A method for remote controlling a wireless communication device by a message includes the following steps: the wireless communication device receives a message; and the wireless communication device executes a corresponding operation according to the data stored in the TP-User-Data (TP-UD) field or the data stored in the TP-Protocol-Identifier (TP-PID) field. A user can control the wireless communication device to perform functions like increasing volume or switching from a silent mode to a sound mode, or even switching the mobile phone off, through transmitting a text message to the mobile phone.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides a method and device for remote controlling a wireless communication device utilizing a text message, and more particularly, to a method and device for remote controlling a wireless communication device according to a data of a TP-User-Data (TP-UD) or a TP-Protocol-Identifier (TP-PID) stored within a text message.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Highly developed information communication systems exist in our modern information society. Electronic devices are widely utilized in every area of daily life. For instance, the utilization of a convenient and lightweight mobile phone device has become an indispensable mode of communication. Users of the mobile phone can easily exchange and share information, share their experiences, and opinions through the convenience afforded by the mobile phone device. Mobile phone technology has progressed tremendously in recent years and various types of mobile phones are continuously developed. The increasing utilization of mobile phones has created a corresponding demand in their production. Mobile phones are quickly becoming a very common communication device. As the technology of mobile phones begins to mature, it is apparent that the trend is moving towards smaller multi-functional phones. The important issues now involve how to better design a more personalized mobile phone for the user to utilize.
When a user is looking for a misplaced mobile phone, the user usually locates the mobile phone through hearing the ring tone of the mobile phone. The user simply performs the dialing operation utilizing the phone number associated with the missing mobile phone. However, if the mobile phone is set to a silent mode, the above-mentioned method is not effective. Another problem arises when the mobile phone is left behind or otherwise forgotten in a public space. If in this situation the mobile phone rings, due to either an incoming call or an activated alarm, the mobile phone will be the cause of unwanted noise pollution. Additionally, when the mobile phone is left behind or otherwise forgotten in a public space, the mobile phone may be picked up by strangers and calls may be placed, which results in expensive phone bills. Therefore, designing a method of remote controlling a mobile phone, where the mobile phone is capable of executing actions such as switching from a silent mode to a ringing mode or switching off, is an important issue to be solved.

Method and device for remote controlling a wireless communication device utilizing a text message


A depolymerizing process of polylactic acid, wherein the polylactic acid is depolymerized in the presence of a hydrolase in an organic solvent or a supercritical fluid, thereby producing a re-polymerizable oligomer. A producing process of polylactic acid, wherein the re-polymerizable oligomer obtained by the above-mentioned depolymerization process is polymerized in the presence of a hydrolase or a polymerization catalyst.

In recent years, with the critical situation of the worsening of the global environment with global warming and the like, the construction of systems with sustainable use of materials has been accelerated from the viewpoint of using effectively the limited carbon resources and conserving limited energy resources. In the case of polymer products, after use the products are reused as they are (examples of this case include the conversion of PET bottles to fibrous material), or recycled or discarded. For recycling processes, material recycling processes, chemical recycling processes, thermal recycling processes, and the like are used. However, material recycling processes involve a deterioration in quality, such as a drop in molecular weight, chemical recycling processes consume much energy, and thermal recycling process generate a large amount of carbon dioxide gas. Thus, each of these processes involve problems.
From the viewpoint of effective use of carbon resources, the ideal is that products are finally restored to the raw materials thereof by chemical recycling processes. Regarding chemical recycling processes, the recovery of monomers by depolymerization reactions, and recovery of monomers as raw materials by chemically decomposition reactions are known. However, in the case of performing depolymerization based on chemical decomposition or thermal decomposition, both terminals of a generated low molecular weight compound are irregular. It is therefore impossible to re-polymerize such compounds as they are, and it is necessary to conduct isomerization reactions, purification thereof or some other operations. For example, when polyester is hydrolyzed at high temperature and high pressure in the presence of NaOH, carboxylic acid yielded is present as a Na salt thereof. Thus, this acidity must be neutralized. Accordingly, the processes consume much energy, and cause the discharge of inorganic salts (such as NaCl), and other problems. Thus, the processes impose large loads upon environment, and are generally unprofitable.
Apart from the viewpoint of reuse, attention has been paid to the so-called biodegradable polymers, which are degraded by bacteria and the like in the ground, as polymers imposing only small loads on environment. Various such biodegradable polymers have been suggested. For example, for biodegradable polymers biodegradable polyesters are known. Typical examples of biodegradable polyesters produced by chemical synthesis include polycaprolactone (PCL), polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxybutyric acid (PHB), and aliphatic polyesters made from diol and succinic acid, such as polyethylene succinate, polybutylene succinate (PBS) and polybutylene succinate/adipate copolymer (PBS/A). Among these, as well as polylactic acid and polycaprolactone, polybutylene succinate (PBS) has been investigated in an attempt to make it practicable as a typical chemically-synthesized biodegradable plastic, since PBS can be obtained from 1,4-butanediol and succinic acid by a petrochemical industrial process.
Among the above-mentioned examples, poly(L-lactic acid) (PLA) is a polymer yielded by polymerizing lactic acid, which is obtained by fermenting corn starch, or the like, which is a renewable resource. It can be said that this polymer is a low environment load polymer, which does not cause a direct increase in the total amount of carbon dioxide gas even if the polymer is finally biodegraded or burned up. Lactic acid or a dimer thereof, which is the raw material of the polymer, has already been produced with a high efficiency by research and development over many years.
Polylactic acid is a biodegradable plastic which has strength equivalent to that of polyethylene or polystyrene, has a higher transparency than other biodegradable plastics, and is superior in weather resistance, heat resistance, workability and the like. Polylactic acid has already been put to practical use such as in covering materials for agriculture, fibers, earth-retaining netting, weed-preventing bags and the like. Accordingly, polylactic acid is a biodegradable plastic that has currently been developed furthest towards practical use.
Polylactic acid is degraded to water and carbon dioxide with several years in the ground, or in a short period in compost. Therefore, covering materials and the like for agriculture, which are used outdoors, can be left as they are after they have been used. However, polylactic acid has a considerably lower biodegradability than polycaprolactone or polyhydroxybutyric acid. Thus, there is the fear that a large amount of polylactic acid left outdoors may cause a new environmental problem.
There is a chemical recycling process in which polylactic acid is thermally decomposed to regenerate the monomer thereof. This process requires a high temperature of 270° C. or higher, and consumes much energy. Thus, it is difficult to say that this process is superior in recycling. Although polylactic acid can be obtained from a renewable resource, it is impossible to ignore energy applied to the production thereof, including the cultivation of plants for producing starch as the raw material, the harvesting thereof and production by fermentation and the like. Moreover, the raw materials of a biodegradable polymer such as polylactic acid are not recovered, although the biodegradable polymer imposes only a small load on the environment. Accordingly, the process does not fall under the category of complete-cycle type of reuse, wherein carbon resources are effectively used. Thus, it is hard to say that the process is an ideal polymer-degrading process.
Accordingly, a polymer producing/degrading process can be constructed, which is one of both low energy consumption and is also a complete-cycle type, if the following can be attained: a polymer can be degraded into a low molecular weight compound without using high energy, such as petroleum energy, like biodegradable polymers; the low molecular weight compound can be effectively utilized; and, if desired, the original polymer can be obtained from the low molecular weight compound without similarly consuming any high energy.
Incidentally, Japanese Patent Application National Publication (Laid-Open) No. 2001-512504 describes, as a process for degrading a biodegradable polymer a process of degrading various biodegradable polymers, such as aliphatic or partially-aromatic polyesters, thermoplastic aliphatic or partially-aromatic polyester urethanes which may contain a urethane group, aliphatic-aromatic polyester carbonates and/or aliphatic or partially-aromatic polyester amides, by use of an enzyme such as lipase in an aqueous enzyme solution in which a buffer may be contained. However, the degrading technique described in this publication is a technique for degrading a biodegradable polymer rapidly in an aqueous solution by using an enzyme, and, for example, for the use in a method of degrading and removing a biodegradable polymer from a complex of the biodegradable polymer and a different useful material (such as a metal), thereby recovering the useful material easily. The main aim thereof is not to reuse products generated after the degradation. It is also difficult to use the product decomposed by this process for re-polymerization or the like.
The above-mentioned publication states that fine particles of polylactic acid, which is a biodegradable polymer, is degraded in the presence of a specific lipase in a potassium phosphate buffer solution. However, it is a well-known fact that polylactic acid is not degraded under ordinary conditions even if microorganisms are present therein and polylactic acid is not degraded by microorganisms without, for example, conditions of high-temperature and high-humidity. It is thought that this is because polylactic acid is first hydrolyzed at high temperature and high humidity, so that a fall in the molecular weight occurs, and it is not until the stage at which the hydrolysis advances that polylactic acid starts to be degraded by the participation of microorganisms (a two-stage reaction) (J. Lunt, Polymer Degradation and Stability 59, 145-152 (1998)). It appears that the lipase degradation of polylactic acid in a potassium phosphate buffer solution, described in the above-mentioned publication, is based on the following: polylactic acid is first hydrolyzed so that a fall in the molecular weight thereof occurs since polylactic acid is made into very fine powder, and lipase acts on the low molecular weight polylactic acid. (The only enzyme capable of degrading high molecular weight polylactic acid which is known is protease K.)
The rapid degradation of polylactic acid in compost by microorganisms is caused by the occurrence of a two-stage reaction as described above, since conditions of high temperature and high humidity are maintained in the compost.
Accordingly, it is considered that no enzyme other than protease K can be caused to act directly on polylactic acid so as to degrade the acid. The mainstream of practical research is about degradation of polylactic acid in compost. Currently, research into causing enzymes to directly act on polylactic acid to degrade the acid is not being carried out, excepting research in which the degradation by use of the above-mentioned protease K is used for simplified evaluation of biodegradability. Additionally, research based on a concept that polylactic acid is depolymerized with an enzyme to recover a re-polymerizable oligomer has not yet been undertaken. Accordingly, there has not yet been suggested any chemical recycling process of depolymerizing polylactic acid with an enzyme to yield a re-polymerizable oligomer.
Correspondingly, the inventor of the present invention previously suggested a process for depolymerizing a polymer with an enzyme, wherein a depolymerization product generated by depolymerizing the polymer has re-polymerizability. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2002-17385 describes a depolymerizing process of a caprolactone polymer with a hydrolase. By this depolymerization, dicaprolactone is produced in a high yield, and the produced dicaprolactone can be re-polymerized with an enzyme. Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-131768 relates to a process of depolymerizing polyalkylene alkanoate or poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) in the presence of a hydrolase to produce re-polymerizable oligomer(s) including, as main component(s), cyclic oligomer(s). Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-193114 relates to a process of depolymerizing polyester or polycarbonate in the presence of a hydrolase in a supercritical fluid. A cyclic oligomer can be re-polymerized with an enzyme in a supercritical fluid.
These polymers are conventionally well known as biodegradable polymers which are easily degraded by microorganisms, and the behavior thereof to microorganisms is greatly different from that of polylactic acid.

Enzymatic depolymerization process of polylactic acid, and producing process of polylactic acid using depolymerization product


An optical switching system is disclosed which can achieve high speed optical switching with a simple configuration. Light from a light irradiation section is irradiated into an optical transmission line made of a material having a nonlinear optical effect and disposed on the upstream side with respect to an optical switch provided for performing switching of a transmission line to cause the nonlinear optical effect to occur. Thereupon, light is emitted externally from the optical transmission line by the nonlinear optical effect between the light irradiated by the light irradiation section and light propagating in the optical transmission line. The light emitted is received by a light reception section to acquire intensity information of the light propagating in the optical transmission line. The intensity information is used as driving signal for driving the optical switch.

This invention relates to an optical communication apparatus, an optical communication information decoding method, an optical switching system and a driving method for an optical switching system, and more particularly to an optical communication apparatus, an optical communication information decoding method, an optical switching system and a driving method for an optical switching system suitable for use for a switching process of multiplexed optical signals.
The field of optical communication has been developing rapidly together with the progress of the information-based society in recent years. In the field of optical communication, the progress is significant in the field of the enhancement in function beginning with the enhancement in transfer rate and the multiplexing of data.
As a multiplexing technique, wavelength multiplexing techniques such as the WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing) and the DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing) have been developed.
In such a situation as described above, also with regard to a switching technique required for a repeating point of an optical fiber transmission line (hereinafter referred to merely as optical fiber), specifications for higher performances such as higher speed operation of an optical switch are demanded.
More particularly, it is demanded to raise the speed of an optical switch which quickly decodes header information included in information propagating in an optical fiber, that is, information in which a destination of information is recorded, and operates rapidly in response to the header information.
However, in an environment of the WDM or the DWDM, information propagating in an optical fiber and including header information cannot be read before optical wavelengths are demultiplexed from one another. Therefore, an optical switching system at a repeating point of an optical fiber cannot be avoided to have such a configuration as shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 shows an optical switching system which distributes and outputs wavelength-multiplexed optical signals inputted from an optical fiber 51 to optical fibers 52 and 53 in accordance with header information of the wavelength-multiplexed optical signals.
Referring to FIG. 1, wavelength-multiplexed light transmitted along the optical fiber 51 in accordance with the WDM or DWDM system is demultiplexed for individual wavelengths by a demultiplexer 54 and individually received by light reception units 55a to 55f. Information reading apparatus 56a to 56f read header information of information signals in the form of optical signals of the different wavelengths received by the light reception units 55a to 55f, respectively.
The information reading apparatus 56a to 56f discriminate destinations of the individual information signals based on the header information to select output destinations of the information signals and signal the information signals to light emitting elements 57a to 57f or light emitting elements 58a to 58f.
For example, if the information reading apparatus 56a discriminates that the output destination of the pertaining information signal is the optical fiber 52 side, then it outputs the information signal to the light emitting element 57a. On the other hand, if the information reading apparatus 56a discriminates that the information signal is the optical fiber 53 side, then it outputs the information signal to the light emitting element 58a.
When each of the light emitting elements 57a to 57f and the light emitting elements 58a to 58f receives an information signal, it emits light of an optical signal of a predetermined wavelength corresponding to the information signal.
Optical signals of different wavelengths outputted from all or some of the light emitting elements 57a to 57f are multiplexed in accordance with the WDM or DWDM system by a multiplexer 59 and signaled to the optical fiber 52. On the other hand, optical signals of different wavelengths outputted from all or some of the light emitting elements 58a to 58f are multiplexed in accordance with the WDM or DWDM system by a multiplexer 60 and signaled to the optical fiber 53.
In this manner, at a repeating point of an optical fiber, a demultiplexer for demultiplexing wavelength-multiplexed light into different wavelengths used in the WDM or DWDM, light receiving elements for the individual wavelengths and a number of light emitting sources for the individual wavelengths equal to the number of fiber transmission lines used for transmission are required. Therefore, the optical switching system has a configuration of a great scale.
Further, since the optical switching system is configured such that it uses a procedure including demultiplexing of multiplexed wavelengths, light reception and information reading in order to select transmission destinations, it has a limitation to satisfaction of the demand for high speed optical switching.

Optical communication apparatus, optical communication information decoding method, optical switching system, and driving method for optical switching system


In gradation conversion of a radiographic image, a pixel value range in an object area as a pixel value width, a representative pixel value of the object, and a curved line of the gradation conversion such that the pixel value width is adjusted to a predetermined width and the representative pixel value is adjusted to a predetermined pixel value, are extracted, and a gradation converting step is performed, of performing conversion on the image, based on the curved line of the gradation conversion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing technique for performing gradation conversion of an image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Before an image radiographed by a radiographic device, such as an image sensor or a camera, is displayed on a monitor or in a film for X-ray diagnosis, the image data is generally subjected to gradation conversion so that the image can be observed more easily.
For example, in a so-called two-point method, gradation conversion is performed such that a maximum pixel value and a minimum pixel value in an area subjected to gradation conversion processing (i.e., an object area) are set to constant densities. According to this method, the entire object area is displayed at a constant density range, so that the entire object area can be displayed with high reliability.
In addition, in a so-called one-point method, gradation conversion of, for example, an image of a chest radiographed from the front is performed such that a maximum pixel value in an area of the image corresponding to a lung depicted in the image is set to a constant density. More specifically, in the one-point method, gradation conversion is performed such that a pixel value in a target region in the object area, which is also called a characteristic region and refers to a specific anatomic region, is set to a predetermined density. According to this method, since the density in the target region is set to a predetermined density, diagnosis of the target region can be performed with high reliability.
On the other hand, a method of changing a dynamic range has been proposed by the inventors of the present invention (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-272283). More specifically, an image processing method according to this publication can be expressed by using coordinates (x, y) in an image, a gradation conversion function F1( ), a gradation conversion rate c(x, y), a pixel value fd(x, y) after the conversion, a first image f0(x, y), a second image f1(x, y), and a smoothed (low-frequency) image fus(x, y) of the second image, as follows:fd(x,y)=f0(x,y)+(1−c(x,y))×(f1(x,y))−fus(x,y)  Equation (1)where f0(x,y)=F1(f1(x,y)),
      c              (              x        ,        y            )        =            ∂              F1                          (                      f1                                      (                              x                ,                y                            )                                )                            ∂              f1                          (                      x            ,            y                    )
In this method, the dynamic range of the image is changed while high-frequency components are adjusted, so that the entire object area can be displayed in a film with good contrast without reducing the amplitude of fine structures.
In the above-described two-point method, since gradation conversion is performed such that the maximum and the minimum pixel values in the object area are set to constant densities, the concept of setting the density in the target region in the image to a predetermined density is not applied. Accordingly, there is a problem in that the density in the target region varies with each image.
In addition, in the above-described one-point method, although the density in the target region is set to a predetermined density, there is a problem in that the maximum and the minimum densities in the object area vary with each image depending on the width of a pixel value distribution (pixel value width) in the object area. For example, when gradation conversion of an image of a chest radiographed from the front is performed such that the maximum pixel value in a lung field is set to a constant density, the density in an abdomen region, where pixel values are low, varies with each image depending on the pixel value width of the object area. In addition, although the peripheral region of the lung field is also necessary for diagnosis, since this region is adjacent to the abdomen region and the pixel values are also low, the density in this region also varies with each image. Although gradation conversion is not necessarily performed such that the maximum and the minimum pixel values in the object area are set to constant densities as in the two-point method, it is undesirable for the contrasts in regions corresponding to the maximum and/or the minimum pixel values in the object area to vary significantly with each image depending on the pixel value width of the object area.
In addition, the above-described method of changing the dynamic range does not serve to solve the above-described problems of the one-point method and the two-point method. More specifically, the density in the target region, as well as in other regions cannot be prevented from varying with each image.


A graft includes a flow tubing having a tubing portion defining a flow lumen. The flow lumen of the tubing portion is substantially free of ribs or grooves. A center line of the flow lumen follows a substantially helical path with a helix angle less than or equal to 65°. The amplitude of the helix is less than or equal to one half of the internal diameter of the tubing portion.

This invention relates to grafts.
We have previously proposed that the flow pattern in arteries including the swirling pattern induced by their non-planar geometry operates to inhibit the development of vascular diseases such as thrombosis, atherosclerosis and intimal hyperplasia.
It is known from WO 95/09585 to provide a vascular prosthesis comprising a length of generally hollow tubing having openings at both ends thereof and including a non-planar curved portion so as to induce swirl flow in blood flowing through the curved portion. As explained in that publication, the swirl flow induced by skewing of the blood flow within the non-planar curved portion improves flow characteristics and reduces the potential for deposit build-up and vascular disease including intimal hyperplasia.
In WO 98/53764, there is disclosed a stent for supporting part of a blood vessel. The stent includes a supporting portion around which or within which part of a blood vessel intended for grafting can be placed so that the stent internally or externally supports that part. The supporting portion of the stent is shaped so that flow between graft and host vessel is caused to follow a non-planar curve. This generates a swirl flow, again to provide a favourable blood flow velocity pattern which reduces the occurrence of vascular disease, particularly intimal hyperplasia.
In WO 00/32241, there is disclosed another type of stent, in this case including a supporting portion around which or within which part of an intact blood vessel other than a graft can be placed. This supporting portion can prevent failure of the vessel through blockage, kinking or collapse. Again, the supporting portion of the stent is of a shape and/or orientation whereby flow within the vessel is caused to follow a non-planar curve. Favourable blood flow velocity patterns can be achieved through generation therein of swirl flow within and beyond the stent. Failures in blood vessels through diseases such as thrombosis, atherosclerosis, intimal hyperplasia can be significantly reduced.
Further aspects of how swirl flow is beneficial are explained in the above publications. It is further explained in Caro et al. (1998) J. Physiol. 513P, 2P how non-planar geometry of tubing inhibits flow instability.
In certain embodiments of the above publications the artificial or modified natural blood flow tubing is helical or part-helical. In the case of part-helical tubing, the prosthesis or the supported vessel may undergo less than one complete turn of a helix, for example less than one half or less than one quarter of such a turn.
In this specification, the "swept width" of a helix means the outer width of the helix when viewed axially of the helix. In cases where this swept width is relatively wide compared to the width of the tubing itself, the prosthesis or stent may be more bulky than is necessary or acceptable to induce the required swirl flow.
It has been proposed in WO 00/38591 to use internal helical grooving or ridging to induce helical flow. Similar proposals have been made in WO 97/24081 and EP 1127557 A1. However, the use of ribs or grooves in an otherwise cylindrical tube may not reliably induce swirl flow across the entire cross-section of flow. There may be a tendency for the flow nearer to the centre of the tube to follow a linear path, particularly for flows at higher Reynolds numbers. Furthermore, the ratio of the wetted perimeter to the cross-sectional area of a tube is increased by the provision of ridges or grooves. There is a departure from a circular cross-sectional shape. This may lead to increased flow resistance and a consequent pressure loss, and damage to blood vessels and blood cells and the development of pathology.
It is also proposed in WO 00/38591 to use a non-circular cross-section tube which is twisted. Again, however, a departure from circularity increases the ratio of the wetted perimeter to the cross-sectional area and will have disadvantages.
A further proposal in WO 00/38591 is to provide a circular-section tube bent into a cork screw shape. It is usual for the helix of a cork screw to have a clear gap down the middle, so that this proposed configuration would have a wide swept width compared to the width of the tubing, certainly more than two tubing diameters. The amplitude of the helix would be greater than one half of the internal diameter of the tubing and there would be no "line of sight" along the inside of the tubing. This proposal would therefore be relatively bulky and unsuitable for certain applications. A similar proposal is shown in FIG. 5 of WO 02/98325, the tubing having a helix with a large amplitude and again no "line of sight" along the inside of the tubing.
Various designs of elastomeric arterial graft prostheses are proposed in GB 2092894. In the version of FIG. 8 of that document, the interior surface is undulatory or corrugated, with different undulations either having parallel circumferential paths or joined in a "spiral" path. The corrugations are proposed as an alternative to reinforcement for improving the anti-kinking characteristics of the graft. In the case of the "spiral" corrugations which appear to be shown in FIG. 8, the angle of the corrugations to the longitudinal axis is relatively high, of the order of more than 70°. This is to be expected where the purpose of the corrugations is to improve anti-kinking or other structural characteristics, rather than for reasons relating to the nature of the blood flow through the graft. In fact, it is likely that the corrugations would tend to cause the flow to undergo sharp changes of direction leading to flow separation and the creation of stagnant near-wall regions.


Briefly, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a channel estimator may be adapted to provide a channel estimate based at least in part on an estimated delay spread. The channel estimator may be adapted to provide a more accurate channel estimation in the event of a lower estimated delay spread. In one embodiment, the channel estimator provides a frequency domain channel estimate, and in another embodiment the channel estimator provides a time domain channel estimate.

In typical orthogonal frequency multiplexing systems, a guard interval may be specified to account for any delay spread. Generally, the channel length may be unknown, so typical channel estimation schemes may a priori assume that the channel length is equal to the guard interval. However, under some operating circumstances, the actual delay spread encountered may not be as long as the guard interval, in which case it is inefficient to assume that the channel length is equal to the guard interval. Therefore, it may be desirable to provide a system that estimates an actual delay spread encountered by the system and that utilizes the estimated delay spread to provide a more accurate channel estimate.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements are exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.

Adaptive channel estimation for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing systems or the like


A system and method for control of the system, with a plurality of autonomous vehicles having intersecting routes, a control, an operational area, and a predefined place with positions provided with a vehicle presence detection device. The method includes detecting the presence of the vehicles in a detection device, and beginning to travel with a first vehicle according to a travel action. The travel action is chosen from travelling of a route through the operational area from a predefined place, and an advancing action within a predefined place from a first detection device to a second detection device which is not yet occupied. Beginning to travel is carried out only if each of the vehicles has been detected as present at one of the predefined places, or, at most one vehicle has the status “not present at one of the predefined places” if the travel action relates to an advancing action.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a system and a method for controlling such a system, of N unmanned autonomous vehicles, where N≧2, a control device for at least partially controlling at least one of the autonomous vehicles, an operational area with a floor over which the vehicles can move, wherein the vehicles are each configured to travel independently over one or more routes which are possible for that vehicle, wherein for at least one vehicle at least one of the possible routes intersects at least at one point with at least one possible route of another of the vehicles, and at least one predefined place which adjoins the operational area, with in total M predefined positions which are each provided with at least one detection device to detect the presence of one of the vehicles and to signal the presence to the control device, where M≧2. A system of this type with a plurality of autonomous vehicles is known per se.
Description of the Related Art
A situation known per se which can arise is that the vehicles can both travel in one and the same area, on routes which totally or partially overlap one another or intersect with one another at one or more points. To reduce the risk of collisions here, it is possible to allow the vehicles to communicate with one another directly or via a central control system regarding their positions. It is also possible to provide the vehicles with detection equipment and a controller which prevents collisions on the basis of detection by the detection equipment. However, solutions of this type require a substantial amount of communication traffic, with a risk of faults therein and consequently still a risk of collisions, and/or a substantial amount of detection equipment on each of the vehicles. Both of the aforementioned methods are complex and prone to faults.


The present invention relates to a device for fastening movable wires on a row of plants, in particular grape vines.

In agriculture, and particularly in the viticultural field, a well-known practice is to prearrange plant support structures consisting of rows of poles driven into the ground so as to form rows. The poles are spaced apart and are interconnected in their parts above ground by a horizontal wire, called "carrying or training wire", that is secured on said poles at a suitable height above the ground. On the two poles that are placed at the ends of each row, called "head poles", are also fastened at least one pair of wires parallel to each other and arranged on respective sides of each pole in the row. These wires are commonly called "containment wires" or "movable wires" because, during the different phases of cultivation of the plants, they are moved to different heights above the ground to contain and arrange the growing canopy according to a desired configuration. In winter, in fact, when the vine shoots are very short or are completely absent, the pairs of movable wires are arranged in a position closer to the ground. In the spring and summer seasons, when the plants are in full growth, each pair of movable wires is progressively moved to a position farther from the ground in the direction orthogonal to the ground, to contain the canopy between the wires of each pair, thus making it grow according to a desired configuration.
According to a well-known method, at least one of the ends of the movable wires is fastened to a head pole on the row by means of metal chains provided with a suitable coupling device or suitable clamps, which were used to fasten one of the chain links to the pole. With that fastening solution, when it is necessary to move each movable wire to another position, the wire must first be loosened by uncoupling the relative chain from the pole, then repositioning the movable wire at the desired height, and finally coupling the chain back on the pole. These operations, all of them fairly complex and strenuous, require the presence of at least two persons, one to support the chain while keeping the movable wire taut, and at least another person to move the movable wire to a new position. Thus it is evident, especially considering the fact that on a tilled land the rows are numerous and of considerable length, that such a fastening configuration of the movable wires on a head pole of a row of vines involves a considerable amount of physical labour and relatively long working times and considerable costs.
As a partial improvement of the chain-based fastening method, in the International Patent Application WO 2005/048691, is disclosed an elastic compensation device that makes it possible for a single person to vertically reposition each movable wire. According to this embodiment, at least one end of each movable wire is coupled to a first end of an elastic compensation device stably fixed to the head pole in the row.
A drawback of this solution lies in the fact that the vertical change of position of the movable wire to place it at a different height with respect to the height at which the two ends on the head poles are fastened, involves the formation of a portion of movable wire that is placed obliquely with respect to the ground in the region included between each head pole and the first pole in the row down from said head pole. This is due to the fact that the change in the height of the movable wire applied manually does not include the ends of the same wire, which remain in a fixed position on the head poles. This oblique positioning of the movable wire with respect to the ground into which the poles are driven determines the substantial impossibility of managing in the best manner the canopy growing from one or more plants placed in the area of the ground included between each head pole and the next pole down the row. It is thus evident that, although a row can theoretically accommodate plants, in particular grape vines, spaced at a distance of about 80 cm from each other, the solution of fastening the movable wires to the head poles disclosed in WO 2005/048691 implies substantially the need to place the first plant in a row at a distance greater than 1.5 meters from the head pole on which the device is fastened, in other words beyond the first pole in the row after the head pole. Thus it can be seen that, for each row which naturally includes two head poles, in order to train the plant growth in the best manner, it is necessary to give up planting at least one pair of extra vines over the number that could theoretically be accommodated by the row if they were spaced at a distance of about 80 cm from each other. In particular, in a field planted with grape vines, even if they are of relatively small size, the number of plants that must be given up planting can be a considerable disadvantage, with a consequent loss in the yield of the vineyard.
As a partial solution of the shortcomings outlined above, Italian Patent IT 1364354 discloses an adjustable and transferable tensioning system of the mobile wires, wherein at least one pair of wire tensioners are slidingly coupled to each of the two head poles. Each wire tensioning device supports two mobile wires arranged parallel to and at a short distance from each other so as to be placed on the sides of the intermediate poles in the row in order to properly train the plant growth. This system has considerable disadvantages, both in terms of the method of vertical displacement of the mobile wires and in terms of the limitations it imposes on the arrangement of a row of plants, in particular grape vines. A first one of these shortcomings lies in the fact that the vertical displacement of the mobile wires can be carried out only by simultaneously moving two mobile wires having their corresponding ends mounted on the same wire-tensioning devices. In actual practice, in fact, the simultaneous displacement of a pair of mobile wires and of the relative wire-tensioning devices is strongly hindered by the presence of the grown canopy, whose casual arrangement makes it difficult to contain it between two parallel mobile wires moved vertically at the same moment. In the system disclosed in IT 1364354, a further problem in the displacement of each pair of mobile wires is due to the high friction present between each wire-tensioning device and the head pole or the relative sliding guide on which it is mounted, which results disadvantageously in the necessity of using a particular tool to pry the device away from the pole. In addition to the friction between the contact surfaces, the tension imposed by the same wire-tensioning devices on each pair of mobile wires also hinders the vertical displacement of the latter. In addition, the fact that the operation of changing the vertical position of the mobile wires involves the simultaneous displacement of two wires that are coupled to the same wire-tensioning device and that are at least in part obstructed by the canopy, contributes, together with the problems described above, to making the operations of changing the position of the mobile wires laborious and complicated.
Still another shortcoming of the system disclosed in IT 1364354 lies in the fact that the vertical displacement of each pair of mobile wires is limited by the presence of the carrying wires in the row that extend longitudinally between all the intermediate poles in the row, starting from the two head poles, and whose position is definitively determined the moment when the row is arranged. In fact, since each pair of movable wires is secured to the same wire-tensioning device, the range of vertical movement of the latter cannot include within it the presence of any carrying wire and of the relative fastening mechanism on the head pole. Thus, in a row of grape vines, the adjustable and translatable tensioning system for the mobile wires proposed in IT 1364354, which naturally must take into account the normal heights of the plants on which the canopy to be trained grows, imposes the disadvantage of arranging each carrying wire above the highest position or below the lowest position in which it is possible to place each pair of mobile wires by sliding the relative wire-tensioning device on the head pole. This implies the necessity of using poles whose part above ground is rather high or, to limit that height, limiting the vertical distance that each pair of mobile wires may travel, with the risk that it may not be possible to effectively contain part of the canopy. Similarly to what previously described with reference to the fastening of the mobile wires using means of elastic compensation, a further disadvantage of the positioning requirements of the system disclosed in IT 1364354 with respect to the carrying wires in the row lies in the fact that the canopy growing from the vines present in the region between each head pole and the first pole on the row after the head pole cannot be easily contained by varying the position of the mobile wires, but must be disadvantageously trained on said mobile wires through laborious manual operations. In fact, according to what is disclosed in IT 1364354, at the beginning of the first phase of vegetation growth, in the region included between each head pole and the first pole in the row after the head pole, the movable wires are arranged obliquely relative to the ground, and, especially in the area proximate the head pole, they are arranged at a higher level than the fruiting canes on the plants. This arrangement allows the canopy to grow in casual configurations that position themselves outside of the area included between each pair of movable wires arranged on opposite sides of the row, thus avoiding being contained when the movable wires are being displaced vertically.
A not less significant disadvantage of the system disclosed in IT 1354354 consists of the fact that the displacement of each pair of movable wires implies the displacement of at least a further pair of wires supported on the same head poles, since said system does not allow a first pair of wires placed at a lower height to be displaced in height along the head pole and be moved past, or above, a second pair of wires placed at a higher level relative to the first pair of wires. In other words, since the training system proposed in IT 1364354 provides for mounting on a single vertical guide all the wire-tensioning devices that fasten the movable wires, when it becomes necessary to move said wires to a higher level in order to contain the grown canopy, before moving to a higher level a first wire-tensioning device located nearer to the top of the head pole it is necessary to move to a higher level a second wire-tensioning device that is located immediately below the first device until it is substantially moved up to the position occupied by the first device. Only after the second device has substantially taken the place of the first device, the latter can be lifted higher along the head pole. This double displacement, and in particular the displacement of the movable wires that in the course of the seasonal growth of the canopy have first curbed the vegetation, causes the breaking of the tendrils that anchor the vine shoots to the movable wires, thus irreparably damaging the vine. This problem is particularly sensitive for some types of grape vines that produce slender and easily breakable shoots.

Fastening device for movable wires on a row of plants

Abstract: A fastening device for movable wires (F′, F″) of a row of plants according to the invention includes connecting means (1, 201, 301, 401) suitable to arrange said device in proximity of a head pole (PE) of said row, guide means (2) and a plurality of mounting means (3) of a wire slidingly connected to said guide means (2). The device is characterized in that said guide means (2) include a plurality of guide portions (4A, 4B, 4C, 4D) that define a corresponding plurality of displacement paths of said movable wires (F′, F″) distributed on opposite sides of the row, said displacement paths being oriented transversally relative to the direction of extension of said movable wires (F′, F″), and in that said mounting means (3) are designed to receive a single movable wire (F′, F″) so that each one of said movable wires (F′, F″) is independently displaceable along one of said displacement paths.


Disclosed are a system and method for providing wireless access to a network, such as the internet. The disclosed technique takes into account the inherent asymmetric and bursty characteristics of internet communication to obtain more efficiency in the communication between a user and an access provider. In doing so, the invention provides a technique that can be used to economically provide wireless access to the internet at data rates that are comparable to what a user would receive over ISDN lines.

Typically, access to what is commonly referred to as "the internet" requires a data channel between a user terminal and an access provider. The access provider serves as a gateway for exchange of data between the user terminal and the various nodes which together comprise the internet.
Many types of connections between the customer and an access provider are now available, each characterized by varying levels of convenience, expense and transmission efficiency. Currently, most residential users access the internet with a conventional modem that operates at speeds up to 28.8 kilobits per second (Kbps). Such users access an internet service provider or an online service provider by establishing a circuit-switch connection through the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Point-to-point protocol (PPP) sessions to the internet access point are maintained during the duration of the circuit switch connection.
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) lines are increasingly being used to access the internet with a much faster transmission speed than provided by conventional 28.8 Kbps modems. In the future, ADSL modems and cable modems are likely to offer alternative means for accessing the internet.
Primarily due to the increased use of mobile terminals, such as "laptop" or portable computers, there is an increasing demand for access to the internet from areas in which no wire terminal is accessible to the user. Some cellular systems attempt to meet this need by providing wireless internet access. For example, CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data) is a packet data mode for analog cellular systems which provides data transmission suitable for access to the internet. Other wireless networks, such as GSM, are also becoming available which support communication through the internet.
While providing greater convenience in terms of user mobility, conventional wireless networks are limited in significant respects. For example, they generally are expensive relative to communication over standard telephone lines. Moreover, they are characterized by a relatively low data transmission rate (typically between 9.6 and 19.2 Kbps). Further, even yet-to-be implemented systems are relatively inefficient with respect to usage. For example, GSM will require 200 Khz spacings on both uplink and downlink, thus permitting only twenty-five frequency channels in a 10 MHz system.
In summary, among the above-described conventional methods for accessing the internet, communication by modem over the PSTN is relatively inexpensive, but lacks the high speed offered by ISDN lines or the convenience of wireless cellular networks. ISDN lines provide greater efficiency through faster transmission rates, but are more expensive than a standard telephone connection and, again, less convenient to use than wireless cellular systems. While more convenient, wireless communication is limited in terms of both cost and transmission speed.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need to provide a system and method for accessing the internet which provides the speed of ISDN based systems and the convenient accessibility afforded by wireless systems while preserving spectral efficiency.

Method and system for wireless internet access


A new and distinct Clematis hybrid named ‘is disclosed, characterized by unique magenta flowers with convex tepals. Flowers occur from the base of the plant to the top. Flowering season is continuous from April until September. The new cultivar is a Clematis typically suited for ornamental container and landscape use.

The new cultivar is the result of a breeding program, with the objective to develop new varieties of Clematis with strong growth and interesting flowers for commercial purposes. The new variety was discovered as a single plant among a group of seedlings of unknown parentage observed by the inventor, Bernard Travers. The discovery was made during 1999. Discovery was made at a commercial nursery in Orleans, France.
After selecting and isolating the new cultivar, asexual reproduction of the new cultivar 'TRA73' was first performed at a commercial nursery in St. Jean Le Blanc by vegetative cuttings during 2002. The inventor maintained the original plant, and observed the clones for several years, to establish stability of the characteristics. 'TRA73' has since produced multiple generations and has shown that the unique features of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type. Public access to plant material first occurred during early Spring of 2014. Before this time, plant material was under the control of the inventor, or those directly authorized by the inventor and no enabling access to plant material occurred. This variety has been applied for Plant Breeder's Right's Protection in the EU, with CPVO application number 2013/1736. A copy of the technical questionnaire is included with the mailing of this application. A grant has not yet issued, and technical exam process has not been completed. Neither the application, nor any other publication resulted in an enabling disclosure of 'TRA73'.


A caster wherein the wheel frame and the wheel can be locked in a first axial position of a post which is installed in an upright support serving to turnably mount the frame. When the post is moved to a second axial position relative to the support, the wheel is free to turn in the frame but the frame is releasably held against turning relative to the support. However, if it should become necessary to change the orientation of the frame relative to the support, the frame is turned with a selected force to overcome the bias of a spring which tends to maintain the frame in the selected angular position. Several different angular positions of the frame can be determined by a set of balls which are mounted in a base of the post and by the sockets of a ring-shaped female coupling member which is installed in the frame and whose sockets can receive the balls. The balls are expelled from the aligned sockets to permit turning of the frame relative to the support when the bias of the spring is overcome. Such bias is adjustable. A braking device is provided to lock the frame against turning and to hold the wheel against rotation in the first axial position of the post.

The invention relates to casters in general, and more particularly to improvements in casters which can be utilized with advantage on the legs of hospital beds or for similar purposes. Still more particularly, the invention relates to improvements in casters of the type disclosed in commonly owned copending patent application Ser. No. 07/768,059 filed Sep. 27, 1991 for "Caster with pivotable two-armed wheel brake" now U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,035.
The commonly owned copending patent application Ser. No. 07/768,059 discloses a caster wherein a post which is reciprocable in an upright support can be moved up and down between three different positions by a rotary cam which is installed in the support or in the leg of a bed or the like. When the post is moved to one of the three positions, a pivotable braking device not only holds the wheel of the caster against rotation relative to the frame but also prevents the frame from swiveling or turning relative to the support. If the post is moved to another axial position relative to its support, two projections which are provided on a disc-shaped portion of the post enter two complementary recesses in a part of the wheel frame to ensure that the frame is held against swiveling relative to the post (i.e., relative to the support for the post) but the brake is disengaged so that the wheel is free to turn about its axis. This ensures that the direction of forward or rearward movement of the caster remains unchanged. The projections are urged into the respective recesses by a spring which further serves to urge the post toward engagement with the cam. As a rule, the projections have a substantially rectangular or square cross-sectional outline and are snugly receivable in complementary recesses of the wheel frame. This ensures that the orientation of the caster wheel cannot be changed unless the post is forcibly shifted to a different axial position, namely a third position in which the projections are expelled from their recesses and the brake is still disengaged so that the wheel can turn in the frame and the frame is free to swivel in the support.
The projections could be expelled from their recesses by imparting thereto a substantially triangular, trapezoidal or like shape. This would enable an operator to expel the projections from their recesses in response to the application to the wheel frame of a force which is sufficiently pronounced to ensure that the tapering projections must leave their recesses in order to permit a change of angular position of the wheel frame. A drawback of such design is that the person in charge of applying the required force must overcome a substantial amount of friction which, in turn, causes pronounced wear upon the parts to be moved relative to each other. Moreover, the person in charge is not apprised of the exact instant when the wheel frame becomes free to turn or swivel relative to the support. In addition, the bias of the spring which opposes axial displacements of the post and of the wheel frame cannot be adjusted with a required degree of precision, and the bias of such spring is often sufficiently pronounced to prevent a person of average strength from changing the orientation of the wheel frame except by actuating the cam and by thus moving the post to a different axial position in the support prior to actual start of a change in the angular position of the frame. On the other hand, it is equally undesirable to employ a relatively weak spring which is ready to yield in reply to the application to the wheel frame of a small turning force because this would enable the frame to change its orientation at times when the angular position of the frame should remain unchanged. Accordingly, there exists a need for a caster which is constructed and assembled in such a way that the magnitude of the force to be applied in order to change the orientation of the wheel frame can be selected in advance and that the magnitude of such force be variable within a reasonably wide range without affecting the reliability of stability of the frame in a selected angular position relative to its support.

Caster for use on mobile hospital beds and the like


A mono-body set of headphones having a fixed length of headband between ear pads is provided. Although the distance between the ear pads is fixed, the fit of the headphones can be adjusted to the head of the user by coupling or decoupling a removable/insertable headphone pad. More particularly, a pad is provided that can be mated with, or removed from, the headband of the headphones, thus raising or lowering the lower surface of the headband relative to the crown of the user's head, in order to change the position of the ear pads relative to the user's ears. The mono-body headphones are, preferably, flexible and durable, permitting the headphones to be straightened, twisted or bent without breaking.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to mono-body, flexible headphones and, more particularly flexible headphones having a single piece, fixed length body with a removable/insertable headband pad to adjust the position of the headphones' ear pads relative to the ears of a user.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the art, headphones are provided that include a headband disposed between two ear pads. Stereo speaker headphones include speakers in the ear pads, while noise reducing headphones may not. Conventional headphones typically include an adjustment mechanism that allows the distance between the ear pads to be adjusted for a better fit personalized to the user, usually by allowing the headband portion between the ear pads to be lengthened or shortened. This permits the ear pads to be moveable relative to the headband, so that the ear pads can be adjusted into alignment with the ears of each particular user. However, such adjustment mechanisms can experience wear and tear that can result in damage to the headphones.
What is needed are headphones that are flexible, yet durable. What is further needed are mono-body headphones wherein the fit can be adjusted by means other than physically lengthening or shortening the headband portion (i.e., the distance) between the ear pads.


A lithium cell is described having a cathode structure made of a base material which conducts electrons and Li ions. The cathode structure includes a continuous substrate, which provides a continuous base area, starting from which a plurality of crosspieces extends. The crosspieces provide crosspiece surfaces, starting from which carrier structures extend. The carrier structures provide carrier surfaces on which active material is distributed. In addition, an accumulator is also described in which a plurality of lithium cells is stacked. A method for producing a lithium cell is also described.

Li ion batteries are used in numerous applications, particularly mobile communications, entertainment electronics or as traction batteries for electrically driven vehicles. Especially Li ion batteries have a high energy storage capacity, at approximately 100 Wh/kg. For high energy applications, for instance, as a traction energy store for electrically operated vehicles, Li ion batteries, in spite of their high energy storage capacity, are connected with heavy devices. To achieve a range of typically 400 km, for example, the battery weight would have to amount to ca. 600 kg.
For this reason, lithium-sulfur batteries are already being produced in laboratory quantities, which promise to have an energy density of 600 Wh/kg and more.
However, conventional lithium/sulfur systems have a low cycle resistance because of the great structural changes during examination discharging of such systems. In particular, the rearrangement and the coarsening of grains of granular carbon/sulfur composite based on the phase transformation/new formation of the sulfur component conductors to a great loss of storage capacity and energy release-capacity.
Furthermore, in conventional systems, corrosion of the lithium metal anode occurs, based on the reaction with the electrolyte, the solvent and the polysulfides. However, a graphite intercalation anode is linked to an additionally reduced cell voltage, which is already relatively low in any case.
In addition, no production method has as yet been provided by which stable and high-performance lithium-based accumulators can be produced cost-effectively and in a simple manner.

Lithium cell having an improved cathode structure and production method for it


A function in an application integrator system for business-to-business e-commerce automatically creates trading partner profiles during translation stages. The function is activated by an exception event auto-create flag for an interworking standard being set to auto-create. Also, each standard has interchange, functional group, and message templates. These templates are used to extract data from the inbound document and automatically populate a profile record for the sending trading partner.

The invention relates to creation of profiles for trading partners in business-to-business data processing systems.
One of the problems involved in effective automation of business processes is that of the profiles of trading partners being incomplete, inaccurate, or non-existing. This has led to a very "patchy" level of automation because manual interactive involvement is frequently required to allow processes to continue. This problem exists irrespective of how comprehensive the automated process is and so it can be very frustrating.
It is known to provide an application to address some of these problems, namely an application called "VLT" marketed by RMS Electronic Commerce Systems, Inc. This product creates a trading partner profile with a narrow focus in the trading community, supporting only a limited number of inbound document formats. Also, this application provides for use of only limited information for creation of profiles.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide for more comprehensive automatic creation of trading partner profiles.
Another object is to provide for creation of profiles which are more comprehensive and useful.

Process for creating a trading partner profile


A connector with contact tails configured to provide a connector footprint enabling a low cost printed circuit board. The contact tails are positioned to leave routing channels, parallel to an edge of a printed circuit board, within the connector footprint. The routing channels may enable routing of high speed signal traces out of the connector footprint on a small number of routing layers. In a connector with 16 columns, each with 8 pairs of signal traces, two routing layers may be adequate to route traces connecting all of the signal vias in the connector footprint to components at the interior of the printed circuit board.

This application relates generally to electronic assemblies and more specifically to techniques for reducing cost of an electronic assembly.
Electronic devices, such as computers, servers and telecommunications switches, are often constructed as separate subassemblies that are then interconnected. A common technique to manufacture such a device is to fabricate the subassemblies using printed circuit boards. The printed circuit board provides a substrate on which electronic components are mounted. Conductive traces within the printed circuit board interconnect those electronic components. Connectors mounted to the printed circuit boards provide a mechanism to connect the components on the printed circuit board to components on other subassemblies or, where those connectors mate with one end of a cable assembly, to other electronic devices that similarly include connectors to mate with the other end of the cable assembly.
Printed circuit boards are manufactured through a lamination process. Sheets of insulative material, such as epoxy, that have conductive structures on one or both surfaces are placed into a stack which is then heated and pressed to fuse the layers of insulative material into a rigid board. Before pressing the layers into a board, the conductive structures are patterned. For some layers, called routing layers, the conductive structures are patterned as traces that carry signals from one location to another within the board. For other layers, called ground layers, the conductive structure covers most of the surface, with few if any traces. In operation, the ground layers may be connected to earth ground or any other potential that can serve as an AC ground for signals propagating on the signal traces. Often, the routing layers and ground layers alternate. This construction is useful for routing layers that carry high speed signals because having a ground layer above and below a layer of signal traces creates a transmission line structure around the traces that has a well-defined impedance and low loss, both of which are important in designing an electronic system. For many high speed signals, the traces are routed in pairs, shaped to carry a differential signal, with a ground layer above and below, which further contributes to desirable electrical performance of the printed circuit board.
After the sheets of insulative material are fused into a board, interconnections between the layers, called vias, may be formed. Vias are formed by drilling holes in the board. The holes are drilled through the structures that are to be connected. Conductive structures that are not to be connected by a via are designed to be a "keep out" distance away from the hole. Conductive material deposited inside the hole connects any of the conductive structure through which the hole is drilled. In this way, traces on different layers can be connected.
The vias also provide a way to mount components on the surface of the board. Conductive structures on the surface of the board, such as pads, may be connected to traces internal to the board by depositing those pads over a via. In some printed circuit boards, the holes forming the vias are used for mounting components. Some components, such as connectors, have press fit contact tails that, when pressed into a hole, compresses to exert a force on the walls of the hole, providing both an electrical and a mechanical mounting.
The number of layers of a printed circuit board is often dictated by the number of high speed signals that must be routed through a particular region of the printed circuit board. Generally, high speed signals are carried by traces that are routed on a single layer because passing a high speed signal through a via to connect traces on different layers distorts the signal, impacting system performance. For this reason, it is desirable for a high speed signal to pass through, at most, one via at its source and one via at its destination with no additional vias to transition between routing layers in between. For example, a high speed signal may be coupled to a subassembly through a connector. The signal may be coupled to a high speed routing layer through the contact tails of that connector and then routed through a signal trace, or for a differential signal, a pair of signal traces, to vias that connect to pads on a surface to which a semiconductor chip processing that signal is attached.
Traces routed on the same layer of a printed circuit board cannot cross over one another. Rather, they must maintain a minimum separation to ensure that signals on one trace do not interfere with signals on another trace. For traces forming a differential pair, the pairs of traces are separated from each other to reduce interference. The separation between traces that form a pair may be less than the spacing between pairs, but there must be some minimum separation between traces within a pair to avoid manufacturing defects and the ensure that the pair has a designed impedance. Further, the traces must be positioned to comply with the "keep out" distance around vias. If more signals must be routed through a region of the board than can fit without violating these separation requirements, another routing layer is used.
Locations where components with many signal connections are mounted to a board often drive the number of routing layers in the board. A connector, for example, may have multiple signal conductors with contact tails in closely spaced columns. For high speed signals, pairs of signal conductors may be used to carry differential signals, and each pair may have at least one ground connection associated with it. The corresponding "footprint" of the connector on the printed circuit board has multiple columns of vias, with pairs of signal vias interspersed with ground vias. The connector footprint often drives "layer count" of the printed circuit board because of the number of signal traces that must be routed through this region as well as the large number of vias, with associated "keep out" regions that limit the number of traces that can be routed on one layer in this region. It is desirable to have as few routing layers as possible, to reduce cost. It is not unusual, however, for a printed circuit board to have 7 or more routing layers for high speed signals to enable routing of signal traces to the vias in the connector footprint.
In designing a printed circuit board, it is often desirable for a the printed circuit board to have a small area. A large area tends to increase cost. Additionally, it is often desirable to make electronic devices as compact as possible. For this reason, connector footprints are often positioned at an edge of the printed circuit board and extend towards the interior of the board as short a distance as possible. With this configuration, the connector footprint leaves more of the interior area of the printed circuit board available for mounting necessary electronic components.

Connectors for low cost, high speed printed circuit boards


An acoustic wave resonator includes: a piezoelectric substrate; and an interdigital transducer (IDT) located on the piezoelectric substrate, the IDT including a pair of comb-shaped electrodes having a plurality of electrode fingers and a bus bar to which the plurality of electrode fingers are coupled, the IDT having: a first region in which a pitch of electrode fingers is substantially constant; a second region in which a pitch of electrode fingers decreases at closer distances to an outer side; and a third region in which a pitch of electrode fingers increases at closer distances to an outer side, the second region being located outside the first region in an arrangement direction of the plurality of electrode fingers, and the third region being located outside the second region in the arrangement direction.

Surface acoustic wave resonators include: an Interdigital Transducer (IDT) having a plurality of electrode fingers; and reflectors on a piezoelectric substrate. The reflectors reflect the acoustic wave excited by the IDT, thereby confining the acoustic wave in the IDT. It has been known to provide an equal-pitch region in which the pitch of the electrode fingers is constant in the center portion of the IDT and provide graded regions in which the pitch of the electrode fingers gradually decreases at both ends of the IDT as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-138964 (Patent Document 1).

Acoustic wave resonator, filter, and multiplexer


In a compressor having a discharge valve mechanism, a valve retainer has a curved surface which is faced to and spaced from a movable portion of a flexible plate-like discharge valve and adapted to limit the movement of the movable portion. In a first direction parallel to the valve plate, the movable portion extends from a fixed portion, fixed to a valve plate, to face an exit end of a discharge hole of the valve plate. The curved surface has a plurality of parts different in radius of curvature from one another in a second direction parallel to the valve plate and perpendicular to the first direction.

This invention relates to compressors and, in particular, to a discharge valve mechanism included in the compressors.
For example, an air conditioner often uses a so-called multicylinder compressor having a plurality of cylinder bores and a discharge valve mechanism corresponding to each of the cylinder bores. As the discharge valve mechanism, various types of mechanisms are proposed.
An example of the types is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. H6-25576 (JP 6-25576 U) and comprises a valve plate having a plurality of discharge holes communicating with the cylinder bores, respectively. On an exit side of each of the discharge holes, a flexible plate-like discharge valve is overlapped with the valve plate.
The plate-like discharge valve has ends in a first direction parallel to the valve plate. One of the ends is fixed to the valve plate. Another of the ends is movable in a direction away from the valve plate with a bend of the plate-like discharge valve.
Furthermore, the discharge valve mechanism has a valve holder having a holding surface for limiting the bend of the plate-like discharge valve. The holding surface of the valve holder is inclined with respect to a second direction parallel to the valve plate and perpendicular to the first direction. With respect to the first direction, the holding surface of the valve holder is inclined and defines a curved surface. The curved surface has a substantially same radius of curvature at any part in the second direction.
The above-mentioned discharge valve mechanism is effective in suppressing noise of the compressor if the distance from the valve plate to the holding surface of the valve holder is reduced. In this case, however, the movable range of the plate-like discharge valve, i.e., the amount of lift of the valve is limited to be small. This may result in an increase of pressure loss at a high flow rate and an increase of internal pressure in each of the cylinder bores, leading to overcompression.
On the other hand, if the distance from the valve plate to the holding surface of the valve holder is increased, the overcompression is avoided but the effect of suppressing the noise of the compressor is insufficient.

Compressor having a discharge valve mechanism including a valve retainer having a specially-designed curved surface


A radio link network and a method for transferring, in addition to commercial traffic, other traffic as information from a number of additional services. The radio link network comprises several radio link stations and the information is transferred in a number of channels (2). The information from the additional services is transferred in a common channel. (3) adapted to transfer different types of additional services (4, 5, 6). The information transferred in the common channel between a starting point and an ending point is not terminated in intermediate radio link stations.

The present invention relates to a method for transferring additional services in a radio link network.
The present invention also relates to a radio link network for transferring additional services.
Radio links are nowadays a common method for transfer of telephony and data information. Radio links are often connected so that complete transmission networks with several integral links are created. The traffic originates for example from an exchange and the radio link network distributes the telephony traffic towards the subscribers in a successively more closely meshed network of links. Other common applications are mobile telephony where the radio link is used for distribution to remote or inaccessibly situated base stations (e.g. high terrain areas or urban areas where it is difficult and expensive to use existing ground communication). When an operator chooses to use a radio link for his commercial traffic transmission needs (e.g. data and telephony between the subscribers of the operator), he also has a need to transfer additional services, that is information connected with e.g. operational support for the equipment or service and data channels for communication between his own facilities.
The reason for not including these additional services in the regular commercial traffic is that a standard for how this type of information shall be included is often lacking and that the equipment that would be needed in every radio link terminal to separate the commercial traffic and the additional services is too expensive. The consequence of this is that all modern radio links include separate channels for transfer of additional information, normally 1-3 extra voice/data channels and channels for transfer of operational support information such as alarms and other supervising information.
In present day radio link systems there are terminals in each end of a radio link hop. On each radio link terminal there are connectors for connection of service channels (e.g. telephony), data channels and supervising equipment. In addition to these terminating points there are also connectors for commercial traffic and power supply. In the terminals there is also space for the terminating units which shall physically and electrically adapt the additional services to the transport system/radio link.
If the radio link hops are located close to each other forming chains or networks, the additional services must be connected by separate cabling between the radio link terminals in order to be able to distribute the information to the next radio link hop.
The presently used radio link systems have a number of drawbacks:
In all radio link terminals the additional services must be terminated in order to be transferred to the next radio link terminal via separate cabling even at places where the services are not used. This means an increased cost for the complete system.
The cabling becomes complex as all services need separate wires between the radio link terminals. Often the information will be distributed to several terminals which makes the installation work more complex and increases the risk for cabling mistakes.
In an installed radio link network it is difficult to incorporate new services as both the radio link terminals and the cabling there between have to be changed.
In spite of the drawbacks all known radio links use this method to transfer, terminate and distribute additional services.
For transfer of the additional services (and commercial traffic) over the radio link hop, time or frequency division is used so that the information from each additional service occupies one separate channel. If, as an example, a number of service channels for voice or data information are to be transferred, each channel is assigned its own fixed time slot in the flow of information between the radio link terminals. Alternatively they can be frequency modulated xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d the commercial traffic. This system involves among other things the following drawbacks:
In order to avoid supplementary modifications to the radio link stations, each radio link station is equipped with one or several channels for additional services whether they are used in a certain application or not. This results in an unnecessarily expensive and complex product.
The fixed channel division of the transport system often results in the available channels having insufficient capacity or are of the wrong type.
Certain types of additional services, for example data and operational support information, are of a non-continuous type, i.e. the information arrives intermittently. However, the interruptions in the information can not be used because every service uses a separate, permanently assigned channel.
The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a transfer of various numbers and types of additional services in a radio link network without the need to increase the normal equipment of the radio link terminals. With this invention, the cabling between the terminals can also be simplified and it is not necessary to change it even if the number of additional services is increased. In addition, the invention implies that the available time and/or frequency range in the radio link system is used in a more efficient way.
Said object is achieved by a method according to the present invention, by which, in a radio link network in which information is transferred in a plurality of channels and which comprises a plurality of radio link stations, other traffic in the form of information from a number of additional services is transferred. Information from additional services is transferred in a common channel which can transfer information from various types of additional services, and the information from the additional services is transferred in the common channel between a starting point and an ending point without being terminated in a radio link station intermediate between the starting and ending points.
Said object is also achieved by a radio link system according to the present invention, comprising a plurality of radio link stations in which, in addition to regular commercial traffic, other traffic in the form of information from a number of additional services is transferred. The radio link stations include a terminating unit, at a starting point for a respective additional service, for physically and electrically adapting the information from the additional service to the radio link network and for splitting that information into packets; a controller for bringing packets from various additional services together in a common channel arranged in each radio link station, the common channel being for transferring information from various types of additional services; and a terminating unit, at an ending point for a respective additional service, for converting the information to a predetermined physical and electrical format.

Radio link network and a method for transferring additional services in a radio link network


The present invention relates to a colored cosmetic composition for making up eyes, in particular eyelids. One of the aspects of the present invention is a colored cosmetic composition for making up eyes, in particular to eyelids, comprising: (i) at least one polymer which has a Tg of −30° C. or less; (ii) at least one hydrophilic thickener; (iii) at least one pigment; and (iv) water. The cosmetic composition according to the present invention can provide a good feeling during use and appropriate adhesiveness to fake eyelashes, and is stable over time.

Cosmetic products such as eye shadows and eye liners have been used for making up eyes, in particular eyelids. For example, eyelids with makeup by an eyeliner, which typically has black color, can make the shape of eyes clear, and can make the appearance of eyes larger.
Fake eyelashes are also commonly used for cosmetic treatments for the eyes by attaching the fake eyelashes to the eyelids. In general, fake eyelashes are attached to the eyelids with an adhesive. For example, a user of fake eyelashes applies an adhesive to the base of the fake eyelashes, and adheres the base of the fake eyelashes to the eyelids. Alternatively, an adhesive is applied beforehand to the eyelids, in particular, the edges of the eyelids, and fake eyelashes are attached by a user to the eyelids on which the adhesive has been applied, as disclosed in JP-A-2006-297038.
As eye-makeup cosmetic products and adhesives used for adhering fake eyelashes to eyelids, a variety of cosmetic compositions are known, and have been marketed. In addition, there are some cosmetic products which can be used as both an eyeliner and an adhesive for fake eyelashes.
The eyelids are sensitive portions on the face. Therefore, some conventional eye-makeup cosmetic compositions and adhesives for fake eyelashes tend to impart an uncomfortable feeling during use such as irritation to the eyelids. In addition, conventional adhesives for fake eyelashes are often of a low-grade quality as compared to the adhesives used in cosmetic products which are more directly used for the skin.
Further, some conventional eye-makeup cosmetic compositions tend to provide poor or excessive adhesiveness, and therefore, it is sometimes difficult for them to provide long term makeup effects for eyes, or to be removed from eyelids by a cleansing product when to be removed. Some conventional adhesives for fake eyelashes also tend to exhibit poor adhesiveness which is insufficient to fix the fake eyelashes on the eyelids, in particular, the edges thereof, for a long period of time or excessive adhesiveness which makes it difficult to remove the fake eyelashes when removing make up including the fake eyelashes from the face, in particular, around the eyes.
Furthermore, some conventional eye-makeup cosmetic compositions and adhesives for fake eyelashes are unstable over time such that they cause substantial phase separation. Therefore, there is a need to improve the stability over time of conventional eye-makeup cosmetic compositions and adhesives for fake eyelashes.


The invention pertains to a system and process for removing contaminants from an oil and gas well bore stream. The system comprises a vessel adapted to receive the stream from the well bore. The system also contains a centrifuge separator for breaking the emulsion of the stream, the centrifuge separator having an input for receiving the output stream from the vessel. A media filter member, which is adapted to receive the stream from the output of the centrifuge separator is also included with the system. The system further contains a carbon adsorption means, adapted to receive the output stream from the media filter, for adsorption of contaminants contained within the output stream. Also included is a level controller switch for measuring the level within the various tanks and generating a signal once a predetermined height is reached. Controller valves may also be provided, with the controller valves being operatively associated with the level controller switch for receiving the signal and opening a valve in order to release the stream to the centrifuge means. Also, the media filter further comprises a closed loop back wash line adapted to the media filter for back washing the media filter, along with a back wash tank and back wash line fluidly connecting the back wash tank to the vessel for recycling.

This invention relates to a system and process for separating contaminants from an effluent. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, this invention relates to a system and process for separating contaminants from a stream that is being produced from an oil and gas reservoir that has a pH of 7 or less.
In the oil and gas industry, operators will complete a well to a hydrocarbon bearing zone. An effluent will be produced from the well, with the effluent containing a mixture of hydrocarbons and water. At the surface, the effluent is separated into a hydrocarbon liquid phase, a hydrocarbon gas phase and a water phase as is well understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. The hydrocarbons are generally directed to processing facilities for sale and refinement. The produced water will be disposed by conventional methods. In offshore areas, this may entail releasing the water over board into the ocean. In other areas, the operator may choose to inject the produced water to a subterranean reservoir.
Many operators will attempt to increase the production of the well by performing acid stimulation to the reservoir. The acid stimulations require pumping large amounts of acid into the permeable formation, and thereafter, flowing the well in order to retrieve the spent acid as well as returning the well to normal production. The effluent being produced from the well will contain a mixture of at least the following components: a hydrocarbon liquid phase, a hydrocarbon gas phase, a spent acid compound, solids and water.
Due to the toxic nature of this type of effluent, the handling of the effluent is of concern to operators. Also, governmental regulations throughout the world have been promulgated that regulate the handling and disposal of these types of effluents. Also, if the effluent is recycled back into the production facilities, the effluent will cause equipment problems which can lead to equipment failures. The failure of equipment in these remote and offshore areas can cause significant problems to the safety and health of personnel and the environment as is well understood by those of ordinary skill in the art.
Prior art systems have been developed in order to segregate the various components constituting the effluent, and therefore, separate out the toxic, hazardous or otherwise unwanted components. These systems include, but not limited to: chemical treatments; separation in a gravity-type vessel; separation via a centrifuge separator; separation with filters. Each of these systems have some merit. However, the prior art systems fail for many reasons including limited success with proper separation, expense, amount of manpower required, further problems with contaminated treating fluids, disposal of treating media, lack of available injection wells, etc. This list is meant to be illustrative.
Therefore, there is a need for a system and process for treating oil and gas well fluids. There is also a need for a process whereby acid treatment flow back fluids can be handled. There is a need for an automated system of treating low pH effluents produced from oil and gas well bores whereby waste is minimized. There is a further need for a system that will treat production well fluids having a pH of 7 or less that will comply with government statutes and regulations. These and many other needs will be met by a reading of the following description.

System and method for treating an oil gas well stream


An oil-feeding member (100) catches oil picked up by a gear, and is provided with a gutter (132) guiding the oil from one side to the other of a transmission in an axial direction. The gutter (132) has a bottom which is divided into a first bottom portion (141) and a second bottom portion (142). The second bottom portion (142) is provided with an oil-dripping hole (142a, 142b). The first and second bottom portions (141, 142) are configured so that (i) the oil flows over only the first bottom portion (141) toward the other side if an amount of the oil caught by the oil-feeding member (100) is smaller than or equal to a predetermined amount, and that (ii) the oil flows over both of these bottom portions (141, 142) toward the other side if the amount of the oil is greater than the predetermined amount.

Lubrication of a manual transmission involves feeding lubricating oil to, for example, bearings for an input shaft and an output shaft, meshing engagements of speed-changing gears, and loosely-fitting engagements for gears provided for the input and output shafts and a synchronizer. Such oil is typically fed by oil pick-up feeding. Specifically, the oil stored on the bottom of a transmission case is picked up by rotating gears, received by a gutter-shaped oil-feeding member, and then fed to each of parts to be lubricated.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an oil feeding apparatus that is included in a transmission case combined with a case for a differential gear system, and used for a vehicle having a front-engine, front-wheel-drive (FF) layout. The oil feeding apparatus picks up oil with a large-diameter differential ring gear which is arranged at the lowest internal portion of the transmission case and which provides power from the transmission to the differential gear system. Then, the oil feeding apparatus introduces this oil from the front (near the engine) of the transmission to a storage member (oil-feeding member) arranged above input and output shafts so that the oil is poured into a storage part of the storage member. After that, the oil feeding apparatus guides the oil to the rear (across from the engine) of the transmission to allow the oil drip from an oil-dripping hole which is cut through the bottom of the storage part, to the input shaft, the output shaft, the meshing engagements of the speed-changing gears, and the synchronizer, as well as to feed the oil from a rear end of the input shaft to an intra-shaft oil passage inside the input shaft.
The oil feeding apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, however, primarily uses the differential ring gear to feed the picked up oil to each of the parts to be lubricated. Thus, the oil feeding apparatus cannot sufficiently catch the picked up oil in the storage member when the differential ring gear is rotating in the reverse direction to reverse the vehicle. Hence, when the vehicle is reversed, each of the parts to be lubricated could be fed with the oil in an insufficient amount.
In contrast, Patent Document 2 discloses the use of driven gears that are loosely fitted to an output shaft, which is positioned lower than an input shaft, and in particular, the use of a driven gear with a relatively large diameter which is included in a gear train for a transmission gear range of forward and low speed. By rotating this driven gear, the oil stored on the bottom of a transmission case is picked up, and then caught in an oil gutter (oil-feeding member).
This allows the driven gear (which is loosely fitted to the output shaft and included in the gear train for the transmission gear range of forward and low speed) to rotate in the same direction when the vehicle moves backward as well as forward. As a result, even when the vehicle moves backward, the oil can also be picked up, caught by the oil-feeding member, and then fed to each of parts to be lubricated.


A new and distinct Clematis hybrid named ‘HJJ-HAZ01’ is disclosed, characterized by a unique non-vining plant habit. Plants are short and re-bloom multiple times during the Summer after pruning. Propagation is easy with a high rate of rooting success. Flowers have Violet colored tepals and yellow stamens. Flowers are positioned upward or outward. Plant habit is well suited for container plantings. The new cultivar is a Clematis typically suited for ornamental container and landscape use.

The new cultivar is the result of a planned breeding program in Hoganas Sweden. The inventor is Tsang Mei Lan, a citizen of Hong Kong. The new variety was derived from the crossing of two unnamed, unpatented proprietary seedlings. The crossing resulting in the new cultivar was made during 2009. The new variety was discovered during 2010.
After selecting and isolating the new cultivar, asexual reproduction of the new cultivar 'HJJ-HAZ01' was first performed in Hong Kong, at a hobbyist nursery by vegetative cuttings in April 2012. 'HJJ-HAZ01' has since produced multiple generations, and has shown that the unique features of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type.