Message sending can be performed quickly making efficient use of memory space. A class object C is obtained (110) from a specified receiver object. The class object C contains an instance variable pointing to a dispatch table for the class to obtain (120) a dispatch table D. From the code which is an argument of a vmicall instruction, a method M of the address stored in the entry of the code in the dispatch table is retrieved (130). The card which is the other argument of the vmicall instruction is compared (140) with the card number stored in the method M retrieved in step 130. If the card and the card number are not identical, the selector mismatch handler is invoked to locate the correct method to be invoked (150). Then, the method M is invoked (160). In the selector mismatch handler, it is determined whether the dispatch table D for the class C is the default one, and if it is the default dispatch table, the dispatch table for the class C is allocated. Then, the method corresponding to the class C and the card which is the argument of the selector mismatch handler is located, a new code is assigned to the selector of that method, and the address of the method M is stored in the entry of the newcode in the previously prepared dispatch table D. Finally, the method M is returned.

As a procedure call is a basic computing paradigm in a procedural language, a message sending is a basic computing paradigm in an object oriented language. Accordingly, to efficiently implement message sending is indispensable for efficiently implementing an object oriented language. However, in an object oriented language, a method invoked in the execution of a message sending varies depending on the class of the receiver object, and cannot be determined at compilation time. This is called dynamic binding of the method, and a task called a method lookup must be carried out at run time. Thus, the processing of message sending becomes heavy and produces a bottleneck in the execution performance.
A method lookup is to locate a method to be executed from a pair of a class (type) of a receiver object and a selector (the name of a method). One useful implementation method for method lookup is a dispatch table method. The basic idea of this method is that a method lookup is performed "in advance" for the possible combinations of classes and selectors and the results are stored in an array called a dispatch table, and the cost of the method lookup is the cost of the array reference.
Specifically, numbers are assigned to selectors, and a dispatch table is created for each class. For each selector s which a certain class C can understand, the corresponding method is looked up, and its address is stored in the entry of the CODE(s) in the dispatch table of the class C (CODE is a mapping from a selector set to a positive integer, and represents the numbering of selectors). For example, the address is stored in the header of an object so that the dispatch table is easily traced from the object. With this, an instruction in a high-level language for instructing the execution of a message sending substantially becomes the following pseudo C code.
(*receiver.fwdarw.dispatchTable[CODE(selector)])(receiver, arg1, arg2, . . . );
Thus, the method lookup results in array reference, and the cost of the message sending decreases to the cost of the array reference and indirect procedure call. This is equivalent to the cost of calling the virtual function of C**.
In a simple dispatch table method, a CODE function is used in which unique numbers are assigned to all the selectors. A class hierarchy as in FIG. 11 is taken by way of example. There are six different selectors as a whole, and eight methods are defined in four classes. In FIG. 11, on the right to the node corresponding to a class, the selectors of the method defined in that class are written. FIG. 12 shows an example of the dispatch tables and the numbering of selectors in the simple method which are created in the case of a class hierarchy such as in FIG. 11.
Taking the memory efficiency of the simple method, dispatch tables having a size of the number of selectors exist by the number of classes. If the size of an entry of a dispatch table is assumed to be four bytes, the memory consumption of the example of FIG. 11 is 6.times.4.times.4 bytes=96 bytes. Although it seems that the example of FIG. 11 has no problem with the simple method, it is not practical in view of the memory consumption as shown by Table 1 if applied to a vast commercial system.
TABLE 1 ______________________________________ Memory efficiency Number of Number of Consumption Filling System classes selectors (byte) rate (%) ______________________________________ A 1,356 10,051 54M 4.5 B 3,241 17,342 255M 1.0 C 1,956 13,474 80M 2.3 ______________________________________
A dispatch table is a so-called sparse array when applied to a large system such as a commercial system, and most of the entries are not used. That is, one class cannot understand all the selectors existing in a system, but can understand only a small subset of them. Accordingly, as shown in Table 1, the filling rate, namely, the proportion of the "memory consumption of the entries which are not empty" to the "memory consumption of a dispatch table" is several percent, which is very low.
In view of the foregoing, memory efficiency is subject to improvement, and several methods are actually proposed. Typical compression methods, such as row displacement and selector coloring are known.
The concept of the row displacement is that a plurality of sparse arrays are packed into one long array. For instance, the dispatch table in FIG. 12 are packed as shown in FIG. 13. The "Row displacement (for each class)" column in Table 2 shows the filling rate when the described simple method is applied to a commercial system and compression is performed by the row displacement.
TABLE 2 ______________________________________ Filling Rate (%) Selector Row displacement Row displacement coloring (for each System (for each class) (upper limit) selector) ______________________________________ A 50 42 99.8 B 55 43 99.7 C 55 57 99.7 ______________________________________
Selector coloring is based in the view that unique numbers need not be assigned to all the selectors. If two selectors are understood by the same class, it is said that the two selectors conflict, but it is only needed to assign a different number insofar as they conflict. The specific sequence of performing the numbering can be reduced to the so-called graph coloring problem. That is, the problem that a graph obtained by making nodes from selectors and drawing arcs between the conflicting selectors is colored with as small a number of colors as possible. The number assigned to a selector in this way is called the color or color number of the selector. An example of the coloring for the selectors in FIG. 11 and the dispatch tables formed according to it are shown in FIG. 14. (This coloring is actually optimal.)
In selector coloring, the size of a dispatch table is equal to the number of colors. And, the optimal number of colors is not smaller than the number of selectors which one class can understand. From this, the lower limit of the memory consumption and the upper limit of the filling rate can be determined. The limit of the filling rate is shown in the "Selector coloring (upper limit)" column in Table 2.
On the other hand, row displacement has a variation that can be called a change of concept. That is to assign numbers to classes and make a dispatch table for each selector, rather than to assign numbers to selectors and make a dispatch table for each class. The completed dispatch tables are also packed into one long array. As shown in the "Row displacement (for each selector)" column in Table 2, the filling rate increases to nearly 100% if this variation is applied to a commercial system. The reason for this is that the algorithm for packing used in the row displacement prefers many short arrays to a few long arrays. As apparent from the comparison between the number of classes and the number of selectors in Table 1, many short arrays are created if a dispatch table is made for each selector.
Three compression methods have been described above, but the problem with the dispatch table is that memory efficiency is not satisfactory even if the filling rate is 100%. Memory efficiency for a filling rate of 100% is shown in Table 3. If as a result the virtual image is increased by 50%, or it is not practical. (Smalltalk includes a virtual machine controlling the whole system in cooperation with hardware, and a virtual image including application programs and the like.)
TABLE 3 ______________________________________ Filling rate of 100% Size of Ratio to virtual image Memory consumption virtual image System (M bytes) (M bytes) (%) ______________________________________ A 3.81 3.10 81 B 7.12 7.69 108 C 4.77 2.47 52 ______________________________________
What is, the dispatch table method is excellent as an implementation method for message sending in the point of time efficiency, but still has problems with memory efficiency and it not considered to be practical.
To clarify the difference between the subject invention described below and background art, a problem in the use of a compression technique for the dispatch table method is described.
A phenomenon called selector mismatch occurs if row displacement or selector coloring is used, requiring action to be taken. Selector mismatch is described by an example of selector coloring. First, a message sending expression "aNumber quo: 7" is taken, which means that the message of a selector called quo: is sent to an object called aNumber with an argument of 7. If selector coloring is provided as shown in FIG. 14, the result of the compilation of this message sending expression is given as the following pseudo C code.
//The color number of quo is 3.
(*aNumber.fwdarw.dispatchTable[3])(aNumber,7)
If the variable aNumber "erroneously" points to a Collection object, the method of the do: selector is invoked even though the quo: selector cannot be understood in the Collection class. This is the selector mismatch phenomenon, which of course should not be overlooked. Countermeasures should be taken such as a technique of card number matching may be used. First, a unique number called a card number is assigned to each selector in addition to the color number, and the card number of the selector of a method is stored in the method. And, if a message sending occurs, the "card number of the selector in the message sending expression" is compared with the "card number of the selector of the method to be invoked." If card number matching is used, the result of the compilation of the above message sending expression is expressed by the following psuedo C code.
______________________________________ //the color number of quo: is 3, and the card number is 26. method = aNumber->dispatchTable[3]; if (method->selectorCard = = 26) (*method)(aNumber,7) else SelectorMismatchHandler(. . .); ______________________________________
The maintenance and management of the card number is not so expensive. For instance, it is possible that all the selectors are registered in a hash table called a selector table, and the index of this table is used as the card number. The size of the selector table is sufficient if it is about two times the number of the selectors.
The above described selector mismatch handler SelectorMismatchHandler generates an exception DoesNotUnderstand. However, no selector mismatch occurs unless a different object is indicated or some error occurs.
Further, a method close to the above described simple method is described in Published Unexamined Patent application No. 5-20082. Moreover, a description on limiting the number of the entries of a table used for message sending is contained in Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 6-214884.
However, such references do not describe a method for increasing memory efficiency while maintaining the time efficiency of the dispatch table method described above.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for increasing the memory efficiency in an object oriented program while maintaining the time efficiency of the dispatch table method.

Invoking a method in an object-oriented computer program

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention provides a control method for controlling of output of a constant voltage power source so that a current value detected by a current detect means becomes to a predetermined current value, by applying voltage from the constant voltage power source to a voltage applied member and by detecting current flowing the voltage applied member by the current detect means and by changing the voltage applied to the voltage applied member every certain voltage width, wherein the voltage width can be varied with a difference between the predetermined current value and the current value detected by the current detect means.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a constant-current control method for a constant voltage source and the like, and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a printer or a copying machine using such a constant-current control method.
2. Related Background Art
First of all, an example of a conventional constant-current control method in which a constant voltage source is used and the constant voltage source is controlled by a CPU so that detected current becomes a target current value will be explained with reference to FIG. 19. In this method, since the control is effected by the CPU with simple arrangement, control including both constant voltage and constant current can be effected, and a constant voltage value and a constant current value can freely be set so that fine control can be permitted. Thus, this method is suitable for an image forming apparatus and is particularly applied to high voltage control for an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
A matter 200 to which voltage is applied (referred to as "voltage applied matter" hereinafter) is connected to a constant voltage power source 210 and a current detect means 220 for detecting flowing current, and the power source 210 and the detect means 220 are connected to a CPU (control means) 230. When the voltage is applied from the constant voltage power source 210 to the voltage applied matter 200, a detection signal from the current detect means 220 is inputted to the CPU 230, and, on the basis of the inputted signal, the CPU 230 controls the constant voltage power source 210 so that the current becomes a predetermined current value.
The voltage applied matter 200 may, for example, be a first charge means, a developing means, a transfer means, a transfer material absorbing means or an electricity removing means of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
Next, the above control method will be fully described with reference to a flow chart shown in FIG. 20.
When the constant-current control is started to apply the voltage V to the voltage applied body 200 (step 1), a value of the current generated by the apply voltage is detected by the current detect means 220 and then is converted into an analogue signal of 5V which is in turn inputted to the CPU 230. The detection signal inputted to the CPU 230 is A/D-converted into 8-bit value (step 2).
A current value i obtained in this way is compared with a target current value i0 in the CPU 230 (step 3). If a difference (target current value-present current value) is positive (plus), a voltage value obtained by adding a predetermined voltage change width .DELTA.V to the present voltage value V is set (step 4), and, if the difference is zero, the present voltage value V is set as it is (step 5), and, if the difference is negative (minus), a voltage value obtained by subtracting a predetermined voltage change width .DELTA.V from the present voltage value V is set (step 6). After it is judged whether the control is finished or not (step 7), if negative, the constant voltage power source 210 applies the voltage V to the voltage applied matter 200 in accordance with the voltage value outputted from the CPU 230 (step 8). By repeating this operation, the current is converged to the target current value, thereby achieving the constant current control.
FIG. 22 schematically shows a photosensitive drum (image bearing member) 111 and a transfer device 115 of a full-color image forming apparatus using the above-mentioned conventional constant current control. Incidentally, in FIG. 22, process means for forming an image such as a charge device, an exposure device, a developing device (with yellow, cyan, magenta and black toners) and a transfer means are omitted from illustration.
Through the image forming processes such as charging, exposure and developing, a yellow toner image is formed on a surface of the photosensitive drum 111 rotated in a direction shown by the arrow R1.
The yellow toner image is transferred onto an intermediate transfer belt (intermediate transfer member) 115a of the transfer device 115. The intermediate transfer belt 115a mounted around rollers 115b, 115c and 115d is rotated in a direction shown by the arrow R5. By applying first transfer bias to a first transfer roller 115e, the yellow toner image on the photosensitive drum 111 is first-transferred at a first transfer nip T.sub.1. Similarly, a magenta toner image, a cyan toner image and a black toner image are successively formed on the photosensitive drum 111 and are successively first-transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 115a. As a result, four color toner images are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 115a. The four color toner images are secondary-transferred onto a transfer material P such as a paper sheet at a secondary transfer nip T.sub.2 by applying secondary transfer bias to a secondary transfer roller 115f from a constant voltage power source 210 by using the above-mentioned constant current control method.
After the secondary transferring, the transfer material P is sent to a fixing device (not shown), where the toner images are fixed to the transfer material. However, in the above-mentioned constant current control method, during the control, if a load is varied abruptly, there arises a problem that it takes a long time to converge the current to the target current value.
As shown in a graph in FIG. 21, although the converging time t depends upon the voltage change width .DELTA.V, if the voltage change width .DELTA.V is great, merely when the current is slightly deviated from the target current value, the voltage is greatly changed not to converge the current. Therefore, the voltage change width .DELTA.V must be small, with the result that, if the load is varied abruptly, it takes a long time to converge the current to the target current value.
Further, if noise is generated in the current detection signal inputted from the current detect means 220 to the CPU 230 to vibrate the current detection signal, there arises a problem that, even after the control, the voltage is vibrated. To solve this problem, the generation of noise should be disposed of or noise should not be carried on a signal in a communication path, but it is very expensive to eliminate noise completely.
Further, in the above-mentioned conventional constant current control method, apart from the above-mentioned load variation, there arises a problem that it takes a long time to converge the current from the initiation of the control. The reason is that, since the control is started at the same time when the first voltage is applied, the control is effected before the voltage is risen up, with the result that overshoot of current occurs to delay the convergence of the current.
Further, in the above-mentioned image forming apparatus, there arises a problem that the transferring property of the secondary transferring is changed in accordance with the condition of the transfer material P (for example, a pass width of the transfer material (a length of the transfer material in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction)), or a process speed, or a mono-color image or a full color image, or a one-face mode or a both-face mode, or resistance of the transfer material. This is caused by the fact that, in dependence upon the condition of the transfer material, a ratio between current flowing through the sheet pass portion (portion where the transfer material exists at the transfer nip T.sub.2) and the sheet non-pass portion (portion where the transfer material does not exist at the transfer nip T.sub.2) is changed.
Regarding the variation of the pass width, in order to stabilize the transfer property, although the current flowing through the sheet pass portion must be constant, in the above-mentioned constant voltage power source 210, since the control is effected so that the sum of the current flowing through the sheet pass portion and the current flowing through the sheet non-pass portion becomes constant, if the pass width of the sheet is changed, the transfer property is changed.
Further, when a distance between the secondary transfer roller 115f and the fixing device is selected to become smaller than a maximum size of the transfer material (length of a maximum transfer material in the conveying direction) to make the image forming apparatus compact, the longer transfer material may be subjected to the influence from the secondary transfer roller 115f and the fixing device simultaneously. In such a case, if a fixing speed is reduced to ensure the good fixing ability, a transfer speed must be reduced accordingly. If the transfer speed is changed in this way, in the constant current control effected by using the constant voltage power source 210, the transfer property will be varied. The reason is that, in the constant voltage power source 210, since the control is effected with the same current value even when the transfer speed is changed, an amount of shifted charges per unit area is changed.
Furthermore, the transfer property is changed in accordance with the mono-color mode or the full-color mode. The reason is that, in the mono-color mode, the intermediate transfer belt 115a is rotated only by one revolution to form the image on the transfer material P. Whereas, in the full-color mode, since the intermediate transfer belt 115a is rotated at least by four revolutions, the charge amount of toner (before the secondary transferring) on the intermediate transfer belt 115a differs between the mono-color mode and the full-color mode, with the result that the optimum current value of the secondary transferring is changed.
Further, the transfer property is changed in accordance with the one-face mode (in which an image is formed on a single surface of the transfer material) or the both-face mode (in which images are formed on both surfaces of the transfer material). The reason is that, in the both-face mode, when the image is formed on a second surface of the transfer material, after the image was formed on a first surface of the transfer material, since the transfer material is once passed through the fixing device to be heated thereby, moisture is vapored to change the resistance of the transfer material.

Control method and image forming apparatus


An armrest formed in a door lining of an automotive door lining includes an upper wall fitted with a power window switch, a lower wall provided with an opening permitting access to a lower part of the switch and a detachable lid fitted on the opening. Thus, the opening in the lower wall of the armrest enables a worker to connect a wire harness drawn out of the interior of the door to the lower part of the power window switch. Because the opening is formed in the lower wall of the armrest which is usually concealed from the vehicle occupant, it does not produce an aesthetically negative impact. If desired, the opening may also be formed in other parts of the armrest as long as the opening is favorably concealed or otherwise prevented from impairing the external appearance of the door lining.

A door lining (or door trim) of an automotive door is typically provided with an integral armrest that protrudes toward the passenger compartment. An armrest is typically fitted with an electric component such as a power window switch, a door mirror adjustment switch and switches for other onboard equipment. Typically, only a part of the electric component protrudes from the upper wall of the armrest, and the remaining part thereof is placed inside the hollow interior of the armrest. Therefore, when assembling such a component, it is necessary to mount it from the interior of the armrest or from the side of the door lining facing the interior of the door, and this tends to complicate the assembly process.
According to a proposal disclosed in Japanese patent laid open publication No. 2002-172982, a component is mounted on an upper wall of a door armrest by using resilient engagement tabs provided with a barb that permit the component to be mounted and secured in position from above or from the exterior of the door handle. However, according to this proposal, the external appearance of the armrest is not so attractive as desired, and there is some difficulty in servicing the component once it is mounted because of the difficulty in removing the component without damaging the surrounding part of the armrest.
Also, the space above the armrest may be limited typically owing to the presence of a door handle extending in the space above the armrest so that the work required for assembling and removing the component to and from the upper wall of the armrest may not be easy.


The present invention relates to Lymantria xylina cell lines established from pupal tissues of L. xylina Swinhoe, including NTU-LY-1, NTU-LY-2, NTU-LY-3, and NTU-LY-4. These four cell lines were confirmed to be newly established cell lines derived from L. xylina by random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) and isozyme analysis. The genotypes and characteristics of the abovementioned cell lines are totally different from other insect cell lines. In addition, these four L. xylina cell lines are susceptible to insect baculovirus of L. xylina multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (LyxyMNPV), LdMNPV-like virus, PenuMNPV, as well as microsporidia of Nosema sp. (isolated from Eurema blanda) and N. bombycis and the like. Therefore the invention can be applied in multiplication of the abovementioned insect-pathogenic microorganisms to produce biopesticides in pest control. In addition, the cell lines can also be used as hosts for the expression vectors of said baculovirus to produce recombinant proteins.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cell lines established from insect tissues, especially relates to cell lines from L. xylina with high susceptibility to insect pathogenic microorganisms. These cell lines can be used in the mass production of insect pathogenic microorganisms and recombinant proteins.
2. The Prior Arts
The casuarina moth, Lymantria xylina Swinhoe (Order: Lepidoptera, Family: Lymantriidae, Genus: Lymantria), is one of the most damaging pests in the forest, mainly distributes in Taiwan, Japan, India, and the eastern coast of mainland China, which can eat all the leaves and twigs off a tree, stunt the growth and cause the death of plants. The toxic spines or hairs of L. xylina caterpillars provoke a cutaneous and immune reaction in human. Due to the extension of its host plant range and the increasing agricultural loss, this moth now becomes a significant quarantine pest.
The chemical insecticides are often used to kill the larvae of L. xylina to control the spread of L. xylina, which not only cause the problems of drug resistance and residual effects, but also involve in environmental contamination and resurgence of secondary insect pest species. Therefore, alternative control methods are studied to replace or to reduce the dependence of chemicals. Among them, using the insect pathogenic microorganisms to produce biopesticides is the most important method. Studies have revealed an lethal epizootic disease, nucleopolyhedrosis, of L. xylina larvae occurs from spring to early summer in Taiwan and mainland China, and the key pathogen was found to be L. xylina multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (LyxyMNPV). LyxyMNPV is a rod-shaped virus and belongs to the baculovirus family. After infecting the host, the baculovirus buds budded virus (BV) to spread infection between cells inside the insect body and expresses the polyhedrin gene to produce polyhedrin. Multiple virions are found embedded in polyhedrin matrix in the nucleus known as occlusion bodies (OBs), which is also referred to as polyhedron inclusion bodies (PIBs), and the virus is therefore named as the nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV).
The occlusion bodies can be released to outside from the lysed infected insects and further infect other insects to induce an epizootic disease. The spread of the disease is not only caused by horizontal transmission of NPV either from insect to insect or ingestion of the viral particles, but also be spread through vertical transmission from generations to generations. NPV are highly host-specific, have very species-specific tropisms among the invertebrates which cause no harm to humans, animals or other organisms. Studies have shown that the LyxyMNPV effectively suppress L. xylina population in field trials. Therefore the LyxyNPV can be used as a safe biological control agent in controlling the L. xylina populations. In addition, LyxyMNPV belongs to the baculovirus family, the latter is a core expression system of foreign protein production for medical and industrial applications, indicates the potential of being a recombinant protein expression system for LyxyMNPV.
Other than NPV, one of another main causes for epizootic disease is microsporidiosis inducing by microsporidia. The Nosema genus is the most common pathogen for microsporidiosis involved in the epizootic. Microsporidia propagate and infect host cells through the passages of meronts and spores. Since microsporidia play an important role in the regulation of insect populations, they have the potential to be used as biopesticides and be applied in pest control.
The insect pathogenic microorganisms can either be used as biopesticides in agriculture and forest pests, or be applied as a subject in studies of pathogenic genes and viral expression vectors for industrial or medical purposes. The priority is to have enough sources of the insect pathogenic microorganisms. The insect-infected baculovirus needs to be cultured in live cells, such as propagation through insect larvae or cell line culture. For example, multiplication of LyxyMNPV involved the large-scale rearing of L. xylina larvae. This process is labor intensive and several challenges need to be met (e.g. the conditions for breaking embryonic diapause the development of artificial diets, and the prevention of epizootic diseases) to obtain a reliable source of the host insect. In vitro production of LyxyMNPV in a highly susceptible insect cell line is an alternative solution. This strategy possesses advantages of: no contamination from other microorganisms during cultivation, screening and maintaining highly virulent LyxyMNPV strains.
Insect cell lines have the advantage for in vitro culture of pathogenic microorganisms. Hundreds of continuous cell lines have been established from over 100 insect species since Grace et al. established the first insect cell line in 1962 (Lynn, D. E., Development of insect cell lines: virus susceptibility and applicability to prawn cell culture. Methods in Cell Sci., 21(4):173-81.1999). These cell lines have been used broadly in researches of physiology, histology, embryology, molecular biology, pathology and insect virology. The baculovirus expression vectors and the production of recombinant proteins also need insect cell lines. However, there is no LyxyMNPV permissive cell line established so far. Besides, virus has specificity to host cell, each cell has different susceptibility to different virus. Therefore, establishment of proper insect cell line is critical for basic research and the following application.
In summary, the production of biopesticides can be enhanced to reach the safety and pest control purposes if a highly susceptible cell line to LyxyMNPV or other insect pathogenic microorganisms is established. The cell line can also be applied in the expression system of insect baculovirus to produce recombinant proteins for medical or research purposes.


The amplitude level of a received signal is controlled by a variable gain amplifier and the amplitude level controlled received signal is converted to a digital signal by an A/D converter. Correlation or demodulation of the digitally converted signal is then established by a correlator. A correlated output comparator compares an output signal from the correlator with a prescribed threshold value to establish correlated synchronization using the output signal form the correlator and performs initial synchronization using the comparison output. The output amplitude level of the variable gain amplifier is controlled in accordance with an output amplitude from the correlator. The gain of the variable gain amplifier is switched to the maximum value by a switch dependent on presence of a synchronization establishment signal for the correlation synchronizing circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spread spectrum signal receiver. More specifically, the present invention relates to a spread spectrum signal receiver in which the data spectrum is spread by a spread code and transmitted in broad band.
2. Description of the Background Art
Communication using a narrow band modulation system has been conventionally used in the field of data communication. Such a system is advantageous in that demodulation at the receiver can be carried out by relatively small circuitry. However, it has a disadvantage that performance degrades because of multipath fading in an environment having multiple paths such as in a room (office, factory or the like).
By contrast, in a spread spectrum communication system, the spectrum of data is spread by a spread code and the data is transmitted in a broad band. Therefore, it is resistant against such frequency selective fading, and therefore the aforementioned disadvantage of narrow band communication can be eliminated. In order to implement digital processing in such a system, an A/D converter is used so that the data is converted and processed in the form of digital signals.
A conventional example of the receiver will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. 1. A signal from an input terminal 1 is amplified by a variable gain amplifier 2, passed through an A/D converter 3 and input to a correlator 4. An output from correlator 4 is input to a synchronizing circuit 6, and correlation synchronization is established at the correlated timing. By using a correlation synchronization pulse indicating the correlated and synchronized timing, the correlated output at that time is compared with an optimally set threshold value by a correlated output comparator 5, the output from comparison is smoothed by a filter 7, and thereafter it is applied to variable gain amplifier 2 so that the gain is controlled. In this manner, the maximum point where correlated output matches (hereinafter referred to as correlation spike) is always kept constant.
In order to fully make use of the performance of the receiver, the desired signal level to be input to A/D converter 3 has an optimal value, and it is not the case that any signal level may be input. The optimal value is known as the optimal quantization interval and in accordance with this interval, the signal amplitude of the input to A/D converter 3 must be optimized by means of variable gain amplifier 2. However, it is difficult to control the amplitude of the signal input to A/D converter 3 to be optimal by variable gain amplifier 2. Therefore, instead, the correlation spike is controlled such that it is kept constant.
If optimal signal amplitude is established, the amplitude of the correlation spike is constant. In other words, by controlling the gain of the variable gain amplifier 2 such that the amplitude of correlation spike is kept constant, the input signal comes to have an optimal amplitude, that is, optimal quantization interval is obtained, and hence the receiver comes to have best performance.
The operation in a steady state period will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A to 2C. In correlated output comparator 5, correlation spike P shown in FIG. 2A is compared with a threshold value E which is set in advance. Amplitude of correlation spike P varies from time to time. Meanwhile, the threshold value E is the optimal amplitude of the correlation spike. By comparing these two, a difference signal is output. The difference signal is as shown in FIG. 2B. By filtering the difference signal by a filter 7, a waveform shown in FIG. 2C is obtained. The waveform is determined by a constant of filter 7.
The purpose of filter 7 is to average variation caused by noise. By controlling variable gain amplifier 2 using the thus obtained output, the gain of amplifier 2 is lowered when correlated spike P is larger than the threshold value E, and the gain of amplifier 2 is increased when correlation spike P is smaller than the threshold value E. Feedback control is thus realized, whereby the peak of the correlation spike P is kept always matching the set threshold value E.
However, at the start of communication, correlation is not established. Therefore, the correlation synchronization pulse from synchronizing circuit 6 is generated not at the correct position of the correlation spike P. Therefore, in that case, correlated output comparator 5 compares the output with the threshold value E regardless of whether it is a correlation spike or not, and using the resulting difference signal, the variable gain amplifier 2 is controlled.
Now, let us consider the operation of the synchronizing circuit 6. In synchronizing circuit 6, of an initial synchronizing circuit and a synchronization protecting circuit constituting the synchronizing circuit 6, first, the initial synchronizing circuit operates to establish synchronization. Thereafter, synchronization is maintained by the synchronization protecting circuit. In this manner, the correlation synchronization pulse point is controlled such that it always appears at the correlation spike P. The initial synchronizing circuit compares an input signal with a set threshold value (the threshold provided for the synchronizing circuit 6 and not shown in FIG. 1), and if the input signal is higher, it assumes that the input signal is the correlation spike P. By repeating this operation several times at the same timing, synchronization is established.
However, in the conventional example, before initial synchronization is established, amplification rate of the variable gain amplifier 2 is unknown, and hence the signal amplitude entering A/D converter 3 is also unknown. This means that the amplitude of correlation spike P is also unknown. This makes it difficult to set the threshold value of the initial synchronizing circuit. Accordingly, there is a method for initial synchronization in which variable gain amplifier 2 is subjected to automatic gain control (AGC) so that the output signal from variable gain amplifier 2 is kept constant.
FIG. 3 shows this structure. Basically, this structure is the same as FIG. 1, except that an AGC circuit 8 is provided at the output of variable gain amplifier 2 for detecting power from the output and for keeping constant the amplitude. AGC circuit 8 is equivalent to any AGC circuit used in general communication equipment. In the structure shown in FIG. 3, at the time of initial synchronization, a switch 9 is switched so that the amplitude of the output from variable gain amplifier 2 is kept constant by the output from AGC circuit 8, and after initial synchronization is established, the variable gain amplifier 2 is controlled referring to the correlated output as shown in FIG. 1. This switching is performed using a synchronization flag FLG output from synchronizing circuit 6, indicating whether or not initial synchronization is established.
However, the conventional circuit is disadvantageous in that it requires additional AGC circuit 8. Though AGC circuit 8 can be implemented by a capacitor or a diode for detection, an analog filter or the like, these elements are all analog devices having large circuit scale and not suitable for integration.


The present disclosure discloses an optical imaging lens assembly. The optical imaging lens assembly includes a first lens, a second lens, a third lens, a fourth lens, a fifth lens, a sixth lens, a seventh lens, and an eighth lens, sequentially arranged from an object side to an image side along an optical axis. The first lens, the second lens, the fifth lens, the seventh lens, and the eighth lens may respectively have a positive focal power or a negative focal power. A combined focal power of the third lens and the fourth lens is a positive focal power. The sixth lens may have a positive focal power. An effective focal length f of the optical imaging lens assembly and a combined focal length f34 of the third lens and the fourth lens satisfy: 0.5≤f/f34<1.0.

As the science and technology develop, the semiconductor technology is continuously improved. Accordingly, high-quality imaging lens assemblies have gradually become the mainstream trend in the market. With their continuous developments, the portable electronic products such as mobile phones and tablet computers have become thinner and smaller. In particular, a 360-degree around view application currently having a growing market has brought forward higher requirements on performances of the optical imaging lens assembly such as miniaturization, lightweight, and image quality.
In order to satisfy the requirements of miniaturization and high quality, with the continuous development of the portable electronic products such as smart phones, higher requirements on the imaging lens assembly have been brought forward, especially in situations such as insufficient lights (e.g., cloudy and rainy days, at dusk, night view, and a starry sky). Accordingly, an F-number of 2.0 or above has been unable to meet higher-order imaging requirements. In order to acquire more entrance lights, the imaging lens assembly having a smaller F-number is required. In order to satisfy a higher image quality to provide a better imaging experience for a user, more lenses are needed, and thus the lens assembly having a plurality of lenses becomes a mainstream product in the high-end market.
Therefore, the present disclosure proposes an optical imaging lens assembly having optical characteristics such as multi-piece, ultra-thin, large aperture, miniaturization, and good image quality and applicable to the portable electronic products.


A compound useful for the measurement of nitrogen monoxide under a substantially neutral condition which is represented by the following formula (I): ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 represent amino groups that substitute at adjacent positions on the phenyl ring; R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 independently represent a hydrogen atom or an acyl group; R.sup.5, R.sup.6, R.sup.7, and R.sup.8 independently represent a hydrogen atom, a C.sub.1-6 alkyl group, allyl group, or a halogen atom.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fluorescein derivatives which are useful for reagents for measurement of nitrogen monoxide. It also relates to reagents for measuring nitrogen monoxide which comprise said compounds.
2. Related Art
Nitrogen monoxide (NO) is an unstable radical having a short life, and it has been elucidated that nitrogen monoxide has important functions as a physiologically active substance in a living body (featured in Gendai Kagaku (Chemistry Today), April, 1994). Methods for measuring nitrogen monoxide are mainly classified into (a) indirect methods where oxidative degradation products of nitrogen monoxide such as NO.sub.2 -- or NO.sub.3 -- are measured, and (b) methods where nitrogen monoxide is directly measured. The direct methods have been focused from the standpoint that they achieve detection and quantification of nitrogen monoxide under physiological condition. However, no measuring method has been developed to date that has sufficient specificity and high sensitivity and is applicable to an in vitro system.
For example, a chemiluminescence method which utilizes luminescence emitted during an ozonic oxidation of NO radicals (Palmer, R. M., et al., Nature, 327, pp.524-526, 1987); a method which comprises the step of measuring an absorption spectrum of metHb that is produced by an oxidation of oxyhemoglobin (O.sub.2 Hb) (Kelm, M., et al., Circ. Res.66, pp.1561-1575, 1990); a method which comprises the step of measuring electric current generated during an oxidation by means of electrodes that are inserted into a tissue (Shibuki, K., Neurosci. Res.9, pp.69-76, 1990; Malinski, T., Nature, 356, pp.676-678, 1992); and the Griess reaction method (Green, L. C., et al., Anal. Biochem., 126, pp.131-138, 1992) are known as typical methods (as reviews, see, "3. Method for the measurement of NO," by Tetsuo Nagano, pp.42-52, "Approach from the Latest Medicine 12, NO" edited by Noboru Toda, published by Medical View Co., Ltd.; and Archer, S., FASEB J., 7, pp.349-360, 1993).
The Griess reaction method comprises a detection step that utilizes the azo coupling between naphthylethylenediamine and a diazonium salt compound formed with NO.sub.2 -- which is generated by the oxidation of nitrogen monoxide radicals. This method is advantageous because it does not require particular apparatuses or techniques, although nitrogen monoxide radicals are not directly measured in this method. In addition, NO.sub.3 -- can also be measured after being reduced to NO.sub.2 -- by using cadmium (Stainton, M. P., Anal. Chem., 46, p.1616, 1974; Green, L. C., et al., Anal. Biochem., 126, pp.131-138, 1982) or hydrazine (Sawicki, C. R. and Scaringelli, F. P., Microchem. J., 16, pp.657-672, 1971), and accordingly, the method also has characteristic feature that it enables the measurement of metabolites related to nitrogen monoxide.
2,3-Diaminonaphthalene has also been known as a reagent for measuring nitrogen monoxide by detecting NO.sub.2 --, as in a similar manner to Griess reaction method. This reagent reacts with NO.sub.2 -- under an acidic condition to form a fluorescent adduct, i.e., naphthalenetriazole (chemical name: 1-H!-naphtho2,3-d!triazole) (Wiersma, J. H., Anal. Lett., 3, pp.123-132, 1970). The reaction conditions of 2,3-diaminonaphthalene and NO.sub.2 -- have been detailedly studied, and it has been found that the reaction proceeds most rapidly at a pH not higher than 2, and completes within about 5 minutes at room temperature (Wiersma, J. H., Anal. Lett., 3, pp.123-132, 1970; Sawicki, C. R., Anal. Lett., 4, pp.761-775, 1971). The resulting adduct emits fluorescence most efficiently at a pH not lower than 10 (Damiani, P. and Burini, G., Talanta, 8, pp.649-652, 1986).
The method for measuring nitrogen monoxide by using the above 2,3-diaminonaphthalene has characteristic features of 50- to 100-fold higher sensitivity compared to the Griess reaction method and of detection limit at approximately several tens nM (Misko, T. P., Anal. Biochem. 214, pp.11-16, 1993). This method is highly advantageous because it does not need particular apparatuses or techniques and can be conveniently carried out (as a review of the aforementioned method, see, DOJIN News. No. 74, Information, "A reagent for the determination of NO: 2,3-diaminonaphthalene," Dojindo Laboratories Inc., 1995). However, this method does not utilize nitrogen monoxide, per se, but it utilizes an oxidation product, i.e., NO.sub.2 --, as a reactant. Accordingly, the method is considered as an indirect method when compared to those including direct measurement of nitrogen monoxide. Furthermore, because the reaction of 2,3-diaminonaphthalene with NO.sub.2 -- is progressed under a strongly acidic condition (pH not higher than 2), the method has a problem in that it cannot be employed for detection or quantification of nitrogen monoxide under a physiological condition.
The inventors of the present invention conducted researches to provide a means that enables direct and highly sensitive measurement of nitrogen monoxide under a physiological condition, and as a result, they found that nitrogen monoxide can efficiently react with 2,3-diaminonaphthalene or its derivatives, even under a neutral condition, in the presence of an oxygen source such as dissolved oxygen or oxide compounds (e.g., PTIO and derivatives thereof such as carboxy-PTIO), and a fluorescent naphthalenetriazole or a derivative thereof is obtained. They also found that a method for measuring nitrogen monoxide utilizing the above reaction has extremely high detection sensitivity, and can achieve accurate quantification of very small amount of nitrogen monoxide (see, the specification of Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 7-189978).
However, the aforementioned method utilizing 2,3-diaminonaphthalene requires the irradiation with excitation light having a short wavelength of approximately 370-390 nm for the detection of fluorescence, and this may cause damages to cells and/or tissues in a measurement system. Strong autofluorescence of cells, per se, may also possibly affect this measurement, and moreover, there is a problem that a fluorescence filter provided on a usual fluorescence microscope fails to sufficiently cut off excitation light during fluorescence measurement. In addition, the fluorescent triazole compound formed from the 2,3-diaminonaphthalene has rather insufficient fluorescence intensity, and therefore, it is difficult to achieve accurate measurement of intracellular fluorescence of an individual cell by ordinary fluorescence microscopy. Since 2,3-diaminonaphthalene itself has a simple chemical structure, there is also a problem that the compound is not suitable as a fundamental structure for various chemical modifications to achieve intracellular localization of a reagent.


An apparatus and method communicate TTY calls by detecting a TTY call, determining that a digital display on a first telecommunication terminal is to be used to display TTY information of the call from a second telecommunication terminal and that audio information will be transmitted to the second telecommunication terminal, converting the TTY information from the second telecommunication terminal to digital display information, transmitting the digital display information to the first telecommunication terminal, and muting an incoming call audio path from the second telecommunication terminal to the first telecommunication terminal.

TTYs (also known as TDDs) are text terminals that people with hearing impairments use in order to communicate over telephone lines. In the United States, the most commonly used TTY communication protocol is the technique specified by ANSI/TIA/EIA 825 ("A 45.45 Baud FSK Modem"). Relevant characteristics of this protocol include the following:
(1) TTYs are silent when not transmitting. Unlike fax machines and computer modems, TTYs have no "handshake" procedure at the start of a call, nor do they have a carrier tone during the call. Although this approach tends to limit the speed of transmission, it has the advantage of permitting TTY tones, DTMF (Dual Tone Multi-Frequency signals, also known as "touch tones"), and voice to be intermixed on the same call.
(2) Operation is "half duplex." TTY users must take turns transmitting, and typically cannot interrupt each other. If both people try to type at the same time, their TTYs will show no text at all, or will show text that is gibberish. There is no automatic mechanism that lets TTY users know when a character they have typed correctly has been received incorrectly. To avoid this problem, a user normally types a message and then types "GA" (for go ahead). This does solve the problem of half duplex operation but results in a slow, jerky operation which tends to limit spontaneous interaction.
(3) Each TTY character consists of a sequence of seven individual tones. The first tone is always a "start tone" at 1800 Hz. This is followed by a series of five tones, at either 1400 or 1800 Hz, which specify the character. The final tone in the sequence is always a "stop tone" at 1400 Hz. The "stop tone" is a border that separates this character from the next. Each of the first six tones is 22 milliseconds in duration. The final "stop tone" may also be 22 milliseconds, but is permitted to be as long as 44 milliseconds. This means that the duration of each TTY character is at least 154 milliseconds, which works out to approximately six and a half characters per second. (The description of this as a "45.45 Baud" protocol is based on the number of 22-millisecond tones that can be transmitted in one second, not the number of characters.)
From a usability perspective, one of the benefits to using a half-duplex, carrier-free protocol for TTYs is that it is possible to intermix voice and TTY transmissions on the same call. This is important because nearly half the people who use TTYs are individuals with moderate hearing loss who nevertheless are able to speak clearly; these individuals often prefer to receive with their TTYs and then speak in response, a process commonly referred to as Voice Carry Over or VCO. Another common pattern is for individuals (including those who hear adequately but do not speak clearly) to alternate between TTY and voice on the same call, relying on voice for informal conversation and TTY for critical information such as addresses and credit card numbers.
From a usability perspective, this protocol also has several disadvantages, including: (1) TTY users must take turns typing to each other, and are unable to interrupt each other. (2) VCO users (individuals who prefer to receive via TTY and then speak in response) need a TTY device or specialized VCO telephone in order to communicate. (3) People who receive a TTY message in their voicemail mailbox (which may include mailbox owners who have no communication disabilities, and therefore no easy access to a TTY), need a TTY device or specialized software to read the message. (4) The absence of handshake tones means that there is no mechanism by which to detect that a person is a TTY user until that person starts typing. (5) The protocol itself, although very robust when used in conjunction with traditional circuit-switched analog or digital telephony systems, tends to be unreliable when used in telephony systems that employ packet switching (e.g., Voice over Internet Protocol networks) or voice-optimized audio compression techniques (e.g., the GSM encoding used in many wireless systems).
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the problems of performing VCO operations with a standard, 45.45 Baud, TTY such as TTY 102. To transmit or receive TTY information to other party 109, user 108 has to place the handset 107 into TTY 102 as illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 illustrates a pictorial view of a telephone such as shown in FIG. 1 having telephone 301 and TTY 302. If user 108 wants to use VCO operations, user 108 has to receive TTY information as illustrated in FIG. 1, but speaks by first removing handset 107 from the acoustic coupler of TTY 102 as illustrated in FIG. 2 and then speaking. To once again receive TTY information, user 108 has to place handset 107 back into the acoustic coupler of TTY 102 before other party 109 transmits TTY information to TTY 102. This type of VCO operation is awkward at best.
The 45.45 Baud FSK protocol has been used in United States TTYs since 1963, and is based largely on the protocol that was used in military teletypewriters during the Second World War. Quite obviously, modern techniques would permit the development of new protocols that retain the advantages of the current protocol, while eliminating the disadvantages. Although many new protocols with excellent capabilities have been proposed, an important barrier stands in the way of their general acceptance: by some estimates, as many as 40,000,000 TTYs that use the 45.45 Baud protocol have been manufactured and distributed since 1963. This constitutes an enormous embedded base that cannot be upgraded or replaced economically. For this reason, it is desirable to solve the usability problems in a manner that does not require the 45.45 Baud protocol, and millions of current-generation TTY devices, to be abandoned.
Among the above-listed problems associated with the 45.45 Baud protocol, the issue that has been addressed explicitly in prior art concerns the inability of packet switched networks or voice-optimized compression codecs to support reliable TTY communication. Attention has been paid to these problems largely because, in the United States, Section 508 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, as well as Sections 251(a)(2) and 255 of the Telecommunication Act of 1996, require telephony systems to be TTY compatible.
In the prior art, it has been recognized that TTY signals need not be transmitted as audio tones, and may instead be converted and transmitted as digital information in a more reliable non-audio data channel. U.S. Pat. No. 6,351,495 discloses a cellular transmission system where TTY audio signals are recognized and converted to digital information for transmission via the signal transmission portion of the cellular system. Also, in the prior art for VoIP systems, it is known to encode precision tones such as multi-frequency dial tones as digital information and transport this digital information to a destination point via a signaling channel that is distinct from the bearer channel used for encoded voice. One such VoIP system that transports multi-frequency dial tones in this manner is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/18,909, entitled "Integration of Remote Access and Service", filed Nov. 22, 2000, and assigned to the same assignee as the present patent application. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/18,909 is hereby incorporated by reference. It is important to note, however, that objective of these approaches is to permit the original audio tones to be reconstructed accurately at the receiving location. Although the problem of reliable transport for TTY signals on wireless or VoIP networks is addressed by these approaches, a problem that remains is that a user who receives these transmissions still requires a TTY device or specialized software to translate the transmissions into human-readable text.

Apparatus and method for providing service for TTY and voice transmission


An NMR probe permits measurements to be made with its inner coil without replacing the probe. The NMR probe has three coils disposed to surround a sample tube. An inner coil can resonate with the HF and LF. An intermediate coil can resonate with the HF and LF, and produces an RF magnetic field perpendicular to the RF field produced by the inner coil. An outermost coil can resonate at least at a lock frequency. The outermost coil produces an RF magnetic field which is perpendicular to the RF field produced by the intermediate coil but which is coincident in direction with the RF field produced by the inner coil.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an NMR probe for use in an NMR spectrometer and, more particularly, to an NMR probe permitting observation and irradiation of numerous kinds of nuclei.
2. Description of Related Art
An NMR spectrometer is an instrument for analyzing a molecular structure by irradiating a sample placed within a static magnetic field with an RF signal, then detecting a feeble RF signal (NMR signal) emanating from the sample, and extracting information about the molecular structure contained in the signal.
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of the NMR spectrometer. The spectrometer has an RF oscillator 1 producing an RF signal. The RF signal is controlled in terms of phase and amplitude by a phase controller 2 and an amplitude controller 3 and sent to a power amplifier 4.
The RF signal is amplified to an electric power necessary to excite an NMR signal by the power amplifier 4 and sent to an NMR probe 6 via a duplexer 5. Then, the signal is applied to the sample from a detection coil (not shown) placed within the NMR probe 6.
After the RF irradiation, a feeble NMR signal emanating from the sample is detected by the detection coil (not shown) placed within the NMR probe 6 and sent to a preamplifier 7 again via the duplexer 5. In the preamplifier 7, the signal is amplified to a signal level at which the signal can be picked up.
A receiver 8 converts the frequency of the RF NMR signal amplified by the preamplifier 7 to an audio frequency that can be converted into a digital signal. At the same time, the receiver controls the amplitude. The NMR signal converted into the audio frequency by the receiver 8 is converted into a digital signal by an analog-to-digital data converter 9 and sent to a control computer 10.
The control computer 10 controls the phase controller 2 and amplitude controller 3, Fourier-transforms the NMR signal accepted in the time domain, automatically corrects the phase of the Fourier-transformed NMR signal, and then displays the NMR signal as an NMR spectrum.
There are many kinds of RF waves applied to the NMR probe 6. In particular, RF waves corresponding to the resonant frequency of any one of nuclear species as shown in the following Table 1 are applied to the NMR probe.
TABLE 1Resonant Frequency at 18 Tesla (MHz)Kinds ofResonantKinds ofResonantKinds ofResonantNucleiFrequencyNucleiFrequencyNucleiFrequency3H80027Al19515N761H75013C18935Cl7419F70679Br18814N54205Tl43329Si14939K3531P304199Hg13499Ru357Li2922H115183W31119Sn2806Li110103Rh2411B24117O102
In Table 1, the chemical symbols on the left side of each column of the table indicate the kinds of nuclei under observation, while the numerical values on the right side indicate the resonant frequencies (in MHz) of the observed nuclei in a case where they are placed within a static magnetic field of 18 Tesla (T).
In the following description, let HF be the RF waves of frequencies corresponding to the resonant frequencies of 3H nuclei to 19F nuclei. Let LF be RF waves having frequencies lower than the resonant frequency of 205Tl. LOCK is an abbreviation of RF waves having a lock frequency using deuterium nuclei.
FIGS. 2A and 2B show one example of an NMR probe of a type called the inverse probe. In this type of NMR probe, there are two detection coils which are disposed to surround a sample tube.
One of the two coils is an inner coil 11 for observing HF. The inductance of the inner coil is so set that it doubly resonates with HF and LOCK. The other is an outer coil 12 for applying LF for decoupling purposes. The inductance of the outer coil is so set that LF having a frequency capable of being varied over a wide range can be covered efficiently. In this probe, HF is observed with the inner coil 11 closer to the sample under investigation and, therefore, HF is detected with enhanced sensitivity.
The inner coil 11 and outer coil 12 are so disposed that RF magnetic fields produced by them are perpendicular to each other in direction. This probe is termed the HX probe due to the fact that RF waves injected into the inner and outer coils are various HF nuclei (typified by hydrogen nuclei and hereinafter referred to as H nuclei) and various LF nuclei (hereinafter referred to as X nuclei), respectively.
An inner coil subassembly (indicated by the circuit diagram in the right top portion of FIG. 2B) including the inner coil 11 has an HF input/output terminal 13 and a LOCK input/output terminal 14. The inner coil is matched and tuned to HF by a matching variable capacitor VC1 for HF and by a tuning variable capacitor VC3 for HF. The inner coil is matched and tuned to LOCK by a matching variable capacitor VC2 for lock and by a tuning variable capacitor VC4 for lock.
An outer coil subassembly (indicated by the circuit diagram in the right bottom portion of FIG. 2B) including the outer coil 12 has an LF input/output terminal 15. The outer coil is matched and tuned to LF by a matching variable capacitor VC5 for LF and by a tuning variable capacitor VC6 for LF.
A capacitor C1 cooperates with the variable capacitor VC1 to match the inner coil to HF. Another capacitor C2 cooperates with a coil L1, the inner coil 11, a coil L2, and the variable capacitor VC4 and resonates the inner coil at the LOCK frequency. The coil L1 keeps high the impedance of the inner coil 11 at the HF frequency and prevents the HF frequency from escaping to ground. The coil L2 prevents the HF frequency from leaking to the LOCK input/output terminal 14 and to ground.
In contrast, FIG. 3 shows one example of an NMR probe of a type known as the tunable probe. Because the inner coil side is tunable, the probe is also referred to as the TH probe. This type of NMR probe also has two detection coils which are disposed to surround a sample tube. The difference with the inverse probe (HX probe) is only that the inner coil 11 is used to observe LF while the outer coil 12 is used to apply radiation for decoupling HF, i.e., the positional relationships of the inner and outer coils are reversed. In this probe, LF is observed with the inner coil 11 closer to the sample under investigation and so LF is detected with enhanced sensitivity. The inner coil 11 and outer coil 12 of the TH probe are also arranged such that the magnetic fields produced by the coils are perpendicular to each other in direction.
In either type of probe, an NMR locking function is often attached. In almost all cases, NMR lock is used, employing resonance frequency of deuterium nuclei (2H nuclei). Because the resonant frequency of deuterium nuclei is about one-sixth as high as the HF frequency, deuterium nuclei are often doubly resonated with an HF coil because of ease of realization of the circuit configuration. If one attempts to achieve the NMR lock using an LF coil, the circuit configuration cannot be easily realized because the resonant frequency of deuterium nuclei is included within the range of LF frequencies. In practice, an example in which the LF coil resonates the probe with LOCK is not general. An HF coil resonates the probe with LOCK (i.e., double resonance).
The prior art probe types, inner and outer coils, and assignments of HF, LF, and LOCK are summarized in Table 2.
TABLE 2Probe TypeInner CoilOuter CoilHX an inverseHF (observation channel) LOCKLFTH a tunableLF (observation channel)HFLOCK
In the prior art probe (see JP2003-121523), the coil for observing and irradiating HF is clearly distinguished from the coil for observing and irradiating LF, regardless of whether it is an inverse probe or a tunable probe. Therefore, if one attempts to make observations with the inner coil having higher detection sensitivity, plural probes must be prepared according to whether the resonant frequency of the nuclei of interest is HF or LF. Hence, there is the problem that the used probe must be exchanged according to the purpose.


The present invention relates to a hat using a shape-maintenance enhancing member and a method for manufacturing the same. In particular, the present invention relates to a hat using a shape-maintenance enhancing member that can maintain the exterior appearance of the hat by eliminating wrinkles in a sewing portion using a flexible tape and maintain the shape of the hat to be the same as the initial design, and a method for manufacturing the hat. The shape-maintenance enhancing member according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a main body portion disposed on the sewing portion and a wing portion surrounding the sewing portion, and the main body portion includes a shape-maintenance enhancing layer formed of a material with properties of heat fusion and thermal fixation and a cover portion connected with the wing portion.

In general, in manufacturing of a head receiving portion of a hat, a plurality of pieces of fabric are sewed to form the shape of the head receiving portion and the sewed portion is surrounded with a piece of fabric cut in the shape of a tape and then sewing is performed to prevent exposure of the sewed portion.
As for the tape-shaped cloth, a flexible tape, e.g., a woven bias-cutting tape or a tricot tape, is used to be smoothly aligned along the curved portion connected by sewing in the head receiving portion.
However, in the finished head receiving portion, the flexible tape has disadvantage due to its characteristic of tension that causes wrinkles in the portion where the plurality of piece cloths are connected in the head receiving portion. The entire exterior shape of the hat may be loosened or shrunk so that it may be different from the pattern in the initial design.
In order to solve the problem, the possible deformation of the fabric and the tape are considered in the design phase, or the shape of the hat is adjusted with a high-temperature steam mold after sewing is finished.
However, it is difficult to accurately measure the amount of deformation due to properties of the fabric or the flexible tape, and the shape deformed during the sewing is not fully restored to its previous condition. Moreover, the shape adjusted by the steam mold is deformed once again as time passes because the flexible tape and a plurality of panels forming the head receiving portion are gradually contracted.
The contraction of the fabric and the flexible tape of the head receiving portion causes deformation of the external appearance of the hat, and the quality of the hat may be deteriorated.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Hat using shape-maintenance enhancing member


A tibia fixturing device comprises a metal tray formed with annularly spaced recesses in its underside at a depth of at least about 1.5 mm and from which a stem depends for axial insertion into a tibia conical cavity. The stem has a circular cylindrical portion proximal the tray and a conical portion distal the tray. Fins radially extend from the stem cylindrical portion and penetrate the tibia to provide some torsional resistance. Axially extending channels are formed about the stem periphery which channels have bottom surfaces parallel to the stem axis to provide further torsional resistance. The channels are arranged to not interlock with the cement in the axial direction to permit the cement to separate first from the device during axial removal of the device from the bone. The fins have inclined edges distal the tray and inclined radial outer edges to align and center the stem to the bone cavity edge. Cement in the tray recesses bonds the tray to a tibia resected surface to provide major torsional resistance of the tray about the cavity longitudinal axis.

This invention relates to prothesis fixturing devices, more particularly, fixturing stems for attaching a prothesis to a bone, e.g., a tibia, and a prothesis with an articulating bearing surface.
Many methods have been employed to fixture prostheses to bone, including screws, press fit, bone cement and biological fixation into porous surfaces. Currently bone cement and biological ingrowth are the preferred means of fixation. Fixturing surface geometries used include plates, fins, stems and pegs of various cross-sections. Fins form projections which in the prior art need bone preparation such as mating slots in the bone to receive the fins. This is undesirable as it entails further surgical procedures in addition to the prescribed procedures for preparing the bone for a tapered stem without such fins. Reference is made, for example, to brochures nj LCS.RTM. Tricompartmental Knee System with Porocoat.RTM., Surgical Procedure by Frederick F. Buechel, 1993, Biomedical Engineering Trust, South Orange, NJ and Biomechanics and Design Rationale; New Jersey LCS.RTM. Knee Replacement System by Michael J. Pappas et al. 1993, Biomedical Engineering Trust which illustrate fixturing geometries and procedures for knee prosthesis.
The problem in these protheses is to securely attach a prothesis to bone, and yet permit the prothesis to be removed from the bone without damage thereto. More particularly, a problem is known in using cement with such protheses. For example, if the cement interlocks with depressions in the mating prothesis surface, then such interlocking may cause bone damage when the prothesis is removed. Such removal is sometimes necessitated by failure or otherwise degeneration of the prothesis-bone configuration.
Another problem encountered during the insertion procedure in attaching the prothesis via a fixturing device to the bone is alignment. Known fixturing stems are different shapes including conical, rectangular, fin among others. The mating bone cavity is similarly shaped as the corresponding stem. There is a gap between these elements when engaged to accommodate cement. These elements need to be axially aligned during the insertion process. The gap could cause misalignment of the elements during insertion or later during curing of the cement. Any misalignment could cause problems with the user of the joint, especially a knee prothesis where motion directions can be critical. Thus, it is important that the mating elements remain fixed in place and properly aligned during insertion and curing of the cement.
A still further problem is loosening of the prothesis from the bone to which the prothesis is attached during use.
The present inventor recognizes a need for improving torsional resistance between the fixturing device and the bone to which the device is attached, stability during curing of the cement or biological ingrowth, and ease of implantation and removal the device in the event of failure.
A prothesis fixturing device according to one embodiment of the present invention attaches a prothesis component including a bearing to a bone, the bone having a resected surface. The device is subject to torque loads about an axis transverse the resected surface, the torque loads tending to loosen the device relative to the bone. The device comprises a tray having a first surface for receiving the bearing and a second opposing surface and at least one wall depending from the opposing second surface for abutting the resected surface and for forming at least one recessed compartment with the second surface at a depth of at least 1.50 mm to receive a cement for bonding the tray to the bone at the resected surface, the at least one wall having a configuration for providing resistance to torque loads on the tray about the axis.
In a further embodiment a prothesis fixturing device attaches a prothesis component including a bearing to a bone, the bone having a resected surface and a cavity defining a longitudinal first axis transverse the surface, the cavity being in communication with the surface at a cavity edge, the surface and cavity for receiving the device. The device comprises a stem for receiving a prothesis and defines a second longitudinal axis. Centering means are integral with the stem forming a one piece construction for engaging the cavity edge to center the stem relative to the cavity first axis during axial insertion of the stem into the cavity.
In accordance with a further embodiment the stem has a plurality of axially extending channels having a bottom surface, the stem having a peripheral surface, the channel bottom surfaces intersecting the stem peripheral surface at a channel region distal the tray, the bottom surfaces each having a radial dimension to the second axis at least as great as the radial dimension of the intersections.
A stem according to a still further embodiment depends from a tray and defines a second longitudinal axis, the stem being dimensioned for insertion into the cavity with the axes substantially parallel, the stem having a cylindrical axially extending portion proximal the tray and a conical portion axially extending from the cylindrical portion distal the tray.


The ash tray includes a device for filtering the nicotine in the cigarette smoke and for changing the cigarette smoke into a harmless gas. The device includes a catalytic exchanger, an ozone generator, a fan, a transformer and a filter enclosed within an enclosure including a base plate and a bowl-shaped cover member.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an ash tray, more particularly to an ash tray for receiving cigarette ash and which includes a means for transforming the cigarette smoke into a harmless gas.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional ash tray is shown to comprise a circular plate (2) which defines a recess (3) at a central portion thereof for receiving ash from a cigarette (1) therein. It is well known that the cigarette smoke produced by the cigarette (1) contains nicotine and carbon monoxide which can affect the health of a person when inhaled.

Ashtray with ozone generator and catalytic exchanger


A method, system, apparatus, and computer program product for relaying packet information from an Out of Range Device (ORD) to a communications tower. The method includes transmitting a message from the ORD. The message is recognizable by a transceiver device as a message to be repeated. The message is stored in the transceiver device which also measures a received signal quality of the message, and relays the message after delaying for a time interval inversely proportional to received signal quality.

1. Field of Invention
A method, system, apparatus, and computer program product for efficiently relaying information through a wireless radio network.
2. Discussion of the Background
Wireless communications have been adapted for many commercial uses. One use concerns the collection and relay of data from a distributed set of sensors to a central processing facility via one or more transmission and collector towers. In conventional systems, a sensor (e.g., a commercial utility power usage meter or other remote sensor) is connected to a wireless transmitter. The transmitter relays information to a central account facility via a collector tower. The collector may be as part of a radio tower, mounted on a roof top, power poll top or other easement; it may also be mounted in or on a home or commercial building. The preferred embodiment utilizes a tower because it develops the greater range and therefore the lowest cost infrastructure. The transmission time may be random or scheduled. If one or more transmitters are located out of range of the collector tower, repeaters are placed in one or more locations to receive and relay the transmission. Due to cost considerations, these repeaters may not be full duplex devices. That is, the repeaters operate on a schedule where for a portion of time the repeater listens for a broadcast and then for another portion of time the repeater transmits whatever has been relayed. Additional periods exist where the repeater is neither receiving nor transmitting. Full Duplex repeats have the disadvantage of utilizing both receive and transmit bandwidth thus doubling the need of limited RF spectrum to operate the system.
The conventional system utilizing repeaters is characterized by an inefficient flooding of information. That is, information sent by a sensor/transmitter may be received directly by a relay tower and still be repeated by one or more repeaters, therefore wasting the system's RF data capacity.
A certain species of networks called mesh will relay a message through a multiple series of assigned 2-way distributed radio devices. Typically each node may communicate to any other in-range node. This method is intended to extend the reach of a RF signal by creating a routing list stored in communications nodes which may convey a data packet, like a bucket brigade. Such systems typically seek learn the best rout over time and can adapt to changes in the RF environment. If a node fails, such systems seek to self heal by re-routing to the next best set of path nodes. The draw back to this art is the complexity of the distributed data bases required to rout, re-rout, and adapt to a constantly changing RF environment. The temporal coherence at 900 MHz for example is 10 ms; therefore optimal paths may change 100 times a second. Further, RF jamming in the 902 to 928 MHz bands will cause a large amount of path re-routing. A further draw-back is that re-routing uses valuable RF data capacity required for mesh systems to exchange routing lists and to append routing paths to every data message. In addition since any RF transmission propagates not only to an intended node but to all others in range, all redundancy in a mesh causes a proportionate reduction in available RF data bandwidth. Mesh systems must have path memory, change the state of that memory based on changing RF conditions and have a time delay to make that change. In control theory this is a difficult system to make unconditionally stable. Each additional state that a system has exponentially increases its possible failure modes.
Thus, what is desired, as recognized by the present inventors, is an efficient, stable method to selectively relay information within a wireless transmission network that captures the benefits of mesh networking without the inherent risks and deficiencies that are associated conventional mesh networks.

Method, system, apparatus, and computer program product for communications relay


Paper sheets or the like inserted in a bundled state from the outside are conveyed in that state to an advancing section. Then, the paper sheets or the like, advanced on sheet by sheet basis from the advancing section, are conveyed to temporary holding section and received there. The reception of the paper sheets or the like, received in the temporary holding section in a stacked manner, is made by conveying them in a bundled state from the advancing section and advancing them on sheet by sheet basis.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paper sheet handling apparatus for handling an externally inserted paper sheet, an automatic transaction apparatus provided with the paper sheet handling apparatus, and a paper sheet conveying apparatus loaded into the paper sheet handling apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, automated equipment (automatic transaction apparatus) such as an automatic cash dispenser (CD), an automatic teller machine (ATM), etc. is mounted not only in financial facilities but also a convenience store, etc. A paper sheet handling apparatus is loaded into such automated equipment to handle a bill as a paper sheet. In this case, an operation is performed at an instruction of the body of automated equipment.
Inputting a bill on a sheet by sheet basis is the more troublesome with an increasing number of bills to be input. Therefore, automated equipment allows bills to be deposited as a bundle of bills. Since only one bill can be input, the bundle of paper sheets can be one or more bills bundled.
It is necessary to authenticate a bill input by a client to automated equipment which allows bills to be deposited. Furthermore, it is necessary to perform a refund. Thus, the conventional paper sheet handling apparatus loaded into automated equipment which allows bills to be deposited advances bills input as a bundle of paper sheets on a sheet by sheet basis, conveys, and authenticates them. A bill discriminated as a normal bill in an authenticating process is temporarily stored in a temporarily holding section (patent document 1). A bill stored in the temporarily holding section is stored in a storage section when a client accepts a transaction, and refunded to the client when the client requests the refund.
A bill discriminated as a normal bill is piled and stored in the temporarily holding section. The conveying operation of bills from the temporarily holding section is performed by advancing bills on a sheet by sheet basis. Thus, the conventional paper sheet handling apparatus described in the patent document 1 conveys bills on a sheet by sheet basis in most cases.
The longer the distance of conveying bills, the higher the probability that a fault such as jamming, etc. occurs. Thus, the reliability becomes lower. When bills are conveyed on a sheet by sheet basis, the total distance of conveying bills becomes longer with an increasing number of bills, thereby lowering the reliability. Therefore, to enhance the reliability, it is considered that it is important to shorten the total distance of conveying all bills.
The conveying operation of a bundle of bills has conventionally been performed by providing convey belts above and below the bundle of bills with the feed belts pinching the bundle of bills (patent document 1).
Tension is applied to the feed belts to allow the conveying force to work on the bundle of bills. However, when the tension is applied, the feed belts are transformed to a relatively large extent by the force applied from the cross direction to the direction of the tension. Thus, the pressure applied to the bundle of bills is largely restricted. Therefore, it is hard to maintain the status of the bundle of bills, and the possibility that the bills appropriately piled are projected in the conveying direction. Thus, to further improve the reliability of the paper sheet handling apparatus (including an automatic transaction apparatus carrying the paper sheet handling apparatus) for conveying the bundle of bills (bundle of paper sheets), it is considered that it is important to correctly and appropriately convey the bundle of bills.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-14511
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-67511

Paper sheet handling apparatus, automatic transaction apparatus, and paper sheet conveying apparatus


An apparatus (1240), method, and computer program to assess VoIP speech quality (130) using access to degraded signals. Different types of impairment (110) have different effect on speech quality. Preferred embodiments address two distinct types of impairment that are unique to VoIP: packet loss (230) and speech clipping in time (850).

VoIP is a promising technology that is expected to replace traditional telephone networks. Although VoIP is efficient, its speech quality is still less than what telephone users are accustomed to, due to packet loss, more perceived echo, excessive delay, and clipping. Network administrators need to maintain certain level of quality by monitoring speech quality of live calls for actions to be taken.
Subjective methods are unsuitable for live calls assessment. Objective intrusive methods mandate a reference signal, therefore cannot monitor live calls. The only suitable method is the E-model that estimates the speech quality based on statistics collected from the network.
The above discussion led VoIP service providers to implement a variety of techniques to enhance speech quality offered in VoIP. This resulted in a large number of providers offering services with competing prices and different levels of quality. The problem now changed to how to assess the quality of speech offered. Providers need methods to assess the performance of their services and compare it to services offered by competing providers. Engineers also need these methods to evaluate the newly developed techniques and compare it to old ones. Network administrators need methods to monitor the quality of speech transmitted through the networks, so they can take actions whenever the quality of speech degrades. Finally, the users also need these methods to compare the quality offered by different service providers.
One of the most important issues in VoIP these days is to measure the speech quality. Efforts have been focused to develop methods to measure the speech quality especially for VoIP. To measure the speech quality correctly, these methods have to reflect the human perception of speech quality. The most reliable approaches are the subjective methods. In these methods, a number of subjects (humans) rate the speech signals. The average of their ratings is calculated and is considered as the quality rate of the signal.
The most well known subjective test is MOS (Mean Opinion Score). Developers try to develop objective methods which give the same quality scores as MOS does.
Objective methods are those carried out by machines, without human interference. These methods are necessary for monitoring network performance since subjective methods cannot be used for this purpose. Most of the available objective methods are intrusive in nature. In these intrusive techniques, a reference signal is injected in the network from some point and received at another point. Since the original signal is known, the received degraded signal can be rated by comparing it to the original one. These techniques give relatively good estimates of MOS scores.
The most reliable and widely used of these methods are PAMS (Perceptual Analysis/Measurement System), PSQM (Perceptual Speech Quality Measurement) and PESQ (Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality).
Another approach is called non-intrusive. In this approach, no reference signal is injected in the network. Instead, the algorithm operates on signals that are present in the network or on the statistics collected from the network. The challenge in this technique is that the original signal is not known to the algorithm, so it cannot compare between original and degraded signals to assess the quality of the received signal. Some attempts are made in this approach but no robust algorithm is found.
The E-model is the leading method currently available that is considered non-intrusive. This model uses the statistics collected from the network during operation, such as the packet loss rate, delay, jitter estimates and signal to noise ratio, to estimate a quality score of the signal. This method is based on statistical nature, which does not guarantee accuracy. For example, statistically if packet loss rate is high, the quality score is low. But this is not always true, since the quality of the signal is still high, if most of the lost packets are in silence periods. Another non-intrusive method was recently developed. The idea is to estimate the original speech from the degraded counterpart. Then the two speech signals are compared to provide the quality assessment. This method, however, is seen to be inaccurate and very complex to implement.
There is, therefore, a need for a method which can monitor a live call and determines the quality of this call for its whole duration. These methods are needed to alert network administrator when the quality of the call is degraded, so some action can be taken to guarantee an acceptable quality of calls all the time. This method has to assess speech quality by examining degraded signals only without any information about original signals.
The reader is assumed to be familiar with the various current VoIP speech quality standards.
There is also a need in the art for an objective non-intrusive method to assess speech quality based on characteristics extracted from degraded signals and not statistics collected from the network.

Method and apparatus for non-intrusive single-ended voice quality assessment in VoIP


A power supply device has a first delay circuit which delays a first clock signal and outputs a second clock signal, a pulse signal generating circuit which generates a first pulse signal, a first transistor which connects an output node to a power supply potential node according to the first pulse signal, a second transistor which connects the output node to a reference potential node according to the first pulse signal, an integration circuit which integrates and outputs a signal of the output node, and a comparator which compares an output signal of the integration circuit and the reference signal, wherein the pulse signal generating circuit generates the first pulse signal in synchronization with the first clock signal, the second clock signal and the output signal of the comparator, and the frequency of the first pulse signal is constant irrespective of voltage of the output node.

Dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) is a technique to reduce power consumption by dynamically controlling supply voltage and an operating frequency of a processor depending on a load.
There has been known a power supply device of a step-down DC-DC converter having a power semiconductor switching element, a driving unit for the power semiconductor switching element, a pulse-width modulating oscillator supplying a drive signal to the driving unit, and an error amplifier supplying an error signal to the oscillator (see, for example, Patent Literature 1). The power supply device has a power system output filter passing output power and a filter provided separately from the power-system output filter, and feeds back an output signal to the error amplifier by directly coupling an output of the separately provided filter and a differential amplifier in the error amplifier.
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2004-80985
To adjust supply voltage corresponding to a load fluctuation of the processor, a switching frequency equal to that of the reference clock signal of the processor is needed. Accordingly, a high-speed DVFS is desired. However, when the switching frequency changes depending on the load of the processor, it is difficult to supply large power to the processor.


A surgical drill bit can include a body portion that defines a central axis that extends along a first direction. The body portion can be separated along the first direction into a distal cutting segment, and a guiding segment. The body portion can include a helical flute that winds about the central axis. The helical flute can define a first outer profile along the cutting segment and a second outer profile along the guiding segment, the first outer profile has a first leading edge and a first bearing surface and the second outer profile has a second leading edge and a second bearing surface. The first leading edge can be configured to cut into bone and can be spaced from the central axis by a first length. The second leading edge can be spaced from the central axis by a second length that is less than the first length.

Certain medical procedures, such as osteosynthesis, are performed to stabilize and join bone segments to each other. Such procedures use stabilizing members such as rods or metal plates that are coupled to the bone segments by fixation elements such as bone screws, tacks, rivets, etc. Prior to the insertion of the bone screws into the bone segments, holes are pre-drilled into the bone segments using a surgical drill.
Various surgical drills are currently in use that facilitate the user to drill at many speeds from several rpms up to and possible exceeding 90,000 rpms. Because of the varying speeds, the drill can behave like a milling tool and cuts into the wall of the hole thereby unintentionally and undesirably widening the diameter of the hole. This cutting effect can be compounded by chatter, vibration, axial torsion by the user, and bone quality, each of which can cause the drill to counter rotate (i.e. wobble) about a center axis of the hole. In some cases, the hole diameter increases up to 30% of the desired hole diameter. Moreover, because of the high speed in which such drills operate, heat can build up thereby causing thermal damage in the bone segments. Therefore, current drill bits not only have problems with creating repeatable hole sizes but also harm the surrounding bone while the holes are being formed. For at least these reasons, the bone screws used during osteosynthesis fixation are at risk to a degraded performance due to the unintentional loss of bone caused by standard drill bits.