A DSV control bit determining/inserting unit inserts DSV control bits into an input data string and outputs the string including the DSV control bits to a modulation unit which converts the string with basic data length of 2 bits into variable length code with basic code length of 3 bits in accordance with a conversion table and outputs the code resulting from the conversion to a NRZI encoding unit. The conversion table includes substitution codes for limiting the number of consecutive appearances of a minimum run and substitution codes for keeping a run length limit. The conversion table enforces a conversion rule: the remainder of division of the xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d count of an element in a data string by 2 having a value of 0 or 1 equals the remainder of division of the xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d count of an element in the code resulting from conversion of the data string by 2.

In general, the present invention relates to a modulation apparatus and a modulation method, a demodulation apparatus and a demodulation method as well as a program presenting medium. More particularly, the present invention relates to a preferable modulation apparatus and a preferable modulation method, a preferable demodulation apparatus and a preferable demodulation method as well as a preferable program presenting medium used in operations to record data onto a recording medium at a high recording density and playback data recorded in a recording medium at a high recording density.
When data is transmitted through a transmission line or recorded onto a recording medium such as a magnetic disc, an optical disc or a magneto-optic disc, the data is modulated into code matching the transmission line or the recording medium prior to the transmission or recording. As a technique of modulation, block encoding is known. In the block encoding, a data string is blocked into units each comprising mxc3x97i bits. Each of the units which is referred to hereafter as a data word is then converted into a code word comprising nxc3x97i bits in conformity with a proper coding rule. For i=1, this code word is a fixed length code. In the case of i having a plurality of values each selected from the range 1 to i max, a maximum of i, the resulting code word is a variable length code. In general, a code resulting from the block encoding is expressed as a variable length code (d, k; m, n; r).
Here, i is called a constraint length and r is i max, a maximum constraint length. d is the minimum number of 0s appearing between two consecutive 1s. d is referred to as a minimum run of 0s. On the other hand, k is the maximum number of 0s appearing between two consecutive 1s. k is referred to as a maximum run of 0s.
By the way, in an operation to record variable length code obtained from the block encoding described above onto a recording medium such as an optical disc or a magneto-optic disc, for example, on to a compact disc (CD) or a minidisc (MD), the variable length code undergoes an NRZI (Non Return to Zero Inverted) modulation wherein each xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d of the variable length code is interpreted as inversion while a xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d is interpreted as non-inversion The variable length code completing the NRZI modulation is then recorded. The variable length code completing the NRZI modulation is referred to as a recording wave train. In the case of a magneto-optic disc conforming to the early International Organization for Standardization (ISO) specifications prescribing a not so large recording density, a train of bits completing recording modulation are recorded as they are without undergoing the NRZI modulation.
Let notations T min and T max denote the minimum and maximum inversion periods of a recording wave train respectively. In this case, in order to record the recording wave train at a high recording density in the linear speed direction, a long minimum inversion period T min or a large minimum run d is preferred. In addition, from the clock generation point of view, it is desirable to have a short maximum inversion period T max or a small maximum run k. In order to satisfy these requirements, a variety of modulation techniques have been proposed.
To put it concretely, for an optical disc, a magnetic disc or a magneto-optic disc, there are proposed or actually used modulation techniques for generating a variable length code RLL (1-7) which is also expressed as (1, 7; m, n; r) and a variable length code RLL (2-7) also expressed as (2, 7 m, n ; r) as well as a fixed length code RLL (1-7) also expressed as (1, 7; m, n; 1) used in an ISO specification for magneto-optical disc. As for a disc apparatus currently under research and development such as an optical disc and a magneto-optic disc having a high recording density, an RLL code (Run length Limited Code) with a minimum run d of 1 is commonly used.
The following is an example of a conversion table of the variable length RLL (1 7) code.
The symbol x used in the conversion table has the value xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d for a next following channel bit of xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d or has the value xe2x80x9c00xe2x80x9d for a next following channel bit of xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d. The maximum constraint length r is 2.
Parameters of the variable length code RLL (1-7) are (1, 7; 2, 3; 2). The minimum inversion period T min which can be expressed by (d+1)T is thus equal to 2 (=1+1) T where T is a bit gap in the recording wave train. The minimum inversion period T min which can be expressed also by (m/n)xc3x972Tdata is thus equal to 1.33 (=2/3xc3x972)Tdata where Tdata is a bit gap in the data string. The maximum inversion period T max which can be expressed by (k+1)T is thus equal to (7+1)T=8T=8xc3x97(m/n)Tdata=8xc3x975.33Tdata. The detection window width Tw which can be expressed also by (m/n)Tdata is thus equal to 0.67(=2/3)Tdata.
By the way, in a train of channel bits completing the RLL (1-7), modulation shown in Table 1, a generation frequency corresponding to a period of 2T which is equal to the minimum inversion period T min is most observed to be followed by generation frequencies corresponding to periods of 3T and 4T. The fact that a lot of edge information is generated at short intervals such as 2T and 3T is advantageous to the generation of a clock signal in many cases.
As the recording line density is further increased, however, the minimum run this time adversely becomes a problem. That is, if minimum runs 2T are generated consecutively, the recording wave train is prone to distortion generated therein. This is because a 2T wave output is smaller than other wave outputs and, hence, easily affected by factors such as a defocus and a tangential tilt. In addition, at a high line density, recording of consecutive minimum marks (2T) is also easily affected by disturbances such as noise. Thus, an operation to play back the data will also be prone to errors. In this case, a pattern of errors in reproduction of the data is observed as shifts of the front and rear edges of a minimum mark in many cases. As a result, the length of the generated bit error increases.
As described above, when data is transmitted through a transmission line or recorded onto a recording medium, the data is modulated into code matching the transmission line or the recording medium prior to the transmission or recording. If the code resulting from the modulation contains a direct current component, a variety of error signals such as tracking errors generated in control of a servo of the disc drive become prone to variations or jitters are generated easily. For this reason, it is thus desirable to make as many efforts to prevent the modulated code from containing a direct current component as possible.
In order to prevent the modulated code from containing a direct current component, control of a DSV (Digital Sum Value) to prevent the modulated code from containing a direct current component has been proposed. The DSV is a total found by adding up the values of a train of bits (symbols of data), wherein the values +1 and xe2x88x921 are assigned to xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d in the train respectively, which results from NRZI modulation (that is, level encoding) of a train of channel bits. The DSV is an indicator of a direct current component contained in a train of codes. Decreasing the absolute value of the DSV through DSV control is equivalent to suppressing the magnitude of a direct current component contained in a train of codes.
DSV control is not applied to a modulation code generated in accordance with the variable length RLL (1-7) table shown as Table 1 given above. DSV control for such a case is accomplished by calculating a DSV of a train of encoded bits (a train of channel bits) after the modulation for a predetermined period of time and inserting a predetermined number of DSV control bits into the train of encoded bits (the train of channel bits).
At any rate, the DSV control bits are basically redundant bits. If the efficiency of the code conversion is to be taken into consideration, it is thus desirable to reduce the number of DSV control bits to a smallest possible value.
In addition, if DSV control bits are inserted, it is also desirable to make the minimum run d and the maximum run k unchanged. This is because a change in (d, k) will have an effect on recording I playback characteristics.
Problems To Be Solved by the Invention
As described above, in an operation to record RLL code at a high line density or an operation to play back RLL code recorded at a high line density, there is raised a problem that a pattern of consecutive minimum runs d will cause a long error to be generated easily.
In addition, in the case of RLL code such as the RLL (1-7) code, DSV control necessitates insertion of DSV control bits into an arbitrary part of a string of code words (a train of channel bits). Since the DSV control bits are basically redundant bits, however, it is desirable to reduce the number of inserted DSV control bits to a smallest possible value. In order to keep the minimum run and the maximum run at constant values, however, the number of DSV control bits is at least 2. It is thus desirable to reduce the number of DSV control bits to an even smaller value.
The present invention addresses the problems described above. It is an object of the present invention to allow DSV control to be executed for producing high efficiency control bits on RLL code of (d, k; m, n) where the minimum run d =1, that is RLL code of (1, 7; 2, 3) so that the number of consecutive minimum runs is reduced while the minimum run and the maximum run are being kept.
It is another object of the present invention to prevent propagation of a demodulation error from escalating by using a conversion table having a simplest possible configuration.
Means for Solving the Problems
A modulation apparatus according to claim 1 is characterized by having conversion means for converting input data into code in accordance with a conversion table wherein said conversion table enforces a conversion rule, according to which the remainder of division of a xe2x80x981xe2x80x99 count of an element in a data string by 2 having a value of 0 or 1 shall always be equal to the remainder of division of a xe2x80x981xe2x80x99 count of an element in the string of code words resulting from conversion of said data string by 2 and conversion codes of said conversion table comprise:
basic codes for d=1, k=7, m=2 and n=3 where d is a minimum run and k is a run length limit;
first substitution codes for limiting the number of consecutive appearances of said minimum run d; and
second substitution codes for keeping said run length limit k.
A modulation method according to claim 23 is characterized by including a conversion step of converting input data into code in accordance with a conversion table wherein said conversion table enforces a conversion rule, according to which the remainder of division of a xe2x80x981xe2x80x99 count of an element in a data string by 2 having a value of 0 or 1 shall always be equal to the remainder of division of a xe2x80x981 1 count of an element in the string of code words resulting from conversion of said data string by 2 and conversion codes of said conversion table comprise:
basic codes for d=1, k=7, m=2 and n=3 where d is a minimum run and k is a run length limit;
first substitution codes for limiting the number of consecutive appearances of said minimum run d; and
second substitution codes for keeping said run length limit k.
A program presenting medium according to claim 24 for presenting a program implementing processing including a conversion step of converting input data into code in accordance with a conversion table data in a modulation apparatus for converting data with a basic data length of m bits into variable length code (d, k; m, n; r) with a basic code length of n bits is characterized in that said conversion table enforces a conversion rule, according to which the remainder of division of a xe2x80x981xe2x80x99 count of an element in a data string by 2 having a value of 0 or 1 shall always be equal to the remainder of division of a xe2x80x981xe2x80x99 count of an element in the string of code words resulting from conversion of said data string by 2 and conversion codes of said conversion table comprise:
basic codes for d=1, k=7, m=2 and n=3 where d is a minimum run and k is a run length limit;
first substitution codes for limiting the number of consecutive appearances of said minimum run d; and
second substitution codes for keeping said run length limit k.
A demodulation apparatus according to claim 25 is characterized by having conversion means for converting input code into data in accordance with a conversion table wherein said conversion table enforces a conversion rule, according to which the remainder of division of a xe2x80x981xe2x80x99 count of an element in a data string by 2 having a value of 0 or 1 shall always be equal to the remainder of division of a xe2x80x981xe2x80x99 count of an element in the string of code words resulting from conversion of said data string by 2 and conversion codes of said conversion table comprise:
basic codes for d=1, k=7, m=2 and n=3 where d is a minimum run and k is a run length limit;
first substitution codes for limiting the number of consecutive appearances of said minimum run d; and
second substitution codes for keeping said run length limit k.
A demodulation method according to claim 28 is characterized by having a conversion step of converting input code into data in accordance with a conversion table wherein said conversion table enforces a conversion rule, according to which the remainder of division of a xe2x80x981xe2x80x99 count of an element in a data string by 2 having a value of 0 or 1 shall always be equal to the remainder of division of a xe2x80x981xe2x80x99 count of an element in the string of code words resulting from conversion of said data string by 2 and conversion codes of said conversion table comprise:
basic codes for d=1, k=7, m=2 and n=3 where d is a minimum run and k is a run length limit;
first substitution codes for limiting the number of consecutive appearances of said minimum run d; and
second substitution codes for keeping said run length limit k.
A program presenting medium according to claim 29 for presenting a program including a conversion step of converting input code into data in accordance with a conversion table in a demodulation apparatus for converting variable length code (d, k; m, n; r) with a basic code length of n bits into data with a basic data length of m bits is characterized in that said conversion table enforces a conversion rule, according to which the remainder of division of a xe2x80x981xe2x80x99 count of an element in a data string by 2 having a value of 0 or 1 shall always be equal to the remainder of division of a xe2x80x981xe2x80x99 count of an element in the string of code words resulting from conversion of said data string by 2 and conversion codes of said conversion table comprise:
basic codes for d=1, k=7, m=2 and n=3 where d is a minimum run and k is a run length limit;
first substitution codes for limiting the number of consecutive appearances of said minimum run d; and
second substitution codes for keeping said run length limit k.
According to the modulation apparatus claimed as claim 1, the modulation method claimed as claim 23, the program presenting medium claimed as claim 24, the demodulation apparatus claimed as claim 25, the demodulation method claimed as claim 28 and the program presenting medium claimed as claim 29, conversion processing is carried out on the basis of a conversion table enforcing a conversion rule, according to which the remainder of division of a 1xe2x80x99 count of an element in a data string by 2 having a value of 0 or 1 shall always be equal to the remainder of division of a xe2x80x981xe2x80x99 count of an element in the string of code words resulting from conversion of the data string by 2 and conversion codes of the conversion table comprising:
basic codes for d=1, k=7, m=2 and n=3;
first substitution codes for limiting the number of consecutive appearances of the minimum run d; and
second substitution codes for keeping the run length limit.

Modulation apparatus/method, demodulation apparatus/method and program presenting medium


A solid-state imaging device is provided that includes a pixel array section having pixels which detect a physical quantities that are arranged in two dimensions of a matrix; an Analog-Digital (AD) converting section that performs AD conversion for a plurality of channels of analog pixel signals which are read-out from the pixel array section; and a control section that sets quantized units AD-converted by the AD conversion section according to a gain setting of the unit pixel signal, where the control section determines a grayscale number of digital outputs AD-converted for at least one channel of the unit pixel signals according to the gain setting of the pixel signal.

The present technology relates to a solid-state image sensor and a driving method thereof, and an electronic apparatus, and particularly to a solid-state image sensor and a driving method thereof and an electronic apparatus which enable a plurality of signals having different sensitivities to be obtained and a dynamic range to be thereby expanded.
In the related art, as a technique for expanding a dynamic range of an amount of signal output according to an amount of incident light in a solid-state image sensor, techniques for reading out the same pixels plural times by differentiating an exposure time and combining the read-out signals having different sensitivities in a later stage are known (for example, JP 3680366B and "Wide Intrascene Dynamic Range CMOS APS Using Dual Sampling" written by Orly Yadid-Pecht and Eric R. Fossum for IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRON DEVICES, VOL. 44, NO. 10, pp. 1721-1723, OCTOBER 1997).

Solid-state image sensor and driving method using gain to set ADC and grayscale outputs


The present invention is a game that pits a Dealer against other players. The game uses two sets of game pieces (tiles or cards). According to a first game variation, each of a first set of game pieces contains a symbol or symbols that represent a high deuce and a low deuce, the highest individually ranking game pieces in this game. The remaining game pieces contain numeric values of between 0 and 9. The Dealer and each of the Players randomly received four game pieces into which they arrange two hands of two cards each. The Dealer's higher hand, according to a ranking system, is compared to the higher hand of each of the Players. The Dealer's lower hand is compared to the lower hand of the Players. To win, a Dealer or Player must win both hands. According to a second game variation, the first set of game pieces comprises a pair of "Joker"s instead of high deuce and low deuce symbols.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a game played with tiles (or cards). More particularly, the game according to this invention may be played with two to eight players, one of whom acts as a dealer. The objective of the game is for players to arrange their cards into hands that have a higher ranking than that of the dealer.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The game of "Pai Gow" is representative of the prior art pertaining to the type of game of the present invention. Pai Gow, likely the forerunner of what is known in the United States as "dominoes", is an ancient Chinese game played in many Asian countries. It is fast paced, exciting, perfectly adapted for wagering, and requires both luck and experience to play. Pai Gow uses 32 dominoes, each of which has two to twelve dots. Each player is dealt four of the tiles. From these four tiles, a player forms two "hands", a high hand and a low hand, each hand comprising two tiles. The object of the game is to obtain a high hand that ranks higher than the dealer's high hand, and a low hand that ranks higher than the dealer's low hand. To win, a player must prevail in both hand comparisons.
Pai Gow can be played at home but has become a popular game in casinos throughout the world. Most major Las Vegas and Atlantic City hotels have at least one Pai Gow table going at any given time. The game is also played in casinos in other states that have legalized gambling. However Pai Gow is not an easy game to learn because its ranking system for prevailing hands is not based on a logical mathematical sequential progression. The domino values represent not so much numbers as they represent Chinese symbols for concepts or objects such as "double heaven" or "double earth". For example, the highest hand in Pai Gow is the "Supreme" combination of the three-dot tile and a six dot tile. This hand is superior to the next ranking hand of a pair of twelve-dot tiles, otherwise known as "Double Heaven". In the comparison of these two described hands, a pair of identical tiles does not necessarily outrank two tiles that are not identical (two tiles that do not form a pair).
To further illustrate the complexities of the prior art game, the third highest possible hand is comprised of a pair of identical two-dot tiles. The fourth highest possible hand consists of a pair of identical eight-dot tiles. Thus, while a pair of identical twelve-dot tiles (the second highest possible hand) defeats a pair of identical two-dot tiles, the latter prevails over a pair of identical eight-dot tiles. Therefore one cannot gauge a winning hand by its numerical magnitude, because the pairs do not follow a number sequence from highest to lowest or vice versa. Persons unfamiliar with the rules become further perplexed when "mixed" hands, combining non-identical tiles, are played without regard to a rational set of rules based on the numerical value of dots or dot combinations. For example, a combination of a two-dot tile and a nine-dot tile defeats a hand comprising a twelve-dot tile and an eight-dot tile.
The difficulty of learning Pai Gow is compounded by the use of red and white dots to represent tile values. While an experienced player may know the value of the dotted-tiles at a glance, less experienced players will need precious time to "count" the dots, time that may be more advantageously used to arrange the tiles into the most beneficial combinations.
Because of the complex and irrational ranking system of Pai Gow, the players at the Pai Gow tables found in the United States tend to be overwhelmingly Asians who have played this game for a long time. Non-Asians and Asians who are inexperienced in this game do not play, or even bother to learn, the game because they are intimidated by the illogical rules for ranking, the fast pace of the playing, and the substantial amount of time it would take to learn the game.

Game set with game pieces bearing indicia and a method of playing the same


An injectable heat generating biocompatible ceramic compositions based on hydraulic calcium aluminate, which can be used for therapeutic treatment in vivo, such as tumour treatment, pain control, vascular treatment, drug activation etc, when curing in situ, and which form a biocompatible solid material that can be left in the body for prolonged periods of time without causing negative health effects, and can also be used to restore the mechanical properties of the skeleton after cancerous diseases as well as in a medical implant, an orthopaedic implant, and a dental implant as a dental filling material.

Malignant tumours are traditionally treated by either of three techniques: surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. Often combinations of these techniques are necessary. By surgery, larger tumours of suitable locations may be removed. Surgery alone is however often not enough, due to residues of cancerous tissues and twin tumours. Radiation is used for smaller tumours, particularly in difficult-to-reach locations. By using radiation techniques, surgery may not be necessary. Chemotherapy suffers from other side effects, including necrotic effects on non-cancerous cells.
A therapeutic procedure explored in some fields of surgery is to generate heat in vivo at specific locations in the body, and to benefit from the heat for therapeutic purposes, such as the treatment of cancer cells. Local heat may be achieved by several methods, e.g. with catheters equipped with elements generating heat by electrical resistivity, which can be controlled to desired locations via the vascular system.
An alternative technique to achieve heat in-vivo, is to apply small volumes of slurries or pastes of heat generating materials at the desired locations, e.g. by injection with needles. The material cures injected into the body cures through exothermal chemical reactions and thereby generates the desired temperatures. As the temperature rises, local therapeutic effects are generated. Ideally, when the reactions are completed, the cured substance should form a biocompatible solid material, which can be left for prolonged periods of time in the body without any negative health effects. Only a few types of therapies benefiting from heat generating materials are performed today; the heat generating material being PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) bone cement, despite the lack of biocompatibility.
Treatment of malignant cancerous tumours, as well as metastasis, myeloms, various cysts, etc, involving the local application of heat generating materials in vivo is used to some degree, although it is still a less frequent treatment technique. The technique involves either local thermal necrosis or restriction of the nutritional or blood feed, or oxygenation, to the tumours or cells.
The use of injectable heat generating materials for cancer treatment is particularly suitable for tumours in the skeleton. The procedure may involve direct injection of a cell-destroying cement; or alternatively the removal of the tumour by surgery, followed by filling of the remaining cavity by an in-situ-curing material. The former procedure offers at least two advantages: One being that increased temperatures during curing reduce the activity of, or kills, residual cancerous tissue. Another effect is that the cement restores the mechanical properties of the skeleton, hence reducing the risk of fractures due to weakened bone.
Injectable pastes are also used in combination with radiation treatment, as when spine vertebrae are first filled with PMMA bone cement injected into the trabecular interior through the pedicles to provide mechanical stability, followed by radiation treatment of the same vertebra.
Similarly, injectable pastes are used for the treatment of collapsed osteoporotic vertebrae. The filling of collapsed vertebrae with bone cement reduces the pain and the dimensions of the vertebrae may be restored. Here the heat generation contributes, in addition to the mechanical stabilization of the vertebrae to the reduction of pain in the spine.
Locally generated heat can be used for the local destruction of nerves to reduce pain, to destroy the function of blood vessels, and to locally trigger the effect of drugs.
As of today, there is no commercialised biocompatible cement, specifically developed for therapeutic purposes by heat generation. Only standard bone cement based on polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is used. This material may generate sufficient temperatures, but does not show adequate biocompatibility. Due to lack of better alternatives, PMMA bone cement is however well established in surgery.
Disadvantages With Present Materials
Today's PMMA based bone cements are developed for orthopaedic needs, primarily the fixation of hip and knee implants in the skeleton. Despite many disadvantages, these materials are today established in orthopaedics after several decades of use. There is however an on-going search for better, more biocompatible bone cements.
PMMA based bone cements are not biocompatible materials. They have clear toxic effects caused by leakage of components, such as solvents and non-polymerised monomer. These leakages become particularly high for low viscosity formulations (being injectable) with high amounts of solvents and monomers.
Ideally in cell therapy with heat generating pastes, the volume of cured material left after therapy, shall trigger a minimum of unwanted tissue reactions. This requires a high degree of chemical stability and biocompatibility.
For treatment of cancerous bone, the cured material left in the skeleton ideally possesses mechanical properties similar to those of natural bone. In particular, an insufficient strength or stiffness is disadvantageous for load bearing parts of the skeleton. An orthopaedic cement shall preferably have an elastic modulus of around 10–20 GPa. Today's PMMA bone cements show elastic modulus around 3 GPa.
Today's PMMA bone cements cure while generating heat in amounts considered excessive for normal orthopaedic use. For use in vertebroplasty, some argue that a temperature rise may be advantageous, since it may contribute to reduce pain. However, today's bone cements offer no, or very limited, possibilities for the surgeon to control the generated temperature.
Also cements generating low temperatures rises during curing are of interest. A low temperature bone cement based on hydraulic ceramics is described in the pending Swedish patent application "Ceramic material and process for manufacturing" (SE-0104441-1), filed 27 Dec. 2001. In said patent application the temperature rise due to the hydration reactions is damped by addition of suitable inert, non-hydraulic phases, which are also favourable for the mechanical properties and biocompatibility. However, these ceramic materials do not offer the means to control the heat generation through well controlled phase compositions of the hydrating ceramic, or controlling the temperature by accelerators and retarders.

Heat generating biocompatible ceramic materials


A pipe fitting wireform which when threaded into a fitting allows a user to measure center-to-end or end-to-center of the fitting to determine the length of a pipe needed to connect a pair of pipe fittings in a pipe assembly. The fitting wireform is a coil with a free end bent laterally to form a tang. The fitting wireform having an outside diameter substantially equal to the nominal size of the pipe fitting with substantially the same number of turns per inch as the pipe fitting such that the pipe fitting wireform can be threaded into the pipe fitting.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pipe fitting wireform for field or shop application for measuring the center-to-end or end-to-center of a fitting to determine the end-to-end length of a pipe needed to connect a pair of pipe fittings in a pipe assembly.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Dimensions on pipe drawings specify the center lines and/or points on center lines; they do not specify pipe lengths. This system of distance dimensioning and measurement is also followed in the fabrication and installation of pipe assemblies.
To determine actual pipe length, allowances must be made for the length of the fittings and the distance the pipe-to-be-cut will be threaded into the fitting. The method of doing this is to subtract an amount called the take-out from the center-to-center dimension. The relationships of the take-out to other threaded pipe connection distances, termed make-up, center-to-center and end-to-end are illustrated in FIG. 5. To determine end-to-end pipe length, the take-out is subtracted from the center-to-center dimension. Standard tables as shown in FIG. 5 may be used for this purpose.
Particularly in field installations, it is difficult for a man working by himself to make the center-to-end or end-to-center measurement between the fittings on the pipes to be joined. In addition, the standard tables used to determine the take-out must be used with judgment since commercially available fittings may vary by one turn or more plus or minus. Hence on critical connections, materials should be checked and compensation made for variances in the fittings.
In view of the above, it would be desirable to have a pipe fitting wireform that makes it easier for a man working by himself to make the center-to-end or end-to-center measurement and which may be used to compensate for variances in at least one of the fittings to be joined.

Pipe fitting wireform for measuring linear distance and method


Provided is a two-component mixing container in which a piston member may be capable of a rotation motion operation and a linear motion operation without the need for a complex guide groove. Two or more spring structure portions are provided at the piston member. The two or more spring structure portions impart a pressing force on an inner wall surface of the third cylindrical portion. Two or more fitting grooves are formed in the third cylindrical portion. In this fitting state, the piston member and a second-component containing member rotate together without contact portions getting out of the fitting grooves. When a force of a predetermined level or higher toward a third bottom wall portion is applied to an operating rod portion with a second-component containing chamber and a mixing chamber being communicable with each other, the contact portions get out of the fitting grooves.

Japanese Patent No. 4956616 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent No. 5112438 (Patent Document 2), which are the patents owned by the applicant of the present invention, each disclose a conventional example of a two-component mixing container such as a dental cement capsule. In this two-component mixing container, a powder material and a liquid material are contained in isolation from each other as two kinds of chemicals, and the powder material and the liquid material are discharged after having been mixed together in the two-component mixing container. FIGS. 19 and 20A to 20C are respectively FIGS. 10 and 11A to 11C in Patent Document 1. The structure of the conventional two-component mixing container will be described below, using these drawings. The conventional two-component mixing container includes a housing 8, a nozzle 16, a partition wall member (12, 18), a second-component containing member 13, and a piston member 19. The housing 8 includes a first cylindrical portion 10 having a first opening portion at one end thereof and a first bottom wall portion 11 closing the other end of the first cylindrical portion 10. Then, the housing 8 includes in its inside a mixing chamber 5 configured to contain a first component and to mix the first component and a second component when the second component is injected from the one end of the first cylindrical portion 10. The housing 8 also has a discharge port 23 in the first bottom wall portion 11. The discharge port 23 is configured to discharge a mixture of the first component and the second component from the mixing chamber 5. The nozzle 16 is provided at the first bottom wall portion 11 of the housing 8. A mounting structure of the nozzle 16 is configured to dispose the nozzle 16 at a first position which causes the nozzle to close the discharge port 23 before the mixture is discharged from the discharge port 23 and to dispose the nozzle 16 at a second position which allows the discharge port and a passage of the nozzle to communicate with each other when the mixture is discharged from the discharge port 23.
A partition wall member (12, 18) is slidably held in the housing 8. The partition wall member (12, 18) includes a second cylindrical portion 18 having a second opening portion at one end thereof, a second bottom wall portion closing the other end of the second cylindrical portion 18, and a partition wall portion 12 provided at the second bottom wall portion, whereby the partition wall portion slides liquid-tightly inside the mixing chamber 5. Then, the second-component containing member 13 is fitted in the partition wall member (12, 18) such that the second-component containing member 13 may rotate about an axial line X. The second-component containing member 13 includes a third cylindrical portion having a third opening portion at one end thereof and a third bottom wall portion closing the other end of the third cylindrical portion, and includes in its inside a second-component containing chamber 3 configured to contain the second component. The second bottom wall portion (12) of the partition wall member (12, 18) is formed with a first communication passage 20, and the third bottom wall portion of the second-component containing member 13 is formed with a second communication passage 21. When the second-component containing member 13 rotates about the axial line X by a predetermined angle and then the second-component containing member 13 and the partition wall member (12, 18) come into a predetermined positional relationship, the first communication passage 20 and the second communication passage 21 communicate with each other, thereby allowing the second component to flow into the mixing chamber 5. The piston member 19 includes a piston portion located at one end of the piston member 19 and an operating rod portion located at the other end of the piston member 19. The piston portion is configured to be inserted into the third cylindrical portion from the third opening portion of the second-component containing member 13 and liquid-tightly slide inside the third cylindrical portion. The operating rod portion projects out from the third opening portion.
Before an operation of mixing the first component and the second component is started, the conventional two-component mixing container maintains a holding state in which the partition wall member (12, 18) is held in a retracted position so as to form the mixing chamber 5 in the housing 8. By performing a predetermined first operation (operation of rotation about the axial line X) on the operating rod portion of the piston member 19 in this state, the first communication passage 20 and the second communication passage 21 are aligned to communicate with each other. A communication passage (comprising the communication passages 20 and 21) is thereby formed between the second-component containing chamber 3 and the mixing chamber 5. Then, after the communication passage has been formed, the piston member 19 is moved toward the first bottom wall portion 11 to inject the second component within the second-component containing chamber 3 into the mixing chamber 5 through the communication passage (comprising the communication passages 20 and 21) that has been formed. Then, by performing an operation (second operation) of rotation about the axial line X on the piston member 19, the holding state of the partition wall member (12, 18) is released. The nozzle 16 is then disposed at the second position (position where the passage of the nozzle 16 and the discharge port 23 communicate with each other) from the first position (position shown in FIG. 19). The piston member 19 is further moved toward the first bottom wall portion 11 in this state to discharge the mixture to an outside through the nozzle 16. An engagement relationship between the housing 8 and the partition wall member (12, 18) is achieved by engagement between a projection (24) and a guide groove (25). An engagement relationship between the partition wall member (12, 18) and the second-component containing member 13 is achieved by engagement between a projection (26) and a guide groove (27). An engagement relationship between the second-component containing member 13 and the piston member 19 is achieved by a projection (28) and a guide groove (29). These projections (24, 26, 28) and guide grooves (25, 27, 29) are shown in FIG. 20 (corresponding to FIG. 11 in Patent Document 1).

Two-component mixing container including piston using spring engagement


A Programmable-Gain Amplifier (PGA) has a digital value that programmably adjusts the gain of the analog amplifier. A variable capacitor has several switched sub-capacitors that are enabled by the digital value. Enabled sub-capacitors are switched between a sampled input and a virtual ground on one terminal, and connect to a summing node on the other terminal. The summing node connects to the inverting input of an op amp either through a switch or through a double-sampling capacitor that stores an offset. A feedback capacitor is in parallel with a sampling capacitor during a second clock phase when direct-charge transfer occurs, reducing power consumption of the amplifier. The feedback capacitor samples the sampled input during the first clock phase. The PGA gain is proportional to the sum of capacitances of enabled sub-capacitors. The gain can be adjusted for sensor inputs to an Analog Front-End (AFE), such as for an electro-cardiogram (ECG).

Wearable devices may include sensors to collect physical data such as a heartbeat, perspiration salinity, brain waves, muscle activity, or other electrical activity. Since the electric signals collected are so minute, amplification is necessary before they can be converted from analog to digital signals and be processed digitally such as by a digital-signal processor (DSP).
Wearable devices that are small and light are desirable, but the signal quality must still be sufficient to be useful. Small physical sizes, high noise immunity, and ultra-low power consumption are design goals. Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) manufacturing processes or derivates or variants are often used to produce integrated Analog Front-End (AFE) devices.
FIGS. 1A, 1B show noisy and cleaned waveforms. FIG. 1A shows an input signal that might be picked up by a sensor such as by electrodes touching a person's skin. A large amount of noise is present. FIG. 1B shows a signal output from an AFE. The noise signal of FIG. 1A has been cleaned up to produce the output signal of FIG. 1B. This signal could be a heartbeat on an electro-cardiogram (ECG or EKG) collected by the electrodes.
FIG. 2 shows an Analog Front-End (AFE). The noisy input such as shown in FIG. 1A is applied to electrodes 114, amplified, and converted to a digital signal to produce the cleaned up signal of FIG. 1B. The signal of FIG. 1B could also be the input to ADC 110 rather than its output.
Oscillator 102 generates a clock that is applied to chopping clock generator 104 to generate chopping clocks that operate choppers 116, 118 to sample signals from electrodes 114 which are buffered by chopping amplifier 12.
A Programmable-Gain Amplifier (PGA) clock is generated by PGA clock generator 106 and applied to PGA 10. PGA 10 has a gain that is programmable. Programming the gain allows the flexibility to tune the amplitude and bandwidth so that vital signs of different magnitudes and frequencies can be monitored and better isolated.
Band selection filter 112 may be a switched-capacitor filter to filter the output from PGA 10, such as to better select desired frequencies. This can be considered part of the PGA as the PGA is a 1st order low pass filter. Driver 14 drives the analog input to ADC 110, which converts this analog signal to a digital value, such as by using a Successive-Approximation Register (SAR). ADC clock generator 108 generates a clock to ADC 110.
Bias network 120 samples the input from electrodes 114 and biases chopping amplifier 12, PGA 10, and driver 14. Other biasing, control, or filters may be present.
What is desired is a Programmable-Gain Amplifier (PGA). A PGA for applications such as an AFE shown in FIG. 2 is also desired. A programmable gain amplifier using switched capacitors to program the gain is desirable. A PGA using direct charge transfer or correlated double sampling, or both, is also desired.

Digitally-programmable gain amplifier with direct-charge transfer and offset cancellation

Hong Kong Applied Science & Technology Research Institute Company, Limited


For the identification of macro-organisms, especially fish, visible implant tags having identification codes of fluorescent colorants are implanted into at least partially transparent tissue of the macro-organisms such that the visible implant tags are visible. The encoded information is obtained from the tags by measuring the spectrum of light emitted by the fluorescent colorants. The tagged fish need not be captured to read the tags. The information may be obtained through a significant depth of medium and also independently of the size of the tag or its orientation. Florescent dyes or, more preferably, fluorescent pigments may be used for the identification codes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for tagging macro-organisms, especially fish, for identification purposes. More particularly, this invention concerns the use of visible implant tags encoded with fluorescent dyes or, more preferably, fluorescent pigments and various methods for reading the code.
2. Description of Related Art
The use of visible implant tags for identifying macro-organisms has been disclosed elsewhere as has the use of fluorescent colorants for identifying macro-organisms. These methods generally require the capture of the macro-organism to be identified and/or the use of sophisticated equipment to locate and read the tag.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,490 to Haw et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses the use of visible implant tags for the identification of fish. The tags are implanted into transparent or semi-transparent tissue. Upon capture of the fish, the location of the visible implant tags can be ascertained visually and the tag can be excised and read, or read through the transparent or semitransparent tissue. The visible implant tags may have information encoded thereon as indentations forming binary words, as alpha-numeric codes, or as shapes of visually differentiable colors. This information may be read optically either manually or mechanically.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,236 to Sandstram et al. describes an animal identification system utilizing fluorescent implanted tags coded with one or more higher atomic number chemical elements and an automated method for reading the coded information. The tags are read by inserting the animal, a fish, into a specimen holder which is in turn inserted into a machine designed to expose only the tag to x-rays, while masking the rest of the fish, and measuring the fluorescent X-radiation. Alternatively, a variation was contemplated in which a tagged animal could be allowed limited movement in a confined channel and a three-dimensional locating and tracking means could control the application of the X-ray beam to only the tag.

Color-encoded fluorescent visible implant tags and method for identification of a macro-organism therewith


An actuator system for fabricating a cavity within thermoplastic material includes a plurality of actuators arranged in an array. When dimensions of an item are determined, the actuator system may be programmed with data regarding such dimensions to fabricate a cavity for the item. A subset of the actuators, and distances by which each of the actuators is to be extended, may be selected based on dimensions of the item, in order to fabricate a cavity within the thermoplastic material that may accommodate the item therein. Additionally, the actuators and the distances may be selected based on intrinsic or extrinsic data regarding the item, and a cavity fabricated within the thermoplastic material may include one or more buffer zones or protective regions that are specifically formed with respect to aspects of the item.

Contemporary online marketplaces are able to offer a wide variety of groups or types of items (including goods, services, information and/or media of any type or form) to customers who may be located in virtually any area of the globe, in any number of ways. Such items may be delivered to a fulfillment center or other facility operated by the online marketplace by one or more sellers, vendors, manufacturers or other sources. When a customer places an order for one or more of the items, the online marketplace may package the item for delivery to the customer, process any necessary transactions, and arrange for the items to be delivered to the customer.
Within a modern fulfillment center environment, items that have been ordered by customers are typically delivered to the customers, or to destinations specified by such customers, according to one or more general methods. For example, an ordered item may be retrieved from a designated storage location and transported to a workstation where the item is to be prepared for delivery. Upon an arrival of the ordered item at the workstation, the item may be recognized by one or more manual or automatic means, such as by scanning or reading an external marking, label or other identifier on an outer surface of the item, by recognizing a data transfer device associated with the item or the vehicle in which it is transported, or by determining a mass of the item.
Once an ordered item has been identified, a set of instructions for preparing the ordered item for delivery may be determined and provided to a worker, e.g., on paper, or on at least one monitor or other computer display, and such instructions may be of any kind or take any form. For example, the instructions may identify a container (e.g., a box, a bag, a tube, an envelope) into which the ordered item is to be placed, along with an amount and type of dunnage (e.g., paper, plastic, foam materials or "bubble wrap"), a means of transit by which the container is to be delivered (e.g., a common carrier, the United States Postal Service, or a customized or specialized means of transit), as well as a destination for the container. Additionally, the instructions may be intrinsic to the ordered item itself. For example, an instruction may direct a worker to affix a label or decal on heavy or large items, to include a gift card or order description (e.g., packing slip) in a container with the ordered item, or to take any other specific action based on one or more attributes of the ordered item.
The processes of selecting containers and dunnage may be substantial drivers of the costs or time required in order to deliver such items. For example, while containers such as boxes, bags, tubes or envelopes are typically manufactured in nominal sizes, an item having dimensions that deviate from dimensions of nominally sized containers may require packing within a container having a number of voids or unused spaces, which are typically filled with dunnage. Moreover, selecting proper amounts and types of dunnage may create dilemmas for workers who are packing items within containers, as selecting excessive amounts of dunnage or overly heavy dunnage increases the weight of a container and may lead to unnecessary increases in cost, while selecting insufficient amounts of dunnage or inadequate types of dunnage may increase a risk of damage to an item during delivery. Furthermore, even when an item arrives at a destination safely, a customer or other recipient must dispose of a container in which the item arrived, along with any associated dunnage upon its arrival.

Right-sized thermoformed cavities for packaging items


The present invention relates to amplifier bias circuitry, which provides a direct current (DC) bias to a radio frequency (RF) amplifier. The amplifier bias circuitry includes a control loop having a control loop bandwidth, and an output impedance associated with providing the DC bias to the RF amplifier. The amplifier bias circuitry may vary the DC bias, the output impedance, the control loop bandwidth, or any combination thereof, to meet wireless communications requirements. For example, in a multi-mode radio, low output impedance may be needed to meet linearity requirements of the RF amplifier associated with wireless communications protocols in one mode of the multi-modes; however, some low output impedance designs may reduce the control loop bandwidth below that needed to meet modulation requirements associated with wireless communications protocols in another mode of the multi-modes.

As portable wireless devices, such as cell phones, wireless personal digital assistants (PDAs), or the like, become increasingly ubiquitous, wireless communications protocols are continually evolving to expand supported feature sets. To maximize compatibility with as many different wireless communications systems as possible, modern portable wireless devices may be multi-mode devices, which are able to operate in one of multiple modes associated with different RF communications bands, different wireless communications protocols, or both.
Many portable wireless devices are capable of transmitting RF signals and include an RF transmitter, which has at least one RF amplifier, such as a power amplifier. To function properly, the RF amplifier may need a DC bias, which may be provided by amplifier bias circuitry. Characteristics associated with providing the DC bias may include a value of the DC bias, an output impedance associated with providing the DC bias to the RF amplifier, and a control loop bandwidth associated with a control loop. When switching between RF communications bands, between different wireless communications protocols, or both, any or all of the value of the DC bias, the output impedance associated with providing the DC bias to the RF amplifier, and the control loop bandwidth may need to be changed. For example, a required value of the DC bias may be based on an output power level from the RF amplifier, the output impedance associated with providing the DC bias to the RF amplifier may be based on linearity requirements of the RF amplifier, and the control loop bandwidth may be based on a modulation scheme used by the RF amplifier. Specifically, some wireless communications protocols have strict linearity requirements, which may require a low output impedance associated with the DC bias. Some wireless communications protocols, such as those that include amplitude modulation (AM), may require a wide control loop bandwidth. Thus, there is a need for amplifier bias circuitry that can support multiple RF communications bands, different wireless communications protocols, or both, and can vary any or all of the value of the DC bias, the output impedance associated with providing the DC bias, and the control loop bandwidth.

Varying amplifier bias parameters to meet radio frequency (RF) communications requirements


The present invention provides a unified layer for Plug and Play (PnP) components and power management components while relieving device drivers from system-level complexities associated with implementing PnP and/or power management functionality. The layer operates at a level between low-level device drivers and more complex operating system tasks. The subject invention simplifies designing device drivers having proper power management support by creating an infrastructure that allows a device driver to operate within a driver framework or model and without having to process Plug-and-Play or Power Management VO Request Packets (IRPs) directly.

Some operating systems support the concepts of Plug and Play (PnP), Power Management and System Management for a plurality of different device drivers. Unfortunately, the complexity involved in implementing PnP and Power has caused thousands of device drivers to be written in a manner that may cause operating system problems (e.g., system crash). Beyond system failures, many designers of device drivers choose to simplify their drivers as much as possible, so that they do not have to complicate their designs with difficult programming problems, testing problems, and/or verification problems. This often leads to drivers which perform Power Management in the simplest way possible, which is merely to leave the corresponding device turned on, consuming full power at all times. This consequently leads to laptop and tablet computers that consume more energy than they need to, thus causing shorter battery life than possible.
In one current operating system scenario, existing programming models do not always facilitate implementing PnP and Power management considerations in an efficient or robust manner. For example, a PnP "start" event may be modeled as an implicit power-up event, even though the power manager did not send it. Similarly, PnP "stop" and "remove" events are implicit power-down events. This implies that coordination and synchronization between PnP and Power events would then be performed inside every device driver, and not merely inside PnP or Power Managers.
In another example, power management in some models may be broken into two separate concepts, system power management and device power management. Thus, the operating system (or components associated therewith) decides when the system is awake or asleep, and the individual device drivers decide when the devices should be awake or asleep. In many ways, this is desired, since it implies that device power policy can be managed by software components that have the most device domain knowledge. In many other ways, it's frustrating for a device driver designer, since it forces the designer to track system power states, responding to them by putting the device into appropriate device power states. This tracking and coordination is complex and error-prone at best.
In order to save battery power, it should be theoretically possible to turn off devices that aren't currently being used. This goal is difficult to achieve with existing models, since the device driver has to track system concepts such as general idleness, time since the device was last asked to perform a task, and so forth. Turning unused devices off can certainly save power, however many devices need to remain powered on in order that software can be aware that a human has interacted with them. A good example is a floppy disk drive. It would be desirable if the floppy were turned off when it is not being used, since it is very rarely used in many situations. The operating system can certainly turn it on before it starts writing to the floppy or reading from it. The problem arises when a user puts a new floppy into the drive. Software should typically respond by changing any windows that currently show the contents of the floppy, and updating them with the list of newly inserted files. If a "disk-change notification" is not sent, then the device cannot be turned off.
The above floppy drive problem can be solved in a drivers framework by allowing each device to have a "wake signal" at the hardware level that can bring the device back into a working state. The problem is that almost all hardware in existence ties the wake signal into logic that controls the current power state, and the current power state is managed with a completely separate event. Thus, device drivers are forced to use two completely separate and unsynchronized events to manage a process that is essentially an interconnected and synchronized hardware subsystem. In view of the problems listed above and others, many machines such as laptop computers suffer from poor battery life.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The present invention relates, in part, to methods of using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry for analyzing (e.g., measuring) the binding of a soluble target to an insoluble material.

XRF spectrometry is a powerful spectroscopic technique commonly used for elemental analysis and chemical analysis. During XRF analysis, a sample is irradiated with X-rays emitted from an X-ray source, and fluorescent X-rays, which are characteristic X-rays released from the sample, are detected by an X-ray detector. A spectrum is obtained from the energy of the detected X-rays, and the sample is qualitatively or quantitatively analyzed.
More recently, XRF has been employed for quantifying molecular binding. However, the process requires separation of unbound analytes from the bound complexes. Further, the technique is not conducive to high-throughput screening of a large number of soluble test materials, or testing of a large number of solution conditions, as is required for measurements of equilibrium binding constants.
Accordingly, improved XRF methods are needed for applications that require high-throughput screening and analysis of a large number of samples.

Methods of detection using X-ray fluorescence


The present invention propose a new mechanism, IP check layer which enables to use TOE cards and legacy NICs simultaneously within same protocol family in a Linux or a UNIX computing environment. The IP check layer is inserted between a BSD socket layer and an INET socket layer. IP check layer maintains a routing information and, information of IP addresses of each network interfaces and each socket's bind state. Using this information, IP check layer determines how to process a socket call and which layer (TOE layer, host INET layer) will take over the socket call. By means of the above mechanism, the present invention makes existing socket applications to use TOE cards and legacy NICs at the same time without modification or recompiling.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for classifying a protocol family by using an IP in a TOE socket interface, and more particularly, to a protocol family classifying device using IP in a TOE socket interface for supporting both of a TOE card and a NIC in a Linux or a UNIX computing environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a network software layer architecture in a Linux environment for using a conventional TCP offload engine (TOE).
As shown in FIG. 1, generally, there has been no single socket interface provided for supporting both of a TCP offload engine (TOE) card and conventional network interface cards (NICs) in a UNIX or a Linux computing environment. Therefore, in order to provide a socket interface of TOE, a specific TOE application programming interface (API) 10 must be installed or a TOE protocol family 11 must be additionally implemented in a network module of the UNIX or the Linux.
However, a device using the API 10 or the TOE protocol family 11 for providing the socket interface of the TOE must be used by modifying application programs and re-compiling the modified application programs.
Meanwhile, an Ethernet communication technique includes additional functions for reducing and recovering errors generated during communication because the Ethernet communication technique is developed for long distance communication. However, the additional functions may degrade a communication performance in a system level network such as a cluster. Therefore, virtual interface architecture (VIA) for a system area network (SAN) has been introduced as a network protocol. The VIA does not includes additional functions for reducing and recovering errors but it guarantees fast communication.
However, the VIA does not provide the socket interface.
Accordingly, there have been various studies in progress for using the socket interface in the system level network protocol and representative one of studies is a socket over VIA (SOVIA) using a socket interface in the VIA.
However, the SOVIA provides the socket interface on a predetermined protocol.

Device for supporting NICs and TOEs under same protocol family of socket interface using IP checking mechanism

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


A system for preheating electronic components on a printed wiring board or other interconnecting substrate prior to application of voltage to the components in extreme cold temperature environments. Copper traces are employed as embedded heater elements. A control circuit disables operation of an on-board DC/DC switching converter used to provide power to the electronic components until the board has reached a threshold temperature during a preheating period. Thereafter, the heater operation is synchronized with the operation of the switching converter, such that the temperature can be maintained, yet total power supply current to the board never exceeds a predetermined maximum level.

Extreme cold temperature environments create problems for the use of electronic devices mounted on printed wiring boards (PWBs) or other multilayer interconnecting substrates, since devices may not have been designed to operate at the temperatures encountered (e.g., the minimum design temperature is higher). One exemplary application having exposure to such extreme environments is avionics circuitry. The risks posed to electronic devices operating in extreme cold weather environments include long and unpredictable warm-up time from turn-on until a system is functional, the possibility of failure to properly initialize (e.g., never reaching a point of functioning), and the risk of permanent damage to devices.
To address the risks posed by extreme cold environments, manufacturers and circuit designers have typically resorted to three approaches. The first is to restrict the use of devices to those which have been explicitly designed for the low temperatures to be experienced. This undesirably limits the available devices which could be used in the system.
A second approach is to screen devices which have not been designed for extreme cold temperatures. This entails testing individual devices at cold temperature, and rejecting those which fail to meet all functional and parametric requirements. Screening IC devices for cold temperature operation may typically increase cost by three to five times. Also, there is an ongoing risk that future production devices will fail screening and thus be unavailable for use, since there is no assurance by design that the parts work cold. Thus, the ability to use unscreened ICs in extreme temperature environments would be advantageous.
A third approach is to use unscreened electronic components, and to power-up the devices and rely on their power dissipation to warm-up the circuit until it is functional. The disadvantages are that the necessary warm-up time is long (since forcing all devices to dissipate maximum power during this period is difficult or impossible), and the warm up time is unknown, since power dissipation is unknown, because the parts may not be properly functioning. Finally, there is risk of unforseen failure during warm-up, such as failure to initialize, or actual circuit damage.
It would therefore be an advance in the art to provide a technique for preheating the electronic devices on PWBs or other interconnecting substrates prior to application of power to these electronic devices.

Preheating device for electronic circuits


The present invention is used in an FPGA device having programmable logic cells and a programmable interconnect array. In a preferred embodiment in which the logic cells are programmed using transistors controlled by memory cells and the interconnect structure is programmed using antifuses, a configuration control unit (CCU) of the present invention can accomplish three functions: 1) applying programming voltages to terminals of the interconnect antifuses; 2) configuring the logic cells; and 3) reading status of signals on the interconnect structure. The CCUs are connected together into a shift register. Each CCU connects to a horizontal or vertical interconnect line. At intersections of these interconnect lines are antifuses. By loading logical 1's into the two CCUs, it is possible to address the antifuse at the intersection of the two interconnect lines. A voltage difference can then be directed to the two terminals of that antifuse for programming the antifuse. After antifuses are programmed, configuration information is shifted into the CCUs to configure the logic cells. These same CCUs can be used to capture the logical states of each of the interconnect lines, each CCU capturing one signal present on an interconnect line to which that CCU connects. The captured data can then be shifted out through the shift register.

Programmable devices are currently available in several different architectures. Earliest of the programmable devices are the programmable logic array (PLA) devices which comprise a plurality of AND gates programmably connected to a second plurality of OR gates. These devices can generate any combinational logic function, because any combinational logic function can be written as a sum of products, the products being generated in the AND array and the sums being generated in the OR array. These two level logic devices (one AND level and one OR level) are simple to program, and it is easy to predict the time delay for generating an output. However, the silicon area needed to calculate a complex logic function can be undesirably large.
More recently, programmable logic devices called field programmable gate arrays or FPGAs have been developed. These devices comprise an array of programmable logic cells which can be interconnected by programmable interconnect lines to generate complex logic functions. In an FPGA device, a function need not be calculated as a two-level sum of products because it is possible to feed the output of any one logic cell to an input of any other logic cell, and thereby form a chain, generating a function which has multiple levels of logic. Thus it is possible to implement complex logic in a smaller physical area.
Several architectures of these field programmable logic devices are available today. The various devices differ in the complexity of a single logic cell. Some manufacturers offer devices having logic cells such as shown in FIG. 1 which are quite small (fine grained architecture). Others offer devices having logic cells such as shown in FIG. 2 which are considerably larger and which handle larger functions within a single logic block (coarse grained architecture).
A small logic cell such as shown in FIG. 1 has the advantage of being able to be completely filled by the logic of a user, and thereby not leave unused logic resources within the cell. It may be possible to generate either combinational or sequential functions from a plurality of small logic cells. However, with fine grained architectures made up of small logic cells, it requires many logic cells to generate a complex logic function. A function which must make use of more than one logic cell must use programmable interconnect line to generate the function. When the signal path passes through resistive programmable elements, the time delay associated with capacitive and resistive interconnect line considerably slows down the response of the sequential function.
The larger celled (coarse grained) logic devices can generate complex functions quickly within a single logic block. However, if the user specifies a set of functions which do not make full use of the rather large logic cell, portions of the logic cell will be unused. Also, some of the fairly large logic cells include separate resources for generating combinational functions and for generating sequential functions. The cell of FIG. 2 is such a cell.

Configuration control unit for programming a field programmable gate array and reading array status


An apparatus for a variable supporting foot of a robot includes a guide groove formed in a foot module of the robot and having an open end. A support plate is disposed in the guide groove and can slide out of the open end of the guide groove. A power conversion unit has one end connected to the support plate. A power generation member is connected to the other end of the power conversion unit, and has a portion at a lower end thereof that extends lower than a lower surface of the foot module. The power generation member generates a driving force as the foot module approaches the ground. The driving force is converted into a rotational motion and is transmitted to the support plate by the power conversion unit to cause the support plate to slide out of the guide groove of the foot module.

(a) Technical Field
The present invention relates to a foot of a robot, and more particularly, to an apparatus for a supporting foot of a robot which maintains stability of the robot by providing a foot module having an extendable surface area.
(b) Background Art
Technologies relating to walking with legs, including technologies for biped walking, are used in the development of walking robots and wearable robots. One of the key challenges of developing walking robots is to ensure the dynamic stability of the robots during walking.
Common methods of ensuring dynamic stability can prevent a robot from falling down, for example by designing a foot having a wide sole, but use of such a foot may interfere with walking behavior.
As another method, it is possible to sense a ZMP (Zero Moment Point) by mounting a force sensor on the sole of a robot foot, and to provide a stopper protruding from the foot and having an actuator. However, the force sensor and the actuator are expensive to provide and consume a large amount of power for operation. Additionally, the force sensor and actuator must respect various limits imposed on the design the foot module, including fitting within the layout constraints.
According to Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2012-0070009, titled "walking pattern of a biped robot", support members are provided that slide and move in accordance with the positions of the feet of the robot. The sliding and movement, however, can interfere with walking.
The description of related art provided above is geared to helping understand the background of the present invention, and should not be construed as necessarily relating to prior art.

Apparatus for variable supporting foot of robot


A network device on a home-control network receives inputs from local sensors and physical actions from the user and determines whether to change its state.

Communication among low-cost devices is useful in many applications. For example, in a home environment, room occupancy sensors, light switches, lamp dimmers, and a gateway to the Internet can all work together if they are in communication. Residents of the home interact with the home-control system for monitoring and control. A user could, through a user-interface, configure the home-control system to illuminate a room in a home when people are present, and sound an alarm, depending on conditions the user sets up, for example.

Smart home device adaptive configuration systems and methods


A golf club comprising a shaft made of a composite material with a head (2) at its lower end and a grip (3) at its upper end. The shaft comprises three distinct sections, namely (a) a first, upper tapered portion (12a) covered by the grip, (b) a second, lower portion (12b) extending to the lower portion (10) of the shaft, and (c) a third connecting portion attaching the first to the second portions. The diameter (d1) of the section of the lower end of the first portion (12a) is smaller than the diameter (d2) of the section of the upper end of the second portion (12b).

A golf club basically comprises a shaft carrying, at its lower end, a head or striking component, and, at its upper end, a handle, commonly termed a "grip."
Conventional golf clubs generally have tapered shafts made of steel, metal alloys, or composite materials. They have a shape whose section changes continuously and whose maximum dimension is measured at the grip, or handle, and whose minimum dimension is measured at the neck, where the club head is attached. This is the most widely used type of shaft.
If one wishes to enhance the mechanical properties of the club, i.e., the elastic line under torsion and/or flection of the shaft, while preserving a club having satisfactory ergonomic qualities in the gripping area of the club, the geometries of conventional shafts offer few opportunities other than the use of fibers having a higher modulus, which is costly, or the incorporation of additional reinforcements of fiber layers which adds undesirable surplus weight.


Microwaveable popcorn compositions, products and methods of making the same are disclosed. The composition includes unpopped popcorn kernels, an oil comprising at least one omega-3 LC PUFA, and an oil that is solid at about 20° C. The an oil comprising at least one omega-3 LC PUFA can include a microbial oil prepared by extraction with isopropanol and water in the absence of winterization.

It is desirable to increase the dietary intake of the beneficial omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFA), and omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 LC PUFA). As used herein, reference to a long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid or LC PUFA, refers to a polyunsaturated fatty acid having 18 or more carbons. Omega-3 PUFAs are recognized as important dietary compounds for preventing arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease, for alleviating inflammatory conditions, cognitive impairment and dementia related diseases and for retarding the growth of tumor cells. One important class of omega-3 PUFAs is omega-3 LC PUFAs.
Fatty acids are carboxylic acids and are classified based on the length and saturation characteristics of the carbon chain. Short chain fatty acids have 2 to about 6 carbons and are typically saturated. Medium chain fatty acids have from about 6 to about 16 carbons and may be saturated or unsaturated. Long chain fatty acids have from 18 to 24 or more carbons and may also be saturated or unsaturated. In longer fatty acids there may be one or more points of unsaturation, giving rise to the terms "monounsaturated" and "polyunsaturated", respectively. Long chain PUFAs (LC PUFAs) are of particular interest in the present invention.
LC PUFAs are categorized according to the number and position of double bonds in the fatty acids according to a well understood nomenclature. There are two common series or families of LC PUFAs, depending on the position of the double bond closest to the methyl end of the fatty acid: the ω-3 (or n-3 or omega-3) series contains a double bond at the third carbon, while the ω-6 (or n-6 or omega-6) series has no double bond until the sixth carbon. Thus, docosahexaenoic acid ("DHA") has a chain length of 22 carbons with 6 double bonds beginning with the third carbon from the methyl end and is designated "22:6 n-3". Other important omega-3 LC PUFAs include eicosapentaenoic acid ("EPA") which is designated "20:5 n-3" and docosapentaenoic acid ("DPA") which is designated "22:5 n-3.". In addition, omega-6 LC PUFAs can be used in connection with the present invention. For example, arachidonic acid ("ARA") which is designated "20:5 n-6" and docosapentaenoic acid ("DPA") which is designated "22:5 n-6" are suitable.
De novo or "new" synthesis of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA does not occur in the human body; however, the body can convert shorter chain fatty acids to LC PUFAs such as DHA, although at very low efficiency. Omega-3 fatty acids must be part of the nutritional intake since the human body cannot insert double bonds closer to the omega end than the seventh carbon atom counting from that end of the molecule. Thus, all metabolic conversions occur without altering the omega end of the molecule that contains the omega-3 double bond.
Over the past few decades, health experts have recommended diets lower in saturated fats and higher in polyunsaturated fats. While this advice has been followed by a number of consumers, the incidence of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and many other debilitating diseases has continued to increase steadily. Scientists agree that the type and source of polyunsaturated fats is as critical as the total quantity of fats. The most common polyunsaturated fats are derived from vegetable matter and are lacking in long chain fatty acids having 20 or more carbons (most particularly omega-3 LC-PUFAs). In addition, the hydrogenation of polyunsaturated fats to create synthetic fats has contributed to the rise of certain health disorders and exacerbated the deficiency in some essential fatty acids. Indeed, many medical conditions have been identified as benefiting from an omega-3 supplementation. These include acne, allergies, Alzheimer's, arthritis, atherosclerosis, breast cysts, cancer, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, eczema, hypertension, hyperactivity, intestinal disorders, kidney dysfunction, leukemia, and multiple sclerosis. Of note, the World Health Organization has recommended that infant formulas be enriched with omega-3 fatty acids.
The polyunsaturates derived from meat contain significant amounts of omega-6 but little or no omega-3. While omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are both necessary for good health, they are preferably consumed in a balance of about 4:1. Today's Western diet has created a serious imbalance with current consumption on average of 20 times more omega-6 than omega-3. Concerned consumers have begun to look for health food supplements to restore the equilibrium. Principal sources of omega-3 are flaxseed oil and fish oils. The past decade has seen rapid growth in the production of flaxseed and fish oils. Both types of oil are considered good dietary sources of omega-3 polyunsaturated fats. Flaxseed oil contains no EPA, DHA, or DPA but rather contains linolenic acid--a building block that can be elongated by the body to build longer chain PUFAs. There is evidence, however, that the rate of metabolic conversion can be slow and unsteady, particularly among those with impaired health. Fish oils vary considerably in the type and level of fatty acid composition depending on the particular species and their diets. For example, fish raised by aquaculture tend to have a lower level of omega-3 fatty acids than fish from the wild. In light of the health benefits of omega-3 LC PUFAs, it would be desirable to supplement foods with such fatty acids.
Due to the scarcity of sources of omega-3 LC PUFAs, typical home-prepared and convenience foods are low in both omega-3 PUFAs and omega-3 LC PUFAs (carbon chain length greater than 18, and preferably greater than 20), such as docosahexaenoic acid, docosapentaenoic acid, and eicosapentaenoic acid. In light of the health benefits of such omega-3 LC PUFAs, it would be desirable to supplement foods with such fatty acids.
In light of the desirability of supplementing foods with omega-3 LC PUFAs and in view of the shortcomings of the prior art in providing these foods, there is a need for methods for enriching foods with omega-3 LC PUFAs and also for food oil compositions and food products comprising omega-3 LC PUFAs These and other needs are answered by the present invention.

Microwaveable popcorn and methods of making


A high frequency sinusoidal wave is generated and applied directly to a gas discharge lamp in multiple phases in a power efficient electronic ballast. Uniting a high frequency current fed oscillator with a transformer, where direct current may be applied to the center tap of the transformer primary winding through an appropriately sized inductor to enable the impression of a sinusoidal alternating current at the secondary winding. This sinusoidal alternating current is applied directly to a gas discharge lamp. Feedback from the transformer controls the switching of the oscillator at resonant frequency.

The present invention relates generally to electronic ballasts for gas discharge lamps. More specifically, this invention relates to the production of a high efficiency electronic ballast by unifying power and lamp control at a high, resonant frequency of alternating current applied directly to fluorescent lamps.
Fluorescent light operates by creating a discharge or arc across an ionized gas within a glass tube. In traditional fluorescent lighting, the gas tube is filled with mercury vapor which, when ionized, can collide with electrons of a current flow across the electrodes of a lamp, and emit photons. These photons strike fluorescent material on the inner wall of the glass tube and produce visible light.
Fluorescent lamps require a ballast to operate. The ballast conditions the electric power to produce the input characteristics needed for the lamp. When arcing, the lamp exhibits a negative resistance characteristic, and therefore needs some control to avoid a cascading discharge. Both manufacturers and the American National Standards Institute specify lamp characteristics, which include current, voltage, and starting conditions. Historically, 50-60 Hz ballasts relied on a heavy core of magnetic material; today, most modern ballasts are electronic.
Electronic ballasts can include a starting circuit and may or may not require heating of the lamp electrodes for starting or igniting the lamp. Prior to ignition, a lamp acts as an open circuit; when an arc is created the lamp starts, the entire ballast starting voltage is applied to the lamp. After ignition, the current through the lamp increases until the lamp voltage reaches equilibrium based on the ballast circuit. Ballasts can also have additional circuitry designed to filter electromagnetic interference (EMI), correct power factor errors for alternating current power sources, filter noise, etc.
Electronic ballasts typically use a rectifier and an oscillating circuit to create a pulsed flow of electricity to the lamp. Common electronic lighting ballasts convert 60 Hz line or input current into a direct current, and then back to a square wave alternating current to operate lamps near frequencies of 20-40 kHz. Some lighting ballasts further convert the square wave to more of a sine wave, typically through an LC resonant lamp network to smooth out the pulses to create sinusoidal waveforms for the lamp. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,681,654 to Quinn, or U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,093 to Nalbant.
The square wave approach is common for a number of reasons. Many discrete or saturated switches are better suited to the production of a square wave than a sinusoidal wave. In lower frequency applications, a square wave provides more consistent lighting; a normal sinusoid at low frequency risks de-ionization of the gas as the voltage cycles below the discharge level. A square wave provides a number of other features, such as constant instantaneous lamp power, and favorable crest factors. With a square wave, current density in the lamp is generally stable, promoting long lamp life; similarly, there is little temperature fluctuation, which avoids flicker and discharge, damaging the lamp.
It is known that higher frequencies can produce more efficient lighting. In general, if de-ionization is minimized or avoided, then less energy is needed because there is no re-ionization of the gas; that is, a higher frequency avoids the cycle of decay and recovery of ionization within the lamp. Further, the anode fall voltage can be lower when the frequency is higher than the oscillation frequency of the plasma.
However, higher frequency ballasts suffer some problems. First, electronic ballasts can create harmonic disturbance, due in part to the use of pulses or square wave signals. Harmonics are signals in which the frequency is a whole number multiple of the system's fundamental frequency; the third harmonic is most damaging. The total harmonic distortion (or "THD") is one measure of ballast performance. Harmonics create unexpected or nonlinear loading of circuit elements; the harmonic signals cause voltage drops at points of impedance, at the frequency of the harmonic current. At high frequency, the circuitry required to convert a square wave into a sinusoidal wave may limit the available frequency of operation; high frequency voltage drops can change the voltage values of the fundamental wave. A ballast with a high THD may also create electromagnetic interference with nearby electrical equipment, necessitating additional circuitry to filter harmonics; however, such circuits can introduce additional problems such as high inrush current. Second, as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,643 to Takehara, it is generally believed that operating frequencies above 50 KHz may introduce stray capacitance into lamp circuitry.
Finally, the semiconductor switches of many oscillating circuits in electronic ballasts have faced inefficiency or losses, including thermal dissipation, at high frequency driving. Thus, ballast technology has heretofore been limited, thereby also limiting the opportunity for improved energy efficiency.

High frequency electronic ballast with sine wave oscillator


Methods and systems of and for using volumetric display technology including volumetric display technology to create three-dimensional objects for various industries, including, but not limited to solar, automotive and/or other technological areas that use 3D printing or additive manufacturing.

3D printing refers to processes used to create a 3D object in which very thin layers of material are formed under computer control. Objects of near unlimited shape or geometry are produced using digital model data from a 3D model or other electronic data source such as a computer-aided design ("CAD") and/or stereolithography ("STL") files. Thus, unlike material removed or "hogged out" from solid stock as in conventional machining or lathe processes, 3D printing and/or additive manufacturing "builds" or "grows" a 3D object in accordance with digital model data by successively adding material layer upon layer in order to form an object.
Known 3D printing systems and methods include U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,330 to Hull, U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,172 to Downing, U.S. Pat. No. 8,126,580 to El-Silani et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 9,213,312 to Pyun et al. Additional existing known systems include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,829,838, 4,575,330, 4,707,787, 4,752,498, 4,929,402, 4,999,143, 5,006,364, 5,071,337, 5,121,329, 5,137,662, 5,139,338, 5,143,663, 5,174,931, 5,182,055, 5,236,637, 5,247,180, 5,248,456, 5,256,340, 5,260,009, 5,263,130, 5,268,862, 5,345,391, 5,358,673, 5,391,072, 5,427,733, 5,437,820, 5,447,822, 5,506,607, 5,529,473, 5,545,367, 5,569,431, 5,571,471, 5,573,721, 5,609,812, 5,609,813, 5,630,981, 5,651,934, 5,653,925, 5,684,621, 5,711,911, 5,740,051, 5,817,206, 5,891,382, 5,897,825, 5,902,537, 5,906,863, 5,932,290, 5,945,058, 5,965,079, 5,980,813, 6,027,324, 6,048,487, 6,051,179, 6,180,050, 6,253,116, 6,261,507, 6,264,873, 6,266,167, 6,305,769, 6,330,088, 6,391,245, 6,441,338, 6,500,378, 6,508,971, 6,547,552, 6,649,113, 6,661,548, 6,733,267, 6,813,594, 6,833,234, 6,836,736, 6,942,830, 7,052,263, 7,083,405, 7,128,866, 7,161,722, 7,215,430, 7,467,939, 7,550,251, 7,568,904, 7,573,561, 7,636,610, 7,783,371, 7,785,093, 7,790,093, 7,831,328, 7,858,913, 7,894,921, 7,968,626, 8,017,055, 8,167,999, 8,252,223, 8,506,862, 8,562,324, 8,747,097, 8,992,202, 9,022,770, 9,034,237, 9,205,601, 9,211,678, 9,216,546, 9,323,068, 9,360,757, 9,430,169, 9,498,920, 9,527,244.
Disadvantageously however, known additive manufacturing or 3D printing systems and methods are time consuming because the required layering of material may take hours to days to produce even a small 3D object, thus, greatly limiting the overall size and quantity of desired 3D objects being produced.
Furthermore, 3D printing techniques are often limited as certain objects are not able to be produced with 3D printing, as producing layer upon layer prohibits the manufacturing of certain designs and configurations.
To overcome the disadvantages of the prior-art, it is desired to provide a novel system and method of producing 3D objects.

5D part growing machine with volumetric display technology


A three-dimensional image pickup lens system, including two lens apparatuses, each of the two lens apparatuses including: an optical element drivers in a direction containing a component perpendicular to an optical axis; a driving unit driving the optical element; a detector detecting vibration of a corresponding one of the lens apparatuses; a first generator generating a first signal driving the optical element to correct image blur due to the vibration; a second generator generating a second signal driving the optical element to a position corresponding to a set angle of convergence; a retainer retaining an effective maximum correction amount as a correctable maximum image stabilization amount determined based on the second signals generated in the lens apparatuses and is common to the lens apparatuses; and a controller driving the optical element by the driving unit based on the first signal, the second signal, and the effective maximum correction amount.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a three-dimensional image pickup lens system, and more particularly, to a three-dimensional image pickup lens system configured to control an optical axis by using an image stabilization unit, and an image pickup system including the three-dimensional image pickup lens system.
Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, there is known an image pickup system for three-dimensional imaging by using multiple image pickup apparatuses, each of which can foe used as a standalone lens apparatus. A pair of image pickup apparatuses used for three-dimensional imaging is configured to be driven simultaneously so that optical conditions are always identical, which vary in accordance with a state or a position of a control target such as zoom, focus, and stop. In addition, a three-dimensional effect is adjusted by adjusting a convergence length at which the optical axes of the respective image pickup apparatuses cross in shooting, and a base length as a distance between the image pickup apparatuses. Images taken by the three-dimensional imaging in this way are each combined as an image for a left eye and an image for a right eye.
As a method for controlling an angle of convergence, there are proposed a method of rotating the entire image pickup apparatus so as to change an optical axis direction for changing the angle of convergence, and a method of displacing an optical element such as a mirror or a prism for bending a light beam so as to change the optical axis direction for changing the angle of convergence. However, in either method, a structure of the image pickup apparatus becomes large. In addition, because the image pickup apparatus becomes a dedicated one for the three-dimensional imaging, it has no versatility and has poor usability.
In order to solve this problem, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-103895 discloses a method of controlling the angle of convergence by using an optical element (hereinafter referred to as a shift lens) mounted for image stabilization that moves in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis. In addition, there is disclosed a method of adjusting the angle of convergence and correcting image blur by adding a movement amount of the shift lens for controlling the angle of convergence to a movement amount of the shift lens for image stabilization for driving.
In addition, in an imaging method called panning photography, the above-mentioned movement amount of the shift lens for image stabilization is integrated when a panning operation is performed. When it is detected that an integrated value has exceeded a maximum correction angle, panning determination is performed for determining that not a fluctuation to be subjected to the image stabilization has occurred but the panning operation has been performed, and the shift lens is returned to a predetermined position. However, in a state where the convergence length is set in three-dimensional imaging, because the maximum correction angle is different between the right and left lenses, a parallax displacement is generated between the right and left lenses.
In order to solve this problem, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-017929 discloses a method of returning a mechanism for image stabilization to an optical axis center ox each lens when the panning operation, is detected, which enables to prevent the above-mentioned parallax displacement.
However, in the above-mentioned conventional technologies disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-103895 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-017929, because the image stabilization mechanism is returned to the optical axis center regardless of the set convergence length, a parallax amount is different between during normal photography and during panning photography.
For instance, if the panning operation is performed while a subject is being photographed with a certain parallax amount, the convergence length is returned to the optical axis center only during the panning operation, and hence the three-dimensional effect is different. In this case, an unnatural image is taken during the panning operation. In particular, the image is unusable in photographing a moving image.

Three-dimensional image pickup lens system and image pickup system including the same