A flame simulating assembly for providing an image of flames and simulating one or more actual fuel elements in a fire. The flame simulating assembly includes one or more light sources, a screen adapted for transmission of the image of flames therethrough, and a simulated fuel bed. The simulated fuel bed includes a simulated ember bed and one or more simulated fuel elements positioned on an upper surface of the simulated ember bed. Each simulated fuel element includes a base surface with a light-transmitting portion and an exposed surface which is at least partially viewable. The base surface is positioned proximal to the upper surface of the simulated ember bed. The exposed surface includes one or more uncovered portions through which light from the light source is transmittable.

Various types of flame simulating assemblies, such as electric fireplaces, are known. Many of the prior art flame simulating assemblies include one or more components intended to resemble actual fuel in a real fire. Typically, the fuel which is simulated is wood (i.e., logs), or coal.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 566,564 (Dewey) discloses an electric heating apparatus with a cover (B′) which "is made . . . of a transparent or semitransparent material" (p. 1, lines 50-52). The cover is "fashioned or colored" so that it resembles coal or wood "in a state of combustion when light is radiated through it" (p. 1, lines 53-57).
However, the use of a partially translucent shell such as the cover disclosed in Dewey to imitate burning solid combustible fuel has some disadvantages. In particular, a portion of the shell typically is formed to simulate the fuel (e.g., logs), and another portion of the shell simulates an actual ember bed (i.e., embers and ashes) which results from combustion of the fuel. For instance, where the combustible fuel to be simulated is wood in the form of logs, the logs are simulated in the shell by raised parts which are integral to the shell, rather than pieces which are physically separate from the ember bed. Because it is evident from even a cursory observation of this type of prior art imitative fuel bed that the raised parts (i.e., simulated logs) are formed integrally with the simulated ember bed part of the shell, this type of imitative fuel bed tends to detract from the simulation effect sought.
In some flame simulating assemblies of the prior art, the simulated fuel components are intended to represent actual glowing coals, i.e., partially combusted (and combusting) coals in a fire. For example, some prior art imitative coal pieces are separate elements, shaped and sized to resemble actual pieces of coal, which are made of a transparent or translucent material (e.g., glass) through which light is transmitted, in an attempt to simulate the glowing effect sometimes provided by actual pieces of coal in a real fire. Examples of such simulated fuel components are found in GB 249,321 (White), U.S. Pat. No. 1,692,021 (Auer), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,707 (Butterfield). In each of these prior art fuel beds, however, the pieces of glass or other light-transmitting material intended to simulate coal are shaped and colored internally (i.e., they are made of a transparent or translucent material colored appropriately) in order to achieve such an effect. However, the known imitative coal pieces have some disadvantages.
In particular, each such piece generally has only one color, unlike actual pieces of coal in a real fire. In contrast, actual pieces of coal in a fire tend to have dark portions which are generally black or dark gray, and glowing portions which have brighter colors, such as red, orange, yellow, and combinations thereof. The dark portions may be largely matte, or partly matte with some small glossy parts irregularly distributed therethrough. Also, the part of the surface of each prior art imitative coal piece which is not glowing tends to be much more glossy than the surfaces of coal pieces in a real fire, so that the simulation provided is thereby undermined.
There is therefore a need for an improved flame simulating assembly to overcome or mitigate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art.


Apparatus for maintaining the quality of lubricant and level of lubricant in an internal combustion engine without having to remove lubricant. The oil pan or crank case normally mounted on the underside of an internal combustion engine is modified to include a deep well in the lower wall thereof which has a breadth substantially less than the breadth of the oil pan so that a substantially reduce volume of oil is required to safely operate the engine. Apparatus is also provided for supplying make-up lubricant to the engine while the engine is operating and includes an air impervious reservoir containing make-up lubricant. A conduit is coupled to the lower end of the reservoir and is received in the deep well. The conduit includes a lower end having a discharge opening disposed at the level of lubricant in the well when the engine is operating. If lubricant is dissipated and the level of lubricant drops below the opening, make-up lubricant falls, under the force of gravity, through the conduit until the level again rises to cover the opening.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a liquid lubricating system for an internal combustion engine and more particularly to a system which will reduce the volume of liquid lubricant in the system required to safely operate the system and more easily and continually supply make-up liquid lubricant as the lubricant is dissipated.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Objects
Conventionally, internal combustion engines are lubricated with oil which is normally stored in a so-called "oil pan" or crank case that is mounted on the underside of the engine. An oil pump, normally mounted within the oil pan, pumps oil from the pan to various moving parts such as pistons, valve lifters, etc. After continued use, some of the oil may leak out of the circulating system or be otherwise dissipated to reduce the volume of oil in the circulating, liquid lubricating system. Traditionally, as the oil is dissipated, the user will add oil to bring the level back up to the desired level. In an internal combustion engine having a five quart capacity of lubricating oil, oil is traditionally added in one quart increments. A substantial part of the oil in the system is "used" or old compared to the portion of oil which has been newly added. It is desirable that the proportion of new oil to old or "used" oil be as high as possible to increase the lubricating characteristics of the lubricating system. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus which will increase the proportion of fresh or new oil relative to the portion of "used" or old oil heretofore utilized in internal combustion engines.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel apparatus for maintaining the volume of liquid lubricant in an internal combustion lubricating system.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide new and novel apparatus for constantly monitoring the level of liquid in an operating engine and for constantly applying make-up lubricant as the lubricant is dissipated.
It has also been found desirable to utilize as much fresh or new oil in the system as possible to efficiently flush the engine of contaminates. Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide new and novel apparatus for maintaining the level of lubricant with a higher proportion of fresh oil to better flush the engine of contaminates.
Also typical is the so-called "oil change" whereby the engine operator will periodically completely remove the "used oil" in an engine and replace it with new or fresh oil. For years, such waste oil has merely been deposited back into the earth which has caused substantial ecological and contamination problems. With the advent of current environmental protection agency standards, the consumption, destruction or elimination of waste oil has become a substantial problem. With the apparatus constructed according to the present invention, it is never necessary to remove used oil from the system as fresh oil is constantly supplied to the system whenever necessary. As the engine "consumes" the oil, fresh make-up oil is provided. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a make-up lubricant system for an internal combustion engine which will eliminate the necessity of "changing oil".
In the typical internal combustion engine, the oil pan or crank case mounted below the engine has a relatively great breadth. Accordingly, although the engine may only require one-half quart of oil to lubricate it any any one time, it has been conventional to store five quarts in the crank case in order to cover the inlet orifice of the oil pump when the engine is operating and the level of oil in the crank case lowers. It has been found according to the present invention that the inclusion of a deep well, having a breadth substantially less than the breadth of the oil pan, will reduce the total volume of oil required in the system. With the high volume of internal combustion engines operating throughout the world, a substantial .savings in oil reserves could easily be appreciated if the total oil required was decreased. It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and novel lubricant storage pan of the type described for receiving and storing a lower volume of liquid lubricant than has been required heretofore.
It is another object of the present invention to provide apparatus for maintaining the oil level in an internal combustion engine substantially constant and continually supplied with fresh oil as needed without ever having need to "change the oil" or otherwise remove oil from the system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide apparatus for maintaining a constant oil level which includes a make up oil reservoir which stores the reserve oil heretofore stored in the "oil pan".
Apparatus has been provided heretofore for maintaining the level of lubricating oil in an internal combustion system such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,615,442 issued to C. T. Berry on Oct. 28, 1952. The lubricating apparatus illustrated in the Berry patent includes a relatively complicated valve system which is coupled into the vacuum system associated with the engine manifold. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide new and novel, relatively inexpensive and simple apparatus for maintaining constant the correct level of lubricating in the crank case of an internal combustion engine.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,926 issued to Lonnie L. Collins on Feb. 16, 1988 also discloses apparatus for maintaining a level of lubricating oil in an internal combustion engine, however, the system likewisely discloses a complicated valving arrangement and operates only when an engine is inoperative as opposed to when then engine is operative. Such a prior art system, of course, risks the possibility of having an insufficient quantity of oil while the engine is operating. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus of the type described for maintaining a correct level of lubricating oil in the oil pan of an internal combustion engine while the engine is operating.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of maintaining the quality of liquid lubricant in an internal combustion engine by supplying make-up liquid lubricant from a storage reservoir to an oil pan via gravity only.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an engine oil storage and lubricating system which utilizes only slightly more than the minimal amount of oil required to lubricate the system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide oil level maintaining apparatus of the type described which includes a translucent oil reservoir that is used to in situ visually indicate a proper oil level without the use of a conventional "dip stick" that must be withdrawn from an oil pan.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art as the description thereof proceeds.

Method and apparatus for maintaining lubricant in an internal combustion engine


A method and system for providing improved drug treatment to selected animals in a retained group. Through the use of a computer system, an operator is immediately provided with the health and drug treatment history of an animal to be treated by identifying the animal. With this information and a diagnosis of the animal's health condition, a drug treatment is chosen. The diagnosis and treatment are entered into the computer system to update the animal's health and treatment history. If a drug treatment has a withdrawal time which requires the animal to remain in the group for a time after treatment, a release date is calculated. If a dosage of a drug treatment is weight-dependent, the weight of the animal is obtained and the proper dosage for the animal is calculated.

This invention relates generally to systems for providing individual health histories of animals, for example, in a cattle feedlot operation. More particularly, this invention relates to such a system wherein the identity of each animal and data representing the physical condition and treatment administered to each animal is recorded, made available at the animal's location, and accumulated with earlier data to provide an up-to-date health history of each animal.
Large scale cattle feedlot operations are commonly employed to feed cattle prior to slaughter. Typically, the cattle of a particular owner are identified by a lot number for keeping track of the goods and services provided for the cattle while in the care of the feedlot. Each individual head is further identified with a unique number such as by tag for keeping track of individual treatments required, such as drugs dispensed for each particular sickness, and for monitoring the physical condition of each animal. Through these identifying numbers, the feedlot operation can maintain a health history for each animal in each lot and charge the cattle owner for feed, drugs, and services provided for each head.
This system, although simple to implement, is slow and fraught with error because of the manual effort required to gather and record the data. Typically, data is manually recorded twice. At an animal hospital on the feedlot, cattle are observed and treated if necessary. An operator records in writing the physical condition of each animal, any observed sickness, and the drug treatment administered. This written record is then transferred to a clerk to be entered into a cumulative history. Both recordings are subject to error. Compounding the problem is the the potential for illegible entries, incomplete entries, and lost entries. For example, often cold, adverse weather conditions at a feedlot make it difficult for an operator to grip the pen for writing and also interfere with the flow of ink through the instrument. Moreover, the manual recording and rerecording are lengthy and consequently the cumulative health history is often several days out of date.
These problems associated with manual entry of data are well known, and attempts have been made to minimize the errors in several aspects of feedlot operations. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,856 to Linseth discloses an apparatus for separately feeding animals which have not gained sufficient weight. The Linseth apparatus is adapted to weigh each animal as it is walked through a weigh station. An operator reads the identification number that appears on an ear tag of the animal and enters the number into a keyboard connected to a computer. The animal is then weighed and the amount entered into the computer. The computer has stored within its memory different weight ranges for cattle, which the computer compares with the weight of the animal weighed. Each range is related to a gate that leads to a different feeding pen. The computer determines the weight range in which the animals lies and opens the appropriate gate to direct the animal to the desired feeding pen. The procedure is then repeated for reevaluation of the animal after a period of feeding. The Linseth apparatus, however, still requires manual entry of information and lacks any means for creating and displaying at the animal's location a cumulative history of the animal's physical condition and treatment administered.
Other apparatus have addressed individual monitoring of an animal's consumption. U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,240 to Ostler, for example, discloses a monitoring apparatus that dispenses a preselected amount of feed to a cow identified by a transmitter around its neck. The feeding station includes a receiver-transmitter in communication with a computer that has stored within its memory a feeding schedule for the animal. The computer determines how much feed is to be dispensed to each animal individually. The operator can thereby control how much each animal eats and monitor if in fact the prescribed amount of food is consumed. But the apparatus is limited in its ability to monitor and control the feeding of cattle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,409,950 to Byrne et al. similarly discloses an animal food consumption monitor. Each animal bears a tag that includes a miniature transmitter which transmits a signal identifying the animal. The feed station for the animal includes a receiver for identifying the animal before it begins consuming feed. With the animal identified, the food in the station hopper is weighed before and then after the animal feeds to determine the amount consumed. The data on the amount and type of food consumed is then stored for later retrieval. The Byrne monitor, like the Ostler apparatus, identifies the animal without manual effort. But, again, it provides no on-site, up-to-date history of the animal's health.
Although the apparatus described above and others in the prior art offer some improvements in feedlot operations, they do not address the problem of maintaining up-to-date health histories of the physical condition and the drug treatment of the animals. Such histories are critical in determining the progress of a sick animal as well as in keeping track of the cost of drugs for each animal. The manual method is thus still preferred for this purpose.

Method and system for providing animal health histories and tracking inventory of drugs


Disclosed is a series of improved chelating agents and the chelates formed from these agents, which are highly effective upon both injection and oral administration. Several of the most effective are of low toxicity. These chelating agents incorporate within their structure 3-hydroxy-2-pyridinone (3,2-HOPO) moieties with a substituted carbamoyl group ortho to the hydroxy group of the hydroxypyridinone ring. The electron-withdrawing carbamoyl group increases the acidity, as well as the chemical stability towards oxidation and reduction, of the hydroxypyridinones. In the metal complexes of the chelating agents, the amide protons form very strong hydrogen bonds with the adjacent HOPO oxygen donor, making these complexes very stable at physiological conditions. The terminal N-substituents provide a certain degree of lipophilicity to the 3,2-HOPO, increasing oral activity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to improved therapeutic metal chelating agents which are highly effective and have low toxicity upon injected and oral administration, and in particular to chelating agents which incorporate within their structures 3-hydroxy-2-pyridinone (3,2-HOPO) moieties with a carbamoyl group substituted on the ring carbon atom ortho to the hydroxy or oxo group of the HOPO ring.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under .sctn..sctn. 1.97-1.99
Siderophores are highly selective and effective ferric chelating agents synthesized and released by microorganisms to ensure the presence of sufficient iron in solubilized form for cell reproduction. It was recognized early on that the affinity and selectivity of the siderophores for ferric ion made these compounds good candidates for therapeutic iron removal agents. This is particularly true for patients who suffer from blood diseases such as beta thalassemia, the treatment of which requires the regular transfusion of whole blood and results in the accumulation of massive tissue iron deposits. Because of the similarity in coordination properties between Fe(III) and tetravalent actinides, tetravalent actinides have great affinity for electron-donor groups that bind Fe(III), and follow Fe(III) in mammalian iron transport and storage systems. The great affinity and specificity of the siderophores towards Fe(III) suggest that modification of siderophores, which are effective sequestering agents for ferric ion, would yield potential chelators of tetravalent actinides, which present significant biological hazards associated with nuclear technology. Following absorption, the actinide cations that have been inhaled, ingested, or deposited in a wound circulate in serum bound to transferrin (Tf), the iron transport protein, and renal and gastrointestinal excretion are severely inhibited. As actinide-containing cells and structures die, the released actinide is recirculated, and nearly all of it is re-deposited at new sites. The alpha particles emitted by the actinides kill cells and induce cancer in the major storage tissues--lung, bone, liver. The only known way to reduce the toxicity of these radioactive metals is to use chelating agents to accelerate their excretion, thereby preventing deposition or re-deposition. Normally, such actinide chelating agents will be octadentate ligands, as opposed to the generally hexadentate or tetradentate siderophores. Other uses, such as radionuclide chelation in nuclear medicine applications, for example, are also clearly possible.
The biomimetic approach of the present invention, which designs and synthesizes sequestering agents for ferric ion and actinides, is based on siderophores. The metal binding units of siderophores are usually either catechols (dihydroxybenzene analogs; Formula 1A) or hydroxamic acids (Formula 1B): ##STR1## In fact, desferrioxamine B (DFO), a tri-hydroxamic acid siderophore, is used as a human iron sequestering agent. This chelating agent has predominated for over 30 years as the method of choice for treatment of iron overload. However, DFO has low oral activity and a number of adverse effects: including administration via a cumbersome subcutaneous infusion, leading to poor patient compliance with the treatment regime, and poor efficacy in removing deposited actinides. As a result of these limitations of the prior art drugs, there is a need for more effective and orally active iron sequestering agents to treat iron overload as well as actinide poisoning.
The most potent natural Fe(III) chelator is enterobactin, a siderophore produced by enteric bacteria with a formation constant of K.sub.f .apprxeq.10.sup.49, pM=35.5. This hexadentate ligand is composed of three catechoylamide groups attached to a tri-serine lactone backbone. Catecholates are much stronger sequestering agents than hydroxamate ligands, such as DFO, and these ligands are faster in removing iron from human transferrin, primarily for kinetic rather than thermodynamic reasons. Synthetic analogues of catechol-based siderophores are also known. However, there are a number of difficulties in developing catecholates into effective pharmaceutical agents. A number of catecholate siderophores, including enterobactin, will be bound by albumin in serum. They also strongly promote the growth of pathogenic microorganisms. The weak acidity of catechol and the required loss of two protons per catechol group at or about neutral pH limit the effectiveness of catechol-based ligands in vivo. These factors place severe limitations on the use of catechol-based ligands as therapeutic agents. It is therefore desirable to provide a medicinally useful metal chelating agent having a higher K.sub.a, i.e., more acidic, and which therefore binds more effectively at physiological pH, than catechol-based compounds. Uninegative ligands, i.e., ligands having a single negative charge near neutral pH range, are particularly desirable, in contrast to the correspondingly highly charged ferric and plutonium catechol complexes.
Derivatives of hydroxypyridinones ("HOPO") are of particular interest, since these ligands selectively display high affinity for ferric and actinide ion. These ligands and their mono-anions have a zwitterionic resonance form that is isoelectronic with the catechol dianion. The abbreviation "HOPO" will hereinafter be used to include hydroxypyridinone analogs as well as isomers or tautomers thereof, in either protonated or deprotonated forms.
The HOPO ligands have been shown to be very promising sequestering agents. The bidentate 3,4-HOPO ligand, 1,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-4-pyridinone, is orally active and has gone through extensive study, including clinical trials. However, there are many limitations for such a simple bidentate ligand. Multidentate HOPO derivatives have advantages over simpler bidentate ligands: in particular, low toxicity resulting from a higher binding affinity (pM) at low (clinical level) ligand concentrations.
Previous patents on hydroxypyridone ligands used as chelating agents include "Hydroxypyridonate Chelating Agents", U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,431, patented by Kenneth N. Raymond, Robert C. Scarrow, and David L. White, Oct. 6, 1987. This invention provided 1,2-HOPO derivatives with either an amide or a carboxylic acid moiety in the number 6 position. These chelating agents are useful in selectively removing certain cations from solution and are particularly useful as ferric ion and actinide chelators. However, U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,431 did not claim other chelating agents having 3,2-HOPO moieties incorporated within their structures or a carboxy moiety on the number 3 position of 1,2-HOPO ring.
Other related art includes Pharmaceutical Compositions of Hydroxypyridones, U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,927, patented by Robert C. Hider, George Kontoghiorghes, Jack Silver, and Michael A. Stockham, May 19, 1987. Claim 1 of this patent claims a number of possible chelating agents having 1,2-HOPO, 3,2-HOPO, or 3,4-HOPO moieties incorporated within their structures that are linked through a number of possible combinations of linking groups, including --CONH-- groups. However, U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,927 teaches against a HOPO moiety having a substitution ortho to the hydroxy or oxo group of the HOPO ring.
In contrast to U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,927, the inventors have developed a new design strategy, that is to synthesize a new series of 3,2-HOPO derivatives with either a carboxylic acid or a (substituted) carbamoyl moiety substituted on the ring carbon ortho to the HOPO hydroxy group. The particular coordination geometry and the hydrogen bonding between the amide proton and HOPO oxygen donor in these HOPO-metal complexes disclosed by the present invention thereby make the new series of 3,2-HOPO derivatives unusually good complexing agents having very high stability and specificity towards metal binding. The inventors further found these new compounds have stronger acidity and chelating ability for iron and actinides and have high oral activity in removing toxic actinides in vivo.
Furthermore, the method of synthesizing the present invention having 3,2-HOPO moieties incorporated within their structures with the (substituted) carbamoyl group ortho to hydroxy group of HOPO ring is not obvious. One earlier attempt by the inventors included: reacting 4-carboxy-3-hydroxy-2(1H)-pyridinones (Formula 9A) with 1, 1'-carbonyldiimidizole to produce the active amide intermediate, which is then combined with backbone amines to form the corresponding novel 3,2-HOPO ligands, similar to the case of thiohydroxamate. See, e.g., Kamal Abu-Dari and Kenneth N. Raymond, "Ferric Ion Sequestering Agents. 23. Synthesis of Tris(hydroxypyridinethione) Ligands and Their Ferric Complexes; X-ray Structure Analysis of N,N',N"-Tris(((1,2-didehydro-1-hydroxy-2-thioxopyrid-6-yl)carbonyl)-2,2',2 "-triaminotriethylaminato)iron(III)," Inorg. Chem. 1991, 30, 519-524. However, the purification of the final product is difficult, therefore, this method is not preferred. A second attempt to carry out the above reaction produced the acid chloride of 1-alkyl-4-carboxy-3-hydroxy-2(1H)-pyridinone as an active intermediate using thionyl chloride or oxalyl chloride, similar to the case of catechoylamide ligands. Due to the low yield of compound in preliminary tests, this method is also not preferred.
The present invention discloses a process to synthesize the desired multidentate 3,2-HOPO ligand in good yield.
Accordingly the present invention comprises an effective multidentate siderophore analog HOPO ligand in which one or more HOPO rings are linked to a molecular or a polymeric backbone through amide linkages. The inventors have previously reported the synthesis of siderophore analogs with linear, multipedal and macrocyclic topologies, and have shown a more effective ligand is one with a greater predisposition toward binding. In the design of the present invention, these synthetic strategies, as well as the binding abilities, solubility and lipophilicity of the resulted compounds, are important factors considered.

The Regents of the University of California


An automatic ATD control circuit operates with a first delay circuit accepting a system clock pulse as an input and producing a delayed version of the system clock pulse as an output. The delay to the system clock is performed to allow a frequency comparison in a later part of the circuit. An edge detection circuit operates when the delayed system clock is received and senses an edge of the delayed system clock pulse. A pulse output from the edge detection circuit feeds into a second delay circuit; the second delay circuit produces an output pulse where a period of the pulse is determined by delay characteristics of the sense amplifier and is thus independent of system clock frequency. The pulse is compared to the system clock frequency. If the system clock frequency is above a determined frequency, the automatic ATD control circuit is disabled.

Non-volatile memory devices, such as electrically erasable and programmable read only memories (EEPROMs), comprise core arrays of memory cells including a variable threshold transistor. Each memory cell can include a number of transistors; at least one of which will be a variable threshold (i.e., programmable) transistor.
With reference to FIG. 1, a portion 100 of a prior art memory array includes a plurality of memory cells 101; each of the plurality of memory cells 101 includes a pair of transistors, a select transistor 101A and a variable threshold transistor (i.e., a floating gate transistor) 101B. According to one version of the prior art, the select transistor 101A is an n-channel enhancement transistor, and the floating gate transistor 101B is an n-channel native transistor. Other kinds of the plurality of memory cells 101 each including a greater number of transistors are known in the prior art as well. Additionally, various arrangements of the plurality of memory cells 101 are known, such as NAND EEPROM and NOR EEPROM arrays.
The plurality of memory cells 101 is each interconnected by a plurality of wordlines lines 103, a plurality of sense lines 105, and a plurality of bitlines 107. In particular, drains of the each of the select transistors 101A are connected to one of the plurality of bitlines 107. A gate of each of the select transistors 101A and the floating gate transistors 101B is each connected to one of the plurality of wordlines 103 and sense lines 107 respectively.
In FIG. 2, a non-volatile memory arrangement 200 of the prior art includes a read select transistor 201, a read select line 201A, a sense amplifier 203, a data bus 203A, and a wordline decoder 205. The non-volatile memory arrangement further includes one each of the select transistors 101A and the floating gate transistors 101B from FIG. 1. As was the case in FIG. 1, according to an n-channel implementation of the select 101A and the floating gate 101B transistors, the drain of the select transistor 101A will be connected to one of the plurality of bitlines 107, and respective gates of the select 101A and the floating gate 101B transistors are connected respectively to one of the plurality of wordlines 103 and sense lines 105. The wordline 103 is driven by a word line decoder 205.
The read select transistor 201 is connected to the read select line 201A. When a read operation is active, the read select transistor 201 is turned on, thereby electrically connecting the bitline 107 to the data bus 203A. The data bus 203A, in turn, is connected to the sense amplifier 203. When the non-volatile memory arrangement 200 is subject to a read operation, a conductive state of the memory cell 101 is queried by connecting the bitline 107 to the sense amplifier 203 and applying appropriate bias voltages to the selected bitline 107, sense line 105, and wordline 103. If the select transistor 101A is turned on and the bias voltage applied to the sense line 105 exceeds a threshold of the floating gate transistor 101B, current will flow from the bitline 107 to ground through the memory cell 101 and the sense amplifier 203 will detect a "low" state. Conversely, if the bias voltage applied to the sense line 105 does not exceed the threshold of the floating gate transistor 101B, then no current will flow through the memory cell 101, and the sense amplifier 203 will detect a "high" state. While the sensing approach just described provides an operable memory arrangement, power consumption levels which characterize this approach are disadvantageous.
Power requirements of a contemporary memory sense amplifier are indicated in the dynamic power requirement, Pdyn, as a function of operating frequency, fop, graph 300 of FIG. 3. A constant sense amplifier consumed power trace 301 is indicative of a minimum power requirement, per wordline, any time the sense amplifier 203 (FIG. 2) is in an operational mode. A minimum sense amplifier power, Pmin, is determined byPmin=Vdd·ISA where Vdd is the system voltage and ISA is the sense amplifier current. A linear expression of total memory array power without sense amplifiers, Parray, 303 is governed byParray=Ccore·Vdd2·fop where Ccore is determined from a total gate-source capacitance, Cgs, value of each of the memory transistors within the plurality of memory cells 101 (FIG. 1). A total dynamic power requirement 305 is then determined byPdyn=(Ccore·Vdd2·fop)+(Vdd·ISA)which is merely a summation of the constant amplifier consumed power 301 and the linear expression of total memory array power without sense amplifiers 303.
The dynamic power, Pdyn, is a function of one variable—operating frequency, fop. Other functional dependencies, Ccore, Vdd, and ISA, are all fixed for a given memory array configuration. Therefore, it is desirable to minimize the total dynamic power requirement, especially in situations where either the operating frequency is variable during memory array operation or a given memory array is adaptable to a range of operating frequencies within a given circuit.

Automatic address transition detection (ATD) control for reduction of sense amplifier power consumption


A panel antenna includes a panel portion and a feeder cable. The panel portion includes a first portion and a second portion connected with the first portion to form a L-shape. A first metal sheet is disposed on the first portion. A second metal sheet is disposed on the second portion. The first and second metal sheets connect with each other. The first metal sheet has a feeding point and the second metal sheet has an elongate connecting arm. The overall structure of the first and second metal sheets forms a L-shape The feeder cable includes an inner conductor electrically connecting with the feeding point and an outer conductor extending along the connecting arm. The outer conductor has an exposed part contacted with the connecting arm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a panel antenna used in an electronic device, and more particularly relates to a panel antenna that has a radiation pattern exhibiting good radiation dispersion characteristics.
2. Description of Related Art
A panel antenna is a conventional antenna. Prior art design shown in FIG. 1 discloses a panel antenna comprising a rectangular panel portion 1′ and a coaxial feeder cable 2′. The panel portion 1′ comprises a feeding point 10′ and a grounding point 12′. The feeder cable 2′ comprises a core 21′ connected with the feeding point 10′ and a braid layer 22′ connected with the grounding point. A peak gain of the panel antenna can be high in a horizontal polarization or a vertical polarization so as not to meet requirements of wireless products.
Hence, an improved panel antenna is desired to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings of existing planar antennas.


A bypass capacitance is connected to a node between first and second self-bias resistances connected in series between an input and an output of an inverter. The bypass capacitance accommodates changes in the output voltage of the inverter to suppress the feedback effect from the output side to the input side of the inverter. That is, the bypass capacitance plays the role of suppressing a decrease in the input impedance by the Miller effect.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an inverting amplifier, and a crystal oscillator having the inverting amplifier. More particularly, the invention relates to those which are useful when applied as an alternating current inverting amplifier for an FET input, an MOS input or a CMOS input requiring a high input impedance, and a crystal oscillator having the AC inverting amplifier.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram showing an inverting amplifier of a CMOS circuit according to the prior art. As shown in this drawing, this inverting amplifier is composed of a CMOS inverter comprising a P-channel MOS transistor 1 and an N-channel MOS transistor connected in series, and a self-bias resistance Rf connected between an input terminal In and an output terminal Out of the CMOS inverter.
FIG. 9 shows the input voltage and output voltage of the inverting amplifier, and a voltage distribution in the self-bias resistance Rf shown in FIG. 8. In this drawing, the input voltage is designated as Vin, the voltage gain of the CMOS inverter is designated as Av, and the output voltage is designated as Vo. Based on this drawing, a current If flowing through the self-bias resistance Rf is expressed asIf=(1+Av)Vin/RfThus, the input impedance Zin viewed from the input side is expressed asZin=Rf/(1+Av)Consequently, with the CMOS inverter having a great voltage gain Av, the effective input impedance has to be markedly decreased. In the case of the CMOS inverter used at 100 KHz or lower, for example, the voltage gain Av of the CMOS inverter in response to a small signal is 20 or more, so that the input impedance decreases to one-twentieth or less. This phenomenon is generally called the Miller effect.
Normally, the higher the input impedance of the amplifier, the better. If a decrease in the input impedance by the Miller effect is taken into consideration, therefore, the self-bias resistance Rf needs to take a very high value.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-096711 can be named as a prior art document concerned with the present invention.
The problems of the above-described earlier technology will be described by way of an inverting amplifier in a crystal oscillation circuit of 32 KHz as shown in FIG. 10. In this case, in order to ensure a large loop gain for the oscillator, the input impedance of the inverting amplifier is desired to be 10 MΩ or greater. Assuming that the gain Av of the inverting amplifier is 20, the value of the self-bias resistance Rf has to be set at 200 MΩ or greater in order to obtain an input impedance of 10 MΩ or more. If the value of the self-bias resistance Rf is set at 200 MΩ or higher, however, the following problems with practical use are posed:
1) If there is a slight current leakage or the like in an electrostatic protective circuit provided in an input or output terminal of the inverting amplifier, or in wiring connected to a device outside IC, such as a crystal resonator, the bias voltage of the inverting amplifier greatly varies, hindering an oscillatory action.2) When the inverting amplifier is formed into IC, it is not easy to build a large resistance, such as 200 MΩ, into IC.
Next, VCXO (voltage-controlled crystal oscillator) as shown in FIG. 11 will be described. If a self-bias resistance Rf is high in this VCXO, bias voltage is apt to change in response to changes in control voltage VC. Namely, DC bias is unstable, so that the changes in the control voltage VC are easily transmitted to the input of the oscillator, and their influence appears as duty changes in the output waveform. If the self-bias resistance Rf is rendered low to avoid the duty changes, the input impedance of the inverting amplifier naturally lowers, arousing a decrease in the loop gain of the oscillator.
The present invention has been accomplished in the light of the above-mentioned problems with the prior art. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inverting amplifier, which can decrease a self-bias resistance without lowering the input impedance of the inverting amplifier, and a crystal oscillator having the inverting amplifier.

Inverting amplifier and crystal oscillator having same


A power unit for a motorcycle includes an internal combustion engine provided with a crankcase rotatably supporting a crankshaft with an axial line extending in a vehicle-width direction. An oil pump is mounted on the crankcase with a balancer rotatably supported by the crankcase. Rotational power from the crankshaft is transmitted to a pump driven member provided on a pump shall of the oil pump and to a balancer driven member coaxially interlinked with and connected to the balancer so as to transmit power to the balancer. The power unit is downsized by bringing a balancer and an oil pump into a close arrangement. The pump driven member and the balancer driven member are offset from each other in a vehicle-width direction and are located at such a position so as to at least partially overlap each other as viewed from the side of the vehicle-width direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power unit for a motorcycle that includes an internal combustion engine provided with a crankcase rotatably supporting a crankshaft with an axis extending in the vehicle-width direction and a power transmission device for changing and reducing the speed of rotational power from the crankshaft and transmitting it to a rear wheel. In this power unit, an oil pump for supplying oil to the lubricating portions of the internal combustion engine is mounted on the crankcase and a balancer is rotatably supported by the crankcase. In addition, rotational power from the crankshaft is transmitted to a pump driven member provided on the pump shaft of the oil pump and to a balancer driven member coaxially interlinked with and connected to the balancer so as to transmit power to the balancer.
2. Description of Background Art
A power unit for a motorcycle is disclosed in the Japanese translation of PCT International Application No. 2003-085285 in which a balancer gear is provided on a balancer so as to receive rotational power transmitted from the crankshaft. A pump gear is provided on a pump shaft of the an oil pump so as to receive the rotational power transmitted from the crankshaft. The balancer gear and the pump gear are disposed to be vertically spaced apart from each other.
However, as shown in Japanese translation of PCT International Application No. 2003-085285, the configuration where the balancer gear and the pump gear are disposed to be spaced apart from each other causes the power unit to be bigger.


Dynamic refresh rate (DRR) switching is used to dynamically update a refresh rate of content presented on an interface. When a first application and a second application are presented on a user interface at a first refresh rate; a request may be received to temporarily boost the first refresh rate to a second, higher, refresh rate. DRR switching is initiated as the first refresh rate is temporarily boosted to a second refresh rate. Applications that are opted in to the second refresh rate receive signals to refresh content at the second refresh rate, while applications that are not opted in to the second refresh rate receive signals to refresh content at a virtualized refresh rate that matches the first refresh rate. Thus, the first application refreshes content at the first refresh rate and the second application refreshes content at the second, higher refresh rate, providing a smooth user experience without unnecessarily utilizing power consumption.

Some modern electronic computing devices include display devices, such as a display screen, that are capable of executing at high-frequency refresh rates and dynamically switching between higher and lower refresh rates depending on the application presently presented on the screen. For example, some display screens are capable of executing at or above rates of 120 Hz. While increased refresh rates improve the user experience on such devices, additional power is consumed when compared to executing at lower refresh rates, such as 60 Hz.


This invention relates to auto variable anti-blooming bias circuits which can automatically vary the anti-blooming bias of the CCD image sensors according to the intensity of light incident thereon. The circuits comprise a DC voltage generation part for receiving signals fed-back from the output terminal of the CCD image sensor and generating DC voltage by averaging the applied signals, an input voltage generation part for receiving DC voltage transmitted from the DC voltage generation part and generating variable input voltage according to the received DC voltage, and an anti-blooming bias generation part for receiving the variable input voltage transmitted from the input voltage generation part and reference voltage and transmitting to the input, terminal of the CCD image sensor as an anti-blooming bias after comparing the two signals.

Shown in FIG. 1 is a section of a conventional CCD image sensor.
A conventional CCD sensor includes a n-type substrate 61, a p-type well 62 formed on the n-type substrate 61, a n+-type photo diode 63 formed on the p-type well 62 for generating signal charge, a n+-type VCCD (Vertical Charge Coupled Device) area 64 formed on the p-type well 62 spaced a certain distance from the photo diode 63 and transmitting the signal charge transmitted from the photo diode 63 to a HCCD (Horizontal Charge Coupled Device) area (not shown), a p++ layer 65 formed on the surface of the photo diode 63 for forming a electric potential barrier, a transfer gate 66 for transmitting the signal charge generated in the photo diode 63 to the VCCD area 64, a HCCD area transmitting the signal charge from the VCCD area 64 to a power amplifier(not shown), a power amplifier(not shown) for transmitting an image signal Vout after receiving the signal charge transmitted from the HCCD area, a polygate 67 for transmitting the signal charge from the VCCD area 64 to the HCCD area(not shown), an insulation layer 68 formed on the substrate 61 between the polygate 67 and the transfer gate 66 for insulating the polygate 67 from the transfer gate 66, and a p++-type channel stop area 69 for insulating between cells by forming high electric potential barriers.
In a CCD image sensor having a construction as shown in FIG. 1, the photo diode 63, on receiving light, generates a signal charge corresponding to the intensity of the light, which signal charge is transmitted to the VCCD area 64 in response to the signal applied to the transfer gate 66. This signal charge transmitted to the VCCD area 64 is transmitted to the HCCD area in response to the signal applied to the polygate 67, which is transmitted to the power amplifier in response to the signal applied to the HCCD area and, finally, output as a video signal.
However, in the event that the photo diode 63 receives a light having too high intensity, the photo diode generates excessive signal charge.
The image signal output of this excessive signal charge exhibits the blooming phenomena.
As for the methods for eliminating such excessive signal charge, there are methods in which the excessive signal charge is made to escape in a direction opposite to the VCCD area 64 through an overflow drain region formed between the channel stop area 69 and the photo diode 63, or toward the substrate by applying anti-blooming bias to the substrate 61.
In general, the blooming is controlled by applying bias to a substrate of integrated solid state image elements, which anti-blooming bias is of voltage of direct current, generally above 5 V and below 18 V.
However, for controlling a photo accumulation period of time, electrical shutter pulses having a magnitude above 20 V can be applied thereto.
Shown in FIG. 2 is a conventional manual variable anti-blooming DC bias circuit.
The conventional manual variable anti-blooming DC bias circuit has resistances R11 and R12 and a variable resistance VR11, wherein the variable resistance VR11 is adjusted to apply desired anti-blooming bias voltage to the CCD image sensor 60; the 24 V is divided by the resistances R11 and R12 and the variable resistance VR11 adjusted by a user, which is applied to the substrate SUB of the CCD image sensor 10.
Therefore, the user can prevent blooming due to the excessive light incident on the CCD image sensor by adjusting the variable resistance VR11 image sensor so as to apply appropriate anti-blooming bias to the CCD image sensor.
Referring to FIG. 2, as the 24 V power is fed through a circuitry connection, it can be more or less unstable, but with a circuit as shown in FIG. 3, a stable power can be fed to a CCD image sensor.
Shown in FIG. 3 is an example of application of the manual variable anti-blooming bias circuit shown in FIG. 2.
In the circuit shown in FIG. 3, when the stable power(15 V) is applied to the manual variable anti-blooming bias circuit, a constant voltage divided by resistances R13 and R14 is applied to a transistor Q11 at a base terminal thereon.
And the 24 V transmitted from a vertical operation part 40 is adjusted by the variable resistance VR11 and applied therefrom to a transistor Q12 at a base terminal thereon.
According to operation of the transistor Q12, a desired anti-blooming bias can be applied to an input terminal SUB of the CCD image sensor 60 through a transistor Q13.
In this time, in case the 24 V power is unstable, a permanent direct current anti-blooming bias is fed to the CCD image sensor 60 at the input terminal SUB thereon due to a continuous induction of a current flowing in the transistor by a continuous current flowing in the transistor Q11.
Accordingly, the CCD image sensor 60 transmits anti-blooming bias, an output voltage Vout based on which is transmitted to a signal processor 80 through terminal OUT and, consequently, the signal processor 80, processing the signal transmitted from the CCD image sensor 60, transmits video signals.
On the other hand, in case pulses above 15 V are transmitted from one output terminal Vsub of the vertical driving part 40, shutter pulses of 15 V DC are applied to the input terminal SUB of the CCD image sensor 60 under a condition that the 15 V voltage is set up by the diode 11, irrespective of the anti-blooming bias transmitted from a anti-blooming bias circuit 20.
Shown in FIG. 4 is potential distributions based on anti-blooming bias VOFD in accordance with the CCD image sensor of FIG. 1.
The higher the anti-blooming bias VOFD, the lower a electric potential barrier toward the substrate 61 making a signal saturation quantity ie., the quantity of signal charge which can be accumulated in the photo diode 63 less.
Shown in FIG. 5 is a graph showing relation between anti-blooming bias VOFD and smear noise in accordance with the CCD image sensor shown in FIG. 1, wherein it shows that, when anti-blooming bias VOFD becomes higher, ie., the signal saturation quantity becomes less, the smear noise increases.
Shown in FIG. 6 are graphs showing relation between the intensity of light according to anti-blooming bias and the output voltage of the CCD image sensor of FIG. 1, wherein it shows that when anti-blooming bias VOFD becomes higher, the electric potential toward the substrate is formed lower, accumulating less signal saturation quantity, so that, when little quantity of light is incident, desired output voltage Vout can not be obtained.
The lower the anti-blooming bias VOFD become, the higher the electric potential barrier toward the substrate is formed making the signal saturation quantity greater resulting to obtain the desired output voltage Vout even with little quantity of light.
Referring to FIGS. 4 to 6, in case a user adjusts the variable resistance VR11 of FIG. 2 setting the anti-blooming bias VOFD at a higher value of VOFD1 in advance, even though an excessive signal charge would be generated in the photo diode 63 when excessive light is incident thereto, it is possible to prevent blooming because the sufficient excessive signal charge is made to escape to the substrate 61.
However, it raises a problem of making the smear noise increase due to the high anti-blooming bias VOFD. on the other hand, when little quantity of light is incident thereon, even though desired quantity of signal charge be generated, due to low electric potential barrier formed toward the substrate by the high anti-blooming bias, accumulating little quantity of charge saturation, the signal charge is made to escape to the substrate creating a problem of obtaining no desired video signal.
In the meantime, in case the variable resistance VR11 of FIG. 2 is set the anti-blooming bias VOFD at a lower value of VOFD3 in advance, the anti-blooming bias VOFD becomes lower making the smear noise decrease.
However, because the anti-blooming bias is low, electric potential barrier is formed high preventing the excessive signal charge from escaping to the substrate 61, but making it transmitted to the VCCD area 64. Consequently, it raises a problem of developing blooming.

Auto variable anti-blooming bias control circuit and method


A transfer assist member comprising a plurality of layers, one of the layers being a check film layer comprised of a crosslinked mixture of aminoplast resins, and polyester polyols present on a support polymer layer.

In the process of xerography, a light image of an original to be copied is typically recorded in the form of a latent electrostatic image upon a photosensitive or a photoconductive member with subsequent rendering of the latent image visible by the application of particulate material, commonly referred to as toner. The visual toner image can be either fixed directly upon the photosensitive member or the photoconductor member, or transferred from the member to another support, such as a sheet of plain paper, with subsequent affixing by, for example, the application of heat and pressure of the image thereto.
To affix or fuse toner material onto a support member like paper, by heat and pressure, it is usually necessary to elevate the temperature of the toner and simultaneously apply pressure sufficient to cause the constituents of the toner to become tacky and coalesce. In both the xerographic as well as the electrographic recording arts, the use of thermal energy for fixing toner images onto a support member is known.
One approach to the heat and pressure fusing of toner images onto a support has been to pass the support with the toner images thereon between a pair of pressure engaged roller members, at least one of which is internally heated. For example, the support may pass between a fuser roller and a pressure roller. During operation of a fusing system of this type, the support member to which the toner images are electrostatically adhered is moved through the nip formed between the rollers with the toner image contacting the fuser roll thereby to effect heating of the toner images within the nip.
The process of transferring charged toner particles from an image bearing member marking device, such as a photoconductor, to an image support substrate like a sheet of paper involves overcoming cohesive forces holding the toner particles to the image bearing member. The interface between the photoconductor surface and image support substrate may not in many instances be optimal, thus, problems may be caused in the transfer process when spaces or gaps exist between the developed image and the image support substrate. One aspect of the transfer process is focused on the application and maintenance of high intensity electrostatic fields in the transfer region for overcoming the cohesive forces acting on the toner particles as they rest on the photoconductive member. Control of these electrostatic fields and other forces is a factor to induce the physical detachment and transfer of the charged toner particles without scattering or smearing the developer material.
More specifically, the process of transferring charged toner particles from an image bearing member, such as a photoconductive member, to an image support substrate, such as the copy sheet, may be accomplished by overcoming adhesive forces holding the toner particles to the image bearing member. In general, transfer of developed toner images in electrostatographic applications has been accomplished via electrostatic induction using a corona generating device, wherein the image support substrate is placed in direct contact with the developed toner image on the photoconductive surface while the reverse side of the image support substrate is exposed to a corona discharge. This corona discharge generates ions having a polarity opposite that of the toner particles, thereby electrostatically attracting and transferring the toner particles from the photoreceptive member to the image support substrate.
In the electrostatic transfer of the toner powder image to the copy sheet, it is necessary for the copy sheet to be in uniform intimate contact with the toner powder image developed on the photoconductive surface. Unfortunately, the interface between the photoreceptive surface and the copy substrate is not always optimal. In particular, non-flat or uneven image support substrates, such as copy sheets that have been mishandled, left exposed to the environment or previously passed through a fixing operation, such as heat and/or pressure fusing, tend to promulgate imperfect contact with the photoreceptive surface of the photoconductor. Further, in the event the copy sheet is wrinkled, the sheet will not be in intimate contact with the photoconductive surface and spaces or air gaps will materialize between the developed image on the photoconductive surface and the copy sheet. Problems may occur in the transfer process when spaces or gaps exist between the developed image and the copy substrate. There is a tendency for toner not to transfer across these gaps causing variable transfer efficiency and, in the extreme, can create areas of low or no transfer resulting in a phenomenon known as image transfer deletion. Clearly, an image deletion is very undesirable in that useful information and indicia are not reproduced on the copy sheet.
As described herein, the typical process of transferring development materials in an electrostatographic system involves the physical detachment and transfer over of charged toner particles from an image bearing photoreceptive surface into attachment with an image support substrate via electrostatic force fields. Thus, an aspect of the transfer process is focused on the application and maintenance of high intensity electrostatic fields in the transfer region for overcoming the adhesive forces acting on the toner particles as they rest on the photoreceptive member. In addition, other forces, such as mechanical pressure or vibratory energy, have been used to support and enhance the transfer process. Careful control of these electrostatic fields and other forces can be required to induce the physical detachment and transfer over of the charged toner particles without scattering or smearing of the developer material.
With the advent of multicolor electrophotography, it is desirable to use an architecture which comprises a plurality of image forming stations. One example of the plural image forming station architecture utilizes an image-on-image (IOI) system in which the photoreceptive member is recharged, reimaged and developed for each color separation. This charging, imaging, developing and recharging, reimaging and developing, all followed by transfer to paper, can be completed in a single revolution of the photoreceptor in so-called single pass machines, while multipass architectures form each color separation with a single charge, image and develop, with separate transfer operations for each color.
Alternatively, mechanical devices, such as rollers, have been used to force the image support substrate into intimate and substantially uniform contact with the image bearing surface. For example, there can be selected an electrically biased transfer roll system in an attempt to minimize image deletions. In other electrophotographic printing machines, such as the color producing Xerox Corporation 1065 machine, the copy sheet is provided with a precisely controlled curvature as it enters the transfer station for providing enhanced contact pressure.
However, the interface between the image bearing surface and the print sheet is rarely uniform. Print sheets that have been mishandled, left exposed to the environment, or previously passed through a fixing operation, such as heat and/or pressure fusing, tend to be non-flat or uneven. An uneven print sheet makes uneven contact with the image bearing surface. In the event that the print sheet is wrinkled, the sheet will not be in continuous intimate contact with the image bearing surface. Wrinkles in the sheet cause spaces or air gaps to materialize between the developed toner powder image on the image bearing surface and the print sheet. When spaces or gaps exist between the developed image and the print sheet, various problems may result. For example, there is a tendency for toner not to transfer across the gaps, causing variable transfer efficiency and creating areas of low toner transfer, or even no transfer; a phenomenon known as image transfer deletion.
Image transfer deletion is undesirable in that portions of the desired image may not be appropriately reproduced on the print sheet. The area of the blade that contacts the photoreceptor will, in most instances, pick up residual dirt and toner from the photoreceptor surface. The next job run, which processes print sheets, having a dimension greater than 10 inches will have the residual dirt on the transfer assist blade transferred to the back side of the print sheet, resulting in an unacceptable print quality defect. More importantly, continuous frictional contact between the blade and the photoreceptor may cause permanent damage to the photoreceptor.
In single pass color machines it is desirable to cause as little disturbance to the photoreceptor as possible so that motion errors are not propagated along the belt to cause image quality and color separation registration problems. One area that has potential to cause such a disturbance is when a sheet is released from the guide after having been brought into contact with the photoreceptor for transfer of the developed image thereto. This disturbance, which is often referred to as trail edge flip, can cause image defects on the sheet due to the motion of the sheet during transfer caused by energy released due to the bending forces of the sheet. Particularly in machines which handle a large range of paper weights and sizes, it is difficult to have a sheet guide which can properly position any weight and size sheet while not causing the sheet to oscillate after having come in contact with the photoreceptor.
There is a need for transfer assist members that substantially avoid or minimize the disadvantages illustrated herein.
Also, there is a need for transfer assist members that are wear resistant and that can be used for extended time periods without being replaced.
There is also a need for toner developed images transfer assist members that permit the continuous contact between a photoconductor and the substrate to which the developed toner image is to be transferred, and an apparatus for enhancing contact between a copy sheet and a developed image positioned on a photoconductive member.
Yet another need resides in providing xerographic printing systems, inclusive of multi-color generating systems, where there is selected a transfer assist member that maintains sufficient constant pressure on the substrate to which a developed image is to be transferred, and to substantially eliminate air gaps between the sheet and the photoconductor in that the presence of air gaps can cause air breakdown in the transfer field.
Further, there is a need for transfer assist members that enable suitable and full contact of the developed toner image present on a photoconductor and a substrate to which the developed image is to be transferred.
Additionally, there is a need for transfer assist members that contain durable compositions that can be economically and efficiently manufactured, and where the amount of energy consumed is reduced.
Yet additionally, there is a need for a multilayered transfer assist member that includes as one layer a check film on the side exposed to a dicorotron/corona, and which member possesses excellent resistance characteristics.
Also, there is a need for transfer assist members where the check film layer can be generated roll to roll by economical extrusion processing.
Further, there is a need for transfer assist members with a combination of excellent durability that exert sufficient constant pressure on a substrate and permit the substrate to fully contact the toner developed image on a photoconductor, which members are to provide mechanical pressure about 20 percent of its function and electrostatic pressure/tailoring about 80 percent of its function, and where complete transfer to a sheet of a developed image contained a photoconductor results, such as for example, about 90 to about 100 percent, from about 90 to about 98 percent, from about 95 to about 99 percent, and in embodiments about 100 percent of the toner image is transferred to the sheet or a substrate, and wherein blurred final images are minimized or avoided.
Moreover, there is a need for composite transfer assist blades that overcome or minimize the problems associated with a single component blade, as a single component blade in order to be flexible enough to prevent image damage does not provide enough contact force to the back of the sheet to enable complete image transfer giving rise to transfer deletions and color shift.
Yet, there is another need for transfer assist members that include check films, and which members are useful in electrophotographic imaging apparatuses, including digital printing where the latent image is produced by a modulated laser beam, or ionographic printing where charge is deposited on a charge retentive surface in response to electronically generated or stored images.
These and other needs are achievable in embodiments with the transfer assist members and components thereof disclosed herein.


An optical disc apparatus including first to fourth disc guides. At the end of disc loading, the first one, in a fixed position, contacts a peripheral side face of the optical disc at a first point thereon to support the disc; the second one has a plane opposite to the peripheral side face which contacts the peripheral side face of the optical disc at a second point to support the disc while restrained from moving away from the side face; the third one contacts the peripheral side face of the optical disc at a third point to support the disc while biased by a spring; and the fourth one contacts the side face at a fourth point while biased by a spring to support the disc, and is restrained from moving against the resilience of the spring. The disc, supported by those disc guides, is chucked by a clamper.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an optical disc apparatus and more particularly to a structure which supports an optical disc by disc guides when a clamper chucks the optical disc.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in a slot-in optical disc apparatus, as an optical disc is inserted into the apparatus, it is supported by disc guide members at four points on the peripheral side face of the disc, namely two forward points in the disc loading direction, one backward point in the disc loading direction, and one lateral point of the inserted disc and a damper begins moving into the center hole of the disc to chuck it. Particularly two disc guide members on the peripheral side face of the disc support the optical disc while they are biased by springs.
Among conventional techniques which are related to the present invention and described in patent documents are techniques disclosed in JP-A No. 2005-196908, JP-A No. 2002-352498, JP-A No. 2008-04215, and JP-A No. 2005-190553. JP-A No. 2005-196908 describes a slot-in disc apparatus which has a low friction sheet stuck to the inner surface of the top case in order to protect the disc surface from scratching and realize a more low-profile apparatus body. JP-A No. 2002-352498 describes a technique for a thinner smaller disc apparatus that a connector is disposed on the rear face of the chassis exterior composed of a base and a cover, a traverse and a printed circuit board are disposed on the base, the traverse is disposed near the disc insertion slot of the chassis exterior and the printed circuit board is disposed near the connector. In this technique, a disc loaded in the apparatus is supported by disc guide 81 and guides 182, 101 and 112. JP-A No. 2008-04215 describes a slot-in disc drive in which centering of a disc 2 is performed by a first centering member 51 and a second centering member 220 which are position-regulated with respect to a main chassis, and a deck arm 200 for biasing the disc 2 toward a disc loading/unloading slot 19. JP-A No. 2005-190553 describes a slot-in disc apparatus with a safety mechanism which prevents the clamp head of a spindle motor from colliding against a disc surface and damaging it if the apparatus mistakes a disc forcedly pulled out in the course of loading for a normally loaded disc. The safety mechanism, driven by the disc periphery, enables clamping when the disc is in a clampable position and disables clamping when the disc is not in a clampable position and the disc loaded in the apparatus is supported by a holder 18 at the tip of a disc support arm 17 and an attracting arm 50.


A camshaft unit includes a camshaft having a radial channel, a hydraulic phase setting device communicating with the radial channel for adjusting the phase length of the camshaft with respect to a crankshaft via hydraulic pressure medium and a pressure medium channel embodied as a solid cylinder head component. To transfer a pressure medium, at least one pressure medium transfer element is formed between the pressure medium channel and the radial channel. The pressure medium transfer element includes a ring channel including a ring channel opening extending in the peripheral direction of the ring channel and including a radial channel opening leading into a radial channel and opposite the ring channel opening. The pressure medium channel communicates with the radial channel via the ring channel opening and the radial channel opening.

Camshafts are used in valve train assemblies of internal combustion engines for the purpose of controlling the opening and/or closing of inlet valves and/or outlet valves in a targeted manner. The camshaft is driven by a crankshaft.
Adjustment of the phase angle of the camshaft with respect to the crankshaft may take place with the aid of a hydraulic phase setting device, which is placed, for example, in the camshaft and which is supplied with a hydraulic pressure medium such as motor oil, for example via the oil pump of the internal combustion engine. Pressure medium-conducting channels may be formed in the camshaft for the purpose of supplying the hydraulic phase setting device with the hydraulic pressure medium.
Publication EP 2 326 804 B1 describes a camshaft assembly, in which a hydraulic phase setting device is supplied with pressure medium via a radial channel in the camshaft.

Radial camshaft pressure medium transfer


A fluid ejection device includes a fluid ejection unit that ejects a fluid, an ejection control unit that receives a fluid ejection command input, and controls the ejection of the fluid from the fluid ejection unit, a fluid container that accommodates the fluid to be supplied to the fluid ejection unit; and a supply control unit that controls the supply of the fluid from the fluid container to the fluid ejection unit, and determines whether the fluid can be supplied to the fluid ejection unit from the fluid container. When the supply control unit determines that the fluid cannot be supplied even after the ejection command input is received, and then a predetermined amount of time has elapsed, the ejection control unit reports a fault, and prohibits the fluid ejection unit from ejecting the fluid until the ejection command input is canceled.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a fluid ejection device.
2. Related Art
A fluid ejection device for medical purposes that can incise and excise living tissue by ejecting a fluid has been developed.
JP-A-2013-213422 is an example of the related art.
It is assumed that the fluid in the fluid ejection device may not have a sufficiently high pressure, or the fluid ejection device may not be filled with the fluid when there is a demand for the ejection of the fluid present. In this case, for example, the fluid ejection device may eject the fluid at an unintended time. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a fluid ejection device with high safety which avoids such an unintended ejection of the fluid.


The carbon dioxide recovery system includes: a first steam line 21a through which low-pressure steam 14L is fed from an intermediate-pressure turbine 12 to a low-pressure turbine 13; a second steam line 21b into which the low-pressure steam 14L is branched from the first steam line 21a; a first regulation valve V1 for regulating the opening of the low-pressure steam 14L from 100% to 0%; a second regulation valve V2 for regulating the opening of the low-pressure steam 14L from 0% to 100% depending on the amount of control provided to the first regulation valve V1; a first auxiliary turbine 22A for recovering power using the low-pressure steam 14L being fed; and a first steam feed line 25L through which exhaust steam 23 discharged from the first auxiliary turbine 22A is supplied as a source of heat to a reboiler 24.

The greenhouse effect of CO2 has been recently pointed out as major factor of the global warming phenomenon and it has become an international urgent issue to take measures in preserving earth environments. All fields of human activities that involve burning of fossil fuels are CO2 generation sources, and needs for CO2 emission limitation are becoming increased. Accordingly, methods that enable to bring flue gas of a boiler into contact with an amine CO2 absorbent to reduce or recover CO2 in the flue gas, and methods that enable to store recovered CO2 without releasing CO2 to the atmosphere have been intensively studied for power-generating facilities such as thermal power plants that use a large amount of fossil fuels. As steps that enable to reduce or recover CO2 from flue gas by using a CO2 absorbent as described above, a step of bringing flue gas into contact with a CO2 absorbent in an absorber and a carbon dioxide recovery system that heats an absorbent having absorbed CO2 in a regenerator to liberate CO2 as well as regenerates the absorbent and circulates the regenerated absorbent again in the regenerator to reuse the absorbent are adopted.
This carbon dioxide recovery system causes carbon dioxide contained in gas in the absorber to be absorbed by the absorbent and then be heated in the regenerator, thereby separating the carbon dioxide from the absorbent, so that the separated carbon dioxide is separately recovered and a regenerated absorbent is cyclically used again in the absorber.
Here, to separate and recover carbon dioxide in the regenerator, the absorbent has to be heated in the reboiler and the steam for heating with a predetermined pressure has to be supplied.
Conventionally, it has been suggested that this steam be generated by using some of steam in a power generating plant (see Patent Literature 1).

Carbon dioxide recovery system and method


This invention relates to a process for the separation of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide from gases using a promoted methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) solution. In one broad respect, this invention is a gas separation process, including contacting an aqueous treating solution with a sour gas stream that contains carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide under conditions such that the gas stream is sweetened, wherein the aqueous treating solution contains methyldiethanol amine and 2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethanol in a ratio of at least about 2:1; and wherein the process is conducted in the absence of a reclamation step. By practice of this invention, the amount of 2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethanol that is converted to urea(bis-(2-hydroxyethoxyethyl)urea (BHEEU)) is minimized which obviates the need for a reclamation (regeneration) unit.

The present invention relates to a process for the separation of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide from gases using a promoted methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) solution.
The scrubbing of sour gases, i.e. gases containing carbon dioxide and/or hydrogen sulfide, is widely practiced in the oil and gas industry. One family of scrubbing liquids includes aqueous compositions that contain amines. For instance, it is common to employ scrubbing liquids containing tertiary amines, such as methyldiethanolamine (MDEA).
For a variety of reasons, scrubbing liquids containing MDEA have had primary amines, such as monoethanol amine (MEA), added thereto. It is perceived that addition of certain amounts of MEA enhances the scrubbing capacity of MDEA liquids, without seriously undermining the advantages of the MDEA (e.g., facile deabsorption of sour gas).
Another primary amine which has been discussed previously for use in conjunction with MDEA is 2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethanol. 2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethanol is available commercially at the present time from Huntsman Corporation under the trademarks DIGLYCOL AMINE.RTM. and DGA.RTM..
However, it is also known that DIGLYCOL AMINE.RTM. brand 2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethanol, when used alone in aqueous or non-aqueous scrubbing liquids, degrades to form bis-(2-hydroxyethoxyethyl)urea (BHEEU). BHEEU is ineffective in removing the acid gas impurities from the sour gas. Thus, DIGLYCOL AMINE.RTM. brand 2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethanol must be replaced or regenerated periodically to retain efficiency. Regeneration is commonly performed in a reclamation unit, in which the urea is heated. Such reclamation units are costly and thereby add a disincentive to end users from employing scrubbing solutions based on DIGLYCOL AMINE.RTM. brand 2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethanol.
In view of this background, the industry has been adverse to using DIGLYCOL AMINE.RTM. brand 2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethanol as an alternative primary amine, as opposed to MEA, in conjunction with MDEA. That is, due to the known degradation of DIGLYCOL AMINE.RTM. brand 2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethanol, the industry has been led away from employing MDEA and DIGLYCOL AMINE.RTM. brand 2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethanol.
It can thus be seen that a need exists for a DIGLYCOL AMINE.RTM. brand 2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethanol promoted MDEA scrubbing liquid which overcomes the problems identified above. It would be advantageous to possess a DIGLYCOL AMINE.RTM. brand 2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethanol promoted MDEA liquid that does not require regeneration by way of a reclamation unit, for instance.

Process for removing carbon dioxide from gas mixture


An object of the present invention is to provide an electrically operated valve capable of more accurately detecting the position of a valve body. In order to achieve the above object, the electrically operated valve of the present invention comprises a valve body, a driver configured to move the valve body along a first axis, a rotation shaft configured to rotate the driver around the first axis, a permanent magnet member, and an angle sensor. The permanent magnet member is disposed on the rotation shaft and configured to rotate with the rotation shaft. The angle sensor is configured to detect a rotation angle of a permanent magnet included in the permanent magnet member. The angle sensor is disposed above the permanent magnet.

The use of angle sensors to detect the valve opening degree of electrically operated valves is known.
As an example of a related technique, Patent Document 1 discloses a valve opening degree detection device for an electrically operated valve. The valve opening degree detection device described in Patent Document 1 includes a magnetic drum in which north and south poles fixed to a rotation axis are equally divided on the circumference, a rotation angle detection magnetic sensor provided on the circumference of the outer side of a can opposite to the north-south pole, a magnet provided on the end of the rotation axis, a vertical position detection magnetic sensor provided on the outer side of the can opposite to the magnet, and a valve opening degree calculation means for calculating a valve opening degree based on the detected values of the rotation angle detection magnetic sensor and the vertical position detection magnetic sensor.
Also, Patent Document 2 discloses an electrically operated valve that utilizes a stepping motor. The electrically operated valve disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes a stator, a rotor rotationally driven by the stator, a detection rotor for detecting a rotational position of the rotor, and a Hall IC disposed outside the detection rotor. In the electrically operated valve described in Patent Document 2, the rotational position of the rotor is detected based on an output signal detected by a Hall IC disposed on an outer side of the detection rotor.


A cutting instrument for severing a thin layer of corneal tissue from the surface of the eye, preferably leaving a flap. The cutting instrument includes a body portion that forces the surface of the eye against an applanating surface through a vacuum. A blade with a cutting edge not perpendicular to the direction of travel is then urged across the surface of the eye, severing a thin layer of corneal tissue. The blade can then be retracted, the instrument removed, leaving a flap of corneal tissue suitable for surgical procedures to modify corneal curvature.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for and method of resecting corneal tissue, and more particularly to an apparatus for and method of resecting a thin corneal flap from the surface of the eye.
2. Description of the Related Art
Since the development of vision correcting lenses, ophthalmologists have continuously sought more permanent methods of correcting vision than glasses or contact lenses. Eye surgeons have tried, accepted, rejected, and modified various techniques in their quest for a simple, permanent procedure for correcting vision that retains its effectiveness over time and presents minimal side effects.
An early experimenter in the field was Jose I. Barraquer, who developed the technique of myopic keratomileusis. In this technique, the surgeon removes a lenticle, or corneal disk, from the corneal surface and affixes that corneal disk onto a cryolathe. The surgeon then reshapes the frozen disk, thaws the disk, and reattaches it to the stromal bed of the eye. Replacement of the reshaped disk results in a change of corneal curvature which in turn causes vision correction.
Barraquer also experimented with creating a flap on the surface of the cornea and then making a lamellar resection from the exposed stomal bed. The flap was then replaced, with the lamellar resection resulting in a flatter corneal curvature. This technique became known as in situ keratomileusis. The effectiveness of in situ keratomilcusis, however, was extremely sensitive to the accuracy of the lamellar resection taken from the stromal bed.
In both myopic keratomileusis using a cryolathe and in situ keratomileusis using a lamellar resection, the accuracy and depth of the cuts into the cornea of the eye were extremely important. Myopic keratomileusis required resection of a very uniform corneal disk, otherwise when the disk was turned on the cryolathe, the reshaping would cause irregularities in the ultimate vision correction. In situ keratomileusis was sensitive to the corneal cut for a different reason. The first cut had to be very even to form a uniform stromal surface from which to take the second resection. The second resection was even more sensitive to accuracy, because it was that resection that resulted in the vision correcting profile.
Because these techniques required such precise cuts, doctors and technicians developed a variety of extremely accurate cutting instruments known as microkeratomes. These instruments typically included a precisely aligned blade that was passed over the eye with its cutting edge perpendicular to the direction of travel. The blade was oscillated at high speed, preventing binding of the blade with the tissue being cut. The microkeratome was further modified and improved, for example, through the addition of micrometers and automatic advancement systems. This latter development, patented in U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,726 to Ruiz, et al., was necessary because the speed at which a microkeratome cuts the cornea was found to affect the thickness of the cut--again, of great importance in the early techniques.
While these techniques were maturing, a new laser device, the excimer laser, was making an impact in the field of eye surgery. This laser is a "cold" light laser, in that it breaks the molecular bonds through light rather than burning the tissue through heat. Because the excimer laser leaves surrounding tissue virtually unaffected, the excimer laser has become the preferred laser for operations on the cornea of the eye, and has been used in a number of techniques for removing tissue from the surface of the eye for correcting vision. An example for such a technique is found in PCT application PCT/EP93/02667 to Hohla.
The early Barraquer technique of in situ keratomileusis was greatly improved upon by Gholam Peyman, who married keratomileusis with the excimer laser. This technique is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,175 to Peyman. The cornea is first resected, exposing the stromal tissue underneath. That exposed tissue is then ablated for refractive correction, and the corneal cap is replaced. This technique, known as laser in situ keratomileusis, has the advantage over "surface" based excimer laser techniques. These advantages in part flow from the structure of the eye itself. The cornea of the eye actually includes five layers, the outer three of which are illustrated in FIG. 1. The outer most layer is known is as the epithelium layer, denoted as layer 1 in FIG. 1, and is 50 to 90 microns thick. Bowman's membrane, denoted as layer 2, separates the epithelium from the substantiapropria, or stroma, layer 3. Bowman's membrane is about 12 microns thick. The stroma layer 3 makes up most of the thickness of the cornea, being from 400 to 450 microns thick.
Typical prior art excimer laser techniques first ablated away both the epithelium layer and Bowman's membrane before reaching the stroma layer. Peyman's technique instead provides for cutting into the stroma layer, then ablating the stroma layer, and then replacing that stroma layer. The end result is that neither the epithelium nor Bowman's membrane is affected. Peyman's technique eliminates trauma to the external surface layers of the cornea, resulting in improved healing and retained vision correction.
Peyman's technique has become known to ophthalmic surgeons as the "flap and zap" technique. To perform this technique, doctors typically use a microkeratome like those used for both myopic and in situ keratomileusis. While these microkeratomes, as noted above, are very precise instruments, they are also both expensive and unwieldy, and must be sterilized between uses. Further, they include high speed oscillating blades, as well as other complicated moving parts. It would be greatly desirable to simplify the resection of a corneal flap before performing the Peyman technique.


A user terminal according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized by having a receiving section that receives a power control ID, a control section that controls transmit power according to a transmit power parameter set specified by the power control ID, and a transmitting section that transmits a signal corresponding to an object set specified by the power control ID, using the transmit power. According to one aspect of the invention, it is possible to suppress a reduction in communication throughput, even in the case of using beam specific transmit power control.

In UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) networks, for the purpose of higher data rates, low delay and the like, Long Term Evolution (LTE) has been specified (Non-patent Document 1). Further, for the purpose of higher capacity, more sophistication and the like than LTE (LTE Rel.8, 9), LTE-A (LTE-Advanced, LTE Rel.10, 11, 12, 13) has been specified.
Successor systems (e.g., also referred to as FRA (Future Radio Access), 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), 5G+(plus), NR (New Radio), NX (New radio access), FX (Future generation radio access), LTE Rel.14 or 15 onward and the like) to LTE have also been studied.
In existing LTE (e.g., LTE Rel.13), a user terminal (UE: User Equipment) performs transmission on uplink, using Discrete Fourier Transform Spread Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM).

User terminal and radio communication method


A best blending function from among a plurality of blending functions is determined. Each of the plurality of blending functions smoothes an overlap region of at least two projected images. The overlap image is captured and a processing unit analyzes the stored overlap image for color value linearity to calculate a first smoothness result. The processing unit analyzes the projection of the first or second image for color value uniformity to calculate a second smoothness result. These smoothness results for one blending function are paired and compared to smoothness result pairs corresponding to other blending functions to determine a best blending function from among those being analyzed.

The present invention is related to a multiple projector system. In this system multiple projectors are controlled and coordinated to provide a large display region such as a wall display. In such a display the goal is to provide a seamless image. However, in certain areas there is an overlap region where two projectors contribute light output to the same portion of the display surface. Unfortunately the combination from two projectors in this overlap region is additive and results in a brighter region with color differences. The overlap region is thus a visible band in the overall displayed image.
In order to minimize the visual band that occurs from the overlap region, a number of techniques have been proposed to "blend" the image to reduce the visual differences from one region to another. A simple blending method would output pixels in the overlapping edge regions of projector A and B at only 50% of their source brightness. Or, similarly, another simple method would have the pixels in the overlapping edge region of projector A be set to black (0% brightness) and pixels from overlapping edge region of projector B be left unchanged. Either method might conclude that the additive output will equate with 100% source brightness on the display surface.
However, this assumption incorrectly simplifies conditions that exist with actual projectors. With such an approach, boundaries between non-overlapped and overlapped regions (at the left or right edges) require perfect alignment or results are visible as bright seams or gaps. Also, the extra light output by a single projector, even if emitting black, can affect the color blending enough to notice the edge boundaries. Device light output levels are seldom identical and so the 50%/50% approach cannot ensure success. Better blending is required to smoothly transition among non-overlapping and overlapping regions.
One better technique is to gradually reduce the output brightness for each projector pixel in the overlapping region in a reciprocal fashion. The brightness level of one projector gradual diminishes while the brightness of the other increases across the overlapping region. Each individual projector therefore contributes maximum brightness at its inside edge, equivalent to the non-overlapping regions nearest said edge, and contributes minimum brightness at its outside edge, furthest overlapped into the opposite projector at the boundary to the opposite projector's non-overlapped region. For example, pixels at the inside edges of the overlapping region are output at 100% brightness, while pixels at the outside edges are output at 0% brightness. This ensures that at any point between the left and right edges, exactly 100% brightness will be achieved through a combination of the brightness of projector A plus the brightness of projector B. Since each logical pixel in the overlap region has some brightness value from either projector A or B, and no logical pixel contributes more than 100% brightness, there should be no seams or gaps.
Again, in actual practice, this better but still simple technique results in some visual bands or gaps in the image. Thus, in practice, the projectors are further adjusted using different blending formulas until the overall image looks fairly uniform. The terms "function," formula," and "algorithm" are used interchangeably herein to describe any method that blends or smoothes the overlap region formed between two projected images. As will be appreciated, there are an infinite number of blending formulas that can be used. But, there is no method available to determine the best formula for a particular situation, i.e., a particular set of projectors.

Method and apparatus for determining the best blending of overlapped portions of projected images


Bipolar electrosurgical forceps includes a first electrode attached to a first heat pipe and a second electrode attached to a second heat pipe. The heat pipe can be removably attached to the forceps. The forceps can also include a securing mechanism that secures the removable heat pipes to the device.

Electrosurgery is commonly used to cauterize, cut and/or coagulate tissue. In typical electrosurgical devices, RF electrical energy is applied to the tissue being treated. Local heating of the tissue occurs, and, depending upon the waveform of the applied energy and the electrode geometry, the desired effect is achieved. By varying the power output and the type of electrical waveform, it is possible to control the extent of heating and, thus, the resulting surgical effect. For example, a continuous sinusoidal waveform is best suited for cutting, while a waveform having periodically spaced bursts of a partially rectified signal produces coagulation.
In bipolar electrosurgery, the electrosurgical device includes two electrodes. The tissue being treated is placed between the electrodes, and the electrical energy is applied across the electrodes. In monopolar electrosurgery, the electrical excitation energy is applied to a single electrode at the surgical site, and a grounding pad is placed in contact with the patient. The energy passes from the single monopolar electrode through the tissue to the grounding pad.
Bipolar electrosurgical devices are generally known to be safer than monopolar electrosurgical devices because the area of tissue through which electrical current passes is confined to the area close to the two electrodes of the bipolar device. However, bipolar devices include several drawbacks. For example, bipolar devices tend to char tissue during use and develops an open circuit relatively quickly because the electrical energy delivered by the devices is concentrated at the tissue located between the two electrodes. Bipolar devices also tend to adhere or stick to tissue during use. Any sticking of tissue to one or both electrodes short circuits the electrical energy and reduces the effectiveness of the device on the desired target tissues. To minimize tissue sticking, power settings on a bipolar generator are typically decreased compared to the settings on monopolar generator outputs. While this reduces charring and sticking, it also slows the intended effect of cauterization and makes the cutting of tissue with bipolar energy impractically slow, thereby slowing the progress of a surgery. For this reason, bipolar instruments have not been readily accepted by general surgeons in spite of their safety advantages.
Improving the effectiveness of bipolar electrosurgical devices includes eliminating the sticking of target tissues to the electrodes and reducing the formation of char material. Such improvements reduce short circuiting of the electrodes during operation and allow the electrodes to be passed from one target to another without the need for cleaning. The use of devices having heat pipes that conduct heat from the electrode and a surgical site to a heat exchanger, such as are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,074,389, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, can be used to overcome these shortcomings. Such electrosurgical devices permit the user to increase the power levels of an attached electrosurgical generator during a surgical procedure. This speeds the action of the instruments compared to other currently available bipolar instruments.