A laminate formed by heat fusing a heat sealable polyolefin sheet to two cured polyolefin sheets to produce a water impermeable seal between the cured polyolefin sheets. The heat sealable polyolefin sheet is preferably bonded to a porous heat resistant backing on one surface and the other surface is heat fused to the cured polyolefin sheets. The cured polyolefin sheets may typically be in juxtaposed or overlapping arrangement. The porous backing may be in the form of a fibrous sheet. The heat sealable polyolefin sheet is preferably low density polyethylene and the cured polyolefin sheets are typically cured EPDM rubber.

The present invention relates generally to bonding cured polyolefins to uncured polyolefins. In particular, the present invention relates to forming a laminate by heat fusing a sheet of cured polyolefin and a heat sealable polyolefin to produce a substantially water impermeable seal.
Rubbery olefinic polymer sheet material has widespread use in industries where it is desirable to provide a moisture proof membrane. For example, such membranes are used to line water reservoirs, waste treatment tanks, sewage lagoons, irrigation canals and industrial waste pits. Another important application is in the installation of flat roofs for commercial and industrial buildings.
The most common material used as a roofing membrane is a cured polyolefin polymer referred to in the industry as EPDM rubber. EPDM rubbers are formulated from polymers of ethylene, propylene and diene monomers. EPDM is commonly compounded with various fillers, colorants, antioxidants, extenders, or cross linking agents. Other membrane materials are available and are formed from butyl rubber, polymers of ethylene and propylene monomers referred to as EP rubber, and combinations of the above. Such rubber membranes may be vulcanized by exposure to temperatures of about 160.degree. C. for about two hours. Other membranes are also available which are formed from PVC plastic, for example.
EPDM rubber roofing membrane is available in sheets formed into 2 to 6 m widths and a variety of lengths. The sheets are typically extruded to a thickness of 1.50 mm and then vulcanized according to known means. The vulcanized sheets are stored and shipped in roll form.
For many applications where rubbery membranes are used, it is necessary to connect a number of sheets together to form a substantially continuous water impermeable membrane over the surface to be protected. Forming a substantially water impermeable seam between such membranes has proven difficult.
In the case of roofs, extremely rigorous demands are placed on the membrane, particularly in the areas where the sheets are spliced together. Roof temperatures may reach the boiling point of water when exposed to the summer sun, or may sink to -30.degree. C. or below in the winter.
In most applications, the ability of the bond to protect the underlying surface is critical. For instance, with roof membranes, it is critical to form a substantially water impermeable joint which is capable of withstanding freeze and thaw cycles, and will remain intact for the entire life of the roof.
In order to protect the membrane from wind damage, the installed membrane is typically anchored to the substrate by mechanical means. One anchoring method includes covering the membrane with ballast consisting of rounded washed river rock. Another method includes providing battens anchors. Battens anchors often are positioned at intervals along a sheet, and require mechanical fasteners to pass through the membrane into the substrate. Piercing the membrane forms a path for moisture to reach the substrate. Sealing the openings created by the battens has also proven difficult and time consuming. Another anchoring method includes installing a flock backed membrane to a substrate covered with a tacky substance to anchor the flocking.
Apart from the difficulties in installing a roofing membrane, maintenance is also difficult. It is often necessary to patch areas of such continuous surfaces to stop moisture from leaking through the membrane.
Along with the problem of extreme weather conditions encountered on a roof, an additional problem has been present when using EPDM (ethylene, propylene, diene monomer) rubber for roofing applications. Although EPDM rubber is a very durable roofing material, its properties are similar to wax in that its surfaces are slick and have low surface energy. Consequently, EPDM rubber surfaces are resistant to many adhesives. Much time and effort has gone into developing adhesives which adhere properly to EPDM rubber and similar membrane materials.
Several methods are known for sealing two surfaces of cured polyolefin sheets together to form a seam between two adjacent sheets of roofing membrane. Two known seaming methods include the use of contact cement systems and the use of pressure sensitive adhesive tape systems. For example, Fieldhouse U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,012 discloses a pressure sensitive adhesive composition formulated for bonding cured EPDM sheets. The adhesive includes a neutralized sulfonated EPDM elastomeric terpolymer, an organic hydrocarbon solvent and/or an aliphatic alcohol, a para-alkylated phenol formaldehyde tackifying resin and alkylphenol or ethoxylated alkylphenol. The surfaces to be bonded are coated with mineral oil, are abraded, cleaned, coated with the described adhesive, allowed to dry, and are forced together by means of pressure.
The use of the adhesive described in the Fieldhouse U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,012 patent requires numerous preparation steps and requires the use of solvents and mineral oil to prepare and clean the surface prior to sealing. Installing such roofing joints is tedious, time consuming and costly.
The Fieldhouse U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,012 is merely one example of the numerous pressure sensitive adhesives developed to connect roofing membranes. Still other sealing systems utilize primers and paint-on contact adhesives. Each of the seaming methods described above have proven to be costly, time consuming and tedious. Many of the earlier developed pressure sensitive adhesive systems also require the use of a variety of solvents which are believed to cause environmental and health problems.
Methods of connecting membranes other than by using pressure sensitive adhesives have also been developed. For example, thermoplastics have been used as adhesives for connecting membranes. Thermoplastic adhesives do not require the use of solvent-based primers (except to clean the surfaces to be joined, if necessary) and therefore do not generate hazardous wastes as a result of installing a membrane system. Thermoplastic adhesives are also less expensive to manufacture than contact adhesives and pressure sensitive adhesives. In practice, the process of developing thermoplastic adhesives suitable for installing in the field has been difficult.
The Renstrom U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,653 and the Levens U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,635 for example describe the use of a strip of linear low density polyethylene mounted onto a release liner for applying to the margin of a sheet of EPDM roofing membrane. The polyethylene is applied by placing the strip on a cleaned surface of cured or uncured EPDM rubber, the release strip facing away from the EPDM surface. Sufficient heat and pressure are applied to melt the polyethylene and form a bond between the polyethylene and the membrane.
The most preferred method of applying the polyethylene strip in the Renstrom U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,653 and the Levens U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,635 patents is in the factory prior to vulcanizing. The method includes contacting a polyethylene surface of the release backed adhesive strip and a surface of an uncured sheet of EPDM, and subjecting the sheet to 375 kPa pressure at 150.degree. C. for several hours to vulcanize the membrane and at the same time form a bond between the polyethylene and the membrane.
To connect two membranes having factory installed polyethylene strips located along the edges of the membranes, a first membrane sheet is positioned on the surface to be protected such that the polyethylene strip faces up. A second membrane is positioned adjacent to the first membrane such that the polyethylene strip faces down and is adjacent to the upward facing polyethylene strip. The membranes are positioned such that the polyethylene strips substantially overlap. The protective release liners are removed prior to bonding. Heat is applied either to the polyethylene surfaces or to the upper surface of the second membrane at a temperature and for a time sufficient to soften the adhesive strips. The strips are then pressed together, forming a seal.
The polyethylene strips disclosed in the Levens '635 and Renstrom '653 patents are most advantageously applied in the factory under controlled conditions. Unfortunately, unless the membrane is completely bonded to the sheet of polypropylene, the precise dimensions and placement of each sheet of membrane must be determined in advance of bonding the polypropylene strips in order for the seams to be formed where necessary on the job site.
Measurement errors, errors in the placement of particular membrane sheets, and deviations in dimensions between blueprints and actual structures to be protected lead the membrane installer to prefer adhesives that can be conveniently and rapidly applied in the field. Although a membrane could be uniformly coated on one entire surface with the adhesive film according to Renstrom U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,653 and the Levens U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,635, the cost would be prohibitive.

Laminate of heat sealable polyolefin and cured polyolefin sheeting

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


An apparatus includes a cutting surface that contains at least one cutting element having a top. The cutting element also has an interior sidewall extending from the cutting surface to the top with an interior sidewall angle, an exterior sidewall extending from the cutting surface to the top with an exterior sidewall angle and a shoulder provided on the interior sidewall between the base and the top. The interior sidewall angle is different than the exterior sidewall angle.

In making dough products, it is known to form dough into a sheet between a pair of counter rotating sheeter rollers, stripping the dough from the back roller (e.g. with a wire) so that it adheres only to the front roller, and then cutting a pattern from the sheet by rotating a so-called cutter roller against the surface of the front roller.
The patterned sheet is then stripped from the front roller (e.g. with a wire), with the product pieces falling down onto a conveyor belt, and with the surrounding web of "rework" dough, if any, returning to the hopper above the two sheeter rollers to be recombined fresh dough or directing the rework to waste.
There is an ongoing need to reduce waste. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a cutting roller that can efficiently cut the desired pattern while minimizing the amount of waste.


A rotatable yarn cooling drum for cooling yarn plugs emanating from two texturizers has a circumferential perforated shell about which the yarn plugs are wound and cooled. A deflector in the form of a finger is spaced radially from the surface of the shell and laterally positioned between the ends of the shell. A yarn guide radially spaced from the drum has two yarn guide grooves for guiding the yarn plugs onto the shell at one side of the deflector and one lateral end of the shell. The yarn plugs may thus enter onto the shell at one lateral end and exit at the other lateral end after making more than a complete turn on the drum. The guide slots are illustrated as formed in a block to which the finger is attached.

This invention relates to a yarn texturizer cooling drum and more particularly to a cooling drum which may receive yarn plugs from at least two texturizers and permit the plugs to be wrapped more than once about the drum.
In the manufacturing of yarn from synthetic plastic, the yarn is extruded and thereafter sent to a texturizer which blows air onto it to increase its bulk. The process includes a texturizing nozzle wherein air or similar fluid under high velocity impinges on the yarn to crimp and compress the yarn into a yarn plug. After the yarn leaves the texturizer apparatus it passes over a cooling drum. There the plug is cooled and as the plug leaves the cooling drum the yarn is placed under tension and is unraveled from the plug so that it may be wound upon a cone or spool for subsequent use in textile product manufacture.
The longer the yarn can stay on the drum the more it is cooled and the less it will later be reduced in diener as it is fed by the tension creating feed rollers and unraveled. The yarn plug leaving a single texturizer may make a plurality of wraps or turns about a cooling drum as is disclosed in Dammann U.S. Pat. No. 4,301,578 and Irvine U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,919. However, wherein one cooling drum is utilized for cooling plugs from more than one texturizer, the prior art drum apparatus does not permit more than a single partial turn about the drum, since in these texturizing systems the yarn leaves the drum approximately 270 degrees from where the yarn plugs enter the drum. In the known prior art cooling drums which receive yarn plugs from two texturizers, the drum has a separate groove formed for each yarn plug, and therefore wrapping the yarn plug about the drum more than once is not possible. Accordingly, the yarn cooling that occurs on such drums is less than desirable and the yarn when withdrawn is stretched and reduced in diener an amount greater than desirable.


A connector assembly for interconnecting an end of a cable comprising one or more twisted pair conductors, each of the conductors enveloped in an insulating covering, with the bifurcated contacts of a connecting block. The assembly comprises an insulated housing and a plurality of non-contacting conductive terminals disposed in the housing. Each of the terminals comprises a blade exposed along a front face of the housing and adapted to be inserted into one of the bifurcated contacts, and a piercing mechanism comprising at least one tooth. Each of the conductors is terminated by one of the terminals, the teeth puncturing the insulated covering of a free end of the conductor thereby bringing the terminal into conductive contact with the conductor.

A variety of prior art systems exist for terminating the ubiquitous twisted pair cables used in telecommunication systems with a connector suitable for insertion to a connector block comprised of a series of Insulation Displacement Connectors (IDCs). These prior art systems typically provide, within the connector housing, a means for retaining the cables within the housing, for example by means of collars or the like which, during assembly, encircle the cable thereby hindering its retraction from the connector housing. Additionally, to simplify the assembly of such connectors in the field, the connectors, which are typically of two part construction, typically comprise a series of bifurcated IDC connectors arranged in one side of the connector housing into which the ends of the twisted pairs of conductors can be inserted using a suitable tool. As is known in the art, such IDC connectors slice through the insulating covering of the individual conductors, thereby bringing the conductor into contact with the IDC connector. The IDC connectors are in turn connected to, or form part of, a terminal which is exposed along a front face of the connector, the terminals adapted for insertion into the connector block.
There are also disclosed prior art connectors which provide posts or the like around which the conductors can be arranged thereby improving to some degree the performance of the cable/connector as well as the strength of the assembled cable/connector.
However, the above discussed prior art devices typically untwist a relatively large amount of conductor from each twisted pair in order to align the conductor with and insert it into the provided IDC connector. Additionally, no effort is made in such prior art conductors to ensure that the point of contact between twisted pairs emerging from the exposed end of the cable, at least two of which must typically be crossed in order to be attached in the correct sequence with the IDC connectors, is minimised. Furthermore, the point of insertion of the individual conductors into the IDC connectors is typically arranged along a parallel line, which may give rise to unwanted cross-talk and the like thereby reducing performance of the connectors, especially at high frequencies.
As a result, the above discussed prior art devices are typically unsuitable for use in connectors which must meet the Category 6 performance standards.


A low control voltage switch utilizing a plurality of field effect transistors (FETs) having a total of six gates to allow the switch to operate at a low control voltage without the need to increase device periphery or die size. Feed-forward capacitors connected between the gate and source of an uppermost FET and the gate and drain of a lowermost FET are used to reduce signal distortion and improve the linearity and harmonic noise rejection characteristics of the FETs within the switch and thus lower the harmonics of the switch.

Conventional switch devices operate to control the path on which a signal travels. In general, there are two basic types of switch devices in use: electromechanical and solid state. All switches are considered active devices, in that some sort of power supply is required in order to function properly. In electromechanical switches, a contact is provided that physically changes position during the switching process. Solid-state switches do not contain any moving parts and instead use some kind of semiconductor device for the switching process, which are basically either diodes or transistors. In general, diode switches sense current as a control input while switches comprised of transistors sense voltages as control inputs. One example of a transistor-based switch is comprised of a plurality of field effect transistors (FETs). FET switches are generally known to be utilized in connection with high frequency signal transmission, for example, radio frequency (RF).
In general, a FET switch is in an ON state (very low resistance) allowing any signal to pass from the drain to the source of the FET until a control voltage of a predefined amount (pinch-off voltage) is applied to the gate of the FET. When the pinch-off voltage is applied, the FET switches to an OFF state (very high resistance) and prevents any signal passing from the drain to the source of the FET. The advantage of FET switch is that the control voltage applied to the gate of the FET draws very little current, consuming no power in performing the switching function.
A major drawback of FET switches is that in the OFF state, a signal that one may desire to prevent from passing through the FET from the drain to the source applies a voltage at the drain of the FET. This voltage travels through the FET to the gate and adds to the control voltage input. As this voltage becomes greater than the control voltage, the OFF state FET begins to turn ON as shown in the FIG. 1a.
In many of today's product designs, it is often desirable to require a lower control voltage for operation of a switch. For example, it may be beneficial to lower the control voltage of the switch having the exemplary characteristics of FIG. 1 from 5 volts to 2 volts while maintaining control over the same RF voltage. However, in order to reduce the control voltage of a switch, the RF voltage must be divided across additional FETs connected in series, as is shown in FIG. 1b.
The configuration illustrated in FIG. 1b reduces the control voltage needed, but increases the resistance in the ON state. To overcome this added resistance, each FET is made larger and thus an increase in die size for the switch is required. This size increase, however, introduces many new problems in the switch, including:                1. The switch costs more, requiring more semiconductor material to manufacture.        2. The switch has poorer isolation, providing less resistance in the OFF state.        3. The switch has greater leakage in the control line, requiring more power to control the switch
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved switch that can control a current output at lower control voltages, while providing the optimum balance of insertion loss, isolation, maximum power handling, harmonic generation suppression, and leakage current in the control signal.

Methods of manufacture for a low control voltage switch


A method of adjusting a timer is disclosed. The method includes adjusting a timer activation period based on a characteristic of a network and setting the timer using the timer activation period. The timer is used in communicating information over the network.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to timers in digital systems that have adjustable granularity, granularity which dynamically adjusts to communication conditions.
2. Description of the Related Art
In many digital systems, such as communication systems and computer systems, streams of information (data) between parties do not travel in a continuous fashion. Typical to many digital systems, the information is provided in the form of small and manageable pieces. To properly manage packets and streams of information, digital systems make use of protocols such as the transmission control protocol (TCP).
Information in a digital system can be broken down into a basic piece of data called a frame. A flow is a series of frames exchanged between two connection endpoints defined by a network address and a port number pair for each end of the connection. Typically a flow is initiated by a request at one of the endpoints for content which is accessible through the other connection endpoint. The flow that is created in response to the request consist of packets containing the requested content and control messages exchanged between the two endpoints.
Examples of exchanges of information include requests and transmission of data to and from client entities (client) and server entities (server). Typically, a client is the requesting endpoint; however, the server at times also requests information from a client. Applications of digital systems include transactions on the Internet, where the client is an individual connecting to a host's site and the host's site is considered the server. The individual requests information from the host site. Information is then transmitted along the Internet from the host site to the individual. In the case of electronic commerce on the Internet, the individual and the host site exchange various information packets with one another. The individual browses the host's site for specific products and/or services. The host site responds with availability and price of the goods and services. The individual responds with an order, which can include credit card information and shipping information.
The use of protocols allows efficient management of information and exchange over communication networks such as the Internet. Protocols are able to decide how to break up the transmission of information. As an example, using TCP, when a receiver (e.g., server) receives a request packet, the receiver sends an acknowledge packet back to the sender (e.g., client). If the sender does not receive an acknowledge packet after an allotted amount of time, TCP requires that the sender retransmit the packet. Other features of TCP allow for flow control; a receiver allows the sender to send only as much information at a time that the receiver's data buffers can store.
TCP and other communication protocols implement the use of timers. Timers are used to acknowledge control, and initiate and request (or re-initiate) transmission of information and information packets. Timers can also be implemented to control and monitor events. TCP includes, among other timers, an acknowledge timer, a round trip timer, a persist timer, and a keep alive timer. In TCP, timers can have a range of 200 milliseconds (ms) to several seconds.
Associated with each timer is the concept of granularity. Granularity relates to the number of interrupts over a defined time period. An interrupt is when a timer activates. The fewer number of interrupts over the defined time period, the lesser the granularity. In other words, if a timer activates (interrupts) 10 times over the defined time period, the granularity is lesser than if the timer activates (interrupts) 20 times over the same defined time period.
Under ideal conditions, communications between a client and a server are immediate and continuous. In other words, a client would not have to wait to be connected to a server, and information exchange is not interrupted. Practical conditions, however, include instances when connections between clients and servers are less than ideal. Using the example of the Internet, during certain times numerous clients (individuals) are accessing, or trying to access, the server (host site). The server in turn is trying to handle the requests from each of the clients. As more and more clients try to access the server, resources, in particular memory bandwidth, become constrained. An increased number of clients leads to increased congestion along the communication path (memory bandwidth). Processors handling the data flows are forced to handle numerous information flows. Processors responsible for computing received information are inundated with retransmitted packets. The retransmitted packets are packets containing information that has yet to be processed. Situations in which packets can be retransmitted are when an entity does not receive an acknowledge packet, the timer is started and after the set time the packet is retransmitted. Received packets that are yet to be processed, can be stored in memory buffers of devices; however, memory buffers are a limited resource that can be quickly filled during periods of peak network traffic. If memory buffers fill up, a retransmit can be requested, or transmission can be ceased.
Traffic related to information flows over networks, such as the Internet, varies depending on various factors. A simplistic example of congestion takes place when numerous clients are attempting to access a particular server. Factors that affect information (data) flows include the current data stream bandwidth, the number of data flows (TCP flows), the number of requests for memory access, the current network traffic, network congestion, the time of day, the season of the year, or a combination of any of the factors.
As networks become congested (i.e., experience more traffic), and resources become constrained, in particular as processors are asked to handle increased data streams (flows), connections are terminated and lost by the inability to properly service all client and server demands. Overall communication transactions are slowed with the increased congestion on the networks. Customers that are trying to purchase goods and/or services from server host sites are dropped. Dropped connections lead to frustrated customers who may decide not to continue transaction with the host site and seek business elsewhere.


A mounting tool for an axle lock nut comprises a pole, an end of the pole is a knocking end and the other end is provided with a suppressing unit and a retaining unit, the retaining unit is in adjacent to a side of the suppressing unit and the retaining unit is protruded out of a tail end of the suppressing unit. The mounting tool is used to position the axle lock nut on an automobile axle and to increase the reliability of operation for mounting the axle lock nut on the automobile axle.

a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automobile repairing tool, and more particularly to a mounting tool for an axle lock nut. The mounting tool is used to position the axle lock nut on an automobile axle.
b) Description of the Prior Art
An axle lock nut that is screwed at an automobile axle to position a brake structure is disclosed in FIG. 1. The axle lock nut 1 is constituted primarily by a body 11. An end of the body 11 is protruded axially with a collar 12, and the other end is connected with a gasket 13. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the axle lock nut 1 is screwed at an automobile axle 2 to position a brake device 3 that is disposed on the axle 2; whereas, an outer rim of the axle 2 is concaved with a groove 21 along the long axis of the axle 2. When the axle lock nut 1 is mounted on the axle 2, the body 11 is screwed at the axle 2 until being positioned, and then a working end of a flathead screwdriver is abutted at an outer rim of the collar 12, followed by knocking a handle of the screwdriver with a hammer, which forces the collar 12 to be locally deformed plastically that the collar 12 can be latched into the groove 21 (as shown in FIG. 3). Accordingly, the axle lock nut 1 and the axle 2 cannot rotate with respect to each other, and the axle lock nut 1 can be mounted and positioned on the axle 2.
When the flathead screwdriver is abutted at the outer rim of the collar 12, an edge at a straight tail end of the working end of the screwdriver is abutted at the collar 12. Therefore, when the handle of the screwdriver is knocked by the hammer, the working end of the screwdriver can slide easily, which decreases the reliability of operation for suppressing and deforming the collar 12. Furthermore, if the abovementioned sliding phenomenon allows the working end of the screwdriver to slide from a surface of the collar 12, the collar 12 cannot be deformed and the screwdriver that slides from the surface of the collar 12 can even touch mistakenly a neighboring part to damage that part. For example, if the working end of the screwdriver slides from the surface of the collar 12 and then knocks the axle 2, the threads of the axle 2 can be damaged.


An attitude controller for a 3-axis stabilized, Earth oriented bias momentum spacecraft is described, where only 2-axis attitude measurements from the Earth sensor are available. In contrast to the classical spacecrafts that are controlled w.r.t. a fixed orbital Earth pointing reference frame, (possibly large angle) time varying reference signals are considered here, i.e. the control task consists of a tracking problem. The controller design consists of a decoupling controller and axis-related PID controllers based on yaw observer estimates.

Earth oriented three axis stabilized satellites have generally no continuous yaw attitude information available or even no yaw measurement at all. This is true especially for commercial communication satellites which have to be designed under stringent economic conditions. The common approach to achieve 3-axis stabilization with a 2-axis attitude sensor only (Earth sensor) is to establish a bias momentum perpendicular to the orbit plane which leads to observability of the yaw motion by the roll measurement. An early publication in this field is e.g. [DoSR68], which is well-known as the "Whecon"-principle.
The invention provides a control design approach for a generalized Earth pointing control mode with 2-axis Earth sensor measurements only and bias momentum coupling, where time varying attitude reference signals with respect to an Earth pointing reference frame are considered. This means, the control method according to the invention addresses a tracking problem in addition to a disturbance rejection problem. A possible control task is shown in FIG. 1. The desired spacecraft attitude, here a roll-bias angle .alpha. and zero pitch- and yaw angles, can be expressed as a time varying reference attitude with respect to the orbital Earth pointing reference frame (x.sub.a y.sub.a z.sub.o). Furthermore, roll-tracking is necessary in case of inclined orbit operations of geosynchronous satellites, where proper Earth orientation for antenna pointing purposes has to be maintained.
Another example is small satellites in low Earth orbits, that use--besides the solar array rotation--one degree of freedom around the satellite yaw axis for the optimal orientation of the solar panels, i.e. to assure that the sun vector is always (nearly) perpendicular to the panel surface.
The subsequent explanations cover as far as possible a general case. Examples are given for the above mentioned application of roll tracking operations.
The minimum sensor and actuator hardware configuration which is necessary for the realization of this attitude control approach consists of the following components:
a.) A set of wheels that span the 3-dimensional space, i.e. practically linear actuators which produce torques around the 3 spacecraft axes. Usually 4 wheels are used for redundancy. PA1 b.) An Earth sensor that delivers a 2-axis attitude information around the roll- and pitch axis.
Additionally, an actual spacecraft has to be equipped with actuators for angular momentum control, such as magnetic torquers, thrusters, and/or solar array drives for solar torque compensation, depending on the spacecraft mission.

Method for controlling the attitude of a three-axis stabilized, earth oriented bias momentum spacecraft


A light guide plate having a multi-periodic micro pattern, which can minimize chromatic dispersion, and an illumination apparatus for a display device employing the light guide plate are provided. The light guide plate includes a top surface and a micro pattern formed on the top surface and allowing light, which is incident from a first side surface of the light guide plate, to be emitted from the top surface. The micro pattern is a combination of at least two periodic patterns having different periods to reduce chromatic dispersion of light emitted from the top surface.

1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses consistent with the present invention relate to a light guide plate and an illumination apparatus for a display device using the light guide plate, and more particularly, to a light guide plate having multi-periodic micro patterns, which can minimize chromatic dispersion, and an illumination apparatus for a display device using the light guide plate.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, non-emissive displays such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), typically require illumination apparatuses such as backlight units. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional illumination apparatus for a display device, the illumination apparatus including a hologram-based light guide plate. Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional illumination apparatus 10 for a display device includes a light guide plate 12 having a top surface on which a micro pattern 13 is formed, a light source 11 disposed at a side of the light guide plate 12, and a light diffuser sheet 15 uniformly diffusing light emitted from the top surface of the light guide plate 12.
A white light emitting diode (LED) is generally used as a light source 11 of the illumination apparatus 10 for the display device. White light emitted from the light source 11 is obliquely incident on a first side surface of the light guide plate 12, which is formed of polymethyl methacrylate with high light transmittance, adjacent to the light source 11. The incident white light is totally reflected by the top surface and a bottom surface of the light guide plate 12 and then propagates to a second side surface of the light guide plate 12 opposite to the first side surface. Since the micro pattern 13 is formed on the top surface of the light guide plate 12 as illustrated in FIG. 1, some of the light incident on the top surface of the light guide plate 12 is diffracted by the micro patterns 13 to be emitted from the top surface of the light guide plate 12. The micro pattern 13 may be sinusoidally shaped and having a predetermined period. The light emitted from the top surface of the light guide plate 12 is uniformly diffused by the diffuser sheet 15, and illuminates a non-emissive display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD).
Since the light is composed of components with different refractive indices and transmittance, chromatic dispersion occurs when the light is emitted from the top surface of the light guide plate 12 through the micro pattern 13.
FIGS. 2A through 2C are diagrams for explaining chromatic dispersion. Luminance distributions of red (R) light, green (G) light, and blue (B) light among light emitted from the light guide plate 12 were measured. The micro patterns 13 had a period of 420 nm and a thickness of 250 nm. It was assumed that the red (R) light, the green (G) light, and the blue (B) light had wavelengths of 620 nm, 540 nm, and 450 nm, respectively. The width of the white light beam was 4 μm, and the white light was incident on the top surface 12 at an angle of 60°.
FIG. 2A illustrates luminance distribution of the red (R) light. The red (R) light was mostly distributed close to a central point. FIG. 2B illustrates luminance distribution of the green (G) light. The green (G) light was also distributed close to the central point but the brightest portion was located at a short distance from the central point. FIG. 2C illustrates luminance distribution of the blue (B) light. The brightest portion was located at a long distance from the central point. Accordingly, luminance distributions of light are different depending on the colors of light.
FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating a relationship between luminance distributions of the red (R) light, the green (G) light, and the blue (B) light and angles at which the light is emitted. Chromatic dispersion might be more clearly understood from the graph of FIG. 3. Here, the angles at which the light was emitted were measured from an imaginary reference line perpendicular to the top surface of the light guide plate 12. Referring to FIG. 3, the blue (B) light was distributed around an angle of about 22°, which is called a peak angle. That is, the blue (B) light was emitted from the light guide plate 12 at the peak angle of about 22°. The green (G) light was emitted from the light guide plate 12 at a peak angle of about 8°, and the red (R) light was emitted from the light guide plate 12 at a peak angle of about 4°.
Accordingly, since the blue (B) light, the green (G) light, and the red (R) light were emitted from the light guide plate 12 at different peak angles, the white light emitted from the point light source 11 was separated into colors by the light guide plate 12, thereby leading to chromatic dispersion. Even though the light subjected to the chromatic dispersion is uniformly diffused by the diffuser sheet 15, the light cannot be perfect white light. As a result, since the light incident on the display device is not white light but rather specific colors of light, the performance of the display device is degraded.

Light guide plate having multi-periodic patterns and illumination apparatus for display device using the light guide plate


At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to an optical element driving apparatus which includes a first actuator configured to drive an optical element in accordance with a deformation target value, a sensor arranged to measure a position and an orientation of the optical element, a second actuator configured to drive the optical element in accordance with position and orientation target values and an output of the sensor, and a correcting unit configured to correct a measurement error of the sensor caused by deformation of the optical element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical element driving apparatus. In particular, though not exclusively, the present invention can be applied to an optical element used in an exposure apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an optical element driving apparatus for driving an optical element, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-203860 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,788,386) discusses a technique of positioning the optical element with six degrees of freedom by an actuator. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-203860 also discusses that the optical element driving apparatus further includes a sensor and an actuator to constitute a control loop for the purpose of correcting a local mirror surface defect.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-64076 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,842,277) discusses a technique of performing position adjustment of a deformable mirror through servo control of a force actuator for driving the deformable mirror and a position sensor for measuring a contact point of the force actuator with the deformable mirror.
FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a control system 40 in an optical element driving apparatus discussed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-64076. A control command given to an actuator 30 is decided by a controller 45 to make the position of the deformable mirror, which is determined from a measured value of the position sensor 42, matched with a predetermined position target value. In accordance with the control command, the mirror is driven so that the mirror position determined from the measured value of the position sensor is matched with the predetermined position target value.
In the optical element like the above-mentioned deformable mirror, there is a possibility that, depending on the arrangement of measurement points of the position sensors each of which measures the position of the optical element, the measured value of the position sensor may include both a rigidity displacement and an amount of deformation of the optical element, which are caused by the influence of deformation of the optical element. In such a case, the optical element cannot be controlled to an accurate position even when the position of the optical element is controlled using the measured values of the position sensors.


Embodiments of the present invention disclose a state switching method and apparatus. The state switching method includes: receiving, by a first network node, a preset frame sent by a second network node, where the preset frame includes indication information used to indicate an on/off state of a main transceiver and/or a wake up receiver of the first network node immediately, after a specified time point, or within a specified time period; and controlling, by the first network node based on the indication information, to switch an on/off state of the main transceiver and/or the wake up receiver of the first network node. According to the embodiments of the present invention, energy is saved by using a preset frame to indicate an on/off state of a main transceiver and/or a wake up receiver of a network node after a specified time point or within a specified time period.

In a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) network, a device wastes a considerable part of energy on listening during which no signal is received (idle listening). Related solutions in the current legacy 802.11 protocol (802.11 b/a/g/n/ac, and the like) focus on optimizing a device sleep policy. In addition to optimizing the sleep policy, another technical approach to reduce device energy waste during idle listening is to use a low power wake up receiver (Low Power Wake Up Receiver, LP-WUR) (WUR for short herein). A core idea of the technical approach is that a receive end device (for example, a STA) includes a newly added low power wake up receiver (WUR) in addition to a legacy 802.11 transceiver end (802.11 main radio, an 802.11 main transceiver module, or a Wi-Fi main transceiver module). As shown in FIG. 3, after the 802.11 main transceiver module is in a deep sleep state, the low power WUR wakes up and starts operating. If another device (for example, an AP on the left in the figure) needs to communicate with a device (for example, a STA on the right in the figure) that has the WUR and the 802.11 main transceiver module, the AP first sends a WUR wake up packet (Wake Up Packet, WUP) to the WUR. After correctly receiving the WUP sent to the WUR, the WUR wakes up the 802.11 main transceiver module of the STA, and the AP communicates with the woken-up 802.11 main transceiver module.
In this technology, the low power WUR is used instead of the 802.11 main transceiver module to listen on a channel when a medium is idle (it is expected that consumption in a WUR listening/receiving status is about 0.1-1% of the 802.11 main transceiver module herein, in other words, less than 100 μW), so that device energy waste during idle listening can be efficiently reduced. However, in the prior art, a manner of controlling an on/off state of a wake up receiver and a main transceiver is not standardized.


A marking device for a marking operation to mark a presence or an absence of one or more underground facilities is configured to access and display facilities map information, and/or other image information, as a visual aid to facilitate the marking operation. In various aspects, methods and apparatus relate to: selection of a “base” facilities map, or information from a database of facilities map data, relating to a given work site/dig area; selection of a pan and/or zoom (resolution) for displaying facilities map information; updating displayed facilities map information while a marking device is used during a marking operation (e.g. changing pan, zoom and/or orientation); overlaying on the displayed facilities map information marking information and/or landmark information relating to the marking operation; and storing locally on the marking device, and/or transmitting from the marking device, facilities map information and/or overlaid marking/landmark information (e.g., for further processing, analysis and/or subsequent display).

Field service operations may be any operation in which companies dispatch technicians and/or other staff to perform certain activities, for example, installations, services and/or repairs. Field service operations may exist in various industries, examples of which include, but are not limited to, network installations, utility installations, security systems, construction, medical equipment, heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) and the like.
An example of a field service operation in the construction industry is a so-called "locate and marking operation," also commonly referred to more simply as a "locate operation" (or sometimes merely as "a locate"). In a typical locate operation, a locate technician visits a work site in which there is a plan to disturb the ground (e.g., excavate, dig one or more holes and/or trenches, bore, etc.) so as to determine a presence or an absence of one or more underground facilities (such as various types of utility cables and pipes) in a dig area to be excavated or disturbed at the work site. In some instances, a locate operation may be requested for a "design" project, in which there may be no immediate plan to excavate or otherwise disturb the ground, but nonetheless information about a presence or absence of one or more underground facilities at a work site may be valuable to inform a planning, permitting and/or engineering design phase of a future construction project.
In many states, an excavator who plans to disturb ground at a work site is required by law to notify any potentially affected underground facility owners prior to undertaking an excavation activity. Advanced notice of excavation activities may be provided by an excavator (or another party) by contacting a "one-call center." One-call centers typically are operated by a consortium of underground facility owners for the purposes of receiving excavation notices and in turn notifying facility owners and/or their agents of a plan to excavate. As part of an advanced notification, excavators typically provide to the one-call center various information relating to the planned activity, including a location (e.g., address) of the work site and a description of the dig area to be excavated or otherwise disturbed at the work site.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which a locate operation is initiated as a result of an excavator 1 providing an excavation notice to a one-call center 2. An excavation notice also is commonly referred to as a "locate request," and may be provided by the excavator to the one-call center via an electronic mail message, information entry via a website maintained by the one-call center, or a telephone conversation between the excavator and a technician at the one-call center. The locate request may include an address or some other location-related information describing the geographic location of a work site at which the excavation is to be performed, as well as a description of the dig area (e.g., a text description), such as its location relative to certain landmarks and/or its approximate dimensions, within which there is a plan to disturb the ground at the work site. One-call centers similarly may receive locate requests for design projects (for which, as discussed above, there may be no immediate plan to excavate or otherwise disturb the ground).
Using the information provided in a locate request for planned excavation or design projects, the one-call center identifies certain underground facilities that may be present at the indicated work site. For this purpose, many one-call centers typically maintain a collection "polygon maps" which indicate, within a given geographic area over which the one-call center has jurisdiction, generally where underground facilities may be found relative to some geographic reference frame or coordinate system.
Polygon maps typically are provided to the one-call centers by underground facilities owners within the jurisdiction of the one call center ("members" of the one-call center). A one-call center first provides the facility owner/member with one or more maps (e.g., street or property maps) within the jurisdiction, on which are superimposed some type of grid or coordinate system employed by the one-call center as a geographic frame of reference. Using the maps provided by the one-call center, the respective facilities owners/members draw one or more polygons on each map to indicate an area within which their facilities generally are disposed underground (without indicating the facilities themselves). These polygons themselves do not precisely indicate geographic locations of respective underground facilities; rather, the area enclosed by a given polygon generally provides an over-inclusive indication of where a given facilities owner's underground facilities are disposed. Different facilities owners/members may draw polygons of different sizes around areas including their underground facilities, and in some instances such polygons can cover appreciably large geographic regions (e.g., an entire subdivision of a residential area), which may further obfuscate the actual/precise location of respective underground facilities.
Based on the polygon maps collected from the facilities owners/members, the one-call center may in some instances create composite polygon maps to show polygons of multiple different members on a single map. Whether using single member or composite polygon maps, the one-call center examines the address or location information provided in the locate request and identifies a significant buffer zone around an identified work site so as to make an over-inclusive identification of facilities owners/members that may have underground facilities present (e.g., to err on the side of caution). In particular, based on this generally over-inclusive buffer zone around the identified work site (and in some instances significantly over-inclusive buffer zone), the one-call center consults the polygon maps to identify which member polygons intersect with all or a portion of the buffer zone so as to notify these underground facility owners/members and/or their agents of the proposed excavation or design project. Again, it should be appreciated that the buffer zones around an indicated work site utilized by one-call centers for this purpose typically embrace a geographic area that includes but goes well beyond the actual work site, and in many cases the geographic area enclosed by a buffer zone is significantly larger than the actual dig area in which excavation or other similar activities are planned. Similarly, as noted above, the area enclosed by a given member polygon generally does not provide a precise indication of where one or more underground facilities may in fact be found.
In some instances, one-call centers may also or alternatively have access to various existing maps of underground facilities in their jurisdiction, referred to as "facilities maps." Facilities maps typically are maintained by facilities owners/members within the jurisdiction and show, for respective different utility types, where underground facilities purportedly may be found relative to some geographic reference frame or coordinate system (e.g., a grid, a street or property map, GPS latitude and longitude coordinates, etc.). Facilities maps generally provide somewhat more detail than polygon maps provided by facilities owners/members; however, in some instances the information contained in facilities maps may not be accurate and/or complete. For at least this reason, whether using polygon maps or facilities maps, as noted above the one-call center utilizes a significant buffer zone around an identified work site so as to make an over-inclusive identification of facilities owners/members that may have underground facilities present.
Once facilities implicated by the locate request are identified by a one-call center (e.g., via the polygon map/buffer zone process), the one-call center generates a "locate request ticket" (also known as a "locate ticket," or simply a "ticket"). The locate request ticket essentially constitutes an instruction to inspect a work site and typically identifies the work site of the proposed excavation or design and a description of the dig area, typically lists on the ticket all of the underground facilities that may be present at the work site (e.g., by providing a member code for the facility owner whose polygon falls within a given buffer zone), and may also include various other information relevant to the proposed excavation or design (e.g., the name of the excavation company, a name of a property owner or party contracting the excavation company to perform the excavation, etc.). The one-call center sends the ticket to one or more underground facility owners 4 and/or one or more locate service providers 3 (who may be acting as contracted agents of the facility owners) so that they can conduct a locate and marking operation to verify a presence or absence of the underground facilities in the dig area. For example, in some instances, a given underground facility owner 4 may operate its own fleet of locate technicians (e.g., locate technician 6), in which case the one-call center 2 may send the ticket to the underground facility owner 4. In other instances, a given facility owner may contract with a locate service provider to receive locate request tickets and perform a locate and marking operation in response to received tickets on their behalf.
Upon receiving the locate request, a locate service provider or a facility owner (hereafter referred to as a "ticket recipient") may dispatch a locate technician 5 to the work site of planned excavation to determine a presence or absence of one or more underground facilities in the dig area to be excavated or otherwise disturbed. A typical first step for the locate technician 5 includes utilizing an underground facility "locate device," which is an instrument or set of instruments (also referred to commonly as a "locate set") for detecting facilities that are concealed in some manner, such as cables and pipes that are located underground. The locate device is employed by the technician to verify the presence or absence of underground facilities indicated in the locate request ticket as potentially present in the dig area (e.g., via the facility owner member codes listed in the ticket). This process is often referred to as a "locate operation."
In one example of a locate operation, an underground facility locate device is used to detect electromagnetic fields that are generated by an applied signal provided along a length of a target facility to be identified. In this example, a locate device may include both a signal transmitter to provide the applied signal (e.g., which is coupled by the locate technician to a tracer wire disposed along a length of a facility), and a signal receiver which is generally a hand-held apparatus carried by the locate technician as the technician walks around the dig area to search for underground facilities. FIG. 2 illustrates a conventional locate device 20 (indicated by the dashed box) that includes a transmitter 22 and a locate receiver 24. The transmitter 22 is connected, via a connection point 26, to a target object (in this example, underground facility 28) located in the ground 21. The transmitter generates the applied signal 23, which is coupled to the underground facility via the connection point (e.g., to a tracer wire along the facility), resulting in the generation of a magnetic field 25. The magnetic field in turn is detected by the locate receiver 24, which itself may include one or more detection antenna (not shown). The locate receiver 24 indicates a presence of a facility when it detects electromagnetic fields arising from the applied signal 23. Conversely, the absence of a signal detected by the locate receiver generally indicates the absence of the target facility.
In yet another example, a locate device employed for a locate operation may include a single instrument, similar in some respects to a conventional metal detector. In particular, such an instrument may include an oscillator to generate an alternating current that passes through a coil, which in turn produces a first magnetic field. If a piece of electrically conductive metal is in close proximity to the coil (e.g., if an underground facility having a metal component is below/near the coil of the instrument), eddy currents are induced in the metal and the metal produces its own magnetic field, which in turn affects the first magnetic field. The instrument may include a second coil to measure changes to the first magnetic field, thereby facilitating detection of metallic objects.
In addition to the locate operation, the locate technician also generally performs a "marking operation," in which the technician marks the presence (and in some cases the absence) of a given underground facility in the dig area based on the various signals detected (or not detected) during the locate operation. For this purpose, the locate technician conventionally utilizes a "marking device" to dispense a marking material on, for example, the ground, pavement, or other surface along a detected underground facility. Marking material may be any material, substance, compound, and/or element, used or which may be used separately or in combination to mark, signify, and/or indicate. Examples of marking materials may include, but are not limited to, paint, chalk, dye, and/or iron. Marking devices, such as paint marking wands and/or paint marking wheels, provide a convenient method of dispensing marking materials onto surfaces, such as onto the surface of the ground or pavement.
FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a conventional marking device 50 with a mechanical actuation system to dispense paint as a marker. Generally speaking, the marking device 50 includes a handle 38 at a proximal end of an elongated shaft 36 and resembles a sort of "walking stick," such that a technician may operate the marking device while standing/walking in an upright or substantially upright position. A marking dispenser holder 40 is coupled to a distal end of the shaft 36 so as to contain and support a marking dispenser 56, e.g., an aerosol paint can having a spray nozzle 54. Typically, a marking dispenser in the form of an aerosol paint can is placed into the holder 40 upside down, such that the spray nozzle 54 is proximate to the distal end of the shaft (close to the ground, pavement or other surface on which markers are to be dispensed).
In FIGS. 3A and 3B, the mechanical actuation system of the marking device 50 includes an actuator or mechanical trigger 42 proximate to the handle 38 that is actuated/triggered by the technician (e.g., via pulling, depressing or squeezing with fingers/hand). The actuator 42 is connected to a mechanical coupler 52 (e.g., a rod) disposed inside and along a length of the elongated shaft 36. The coupler 52 is in turn connected to an actuation mechanism 58, at the distal end of the shaft 36, which mechanism extends outward from the shaft in the direction of the spray nozzle 54. Thus, the actuator 42, the mechanical coupler 52, and the actuation mechanism 58 constitute the mechanical actuation system of the marking device 50.
FIG. 3A shows the mechanical actuation system of the conventional marking device 50 in the non-actuated state, wherein the actuator 42 is "at rest" (not being pulled) and, as a result, the actuation mechanism 58 is not in contact with the spray nozzle 54. FIG. 3B shows the marking device 50 in the actuated state, wherein the actuator 42 is being actuated (pulled, depressed, squeezed) by the technician. When actuated, the actuator 42 displaces the mechanical coupler 52 and the actuation mechanism 58 such that the actuation mechanism contacts and applies pressure to the spray nozzle 54, thus causing the spray nozzle to deflect slightly and dispense paint. The mechanical actuation system is spring-loaded so that it automatically returns to the non-actuated state (FIG. 3A) when the actuator 42 is released.
In some environments, arrows, flags, darts, or other types of physical marks may be used to mark the presence or absence of an underground facility in a dig area, in addition to or as an alternative to a material applied to the ground (such as paint, chalk, dye, tape) along the path of a detected utility. The marks resulting from any of a wide variety of materials and/or objects used to indicate a presence or absence of underground facilities generally are referred to as "locate marks." Often, different color materials and/or physical objects may be used for locate marks, wherein different colors correspond to different utility types. For example, the American Public Works Association (APWA) has established a standardized color-coding system for utility identification for use by public agencies, utilities, contractors and various groups involved in ground excavation (e.g., red=electric power lines and cables; blue=potable water; orange=telecommunication lines; yellow=gas, oil, steam). In some cases, the technician also may provide one or more marks to indicate that no facility was found in the dig area (sometimes referred to as a "clear").
As mentioned above, the foregoing activity of identifying and marking a presence or absence of one or more underground facilities generally is referred to for completeness as a "locate and marking operation." However, in light of common parlance adopted in the construction industry, and/or for the sake of brevity, one or both of the respective locate and marking functions may be referred to in some instances simply as a "locate operation" or a "locate" (i.e., without making any specific reference to the marking function). Accordingly, it should be appreciated that any reference in the relevant arts to the task of a locate technician simply as a "locate operation" or a "locate" does not necessarily exclude the marking portion of the overall process. At the same time, in some contexts a locate operation is identified separately from a marking operation, wherein the former relates more specifically to detection-related activities and the latter relates more specifically to marking-related activities.
Inaccurate locating and/or marking of underground facilities can result in physical damage to the facilities, property damage, and/or personal injury during the excavation process that, in turn, can expose a facility owner or contractor to significant legal liability. When underground facilities are damaged and/or when property damage or personal injury results from damaging an underground facility during an excavation, the excavator may assert that the facility was not accurately located and/or marked by a locate technician, while the locate contractor who dispatched the technician may in turn assert that the facility was indeed properly located and marked. Proving whether the underground facility was properly located and marked can be difficult after the excavation (or after some damage, e.g., a gas explosion), because in many cases the physical locate marks (e.g., the marking material or other physical marks used to mark the facility on the surface of the dig area) will have been disturbed or destroyed during the excavation process (and/or damage resulting from excavation).

Methods and apparatus for overlaying electronic marking information on facilities map information and/or other image information displayed on a marking device


A device and related method for performing one or more immunoassays to detect the presence of respective analytes in a sample. The device involves the use of a unitary bibulous material providing one or more flow paths having a common origin site and a plurality of respective reagent zones providing the reagents necessary for performing a visual readout, competitive immunoassay for the presence of the respective analyte.

The use of analytical assays, including those used to determine the presence of drugs of abuse, has grown rapidly over the past decade. By 1993, the U.S. drug-testing market, alone, was estimated to be at least $500M. The drug-testing industry is poised for further growth as a result of new federal U.S. regulations that will significantly increase the number of workers subject to testing for drug and alcohol abuse.
At present, most drug testing involves sample collection followed by instrument-based "wet chemistry" laboratory analysis. However, the on-site, or "point of care" market has been growing rapidly over the past two years. Although no current figures are available, the market for non-instrumented immunoassay-based drugs of abuse test kits appears to be growing at the rate of 20-40% per year.
Currently, there are a number of single analyte immunoassay-based drugs of abuse diagnostic tests on the market. These include tests produced by Roche Diagnostic Systems, Hansen Hong Biomedical Co. Ltd., Drug Screening Systems, Editek, Inc., Hycor Biomedical, U.S. Drug Testing Inc., Thermedics Detection, Inc., and Fingerprint Biotek. Such devices generally work well for situations in which a specific drug is suspected. In many cases, however, such as in emergency room settings, it would be particularly desireable to have a rapid, self-performing assay for one or more drugs that may be present in a given patient.
A variety of assay kits have been described having the capability to perform diagnostic assays. For instance, a series of patents issued to Olson (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,959,307; 4,963,468; 5,085,987; and 5,085,988) relate to an immunoseparating strip having a bibulous material, a nondiffusively bound first receptor, and a nondiffusively bound second receptor. In each embodiment, however, the method of using the device requires the first step of preparing a separate test solution containing the sample, antibody for the analyte, and a conjugate of analyte and a label. Once formed, the competitive reaction progresses to the desired extent in the solution phase. The solution is then transferred by the user to the contact portion of the analytical device, where it begins its flow along the path. (See, e.g., the U.S. Pat. No. '987, col. 13, lines 35-38 and col 20, lines 10-11.)
Others have disclosed the use of kits capable of performing two or more assays, including multi-analyte on-site formats. A kit available from Biosite ("Triage" brand), is said to allow the differential detection of the presence of several common drugs of abuse in a single urine or serum sample. See, for example, Buechler, et al, Clin. Chem. 38(9):1678-1684 (1992). At least one drawback of this device is the need to separately add sample to a region containing lyophilized reagents, where it is left for a period of time (e.g, 10 minutes), in order to allow the sample to reconstitute and equilibrate with the reagents.
This and other single and multi-analyte test kits currently on the market have several drawbacks. Present formats tend to be quite complex, with specific affinity constants playing a key role in the competitive binding reactions. Moreover, the formats can suffer from false results if the patient is on high doses of the analyte drug. Also, present formats typically require exact reagent concentrations (i.e., ratios of analyte to anti-analyte), which can be compromised if one member of the ligand-receptor pair begins to deteriorate.
Particularly troublesome are kits that rely on the use of an immobilized antibody or binding reagent, where the amount of this reagent needs to be rigidly controlled. The binding capacity of immobilized receptors can be highly dependent on the particular immobilization methods and conditions. This dependence causes the manufacture of such assays to be unpredictable and difficult to reproduce. Shelf life stability can be affected as well.
What is clearly needed is an analyte test kit that can be used for a number of different drugs of abuse, and particularly one that can be simultaneously used to perform a plurality of assays, in a manner that is easier to manufacture and simple and reliable in use.


A shredder for pruning sarments and similar materials, comprising a frame provided with wheels on which are installed: a shredding group, a storage container and a conveying conduit of the shredded sarments from the shredding group to the storage container. The storage container comprises hinging means to the frame, which define a rotation axis, and it is coupled with driving means able to put it in rotation around the rotation axis to overturn it and obtain the discharge of the shredded sarments

The present invention is about a shredding machine suitable in particular for being used to collect and shred pruning sarments in vineyards and orchards, or material derived from trimming of fences and trees.
It is known that, after the fruit and grapes harvesting in orchards and vineyards respectively, the pruning of the plants is performed, during which a considerable quantity of pruning sarments falls on the ground, the modern working techniques requiring to remove them from the ground.
For this purpose, shredding machines are available on the market, able to collect and to shred the sarments, then leaving them to fall on the ground once shredded.
In this way, the sarments produced during the vineyard pruning are removed and reduced in their size, freeing the ground.
The shredded organic material generally remains on the ground, turning into a natural fertilizer for the surrounding grapes and fruit-trees.
All the shredding machines belonging to the prior art, although in their different specific embodiments, substantially consist of a frame on which a pruning sarments shredding group is installed, while the shredded material is scattered on the ground.
These shredders are generally connected, through proper fastening means, to respective operating machines which draw them along the land on which the sarments to be shredded are present.
The shredding group generally consists of a rotating drum, provided with outer blades which take the sarments from the ground and shred them, cooperating with respective counter-blades belonging to the frame of said shredding machine.
The rotating drum is put in rotation through a driving unit, generally belonging to the operating machine to which the shredder is connected, receiving the motion therefrom through proper transmission means.
In case of the land to be worked is particularly uneven or stony, shredders provided with picking means interposed between the shredding group and the ground are used.
The picking means comprise a rotating drum provided with outer teeth which perform the function to pick up the sarments from the ground and to convey them to the shredding group, which subsequently provides to shred them.
The presence of picking means makes easier to pick up the sarments from the ground if, as previously mentioned, it has a particularly complex and not uniform morphology, thus avoiding that the shredding blades are damaged in the contact with stones or other particularly hard materials.
The picking means are put in rotation in this case too, receiving the motion from the driving group belonging to the operating machine through proper transmission means of known type.
In both these executive embodiments of a shredding machine, the shredded material is discharged on the ground.
However, the cited shredding machines of known type have some acknowledged inconveniences.
A first inconvenience is due to the fact that the shredded sarments are scattered on the ground.
As a consequence, this material, essentially consisting of wood, has to be picked up from the ground to be used for other purposes, like for instance the manufacture of stove pellets or other.
It is evident that, in this case there is the inconvenience that another operation should be performed, with a consequent increase of costs.
Another inconvenience is due to the fact that, spreading the shredded material on the ground and becoming said material a fertilizer for the plants present therein, there is the risk to transmit possible diseases from diseased plants to healthy ones.
The risk of plant disease propagation and/or undesired cross-fertilizations is very considered in agriculture in general, and in particular in vineyard cultivation where, as a consequence, it is very important to maintain clean the ground surrounding the plants.


A three-dimensional measurement method is provided for measuring an object shape in a non-contact manner by using a non-contact sensor and a sensor moving mechanism that changes a position and a posture of the sensor and can operate by numerical control, moving the non-contact sensor in accordance with measurement path information indicating plural positions and postures of the sensor at the respective positions. The measurement path information is set in advance by teaching. The method includes performing preliminary three-dimensional measurement of the object in accordance with preliminary measurement path information, using shape data obtained by the preliminary three-dimensional measurement and shape data of an imaginary object as a measurement target in the teaching to detect positioning error between the object and the imaginary object, modifying the measurement path information depending on the detected positioning error, and performing three-dimensional measurement of the object in accordance with the modified measurement path information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a three-dimensional measurement method for measuring a shape of an object in a non-contact manner and a three-dimensional measurement system using the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
As non-contact three-dimensional measurement means, an optical three-dimensional digitizer is known that uses a triangulation method such as a stereo vision method or a light-section method. Such a three-dimensional digitizer can digitize a shape of an object placed within the field of view by one-time measurement. For example, Japanese unexamined patent publication No. 2002-31511 describes measuring an object using a three-dimensional digitizer. On this occasion, the position of the three-dimensional digitizer is changed such that the object is viewed from the front, back, left or right side. In this way, shape data of the entire periphery of the object is obtained. Further, Japanese examined patent publication No. 6-8730 describes a method for measuring a reference point of a work using an optical distance sensor attached to a tip of a robot arm to correct fixing error of the work.
In contrast, with respect to contact three-dimensional measurement, measurement is automated in which a numerical controller is used to move a probe (sensing pin) automatically along an object surface. Japanese patent No. 2741518 describes a related art concerning the automation. More specifically, before substantial measurement in which a probe is automatically moved, preliminary measurement is performed in which the probe is moved by a manual operation in order to detect positioning error of an object to be arranged at a predetermined position. Then, depending on the detection result of the positioning error, a moving start point of the probe in the substantial measurement is modified.
As for contact measurement devices, even if an arrangement position of an object is significantly deviated from a correct position, it is desirable that preliminary measurement should be performed manually to prevent a probe from failing to contact the object or from pressing against the object excessively.
As for non-contact three-dimensional measurement, it is likely that a movement mechanism capable of operating by numerical control is used to automatically change a position and a posture of a three-dimensional digitizer. The automation enables rapid and efficient measurement without omission.
In the case where an approximate shape of an object is known, for example, when the object is a product designed by CAD (Computer Aided Design), or, when the object is a replication of a sample or a primary standard, it is desirable that teaching should be conducted as is the case with industrial robots. A measurement path most suitable for a shape of an object is set by off-line teaching based on an imaginary object shown by CAD data or by direct teaching based on an actual object such as a sample or a primary standard. In this way, measurement accuracy is enhanced.
A problem arises, however, that an object needs arranging to take a posture determined to be a set position in the teaching in order to realize desired accuracy.

Method and system for three-dimensional measurement


An A/D converter has at least one converter stage which, respectively, has a sample and hold circuit for sampling an analog input signal. The converter stage also includes a comparator unit that compares the analog input signal with a reference value in order to produce a digital output value from the converter stage, a digital/analog converter for converting the digital output value into an analog signal, a subtractor for subtracting the analog signal from the sampled input signal, a signal amplifier for amplifying the output signal which is output by the subtractor with a particularl singal gain factor for the next converter stage, and a weighting unit for multiplying the digital output value by a multiplier for addition to further weighted output values from converter stages to produce the digital output value from the A/D converter.

A/D converters are used for converting an analog input signal into a digital output signal. The A/D conversion is normally performed by comparing an unknown analog signal with a known reference value. For the A/D conversion, there are a series of different conversion methods in which either the analog signal is amplified, i.e. is multiplied by a prescribed weighting factor, or the reference signal is divided, i.e. is divided by a prescribed weighting factor.
FIG. 1 shows a three-stage pipeline converter with the stages A, B, C. Pipeline converters likewise compare the analog signal ain with the reference value, but the unknown analog signal ain is normally amplified two-fold and compared with a constant reference variable REF. The three-stage pipeline converter shown comprises a sample & hold stage S/HA which is used to sample and hold the analog input signal ain. In addition, each of the three stages A-C comprises an amplifier VA (or a weighting unit) with a weighting or gain factor k=2, and a comparator KA which is used to compare the digitally converted analog input signal ain with a reference value REF. If the digitally converted analog signal ain is greater than the reference value REF, the reference value REF is deducted from the two-fold amplified analog signal ain at a subtraction node S, and the resultant difference value is moved on to the sample & hold stage S/HB in the next converter stage B. If, on the other hand, the analog signal ain is less than the prescribed reference value, the two-fold amplified analog signal ain VA is immediately moved on to the sample & hold stage S/HB in the converter stage B.
In the first case, the converter stage A generates a logic "1" digital value, and in the latter case it generates a logic "0" digital value. In this way, each of the stages A-C generates one bit (D/b) which together produce a digital, binary code which may be between 0 and 2n−1, where n is the number of converter stages. In this case, the bit weight of the digital conversion result is equal to 2 on account of the weighting or gain factor 2 of the amplifiers V.
While a successive approximation converter requires n cycles before the conversion result is definite, and only then is it possible to start a new conversion again, the conversion result in the pipeline converter as shown in FIG. 1 is admittedly also not valid until after n cycles, but the next analog value to be converted can be moved into the pipeline after just the first cycle in stage A.
The accuracy of the two converter types is definitively determined by the accuracy of the division or multiplication factor k=2 which is used to multiply or divide the analog signal or the reference value. When weighting with a numeric base of two, the accuracy of the factor 2, which arises in the division factor ½, ¼, ⅛ etc. in the case of the SA converter and in the multiplication factor 2 in the case of the pipeline converter, is of particular importance. An error in one of these weighting factors has an immediate effect on the digital end results, as the following example shows:
A DA converter with a resolution of 8 bits is capable of quantizing an unknown analog signal or a reference variable into 28=255 levels. The A/D converter now has an analog signal applied to it which corresponds to a quantization level with the decimal value 128. This analog value is now compared with a reference value which has been generated by dividing a prescribed reference variable (the prescribed reference variable is multiplied by a factor of ⅜, for example). With correct division, this would result in a reference value which corresponds to a quantization level of 127, for example, and which is less than the analog value 128. On account of an inaccuracy in the division factor (⅜), however, the comparison with the reference value which corresponds to a decimal value of 128 and 129 also gives the result that the analog value is greater than the reference value. Since the reference value for the quantization levels is incorrectly less than the analog value, the result which is output for the comparison is a "1" instead of a "0".
Besides the inaccuracy in the weightings carried out by the converters (division, multiplication), the accuracy of the A/D converters is affected by transient signal voltages. The inputs and outputs of the amplifiers V, of the comparators K and of the subtraction nodes S normally have transient signals applied to them which have overshoots, for example, and decay to a constant value only after a particular decay time.
In an n-bit converter, n decisions need to be made in order to obtain a digital n-bit word, each of these decisions needing to be at least as accurate as a quantization level in the final digital conversion result. The speed at which comparisons and other operations can be performed in an n-bit converter is determined by the dynamic response of the signals to be processed in the converter. In the case of an SA converter, a relatively large amount of time is needed in order to generate the necessary reference values with the desired accuracy using the digital controller and the DA converter. In the case of the pipeline converter shown in FIG. 1, some time is needed before the amplifiers V have reached a steady state. If the operations performed by the A/D converter are performed too early, errors may therefore arise.
In order to reduce the frequency of error and hence to increase the accuracy of the A/D converters, it is already known practice to use A/D converters with redundant code. A/D converters with redundant code are distinguished in that a reference value, such as ¾ of a prescribed reference variable, with which the unknown analog signal is compared does not form the limit of the value range for a subsequent comparison, but rather, depending on the result of the comparison, a smaller or larger value is used. This will be explained in more detail below using an example.
An 8-bit converter quantizing an analog signal into values of between 0 and 255 has an analog signal supplied to it whose analog value corresponds to a decimal, quantized value of 128. In a comparison in stage n, this analog value is compared with a reference value which corresponds to a quantization level with the decimal value 127. This establishes that the reference value is less than the analog value. So as now to avoid errors on account of inaccurate weighting or transient signal fluctuations, the next comparison, performed by the A/D converter, does not involve selection of the value range between 127 and 255, as usual, but rather involves selection of a value range between a smaller value, e.g. 120, and 255. This means that minor incorrect decisions can still be corrected later and do not affect the final conversion result.
In a conventional, binary converter, on the other hand, once a bit has been set incorrectly it cannot be corrected again in the subsequent conversion steps.
The error-preventing property of redundant A/D converters is achieved by virtue of the weighting factors, such as the gain factor VK of the amplifiers V or the division factor which the digital controller (weighting unit 4) uses to generate a reference value from a prescribed reference variable, are not based on a numeric base of 2, but rather are based on a smaller numeric base e.g. 1.8.
In an SA converter with redundant code, the reference elements used to divide the prescribed reference variable are then not twice as large, four times as large etc. (reference elements may be capacitors, current sources, resistors etc.), but rather are less than twice as large, four times as large etc. The reference elements may give rise, by way of example, to a bit weight for the digital output signal of 1; 1.8; 1.82; 1.83 etc. In the case of a pipeline converter as shown in FIG. 1, this means that the weighting or gain factor of the amplifiers would not need to be two but rather 1.8.
The difficulty with such redundant A/D converters is that the factor 1.8 cannot be generated as easily as the factor 2 by respectively doubling the reference element. As a result, errors are obtained which are already larger in principal than in a binary converter.
Each of the converter stages A, B, C delivers one bit digA, digB, digc of the digital conversion result as the result of the comparison performed by the stages. In the example shown in FIG. 1, a redundant code 1,0,0,0 is obtained. However, the digital conversion result is not binary, with a bit weight of 2, and therefore also does not correspond to the decimal number 23=8, but rather is based on the base of 1.8 and thus corresponds to the number 1.83=5.832. This result is calculated as 0·1+0·1.81+0·1.82+1·1.83=5.832. The individual bits of the conversion result are added using the arrangement shown at the bottom in FIG. 1, which, for this purpose, has memories for storing multiplication factors MF, multiplying a plurality of storage elements SG and addition nodes AK. Finally, the code with a bit weight of 1.8 is used to generate a binary code. After the last addition node AKc (bottom far right), the binary code associated with the redundant code is obtained, that is to say the conversion result in binary form.
Errors in the binary conversion result arise particularly when the weightings Vi for the analog signal or for the reference variable which are performed by the A/D converter does not correspond precisely to the stored multiplication factors, which is used when converting the redundant code into a binary code.
To date, attempts have been made to compensate for this error by altering the gains V1 for the pipeline converter shown in FIG. 1 in the converter analog circuit. This is relatively complicated, however.
Hence, German Laid-Open Specification DE 101 33 538.5 A1 has proposed an A/D converter in which it is a simple matter to calibrate the multiplication factors MFi.
This A/D converter based on the prior art, which is shown in FIG. 2, weights not only the analog signal to be converted or a reference variable but also an auxiliary signal PSR (Pseudo Random) in the A/D converter and at the same time has a calibration amplifier for weighting digital random signal PSR, whose gain factor can be altered. The weighting factor G applied by the A/D converter is ascertained by virtue of the random signal PSR weighted by the A/D converter and the auxiliary signal PSR (or signals derived therefrom) weighted by the controllable calibration amplifier and also the original (unweighted) random signal being supplied to an evaluation unit which performs correlation analysis.
FIG. 2 shows a converter stage A in a conventional pipeline converter with an associated calibration device KAL. The pipeline converter is an A/D converter with redundant code and comprises, in the normal way, an amplifier V with a weighting factor 2, a comparator K and a subtraction node S.
Next to the first converter stage A, FIG. 2 also shows a second converter stage B and a third converter stage C.
The sum of the PSR signal and the input signal is finally amplified by an amplifier VA, e.g. a factor VA=2. The analog summed signal is also compared with a reference variable REF at the comparator. If the analog summed signal is greater than the reference variable REF, the reference variable is deducted from the two-fold amplified summed signal, and the resultant value is output to the next converter stage B. Otherwise, the two-fold amplified analog summed signal, comprising the analog input signal ain and the digital random signal, is forwarded to the next converter stage B immediately without subtracting the reference signal.
The calibrating device KAL comprises a controllable digital weighting unit or calibration amplifier and an evaluation unit.
The digital signal element generated in the pipeline converter is tapped off at the output of the converter stage B and is likewise supplied to the evaluation unit. The evaluation unit comprises a subtraction node SUB which is used to subtract the digital random signal PSR multiplied by the weighting factor G in the controllable digital weighting unit from the digitally converted analog signal. If the weighting factor GA in the controllable weighting unit and the gain factor VA in the amplifier match, the resultant difference signal DIF comprises only the uncorrelated quantization error plus the input signal. If the weighting factor and the gain VA do not match, a remainder of the digital random signal is also left over.
The difference signal DIF can be evaluated using a correlation unit Rxy, the correlation unit performing cross-correlation of the difference signal DIF with the original, digital random signal PSR. The result of the correlation is used to adjust the weighting factor GA in the controllable weighting unit G until the difference signal DIF no longer contains any remainder of the digital random signal.
In this case, the output of the correlation unit Rxy is connected to the weighting unit via a low-pass filter TP, for example.
FIG. 3 shows a circuit implementation for a converter-stage in the pipeline analog/digital converter based on the prior art.
FIG. 3 shows a single-ended implementation for a two-bit digital/analog converter having four DAC capacitors C1 to C4. The DAC has a reference signal REF, a thermometer-coded comparator output signal and a sample control signal applied to it. During the sample phase, the analogue input signal ain is applied to the DAC capacitors C1 to C4. The converter stage also comprises a feedback operational amplifier having a feedback capacitor.
The pipeline analog/digital converter based on the prior art which is shown in FIG. 2 has the following drawbacks.
To feed the digital random signal to the analog/digital converter's signal path formed by the converter stages, an additional calibration digital/analog converter is necessary. This increases the circuit complexity for the analog/digital converter.
The converter stage based on the prior art which is shown in FIG. 3 comprises various DAC capacitors C1, C2, C3 and C4 which result in different DAC stages on account of production variations and manufacturing tolerances. To transfer from one DAC stage in the digital/analog converter to another DAC stage, a transfer error or DAC error is therefore obtained. This transfer error in the digital/analog converter is fed into the signal path and continues through the converter stages, so that the digital output value from the overall analog/digital converter is corrupted.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide an analog/digital converter in which the result corruptions on account of a transfer error are minimal.

A/D converter with minimized transfer error


A recording medium including at least a lead-in region, a recording region in which information is recorded, and a lead-out region. In this configuration, medium information including medium identification information and relevant information is recorded in at least any one of the lead-in region, the recording region, and the lead-out region.

a recorded or recordable recording medium such as a compact disc (CD) or a digital versatile disc (DVD) has been considered to record identification information (ID) peculiar to a recording medium. This identification information can be used as an identifier for deciding whether this recording medium is an authentic one or an illegally copied one.
However, if any other information can be added to the medium identification information, the added information (hereinafter referred to as "relevant information") can be used to realize a variety of services peculiar to the recording medium. That is, medium information comprising the relevant information in addition to the medium identification information can be used also as an identifier for enjoying the various services.
The various services, if information recorded on a recording medium has been encrypted, for example, refer to capability of accessing a managing server which manages medium information to thereby acquire from the managing server key information required for decryption of the information. This is because, also in a case where information is to be recorded on a recording medium as encrypted, if key information (decryption key etc.) for decryption of the information is recorded on the same recording medium, the encrypted information can be decrypted using the key information when the recording medium is illegally copied. Storing key information of encrypted information separately from the recording medium allows such illegal utilization thereof to be eliminated.
Alternatively, information indicating a classification of a recording medium may be added as relevant information, so that, if a classification of a medium onto which information is copied from this recording medium is different from a classification of this original medium, this copied medium can be decided to be an illegally copied one, thus contributing to protection of copyright.
If this relevant information is available, it is possible to further acquire information (contents) related to information recorded or to be recorded, that is, music information, information about artists etc. related to music information, image information (still images, moving images), or digital information such as program data which is used in a computer.

Recording medium, recording method, information transmission method, terminal device, and server device


A multi-part, air-conditioned packaging container provides ventilated storage of foods. The container has an outer covering having openings, a breathing plastic-film inner covering provided with openings, and a closure device for the openings, which can be used as a carrying or hanging device. The outer covering is made of air-permeable breathing material and the inner covering in made of a perforated plastic film. Between these coverings an air-conditioning zone is formed. The openings can be closed by double-pull closure system.

From DE-GM 19 58 775, a two-part packaging container for gateaux and similar baked goods is known, which consists of an upper part made of transparent plastic film and a plane lower part, which are to be interconnected after the introduction of the baked goods. This known two-part packaging container is not, however, suitable as packaging for different foods, but intended and suitable exclusively for certain baked goods.
In another known packaging container of this type, the ventilation of the contents takes place by means of holes made in a plastic film, the plastic film being sewn firmly into a cotton covering and having an opening for the insertion and removal of the filling product. This type of packaging container is intended as a keep-fresh bag for baked goods, but has certain shortcomings, as practice has shown. Thus the ventilation of the baked goods also suffers as a result of air-holes which are made in insufficient number and only on part of the surface, so that only partially is an air-conditioned ventilation of the inner space and of the contents guaranteed. Moreover, the crumbs, which become detached from the baked goods, fall through these holes in the film and are deposited between the plastic film and the cotton covering and, in the event of lengthy storage, cause unhygienic attack of the same and of the baked goods located therein. By means of sewing in the plastic film at all seam points of the cotton covering, a removal of the crumbs or the like, which have collected in between, and hygienic cleaning of the keep-fresh bag is only partially, if at all, possible. By means of sewing in of the film, the latter is damaged, so that, upon insertion or removal of the baked goods, tearing of the film along the seam points is caused and the functioning of the keep-fresh bag is no longer guaranteed.

Multipart air-condition packaging container