A system and method for identifying viable refactorings of program code using a comprehensive test suite is presented. Program code is maintained, including program statements written in accordance with a programming language and defining operations executed following transformation into machine code. A test suite associated with the program code is specified and includes one or more additional program operations to determine satisfactory generation of expected results during the operations execution. A plurality of refactorings are speculatively applied to the program code by evaluating one or more of the program statements against a set of refactoring rules and restructuring the program statements pursuant to at least one refactoring rule. The test suite is executed against the program code following each restructuring of the program statements and each refactoring that passes the test suite is determined.

Commercial software development is a maturing discipline, which has historically been characterized by divergent approaches to design, coding, testing, and maintenance. Extreme programming, one of several emerging, so-called "agile methodologies," attempts to unify the software development cycle into a holistic process to improve code quality and product viability, such as described in K. Beck, "Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change," Addison-Wesley (2000), the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. Extreme programming is practiced through simple design, small releases, metaphors, testing, refactoring, pair programming, and continuous integration.
Refactoring is an inherent part of extreme programming and has been adopted to facilitate the process of adding features to existing program code. Refactoring, however, is not exclusive to extreme programming and can be applied to other software development methodologies. Refactoring is defined as the process of changing software such that the changes do not alter the external behavior of the code, yet improve the internal code structure. As a result, refactoring improves code design after the code has been written by removing duplication, improving communication, simplifying structure, and adding flexibility.
Testing is also an inherent part of extreme programming, which divides testing into two categories. First, programmer or unit tests are written and maintained as part of the development activity in the same programming language as the code. Unit tests are integrated at the class level, preferably independently of each other and test the classes to verify complicated functionality and unusual circumstances. Unit tests also document code by explicitly indicating what results should be expected for typical cases. Second, user or acceptance tests evaluate the functionality of an entire system, generally as specified by a customer or end user. Acceptance are typically written in a scripting language or in the same programming language as the code to check the overall functionality of the program by treating the code as a black box and omitting specific knowledge of system internals. Acceptance tests touch at application programming and graphical user interfaces to apply domain-specific data. When properly written, unit tests and acceptance tests can form comprehensive test suites that can dynamically verify program correctness at runtime. As well, either unit tests or acceptance tests can, by themselves, be considered comprehensive when each point of functionality has a set of covering tests, which ensure correct functioning and show some resistance to easily foreseen faults.
In contrast, refactoring is static activity that is conventionally applied to code as a structured, yet subjective methodology. In the general case, refactoring is as creative a process as the development of original program code. The critical points that distinguish general programming and refactoring are that: (1) the needed functionality is not changed as the result of the software changing, and (2) the software is improved in some way, such as being smaller, simpler, or made amenable to a subsequent development. Although refactoring can be applied to all forms of structured program code, refactoring is most effectively applied to object oriented code, preferably within the context of a testing framework. Refactoring can involve selecting and restructuring code according to well-accepted refactoring rules, such as listed in the catalogue of refactoring rules described in M. Fowler, "Refactoring Improving The Design Of Existing Code," Chs. 6-12, Addison-Wesley (1999), the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. The validity of refactoring rules can be determined through testing or semantic proofs, which can also be subject to assumptions regarding the code.
Ideally, refactoring should be applied as a continuous process integral to the overall software development cycle. Identifying opportunities within code to apply refactoring is nevertheless subjective and relatively ad hoc, involving visual inspection and manual rewritings of code. Moreover, the set of refactoring rules chosen tends to be highly dependent upon the experience and preferences of the developers involved. Consequently, automated refactoring methodologies generally are conservative and apply only to those refactorings, which can be proven semantically correct, or can be proven semantically correct after making certain assumptions. Thus, the code is only evaluated within the context of literal class definitions and runtime constraints and other factors placed on the code in the dynamic environment are ignored during refactoring selection. In addition, automated refactoring methodologies require human initiation, often through the use of an integrated development environment. As a result, code refactored through automated methodologies often remains suitable for further refactoring.
Therefore, there is a need for an approach to providing automated identification of a range of useable refactorings for code determined within a static and dynamic context. Preferably, such an approach would allow a wider range of refactorings than only those refactorings proven semantically correct and would apply comprehensive testing to validate the program correctness.

System and method for identifying viable refactorings of program code using a comprehensive test suite


Devices and methods for performing CPR on a patient within an imaging field of an imaging device. The device has a compression belt and a belt tensioning mechanism, both located on or in the device such that the head, neck, thorax and abdomen of the patient may be place within the imaging field with the compression belt installed about the patient and the belt tensioning mechanism will be located outside of the imaging field.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a well-known and valuable method of first aid used to resuscitate people who have suffered from cardiac arrest. CPR requires repetitive chest compressions to squeeze the heart and the thoracic cavity to pump blood through the body. Artificial respiration, such as mouth-to-mouth breathing or a bag mask apparatus, is used to supply air to the lungs. When a first aid provider performs manual chest compression effectively, blood flow in the body is about 25% to 30% of normal blood flow. However, even experienced paramedics cannot maintain adequate chest compressions for more than a few minutes. Hightower, et al., Decay In Quality Of Chest Compressions Over Time, 26 Ann. Emerg. Med. 300 (September 1995). Thus, CPR is not often successful at sustaining or reviving the patient. Nevertheless, if chest compressions could be adequately maintained, then cardiac arrest victims could be sustained for extended periods of time. Occasional reports of extended CPR efforts (45 to 90 minutes) have been reported, with the victims eventually being saved by coronary bypass surgery. See Tovar, et al., Successful Myocardial Revascularization and Neurologic Recovery, 22 Texas Heart J. 271 (1995).
In efforts to provide better blood flow and increase the effectiveness of bystander resuscitation efforts, various mechanical devices have been proposed for performing CPR. In one variation of such devices, a belt is placed around the patient's chest and the belt is used to effect chest compressions. Our own patents, Mollenauer et al., Resuscitation device having a motor driven belt to constrict/compress the chest, U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,962 (Nov. 7, 2000); Sherman, et al., CPR Assist Device with Pressure Bladder Feedback, U.S. Pat. No. 6,616,620 (Sep. 9, 2003); Sherman et al., Modular CPR assist device, U.S. Pat. No. 6,066,106 (May 23, 2000); and Sherman et al., Modular CPR assist device, U.S. Pat. No. 6,398,745 (Jun. 4, 2002), and our application Ser. No. 09/866,377 filed on May 25, 2001, show chest compression devices that compress a patient's chest with a belt. Each of these patents is hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Our commercial device, sold under the trademark AUTOPULSE®, is described in some detail in our prior patents, including Jensen, Lightweight Electro-Mechanical Chest Compression Device, U.S. Pat. No. 7,347,832 (Mar. 25, 2008) and Quintana, et al., Methods and Devices for Attaching a Belt Cartridge to a Chest Compression Device, U.S. Pat. No. 7,354,407 (Apr. 8, 2008).
These devices have proven to be valuable alternatives to manual CPR, and evidence is mounting that they provide circulation superior to that provided by manual CPR, and also result in higher survival rates for cardiac arrest victims. The AUTOPULSE® CPR devices are intended for use in the field, to treat victims of cardiac arrest during transport to a hospital, where the victims are expected to be treated by extremely well-trained emergency room physicians. The AutoPulse® CPR device is uniquely configured for this use: The the components are stored in a lightweight backboard, about the size of a boogie board, which is easily carried to a patient and slipped underneath the patients thorax. The important components include a motor, drive shaft and drive spool, computer control system and battery.
In certain in-hospital situations, it is desirable to provide chest compressions with the AutoPulse® CPR device while imaging the patient. For example, doctors may wish to continue CPR compressions, or limit any interruptions in compressions, while the patient is placed within advanced imaging devices such an MRI device, fluoroscope system or CT scanner, X-Ray machine or any such imaging device to image the thorax, heart or coronary arteries of the patient, or the head of the patient. This may be needed to assess trauma, visualize a catheter placement, or diagnose organ function. The current AutoPulse®
CPR device can fit within the imaging device, but the number of metal components which would thus fall within the imaging area of the imaging device would make it difficult to obtain a usable image. The metal components create such large and numerous artifacts that the patient's anatomy is poorly visible in imaging devices. Under fluoroscopy, the anterior/posterior view is the most clinically useful view, but is totally disrupted by artifacts caused by the metal components. Under MRI, no images can be obtained at all, while under CT scanning, some useful images may be obtained but they are typically obscured with significant artifacts. When in use, the AutoPulse motor, drive spool and chassis is disposed beneath the heart of the patient, and this creates significant artifact in any scan of the thorax. When in use, the AutoPulse battery is disposed beneath the head of the patient, and this creates significant artifact in any scan of the head. For other mechanical CPR systems, such as the LUCAS® system, the artifact in thorax images is significantly greater. In addition, chest mounted CPR systems, in which significant large mechanisms are mounted above the chest, do not fit into the gantry of many imaging devices (the gantry is the donut-shaped part of the CT scanner that supports moving components as they pass over the patient project and detect x-rays to create a CT image). This includes the LUCAS® device and the THUMPER® mechanical CPR devices.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Chest compression devices for use with imaging systems, and methods of use of chest compression devices with imaging systems


Disclosed herein are a system, computer-readable medium, and method for enforcing network policies. Samples of data traveling through at least some nodes of a network are collected. It is determined whether a node violated a predefined network policy based on the samples.

Server virtualization has lead to the creation of large and dynamic data centers that provide great benefits for users and entities employing the services thereof. Such data centers may comprise a large number of interconnected network nodes. These nodes may contain one or more of a variety of network devices for relaying, combining, directing and otherwise handling information in its transit across the network. These devices may include edge switches, repeaters, routers, bridges, switches and hubs.

Sample based determination of network policy violations

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP


A flow diverter is provided for use with a valve having a valve body with an inlet and an outlet separated by a valve seat, a valve member, an actuator for displacement of the valve member into and out of engagement with the valve seat, and a bonnet in which the valve member and the actuator are housed. The flow diverter has an elongate housing with an inlet end and an outlet end and which is configured to engage the valve body at the inlet end with the valve member and actuator removed from the valve body. The elongate housing defines an outlet passage and an inlet passage, the outlet passage being interposed between the inlet end and the inlet passage. An elongate flow guide is positioned within the housing. The flow guide is configured to engage the valve seat and, together with the housing, to define a flow path that confines the flow of fluid from the valve body and out of the outlet passage. The outlet passage and the inlet passage are configured for bridging with a device such as a water flow meter.

It is often necessary to fit flow devices to existing plumbing installations. In many instances, it can be difficult to fit a desired flow device at a convenient location. For example, it may be necessary to fit a flow device upstream of a valve so that flow through the valve can either be measured or restricted.
A problem with such fitment is that the valve can often be positioned in a location where the conduit upstream of the valve is located in a wall or other structural component. In such a case, the only way to access such a conduit is to destroy or dismantle the structural component. As a result, even if the fitment were possible, the time spent and costs incurred in fixing or reassembling the structural component can be prohibitive.


An optoelectronic device is disclosed utilizing a semiconductor laser amplifier that provides for simultaneous detection, amplification, and modulation of an input optical signal. In one embodiment, an electronic transmitter and receiver are coupled to the semiconductor laser amplifier through an RF circulator. In an alternative embodiment, the electronic transmitter and receiver are coupled to the semiconductor laser amplifier through an RF power splitter with frequency or phase discriminating circuitry.

Using semiconductor laser amplifiers (SLA's) as optical modulators, detectors, and multi-function network devices has recently received considerable interest in communications research. The use of an SLA as an optical signal amplifier is generally described by N. A. Olsson in "Lightwave Systems with Optical Amplifiers", Journal of Lightwave Technology, Vol. 7, 1989, pp. 1017-1082. In such use, the SLA amplifies relatively weak optical signals giving an strong output optical signal.
The use of SLA's as a simultaneous optical signal amplifier and detector has previously been described by A. Alping et al. in "100 Mbit/s Laser Diode Terminal with Optical Gain for Fiber Optic Local area Networks", Electronics Letters, Vol. 20, 1990, pp. 794-795, M. Gustavsson et al. in "Traveling Wave Semiconductor Laser amplifier detectors", Journal of Lightwave Technology, Vol. 8, 1990, pp. 610-617, and K. Koai et al. in Dual-Function Semiconductor Laser Amplifier in a Broadband Subcarrier Multiplexed System, IEEE Photonics Technical Letters, Vol. 2, 1990, pp. 926-928. In this application, the terminal voltage response of the SLA is electrically amplified and processed to detect information modulated on the optical carrier while it is being amplified.
An SLA has also been configured as an external modulator for data encoding with gain as described by U. Koren et al. in "High Frequency Modulation of Strained-layer Multiple Quantum-well Optical Amplifiers", Optical Fiber Communication Conference, OFC'91, San Diego, Calif., paper Th12, by G. Eisenstein et al. in "A Multiple Quantum Well Optical Amplifier/Modulator Integrated with a Tunable DFB Laser", International Conference on Integrated Optics and Optical Communications, Kobe, Japan, 1989, paper 19C2-3, and by G. Joyce et al. in "Wide Band Phase Modulation of a Semiconductor Amplifier", 16th European Conference on Optical Communication, 1990, paper TuF2.5. However, in the Koren and Eisenstein papers the quantum well SLA's were integrated with laser diodes and did not function as in-line optical amplifiers. In the Joyce paper, the SLA was used as a phase modulator and not as an intensity modulator.
For network applications, an in-line SLA that acts not only as a linear amplifier for the complete optical carrier but also as a simultaneous transmitter and receiver for selected channels is particularly desirable.

Triple-function semiconductor laser amplifier


There is disclosed a computer-implemented method for determining a density value of a fresh concrete sample using an acoustic probe assembly. The acoustic probe assembly has an acoustic path, an acoustic emitter configured to emit an acoustic signal along the acoustic path, and an acoustic receiver configured to receive the acoustic signal after propagation along the acoustic path. The acoustic probe assembly is configured and adapted to generate an electromagnetic signal indicative of a duration of time taken by the acoustic signal to travel from the acoustic emitter to the acoustic receiver across the fresh concrete sample. The method generally has a step of determining the duration of time based on the electromagnetic signal, a step of matching the duration to a density value using reference data, and a step of displaying the density value.

Fresh concrete is formed of a mixture of ingredients including at least cement-based material and water in given proportions. The ingredients are typically transported inside a drum of a mixer truck where the fresh concrete can be mixed prior to pouring thereof.
It is known that density of the fresh concrete is indicative of the compressive strength the concrete will have once it has hardened.
International patent application number WO 2014/138,968 describes a method of determining the density of fresh concrete of a mixer truck by measuring a buoyancy of a sensor immersed into the fresh concrete. Although existing methods were satisfactory to a certain extent, there remains room for improvement, especially when the fresh concrete has a low workability which prevents the sensor to float freely.

Method for determining density of fresh concrete, computing device and system therefore


A process for the production of synthetic dolomite comprising: grinding a dry and low impurity level mineral dolomite; incorporating additives selected from the group consisting of iron as Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3, silica (SiO.sub.2) and magnesium hydroxide Mg(OH).sub.2, calcium hydroxide Ca(OH).sub.2 or a combination of both, in order to react and integrate dolomite impurities as the desired silica (SiO.sub.2), iron (Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3), and alumina (Al.sub.2 O.sub.3), in the dolomite; wholly mixing these additives with the ground dolomite in a mixer machine; compacting the mixed materials in order to form briquettes; sieving the briquettes of compacted material to eliminate fines; burning the briquettes to a temperature of 1,700 to 2,200.degree. C. to guarantee a complete sintering; cooling the briquettes and sieving the cooled briquettes.

A. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to synthetic dolomite and more particularly to a process for the production of synthetic double burnt dolomite.
B. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
The dead burnt or sintered dolomite has a wide range of applications such as a low cost refractory material for the manufacture of refractory bricks used in electric and open hearth furnaces, as well as in furnaces for iron melting.
The dolomite is a mineral mainly including calcium carbonate (CaCO.sub.3) and magnesium carbonate (MgCO.sub.3) in a relation of approximately 60% by weight: 40% by weight respectively.
The grade or quality of the raw dolomite depends on the different proportions of silica (SiO.sub.2), iron (Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3), and alumina (Al.sub.2 O.sub.3), contained in the natural mineral, so that the sum of such impurities should be up to about 1% for a high grade sintered dolomite.
The desired refractory properties of the dolomite for the manufacturing of refractory bricks, depend on the impurity level of the dolomite.
The use of dolomite refractory has been limited by the tendency of the oxides, especially lime, to revert to the hydroxide form upon exposure to moisture in the atmosphere.
High porosity and low density sintered material in the dolomite refractory are highly affected by steel slag lowering its refractory advantages.
The use of certain additives such as oxides and fluxing agents have been proposed to improve the main characteristics of low porosity, high density and a low hydration susceptibility of the dolomite refractory.
To prepare the dolomite for the production of refractory bricks, the natural high grade dolomite is passed over a sintering process consisting in heating the dolomite to a temperature of 1,800.degree. C. to 2,000.degree. C.
With this process the dolomite density (Bulk Specific Gravity) is increased and the impurity level helps to stabilize the produced calcium oxide.
High grade natural dolomite having the desired refractory properties for the manufacture of brick, can only be obtained from certain locations throughout the world, such as in the United States.
This leads other brick producing countries to buy such high grade dolomite, which is not always available, and transport it to their facilities, increasing the price of the products.
There are many places in the world having low impurity content dolomite, i.e. having a deficiency of silica (SiO.sub.2), iron (Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3), and alumina (Al.sub.2 O.sub.3), from which, as mentioned, depend the desired properties of the dolomite.
Therefore, it would be highly desirable to process the low impurity content dolomite, to obtain the desired levels of impurities in a synthetic high degree sintered dolomite.
It has been found that the sum of such impurities in the sintered material should be of about 1% by weight to 2% by weight.
Such sintering process, however, has to be economically viable in order that it does not result in a more expensive product than the natural high grade dolomite.
Different processes have been developed to produce a low porosity and high stabilized dead burnt dolomite having an improved hydration resistance.
Representative processes for the production of synthetic dolomite are disclosed in the following U. S. Patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,454, discloses a method for making a dolomite sinter with low porosity and good hydration stability, by adding a member selected from burnt dolomite, dolomite hydrate, semi burnt dolomite and combinations thereof, to raw dolomite in order to introduce foreign oxides thereto, pressing the milled raw dolomite into briquettes and heating the briquettes to a sintered temperature.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,246,648 and 4,627,948 disclose a process including deacidification steps using a specific apparatus.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,648,966; 4,636,303 and 4,372,843 disclose processes for the benefit of phosphate minerals, including some flotation steps and involving carbonate collectors with sulfated fatty acids.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,122,350 discloses a process for the production of a specific acetate.
However, in all of these treatment processes to transform low grade dolomite into a high grade synthetic dolomite, by introducing the above-referenced impurities as additives, the dolomite obtained still did not show the desired properties for refractory brick production, i.e., high bulk specific gravity and low hydration susceptibility.
It has been found that the process for the production of synthetic dolomite depends on the way in which such impurities are introduced into low grade dolomite, including some burning and reacting steps, as well as the introduction of some very specific additives, to allow the integration of the above-referenced impurities.
It has been additionally found very specific additives, such as Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3, SiO.sub.2 and Mg(OH).sub.2, Ca(OH).sub.2 or combinations of both, that could be added to the natural dolomite if it does not contain the necessary impurity level in order to balance the impurities for its stabilization, and guarantee the desired properties.
The process of the present invention for the production of synthetic dolomite, comprises: grinding a dry and low impurity level mineral dolomite; incorporating additives selected from the group consisting of iron as Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3, silica (SiO.sub.2) and magnesium hydroxide Mg(OH).sub.2, calcium hydroxide Ca(OH).sub.2 or a combination of both, in order to react and integrate the dolomite impurities as the desired silica (SiO.sub.2), iron (Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3), and alumina (Al.sub.2 O.sub.3), in the dolomite composition; wholly mixing these additives with the ground dolomite in a mixer machine; compacting the mixed materials in order to form briquettes; sieving the briquettes of compacted material to eliminate fines; burning the briquettes to a temperature of 1,700.degree. C. to 2,200.degree. C. to guarantee a complete sintering; cooling the briquettes and sieving the cooled briquettes.

Process for the production of synthetic dolomite

Servicios Industriales Penoles, S.A. de C.V.


The invention relates to a machine for descaling cells (3) of a cellular runoff body (2) used in an air-water exchanger, characterized in that it comprises at least one tool (6, 7) having an active tip (6a, 7a) and mounted on a frame (1) so as to be mobile between two positions in one direction common to all of the tools (6, 7) supported by the frame (1), the active tip (6a, 7a) of said tool being supported by the end of a rod (13) of a cylinder (11), the body (12) of which is mounted so as to be mobile relative to the frame (1) along the axis thereof, a piston (23) rigidly connected to the rod (13) and defining, in the body, a first chamber (26) which is constantly connected to a source of pressurized fluid and to a second chamber (27) through which the rod (13) passes, is in communication with the first chamber (26) as long as the rod (13) is at least partially retracted into the cylinder body (12) and insulated from the latter, and is connected to the exhaust when the rod (13) is in an end extension position outside the body (12).

In cooling towers, water, for example from a secondary condensation circuit, is mainly cooled by vaporizing a fraction of the water to be cooled which trickles over surfaces which are provided for this purpose and over which a stream of air flows in the opposite direction to the trickling direction, and secondly during the convection which takes place on the heat exchange surfaces in the water itself.
These surfaces are carried by a heat exchange body, commonly called "packing", formed by sheets which are usually made from PVC but are sometimes metal, assembled together to form a cellular structure. Each cell of this structure takes the form of a tube approximately 1.5 meters long, the average dimension of its cross section being a few centimeters. The wall of the cells is thin (a few tenths of a millimeter) and may be pierced with a large number of orifices. The heat exchange bodies are suspended in the cooling tower between a unit for spraying the water to be cooled and a lower trough for collecting the cooled water.
Catching means are arranged in the upper part of the tower for retaining, as much as possible, the droplets of water carried by the cooling air. Indeed, it is important not to emit this water into the atmosphere as it contains germs which may have proliferated in the tower where the temperature favors such proliferation.
During use, the heat exchange body becomes loaded with a deposit of mineral salts (scale) because of the evaporation that occurs on the trickling surfaces. This deposit increases over time and may represent as much as ten times the weight of the body itself in some installations.
There are many disadvantages of this deposit: it obstructs the trickling and hence affects the efficiency of the heat exchange; various germs in the water can collect there in an environment that is favorable to their proliferation; it applies a very significant extra load on the support structure for the heat exchange body which is generally suspended inside the tower, etc.
There are, at least in theory, many means of overcoming this disadvantage.
One of these consists in chemically treating the water to be cooled to remove salts from it and hence prevent the heat exchange surfaces from scaling up. This method cannot be considered for cooling towers of electricity-generating, thermal, or nuclear power stations.
The scale can also be dissolved chemically using suitable solutions. This approach entails the awkward problem of treating the effluents, which has economic consequences for the cost of the operation.
It may be envisaged to shake the heat exchange body using any suitable mechanical means; although this method has been tested, it damages the heat exchange body, making it virtually unusable subsequently.
Lastly, this heat exchange body may be mechanically cleaned after it has been disassembled; this is an extremely expensive operation given the large size of this body (10 to 12,000 cubic meters in units of approximately two cubic meters).
FR 2.903.178 discloses a method and a machine which makes it possible to avoid the disadvantages of the existing or foreseeable solutions in order to clean the heat exchange bodies employed in air-cooling towers of electricity-generating power stations, in particular nuclear power stations.

Machine for descaling cellular bodies of an air-water heat exchanger


Systems and methods for vertical farming that reduce the deployment cost, operational costs of human labor, and overall use of energy intensive processes, such as lighting, heating and cooling, and ventilation, while increasing crop quality and yield. This reduction is achieved through a hybrid system that alternates natural light, temperature, and ventilation sources with system-controlled lighting, temperature, and ventilation means. The system includes a germination module that allows seeds to germinal on a horizontal substrate, a growth module that provides optimal growth conditions to the germinated seed on the substrate in a vertical position, and a dosing module that controls the micronutrient mixture supplied to the growing plants.

Conventional vertical farm systems generally employ a vertical structure supporting one or more stacks of trays positioned horizontally, wherein the trays contain soil and/or growth media for growth of plants. Each stack of trays may be provided with water, nutrients, and light that are suitably controlled to optimize plant growth to maturity. Space efficiency and frugal use of scarce resources while also maximizing crop output are important drivers for vertical farming systems and methods.
Prior art geometries for staking these trays for hydroponics fertigation include arranging them in stationary horizontal arrays deployed either in large scale units (U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,062,755, 8,443,546, 9,010,022, 9,986,697, and 10,407,243; US Pat. Pubs. 2005/0246955 and 2018/0343810; and International Pat. Pubs. WO2012/040776, WO2014/113838, WO2019/030606A1 and WO2017/205523A1) or in miniature units (U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,909); on large scale conveyor belts (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,068,405, 8,533,993, and 10,201,122; US Pat. Pub. 2011/0131876; and International Pat. Pub. WO2011/061634A2); on stationary vertical growth poles (U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,327,582, 10,390,495, and D785497; and US Pat. Pubs. 2014/0020292A1, 2014/0115960, and 2015/0342127); or even vertically on a conveyor belt (U.S. Pat. No. 10,306,847) or on a trolley (International Pat. Publication WO2017/184448A1). Other geometries include a rigid oblique surface with individual holes for each plant (U.S. Pat. No. 4,075,785) or a single panel vertical surface (U.S. Pat. No. 8,516,743).
In general, the prior art presents a poor trade-off between deployment cost for the disclosed systems and the marginal growth area effectively gained by the alternate farming methods detailed therein (i.e., the vertical farming). High towers of stationary trays imply using forklifts and expensive metal framing. Miniature independent units do not allow the costs of pumps, piping, and misters to be spread over a large growth area to foster cost synergies. The costs of conveyor belts scale much faster than their linear dimensions. Vertical poles provide minimum increments in growth area that is adequate mainly for "big leafy" crops such as lettuce and spinach, but not for smaller crops such as "microgreens", mushrooms, and herbs (or for crops that humans eat only the fruit, such has strawberries). Rigid surfaces are not flexible enough to be used across different cultures, or different stages in the plant life, as the holes made to place the growth media for the plants and the associated piping cannot be easily moved. Finally, the single panel vertical surfaces of hydroponic media are ideal for landscape plants (that are planted once and left in place for years), but are not adequate for high rotation crops since recycling the growth media at the end of each growth cycle is extremely labor intensive (unless it is simply thrown away).
In a particular example, a vertical surface for a hydroponics fertigation is described in International Pat. Pub. WO2019/118138, wherein the disclosed surface allows for use across singly stacked, discrete sections (poles) or as a continuous roll, and relies solely on rigid piping. Likewise, aeroponics fertigation systems based on horizontal layers (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,813,176 and 10,070,600; and US Pat. Pub. 2018/0325055 and International Pat. Pub. WO 2012/040776) or based on columns with pre-assigned locations for plants (U.S. Pat. No. 8,505,238; and US Pat. Pub. 2018/0263201) have been disclosed. As with the prior examples, each relies on rigid piping for fertigation.
US Pat. Publication 2019/0159415 also discloses a vertical surface using aeroponics fertigation having a rigid surface with holes, and thus suffers from the same operational difficulties as those systems disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,075,785 and 8,516,743.
Other systems describe vertical growth of the plants, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,075,785, wherein plants are germinated in soil plugs that are then positioned on vertically inclined growth panels. U.S. Pat. No. 10,306,847 also describes a system that includes placing germinated seed plugs, i.e., seeds germinated in plugs of growth media, on a vertical growth column. Both U.S. Pat. No. 10,390,495 and International Pat. Publication WO 2019/118138 describe systems that provide growth of plants on a vertically supported multilayer substrate. As with each of the prior examples, the seeds are germinated in a separate step and are inserted into the substrate as plugs.
International Pat. Pubs. WO2012/040776 and WO2014/113838 describe watering and drainage arrangements for multilayer horticultural structures organized in horizontal arrays deployed in large scale hydroponic fertigation. These include plant trays arranged in rows and columns provided within a supporting framework that includes a watering and drainage system. The plant trays are inserted into or removed from the structure with the aid of a lift truck or similar lifting equipment or, on a smaller scale, manually. The geometry described in these references, i.e., horizontal trays supported in a metal structure, in addition to the watering and drainage systems are all static, inflexible structures.
Each of these prior art plant growing systems are typically used in man-made enclosures with environmental controls, such as control heating, dioxide carbon and humidity levels, which extend the growing season. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,405 describes an apparatus for maintaining a controlled environment for the growth of plants, including an enclosure with a plurality of artificial light sources positioned over a growing region. Trays containing the growing plants are carried through the enclosure by an endless chain drive coupled to a tray support structure and are accessible at an end of the enclosure for manual planting, weeding, harvesting and like activities. The chain drive further provides cyclical exposure to the lighting system to mimic the day/night light cycle for the plants. None of the prior art references describe hybrid systems that merge the use of natural (or passive) lighting, heating and ventilation coupled with man-made (or active) methods to simultaneously achieve optimal levels, stabilize those levels, and lower operational energy costs.
While the disclosed controlled environments may remove the need to use pesticides and other weed killers, these systems generally do not take advantage of the natural lighting and other environmental resources that could reduce overall energy usage and costs. Moreover, while growth in horizontal trays may reduce the addition steps required in the vertical farming systems (i.e., planting seed in a plug of material and replanting the germinated seed plugs in the vertical substrate), the horizontally stacked trays coupled with rigid piping typical of hydroponics substantially increase the infrastructure required to provide water, nutrients, and light, such as disclosed in International Pat. Publication WO 2014/113838 A1 and reduce its operating flexibility.
Additionally, few of the prior art systems disclose automated means to provide water and a proper mix of nutrients to the growing plans that may maximize crop yield. Those that do disclose such an operation often fail to provide effective controls for the amount of nutrients provided over time to the growing plants. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,247,688 discloses a dosing operation that delivers water and nutrients but does not combine it with offline measures to adjust different nutrients in the mixture. This limits the number of times the fluid can be circulated in the system and does not allow for organic fertilizers (such as urea) to be used in the system since they cannot be detected by electrical conductivity sensors. Neither does it cater to any kind of value-added operation, such as to nutrients being fed into the system.
Accordingly, the present disclosure aims to provide systems and methods that increase crop yields and crop density while also reducing overall labor and material costs through judicious combinations of readily available resources, such as light and heat, and environmental controls.

High density plant growth systems and methods


The present disclosure provides a method and a system of verifying access by a multi-core interconnect to an L2 cache in order to solve problems of delays and difficulties in locating errors and generating check expectation results. A consistency transmission monitoring circuitry detects, in real time, interactions among a multi-core interconnects system, all single-core processors, an L2 cache and a primary memory, and sends collected transmission information to an L2 cache expectation generator and a check circuitry. The L2 cache expectation generator obtains information from a global memory precise control circuitry according to a multi-core consistency protocol and generates an expected result. The check circuitry is responsible for comparing the expected result with an actual result, thus implementing determination of multi-core interconnect's access accuracy to the L2 cache without delay.

With an increasing growth of requirements on computing power, high-performance processor design is deeply rooted in the multi-core architecture. A multi-core processor puts forward higher requirements on conventional multi-level high-speed cache structures. The issue of how to maintain data consistency between each single core's caches efficiently and precisely is a difficult research topic. A multi-core interconnect architecture can transmit various types of memory access transmissions sent by all cores to another single core or a next cache according to a cache consistency protocol. An execution result expectation, however, depends on the consistency between a transmission type and a current address attribute. The diversity that is inherent in transmission types and address attributes brings a huge challenge to the field of multi-core verification.

Method of verifying access of multi-core interconnect to level-2 cache


Embodiments of the present application disclose an application development method performed at a computing device. The method includes: obtaining an input file in a predetermined format, the input file including content code of each part used for forming an application; disassembling the content code of each part in the input file into different category code according to corresponding categories; invoking a corresponding compiler according to an attribute of each piece of the category code, to compile the category code, to correspondingly obtain a description file of each piece of the category code; and performing plug-in processing on the description file of the category code of each part, to obtain the application.

With development of terminal technologies and mobile Internet technologies, more mobile applications (MAs), for example, instant messaging applications, entertainment applications, news applications, game applications, financial applications, puzzle applications, learning applications, payment applications, search applications, life convenience applications, are installed in terminals such as mobile phones or tablet computers. Generally, if a user intends to enjoy some service such as make payment to merchants, the user needs to install an application having a payment function, and then opens the application to enjoy the service. This manner needing to install an application to enjoy a service is increasingly unsuitable for life concepts of speediness, convenience, and sharing.
Currently, sharing of knowledge and information type lightweight products may provide sharing and benefits in a maximum range, but ride sharing, service sharing, and real economy sharing are limited to districts or time. For such service sharing, a virtual node needs to be found. In this case, a mini program appears. The mini program just provides a virtual node for speediness, convenience, and sharing, so that wide sharing is completed through connections to the Internet. The mini program makes the service sharing become a type of information that is extremely easy to obtain. The service and the mini program are connected, so that the mini program keeps away from the content ecology, and is connected to users to serve the users. This mode may become a light online to offline (O2O) service, avoiding bloated main programs such as WeiXin, and implementing service sharing.
The mini program is an application that may be used without the need of being downloaded and installed, and implements dreams of "accessible" applications. The users can open applications by scanning or searching. Because the mini program itself does not need to be installed and uninstalled, the mini program also embodies the "Drop after Use" concept, and the users do not need to care about the problem that whether excessive applications are installed. The appearance of the mini program makes applications everywhere, and available at any time without the need of installing and uninstalling any application.
Based on the advantages of the foregoing mini program, the mini program has become popular, but the development of the mini program is still at the stage that files (such as a JavaScript (js) file and a JavaScript Object Notation (json) file) needed for the mini program are manually written. Therefore, the development of the mini program is very time-consuming and effort-consuming.

Application development method, tool, and device, and storage medium

TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED


A method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element includes forming an insulating layer on a first ferromagnetic layer, forming an aperture reaching the first ferromagnetic layer by thrusting a needle from the top surface of the insulating layer, and depositing a ferromagnetic material to form a second ferromagnetic layer overlying the insulating layer which buries the aperture. The aperture can have an opening width not larger than 20 nm. A current flowing between the first ferromagnetic layer and the needle can be monitored, and thrusting of the needle can be interrupted when the current reaches a predetermined value.

This invention relates to a magnetoresistance effect (MR) element, its manufacturing method, magnetic recording element and magnetic memory. More particularly, the invention relates to a magnetoresistance effect element having magnetic nanocontacts that exhibit high magnetoresistance ratios, its manufacturing method, magnetic reproducing element and magnetic memory.
Since the discovery that giant magnetoresistance effect is expressed when a current is supplied to flow in parallel with the major plane of a multi-layered structure, efforts have been paid to find systems having still larger magnetoresistance ratios. Heretofore, ferromagnetic tunnel junction elements and CPP (current perpendicular to plane) type MR elements in which electric current flows vertically in a multi-layered structure have been developed and regarded hopeful as magnetic sensors and reproducing elements of for magnetic recording.
In the technical field of magnetic recording, enhancement of the recording density inevitably requires miniaturization of the recording bit, and this makes it more and more difficult to ensure sufficient signal intensity. Accordingly, materials exhibiting more sensitive magnetoresistance effect are demanded, and the importance of systems having large magnetoresistance ratios as referred to above is getting higher and higher.
Recently, "magnetic nanocontacts" by tip-to-tip abutment of two nickel (Ni) needles and nanocontacts by contact of two magnetite elements were reported as elements exhibiting 100% or higher magnetoresistive effects in the literatures, (1) Garcia, M. Munoz and Y. -W. Zhao, Physical Review Letters, vol.82, p2923 (1999) and (2) J. J. Versluijs, M. A. Bari and J. W. D. Coery, Physical Review Letters, vol. 87, p26601-1 (2001), respectively. These nanocontacts certainly exhibit large magnetoresistive changes. In both proposals, however, the magnetic nanocontacts are made by bringing two needle-shaped or triangular-shaped ferromagnetic elements into tip-to-tip contact.
More recently, magnetic nanocontacts which was formed by arranging two thin nickel wires in a "T"-configuration and by growing a micro column at the connecting point thereof by electroplating technique were reported in the literatures, (3) N. Garcia et. al., Appl. Phys. Lett., vol.80, p1785 (2002) and (4) H. D. Chopra and S. Z. Hua, Phys. Rev. B, vol.66, p.20403-1 (2002)
These magnetic nanocontacts exhibit a large mangetoresistance change, however, the structure of the nanocontacts makes it almost impossible to realize a practical magnetoresistance effect element.
Another group has reported a magnetic nanocontact which was formed by growing a cluster of nickel by an electroplating technique in a pinthrough hole made on an alumina layer in the literature, (5) M. Muñoz, G. G. Qian, N. Karar, H. Cheng, I. G. Saveliev, N. Garcia, T. P. Moffat, P. J. Chen, L. Gan, and W. F. Egelhoff, Jr., Appl. Phys. Lett., vol.79, p.2946, (2001).
However, it is difficult to control the magnetic domain structure and the configuration of the point contact, therefore, the resulted magnetoresistance ratio is as small as 14% or even smaller.
Magnetic nanocontacts have a potential to exhibit a large magnetoresistance ratio, however, in order to ensure a large magnetoresistive effect therewith, structures proposed by those literatures must put two needle-shaped ferromagnetic elements in tip-to-tip abutment ensure or they must grow a micro column between two wires by an electroplating technique, and this and other requirements make it difficult to accurately control the contact portions in the manufacturing process. Taking account of their application to magnetic heads or solid magnetic memory devices, it is necessary to develop a structure of nanocontacts suitable for mass production under reasonable control, as well as its manufacturing method. Additionally, to detect the difference in magnetization directions of opposite sides of a nanocontact, control of magnetic domains of both magnetic electrodes is important. Therefore, in order to realize a practical magnetoresistance effect element, it is essential to develop a structure where the control of the magnetic domains of the both magnetic electrodes is quite easy.

Method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance effect element


The apparatus scans an original, converts the resultant data into image data, deletes the image data of a detected blank page from converted image data, out of the converted image data, in which a blank page is detected, extracts a foreground object from a page which is not a blank page, and separates the foreground image from a background object. If a setting has been made not to output any background object, a page having no foreground object is handled as a blank page, thereby suppressing transmission.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and a method of controlling the same, and more particularly, to an image processing apparatus and method for determining whether read image data is blank page image data.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image reading apparatus such as a digital copying machine, if read image data is blank page data containing no image object, throughput, a paper sheet, power, and the like are wasted for image processing and print processing. For this reason, there are provided various types of methods of deleting image data determined as a blank page and suppressing the consumption of wasteful printing, paper sheets, and toner.
For example, Japanese Patent No. 4251629 has proposed a method of controlling the execution of subsequent print processing in accordance with the determination result obtained by a blank page determination circuit upon inputting the luminance signal obtained at the time of reading an original to the blank page determination circuit.
This method, however, cannot detect the blank page data generated by image processing with respect to read image data.
Recently, for example, when creating a document, the user tends to use sophisticated functions of elaborately decorating fonts, freely creating graphic patterns, and capturing photos and the like, as well as simply typing characters. However, the more sophisticated the contents of a product, the greater the effort required to newly create a document. It is therefore required to reuse part of a document created in the past without any change or a processed/edited document as much as possible.
Under the circumstances, there are conceivable techniques for obtaining the contents of a document printed on a paper sheet or the like as reusable data. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-129358 discloses a technique of, when making an apparatus electronically read a document on a paper sheet, acquiring a document matching the contents of the read document by searching a database, and allowing the acquired document to be used in place of the data acquired from the read sheet surface. In addition, when no identical document can be specified from the database, a read document image is converted into electronic data (to be referred to as document data) that can be easily edited and reused. In this case as well, the contents of the document can be reused. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-129358 discloses a technique of identifying areas such as a character area, a line drawing area, a natural image area, and a table area in a document image, and constructing data expressing the relationship between the respective areas in the form of a tree structure. A document image is converted into an electronic document page, which can be edited by an application, by arranging character codes, vector data, image data, and the like in accordance with the above structure. This electronic data has a layout identical to that of the original document, and facilitates changing the positions and sizes of characters and graphic patterns and also performing editing, such as geometrical deformation and coloring, like an electronic document page newly created by a document creation application or the like.
In addition, there is available a technique of recognizing the structure of a table form area in a document image. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-129385 discloses a technique of acquiring the matrix structure formed by a rectangular frame area in a table. It is possible to convert a table area in a document image into electronic data (document data) having a table structure by combining the row structure of a frame area obtained by this technique with an OCR result obtained from intra-frame characters by the technique.
The above document data can be classified into foreground objects which are areas such as a character area, a line drawing area, a natural image area, and a table area extracted from a document image and background objects as other images. A background object is prepared such that the electronic document obtained by drawing vector data and clipped image data as foreground objects on the background object has an appearance equivalent to that of the original document image. A background object is created by erasing pixel information corresponding to foreground objects from an input document image.
FIG. 6B shows an example of a background object created from an example of an input document image in FIG. 6A. The line drawing portions in FIG. 6A, i.e., line drawing portion pixels such as character pixel clusters 601 to 603, a line drawing pixel cluster 608, and a table frame pixel cluster 604 are painted out in the same pixel colors as those of neighboring pixels. In addition, the entire rectangular range of a natural image area 609 is painted out in the same color as that of neighboring pixels.
Document data created from a document image in this manner generally contains foreground objects and a background object. There is known a function of creating electronic document data without adding any background object to improve reusability with respect to the user. When an original image with this function being effective is converted into document data, only background object is obtained from a page without any foreground object, such as character data. As a result, no document data is created from this page. If a page from which no data is created is not output, the number of original pages differs from the number of pages of output document data. For this reason, it is necessary to perform control so as to add blank pages. As a result, when a page determined not to be a blank page by the above blank page determination method is converted into electronic document data, a blank sheet may be newly created.

Image processing apparatus, method, and medium determining whether image data of a page to be processed is blank and contains a foreground object and transmitting the foreground object obtained by removing a background object


A clamping device for camouflage comprising of a support structure clamp and a object holder clamp is a light weight, foldable clamping device for camouflage and is easy to carry and use. A user can easily attach one or more tree branches to a tree stand through the clamping device of the present invention and then position the tree branches in any desired direction to blend in with the surrounding. To attach the clamping device for camouflage to a tree stand and, to attach a tree branch to the clamping device for camouflage, no tool is required as the user can perform all the screwing and unscrewing actions with bare hands.

Tree stands are often utilized by hunters when hunting large game such as deer or elk to obtain an elevated hunting platform. As is well known by hunters, tree stands provide many practical advantages to the hunters with unobstructed views of a broad area of the woods thereby enhancing the hunter's chances of success. Stands also provide hunters with the ability to camouflage themselves above ground level, and further, are less likely to be scented by an animal since the hunter would be elevated above ground level. But it has been found that the chances of the hunter being sighted are not greatly reduced if the hunter is in an elevated position. Therefore, there is need for a device which can give greater camouflage to the hunters while they are on a tree stand.
Tree stands have developed as the sport of hunting has gained popularity. Essentially, the tree stand is designed to be leaned against and anchored relative to the trunk of a tree. A typical stand includes a foldable ladder for vertical access and a collapsible seat or platform for obtaining a comfortable and safe position while elevated. Therefore, there is need for a device which is adaptable to be attached to any tree stand for greater camouflage to the hunters while they are on a tree stand.
Since the hunter is often desirous of hunting in a remote location that is not accessible by motor vehicle, he must often transport hunting equipment and heavy game by himself. Thus, there have been developed tree stands that are foldable into a single compact unit for easy transportation and storage. Further, hunting equipment/accessories can be heavy and inconvenient to transport to and from a hunting location. Thus, there is need for a device which is easy for transportation and storage and can be easily carried with the tress stands and which is a desirable accessory adapted to be attached to any tree stand.
In addition to hunting large game, many hunters enjoy hunting small game such as turkey, duck and geese. Small game is hunted much differently than large game primarily due to a different hunting environment. Generally, small game hunting occurs in fields and streams while large game hunting occurs in wooded areas. Due to the extremely keen sight of small game and especially geese, it is imperative that the hunter be well camouflaged against the horizon. Thus, the hunter will often lie flat on the ground or dig a shallow grave to easily surround himself with camouflage. However, in such a flat position, it is difficult for the hunter to quickly move to a shooting position.
In as much as many hunters wish to hunt both large game and small game, it is desired to reduce the amount of equipment necessary for those who hunt both types of game. It is further desired to provide a device that can be selectively convertible between a tree branch holder and a ground level camouflage device.
Consequently, there exists in the art a long-felt need for a device which attaches to any tree stand such as a climbing stand, a ladder stand and a lock-on stand. There also exists in the art a long-felt need for a device which can be converted to a ground level camouflage device. Additionally, there is a long felt need in the art for a device which is easy for transportation and storage and can be easily carried with the tress stands. Finally, there is a long felt need in the art for a device that accomplishes all of the forgoing objectives and that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, safe and easy to connect and use.


A vehicle network and method for communicating information within a vehicle. The network includes a plurality of network elements joined by communication links. A data frame is provided for communicating information between a first device and a second device attached to the network. A network element in the network is capable of mapping a first resource on an incoming communication link of the network element to a second link resource of an outgoing communication link of the network element. The network element further has ports for receiving the data frame from the first link resource of the incoming communication link and for communicating the data frame to the second link resource of the outgoing communication link. The mapping may be done statically or dynamically such as based on information stored in the network element or based on information stored in the data frame.

Vehicle builders have been using serial communication (multiplexing) between controllers to share information and distribute control for some time. Doing so has greatly reduced the amount of vehicle signal wiring needed to implement the comfort, convenience, and safety features desired in modern consumer vehicles.
Control of the devices in the vehicle to implement desired features may be divided into controllers by function (powertrain, braking, steering, etc.), by location (engine compartment, seat, door, etc.) or in combinations thereof. The controller for each of the functions/zones may share information with other controllers using a shared-access serial bus. The bus usually follows an industry standard such as the Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol, the SAE J1850 Communication Standard, the Local Interconnect Network (LIN) protocol, the FLEXRAY Communications System Standard, and Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST) Protocol. Multiple, independent buses may be used. In that case, one of the controllers may act as a gateway for information between incompatible buses.
An alternative architecture introduces the idea of dividing the vehicle into geographic regions and locating a single controller for all of the features in that region. This architecture may also include the concept of smart peripherals to reduce the number of interconnections in localized areas of the vehicle. The smart peripherals use simple serial communication buses such as the LIN bus to relay information from sensors to the zone controller or to accept actuator commands from the zone controller. The zone controllers may be linked by a serial communication bus structure.
Another alternative architecture incorporates a junction block that can be located in various zones of the vehicle. The junction block provides a mechanical and electrical connection point for power, ground and communication for small devices that are used to interface between input and output devices. The junction block also provides over current protection devices for the small connected devices, and multiple power sources distributed at different levels within the system.
Current bus protocols are not easily scalable and are limited in bandwidth. X-by-wire functionality, multimedia infotainment, navigation and other content intensive application will put more demands on bandwidth and quality of service (QoS) requiring marked improvements in bandwidth, speed, delay, jitter, fault tolerance, message integrity, guaranteed delivery, availability and survivability.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a system and method to overcome or minimize most, if not all, of the preceding problems especially in the area of the automotive environment that provides scalability in both capacity and redundancy, at costs on par with existing bus architecture.
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Vehicle network with time slotted access and method


In one embodiment, there is provided a cognition nurturing toy comprising at least one rigid board having a series of cavities therein, with each cavity having a distinct outline belonging to a first set. There is also provided a series of colorful illustrations printed on the board with each illustration encompassing one cavity. Each illustration in the series is arranged on the rigid board in a coherent order portraying at least one environment. The cognition nurturing toy also comprises a plurality of distinct pieces each having a shape corresponding to one of the outlines of the cavities such that each piece is insertable in only one of the cavities. Each piece further has colors and graphic properties of the illustration encompassing the corresponding cavity. A child using the cognition nurturing toy is able to associate each piece to only one of the cavities, using shape recognition, color recognition and whole picture recognition. The child is further able to assign a sequence to the outlines in the set and to the distinct pieces using the coherent order of the illustrations within the environment. There is also provided a method for nurturing learning strategies, primarily by providing a child with a multiplicity of auxiliary signs such that the child can develop an awareness to alternate recourse for associating new experiences to existing knowledge.

Each and every one of us, regardless of our culture, colour, creed, or intellectual challenge, begins a quest from birth to lead a productive and fruitful life. Although, this inner drive is felt at various levels by adults, it is much more intense when one considers the life of his or her own child. Therefore, newborn babies are generally symbols of hope and great expectations to their parents.
Parents and educators should appreciate, however, that one of the greatest encouragements that one can give a child for preparing him/her to accomplish his/her quest in life is to foster the development of learning strategies at a very young age. The experiences of the first years of life are believed to be crucial to an individual's future well being. It is believed that the first three years of a child's life, when his/her growth is most rapid, is one of the most important periods there will ever be for increasing his/her mental abilities.
Scholars in the field of cognitive development of children also believe that children have the ability to learn early in life. They also believe that this ability should be developed in order to better prepare the child for his/her school years and adult life.
In a first reference; "The Growth of the Mind", by Stanley I. Greenspan M.D., pp.74-109 and 133-160, (1997) the author teaches the importance of helping a child creating and organizing his/her internal world that permits what we call thinking. Furthermore, the author teaches that there is mounting evidence that environmental influences can alter the physical structure of the brain, determining in part how genes express themselves in both biology and behaviour. The author also points out that educational experts maintained that improving children's early environment would raise their intellectual abilities and better prepare them to survive, even thrive in the complex world they would inherit.
In a second reference: "Cognitive Development: An Information Processing Approach", by John McShane, pp. 161-198, (1991), the author teaches that infants are capable of learning from birth, which implies the presence of a basic memory system and that the basic structure of the memory system is part of an innate architecture of cognition.
In another book entitled "The Vygotsky Reader" by Rene van der Veer & Jaan Valsiner, pp. 142-146, (1994), the authors further teach that a child memory, even at the most primitive stages of psychological development comprises principally two different types of memory functions. The first type of memory function called the natural memory, is characterized by the immediate impression of material by the simple after-effect of actual experiences. This kind of memory is very near to perception and is dominating in primitive behaviour.
The second type of memory function is often called the instrumental memory, associative memory, or the use of learning strategies. It goes far beyond the limits of natural memory, adding to the psychological structure of the natural memory certain external signs that are used as active agents governing the psychological process from without. When the infant cannot solve the problem by way of direct mobilization of his/her natural memory, he/she has recourse to certain external manipulations, organizing himself/herself through the organization of objects, creating artificial stimuli that have a reverse action of allowing him/her to solve the problem of remembering. This is a psychological behaviour which helps a child to overcome the limits set for memory by natural laws, and what is most important according to the authors, it is primarily this mechanism in memory which is subject to development.
The inventor of the instant inventions believes that through free play with educational toy systems that are abounding in external stimuli, children are provided with experiences necessary to teach them essential learning strategies associated with development of the advanced memory functions. It is believed that educational toys abounding in auxiliary signs by which a child can associate new information, can lay a foundation of strategic behaviours which the young infant can experience and prosper from for future learning. No longer will strategic behaviour randomly emerge from a child's early childhood experience. By virtue of educational toys rich in learning stimuli, the very associative memory function that children possess at birth may be transformed into an emergent pattern of strategic abilities which may support their intelligence for the rest of their lives.
It has been found that the educational toys of the prior art, in general, lack the auxiliary signs or the variety of stimuli, to effectively develop learning strategies of children. For example, the Great Britain Patent 214,098 issued on Apr. 17, 1924 to C. H. Planck illustrates an alphabet puzzle. The puzzle shows the letters of the alphabet with illustrations corresponding to the letters. Each puzzle piece interlocks with only one other letter piece by way of a unique profile common only to adjacent pieces, such that a child can learn the sequence of the letters of the alphabet.
In a second example, the U.S. Pat. No. 3,302,310 issued on Feb. 7, 1967 to G. R. Leven, discloses an educational puzzle for teaching the phonetic of letters. The puzzle has pieces illustrating letters and pieces illustrating objects. Each letter piece is lockable, by way of a uniquely shaped tab, only with a related series of object pieces. A piece "A" for example is lockable with an object piece having the letter "A" such as an "apple", a "fan", or a "bat".
In yet another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,658 issued on Nov. 19, 1996 to C. Barnard, discloses another form of puzzle for teaching the letters of the alphabet. The puzzle has three sets of puzzle pieces. A first set of pieces represents the lowercase letters. A second set of pieces represents the uppercase letters. A third set of pieces represents groups of letters. The lowercase letters fit into corresponding cavities in the uppercase letters. The uppercase letters fit into cavities in the group pieces. Hence, the puzzle provides a means for teaching simultaneously the uppercase letters, the lowercase letters and the sequence of the letters of the alphabet. In this invention, the lowercase letters may have a different colour than the uppercase letters, and of course, all the pieces in one group on a larger puzzle piece may be identically coloured.
For a child who does not yet know the letters of the alphabet, the learning of these letters using the educational puzzles of the prior art may represent an insurmountable task. The signs by which a child may associate and remember the new information are limited to the shape of the letters, the shape of the interlocking tabs joining pairs of pieces together, and the colours common to two or more letters in a same group. It will be appreciated that children are not all gifted equally for colour and shape recognition. According to some studies, particularly the aforesaid book entitled "Cognitive Development: An Information Processing Approach", by John McShane, pp. 164-167, (1991), children are known to be more talented for image or picture recognition than for memorizing shapes and colours.
This observation will be further appreciated by the persons fervent of puzzles. It is known to these persons that the difficulty level in finding the right placement of a puzzle piece increases substantially when the piece belongs to a section of a puzzle representing an homogeneous blue sky, a dense forest or a calm sea. In these cases the player can only rely on shape and colour recognition for finding the correct placement of the piece. The inventor of the present inventions believes that the same difficulty level is experienced by a young infant trying to learn the letters of the alphabet or numerical symbols when the only external stimuli available to that child are those of shape and colour.

Storyboard toys for nurturing cognition and learning strategies


In a process for mounting a plurality of parts to a cable in mounted positions and in mounted attitudes determined respectively for the parts, information for the mounting of each of parts is marked on the cable before mounting of the parts. Thus, the mounting of the parts can be carried out without selection of a worker, leading to an improved general-purpose property. Also, an exclusive jig is not required, resulting in a reduced cost and elimination of need to secure a space for storing the jig.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for mounting a plurality of parts to a cable in mounted positions and in mounted attitude determined respectively for the parts.
2. Description of the Related Art
A plurality of parts such as a harness band and a grommet are mounted to a cable disposed, for example, in a vehicle, in mounted positions and in mounted attitudes determined respectively for the parts. Conventionally, to mount a plurality of the parts to a cable, a worker mounts each of the parts to a cable having a length determined depending on the type of vehicle, using amounting jig exclusively used for the vehicle, and confirms whether each part is mounted as specified by comparing the mounted state with a visual checker in which each part has been mounted previously to the cable as specified.
In many cases, such mounting of the parts to the cable is carried out by an unskilled worker such as a part-time worker. In the above-described conventional mounting process, the movement of the exclusive mounting jig is required, and hence a worker must be selected for each type of vehicle, resulting in a deteriorated general-purpose property. In addition, a mounting jig and a visual checker are required for each type of vehicle, resulting in an increase in equipment investment cost and an increase in space for storing the jig.
The present invention has been accomplished with such circumstance in view, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a process for mounting parts to a cable, wherein the mounting of the parts can be conducted without selection of a worker to improve general-purpose property, and an exclusive jig is not required resulting in a reduction in cost and elimination of need to secure a space for storing the jig.


A method comprises operating in an idle user state; determining to exit the idle user state and enter an active user state; obtaining cell loads of cells; calculating association functions based on the cell loads; determining, from among the association functions, a first association function with a maximum value; selecting a first cell associated with the first association function as a target cell; and entering the active user state by connecting to the first cell.

Ultra-dense Heterogeneous networks (HetNets) are emerging as an inevitable approach to tackle the capacity crunch in cellular networks. Despite recent advancements in many physical layer techniques and possible exploitation of new spectrum at higher frequencies, network densification remains the most yielding means to meet capacity demands of future 5G cellular networks. Densification, in one form or another, has also emerged as the most prolific defense against the energy and spectral efficiency challenges that plague modern cellular networks. However, network densification is not without limitations itself. One of the biggest challenges facing dense HetNets is the imbalance of load between macro cells and small cells. This load imbalance mainly stems from received power disparity between macro cells and small cells and causes poor utilization of system capacity.
Available cellular systems rely on a reference signal received power (RSRP)-based cell association mechanism, wherein a cell phone user individually selects for use the cell with a highest available RSRP. A major problem with this method is that it does not consider several key factors that determine the overall performance of the network. These factors include, for example, (1) load in the candidate cell, (2) energy consumption behavior of the candidate cell, (3) individual user quality of service requirements, (4) user mobility pattern, (5) signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) from the candidate cell, (6) the effective load generated by the user to be associated, (7) the available free resources in the candidate cell, as well as the impact of new user association on interference and hence overall system capacity. The problems caused by use of an RSRP-based cell association methodology become more pronounced in networks where a combination of macro cells and small cells is employed because, compared to macro cells, small cells have much shorter range due to their low transmission power and shorter antenna heights. Thus, given a uniform user distribution, a small cell in a dense heterogeneous network is likely to attract a much smaller number of users compared to the number of users of the macro cell. In scenarios where small cells have the same amount of spectrum as macro cells, this leads to serious load imbalance, resource inefficiency and degradation in quality of experience (QoE) by the user. It is to providing solutions to these problems that the novel methodology of the present disclosure is directed. Cell individual offset (CIO) has been proposed and standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to address this problem. Commercial networks currently set CIO values using ad-hoc methods. A positive value of CIO artificially extends the range of a cell, thereby allowing additional users to be associated with a cell as long as the RSRP from that cell is smaller than the RSRP of the strongest neighbor only by CIO value or less. However, recent work has shown that CIO is not a complete solution to the load imbalance and resultant resource inefficiency problem in HetNets.
Exemplary studies reveal that small cells do not use any CIO, and thus have a marginal share of associated users compared to macro cells. When small cells are given a CIO of 10 decibels (dB) each, which gives them a range boost proportional to the CIO, the associated user share is increased. However, users who have been shifted from macro cells to small cells due to the CIO suffer a significant drop in SINR. This example demonstrates that blanket use of empirically determined CIO values can affect overall resource efficiency in the system negatively, thereby causing the same problem that CIOs were introduced to solve in the first place.

Enhancement of capacity and user quality of service (QoS) in mobile cellular networks

The Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma


In an interface circuit connected to a capacitance type sensor having two sets of capacitors C1 and C2 whose capacitances are varied, this interface circuit is equipped with an OP amplifier A1 where a feedback/sampling capacitor C3 is connected between its output terminal and its inverting input terminal; and a holding capacitor C4 connected between a non-inverting terminal of the OP-amplifier A1 and a reference voltage source; one ends of the respective capacitors C1, C2, C3 are connected to the inverting input terminal of the OP amplifier A1; at timing .phi.1 of a switching cycle, the other ends of the respective capacitors C1, C2 are connected to a power source and the capacitor C3 is shortcircuited; at timing .phi.2 thereof, the other ends of the capacitors C1, C2 and an output terminal of the OP amplifier A1 are connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the OP amplifier A1; and the switched capacitor type interface interface circuit further includes: a multiplexer for sequentially connecting a plurality of the capacitance type sensors to the capacitance type sensor interface circuit in a second switching cycle having a time period longer than time periods of the switching cycles .phi.1 and .phi.2; and a plurality of sample/hold circuits whose quantity is equal to those of the plural capacitance type sensors, which are sequentially connected to the capacitive type sensor interface circuit in response to the connections of the plural capacitance type sensors in the second switching cycle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a capacitance detecting circuit of a capacitance detecting type sensor such as a pressure sensor, an acceleration sensor, and an angular velocity sensor utilized in vibration measurements, vehicle controls, and motion controls.
2. Description of the Related Art
Very recently, specific attentions are paid to inertia sensors capable of detecting pressure of fluids, and pressure, acceleration, or angular velocity applied to moving objects, in particular to such inertia sensors which utilize the micromachining technique of semiconductor industries and may detect measurement signals by detecting changes in capacitances of a capacitor. These sensors own merits, for instance, a compactness of an apparatus, mas-producibility, high precision, and high reliability.
FIG. 13 is a sectional structural diagram for showing a typical capacitance type acceleration sensor which is manufactured by employing the micromachining process of semiconductor. This sensor owns a structure such that a silicon mass member 1 is supported through a beam 3 by an anchor portion 2. Fixed electrodes 4 and 5 are formed above/beneath this mass member 1 on glass, or silicon 6. The mass member 1 and the fixed electrodes 4, 5 constitute capacitors 7 and 8 shown in FIG. 14. These capacitors 7 and 8 may constitute a sensor element 9.
When inertia force caused by acceleration is exerted on the mass member 1 along an x direction, the mass member 1 is displaced. Due to this displacement, one capacitance value between the mass member 1 and the fixed electrodes 4, 5 is increased (C+.DELTA.C), and the other capacitance value between them is decreased (C-.DELTA.C). A change in the capacitance values is converted into a voltage output.
As the method for converting the change in the capacitance values in response to the displacement of the mass member 1 into the voltage output, for instance, an example of the interface circuit for utilizing the switched capacitor circuit is described in the publication written by H.LEUTHOLD and F.RUDOLF, An ASIC for High-resolution Capacitive Microaccelerometers, Sensors and Actuators, A21-A23, 1990, pages 278 to 281.
FIG. 15 is a circuit diagram for representing an example of a capacitance type sensor interface circuit to which the above-described conventional switched capacitor circuit is applied. FIG. 16 shows timing of clock signals .phi.1 and .phi.2 for the respective switches indicated in FIG. 15. The clock signals .phi.1 and .phi.2 alternately become ON (High). In order that these clock signals are not turned ON together, a common OFF (Low) time period is provided.
At the timing of the clock signals .phi.1, the power source voltage Vs and the ground (Gnd) are connected to both terminals of the sensor element 9, and at this time, an error charge .DELTA.Q corresponding to a difference in the capacitances of the capacitors C1 and C2 is sampled by a switched capacitor circuit 10 connected subsequent to this sensor element 9. As a result, an error voltage Vm (=Vout-Vr) in response to the error charge .DELTA.Q is produced, this error voltage is held in the capacitor C5 at the timing of the clock signal .phi.2 through a voltage hold/feedback circuit 11 connected subsequent to this switched capacitor circuit 10, and further, this error voltage Vm is fed back to the capacitor C6. Accordingly, the potential at the non-inverting input of a first-staged OP amplifier for constituting the switched capacitor circuit 10 becomes higher/lower than the reference voltage Vr in response to the symbol of the error charge .DELTA.Q. This error voltage Vm is changed in stepwise every switching cycle, and then becomes a constant value expressed by the below-mentioned formula (1) at a time instant when the error charge .DELTA.Q becomes zero, namely being brought into such a condition that the same charges are accumulated into the capacitor C1 and the capacitor C2 every time.
For the sake of convenience, assuming now that an input offset voltage is commonly used for the first-staged OP amplifier and the second-staged OP amplifier, namely is set to "Vos", and also Vr=Vs/2, the error voltage is given by: ##EQU1##
In this formula, symbol S=(C1-C2)/(C1+C2) indicates an index of a sensor sensitivity, and an essential sensitivity becomes S/2.
In the above case, it is assumed that the capacitance type sensor interface circuit is driven under single power source Vs. Alternatively, assuming now that the capacitance type sensor interface circuit is driven under positive/negative 2 power sources of .+-.Vs/2, and also Vr is equal to a zero potential, if the formula (1) is rewritten, then the following formula (2) is given as follows: ##EQU2##
As indicated in the formula (1) or (2), the output voltage Vout may be expressed by a summation of the DC offset voltages in correspondence with the output voltage corresponding to the capacitance difference produced in response to the displacement of the mass member 1 caused by the acceleration, and the input offset voltage Vos of the OP amplifier.
On the other hand, since the error voltage Vm is fed back, it is required to satisfy the formula (3) as a stability condition.
In this formula, symbol "Co" is equal to initial capacitances (C1=C2=Co) of the capacitor C1 and the capacitor C2 when the capacitance difference (C1-C2) caused by the displacement of the mass member 1 in response to the acceleration becomes zero. EQU Co/{1-[(C1-C2)/(C1+C2)].sup.2 }.times.C4/(C3.times.C5)<1 (3)
As described above, in accordance with the conventional method, C3 must be set to be small and Co must be set to be large in order to reduce the DC offset voltage. However, when C3 is set to be small, there is a drawback that the stable characteristic (converging characteristic) expressed by the formula (3) would be deteriorated.
Also, since the offset output voltages Vos of the OP amplifiers are fluctuated, depending upon the respective OP amplifiers, and are varied in response to the temperatures, the DC offset voltage expressed by the formula (1) is similarly fluctuated and thus represents the temperature depending characteristic.
Since the conventional capacitance detecting circuit is constructed by employing the above-described arrangement, the four capacitors (C3 to C6) are required as the passive element, and at least two sets of OP amplifiers are required as the active element in the capacitance type sensor interface circuit arrangement shown in FIG. 15. As a result, the area of the semiconductor IC circuit would be increased, and thus the dimension of the IC chip would be increased. There is a problem that the cost of the circuitry IC would become higher.
Also, when a plurality of sensor elements are employed, since the same detecting circuits must be provided with the respective capacitance type sensors, the detecting circuits whose quantity is equal to that of the sensors are required. As a consequence, there is another problem that the entire circuit can be hardly made compact.

Capacitance type sensor interface circuit


A device capable of providing non-invasive, accurate estimates of central venous pressure. This diagnostic device is particularly useful with patients suffering from cardiac disease.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel device for estimating central venous pressure.
2. Description of the Related Art
An accurate, quick, and non-invasive means for estimating central venous pressure (hereinafter CVP) is a valuable diagnostic tool for patients suffering from cardiac disease. In a patient suffering from cardiac disease the heart fails to pump sufficient volume through the circulatory system, and this causes blood to "back up" in the veins returning blood to the heart. Excess blood volume which is not pumped through by the heart muscle causes blood pressure in the veins, or venous pressure, to increase which results in distension or expansion of the patient's veins.
A precise measurement of CVP, or the blood pressure in the right atrium of the heart, is often necessary for the diagnosis of a patient with cardiac disease. The most reliable and accurate method of measurement involves the insertion of a catheter into one of the major veins in the circulatory system. The catheter is threaded through the vein until it reaches a position near the heart where a pressure measurement is taken. Such a procedure is invasive, medically risky, and highly traumatic for the patient.
Invasive measures which establish CVP are used only when an accurate measurement is absolutely necessary. Non-invasive methods are used when an estimate of CVP is sufficient for diagnosis. A simple method for estimating CVP is described in B. Bates, L. Bickley & R. Hoekelman, A Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking 270-271 (1995) and in J. Constant, Bedside Cardiology 80-86 (1985). The cited pages are incorporated herein by way of reference.
The physiological basis for the method is that in a healthy individual who is standing or sitting the blood pressure in the internal jugular vein, which is located behind the sternomastoid muscle in the neck, is lower than atmospheric pressure because gravity aids the movement of blood toward the heart. The internal jugular vein in this situation is normally partially collapsed. When blood "backs up" in the veins due to cardiac disease the internal jugular vein expands and pulsations in the vein are visible on the surface of the neck. The visible pulsations begin at the base of the neck and progress upward as CVP increases. A measurement of the height of the highest location on the neck where pulsations are visible provides a simple and non-invasive method for estimating CVP. The internal jugular vein is thereby used as a manometer to estimate CVP.
The above-mentioned procedure comprised the following steps: the head of the patient's bed is placed at an elevated angle, pulsations in the internal jugular vein are located, and the highest point at which these pulsations are visible is measured. Conventionally, the height of this point is measured from the sternal angle, also called the angle of Louis, which is a reference point on the sternum. The sternal angle is roughly 5 centimeters above the right atrium. The height measurement is taken by placing the base of a centimeter ruler on the sternal angle while the ruler is held in a vertical orientation. A tongue depressor or other straight object is then placed at a right angle with respect to the ruler and is used to locate the highest visible pulsations. A physician may also merely estimate the height visually. If the highest visible pulsations are more than a specified number of centimeters above the sternal angle then the CVP is considered elevated. A diagram indicating this method is shown in FIG. 5.
Several other methods or devices may be used to estimate CVP. Rockwell, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,413,970, discloses an integral, one piece arm which supports a slidable member. The slidable member is extended to a prescribed position under a patient to establish the vertical position of the patient's superior vena cava, after which a scale on the arm may be used to set a baseline for a manometer. The arm includes a level indicating means afixed thereto. The CVP measurement is invasive. Sackner, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,452,252, 4,456,015, 4,986,277, and 5,040,540, discloses several transducers which are wrapped around a patient's neck to measure changes in the cross-sectional area of the neck. Those changes are related to CVP. Allocca, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,547, discloses a method of monitoring intracranial pressure by occluding the jugular vein at a particular point and measuring the rate of change of blood pressure upstream of that point. Soviet Patent No. SU-452332-A discloses the measurement of venous pressure while the patient's inclined position is raised.
The need remains for an accurate and non-invasive method for estimating central venous pressure.

Device for estimating central venous pressure

The Research Foundation of State University of New York


The invention provides an optical system for monitoring the position and orientation of an object in a frame of reference. The system includes at least four light sensors (or light sources) fixed on the object in a non-coplanar arrangement, each producing a signal in response to a change in the intensity of light falling on it. The system also includes an optical scanner that generates two fan-shaped light beams (or acceptance beams), oriented at an angle to each other, that scan a volume containing the object; a signal generator that provides a time signal synchronized with a specific point in the scan; a timer that records the times of position signals generated by the light sensors and time signals generated by the signal generator; and a computing device that calculates the position and orientation of the object based on the times recorded by the timer and the coordinates of the light sensors.

This invention relates to an optical system for the accurate monitoring of position and orientation.
Systems that measure or monitor the position and orientation of an object are important computer input devices. For example, computer monitoring of position and orientation of a user's head is required in some virtual reality systems, and is also used in some heads-up display systems. Such input devices are also useful in the manipulation of computer graphics displays, and in motion capture systems that record the movement of a person or some object.
The speed and accuracy of a position and orientation monitoring device is of critical importance in many applications. For example, virtual reality systems, in which the user is presented with a computer-generated environment through a head-mounted display, require continuous monitoring of the orientation of the user's head, updated at a rate that is fast enough to maintain the illusion of reality. Further, heads-up display systems in which information is merged with the user's visual field of view, for example, a transparent head-mounted display for a surgeon that shows the location of internal features (from X-rays or CAT scans) of a patient undergoing surgery, also require a high degree of accuracy in the continuous monitoring of the orientation of the user's head.
A number of different systems have been developed to measure position and orientation. Systems typically include devices that utilize ultrasonic emitters and detectors, or that sense magnetic field direction, or devices, such as CCD cameras, that detect images. The accuracy and speed of each system have certain limitations peculiar to its particular design. Systems capable of a high degree of accuracy and speed have been constructed, but these systems generally require the use of a complex device and costly components.
A system that accomplishes position and orientation monitoring through the sensing of scanned beams is shown by Morrison, U.S. Pat. No. 5,187,540. This system employs at least three light sensors (or emitters) and a scanning optical device that produces a pair of planar, fan-shaped, scanning light (or acceptance) beams. These beams are incident to the frame of reference from different directions, the planes of the beams being inclined to one another. The timing of the light sensor signals is processed by a computer to calculate the position and orientation of the object.
A different system, described in DiMatteo et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,396,945, uses three light sensors (or sources or reflectors) and two optical scanners (projectors or cameras) to monitor the position and orientation of an object. Each of the three light sources, sensors, or reflectors are controlled to distinguish their respective signals. In one embodiment, one optical scanner produces a fan-shaped, planar beam that scans in only one direction, while the other scanner produces a pattern that scans in two perpendicular directions.
Another system, described in DeMenthon, U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,059, uses a single camera and at least four light sources on an object to monitor the position and orientation of the object. DeMenthon also describes an iterative computation of a 4.times.4 transformation matrix representing the pose of the object that provides high positional accuracy using this relatively simple design.

Optical system for accurate monitoring of the position and orientation of an object