened to improve the resolution of the measured distance, the amount of reflected light from an object positioned a long distance away is small and the photo current which is received from the photocell is further reduced, thereby preventing signal processing from being carried out.
When SPDs are used as photocells, the distance measuring accuracy is deteriorated if the number of photocells is small. On the other hand, if the number of photocells is excessively large, a long period of time is required for measuring a distance, and the cost for manufacturing the distance measuring device is high.
When both PSDs and SPDs are used, control of the distance measuring device becomes complicated and the manufacturing cost increases.