A lighting control system and a lighting control method to implement, in an automotive vehicle, external running lights in different available lighting configurations are provided. The lighting control method includes detecting at least one environment parameter, selecting among the different available lighting configurations and depending on the parameter, which lighting configurations can be implemented, depending on the parameter, defining in which order the selected lighting configurations are implemented when an input device is manually actuated, detecting a manual actuation on the input device, depending on a motion of the input device or a motion on the input device, implementing at least one lighting configuration that is chosen among the selected lighting configurations according to the implementation order.

The invention concerns a lighting control system and lighting control method for implementing and controlling external running lights of an automotive vehicle.
Traditionally, external running lights are controlled by rotary switches or by stalk switches. These switches are mechanical systems which can have a plurality of physical positions corresponding each to a lighting status of the external running lights.
Typically, in the case of a rotary switch or of a stalk switch, a first position of the switch denotes an OFF position of the lights; a second position of the switch denotes position lights ON and a third position denotes low/full beams ON.
Modern vehicles can be further equipped with a light sensor that can detect the intensity of daylight. Based on the information detected by the sensor a vehicle controller can turn on the vehicle lights to position lights or low beam, this occurring without any input from the driver.
It is also known, from WO 2010/076589, a lighting control system that has a manually operable member that can freely rotate around a central axis in order to allow the user to increment or decrement lighting configurations.
Such a lighting control system is more user friendly than the traditional systems and the fact that the control member can freely rotate and has no predefined position in relation to a lighting configuration makes it possible to disconnect the actual position of the control member and the actual lighting configuration. Thus in WO 2010/076589, the lighting configuration is not bound by the actual position of the control member. Such a lighting control system allows the driver to not be confused when for example the controller automatically turn on the vehicle lights to low beam.
Nevertheless in lighting systems of prior art and under some circumstances, the manual selection of lighting configurations doesn't result in an intuitive selection for the driver. In addition, such lighting control systems could lead to an improper and uncomfortable selection for the driver.
For instance, in case of foul weather such as heavy rain, fog, mist, snow . . . , the switching on of high beams is useless and in some circumstances may be dangerous because they could limit depth of driver's view field. Even if weather is for instance foggy the selection of high beams always remains possible for the driver that can implement by mistake such a lighting configuration.
In another example and when the driver is driving at night, the lighting system of the prior art gives to the driver the possibility to switch off all the lights. Without further explanation, it is easily understood that such a mistaken selection is very dangerous.
Consequently, it appears that prior lighting control systems lack of accuracy to allow the driver to switch on easily the appropriate external running lights.
Therefore, there is room for improvement in lighting control systems and lighting control methods for automotive vehicles.
In this technical context, it is desirable to improve the control of lighting equipment of an automotive vehicle especially by providing a lighting control system and a lighting control method of greater adaptability and accuracy, that limit the risk of mistaken selections and that result in more intuitive control for the driver.
To this end, an aspect of the invention concerns a lighting control system for an automotive vehicle having external running lights implementable in different available lighting configurations. Wherein the control system comprises in combination:                a controller to control and implement lighting configurations,        an input device that can be manually actuated,        at least one sensor connected to the controller, that is able to detect at least one environment parameter and to transmit to the controller data corresponding to said parameter,        a memory connected to the controller wherein different lighting configurations are stored.
The controller is configured to automatically select, depending on said environment parameter and among the different available lighting configurations, which lighting configurations can be implemented. The controller is also configured to automatically determine, depending on said parameter, in which order the selected lighting configurations are implemented when the input device is manually actuated.
The input device can be a manually operable control member movable in at least one direction, a touchpad or a control member partially or totally covered with a touch sensitive surface. A control member covered with a touch sensitive surface can be a motionless control member.
In the present application the touchpad or the touch sensitive surface is considered as being manually actuated or as receiving a manual actuation when it is contacted for instance by a finger of the driver or when a finger slides on it. The manually operable control member is considered as being manually actuated when it is operated and moved for instance by the finger or the hand of the driver.
Thanks to the lighting control system according to the invention, it is possible to configure the system in such a manner that the driver can only choose lighting configurations that are considered as useful depending on the value or the state of at least one environment parameter. Thanks to that it is avoided that the driver chooses improper lighting configurations. To make the selection more intuitive and more logical for the driver when he manually actuates the input device, the controller adapts, depending on the value or state of at least one environment parameter, the order in which the lighting configurations will be implemented (hereinafter the "implementation order"). For instance the implementation order of the lighting configurations can be modified depending on current weather or daylight conditions or depending on the state of the vehicle that can be determined by the activation or not of a vehicle sub-system or vehicle function such as the activation or not of the park brake. The detection of the park brake activation can be used by the lighting control system to determine for instance a prolonged stop of the vehicle.
According to advantageous but optional features considered on their own or in any technically feasible combination:                the different available lighting configurations are stored in the memory according to at least two different lists, each list defining some selected lighting configurations and an implementation order of the selected lighting configurations when the control member is manually operated or when the touchpad or the touch sensitive surface receives a manual actuation;        the controller is configured to automatically select, depending on at least one environment parameter, which list has to be implemented;        the selected lighting configurations and/or the implementation orders are different from one list to another;        the selected lighting configurations are stored in the memory, each selected lighting configuration being associated with a rank and, when the controller detects a motion of the manually operable control member in one direction or when it detects a finger motion on the touchpad or on the touch sensitive surface of the controller in one direction, it is configured to increment the active lighting configuration rank by at least one rank to define a new active lighting configuration rank and to control the implementation of at least one new lighting configuration that corresponds to the new active lighting configuration rank;        the control member is movable bidirectionally and a motion of the control member in one direction allows the incrementation of the lighting configuration rank and the motion of the control member in the opposite direction allows the decrementation of the lighting configuration rank;        the control member is movable in rotation about at least one axis;        the control member is a control member of the incremental type.
In the present application, the expression "incremental type" means that a new lighting configuration is implemented thanks to a motion of the control member and is not determined by the current position of the control member. After each manual actuation, the control member of the incremental type automatically returns to a neutral or to a rest position.
According to another advantageous but optional feature considered on its own or in any technically feasible combination with other features:                the control member is a freely rotating control member able to rotate bidirectionally about at least one axis.
The adverb "freely" means that the angular position of the control member doesn't assign a lighting configuration as defined here before. That also means that the control member has no angular end position and may be operated on several complete rotations around the rotation axis.
The fact that the control member can freely rotate and therefore as no predefined position in relation to the lighting configuration makes it possible to disconnect the actual position of the control member from the current lighting configuration. Thus the lighting configuration is not bound by the current position of the control member, unlike conventional switch wherein the position of the switch denotes the vehicle lighting configuration. For this type of control member there is no need to use reference numbers or any other indicator to mark the angular position of the control member. Thanks to this control member, lighting configuration can be automatically modified by the lighting control system without confusing the driver by indicating contradictory information.
According to other advantageous but optional features considered on their own or in any technically feasible combination:                the sensor is chosen among the followings:        light or sun sensor,        rain sensor,        fog sensor,        park brake sensor;        the controller is configured to automatically select which lighting configurations can be implemented and to automatically determine in which order the selected lighting configurations are implemented depending also on vehicle localization data;
Besides, a subject matter of the present invention is a lighting control method to implement, in an automotive vehicle, external running lights in different available lighting configurations. Precisely, the lighting control method is performed in an automotive vehicle that comprises:                a controller to control and implement lighting configurations,        an input device that can be manually actuated,        at least one sensor connected to the controller and able to detect at least one environment parameter.
Said lighting control method comprises the steps of:                detecting at least one environment parameter,        selecting among the different available lighting configurations and depending on the environment parameter, which lighting configurations can be implemented,        depending on the environment parameter, defining in which order the selected lighting configurations are implemented when the input device is manually actuated,        detecting a manual actuation on the input device,        depending on the motion of the input device or a motion on the input device, implementing at least one lighting configuration that is chosen among the selected lighting configurations according to the implementation order.
In the present application and when the input device is for instance a manually operable control member movable in at least one direction, a motion of the input device results from a manual actuation on the input device. When the input device is for instance a touchpad or a control member covered partially or totally with a touch sensitive surface, a motion on the input device may be a finger motion on the touch sensitive surface.
To be more precise, it can be envisaged the following steps:                detecting at least one environment parameter,        selecting among the different available lighting configurations and depending on the environment parameter, which lighting configurations can be implemented,        depending on the environment parameter, assigning to each selected lighting configuration a lighting configuration rank to define in which order the selected lighting configurations are implemented when the control member is manually operated,        detecting a manual actuation on the control member,        depending on the motion of the control member, incrementing or decrementing an active lighting configuration rank by at least one rank in order to define a new active lighting configuration rank,        among the selected lighting configurations; implementing the at least one lighting configuration that has a rank which corresponds to the new active lighting configuration rank.
In a preferred implementation of the inventive method and when the control member is movable bidirectionally, the motion of the control member in one direction allows the incrementation of the lighting configuration rank and the motion of the control member in the opposite direction allows the decrementation of the lighting configuration rank.
It can also be envisaged the following steps:                detecting a modification of the environment parameter,        determining if the modification of the environment parameter requests the selection of new lighting configurations among the different available lighting configurations,        selecting new lighting configurations among the different available lighting configurations and defining in which order the new selected lighting configurations are implemented.
In an advantageous implementation of the method                the controller is able to activate an automatic mode where some selected lighting configurations can be automatically implemented,
and the method further comprises the following steps:                determining among the selected lighting configurations which lighting configurations are authorized to be automatically modified by the controller and which lighting configurations are authorized to be automatically implemented by the controller,        determining if the controller is authorized to automatically modify the current lighting configuration,        depending on at least one environment parameter, determining, among the lighting configurations authorized for automatic implementation, the at least one that is suitable,        without a manual actuation on the control member, automatically implementing the at least one lighting configuration that is suitable and authorized for automatic implementation.
In a preferred aspect of the inventive method, the lighting configurations that the controller is authorized to automatically modify and/or implement are different from one selection of lighting configurations to another selection.
In another implementation of the method when the input device is for instance a touchpad or a control member covered partially or totally with a touch sensitive surface, the method comprises the following steps:                detecting at least one environment parameter,        selecting among the different available lighting configurations and depending on said parameter, which lighting configurations can be implemented,        depending on said parameter, assigning to each selected lighting configuration a lighting configuration rank to define in which order the selected lighting configurations are implemented when the touchpad or the touch sensitive surface receives a manual actuation,        detecting a manual actuation on the touchpad or on the touch sensitive surface,        depending on a motion on the touchpad or on the touch sensitive surface of the control member, incrementing or decrementing an active lighting configuration rank by at least one rank in order to define a new active lighting configuration rank,        among the selected lighting configurations; implementing the at least one lighting configuration that has a rank which corresponds to the new active lighting configuration rank.
In another preferred aspect, the different steps of the inventive method are performed in an automatic manner by the lighting control system according to the invention.

Lighting control system and method for a motor vehicle


Circuits and methods to increase the transconductance of a current mirror in case of small input currents of the current mirror without affecting the transconductance of said current mirror in case of large input currents have been achieved. Key of the invention is a “bypass” formed by a transistor in series with a resistor, wherein the bypass is in parallel to the input transistor of the current mirror. This bypass is only relevant for very small input currents wherein the resistor can be neglected compared to the impedance of the bypass-transistor and therefore the total transconductance of the current mirror is increased in case of very small input currents. For large input currents the resistor of the bypass effectively blocks the “bypass” path. The invention solves e.g. a problem of amplifiers having any kind of dynamic biasing namely that the input impedance of current mirrors becomes too large for very small input currents.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to current mirrors, and more particularly to a current mirror with increased transconductance at low biasing currents.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Amplifiers with any kind of dynamic biasing face the problem that the input impedance of current mirrors gets to large for very small biasing currents, causing stability problems due to parasitic poles, Currently low current biasing is either not possible or compromises have to be made towards accuracy or power consumption. Especially MOS current mirrors with large mirror ratios 1:N (e.g. N>1 00) suffer from large parasitic capacitance caused by the MOS gate. In case such a current mirror is used e.g. in an amplifier employing dynamic biasing, like the output stage of a "current mode LDO", as described in the U.S. patent application U.S. Ser. No. 10/948,008 filed: Sep. 23, 2004 the input impedance (1/gm) becomes extremely large for very small currents (e.g. <200 nA). This results in a low frequency pole of the (small signal) current transfer function, which can cause stability problems. Previous solutions have either avoided such low currents or large mirror ratios (both increase power consumption), or used a resistor in parallel to the mirror input. This resistor affects negatively accuracy at medium and low currents in an unpredictable way due to process variations and also increases quiescent current.
There are various patents describing the usage of current mirrors in amplifiers or LDOs.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,710,583 to Stanescu et al. describes a low dropout voltage regulator circuit with non-Miller frequency compensation. The circuit includes an input voltage terminal; an output voltage terminal; an error amplifier having a first input coupled to a reference voltage; a voltage follower coupled to an output of the error amplifier; a pass device; and a feedback network. An input terminal of the pass device is coupled to the input voltage terminal. A control terminal of the pass device is coupled to an output of the voltage follower. An output terminal of the pass device is the output voltage terminal. The feedback network includes two resistors in series between the output voltage terminal and ground. A node between the resistors is coupled to a second input of the error amplifier. A frequency compensation capacitor also is coupled between the output voltage terminal and the node. The output stage comprises a pair of NMOS transistors cascoded by another pair of NMOS transistors, driving current mirror PMOS transistors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,889,393 to Wrathall discloses a voltage regulator and method of voltage regulation utilizing an error amplifier and a transconductance amplifier together with a voltage reference, startup circuit and output load. The use of the transconductance amplifier allows the use of an arrangement of two poles and a zero such that the composite gain roll-off has a generally constant slope. One of the poles utilized in this stability scheme is the outer pole formed by the resistive-like load and its filter capacitor. Another pole and zero are generated in the error amplifier circuit. To decouple the noisy input supply voltage, sensitive parts of the circuit are powered by the regulated output voltage. A start circuit is provided to start up the output and voltage reference when no output voltage is present. The transconductance amplifier block has special characteristics, which allow it to work to relatively high frequency, above the gain bandwidth product of the control loop. It is driven by a fully differential push-pull, class AB amplifier. The transconductance amplifier utilizes a current mirror approach to current sensing in the output device, which utilizes cascode techniques for more accurate current sensing in the current mirror.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,686,821 to Brokaw discloses a singIe-loop voltage regulator controller including a high-gain transconductance amplifier that accommodates common mode inputs as low as its negative supply rail. The input stage of the amplifier produces a proportional to absolute temperature (PTAT) input offset voltage. The transconductance amplifier's inverting input is connected to the circuit common, or negative supply rail, and a tap from a feedback network is connected to the amplifier's no inverting input. The feedback network provides, at this tap, a PTAT measure of the regulator's regulated output. The amplifier's output is connected to drive a no inverting driver, which, in turn, is connected to drive the control terminal of the regulator's pass transistor. A compensation capacitor connected between the amplifier's output and the regulated output terminal ensures the regulator's stability even for relatively low level load impedances The voltage regulator further comprises a bias circuit connected to provide bias current to a current mirror, and a differential to single-ended converter connected to convert an amplified differential signal from said differential pair into a single-ended signal and to modulate the bias current in response to variations in said amplified differential signal.

Dynamic transconductance boosting technique for current mirrors


A control device for mechanically actuating a component may include a housing surrounding a housing interior, at least one fastening sleeve integrally disposed on the housing, and at least one connection opening disposed at the at least one fastening sleeve. The at least one fastening sleeve may surround a fastening opening into which a pin-shaped fastening element may be insertable. One end of the at least one connection opening may lead to a sleeve inner side. The at least one fastening sleeve may be arranged at a housing outer side. The fastening opening may extend outside of the housing interior. Another end of the at least one connection opening may lead to a housing inner side. The at least one connection opening may be covered on the housing inner side via a membrane penetrable by gas and impenetrable by liquid.

Control devices which come into use for mechanically actuating a component represent an actuator and contain a motor in a housing, this preferably being an electric motor. Accordingly, power electronics for actuating and controlling the electric motor are also frequently accommodated in the housing. The motor serves for mechanically actuating a control element, which in turn can be mechanically coupled with the component which is to be actuated. Depending on the location of use of the control device, an ambient temperature of an environment of the control device can vary. As the housing interior surrounded by the housing is generally constant, the pressure in the housing interior varies thereby. To prevent damage at or in the housing, it is expedient to provide for a pressure equalization between the environment and the housing interior. For this, it is basically possible to provide a pressure equalization opening on the housing, which leads to a housing inner side at one end and to a housing outer side at the other end and thereby fluidically connects the housing interior with the environment. In order to now prevent an entry of dirt through the pressure equalization opening into the housing interior, the pressure equalization opening at the housing outer side can be covered with a membrane which is penetrable for gas, whereas it is impenetrable for liquid.
It has been found that in particular in vehicle applications the possibility exists that the vehicle is also cleaned with a high pressure cleaner in the region of the control device, in which the surfaces which are to be cleaned are acted upon with a high pressure jet of liquid or gaseous cleaning agent. Hereby, the risk arises that the pressure equalization opening or respectively the membrane is directly exposed to this high pressure jet, which can lead to damage of the membrane or respectively to a penetration of the cleaning agent which is used into the housing interior.
From DE 20 2010 013 887 U1 a generic control device is known, in which a fastening opening, which is present in any case, which is formed in a fastening sleeve on the housing side and is open to the housing interior, is used for pressure equalization. For this, a connection opening is introduced into a base of the fastening sleeve axially adjoining the fastening opening, so that the housing interior is connected in a communicating manner through the fastening opening and through the connection opening with an environment of the housing. In the case of this control device furthermore a membrane can be dispensed with, because a fastening screw, screwed into the fastening opening, forms with its thread in the fastening sleeve a helical path which is quasi impenetrable for liquid.
From DE 10 2007 022 192 A1 a gear housing is known, in which a pressure equalization opening is closed by a plug which contains a through-opening, which is covered by a membrane.


The present apparatus relates generally to a height adjustable support tray apparatus and accessories, and more particularly to an improved height adjustable support tray apparatus to provide a portable working surface. Particularly the instant apparatus includes a unique attaching section which securely attaches the instant apparatus to the selected support structure. The instant apparatus, when attached to the applicable support structure, provides a broadly useable working surface on which to support various items. The instant apparatus includes a variety of repositioning elements thereby allowing users a multitude of adjustments of the angle and position of the working surface. The instant apparatus also includes support elements which greatly increases the load carrying capacity of the working surface over minimally supported or non-supported working services.

Travelling workers often require a portable working surface on which to support various items such as testing and diagnostic equipment, programmer, computers, writing utensils, tools, medicine, books, lamp, multimedia components, personal items, food and beverages, etc.
Often work sites provide limited working space accommodations which may not include the working surface needed by the travelling worker. In route to and from the work site travelling workers must navigate a myriad of logistical obstacles such as lifting and carry cumbrous items, negotiating security screening areas, and setting up and dismantling their own work equipment. Travelling workers must therefore provide their own working surfaces while limiting their transportation and logistics burdens.
It is understood similar burdens are faced by a broad cross-section of users who need a portable working surface on which to support various items, including students, vendors, families, individuals, groups, corporations etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,534,095 to Walker discloses a tray and support therefor.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,125,040 to Roberson discloses a car tray.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,472 to McNeil discloses a laptop computer support table.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,073 to Ryburg discloses a work surface for luggage and luggage carriers.
U.S. Pat. Application Pub No. 20040226791 A1 to Levy discloses a convertible laptop PC bag to workstation with legs.
U.S. Pat. Application Pub No. 20080134946 A1 to Alonso discloses a removable table top attached to a rolling container and method of attaching the table top.
U.S. Pat. Application Pub No. 20100236884 A1 to Brown discloses a luggage table.
U.S. Pat. Application Pub No. 20120325607 A1 to Webster et al. discloses a transport device having a convertible work surface.
Reference to, and discussion of, the foregoing patents is intended to aid in discharging Applicant's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information that may be relevant to the examination of claims to the present apparatus. However, it is respectfully submitted that none of the above-indicated patents disclose, teach, suggest, show, or otherwise render obvious, either singly or when considered in combination, the apparatus described and claimed herein.

Height adjustable support tray apparatus


An image forming apparatus includes a main body casing, a device that is positioned within a main body casing and having a function, a displacement member positioned in a main body casing and capable of displacement between an initial position and a stop position which causes the device to perform an action, a string-like connection that is connected between the displacement member and a cover member and that displaces the displacement member from the initial position to the stop position in synchronization with the opening operation of the cover member. The string-like connection, and the displacement member in the stop position, constitute an opening restricting device capable of restricting the opening angle of a cover member to a prescribed angle.

In an image forming apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-91482, for example, devices on the side of the main body casing are activated in synchronization with the opening and closing of a cover member that opens and closes the main body casing. In this image forming apparatus, a protective mechanism that protects a photosensitive body is provided within a housing (corresponding to the above-described main body casing) and a strap for synchronization is provided between an opening and closing member (corresponding to the above-described cover member) and the housing.
As a result of this, when the opening and closing member is opened or closed, the strap rotates a shaft member provided within the housing and this rotation of the shaft member actuates the protective mechanism that protects a photosensitive body. As described above, the image forming apparatus of Patent Document 1 actuates one device (the protective mechanism of a photosensitive body) in synchronization with the opening and closing of the opening and closing member provided within the housing.
in the image forming apparatus, the opening and closing of the above-described cover member is performed, for example, when built-in parts are replaced. In this case, the replacement work of parts cannot be often performed only by opening the cover member for access, and in order to perform replacement work, it is necessary to disengage built-in parts from each other or to cause a part that is an obstruction to retract. However, it is troublesome that each time the replacement of parts is performed, the worker is forced to perform the operation for disengagement of the connecting parts or the operation for causing a part that is an obstruction to retract, and the maintainability is poor. Also from this viewpoint, if it is possible to actuate a plurality of devices in synchronization with the opening and closing of the cover member, operability is improved and marketability is raised.
Thus, there is a need in the art for an image forming apparatus capable of activating a plurality of mechanisms on the main body side of the apparatus in synchronization with the opening and closing of the cover that has increased usability and marketability beyond the devices discussed above.


A recording method recordings data on an information recording medium in units of blocks having a predetermine size, by judging whether or not a block of the data being recorded is a defective block, and newly recording the data in a block which follows the defective block and is in a vicinity of the defective block by skipping at least one block, if it is judged that the block being recorded is the defective block.

There is much attention on optical discs such as a CD (Compact Disc) and a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) as information recording media (media) for recording data, and optical disc apparatuses and DVD recorders have become popular as information recording apparatuses for recording the data on the optical discs.
Recordable CDs include CD-R, CD-RW and the like, and recordable DVDs include DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM and the like. The data recording and reproduction with respect to such CDs and DVDs are made according to predetermined standards.
Of such optical discs, the rewritable optical discs are applied with a defect management, as a means of securing reliability of the recorded data. According to this defect management, an alternate region is provided in advance on the optical disc, and when a defective portion is detected, a list correlating the defective portion and an alternate portion within the alternate region, to be used in place of the defective portion, is recorded on the optical disc. When making a recording or reproduction thereafter, a reference is made to the list so as to avoid the defective region (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).
However, because the alternate region is provided near an outer periphery of the disc, a seek operation to the alternate portion is generated if a defective portion exists within a reproducing region when reproducing the data from the disc. Particularly in a case where the data being reproduced is AV (Audio Visual) data, an inconvenience was generated in that the performance deteriorates due to the generation of the seek operation.
In addition, in a case where the defect management is not applied to the optical disc, the process interrupted when the error is generated while recording the data on the optical disc, and it becomes impossible to continue the recording. Particularly in a case of a write-once optical disc, the optical disc becomes unusable even if the defective portion is small.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-229622

Recording method, information recording device, information reproducing device, program, recording medium, and computer program product


A method for verifying the position of at least two bone structures relative to each other, comprising the method steps of: recording a three-dimensional dataset which represents the bone structures; segmenting the three-dimensional dataset into segments, wherein each segment represents a bone structure and the segments exhibit a known relative position in the three-dimensional dataset; changing the virtual relative position of the segments, such that the virtual relative position of the segments matches the actual relative position of the bone structures; and verifying whether the virtual relative position of the segments matches a target position of the bone structures.

When performing an operation, it is often necessary to know the position of bone structures relative to each other. Bone structures include for example vertebrae of a spine or fragments of a bone. In the case of bone fractures, the correct position of the fragments is crucial for them to knit correctly. The position of vertebrae of a spine is important when implanting artificial intervertebral discs, implanting cages, stiffening two vertebrae (interbody fusion), inserting artificial facet joints or employing dynamic stabilization.
One option is to repeatedly produce 3D images during the operation. However, this is time-consuming, and the device necessary for it is obstructive in the operating environment. Another option is to provide each bone structure with a marking device and to detect the relative positions of the marked devices, for example via a 3D camera. This presupposes damage to the bone structure and requires an additional or enlarged opening in the body, through which a marker device can pass.

Method for verifying the relative position of bone structures


Provided is a fiber reinforced cement board having good installation properties such as nail performance, flexibility performance and handling performance, as well as other favorable physical properties.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fiber reinforced cement board using as a raw material a hydraulic inorganic material such as cement and a manufacturing process thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, fiber reinforced cement boards are generally fastened by nailing.
For example, a first fiber reinforced cement board placed downward is nailed to a sheathing at the points about 20 mm below the upper edge of the first board.
Then, the lower part of a second fiber reinforced cement board to be placed above the first board is placed on the upper part of the first board so that the front side of the upper part of the first board faces the backside of the lower part of the second board, and the second board is nailed to the sheathing at the points about 20 mm below the upper edge of the second board.
Such laminating installation method is referred to as lap boarding installation method.
Such fastening by nailing may cause breakdown, fracture or cracking of fiber reinforced cement boards when these boards are too rigid.
In order to overcome such problem, there have been discussed various reinforced boards such as the boards in which the specific gravity thereof is decreased by addition of a lightweight material to facilitate nailing.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,572,697 discloses decreasing a specific gravity to 1.2 g/cm3 or less by adding volcanic ashes; Kokai publication JP 2000-264701 gazette discloses addition of wood fibers having a specific length and a specific width as a reinforcing material; Japanese Patent Gazette No. 2730835 discloses addition of pulp fibers which have been divided to a specific size and synthetic resin fibers having a specific length as reinforcing materials; and Japanese Patent Gazette No. 2619908 discloses addition of pulp fibers and fibrillated hemp fibers as reinforcing materials.
However, addition of an excess amount of the above-mentioned woody reinforcement naturally leads to poor fire-resistance and extreme decrease of the specific gravity may lead to decrease in various physical properties other than nail performance, such as bending strength.

Fiber reinforced cement board and manufacturing process

Abstract: The board has an absolute dry specific gravity of not less than 1.20 and not more than 1.30 and comprises as raw materials not less than 28% by mass and not more than 32% by mass of a hydraulic inorganic material, not less than 54% by mass and not more than 58% by mass of a siliceous material, not less than 8% by mass and not more than 12% by mass of a woody reinforcement, not less than 2% by mass and not more than 5% by mass of mica, and not less than 0.5% by mass and not more than 1.25% by mass of a water-soluble resin.


A quick release device holder for portable electronics devices that protects soft and impressionable housing materials from damage during insertion and removal. The quick release device holder includes a backing plane formed with a substantially rigid spine portion and a receiver pocket adjacent to a first end thereof. One or more latching arms extend from the backing plane spaced away from the receiver pocket, each of the one or more latching arms further including a resiliently flexible stem portion coupled to the backing plane and having a head portion spaced away from the backing plane. The head portion further includes one or more rollers coupled thereto in a position spaced away from an interior surface of the backing plane, and a retention tongue between the one or more rollers and the interior surface of the backing plane and being set back from a circumference of the one or more rollers.

Holders for portable device and in particular quick release holders for portable cellular telephones and other portable electronics devices are generally well-known. However, many modern portable electronics devices include external housings formed at least partially of a soft and impressionable elastomer materials for absorbing shocks and vibrations experienced in rugged outdoor sports and industrial environments and even in everyday use.
Many known portable device holders are incapable of receiving and subsequently releasing portable electronics devices without scaring or other damage to the soft and impressionable materials used in forming all or at least part of their external cases.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A film feeding apparatus includes a driving roller, a take-up spool and a rotatable member on which the take-up spool is mounted. The driving roller feeds a film through the apparatus by contacting the film and is driven at a predetermined speed. The take-up spool receives the film moved through the apparatus by the driving roller, and is located adjacent to the driving roller so that when the film is fed between the driving roller and the take-up spool, the film is pinched between the driving roller and the take-up spool. The take-up spool is rotatably mounted to the rotatable member so as to be rotatable about a rotation center of the take-up spool. The rotatable member is rotatably mounted to the apparatus at a location other than the rotation center of the take-up spool.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to film image reading apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
Film scanners are apparatus that read (i.e., image or scan) film images from film photographed by conventional cameras. Film scanners read the images from negative-type film and from reversal-type film in order to acquire an electronic version of the images, which can then be input, e.g., to a personal computer, and the like. One inexpensive, general configuration provides an optical system that is fixed and a conveyor device that conveys the film past the optical system.
One example of a film that can be used in a film scanner is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 5-75922. As shown in FIG. 4, this film 55 includes a magnetic recording layer.
The film 55 can be housed inside a film cartridge 51, having one end fixed to a spool 52. Perforations 53 and a magnetic recording section 54 are provided on the film 55, one per photographic frame. A frame number 0 (not illustrated), which is an area on which an image is not photographed, precedes the first photographic frame on the film 55. A perforation and a magnetic recording section are also provided for frame number 0.
Film cartridge 51 also includes an optically readable label that displays information indicating, for example, whether or not film 55 is developed and information indicating the type of film 55. The information indicating the type of film includes, for example, information indicating whether the film is negative or positive, information indicating whether the film is black-and-white or color, and information indicating the manufacturer's name and the type (i.e., model) number of the film. The optically readable label can be, e.g., a bar code.
One example of a feeding device for film housed in a cartridge is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 7-219029. In this device, the film is sandwiched by a pinch roller and capstan roller, which are located between the position of a fork and the position of a take-up spool. The fork delivers the film from the cartridge by engaging with the film take-up shaft of the cartridge and rotating the take-up shaft. The take-up spool takes-up the film delivered from the cartridge and is located on the opposite side of the reading position relative to the fork. Driving of the spool, the rollers and the fork is controlled in a delayed fashion so as to maintain a relationship therebetween. First the driving of the take-up spool is controlled, then the capstan roller, and then the delivery fork. A clutch also is positioned on the take-up spool so as to absorb any difference of velocity with the capstan roller.
In these devices, the precision of the feeding of the film at the reading position is determined by controlling the rotation speed of the pinch roller and the capstan roller. The rotation speed of the pinch roller and the capstan roller depends on the speed at which the film is taken-up by the take-up spool. However, the rotational velocity of the effective outer perimeter of the take-up spool (i.e., the circumference of the take-up spool and surrounding film) becomes faster as the amount of film taken-up increases. In order to absorb this change of velocity, velocity control and a clutch mechanism as mentioned above were necessary, and the totality of the take-up section became complex and high-priced.


Provided is a charge/discharge protection circuit, which has a simple circuit configuration using a double-throw semiconductor switching device and is capable of recovering from a state where charging/discharging is inhibited with the double-throw semiconductor switching device being turned off. The charge/discharge protection circuit includes a charge/discharge control circuit which is provided with a second terminal for detecting which one of a charger and a load is connected to an external terminal. The second terminal has a first resistor and a first switch connected in series between a power source, and has a second resistor and a second switch connected in series between a ground.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a charge/discharge protection circuit for controlling charging/discharging of a secondary battery.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a secondary battery has widely been used along with developments of downsized portable electronic devices. One of the most-widely-used secondary batteries includes a lithium secondary battery. However, there have been pointed out many problems regarding the lithium secondary battery in that overcharging or overdischarging causes damage, degradation, and the like in the battery, thereby shortening the service life of the battery.
In order to solve those problems, various charge/discharge protection circuits have been developed. Most of those charge/discharge protection circuits have a circuit configuration in which two MOSFETs connected in series are provided as a charge/discharge control switching device in a charge/discharge path, in which a control circuit using a battery voltage as a power source controls the gate voltages of the two MOSFETs to thereby inhibit charging or discharging.
FIG. 5 shows a conventional charge/discharge protection circuit having the above-mentioned configuration (see JP 2872365 B). Specifically, a charge/discharge control circuit 5 turns off a charging control MOSFET 18 through a charging control terminal 23 upon detecting that a battery voltage of the secondary battery 12 is increased to be equal to or larger than a preset voltage, to thereby shut off a charging current. During when the charging current is shut off, a discharging current flows through a parasitic diode of the charging control MOSFET 18.
Similarly, the charge/discharge control circuit 5 turns off a discharging control MOSFET 19 through a discharging control terminal 24 upon detecting that a battery voltage of the secondary battery 12 is decreased to be equal to or smaller than a preset voltage, to thereby shut off a discharging current. During when the discharging current is shut off, a charging current flows through a parasitic diode of the discharging control MOSFET 19.
According to the above-mentioned circuit configuration, it is necessary to externally provide two MOSFETs to the charge/discharge control circuit 5, which increases the size of the charge/discharge protection circuit. Therefore, the circuit configuration described above has a problem in terms of cost and saving space in footprint required in portable equipment.
Further, there has also been another problem in that the device itself is easy to be degraded because the circuit has a mode in which a charging/discharging current flows through the parasitic diode of the MOSFET.
In order to solve those problems, there has been proposed another charge/discharge protection circuit in which only a single charge/discharge control switching device is employed and a charge/discharge current does not flow through a parasitic diode.
FIG. 6 shows a conventional example of a charge/discharge protection circuit in which a double-throw semiconductor switching device is provided to a charge/discharge path. The double-throw semiconductor switching device is a single device having no parasitic diode and has a double-throw characteristic (see JP 2001-251772 A).
Specifically, the double-throw semiconductor switching device 1 has the drain connected to the secondary battery 12, the source connected to a load/charger 4, and the gate connected to the charge/discharge control circuit 5. The charge/discharge control circuit 5 turns on and off the double-throw semiconductor switching device 1 in accordance with the terminal voltage of the secondary battery 12.
The above-mentioned circuit merely includes the double-throw semiconductor switching device 1 as the charge/discharge switching device, thereby realizing a simpler circuit configuration. In addition, the double-throw semiconductor switching device 1 shuts off currents in both directions when turned off, and therefore the circuit does not have a mode in which a current flows through a parasitic diode, which less likely to cause degradation in the device itself.
However, according to the conventional charge/discharge protection circuit using the double-throw semiconductor switching device, the charge/discharge control circuit 5 cannot detect which one of a load and a charger is connected to the charge/discharge protection circuit. Therefore, there has been a problem in that, once the double-throw semiconductor switching device is turned off in order to shut off a charging current, it is impossible to cause a discharging current to flow even when a load is connected by replacing the charger which has been removed from the charge/discharge protection circuit. There has also been a similar problem in that, once the double-throw semiconductor switching device is turned off in order to shut off a discharging current, it is impossible to get charging started even when a charger is connected to the charge/discharge protection circuit.
In addition, according to the above-mentioned conventional example, in a case where an excessive charging current or an excessive discharging current which may lead to a breakdown of the double-throw semiconductor switching device flows through the charge/discharge path, the charge/discharge control circuit does not have a function of detecting the current and shutting off the excessive current. Therefore, the circuit has a problem in terms of reliability.
Further, according to the above-mentioned conventional example, it is assumed that the double-throw semiconductor switching device is provided as a field effect transistor having a normally-on characteristic. According to the normally-on characteristic, the switch remains on even when no voltage is applied to the gate thereof. Due to the characteristic, in a case where the connection between the control circuit and the gate of the semiconductor switching device is cut off due to an unexpected event, charging or discharging is allowed, resulting in continuation of charging or discharging which may lead to destruction or degradation of the secondary battery. Therefore, the circuit has a problem in terms of protection of the secondary battery.

Charge/discharge protection circuit and power-supply unit


The present invention relates to an electronic system for identifying the circuit interrupter device associated with a particular power outlet receptacle on a power line, and to a method or means for identifying the circuit interrupter device.

When work is performed on an electrical system in a building or facility, it is necessary to trace and identify which circuit interrupter device (e.g., circuit breaker or fuse) is supplying power to a particular power outlet receptacle or electrical component. Manual identification of the fuse or circuit breaker can be accomplished by removing each fuse or opening each circuit breaker, thereby disrupting the power flow through the circuit. Each outlet must subsequently be examined to determine whether the power to the outlet has been disconnected. This method is not only time consuming, but also may not be feasible in situations where it would be hazardous to interrupt the power flow to certain outlets, e.g., in a hospital or in an environment where computers are in use with no backup power.
Alternatively, a variety of circuit testers are available for identifying the fuse or circuit breaker that is supplying power to a particular outlet receptacle. These testers employ an assortment of techniques to distinguish one circuit breaker from the rest. For example, the testers disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,906,938 and 5,497,094 use a relaxation oscillator to apply an identification signal comprising a large amplitude current pulse of very short duration to the circuit. A schematic diagram of the transmitter 10 disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,938 is shown in FIG. 1. The terminals 12, 14 of transmitter 10 are connected to the outlet or light fixture to be tested. Diode 16 acts as a half-wave rectifier. Specifically, if the voltage across diode 16 is positive, diode 16 acts as a short circuit, and if the voltage across diode 16 is negative, diode 16 acts as an open circuit. Sidac 18 is a short circuit when the voltage thereacross reaches its threshold value of 120-135 volts, and is an open circuit when the current through sidac 18 drops below the minimum holding current of the device. Thus, in this arrangement, sidac 18 acts as a trigger switch.
If a conventional power line voltage is applied to transmitter 10, sidac 18 will initially go into conduction when the line voltage reaches approximately 120 volts. This causes capacitor 20 to immediately charge to the line voltage, resulting in a large amplitude current pulse which is used to identify the circuit. Sidac 18 will continue conducting until the current approaches 0 amps, i.e., approximately 50-150 milliamps, which occurs near the peak of the power line voltage. When sidac 18 is switched off, capacitor 20 will be charged at a voltage level close to the peak voltage, i.e., approximately 150 volts, and can only discharge through resistor 22. Due to the relatively large resistance of resistor 22, the discharge of capacitor 20 will be slow.
Because capacitor 20 remains charged at approximately 150 volts, as the line voltage decreases from 150 volts to 0 volts and continues through its negative cycle, the voltage across diode 16 is negative. Thus, diode 16 remains an open circuit and capacitor 20 continues to discharge slowly through resistor 22.
During the next cycle, diode 16 becomes a short circuit when the line voltage surpasses the charge on the capacitor 20. Sidac 18 will remain an open circuit, however, because the voltage across sidac 18, which is the difference between the line voltage and the voltage across capacitor 20, will not reach its threshold value. Thus, transmitter 10 will not conduct any current until the voltage across capacitor 20 has time to discharge through resistor 22, which does not occur for a number of cycles. This results in a frequency of current spikes less than the power line frequency of 60 hertz.
Other conventional testers introduce a high frequency, low amplitude signal onto the current flowing through the power line. These devices are subject to false indications resulting from spurious signals from transients and switching currents, and require a sensitive receiver to pick up the magnetic field created by the low amplitude current flowing through the circuit. In addition, the capability for discriminating between closely adjacent current-carrying conductors, for example, adjacent circuit breakers in a breaker box, is reduced in these types of testers.
Another drawback associated with the conventional testers described above is that they will not operate if the outlet has been wired incorrectly. Thus, although devices are available which indicate any incorrect wiring, conventional testers cannot be used to identify the fuse or circuit breaker associated with a particular outlet unless the wiring of the outlet is correctly installed.

Electrical circuit interrupter device locator


A method of acquiring a signal includes generating a first set of acquired signal power values comprising an acquired signal power value for each of a plurality of Doppler bins over a first predetection integration time (PIT) interval, and generating a second set of acquired signal power values comprising an acquired signal power value for each of the plurality of Doppler bins over a second subsequent PIT interval. The first and the second sets are used to generate at least three additional sets of acquired signal power values. A new set is generated by selecting the maximum of the summations for each Doppler bin from the three additional sets, and a Doppler shift is identified from the Doppler bin having the maximum summation value. The output may be used to initialize a first and a second extended Kalman filters for tracking a carrier signal and a code signal, respectively.

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based location system. In the GPS, several satellites orbiting the earth provide signal codes that are detected by receivers. The receivers use the codes to lock onto the satellite signal. The receiver then measures the time of arrival of the satellite signal against an internal clock, which indicates a delay from the satellite. Such delays are determined for at least four different satellites. Those delays translate to distances. Because the distances to each of four satellites are known, and because the position of the satellites are known, the X, Y, and Z coordinates of the user may be calculated, as well as the user's clock error. This method is known as pseudo-ranging, and systems other than GPS use similar technology.
The delay between transmission of a satellite and reception by a receiver is obtained by causing the receiver to latch onto a repetitive code of a particular satellite. To this end, the receiver generates the code of each satellite in a repetitive pattern and then, for a particular satellite, tries to line up the internally generated code with the received code from the satellite. To "line up" the internally generated code, the internally generated code sequence must be delayed by some amount. This delay provides the time measurement from the internal clock, Codesat1(t)=Coderec(t+δ1), where δ1 is a delay value. The baseband signal Code(t) can take values of +1 or −1 and is generated by a known algorithm. By aligning internal codes of other satellites with corresponding internal codes, other delay values may be obtained. Thus, for three other satellites, delay values δ2, δ3, and δ4 may be generated. Then, by obtaining the position information for those satellites (xj, yj, zj) for j={1, 2, 3, 4}, a system of equations may be set up to determine the location of the receiving device.
The system of equations is derived from the equation for the distance between a satellite and the receiver in terms of delay, which may be expressed as: Distance=δj*C (speed of light). However, the measured delay does not provide an absolute delay value because the clock in the receiver is not necessarily synchronized to the satellites, which are synchronized together and to a master clock on the ground. So the actual distance between a satellite n and the receiver is the measured delay δj, plus a receiver clock offset Toff, times the speed of light. Thus, the following system of equations can be set up:(δ1+Toff)*C=[(x1−xr)2+(y1−yr)2+(z1−zr)2]1/2 (δ2+Toff)*C=[(x2−xr)2+(y2−yr)2+(z2−zr)2]1/2 (δ3+Toff)*C=[(x3−xr)2+(y3−yr)2+(z3−zr)2]1/2 (δ4+Toff)*C=[(x4−xr)2+(y4−yr)2+(z4−zr)2]1/2
The above four equations amount to four equations with four unknown variables, which may then be solved for the receiver position xr, yr, zr, as well as the offset of the receiver clock Toff. Because the speed of light is 286,000 miles per second, even a small discrepancy in a delay measurement δj that is used to compute the distance from the distance equation already noted, can result in significant inaccuracy.
Accurate alignment of the internal and external codes to get a precise delay number for position calculation is important. To facilitate accurate alignment, the acquisition code sequence, known in the art as the C/A code, is 1023 bits and repeated periodically every 1 millisecond. By superimposing the internal code over the received code for multiple instances of the code, a correlation technique may be used to filter out noise present in the signal. As the number of 1 millisecond periods used for correlation increases, the ability of the receiver to acquire weak signals for position calculation increases.
The practical number of subsequent sequences of the C/A code that may be used is hindered, however, by the fact that the C/A code is in fact superimposed over another signal, referred to as the data signal, which has a pulse width of 20 milliseconds. The data signal contains the time and location information for the satellite, among other things. Before the signal is acquired, the data signal is unknown to the receiver, and appears as a random signal. Because the receiver does not know the data signal, the receiver does not know the effects of the data signal on the C/A sequences. Changes in the data signal from a +1 to a −1 value reverse the sign of a portion of the C/A sequences. Moreover, although there are 20 repetitions of the C/A sequence for every data signal value, the receiver does not have a priori knowledge of when the transitions of the data signal occur. Accordingly, the imposition of the data signal makes the use of multiple C/A sequences to achieve acquisition of the C/A code for weak GPS signals difficult.
Another problem for signal acquisition arises from the line of sight acceleration of the receiver relative to the satellite as it attempts to acquire a signal from a positioning satellite. If the receiver is accelerating, the Doppler shift changes with a rate that depends on the relative line of sight between the satellite and the receiver. A change in the Doppler shift causes a change in the length of the C/A code duration. This rate of change in the Doppler shift affects the acquisition and the tracking of the signal from the positioning satellites. The situation in which an accelerating receiver acquires and tracks a positioning signal is sometimes called a high dynamic environment. What is needed is a receiver that better estimates the effect of a high dynamic environment on the acquisition and tracking of a positioning signal.

System and method for high dynamic acquisition and tracking of signals from the global positioning system

Purdue Research Foundation, Office of Technology Commercialization


Method and apparatus for inducing collisional disassociation of isolated ions in a QIT which employs low frequency modulation of the secular frequency of oscillation of the trapped ions so as to permit sufficient frequency coincidence with the fixed frequency tickle generator to induce collisional disassociation.

The quadrupole ion trap (QIT) was first disclosed in the year 1952 in a paper by Paul, et al. This paper disclosed the QIT and the disclosure of a slightly different device which was called a quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS). The quadrupole mass spectrometer was very different from all earlier mass spectrometers because it did not require the use of a magnet and because it employed radio frequency fields for enabling the separation of ions, i.e. performing mass analysis. Mass spectrometers are devices for making precise determination of the constituents of a material by providing separations of all the different masses in a sample according to their mass to charge ratio. The material to be analyzed is first disassociated/fragmented into ions which are charged atoms or molecularly bound group of atoms.
The principle of the quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS) relies on that fact that within a specifically shaped structure, radio frequency (RF) fields can be made to interact with a charged ion so that the resultant force on certain of the ions is a restoring force thereby causing those particles to oscillate about some referenced position. In the quadrupole mass spectrometer, four long parallel electrodes, each having highly a precise hyperbolic cross sections, are connected together electrically. Both dc voltage, U, and RF voltage, V.sub.0 cos .omega.t, can be applied. When an ion is introduced or generated within the spectrometer, if the parameters of the quadrupole are appropriate to maintain the oscillation of those ions, such ions would travel with a constant velocity down the central axis of the electrodes at a constant velocity. Parameters of operation could be adjusted so that ions of selected mass to charge ratio, m/e, could be made to remain stable in the direction of travel while all other ions would be ejected from the axis. This QMS was capable of maintaining restoration forces in two directions only, so it became known as a transmission mass filter. The other device described in the above mentioned Paul, et al. paper has become known as the quadrupole ion trap (QIT). The QIT is capable of providing restoring forces on selected ions in all three directions. This is the reason that it is called a trap. Ions so trapped can be retained for relatively long periods of time which supports separation of masses and enables various important scientific experiments and industrial testing which can not be as conveniently accomplished in other spectrometers.
The QIT was only of laboratory interest until recent years when relatively convenient techniques evolved for use of the QIT in a mass spectrometer application. Specifically, methods are now known for ionizing an unknown sample after the sample was introduced into the QIT (usually by electron bombardment), and adjusting the QIT parameters so that it stores only a selectable range of ions from the sample within the QIT. Then, by linearly changing, i.e., scanning, one of the QIT parameters it became possible to cause consecutive values of m/e of the stored ions to become successively unstable. The final step in a mass spectrometer was to sequentially pass the separated ions which had become unstable into a detector. The detected ion current signal intensity, as a function of the scan parameter, is the mass spectrum of the trapped ions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,101 describes a quadrupole technique for performing an experiment called MS/MS. In U.S. Ser. No. 4,736,101, MS/MS is described as the steps of forming and storing ions having a range of masses in an ion trap, mass selecting among them to select an ion of particular mass to be studied (parent ion), disassociating the parent ion by collisions, and analyzing, i.e. separating and ejecting the fragments (daughter ions) to obtain a mass spectrum of the daughter ions.
In a copending, simultaneously filed patent application, I have disclosed and claimed an improved QIT technique for isolating the parent ion. For purposes of understanding the background for this invention, I have incorporated by reference, the copending application entitled, "Quadrupole Trap Improved Technique of Ion Isolation," Ser. No. 890,990, filed May 29, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,198,665.
The preferred technique for disassociating the parent ion into daughter ion fragments is called Collision Induced Disassociation (CID). The CID technique is a more gentle form of ionization than electron bombardment and does not create as many fragments. The technique for obtaining collision induced disassociation (CID) to obtain daughter ions employed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,101 is to use a second fixed frequency generator connected to the end plates of the QIT which frequency is at the calculated secular frequency of the retained ion being investigated. The secular frequency is the frequency at which the ion is periodically, physically, moving within the RF trapping field.
By providing an excitation field at the secular frequency, the ion absorbs power and the increased translational motion causes more collisions between ions. The collisions induce conversion of translational energy into internal energy and result in a somewhat gentle fragmentation of the ion into major daughter fragments. This is most frequently carried out in the presence of a background gas of lighter mass than the sample to aid in the collision heating process.
The problem with the prior approach of the '101 patent for causing such collisional assisted ionization (CAI) is that the frequency of the supplemental end cap voltage, sometimes called the tickle voltage, cannot be properly determined in advance. Theoretically, the secular frequency of any selected M/e ion is relatively easy to calculate according to the equation W.sub.1 =1/2.beta..sub.z W.sub.0, where W.sub.1 equals the secular frequency, W.sub.0 is the trapping field frequency and .beta..sub.z is a known function of q.sub.z and a.sub.z, as defined by three different equations, depending on the value of q.sub.z, as depicted at page 200 of the text "Quadrupole Storage Mass Spectrometry" by Raymond E. March and Richard J. Hughes, John Wiley & Sons, 1989. However, there are several physical effects which affect the QIT and render it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to determine the precise secular frequency in advance. Specifically, the space charge effect, which depends on the number of trapped ions will shift the stability chart for the trap. Also, slight mechanical errors in the shape of the electrodes and slight variances in the potentials applied to the electrodes can introduce errors which shifts the secular frequency from theoretical values.
Accordingly, it has been necessary to empirically determine the secular resonance frequency for each M/e to be excited. While this step of establishing the specific resonant frequency is possible for known static samples, it can be extremely difficult to accomplish when only small values of sample are available on a dynamic basis, such as is the situation when the sample is the output from a gas chromatograph.
This problem has been previously recognized by Yates and Yost in an article presented during May 1991 and published in the proceeding of the 39th MAS Conference on "Mass Spectroscopy and Allied Topics", entitled, Resonant Excitation for GS/MS/MS in the Quadrupole Ion Trap via Frequency Assignment Prescans and Broadband Excitation," p. 132.
Yates, et al., describes a complex technique for determining the exact secular frequency for CID in an MS/MS experiment involving automatic scanning of the trap with a frequency synthesizer and measuring the absorption as a function of frequency. Since some of the ions are ejected for each scan due to energy absorption, the space charge effects change and it is necessary to employ multiple scans and averaging to correct for this and other instrumental effects. Yates discloses another technique for inducing CID by using a supplemental broadband excitation signal to excite a range of frequencies. The approach in the Yates paper uses an excitation signal that has a bandwidth of approximately 10 KHz. The broadband excitation technique was orally described in the conference, as the application of a synthesized inverse FT time domain waveform to the QIT end caps, where the waveform has a frequency domain representation comprising a band of uniform intensity equally spaced frequencies up to .+-.5 KHz about a center frequency at the calculated theoretical secular frequency.
The problems with this broadband technique is that it has a range of excitation which is wide enough to induce excitation of m(p)+1 ions and of daughter ions that may be formed during the excitation process. Furthermore, the apparatus needed to obtain a tailored, synthesized broad band inverse waveform is expensive and complex.

Quadrupole trap improved technique for collisional induced disassociation for MS/MS processes


A control device actuates at least one vehicular safety device such as a seat belt pretensioning mechanism, an airbag, an automatic roll-over bar, a door lock or a cellular phone comprising a sensor stage to sense a plurality of parameters including acceleration, pitch angle and roll angle of a vehicle. A corresponding plurality of digital signals representing each such parameter are generated. A control stage includes circuitry to receive the plurality of digital signals and to generate a control signal corresponding to each such parameter when the corresponding digital signal exceeds a predetermined value. A safety device actuator includes circuitry to receive the control signals and to generate a corresponding actuator signal to actuate the corresponding vehicular safety device.

This invention relates to a control device to selectively actuate at least one vehicular safety device when a sudden change in acceleration, pitch angle or roll angle of a vehicle is detected.
Accelerometers that measure pitch and roll angles along a predetermined axis and produce signals representative of such measurements are well known in the art. Likewise, filtering, digitizing, formulating and analyzing the accelerometer signals to assess whether certain action should be taken is also known. These concepts have been disclosed in numerous patents in the fields of motor vehicle suspension control, motor vehicle body roll compensation, roll-over bar activation systems and seat belt pretension systems.
Studies indicate that injuries in motor vehicle accidents, especially at high speeds, can be substantially reduced by the use of occupant restraint systems. These systems commonly include a seat belt pretensioner assembly which is operable to move a seat belt assembly through a pretensioning stroke to remove slack from the seat belt during abrupt changes in an automobile's position. When the motor vehicle is subjected to a sudden change in position relative to the driving surface, caused either by a roll-over or pitch-over, the seat belt pretensioner is actuated to tightly restrain the occupants in a position to minimize movement and prevent contact between the seat occupant and the automobile interior such as the roof, windshield, steering wheel, and side doors. Since an important element of such protective systems is the sensing system which activates the seat belt pretensioner mechanism, the position of the motor vehicle relative to the driving surface must be carefully and precisely monitored so that the seat belt pretensioner is activated rapidly and reliably before the occupants suffer substantial injury.
Other occupant safety devices employed in motor vehicles to be actuated upon the prediction of a roll-over or a pitch-over may include an airbag, an automatic roll-over bar, automatic door locks, and an emergency radio or telephone transmitter.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,162 teaches a suspension control apparatus that operates to maintain a level attitude during cornering and turning by computing and map-retrieving from output signals of a vehicle speed sensor and a yaw angular velocity sensor for detecting angular velocity about a yaw axis of the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,388 discloses a method and apparatus for preventing vehicle handling instabilities, in which a vehicle yaw angular velocity required value is formed from measured quantities (vehicle velocity, steering wheel angle).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,277 relates to a multiple sensor inclination measuring system which includes a plurality of single and dual axis inclination sensors and an analog-to-digital convertor to convert a sensor signal to a digital word having a binary value representative of the tilt of the sensor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,679,808 describes a system for estimating the state of a controlled vehicle's motion which has a steering wheel angle sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, a sensor for sensing a first motion variable such as a yaw rate, a sensor for sensing a second motion variable such as a yaw acceleration, and a processing unit such as a microcomputer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,816 teaches a suspension control apparatus for a vehicle having at least one shock absorber with a controllable damping force. The suspension control apparatus includes a roll angular velocity sensor for detecting angular velocity about a roll axis of the vehicle, and control means for determining a bumpy road driving state of the vehicle when an accumulation time exceeds a predetermined accumulation time. The control means adjusts the damping force of the shock absorber during the bumpy road driving state.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,807 discloses a vehicle having a suspension system which includes an actuator for each wheel, each of which is controllable to provide a variable force between the body and the wheel; a sensor for detecting acceleration of the body, and a sensor for each wheel for detecting load acting between the body and the wheel; and a controller for inputting signals representative of the acceleration of the body and the load on each wheel, for calculating based thereupon fluctuations in load acting between the wheels and the body, for controlling the actuators to increase or decrease forces provided thereby between the body and the wheels, and for operating by feedback action by comparing the actual fluctuation in the force between the respective wheel and the body as sensed by the load sensor for the wheel with the calculated value therefor, and for bringing the difference between the two values to be zero.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,988 relates to a vehicle that has a real time suspension control which requires, as inputs, a set of absolute body modal velocity signals. Accurate estimates of these signals are derived from relative position sensors at the body suspension points by converting the relative vertical position signals from these sensors to relative body modal (e.g. heave, pitch and roll) velocity signals and passing each of these signals through a second order low pass filter including an additional phase inversion for compensation of the 180 degree filter phase lag. Thus, the necessity of absolute body accelerometers is eliminated, for a significant cost reduction.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,986 describes a force actuator that is connected between a vehicle body and each vehicle wheel. A position sensor senses displacement between the vehicle body and each vehicle wheel and provides a position signal indicative thereof. An acceleration sensor senses vertical inertial acceleration of the vehicle body relative to ground at each vehicle wheel and provides an acceleration signal indicative of vertical inertial acceleration of the vehicle body at each vehicle wheel. A controller determines a velocity signal based on each acceleration signal. A force actuator control signal at each vehicle wheel is produced which varies as a function of the plurality of modal forces. A drive circuit processes the force actuator signal at each wheel and applies the processed force actuator control signal at each vehicle wheel to the associated force actuator.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,667 teaches a method wherein a pitching motion of bouncing, bottoming, bumpy road driving and braking of a vehicle during driving is correctly grasped by computing and map retrieving from output signals of a vehicle speed sensor, output signals of a brake switch and output signals of a pitch angular velocity sensor for detecting angular velocity about a pitch axis of the vehicle. Pitching motion of the vehicle is restrained by adjusting damping force of shock absorbers of the suspension control apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,256 relates to an anti-skid brake control device that has a control circuit to which signals from a steering angle sensor, a yaw detector, and respective wheel velocity sensors of a motor vehicle are inputted. An oil pressure actuator controls the pressure of the braking fluid for respective wheel cylinders based upon target slip rates and measured slip rates for the respective wheels calculated in the control circuit.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,926 describes an automatic trim control system designed to be used on power boats equipped with electric or hydraulic actuated trim tabs. The unit senses out of trim conditions in two planes (pitch and roll) and transmits control signals to the electro-mechanical control lines to reposition the trim tab attitudes, thereby reestablishing preset trim conditions as required.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,542 teaches a method wherein a ship's attitude parameters, including pitch, roll and heading, provided in the form of synchro signals by redundant sensors, are distributed to various shipboard systems by a synchro selector binary switching tree under the control of a digital processor. The processor also generates dynamic simulations of pitch, roll and heading, which can be distributed to the shipboard systems by the switching tree.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,627 discloses a system for vehicle roll control wherein a plurality of actuator assemblies are provided, one corresponding to each of the vehicle wheels. Each of these actuator assemblies is adapted to increase or decrease the vehicle height at a location corresponding to its corresponding vehicle wheel as results of control signals being applied to it.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,493 relates a system for vehicle roll control wherein a plurality of actuator assemblies are provided, one corresponding to each one of the vehicle wheels. These actuator assemblies have pressure chambers, and each is adapted to increase or decrease the vehicle height at a location corresponding to its corresponding vehicle wheel as respective results of supplying or discharging of working fluid to or from its pressure chamber. A vehicle speed detector senses the road speed of the vehicle, and a steering angle detector senses the steering angle of the vehicle. A control computer computes a steady state roll angle of the vehicle body from the vehicle speed sensed by the vehicle speed detector and the steering angle sensed by the steering angle detector, and computes a difference value based thereon, the control computer being adapted to control the working fluid supplying and discharging valves.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,128 discloses a system for vehicle roll control wherein one actuator assembly is provided corresponding to each vehicle wheel. Each of these actuator assemblies is adapted to increase or decrease the vehicle height at its vehicle wheel as a result of a control signal being supplied. Control means are provided corresponding to the actuator assemblies and serve to supply control signals to them. A vehicle speed detecting means senses road speed, a steering angle detecting means senses steering angle, a means senses the rate of change of steering angle, and a means detects the actual roll angle of the vehicle body. A computing and control means computes a steady state roll angle of the vehicle body from the vehicle speed and the steering angle, advances the phase of a signal representative of the steady state roll angle to thereby compute a compensating value of roll angle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,478 teaches a convertible motor vehicle with two roll-over bars which can be swivelled into an upwardly directed supporting position. The rollover protection system reduces the risk of injury in the case of a fast, sensor-controlling swinging-up of the rollover bars.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,396 discloses a convertible motor vehicle with at least one seat having an extendable roll bar incorporated into an upper portion thereof. Known motion sensors are used to trigger the roll bar and cause a release from its rest position to its operating position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,368 relates to a vehicle seat system for a vehicle seat mounted on the vehicle floor also including a resilient vehicle seat cushion for normally supporting a seated occupant; a lap restraint; a belt pretensioner associated with the lap restraint; and a sensor to activate the belt pretensioner when the vehicle undergoes a displacement condition indicative of a vehicle rollover condition.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,506 describes a control device for a passenger safety apparatus wherein the safety apparatus is triggered by a sensor arrangement which responds to a longitudinal and/or transverse acceleration of the motor vehicle. It is also independently triggerable by an additional state-of-motion or moving condition sensor which is configured to recognize a near weightless state of the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,129 discloses a belt tensioning mechanism that is actuated in response to a vehicle deceleration exceeding a predetermined critical value for retracting the belt buckle. The belt tensioning mechanism includes a sensor for sensing the magnitude of a vehicular deceleration and generating a deceleration signal indicative of a vehicular deceleration exceeded the predetermined critical value.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,714 relates a vehicle safety belt system with a gripping means arranged at a webbing section extending between a deflection fitting and a belt retractor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,105 describes a vehicle safety belt pretensioning system which includes a slider to which a cable is attached. A sensor mechanism activates a trigger upon detecting an emergency condition.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,683 teaches a vehicle seat belt tightening system for taking up slack in a high acceleration or deceleration condition to positively restrain a vehicle occupant. In particular, the operation reliability may be improved if the reverse rotation of the seat belt tightening unit is prevented by a ratchet mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,423 discloses a vehicle-sensitive belt tensioning mechanism provided for taking up slack in a seat belt in response to a high deceleration condition. The belt tensioning mechanism includes an inertial sensing device for detecting the deceleration forces.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,671 describes a pretensioner system for positively eliminating loosening of a seat belt to effectively restrain a vehicle occupant during vehicle collision. The pretensioner system includes a device for sensing acceleration of a vehicle.
Despite these numerous devices, the need for a safety device including a sensing mechanism to activate a seat belt pretensioning mechanism or the like when a roll-over or pitch-over condition exists is not taught in the prior art.


A toner container according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a container body, a rotating member, a conveying member, a film member, and a stepped portion. Container body can store toner thereinside. Container body includes toner conveying path having supply opening through which toner is supplied to the outside. Rotating member is rotatably provided in container body. Rotating member rotates to scoop, into toner conveying path, toner stored in container body. Conveying member is rotatably provided in toner conveying path. Conveying member rotates to convey, toward the supply opening, toner in toner conveying path. Film member is mounted to an inner wall which extends from toner conveying path to an inner side of container body, and projects toward a region in which rotating member rotates. Stepped portion is provided in the inner wall. Stepped portion forms, between stepped portion and film member, a space having a predetermined height.

The present disclosure relates to toner containers that have rotating members thereinside, and image forming apparatuses that have the toner containers.
Developing devices are mounted to image forming apparatuses, such as copy machines and printers, which form images on print sheets by electrophotography. In the developing device, developer including toner is stored. The developing device develops an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier such as a photosensitive drum by using the toner included in the developer. Toner in the developing device is reduced by the development being performed. Therefore, the image forming apparatus is structured so as to include a toner container in which toner is stored, and additionally supply toner from the toner container to the developing device. Further, the toner container is detachably mounted to the image forming apparatus. When the toner in the toner container is all consumed, the toner container is exchanged for a new toner container that is filled with toner.
In the toner container, a storage chamber in which toner is stored, and a toner conveying path having a supply opening formed therein, are provided. Further, in the storage chamber, a rotating member that agitates toner and scoops toner into the toner conveying path is provided. Further, in the toner conveying path, a conveying member that conveys toner to the supply opening is provided. The rotating member is rotated to scoop toner into the toner conveying path, and the toner is then conveyed to the supply opening by the conveying member. Thus, toner is supplied to the developing device through the supply opening.
In this type of toner container, toner may be adhered to and accumulated on an inner wall that extends from the toner conveying path to the storage chamber. To date, a toner supply container having a guide film which can contact with the rotating member that can be rotated, in order to shake toner accumulated on the inner wall and return the toner into the storage chamber, has been known. The guide film is mounted to the inner wall. Therefore, the guide film oscillates by contacting with the rotating member, and toner accumulated on the inner wall is returned into the storage chamber so as to be shaken due to the oscillation. The guide film is disposed parallel to the inner wall that extends from the toner conveying path to the storage chamber. Therefore, the oscillation of the guide film may not be easily transmitted to the inner wall. Further, the guide film may prevent movement of toner scooped by the rotating member, and toner may not be sufficiently conveyed to the toner conveying path.

Toner container, and image forming apparatus including the same


Disclosed is a switchboard. The switchboard includes a switchboard case with a built-in circuit breaker, a door mounted on the switchboard case in a hinge structure to be opened or closed and configured to include a door hook including an inclined surface at a front end, an external manipulation handle provided at an outer side of the switchboard case and configured to manually, externally manipulate a switch-on or off operation of the circuit breaker, and a catching member disposed in the switchboard case to be contactable with the inclined surface of the door hook. The catching member rotates by contacting the inclined surface of the door hook according to a closing operation of the door, and a locked state of the door is maintained by catching the door hook on one side corner of the catching member.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a switchboard which enables a user to easily close a door.
2. Background of the Disclosure
Generally, a molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) is an electronic device which automatically breaks a circuit when overload or short circuit occurs in electricity, thereby protecting the circuit and a load device. When the MCCB is provided in a switchboard, a separate external manipulation handle device is used in connection with the MCCB so as to manually manipulate, outside the switchboard, an on/off of a handle of the circuit breaker.
FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating an external handle manipulation device of a switchboard case of the prior art. An MCCB is provided in a switchboard case 1, and a door 2 is provided at the switchboard 1 in a hinge structure, and closes or opens a front open part of the switchboard case 1. Also, a manipulation handle 3 is provided at external one side of the switchboard case 1 to be rotatable in a vertical direction.
An operation link part is connected between the external manipulation handle 3 and a handle of the MCCB, and a handle position of the MCCB may be adjusted to an on/off state by upward and downward rotating the external manipulation handle.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are a state view illustrating an operation when a door is closed, in the external handle manipulation device of the switchboard case of the prior art. A door hook 21 is provided to protrude at an inner side of a door 2, and a catching member 13 is disposed at internal one side of a switchboard 1 to be rotatable by a latch 12. The catching member 13 is elastically supported to be attracted in one direction by a compression spring 14.
When the door 2 is closed, the door hook 21 overcomes an elastic force of the compression spring 14 and moves the catching member 13 in a direction opposite to an action direction of the compression spring 14, and after the door 2 is fully closed, an end of the door hook 21 is caught on the catching member 13, whereby a closed state of the door 2 is maintained.
On the other hand, when the door 2 is opened, an external manipulation handle 3 is downward attracted and moved to a reset position, and thus, the catching member 13 is rotated and moved in the direction opposite to the action direction of the compression spring 14. Therefore, interference of the door hook 21 and the catching member 13 is removed, and thus, the door 2 is opened.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view for describing a problem of the external handle manipulation device of the switchboard case of the prior art.
In the external handle manipulation device of the switchboard case of the prior art, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the catching member 13 is disposed in parallel with a vertical plane of the door 2 with respect to a door-closed state, and a force F which is applied in the direction opposite to the action direction of the compression spring 14 is insufficient (F≈0) when the door hook 21 contacts the catching member 13. Therefore, due to the interference of the door hook 21 and the catching member 13, the door 2 is not closed well.
FIG. 4 is a state view illustrating a manipulation direction of the prior art external manipulation handle when the door is closed. In order to solve the problem, when the door 2 is closed, as illustrated in FIG. 4, by rotating the external manipulation handle 3 to the reset position with one hand, the catching member 13 is forcibly bound, and then, the interference of the door hook 21 and the catching member 13 is removed, whereupon the door 2 is fully closed. For this reason, there is difficulty in closing the door 2. That is, when desiring to close the door 2, in addition to a door operating force, a separate operating force (bound to the reset position) of the external manipulation handle 3 is needed.