An arrangement is provided for determining a spatial orientation of a line portion unrolled from a cable drum. The arrangement includes a fastening base and a measuring probe having a cable guide and being pivotable in relation to the fastening base about a first and second axes of rotation. The measuring probe is configured to interact with a sensor device, and the sensor device is configured to sense the first and second axes of rotation.

Different embodiments of a cable drum are used industrially for supplying movable or mobile systems with electrical energy. For this purpose, the cable drum is typically assigned to the movable or mobile system and includes an electric line which can be rolled up or unrolled, and of which the free end is connected to a stationary power-supply unit. The rolling-up and unrolling movement is controlled, for example, by means of an electromotive drum drive or winder drive, in accordance with the length of line which is required in each case. In the simplest scenario, instead of an electromotive drum drive or winder drive, use is made of a spring mechanism which pre-stresses the cable drum, and therefore the electric line, during the unwinding operation, and therefore said line is rolled up automatically as the tensile stressing eases off.
Such arrangements are known, for example, in heavy-duty cranes for supplying electricity to a crane truck which is guided in a movable manner along associated rails. Since the movement of the crane truck is securely predetermined, a defined rolling-up and unrolling movement of the electric line is ensured here. In contrast, the conditions in the case of mobile machinery, for example, of an electrically operated agricultural tractor are considerably more complex since the mobile machinery can move freely and, to this extent, it is not possible to rule out a situation where the path over which the vehicle travels crosses in an undesirable manner the unwound line portion lying on the ground. If the vehicle travels over the electric line, this can result in the latter being damaged or even destroyed.
In this disclosure, an arrangement is provided which makes it possible to define the progression, and therefore the position, of a line portion unwound from a cable drum.

Arrangement for determining a spatial orientation of a line portion unwound from a cable drum


A method is provided for operating a parking brake module that is at least partially integrated into a compressed air generation system in the event of defects, having a control unit, solenoid valves, and a relay valve for aerating and deaerating at least one spring-loaded brake cylinder. A pressure in the parking brake module which is elevated compared to a normal pressure is determined. A constant compressed air delivery is stopped. A reduced switch-off pressure of the compressed air generation system is set. The pressure level in the parking brake module is lowered to the reduced switch-off pressure through repeated activation of the relay valve.

The invention relates to a method for operating a parking brake module that is at least partially integrated into a compressed air generation system in the event of defects, including an electronic control unit, a plurality of solenoid valves for supplying a control pressure for actuation of the parking brake, and a relay valve receiving the control pressure for the ventilation and venting of at least one spring brake cylinder.
The invention further relates to a parking brake module, which is at least partially integrated into a compressed air generation system, including an electronic control unit, a plurality of solenoid valves for supplying a control pressure for actuation of the parking brake, and a relay valve receiving the control pressure for the ventilation and venting of at least one spring brake cylinder.
A compressed air supply system with connected consumers usually incorporated into a vehicle from a certain weight class onwards may be designed to deliver different supply pressures for the individual consumer circuits independent of one another. For example, a pneumatic service brake and an air suspension of the vehicle may currently be subjected to a maximum supply pressure of 12.5 bar, for example. Other consumer circuits, which usually derive no advantages of any kind from such a high supply pressure, may then be subjected to a lower supply pressure downstream of a pressure limiter. These consumer circuits can then be designed taking account of the lower supply pressure, thereby saving production costs, in particular. One example of a consumer circuit usually subjected to a lower supply pressure than the supply pressure of a service brake circuit is a parking brake circuit or a parking brake module of the vehicle, in which a supply pressure of between only 9 and 10 bar is provided.
In the event of an unwanted increase in pressure in the parking brake module, rising to the cut-out pressure of the compressed air generation system, due to a fault on the pressure limiter, for example, or if the high pressure gets into the low-pressure area via shaped seals, this leads to a persistent overloading of components of the parking brake module that are not designed for these high pressures, and of the spring brake cylinders activated via the parking brake module. The arrangement of a safety valve in the parking brake module, which solves this problem, is already known. The disadvantage to this, however, is that an additional valve takes up overall space and entails production costs, particularly if the parking brake module is at least partially integrated into the compressed air generation system.
The object of the present invention, therefore, is to obviate the need for a separate safety valve in the parking brake module, whilst maintaining the overpressure protection against excessive pressures in the parking brake module.
This, and other, objects are achieved in accordance with the present invention by a method for operating a parking brake module, in that a pressure in the parking brake module in excess of a normal pressure is detected, an ongoing compressed air delivery is interrupted, a reduced cut-out pressure of the compressed air generation system is set, and the pressure level in the parking brake module is reduced to the reduced cut-out pressure through repeated activation of the relay valve. These four steps in the method reliably serve to keep the pressure level in the parking brake module below a pre-definable threshold value, even if a defect triggers an unwanted pressure increase in the parking brake module and no separate safety is integrated in the parking brake module as overpressure protection. A pressure in the parking brake module in excess of a normal pressure can be detected directly or indirectly by one or more sensors, for example, it being possible to arrange individual sensors in the service brake circuit, on one of the spring brake cylinders, at the inlet or the outlet of the relay valve of the parking brake or in a trailer control module.
The method according to the invention is advantageously developed in that after interruption of the compressed air delivery and before setting a lower cut-out pressure, a regeneration phase is initiated until the original cut-in pressure is reached or until the original switching period has elapsed, so as to be able to discharge excess fluid more rapidly. Since a pressure increase in the parking brake module can occur only once the pressure level, at least in the compressed air generation system, has already reached a higher level than is admissible for the parking brake module, and a reduction of the pressure level in the parking brake module is sustainable only with a simultaneous reduction of the pressure level in the compressed air generation system, the fastest possible reduction of the pressure level in the compressed air generation system is advantageous.
It is especially preferred if, in the event of the pressure reduction through repeated activation of the relay valve, a cyclical pressure variation is induced in at least the one spring brake cylinder activated by the relay valve, the minimum pressure being not less than an opening pressure of the spring brake cylinder. The cyclical variation of the pressure level in at least the one spring brake cylinder activated via the relay valve serves for discharging fluid, that is to say, in particular, compressed air; from the parking brake module. Here the upper pressure level in the spring brake cylinder corresponds to the maximum pressure currently prevailing in the parking brake module, whilst the minimum pressure level is approximately 6 bar, care needing to be taken to select the minimum pressure level so that the activated spring brake cylinder will reliably remain open and the parking brake does not accidentally close.
It may be advisable, after reduction of the pressure level to the reduced cut-out pressure, for the originally higher cut-out pressure to be reinstated, if a consistently normal pressure level is detected in the parking brake module. If the fault that has occurred is reversible, that is to say there is no likelihood of a new, unwanted pressure rise in the parking brake module, or it is detected from measurements that a new rise in pressure consistently fails to materialize, it is possible following successful reduction of the pressure level in the parking brake module to again set the higher cut-out pressure of the compressed air generation system that was originally set as cut-out pressure, in order to maintain the energy efficiency of the compressed air generation system at a high level. An adjustable period covering multiple delivery and regeneration cycles, for example, may be deemed to be consistent.
Alternatively it is also feasible, after reduction of the pressure level to the reduced cut-out pressure, to continue to operate the compressed air generation system at the reduced cut-out pressure without any restriction of the functionality. In this way a reliable operation of all vehicle systems at a reduced pressure level can be ensured, without individual vehicle components, in particular the parking brake module, being damaged due to an unwanted, high pressure load. The vehicle can thereby be moved in road traffic until an opportunity for repair presents itself.
The parking brake module of generic type is developed in that the electronic control unit is suited to detecting an unwanted, high pressure in the parking brake module, interrupting any ongoing compressed air delivery, setting a reduced cut-out pressure of the compressed air generation system and reducing the pressure level in the parking brake module to the reduced cut-out pressure through repeated activation of the relay valve. In this way the advantages and peculiarities of the generic method are implemented in the context of a device.
This device is advantageously developed in that the electronic control unit is suited, after interruption of the compressed air delivery and before setting a lower cut-out pressure, to initiating a regeneration phase until the original cut-in pressure is reached or until the original switching period has elapsed, so as to be able to discharge excess fluid more rapidly.
It is especially preferred here if the electronic control unit, in the event of a pressure reduction through repeated activation of the relay valve, induces a cyclical pressure variation in at least the one spring brake cylinder activated by the relay valve, the minimum pressure being not less than an opening pressure of the spring brake cylinder.
The electronic control unit may appropriately be suited, after reduction of the pressure level to the reduced cut-out pressure, to reinstating the originally higher cut-out pressure.
Alternatively the electronic control unit may also feasibly be suited, after reduction of the pressure level to the reduced cut-out pressure, to continued operation of the compressed air generation system at the reduced cut-out pressure without any restriction of the functionality.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

Method for operating a parking brake module in the event of defects and parking brake module suitable for performing the method

KNORR-BREMSE Systeme fuer Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH


Methods and apparatus involve extending functionality of legacy services. A legacy application has functionality designed for use on an original computing device. In a modern environment, virtual machines (VMs) operate as independent guests on processors and memory by way of scheduling control from a virtualization layer (e.g., hypervisor). At least one VM is provisioned to modify standard entry points of the original legacy application for new accessing of various system functions of the hardware platform. Representative functions include network access, processors, and storage. Policy decision points variously located are further employed to ensure compliance with computing policies. Multiple platforms and computing clouds are contemplated as are VMs in support roles and dedicated software appliances. In this manner, continued use of legacy services in modern situations allows participation in more capable environments and application capabilities heretofore unimagined. Other embodiments contemplate computing systems and computer program products, to name a few.

In modern computing environments, it is typical for enterprises or persons to utilize virtual machines, multi-core processors, software appliances, private and public "clouds," etc. Unfortunately, many existing applications were configured at a time before the advent of these new advances. While mainstream applications have continual releases attempting to keep pace with computing changes, many others have no feasible mechanism for upgrading. To stay in existence, they often rely on complete rewrites of original code. Still others are patched with partial rewrites in order to bridge semantics between original code and devices proprietary to third parties. On the other hand, it is highly desirable to maintain some of these original, legacy applications because of the breadth and value of services provided.
Accordingly, a need exists in the art for continued use of legacy services, especially with as little modification to original code as necessary. Appreciating these services may find value in earlier-unimagined computing situations, the need further contemplates adding to a service's original capabilities by bridging to modern paradigms. Providing growth to still a next generation of computing situations is but a further need. Any improvements along such lines should also contemplate good engineering practices, such as simplicity, ease or implementation, security, unobtrusiveness, stability, etc.

Extending functionality of legacy services in computing system environment


A computer-implemented method for performing incremental backups may include 1) identifying a volume of data previously subjected to a backup, 2) determining a time to perform an incremental backup of the volume, the incremental backup being incremental with respect to the backup, and, at the time of the incremental backup, 3) identifying a list of files changed on the volume since the backup, 4) identifying a map of blocks changed on the volume since the backup, and 5) including, in the incremental backup, each block within at least one file that is indicated as changed in the map of blocks. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

In the digital age, organizations increasingly rely on digitally-stored data. To protect against data loss, an organization may use a backup system to back up important data. Traditional backup systems may periodically create a full backup by capturing all allocated blocks (e.g., sectors or clusters) of a volume. Between full backups, a backup system may capture intermediate backups, referred to as incremental backups, which include blocks that have changed since the previous incremental or full backup. An incremental backup may be orders of magnitude smaller and faster than a full backup.
Unfortunately, backup systems may consume significant amounts of computing resources. For instance, backups may consume storage space, and transferring data for backing up may consume I/O bandwidth and network bandwidth. Additionally, the more data there is to back up, the longer backup operations may take to perform. For example, traditional backup systems may scan a volume for any changed files in preparation for an incremental backup. As file systems manage an ever-increasing number of files, this overhead may pose significant costs. By competing for computing resources, backup and restore operations may sometimes interfere with the performance of primary applications. Accordingly, the instant disclosure identifies and addresses a need for additional and improved systems and methods for performing incremental backups.

Systems and methods for performing incremental backups


An optical scanning apparatus for scanning image information of a document on a document support (D) and a scanning unit (50) being positively guided along a predetermined scanning path; characterized in that said scanning unit has bearing members (30) for making contact with a face of said document or document support and thereby determining the optical distance between that face and said focusing means (10), and in that said unit is mounted so that it is under biasing forces which maintain its said bearing members in running contact with said document or document support during a scanning movement of the unit.

The invention relates to optical scanning apparatus comprising means for scanning a document to produce optical image signals and means for sensing such signals for recording purposes.
The invention includes apparatus wherein there is means which utilises the optical image signals for forming an electrostatic charge image and means for developing such charge image thereby to produce a visible reproduction of the scanned document. The invention also includes apparatus comprising transducing means for converting the optical image signals into electric signals for transmission to a recorder, e.g. a printer or visual display unit.
Document scanners are known which comprise a bodily stationary transparent document supporting plate and a scanning unit which is mounted for bodily movement parallel with and close to the plate. In use, a light image of a line across the document is focused within the unit onto the optical sensing means so that the document is scanned line by line during a scanning displacement of the unit.
Document scanners are also known which differ from those just referred to in that the scanning unit is fixed and the document supporting plate is mounted for to and fro movement relative to said unit.
With both fixed plate and movable plate apparatus the degree of fidelity with which the information presented by the scanned document is recorded depends on the accuracy with which the document or the scanning unit as the case may be is guided during the scanning operation. The reproduction is liable to be impaired even by small changes in either the direction of relative scanning movement or the spacing between the document and the image-focusing means of the scanning unit from one moment to another in the scanning operation.
The permissible tolerance depends on the quality standards to be met by the document record. For most routine document copying purposes, high precision guidance is not necessary, but in scanners to be used for the production of prints or printing plates for the graphic industry and scanners for generating electrical image information signals for onward processing, much greater accuracy is required. For optimum results, it is necessary to ensure not only that the direction of relative displacement of the document and the image-focusing system is constant but also that each line of the document, at the moment it is exposed, is in a plane coinciding with the object plane of that focusing system. Deviations from such plane not only result in imperfect focusing of the optical image but also result in variations in the illumination intensity of the document. The closer that document is to the illuminating light source, the more sensitive is the document illumination intensity to variations in the distance of the document from such source.
In practice, there is a problem in avoiding the deviations above referred to.
For apparatus comprising a movable document supporting plate, a solution to the that problem has been proposed in our co-pending European Patent Application No 90 200 670.9. The present invention provides a solution to the problem in relation to apparatus having a fixed document supporting plate.
It has been proposed to guide a scanning unit along a predetermined path by means of supporting parallel rails running along opposite sides of such path. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,937 discloses scanning apparatus wherein one such rail is in the form of a cylindrical bar which extends through a guide passage in a bearing block on one side of the unit, while the other rail provides a flat running surface for a roller mounted on the other side of the unit. The use of such rails and the mounting of the document supporting plate as proposed in that patent would make it very difficult if not impossible to comply with very low tolerance conditions in regard to the location of the document relative to the object plane of the optical focusing system.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,502 proposes apparatus wherein the document supporting plate and the scanning unit are supported by the same fabricated parts of the apparatus frame, these parts being in the form of profiled rails having upper and lower flanges. The upper flanges of the two rails serve to support the document supporting plate. The lower flanges serve as tracks for rollers mounted on the scanning unit. Both the path of movement of the scanning unit and the distance between the document and the object plane of the optical focusing system depend on the precision of the geometry of the profiled rails and their assembly in the apparatus. In practice it would be very difficult reliably to achieve a very high standard of accuracy in this way, especially in apparatus produced on a mass production basis.

Optical scanning apparatus having means to stabilize optical unit against the platen


In a method of molding a heat resistant container whose bottom has an inwardly raised part, firstly a preform is primary blow molded to form a primary blow molded article which is greater at least in length than the container to be obtained as a final product. Then the primary blow molded article is heat shrunk. This heat shrinking is restricted in such a manner that the length of the heat shrunk primary blow molded article from its top to its bottom center is greater than the length of the final product from its top to a peak of the raised part. Then at least the central region of the bottom of the heat shrunk primary blow molded article is inwardly pushed within a secondary blow cavity mold having a bottom mold by vertically moving the bottom mold. Finally in the secondary blow cavity mold, the resulting product is secondary blow molded so that the heel of a heat resistant container, as the final product, has a desired thickness.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a molding method for obtaining a heat resistant container by putting a preform through a primary blow molding manufacturing step, a heat shrinking manufacturing step and a further secondary blow molding manufacturing step, whereby the lower region of this container retains the desired heat resistant characteristics.
2. Description of the Related Art
In, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,971, the following kind of technology for producing a heat resistant container is disclosed. An injection molded heated preform is primary blow molded into a primary blow molded article, which is longer than the final molded article. This is then reduced by heat shrinking to a length and width which is smaller than the final molded container. This smaller container is then secondary blow molded into a heat resistant container.
However, the aforementioned way of molding a bottle does not take into account the fact that the lower region needs to have both a strong resistance to being dropped and be heat resistant.
The present inventors have found the reason why such a bottle is weak in a drop impact is that wall thickness of a region of a bottle referred to as a heel is formed relatively thin.
This designated heel region ranges from the base formed from the outside edge of the bottom to the raised region. This heel region is the last region to arrive at the inner cavity surface of the secondary blow molding cavity when the heat shrunk molded article is secondary blow molded. That is to say that the sidewall part of the heel region which is just up from the heel region will make contact with the cavity wall before the heel does. Also, more particularly, when the raised shape of the bottom is concave, as with a champagne bottle, the bottom inner walls of this heel part will also make contact with the cavity wall before the heel part does. Also, the resin material which comes into contact with the cavity wall becomes more difficult to stretch afterwards. As a result of this, when the region corrosponding to the heel is then blow molded, this heel region will be thinner than the corrosponding wall regions.
If a load is then applied, for example, during a drop test, the heel could change shape or could collapse completely. Any change in the heel shape would be markedly detrimental to the bottles heat resistance and self-standing ability. Also, if the heel of the bottle was thin, this problem could be caused simply by applying pressure by hand.
The problem of the lower part of the bottle having a low resistance to heat occurs because of the comparatively wide scope of the low stretched region, but this will be cleared up by the present invention.
The low stretched region is formed during the primary blow molding process and already in the bottom portion of the primary molded article. If this primary blow molding article is put through a secondary blow molding manufacturing step after it has been heat shrunk, the low stretched region formed in the primary blow molded article will be more easily stretched than other regions. As a result of this the low stretched region will spread into a comparatively large area of the lower region of the secondary blow molded article. However, the stretch ratio during the secondary blow molding process is substantially lower than that during the primary blow molding process. This means that even if this low stretched region is stretched during the secondary blow molding process, its orientation will still be low when compared to other regions so its resistance to heat will be poor.


Staphylococcus aureus can bind a number of different extracellular matrix proteins. Recent studies have shown that one particular Staphylococcus protein has the capacity of binding several different matrix proteins. The gene encoding this staphylococcal protein has been cloned and sequenced and the nucleic acid and amino acid sequences are provided as a feature of the present invention. This staphylococcal protein has a high degree of homology with eukaryotic MHC Class II antigens. Further analyses of the binding specificities of this protein reveal that it functionally resembles an MHC II antigen in that it binds synthetic peptides. Additionally, the present invention provides a vaccine and an in vivo vaccine against staphylococcal infections, and methods for using same.

Development of new antimicrobial agents and improved public health conditions have not substantially reduced the frequency of infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococci are the leading cause of osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, endocarditis, wound and foreign body infections. What constitutes the challenge in the treatment of staphylococcal infections is that staphylococci may resist treatment with conventional antimicrobial agents because of difficulties in achieving and maintaining therapeutically active concentrations of antibiotics in tissues which are either poorly vascularized (like bone) or harbor colonies of bacteria where diffusion is impaired (such as biofilms on surgical implants). Paradoxically, advances in the field of medical therapy have contributed to a steady increase of in the number of infections caused by coagulase-positive and -negative staphylococci by creating more situations in which these opportunistic pathogens find a suitable environment to multiply.
First described by Ogston more than a century ago, S. aureus has remained a mysterious pathogen. It is obvious that its virulence is multifactorial, and related to the production of a wide variety of extracellular and cell surface bound pathogenicity factors. The relative importance of these factors may vary depending on the site and stage of an infection, and various models have been proposed to explain the roles of individual factors. The most effective way to prevent an infection is early in the process of infection, before bacteria manage to multiply.
The concept of preventing infection by interfering with the initial microbial adherence to the host tissue is in this context particularly appealing. The molecular mechanisms of microbial adherence have been extensively studied for many Gram-negative bacteria, and only in the last decade shed some light on possible adhesion mechanisms of Gram-positive bacteria. Historically speaking, the association of S. aureus with fibrinogen (mediated by what was subsequently termed clumping factor, or less correctly, bound coagulase) described by Much in 1908 appears to be the first description of a putative adherence mechanism.
When Kuusela described binding of S. aureus cells to the then newly rediscovered fibronectin, a new chapter in the study of S. aureus adherence was opened (Kuusela, P., et al., Nature 276:718-720 (1978)). Soon, many other observations followed, indicating that 1) fibronectin may be recognized by many different bacteria, both Gram-positive and Gram-negative, and 2) in addition to fibronectin, many other connective tissue proteins are recognized and bound by bacteria. Currently the rate of description of new interactions between bacteria and connective tissue components, or eukaryotic cell surface components like integrins, seems to be limited only by the rate at which these components are discovered.
In addition to fibrinogen and fibronectin, S. aureus strains associate with several other adhesive eukaryotic proteins (many of which belong to the family of adhesive matrix proteins)--laminin (Lopes et al., Science 229:275-277 (1985)), vitronectin (Chhatwal, G. S., et al, Infect Immun. 55:1878-1883 (1987)), bone sialoprotein (Ryden, C., et al., Eur. J. Biochem. 184:331-336 (1989)), proteoglycans (Ryden et al., 1989), endothelial cell membrane protein (Tompkins, D.C., et al., J. Clin. Invest. 85:1323-1327 (1990)) and collagens. These interactions have mostly been studied in systems in which either soluble host proteins or microparticles coated with these proteins are incubated with bacteria. Indications that these bacteria-protein interactions play a role in virulence have been demonstrated in only few instances. Progress in this field has been relatively slow and may require a detailed knowledge of the bacterial components that serve as receptors for the matrix proteins.
As reported in the Apr. 15, 1994 edition of Science, for several years now, medical microbiologists have been tracking an alarming trend in microbial infection. It has been found that antibiotics that once killed bacterial pathogens with ease are becoming ineffective. This is the result of the remarkable ability of bacteria eventually to develop resistance to virtually every antibiotic medical research has utilized against them. Particularly worrisome is the relative dearth of new antibiotics on the horizon. And of the new antibiotics proposed, few employ novel modes of action that would be more difficult for bacteria to circumvent. Researchers and manufacturers have assumed that they have solved the problem of bacterial infection--after all, the market consists of over 100 antibiotics--and many pharmaceutical firms and research organizations have abandoned work on antibiotics or refused to fund these projects.
There are today strains of Staphylococcus which often cause fatal hospital infections that are immune to all but one existing antibiotic. It is predicted that it will not be long before that final barrier will fall.

MHC II analog from Staphylococcus aureus


A band-pass filter which includes a plurality of dielectric coaxial resonators which are arranged in a parallel relation and extending axially in the same direction, and have respective coupling terminals inserted therein, and a dielectric substrate formed, on its first surface, with a plurality of coupling electrodes for connecting the respective coupling terminals. The coupling electrodes on the first surface of the dielectric substrate have an inductance element between them for connecting at least two coupling electrodes to each other. Confronting electrodes facing the coupling electrodes are formed on the other surface of the dielectric substrate to from a capacitance bypass circuit. The inductance element may be a printed circuit on the dielectric substrate or an air-core coil. The air-core coil may be located either adjacent the first surface of the substrate, or away from the substrate between the resonators.

The present invention generally relates to a band-pass filter employing parallel resonance circuit elements and more particularly, to circuit constructions and actual constructions of such band-pass filters.
As one example of band-pass filters of this kind, there has been conventionally available a band-pass filter having a circuit construction as shown in FIG. 8, with an actual construction as illustrated in FIGS. 9(A) and 9(B).
More specifically, as shown in the circuit construction of FIG. 8, the known band-pass filter has a plurality of dielectric coaxial resonators 1 (three dielectric coaxial resonators 1 in this example) as parallel connection resonance circuit elements, and a coupling line having coupling capacitors C as capacitance coupling elements, and connected to one end of each of said dielectric coaxial resonators 1.
Meanwhile, in the actual construction as shown in FIGS. 9(A) and 9(B), the known band-pass filter includes the plurality of dielectric coaxial resonators 1 (three resonators in this example), a rectangular flat plate-like dielectric substrate 2 and a case 3 in which said resonators 1 and substrate 2 are accommodated. The dielectric coaxial resonators 1 are arranged within the case 3 a parallel relation and directed in the same direction, with each of said dielectric coaxial resonators 1 having an inserted coupling terminal 4 connected for conduction with an inner conductor (not shown) of each dielectric coaxial resonator 1.
The dielectric substrate 2 is disposed at the side of open ends of said dielectric resonators 1 accommodated in the case 3 in the parallel relation to each other, and has coupling electrodes 5 formed at respective predetermined positions on its surface so as to be spaced from each other as shown. In other words, at respective positions of said dielectric substrate 2, the coupling capacitors C composed of said coupling electrodes 5 are formed. To each of the coupling electrodes 5 formed on the dielectric substrate 2, the other end of the coupling terminal 4 inserted in each of the dielectric coaxial resonators 1 is fixed by soldering.
In the conventional band-pass filter having the construction as described above, for providing an attenuation pole at the side of a frequency region higher than the pass-band frequency region thereof, it is necessary to insert an inductance coupling element L between the dielectric coaxial resonator 1 as the parallel resonance circuit element and the coupling capacitors C as the capacitance coupling elements as shown in FIG. 10. In the above case, for the actual construction, it is a general practice to connect an air-core coil 6 acting as an inductance coupling element L between the coupling terminal 4 connected with the inner conductor (not shown) of the required dielectric coaxial resonator 1 and the corresponding coupling electrode 5 formed on the dielectric substrate 2 as shown in FIGS. 11(A) and 11(B).
However, in the above known arrangement, the length of the band-pass filter in the direction of its depth (indicated by an arrow H in FIG. 11(A)) becomes undesirably longer by the extent of the air-core coil 6 thus inserted, with a consequent increase in the size of the band-pass filter on the whole.

Band-pass filter including resonance elements coupled by a coupling line and a by-pass coupling line


An electronic timepiece having an analog time display and a digital alarm setting system for actuating an alarm at a preset time. The timepiece includes a high-frequency time base whose output is applied to a frequency converter yielding low frequency timing pulses, these being applied to a motor for driving the hour and minute hands through a gear train. The alarm setting system includes an electro-optical digital display whose electronic actuator responds to the same timing pulses to provide a digital display concurrent with the analog display, and a microprocessor associated with a data memory adapted to store the digital value of any selected time setting. The microprocessor compares the existing time expressed as digital data with the stored digital value to produce a representative output signal when the existing value is coincident with the stored value. The output signal acts to trigger an alarm generator to produce an alarm for a predetermined period.

This invention relates generally to electronic timepieces having an analog display adapted to produce audible signals at preset times, and more particularly to a timepiece including time and calendar computers and a digital display setting system provided with a microprocessor for selectively producing alarm signals, hourly chimes or musical time signatures as well as special birthday or holiday greetings.
In the traditional mechanical clock, the hour and minute hands which turn about the clock face are operated through a gear train driven by a spring motor. When the wind-up clock is of the alarm type, an additional hand is provided that is manually-adjustable to a desired alarm setting, so that when the hour and minute hands reach this setting, an audible alarm is actuated.
Because of inherent mechanical limitations, the setting mechanism of a conventional alarm clock operates inexactly, so that even though the alarm setting hand is positioned, say, at 8:30, the alarm will not be triggered at precisely 8:30 but a few minutes before or after this setting. And because it operates on a scale of 12, a mechanical alarm clock is unable to distinguish between AM and PM, so that if the alarm hand is set at 8:30 and one wishes to be awakened at 8:30 AM, one must be sure to pull out the alarm-enabling button after 8:30 PM to avoid having the alarm go off at this time rather than 8:30 AM.
In recent years, solid state timepieces have been developed which have no moving parts and are capable of displaying in digital terms not only the time but also the date (day and month). One such electronic timepiece is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,839,856 (1975) to Dargent, whose entire disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.
In an electronic timepiece disclosed in this patent, a high-frequency crystal-controlled oscillator functioning as a time base is coupled through a frequency divider and a display actuator to an electro-optical digital display formed by light emitting diodes (LED). Through the use of large-scale integrated circuit (LSI) techniques, all of the electronic components of the timepiece are fabricated on one or more small silicon chips. Setting is accomplished by actuating either an hour-set or minute-set switch.
In addition to the basic LSI time computer, the Dargent timepiece includes a separate LSI calendar circuit which automatically counts to 30 or 31 days according to the month of the year, except for February when it automatically counts to 29. The calendar circuit makes it possible to display the day and month digitally (say, 2:12 for the 2nd of December).
While a crystal-controlled electronic digital timepiece is far more accurate than a conventional mechanical timepiece, its digital display, whether in LED or liquid crystal (LCD) form, is not as readable as the conventional analog display. Readability, in the sense this term is used in human factors engineering, is unrelated to accuracy. Hence a digital display may be more accurate than an analog display, yet less readable.
The reason for this is that when the hands of a clock indicate, say, six minutes to twelve, what the observer primarily sees is the sector defined by the hour and minute hands. From the size of this sector and its angular orientation and without regard to the dial numbers underlying the hands, the observer perceives that the time is shortly before noon or midnight, for at 12 the hands overlap to extinguish the sector. The equivalent digital display is 11:54, but the significance of this number in terms of how close this time is to noon or midnight requires an intellectual exercise on the part of the observer which is more difficult to carry out than analog perception.
To give a simple example of this distinction: If in order to describe the size of a cat, you hold your hands apart by a distance analogous to the cat size, this give the observer an immediate impression of the physical dimension. If, however, you tell the observer that the cat is 13.55 inches long, though this is more exact, it is more difficult to conceive in actual physical terms.
While a person must be trained or conditioned to tell time in analog terms and the meaning of time expressed in digits is more readily acquired, the fact remains that once one learns to read timekeeping hands, it affords more useful intelligence; for an analog reading not only gives the existing time but also indicates where that time stands with respect to four angular reference or compass points (12, 3, 6 and 9). It is for this reason that aircraft pilots often describe the incoming direction of a plane in terms of analog time--and will say, for instance, that a plane is approaching at 2 o'clock.
Moreover, an analog display, because it it seen in the form of the relatively large sector defined by hands, can be read at a greater distance than a digital display. One can read an analog dial display even though the distance from the display and the lighting conditions are such that the dial numbers cannot be deciphered, whereas one must be close enough to a digital display to be able to discern the numbers.
Hence while modern solid state timepieces in many respects represent a major advance over spring-operated mechanisms having a moving hand display, because of the advantages of an analog display in terms of human factors engineering, many electronic watches and clocks now on the market include a gear train for turning conventional watch hands, the train being driven by a stepping motor actuated by low-frequency timing pulses derived from the time computer included in the timepiece.


A transport refrigeration system (10) includes a refrigerant vapor compression transport unit (12) including a compressor (14). A drive unit is utilized to provide power to the compressor. The drive unit includes a diesel powered engine (32) and a diesel particulate filter in operable communication with the diesel powered engine to filter combustion particulates from an exhaust gas output from the diesel powered engine. An air control valve is in operable communication with the diesel powered engine to control a flow of air into an air inlet of the diesel powered engine, thereby controlling an exhaust gas temperature of the diesel engine to aid in regeneration of the diesel particulate filter.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to transportation refrigeration systems. More specifically, the subject matter disclosed herein relates to filtering of exhaust gas from transportation refrigeration systems.
Fruits, vegetables and other perishable items, including meat, poultry and fish, fresh or frozen, are commonly transported in the cargo box of a truck or trailer, or in an intermodal container. Accordingly, it is customary to provide a transportation refrigeration system in operative association with the cargo box for cooling the atmosphere within the cargo box. The transport refrigeration system includes a refrigerant vapor compression system, also referred to as a transport refrigeration unit, and an on-board power unit. The refrigerant vapor compression system typically includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device and an evaporator serially connected by refrigerant lines in a closed refrigerant circuit in accord with known refrigerant vapor compression cycles. The power unit includes an engine, typically diesel powered.
The diesel engine, however, produces harmful soot particles that are removed from the exhaust stream via a diesel particulate filter (DPF). The filter is periodically regenerated, removing the accumulated soot particles from the filter, either via passive or active means. Passive means using the diesel engine exhaust temperature with a catalyst added to the exhaust stream to raise the exhaust gas temperature to combust the soot particles. Active means using the passive system with the addition of injecting added fuel into the exhaust stream, where the added fuel is oxidized by the catalyst to raise the exhaust gas temperature to combust the soot particles.
Transportation refrigeration systems often operate at low speeds and low loads, which results in exhaust temperature below the catalyst activation temperature, the point at which the catalyst will oxidize hydro carbons. During such conditions, the DPF will not successfully passively or actively regenerate.

Diesel engine powered transportation refrigeration system


In a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the same according to the present invention, each of electrode pads on a semiconductor chip is bonded to an inner lead section of each of leads of a carrier tape by a connecting electrode. An insulating film of the carrier tape is then adhered to the surface of the semiconductor chip by interposing an adhesive layer between them. Thus, the electrode pads and inner lead sections are stably bonded, and the flatness of the carrier tape is maintained by the flatness of the surface of the semiconductor chip. It is thus possible to prevent the flatness of the outer lead sections of the leads from being degraded when the number of leads is small, and to improve in mounting the semiconductor chip by reflow soldering.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device formed by mounting a semiconductor chip on a lead frame and a method for manufacturing the same and, more particularly, to a TCP (tape carrier package) type semiconductor device which is improved in mounting on a printed circuit board by reflow soldering.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 1, a TCP type semiconductor device is sealed by applying liquid resin 3 to a region containing leads (inner lead sections) 2 above a semiconductor chip 1 after ILB (inner lead bonding) is executed and then curing the resin 3 by heat treatment. This method enables the semiconductor device to be thinned greatly.
A carrier tape used in the TCP type semiconductor device is called a TAB (tape automated bonding) tape (TAB type lead frame). The carrier tape is constituted as follows. Copper foil is laminated on an insulating film of polyimide or the like and then photoetched to form leads each having an inner lead section and an outer lead section (wiring pattern). The carrier tape having such a constitution is generally flexible and suitable for mounting a semiconductor device on a printed circuit board.
Since, however, the carrier tape is easy to be bent or distorted, its flatness is difficult to maintain. If the bend or distortion of the carrier tape adversely affects the flatness of the outer lead sections, no semiconductor device can be mounted stably. If the flatness of the outer lead sections is lost, it becomes more difficult to mount the semiconductor device on a printed circuit board by reflow soldering, resulting in failure in mounting.
To cope with the above problem, for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 3-125440 discloses securing the flatness of a carrier tape by providing the carrier tape with a reinforcing plate. However, in the ILB of the TCP type semiconductor device described above, connecting electrodes 4 such as gold bumps are formed on the electrode pads of the semiconductor chip 1, and the inner lead sections of the leads 2 of the carrier tape are bonded to the connecting electrodes 4 by thermocompression bonding. For this reason, they can be bonded in a relatively stable state when the number of leads 2 is large, but they cannot be bonded stably when the number is small. If the bonding is unstable, the connecting electrodes 4 come off, or the flatness of the carrier tape cannot be maintained.

Method for manufacturing a semiconductor device wherein a semiconductor chip is mounted on a lead frame


A device for generating information representing a condition of an automatic door includes an accelerometer including at least one internal buffer and a control unit including at least one processor and at least one memory. The accelerometer is configured to obtain and buffer at least one acceleration value representing acceleration of the automatic door. The at least one processor is configured to cause the control unit at least to read and store the obtained at least one acceleration value from the internal buffer of the accelerometer, and generate at least one piece of information representing the condition of the automatic door for communicating the generated at least one piece of information to an external server. A system and a method for generating information representing a condition of an automatic door are also disclosed.

Automatic doors may be used in a variety of environments, such as in elevators and in buildings. The automatic door refers to door solutions in which the door is configured to be operated without specific action by a user of a door. Information about the condition of an automatic door, such as state, movement, and/or existence of a defect of the automatic door, is important for many reasons, for example for safety reasons. The information about the condition of the automatic gives advantageous information about the operation of the door.
According to known solutions the information about the condition of the automatic door may be obtained substantially accurately from the control system of the door. For example in an elevator environment, the information about the condition of the door may be obtained from the elevator control system. However, if the access to the control system of the door is blocked or some other way unavailable for example due to unknown interface or protocol, the information about the condition of the door cannot be obtained from the control system of the door. In that case other solutions for obtaining the information need to be found.
Hence, there is need to develop further solutions to obtain information about the condition of the automatic door, especially when the access to the door control unit is unavailable.

Device, system, and method for generating information representing a condition of an automatic door


A control device includes a holder, a sleeve, a detecting module, and a positioning mechanism. The holder defines an accommodation chamber. The sleeve is sleeved onto the holder, wherein the sleeve is rotatable and movable on the holder. The detecting module is accommodated within the accommodation chamber for detecting a rotation and a translational movement of the sleeve. The positioning mechanism includes a positioning part and a transmission member. The positioning part is located at a side of the holder. The transmission member is connected with the holder and disposed on the positioning part. When the holder generates a first vertical displacement relative to the positioning part, the transmission member generates a second vertical displacement relative to the positioning part synchronously in response to the first vertical displacement of the holder.

Following fast development of modern technology and the electronic industry, many kinds of consumer electronics, such as computer, mobile telephone, digital camera, personal digital assistant and etc., have entered into our daily life. Further, following popularization of network, people may use the internet to search for information on the World Wide Web. Through the internet, people can watch online favorite movies, TV shows, cartoons, music videos and much more. Through the internet, people can also play web games and online games, send e-mails, go online shopping, make a subscription or online payment, or transfer money.
Further, a computer has multiple functions, bringing convenience to the user. Further, a computer may be equipped with a keyboard and/or mouse for controlling a cursor on a display screen. When operating a computer mouse, a user may rest the wrist of the hand on the desk or a mouse pad and then move the computer mouse or click the button of the computer mouse with the fingers. However, when going to move the computer mouse over a big area, the user must lift the wrist from the desk or mouse pad. Excessive or improper use of a computer may cause pain in the wrist (the so-called carpal tunnel syndrome).
In order to eliminate this problem, wrist rests are created. A wrist rest is a device used to support the wrist while typing or when using a computer mouse. However, leaning the wrists on a wrist rest for long periods can put a lot of pressure on the undersides of the wrists. This may cause carpal tunnel syndrome to develop. Actually, a wrist rest does help align the user's hands and wrists while using the mouse. Further, an improperly used wrist rest may actually cause more repetitive stress injuries for those who mouse for extended periods of time.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an orthopedically engineered cursor control device that eliminates the aforesaid problems.


A sewing machine in combination with a workpiece control and advancing mechanism for automatically forming a coverstitch over an existing overedge stitch. The workpiece control and advancing mechanism includes an edge sensor and an edge guider and a feed roller for stretching the garment to place the garment in a condition that it can be automatically processed.

This invention relates to a machine and method for automatically applying a coverstitch or topstitch over an overedge stitch that has been applied to a circular part of a garments such as the rib knit waist bands on a fleece sweat shirts. This coverstitch can also be applied over an overedge stitch on neck collars on both knit and fleece garments and sleeve arm holes on knit or fleece garments. The appearance of the overedge stitch on the outside of a garment is greatly enhanced by a coverstitch or topstitch. The coverstitch or topstitch also smooths out and reduces the height of the bulky overedge seam on the underside of the garment, thus adding to the comfort and quality of the garment. The coverstitch or topstitch of course also increases the strength and endurance of the seam connecting the garment pieces. The application of a coverstitch or topstitch has in the past been done manually by skilled sewing machine operators using machines to which has special coverstitch sewing parts were added. In this manual operation after the presser foot is lowered and sewing commences, the operator must carefully guide the overedge stitch throughout the entire sewing cycle to assure that the seam is always properly aligned. The manual operation is not ergonomically acceptable, is tedious and difficult even for experienced operators and of course add considerable cost to the production of quality garments.
The manual operation requires the operator to slow down the stitching speed as the end of sew approaches so that stitching can be stopped at the beginning of the seam and prevent excessive over-stitching. This slows the manual operation.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a machine that automatically guides a garment, having a circular overedge seam attaching pieces such as the waist bands on the bottom edge of the shirt body, while applying a coverstitch over the circular overedge seam.

Automatic coverstitch on circular garment bands


A device for applying drywall texture material to a surface is provided. The device generally comprises a hollow tube for holding drywall joint compound, a spray nozzle with a removably attached air hose, a piston, and a ramrod. The device allows users to easily apply drywall joint compound to a surface to create various surface textures.

Drywall joint compound has long been used in building construction to create various surface textures on ceilings and walls. Different drywall textures, such as orange peel, knockdown, or stucco, provide different aesthetic and acoustic effects. Devices and apparatuses for applying drywall joint compound, also known as "drywall mud," exist in the prior art. These devices typically mix drywall texture material and water to form drywall mud and then mix the mud with a stream of compressed air, which forces the mud out of a nozzle onto the surface to be coated. Other devices exist that utilize pre-mixed drywall mud.
Drywall texture application devices are commonly designed for commercial uses including, for example, applying texture to large surface areas such as building interior and exterior walls. These devices are typically mounted on a vehicle bed or towed as a trailer. Such devices tend to be costly and require extensive training in order to be used safely, making them impractical for personal use. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a device that allows an untrained individual to safely and easily apply drywall joint compound to a surface to create a desired drywall texture.
Portable drywall sprayers known as hoppers that feeds texture material to an attached spray gun. These devices typically rely on gravity to feed drywall mud vertically from the hopper to the spray nozzle. Consequently, this and similar devices are difficult to use for coating ceilings and other overhead surfaces because tilting the hopper horizontally interrupts the flow of texture material to the spray gun. It is therefore desired to provide a device that can be easily filled with drywall joint compound and can be used to apply texture to ceilings and other overhead surfaces.
Other types of drywall texture devices exist in the art, including shoulder-mounted texture sprayers. Such devices tend to be unwieldy and cause difficulty when applying texture to ceilings or other overhead surfaces. Another drawback of this and other similar devices is that they utilize an inflatable bag to move drywall mud to a spray gun, which is prone to rupture and may cause the device to fail. Therefore, it is desired to provide a handheld drywall texture application device with minimal mechanical elements that is designed such that it can be easily and comfortably used to apply texture to ceilings and other overhead surfaces.
There exists portable drywall application devices in the prior art that allow users to customize the texture pattern by changing the rate of the compressed air flow. However, there are many commonly used drywall texture patterns, such as knockdown, orange peel, and stucco. Whether freshly applying a particular texture or matching a texture for patch jobs, calibrating the device requires a trial and error process. Therefore, a device that can accommodate a plurality of nozzle fittings, each of which provides a particular texture pattern, is desired.
In view of the above recognized problems, therefore, it is desired to provide a handheld drywall texture application device that is both safe and easy for personal use that can be used to apply drywall texture to any surface.


Apparatuses and methods for joining structural members. In one embodiment, an apparatus for joining a first member to a second member includes a first part and a second part configured to be engaged with and bonded to the first part. In one aspect of this embodiment, the first part includes a first surface facing a first direction, a second surface facing a second direction different than the first direction, a first recess at least proximate to the first surface, and a second recess at least proximate to the second surface. In another aspect of this embodiment, the second part includes a third surface facing a third direction, a fourth surface facing a fourth direction different than the third direction, a first protuberance at least proximate to the third surface, and a second protuberance at least proximate to the fourth surface. In yet another aspect of this embodiment, the first protuberance is configured to be received by the first recess, and the second protuberance is configured to be received by the second recess, when the second part is engaged with the first part to join the structural members.

Composite materials, such as graphite-epoxy, have been used in the manufacture of aircraft structures for many years because they have high strength-to-weight ratios. Initially, only lightly loaded or non-critical parts were manufactured from composite materials. As the technology advanced, however, a greater percentage of aircraft parts, including critical structural members, were manufactured from composite materials.
In contrast to metallic materials which are typically joined using fasteners such as bolts or rivets, composite materials are typically joined using adhesives. As a result, elaborate tooling is often required during the assembly of composite parts to hold the parts in their respective positions while the adhesive cures. The costs associated with this tooling can be substantial for large aircraft structures that must be accurately positioned.
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art joining apparatus 110 for joining a wing rib panel 102 to a wing skin panel 101. The joining apparatus 110 includes a base 112 and first and second flanges 114 and 116, respectively, projecting outwardly from the base 112 to form a gap 115. The wing rib panel 102 has a thickness 117 and is positioned in the gap 115 between the first and second flanges 114 and 116. The wing rib panel 102 is bonded to the joining apparatus 110 with a generous amount of adhesive 118. The wing skin panel 101 is positioned adjacent to the outer surface of the base 112, and is bonded to the joining apparatus 110 with a layer of adhesive.
As shown in FIG. 1, the gap 115 is significantly wider than the wing rib thickness 117 to provide a considerable clearance between the wing rib panel 102 and the joining apparatus 110. This clearance is provided for a number of reasons. One reason is to prevent the adhesive 118 from being scraped off of the sides of the wing rib panel 102 as the wing rib panel 102 is inserted into the gap 115 during assembly. Another reason is to provide a path for excess adhesive 118 to escape as the wing rib panel 102 is inserted into the gap 115. Without this escape path, it may be difficult to fully insert the wing rib panel 102 into the gap 115 when the gap 115 is filled with the adhesive 118. Because of the large clearance between the wing rib panel 102 and the gap 115, tooling (not shown) is generally required to hold the wing rib panel 102 in the correct position relative to the wing skin panel 101 while the adhesive 118 cures.
There are a number of shortcomings associated with the joining apparatus 110 described above. For example, one shortcoming is the complex tooling that may be required when the joining apparatus 110 is utilized on large structures, such as aircraft wings having multiple wing rib panels 102 bonded to the wing skin panel 101. Such tooling may include, for example, multiple sub-fixtures, each configured to hold an individual wing rib panel 102 in its correct position relative to the wing skin panel 101. As mentioned above, the costs associated with this tooling can be substantial.
Another shortcoming of the joining apparatus 110 is the lack of bond pressure exerted on the adhesive 118 between the wing rib panel 102 and the first and second flanges 114 and 116 during curing, as a result of the oversized gap 115. Bond pressure can be a significant factor in developing sufficient bond-line strength. Accordingly, the bond-line that develops between the wing rib panel 102 and the joining apparatus 110 may not be as strong as it could be had sufficient bond pressure been applied. As a result, a design utilizing the joining apparatus 110 may have to provide more bond area than would otherwise be required to adequately join the wing rib panel 102 to the wing skin panel 101. This additional bond area can increase airframe weight and/or decrease aircraft performance.

Apparatuses and methods for joining structural members, such as composite structural members


An image enhancement system that efficiently enhances gray scale images, wherein an analog scene is captured and a resulting analog signal is digitized to a raw gray scale image S. Image S is divided into M disjoint non-empty regions R.sub.1 . . . R.sub.M, where S.sub.i identifies region R.sub.i of S. The raw digitized signal S.sub.i is processed in accordance with an enhancement algorithm to obtain a set of enhancement parameters (offsets P.sub.i =(s.sub.ai, s.sub.bi) and weights (w.sub.i)). Digital offsets P.sub.i =(s.sub.ai, s.sub.bi) are converted to analog offsets Q.sub.i =(v.sub.ai, v.sub.bi). The analog signal is stretched and clipped and converted to a digital signal that is an enhanced image signal T.sub.i. The enhanced image signal is multiplied by weight w.sub.i to obtain the final enhanced image U.sub.i. Image U.sub.i forms the region R.sub.i of a final enhanced image U. The multiplied signals are summed to produce an enhanced summed image of the scene.

Imagery is the pictorial or graphical representation of a subject by sensing quantitatively the patterns of electromagnetic radiation emitted by, reflected from, or transmitted through a scene of interest. Basically there are two types of imagery, chemical and electronic.
Chemical imagery or traditional photography relies on the interaction between exposing light from a scene on a photosensitive material in such a manner as ultimately to render visible an image of the incident light exposure distribution. The interaction is between the individual exposure photons of light and the photosensitive elements of the photosensitive material. The resulting image is composed of microscopic picture elements corresponding in position to those photosensitive elements that have received adequate exposure.
Electronic imagery utilizes the sensitivity of various electronic sensors to different bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. The energy received by the sensors is transduced into an electronic signal or electrical effect so that the signal or effect may be processed to display the sensed information. The most common forms of electronic imagery are: television cameras, electronic still cameras, and charge coupled devices, etc. The raw information that makes up the electronic image is in the form of pixels. In a digitized picture a pixel is one of the dots or resolution elements making up the picture.
A picture is not always a satisfactory representation of the original object or scene. The picture may have a poorly chosen gray scale, i.e., it may be overexposed or underexposed. The picture may also be geometrically distorted, or the picture may be blurred or noisy. Image enhancement is the process by which a scene, or one or more portions of a scene, are enhanced so that the scene has more detail or that the scene is more visually appealing and/or contain additional information. The foregoing process is often used to increase the usefulness of microscopy pictures, satellite pictures or reconnaissance pictures. Image enhancement involves the reworking of the raw data after the data has been received. Electronic manipulation of the received data can increase or decrease emphasis, extract data selectively from the total received data, and examine data characteristics that would not show up by normal imagery.
The pixels can be measured one at a time at a rapid rate of speed for brightness and other quantities and over a wide scale of selections. For example, black may equal zero, medium gray may equal 128, and white may equal 255 so that groupings of input information can be made to provide better contrast in pattern and blackness, when the information is regrouped and reassembled for display. Computers have been utilized to process the pixels and enhance the image.
One of the methods utilized by the prior art to enhance images was contrast enhancement. Contrast enhancement transformed every pixel in the image by a continuous or discontinuous function into a new enhanced image. This caused the stetching or compression of contrast of the image.
Another method utilized by the prior art to enhance images was histogram transformation. The histogram transformation constructed a transfer function from the raw gray scale image to the enhanced image.
One of the disadvantages of the contrast enhancement and histogram transformation methods was that the aforementioned methods required computations for every pixel in the gray scale image. Thus, for normal images, e.g., 512 pixels by 480 pixels a large amount of computations are required. This necessitated the use of expensive custom hardware in order to obtain high computation speeds.
Another disadvantage of the prior art is that most image enhancement techniques do not supply feedback to inform the user of the system that different enhancement results may be obtained under different imaging conditions.
An additional disadvantage of the prior art was that some image enhancement techniques do not allow the user to choose gray scale values over different regions of the image.

Methods and apparatus for enhancing gray scale images


A system and method is disclosed for synchronizing a plurality of processors in a processor array. The system and method synchronizes data communications between the processors by regulating memory access of the processors to memory bytes of an asynchronous variable memory. Each memory byte in the asynchronous variable memory is a “read full and write empty” memory byte. Except for a system processor, each processor in the process array can only write data to an empty memory byte and can only read data from a full memory byte. The processors are prevented from untimely overwriting data and from untimely reading data. This keeps the data communications between the processors properly synchronized.

The explosive growth of Internet traffic has been caused by the increased number of Internet users, various service demands from those users, the implementation of new services, such as voice-over-IP (VoIP) or streaming applications, and the development of mobile Internet. Conventional routers, which act as relaying nodes connected to subnetworks or other routers, have accomplished their roles well, in situations in which the time required to process packets, determine their destinations, and forward the packets to the destinations is usually smaller than the transmission time on network paths. More recently, however, the packet transmission capabilities of high-bandwidth network paths and the increases in Internet traffic have combined to outpace the processing capacities of conventional routers. Thus, routers are increasingly blamed for major bottlenecks in the Internet.
Early routers were implemented on a computer host so that the CPU of the host performed all managerial tasks, such as packet forwarding via a shared bus and routing table computation. This plain architecture proved to be inefficient, due to the concentrated overhead of the CPU and the existence of congestion on the bus. As a result, router vendors developed distributed router architectures that provide efficient packet processing compared to a centralized architecture. In a distributed router architecture, many of the functions previously performed by the centralized CPU are distributed to the line cards and the shared bus is replaced by a high-speed crossbar switch.
FIG. 1 illustrates distributed router 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the prior art. Distributed router 100 interfaces with different types of networks, including optical networks (OC-192), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks, and Gigabit Ethernet, among others. Distributed router 100 comprises line card modules (LCMS) 111-113, switch fabric 130, routing processor 140, and line card modules (LCMS) 151-153. LCM 111, LCM 112, and LCM 113 contain forwarding table (FT) 121, forwarding table (FT) 122, and forwarding table (FT) 123, respectively. Similarly, LCM 151, LCM 152, and LCM 153 contain forwarding table (FT) 161, forwarding table (FT) 162, and forwarding table (FT) 163, respectively.
Packets coming from adjacent router(s) or subnetworks are received by line card modules 111-113 and line card modules 151-153 and sent to switch fabric 130. Switch fabric 130 switches packets coming from or going to line card modules 111-113 and 151-153 and plays an essential role in relaying packets.
Routing processor 140 builds routing table 141 and maintains the current status of routing table 141 by updating changed routes immediately. Routing processor 140 maintains routing table 141 by running a routing protocol, such as Routing Information Protocol (RIP), Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), or Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). Forwarding tables 121-123 and forwarding tables 161-163 support an efficient lookup in each line card and are downloaded from routing table 141 of routing processor 140. If an incoming packet from a line card module cannot find its destination path from the forwarding table, the corresponding packet may be passed through switch fabric 130 toward a pre-defined default route, or may be silently discarded at the line card.
The main reason for router manufacturers to favor distributed architecture is the simplicity of using a centralized processor to manage one routing table in a consistent way. On the other hand, although the separation of routing and forwarding functions enables high-speed packet processing, the introduction of QoS-capable routing service and the route delays caused by network instability demand even greater packet processing capacity, thereby resulting in additional overhead for the routing processor or instability in the router itself.
A large number of small routers can operate in concert (i.e., in parallel) if an efficient set of interoperability rules is established. The industry has avoided this coordination problem by using a single routing server to handle the routing problems. Therefore, it bounds both the scale of the router and its maximum performance to the scale of available microprocessor processing capacity. Another approach to the problem uses a massively parallel router has a distributed architecture that implements an efficient packet routing protocol without bounding the router and its maximum performance to the scale of available microprocessor processing capacity.
A massively parallel router comprises a plurality of input-output processor units. An input-output processor unit is an example of a device that comprises a plurality of individual processors coupled together in a processor array. In order to efficiently operate an input-output processor unit it is necessary to synchronize the operation of each of the individual processors within the processor array.
Prior art methods of synchronizing operations between individual processors in processor array typically have involved the steps of exchanging state information and utilizing specialized multiprocessor locking mechanisms. A major disadvantage of the prior art techniques is the complications that are introduced into the operation software.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for an improved system and method for synchronizing the operation of a plurality of processors within a processor array. In particular, there is a need in the art for an improved system and method for synchronizing the operation of a plurality of processors within an input-output processor unit of a parallel router system.

System and method for synchronizing a plurality of processors in a processor array


This invention discloses a narrow field of view scanner (10) incorporating two multi-faceted polygon scanning wheels (12, 16) having a slightly different number of facets (14, 18). Each scanning wheel (12, 16) turns at an angular rate such that a facet (14) on one wheel (12) rotates through a predetermined field of view at the same rate as a facet (18) on the other wheel (16). Further, each of the scanning wheels (12, 16) scan in opposite scanning directions. This does not necessarily mean, however, that the wheels are actually rotating in opposite directions. Because both of the scanning wheels (12, 16) are scanning in opposite directions, the scanning of one scanning wheel (16) substantially cancels the scanning of the other scanning wheel (12). Because of the difference in the number of facets (14, 18) between the two scanning wheels (12, 16), the scanning is not entirely cancel out. By this configuration, a dual multi-faceted scanning wheel can scan a much narrower field of view which could be scanned by a single scanning wheel having the same number of facets. The scanning wheels (42, 44) can be configured relative to each other in a variety of different manners, including rotating about a common axis, to satisfy specific design and space requirements of a scanning system.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to a scanning device, and more specifically, to a narrow field of view scanning device incorporating two multi-faceted polygon scanning wheels.
2. Discussion
Certain image acquisition systems, such as an integrated forward looking infrared (FLIR) laser radar imaging system, develop an image by collecting an incident radiation beam from a particular scene. To develop the image of the scene, a means to repeatedly scan the scene is included such that the image is developed by a line by line acquisition. It may be desirable to scan a small area, such as a target location, of a larger scene to isolate or detail certain areas of the scene. In view of this, scene images having widely varying sizes are desirable. The size or magnification of the image, defined as the field of view, therefore is varied from one application to another. Consequently, certain design requirements for scanning which acquires a small field of view are different than the requirements for other, larger fields of view.
Most prior art scanning systems incorporate a multi-faceted polygon scanning wheel which rotates at an appropriate rate to scan, and thus, develop an image of a particular scene in a line by line fashion. As the scanning wheel is rotated, a light beam directed onto the multi-faceted wheel is scanned across the scene and a return beam reflected from the scene is directed back through the system. The return beam from the scene impinges on a facet of the multi-faceted wheel through an appropriately configured aperture, and the beam is reflected off of the facet and directed to other appropriate system components to develop the image.
Each time an edge portion between one facet of the multi-faceted scanning wheel and an adjoining facet is rotated across the incident beam from a particular area of the scene, the image is not being fully developed since the full beam needs to be in contact with the facet to develop a clean image. In other words, the image quickly deteriorates when the beam hits the edge of a facet. Since the size of a facet of a multi-faceted wheel determines the size of the field of view, the more facets a wheel has the narrower the field of view of the scanning system. Accordingly, the more facets there are the more times the beam will impinge on the edge portions between adjoining facets. Since this represents downtime of the image acquisition, narrow field of view scanners are incorporated at the expense of time of acquisition.
Servo-driven oscillating mirrors offer an alternative to the multi-faceted scanning wheel. In an oscillating mirror a single faced mirror is oscillated at a predetermined rate such that the desired image is scanned accordingly. The degree of oscillation determines the field of view. However, certain alignment and physical requirements provide that an oscillating mirror cannot scan a particular analogous scene as fast as a multi-faceted scanning wheel can.
What is needed then is a narrow field of view scanning wheel which does not suffer the drawbacks of the downtime of the prior art multi-faceted scanning wheels. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a scanning wheel.


Device for harvesting direct sunlight, transmitting diffuse sunlight and for scattering light from a light source to provide illumination, including: a receiving layer including at least one solar energy collector and at least one light source; at least one optical component disposed on a first side of the receiving layer, the optical component including at least one plano-convex refracting element; a second optical component disposed on a second side of the receiving layer, the second optical component comprising at least one optical element; wherein the at least one plano-convex element is positioned to receive direct light and refract it towards the at least one optical element of the second optical component, and wherein the optical element is positioned to reflect light towards the solar energy collector; wherein the at least one optical element is positioned to refract and emit indirect light impinging thereon towards the exterior of the apparatus.

In the field of solar energy, conventional photovoltaic panels are used to generate electricity from sunlight. Conventional photovoltaic panels consist of arrays of photovoltaic cells, with each cell consisting of a semiconductor (e.g. monocrystalline silicon or polycrystalline silicon) substrate. The photovoltaic cells collect the solar energy and convert the solar energy into an electric current, where the power output from such conventional photovoltaic panels is a direct function of the total substrate area of the array. As a result, sizeable arrays of large, expensive semiconductor substrates are typically needed to generate sufficient electrical output.
There has been research and product development for many alternative methods of harvesting the energy from the sun to produce electric energy. In the field of concentrated photovoltaics (CPV), the need for large semiconductor substrates can be substantially reduced by concentrating solar light with optical elements, such as lenses and reflectors. The optical elements collect light over a wide surface area and direct the light towards a photovoltaic cell of substantially smaller surface area. The optical elements can be made of inexpensive materials such as glass or polymers to achieve competitive prices, and the photovoltaic cell is typically a high efficiency multi-junction cell for improving efficiency.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0271776 A1 to Morgan describes a solar energy system that uses a light-guide solar panel (LGSP) to trap light inside a transparent panel and propagate the light to one of the panel edges for harvesting by a solar energy collector such as a photovoltaic cell. This technology eliminates the depth requirements inherent in traditional concentrated photovoltaic solar energy systems.
It has long been considered desirable to integrate photovoltaic technology into commercial and residential buildings, however, to date, such systems have been generally limited to conventional PV systems, which absorb or block all incoming direct and diffuse light.
Since CPV systems can be made of transparent materials, capable of transmitting diffuse light to the inside of a building, it is desirable to develop a system which would could be used in construction and placed over windows, for example, to allow diffuse light to enter, while direct sunlight is concentrated by the panels. It is also desirable to integrate illumination capabilities into these panels, such that they can act as illumination systems when there is no sunlight. It is therefore an object at least to provide a novel concentrated photovoltaic and illumination panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,151,879 to Boer et al. describes a building-integrated photovoltaic system having a cylindrical lens array used in combination with strip solar cells and lateral displacement tracking systems, permitting diffuse light to pass through to the interior of the building, where the strip solar cells may absorb direct light and convert it to electricity. The system described by Boer uses optics lenses that focus light directly onto the strip solar cells, adding the requirement of a frame to hold the components apart from each other such that the solar strips are positioned at the depth of the focus of the lenses.
Improvements are generally desired, as well as useful integration of illumination technology with scattering optics. It is therefore an object at least to provide a novel concentration photovoltaic and illumination panel.

Solar concentrator and illumination apparatus


In a system for treating object surfaces, a first and a second object hanger, each comprising a plate and a shaft, are mounted upon an object such as a door that requires a surface treatment such as painting. The mounted object hangers may be placed into supporting braces on a treatment apparatus, whereupon the object can be rotated into a desired position. A positioning attachment upon each supporting brace selectively maintains the object in the desired position. Following surface treatment, the mounted object hangers may be placed into storage braces on a storage apparatus, such that any treated object surfaces may dry or cure. One storage brace includes an anchoring insert, which keeps an object hanger, and hence the object attached thereto, in a predetermined position. The storage apparatus may accommodate multiple objects in a side-by-side manner.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to a system for holding an object while it is being painted, and more particularly to a system and process for effectively coating and storing a set of objects.
2. Description of the Related Art
Over the years, several techniques have been used to apply a protective or appearance coating or surface treatment to a door. For a homeowner, the technique typically involves using a brush or roller to apply a treatment coating to a door while it remains on hinges. Although this technique prevents the backbreaking task of removing and transporting the door, it does involve the time consuming task of masking and covering a portion of the room surrounding the door. In turn, because a treatment coating may have an unpleasant odor and require a prolonged period of time to cure and set, the homeowner may need to leave the room or worry about others touching the door for hours after the treatment has been applied.
When multiple doors, shutters, or other objects require surface treatments, which is usually the case at construction sites, the above method is not practical because numerous workers may continually move in and out of any or all rooms at the site. Consequently, a current method used for the treatment of multiple objects involves leaning the objects against various walls of a large room, such as a garage, and applying the treatment coating to a first side. The doors are left leaning against the wall while the treated side cures and sets, after which the other side is treated.
Although this method preoccupies only one room for the duration of the treatment, curing and setting process, and allows the painter to use a spray gun to expedite the treatment process, it clutters the room with multiple doors. In turn, these precariously standing doors occupy a significant amount of space. As a result, various forgetful individuals may pass by and accidentally graze or brush against one of the doors, possibly creating a domino effect relative to other treated doors, thereby undesirably forcing a worker to repeat the treatment process.
To expedite the application of a treatment coating to an object, various systems have been introduced. In general, these systems vertically position a door in an apparatus that allows the door to rotate. With this method, both sides of the door can be treated without having to wait for the other side to dry. However, these systems are cumbersome and typically quite expensive. Unless several such systems are present, a worker must undesirably wait for the treatment to cure and set before another door can be treated.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.
The present invention comprises a system and method for treating object surfaces. In the context of the present invention, an object may be a piece of lumber, a door, a shutter, a window frame, or a similar structure that requires one or more surface treatments such as painting. The system comprises a first object hanger that is mounted to a first end of an object; a second object hanger mounted to a second end of the object; a treatment apparatus; and a storage apparatus. An object hanger comprises a plate upon which a shaft is centrally seated. The plate includes holes that facilitate attachment of the object hanger to the object via screws or other types of fasteners or securing devices. The shaft includes a first and a second recessed channel that are preferably offset toward the plate relative to the midpoint of the shaft""s length, and which form a pinch width smaller than the shaft""s diameter.
The treatment apparatus serves as a station that holds an object in a horizontal position, while allowing the object to be selectively rotated about an axis that extends from the shaft of the first object hanger to that of the second object hanger. The object may be securely positioned in any desired rotational orientation about this axis, thereby facilitating easy application of treatments to particular object surfaces.
The treatment apparatus comprises a first and a second stand, each of which includes a supporting brace. The supporting brace comprises an L-shaped bar having a cutout portion. A supporting insert fits into the cutout portion. The supporting insert includes a U-shaped recess capable of receiving and cradling an object hanger""s shaft. The treatment apparatus further comprises a positioning attachment that mounts to each supporting brace. The positioning attachment comprises an L-shaped bar and a snug screw. The positioning attachment""s L-shaped bar includes a threaded opening into which the snug screw is inserted. Tightening the snug screw past a certain point causes the end of the snug screw to firmly press against the shaft of an object hanger cradled in the supporting brace.
When an object hanger""s shaft is placed in the supporting insert""s U-shaped recess, the shaft, and hence the object, may be easily rotated 360 degrees as long as the snug screw has not been tightened against the shaft. Once the snug screw has been tightened to an extent that it firmly presses against the shaft, the object hanger, and hence the object, are maintained in a fixed position. By loosening and then retightening the snug screw, a user or worker may reposition the object in the treatment apparatus as desired, thereby facilitating easy application of treatments to the object""s surfaces.
The storage apparatus serves as a station at which multiple objects may be stored in close proximity in a side-by-side manner. Each object may be placed in the storage apparatus immediately following surface treatment, such that the surfaces of multiple objects may be simultaneously drying or curing while the objects reside in the storage apparatus.
The storage apparatus comprises a first and second stand. The first stand includes a storage anchoring brace, which comprises an L-shaped bar having at least one cutout portion and a set of anchoring inserts. Each anchoring insert fits into a cutout portion, and includes an anchoring recess. The anchoring recess is shaped to fit an object hanger shaft""s pinch width, and hence the anchoring recess is narrower than the diameter of the shaft.
The second stand includes a storage support brace, which comprises an L-shaped bar having at least one cutout portion, and a set of supporting inserts of the type previously described. Each supporting insert fits into one of the storage support brace""s cutout portions.
To place an object in the storage apparatus, the user positions one object hanger shaft in the supporting insert of the storage support brace and the other object hanger shaft in the storage anchoring brace""s anchoring insert. The anchoring insert receives the portion of the object hanger shaft defined by the pinch width, and hence the object is securely held or maintained in a predetermined position in the storage apparatus. The storage apparatus allows multiple objects to dry or cure in a minimal amount of space, while securely isolating the objects from each other.

System and method for treating object surfaces


A semiconductor memory device includes a silicon chip and sub-arrays formed in the chip. In each of the sub-arrays, memory cells arranged in a matrix form, word lines provided for respective rows of each of the sub-arrays, and bit lines provided for respective columns of each of the sub-arrays are arranged. Further, in the chip, amplifier groups for amplifying data read out from the memory cells are arranged for the respective sub-arrays. Amplifiers connected to respective bit lines are provided in the amplifier groups and the amplifiers each have a function of continuously holding data read out from the memory cell.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a semiconductor memory device, and more particularly to the improvement of data access time.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a computer, the operation speed of a memory cannot follow the improvement of the operation speed of a central processing unit (CPU) and a difference between the operation speeds thereof tends to become larger. Therefore, it has been required to develop a memory having a shorter data access time.
A page mode is provided as an operation mode for enhancing the operation speed. The page mode is a method for designating a column address with one row address kept unchanged.
Since, in the page mode, one row is set in the selected state, data can be read out simply by designating a column address so that time required for row selection can be omitted and the data access time can be reduced.
However, in the page mode, only one row can be selected and requested data access is not always associated with the selected row. Therefore, each time a different row is selected, time from selection of the row until data is output from the memory becomes longer.
In the page mode, the probability (hit rate) that data access associated with the selected row is requested (this is hereinafter referred to as "hit") is low. Therefore, the average of data access times taken when data access to a row different from the selected row is requested (this is hereinafter referred to as "miss") and access times taken in the case of "hit", that is, the average of the total data access times becomes long, and as a result, the effect of reducing the data access time cannot be significantly improved.